August 29, 2011

Irene Moves North

Hurricane downgraded to a tropical storm, but still threatens the East Coast

By Tyrus Cukavac | August 26 , 2011

This satellite photo shows Hurricane Irene off the coast of Florida. The storm has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, and moved north along the East Coast. (Previous Page: NASA / NOAA GOES Project; Above: AP Images / NOAA)

Tropical Storm Irene's destructive path through North Carolina and Virginia came to a head as the storm moved north on Sunday. Meteorologists downgraded the hurricane to tropical storm status as it swept through New York City with only 65 mile-per-hour (mph) winds.

Previously, officials categorized Irene as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. This scale ranks hurricanes from 1 to 5 with 1 being the least powerful and 5 being tremendously strong. But meteorologists warned that Irene could cause dangerous amounts of flooding comparable to a Category 5 hurricane because the storm was moving so slowly across land.
Thankfully, New York City managed to avoid the worst of the storm, and damage was less than expected. To keep people safe from the storm, city officials closed down public transportation such as trains and buses. Flights from the city's major airports were cancelled for the weekend. Nearly 370,000 people in dangerous, low-lying parts of the city were asked to evacuate likely flood zones.
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and other areas in New York were all hit hard. There have already been reports of severe flooding in Massachusetts and Vermont as the storm continues north towards Canada.
A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH
Irene's destructive fury began on Friday in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. The storm then moved north over Saturday and Sunday, first skimming Florida and finally making landfall in North Carolina. At least 18 people have died because of the storm since Irene first hit the coast of Florida.
Although the storm has weakened, officials in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) still warn New England residents to prepare for massive flooding and potential power outages.
"Tropical storms still bring high sustained winds, heavy rains, and can cause dangerous conditions and flash flooding," FEMA tells citizens on its website. As a precaution, at least 2.3 million residents have been ordered to leave their homes in the northeastern United States.
The storm is now predicted to pass over Massachusetts and Rhode Island before heading further into northern New England and Maine.
STAYING SAFE

• Ask your parents to make sure your family has enough water, food, and medicine to last at least a week.
• Ask them to designate a safe room in your house.
• Ask them to choose escape routes and a place to meet, in the event that you are forced to evacuate your home.

For more information on hurricanes, visit http://www.fema.gov/.
GROLIER ONLINE: Learn more about the science behind hurricanes!
SPECIAL REPORT: Learn more about the world's wild weather in this special report.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756423

August 22, 2011

The Fight for Libya

Rebel fighters in Libya appear close to toppling Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year rule

AUGUST 22, 2011

By Brenda Iasevoli with reporting by Vivienne Walt for TIME

ESAM AL-FETORI—REUTERS

Crowds in Benghazi, Libya, celebrate the end of Gaddafi’s rule.

After six months of uprising, Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year rule over Libya appears to be close to an end. Fierce fighting broke out overnight between Gaddafi’s supporters and thousands of rebel fighters in Tripoli, the country’s capital. Mahmud Nacua, the rebels’ ambassador to London, told reporters on Monday morning that rebel forces now control 95% of the city. They are currently searching Tripoli for Gaddafi.

“The fighters will turn over every stone to find him and to put him in court,” said Nacua. “We will do our best to handle everything in a peaceful way.”

A Cry for Freedom

Inspired by other Arab revolutions, Libyans called for Gaddafi’s resignation and for a democratic government back in February. But Gaddafi, who ruled the North African country with an iron fist, refused to step down. Libya’s weak economy is contributing to the unrest. Little of the country’s oil wealth reaches the people, and unemployment is high.

AHMED JADALLAH—REUTERS

Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya for 42 years.

Demonstrations broke out in Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city, on February 15. Five days later, the protestors had seized control of Benghazi. Protests spread to several eastern cities, including Tripoli. Many soldiers joined the demonstrations. Gaddafi’s security forces responded with deadly attacks against the unarmed protesters.

On March 17, the United Nations Security Council authorized the use of “all necessary means” to protect civilians. NATO, an alliance of 28 nations from North America and Europe, is also playing a role. On March 19, NATO began air strikes against Gaddafi and his supporters. Four days later, NATO ships and submarines were patrolling the seas near Libya. The assistance gave the rebel fighters a major advantage in the conflict.

Democracy at Hand

The rebel campaign advanced quickly on Friday, when fighters seized the oil-refinery city of Zawiyah, just 28 miles from Tripoli. This left Gaddafi and his supporters with no reliable source of fuel. As rebel forces surged into Tripoli on August 21, they met little resistance from Gaddafi supporters.

“Our fighters are coming from all directions and, God willing, today we will liberate the whole city,” rebel commander Suleiman Sifaw told the Associated Press.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said on CNN last Sunday night that Libya’s new government will need help making the transition to a democracy. “It is for the United Nations and the contact group to negotiate a political solution to this conflict,” she said.

August 15, 2011

China's Solar City

A city near China’s capital leads the way in clean-energy production

By Tyrus Cukavac 

Baoding is also one of the leading manufacturers of solar cells and wind turbines. (AP Images)

Baoding has an environmentally friendly mission. Many of its buildings are covered in solar panels, which take the sun's energy and turn it into electricity. All public buildings in Baoding feature rooftop wind turbines, which use the wind to generate power. The city government requires newer buildings to include water heaters powered by sunlight. Even traffic lights have solar panels attached to them!

A city about 87 miles from Beijing, China's capital, Baoding used to be farmland. But now renewable-energy companies have turned the city into a center for manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines. Renewable energy comes from resources that will not run out. The sun, the wind, and water currents are all sources of renewable energy.
More than 170 companies in Baoding build equipment to harness these resources. Companies there then sell this equipment all over the world. Two scientific labs in the city are also researching more-efficient ways to generate power.
All of these efforts are part of a national plan in China to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. These are fuels, such as coal and oil, that are burned to produce power. Unlike renewable energy sources, they create pollution.
China currently depends heavily on coal to provide energy for its massive population of 1.3 billion. But last year, China invested more money to develop clean-energy technology than any other country in the world. Chinese officials want 15 percent of the country's energy to come from renewable resources by 2020.
The government's efforts include a plan to educate citizens about how to live in a more environmentally friendly way. Lian Shujun, a city official, plans to start early. He told theAssociated Press, "All citizens in Baoding will be taught about ‘green living,' starting with elementary school students."

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756370

August 8, 2011

A Vital Vote

Congress signs off to raise the debt ceiling

By Cameron Keady

Time for Kids

Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Senate held a dramatic vote. After months of setbacks and struggles, President Barack Obama, Congress and White House leaders finally came to an agreement on how the U.S. government should handle its debt crisis. Yesterday, the compromise officially became a law. Currently, the government is spending and borrowing more money than it is bringing in. If it goes too far into debt, the U.S. government would be unable to pay its bills and runs the risk of shutting down. The passing of the new law prevented this from happening. "We have averted an economic crisis," said Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate's second-ranked Democrat.

JIN LEE—BLOOMBERG/AP Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange, on Wall Street, on August 2.

Hitting the CeilingThe debt crisis occurred because of an imbalance between the amount of money taken in and the amount given out. To maintain a monetary balance, the government creates a budget. A budget is a set amount of money that the government is allowed to spend on various programs, ranging from national park preservation to health care. When the budget runs out, the government borrows money from state and local governments, as well as from private institutions and international governments. This results in debt. Congress places a strict legal limit on the amount of money that can be borrowed each year. This is called a debt ceiling.
In May, the United States hit its debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion. It was crucial for this law to pass so that the government can continue paying down debt. The United States plays a large role in the global economy. Exceeding the debt ceiling would not only hurt our government, it would also affect the rest of the world.
Making a LawOn Sunday night, lawmakers agreed to a deal to increase the debt ceiling by about $2 trillion by making spending cuts over the next ten years. Though the compromise was made, both the Senate and the House of Representatives needed to officially pass the proposal. Early Monday evening, the House passed the debt plan 269 to 161. President Obama's final signing of the law took place yesterday.
Both Democrats and Republicans are expressing various opinions of opposition and support to the debt-ceiling increase. While there are mixed reactions to the deal, there is also relief. At a news conference before the vote, House Speaker John Boehner expressed his confidence in the plan. "The legislation will solve this debt crisis and help get American people back to work," Boehner said.


http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,2086733,00.htm