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	• NEWS >> ATW February 2, 2006 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of February 2nd, I’m Michael Caputo. Our top story this week…the world waits to see what follows a stunning political upset. 1—PALESTINIANS ISRAEL 31 DEGREES, 43 MINUTES NORTH 35 DEGREES, 12 MINUTES EAST The Palestinian militant group Hamas won a stunning and surprising victory in democratic elections last week. That rise to power caught Europe and the United States off guard. While news of the victory was celebrated in a number of Muslim countries, its was perhaps the worst case scenario for Israel. Hamas has vowed to destroy Israel. Israeli leaders have ruled out any peace talks with the militant group, a move some experts say could isolate Hamas. The U-S has ruled out any financial assistance to the Palestinian territories so long as they are governed by what the Bush administration has labeled a terrorist group. The European Union has taken a similar stance but has called upon Hamas to renounce violence and to disarm. For its part, spokesmen for Hamas say Europe and the U-S must ask Israel to withdraw from Gaza before Hamas will consider disarming. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has asked Hamas to form a new government after his own defeated Fatah Party rejected any role in the new cabinet. Stance (n) emotional or intellectual attitude or position ATW Fact According to the group Reporters Without Borders, 79 journalists and media assistants have been killed in Iraq since 2003. That’s already more than the 63 journalists who died in Vietnam between 1955 and 1977. INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… --Energy and tax cuts frame the State of the Union… --a corporate collapse finally comes to trial… --and a US journalist becomes the most prominent casualty in Iraq. #2—IRAQ UPDATE IRAQ 34 DEGREES, 36 MINUTES NORTH 43 DEGREES, 42 MINUTES EAST A-B-C News co-anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt were traveling with Iraqi troops Sunday when their vehicle was attacked. The two Americans and an Iraqi soldier were wounded when an improvised explosive device went off. While Woodruff and Vogt were wearing body armor and helmets, each suffered serious injuries. They are the latest in a long line of journalists killed or injured in Iraq since Saddam Hussein was removed from power in 2003. Hussein was also in the news earlier this week. His trial resumed Sunday with a new judge on the bench. That new judge cracked down on the ongoing chaos of the trial, expelling a co-defendant and a lawyer from the courtroom. The entire defense team left in protest and Hussein was later escorted out after a shouting match in which he yelled “Down with America.” Hussein is on trial for the deaths of more than 140 Shiites in July of 1982. Improvise (v) to make or provide from available materials. #3—. STATE OF THE UNION UNITED STATES 38 DEGREES, 54 MINUTES NORTH 77 DEGREES, 02 MINUTES WEST Tax cuts, energy prices and the soaring cost of health care: those were the three key domestic themes of President Bush’s State of the Union address Tuesday. The President offered a package of energy proposals that could lead to practical use of fuel saving technologies. Bush also pushed for making recent tax cuts permanent, saying they have strengthened the economy. Democrats responded by claiming that tax cuts have helped only the wealthy and not the middle class. They also charge the President with being more interested in increasing profits for oil, pharmaceutical and investment industries. George Washington set the precedent for Presidents giving an annual update on the state of the country. However, most Presidents before Woodrow Wilson delivered their States of the Union in writing. Profits (n) an advantageous gain or return, benefit #4— —ENRON PREVIEW UNITED STATES 29 DEGREES, 48 MINUTES NORTH 95 DEGREES, 24 MINUTES WEST One of the largest trials of alleged corruption in American business history is underway. More than 100 potential jurors were brought to a Houston courtroom Monday, 12 of whom will sit in judgment of Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. The two men once led Enron, an energy trading company that grew to become the 7th largest company in the United States. Enron founder Ken Lay faces seven counts of fraud and conspiracy while former CEO Skilling is charged with 31 counts of fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors about Enron’s financial state before it crashed. Both men have pleaded not guilty. Fraud (n) deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain POP QUIZ #1 In our story about the State of the Union address, what did we tell you the President wants to make permanent? Was it 1. The space program 2. tax hikes 3. tax cuts And the answer is number 3. President Bush wants to make some recent tax cuts permanent. OLD CLUE # 1—FINLAND UPDATE It’s now time for the answer to our Clues in the News. Our first clue was the location of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Voters had to return to the polls after a first round failed to give a clear majority to candidates for president of Finland. Incumbent President Tarja Halonen (Tar-yah HAH-lo-nehn) finally won a second term by a surprising close margin over conservative challenger Sauli Niinisto (Saw-oo-lee Neen-eh-steh). OLD CLUE # 2—PALESTINIAN CHOICE Unscramble the letters of our second clue and you got Palestinian choice.As we told you earlier, the militant group Hamas won a ruling majority in Palestinian parliamentary elections. Analysts are now looking to see if Hamas will modify its positions and provide a stable government for all Palestinians. Some experts point to changes made by the Irish Republican Army and the Palestinian Liberation Organization though others say Hamas is a fundamentalist religious group and is unlikely to change any time soon. OLD CLUE # 3—CHINESE NEW YEAR And finally, fill in the blanks of our third clue and you got Chinese New Year. The Chinese have a calendar based on the movements of both the sun and the moon. The second new moon after the Winter Solstice is the beginning of a new year. Years are named for one of 12 animals that rotate in a cycle. By that calendar, the year 4703 is the year of the dog. Traditionally, the New Year kicks off with a 15 day celebration of food and fireworks. It’s also a time for families to gather to offer thanks to both Heaven and Earth. The celebrations end on the 15th day with a lantern festival. THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history… February 4th, 1924, the first Winter Olympics came to an end in Chamonix, France. 16 nations and 258 athletes participated. The upcoming Torino Olympics will feature 25-hundred athletes from 85 countries. ATW FEATURE The French and Indian War marked a change in battle strategies never before seen. Tactics that are today known as guerrilla warfare first appeared on battlefields across upstate New York. Check it Out! ATW FEATURE (Robert Emerson) In New France every able bodied male with few exceptions between the age of 16 and 60 were enrolled in the parish militia. That meant that, usually in the spring of the year, when a military campaign was launched these men would be mobilized and sent on an expedition but they were generally citizen soldiers that fought in civilian clothing. So you will notice a variety of dress on the field. Generally, the dress was very practical for being in a woodland environment. Not wearing a lot of heavy clothing that covers them and holds them back. Dressing very much in the style of the native people in many cases. We are fighting a very, light, fast action that will deliver the most causalities to the enemy while taking the least loss among themselves. For the native people that were very much involved in the war, its a seminal moment in their history. Native people supported both sides during the conflict. But with the removal of the French, at the end of the conflict, they really now cannot occupy their position between these two great powers and are forced to deal with just the British. This becomes a problem for them because the British began to deal with native people in a high-handed manner. Also the legacy of the war for the native people is that animosity between European settlers and the native people as a result of the frontier warfare that goes on during this war escalates and attitudes about each other really harden during this time. ISN’T IT COOL DOG CIRCUS It’s the Year of the Dog and the Wow Wow Dog Circus is celebrating in style. The dog circus, founded in 1955, made its debut in Hong Kong to help bring in the New Year. Ten dogs, aged five and six and most of them abandoned, performed a variety of tricks including rope skipping, tightrope walking and swinging on a trapeze. ISSUE As we’ve told you, the militant group, Hamas, won more than half of the seats in the Palestinian legislative elections last week. The U-S is one of many nations that refuse to negotiate with Hamas, labeling it a terrorist organization. The US points to Hamas’ founding charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel by violent means. Many experts believe Hamas will not be able to govern its own people since it is experienced only in armed conflict and terror and not in the day-to-day details of providing power, schools and security. The U-S and the European Union are threatening to stop the flow of funding that had been going to the Palestinian Authority unless Hamas disarms and becomes a legitimate member of the international community. But others say the U-S cannot ignore the results of a democratic election. They say Hamas fielded qualified candidates who ran against what they called the corruption and mismanagement of the ruling Fatah Party. Hamas, they say, has taken huge steps in recent years to providing needed services and a clean government. While it hasn’t renounced its violent ideology, it has maintained peace recently with Israel. And, they argue that cutting off aid would do more harm than good. So, what do you think? “Should the US deal with Hamas? Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions. MAILBAG We received nearly five hundred responses to our last issue question, “Have we achieved Dr. King’s dream?” The majority of you, fifty percent say yes we have achieved Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream. Thirty nine percent say no, we have not. Eleven percent are undecided. Many of you feel we have a long ways to go before achieving Dr. King’s goal. Jeana C. of Onalaska, Wisconsin writes, “We have not achieved Dr. King’s dream because we (still) judge people by where they are from and their skin color.” Kendra P. of Ray, North Dakota adds, “I look around at the mall and I find people staring at (black) people in stores thinking they are stealing.” Ana A. of West Allis, Wisconsin agrees, Ana writes, “I am an 11-year-old Mexican girl that gets dirty looks from security, cashiers and other people that do not even know me.” The majority of you, however, say you see evidence that we have achieved his dream every day. Matthew W. of Waunakee, Wisconsin writes, “I always see different people working together. Blacks and whites both can go (anywhere) they like.” Lauren M. of Grand Rapids, Michigan adds, “I don’t think it matters what skin color you have. You are a person and that’s what matters.” Mike F. of Ticonderoga, New York agrees and writes, “Look at people like Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell. Those are some great people!” Finally, Ariel L. of Baraboo, Wisconsin writes, “We have accomplished a great deal and we have overcome many social differences. But this work will never be done until EVERYONE has done their share.” We look forward to your responses to our latest two questions: “Is winning the most important thing?” and “Should the US deal with Hamas?” 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 Chinese New Year, what year did we tell you this is on their calendar? Is it the year of the… 1. Pig 2. Dog 3. Dragon And the correct answer is number two. The year 4703 is the year of the dog. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 42 Degrees, 25 minutes north latitude 83 Degrees, 31 minutes west longitude Our second clue is a scrambled letter, it is three words First word C O A S T Second word A R C I Third word L I C E T O N E S And finally, our third clue is a fill in the blanks, it is two words First word I blank E blank Second word M blank E blank I blank G 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 As some of you know Assignment: The World has recently expanded our digital services to include streaming and downloadable segments. We are very interested in your experiences and opinions and invite you to complete an on line survey located on our website at atwonline.org The survey will remain open until March 3. And that’s it for this week’s show. From all of us here at Assignment: The World, I’m Michael Caputo. We’ll see you again next week. © 2006 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World. All Rights Reserved.