Month: January 2014

News

New Study Links Teens, Music And Overall Happiness

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A new study shows that the way teenagers listen to music is linked to how happy they are.

“Happiness” seems like a simple concept, but you can think about it in two different ways.

First, there is feeling happy in the moment, like when you hear your favourite song on the radio.

Second, there is the happiness that comes from feeling good about your life overall.

We know that music can contribute to the first kind of happiness, but can it also contribute to the second kind?

It turns out that the answer depends on why people listen to music.

Researchers asked more than 200 college students about their reasons for listening to music.

They wanted to know if the students were listening for their own reasons–for example, because music gives them pleasure.

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Environment News Science

Canada Announces Protection For Endangered Birds

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Environment Canada has issued an emergency protection order that will limit construction activity and loud industrial noise near the habitat of an endangered bird species.

The greater sage-grouse is a shy bird that lives in southeastern Alberta and Saskatchewan.

There are fewer than 150 adult birds left in Canada, and environmentalists believe the species could be extirpated (locally extinct) within five years unless it is protected.

The birds’ natural habitat is long prairie grass, but much of this grassland has been destroyed by agriculture and oil and gas development over the past hundred years.

In December 2013, Environment Canada – the government department responsible for the environment – issued an order that prohibits any activity that would disrupt the birds’ habitat during the spring mating season.

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Entertainment News

Neil Young Speaks Out Against “Oil Sands” In CBC Radio Interview

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Neil Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is internationally famous.

He has been called “one of the most important figures in rock music.”

In 2009, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Young is an activist and many of his songs are political.

Now, Young is doing a four-city tour of Canada to protest what he feels is massive damage to the environment being done in the oil sands in Alberta.

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Health Science

Student Doctor Finds Real, Life-Threatening Illness In “Patient-Actor”

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A student doctor recently saved the life of an unusual patient, in a very unusual way.

Ryan Jones, a medical student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, was practicing diagnosing illnesses.

As part of his training, he and other student doctors had to diagnose an actor who was playing the part of an ill patient.

The actor would act out symptoms of an illness he pretended to have, and the medical student had to figure out what the illness was.

Of course, the actors didn’t really have any illness—they were just pretending.

Except, in the case of Jim Malloy, he really did have the illness and didn’t know it.

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News Politics

New Jersey Governor Embarrassed After Staff Member Caused Massive Traffic Jam

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The governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, has had a rough start to the new year.

He’s a man the Republican Party in the U.S. is hoping will become a candidate for President of the United States one day.

But what happened recently may have put an end to that hope.

It goes back to an incident that happened last September.

That month, there was a huge traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge, a bridge that links New York and New Jersey.

This wasn’t just any traffic jam.

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News

Bravery Awards Given By Canada’s Governor General

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Since 1972, the Governor-General of Canada has given out special awards to people for risking their lives to help someone else.

One of them is the Medal of Bravery, which is awarded to someone who has done something very brave in a dangerous situation.

In December, Governor-General David Johnston handed out 39 Medals of Bravery.

One bravery medal was awarded to a woman who helped rescue nine people from an Orillia, Ontario retirement home that was on fire.

Another medal was given to a teenager in British Columbia who saved his friend’s life by tackling a dangerous person.

Three people received a Star of Courage during the ceremony.

The Star of Courage is given to people who have been extremely brave even when it meant possibly putting themselves in danger.

The act of bravery doesn’t have to happen in Canada and the brave person doesn’t have to be Canadian, for them to be eligible for a medal.

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Animals News Science

Endangered Animals Making A Comeback In Canada

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Seven Canadian species that were once considered endangered or nearly extinct are beginning to flourish again, thanks to efforts by conservationists.

Canadian Geographic magazine reported in its December 2013 issue that populations of endangered whooping cranes, North Pacific humpback whales, eastern wild turkeys, swift foxes, sea otters, wood bison and peregrine falcons have increased in recent years.

Most of them are no longer considered endangered.

Several factors contributed to the disappearance of these species, including loss of habitat, pesticides, disease and over-hunting.

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News

Extreme Weather In Many Cities Over The Holidays

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Many cities in North America experienced extreme weather during the 2013 holiday season.

On Dec. 22, Toronto was struck by an ice storm which caused trees to become covered with large amounts of ice.

Although it was often beautiful, it was also destructive.

Many of the trees couldn’t support the weight of the ice and branches came crashing down.

Some of the branches took out power lines, so hundreds of thousands of people in the city were without power for hours or days.

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Lighter News

Fun Quiz: 2013 In Review (Part II)

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How much do you remember about the news that happened in 2013? Our fun 2013 quiz continues.

The answers to the quiz can be found by clicking on the TKN article beside each question.

16) What is a Bitcoin?

17) In April 2014, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health was worried about the large number of overweight people in the city so he put out a news release saying he wants restaurants to add something to their menus. What does he want added?

18) In May 2013, Chris Hadfield went home. Where was he coming from?

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News

Take Our Fun Quiz: 2013 In Review (Part I)

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How much do you know about the news that happened in 2013?

Take our quiz and see how much you remember about these stories from the past year. The link beside each question will take you to the TKN article that will give you the answer.

1) First Nations, Inuit and Metis people came together to form a movement for peaceful protest. What did the group call itself?

2) Chris Hadfield is famous for _____________. (Note: There are many possible correct answers for this one — fill the blank with what you know about Hadfield.)

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