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NEWS >> ATW Script 6 March 2003

Yearly Script Program Index

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Vocabulary
Rightist (adj) characteristics of conservative policies.
Founder (n) someone who creates an organization.
Notorious (adj) widely known for an unfavorable reason.
Declaration (n) an explicit or formal statement or announcement.


Here's this week's script.

OPEN/WELCOME


Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of March sixth, 2003. I’m Elissa Marra.

In our top story this week… Baghdad destroys missiles in an effort to prove their cooperation.

#1— IRAQ

Iraq destroyed six more missiles Monday as the United Nations team in Baghdad issued mild praise for their cooperation. But the White House said it was just another distraction in an effort to avoid military attack. The Bush Administration declared that the actions were, in fact, an admission by Saddam Hussein that he lied in a declaration to the United Nations last December. At that time Saddam denied he had any weapons. White House officials say now he is destroying those weapons he claimed he never had and that it is proof that Saddam Hussein cannot be trusted. In related news, France, Russia and China called Monday for Iraq to comply fully with the demands of U-N weapons inspectors and disarm peacefully, while the United States and Britain sought support for a U-N resolution to wage war against Baghdad. The five veto-holding powers on the Security Council are so divided over the resolution that there's no talk of compromise, just intensive lobbying by the rival camps ahead of a vote that Washington and London have said they want in mid-March.

Declaration (n) an explicit or formal statement or announcement.


ATW FACT

Iraq crushed sixteen of its Al-Samoud missiles with bulldozers over the weekend. They have a stockpile of about one-hundred and twenty missiles.

Source: New York Times, 3/2/03

INTRO REST OF THE NEWS

In the rest of the news this week…

--top al-Qaeda suspect arrested…

--Israel arrests a Hamas founder

--and finally, Ariel Sharon meets with his new cabinet.

#2— AL QAEDA SUSPECT ARRESTED

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the September eleventh attacks, was arrested in Pakistan Saturday in one of the biggest catches yet in the war on terror. Mohammed was the most senior al-Qaeda operative after Osama bin Laden and was on the F-B-I’s most wanted list for his part in many of the organization’s most notorious terror attacks. His arrest is seen as a major coup in the effort to neutralize al-Qaeda. Pakistani government officials handed Mohammed over to U-S officials but would not say where he was taken. Mohammed was not charged with the September eleventh attacks, but he was charged with a 1995 plot to blow up eleven passenger planes on their way to the U-S from Asia. The U-S government offered up to 25-million dollars for information leading to his capture.

Notorious (adj) widely known for an unfavorable reason.


#3— — ISRAELI RAID

Israeli forces killed eight Palestinians Monday in fighting that erupted during a raid into refugee camps, the second Gaza Strip raid in as many days. The attacks came as Israel clamped down on terrorist strongholds, where soldiers blew up homes of known terrorists. The Israeli army increased its focus on the Gaza Strip two weeks ago after Hamas members blew up an Israeli tank, killing its four-man crew. Israeli forces arrested two Hamas leaders, among them a founder of Hamas. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said the attacks are continued acts of Israeli aggression and he called for outside help.

Founder (n) someone who creates an organization.

#4—SHARON CABINET

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with members of his newly formed cabinet Sunday, following the parliament’s approval of his rightist coalition this week. Sharon’s Likud Party, with forty seats in the 120-member parliament, dominates the new cabinet. The coalition government is made up of The Shinui Party, a centrist movement with a domestic agenda that holds fifteen seats, the six-seat National Religious Party supports the rights of Israeli settlers, and the National Union, with seven seats, that rejects any concessions to the Palestinians.

Rightist (adj) characteristics of conservative policies.

POP QUIZ #1

In our story about Iraq, we told you that France, Russia and China called for Iraq to….


Cooperate and disarm

Prepare for attack

Build new weapons


And the correct answer is number one… France, Russia and China are urging Iraq to cooperate and disarm.

OLD CLUE #1— BAGHDAD, IRAQ

And now it’s time for the answers to last week’s clues in the news…

Find the location of our first clue and you get Baghdad, Iraq. U-N weapons inspectors watched Sunday as Iraq continued destroying its banned Al Samoud-two missiles. Inspectors went back to the Al-Taji military base outside Baghdad to oversee the dismantling of more Iraqi missiles. Along with the ten missiles destroyed, inspectors also found banned weapons with biological capabilities. But top Iraqi officials indicated Sunday that Baghdad would end the weapons destruction if the U-S signals it will attack.

OLD CLUE #2—ARAB SUMMIT


Fill in the blanks of our second clue and you’d get, “Arab Summit.” The fractious summit ended Saturday with an anti-war declaration and plans to follow up with talks on resolving the Iraq crisis in Baghdad, Washington, European capitals and at the United Nations. The United Arab Emirates was the first Arab nation to openly call for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down and spare the region from war. The twenty-two nations also called on Iraq to cooperate with U-N demands that it surrender weapons and they stood together against any aggression on Iraq.


OLD CLUE #3—TURKEY BASE

And finally, unscramble our third clue and you’d get “Turkey Base.” Under great pressure from the U-S, Turkey’s Parliament may vote a second time this week on whether to allow American troops to use the country as a base for a military attack against Iraq. Last week, Turkey’s Parliament narrowly rejected the plan and shocked U-S officials, who were assured by Turkish leaders that the Parliament would approve the measure. The U-S pledged 15-billion dollars to put 62-thousand troops in Turkey to create a northern front in a possible war with Iraq.

THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY

This week in world history… on March eighth, 1965…the United States landed about 35-hundred Marines in South Vietnam.

FEATURE

Have you ever thought you might like to learn how to fly and airplane? How about one without an engine?! We checked back into the ATW archives to learn more about the sport of soaring.

Check it Out!

(Wyatt) Many people fly in airplanes everyday. But far fewer fly in crafts without engines. Soaring or gliding is just that. Flight in engineless planes, but its really not that different from flight in regular planes.

(Hans ) The glider flys the same way as a powered plane. We have a stick and a rudder. We have flaps so its the same thing except we don't have an engine. We use Mother Nature, the sun's energy in the most direct way.

(Wyatt) The sun heats the ground and forms thermals. These thermals then rise,providing the lift that gliders need.

(Hans) When we have these thermal clouds, cummulus clouds the ones that have a nice flat bottom, almost black. That is our lift that we look for.

(Wyatt) If it sounds technical, that's because it is. Glider pilots must go through the same strict training that regular pilots.

(Tom Maloney) We have FAA certified instructors and you have to go through a series of flight tests, flight instruction. Then when you get to a certain point whre you would feel comfortable flying solo, you take a written test and they let you fly solo. But your instruction isn't over with yet.

(Wyatt) You can't solo until you are at least fourteen. But Maloney encourages everyone to start young.

(Tom) I suggest coming down, talk to some of the pilots, look at some of the airplanes. If its okay with their parents, go up for a ride and see how they like it.

(Wyatt) For ATW, I'm W.D.


ISN’T IT COOL!
Carnival


The famous Rio de Janeiro carnival got under way this week with the sound of samba music and vibrant colors! Thousands of dancers, luxurious floats and 300-piece percussion sections take to the streets in celebration. Fourteen of Brazil’s fabled samba schools strut their stuff in front of audiences numbering in the thousands. This year’s themes touch on some serious issues in Brazilian society… the environment and social inequality as well as Brazil’s record fifth World Cup soccer title.


ISSUE
The case of the Pledge of Allegiance is back in the courts. One state supreme court will hear a case of an atheist father who doesn’t want his daughter to have to recite the pledge because of the line, “…one nation, under God.” An atheist is someone who does not believe in God. The issue has continued to be debated through the years because our government made laws to separate church and state, or government. By referring to God in public school, some people feel it violates the separation. Others think the reference to God should be removed to avoid making children uncomfortable whose families are atheist, or practice a religion that does not praise God. But Congress added this line to the pledge back in 1954 and school children have recited it every school day for the past forty-nine years. Most people say they are satisfied with the pledge as it is, so we’d like to know what you think… “Should we change the Pledge of Allegiance?” Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinion.

MAILBAG

We received nearly four hundred responses to our issue question, “Are restaurants responsible for our health?” The majority of you, eighty six percent, say no, restaurants are not responsible. Eight percent say yes they are. Six percent are undecided. Many of you feel restaurants should take some responsibility. Sharon G. of Marathon, Wisconsin thinks they should provide healthy food, Sharon writes, “If the restaurant doesn’t take care of their customers then they should not be open.” Mackenzie H. of Gratiot, Wisconsin adds, “Restaurants should say on their menus how many calories are in it and show what might be the best for you.” The overwhelming majority of you, however, feel people should be responsible for their own well-being. Alexa M. of Waynesboro, Virginia writes, “How do (they) know it was the food’s fault? It could be lack of exercise.” Jaime K. of Vernon, New York adds, “If you go get gas for your car, you have to make sure you put the right gas in. It is the same thing when you put food in your body.” Jordan H. of Akron, Iowa agrees and writes, “People choose what they want to eat. It’s not the restaurant’s fault. It’s your fault!” And finally Justin A. of Liverpool, New York thinks there is a simple answer. Justin writes, “I choose what I eat, not the restaurant.”

MAILBAG CLOSE


We look forward to receiving your responses to our two latest issue questions… “Do you support Toni Smith’s flag protest?” and “Should we change the Pledge of Allegiance?” If you would like to receive an Assignment: The World Press card, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. You may write to us here at Assignment: The World, Post Office Box three-zero-zero-twenty-one, Rochester, New York… one-4-6-zero-3… or you may contact us at the A-T-W website at at[Marker]wonline.org./ We also read e-mail at atw@wxxi.org.


POP QUIZ #2


In our story about Israel’s new government, how many different parties make up the coalition? Is it..


eight

2) 12

3) four

And the correct answer is number three… the new government is a four-party coalition.

NEW CLUES

And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news…

Our first clue is a location…

27 Degrees, 49 minutes north latitude
85 Degrees, 21 minutes east longitude


Our second clue is a fill-in-the-blank, it’s two words…

_ R _ O _

_ U I _ _ - U _

And finally, our third clue is a scrambled letter, it is two words…

C P E E A

Y V N O E

These are clues to stories we think will happen in the coming week. You can find the answers on radio and television newscasts and in newspapers and newsmagazines. We’ll reveal the answers on next week’s show. Good luck!

GOOD-BYE


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And that’s it for this week’s show. From all of us here at Assignment: The World, I’m Elissa Marra. We’ll see you again next week.










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