What Would The World Be Without Teachers?If you make a list of the world's top ten most challenging jobs, chances are that being a teacher will not make the cut. But think about the daunting task millions of educators face each day as they try to mold a group of often surly, unruly kids into intelligent, well-rounded individuals. That surely has to be the toughest job in the world, especially given that there is no promotion or bonus awaiting them even if they are wildly successful!...
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Elephant Seals Need Hugs Too!When Canadian resident Charlene Fritz joined an expedition to Snow Hill Island in the Antarctic Peninsula she was expecting to see many exotic animals. What she did not plan on was receiving a cuddle from one of them!...
Read news articleTwo-Year-Old Tank Wins Drake University's 36th "Most Beautiful Bulldog" ContestEvery year, bulldogs from across the country make their way to Des Moines, Iowa to participate in Drake University's "beautiful bulldog" contest. In addition to the bragging rights that come with the title, the winner also gets to serve as the mascot of the prestigious Drake Relays - the nation's second oldest track event....
Read news articleDon't Forget To Get Your Free Comic Book On May 2Here is some great news for all comic book fans. Saturday, May 2 is Free Comic Book Day. Yes, that means you can walk into any participating store and walk out with a copy of your favorite comic book. The icing on the cake? The day is celebrated by vendors all over the world!...
Read news articleUrban Ants Love Junk Food Almost As Much As HumansDropped a chip or cookie on the pavement? Don't bother picking it up especially if you live in an urban area like Manhattan. That's because according to a team of researchers led by North Carolina State University's Clint Penick, some industrious ants will soon carry it away. For believe it or not, many city ants have come to love junk food almost as much as humans do!...
Read news articleShort But Spectacular Lunar Eclipse Delights MillionsOn Saturday, April 4th, sky gazers in many parts of the world were treated to the third of the four lunar eclipses that will occur before the end of 2015. What made the celestial event even more special is that it was the shortest one of the century....
Read news articleNewsflash! Cows Have Favorite Playlists Too!We all know that music has the power to comfort us when we are frazzled or distressed. Can it do the same for animals? In 2001, University of Leicester researchers decided to test this by exposing dairy cows to different genres of music. They discovered that certain types of music helped cows produce 3% more milk than those that only heard the jarring sounds of milking machines....
Read news articleThe Ingenious Stork's Bill Seed Plants Itself!Plants typically use one of three methods to disperse seeds - wind, water, or animals. Not the Erodium cicutarium or as it is often called "stork's bill." This dynamic plant uses a powerful mechanism called "ballistic dispersal," to transport its seeds over 500 yards away. Though that is certainly impressive what happens after, is even more so....
Read news articleUnexpected Money "Downpour" Halts Traffic in KuwaitWe have heard of it raining frogs and even spiders, but cold hard cash? That has to be a first! While it may be hard to believe, a sudden "downpour" of money is exactly what some lucky residents of Kuwait recently experienced....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Lincoln Middle School Basketball Players Display Incredible "Bully Handling" Skills!Some Wisconsin basketball players are being lauded not for their ball handling, but bully handling skills. Last year, seventh graders from Lincoln Middle School in Wisconsin were in the midst of a basketball game when they overheard some bullies heckling Desiree Andrews, a cheerleader who has Down syndrome....
Read news articleWichita Seniors Prove That Pranks Do Not Have To Be Mean-Spirited To Be "Cool"Every year, high school seniors across the country prank their teachers and principals. Some pranks are funny, others borderline cruel, but few are as heartwarming as the recent one pulled by the students of North High School in Kansas....
Read news articleIndia's Holi Festival Welcomes Spring With Vibrant Bursts Of Color...
Read news articleFinally, A Smart Marker That Captures, Digitizes and Streams Whiteboard Notes!While whiteboards are great tools for educators and other speakers to use when explaining a concept, they can be distracting. That's because instead of paying attention to the speaker, the audience is often busy jotting down what's on the board before it is erased. Now, thanks to the ingenious Equil Smartmarker, the notes can be digitally captured and transmitted to a smart device, enabling the audience to focus their full attention to what's being said....
Read news articleEco-Friendly Designer Transforms Garbage Into Glamorous OutfitsMost artists have a favorite material they like to work with. For 28-year-old Kristen Alyce, it happens to be trash. The eco-conscious designer uses her incredible talent to transform garbage like empty drink bottles and Skittles wrappers into glamorous outfits that sell for thousands of dollars....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Can You Spot The Octopus?An underwater diver filming the beautiful coral in the Caribbean captured a rare sight - a perfectly camouflaged octopus emerging from its hiding place with its skin transforming from the dull green of the coral to a beautiful sky blue. Jonathon Gordon says that he was just trying to get a closer look at an unusual shell and had no idea that the creature was there, until he was just about a meter away....
Read news articleNao, A Humanoid Robot To Debut At Japan's Mitsubishi BankIn April 2015, Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group will welcome a new kind of employee - a humanoid robot called Nao. The bank's first non-human hire that stands 58-centimeters (22.8 inches) tall and weighs a mere 5.4 kilograms (12.7 pounds), is the brainchild of France's Aldebaran Robotics - a subsidiary of Japan's Softbank....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Smart Labrador Hops On City Bus Solo, To Visit Dog ParkWhile seeing a dog on a public bus is rare, one traveling all by itself is unheard of. That is apparently what Eclipse a two-year-old Labrador that resides in Seattle, does on a regular basis to get to the nearby dog park....
Read news articleWestJet Airlines Delivers "Christmas Miracle(s)" To The Dominican RepublicFor the last two years, Canada's WestJet Airlines has been spreading holiday cheer by fulfilling the holiday wishes of some lucky passengers. This year, they upped the ante by delivering "Christmas miracles" to the impoverished residents of the Puerto Plata community of Nuevo Renacer in the Dominican Republic....
Read news articleA World Without Chocolate? Oh My!The next time you eat a piece of chocolate, be sure to savor it, because according to two of the world's largest chocolate makers - Mars, Inc. and Barry Callebaut, the decadent treat may soon be in short supply. The problem? We are consuming the candy at a faster pace than farmers can grow cocoa....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - African Singers Use Music To Raise Ebola AwarenessThough the initial panic caused by Ebola appears to have subsided, the disease is still alive and well in the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. As of December 3rd, the dreadful ailment has infected 15,000 people and claimed 6,202 lives. The frustrating part for experts is that most of these deaths could have been avoided had the locals been aware of the necessary precautions....
Read news articleRocket-Powered Bicycle Leaves Ferrari F430 Scuderia In The Dust!With its slightly elongated frame, thick tires, normal brakes and pedals, Francois Gissy's two-wheeler looks just like any other high-end customized bike. However look closer, and you will notice a modification like none other - rocket thrusters that are filled with concentrated hydrogen peroxide that help the daredevil attain speeds that no man has reached before, on a bicycle....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Are Lions Losing Their Edge?Lions have been called the 'King of Beasts' for centuries and for good reason too - Not only are they majestic looking, but also, at the top of the food chain. Granted, it is the males that are awarded this designation, but the females are no slouches either. After all, they are the ones that do all the hunting....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Brave Porcupine Fends Off Seventeen Lions!It was the classic David vs. Goliath scenario, except in this case, the boy was represented by a seemingly helpless porcupine and Goliath, by a pride of 17 hungry lions that would have loved to add the quill-bearing rodent to their dinner menu. Fortunately, the struggle ended just like the story, with the lions scurrying away in defeat!...
Read news articleWorld's Largest Corn Labyrinth Elicits Distress Calls From Disoriented "Maze Runners"For those that love labyrinths, there is nothing like the Cool Patch Pumpkins corn maze in Dixon, California. The intricate collection of winding paths, twists, turns and loops that is hand-cut by farm owners and brothers, Matt and Mark Cooley, can disorient even the most experienced "maze runner". This year's creation was particularly bewildering given that the brothers had expanded their already large puzzle into a 60-acre behemoth, a feat that earned them a second Guinness World Record!...
Read news article