Cnn Student News 2010年10月27日

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: An erupting volcano, some newly-discovered species, and a celebratory soccer match. We've got it all covered for you in today's edition of CNN Student News! Hello and welcome. From the CNN Center, my name is Carl Azuz.

First Up: Indonesia Earthquake

AZUZ: First up, officials respond to a massive earthquake that hit the island nation of Indonesia. This happened on Monday night. More than a hundred people were killed; several hundred others were missing. The quake had a magnitude of 7.7. That's what experts call a major earthquake, one of the highest magnitude classes that scientists use. It triggered a tsunami, this giant wave out in the ocean.

Indonesia is made up of more than 18,000 islands. It's located in southeast Asia in between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The area that officials think got hit the hardest is popular for surfing. There was damage to several resorts around there. Some of the islands were cut off, and the only way they could talk with officials was by satellite phone. The strong waves that were caused by the quake were making it hard for rescuers to reach those islands.

Indonesia Volcano

AZUZ: Indonesia is located in what's called the Ring of Fire. It's an area that goes around part of the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes happen pretty frequently there. And so do volcanic eruptions, and that is actually something else that Indonesia is dealing with right now. Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, and it's located in one of the country's most populated areas. That's why thousands of people had to leave on Tuesday, because Merapi erupted at least three times! Local media reported that around 15 people were killed, although CNN couldn't confirm those reports yesterday. Some nearby relief groups were able to offer immediate help. One official from the group said around 1,500 people found shelter about 7 miles away from the volcano.

Midwest Storms

AZUZ: In the United States, a huge section of the country is getting hit by some really heavy storms. These things stretched 800 miles yesterday, from Wisconsin and Illinois all the way down to Tennessee. The storms were heading east, and fast! Experts said the severe weather was moving at more than 50 miles per hour. As you can imagine, something that powerful left a lot of damage behind. Tens of thousands of people lost power. Homes and businesses were damaged. Trees were knocked down. There were reports of tornadoes in a couple different states. O'Hare International Airport in Chicago canceled all flights for a while yesterday because of the strong wind and rain. One expert said this might be the most powerful storm to hit Illinois in more than 70 years.

Shoutout

TOMEKA JONES, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Today's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Horton's sociology classes at Washington Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin! The 15th, 19th and 26th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution all deal with what? Is it: A) Voting, B) Taxes, C) Health Care or D) Presidential Succession? You've got three seconds -- GO! These Amendments all address the right to vote. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout!

Voter Turnout

AZUZ: Okay, the 15th Amendment says you can't deny someone the right to vote because of his or her race. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Millions of Americans have the right to vote. But do they exercise that right? You might be surprised by this. This is a chart of average voter turnout in different countries. At the top, that's Australia, with 95 percent voter turnout. Denmark has 86 percent. Thailand, 78 percent. The United States: you see it on the end there, the right hand side of your screen: 47 percent! That's lower than Afghanistan, a country torn by war. What some people are wondering is, how can you get more Americans to exercise their right to vote? Carol Costello examines some possibilities in this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Slide it in for me, please.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Imagine, if you do not cast a ballot, you get slapped with a big fat fine.

WILLIAM GALSTON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: People are frustrated. They're angry.

COSTELLO: William Galston from the Brookings Institution thinks voting ought to be a mandatory civic duty. And before you say that's crazy, consider this.

GALSTON: When you get a notice to show up for jury duty, that's not an invitation. You know, that's a polite requirement.

COSTELLO: And he says, let's face it: While elections officials have tried to increase voter turnout by offering early voting or enabling people to register at the DMV, they've only managed to increase turnout by one or two percentage points. Not great when you look at the numbers: In 1962, almost 50 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the midterm elections. In 1986, 38 percent voted. In 2006, 40 percent. In a country that embraces democracy, the diminishing turnout makes you wonder. So, we asked why.

REGINALD STRONG, VOTER, NEW YORK: Laziness. You know, honestly, just laziness.

REBECCA HOGAN, VOTER, NEW YORK: They don't really understand the way that government and policy affects them and their lives personally.

JOSH PESKOWITZ, VOTER, NEW YORK: If you don't vote, then you're really just, you have no right to complain about anything that goes on in this country.

COSTELLO: That brings us back to mandatory voting. If people don't vote because they're lazy, then why not force them to perform their civic duty? Conservative columnist Debra J. Saunders of the San Francisco Chronicle cites California's ballot pamphlet as a strike against mandatory voting. It's thick with candidate choices and tax propositions, complicated stuff, she says.

DEBRA J. SAUNDERS, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: I know it sounds great to say that we'd like to have 100 percent voting in the United States, but when you look at the reality, if people aren't paying attention, I don't know that you want to have them voting on really complicated issues.

COSTELLO: Voting in America isn't likely to become mandatory any time soon. As one elections official told me, it would be un-American. Just like others say it's un-American to stay home on Election Day.

(END VIDEO)

Is This Legit?

STAN CASE, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is this legit? The Amazon is the longest river in the world. Not legit! The Amazon is the world's second longest river, flowing around 4,000 miles across South America.

New Amazon Species

AZUZ: It is the Nile that is the longest river. But when it comes to rainforests, the Amazon is the biggest one in the world, home to an incredible collection of plants and animals. And more are discovered every year. Just how many more? There's a new report from the World Wildlife Fund that says that over the last decade, from 1999 to 2009, more than 1,200 new plant and animal species were discovered in the Amazon.

That includes reptiles, like a new anaconda snake. Amphibians, including 24 new poison dart frogs. Mammals, like the Bolivian river dolphin. And more than 600 new kinds of plants. One official with the World Wildlife Fund says "the Amazon is the single most important place on Earth" when it comes to biodiversity. That's because it's home to 10 percent of the known species in the entire world.

Miners Honored

AZUZ: Chile is honoring 33 men who were rescued from a mine earlier this month. Hundreds of supporters attended a ceremony at the Chilean presidential palace, where President Sebastian Pinera gave each man an award, his country's flag, and a model of the rescue capsule. After the ceremony, the miners played a soccer match against the men who rescued them. Everyone wore the number 33 on their jerseys. That was in honor of the miners; there were 33 miners rescued. It was a friendly match, but they did keep score, and the miners lost 3-2.

Blog Report

AZUZ: We're turning this part of the show over to you! The source: our blog at CNNStudentNews.com. The topic: How do you decide what's okay to put online? Daphne writes, "you are responsible for what you put online, so don't put anything if you can't handle the consequences." From Jamison: "I ask myself if I would feel comfortable saying my comment in front of a large group of students. I wouldn't say anything to embarrass my family, friends or myself." Kara has the same idea: "If you wouldn't show it to your grandmother or your five-year-old brother or sister, then don't post it where the whole world can see it." Brooke has a different perspective. "Your privacy online should be private," she believes. "School administrators need to focus more on things like drugs and things that could kill others, not pictures put online." Now, this is in relation to what we saw in yesterday's show. In Dakshina's opinion, though, "The images you post represent you and symbolize your character, personality and behavior. Never post an image that would be considered appalling by anyone else's standards."

Before We Go

AZUZ: Before we go, we have a story for you that pretty much rolls around every October. Somebody grows some giant pumpkin. What's interesting about this Liveleak.com video, though, is that they're not weighing the pumpkin. They're dropping it. Right onto that car. Bam! Let's watch it 4 or 5 more times. Organizers set up this -- it just keeps getting better! Organizers set this stunt up in Utah. 1,100 pounds of pumpkin falling from 175 feet up in the air at a speed of 67 miles per hour?

Goodbye

AZUZ: Sounds like somebody has an appetite for destruction. Your teachers will get that. Either that, or it's the most extreme recipe ever for pumpkin soup. And either way, the event was a smashing success. A few more days -- don't worry -- a few more days, and we'll vine-ally be done with these pumpkin puns. For CNN Student News, I'm Carl Azuz. We'll see you later!