Sesame Street celebrates its 40th anniversary Tuesday. FOX News visited every kid’s favorite neighborhood to chat with Elmo, Grover and Abby Cadabby. It was great to get a behind-the-scenes look at the people who bring these furry friends to life. Our cameraman had to be very careful not to show too much – we didn’t want to ruin the Elmo mystique for any young fans! Speaking of young fans, I prepared for the interview by getting question suggestions from my nieces and nephews. And of course, I couldn’t help but mention my “research team” to Abby Cadabby, Grover and Elmo:

done

The characters all told me that they love to learn. Abby Cadabby told me, “”The thing about learning, it happens all the time in every single moment.” Grover proudly told me he can count to 20. And Elmo said, “Elmo loves to learn. It’s really cool!” Sesame Street Executive Producer Carol-Lynn Parente says education has been the top priority since the start, but, “The methods we’ve used to teach the curriculum, the ABCs and 123s, that’s changed a lot over the years.”

Sesame Street also focuses on current concerns, such as obesity, with segments on healthy eating. The show has had its criticisms through the years, from this recent report, all the way back to its inception. Parente tells FOX, “If you look at those early years of Sesame Street, there was lots of concern that we were creating short attention spans in kids because the show was so fast-paced, because it was modeled after commercials and advertising. But if you watch those shows now, they look so slow-paced.” Parente also tells me that since the show has been around for so long, some of its original viewers are now parents and even grandparents, who can enjoy Sesame Street again with the little ones in their lives. The best part of our visit — I now have the answer to the age-old question, “Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?”.

Reporting from Sesame Street: FOX News Crew Jill, Ravelle, Brian & Rich

Welcome to Fort Irwin

FOLLOW ADAM ON TWITTER

Like the entire country, we were all saddened yet glued to the television as the horrific story in Texas unfolded at Fort Hood. So many times we have covered stories around the globe with soldiers stationed in Killeen and we have heard so many stories about the base, it makes you feel connected … right along with our unwavering support for our troops.

Within a few hours of the shooting we got the call. Many soldiers and their families at Fort Hood have at one time come through Fort Irwin, the Army’s massive training site in the middle of the Mojave Desert. While this base is not nearly as large as Hood, Irwin has about 22,000 soldiers and civilians on base each day by midday. Six-thousand cars make the drive off of Interstate 15 down about 35 miles or so across the desolate landscape each and every day. The topography reminds me of parts I’ve seen in th middle east and in Pakistan. The area is arid, cold at night and warm during the day.

Producer Laura Prabucki and I leave LA and battle traffic and the long road for several hours before arriving in Barstow. There we grab a quick hotel room and a few hours of sleep. Photographer Scott King and our satellite truck guru Eric Graychock decide to leave early in the morning and head straight to the fort. Our first task before we leave Barstow is a stop at a quick mart to grab water and any food that is not perishable. Unlike other bases around the country, Irwin is literally in the middle of nowhere.

Because of the concern about the shooting in Texas, Fort Irwin has decided to keep the media about 5 miles away. We have great relations with the men and women here and understand their decision. So, we are parked next to the sign that welcomes everyone, along with a couple of retired tanks. From the knoll where we are reporting, I look in a 360 degree area and see absolutely nothing. Topography that reminds me of stories I’ve covered in the Middle East and in Pakistan. Other than the road that 6,000 cars a day trek down, there’s some scrub brush and tumbleweeds, both greenish yellow from recent rains.

Everywhere we stop and everyone we meet is either watching the reports on television, or expressing condolences for all of those who serve our great nation. It is a tough time for the Army today no matter where you serve. Brothers, sisters, comrades, soldiers….all Americans. Are thoughts and prayers are with you.

The availability of H1N1 vaccine is still less than what manufacturers had predicted and what federal health officials had wanted. Still, the 38 million doses currently ready for states to order is 11 million more than what was available a week ago, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The pace of our progress is picking up,” said Rear Adm. Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Schuchat stopped short of predicting when the supply of vaccine would be enough to become readily available to the general public.

States, and in some cases municipalities, are responsible for determining how best to distribute limited supplies. In most areas, vaccinations are directed toward those at highest risk of spreading the disease or suffering the worst consequences.

Children remain among the groups most vulnerable. The virus is now blamed for 129 pediatric deaths in the U.S. Approximately two-thirds of these children had underlying neurological or respiratory conditions, Schuchat said.

According to the CDC, influenza activity is “widespread” in 48 states, with 7.7 percent of doctor’s office visits from patients reporting flu-like symptoms. That’s down slightly from last week’s figure of 8 percent. However, federal health officials say it’s too early to say whether H1N1 activity has peaked.

“Flu season can last until May,” Schuchat sait. “So, we really don’t know what trajectory we’ll see with this virus or with the flu season in general.”

Follow Jonathan on:     Twitter Facebook Other Blogs

Kris interviews Capt. Reis Ritz ER Physician

We’re live at Ft. Hood, just a day after a gunman killed now 13 people and hurting another 28 other people. Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened yesterday. At this point, they’re saying the suspect, a solider, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, acted on his own when he came into the Solider Readiness Center and started shooting. Investigators would not comment on a potential motive – they say, it’s just too early to tell. They interviewed witnesses through the night in the search for answers.

Ft. Hood is in a day of mourning today. Of the thirteen people killed, twelve were soliders and the other was a civilian. Of those hurt, all are in stable condition. The suspect is also in stable condition.

done