Tag: grade 6

News

Pope Francis A Lover Of The Poor

The new pope has been chosen; he will be known as Pope Francis.

The pope was selected by cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy last Wednesday.

In a special meeting known as a “conclave,” the cardinals voted to elect Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina to be the new pope.

The pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and its more than a billion followers around the world. It is the first time a pope from Latin America has been chosen.

The new pope was chosen after the last pope, Pope Benedict XVI, resigned. It was the first time in 600 years a pope had resigned.

Entertainment News

A New Meme: The Harlem Shake

There’s a new dance that has become popular through the Internet called the Harlem Shake.

Millions have people have watched the original Harlem Shake video on YouTube and there have been thousands of tribute videos made.

It’s hard to describe the crazy-looking dance, which is done to a happy, goofy sounding song of the same name, written by an American DJ and electronic musician named Baauer. Wikipedia describes the song this way:

“The uptempo song incorporates a mechanical bassline, Dutch house synth riffs, a dance music drop and samples of growling-lion sounds. Baauer added a variety of peculiar sounds to the song so that it would stand out.”

The videos—the original and the thousands of tribute videos that have been made since—start with one person or several people dancing. Then there’s a jump-cut to a roomful of people in costumes, helmets and masks all awkwardly jerking their bodies and happily flailing their arms.

The Harlem Shake has become a “meme” (pronounced meem). An Internet meme is a video, photo or idea that spreads from person to person and is altered or combined with other videos and photos.

News

T-Rex Vs. T-Tops – Who Would Win?

In a clash between Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops, who would win?

There is scientific evidence that the two did fight and in a new exhibit at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, you can decide for yourself who would come out on top.

Spectators can compare the dinosaurs’ eyesight, defences and natural weapons.

The show is called Battle of the Titans and it offers an exciting new perspective on the prehistoric beasts and the world they inhabited.

The exhibit is the brainchild of “paleo-artist” and self-proclaimed dinosaur geek Hall Train.

He collaborated with paleontologists, biochemical engineers, curators and museum designers to create some of the most scientifically authentic re-creations ever made.

Entertainment News

Canada Loses Its Troubador – Stompin’ Tom Connors Dead At 77

Some people say that Canada has two national athems: “O Canada” and “The Hockey Song” by Stompin’ Tom Connors.

The Canadian icon passed away on March 6, at the age of 77, leaving a hole in the heart and soul of the country.

Connors was a folk musician and a fierce Canadian patriot. He made his way up and down the country, documenting every square inch of every little Canadian town in his songs. He got his nickname because as he played and sang on stage, he stomped his cowboy booted left foot in time to the music.

The songs Stompin’ Tom wrote and sang were songs that Canadians connected with and which drew them together. They were simple, singable and relatable. Songs like “The Hockey Song,” which recounts a hockey game, inning by inning. Or “Bud the Spud,” about a trucker driving a load of PEI potatoes across Canada. Or Sudbury Saturday Night, which tells the tale of ordinary folks enjoying themselves in an Ontario town.

News Politics

Hugo Chávez, President Of Venezuela, Remembered For Social Reforms

Hugo Chávez, the charismatic president of Venezuela, died on Tuesday. He was 58.

Chávez had been the president of the South American country since 1998.

Chávez grew up in a very poor family. He dreamed of becoming a baseball player, but instead he studied at a military academy and then joined the army.

As a student and a soldier, Chávez read many books and became interested in politics and the problems affecting poor people in Venezuela. He believed that the people running the government at the time were dishonest, and were taking money that should have been used to help the whole country.

News Science

Dragon Brings Fresh Supplies To International Space Station

Did you ever wonder how the astronauts who are living on board the International Space Station get fresh supplies, like food, medicine and materials for their research?

A cargo capsule called SpaceX Dragon was recently sent up to the ISS to bring the astronauts fresh supplies.

Dragon was loaded with more than a thousand kilograms of science equipment, food and other materials.

It left Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Friday.

News Politics

Canadian Senators’ Expenses Being Reviewed

Senators are people who are chosen to help make the laws in Canada.

But right now, some of the senators are getting attention because of money they are spending on travel, and on apartments or houses to live in while they sit in the Senate in Ottawa, Ont., Canada’s capital city.

Senators can get as much as $22,000 each year from Canadians or their living expenses, as long as their main residence is at least 100 kilometres away from Ottawa.

But people say that some of the senators are claiming money to pay for their homes even though they are not living in them when they claim to be.

In other cases, people say the homes that are being paid for by Canadians are the main place of residence, or where the senators live most of the time — not just when they have to help make laws in the Senate.

If that is the case, these people say, the senators should be paying the cost themselves.

The senators who are being questioned about whether Canadians should be paying their housing and travel expenses include former TV news personalities Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy.

News

Will The Titanic II Sail In 2016?

An Australian billionaire named Clive Palmer is building a life-sized replica of the Titanic.

The Titanic is a famous ship that sank in 1912. The dramatic story of the ocean liner has fascinated millions of people around the world. It was supposed to be an unsinkable ship but it hit an iceberg and sank on its very first voyage.

There have been many documentaries, films and books about the Titanic. Interest in the ship was heightened in 1997 when a blockbuster movie called “Titanic” was released, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

The replica Titanic ocean liner will be called Titanic II. It is scheduled to sail in 2016, from Southampton, England to New York in the United States.

Science

New Space Mission Will Study Asteroid In 2018

A new joint project between the Canadian and U.S. space agencies will bring a piece of the universe to Earth.

The goal of the mission, known as OSIRIS-REx*, is to study an asteroid.

NASA, working with the Canadian Space Agency, will send a spacecraft to Asteroid 1999 RQ36. A robotic arm will grab pieces of the asteroid.

The spacecraft will be launched in Sept. 2016 and it will reach the asteroid in 2018.

The asteroid will be studied and mapped for about six months in space and then the sample will be brought to Earth in 2023.

News Sports

Andrew Wiggins Awarded Naismith Trophy For High School Basketball

The top high school basketball player in the United States is a Canadian.

This week Andrew Wiggins was awarded the Naismith Trophy and named the Boys’ High School Player of the Year.

Wiggins was born in Vaughan, Ont. and is playing for Huntington Prep School in West Virginia.

Wiggins is 18 years old. His average per game is 23.6 points and 11.7 rebounds.

He hasn’t yet decided where he will go to university; many schools are competing for him.

The Naismith award winner is chosen by basketball journalists in the U.S.