CARL AZUZ: It is Monday and you know what that means. The eighth graders at Dodge Middle School certainly do. It`s time for the start of the new week at CNN student News. I`m Carl Azuz. Let`s go ahead and get started.
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AZUZ: A lot of people stay up a little later on the weekends. I know I do. The U.S. Senate was up past midnight on Friday working in a late session in which they passed two pieces of legislation. The first one had to do with funding the federal government. Senators approved that for the next six months so that avoids the possibility of a government shut down until early next year. That vote passed by a margin of 62 to 30.
The other piece of legislation that the Senate approved this weekend passed by a vote of 90 to 1. This one was about the U.S. taking a tough position against Iran`s controversial nuclear program. And on taking steps to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The one Senator who voted against the resolution compared it to the idea of declaring preemptive war.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See if you can ID me? I`m a program that`s associated with the U.S. Military. I`m offered at college. And I train students to become officers in the military.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m ROTC, the Reserve Officer Training Corp.
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AZUZ: You might have a Junior ROTC at your high school. There are more than 1,000 ROTC programs at colleges and universities around the United States. Harvard University had one of the first army ROTC programs in the United States. But back in 1971, the school dropped the ROTC. At the time it was because of student protests against the Vietnam War.
But later, Harvard said it was continuing the ban because of the military`s don`t ask, don`t tell policy. That prevented gay and lesbian troops from serving openly in the U.S. military. Cadets could still study at Harvard, but they had to go to a different school to do their ROTC courses.
Now, 41 years after Harvard banned ROTC from its campus the program and its cadets are back and back in training.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Start in position, move.
ADAM T. EDWARDS, LIEUTENANT COLONEL, U.S. ARMY: We are doing PT training.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four.
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ADAM: Bright and early as you can see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven.
ADAM: ROTC is one of the mechanisms that we produce officers through the United States Army.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.
ADAM: This year with the official agreement between the Department of Defense and Harvard --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Position Attention, move.
ADAM: -- We now are able to conduct our PT, right here officially on Harvard grounds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two -
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three, (inaudible).
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:-- Three (inaudible).
ADAM: This is our second Monday here just outside the Harvard stadium.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:Three.
SELENA HURTADO, STUDENT: It`s previously, we do everything at MIT. So, people would just assume that there was no R.O.T.C. for Harvard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, come on, (inaudible), (Carl). Move it, move it, move it, move it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the fact that it is back on the Harvard campus broadens the perspectives of many people in the area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Nation`s top institutions are again recognizing that military service is something which should be respected. And which should be cherished and encouraged.
HURTADO: When I walk around in my uniform, several times I have been thanked for my service. And the funny thing about that is I`m not actually serving yet. But it`s nice to know that there are people out there. You know, especially here in the Harvard community that are still willing to thank us even though. Just because they see us in uniform.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Hot Potatoes).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be back at Harvard especially in that uniform is a humbling experience for me and something I will cherish.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Mr. Terhaar`s eighth grade class at Dodge Middle School at Farmington, Minnesota. What word describes the moment when day and night are the same length? You know what to do. Is it solstice, aurora, zenith, or equinox? You`ve got three seconds, go.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Day and night are the same length on an equinox. It happens twice a year. That`s your answer and that`s your Shoutout.
AZUZ: Not to be confused with solstices, which are the shortest and longest days of the year. Today we`re talking about the autumnal equinox. It signals the start of fall. In the northern hemisphere that was this past Saturday. And CNN iReport ran a mobile photo challenge. What this did was ask people from around the world to send in pictures of the first day of fall where they live. Here`s a look at what they sent in.
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AZUZ: We`ve reported so much about the dangers of texting while driving. Last week we asked why you think people still do it? On our blog Liese writes, "They think that even though it`s dangerous, it`s not likely anything will happen to them." A lot of you have said that; "No matter how hard the law, or news, or anyone tries, you will never convince people to stop..." Marcelino commented that, ".They are giving excuses, like they say that "I need to know who it is," or they get bored and they want something to do."
And Cole says, "It`s not because they wanna hurt people, but just because they`re impatient and they want to respond to texts right away." At Facebook dot com slash cnnstudentnews Valerie wrote people, ". Think they can do it quickly and nothing will happen, but once their eyes are off the road, there are many dangers to everyone."
Emily says, "Teenagers get so caught up in social media that safety goes by the wayside!" And Alex says, "People today are so used to getting an immediate response when texting. So, they go ahead and reply without knowing the risks involved." Some interesting thoughts on why this kind of thing happens.
How about where teen drivers pick up bad habits? Well, according to a new study, there`s a good chance it`s from their parents. This study talked to 1,700 teenagers. The majority of them admitted to distracted or dangerous driving themselves. They also said their parents didn`t set the best example. Most of the teens said their moms and dads had a do as I say, not as I do attitude when it comes to safe driving. The study also showed that most teens do not speak up when they notice their parents driving poorly.
A safety expert says the results show that parents need to realize how their actions are perceived. When you play in the major leagues for more than a decade, it might take something really impressive on the baseball field to catch your attention.
That`s what happened when the Atlanta Braves` Chipper Jones saw a report on Reece Holloway. The major leaguer decided he just had to meet the Little Leaguer. Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN: He can hit --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, you got it (rolling), Reece.
GUPTA: -- Field the ball, and even slide into home plate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job, Reece. Give me five.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:Good (inaudible).
REECE HOLLOWAY, LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYER: All the way around the base.
GUPTA: Six-year-old Reece Holloway wants to play in the big leagues someday, just like his idol Chipper Jones, who plays third base for the Atlanta Braves. When Reece was born his parents were shocked to discover that he didn`t have a left hand. And baseball was the furthest thing from their minds. They weren`t sure if he`d learn to crawl without a second hand.
So, they got him a prosthesis. But literally Reece didn`t want it. He did learn to crawl and walk. And then something remarkable happened. Reece taught himself how to hit a ball. He was just two.
MALOU HALLOWAY, REECE`S MOTHER: He got plastic balls and he would hold them under his chin. And drop it and swing the bat. And he would hit the ball, no problems.
GUPTA: He`s a natural and he`s been playing on a team since he was three years old.
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R. HOLLOWAY: I got (inaudible) three.
GUPTA: As far as the Holloways are concerned Reece doesn`t have a disability.
R. HOLLOWAY: (I was) born like that.
SANJAY: And they try to never hold him back. So far they say the only thing he can`t do is tie his shoes. When Chipper Jones saw our story about him, he invited the little leaguer and his family to see the Braves play the Marlins in Atlanta. First came batting practice.
CHIPPER JONES, ATLANTA BRAVES: Nice to meet you Reece.
GUPTA: And then autographs.
JONES: There you go, bro.
GUPTA: And then a private meeting with his hero.
R. HOLLOWAY: Can you sign my book and my ball?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s that (inaudible)?
GUPTA: After this experience, Reece is even more determined to follow in Chipper`s footsteps and make it to the big leagues. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
AZUZ: Great story there. And before we go today, we`re going to check out some nature photography. This YouTube video was originally intended to capture a San Francisco sunset. But then a nearby seagull wasn`t happy with the shot apparently. So, it snatched the camera and took off.
Thieves sometimes get caught on video, but usually not from the camera they`re stealing. Look at this. Eventually the owners did recover the camera believe it or not. And they got their sunset from two angles. First, from the ground, then from a bird`s eye view.
Whoa, still, it takes a lot of nerve to pull off a stunt like that. It`s just completing gulling. And we ought to keep an eye on that bird. Because it`s a definite flight risk. And time for us to fly; for CNN Student News, I`m Carl Azuz. I hope you have a great day.
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