The IF Project(4351)

06 December, 2010

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Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Ryan Geertsma.

Voice 2

And I'm Robin Basselin. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Around the world, there are almost 9,000,000 people living in prison. Every country in the world has prisoners. However, one country has a big problem with prisons. It has almost 23% of all the world's prisoners. It also has the world's highest prison population rate. This country is the United States of America.

Voice 2

Experts have many reasons to explain why the rate is so high. They also have many different ideas about how they can decrease it. Some people want to fix the United States' prison system by changing laws or making prison terms shorter. These ideas are very important. However, one female police officer named Kim Bogucki has another very different idea. She thinks that the prisoners have the solution. And Kim is asking prisoners one question that she thinks can change everything.

Voice 4

"If someone could have said or done something that would have changed your path to prison, what would it have been?"

Voice 2

Today's Spotlight is on the "If Project."

Voice 1

Kim Bogucki has been a police officer in Seattle, Washington for over 20 years. Her job is to work with the community to decrease crime. In 2008, Kim started working with a child mentoring program called Beyond Bars. This program's goal was to help young girls whose parents were in prison. The program helped by providing adult mentors for the girls. Mentors are adults who spend time with and support younger people. Mentors are also role models - they provide a positive example and influence for the children.

Voice 2

Kim wanted the Beyond Bars mentoring program to be successful. She understood that these girls were at great risk. In fact, in the United States, children of prisoners have a 70% chance of becoming prisoners themselves. So, Kim decided to learn more about how to support children of prisoners. However, Kim did not ask experts or read books about this subject. Instead, she decided to ask current prisoners the IF question.

Voice 1

So, Kim visited the Washington Correction Center for Women in 2008. She asked the prisoners "If someone could have said or done something that would have changed your path to prison, what would it have been?" Kim thought the women would talk and discuss their answers together. However, the prisoners did not answer the question at all. So, Kim finished talking to the prisoners and returned home.

Voice 2

Months later, in May of 2009, Kim returned to the prison for another visit. When she arrived, she was surprised by a prisoner named Renata Abramson. Renata gave her many pieces of paper. You see, Renata had been thinking a lot about the IF question. She had also encouraged many other prisoners to think about how they would answer the question. On each piece of paper that Renata gave Kim, a prisoner had written her answer to the IF question.

Voice 1

Kim was shocked by the number of women that answered the question. And since that time, over 240 prisoners have written their answers to the question. Today, the IF question has turned into the IF Project. The project has a website. On the website, people can read many of the prisoners' IF question answers. The IF Project has also created a short film. The film shows eight female prisoners. The prisoners tell about their lives and read their answers to the IF question. The purpose of this film is to help educate adult mentors and at risk children. The women's stories show mentors how to better help children. The stories can also help the children learn from the mistakes of the prisoners.

Voice 2

Filomena is one of the women in the film. She is a 40 year old prisoner in the Washington Correction Center for Women. She has been in prison for 15 years and will stay in prison for the rest of her life. Filomena grew up in a wealthy area. She attended a very good school. However, she always felt different than the other children in her school. Filomena was the only Asian American in her school. She was also an only child of older parents. She never had many friends or even a brother or sister to talk to. After many years of trying to make friends at school, Filomena became friends with local, criminal gang members. Filomena felt accepted by these gang members. However, they involved her in illegal drugs and crime. And her involvement in crime led her to prison. Filomena knows that she made terrible mistakes and did very wrong things. She accepts her responsibility for her crime. However, she also recognizes that one thing could have helped her. In her answer to the IF question, Filomena wrote,

Voice 3

"I needed a friend and someone to trust. I needed communication and someone to believe in me so that I could believe in myself. If I had this, I believe I would not be in prison for life."

Voice 1

Filomena believes that just one good friend could have made a major difference in her life. She now recognizes that joining a gang was not the answer to her loneliness. She wrote,

Voice 3

"I do not know if this will help anyone ever. But if there is someone that reads this and feels like I did, I hope you find that person in your life - before you end up like me."

Voice 2

Every prisoner's answer to the IF question is different. Each woman has a different life story. They each come from different places, different families and different cultures. However, Kim Bogucki says that there is a common issue in many of the prisoners' answers. Kim told the Real Change News organization,

Voice 4

"The common issue is the lack of a positive role model in their life - the lack of a person that would just listen."

Voice 1

All countries deal with the issue of crime. And all countries want to decrease crime. But what can individual people do to help? Could asking the IF question really prevent crime?

Voice 2

Kim Bogucki believes that knowing why people get in trouble is powerful. Mentors can use this information to make a positive difference in the lives of at risk children. In July of 2010, Kim was given a community service award. When she spoke with the organization that gave her the award, Kim said,

Voice 4

"I believe role models and mentors are one of the most important things in anyone's life, especially for children... In my work I see a great difference in children who have a mentor or strong role model in their life. They have self respect and they desire to do good things."

Voice 1

The writer of this program was Robin Basselin. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find this program and others on our website at http://www.Radio.English.net. This program is called "The IF Project." We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!

World’s Fairs: Bringing Cultures Together(4352)

06 December, 2010

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Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Adam Navis.

Voice 2

And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

In 2010, 70 million people will gather in Shanghai, China. It will not be to watch the World Cup of football. It will not be to watch the Olympic Games. It will not be a gathering of world leaders. Instead, all these people will travel to Shanghai to see the World's Fair.

Voice 2

Today's Spotlight is on the World's Fair. The World's Fair is a gathering of many countries. It collects the best of each country all in one place. It pulls together building design, technology, and culture. Then, people come to see the exhibitions, or shows. In this way, they get a small experience of many countries and cultures all in one place. It is like travelling around the world without leaving your local area!

Voice 1

Today, it is easy to learn about the world. You can, well, you can listen to more Spotlight programs! Radio, television, and the Internet make information easier to get than ever before. But things have not always been this way. Yet, people have always wanted to learn about other parts of the world.

Voice 2

In the year 1851, there was no easy way for people to communicate over large distances. There was no e-mail. There was no Internet, television, telephone, or radio. Information moved slowly from place to place.

Voice 1

The best place to learn anything was at the local market, or fair. People would come from far away to meet at the market. People gathered in the market to buy and sell food, clothes, and other products. They also shared ideas and stories. So, in the year 1851, Prince Albert of England proposed a different kind of market. It would gather the whole world together. That year, he held the first official "World's Fair."

Voice 2

Countries came to London, England and set up exhibitions, a place to show art, design, or culture. England built a new building just for the event. It was made of steel and glass. They called it the Crystal Palace. Many exhibits were new machines. But there were also clothes and art. It was THE social event to attend. Over six million people visited the first Fair.

Voice 1

Soon, other countries wanted to welcome the best designers and thinkers to their countries. They wanted to show the world what they could do. Most European countries have held Fairs. France has held several. But the Fair has gone all around the world. It has gone to Australia, Peru, Japan, and Chile. Large countries like the United States and Russia have held fairs. But smaller countries like Ireland, Haiti and Belgium have also held Fairs.

Voice 2

However, soon World's Fairs began to be difficult to organize and control. So, in 1928 an organization was established to manage the World's Fairs. It was called the Bureau International des Exposition or BIE. The BIE is now responsible for managing where and when the World's Fairs are held.

Voice 1

Many cities have been improved by holding a Fair. Often, famous buildings remain after the Fair is finished, like the Eiffel tower in Paris and the Space Needle in Seattle. Cities such as Lisbon, Chicago, and Vancouver have made the buildings from their World's Fairs into offices or theatres or public places. In fact, many supporters of World's Fairs see them as a chance to give a city some new life.

Voice 2

Also, much new technology was shown for the first time at a World's Fair. These technologies include the telephone, television, the sewing machine, computer technology, and atomic energy. At the 1970 World's Fair there were even rocks from the moon!

Voice 1

Erik Larson wrote a book about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. He writes about the new Ferris Wheel:

Voice 3

"George W. Ferris invented the wheel just for the Fair. It was an answer to France's Eiffel Tower. The wheel required amazing engineering. It was supported by two 140-foot steel towers and connected by a 45-foot centre bar. It was the largest single piece of steel ever made. The wheel was 250 feet across. It had 36 cars that held six riders each. The Ferris wheel carried 1,450,000 people during the fair."

Voice 2

As time went on, the aim of holding a World's Fair became less about showing the latest technology or design. It became more about solving global problems. Each Fair now examines a different problem. When a new BIE president was elected in 2008 he thought water was an important subject. He said:

Voice 4

"World's Fairs are educational and fun events. They show great creativity and imagination. These global problems are very important, especially clean water. They create a duty in the countries of the world. They need to share, at the fair, their best experiences in solving the problems people of this planet face."

Voice 1

Other problems that Fairs examined have included city planning, caring for the oceans, and how people live in their homes. The 2010 World's Fair will examine how to make life better for people who live in cities.

Voice 2

Today, some people believe that the World's Fairs are no longer necessary. From 1900 to 1908 there were 25 World's Fairs. From 2000 to 2008 there were only five World's Fairs. Today, information can move more quickly around the world. It costs a lot of money to hold a World's Fair. And there are many smaller gatherings for people in different areas such as medicine, design, sports, or food.

Voice 1

However, some people argue that the World's Fairs still have value. These people believe that television and the Internet are important, but nothing can replace people meeting face to face. Urso Chappell collects information about different World's Fairs. He says:

Voice 5

"The World's Fairs are related to both the Olympics and the United Nations in many ways. But World's Fairs are special because anyone can experience them, not just athletes or politicians. Anyone can enter the World's Fair and feel a part of something new. They can feel a part of the world community. They can feel the possible good that humans could do in the world."

Voice 2

The writer and producer of this program was Adam Navis. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can hear our programs, read our scripts, and see our word list on our website at http://www.Radio.English.net. This program is called "World's Fairs: Bringing Cultures Together."

Voice 1

If you have a comment or question for Spotlight you can email us. Our email address is Radio @ English . net. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Thank you for listening. Goodbye!

Amazon Walk(4353)

06 December, 2010

Ed Stafford walks the Amazon (2008)

Photo Credit: Keith Ducatel

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Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Marina Santee.

Voice 2

And I'm Nick Page. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Two men walk to the edge of the sea. They drop their heavy loads on the sand. They forget how hot and tired they are and run into the sea. They play in the water.

These tired men are happy because one of them has just become the first person to walk from the start of the Amazon River to the ocean. His name is Ed Stafford. The other man's name is Cho Sanchez. Cho has been with Ed for the final two years of the walk. He helped Ed to find a way through the dense forests of three South American countries: Peru, Columbia and Brazil.

In today's programme we will hear about their long walk and some of the things Ed Stafford learned on the way.

Voice 2

The Amazon is about 6500 kilometres long. That is the same as the distance from New York to Rome! Ed's walk started in April 2008 at the beginning of the river - high in the mountains of Peru. It ended two and a half years later in August 2010 in Brazil where the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

Along the way Ed Stafford faced cold snow and high mountain paths. But most of the walk was through hot, wet forests.  For many months floodwater covered the forest paths. Ed and Cho were always wet.

Voice 1

They faced many dangers from wild animals. Snakes were a big danger. One day Ed killed a snake that was ready to bite him. When he and Cho were walking in deep water they often saw electric eels. These eels look like water snakes, but they are really a kind of fish. They can deliver a powerful electric shock.

The men were also attacked by many different kinds of insects.  One day they were attacked by a swarm of wasps - a cloud of flying insects that sting. One wasp sting is painful - but Ed says:

Voice 3

"Each of us received more than thirty stings... We had to lie face down with our hands over our mouths and necks to stop stings that could prevent us from breathing."

Voice 2

But the big danger for Ed and Cho came from people. Most of the people they met on their long walk were friendly. They gave Ed and Cho food and shelter. But some people were afraid of Ed because he has a white skin. They had not seen a white person before. They had heard stories that white people would eat their babies or steal their heads and other parts of their bodies.

Voice 1

In other villages, people were afraid that oil companies were coming to destroy their homes. They believed Ed worked for an oil company.

In one place, local people captured Ed. They were carrying bows and arrows and guns. And they looked angry. They released him only after he spoke to them gently, and made them believe he was not a danger to them.

In another village, the people threw dirty water over Ed and into his mouth. Throwing dirty water is a way these people show they do not approve of somebody. Ed had to leave the village quickly. He understood the people's fear. He says:

Voice 3

"They only wanted to protect their land and the way they live.... When they know there is no danger they are very kind."

Voice 2

On his walk Ed saw that many trees had been cut down. This made him very sad.

Every country needs wood for building and industry. But too many trees are being destroyed, and this is changing the climate of the world. When humans burn fuel they produce carbon dioxide gas, and this gas causes climate change. But trees help remove harmful carbon dioxide gas from the air .

People in the villages told Ed how the big changes in climate had affected their lives.

In Peru, Ed met a man called Raul. Raul was once a fisherman. He told Ed:

Voice 4

"The weather is much hotter now. My skin burns in the sun, even though I am Peruvian... We do not know how the water levels will be. Some years there is more rain. Other years there is very little rain. There are not so many fish now."

Voice 1

Raul can no longer support his family by catching fish. He bought a piece of land that has many good trees. He hopes a company will cut down the trees and pay him for the wood. Then he can pay for education for his daughters. He will raise cows on the land where there were once trees.

Voice 2

Ed says that when Raul lets a company cut down his trees he will be adding to the problem of killing the forest.

Raul does not agree. He thinks cutting down many trees will not destroy the forest. He says that it will be more beautiful!

Voice 1

In another part of Peru, Ed heard that the opposite had happened.

A woman called Ancia told Ed that the weather is now colder. She says:

Voice 5

"The rains come more often. When they come, it is very cold. It never used to be so cold. Because the farm areas are flooded the whole time it is much more difficult to grow some crops. We now have to fish more to earn money."

Voice 2

So, in one area a man now has a farm because he cannot catch fish. And in another place a woman has to catch fish because she cannot grow food. The effects of climate change are not the same everywhere - but globally, our climate is warming. Raul and Ancia do not know what is causing this change. They think it is natural. They do not know that many thousands of trees are destroyed every day. They only know that things have changed.

Voice 1

Ed also saw the problem that some oil and mining companies bring to the forests. The modern world needs oil and minerals. But to get these resources the land is damaged or destroyed, rivers are polluted and fish die.

Ed talked to many men who work in the forests for the oil and tree cutting companies. They were friendly, and Ed understood why the work was needed. But he is worried that there is not enough control from governments to protect the forests.

Voice 2

Ed Stafford did something no one else has achieved. He walked the Amazon! Now he wants to tell people all around the world about the dangers we face from destroying the forests of Peru and Brazil. He said:

Voice 3

"My aim is to encourage other people and to make them feel that they have a connection to the Amazon, its wonders and its problems. I also hope to help people to believe they can achieve their dreams."

Voice 1

The writer of today's programme was Alan Harris. The producer was Nick Mangeolles. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight.

This programme and many more are on our website - http://www.radio.english.net. This programme is called 'Amazon Walk'.

Thank you for listening to Spotlight today. Goodbye.

Comments

tinyjju said on December 07, 2010

en Ways to Fight Hate: Teach Tolerance

06 December, 2010

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Voice 1

Thank you for joining us for today's Spotlight program. I'm Marina Santee.

Voice 2

And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

In 2002, a group of scientists from the University of Ulster did a study of school children in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has a history of hate and violence between the members of the Catholic and Protestant religions. The scientists chose Catholic and Protestant school children from around Northern Ireland. They asked these children questions.

Voice 2

These scientists learned that very young children already had opinions about people who were different from them. These opinions are called biases. They learned that by the age of three, Catholic children from the north had formed bad opinions about the police. Also by the age of three, some Protestant children said that they liked the British flag more than the Irish flag. The scientists learned that by the age of six, children already identified with a particular community. And 15% of these children even made hateful comments about people who were different from them.

Voice 1

This study in Ireland shows that every person can be affected by hateful thoughts or feelings. Even very small children can have harmful opinions and biases. Young children can learn to judge people who are different to them. But should people accept this? Where do these children get these ideas? And more importantly, how can people stop these harmful biases in children?

Voice 2

Today's Spotlight program is the ninth in a series of ten programs. In this series of programs we have been looking at ten ways to fight hate in your community.

Voice 1

Hate is powerful enough to destroy people and communities. So Tolerance.org has made this list of ten ways to fight hate in your community. On today's Spotlight program we will look at the ninth way to fight hate in your community: Teach Tolerance.

Voice 2

Tolerance means accepting people for who they are. It means accepting and respecting different opinions and beliefs. Tolerance.org believes that children need to learn tolerance. And they need to learn it when they are very young. It is a terrible thing to teach a child to hate. And studies like the one in Ireland show that children can learn to hate at a very young age.

Voice 1

Tolerance.org says that one very important place to teach tolerance to children is school. School is a place where many different children come together in one place. In school, children talk, laugh and learn with other children. And children want to learn more about people who are different to them.

Voice 2

There are many ways to encourage children to celebrate differences in school. Tolerance.org describes how one teacher in the United States uses art to teach tolerance to her students. She asks her children to paint pictures of their faces. They mix different color paints together to make their skin color. Then they name the colors they made. Children learn that everyone has a different and beautiful skin color.

Voice 1

Another way to teach tolerance is to have children tell stories about their families. By doing this, children learn about each other's culture and traditions. They learn to value the different kinds of families that people come from.

Voice 2

Teachers can also teach tolerance by asking children to imagine what the world would be like if there was no hate. You may have heard of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a famous black preacher. He fought for the rights of black people in the United States in the 1950s and 60s. He gave a famous speech called "I Have a Dream." In that speech he talked about his dream for the future. Here is an example from his speech.

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!"

He dreamed that one day white and black children would play together and hold hands peacefully. Many teachers ask their children to write their own "I Have a Dream" speech. They ask children to imagine a better and more tolerant world. Then children write about their hopes for the future.

Voice 1

Older children and young adults can learn more about tolerance by studying popular media sources like films and television. They can look at how the media presents different races, religions and ethnic groups. They can decide if they agree with the films and television programs. Some films and television programs use stereotypes. That is, they present groups of people as being all the same. People can see the dangers of presenting a group of people using stereotypes.

Voice 2

These are just a few ways that Tolerance.org talks about teaching tolerance to children in school. But school is not the only place for children to learn tolerance. The most important place for a child to learn tolerance is from adults, like parents and members of their community. Every adult is a teacher to children. Children copy the actions and words of adults in the community. You can teach a child tolerance by being a good example for her to follow. Show tolerance for the people you work with or meet in your community. If you are a tolerant adult, your children will be more tolerant too!

Voice 1

Tolerance is important for people of all ages to learn. You can examine your own thoughts and opinions. Are you tolerant of people who are different to you? Are there people in your community that you avoid, ignore, or try to forget? These things can be just as harmful as treating someone badly. We can all work to be more tolerant people. And we can teach tolerance to everyone we know. You can encourage other adults to be tolerant too. Parents can teach tolerance to their children. Teaching tolerance today can help stop hate tomorrow.

Voice 2

This is the ninth program in our series of ten programs on ten ways to fight hate. This list is from Tolerance.org. Here are Tolerance.org's ten ways to fight hate:

Act, Unite, Support the Victims, Do Your Homework, Create an Alternative, Speak Up, Lobby Leaders, Look Long Range, Teach Tolerance, and Dig Deeper.

Voice 1

Keep listening to Spotlight to hear the complete series. And be sure to visit Tolerance.org on the internet!

Voice 2

The writers of this program were Sara DeKoster and Liz Waid. The producer was Liz Waid. The voices you ehard were from the United States and the United Kingdom.  Computer users can hear more Spotlight programs on our website at http://www.Radio.English.net. This program is called "Ten Ways to Fight Hate: Teach Tolerance."

Voice 1

If you have a comment or question about this program you can email us. Our email address is Radio @ English . net. You can also find us on Facebook. Just search for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!