Archive for July, 2011
CNN Student News Transcript: June 2, 2011
(CNN Student News) — June 2, 2011
Download PDF maps related to today’s show:
• Libya
• Kennedy Space Center
• Charlotte, North Carolina
Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, I’m Carl Azuz and this is CNN Student News! It’s June 2nd. And in our penultimate program of the school year, we’re starting things off on Wall Street.
First Up: Headlines
AZUZ: Talking about the stock market, and yesterday was not a good one. Experts use the Dow Jones Industrial Average to get an idea of how the whole market is doing. The Dow dropped 280 points yesterday. That is the worst drop since last August.
Next up today, northern Africa, where Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi’s forces are fighting against rebels in a civil war. Other countries are involved in this, too. The U.S., Britain, France: They’re part of a military coalition that’s being led by NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The goal of that coalition is to protect Libya’s civilians during this civil war, and NATO says it’s extending that mission for another 90 days. A lot of what the coalition’s been doing is carrying out air strikes, like these. They’re targeting Colonel Gadhafi’s forces, his compounds, and trying to limit his military resources. The conflict in Libya has been going on since February. Recently, several top officials have left Gadhafi’s government. That includes some generals in the Libyan army. One official who left the government yesterday said that it’s in shambles.
AZUZ: Turning to the U.S. government now, where a big topic on Capitol Hill is the country’s debt ceiling. That is the amount of debt that the government is allowed to have. President Obama wants the ceiling raised. Republicans in Congress say they won’t do that unless the government makes some cuts in spending. In fact, on Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted against the idea of raising the debt ceiling without making spending cuts. Christine Romans is here to help us get a better picture of what’s going on. Christine, let’s start off with the question, what exactly is the debt ceiling?
(BEGIN VIDEO)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: It’s basically America’s credit limit. Congress sets the cap on how much money the country can spend to pay its bills and to pay our interest payments. The debt ceiling is sort of like the credit limit on your credit card bill, only much, much bigger. And think of it this way: if you’re running a $3,000 balance on a $10,000 credit limit, the U.S. government, we run right up to our credit limit over and over again. And instead of paying it off, we just raise the debt limit.
How big is this pile of debt? $14.3 trillion. More precisely, $14,293,975,000,000. This is money the government has already spent. Stacked on top of each other — this is just to give you an illustration — $14 trillion would reach from the Earth to the moon more than four times. Your share of this pile of debt: about $47,000 for every man, woman and child in America.
We hit our debt ceiling, the debt limit, on May 16th. How are we operating now? The treasury secretary is juggling the bills that are coming in to keep the country from defaulting. He says we can go until August 2nd. After that, the situation, he says, is critical. Secretary Geithner says not raising the debt limit so America can pay its bills would be "catastrophic." It’s like being, he says, a homeowner with only enough money to pay some of the bills. You either pay the mortgage or you pay the credit card bills. Which one are you going to pick?
The government would like to pick and choose, would have to pick and choose what to pay. Geithner says some bills won’t get paid. Checks to millions of Americans, like Social Security, perhaps, would have to stop. Republicans say he’s wrong. The U.S. won’t default so long as we keep making interest payments on our bonds. All of it, a big political debate now.
But here you go, you guys: Congress has raised the debt ceiling 74 times since 1962; 10 times just since 2001. This is the first time it’s been so critical politically and turned into such a big ideological fight. For more information and complete coverage of the debt ceiling debate, you can check out more at CNNMoney.com.
(END VIDEO)
AZUZ: Thank you, Christine. November 6, 2012 might sound like a ways away, but some people are working toward something that’s going to happen on that day: the U.S. presidential election. Campaign season is here, and before we head off for the summer, we want to give you an idea of where things stand.
On the Democratic side, President Obama has announced that he’s running for another term in office. But whom will he be running against? That will get decided through primary elections.
Those start happening once we get to 2012, and several Republicans have announced their candidacy. That includes former CEO and talk show host Herman Cain, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Representative Ron Paul and former governors Gary Johnson and Tim Pawlenty. Another name you might know — former governor Mitt Romney – is expected to announce his candidacy today.
Some other big names have already said they won’t be running, and there’s always the possibility that more candidates will join the field.
Shoutout
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today’s Shoutout goes out to Mr. Shimasaki’s social studies classes at Valley High School in Santa Ana, California. What do these signal flags mean? You know what to do. Is it: A) Diver down, B) Stop immediately, C) Hurricane warning or D) Man overboard? You’ve got three seconds — GO! This double flag is the signal for a hurricane warning. That’s your answer and that’s your Shoutout!
Hurricane Season
AZUZ: Hurricane season is on! In the Atlantic Ocean, it lasts from June through November. That’s not the only time hurricanes can form, it’s just the time when they’re most likely to form. Forecasters who make predictions about how many hurricanes might form say this year is likely to be an above-average season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is predicting 12 to 18 named storms. It expects six to 10 of those to become hurricanes, with three to six strengthening into major hurricanes. Last year, zero hurricanes made landfall in the U.S., but experts say it’s always important to be prepared.
Shuttle Program
AZUZ: Coming in for a final landing: the space shuttle Endeavour touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Wednesday morning. It was the shuttle’s 25th and last mission. And this is the crew that did it: Endeavour’s astronauts, led by shuttle commander Mark Kelly, who said it was sad to see Endeavour land for the last time. As that ship heads into retirement, this is the one that will close out NASA’s space shuttle program: Atlantis, waiting on the launch pad, scheduled to go up on July 8th in the last shuttle mission.
AZUZ: In Charlotte, North Carolina, there’s a restaurant that works on a kind of "pay it forward" concept. When you buy a meal there, you’re also paying to help feed other people who are in need. Tom Foreman looks at the ingredients that make up this unique story.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In busy downtown Charlotte, by lunchtime folks have built up an appetite. So at the King’s Kitchen Restaurant, that’s when the real building begins, because Chef Jim Noble’s goal every day is to help his diners help their community.
CHEF JIM NOBLE, KING’S KITCHEN: And I think everybody wants to help. They just don’t know how.
FOREMAN: Noble is one of the state’s most renowned chefs and deeply religious. So, he opened the King’s Kitchen a year and a half ago as a non-profit restaurant. The money made here goes to programs that feed the poor throughout the community. Last year, $50,000. Mindful of recessionary pitfalls that could derail this effort, the chef started by raising enough donations to open without any loans.
NOBLE: This is not the best time in the world to get in debt in a restaurant, you know. So, we wanted to do this debt-free.
Number five. And what does that say?
FOREMAN: The restaurant also offers job training for jobless people, folks such as Philip Lewis, who joined the program less than two months ago when he heard about it at church.
PHILIP LEWIS, KING’S KITCHEN: I’ve got more than I’ve asked for here. Faith, finances, everything I needed this place has given me. It’s a life-changing place. No matter where you are in your life, it will bring something positive to it that wasn’t there before.
FOREMAN: Sure, this non-profit restaurant competes with Chef Noble’s for-profit places, but he has faith there is room for all.
NOBLE: Sometimes in life, you have to make a distinction between success and significance.
FOREMAN: And for him, the significance lies in knowing every plate that goes out of the kitchen here means poor people are being fed all over town. Tom Foreman, CNN, Charlotte, North Carolina.
(END VIDEO)
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go, when the weather’s not fit for man nor beast, I guess you could send this out. It’s called the Big Dog. And it’s an all-terrain robot that can run, climb and carry heavy loads. It’s also designed to absorb shock. The guy’s not being mean; he’s just showing off the Big Dog’s stability. It handled the kick all right. Maybe not quite so stable on the ice. Someone could invent artificial little creatures that attack the Big Dog.
Goodbye
AZUZ: I guess you’d have to call them robo-ticks. But that’s a tail for another day. Just one more show to go. For CNN Student News, I’m Carl Azuz.
CNN Student News Transcript: June 3, 2011
(CNN Student News) — June 3, 2011
Download a PDF map related to today’s show:
Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hey! I’m Carl Azuz, and you’re watching CNN Student News! This is our last show of the school year, and we’re gonna get things started with a little help from our friends.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
ROBERT ALLEN, TERRA LINDA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT [RAPPING]: One, two, three…hit it!
MRS. LONG’S STUDENTS: Start your tractor, Carl!
CARMEN SMITH (DOROTHY), CARSYN WHITEHEAD (TIN MAN), ALLYSON BROWN (COWARDLY LION), STEPHANI PAYNE (SCARECROW): You are about to enter the wonderful world of the wizard.
ALLEN: Ladies, fellows, girls and boys… join me please and make some noise.
CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: [DRUMMING ON DESKS]
CLAIRE BALDACCI, IREPORTER: Hi, I’m Claire. I might not be Carl Azuz, but this is an exciting edition of CNN Student News.
BRYAN GARCIA, IREPORTER: [Swish]…and you’re watching CNN Student News.
VAL AND HALLIE, IREPORTERS: Take it away, Carl! Hey, wait up!
LESTER STO. NINO, IREPORTER: You are watching CNN Student News!
(END VIDEO)
AZUZ: First up, we’re looking at some of today’s headlines, starting with tornadoes in Massachusetts. Several twisters hit the state on Wednesday, and Springfield — one of the largest cities in Massachusetts — was hit badly. At least two tornadoes touched down there. You can see some of the damage that was left behind. At least four people were killed. Dozens of other people were injured. Rescue workers were going door-to-door early Thursday looking for survivors. This could be a record year for tornadoes, but you don’t see too many of them up in Massachusetts. That’s part of the reason why these storms made such an impact.
SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: And magnitude, when you see those houses flattened, really hits you. In 45 years of public service, I have never seen this kind of damage or devastation in Massachusetts. And as many of the residents said to me, "This is Massachusetts, this is not supposed to happen here." And it never has to our recollection.
AZUZ: For a while now, U.S. nutrition standards have been based off different versions of the food pyramid. A lot of people say the pyramid was too confusing. So yesterday, officials ditched the pyramid for a plate. It’s called "MyPlate," and it’s the government’s new standard for nutrition. About half of the plate, half of what the government says people should be eating, is made up of fruits and vegetables. Whole grains and lean protein make up the other half, with a side of dairy. Officials hope that simplifying the standards this way will help Americans eat better. A lot of health experts agree it’s better than the old pyramid. But some say that the new MyPlate doesn’t give people enough information to make the best choices.
Shoutout
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today’s Shoutout goes out to all of the students and teachers who watch CNN Student News! Which of these headlines came first? Here we go! Was it: A) Earthquake strikes Japan, B) Revolution in Egypt, C) Chilean miners rescued or D) U.S. holds Midterm Elections? Three seconds on the clock — GO! The Chilean miners were rescued before any of these other stories happened. That’s your answer and that’s your Shoutout!
Top Stories of the School Year
AZUZ: Those were some of the biggest stories that made headlines during this school year. We’re going to take a look back now at the top stories from 2010- 2011, and we’re including some of your comments along the way. Set your clocks back to August, and here we go.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
AZUZ: From Grace: Being a military child myself, I know that many families across America have been affected by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is really hard to go through a deployment when you have a loved one fighting in the war.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy!
U.S. VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Our goal, our goal is not just a physically secure Iraq, but an economically and prosperous and stable one as well.
AZUZ: From Megan: The rescue of the Chilean miners was one of the most touching stories reported during the whole year. The rescue was so breathtaking and the reactions of everyone were so sincere.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: August 5th; 2 in the afternoon; 2,300 feet underground, a shaft collapses in the San Jose copper and gold mine. 33 miners are somewhere behind the rubble, their condition unknown. The Chilean president promises every effort to rescue them. Finally, after more than 2 months buried alive, salvation.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Never has a man been underground so long and gotten out alive.
GROUP: Chi! Le! Chi Chi Chi …Le Le Le! Viva Chile!
AZUZ: From Ryan: During the U.S. midterm elections, I started to wish I could vote. I got excited to see who would win or lose the elections.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) OHIO, HOUSE SPEAKER: Let me just say this: It’s clear tonight who the winners really are, and that’s the American people.
SEN. HARRY REID, (D) NEVADA, MAJORITY LEADER: This race has been called, but the fight is far from over. The bell that just rang isn’t the end of the fight, it’s the start of the next round.
AZUZ: From Danielle: In my honest opinion, I think that our country has not improved in the economy. Gas prices have continued to rise, and your everyday tools prices are soaring. Many prices on things are unbelievable.
From Mo’s class: We believe that the upheaval in Arab nations was a top story because it affected the whole world. After these events, our class started to pay more attention to the news.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will die for our freedom!
MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYAN LEADER: We will be victorious in this fight.
AZUZ: From Kazumi: I live in Tokyo, so the tsunami was really shocking to me. Japan is getting over the damage. We are so grateful for the help and prayers from all over the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God!
AZUZ: From Lexi: Every night I pray that the people whose lives have been impacted from the natural disasters get better.
COOPER: We’re talking about the deadliest tornado season since 1953, that’s what we’re experiencing right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It’s something you don’t want to experience. You don’t want to experience nothing like this. It ain’t a good feeling, it ain’t nothing you can do about it.
AZUZ: From Juliana: When Osama bin Laden died, I thought it was probably the biggest story reported this year. Considering he was the starter of a terrorist group and the cause of 9/11, I do think justice was done.
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children.
(END VIDEO)
Before We Go
AZUZ: Okay, before we go, you know we always like to have a little pun at the end of our show. I’ve chosen my top 5 favorite puns of the school year. And right now, you get to sit through every punful one of them again. Let’s goose this up!
When a bird joined a couple canines on their walk through the park, we had to give it wings on the air. After all, what’s good for a goose is good for a gander.
Okay, then, there was this zip-line over a reptile pit. To protect the people, you’d think they’d have a gate or something. To protect the reptiles, you’d need a little gator aid!
When a retriever took some ducklings under her wing — or paw — you could see she didn’t duck any responsibility. It wouldn’t fit the bill. And as far as duck puns go, you’ve got to admit they quack you up.
And after a group of presidential mascots took off running — that’s running a race, not ‘running a race’ — you want a clean match. Anything less elects a commander-in-cheat.
My favorite had to be this one, though. Back in August, we showed a butterfly causing a bunch of penguins to flip out. Now, we could’ve talked about the butterfly effect, said this was frightless versus flightless, said the butterfly ruled them like a monarch. But instead, we settled on this: the pupa becomes the master.
Goodbye
AZUZ: Sure, they might bug you from time to time, but you know we larva good pun here at CNN Student News. All right. As we sign off for the summer, we want to thank all of you who watch and use our show. Especially those of you who have sent us iReports, Shoutout requests; those of you who’ve posted on our blog; those of you who’ve visited our Facebook page. We hope you’ll check out CNNStudentNews.com over the summer. We’ll be putting some special shows up every week while we’re on break. From all of us here at CNN Student News, have an amazingly awesome summer, and take care.
CNN Student News Transcript: Summer Show – June 10, 2011
(CNN Student News) — June 10, 2011
Download the PDF map related to today’s show:
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Hi, everybody! I’m Tomeka Jones, and this is the first summer edition of CNN Student News!
JONES: Every week this summer, we’ll be doing these special web shows. Today, we’re talking about a story we covered toward the end of the school year: an outbreak of E. coli. That’s a specific kind of bacteria. You can get it from contaminated food or water, and it can cause some pretty serious health problems.
Officials say this outbreak is limited to an area around one city in Germany. So far, more than 20 people have died from the bacteria. Thousands of people have gotten sick from it. One of the big things officials are trying to figure out is where this E. coli came from. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to explain how scientists do that and what people can do to avoid getting sick.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
Dr. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It can be difficult sometimes to figure out exactly from where this came. You know, this is sort of a real medical investigation. They literally have to trace back from the farm to the fork all the different steps of these different foods.
So, for example, bean sprouts being looked at right now. So far, 23 of 40 samples have come back negative. All that tells you is that, so far, they haven’t found it. It doesn’t mean that it wasn’t there. And I can also tell you that sometimes you never get a clear answer as to exactly from where this bacteria originated.
About 2,200 people infected; 60% of them women. 600 of them also got a very serious complication of this infection called HUS: hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Your blood doesn’t clot as well. Your kidneys can start to fail. 70% of the people that developed that were also women. Unclear why that is. It could be that women are eating more of whatever the contaminated food was.
For most people who get this infection, it’s going to be a couple of bad days. Stomach cramping, stomach pains. They’re not going to need antibiotics. But obviously, in a few people, as you’re hearing about, the complications can be more severe.
For the consumer, obviously, washing your hands, washing your food, not cross-contaminating your food: these are the things a consumer can do. But distributors, the manufacturers, the people who are getting this food to your table, they obviously have to take some responsibility here as well, in terms of making sure this food is free of contamination.
(END VIDEO)
JONES: The German government has been trying to control this outbreak and keep people from getting sick. One way is by putting out a warning about eating some raw vegetables. But that has a big impact on farmers. Fred Pleitgen looks at the economic side of this story.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It’s a painful sight: case after case of ripe tomatoes thrown away. This produce marketer near Berlin says selling tomatoes has become all but impossible since the E. coli outbreak began.
PETRA LACK, PRODUCTION MANAGER, WERDER FRUCHT: "Things are awful at the moment," the manager says. "We hope this won’t continue for the whole harvest season. But if the government keeps telling people not to eat lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, nothing will change."
PLEITGEN: German authorities are still warning not to eat those vegetables uncooked, and consumers seem to be heeding that warning. The company near Berlin says at one point, demand for tomatoes dropped to only five percent of what they normally sell.
The folks here say, in total, they are going to have to destroy about 270 tons of tomatoes. That batch alone is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And keep in mind, these are perfectly fine tomatoes. But they simply can’t sell them because demand has flatlined.
German authorities still have not found the source of the deadly E. coli strain in northern Germany. Officials believe it may have originated in this sprout farm, but so far, there is no scientific evidence to back that up. Farmers all over Europe are suffering as fearful consumers are staying away from vegetables. At a crisis meeting in Luxembourg, where especially Spain criticized Germany for suggesting its cucumbers might be the source of the bacteria, the EU agreed to pay 150 million Euros in financial aid for the industry.
SÁNDOR FAZEKAS, HUNGARIAN MINISTER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT: We have to pay compensation for the damages that they have suffered. We need a swift solution, and our commissioner came to our meeting with a set of proposals.
PLEITGEN: Andre Becker would rather see his tomatoes on dinner tables than receive compensation for throwing them away. He oversees this green house, and the prime harvesting season is right now. Like so many others, he wants consumers to know his products are safe.
ANDRE BECKER, HEAD OF PRODUCTION, HAVELIA VEGETABLES: "We work according to strict standards," he says. "We test the water we give to the plants, and we also tested for E. coli. The results were negative."
PLEITGEN: The tomatoes have grown exceptionally well this year. But no matter how beautiful and ripe they may be, the workers here know they will probably go straight from the green house to here, to be thrown away and destroyed. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Werder, Germany.
(END VIDEO)
Promo
JONES: Like we said before, we’re doing these special web shows over the summer. But how are you spending your summer break? You can tell us on our blog. Or better yet, send in an iReport. And you can do both of those on our web site: CNNStudentNews.com.
Goodbye
JONES: That’s gonna wrap things up for now. You can get more details on the E.coli outbreak or any other headlines at CNN.com. So make sure to check back next week for our next summer show. I’m Tomeka Jones. See ya later!
CNN Student News Transcript: Summer Show – June 17, 2011
(CNN Student News) — June 17, 2011
Download PDF maps related to today’s show:
• Washington, D.C.
• Iowa
• New Hampshire
Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I’m Carl Azuz. Hope your summer’s off to a great start so far. It’s about to get a little more awesome, because our latest webcast of CNN Student News starts right now!
AZUZ: This week, we’re focusing on a story that’s in the headlines right now, and it’s gonna stay there for the next year-and-a-half! We’re talking about the 2012 U.S. elections. What we’re gonna do in today’s show is talk through some of the basics, kind of like an election 101. And our first subject is the U.S. Congress.
The House of Representatives has 435 members who vote. The number of House members that a state gets is based on the state’s population. So some states — like Delaware, Vermont or Montana, where the populations are smaller — only have one U.S. Representative. On the other end of that is California. Large population; it has 53 seats, the most in the U.S. House of Representatives. Since House members serve two-year terms, every single one of those 435 seats is up for election in 2012.
Next up, the other half of Congress: the Senate. 100 total seats there; every state gets two. This one works a little differently though, because Senators serve six-year terms. But those terms don’t all start and end at the same time. The 100-member Senate is broken up into three groups. A different group comes up for election every two years, so in 2012, 33 Senate seats will be up for grabs.
Voting
AZUZ: All of those elections happen on a state-wide basis. And voters in each state will also cast their ballots for local and regional offices, too. There’s one election that every voter will help decide, and that’s the one that’s gonna get the most attention: the election of the U.S. president.
What’s the Word?
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: What’s the Word?
it describes someone who currently holds an elected office
INCUMBENT
That’s the word!
AZUZ: Election Day won’t be until November 6th, 2012. But a lot of people are already running for the position, including an incumbent. President Obama wants to spend four more years in the White House. He announced his candidacy back in April to represent the Democratic party in this election.
So far on the Republican side, you have U.S. Representatives Ron Paul, whom you see on your screen right there, and Michele Bachmann. There are also three former governors running: Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and also Gary Johnson. There’s the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; that would be Newt Gingrich. There’s a former U.S. Senator, Rick Santorum. And a former business CEO and current talk show host named Herman Cain.
It’s also possible the Republican field of candidates will get bigger. Another former governor, Jon Huntsman, is expected to announce his candidacy soon. But over time, and through the campaign process, that field will gradually get smaller until one candidate gets the Republican party’s nomination.
Is This Legit?
MATT CHERRY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? U.S. presidential elections can’t fall on November 1st. True! According to law, the elections have to be on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November. So November 1st is never a possibility.
AZUZ: Interesting stuff. In 2012, the election will happen on November 6th. Now, that’s the finish line. But there’s a lot that’s gonna happen on the campaign trail between now and then. Candidates are already facing off in debates. CNN hosted one of those in New Hampshire this month. You’re gonna see more of these over the next several months and on into 2012.
Once we get into next year, though, you’re also going to hear a lot about primaries and caucuses. This is how voters narrow down that field from a bunch of candidates to eventually just one. Primaries and caucuses each work a little differently, but what they both ultimately do is assign delegates to different candidates.
Some states are winner-take-all: win the primary, you win all of that state’s delegates. In other states, you can still earn delegates even if you don’t come first in the primary or caucus. The primaries and caucuses start early in the year. Iowa and New Hampshire are the first ones. You’ll eventually hear about something called "Super Tuesday." That’s the day when a bunch of states all hold their primaries on the same day. Winning those primaries, winning those delegates: That’s important, because if you win enough of them, you can secure your party’s nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: Tonight, I have a privilege given to few Americans, the privilege of accepting our party’s nomination for president of the United States.
(END VIDEO)
AZUZ: Those were the nominees back in 2008: then Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. They made those speeches at their party’s nominating conventions. These are week-long gatherings that happen after all of the primaries and caucuses have finished. At the conventions, you hear speeches from leaders of the parties. And for each party, one candidate becomes the nominee.
From there, it’s into the home stretch: the general election. A candidate isn’t facing off against people from his or her own party anymore. Now, the campaign is against the nominee from the other party. And that head-to-head race ends on Election Day when the voters cast their ballots.
Goodbye
AZUZ: So, we’ve got a long way to go, a lot that’s gonna happen along the way. And of course, CNN Student News will be here to cover it all the way up to Election Day in November of 2012. But that’s all the coverage we have for now. We hope you’ll elect to come back next week for the latest summer edition of CNN Student News. ‘Til then, I’m Carl Azuz.
U.S. pediatrician feels heat over child obesity idea
BOSTON |
BOSTON (Reuters) – Boston pediatrician David Ludwig, the center of a media firestorm this week, wants to set the record straight on his view that a state should intervene in the most extreme cases of child obesity.
Ludwig and co-author Lindsey Murtagh at the Harvard School of Public Health triggered a backlash with an opinion piece in a leading U.S. medical journal about what could be done about highly overweight youngsters.
They argued that when all other efforts failed, a state should consider putting high-risk obese kids in foster care, and said doing so may be the more ethical choice that could avert drastic measures like weight-loss surgery.
Ludwig, of Boston’s Children’s Hospital, has since responded to dozens of e-mails this week from angry and terrified parents. Other medical experts have questioned the rationale of removing a child from an otherwise functional and supportive family if they are obese.
In his first interview since the backlash began, Ludwig said the article was meant to promote a dialogue on childhood obesity, which has become a life-threatening problem for many youngsters.
“It’s absolutely understandable that if someone with an obese child heard the government could swoop in and take that child away, (they would) be frightened and outraged,” Ludwig told Reuters. “I want to emphasize that foster care should only be the last resort when all other options have failed.”
In his replies to parents, Ludwig has provided copies of his opinion piece, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, that says there is a role for the state when it comes to helping obese children, but removing them from a home is very rarely the solution.
“It’s just been heartbreaking to see how the story has been wildly exaggerated by some of the media, causing a great deal of pain and suffering for people,” Ludwig said.
With at least 20 million overweight and obese children in the United States and some 2 million of those kids at the very highest risk, childhood obesity may be the “most important threat that exists to this generation of children,” he said.
But placing a youngster in foster care “should absolutely not be an option” for most of the highest risk cases.
And that is what Ludwig and Murtagh wrote in the piece, he said. To prove his point and calm the fury that has erupted, JAMA is making the full text of the piece available free to the public for a week at: here
Ludwig explained that state intervention could include financial support to families, social services, access to safe recreation areas and even parenting courses to help manage a child’s uncontrolled eating habits.
In 99 percent of the most serious cases, removing a child from a home is not an option. Ludwig said that in over 15 years of treating some 10,000 patients battling obesity he only knows of one case where the child was taken from parents.
“The ultimate answer to the obesity epidemic is not to blame parents, it’s to create a more healthful and supportive society,” Ludwig said.
“But until we get there, what do we do about that 14-year-old, 400-pound (182 kg) child who’s not facing increased risk of illness 20 years from now, but who’s facing life-threatening complications today?” he said.
(Reporting by Lauren Keiper; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Ros Krasny)
Most in U.S. want ban on smoking in public: poll
NEW YORK |
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Most Americans want smoking banned in all public places but only 19 percent believe that cigarette smoking should be illegal in the United States, a Gallup poll published on Friday said.
The Princeton, New Jersey-based pollster found in its July 7-10 telephone survey that for the first time since it initially asked the question in 2001, a majority of Americans, 59 percent, support a public ban on smoking.
Ten years ago, 39 percent were in favor, a percentage that was about the same when Gallup did a similar poll on the subject in 2007, according to the survey published on the website www.gallup.com.
The 19 percent of respondents who want a law against smoking is close to the 14 percent who told Gallup in 1990 they wanted smoking to be illegal.
“A majority of Americans now support the concept of a full smoking ban in all public places, marking a significant change from four years ago, when Gallup last measured this attitude,” the pollster said.
“Relatively few Americans support the idea of making all smoking illegal across the country, perhaps partly in recognition of the practical difficulties involved in enforcing such a ban.”
Anti-smoking sentiment has risen in the United States in recent years.
New York, the country’s most populous city of 8 million, bans smoking cigarettes in almost all public places, including outdoor plazas and beaches. The District of Columbia and 27 states have passed smoke-free laws.
Gallup said its July poll also questioned Americans about their cigarette smoking habits.
“Twenty-two percent of adult Americans reported having smoked cigarettes within the last week, a percentage that is essentially unchanged over the last five years,” Gallup said.
The results of the poll are based on a random sample of 1,016 people aged 18 and older living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Gallup said the maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
(Reporting by Grant McCool; Editing by Eric Beech)
Ad hoc efforts help cut U.S. healthcare costs
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – At Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare, comparative research made physicians realize that inducing early childbirth in healthy women created unnecessary and costly risks for newborns.
Artificially induced deliveries had become an accepted way to make childbirth fit busy personal schedules. The practice has health risks, but the average doctor saw only one or two cases a year wind up in a neonatal intensive care unit.
“It was such a low number,” said Greg Poulsen, a senior vice president with the nonprofit system. “In the physician’s own practice, it would be impossible to identify a trend.”
About four years ago, Intermountain started comparing data on births induced after a full 39-week pregnancy to births induced one to two weeks early. The results showed the need for intensive care in babies with respiratory problems were twice as high at 38 weeks and five times as high at 37 weeks.
“Suddenly, the data was just very clear that we were putting people at risk by doing an induction prior to 39 weeks,” Poulsen said. “And once the docs saw that data, they said: Whoa! We had no idea!”
The findings prompted Intermountain to limit induced births for healthy women before 39 weeks in the 18 hospitals with maternity wards within its system. Intermountain has 23 hospitals overall.
As a result, about 500 newborns avoided breathing problems and the ICU over the following year, sparing parents the grueling sight of their infant on a ventilator and saving at least $1 million a year in unnecessary medical costs for families and insurers.
Fewer inductions also led to fewer caesarean sections. That reduced risk and brought even more savings because C-sections, the most common surgery in the United States, can cost twice as much as vaginal deliveries and lead to medical complications for children.
Intermountain, which has 360 doctors delivering babies, said the reduced C-section rate delivered about $46 million in savings compared with the national average in 2008.
Poulsen’s story is just one example of the individual efforts to contain costs within the $2.3 trillion U.S. healthcare system. Employers, insurance companies and doctors nationwide are trying to find savings on medical services. But the effort is largely piecemeal so far.
Policy experts say a systemic approach is needed to prevent these costs from sinking the economy. While a new U.S. healthcare law includes provisions that might lead to lower spending — such as a focus on preventive medicine and research grants to study the most effective forms of treatment — it’s main goal is to extend access to millions of Americans.
Analysts say the country’s leaders are still years away from taking the job of reining in underlying health costs seriously, even as Republicans and Democrats argue over ways to cut government spending on healthcare in deficit talks.
BEST HOPE FOR CHANGE
“Everybody agrees, from right to left, that something has to be done. If the federal government doesn’t do something, the entire economy will be at risk,” said Susan Tanaka of the nonpartisan New York-based Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
Neither lawmakers nor the White House are likely to undertake a new concerted effort to find a solution until after the 2012 presidential election. They are wary of the setbacks that Democrats saw in crafting President Barack Obama’s healthcare law and that Republicans faced after proposing changes to the Medicare program for the elderly.
In the interim, the best hope for change might be strategies such as those employed at Intermountain, which seeks to coordinate care through medical teams whose job is to find the best practices for keeping patients healthy and curbing costs.
Similar innovations have taken root elsewhere. An example is Group Health Cooperative, a Seattle-based nonprofit system that provides both health insurance and medical care.
Its vertical integration — linking doctors, hospitals and insurance coverage in a single system — eliminates the fee-for-service incentives many blame for sky-high healthcare costs elsewhere.
The cost of a C-section at a Group Health hospital can average between $7,100 and $9,400, compared with an average statewide range of $15,200 to $21,600, according to data compiled by the Washington State Hospital Association.
Health insurance companies such as UnitedHealth Group Inc and Aetna Inc are building incentives for primary and preventive care and acquiring clinics and small networks of physicians to have full control over how healthcare services are delivered.
“If we don’t change, it’s a bleak picture. There’s no question. But there are some glimmers of hope,” said Dr. Elliott Fisher of Dartmouth Medical School, a leading voice in healthcare reform.
“A year or two from now, we will have a firm foundation to come back to Congress and say there are things you could do now to move further in this direction.”
2013
Healthcare costs make up 16.5 percent of U.S. GDP and are projected to equal more than one-quarter of the economy by 2035, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. By contrast, healthcare costs were only 4.8 percent of GDP in 1960 and 9.8 percent in 1985.
The CBO’s 2011 report, which notes it is difficult to make accurate long-term cost projections, warns that spiraling health costs would probably slow only as a result of higher costs, less access for most households and tighter state Medicaid eligibility for poor families, unless U.S. law is changed.
Analysts say any deal to close the U.S. government’s $1.4 trillion annual budget deficit would also suffer repercussions if the government took no action to control rising healthcare costs that are driving growth in Medicare and Medicaid.
“Failure to address healthcare will make the solution inevitably more painful,” said Paul Ginsburg of the nonpartisan Washington-based Center for Studying Health System Change.
“It will mean more spending cuts in other areas. It will eventually, despite what Republicans say, lead to higher tax rates. Because the alternative is a bankrupt country.”
The difficulty lies in attacking healthcare costs broadly without hurting individual patients’ access and quality of care. It also raises the prospect of a new showdown between Republicans, who see deregulation and market competition as the best lever for curbing costs, and Democrats who favor government intervention.
When might those battles begin?
“2013,” said Joseph Antos of the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “There’s going to be a hue and cry for somebody to do something. Even Republicans, who used to shy away from health, they’re going to be on this whether they’re the minority or not.”
(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Michele Gershberg and Andre Grenon)
Hemorrhoid Treatments for Those That Have Lived with the Discomfort only Lately
Hemorrhoids surely are a real nasty headache for everyday people everywhere around the world. thousands of everyday people are looking for a hemorrhoid treatment that actually works. In reality more than six hundred thousand everyday people search the words ‘hemorrhoid treatment‘ on a monthly basis. Can any variety of hemorrhoid treatment for life get rid of hemorrhoids?
You can undergo a surgical procedure to treat hemorrhoids but that just isn’t going to ensure that the hemorrhoids are not going to keep returning. The only way you can achieve this is by reforming your diet regime, by doing exercises and by staying patient when passing excrement. Your diet regime should include a good deal of fiber and liquids which are obtainable in fresh fruits and green veggies. It is advisable to take part in daily exercise simply because that can build-up your coronary heart which is responsible for the flow of blood. When pooping be patient. Never exert pressure.
To summarize , nowhere is there a hemorrhoid treatment which is able to get rid of hemorrhoids for life. Having said that, if you just consider the potential decision to correct your living to make room for a healthy lifestyle you’ll be able to get rid of and for life prevent hemorrhoids from ever returning again. In truth, he hemorroid is oftentimes there but when you are looking after your body, it truly ought not to annoy you.
Various Options For Hemorrhoid Treatment That Are Classed As Biological
Medical studies have shown that one hundred percent natural home made remedies for hemorrhoids certainly really will succeed. This begs the question, which treatment approaches work the most effectively. This writing was compiled for people who happen to be thinking about studying about the leading one hundred percent natural hemorrhoid treatment home made remedies offered. If you have been searching for details in regards to natural sorts of hemorrhoid treatment, you’ve discovered it.
Witch hazel has been employed for a number of generations in many countries to numb the discomfort and itching of hemorrhoids. It is possible to buy it at the store or you’ll be able to produce your own elixer using it. Even though witch hazel cannot eliminate hemorrhoids for life at all it can certainly help you bear them until you could get them healed.
A sitz bath is actually a widely acknowledged kind hemorrhoid treatment. This technique can offer fast relief and if it is repeated on a regular schedule can generally clear away one’s hemorrhoids. Fill a tub with reasonably warm water. Pour in some salt, in particular epsom salt. To destroy harmful microorganisms, which could be aggravating the condition and trigger infection, add an antiseptic. It is best to wash the irritated location also.
You might look at employing Butcher’s Broom to aid you with the decrease of blood flow due to hemorrhoids. This option has been accepted for a number of years for healing any affliction regarding fatigued blood vessels so it can provide a hemorrhoid treatment. Also you might give some thought to working with Horse Chestnut. This technique is an old folk remedy for blood clots. Both herbal treatments are normally taken orally, generally in a hemorrhoid treatment tea. Make certain you are not allergic to Horse Chestnut prior to injesting it.
Being Aware Of Surgical Approaches For Hemorrhoids And Their Side Effects
Supposing you believe that you could are afflicted by hemorrhoids you are doubtlessly endeavoring to figure out what your most reliable hemorrhoid treatment solutions are. You might have figured, you have a variety of hemorrhoid treatment solutions . In the event that you are afflicted by hemorrhoids which aren’t awfully troublesome you can chances are, get them remedied with any number of many various hemorrhoid treatment herbal elixers. But bear in mind, if you are afflicted by troublesome hemorrhoids, which means, thrombosed hemorrhoids and-or hemorrhoids that have already been bleeding you may want to decide on medical procedures as a hemorrhoid treatment option.
This report examines the wide variety of specific hemorrhoid alternatives that involve medical procedures . Several of the dated varieties of medical procedures are fairly debilitating and they are generally known to take a considerable amount of time to get better. Conversely, many of the modern varieties of medical procedures are quite a bit less painful however they are also exceptionally useful in overcoming hemorrhoids. If you are contemplating medical procedures as a hemorrhoid remedy you’ll want toead through the entire content of this report to discover what alternatives available.
Of all the various kinds of hemorrhoid medical procedures out there, Rubber Band Ligation is among the most popular. With this form of operation a rubber band around 1/25in . is pushed firmly over the root of the hemorrhoid. The problematic arteries that make up hemorrhoid eventually shrivel up and die due to the fact the blood flow to them is hinder. It ordinarily takes about a week or so for the hemorrhoid to drop off.
You could decide on laser surgical removal. Laser surgical removal necessitates the utilization of a laser beam to burn the hemorrhoid off. The surgery treatment needs a pretty brief length of time so you can return home on that day. it should be an out-patient hemorrhoid treatment. Laser medical procedures would not have the standard challenges pertaining to medical procedures , particularly bleeding as the laser beam cauterizes the affliction.
A Stapled Hemmorhoidectomy is a pretty effective variation of hemorrhoid surgical removal . This variation of surgery operation can stop hemorrhoids from bleeding which minimizes most of the pressure caused by the blood clots. This process is commonly utilised on prolapsed hemorrhoids but it performs for any variation of bleeding hemorrhoid. This procedure calls for stapling the hemorrhoid.
You can find a variation of hemorrhoid treatment that involves pinpointing and next stitching up every the veins which are supplying blood to the hemorrhoid. As soon as the blood flow is restricted the hemorrhoid withers up. In just week give or take it simply dissolves. This surgical operation, known as Hemorrhoidal Artery Ligation Operation or HAL is gathering popularity considering that it is pretty painless.