Azia: Hey guys, it is Friday, December 4, and today we are going large with some massive icebergs and the world’s biggest vending machine. I am Azia Celestino, and Channel One News starts right now.
Let's start off with headlines, and first up: there are more calls for gun control in the U.S. after the deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. President Obama says that he wants to make mass shootings a rare thing instead of the norm.
The president wants to make it harder for people to get guns.
President Obama: We're going to have to, I think, search ourselves as a society to make sure that we can take basic steps that would make it harder, not impossible, but harder, for individuals to get access to weapons.
Azia: But gun rights advocates say more restrictions won't cut down on the violence and that gun laws infringe on people’s rights.
So far this year, there have been more than 350 shootings in which four or more people were wounded or killed. And the latest shooting in California is the deadliest of 2015; 14 people were killed.
Right now the investigation has been taken over by the FBI. It is still not known if it was a terrorist act.
President Obama: It is possible that this was terrorist related, but we don't know.
Azia: What investigators do know, however, is two shooters opened fire on a holiday party at a social services center. The suspects have been identified as a husband and wife team: 28-year-old Syed Rizwan Farook and 27-year-old Tashfeen Malik. They were killed in a shootout with police; explosives and bombs were found in their home.
Next up: it is a pretty big decision. Yesterday the U.S. military officially opened all of its doors to women, allowing them to serve right on the front lines in military combat roles alongside their male counterparts.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the change, telling the military to open all combat roles to women.
SecretaryCarter: They'll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars, lead infantry soldiers into combat.
Azia: The move comes after a three-year review and will allow women to participate in the most grueling and difficult jobs, including special operation forces like the Army Delta units and the Navy Seals, positions that were previously off limits to them.
Congress now has 30 days to review the change. Carter insists equal opportunity does not mean equal participation and there won’t be required quotas, just a chance for the strongest candidates to serve.
Azia: One out of every ten Americans has it. It affects children and adults, and now, after decades of the disease on the rise, there is now a bright spot in America's battle against diabetes.
Diabetes exploded in the U.S. about 25 years ago. Most recent numbers show more than 29 million people living with it. Almost all those cases are Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to poor diet and exercise, not Type 1, which can develop in children.
Diabetes doesn't allow the body to properly process food, which ultimately causes sugar to build up in your body. But for the first time, the rate of new cases is starting to fall. Last year there were 1.4 million new cases of diabetes; that number is down from 1.7 million in 2008.
The reason, researchers believe, is because Americans are eating and living healthier, with soda drinking on the decline, children consuming less calories and junk food and increased physical activity.
Now it is time to hear what you guys said about being labeled the Founder Generation.We asked you: do you think the label Founder Generation represents young people today?
And it was a split decision: 50 percent said yes, while the other half said no.
Mr. Friggle's class said, “Half of my class would like to be called Generation Tech, where the others believe the Founder Generation works because we always find ways to solve problems in our society.”
Miss Cottongim's class said, “Our class said no. A better name would be the Creator Generation because we will create ways to solve problems. Another better name would be the Cyber Generation because of our use of technology.”
Allright, coming up, we have got a chilly challenge for you.
Azia: World leaders are wrapping up their first week in Paris. They are all there as a part of the 21st UNClimate Change conference, and they are hoping that, by the time they leave, the world can agree on a new global policy to reduce the pollution that is warming our Earth and changing our climate.
And ground zero for climate change is in the Arctic, where scientists are researching the rapidly melting ice. And that is where we find Keith Kocinski for today's pop quiz.
Keith: They are big pieces of floating ice that can be found in the ocean. You can find them in places like Antarctica or the Arctic. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is more to these giant pieces of ice than meets the eye, and that brings me to your pop quiz question.
On average, how much of an iceberg can you see above the water?
Is it
a. 10 to 20 percent
b. 30 to 40 percent
c. 50 to 60 percent
or d. 90 to 100 percent?
You have got 10 seconds.
Time is up. The answer is a, 10 to 20 percent.
It is amazing how far this iceberg extends, especially under the water. You see all this above here, but if you look underneath there, where the water color changes, that is all iceberg.
Freshwater icebergs are like the babies of glaciers and ice sheets. The birth of these giant floating pieces of ice comes during something called calving, when icebergs break off from glaciersand ice sheets. Icebergs can be huge. The largest icebergs can be taller than 230 feet and wider than 700 feet.
These aren't even the biggest pieces of ice in the Arctic. The largest are ice sheets. Ice sheets are enormous and grow over thousands of years as layers of freshwater snow pile up into thick masses. These land-based ice sheets hold 99 percent of the world's freshwater ice.
But as the Earth heats due to global warming, melting ice in the Arctic is causing sea levels to rise, threatening animal habitats.And some scientists even worry the melting ice will change ocean currents and weather patterns.
And that is something these world leaders are very aware of, working over the next week to come up with solutions. Keith Kocinski, Channel One News.
Azia: Brrr, it looks really cold.
And to check out an interactive map showing how climate change has affected the ice cap over the years, just head to Channelone.com.
All right, guys, after the break: a cool new way to buy a car.
Azia: It is a machine that could make buying a car really fun, but before we hit the gas on this week's next big thing, let's see what you thought about last week's idea.
We told you about the exercise craze sweeping the nation: group fitness classes at boutique gyms. So is it the next big thing?
54 percent said yes, sign me up!
46 percent said no, I will skip the workout.
Class: We don't think fitness studios are the next big thing. We'll stick with steel and sweat, the old ways. Mmm, feel that burn.
Class: This is Miss Gallagher's sixth-grade social studies class in Springboro,Ohio. We think that boutique fitness classes are the next big thing because these classes allow people to have a fun time while exercising.
Azia: Thanks for sending us your thoughts, guys.
Okay, when you think of a vending machine, it is usually a place where you buy chips, candy bars, soda, right? Well, what about a sports car?
Buying your first car could be as easy as one, two, three. That is right, Carvana, the used-car online retailer, has created the world's first vending machine for vehicles in Nashville, Tennessee.
Here is how it works. You buy the car online instead of at a dealership.
Ernie Garcia: They can pick from nearly 2,000 cars in inventory.They can buy the car in as little as 20 minutes.When I say buy the car,I mean they can get approved for financing, select financing, sign contracts, select a warranty, get a trade-in value.
Azia: And when you're ready to pick it up, you get a coin to drop in that starts the vending process. The car you purchased is retrieved from a 20-vehicle glass tower. It moves down the machine and lands in one of the delivery driveways for you to pick up. And if you decide you don't like it, there is a seven-day return policy.
Garcia: We hope that customers think it's easy, it's transparent and it's cool.
Azia: So what do you guys think, are car vending machines the next big thing? Head to Channelone.com to vote and weigh in.Or, better yet, send us your video response to .
All right, guys, that is all for now. The weekend is so close, but we will see you right back here on Monday.
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