Pie days are awesome. They only bake up once a year. We`ll bring you a slice of info about
that later today on CNN STUDENT NEWS. First up, a vote: will Crimea, a region of Ukraine,
become part of Russia? 2 million people leave there, and their local government has scheduled
a referendum for Sunday that could determine their political future. Many Crimeans want
closer ties to Russia. There`s a good chance they`ll vote for it, but the new leaders of
Ukraine as well as the U.S. and some other members of the international community say
the vote goes against Ukraine`s constitution. That this part of the country can`t just break
off from it and join another country.
Russia would likely welcome that decision. We`re bringing you two very different perspectives
on this today. First, from the capital of Ukraine, where many people want closer ties
with Europe than with Russia.
This is Independence Square, the Maidan, they call it, where the protest movement began
and so many people lost their lives. But the story, of course, has now moved hundreds of
miles away to Crimea. So, we are going to ask young people here what they think about
the possibility of losing part of their country.
I think that this would be the disaster. This definitely would be the disaster because we
consider Crimea as a part of Ukraine and those people who live there despite the fact that
they speak Russian, they are Ukrainian.
This referendum is completely illegally. And all this is inspired by Russian agents and
foolish people who thinks that in another country they will have a better life than
in their own country.
Already some in Crimea are leaving, many heading to Kiev to be with family and friends, not
wanting to wake up next week in another country. Michael Holmes, CNN, Kiev, Ukraine.
Very different take on this in the Russian capital of Moscow. We`ve talked about how
Crimea gives Russia access to its only warm water port in the Black Sea. So, it`s important
strategically to Russia, but as Phil Black found, it`s important in other senses as well.
At Moscow`s Danilovsky (ph) Market, you`ll find quality food, middle class shoppers and
workers who aren`t quite so well off. This microcosm of the Russian capital is a long
way from the Crimean Peninsula, but almost everyone here says they feel a connection
to it.
"Crimea was always Russian, and it should stay Russian," and it`s all he says. Not surprisingly,
Vladimir Putin`s handling of the crisis is popular, which explains approval ratings up
around, 68 percent.
"Absolutely, I support it. That`s not even up for discussion," Irina says. "Well done,
Putin, I`m extremely grateful we have such a leader."
Most of these people admit they are informed by Russian media, much of which is controlled
by the state.
Inna knows Western reporting tells a different story. She wants Crimea to stay with Ukraine.
It`s a minority view. Most believe Crimea is like the delicacies available here at the
market, a vital part of Russia`s history and culture.
It`s been more than six days since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished over Southeast
Asia. And when we produced this show, there was no word on what happened to it or the
239 people aboard. U.S. officials said on Thursday, they might expand their search area
to look in parts of the Indian Ocean. That`s far west of the last known location of the
flight between Malaysia and Vietnam. They said there`s new information that the plane
could have flown for hours after its transponder stopped working, and quit sending signals
of the plane`s location and altitude. Some experts are saying, it`s possible that the
jet`s engines might have been sending info to satellites for four or five hours after
the last transponder signal. But even that`s not certain. And Chinese satellites photos
that appeared to show something floating off the Malaysian coast, turned out nothing.
Time for the "Shoutout." A 22-year old is considered to be part of which generation?
If you think you know it, shout it out. Is it Millennials? Baby boomers, Silent Generation
or Generation X? You`ve got three seconds, go!
People born in the 1980s or `90s are generally considered to be Millennials. That`s your
answer and that`s your shoutout.
When it comes to money, Millennials tend to have less of it than previous generations
like Gen Xers or baby boomers. Millennials student loan debt is higher. Their unemployment
is higher. Despite that, they are optimistic about the future. In a recent Pew survey,
85 percent of Millennials said they either had enough money to live the lives they want,
or that they expect to one day. It`s interesting how their generation is impacting housing
in the U.S.
It`s the fastest growing part of the housing market you may not see in your neighborhood.
New apartment buildings popping up everywhere. Now, at the largest share of total new home
construction, since the 1970s. New rental apartment projects surged 56 percent in 2011.
36 percent in 2012, 25 percent last year. And they are forecast to rise nine percent
this year. So, has this rental rise reached the top floor? Experts say not yet. Why? Call
it housing`s millennial effect. Unemployment still stubbornly high for younger Americans.
And many already owe tens of thousands in student loans. When Millennials find a job,
they just want a roof over their head, not a mortgage. Plus, credit is tight. So, buying
is tough, a down payment even tougher. Also, Millennialls value mobility. And urban areas
offer convenience.
That demand pushing up rent prices across the U.S. Rent is up three percent over the
past year, and nearly twice that in renter-heavy cities like San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle
and Boston. But long term, the Millenniall effect could produce a familiar result. As
this generation grows up, as children finds more steady employment, the need for more
space and the financial prospects of owning a home could push Millennialls into single
family homes. And lift the housing market for everyone else. Christine Romans, CNN,
New York.
A royal welcome to all our kingly viewers in the Midwest today. Starting with the River
Kings and Queens of Clinton, Iowa, they are watching from Washington Middle School.
Next, long live the Kinsman (ph) of Penn High School. They are online in Mishawaka, Indiana,
and we`ll wrap our royal journey in Kingman, Kansas, home of the Eagles of Kingman High
School.
Anyone can learn the solve for explit (ph), no one has solved Pi. The Guinness world record
for reciting numbers in Pi is held by a Chinese man who memorized just under 68,000 digits.
We usually just abbreviate it to 3.14. That makes today 3.14, March 14, Pi Day.
Who doesn`t like Pi? Whether it`s an old fashioned apple pie, the Oscar- winning "Life of Pi,"
a pepperoni pizza pie. Unless it`s a slice of humble pie, it brings us together. Of course,
if you dropped the "E" in it, you`ll drop some of the enthusiasm. But the true mathletes
out there can always bake up a little fun on Pi day. It`s celebrated every year on March
14. That`s 3/14 is in the first few digits of Pi, the ratio of a circle circumference
to its diameter. You could call our fascination with it irrational, and that`s just the kind
of number it is. An irrational one. It just goes on and on without stopping or repeating.
At least as far we know. Computers have calculated Pi to its 2 quadrillions digit. Don`t ask
me what that means, I majored in telecommunications. What I can tell you is that when it comes
to this ratio, the Pi is the limit.
I know a lot of you like it when we pike on puns. A lot of you count on it. We could just
say, good pie without any good pie puns, without waiving good pie, without adding a single
word. But given the chance to cook up a report like that, something that could apple to a
lot of students, something that could really oven things out at the end of the week - well,
you can always crust us to try our berry best, make a bake and aim for a refreshing batch
of Friday pie day puns.
All right, we are going to leave you with some images we`ve seen on CNN STUDENT NEWS
throughout the week. I`m Carl Azuz. See you Monday.