Tag: grade 2

News

Inventor, Innovator, Genius – Steve Jobs’ Legacy

Steve Jobs changed forever the way the world views, and interacts with, technology.

Jobs passed away last week, at the age of 56, from cancer.

Jobs helped to invent many products including the Macintosh computer, the iPhone, the iPod and the iPad. Along with Steve Wozniak, he founded computer company Apple.

It may be difficult for young people, who may have never known computers and phones before Steve Jobs changed them, to understand the massive impact he made.

A 1984 video of Jobs unveiling a brand-new product called the Macintosh computer, gives some idea.

To us today, the technology seems horribly outdated, clunky and… can you believe it? the images on the tiny computer screen aren’t even in colour!

But listen to the audience in the video as Jobs walks over to a small bag and takes the computer out. It has a handle! It’s small enough to carry! It has graphics, not just text! The audience gasps, cheers and claps because no one has ever seen anything like it.

Health News

Terry Fox’s Marathon Of Hope Still Running

In 1980, Terry Fox started a Marathon of Hope.

His hope was to raise money for cancer research and eventually help to find a cure for the disease.

After losing a leg to bone cancer, Terry Fox wanted to help other people. To raise money, he began a fundraising run across Canada. His famous run-hop stride is well known to Canadians and people around the world.

Terry Fox ran more than 5,300 kilometres – half-way across Canada – when the cancer spread to his lungs. He died at the age of 22, in 1981.

Lighter Science

Mummies With Hair Gel

The Ancient Egyptians probably used hair gel to style their hair, new research on mummies shows.

Scientists at the University of Manchester, UK published an article in the Journal of Archaeological Science that said, “…in cases where the (mummies’) hair was styled, the embalming process was adapted to preserve the hairstyle.”

In other words, when the bodies were turned into mummies, the embalmers made sure their hair didn’t get mussed.

The researchers studied hair from 18 mummies who lived around 300 B.C. in Egypt.

Under a microscope, the scientists noticed that the hair on nine of the mummies had a coating on it. When they analysed it, it turned out to be made of plant and animal fats.

News Sports

Blue Jays New Logo “Leaked” Online

The Blue Jays baseball team is changing its logo.

Teams often change their logo when they want to portray their team in a new way.

In this case, the Jays likely want their logo to emphasize the fact that they are Canadian.

Their new logo design is a big secret. They don’t want anyone to know what it will look like until they unveil it to the media and the public at a big event.

The logo they posted on their site looks quite a bit like an old logo they used to have, with the Canadian maple leaf quite a bit bigger.

However, the website Uni Watch (Uni stands for uniform) has obtained what it says is a copy of the proposed logo.

Health

Physical Activity Can Boost Kids’ Brains

Most people agree that doing schoolwork, puzzles, math and reading help kids get smarter. But did you know that a good workout can also help you learn more easily?

Scientists say that physical exercise gets more blood flowing through a person’s brain, and helps them think better.

It also causes the brain to release a protein (called brain-derived neurotrophic factor) which makes new brain cells grow.

Researchers say kids who are active and fit perform better on memory tests. It affects certain areas of the brain, like the hippocampus and the basal ganglia.

Children who aren’t as active are more likely to become easily distracted.

Lighter Science

LEGO Figures In Space

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.

News Sports

NFL Football Season Begins… Phew!

The National Football League (NFL) just completed its first week of the season.

It was an eventful week that saw all 32 teams play. But the season almost didn’t happen.

Over the summer the players and the owners argued over many different issues including the safety of the players, the number of games each team plays, and the players’ salaries.

Many experts believed that the season would be “lost.” They thought that football, like hockey in 2004, would simply be cancelled.

The owners and players discussed their concerns throughout the summer and, on July 25, they finally announced they had come to an agreement about these important issues.

News

Lost Penguin Back In His Natural Habitat

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.

Animals

Toronto Elephants Packing Their Trunks

Toka, Thika and Iringa are the last three elephants living at the Toronto Zoo. They will soon be moving to a new home, but they don’t know where yet.

They are waiting for the zoo to decide the best place for them.

For many years, the elephants have been one of the most popular attractions at the Toronto Zoo.

However, since 1984 seven elephants have died at the zoo and now the last three are getting old. The zoo has decided to send them somewhere else to live out their remaining years.

News

Justice League To Get An Upgrade

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.