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	• NEWS >> ATW April 5, 2007 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of April 5th, I’m Teej Jenkins. Our top story this week…the war of words over the war in Iraq gets louder. 1—IRAQ VOTE/CONGRESS IRAQ 33 DEGREES, 21 MINUTES NORTH 44 DEGREES, 25 MINUTES EAST Despite a promised veto from President Bush, the Senate passed a bill that demands an end to US forces in Iraq. The legislation will have to be joined to a similar measure that passed the House of Representatives. Neither bill passed by enough votes to override a veto but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is threatening to lead the effort to end most of the funding for the war in Iraq. That new measure would allow spending only for training Iraqi troops, fighting al-Qaeda, and protecting US Embassy personnel. The President has promised to veto any bill that sets a timetable for withdrawing troops. He continues to insist that troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are fully funded and that no strings be placed on their commanders. The standoff between the President and Congress will likely grind on through the later parts of this year. Override (v) to declare null and void, set aside ATW Fact The Solomons are an island chain in the southern Pacific Ocean east of New Guinea. In an area smaller than Maryland, it has jut over half a million residents. Leaders called there called on Australia to send police and soldiers to restore law and order 4 years ago. INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… ---earthquakes and a tsunami rock the Solomons... ---tens of thousands flee from mounting violence in Somalia... ---and England demands the return of its captured sailors. #2—IRAN STANDOFF WITH BRITAIN ISRAEL 31 DEGREES, 46 MINUTES NORTH 35 DEGREES, 14 MINUTES EAST Iran claims to have confessions from all 15 British sailors and marines that it seized on March 23rd. Iran says all have admitted to being illegally in Iranian waters but has backed away from earlier claims that the servicemen and woman might be put on trial. Britain continues to insist that the sailors and marines were in Iraqi waters when they were taken by force. Britain has refused to apologize and is demanding that its soldiers be released immediately. Britain's embassy in Tehran was pelted by stones and firecrackers on Sunday, a demonstration that would have required government approval. However, there was some indication that negotiations behind the scenes have made some progress toward ending the situation. pelted (v) struck or assailed repeatedly with missiles #3—TSUNAMI HITS SOLOMONS HONG KONG 22 DEGREES, 17 MINUTES NORTH 114 DEGREES, 09 MINUTES EAST The toll is expected to rise from a tsunami that struck the Solomon Islands Monday. At least 13 people were swept away by waves 10 meters high. The tsunami was triggered by two earthquakes, the first of which registered a strong 8.0 magnitude. That led to aq tsunami warning to a large area of the Pacific including Australia and Indonesia. Officials say it was lucky that the quakes struck in daylight when signs of an impending wave could be witnessed on shore. Nonetheless, damage was still heavy in villages throughout the western part of the Solomons. The devastation includes food gardens, health centers, schools and a hospital. Government spokesmen say a thorough assessment of the damage will take some time. As many as twenty residents of the region remain missing. Impending (v) close at hand, about to take place #4— —SOMALIA FIGHTING 35 DEGREES, 40 MINUTES NORTH 51 DEGREES, 26 MINUTES EAST The worst fighting in 15 years has driven tens of thousands of Somalians from their capital, Mogadishu. At least 96-thousand left during February and March, with most of those leaving in just the past few weeks. African Union troops have been unable to stop the fighting. A Ugandan soldier died Saturday as A-U troops attempt to replace Ethiopian forces. The Ethiopians entered Somalia at the end of last year to support a new Somali government and to oust Islamists and rival clans. Somalia has effectively been without any government since 1991. This newest wave of fighting has filled area hospitals and put a critical strain on U-N relief efforts. Attempt (v) to try to do, make or achieve POP QUIZ #1 In our story about Iran, when did we tell you that it seized sailors and marines? Is it January 23 March 23 February 23 And the answer is number 2. Iran seized 15 British sailors and marines on March 23rd. OLD CLUE # 1—ARAB LEAGUE MEETING Time now for answers to last week’s Clues in the News. Our first clue was the location of Riyadh. The capital of Saudi Arabia was where leaders of 21 Arab governments met late last week to formally unveil a new peace initiative. It calls for Israel to pull back from lands it seized during the 1967 war. In return, Israel would receive full diplomatic relations and permanent peace, something Arab nations have resisted until now. Israel said it welcomed the offer but had a number of reservations. The Arab leaders warned Israel that the offer would not remain on the table for long. OLD CLUE # 2— BRAZIL PRESIDENT VISITS Our second clue was newsmaker Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazil's president met with his American counterpart over the weekend at Camp David. As they did when they met less than a month ago, the two leaders talked about global free trade and the increased use of alternative fuels. President Bush said he believes the best way to alleviate world poverty is through trade. World trade talks are currently stalled as a coalition of developing countries is pushing for concessions from richer nations. OLD CLUE # 3—FINAL FOUR And finally, fill in the blanks on our third clue and you got Final Four. College basketball's championship tournament came to an end Monday night in a meeting between Florida and Ohio State. Reigning champions Florida kept their title, the first team to do so since 1992 and the first to do so with the same starting five players two years in a row. In beating Ohio 84 to 75, Florida echoed what its football team did in winning the NCAA football championship back in January. Florida's Corey Brewer named most valuable player. THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history… April 6th, 1930, James Dewar unveils his latest creation: a golden sponge cake with a creamy white filling. He would later claim to eat three of these every night before bed. Mr. Dewar, who would die at the age of 98, had invented and named the Twinkie. ATW FEATURE INTRO Beki Gibney visited the Rochester Children’s Museum of Play and found an exhibit you might not expect to see in a museum. Check it out. ATW FEATURE BUTTERFLIES Beki: There is a tropical land in Rochester, NY at the Children’s Museum of play and it happens to be their butterfly exhibit, where they profile a luxurious life for the butterflies and a luxurious sight to be seen by many. Ralph: What we provide for the butterflies are three main things and that's food, shelter, and water. The food, most of the plants in here that you see around you and around me are chosen for the nectar their qualities, most butterflies subsist on nectar, there are some that do not utilize nectar as a food source they actually eat rotting fruit sap that type of thing and we have special plates for those. Shelter is important too, they need roosting sites during the day they don't fly all day they have periods of activity and rest, and certainly at night they all pick a roosting spot. We also have water there are water features in here but most of the water that they get several times during the day we spray down the paths and the foliage and they are able t imbibe a little water that way. The other thing that we provide is a temperature and humidity controlled environment. It's a tropical environment; we usually stay in the low 80's with comparable humidity. Butterflies start a life as eggs, those eggs hatch usually after a couple of weeks and then caterpillar in about a three to four week stage generally and the caterpillars are basically eating machines, and they eat, eat, eat they also molt then finally when they've grown as big as they're going to grow as larvae or caterpillars they will transform into a pupa or chrysalis. They are quiet outwardly they have limited movement at that point, inside they are getting totally re-arranged there are a lot of tissues being broken down and they get reorganized finally into adult butterflies tissues and once it breaks out of the chrysalis and they unfurl their wings get pumped full of blood and after about an hour or so they are ready to fly away. Beki: For Assignment: the World, I'm Beki Gibney. ISN’T IT COOL CHERRY BLOSSOMS The National Cherry Blossom Festival began in Washington, D.C. this week in honor of the anniversary of 3,000 cherry blossom trees given to the United States by Japan in 1912. It has become Washington’s largest tourist event with a million visitors annually. Trees were groomed for the past three months in anticipation of the few days that they bloom into a sea of pale blossoms. ISSUE Former coach and analyst Don Cherry is a longtime advocate for fighting in hockey. He and others say hockey fights have a long tradition in North America and that more fans come to see a fight than stay away. Writer Scott Morrison says fights in hockey also serve as a way for players to police each other and that without fights, the incidence of cheap shots and hits from behind would increase. Cherry and Morrison say today's players, almost all of whom approve of fighting, are in no greater danger of injury than previous pros. But others say bigger, stronger and faster players are in greater danger of serious injuries from fighting. Others point to Europe where fighting is all but unknown and is still very popular. And blogger John Dellapina is among the many fans who say that the acceptance of fighting basically says that hockey players are lesser athletes than all of the other sports where fighting is severely punished. So, what do you think? Should fighting in hockey be banned? Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions. MAILBAG We received nearly three hundred responses to our issue question, “Should schools control free speech?” The majority of you, 59 percent, say no schools should not control free speech. 32 percent say yes it is all right for schools to limit free speech. 9 percent are undecided. Many of you feel it is okay for schools to restrict free speech if it means a safer learning environment. Ember A. of Fairfield, Virginia writes, “If left uncontrolled (speech) could be inappropriate and show disrespect to others.” Nicky G. of Brighton, New York adds, “Parents think their kids are going to a safe environment but if people are harassing (others), it is no longer a safe environment.” The majority of you, however, feel it is important to protect our rights to free speech. Taylor R. of Barneveld, Wisconsin writes, “The Constitution wasn’t written so people could disobey it. Students should get to (offer) their opinions without being punished.” Austin B. of Cottage Grove, Minnesota agrees and adds, “If schools did control free speech people would never accomplish their dreams and would never be as happy as they could be.” Matthew M. of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin writes, “Everybody has a right to express their feelings and opinions.” And finally, G. R. of Encino, California thinks enough is enough. G. R. writes, “First they give us old, used books. Then they crowd us into tiny classrooms. Now they want to take our rights away? Something in this picture is not right.” We look forward to your responses to our two latest questions: “Should we set a deadline for withdrawing troops?” and “Should fighting in hockey be banned?” We'll put some of the more thought provoking letters and e-mails on the air. 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 Somalia, what organization did we tell you is trying to replace Ethiopian troops? Is it the United Nations the United States The African Union And the correct answer is number 3. The African Union is trying to replace Ethiopian soldiers who entered Somalia at the end of last year. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 32 Degrees, 28 minutes north latitude 82 Degrees, 01 minutes west longitude Our second clue is a scrambled letter, three words First word C A T M I L E Second word N A G C H E Third word P O R T E R And finally, our third clue is a fill in the blanks, two words First word S blank A blank E Second word T blank U R blank S blank 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 Last week we tried to do the impossible. Through an editing error we misidentified the location of one our letters. We would like to apologize to Joyce Zimmer’s class in Vermillion, SOUTH Dakota for trying to move you north! We promise not to do it again. And that’s it for this week’s show. From all of us here at Assignment: The World, I’m Teej Jenkins. We’ll see you again in two weeks. Have a great spring break. © 2007 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World. All Rights Reserved.