ISSUe 290 - First News

More documents

Recommendations

Info

20FirstNews Issue 290 23 december 2011 – 5 january 2012GREEN NEWSwith Keilly SwiftFor more green news, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/discoverTasty tyresTYRES may soon be more eco-friendly, as it is possible tomake rubber from sugar now!Tyre companies have teamed up withbiotechnology companies to produceprototypes of the new tyres, which userubber made from sugar cane.Traditionally, tyres are made from oilor rubber trees, which are both limitedresources.It takes sevengallons of oil tomake just onetyre. This addsup to a hugeamount, as abillion tyresare made eachyear.Using sugarcane to makerubber willASK ESTHERhave less of an environmental impact, as it isboth renewable and sustainable.However, there is still a problem with howtyres are disposed, which needs to be dealtwith. Old tyres are often dumped and thishas a big effect on the environment.This new development does takes tyres onestep closer to being eco-friendly, though.The ‘sweet’ tyres should be available withinthree to five years.WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!What do you do to help fight climate change? How do you get your friends, family andschool to do their bit too? Tell us and First News readers. Log on to www.firstnews.co.uk/discover, or write to newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk or the address on page 18.River Thames scoops awardAfter years of being so polluted that no life could live there, the RiverThames has been given a top environmental award.The river was once described asriver management and conservation.“biologically dead”, but thanks to almost 400 It beat competition from China’s Yellowprojects by the Environment Agency, it isriver and waterways in Australia and Japan.now thriving. Around 125 types of fish make Alastair Driver, the Environmenttheir home in the river and species such as Agency’s national conservation manager,salmon, sea trout and otters are beginning said: “Our work with farmers, businessesto return.and water companies to reduce pollutionTo recognise the Environment Agency’s and improve water quality has allwork, the Thames has been awardedhelped to make the Thames a living riverthe International Theiss River Prize foronce again.”Withthanks toI’m Esther Rantzen, President of ChildLine, which helps 2,500 childrenevery week. If there’s something worrying you, please write to me atthe address below.Too strict!My parents are really strict, to the point that one of themwill meet me from school. I can’t go anywhere on my own,have a private conversation or go on the internet without one of them being there. Itis suffocating and I really don’t know how to stop them. Jules, 14It sounds like your parents are trying to protect you. However, this is comingacross as being a bit overprotective, would this be right? It seems that this might besomething that you would need to talk to your parents about. Do you think you could?You could think of some compromises to suggest to them, such as coming off theinternet at a certain time, having a time to be home after school, letting them knowhow you are getting home from school and who you are with? It might only take timefor your parents to realise that they can trust you. If you would like to talk about thisfurther, you could call ChildLine free on 0800 1111.Winter bluesAt this time of year, lots of us are getting excited about winter celebrationslike New Year’s Eve, and it’s traditionally a time for having fun with our friendsand family. But, for some people, the shorter days and cold weather reallybring them down.The lack of sunlight during the wintermonths can make people feel very tired all thetime, depressed and generally out of sorts. Itdoesn’t affect everyone and some people findit affects them more than others.If someone you know does seem a bit downin winter, it could be for all sorts of reasons –but it could also be a case of the ‘winter blues’.If you are worried about a friend who seemsa bit down at this time of year, you could askif everything is okay. If they don’t want totalk about it, you could try giving them a bitof time and space, but let them know you’rethere if they want to talk.I want a change…HELP! I hate the way I look. Nothing suits me, my hair is dull and I hate looking inthe mirror. How can I change?It is important to remember thateveryone is different, because if wewere all the same and looked the same,life would be very boring! Have youthought about what you feel are yourgood points? Everyone has them, evenif you can’t see them. Sometimes it takestime to figure out what does suit youand also what you like. How would youfeel about going with someone youtrust to try on different clothes, to seewhat does and doesn’t suit you, just soyou can have an idea? Also, you can doall sorts of hairstyles yourself at home, bylooking in magazines for some good ideasand tips.Wealthy friend…One of my closest friends is very rich. She is always inviting me to concerts and days out, whichI love. She is very normal and doesn’t boast about her wealth. However, I recently asked her tospend the day shopping with me and she said she couldn’t as we wouldn’t be buying the samethings! I don’t understand why she is being like this. Emma, 13.It seems like you don’t care about moneyand you know that friendships aren’t built onmoney. I wonder if it would help to ask yourfriend where she would like to shop and see ifyou can come to a compromise when thinkingabout where you would like to go and where shewould like to go? Maybe you can let your friendknow that it shouldn’t matter who can affordto buy what, but that by going shopping witheach other, you are spending some quality timetogether as friends.Good luck and I hope you can resolve this.
FirstNews Issue 290 23 december 2011 – 5 January 2012YOUR NEWSFor more news crew, pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/news21Musical fun…An orchestra of kids played at the QueenElizabeth Hall on Sunday 4 December2011 and I was lucky enough to go alongand see them play. They are called TheNational Children’s Orchestra.The youngest players are 11years old and the oldest is 13. Themusicians come from all overthe UK.They played music from HarryPotter and by Tchaikovsky (areally famous composer).Some of the music had storiesbehind it. The Smetana music wasby Rosebased on a river, so the music started quietly like rain drops and got louderas the river got bigger and closer to the sea. The Offenbach music featured astory about the devil who steals a man’s wife and takes her to the underworld.There were three Christmas carols and peoplesang along to two of them and the childrensang the final one. The concert finished witheveryone clapping along to a famous piece ofmusic called the Can-Can.Two of the players said what it’s like to playin the orchestra.Ruben, 12, said: “I like meeting newfriends, playing amazing pieces andeverything, really.”While Lily, 13, said: “ I love the music andRoseNCO Under 13 OrchestrajuniorJOURNALISTmeeting new friends. I really enjoyed playingOrpheus. It’s so much fun.”Alex von KoettlitzCard winnerI entered a competition withDaybreak and Hallmark Cardsto design a Christmas card thatcaptured exactly what Christmasmeans to me.by Ella WrightjuniorJOURNALISTWhen I saw the competition on TV I didn’t think that I would bethe winner! It was really exciting when I found out I’d won, becauseI got to visit the Hallmark factory with my mum and dad. We sawwhere they made my drawing into a card and I saw hundreds ofthem coming out of a special machine!It was on Daybreak too and all my class at school watched me!I’m really pleased with the card and all my family are reallyproud of me. I’ve lovedcamper vans ever sinceI saw one on holiday inCornwall and ever sinceI’ve drawn them all thetime; that’s where my ideacame from.It’s great to see it inthe Hallmark shops andI’ve sent them to all myfamily and friends.Some of the money fromthe cards that are sold willbe going to Barnardo’s, soI’m really happy that mydrawing is helping otherchildren this Christmas.NEWS VIEWSHere are some of theviews on the news fromour website users. We’d loveto hear more of your views!Prisoners to be charged £100per night to stay in jailWhat if they don’t pay it, theycan’t exactly get sent to prisonfor not paying, as they alreadyare in prison!Gecko1 (Age 12)Should parents spend less onChristmas presents?But it is nice to give andreceive presents. Maybe youcould make something, like abead bracelet or a calendar?Millieboo (Age 9)Could you eat a stray cator dog?I wouldn’t.......Prunnie (Age 9)Dogs used to pullChristmas treesWow that’s pretty cool!!!Popcorn007 (Age 11)www.firstnews.co.ukUN ChildrenConference…JUNIORJOURNALISTBuilding schoolsI was lucky enough to be involved with the SandalsFoundation Scholarship scheme in Jamaica, West Indies.JUNIORJOURNALISTI was selected to go to the UN Children Conference on the Environment2011. I was so excited and very nervous about going.by Ella CunnisonIt was great to meet new people from all over theworld there. The themes were ‘Rio+20’ and ‘GreenEconomy’, ‘Global Environment Governance’and ‘Sustainable Consumption’ and ‘State of theGlobal Environment’ and ‘Forests’.We also worked on the Bandung Declaration, thevoice of Children and Youth for Rio+20, callingworld leaders to safeguard the Earth and its people through sustainable development,and urging governments not to ignore the demands of children and youth.Since going, I will think much more about what we can do to save the planet and theanimals that live on it.Lots of items are not recycled, get buried underground and take ages to biodegrade.Animals and bugs get stuck in rubbish. Not all plastic bags are recycled or binned,and animals then get caught in them and die. If you don’t know where you canrecycle stuff, ask someone.Everyone who was at the conference will be bringing back a similar message to theirown countries.by Chantal PryceLiving in Jamaica is like living in paradise. It is themost wonderful experience. The people are very friendly andwe have a rich culture, with beautiful landscape.The Sandals Foundation has helped many schools inthe Caribbean. It helps to fund and repair schools, helppeople and communities to improve their standards, status,growth and help to make life a little more enjoyable. It alsopromotes good environmental practices.My school was one of the schools that has benefited fromthe foundation. We were given a computer lab so thatcomputer studies could become a part of our curriculum.The buildings were painted, a reading garden was builtto encourage reading and a team of dentists now visit theschool annually to give us free dental treatment.We were also taught how to be more environmentallyfriendly,by making compost heaps, participating in beach clean-ups and using recycledmaterials to make new items.All the students and parents were involved in the project and we are all very grateful andappreciative for the work that has been done.We feel proud whenever members from the Sandals Foundation start a new project andeveryone is always really happy to see them when they come to our school for a visit.We want to hear what your school is up toAre you doing something sponsored for charity? Starting your own school newspaper? Or putting on a show?Email your report (including pictures) to newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk. If we print your story we’ll send you a copy of the paper and aFirst News certificate to be presented to you in assembly! Don’t forget to include your name, age, and your school’s name and address.By writing to First News you give consent to First News printing details and photographs of those involved in the report.SUBSCRIBE FOR schoolTerm time only subscriptionsfrom £45.60 per year (P&P included).Call: 0844 8560 634 Quote: SPAwww.firstnews.co.uk/teachers
Page 1 and 2: £1.30 23 DecemBER 2011 - 5 JANUARY
Page 3 and 4: FirstNews Issue 290 23 DECEMBER 201
Page 5 and 6: FirstNews Issue 290 23 december 201
Page 11: FirstNews Issue 290 23 December 201
Page 18 and 19: 18 FirstNews Issue 290 23 december
Page 22 and 23: 22 FirstNews Issue 290 23 december
Page 24: 24 FirstNews Issue 290 23 december

ISSUe 290 - First News

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?