HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC – VOA’s radio magazine in SpecialEnglish.
(THEME)
This is Doug Johnson. On our program today …
We play songs by Jane Monheit …
answer a question about submarines …
and, tell about an exhibit of pictures by White Housephotographers.
HOST:
The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., recently showedone-hundred-seventy-three news photographs. Some of America’s bestnews photographers took the pictures. These men and women work fornews services, magazines and newspapers. They belong to the WhiteHouse News Photographers’ Association. Their exhibit was called “TheEyes of History.” Shirley Griffith tells us more.
ANNCR:
The Corcoran Gallery exhibit showed some of the top newsphotographs of the year. These images were made both in and out ofthe White House.
Time Magazine photojournalist Diana Walker says photographers inthe president’s house are restricted from some areas. But she hadmore freedom than many other photographers. For example, she tookphotographs of former President Bill Clinton during his final hoursin the White House. She was in the Oval Office as Mister Clintonfinished working on some papers. Soon the only paper on his desk wasa letter to the new president. She took a picture as Mister Clintonlooked out the Oval Office windows for the last time. Her picturecaptured the feelings of America’s forty-second president on animportant day in his life.
Other photos in the exhibit showed very different events. Forexample, Doug Mills of the Associated Press photographed a sailorwounded in the bombing of the Navy ship U-S-S Cole. The ship wasattacked last October in Yemen. The wounded man is shown attending amemorial service for the seventeen bombing victims. He sits in awheelchair, receiving oxygen through a tube. The sailor and his wifepress their heads together as they mourn.
Washington Times photographer Gerald Herbert also took anemotional picture. He photographed an emergency medical worker inMaryland. This man is holding the hand of an old woman patient asshe dies. Tension and loss show clearly on his young face.
A photo by Dudley Brooks of the Washington Post caught a happiermoment. His photograph shows the great basketball player MichaelJordan laughing. The picture was taken during a press conferenceannouncing his new job as an official of the Washington Wizardsbasketball team.
Exhibit visitors say the White House news photographers’ pictureswill continue to live in their memories. And reports say thephotographs may be published in a book. Then many more people willbe able to enjoy “The Eyes of History.”
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from Niger. IgbuanBenson Bamidele asks about a kind of ship called a submarine.
The idea of a boat or ship that can travel under water isextremely old. No one knows who first had the idea. However, thefirst boat that could travel under water was built by a Dutchinventor named Cornelius van Drebbel. He demonstrated his inventionin England in about Sixteen-Twenty. It was a small boat that wascovered in animal skins. However, no one at that time could think ofa good use for a submarine.
A young inventor named David Bushnell built the first Americansubmarine in Seventeen-Seventy-Six. Mister Bushnell designed a crafthe called the Turtle. It was used during the American RevolutionaryWar. Mister Bushnell’s submarine attacked the British warship H-M-SEagle in New York harbor. He tried to attach a bomb to the side ofthe ship. He was not successful. However, reports of the event saidhe severely frightened the crew of the Eagle.
The submarine was first used successfully as a weapon duringAmerica’s Civil War in the Eighteen-Sixties. A submarine built bythe Confederate States sank the Union ship U-S-S Housatonic nearCharleston, South Carolina. The little submarine was named theHunley. It pushed a bomb into the side of the Housatonic. However,the small submarine and its crew were lost after the attack.
The United States Navy bought its first submarine inNineteen-Hundred. Nuclear powered submarines were built fifty yearslater. The world’s first nuclear submarine was the U-S-S Nautilus.It was launched in Nineteen-Fifty-Four. The U-S-S Nautilus is nolonger an active submarine. It is a museum open to the public in theharbor in Groton, Connecticut. Anyone who visits can walk throughand examine the submarine.
Today, submarines carry a crew of about one-hundred fiftymembers. Some are huge — more than one-hundred-sixty-eight meterslong.
Recently, the Confederate submarine Hunley was found on thebottom of Charleston Bay. It was brought to the surface for study.Ifyou have a computer, you can find more information about the Hunleyand other submarines. Have your computer search for H-U-N-L-E-Y orthe word “submarine.”
HOST:
Jane Monheit (MON-hite) is being praised as the best young jazzsinger performing today. She is twenty-three years old, and has justreleased her second album. Shep O’Neal tells us about her.
ANNCR:
Jane Monheit grew up near New York City. Her parents wereprofessional musicians.
Jane Monheit studied voice at the Manhattan School of Music andwon second place in the Thelonius Monk Vocal Competition. That ledto her first album, “Never Never Land.” It was released last yearand sold more than sixty-thousand copies.
Jane Monheit says she included songs in the album that she lovedas a child. The title song is from the show “Peter Pan.”
((CUT 1: NEVER NEVER LAND))
Critics say Mizz Monheit’s voice is clear, smooth and controlled.They especially like her new album, “Come Dream With Me.” They sayher singing now demonstrates great feeling. Here is an example,”Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most.”
((CUT 2: SPRING CAN REALLY HANG YOU UP THE MOST))
Now Jane Monheit is traveling across the United States performingher songs. She says that singing good songs makes her happy. Weleave you now with another good song from Jane Monheit’s new album,”Hit The Road To Dreamland.”
((CUT 3: HIT THE ROAD TO DREAMLAND))
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, PaulThompson and Jerilyn Watson. Our studio engineer was Tom Verba. Andour producer was Paul Thompson.