Episodes
12.04.2019
Dec 04 2019
Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Kim. Today is Wednesday, December 4th, 2019 and we begin with… Some eye opening comments from the big boss at YouTube. Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki (Whoa-Jisky) has five kids ranging in age from grammar school to late teens and she says the youngest ones aren’t even allowed on the site. The only place they can roam.. is on youtube kids and even then, only with time limits. Youtube has come under fire in recent years for promoting inappropriate content through an algorithm, which is a fancy way of saying its computers push content based on our browsing history. And there’s a lot of content to push. 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube.. every minute of every day. YouTube Kids, on the other hand, creates a wall between age-appropriate content and the other stuff that’s out there. A pretty mediocre report card for America’s high school sophomores. Every three years, 15 year olds around the globe are given the PISA test, which stands for Programme for International Student Assessment. The most recent results show that scores here haven’t gone up much at all in the last 19 years.. and while U.S. students are about average in reading when compared to other countries, they still fall far below average when it comes to math. The test also revealed a widening achievement gap between the highest- and lowest-performing students and one very troubling statistic: as many as a fifth of America’s 15-year-olds can’t read at a 10-year-old’s level. Some big news from the Presidential race. One of the early favorites on the Democratic side has dropped out. California Senator Kamala Harris announced her decision in a phone call to staff yesterday. Ms. Harris qualified for this month’s Presidential debate, but reportedly didn’t have enough campaign cash left to buy ads ahead of the upcoming caucuses in Iowa. She also fell behind in the polls to the newest candidate, Michael Bloomberg. Senator Harris is expected to travel to several states this week to thank her supporters for their help and commitment to her campaign. In case you were wondering, there are still 15 Democrats vying for the nomination. And the award goes to “Senorita”! According to Spotify, the hit duet by Camila Cabelo and Shawn Mendes was the most-streamed song of 2019. Right behind them, was Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy.” When it came to most-streamed artist of the year, that honor goes to Post Malone. And for the decade, look no further than Drake. Asbestos was once so popular it went by the nickname “Grey Gold”. A Canadian town that mined it, even nameditself after the in-demand natural resource, which was primarily used to make insulation for homes and businesses. But that was a hundred years ago, before scientists knew just how dangerous it was to those who worked with it or installed it. Today, the health impacts are undeniable and the mayor of Abestos says he’s losing too much business; companies won’t set up shop because they don’t want that word in their address. The mayor is hoping to shake the stigma — by shaking the name. He’s asking his 7-thousand residents to come up with a new moniker, which will be revealed to the world sometime in 2020. The police response was quick, but not quick enough for the 5 second rule. A Facebook post shows officers in Brookhaven, Georgia responding to the scene of an accident where dozens of Krispy Kremes fell from a truck, and rolled into a gutter. Though tempted to make good on their donut-loving reputation, they had no choice but to declare a “total and senseless loss of delicious pastries.” Their loss didn’t last long, though. Police from a neighboring town sent over a sympathy batch.. with a side of coffee. That’s it for KidNuz this morning. Now our KidNuz quiz; A fifth of America’s 15 year olds can’t read at what level? That of a 10 year old. Who just dropped out of the 2020 Presidential Race? California Senator Kamala Harris What was the most streamed song of 2019? Señorita by Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes. What was the natural resource asbestos once used for? Insulation, until doctors realized it was dangerous to those who worked with it. In one for the road: They’ve arrived! The newfangled apple that we told you about last month is hitting stores shelves this week. The Cosmic Crisp is the creation of the University of Washington: It’s red with yellow dots that look like stars, hence the galactic name. What’s more.. it can reportedly stay fresh in the refrigerator for an entire year. Growers say they expect the Cosmic Crisp to completely replace another apple favorite, the honeycrisp, within the next decade. Our KidNuz birthday shout-outs today go to Aliza in Newton, Massachusetts, and Jericho in Wichita, Kansas. And we want to give a big hello to Ms. Hagen’s 4th Grade class at Sam Houston Elementary School in Marshall, Texas. Thanks for listening and we’ll see you back here for more KidNuz tomorrow morning! The post 12.04.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
12.03.2019
Dec 03 2019
Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019 and we begin with… …A nine-year-old boy from Florida hoping to make a 1-million dollar bet with President Trump. Evan is a fourth grader from the city of Melbourne and, through a series of tv ads and billboards, is challenging the leader of the free world to go vegan- meaning eating no fish, meat, dairy or eggs – for the month of January. If Mr. Trump puts his love for fast food burgers aside for 30 days, the nonprofit “Million Dollar Vegan” – which Evan represents – will donate one million dollars to veterans. The vegan advocacy group fights for “climate change through diet change,” has the support of celebrities including Paul McCartney, Moby and Woody Harrelson and says it’ll be ready to cash out within one hour if the president agrees on Twitter. According to Evan, it’s time to “Make America Healthy Again.” So far, Mr. Trump hasn’t responded to the challenge, but that could be because he’s busy being one of 29 heads-of-state getting a royal welcome today in the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II is hosting a big event at Buckingham Palace to mark the 70th anniversary of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is a military alliance formed between the United States, Canada and Europe after World War II. Expected to greet the President and First Lady: The Queen, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Prince William will miss the reception; he’s away on an official visit to the Middle East. Before boarding Air Force One for London, Mrs. Trump took part in a holiday tradition more than a century in the making. Early yesterday, she unveiled the official White House Christmas decorations, made possible by hundreds of volunteers from all 50 states. They spent the weekend transforming 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into a winter wonderland. This year’s theme is “The Spirit of America.” In all, the White House halls are decked with 15-thousand bows, 25-hundred strings of lights and 58 Christmas trees. The most important is the Blue Room Christmas tree, which stands 18 feet tall and is the ‘official’ tree of the residence. But by far the sweetest decoration can be found in the State dining room: it’s a giant replica of the White House made from 200 lbs. of gingerbread, 25 pounds of chocolate and another 25 pounds of icing. In Science News… They won’t be cranking out Lizzo or Halsey, but ocean researchers are, in fact, turning to music for a most ingenious reason. They’ve found it actually helps a dying reef… recover. Scientists from England and Australia dropped underwater speakers around the endangered Great Barrier reef .. then played sounds associated with a healthy underwater ecosystem, like the snap of shrimp and the swish of fish. And wouldn’t you know.. it worked! The study found that healthy reef sounds brought out double the number of young fish, and increased the number of species around the coral by 50 percent. Researchers say this fake it-till-you-make it approach won’t fix the crisis, but it’s a promising start. In Business News, Many Americans are waking up today with sore fingers and lighter wallets following a record-breaking Cyber Monday. According to Adobe Analytics, online shopping was expected to shatter records yesterday with a predicted $9.4 billion in sales, up a whopping 19% from last year. Experts point to two big reasons for the increase: a major East Coast snowstorm keeping gift buyers at home and a shorter, holiday shopping season – with Thanksgiving falling so late in November this year. That’s it for KidNuz. Now our KidNuz quiz: A 9-year-old Florida boy is challenging President Trump to do what? Go vegan for the month of January. What is taking place at Buckingham Palace today? A royal event to mark the 70th anniversary of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. What is helping dying coral reefs recover? Underwater speakers playing sounds from ‘healthy’ reefs. How tall is the official White House Christmas tree? It stands 18-feet tall. In One for the Road: The fourth grader challenging the President to change his diet, went vegan when he was only 5. Evan now has more than 15-thousand followers on his Instagram account, which is run by his mom. He’s also making a business of his lifestyle by selling his own vegan-inspired swag, including “powered by plants” and “animal defender” baseball caps on his website. Our KidNuz shout out today goes to Ms. Jennifer Brooks’ 5th Grade Class at Kelly Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas. Thanks for listening! Please remember to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll see you all back here for more KidNuz tomorrow morning! The post 12.03.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
12.02.2019
Dec 02 2019
Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Monday, December 2nd, 2019 and we begin with… A Florida high school saying a final farewell to formaldehyde frogs. Traditionally, students who take Biology are at some point asked to dissect, or carefully cut apart, the body of a dead, chemically preserved frog in order to study its organs. It’s exciting for some kids, disgusting for others. JW Mitchell in New Port Richey may have the answer: it’s reportedly the first school in the world to opt for state-of-the art synthetic frogs, which are made out of water, fibers and salt and are designed to look and feel just like the real deal. The company that makes these frogs- of-the-future say they’re safer, because students no longer have to come in contact with chemicals. And the animal protection group PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says the new technology will save the lives of millions of frogs. There are no two ways about it: Talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous. It’s also illegal if you’re not hands free. Until now, getting caught required a police officer rolling up on a driver when they weren’t expecting it. Not anymore. A state in Australia is deploying first-of-its-kind technology to catch those breaking the law behind the wheel. 45 high-definition “detection” cameras will be scattered around the state of New South Wales and, with artificial intelligence, will spot and verify offenders, then mail them a ticket that could top 450-dollars. A trial of the technology earlier in the year reportedly nabbed more than 100,000 drivers illegally using a phone at the wheel. This will ‘rewrite the astronomy books.’ That’s what scientists are saying about the discovery of a “stellar” black hole that’s so massive, it shouldn’t even exist. Typically, these kinds of holes form after stars die, collapse and explode. Previously, researchers believed that none could be more than 30 times the mass of our sun because most of the star gets blown to bits and swept away by stellar winds. But then came LB-1, which is a full 70 times the mass of the sun. Credit for the find goes to space experts from China, but their revelation has astronomers the world over scratching their heads over how it got so huge— and what it means for our overall understanding of the galaxies. If you were among the throngs of people who saw “Frozen 2” last weekend, you helped make history. The Disney sequel made more money over the 5-day Thanksgiving holiday than any other movie – ever. It took in 123-million dollars, obliterating the record held by “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” back in 2013. Princess Anna, Queen Elsa and Olaf also broke records a week ago, when their sequel debuted as both the biggest ever money maker for Disney animation studios — and had the biggest ever global opening for any animated film. A few moments in a Denny’s parking lot last week went viral for all the right reasons. Hours after a couple found out their young waitress walked 7 miles – each way – to her job at the restaurant in Galveston, Texas, they returned. Not for more food, but to hand Adrianna Edwards the keys to a Nissan Sentra. The car will turn her five hour walk into a 30 minute drive and, because she no longer has to save up for a set of wheels, will get to pay for college sooner than she thought. The couple who made her dreams come true wish to remain anonymous. And the only thing they asked in return, was that Adrianna pay their good deed forward. And that’s it for KidNuz. Now our KidNuz quiz; A high school in Florida is the first to do what? Trade out real frogs for fake ones in Biology class. Why is a stellar black hole making news? It’s more than 2 times bigger than astronomers thought possible. What record did Frozen 2 break? It made more money over the Thanksgiving holiday than any movie in history. How will an Australian state crack down on illegal cell phone use behind the wheel? With special cameras and artificial intelligence. In one for the road: Thanksgiving is already a tough day for turkeys, and one in particular was not in the mood to be messed with last week. A big aggressive bird showed up out of the blue, right where a California motorcycle cop was writing out a ticket for a speeding driver. Video from the officer’s uniform shows the wild turkey casually strolling up to the scene, then not so casually chasing the cop around in circles. At one point, the exasperated officer can be heard saying “He doesn’t want you getting a ticket!” — before quickly letting the driver off with just a warning. The Livermore Police Department posted the bird’s few minutes of fame, and dubbed him the “No Ticket Turkey.” Before we go, our KidNuz birthday shout outs go to Tucker in Edgewood, Maryland and Zander in Palo Alto, California. And special KidNuz greeting to Mrs. Hinck’s 5th Grade class at Hidden Hills Elementary School in San Ramon, CA Thanks for listening. We hope you tune in for more KidNuz tomorrow morning. The post 12.02.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
11.26.2019
Nov 26 2019
Good morning, and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Tuesday, Nov 26th, 2019. And we begin with.. …A Queen where there once was a king. Sunday night at the American Music Awards belonged to Taylor Swift, who won in all five categories for which she was nominated. In doing so, she dethroned Michael Jackson and his 24 awards to set a new high-water mark of 29. Among the honors, Artist of the Year and Artist of the Decade, which set up her “Will She or Won’t She” play her oldies moment. She did — and took the high road in her acceptance speech. There was no mention of her very public spat with her former record label. Instead, the Lover singer thanked those she’s working with now, celebrated her fans for always showing up, and said her latest work was all about new beginnings. It was a blizzard at the box office. Frozen 2 buried the competition, taking in 127 million dollars here in North America and another 350 million worldwide. That’s the highest-grossing weekend ever for any animated film globally. And it’s the largest opening for any Walt Disney Animation Studios release. Another PG movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, about the Mr. Rogers TV show came in second but , wasn’t even close. But, that’s not to say we didn’t learn a pretty cool fact about its star. Actor Tom Hanks just found out he’s actually related to Fred Rogers, the TV personality he played in the film. They are 6th cousins, sharing a great-great-great-great-great grandfather who was born in 1732. Believe it or not, there’s a forecast for balloons. And the predictions are a bit deflating for those hoping to catch the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on Thursday. A storm front that is expected to pound the Midwest tomorrow will push East and may set the stage for howling winds in the Big Apple on Thanksgiving Day. If sustained winds top 23 miles an hour or individual gusts get higher than 34 miles per hour, the city will ground the inflatables for safety reasons. At this point, the forecast shows winds flirting with some of those limits. If the city cancels the balloons, it will be the first time it’s had to do so since 1971. Oxford Dictionary has announced its word of the year; and it’s climate emergency which is defined as a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change. Oxford’s analysis of language data showed the use of the word climbed over 10-thousand percent from a year ago and was used three times more often than ‘health’, the year’s second-ranking word. And in case you’re saying.. wait.. climate emergency is really 2 words… a linguist, or language expert says that single words can consist of 2 parts. Previous words of the year have included toxic, youth-quake and post-truth. Everybody has a dream. For Jenny Doan of Chicago, that dream was to break the Guinness World hula hooping record. And not by simply beating the nearly 75 consecutive hours record. She wanted to hoop for 100 hours straight. The 29-year-old began her quest last Tuesday at a local tavern, buoyed by friends, loud music and live streaming. Participants are allowed 5-minute breaks each hour, which Doan cobbled together to take short naps. On Saturday morning, the exhausted hooper crossed the figurative finish line, but not without a snag. At about the 58-hour mark, Doan’s hoop fell to the floor, which might disqualify her. Doan’s hoping the drop can count toward one of her breaks, but it’ll be up to Guinness to make the final call. Even if she falls short, the event did raise $4500 to support mental health. That’s it for KidNuz. Now, the KidNuz quiz; Who is the new all-time winner at the American Music Awards? Taylor Swift who has now won 29 times. Which movie was number one at the box office last weekend? Frozen 2 What record did a Chicago woman hope to shatter? Doing the hula hoop for 100 straight hours. What is the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year? Climate Emergency In one for the road: Its history is as shrouded in mystery as its appeal. The “turducken” is a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey, roasted as one and served up for Thanksgiving. Who invented it? That depends on who you ask. But the bandwagon is apparently big enough for Pringles to jump on. The chip maker has created its own version: The Friendsgiving Feast Turducken Kit with stacks of turkey, chicken and duck flavored chips to eat separately – or all together. Before we go, today’s birthday shout outs go to Mairead in Wilmette, IL, Anna in Head Waters, VA, Gabby in Charlotte, NC, and Christian in Dallas, TX. Tomorrow, celebrations will be held for Holland in Salt Lake City, UT, Gibson in Las Vegas, NV and Darby in Liberty, MO. On Thursday, Loralie in Fort Knox, KY marks her birthday. Thanks for listening. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends. Our KidNuz team will be doing the same so we hope you tune in for more KidNuz Monday morning. The post 11.26.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
11.25.2019
Nov 25 2019
KidNuz 11.25.2019 Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Monday, November 25th 2019 and we begin with…. …An emotional few moments in a Minnesota classroom. 12 year old Jonathan Jones is severely colorblind, which means he can’t see vibrant shades of blues, reds or orange. Everything, he says, is just kind of dull. His classmates were learning about the disorder when their principal, who is also colorblind, brought in special glasses that allow wearers who otherwise can’t.. to see almost the entire rainbow of color. Jonathan’s first reaction was surprise — and then his emotions took over. Never before had he seen the hues most of us take for granted. The principal let him borrow the glasses until his parents could buy him a pair of his own. Within days, a GoFundMe page with a goal of $350 soared passed 17-thousand. Jonathan’s mom says the balance of the money will go to a foundation that will purchase glasses for anyone else who can’t afford them. It’s a holiday tradition for politicians. Over the weekend, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife made a super secret trip to Iraq to visit U.S. Troops. The second lady served up candied yams while Mr. Pence served up the bird and the following message: “For all the things we are grateful for this week, we are most thankful for all of you serving in the uniform of the United States.” The Al Asad base is in Western Iraq, which means the men and women stationed there are at least 6-thousand miles from their families. Dogs aren’t supposed to drive, but tell that to Max. The black lab was running errands with his owner in the town of Port St. Lucie, Florida when Max’s human took a wrong turn, pulled over and got out. What he didn’t do, however, was cut the engine. And that’s when Max shifted the Mercury Sable into reverse, and took a joy ride, backwards and in circles, for nearly an hour. Police and the fire department showed up, but could do little except watch and wait until Max hit a mailbox and a couple garbage cans, which slowed the car enough for officers to take over. One neighbor summed up the scene by saying “Give that dog a license. He drives better than most Floridians.” Well that didn’t go as planned. Tesla founder Elon Musk was showing off the toughness of his much hyped all electric futuristic cyber truck .. when he broke the windows he said were unbreakable. The failed stunt ranks high on the list of embarrassing auto industry rollouts and came moments after Musk bragged about the strength of the car’s “Armor Glass.” In the hopes of proving the point, a Tesla worker hurled a metal ball at the driver’s side window, which – to everyone’s surprise and to Musk’s horror- promptly shattered. Mr. Musk tried to save face with another attempt on the passenger side and it, too, cracked. Despite the high profile fail, It’s Mr. Musk getting the last laugh.Over the weekend, Tesla reported pre-orders for the truck had topped 146-thousand. If you can’t be on the field for the Super Bowl, why not be in a Super Bowl Commercial? The NFL has an open casting call out for its next generation of gridiron superstars to help film its next big ad. The league is asking all interested parents and coaches of kids 9-12 to send them a highlight reel with their pint size player’s best moves. There is no fee and no purchase necessary, but the NFL has this warning: Many will enter, few will win. More information can be found at playfootball.com/next100. And that’s it for KidNuz this morning. Now our KidNuz quiz: 1. How did Max the dog drive his owner’s car? By shifting it in to reverse. 2. What broke on Tesla’s new cyber truck? It’s unbreakable windows. 3. Who made a super secret visit to U.S. troops in Iraq? Vice President Mike Pence 4. What helped a colorblind 7th grader see color for the first time? Special glasses. In one for the road: Color blindness is not a form of blindness at all. Those who have it, can see.. but cannot distinguish between certain colors because light-sensitive cells in the back of the eye don’t work properly. Red-green color blindness is the most common, followed by blue-yellow. A complete absence of color is very rare. Thanks for listening! Parents and teachers, please rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and we’ll see you back here for more KidNuz tomorrow morning! The post 11.25.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
11.22.2019
Nov 22 2019
Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Friday, November 22, 2019 and we begin with… Out with the old and in with the new. That seems to be the case with the latest Grammy nominations. The top music awards show has been criticized for focusing on older rock stars and ignoring up-and-coming talent. Well, not this year. The latest crop of nominees are young and diverse. Getting the most nods this year is Lizzo.. a new pop & R&B star, nominated for 8 prizes. Right behind her with 6 nominations each are 20-year old Lil Nas X and 17-year old Billie Eilish, who is the youngest person ever to be nominated in all 4 top categories. Ariana Grande received 5 nods, and 10-time winner Taylor Swift received 3 but only one in a major category. The awards ceremony will be held Jan. 26 in Los Angeles. Speaking of awards, a new series of medals was recently handed out in Washington D.C. honoring service and sacrifice performed by animals. The Animals in War and Peace Medals of Bravery were distributed to 5 dogs, 2 pigeons and a horse. The only 2 living recipients were both dogs; Bass served 4 deployments with the US Marines as an explosive’s detector in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. And Bucca was a rescue dog who has teamed with the New York Fire department in hundreds of investigations. Reckless, the horse served during the Korean War carrying 9-thousand pounds of ammunition across open fields and up steep mountains. And the 2 homing pigeons helped deliver messages in the days before computers and cell phones; Cher Ami served during WWI and another called GI Joe flew during World War II. The inclusion of a free toy with a kids meal at some fast food chains may be disappearing. Burger King has just announced it plans to eliminate all non-biodegradable toys worldwide by the year 2025. The main reason is to reduce trash. The company is encouraging customers to deposit old toys in collection bins at their restaurants so the pieces can be melted down and re-used to make playground equipment and tray tables. And Burger King isn’t alone in considering a toyless future. McDonalds’ is exploring ways to scale back the distribution of plastic toys. Last month, the Golden Arches in Britain offered Happy Meal customers the choice of a toy or a bag of fruit. And next year they can choose between a toy or a book. It might be hard to imagine if you’re standing on a huge beach, but the world seems to be running out of sand. This is according to a new report from the BBC. This seemingly ordinary commodity is actually a critical ingredient in our lives. It’s the primary raw material used to create modern cities. It’s in the concrete that makes malls, offices and apartment buildings. Asphalt for roads is mainly sand and gravel glued together. The glass in every window, windshield and smart phone screen is made of melted-down sand. And desert sand won’t work; those grains are the wrong shape, being too smooth and rounded. The more angular grains needed are found in the beds and banks of rivers, lakes and the seashore. And that’s being scooped up so quickly, there’s now a call for the United Nations to set up a monitoring program to limit and control the situation of sand mining so it doesn’t all just disappear. Sunglasses might not help you here; Scientists have detected the brightest light in the universe for the first time following a mysterious explosion in space. This happened in galaxies billions of light years away from us. 300 scientists around the world studied the results captured by some very high-powered telescopes and their findings were just published 2 days ago in the journal Nature. They determined these were the strongest gamma-ray bursts they’d ever seen. And gamma ray bursts are incredibly bright; they typically release more energy in just a few seconds, than our sun during its entire lifetime. And that’s it for KidNuz. Now our KidNuz quiz: Which musical artist got the most nominations for this year’s Grammy Awards? Pop and R&B star Lizzo. What are the 3 types of animals that got medals for bravery? 5 dogs, 2 pigeons and a horse. Why is Burger King going to eliminate plastic toys from their Kids Meal? To reduce trash. The world may be running out of what ordinary material? Sand In one for the road: a few more fun facts about homing pigeons; These birds are known for their ability to find their way home over extremely long distances; 11hundred miles in some cases. Their average speed is about 60 miles an hour though some top racers have been clocked flying up to 100 miles an hour. Up until 1990, pigeons were used in parts of rural Australia to deliver communication between remote villages. Before we go.. our birthday shout out today goes to Blake in Granville, IL And a Kidnuz greeting to Miss Alex and Miss Johannah’s Elementary classes at Torit Montessori School in Boston, Massachusetts. Thanks for listening everyone. We’ll see you back here for more KidNuz Monday morning! The post 11.22.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
11.21.2019
Nov 21 2019
Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Kim. Today is Thursday, November 21st, 2019 and we begin with…. A burst of unicorns in the forecast for tonight’s evening sky. Meteorologists say there’s a “good chance” that a celestial event known as a unicorn meteor shower will take place shortly before midnight eastern time and last just under an hour. The cosmic outburst’s scientific name is Alpha Monocerotids, Monoceros being Greek for unicorn. Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through debris left by a comet or asteroid. Tonight’s short but powerful storm could potentially unleash 400 shooting stars and if you’re allowed to stay up and watch it, those of you living in the western and north-central parts of the country will have the best view. How close is too close may be up to the courts to decide. A man in Georgia is suing Burger King because the fast food outlet cooked his Impossible Whopper on the same grill as its beef burgers. Phillip Williams is a strict vegan and claims he wouldn’t have bought the burger, had he known it was prepared alongside meat. Burger King’s website does state that it offers a non-broiler cooking method available on request. The company has so far declined to comment on the lawsuit. The rising popularity of plant-based burgers is testing fast food chains’ ability to meet customers’ demands due to limited grill space. Technology and the traditional Turkey Day feast don’t often go go hand in hand. But, The Daring Kitchen issued a new study using geotagged Twitter data – to answer the question: What’s the most hated side dish on the Thanksgiving menu – in all 50 states. If you take a pass on cranberry sauce, you’re in the majority. A total of 17 states including California, Washington, Florida, Texas and New York dislike it the most. Second on the list is green bean casserole, followed by stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. To compile the information, the study’s authors looked at 50,000 tweets in the month of November that contained phrases and hashtags about hating Thanksgiving Day foods. Have you ever been late because of lost car keys? California based Karma Automotive is tackling that problem by inventing a car… that ‘knows’ its driver. Facial recognition technology and fingerprint sensors top its list of features, but the Jetsons-like-prototype can also go from zero-to-60 in less than two seconds, has hinged, winged doors, biometric seats, individual sound zones and glass windows that shift from clear to opaque when a little more privacy is needed. The SC2, all-electric concept car is making its debut tomorrow at the Los Angeles Auto Show. But, don’t expect to see it on the road anytime soon- or maybe ever. A company spokesman describes the car as a “signpost” of how the company will use technology in the future. Get your pencils out – Santa Claus has a new address. With just a month ‘til Christmas, the U.S Postal Service is streamlining the process of getting your letters and lists to the big man on time. No longer is a letter addressed to “Santa, North Pole” quite enough. Starting this holiday season, letter carriers would like you to use Kris Kringle’s – until now – very secret – address of: 123 Elf Road, North Pole. 88888. Making all those holiday dreams come true, however, is still pretty challenging. And that’s where Operation Santa comes in. Now in its 107th year, Operation Santa lets everyday people like your mom and dad become Santa’s official helpers and do some of his legwork. If that sounds interesting, they can find out more online at uspsoperationsanta.com. And that’s it for KidNuz this morning. Now, our KidNuz quiz. When does a meteor shower occur? When the Earth comes in contact with debris from an asteroid or comet. Why is a Burger King customer suing the franchise? Because his vegan burger was cooked on the same grill as beef burgers. What is the most disliked Thanksgiving Day side dish? Cranberry sauce, which topped the list in 17 states. Why is the post office giving out Santa Claus’ exact address? To make it easier to process the hundreds of thousands of letters mailed to him each year. And in one for the road… Kids have been writing letters to Santa for a long time. But they didn’t always send them. In fact, they used to burn them. That’s according to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. Before the U.S. Post Office was established in 1775, American kids would set fire to their letters, with the hope that the ashes would rise up and reach Santa himself. Needless to say, don’t try that at home, especially now that you have his address. That’s it for KidNuz. Some of our listeners celebrating birthdays today include Taylor in Stockton, California, Oliver in Los Angeles, California and Aiden in New Hampton, Iowa. We’d also like to say hello to Mrs. Hunt’s 7thand 8th grade class at Resurrection Lutheran Academy in South Bend, Indiana. Thanks for listening everyone! And we hope you tune in for more KidNuz tomorrow morning. The post 11.21.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
11.20.2019
Nov 20 2019
Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Kim. Today is Wednesday, November 20th, 2019 and we begin with… .. a chance for you to turn the tables on your parents and grill them about their safety habits. A new report finds that 25% of adults don’t buckle up when they sit in the back seat. The survey is from the Governors Highway Safety Association and was timed to coincide with the start of the holiday road trip season, when more people are in their cars more often.. and often for longer trips. The results were concerning overall, but especially so for those who use ride hailing services like Lyft and Uber. The data shows the number of serious injuries could be cut in half if backseat belts were worn. It’s the toot heard round the world. A California congressman may – or may not have – let one rip live, mid-sentence on MSNBC’s Chris Matthew’s Show. Despite the audio evidence, Representative Eric Swalwell was quick to tweet “It was not me!!” as soon as he realized social media was having a field day with it. The show’s producers jumped to his defense and blamed a coffee cup scraping across a desk, even though it sounds nothing like a coffee cup scraping across a desk. #Fartgate is now trending and, in apparent nod to “if you can’t beat them, join them,” Mr Swalwell chimed in, quote “this, too, shall pass.” In Science News, A super secret solar startup is just now seeing the light of day – and it could be a game changer. Microsoft founder Bill Gates teamed up with a company by the name of Heliogen (hee-lee-oh-gen) to pair artificial intelligence with a field of mirrors. The result is a solar oven so hot that it can reach one-thousand degrees celsius, which is a quarter of the temperature found on the surface of the sun. That extreme, “clean” heat would reportedly be used to make cement, steel and glass — all industries that are currently major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. One company board member wasn’t shy with his opinion. He said quote “The potential to humankind is enormous. The potential to business is unfathomable..” It’s de ja vu for residents of Northern California. High winds are in the forecast today and tonight.. and that means the power company might cut the juice once again to more than a hundred thousand customers to prevent its electric lines from sparking wildfires. The good news? The wind warning and potential shut offs should end by tomorrow and there’s actually rain in the forecast for the first time in months. Right now, more than 81-percent of the state is considered abnormally dry. Tonight in Atlanta, 10 of the 18 Democratic candidates for President will take the stage for another debate. What about the other eight in the race? They didn’t qualify – either because their poll numbers were too low or they didn’t raise enough money. If you watch, pay close attention to where they’re standing, because there’s definitely a pecking order. The four in the middle – Joe Biden, Pete Buttegieg, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren- all have the most support among voters. Those on the wings are still struggling to find their footing. If you miss tonight’s face-off, there’ll be plenty more. This is only the 5th of 12 scheduled debates. And that’s it for KidNuz this morning. Now the KidNuz quiz: How many adults don’t wear a seatbelt when sitting in the back? 25-percent. A California congressman is trending on social media. Why? He may, or may not have, passed gas – loudly – on live television. What is taking place tonight, in Atlanta? The 5th debate among Democratic Presidential candidates. The just-revealed super secret solar oven can reach what temperature? 1-thousand degrees Celsius, which is one quarter as hot as the surface of the sun. In one for the road: It sounds like the tiff about Taylor Swift performing her old songs at the American Music Awards.. is over. But is it? A joint statement from the record label that owns her first six albums and the producer of the AMA’s says she can sing whatever she wants. Within hours of that statement’s release, Dick Clark Productions said “not so fast” – it didn’t co-author any agreement with Big Machine, and any decision must be between the artist and the label. As of the recording of today’s KidNuz, the only thing we know for sure is that this very public spat will probably drive up ratings as viewers tune in to for a “will she.. or won’t she” moment. Our birthday shout out today goes to Cooper in Lincolnshire, Illinois. And we’d like to say hello to Ms. Sara Smith’s 3rd grade class at North Elementary School in Noblesville, Indiana. Thanks for listening everyone. Parents, please rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts and we’ll see you back here for more KidNuz tomorrow morning! The post 11.20.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
11.19.2019
Nov 19 2019
Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Tuesday, November 19th, 2019 and we begin with… One of Washington D.C.’s favorite residents airborne, in style. Today, Bei Bei the Panda will board a private Boeing 777F, dubbed the Panda Express, for a flight to his new home in China. Bei Bei was born at the Smithsonian’s ‘National Zoo’ back in 2015. As part of an agreement with conservationists, though, all cubs born at the Zoo must return to China when they turn 4 years old. Bei Bei will be accompanied on his 15-hour journey by one panda keeper, one veterinarian, and a snack pack containing 65 pounds of bamboo. Giant Pandas are native to China and are considered a ‘national treasure.’ At last count, there were less than 2-thousand left in the wild, and another 300 in zoos around the world. There’s a new twist in the Impeachment inquiry. President Trump now says he might take Speaker Pelosi up on her challenge for him to testify in his own defense. In his words, he is ‘strongly considering’ the possibility. The President’s testimony could be in person or, more likely, in writing. There’s no word if – or when – that might take place. The public hearings, meantime, resume today on Capitol Hill. One of the stars in our galaxy is getting the boot. S5-HVS1 as it’s formally known, apparently got a little too close to the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. That.. was five million years ago. And when it happened, the energy of the hole grabbed the star and then basically spit it out at such a high rate of speed that it’s essentially being evicted. S5 is currently moving at 6 million kilometers per hour, which is 10x faster than its fellow stars. At that rate, scientists say, it’s headed out of the Milky Way and will likely never return. The pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong are now impacting students from the U.S. Georgetown and Syracuse University both announced they’re cutting short their study abroad programs on the island due to escalating violence. Over the weekend and yesterday, demonstrators armed with homemade bows and arrows clashed with police throwing tear gas. Much of the unrest took place in and around Hong Kong Polytechnic University. City officials ordered students to leave the campus, but many barricaded themselves inside knowing they’d be arrested if they left. The students — and many other residents- are demanding more freedom from Chinese rule. In Health News: An 11-year-old from Monroe, Ohio is getting a hero’s award for saving a life. 6th grader Nick Hutton was having breakfast with his great-grandmother when, out of the blue, she started slurring her words. Nick knew something was wrong, grabbed his cell phone, and walked the 911 operator through his great-grandmother’s symptoms. The diagnosis was a stroke, which happens when oxygen gets cut off from the brain. Getting treatment in the first few hours is critical to a good outcome and nurses at the hospital say Nick’s quick thinking made all the difference. You, too, could be a hero to someone by remembering F-A-S-T, or FAST. Those letters represent the symptoms of a stroke and include: F, for facial drooping, A, for arm weakness, S, for speech problems, and T – time to call 911. And that’s it for KidNuz. Now our KidNuz quiz: How many Giant Pandas are left in the wild? Less than 2-thousand. Why is a star in the Milky Way leaving at such a high rate of speed? Scientists say when it got too close to the black hole in the center, the energy tossed it out. How did an 11-year-old save his great-grandmother’s life? By recognizing the signs of a stroke and calling 911. What two universities are cutting short their study abroad programs because of unrest in Hong Kong? Georgetown and Syracuse. In one for the road: It’s somehow gross – and fascinating – at the same time. Taco Bell has posted a recipe for an untraditional side dish for Thanksgiving. It involves buying the company’s rolled chicken tacos, throwing them in a blender with some heavy cream and spices, then serving it up as either a holiday bisque, or a holiday dip. We looked for nutrition information … but couldn’t find any. Before we go.. our birthday shout outs today go to Samantha in Jacksonville, Hazel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Tanay in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and Kelsey in Mathis, Texas. And a big hello to Ms. Audrey Adams’ 5th grade class at O’Donnell Elementary School in Aurora, IL. Thanks for listening everyone and we’ll see you back here for more KidNuz tomorrow morning! The post 11.19.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more
11.18.2019
Nov 18 2019
Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Tori. Today is Monday, November 18th, 2019 and we begin with…. A chance for you and your favorite pooch to team up for science. Researchers from the University of Washington are looking for 10-thousand dogs for the largest ever study on canine aging. All ages, sizes and breeds are welcome, and the pets will get to live at home and follow their usual routine. Owners will need to complete online questions about food and walks and also take their dogs to the vet once a year. 500 of the four-legged participants will test a pill that could slow the aging process. The Project’s co-director says what they learn will be great for dogs, and may also someday benefit human health as well. Interested families can sign up at dogagingproject.org. You’re going to hear and see the state of Iowa in the news a lot for the next few months. The reason: its caucuses – or party meetings -in February are the first real test of popularity for Presidential candidates. A good outcome gives a campaign a big boost, while a poor showing might doom it. And that’s why a new poll is getting so much attention. According to CNN, Pete Buttigieg is now the new frontrunner in Iowa among Democrats. He’s up 16 points there since the last survey in September and now has a sizable lead over the rest of the pack. Second place is basically a 3-way tie between Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. As if the Colin Kaepernick story could get any messier. This weekend, his private workout for interested NFL teams took a bizarre turn when the quarterback himself changed the location— and made it open to all. With little notice, Kaepernick moved the session to a high school 44 miles away from where it was supposed to be … and invited the media and anyone else who wanted to watch. Representatives for the former player say he wanted full transparency — and didn’t want to sign a waiver on which the NFL was insisting. At least 7 teams made it to the new workout site. For its part, the league calls Kaepernick a “No Show” and says at least 25 teams would have seen him if he’d stayed put. Dunkin’ dropped donuts from its name and now it’s dropping Styrofoam from its stores. The move isn’t sitting well, especially in New England, where customers have a tradition of “double-cupping” to keep the drink at just the right temperature, and their hands at just the right comfort level. Styrofoam is the trade name for polystyrene. It’s lightweight and is good at keeping cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot. But it doesn’t break down when thrown out and, because it floats, it’s ended up along coastlines and in waterways and is considered one of the biggest sources of ocean pollution. Dunkin says it will complete its shift to paper containers by spring of next year. Two states, Maine and Maryland, have already passed sweeping bans on Styrofoam — and more states are expected to follow suit. Will Taylor Swift get to play her old songs at the American Music Awards next week.. or not? It’s the talk of the music industry and all comes down to one very important question: Who owns a singer’s songs: Is it the artist? or the Record Label? According to the pop star, the company that bought her old originals is preventing her from performing them at the AMA’s because the ceremony is televised, which would allow her to, essentially, re-record them before she’s allowed to. That company -Big Machine – flatly denies the claim and accuses the singer of misrepresenting the issue. Taylor is getting the Artist of the Decade award and is reportedly scheduled to play a medley of her hits. And that’s it for KidNuz. Now our KidNuz quiz; How many dogs are needed for the University of Washington’s study on aging? 10-thousand. Who is now the front runner among Democratic presidential hopefuls in Iowa? Pete Buttigieg. Why did Colin Kaepernick move his workout location at the last minute? He says he wanted the media there and didn’t want to sign a waiver. What is at the heart of the Taylor Swift controversy? At issue is who owns a singer’s songs – the artist or the record label. In one for the road: Apparently, we all have a little klutz in us, especially when it comes to our phones. According to a new survey, the average American drops his or her cell phone four times a week. A third say they drop it even more than that. And for one in three of those polled, that slip landed the phone.. in the toilet. Before we go, today’s birthday shout outs go to Willow in Portsmouth, NH, Sage in Gilbert, AZ And Lilly in Columbus, Mississippi. And we’d also like to say a big Kidnuz hello to Mr. Hoverman’s 5th Grade Language Arts Class at Van Wert Elementary School in Van Wert, Ohio. Thanks for listening and we’ll see you back here for more KidNuz tomorrow morning. The post 11.18.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....more