CARL AZUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It`s Thursday, I`m Carl Azuz. This is CNN STUDENT NEWS bringing global headlines to middle and high school classrooms around the world. Today, we are starting in the Middle East.
Fighting in Syria has been going on for almost two years. But it could stop tomorrow, maybe just for a little bit. It`s part of a cease- fire proposal that members of the Syrian government and the rebels fighting them say they agree to in principle. Now, in principle and in reality are two different things. There was a cease-fire in Syria back in April, but it barely lasted a day. This one was the idea of a United Nations representative who is trying to work on a solution to the fighting. Tomorrow is the start of the Muslim holiday called Yid Alada (ph). It lasts for several days, the question is, will the proposed cease-fire last that long, if it happens at all.
Out next headline takes us from the Middle East to the Caribbean Sea. Storm named Sandy is moving through the area, it became a hurricane yesterday with wind speeds of around 80 miles per hour, and it was on a path to hit the island of Jamaica. People there and across the Caribbean were warned to get ready for Sandy. Their concern`s that it could cause destructive waves and mudslides.
Forecast predicted that after Jamaica the hurricane would head toward Cuba and the Bahamas. It`s not expected to heat the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s first "Shoutout" goes out to Mrs. Jimenez`s math classes, at Cesar Chavez Academy in Denver, Colorado.
Which of these political parties has won a U.S. presidential election?
Here we go. Is it the Reform Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party or Whig Party? You`ve got three seconds, go!
There have been four U.S. presidents who were members of the Whig Party. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: You obviously hear about the Republican and Democratic Parties, but as you saw there are other political parties in the United States, there have been throughout the country`s history. Like the Whigs back in the 1800s. These days other parties are usually referred to as third parties. This year`s third party presidential candidates weren`t part of the debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. They got together for their own debate this week in Chicago. Here is a rundown of those candidates and the parties they represent.
Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson. He is the presidential nominee for the Libertarian Party. Jill Stein, who once ran for governor of Massachusetts against Mitt Romney is the nominee for the Green Party.
Virgil Goode, a former U.S. Congressman from Virginia is the presidential nominee for the Constitution Party and Rocky Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah is the nominee for the Justice Party.
One of the big issues for these third party candidates is ballot access. Other than right-in vote, people can only vote for these candidates if their names are on the ballot, and that varies from state to state for each of these parties.
Jobs. Economy. Education. Issues that all of those candidates, the major candidates, most voters, everybody`s focused on them. A new national survey shows they are what you are concerned about too. Junior achievement spoke to more than 700 Americans ages 14 to 17, and found the two top concerns among them are jobs and the economy. Many students are worried, they`ll have trouble finding a job after finishing school.
64 percent say education is up there, 32 percent mentioned healthcare.
The survey showed the teens were almost evenly split about whom they`d vote for. But 57 percent said the candidates were more concerned with winning than listening to what Americans thought. What would your top concern be? Tell us on our blog today, cnnstudentnews.com
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Time for a "Shoutout" extra credit. Where was Felix Baumgartner when he started his record-breaking skydive from 24 miles up? Was he in the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere or thermosphere? Rewind that clock to three seconds and go.
Baumgartner was in the stratosphere, which extends from about 12 to 31 miles above the earth. That`s your answer and that`s your "Shoutout" extra credit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: When Felix Baumgartner took that historic plunge, at least 8 million people were watching life. I could not look away. What goes through your mind when you are standing 24 miles up, getting ready to free fall faster than the speed of sound? Baumgartner told Brian Todd in this interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FELIX BAUMGARTNER: I`m going home now.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is your feeling at that point? You are on the ledge, you can`t get back in the capsule. What are you? What`s going through your mind?
BAUMGARTNER: Well, I kind of like that part of the jump, because it means you are already outside, everything worked well. And if you have a problem, you know, probably (ph) jumping off is the fastest and safest way, because now you are falling towards a much healthier environment, you know, you are falling towards more pressure, towards more oxygen, and if you need medical treatment, you know, this is the fastest way down.
So to me this is an easy step.
TODD: At this point, you had us all very scared. Did you feel like you were going to die at that point?
BAUMGARTNER: No, no, no. I never had that impression that I`m going to die, I always had the impression, if, this goes on forever, I`m not going to break the speed of sound.
TODD: How did you bring yourself out of that spin?
BAUMGARTNER: I was slowly trying to figure out how to stop this, so it was use your legs and arms, but you have to do it really gentle, because if you travel 830 miles an hour, you cannot stick your arm out like this, because this would create a rapid onset, and then you cannot stop it anymore. So you slowly put out your arm or your legs trying to figure out what helps, and I did it, I did it a couple of times, and I could see sometimes it was getting worse, sometimes it was getting better, then I figured out the way how to do it and then I had it.
TODD ( voice over): Baumgartner says he cried twice on the helicopter ride back to mission control. Then celebrated all night with his team.
(on camera): What has your life been like since the 14th? How was your life changed since the moment you went?
BAUMGARTNER: As a person, it didn`t change. I`m still the same guy. But as soon as you start traveling, as soon as you get on the plane, as soon as you are at the airport out on the street, people do recognize my face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.
BAUMGARTNER: Thank you, guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was scared.
BAUMGARTNER: You were scared? I was a little bit scared.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did it for all of us.
BAUMGARTNER: Yes. Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
TODD: You gave us all a huge charge that day. And we thank you for it.
BAUMGARTNER: I appreciate it.
TODD: Thank you.
BAUMGARTNER: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: When she was 12, Kathryn DiMaria was thinking about something that a lot of you probably thought about at age 12. It`s your first car. Kathryn told her parents she`d buy it with babysitting money, but it was another part of a plan that really got their attention.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHRYN DIMARIA: Most of the cool part to learn has been the engines, because there are just so many moving parts, and you have to do it exactly how it tells you, and so that`s been the hardest part. I`m Kathryn DiMaria, I`m 14 years old, I`m from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and I decided to build the car because I`ve been to a bunch of car shows and things, so I became really interested in them, and so I (inaudible) here, because I just like the little car.
JERRY DIMARIA: Kathryn about two years ago, when she was 12 years old, came to us and said, Mom, Dad, I`d like to rebuild the car. And we kind of went -- really?
So, she had all kinds of reasons as terms of, you know, she`d learn how to rebuild the car, she would be able to do all of her own mechanics. There is only two seats in the car she wanted to rebuild, she would pay for it all herself, and so we thought about it and said, all right, well, let her try it and figure it`ll last about two or three months. Two years later, here we are at Makers Fair, rebuilding an engine.
KATHRYN DIMARIA: All my family`s helped a lot. My mom has helped me with most of like the creative side of it, like here is how you sew things together, here is how you piece everything together. My dad`s more like my information technician person, because he understands where everything needs to go, he understands the information behind it. And then there is my sister who is our part-time photographer, I guess, you could say.
JERRY DIMARIA: We figured, well, she`ll learn a little bit about mechanics and how to redo a car. She`s definitely learned that. But at the same time, as you can tell if you are watching this, she`s just talked to CNN. So she`s also learned a lot about how to talk with individuals, how to interact with adults, how to do independent research and learn how to do the things that she doesn`t know how to do. And then try to apply that skill set. So, there`s been a whole lot of learning outside of just auto mechanics that have gone on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: A high school in Chicago has an interesting tradition where students start randomly dancing in the halls. Like this guy. The man he is dancing in front of here is the dean of students, and the footwork is so fancy, that he dances right out of his shoe. So does the dean have a response? You`d better believe it. The dean took Irish dance lessons as a kid, and did his own sick moves. This Youtube video is one sure way to make sure everyone shows up in school, because once they`ve seen it, they`ll always want to be there for attendance. The dean stepped up, we are going to step out. We`ll hit the dance floor again tomorrow for more CNN STUDENT NEWS. See you then.
END