Readable, teachable news.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
The famous Manchester United soccer team has waited two years to sign Charlie Jackson to the team.
That’s because he was only three years old—they waited until he was five.
Coaches at United say that Jackson is going to be a superstar player.
Even at three years of age, he impressed talent scouts with his ability to handle and control the ball.
Nearly a month ago, the northern Canadian First Nations community Attawapiskat declared itself to be in a “state of emergency.”
This week, as winter sets in and snow is on the ground in the remote community, they are finally getting some attention–and some help.
In Canada, a state of emergency is normally declared when something terrible happens to a place, such as an earthquake, flood or large fire.
It’s a signal to the country’s government that “we need help, immediately.”
In this case, the state of emergency is that the people of Attawapiskat, in northern Ontario are living in conditions that are worse than those in many third-world countries.
One reporter described going to Attawapiskat as, “like stepping into the fourth world.”
Students at Earl Beatty Public School in Toronto aren’t allowed to play with balls in their school playground any more.
The school has banned balls – including soccer balls, footballs, baseballs and tennis balls – from its playground.
Kids can only play with soft, foam balls such as Nerf balls.
The ban was put in place after a parent was hit in the head with a soccer ball and suffered a concussion.
The school’s principal, Alicia Fernandez, said kids were often getting hurt by balls in the playground.
She said they were sometimes scared.
She also pointed out that the school has a very small outdoor play area.
Some parents say the ban is an overreaction.
The people who are building a huge new aquarium in downtown Toronto have released some exciting new details about it.
Ripley’s Entertainment Corporation – which publishes Ripley’s Believe It Or Not – plans to open the aquarium in 2013.
It will be one of the largest aquariums in North America.
It will be located near the base of the CN Tower.
More than 13,500 underwater creatures from around the world will be on display at the aquarium.
There will be exhibits on jellyfish, seahorses, stingrays, the Great Lakes, tropical reefs and more.
The aquarium is designed to be fully interactive.
The Ryerson University quidditch team is going to a tournament in Ottawa this weekend.
You heard right – the Ryerson quidditch team.
You may remember quidditch as the game Harry Potter and his friends play in the popular series of books by J. K. Rowling.
She invented the game, just as she invented Harry Potter’s world.
Fans of Harry Potter in England, the United States, Canada and other countries have created a “muggle”* version of the game.
One Ryerson player says it’s kind of a mish-mash of rugby, flag football, basketball and hide-and-seek all rolled into one great game.
Players don’t fly, of course, but they do have to run on the field with brooms between their legs. Not only is that difficult, but it can make the game a bit rough.
This month, every child in Grade one in Canada will receive a free book.
That will be every grade-one child, including those who are home-schooled, or in any school in the country, private or public, French-speaking or English-speaking.
The book giveaway is the product of a partnership between TD (the bank) and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC).
The bank pays more than $1-million to have 500,000 books printed and sent out to grade-one students across the country. This is the program’s eleventh year.
This year the books the kids will get is Gifts (Cadeaux, translated into French), by author Jo Ellen Bogart and plasticine artist Barbara Reid.
Gaelan Edwards is a special kid. He’s 12 years old and lives in Campbell River, BC. He has three siblings, Gage, Rhianna and Rowan.
But it’s his newest brother whose birthday he’ll probably never forget. That’s because on Aug. 21, Gaelan delivered his brother.
Around 2 a.m., his pregnant mother woke up and shouted for Gaelan. She said she was going to have the baby.
Gaelan wondered what to do, and worried that if he didn’t catch the baby as it came out it might get hurt.
So he went into action. He pulled the baby out by the shoulders. Then, without being told, he ran to the kitchen and got a pair of scissors.
There will soon be new costumes and facelifts for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and many other superheroes.
Collectively known as the Justice League, these comic book superheroes have been battling evil for decades.
Justice League is produced by DC Comics, and the company is facing increasing pressure from its biggest competitor, Marvel Comics.
That’s why they’re upgrading their best-loved comic heroes, starting Aug. 1.
Many of the heroes will take on a more youthful appearance, and about 50 will get new costumes.
Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling has finally revealed some of what Pottermore.com will have on it.
But it will be a bit difficult to understand exactly what will be on the new website until it’s fully up and running and that won’t be until October for most people.
One million lucky Harry Potter fans will be able to test the Pottermore site in a sneak preview starting on July 31, Harry’s birthday.
In a YouTube announcement and during a media conference in London, England, Rowling revealed that Pottermore will:
•Include more information and “back story” on some of the Harry Potter characters including Professor McGonagall (her childhood, ministry career, early heartbreak and her long friendship with Dumbledore), and how Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon met (at work, apparently).
•Include more than 18,000 words about Harry Potter and the characters, written by Rowling.
•Include a Pottermore shop where you can buy Harry Potter ebooks (digital books).
Or more accurately… what is author J. K. Rowling up to?
The answer is: a mysterious new website called Pottermore.
A few weeks before the launch of the final Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2), Rowling put up an intriguing website at www.pottermore.com.
She also began a Twitter account, twitter.com/pottermore, which has more than 75,000 followers.
It offers no clues as to what the website will be about.
It merely has the words “Pottermore” and “Coming soon…” with J. K. Rowling’s signature.
