Month: April 2011

Arts Lighter Sports

Sleep In A Ping Pong Paddle

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In China, they’re planning to build some very funny-shaped buildings.

One is a hotel shaped like a giant ping pong paddle. It even has a huge ping pong ball out front! The building will be 150 metres tall. The windows in each room of the hotel will be round, forming the ping pong paddle’s rough texture. The “handle” of the hotel will be an observation deck, where visitors can look out over the city of Huainan, China.

Another strange building they are planning is a stadium shaped like a football.

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Breaking News Politics

Problems For The People Of Syria

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There is trouble in another country in the Middle East. Since January, people in Syria have been protesting against their president, Bashar al-Assad. They want him to step down. They want democracy and a better life for themselves.

The leader is fighting back. Last Monday al-Assad sent thousands of troops to a city called Daraa, in Syria, to stop the people from protesting. His army set up in the centre of the southern city and placed people with rifles, called snipers, on rooftops to shoot anyone they thought was against the president. al-Assad took this step after some politicians in the area quit their jobs to show they were not happy with the president’s leadership.

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Lighter News

Wacky (And Tacky) Royal Wedding Souvenirs

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There is lots of excitement building about the upcoming wedding between Prince William and the soon-to-be Princess Kate. They will be married on April 29 in London, England.

When there’s a big wedding—particularly if it involves the Royal family—people like to have a souvenir, or keepsake, to remind them of the big day. Lots of companies are churning out products with Kate’s and William’s picture on them. Some of them are nice but more often than not the products can be quite cheap and tacky and that’s part of the fun of it all.

One company created special PEZ dispensers with William’s and Kate’s faces on them. Kate is wearing the blue dress she wore during her engagement photos, and William is wearing a black suit and red tie. PEZ dispensers are meant to be filled with a special PEZ candy.

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Arts Politics

Canada Rocks 4 Japan

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Since the earthquake in Japan last month, people around the world have wanted to help. Many people have helped by donating money, clothing, or food.

Artists in Canada and the United States have come up with ways to raise money for Japan. There have been many music concerts in both countries. Recently in Toronto there were three: Canada Rocks 4 Japan, Hope Blossoms Benefit Concert, and Eternal Sunrise Japan Benefit.

A “benefit concert” means that the musicians perform for free, and most of the money made from ticket sales goes to Japanese families affected by the earthquake.

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Health

Canada’s Exercise Guidelines Changing

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When you can’t reach your goal, what do you do? Lower the goal, according to the Canadian government.

That’s what they’re doing with Canada’s fitness guidelines. Only 12 per cent of kids and less than 50 per cent of adults get as much exercise as they’re supposed to, so the government is bringing down the standards.

They’re hoping that with a lower goal to shoot for, more people will try harder to get as much exercise as they need.

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Environment Science

“Uncontacted” Tribes Found In Brazil

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There are some people in Brazil who have never met a person from the “modern” world. They live in the rainforest. They don’t have houses or cars or computers. They are an “uncontacted tribe” of people.

The tribe’s people live in huts, hunt animals, and make their own tools. Photos show them with black and red dye on their bodies, holding long sticks.

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Environment Lighter

Chuck And Vince: We Want ‘Em!

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Recently the City of Toronto started a new recycling program. It lets people safely recycle unwanted electronic equipment like TVs, computers and phones. Before the new program, people had to take these things to a special depot. Now, they can just put them out by the sidewalk with their regular recycling bin, and workers from the City of Toronto will pick them up.

But how could Toronto spread the word about the new program? An ad agency called Publicis came up with a series of catchy TV ads featuring “Chuck” and “Vince.” They’re actors pretending to be wacky recycling workers.

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Breaking News Politics

Gadhafi Allows Aid But Motives Questionable

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Two months ago, the people of Libya protested in the streets to demand that Moammar Gadhafi step down as leader because of his dishonest government and his poor treatment of the people. Instead of leaving, Gadhafi gathered Libyan-government troops and attacked protesters all over the country. Several United Nations countries brought troops and weapons of their own to help the protesters (the “rebels”) and now the fight has become very dangerous for everyone. It is likely to last a long time.

On Monday Gadhafi made a deal with the United Nations to let food and medicine into the Libyan city of Misrata.

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News Sports

Running On Top Of The World

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Twenty-seven runners from around the world recently ran a marathon on one of the most remote and icy places on earth — the North Pole. On April 8, competitors from around the world met at the North Pole and ran on the frozen ice for six hours, facing temperatures as low as -32° C.

Contestants flew to Norway from countries around the world. Then they all flew together from Norway to the North Pole.

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Environment News

Manitoba Prepares For Red River To Flood

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Manitoba is battening down the hatches because the water levels in the Red River are rising and it is threatening to overflow.

As the weather is getting warmer, large chunks of ice that formed during the winter are breaking apart and blocking the flow of the river. This is called an ice jam. Melting snow and rain are also adding to the rising water level.

Winnipeg is Manitoba’s capital and its largest city. The residents there have been advised to build walls of sandbags to protect their homes. The city handed out 1.8 million sandbags to homeowners. Many volunteers, including students, are being asked to help build the walls.

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