Author: Joyce Grant

News

The Brydges Fail To Sell Their “Essay House”

In October, you’ll get another chance to win a house by writing a persuasive essay.

Calvin and Diana Brydges had been going to sell their $300,000 house for $100, but it hasn’t worked out.

They’re going to try again in October.

The Brydges had been unable to sell their house the “usual way” for two years.

Then they had a bright idea.

They decided they would give their house away in a lottery.

The Brydges would only sell the house if they managed to sell 3,000 lottery tickets.

They got 2,192 essays.

News

Family In Guelph Living Like It’s 1986

A family in Guelph, Ontario is spending a year living in 1986.

They’re doing it so their kids can see what life was like before complicated technology like iPads, sophisticated computers, tablets and even complicated coffee machines were part of everyday life.

They have banned all technology from their home and are relying on the things people would have used back in the 80s.

There is a box at the front door where people can temporarily deposit their mobile devices, like cell phones, while they’re visiting the family.

Blair McMillan and his girlfriend, Morgan want their kids—Trey, 5, and Denton, 2—to have a year free of technology.

News

Prince Harry Spends A Night In A Giant Freezer

Britain’s Prince Harry spent a night in a giant freezer, to prepare himself for a race to the South Pole in November.

He will be doing the 15-day trek with a team of wounded British soldiers.

His team will compete against teams from the United States and the Commonwealth.

This week, the 29-year-old prince spent a day and nearly a whole night in the cold chamber, with the occasional 10-minute break.

AP reported that when asked what the worst part of his chilling experience was, the prince said, “Going in.”

News

Costa Concordia Is Set Upright

The enormous cruise ship, The Costa Concordia, no longer lies on its side, rusting in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tuscany, Italy.

Salvagers spent 19 hours—and more than $824-million—setting it upright.

It was the largest salvage operation of its kind.

The 13-deck Costa Concordia was carrying 4,200 people on Jan. 13, 2012 when its captain steered it too close to the shore.

Entertainment

Viral Video Turns Out To Be A Hoax

You can’t believe everything you see on the Internet.

Last week, millions of people—including many news producers—learned that lesson in a very interesting way.

A very popular Internet video turned out to be a hoax.

The video was of a girl twerking (a current dance fad) in her room; she dances so hard that she falls onto a candle and her pants catch on fire.

More than nine-million people watched the video.

The video was shown on hundreds of newscasts, including major networks ABC and some local Fox Network affiliates.

Entertainment News

New J.K. Rowling Movie Will Be Set In The Wizarding World

J. K. Rowling is writing a new movie set in the wizarding world.

It won’t feature the character Harry Potter, but it is inspired by one of the boy wizard’s textbooks: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, “written” by fictional author Newton Scamander.

Warner Brothers film studios told Rowling they wanted to make a movie based on the fictional textbook, used by Potter and his friend, Ron Weasley.

The new movie will feature the adventures of a 21-year-old Newton Scamander.

Scamander is an expert in Magizoology, the study of magical creatures.

Science

Chinese Space Mission Will Last 15 Days

A Chinese space capsule, carrying three astronauts, blasted off on Tuesday. It is on a 15-day mission.

The Shenzhou 10 capsule will dock with a space lab called Tiangong 1.

While on the Tiangong 1, the Chinese crew plans to deliver a series of educational talks to children.

China’s education initiative is designed to spark kids’ interest in space exploration.

The astronauts will also conduct dozens of experiments while they are in space.

News

Stolen Baby Grand Piano Found And Returned

It’s a bit worse for wear, but it’s back and it can still hold a tune.

It’s a Boston Steinway baby grand piano and it was stolen in a brazen robbery from Toronto General Hospital last July.

A “baby grand” is a huge piano that weighs more than 225 kilograms. That’s one reason why the robbery was so bizarre.

Another reason is that the thief hired some movers and they simply walked out with it, right in broad daylight.

The movers didn’t know they were stealing the piano. They just thought they were being hired for a moving job.

Several people from the hospital stopped the movers and asked them what they were doing. They said they were taking the piano away to be repaired.

A man named Artem Stanislav Timofeyev, who is 27 years old and works as a model, has been arrested by Toronto police and charged with the theft.

Environment Science

World’s Largest Volcano Discovered

What is the largest volcano on Earth? You may be surprised at the answer.

That’s because the world’s largest volcano has just been discovered–and it’s underwater.

The volcano Mauna Loa, in Hawaii, used to be thought of as the largest volcano in the world.

But scientists have discovered one that’s bigger. Much, much bigger.

Tamu Massif is a massive volcano about the size of the British Isles–or more than three times the size of New Brunswick.

News Science Technology

“Lots Of Room For Zero-G Fun” On New Commercial Spacecraft

More than 500 people—including American actor Ashton Kutcher—will become “astronauts” next year.

They have each paid $200,000 for a two-hour flight on SpaceShipTwo.

The aircraft will take them very high and very fast—in fact, they will break the sound barrier.

A British company called Virgin Galactic, which is owned by a well-known and famously daring billionaire named Sir Richard Branson, tested its new aircraft last week.

During the test, the spacecraft flew 69,000 feet high over the Mojave Desert, in the U.S.