Is It OK to Sneak Food Into the Movies?

From Scholastic News:

You and your friends are settling into your seats. The new Spider-Man movie is about to start, and you’ve got the essentials: soda, popcorn, and gummy worms. Sure, you spent your entire allowance on these snacks, but hey, food is part of what makes the movies fun.

Just as the lights dim, you catch a whiff of . . . tuna fish?! You twist your neck, searching for the culprit. Then you spot him: A couple rows back, some guy is chowing down on a homemade sandwich.

How’d he get that in here? you wonder. You want to pelt him and his stinky sandwich with pieces of your popcorn. Then you remember how much you paid for it.

YOUR RIGHT TO SNACK
Sneaking food into a movie is pretty tempting. For one thing, the options at the concession stand are almost always junk food—nachos, candy, giant greasy pretzels. Then there are the prices. Why pay $5 for a bag of M&Ms when you can get them for a buck at the corner store? Besides, it’s not like you aren’t already paying big bucks for your ticket.

Earlier this year, a Michigan man decided to fight for his right to snack. Joshua Thompson is suing his local AMC theater after it banned outside food. He argues the ban violates a Michigan law that prevents businesses from charging outrageous prices.

“He got tired of being taken advantage of,” Thompson’s lawyer told the Detroit Free Press. “It’s hard to justify prices that are three and four times higher than anywhere else.”

Most legal experts believe Thompson has little chance of winning his case, but he does have a point; 85 cents out of every dollar of treats a movie theater sells is pure profit.
How do they get away with it?

THE SNACK BUSINESS
The truth is that movie theaters are more in the snack business than the movie business. A huge chunk of what you spend on a ticket goes to the Hollywood studio that made the movie. This makes sense, since studios fund the production, hire the stars, and pay for the advertising that draws crowds to the movies in the first place.

But that often doesn’t leave much cash for the theater, which has its own costs. Theater owners have to pay their employees, keep their buildings clean, and provide the latest high-tech projection equipment. “If we can’t keep a majority of that ticket price there’s only one way that we can pay for everything . . . and that’s at the concession stand,” says movie theater owner Jon Goldstein. If customers stopped buying food, owners would have to raise ticket prices even higher.

RULES ARE RULES
Of course, there’s another reason to think twice before sneaking food into the movies: It’s against the rules. Breaking those rules can have severe consequences too. Some theaters will kick you out if they catch you. Worse, you could be banned from ever coming back.

Even without the threat of punishment, the truth is that we follow rules all the time—out of respect. Sneaking food into the movies is kind of like bringing your own pasta to an Olive Garden restaurant. It’s just bad manners.

Here’s a radical idea: Eat before the movie.

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What Do You Think? Is it OK to sneak food into the movies? Use evidence from the article and your own ideas to support each side of this debate. Use this essay kit to write a persuasive essay.

4 percent of teenagers at risk of Internet addiction: study

From the Korea Herald:

Four in every 100 Korean teenagers are at risk of Internet addiction, a government study showed Wednesday.

The survey of 1.74 million youths, conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in cooperation with the Education Ministry, found that 3.9 percent of the participants, or 608,044, were categorized as high-risk Internet users; or at-risk users, in other words, potential addicts.

Although lower than the previous year’s 4.94 percent, the rate is still high, ministry official Kim Sung-byuk said.

“The ratio of students at risk of addiction has been on the decline in recent years, helped by increased public awareness, governmental measures and campaigns,” he said.

“Still, our teens are too hooked on the internet.”

The study was conducted between April and March on fourth graders in elementary schools, first graders in middle schools and first year students in high schools nationwide.

Some 0.9 percent of participants, or 16,714, belong to the high-risk group. They feel the need to be online and experience withdrawal symptoms when offline for significant periods of time, such as depression. For elementary school fourth-graders in this group, the average daily internet use exceeds 3 hours.

The at-risk group adds up to 2.6 percent of students. This group feels insecure when offline for long periods of time. Average Internet use for elementary fourth-graders in this group is two hours a day.

Elementary school fourth graders showed the highest percentage of high-risk users at 0.9 percent. The figures for those in the first year of middle school and high-school stood at 0.9 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

Teen Internet or online gaming addiction has been a social problem in Korea, one of the world’s most wired countries.

Last November the government started an online gaming curfew, blocking those under age 16 from logging onto online game sites from midnight to 6 a.m.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldm.com)

A Teen Scientist Fights Cancer

Last week, teen scientist Jack Andraka beat out more than 1,500 students from 70 countries at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Jack won the contest by developing a brand-new test for detecting pancreatic cancer—a dangerous illness that affects the pancreas, an organ that is part of the digestive system.

The 15-year-old native of Crownsville, MD lost his uncle to pancreatic cancer 10 months ago. So the budding teen scientist decided to do something to help fight the disease.

Victims of pancreatic cancer have large amounts of a chemical called mesothelin in their blood. Mesothelin can warn of the cancer early enough that it can be treated. However, current tests for mesothelin are very expensive. Often, the disease is detected too late for effective treatment.

Jack was inspired by diabetes tests, which use special paper to detect chemicals in the blood. He invented his own paper test, which checks urine or blood samples for mesothelin. The test can detect pancreatic cancer with 90 percent accuracy. It is also 28 times cheaper and about 1,000 times more sensitive than current pancreatic-cancer tests.

TEEN TITANS OF SCIENCE
For his efforts, Jack won the Gordon E. Moore award, the top award at ISEF. He also earned a $75,000 prize.

Two runners-up and more than 400 other finalists also won prizes in the contest, which is the world’s largest science fair for teens. The fair awarded more than $3 million in prizes for top science experiments. A total of 1,200 experts in 14 different fields evaluated the young scientists’ work.

Intel, a computer-chip manufacturer, has been sponsoring the contest since 1997. Wendy Hawkins, the executive director of the Intel Foundation, explained in a press release, “We support the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair because we know that math and science are imperative to future global growth. This competition encourages millions of students to engage their skills for innovation and develop promising solutions for global challenges.”

Lady Gaga criticizes Korean government’s decision

From the Korea Herald:

U.S pop star Lady Gaga wowed some 50,000 people in the audience at the Olympic stadium in Seoul with her provocative but creative stage costumes and performances.

Riding on to the the stage on horseback, clad in a futuristic body suit and metal headpieces designed by Italian fashion power house Giorgio Armani specially for the concert, Lady Gaga made her first official appearance here, saying the past week felt like a month to her.

The 26-year-old artist indirectly criticized the Korean government that banned under 18s to attend her concert.

“I was told that your government decided that my shows should be 18 or over... So, I‘ll make sure it will be!”  Concert organizers checked IDs of the audience and asked them to wear a paper wrist band reading “18 above.”The state-run ratings board imposed the age limit for younger audience claiming her song “Just Dance” is inappropriate for the youth.

And captivate the audience, she did. Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way Ball”concert  mesmerized the Korean audience for over two hours with innovative and breathtaking stage installation and ideas.

 “(It was) imaginative and futuristic,” said Claire Hong, 45, who attended the concert with her girlfriend.

“It was fantastic and out-of-this-world show performance, but nothing like what the authorities and the Christian groups worried about.”

Lady Gaga's concert drew attention not only because the Seoul concert kicks off her world tour, but also because her concert was opposed by some conservative Christian groups here, accusing her of pornography and promoting homosexuality.

However, the singer did not comment on the Christian groups protesting before and during the concert.

Friday night's event was only the second concert by a foreign artist held at the country‘s largest sports and entertainment venue. The late Michael Jackson held a concert at the same arena in 1996.

After Seoul, Lady Gaga will take her pop hits and eccentric costumes to Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and perform six shows around Australia.

The pop artist is expected to hold 110 shows this year, including the initial 11 concerts in Asia.

Fan dressed up as Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, became famous with the hits songs “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face.”


By Cho Chung-un
(christory@heraldm.com)

Eating pizza could be good for you

From the Korea Herald:

Pizza is one of the most popular foods all over the world, and many will be pleased to know that the cheesy treat may be healthier than previously thought.

According to a recent study, scientists have found that oregano, a seasoning usually used in pizza, may help fight prostate cancer.

Researchers from Long Island University, New York, studied carvacrol, a chemical in oregano, to find that it had to ability to rapidly eliminate prostate cancer cells.

After four days, almost all the cells were killed, the experimental biology conference in San Diego heard.

“Some researchers have previously shown that eating pizza may cut down cancer risk,” said researcher Supriya Bavadekar, a pharmacologist.

Tests have shown oregano causes cancer cells to die, and research is now focusing on why this is the case.

Derek's favorite: with anchovies

“If the study continues to yield positive results, this super-spice may present a very promising therapy for patients with prostate cancer,” Bavadekar said.

She also warned that “this study is at a very preliminary stage and further experiments need to be conducted to get a better idea of uses in the clinic.”

Park Ji-min named winner of ‘K-pop Star’

From the Korea Herald

Youngest winner at 15 to choose agency among top three K-pop companies


Fifteen-year-old Park Ji-min became the winner of SBS’ “K-pop Star,” beating out her rival Lee Ha-yi by one point in the neck-and-neck competition on Sunday evening.

With Sunday’s win, Park also became the youngest and first female winner of a local TV singing audition program.

“I’m happy because I feel like I’m being rewarded for all the hard work up until now. I would like to thank my parents and the three judges,” said Park, ending the five-month contest.

Park won 300 million won ($265,000) in prize money along with an opportunity to release an album under the agency of her choice among the top entertainment companies, SM, YG and JYP Entertainment.

She will also receive additional prizes including a car and a chance to shoot a commercial.

Throughout the competition, Park was praised for her powerful vocals and lively performances.

She sang two songs at the final stage ― “Music is My Life” by Korean singer Lim Jung-hee and “Mercy” by British singer Duffy, which had been sung by Lee earlier in the competition.

Park topped Lee by one point after receiving higher scores from judges, although Lee scored higher in the online vote by viewers with 52 percent. Park had 47 percent.

The total score was based on judges’ scores (60 percent); phone votes by viewers (30 percent); and online votes (10 percent).

Lee sang “Killing Me Softly with His Song” by Roberta Flack and “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele.

Park was well-known for her outstanding vocal ability in her hometown of Daejeon before she appeared on the audition program. Her parents had both been singers when they were young.

The audition program differentiated itself from other singing contests by giving the winner a chance to debut under an agency of their choice.

Now attention has shifted to which label Park will choose.

Park and other contestants all underwent training at the three agencies at each stage of the audition. Judges picked their favorite candidates and had them undergo each of their training programs.

Park began to receive the spotlight when she sang “Rolling in the Deep” under SM Entertainment’s tutelage in December.

Her performance received thumbs-up from the three judges and was praised by Ashton Kutcher, who posted the video clip of the performance on his Twitter.

The singing contest also drew attention from top industry figure judges Yang Hyun-suk and Park Jin-young, former singers and heads of major entertainment agencies YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, respectively, and famous K-pop singer BoA, representing SM Entertainment.

Park is expected to appear later as a guest on the SBS talk show “Gangsimjang,” and talk about behind-the-scenes stories of the audition program.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldm.com)

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Just for your enjoyment, here is a video of a Canadian songwriter/singer, Joni Mitchell. She is very famous in Canada and many people consider her to be one of the best pop song writers in the world.




Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons ev'rywhere
I've looked at clouds that way
But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As ev'ry fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living ev'ry day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all
I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall

Blue jeans go green

From Scholastic News:

Your favorite jeans may be blue, but chances are they aren’t very green! The average pair of blue jeans goes through 919 gallons (3,478 liters) of water—from the time they’re made till the time they’re too worn out to wear. That’s enough water to fill 18 bathtubs. To make jeans more Earth-friendly, jeans maker Levi Strauss is working to reduce the amount of water it takes to make and care for jeans.

DRYER DENIM
The life cycle of a pair of jeans begins on cotton farms. Farmers grow the cotton used to make denim, the fabric jeans are made of. Cotton plants require a lot of water to grow. Levi’s is helping cotton farmers around the world develop new ways to irrigate, or water, their crops.

In the past, farmers sprayed water onto cotton plants. The new method—called drip irrigation—uses a network of plastic tubes that send water directly to the plants’ roots. The system puts water only where it is needed. It cuts down on the amount of water wasted through evaporation.

After the cotton is grown and harvested, it’s spun into yarn at a textile mill. The yarn is dyed blue in vats of chemicals. Then it’s woven into fabric. The fabric is washed to get a worn-in look. Levi’s is working to reduce water consumption at this stage too. The company has created a line of jeans that get broken in by tumbling with rocks instead of water.

“We’ve produced 12 million pairs of jeans that, combined, have saved 156 million liters [41 million gallons] of water,” says Brianna Wolf of Levi’s.”

CLEAN JEANS
Nearly half of jeans’ water usage happens after they are made. At this stage, the people who buy them wash them over and over in water-guzzling washing machines. To help cut down on home water use, Levi’s is sewing tags into its jeans that suggest customers wash them less often.

Jeans are a type of clothing that doesn’t need as much scrubbing as other attire. In a recent study, 30 volunteers in Australia wore jeans five days a week for three months without washing them. At the end of the study, researchers put the jeans to the smell test. The result: They actually didn’t smell too bad.

Still worried about your jeans getting stinky between washes? Levi’s advice: Put them in the freezer! A quick blast of cold will kill the germs that cause them to smell, Levi’s says. Just remember to let the jeans warm up before you put them back on!

Students’ Experiments To Be Conducted In Space

Drawing of the inside of the space station

From Teaching Kids News:

Three students have won the chance to have science experiments they created carried out by astronauts in space.

The students won an international competition called the YouTube Space Lab Contest. Last October, students around the world aged 14 to 18 were invited to come up with ideas for experiments that could be performed on the International Space Station.

The space station is a satellite that orbits the Earth. It includes a research laboratory where astronauts from the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada conduct experiments. Because there is no gravity on the space station, they are able to do experiments they could not do on Earth.

For the contest, students had to make a video explaining their hypothesis – the idea they wanted to test – and the method for doing the experiment. Then they posted the videos on YouTube. Winners were chosen by people voting on YouTube, and by a panel of judges that included scientists, teachers, astronauts and journalists.

The winners were announced in March. They are Amr Mohamed, 18, from Egypt, and Dorothy Chen and Sara Ma, both 16, from the United States.

Amr’s experiment will test the effects of zero gravity – or weightlessness – on zebra spiders. Zebra spiders catch food by leaping onto it. But without gravity, the spider would continue travelling in a straight line when it leaps, instead of landing on its prey. Amr wants to find out if the spiders can learn to hunt in a weightless environment.

Dorothy Chen and Sara Ma

Dorothy and Sara want to study a type of bacteria, called Bacillus subtilis, which kills fungus. They want to see whether feeding it certain nutrients in a zero-gravity environment will make it better at killing fungus on Earth. If it works, it could be used to help fight disease one day.

An astronaut will conduct the winning experiments on the space station sometime this summer and broadcast them live on YouTube.

As part of their prize, the winners also got to choose between a trip to Japan to watch their experiments being launched into space, or a week of cosmonaut training in Russia. Dorothy and Sara will go to Japan. Amr chose the cosmonaut training.

The contest was organized by YouTube, a website that lets users share videos, and Lenovo, a company that makes computers.

The long black panels provide solar power to the station

13-year-old hero saves school bus

He didn’t think he was “too young” to do something, and he didn’t wait for someone else to help – he just jumped into action.

Thirteen-year-old Jeremy Wuitschick is being hailed as a hero after he saved the schoolbus he was riding in and its passengers.

Wuitschick and about a dozen other kids were riding in the schoolbus on their way to Surprise Lake Middle School, in Milton, Washington (near Seattle). All of a sudden, the schoolbus driver had a seizure. In this case, a seizure is a medical condition that caused the bus driver to uncontrollably twist around in his seat. He lost control of the bus, which veered off the road, according to the Los Angeles Times news website.

A video camera on board the bus caught what happened next. As soon as the bus driver began to have his seizure, Jeremy Wuitschick leaped out of his seat and grabbed the steering wheel. He steered the bus safely to the side of the road and then turned the engine off. He even opened the doors so the other kids could leave the bus.

At that point, a passing motorist jumped on board and tried to help the bus driver, who was later taken to hospital. The bus driver is in serious condition in hospital, according to news service Associated Press (AP).

AP reported that the kids regularly receive training in emergency procedures so they will know what to do in case anything like this happens. And when it did, Wuitschick was able to remember his training and put it to good use.

Wuitschick said he wishes he could have done more. He said he wants to learn CPR (a life-saving technique that can help someone who has stopped breathing).

Remembering the Titanic

The bow (front) section of the Titanic

On April 10, 1912, thousands of people gathered at a dock in Southampton, England. They’d come to watch the R.M.S. Titanic, the largest ship in the world, embark on its maiden voyage. The massive ship spanned the length of four city blocks and was taller than most buildings at the time.

As the ocean liner set sail for New York, the more than 2,200 people onboard were excited to be a part of history. But shortly before midnight on April 14, disaster struck when the Titanic crashed into an iceberg. The mountain of ice tore open the right side of the ship, and seawater began pouring in. In less than three hours, the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. More than 1,500 people died. This month marks the 100th anniversary of that fateful night. A century later, the tragic story of the Titanic’s sinking still captivates people.

“No matter who you are, what your age is or your interests, there’s something about the Titanic story that pushes one of your buttons,” says Robert Ballard. He’s the explorer who discovered the Titanic shipwreck decades later.

LUXURY OF THE SEA
The Titanic made headlines even before it set sail. People from all walks of life jumped at the chance to be among its first passengers.

Onboard, working-class immigrants eager for a new life in America packed into the lower decks. Meanwhile, first-class passengers traveled in luxury. The most expensive suites had private balconies and up to five rooms. The Titanic was one of the first ships to have electric elevators and a swimming pool.

Some of the world’s richest business leaders were among the many prominent passengers on the Titanic. In the days before TV and big Hollywood movies, millionaires were the biggest celebrities. “The wealthiest of the wealthiest were the stars of the society,” explains Ballard. “And they went down on that ship.”

UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
News of the disaster stunned the world. People were even more shocked when they learned that it could have been avoided. In the hours before the Titanic’s sinking, the ship’s captain had received several warnings of heavy ice ahead. But, wanting to stay on schedule, he pressed on.

As the Titanic began to sink, most passengers had no way to escape. To make the huge ship look even more spacious, its owners had decided to carry only 20 lifeboats—not enough to save even half the people onboard. And most of the lifeboats weren’t filled to capacity. Many passengers didn’t believe the Titanic would actually sink— until it was too late. In the end, only 705 people survived.

AN UNSINKABLE STORY
Over the years, the legend of the Titanic grew. For decades, the resting place of the doomed ship remained a mystery. Finally, on September 1, 1985, Ballard and his team of explorers located the shipwreck about 700 kilometres miles off the coast of New York — and more than 3.5 kilometers under the sea.

The discovery sparked a new fascination with the famous shipwreck. In 1997, interest in the story was stirred once again when a Titanic [film] hit theaters. At the time, it was the biggest moneymaking film in history. Titanic went on to win 11 Oscars, the top awards for movies.

PRESERVING HISTORY
Today, after a century on the ocean floor, the Titanic is deteriorating. Raising the crumbling ship is impossible, so scientists are doing the next best thing. They’re using photos and 3-D videos to create the first complete map of the wreckage. For years to come, people worldwide will be able to explore the famous shipwreck online.

“Titanic, as I’ve discovered over the years, is something that just doesn’t die,” says Ballard, “because the story of Titanic is always rediscovered by every generation.”

Vocabulary

prominent adjective
famous and/or important
deteriorating verb
falling apart or getting worse