CNN news 2012-06-09 加文本

cnn news 2012-06-09

AZUZ: And today, for about seven hours, Venus will be passing in front of the sun, at least from the perspective of us here on Earth. It`s called the transit of Venus. And if you don`t get a chance to see this today, you`re probably not going to get another one.

AZUZ (voice-over): That`s because these transits of Venus don`t happen often. The next one won`t be until the year 2117. In the past, these events were used to help scientists understand the size of the solar system and the distance between planets.

The transit starts just after 6:00 pm Eastern time tonight, and it lasts for six hours and 40 minutes. If you plan to check it out, remember, don`t stare at the sun. You`re going to need special glasses or a telescope with a special filter.

AZUZ: Yesterday we talked about the U.S. unemployment rate. Right now it`s 8.2 percent, but it`s a lot higher for people who were 16 to 24 years old, I am sorry to say. College graduates might be wondering what that could mean for them as they transition from the classroom to the working world. Richard Roth talks with some of this year`s graduating seniors about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the class of 2012, God bless them.

RICHARD ROTH, cnn CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Graduates acknowledge they are headed out into the real world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The easiest part of life is over now.

ROTH (voice-over): If the trend continues, it`s estimated one out of two new graduates in this class will not have a job lined up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little scared, too, because I don`t have a job lined up but I`m not sure what I want to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Finding a career in uncertain economic times.

ROTH (voice-over): Graduation speakers only remind the students of the unknown challenges ahead. Having a college degree does increase job prospects, though, compared to a high school graduate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I personally am optimistic. I am employed, so, yay, me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`ve been waiting for this day for four years. I`m so excited, and I just can`t wait to get out there and start working.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations and God bless you.

AZUZ: New York`s mayor wants to make it illegal for restaurants to serve sugary drinks that are larger than 16 ounces. Most of you who responded on our blog don`t agree with this.

AZUZ (voice-over): Trenton says, "we shouldn`t have our mayors telling us what to drink; you wouldn`t want him to tell you what to wear."

Sam writes, "You are limiting somebody`s freedom of choice if you limit the size" of the drink.

And Maddi calls it "sad that the government has to control what we drink. We are slowly inching back to not being a republic."

A few folks like Ruby support the idea. "Consuming too much sugar will eventually lead to diseases and cause immense medical expenses."

And Rachel says, "Most people are making bad choices about food, so give them a push in the right direction."

Ethan thinks, "If this becomes a law, it could end up like the prohibition of alcohol, and people in New York would bootleg larger ounces into the city and sell it."

And Jayson thinks of sodas as cigarettes. "They`re not banned, but they do have a warning label on them; it should be that way with soda."

More comments are at cnnstudentnews.com.

But that is not the only blog you`ll find on our home page. "Schools of Thought" covers all things education. For example, a student who made a dress out of her homework, a look at some out of the ordinary college courses and a 21-year old who just graduated from medical school. Check all of that out at cnn.com/education.

AZUZ: Well, before we go, we`re going to check out a pretty big recycling project --

AZUZ (voice-over): -- if you can call it that. Here`s a hint: doesn`t have to do with the trees. A man in Oregon got his hands on the shell of an old 727 airplane and now he`s turning the thing into his dream home. It`s a long-term project. He`s been working on it for 10 years. Took out all the seats, he put in a bathroom. Now he`s building a shower to go along with it. You might think the idea is extraordinary, but --

AZUZ: -- in truth, the house is pretty "plane." Maybe he`ll make it his vacation home, you know, a cabin in the woods. If this is the first time anyone`s ever tried to do this, does that make it a pilot project? And without a manual to guide the renovations, we guess the homeowner`s just kind of winging it.

It`s time for us to take off. Have a great. For cnn Student News, I`m Carl Azuz. We`ll see you tomorrow.