CNN Student News 朝韩军事会谈

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CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: How can you trust what you read online? We've got some of your answers coming up in this Wednesday edition of CNN Student News. Bringing you today's headlines, I'm Carl Azuz.

 

First Up: Korea Military Talks

AZUZ: Our first stop today: the Korean Peninsula, for talks between the North and South. Representatives from the two countries are back at it today after a full day of talks yesterday. This is the first time in eight months that North and South Korea have had direct contact with each other. The silence started after the South blamed the North for two military attacks last year.

 

These talks are happening at a truce village. The representatives didn't come to any conclusions yesterday, but they said there weren't any political arguments from either side. The goal of these meetings is to set up another round of talks between officials who are higher up in their countries' governments. South Korea says it'll only agree to those if North Korea promises not to provoke the South any more.

 

Australia Brushfires

AZUZ: Next up, Australia, where officials are promising one million dollars to a fund for wildfire victims. We've talked recently about floods and a cyclone in eastern Australia. These fires were in western Australia, on the other side of the country. The flames burned more than a thousand acres of land and damaged or destroyed more than 60 buildings. Anyone who lost their home will immediately get $3,000 from the government. Tegan Sapwell of Australia's Ten Network was on hand as residents returned home to see the damage. She checks in now with some of the victims' reactions and an explanation of how these fires started. Tegan?

 

(BEGIN VIDEO)

TEGAN SAPWELL, TEN NETWORK REPORTER: It's absolutely heartbreaking to see what people are going through here. There's just so many stories, and each one of them really touches your heart. A short time ago, a man returned to the home here behind me where he saw what was left of his house for the first time. It was obviously incredibly emotional. But what really struck me was as he was leaving, he walked away and shrugged his shoulders and said, "Oh well, you know, I'll just rebuild." I think that really shows the real Aussie spirit there.

 

Another example: I spoke to a couple earlier today that had tears pouring down their faces as they spoke about what they lost. But all they wanted to do was to thank the firefighters for their efforts for putting their lives on the line as they tried to save their home. So, I think that's just amazing.

 

What's actually believed to have happened is it was sparked by a power tool. On Sunday, conditions here were just hot and windy. And as a result, we had what's called a total fire ban, which means people aren't allowed to use power tools. What's actually believed to have happened is a resident was using a power tool. He's actually a police officer. And that is what started the fire. As a result, he now faces possible criminal charges over this. It's a very serious matter, and the arson squad is now investigating.

(END VIDEO)

 

What's the Word?

JOHN LISK, CNN STUDENT NEWS: What's the Word?

it's the name for the process by which a bank takes back a home because the owner can't make payments

 

FORECLOSURE

That's the word!

Detroit Foreclosures

AZUZ: So in a foreclosure, the homeowner loses the house. And when you get a lot of foreclosures in one area, it can bring down the value of all the houses nearby. The mayor of Detroit has an idea to fill up some of the foreclosed homes in his city: sell them to police officers and firefighters! The mayor's proposal is to offer police and firefighters the chance to buy foreclosed homes for as little as $1,000 dollars. Plus, they could get money to do some renovations. This would be paid for by private investors and with government money that's supposed to help redevelop the city. The mayor says the idea could help more than just the housing market.

 

MAYOR DAVE BING, DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Police officers living in their neighborhoods have the potential to deter crime, increase public safety, and improve relations between the community and our sworn officers.

 

Testing Toyotas

AZUZ: The U.S. Department of Transportation has spent 10 months investigating why some Toyota vehicles sped up for no apparent reason. In 2008 and 2009, we reported on when the car company recalled millions of cars because of this problem. Some critics thought it might have been caused by the vehicles' electronic throttle systems. But according to the testing, that's not the case. The government says, so far, the only known causes of the problem are sticky pedals and floor mats that got in the way of the pedals. Officials say it's also possible that drivers may have gotten confused and pushed the gas instead of the brake. Toyota is facing hundreds of lawsuits related to this issue.

 

Shoutout

TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Dich's world geography class at Horning Middle School in Waukesha, Wisconsin! The words algebra, hazard and mummy all come from what language? You know what to do here! Is it: A) Greek, B) Arabic, C) Hindi or D) English? You've got three seconds -- GO! All of these words can be traced back to the Arabic language. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

 

Mandatory Arabic?

AZUZ: At my high school, we could choose to take French, Spanish or German. We had to take a language, but we got to pick which one. At some schools in Texas, a plan was being considered to require students to take Arabic. The school district got a grant from the U.S. Department of Education that would make Arabic classes mandatory at some schools. The plan is now being reconsidered, but as Sharrie Williams of affiliate KTVT reports, the original idea still angered some parents.

 

(BEGIN VIDEO)

SHARRIE WILLIAMS, REPORTER, KTVT: All over the room, there were questions.

 

JOSEPH BALSON, PARENT: Why are we just now finding out about it?

 

WILLIAMS: Dozens of concerned parents showed up at Cross Timbers Intermediate School to speak with Mansfield ISD Superintendent Dr. Bob Morrison. The district was awarded a federal grant last summer to teach the Arabic language.

 

BARON KANE, PARENT: The school does not teach Christianity, so I don't want them teaching the Islam.

 

WILLIAMS: The district stressed the curriculum would not be about religion, but about the language and culture, similar to the Spanish curriculum already in place. But upset parents say they should have been informed months ago about the grant.

 

BALSON: It's them applying for the grant and getting it approved, and now saying they're going to be able to go back and change it, only after they were caught trying to implement this plan without any of the parents knowing about it.

 

WILLIAMS: The grant, known as the Foreign Language Assistance Program, has identified Arabic as a language of the future. Some parents say teaching it in the Mansfield ISD is a good idea.

 

TRISHA SAVAGE, PARENT: I think it's a great opportunity. I think it, you know, not only opens doors and we... I think globally, act locally.

 

WILLIAMS: Kheirieh Hannun was born in Palestine but raised in the U.S. She says the option to learn Arabic will give her son a chance to know more about his culture and hopefully broaden the minds of not only students, but also parents.

 

KHEIRIEH HANNUN, PARENT: It was surprising, but I think it's OK. And I think it would be fine, because that way you'll cut down on the stereotype.

(END VIDEO)

 

Blog Report

AZUZ: Take your opinion on this to the web. Our blog is at CNNStudentNews.com. Our Facebook site is Facebook.com/CNNStudentNews. Here we go now with your responses to the "tree octopus" experiment: How do you know that what you see online is the truth? Kelly suggests "you should check and see who the author or publisher of the article is. You should also check other web sites to see if they have similar results." Brooks agrees "you definitely have to check your sources," something we hear in journalism an awful lot. "If you get the wrong info, you can be in trouble. Validate your source; you'll be happy that you did." And the first thing Kuba's teacher says to do is to check at least five web sites to see if the info is used more than once. If so, it's more than 80 percent true. Interesting idea there. "I think it is in teachers' best interest that they work on finding reliable sources for the students. Not to do the work for them, but to make sure they know how to find a source." This from Matthew. Caitlyn at Facebook.com/CNNStudentNews says to check the publisher or to ask the teacher if the web site has accurate info. "If you write a paper for a class, you wouldn't want inaccurate information." And Terrance says simply: "People need to stop believing everything they read on the internet."

 

Before We Go

AZUZ: Well, before we go, coaches usually give their time to players. But this one gave a lot more than that. Coach Tom Walter gave Kevin Jordan a kidney! He recruited Kevin to play on the Wake Forest baseball team. When Kevin got sick and needed a kidney transplant, turned out his coach was a match! The transplant surgery was done earlier this week, and doctors say Kevin could be back on the field by the 2012 season.

 

Goodbye

AZUZ: An awesome story and our best wishes to Kevin and his coach. Since we're not making any puns today, we'll leave you with this thought from Josh on our Facebook page. "If you're writing with a broken pencil, it's pointless." Send us your sign-off lines at Facebook.com/CNNStudentNews. They don't need to be puns! We'd be happy to read them on the air. Have a great day, everyone.