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		• NEWS >> ATW Script October 24, 2002 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We look forward to receiving your responses to our two latest issue questions… “Do terrorists win when we change our lives?” Responses should be in by Monday, October 28th and “Would you like to live on the space station?” Responses due Monday, November 4. Here's this week's script. OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of October twenty-fourth, 2002. I’m Elissa Marra. In our top story this week… two more people are shot in the Washington D.C. area. One in Virginia and another in Maryland. #1— SNIPER UPDATE A shooting Saturday in Ashland, Virginia –just a few miles from Richmond-- was positively linked to the Washington, D-C-area sniper Monday through ballistics reports. The twelfth shooting victim underwent surgery in Virginia and, as of Tuesday, remained in critical condition. Police found a lengthy note in a wooded are near the Ponderosa restaurant where the victim was shot. The note gave police a phone number and on Monday, contact was made with someone related to the case, but officials would not say whether the police were communicating with the actual sniper. Through several press conferences, police urged the author of the note to contact them. Early Tuesday morning a bus driver was shot, this time in Maryland. The driver later died of his injuries. Because of similarities police were investigating to see if the driver is the tenth fatal victim of the Washington D.C. sniper. The sniper attacks on thirteen people, ten fatally, in Washington and the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia began back on October second. Ballistics (n) the science or study of the motion of bullets, shells or bombs. ATW FACT The state of Kentucky received a one-point-three-million-dollar NASA grant to produce the Kentucky Landscape Snapshot. Satellites will take a digital picture that will be used by planners and foresters because logging there has reached record levels. Source: USA Today, 10/21/02 INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… -North and South Korea open talks to discuss the North’s nuclear weapons program. -Saddam releases tens of thousands of prisoners as a thank you… -and finally, Northern Ireland passes a referendum to move ahead with E-U expansion. #2— NORTH KOREAN NUKES Three days of cabinet-level talks between North and South Korea opened Sunday in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. North Korea expressed willingness Monday to resolve concerns over its nuclear weapons program through talks with South Korean officials. North Korea admitted last week that they have a uranium-enriching program to make nuclear weapons, which is a violation of international treaties. South Korean President Kim Dae-jung had this to say about the recent admission of nuclear weapons in the North… (Translation) “Now we are on the step to pursue agreements between South and North Korea. But we should still be alert to preserve our security. North Korea’s threat through its weapons of mass destruction, the recently arisen issue, must be eliminated completely.” Uranium (n) a radioactive, metallic element used as a fuel in nuclear reactors. #3— SADDAM RELEASES PRISONERS Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announced an amnesty for all prisoners as a thank you to the nation for re-electing him. Iraqi prisons emptied as tens of thousands were released and reunited with their families. Saddam’s decree, read on Iraq’s national television, said the amnesty applied to “anyone imprisoned for political or any other reason” but did add a few conditions. The amnesty did not cover those who were in prison because they spied for the U-S or Israel and those imprisoned for murder could only be released if the family approved. The move was seen as an effort to win support from the Iraqi public as the U-S lobbies for regime change in Baghdad. Amnesty (n) a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses. #4— NORTHERN IRELAND REFERENDUM Ireland went to the polls Saturday for the second time in eighteen months to vote on the European Union’s plans for eastward expansion. Irish voters overwhelmingly endorsed the Treaty of Nice (Neece) this time, giving the green light to a historic E-U expansion into eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Sixty-three percent of the voters in Saturday’s referendum approved the treaty, which outlines changes to the E-U’s governing institutions. All fifteen current E-U member countries must ratify the treaty and the other fourteen members approved it already. Referendum (n) to refer a proposed measure by a legislature to the vote of the people. POP QUIZ #1 In our story about North Korea, why did the North and South come together for three-day talks? Was it because… North Korea admitted to nuclear weapons production South Korea wants more independence The two countries met to discuss merging governments And the correct answer is number one… North Korea admitted to a uranium-enriching weapons program. OLD CLUE #1— QUITO, ECUADOR 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’d get Quito, Ecuador. Over eight-million eligible voters elected a new president, vice-president, one-hundred deputies and over a thousand representatives to regional posts Sunday. It was the closest race there since democracy was restored in 1979. Soldiers armed with assault rifles guarded voting stations to maintain peace. Former President Rodrigo Borja (Boar-ha) led the pack of eleven candidates. If no candidate wins an outright majority, a runoff between the top two candidates will be held in November. OLD CLUE #2—U-N COOPERATION? Fill in the blanks of our second clue and you’d get “U-N Cooperation?” The U-S Congress approved a war resolution last week that would give President Bush the broad authority he sought to use military force against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The resolution encourages Bush to seek U-N cooperation in any military campaign, but does not require it. The U-N Security Council pressed for a two-step resolution, holding off on using force until after weapons inspectors do their work. France, Russia and China support the two-step plan, but the U-S and Britain agree on the single resolution. OLD CLUE #3—SHARON VISIT And finally, unscramble the letters of our third clue and you’d get “Sharon Visit.” Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited President Bush at the White House last week. Sharon met with senior White House officials on a range of topics from the possibility of an attack against Iraq to security related issues. Sharon also met with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Vice President Dick Cheney THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history… on October twenty-sixth, 1977… the very first, experimental space shuttle Enterprise glided to a bumpy but successful landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. FEATURE A new giant screen film called ‘Ocean Oasis’ is teaching people about the diverse ecosystems located around the Gulf of California. We recently caught up with one of the film’s stars. Check it out. FEATURE OCEAN OASIS (Iliana Ortega Bachmeister) My name is Iliana Ortega Bachmeister. Probably a lot of people are not familiar with the term naturalist but that is what I do, I am a naturalist. Generally speaking a naturalist's job is to bring nature and animal, plants... whatever it is about nature close to people. The name of the IMAX film is Ocean Oasis and it is about Baja, California and the Sea of Cortez. Baja, California is a long pennisula of Mexico and right south of California. And this film talks about this magical place, it talks about how the desert is connected to a sea and to water. Why is this Sea of Cortez so rich, so abundant. And I love saying that it is one of the last living seas of the world because it truly is, just the diversity and abundance of life. Swimming with the mantas is one the most incredible things I have ever done. They are just like living, magic carpets. They are so huge, so powerful and so gentle at the same time. Yes, I know you might think that I am crazy and yes, there is fear but when I swim with sharks, adventure calls me. Adrenaline feeds me and curiousity overcomes my fear. What can I tell you, they are wonderful animals. I'm hoping that people after watching Ocean Oasis take back a feeling of respect, consiousness... a feeling of being part of the world. Not to be owners, just one more species. It is entertaining, which I feel is important. You walk out feeling happy. ISN’T IT COOL! Research scientists are concerned about the environmental future of two lakes in Kenya. Lake Nakuru and neighboring Lake Naivashi are both crucial to Kenya’s economy. Lake Nakuru is one of the main attractions of Kenya’s wildlife and tourism industry. Home to millions of flamingos it brings in nearly three hundred-million US dollars in foreign currency each year. Scientists working on Lake Navaishi are worried, they say nutrient-levels are rising as the water level is falling. The challenge is the same as it is everywhere; to find a balance between harvesting benefits of Earth’s ecology and maintaining its health. ISSUE For the three crew members living aboard the International Space Station, last week’s eleven-day mission by the space shuttle crew was a welcome visit. The two cosmonauts and one astronaut living at the I-S-S had not seen anyone else face-to-face since they arrived there last June. While living on the space station, you would not get to eat the foods you are used to, you wouldn’t be able to walk on grass or ride in a car. You would miss being outdoors and gravity! But, you would have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conduct scientific research in outer space. You would become a permanent piece of world history and you would gain star status among students, other scientists and astronauts. You would also be able to e-mail friends and family daily, as well as speak to the media through video relay. Well, we’d like to know what you think… “Would you want to live on the space station?” Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions. MAILBAG We received over seven hundred responses to our issue question, “Are school uniforms a good idea?” The majority of you, seventy percent say no, they are not a good idea. Nineteen percent feel uniforms are a good idea. Eleven percent is undecided. Many of you feel school uniforms would eliminate a lot of competition. Tori B. of Henderson, Nebraska writes, “I believe we should have school uniforms so that people wouldn’t judge you by what you wear!” Ariel P. of Mohall, North Dakota adds, “A lot of families (don’t) have a lot of money to buy … cool clothes. Kids wouldn’t be competing against each other to look better.” Lauren M. of Ticondergoa, New York has friends that wear school uniforms. Lauren writes, “I love their uniforms and wish that we could wear them! That way, some kids that didn’t have as much … would not feel left out.” The majority of you, however, think uniforms are a bad idea. Niki W. of Marathon, Wisconsin writes, “I think most of them are ugly and boring. They don’t allow you to express who you are.” Tiffany L. of Verona, Virginia adds, “I do not think everyone should have to wear uniforms because a few people do not know how to dress.” Heather Z. of Sauk City, Wisconsin writes, “It would be boring. If kids don’t feel comfortable about their clothes, they may not do well in school.” Amanda W. of Rush, New York agrees and adds, “The way you dress describes the person you really are.” Finally, Michael J. of Georgia, Vermont writes, “I believe that everybody is their own person and should be able to wear their choice of clothing. We are not identical like some people want us to be.” MAILBAG CLOSE We look forward to receiving your responses to our two latest issue questions… “Do terrorists win when we change our lives?” and “Would you like to live on the space station?” 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 http://atwonline.org./ We also read e-mail at atw@wxxi.org. POP QUIZ #2 In our story about Ireland’s referendum, what was the name of the treaty on which they voted? Was it the… North Atlantic Treaty Organization Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Treaty of Nice (Neece) And the correct answer is number three… Irish voters passed the Treaty of Nice, giving the E-U expansion rights. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue is a location… 10 Degrees, 30 minutes north latitude 66 Degrees, 58 minutes west longitude Our second clue is a fill-in-the-blank, it’s two words… _ O R _ _ _ E _ I E _ And finally, our third clue is a newsmaker… Who is Jiang Zemin? 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. © 2003 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World. All Rights Reserved.