In this, our first report, emily takes a look at teens and tobacco products. Smoking isnt cool. Its not something you want to do. It can scar you for life. Smoking is not cool. Its gross. It smells bad. If you play sports or do any of that, it affects all that stuff. I think that im never gonna do that. A lot of kids dont admire when you smoke because its disgusting. Smoking can ruin your life. And while most teens seem to agree that smoking is bad for you, a surprising number still light up. In fact, according to the federal government, every single day, about 3,200 kids will try smoking for the first time. To give you an idea of just how many that is, 3,200 is more than the entire population of the town of goshen, connecticut. Theres a lot of kids that smoke over on the skate park. I dont personally know anybody who smokes, but ive seen people do it. I see people around the School Smoking a lot after school and even before school. Either they follow their dads and their moms or they think its cool. Some might do it to be cool, but some just do it stress. Mitch zeller works for the u. S. Food and drug administration. Thats the Government Agency that regulates tobacco products. What weve learned is if you talk to kids about the longterm Health Effects of cigarette smoking cancer, lung disease, heart disease, addiction they tune it out. And thats why its so important to tell teens about the immediate dangers of smoking things like your clothes smell, youre spending all of your money, your teeth and fingers can get yellow, and youre gonna have a hard time keeping up with the other kids in sports. So, these are problems that can happen no matter how young you are. And that strategy seems to be working. Over the past 20 years, theres been a decline in the number of teens who smoke. Our mission is to get that number all the way down to zero because nothing good can come from smoking. Its really unhealthy for them, and theyre damaging their internal system and even their external system, as well. Theyll probably end up with lung cancer. I would tell them not to smoke because its just gonna harm your body and its gonna harm the people around you. You could do Better Things with that money. Like, other people can get secondhand smoke, and its just not good for anybody. Those are all good suggestions, and throughout this season of teen kids news, well be giving you even more reasons why to avoid cigarettes, as well as all tobacco products. For teen kids news, im emily. A quarter million gallons of seawater, teeming with amazing creatures. Well visit the newest attraction at the National Aquarium in baltimore. Here at the National Aquarium in baltimore, an exciting transformation has taken place. Sea creatures that have beence. Here for years were carefully transported to safety. Then the aquarium was drained and a coral reef was created. Add 250,000 gallons of salt water, exotic sea life from halfway around the world, some really cool lighting, and what do you get . The amazing blacktip reef a unique museum experience. With 65 different underwater species, its as close as you can get to seeing a South Pacific coral reef without going to the South Pacific. Coral reefs are like the cities of the ocean. Its an ecosystem thats all balanced. To recreate that balanced ecosystem, all the sea life was carefully selected. The only thing thats not really from the pacific is the coral. It had to be manmade. Coral is actually a living animal. It looks like rock. And its related to jellyfish, and it actually forms a limestone cavity around itself, so its basically like the outer edge of the coral is living and building on the limestone skeletons of its ancestors. And the coral in this exhibit, however, is recreated. Real coral has to have intense sunlight, so its also very fragile. You can actually step into the reef at the underwater viewing level. And theres a lot to view. Theres more than 700 fascinating marine animals. One of the crowd favorites is calypso, the giant sea turtle. When she was found, she had a badly hurt fin. After some delicate surgery, it was decided that calypso wouldnt be able to survive in the ocean, so blacktip reef became her new home. The exhibit also has plenty of sharks, particularly the kind its named for the blacktip reef shark, whats called an apex predator. So, what is an apex predator . An apex predator is a top predator in an ecosystem for example, lions in africa, sharks in the ocean. These are the top of the food chain. These are the animals that all the small fishes eventually work up and are food for these larger fishes. Sharks are part of the circle of life. Without these predators, fish would eat up all the coral. That would kill the reef, as well as the marine animals that depend on the reef for survival. So, dont be taken in by the movie hype. Hollywood has done an incredible disservice to sharks, making everyone afraid movies like jaws and all the takeoffs of that movie. They really create an irrational fear of sharks. Sharks are an important part of the ecosystem, and, actually, sharks have more to fear from us. This guy has something to fear . He sure does, because humans are the biggest apex predators of all. Some cultures actually have something called shark fin soup, and what happens is that people actually catch these sharks, cut the fins off, and throw the sharks right back in, only using those fins, which is not only wasteful but also quite cruel. Especially cruel because sharks cant replace their population fast enough to keep up. Sharks have a very long time until theyre actually mature enough to reproduce. A lot of times its not until theyre 15 years old until they can have pups. So, taking sharks out of the ocean generally is not considered sustainable. Sustainable seafood is a term the National Aquarium would like you to know. It means becoming aware of fishing methods that hurt other creatures. It also means not eating seafood that may be in danger of extinction. And theres actually a free app you can get called seafood watch. You can go on your smartphone and download it for free, and what you actually do you simply type in the type of seafood or sushi that you enjoy, and itll tell you what the best kind to buy is. Of course, pollution and Climate Change threaten all creatures great and small, including the coral. This exhibit is meant to be educational and inspirational so we all do what we can to help. One thing we want to do is to, first of all, show people a very special aquatic treasure of the planet, and that is the indopacific reef. It was really cool seeing all the different kinds of fish and the different colors. It was really cool seeing, like, all the animals interacting with each other. And what did you learn from it . That the animals can be with each other and not hurt them. Visiting an aquarium is a special kind of sightseeing. You can call it seasighting. At the National Aquarium in baltimore, for teen kids news, im scott. Its one of the most recognized and respected symbols in the world. Ill tell you the story behind the American Red Cross. When disaster hits, theres always one sure sign of hope the American Red Cross. But as monika reports, the red cross helps people in many ways. The story of the American Red Cross starts here, in washington d. C. During the civil war, the Sanitary Commission was started to help sick and injured union soldiers. A woman named clara barton joined that effort. She became known as the angel of the battlefield. During the americanlefield. Civil war, it wasnt too common for women to be near the battlefield. Clara barton changed all that by providing aid to soldiers, and so thats why they called her the angel of the battlefield. After the war, she visited europe and learned about an organization there called the International Red cross. The International RedCross Movement started in europe to help relieve the suffering of people affected by war. It was founded by henry dunant, a swiss businessman, and still today, we honor him by using the reverse of the swiss flag for our symbol the red cross against a white background. Returning to the united states, she founded the American Red Cross in 1881. And ever since then, the American Red Cross has been helping people in need. What are some of the big disasters the red cross responded to . The red cross has been responding to disasters since its beginnings in 1881, when there was a large wildfire across michigan. And early on, the red cross also responded to floods in johnstown, pennsylvania, when a dam broke, and a major hurricane that hit off of the coast of South Carolina and georgia. The red cross still responds to major disasters today, in modern times, such as 9 11 and hurricane katrina, and even small disasters like everyday house fires. What about wars . The American Red Cross trained tens of thousands of nurses for world war i and world war ii, and it also helped with all the major conflicts throughout the 20th century. Every year, the American Red Cross responds to more than 70,000 emergencies. They provide first aid, food and shelter to victims of all kinds of disasters, from local flooding and wildfires to massive hurricanes and earthquakes. But the red cross is more than just a disasterrelief agency. The red cross started firstaid programs in 1910 to help Railroad Workers and miners respond to emergencies. Then we added learntoswim classes, and today we also have pet first aid and babysitting courses. And we also run blood drives across the country. In fact, nearly half of all the nations donated blood comes from the redross, and, while it has paid employees, most of the people who work for the red cross are volunteers, and there are more than half a million of them. Where does the red cross get its money . The work of the red cross is only possible through the support of donors and volunteers who give their blood, their time, and their money to help us do our work. Young people have always found creative ways to support the American Red Cross throughout its history. Today, they do it in school clubs, they do it on facebook, and they text donations to the American Red Cross. One of the unique ways the organization has raised money is through what is called the red cross quilt. The red cross quilt was used as a fundraiser in 1918 when a bunch of 7th and 8thgraders wanted to raise money for Red Cross Work during world war i. They sold each square for 1, and they handstitched on signatures for 10 cents. And they collected signatures of some of the most famous people during that time. The quilts also serve as colorful reminders that the red cross has become very much a part of the fabric of american life. In washington, d. C. , for teen kids news, im monika. Whatever state you call home has a flag all its own. Here are the facts about one of them. Maybe its yours georgia is one of our original 13 states. During the civil war, however, georgia changed allegiance from the stars and stripes to the stars and bars, the First National flag of the confederacy. At the battle of bull run, georgian soldiers discovered it was difficult to tell the two flags apart, so they created the confederate battle flag, also known as the southern cross. When the war ended, georgia returned to the stars and bars without the stars georgia is the most controversial state flag. It set National Records for having eight different state flags, and it was a controversy steeped in the history involved with their ties to the confederacy. Many people believed those ties were too reminiscent of slavery. Others believed georgias confederate past needed to be recognized. In 2003, georgias legislature introduced a flag that addressed the concerns of both sides. It features the stars and bars, which is the first flag of the confederacy, but in the canton, you see three pillars, which are supposed to represent the three branches of government, and words like wisdom, justice, and moderation. A soldier bearing a sword symbolizes georgias commitment to defending the constitution. So it seems as if georgia has finally settled on a flag. One thing that isnt controversial is georgias Important Role in agriculture. Its nickname is the peach state. Pretty sweet with flag facts, im veronique. Coming up when hugging is not a good thing. One of the best things about having a dog is being able to give it a great big hug, but as emily reports, that might just be a great big mistake. Robin bennett and susan briggs know all about dogs. In fact, they call themselves the dog gurus. Hey, guys hey its great to be here. Hi thanks for having us. Susan, i always thought that dogs liked to be hugged. I know that i do. I liked to be hugged, too, and i like to hug my dogs, but, in truth, some dogs do like to be hugged, but some do not. Robin, how can i tell if my dog likes to be hugged or not . Well, the secret is in the dogs body language. When you go to give your dog a hug and youre approaching him, your dog is probably loose and wiggly and relaxed. When you put your arms around him, if your dog stiffens up, thats a sign that hes going, [gasps] i dont really this. Its almost like hes holding his breath. He might also try to back out away from you or try to squirm to get away, so if hes doing that, hes really not enjoying that hug. So, susan, if my dog doesnt show any of those signs, is it okay for me to hug her . Yes, it is. If your dog stays relaxed while you hug them, then, yes, enjoy that moment together. Just keep in mind that you probably wont want to hug your friends dog or a dog you just met because they would probably not be comfortable with it and not enjoy it. All right. Very interesting. Thank you both, robin and susan, for joining us today. Oh, youre welcome. Its been great. I hope you have a great time with your dogs. And enjoy those hugs together. The man who created the famous cartoon strip peanuts put it best happiness is a warm puppy. But puppy or full grown, first make sure that your dog is happy to be hugged. [ bat cracks ] [ crowd cheers ] yogi berra was a hall of fame catcher for the yankees in the 50s and 60s. When he said stuff, sometimes it got a little jumbled up in his head and it came out sounding very weirdly. Those quotes are called yogiisms. Some of those yogiisms are. True. Thats not exactly physically possible. Doesnt exactly add up. And lastly, my personal favorite. Just think about that for a second. Im matt for teen kids news. Want to provide a source of energy . Just breathe. A new kind of carbonrecycling system turns human breath into biofuel. It collects the Carbon Dioxide we exhale to feed algae thats then converted to fuel. This is not science fiction. This carbonrecycling system is already being used at the john lennon airport in england. As lennon himself would say, imagine its time to play word. Pick out whats true from among the false definitions. Start with this word. Does it mean. [ bell rings ] dont be morose. Maybe youll get the next one right. [ baby crying ] how about this adjective . It means either. [ bell dings ] she lost the debate because of her irrelevant comments about her opponents outfit. I am very disappointed in you, my dear. Heres a verb. Does it mean. [ bell rings ]. As in the sun emanates warmth or people who watch teen kids news emanate intelligence. [ boing ] [ cheers and applause ] lets review. And thats word for this week on teen kids news. Car crashes are the numberone killers of teens. Thats why the National RoadSafety Foundation wants you to keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and your mind on driving. [ horn honks ] the barbeque its as american as apple pie, yet it didnt originate in america. Most historians say the barbeque was born in the caribbean. As the story goes, Christopher Columbus discovered that the natives had a special way of cooking. Rather than roasting meat over a fire, the meat was cooked by indirect heat using green wood. Thats wood that was recently cut down. Since its still filled with moisture, green wood doesnt easily catch fire. So, the natives put the meat on a layer of green wood and then put hot coals underneath the wood. The heat and smoke cooked the meat, adding a unique flavor in the process. The natives called this barbacoa, which means sacred fire pit. And we call it barbeque, which means delicious this cooking style eventually made its way to the american colonies. Over the years, barbeque has evolved based on different regions of the country. In fact, theres actually a barbeque belt where you can find four different styles of barbeque carolina, texas, memphis, and kansas city. By the way, what most people call barbecuing really isnt. Throwing a hamburger or hot dog on a Backyard Grill is actually grilling. To be a true barbeque, the meat needs to be cooked with indirect heat and for several hours, or, as the experts say, low and slow. Thats what makes it soooo good. That wraps up our show, but well be back soon with more teen kids news. Thanks for joining us, and have a great week heres a shoutout to pr newswire for including teen kids news on their big screen in times square, new york city. S brought to you by seaworld and busch gardens. For more than 40 years workg to preserve the world we share. The garden of eden. A lush wonderland of wildlife like no other place on earth. Kept alive only in songs and myth. For the ancient garden no longer exists. Or does it