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	• NEWS >> ATW March 18, 2004 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of March 18th, 2004. I’m Elissa Marra. In our top story this week…A deadly day of terror has echoes in the voting booth. 1—SPAIN Voters in Spain voted overwhelmingly to unseat the conservative government of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. The voting came just days after Spain was rocked by a terrorist attack that claimed the lives of at least 200 people. 15-hundred more Spaniards using the rail system in Madrid were wounded last Thursday. Before the bombings, the incumbent conservative government was leading in most polls. After the attacks, the Socialist Party led by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero surged ahead. Zapatero had spent the campaign criticizing Spain’s support for the war in Iraq. After his party’s victory, he pledged to bring home the 13-hundred peace-keeping troops Spain has stationed in Iraq. The in-coming government will also have to continue the search for those responsible for the terrorist bombing. Five suspects have been arrested, several of them with reported ties to al-Qaida. Some investigators still think the attacks may have some ties to a Basque terrorist organization. Incumbent (adj) currently holding a specified office. ATW FACT It took decades and a fortunate accident to prove Percival Lowell’s theory that our solar system had a 9th planet. In March of 1930, astronomer Clyde Tombaugh was the first to see what would be called Pluto. INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… -Political upheaval in South Korea -hopes for political stability in Haiti -and the road to a new government continues to be bumpy in Iraq.#2—SOUTH KOREA There were protestors outside and scuffles inside South Korea’s parliament over the weekend. Politicians literally fought each other for the speaker’s podium before voting 193 to 2 to impeach President Roh Moohyun. Roh was removed on charges of illegal electioneering and incompetence. The vote now moves to South Korea’s highest court for final approval. That will not be coming from the 70 per cent of South Koreans who told pollsters they oppose the impeachment. Tens of thousands of protestors staged marches in the nation’s capitol over the weekend. The vote and the protests have temporarily derailed efforts to improve relations with North Korea. The North has asked that economic talks be shifted while the South works out its “very unstable” situation. Impeach(v) to charge with malfeasance in office before a proper tribunal. #3—HAITI Haiti’s new prime minister promises he’ll end months of bloodshed and political strife in his country. Gerard Latortue had been living in Florida until last week. He is a United Nations career officer and business consultant who has been in exile from his native country for years. Latortue says he would like to hold legislative elections in the next 6 to 8 months. He was also critical of nearby Jamaica for deciding to welcome ousted Haitian president Jean Bertrand Aristede. The US joined in denouncing Aristede’s return to the region, saying it could spark more violence. Aristede continues to insist he is the legitimate leader of Haiti and was forced out of office by the US. Ousted(v) ejected from a position, forced out #4— —SEDNA How many planets are in our solar system? Astronomers at the California Institute of Technology say the answer is now 10. Using the power telescope at the Palomar Observatory, a team headed by Mike Brown discovered a large mass of rock and ice 3 times farther away from Earth than Pluto. They have named the new planet Sedna for the Inuit goddess who created the sea creatures of the Arctic. Sedna is 8 billion miles from the sun. Temperatures there are estimated to be no higher than 400 degrees below zero. Sedna is about 1-thousand miles in diameter, making it smaller than Pluto. It takes the reddish planet almost 11 thousand of our years to circle the sun. That’s a long time in between birthdays. Inuit (n) people native to Arctic coastal areas of North America, Greenland, and Siberia POP QUIZ #1 In our story about Spain, when did we tell you the new prime minister wants to have all Spanish soldiers return from Iraq. Was it by 1. late June 2. late August 3. the end of the year And the answer is…number 1. Spain’s new prime minister wants all Spanish peace keepers back home by the end of June. OLD CLUE #1— NEW DELHI And now it’s time for the answers to our clues in the news… Our first clue is the location of New Delhi, India. Secretary of State Colin Powell started a three nation trip in the Indian capitol. There and in Pakistan and Afghanistan, he met with officials to discuss a number of security and trade issues. India and Pakistan have recently begun positive talks aimed at ending years of often armed conflict. Powell hoped to help that process along. OLD CLUE #2—RUSSIAN ELECTIONS Fill in the blanks on our second clue and you get Russian elections. Vladimir Putin won a second, 4-year term by landslide proportions. Putin won more than 70-per-cent of the votes cast. . The results were hardly surprising. Television in Russia is controlled by the government. That meant President Putin’s campaign was covered in depth while those of his rivals got very little time. Putin has vowed to open up the political process and the media in future campaigns. OLD CLUE #3—CHINA AMENDMENTS And finally, unscramble our third clue and you have China amendments. As expected, China’s parliament gave final approval to 13 constitutional amendments Sunday. Among those were changes allowing private property and human rights. Chinese lawmakers also took steps to control their country’s rapidly growing economy. Experts say the changes are largely symbolic until laws are made to reflect the amendments’ intent. However, the steps taken were the first of their kind since China became a communist state more than 50 years ago. THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history…March 20th, 1852, the anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was first published. Abraham Lincoln would later credit the book and its author, Harriet Beecher Stowe as being among the direct causes of the American Civil War. FEATURE INTRO SCIENCE DESK The Mars Rover recently discovered what appears to be a sedimentary rock on Mars! Why is that important? George Wolfe fills us in on this week’s Science Desk! FEATURE MARS (George Wolfe) “As most of us earthlings know, water is absolutely crucial for life on Earth, whether you are a fish, a plant, or a human. Well what about other planets like Mars? Recent finds by NASA’s Mars robotic rover named ‘Opportunity’ conclude that rocks in the area it is currently exploring, called the Meridiani Planum were at one time covered in water. We now have the first clues in detecting if Mars could once sustain life forms. But how did Scientist’s come to the conclusion that Mars once had water…well, it’s a pretty complicated answer, but one of those clues lies in sedimentation.” “You see, if I take a bunch of sand of mixed sizes, mix it in water, and let it settle…” “Eventually, it settles in order of size…larger on the bottom, smaller on top. We call this sedimentation…it is a process similar to this that was noticed in a rock outcrop on Mars. Water once flowed through these rocks, which changed their texture and their chemistry. Rocks are made up of building blocks known as minerals, each of which tells the story of how it came to be a part of any given rock.” “The twin rovers ‘Opportunity’ and ‘Spirit’ which landed on Mars in January will act as robotic field geologists, exploring rocks and soil to determine the role water might have played in Mars past. Each rover is equipped with a package of science instruments as well as a robotic arm with tools on the end that can cut into, analyze and then photograph rock specimens. Scientist’s here on earth will receive satellite transmissions from the twin rovers and examine it’s findings.” “So, why DO we care about whether there was water and life on Mars, well, look at it this way, if there was water and life and it is gone now, wouldn’t it be nice to understand what went wrong there…before it goes wrong here?” “You can learn more about Mars and the twin rovers at the ATW website at ATWONLINE.ORG, And that’s it from the Science Desk!” ISN’T IT COOL PIGS IN HARMONY In the wild they might be each other’s dinner. But at a zoo near Bangkok, Thailand this pig, tiger and two dogs are living in perfect harmony. The Sri Racha Tiger Farm and Zoo have been putting different species together since they opened seven years ago. Zoo keepers say that, at first, the dogs bullied the tiger cub because they were older, but since the cub has grown they have thought better of it. A new exhibit shows tiger cubs nursing with piglets! Zoo keepers say they have never had any problems between species.. ISSUE California State Senator John Vasconcellos wants to amend his state’s constitution to lower the voting age to 14. His measure would give 14 and 15 year olds a quarter of a vote while 16 and 17 year olds would be counted as half a vote each. The senator believes that young men and women are better informed on a wide variety of issues than previous generations. He argues that getting teenagers involved in the electoral process makes them better citizens and more likely to participate in the future. California student Robert Reynolds is quoted as saying that politicians would no longer see him as a kid but as a voter and might take his issues seriously. But California Assemblyman Ray Haynes says, “There’s a reason why 14 year olds and 16 year olds don’t vote. They are not adults. They are not mature enough. They are easily deceived by political charlatans.” He and others also argue that the amendment would be far too difficult to enact. So, what you think… “Should the people younger than 18 be able to vote?” Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions.MAILBAG We received over five hundred responses to our issue question…” Should the Iditarod race stop running?” The majority of you, sixty three percent say no, the race should not be stopped. Twenty eight percent say yes, it should be stopped. Nine percent are undecided. Some of you feel that the race is cruel to the dogs. Molly O. of Winchester, Virginia writes, “… making animals run long distances for human pleasure is cruel. To force them to drag a heavy sled a long way is not humane.” Rachel T. of Ticonderoga, New York adds, “… sometimes the dogs get hurt or killed. There is no need for it.” Lindsey S. of Wilson, New York agrees and writes, “The Iditarod doesn’t serve a purpose… ‘The Great Race’ should be stopped because it isn’t such a great race.” The majority of you, however, feel the race should continue to be held. Hannah R. of Alma, Wisconsin writes, “These dogs LOVE to mush! I attended the Iditarod and worked with the dogs. If (they) get injured they are pulled from the race.” Ashley R. of Mt. Sidney, Virginia agrees and writes, “This has become a tradition that people enjoy and have worked hard training their dogs.” Trisha B. of Crimora, Virginia adds, “Most dogs love running… and they get treated great! Let the dogs race…” And finally, Mariah H. of Keene, New Hampshire writes, “The dogs live to 15 years…that’s 105 in dog years. If they live that long they are not getting abused.” MAILBAG CLOSE We look forward to receiving your responses to our two latest issue questions…“Should people younger than 18 be able to vote?” ” and “Should the President use images from 9-11 in his campaign ads” 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 the elections in Russia, what percentage did we tell you the incumbent president received from voters? Was it more than 50% more than 60% more than 70% And the correct answer is number three. Vladimir Putin received more than 70 per cent of the popular vote to win a second term. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 25 Degrees, 3 minutes north latitude 121 Degrees, 31 minutes east longitude Our second clue is a fill-in the blanks, two words C__U__U__ES C__NT__N__E And finally, our third clue is a scrambled letter…two words: PAINS AINVITEGOTSIN 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. © 2004 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World. All Rights Reserved.