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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Joshua Leo.
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And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Today we look at some of your comments and questions! People from all around the world have shared their opinions about Spotlight programs. Come along with us as we answer their questions and comments!
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Warning! Our first comments today could make you hungry! That is what happened to one of our listeners when they heard one of our recent programs. The program was about pizza! It was called “Pizza - A Cultural Food.” People all around the world enjoy this tasty food. M.K. wrote:
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“This program made me very hungry! I want pizza right now. But the time is now 1:49 in the morning, so what can I do? OK, I will go to sleep, and maybe I can dream I am eating a delicious pizza!”
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Thanks for your comment M.K. And we hope you dreamt of a VERY delicious pizza! We also loved hearing comments about what people put on their pizzas. Juy said she liked pizza, “especially with lots of hot and melting mozzarella cheese on the top!” And Ubaldo wrote about the traditional Italian pizza. He also wrote about the wonderful health benefits pizza has. It includes carbohydrates for energy, some protein for strength, and it does not have to include a lot of calories. Thanks for your comments everyone!
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It is always fun to talk about food. But listeners also left comments to make us really think. Adem commented on the program “Building Schools in Pakistan, Part 1.” In that program we told about Greg Mortenson. He worked to build a school for the children in a poor community in Pakistan. Mortenson believes there is only one way to build peace. That is by giving education to the children. Adem commented on this program. He agrees that education is the best way to change people. He wrote:
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“Education gives us the chance to think widely about events, nature, people, history, religion and other races. As a teacher, I am thankful to people who build schools anywhere in the world. We all live in our own country, but we all belong to this planet.”
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Thanks Adem! Adem also wrote about another positive effect of education. It makes people understand the responsibility they have to take care of the animals and the environment around them. Adem, we agree that we all need each other. It is important for people to work in groups to achieve things like peace. Thanks for your comment!
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One program that showed the power of community was the program “Art for Community.” In that program we told about artist Sreejata Roy. Roy wanted to give a community in India a place for people to come together. She met some people who opposed her idea. But she also had many supporters. Building the park was sometimes a struggle. But finally, it was a success in the community.
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Some people wrote to us that they wanted to find the park Sreejata helped improve. And Oldman compared the park Sreejata worked on with a park near his own community. He said
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“The park Sreejata helped to remodel is very similar to many other parks I know in my community - full of drug addicts and people drunk with alcohol. I think she represents a good example of what everyone should do to preserve things for everybody.”
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Nikoleta has observed similar situations in her area. She writes:
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“Here in Bulgaria it is the same. There is a lot of garbage everywhere. There are nice little parks. And different firms build only malls and other buildings. I liked Sreejata’s idea. She is a brave woman. We all need people like her.”
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Listeners, if you would like to know more about Sreejata’s community park you can visit our website. On the script page for that program we will include a link to Sreejata’s web blog about the park. And be sure to tell us if you see the park in person! Be sure to also tell us if you work to change a park in your own community! We would love to hear your stories. You can email your experiences to radio @ english . net.
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Like we said before, we always enjoy hearing about your experiences and opinions. Recently, there have been some very interesting discussions on our message board. There, people can ask any question they want. Then message board users can answer the questions with their own experiences and opinions. These discussions are open to ANYONE! But you do have to be a member of Spotlight’s website to give your opinion. Becoming a member is easy. You can just sign up on our website at https://www.radio.english.net.
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In one discussion Masteris Misterius from Indonesia asked a question about love and marriage. He asked:
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“Normally, we marry someone because we love him or her. But what if we have to marry someone without love? It is a common thing in some countries and cultures, especially in the past. Many people think that love will grow along with marriage, and finally happiness will come. So, what do you think about that?”
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Many people have answered this question with many different opinions. Here are some of the opinions people have offered:
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“I think we can marry without love. Love is a very nice feeling, but it is not important that love exists before marriage.”
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“In my opinion it is dangerous if we get married without love. Normally we need to know ourselves together before we get married.”
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“Yes. We could marry someone without love. Actually, love is definitely not necessary to get married. But, it probably will not be better than a marriage WITH love.”
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“We all prefer love without marrying. Marrying restricts us and we will lose love after a time. So, if we want to live a real romantic love we should never marry who we love.”
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Do you see your opinion here? Tell us what YOU think about this question. If you are interested in the subject of love and marriage, you can find programs about this topic on our website. Visit the script page for this program, “Listener Mail 102.” There you will find links to programs like these. And be sure to also look for other interesting discussions on the message board. Log on to our site and join in! Maybe we will read your comments on the next listener mail program.
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The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. The voices were from the United States. All quotes have been adapted for radio and voiced by Spotlight. This program is called “Listener Mail 102.”