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1. Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Washington, DC on Tuesday, his first visit to the U.S. since becoming pope three years ago. Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church. During his six-day visit, he hopes to renew the faith of American Roman Catholics, and speak about the Iraq war. He will also hold mass for about 46,000 people at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. You can easily imagine that the pope's visit is a huge deal - and one that requires a lot of security. Jeanne Meserve tells us about the effort that's planned to keep him safe.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/ (news, activities for the classroom)
www.npr.org
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2. The last time a Pope visited the United States, stores were selling all sorts of souvenirs. This time there are Pope t-shirts and keychains, mugs and bumper stickers. For $675, there's the Pope made of porcelain. Store managers said they made an extra $1000 a day, before the Pope arrived. Since sales and donations are their only source of income at this Basilica, when it comes to meeting the Pope paraphernalia demand - they're plenty willing to help!
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3. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual teacher and leader of Tibetan Buddhists, visited Seattle, Washington on Saturday with a message of compassion. The Dalai Lama has been exiled from China since 1959. He will also visit Michigan and New York this week, and meet with a top U.S. government official. As you recall from last week, many demonstrators who want Tibet freed from Chinese rule have been protesting against the 2008 Bejing Olympics.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89612950
http://www.seedsofcompassion.org/
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4. There may be lots of kids with cell phones in your school, but this week is the first time ever that cell phone service is available to everyone in the nation of Cuba. Already, lines are out the door at phone centers where people can buy service. Before this, only privileged people like foreigners and high-ranking government officials had legal cell phone service. Now, anyone can have it, but it costs $120, about half a year's wages for the average salary in Cuba. And that doesn't even include a phone!
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4651877
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5. April showers are supposed to bring May flowers. While we've enjoyed a few spring days here - people in Minnesota are still keeping their shovels and gloves handy. Last week featured a blizzard in the northern part of the gopher state! About 150 communities closed schools and government offices. The National Weather Service reported zero visibility and winds as high as fifty-five miles per hour. That's close to the speed limit on many Ohio highways!
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6. Once the snow leaves, lightning season peaks in the summertime, but thunderstorms occur throughout the year. While the light show in the sky can be cool to watch, safety should always be on our minds. Judy Fortin speaks with Lans Rothfusz of the National Weather Service, who tells us about the 30-30 rule. If you see that flash of lightning and hear a rumble of thunder within 30 seconds, you're at risk of getting hit by lightning; the second 30 is, 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder, its safe to go outside.
http://www.weather.gov/om/lightning/teachers.htm
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lst.html
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7. On April 28th, 1966, a Chevy Impala rolled off the assembly line at General Motors' Lordstown plant. It was their first car. Last Friday, the fourteen millionth vehicle rolled off the line - this time a slate metallic Chevy Cobalt sedan destined for a dealer in British Columbia, Canada. The GM Lordstown Complex has produced many vehicles for General Motors over the years, including the Chevrolet Cavalier, G-Van, and Vega; and the Pontiac Firebird. Now they make the Pontiac G-5 and Chevy Cobalt!
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8. If you want to leave the car at home, here's a great way to get exercise without going to the gym - ride your bike to work! You'll get in shape while you also save money on gas and parking. Because some bicyclists feel more comfortable riding with others, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency is offering a free online service to match bicycle commuters who follow similar routes to work. The new website, Ohiobikebuddies.com, is part of Ohio Rideshare, a car pooling website for northeast Ohio.
http://ohiobikebuddies.com/bike_buddies.aspx
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9. Barely bigger than a quarter, the northern spider tortoise hatchling at Ceveland Metroparks Zoo is big news for conservationists trying to save this species. The month-old reptile is the second in less than a year for the zoo, and only the fourth ever to be hatched at a North American zoo. The little guy weighs less than half an ounce. Fully grown, northern spider tortoises measure four to five inches and weigh less than one pound. From the spiny forests of Madagascar, the species was given "critically endangered" status because its native habitat is being destroyed.
http://www.clemetzoo.com/zblog/default.asp?Display=100
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10. What kind of stuff do you worry about? Probably not paying the bills! An eight-year-old in Massachusetts noticed the increase in gas and asked her mom about it. She says she saw the gas prices and asked her mom if she should write to the mayor. Her mom said the mayor couldn’t do anything about it, but maybe she could write to the president. So Madeline wrote the letter and President Bush wrote back! He also sent her a picture of his Scottish terrier dog, Barney. She plans to frame the letter and hang it in her bedroom.
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11. Scientists who are searching for the ultimate alternative fuel source have tried everything from corn to coconuts. Miles O'Brien found a guy who believes that one day we'll be filling our fuel tanks with a scummy alternative. Glen Kertz believes he’s found the magic bullet alternative to oil - it's pond scum but without the pond - and that's what sets his idea apart. Kertz is flowing, and growing, algae through a long-winding journey in clear plastic bags suspended in a greenhouse. He calls the system Vertigro. The algae grows fast and is siphoned off continuously. The algae oil is extracted, ready to be refined into fuels like biodiesel. Kertz says he can produce a hundred thousand gallons of algae oil per acre per year. Compare that to corn - which yields about 20 to 30 gallons an acre. The Vertigro facility is a long way from the corn belt, in the desert near El Paso.
http://www.globalgreensolutionsinc.com/s/Vertigro.asp
Lesson Plans (Science and Language Arts for grades 4-5 and 6-7)
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12. The Japanese have a legendary reputation for honesty when it comes to turning in lost property. But is that character becoming too much of a good thing? Kyung Lah looks at how Tokyo's transport system is being buried under a mountain of misplaced items. Perhaps the biggest challenge is the piles and piles of umbrellas that are turned in. There are 130,000 stored at the lost and found, collected just over the last few months. Ask a New Yorker and it's unfathomable - not just tracking lost items in a giant city, but anyone turning it in. Returning what's not yours is a Japanese philosophy, says Chief Takeshi Onuma, taught to us when we were children. Perhaps that's one reason Tokyo enjoys one of the lowest urban crime rates in the world.
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13. A Minneapolis school bus driver says when he first was hired, he thought it would be a temporary job. But 33 years later, he's still on the road, and being honored for his service. In all of his years of driving for the Minneapolis Public Schools, Alton Jenkins has never called in sick or been in an accident. His supervisor figures Alton has covered 419,000 miles safely carrying kids, the equivalent of 17 times around the globe. Scott Goldberg reports.
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