Also: The New Jersey Hall of Fame names its first members. And hear new music from Nine Inch Nails, the Foxboro Hot Tubs and Elvis Costello.

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

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I'm Doug Johnson.

Today, we play music by three rock groups…

Answer a question about a beloved university professor who died last month…

And report on a Hall of Fame for Americans from New Jersey.

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The New Jersey Hall of Fame

HOST:

What do scientist Albert Einstein, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, actress Meryl Streep and musician Bruce Springsteen have in common? Faith Lapidus has the answer.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

They are among the fifteen people who were chosen as the first members of the New Jersey Hall of Fame. These people were either born or lived in the eastern state of New Jersey. They were recognized for their influence on the state, the nation or the world.  

		Meryl Streep

New Jersey is one of several American states that have established a Hall of Fame to honor its citizens, both living and dead. Thomas Edison was another famous citizen of New Jersey. He invented many of the devices we use every day, including the electric light bulb. Harriet Tubman helped free many African American slaves through a system known as the Underground Railroad. She used Cape May, New Jersey as her base.

General Norman Schwarzkopf was also chosen for the state's Hall of Fame. He was one of America's top military leaders. Yogi Berra was one of the best baseball players in history. He played for the New York Yankees and still lives in New Jersey.  

Bruce Springsteen

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Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture"

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from China. Alex wants to know about Randy Pausch, who died July twenty-fifth of pancreatic cancer at the age of forty-seven.  

		Randy Pausch giving his ''last lecture''

Randy Pausch was famous in his field of computer science. He taught videogame and virtual reality technology. He had helped develop a well known educational software tool called Alice. It lets students create three-dimensional computer animations.

But Randy Pausch's last lecture was not about that subject. His talk was called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey Zaslow reported on the talk. The newspaper's Web site broadcast a video of it on the Internet. Millions of people have seen it.

Professor Pausch spoke to about four hundred students. He said you have to play the cards you are dealt in life. How you play those cards is your only choice. In other words, he could not change the deadly cancer, but only how he lived his remaining days.

For the next hour or so, Professor Pausch talked about his childhood dreams. They included experiencing zero gravity. He told how he had reached this goal as an adult.

Some of his students won a NASA competition to use the space agency's astronaut weightlessness training equipment. NASA told Mister Pausch that as a professor he could not take part. So he thought up a new plan to get around the problem. He got a press pass and experienced zero gravity as a reporter. Mister Pausch told the story to demonstrate the barriers that people may find in the way of their dreams.

Randy Pausch also told his students that helping other people fulfill their childhood dreams was even more fun than reaching his own. He called on his fellow professors and students to go on without him and do great things.

Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow wrote a book together called "The Last Lecture." It became a best seller. It has been translated into thirty languages. Mister Pausch also raised money and awareness for pancreatic cancer research.

Randy Pausch left behind a wife and three very young children. He said the last lecture was meant to be a "message in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children."

Three Popular Rock Groups

HOST:

Today we play music by three popular rock groups. Nine Inch Nails, the Foxboro Hot Tubs and Elvis Costello have recently released new albums. One album is free. Another will seem very familiar. And, the last record we play is named after the inventor of a popular kind of noodles. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN:

(MUSIC: "Discipline") 

		ETrent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails has been making industrial rock music since the late nineteen eighties. Trent Reznor is the main force behind the band. He writes, performs and produces the band's material. He has criticized the music industry and the record company that used to represent him. Nine Inch Nails' latest album is available free of charge on the band's Web site. The Web site states that the album is a way to thank fans for their continued support. And the band hopes people will remix the songs to create new versions.

(MUSIC: "27th Ave. Shuffle") 

The Foxboro Hot Tubs are Green Day

		Elvis Costello

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HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

It was written by Elizabeth Stern, Caty Weaver and Dana Demange, who was also the producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.