HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC – VOA’s radio magazine in SpecialEnglish.
(THEME)
This is Doug Johnson. On our program today…
We play songs by John Lee Hooker…
answer a question about the American court system…
and, tell about a statue of a character in an American televisionprogram.
Statue to Mary
(BRIDGE MUSIC: THEME FROM MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW))
HOST:
That is the theme song from an American television program firstbroadcast in the Nineteen-Seventies. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”told about a young single woman named Mary Richards. She lived inMinneapolis, Minnesota. The people of that city are planning tohonor her. Shirley Griffith has more.
ANNCR:
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” is still being broadcast on anAmerican cable television network called TV Land. Some critics sayit was one of the best television shows ever produced.
The TV Land network is paying about one-hundred-fifty-thousanddollars to build a metal statue of Mary Richards, played by MaryTyler Moore. It says the statue will stand on the street inMinneapolis where Mary Tyler Moore threw her hat into the air at theopening of each show. TV Land hopes to present the statue to thecity in the fall.
The mayor of Minneapolis has welcomed the planned statue. SharonSayles Belton said Mary Richards was an important character tomillions of American women in the Nineteen-Seventies. She also notedthat the program showed Minneapolis as a good place to live.Citizens of Minneapolis hope people will want to visit the statue.
Other American cities have built similar statues. Philadelphia,Pennsylvania has a statue of the character Rocky Balboa played bySylvester Stallone in the movie “Rocky.” New York City honors acharacter from the old television show “The Honeymooners”. It has astatue of the bus driver Ralph Cramden, played by Jackie Gleason.The statue is outside New York’s main bus station.
Some critics object to the idea of honoring people who neverexisted. They say it will only create confusion in the future aboutwhat was real and what was not. Evan Maurer is director of theMinneapolis Institute of Arts. He says enough people are confusedalready. He lives in the house that is shown on television as thehome of Mary Richards. He says people come to his door wanting toknow if Mary Richards still lives there.
United States’ Court System
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes in an e-mail from SouthKorea. Hoon Lee asks about the system of courts in the UnitedStates.
The United States court system includes federal and state courts.Federal courts deal with criminal and civil actions involving theUnited States Constitution or federal laws. Federal courts hearcases involving the United States government. They hear casesbetween people from different states and cases involving othercountries or their citizens. They also hear cases involvingsituations that took place on the sea and violations of patent andcopyright ownership.
Each state has at least one federal district court. Districtcourts are the first courts to hear cases involving violations offederal laws. Then the cases may be tried in courts of appeals. TheUnited States is divided into twelve district areas. Each one has acourt of appeals. There is also a federal court of appeals.
The federal court system also includes special courts. They trycases involving claims against the federal government, tax disputes,and military questions.
The United States Supreme Court is the highest court in thenation. A person who loses a case either in a federal appeals courtor in the highest state court may appeal to the Supreme Court.
State courts receive their power from state constitutions andlaws. The first court that hears a case involving a state law islocal, such as a county court. Other local courts hear only one kindof case. For example, small claims courts try cases involving smallamounts of money. Probate courts handle family financial situationsfollowing a death. Other special courts deal with traffic accidentsand disputes among family members.
Higher state courts are known as circuit courts, or superiorcourts. These hear more serious cases. The decisions from thesecases may be appealed to an even higher court. The highest court inmost states is its supreme court.
John Lee Hooker
HOST:
Blues musician John Lee Hooker died at his home near SanFrancisco, California last month. He was eighty-three years old.Steve Ember tells about one of the most influential blues artists ofall time.
ANNCR:
John Lee Hooker was born in Mississippi. His interest in musiccame early. He sang religious songs in church as a boy.
Hooker’s father was a Christian clergyman. He did not approve ofhis son’s interest in music. But John Lee Hooker learned how to playthe guitar anyway.
Hooker dreamed of becoming a professional blues singer. His dreamcame true in Nineteen-Forty-Eight when his first recorded songbecame a hit. “Boogie Chillen” was one of the most popular Rhythmand Blues songs that year.
(CUT ONE-BOOGIE CHILLEN)
John Lee Hooker was a major influence on other musicians and rockand roll bands. He invited some of them to record with him. Theresult was Hooker’s album “The Healer” released inNineteen-Eighty-Nine. John Lee Hooker won a Grammy award for a songon the album. It is called “I’m In the Mood”. He performs it withBonnie Raitt.
(CUT TWO-I’M IN THE MOOD)
“The Healer” became the best selling blues album of all time.Hooker said it was the finest recording he ever made.John Lee Hookeris honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall ofFame. He also won five music industry Grammy awards. Last year hereceived a special Grammy for his lifetime of music. We leave younow with John Lee Hooker singing “Mister Lucky.”
(CUT THREE-MISTER LUCKY)
HOST:
This is Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. And Ihope you will join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC-VOA’sradio magazine in Special English.
This AMERICAN MOSAIC program was written by Nancy Steinbach andCaty Weaver. Our studio engineer was Gary Speizler. And our producerwas Paul Thompson.