CNN news 2012-02-13 加文本

cnn news 2012-02-13

AZUZ: Ambassador Rice is the second youngest person to hold that position. She`s the first African-American woman to be America`s representative to the United Nations. So she fits perfectly in the theme of this year`s Black History Month: black women in American culture and history.

AZUZ (voice-over): As ambassador, Susan Rice represents the United States to the international community at the United Nations. So she presents America`s view on the global issues that the U.N. tackles, things like peace and climate change and the fight against poverty and disease.

Rice held several positions in former President Bill Clinton`s administration. She earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford and completed her master`s degree and doctorate at Oxford University.

We have a great way for you to test your knowledge of other significant people and events in African-American history. It`s an interactive quiz designed especially for Black History Month, and it`s in the "Spotlight" section on our home page -- that`s cnnstudentnews.com.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for a Shoutout extra credit. Which of these video games was released first? You know what to do. Was it Mario Bros., Pong, Pac-Man or Donkey Kong? Another three seconds on the clock - - go.

Pong was one of the first video games when they came out in 1972, although the graphics might seem primitive by today`s standards. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout extra credit.

AZUZ: All right. You`ve seen the ratings on video games that say what age group games are suitable for. There`s T for teen, E for everyone. Japan might need a new rating for one group of gamers -- SC, senior citizens. Kyung Lah shows us how the elderly are overrunning some arcades in Japan and why the arcade owners couldn`t be happier about it.

KYUNG LAH, cnn REPORTER (voice-over): In the hyperanimated shoot-`em- up world of Japan`s video game arcades, the player has gone from preteen to retiree.

LAH: When we look around we see a lot of people who are about your same age. Why?

LAH (voice-over): "Because it`s fun here," says Teruo Kataoka. He`s 70. So many gray-haired gamers gather here that this arcade has morphed into an unofficial senior center.

"Of course we did," he says, pointing out the gang that meets here every other day. "Games are good to prevent dementia," a clear trend spotted by the corporation that owns this arcade, now pushing senior days ,building more pinball, coin-generated games, and marketing easy-to-use point cards.

LAH: Are you purposely making this more analog to meet the needs of an older population?

LAH (voice-over): "That`s right," says Sega`s spokeswoman. "In Japan, the trend is to use the mobile phone to collect points. But we`re using paper because it`s senior-friendly."

LAH: If you think getting elderly people to play video games is a crazy idea, well, consider this: for every child in Japan, there are two elderly people. In 50 years, that number will grow. For every child, there will be four elderly people. It only makes economic sense.

Japan is aging faster than anywhere on the planet, with a birth rate at historic lows. The arcade is just one example of a once youth-focused industry shifting to meet the population reality. No telling, says the video game industry, what the future of this graying nation holds -- Kyung Lah, cnn, Tokyo.

AZUZ: Before we go, things are looking up for a very small housing market.

AZUZ (voice-over): It`s for two kangaroos in an Australian zoo, and it`s looking up because these are tree kangaroos. They live most of their lives up off the ground. And they just moved into a new home in the facility. Forget hopping. These things are natural climbers. Right now it`s just a male and a female, but the zookeepers say they hope a baby `roo could be on the way soon.

AZUZ: So, in other words, the couple could bring home a little bundle of joey. Hopefully they`re getting settled into their new home and nothing "kanga-ruin" that experience. We`ll bounce back tomorrow with more cnn Student News. "Hop" to see you then. Bye-bye.