Month: November 2013

News Politics

Assembly Of First Nations Chief Visits NWT Community, Leaders

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Last month the Canadian community of Behchoko received an important visitor.

National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, of the Assembly of First Nations, travelled to the remote northern community on Oct. 30.

There, he met with the leaders of the Tłı̨chǫ government and toured the Chief Jimmy Bruneau and Elizabeth Mackenzie schools.

Behchokǫ is 100 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

The Tłı̨chǫ government is one of several First Nations governments created in Canada through a modern treaty negotiation process between the First Nations and the Government of Canada. The Tłı̨chǫ government was established in 2005.

Chief Atleo had a full day of activities in Behchokǫ, beginning with a lunch at the Chief Jimmy Bruneau High School with Tłı̨chǫ chiefs and advisors.

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News Science Sports

Olympic Torch Arrives Back From Outer Space

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The Olympic torch has been to outer space and back.

The torch has even been on a spacewalk.

It’s the first time that has ever happened.

The torch will be used to light the flame that will launch the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, hosted by Russia.

On Nov. 7, a spacecraft called the Soyuz TMA-11M left Russia carrying three crew members and the Olympic torch.

It was bound for the International Space Station (ISS), which is in orbit around the Earth.

Two Russian cosmonauts on the ISS received the torch. Later, they brought it outside and symbolically handed it off to each other in open space. The hand-off took about an hour.

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Environment News

Philippines Hit By Massive Typhoon

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There has been a terrible storm in the Philippines.

The Philippines is a country in southeast Asia.

Because it is an island in the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines often gets very bad weather, including earthquakes, volcanoes and typhoons.

However, Typhoon Haiyan is perhaps the worst natural disaster to ever befall the country.

The typhoon hit the Philippines last Friday.

Its winds of up to 300 kilometres an hour whipped up the ocean waves.

The storm also caused flooding and landslides.

The country’s National Red Cross has launched a huge program to help the people whose houses were destroyed by the typhoon.

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News

Charity Gives Money Directly To World’s Poorest People

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What would you do with a thousand dollars? You can probably think of a lot of fun ways to spend that much money.

But what if your family didn’t always have enough to eat? Or what if you lived in a house with a dirt floor and a thatched roof? A thousand dollars could change your life.

That’s the idea behind a charity called GiveDirectly, which puts money in the hands of poor people and lets them spend it however they choose.

GiveDirectly was founded in 2008 by four American university students. Paul Niehaus, Michael Faye, Rohit Wanchoo and Jeremy Shapiro were studying economics in the developing world. They wanted to find the best way to help the poorest people.

Traditional charities work by raising money from donors and spending it where they think it can do the most good. Charities often support major projects like building schools, hospitals, roads, wells and irrigation pipes, or providing medical care for people in need.

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Environment Science

Pollution Shuts Down Chinese City

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The air pollution was so bad in Harbin, in China, on October 21 that the city was forced to close roads and schools, and to cancel hundreds of flights from its airport.

News reports said the smog (a mixture of smoke and fog) was so thick that people couldn’t see more than 10 or 20 metres in front of them.

According to unofficial reports, people could not even see the person standing next to them.

The city’s website said: “You can’t see your own fingers in front of you.”

Residents said there was a “burning” smell in the air.

Many people covered their noses and mouths with scarves or masks.

The pollution was blamed on several factors.

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News Politics

Three Canadian Senators Suspended – Historic Move By Senate

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In an historic move, three Canadian senators have been tossed from the Senate.

Senators Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau have been “suspended” (removed from their jobs for a period of time).

Members of the Senate voted to suspend the three until the next federal election, likely in 2015.

The vote was hotly debated and discussed.

Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin had made impassioned speeches to the Senate, pleading their case and hoping to avoid being removed.

But in the end, the three senators were suspended.

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Lighter

Regular Exercise Can Help Prevent Depression: U Of T Study

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Just 20 minutes of walking a day can help people improve their mental health.

That’s according to researcher George Mammen, at the University of Toronto (U of T).

He recently co-authored a study of more than 26 years’ worth of research reports.

He says the reports show that someone who is physically active is less likely to become depressed later in their life.

Most scientists agree that regular exercise is important for people’s physical health. It can help prevent diseases like stroke, heart disease and cancer.

And previous studies have shown that exercise can help to treat depression.

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News Sports

Boston Celebrates World Series Victory

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Boston finally has a reason to celebrate–and that’s exactly what Red Sox fans are doing.

Fans took to the streets last weekend to celebrate the fact that their baseball team won the World Series.

The parade made an important detour.

It stopped at the Boston Marathon finish line.

Last April, there was a terrible bombing during the Boston Marathon race, which took the lives of three people.

The city–and people all over the world–were upset by the tragedy.

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