HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.
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This is Doug Johnson.
On our show this week: Summer camps for adults, and a questionabout the musical life of Leonard Bernstein. But first, we have thestory of a man who went on a diet no one should copy.
Super Size Me
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HOST:
What would it be like to eat fastfood for every meal? A young filmmaker decided to find out. His newmovie is called “Super Size Me.” Shep O’Neal tells us about it.
ANNCR:
Health experts are concerned that two out of three Americanadults are overweight. There has been an increase in diseases linkedto obesity. Many Americans eat foods that have too much fat andsugar. And they do not exercise enough. Reports say that at leasttwenty-five percent of American adults eat fast food every day. AndMcDonald’s is the largest fast food company in the world.
So filmmaker Morgan Spurlock wanted to find out the effects ofeating nothing but fast food at McDonald’s three times a day for amonth. He followed three rules. He could only eat what was sold atMcDonald’s. He had to eat every food at least once. And he wouldorder the largest size French fries and soft drink only if theserver offered.
McDonald’s called these foods “supersize.” That is why MisterSpurlock named the movie “Super Size Me.”
Three doctors and a nutrition expert examined Mister Spurlockbefore, during and after his eating experiment. They did many testsof his blood and the workings of his major organs. At the beginning,he was in excellent physical condition. He traveled to severalAmerican cities and many McDonald’s restaurants. He ate EggMcMuffins, Big Mac hamburger sandwiches, Chicken McNuggets, Frenchfries, soft drinks and other foods every day. And he did notexercise.
The doctors became very concerned about Mister Spurlock’s health.At the end of the month, he had gained more than eleven kilograms.His blood pressure increased. The cholesterol in his blood was toohigh. And his liver was damaged from eating too many fatty foods.
Mister Spurlock’s film also appears to have had an effect onMcDonald’s. The movie won an award for directing at the SundanceFilm Festival in January.
Less than two months later, McDonald’s said it would stop sellingsupersize meals. Recently, it started selling special Happy Mealsfor adults. These include a salad, bottled water and a pedometer formeasuring how far a person walks.
McDonald’s also issued a statement about “Super Size Me.” It saidthe movie is about one person’s decision to act irresponsibly byeating too many calories a day and limiting physical activity. Itsaid McDonald’s offers many kinds of high-quality food choices. Italso said McDonald’s is working with experts on nutrition andfitness.
Summer Camps
HOST:
The summer camp season opens in the middle of June for most ofthe United States. Many children will spend the coming weeks attraditional camps by lakes in the mountains. But there are camps forall interests: horseback riding, rock climbing, art, and science, toname a few. There are even camps to learn how to be a clown. But whyshould kids have all the fun? Faith Lapidus reports.
ANNCR:
Many Americans have happy memories of going away to camp as kids.Singing by the campfire, swimming by moonlight. Well, grown-ups canrelive those times.
In Oregon, for example, adults canspend a week at a snowboarding camp at the base of Mount Hood. Themountain has snow all year. Snowboarding is a mix between skiing andskateboarding.
At the High Cascades Snowboarding Camp, the campers spend most ofthe day on the mountain with coaches to teach them. In theafternoon, they return to camp for other activities. Some ridebicycles, others swim or play volleyball. The adults share cabinsand meals just like kids at camp do.
Environmental organizations also have summer camps for grown-ups.The Audubon Society, for example, operates ecology camps in severalstates. In Hog Island, Maine, adults can learn all about birdsduring five days along the coast.
But, for some adults, the best camps are the ones where they canbe with their kids. For instance, there are Parent/Child Space Campprograms in Alabama, California and Florida. These weekend programsare for children ages seven to eleven. Parents and kids learn aboutthe history of space flight. They build small rockets together.
And they use equipment that makes them feel like astronauts inspace. This includes a gravity trainer, to learn what it feels liketo walk on the moon.
Leonard Bernstein
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HOST:
This is called “Mass: A TheaterPiece for Singers, Players and Dancers.” It was written by one ofAmerica’s greatest musicians. Leonard Bernstein died innineteen-ninety in New York. One of our listeners in South Korea,Lim Chae Hun, would like to know more about him.
Leonard Bernstein composed many classical pieces, like the oneyou just heard. But he also wrote popular music for the theater. Infact, one of his shows is on Broadway again right now.
Here is a song from the current production of “Wonderful Town.”Donna Murphy and Jennifer Westfeldt sing “Ohio.”
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Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, innineteen-eighteen. He began playing piano as a boy. His talent wasclear from the start. Yet, he became so famous as an orchestraleader, it is easy to forget what a great pianist he was.
Here is Leonard Bernstein with Mozart’s Piano Quartet in G minor.
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In nineteen-forty-three, Leonard Bernstein began to conduct theNew York Philharmonic. In nineteen-fifty-eight, he became the firstAmerican to serve as its musical director.
Leonard Bernstein was known for his hard work. He taught othermusicians in summer programs at the Tanglewood music center inMassachusetts. But he also learned from others. These included hisfriend, the composer Aaron Copland.
We leave you with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonicperforming Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.”
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HOST:
This is Doug Johnson.
I hope you enjoyed AMERICAN MOSAIC. Join us again next week forVOA’s radio magazine in Special English.
This program was written by Shelley Gollust and Caty Weaver. PaulThompson was the producer. And our engineer was Tom Verba.