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	• NEWS >> ATW Week of November 1, 2007 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of November 1st… I’m Teej Jenkins. Our top story this week, southern California begins to clean up from wildfires. TOP STORY- CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES 32 degrees, 43 minutes north latitude 117 degrees, 09 minutes west longitude Firefighters in southern California are keeping watch on the possibility of high winds returning but believe they have contained the majority of the wildfires that swept over more than 500,000 acres last week. Nearly 3,000 structures were destroyed including over 2,000 homes. In other parts of California over twenty thousand homes remain in danger from five major fires still burning in three counties. Damage estimates surpass a billion dollars. The seasonal Santa Anas, dry winds blowing desert air out to sea, spread the fires… forcing some half-million people to evacuate. Those lucky enough to find their homes still standing face hardships including polluted air, no electricity and no drinking water. One of the many blazes is now believed to be arson. Authorities believe one blaze was deliberate because they found two ignition points within a short distance… a common sign of arson. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to find those responsible and to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. arson (n) The crime of maliciously, voluntarily, and willfully setting fire to the building, buildings, or other properties. ATW Fact The Boston Red Sox won their seventh World Series defeating the Colorado Rockies, 4 games to none. It is their second world championship in the last four years. Prior to 2004 it had been 86 years since their last World Series victory, won in 1918. Source: Major League Baseball INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… n Oil futures hit an all-time high n Tension continues on Turkey’s border with Iraq n and Argentina elects a new president. #2— ARGENTINA 34 degrees, 45 minutes south latitude 65 degrees, 15 minutes west longitude Argentina’s first lady Cristina Fernandez will exchange jobs with her husband, Nestor Kirchner, this December following her election as the next President of Argentina. With nearly 100 percent of the polling places reporting, Fernandez had 45 percent of the vote easily out-distancing her nearest opponent. The First Lady needed 40 percent and a margin of victory of more than 10 percent to avoid a run-off election. Several opposition parties filed complaints of missing ballots in Buenos Aires. Electoral officials denied any irregularities. A lawyer and Senator, Fernandez is often compared to U-S Senator and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Analysts say her strong victory will allow her to address some of the problems of her husband’s administration. Those include high inflation, an energy crisis and a shrinking budget surplus. Polling places (n) The place where votes are cast and registered. #3— TURKEY 39 degrees, 56 minutes north latitude 32 degrees, 52 minutes east longitude Tensions are high along the Turkey-Iraq border as Turkish troops shell mountain passages they say are used by Kurdish rebels escaping to bases in Iraq. Turkey’s military are searching on the ground and in the air for guerillas of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK. Smoke could be seen rising and machinegun and mortar fire could be also heard. Iraq’s foreign minister accused the U-S and Israel of supporting Kurdish rebels. Turkey’s foreign minister backed off similar claims, saying he did not believe the U-S was behind any Iraqi-based rebels. He did say that Turkey would do whatever was necessary to stop rebel attacks. Meanwhile, protestors in Ankara and Istanbul marched to condemn the PKK and to demand action. Turkish officials are frustrated with what they say is U-S and Iraqi failure to stop the Kurdish rebel attacks… attacks that have claimed nearly 50 lives this month alone. guerillas~(n.)~~ A member of an irregular military or paramilitary unit operating in small bands in occupied territory to harass and undermine the enemy. #4— U.S. OIL 25 degrees, 54 minutes north latitude 97 degrees, 30 minutes west longitude Oil prices in the United States rose to a record high last week, rising to over 90 dollars a barrel, amid rising tensions in the Middle East and concerns about supply. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, announced that there are no discussions to boost production by 500,000 barrels a day. It had been rumored that Saudi Arabia was pressuring members to increase production. OPEC did raise production in September but anticipates no additional increases. Meanwhile, the United States announced new sanctions against the Iraq and it’s Revolutionary Guards, accusing them of backing Shiite militants in Iraq. Any confrontation between the United States, the world’s largest consumer of oil and Iraq, the fourth largest producer will affect oil markets. OPEC (n) an organization founded in 1960 of nations that export large amounts of petroleum: formed to establish oil-exporting policies and set prices. POP QUIZ #1 In our story about the wildfires we told you that over how many acres had been burned? Was it… 1. 100,000 acres 2. 300,000 acres 3. 500,000 acres And the correct answer is number three, the wildfires have burned over 500,000 acres of Southern California. OLD CLUE # 1—LOCATION – SIRTE, LIBYA Now its time for the answers to last week’s clues in the news. Find the location of our first clue and you find yourself in Sirte, Libya, the site of UN sponsored peace talks hoping to end the bloodshed in Darfur, Sudan. The talks appear to be in danger of ending without a resolution, partially due to the lack of participation of rebel leaders. U-N and African Union leaders say no steps toward peace would be possible until rebel fighters agree to negotiate with the Sudanese government. U-N and African Union officials say that without a peace deal, the expanded peacekeeping force due to arrive in Darfur later this year is doomed to fail. OLD CLUE # 2— SHUTTLE LAUNCH Fill in the blanks of our next clue and you get Shuttle Launch. The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off on its mission to the International Space Station carrying a module that will increase the amount of living space on the ISS. The module, called Harmony, will allow future crews to capture and connect laboratories built by Japanese and European space agencies… tasks that will make the ISS truly international. On one of five scheduled space walks astronauts discovered metallic shavings in one of the joint assemblies. The joints allow the station’s solar panels to rotate and continuously face the sun. The crew of the ISS will try to discover the cause of the shavings and a way to fix the problem… something that may require additional space walks. OC #3 – VENEZUELA PROTEST Unscramble the letters of our next clue and you get Venezuelan Protest. Thousands of university students took to the streets of Caracas to protest constitutional reforms that would allow Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to run for re-election indefinitely. Police fired tear gas into the crowd after clashes broke out with pro-government demonstrators. The students say the changes suggested are unconstitutional and that they fear civil liberties will be weakened. President Chavez says the constitutional reforms are necessary for Venezuela’s transition to socialism. THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history…October 29, 1998. Senator John Glenn returned to space, nearly four decades after he became the first American to orbit the earth. The 77-year old astronaut became the oldest human ever to travel in space. During the nine-day mission Glenn participated in NASA studies on health problems associated with aging. CHECK IT OUT INTRO Zoos around the world are working to protect and restore endangered animal populations. We traveled to the Buffalo, New York zoo to learn more about one animal in the Species Survival Plan…Check it out. CHECK IT OUT scrub- trees and shrubs that grow low to the ground and to not reach full size sparse vegetation- plants that are few and scattered ambient- present on a sides; all around endangered- in danger of becoming extinct David: The addax is found in Africa, northern Africa. Primarily they inhabit the desert of the Sahara. Addax are one of the smaller sized antelopes that are in Africa. The horns that the addax have a unique in that they spiral, turn, two or three times as they grow. They have a very unique marking on their face. You can tell an addax, they have a bright white X on their face and there's a brown hair patch at the base of the horns. Teej: The addax feeds on desert grasses and scrub. It searches great distances through the Sahara for sparse vegetation. The addax is the most desert-adapted of the antelopes. They spend most of their lives without drinking water, they receive enough moisture to survive from the vegetation they feed on. David: Addax have the ability to raise and lower their body temperature to more match the outside ambient temperature. Teej: Addax are one of the most endangered mammals in the world. Current estimations show there to be less than 500 individuals left in the wild . David: The endangered reason for the Addax is due to uncontrolled hunting. Natives will hunt the animal for their meat and they use the leather from the animal, the skin, to make soles for their shoes. There’s a lot of civil unrest in the region where they're found. That can contribute to their decline in numbers. Addax are officially on the endangered species list . Which is a big step because this inclusion of them on the list will help prevent them from being killed for no reason at all. Teej: Thanks to the conservation program called the Species Survival Plan, and the good people here at the Buffalo Zoo hopefully the Addax can live a long life back in the wild. ISN’T IT COOL Deerlick, Georgia isn’t known for its bright lights! In fact, just the opposite! Developers describe it as a village for geeks. White light is banned so that amateur astronomers can get the best pictures of far-away galaxies. Only red lights are allowed, a color that does not affect the eye the same way as white light. ISSUE Do you feel stressed out? Are you worried about your grades or what college you might attend? If you do feel stress, experts say you are not alone and some educators are working to do something about it. A California group called S.O.S, for Stressed Out Students is working to teach kids about unhealthy stress and how to relax. A Massachusetts principle has instituted mandatory yoga classes for seniors in his high school and instructed his teachers to schedule homework free weekends and holidays. Many say we need to change the “culture” of the American educational system to create a less stressful environment for students. Culture change does not come easily, however. Detractors say these efforts are another example of being “politically correct.” They say its okay for teachers and parents to push their kids… that advanced placement courses are important to ensure students get into the “best” colleges. And some teachers’ say they don’t have enough time to teach their lessons, that weekend homework is necessary. Well, we would like to know what you think? “Is there too much stress in your school?” Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions MAILBAG We received nearly six hundred responses to our issue question, “Should candy be banned at Halloween?” The majority of you 88 percent say no, candy should not be banned. 11 percent think it might be a good idea. Just one percent are undecided. Many of you feel offering a healthier alternative to candy would be a smart thing. Destiny J. of Vesper, Wisconsin writes, “You can give healthy foods like apples, oranges (and) fruits… Candy is like giving out rotten tomatoes, yuck!” Gray C. of Verona, Virginia adds, “Too many kids are overweight from eating too much… candy. The country could use some shaping up.” The majority of you, however, say Halloween is only once a year and that banning candy would take all the fun out of it. Abreaunna R. of Vermillion, South Dakota writes, “The main reason kids do Halloween (is) because they want candy.” Shannon of Seattle, Washington thinks parents need to take charge. Shannon writes, “The fact that so many children (are) obese… is not the responsibility of the makers of candy. When will parents… teach their kids healthy eating habits?” Ethan H. of Brighton, New York adds, “Halloween without candy is like Thanksgiving without turkey or the 4th of July without fireworks.” Finally, Ryan A. of Prairie du Chien, (du Sheen) Wisconsin thinks banning candy is just a silly idea. Ryan writes, “Are you honestly going to tell me if a little kid comes to your house, you are going to give him a carrot? It is cheaper to give candy than it is to buy fruit!” We look forward to your responses to our two latest questions: “Should there be time limits on how much you go on-line?” and “Is there too much stress in your school?” 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 Argentina elections we told you that First Lady and President-elect Cristina Fernandez is being compared to… 1. Hattie Wyatt Caraway 2. Hillary Clinton 3. Nancy Pelosi And the correct answer is number two, Cristina Fernandez is often compared to U-S Senator Hillary Clinton. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 41 degrees, 01 minutes north latitude 28 degrees, 58 minutes east longitude Our second clue is a newsmaker. Who is… Yoweri Museveni And finally, our third clue is a scrambled letter clue… it is two words. First word T R I H U K S Second Word I I O V S T R 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. © 2007 WXXI-TV/ Assignment: The World. All Rights Reserved.