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ThisistheVOASpecialEnglishDevelopmentReport.
AnewreportsaystheillegalkillingofrhinosfortheirhornsisincreasinginAfricaandAsia.Rhinocerospoachersarekillinganestimatedtwotothreeoftherareanimalseachweek.
ExpertssaydemandinAsia--especiallyVietnamandChina--currentlydrivesmosttradeinrhinohornsfromsouthernAfrica.Thehornsareoftenusedtomaketraditionalmedicines,orhandlesfordaggerknives.
ThereportisfromtheInternationalUnionfortheConservationofNatureandanorganizationknownasTraffic.
MostAfricanrhinopoachingisinZimbabweandSouthAfrica.ExpertsfoundthattwohundredtenrhinoswereillegallykilledinSouthAfricainthelastthreeyears.
TheestimateforZimbabweistwohundredthirty-five.Thesituationthreatensgainsmadeinitsrhinopopulationsinthenineteennineties.Inthelasttwoyears,onlysixpeoplewerefoundguiltyofpoachingchargesoutofforty-onearrested.
Intwothousandone,sixty-eightpercentofAfricanrhinohornsenteringillegaltradewererecovered.Bythisyear,nineoutoftenwereheadingtoAsianmarketswithoutinterference.
ThereportsayspoachingandillegalhorntradehasincreasedinSouthAfricaevenwithnewmeasuresagainstit.
Addingtotheproblem,poacherstodayaremoreskilledatkillingrhinos,andnotonlywithguns.Theyalsousequietermethods,likeveterinarydrugs,poisonandcrossbows.
AninternationalagreementonprotectingendangeredanimalsandplantsprovidesforsporthuntingofwhiterhinosinAfrica.Butthehornsoftenenterillegalmarkets.
Notallthenewsisbad,however.Thereportnotesthatrhinopopulationsareincreasinginsomeareas.TheseincludebothwhiterhinosandblackrhinosinthewildinAfrica.
Africahadanestimatedseventeenthousandwhiterhinosandfourthousandblackrhinosasoftwoyearsago.CurrentestimatesforAsiaarearoundthreethousandrhinos.Butevenwithpoaching,growthisreportedinsomeareasofIndiaandNepal.
Wildlifeactivistsareurginggovernmentstodomoretofightrhinopoaching.
ThereportwaspresentedtotheorganizationknownasCITES.CITESistheConventiononInternationalTradeinEndangeredSpeciesofWildFaunaandFlora.ThenextconferenceofcountriesthatarepartiestotheagreementisinMarchinDoha,Qatar.
Andthat'stheVOASpecialEnglishDevelopmentReport,writtenbyJuneSimms.I'mSteveEmber.
WrittenbyNancySteinbachandMarioRitter
VOICEONE:
WelcometoTHISISAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.I'mSteveEmber.
VOICETWO:
Numbersarrive,onpedicabs,tobeplacedatopTimesSquareinNewYorkfortheNewYear'sEveballdropwelcoming2010
AndI'mShirleyGriffith.Thisweekonourprogram,wefindouthowsomepeoplewillbewelcomingtwothousandten.
(MUSIC)
VOICEONE:
SowhatdoAmericansdoNewYear'sEve?
HillaryHuesmanisfromSouthCarolina.
HILLARYHUESMAN:
"Igetdressedup.Ilooktogoout.I'musuallysingle,andthatisusuallynotaproblem.ThisyearI'mstillmakingmyplans.Ihaven'tquiteconfirmedthemyet,butprobablyahotelballroom-typescenario,black-tieevent."
Atablack-tieevent,themendressintuxedosordarksuitsandthewomenwearfancydresses.
HotelsinmanycitieshavespecialdealsforNewYear'sEve:
dinner,Champagneandaparty.Thenpeoplegetaroomforthenight.Thatway,noonehastoworryaboutdrinkinganddrivinghome.
VOICETWO:
OnNewYear'sEve,somecommunitiesintheUnitedStatesholdwhatarecalledFirstNightcelebrations.Theseareeventswherenoalcoholisserved.Thecelebrationsincludethingslikemusicperformances,artdisplaysandfireworks.
Boston,Massachusetts,heldthefirstFirstNightcelebrationinnineteenseventy-six.Sincethentheideahasspreadinternationally.
VOICEONE:
SomepeoplemightnothavefirmplansyetforNewYear'sEve,butothersknowexactlywhattheywillbedoing.Joeisatwenty-oneyearoldstudentattheUniversityofVirginia.
JOE:
"Idon'treallydoawholelot.Inormallyjustspendtimewithfamily,goouttoeat,hangout,waitfortheballtodroponTV."
JoeistalkingaboutAmerica'sbestknowncelebrationonNewYear'sEve.HundredsofthousandsofpeoplecrowdintoTimesSquareinNewYork.Theycountdownthefinalsecondstomidnightastheywatchabrightlylitballslidedownapoleontopofatallbuilding.
(SOUND)
Acouplewelcoming2009inTimesSquare
ThefirstNewYear'sEveballdropinTimesSquaretookplacemorethanacenturyago.Theballwasmadeofironandwoodanditwaslitwithonehundredlights.Todaytheballislargerandcoveredinmorethantwothousandcrystals.
VOICETWO:
TwoothertraditionsforwelcomingtheNewYearareamidnightkissandanattempttosingasongthatalmostnooneknows.
"AuldLangSyne,"bytheeighteenthcenturyScottishpoetRobertBurns,isasongaboutfriendsandrememberingtimeslongago.
(MUSIC)
Anewyearisagoodtimetostartfresh--and,forsomepeople,atimetoseekgoodfortuneintheyearahead.
IntheAmericanSouth,forexample,peoplemightprepareadishknownas"Hoppin'John."Theymakeitwithblack-eyedpeasandingredientslikebacon,riceandvegetables.EatingitattheNewYearisthoughttobringgoodluck.
(MUSIC)
VOICEONE:
OnNewYear'sDay,somefamiliesintheUnitedStatesinvitefriendsandrelativestoanopenhouse.JillCooperfromSantaFe,NewMexico,gaveusadescription.
JILLCOOPER:
"They'refamilyparties,bigopenhouse-ykindofpartieswithlotsofcookies--toomanycookies--andpunchandeggnog.Andhousesaredecorated,andyouseeyourfriendsandyoubopfrompartytoparty."
ButthatisnotallsheandherfamilyliketodotocelebratetheNewYear.
JILLCOOPER:
"Wetrytodosomethingoutside'causeweliveinSantaFeandweliverightinthemountains.Everybodywantstogoforawonderfulhikeandstartoffwithfreshairandallthethingswe'regoingtohaveinourlivesthewholenextyear.Andthenwedropinonparties."
VOICETWO:
SomefamiliesliketotakeiteasyonJanuaryfirstandenjoyaquietdayofrest.TwentyyearoldMaliaisfromVirginia.
MALIA:
"IusuallysleepinbecausewestayuplateonNewYear'sEve.Andmyfamily,weusuallyeattheleftoversofthedessertsthatwemakeforNewYear's,orNewYear'sEveandstuff,so.But,justrelax,mainly."
ButNewYear'sDayisanythingbutadayofrestforJohnWorster(WOO-ster),wholivesinIdaho.
JOHNWORSTER:
"IofferCatholicMass,'causeI'maCatholicpriestbyprofession,andsoitisactuallythefeastdayofMary,MotherofGod.AndsowebeginourCatholicwayofunderstandingnewyearbyjustthankingGodforJesus'mother,Mary.OnNewYear'sDay,afterchurchwe'llgooutandsitinthegoosepitanddosomehuntingforCanadageeseandalsoducks."
VOICEONE:
UniversityofIllinoischeerleadersandfloatatthe2008RoseParade
OnNewYear'smorning,millionsoftelevisionviewerswatchtheTournamentofRosesParadeinPasadena,California.Theparadeincludesmarchingbandsandhorsebackriders.Buttheparadeismostfamousforitsmotorizedfloats.Theycomeinallshapesandsizes,buttheyareallcoveredwithflowers.
InSouthernCalifornia,theweatheronNewYear'sDaymightbecold.Buttheskiesareusuallysunnyanddry,evenasotherpartsofthecountrymightexperiencesnowstorms.
AlocalgroupcreatedtheTournamentofRosesfestivalinPasadenaineighteenninety.Thefestivallaterexpandedtoincludetheparadeandabiggameincollegefootball.
ThechampionteamsfromtwocollegeathleticconferencesplayintheRoseBowlStadium.ThisFriday,theBuckeyesofOhioStateUniversitywillplaytheUniversityofOregonDucks.
(MUSIC)
VOICETWO:
WillyoubemakinganyNewYear'sresolutions?
HillaryHuesmanfromSouthCarolinahasafewinmind.
HILLARYHUESMAN:
"I'dliketosolidifymyromanticrelationship,losetwenty-eightpounds.I'dliketotravelalotmoreintwenty-ten.Twothousandninewasalongyear--struggledfinancially,likemostofAmerica.SoI'mlookingforprosperityintwenty-ten."
VOICEONE:
MaliafromVirginiadoesnotmaketoomanyresolutions.Shesaysshedoesnotwanttodisappointherselfwhenshefailstokeepthem.Joe,theUniversityofVirginiastudent,isofasimilarmind.
JOE:
"I'mnotabelieverinresolutionsforNewYear's.Ithinkthatresolutionscomewhentheyneedtothroughouttheyear,whenyoudecidethatsomeoneneedsachange."
VOICETWO:
WhataboutJohnWorster,theCatholicpriest?
JOHNWORSTER:
"ImakeaNewYear'sresolutioneveryyearandusuallybythethirdorfourthofJanuaryit'salreadybeenbroken,so...(Laughs).
REPORTER:
"Whatkindofresolutionsarethose?
"
JOHNWORSTER:
"Oh,usuallytoleadahealthierlifestylebyeatingbetterfoodandnotdrinkingsomuch,so...(Laughs)"
VOICEONE:
JamarNegron,ahighschoolstudentfromNewJersey,hasafewresolutionsfortwothousandten:
JAMARNEGRON:
"I'mafencer,somyNewYear'sresolutionisjusttobecomebetteratfencing.Andbetterinthegeneralsense:
becomebetterinschoolwork,becomeabetterperson,becomeabetterwriter--becomeasbestasIcanbeinallaspectsofmylife."
(MUSIC)
VOICETWO:
Holidayplanningcanbedifficultwhenbusinesshastocomebeforepleasure.
WedidinterviewsneartheCapitolbuildinghereinWashington.Oneofthepeoplewemethappenedtobethewifeofanewlyelectedsenator.JillCooperismarriedtoTomUdall,aDemocratfromNewMexicowhoenteredtheSenatethispastJanuary.
Whenwetalkedtoherearlierthismonth,theirplansfortheNewYearwerestillopen.
JILLCOOPER:
"TherewasachancethatwewouldgoonatriptoIndiaandAfghanistan,butapparentlywe'renotdo