Readable, teachable news.
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
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.”
The “strike actions” that teachers are taking in Ontario may escalate in December.
In this case, “strike actions” refer to things the teachers and their union are doing to bring attention to the issues that are important to them.
In order to get that attention, many Ontario teachers have already chosen to not participate in extra-curricular activities as well as other things on certain days of the week.
On Monday, Mark Carney made news when he announced that he was leaving his job as Governor of the Bank of Canada to become the Governor of the Bank of England.
The governor of a country’s central bank watches over the country’s money, and sets interest rates for borrowing or lending money to governments and others.
The governor also has to make sure there is enough cash in government accounts to cover all the programs it runs.
The central bank’s governor sets policies and rules for money matters at the highest level.
Carney told reporters that he took the job with the Bank of England because it will be a challenge.
He meant that he wanted to see if he could do a harder, or different, job than what he is doing now.
England is part of the United Kingdom, which is a member of the European Union.
Right now, the European Union is facing big decisions to make sure Europe’s financial future is strong.
Carney will have to help England to make those decisions.
The kids at one elementary school in eastern Toronto get to play ukuleles every week.
The ukulele lessons are thanks to Melanie Doane and James Hill, two musicians who helped launch the Ukulele in the Classroom program, an ongoing teacher-training program and ukulele teaching method.
A ukulele is a small string instrument that looks like a mini guitar.
It has a long neck and a hollow body, but instead of having six strings like a guitar, a ukulele only has four.
Making music with a uke is a good way for a big group of people to learn about and experience music.
“It’s a springboard into music,” says Doane.
A uke is small and affordable, so people of all ages can learn the basics of how to play, like plucking and strumming the strings.
From there, groups of ukulele players can learn how to play together to create harmony and layers.
After only a short time, even beginners can create melodies. “Because you can make music, it is so exciting,” says Doane.
A judge has ruled that the mayor of one of the largest cities in North America has to step down.
Toronto’s Mayor, Rob Ford, has been removed from office–in other words, forced to stop being the mayor.
The judge’s decision takes effect two weeks from now. That’s when Ford must be out of his office.
Ford was elected in 2010 and had another two years to go, in his term as mayor.
Ford was found to have violated “conflict of interest” laws.
That’s because when Ford was a councillor, he raised some money for the football team he coaches, using City Hall stationery.
The city’s integrity commissioner — the person who advises elected officials about ethics — told Ford he had to give the money back. Ford refused.
When he became mayor, Ford asked council to reverse the decision.
In other words, he asked councillors to vote to let him keep the money and not have to give it back. Ford also voted in that vote.
The judge said that the mayor voting in this way was a conflict of interest.
Excitement is building as Canadians everywhere are getting Grey Cup fever.
The fever is particularly high in Toronto. Not only will the game be played there, but the Toronto Argonauts are one of the teams vying for the championship.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Grey Cup championship, which decides which Canadian Football League (CFL) team is the best.
It is played between the winners of the CFL’s East and West Divisional playoffs.
The Toronto Argonauts are set to play the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday.
The winner will take home the trophy known as The Grey Cup.
Toronto was the site for the first Grey Cup, back in 1912.
The 2012 game will also be played in Toronto, at the Rogers Centre.
It’s unusual for the city hosting the Grey Cup to also have their team playing in the Grey Cup.
The last time Toronto won the Grey Cup while playing at home was in 1952.
In some countries, people aren’t allowed to say anything bad about their government. They don’t have “freedom of expression.”
Some writers who have spoken out against their governments have been put in jail by those governments.
Fortunately, there is a group called PEN International, which defends freedom of expression. PEN International fights for the rights of writers around the world.
Last week, PEN International went to Turkey. The group was led by Canadian author John Ralson Saul, the president of PEN International.
They met with Turkish President Abdullah Gül to show their concern for writers and journalists in Turkish prisons.
PEN asked the Turkish government to consider shortening jail time for prisoners before their trials. This period can often last for years.
Another problem is that prisoners aren’t able to see their lawyers quickly. According to one report in The Toronto Star, one man has been kept from talking to his lawyer for over a year.
Celebrities can usually afford a nice home, a comfy bed and tasty food.
But last Thursday, Arlene Dickinson and Brian Burke slept outside on the ground in only sleeping bags.
That night, the temperature dropped to 0-degrees C.
Dickinson is one of the “dragons” from TV’s Dragon’s Den, a show in which wealthy businesspeople invest in new businesses.
Burke is the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team.
Both of them have plenty of money and can afford nice accommodations.
They were “sleeping rough” to help raise money for Covenant House, which provides shelter and services to homeless kids in Toronto and other big Canadian cities.
Who knows what’s going on with Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez? Well, they do, for sure—but does anyone else?
Bieber is, of course, a famous teen pop idol and Gomez is a television actress; the couple has been dating on and off for the past couple of years.
But what do we really know about the couple?
\
That they had been dating. They have probably broken up.
It may have been her decision or it may have been his decision.
In other words, what do we know? Not much. Almost nothing, in fact.
Some media report one thing, some media report something completely different. Here’s why. It’s because the couple themselves aren’t talking about it.
Gomez? Isn’t talking.
Bieber? Isn’t talking.
Everyone else? Talking!
The European Union has decided to put all of the money it won for the Nobel Peace Prize towards projects that help children in war zones.
The EU includes 27 countries in Europe that are closely tied in business and politics.
The EU was awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts in keeping the peace in Europe for more than 65 years.
The Peace Prize is a very prestigious honour; the winner receives a medal and eight million Swedish kronor—about $1.18 million.
That money will be put towards projects that help children who live in areas of the world that are experiencing conflict or war.
“Children are the future of any society and at the same time the most vulnerable,” the European Commission said in a statement about the prize money.
What those projects will be, and how the money will be divided, will be decided in the next few weeks.
