(CNN Student News) — August 22, 2011
Download PDF maps related to today’s show:
• Libya
• Dominican Republic & Puerto Rico
• Ohio & Washington, D.C.
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: Hey, and thank you for joining us! I’m Carl Azuz, launching you into CNN Student News! If you were with us last week, it’s great to have you back. If this is your first day, welcome to our 2011-2012 coverage.
First Up: Crisis in Libya
AZUZ: First up today, two very different views on how the civil war is going in the north African nation of Libya. This conflict started months ago. Longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi and his forces are fighting against rebels who want Gadhafi out. Other countries are involved in this, too, as part of a NATO mission to protect Libya’s civilians.
There were reports that hundreds of people were killed yesterday during fighting in and around the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The rebels say they’re making significant progress, advancing toward Gadhafi’s headquarters. But the Libyan government says the rebels are losing every battle. Colonel Gadhafi went on the radio Sunday, urging his supporters to continue their fight. A CNN crew that’s been in Libya for weeks said this weekend’s fighting in Tripoli seemed to be the most intense fighting yet in the capital city.
Middle East Violence
AZUZ: Violence increasing in another conflict, meanwhile, this one in the Middle East. It started with a series of attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers on Thursday, and it’s turned into days of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. These two groups have clashed for decades. And two regions — Gaza and the West Bank — have traditionally been at the center of those clashes.
At least eight Israelis were killed in the attacks on Thursday. Israel then launched air strikes against what it called "terrorist targets" in Gaza. And in response, say Israeli officials, around 100 rockets have been fired into Israel. You can see some of the damage from those in this video. Israel’s government says it will respond to any attempt to harm Israeli civilians or soldiers. Palestinian officials are urging Israel to stop what it calls the "unjustified aggression" against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Is This Legit?
STAN CASE, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? Storms in the Atlantic Ocean are given names when they become hurricanes. Not legit! They get names when they are classified as tropical storms, which is one level below a hurricane.
Severe Weather
AZUZ: The 9th storm to get a name might be the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic season. Forecasters predict that Tropical Storm Irene is picking up strength as it moves toward islands in the Caribbean Sea. On Sunday afternoon, Irene had wind speeds around 50 miles per hour. Won’t be considered a hurricane until those wind speeds reach 74 miles per hour. Experts think that could happen very soon. Officials announced hurricane warnings for Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic yesterday. Some predictions estimated that Irene could dump up to 20 inches of rain on parts of the Dominican Republic. There’s concern that heavy rain could trigger mudslides there; that has happened before.
VP Biden in China
AZUZ: Vice President Joe Biden has finished a trip to China. But this was the scene when he arrived in the country last Wednesday. He was there for five days meeting with Chinese leaders, and the biggest issue discussed during his visit was the U.S. economy. China has bought more U.S. debt that any other foreign country. So, officials there are concerned about America’s ability to manage that debt. During one speech, Vice President Biden explained why it’s important for the U.S. to protect Chinese and American investors.
U.S. VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I read that some Chinese are concerned about your safety of your investments in American assets. But please understand no one cares more about this than we do, since Americans own 87% of all our financial assets and 69% of all our treasury bonds, while China owns 1% of our financial assets and 8% of our treasury bills, respectively.
What is Ramadan?
AZUZ: All right, shifting gears now. About 1.6 billion people — just over a fifth of the world’s population — are Muslim. And we’re in the middle of the most sacred time on the Muslim calendar. It’s called Ramadan, and it lasts for an entire month. Although there are disagreements about when exactly that month starts. Dan Gilgoff explains that — and more — about this observance.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
DAN GILGOFF, CNN.COM RELIGION EDITOR: Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting. It’s meant to be a month of reflection, prayer and charity, detachment from worldly affairs. A month of purification. It’s one of the 5 pillars, or duties, of Islam. Ramadan is believed to be the month during which the prophet Mohammed started receiving the divine revelation, the Quran, or the Muslim holy book, from God, or Allah. And so, the most holy night during Ramadan — and of the entire Islamic year — is called the night of power, and that’s the night which it is believed that Allah did start to reveal the text of the Quran to the prophet Mohammed in the year 610.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. And the Islamic calendar operates according to the lunar cycle, the cycle of the moon. And so every year, Ramadan moves up around 11 days earlier than the previous year. It’s supposed to begin with the sighting of the first new moon of that cycle. And every year, there are debates about when that first new moon becomes visible, so that various countries believe that they see the first new moon on various days and Ramadan will begin on different days in different countries.
The fast is broken each night with what’s called the iftar meal, and it’s a meal that’s often times communal or banquet-style meal that’s eaten in a mosque. The fast each night is often broken with dates, which is believed to have dated to the time of Mohammed. Every year during Ramadan the international sale of dates just skyrockets. The month of Ramadan ends with the holiday called Eid ul-Fitr. It’s often simply just referred to as Eid. It is the start of the next lunar month after Ramadan. It’s a break the fast holiday that’s marked by a lot of celebrations and feasting with friends and families. A lot of mosques hold carnivals for a couple of days after Ramadan ends.
(END VIDEO)
Shoutout
TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Time for the Shoutout! What historic figure once said, "out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope"? If you think you know it, shout it out! Was it: A) Queen Elizabeth II, B) Martin Luther King Jr., C) John F. Kennedy or D) Mahatma Gandhi? You’ve got three seconds — GO! That phrase was part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. That’s your answer and that’s your Shoutout!
Memorial Virtual Tour
AZUZ: When Dr. King gave that speech, he was standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Now, the civil rights leader will have his own memorial in the nation’s capital. The dedication ceremony being scheduled for next week. But we’ve got a little virtual tour for you right now.
The entrance, with the two stones that have been separated, is meant to symbolize the mountain of despair that Doctor King was talking about. And the single boulder inside is meant to be the stone of hope. There’s also an inscription wall inside the memorial featuring more than a dozen of Dr. Martin Luther King’s most famous quotations.
Blog Promo
AZUZ: Dr. King will join the other famous Americans who have memorials in Washington, D.C. The question we’re asking on our blog is who else do you think should be honored with a national memorial? Head to CNNStudentNews.com. Tell us your choices and your reasons why. We’re looking forward to your ideas. But please remember, it’s first names only on the blog.
Mailman Honored
AZUZ: This Ohio mailman is used to delivering greetings to people on his route. Last week, he was the one getting the special greetings from all of them. That is because he was back home and delivering mail after spending a year serving in the Army National Guard in Afghanistan. Rob Lustig said he was overwhelmed by the homecoming.
ROB LUSTIG, MAILMAN, AFGHAN WAR VETERAN, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: I can’t keep a smile off my face, because every time I look around there’s another sign. How are you doing? I just want to thank my customers for the support and the balloons and their generosity and thoughtfulness. It makes me feel good.
Before We Go
AZUZ: Makes us feel good, too. We’re going to stay in Ohio for today’s Before We Go segment and visit a national food festival. But these contestants aren’t bobbing for apples. They’re bobbing for burgers! And they’re doing it in a kiddie pool filled with ketchup. Mmm. It’s just one of the competitions at the National Hamburger Festival. Another event: the hamburger eating contest. The winner there gobbled up a quarter pounder and 10 patties in five minutes.
Goodbye
AZUZ: A victory like that deserves a patty on the back. It looks like there’s an a-bun-dance of fun going on there. We just hope you’ll ketchup with us tomorrow for more CNN Student News tomorrow. Man, these puns are making me hungry. I’m Carl Azuz. Have a great day.
Originally Published On: www.cnn.com – Original Article Here