WXXI-TV | Assignment: The World |




	• NEWS >> ATW January 13, 2005 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of January 13th, 2005. I’m Elissa Orlando. In our top story this week…will a new Palestinian leader mean new hopes for peace? 1—ABBAS ELECTION Mahmoud Abbas is the new Palestinian president after receiving more than 60 per cent of the votes cast on Sunday. Also known as Abu Mazen, Abbas is now meeting with a variety of international leaders. Among those was former US President and election observer Jimmy Carter. While the landslide vote gives Abbas a clear mandate to resume peace talks with Israel, he faces a number of challenges. The biggest of those may come from a number of armed Palestinian factions. Most of those have indicated that they plan to give Abbas a chance but only a few have seriously considered a truce with Israel. Leaders in Israel are also guarded in their welcome of Abbas after his victory. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon held his regular cabinet meeting as scheduled but told aides he plans to meet with Abbas soon. Landslide (n) an overwhelming majority of votes for a political party or candidate ATW FACT Scientists say that, more than two weeks after the massive undersea earthquake, the planet is still vibrating. They say the effect is similar to the ringing of a bell and that the earth actually wobbled on its axis. (Source: Rueters) INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… --the race is on to reach thousands of tsunami victims... --Mother Nature poses challenges across the globe.. -and the 50 million dollars that could cost peace in Ireland. #2—TSUNAMI: LATEST The U-S continues to be a part of the effort to reach the tens of thousands of victims who survived the December 26th earthquake and tsunami. U-S Marines are helping in coastal regions of southern Sri Lanka, clearing debris and pumping wells contaminated with seawater. U-S military forces are also active in Malaysia and Indonesia. They report increasing success in reaching even the remotest villages. There is no good estimate of the actual scope of the devastation or the time it will take to rebound. The head of the World Food Program says his organization is planning on providing resources for victims for at least the next six months. On Sri Lanka alone, at least 800-thousand people were forced from their homes. Contaminated (v) made impure or corrupt by contact or mixture #3—NASTY WEATHER Some residents in the state of South Australia had to leap into the sea to escape flames from an out of control bushfire. At least 8 people are dead in the worst wave of fires to hit the Australian state since 1983. Tens of thousands of acres have already been burned along the lower Eyre Peninsula and temperatures in the region have soared to 111 degrees Fahrenheit. Water bombers and dozens of firefighting units are being used but the fires remain out of control. On the opposite side of the world, Californians are suffering from the reverse. Heavy, continuing rain has caused mudslides that have killed at least 12 people. Several hundred people have been evacuated and much of southern California is now a flood zone. Peninsula (n) long projection of land into water #4— —IRELAND ROBBERY If the Irish Republican Army didn’t do it, who did? The chief constable of Northern Ireland believes the I-R-A was responsible for the raid last month that netted bank robbers 50 million dollars. Hugh Orde says he won’t endanger either the investigation or the sources of his information but says the evidence seems to lead to the I-R-A. Both the British and Irish governments have accepted that conclusion and says it may endanger efforts to revive a joint Catholic Protestant administration that involves Sinn Fein, the political wing of the I-R-A. Sinn Fein’s chairman, Mitchel McLaughlin, challenged Orde’s allegations and said his party remains committed to the peace process. He says the accusations have angered members of his party. He vigorously denied any involvement in the robbery. No arrests have yet been made. Conclusion (n) judgment or decision reached after deliberation POP QUIZ #1 In our story about the Palestinian elections, what percentage of the vote did we tell you Abbas won? Was it 1. 60 per cent 2. 50 per cent 3. 40 per cent And the answer is number 1. Mahmoud Abbas became the new president with more than 60 per cent of the vote. OLD CLUE #1—TSUNAMI MEETING Its time now for the answers to our Clues in the News. Our first clue was the location of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. World leaders gathered there late last week to map out plans to help nations affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Despite pledges totaling in the billions of dollars, relief and reconstruction in the area could take a decade. The leaders also met to discuss an early warning system that would allow coastal residents in the future time to flee to higher ground. Such a system is in place in the Pacific Ocean. Japan has offered its technological expertise. It has one of the world’s most advanced networks of fiber optic sensors that can warn of a tsunami within two minutes of a quake. WTN 1/2 OLD CLUE #2—IYAD ALLAWI Our second clue was a newsmaker, Iyad Allawi. Iraq’s interim prime minister is a medical doctor and a businessman who fell out of favor with Saddam Hussein. He will continue to serve until at least January 30th when plans call for elections to be held to choose a transitional national assembly. That body will then work on drafting a permanent constitution. Under that document, elections would be held at the end of this year to choose a permanent government. A dramatic upsurge in violence has caused some to call for a postponement of the upcoming elections. However, Iyad Allawi has echoed the Bush administration in saying the elections are too important to delay and can be held as scheduled. WTN 1/?? OLD CLUE #3—NEW CONGRESS And finally, unscramble our third clue and you got New Congress. The nation’s 109th Congress is now in session. Of its 535 members, 41 in the House and 9 in the Senate are freshmen. Those new members will be called on to address an ambitious agenda in President Bush’s second term. Republicans, who control both houses, want to have lawsuit and immigration reform. The President has also called on Congress to allow people to put part of their Social Security taxes into private investments. The House will be led by Dennis Hastert who is only the second Republican to serve four terms as Speaker. The majority leaders in the House and Senate are Tom DeLay and Bill Frist. WTN 1/4 THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history…January 13th, 1888, 33 explorers, teachers, cartographers and financiers met to form a new group devoted to knowledge. The National Geographic Society is now the largest non-profit scientific and educational institution in the world. FEATURE Go to any amusement park and one of the most crowded rides is going to be the roller coaster. Roller Coasters have been around for a long, long time. We went back into our ATW archives to learn a little bit more about one of America’s favorite rides. Check it out. ATW FEATURE FEATURE (Wyatt) The roller coaster is one of America's favorite amusement rides but the roller coaster isn't just an american pasttime. Its been thrilling people all over the world for decades. (Paul Reubens) The first modern roller coaster, one with undulating hills, was built in 1884 at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. It was built by a man named LeMarcus Thompson. Thompson charged people a nickle a ride. In three weeks he had recovered his entire investment. He went on to build 24 more coasters in N. America and twenty in Europe and became known as the father of modern roller coaster. (Wyatt) Coasters have gone through many changes to make the ride not only more fun but also safer. (Reubens) ONe of the best kept secrets in the outdoor amusement industry is how safe roller coasters really are. Everyone enjoys riding them because of the imagined danger but in fact they are one of the safest rides in the park. According to US public safety commission statistics riding a roller coaster is safer than using tooth picks, safer than playing billiards and in fact is one of the safest rides you can enjoy.Those incidents that do occur on roller coasters, 12 out of 13 times is the result of rider horseplay. Everyone likes to test the edge but not everyone can be a race car driver or sky diver. A roller coaster allows you to enjoy that same thrill and do it safely. A good roller coaster ride will make you heart pound, the adrenaline pump. It will make you feel alive. Remember, have a good time and go with gravity. For ATW, I'm Wyatt Doremus. ISN’T IT COOL NEW FIRST DOG There is a new resident at the White House. First Lady Laura Bush introduced Miss Beazley to the White House Press Corp recently. Miss Beazley is the First Lady’s Scottish terrier puppy. President Bush gave the dog to his wife for her birthday in November. Miss Beazley is related to the other White House dog, Barney: Barney’s half brother is Miss Beazley’s father. ISSUE As we told you earlier, President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi insist that elections will be held as scheduled January 30th. They say allied forces have made most of Iraq secure enough for a fair vote to take place. Going ahead with the vote will, they say, be a huge step toward making that country a stable democracy. They believe postponing the election would be a victory for the insurgents and a dangerous step backward. But a growing number of Iraqis and others believe that voters in large sections of Iraq do not feel safe enough to go to the polls. Baghdad’s governor and deputy police chief are among the latest victims of increasing violence. And leaders of the Sunni Arab population have called for a postponement to address what they see as problems in the system of government proposed for Iraq. Without changes, they might not have a voice in a new Iraq and that might cause civil war. So, what do you think? “Should elections in Iraq be postponed? Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions. MAILBAG We received over two hundred responses to our issue question…”Should illegal immigrants be granted drivers licenses?” The majority of you, sixty eight percent, say no they should not be given drivers licenses. Twenty four percent say yes, they should. Eight percent are undecided. Angela of Liverpool, New York thinks we should let them have licenses. Angela writes, “We certainly don’t want to force them to drive without a driver’s license.” Samantha S. of Mequon, Wisconsin adds, “They are probably going to drive anyway, so we might as well teach them how to drive safely.” Alex G. of Waunakee, Wisconsin thinks it’s only fair. Alex writes, “They came all the way from a different country so we might as well give them a chance.” The majority of you, however, do not think allowing illegal immigrantsdriver’s licenses is a good idea. Savanna C. of Hilton, New York writes, “Rules are rules! We can’t go changing them for people who came to our country and don’t want to follow them.” Pearl O. of Sheboygan, Wisconsin adds, “That would be like rewarding a criminal for breaking the law!” Finally, Janet L. of Marlboro, New Jersey agrees and writes, “When someone does something wrong, I think that they should be punished, not rewarded with a driver’s license.” We look forward to receiving your responses to our issue questions: “Has reality TV gone too far?” and “Should elections in Iraq be postponed?” 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, how much money was involved in the bank robbery? Was it 40 million 50 million 60 million And the correct answer is number two. The Irish bank was robbed of the equivalent of 50 million dollars. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 34 Degrees, 3 minutes north latitude 118 Degrees, 14 minutes west longitude Our second clue is a scrambled letter, two words: RAINCOAT FUNFOR And finally, our third clue is a Fill in the blank M blank K D blank Y 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 Orlando. We’ll see you next week. © 2005 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World. All Rights Reserved.