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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 some music from Sheryl Crow …
Answer a question about preparing for retirement …
And tell about the popularity of cell phones.
Cell Phones
HOST:
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone ineighteen-seventy-six. He might recognize the telephone we use today.But he might not like what we do with it. In most industrialcountries, it seems as if almost everyone carries a small devicethey call a mobile, cellular or cell phone.
(RINGING CELL PHONE)
Uh, just a moment, that is my cell phone. Hello? No, not now, Iam doing American Mosaic. Could you call me later? Just a minute.Uh, Mary Tillitson tells us more about this most modern telephone.
No, I will call back later. It will have to wait. Not now. Pleasecall later!
ANNCR:
Doug Johnson was only playing a joke just now. He did not reallyget a telephone call. But cell phone calls have become an increasingproblem these days because so many people now own these phones.
Communication industry experts sayabout forty-six-million Americans used cell phones five years ago.That number now is closer to one-hundred-twenty-million. Today it iseven possible to use a cell phone linked to a satellite fromanywhere on Earth. So you can pay money to use a cell phone inforeign countries while traveling.
In most industrial countries, you can see hundreds of people eachday walking on the street talking on their cell phones. You see themin eating places. You hear their cell phones ring in theaters, atbusiness meetings and even at weddings.
People use them while driving in automobiles. Experts say manyaccidents are caused by people who do not pay full attention totheir driving. They are too busy talking on their cell phones. Inthe United States, forty-one state governments are debatinglegislation to make it illegal to drive a vehicle and talk on a cellphone at the same time.
Almost everyone agrees that peopleshould be more thoughtful when they use a cell phone in public. Theyshould not talk too loudly. And they should turn off their cellphone when it might cause problems for others.
(RINGING CELL PHONE)
Er, excuse me, I have a cell phone call. Uh, that is all the cellphone information I had now anyway.
Hello? Hello? Yes. This is really a bad time, call again later …
Pensions
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from China. Liang Qinyuasks about pension plans in America.
A pension is the money a worker or his or her family receiveswhen the worker retires, is unable to work, or dies. The money comesfrom personal savings, the government’s Social Security program, andprivate pension plans offered through a place of employment.
Federal law requires businesses to give pension rights to allpeople who have worked for the company for a set number of years.The United States Department of Labor has an office called thePension and Welfare Benefits Administration. Its job is to supervisepension plans in the United States.
The federal government’s Social Security program is the largestretirement program in the United States. It was established innineteen-thirty-five. Under the plan, workers pay a little more thansix percent of their wages each month into Social Security. Theiremployers do the same. Most self-employed workers also pay a percentof their wages into Social Security. People will receive paymentsafter they retire for as long as they live.
The Social Security program ispopular in America. But it was never meant to fully support someonein retirement. Especially today, money received through SocialSecurity is not enough to provide for most people’s needs. This iswhy many Americans also have personal savings or a pension or both.
Most government pensions are paid with money from workers andtheir agencies. Most company pension plans are paid the same way.Self-employed workers can establish an independent pension planthrough a bank or insurance company. People who work for companiesthat do not offer pensions can do the same.
Workers pay a percent of money every month to the plan. Theyreceive payments after they retire. People usually retire at aboutthe age of sixty-five. However, some Americans find that they do notenjoy retirement. Or they do not have enough money to retire. Sothey continue working until they are older.
Cheryl Crow
HOST:
American singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow has already won manymusic industry awards. Last week, she won an American Music Award asfavorite female pop or rock and roll artist. Three songs on herlatest album have been nominated for Grammy Awards. Shep O’Neal hasmore.
ANNCR:
Sheryl Crow’s latest album iscalled “C’mon, C’mon”. She helped write many of its songs. She wrotethis one with her sister and recorded it with country rock singerDon Henley. “It’s So Easy” is nominated for a Grammy Award as bestpop collaboration with vocals.
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Sheryl Crow says the album is her attempt to produce songssimilar to those from the nineteen-seventies and eighties. The song”Steve McQueen” honors a movie actor who represented rebellion. Itis nominated for a Grammy award as best female rock vocalperformance.
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Still another song by Sheryl Crow is nominated for a Grammy forbest female pop vocal performance. She says this song is a socialcomment about how time passes and cannot be made to return. We leaveyou now with Sheryl Crow singing her third Grammy-nominated songthis year, “Soak Up the Sun.”
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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 Jill Moss, NancySteinbach and Paul Thompson. Our studio engineer was Glen Mattlock.And our producer was Paul Thompson.