Canadian athletes to arrive at Commonwealth Games tomorrow. Athletes around the world are gearing up for the Commonwealth Games, which begin in New Delhi, India on Oct. 3. A team of 35 Canadians arrived last week at the event’s […]
Author: Joyce Grant
Monkeys Protect Commonwealth Games
MONKEYS GUARDING THE GAMES Langur monkeys have been put in front of some of the main venues at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. They’re there to scare off wild dogs, snakes and other wild monkeys that might endanger the […]
“Saddle” Seats On Airplanes
One way airlines reduce the cost of flights is to make passengers pay for any frills or extras such as meals, drinks, checked baggage and — as with one airline in Europe — even use of the washroom. Ireland’s Ryanair makes passengers pay one British pound to use the bathroom on the plane with a coin slot in the side of the door.
Now, a company called Aviointeriors has invented a new type of airline seat. It gives passengers less leg room than traditional seats, allowing airlines to pack more people into a plane. More people per plane means a lower cost for each person’s airline ticket.
The new seat resembles a saddle and provides just 58 cm of leg room compared with the 81 cm of leg room offered by traditional airline seats.
With the new seats, passengers would bear most of their weight on their legs, so the seats would only be useful for short flights, of no more than three hours.
Alaskan Walruses In Danger
Walruses in Alaska are coming off the ice floes and onto the shore, in the tens of thousands. The sea ice they normally rest on has melted. On the shores of Alaska, the walruses are now packed shoulder to shoulder, […]
Celebrities Swarm Toronto
There are lots of international celebrities in Toronto right now, because the city is hosting a huge film festival, called TIFF or the “Toronto International Film Festival.” Big stars like Natalie Portman (Queen Amidala from Star Wars), Matt Damon, Colin […]
Pink Floyd – And Regent Park School Kids
Ever wanted to be a rock star? Twenty-five kids from the Regent Park School of Music in Toronto are going to get a chance to sing with one of the biggest rock stars ever, Roger Waters formerly from the band […]
Oil Spill – Hope
THE OIL SPILL MAY SOON BE CAPPED
For more than three months, more than 80 million litres of oil have gushed from a broken oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
The company responsible, BP (British Petroleum), has tried many different things to stop the flow of oil, which is spewing into the gulf and threatening wildlife.
They tried capping the well, but the flow was too strong and the rig was too deep under the water. They even tried stuffing the well with golf balls, mud, fabric and human hair! That didn’t work.
Recently they tried using underwater “robot submarines” to cut into the broken pipe and cap it with a funnel. That may actually be working.
It’s a positive development, but it’s almost too late. First, 11 people died in the explosion on April 20 that originally damaged the oil well. And the massive amount of oil that leaked into the Gulf has already done immense damage to our ecosystem. The chemicals that BP used to help clean up the oil are themselves toxic – not only to the workers who have to do the cleaning up, but to the environment as the mixture of chemicals and oil washes up onto the shore.
U.S. President Barack Obama is furious. After all, even though the company that owns the oil well, BP, is British, the oil is washing up onto American soil. Now, beaches in Florida are starting to become covered in the oily, chemically gunk. Recently, President Obama sent a bill for $69-million to BP to cover the initial costs of responding to the spill.
Last week there were reports that BP may have known that the oil well had the potential to break. And BP’s reputation is forever tarnished; it’s likely that no one will ever forget that BP was the company that caused such a massive world-wide disaster.
Canada is sending aid to help in the clean-up efforts.
McDonald’s Recalls Shrek Glasses
Don’t drink from those glasses, Don-keh! McDonald’s is recalling all of the “Shrek” glasses it sold recently, because the paint on them could make people sick. The paint contains cadmium, which could cause long-term health effects for people who drink […]
Almost-Perfect Game
If you’ve ever suffered a “bad call” in a sport, just think how Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga feels.
Last Wednesday, he pitched a “perfect game.” That’s a game in which the pitcher gets every one of the 27 batters out from the other team.
Perfect games are very rare. There have only been 20 of them in history, so if a pitcher gets a perfect game, it’s a very big deal.
Boy Wins Right To Wear Kilt To Graduation
Teen fights principal’s decision–and wins. Hamish Jacobs has won the right to wear a kilt to his high-school graduation. The 19-year-old Alberta student asked his principal, earlier this month, if he could wear a kilt when he graduates. The principal […]
