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Science 2006: The Year in Medicine, Space and the Environment

Transcript of radio broadcast:
02 January 2007
Download Audio - MP3
Listen in RealAudio
VOICE ONE:
This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I’m Mario

Ritter.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Bob Doughty. This week, we talk about last year.
VOICE ONE:
We tell about some important science stories of two thousand six --

discoveries in medicine, space and the environment.
Concerns about climate change
(MUSIC) grew in 2006 as scientists
reported that ice was melting at
the North and South Pole
VOICE TWO:
Some of the biggest science stories last year were in health and medicine. And two of them came late
in two thousand six. First is a major finding about the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
In December, AIDS researchers announced findings about adult male circumcision. Two studies in
Africa found that circumcised men had about half the risk of getting HIV from sex with women as
uncircumcised men had. The studies took place in Kenya and Uganda.
HIV rates are generally lower in areas of the world where the removal of the foreskin from the penis is
common in babies or young boys.
The findings of the African studies were so clear that the United States National Institutes of Health
decided to end both studies early. All the men involved now are being offered circumcision.
The researchers said male circumcision could also lead to fewer infections in women where HIV is
spread through heterosexual sex. Health experts say they hope circumcision will become one of the
basic tools to fight HIV and AIDS. But they expect some cultural and economic barriers. Some
people have also expressed another concern about circumcision. They say it might make men think
they do not need to do anything else to prevent HIV infection.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Another major health story last month concerned breast cancer. The news came from cancer
researchers at the University of Texas in Houston. They had found a sharp decrease in newly found
breast cancer rates between two thousand two and two thousand three. It was the first such drop in
seventy years. And it followed a huge decrease in the number of older women treated with
female hormones to ease conditions caused by a natural decrease in such hormones.
For years doctors treated these conditions of menopause with the hormones estrogen and
progesterone. But in two thousand two a large study showed hormone replacement therapy seemed to
increase the risk of breast cancer. The use of hormone replacement therapy then dropped by fifty
percent.
The researchers at the University of Texas say overall rates of new breast cancers dropped seven
percent the next year. And they said breast cancer that is linked to estrogen decreased by at least
twelve percent. However, health experts say the findings do not prove that hormone replacement
therapy causes breast cancer.
VOICE TWO:
There was also news about a new vaccine to prevent another cancer in women -- cervical cancer.
United Nations health officials called for the wide use of the vaccine against the human papilloma
virus, or H.P.V. H.P.V. causes seventy percent of all cervical cancers. It is a leading cause of cancer
deaths in women in developing countries.
The vaccine could prevent more than two-thirds of deaths from cervical cancer around the world.
Officials say the vaccine is safe and effective for females between the ages of nine and twenty-six.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Not all the science news last year was medical. In August, more than two thousand members of the
International Astronomical Union met in the Czech capital, Prague. They agreed to a new definition of
planet. They also agreed that Pluto did not meet the terms of the new definition. So, now the solar
system has eight planets instead of nine.
But do not cry for the former ninth planet. The astronomical union says we should not think we have
lost a planet but that we have gained a new kind of space object: the dwarf planet, Pluto.
VOICE TWO:
Astronomers and physicists were also interested in some information provided by the Hubble Space
Telescope last year. It provided some light on the mysterious force known as dark energy. The
Hubble examined stars that exploded billions of years ago. The findings: dark energy has been
present for most of the history of the universe.
Dark energy is a mysterious force that causes the universe to expand at an increasing rate. Scientists
do not know much about dark energy. But they say it makes up about seventy percent of the energy in
the universe. It appears to balance the force of gravity.
Most physicists consider dark energy to be the force that Albert Einstein called the cosmological
constant. It prevents gravity from pulling all matter together in a cosmic crush. This latest study
shows dark energy was present in the universe as long as nine billion years ago. Over the next four
billion years the power of dark energy grew.
The expansion rate of the universe began speeding up about five billion years ago. That is when
scientists believe that dark energy's force overtook gravity. Adam Reiss of the Space Telescope
Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland led this research.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Hubble also got some good news of its own last year. NASA announced it would fly a shuttle crew to
the space telescope to make repairs and add new equipment. The telescope orbits six hundred
kilometers above the Earth. The shuttle crew is expected to make the trip in May of next year. They
hope to fix Hubble so it can continue operating until two thousand thirteen.
In other news from last year, the American space agency, NASA, returned to space. Three successful
launches of the space shuttle visited the International Space Station. NASA's two Mars vehicles,
Spirit and Opportunity, continued their exploration of the red planet. They found signs of recently
flowing water on the planet.
An orbiting spacecraft gave the world extraordinary images of the planet Saturn and its rings. NASA
also announced important plans for the future. It will update the design of the space shuttles. And it
is planning an international permanent base on the moon by the year twenty twenty.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Global warming remained a hot subject of earth science last year. Scientists declared that the ice at
both the North and South Poles was melting. A long-term study showed that Greenland lost one
hundred billion metric tons of ice between two thousand three and two thousand five.
Antarctica at the South Pole contains almost seventy percent of the world’s fresh water. The continent
is almost all ice. In some areas that ice is close to two thousand meters thick. Scientists said the
Antarctic ice sheet is losing as much as one hundred fifty-two cubic kilometers of ice every year.
One study suggests that melting ice from both poles could cause sea levels in the world to rise by
several meters by the end of this century. As a result, low-lying areas of land could be under water.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Some international ecology scientists and economists gave a serious warning about the future for fish.
They reported that seafood supplies from the world's oceans could be almost gone within fifty years
because of overfishing.
The researchers reported their findings in Science magazine in November. They said there had
already been a collapse in wild populations of almost one-third of currently fished seafoods. The
study says that means the catch has fallen by ninety percent from the highest levels. The scientists
said that species have recently been disappearing from oceans at increasing speed.
The scientists said it is not too late to repair the damage done to the oceans from overfishing, climate
change and other forces. They said governments and industries must work together to establish shared
fishing, pollution and species protection controls.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Caty Weaver and produced by Brianna Blake. I'm Bob
Doughty.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Mario Ritter. For more science news, MP3 files and transcripts of our programs, go to
voaspecialenglish.com. And join us again next week for more news about science in Special English
on the Voice of America.
Ever Wonder Where Seedless Fruits Come From?

An explanation of grafting. Transcript of radio broadcast:
02 January 2007
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
These days, if we hear about two different plants being combined, the first thing we think of is modern
biotechnology. But the low-technology process of grafting remains an extremely important form of
genetic engineering in agriculture.
Many kinds of plants are grown not from seeds but from pieces cut from
existing plants. Farmers cut branches or buds, young growths, from one
plant and place them on a related kind of plant.
The branch or bud that is grafted is called a scion [pronounced SY-uhn].

The plant that accepts the graft is called the root stock.
Over time, the parts from the two plants grow together. The grafted plant
begins to produce the leaves and fruit of the scion, not the root stock.
A graft can be cut in several ways. A cleft graft, for example, requires a
scion with several buds on it. The bottom of the scion is cut in the shape
of the letter V. A place is cut in the root stock to accept the scion.
Grafting still holds an
important place even in an age
of high-tech agriculture The scion is then securely placed into the cut on the root stock. Material
called a growth medium is put on the joint to keep it wet and help the
growth.
Grafting can join scions with desirable qualities to root stock that is strong and resists disease and
insects. Smaller trees can be grafted with older scions.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency says producing stronger plants by grafting can
reduce the need to use pesticides.
Agriculture could not exist as we know it without grafting. Many fruits and nuts have been improved
through this method. Some common fruit trees such as sweet cherries and McIntosh apples have to be
grafted.
Bing cherries, for example, are one of the most popular kinds of cherries. But a Bing cherry tree is not
grown from seed. Branches that produce Bing cherries must be grafted onto root stock. All sweet
cherries on the market are grown this way.
And then there are seedless fruits like navel oranges and seedless watermelons. Have you ever
wondered how farmers grow them? Through grafting.
The grapefruit tree is another plant that depends on grafting to reproduce. Grapes, apples, pears and
also flowers can be improved through grafting.
In an age of high-technology agriculture, grafting still holds an important place.
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Mario Ritter. You can learn more
about agriculture, and download MP3 files and transcripts of our reports, at voaspecialenglish.com.
A Musical Exploration of Time

We present some popular songs about time. Transcript of radio broadcast:
01 January 2007
Listen in RealAudio
(MUSIC)
ANNOUNCER: This is Shirley Griffith with a Special English program for the New Year. We
present fifteen minutes of music about . . . time.
(SOUND)
ANNOUNCER: We celebrate the New Year with a few examples of music about time. You just heard
a song called "Syncopated Clock." American music writer Leroy Anderson wrote it in the nineteen
forties.
In nineteen fifty-four, the group Bill Haley and His Comets provided musical proof that any time on
the clock is a good time to dance.
(MUSIC)
In nineteen sixty-five, a group named the Byrds recorded a song that seemed modern. But the words
are old. They are from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament of the Bible.
(MUSIC)
Countless songs have been written about time. Many songs are also about two other forces that seem
just as unstoppable -- love and desire. This song by Jim Croce captures these emotions.
(MUSIC)
Jim Croce did not have much time to live. The singer died in an airplane crash in nineteen seventy-
three. He was thirty years old.
Another song about love and time is sung by one of the most famous groups of our time, the Rolling
Stones. In this song, time is an ally.
(MUSIC)
Americans sing a traditional Scottish song at New Year's celebrations. It is "Auld Lang Syne."
Eighteen century Poet Robert Burns wrote the words. It is about keeping alive the memory of old
friends.
A bandleader named Guy Lombardo helped make "Auld Lang Syne" a modern tradition. The song has
become a well- known signal of the beginning of another year.
(MUSIC)
This Special English program was written by Avi Arditti and produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Shirley
Griffith wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.
The New Year Begins With Some Resolutions

Two popular ones are to lose weight or stop smoking. Transcript of radio broadcast:
01 January 2007
Listen in RealAudio
(MUSIC)
Now, a VOA Special English holiday program.
(MUSIC)
January first. The beginning of a new year. As far back in history as we can tell, people have
celebrated the start of a new year. The people of ancient Egypt began their new year in summer. That
is when the Nile River flooded its banks, bringing water and fertility to the land.
Today, most people celebrate New Year’s Day on January first. People observe the New Year’s
holiday in many different ways.
The ancient Babylonians celebrated by forcing their king to give up his crown and royal clothing.
They made him get down on his knees and admit all the mistakes he had made during the past year.
The idea of admitting mistakes and finishing the business of the old year is found in many cultures at
New Year’s.
So is the idea of making New Year’s resolutions. A resolution is a promise to change or do something
different in the coming year.
Making New Year’s resolutions is a common American tradition. Today, popular resolutions might
include the promise to lose weight, stop smoking, or be more productive at work.
Some of our Special English writers and announcers offered New Year’s resolutions of their own.
One person decided to get a new cat to replace a beloved one that recently died. Another promised to
stop telling stories about other people. And another staff member promised to spend more time with
his family.
Other people use New Year’s resolutions to make major changes in their lives. One such resolution
might be to “stop and smell the flowers.” This means to take time to enjoy simple pleasures instead of
always being too busy and in a hurry.
Another resolution might be “don’t sweat the small stuff.” This means not to worry or get angry about
unimportant things. Another resolution might be to be happy now and to forget about bad things that
happened in the past. Or, to be thankful for the most important things in life, like family and friends.
Our resolution is to wish all of our listeners a happy, healthy and productive New Year!
I'm Mario Ritter for VOA Special English.

Remembering Five Special People Who Died in 2006

Hear about the lives of Robert Altman, Ann Richards, R.W. Apple, William Styron and Ruth Brown. Transcript of
radio broadcast:
30 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
VOICE ONE:
I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Barbara Klein with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about five
special people who died during the past year. We start with the movie director Robert Altman. During
his fifty-year career, he made some of the most influential movies of modern times.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Robert Altman’s films were different from the usual methods of

Hollywood movie storytelling. He started his film career in the nineteen
forties directing industrial movies in his hometown of Kansas City,
Missouri. Later, he moved to Hollywood, California, to make television
shows.
His first major film, "M*A*S*H", was released in nineteen seventy. It

tells about a group of American medical workers in a temporary military
hospital in Korea during the Korean War in the nineteen fifties. The movie
was a great success. It questions the rules of the military establishment in
Robert Altman
a way that was sharply funny and intelligent.
Robert Altman continued to make movies with strong political and social commentary. His next major
movie, “Nashville,” came out in nineteen seventy-five. This movie provides a complex look at
changes in the country music industry.
VOICE TWO:
Robert Altman's movies have a very special style. Often, his actors speak so naturally it is hard to
believe they are performing. Altman liked his actors to be free to make up their own lines. He often
layered different recordings of actors talking at once. Altman wanted to copy the way people talk and
act in real life. And he was willing to fight with movie studio businessmen to make sure he had total
creative control over his work.
Even as an old man, Robert Altman continued to make movies. Many of his thirty-three films were
nominated for Academy Awards, including “The Player” and “Gosford Park.” Robert Altman died in
November in Los Angeles, California. He was eighty-one years old.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Ann Richards was a famous Democratic party politician from the southern
state of Texas. She served as the governor of Texas for four years. Richards
was known for her big white hair, big smile, and sharply funny comments.
She was also known for forming what she called a “New Texas” during her
time as governor. She created a government in which women, Hispanics, and
African-Americans played important roles.
Ann Richards did not always have a career in public service. As a young
woman, she worked as a teacher and raised four children. She and her
husband were very involved in local politics. Richards began working hard to
Ann Richards
help Democratic Party candidates win seats in the Texas legislature.
VOICE TWO:
Then one day, she decided to run for office herself -- and she won. She served first as country
commissioner, then as Texas state treasurer. In nineteen ninety she was elected governor. She fought
for equal rights, environmental protection and laws to restrict guns. After losing a second term as
governor to George W. Bush, Richards worked in public relations.
She died in September at the age of seventy-three. At her funeral service, leaders from around the
country gathered to celebrate her life. Former President Bill Clinton spoke at the service. He said Ann
Richards helped create a world where young girls could be scientists, engineers and police officers. He
said she was a great woman with a big heart and big dreams.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
The journalist R.W. Apple, known as Johnny, wrote about many subjects,
from politics and war to food and drink. During his forty-three years writing
for the New York Times newspaper, he enjoyed a rich and eventful career.
He was the paper’s chief reporter in cities like London, Moscow, Lagos and
Nairobi. He covered events such as the Vietnam War, the Iranian revolution
and the Gulf War. He reported on ten presidential elections. And, Johnny
Apple’s opinions on fine food, travel and the world’s best restaurants were
very influential.
VOICE TWO:
R. W. Apple
Raymond Walter Apple was born in nineteen thirty-four in Akron, Ohio. His father owned several
food stores and wanted his son to take over the business. But the young man fell in love with
journalism instead. He began as a reporter for his high school and then college newspaper. He later
wrote news stories for the Wall Street journal and the NBC news television network. But it was his
years at the New York Times that established him as one of the greatest political and cultural writers
of his time.
VOICE ONE:
Johnny Apple died in October at the age of seventy-one. Earlier this month his friends and family
gathered in Washington, D.C. for a large memorial service. Famous writers, politicians, and cooks
told about his warm personality, sharp intelligence, and extraordinary energy. After the service, guests
enjoyed fine foods provided by some of the best cooks in the area.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
William Styron wrote intense books about tragic periods in history. His
stories are filled with rich language and complex moral questions. Many of
his books try to understand the evil actions of people. His first novel, “Lie
Down in Darkness,” was published in nineteen fifty-one when he was only
twenty-five. It is about a troubled young woman who kills herself. It
established him as a great new voice in American literature. The book
received the Rome Prize, which required him to live in Italy for a year. He
soon became friends with many famous American writers including James
Baldwin and Norman Mailer.
VOICE ONE: William Styron
William Styron was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia. He quit college to join the Marines
during World War Two. He later continued his studies in English literature. After briefly working in
publishing, he started to write.
Styron wrote “The Confessions of Nat Turner” in nineteen sixty-eight. It told about a nineteenth
century slave revolt in the southern state of Virginia. Critics praised the book and it was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize. But African American writers strongly criticized the story.
VOICE TWO:
Styron's book “Sophie’s Choice” won the American Book Award in nineteen eighty. It is a tragic
story about a woman and her children who are sent to a Nazi death camp in Poland during World War
Two. The book was made into a movie starring Meryl Streep.
Later in life William Styron suffered from severe depression. After recovering, he wrote honestly and
bravely about his experience in “Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness.” He received great praise
for educating people about the difficulties of mental illness. William Styron died in November at the
age of eighty-one.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Did you recognize that powerful voice? It is Ruth Brown singing “Lucky Lips.” Brown recorded
many rhythm and blues hits in the nineteen fifties. Her popular songs helped build the Atlantic
Records company.
Ruth Brown was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in nineteen twenty-eight. She
learned to sing traditional music at her Christian religious center. But she
liked the popular jazz and rock music of the time even more. She left home
at a young age to build a career in music. One night the jazz expert and
broadcaster Willis Conover heard her perform in Washington, D.C. He
helped her meet the owners of Atlantic Records. By nineteen forty-nine she
was recording albums. Soon, she became known as “the girl with the tear in
her voice” because of her emotional way of singing.
VOICE TWO:
Ruth Brown
In the early nineteen sixties Brown married and led a more private life. But by the nineteen seventies
and eighties, she started singing again in musicals and performed on television and in movies. She
also started to fight for musicians’ rights. Many musicians recorded hit songs that made their record
companies very rich. But the musicians themselves rarely received fair payment later.
Ruth Brown worked hard to make these companies change their policies. In nineteen eighty-eight,
Atlantic Records agreed to pay her and thirty-five other musicians the money they owed them for
using their songs for twenty years. Ruth Brown continued performing for the rest of her life. She died
in October.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Barbara Klein. You can read and listen to this report on our Web site,
voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.
War in Iraq Voted Top News Story of 2006

US midterm elections are second on Associated Press list of top 10 stories of the year. Transcript of radio broadcast:
29 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
Each year, the editors and news directors of the Associated Press choose what they believe are the top
ten news stories of the year.
They chose the war in Iraq as the number one news story this year.
Two thousand six was a difficult year in Iraq with increasing violence,
clashes between religious groups and many civilian deaths. Thousands
of Iraqis have been killed. Almost three thousand members of the
American military have been killed since the war began in two
thousand three. Iraq's elected officials struggled to keep control of the
country.
The midterm elections in the United States November seventh was next
Conflict grew in Iraq in 2006 on the list of the AP's top news stories for this year. Many Americans
voted to express their unhappiness with the situation in Iraq.
The Democratic Party gained a majority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
As a result, Nancy Pelosi of California will become the first woman to serve as speaker of the House.
These were the other top stories of the year. The United States and its allies worked unsuccessfully to
halt nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. North Korea tested a nuclear weapon in October.
And Iran moved forward with plans to bring its first nuclear center into operation by the end of next
year.
In Washington, the United States Congress tried to deal with the problem of illegal immigration from
Latin America. But deep divisions prevented Congress from approving legislation. Supporters of
rights for immigrants held several demonstrations.
Also in Washington, several congressmen from the Republican Party were involved in cases of
wrongdoing. One was former House majority leader Tom DeLay who resigned after being charged
with campaign finance crimes. Another was former representative Mark Foley. He resigned after he
was found to have sent sexual messages to male students working for Congress.
Another top story was former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein being found guilty of ordering the killing
of one hundred forty eight Shi'ite Muslims. He was sentenced to death by hanging.
In the Middle East, Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia fought a month-long war during
the summer. More than nine hundred people were killed. Much of southern Lebanon was severely
damaged.
American Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigned one day after the nation's midterm elections.
Robert Gates was approved as the new defense secretary.
In August, officials in Britain said they prevented a terrorist plot to bomb several passenger airplanes
over the Atlantic Ocean. This led to new restrictions on what passengers can carry on planes.
And in Sudan, violence worsened in the country's Darfur area. Fighting between rebels and
government forces has killed more than two hundred thousand people.
IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English, was written by Brianna Blake. Our reports can be found on
our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.
The Housing Market Slows, Charity Gains and Economics Loses Two
Great Thinkers
The slow housing market has experts worried. Warren Buffett gives billions away. And two influential thinkers are
gone. Transcript of radio broadcast:
29 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
This week, we look back at a few of the year's biggest economic stories.
In recent years, home building and buying have increased, helping

expand the American economy. But this year, the housing market has
cooled. New home building dropped by more than twenty-five
percent since last November.
Many experts blame the housing market for the slow economic
growth of two percent in the three-month period ending in October. In
A house for sale in September in response, the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged. Banks
New York followed the Federal Reserve's decisions on interest rates.
While housing declined, giving money to good causes increased. Businessman Warren Buffett
announced a gift of about thirty-seven billion dollars to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Mister Buffett, an investor, is chief of Berkshire Hathaway. He is the world's second richest man.
Bill Gates is the richest. Mister Gates helped start and remains the top shareholder of Microsoft, the
world's biggest computer software maker. He started his foundation with his wife in two thousand. It
gives money to health and educational causes around the world.
Mister Buffett's gift to the Gates Foundation was one and one half billion dollars this year. And
finally, the United States lost two influential economic thinkers this year. They were on opposite
sides of most economic arguments.
John Kenneth Galbraith died in April at age ninety-seven. He not only influenced economists, but
was a political force. He advised President John F. Kennedy in the nineteen sixties. And he opposed
President Lyndon Johnson on the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War.
The Harvard professor considered economics to be moral as well as mathematical. He thought

government must intervene in the economy to guarantee fairness in society.
Milton Friedman did not trust government to solve problems of joblessness or high prices. But he did
believe it should control the money supply to fight inflation.
Mister Friedman advised President Richard Nixon and President Ronald Reagan in the nineteen
seventies and eighties. He played a part in pulling the United States out of a period of high
unemployment and inflation in the nineteen seventies.
For his work, he received the Nobel Prize in Economics in nineteen seventy-six. He died in
November at age ninety-four.
And that's the VOA Special English ECONOMICS REPORT. I'm Mario Ritter.
2006: Expanding Ways to Communicate and Have Fun on the Net

A look back at some fast-growing Internet activities. Also: musical trends, and remembering the "Godfather of Soul."
29 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Bob Doughty. Two thousand six is almost over. On this special show, Shirley Griffith and I look
back at some trends from the past year.
VOICE ONE:
The dictionary says a trend is a kind of movement or direction. People around the world used their
computers to buy goods, communicate with others, listen to music, see pictures and learn about
different places and ideas.
In two thousand six, more people around the world used new ways to communicate and connect with
each other through the Internet. We take a look at some kinds of technology that became more
popular this year.
HOST:
The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity.

Blog is a short way of saying Web log. Through these personal Web
sites, people can share their lives, ideas and opinions with anyone on
the Internet. Millions of people throughout the world are creating and
reading blogs. There are reportedly thirteen million blogs in the United
States alone.
People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a
way to show their writings and other forms of self-expression. Blogs
A blogger in a Chicago coffee also connect people with other people who have the same interests. For
shop example, teachers use blogs to share ideas, experiences and concerns
about their work with other teachers.
Many Web sites offer free services to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and
pictures. These sites include MySpace, used mainly by teenagers and young adults. MySpace is an
online community that lets people share messages and pictures with an increasing number of friends.
About one hundred twenty million people use MySpace. It is the most popular social networking site
on the Web.
VOICE ONE:
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular this year. This Web site lets anyone create,
share and watch short videos. People can watch almost anything on YouTube: news, sports and
entertainment events. Music videos. And videos made by people in their own homes. These include
videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things.
YouTube says that people watch at least one hundred million videos on the site every day. Three
young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently
sold it to Google for more than one and one half billion dollars.
HOST:
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet this year. One Internet social site is
called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different
life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend
school. About two million people take part in Second Life.
People also take part in fantasy sports leagues with the help of the Internet. A fantasy sport is a game
in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team. Each owner creates a team of real-life
professional players to compete against other teams in the league.
Fantasy players get a chance to make the same decisions professional

owners and managers do. The fantasy teams compete against each
other using points earned by the real players of the professional sport.
More than fifteen million American adults play fantasy sports. The
industry earns more than one billion dollars each year on publications,
memberships and other costs.
(MUSIC)
Cameron Ferroni operates
fantasy football software for VOICE ONE:
Microsoft
There were also some new trends in music this year. Many singers expressed a serious side with
performances and songs that had a clear political message.
For example, during her international concert tour, Madonna showed her support for helping poor
people in Africa. The country music group the Dixie Chicks wrote songs about standing strong for
their political beliefs in their album “Taking the Long Way.” Some fans praised the album while
others rejected it.
Another example is this song from Bruce Springsteen, “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and
Live.” He recorded it in honor of the people of New Orleans and their struggle after hurricane
Katrina.
(MUSIC)
HOST:
Music groups that are part of the "independent" or “indie” rock style remained very popular this year.
These groups are called indie because they often choose smaller record companies over major ones in
order to protect their artistic independence. Death Cab for Cutie and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are two
bands that received great praise this year.
Another is My Morning Jacket. Here the band performs their song “ It Beats 4 U.”
(MUSIC)
Many bands were created this year as a result of new musical projects. For example, Jack White sings
with the rock band called the White Stripes. He recently formed another band called the Raconteurs,
which has become very popular.
Another new group called Gnarls Barkley was formed by the producer Danger Mouse and the singer
Cee-Lo Green. Their song "Crazy" has become one of the biggest hits of the year.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Finally, some sad music news this year. James Brown, one of the most influential American singers
during the past fifty years, died Monday at the age of seventy-three.
James Brown was known as the “Godfather of Soul" and "the hardest
working man in show business." Experts say he turned rhythm and
blues music into soul music. And he turned soul music into the music
known as funk in the late nineteen sixties and early nineteen seventies.
Brown also influenced the development of disco and rap music. He sold
millions of records. And he was known for his electrifying performances
on stage.
James Brown was among the first group of musicians welcomed into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in nineteen eighty-six. In nineteen ninety-
James Brown, the "Godfather of
Soul" two, he received a Grammy Award for his lifetime work. One of his
most popular songs is "Say it Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud.)" It was a
statement of racial pride in nineteen sixty-eight. We leave you with the James Brown song "I Got
You (I Feel Good.)"
(MUSIC)
HOST:
I'm Bob Doughty. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Brianna Blake, Dana
Demange and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was our producer. To read the text of this program and
download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.
Send your questions about American life to mosaic@voanews.com. Please include your full name
and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-
zero-two-three-seven, U.S.A.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English. And
Happy New Year from all of us in Special English!
College Costs in US: Tuition, Housing ... and Health Care

Schools want to know that all of their students can pay for their medical needs. Transcript of radio broadcast:
28 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
We talked last week about the costs of higher education for students who want to study in the United
States. Today, as our Foreign Student Series continues, we discuss a cost that students may not
always consider: health insurance.
Medical care can be very costly if a person has an accident or gets sick.
Health insurance might pay for most or all of it. Students might already
be covered under their parents' health plan. If not, many schools offer
plans of their own.
Most American colleges and universities have student health centers.

Some have hospitals where students can go for more serious problems.
A college student in Iowa receives Our example this week is the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It
an immunization has more than four thousand six hundred international students this
year.
All University of Michigan students pay a health service fee. This fee is included in the cost of tuition
at the school. It pays for some kinds of medical care and examinations through the University Health
Service. It also pays for health education, physical therapy, X-rays and most laboratory tests.
But the health service fee does not pay for everything. For example, it does not pay for medicines or
eyeglasses or routine eye exams. It also does not pay for hospital care.
University officials say international students are required to have health insurance.
The University of Michigan offers its students a choice of plans. One is especially for international
students. This plan is designed to pay for medical care in emergencies.
It does not pay for things like dental care. And it generally does not pay for treatment of conditions
that existed before the student arrived at school.
Students can also buy private insurance policies from independent companies, but the university must
first approve them.
Whatever the plan, schools want to know that all of their students can pay for their health care needs.
Our series on higher education in the United States continues next week with a report on financial aid.
Our Foreign Student Series is available on the Internet -- with MP3 files and transcripts -- at
voaspecialenglish.com.
And foreign students can get information from the State Department at educationusa.state.gov. And
that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.
American History: Life in the US After World War Two

The United States experienced major changes as many Americans had become dissatisfied with their way of life.
28 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
VOICE ONE:
THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English by the Voice of America.
(MUSIC)
World War Two ended finally in the summer of nineteen forty-five. Life in the United States began to
return to normal. Soldiers began to come home and find peacetime jobs. Industry stopped producing
war equipment and began to produce goods that made peacetime life pleasant. The American
economy was stronger than ever.
Some major changes began to take place in the American population. Many Americans were not
satisfied with their old ways of life.
They wanted something better. And many people were earning enough money to look for a better life.
Millions of them moved out of cities and small towns to buy newly-built
homes in the suburbs. Our program today will look at the growth of
suburbs and other changes in the American population in the years after
World War Two.
VOICE TWO:
Big housing developments

The United States has always counted its population every ten years. The
took root after World War government needed to know how many people lived in each state so it
Two would know how many congressmen each state should have.
The first count was made two-hundred years ago. At that time, the country had about four million
persons. One hundred years later, the population had increased to about sixty-three million persons.
By nineteen fifty, there were more than one hundred fifty million persons in the United States.
In the early years of America, the average mother had eight to ten children. Living conditions were
hard. Many children died at an early age. Families needed a lot of help on the farm. So it was good to
have many children.
This changed in the years that followed. Families began to have fewer and fewer children. By nineteen
hundred, the average woman only had three or four children and by nineteen thirty-six, during the
great economic depression, the average American mother gave birth to only two children.
VOICE ONE:
This changed immediately after World War Two. Suddenly, it seemed, every family started having
babies. Parents were hopeful about the future. There were lots of jobs. And people everywhere felt the
need for a family and security after the long, difficult years of the war. So the birth rate increased
suddenly.
The number of children between the ages of five and fourteen increased by more than ten million
between nineteen fifty and nineteen sixty.
VOICE TWO:
Many of the new parents moved to homes in the new suburbs. The word suburb comes from the word
urban, or having to do with cities. A suburb was sub, or something less than, a city.
It usually was created on an empty piece of land just outside a city. A businessman would buy the land
and build houses on it. Young families would buy the houses with money that they borrowed from
local banks.
Life was different in the suburbs. There were all sorts of group activities.
VOICE ONE:
There were boy scout groups for the boys. Girl scout groups for the girls. The parent-teachers
association at the school. Barbecue parties where families gathered to cook and eat outside. Historian
William Manchester described life in the suburbs in this way: "The new suburbs were free, open, and
honestly friendly to anyone except black people, whose time had not yet come."
Manchester wrote, "Families moving in found that their new friends were happy to help them get
settled. Children in the suburbs exchanged toys and clothes almost as though they were group
property. If little Bobby out-grew his clothes, his mother gave them to little Billy across the street.
Front doors were not locked. Friends felt free to enter without knocking or asking permission."
VOICE TWO:
Parents did everything they could to make life good for their children. The number of boys playing on
Little League baseball teams increased from less than one million to almost six million between
nineteen fifty and nineteen sixty. During the same period, the number of Girl Scouts increased by two-
million. And twice as many bicycles were sold.
Parents also tried to improve their children's education. In nineteen sixty, parents bought almost three
times more educational books for children than ten years earlier.
Parents also bought millions of dollars' worth of pianos, violins, and other musical instruments for
their children. Families in the suburbs wanted a new life, a good life, for their children.
VOICE ONE:
It was true that the average number of children per family was increasing. But the total population of
the United States did not increase as much during this period as one might have expected.
The reason for this was that fewer immigrants were coming from foreign countries. In fact, the
number of immigrants to the United States had been dropping for many years. In nineteen ten, eleven
immigrants were coming to America for every thousand Americans already living here. By nineteen
fifty, just one-and-a-half immigrants were coming for every thousand Americans.
The kinds of immigrants were changing, too. In the past, most came from northern and western
Europe. But now, growing numbers of people came to the United States from Latin America, Asia,
and southern and eastern European countries.
VOICE TWO:
Many Americans moved to different parts of the country in the nineteen-fifties.
Most Americans continued to live in the eastern, central, and southern parts of the country. But
growing numbers moved to the western states. The population of the western states increased by
almost forty percent during the nineteen-fifties.
America's biggest city in nineteen fifty was New York, with almost eight-million persons. Second was
Chicago, with more than three-and-a-half million. Then came Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit,
Baltimore, Cleveland, and Saint Louis.
VOICE ONE:
Another population change was in life expectancy. In the early nineteen-hundreds, the average
newborn American could only expect to live about forty-seven years. But by the nineteen fifties, most
American babies could expect to live well past their sixtieth birthday.
This increase in life expectancy was due to improvements in living conditions and medical care. And
it would continue to increase steadily in the years that followed.
VOICE TWO:
The United States was a changing country, a nation on the move. And political leaders battled each
other for the right to lead it. We will look in our next program at political events during this period and
look at the presidency of Harry Truman.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
You have been listening to THE MAKING OF A NATION, a program in Special English by the
Voice of America. Your narrators have been Harry Monroe and Rich Kleinfledt. Our program was
written by David Jarmul. The Voice of America invites you to listen again next week to THE
MAKING OF A NATION.
Americans Ring in the New Year With 'Auld Lang Syne'

The song tells about the need to remember old friends. Transcript of radio broadcast:
31 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
ANNOUNCER: Now, VOA Special English presents a special program for New Year’s Eve.
(MUSIC)
That is a song millions of Americans will hear this New Year’s Eve. It is called “Auld Lang Syne.” It
is the traditional music played during the New Year’s celebration. Auld Lang Syne is an old Scottish
poem. It tells about the need to remember old friends. The words “auld lang syne” mean “old long
since.” No one knows who wrote the poem first. However, a version by Scottish poet Robert Burns
was published in seventeen ninety-six. The words and music we know today first appeared in a
songbook three years later.
The song is sung in the United States mainly on New Year’s Eve. Here is Lou Rawls singing his
version of it.
(MUSIC)
Another version is by the Washington Saxophone Quartet. As we end our program with “Auld Lang
Syne,” I would like to wish all of our radio friends a very Happy New Year! This is Shirley Griffith.
From Clay to Art: Exploring the World of Ceramics

Meet ceramic artist William Wilhelmi Transcript of radio broadcast:
26 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
VOICE ONE:
I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special

English.
At the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. you

might see two cowboy boots. They are painted with a design of clouds
and stars. They look like boots that you could wear on your feet. But
they are really made out of carefully formed clay material.
The artist William Wilhelmi made these ceramic pieces. How did he
William Wilhelmi's porcelain make these colorful boots? Today, we answer that question as we
cowboy boots explore the world of clay art.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Clay is one of the most universal materials known to humans. Throughout history and around the
world, people have developed the art of forming clay to make ceramic objects, or pottery. Clay is
made of water and earth. It is formed into different shapes. Then high levels of heat harden it to
produce many kinds of ceramics.
Different kinds of clay contain different minerals such as silicon or iron dioxide. The kinds of
minerals in clay affect how soft or hard it is to work with. The mineral content of clay also affects the
temperature level at which it hardens.
VOICE TWO:
Earthenware is one of the earliest kinds of clay used by humans. Earthenware hardens at a lower
temperature than another clay called stoneware. Porcelain is yet another kind of clay. It is very fine
and smooth. All these clays need to be fired at high temperatures. Early pottery was heated in the sun
or by a fire. Later, potters developed heated devices called kilns to control the necessary firing
conditions.
VOICE ONE:
The development of ceramics has had an important effect on human history. Ceramic objects
permitted early cultures to make containers that could hold water. This means they could cook foods
like vegetables and meats. Improving food production methods meant larger populations could
survive. Pottery is an art form that grew out of the daily needs of life.
Ceramics are also important for historians and archeologists. Pieces of ceramics found at
archeological areas help tell about ancient cultures. These pieces can last for tens of thousands of
years. They help answer questions about cultures we know little about.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
There are many different ways to form clay. The earliest methods involved shaping it by hand. People
form containers by pressing a ball of clay into a given shape. Or, they place long thin rolls of clay on
top of each other and then make them smooth. Another method is called slab-construction. A ceramist
creates several flat pieces of clay that can be joined together to make the sides of the container.
Later, ceramists developed the method of "throwing" clay on a wheel. A ball of clay is placed on a flat
wheel device that turns quickly. The potter holds the clay firmly and guides it while the wheel and
clay turn. Using different amounts of upward pressure the potter can build up the sides of a container.
This method permits a potter to make similar pieces quickly. But it takes a great deal of skill to
become an expert at wheel throwing.
VOICE ONE:
Slip casting is another method. A ceramist pours liquid clay into a hard form or mold. As the clay
dries, it takes the shape of the form. This method is useful for making very detailed objects. It is also
useful because the mold can be used over and over again to make exact copies of the ceramic form.
There are also many ways to add decoration to ceramics. These methods can be as simple as
scratching designs and images into the clay. Or, they can be more complex such as using liquid glazes
to change the color or shininess of the clay surface.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Pottery provides important examples of cultural exchange. For example, native traditions of pottery in
Mexico changed greatly in the fifteenth century. After the arrival of people from Spain, Mexican
ceramists stopped making their own religious figures. They started making Christian religious forms
instead. Also, the Spanish introduced materials and methods used in Europe, including the potter’s
wheel.
Trade exchanges spread ceramics all over the world. As early as the tenth century, the Chinese traded
their ceramics throughout the Middle East and southeast Asia. Chinese ceramics later had a great
influence on Europe. Europeans started to copy the fine traditions of Japanese and Chinese ceramics
as early as the eighteenth century.
VOICE ONE:
Ceramics also demonstrate the depth of human creativity. This art shows the local needs and materials
of a group of people. Pottery is often very different from country to country. But it can also be very
different within areas of the same country. For example, in Mexico, every area has a different clay
tradition. In one part of the state of Oaxaca, potters have been making black clay containers in the
same way for centuries.
In another area of this state, pottery for cooking is made with a shiny green coating. Nearby, artists
make female figures out of orange clay.
In the Mexican state of Michoacán potters make white clay containers

painted
with line drawings of fish and other animals. In another part of this state,
artists make green painted containers in the shape of the pineapple fruit.
In the state of Mexico, artists make clay candle holders covered with clay
animals, plants, and people. They are painted in bright colors. These
traditions are just a few of the examples of Mexican ceramics.
Imagine how many different kinds of clay traditions exist in other areas of
the world. What kinds of ceramics are made where you live? A ceramic pineapple container
from Mexico.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
In the United States, W Studio is on a quiet street in Corpus Christi, Texas. This is where the potter
William Wilhelmi makes his art. Let us go back to the ceramic cowboy boots we talked about earlier.
Listen as Wilhelmi describes why he made these special boots in porcelain:
“I’m William Wilhelmi and I made the porcelain cowboy boots at the Smithsonian in Washington DC.
That’s the only pair of porcelain boots. We use here a low temperature fired clay, which is very easy
to work with. The reason the ones at the Smithsonian are porcelain is they were having a show called
“American Porcelain”. I was asked if I would enter a pair of boots in the show. They said, are they out
of porcelain? And I said 'Why, sure!'”
VOICE ONE:
William Wilhelmi made these boots with the slip cast method. He took two real cowboy boots and
made a hard form using their shape. Then, he poured liquid clay into the forms. Once the boot forms
dried, he added clay details to the shoes to represent leather shoe material. Later, he painted a Texas
night sky on the sides of the boots. And he made the points of the shoes a shiny gold.
An example of William
Wilhelmi's clay monster Wilhelmi is also known for his clay "monster" creatures. He adds these
creatures and his eucalyptus tree
friendly little creatures to many of his ceramics forms. He says they add
design
humor and a sense of activity. Another design Wilhelmi likes to use is
the eucalyptus tree. He paints these trees in black on many of his clay dishes, bowls, and cups.
VOICE TWO:
William Wilhelmi says being a potter can be difficult. You do not always know if a clay object will
survive being fired at high temperatures. You can spend a great deal of time making an object only for
it to break in the kiln. But he says it is also very pleasant working with clay. And it permits him to use
his sense of design, color and shape in many ways.
William Wilhelmi’s work can be found in museums all over the United States. Many important people
collect his work. For example, the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, owns some of these clay
boots. So does Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico. To see a large collection of the artist's
work, you can visit the Wilhelmi/Holland Gallery next to W Studio. Here, people can buy Wilhelmi’s
work as well as the work of other artists.
Or, visitors can watch Wilhelmi at work in his studio. This large room is filled with interesting objects
like photographs, art and books. There are many worktables covered with tools, color glazes and clay
forms. In one area of the room there are three kilns as well as a potter’s wheel.
VOICE ONE:
William Wilhelmi finds new artistic ideas by traveling and reading books. He tells about how clay art
is both universal and personal.
“The thing about clay is every culture knows clay, because they use it. That is one of the advantages
of working in clay. Everyone can relate to clay. It’s been part of our human evolution. And it goes
from very basic to extremely baroque things. And also as one lives one's life, you take in all your
experiences. Then when I sit down to work, these things come out. It is the experiences of life you
reflect in your work.”
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Barbara Klein.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Steve Ember. You can read this program and download audio on our Web site,
voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.
Healthier Eating in New York Hard For Some to Swallow

City health officials order restaurants to cut trans fats in their foods; an industry group sees 'misguided social
engineering.' Transcript of radio broadcast:
26 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
New York City wants to fight fat. The Board of Health has passed a ban on trans fats in all
restaurants.
Eating places have until July to stop frying foods in oils high in trans-
fatty acids. And they have until July of two thousand eight to reduce
trans fat in other foods to less than one-half gram per serving.
Trans fats are often called partially hydrogenated fats. They form when
hydrogen is added to liquid oils and fats to make them solid. Trans fats
make foods last longer.
Kentucky Fried Chicken sells a But they increase the level of low-density lipoprotein, known as bad
fried chicken free of trans fats cholesterol, in the blood. High levels of LDL can increase the risk for
heart disease.
The use of trans fats expanded because of worries about saturated fats. Saturated fat also raises bad
cholesterol. So is one fat worse than the other?
James Cleeman is coordinator of the cholesterol education program at the National Institutes of
Health. Doctor Cleeman says gram for gram, both raise LDL levels about the same. But he points out
that American adults on average get more than four times as much saturated fat in their diet as trans
fat.
Trans fats, though, also lower the level of HDL, high-density lipoprotein -- so-called good
cholesterol. Saturated fats do not.
Doctor Cleeman says lower levels of good cholesterol have been linked to increased risk for heart
disease in the population as a whole. But for an individual, he says, lowering good cholesterol by
eating trans fat has not been shown to increase the risk.
Other cities may also ban trans fats. A measure proposed in Chicago has been awaiting further action.
The New York Board of Health also wants menus in fast-food places to now list the number of
calories in foods. The idea is to help people make wiser choices.
Public health officials say two out of three Americans are overweight.
But the National Restaurant Association calls the actions in New York misguided social engineering.
And it says the ban raises serious legal concerns.
The group notes that many restaurants have recently announced they are moving away from using
trans fat. And it says without much time to change, many will have no choice but to use oils high in
saturated fats.
Some people see the ban as an attack on freedom of choice. They say food inspectors should worry
more about dangers like E. coli bacteria.
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Jill Moss. I'm Shirley Griffith.
Biotech Foods Continue to Produce Mixed Feelings in US

Safety is a concern of many, but opinion researchers also find the public not well informed on the subject. Transcript
of radio broadcast:
25 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
Americans are still split in their opinions about genetically engineered foods. The finding is from one
thousand adults questioned for the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. This is a project of the
University of Richmond in Virginia supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Thirty-four percent said they believed genetically modified foods are

safe. Twenty-nine percent thought they are unsafe.
Support increased when people were told that most processed foods
contain at least small amounts of genetically engineered organisms.
After that, forty-five percent thought the foods were safe. But twenty-
nine percent still believed they were unsafe.
Only twenty-one percent said that five years ago when the project first measured public understanding
and support for biotechnologies.
Genetically engineered soybeans, corn and cotton have been available to American farmers for ten
years. Much of the corn and soy is fed to animals. But many foods contain genetically modified soy
lecithin, corn syrup and other products.
Supporters say these foods are safe. They say genetic engineering improves crops. These versions are
often designed to resist damage from insects or agricultural chemicals.
But the Pew Initiative says public understanding of biotech foods remains low. Sixty percent said
they believed they had never eaten them.
The Food and Drug Administration does not require companies to identify biotech foods to the
public. Forty-three percent of the people said they would feel better if the F.D.A. had more rules.
Now, the agency only asks companies to consult with it about biotech foods they want to market.
Some companies market products as being free of genetically modified organisms.
This year the Pew research added questions about animal cloning. Only twenty-seven percent of those
who said they had heard of it expressed comfort with the idea. Sixty-one percent said they were
uncomfortable with it.
The F.D.A. says it is moving closer to permitting the sale of milk and meat from animals that are
genetic copies of other animals. For now, companies are being asked to cooperate with the agency
and not market such products.
Thirty-seven percent of the people said family and friends were their most trusted sources of
information about biotech foods. Farmers were second, then scientists. Five years ago, the top
answer was the F.D.A. Now it is fourth.
And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. I'm Steve Ember.
Time -- One of the Great Mysteries of Our Universe

So does anyone really know what time it is? Not all scientists agree that time can only move forward. Transcript of
radio broadcast:
25 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember. This week our
program is about a mystery as old as time. Bob Doughty and Sarah Long tell about the mystery of
time.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
If you can read a clock, you can know the time of day. But no one
knows what time itself is. We cannot see it. We cannot touch it. We
cannot hear it. We know it only by the way we mark its passing.
For all our success in measuring the smallest parts of time, time
remains one of the great mysteries of the universe.
VOICE TWO:
One way to think about time is to imagine a world without time. There No one has to tell Flava Flav what
could be no movement, because time and movement cannot be time it is
separated.
A world without time could exist only as long as there were no changes. For time and change are
linked. We know that time has passed when something changes.
VOICE ONE:
In the real world -- the world with time -- changes never stop. Some changes happen only once in a
while, like an eclipse of the moon. Others happen repeatedly, like the rising and setting of the sun.
Humans always have noted natural events that repeat themselves. When people began to count such
events, they began to measure time.
In early human history, the only changes that seemed to repeat themselves evenly were the
movements of objects in the sky. The most easily seen result of these movements was the difference
between light and darkness.
The sun rises in the eastern sky, producing light. It moves across the sky and sinks in the west,
causing darkness. The appearance and disappearance of the sun was even and unfailing. The periods
of light and darkness it created were the first accepted periods of time. We have named each period of
light and darkness -- one day.
VOICE TWO:
People saw the sun rise higher in the sky during the summer than in winter. They counted the days
that passed from the sun's highest position until it returned to that position. They counted three
hundred sixty-five days. We now know that is the time Earth takes to move once around the sun. We
call this period of time a year.
VOICE ONE:
Early humans also noted changes in the moon. As it moved across the night sky, they must have
wondered. Why did it look different every night? Why did it disappear? Where did it go?
Even before they learned the answers to these questions, they developed a way to use the changing
faces of the moon to tell time.
The moon was "full" when its face was bright and round. The early humans counted the number of
times the sun appeared between full moons. They learned that this number always remained the same
-- about twenty-nine suns. Twenty-nine suns equaled one moon. We now know this period of time as
one month.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Early humans hunted animals and gathered wild plants. They moved in groups or tribes from place to
place in search of food. Then, people learned to plant seeds and grow crops. They learned to use
animals to help them work, and for food.
They found they no longer needed to move from one place to another to survive.
As hunters, people did not need a way to measure time. As farmers, however, they had to plant crops
in time to harvest them before winter. They had to know when the seasons would change. So, they
developed calendars.
No one knows when the first calendar was developed. But it seems possible that it was based on
moons, or lunar months.
When people started farming, the wise men of the tribes became very important. They studied the
sky. They gathered enough information so they could know when the seasons would change. They
announced when it was time to plant crops.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
The divisions of time we use today were developed in ancient Babylonia four thousand years ago.
Babylonian astronomers believed the sun moved around the Earth every three-hundred-sixty-five
days. They divided the trip into twelve equal parts, or months. Each month was thirty days. Then,
they divided each day into twenty-four equal parts, or hours. They divided each hour into sixty
minutes, and each minute into sixty seconds.
VOICE TWO:
Humans have used many devices to measure time. The sundial was one of the earliest and simplest.
A sundial measures the movement of the sun across the sky each day. It has a stick or other object
that rises above a flat surface. The stick, blocking sunlight, creates a shadow. As the sun moves, so
does the shadow of the stick across the flat surface. Marks on the surface show the passing of hours,
and perhaps, minutes.
The sundial works well only when the sun is shining. So, other ways were invented to measure the
passing of time.
VOICE ONE:
One device is the hourglass. It uses a thin stream of falling sand to measure time. The hourglass is
shaped like the number eight --- wide at the top and bottom, but very thin in the middle. In a true
"hour" glass, it takes exactly one hour for all the sand to drop from the top to the bottom through a
very small opening in the middle. When the hourglass is turned with the upside down, it begins to
mark the passing of another hour.
By the eighteenth century, people had developed mechanical clocks and watches. And today, many of
our clocks and watches are electronic.
VOICE TWO:
So, we have devices to mark the passing of time. But what time is it now? Clocks in different parts of
the world do not show the same time at the same time. This is because time on Earth is set by the
sun's position in the sky above.
We all have a twelve o'clock noon each day. Noon is the time the sun is highest in the sky. But when
it is twelve o'clock noon where I am, it may be ten o'clock at night where you are.
VOICE ONE:
As international communications and travel increased, it became clear that it would be necessary to
establish a common time for all parts of the world.
In eighteen eighty-four, an international conference divided the world into twenty-four time areas, or
zones. Each zone represents one hour. The astronomical observatory in Greenwich, England, was
chosen as the starting point for the time zones. Twelve zones are west of Greenwich. Twelve are
east.
The time at Greenwich -- as measured by the sun -- is called Universal Time. For many years it was
called Greenwich Mean Time.
VOICE TWO:
Some scientists say time is governed by the movement of matter in our universe. They say time flows
forward because the universe is expanding. Some say it will stop expanding some day and will begin
to move in the opposite direction, to grow smaller. Some believe time will also begin to flow in the
opposite direction -- from the future to the past. Can time move backward?
Most people have no trouble agreeing that time moves forward. We see people born and then grow
old. We remember the past, but we do not know the future. We know a film is moving forward if it
shows a glass falling off a table and breaking into many pieces. If the film were moving backward,
the pieces would re-join to form a glass and jump back up onto the table. No one has ever seen this
happen. Except in a film.
VOICE ONE:
Some scientists believe there is one reason why time only moves forward. It is a well-known
scientific law -- the second law of thermodynamics. That law says disorder increases with time. In
fact, there are more conditions of disorder than of order.
For example, there are many ways a glass can break into pieces. That is disorder. But there is only
one way the broken pieces can be organized to make a glass. That is order. If time moved backward,
the broken pieces could come together in a great many ways. Only one of these many ways, however,
would re-form the glass. It is almost impossible to believe this would happen.
VOICE TWO:
Not all scientists believe time is governed by the second law of thermodynamics. They do not agree
that time must always move forward. The debate will continue about the nature of time. And time
will remain a mystery.
(MUSIC)
VOICE THREE:
Our program was written by Marilyn Christiano and read by Sarah Long and Bob Doughty. I'm Steve
Ember. Listen again next week for Science in the News, in VOA Special English.
Christmas in America: Music and Traditions of a Merry Season

A look at holiday observances as Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Transcript of radio broadcast:
24 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
Correction attached
VOICE ONE:
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
For millions of Americans, the most wonderful day of the year is

December twenty-fifth -- Christmas.
For one thing, it marks the end of the most busy time of year. Many
people need a rest after weeks of buying gifts, going to parties,
organizing travel and getting their homes ready for the holiday.
VOICE TWO:
With all this, it is often said that Christmas has lost its meaning as the Christmas trees in Rockefeller
birthday of Jesus Christ. Some churches in the United States have Center in New York
cancelled Christmas Day services, so people can spend the day with
their families. This was even true last year when Christmas came on a Sunday, the traditional day of
worship.
These churches still offer Christmas Eve services, though. And many Christians still go to church on
Christmas Day or the night before. They consider it an important part of celebrating the holiday.
Another important part of the Christmas season is music. Among traditional carols, one of the most
popular is "Silent Night."
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Most Americans identify themselves as Christian, even if they are not very religious. But the freedom
to choose any religion, or no religion at all, is guaranteed by the Constitution. The Constitution
separates religion and government.
Yet each year brings disputes over holiday observances that some may see as too religious for public
schools or other public places.
Others say the real problem is too much political correctness; things like saying "Happy Holidays"
when people mean "Merry Christmas." They say people should not be so worried about the risk of
offending a stranger.
VOICE TWO:
But not all Americans celebrate Christmas. And even those who do might not celebrate it as a
religious holiday. This is true of Christians as well as non-Christians. Still, they treat it as a special
day.
And it is hard to think of anyone that Christmas is more special for than children. Of course, this has a
lot to do with the tradition of a kindly old man with a big belly and a bright red suit. Children know
Santa Claus as the one who leaves gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve.
But only if they are good little children and go to sleep.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Stores crowded with holiday gift buyers may be good for the economy. But some people celebrate
Christmas in less material ways. For example, they volunteer to serve meals at shelters for the
homeless or visit old people in nursing homes. To them, this is honoring the true spirit of Christmas.
VOICE TWO:
Christmastime centers on home and family.
Once people bring home a Christmas tree, they may struggle

with setting it up so it does not fall over. But then they enjoy
decorating it with colorful lights and ornaments.
In some families, the tradition is to open gifts on Christmas

Eve. In others, though, people wait until Christmas morning to
open their presents.
A big Christmas dinner is a tradition in many families. And so

are special treats like Christmas cookies covered in powdered
sugar.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Many people travel long distances to be home with their families at Christmas. But not everyone is
able to be with loved ones. For some, Christmas can be a lonely time. Most businesses and public
places are closed for the holiday. But some restaurants stay open and serve Christmas dinner.
A retired man in Washington, D.C., says he enjoys his Christmas dinner at a local restaurant. In fact,
he says that after spending several Christmases there, he has become friends with other people who
spend their Christmases there, too.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Caroling is a Christmas tradition that goes back hundreds of years. Sometimes carolers walk along a
street and the group stops at each house to sing a song. Other times they gather in a public place.
Carolers may visit places like shopping centers, hospitals and nursing homes. School choruses are
often invited to sing songs of the holiday season.
And, of course, caroling can be found in churches. Listen as the choir of Trinity Church in Boston
sings "Carol of the Bells."
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
December is usually also the time of the ancient Jewish holiday

of Hanukkah; this year it began at sundown on December
fifteenth. The eight-day Festival of Lights honors the
rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees
defeated King Atiochus of Syria.
Muslims will celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha in January.

The Feast of Sacrifice marks the end of the yearly pilgrimage to
A Hanukkah menorah
Mecca.
VOICE TWO:
Most black Americans celebrate Christmas. But after Christmas, from

December twenty-sixth to January first, many also celebrate Kwanzaa.
This African-American holiday honors culture, community and family.
The name comes from a Swahili term meaning "first fruits." Kwanzaa
started during the nineteen-sixties, an important period in the modern civil
rights movement.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE: Lighting candles for Kwanzaa
For many children, a favorite Christmas tradition is watching a performance of the ballet "The
Nutcracker." The Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky wrote the music in eighteen ninety-one.
"The Nutcracker" is a story told in dance about a young girl named Clara.
Clara is celebrating Christmas with her family and friends. One of her gifts is a wooden nutcracker
shaped like a toy soldier. Clara is shown how to put a nut in the mouth to break the shell open with
the head. But she dreams that the nutcracker comes to life as a good-looking prince.
VOICE TWO:
We leave you with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy performing "The Waltz of the
Flowers" from "The Nutcracker."
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Barbara Klein.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. You can find archives of our programs on the Web at voaspecialenglish.com.
And we hope you can join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.
---
Correction: This report said Muslims would celebrate Eid al-Adha in January. The holiday, which
lasts three or four days, depending on the tradition, began December thirtieth.
Microbicides to Protect Women From AIDS Move Into Final Tests

Studies of a product being tested in South Africa are expected to be completed in March. Transcript of radio
broadcast:
24 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
Right now, the top story in AIDS research involves newly announced findings about adult male
circumcision. Two studies in Africa found that circumcised men had half the risk of getting H.I.V.
from sex with women as uncircumcised men had.
Researchers declared an early end to the studies in Kenya and Uganda so all the men involved could
be offered the operation.
The findings are important. But so is news of progress on microbicides

that could help protect women against the AIDS virus.
The Global Campaign for Microbicides says more than sixty products
or compounds are under development. Several have reached the last
part of the testing process or will enter final testing soon. At this time,
no effective microbicides are available.
Women would use a microbicide cream or gel before sex. It might be

designed, for example, to kill or inactivate the virus, or to create a A drop of microbicide gel
physical barrier to guard the cell wall in the body.
The Population Council, a nonprofit group in New York, has been working for seventeen years to
develop a microbicide. Its leading candidate is a product called Carraguard. Carraguard is made from
carrageenan -- the underwater plant material better known as seaweed.
Final testing of Carraguard for safety and effectiveness is taking place in South Africa. The product is
being tested in more than six thousand women for up to two years. The study closes in March.
Results are expected within a year after that.
If Carraguard passes the tests, the Population Council is expected to seek approval for it in South
Africa and the United States.
The group notes that the first microbicides are expected to be effective forty to seventy percent of the
time. Still, many cases of H.I.V. could be prevented.
In some cases, nonprofit groups have been developing microbicides with compounds produced by
major drug companies.
AIDS experts say microbicides could give women more control over their bodies. Women often lack
the power to demand that their partner use a condom.
Worldwide, almost half of adults with H.I.V. and AIDS are women. But the United Nations says
women are victims of sixty percent of new infections. It estimates that more than four million people
have become infected with the virus this year and three million people have died.
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. You can learn more
about H.I.V. and AIDS at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Faith Lapidus.
Irving Berlin, 1888-1989: He Wrote Songs that Made America Sing

"White Christmas" and "God Bless America" were two of the most popular songs in the U.S. Transcript of radio
broadcast:
23 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
VOICE ONE:
I’m Phoebe Zimmerman.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program People in America. Today, we tell
about Irving Berlin. He wrote the words and music for some of the most popular songs of the
twentieth century.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Irving Berlin lived to be one hundred one years old. He died in nineteen
eighty-nine. During his long life, he wrote more than one thousand songs.
Many of his songs have become timeless additions to America's popular
culture.
Irving Berlin's music helped spread that popular culture throughout the world.
Berlin was born in Russia. But he captured the feeling, the people and the
customs of his new country. And he put those ideas to music.
Irving Berlin Another composer, Jerome Kern, once said of Irving Berlin: "He has no place
in American music. He is American music."
VOICE TWO:
Most American children grow up hearing and singing some of Irving Berlin's songs. Two of the best
known are linked to Christian religious holidays. They are "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade."
Many Americans think the perfect Christmas Day on December twenty-fifth should be cold and
snowy. Irving Berlin thought so, too. He wrote "White Christmas" in nineteen thirty-nine. It was sung
in the movie "Holiday Inn" in nineteen forty-two. "White Christmas" became one of the best-selling
songs of all time. Here is Bing Crosby singing his famous version of "White Christmas."
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
lrving Berlin's song for the Easter holiday captures another American tradition. "Easter Parade" is
about a tradition in New York City. There, on Easter morning, people walk up and down Fifth Avenue
after church services to enjoy the spring weather. Women wear new hats and dresses. Berlin wrote the
song for a musical play in nineteen thirty-three. It was the main song in the musical film "Easter
Parade" in nineteen forty-eight. Here is Judy Garland singing "Easter Parade."
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Irving Berlin was born Israel Baline in eighteen eighty-eight in the Russian village of Temun. He was
the youngest of eight children. His family was Jewish. They fled Russia because of religious
oppression.
The Baline family came to America in eighteen ninety-three. They did not have much money. They
moved into an area of New York City where many other poor Jewish immigrants had settled when
they moved to the United States. Israel's father died when the boy was eight years old. The young boy
left his home to find work. First, he got a job helping a blind street singer. Then he began earning
money by singing on the streets of New York. Later, he got a job singing while serving people their
food in a restaurant. Israel taught himself to play the piano. But he could play only the black keys.
VOICE ONE:
Soon Israel began writing his own songs. He never learned to read or write music. He wrote his songs
by playing the notes with one finger on the piano. An assistant wrote down the notes on sheets of
paper. When the songwriter's first song was published, his name was spelled wrong. Israel Baline had
become I. Berlin. Israel thought the name sounded more American. So he renamed himself Irving
Berlin.
Between nineteen twelve and nineteen sixteen, Irving Berlin wrote more than one hundred eighty
songs. By the time he was in his late twenties, his songs were famous around the world.
VOICE TWO:
Berlin became an American citizen in nineteen eighteen. A few months later, he was ordered into
military service. The United States was fighting in World War One. Berlin was asked to write songs
for a musical about life in the military. He called the show "Yip Yip Yaphank." All of the performers
in the show were soldiers. Many of the songs became popular.
After he served in the army, Berlin returned to New York. He formed his own music publishing
company. He also established a theater for his musical shows near Broadway.
VOICE ONE:
Irving Berlin loved America for giving a poor immigrant a chance to succeed. He expressed his thanks
for this success in his songs. One of these songs is "God Bless America." He wrote the song in
nineteen eighteen. But it did not become popular until Kate Smith sang it in nineteen thirty-nine. She
sang the song to celebrate Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of World War One. Many people
feel "God Bless America" is the unofficial national song of the United States.
Berlin gave all money he earned from "God Bless America" to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of
America. Here is Kate Smith singing "God Bless America."
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
The United States entered World War Two in nineteen forty-one. Berlin agreed to write and produce a
musical show called "This is the Army." It was a musical about life in the military. All the performers
were soldiers.
The show was performed in many cities across the United States. It helped increase support for
America's part in the war. It earned ten million dollars for the Army Emergency Relief Fund. "This is
the Army" also was performed for the American troops at military bases around the world. Irving
Berlin appeared in most of these performances. He sang the song he had written earlier. The song is
about what he had hated most about being in the army. Here, Irving Berlin sings "Oh, How I Hate to
Get Up in the Morning."
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
After the war, Berlin continued to write songs for movies and plays. He wrote songs for more than
fifteen movies from the nineteen thirties to the nineteen fifties. Many of the songs were used in
movies starring the famous dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Here is Fred Astaire singing a
song that appeared in several movies, "Puttin’ on the Ritz."
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Irving Berlin also wrote the music for seventeen Broadway plays from the nineteen twenties to
nineteen fifty. His most successful Broadway musical was “Annie Get Your Gun” in nineteen forty-
six. Irving Berlin retired in nineteen sixty-two after his last Broadway musical, "Mister President,"
failed. He died in nineteen eighty-nine. But the songs that he gave America will be played and sung
for many years to come.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Lawan Davis. Our
studio engineer was Sulaiman Tarawaley. I'm Phoebe Zimmerman.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another People in America program on the Voice
of America.
Santa Claus: Do You Believe?

Santa Claus is coming to town. Transcript of radio broadcast:
23 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
Now, the Special English program, Words and Their Stories.
(MUSIC)
Our expression today is Santa Claus. Santa Claus is someone who will remain in the hearts of
children forever. He is the make-believe person who brings toys and other gifts to children at
Christmas.
To grown-ups, he is a special symbol of goodwill and selfless giving. Santa Claus also has some other
names: Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Pelznickel.
Two of his names -- Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas -- both come from the Dutch who settled in New
York long ago. The Dutch believed Saint Nikolas gave gifts to children. They honored this kindly
saint with a yearly festival on December sixth.
The English-speaking people who lived nearby greatly enjoyed Dutch festivals. And they brought the
saint and the custom of giving gifts into their own celebration at Christmas time. The Dutch spoke the
name "Saint Nikolaas" very fast. It sounded like "sinterklaas." And so, when the English said this
word, it sounded like Santa Claus.
West of New York, in Pennsylvania, many German farmers had also heard of Saint Nikolas. But they
called him Pelznickel. This word came from "pelz," meaning fur, and "nickel" for Nicholas. And so,
to the Germans of Pennsylvania, Saint Nicholas or Pelznickel was a man dressed in fur who came
once a year with gifts for good children.
Soon, people began to feel that the love and kindness Pelznickel brought should be part of a
celebration honoring the Christkindl, as the Germans called the Christ child. After a time, this became
Kris Kringle. Later, Kris Kringle became another name for Santa Claus himself.
Whatever he is called, he is still the same short, fat, jolly old man with a long beard, wearing a red suit
with white fur.
The picture of Santa Claus as we see him came from Thomas Nast. He was an American painter born
in Bavaria. He painted pictures for Christmas poems. Someone asked him to paint a picture of Santa
Claus. Nast remembered when he was a little boy in southern Germany. Every Christmas, a fat old
man gave toys and cakes to the children. So, when Nast painted the picture, his Santa Claus looked
like the kindly old man of his childhood.
And through the years, Nast's painting has remained as the most popular picture of Santa Claus.
Santa can be seen almost everywhere in large American cities during the Christmas season. Some
stand on street corners asking for money to buy food and gifts for the needy. Others are found in
stores and shopping centers. It is easy to find them by the long lines of children waiting to tell Santa
what they want for Chirstmas. If one took a vote among children to learn who their favorite person
was, there is no question who would win -- Santa Claus.
(MUSIC)
This VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stores, was written by Marlilyn Christiano. I'm
Bob Doughty.
Increase in Violent Crime in US Brings Attention, Theories

Latest report shows rise in robberies, murders. But the FBI says it is still too early to know if years of falling crime
rates are coming to an end. Transcript of radio broadcast:
22 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
Crime rates in the United States have been dropping for a number of years. Rates of violent crime
have fallen to their lowest levels since the nineteen seventies. President Bush noted this in his
declaration in April for National Crime Victims' Rights Week.
But this week, a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation offered
new evidence that violent crime may be on the rise. Early numbers for
the first half of the year show violent crime was up three and seven-
tenths percent over the same period last year.
The F.B.I. reported earlier that violent crime increased more than two
percent in all of two thousand five. That was the largest increase in
fifteen years.
The new report says the number of robberies nationwide increased nine and seven-tenths percent
between January and June of this year. And there were seven percent more arson fires compared to
the first half of last year.
The number of murders increased almost one and one-half percent. Other violent offenses were also
up more than one percent. But the F.B.I. says the number of rapes decreased, though by less than one-
tenth of one percent.
The report shows that violent crime rose nationwide, especially in cities with populations between half
a million and a million. But the largest increase was in the West. Violent crime in that part of the
country rose almost five percent. Northeastern states had the smallest increase. It was three percent
over the same period last year.
While violent crime increased nationally, most property crimes fell in the first half of the year. In all,
property crime decreased more than two and one-half percent
The information in the F.B.I. report comes from more than eleven thousand law enforcement
agencies.
Researchers from the Justice Department are studying a number of cities to look for reasons why
violent crime is up nationally.
Experts suggest a number of possible reasons. These include too many illegal guns and not enough
law enforcement officers on the streets of American cities.
Also blamed are reductions in federal money for local law enforcement agencies over the past ten
years. Yet local agencies have more duties since the attacks of September eleventh, two thousand
one. Now they are expected to fight terrorism in addition to traditional crime.
At the federal level, the F.B.I. and other agencies that often help local officers investigate crimes have
seen their duties change as well.
But other researchers believe an increase in young males and other population changes have played a
part in the rise in violent crime. And some point to increases in the spread of street gangs.
In any case, the F.B.I. notes that in the years leading up to two thousand five, violent crime kept
falling. So officials say it is still too early to say if new trends are developing.
IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.
Click, Click, Click. What's That? Another Online Sale

Holiday spending at US sites is expected to reach almost $25 billion this year. Transcript of radio broadcast:
21 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
The winter gift-giving season is responsible for twenty percent of all retail spending at American
businesses.
But how and when people buy holiday gifts is changing.
Record numbers of Americans are turning to the Internet. More than one
hundred million people are expected to buy something online this
holiday season.
Traditionally, the biggest shopping day of the year was in late November
on the day after Thanksgiving. People still call it "Black Friday." The
idea was that it could push businesses "into the black" -- the traditional
Millions of Americans are color for recording profits. Red is for debts.
avoiding crowded stores by
shopping online But now the busiest days are right before Christmas. Many people wait
for last-minute price reductions.
With the rise of the Internet, the National Retail Federation came up with a new term. "Cyber
Monday" is the Monday after Thanksgiving.
The idea is that many people look in stores over the weekend. Then, to save time, they order online
using the Internet at their jobs when they return to work.
Cyber Monday is a big day online. But market researchers at comScore Networks reported
Wednesday that the biggest day of the holiday season so far was December thirteenth. The company
said people spent almost six hundred seventy million dollars at American sites that day. That did not
include travel sites.
Online spending during the holiday season was up a reported twenty-five percent over last year.
ComScore estimates that online holiday spending will reach almost twenty-five billion dollars.
Online selling makes it easier for businesses to react to changing conditions. It costs less to change
the advertising on a Web site than in stores.
Physical stores remain by far the most popular places to shop. But electronic commerce continues to
grow, and not just at Christmastime. In the three-month period ending in September, it made up
almost three percent of all retail sales in the United States.
But wherever selling takes place, the holiday season means intense competition. For example,
demand for flat-panel televisions has jumped recently. Competition has pushed down prices for these
popular thin TVs. The Best Buy Company reported selling some at a loss to avoid losing market share
to big competitors like Wal-Mart and Circuit City.
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. You can download
MP3 files and transcripts of our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Bob Doughty.
Not Celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Try Festivus

Also: A question from Vietnam about why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th, and new holiday music from
Sarah McLachlan, Brad Paisley and Bette Midler. Transcript of radio broadcast:
21 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
Correction attached
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. On our special holiday show this week:
We answer a question about why Christmas is celebrated on December twenty-fifth …
Play some music from new holiday albums …
And report about an unusual holiday.
Festivus
Every December, many Americans celebrate holidays. Christians have Christmas, Jews have
Hanukkah and many African–Americans observe Kwanzaa. Some people also celebrate a holiday that
began on a television show. Faith Lapidus explains “Festivus.”
FAITH LAPIDUS:
A man named Dan O'Keefe created Festivus and started celebrating it in the nineteen sixties.
O'Keefe's son Daniel became a writer for the American television comedy show "Seinfeld." He wrote
a show about Festivus that was first broadcast on "Seinfeld" in December of nineteen ninety-seven.
He also wrote a book about it. ”The Real Festivus” was published in two thousand five.
On the television show, the character Frank Costanza invents "Festivus."

He does so to protest that Christmas has lost meaning and has become
nothing more than a time to shop.
He celebrates "Festivus" on December twenty-third. He uses an

aluminum pole instead of a Christmas tree. People gather at someone’s
house and tell each other all the ways they have been disappointed in the
Frank Costanza (played by past year. They eat a holiday dinner. Then two of them test their strength
Jerry Stiller) with a Festivus by fighting with each other.
pole
One of the main ideas of “Festivus” is that people of all religions can celebrate it. Frank Costanza
explains on "Seinfeld:"
(SOUND)
The Washington Post newspaper recently listed some ways Americans are celebrating “Festivus” for
real. For example, it says about four hundred people are expected to attend a Festivus party on
Saturday in Springfield, Illinois.
In New York City, the Pink Pony restaurant held a Festivus party earlier this month. The Grape Ranch
in Okemah, Oklahoma, celebrated Festivus with a party on December sixteenth. The Grape Ranch
also produces a Festivus wine.
And shoppers in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, can attend a Festivus marketplace. They can
give away gifts they have received that they do not like.
December Twenty-Fifth
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from Vietnam. Dinh Cong Huy wants to know why
Christmas is celebrated on December twenty-fifth.
That is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, whom they believe was the son of God. But
history and religious experts say there is no evidence that the man known as Jesus was born in
December. In fact, the Christian Bible says nothing about when he was born or that his birth should
be celebrated.
Experts say the reason for celebrating the birth of Jesus in December came
from festivals in ancient Greece and Rome. The Greeks honored their god
Bacchus on or about December twenty-first each year. The Romans
honored their god Saturn for seven days beginning December seventeenth.
The Romans observed Saturnalia by closing businesses, attending parties
and giving gifts.
Another important part of the celebration was using light to frighten away
dark spirits. History experts note that these holidays came at the same time
of the year as the day with the shortest period of daylight. That day is
Painting of a Saturnalia
celebration called the winter solstice. The ancient calendar said it was December
twenty-fifth.
Experts say the winter solstice was an important part of all societies because the sun is at its lowest
point. Ancient people believed that the gods must defeat evil forces for the sun’s light to return.
People in the Roman Empire in the fourth century celebrated festivals honoring the sun on December
twenty-fifth. Roman Emperor Constantine celebrated such a sun festival. He became a Christian
shortly before he died more than one thousand six hundred years ago.
The Christian Church within the Roman Empire took the date of the sun festival, December twenty-
fifth, as the date for Christmas. Not all Christians did this, however. In areas using a different
calendar, Christmas was celebrated in January. Some Christian churches today celebrate Christmas on
January sixth.
Experts say many Christmas traditions began as Christian attempts to gain religious followers. These
early Christians accepted the traditions of other groups. For example, the Norsemen of Scandinavia
celebrated a sun festival in which they burned fires and placed green plants in their homes. Many
Christians today place evergreen trees in their homes as part of the holiday celebration.
You can hear more about modern Christmas traditions and music on the Special English
program THIS IS AMERICA on Monday.
Holiday Music
Popular singers and musicians release special holiday albums for the Christmas season. Barbara Klein
tells us about some of the new albums this year.
BARBARA KLEIN:
Grammy award winning singer Sarah McLachlan released her first ever
album of Christmas music, "Wintersong." It offers quiet and serious music
for the holiday season. Here, Sarah McLachlan sings “Christmas Time is
Here.” Diana Krall is playing the piano.
(MUSIC)
Another new Christmas album is from country singer Brad Paisley. His
album is called "Brad Paisley Christmas.” Critics say it is a good mix of
Sarah McLachlan's new and traditional holiday songs. Here is Brad Paisley singing “Winter
"Wintersong" Wonderland.”
(MUSIC)
Still another new Christmas album is from Bette Midler. It is called "Cool Yule." Her collection
includes both serious and funny Christmas songs.
She sings one song in the language of Hawaii -- the state where Midler was born. We leave you now
with Bette Midler singing "Mele Kalikimaka.” It means "Merry Christmas."
(MUSIC)
HOST:
I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our special holiday program today.
It was written by Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was the producer. To read the text of this program
and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English. And
all of us in Special English wish all of you a happy holiday!
---
Correction: Sarah McLachlan's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this page.
Story of World War Two: Developing the First Atomic Bombs

Truman's use of them on Japan ended the fighting, but signaled the start of the modern nuclear age -- and the growing
importance of science. Transcript of radio broadcast:
20 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
VOICE ONE:
THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English by the Voice of America.
(MUSIC)
World War Two ended with one of the most important events in the
history of warfare, science, and technology. A team of American
scientists, working in secrecy, designed and built the first atomic
bombs. President Harry Truman made the decision to use these
weapons against Japan.
America's use of atomic weapons brought to an end a terrible

worldwide conflict. But it also marked the beginning of the modern
nuclear period. And it showed the growing importance of science and
technology in a modern economy and military system.
Ruins left by the bomb dropped
on Hiroshima August 6, 1945
VOICE TWO:
The leaders of the United States have been interested in science since the early days of the nation.
Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were famous not only as great political leaders, but as
inventors and scientists. President Abraham Lincoln and the Congress established the National
Academy of Sciences during the Civil War in the eighteen sixties. And in the early nineteen hundreds,
the nation created scientific offices to study and improve agriculture, public health, and air travel.
By the start of World War One in nineteen fourteen, the federal government was using scientists in
many ways.
President Woodrow Wilson created the National Research Council to organize the work of scientists
and engineers to win the war. However, government support for science before World War Two
generally was quite limited. The government was willing to pay for research only to meet certain clear
goals, such as better weapons or military transport systems.
VOICE ONE:
World War Two greatly changed the traditional, limited relationship between American scientists and
the federal government in Washington. In the early years of the war, the German forces of Adolf
Hitler showed the world the strength of their new tanks, guns, and other weapons. American President
Franklin Roosevelt knew that the United States would need to develop modern weapons of its own if
it entered the war.
For this reason, Roosevelt established a National Defense Research Committee in nineteen forty to
support and organize research on weapons.
The new committee included some of the top scientists in America. Among its members were the
presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Bell
Laboratories. The committee did its work so well that Roosevelt later formed an even more powerful
Office of Scientific Research and Development.
VOICE TWO:
The leader of both groups was a great scientist and organizer named
Vannevar Bush. Bush had long experience as a professor of electrical
engineering and as an inventor. Many scientists knew him.
Bush put together a hard-working team. And in the years that

followed, American scientists and engineers developed one invention
after another to help the war effort.
Scientists developed new devices to help the navy find German

submarines. They improved methods for bomber planes to find their
targets. And they developed more powerful rockets to protect
American troops when they landed on foreign beaches.
Vannevar Bush American scientists and doctors also made great progress in
improving the methods of wartime medicine. World War Two may well have been the first war in
history in which a wounded soldier was more likely to survive than to die.
VOICE ONE:
The most important scientific development by far, however, was the

invention of the atomic bomb.
In nineteen thirty-nine, scientist Albert Einstein wrote President

Roosevelt a letter. Einstein told the president that it might soon be
possible to build a weapon that would use the power of the atom to
cause terrible destruction. And he urged Roosevelt to get American
scientists to build the atomic bomb before German scientists could
build one.
Roosevelt agreed. He created a special team of scientists. Their work

became known as the Manhattan Project. Roosevelt made sure that Albert Einstein
these scientists got all the money and supplies they needed.
VOICE TWO:
Roosevelt died before the scientists could complete their work. But in
April, nineteen forty-five, the scientists told the new president, Harry
Truman, that they were almost ready to test the atomic bomb. And just
three months later, they exploded the world's first atomic weapon in a
test in the southwestern state of New Mexico.
Truman had to make a difficult decision. He knew the atomic weapon

would cause major death and suffering if it was used on a Japanese city.
But he was willing to do anything to avoid the need for American
troops to invade Japan. Such an invasion surely would be a long,
The world's first atomic explosion
on July 16, 1945, northwest of bloody struggle.
Alamogordo, New Mexico
A new prime minister and government in Japan were searching for a
way to end the war. But Truman believed that the Japanese still were not ready to surrender. And he
felt it was his duty to end the war as soon as possible.
VOICE ONE:
On August sixth, nineteen forty-five, the first bomb fell on the city of
Hiroshima. It killed nearly eighty thousand people and destroyed a great
many buildings. Three days later, a second bomb fell on the city of
Nagasaki. It, too, caused great destruction in human life and property.
The bombs left Japan's rulers with no choice. In less than one week, they
surrendered.
Truman always defended his decision strongly. "I understand the tragic
importance of the atomic bomb," he told the world by radio shortly after the
two bombings. "We knew our enemies also were searching for this secret.
And we know the disaster that would have come to this nation and to all
peaceful nations if they had found it.
Explosion of the bomb
dropped on Hiroshima
"Having found the bomb," said Truman, "we have used it. We have used it
against those who attacked us. And we have used it to shorten the suffering of war, and to save the
lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans."
VOICE TWO:
American scientists and engineers proved that wars could be won with research as well as with bullets.
And all Americans learned how much could be gained when government, scientists, and universities
worked together for common goals.
Roosevelt had understood this long before the war ended. He asked Vannevar Bush to study how the
federal government could work with scientists and universities in peacetime.
Bush studied the problem. And he offered a number of ideas to President Truman at the end of the
war. Bush told the president that science was important to America's progress and safety. He called on
the federal government to support scientific study and education.
Professor Bush said that the nation's universities should be greatly strengthened. He called for the
creation of a new government agency to provide money for useful science projects.
VOICE ONE:
Truman and the Congress agreed with Bush. And in the next few years, they helped the American
scientific and research effort to grow to new size and strength. In nineteen forty-six, an Office of
Naval Research was created to support basic science study in the universities. In the same year, the
government created the Atomic Energy Commission to develop nuclear energy for military and
peaceful uses.
And in nineteen fifty, it created the powerful National Science Foundation to provide support to
thousands of the nation's best scientists.
VOICE TWO:
In the years that followed, American science would grow beyond the wildest dreams of Vannevar
Bush or the other scientists who worked during World War Two.
Universities would add thousands of new students. They would build new laboratories, book
collections, and study centers. By the middle of the nineteen sixties, the federal government would
spend more than thirteen thousand million dollars each year for research and development. And five
hundred new centers of higher learning would be created.
This investment would help make the United States the world's leader in such fields as computer
science, genetics, and space travel.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
You have been listening to THE MAKING OF A NATION, a program in Special English by the
Voice of America. Your narrators have been Harry Monroe and Warren Scheer. Our program was
written by David Jarmul.
Foreign Student Series: Adding Up the Costs of Study in the US

Students must show they can pay for each year of classes. Transcript of radio broadcast:
20 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
This week in our Foreign Student Series: the cost of higher education in the United States.
Students who want to attend an American college or university must

explain how they will pay for their education. They have to show that
they will be able to pay for each year of study.
Students have to consider not only the tuition, the cost of classes, but also
meals and a place to live, known as room-and-board. They also need
money for books and supplies. And they need money to spend for social
activities and other things.
Educational advisers say foreign students should keep enough money in a

local bank to pay for at least two months of spending.
So how much will a year at an American school cost? Generally speaking, the answer is: a lot.
A leading state university in the Pacific Northwest will serve as our example. The University of
Washington says foreign students are paying more than thirty-six thousand dollars this year.
This major research university currently has two thousand six hundred foreign students from more
than one hundred countries. There are many schools that cost less, but also others that cost more.
Its Web site says the University of Washington does not offer financial assistance to international
students. This is generally true of American schools, especially at the undergraduate level.
The international application for the university includes a Statement of Financial Responsibility that
must be signed. Students must also provide a bank letter or statement from within the past six
months. And they have to name anyone who will help with payments. These people must send proof
from a bank to show that they have the money.
Your government or employer may be able to help you pay all or some college costs. A good idea is
to ask at least eighteen months before you want to start classes in the United States.
Our Foreign Student Series, including links to Web sites discussed in our reports, can be found at
voaspecialenglish.com. To learn more about higher education in America, the State Department has a
special Web site: educationusa dot state dot g-o-v.
Next time we will discuss another cost that should be considered: health insurance. Our e-mail
address is special@voanews.com.
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Barbara
Klein.
Strongest Evidence Yet That Circumcision Lowers Men's HIV Risk

Two studies in Africa end early after showing a big drop in infections from heterosexual sex. But several issues must
be considered.Transcript of radio broadcast:
19 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
AIDS researchers had important news last week. Two studies

in Africa confirmed that men who are circumcised greatly
reduce their risk of infection with HIV during sex with women.
The United States National Institutes of Health announced an

early end to the studies because the results were clear. In
Kisumu, Kenya, it said, men who underwent circumcision were
fifty-three percent less likely to become infected than
uncircumcised men. A boy with HIV at a children's home for
AIDS orphans in Nairobi, Kenya
The other study in Rakai, Uganda, showed a reduction of forty-eight percent.
HIV rates are generally lower in areas of the world where the removal of the foreskin from the penis is
common in babies or young boys.
Many studies have suggested that male circumcision might help protect against infection with the
AIDS virus. But Doctor Anthony Fauci noted that the new findings come from large, carefully
controlled studies. Doctor Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases.
He says adult male circumcision could also lead to fewer infections in women in areas where HIV is
spread mainly through heterosexual sex.
Experts say the findings offer hope especially for countries in Africa south of the Sahara. The United
Nations estimates that sub-Saharan Africa had close to three million new HIV infections this year.
That was about two-thirds of all new infections worldwide.
Health experts involved in the studies say they hope circumcision will become one of the basic tools
to fight HIV and AIDS. But they expect some barriers.
It may be difficult to get men to have the operation, especially if it conflicts with cultural beliefs. Cost
is another issue. And it may be difficult to find high-quality medical care so the operation is
performed safely.
Some people have also expressed concern that circumcision will be given too much weight in the fight
against AIDS. They say men might think they can forget about other ways to prevent infection.
The National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research paid for the studies.
Five thousand men took part in Uganda and almost three thousand in Kenya.
The studies were supposed to continue through the middle of next year. Instead, the researchers are
now offering circumcisions to the men in the uncircumcised groups in those studies.
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. You can learn more
about AIDS at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Bob Doughty.
Exploring the Art of Printmaking Across History and the World

And learning from a master printmaker: Lou Stovall in Washington. Transcript of radio broadcast:
19 December 2006
Listen in RealAudio
VOICE ONE:
I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special

English. At the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., you can
see a colorful and expressive print called "Revolt on the Amistad." The
small sign next to the work says the artist’s name is Jacob Lawrence.
And he did design the image. But who made the print? Today, we
answer that question as we explore the world of printmaking. Then, we
visit the expert printmaker who made this work of art.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
''Revolt on the Amistad,''
silkscreen print by Jacob To make a print, an artist creates an original image with a form made of
Lawrence wood, metal or plastic. The artist reproduces prints of this original
image using liquid colors and paper. There are many methods of
printmaking. Often prints are numbered to show how many were made in the edition or series.
The oldest form of printmaking is the woodcut. Woodcut prints may have been used in the Middle
East as early as the fifth century to make cloth designs. They were also used starting around the ninth
century in China to print documents.
VOICE TWO:
As you might have guessed, woodcut prints are made out of wood. The printmaker first draws an
image onto a smooth piece of wood. Then he or she cuts away pieces from the surface.
When the wood has been cut, liquid color called ink is painted onto the surface. It is then pressed on a
piece of paper. The areas the printmaker cut away will be lower on the surface of the wood. These
parts do not get any ink. But the raised part of the wood does receive the color. A different piece of cut
wood is used for every color in the final image. This is called an indirect method because the ink is put
on the cut form before it goes on the paper.
VOICE ONE:
This method of printmaking became popular in Europe in the sixteenth
century. Woodcuts were also a widely used artistic form in Japan from
the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Japanese prints from this
period were called ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world."
Many of these images showed natural scenes of the Japanese

countryside. Others showed pictures of city life including popular
actors, fat sumo wrestlers, and beautiful women. These prints were
popular with the middle class people living in towns. Because the prints
were mass-produced and not original works, they were not costly. Detail of a woodblock print by
People could own artwork for a reasonable price. Katsushika Hokusai
These ukiyo-e prints had a great influence on many artists in Europe during the nineteenth century.
Painters like Edgar Degas and Vincent Van Gogh used the sharp lines and off-centered look of these
prints in their paintings.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Lithography is another form of printing. Lithos comes from the Greek word for stone. The artist draws
an image with oily ink onto a piece of stone or other flat surface. Next, the stone is covered with a
chemical mixture. This chemical will fix the painted image into the stone. When printing begins, the
stone is kept wet and then covered with oily ink. The area where the original image was drawn will
then attract the oily printer’s ink. But the blank areas will reject the ink and will instead attract water.
This method works because oil and water do not mix.
VOICE ONE:
The lithographic process was invented in the late eighteenth century by the German writer Aloys
Senefelder. Mister Senefelder wanted to find a low-cost way to reproduce his plays. But he soon
realized the artistic possibilities of his lithographic printing method.
French artists in the nineteenth century became very interested in using

lithography. For example, the French artists Honore Daumier and later
Henri Toulouse Lautrec were masters of this process. They would draw
directly on
the stone and a printmaker would do the rest of the work. Lithography
is used commercially as well. Picture books, newspapers and packaging
all over the world are printed using this process.
VOICE TWO:
Detail of lithograph print by
Henri Toulouse Lautrec Etching is yet another printing process. With this method, the
printmaker cuts or etches an image onto a piece of metal. The artist
uses a fine sharp knife to cut through the metal. This metal form is chemically treated before being
covered with ink and then pressed onto paper.
Some artists like this process because they can draw on the metal as
easily as if they were using a writing pen. Experts say the greatest artist
ever to use this method was Rembrandt. This Dutch artist lived in the
seventeenth century. The detailed perfection of his etchings of nature
and religious stories is extraordinary.
VOICE ONE:
Finally, we come to a more modern form of printmaking called

silkscreen printing. This method is based on the stencil. A stencil is a Detail of etching by Rembrandt
thin sheet of metal or plastic out of which a design has been cut.
With silkscreen printing, a stencil is attached to a fine piece of stretched silk or nylon cloth. Under the
cloth and stencil is a piece of paper. Liquid paint is passed over the cloth and stencil. The paint goes
through the open areas of the stencil cut out onto the paper. For every color in the print, the printmaker
makes a different stencil. Of all the printing forms we have described, silkscreen is the only direct
method. This means the ink goes directly onto the paper.
Andy Warhol was one artist who made silkscreen prints famous in the nineteen sixties. He made prints
with subjects like movie stars and soup cans.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
The Workshop is on a quiet tree-filled street in Washington,

D.C. This is where well-known master printmaker Lou
Stovall makes his art. Let us go back to the "Revolt on the
Amistad" print we told about at the beginning of this story.
LOU STOVALL: “The artist is Jacob Lawrence and the

silkscreen print maker is myself, Lou Stovall. The image
depicts the revolt on the Spanish slave ship “La Amistad”,
the action of the fight…you see the swaying ropes, the
roiling water. It gives you a real sense of a fight, the drama
that’s involved. And that’s one of the things Jacob was noted
for. His level of expression is so profound that even with a
few strokes, he can pick up the action and show it to you”.
Lou Stovall in his studio
VOICE ONE:
Lou Stovall makes prints for many artists. They come to him with an original image they have created.
Then, Stovall uses his artistic skills to translate that work into a print version. It is important that he
work to remain true to the spirit of the original work. He makes very careful decisions about color,
shape and line so that he can make the best print possible. Some of his silkscreen prints are so detailed
it is hard to believe they are not paintings.
VOICE TWO:
Lou Stovall’s studio is large and very organized. The walls are covered with prints, signs and
photographs. One whole wall contains his music collection. A large silkscreen table sits in another
area of the room.
Nearby, many shelf surfaces hold recently made prints so that they can dry before other colors are
added. Stovall has been working in this studio for more than thirty years. He has taught the silkscreen
method to many other artists.
VOICE ONE:
Lou Stovall also makes his own artwork here. Sometimes he makes detailed drawings of flowers and
nature. He says he likes the cleanliness of ink drawing on paper. He often makes his drawn images
into a series of prints. One of his prints is called “For Ascending Larks.” It is a circular image with
many layers of flying birds. His idea for the original drawing came from a piece of music by the
English composer Ralph Vaughn-Williams. Listen as Lou Stovall tells about this music and the
meaning of his picture.
LOU STOVALL: "The name of the work was ‘The Lark Ascending,’ which I thought was probably
one of the most beautiful pieces of music I had ever heard. It inspired me to make a drawing which
was a flock of varied birds which represented mankind and humanity. So, it's every shape, size color
description of bird that I could think of. I think there are roughly twelve birds in the entire image. I
dedicated it to the hunger movement so that we would recognize world hunger and try to do
something about it."
VOICE TWO:
Not all of Lou Stovall's art shows recognizable subjects. Some prints look like layers of colorful spills
of paint. These "monoprints" are not planned out in the same way as his other works. He says it is
exciting to make this kind of expressive print.
VOICE ONE:
Lou Stovall’s prints and artwork can be found in museums and private collections all over America.
Some of his art is sold in galleries. Other times, collectors buy his art directly from him. But Lou
Stovall says money is not the main reason he makes art. He says there is a magic that happens when
creating art. And he says the most important reason artists make their work is to share it with the
world.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Barbara Klein.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Steve Ember. You can read and listen to this program on our Web site,
voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.
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Science 2006: The Year in Medicine, Space and the Environment

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I’m Mario

We tell about some important science stories of two thousand six --

Ever Wonder Where Seedless Fruits Come From?

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

The branch or bud that is grafted is called a scion [pronounced SY-uhn].

A Musical Exploration of Time

The New Year Begins With Some Resolutions

Now, a VOA Special English holiday program.

I'm Mario Ritter for VOA Special English.

Remembering Five Special People Who Died in 2006

I’m Steve Ember.

Robert Altman’s films were different from the usual methods of

His first major film, "M*A*S*H", was released in nineteen seventy. It

VOICE ONE: William Styron

War in Iraq Voted Top News Story of 2006

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

In recent years, home building and buying have increased, helping

The Harvard professor considered economics to be moral as well as mathematical. He thought

2006: Expanding Ways to Communicate and Have Fun on the Net

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity.

Fantasy players get a chance to make the same decisions professional

College Costs in US: Tuition, Housing ... and Health Care

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Most American colleges and universities have student health centers.

American History: Life in the US After World War Two

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English by the Voice of America.

Big housing developments

Many Americans moved to different parts of the country in the nineteen-fifties.

Americans Ring in the New Year With 'Auld Lang Syne'

From Clay to Art: Exploring the World of Ceramics

I’m Steve Ember.

And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special

At the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. you

In the Mexican state of Michoacán potters make white clay containers

Healthier Eating in New York Hard For Some to Swallow

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Biotech Foods Continue to Produce Mixed Feelings in US

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Thirty-four percent said they believed genetically modified foods are

Some companies market products as being free of genetically modified organisms.

Time -- One of the Great Mysteries of Our Universe

Christmas in America: Music and Traditions of a Merry Season

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

And I'm Steve Ember.

For millions of Americans, the most wonderful day of the year is

But only if they are good little children and go to sleep.

Christmastime centers on home and family.

Once people bring home a Christmas tree, they may struggle

In some families, the tradition is to open gifts on Christmas

A big Christmas dinner is a tradition in many families. And so

December is usually also the time of the ancient Jewish holiday

Muslims will celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha in January.

Most black Americans celebrate Christmas. But after Christmas, from

VOICE ONE: Lighting candles for Kwanzaa

Microbicides to Protect Women From AIDS Move Into Final Tests

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

His first major film, "MAS*H", was released in nineteen seventy. It