Month: June 2012

News Sports Technology

iPhone App Helps Blind Olympic Torchbearer

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The 2012 summer Olympic Games takes place in London, England starting next month.

From July 27 to August 12, athletes from 203 countries around the world will converge on the city to compete in sports including swimming, cycling and diving.

Before the competitions begin, the Olympic torch is run in a cross-country relay through more than 1,000 cities in the United Kingdom.

The torch was flown to the UK on May 18 and the huge, cross-country relay began.

In the relay, runners hold the torch aloft as they run and when they get to a certain spot they light the next runner’s torch–and so on.

The last torchbearer will light the giant cauldron in the Olympic Stadium in London, to mark the start of the Olympic Games for 2012.

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Environment News Science

Scientists Discovers Corn Plants Make A Noise

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Most people know that plants react to light.

For instance, if a houseplant is near a window it will start to grow towards the light.

But what about sound?

New research shows that plants not only react to sound, but even produce sounds themselves.

Dr. Monica Gagliano is a researcher at The University of Western Australia. One day she was working in her herb garden and she started to wonder if plants were sensitive to sounds. Since she’s a scientist, she decided to find out.

She and some other researchers discovered something amazing. They found out that the roots of corn seedlings (very young corn plants) make clicking sounds.

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News Technology

Microsoft Launches New Tablet To Compete With iPad

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When Apple introduced the iPad tablet, it was unique.

It had a large flat glass viewing screen which you touched to move and open files, it was extremely light and thin, and it had a magnetic cover that not only protected it but it shut it down as well.

When new technology comes along–and proves to be popular and successful–it’s not long before other companies try to duplicate it. They try to improve on the other company’s product if they can.

That’s the case with Microsoft’s new tablet called Surface.

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Lighter

Become Your Favourite Superhero — For $125

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Have you ever wondered what you’d look like if you were a superhero? An online store called Firebox.com lets you create a customized superhero—with your face on it.

For about $125, Firebox will create a superhero figurine that looks like you. At least, the head does.

You email Firebox pictures of your face from the front and the side, and the company creates a three-dimensional head that fits onto a superhero figurine body.

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Environment News Science

Ontario, Quebec Experiencing Heat Wave

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It’s hot outside. But just how hot? It’s “heat-wave” hot.

That’s according to Environment Canada, the official source for weather information in Canada, particularly for severe weather watches and warnings.

A heat wave is when the temperature outside reaches 32-degrees Celsius or higher for three or more days in a row.

Southern Ontario and Quebec are experiencing temperatures in the mid-30s. With the high humidity the provinces are also experiencing, the temperature outside feels more like 42 degrees.

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Entertainment Lighter News

Surprise! That’s Justin Bieber Busking At The Avon Theatre

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Theatre-goers in Stratford, Ont. are used to seeing buskers.

(In this case, a busker is someone who performs music on a street corner for money that people throw into their hat or guitar case.)

But they were surprised and thrilled when they came out of the theatre last Saturday and saw that the busker on the steps was pop superstar Justin Bieber.

Bieber grew up in Stratford, and some members of his family still live there. However, he’s usually out of the country on tour or recording.

He was in town for the Much Music Video Awards.

Busking on the steps of the Avon Theatre is nothing new to Bieber. In the early days, before he became an international pop icon, he often used to busk there.

However, this time it was a bit different. For one thing, although he had his guitar case open in front of him he wasn’t collecting any money for his performance. (According to an estimate by Forbes magazine, Bieber earned $55-million last year.)

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News

Economists Applaud Conservative Win In Greece

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The conservative party won the election in Greece last Sunday and around the world, economists and other people involved with the world’s money heaved a collective sigh of relief.

If another party had won the election, many people were predicting that Greece might stop using Euros as its currency.

That move would likely have affected many countries around the world including those in Europe and North America.

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News

Nik Wallenda Crosses Niagara Falls On A Tightrope Wire

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On Friday night Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk over Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

More than 100,000 people gathered to watch the feat, which has taken more than two years and help from many people, including NASA engineers, to accomplish.

Nik Wallenda is a descendant of the famous “Flying Wallendas” family of acrobats.

The stunt was incredible, not just because no one has ever done it before but because it took a lifetime of training and a lot of physical and mental strength to perform.

Niagara Falls creates a lot of mist, which drenched Wallenda most of the time he was on the tightrope. Swirling winds threatened to knock him from his perch, 200 feet in the air above the thundering falls.

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Breaking News News Politics

Giant Slumber Party In The House Of Commons

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The government of Canada had a sleepover, and all of the MPs were invited.

In fact, attendance was mandatory.

What’s really happened is that the Members of Parliament stayed up all night working.

They were voting on a bill, but the way they did it was very unusual—and very interesting.

It all started when Stephen Harper’s Conservative government introduced Bill C-38.

Bill C-38 is an enormous 425-page bill covering all kinds of things including budget items.

The opposition party (the NDP) wanted to protest the fact that the government bundled all of those extra items into the bill.

They say that when too many items are bundled that way, none of the items can be looked over and properly discussed.

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Breaking News News Sports

LA Kings Take Home The Stanley Cup

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The LA Kings are the kings of hockey, for the first time in their history.

On Monday night, the Kings won hockey’s ultimate prize — the Stanley Cup.

Their quest for the Stanley Cup has been 45 years in the making.

Their dream became a reality after they beat the New Jersey Devils 6-1 in the sixth game of a seven-game series.

The win can be attributed in large part to a five-minute major penalty against one of the Devils’ players early in the game. During that penalty the Kings scored three goals.

The game then really opened up in favour of the Kings. Jonathan Quick, the Kings’ goalie, was solid in net. In fact, he was fantastic for the entire playoffs, setting NHL records. He was named playoff MVP (Most Valuable Player), and was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy.

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