Who Owns the Moon?

by Victoria Jaggard
National Geographic News
July 20, 2009

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts stepped onto the moon and planted an American flag—not to claim the moon but simply to commemorate the U.S. role in the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Forty years after Apollo 11, a Nevada entrepreneur says he owns the moon and that he’s interim president of the first known galactic government.

Dennis Hope, head of the Lunar Embassy Corporation, has sold real estate on the moon and other planets to about 3.7 million people so far.

(Also see “NASA Aims to Open Moon for Business.”)

As his customer base grew, he said, buyers wanted assurances that their property rights would be protected.

So Hope started his own government in 2004, which has a ratified constitution, a congress, a unit of currency—even a patent office.

“We’re now a fully realized sovereign nation,” Hope said.

The trouble is that, legally, nobody can own the moon or anything else in space, for that matter, said Tanja Masson-Zwaan, president of the International Institute of Space Law, based in the Netherlands.

“What Lunar Embassy is doing does not give people buying pieces of paper the right to ownership of the moon,” she said.

(Related Apollo 11 photo gallery: “Eight Moon-Landing Hoax Myths—Busted”.)

 

Lunar Loophole?

The controversy began in 1980, when Hope registered his claim to the moon with the United Nations. The claim went unanswered, so he figured his rights were secured.

To date his company has sold more than 2,500,000 1-acre (0.4-hectare) plots of lunar land, which Hope says are rich in an isotope of helium that has an earthly price tag of about U.S. $125,000 an ounce.

Today a deed for a plot, printed with the buyer’s name, is selling online for $22.49, plus tax.

Legal experts counter that the UN didn’t answer because it didn’t have to: The moon is unclaimable under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has so far been ratified by 100 UN member countries, including the United States.

Hope, however, said there’s a loophole.

The treaty prohibits countries from claiming property in space, but “I filed my claim of ownership as an individual.”

The fact that he’s now claiming his Galactic Government has legal authority over the moon might seem problematic. But Hope said that the fledgling regime isn’t a member of the UN and so doesn’t have to abide by its laws.

Regardless of his current stance, Hope’s original claim to the moon is simply not legal, the space-law institute’s Masson-Zwaan asserts.

The UN treaty does apply to governments and their private citizens, which invalidates Hope’s claim to the moon and other celestial bodies, she said.

But that shouldn’t disappoint any prospective moon millionaires.

You don’t need to own a place to make money on it, Masson-Zwaan said. But you do need a clear legal framework for doing business on the property—something the moon currently lacks.

A separate 1984 treaty known as the Moon Agreement sets up a framework for establishing clearer rules for managing the moon’s natural resources, once the use of those resources becomes feasible. Such rules would apply to businesses looking to establish hotels, mining operations, and other commercial endeavors on the moon.

That agreement, however, has been ratified by just 13 countries, none of which are major spacefaring states.

 

Moon “Just Another Continent”

One of the main hang-ups with the 1984 treaty is how countries would share the wealth.

Some scientists think stores of helium-3, for example, could make the moon the next Persian Gulf. The gas, which is rare on Earth, has been tagged as a clean, renewable energy source of the future.

For billions of years the moon, unprotected by an atmosphere, has been showered with particles from the sun. This includes an as-yet undetermined amount of helium-3, which is now trapped in the moon’s soil.

Its use as a fuel, though, hinges on developing a reliable process for fusion, a form of power generation that’s “like a controlled hydrogen bomb explosion,” said Peter Kokh, president of the nonprofit Moon Society.

Other more immediate uses for the moon include mining moondust for lunar construction, launching satellites, and setting up solar-power collectors, Kokh said—projects for the first wave of moon settlers.

(See “Moon Settlers May Be ‘Ski’ Racers, Helium Miners, TV Stars?”)

The moon “is just another continent across a different kind of sea,” he said.

“We foresee a future in which people will be living on the moon and producing materials for solving Earth’s problems.”

 

United States of the Moon?

Kokh personally thinks that the best possible future is one in which the people of the moon rule themselves.

The process of colonizing the moon’s challenging landscape will change the needs and wants of the society that settles there—just as the desires of English colonists changed when they got to the New World.

“Lunar settlers may want to bring the American way of life to the moon, but they will leave Washington, D.C., at home,” he said.

“In the meantime it’d be better to have UN stewardship,” Kokh said. “Right now [the world has] a working international relationship in the International Space Station … and that’s a good precedent.”

Space-law expert Masson-Zwaan agrees, saying that the first bases built on the moon should be cooperative projects.

“I don’t think we’ll have people putting in their flags and saying, This is my little square, and I’m going to build a base here,” she said.

Lunar Embassy’s Hope, meanwhile, already seems to be charging toward establishing an autonomous moon government.

Recently, Hope said, he’s been sending letters on behalf of his government asking other countries not to trespass on the moon without a license.

He’s also battling the International Monetary Fund for official recognition of his government’s currency, called the delta.

“The position of the Galactic Government is that we’re not trying to distance ourselves from other governments. We just want recognition so we can work together,” Hope said.

“We’re not hostile, not angry—we just want to be accepted.”

Source: National Geographic

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Do the First Kids Do Their Chores?

By Rachel L. Swarns
July 18, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: This story was first published by the New Times  in  Feb. 22, 2009.  We think that is is worth publishing again. Barclay Walsh and Jodi Kantor contributed reporting.

We would like to know what you think? dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

 

CONSIDER the perils of parenting in the White House.

There is a movie theater, a bowling alley, a horseshoe pit, a swimming pool, five full-time chefs and dozens of household staff members ready to dish up ice cream at all hours. There are trips to foreign lands, dinners with kings and celebrities, swarming paparazzi and blaring motorcades, all with the potential to transform sweet little children into bossy, self-important ones. (Or lonely, dysfunctional ones.)

What are presidential parents to do?

Lay down the law, according to the newest parental unit in the executive mansion. President Obama and his wife, Michelle, might not be in Chicago anymore, but they say the old rules still apply when it comes to their daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

In the Obama White House, bedtime is still at 8 p.m. The girls still set their own alarm clocks and get themselves up for school in the morning. They make their own beds and clean their own rooms. And when the much-anticipated pet arrives, they will walk the dog and scoop its poop.

“That was the first thing I said to some of the staff when I did my visit,” Mrs. Obama said in an interview with ABC News, describing her talks with White House employees. “Don’t make their beds. Make mine. Skip the kids. They have to learn these things.”

Even as Mr. Obama tackles the recession and Mrs. Obama embraces the role of first lady, the Obamas are finding their footing as parents in the White House. They strive, and even struggle at times, to balance the intense public interest in their family with their desire to preserve a sense of normalcy and privacy in the lives of their daughters, according to relatives, friends and television and magazine interviews with the Obamas themselves.

Mr. Obama is a modern-day dad who leaves the Oval Office for dinner with his girls, rarely misses a parent-teacher conference or piano recital and prides himself on having read all seven books in the Harry Potter series aloud with Malia.

Mrs. Obama juggles play dates and homework with speeches to federal agencies and students. Both are committed to keeping their daughters grounded, their friends and aides say.

“Those are some special girls, and everyone is rooting for them to make it through this intact,” Craig Robinson, Mrs. Obama’s brother, said in an interview.

The president echoed that sentiment. “Right now, they’re not self conscious. You know, they don’t have an attitude,” Mr. Obama said on CBS News. “And I think one of our highest priorities over the next four years is retaining that.”

The Obamas have long believed that rules and routine help children thrive, particularly during unsettling times. During the presidential campaign, Mrs. Obama stuck so firmly to the 8 p.m. bedtime rule that Mr. Obama sometimes had to scramble to catch his daughters awake.

“Michelle won’t keep them up just to talk to their father,” Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president and a family friend, told The New York Times in 2007. “Bedtime is part of their normalcy. It isn’t going to be interrupted because he’s at a fund-raiser.”

But as every parent knows, there are rules, and then there is reality.

SO while the Obamas place a high premium on healthy, organic foods, the girls eat cake at birthday parties and often indulged in ice cream and other snacks on the campaign trail.

They limit television, but do not restrict viewing to the Discovery Channel. (The girls have been big fans of “American Idol,” “Hannah Montana” and the Cheetah Girls.)

They take turns saying grace at dinner, but have not gone to church every Sunday in recent years. There is no spanking, but lots of discussion about actions and consequences.

Mr. Obama said he tried to give Malia a regular allowance — $1 a week — but that fell by the wayside during the hectic presidential campaign. Still, he insists that the first lady, known among her friends as the taskmaster, is not the sole disciplinarian. “I’m not a softie,” Mr. Obama said during the ABC interview, in which he said that his wife could certainly “holler at them a little bit.”

Susan Davis, one of Mrs. Obama’s friends, said the Obamas have tried hard to keep their daughters from becoming spoiled or self-important. “They don’t act entitled,” she said. “They just seem like kids.”

What the Obamas want most, friends and relatives say, is for their little girls to continue to feel like little girls. So Mrs. Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, has moved in, and the girls will keep up with their regular activities, said Susan Sher, an adviser to the president and one of Mrs. Obama’s close friends.

Mrs. Obama, Ms. Sher said, is “someone who sees the humor and likes to joke. Fun is very important.”

The Obamas are guided by their own experiences. Mr. Obama, who grew up without his father, has described his determination to be an active force in his children’s lives. Mrs. Obama flourished in a stable two-parent household that valued structure and routine.

Since both came from families that struggled financially at times, they emphasize that good things don’t always come easily. And over the years, Mrs. Obama has stressed the importance of manners and compassion.

Still, history suggests that raising happy, well-adjusted and well-behaved children in the White House is no easy task.

President Carter, a strong advocate of public education, enrolled his daughter, Amy, 9, in public school, but she was initially very lonely, according to journalists who covered her. President Theodore Roosevelt coped with the antics of his teenage daughter Alice, who was derided as “a scarlet woman” for smoking in public and partying late at night. President Grover Cleveland’s wife, Frances, was pilloried for closing the south grounds of the White House so her baby could enjoy sunny days without being kissed by tourists.

Shielding children from the public is harder today with 24-hour news sites, celebrity bloggers, gossip magazines and newspapers all vying for tidbits. The cameras are kind now, but they can be less so as children enter the teenage years.

“It’s not going to be normal — it can’t be normal,” Doug Wead, a former Bush family adviser, said of the Obama girls’ childhood.

“All of their best efforts are not going to change the fact that being a child of a president presents unique challenges,” said Mr. Wead, the author of “All the Presidents’ Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of America’s First Families.”

Mr. Wead said that children of presidents often struggle to determine which friends are true friends and to establish an identity separate from that of their parents, an issue that often lingers long after the family leaves 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Obamas, who want to create a more open, accessible White House, have wrestled with how much they should open up about their family. They allowed the girls to be interviewed on “Access Hollywood” in July and later said they regretted it.

They discussed parenting on television, and Mrs. Obama and her girls posed for a photo that landed on the cover of US Weekly this month. But the first lady also pressured the company Ty Inc. into pulling its Sasha and Malia dolls from the market, and her aides discourage reporters from writing in detail about the girls. Mr. and Mrs. Obama declined to comment for this article.

The balancing act is not uncommon to presidential families, who are famously reluctant to talk about their child-rearing in the White House. (The Clintons and the Carters — the most recent families with young children — also declined requests for interviews.) But some former first children emphasize that life in the White House can be extraordinary.

President George W. Bush’s daughters, Barbara and Jenna, described sliding down banisters when their grandfather was president and dining with royalty when their father led the country. “It is a magical place at any age,” they wrote in an open letter to the Obama girls. Indeed, Mrs. Obama is looking forward to traveling with her daughters and showing them the world, her aides say.

And after a grueling presidential campaign, Mr. Obama says fatherhood has rarely felt sweeter.

“It turns out I’ve got this nice home office,” Mr. Obama said in an interview on NBC this month. “And at the end of the day, yeah, I can come home, even if I’ve got more work to do, I can have dinner with them,” the president said. “I can help them with their homework. I can tuck them in. If I’ve got to go back to the office, I can.”

Source: NY Times

MOON Landing Apollo 11 at 40

 

byAnne Minard
National Geographic News
July 16, 2009

On the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, get the facts on Apollo 11’s historic trip, from initial skepticism to lunar firsts and the implications for returning humans to the moon.

July 16, 1969: The world watched in anticipation as three men were hurtled skyward in a rocket bound for the moon.

Read about the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission in a 1969 National Geographic magazine article )

The Apollo 11 launch date had arrived with just months to spare: Nine years earlier, U.S. President John F. Kennedy had said that by the end of the decade the country would put a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth.

The successful Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, ushered in an era of moon exploration that has so far gone unrivaled.

(Find out about NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon in Naked Science: Living on the Moon, which premieres Sunday, July 19, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.)

 

Moon Race

President Kennedy’s moon mandate came at the height of the space race—a kind of subplot to the Cold War between the United States and what was then the Soviet Union.

(Hear sounds of the space age  with an interactive version of a pressed vinyl record that was included in the December 1969 issue of National Geographic magazine.)

The U.S.S.R. had made the opening gambit, sending the first artificial satellites into orbit, starting with the 184-pound (83.5-kilogram) Sputnik I in October 1957.

The Soviets followed that success a month later with the first animal in space, Laika the dog, which did not survive the experience. (See pictures of monkeys and other primates sent into space)

Things came to a head in April 1961, when the Soviets sent the first human to space. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made a 108-minute suborbital flight in a Vostok 1 spacecraft and returned safely to Earth.

A month later Alan Shepherd became the first American in space with his suborbital flight aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft.

From there the two countries started upping the ante by increasing the number of orbits per flight. Meanwhile Kennedy’s moon directive had signaled a change in tactics for the U.S.

 

Swallowed by Moondust?

At first a moon-landing mission probably raised a lot of eyebrows at NASA—particularly among the astronaut candidates.

“Atlas rockets [which launched spacecraft] were blowing up every day at Cape Canaveral” in Florida, recalled Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell in the 2007 documentary In the Shadow of the Moon.

“It looked like a … quick way to have a short career.”

But Kennedy’s idea “didn’t just come out of the blue,” Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin told National Geographic News.

“People had been studying what could be done—the Air Force in particular—in a far-reaching manner, like sending cargo to the moon.”

At that point, though, scientists still had a lot to learn about what humans and their gear might contend with on the lunar surface.

Geologists didn’t know, for example, whether volcanism or meteor impacts were responsible for the moon’s pockmarked surface. (Current wisdom says meteors.)

Many scientists also feared that the moon was covered with a thick blanket of featherweight dust that would engulf any landing spacecraft.

 

Moon Landing Practice

Shortly after Kennedy’s speech, an intensive effort got under way to prepare humans for a moon landing.

In January 1963 Neil Armstrong and four other Apollo astronauts took a field trip to Arizona’s Meteor Crater and Sunset Crater, a dormant volcano. Geologists then briefed the astronauts on how those Earthly landscapes were similar to what they might encounter on the moon.

In the years that followed, Apollo crew also toured the Grand Canyon and spent time testing lunar rovers at Bonito Crater northeast of Flagstaff, where the rough, rocky surface mimicked what some geologists thought would exist on the moon.

Geologists flew over Sunset Crater and other landforms in Cessna 182s, taking aerial photos so the astronauts might better understand the lunar geology they were likely to see.

 

Apollo Moon Program: Tragedy and Triumph

The Apollo moon-landing program carried an optimistic moniker: It was named for the son of Zeus in Greek mythology, often known as the god of light and the sun.

But the first mission almost brought U.S. moon-landing efforts to an abrupt end.

On January 27, 1967, a flash fire occurred in the Apollo 1 command module during a launch simulation, killing the three astronauts meant to pilot the mission.

“I wasn’t sure if we were burying the entire Apollo program or three of our buddies,” Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan said in In the Shadow of the Moon.

Following an exhaustive investigation into the accident, NASA issued a report in April 1967 that called for major overhauls of the Apollo hardware, launch procedures, and quality control.

The program swung back into gear, and by early 1969, Apollo 10 astronauts Alan Shepard and Donald “Deke” Slayton were cruising over the lunar surface—and grudgingly holding back from diving down for a landing—as they scoped out the Sea of Tranquility, the chosen landing spot for Apollo 11.

(Explore an interactive moon map, and read about the first person to map the moon using a telescope. Hint: It wasn’t Galileo.)

A few months later, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins set off toward the moon.

 

Moonwalkers

Launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 a.m. ET aboard a Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11 included a command module dubbed Columbia and a lunar lander called the Eagle.

The lander was named after the bald eagle in the mission insignia.

Apollo 11’s journey to the moon took three and a half days.

During that time the astronauts “just kind of gazed out the window at the Earth getting smaller and smaller, did housekeeping things, checking the spacecraft,” Aldrin recalled.

As the craft passed through the shadow of the moon and started its approach, Aldrin and Armstrong got into the spider-like lunar module and began their descent.

The landing process didn’t go flawlessly. Alarms sounded when the computer couldn’t keep up with the data stream: “Nothing serious—it was distracting,” Aldrin said.

“Neil didn’t like what we were heading toward, and we selected a safer spot alongside a crater with boulders in it. We landed with a little less fuel than we would have liked to have had, maybe 20 seconds of fuel left.”

Aldrin insists that he felt no real fear about landing on the moon.

Nevertheless, he said, “we kind of practiced liftoff [for] the first two hours. … We both felt that was the most prudent thing to do after touching down, was to prepare to depart if we had to.”

Finally, with half a billion people watching on televisions across the world, the astronauts emerged from the Eagle to spend another two hours exploring the lunar surface.

The pair planted an American flag and placed mementos for fallen peers.

Armstrong uttered his famous first words, reportedly unscripted: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Armstrong and Aldrin logged 21 hours on the moon—spending the last and longest portion of it trying to sleep in the frigid lander. Then they lifted off to rendezvous with Collins and Columbia for the return voyage.

The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969—and they were immediately put into a three-week quarantine.

As for their craft, the ascent stage of the Eagle was jettisoned into lunar orbit. Within a couple of years the lander smashed unseen into the moon. Columbia now sits on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

 

To Infinity, and Beyond

After 40 years, Aldrin’s impressions of the moon are as fresh today as the day he landed.

“What fascinated me was the lifelessness off it,” he said. “That had not changed in hundreds of thousands of years. Generations of humanity had emerged from the trees, and the moon had looked the same way.”

Aldrin also remains passionate about what the Apollo 11 mission meant for the world, and what it can still teach humanity.

Today he advocates the U.S. setting its sights higher than it did 40 years ago, “accepting the role of leading other nations to achieve what we did.”

“We do have this wonderful opportunity to emerge from whatever troubles us now,” he said, “with a very optimistic pathway for the future.”

Source: National Geographic

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Teen Becomes Youngest to Sail Around the World Solo

By AP
July 16, 2009

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. —  A 17-year-old boy in Southern California has become the youngest person to sail around the world alone.

Zac Sunderland docked Thursday in Marina del Ray, completing a 28,000-mile trip that began last year.

The teenager’s family, friends and hundreds of curious onlookers cheered as his 36-foot Intrepid boat came into the harbor.

But the shaggy-haired Thousand Oaks native might not hold the record for long. British sailor Mike Perham is a few months younger than Sunderland, and is sailing a bigger, faster boat.

The record was previously held by an Australian who was over 18 when he completed the voyage in 1996.

Sunderland was 16 when he left Marina del Ray on June 14, 2008.

Source: Fox News

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Squirrel-size Mammal Discovered in the Rain Forests of Brazil

By Laura Leigh Davidson
July 15, 2009

Scientists have discovered a new monkey in Brazil. The tiny mammal is about the size of a squirrel. It weighs seven-and-a-half ounces and is only nine inches tall. The mini-monkey’s fur is mostly gray and brown. It has a spotted back that looks like a saddle and a very long tail.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reported the monkey discovery. The group says that encountering new types of mammals is quite rare.

“We keep finding new types of plants, insects, and butterflies,” said Avecita Chicchón, an official with the WCS. “But it is more and more difficult to find newer types of mammals.”

Scientists found the little monkey in the rain forests located in the Brazilian state of Amazonas (am-uh-ZOH-nuhs). The little monkey has been named Mura’s saddleback tamarin. Scientists named it after the Mura Indian tribe, whose members also live in the rain forests of Brazil.

Already in Danger?

Scientists aren’t yet sure how many saddleback tamarins make their homes in the area. But they may have to do their work fast.

The tamarins’ habitat is shrinking due to deforestation. Deforestation happens when trees are cut down and land is cleared for building projects.

Conservationists, or people who work to protect natural resources, are alarmed about the effects of deforestation on Brazilian rain forests. They are most concerned about a huge highway that cuts through the area where the tiny monkeys were discovered. There are also plans to build two dams and a gas pipeline in the same region.

The shrinking natural habitat threatens more than just the tamarins. Scientists believe this area is rich with undiscovered plants and animals. As the rain forest disappears, so will the wildlife that lives in it.

“These [building projects] are a significant threat to wildlife that are not even [known and] documented,” Chicchón said. She and others from the WCS want developers to more carefully examine the environmental costs of their building projects.

“This newly described monkey shows that even today, there are still major wildlife discoveries to be made,” said Fabio Röhe, who led the team that found the new tamarin. “This discovery should serve as a wake-up call that there is still much to learn from the world’s wild places.”

Source: Scholastic News Online

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Toddler’s Bill of Rights: Potty Proclamation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Lawrence Kutner, Ph.D.
July 13, 2009

 

1. Please let me go at my own pace.

Help me, but don’t push me to do things before I’m ready.

 

2. Please understand that I have accidents and make mistakes.

Remember that everyone has accidents as they learn. I’m not doing it on purpose.

 

3. Please understand that I will do things differently than other children.

I have my own style. Don’t expect me to be the same as other children you know.

 

4. Please praise me for my efforts, not just my successes.

Sometimes it will take awhile for me to “get it.” What’s important is that I’m trying. I’ll get there!

 

5. Please understand when I become frustrated.

I really want to be able to do the things big kids can do, even though my body won’t always let me. Please be patient and understanding when this happens.

 

6. Please understand when I am suspicious of plumbing.

Toilets and drains are big and noisy and scary. I need to know that they won’t hurt me.

 

7. Please let me take a break when things are stressful.

I can’t always learn something new when there are big changes in my life, such as a move to a new home or the birth of a baby. At times like these, please understand if I need additional support and have to relearn skills you thought I had already mastered.

 

8. Please understand when I am concerned about what happens to my body.

Everything about my body, even my potty, is important to me. I need to know what happens after I flush the potty.

 

9. Please understand if I giggle and act like a child.

After all, I’m just a kid. Sometimes I get overwhelmed.

 

10. Please explain things to me in ways I can understand.

Sometimes I can’t make sense of the things people say. Help me by using words that I feel comfortable with and can understand.

 

Source: Pampers

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Harry Potter Magic Mysteries in the Air

By Danielle Azzolina
Scholastic Kids Press Corps.
July 13, 2009

I was like a seeker in the game of quidditch, but I wasn’t searching for the golden snitch…I was searching for the golden actors who star in the latest Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. And like Harry Potter on his flying broom, I scored!

At the premiere of the newest Harry Potter movie in New York City July 9, I stood along the red carpet watching as excited Potter fans crammed together behind metal barriers waiting for the stars to arrive. Some sported sorting hats, the signature round rimmed Potter glasses, and other mystical garments from the world of Hogwarts. Some held up signs. One read: “Honk if you love Harry.” And there was honking—and yelling and cheering and chanting. “Snape! Snape! Sirius! Snape!” It was magical!

The crowd ignited with screams and cheers as the actors stepped out of their limos and onto West 54th Street in front of the Ziegfeld Theatre. There was so much excitement in the air you could taste it!

Daniel Radcliff, who plays Harry Potter, was one of the first to arrive. Before talking to reporters, however, he walked along the other side of the street greeting fans and signing autographs. I could tell where he was by the location of screaming fans.

While Radcliff was busy, Warwick Davis, who plays Professor Filius Flitwick, showed up. This was his second premiere at the Ziegfled, he told me. He was also in the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. He said the Harry Potter red carpet was much longer. I asked him to tell me about the hardest scene for him in Harry Potter. To give you his full answer would mean revealing the movie’s ending, so I edited his response.

“It’s a very moving scene,” he said of one of the final moments in the movie. “When you’ve been so close to all the characters and then have to stand there and witness [something like that] it was really quite, quite moving for me personally as well as in a character sense.”

Producer David Hymen talked to me about the hardest special effect, which was creating the infery, the underwater zombies.

“We all have a feeling about how zombies should be and what they look like,” he said. “And so to come up with something that had a connection to zombies of the upper world, but that was unique to water, that was the most difficult.”

Freddie Stroma, who plays the cocky Cormac McLaggen, a student at Hogwarts, told me about his favorite scene, when he goes into potions professor Horace Slughorn’s office with Hermione.

“I got to do sort of cheeky grins at Hermione, trying to get her attention and she kept looking away; that was quite fun,” he said.

I asked Director David Yates which scene had the most bloopers.

“There’s a scene right at the beginning of the movie where we get Daniel, Rupert and Emma sitting in the burrows talking about how old Dumbledore is,” he said. “ I can’t tell you how many bloopers we got in that scene because they kept cracking up. I had to send them off the set for a while!”

He promised it would show up in outtakes at some point—maybe the DVD.

Radcliff finally made it to the red carpet and it was my turn to question him. He has eyes that pierce right through you and a nice smile. He is also very gracious. I told him I had two questions to ask. First I wanted to know how he was most like Harry.

“I think in the way that we value our friends,” he said. “Friendship is very important in both our lives. I think I have Harry’s natural curiosity as well. He’s interested in a lot of things in his world as am I in mine.”

Before I got to ask my next question, anxious reporters began to call out questions to him and he asked them very politely to please wait while I asked my second question. That was cool!

I asked him to explain how Harry has changed from the first movie to the sixth. His answer made me laugh.

“Well, he’s gotten marginally taller,” he said. In a more serious tone, he said that the films have gotten darker from the first to this most recent. “I think Harry has had to become a lot tougher because of that,” he said.

Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy, was next along the carpet. I asked him what it was like to play such a bad guy.

“I think it’s a lot more fun than playing a good guy really,” he said. “It’s great to play someone as far opposite of who I am in real life, so I really enjoy it.”

Emma Watson, who plays Hermione, answered the same question.

“Hermione has relaxed a little bit more now,” she said. “She doesn’t feel she has to prove herself so much because I think when she first arrived at Hogwarts she felt she had to prove herself.”

I spotted Rupert Grint, who plays Ron, before he got to my spot on the carpet. I saw his red hair through the crowd. I could also hear chants of “Rupert! Rupert! Rupert!” as he got closer. I asked him about his first on-screen kiss.

“It was kind of a big moment,” he said. “We were both quite nervous about it because we were in a room full of people who were shouting at us. It was a little bit embarrassing, but it was quite a bit of fun, too,” he said with a devilish look in his eye.

If you’ve read the books, you know who Ron’s first kiss is with, but if not, don’t expect me to spoil the surprise!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens in theaters nationwide on July 15. harrypotter.warnerbros.com/

 

Editor’s Note: Scholastic Kid Reporter Danielle Azzolina interviews Daniel Radcliffe, left, star of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, at the premiere in New York City. Ruper Grint, right, plays Ron Weasley. Photo Courtesy of Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Scholastic News Online

God’s Blessing

by Beverly Beckham
July 09, 2009

Blessed is a word I find myself saying a lot lately. How blessed I am. How blessed my family is. How blessed we are to have Lucy.

Six years ago, I didn’t feel blessed. Lucy, my first grandchild, my daughter’s child, was 12 hours old when we learned she had Down syndrome. We wept. Three days later, we were told she had holes in her heart and would need surgery. We took her home and fed her and held her and rocked her and sang to her. And we prayed.

Fear consumed us then. We worried about her health. Were her lips blue? Was she sweating from exertion or was the room too warm? We worried about her future. Would she walk? Would she talk? We worried about our future. Would the stress of all this worry pull our family apart?

Heart surgery. And we almost lost her. Then more heart surgery and, again, a crisis. Blessed? The word never crossed my mind.

Then slowly things got better.

If only life were like a book and you could peek ahead. Lucy turned 6 on Saturday. If only, when she was new and we were scared, we could have had a glimpse of Lucy now.

When she was little, 2, 3, maybe even 4, she used to practice talking in her room. Away from everyone, she would chatter, naming things, her stuffed animals, the toys in her room, the people in her books and in her life. Over and over, she’d say Mommy, Daddy, Adam, Mimi, cow, duck, cat, and every other word she knew.

She was quieter in front of people, shy until she got a word right.

It took time, but she got them right. This is Lucy. Give her time and she’ll amaze you.

These are the things about her now that I never could have imagined then: that her favorite movie would be Gone With the Wind. That she would know all the characters, except Suellen. (“Who’s that?” she asks every time Scarlett’s sister appears on-screen. Poor Suellen – forgettable even to a child.)

That she would always race to the door to greet her mom and dad, dropping whatever it is she is doing to hug them, to tell them with her smile and her open arms – even if they’ve been gone just ten minutes – how glad she is to see them.

That she would love the “peace be with you” moment in church. That she would say “peace,” reach for hand after hand, look into a stranger’s eyes and smile. And that even the most reluctant handshaker would smile back.

And that she would love our neighbor Al, and seek him out in his yard, in his house, in my house. “Al! Al!” Katherine, his wife, the one who makes her favorite cookies, but Al the one who has her heart.

It’s not all roses of course, with Lucy. She doesn’t understand that the street is dangerous and that you can’t sit down when you’re an outfielder and that the DVD player sometimes sticks and whining doesn’t unstick it.

In these ways she is a lot like a typical 6-year-old.

But she is not typical.

It takes her longer to learn and longer to understand. But when she does? It’s like the circus has come to town. She says a whole sentence “I want to have a banana, please.” She puts together a puzzle. She matches colors and shapes. She climbs to the top of the slide, sits, and glides down. She stands at the window and reenacts a scene from The Little Princess. The Flying Wallendas doing headstands on a tightrope couldn’t thrill us more.

Sometimes when I watch children her age do things effortlessly, my heart aches a little. But then Lucy will saunter by, climb on my lap, or say “hi” and keep on walking, and I will be bowled over by her presence, by the amazing gift of her.

How blessed I am. How lucky to be loving her. And how easy she is to love.

Source: Grandparents

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? We would like to hear your story, if you have a “God’s Blessing” child. dan@youngchronicle.com

Does It Pay to Facebook?

by Beth Fredericks
July 11, 2009

This social network is not just for teenagers anymore. Join your friends on Facebook and start sharing.

Does it seem like everyone you know is pushing you to get on Facebook? Do your teenage grandkids tell you that it’s the only way to keep up with them? Are your best friends from church using it to make plans? There is something remarkable about the hugely popular social-networking site: I first went on Facebook because I had to learn about it for my job, and then one day my college boyfriend, whom I hadn’t seen in 30 years, “friended” me. I was stunned. This site really works! And it’s easy to create a Facebook page of your own.

How It Works

Facebook has millions of users, but you create your own home page and network within that larger group. After you become a Facebook member, you can invite friends and relatives to join your list of friends. When you visit your Facebook page, you can update your “status,” by sharing what you’re doing or what you’re thinking. Your friends will see that update on their pages the next time they visit the site, and they can comment on your status or send you private messages about it. You can also share photos, videos, and website links with your friends and see the photos, videos, and links that they’ve posted. No one but your selected group of friends will see your updates.

1. Sign Up

First, go to the site: www.facebook.com. It’s free to anyone who wants to join. Just fill in your name, gender, birthday (the date will suffice; no need to reveal the year), and e-mail address. Facebook does not publish your e-mail address but uses it to forward you any messages people send to you on the site. Then click “Sign Up.” You’ll be asked to enter a security code that appears on the page. This is called a “captcha,” and it helps the site keep out spamming software. Soon, you’ll receive an e-mail confirmation that your account has been launched. (If you don’t receive it right away, you may want to check your e-mail program’s spam folder to make sure it didn’t end up in there.)

2. Get Started

Click on the link in your confirmation e-mail and you’ll be taken to Facebook’s “Getting Started” page. If any of your friends have already been looking for you on Facebook, you’ll see their names here and you can add them to your friend list, if you like. 

3. Seek Your Friends

Facebook will now ask if you want to allow the program to scan your e-mail account to find any friends who are already registered on the site. This is a great way to find out if any of your friends, relatives, or professional contacts are on Facebook, and then, if you like, add them to your network. But none of them will be added automatically, and you don’t have to include anyone you don’t want. Rather, you’ll be asked to choose which contacts you want to add to your network. (You can skip this step if you prefer.)

4. Network

Next you’ll have the opportunity to enter your high school, college, employers, or other affiliations, to find out whether more people you know might already be on Facebook. Again, the site gives you the option of adding each suggested person as a “friend” or ignoring them. You can always skip these steps or ignore people you don’t know or don’t want to friend. (No one will ever know that you chose not to add them to your friend list.) Once you complete these steps, you’ll be taken to your brand-new Facebook page. You’re done!

5. Update

Congratulations, you have a Facebook page! Now it’s up to you to set up and edit your profile. Be sure to upload a photo and add any other information you’re comfortable sharing, such as what city you live in, where you work, and whether you’re married. (You can set your Facebook preferences so that as little or much of your personal information as you like is shared with people outside your network of friends.) Now you can start sharing: Just go to the box at the top of your page that asks, “What’s on your mind?” and let your friends know what you’re up to.

Facebook Facts

* The site was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, now 25, when he was a freshman at Harvard, as a virtual space for his classmates to connect.

* The site takes its name from the books of photos, or “facebooks,” many colleges distribute so that each year’s freshman class can get to know each other better.

* Facebook reports having more than 200 million active users, more than half of whom visit the site at least once a day.

* The fastest-growing group of Facebook users is people 35 years old and older

* The average Facebook user has 120 “friends” on the site.

* More than 30 million users update their status at least once a day.

Source: Grandparents

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Trip to Philadelphia Teaches about U.S. Independence

By Imani Ross-Hall
July 11, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: Imani Ross-Hall, is a Kid Reporter for Scholastic News. She is on vacation with her family. She is her blog: My Vacation to Mount Rushmore.

John Trumbull’s painting, Declaration of Independence, depicting the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presenting their work to the Congress. The painting can be found on the back of the U.S. $2 bill. The original hangs in the US Capitol rotunda. Photo Credit: Library of Congress

We would like to know what you think? We would like to hear from you what you are doing with your family this summer dan@youngchronicle.com

 

July 4th is the celebration of a new beginning. The fourth day of the seventh month is the day I always believed the Declaration of Independence was signed, binding the original 13 colonies together as a united nation.

But I recently discovered that is not accurate. During the summer my family is learning a little bit more about our American History by visiting the many historic sites in my city. We are doing this mainly because the fascination of discovering the little details that have fabricated our side of the world has always made my family curious.

Recently, we visited Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We also visited the Second Bank of America, the First Bank of America, and many other places around the Birthplace of Independence. But, it was Independence Hall that gave us the most information about our prestigious signers of the Declaration. About 80 percent of Independence Hall has been the same since it was built around 1732. The rest was restored to look authentic. 

Many people do not understand the signifigence of Independence Hall. Originally it was called the Pennsylvania State House, but later, after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, it became Independence Hall because it was the birthplace of our independence from the Great Britian.

During the tour we went into the signing room and the supreme court room. The picture above is the most accurate portrait of the signing of the declaration. The signing room is an accurate recreation of that picture. I really wanted to learn more, so after the tour, I asked the tour guide (who was a park ranger) a little more about Independence Hall. Here are a few of the things he told me:

July 4th is not the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. It is the day Congress adopted the document and had it printed so that it could be distributed and read to the public. The first public reading was in Philadelphia on July 8.  None of the signers were present at that reading. It was not signed by the founding fathers until August 2, 1776. George Washington did not sign the Declaration of Independence because he was busy fighting the British!

If you are interested in learning more about how we became the United States of America, you should come to Philadelphia and check out all the cool historic places here. The best part is…most are FREE! But if you can’t come, you can always go online and take a virtual tour. A good place to start is the National Constitution Center.

Source: Scholastic News Online

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