Archives for April, 2009
Posted by Each turtle racer has a unique personality. Click on any of the images below to get to know ‘em!
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Posted by Each turtle racer has a unique personality. Click on any of the images below to get to know ‘em!
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Stop Plastic From Taking Over!
Take the NO MORE PLASTIC! Pledge. Make a promise that you’ll stop using and
buying plastics!
What!?!
NO MORE PLASTIC! means thinking before you buy! STOP buying products
wrapped in plastic or delivered in plastic bottles, and STOP using plastic bags
offered at stores you visit.
Why!?!
Plastic gets into the waterways and harms sea turtles, birds, and other animals.
Plastic lasts for a really long time. If you throw a plastic bag or bottle into the trash,
it’s going to stay in a landfill forever–for thousands of years. If you recycle plastic, it
can be used to make new plastics using up fewer natural resources.
So Bag the Bag
Plastic bags have been banned in several cities around the world. But don’t wait for
a ban, stop using them now! Bring your reusable bags with you when you shop for
food, toys, school supplies, and well, everything!
Take the NO MORE PLASTIC! Pledge
I want to keep the leatherback sea turtles and all animals safe from plastic trash.
I _________________ pledge that I will not buy or use products that
contain or are delivered in plastic!
When there is no other option, I will always recycle, reuse, or throw the
plastic in a trash container.
To pledge online, sign in to comment with your I AGREE (Or
print a copy of the pledge to share with your classmates or post at home on
your fridge!)
Welcome to the Great Turtle Race
Posted by Welcome to the Great Turtle Race! I’m Rowdy Gaines, “The Voice of Swimming,” and I’ll be serving as the official Race commentator. For the next 14 days, follow 11 leatherback turtles as they swim from Nova Scotia, Canada across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean. The first turtle to cross the finish line and enter the Caribbean wins!
Photo by AP
While some turtles might not cross the finish line before the end of the Race, we’re expecting them all to put on a great show.
Leatherbacks are great swimmers and divers, but they’ve gotten some extra coaching for the Race. The extra boost comes from from Olympic swimmers Amanda Beard, Janet Evans, Jason Lezak, Eric Shanteau, and Aaron Peirsol! Find out more about the swimmers on the Coaches and Commentators page.
The turtles will also be competing in swimming challenges to see who enters the coldest water, who dives the deepest and for the longest time, and who travels the greatest distance during the Race.
Stay tuned for daily Race updates to follow your favorite turtle’s progress. You can also track your progress on the Great Turtle Race Map. Let the race begin!
Meet the Turtles
Backspacer
Billy
Cali
Estéban
Grembo Jones
Lindblad the Explorer
Nightswimmer
Nueva Esperanza
Seabiscuit
Searcher
Wawa Bear
Posted by Photograph by Jake Norton
Four mountain climbers who have climbed Mount Everest are now taking a shot at reaching the summit again. Peter Whittaker, Ed Viesturs, Dave Hahn, and Melissa Arnot began their expedition to the top of the world’s tallest mountain on March 30. Some of the climbers are going for records on their way to the summit! Dave Hahn is going for his incredible 11th Everest ascent, and Melissa Arnot is attempting to be the first American woman to reach the summit without extra oxygen.
Read more about the expedition and check out daily dispatches on National Geographic Adventure.
Quiz Your Noodle and find out how much you REALLY know about Mount Everest.
Meet the talented athletes who will be involved in this year’s Great Turtle Race.
RACE COMMENTATOR
Rowdy Gaines
Often called “Swimming’s Greatest Ambassador,” Gaines is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame inductee. He’s set and smashed world records and faced down tremendous personal obstacles (including a temporary paralysis in 1991 from Guillain-Barré Syndrome) to become a world-class athlete and freestyle swimmer. His voice is famous, too. He does commentary for swimming competitions on NBC and ESPN–most recently for the exciting 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
Photo: AP
EVENT COACHES
DEEPEST and LONGEST DIVES
Cullen Jones
A U.S. freestyle sprint swimmer and gold medalist, Cullen Jones is fast…. REAL fast! So fast, that he helped set a new world record time in the 4x100m freestyle relay in the most recent Beijing Olympics with teammates Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak and Garret Weber-Gale. And Jones is the first African-American to hold or share a world record in swimming–a pretty impressive feat.
Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
LONGEST-DISTANCE TRAVELED
Aaron Peirsol
Perhaps one of the best back strokers (um… ever?!) Peirsol currently holds the world record for the 100m back stroke. No stranger to success, he’s been earning medals from a young age. He went to his first Olympics when he was 16 and set his first world record at age 17. Plus, in Beijing he took home a Gold in the 4×100 medley relay and a Silver in
the 200m backstroke.
Photo: Thomas Kienzle/AP
TURTLE COACHES
Amanda Beard (Grembo Jones, Lindblad the Explorer and Estéban)
Competition is in Beard’s blood: So far, she’s swam in four different Olympic games! Her teammates even voted her one of the co-captains of the 2008 women’s swimming team. She has won seven, count ‘em, SEVEN medals for her swimming. She is also an avid supporter of many causes to defend wildlife and use her celebrity to encourage others to do so as well (including the Leatherback in this race.)
Photo: Mark J. Terrill/AP
Janet Evans (Nueva Esperanza, Nightswimmer and Searcher)
She may have retired from competitive swimming, but Evans left an indelible mark on the sport winning five medals (including four gold ones!) and setting seven world records with her one-of-a-kind “windmill” stroke. She even earned the nickname, Miss Perpetual Motion. This gold medalist knows what it takes to make it to the medals stand.
Photo: Simon Bruty/Allsport/Getty images
Jason Lezak (Seabiscuit, Wawa Bear and Billy)
As the most senior member of the 2008 men’s swimming team, Lezak brought the necessary experience and maturity to help win the 4x100m freestyle relay. As its anchor–both literally and figuratively, Lezak made a memorable and amazing comeback to close the gap between the Americans and the French team–helping the U.S. win the gold by eight hundredths of a second. He has earned three gold and two bronze medals for his swimming.
Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Eric Shanteau (Backspacer and Cali)
Shanteau won a spot on the 2008 U.S men’s team to swim the 200m breast stroke where he posted his personal best time. Just two weeks before Beijing, Shanteau was diagnosed with cancer. He delayed treatment to achieve his life’s goal of swimming in the Olympics and then returned to successfully beat the cancer. His tremendous fighting spirit and determination make him a stand-out competitor both in and out of the pool.
Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Length: 150.5 cm (5 ft)
Width: 113 cm (3 ft 9 in)
Weight: 375 kg (825 lbs)
Illustration: Chris Rooney
Sponsor: Pearl Jam
Coach: Eric Shanteau
Backspacer has a lot on her mind.
She joined the Race for the sake of the journey, to take to the road
and to think about where she’s been and where she’s headed next. She
started the Race from the most northerly point of any of her
competitors, deep in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Backspacer’s sponsors,
the legendary rock band Pearl Jam, are hoping that she can win the Race
and find her way home in time for the release of their new album in the
Fall!
Backspacer’s
coach, Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau, has been helping her to focus on
moving ahead and taking deep breaths during her long sojourn south.
Go to the Great Turtle Race map.
Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Posted by Turtle Name: Nightswimmer (Female)
Length: 160 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Width: 112.2 cm (3 ft 8 in)
Weight: 440 kg (970 lbs)
Coach: Janet Evans
Nightswimmer is one of the biggest turtles in the Race, and is one of rock band R.E.M.’s biggest fans. She is quite the traveler, having followed R.E.M. to far-flung places on their tours. But, just like the band, Nightswimmer always has Georgia on her mind!
Five-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans is Nightswimmer’s coach, so Nightswimmer should be able to swim faster for longer than anyone else.
Go to the Great Turtle Race map.
Photo: Simon Bruty/Allsport/Getty images
Turtle Name: Lindblad the Explorer (Female)
Length: 159.3 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Width: 114.8 cm (3 ft 9 in)
Weight: 440 kg (970 lbs)
Coach: Amanda Beard
Lindblad the Explorer is no stranger to long voyages. In the past few years, she has traversed the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, from her preferred nesting beach in Costa Rica to feeding grounds in Canada. Lindblad the Explorer is a fearless trailblazer and has traveled this route before, so she might have an advantage against her less-experienced competitors in the Race.
She is being coached by Olympic champion Amanda Beard, whose love for the ocean and for turtles (not to mention her stellar swimming skills!) should come in handy for Lindblad the Explorer.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Robot Riot!
AUTHOR: Andy Griffiths
Hi, I’m back with a very exciting book. It’s called Robot Riot, and it’s book 4 of the Schooling Around series. Another book by this author is The Day My Butt Went Psycho!
The main characters are Jenny, Jack, Newton and Henry. They think that the new girl at their school, Roberta, is a robot. They think that because they read her diary. She’s a great drawer, nicer than anyone, a good story writer, and really brainy. In her diary, she writes about her being a robot.
The robot on the cover is not actually Roberta, it was made by Grant, a kid in their class. It was made to try and fight Roberta, but its systems didn’t work in time, so they dressed Henry up like a robot to try and fight Roberta.
And then…
You’ll have to read the book to find out the rest. I’m not giving away the ending this time! If you’ve read the book, DON’T mention what happens if you leave me a comment.
If you like a good adventure, with some funny parts, the book is great.
Goodbye now, people!
Turtle Name: Cali (Male)
Length: 148.2 cm (4 ft 10 in)
Width: 107.1 cm (3 ft 6 in)
Weight: 340 kg (750 lbs)
Coach: Eric Shanteau
Cali’s unflappable spirit got him through a life-threatening ordeal that almost kept him off the starting line. When Canadian scientists found him, he was entangled in fishing gear and unable to swim. But thanks to his can-do attitude and some help from the Canadians, he’s off to the races with his leatherback friends!
Cali has been working with a coach whose personal experience in overcoming adversity and succeeding on a big scale has helped him to get ready for the Race, Olympian Eric Shanteau!
Go to the Great Turtle Race map.
Turtle Name: Searcher (Female)
Length: 139.4 cm (4 ft 7 in)
Width: 101.5 cm (3 ft 4 in)
Weight: 275 kg (605 lbs)
Coach: Janet Evans
Searcher might be the smallest turtle in the Race, but she’s determined to make big waves. Her sleek, lustrous carapace should help her move quickly on her way to the Caribbean, and her knowledge of the deep sea might give her an advantage in the ‘deepest diver’ challenge.
Searcher is little, but is a powerful swimmer, just like her coach, Olympic long-distance swimming specialist Janet Evans!
Turtle Name: Estéban (Male)
Length: 153.6 cm (5 ft 1 in)
Width: 113.3 cm (3 ft 9 in)
Weight: 385 kg (850 lbs)
Coach: Amanda Beard
A native of the Latin American Caribbean, Estéban is quite the popular turtle whose amigos were swimming around the boat while he received his tag. Let’s see if he is still the life of the party down in the Caribbean around the nesting beaches!
Estéban’s cousin, Stephanie, finished 2nd in the 2007 Great Turtle Race over in the Pacific Ocean, losing to Billy’s cousin by a flipper. This time, Estéban has a secret weapon: his coach for the Race is Olympic gold medalist Amanda Beard!
Turtle Name: Grembo Jones (Female)
Length: 147.6 cm (4 ft 10 in)
Width: 107 cm (3 ft 6 in)
Weight: 335 kg (740 lbs)
Coach: Amanda Beard
Grembo Jones is a fun-loving surfer looking forward to hitting those warm Caribbean waves. When she’s not racing across the Atlantic or lounging near her nesting beach, she loves pulling pranks on her friends, so the other turtles in the Race should keep an eye on her!
Lucky for Grembo, she found the perfect coach for her personality -the tireless Amanda Beard, four-time Olympian and seven-time medalist!
Turtle Name: Nueva Esperanza (Female)
Length: 152.4 cm (5 ft)
Width: 111.7 cm (3 ft 8 in)
Weight: 375 kg (825 lbs)
Coach: Janet Evans
Despite starting from the faraway shores of Newfoundland, Nueva Esperanza is unfazed by the long way she has to go to reach her goal. Although the odds seem to be stacked against her, Nueva Esperanza means ‘New Hope’ in Spanish, which makes her effort in this Race an inspiration for all of us.
Olympic long-distance swimming champion Janet Evans – ‘Miss Perpetual Motion’ – is providing expert advice to Nueva Esperanza! Let’s ‘hope’ that Nueva Esperanza swims long and hard for the cause!
Go to the Great Turtle Race map.
Photo: Simon Bruty/Allsport/Getty images
Turtle Name: Billy (Male)
Length: 159.6 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Width: 113.3 cm (3 ft 9 in)
Weight: 440 kg (970 lbs)
Coach: Jason Lezak
Billy is a big adult male leatherback, who likes hanging out with his marlin and swordfish buddies when he’s not racing other leatherbacks across the Atlantic Ocean. Billy’s female cousin by the same name (‘Billie’) was the winner of the 2007 Great Turtle Race over in the Pacific Ocean, narrowly edging out ‘Stephanie Colburtle’.
Olympic champion Jason Lezak, a career relay swimmer, is trying to instill his exceptional discipline and energy in Billy for this Race.
Turtle Name: Seabiscuit (Male)
Length: 164.8 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Width: 122.9 cm (4 ft)
Weight: 490 kg (1,080 lbs)
Seabiscuit was the first turtle to receive a satellite tag for this year’s Race, and a strange mark on the front of his carapace (or shell) makes him easy to spot. Although we can’t be sure how he got this distinctive mark, it shows that whatever he has faced in his long life, Seabiscuit is one tough turtle!
That should be no surprise, given that this turtle gets his name from a famous racehorse whose heroics on the track inspired a disheartened nation during the Great Depression. This 21st century Seabiscuit hopes to follow in his namesake’s footsteps, at a time when we need it most!
Olympic gold medalist Jason Lezak, who is training Seabiscuit for this big Race, knows something about inspirational comebacks. His thrilling come-from-behind anchor leg in the 4x100m freestyle race in the 2008 Olympics was the fastest split in history and won the gold for the American team!
Turtle Name: Wawa Bear (Female)
Length: 174.5 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Width: 123.5 cm (4 ft 1 in)
Weight: 600 kg (1,315 lbs)
Wawa Bear is the largest turtle EVER captured in Nova Scotian waters, bigger than most real bears! While the ‘Bear’ in this turtle’s name is obvious, the ‘Wawa’ comes from what she called her grandmother when Wawa Bear was just a little turtle. She is a regular traveler from Canada to the Caribbean; she has nested in French Guiana every 2 years since 1993! Wawa Bear is not a turtle that needs to stop and ask for directions.
To get in shape for the Race, Wawa Bear was trained by Olympic champion Jason Lezak, who is a career anchor swimmer, so his teammates rely on him to pull through at the end of the race.
Malia and Sasha Obama now have the dog their dad promised them on election night. Their new puppy is a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog. The girls have named their new pal Bo. Soon he’ll be running around the White House lawns–maybe he’ll even visit the vegetable garden!
Learn more about Portuguese water dogs on the American Kennel Club site.
Quiz Your Noodle on other dog breeds!
Photograph by Pete Souza/The White House/AP
Denim is starting to pour into our offices! Thanks to your efforts, we now have collected 5,270 jeans and other denim items! We are well on our way to setting a record for the largest collection of clothes to recycle.
All
the denim will be recycled into cotton insulation and will be used in
homes that have been damaged during natural disasters.
Learn you how you and your family can send in your worn jeans. Get the details on the denim drive.
Photograph courtesy of Catherine D. Hughes
You have to break a lot of eggs to whip up the world’s largest pancake stack–about 100 eggs, in fact! In February, two chefs in Scotland created a 29.5-inch (75 cm) flapjack tower that just might beat the current record of 29.1 inches (74 cm). The grocery list of ingredients also included an incredible 11 pounds (5 kilograms) of flour and 6.6 pounds (3 kilograms) of butter.
See more crazy competition photos on National Geographic News.
Help National Geographic Kids set a world record!
Watch videos of more Guinness World Record attempts.
Photograph courtesy Danny Lawson/AP
Posted by April is National Poetry Month, an official celebration of poetry started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996.
Do you have a favorite poet or poem? Maybe you’ve even written your own poems… share them with other DogEared readers in the comments below.
And how about some of these fun ways to celebrate:
–Write a poem in chalk on the sidewalk.
–Organize a poetry reading during lunchtime with your friends.
–Find the poetry section in your school library, close your eyes, pick a book at random and check it out.
–Write a poem for your mom and save it to give to her as a Mother’s Day gift next month.
–Use these online poetry magnets to create your own masterpiece.
OH, and don’t forget to remember Poem in a Pocket Day on Thursday, April 30. Just pick your favorite poem… or one that has special meaning to you. Then, carry it in your pocket and share with friends and family you see that day.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Julian’s Glorious Summer
AUTHOR: Ann Cameron
This book is about two friends, Julian and Gloria. I think they are both 7 years old. It takes place in the summer, which is a really good time to read about when it’s cold outside.
In the book, Gloria gets a new bike and learns how to do tricks. Julian wants to show off and do cool stuff too, but he doesn’t have a bike and he doesn’t know how to ride one. So he looks for jobs and other things to do during the summer while telling everyone he doesn’t like bikes. He is almost mad when his dad finally gets him a bike and Julian then tells his mom that he doesn’t like bikes because he’s afraid of falling down. But Gloria helped teach him how to ride his bike and to do tricks so they both have fun in the end. Julian just had to try to learn.
I liked this book because it’s about riding bikes, which is something I like to do. It can be hard to learn how to ride a bike for the first time without training wheels. This book also is about having fun in the summer, which is also something I like.
Happy Opening Day! Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a
professional mascot? How about one of the running presidents for the
Washington Nationals?
Stephanie Montgomery, a National Geographic employee, tried out to be a racing president in February. During tryouts, the four “presidents” (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt) had to run a race around the baseball diamond. in full costume while wearing a giant head! Montgomery says that the giant head “was not as heavy as I had feared, but it was very awkward. I had listened to some tips
from some of the other folks who had run already, and knew that you
should lean back for balance and comfort, but push your head forward
for vision. It also seemed that small choppy steps were the way to go.
Photograph courtesy Kate Baylor
Read the whole post »
Thanks to a successful denim donation drop-off weekend held at Build-A-Bear Workshops in the U.S. March 27-29, we have collected a whopping 3,250 denim items! And we haven’t finished counting all the jeans and other denim clothing that was collected by our friends at Build-A-Bear!
You can help us in our Guinness World Record attempt to collect the largest collection of clothes to recycle. After we collect all the denim, it will all be recycled into cotton insulation through Cotton. From Blue to Green.®
Learn how you and your friends can participate.
Find out about Cotton. From Blue to Green.®
