Philip milstein family, roslyn p. Walter. Corporate funding is provided by mutual of america, designing cust cause customized, individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why were your retirement company. Additional support is provided by and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like this you. Thank you. From the tish wnet studios, hari sreenivasan. Good evening, thank you for joining us, what the Weather Channel is describing as lows of minus 25 are expect in minneapolis, minus 22 in north dakds, minus 8 in kansas city and minus 7 in st. Louis. It is going to be accompanied by strong winds making it feel colder. You can suffer frostbite if you are exposed only briefly. From seattle, boeings Union Workers approved conditions to build the 777 x jetliner in washington state. The union initially rejected concessions on pensions and health care costs. Overseas, secretary of state john kerry met with the palestinian president and they are moving closer to the framework of a peace agreement. A Human Rights Organization says natos plans to withdraw troops from afghanistan is leading to more brutal and Violent Attacks against women there. Women are being cut, stoned and raped by men more often. The number of documented attacks grew by 25 between march and september of 2013. The russian president will allow public row tests in sochi during the upcoming winter olympics. The demonstrations, which will require official approval will be allowed in a park halfway between the city center and the olympic village. He has granted amnesty to Police Political prisoners and greenpeace activists. Face to face peace talks in sudan have begun. 1,000 have been kill 200,000 displaced after three weeks of violence. All this week, the u. S. Embassy has been evacuating americans stationed in that country. Word that pope francis has taken to personally calling people. Cold calling them. Reports from spain say that he called nuns to offer new years wishes so he did what the rest of us would have done, he left a voice mail. One of the nuns literally wanted to die after realizing she missed the popes call. The nuns were praying at the time. And now to iraq where a remarkable story is playing out in ramadi and fallujah. Members of an Al Qaeda Affiliated group known adds isis have overrun both cities. The Washington Posts liz sleigh is joining us via skype. What is happening yesterday and what is happening today . Yesterday we saw the Al Qaeda Group basically claim they were in control of fallujah and it does look like they are as much in control of that city as anyone else. They have raised their flag over the town and the iraqi army is outside the town. Today we saw the iraqi Army Shelling the town and seemingly from the outskirts in which they were trying to get back in the town. But as far as i can gather, people in fallujah have not been able to reenter as of now. Yesterday, the Iraqi Military and police withdrew when they saw isis was here. This was the culmination of violent events in which the iraqi army and Security Forces were forced to flee from fallujah and ramadi. They have had successes getting back into ramadi but not in fallujah. How is the situation in fallujah changed since the u. S. Withdrew troops . The u. S. Withdrew slowly over a period of time and they were handing power to the iraqi Security Forces. But one of the Bigger Picture issues that has gone on in that time is that the Prime Minister has not been particularly inclusive to the sunni communities in these sunni areas and that has caused a lot of resentment to the Central Government. It is a continuation of the sectarian tensions that were stirred up by the u. S. Invasion of iraq and a failure of the Central Government to include these areas in the politics of the country in a way that might have come from the central down. There are difficult things going on. Has the situation in syria made it easier for the Islamic Movement of what was it the Islamic State of iraq and syria to establish a foothold in ramadi and fallujah . Absolutely. They have taken over territory in areas bordering iraq. It is giving them freedom of movement and that has made it much easier for them to assert themselves in the iraqi provinces from which the american troops thought they had driven them out. Are we seeing a splintering of iraq . Yes, of the whole region at the moment. The region is fracturing along fault lines that were always there but in the absence of any strong Central Government anywhere in the region, extremists are asserting themselves in this area and other groups are asserting themselves here and there. And the region is fragmenting. How does that affect the United States . The u. S. Troops put a lot of blood on the lines to defend the state of iraq, a lot of money was spent. But the Barack Obama Administration has publicly declared a wish to not be involved in the middle east as previous administrations were. And the result of that is obviously a lot of turmoil and upheaval because america was the biggest power in this region. Liz sleigh of the Washington Post thanks so much. Thank you. And now to our signature segment, our indepth reports from around the nation and around the world. Tonight we look at the possible lirng between music and learning. There was a sharp drop in Music Education programs in the Nations School during the quarter searching ending in 2008 and some were cut following the great recession. What affect that has had on learning is difficult to quantify but there is evidence that practicing and playing music regularly helps lowincome children make up lost ground. Josh arrington reports from los angeles. Reporter she lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods in los angeles and she was struggling in school. [ speaking Foreign Language ] her interest in learning music prompted her parents to enroll her in a Music Program in their neighborhood called the harmony project. In the three years since, much has changed in her life. Music is like a dialogue. We can play a certain thing. Let say the violins can play something back. It can be the same melody but different notes. Its a conversation talking back and forth. Reporter serving 2,000 students with a budget of 2. 5 million. The mostly privately funded harmony project is filling a gap in Public Education programs. Students get at least five hours of music classes each week year round. For the poorest students its free, including the instrument. Margaret martin started the harmony project in 2001 after witnessing something on the streets of her hometown, los angeles. This positiony of gang members walks into a formers market and stops to listen to a kid playing a violin. That shaved heads attitude. After five or six minutes without saying a word, they pulled out their own money and lay it gently in the childs case. Those gun members were teaching me they would rather be doing what that child was doing than what they were doing but they never had the chance. Harmony project is a Research Based program. Reporter they are started in tough inner city areas to serve children of poverty. Dropout rates are 50 in the neighborhoods. More than 80 of poor black and hispanic kids do not read at grade level. Reporter children whose mothers have little education are rarely being read to and verbal interaction in those families is minimal. Scientists believe this not only puts them behind in school but those children rarely catch up because their brains are not developing as rapidly. Early sustained music learning is actually the frame the frame upon which education itself can be built for lowincome kids. Reporter Margaret Martin was convinced of that because of the Graduation Rate of kids who have gone through her program. This year she says 93 of them finished high school in four years and went to college. But martin acknowledges she does not have the formal training to prove that music helps kids grasp language better and become more proficient readers. So she enlisted the help of dr. Nina crouse. For 25 years she has studied how the brain processes information. The neurobiology of auditor learning. What is the connection . There is a connection in when you learning to read you have to connect the sounds of words you have heard for many years with the symbol on the page. You are make a sound to meaning connection. Reporter no one has proven conclusively that music improves learning and some studies have found no link at all. But after being contacted by martin, the scientist designed tests to measure the impact music had on this group of kids. Dr. Crouse started in 2011. The students came from similar backgrounds and were all motivated to learn music at the harmony project. Half the kids were selected to start music study then and the other half, the control group waited a year to begin. Dr. Crouses team took a mobile testing lab to l. A. At the beginning and once a year for two years to assess the change in kids brain response in specific areas important for good reading and learning skills. What are the tests like that you do on the kids to measure these things . We are interested in rhythmic skills. We ask them to tap along with a steady rhythm. Now we are going to tap faster. If you present a beat on a met metronome that ability is linked to reading ability. We ask them to listen to words or parts of words. Imagine you are at a party. There will be a woman talking and several talkers in the background. We have them listen to sentences presented in noisy backgrounds and they have to repeat back as much as they were able to hear. The pin sell and the background is noisier and it is harder and harder to hear the sounds. People who have had musical training are better at hearing speech in noise. And its not that different from what youre asking your nervous system to do when you are listening for a teachers voice in a noisy classroom. So we simply know that if you ask people to repeat back sentences that are presented to them in background noise, that if you have musical training, that you are better at repeating back the sentences accurately than if you did not have that musical training. I guess that is especially true when a child is in an orchestra has has to distingish the noise he is making. Their comprehension of meaning in a noisy environment goes up only after they have started music. And the kids who have had two years are continuing to make gains. Music education is an important investment in teaching a child all kinds of skills. Dr. Crouse is analyzing data but preliminary findings suggest that music may enhance the Neurological Development of kids in the harmony project who were behind in school. You can document that kids who have had musical education now have nervous systems that respond more accurately and precisely to meaningful elements in language. In science i had very low grades. When i started learning about music, being able to practice and concentrating, my grades have gone higher. I would concentrate in my music. It would be something to be focused on and not be bothered by anyone. I was using that in my homework. Science is now one of my best subjects. Do you like it now . I love it. What do you say to those who say the kids are listening to music all the time. Why doesnt that work . No one ever got fit watching spectator sports. Plugging in and listening to music, it doesnt fix your brain. Doing it transforms your nervous system. It makes you basically a better learner. Who is to say that Arts Education in general, whether its dance or painting might be as beneficial as music in terms of developing learning skills for these kids . There is been a number of studies and the language abilities seem to be strengthened by the music instruction more than the art. And so these language based skills seem to profit from music instruction. The harmony project has the 17 sites in los angeles and one in ventura and 16 more in three other states. Here we. Go. What are the goals . Where do you want to take this . Oh, man. My dream is to build harmony project programs in inner cities throughout the country because our students are achieving their uniq unique potential. They are blossoming. Find out how scientists, educators and musicians are collaborating to figure out how the brain is affected by music. Visit newshour. Pbs. Org. Are you counting calories after the holidays . Have you ever kept a journal detailing what you are eating and drinking and worn a me dom terra . If you answer yes then you have quantified yourself. Here is another look at the report we brought you back in september. This is actually how 41yearold bob sometimes sleeps, with this gadget on his head. So when he wakes up, he can see not only how long he slept but he knows when and how long he was in r. E. M. Sleep, light sleep and deep sleep. I have a point around 6 00 a. M. Where my dog tends to bark at somebody and then i fall back asleep. Reporter this is the start of his data filled morning routine. Before he gets out of bed he uses an iphone app to take his pulse, weighs himself, takes his Blood Pressure and his blood glucose level. I have an elevated risk for type ii diabetes. Reporter and all throughout the day a monitor on his chest collect data about his heart rate, sweat levels and skin temperature so he can keep his stress levels in check. I can look at my phone and see at any moment how stressed am i . Reporter all the information is collected in a computer, smartphone or spread sheet. The point of all this track and monitoring . He says in addition to keeping diabetes at bay he just wants to stay healthy. When i turn 40 for me was you start looking ahead. So i think the idea for me is doing whatever i can take to ensure that i have this sort of long, enjoyable life. His tracking may seem extreme but he is not alone. He is part of a movement called quantified self, tracking and quantifying all kinds of personal data. 60 of American Adults track their weight, diet or exercise routine and millions are using technology to do it. There are thousands of health and fitness smartphone apps and the wearable Device Industry could grow to a billion dollars including these bands that track steps and calories to heart rate and sleep quality. David is a Technology Columnist and the host of nova science now. He says self quantifiers range from those trying to lose weight to the hard core. They can be powerful motivators. The awareness you are being watched and monitored leads you to get more activities. You take more stairs and get off the subway earlier. They reward you with lights and graphs for doing well. Reporter many devices let you compare your data with other users. There is a competitive element to it. Its fitness through shame. Reporter there is a community for dedicated self quantifiers across the u. S. And around the world who gather often to share experiences and data. At this gathering in new york city which had a wait list to get in, the main event was a show and tell. I was eating a lot of butter. Reporter but these are not sharing information with each other. They are uploading massive quantities of personal data to the servers of the companies that make these gadgets and smartphone apps. Its going to transmit my day to that a server. Reporter there is a lot of discussion in the community right now about who owns the data and what can be done with it. But at the end of the day, he is not too concerned. After all, the risks are small compared to his goals. Everything from preventing diabetes to optimizing his time. My goal is to basically be an optimal human being in every aspect of my life. This is pbs the newshour weekend saturday. In dollar terms petroleum and Chemical Products are among americas largest exports but in terms of influence none is more powerful than our music. Word that phil everybodierly died last night was International News yesterday. Dream dream dream dream dream. Phil everly was onehalf of the one of the biggest acts in the 1950s and 1960s, part of the birth of rock n roll. All i have to do is dream wake up little susie wake up their harmonies made them famous and more than that they inspired others from bob dylan to the beatles. The movies over phil was proud to be a part of that musical heritage. The Children Play guitars and they are influenced by people we may have influenced. It sort of keeps going. Its a positive thing. Reporter their voices were inseparable. They reunited in the 1980s and remained close. Here he comes that kathys clown reporter phil died in los angeles of complications from lung cancer. He was 74. Here he comes that kathys clown join us tomorrow on air and online. We report on the controversial laws in British Columbia that have reduced drunk driving death. These laws epitomize a perfect action. Thats it for this edition of pbs the newshour weekend. Im hari sreenivasan. Pbs the newshour weekend. Im hari sreenivasan. Thanks for watching. Captions by vitac www. Vitac. Com the newshour weekend is made possible by judy and josh westin, joyce b. Hale, the wallick family, the cheryl and Philip Milstein family, roslyn p. Walter. Corporate funding is provided by mutual of america, designing customized, individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why were your retirement company. Additional support is provided by and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Oh im not asking you, im telling you. Well, i didnt want him popping in on us suddenly. Oh . What did you have in mind . Well. Water and air is free. We dont make no charge for it. He takes milk baths, thats it, milk baths. Oh, i got it, he ties a cow to the ceiling and takes a shower. [ dish shatters ] the first rule is. Obey all rules narrator they created the characters that make us laugh. Viv . Huh