CNN Student News Transcript: December 17, 2007
(CNN Student News) — December 17, 2007
Quick Guide
Agreement in Bali - Discover what deal emerged from a U.N. conference on environmental issues.
Making News - Learn about a snow storm in the U.S. and an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
Stressed-Out Students - Hear how some U.S. schools are hoping to reduce student stress levels.
Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MONICA LLOYD, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: It’s Monday, and you’ve found your way to the start of a brand new week of CNN Student News. Thanks so much for joining us. I’m Monica Lloyd.
First Up: Agreement in Bali
LLOYD: First up, a good beginning. That’s how the United Nations secretary general is describing an international agreement on climate change. The deal was made over the weekend at a conference in Bali. Representatives from dozens of countries gathered in the Indonesian province to discuss problems facing our environment. At one point, it didn’t look like a deal was going to happen. Dan Rivers explains what turned the tide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RIVERS, CNN REPORTER: The U.S. was booed as it asked for more commitments from developing countries, provoking this from Papua New Guinea.
KEVIN CONRAD, PAPUA NEW GUINEA DELEGATION: There’s an old saying: If you are not willing to lead, then get out of the way. I ask the United States: We asked for your leadship; we seek your leadership. But if for some reason you are not willing to lead, leave it to the rest of us; please get out of the way.
RIVERS: And then this, a total change from the U.S.
PAULA DOBRIANSKY, U.S. DELEGATION: We will go forward and join consensus in this today.
RIVERS: It’s been a day of high drama in this room in Bali, but finally there is a deal, and many are praising the contribution of Papua New Guinea, whose whithering criticism of the U.S. apparently led to a 180-degree u-turn. Afterwards, one of the U.S. delegation said they’d shown leadership.
JAMES CONNAUGHTON, CHRMN., COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: No question the U.S. has led and is leading. And let’s be clear: This meeting is talking about a negotiation that is going to produce an outlook. But as we stand here today, President Bush in his State of the Union address last year asked Congress to produce bi-partisan legislation that will improve our energy security and cut our greenhouse gases.
RIVERS: But green groups say they were bounced into a change.
PHILIP CLAPP, PEW ENVIRONMENT GROUP: Papua New Guinea’s criticism was the most stinging on the floor; it was the nadir of the event for the Bush administration.
RIVERS: And many here agreed Papua New Guinea played a crucial role.
JACQUELINE CRAMER, NETHERLANDS ENVIRONMENT MINISTER: Oh, that was very very important. Because of that, we could make the deal.
RIVERS: And that deal marks the beginning of two more years of talks, with a firm commitment for a global deal on emissions by 2009 at the latest. Dan Rivers, CNN, Bali
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD: Ok, we know the conference led to this deal. But the agreement doesn’t outline specific actions that will cut down on greenhouse gases. What it does set up is two more years of negotiations. The hope is those could lead to a plan to curb emissions. As the talks move forward, the key issue will be what role developed countries, like the U.S., and developing countries, like Papua New Guinea, play in cutting emissions.
Is This Legit?
GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? Carbon dioxide is considered a greenhouse gas. Yes, this one’s legit. CO2 and other gases, including water vapor, contribute to the so-called greenhouse effect, or warming of the Earth’s surface.
Making News
LLOYD: Here are a couple other stories making news today. The weather outside, oh, it’s definitely frightful. Parts of the Northeast and Midwestern U.S. have been hit by a winter storm packing a triple-punch of snow, sleet and freezing rain. One Maine official’s advice: Just stay home. And in Chicago, conditions weren’t fit for man nor beast. All right, maybe it wasn’t that bad. But nearly a foot of snow fell on the Windy City, cancelling hundreds of flights.
And Muslims from around the world are in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca right now taking part in the hajj. The annual event lasts for five days. It’s a fundamental part of the Islamic religion, which says every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able should visit the holy city at least once in his or her lifetime. About 2 million people participate in the ritual every year.
Shoutout
RAMSAY: Time for the Shoutout! What language does the word yoga come from? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it: A) Latin, B) Aramaic, C) Mandarin Chinese or D) Sanskrit? You’ve got three seconds — GO! Sanskrit is the language of origin of the word yoga. It’s also the classic literary language of Hindus. That’s your answer and that’s your Shoutout!
Stressed-Out Students
LLOYD: Yoga originally began as an Eastern philosophy. But when it moved west, it became a popular way to exercise. It can develop strength, increase flexibility, even help with relaxation. That’s why yoga is now mandatory for students at a school in California. It’s part of a nationwide program to help high school kids reduce their stress level. Betty Nguyen looks at how it works, and at some other anxiety-alleviating techniques.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN REPORTER: When did yoga become a required course to reduce stress among students? When freshmen like Natashia von Kaeppler started spending fours hours a night on homework. That’s after three hours of basketball practice and a full day of classes, preparing for final exams. The pressure can be intense.
NATASHIA VON KAEPPLER, FRESHMAN: It’s like, okay, have you studied for your test? Yes, mom, I’ve studied for my test. But it’s like, did I study enough? Because if I come home with bad grades, they’re not going to be very happy.
NGUYEN: It’s enough to send some students to the breaking point. Stanford professor Denise Pope has seen the effects. She created a program that’s helping reduce stress in 45 schools across the nation. It’s called SOS, for stressed out students.
NGUYEN: Does the stress among students these days scare you?
DR. DENISE POPE, SOS FOUNDER: It scares me because of the suicide rates that we’re seeing and because of the real sense of hopelessness in kids. They are experimenting with drugs on a much higher basis. They are binge drinking not because they want to experiment with alcohol, but because they’ve had such a stressful week they need to get completely drunk this weekend. So much about this scares me. And as a parent — I have three kids — I don’t want my own kids to have to go through this.
NGUYEN: But how do you prevent cheating, sleep deprivation, depression, even eating disorders among some of the nation’s top students when there’s enormous pressure to get into the elite colleges? Castilleja is an all girls’ school in Palo Alto, California, that subscribes to professor Pope’s SOS plan. Along with required yoga classes, the school’s building has a new wellness center. It’s also staggered classes so there are fewer each day, creating less homework. Sonja Swenson is a Castilleja senior who is thrilled that finals are now in December instead of January.
SONJA SWENSON, SENIOR: I think that moving the finals up to before winter break has not only made the exam studying period less stressful, it’s also really made winter break a true break.
NGUYEN: Lauren Schryver heads up the schoool’s SOS Task Force.
LAUREN SCHRYVER, SOS TASK FORCE: About 80% of our students said that both the calendar change and the schedule change were definitely decreasing stress.
NGUYEN: There’s even homework-free weekends and holidays. Not to mention…
VON KAEPPLER: We have free periods also, which really help. If I don’t get to finish one thing, then I can finish it up the next day during my free period.
NGUYEN: The school also eliminated the stress of bells ringing between classes. Some argue this is just a way to coddle students who need to be prepared for the real world. Pope disagrees. She says the current system is turning kids into robots, only interested in spitting out the right answer no matter what it takes, which ends up hurting them in the long run.
POPE: They’re little robotrons. They’re very good middle managers, but they’re not good at being creative, they’re not good at thinking out of the box. They’re not good at actually listening to criticism and accepting it, and they’re not good at working in a team. And all these things are needed to succeed in a global economy.
NGUYEN: So can the SOS plan succeed in schools without sacrificing those all-important grades? According to Castilleja High, the stress rates have dropped, but the grades have not. Betty Nguyen, CNN, Palo Alto, California.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Promo
LLOYD: Lots of different things can cause stress, even the time of year. In fact, the holidays can be just as stressful for young people as for adults. We’ve put together a Learning Activity that helps students learn about how people respond to stress and ways to manage it. You can find the free resource at CNNStudentNews.com!
Before We Go
LLOYD: Before we go, Pier 39 in San Francisco is under invasion from the North Pole! Dozens of Santa-suited San Franciscans took to the streets on Saturday as part of SantaCon 2007! The annual event got started back in 1994, and it’s spread around the world, with Kris Kringle congregations converging all across the country. They’re not marching in protest or making a statement about the holidays. They just like to get together and hang out in Santa suits. No sleighs when it’s time to go though. The Santas just sail away.
Goodbye
LLOYD: Which is probably for the best. Because there’s no way Rudolph and his buddies could haul off that whole holiday crowd. That’s where we wrap things up for today. I’m Monica Lloyd. E-mail to a friend
