(CNN Student News) -- September 24, 2009
Quick Guide
U.N. General Assembly - Distinguish between the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council.
Managing Diabetes - Hear how a young musician uses his fame to reach out to diabetic teens.
Before We Go - Meet an artist who specializes in work that pits creativity against time.
Transcript
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: One artist hopes his work makes a lasting impression, while another creates work that he expects to disappear. We've got both of their stories in today's edition of CNN Student News. I'm Carl Azuz.
First Up: U.N. General Assembly
AZUZ: The scene: United Nations headquarters, located in New York. The players: the U.N. General Assembly. It's kinda like a student body meeting where everyone's allowed to take the mic and talk priorities. President Obama was one of the first speakers yesterday. He outlined what he called four pillars that he believes are important to the world's future.
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Non-proliferation and disarmament, the promotion of peace and security, the preservation of our planet, and a global economy that advances opportunities for all people.
AZUZ: Controversial Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got a tough reception. During his speech, a number of groups actually got up and walked out in protest of Iran's policies. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi spent more than an hour and a half covering a boatload of international subjects while hammering U.S. policies and the U.N. Security Council.
Now, don't get the Security Council confused with the General Assembly. They have the same goal: to work toward peace and international cooperation. But if the General Assembly is like a student body, with all 192 members, the Security Council is like the student council, with 15 U.N. members. And it's the council that has the main responsibility for maintaining world peace. That might include anything from sending peacekeeping troops into troubled areas, to punishing member countries that break United Nations rules, to helping negotiate an end to international disputes.
Honduras
AZUZ: That's what Brazil is asking for: an emergency meeting of the Security Council to discuss the situation at the Brazilian embassy in Honduras involving Jose Manuel Zelaya. He was removed from the Honduran presidency in June. But Zelaya returned to his country on Monday. He's staying inside the Brazilian Embassy because if he leaves, he could be arrested. The Honduran government cut off water, power and phone lines to the building earlier this week. The country's current leader says he's willing to meet with Zelaya, but it won't affect the charges facing Zelaya, charges of trying to change Honduras' constitution.
Shoutout
MATT CHERRY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for the Shoutout! Eric Holder is the head of what U.S. government agency? You know what to do! Is it the: A) Education Department, B) Justice Department, C) Federal Reserve or D) CIA? You've got three seconds -- GO! As attorney general, Holder heads up the Justice Department, which is responsible for enforcing U.S. law and protecting the American people. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
Terror Investigation
AZUZ: The Justice Department says it's top priority is protecting America against acts of terrorism. An ongoing investigation by the department is focused on that subject. As we've reported this week, three men are in custody, charged with lying to federal agents. Someone familiar with the investigation says it's looking at about a dozen suspects. Samantha Hayes checks in with the latest details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA HAYES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Authorities say more arrests may be coming in a widening U.S. terror investigation. At the center of the investigation, three men charged with lying to federal agents. Najibullah Zazi, his father and Muslim cleric Ahmad Afzali were arrested over the weekend in what the Justice Department has said was a plot to detonate bombs in the United States. They have all denied the allegations. Afzali, who authorities say had been working with the FBI, is accused of trying to tip off Zazi that he was being monitored, a claim his lawyer denies.
RON KUBY, AFZALI'S ATTORNEY: The authorities generally requested that the imam find out any way he can where Zazi is, where he's been, where he's going and what he is up to. That's what they wanted to know. And that makes sense, because they thought he was coming to New York with the purpose of carrying out a terrorist attack.
HAYES: All three suspects are from Afghanistan and were in the United States legally. A former CIA officer says that's troubling.
PETER BROOKES, FORMER CIA OFFICER: This is our nightmare. The military would call this having somebody inside the wire. He doesn't need to go through immigration, he doesn't need to go through customs, although they probably noticed him traveling to Pakistan.
HAYES: While there is no information regarding the specific timing, location or target of any alleged attacks, there are still concerns, and that's prompted the Department of Homeland Security to issue new warnings about the vulnerability of so-called "soft targets."
FRANCES TOWNSEND, FORMER WHITE HOUSE NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: We worry about transportation hubs, subways, buses, that sort of thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
California Wildfire
AZUZ: Moving to a different kind of investigation now, where officials in California are trying to determine what started a wildfire in Ventura County. The Guiberson Fire, named after the road where it started, has been burning for a couple days now, threatening around a thousand homes. More than 800 firefighters were battling the blaze yesterday, and officials estimate that fight has already cost more than a million dollars. Yesterday afternoon, the wildfire was about 20 percent under control. Authorities said they hope to have it fully contained by Saturday morning.
Southeast Flooding
AZUZ: On the other side of the country, floodwaters are starting to go back down in Georgia, allowing some major roads to open and giving residents a chance to start the long recovery process. The severe weather claimed at least nine lives in the state. As of Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of people were still living in shelters. One official estimates that the flooding caused around $250 million in damages. Despite a second straight day of dry skies, parts of Georgia remained under flood warnings yesterday.
Shoutout Extra Credit
NINETTE SOSA, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout Extra Credit goes out to Mr. Anders' business classes at Green Valley High School in Henderson, Nevada! What organ in the human body produces insulin? Is it the: A) Liver, B) Kidneys, C) Spleen or D) Pancreas? Another three seconds -- GO! Your pancreas makes insulin, which helps control the level of sugar in your blood stream. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout Extra Credit!
Managing Diabetes
AZUZ: When your body doesn't process that sugar correctly, usually because there's a problem producing insulin, it's a medical condition called diabetes. One in every 300 teens has the disease, and one of them just happens to be a famous musician. As Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us, this singer is hoping his music can strike a chord with other young diabetics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: He's a rock star who sings about life, love and diabetes. Seventeen-year-old Nick Jonas, youngest of the famous Jonas Brothers, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes four years ago.
NICK JONAS, JONAS BROTHERS: I lost 15 pounds in a total of about three weeks.
GUPTA: Nick's song is aimed at helping teens with diabetes who can feel stigmatized.
DR. FRANCINE KAUFMAN, PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGIST: Having anything different, and particularly a chronic illness, sets you apart. And many, many of these teenagers feel it.
GUPTA: Nick is also a paid spokesperson for Bayer, which makes a device for monitoring blood glucose levels. He watches what he eats, he wears an insulin pump, and checks his blood sugar 10-12 times a day. But at times, his brothers do have to cover for him.
JONAS: There have been times where I've had them stretch out their talking so that I can have a little bit more time to take care of a low blood sugar.
GUPTA: Once his readings are healthy again, he gets back to doing what he loves.
JONAS: I think just the fact that I can say, "Look, you're just like everybody else. You can do what you want to do and you can do it with diabetes," that's the best thing in the world.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Before We Go
AZUZ: They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But that eye better be quick if you're checking out one artist's work. His effort to showcase his creativity is also a race against the clock. Ralitsa Vassileva draws up the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now you see it, now you don't. These unique works of art were made to disappear, and the American artist behind them is Andres Amador. He discovered this art form playing around with a walking stick. Now, Amador's paint brush is a rake; his canvas, San Francisco's coastline.
ANDRES AMADOR, ARTIST: Ocean Beach so far has been the best beach that I've found to do this work. It's big, it's relatively shallow, flat.
VASSILEVA: Low tide is when he goes to work.
AMADOR: The space between the high tide and low tide is when my canvas appears.
VASSILEVA: No matter how intricate his geometric sand designs, high tide sweeps them all away.
AMADOR: I would be in mid-making it, and a wave would come through and half of it would wash away in an instant. And there's no way to recover it, because the tide is coming back.
VASSILEVA: But the tide can't take away the photograph that preserves the memory of Amador's art. Ralitsa Vassileva, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Goodbye
AZUZ: Makes for a tidy ending to today's show. We'll see you back here tomorrow for our 20th anniversary celebration. I'm Carl Azuz for CNN Student News.
CNN Student News: Daily Discussion
-- September 24, 2009
Media Literacy Question of the Day
How might the tone and setting of a speech impact those who are listening to it?
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U.N. General Assembly
Do you think that the United Nations General Assembly should be an open forum for world leaders to speak freely? Why or why not?
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How would you describe the overall tone of the speeches given by U.S. President Barack Obama, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?
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What do you think the role of the U.N. should be regarding international peacekeeping? What action, if any, do you think that the U.N. should take regarding the current situation in Honduras?
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Terrorism Investigation
Do reports of investigations into possible terrorist activity concern you? If so, how? If not, why not?
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Rock Star Manages Diabetes
What do you know about diabetes and its causes? If you have friends who have diabetes, how does it impact their lives?
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How would you summarize Nick Jonas' message about diabetes? Do you think that students your age might benefit from this message? Why or why not?
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Name some celebrities you know who have helped to make the public aware of diseases and disorders. How do they get their messages out to the public? Which of these messages have you found most effective, and why?
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