Transcript
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: I'm Carl Azuz, and Tuesdays are awesome! At least this one is, because it's two days before Thanksgiving and that means this is our last show of the week, and we start with the Thanksgiving holiday.
AZUZ: The focus of today's First Up segment is how people are getting to wherever they're going for Thanksgiving. This is the busiest travel time of the entire year -- long lines at the airports; lots of cars on the road -- and experts think it's going to be even busier this year. A new report estimates that more than 42 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their homes for Thanksgiving. That would be an 11 percent increase from last year. The reason could be the economy. It's doing a little better and experts think more people will be traveling.
If you're going by plane, the big topic right now is the enhanced security measures we've talked to much about. A student named Francis posted this on our blog: "It didn't bother me to be patted down. I felt relieved that security was so tight." A different view from Mason, who thinks the body scanners are "a violation of privacy." He says "people want to feel safe at airports, but there's a line that has to be drawn." The head of the Transportation Security Agency says these enhanced screenings are necessary and the best way to keep everyone safe. The White House says it's open to adjusting the procedures in order to balance safety with privacy.
Now all of that is about flying. But according to this report about holiday travel, most people -- around 94 percent -- will be traveling by car for Thanksgiving. That's gonna come at a bit higher price. The cost of gas is up around a nickel. The average price of a gallon of unleaded gas is the highest it's been since May.
I.D. Me
JOHN LISK, CNN STUDENT NEWS: See if you can I.D. Me! I'm a European country that's also an island. I got my independence from the United Kingdom in 1921. My capital city is Dublin, and my national holiday is St. Patrick's Day. I'm Ireland, and I'm home to around 4.6 million people.
AZUZ: Ireland's economy is really struggling. The country asked for and is getting a bailout. That's going to come from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, the IMF. Plus, the British government has offered Ireland a loan. Some people aren't too happy about this whole situation. They marched down the streets protesting. The Irish government already gave a bailout to its banks, but what these folks are upset about is the fact that Ireland asked someone else for a bailout.
Ireland is getting some help. So what? There are two issues to tackle here. We're gonna start with these protests. The reason people are upset is they're concerned about Ireland's sovereignty, its independence. When a country gets a loan from the IMF, it has to follow certain rules to pay back that loan. Some people don't like the idea of another group telling Ireland's government what it should do. The country's prime minister says Ireland's economy is already connected to other countries. That brings us to the other issue. Why does it matter if Ireland is getting this bailout? Because the economies of different countries are connected, especially when they're part of a group like the European Union. There are concerns that if Ireland's economy takes a major hit, other nations could too.
Shoutout
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Johnson's civics classes at Pendleton High School in Pendleton, Oregon! What color is often associated with business profits? Is it: A) Red, B) Blue, C) Black or D) White? You've got three seconds -- GO! When a company is making a profit, it's said to be in the black. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
Holiday Shopping
AZUZ: That is why the Friday after Thanksgiving is referred to as Black Friday. It's the start of the holiday shopping season and a time when businesses hope to make enough sales to get into the black. According to a new survey, even though there are concerns about the economy, the majority of Americans are planning to break out their wallets for the holidays. 57 percent of the people who were surveyed said they plan to spend the same or more during this holiday season than last year. 41 percent said they'll spend less. But experts think that with the economy getting a little bit better, some people who say they're avoiding buying stuff might end up spending money anyway.
Economic Outlook
AZUZ: Slow-going though: That is the prediction a group of experts about the U.S. economy's recovery. The National Association for Business Economics -- as we've said -- they think the economy is gonna get a little bit better this year, a little bit better next year. They don't expect it to be a huge improvement though. Part of the reason is what we just talked about: that people are still being cautious about spending money. Experts also predict that the U.S. national debt will get bigger. They don't think the economy will fall into another recession though.
Bullying Prevention Conference
AZUZ: We know from our blog that more than 80 percent of you have said you've seen bullying in some form. That issue was front and center at the conference I attended last week in Seattle, Washington. Here are some of the highlights we heard at the International Bullying Prevention Association. First, it seems like verbal abuse is the most common form of bullying. This was found in a survey of 30,000 Finnish students, but you've also indicated this on our blog when we asked you what the worst form of bullying was.
Next: It's important for you the students to be involved in solutions to bullying. Whether it's through a survey about bullying that you can discuss afterward or simply helping other students to feel like they belong, these actions can all help break the code of silence when it comes to bullying. When students feel they can talk about it, attention to the problem usually follows. And those who've been victims say having someone listen is the thing that helps the most. Could be a friend, classmate or an adult.
Web Promo
AZUZ: There are a couple places where you can find great resources for discussing and dealing with bullying. One is CNNStudentNews.com. We have a free Parent and Teacher Guide there. Also, Cartoon Network has excellent info at stopbullyingspeakup.com. That's where you can find a free tip sheet on dealing with the issue. Again, that site, you see it right there, is stopbullyingspeakup.com.
AZUZ: You want the inside scoop from professionals, and we've got it for you. Our own Associate Producer, Tomeka Jones, is back with another career feature. Tomeka?
TOMEKA JONES, ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Hey, Carl. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever received career advice you didn't like? Or have you been told you wouldn't be successful?
AZUZ: Oh yeah. I've been discouraged. I've been told I couldn't anchor at this level. I've heard it.
JONES: Well, Executive Producer Stephanie Todd said she once got advice that she didn't agree with, but she did listen. And now her advice to you is to keep plugging away, no matter what, and to always believe in yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
STEPHANIE TODD, HLN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: We should not expect that everyone knows this story.
I make the executive decisions in the mornings. After we get pitches from all of our staff, then there's a few of us that get together and do an editorial meeting. I think a lot of EPs have different roles. Mine, for running two daily talk shows, two daily live talk shows, is I am basically working with the team to figure out what stories we put on the air, what guests we want, which angles we want to go towards, how we want to present a story.
I'm not sure if we should bring up something like this.
A talk show is a little different in that, if you're going to pick a story, you better pick it for like five minutes, not just for 30 seconds. Sometimes our news is a little bit more water cooler, pop culture stuff, rather than election results. Every news has its place.
In this rundown, the scripts are numbered, so A-1 is a cold open. So, this is the script for when you hear the first part of the show.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a bizarre and alarming discovery!
TODD: Being proactive, I think in any field, is the way to go. And having ideas and not be afraid to speak out and being confident in yourself. You shouldn't get discouraged by if someone gives you some sort of criticism or critique or feedback. You just have to know that you believe in yourself and you've done your best.
(END VIDEO)
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go, we have a story that's kind of a Thanksgiving appetizer. This Wisconsin farmer spends most of his time working. He's been saving up money to put food on the table. But not on his table. He's paying for Thanksgiving dinner for 200 families. We're talking turkey, stuffing, cranberries, the whole meal. Bill Troxel says it's something he's wanted to do for years. He says seeing families come together is something you can't put a price on.
Goodbye
AZUZ: His example of giving is something everyone can be thankful for and that will gobble up all of our time for today. We'll be off the rest of this week. We hope you have a very happy thanksgiving you turkeys. We'll see you again on Monday. For CNN Student News, I'm Carl Azuz.
