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	• NEWS >> ATW November 9, 2006 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of November 9th, I’m Teej Jenkins. Our top story this week…the verdict is “guilty” for Saddam Hussein. 1—SADDAM SENTENCED IRAQ 33 degrees, 21 minutes north 44 degrees, 25 minutes east Iraq’s High Tribunal ruled Sunday that the former president of that country is guilty of crimes against humanity. Hussein and two co-defendants received the death penalty for their roles in a wave of revenge killings carried out after a failed assassination attempt in1982. Their death sentences will be reviewed by a 9 judge appeals panel. The verdict seemed ito stun Hussein but reactions elsewhere were mixed. President Bush called it a major achievement for Iraq’s fledgling democracy. North of Baghdad, hundreds of Sunni Muslims took to the streets in support of Hussein. In Iran which fought an 8 year war with Iraq, government leaders said the death penalty was too light a punishment for Hussein. Outside of Beirut, a group if Iraqi exiles celebrated the ruling but at least one man doubted that the verdict would change anything in Iraq. He and others feel that Hussein is not causing the problems that continue to plague that country. Fledgling (n) young or inexperienced person ATW Fact Nicaragua lies between Honduras and Costa Rica in Central America. Also bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Nicaragua is home to roughly 5.5 million people. It is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… --critics blast the U-S’s new fence… --Protests continue in Mexico… --and a former president may be the next president in Nicaragua. #2—NICARAGUA VOTE NICARAGUA 12 degrees, 09 minutes north 86 degrees, 17 minutes west Former Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is the apparent winner over four other candidates after voting this weekend. The leftist Sandinista leader had more than 40 per cent of the vote in early returns, well ahead of his nearest challenger. Ortega first came to power in 1985. His term came to an end in 1990 after a US-backed rebellion forced him from office. This time, Ortega has the backing of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who remains at odds with the U-S. This year’s election was monitored by 18-thousand observers including former President Jimmy Carter. If Ortega is finally confirmed as the new president, he will take office January 10th. He succeeds incumbent President Enrique Bolanos. Term (n) a limited period of time during which something lasts #3—URUGUAY SUMMIT URUGUAY 34 degrees, 53 minutes south 56 degrees, 11 minutes west Illegal immigration and the rights of undocumented workers were the focus of a 22-nation summit that wrapped up this weekend in Uruguay. Leaders gathered from countries in Europe and Latin America, vowing to reign in migration and fight the exploitation of legal and illegal immigrants. As many as 25-million Latin American migrants are working or living in countries other than their own, a figure that continues to rise. But perhaps the harshest words of the summit were reserved for Congressional Republican leaders who successfully pushed for a 700 mile fence on the US border with Mexico. Chile’s president criticized President Bush for signing the bill and Mexico’s President Vincente Fox called the measure nothing more than election year politics. Migrant (n) itinerant worker who travels from one area to another in search of work #4— —MEXICO UPDATE MEXICO 19 degrees, 24 minutes north 99 degrees, 09 minutes west More than 20-thousand people demonstrated Sunday in the Mexican city of Oaxaca. The protests which began last May are primarily aimed at Oaxaca Governor Ulises Ruiz who is accused of election fraud and sending gun-toting thugs after his political opponents. At least 9 people have died in the on-going protests. Leaders of Sunday’s demonstration tried to keep their supporters from confronting police but at least 4-hundred broker through the human chain to throw stones and bottles at the police. At least 10 officers were treated for burns and bruises. The ongoing conflict has ruined tourism in the already poor region. The U-S is one of 5 countries that has warned its citizens not to travel to Oaxaca. Fraud(n) deception deliberately practiced in order to secure an unfair or unlawful gain POP QUIZ #1 In our story about Nicaragua, when did we tell you Daniel Ortega was first elected president? Was it 1. 1975 2. 1985 3. 1995 And the answer is number 2. Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega was first elected president of Nicaragua in 1985. OLD CLUE # 1—SUDAN UPDATE Time now for answers to last week’s Clues in the News. Our first clue was the location of Khartoum. The capital of Sudan is where President Omar al-Bashir continues to deny United Nations reports of deadly violence in the region of Darfur. The latest UN report released on Monday charges the Sudanese government with backing militia raids that killed at least 60 people in Darfur. A government spokesman says the bandits responsible for the attacks are outside Sudan’s control. He also insisted that the scope of the problems in Darfur has been wildly exaggerated. OLD CLUE # 2— GUY FAWKES Our second clue was a newsmaker: Guy Fawkes. That’s the name of the most celebrated member of a plot in 1605 to overthrow the British government. Since then, people throughout England remember the failed coup by placing likenesses of Fawkes on to bonfires as well as setting off fireworks. Guy Fawkes Day is also celebrated in parts of Canada and New Zealand though in recent years, the tradition has lost some of its popularity to Halloween. OLD CLUE # 3—CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE And finally, fill in the blanks on our third clue and you got Climate Change Conference. More than 6-thousand delegates are meeting this week and next in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. U-S climate scientists recently reported that temperatures around the world are the highest they’ve been in at least 12-thousand years. Many of them blame that rise on greenhouse gasses emitted by cars, power plants and other fossil fuel burning sources. The US accounts for more than 20 per cent of those gasses but has thus far refused to agree to a mandatory plan of cutbacks. THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history… November 10th, 1969, a new sort of television show debuted, combining education and entertainment for pre-schoolers. 36 years and more than 4-thousand episodes later, Sesame Street is the longest running children’s show in US history. ATW FEATURE Zoos all across the country are participating in species survival plans in an effort to save many endangered species. Katie Sullivan visited one such zoo to learn more about two species of Gibbons. Check it Out! ATW FEATURE (Katie Sullivan) Two species of Gibbons, the Siamang and the White-Handed Gibbon are both inhabitants of the rich forests of Southeast Asia. These primates are considered lesser apes, meaning they have a smaller stature compared to great apes and unlike monkeys they have no tail. (Sarah) They're extremely intelligent. They are probably almost as intelligent as 3 or 4 year old human child. (Katie) They are resourceful as well. These arboreal creatures get almost all they need to survive from the trees in which they live. (Sarah) They rarely come to the ground, maybe just to get a drink. That is due to predators what would prey on them if they came to the ground. (Katie) The trees offer protection by keeping them out of the reach of predators, but they also provide the gibbons with food of their own. (Rebecca) Siamangs live up in the highest part of the canopy. The highest part of the trees, where their diet would be fruits and vegetables but mainly they eat the leaves, the leaves comprise about 80% of their diet, which is why they rely on the trees, not only for living but also for eating. (Katie) While the white-handed gibbons live in the canopies as well, they prefer the fruit, especially figs. So if you are going to spend all your time in the trees, you should be able to move around quickly and remain agile. (Sarah) Their feet do look more like hands, on what would be their big toe for humans, they can grab with that. Just like we can with our hands, so they can grab with both hands and feet. (Katie) This offers the gibbons a strong grip. But their entire habitat is slipping through their hands. Logging and deforestation by humans has devastated their natural environment. Because of this the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York has included them in their species survival plan to help sustain their population in captivity. (Sarah) Someday it would be interesting to reintroduce white-handed gibbons to the wild. Right now that hasn't been happening because we have no space to put them. (Katie) In order to save the white-handed gibbons and Siamang, we must not only protect the animal, but also the environment in which they live. ISN’T IT COOL DOLPHIN A bottlenose dolphin captured off the coast of Japan has an extra set of fins. Researchers say it is further evidence that ocean-dwelling mammals once had four legs and lived on land. Although dolphins and whales with odd-shaped protrusions have been caught in the past, researchers think this is the first one found with well-developed, symmetrical fins. Fossil remains indicate that dolphins and whales were once four-footed land animals about 50 million years ago. ISSUE An elementary school near Boston is the latest in the U-S to ban students from playing tag, touch football or any other unsupervised chase games during recess. School officials fear that students could get hurt and that their parent would then sue the school for financial damages in court. According to one principal, recess is a time when accidents can happen. Other districts have banned tag because they say it may hurt self-esteem, particularly if one child is always “it”. And in some, instead of allowing them at recess, tag and other chase games have been incorporated into regular physical education classes where students can be closely supervised. But Charlene Burgenson of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education says tag is exactly the sort of activity that’s appropriate for recess. She says tag and other chase games do not damage self-esteem but provide exercise that could help curb rising rates of obesity. They argue that playing tag is simply part of being a kid. So, what do you think? Should schools ban chase games? Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions. MAILBAG We received nearly four hundred responses to our issue question, “Should commercial whaling be resumed?” The majority of you, 85 percent, say no, whaling should not be resumed. Eleven percent says yes, it would be okay to resume whaling. Four percent are undecided. Derek C. of Loudonville, New York is in favor of resuming whaling practices, but with some restrictions. Derek writes, “If we were to (resume) commercial whaling but with limits, then we would be able to use the whale’s resources and also maintain (their population.)“ Mitchell S. of Wittenberg, Wisconsin adds, “There are lots of whales in the ocean, they can provide lots of meat.” Jacob S. of Kewaunee, Wisconsin agrees and writes, “It is cheap meat and full of nutrition. They can send whale meat… to feed the hungry.” The majority of you, however, do not think resuming commercial whaling is a good idea. Ashley P. of Georgetown, New York writes, “People are not killing whales for their needs. People are killing them for money. People that sell whale meat are just plain greedy.” Megan B. of Jamestown, North Dakota adds, “If commercial whaling starts again the whale could become extinct.” Brooke W. of Greenfield, Wisconsin reminds us, “The whale population just recovered from over killing. Just because they bounced back doesn’t mean we can just kill them again.” Cassidy M. of Marion, Iowa adds, “Enough of them are dying because of water pollution, we don’t need to add hunters to their worries.” And finally, Joe T. of Cottage Grove, Minnesota feels it is more important to see whales then eat them. Joe writes, “Whales are fun to watch. They can be seen 100 times but killed only once.” We look forward to your responses to our two latest questions: “Should schools ban chase games?” and “Should terrorism suspects be treated by different rules?” 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 the Climate Change Conference, what percentage of greenhouse gases did we tell you the US is responsible for? Is more than 1. 20% 2. 30% 3. 40% And the correct answer is number 1. Scientists say the US produces more than 20 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 54 Degrees, 35 minutes north latitude 05 Degrees, 55 minutes west longitude Our second clue is a newsmaker: Who is? FELIPE CALDERON And finally, our third clue is a fill in the blanks, two words First word J blank M E blank T O blank N Second word A blank N I blank E R blank A 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 Teej Jenkins. We’ll see you again next week. © 2006 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World. All Rights Reserved.