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News Science

Canadian Astronaut To Take Charge Of Space Station

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Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will soon become the first Canadian to command the International Space Station.

Hadfield and two other astronauts – Tom Mashburn from the United States and Roman Romanenko from Russia – docked at the ISS on Dec. 21, 2012.

Their Soyuz spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 19.

It took them two days to reach the space station.

The space station is a satellite which orbits the Earth. The size of the crew varies from three to six astronauts at a time.

The crews stay on the space station for up to six months and then are replaced by other astronauts.

Hadfield and his crew will stay for five months.

This mission is Hadfield’s third trip into space and his second visit to the space station.

When he takes over command of the ISS in March, he will become the first Canadian ever to command a spacecraft.

Hadfield can already claim several “firsts” in space.

In 1995, Hadfield was the first Canadian to serve as “mission specialist” on a space shuttle.

He was also the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm while in orbit, and the first Canadian to board the Russian space station, Mir.

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News

“Idle No More” A Growing Movement

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For nearly a month Theresa Spence, Chief of the community of Attawapiskat, has been protesting the way First Nations people are treated in northern Ontario.

Spence has not eaten any solid food for about 30 days. This type of protest is called a “hunger strike.”

During a hunger strike, people stop eating in order to make a peaceful protest about something they believe in. Spence is consuming only liquids, like water and broth.

Spence said she will not end her hunger strike until Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with her to discuss First Nations rights.

Last week, Harper said he will meet with First Nations leaders on Jan. 11.

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News

Part II Of TKN’s 2012 News Quiz. How Many Of These Stories Do You Remember?

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Yesterday we posted a quiz featuring questions from events in the news in the first half of 2012. Let’s see how much you remember from the past six months as you tackle these 2012 news questions.

17) What huge sporting event took place in Summer 2012? Bonus point if you know what city it took place in.

18) The man who famously said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” passed away in August 2012. What was his name, and why was he famous?

19) Name the mayor of Toronto. Name one thing he did that was newsworthy in 2012.

20) “Replacement refs” filled in during an NFL labour dispute. What did they do that irritated many fans?

21) What did the Pope’s butler do in 2012 that made headlines?

22) Who won the World Series in 2012?

23) Why is nine-year-old Caine Monroy famous?

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News

Top Stories From 2012 – Take Our Fun Quiz!

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Now that it’s 2013, it’s a good time to look back on some of the biggest news stories of the year.

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) A famous scientist turned 70 on Jan. 8, 2012. Name him. (Article.)

2) Something happened to the Costa Concordia in January. What? (Article.)

3) Where did two teens send a “Legonaut”? (Article.)

4) Why did some Canadian Little Leaguers travel to Africa for a baseball game? Who did they play? (Article.)

5) Who won the 2012 Super Bowl? (Article.)

6) Name the northern Ontario city that declared a “state of emergency” in February. Bonus points if you can spell it correctly. (Article.)

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Lighter News

Lottery Winner In BC Donates Money To Help Community

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When blankets arrived for the homeless and new cars appeared for those in need, people in the city of Terrace in British Columbia thought it must be magic.

It turned out the magic was coming from Bob Erb, 60, who won $25-million in a national lottery called Lotto Max.

Erb believes in sharing his wealth.

In fact, since he won the lottery about a month ago, he’s given away more than $7-million.

He has given money to the staff at the gas station where he bought the ticket.

He gave $20,000 to the man who sold him the ticket.

He’s given money and shoes to the homeless. And he’s helped support more than a dozen local businesses.

Erb has been buying lottery tickets for more than 40 years.

One day, the clerk he bought the ticket from accidentally rang up more “plays” than Erb had asked for. But he let it ride.

And it’s a good thing he did, because one of those plays hit the $25-million jackpot.

Erb’s generosity has helped his whole community.

The new vehicles he bought and gave away helped the car sellers have a better year.

And if people he chose didn’t need the vans, they passed them on to someone else in need.

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News Politics

New Egyptian Leader Backs Off On Strict Controls

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In 2011, during what was called Arab Spring, protests in the Middle East showed that many people were fed up with their dictator leaders.

One of the largest countries in which people opposed their leader was Egypt. 

The protests ended when President Hosni Mubarak was driven out of office and put on trial.

Last June, Egypt’s first freely elected president took office.

But instead of trying to get everyone to agree on how to run the country, President Mohammed Morsi decided to give himself complete power over all laws and all the people.

He said this was the only way to get things done.

Again the protests started as people streamed into the streets because their rights had been removed.

Their message got to Morsi and he cancelled his plans for complete power.

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News Sports

The “Voice Of The Blue Jays” Wins Prestigious Award

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Grown men have been known to tear up upon hearing the famous words: “Touch ’em all, Joe!”

They were spoken by Blue Jays’ baseball radio broadcaster Tom Cheek back in 1993.

Recently, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that the “voice of the Blue Jays” would receive the prestigious Ford C. Frick award for broadcasting excellence.

Many fans consider the award long overdue.

Cheek was part of the first Blue Jays radio broadcast. He continued to be the voice of the Blue Jays for 27 years.

From his first game to his last, he never missed a game. He worked 4,306 games in a row–from April 1977 until June 2004.

Cheek also broadcast 41 playoff games.

Cheek experienced struggles in his early years.

He was also witness to back-to-back World Series championships for the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.

But topping it all was the call he made in 1993.

Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter had just hit a huge home run to win the World Series.

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Animals News

Lonesome George May Not Have Been The Last Of His Kind

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When the giant tortoise known as Lonesome George died last summer, people thought he was the last of his kind.

Lonesome George lived on Pinta Island, one of a group of islands called the Galapagos, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America.

He belonged to a species called Chelonoidis abingdoni, which was native to that island and not found anywhere else in the world.

When he died, scientists believed the species became extinct.

Now a group of researchers has found giant tortoises, who may be related to Lonesome George, living on another Galapagos island.

These scientists studied the DNA of a group of giant tortoises living on Isabella Island, about 60 kilometres away from Lonesome George’s home.

They found 17 tortoises that had some DNA from the same Pinta Island species as Lonesome George.

These tortoises also had DNA from a different species, which means they had ancestors from both species.

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News

England’s Future Monarch To Be Born In 2013

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The third person in line to the throne of England will be born in 2013.

The Royal Family announced this week that Kate Middleton and her husband, Prince William, are going to have a baby.

Prince William is Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson.

Kate, also known as the Duchess of Cambridge, married William in a lavish ceremony in London, England last year.

People around the world watched the royal wedding on TV.

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News

NYPD Officer’s Random Act Of Kindness Goes Viral

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A tourist was visiting Times Square in New York when she witnessed a “random act of kindness” she—and thousands of other people—will never forget.

A homeless man was begging for change. He had no shoes or socks on, in the frigid November evening.

As the tourist, Jennifer Foster, watched, a New York police officer approached the man.

The policeman said, “I have these size 12 boots for you; they are all-weather. Let’s put them on and take care of you.”

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