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	• NEWS >> ATW Week of October 25, 2007 Yearly Script Program Index -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN/WELCOME Hi and welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of October 25, 2007… I’m Teej Jenkins. Our top story this week, thousands flee wildfires in southern California. TOP STORY- UNITED STATES 34 degrees, 02 minutes north latitude 118 degrees, 41 minutes west longitude Santa Ana winds are driving nearly a dozen wildfires across southern California destroying homes and burning thousands of acres of brush. At least ten fires are burning nearly 35,000 acres stretching from Santa Barbara to San Diego as hot weather and hurricane-strength winds mark the traditional wildfire season. Firefighters began the past weekend on high alert but by Sunday had to admit they were overwhelmed. A blaze that started in Malibu Canyon quickly charred some 1200 acres, destroying a church and several houses. Some 1500 people fled the fires. Another blaze near San Diego burned about 22 square miles of brush just north of the Mexican border. And yet another fire in northeast Los Angeles County burned about 10,000 acres, destroying several buildings. Late Sunday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven Southern California counties. Thousand of homes remain at risk as the hot, desert winds continue to fan the fires. wildfires (n) A raging, rapidly spreading fire. ATW Fact Eileen Collins was the first female commander of the space shuttle. She and her crew launched aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in July 1999. Retired Air Force Col. Pamela Melroy will command the Discovery mission this week. Melroy, a veteran shuttle pilot, is the second woman to command a shuttle. Source: NASA INTRO REST OF THE NEWS In the rest of the news this week… Russian cosmonauts return to earth Poland chooses a new government and troops continue to gather at Turkey’s borders. #2— TURKEY 39 degrees, 56 minutes north latitude 32 degrees, 52 minutes east longitude As Turkish troops continue to gather on Turkey’s Iraqi border protestors called for tough action against Kurdish rebels. A cross border attack by rebels killed 12 soldiers in an ambush over the weekend, pushing Turkey closer to possible action against Kurdish militants hiding in Iraq. A convoy of some 50 vehicles with soldiers was observed moving closer to the border. It is unclear if they are reinforcements for troops engaged in battle with rebels on Turkish soil or preparations for a possible cross-border action. Tens of thousands of Turkish troops are already in the area. Turkey’s parliament voted to authorize a cross-border attack in an effort to find Kurdish rebels. In Istanbul, about two thousand protestors called for government intervention following the ambush. Kurdish rebels have been fighting for a Kurdish nation for decades. In Iraq’s city of Kirkuk, an equal number of protestors marched waving Kurdish flags and banners calling for peace and dialogue with Turkey. While protestors say they prefer a peaceful resolution, they stand ready to defend their nation. The U-S opposes any action taken by Turkey that may destabilize the most stable part of Iraq. ambush (n) an act or instance of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position. #3— POLAND 52 degrees, 15 minutes north 21 degrees, 00 minutes east Poland went to the polls in record numbers to elect a new government this week. A pro-business party, Civic Platform, is claiming victory with nearly 42 percent of the vote and 227 seats in Poland’s lower house. That is not enough for a majority but close enough to join with a smaller party to form a government. Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Platform party, ousted Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s government as voters chose to align themselves more closely with The European Union. Tusk campaigned promising tougher negotiations with the United States on the placement of missile interceptors in Poland. He also said that, if elected, he would work to bring Polish soldiers home from Iraq. majority~(n.)~~ A number of voters or votes, jurors, or others in agreement, constituting more than half of the total number. #4— KAZAKHSTAN 50 degrees, 13 minutes north 66 degrees, 50 minutes east The International Space Station said goodbye to its latest guests this week when a Russian Soyuz spacecraft left its docking port, returning two Russian Cosmonauts and Malaysia’s first space traveler to Earth. Their return marked the end of a six-month mission to the ISS. NASA footage showed the Soyuz craft undocking from the space station, creeping along the curve of the Earth and making its descent. The craft took about three hours to travel from the space station down to earth, landing about 50 miles north of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was the first Malaysian ever to travel into space. Soyuz (n) one of a series of Soviet spacecraft still used to ferry crews to Soviet space stations. POP QUIZ #1 In our story about the wildfires in southern California, we told you they are being fueled by hot, desert winds called… 1. Santa Ana winds 2. Santa Maria winds 3. Santa Ava winds And the correct answer is number one, hot, desert winds known as Santa Ana winds are fueling wildfires. OLD CLUE # 1—LOCATION – TEHRAN, IRAN 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 Tehran, Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Iran last week for meetings with Iranian leaders. Putin came with a proposal to solve the international standoff over Iran’s nuclear power program. The U-S and its allies believe Iran is working to develop nuclear weapons whle Iran says they are only interested in the production of electricity. Iranian officials said they would consider Putin’s proposal but remain serious about their uranium enrichment program. OLD CLUE # 2— JUDICIARY HEARINGS Fill in the blanks of our next clue and you get Judiciary Hearings. Michael Mukasey, the Attorney General Designate, began confirmation hearings last week by stating that the US President does not have the authority to use torture techniques on terrorist suspects. Many Senators consider that stance as a key to his confirmation. Mukasey says he would have no problem resigning if the president ignored his legal or ethical reservations about administration policies. OC #3 – SIRLEAF Find the role of our newsmaker and you discover that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the President of Liberia. Ms. Sirleaf is Africa’s first elected female head of state. The two leaders met in the Oval Office to discuss issues of bilateral relations between the United States and Liberia. President Bush praised Sirleaf for her efforts to enhance democracy and improve the lives of her citizens. President Bush also announced the return of Peace Corps to Liberia to train Liberian educators. Sirleaf thanked the United States for its support. THIS WEEK IN WORLD HISTORY This week in world history… October 26, 1825 The Erie Canal opens, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The effect of the canal was immediate and dramatic. Settlers poured west and goods were transported at one-tenth the previous cost in less than half the time. CHECK IT OUT INTRO When you go to the supermarket you may notice a difference in your produce departments? More and more grocers are offering “organic” foods. What does it mean when the sign says organic? We traveled to an farm in upstate New York to find out just what organic farming is all about. Check it out! CHECK IT OUT (Elizabeth) I think human beings have done a lot of harm to the environment. We've used many too many poisons so that at least half of the water when tested has pesticides in it if not multiple pesticides, and that effects peoples long range health. We need to try to understand the natural things that are going on around us and work together with nature. (Narrator) That’s why the folks at Peacework Organic Farm in Newark, NY practice organic farming meaning they work with the natural environment to grow their crops, using no manmade chemicals. (Ammie) Organic farming is I think about the only way to farm. You know people have been farming for ten thousands years and only about the last 50 with chemical poisons, which I don't think belong in our food supply. So growing organically is a good way to get healthy nourishing food. (Elizabeth) An organic farm is a farm that puts its main focus on building healthy soils. We want the soil to be full of life because if you have a healthy soil, the plants that grow in that soil will be healthy and the people and the animals that eat those plants will be healthy. In the marketplace when they advertise organic they'll say no pesticides, no herbicides, no artificial fertilizer and that’s true, but that’s not we're thinking about. What we're thinking about is what we have to do to keep the soil healthy, and that’s why we don't use synthetic poisons on the farm at all. Because we want healthy soil and healthy plants. (Ammie) So by farming this way we are not depleting the soil and we're producing a healthier crop and healthier people from it. You can tell by the taste, if you can’t tell by anything else, just taste the organic produce against conventionally grown. ISN’T IT COOL More than 50 Peruvian bakers took their shot at the Guinness Book of Records recently when they mixed thousands of pounds of flour, butter, sugar and fruit to build a giant “Turron”, a popular Peruvian dessert. The result… a pastry weighing over three tons and stretching over 120 yards in length. ISSUE Studies show that more and more kids are on-line than ever before. Parents think having a computer is an important educational tool. They like seeing their kids on-line doing research for school projects and using the Internet for homework. But while there are certainly benefits to being online there is a downside as well. Inactivity in kids is rising… obesity rates have doubled over the past 30-years, and while television has always been given as a reason for kid’s inactivity you can add video games, computers and Internet activities as well. New research shows that American kids spend more time online than kids in other countries. And while more are going on-line very few report having any limitations or curfews. Very few parents set time limits on their kids’ use of their computers. Well, we would like to know what you think? “Should there be time limits on how much you go on-line?” Discuss this issue with your classmates after the show and then write to us with your opinions MAILBAG We received over four hundred responses to our issue question, “Would you support security cameras in your school?” The majority of you, 54 percent say yes, security cameras are a good idea. 40 percent say no, they are not. 6 percent are undecided. Many of you would not welcome security cameras into your schools. Tucker W. of Ticonderoga, New York writes, “I personally think that it is an invasion of privacy.” Julia M. of Loudonville, New York thinks it would be too expensive. Julia writes, “It would cost a lot of money to purchase all the cameras needed to watch different areas of the school.” And Nathan N. of Pentwater, Michigan adds, “They don’t always catch everything that is happening. Cameras can’t tell if you are joking.” The majority of you, however, feel the security that cameras would provide make them worthwhile. Craig L. of Fairfield, Virginia writes, “Cameras could help prove someone’s innocence. (They) could show what really happened.” Jacob P. of Kewanee, Wisconsin adds, “(They) could help cut down on bullying.” Adrianna T. of Spearfish, South Dakota thinks they would provide a good learning environment. Adrianna writes, “Knowing that you are safe can help you pay attention in class.” Finally, Hannah S. of Oelwein, Iowa writes, “They help with making sure kids behave. They keep people safe.” We look forward to your responses to our two latest questions: “Should candy be banned at Halloween?” and “Should there be time limits on how much you go on-line?” 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 fact about the latest space shuttle mission we told that Colonel Pamela Melroy will be the…. 1. First woman commander 2. Third woman commander 3. Second woman commander And the correct answer is number three, Colonel Melroy will be the second woman to command a shuttle mission. Eileen Collins was the first in 1999. NEW CLUES And now it’s time for next week’s clues in the news… Our first clue a location… 31 degrees, 11 minutes north latitude 16 degrees, 36 minutes east longitude Our second clue is a fill-in-the-blank…it is two words First Word S blank U blank T blank E Second word L blank U blank blank H And finally, our third clue is a scrambled letter clue… it is two words. First word V N Z E A N L U E E Second Word R T S T E O P 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.