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HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC — VOA’s radio magazine in SpecialEnglish.
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This is Doug Johnson. On our program today,
We play music by the group Bering Strait …
Answer a listener’s question about Saint Patrick’s Day …
And remember a well-loved American television performer.
Mr. Rogers
HOST:
That is the voice of Fred Rogers. He was a very special friend toAmerican children. He died of cancer last month at the age ofseventy-four. Shep O’Neal tells us about him.
ANNCR:
Fred Rogers’ program was broadcast on America’s public televisionstations for thirty years. It was called “Mister Rogers’Neighborhood.” Fred Rogers stopped filming new programs two yearsago. But repeats of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” can still be seenin many parts of the country.
The program was made especially for children between the ages oftwo and five. Fred Rogers talked very slowly and explained ideasvery carefully. He will be best remembered for the gentle ideas hetaught children. Fred Rogers told children to be kind. He told themto be open to new ideas. He explained that they should likethemselves because they were special and important. He told them toalways use their imaginations. He told them it was important toalways help others. He helped them to understand their feelings.
Fred Rogers worked in television for almost fifty years. Healways believed that television could be used to improve the livesof children. Fred Rogers once said he hoped his program would makechildren want to turn off the television and go play games or readbooks. He wanted the program to help them form new ideas.
The subjects discussed on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” wereimportant to children. One program was about going to school for thefirst time. Another was about different musical instruments. Otherprograms showed how much fun it is to go to the circus or to seeanimals at the zoo. Many programs showed children how important itis to learn new things.
Fred Rogers appeared in about one-thousand “Mister Rogers’Neighborhood” programs. Critics say Mister Rogers will be rememberedas the special friend of children. They say he was kind and gentlebut also showed children a quiet strength. They say that hisprograms are still popular on television because the childrenwatching always know that Mister Rogers is a person they can trust.
St. Patrick’s Day
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from Kano State,Nigeria. Ibrahim Umar Abdulkarim asks about the Saint Patrick’s Dayholiday.
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March seventeenth. It is areligious holiday in Ireland. It is the day when the Irish peoplehonor the man who brought the Roman Catholic religion to Irelandmore than one-thousand years ago.
Saint Patrick’s Day is not anofficial holiday in the United States. But a lot of people celebrateit anyway. They show the traditional Irish color, green. People weargreen clothes. Some put green color in their hair or on their faces.Some public eating places serve beer that is colored green. The cityof Chicago, Illinois even puts green color in its river. ManyAmericans eat the traditional Irish food, corned beef and cabbage.And they enjoy parties and parades.
Saint Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in the United Statesabout two-hundred-fifty years ago in the northeastern city ofBoston, Massachusetts. Those celebrations involved only people whosefamilies had come to the United States from Ireland.
Today, Americans who are not Irish also celebrate Saint Patrick’sDay. Some cities have Saint Patrick’s Day parades. An old story saysthis tradition began in New York City in seventeen-sixty-two. Somemembers of the New York State military guard had been born inIreland. They decided to march to breakfast on Saint Patrick’s Day.These parades spread throughout the country as more people fromIreland came to live in the United States.
Many Irish immigrants settled in big cities. Many becamefirefighters, police officers and city leaders. They were able tostop work in the city for a day so they could hold a parade on SaintPatrick’s Day.
Today, New York City’s parade is the biggest in the world. Aboutone-hundred-fifty-thousand people march for eight kilometers alongFifth Avenue. Thousands of others gather on the street to watch theparade. Many of these Americans are not really Irish. But they liketo say that everyone is a little bit Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Bering Strait
HOST:
American music is very popular around the world. In almost anycountry you can find people who love jazz, blues, hip-hop, rap, bluegrass and country and western music. Phoebe Zimmermann tells how onekind of American music affected six young people from Russia.
ANNCR:
The two women and four men aremembers of the band called Bering Strait. They were all born in thecity of Obninsk, Russia.
Natasha Borzilova is the band’s lead singer. She says the groupmembers began playing country and western songs when they werechildren because they loved that kind of music. They became verygood musicians. Listen to their recording of “Jagged Edge of aBroken Heart.”
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In the early nineteen-nineties, the members of Bering Straitvisited Nashville, Tennesee, the center of American country andwestern music. They worked on their music for five years in theUnited States before a major record company wanted to record them.They finally released their first album last year.
One song on that album was recently nominated for a Grammy Awardfor best country instrumental performance. The song is “BearingStraight.”
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Natasha Borzilova says living and working in the United Stateshas been difficult for the band members. They miss their families inRussia. And at times she would just like to tell everyone in Americato speak Russian.
Sometimes the band does just that during live performances. Theysing a Russian folk song to the rhythm of American blue grasscountry music. We leave you now with that song, “Porushka-Paranya.”
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HOST:
This is Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. Joinus again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC — VOA’s radio magazine inSpecial English.
Remember to write us with your questions about American life. Wewill try to answer them on future programs. Listeners whosequestions are chosen will receive a gift.
Send your questions to American Mosaic, VOA Special English,Washington, D.C. two-zero-two-three-seven, USA. Our e-mail addressis mosaic@voanews.com.Please include your name and mailing address.
This AMERICAN MOSAIC program was written by Nancy Steinbach andPaul Thompson. And our producer was Lawan Davis.