(upbeat ambient music) - Coming up next to a NewsDepth, we have a roundup of some big moments from the World Cup.

A youth dance team is bringing joy the world over.

The world's biggest active volcano has erupted in Hawaii.

And an environmental expert answers your questions about their job.

NewsDepth is now.

Goal!

The World Cup is currently underway, but unfortunately the US has just been disqualified, but after a very impressive run.

Hey everybody, I'm Rick Jackson, thank you for joining us.

Now a lot of you out there are as big a sports fan as I am, especially my friend Dylan from New Breman Local School in New Breman.

Hey Dylan.

So the FIFA World Cup started on November 20th, and as you can see, I'm in the soccer spirit, wearing a jersey from the Honduras national team.

Now Honduras did not qualify for the conference playoffs this year, but the US did.

The FIFA World Cup is a worldwide soccer tournament that originated back in 1930.

It takes place every four years just like the Olympics and just like the Olympics too, countries from around the world compete to be number one.

This year it's happening in Qatar.

Qatar is a country in the Persian Gulf in the Middle East.

The United States was disqualified from the tournament last weekend, but the team was definitely on its game making it all the way to the round of 16.

We competed against Wales and tied, also we tied with England, and then we defeated Iran.

But the Netherlands beat the US 3-1 back on Saturday.

Some fans reacted to how the US performed during the World Cup.

- I'm really happy for our boys, I'm really happy that we made it this far.

And you know, I just wanna say that 2026 when it gets here, it's gonna be an incredible World Cup, and I'm incredibly excited.

- We're a young team and we have a lot of potential, and this wasn't our year, but that's okay, we're looking forward to the next one.

- The favorites to win the coveted 2022 World Cup are Brazil, France, and Spain.

Now this tournament's also made some history, pioneering football referee, Stephanie Frappart became the first woman to take charge of a major men's European club match, and last week she made history again becoming the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match.

Stephanie Frappart is one of six female match officials at this World Cup.

Here she is saying how she got started down this path.

- So I start to play in local division and after that I wanted to know the the law of the game, so only just interesting of that and I start to make some courses.

And I, at this time, football was not, woman football was not so developed that now, so I decided more in the refereeing part and I think the truth was the right.

- Sometimes we forget the powerful influence that sport can have on our lives.

Triple Ghetto Kids, a dance troop from Kampala, Uganda are in Qatar for the World Cup to remind us disadvantaged or orphaned, the children have had a difficult upbringing on the streets of Kampala, but that hasn't stopped them from enjoying life to the fullest and bringing joy the world over.

Becky Anderson reports.

- Dance means to me a lot 'cause I lost my mother and.

(tranquil ambient music) - It's okay, everything will be fine, okay.

- King lost his mother when he was just nine years old.

Left to fend for himself on the streets of Kampala with his younger siblings.

But after the heartache of early tragedy, an opportunity to find joy.

(upbeat ambient music) - Ghetto Kids, Uganda, Africa.

- [Becky] Meet the Ghetto Kids.

Each of these children has a different story, but they have one thing in common, a love of dance.

♪ Happy in the ghetto ♪ ♪ Happy in the ghetto ♪ - I have a father, I have a mother, but they are jobless.

I come from a disadvantaged family.

Sometimes we eat once in a while, now because of dance, I eat every day, I go to school, and sometimes I send money to my family because of dance.

(upbeat ambient music) - That's amazing.

- Yeah, sure, sure.

- Yeah.

Judah started the group in 2013 when a home made video went viral.

(upbeat ambient music) - So it went out and then people are saying, "The video is going viral."

I say, "What's viral?"

"The video is on YouTube."

"What is YouTube?"

I didn't know about it.

- Himself homeless at a young age, he says he was taken in by a good samaritan, something he has never forgotten.

- That's what inspired me.

So right now I have 30 children.

So we are using music, dance and drama to help the kids for this education, healthcare, then medication, and all the needs that children have.

(upbeat ambient music) - The dance troupe have been invited to the World Cup by Qatar's Generation Amazing and visit Qatar.

- Generation Amazing, they promised us to help us build our foundation, because we have a home, we are now trying to build, it is on a starting level, so they promise us to complete the home for the kids because we're planning to have like a 100 kids and more.

- What do you think of Qatar?

- It's good.

- Yeah.

(chuckles) - Tell me what you've done since you've been here.

- I met the mother of Amir.

Yeah, and I met Aguero.

- You met Aguero?

Are you joking?

- No.

- No!

You're gonna be dancing, performing a little bit later on, (upbeat ambient music) can you just give me a few moves?

Wow, amazing.

Okay, am I coming in?

Oh, please don't do this to me.

A timely reminder of the power of sport in changing our world.

- Thanks Becky.

Sticking with the sports theme of this episode, we're now sliding over to the hockey arena.

Well, I guess you could kind of say it's off the hockey arena.

The junior hockey team in Elk River, Minnesota is in its first season this year, staff and players have taken their camaraderie off the ice.

Camaraderie means they have a mutual trust and a friendship.

Megan (indistinct) has more on new friendships formed over a game of bingo at a senior living community.

- [Megan] Grab a seat and you'll see friendships are formed across generations and over bingo boards at Guardian Angels Riverview Landing.

- O-62 - [Megan] A senior living community in Otsego.

- 34, sorry, that's my bad.

(participants laughing) Sorry.

- Yeah, I play hockey right now, junior hockey, we all do.

- [Megan] Phyllis Dalstrom and Daniel Ellington are teaming up after meeting for the first time.

- Congratulations.

- I graduated in 1956, but our team went to the state, our girls basketball.

- That's sick.

- It's fun.

It's fun.

- People here know hockey, right?

So I just think having that interaction is good.

- [Megan] Chick Pojar is the head coach, GM and owner of the Minnesota Squatch.

- B.

- And he explains it's about more than a game.

- It's not only just about playing junior hockey, it's about what other experiences that you can bring to the table and offer if you're going to apply for a college or going to a job interview.

These are life lessons and experiences that they can take with them and it's a win-win, right, so it's good for the senior community, it's good for these young men.

- We serve food at the other Guardian Angels in Elk River and it was pretty fun, so I was pretty excited to come here and play Bingo.

- Good for you, good for you.

- [Megan] All of the Squatch players are between 18 and 20 years old with a goal of going on to play college hockey.

In the meantime, they're making a difference for a crew decades ahead.

- Thank you Megan.

For this week's poll, we want to know if you are following any sports this season.

Head online to tell us if you like watching soccer, football, hockey, basketball, or you're really not into watching any sports at all.

Once you've cast your vote, jump on over to our inbox form.

This week, we'd like to read your motivational messages.

Send us a message you'd like to say to your favorite team and go ahead and think outside the box for this one.

It could be a professional team, your little league team, even the NewsDepth team.

Now, success in any activity requires a lot of determination, dedication, character, and hard work.

This week's A Plus award winner has all of those things.

Destiny Jennings is a senior at the East Moore Academy in Columbus.

She's used her determination, (upbeat ambient music) dedication, character and hard work to reach the pinnacle of her sport.

This past summer, Destiny won the USA Karate National Championship gold medal out in Spokane, Washington and earned a place on Team USA.

She told us that she started karate as a six year old and has been competing now for 11 years.

That's literally a lifetime for some of you watching, right?

"I tried out a lot of different sports, but karate is the one that really stuck."

Destiny told us.

When she was younger, she also gave a try to hockey, soccer, football, and basketball.

Her recent success wasn't a surprise, she's won a number of competitions across the country, and her sensei, her father, Mr. Ellis, told us that Destiny has won nine different grand championships.

Destiny earned her junior black belt when she was just 12 and earned her first degree black belt at 16.

She told us that she competed first in the USA Karate National Championships back in 2014.

Destiny has recently competed in the Karate World Championships, held in Turkey.

Turkey isn't the only country she's competed in, she's also been to Cypress and Mexico.

Destiny has learned some important lessons through competition and karate.

She told us that the most important thing she's learned is that you should never think that you're better than anyone else and you need to respect others.

She added that good results don't happen overnight, they happen over time.

Now I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty motivated to work hard.

Destiny added a message for all young women who were watching, she wanted us to tell you that you don't have to be a tomboy to be good at sports, just be yourself, work hard and do your best.

Destiny's guidance counselor at her school told us that she's also a fabulous student.

We think her dad said it best though when he described her as the perfect balance of being an athlete, student, and great person.

So this week's A Plus award winner is Destiny from the East More Academy in Columbus for being a world class athlete, a great student, and yes, a wonderful person.

Surfing is one of the sports fully aware of the part it needs to play and preserving itself.

Over the last three years, the World Surf League, the sport's biggest organization has partnered with Coral Gardeners, a group dedicated to preserving and regenerating coral reefs.

Johnny Velasquez has more from Tahiti.

- [Johnny] Welcome to Tahiti, an island formed from volcanoes in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean.

A paradise of lush mountains, a diverse ecosystem and marine life.

It's a playground of underwatering champions.

As we often find out in life, not everything is as beautiful as what meets the eye.

In this place of pure bliss, underneath the surface in the most crystal clear water I've ever seen, the reef is dying.

As climate change continues its assault on life, some people are fighting back.

In 2019, World Surf League partnered with an organization called Coral Gardeners.

It's led by Titouan Bernicot.

Titouan is from the sister island of Tahiti called Maria.

He and his crew have dedicated their entire lives to saving the reef.

They do it through a process called coral reef rehabilitation.

I met up with him.

I was fascinated with this concept and wanted to learn more.

- At the moment on our planet, the coral reef conditions are not good.

They are here on planet earth since 400 million years.

But in just three decades, we already lost 30% of our world's coral reef.

The scientists estimate that by 2050, 90% of the remaining one could be condemned.

So it's an emergency.

- What's the primary cause of the reef dying?

- The main reason why coral reef are dying around the world is global warming.

Then there is also ocean acidification, human pressures, like the runoff of the water, chemicals in farming, ecotourism, non durable tourisms.

So there are many reasons why the coral reef are stressed and the corals are bleaching and then dying, and it's happening so fast.

- What happens if we lose the reef?

- I like to say no reef, no ocean, no air, because the coral reef, they are the ocean lungs, we call them also the rainforest of the seas.

They are so important for a lot of marine animals in life.

And if tomorrow we lose our coral ecosystem, we basically are going to lose the balance of our oceans and that's what regulates the temperature of the atmosphere, the air we all breathe.

(upbeat ambient music) - After my chat with Titouan, I still wanted to know more about the reef restoration process.

I wanted to further understand the science behind it all.

I connected with former professional surfer, Kaipo Guerrero who now works as an analyst and commentator for World Surfing.

- What's happening with the rehabilitation program is we're taking basically super corals, so coral that have not succumbed to bleaching and the warming of ocean waters.

Now those super coral, what we are able to do is take a piece of that coral and then graft it, put it on the line, and let that piece of coral grow.

And really, when you talk about coral, coral's an animal, right?

It's coral polyps.

And within that coral structure, that's kind of the hive or kind of the house for the coral polyps.

So they keep on procreating and they keep on growing, they keep on building a bigger, bigger house.

Is it too late to save the reef?

- There's still time to save the reef, it's not too late.

We can change our ways, we can bring back the reef and that's what the good work that Coral Gardeners is doing and planting new coral.

We're not too far gone.

Like, we can make a change right now and we can turn the corner and turn it around, so it's not too late.

- Thanks Johnny.

Let's move on to more news now.

The biggest active volcano on earth started erupting again last week, and it's happening in the United States.

Lava that some 2000 degrees Fahrenheit is flowing on Hawaii's biggest island.

Amy Kylie has details.

- [Samantha] This whole thing right here that we're flying over right now, this is Mauna Loa.

- [Amy] The world's largest active volcano is erupting in Hawaii for the first time in almost 40 years, it's happening on what's called the Big Island, which shares its real name with the state.

The Census Bureau says just over 200,000 people live here.

Scientists say the lava is flowing into the northeast rift zone.

They say it should slow down in that flat terrain and likely stop before reaching the large town below.

- We just are getting a little nervous from time to time, but it's at least a week away and we're hopeful that it won't make it all the way to the town.

- [Amy] But many Hawaiians know the dangers of the volcanoes that shape their land.

This video is from when nearby Kilauea erupted in 2018.

It began a less dangerous recurrence last year, so this is a rare dual eruption on the island.

To keep people safe, Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency says it has activated its operation center.

A state official says the National Guard is on standby and the state health department is monitoring air quality.

- I know a lot of this freaks people on the mainland out, but look, these are very rare instances, we follow them carefully with our geology folks, and we're okay.

- While officials say the lava spilling out of Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano is slowing, safety and health concerns are growing.

There are no evacuation orders, but some residents are self evacuating, so shelters have been opened.

To evacuate means to be removed from a dangerous area for a safer one.

Ali (indistinct) has that story.

- [Ali] The Ohana went to one of the two American Red Cross shelters at the Old Kona Airport state recreation area.

Not many people were there and generally, residents are not too concerned about the eruption as is.

But here is a picture of what the Kamoku saw at around midnight.

Take a listen to how father Mark Kamoku and his wife reacted to the view.

- Something I've never imagined waking up to.

Yeah, so she panicked.

First thing comes to my mind is assess the situation real quick, and I just started telling them, let's start packing some clothes and getting our things together, I mean, personal things that are important.

- [Ali] Again, that was Mark Kamoku.

He and his family of seven went to the Old Kona Airport state recreation area shelter.

That facility has about 80 cots right now.

There is another Red Cross shelter open at the Kahu District (indistinct) multipurpose room where there are about 30 cots.

A Red Cross staff member tells me, they're playing it by ear to decide whether they will provide food at these shelters.

As we've been reporting, experts say the eruption is not posing an imminent threat to any homes right now, and it seems to be contained within the Northeast rift zone.

- Thanks Ali.

Well, it turns out lava on the ground isn't necessarily the biggest danger of volcanoes.

Margaret Cavalier whizzes through a ton of volcano vocabulary in this week's Spot On Science explaining what makes volcanoes so scary.

(upbeat ambient music) - Anyone ever played the floor is lava?

Always a fun time.

But when a real volcano explodes, it turns out there's a lot more to be afraid of than just the lava on the ground.

Let's start at, (upbeat ambient music) well, the start.

There's hot molten rock beneath the earth's surface called magma.

It can range in temperature from about 570 degrees Fahrenheit, which is actually how hot you might cook a pizza, all the way up to 1600 degrees, which would basically incinerate your pizza.

So when enough magma builds up, it will push through the volcano's conduit or main passageway and break through the vent or opening in the top or crater of a volcano.

Did you catch all those terms?

Conduit, vent, crater.

Good, 'cause this is where it gets interesting.

As soon as a magma reaches the earth's surface, it's name changes to lava.

As if that weren't confusing enough, there are different types of lava, named based on how they flow from a volcano.

Pahoehoe lava moves slowly and results in a smooth surface with rope like ridges.

Then there's AA lava, that's kind of chunky and flows quickly, leaving a jagged surface behind.

Now even though AA flows quicker than Pahoehoe, in most cases, it can still be outrun and sometimes just out walked by humans.

What's harder to escape is the lava that flies instead of flows.

Lava that gets tossed into the sky is called a pyroclast.

And of course pyroclasts have their own categories too.

Tiny bits of lava make a volcanic ash.

This is what you see billowing from the top of a volcano.

Ash is often mixed with poisonous gasses to form volcanic smog or vog.

It can be dangerous to breathe and can irritate your eyes.

Plus, depending on the wind, it's difficult to escape.

This is not to be confused with laze, the toxic haze that's released when lava hits the ocean.

This steamy mixture contains poisonous hydrochloric acid.

Bigger pyroclasts called volcanic bombs or lava bombs are also super dangerous.

I'm sure you can figure out where the name comes from.

These sometimes bolder size pieces of lava can cause serious damage.

There are still even more types of lava and pyroclasts, but to keep your brain from spinning, we'll stick with those.

So yeah, lots of confusing terms, but we're talking about volcanoes, and I'm okay with that.

- Thanks Margaret.

In our last episode, we asked you to send in what you would like to know about the field of environmental science.

We got an expert to answer your questions for our brand new segment, it's called Career Callouts.

- Hi, I'm Nick Mikash, I'm the natural resources manager at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes.

So let's answer your questions about careers in environmental science.

Lela from Groveport Elementary and Grove City starts off with, "What do you do every day at your job?"

That is never the same, my job changes with the seasons.

I'm often working outdoors.

So some days I might be working with a school group or a volunteer group.

I might also come in and find a tree has fallen that has to be removed or you know, we have storms, sometimes we have flood damage.

So I have to kind of roll with punches and change on a daily basis what is dictated for my job.

Gwen from Summit Elementary and Cincinnati wants to know, "What's causing pollution and what do other places with less pollution have that places with more pollution don't?"

Typically, the answer to that question is more people.

When you have more people, you tend to have more pollution, you have more industry, more condensed development, and with people comes a lot of pollution.

Benjamin from Fayetteville Middle School in Fayettesville wants to know, "What type of tools do I use and what are their names 'cause I think that would be cool to learn?"

Tools I use the most at this job would be, a lot of the times I'm using hand tools.

So I do a lot of work out in nature, we might be planting or removing invasive species.

So I'm using tools like shovels, rakes, cutting tools, so sometimes chainsaws and hand saws and pruners.

Jocelyn from Frank Elementary School in Perrysburg asked, "How many times do you mess up to get something right?"

And that is one of the beautiful things about science, you can make a mistake and you can run an experiment or have a guess at how something might work and you turn out to be wrong.

And that is still useful information.

So sometimes I make the wrong decision and I figure out it wasn't the right way to go, but that helps point me in the right direction.

Liam from Harding Middle School in Lakewood sent this question, "How old were you when you first thought about being an environmental scientist, and what made you interested in that type of job?"

And I would say I was probably just a child and my favorite books were field guides, I can remember having like a little tree field guide and I was probably in elementary school and I had no idea what environmental sciences did at the time, I just knew it was something I was interested in.

And then I would say probably in high school I started thinking more seriously about biology and sciences as a career.

Just some parting advice is find something you're passionate about in life and follow that as a career.

You know, there's a saying where, "If you're doing something you love, you'll never work a day in your life."

And while that's not true, there are some days that I feel like are a lot of hard work.

I'm always passionate about it and I always enjoy what I'm doing.

So that would be my best piece of advice for you.

- Keep your eyes open the next Career Callouts so you can send in whatever questions you have for STEM jobs.

Here's a hint, the next one comes very soon.

Okay, time for the poll results from last episode.

We ask you if you prefer cats or dogs.

Top answer was dog.

58% of you said that a person's best friend is their dog, 38% think that nothing beats a cuddly cat, and 4% of you said you're more of a people person.

Well, for those of you who are dog lovers out there, here's the 2022 National Dog Show champion, it's Winston, the French Bulldog.

He is the first french bulldog to win this honor.

Hey, did you watch the competition on Thanksgiving day?

I sure did, it was great fun.

Now, according to the show host, John O'Hurley, Winston and his handler, Perry Payson have cornered the market on energy, enthusiasm, and just pure spark.

Okay, don't fret my feline friends, we have some cat content for you too.

We have our top cuteness correspondent ready with this week's petting zoo.

(upbeat ambient music) (cat meows) Hey there news cat, napping again?

Come on, it's only week 10, time to work.

Okay, look at those paws go, a lot better.

Hmm, what she found?

A story about the world's largest moth.

It's estimated at 10 inches across.

To see the full story, click the petting zoo button on our website.

(upbeat ambient music) And thank you news cat.

Well, that's gonna do it for us, but as always, we want to hear from you and there are plenty of ways to stay in touch with us.

You can write to us, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Our zip code here is 44115.

You can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org, or you can tweet us, our handle is at @NewsDepthOhio.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Rick Jackson, we'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat ambient music) - [Little Girl] NewsDepth is made possible by grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

Clear Callouts featured in NewsDepth are funded by Ohio Broadcast Media Commission.

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