Wildfires Rip Through Colorado

Wildfires Rip Through Colorado

A fast-moving wildfire destroys dozens of homes near Boulder

By Claudia Atticot

Strong winds—some with gusts of 45 miles per hour—spread a large wildfire through Fourmile Canyon near Boulder, Colorado, on Monday morning. The blaze forced more than 3,000 people out of their homes. So far, officials say about 1,000 homes have been evacuated and dozens have been destroyed.

ED ANDRIESKIP Dee Spencer, right, lost her home near Boulder, Colorado, in the wildfire.

Fast-Moving Flames

The five-square-mile blaze spread quickly through three canyons, causing officials to close roads. Giant plumes of smoke filled the sky, some of which could be seen for miles.

Tom Neur, whose house was destroyed by the fire, drove through a wall of flames to escape the fast-moving fire. "The bumper is melted off in the front of the van," he said. His wife, Anna, who had been evacuated earlier, was relieved to hear that he had survived the blaze. "I don't care about the house," she told him. "I'm just glad you're ok."

No Cause Yet

Officials say they have not determined the cause of the fire, but area residents think dry weather is to blame. "We haven't had any rain in almost a month. Maybe more than a month," said Craig Douglas, who was forced to leave his home. "The humidity the last couple of days had been in the single digits, so it was a fire waiting to happen."

Nancy Engellenner and her husband Philip Helper believe they may have lost their home in the fire. "The way the wind was, it was just spitting flames everywhere," said Engellenner. They won't know for sure until it's safe to return to the area.

Although high winds make the fire difficult to control, firefighters hope to have it completely under control by Tuesday.

Max- The forest fires are very scary, and can let people die! Thousands of homes were being destroyed, but no one was hurt. Maybe the cause of the forest fire was just a little cigarette, or it maybe was global warming caused it to burn the forest. I think forest fires will often occur in Australia and California, because by its hot weather, and some other tropical places. Forest fires are hard to control by water (It may take a few days), and forest fires are not only dangerous about its quick blaze, the smoke will also pollute the air, and let the residents very hard to breathe, and choke to death. The burning smoke will float to the atmosphere, and let Earth hotter than before because of global warming. This may cause a vicious circle, which global warming first cause forest fires and the smoke from forest fires float to the atmosphere to let global warming stronger. I think forest fires can burn the trees, and break the forest. And the fires can burn their homes, and let many people homeless. So I hate forest fires, because we will die, or homeless, and everything can happen when the fires started!

Warning! Check Your Eggs

Warning! Check Your Eggs

More than half a billion eggs are recalled after being tied to a nationwide salmonella outbreak

By Andrea Delbanco

Egg eaters, beware. More than half a billion eggs have been pulled off of grocery store shelves across the country after a recall began on August 13. The tainted eggs are linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the number of related illnesses at 1,300, and believes that number could continue to grow.

The cause of the outbreak is not yet known, but many of the infected eggs have been linked to two farms in Iowa, Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. The farms share suppliers of chicken and feed. Tainted eggs were distributed in several states, including California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

What is Salmonella?

Salmonella, a harmful bacteria, is often carried by birds and reptiles. The bacteria can also be found in water, soil, raw meats and eggs. It can be on both the outside and inside of eggs that appear to be normal. If the eggs are eaten raw or undercooked, it can cause illness.

Eating food infected with salmonella can make people sick. It can even be deadly. The most common symptoms of salmonella infection are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. Babies and the elderly are most affected.

How To Stay Safe

The FDA oversees safety inspections of shell eggs. After the tainted egg outbreak, Margaret Hamburg, chief of the Food and Drug Administration, said the agency must do more to prevent such outbreaks, rather than contain them after they start. "We need better abilities and authorities to put in place these preventive controls and hold companies accountable," says Hamburg.

While the FDA works to insure safety nationally, there are important steps you can take to insure your own safety. Check your cartons to be sure the eggs in your refrigerator aren't affected by the recall. And always cook your eggs thoroughly before eating them, since high temperatures can kill harmful bacteria. Reject runny yolks at home and at restaurants. Go to here for a list of recalled egg brands, and to learn more.

Max- This type of germs is really dangerous, and may die after you eat food with that kind of germ on it. This kind of germ, called Salmonella, is dangerous (I thought it was a deadly germ which grows on salmon). This time, eggs were being poisoned by Salmonella, and out of the shelves. I think many people would have Salmonella germs on it and die, because many people buy eggs. And, what an enormous number of eggs which have Salmonella germs on it! So we should not eat eggs without cooking it (the same meaning of raw eggs). The U.S. really needs to carefully check the eggs next time to avoid selling eggs with Salmonella on it. I think maybe Salmonella germs will also affect other foods, from cows, to sheep, or even marine mammals. So next time, we really need to watch out dangerous and deadly Salmonella germs!

A Lot Like Our Solar System

A Lot Like Our Solar System
Astronomers have made an exciting planet discovery
BY SUZANNE ZIMBLER
Picture our solar system. In the center, there's our star, the sun. Orbiting the sun are eight planets, including Earth. But what about planets outside of our solar system?
About 15 years ago, scientists developed the tools to detect these "exoplanets." Since then, they have spotted about 450. Most of the finds include one, two or three enormous gas-filled planets orbiting a star.
But on Tuesday, a group of European scientists announced an unusual discovery. They say they have identified a solar system that is similar to ours. It is made up of as many as seven planets orbiting a sun-like star. The star is more than 100 light-years away from us. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles. (A trillion is a million million!)
A Small, Small World
The five planets that the scientists are most certain about are giant—up to 25 times the size of Earth. According to Christophe Lovis, one of the scientists behind the find, these five planets are similar to Neptune. "They are made essentially of rocks and ice," he said. "They are probably not habitable."
There are also signs of two more planets. One is thought to be similar to Saturn. The other may be the smallest exoplanet ever spotted. It is only slightly larger than Earth. Because it is so close to its star, the small planet takes just over a day to orbit it.
Planet Hunting
Spotting faraway planets is challenging. The blazing light given off by the star they orbit makes the planets hard to see. According to the European Southern Observatory, the task is like "spotting a dim candle in front of a raging forest fire."
That is why we cannot yet be 100% sure about these seven planets. The scientists have not actually seen them. Instead, they used a powerful telescope to study the star for six years. The star gave the scientists clues about the planets that orbit it.
According to scientist Alan Boss, who was not involved with the study, this method is best for "finding the big guys." But, he said, the discovery shows that spotting smaller planets is also possible.
"The really nice thing about finding systems like this is that it shows that there are many more out there," says Boss. "Mother Nature really had fun making planets."

Max- There must be many planets outside our solar system, but just very hard to see. Outside the solar system, we will see more galaxies, black and white holes, and too many stars. But it is a very long distance away from us- about at least a thousand light years from us! So the scientists use telescopes to see exoplanets (using spaceships to get there will take a long, long time). I think there may have other solar systems similar than us. Even the scientists saw many exoplanets now, there would still be a lot of exoplanets to let us find and explore. But, I stll think these exoplanets are very extraordinary, they look alike than our solar system, even we can’t really see it, and it’s outside our solar system.

Capped Oil Well Finally Offers Hope

Capped Oil Well Finally Offers Hope
BP announces that the flow of oil has been stopped, for now
BY ALEXANDRA DIPALMA

After 85 days, British Petroleum (BP) has managed to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. A tight-fitting cap was lowered onto the well last week. The cap, a stack of pipes and valves, weighs 75 tons—more than the weight of 18 elephants. On Thursday afternoon, the last of the cap's valves was closed, and the gushing oil was stopped.
"It's a great sight," said BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Settles. But the catastrophe is not over. "It's far from the finish line," Settles warned. "It's not the time to celebrate."
Temporary Solution
After trying everything from robotics to stuffing the leak with mud and golf balls, the sealing cap system is the first successful measure in a series of failed attempts to contain the oil.
In the hours since the flow of oil has stopped, BP has kept a close eye on the sealed well. BP senior vice-president Kent Wells said that test results have been positive. Four underwater robots searching the sea floor have found no signs of new leaks.
Scientists will continue to study pressure readings from the cap. So far, the pressure has continued to rise inside the cap, indicating that the oil is being contained rather than leaking out from somewhere else.
Far from Over
While the success of the sealing cap system is encouraging, it was "just one step in a multistep process," said Wells. Since May 2, BP had been drilling two relief wells that are expected to permanently stop the flow of oil. The drilling has been put on hold to avoid complications, but there are plans to start again soon.
The relief wells are intended to stop the gushing oil for good. They will plug the original leak and then be pumped full of mud and cement to permanently seal it. BP officials say that the relief wells will not be complete until mid-August.
In the Rose Garden on Friday, President Obama said that the capped oil well is good news, but cautioned the public to stay alert. "Everybody feels like we're done, and we're not," he said. "I don't want us to get too far ahead of ourselves."
Max- Oil leaks are bad for the marine mammals, and the oil leak has continued for almost 3 months! There may be about hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil has leaked to the sea. But it finally stopped for using some other big things, and it solved the problem! Maybe the cap’s pressure will be too big for the gushing oil, and will break and let the oil keep gushing. So it’s not to the finish yet! A few weeks later, the USA will have a permanent cap to seal the oil, and the old cap will be removed. After the oil stopped gushing, the cap had been normal and no leaks were found. So the USA can relax because the oil leaks had stopped! From sealing the leak with some small things, to using some things that are very big, they finally made it. But I still think this leaking time is too long, so next time when they have another oil leak, maybe they can use this way faster, or not, they need to think of another way! I think the BP must think of another way to avoid oil leaks and stop them quickly, so they can protect marine life.

Shark sightings increase close to Kenting

Shark sightings increase close to Kenting


By Tsai Tsung-hsien

STAFF REPORTER

Saturday, Jul 10, 2010, Page 1

Visitors to Kenting and areas along the west coast of the nation are being cautioned about the threat of shark attack, as biologists have detected bull sharks near Checheng (車城), Pintung County, over the past two months.

Hsu Hua-hsun (徐華遜) of National Taiwan Oceanic University said bull sharks are one of three aggressive types of sharks in the world, along with the great white and tiger sharks.

Bull sharks can grow up to 3m in length, weigh more than 300kg, and have a fierce nature, Hsu said.

While bull sharks attacks have been recorded in other countries, they are rarely seen in Taiwan, Hsu said. Only four to five bull sharks were seen near the coast last year, mostly along the east coast.

Marine biologist Wang Kai-ting (王凱霆) said that bull sharks usually linger around estuaries or seaports, which means people are more likely to see them than other types of aggressive sharks. They are also involved in many of the reported shark attacks around the world, Wang said.

However, the recent reports of bull sharks near Taiwan were close to shore in the Kenting area, about 20km from Nanwan (南灣).

A fisherman nicknamed “A Fong” (阿風) said he first saw a bull shark last month after he had become trapped in one of his underwater nets. The 167kg-shark was found dead in the net.

“I discovered my nets had been damaged. At first I thought the damage had been caused by other fishermen, but it seemed to be caused by other creatures,” he said. “Later I heard from scuba divers that they had seen sharks, and about a week later, I found another shark trapped and dead in my net. That one weighed 326kg.”

The Kenting National Park Administration said its records show that fishermen have caught bull sharks in the open sea in the past, but it has no reports of sharks coming close to the beach. Nevertheless, it said it would keep a close watch along the coast.

People can report shark sightings by calling (08) 886-1321.

Unlike Australia and South Africa, few beaches in Taiwan are equipped with shark nets. The nation also lacks coastal observers and shark-alert mechanisms to protect the swimmers.

Marine scientists say they would like to determine if the increase in shark sightings is a consequence of climate change or a sign the sharks’ natural habitat is under threat.

Max-Pingtung’s sea is dangerous now, because for an unknown reason, bull sharks are now close from Kenting. Dangerous bull sharks are really big, even there are just a few sharks in the Kenting sea, but still, it might occur a shark attack. I know when a shark attacks us humans; it may bite off an arm, a leg, or even attacks our body parts. This can be deadly, but doctors can attach your arm or leg back, and be safe (the chance is low).


We may protect ourselves from shark attacks, like don’t go to places that sharks live, and stay away from deep places.

An “Octopus” Star in World Cup

An “Octopus” Star in World Cup



2010 FIFA World Cup ended with a great ending on yesterday, and this time’s winner is Spain, which never got the champion in the cup. Spain, only losing one match in this world cup (6 wins and 1 loss) beat Holland in the finals, by scoring at the 116th minute.


But this time, octopus “Paul” used his power to predict who would win in some matches. He predicted 8 games, from the 1st round to the final- and guessed it all right! This took him a long time, and a lot of energy. He has a special power that other octopuses don’t have; even they have the same body parts.


Also, Paul’s predicting also made some countries mad too. Like Argentina and Holland, fans and other people want to kill Paul and eat him, and fans in other places want to buy him. But, he is already 2 and half years old, and definitely can’t go for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, because octopuses can only live for 3-4 years old. So he is going to retire and find another ancestor, and have good memories in this World Cup.

Hoops for Hope

Hoops for Hope

Justin Friedlander, 13, aims to raise money for brain-tumor research by shooting 63,000 free throws

By Steve Schmidt


How long would it take someone to make 63,000 free throws? Justin Friedlander, of Rockville, Maryland, is trying to find out—with a little help from his family, friends, neighbors and even a few big-time athletes.


Why 63,000, you ask? That's how many people are diagnosed with a primary brain tumor each year. Unfortunately in March of 2009, 13-year-old Justin was one of them. He has what is known as an inoperable brain tumor, meaning at this time, there is no surgery or other form of cure.


After receiving the news, Justin and his family decided to team up with the National Brain Tumor Society to start a program called "Justin's Quest." Its purpose: to raise awareness of brain tumors and to raise money for research by having people shoot free throws with Justin. "You want to make the most of a every day because you don't know what tomorrow is going to bring," Justin said.


Having a Ball


On June 23, Justin headed to Madison Square Garden in New York City for the NBA FIT clinic to continue to reach his goal. He started the day with more than 14,000 made baskets. After the event was over, 519 more baskets were added to the total.


Some of those baskets were made by future top draft picks such as John Wall, Luke Babbitt and Gordon Hayward, who manned the free-throw shooting station during the clinic. Although the players looked like skyscrapers on the court compared to Justin, who is 4-foot-7, they all looked up to him in admiration. "That's unbelievable what he's doing," Babbitt said in between a pair of successful free throws.


"I know at that age I probably wouldn't have thought of something like that," Greg Monroe added.


Participants can shoot the free throws with Justin in-person if they live in the Washington, D.C. area or they can send a video or a photo of free throws being made to Justin's website, justinsquest.com. He has shot free throws with at least 50 people so far since the program began last November, including 14-time Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps.


"I think that I'm really going to make a difference," Justin said. "And I really truly feel that I'm going to find a cure for brain tumors and it's just been a pleasure. I'd like to thank the NBA. They've been great. All the draft picks, they've been fantastic."


Net Gains


The day ended with Justin being presented a basketball signed by the future NBA draft picks and another ball with the signature of President Barack Obama. He also received a bag full of NBA merchandise.


"All of this is just mind blowing for this to be snowballing into making a difference," said Justin's father, Jon. "And we will make a difference and help raise awareness and hopefully find a cure for this disease."


So far, more than $38,000 has been raised through the initiative. The goal is to raise $250,000 with every bit of going to the society for tumor-based research.

Max (Hoops for Hope) –I know that many people do some unbelievable things to let people fund raise. Like riding bikes, climbing mountains and other stuff, to save more money and give it to charity. By shooting 63,000 baskets, this challenge is maybe too crazy for a 13-year old, but he going to let us raise money and help brain tumor patients. Even we think this challenge is impossible, they have the heart to do it and make the quest, and want to help those patients!