Author: Joyce Grant

Health Lighter

Oldest Living Human Turns 115

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Besse Cooper is the oldest person on earth. Last month, she turned 115 years old.

She was born on August 26, 1896… seven years before the invention of the airplane.

Cooper has held the title of “oldest person on earth” twice. She lost it once, when the Guinness Book of World Records discovered Maria Gomes Valentin in Brazil. She was about a month and a half older than Cooper.

Valentin passed away in June, and Cooper regained the title. The Gerontology Research Group and the Guinness Book of World Records each verified her age and her status as the world oldest living human.

Cooper’s son, Sidney, is 76 years old. He says his mom is in good physical health.

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Lighter Science

LEGO Figures In Space

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In August, a rocket was sent to deliver a space probe, called Juno, to Jupiter to study the planet.

The probe carried three unique stowaways.

Three special LEGO figures, made of aluminum, are accompanying Juno on its five-year mission. The figures look like the Roman god Jupiter, his sister Juno and the Italian astronomer Galileo.

Jupiter carries a lightning bolt. Juno has a magnifying glass to help her search for truth. And Galileo carries a telescope and a model of the planet Jupiter.

People at NASA approached LEGO and asked them to design the special minifigs, which cost about $5,000 each. They had to build them very carefully so they didn’t interfere with any of the probe’s sensitive instruments.

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Lighter Technology

It’s DejaVu For Apple All Over Again

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Last year, someone who worked at Apple, the company that makes computers and cell phones, made a big mistake.

They lost a top-secret prototype.

A prototype is a one-of-a-kind model they build of a new phone they’re thinking of manufacturing. It’s kept secret so no other company will find out what they’re doing and try to copy them.

The person who had the prototype accidentally left it in a bar. A journalist found it and put pictures of it on the Internet. It was a big scandal.

Well, it has apparently happened again.

Apple developed a prototype for the iPhone 5 they will be releasing soon. And once again, an employee has accidentally left it in a bar, according to technology website CNET.

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News

9/11 Victims Honoured, Remembered

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Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

“9/11” refers to three terrorist attacks in the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001 – the ninth month, the 11th day.

On that day 10 years ago, nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists attacked two World Trade Centre buildings in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Near Pennsylvania, a plane was hijacked and crashed into a field.

The victims of the attacks were from more than 90 countries. Around the world, millions of people commemorated 9/11 in their own way.

At the site in New York where the twin towers once stood, called Ground Zero, thousands of people attended remembrance services.

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Health Kids

12-Year-Old Boy Delivers His Baby Brother

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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.

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News

Lost Penguin Back In His Natural Habitat

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A woman was walking her dog along a beach in New Zealand in late June when she saw something that looked like a white ball in the sand.

It turned out to be a young Emperor penguin that was very, very lost.

The penguin attracted a lot of attention in New Zealand. It has been 40 years since an Emperor penguin has been seen there.

Researchers at the country’s Department of Conservation were called in.

Many New Zealanders came to Peka Peka Beach to look at the elegant penguin.

They were careful to keep their dogs away from it so it wouldn’t be frightened.

The public nicknamed the animal Happy Feet.

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News

Rescue Drill Turned Real In Canada’s North

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Four hundred members of the Canadian military were in Nunavut recently for a search-and-rescue exercise called “Operation Nanook.”

That’s when troops practice rescuing pretend air-crash victims just in case it ever happens.

The soldiers were to perform the exercise for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

However, the mock exercise was cancelled when there was a real plane crash nearby. The team raced out to help the victims.

The soldiers knew it was real when someone said, “NODUF,” which is slang for “this is not a drill.”

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Jack Layton chalk condolences at City Hall; Image: Greg Robinson
News Politics

Jack Layton Honoured With Chalk Messages

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It began with one message of remembrance written in chalk on a wall outside Toronto’s City Hall.

And then another. And then another. Now nearly every inch of the sidewalk and walls in the square is covered, all with a similar message: We will miss you, Jack.

It is one way that people are mourning and remembering one of Canada’s most beloved political leaders, who died on Aug. 22.

Jack Layton was the leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party), Canada’s Official Opposition party in government.

Layton’s death is affecting many people across the country—even people who didn’t agree with his political point-of-view.

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Breaking News News

Riots And Looting In London, England

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Wide-spread riots broke out in London, England last week.

People ran into the streets, breaking store windows and stealing merchandise (known as “looting”), and setting fires to buildings and cars.

Hundreds of people have been arrested and at least five people died in the riots.

There are many different reasons people joined the riots.

Some people looted because they thought they could get away with it in the crowds.

Some rioted because everyone else around them was doing it or they considered it fun.

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Animals Environment Science

“Extinct” Rainbow Toad Found In Borneo

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A colourful, spindly-legged toad was recently spotted by scientists in Borneo.

The last time anyone had seen it was 1924, when it was reported by European explorers.

The bright green, purple and red toad is known as the Sambas Stream Toad, or the Borneo Rainbow Toad.

Many people had assumed it was extinct.

In July, three of the toads were found on three separate trees in Borneo, Indonesia which is an island off the coast of Southeast Asia. Borneo is the third-largest island in the world.

A professor at the Sarawak Malaysia University led the expedition to look for the toads.

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