PRI's The World » 06/25/2009 http://www.theworld.org Global Perspectives for an American Audience Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:20:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Global Perspectives for an American Audience PRI's The World no Global Perspectives for an American Audience PRI's The World » 06/25/2009 http://www.theworld.org/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://www.theworld.org Entire program – June 25, 2009 http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/entire-program-june-25-2009/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/entire-program-june-25-2009/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:45:54 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2261 Today on The World: Why many Americans are joining up to fight in Afghanistan — it’s the economy; Why Italy’s teflon Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may not escape his latest controversy; and how Germany’s aggressive campaign to cut carbon emissions is proving good for the economy.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/entire-program-june-25-2009/feed/ 0 06/25/2009 Today on The World: Why many Americans are joining up to fight in Afghanistan -- it's the economy; Why Italy's teflon Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may not escape his latest controversy; and how Germany's aggressive campaign to cut carbon emissions ... Today on The World: Why many Americans are joining up to fight in Afghanistan -- it's the economy; Why Italy's teflon Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may not escape his latest controversy; and how Germany's aggressive campaign to cut carbon emissions is proving good for the economy. Listen PRI's The World no http://64.71.145.108/pod/show/062509full.mp3 0 audio/mpeg Reducing civilian deaths in Afghanistan http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/reducing-civilian-deaths-in-afghanistan-345/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/reducing-civilian-deaths-in-afghanistan-345/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:44:55 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2259 Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with The World’s Aaron Schachter about expected new guidelines for US troops in Afghanistan. They’re aimed at reducing the number of Afghan civilians’ casualties.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/reducing-civilian-deaths-in-afghanistan-345/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,Aaron Schachter,Afghan civilian deaths,Afghanistan,civilian casualties,Lisa Mullins,new guidelines,US military Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with The World's Aaron Schachter about expected new guidelines for US troops in Afghanistan. They're aimed at reducing the number of Afghan civilians’ casualties. Listen Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with The World's Aaron Schachter about expected new guidelines for US troops in Afghanistan. They're aimed at reducing the number of Afghan civilians’ casualties. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: I'm Lisa Mullins and this is the World. The new US military commander in Afghanistan plans to issue fresh guidelines for his troops this week. General Stanely McChrystal is expected to rein in the ability of soldiers and marines to call in air support. He told the New York Times that in order to reduce civilian casualties, troops may occasionally have to step away from a firefight and let enemies escape. McChrystal says the military needs to undergo a cultural shift to win in Afghanistan. STANELY MCCHRYSTAL: The cultural shift is to go from what we were raised as, in many cases toward conventional war and toward kinetic options, to remembering that we are really here to win the population. And sometimes an indirect or a softer approach is operationally more effective than you might be with something more traditional. LISA MULLINS: That's the new US military commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal. The World's Aaron Schachter is just back from being embed with newly-arrived US Marines that were in southwest Afghanistan. Aaron, it was only last week that you were reporting already on a new kinder, gentler military. So I wonder how much of a shift General McChrystal's new guidelines you're gonna represent? AARON SCHACHTER: Well it's not much of a shift for the troops on the ground. It is certainly a shift from what we saw in Iraq. For starters, officers are taking a tougher stance on what was called Search and Cordon. And that was basically in Iraq where troops went from house to house kicking in doors looking for bad guys. These days troops have to ask for permission to enter a house. There's also a much greater sensitivity toward women in Afghanistan. One of the officers there told me that basically women are off limits. The Afghan culture, he said, is even more strict than Arab culture about the treatment of women. And in my experience, even in relatively modern families, women will completely cover themselves and will not greet male guests. LISA MULLINS: But I wonder if in some cases, if they're being told, right now for instance, not to call any air strikes if civilians are in the area. As much as that is laudable, if there are any marines feel as though they are putting the mission of winning hearts and minds of Afghans ahead of protecting their fellow troops? AARON SCHACHTER: Well, absolutely. I mean, part of that feeling is with IED's, Improvised Explosive Devices. The marines now are basically driving up and down roads waiting to get blown up. And what the regular marines tell me is they want to go from house to house and figure out who's making these things. They appreciate the need, they would say, for the indirect softer approach, as McChrystal put it, but it's very exasperating for them because they feel they were trained to fight. They weren't trained to be, as one troop put it, sitting ducks. LISA MULLINS: They don't wanna be sitting ducks. Do they feel like they're also being forced to act as diplomats versus marines or troops? AARON SCHACHTER: [LAUGHS] That is a very good question and of course it depends who you ask. The officers are very happy being diplomats. The regular marines are not so happy about the role they're being asked to play. And as McChrystal himself says, it's something that just needs to be repeated over and over and over again until it becomes second nature.http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625091.mp3 1665042 audio/mpeg Bad economy spurs re-enlistment http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/bad-economy-spurs-re-enlistment-400/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/bad-economy-spurs-re-enlistment-400/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:43:56 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2257 The World’s Aaron Schachter reports that many Marines and soldiers in Afghanistan say that the poor economy back home led them to sign up for military duty.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/bad-economy-spurs-re-enlistment-400/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,Aaron Schachter,Afghanistan,duty,enlistment,Global Economy Podcast,Marines,recruitment,soldiers,US military The World's Aaron Schachter reports that many Marines and soldiers in Afghanistan say that the poor economy back home led them to sign up for military duty. Listen The World's Aaron Schachter reports that many Marines and soldiers in Afghanistan say that the poor economy back home led them to sign up for military duty. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: Well as process is underway with these new guidelines, you've also spoken with new recruits among the marines there in southwestern Afghanistan. In some cases, some who have re-enlisted with the military. I wonder if you can tell us why you found this is happening right now? You found a report on this, tell us what you discovered. AARON SCHACHTER: Yeah, it may seem strange that at the time when fighting is intensifying, more and more people want to be marines and soldiers. Uh, but the fact is that when the economy goes down, marine and military enlistment goes up because the military is a steady job. For instance, Lisa, there's a 28 year old marine lance corporal Patrick Sawyer. He was in a Michigan unemployment office not too long ago, and he got a pretty strange call from his brother. PATRICK SAWYER: He said, dude, join the corps. It's great, you get to see all kinds of places, get to meet all kinds of people, and it's just great, you know? AARON SCHACHTER: Two years ago Sawyer probably would have dismissed his brother’s pitch to join the Marine Corps. But as a newlywed with a baby on the way, he just didn't see many options. PATRICK SAWYER: You look into the eyes of this woman you love and you're sitting there going, how do I support you? How do I do anything for the betterment of my family, for the betterment of my child? And then something like a Marine Corps recruiter comes along and he said, "Hey, I've got a job if you want it." I wasn't going to say no. I'll be honest with you, I would have done anything at that point. I love being a firefighter paramedic, but there were just no jobs to be had. AARON SCHACHTER: Now Sawyer is based at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan's Helmand province. It's not the most dangerous assignment, but it isn't exactly pleasant living. It's a whole lot diceyer for Gerald McCanon. When I met him he was manning the machine gun on top of a (...?). The Taliban had hit the vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade a few days earlier. This isn't McCanon's first tour, he spent some time as a marine serving in Iraq. GERALD MCCANON: When I got out, I'd just gotten married kinda young. Didn't think I would wanna do the military anymore. AARON SCHACHTER: A few months ago, McCanon was recalled to the military by an act of congress, but he'd already put in his papers to re-enlist. GERALD MCCANON: My dad, he's been cut down to about four days a week, and he used to work a lot more than that. So, you know, just kind of makes you worry which direction things are going. But if you're in the military, you always got a job. That way I got security for my family. AARON SCHACHTER: McCanon has decided to do another 15 years in marines, so he can retire with government benefits. He hopes to spend as much of his time as possible deployed where he will make more money. But when you look at the base pay for a new recruit, roughly equivalent to a teacher's starting salary, it seems like a whole lot of risk for not much reward. BETH ASH: The reality is that the military's actually extremely lucrative, relative to civilian's outside opportunity. AARON SCHACHTER: Beth Ash is a senior economist at Rand Corporation. She specializes in defenseman power issues. She says it's not just the salary that makes the military a great job, there are lots of premiums not available in the civilian world. BETH ASH: If you look at the distribution of civilian pay, military lands at around the 70th to 75th percentile. And actually, in some cases up to the 90th percentile. Now, those individuals are getting (...?) duty pay, family separation pay, [INDISTINCTIVE] and all those are tax-free. AARON SCHACHTER: Ash says RAND studies consistently show that enlistment and re-enlistment is dependant upon the economy. When there's a dramatic increase in unemployment, there's also a dramatic increase in people signing up for the service. Congress has also recently passed a slue of measures to make the military more appealing, including what's called the 9/11 GI Bill. It allows military folks who spent 10 years in uniform to transfer benefits, schooling and retirement to a spouse or children. Reservist Staff Sergeant Todd Bowers works as a lobbyist for Iraq war veterans. He says the current interest in joining the military isn't just good for recruiters, the economic down turn gives the military a far more talented pool to draw from. TODD BOWERS: It's hitting everybody, which is the interesting part. It’s not necessarily something based on the amount of income that they have. We've seen a tremendous amount of lawyers losing jobs. We've seen corporate executives. You know, who knows what type of people this is gonna draw into the military. AARON SCHACHTER: But in the natural scheme of things, what goes up, must come down. RAND Corporation analyst Beth Ash warns the military not to get too comfortable with its new lawyer and corporate executive troops. When the economy picks up again, they may head off for greener and less dangerous pastures. For The World, I'm Aaron Schachter.http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625092.mp3 2260424 audio/mpeg508835966 Tales from the front http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/tales-from-the-front-500/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/tales-from-the-front-500/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:42:57 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2255 Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Air Force Critical Care Nurse Capt. Christine Collins. Collins serves at a US military hospital at Bagram air base in Afghanistan. Collins talks about caring for a severely burned Afghan girl named Razia, who was just released from the hospital after four months.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/tales-from-the-front-500/feed/ 1 06/25/2009,Afghanistan,Bagram,Christine Collins,critical care,Lisa Mullins,military hospital,nurse,Razia,severe burns,US Air Force,US military Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Air Force Critical Care Nurse Capt. Christine Collins. Collins serves at a US military hospital at Bagram air base in Afghanistan. Collins talks about caring for a severely burned Afghan girl named Razia, Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Air Force Critical Care Nurse Capt. Christine Collins. Collins serves at a US military hospital at Bagram air base in Afghanistan. Collins talks about caring for a severely burned Afghan girl named Razia, who was just released from the hospital after four months. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: Meanwhile, thousands of skilled US military personnel continue to serve in Afghanistan, some of them serving in military hospitals. About four months ago, an eight-year-old Afghan girl was brought to the military hospital at Bagram air base, her name is Razia. She had been badly burned by white phosphorus, which is used to create smoke screens. It's not clear who's responsible for Razia's burns, there's evidence that the Taliban and coalition forces have used the chemical. Razia underwent 15 operations, yesterday she went home. That's a huge relief to Razia's primary nurse, Captain Christine Collins. CHRISTINE COLLINS: When she first initially came here, a lot of us, the critical care team, as well as our trauma team, took one look at her and we weren't even sure she was actually alive or not. And her face was charred and burned, very disfigured. Upper body she was about 40 percent, a little over 40 percent total surface body burns. So when I first saw her, she actually was wrapped up like a mummy. LISA MULLINS: When you were assigned to her case, does that mean that you were part of her 15 surgeries in all? Were you there for the surgeries? CHRISTINE COLLINS: Oh yeah, I was there for the very first beginning of her surgeries. She was considered a one to one, meaning one patient to one nurse because when you took care of her during your 12 or 13 hours, you really didn't leave her bedside because there was so much that was required of you to care of her. LISA MULLINS: Is there any doubt that Razia was the victim of white phosphorous attack? CHRISTINE COLLINS: First and foremost, I'm a registered nurse, a critical care, and that's my specialty. So I really wouldn't be able to comment on whether it was a white phosphorous or how that played into her injuries. What I do know is that she was severely burned, the 40 percent. And what we did as far as taking care of her, saving her life, trying to restore her life into some kind of normalcy. LISA MULLINS: Can you take us through that process? I mean, you said that she was burned over 40 percent of her body, that's the upper half of her body. When she came in, when you first saw her, she was wrapped up so tightly she was, it was like a mummy. Well what was the process of taking her from these burns to the point where she was released just yesterday? CHRISTINE COLLINS: Well, with this particular type of burn she received, it stays imbedded within the skin, and it has to be cut out or it continuously burns until it's cut out. So, she was graphed all over her body to where there were no more graph sites that they were able to take from. The donor sites that we had taken from, from her leg, her back, on her buttocks, her thighs, those we were hoping would be successful donor sites as far as taking to her face and to the other areas at which were burned. Well, she did very well. At one point there were just no more sites to be taken from, so then we started using (ellagrapht?) which were cadaver skin. LISA MULLINS: Captain Collins, I understand that you're a mother, is that correct? CHRISTINE COLLINS: Yes, that's correct. LISA MULLINS: How many kids? CHRISTINE COLLINS: I have three daughters. LISA MULLINS: My guess is that you've spent a lot of nights taking care of your own children, but as a critical (TALKS OVER) care nurse in Afghanistan now, and you're caring for another daughter in a very different way, I wonder if you can tell us what that was like for you? CHRISTINE COLLINS: I was able to love her like I love my three daughters, and take care of her. Because every time that I held her, or sang to her, I would think of my own children at the same time. LISA MULLINS: Did she respond? I mean, at what point could you tell that she was getting better, at least in terms of her own response? CHRISTINE COLLINS: I noticed that she had not been out of that room since her admission, so I talked to a couple of the medical technicians, and a couple of the other nurses, and I said, "Hey, lets try and get out of bed. Will you help me take her outside to see a different set of scenery outside the nurses station?" And that is where I rocked her for the first time, and I can see her smiling for the first time. At that point, after that, she was a totally different child. So, we started setting little goals, every day I had a different goal for her. The first day was just to stand up, just to stand up at the side of her bed and that just completely wiped her out. And the next day I said, "Okay Razia, we're gonna walk today." And of course we have interpreters that help us, and her father was extremely involved in her care. And I said, okay, we're gonna take three steps. And I remember at first she was crying and she said, "I can't do it. I can't do this." And I said, "No, you can, you can do this." It was just, it was just amazing to be a part of something that's so life changing like this, to see her come almost dead, and to see to her walk out with a smile on her face, knowing that she's gonna go home and see her mom. And to see her walk for the first time, to see her smile for the first time, to see her laugh for the first time. These are all things that I will remember for the rest of my life. LISA MULLINS: Captain Christine Collins, US Air force Nurse, critical care nurse at the US Military Hospital at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan. She's been caring for the eight year old Afghanistan girl named Razia. For about the past three months Razia was released from the hospital just yesterday. Thank you again, captain. CHRISTINE COLLINS: Thank you very much Lisa.http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625093.mp3 2514544 audio/mpeg216568474 Scandal for Italy’s prime minister http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/scandal-for-italy%e2%80%99s-prime-minister-430/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/scandal-for-italy%e2%80%99s-prime-minister-430/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:41:58 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2253 Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Times of London reporter Sarah Vine about the latest scandal enveloping Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/scandal-for-italy%e2%80%99s-prime-minister-430/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,Italy,Lisa Mullins,Sarah Vine,scandal,Silvio Berlusconi,The Times Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Times of London reporter Sarah Vine about the latest scandal enveloping Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Listen Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Times of London reporter Sarah Vine about the latest scandal enveloping Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: I'm Lisa Mullins and this is The World. Italy's Silvio Berlusconi has been called the Teflon prime minister. Scandals and controversies, one after the other, never seem to stick. Well, it's no secret that Berlusconi has a fondness for women, especially for younger women, but now he's accused of paying some of them to attend parties at his residences. And a high-end prostitute is claiming to have proof that she spent the night at his house in Rome, something that the Prime Minster is denying. Columnist Sarah Vine has been writing about the Berlusconi scandal for the Times of London newspaper. Is the Teflon finally cracking around the Prime Minister of Italy? SARAH VINE: I think it's going to have to. I mean, I think the Italian's are pretty sort of indulgent over this kind of thing. But I think even they will be feeling now that it's all gone a bit too far. LISA MULLINS: Well that's what we're hearing in fact. The BBC captured some of the dismay among average Italians regarding the Prime Minster's pre-occupation with sex. Lets hear what they have to say. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a question of public ethic morality, a question of public security, and the question of honesty. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE2: I think for our country, and his for his dignity, he must resign. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a shame. The things that are happening now here in Italy are a shame for us as Italians. LISA MULLINS: Sarah Vine, they're saying that they're ashamed, and this is an issue of public morality. It wasn't that long ago that the Prime Minister, who has been elected three times now, was somebody who was considered endearing by Italians. What's changed? SARAH VINE: [TALKS OVER] Well, I mean, I think the thing is Berlesconi has never been a completely straightforward character in Italy. The worst thing about this whole talk is that everybody now thinks Italy is a kind of joke country, run by kind of a joke Prime Minister. He spends his whole time, you know, having parties and getting up singing songs, it's absurd. But in fact most Italians are actually very serious people. It's a very serious country, they're very hard working, you know, they're intelligent, and they're politically aware. It's incredibly cultural, I mean, it has a huge intellectual life. And to the average Italian being represented abroad by such a buffoon is just awful, I mean, it's just heart breaking. I mean, I grew up in Italy, so, and I speak fluent Italian, and I went to school in Italy, and my parents live there, so I do know what I'm talking about. It's just such a shame that such an amazing country has kind of wound up with this guy who is just inadequate. [LAUGHS] Well, one could make many jokes about his inadequacies, but you know what I mean. LISA MULLINS: You have made many jokes about is inadequacies, in fact. [BOTH LAUGH] Fess up. SARAH VINE: Well, I mean, the guy's what, 72? 73? I mean, you don't have to be triadic all your life, you know? It's perfectly possible to have other outside interests. But it seems, looking at Berlusconi, it's almost as though politics and being Prime Minister of Italy is in fact his outside interest. And his main concern is looking kind of like he's some kind of an amazing love god, and it's absurd. LISA MULLINS: But you also make the point, as others have, that this has been for many decades an accepted status for men. SARAH VINE: Yes. I mean, Italy is a very matriarchal society. So it's one of those places where women sort of do most of the work. I think the only people in Europe who do not [INDISTINCTIVE] are Latvian men. So there you go. [BOTH LAUGH] And Italy does idolize the male, you know, boy children are treated differently to girl children. I mean, there is definitely a sense that the male in Italy is indulged. And I think the thing about Berlusconi, [LAUGHS] if you extrapolate that principal, you end up with someone like Berlusconi, who's so badly behaved, no one has ever smacked him on the wrist and said, "Look, you can't do this kind of thing. This is not acceptable." LISA MULLINS: One of the points you make is to say that this has an economic premise as well. That Italy has lost its upper middle since the 1960's, and that they would never have allowed someone like Berlusconi, as brash as he is, to get elected. SARAH VINE: Yeah. Well, I mean, I think that they would've had the influence and the power to put a spoke in his wheels, put it that way. He wouldn't have had quite the free one that he's had. But the other thing that is worth pointing out is that he also appeals to the remnants of the far right in Italy, and that remnant is much larger than people tend to think it is. LISA MULLINS: Sarah Vine has written about the Berlusconi scandal for the Times of London. Thanks very much Sarah. SARAH VINE: It's a pleasure.http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625094.mp3 2204627 audio/mpeg217568980 Kenya cuts down on officials’ luxuries http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/kenya-cuts-down-on-officials-luxuries-100/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/kenya-cuts-down-on-officials-luxuries-100/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:40:59 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2250 Anchor Lisa Mullins tells us how Kenyan politicians are taking the news that they must trade in their luxury cars for fuel-efficient cars.

Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/kenya-cuts-down-on-officials-luxuries-100/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,Africa,automobiles,Environment,fuel-efficient,Kenya,Lisa Mullins,luxury cars Anchor Lisa Mullins tells us how Kenyan politicians are taking the news that they must trade in their luxury cars for fuel-efficient cars. - Listen Anchor Lisa Mullins tells us how Kenyan politicians are taking the news that they must trade in their luxury cars for fuel-efficient cars. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: Well, all countries have their political scandals. In Kenya, politicians have been ordered to give up their government-subsidized luxury cars. They've been told to limit themselves to one fuel-efficient vehicle. Kenya's finance minister says those who don't comply will have their cars taken away and sold to raise funds for people displaced by the violence after last year's election. Today's the deadline to comply with the one-car rule, so far it doesn't look like many have traded in their Mercedes for Priuses. The BBC did a spot-check today and found the fuel-guzzlers are still parked at officials' compounds. Kenyans have been skeptical about whether their politicians would actually give up their flashy cars. A similar proposal was made last year, but it was never enforced.http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625095.mp3 417433 audio/mpeg389067783 Soccer news http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/soccer-news-300/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/soccer-news-300/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:39:01 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2247 The World’s Gerry Hadden reports on how Spaniards are dealing with their loss to the United States in yesterday’s Confederation Cup soccer match.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/soccer-news-300/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,Confederation Cup,football,Gerry Hadden,soccer,Spain,US men's soccer The World's Gerry Hadden reports on how Spaniards are dealing with their loss to the United States in yesterday's Confederation Cup soccer match. Listen The World's Gerry Hadden reports on how Spaniards are dealing with their loss to the United States in yesterday's Confederation Cup soccer match. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: Okay, so it was just a warm-up for next year's World Cup, but soccer's Confederation Cup in South Africa produced an incredible result in a semi-final game yesterday. The top-ranked nation on the planet, Spain, lost two to nothing to the United States. The New York Times called the US victory a Miracle on Grass. Well they're not calling it that in Spain, especially because in losing, Spain blew the chance to set a world record 36 consecutive undefeated games. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona. GERRY HADDEN: Yesterday's match against the Americans was supposed to be a shoeing, and Spain was supremely confident. [SPANISH SOUND CLIP] GERRY HADDEN: A spot that ran on Spanish TV just before the match said, "We can't lose to a country that disdains the sport by calling it soccer. A country where more people watch pool." And then, the unimaginable happened. [SPANISH SOUND CLIP] GERRY HADDEN: In the 24th minute, the US scored. It was 1-0 for the Americans, but such was Spain's confidence that most fans still weren't worried, says Xavi Calvete, a resident of Barcelona who watched the game on his giant screen TV. [SPANISH SOUND CLIP] GERRY HADDEN: He says, my initial reaction was, we're gonna come back, it was just a momentary slip up. Then the Americans found the net again, this time with just 16 minutes left to play. Suddenly the mood changed. [SPANISH SOUND CLIP] GERRY HADDEN: I nearly turned the set off, says Calvete, I lost all hope. [SPANISH SOUND CLIP] GERRY HADDEN: After that second goal, one commentator said simply, "My God. Spain has just blown it." Later, Spain's humiliated coach, Vicente del Bosque, came out of the locker room to face the press. [SPANISH SOUND CLIP] GERRY HADDEN: It was an accident, he said. Today the Spanish press blamed the hometown boys. One paper said, for the first time in a decade Spain didn't know what to do with the ball, humiliating medicine said another. And there was praise for the U.S. team, Calvete says it’s legitimate. [SPANISH SOUND CLIP] GERRY HADDEN: He says, "After the second goal we tried to counter attack and the Americans shut us out. They played great defense." So Spain lost its shot at the world record for consecutive games without a loss. And the U.S. advances to the final, everyone's surprise. Here in Spain, and across Europe, there's still broad consensus that the US team is young and inconsistent. And despite yesterday's win, it may be a long time before these players become household names here, even though many play for clubs in Europe. When asked if he knows the name of any player on the US squad, four-year-old Martin Calvete responds. [SPANISH SOUND CLIP] [LAUGHS] GERRY HADDEN: Xabi is Xabi Hernandez, he's not American at all. He's perhaps Spain's best midfielders, but against the Americans yesterday, Hernandez gave a lackluster performance. Afterwards, he said, the U.S. defense was simply an insurmountable wall. For The World I'm Gerry Hadden in Barcelona.http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625096.mp3 1683850 audio/mpeg Update from Tehran http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/update-from-tehran-500/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/update-from-tehran-500/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:38:02 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2245 Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen in Tehran about the latest developments in post-election Iran.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/update-from-tehran-500/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,BBC,Iran,Iran election,Jeremy Bowen,Lisa Mullins Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with the BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Tehran about the latest developments in post-election Iran. Listen Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with the BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Tehran about the latest developments in post-election Iran. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: I'm Lisa Mullins and this is The World, a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI, and WGBH in Boston. Iran's opposition leader is not backing down. Mir Hossein Mousavi says that he will continue to fight the results of Iran's recent presidential vote, which he lost. And he called the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinijad, a big fraud. President Ahmadinejad had some harsh words of his own today, but his were directed at Barack Obama. [SOUND CLIP] LISA MULLINS: Iran's leader said President Obama was rude to criticize Iran's crack down on Iranian protestors, and he said Obama should stop interfering in Iranian affairs. The BBC's Jeremy Bowen is in Tehran. What do you make of Ahmadinejad singling out Barack Obama, and the comments he recently made, criticizing Iran's government? JEREMY BOWEN: I think it was pretty inevitable that the strong comments that President Obama made the other day, would get a response from the Iranians. And so, I think as well, president Ahmadinejad and the Iranians who are not stupid people, knew as well that President Obama doesn't want to sound like George Bush. So what does Mr. Ahmadinejad say? You're sounding like George Bush. And he also referred to the prospect of negotiations, which the Iranians are not ruling out. But he said, if you wanna talk to us, and you use that turn, really, we don't have anything to talk about. LISA MULLINS: The other major development of the day was a statement by Mir Hossein Mousavi, who says, this is the defeated opposition leader who says he will continue to fight the results of Iran's vote, the vote that he lost. He is taking this defiant tone, how is that going over in Iran? JEREMY BOWEN: Well, I think among his supporters there'd be a lot of encouragement. And among his opponents, there'll be people say, "Look, he's as bad as we said he was." He's been under a huge amount of pressure in the official media. They've been saying that he's a foreign agent. They've been saying that has been whipping up the trouble on the streets, and is responsible for bloodshed. Hundreds of people have been arrested, possibly even more than a thousand. So, a lot of pressure on the opposition. And what Mr. Mousavi is saying to his people is, "Keep doing what you're doing." And he was very strong too about the election. He said the election was fraudulent, and the fraudsters, as he called them, were responsible for bloodshed. And by that, he was clearly implying the authorities up to, and including the supreme [INDISTINCTIVE]. So for an Iranian, those were very defined words indeed. LISA MULLINS: So those who have been protesting on his behalf then, are they venturing back out into the streets with his encouragement? JEREMY BOWEN: Not that I'm aware of, no. Because of the reporting restrictions that I'm under, I cannot go around the streets looking for demonstrations, and try to talk to people on them and report on them, otherwise I might face expulsion myself. But just by judging what we do know, demonstrations are difficult things for people to take part in. And the argument being made by the opposition, is that under the constitution, peaceful protest is allowed. But at the same time, the government is saying, basically all public opposition meetings are illegal. So there's a conflict there, built in. LISA MULLINS: And I just wonder how much these conflicting views are exhibiting themselves right now? We know that there was apparently only about a third of Iran's members of parliament who showed up at a party to celebrate Mahmoud Ahmadinijad's election victory. I don't know if you find that surprising or not, but I wonder how split the government is? How split the Iranian people still seem to be? JEREMY BOWEN: I think everybody's split right down the middle, including the top (...?) of power here. President Ahmadinijad has a lot of enemies here, but he also has a lot of very strong allies. And plus, he's got the (Pasige Militia?), and he's also got the revolutionary guard. I hesitated a bit there because it's local time now, the hour when people come up to the roofs to protest by shouting "Allah Akbar, my god is great and death to the dictator." And I'm just hearing it start now. My neighbors, where I'm sitting here in Tehran, have started their nightly refrain, protesting very loudly the voices of women and children, as well as men, and this will go on now for at least half an hour. And it's one expression that they have, of the way that they feel, when it's too dangerous in their view, to go out on the streets. LISA MULLINS: These obviously are supporters of the opposition, not of the current president. Jeremy, just for a few seconds, I wonder if you can just let us listen. It's quite in the distance but let us hear it for a sec. JEREMY BOWEN: Wait a minute. [WOMAN YELLS OUTSIDE JEREMY’S WINDOW] LISA MULLINS: Is someone like that in danger of even speaking from the roof? JEREMY BOWEN: No, they don't seem to try to stop people doing that. It's not like the police come around and knock on the door. And when it's at its peak, and it takes a few minutes to really get going, you can hear voices coming from all over. And in this part of Tehran, as well, it's quite a Mousavi stronghold. So they feel like they're among friends. LISA MULLINS: That was the BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Tehran.http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625097.mp3 2605659 audio/mpeg Twitter confusion in Iran http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/twitter-confusion-in-iran-300/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/twitter-confusion-in-iran-300/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:37:02 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2243 Reporter Cyrus Farivar tries to sort out fact from fiction in the flurry of online communication coming out of Iran.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/twitter-confusion-in-iran-300/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,Cyrus Farivar,Iran,online communication,social media,Twitter Reporter Cyrus Farivar tries to sort out fact from fiction in the flurry of online communication coming out of Iran. Listen Reporter Cyrus Farivar tries to sort out fact from fiction in the flurry of online communication coming out of Iran. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: Many people trying to follow the developments in Iran have relied on blogs and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. But with so much information pouring out online, it can be tough to tell what is and what isn't authentic. Cyrus Farivar reports. CYRUS FARIVAR: There have been a lot of frantic messages on Twitter, in both English and Persian, trying to get a handle on what's going on in Iran. Some claim to be from Iran, but that's almost impossible to verify. With all the traffic, it can be difficult to distinguish real messages from fake ones. KEVIN TOOMER: I think we had a honeymoon period where Twitter was largely used by well-intentioned, honest people to communicate. Unfortunately, recently, I believe there's been a trend to misuse that communication capability as well for spread misinformation and disinformation. CYRUS FARIVAR: That's Kevin Toomer, a Canadian security consultant. He says there's a phenomenon of dubious Twitter users, trying to cause confusion. He says some may even be trying to lure Iranian activists to give up personal information. He thinks in some cases it's easy to figure out who's a fake. KEVIN TOOMER: They either broadcast the same message over and over again, or they use fake re-tweets, you know, essentially they're claiming that, for example, that I said something and they pretend to re-tweet what I allegedly said. And they try to use reputable people, and put disinformation in their mouths. CYRUS FARIVAR: But it's not always that easy to spot. Abbas Milani is a professor of Iranian studies at Stanford University. He says there have been many examples of the Iranian government, or intelligence services, using online propaganda as a way to confuse the public. ABBAS MILANI: We know that they constantly send out misinformation about meeting places. Jamming, essentially, the people by providing six different meeting places, so people can't decide where in fact meet. CYRUS FARIVAR: So, what's the best way for average Internet users to figure out what's real and what's not? Omid Memarian says, use common sense and be skeptical. Memarian is an Iranian journalist and blogger, living in California. He recommends asking questions and looking for established sources. OMID MEMARIAN: There are many bloggers and journalists that have used Twitter and Facebook over the last 10 days as a kind of medium to send the message out in a very beautiful way, because they do have their own standard, they respect that kind of journalistic standard, and that's why you can rely on those comments and also Tweets. CYRUS FARIVAR: Using Twitter and other new media as primary sources may be a little sketchy, but with much of the foreign media barred from Iran, it may be the best anyone can do for the time being. For The World, I'm Cyrus Farivar.http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625098.mp3 1413848 audio/mpeg Geo Quiz http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/geo-quiz-100-24/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/geo-quiz-100-24/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:36:03 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2241 The World’s daily geography puzzler.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/geo-quiz-100-24/feed/ 3 06/25/2009,Geo Quiz,geography,geography puzzler The World's daily geography puzzler. Listen The World's daily geography puzzler. Listen PRI's The World no http://64.71.145.108/audio/0625099.mp3 572496 audio/mpeg216568443 Solar Panels good business in Germany http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/environment-good-business-in-germany-630/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/environment-good-business-in-germany-630/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:35:05 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2239 Germany’s commitment to cutting greenhouse gases is also paying benefits in economic development. Correspondent Kathleen Schalch reports from eastern Germany, where solar panels are big business.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/environment-good-business-in-germany-630/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,Business,carbon emissions,climate change,Economic Development,Environment,Germany,global economy,Global Economy Podcast,greenhouse gases,Kathleen Schalch,solar energy Germany's commitment to cutting greenhouse gases is also paying benefits in economic development. Correspondent Kathleen Schalch reports from eastern Germany, where solar panels are big business. Listen Germany's commitment to cutting greenhouse gases is also paying benefits in economic development. Correspondent Kathleen Schalch reports from eastern Germany, where solar panels are big business. Listen PRI's The World no LISA MULLINS: President Obama went on the offensive today in support of a climate change, and energy bill. The bill is massive. It would mandate big increases in the amount of renewable energy here in the US. For the first time, it would also cap US admissions of greenhouse gases, and it would establish a mechanism for trading the right to pollute. This bill comes up for a vote tomorrow in the house, but it's facing stiff opposition. In comments directed at wavering members of his own party, the President today said that the climate bill is also very much a job's bill. Mr. Obama said the measure would spur the development of new industries, and boost the country’s profile in the international market for renewable energy. Lawmakers looking for a case study of what the president hopes the bill will accomplish, might wanna look to Germany. Germany has been among the world's leaders in cutting greenhouse gas submissions. And its climate policy has brought economic benefits as well. In the first part of our series on energy issues in Europe, Kathleen Schalch has our report. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: In a clean new factory on the outskirts of Frankfurt an oder, suction cups the size of dessert plates glide and swivel, rhythmically grabbing big sheets of glass. Next, more machines on the assembly line will coat the glass with cadmium telluride to make photo voltaic panels that will turn sunlight into electricity. This plant, here at the very eastern edge of Germany, was built by the American company First Solar. It's now Germany's biggest producer of thin film solar panels, and the area's second biggest employer. UWE BUTH: We going over here please. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: Quality Supervisor Uwe Buth leads the way to his workstation. UWE BOOTH: We check here every hour, one sub module. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: Buth says he's delighted to have this job, so is his co-worker Gert Ulrich Roy-yar. GERT ULRICH ROY-YAR: [TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH FROM GERMAN] It changed my whole life. I don't know how to express it. I'm still happy. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: Roy-yar and Buth, and other workers throughout this region have suffered some very lean years. When the Cold War ended, and the wall that divided the two Germanys came down, whole industries in the former East Germany simply collapsed. People had to take whatever work they could get. Buth had managed a bus repair depot. UWE BOOTH: After I lost my job, I took a job sweeping the parking lot for a supermarket. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: The unemployment rate here is still 14 percent. But local officials say renewable energy firms have begun to revive this area's economy and its hopes for the future. Jochem Freyer heads the local job center and Martin Wilke manages the investment office. JOCHEM FREYER: There are a thousand five hundred people directly employed in the renewable energy companies, but a larger number in the suppliers and other who are related to this industry. MARTIN WILKE: The alternative energy is really a job creator number one, and that of course stimulates a whole region. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: The old East has gotten a piece of an industry that's exploding in Germany, renewable energy. This country, not known for its sunshine, installs more photovoltaic panels than any other. In fact, it accounts for more than half of the global market. According to Yorg Meyer, who manages a public private partnership called the German Agency for Renewable Energy. Meyer says other types of renewable energy are booming as well. YORG MEYER: We have a turnover in the whole market of renewable energy of more than 34 billion Euros. The other side is that we created a new job market. In the year 2008, we had 280 thousand people employed in the different industries of wind, solar, and biomass, and so on. And this is the fastest growing job market in Germany. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: How did Germany get here? Back in 2000 it created what's known as a feed in tariff. It gives every German the right to feed renewable energy into the nation's power grid, and be paid for it. Anyone who puts a up windmill or installs solar panels on the roof can become, in effect, a mini power plant. YORG MEYER: The good thing is that by the feed in tariff system, once you have installed these solar modules, you get paid a certain price for the next twenty years and that gives you the guarantee that after, lets say, ten, eleven years you will be in the zone of profitability. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: Utility customers pay a little extra for this renewable power, but, Mayer says, not much extra. The average surcharge is four dollars per month. YORG MEYER: It's a little tax for a big effect. But as a tradeoff Germany gets a really good technology to protect the climate. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: It's also helped Germany shift to renewable energy faster than any other country in the world. RAINER HENRICHS-RAHLWES: As a result of that, we have managed to be at 15 percent renewable electricity in Germany already. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: Rainer Henrichs-Rahlwes heads a trade group called the German Renewable Energy Federation. He says, the German government expects the percentage of renewable energy to double to 30 percent by 2020. His own group is even more optimistic. RAINER HENRICHS-RAHLWES: My association believes that we will be close to 50 percent. Provided these payments go on, and I think this is based on political will. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: Today, most of Germany's renewable energy comes from wind and hydropower, solar trails far behind. It provides just around one percent of Germany's electric power, but this share will rise. The variable cost of producing solar electricity has been dropping fast, from about 20 dollars per kilowatt-hour six years ago, to just one today. BURGHARD VON WESTERHOLT: Reaching this milestone, one dollar per watt shows the world that we are able to be competitive to fossil energies. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: Burghard von Westerholt is Managing Director of First Sollar’s Frankfurt an Oder factory. He says, as the cost keeps dropping, demand for solar energy will grow, creating more jobs. He credits Germany's feed-in tariff for starting the whole process, by guaranteeing that there would be a market. Von Westerholt expects other countries to catch up with Germany, 50 have now adapted their own feed-in tariff systems. Still he says, Germany's vision gave its industry and this struggling region of Eastern Germany, a valuable head start. BURGHARD VON WESTERHOLT: The knowledge, the experts, they are all located in Germany, and that means the industry worldwide will start from Germany. KATHLEEN SCHLACH: For the World, this is Kathleen Schalch, Frankfurt an Oder, Germany.http://64.71.145.108/audio/06250910.mp3 3111389 audio/mpeg231320172 Geo answer http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/geo-answer-230/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/geo-answer-230/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:34:06 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2237 The answer to today’s Geo Quiz is the Egyptian city of Luxor located at the site of the ancient city of Thebes. Four Egyptian mummies from the Brooklyn Museum underwent a CAT scan this week. Anchor Lisa Mullins gets the story from the museum’s Egyptian art curator Edward Bleiburg.
Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/geo-answer-230/feed/ 0 06/25/2009,Africa,Arab world,Brooklyn Museum,Edward Bleiburg,Egypt,Geo Quiz,Lisa Mullins,Luxor,mummies,Thebes The answer to today's Geo Quiz is the Egyptian city of Luxor located at the site of the ancient city of Thebes. Four Egyptian mummies from the Brooklyn Museum underwent a CAT scan this week. Anchor Lisa Mullins gets the story from the museum's Egyptian... The answer to today's Geo Quiz is the Egyptian city of Luxor located at the site of the ancient city of Thebes. Four Egyptian mummies from the Brooklyn Museum underwent a CAT scan this week. Anchor Lisa Mullins gets the story from the museum's Egyptian art curator Edward Bleiburg. Listen PRI's The World no http://64.71.145.108/audio/06250911.mp3 1237887 audio/mpeg Yonlu http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/global-hit-yonlu/ http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/global-hit-yonlu/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:33:07 +0000 admin http://67.20.65.237/?p=2235 The World’s Marco Werman tells the story of young Brazilian musician Yonlu, who committed suicide in 2006, and left behind a treasure of recorded music.Listen

]]> http://www.theworld.org/2009/06/global-hit-yonlu/feed/ 1 06/25/2009,Brazilian people,Death,Incidents,Kids and Teens,Marco Werman,Religion,Suicide,World The World's Marco Werman tells the story of young Brazilian musician Yonlu, who committed suicide in 2006, and left behind a treasure of recorded music.Listen The World's Marco Werman tells the story of young Brazilian musician Yonlu, who committed suicide in 2006, and left behind a treasure of recorded music.Listen PRI's The World no http://64.71.145.108/audio/06252009.mp3 2839100 audio/mpeg216568352