Readable, teachable news.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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.
The 2012 summer Olympic Games takes place in London, England starting next month.
From July 27 to August 12, athletes from 203 countries around the world will converge on the city to compete in sports including swimming, cycling and diving.
Before the competitions begin, the Olympic torch is run in a cross-country relay through more than 1,000 cities in the United Kingdom.
The torch was flown to the UK on May 18 and the huge, cross-country relay began.
In the relay, runners hold the torch aloft as they run and when they get to a certain spot they light the next runner’s torch–and so on.
The last torchbearer will light the giant cauldron in the Olympic Stadium in London, to mark the start of the Olympic Games for 2012.
When Apple introduced the iPad tablet, it was unique.
It had a large flat glass viewing screen which you touched to move and open files, it was extremely light and thin, and it had a magnetic cover that not only protected it but it shut it down as well.
When new technology comes along–and proves to be popular and successful–it’s not long before other companies try to duplicate it. They try to improve on the other company’s product if they can.
That’s the case with Microsoft’s new tablet called Surface.
Have you ever wondered what you’d look like if you were a superhero? An online store called Firebox.com lets you create a customized superhero—with your face on it.
For about $125, Firebox will create a superhero figurine that looks like you. At least, the head does.
You email Firebox pictures of your face from the front and the side, and the company creates a three-dimensional head that fits onto a superhero figurine body.
Theatre-goers in Stratford, Ont. are used to seeing buskers.
(In this case, a busker is someone who performs music on a street corner for money that people throw into their hat or guitar case.)
But they were surprised and thrilled when they came out of the theatre last Saturday and saw that the busker on the steps was pop superstar Justin Bieber.
Bieber grew up in Stratford, and some members of his family still live there. However, he’s usually out of the country on tour or recording.
He was in town for the Much Music Video Awards.
Busking on the steps of the Avon Theatre is nothing new to Bieber. In the early days, before he became an international pop icon, he often used to busk there.
However, this time it was a bit different. For one thing, although he had his guitar case open in front of him he wasn’t collecting any money for his performance. (According to an estimate by Forbes magazine, Bieber earned $55-million last year.)
On Tuesday, Brett Lawrie — a baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays — lost control of his emotions during a game.
Lawrie was batting, and the umpire made a couple of calls that Lawrie disagreed with.
In Major League Baseball (MLB), there are four umpires including the home-plate umpire.
He is the one who decides if a pitch was a “ball” or a “strike.”
The pitcher pitches and when the ball crosses home plate the umpire makes a quick decision as to whether it was a good pitch (called a strike) or a bad pitch (called a ball).
If a batter gets three strikes against him he strikes out.
If a batter gets four balls against him he gets a ‘walk’ and is allowed to go to first base.
Canada is the fifth happiest country in the world.
That’s according to a World Happiness Report, released earlier this month by the United Nations.
And out of everyone in Canada, people in Quebec are the happiest of all.
Just four countries, all from Europe, beat out Canada. In order, they are Denmark (happiest of all), then Finland, Norway and the Netherlands.
Toronto’s mayor is involved in another bizarre situation. This time, mayor Rob Ford, had a confrontation with a reporter from the Toronto Star newspaper.
(You may recall a past TeachingKidsNews article when Mayor Ford was confronted by a CBC comedian on his property, and called the police. Here is a link to that article.)
In this case, the Star found out that Ford intends to buy some property next to his home. Ironically, Ford wants to buy the property in order to erect a security fence.
Star reporter Daniel Dale went to Ford’s home around 7:45 p.m. to look at the property and take some pictures of it.
One of Ford’s neighbours called the mayor and told him someone was snooping around his house.
Ford got very angry. He drove home and confronted the reporter.
The company that makes Nutella, a spread made from chocolate and hazelnuts, has agreed to give refunds to people who bought the product because they thought it was good for them.
Four women in the United States sued the company, Ferrero U.S.A., Inc., because they said it made misleading claims about the product. Television commercials for Nutella describe it as part of a balanced breakfast, along with toast, milk and fruit.
The women said they bought Nutella because they believed it was a healthy food to give their families. Then they found out that the spread contains large amounts of sugar and fat. Eating too much fat and sugar can contribute to obesity – being overweight — which is not good for your health.
Football fans are pretty excited in Denver, Colorado this week.
That’s because football superstar, Peyton Manning, has decided to join the Denver Broncos.
Manning is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. He is the only player in the NFL to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) four times.
Because he’s so good, the 35-year-old could choose just about any team to play for. He chose the Broncos because he thinks they can win the Super Bowl. He wants another Super Bowl ring.
