• NEWS >> ATW April
8, 2004
Yearly
Script Program Index
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OPEN/WELCOME
Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of April 8th,
2004. I’m Elissa Marra.
In our top story this week…In Iraq, deadly violence mounts as
a deadline nears.
1—IRAQ
Coalition forces are looking for Muqtada al-Sadr, an anti-American
leader in the Shiite Muslim majority in Iraq. Al-Sadr is suspected of
encouraging the sharp rise in violence against Coalition soldiers and
civilians. More than a dozen Americans died in separate clashes in Baghdad
and three other Iraqi cities. Late last week, the U-S shut down a weekly
newspaper edited by al-Sadr. That prompted massive demonstrations and
later, armed attacks. This newest wave of violence has raised alarms
for some American lawmakers. Several senators are calling for a delay
in the timetable for handing over power to the Iraqi Governing Council.
President Bush insists that the June 30th deadline will be met. General
John Abazaid, the U-S commander in Iraq, is looking into how many more
soldiers may be needed to restore order and crackdown on terrorists.
Edited (v) supervised the publication of
ATW FACT
Spain drew together as a country in 1492. Ruling from within borders
roughly twice the size of Oregon it was the preeminent world power,
during the 16th and 17th centuries,
INTRO REST OF THE NEWS
In the rest of the news this week…
-Suspects come to a violent end in Spain
-tensions continue in Israel.
-and it’s a new day for NATO.
#2—SPAIN
The investigation continues in the bombing attacks that killed almost
200 people in Spain March 11th. However, police think they can cross
at least four names off of the list of suspects. Police were set to
storm an apartment building in a Madrid suburb Saturday when the suspects
inside set off an explosive device. Among the four people who died inside
the building were men from Morocco and Tunisia who investigators believe
were key to planning the March train attacks. With the suspects, police
say they found several other explosive devices that were fully assembled
and ready for use. With the suspects, one Spanish policeman was killed
and 15 others were wounded. The blast gutted at least one floor of the
apartment building. Spain has arrested 15 other men believed responsible
for the earlier attacks.
key (n) vital, crucial element
#3—ISRAEL
Relations between Israel and Palestinians are no better and may be
much worse. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told reporters Monday
that his country is no longer bound by a pledge made to the U-S not
to harm Yasser Arafat. Sharon said Arafat is one of several potential
targets for assassination. Israel did just that to Hamas leader Sheik
Ahmed Yassin on March 22nd. An estimated 10-thousand Palestinians met
at a rally in Yassin’s memory last Friday. Hamas and other anti-Israel
organizations have promised a deadly response to Yassin’s assassination.
Palestinian leader Arafat said he wasn’t troubled by the Israeli
threat on his life. He called for Israel to withdraw from all of the
West Bank and not just the Gaza Strip.
Potential (adj) capable of being but not yet in existence, latent
#4— —NATO
They were once 7 of the reasons for the formation of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization. Now, they are members of NATO. In an historic ceremony
last Friday, foreign ministers from Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia raised their flags outside of NATO headquarters.
It was the biggest expansion in the 55 year history of NATO which now
has 26 member countries. While the newest members celebrated with parades,
Russia warned against any further NATO troop movements near its borders.
All of the newest members were once allied with Russia’s political
predecessor, the Soviet Union.
Allied adj) joined or related in a close relationship.
POP QUIZ #1
In our story about Iraq, what did we tell you prompted the latest round
of violence? Was it
1. Shutdown of a newspaper
2. A sluggish economy
3. A delay in the handover of power
And the answer is number 1. Demonstrations, then violence followed
the US shutdown of an anti-American newspaper.
OLD CLUE #1— RWANDA
And now it’s time for the answers to our clues in the news…
Our first clue is the location of Kigali, the capital of the African
nation of Rwanda. This week marked the 10th anniversary of violence
that would eventually leave an estimated 800-thousand Rwandans dead.
U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan was the head of U-N peacekeeping forces
at the time. He says he regrets not doing more then to rally the international
community to stop the violence. He backed a Rwandan call for a worldwide
minute of silence April 7th to remember the victims of the genocide.
Survivors have also banded together in the U-S and elsewhere to tell
their stories and to try to prevent any future such tragedies.
OLD CLUE #2—EUROPEAN UNION
Unscramble our second clue and you get European Union. The 15 member
states of the E-U are trying to tackle a number of problems this week.
Those include implementing anti-terror measures that were recommended
after 9-11 but never implemented. European Parliament President Pat
Cox also called on politicians across Europe to stand firmly against
a rising tide of anti-Semitism. He says studies show an increase over
the last three years of anti-Jewish incidents in Belgium, France, Germany,
the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Cox says the E-U must make it
that anti-Semitism is not acceptable.
OLD CLUE #3—NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
And finally, fill in the blanks on our third clue and you get N-C-A-A
Championship. The University of Connecticut and Georgia Tech met to
end what has become known as March Madness or the championship of college
basketball. Connecticut took this year’s men’s title after
overwhelming Georgia Tech 82 to 73. Emeka Okafor was named the tournament’s
most valuable player as he led the Huskies to their second national
championship. On Tuesday evening the U-Conn women’s team went for
an unprecedented double-double when they faced the Tennessee Volunteers
for the women’s N-C-A-A title.
THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY
This week in world history…April 9th, 1770, Europeans got their
first view of what they called Stingray Harbor. English Lit. James Cook
was later prevailed upon to rename the place Botany Bay. It would briefly
serve as the first settlement in Australia.
FEATURE
French Road Elementary School in Brighton, New York holds an annual
Jump-Rope-A-thon to raise money for the American Heart Association.
But this community-wide event is about more than raising money. Wyatt
Doremus Checks it Out!
FEATURE
JUMP-A-THON
They are jumping rope to raise money…but for the kids of French
Road Elementary this annual event is really about healthy lifestyles.
(Rick LaPaglia, Physical Education Teacher)
“…one of the main goals of the program is to educate the students
on a healthy lifestyle, healthy diet, healthy food intake…9:49:00
We try as hard as we can to teach that what they put into their body
will either benefit them or be a detriment…hopefully we send that
message clear enough to have it stay with them throughout their adult
lives.”
It’s a six week program….teaching a healthy lifestyle through
exercise and diet. It culminates with a community-wide fundraiser to
benefit the American Heart Association.
(Steven Schafheimer, Principle, French Road)
“The school has 800 students but those students alone couldn’t
pull of this wonderful event. It’s the parents, civic leaders;
everyone buys into this concept…”
These third, fourth and fifth graders gather pledges of support…some
have a special person they are jumping for…as evidenced by their
Wall of Honor.
(Steve Schafheimer)
“…what happen there is boys and girls put on a square in the
name of a relative or person they know that has heart disease….”
The kids then come together as a class for three hours of jumping rope!
This year, French Road is trying to be the #1 fundraiser in the country
for the sixth consecutive year.
(Rick LaPaglia)
“…they might remember being #1 but what the teachers hope
they remember are the lessons learned that will help them maintain a
healthy heart and live a longer life.”
For Assignment: The World, I’m Wyatt Doremus.
ISN’T IT COOL
HOMEMADE PLANE
It’s hundreds of mile to the nearest airport and his neighbors
still use oxen to plough the fields…but this is one down-to-earth
farmer who believes he can fly.
Cao Zhengshu, who can’t read or write, built his plane from farmyard
scrap.
The plane, which can be folded away for transport, has taken up all
of his spare time and half his annual salary.
Says a neighbor, “He’s just a peasant, but he believes he
can do anything he puts his mind to.”
ISSUE
The Bush administration is proposing changes to the legislation known
as Title-9. The changes would allow more separation of the sexes in
public schools. Single sex education advocates say separation allows
both boys and girls to concentrate on school and not how they look.
They say it encourages young women to pursue careers in math, science,
engineering and other traditionally male dominated fields. All-female
schools also reportedly build leadership skills and encourage participation.
But critics say co-educational public schools prepare students of both
genders for the real world. Without them, critics say some children
won’t learn how to interact with others. They say that if the President
truly wants to change public schools for the better, the answers lie
with smaller class sizes, well trained teachers, and newer books and
computers. So, what do you think… “Should boys and girls be
taught separately?” Discuss this issue with your classmates after
the show and then write to us with your opinions.
MAILBAG
We received nearly six hundred responses to our issue question…”Should
homework be abolished?” The majority of you, forty nine percent,
say no it should not be abolished. Forty four percent say yes, it should.
Seven percent are undecided.
Many of you feel you have too much homework.
Ali B. of Dickinson, North Dakota writes, “We can’t even spend
time with our family anymore. We have to juggle homework with all the
other activities we like…”
Michelle from Long Valley, New Jersey agrees and adds, “We should
be able to relax…not get stressed out with hours of homework.”
Sarah M. of Muskego (Muh-ski-go), Wisconsin feels better learning occurs
when a teacher is around to help. Sarah writes, “Sending kids home
with work that they don’t understand and having nobody at home
to help them…is pointless.”
The majority of you, however, feel homework is important.
Colleen of Dumont, New Jersey writes, “(Homework) gives the parents
a chance to take a look at what their children are learning in school.”
Zach L. of Rush, New York adds, “Homework can be fun! It helps
you prepare for the future.”
Conner G. of Kohler, Wisconsin writes, “Homework helps you learn
more…the more you practice the better you get.”
And finally, Alycia M of Ticonderoga, New York admits she changed her
mind when it comes to homework, Alycia writes, “(At first) I thought
yes but then I realized that homework should stay. It ensures that students
understand the subject … and makes them ask for help if they don’t.”
MAILBAG CLOSE
We look forward to receiving your responses to our two latest issue
questions…“Should boys and girls be taught separately?”
” and “Should smoking be banned in all public places?”
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 a sad anniversary for an African nation, where did
we tell you those events occurred? Was it
1) Egypt
2) Rwanda
3) South Africa
And the correct answer is number two. Rwandans held ceremonies to remember
hundreds of thousands of their countrymen who died in violence that
started 10 years ago this week.
NEW CLUES
And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news…
Our first clue a location…
31 Degrees, 32 minutes north latitude
97 Degrees, 27 minutes west longitude
Our second clue is a scrambled letter clue, two words:
ERIC TOEISNTMY
And finally, our third clue is a fill in the blanks…two words:
S__A__ON V__S__T
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
in 2 weeks.
© 2004 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World.
All Rights Reserved.
