Brett Lawrie Loses His Cool

Brett Lawrie, 2011. Image: Keith AllisonSPORTS COLUMNEarlier this week, we ran a TKN article about a soccer player whose emotions got away from him and helped cost his team the game (Poor Sportsmanship Leaves Door Open For Man City Soccer Victory).On Tuesday, Brett Lawrie — a baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays — also lost control of his emotions.Lawrie was batting, and the umpire made a couple of calls that Lawrie disagreed with.In Major League Baseball (MLB), there are four umpires including...

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University Students Protest Tuition Hikes in Quebec

Protesters in Quebec in April, 2012. Image: JeangagnonUniversity students in Quebec have been protesting.They have been told that the government is going to raise their tuition fees. In this case, “tuition fees” are the fees people pay to attend university.Traditionally, Quebec has some of the lowest tuition fees in Canada. Only students in two provinces: Newfound and Labrador and Manitoba, pay less to attend university.However, the increase will be the largest in the province’s history. The...

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Two men rescued in Labrador

RCMP Logo Some RCMP officers seemed to be in the right place at the right time in Labrador on Tuesday.While on route from Makkovik to Hopedale the RCMP Air Service spotted a man on sea ice waiving for help. He was about 19-kilometres from Makkovik.The RCMP plane signaled to the man that he’d been seen and continued to its destination. After landing the police contacted a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter that was already in the community. One of the officers hopped on board the chopper and flew...

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Poor Sportsmanship Leaves Door Open For Man City Soccer Victory

England loves soccer. English soccer teams play in the Premier League (PL).Two of the biggest soccer teams in the PL are two of the bitterest rivals: Manchester City, known as “Man City” and Manchester United, known as “Man United.”Last weekend, one of the most exciting games in the PL took place… and it came down to the final moments. It was a game that would decide who took home the cup.If Man City won its game against the Queens Park Rangers, Man City would end up with more points than its rival,...

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Girls Rule

Queen Elizabeth II at a visit to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, 2007. Image: NASA/Bill IngallsQueen Elizabeth II is the queen of 54 Commonwealth countries. 16 of these countries are called Commonwealth Realm countries and Canada is one of them.When Elizabeth steps down or dies, her son, Prince Charles will become King. Ifhe steps down or dies, his first-born son, Prince William will become King–even though Princess Anne is the Queen’s only daughter and is next in age to Prince Charles.In...

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UK Insurance Company Has An Email Accident

Computer. Image: Everaldo Coelho and YellowIconLots of companies use email to communicate with their employees.Most companies create email “distribution lists.” A distribution list is a group email, that lets a company send a message to many employees at once, with just one email.Aviva is an insurance company in the United Kingdom.Recently, someone in the company sent an email to one of Aviva’s employees who was being let go, or fired. The email gave instructions to the employee...

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Japan’s 2011 Tsunami Sends Balls 8,000 Kilometres To Alaska

An aerial view of the 2011 tsunami damage in Sendai, Japan. Image: U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dylan McCordIn March 2011, Japan was hit by the largest earthquake ever recorded.It caused a tsunami–a huge wave that started out in the ocean. The tsunami swept onto the north-east coast of Japan and back into the sea, carrying away everything in its path.Now, after travelling across the Pacific Ocean for more than a year, a soccer ball and a volleyball...

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Europeans Say No To Spending Cuts

France and Greece both recently held important elections. Image: El Spartan/El GrecoTwo countries in Europe had important elections last weekend – France and Greece. Both elections went against the conservative parties in power.Experts are saying this could be a sign that more countries in Europe will protest against spending cuts by voting out current governments.In France a new party and a new president were elected.Francois Hollande is the head of the Socialist Party, and he was elected president,...

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Nutella Is Not A Healthy Food

Nutella. Image: A. KnieselThe company that makesNutella, a spread made from chocolate and hazelnuts, has agreed to give refunds to people who bought the product because they thought it was good for them.Four women in the United States sued the company, Ferrero U.S.A., Inc., because they said it made misleading claims about the product. Television commercials for Nutella describe it as part of a balanced breakfast, along with toast, milk and fruit.The women said they bought Nutella because they...

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If You Lose Your Cell Phone The Finder Will Probably Snoop Through It

Smartphones, like these, were intentionally lost as part of an experiment to find out what people would do when they found them. Image: FinnsDealSome people at a software company wanted to find out what happens when people find a cell phone.Do they keep it, or return it? What do they do with it?They found out that half of the people people who find a cell phone returned it. However, in nearly every case, the “finder” first looked through the information on the phone, checking out the owner’s photos,...

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New Video Game Helps Kids With Autism

A boy practices his facial expressions using FaceMaze. Image courtesy of FaceMaze.An amazing new “video game” is helping kids withautism* show their emotions in their facial expressions.Autism affects the brain’s development of social and communication skills. People with autism typically have difficulty recognizing facial expressions and emotions.The new video game, called FaceMaze, was developed to help kids with autism recognize what certain emotions look like, and what they mean—for instance,...

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Two Canadian Political Parties In Hot Water Over Use Of Technology

Bob Rae. Image taken on January 11, 2007 by Will Pate.During elections, people often get a recorded message on their telephone that reminds them to vote and tells them where to go, to vote.These messages, which use pre-recorded voices, are known as robo-calls.Canada’s federal Conservative party is being accused of using robo-calls to mislead the public, during last year’s election.The RCMP and Elections Canada (the group that makes the rules for elections), are looking into accusations that some...

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Scotland May Hold Independence Referendum

The Flag of Scotland. Image: KbolinoFor the first time in three centuries, the united part of the United Kingdom may be in trouble.The Scottish National Party (SNP), the party that runs Scotland day-to-day, is urging the Scottish people to support independence from Britain. However it still wants to keep the Queen as official leader.Last week, British Prime Minister Gordon Cameron went to Scotland to argue that Scotland should not separate from Great Britain.Scotland and England have...

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Syria’s “New Constitution” Ignites Further Conflict

Syria is a country in the Middle East.Many Syrians have been protesting against its government, which has been accused of doing terrible things to its own people. The leader of Syria is President Bashar al-Assad.The fighting between the Syrian government and its opponents this year has been intense and very violent.Many Syrians want al-Assad to step down as leader. They want to be able to elect a new leader. (Bashar al-Assad’s family has ruled Syria for more than 40 years.)On Feb....

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World’s Smallest Chameleon Discovered

Photo: Frank GlawScientists have discovered a chameleon so small it could sit on your little finger.The chameleon, which is about three centimetres long, lives on a small island called Nosy Hara, off the coast of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean.It is the smallest chameleon and possibly the smallest reptile ever discovered. It lives among rocks and leaves on the forest floor. At night it sleeps on plants, about five to 10 centimetres above the ground.It is mostly grey and brown with an...

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Pakistan begins demolishing bin Laden home - CBS News Article

Local residents walk past a wall with graffiti saying "Long live bin Laden" near the hideout of slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan in this May 6, 2011 file photo. (Credit: AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images)ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's army engineers on Saturday began demolishing the former home of Osama bin Laden, after authorities decided to end prospects of the location "becoming a monument" to the world's most hunted terrorist, a senior Pakistani government...

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