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SHANELL, CNN STUDENT NEWS IREPORTER: Hi! I'm Shanell.
AMANDA, CNN STUDENT NEWS IREPORTER: And I'm Amanda.
SHANELL: And we're from Colby, Kansas.
AMANDA: And this is Carl Azuz with today's CNN Student News!
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Very nicely done, ladies, getting us off to a galloping start. That was awesome, just like Fridays! Wonder if those horses were neighbors. Whether you live next door or halfway around the world, we welcome all of our viewers to CNN Student News.
AZUZ: So, let's say you're a Steelers or Packers fan. You're heading to the Super Bowl in Dallas, Texas to get away from the cold weather in your hometown. But when you show up in Texas, the wind chill is 10 degrees below zero! Believe that! That's what it felt like in Dallas yesterday. Throw in several inches of snow and ice, parts of the city just shut down. One Packers player said it was funny to see everything closed. He said in Green Bay, this would've been a normal day.
What we're about to show you, though, is not normal. Watch this. That's the power of this snowstorm. The roof of the building in Massachusetts completely collapsed under the weight of all the snow. Luckily, everyone who was inside got out safely ahead of time.
Prayer Breakfast
AZUZ: The National Prayer Breakfast has taken place in Washington, D.C. every year for nearly six decades. During yesterday's prayer breakfast, President Obama gave a very personal speech about his religious faith. He talked about how his faith sustains him and how he asks God for strength. The president wasn't the only speaker at the event. U.S. astronaut Mark Kelly -- he is the husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords -- gave the closing prayer. He also talked about his wife's recovery from a shooting attack in Arizona. The president also talked about violence that's taking place in a different part of the world.
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We pray that the violence in Egypt will end, and that the rights and aspirations of the Egyptian people will be realized. And that a better day will dawn over Egypt and throughout the world.
AZUZ: People who support and people who are against Egypt's government continued to fight against each other in the country's capital of Cairo on Thursday, though the fighting wasn't as intense as it was the day before. In an interview with Christiane Amanpour of ABC News, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who's the main focus of these protests, said he was very unhappy about the fighting. He also said that he would leave office right away, but that he didn't want to risk plunging his nation into chaos.
Political protests certainly aren't a new idea. They've been happening for centuries. But as Karen Caifa explains for us now, there is a very modern twist to these protests in Egypt.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
KARIN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON, D.C.: Pictures that speak a thousand words. Protests fueled by 140 characters. The unrest in Egypt targets the 30-year tenure of leader Hosni Mubarak, protests led by a generation that's come of age and found their voice in the era of social media.
NASSER WEDDADY, AMERICAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS: You have a generation right now, an entire generation that was born under the Mubarak rule, that has taken to the streets and they want him out.
CAIFA: While the percentage of Egyptians engaging in social media is small compared to that in the United States, like young Americans, it's young Egyptians making the most use of it. So before they took to the streets, they took to Twitter and to Facebook to mobilize, organize, to share their anger with each other and with the world. But at points during the height of the unrest, those tools went dark, with reports of the Egyptian government cracking down on Twitter and Facebook use, and cutting off internet access. A move criticized by the White House.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We believe that the people of Egypt have a right to freedom of expression and freedom of speech, and that includes the use of the internet.
CAIFA: And even with postings from within Egypt limited, the events stayed among the top trending topics on Twitter, piquing the interest of social media users worldwide using a number of hashtags.
WEDDADY: The demonstrations that you're seeing right now in the streets, that's an example of online activism going back into the real world.
(END VIDEO)
Health Care Debate
AZUZ: An effort to overturn the controversial Health Care Reform Law will not be moving forward in the U.S. Senate. Senate Democrats blocked the move by Senate Republicans on Wednesday in a 51-to-47 vote that was right down party lines. Two Democratic senators didn't vote. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to overturn the law last month. But with the Senate vote on Wednesday, this debate may be over in Congress.
But it's not over in the courts. Earlier this week, a federal judge in Florida ruled that the health care law is unconstitutional. Another judge has ruled the same way. But two other federal judges have said the opposite. All this, what this means, this will probably end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. So there's a good chance we haven't heard the end of this health reform law debate.
Shoutout
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Linser's social studies classes at Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Washington! On the Chinese calendar, what year has just begun? You know what to do! Is it the Year of the... A) Rabbit, B) Ox, C) Snake or D) Tiger? You've got three seconds -- GO! The Chinese calendar has just kicked off the Year of the Rabbit. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!
Chinese New Year
AZUZ: All right. The Chinese calendar is lunar; it's based on the moon. And in a 12-year cycle, every year is assigned a different animal from ancient times. Astrologers describe the rabbit as kind and gentle, so maybe this will be a year of calm in China. Who knows? One thing we do know. These Year of the Rabbit celebrations are hopping, and they're going to go on for two weeks. The new year kicks off a fifteen-day Spring festival. There are parades, like this one. A lot of fireworks and festivities. And we're not just talking about things that happened in China. These celebrations happen in cities all around the world.
AZUZ: There was a time, when you wanted to ask someone out, you'd pass them a note that said "Do you want to go out with me? Check yes or no." And you'd really, really hope she didn't say maybe. These days, dating, of course, as you know, is a lot more high-tech. But the technology can also be used in harmful ways. We have a report now about some of the potential problems of dating in a digital world.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
CINDY SOUTHWORTH, NATIONAL NETWORK TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: What else makes digital dating abuse, do you think?
CAIFA: Inside this classroom at Jefferson Middle School in Washington, D.C., lessons about the technology that connects teens, but also brings new challenges. Many parents are aware of cyberbullying. But others may not know the signs of digital dating abuse. And a recent survey found that more than half of teens know someone who's been a victim.
PATRICIA PRIDE, JEFFERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: A lot of the things that happen on Facebook, on MySpace, on the social networks on the weekends, we see filter into the school on Monday morning.
CAIFA: Digital dating abuse includes things like excessive or harassing text messages or emails, accessing or manipulating a boyfriend or girlfriend's Facebook or MySpace page, or "sexting" with racy photos, all by simply using a mobile phone.
SOUTHWORTH: It doesn't necessarily cause dating abuse. You can take the phone away and there's still going to be a controlling relationship, but it's definitely playing out through the technology.
CAIFA: So, "Love is Not Abuse," a nationwide coalition that teaches teens about the dangers of domestic violence, now has a bigger focus on the role of the internet and social networking, during and after a relationship.
SOUTHWORTH: You're texting a lot, and it's a good thing and both people are happy. But what if you try to break up and the texting keeps happening?
CAIFA: The students here were the first to take part in the new curriculum, a kickoff to February's National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. It will soon roll out across the country, a campaign to help students understand that abuse is real, even if it's in the digital realm. In Washington, I'm Karin Caifa for CNN Student News.
(END VIDEO)
Before We Go
AZUZ: Before we go today, we're taking you to an obstacle course where the obstacles are alive! It's at an alligator farm in Florida. And it includes a zip line that takes you right over the gators! The woman on the zip line's thinking, "cool, gators!" And the gators are thinking, "cool, lunch!" Fearless flyers are strapped onto safety lines at all times. And in truth, you're zipping along about 50 feet over the reptiles' reach.
Goodbye
AZUZ: Still, you'd think they would put up a gator something. Maybe these are helpful animals. Maybe if you fall in their pit, they'll just offer you gator-aid. I think that's one of the best one's we've done in awhile. Today's sign-off line from Facebook.com/CNNStudentNews comes from Lindsey, who says a bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired. You can send us your sign-off lines at Facebook.com/CNNStudentNews. We look forward to 'em. Today's last suggestion came from Philip, Lauren, Bailey and Gemma. Here it comes: [Carl throws pillow at camera]
