2005-1-27
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DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.
I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:
The Grammy-nominated music of Ray Charles and some friends …
A question about a weighty part of college life ...
And a look at the upcoming observance of Black History Month.
Black History Month
Black History Month begins Tuesday in the United States. The idea
for this yearly observance dates back to the work of an African
American historian, Carter Woodson. Faith Lapidus has our story.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Carter Woodson was
born in Virginia in eighteen seventy-five. He was the son of former
slaves. As a young man, Mister Woodson worked as a coal miner.
Later, he studied at Harvard University and received a doctorate
degree.
Carter Woodson became an educator. He saw that not much was
written about the involvement of black people in American history.
And what was written was not always correct.
So, in nineteen-fifteen Mister Woodson formed the Association for
the Study of Negro Life and History. The goal was to organize and
support research into black history.
In nineteen twenty-six, one week in February was chosen to
observe what was then called Negro History Week. In nineteen
seventy-six, it became Black History Month.
This year, Black History Month honors the Niagara Movement. That
movement was formed in nineteen oh five by another educator and
Harvard graduate, W.E.B. DuBois.
The Niagara Movement rejected the ideas of Booker T. Washington,
a leading black thinker of the time. He did not think black people
should protest unfair treatment by the white majority. He thought
they should accept it for a time. Booker T. Washington urged African
Americans to try to improve their place in society through hard
work.
The Niagara Movement of W.E.B. DuBois called for complete
political, civil and social rights for black Americans. The Niagara
Movement lasted only five years. But, it led to the creation of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The
N-double-A-C-P is still active today in the fight to end racism and
improve conditions for people of color in America.
Freshman Fifteen
DOUG JOHNSON: Our VOA listener
question this week comes from Japan. Fumio Nishimoto teaches English
at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies. His students have heard
about the "freshman fifteen." They want to know what it means.
It means fifteen pounds, or about seven kilograms. This is how
much weight students might expect to gain in their first year of
college.
People used to talk about the "freshman ten." Before that, it was
the "freshman five." Are freshman more inflated, or just the
expression?
The fact is, many young men and women do put on extra weight when
they start college. Some schools have done research on the issue.
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, has found that freshmen gain
an average of four pounds during their first twelve weeks. That is
almost two kilograms.
If weight gain continues at this rate, how long before they put
on fifteen pounds? Let's see [scribbling sounds] ... that's one
pound every three weeks, times fifteen, equals ...
The answer is forty-five weeks, or almost a year.
The next question is, why do so many freshmen gain weight? The
answers listed by experts are not so surprising. One is poor diet.
College students often eat foods high in fat and sugar and starch.
After all, there are no parents around to say no to junk food.
Students may also miss meals. They could be in class or studying
or just … busy. In any case, those who miss meals are more likely to
overeat when they do have food.
Also, freshmen often use food to put their mind at ease. They
have college pressures to deal with. Not only that, many are living
away from home for the first time.
Another reason college students gain weight is that they often do
not get enough exercise.
Finally, there is something else that can add up to the "freshman
five" or ten or fifteen. That is alcohol. Alcohol is high in
calories. This is especially true of beer. And, no, freshmen are not
supposed to be drinking. Not unless they are twenty-one, the legal
drinking age in America.
For many college students, the extra weight they put on in their
freshman year can be as hard to escape as term papers and final
exams.
Genius Loves Company
The American music industry will
present its Grammy Awards on February thirteenth in Los Angeles,
California. An album by Ray Charles has been nominated for ten
Grammy Awards. Jim Tedder tells us about it.
JIM TEDDER: The famous singer and musician Ray Charles died in
June. "Genius Loves Company" is the last album he recorded. He
performed songs with Natalie Cole, Elton John, Willie Nelson, Bonnie
Raitt, James Taylor and other famous artists. "Genius Loves Company"
is nominated for Best Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album and
eight other Grammy Awards.
This song, "Here We Go Again," is nominated for Record of the
Year. Ray Charles sings it with Norah Jones.
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"Genius Loves Company" was released in August. It has sold more
than two million copies in the United States alone. This is more
than any other record Ray Charles made during his sixty years of
recording music.
Another song on the album, "Heaven Help Us All," was nominated
for Best Gospel Performance. Here are Ray Charles and Gladys Knight.
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Ray Charles made two hundred fifty recordings. He received twelve
Grammy Awards and many other honors. A popular new movie about his
life, called "Ray," opened in October. Critics highly praised the
movie. We leave you now with another Grammy-nominated song from
"Genius Loves Company." It is "Sinner's Prayer" with Ray Charles and
B.B. King.
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DOUG JOHNSON: I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program
this week.
This show was written by Shelley Gollust, Jill Moss and Caty
Weaver. Our producer was Paul Thompson. And our engineer was Efeem
Drucker.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine
in Special English.