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COMING UP, ON ASSIGNMENT... A TENSE STANDOFF BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE... WE HAVE BACKGROUND
AND ANALYSIS FROM VOICE OF AMERICA'S UKRAINIAN SERVICE.
WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM. WITH US NOW IS MYROSLAVA GONGADZE FROM VOA'S UKRAINIAN SERVICE. THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. MYROSLAVA IS HERE TO TALK WITH US ABOUT THE TENSIONS BETWEEN
UKRAINE AND RUSSIA RIGHT NOW.
THIS OF COURSE COMES AFTER RUSSIAN FORCES ENTERED UKRAINE'S CRIMEA PENINSULA, AND WITH
RUSSIA SAYING IT'S PROTECTING ITS CITIZENS AND WESTERN NATIONS DEFENDING UKRAINE'S SOVEREIGNTY,
THE CRIMEA CRISIS HAS ESCALATED INTO THE MOST SERIOUS CONFRONTATION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE
WEST SINCE THE COLD WAR. NOW MYROSLAVA, WHAT'S AT THE ROOT OF THIS CONFLICT? WHY IS CRIMEA
SO IMPORTANT?
FIRST OF ALL I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT RUSSIAN AGGRESSIAN OR RUSSIAN MILITARY
MOVE IS NOT SOME KIND OF MILITARY MISSION TO SAVE RUSSIAN SPEAKING UKRAINIANS OR RUSSIAN
SPEAKING POPULATION IN CRIMEA. IT'S A CLEAR VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, BECAUSE UKRAINE
GAVE UP ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN 1994 IN EXCHANGE FOR PROTECTION FROM UNITED STATES, ENGLAND
AND RUSSIA. AGREED TO PROTECT UKRAINIAN SOVERIGNTY. RIGHT NOW RUSSIA CLEARLY VIOLATED THAT AGREEMENT
AND MANY OTHER AGREEMENTS THAT WERE MADE BETWEEN UKRAINE AND RUSSIA AND FOR THEMSELVES ON THE
AREA. THE CRIMEAN PENINSULA IS IN THE BLACK SEA AND WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT AROUND
THE BLACK SEA WE HAVE THREE NATO MEMBERS, MEMBER COUNTRIES, SO I DON'T THINK THAT UNITED
STATES OR NATO ALLIANCE CAN LET PUTIN MAKE BLACK SEA PUTIN'S LAKE. BECAUSE IT'S A VERY
DANGEROUS SITUATION. SO IT'S A STRATEGIC AREA FOR NATO MEMBERS AND FOR RUSSIA AS WELL, DEFINITELY
FOR UKRAINE.
SOME OF THE CRITICS ARE ALSO SAYING THAT THIS STARTED WHEN THE NOW OUSTED PRESIDENT VIKTOR
YANUKOVYCH REJECTED A DEAL WITH CLOSER TIES WITH RUSSIA. WITH THE EU, HAVING TO HAVE CLOSER
TIES WITH RUSSIA. DO YOU THINK IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT?
NO ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE IT STARTED WITH UKRAINIAN PEACEFUL PROTESTING THE DECISION THAT PRESIDENT
YANUKOVYCH MADE. IN THE LAST MOMENT HE DECIDED TO SWITCH SIDES AND DECIDED TO MOVE TOWARD
RUSSIA AND DECIDED NOT TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH EUROPEAN UNION, AND UKRAINIANS WERE VERY DISAPPOINTED
BECAUSE THEY WERE HOPING THAT UKRAINE CAN BECOME A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY AND CAN INTRODUCE
SOME REFORMS THAT THEY WERE WAITING FOR SO LONG. SO IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AND FOR THREE MONTHS
UKRAINIANS WERE STANDING ON MAIDAN AND WE KNOW NOW HOW BRUTAL UKRAINIAN YANUKOVYCH FORCES
WERE TOWARD PEOPLE. SO ALMOST 100 PEOPLE DIED AND A THOUSAND WERE BEATEN, TORTURED. SO PRESIDENT
YANUKOVYCH LEFT THE COUNTRY. HE ABANDONED THE COUNTRY. HE PICKED UP HIS BELONGINGS AND
LEFT. NOW WE KNOW THAT HE IS IN RUSSIA. BUT YES, UKRAINE WANTS TO BE WITH EUROPE. THAT
WAS A CLEAR DECISION BY UKRAINIAN PEOPLE. NOW UKRAINE HAS A NEW GOVERNMENT THAT IS TRYING
TO MOVE UKRAINE TOWARD EUROPE. THAT'S WHAT RUSSIA IS DISAPPOINTED WITH AND DON'T LIKE.
THEY'RE MINGLING IN UKRAINIAN AFFAIRS.
AND MYROSLAVA, ON A PERSONAL NOTE, WHAT'S IT LIKE FOR YOU COVERING THIS SITUATION AS
A UKRAINIAN YOURSELF? BUT ALSO NEEDING TO BALANCE YOUR ROLE AS A JOURNALIST?
IT'S HARD. IT'S HARD BECAUSE I MEAN I HAVE ALL MY LOVED ONES THERE, MY FATHER, BROTHER,
ALL MY FRIENDS. I'M DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THIS IDEA OF UKRAINE TO BECOME A EUROPEAN STATE,
SO IT'S HARD. BUT I LEARN HOW TO BALANCE MY PROFESSIONAL STAND AND MY PERSONAL FEELINGS
BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF PERSONAL HARDSHIP IN THE PAST AND I KNOW HOW TO DIVIDE
AND MAKE THIS AND BE PROFESSIONAL IN THAT REGARD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US MYROSLAVA GONGADZE FROM VOA UKAINIAN SERVICE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING ON.
WELL, WE'RE TAKING A BREAK. ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE'LL HEAR WHAT A PROMINENT POLITICAL VOICE
IN THE U.S. HAS TO SAY ABOUT AMERICAN TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN. YOU'RE WATCHING ON ASSIGNMENT.
COMMERCIAL BREAK 2:00
IN HIS LAST WEEKS IN OFFICE, AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI HAS HAD SOME TOUGH WORDS FOR
THE UNITED STATES. AND THE WHITE HOUSE HAS MADE CLEAR ITS DISPLEASURE WITH MR. KARZAI'S
COMMENTS, AS WELL AS HIS REFUSAL TO SIGN A BILATERAL SECURITY AGREEMENT.
THE B-S-A SPELLS OUT THE SCOPE OF A CONTINUED U.S. PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN. ONE POLITICIAN
WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED WITH AFGHANISTAN FROM THE BEGINNING IS, OF COURSE, U.S. SENATOR
JOHN MCCAIN. REPORTER NAJIBA SALAM FROM VOA DARI SERVICE SPOKE WITH HIM ABOUT RELATIONS
BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND KABUL. TAKE A LISTEN.
"I'M VERY SAD, NOT EVEN ANGRY, THAT PRESIDENT KARZAI HAS BEHAVED THE WAY HE HAS. I MAKE
NO EXCUSES FOR HIM; I WISH HE'D BEEN MUCH BETTER. BUT THERE IS SOME RATIONALE FOR SOME
OF HIS BEHAVIOR. I FIRST MET PRESIDENT KARZAI IN 2001 WHEN BAGRAM HAD FALLEN 0UT OF TALIBAN
HANDS, AND I'VE KNOWN HIM MANY, MANY TIMES OVER THE INTERVENING YEARS. AND I'VE ALWAYS
HAD A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. THE LAST ELECTION OF 2009 HE BELIEVED THAT THE
UNITED STATES WAS TRYING TO MANIPULATE IT TO HIS DETREMENT IN THAT. SO, I'VE SEEN PRESIDENT
KARZAI BECOME MORE AND MORE, IN MY VIEW, IRRATIONAL. BUT THERE HAS BEEN A BASIS FOR THAT IRRATIONAL
BEHAVIOR."
NAJIBA SALAM, IN YOUR INTERVIEW, SENATOR MCCAIN USED THE WORD IRRATIONAL TO DESCRIBE PRESIDENT
KARZAI. WHAT DO YOU THINK HE MEANT BY THAT?
WELL, HE KNOWS THAT AFGHANISTAN NEEDS U.S. PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN. AND THAT AFGHANISTAN
IS NOT READY FOR U.S. TO WITHDRAWL COMPLETELY FROM AFGHANISTAN. SO FOR PRESIDENT KARZAI,
HE'S ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR HIS LEGACY, FOR HIS FUTURE AND FOR HIS FAMILY. AND THAT'S
WHY HE'S NOT SIGNING; HE'S BEING -- SENATOR MCCAIN SAYS HE'S IRRATIONAL BY NOT SIGNING
THE BILATERAL SECURITY AGREEMENT.
AND YET SENATOR MCCAIN SEEMED TO ALSO, AS WELL AS USING THIS WORD IRRATIONAL, HE ALSO
SEEMED TO BE MAYBE MAKING SOME APOLOGIES, ALMOST, FOR PRESIDENT KARZAI AND SOME OF HIS
ACTIONS. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE SENATOR WAS REALLY OF TWO MINDS ON THIS ISSUE. WAS I READING
THIS RIGHT?
THAT WAS EXACTLY I FELT THAT'S HOW IT WAS. HE SAID, ON THE ONE HAND WE WANT HIM TO SIGN
THE B-S-A BUT WE'RE NOT GIVING HIM EXACTLY HOW MANY TROOPS IS GOING TO STAY BACK, AND
EXACTLY, WITH DETAILS, WHAT WOULD BE THEIR MISSION. SO THAT REALLY AGGRAVATES HIM. AND
SENATOR MCCAIN SAYS THAT HE HAS REASON TO BE UPSET, TO BE IRRATIONAL.
"AS TIME PASSES, BY NECESSITY, BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITIES OF PLANNING WITHDRAWL -- AND
IT'S NOT JUST TROOPS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EQUIPMENT AND CLOSING OF BASES -- THAT THE
MISSION BEYOND 2014 SHOULD A B-S-A BE SIGNED WOULD BY NECESSITY, IF IT HAPPENS LATE IN
THE YEAR, BE SMALLER IN SCALE AND AMBITION."
"I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IF YOU TELL ENEMY AGAIN, AS THE PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO DO, THAT YOU
ARE LEAVING, THAT IT IS WORTH WHILE STAYING FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. WE NEED A LONG
TERM PRESENCE, NOT AMERICANS IN COMBAT, WITHOUT AMERICAN CASUALTIES, THAT WE NEED A LONG TERM
PRESENCE JUST AS WE'VE HAD IN KOREA, JAPAN, OTHER COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD."
DO YOU THINK AFGHANS WANT A LONG TERM U.S. PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN?
FOR AS LONG AS THEY NEED. I BELIEVE A LOT OF, RIGHT NOW THERE IS A LOT OF CONCERN AMONG
THE CIVIL SOCIETY, AMONG WOMEN ESPECIALLY, THEY ARE REALLY CONCERNED. IF THE UNITED STATES
LEAVES AFGHANISTAN, THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN. THE TALIBAN WILL COME AND TAKE OVER, INSURGENCY
WILL RISE AND THEN THAT'S WHY...A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY SENATOR MCCAIN MENTIONED ABOUT
THESE ELEVEN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES. THAT HE WATCHED ACTUALLY THE TELEVISED DEBATE THAT
THEY HAD, THAT HE WAS SO HAPPY TO HEAR FROM THEM, THAT EACH ONE OF THEM SAID THAT WE WILL
SIGN THE BILATERAL SECURITY AGREEMENT, AND WE WANT THE UNITED STATES FOR A LONG TIME.
DO THE AFGHAN FORCES AND AFGHAN LEADERSHIP ADEQUATELY TRUST THE U.S. FORCES AND LEADERSHIP
DO YOU THINK?
THAT'S ANOTHER, I'M NOT QUITE SURE ABOUT THAT. BUT I KNOW FOR SURE THAT THEY DEFINITELY NEED
ASSISTANCE. THEY DEFINITELY NEED U.S. ASSISTANCE AS FAR AS MONETARY ASSISTANCE, AS FAR AS ANY
KIND OF TRAINING ASSISTANCE, THEY NEED THAT. THEY WILL NOT; I MEAN IF YOU ASK ANY AFGHAN
WHETHER AFGHAN SECURITY FORCES ARE READY TO DEFEND THEIR COUNTRY, THEY WILL TELL YOU NO.
THAT WAS VOA DARI SERVICE REPORTER NAJIBA SALAM TALKING WITH ON ASSIGNMENT'S DOUG BERNARD.
AFGHANISTAN'S APRIL ELECTION COULD BE HISTORIC, PAVING THE WAY FOR THE COUNTRY'S FIRST-EVER
PEACEFUL DEMOCRATIC TRANSFER OF POWER.
MOVING ON ... TO ANOTHER STORY OF GLOBAL INTEREST: CLIMATE CHANGE. IT'S MAKING IT HARDER THAN
USUAL FOR SCIENTISTS TO KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, AND THE EFFECT WEATHER CHANGES WILL
HAVE ON SOCIETIES ... AND ECONOMIES.
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS HAVE DESTROYED HOMES AND BUSINESSES AROUND THE WORLD, BUT AS VOA'S
JIM RANDLE TOLD ON ASSIGNMENT'S PHILIP ALEXIOU, U.S. BUILDERS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES SAY
SOME SIMPLE CHANGES CAN REDUCE THE TOLL.
IN THIS LABORATORY TEST, A HOUSE BUILT WITH CONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES IS FALLING APART IN
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS. THE SURVIVOR HAS STRONGER SHINGLES, THICKER ROOF BOARDS, AND METAL STRAPS
HOLDING FLOORS TOGETHER.
IN THE VIDEO THAT WE SAW WHERE THE ONE HOUSE WAS BLOWING AWAY YOU SPEAK OF THESE AS LABS,
BUT THESE ARE REAL LIFE SIZE LABS?
THEY ARE, THEY BASICALLY BUILT TWO COMPLETE HOUSES. ONE OF THEM USING THE NORMAL CONSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUES AND ONE OF THEM USED ALL THE NORMAL CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND THEY REINFORCED
IT WITH SOME STRAPS AND SOME STRONGER WOOD IN KEY PLACES AND THEN THEY TURNED ON THE
FANS AT A LITTLE MORE THAN HURRICANE STRENGTH AND THAT ONE HOUSE JUST, JUST FLEW APART.
WELL, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE WATCHING IT YOU JUST SEE SORT OF THESE MINOR LITTLE CHANGES
THAT DON'T LOOK LIKE IT WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE TO REINFORCE A HOUSE. IS THAT FAIR TO SAY?
THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE IS THAT IF YOU DO IT
WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH GREAT CARE AND FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHERE TO PUT REINFORCEMENT AND
JUST HOW MUCH...FOR EXAMPLE THE ROOF, THE PLYWOOD ON THE ROOF OF THE REINFORCED HOUSE
IS A COUPLE MILLIMETERS THICKER THAN THE ONE THAT JUST FELL APART SO IT'S CLEAR THAT A
CERTAIN AMOUNT OF REINFORCEMENT HERE AND A LITTLE BIT THERE AND A LITTLE BIT IN THESE
OTHER PLACES MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.
THE GROWING NUMBER OF UNUSUALLY STRONG STORMS LIKE TYPHOON HAIYAN HAS CONVINCED THE CHAIRMAN
OF THE US SENATE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE TOM CARPER THAT EXTREME WEATHER IS THE NEW
NORM.
NOW YOU MENTION TYPHOON HAIYAN THAT HIT THE PHILIPPINES, VERY DESTRUCTIVE. AND SO WHEN
YOU LOOK AT A COUNTRY LIKE THE PHILIPPINES THAT ABSORBS SUCH AN ENORMOUS DISASTER DO
THEY SUDDENLY START THINKING GEE, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO START DOING SOMETHING ABOUT PREPARING
FOR THESE TYPES OF THINGS.
WELL, CERTAINLY, IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT STRONGER HOUSES MIGHT HAVE SAVED SOME LIVES.
NOW WOULD IT BE STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD UP TO WHAT IS ONE OF THE FEW WORST IN HISTORY IS
A QUESTION BEYOND, A QUESTION I CAN'T ANSWER, PERHAPS SCIENTISTS COULD, BUT IT'S CLEAR YOU
COULD DO MORE TO SAVE LIVES.
NOW WHAT ABOUT MODELS WHEN YOU START TRYING TO FORECAST, I GUESS, THE ECONOMIC DAMAGE.
THEY CAN FORECAST, THEY TRY TO FORECAST THE WEATHER BASICALLY BUT THEY CAN FIND WAYS TO
DEAL WITH IT...
IT'S REALLY, IT'S APPARENTLY REALLY DIFFICULT. I MEAN IT'S DIFFICULT TO FORECAST WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN WITH CLIMATE. BUT HOW FAST AND WHAT IMPACT, IN THIS PROFESSOR'S VIEW, IS SIMPLY
TOO HARD TO PREDICT.
I THINK ALL WE CAN DO IS TAKING ALL OF THAT INTO ACCOUNT, COME UP WITH SOME VERY ROUGH
NUMBER, VERY ROUGH ESTIMATES, I WOULD SAY CONSENSUS ESTIMATES THAT MAYBE EXPERTS PROVIDE
THAT GIVE US A VIEW OF WHAT WOULD THE CATASTROPHIC OUTCOME LOOK LIKE IF WE DON'T DO ANYTHING.
NOW THE OTHER THING I WANT TO BRING UP IS THAT HE ALSO TALKS ABOUT, AT LEAST ONE ACTION
WAS THAT YOU SAID IN YOUR REPORT IS MAYBE IMPOSING A TAX ON CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS
THAT WOULD MAYBE ENCOURAGE COMPANIES AND FAMILIES TO USE LESS ENERGY AND TO GENERATE FEWER GASES.
BUT IF INDONESIA AND CHINA WERE NOT TO ADOPT SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IT'S REALLY MOOT ALMOST...DOESN'T
MAKE SENSE.
IT'S ONE OF THE FEW THINGS WE COULD ACTUALLY DO. AND WE'RE IF NOT THE LARGEST EMITTER OF
CARBON DIOXIDE WE'RE IN THE TOP TWO OR THREE AND THE OTHER THING IS THE UNITED STATES,
ACCORDING TO PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT THIS SORT OF THING, WE COULD SHOW LEADERSHIP.
AND OF COURSE OUR THANKS TO VOA'S JIM RANDLE. NOW ABOUT HALF THE WORLD'S POPULATION LIVES
IN CITIES -- AND IT IS THOSE CITIES THAT ACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN 70 PERCENT OF GLOBAL CARBON
DIOXIDE EMISSIONS.
WE'RE TAKING A BREAK. BUT COMING UP - WE GET THE BLUES. THE MUSIC, THAT IS, NOT THE SADNESS.
YOU'RE WATCHING ON ASSIGNMENT.
IN THE EARLY 1900S, AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES CREATED A SOUND THAT
CAME TO BE CALLED THE BLUES. DERIVED FROM SPIRITUAL CHANTS AND WORK SONGS IN THE FIELDS,
BLUES MUSIC NOWADAYS IS EVERYWHERE.
REALLY IS. THE BLUES IS A STYLE AND TRADITION THAT HAS FANS AND PLAYERS AROUND THE WORLD.
IN A SERIES OF REPORTS, VOA'S HOUSTON-BASED CORRESPONDENT GREG FLAKUS LOOKED INTO THE
HISTORY OF THE MUSIC GENRE, AND HE TALKED TO ME ABOUT WHAT HE FOUND.
THE BLUES WAS FIRST PLAYED BY AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN PLACES LIKE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA
SOUTH OF MEMPHIS.
A LOT OF MUSIC THAT WE HEAR THAT YOU WOULD SAY, OH THAT'S THE BLUES, DOESN'T NECESSARY
FIT IN THAT CATEGORY OF MUSICOLOGY, IN TERMS OF MUSICOLOGY. BUT IT'S SOULFUL, IT EXPRESSES
A FEELING. AND I THINK THAT'S THE BASIC THING THAT PEOPLE WOULD IDENTIFY. EVENTUALLY IT
BECAME MIXED UP WITH WHAT WAS CALLED JAZZ, WHERE YOU HAD INSTRUMENTS LIKE TRUMPETS AND
CLARINETS AND SAXOPHONES AND ALL. AND SOMETIMES THOSE TERMS ARE VERY SIMILAR IN TERMS OF THE
MUSIC. BUT THE BLUES HAS AFFECTED ALL KINDS OF MUSIC. MOST OF WHAT WE LISTEN TODAY, ROCK
'N' ROLL, COUNTRY WESTERN, ALL OF IT THAT HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY THE BLUES.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SPREAD OF BLUES MUSIC INTERNATIONALLY. BECAUSE YOU TALK ABOUT ITS
ORIGINS BEINGS AMONGST AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE AMERICAN SOUTH, BUT NOW WE'RE SEEING PEOPLE
FROM ALL DIFFERENT PLACES ACROSS THE WORLD PLAYING BLUES.
THAT'S RIGHT AND IN FACT, SOME OF THE BIGGEST FANS ARE IN EUROPE. AT A TIME WHEN THE BLUES
SORT OF WENT OUT OF FAVOR HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, BRITISH FANS, FOR EXAMPLE, WERE COLLECTING
RECORDS.
RIGHT AND YOU FEATURED SOME VARIOUS BLUES SINGERS ACROSS YOUR REPORTING. TELL US ABOUT
SOME OF THOSE? SOME OF THOSE SINGERS AND PERFORMERS AND MAYBE THE STORIES THAT STRUCK YOU MOST?
WELL, WHAT I FOUND THAT IN HOUSTON WHERE I'M BASED, THERE WERE A LOT OF CLUBS PLAYING BLUES
AND THERE WERE A LOT OF UP AND COMING GROUPS PLAYING THERE. AND WHEN I STARTED INVESTIGATING
THIS, I FOUND OUT THAT ACTUALLY HOUSTON HAD QUITE A TRADITION OF BLUES MUSIC AND OF COURSE
ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS PEOPLE WAS LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS WHO LIVED MOST OF HIS LIFE IN HOUSTON
AND BECAME WORLD FAMOUS FOR HIS STYLE. AND RAY CHARLES LIVED FOR A WHILE IN HOUSTON.
SO IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THESE YOUNGER PEOPLE TODAY ARE TAPPING INTO THAT HERITAGE
AND KEEPING IT ALIVE AND DOING IT IN THEIR OWN WAY.
ERIC HOOVESTOL WHO SINGS WITH THE WHITE LIGHNINS FROM HOUSTON, IS A FAN OF HIS CITY'S MOST
FAMOUS BLUESMAN, THE LATE LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS.
HOUSTON BLUES HAS A LOT OF HISTORY AND LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS WAS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE FORERUNNERS
AND I WANTED TO RESPECT THAT SO WE NAMED THAT BAND THE WHITE LIGHNINS TO HONOR LIGHTNIN'
HOPKINS.
NOW YOU WENT TO THIS INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES NOW, YOU
WENT THERE IN MEMPHIS. TELL US ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE?
WELL, YEAH, WHAT I DID WAS I HAD GOTTEN TO KNOW THE BLUES PLAYERS IN HOUSTON WHO HAD
BEEN SELECTED BY THE HOUSTON BLUES SOCIETY TO GO THERE. SO I WENT THERE KIND OF FOLLOWING
THEM TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AND WHEN I GOT THERE I FOUND ALL KINDS OF OTHER INTERESTING
GROUPS AS WELL.
ARTISTS FROM 40 U.S. SATES AND 16 FOREIGN COUNTRIES CAME TO THE CONTEST ON BEALE STREET,
WHERE THE BLUES HAS BEEN PLAYED FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY. DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE BLUES FOUNDATION,
JOE WHITMER, SAYS MANY MUSICIANS FEEL REWARDED JUST PERFORMING HERE.
SURE, THEY COME AND COMPETE; SURE, THEY WOULD WALK AWAY WITH PRIZES, BUT HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY
TO PLAY AT LEAST TWO NIGHTS ON WORLD FAMOUS, HISTORIC BEALE STREET MEANS THE WORLD TO THEM."
ONE OF THE MAJOR ASPECTS OF YOUR REPORTING, YOU DID A STORY ON WOMEN AND THE BLUES AND
THAT'S A VERY INTERESTING HISTORY?
YES BECAUSE WOMEN WERE AMONG THE, IN FACT THEY WERE FIRST RECORDING ARTIST IN TERMS
OF BLUES HITS. MA RAINEY FOR EXAMPLE. BUT OVER THE YEARS, MEN CAME TO DOMINATE IT AND
TODAY MOST BLUES GROUPS ARE EITHER MEN OR THEY MIGHT HAVE ONE FEMALE SO SOME OF THE
FEMALE PLAYERS HAVE TAKEN TO THE FORE AND ARE TRYING TO FIND MORE OF A NITCH FOR THEMSELVES
AND PROMOTE THEMSELVES MORE.
WE OFTEN HAVE TO FIGHT HARDER TO GET THE SAME RESPECT AS THE GUYS, SO WE HAVE TO BRING IT
HARDER, WE BRING IN EVERY BIT OF FIRE, PASSION AND SOUL THAT WE HAVE GOT.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS SERIES?
WELL I THINK THERE ARE TWO THINGS. ONE WOULD BE THAT THIS IS A MUSIC THAT CAME FROM AMERICA.
THE ROOTS ARE HERE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY AND SHOULD REALLY BE PROUD OF THAT AND CELEBRATE
IT. THE OTHER THING THAT THE INTERNATIONAL ASPECT. THE FACT THAT THIS KIND OF MUSIC SPEAKS
TO PEOPLE IN OTHER CULTURES, IN OTHER COUNTRIES THAT THERE THAT RESONATES WITH THEM. THE BLUES
SEEMS TO BE UNIVERSAL. IT SEEMS TO TOUCH PEOPLE IN MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, IN MANY DIFFERENT
AREAS OF THE WORLD.
AND AGAIN THAT WAS VOA'S GREG FLAKUS. YOU KNOW, GREG ACTUALLY DABBLES IN SOME HARMONICA
PLAYING HIMSELF AND YOU ARE ALSO A MUSICIAN SO MAYBE SING US A FEW BLUES NOTES ONE DAY
THE TWO OF YOU COULD PLAY TOGETHER...
I LOVE THE BLUES . IF I START SINGING RIGHT NOW, THE SHOW IS GOING TO END AND I'LL JUST
KEEP SINGING . I'D LOVE TO JAM WITH GREG AND OUR E.P. MARTIN ON THE GUITAR.
O.K. SO ONE DAY...WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE CLIP MAYBE FOR FACEBOOK...WE WILL...SING THE BLUES...
ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT...ANOTHER POPULAR FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT IN ADDITION TO MUSIC IS HORSEBACK
RIDING. AND AT A FARM IN THE U.S. STATE OF MARYLAND, SOME PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE
RIDING HORSES AS A FORM OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY.
VOA'S ARASH ARABASADI SPENT A DAY AT THE FARM TO SEE IT FIRSTHAND. CHECK IT OUT.
TODAY IS THE BEST DAY OF THE WEEK.
"BEFORE WE EVEN LEAVE HOME, IT'S AN EXPECTATION. IT'S SATURDAY. WE'RE GOING HORSEBACK RIDING."
THIS IS MARYLAND THERAPEUTIC RIDING. A PLACE WHERE HORSES AND THERAPISTS HELP PEOPLE WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS, LIKE SELINA.
"I'M HERE FOR MANY REASONS. MAIN REASON IS THERAPEUTIC, TO GET MY CORE STRENGTH AND BALANCE
UP TO SNUFF ((ELEVATED/IMPROVED))."
"LILLY HAS LOST HER SPEECH ABILITY. SHE'S GONE FROM 500 WORDS WHEN SHE WAS 5 YEARS OLD
TO A COUPLE OF WORDS TODAY."
"IT'S SO EXCITING FOR ME TO SEE HIS GROWTH AND THE CHANGES. I FEEL LIKE IT'S OPENED DOORS
THAT WOULDN'T BE OPEN WITHOUT THIS PROGRAM."
IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFICULTY WALKING, THE MOVEMENT ON HORSEBACK SIMULATES WALKING AND STIMULATES
CORE MUSCLES. THERAPIST DEBRA TAYLOR:
"THE BENEFIT IS MANY FOLD, BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE YOU WORKING ON FINE MOTOR ((SKILLS)),
YOU'RE DOING IT ON THE HORSE, WHILE IT'S MOVING, IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION."
THAT UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION FORCES RIDERS TO ENGAGE SELDOM-USED MUSCLE GROUPS. THE RESULTS
ARE INSPIRATIONAL. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KEN MCCREEDY:
"THE THINGS THAT YOU SEE HERE ARE MIRACULOUS. THEY'RE JUST LITTLE MIRACLES EVERY DAY THAT
HAPPEN IN PEOPLE'S LIVES. YOU SEE IT ON THE RIDERS' FACES AND WHAT THEY'RE ABLE TO ACHIEVE,
WHAT THEY'RE ABLE TO LEARN; THE FUN THEY'RE HAVING."
AND THAT'S THE TRICK: HAVING THERAPY, DISGUISED AS FUN.
"A LOT OF THESE PARTICIPANTS CAN'T DO OTHER SPORTS. THEY CAN'T PLAY SOCCER. THEY CAN'T
PLAY BASKETBALL. THEY CAN'T DO A TEAM SPORT."
THESE THREE ARE AS DIFFERENT AS THEIR SPECIAL NEEDS. AND WHILE THIS TIME ON A HORSE DOESN'T
CURE THEM...IT BRINGS JOY...AND FOR A FEW HOURS ON SATURDAY, THE RHYTHMS OF NORMALITY
BLEND INTO THE GAIT OF A HORSE. ARASH ARABASADI FOR VOA NEWS.
AND SADLY THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE FOR TODAY. JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN OUR NATIONAL
REPORTER LOOKS AHEAD TO THE 2016 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, AND THE ODDS THAT HILLARY CLINTON
WILL BE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE.
AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HEAR FROM OUR ISLAMABAD CORRESPONDENT ABOUT A DISTURBING KIND OF ATTACK
THAT IS HAPPENING ALL TOO OFTEN IN PAKISTAN.
BE SURE TO WATCH ON ASSIGNMENT ONLINE ON VOANEWS.COM, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE, AND REMEMBER VOA IS
THE PLACE FOR INTERNATIONAL NEWS COVERAGE EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING YOU WITH US AGAIN NEXT WEEK.