Correction attachedThis is the VOA Special English Development Report.<!– IMAGE –>A
new study in West Africa shows how farm irrigation systems powered by the sun can
produce more food and money for villagers. The study in Benin found that solar-powered
pumps are effective in supplying water, especially during the long dry season.Sub-Saharan Africa is the part of the
world with the least food security. The United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization estimates that more than one billion of the world's people faced
hunger last year. Around two hundred sixty-five million of them live south of
the Sahara Desert. Lack of rainfall is one of their main causes of food
shortages.Jennifer Burney from Stanford University in California led
the study. The research team helped build three solar-powered drip irrigation
systems in northern Benin.Between thirty and thirty-five
women used each system to pump water from the ground or a stream. Each woman
was responsible for farming her own one hundred twenty square meters of land. They
also farmed other land collectively.The solar-powered irrigation systems produced an
average of nearly two metric tons of vegetables per month. During the first
year, the women kept a monthly average of almost nine kilograms of vegetables
for home use.They sold the surplus produce at local markets.
The earnings greatly increased their ability to buy food during the dry season
which can last six to nine months.People in the two villages with
the systems were able to eat three to five more servings of vegetables per day.
But making the surplus available at markets also had a wider effect.The
study compared the villages with two others where women farmed with traditional
methods like carrying water in buckets. The amount of vegetables eaten in those
villages also increased, though not as much.The researchers note that only
four percent of the cropland in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated. Using solar
power to pump water has higher costs at first. But the study says it can be
more economical in the long term than using fuels like gasoline, diesel or kerosene.
And solar power is  environmentally
friendly.The
study appears this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.And
that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms. You
can post comments and learn about other issues in the developing world at
voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember. ___Correction: Stanford researchers studied the impact of the irrigation systems but did not build them, as this story suggested. The project was financed and built by the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), a nongovernmental organization.

Now the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
A nickname is a shortened form of a person’s name. A nickname also can be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing. Many American cities have nicknames. These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity.
A few years ago, some marketing and advertising experts were asked to name the best nickname for an American city. The winner was the nation’s largest city, New York. The top nickname was The Big Apple.
You might wonder how New York got this nickname.In the early nineteen seventies, the city had many problems. The number of visitors was falling.So a campaign was launched to give the city a new image. The head of the New York Conventions and Visitors Bureau decided to call the city, The Big Apple.
There are several explanations for where this name came from. Language expert Barry Popik studied the question and wrote about it on his Web site. He says John Fitz Gerald, a writer for a New York newspaper, used the name the Big Apple to mean New York in the nineteen twenties. Mister Fitz Gerald wrote about horse races. He heard the name used by men who worked at a racetrack in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mister Fitz Gerald wrote: “The Big Apple. The dream of every lad that ever threw a leg over a thoroughbred and the goal of all horsemen. There’s only one Big Apple. That’s New York.” 
In horse racing, the expression meant “the big time,” the place where large amounts of money could be won. The Big Apple became the name of a night club in the Harlem area of New York City in nineteen thirty-four. It also was the name of a popular dance and a hit song in the nineteen thirties.
But it is not the only nickname for America’s largest city. Barry Popik’s web site lists almost one hundred nicknames that describe New York. The best known are the Capital of the World. Empire City. Gotham. The City So Nice They Named it Twice. And the City That Never Sleeps. You can hear about the city in the song, “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra.
(MUSIC)
This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I’m Barbara Klein. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at voaspecialenglish.com.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy, the Asia Society has gathered some of the original players – from both the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) — from the 1971 delegation as well as today’s champions play matches for a sure to be exciting panel discussion. Hear their thoughts on 40 years of sport, sports diplomacy, and the strong ties between the US and China today – what has become the most important bilateral relationship in the world.
40 years ago, the world changed for the better. Despite the long political divide between the U.S. and the PRC following WWII, China cracked open the diplomatic door and allowed in the first Americans in two decades. What sparked this sudden opening? Ping Pong. The courage of two athletes — one from each country — started the process that led to President Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972. Now the Bay Area welcomes a Chinese delegation of table tennis Olympians and sports officials, including members of the team who played in the original matches in 1971.
For more information and this and related events – including an exhibition match, coaches’ clinic, and more!– please visit http://www.basoc.org/ping_pong_diplomacy.html
Participants:
Liang Geliang, member of the Chinese Ping Pong Diplomacy Team, Men’s World Champion, 1971-79.
Zheng Huaiying, member of the Chinese Ping Pong Diplomacy Team, 1975 Women’s World Champion.
Tim Boggan, member of the 1971 Ping Pong Diplomacy Team, former Vice President, International Table Tennis Federation Vice-President, author.
Willie Banks, Olympian, President, US Olympic Alumni Association.
George Braithwaite, member of the US Ping Pong Diplomacy team; former Vice President, US Table Tennis Association Board.
Cai Zhenhua, President, Chinese Table Tennis Association; Vice President, Chinese Olympic Committee.
Judy Hoarfrost, the youngest member of the 1971 U.S. Ping Pong Diplomacy Team; member of the U.S. table tennis team for ten years.
Robert Kapp (moderator), former president, U.S.-China Business Council, former professor of Chinese History, University of Washington.
Adham Sharara, President, International Table Tennis Federation.
Co-organized by the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee; Co-sponsored by the Chinatown YMCA, Chinese Historical Society, and World Affairs Council
WHEN:
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
1:30 pm Registration
2:00-3:30 pm Program
WHERE
Koret Auditorium
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street, San Francisco
COST
FREE Admission; Advance RSVP strongly recommended
RSVP
To register, email Amanda Huffman at ahuffman@asiasociety.org or call 415.421.8707

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