Ice isn't always nice!

 Giant ice sheets roam Lake Michigan

As we all know, it has been a very cold and snowy February. This has led to the formation of giant ice sheets on the coasts of Lake Michigan. These are huge areas of ice, miles across in some cases, that form during our frigid January and February winters. This week, a large ice sheet that formed along Lake Michigan in Chicago broke off from the shore and drifted across the lake to the state of Michigan. It is an amazing sight you can watch in the videos below. Sometimes people are ice fishing in these ice sheets when they break off from the shore at this time of the year. These fishermen and women often need to be rescued by the coast guard as the ice sheet drifts out into the lake. Consequently the message is: stay off the ice!

Question: have you been to the Waukegan lake front or beach since last March?

Huge sheet of ice drifts across Lake Michigan after breaking away from Chicago

Land of Lincoln

 Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Illinois is the Land of Lincoln and that is not going to change!

Lori Lightfoot

Many statues have come down around the country since George Floyd's death in police custody last spring. But the mayor of Chicago says that Illinois will remain the land of Lincoln and that his statue will not come down even though some activists might pressure the city to do so.  Lori Lightfoot stated:

During a press conference, Lightfoot was asked about her thoughts on the notion that Chicago statutes of Lincoln and Washington might be "problematic."

"Well, I'm not going to get ahead of myself," Lightfoot said. "I think what the monuments and murals committee did was identify those statues and murals and other historical markers that are worthy of conversation. And I think they are worthy of conversation. But let's be clear, we're in the Land of Lincoln, and that's not going to change." (‘We're in the Land of Lincoln:' Lightfoot Responds to Chicago Mural Controversy)

Question: Do you think Illinois should remain the land of Lincoln?

‘We're in the Land of Lincoln:' Lightfoot Responds to Chicago Mural Controversy

Criminal justice reform?

 Governor Pritzker signs criminal reform bill Monday

Illinois lawmakers in Springfield

A new and controversial law was signed into effect by Governor Pritzker on Monday. This law significantly changes the was that police and the courts handle crime in Illinois. Proponents of the bill say it will make law enforcement fairer and promote justice, but detractors say it will make communities less safe. According to the Chicago Tribune the bill:

"will end cash bail beginning in 2023, require police officers statewide to wear body cameras by 2025, eliminate requirements for signing sworn affidavits when filing complaints against officers, and create a more robust statewide system for tracking police misconduct and decertifying officers who commit wrongdoing, among a host of other changes." (Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs sweeping Illinois criminal justice overhaul, which will end cash bail starting in 2023)

In the same article in the Chicago tribune, Governor Pritzker stated:

“This legislation marks a substantial step toward dismantling the systemic racism that plagues our communities, our state and our nation and brings us closer to true safety, true fairness and true justice.”

 However, Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin stated:

“The governor’s support of House Bill 3653 is an insult to our first responders, law enforcement and the law-abiding citizens of Illinois who want to live free of violence and destruction from the criminal element,” the Western Springs Republican said in a statement. (Pritzker hails newly signed criminal justice reform bill as ‘substantial step’ in erasing ‘systemic racism’)

 Critics of this bill note that it includes the following controversial positions:

• Requires police to provide a predicate offense for resisting arrest, essentially meaning that any resistance by suspects, the first blame will be placed on the officers themselves on why the resistance occurred.
• Eliminates monetary bail.
• Prohibits agencies from publishing booking photos on social media sites.
• Affidavits no longer required for police misconduct complaints, meaning there is no accountability when a citizen lies about a police officer.
• Removes discipline from collective bargaining.
• Complicates police use of force according to long-established “reasonableness” standards of the Supreme Court.
• Requires the use of body cameras statewide by 2025 and makes it a felony for failing to turn on the camera while prohibiting officers from reviewing any footage. (Alabama Chief thanks Illinois Governor for sending him officers after police reform bill is passed)
  

Will these new rules make Illinois a safer place as we experience a major crime surge? See the articles below to make up your own mind.

Question: Do you think the new criminal justice reform law will be a benefit or hazard to Illinois communities?

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs sweeping Illinois criminal justice overhaul, which will end cash bail starting in 2023

Pritzker hails newly signed criminal justice reform bill as ‘substantial step’ in erasing ‘systemic racism’

Alabama Chief thanks Illinois Governor for sending him officers after police reform bill is passed

Illinois poised to end cash bail and possibly set alleged criminals free 

 

Incredible glimpse of the real Mars!

 Beautiful views of Mars from the Perseverance Rover

The rover landing on mars

The Perseverance Rover, an unmanned spaceship and vehicle we sent to mars has landed and sent back some really amazing footage of the planet's surface. We can see what it really looks like after centuries of speculation. It actually appears a lot like we have always described mars in famous stories like Ray Bradbury's book The Martian Chronicles. It is red after all and desert, quite a bit like the American Southwest or Northern Mexico. 

Footage of mars from Perseverance

The Perseverance rover also has a robotic surface vehicle that will spend two years looking for signs of ancient life on the red planet. As you might already know, the US government has said we will send humans to mars by the 2030's, only about ten years from now. The Perseverance Rover is a huge step in accomplishing that goal. It is a remarkable feat of science and should inspire all of us to look forward to a better future!

Question: would you like to work on spacecraft and space travel in the future?

The inspiring hidden message in the Mars Perseverance rover's parachute 

Perseverance rover snaps gorgeous HD panorama of Mars landing site 

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Gives High-Definition Panoramic View of Landing Site 

Ray Bradbury's mars

Video game violence and real crime

 Will banning Grand Theft Auto reduce carjackings?

As we have written in the past, carjackings have dramatically increased over the past year around the country, particularly in Chicago. In January of 2021, this year, there were 218 carjackings in Chicago. Most of these crimes were committed by young people under the age of 18, with some as young as 10 years old. As a result, one of the responses from a Chicago lawmaker is to ban the very well-known game, Grand Theft Auto. This is not the first time this game has been banned and there is a limited amount of evidence that playing violent video games leads to actual crime. Furthermore the game is now at least 6 years old in its most recent version. Since many people download games now for their consoles and computers, banning purchase of the game disk in Chicago or Illinois as a whole may not really affect sales much. According to ABC7 news, State Representative Marcus Evans, who is sponsoring the bill, stated:

"'Grand Theft Auto' and other violent video games are getting in the minds of our young people and perpetuating the normalcy of carjacking," Evans said. "Carjacking is not normal and carjacking must stop."

“The bill would prohibit the sale of some of these games that promote the activities that we’re suffering from in our communities.” Evans said.

“I feel like this game has become a huge issue in this spectrum,” Walker said. “When you compare the two, you see harsh similarities as it relates to these carjackings.” ('Grand Theft Auto' ban? IL representative proposes banning popular video game, says it contributes to Chicago-area carjackings)

 Does playing Grand Theft Auto lead to actual carjackings? Will banning sales of the game lead to a decrease in carjackings in Chicago? Read the articles below to make up your own mind.

Questions: Should GTA be banned and will this lead to fewer carjackings?

Ban sale of Grand Theft Auto, other violent video games, state rep says

Illinois may ban ‘Grand Theft Auto’ to stop carjackings 

'Grand Theft Auto' ban? IL representative proposes banning popular video game, says it contributes to Chicago-area carjackings

 

A half million Americans have died from Covid 19

 President Biden commemorates a half million Americans who have died from Covid 19

Very tragically we have reached a point where now more than half a million Americans have died from Covid 19. In addition, many more people have died from indirect results of the pandemic. Thousands of businesses have closed and thousands of people have lost their jobs. It is a true, historical tragedy of great proportions. We have been out of the school buildings since March 13, 2020, almost an entire year. 

Here in Lake County, Illinois, 915 people died from the virus of which 498 people were in nursing homes. The recovery rate was 98.1%. In the U.S. as a whole, 28.2 million people contracted the virus and as of 20/23/21, more than 501,454 thousand people have died from Covid 19. 

In the ceremony commemorating those who have died, President Biden said:

"That's how you heal — you have to remember," Mr. Biden said. "And it's also important to do that as a nation. Those who have lost loved ones, here's what I know: They're never truly gone. They'll always be part of your heart." ( Biden commemorates 500,000 U.S. lives lost to COVID-19)

We all need to remember the tragedy of what has happened in the wake of this virus and remember all those who have suffered and died from it's consequences. Thankfully we are finally moving out of the worst phase of the pandemic is over now and fewer people are contracting the virus. Additionally, millions of people are getting the vaccine. There is hope right around the corner and even the weather is warmer finally this week!

Question: How do you think we should remember those who have perished in this pandemic?

Lake County, IL Coronavirus Data Hub

Biden commemorates 500,000 U.S. lives lost to COVID-19 

Swimming all year long

 Would you swim in Lake Michigan in the middle of a freezing and icy winter?

These ladies decided to swim in Lake Michigan in all weather despite sub-zero temperatures and thick ice! They only missed a few days during the entire pandemic because they feel that swimming in all weather helps them recover from the tragedies of losing their husband to Covid and overcoming the depression of being locked down for so long.  Jennifer Hoffmann, 55 and Helen Wagner, 66, have been 'swimming through' the pandemic. According to the Chicago Tribune article on the ladies: 

"The women can feel the current around them, beneath them. They know they have to be careful. The ice is sharp, the currents are unpredictable.

But this is what gets them up every morning in this Chicago winter, in the midst of a pandemic. It’s what carries them through the days. Let other people call it crazy. They call it joyful, empowering, calming, the ecstasy of swimming through." (Column: Day after day at sunrise, 3 Chicago women are ‘swimming through’ the winter in icy Lake Michigan)

 Amazingly the two friends have been swimming even in the coldest weather we've had this month. They break the ice with a hammer and jump into the frigid water. It is a very admirable way to get through the pandemic, but I don't think I would try it myself. I wouldn't recommend anyone else try it either!

Question: Would you like to try winter swimming when you are older?

 Column: Day after day at sunrise, 3 Chicago women are ‘swimming through’ the winter in icy Lake Michigan

a very scary but short flight

 Jet engine falls off but everyone survives!

Part of the engine fell on a house!

Last Saturday, United flight 238 departing from Denver, Colorado to Honolulu, Hawaii, took off normally and the passengers were excited about going to the warm and lovely Hawaiian islands from cold and snowy Colorado. Unfortunately after a a few minues there was an explosion on the right side of the Boeing 777-200. the passengers looked at the engine and saw that large parts had blown off of the covering had disappeared and the remaining portion of the engine was on fire. The jet started shaking violently. The 241 passengers remained calm as did the professional crew, but everyone was terrified and people prayed that they would see their family again. It was a terrible shock but despite the stress everyone remained under control while the pilot radioed the control tower in Denver and requested permission to return and land. 

Meanwhile large pieces of the engine fell on the houses and parks in Denver below. Thankfully no one on the ground was injured by the debris.  Despite the severe damage to the one engine, the jet was able to stay aloft and returned to the Denver airport and land safely.  Thanks to the skill and professionalism of the crew and the calmness of the passengers, no one was injured and they could resume their flight on a different aircraft.

Question: How would you handle the situation described in this story if you were a passenger?

How United Airlines passengers reacted when the plane's engine exploded midair

United pilot called 'mayday, mayday' amid engine failure after Denver takeoff 

 

New immigration laws for 2021

 President Biden issues new immigrations laws!

Joe Biden

Before he became president, Joe Biden promised to change the U.S. immigration system and to offer a path tp citizenship for people who entered the United States illegally. This bill is called the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. Some of the highlights of the bill are:

• Establish an 8-year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. by Jan. 1
• Provide an expedited path to citizenship for farm workers and undocumented young people who arrived in the U.S. as children with temporary protected status under DACA
• Replace the word "alien" with "non-citizen" in law
• Raise the per-country caps on family and employment-based legal immigration numbers
• Repeal the penalty that prohibits undocumented immigrants who leave the country from returning to the U.S. for between three to ten years
• Expand transnational anti-drug task forces in Central America
• Increase funding for technology at the southern border (Democrats introduce sweeping immigration bill with 8-year pathway to citizenship)

These are big changes in the current immigration system that will offer opportunities to many many people that came to the United States illegally and undocumented. However, it will likely anger many other Americans, especially Republicans. In fact in order to pass and become a law it will need the support of at least 10 Republicans. This may not happen and it is unlikely the bill will be passed in its present form. 

Question: Do you know anyone who would benefit from the 2021 citizenship act?

Democrats introduce sweeping immigration bill with 8-year pathway to citizenship

Biden's immigration bill lands on the Hill facing bleak odds

White House announces sweeping immigration bill

Teenage bullying can catch up with you...

 Two top South Korean volleyball stars are banned for teenage bullying

The top volley ball players in South Korea, Lee Jae-yeong and her twin sister Lee Da-yeong of the Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders are being temporarily banned from their sport and from future coaching over online bullying they engaged in while in middle school. Anonymous posters said they had been bullied online by the twins while they were in middle school, 10 years ago. Unfortunately in Korea and in Japan bullying is quite common and can make life very unpleasant for middle and high school students. These two girls who are 25 years old at the present, are the top volleyball stars in South Korea. After these accusations came out, the twins apologized for their past behavior in public, but thousands of online commentators have called for their being banned from the sport. However, this  behavior took place while the two sisters were quite young. None the less the South Korean club that employs the two girls has issued statements including the following:

"We apologize for the disappointment this situation has caused to those who love volleyball and feel a strong sense of responsibility," read a statement.

"School bullying is something that should never happen and cannot be tolerated for any reason. The two players are thoroughly reflecting themselves by admitting the truth and apologizing.

"We also would like to apologize to the victims who suffered due to the players' wrongful actions." (South Korean volleyball twins Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong dropped amid bullying scandal)

The apology is good and necessary, but should adults be held responsible for foolish behavior that they did while they were in middle school?

Question: Should the twins be banned from adult sports for bullying they did while in middle school?

Volleyball players accused of bullying likely to lose future coaching opportunities

South Korean volleyball twins Lee Jae-yeong and Lee Da-yeong dropped amid bullying scandal

Talk about climate change...

 What happened when the earth's magnetic poles flipped 42,000 years ago?

The earth's magnetic fields

The earth's magnetic poles are normally at the north and south poles. That's why magnets always point north when you use them in a compass or hang a magnet from a piece of string. The earth itself is a giant magnet that creates a magnetic field surrounding the planet. This magnetic field keeps out many of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays that can harm living things including humans. 

The earth's magnetic fields block the sun's radiation

Once every 200,000 years or so the earth's magnetic poles shift. this creates widespread havoc with the weather and can severely impact on living things, with giant thunder storms that make the sky seem like a nuclear war. Well about 42,000 years ago this is exactly what happened. Scientist's have long suspected that this occurred and now are linking this climate disaster with mass extinction. At one point when the magnetic poles changed all those thousands of years ago, the magnetic field blocking the sun's rays decreased to only 6% of normal, which allowed a vastly increased amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation to reach the surface. This may have been the factor that led to the extinction of megafauna, large animals such as giant kangaroos, mammoths and a kind of giant wombat called a diprotodon. In addition, this is when our relatives, neanderthals also died out as a separate branch of humans. Hopefully this will not happen again for a long, long time. By then perhaps humans will be living on distant planets such as mars, so we won't need to worry!

Diprotodon

Question: Where would you like to be in the event of a sudden climate disaster?

Ancient Trees Show When The Earth's Magnetic Field Last Flipped Out

A magnetic field reversal 42,000 years ago may have contributed to mass extinctions

Earth's magnetic field broke down 42,000 years ago and caused massive sudden climate change

tumbling down

 Statues in Chicago may be removed, including Abraham Lincoln!

The statue is gone!

After the George Floyd protests and riots over last summer, many statues of various historical figures were pulled down across the USA. Some of these statutes were of people such as confederate generals in the South, who had fought to preserve slavery. But others we people that did not necessarily have a connection with slavery and oppression. For example Christopher Columbus, who is loved by Italian Americans, and was the first European known to have discovered the Americas, was removed in Chicago last July. The mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, said the statue was removed temporarily. But it has not been brought back as of this winter. Now 41 more statues are possibly going to removed from their locations in Chicago, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, among others. 

Columbus comes down

It is not clear why Lincoln would be included in this list, since Illinois is the 'Land of Lincoln' and Abraham Lincoln was the president that freed the slaves and defeated the Confederacy in the Civil War. However, the committee that is considering whether to remove statues has a list of criteria that may result in Lincoln's removal, along with many other statues.

Question: Should Abraham Lincoln be taken down?

40 Pieces Of Public Art In Chicago Flagged As Potentially Problematic By Review Panel

Chicago statues of Columbus, Presidents Washington and Lincoln among commission’s list of 41 controversial monuments throughout city

Chicago reviewing statues of Lincoln, Washington, other US icons for possible 'action'

Should the state of Illinois take over the Waukegan schools?

 State lawmaker seeks to have Waukegan schools taken over by the State of Illinois instead of local school board-why?

Rita Mayfield

Rita Mayfield is an Illinois lawmaker from Waukegan who believes that the Illinois State Board of Education should take over control of the district from the local school board. This is called Illinois House Bill 548 and would take away the control of our school district from locally appointed school board members and give it to state appointed officials. According to Mayfield some residents of Waukegan have complained about unnecessary spending by the district administration. The main issue was the purchase of the new administration building downtown. However the previous administrative building, the Lincoln Center, was very old and confusing to make your way around and not really appropriate any more as the headquarters of a large school district. 

The State of Illinois has taken over two other districts in Lake County, North Chicago and Round Lake. The reason for taking over those two districts was that they did not have enough money to cover their expenses. Waukegan schools however are financially stable, which eliminates the main reason why the state would take over the district. 

It doesn't seem like Governor Pritzker would agree with this proposed law since there is no real reason for it. See the articles below to learn more:

Question: Do you think the state should take over the Waukegan schools?

Waukegan officials stunned by bill that would put school district finances under state control

Column: Proposal to put cash-strapped state in charge of Waukegan’s stable school finances baffling

Save the princesses

 Super rich Dubai princess tries to escape confinement!

Princess Latifah of Dubai

Many young women might dream of being a princess in a country where almost every wish and dream is possible because of the unlimited wealth of her family. However, reality is always different from the dream. In the case of Princess Latifah, the daughter of the king of Dubai, having a father who is the ruler of one of the richest countries on earth doesn't make your life any better, and in fact can make it much worse. The ruler of Dubai, according to the newspaper USA Today:

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum is one of the wealthiest heads of state in the world. Among his interests are a vast horse-racing empire that includes horse farms in Lexington, Kentucky. He often attends major horse racing events in the U.K. such as Royal Ascot, where he has been pictured alongside Queen Elizabeth II. Dubai's leader has six wives and 30 children. (In new video, Dubai princess Sheikha Latifa says she is 'hostage')

 Latifah had a foreign teacher friend who tried to help her escape Dubai to a new life in the West, but tragically while trying to flee to India on a private yacht, Latifah was kidnapped and brought back to Dubai against her will by armed soldiers. 

Dubai

Since then she has been confined in a house in Dubai and has not had any freedom to leave or get assistance from her foreign friends. She has been using a secret phone to communicate, but that too suddenly stopped. However she sent a recorded video of her situation to her friends which has led observers to believe she may have been murdered or experienced some other harm. Her older sister tried to run away as well, but was kidnapped in England and returned to Dubai. This sister, princess Shamsha, has not been heard of for twenty years.

Princess Shamsa, Latifah's sister who hasn't been seen for 20 years

This is a tragic story that makes us happy to live in a free society that allows us to have personal freedom. All the money in the world can't buy happiness or freedom! 

Question: Would you rather have wealth or personal freedom?

Princess Latifa: The Dubai ruler's daughter who vanished 

In new video, Dubai princess Sheikha Latifa says she is 'hostage' 

UK court details role of Indian Coast Guard in capture of Dubai princess by her father 

 

Freezing spouts

 Ice Volcanoes pop up in Kazakhstan and in Lake Michigan

What is an ice volcano? In cold climates like we have here in northern Illinois or in Central Asia, ice volcanoes form when water or water vapor seeks to escape from the ground through a covering of ice or snow. As the vapor or water melts snow and ice it gradually raises a kind of ice spout higher and higher in the air that gets covered with snowfall. This tube forms a volcano shape even though it is actually not related to a real volcano at all. 

Stay away from ice volcanoes!

In Lake Michigan ice volcanoes form along the shore as the waves rush under the ice and sometimes create an opening in the ice. This opening raises higher and higher as it gets covered with snow and more ice from the waves splashing over the ice. 

Lake Michigan Ice Volcano

On the other hand in Kazakhstan, hot springs can produce ice volcanoes in a similar manner. However these ice volcanoes rise much higher because they are created by steam, not by waves. 

Ice volcano in Kazakhstan

 Ice volcanoes are an interesting natural phenomenon in colder climates like ours, but I wouldn't want to get close to the ice volcanoes on Lake Michigan. It wouldn't be nice to fall in the freezing water! Stay away from ice volcanoes to be safe.

 

Question: Do you like to walk in winter weather or stay indoors?

Spectacular 'ice volcano' appears in Kazakhstan

Lake Michigan ice formations can be dangerous for onlookers 

Officials warn of Lake Michigan shelf ice and ice volcanoes  

What really killed off the dinosaurs?

 Broken chunks of an asteroid may have doomed the dinosaurs

What doomed me?

 We already know that the climate-changing consequences of a large asteroid or other object hit the earth near the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico 66 million years ago. This object is called the Chicxulub Impactor, with an impactor being something that hit or impacted the earth and Chicxulub referring to its location. We don't know yet much about the actual nature of this impactor, but presumably it was an asteroid. The impact of this object, which was between 3 to 50 miles wide, killed off 75% of life on earth, including all of the dinosaurs except birds. Now a new theory from an astrophysicist and his student at Harvard university hypothesizes that the object was in fact not an asteroid, but a part of an asteroid that broke up as it bounced off the gravitational fields of different planets. This object pin-balled off of Jupiter's immense gravitational field and slammed into earth at an angle that made it uniquely destructive. However, other scientists do not accept this theory and prefer to stick with the older asteroid idea. See the video and articles to learn more:

Question: would you have liked to have seen the asteroid hit the earth from a spaceship?

Harvard scientists have a new take on what wiped out the dinosaurs

Dinosaur-Killing Impact Came From Edge Of Solar System, New Theory Suggests  

Are kids learning online are more stressed than when in school?

 No question about it, remote learning can be stressful!

Tanya Palmer does her high school work at home

It would seem that being home away from other students and staff would make your life less stressful. In some ways it probably does, because you are not interacting with distracting individuals. However, some research recently done by NBS News and 'Challenge Success', an affiliate of Stanford University, found that kids learning from home experience somewhat more stress than kids learning completely or partly in the classroom. According to the research 56%  of the students that were surveyed reported greater stress than before the pandemic. In addition, more kids feel disengaged from school compared with before the pandemic started. Many students reported feeling distant from their friends, their classmates and their teachers. This is not surprising since remote learning means staying away from other people. Other the other hand students are spending more time doing homework. This may be because many classes are actually harder online and require more actual work to make up for the lack of participation in the classroom. It's a mixed bag overall. There have been a few benefits to learning from home but mostly there has been isolation and a real lack of motivation for some kids to get their work done. 

Question: Are you more or less motivated to do your classwork remotely?

Remote students are more stressed than their peers in the classroom, study shows 

 

Gorilla Glue Girl

 Cash in on your Instagram fame before its gone!

Gorilla glue is not a good hair care product, as  Tessica Brown, 40, found out to her great advantage. Although its really a very foolish thing to do, the mother of 5 kids put the glue in her hair and couldn't get it out all the while broadcasting her efforts. This made her into an overnight social media celebrity. Consequently a doctor in Beverly Hills, California offered to remove the glue for free, which he did, and many other people sent her money and sympathy. Interestingly Tessica has now hired an agent to manage her fame and fortune. She is currently marketing clothing with a cartoon of herself on the items, which are not very cheap. So although she made a silly mistake, Tessica Brown has made a 'small fortune' out of a foolish mistake. Perhaps that is a good message for our age; cash in on your 15 minutes of fame before your time is up!

Tessica Brown

Question: Would you like to be an Instagram star?

‘Gorilla Glue girl’ Tessica Brown now has a full-time agent 

 Tessica Brown Talks Gorilla Glue Incident

Tessica Brown Arrives In Beverly Hills To Undergo Procedure To Remove Gorilla Glue 

 

The great return

 Remélem hamarosan jobban leszel public schools students can return in March!

After a very long and bitter fight between the Chicago teacher's union and the mayor and CPS administration, students are set to be able to return to the campuses in March. The conflict has been goingdisciplined on for weeks with  the mayor and school CEO threatening lock outs and pay docks of teacher's who don't return and the union threatening a strike. Some teachers were already  for communication with parent, which I guess means discussing the situation with them. In general it was a vindictive and vitriolic contest that is now hopefully over. 

₱¢3 we will eventually do in Waukegan, Chicago students will return in waves with the youngest returning first. High school students are not yet scheduled to return and when they do return will be a result of future negotiations. 

Happy Chinese/Korean/Japanese/Vietnamese New Year!

 Today is the Lunar New Year, the start of the year of the ox!

In most of East Asia, including in the countries of China, Taiwan, South and North Korea, Japan and Vietnam as well as in Chinese diaspora communities throughout South East Asia, today is Lunar New Year's day. It is called lunar new year because unlike the regular calendar that we use, it is based on the phases of the moon rather than the sun for determining the months. In any case in the East Asian system, each new year also has an animal designated for it, that follow twelve year cycles. People born during a certain year are considered to have the characteristics of the animal for that year. 2021 is the year of the cow or ox, and people born in that year are stubborn and hard working, among other characteristics. In Japan and Korea the Western New Year, starting on January 1st, is also celebrated as the main 'business new year', while the lunar new year is a more traditional holiday. In China both new years are celebrated but lunar new year, also called Chinese New Year, is a big week long holiday. 

See the articles below for more information: 

Lunar New Year 2021: Ushering in the Year of the Ox

China’s stay-at-home Lunar New Year a welcome break from tradition for many 

Chinese New Year was always about traveling to family. This year, traditions are at home. 

Happy Lunar New Year!

Big but slow

 Meet the giant ground sloth;  Megatherium, that once roamed through South America

Modern sloth

Modern sloths are kind of cute and live in trees. They are slow and eat only vegetation, like all sloths ancient and modern. But ancient ground sloths, called Megatherium, were much much larger, up to 12 feet tall. They walked on both two legs like humans and at times on all four. They were the largest bipedal, two-legged, creatures to walk the earth. Megatherium roamed across South America during the  Early Pliocene epoch around 5 million years ago through the end of the Pleistocene period 11,700 years ago. 

Megatherium

Scientists continue to find megatherium fossils in Argentina and in neighboring countries such as Paraguay. Although these beasts were really huge and had tremendous claws, used for pulling down trees, they were vegetarians. In fact, ancient American Indians hunted and ate these large mammals. 

There were many interesting ancient animals that roamed our planet in the distant past. Megatherium was one of the more peaceful  and pleasant ones. To learn more about megatherium and to look at some of the fossils in 3D see the links below:

Darwin's Fossil Mammals 

Question: Would you like to try a megatherium-burger?

SOUTH AMERICAN SCIENTISTS UNEARTH SKULL OF ANCIENT 12-FOOT-TALL GROUND SLOTH

What was Megatherium?

Paleontologists Find 3.58-Million-Year-Old Ground Sloth Fossil

Megatherium