解读海地地震 重温伟大梦想

[本期导读]

海地大地震牵动人心，是什么造成了这次巨大的灾难，来听一下专家的解释。

马丁路德金的梦想有没有实现？美国民众最有发言权。

密苏里州的一个男孩也有自己心中的梦想，当他的梦想成真之时，所有人都为他疯狂。

(cnn Student News) -- January 15, 2010

CARL AZUZ, cnn STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Wrapping up the week here on cnn Student News, I'm Carl Azuz. Welcome to the show.

First Up: Haiti Relief Effort

AZUZ: First up, a massive relief effort is underway to help victims of this week's deadly earthquake in Haiti. The U.S. has pledged $100 million in aid. So has the World Bank. The United Nations has announced $10 million in aid. And technology is playing a part in all of this, as well. The American Red Cross has raised at least $4 million through text message donations.
In addition to the money, many countries and relief organizations are sending supplies and personnel. But the damage caused by the quake is making it hard to get that help to the victims who need it. Roads are blocked; docks are damaged; and the airport in Port-au-Prince, the capital city, is so crowded that there's not enough space for planes to land. Many Haitians are taking recovery efforts into their own hands, working to find and free survivors of the quake who've been trapped under the rubble. Part of the reason why this tremor was so destructive is because of where it happened. Jenny Harrison looks at the science behind the quake.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

JENNY HARRISON, cnn INTERNATIONAL WEATHER ANCHOR: Let me just show you where we are talking about. Here is the fault line. And of course, straightaway, you can see how close to that Port-au-Prince is. There's the epicenter close, as well, to Carrefour. This is the fault we're talking about. Now, this is what is called a strike-slip earthquake, and literally this is what happens. You have the two plates rubbing up against each other. That friction is building, it is building, it is building, and eventually something has to happen.

Now, when you have an area that sees many, many earthquakes over whatever period of time, well, then what actually happens is that a lot of that pressure or that friction is actually released periodically, so you don't get this massive buildup of friction, which is exactly what happened here.

The deeper down, of course, as you can well imagine, by the time the waves actually reach the surface, those shockwaves, you barely feel it. The closer to the earth's surface, then the more shocking it will be; the more impact it is going to have. And again, the distance that you are from the epicenter plays a part, as well as the depth in the earth.

Now, also what happened here, was that the epicenter of the quake was well inside the mountains. Very, very dense; much less shaking. But again, once it headed out and was pushing out towards the coast, that is when it began to be felt. Much less dense.

Now, at the same time, of course, it couldn't have happened in a worse place because of the population. This gives you an idea of the population of Haiti. And of course, the gray blocks trying to illustrate the intensity of populations. So, the two most densely populated cities, of course, the capital Port-au-Prince and also Carrefour. The violent shaking was felt dramatically all around that area.

Now, first of all, you have what is called a primary wave, and this moves everything, obviously, very violently, but can sometimes be over fairly quickly. This is then followed by the S-wave, the secondary waves, of which there could be numerous. We've had numerous aftershocks reported. And you can see what happens. It's called that for a reason: it moves in an S shape. It moves vertically or horizontally. When it moves vertically, this is when we see the most damage, because this is when we see the tops of the buildings coming off like the presidential palace. Literally, it is just shaken off the roots of its foundations.

(END VIDEO)

Haiti Earthquake Reaction

AZUZ: We'd like to know how this story from Haiti has affected you. What's gone through your mind as you've seen images of the people, the rubble, the relief efforts? Log on to cnnStudentNews.com, and let us know what you're thinking.

Money Word

TOMEKA JONES, cnn STUDENT NEWS: Here's the deal: Today's Money Word is foreclosure. It describes when a lender, like a bank, takes control of a property from its owner because the owner has not made payments on a loan. Put that in your word bank!

Record Foreclosures

AZUZ: There were more foreclosures in 2009 than in any other year in U.S. history. Nearly three million people fell behind on their mortgage payments, and that was up 21 percent from the year before. Federal and state governments have passed some laws to help homeowners, try to cut down on the number of foreclosures. Some experts say that might have worked, but others argue it's just delaying the inevitable, meaning that more homes will be foreclosed on this year.

Proposed Bank Fee

AZUZ: Homeowners, not the only ones who needed help in this recession. The banking, auto and insurance industries all got help from the government in the form of financial bailouts. The plan was for that money to be paid back. President Obama wants to make sure that happens, which is why he's asking Congress to charge some of the companies that got federal money a fee. The exact details on how this would work out aren't available yet; they'll be released next month. Some people in the financial industry are against the idea. They point out that a lot of the bailout money has already been paid back, and that this fee would make it harder for the overall U.S. economy to recover.

Fast Facts

RICK VINCENT, cnn STUDENT NEWS: Time for some Fast Facts! Michael Luther King was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His father later renamed him Martin Luther King Jr. He became a national civil rights leader in the mid-1950s after leading a successful bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. During the 1963 civil rights demonstration known as the March on Washington, King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech: his vision for a world where people wouldn't be judged based on the color of their skin. In 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the civil rights movement. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968. Nine years later, King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Blog Report

AZUZ: The holiday honoring Dr. King is coming up on Monday; we will be off the air for it. Check this out: free discussion questions and activities are available right now at cnnStudentNews.com. Also there: our blog. A couple days ago, I asked whether you thought Dr. King's dream had come true. Samantha thinks that "for the most part, we have eradicated" -- good word! -- "eradicated racial discrimination in the U.S. We have an African-American president and a Hispanic Supreme Court justice. We've taken huge steps." But Hunter says: "Discrimination is still a problem as much as it was long ago. A black president is a step, but we still have a whole flight of stairs to go." Dreamer wrote that "if Martin Luther King were still here, he would respect us because of how far we've come since that time. I don't know where we'd be today without him." And from Brady: "I still think there are conflicts between white and black people, but we are constantly moving forward."

Student Chance

AZUZ: Moving to the basketball court and one Missouri student's dream. After four years handing out water and towels to players on the team, what he really wanted was to get in the game. Recently, he got his chance. Frank Cusumano of affiliate KSDK has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

FRANK CUSUMANO, KSDK REPORTER: He slapped five, he shook hands, and David "Chubbs" Stillman even had his own personal cheering section.

BILL GUNN, KIRKWOOD H.S. BASKETBALL COACH: You see the guy walking down the halls and he just has a smile on his face and people are just drawn to him.

CUSUMANO: Especially on Monday night, when the team manager became a starting guard.

DAVID "CHUBBS" STILLMAN, KIRKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: A lot of people were going crazy.
CUSUMANO: Chubbs has been in special ed since preschool.

ANN STILLMAN, DAVID'S MOTHER: He doesn't have a specific medical diagnosis, but he has multiple learning disabilities.

CUSUMANO: Chubbs knew two weeks ago that he was going to dress out, so during the holiday break he did a lot of shooting outside in the backyard. And for this game, he was not coming out bashful.

GUNN: I told him his role was to find his favorite spot on the floor, and the team's role was to find him opportunities to get shots off.

CUSUMANO: And they did. In the fourth quarter, Chubbs let it fly.

D. STILLMAN: It was awesome, them feeding me the ball.

KEVIN STILLMAN, DAVID'S FATHER: To watch that ball go through the hoop was just an amazing feeling.

A. STILLMAN: He's tried for so many years to overcome the obstacles, and he was able to be the star.

CUSUMANO: You can say that again. Because with the clock winding down in a convincing victory over Fox, Chubbs drilled his second three-pointer.

Where would that night rank in terms of thrills in your lifetime?

D. STILLMAN: It will be the best night.

CUSUMANO: How long do you think you'll remember it for?

D. STILLMAN: Ever.

(END VIDEO)

Before We Go

AZUZ: Great story. Now, you shoppers know that some sales are worth waiting for. But 20,000 years might be a bit much. That's how long it's taken for this wooly mammoth to get to Arizona. The prehistoric beast, or what's left of it, is part of a fossil exhibit. But the company that's putting him on display is hoping somebody will want to take it home. And hey, they're only asking for half a million bucks.

Goodbye

AZUZ: Sounds like a tusk assignment, but that's probably a fair price. I mean, they're not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. Remember, we will be off on Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday. We hope you enjoy the long weekend. For cnn Student News, I'm Carl Azuz.