Attention turned to Washington this week over the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Thursday, the chief executive officer of BP faced hours of intense questioning at a House of Representatives hearing. Tony Hayward apologized for the spill. But he said it was too early to say what caused the April twentieth explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. Eleven workers died.
He said BP expects to complete two relief wells in August to stop the leak from a damaged well. But he would not answer questions about the design of the leaking well.
Lawmakers said the company has a record of putting profits ahead of safety.
But Republican Representative Joe Barton of Texas apologized to Tony Hayward. He said he was sorry for what he saw as political pressure by President Obama to force BP to set up a claims fund for victims.
He called it a "tragedy" and a "twenty billion dollar shakedown" of a private company. The congressman later apologized for his apology.
On Wednesday, BP officials came to the White House for what many people expected would be a twenty minute meeting. They came out four hours later after talks with the president and other officials.
BP agreed to put twenty billion dollars over the next three years into an independent fund to pay claims and damages. President Obama said it was not a limit on what the company might have to pay. BP has already spent more than a billion dollars on the clean-up operation.
BP will also suspend dividend payments to shareholders temporarily. About forty percent of BP shareholders are in Britain, but almost as many are in the United States.
And BP has agreed to establish a one hundred million dollar fund to pay unemployed oil rig workers. The money is for those affected by a six-month suspension of deepwater drilling.
President Obama gave his first speech from the Oval Office Tuesday night to discuss the oil spill. He called it "the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced."
Many Gulf residents have criticized the president's performance in the crisis. Many people who work in fishing part of the year also depend on well-paid jobs in offshore energy. The six-month ban on deepwater drilling is meant for safety. But in Louisiana alone, the oil and gas industry produces seventy billion dollars each year.
Members of Congress from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi are appealing to the administration to shorten the six-month moratorium. But some environmental groups say it should be made permanent to end the nation's dependence on oil.
This week, government scientists raised their estimate of the leak to between thirty-five and sixty thousand barrels of oil each day. BP has increased the amount of oil captured. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said Friday that twenty-five thousand barrels were captured in the past twenty-four hours.
Also, BP said it was getting closer to the damaged well. And BP's chairman told Sky News that Tony Hayward will no longer be supervising the daily operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein. This week on our program, we tell about a new White House program to fight childhood obesity.
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STEVE EMBER: Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States. Almost one-third of American children are overweight or obese. Officials say the rate has tripled in teenagers and doubled in younger children since nineteen eighty.
Many American children and teenagers eat unhealthy foods that are high in fat and sugar. They eat many meals at fast-food restaurants. They eat too many snacks between meals. They drink too many sugary drinks. And they do not exercise enough.
In addition, some low-income areas do not have enough supermarkets where people can buy fresh and healthy foods.
BARBARA KLEIN: In February, first lady Michelle Obama launched a campaign to fight childhood obesity. Her campaign is called "Let's Move." It aims to teach children about better nutrition and the importance of exercise.
Mrs. Obama says thirty million American children get the majority of their calories from foods they eat at school. The Obama administration is proposing to spend ten billion dollars over the next ten years to set nutrition rules for schools.
MICHELLE OBAMA: "What we don't want is a situation where parents are taking all the right steps at home, and then their kids undo all that work when they go to school with salty, fatty foods in the school cafeteria."
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STEVE EMBER: Obesity is linked to many diseases, including diabetes. Treatments for these diseases cost the United States almost one hundred fifty billion dollars every year. Doctors say eating right and exercising should begin at a young age so that children will not grow into obese adults.
Judith Palfrey of the American Academy of Pediatrics says overweight children have many health problems.
DR. JUDITH PALFREY: "Every day we see overweight toddlers who struggle to learn to walk or run. Overweight can cause our children respiratory problems. A youngster who develops diabetes in his teens may need a kidney transplant by the time he's thirty."
BARBARA KLEIN: Last spring, Michelle Obama and a group of students planted a vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House. Local students have been planting seeds, harvesting vegetables and learning about health and nutrition.
The organic garden provides food for the first family's meals and to feed hungry people in Washington. But Michelle Obama said the most important goal is to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruits and vegetables. In turn, the children will educate their families and communities.
Mrs. Obama says her idea is not to ban fun foods from a child's life. But she wants to balance hamburgers and French fries with fresh fruits and vegetables.
STEVE EMBER: Another way to fight childhood obesity is to get children to exercise more. American children now spend an average of seven and a half hours a day watching television or playing with electronic devices.
Health experts say children should get an hour of active exercise every day. Michelle Obama urges children to go outside and play.
MICHELLE OBAMA:"So let's move. And I mean literally, let's move!"
BARBARA KLEIN: Last month, Mrs. Obama welcomed almost one hundred local students to the first event in the South Lawn Series. These events will bring together local children, teachers and sports coaches. They will take part in sports, games and activities on the grounds of the White House.
The first event included trainers from Washington's professional football, baseball, basketball and hockey teams. It also included physical education teachers from Washington public schools. They showed ways for children to get sixty minutes of active play every day in their own backyards.
MICHELLE OBAMA: "So you guys are going to be the first example this summer of really encouraging kids to move. But we are going to need you, not just here today, but you're going to have to go home and take some of what you've learned here and teach your families and folks -- the other kids in your schools who haven't had a chance to come, and figure out how you guys can get other people in your lives moving."
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STEVE EMBER: In February, President Obama named the first-ever task force to combat childhood obesity. Last month, the members of the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity presented its action plan.
Michelle Obama said for the first time the nation will have goals and measurable outcomes. She said these will help fight childhood obesity "one child, one family and one community at a time." The action plan involves public and private groups, mayors and governors, parents and teachers, business owners and health care providers.
BARBARA KLEIN: The report presents seventy suggestions. They include: Providing good prenatal care, support for breastfeeding and good child care centers. Empowering parents and caregivers with simpler messages about healthy food choices. Limiting the marketing of unhealthy products to children. Providing healthy food in schools and improving nutrition education. Making it easier for everyone to buy healthier food at lower prices. Getting children to be more physically active in and after school and improving playgrounds in neighborhoods.
STEVE EMBER: Michelle Obama spoke about the action plan when it was released last month.
MICHELLE OBAMA: "It's revolved around four main pillars. We've been working to give parents the information that they need to make healthy decisions for their families. We've been working to make our schools healthier. We've been working to increase the amount of physical activity that our kids are getting, not just during the day at school but also at home. And we're working to eliminate 'food deserts' so that folks have easy and affordable access to the foods they need right in their own neighborhoods."
Mrs. Obama said the plan includes ways to measure progress. For example, the plan sets goals to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables that children eat. It aims to decrease the amount of added sugar from many products that children eat.
BARBARA KLEIN: The first lady said the plan also includes increasing the number of high school students who take part in physical education classes. It aims to increase the percentage of elementary schools that offer outdoor play time. And it aims to increase the number of children who walk or ride their bicycles to school.
Mrs. Obama said her "Let's Move" campaign has already started making progress by getting support from all areas of the country.
MICHELLE OBAMA: "And now, with this report, we have a very solid road map that we need to make these goals real, to solve this problem within a generation. Now we just need to follow through with the plan. We just need everyone to do their part -- and it's going to take everyone. No one gets off the hook on this one -- from governments to schools, corporations to nonprofits, all the way down to families sitting around their dinner table."
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STEVE EMBER: Sam Kass is the White House assistant chef. He helps cook food for the Obamas and their guests at the White House. Last month he announced a new program called "Chefs Move to Schools."
Professional cooks around the country will adopt a local school. The chefs will teach children about food, nutrition and cooking in a fun way. The chefs will work with school food-service workers, administrators and teachers.
Sam Kass said: "After hearing fifth graders cheer for broccoli, I know firsthand that chefs can have a huge impact on kids' health and well-being."
BARBARA KLEIN: Last month, an alliance of sixteen major food manufacturers reacted to Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign. They promised to introduce healthier foods and cut the size and calories of existing products.
The alliance is called the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. It includes Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft Foods and PepsiCo. The sixteen companies make more than twenty percent of the food people eat in the United States.
Mrs. Obama said this is the kind of action that businesses need to take. She said she hopes more companies will follow the example they have set.
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STEVE EMBER: Our program was written by Shelley Gollust. Caty Weaver was our producer. I'm Steve Ember.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein. Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also post comments on our website and on our Facebook page at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.
Monday's raid on ships carrying pro-Palestinian activists brought international criticism of Israel. The ships loaded with aid tried to break a three-year-old Israeli blockade of Gaza. The raid in international waters led to violence on one of the six ships. Nine activists were killed.
But Greta Berlin of the Free Gaza Movement says the efforts will continue.
GRETA BERLIN: "We like to say we are non-violent, direct-action activists. And that simply means that when there is an injustice we will non-violently resist."
But video of Monday's raid shows that activists armed with clubs beat Israeli naval commandos. The military also released photos of a large number of knives that it said were on the ships.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ship Mavi Marmara carried extremists.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: "Israel regrets the loss of life. But we will never apologize for defending ourselves."
Israel has rejected demands by the United Nations for an international investigation -- and an end to the blockade. But officials say the blockade might be eased to permit more civilian goods into Gaza. One and a half million Palestinians live in the narrow strip of land where most people depend on aid.
The blockade followed the violent takeover of Gaza by Hamas in two thousand seven. Israel says the purpose is to keep weapons out of Gaza and to prevent rocket fire into the Jewish state.
President Obama, speaking Thursday on CNN, said he recognized Israel's security concerns. But he called the raid tragic. He also expressed hope that the situation might be a chance to seek progress in the Middle East peace process.
The Cyprus-based Free Gaza Movement and a Turkish aid group known by the letters IHH organized the flotilla.
An American State Department spokesman said IHH representatives have met with top Hamas officials over the past three years. He said that was of "great concern" because the United States considers Hamas a terrorist organization.
Eight Turks and a Turkish-American died in the raid.
A Turkish official said Friday that economic and defense ties with Israel will be reduced. Turkish media say the government may also seek an international criminal case against Israel.
Egypt also enforces the embargo on Gaza. Observers say Egyptian leaders are deeply suspicious of Hamas. But the Turkish government invited a Hamas leader for talks in two thousand six after the party won Gaza elections.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel is close to losing what he called its "best friend" in the area. For almost twenty years, Turkey has built a political and military alliance with Israel.
But lately, observers say, Prime Minister Erdogan appears to be seeking influence with Arabs at the cost of relations with Israel. Some think he might be trying to avoid long-term damage, however. They say he knows having ties with Israel gives Turkey a special voice not only in Jerusalem but also in Washington.
And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake with Robert Berger in Jerusalem and Dorian Jones in Istanbul. I’m Steve Ember.
BP is one of the world's largest energy companies. It reported a profit of about six billion dollars in the first three months of this year. That was more than double compared to a year ago.
Now, BP faces growing political pressure over the worst oil spill in American history. Oil has been flowing from its damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico for almost seven weeks.
But the company formerly called British Petroleum also faces growing financial pressure. Investors fear the long-term costs for cleanup, recovery and fines. BP's market value fell more than sixty billion dollars as its share price fell by as much as a third.
On Thursday BP was finally able to cut a damaged pipe at the well using robotic vehicles. The cut was not exactly as hoped, but it was progress. Crews then turned to placing a cap over the pipe -- not to stop it, but to direct at least some of the oil to ships on the surface. The leak is about one thousand five hundred meters under the sea.
Yet it may not be fully controlled before August. Workers are drilling two relief wells in an effort to ease pressure on the damaged well.
The White House said President Obama is returning to the Gulf on Friday for his third visit since the disaster began. The Deepwater Horizon, an oil and gas drilling rig, exploded on April twentieth.
This week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced criminal as well as civil investigations.
ERIC HOLDER: "The Department of Justice will insure the American people do not foot the bill for this disaster and that our laws will be enforced as much as possible."
By some estimates, the cost of the cleanup could reach thirty-seven billion dollars.
The owner of the rig, Swiss company Transocean, has asked to have its responsibility limited to twenty-seven million dollars. The request is based on a law from eighteen fifty-one. But the Justice Department says that is not enough.
The government could also use violations of other federal laws such as the Clean Water Act to collect money for the spill.
Oil has already reached more than one hundred kilometers of coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. And it threatens the west coast of Florida.
Areas of the Gulf have been closed to fishing. But job losses in the fishing industry are not the only worry. The Atlantic hurricane season officially began Tuesday. Some people worry that officials could take their land if it becomes polluted by oil in a storm.
ONE RESIDENT: "If it gets on land, will they make us leave?” ANOTHER RESIDENT: "If we have a hurricane and the oil washes over the land, they will condemn it. We’ll lose our homes, we’ll lose everything."
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.
A pacemaker is a small device that doctors place in people with an abnormal heartbeat. If a heart beats too slowly, the pacemaker will use electrical signals to help set a normal rate. Some devices include a defibrillator, which gives a shock if the heart beats too fast.
Pacemakers may be permanent or temporary. But one thing is sure. Developing countries need more of them as more people get heart disease.
A big problem, however, is the cost. Buying and implanting a pacemaker costs from five thousand to fifteen thousand dollars.
But doctors at the University of Michigan think they know a way to lower that cost. The idea is to reuse pacemakers.
Heart doctor Timir Baman estimates that more than one million people worldwide need pacemakers each year. He says reusing a pacemaker is an ethical way to provide health care to those who have no other way to get one.
TIMIR BAMAN: "A country such as Bangladesh or India, they average less than eight new implants per million. In the United States, we average seven hundred fifty-two new implants per million."
He got the idea a few years ago. One of his patients asked if someone might be given her pacemaker for reuse after she died.
But are used pacemakers safe? Doctor Baman studied medical reports about the safety of pacemakers that were being reused in small studies.
TIMIR BAMAN: "We found that there's no real difference in device infection or device malfunction when you compare it to new pacemaker implantation."
Funeral directors normally remove pacemakers when preparing bodies for cremation. Pacemakers can explode if they are burned. So Doctor Baman asked funeral directors in Michigan to send the pacemakers to him.
He and other researchers at the University of Michigan Medical Center tested the used pacemakers. They cleaned and disinfected the ones in good working order. Then they sent them to doctors in the Philippines, Vietnam and Ghana.
The doctors successfully implanted the used pacemakers in twelve patients. The findings were recently presented at a conference in Washington of the American Heart Association.
Now, Timir Baman has asked the United States Food and Drug Administration for approval to do a larger test. He says -- speaking by Skype from his office in Ann Arbor, Michigan -- that he is hopeful the program will work.
TIMIR BAMAN: "If we show that this is safe, other academic centers in the United States as well as in Europe can then form their own pacemaker reutilization programs and really help out countries in Africa, really help out countries in Asia, who really have no other access to these type of devices."
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, with reporting by Philip Graitcer. You can find and comment on our reports at voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook or Twitter at VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember.
In the American state of Massachusetts, some teenagers who break the law are sentenced -- to Shakespeare.
ACTOR: "A kingdom for a stage ... "
Twelve young actors rehearse the opening of "Henry the Fifth." They started meeting three and a half weeks ago. They have less than two weeks to go before they must perform the play for the Shakespeare in the Courts program.
Fifteen-year-old Tim was not a fan of William Shakespeare. He is here for a violent crime -- assault and battery.
TIM: "You know, the judge sentenced me here, so my first thoughts were kinda, you know, uh, this is kinda, Shakespeare's not my thing. You know, plays, kinda, you know, I'd rather not. But it's a lot easier than picking up trash, you know, and doing that, so, you know, I gave it a try."
And he discovered there is a lot to like about the English writer who died in sixteen sixteen.
KEVIN COLEMAN: "So everyone has a sword?"
TIM: "Assault and battery and you hand me a sword in Shakespeare? I didn't think that was going to happen, not at all. I'm glad they trust us, though."
The young actors return the trust and respect that director Kevin Coleman shows them. They clearly enjoy working with him -- and with Shakespeare.
KEVIN COLEMAN: "If you present it to them in a way that engages their imagination, that engages their playfulness, that engages their willingness, they come alive."
Kevin Coleman is education director for Shakespeare and Company, a theater group in Lenox, Massachusetts. Many years ago, the principal of the local high school came to him to develop a theater program for the school.
That principal, Paul Perachi, later became a juvenile court judge for Berkshire County. He wanted to copy the program, to help the teens in court develop self-esteem and communication skills and better control their anger.
More than two hundred kids have been sentenced to Shakespeare. The program is ten years old. And it has received a lot of recognition, including an award in two thousand six from the White House.
Paul Perachi left the court last year at seventy, the age when judges in Massachusetts must retire. But Shakespeare in the Courts is still going strong under the direction of Kevin Coleman.
KEVIN COLEMAN: "We're not there to fix them. So will they get into trouble after they've done this program? Sure, because they're adolescents. Will they get into as much trouble? No."
Fifteen-year-old Tim already sees a change in himself. He says he has more patience to get through long scenes.
Paul Perachi says all the hard work is clear in the final performance.
PAUL PERACHI: "You got family members, parents, siblings, grandparents, friends. A lot of these kids invite their teachers, of all people, to come in. And their lawyers. And the relatives and the teachers and all are proud of these kids. So everybody's got big smiles and flowers for the kids and little gifts."
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report. You can watch a video of this report by Susan Logue at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.
The eighteen eighties were years of important change in American business and industry.
Twenty years after the Civil War, the Unitedbl States had become one of the leading industrial nations of the world. As the number of factories increased, so did competition between businesses.
Some industrialists cooperated with their competitors to reduce competition. But this did not always succeed. There was no legal way to enforce their agreements.
This week in our series, Leo Scully and Jack Weitzel tell how these issues were handled during the administration of President Benjamin Harrison.
LEO SCULLY: In eighteen seventy-nine, a new form of business organization was developed -- the trust. In a trust, stock owners of many competing companies give control of their stock to a committee, or group, of trustees.
The trustees operate all the companies as one and pay profits to the stockholders. The profits would be high, because there would be no competition to drive down prices.
One of the first trusts was formed by John D. Rockefeller in the oil industry. The stockholders of seventy-seven oil companies gave control of their stock to nine trustees of Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. The nine men controlled ninety per cent of the nation's oil production.
JACK WEITZEL: The success of the Standard Oil Company led to the creation of trusts in other industries. Soon there was a sugar trust, a salt trust, a steel trust, even a whisky trust.
These huge corporations represented hundreds of millions of dollars. This great wealth made them very powerful.
Former President [Grover] Cleveland, himself a friend of business, warned of a growing danger. "Corporations," he said, "should be carefully-controlled creatures of the law and servants of the people. Instead, they are fast becoming the people's masters."
LEO SCULLY: The public began to demand government controls of the trusts. Farmers claimed that prices were too high, and they blamed the trusts. Workers said their unions could not negotiate with the new industrial giants. Small businessmen charged that trusts were too powerful. They said the trusts could destroy them.
Public demands for action led the governments of fifteen states to pass anti-trust laws. But the state laws could do nothing. Most of the trusts were nationwide corporations which did business in many states.
Public protest was so great that both parties in the eighteen eighty-eight elections promised to pass a federal law against trusts.
JACK WEITZEL: A number of such bills were proposed. One offered by Senator John Sherman, a Republican, was approved by Congress. President Benjamin Harrison signed it into law in eighteen ninety.
The Sherman Anti-trust Law sounded severe. It said it was illegal for a trust or any other organization to interfere with interstate commerce -- trade among the states. It was also illegal for any person or organization to form a monopoly -- to get control of a whole industry. The law ordered harsh punishment for any person found guilty of these crimes.
It sounded like a strong law. But it was not. It was written in a very general way that left the courts to decide what the law really said. Opponents of the Sherman Anti-Trust Bill said its purpose was not to destroy trusts, but to make the public believe that trusts would be destroyed.
LEO SCULLY: During President Harrison's administration, only eight corporations were accused of violating the new anti-trust law. Of the eight, only one was found guilty, and only in a very limited way.
The first company charged was the Whisky Trust. A court dismissed the case. It said the government failed to prove that the trust had interfered with interstate commerce.
A few years later, the government asked the courts to break up the huge sugar trust which controlled ninety-eight percent of the sugar-producing industry.
The Supreme Court refused to do so. It said that it was true the trust had formed a monopoly in the sugar-producing industry. But it said the monopoly was in manufacturing -- not in trade or interstate commerce. Therefore, said the high court, the sugar trust was legal and did not violate the anti-trust law.
JACK WEITZEL: Industrial trusts helped to reduce competition among American companies. High tariffs also gave some protection from competition with foreign companies. But business leaders were not satisfied. They demanded even higher taxes on imports to further reduce competition.
So, Republican Congressman William McKinley of Ohio proposed a new tariff bill -- one that would raise import taxes higher than ever before. The tax already was about thirty-eight percent on most imported products. The new measure would raise it to almost fifty percent.
LEO SCULLY: Not everyone in the Harrison administration supported the high tariff measure. Secretary of State [James] Blaine wanted to increase trade between the United States and other countries. He warned that new, high tariffs would destroy those plans.
Blaine also opposed the bill because he felt it would hurt the Republican Party politically. In a letter to Congressman McKinley, Blaine said the bill would anger the farmers by adding as much as eight percent to the price of shoes for their children.
"Such movements as this for protection," said Blaine, "will move the Republican Party only into speedy defeat."
JACK WEITZEL: Most western and southern congressmen opposed the tariff bill, because it would mean higher prices to the people of their states. But the bill could not pass without the support of some of them. So, supporters of the tariff bill offered a deal.
If westerners voted for the tariff measure, then eastern lawmakers would support a silver purchase bill that the westerners wanted.
The bill, known as the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, would have the government buy four-and-one-half-million ounces of silver each month. The government would pay for the silver with paper money -- treasury notes -- which could be exchanged for gold or silver money.
LEO SCULLY: Western mines were producing huge amounts of silver. By selling it to the government, the mining interests hoped to keep the price of silver from falling. Western interests spoke in Congress now with a much stronger voice. In eighteen eighty-nine and eighteen ninety, six western territories became states. This added twelve more western representatives in the Senate and others in the House.
The deal was agreed to. Both the McKinley Tariff Bill and the Sherman Silver Purchase Bill were approved by Congress and signed by President Harrison. As expected, the price of imported goods rose. And the people blamed the Republicans.
JACK WEITZEL: In the congressional elections of eighteen ninety, the Republican Party suffered heavy losses.
The Republican majority in the Senate was cut to eight. And not all the Republican senators would support the party on every issue. The Republicans lost control in the House of Representatives. Only eighty-eight were elected to House seats. Democrats elected two hundred thirty-five Representatives.
Voters also elected nine House members and two Senators from a new political organization -- the People's Party. The new party was born in farming areas of the West and South. It was a party of protest, formed by men who refused to support either of the two old parties.
LEO SCULLY: Years before, farmers had united in agricultural organizations they called granges. A national grange had been formed.
During hard times, the grange organized political action groups to help elect officials who were friendly to farmers. But as farm conditions improved, the Granges began to disappear.
A few years later, farmers began to build new organizations. Like the granges, they began as social and economic groups.
By the late eighteen eighties, many of these groups had united into two large organizations. One, with more than one million members, was the Southern Alliance. The other, with fewer members, was the National Farmers' Alliance. Members of the two groups began to unite for political action.
That will be our story on the next program of THE MAKING OF A NATION.
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FAITH LAPIDUS: Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. The narrators were Leo Scully and Jack Weitzel. You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and images at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- an American history series in VOA Special English.
