>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm livia. here's our top story for this week. >> right now, nearly half a million people around the world are doing exactly what these girl scouts are doing. they're helping to clean up the tons of trash that collect on our beaches every year. >> a lot of people are leaving stuff of the beach. >> it's bad for the animals that live in the ocean. >> so one day a year has been set aside to collect the clutter along our shores. it's part of an international effort organized by the ocean conservancy. >> they've been doing this event -- i think this is the 25th year that, all over the world, there are people cleaning up the beach, volunteers in

various communities. >> it's a really good deed to clean up the beach and make your own local beach cleaner. >> look what i found! it's a plastic bag from the water, and i found wrapping and glass. >> most of the trash are things that are used only once, then thrown away, like soda bottles. >> in fact, last year, volunteers collected more than a million bottles in just one day! >> we are finding all kinds of awful stuff that people have left all over the place. >> piece of corn. >> bottle caps. >> a ball. >> a quarter. >> glass. >> a doggy's squeaky toy. >> wrappers. >> we found some concrete. >> some plastic. >> bottles. >> a dead crab. >> the first year, there seemed to be larger, bigger pieces of garbage, but this year we're noticing there's a lot more smaller things, and so part of the message we'll go back and

talk to the girls about is -- that little bit of potato-chip bag that you let fly is actually accumulating, and that's a lot of what we picked up today. >> since the program first started, volunteers from more than 150 countries have removed 145 million pounds of trash from lakes, rivers, and ocean shores. these scouts are taking pride in their contributions. >> i'm getting a badge for cleaning up the beach. >> helping community service. >> and they're doing more than just picking up trash. >> we have a list. people walk around with it and have different jobs. >> each child has a data-collection sheet, they work in pairs, and they're literally marking what items they're picking. they found a boat seat. last year we found a bicycle, some dead animals that come from strangulation because of the rubbish. >> the animals, they find it, and they think it's, like, something to eat, and then they die. >> a piece of plastic. >> we weigh how much garbage

we've collected, and then we record and report all of that back to the ocean conservancy. >> the conservancy then analyzes all the data. it helps us learn what types of trash are causing the pollution and where it's coming from -- the first step towards educating people on ways to prevent it. >> we throw away far too many things. our troop is actually going camping soon, and we bought all of our plates and silverware and things. we won't be taking paper. we won't be taking plastic. we won't even be taking cups. we're gonna take our own water bottles that the girls are all used to now carrying with them to school and to sporting events and other things. so, we're trying very hard to become less of a throwaway girl scout troop. >> i learned that it's not good to pollute the environment. >> that we have to clean the beach to help the environment. >> part of the girl scout promise is to leave a place better than you find it, so this is an activity where the girls come in, and they improve the place that they've entered into, and they leave the world a

better place. >> we have to clean the beach to help the animals. >> it's good for the environment, and it's helping our world. >> the beach is much cleaner because everybody helped. >> some communities have begun taking steps to slow the tide of garbage. a few have introduced guidelines that limit the use of common sources of litter like plastic bags and bottles. perhaps the ocean conservancy's website says it best... you don't have to be a girl scout to pitch in. to find out what you can do in your area, go to the website for the ocean conservancy. for "teen kids news," i'm diyu. >> there's a lot more ahead, so stick with us. >> "teen kids news" will be right back.

>> hurricane season is under way, and isaac is already taking his toll -- high winds and pouring rain delaying the start of the republican national convention. four gulf-state governors canceling their trips to the rnc to help their states deal with the storm. residents boarding up homes and businesses, oil companies evacuating workers and cutting production at offshore rigs, causing long lines at gas stations with people filling up their cars and generators. the u.s. anti-doping agency stripping lance armstrong of his record seven tour de france titles and banning him from the sport for life, charging that armstrong's wins, which made him a global sports icon following his battle against cancer, were aided by banned substances including steroids and blood doping. armstrong giving up his years-long fight against the charges, calling the investigation "an unconstitutional witch hunt." but he is maintaining his

innocence. >> that's one small step for a man... one giant leap for mankind. >> u.s. astronaut neil armstrong, the first man on the moon, has died at the age of 82. armstrong commanded the apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon july 20, 1969 -- the moonwalk marking america's victory in the cold war space race. an estimated 600 million people watched and listened to the moon landing. only 12 american astronauts have walked on the moon between 1969 and the last moon mission in 1972. for "teen kids news," i'm laura ingle, "fox news channel in the classroom." >> we all know what the american flag looks like, but every state has a flag, too, and every one of them tells a story. here's kristen with a case in

point. >> california's state motto is "eureka," which is greek for "i found it." the motto dates back to the gold rush of 1849. california had gained independence from mexico the year before, but it was not yet a state. ironically, though, it already had a flag. >> what i find to be most unique about the california flag is how it came into existence. it was actually the product of a rebellion. there were pioneers out there trying to settle the land. there was an attack on a fort at sonoma, and the american settlers were able to take the fort, and a fellow by the name of william todd got himself a white bedsheet, a couple of cans of paint, and he painted the original bear flag, which is still today the flag of the state of california. >> that revolt became known as the "bear flag revolt."

the bear symbolized strength. the star was a reference to the lone star of texas. the californians saw texas as an ally in their struggle with mexico. the original flag was destroyed during the san francisco earthquake of 1906. however, early photos of it still existed, and a slightly modified version became the official state flag in 1911. by the way, william todd, the pioneer who drew the flag on a bedsheet, was the nephew of mary todd, abraham lincoln's wife. with "flag facts," i'm kristen. >> stress is an all-too-familiar feeling, but you can do something about it. here's scott. >> here's some good news for all you gamesters out there. professor of psychology dr. sian beilock says video games can actually be good for your brain. >> it's true. let's start with early childhood first. there's research that shows that some types of video games may help develop motor skills. and then there are studies with

college students. according to the data, playing video games actually helps improve memory and attention. >> so does that mean the more games i play, the better? >> no. you can't, unfortunately, swap video games for doing your homework. that's because the benefits of playing games max out after a certain point. like everything else, all things are best in moderation. >> thanks, dr. beilock. >> you're welcome. >> long before there were digital cameras, taking pictures was an incredibly complex procedure. stephen tells us about the inventor who changed that. his contributions made such an impact on our world, his home is now a museum. >> photography had been invented long before eastman came along, but it was a very complicated process. eastman made it possible for regular folks to take pictures. he developed the kodak camera.

instead of stiff plates, it used rolls of film. >> the first kodak, built in 1888, is here, still in working order. >> that's just one of many fascinating items on display here at the george eastman house. >> what you can do here is you can tour his 50-room mansion. it is a national historic landmark. fewer than 3% of all historic sites in the u.s. are national historic landmarks. >> this museum is dedicated to preserving important pieces of photographic history, like this camera, which took the famous photo at iwo jima during world war ii. >> we also have the first photograph of lightning. >> eastman didn't just revolutionize photograph he helped thomas edison invent a m tit w 35 millimeter from -add eul walking through the mansiois

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males, so we want to give these girls an opportunityo e at science and math is fun, it's tsf meprofessionals inhere are these fields as well. >> i actually want to become an asonomer. >> i want to be a doctor when iu >> it made me like science a lot mo. >> with all that's offered here, i guess the message from this ca i"wtever floats your boat." at the intrepid museum, i'm emily for "teen kids news." >> scientists in australia were trying to solve a mystery -- why a certain brand of beer bottle seemed to attract male beetles. finally, they figured it out. that kind of beer bottle was the exact meol afe beetles. so it caused a kind of beetle mania.

>> this report is out y by pebble beach concours d'elegae. >>el igi t wld greatest auto show taking over one of the world's greatest go courses, and that's exactly what's happening here in pebble beach, california. take a look. it is the concours d'elegance, is what it's calle a is $250-million worth of the coesca y'vever seen. rley come here from all over the cool cars? well, let's show you one right here, because you're gon b the coolest kid in school if mom or d dvep t fnt door with you in this. and it's from infiniti, called the emerg-e. now, the really neat thing about this car is that it's completely electric. there's no gasoline needed for this. you just pg it in, but it will still do zero to 60 in 4 seconds and ha aoppe o 130 miles an hour. it's just a concept for right now, but infiniti is a company that's worth watching as they bud pepeorng super-luxury cars that, in this

case, don't use any gas. well, you've heard the name before, and if you watched the olympics, you probably saw the ca from rolls-royce, how cool is the phantom series ii, the ultimate in luxury? wh dyogefoth mey well, you get a car that just about everybody in the world would love to have, and how about this? brla a look at a built-in that's right. if it's raining out and you don't want to get out and get wet, you could just punch that button, and the umbrella slides ghou the phantom ii is really, really famous lately for having been part of that closing ceremony at the olympics. $469,000 -- that's a lot of money, but this car is not. tell mom and dad to maybe take a at wt ats.new hyundai, because it's the 2013 hyundai equus. it has a big v-8 engine, but, boy, is it also big inside the front seat, and how aboutn you and your brother or sister in the back with -- yeah -- seats that have their own electric footrest? you'll also have your own

television monitor in the back and a little cooler to help keep your juice boxes nice and cold! 'she01eqs.hyundai. tell mom and dad $59,000, but you get a beautiful car and a whole lot of extras. from pebble beach, i'm doug brauner for "teen kids news." >> it's been said that firefighters save hearts and they also carry a heavy load -- the burden of responsibility, and, as carina found out, the burden of all the gear they must wear. >> no question about it -- fighting fires is dangerous business. it takes a lot of training, skill, courage, and equipment. when i visited the bergen county fire academy, instructor mike o'hagen gave me a hands-on lesson in firefighting fashion and safety. >> firefighters go into extremely hot temperatures --

temperatures that exceed 1,300, 1,400, 1,500 degrees. without that protection of that thermal barrier within your gear, you would just burn up right away. we have minutes to re-- seconds to rescue people, and we need all the protection we can physically get. >> firefighters call it their unker" or "turnout" gear. and it turns out there's a lot of it, as i discovered when i agreed to put it all on. so, where do we start? >> well, let's start by trying on some bunker gear. >> okay. >> let's step into our boots and pants. >> okay. >> what you want to do is pull these up as you step in. pull up on these straps. there you go. >> keep in mind as you watch this that real firefighters can gear up in a matter of moments. i needed more time and more help. heavy! >> heavy, isn't it? firefighter gear weighs somewhere between 50 to 65 pounds, fully dressed. >> wow. button it up?

>> yeah, before you start with that, just grab that black hood. that's a nomex hood that will protect your neck when you're in a hot, burning building. >> if you have long hair, you have to make sure every strand is tucked in. next comes fastening all the buckles on the turnout coat. >> okay, super. now what we're gonna do is put our breathing apparatus on. >> okay. >> i'll help you with this. you're gonna put this on like it's a coat. >> imagine climbing a ladder into a burning building with this thing on. that's why it has to be fastened securely. it's called a "scott pack," and it can make the difference between life and death. >> so, the breathing apparatus will give you probably somewhere between 20 minutes of air, depending on how hard you're working. so what you're gonna do is just push your hair back off your face a little bit, and just put this on like this over your face like that. and what you're gonna do -- i'll

allow you to do this -- take these tabs here that i have and pull them straight backwards. >> a few more adjustments to the mask, the hood, and the collar, and i'm ready for the helmet... then the ear flaps... and the gloves. but i'm not done yet. >> and then the last thing we're gonna do is we're gonna take our regulator, put it into your face piece, and you're good to go. breathe. go ahead. take a breath. [ inhales ] can you breathe? >> yeah. >> very good. okay, so how does that feel? >> how do i feel? i can barely hold up my thumbs! >> it's a lot of work, running up and down stairs, ladders -- you'll get tired pretty quickly. >> just standing still mame tired, but i now understand why it's essential for firefighters to train with their gear on. it's the only way you can build up the muscles and stamina needed to do the job. oh, and there's one more thing. the most important piece of gear

is impossible to see. it's guts, because that's what it takes to be a firefighter. for "teen kids news," i'm carina. >> by the way, while we were at the fire academy, we learned something very important. there are communities all across the country that depend on volunteer firefighters, and unfortunately, there are far fewer volunteers than there used to be. however, many areas offer junior firefighting programs like the one here at the fire academy in bergen county. these programs are open to boys and girls 16 and older. if you're interested, check with your local fire station. that's it for this week. thanks for joining us. >> we'll see you next week on "teen kids news."

>> here's a shout-out to american troops serving in pakistan.

we'll start up there at the historic, cultural, and literal high point of any trip to athens -- the acropolis. like other hilltop sites in the ancient greek world, athens' acropolis, or "high city," was both a place of worship and of refuge when under attack. crowned by the mighty parthenon temple, the acropolis rises above modern athens, a lasting testament to greece's glorious golden age

in the 5th century b.c. grand processions followed the panathenaic way, which was a ceremonial path connecting the town below and the acropolis. they'd pass through this imposing entryway and up to the religious heart of the city in the parthenon. the parthenon was perhaps the finest temple in the ancient world. valiantly battling the acidic air of our modern world, it still stands, with the help of ongoing restoration work. it was constructed in the 5th century b.c. and dedicated to the virgin goddess athena. seeing it today is awe-inspiring, but imagine how striking it must have looked when it was completed, nearly 2,500 years ago, in all its carved and brilliantly painted splendor. the adjacent erechtheion is famous for its porch of the caryatids -- six beautiful maidens functioning as columns.

dedicated to athena and poseidon, this was one of the most important religious buildings on the acropolis. this, rather than the parthenon, was the culmination of the panathenaic procession. at the foot of the acropolis, the ancient agora, or marketplace, sprawls out from its surviving temple. this is where, for 3,000 years, athenians gathered. while the acropolis was the center of ritual and ceremony, the agora was the beating heart of ancient athens. for some 800 years, starting in the 6th century b.c., this was the hub of commercial, political, and social life. visitors wander the remains of what was the city's principal shopping mall and administrative center. exploring the agora, it's fascinating to ponder the world of plato and aristotle and the age which laid the foundations for western thinking about economics, democracy, logic, and more.

the stoa of attalos, from the 2nd century b.c., was rebuilt in modern times to house the agora's museum. with so little of the agora still standing, this reconstruction makes it easier to imagine the site in its original glory. crowds would gather in shady porticos like this to shop, socialize, or listen to the great philosophers of the age. in fact, socrates spent much of his life right here, preaching the virtues of nothing in excess and urging those around him to "know thyself." the temple of hephaestus, one of the best-preserved and most typical of all greek temples, dates from about 400 b.c. like the parthenon, it's constructed in the simple doric style. it housed big, bronze statues of hephaestus -- the blacksmith god -- and athena, patroness of the city. greek architecture evolved in stages. the capitals, or tops of the columns, were both functional and decorative. while just the tip of the architectural iceberg,

these are handy indicators, helping us identify the three main architectural orders, or styles. the earliest style, doric, has flat, practical plates as capitals. in the next order, ionic, the capitals are decorated with understated scrolls. the final order, corinthian, popular later on with the romans, features leafy capitals -- boldly decorative, with no apologies necessary. how to remember all these? as the orders evolve, they gain syllables -- doric, ionic, corinthian. but for most travelers, the agora is more than an architectural review. strolling in the footsteps of socrates is your best opportunity to commune with the epic greek past.

- in this episode of travel with kids, join us as we explore the spanish inca city of cusco, with its rich culture and incredible crafts, and then head by train to the base of machu picchu. but where is that legendary city? - you can't see it, but there's that mountain that we always see. - find out if we can discover the ruins or if we'll be lost to the beautiful jungle surrounds like so many explorers before us coming up next. female announcer: this program is made possible by the reno-sparks convention and visitors authority. with year-round outdoor family activities, including skiing, snowboarding, white-water rafting, horseback riding, and biking, reno tahoe is far from expected.