>> mwanzaa: teen kids news is on now and here's what we've got. >> erika: we'll meet a man who transformed his dream into a national symbol of unity and strength. >> i'll show you how two plants are turned into two delicious treats. >> joey: what puts teens in the greatest danger? the answer, coming up. >> jessica: and much more, next on teen kids news.

>> mwanzaa: welcome to teen kids news. i'm mwanzaa. >> jessica: and i'm jessica. here's our top story for this week. >> mwanzaa: it was one of the most painful days in american history. on september 11, 2001 al qaeda terrorists attacked the united states. it is a tragedy we won't ever forget. erika reports on a unique memorial that not only pays tribute. it actually helps to make us safer. >> whenever there's a loud noise, i've always been one of those people that runs towards the noise, versus away. that's one of the reasons i became a volunteer firefighter. >> erika: scott koen vividly remembers the events of 9/11. the planes that crashed in washington dc, pennsylvania and new york city. scott wanted to do something special to honor those caught up

in the terrorist attacks. and so i developed a project called freedom plaza, which was to use the materials from the world trade center, and make a large north american bald eagle out of it, and it's on the size and scale of the statue of liberty. scott designed the memorial to stand where the world trade center towers had fallen. but the city of new york was already developing other plans for the site, and scott's memorial was not destined to be a part of them. then, late one night, he came up with another, even more ambitious idea. >> well, if we're going to use the steel and the aluminum in an eagle we could use some of the steel in a ship. >> erika: scott was familiar with navy ships. for years he had worked at the aircraft carrier museum "uss intrepid." he presented his idea to his boss, who sent it on to the secretary of the navy. is time, scott's timing was perfect. the navy liked the idea of building a ship out of steel

salvaged from the twin towers. scott was given the green light. now the real work could begin. locating the salvaged world trade center steel. >> i called and i said i need to get some steel for a ship, called "uss new york" the navy's going to be building, and they said "yeah, and you are?" and, no, no, i said, "i just need to get some steel for a ship. the navy wants to build a ship." and they said, "no, i can't give you any steel." >> erika: but scott persisted. and he eventually got enough steel for the navy to use. the ship was built in a dockyard in new orleans. construction took a little over three years. in march 2008, the "uss new york" was launched. when you first saw the ship built, describe what the moment was like. >> it's kind of like what everybody says. i mean, the hair went up on the back of my head. i've always been a very emotional person, and that's

basically, the "uss new york" is built on emotion. it's recycling that emotion. taking america's worst day and turning it into our greatest national symbol. and i felt that, as i was going in there that day. that this was something special that not only i, but you know, the nation can rally around. >> erika: at 684 feet, the ship is longer than two football fields. it has a crew of 360 sailors and can carry up to 700 marines. it sailed up to new york for the commissioning ceremony. as it passed the site of ground zero, the warship fired a 21 gun salute. when we return, we'll learn more about this very special ship. assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little or no cost to you. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance,

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the bow of this ship is built from seven and a half tons of steel, which was recovered from the world trade center after 9/11. >> the world trade center always was the symbol of new york, and now the "uss new york" becomes that symbol itself. the ship honors the victims of the 9/11 attacks as well as those who rushed to their aid, the first responders. >> there is a very special relationship between the city of new york, "uss new york," and especially the first responders. we are the first responders of the united states military. when the president needs us to go do something, when there's a situation somewhere in the world, he's going to ask where the navy is. and we're going to be ready to go do that. >> erika: and that's where ships like the "uss new york" play a key role.

this type of warship is called an lpd. that stands for landing platform dock. >> it's classified as an lpd because it's an amphibious ship. our job is to carry the marines to the fight, and do whatever we need to do to support them. >> behind me on this ship are two landing crafts. each one capable of bringing 100 marines to shore. >> this craft is capable of transporting loads of to 60 tons, at speeds up to 50 knots, which is about 62 miles per hour, and can drive over water or land. and they've been used in other capacities besides transporting marines, like humanitarian operations such as katrina, and the tsunami relief in indonesia. >> erika: next stop was the flight deck. >> and up here is the second way we get marines to battle. we take them up by air. what we have here on the flight deck is, we have a variety of helicopters, one of which is right over here is the huey. and right over there is the osprey. >> can you tell us about this

aircraft, and how it works? >> yeah, sure. this is the osprey, the mv22 osprey. this is an airplane that just so happens to have the versatility of a helicopter. and it combines that with the speed and efficiency of a turboprop aircraft. i can land right here on the ship, take 24 combat loaded marines in the back, and as soon as i take off, i'll rotate back, and i'll transition into an airplane again. and if you want to come in, we can check out the cockpit. >> erika: all right let's go. all right, this is my cockpit. this is my office. right here is what we have as a thrust control lever. me and you both have one. the pilot can fly from this side, he can fly from the right side, vice versa, everything is identical. >> erika: in addition to transporting marines and supplies, the "uss new york" transports airplanes, helicopters.

even tanks. wow! it's really small in there! the ship's primary mission is to defend our country, through the joint efforts of the navy and the marines. ♪ >> i feel well protected, but it's really heavy! marines such as these gentlemen behind me are trained as snipers and will be transported into battle by the "uss new york." in addition to protecting our nation, the men and women of the u.s. navy and marines have other responsibilities as well. >> and what we do is, we respond to different crises, whether it's humanitarian assistance, whether it's a need in a different country. >> erika: when we return, teen kids news will continue our exclusive tour of the "uss new york."

>> erika: we're on board the "uss new york," a new type of amphibious warship called an lpd. so why are lpds considered state of the art? >> this ship has the very latest in communications equipment, and it has extremely capable sensors and weapons. that makes it very formidable on the battlefield. we're up on the bow of the ship. this is the fo'c'sle, these chains here are the anchor chains, and we're standing right above the area of the bow where we've reclaimed 7.5 tons of steel from the world trade center, which is right at the very tip going to the water line, and will steer this ship for the next forty years. >> erika: this ship is well prepared for any emergency, and even includes a fully equipped hospital. but, i did notice a couple of things i would have changed in the sleeping quarters.

think you've got a small bedroom at home? three people sleep here and three people sleep here. the "uss new york" is truly amazing. and now i'm on my way up to the bridge. and you are standing right here at the helm, which indicates the speed of the ship. you have your throttle control, which is this. that makes the ship go either faster or backwards. >> erika: wait a minute. did he say backwards? i guess that would make it easier to park. can you tell us a little about the ship's crest? >> the ship's crest is extremely symbolic of the event from 9/11. you'll see on the crest it has the phoenix rising from the ashes, which symbolizes the first step towards kind of rebuilding and something positive, coming from the 9/11 event. it also has the world trade center towers and two silver bars that stand out. and that's, of course, really special. >> erika: before this ship was

built, there was another "uss new york." it was a battleship that saw combat in world war ii. >> it has three stars representing the battle stars earned by the battleship, for okinawa, north africa and iwo jima. >> why can americans be proud of this ship? >> well, the symbology that's clearly part of this ship. there's something that was so tragic, and so horrible, and we've transformed that now, and it's part of the global force for good. >> erika: what is the motto of this ship? >> the motto is strength forged through sacrifice. never forget. >> erika: throughout history, every great accomplishment begins with just an idea. scott koen provides us with a perfect example of that. >> well, it's kind of funny, because i started out with freedom plaza, and i ended up with the "uss new york." you know sometimes you don't end up where you started out going

for, sometimes you don't get your goal, but sometimes another door opens up along the way that's even greater. >> if you don't set your goals high, you'll never know how high you can get. if you put them high enough, even if you never get to them, you'll probably get further than you ever thought you could. >> erika: from the captain's chair on the "uss new york," for teen kids news, i'm erika. >> jessica: there's an interesting footnote to this story. on january 15, 2009, an airplane carrying 150 people was forced to make an emergency landing on new york's hudson river. thanks to the bravery of the captain, the crew, the passengers, and the rescuers, everyone on board was saved. the coast guard later paid tribute to those rescuers who were first on the scene. one of them was, you guessed it, scott koen. but that's another story. >> mwanzaa: all right young america, what's your opinion? we'll find out in "speak of the week."

>> joey: this report is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. it's the number one killer of teens. what it is may surprise you. >> i think the number one killer of teens is drugs. >> uh, it could be anything like, bad choices, such as like drinking or smoking. >> underage drinking. >> i think the number one killer of teens is car accidents. >> i would say, probably drinking, or drugs. >> quite honestly this is going to sound a little corny, but bad decisionmaking is the number one killer of teens. >> just not being careful or not being aware of what your doing. >> driving. like driving drunk, or driving under the influence of a drug or something, or just driving hazardly, like not paying attention. >> i don't know what the number one killer of teens is. >> i think the number one killer of teens is probably texting while driving.

>> joey: he's close. texting is just one example of what's called "distracted driving." that means anything that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel or your mind off what you're doing. quite simply, distracted driving kills.

>> carina: this report is brought to you by unilever. the maker of degree, suave and dove deodorants. the first weeks back at school can be stressful. but we have some expert help. chuck saylors is the president of the national pta. and rosalind wiseman is the author of "queen bees and wannabees." welcome. >> thanks for having us. >> thanks for having us today. >> carina: ms. wiseman, what are some of the top stress factors for tweens? >> well i think there's a lot of them. i mean, you start off a new school year and friends change or new people show up or you've got a really hard teacher, or you know there's somebody that you might have a huge crush on but you don't know how to talk

to that person. there's a lot of things going on. trying out for the play, trying out for a team, getting cut, all of that stuff can really contribute to a tremendous amount of stress. >> carina: mr. saylors, how about if you're starting something new? either joining a new team or starting a new school. >> don't rush it. when it comes to selecting new friends or taking part in a new ball team or a band or anything at school that's an activity that you as a student are interested in, don't rush making the selections of good friends. those are lifelong choices. so you want to make sure that you befriend people that are -- that have common interests, that they have common hobbies, and somebody that you're going to enjoy being a friend with. >> carina: what about getting help at home? >> first of all, i would definitely reach out to mom and dad. you know there's a lot of times my sons look at me as if i came from another planet, and quite frankly, sometimes i look at them the same way, but the whole fact of the matter is at the end of the day, your parents love

you, your parents care for you, whether it's your parent, grandparent, an adult role model, reach out to the adults in your life, make sure that they understand what you're going through, because i can guarantee you they're going to be there to support you, to love you, and to back you each and every way. >> carina: ms. wiseman, do you have any additional tips for us on staying cool & confident this school year? >> if you're thinking about staying cool and confident, you know people, one of the things people go after each other about in school is about body odor and so we've got this great website that i really hope you guys check out. it's called dontfretthesweat.com and it's got advice from me and it's got ways to contact me, video blogs, the whole thing, but at the same time it's also giving you information about how to take care of your body, and products that are really helpful for you as you go through the school year. >> carina: thanks to both of you for joining us. >> thanks for having us. man on radio: mission is a go.

woman on p.a.: dr. craddox, you have a visitor in the main lobby. you ready to go home today? girl: definitely. let's take a look. this year, more than 27,000 children will be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. you are good to go. through the course of their treatment, many of them will miss school. many of them will miss spending time with their family and friends. so, have you made your decision yet? yeah, i think so. [ singing ] and many will simply miss being a kid. here we go. but you can lift their spirits and give them a special kind of hope. there are thousands of wishes waiting to come true. you can make it happen. find out how today at wish.org. [ flippers slapping ]

>> eden: four american states

begin with an "a." and three of those states also end with an "a." arizona, alabama and alaska. arkansas ends with an "s." thought it sounds like a "w." go figure. >> jessica: when it comes to sweets there are two fundamental camps. the people who love chocolate and the people who love vanilla. troy investigates the origins of these popular flavors. i love chocolate, i'd choose chocolate over vanilla in a second. >> i love vanilla because chocolate is always too, i don't know what the word for it is, but i just hate chocolate. >> chocolate bars, chocolate smoothies, anything chocolate. >> troy: both vanilla and chocolate are derived from plants that were originally discovered by ancient indians in mexico. and both plants were coveted for their delicious fruits, but that's where the similarities between chocolate and vanilla end. to get the scoop on america's

favorite flavors, we met with a teen volunteer at the new york botanical garden as well as an expert baker. >> my personal preference would be vanilla ice cream with hot fudge. >> rebecca spends a lot of her time explaining the difference between chocolate and vanilla to kids. >> a lot of the kids that come in here start out by saying, chocolate is my favorite thing in the world. usually when we give them a taste of the actual nibs that kind of changes a bit. the nibs themselves have a very bitter taste. it's like eating a coffee bean. >> troy: okay let's back up. what is a nib? and how does something bitter become something sweet? to understand the process, we have to understand the plant. >> chocolate comes from a tree called the cacao tree and each tree has fruits growing on it. the fruits can get as big as a football and actually inside each fruit there's about 30 to 40 seeds. each seed is surrounded by a sweet pulp that's actually removed.

the seed is where we get the chocolate from, but more specifically it's the nibs that are inside the seed. and as you see i break it and it breaks into a lot of small pieces, each of those small pieces is a nib, which will eventually be melted down to make chocolate. >> troy: once the nibs are collected they're mixed with sugar and milk to create the chocolate we think of today. but, in ancient times, chocolate wasn't just used for dessert. >> the mayans were a group of indians that lived in what today is mexico. they thought the chocolate so valuable that they used its seeds as currency, so they could go to the market and exchange their cacao seeds for whatever they needed. >> troy: although we don't barter chocolates for goods today, we do use it in a variety of ways. >> there's many different types of chocolate. there's unsweetened chocolate, there's semi-sweet, bittersweet, milk chocolate, white chocolate. i like to use unsweetened chocolate when i'm baking cakes and cupcakes, but i would use semi-sweet chocolate to make

buttercream frosting. >> troy: but chocolate isn't just for sweet treats. >> i've had a wonderful ravioli dish that incorporated bittersweet chocolate with i think sage and a particular type of cheese. >> troy: if chocolate pasta sounds a little too "out there" to you, let's move on to the other side of this sweet story. vanilla. >> anybody who calls vanilla plain or boring just doesn't know what they're talking about. >> ancient indians called it "the nectar of the gods." vanilla comes from the vanilla orchid, a plant that requires a lot of care. >> the flower is really interesting because it's only open for pollination for about four hours its entire season. so it actually has to be hand pollinated to ensure that it fruits. but how do those fruits transform from this -- into this? >> once the vanilla fruit is harvested it's allowed to dry, it's cured which is what gives

it its taste and its aroma. if we want vanilla extract, for example, we'd allow it to ferment. and the process of fermenting is what gives us the signature dark brown vanilla extract that we use in cakes and cookies and things like that. >> we use vanilla extract in almost every dessert we prepare. but i would say that we're probably best known for our vanilla flavored cake, which is a "buttercup golden" and that is just a delicious old-fashioned, remembering from mom and grandma kind of yellow cake. and that vanilla extract really, it really comes trough. >> troy: but, which flavor sells the best at jennifer's shop? >> our vanilla cupcakes do outsell our chocolate cupcakes. but we also have one that is a very prominent seller which is our red velvet. and i think that that actually incorporates the best of both. because it's considered a vanilla-based cake but it has cocoa powder in it as well. >> troy: since the vanilla orchid is technically a vine,

it's often grown on the cacao tree. so maybe the flavors really are best when mixed together. >> mwanzaa: that wraps up our show. but we'll be back soon with more "teen kids news." >> jessica: thanks for joining us, and have a great week! the mailbox... [horn honks] and the traffic light. both are ideas from the minds of african americans.

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