♪ join us next for "teen kids news." here's a look at what we're reporting on this week. they had their own fight for civil rights. we'll tell you how japanese americans heroically overcame their darkest hour. i'll have a story on kids helping to heal injured birds. i'll tell you with a website that will raise your iq and feed the hungry. an amazing athlete works to inspire u.s. soldiers who have been injured in the iraq war. i'll have the story. and there's more, just ahead on "teen kids news."

♪ hi, i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm jessica. we're going to take you back now to the early 1940s. world war ii was raging abroad. here at home, the u.s. government put into play a drastic policy. as felipe tells us, it was a policy that our nation would regret. felipe? >> jessica, it's a sad chapter in u.s. history. people of japanese ancestry, many of them u.s. citizens, suddenly found themselves the victims of fear and discrimination. although guilty of no crime, they were rounded up and sent far away to what were basically prison camps. >> so this is my grandfather's yearbook from 1944, and here's this great shot of gila river, the camp he was at. >> reporter: jenny uchida's

grandfather spent his high school years behind barbed wire. he and his family were locked away at a camp in the hot arizona desert. that's because he was of japanese descent and the united states was at war with imperial japan. >> that is why the commanding general of the western defense command determined that all japanese within the coastal areas should move inland. notices were posted. all persons of japanese descent were required to register. and the japanese themselves cheerfully handled the enormous paperwork involved in the migration. >> i think that it's important for people to know about what happened to the japanese-americans during world war ii. >> reporter: japan's devastating surprise attack on hawaii's pearl harbor fanned the flames

of national hysteria, particularly on the west coast. more than 100,000 japanese-americans were ordered to pack their things. the uchidas were forced to leave their home in pasadena, california. >> they were first actually put in the santa anita racetrack, where they lived for about six months in actual horse stables, and they actually had to clean out the stables and make it livable. and then after that period, they were moved to gila river, which is in arizona. >> reporter: like so many other families, the uchidas were relocated to detention camps in remote areas of the country. >> they lived in barracks that really didn't have any insulation. it was hot, it was dry, it was windy and it was very cold in the wintertime, as well. >> reporter: with the end of the war, the japanese americans were finally released. but the shame stung.

that's why jenny's father, craig, helped raise money for this memorial in washington, d.c. its official name is the national japanese american memorial for patriotism during world war ii. on the walls are the names of the ten relocation camps, along with the numbers of those forced to live at each camp. a statue of two cranes entangled in barbed wire towers overhead. >> they're a very honorable bird, and to have them entwined in barbed wire really sends the message that they're not free. >> reporter: the memorial also honors the thousands of japanese americans who, despite the prejudice they faced, fought for the united states in world war ii. >> they felt that they wanted to show their patriotism. they wanted to show that they were american. and so they volunteered and served.

and while their families were in camp, they were fighting battles and dying and getting wounded. >> reporter: in fact, the units formed by the japanese americans became some of the most decorated fighting groups in u.s. military history. >> i was really concerned that my daughters would not know about any of this and other japanese americans and americans across the country would not know about it. >> reporter: craig sits at a fountain in the center of the memorial, dotted with five stones. they represent the five generations of japanese americans that have lived in the u.s. since the late 1800s. jenny is generation four, called yonsei in japanese. she's dedicated to her job as a graphic artist. jenny says her grandfather's story encourages her to work hard and succeed. she hopes it persuades others to be tolerant. after the september 11th terrorist attacks, jenny and her father feared arab americans would also suffer.

>> and we don't want to go and take away civil liberties that we hold very dear, even if there are attacks on our country and things like that. it's important to hold on to the freedoms and rights that are very important to our american culture and society. >> reporter: it took more than 40 years for the u.s. government to say it was sorry for the mistreatment of the japanese american community. in 1988 president ronald reagan gave a formal apology. to learn more, visit our website, teenkidsnews.com. mwanzaa? >> thanks, felipe. if you live in a city, you know it can be stressful. crowding, the cost of living, pollution, unemployment -- they all take a toll. now "forbes" magazine has ranked american cities according to stress factors. topping the list, the windy city. chicago is followed by new york, detroit, los angeles and san francisco. i think "forbes" missed the biggest stress factor of them all -- the s.a.t.s.

>> isn't that the truth? coming up next, a look at the healing powers of nature. >> don't stress, we'll be right back. and now our fox "in the classroom" update. >> reporter: it's been five long years since hurricane katrina ripped through the gulf coast, killing more than 1,800 people and devastating an entire region. the floodwaters have receded in new orleans, and life in parts of the city is back to normal. but some neighborhoods in the big easy remain abandoned, including the hardest-hit lower 9th ward. >> i'm still kind of, you know, stunned that in 2010 we're looking the way we're looking. >> reporter: the government has spent $14 billion upgrading and building new levees. >> this was one of the largest corps of civil engineers efforts

ever undertaken. we're doing about 15 to 20 years' worth of construction in about 36 months. >> reporter: residents remain cautious about another breach but optimistic about the future. following in bill clinton's footsteps, former president jimmy carter won the release of aijalon gomes from north korea. gomes was arrested earlier this year for trespassing and sentenced to eight years hard labor and a nearly $700,000 fine. president clinton successfully won the release of two journalists last year. rescuers in chile are breathing a sigh of relief. 33 miners trapped 2,000 feet below are alive and well. but now comes the hard part. mine officials say it could take three months to free them. the miners are receiving food, water, and oxygen through a small emergency shaft. and if you thought you commutisad,heck ohis on afc m in c stretch andastedmegam

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>> the way i lost my legs was in -- i was an 18-year-old kid sitting on the back of a ruck and working foa knocked off by an 18-wheeler when he tried to pass us. and as a result, i lost both legs. >> reporter: after years of operations, scott had just about given up allope, until he spotted another amputee in a magazine. itasarah reinertsen. she was the first single amputee woman to enter the hawaii ironman competition. story, that she was able to use her life to really do extraordinary things and impact young women.te stt thought maybe he could become an inspiration to others. >> and i saw a lot of our military men and women that were they were missing limbs. and i felt like if i could do a inspire those men and women who,

in service, who have put themselves in harm's way for our freedom. rr:otnldid scott fini the ironman race, he came in under the required 17 hours. in addition to wounded soldiers, scott hopes his determination also inspires teens. >> my story is about doing the unthinkable, and encouraging people to do the unthinkable. everybody out there has a finish line. and everybody needs to cross r nie. >> reporter: scott plans to do the unthinkable twice. he's training for the inm for more information on scott, head to our website, teenkidsnews.com. scientists in australia have a surprising report. itur out that bees can count, at least up to four. when it comes to math, i guess we should give those bees an "a." >> rept isht to you by polo ralph lauren, the

official apparel sponsor of the u.s. open tennis championships. >> please welcome venus williams. >>epte jt fo slming serves at this year's u.s. open, venus williams held a unique event for fans around the world. a virtual tennis clinic that was live and interactive. >>hiraet face should lead on your volley. so it really goes straight forward like so. >> reporter: the tennis superstar fielded questions from south dakota to south korea. >> etimira in japan says, which of your matches against your sist is the mostemab o foyou? >> whoa. there's only been like 25. probably all the ones that i've won. so -- >> reporter: venus is also famous for her style, on and off the court. for this event she's wearing a mid itn esdegn by ralph lren in partnership with eleven. i'm with "teen kids news," and i understand that the outfit you're wearing is gog ppt go cse. so could you tell us more about that?

>> yes. the outfit that i'm wearing is going to support women's sports foundation, icwa srt by billie jean king, who coincidentally started the women's tennis tour. >> reporter: in fact, 15% of the leof ts dss will be donated to the foundation, which advances the lives of girls and women through sport and physical activity. one of the most common questions from e-mailers around the world is what does it take to be great? >> 50% is learning the sok and being fit enough, and the other 50% is how well you can control your mind in a match. and that even starts off of the court, thinking about what you'd like to do and conquering it mentally. >> reporter: and that's good advice for any worthwhile endeavor. i'm carina for "teen kids news." they've led the country. how much do you know about them? here's this week's chance for you to guess the president. he was a football star at the university of michigan.

led the country after the first ever resignation by a president, nixon, who left office because of a scandal. fgea clr aps agreement with our cold war rival, the soviet union. and he fought rising prices with prracalled "whip inflation now," w.i.n. our 38th president, gerald r. ford, made an unpopular decision to pardon presidennin. but though he lost his campaign to stay in office, his successor praised him for healing the uny. you can probably tell the difference between a sad song and a happy song without hearing the words. now, researchers have und that ability starts very early, as early as five months. without any cues but the music itself, babies were found to react differently to joyful muc and gloomy tunes. so, babysitters? take "note." freerice.org is a site where you can do two good things at

the same time -- help feed the hungry and increase your vocabulary. freerice gives you a word and multiple choice definitions. for every correct answer, 20 grains of rice are donated to the needy. if that doesn't sound like a lot, listen to this. so far, players have helped get more than 40 billion grains donated. you can play for as long as you want and win more rice, but be warned. the words keep getting harder. think of this as s.a.t. training that also makes the world a better place. i'm imani for "teen kids news." to you, it might be a toy. but as sam reports, to one artist it's a serious tool for creating. hmm. not working. screen's frozen. >> reporter: in nathan sawaya's computer bricks replace chips.

that's because it's made entirely out of legos. >> the method is one brick at the time. i start at the bottom and i work my way up. >> reporter: nathan knows lego. about 1.5 million of the famous bumpy bricks fill a room in his apartment. separated by color, shape and size, they sit beside some curious creations. ♪ >>el mlast project is a form of a human heart all out of lego. and it's a large-scale replica of the human heart that's going to be used at a children's hospital in san diego. >> reporter: like many of us, nathan started playing with legos as a kid. >> when i was 10 years old, i wanted a dog, and so i built one out of lego. [ dog barking ] >> reporter: but for nathan, playtime never stopped. >> i was allowed to have a

36-square-foot lego city in our living room. >> reporter: nathan's love of lego became his life's work. a few years ago, he actually quit his job as a lawyer to be a full-time artist. >> i realized this is what i wanted to do in life, so i fo took the leap, you know, had a little faith and took the leap, and it's worked out ever since. >> reporter: now people all over the world pay him big money to build. >> one of the toughest pieces i've ever put together was a replica of the iwo jima flag raising. i wanted to do it justice, and it took a long time to make sure it looked correct. >> reporter: a creation can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to build. and even though lego makes bricks in various shapes and sizes, nathan prefers to use just the standard rectangles. >> i like building curves out of these right angles.

it tricks the eye to see that there's an actual curve there, but it's just made out of rectangles. so, there's something magical about that. >> reporter: but the magic isn't always easy to see right away. >> sometimes i'll be working on a project and i'll get halfway through it and i'll realize it looks proportionally incorrect and i will take days of work and have to strip it away and start over. and it -- it is part of the process. you have to be patient as a lego artist. >> reporter: to aspiring lego artists, nathan has one crucial piece of advice. >> practice. practice, practice, practice. just build and have fun and be creative and use your imagination. >> reporter: nathan's incredible creations have been on tour across the country. to find out if the tour's coming to an area near you, or just to check out photos of his amazing work, follow the link at teenkidsnews.com. for "teen kids news," i'm sam. that's a wrap for this edition of "teen kids news." >> thanks for watching and have

edition of "teen kids news." >> thanks for watching and have a great week. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com write to us at info@teenkidsnews.com.xxxxx@