Assignment: The World; 1992-10-29

<v Ginnie Bacheler>Welcome to Assignment: The World for the week of October 29th, 1992. <v Ginnie Bacheler>I'm Ginnie Bacheler. Our top story this week with the debates behind them, the <v Ginnie Bacheler>presidential candidates make a final push. <v Ginnie Bacheler>On Tuesday, Americans will elect the next president of the United States. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The race for the White House is getting closer by the day as Clinton's lead is narrowing. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Both Clinton and Bush have spent this final week campaigning on the road. <v Ginnie Bacheler>For 9 consecutive days, the 2 candidates have made campaign speeches across the country <v Ginnie Bacheler>and appeared on radio and television talk shows. <v Ginnie Bacheler>For the first time polls show Ross Perot with over 20 percent of the vote. <v Ginnie Bacheler>With Election Day closing in, Perot has gained popularity with his effective use of <v Ginnie Bacheler>television advertisements. There will be many decisions voters will make on Tuesday. <v Ginnie Bacheler>In addition to choosing a president, 12 states will elect a new governor and over 100 <v Ginnie Bacheler>seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate will be filled. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Voters in some states are deciding on issues such as term limits, the death penalty and <v Ginnie Bacheler>equal rights. Across the country, a record number of Americans have registered to vote <v Ginnie Bacheler>this year. Officials from both major parties are hoping for large turnouts for their <v Ginnie Bacheler>candidates.

<v History announcer>310 years ago this week, October 27, 1682, William Penn, Pennsylvania's <v History announcer>founder, first landed in America. <v History announcer>The king of England, Charles the Second owed Penn's father an unpaid debt and asked the <v History announcer>king to repay the debt with wilderness land in America. <v History announcer>A charter was granted giving Penn the territory west of the Delaware River between New <v History announcer>York and Maryland. Penn wanted to name the region New Wales, but a Welsh member of <v History announcer>England's Privy Council objected. So Penn decided on Pennsylvania, which means Penn's <v History announcer>Woods. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The Vietnamese government last Friday pledged the release of all photographs, documents <v Ginnie Bacheler>and personal effects relating to missing American servicemen during the Vietnam War. <v Ginnie Bacheler>President Bush called the move a real breakthrough in accounting for the missing <v Ginnie Bacheler>soldiers. For nearly 20 years, Vietnam denied having any information <v Ginnie Bacheler>on American POWs and M-I-A's still in their country. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Because of strained relations, Washington refused to establish diplomatic ties <v Ginnie Bacheler>with Vietnam. With this latest cooperation from Hanoi, however, President Bush <v Ginnie Bacheler>announced the U.S. will send 25,000 dollars in aid for flood victims

<v Ginnie Bacheler>in Vietnam and pledged U.S. <v Ginnie Bacheler>aid to help Vietnam identify their own M-I-A's. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Lithuanian voters gave a startling victory to former communists in the Baltic <v Ginnie Bacheler>nation's first elections since winning independence. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The Democratic Labor Party, a group of former communists, won at least one third <v Ginnie Bacheler>of the 141 seats in parliament. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The results were a blow to the Sąjūdis party who lead Lithuania to its independence <v Ginnie Bacheler>in 1990. Voters rejected the Sąjūdis party because of poor economic <v Ginnie Bacheler>conditions in Lithuania. The Democratic Labor Party supports better economic <v Ginnie Bacheler>relations with Russia, a position that gained popularity because of a serious fuel <v Ginnie Bacheler>shortage in Lithuania. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Japanese Emperor Akihito arrived in Beijing, China, Friday in an effort to symbolize <v Ginnie Bacheler>friendship between China and Japan. <v Ginnie Bacheler>It is the first time a Japanese monarch visited China in their 2,000 year <v Ginnie Bacheler>history. Many Chinese remain angry that the Japanese government has not offered <v Ginnie Bacheler>compensation and apologies for suffering caused during World War Two.

<v Ginnie Bacheler>To avoid any incidents during the Emperors visit, the Chinese government issued a ban <v Ginnie Bacheler>on protests and demands for apologies and compensation. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Part of the reason for the visit is the improving trade relations between the 2 <v Ginnie Bacheler>countries. Japanese companies signed agreements to invest twice as much in <v Ginnie Bacheler>China this year, and the Japanese government announced it would provide a multi-billion <v Ginnie Bacheler>dollar loan package to China. <v News brief announcer>Looking briefly at other stories in the news, the CEO of General Motors, Robert Stempel, <v News brief announcer>was forced to resign Monday. During the 2 years he led the company, GM saw the worst <v News brief announcer>losses and layoffs in company history. <v News brief announcer>Commanders of the 3 main forces in the Bosnian war met for the first time at the Sarajevo <v News brief announcer>airport. U.N. officials hope the peace talks between the Muslim, Serbian and Croatian <v News brief announcer>leaders will clear the way for winter relief efforts. <v News brief announcer>And Israeli and Lebanese leaders made little progress in Mideast peace talks Monday as <v News brief announcer>fighting continued in southern Lebanon. 5 Israeli soldiers were killed during a guerrilla <v News brief announcer>attack, which sparked even more violence. <v News brief announcer>Lebanese officials said fighting will stop when Israel completely withdraws from Lebanon.

<v Ginnie Bacheler>And it's time now for the answers to last week's clues in the news. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Unscramble our first clue and you get Canadian elections. <v Ginnie Bacheler>On Monday, Canadians voted against a package of constitutional reforms designed <v Ginnie Bacheler>to give French speaking Quebec special status. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Quebec has sought special treatment and greater autonomy or political freedom <v Ginnie Bacheler>for that- from the rest of Canada for more than 200 years. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Some fear that without the constitutional reform, the country may eventually break apart. <v Ginnie Bacheler>In the middle of the turmoil facing the Canadian people, a rare display of unity was <v Ginnie Bacheler>sparked by the Toronto Blue Jays capturing the World Series championship title. <v Ginnie Bacheler>It was the first time any country outside the United States played in the World Series. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Fill in the blanks of our second clue and you get Columbia mission. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The space shuttle Columbia lifted off from Cape Canaveral Friday, carrying 6 astronauts <v Ginnie Bacheler>on a mission to deploy a 4 million dollar satellite. <v Ginnie Bacheler>During their 10 day voyage, the astronauts deployed the Italian built laser Geodynamics <v Ginnie Bacheler>satellite. It will study the movements of the earth's crust, hoping to help scientists

<v Ginnie Bacheler>predict earthquakes. Other experiments include growing crystals. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The astronauts hope to produce the largest, purest industrial crystal, paving <v Ginnie Bacheler>the way for faster computers and the testing of a new camera system. <v Ginnie Bacheler>And for our third clue we gave you Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which represent the <v Ginnie Bacheler>days that presidential candidate H. Ross Perot paid for 30 minute campaign advertisements <v Ginnie Bacheler>on network television. This is the first time a candidate has spent this much of his own <v Ginnie Bacheler>money campaigning for the presidency by purchasing TV time. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The Republican and Democratic nominees spent federal funds to run their campaigns. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Perot spent nearly 27 million dollars of his own money on his campaign during the <v Ginnie Bacheler>first 2 weeks of October, most of it for the television advertisements. <v Ginnie Bacheler>After the 3 spots aired, Perot picked up several points in the polls. <v Quiz announcer>Time now for our first pop quiz. <v Quiz announcer> In our story about Vietnam, what did the Hanoi government agree to release to the U.S.? <v Quiz announcer>Was it American servicemen? <v Quiz announcer>Photographs of POWs, M-I-A's? POWs

<v Quiz announcer>families? And the correct <v Quiz announcer>answer is number 2 photographs of the POW M-I-A's. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum offers an array of flying machines <v Ginnie Bacheler>and spacecraft never before assembled in 1 place. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Over the next month, Wyatt Doremus will take us on a tour of this fascinating collection <v Ginnie Bacheler>tracing the history of flight. <v Wyatt Doremus>The museum was started in 1946 when Congress passed a law establishing a National <v Wyatt Doremus>Air Museum. In 1966, the law was amended and the National Air <v Wyatt Doremus>and Space Museum was founded. <v Wyatt Doremus>Its mission memorialized the history of aviation. <v Donald Lopez>I think the museum is very valuable to just show <v Donald Lopez>our own nation and the world what we have accomplished in air <v Donald Lopez>and space. Successful flights started in this country- of aircraft flight started in this <v Donald Lopez>country, and I think it's a place for Americans and foreigners to come and see the <v Donald Lopez>actual vehicles that did that, did these things and made these breakthroughs.

<v Wyatt Doremus>Almost half the galleries in the museum cover aviation examples of the airplane as a <v Wyatt Doremus>vehicle of transport, jet aviation and flight testing can be found. <v Wyatt Doremus>The main gallery is home to some of the world's most famous aircraft. <v Donald Lopez>The most famous, I guess, have to be the right flier. <v Donald Lopez>December 17th, 1903, made the first really successful <v Donald Lopez>flight in history and the first flight that was made under control and took off from <v Donald Lopez>a level ground and landed at the same height. <v Donald Lopez>It didn't glide or anything. It flew. <v Donald Lopez>We have the spirit of St. Louis, which is one of the most famous aircraft. <v Donald Lopez>That's the 1 that Charles Lindbergh flew from across the Atlantic, from New York <v Donald Lopez>to Paris. That is probably 1 of the best known planes in the <v Donald Lopez>world. <v Wyatt Doremus>In addition to the aircraft, artwork related to flight can be found in the museum. <v Mary Henderson>We have a collection of about 3500 artworks relating <v Mary Henderson>to the theme of aviation and space flight. <v Mary Henderson>And also our collection goes back as far as ballooning. <v Wyatt Doremus>An average of 9 million people a year visit the museum proving that man's interest in

<v Wyatt Doremus>the skies and stars above is as strong as ever. <v Mary Henderson>It's an exciting place to work and it really is a very exciting place to learn things, <v Mary Henderson>too. I think that if you were to really spend the time and really read <v Mary Henderson>and study the labels and look at the artifacts, I think that you would leave here with a <v Mary Henderson>very good education in this area. <v Wyatt Doremus>For Assignment: The World, I'm Wyatt Doremus. <v History announcer>63 years ago this week, October 29, 1929, the Wall Street crash began. <v History announcer>The economic growth of the 1920s led more Americans than ever to invest in the stocks of <v History announcer>corporations. In late October of 1929, a decline in stock prices set <v History announcer>in, panic selling followed, stock prices lowered drastically, dragging investors to <v History announcer>financial ruin. When the year ended, the government estimated that the crash had cost <v History announcer>investors 40 billion dollars. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The hot issue in education reform during this presidential campaign is the concept of <v Ginnie Bacheler>school vouchers. A voucher is similar to a coupon and lets parents decide to send <v Ginnie Bacheler>their children and their money to the public or private school of their choice.

<v Ginnie Bacheler>The money for the vouchers comes from school taxes parents already pay. <v Ginnie Bacheler>The controversial twist is the idea of public school money going to private schools. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Supporters of the program feel it will make the public schools improve to compete with <v Ginnie Bacheler>private schools for the best students. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Those opposed to the voucher system do not want taxpayer money to go to private schools, <v Ginnie Bacheler>since it will take money away from public schools. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Some feel it helps rich schools get richer, leaving those schools with the greatest need <v Ginnie Bacheler>in more serious trouble. Others argue the voucher system only benefits the wealthiest <v Ginnie Bacheler>families in schools. Well, we'd like to know what you think. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Do you support the school voucher system? <v Ginnie Bacheler>Be sure to discuss this issue in class after the show and write to us. <v Ginnie Bacheler>We received over 5000 letters in response to our issue question. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Who would you vote for for president? The majority of you, 40 percent would vote for <v Ginnie Bacheler>Governor Bill Clinton. 30 percent of you said that you would vote for President George <v Ginnie Bacheler>Bush. Twenty six percent of you would vote for H. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Ross Perot. Four percent of you were still undecided. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Anna Nelson from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, would vote for Bill Clinton and writes, I <v Ginnie Bacheler>would vote for Bill Clinton because he cares about the environment.

<v Ginnie Bacheler>Mary Newman from Hesperia, Michigan, would also vote for Clinton and writes. <v Ginnie Bacheler>I'm tired of President Bush's lying about no new taxes. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Jenny Foster from Baldwinsville, New York, writes, I would vote for Clinton because he is <v Ginnie Bacheler>in favor of stricter gun control and is against the sale of automatic weapons. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Vikram Kirby from Arlington, Virginia, writes, Bill Clinton is pro-choice and I am a <v Ginnie Bacheler>strong believer in women's rights. <v Ginnie Bacheler>I believe there is really no other choice if we want this country to become as strong and <v Ginnie Bacheler>united as it once was. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Many of you voted to reelect President Bush. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Armin Bockman from Westminster, Massachusetts, writes, I would vote for George Bush <v Ginnie Bacheler>because Clinton says what the public wants to hear and will change his views to do so. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Choaning Johnson from Nashville, Tennessee, writes, George Bush has a lot of experience <v Ginnie Bacheler>in world affairs and knows what he is doing. <v Ginnie Bacheler>He's a good leader. Kevin Moreno from Park Ridge, New Jersey, writes, George Bush is <v Ginnie Bacheler>a family man who cares about his family and his country. <v Ginnie Bacheler>He has good values and would lead our country in the direction that it would benefit <v Ginnie Bacheler>best. Rachel Pontier of Orange City, Iowa, agrees and writes, I think that <v Ginnie Bacheler>President Bush is a very good president.

<v Ginnie Bacheler>He is also against abortion and so am I. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Some of you wanted to vote for Ross Perot. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Chad Bixler from New Milford, Connecticut, writes, Perot will make a good president <v Ginnie Bacheler>because he is a businessman who wants to work for the people of the United States. <v Ginnie Bacheler>KerriAnn Pauls from Henderson, Nebraska, agrees. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Right. We need to get out of debt and Perone knows how to make money. <v Ginnie Bacheler>We enjoyed reading all of your letters and look forward to your responses to our 2 latest <v Ginnie Bacheler>issue questions. Do you support the voucher system? <v Ginnie Bacheler>And should TV networks announce the projected winners while the polls are still open? <v Ginnie Bacheler>If you'd like to receive an Assignment: The World press card include a self-addressed <v Ginnie Bacheler>stamped envelope. Send your cards, letters, poems and photos of yourself <v Ginnie Bacheler>to Assignment: The World post office Box 21 Rochester, New York <v Ginnie Bacheler>14601. And it's time now for next week's Clues in the News. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Our first clue is a scrambled letter clue. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Two words W N E is the first word, second word S R <v Ginnie Bacheler>G S C N O E. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Our second clue is a location 33 degrees, 34 minutes north latitude. <v Ginnie Bacheler>35 degrees, 23 minutes east longitude.

<v Ginnie Bacheler>And our third clue is a fill in the blank. <v Ginnie Bacheler>It's 3 words. First word W blank M blank N. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Second word in. Third word C blank M B <v Ginnie Bacheler>blank T, question mark. <v Ginnie Bacheler>These are clues to stories we think will happen in the coming week. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Look for the answers in newspapers and newsmagazines and on radio and television <v Ginnie Bacheler>newscasts. We'll reveal the answers on next week's show. <v Ginnie Bacheler>Good luck. <v Quiz announcer>Time now for our second pop quiz. <v Quiz announcer>In our story about the Japanese emperor visiting China, what did we tell you the Chinese <v Quiz announcer>wanted from Japan. Was it an apology? <v Quiz announcer>Release of documents? <v Quiz announcer>Special treatment? <v Quiz announcer>And the correct answer is number 1, an apology. <v Ginnie Bacheler>That's it for this week's show. From all of us here at Assignment: The World, I'm Ginnie <v Ginnie Bacheler>Bacheler. We will see you again next week.