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	• NEWS >> ATW 03/20/08 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of March 20th, 2008… I’m Teej Jenkins. Our top story this week Tibetan protests erupt into violence. TOP STORY - CHINA 29 degrees, 40 minutes north 91 degrees, 09 minutes east Violence spilled into neighboring provinces from Tibet as protestors defied a Chinese government crackdown. It is the latest in negative publicity for China as it heads toward the Beijing Olympics in August. The protests came after five days of demonstrations in Lhasa escalated into violence. Rioters burned police cars and storefronts in the strongest challenge to Beijing rule in Tibet in two decades. Tibet had been for all intents independent for decades before communist troops entered in 1950. Pro-Tibetan demonstrations around the world continue. Protestors in India, Japan, Nepal and Australia are calling on the Chinese government to show restraint. China set a deadline for protestors in Lhasa to surrender, threatening severe punishment if they fail to meet the deadline. escalate (v) ~to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity. ATW FACT Tibet is a plateau region in Central Asia. With an average elevation of 16,000 feet it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the “Roof of the World.” INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… - A tornado hits downtown Atlanta - Iran heads to the polls for parliamentary elections - And Middle East peace talks begin #2 – ISRAEL 31 degrees, 46 minutes north latitude 35 degrees, 14 minutes east longitude Israeli and Palestinian negotiators sat down with US observers in their first meeting to discuss peace efforts since last year’s U-S sponsored talks in Maryland. They face increased violence between the sides as well as failure by both the Israelis and Palestinians to fulfill obligations agreed upon at those talks. Under the plan Palestinians were to dismantle armed groups and Israel was to stop construction in the West Bank as well as remove more than 100 unauthorized settlements. Neither side has delivered. The talks are the first between the two sides since a spike in violence that began in late February. Palestinian negotiators called on the U-S to press Israel to halt the settlements. Earlier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said neither side was working hard enough toward a peace agreement. Obligation (n) the action of promising oneself to a course of action. #3 – IRAN 35 degrees, 40 minutes north 51 degrees, 26 minutes east Voters went to the polls in Tehran this week in an effort to elect a new parliament. Hard-line allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to pull ahead but conservative critics are making a strong showing…. results that could affect his support in the legislature. Reformists claim to be doing better than expected and hope to increase their small bloc of supporters. A strong showing could mean Ahmadinejad might face a conservative challenger in presidential elections next year. Some 4,500 candidates ran in the elections. Final tabulations of the vote will take days. Reformist (adj) one who puts an end to by enforcing or introducing a better method or course of action. #4 - UNITED STATES 33 degrees, 45 minutes north latitude 84 degrees, 23 minutes west longitude Weather officials are confirming that a tornado hit Atlanta over the weekend causing widespread damage. The storm with winds up to 130 miles per hour tore through the city. The tornado is the first on record to hit downtown Atlanta. The storm smashed hundreds of windows, blew furniture and luggage out of hotels and crumbled billboards. Streets were littered with broken glass, downed power lines, bricks and insulation. Dozens of injuries were reported, though none was life threatening. Power was knocked out to about 19-thousand customers. tornado (n) a violent windstorm. POP QUIZ #1 In our story about the Tibetan protests in China, we told you that communist troops entered Tibet in… 1. 1958 2. 1955 3. 1950 And the correct answer is number three, communist troops entered Tibet in 1950. OLD CLUE # 1—LOCATION – SAO PAULO, BRAZIL Now its time for the answers to last week’s clues in the news. Find the location of our first clue and find yourself in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled to South American making several stops along the way. In Brazil, Rice met with Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and visited the cultural hub of Salvador. While there she signed an agreement to promote education on racial equality in Brazil. The Secretary of State also traveled to Chile to meet with President Michele Bachelet. Ms. Rice congratulated President Bachelet for her work in promoting social inclusion in Chile. Rice describe Chile as a “partner” of the United States. OLD CLUE # 2— SHUTTLE MISSION Fill in the blanks of our next clue and you get Shuttle Mission. Astronauts at the International Space Station are performing several space walks to install a robot. Dextre, a Canadian robot, weighs 3,400-pounds and will be 12-feet high when fully assembled. It is designed to help space walkers with routine maintenance chores with the goal of eventually reducing the amount of time astronauts spend outside. OC #3 – FIRST LADY TRAVELS Unscramble our next clue and you get First Lady Travels. First Lady Laura Bush traveled to Mexico to help launch a U-S Mexico partnership for breast cancer awareness and research. The U-S Mexico partnership brings together researchers from the University of Texas and Mexico’s National Institute of Cancer. Prior to traveling to Mexico City the First Lady also stopped in Haiti. With AIDS cases high in Caribbean nations, Mrs. Bush drew attention to the Bush administration’s AIDS relief initiative. The last White House visit to Port-au-Prince was by First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1998. THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history…March 20, 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel about slavery, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is published in book form. The novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African-Americans and slavery. CHECK IT OUT INTRO When it comes to your well being, your body tries to do what’s best, flattering or not. Check It Out! CHECK IT OUT Lisa Harris, M.D. - Primary Care Physician (Narration) Have you ever burped from drinking soda or wondered why from time to time your nose runs like a faucet, well it’s because it’s necessary. These unpleasant functions are ways for your body to protect itself. At the Grossology exhibit at the Strong National Museum of Play, mysteries, like why your nose runs, are explained. (Lisa) The medical term is called Rhino rhea, Rhine or race from the nose, that’s a Greek term and Rhea means runny essentially. If you have allergies or a cold, then we call it rhinitis, meaning inflammation of the nose. So the membranes, or the tissues inside of the nose get swollen, gets aggravated and it’s that tissue inside of the nose that creates the snot or the mucus. So things like cold weather can make your nose run, an infection can make your nose run, allergies just from the irritation can make your nose run. Something as simple as rubbing your nose or sneezing can make it run. It’s all related to how your brain is related to your nose. So, it’s all part of the nervous system, its all part of the natural reaction to let you know there's something going on that you need to take care of. (Narration) And now, the always popular, gas expulsion. (Lisa) Burping is related to passing gas or Flatus. So burping is a build up of gas within the stomach and intestines and it happens because when we eat, we tend to take a gulp of air. So even when you're swallowing liquids, or any type of food, there's a little bit of air that goes down into the esophagus which is the tube that leads to the stomach, and it gets in the stomach. So the food kind of gets trapped around that air bubble and it’s important to let that out. The other reason why we burp is that the foods we eat, when they're being digested in the stomach and in the intestine, produce gas. That gas needs to be released. If its higher up, you burp it up, if it’s lower down, you pass it out the other way. (Narration) There you have it. A quick lesson in Grossology, the study of the sometimes unpleasant, but always necessary, functions of the body. (Burp Sound Effect) ISN’T IT COOL On the 11th of March a Peruvian zoo welcomed a new member. Their popular Zebra couple, Yoko and John, gave birth to a foal. The African Grevy Zebra rarely reproduces in captivity but this is the zoo’s second successful pregnancy. Mother and foal are doing fine. ISSUE As the size of classrooms increase and the noise level from ventilations systems and other technology rises, more and more teachers strain their voices in an attempt to be heard. This year, Wyoming Elementary School in Millburn, New Jersey installed amplification systems in every kindergarten through third grade. Teachers wear microphones and their voices are heard over speakers in the classrooms. Officials say that studies confirm kids learn better when they hear instruction loud and clear. But some teachers say that amplification is unnecessary and annoying in a small class setting. Some acoustic experts say it can actually make a noisy classroom worse. They say a better way is to reduce noise through renovation and better design. Instead of cutting down noise, the amplification systems make more noise. Well, we would like to know what you think… “Does your school need amplification systems in classrooms?” Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions. MAILBAG We received almost four hundred responses to our issue question: “Is physical education important?” The overwhelming majority of you, 95 percent say yes physical education is important. 4 percent say no it is not. Just one percent are undecided. Some of you feel it is more important to get as much schoolwork in as possible. Tabitha T. of Orfordville, Wisconsin writes, “All kids need their class time for a good education. Kids can exercise at home.” Michael H. of Sioux Center, Iowa agrees and adds, “We should be responsible enough to exercise on our own at home.” Harley M. of Jamestown, North Dakota writes, “You can learn without physical education… some kids might not want to play a sport.” The majority of you, however, feel staying healthy is one of the most important things you can do. Alexander X. of Pewaukee, Wisconsin writes, “People need an opportunity to exercise every day. That’s one of the most important things you can do.” Braden H. of Waynesboro, Virginia adds, “It gets the chemicals in your brain going. Physical education is important to keep kids in shape.” Tyler G. of Georgetown, New York agrees and writes, “It keeps kids fit. It helps them feel good about themselves.” Nicole S. of Fairfield, Virginia writes, “It helps you to release stress. It makes you happy and helps you to concentrate in school.” And finally, Cristina D. of Cottage Grove, Minnesota writes, “It’s a time where you can play with friends… it makes the day just so much more fun.” We look forward to your responses to our two latest questions “Should schools extend days to make up for those lost due to weather?” and “Does your school need amplification systems in classrooms?” 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 tornado in Atlanta, we told you this was what on record to hit that southern city? Was it.. 1. the first 2. the second 3. the third And the correct answer is number one, this was the first tornado on record to hit downtown Atlanta. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 35 degrees, 10 minutes north latitude 33 degrees, 22 minutes east longitude Our second clue is a fill in the blank…it is three words. First word D blank R blank U R Second word Blank E blank C blank Third word T blank L blank S And finally, our third clue is a Newsmaker, who is… Mikheil Saakashvili These are clues to stories we think will happen in the coming weeks. 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. For all of us here at Assignment: The World, I’m Teej Jenkins. We’ll see you again next week. © 2008 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World. All Rights Reserved.