Should this Ball Be Dropped?

June 14, 2010
Should this Ball Be Dropped?
Soccer players complain about the official match ball of the World Cup
BY ALEXANDRA DIPALMA

Every four years, sports fans across the globe turn their attention to the World Cup, the world's biggest soccer tournament. On Friday, June 11, the event kicked off in South Africa.
The U.S. team's first game, against England, ended in a 1-1 tie. The U.S. goal was scored when England goalkeeper Robert Green let a shot by American Clint Dempsey slip through his hands. Green took full responsibility for the blunder, calling it a "horrible mistake."
But not all players are taking the blame for mistakes made on the soccer field. Instead, some are blaming the ball. The ball, designed by Adidas, is said to be too light and too unpredictable. Adidas has named the ball Jabulani, which means, "to celebrate" in Zulu, one of South Africa's main languages. But so far, no one has been celebrating the new design.
On the Ball
Italian player Giampaolo Pazzini calls the ball a "disaster." England goalkeeper David James agrees. "The ball is dreadful," James said. Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar went so far as to compare the new ball to something from the "grocery store."
Despite the complaints, Adidas says the ball is a technological achievement. It is perfectly round and made of eight molded panels, fewer than ever before. The ball also features 11 colors. They represent 11 players on a team, the 11 official languages in South Africa and the 11th straight World Cup for which Adidas has designed the game ball.
The company claims the new design allows players to have perfect control of the ball in all conditions. "The ball is much more accurate, making the best players in the world even better," said Adidas spokesman Thomas van Schaik. "If they kick the ball, they want it to go where they are aiming for, and even the goalkeepers get a better idea of where the ball is going."
Out of Control
So far, the players have found the opposite to be true. The main problem, they say, is the fact that the ball is extremely hard to control due to its weight and shape. Players complain that they are unable to properly judge the ball's path.
"It's very weird," said Brazil striker Luis Fabiano. "All of a sudden it changes on you. It's like it doesn't want to be kicked. It's like someone is guiding it."
The soccer ball has come a long way from the clunky leather balls used when the game first began in the mid 1800s. But players are not impressed with Jabulani's technological features. "Technology is not everything," said Marcus Hahnemann, the American goalkeeper.
The debate over the ball has not affected sales. Adidas has already sold twice the number of balls in the U.S. than were sold in 2006. And if you don't mind Jabulani's bad reputation, it can be yours — for $150!
990618 Should this Ball Be Dropped?---Michael
Every four years, the biggest soccer tournament “World Cup” is back! Every sports fan turns their attentions to the “World Cup”. The game starts in South Africa. Every team for the world comes to South Africa to play the game. The new soccer ball this time was designed by Adidas. They named the ball “Jabulani” it means “to celebrate” in Zulu. In fact, the truth is that nobody is celebrating this ball. A lot of people blamed of the ball. Some people even call it “disaster” because it is really dreadful. Although the spokesman of Adidas, Thomas van Schaik said that the ball is very light and easy to control it also has a good accuracy, too. But again, the truth is always different from what the spokesman said. It was totally opposite because a lot of player said that the ball is too light to kick and it flies away easily, so most of the player said that the ball was very awful. The first game of U.S. was played with England. They ended with a score of 1:1. It was a tie. Most of the people put their attention in the “World Cup”. Maybe there will be more exiting games later.

The Remote Controls
Children are watching way too much TV. How much? The answer may surprise you
By Jonathan Rosenbloom

Kids are watching more TV than ever, says a recent study of 6,700 young people. The study, conducted by Nielsen Company, finds that kids from ages 2 to 11 are watching the tube for a total of more than one day a week. TV's youngest viewers, children from 2 to 5 watch, on average, more than 32 hours a week. Kids 6 to 11 watch more than 28 hours. The reason for fewer hours for the older group: They are in school while preschoolers are often home during the day. The number of viewing hours is at an eight-year high.
Why So Much TV?
How many hours a day do you spend in front of the TV?
What's the reason for the increased tube watching? According to Patricia McDonough, a Nielsen senior vice president, more and more shows are aimed at kids. McDonough points out that video-on-demand is very popular among the youngest kids who watch their favorite shows over and over.
The report says kids are mostly watching live TV, but they're also watching taped shows on DVRs and programs on DVDs. Also, kids ages 6 to 11 play video games on a TV for an average of nearly two and a half hours each week.
What does all this viewing mean? Sitting in front of the tube could lead to weight gain since viewers could--and should--be doing something active instead. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics--a group made up of doctors who treat children--recommends that kids under 2 should not watch TV at all. And kids older than 2 should limit their TV time to less than two hours a day.
Michael-I think that watching TV is not a good thing but watching TV can entertain us. A lot of children watch a lot of TV. Watching TV has some advantages and disadvantages. Watching TV can learn some knowledge from it. And TV can also help us relax. But TV can also damage our eye sight and make us near sighted. Watching TV is children will do every day. Children watch over twenty hours in an average. We shouldn’t watch too much TV. Or it will harm our health. A lot of couch potatoes watch a lot of TV and don’t exercise; you will gain a lot of weight and get over weight. Some people even eat snacks while they are watching TV, and this will let them get over weight more quickly. Watch thirty minutes of TV and take a small break to let your eyes relax. Watching TV 2 hours a day will make you more healthier.

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

October 9, 2009
Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
The President heard the surprise news when he woke up this morning
By Jonathan Rosenbloom

In a surprise announcement this morning, President Barack Obama was named the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The prize is one of the highest honors given to an individual or a group. The announcement was made in Oslo, Norway, headquarters of the prize committee.
CHARLES DHARAPAKPObama met with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in September.
The Nobel Committee said that Obama's efforts to make the world a better place were the reason for the award. They said that the President's goals to reduce the world's supply of nuclear weapons, to improve relations with Muslim countries and to increase the U.S. role in dealing with climate change made him the best candidate for the award. There were 172 other people nominated for the prize.
"I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many [important people] that have been honored by this prize," Obama said. "I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century."
The Norwegian Nobel Committee's chairman, Thorbjoern Jagland noted: "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future."
A Big Surprise
The award was a total surprise to the President, who was asleep when the announcement was made. (Oslo time is six hours ahead of Washington, D.C.) White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama heard the news when he woke up before 6:00 this morning. The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided not to let Obama know before they made the public announcement. "Waking up a president in the middle of the night isn't something you do," Jagland said.
Since 1901, scientists and scholars have been awarded Nobel Prizes for their outstanding achievements in science, literature and peace. The Nobel Prize was named for Swedish dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel. He left almost all of his fortune to help set up the prizes. In his will, Nobel said that he wanted the prizes to be awarded to those who have had the "greatest benefit to mankind." Since then, the award committee has gone beyond peace in awarding the prize. Now it includes people and groups who are making efforts to fight poverty, illness and environmental issues.
Until Obama's win, the last U.S. President to receive the prize while in office was Woodrow Wilson in 1919. The other was Theodore Roosevelt who was given the award in 1906. Former President Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, more than 20 years after he left office.
Michael-This time America president-Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace prize. President Obama had a surprise, because when the announcement made it was in the middle night of America so President Obama was still asleep. The Nobel prize is a great honor to give to a person. Make the world a better place was the reason why President Obama got the Nobel Peace prize. I think that people who can get Nobel prizes are really geniuses. A lot of people have got the Nobel prizes. Maybe someday, we will might get the Nobel Prize.

Saturn's Super-Sized Ring

Saturn's Super-Sized Ring
NASA scientists discover a huge new ring around Saturn
By Suzanne Zimbler

When you think of Saturn, you probably picture a planet surrounded by colorful rings. For years, Saturn was known to have seven main rings. But on Tuesday, NASA scientists announced that they had spotted an eighth.
NASA/PA/APSaturn's never-before-seen ring is the largest in the solar system.
This never-before-seen ring is not only Saturn's biggest. It is also the largest in our solar system. "This is one super-sized ring," said Anne Verbiscer, one of the astronomers who worked on the study. According to scientists, the ring is so huge that it would take one billion Earths to fill it.
Seeing Rings
Four hundred years ago, Galileo got the first glimpse of Saturn's rings using his telescope. NASA scientists also used a telescope to spot the new ring. The Spitzer telescope, launched in 2003, orbits the sun while taking pictures of faraway objects in space.
The new ring is almost invisible to the human eye. But the Spitzer telescope can detect the glow of extremely cold objects, such as the giant ring, which is minus 316ºF. "By focusing on the glow of the ring's cool dust, Spitzer made it easy to find," said Verbiscer.
Made of Moondust
NASAScientists think the giant ring is made up of dust from Saturn's moon Phoebe.
The colossal hoop circles Saturn from a distance of eight million miles. It is 50 times farther away from Saturn than the planet's other rings. It also has a completely different tilt.
The giant ring is made up of a thin layer of dust. Scientists think the dust comes from Saturn's moon Phoebe. Why? Phoebe orbits within the ring. Its dents and marks make it clear that Phoebe has been hit many times by space rocks and clumps of ice. Each time Phoebe is hit, dust flies into space and goes into orbit, adding particles to the giant ring.
Moon-Made Mystery
The discovery of the new ring may also provide scientists with an answer to a mystery. Another of Saturn's moons, lapetus, has a bright side and a very dark side. Scientists have long wondered why. With the discovery of the new ring, they now believe that dust from the giant ring is moving toward Saturn and slamming into lapetus.
"Astronomers have long suspected that there is a connection between Phoebe and the dark material on lapetus," said scientist Douglas Hamilton. "This new ring provides convincing evidence of that relationship.


Michael-Saturn has big rings around it. Many big planets have rings. Such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, they all have rings around it. This time, NASA had found a big ring around Saturn. The ring of Saturn is also the largest ring in our solar system. It takes one billions of Earths to fill it. The ring is very hard to see. It is almost invisible. Scientists use special telescope to see the ring. I think if I can go to space I would like to go to visit Saturn. I want to see that ring with my eyes. Maybe some other days we will might see that Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune or other planets also have big rings around it.

High Speed Trains

981002 High Speed Trains - Michael
Trains are important transportation. Trains have changed a lot since they were invented. The first train was invented in 1804. By that time trains could only go 8km per hour. But at now there are a lot of trains can go 300km per hour or even more. Japan was the first country which built the world’s first high speed railway. Many countries include Korea, England, USA and Taiwan also have high speed railway. The HSR is a kind of fast train. It has a lot of advantages, although it is very expensive to build, but can help a country’s economy. It can also transport things in a fast way. But the most important advantage is that HSR produce less pollution than an airplane. We can take the HSR to produce less air and protect the earth. I think that HSR is a very fast transportation. Maybe there will be Maglev in Taiwan in the future. Maglev is a kind of train that goes on magnetic system. China and Germany have Maglev now. Maybe I will have a chance to take a ride on the Maglev.

Sato and the elephants

980926 Sato and the elephants-Michael
When Sato was a child, his father was a master carver of netsuke and okimono. Sato liked to carve figures from creamy white pieces of ivory. His father told him that someday he will be a great ivory carver like you. Sato’s father died when Sato was young. But Sato didn’t give up. Whenever he finished his carving, he always brought the carving to Akira the dealer. Sato sold the figures to earn money and then bought more ivory. One day, Sato went to Akira’s shop and bought an expensive ivory. He was very excited; when he got home he started to carve the ivory. The next morning, he finished his carving. It was an elephant figure, except a dark shiny bullet was buried in the elephant’s forehead like a jewel. Sato never sold the elephant. He kept it on his table so that he would see it each day when he woke up. He bought a cheap ivory next day and started carving again. Someday he will might be a great carver and carve a masterwork from marble or other stones.

To the Top

To the Top
The highest mountain in the world is Everest. Everest’s height is 29028 feet. It is very cold on the top. The temperature is 40 degrees below zero in summer. A lot of people have been killed. The Himalayas borders on Nepal, China, India and Bhutan. People that are hiking up Mt. Everest need a lot of food and clothes and oxygen tanks. Two people, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay want to climb up to the peak of Mt. Everest. The snow is heavy. They are still climbing up. The Everest is always hidden by blizzards, clouds ad ghostly mist. The two men stay in the tent for the night. They have breakfast quickly and climb up. They aren’t scared of any danger and they don’t give up. So they make it. When they come back, everyone cheer and yell out. They’re very happy!