Students: We are Mr.E.'s class, Period 2. What starts right now? Channel One News!
Emily: There we go! New West Charter High School from sunny L.A.kicking us off on this Friday.Thanks, guys. I am Emily Reppert.
All right, first up today, we are serving lunch. Yep, that is because there are some new rules in place that might taste goodbut, health experts say, may not be so good for you.
The U.S. Agriculture Department released the new school lunch rules on Wednesday, and they say cafeterias can now serve more salty food and low-fat flavored chocolate milk. And schools can go ahead and toss out those whole grains.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perduereleased a statement saying,“Schools needflexibility in menu planning so they can serve nutritious and appealing meals,” but health experts give the new rules a grade F. This is a change from the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act signed by President Barack Obama and promoted by his wife,Michelle, that required schools to serve more grains, veggies and fruits.
But the new rule is only temporary. The USDA will be taking public comments, so go ahead and weigh in. After all, it is your lunch. We have a link up on ChannelOne.com.
Okay, next, we are moving onlineto a phrase you may have heard: "net neutrality." Not sure what it is? Well, you should know;it is actually a really big dealif you spend any time on the internet.Sothat means probably all of us.Azia Celestino is breaking it down.
Azia: Net neutrality is the idea that all websites or apps should be treated equally. That means no internet service provider is allowed to speed up, slow down or block any websites or apps that you use.
Right now, it works like this: You pay a provider like Verizon or Comcast to give you the connection to the internet from your home or on your phone.But they are only the pipe; you decide what content you look at.
But now the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, wants to roll back some of the rules on net neutrality, and that could really change your Snap or Insta life because internet service providers would not just control the connection to the internet but the content as well.
TheFCC chairman,Ajit Pai, wrote: "Under my proposal the government would stop micromanaging the internet. Instead, the FCC would simply require internet service providers to be transparent about their practices."
The FCC and the internet providers say net neutrality rules are too restrictive and increase costs.Verizon released a statement saying: “We're very encouraged…the FCC will…restore the successful light-touch regulatory framework for internet services.”
Without the net neutrality rules, the fear is that internet providers could pick and choose what content you see or how fast you see it, blocking or slowing sites that they see as competition.
Nick Thompson: If we don't have net neutrality, and you start a company that is opposed to somethingthat Comcast is running and is a competitor to something that Time Warner Cable has, they can shut you down.
Azia: For example,Comcast's Xfinity is the largest broadband provider in the country, and it owns all the cables and infrastructure that brings the internet to a house. And it also ownsNBC. And so, with net neutrality rules out the window, that means companies like Comcast could choose to feature their content over everybody else's.
Another concern is that cable and phone companies may carve out separate connections — a fast lane and a slow lane — then charge websites or consumers extra fees for the fast lane, leaving smaller websites behind in the dust.
Corynne McSherry:For larger companies like Google and Netflix, they can afford to pay these extra fees; they can afford to pay to get into the fast lanes. But smaller startups, small companies, nonprofits, libraries, governments — they can't afford this.
Emily: Interesting stuff.Thanks, Azia. We will be watching for the vote.
Allright, and you guys just heard today's Word in the News: FCC, orthe Federal Communications Commission, which is a U.S. government agency that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable.
Today is World AIDSDay, when people join together in the fight against AIDS and HIV. The global health day was founded in 1988 to show support, educate and raise awareness of one of the most destructive diseases in history, so let's get caught up.
Here are five things to know about AIDS.
One, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS, is the most advanced stage of an HIV infection.
Two, the HIV virus is transmitted through some bodily fluids, like blood.
Three, the virus attacks the immune system so the body can't fight off infections or cancers, and a sufferer will likely die without treatment.
Four, it is estimated that nearly 37 million people around the world were living with HIV in 2016; about 2 millionwere children.
And five,HIV and AIDS have no cure, but there are now effective treatments so people with HIV can live a long life.
All right, coming up, learning to ride the wave of life when things get tough.
Emily: Tubular, rad, gnarly — those are just a few adjectives that come to mind when describing a solid day of surfing. But what about “spiritual”? Well, one surf school is Hawaii is hoping that is howits students feel when they leave one of its sessions.Arielle Hixson has more with this week's Feel-Good Friday.
Arielle: Out in the ocean, it is just you, the water and waves that can heal the past.
Kamu Kauwalu: Before coming here we were on a rough road, but now that we have the time to come out and surf with such wonderful people, such a good program, it's been really uplifting to a lot of us here.
Arielle: For Kamu and other teens in Honolulu, Hawaii, surfing is more than just a sport.
Cynthia Derosier: They can overcome these challenges. Right now, they're paddling, but at some point, we know they're gonna fly.
Arielle: Surfrider Spirit Sessions is an organization designed to give teens from troubled backgrounds a second chance.
Kamu: We're all here to better ourselves.
Arielle: Even though Hawaii is known as a tropical paradise, its juvenile justice rates are alarming. More than 5,000 young people are in Hawaii's juvenile justice systembecause they committed a crime.Many of Hawaii's youth deal with homelessness, drug addiction or abuse at home. But Surfrider Spirit Sessions hopes to change that.
Through their sessions on the beach, teens not only learn how to tackle the waves but get past their adversity and build a stronger future.
Each meeting starts with a few lessons by the shore, where teens learn how to stand up to the toughest wave…
Derosier: If I can get them that connection between the ocean and the land and themselves, then they always have a place to go.
Arielle: …followed by a trip into the water.
Derosier: How you behave in the water oftentimes is how you behave in life. The kids that run away tend to be the kids that will,like, there's a big wave — they're out of there, right? The kids that are just being rambunctious and not thinking are the same ones who are charging and cutting people off.
Arielle: Between the wavesmentors encourage students to take a risk and connect with the ocean.
How did you feel when you took that first wave?
Alyssa Lyman: It was really life-changing.Like, you just feel like you're flying on the water and nothing else matters, and you can see all the fish below you and just look at everyone. And everyone is so happy that you got on that wave,and it's just really exciting.
Arielle: Once they leave the water, teens reconnect with their mentors on land and learn how hardships faced in the ocean can be tackled the same way in real life.
Derosier: What other ways is surfing like life? Life gives you obstacles; you find ways through it, and you gotta what?
Everyone: Paddle!
Derosier: Paddle! You gotta work harder, right?
I want every kid to know that they matter, that they're important. That they have a spirit, that they have “mana.” That they have something special to offer this world.
Arielle: Ultimately, these students learn lifelong lessons, riding an epic wave toward a brighter future.
Arielle Hixson, Channel One News.
Emily: And we have got more about other at-risk studentsmaking a changeover at ChannelOne.com.
All right, guys, it is time for us to ride out of here and get this weekend started.Have a good one. We will see you right back here on Monday.
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