Two Calgary Kids To Explore ‘Unique’ Homework Plan After Striking Deal With Parents
AHN Staff Calgary, Alberta (AHN) – Homework, the bane of student life, is now a thing of the past for two Calgary students. The students have their parents – who are lawyers – to thank for getting the St. Brigid Elementary Junior High School to agree to a differentiated homework plan. The plan clearly defines what is expected from the student’s academic performance such as finishing their work in class, coming to school prepared and being ready for quizzes. However, grades of 11-year old Spencer Milley and 10-year old Brittany will depend on their school performance. The plan eschews work done at home in determining the grade of the two Milley children. The unique educational arrangement is the result of observations by the parents – Shelli and Tom Milley – that their children are too tired because of long evening hours spent on homework. Shelli Milley even had to quit her job to help her children in their school work. . But it is not all benefits to the Milley siblings. The plan mandates that if they do not use their class time wisely by not behaving properly, they may face sanctions or disciplinary action. The Milleys made the drastic change as a result of studies collected by Shelli that pointed to the absence of connection between school work done at home and their academic performance. The Milleys’ action led the Calgary Catholic School District to take a second look at its homework policy to help craft more concrete guidelines for schools. Other parents followed the Milleys’ model The district acknowledges homework is an unavoidable aspect of student life. The district added volume of homework is often linked with the higher level of education a student gets. To guide parents and students who are not on a differentiated homework plan, the district issued a guideline containing six dos ad four don’ts on homework. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Homeless Men Accused Of Killing And Eating A Man In Russia
Shannon McGregor – AHN Special Categories Editor Perm, Russia (AHN) – Three homeless men are accused of killing, dismembering and eating another man in the Perm region of the Russian Urals. Investigators also say parts of the body were sold to a nearby kiosk that sells kebabs and pies. Bits of the corpse were found by a bus stop on the outskirts of Perm, about 720 miles east of Moscow. Russian police have arrested the three cannibal suspects, all of whom have previous criminal records, England’s Sky News reported. The local prosecutor’s office believe the man died at the scene of the crime after being stabbed with a knife and beaten with a hammer, Russian news service RIA Novosti reported. The alleged perpetrators could face up to 15 years in prison each of found guilty. It’s known if the kiosk had cooked any of the man’s flesh and sold it to customers. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Texas Man Crashes $1 Million Car Into Lake
Shannon McGregor – AHN Special Categories Editor La Marque, TX (AHN) – Distracted by low-flying pelican, a Texas man drove his million-dollar Bugatti Veyron luxury sports car into a salt marsh Wednesday. A pelican swooping overhead caused the driver to drop his cell phone-as he leaned over to retrieve it, he veered off the road in sunk his pricey wheels into 3 feet of water, the Houston Chronicle reported. La Marque police would not release the name of the driver, but he is known to be from Lufkin, Texas and a collector of exotic cars. Lt. Greg Gilchrist, of the La Marque police, told the Chronicle there was no indication that the driver had been speeding. The Bugatti Veyron is the fastest and most expensive car in the world, reaching top speeds of 253 mph. The wrecker driver who towed the car out of the muddy lake, Gilbert Harrison of MCH Truck and Auto, told the Chronicle the driver didn’t seem too upset over his big-budget mistake. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Prince William To Visit Ancient Tribe Who Believes His Grandfather Is A God
Shannon McGregor – AHN Special Categories Editor London, England (BANG) – Britain’s Prince William has been invited to stay with a tribe who believe his grandfather is a God. The ancient tribe – who live in a South Pacific jungle – want to lay on a night of traditional food and festivity for the 27-year-old royal when he visits Australia and New Zealand in January. The Yaohnanen tribe on the island of Tanna worship his grandfather Prince Philip -Queen Elizabeth’s husband – and they are desperate to meet his grandson. After the chief of the 40-member tribe Jack Naiva died over 10 years ago, they want the younger generation to meet each other. Jackson-George Nauka from Tanna said: “They want the word passed back to Buckingham Palace that Prince William would be treated like a king, which is almost appropriate seeing that he will be one day. “He will be given a grand feast of roast pork and the local girls will put on a wonderful dancing display for him. “He would go back to England with some very fond memories to pass on to his grandfather.” The Duke of Edinburgh’s bizarre relationship with the tribe started in the 1970s when the villagers sent him a traditional war club. They wanted to act on an ancient myth that said a spirit appeared from a mountain on their island and traveled to England where it became a man – the Duke – who married the queen. Prince Philip has remained in touch with the tribe by sending back several photos of him posing with the extraordinary gift. Prince William – second in line to the throne – is visiting New Zealand and Australia in January for his first official overseas trip representing thequeen. The tribe wants the royal to extend his five-day trip to Australia byseveral days so they can honor him with a night of traditional festivities. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Israel Mulls ‘Air Force One’ Jet for Prime Minister
The Media Line Staff When Israel’s prime minister or president take an official overseas trip they travel in a chartered aircraft without any state symbols and end up paying what many believe are overpriced tickets. This has led a number of Israeli politicians and pundits to call for an Israeli version of the United States President’s Air Force One, a private jet that would allow the country’s leaders to fly around the world with pride and without the current wrangling over ticket prices and airplane charters. After recent reports of outlandishly expensive charter tickets for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s trips abroad, the Prime Minister’s office and the Finance Ministry are now mulling over the feasibility of purchasing a new or used passenger jet to be used exclusively for official state visits. While the jet’s purpose would be much akin to the US President’s Air Force One, it would certainly not be a Boeing Jumbo 747. Netanyahu’s September visit to the United States cost a whopping $1.4 million dollars when the government chartered a flight from El Al, the national carrier. “On Netanyahu’s current visit to Washington, the prime minister’s office got into a bartering game between El Al and Arkia [a second Israeli airline] and ended up spending $450,000 by choosing Arkia,” aviation expert Arie Egozi told The Media Line. “El Al was jacking up the price and they were shafting the government,” said Egozi, an aviation reporter for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth. “They got tired of that. The reasonable solution is that the government should go ahead and purchase a jet for the Prime Minister.” “It would not only be a sign of self respect for the government’s leaders to have an official plane, it would be safer too, since it could be outfitted with special safety measures that are barred in regular passenger jets.” Arkia’s spokesperson Rona Davis said the deal they offered the Prime Minister was saving the taxpayer a lot of money. “The Prime Minister was provided with a plane with 18 business class seats and two first class seats that convert into a flat bed,” Davis told The Media Line. “All of the business class seats have private TVs with 30 different movies, video games and music. There were more flight attendants than usual, free alcohol the entire time and the entire flight was given a higher level of catering, with the Prime Minister eating on ceramic plates.” “All this was provided at a savings to taxpayers of around $1 million by choosing Arkia over El Al,” Davis said. “The only difference was a 40 minute stop on the way to refuel the plane.” It wasn’t always like this. Until about a decade ago, Israeli prime ministers on official overseas trips could order the Air Force to make one of their Boeing 707 jets available. The current small fleet of these “vintage” aircrafts, produced in the early 1970s, are used mainly as cargo planes or refueling platforms for fighter jets. In the past, a special pallet with passenger seats would be inserted into the plane and the prime minister and his entourage would be served by Israeli air force flight technicians instead of stewards. The fare was sparse, and served without fanfare. The aircraft’s range was limited, however, which required refueling stops any time major trips were made to countries such as the United States or China. This all came to a halt in 1998 when the 707 carrying the prime minister, in this case Netanyahu during his first term, suffered a shattered cockpit window over Italy and had to perform an emergency landing. Since then, the Prime Minister has chartered his official flights abroad. There have been some cases in which the Prime Minister would take a clandestine flight, ordering the Air Force to provide one of its Gulfstream 550 surveillance jets. However, such practices have been heavily criticized, however, as the use of a surveillance plane effectively meant halting the intelligence gathering activities of the jet while in the service of the Prime Minister. Aviation experts said Israel would not have to spend $40 to $50 million for a new jet, but could snap up a used one and refurbish it for about $30 million. “In this time of budgetary constraint it would look like a needless extravagance,” said one aviation official aware of the feasibility study taking place. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that despite the excessive appearance of buying a new jet, it was actually a very reasonable decision. “The Prime Minister and President take a lot of trips abroad,” they said. “It would pay for itself very quickly.” The Prime Minister’s office and the Finance Ministry said they were looking into the matter and that no decision had been made. Egozi said that had it not been for a public debate about the matter there would have been an official state jet a long time ago. “It’s just like when they wanted to build a new prime minister’s office,” Egozi said. “The minute the public starts to weigh in, all sense of reasonable decision making gets thrown out of the window.” Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
New Mom Sarah Jessica Parker Relishes The Smell Of Dirty Diapers
Shannon McGregor – AHN Special Categories Editor New York, NY (BANG) – Sarah Jessica Parker loves the smell of dirty diapers. The ‘Sex and the City’ actress – who has five-month-old twin daughters, Loretta and Tabitha, with her husband Matthew Broderick – loves everything about being a mother, especially the less glamorous jobs. She said: “I love the smell of diapers – I even like when they’re wet and you smell them all warm liked a baked good. I love the smell of Balmex. Love it.” The 44-year-old beauty also revealed her seven-year-old son James demanded to have a say in naming his sister Loretta – whose first name is actually Marion. She said: “He told me he really wanted Marion to be in the mix. We thought, ‘Are we crazy? Do we let our son name one of the girls? Is that the right thing to do? Is it important for him?’ And then he goes, ‘And I want it legal.’ ” The couple faced criticism this summer when it was revealed they were expecting twins through a surrogate. But Sarah insists they had tried to extend their brood in other ways first. She explained to America’s Elle magazine: “I knew there would be lots of opinions about, ‘Well, why didn’t you adopt? Why didn’t you do this? Why didn’t you do that?’ and the truth of the matter is, it wasn’t one or the other for us. We had explored, and continue to explore all options, and this one just happened first. This isn’t the period at the end of the sentence.” Despite adoring her family, the actress admits she is worried her babies won’t like her when they are older and is concerned their feet will be too big for her huge collection of designer shoes. She explained: “I have a fear that they’re not going to like me. The only tragedy would be if their feet are bigger than mine.” Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Escaped Circus Elephant Sideswipes Car
Shannon McGregor – AHN Special Categories Editor Enid, OK (AHN) – An elephant escaped from a circus in Enid, Okla. Wednesday, sideswiping a car while running along the road. The pachyderm broke a tusk and injured a leg after colliding with a car. The elephant escaped from the Family Fun Circus at the Garfield County Fairgrounds, the Enid News and Eagle reported. A couple riding in the vehicle were not injured in the accident, which occurred about 10 p.m. Wednesday. The elephant was loaded into a semi-trailer for transportation at 11:19 p.m., but not before the animal slightly injured a handler from the zoo who was trying to subdue the elephant. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Auditor General Says Ottawa Has No Emergency Response Plan
AHN Staff Ottawa, Ontario (AHN) – The criticism that the federal government is unprepared for a second wave of Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic appears to hold water, with Canada’s Auditor General Sheila Fraser pointing out in her report released Tuesday that Ottawa’s emergency response plan is still in the draft stage after six years. Fraser stressed the various emergencies that Canada experienced over the years such as the swine flu virus, eastern seaboard power outage, SARS, flooding and terrorist attacks have shown that globalization, international travel and the cyberworld have resulted to the faster pace in which emergencies grow in size and severity. As such, a federal response is needed for emergencies beyond the capacity of the usual government agencies. That task was given to Public Safety Canada. However, Fraser wrote, “Public Safety Canada has not exercised the leadership necessary to coordinate emergency management activities, including critical infrastructure protection in Canada.” But Fraser added Public Safety Canada and the Privy Council Office agreed with her recommendations to address the department’s shortcomings. Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan explained Canada has been using the draft emergency plan despite its lack of official approval. The auditor general acknowledged the department played a coordination role in some emergencies like Avian flu and influenza pandemic, but it needs to put in place policies and program that would define its leadership and coordination role. Fraser recommended that Public Safety Canada must have experienced and knowledgeable staff, but admitted the department had difficulty attracting and keeping senior managers. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Worlds First Arabic Speaking Robot Constructed in UAE
The Media Line Staff - Owners of robots who have felt frustrated by their humanoid companions inability to say marhaban, ma salama, shukran and mabrook may soon be able to end their suffering. Named after a 11th Century Muslim doctor and philosopher, the world’s first Arabic speaking robot has come to life in the Gulf. Ibn Sina, as the new robot is called, was designed by a team at the Interactive Robots and Media Laboratory at the United Arab Emirates University.
“Ibn Sina is the first humanoid robot which actually can perform Arabic dialogue,” Dr. Nikolaos Mavridis, Lab Director of the Interactive Robots and Media Laboratory and Assistant Professor of Computer Science, told The Media Line. “The reason why we choose Ibn Sina is multifold,” Mavridis said of the robot’s name. “Number one we wanted somebody who people of the region can see as one of their own people, number two we wanted someone who carries values which are important for the region such as science and philosophyÂ… He is pretty much the equivalent of Leonardo Da Vinci for the region that we are in.” Ibn Sina’s writings, some of them based on the work of Galileo, were translated from Arabic to Latin and used throughout the world for some 200 years after his death. The Ibn Sina robot was custom built for an interactive theater in which scientists “play with the interactions between robots, virtual characters and different forms of telepresence,” Mavridis explained.
The hope is that the robot will refocus attention on local culture and history through robotic educational workshops for children on Ibn Sina’s scientific discoveries. The UAE-based lab plays host to scientists from Pakistan, Iran and Greece. The group is now working on making the robot more intelligent “By giving him more censor ability, more complicated dialog abilities and also playing with his interracial theater concept” Mavridis said. In addition to the Ibn Sina project, the Interactive Robots and Media Laboratory is also involved in a Facebots project in which robots with dialogue capabilities are created using face recognition technology and data available on the social networking site Facebook. The Facebots project has been given an award by Microsoft.
The Ibn Sina robot’s voice is called Nizar was designed by the French company called Acapela and toke nine years to develop. Nizar is meant to keep the conversation flowing in a natural and easy way. Article by AHN – All Rights Reserved
Lady Gaga To Include Lock Of Her Own Hair With New Album Release
Shannon McGregor – AHN Special Categories Editor Los Angeles, CA (BANG) – Lady Gaga is giving away a lock of her hair with her new album. The ‘Paparazzi’ singer is preparing to release a deluxe version of her new album ‘The Fame Monster’ as a special-edition art book next month with a number of bizarre gifts, including a piece of her blonde hair, a personal note from the songstress and a jigsaw puzzle. The collector’s sets will also be filled with pictorials, posters, fanzines, paper dolls, 3D glasses and a behind-the-scenes look at her bizarre life. As well as all the hits from the 2008 LP ‘The Fame’, the updated album will feature eight new tracks, including ‘Telephone’ – a duet with Beyonce Knowles. Gaga is currently rehearsing hard for ‘The Monster Ball Tour’, which will coincide with the updated LP. She explained: “I’ve been training for two hours a day to get ready for this. I sing on the treadmill! I do cardio and weights on top of my rehearsals. I want to get my whole body in prime condition so I can carry the show.” The singer – who is known for her outrageous fashion choices and party lifestyle – also admitted she has tried hard to look “interesting” while allowing her to grow in self confidence. She explained to Canada’s Flare magazine: “Fashion saved my life. It was complete liberationÂ… it made me feel powerful, ambitious and much more resilient. “We all need an image that screams, ‘I’m an individual!’ I think Jennifer Aniston is beautiful – she’s gorgeous – but I prefer to look interesting rather than pretty.” ‘The Fame Monster’ is due for release in the US on November 24. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
