Tag: grade 8

Arts Entertainment News

CUT! It’s A Wrap For TIFF 2012

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The 2012 Toronto International Film Festival ended last Sunday.

For 10 days, movies from more than 60 countries were shown around the city.

Thirty-eight of them were premieres, or films that were shown in Toronto for the first time. And all the big players–famous actors, directors and producers–came out to see them, and to be seen.

A film festival is an event about movies: watching movies, making movies and acting in movies. And of course, it’s about the business of movies. Many big movie deals are made during TIFF. Storytellers meet writers. Writers meet producers. Producers meet directors. Directors meet actors. And later–often years later–a movie is made

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News Politics

A Plan To Help Eurozone Countries In Debt

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Europe’s central bank thinks it has a good plan to help countries like Greece, Spain and Italy. Those countries are struggling because they took on too much debt.

The idea is that the European Central Bank will agree to buy some of the debt.

In return, the troubled countries must agree to spend less money and to put their finances in order.

When countries lend money to other countries, they receive small payments called interest.

When a country borrows too much money, some of the people who lent the money begin to worry that they won’t get their money back. So they demand higher and higher interest payments.

This puts pressure on countries that are already having trouble paying back all the money they borrowed.

It pushes their debt even higher.

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Health News

McDonald’s Posting Calorie Counts In U.S. Restaurants

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A typical, active kid should probably eat about 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day to stay healthy. (The exact number depends on a person’s gender, age and daily exercise level.)

But let’s say, 1,900.

Now let’s say that kid decides to buy her lunch at McDonald’s; maybe have a Big Mac and large fries.

Starting this week in the U.S., McDonald’s restaurants will show the calorie counts of each of their menu items—right up on the big menu board at the front of the restaurant.

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News Technology

Apple Launches Eagerly-Anticipated New iPhone

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Apple launched its new cell phone last week—the iPhone5.

Although the iPhone5 has some new features, it’s essentially the same phone with a longer screen (see the picture that accompanies this article).

The new phone is thinner, lighter and faster than its predecessors.

It’s less than 8 mm thick.

The screen is now a bit longer, at 4” (measured diagonally), or 10.2 cms. The iPhone4 screen is 3.5” (8.9 cms).

The new iPhone is also faster than the other iPhones.

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News Politics

Many Ontario Teachers Withdraw From After-School Sports, Clubs

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The kids at many elementary and high schools in Ontario may not be participating in after-school sports or clubs for awhile.

That’s because the teachers who run the programs have been asked by their union to consider stop running them and to stop coaching.

Teachers in Ontario are part of a “labour union.” A union is a group of workers who band together for a common goal.

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Breaking News News Politics

U.S. Embassy In Libya Attacked

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An “ambassador” is a person who represents one country—in another one.

For instance, Canada has ambassadors in many countries around the world. They are high ranking diplomats who represent their country. They typically work from offices called embassies.

The U.S. has many ambassadors stationed around the world, representing the United States.

The U.S. has an embassy in Libya, in Northern Africa.

Libya has been in the news this year because it was part of the Arab Spring, in which some countries’ people protested against corrupt governments.

On Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three embassy staff were killed.

Facts are still emerging about the incident—about why it happened and what the U.S. reaction to it will be.

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Sports

Andy Murray’s Golden Year

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Andy Murray is having a good year—a very good year.

All of his career, the 25-year-old tennis player has been plagued by the fact that he has never won a major tennis tournament.

On the weekend, he put that doubt to rest by winning the US Open.

The US Open is one of the big four, “Grand Slam” tennis tournaments.

The others are the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon.

Britain has been waiting 76 years for a male player to win a Grand Slam singles event.

Murray had been waiting all his life.

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Sports

Amazing Kids: Anything Is Possible

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Some amazing kids have been been in the news recently. Here are two who have made big achievements in the sports world.

Lydia Ko recently won the Canadian Women’s Open golf tournament. It’s a tournament for female golfers–adult golfers. Ko, however, is just 15 years old.

Ko lives in Auckland, New Zealand (where she has lived since she moved from South Korea when she was six years old). Last month she travelled to British Columbia, where she faced professional golfers at the Canadian Women’s Open.

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News

Earthquake Damage In Costa Rica Less Than Feared

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Thank goodness for Costa Rica’s strict building codes.

They ensure that its buildings are extremely sturdy and well built. That helps account for the relatively small amount of damage the Central American country suffered after a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake last Wednesday.

The earthquake took place about 140 kms west of the country’s capital, San Jose.

In 1991, another 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook the country but it caused a lot of damage. This time, Costa Rica was saved by its new and updated building standards.

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Health Kids News

Gloomy Underpass Transformed Into Awesome Kids’ Park

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An “underpass” is a road or a tunnel that goes beneath another road. Toronto has some dark and gloomy underpasses.

Dark and gloomy, that is, until this summer.

That’s when an organization called Waterfront Toronto built something incredible.

Where there used to be garbage and weeds, there is now a fun playground with a safe, rubbery floor, a skateboard and scooter park and a basketball court.

There are also swings, climbers, a teeter-totter and benches for people to relax on.

Underpass Park covers 2.5 acres underneath three on- and off-ramps that lead to the DVP in East Toronto.

Before the park was built, Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford said he wasn’t sure the space could be transformed.

But when he came to open the park on Aug. 2, he loved it.

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