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	• NEWS >> ATW May 12, 2005 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of May 12th, 2005. I’m Elissa Orlando. In our top story this week…America joins Europe in remembering those who fought the world’s most costly war. 1—VE DAY CELEBRATED President Bush made several stops throughout Europe to commemorate V-E Day. V-E stands for victory in Europe. Fighting in World War Two finally came to an end in Europe in May of 1945. On the 60th anniversary of that occasion, world leaders joined veterans in remembering those who the President said paid a “terrible price” to end the war. He made those remarks at a ceremony at Margraten. The Netherlands American Cemetery there has more than 8-thousand American soldiers who died in fighting toward the end of World War Two. Among his other stops. The President joined a number of other world leaders in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country will never forget the sacrifice that its citizens made in the effort to defeat the Nazis. An estimated 27-million Soviet citizens died in just 4 years. Putin said the current generation also has an obligation to learn from the mistakes that led to that war and to not allow a repeat of either cold or hot wars. Putin later celebrated the reconciliation Russia has since had with its former enemy, Germany. Remark (n) casual or brief expression of opinion ATW Fact Exact figures will never be known but World War II claimed an estimated 45 million lives in Europe. One of the key differences between World War I and World War II is that in the later conflict, far more civilians died. INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… --A nuclear threat from North Korea?… --More selections for the Iraqi government… --and an historic look at the end of a world war. #2—VE DAY HISTORY VE or Victory in Europe day came on May 8, 1945. It came nearly 6 years after war broke out following the German invasion of Poland. In the fighting that ensued, millions of lives were lost. The tide began to turn after the U-S invaded first Africa, then Italy, and then in June of 1944, France. By then, Germany had also started to lose ground in its drive deep within Russia. By the spring of 1945, the allies consisting of the U-S, France, England, Canada and Russia, had advanced into Germany itself. In early May with Russian troops inside the city limits of Berlin, German leader Adolph Hitler died. With that, General Alfred Jodl signed an unconditional surrender of all of his forces. Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower announced the surrender the following day. World War Two was not over, however. War in the Pacific against the forces of Japan would not end until September second or V-J Day. Unconditional (adj) without conditions or limitations, absolute #3—IRAQ UPDATE Insurgents and foreign fighters were the targets of a U-S military strike that began over the weekend. The fighting was centered in the Al Jazirah desert near Iraq’s border with Syria. The region is known as a haven for smugglers and insurgents bringing in illegal weapons. Military spokesmen said U-S casualties were light while those of the insurgents were heavy. As many as 75 foreign born fighters were said to have been killed within a 24 hour period. Elsewhere in Iraq, the frequency of car bombings continues to increase. One of the latest in Baghdad killed at least four people Monday. But at the highest levels of Iraq’s government there are signs of progress. On Sunday, the Shiite dominated parliament approved four more Sunni Arabs to serve as government ministers. Sunnis are in the minority in Iraq but did hold the greatest power during the time of Saddam Hussein. Sunnis boycotted the elections in January but have been included in the new government anyway by the Kurds and Shiites. Frequency (n) occurring or appearing often or at close intervals #4— —NORTH KOREA Is North Korea attempting a dangerous bluff? U-S officials say recent satellite photographs seem to indicate widespread preparations for a test of nuclear weapons by North Korea. While at least one administration official concedes that it all may just be a show put on for the satellites, others are not as sure. If a real nuclear test were to occur, radioactive fallout would likely move toward Japan. Experts call the economic and other effects of such a scenario a “nightmare”. Just three months ago, North Korea pulled out of talks between six nations about its nuclear weapons program. China and South Korea have stepped up pressure in recent days for North Korea to resume those talks. Satellite (n) manmade object intended to orbit a celestial body POP QUIZ #1 In our story about World War II, what letters did we tell you indicated the end of the war with Japan? Are they 1. VE 2. VJ 3. VW And the answer is number 2. VJ Day in September of 1945 indicated an end to the war with Japan. OLD CLUE #1—MOSCOW: BUSH VISIT It's time now for the answers to our Clues in the News. Our first clue was the location of Moscow, Russia. It was from the Russia capital that President Bush traveled to Latvia and Georgia, two former Soviet republics that are now independent democracies. Russian President Vladimir Putin had objected to Bush’s stops in those countries. Russia hasn’t been happy with the growing western influence in its former republics. Those former republics have, in turn, pointed out that the end of World War Two led to their occupation for decades by Soviet forces. President Bush told President Putin that he should welcome the presence of peaceful democracies on his borders. OLD CLUE #2—BRITISH VOTE Fill in the blanks on our second clue and you got British Vote. Incumbent Prime Minister Tony Blair won an historic third term late last weekbut by a much smaller margin than he had hoped. Blair acknowledged that his decision to send troops to Iraq had cost him politically. He hopes his fellow Britons are now ready to move on to other important issues. Blair’s slip in power could lead to his being replaced as prime minister in mid-term by his rival, Treasury chief Gordon Brown. OLD CLUE #3—KENTUCKY DERBY And finally, unscramble our third clue and you got Kentucky Derby. The second largest crowd in derby history watched the second longest shot win it. Giacomo closed fast at the end of the mile and a quarter long race, crossing the line just in front of another long shot. This was the 131st Kentucky Derby, an annual race that features the best three year old thoroughbreds from around the world. The Derby is the first stop in horse racing’s so called Triple Crown. The other two races will be held in coming weeks at Belmont and Pimlico. THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history… May 13th, 1934, a great storm of dust from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas blew as far as New York City. The storm was caused by years of poor planting techniques that were magnified by a decade long drought. All of that happened at the height of the Great Depression. ATW FEATURE FEATURE We traveled to the New York State Living Museum in upstate New York to learn more about one of the larger members of the weasel family. Check it Out. (Sue Peters) A wolverine is a very large weasel. They are one of the more powerful weasels, they weigh from between 25-35 pounds and have immense jaw pressure. They actually use them, along with their teeth, to break bones of certain animals like moose and deer. Their reputation, unfortunately, is one of pure viciousness. And from what I have discovered from working with these animals on a regular basis is that they are a very secretive animal. And certainly could be vicious is they wanted to be but at the same rate, do not try to come upon conflict. The only conflict they might come upon is over food. We actually feed them venison which is deer meat, or other hoof type animals....maybe elk. They are really scavanger type animals. They tend to be opportunistic and eat whatever they come upon. We've tried berries but they lean more toward meat, maybe small rodents. We have a male and a female which both came to us from the Minnesota Zoo. They are actually a few years apart in age and they interact really well. On occassion get into big wrestling matches and really seem to enjoy each others company. They were unfortunately pushed out of the area due to loss of habitat so they were once in NYS but are no longer. They can be found more in Michigan and Canada. They are actually very well rounded, they love to swim, they climb trees. They are just as happy on land, they basically make themselves home where ever they are. They would not make very good pets. They like to chew alot , you wouldn't have any furniture left. Where ferrets are a little bit easier to control. But anyone who has had ferrets know that they get into everything so imagine a 35 pound weasel going through all your cabinets. I love having the wolverines here, I think they are one of the most interesting animals that we have and certainly one of the least known of all the animals we have here at the zoo. I find their behaviour alone very interesting. ISN’T IT COOL CHILD MUMMY Doctors and anthropologists hope to unravel the mystery of this 2,000 year old mummy! The mummy, less than three feet tall, apparently was a child from 4 to 6 years of age. Using sophisticated CT scanning equipment and other technological tools, scientists took 20,000 images of the ancient remains. Researchers hope to determine the child’s age, sex and name as well as the cause of death. MAILBAG We received nearly four hundred responses to our issue question, “ Should cameras be allowed in the U.S. Supreme Court?” The majority of you, forty four percent say yes, cameras should be allowed in Supreme Court proceedings. Forty percent say no, they should not. Sixteen percent are undecided. Many of you feel the proceedings inside the Supreme Court are personal and, therefore, should not be covered by television. Angela L. of Woodbury, Minnesota writes, “When they are having a conversation … it might be very personal. We shouldn’t have other people hearing them unless we have the permission of that person.” Raymond R. of Brighton, New York thinks it should be up to the people involved. Raymond writes, “I don’t think they should allow cameras. If the people on trial don’t want (other) people to know, it (should be) their decision.” Will B. of Mequon, Wisconsin adds, “If the whole case was shown, I think it would be OK. But I don’t think a whole case will be shown.” Brianna H. of Elba, New York agrees and writes, “Broadcasters would only tape couple of seconds and people might take that issue the wrong way.” The majority of you, however, think cameras in the Supreme Court are a good idea. Jake C. of Waynesboro, Virginia writes, “The court system is supposed to serve us and we, the public, should have the right to see what is going on in the courts.” Patrick L. of Jamestown, North Dakota adds, “The public deserves to know what’s going on in the country’s highest court.” Carrie K. of Verona, Virginia writes, “We need to hear what they say because if we don’t, who knows what will happen!” Cheyenne and Brook of Oelwein, Iowa adds, “People in the USA need to know what is going on in the Supreme Court.” Finally… Terrence R. of Washburn, Wisconsin writes, “We have a government of the people and a Constitution. We, the people, should know what the Supreme Court is doing and how it rules.” We look forward to receiving your responses to our last issue question of the year: “Should the US rely more on nuclear power?” 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 Iraq, which did we tell you is the dominant, majority party there? Is it 1. Sunnis 2. Kurds 3. Shiites And the correct answer is number three. Shiite Muslims are in the majority in Iraq. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 43 Degrees, 33 minutes north latitude 7 Degrees, 00 minutes east longitude Our second clue is a fill in the blanks, two words B__S__ C__OS__N__S And finally, our third clue is a scrambled letter, three words: CARLENT CINERAMA RINSEDPEST 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.