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How do you feel about keeping animals in zoos? Read both sides of the argument to help you decide.

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These photos of unexpected animal friendships will melt your heart.

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Extreme Sports Facts

Check out our range of extreme sports facts.

Learn about the summer and winter X Games, different types of extreme sports, the surfaces and environments such as water, land, snow and air, as well as lots more interesting facts and information.

Extreme sports, sometimes called action sports or adventure sports, do not have an exact definition but are generally considered to be activities that are seen as having a high level of potential danger.

Extreme sports often involve high speeds, dangerous heights, the requirement for a high level of specialist technical skill, and highly specialized gear or equipment.

Success in extreme sports usually involves judging panels scoring athletes based on visual and technical criteria and completion of a 'trick'.

Height based extreme sports include Bungee jumping, skydiving, BASE jumping, paragliding and hang gliding.

Water based extreme sports include scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, wakeboarding surfing, whitewater kayaking and rafting.

Wheel based extreme sports include BMX, skateboarding, mountain biking, inline skating, rally car and motocross.

Winter based extreme sports include skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobile.

Cliff and cave based extreme sports include rock climbing, ice climbing, caving, free diving, mountaineering and cave diving.

The X Games are an annual extreme sports event, organized by the U.S. sports broadcaster ESPN. Participants compete to win gold, silver, and bronze medals along with prize money.

The first Summer X Games were held in 1995 in Newport, Rhode Island. The first Winter X Games were held in 1997 at Mountain Resort, Big Bear Lake, California.

X Games are typically held in the USA. The winter games are held in January or February and the summer games are usually held in August.

X Games have also been held in Asia since 1998 and Europe since 2010.

The X Games competitions often makes heroes of those athletes who are talented and brave enough to pull of a new and exciting 'trick' such as Tony Hawk's 900 in skateboarding, Travis Pastrana's double backflip in freestyle motocross, Heath Frisby's first snowmobile front flip or snowboarder Torstein Horgmo's triple flip.

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Extreme Sports Facts - Information About X Games, Action Sports & More

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Extreme Sports Facts Check out our range of extreme sports facts. Learn about the summer and winter X Games, different types of extreme sports, the surfaces and environments such as water, land, snow and air, as well as lots more interesting facts and information.

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Mt. Everest: Why Do People Keep Climbing It?

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Despite tales of overcrowding, fighting and tragedy, hundreds of people continue to try to summit Everest every year. What's the appeal?

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The battle between bottled water enthusiasts and tap water die-hards is finding new ground on YouTube, with dueling videos from environmental activists and the International Bottled Water Association.

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Bloodthirsty, ruthless, killer: shark. For years people have feared and slaughtered sharks because of the bad rap they have received from Hollywood, but these beliefs are not justified.

Sharks are not vicious and are actually quite gentle. Of the more than 388 species of sharks only two (the Great White and the Tiger) have been known to attack man and then only because of mistaken identity. Wetsuits and surfboards used by surfers are mistaken by sharks as the thick, rubbery, skin of seals, which are their main diet. Once the shark bites the surfer, it almost immediately lets go because it does not taste like its favorite meal.

Not all big sharks have huge jaws full of teeth, as many people believe. Whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, are the most affable creatures you will encounter in our world's oceans. These sharks (that can weigh over three thousand pounds and grow up to five stories in length) have no teeth at all. Instead they have a mouth full of baleen that they use to filter plankton and tiny fish out the hundreds of gallons of sea water that passes through their monstrous mouths at one time. These peaceful giants have been known to let divers ride on their backs and don't show any aggression when approached.

People should treat sharks with respect, as they should all earth's creatures. The only way for future generations to learn to appreciate these magnificent creatures (instead of fear them) is through education. This can be accomplished through programs which highlight the good points about sharks, instead of the myths surrounding them. Another way is to make ocean research available to all people - everyone should have the chance to learn the truth about sharks. ^

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Sharks: Killers Or Just Misunderstood? | Teen Ink

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Bloodthirsty, ruthless, killer: shark. For years people have feared and slaughtered sharks because of the bad rap they have received from Hollywood, but these beliefs are not justified.Sharks are not vicious and are actually quite

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Plastic retail bags - the kind you get from your grocer or at the corner store - are being targeted for bans and taxes in communities around the country, regardless of the unintended consequences. Bans and taxes have a negative impact on working families and seniors on fixed incomes, but they don't help the environment in any meaningful way-in fact they can cause bigger problems.

Banning and taxing recyclable, reusable products doesn't make sense, even in the most well-intentioned scenarios. Keep reading to find out why.

Environment
Plastic bags are the most environmentally friendly option at the checkout. Find out the surprising green truth for yourself.

Recycling
Plastic bag recycling is simple and effective, thanks to thousands of recycling drop-off locations across the country.

Jobs and Economy
Bag bans and taxes make trips to the grocery store more expensive, especially for low- and fixed-income families - with no meaningful impact on the environment to back them up. They also threaten thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs.

Health
Be mindful with your reusable canvas and non-woven bags. Without frequent washing and appropriate storage, reusable bags can harbor dangerous bacteria.

Reuse
Nearly 90% of Americans reuse plastic bags. What do you do with yours?

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Bans and taxes have a negative impact on working families and seniors on fixed incomes, but they don't help the environment in any meaningful way-in fact they can cause bigger problems.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Scholastic Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers

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Explore Scholastic Teaching Tools for teaching resources, printables, book lists, and more. Enhance your classroom experience with expert advice!

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Sharks are scary-no doubt about it. Just ask anyone who's seen Jaws or other films that feature these sharp-toothed creatures.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Author: Catherine Clarke Fox
Source: National Geographic Kids

If your family is like many, unloading the week's groceries includes hauling a case or two of bottled water into your home. On your way to a soccer game or activity, it's easy to grab a cold one right out of the fridge, right?

But all those plastic bottles use a lot of fossil fuels and pollute the environment. In fact, Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world, adding 29 billion water bottles a year to the problem. In order to make all these bottles, manufacturers use 17 million barrels of crude oil. That's enough oil to keep a million cars going for twelve months.

Imagine a water bottle filled a quarter of the way up with oil. That's about how much oil was needed to produce the bottle.

So why don't more people drink water straight from the kitchen faucet? Some people drink bottled water because they think it is better for them than water out of the tap, but that's not true. In the United States, local governments make sure water from the faucet is safe. There is also growing concern that chemicals in the bottles themselves may leach into the water.

People love the convenience of bottled water. But maybe if they realized the problems it causes, they would try drinking from a glass at home or carrying water in a refillable steel container instead of plastic.

Plastic bottle recycling can help-instead of going out with the trash, plastic bottles can be turned into items like carpeting or cozy fleece clothing.

Unfortunately, for every six water bottles we use, only one makes it to the recycling bin. The rest are sent to landfills. Or, even worse, they end up as trash on the land and in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Plastic bottles take many hundreds of years to disintegrate.

Water is good for you, so keep drinking it. But think about how often you use water bottles, and see if you can make a change.

And yes, you can make a difference. Remember this: Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours.

Read article in National Geographic Kids

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Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap? - Cool Australia

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Author: Catherine Clarke Fox Source: National Geographic Kids If your family is like many, unloading the week's groceries includes hauling a case or two of bottled water into your home. On your way to a soccer game or activity, it's easy to grab a cold one right out of the fridge, right?

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Real sanctuaries are safe, comfortable places for animals to live after they've been rescued from not-so-nice places like circuses or laboratories. People can sometimes visit these sanctuaries, which is an awesome way to learn about and see animals without supporting businesses that hurt them, like roadside zoos or wildlife parks. Roadside zoos and wildlife parks use animals to make money. It's confusing because they sometimes call themselves "sanctuaries" or "rescues" to bring in more customers, because they know that people don't want to visit roadside zoos, but they're being dishonest when they do that.

It's important not to get these horrible places confused with actual sanctuaries. But how can you tell the difference? It's easy! There are a few simple questions you can ask about a place to figure out whether it's helping or hurting animals the animals who live there.

You can find answers to these questions by browsing a facility's website and social media pages (your parents can help):

1. How are animals housed?

Real sanctuaries make sure that an animal's living space is as close to their natural habitat as possible. Animals should live with others of their own kind so they can have friends. It's mean to keep them all alone in small, dirty pens with concrete floors and nothing to do-and you should stay away from places like that.

2. What kinds of activities do the animals get to do?

The animals' living area should have lots of ways for them to play and enjoy themselves! For example, there should be a large structure for chimpanzees to climb on, water for bears to soak and splash in, and large fields for roaming and exploring. Animals need these things if they're going to be healthy, happy, and comfortable.

Animals should also live with others of the same species so they can communicate with each another easily and form relationships and groups. In many sanctuaries, the animals who already live there help teach the newcomers how to get back in touch with their natural instincts and enjoy life again.

3. How big is the facility?

Animals should be given enough space to explore, roam, climb, and forage. And a real sanctuary NEVER takes the animals out of the facility to show them off.

4. Are visitors allowed to touch or hold the animals?

True wild-animal sanctuaries (with big cats, bears, primates, or wolves) NEVER allow visitors to touch or hold the animals, even babies, and that includes taking photos with them. This would be scary for the animals and dangerous to the visitors, too!

5. Where did the animals come from?

The animals who live there probably came from a place where they were mistreated, so they have a sad and painful past. The staff will want to share each animal's story so that visitors can learn about the various places that hurt animals (like laboratories, circuses, and roadside zoos). Real sanctuaries provide animals with a permanent home for the rest of their life. They NEVER trade, borrow, or loan animals.

6. Does the facility breed animals?

Sanctuaries NEVER breed animals, meaning that they don't make any of the animals have babies. Places that do breed animals are using them to make money-that's not right, and that's not a sanctuary.

7. What is it like to visit a sanctuary?

Most sanctuaries only allow very limited visits. Usually a guide takes people on a small tour of the place and doesn't let them walk around by themselves.

8. Is it accredited?

True sanctuaries are accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), a group that makes sure sanctuaries follow strict rules to protect the animals who live there, like the ones listed above.
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All living, feeling beings deserve a comfortable place to live where people aren't always staring at them. A true sanctuary puts the needs and wants of the animals first. So if you care about animals, NEVER visit a roadside zoo or a wildlife park, and explain to your friends and family why places like that are bad for animals!

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8 Ways to Tell a REAL Sanctuary From a Roadside Zoo | PETA Kids

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Roadside zoo or animal sanctuary? This list will explain the difference-so you can figure out if a place is hurting or helping animals.

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What Are Some Advantages of Bottled Water?

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While some people might argue that it’s silly to spend money on something you can get for…

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Who Its The Toughest Action Sports Athlete?

Who's the UGIEST of them all? Action Sport athletes are some of the most fearless, some might say crazy, humans on earth. They are driven by pure adrenaline, and the fact that they're risking life and limb on a daily basis only seems to fuel their fire. The unrelenting pursuit of progression leads these athletes to push the boundaries and test the limits of whať's possible, sometimes resulting in serious or fatal accidents. But you can only have ONE TRUE badass of the bunch and Krush set out to find who that is. WHAT'S THE PERCEPTION OUT THERE? WHICH ACTION SPORT HAS THE TOUGHEST ATHLETES? A recent 2012 survey of action sports athletes revealed that motocross athletes were perceived to be the toughest. *Respondents were asked to choose among the six sports listed below 32% 26.1% 18% MOTOCROSS SKATEBOARDING 11.8% SNOWBOARDING 7.7% BMX 4.4% SURFING FREESKIING #1 # 2 # 3 # 4 # 5 #6 WHERE'S THE RISK? NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS IN EACH SPORT THAT GET INJURED PREDICTION (Per 1,000 participants) *Per 1,000 surfing hours for surfing New school freestyle skiing, or "freeskiing", has only come onto the scene since the late 1990's. Being such a young sport, data is scarce when it comes to tracking injuries and risk and includes both freeskiing and alpine skiing. We predict that the injuries per thousand will be significantly higher in the coming years. 100 94.5 63 60 40 20 8.9 6.97 6.6 2.63 Freestyle Motocross BMX Skateboarder Snowboarder Surfer Freeskier MOST COMMON INJURY IN EACH SPORT SHOULDER INJURIES LACERATIONS AND ABRASIONS BLUNT CHEST AND ABDOMINAL TRAUMA WRIST INJURIES TORN LIGAMENTS ANKLE INJURIES THE BEST OF THE WORST INJURIES NOTABLE ATHLETES FROM EACH SPORT RATED ON THEIR INJURY LEVEL *The rating system is a cross reference between seriousness & frequency of injuries FREQUENCY OF INJURIES KEVIN PEARCE TRAVIS PASTRANA MIKE METZGER MAT HOFFMAN JACOB TRETTE DAVE MIRRA O BRIAN DEEGAN JAKE BROWN DANNY WAY TRAVIS RICE TANNER HALL less often FREQUENCY OF INJURIES more often ATHLETES TRAVIS PASTRANA: Has one of the most extensive injury rap sheets in the action sports industry, including a rare dislocated spinal injury. MAT HOFFMAN: Fell after clearing 23 feet in the air, rupturing his spleen. He was given 20 minutes to live. MIKE METZGER: Broken vertebrae in his back and neck, injured both collarbones, and lacerated his kidney training for X17. KEVIN PEARCE: Sustained a traumatic brain injury after hitting his head on the hard icy side of the halfpipe training for the Olympics. DAVE MIRRA: He is called the "Miracle Boy" because he survives so many serious accidents. BRIAN DEEGAN: Broke his hip, snapped his humerus in half, broke his wrists five times, compressed a vertebra in his back and blew up his kidney doing a backflip. JAKE BROWN: Brown spent three days in a hospital recovering from a broken wrist, a bleeding liver, a bruised lung and cracked vertebrae. JACOB TRETTE: Almost drowned after being trapped underwater by two 25-foot waves. Spent three days in an induced coma in the ICU. DANNY WAY: Has had 13 surgeries, including eight on his knee, along with four ACL reconstructions in the same knee. TANNER HALL: Broke both ankles in 2005, then suffered fractures to both tibial plateaus, and ACL tears in each knee in 2010. TRAVIS RICE: Travis ruptured his spleen and spent six days in intensive care. TAKEN TOO SOON HEROIC ATHLETES, WE HONOR AND REMEMBER ALWAYS KARGOLA (1983-2011) JIM (1978-2011) JEREMY LUSK JEFF (1982-2012) CR JOHNSON MCCONKEY CRAIG AARON ROBINSON MCNEIL SHANE KELLY (1966-2003) (1984-2009) SARAH BURKE Freestyle Motocross JOYEUX (1980-2005) (1983-2010) (1969-2009) Freestyle Motocross MILOSKY Freestyle Motocross (1983-2011) SION (1975-2011) MALIK Freeskier Freeskier Freeskier Snowboarder Snowboarder Surfer Surfer BY DRIN With all action sports comes a certain degree of risk and fear that isn't found in other sports. This risk, along with the reward, is what motivates these athletes day in and day out, and even though we give props to every single one of them... WE CAN ONLY HAVE ONE WINNER: MOTOCROSS frousHEST SOURCES http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/press/facts-ski-snbd-safety.asp http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15133584 http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0515/p2007.html#afp20010515p2007-b13 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070102092203.htm http://www.sandersclinic.net/common_motoxinj.html http://www.orthonurse.org/portals/0/sports%20med%203.pdf https://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-042612-120758/unrestricted/final.pdf http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/40/4/770.abstract http://vuir.vu.edu.au/712/ KRUSH K http://travispastrana.net/extra/injuries/ ptavispastre http://magazine.stack.com/Thelssue/Article/7775/OneonOne_With_Brian_Deegan. aspx http://sports.espn.go.com/action http://www.grindtv.com/athlete/jeremy-lusk/ http://www.kidzworld.com/article/2703-xtreme-sports-injuries# http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/17/news_pf/Sports/Extremely_painful.shtml http://skateboarding.transworld.net/1000077290/news/danny-way-hospitalized-at-mega-ramp-contest/ http://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/4892-jacob-trette-released-from-hospital-after-induced-coma http://www.surfermag.com/features/malikrip/ "Survey Results: 300+ respondents surveyed nationwide through Krush media outlets less serious SERIOUSNESS OF THE INJURY more serious

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Who Its The Toughest Action Sports Athlete?

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The toughest action sports athletes based on public opinion and injury reports. What do you think? Do you agree?

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Climbing Mount Everest is always an extreme challenge. But experts say tackling the world's highest peak-located in Asia on the border between Nepal and China-became much, much riskier this year.

That's because of a huge increase in the number of climbers allowed on the mountain, which recently led to deadly human traffic jams along the stretch to the top. At 29,029 feet, Everest is so high that humans must rely on bottled oxygen to breathe near the summit. Stuck waiting for hours in lines to reach Everest's peak, some climbers ran low on oxygen. That was likely a key factor in many of the at least 11 deaths on the mountain this year.

Most people start their climbs from Nepal. One of the poorest nations in Asia, Nepal relies heavily on money from Everest expeditions. Its government issued more permits to climb the mountain in 2019 than ever before-many to inexperienced climbers, experts say.

In response to a global outcry following one of the deadliest Everest seasons on record, officials in Nepal say they may start requiring climbers to prove their experience.

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A huge increase in the number of climbers made tackling the world's highest peak extra risky this year.

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When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Born on the east and west coasts of North America, the south of Africa and southwest Australia, baby sharks are on their own right from the start. Their mother may see them only as prey. At birth the baby shark is already about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long; as it grows it may reach a length up to four times that. The pup (which is what a baby shark is called) will live its life at the top of the ocean’s food chain. But before it grows larger, the pup must avoid predators bigger than it is—including other great white sharks. Many baby sharks do not survive their first year. Young great white sharks eat fish (including other sharks) and rays. As they grow, the sharks’ favorite prey becomes sea mammals, especially sea lions and seals. Sharks count on the element of surprise as they hunt. When they see a seal at the surface of the water, sharks will often position themselves underneath the seal. Using their tails as propellers, they swim upward at a fast sprint, burst out of the water in a leap called a breach, and fall back into the water with the seal in their mouths. They can smell a single drop of blood from up to a third of a mile (0.53 kilometers) away. Sharks don’t chew their food; they rip off chunks of meat and swallow them whole. They can last a month or two without another big meal.

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Have you ever went to a zoo and saw a polar bear in a small cage, a small swimming pool to where it can't even go fully underwater, and the fur of the creature wasn't even white anymore? If you think this is okay, then you are not realizing that these animals that they hold in zoos are becoming depressed because they don't have enough space to live a life they deserve. Many people think zoos are a learning opportunity, I agree in a way but there are many different opportunities that you can take instead of viewing animals through a small cage because these animals aren't even acting like themselves. They are being forced to live in such a small environment, some backgrounds are different from others, most are taken from their mothers as babies and others were injured and have to be looked after for the rest of their life because they can't live fully on their own. I agree to the extent that zoos are good assistance to injured animals but they shouldn't be forced into such a small cage, they should be put in sanctuaries that has millions and millions of acres of land where they can roam free as they are being looked after at the same time. Many people do not see this different for what is right or wrong, they look past all of the depressed animals behind bars, because they are too excited to think from the animal's point of view because they have never seen such a mysterious creature and they are blindsided. Zoos are prisons for animals. Do we go to a prison just to view the inmates or would that be weird? Exactly. That is the same concept I am making at this point. You wouldn't view your own species behind bars, then why should you force other species into cages just so that you can see them behind bars for your own use. Its not benefitting all of the animals, some in a way but there are better options than putting animals in zoos.

There are many reasons why animals shouldn't be placed in zoos, according to the article 5 Reasons You Should Boycott the Zoo by Abigail Geer, makes great points on why people should help boycott zoos. The first reason is that zoos cannot provide enough space for each animal. In the wild, these animals have a tremendous amount of space that is never ending. In zoos they are placed on an acre or two per animal. That isn't enough for a wild animal to live on. Second, animals suffer from abnormal behaviors. People come to zoos hoping to experience the whole package of what it feels like being in a different country as if watching these animals in their natural habitat. In reality, most of the animals you see behind the fences are depressed because they are kept in captivity. Zoos do provide the animals with anti-depressants, but is this what people think is right? If this hasn't convinced you then this next reason that Geer states will. Surplus animals are killed. Most zoos state that they are helping animals that are becoming extinct in the wild so they are trying to help reproduce species. Truth is that all the extra animals that are unwanted because zoos were overbreeding, they are killed because they don't have enough space to take care of these animals. Another reason why zoos should be banned is because most animals that are presented at the zoo were once taken from their mother at a small age. They never lived in the wild, so they are not even a good representation of how that animal should act because they didn't grow up in a free environment because they were forced to be in a zoo. So technically the animals that take up the cages at zoos they don't serve an educational purpose because that is not how the animal acts when they are in their actual environment. The fifth reason that will convince you to boycott zoos is that zoos don't serve conservation. Zoos try o hard to make the public believe that when a baby is born that when it grows old it will be released into the wild, but should we really believe them? The answer is no. The baby never knows how to live on its own so they could never just let the baby go on its own even when it does get older. It would know how to take care of itself because zoos do all of it for them, they bring them food and water. In the wild they would have to go hunt for their own food which they would end up starving and dying because they don't know how to do so.

Most people who are pro zoos are blindsided by the excitement of zoos. They never seen a wild creature like this before so they looked passed the sadness in the animal's eyes. An article on the PETA website The reality of Zoos written by Michelle Carr, is an article that supports the reason why zoos are bad for all animals. Carr states that, "I thought being able to see them in person would be neat. But once I saw them "up close and personal," I realized that the animals were miserable. It instantly became very clear to me that the animals imprisoned in zoos are sad and don't want to be kept in artificial environments, have people gawk at them, listen to children who bang on the windows of their enclosures, or have cameras flashing in their faces. To put it simply, zoos are imprisoning animals who want to be free." In this statement, it instantly made me feel guilty from going to zoos when I was little. People need to face up to reality because I know for a fact that everyone has had an experience like Michelle Carr and they need to live up to it and help close zoos down because they are just torturing these animals for their own beneficial use. If everyone became aware of these conditions, then they would proudly help shut them down. Haven't you realized that when you go to zoos you stand there for ten to fifteen minute but they don't move a bit? It's because they don't want to be there. They will never be with their blood family which the animals depend on for their whole life in the wild. They will never know the true meaning of life as if they were in the wild, they will be forced to live in the zoo for the rest of their life with sadness and boredom.

The world needs to come to realize that zoos are bad for animals, PETA explains to us that the animals are on anti-depressants, once an animal outlives their usefulness they are killed, animals are instantly killed if they escape their cages, they transport animals from other countries to satisfy the human eye, surplus animals are mistreated and killed, they will sell animals to circuses or to livestock auctions, they don't have the appropriate veterinarian service they need, and some animals are starved to death. If any one thinks that this is okay in anyway they definitely need to see the difference of zoos and animals in their natural habitat. We need to take action and educate the public before its too late and before they bring in any other animals into their exhibits where they will never be able to step free into the wild ever again. Last Chance for Animals explains to us, "Animals in zoos are forced to live in artificial, stressful, and downright boring conditions. Removed from their natural habitats and social structures, they are confined to small, restrictive environments that deprive them of mental and physical stimulation. While zoos claim to provide conservation, education, and entertainment, their primary goal is to sustain public support in order to increase profits." This is inhumane, there is nothing right about this situation.

There are many problems with zoos because once an animal gets brought in, it can never go out into the wild on their own ever again. Zoos claim they are saving the lives of these animals but they're not, they are torturing them because they don't have a big enough cage to run around and live in a natural way. Zoos take in animals to make money. If we shut down zoos there will be nowhere for these animals to go, unless sanctuaries take them in. Sanctuaries are a good resource when and if zoos go out of business because they are non profit and they promise to take care of the animals till the end of their life. They rescue these animals from abuse and rehabilitate these animals so that they can live a long happy life. Sanctuaries are inspected and they have to meet the guidelines of a true sanctuary according to Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. So this proves that if zoos are forced to shut down they will have somewhere to go, they will have an enormous area to roam free and be taken care because zoos took them from their natural habitat before and can no longer be let back into the wild on their own so they need a back up environment where they wont be in small cages and will not be displayed to the public for others entertainment. A National Geographic article Are Wildlife Sanctuaries Good for Animals? Written by Rachel Shea states that sanctuaries don't have a sign saying to come in to view our tigers, they don't want to make money, they are just trying to protect these animals so they can have an enjoyable life. Zoo do not try at all to protect these animals, all they want to do is make money off of these animals. We need to find a way to convince the public that there are other ways to view these animals whether it is in person or on television. We do not need to keep these animals hostage so we can satisfy our own entertainment.

Yes, some animals are truly saved by joining zoos because they are in bad shape but they don't deserve to be in a small cage getting viewed by the public as they are making their way to recovery. They deserve to be in sanctuary so that they are protected by the ones who actually want to help and not make money off of them, instead they are protect their rights as animals and doing anything in their power to make sure they are living a life they deserve.

Here are some ways that you could learn about exotic animals without going to zoos, you watch documentaries or travel around the world volunteering at animal sanctuaries. You are not invading their space, you are helping them but not to the point to where they are depressed. They have a lot of open space, they are able to run freely, but they still receive the help they need. If you watch a documentary you are watching them from a screen in their natural habitat without taking them from their home, you see how they truly act and you'll get a more valuable experience from watching them from a TV because they are happy and energize instead of in a corner suffering because they are not with their family living the life they truly deserve.

Animals deserve to live free. They do not deserve to live in a small cage their whole life. No one on earth could stand being in a cage everyday of their life, being viewed by others to satisfy others. They don't get to roam free anymore. Their freedom is taken away from them at such a young age, so young they never experienced the true life as a regular wild animal. So lets put a stop to this and boycott Zoos.

Work Cited

Geer, Abigail. "5 Reasons You Should Boycott the Zoo." 5 Reasons You Should Boycott The Zoo | Care2 Causes. Care 2, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

Carr, Michelle. "The Reality of Zoos." PETA. PETA, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

Editors of the Site. "Are Wildlife Sanctuaries Good for Animals?" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

Shea, Rachel. "Are Wildlife Sanctuaries Good for Animals?" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

User, Super. "Last Chance for Animals - Zoos." Last Chance for Animals - Zoos. LCA, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

@peta. "13 Times Zoos Were Bad for Animals." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

Healy, Patrick. "Giraffes, Towering and Otherworldly, Are 'Vulnerable' to Extinction." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Dec. 2016. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

"Zoos." Animal Cruelty - Zoos. Vegan Peace, 2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.

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Have you ever went to a zoo and saw a polar bear in a small cage, a small swimming pool to where it can't even go fully underwater, and the fur of the creature wasn't even white anymore? If you think...

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Toronto is banning plastic shopping bags in stores.

Starting in January 2013, you'll have to bring your own reusable bag to the store to cart your goods away.

More than 250 million bags end up in landfill every year, never breaking down into compost, according to a report by CBC News.

Plastic bags can also clog drainage systems and, when they are washed out to sea, can hurt fish and other marine animals.

Plastic bags are banned or restricted in about a quarter of the countries in the world, according to online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

Countries including Italy and South Africa have banned plastic bags. Many large cities have also banned them.

Toronto currently charges five cents per bag-for instance, for people who want a plastic bag to carry their groceries home.

The five-cent fee was put in place to discourage people from using the non-environmentally friendly product. Instead, people are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags to stores.

After Ireland put a fee on plastic bags in 2002, 90 per cent fewer bags were used. In 2010 Washington D.C. began charging five cents per plastic bag and that city's consumption of them went down from 22.5 million to three million in the first month.

In Toronto, the plastic bag fee has cut down on the number of plastic bags used by half, according to Metro newspaper.

A ban was not exactly what Toronto mayor Rob Ford had in mind when he brought up the subject at City Council on Wednesday. In fact, he wanted to end the five-cent fee on bags.

However, Councillor David Shiner proposed a very different motion. He suggested Toronto do away with plastic bags altogether.

That motion passed, 24 to 20. Starting on Jan. 1, 2013, retailers in Toronto will not be allowed to give out or sell any plastic shopping bags, including ones that claim to be "compostable or biodegradable."

According to Metro, "Ford appeared upset after the vote, blinking rapidly." Ford said council's decision didn't make any sense, and said he felt the motion will be overturned.

Council also voted to stop the five-cent fee for plastic bags, from July 1 until the ban takes effect. That means stores will be able to hand out plastic bags free in Toronto for six months.

Ford later told a news radio station that he would like to see Torontonians come down to City Hall to protest the ban. He said he thinks the ban is the dumbest thing Toronto council has ever done.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly

Writing/Discussion Prompt
What do you think should be done about plastic bags. Should they be free of charge, cost 5 cents, or be banned altogether. Make a jot list of reasons to support your answer.

Reading Prompt: Purpose
Use the information in today's article to write a letter to Toronto's City Counsel. OK, now go ahead... and send send it. Let them know what you think!

Primary, Junior, & Intermediate
Identify a variety of purposes for reading and choose reading materials appropriate for those purposes (OME, Reading: 1.2).

Grammar Feature: Verbs
Verbs are action words. Every sentence includes at least one verb. The verbs authors choose help readers understand the text. Underline the "key" verbs in today's story that help you understand it. How do these verbs affect your understanding?

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Mayor Ford is furious that Toronto's city council voted to ban all plastic bags in 2013. Read the facts and form your own opinion! Kids News

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Is your kid obsessed with becoming the next X Games star, Olympic medalist, or YouTube stuntman? Young kids often have no fear when it comes to taking risks, but are extreme sports like dirt bike riding and bungee jumping dangerous for kids?
Related: Sports Safety Tips for Your Child
Though traditional sports like football, basketball, and hockey aren't exactly going out of style, the world of extreme sports is growing in popularity. Kids and adults alike are participating in increasing numbers in these risky-if not sometimes downright dangerous-sports. But why?

From skateboarding and snowboarding to BMX biking and rock climbing, pop culture and social media have collided to amp up physical activity and make super-sized stunts seem like the norm. Long gone are the days when peer pressure from classmates, neighbors or older sibs drove younger children to drop into a half-pipe or launch their bike off a crazy incline.

Today's kiddos are also influenced by...well, influencers. YouTube stars, TikTok creators, and even Olympic athletes have turned extreme sports from something that only the wildest child would attempt to everyday activities.

If your littles are begging to do extreme sports and you're totally new to these types of activities, read on for more info on the risks, benefits, times to encourage your kiddo, and when to flat out say a big 'ol, " NO."

Extreme Sports Growing More Popular with Kids

Some kids are happier riding their skateboards than dealing with the structure of soccer practice. Others like cruising around on their BMX bikes until their legs just quit, surfing themselves silly, or spending the entire weekend learning new tricks on their inline skates.

Of course, young kids are also attracted to extreme sports because they're cool. And who doesn't like being on the cutting edge? Snowboarding, the bad-boy little brother of skiing, was legitimized by sports traditionalists when it became an official Olympic event at the 1998 Nagano Games.

Fast-forward to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which were actually held in 2021 thanks to the pandemic) and skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing became legit gold, silver, and bronze events!

Studies Show Fewer Kids Are Joining School Sports Teams

Have the days of dribbling a ball down a court or passing a puck gone the way of the dinosaurs? According to stats from Project Play, in 2021 the most popular youth sports for children ages six through 12 were bicycling, basketball, and baseball. Even though more than 5.2 million children biked in 2021, this was a significant change from way back in 2008.

The Project Play statistics show that only 18 percent of children reported bicycling in 2021, while a whopping 27.7 percent got active on two wheels in 2008.

Basketball team play dropped from 16.6 percent to 14.5 percent participation and baseball from 16.5 percent to 12.6 percent between 2008 and 2021. The number of children playing other popular team sports, such as soccer, tackle football, and flag football, also dropped during the same time frame.

Basketball is Less Popular But Bicycling is Big with Teens

The same downward trends didn't happen for teen participation in all traditional sports. Bicycling participation grew from 16.8 percent to 21 percent between 2008 and 2021 and baseball play rose from 8.2 percent to 9.5 percent.

What could account for the overall downward trend in team and individual youth sports play? There isn't one reason. But some of the possible explanations include an increasingly competitive climate, the high cost of intensive travel sports (such as hockey), or interest in other activities -such as extreme sports.

Dangerous Sports: Kids in BMX, Climbing, and Bungee Jumping?!

We spoke to Paul Vail, 29, a BMX freestyle bike rider for more than 14 years to learn more about the kinds of extreme sports kids are trying.

Vail says that when it comes to extreme sports, "Today's kids who've been riding skateboards or BMX bikes since they were 12-year-olds will become the parents who say, 'Yes, skateboarding, bike riding -- perfectly acceptable sports for my kid to do. And don't tell me they have to play football or be on the basketball team to be accepted, because that's no longer true.'"

Vail balks at the term "extreme sports." "People have been skydiving, skiing, riding bikes, doing tricks, and taking jumps forever. I think the extreme sports label is a gimmick. I like the term 'alternative sports'."

Extreme or not, it's important to encourage kids to express themselves physically, whether their athletic tastes are trendy or traditional. Both solo and team-oriented sports can build self-confidence, relieve stress, and promote physical fitness -- all of which are vital to growing kids and adults alike.

Kids in "alternative" sports are expressive, highly skilled athletes. And sports like rock climbing, snowboarding, inline skating, surfing, skateboarding, extreme skiing, and mountain biking (to name just a few), require significant technical ability as well as strength and endurance. Plus, alternative sports can help your kids develop positive qualities like discipline, persistence, and determination.

Kids in Ski Jumping or Snowboarding

BMX, skateboarding, and bungee jumping aren't the only extreme sports kids flock to. Even though ski jumping might seem like a new adventurous activity, it made its Olympic debut way back in 1924.

Of course, this doesn't mean kiddos were climbing up mountains, whooshing down slopes, and flying into the air on two skis a century ago. While this soaring sport isn't exactly new, its youth appeal has spiked in recent years. According to Women's Ski Jumping USA, five to eight years old is the age average for ski jumpers to start the sport!

Like ski jumping, snowboarding is a winter-time extreme sport that has skyrocketed in popularity. Again, snowboarding became Olympic-official in 1998. Almost a decade later, in 2006, then-19-year-old Shaun White made his first bid for the gold. But White certainly wasn't the last teen to take this extreme sport up a level and put it center stage.

Seventeen-year-old Chloe Kim became the youngest women's Olympic halfpipe competitor to nab the gold in 2018 at the PyeongChang games. With role models like White and Kim to follow, a whole new generation is getting into the halfpipe!

Not only do today's kiddos follow these, and other top athletes, but during the Olympics, they can watch the extreme antics of snowboarders on YouTube, TikTok, and just about every other social media site.

Kids and Sport Injuries

How dangerous are extreme sports? As a parent, your child's safety is priority number one. And that's why you're not so sure about your kiddo's extreme activities. Even though extreme sports do often come with, as the name implies, extreme risks, these aren't the only athletics that can result in serious injuries.

According to Stanford Medicine Children's Health, each year over 3.5 million children (14 and under) are injured during sports play. This includes more than 775,000 kiddos who require ER treatment. The majority of the injuries requiring hospital-level care are the result of collisions, falls, overexertion (during informal recreational activities) or object-related impacts.

When it comes to the most injuries per sport, football takes the top spot-with nearly 215,000 five- to 14-year-olds treated in hospitals in one year. This number is higher than what you find with some extreme sports. But in general, more children play this type of traditional team sport than engage in extreme activity.

A 2015 study published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine looked at the prevalence of head and neck injuries in extreme sports. The researchers found that between 2000 and 2011 there were more than four million total injuries from these types of activities (this includes adult injuries).

Over 11 percent of these were head and neck injuries. Of these head and neck injuries, the extreme sports with the highest number of incidents included skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, and motocross.

Fear is probably the number-one reason many of us avoid taking risks. For athletes in extreme sports, conquering fear is part of the adventure of sport. When a skateboarder is practicing tricks on a 15-foot ramp (commonly called a half-pipe), or a mountain biker is flying down a rock-strewn single-track trail, and he makes a mistake and falls -- well, it's going to hurt a little. Okay, maybe a lot.

But the athletes we spoke to didn't complain about injuries. In fact, most have enjoyed relatively injury-free experiences in their sports. Brian Krause, a competitive skydiver for the U.S. Army's Golden Knights, has taken thousands of jumps out of airplanes without so much as a sprained ankle.

But Matt Donovan, a pro downhill mountain bike racer from Massachusetts, said that when he first got serious about racing, his season was "very injury-laden. I had two concussions, a separated shoulder, a broken hand, multiple cuts, and lacerations. And I cracked a rib."

There are two kinds of sports injuries:

1. Chronic Repetitive or Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries can cause stress fractures, muscle tears, or progressive bone deformities.

2. Acute Injuries

Acute sports injuries occur as a result of trauma from contact with a major force. Acute sports injuries include fractures, broken bones, dislocations, and more serious spinal and brain injuries.

Is It Wrong to Let Children Do Extreme Sports?

Should safety concerns stop your child from trying an extreme sport? There's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. If your adventure-loving kiddo is all about skateboarding, snowboarding, parkour, BMX biking, or any other high-octane activity, you will need to think about:

Your Child's Age and Developmental Level

Is your child developmentally ready to handle the challenge? What is their skill level when it comes to basic coordination and athletic tasks like running, jumping, and balancing? Can you trust them to act responsibly, follow an instructor's directions, and wear safety equipment correctly?

Your Child's Motivation

Does your child want to become the next Tik Tok star? If your tween has dreams of easily twisting a BMX bike around in mid-air like their fave influencer or thinks videos of teens crashing their skateboards into just about anything and everything is hilarious, they may struggle to stay safe while engaging in an extreme sport.

The Instructor or Coach

Who will teach your child about the sport? A YouTube video or IG video are not a substitute for the real deal. Only a qualified instructor or professional should instruct your child.

The Safety Equipment

Do you know what safety equipment your child will need? Will they wear it? You may need to learn more about the equipment standards before you allow your child to participate in extreme activities.

What types of equipment do children need? The specific items depend on the sport. These could include a helmet, shoulder pads, shin pads, elbow pads, or wrist guards.

According to Seattle Children's Hospital, skiers and snowboarders should wear a helmet that meets ASTM, CEN, or Snell standards. Skateboarders should wear one that conforms to the ASTM F1492 standard. Children who ride bikes or scooters should wear a helmet that meets CPSC or Snell standards, knee pads, and elbow pads.

When is an extreme sport too extreme? If you don't feel comfortable with your child engaging in the activity or don't feel that they can follow safety directions, it's okay to just say no. Some sports are not age-appropriate for younger kids, and you should wait until they're a bit older to try them out.

It's also okay to talk to ask questions, talk to a pro, or take your time gathering facts, stats, and any other info about the adventurous activity! Learn more about extreme sports by taking our quiz here.

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Kids and Extreme Sports: Should They Be Allowed?

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Should kids do extreme sports? BMX riders, snowboarders and X Game stars weigh in on the benefits and risks of kids doing extreme sports.

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Mount Everest Facts and  History - Fun Facts for Kids | Educational Videos by Mocomi

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Newsela | Florida teen can’t wait to surf again, even after shark attack

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Ryan Shapiro was surfing with friends when he felt something bite his arm. It was a shark. His arm was badly injured, but he says he will definitely surf again after it heals.

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Newsela | Opinion: Turn on the taps! Bottled water industry is bad for the Earth

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Bottled water is a big business that depletes aquifers, harms ecosystems and adds to the garbage disposal problem. Plus, tests show bottled water is no healthier than tap water.

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Plastic bags are the most environmentally friendly option at the checkout. They're 100% recyclable and highly reused. Studies show that alternatives which seem "greener" actually place a greater burden on the environment because they require more natural resources to produce and transport, they emit more carbon throughout their lifecycles and they need more energy to recycle - if they're recyclable at all. On top of that, studies show bag bans and taxes haven't meaningfully reduced overall litter or waste anywhere they've been tried. ¹

ENERGY SAVINGS: Plastic bags require 70% less energy to manufacture and consume 96% less water than what's used to make paper bags.

DISPOSAL ADVANTAGES: Once disposed, reusable bags take up to 9.3% more space than plastic bags in landfills.

REUSABLE COTTON BAGS AREN'T REUSED ENOUGH: Standard reusable cotton grocery bags must be reused at least 131 times "to ensure that they have lower global warming potential than" a plastic bag used only once.² In fact, one study found that organic cotton bags need to be reused 20,000 times to have the same environment performance of a plastic bag reused once.³

NO OIL INVOLVED: American-made plastic bags are produced from byproducts of natural gas, not oil.⁴

The results are in: Bag bans and taxes don't help to reduce waste, litter, or marine debris.
Ban and tax ordinances have never been successful at meaningfully reducing litter, waste or marine debris. Not anywhere. What they have been shown to do is heap unfair costs on low and fixed-income families and add more red tape to local businesses. The environment doesn't benefit, and neither do people.

LANDFILL WASTE INCREASES: According to the EPA, "plastic bags and sacks" account for 0.3% of municipal solid waste.⁵ Plastic retail bags are a fraction of this number. Without plastic grocery bags, people purchase replacement bags - often made of thicker, heavier plastic - and then send those bags to the landfill instead.⁶
In Austin, landfill waste increased after a bag ban because shoppers used and disposed of thicker plastic reusable bags in the place of standard plastic grocery bags.⁷

LITTLE TO NO IMPACT ON OVERALL LITTER: Plastic retail bags comprise a very small portion of litter - typically less than 1% - making bans and taxes ineffective when it comes to reducing overall litter.⁸

In Washington, D.C., a bag tax hasn't improved litter or reduced bag use at all.⁹ According to a Washington Post investigation, D.C. collected roughly $10 million since 2010 without making any environmental progress. And the tax revenue keeps growing every year.¹⁰

A year after California implemented a statewide ban on plastic bags in 2016, an Ocean Conservancy survey showed a negligible 0.2% decrease in plastic bag litter as a percentage of overall litter.¹¹

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES:

California's plastic bag ban led to an increase in carbon emissions due to a surge in trash bag purchases (which use more plastic than traditional retail bags) as well as an increase in paper bag usage.¹²

In Thurston County, Washington, a bag ban resulted in double the use of more resource-intensive paper bags.¹³

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Plastic Bags and the Environment - Bag the Ban

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Plastic bags are the most environmentally friendly option at the checkout. They're 100% recyclable and highly reused. Studies show that alternatives which seem "greener" actually place a greater burden on the environment because they require more natural resources to produce and transport, they emit more carbon throughout their lifecycles and they need more energy to [...]

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Do you like the excitement of extreme sports? If so, you might be an 'adrenaline junkie'. Find out more about white-water rafting and parkour in this video.

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Woman set to make history on Mount Everest

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Mountain climber Melissa Arnot joins TODAY from her Mount Everest base camp to talk about attempting to again scale the mountain, but without the help of supplemental oxygen. She'd be the first U.S. woman to complete the dangerous climb.

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The White Shark, more commonly referred to as the "Great White," has been reported to be involved in more attacks on humans than any other shark.
Fossil remains suggest the Great White dates back to the early Eocene eras, which lasted from about 56 to 34 million years ago.

Mature males reach an average size of 10.5 feet while females can average 14 feet. Active during daytime hours, Great Whites feed on marine animals - they don't like sea birds or sea otters particularly. It's thought that they attack humans when they mistake diver and surfer silhouettes in the water during approaching from below the surface of the water. An alternative theory has also been suggested that Great Whites attack unfamiliar objects to test their potential as food. If true, that would help explain their involvement over the years in myriad hit-and-run attacks near beaches.

Not very much is known about the size of the great white's total population. Described as a slow-growing animal with low fertility rates, the Great White is considered at risk of overfishing.

Tiger Shark

According to theInternational Shark Attack File, the Tiger shark ranks No. 2 behind the white shark in the number of reported attacks on humans. The shark-monitoring group notes that the animal's "large size and voraciousness" qualify it as a formidable ocean predator. Surfers and swimmers need to know that Tiger sharks tend to be both curious and aggressive when they spot humans in the water.

Shortfin Mako

Powerful, fast and aggressive, the Shortfin Mako has been blamed for many reported shark attacks on humans. In more than a few cases, also blame human error as fisherman have been known to get injured after dragging hooked makos into their boats.
The Shortfin Mako is believed to be the fastest of any shark, able to swim up to 20 miles per hour. Prior to attacks, the sharks tend to swim in figure eight patterns and approach their prey with mouths open. The popularity of Mako meat in shark fin soup has reduced their populations; the World Conservation Union has listed the Shortfin mako as "Near Threatened."

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Swimmers, Surfers and Divers Need to Pay Special Attention to these Five Species

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I would like to begin by defining “zoo.” It is a park-like area in which live animals are kept in cages or large enclosures for public exhibit. Hold on, large enclosures? More like tiny cages. As zoo funds are cut, cages become smaller wi

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Bag taxes hurt struggling families and take money away from working families.

Food prices continue to skyrocket, and people don't need their grocery bills increased with an extra tax.¹

The USDA reported that in 2018 there were 14.3 million U.S. households that were food insecure. The focus of our elected officials should be on solving the issue of food insecurity - not hurting the economy and making groceries more expensive by banning or taxing bags. ²

Banning and taxing plastic bags threatens American jobs.

Nationwide, thousands of hardworking men and women are employed and supported by the plastic bag manufacturing and recycling industry.³ At a time when many communities around the nation suffer from unemployment and a struggling economy, we can't afford to implement misguided policies that threaten jobs, economic recovery and American competitiveness. Bag bans and taxes also hurt local businesses and struggling families by adding another cost to every grocery trip.

Bans and taxes on plastic bags hurt America's working class and kill jobs.

Proposed ordinances to ban and tax plastic bags threaten nearly 30,000 American manufacturing and recycling jobs in 344 plants across the country.

Low-income workers have complained publicly³ that such policies are "discriminatory," especially for those who rely on public transportation to get to low-wage jobs, and there has even been a lawsuit⁴ filed saying a ban discriminates against the disabled.

American plastic bag manufacturers provide jobs with competitive salaries and benefits. In addition, manufacturers invest in innovative green technologies that are revolutionizing the plastics recycling industry.

Plastic bag bans and taxes threaten this industry and its workers and stymie technology investments that impact America's global competitiveness.

Plastic bag bans and taxes hurt small businesses.

A 2012 study by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) found that banning plastic bags negatively impacted retail sales and employment in the ban area, shifting business to stores just outside the bag ban region.⁵
Connecticut's 2019 plastic bag tax resulted in shoppers crossing state lines to avoid the fee.⁶

Bag bans can lead to small business layoffs. In Los Angeles County, stores inside the ban area were forced to terminate staff, sometimes by as much as 10%. In contrast, stores outside the ban area reported increased employment by 2.4%.⁵

Following Seattle's ban on plastic bags, nearly 40% of surveyed store owners reported seeing their costs for carryout bags increase between 40% and 200%. Added costs directly impact a store's bottom line and cannot be taken lightly in this economy.⁷

Under threat of fines or penalties, bans and taxes on plastic bags force local businesses to comply with government regulations that mandate measuring, counting, reporting and maintaining records related to enforcement of these unnecessary laws.

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Plastic Bag Recycling and Manufacturing Supports Thousands of Jobs - Bag the Ban

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Bag taxes hurt struggling families and take money away from working families. Food prices continue to skyrocket, and people don't need their grocery bills increased with an extra tax.¹ The USDA reported that in 2018 there were 14.3 million U.S. households that were food insecure.

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Elio, 13, was killed by an 8 foot bull shark while surfing at Cap Homard two weeks ago, on the west coast of the island paradise.

Since 2011 there have been 16 shark attacks, 7 of which have been fatal including the death of a 15-year-old girl in 2013, which prompted the government to impose a ban on bathing and surfing unsupervised along more than half of the island's coastline.

The attacks have devastated the island's economy as surf shops have been forced to close causing a 13 per cent drop in leisure tourism.

Rival holiday destinations in the region such as Mauritius and the Maldives have benefited from these shark attacks as more tourists visit these islands on a yearly basis.

Experts have tried to come up with a reason for the rise in shark attacks with some claiming the opening of a marine reserve in 2007 which was intended to boost the biodiversity of the coral in the area coupled with a fishing restriction in the area has led to an increase of prey for the sharks.

Other experts believe urbanisation is the root cause of the shark problem.

The increased levels of wastewater flowing in to the sea as a result of rising urbanisation on the island has created the perfect conditions for the bull sharks as they thrive in murky water.

Surfers and bodyboarders have called for more action to be taken to make the waters safer for humans.

Marine biologist Antonin Blaison said: "we will have to change our ways to account for the sharks' presence".

With no real plan of action and the tourism industry on the island continuing to plummet, Reunion's government may have to refocus their efforts on promoting the islands land attractions which boasts 91 different species of birds and a host of exotic animals.

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Rise in shark attacks scares tourists away from paradise isle of Reuni

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A RISE in fatal shark attacks off the coast of Reunion Island including the death of rising surf star, Elio Canestri, has stopped surfers from visiting the French territory.

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Smithsonian's National Zoo: We Save Species

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Jan. 19, 2011&#151; -- Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke died today, nine days after sustaining injuries in an accident on a half-pipe course in Utah.

The 29-year-old Winter X Games champion and 2005 half-pipe world gold medalist suffered " severe irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," according to a statement from Burke's publicist.

"As the result of Sarah's fall, she suffered a ruptured vertebral artery, one of the four major arteries supplying blood to the brain. The rupture of this artery led to a severe intracranial hemorrhage, which caused Sarah to go into cardiac arrest on the scene," according to the statement. "While early reports in the media stated that Sarah's injury was a traumatic brain injury, it is important to note that Sarah's condition was the result of a lack of oxygen to the brain during cardiac arrest."

Although she underwent a successful operation to repair the torn artery, tests showed she suffered irreversible brain damage.

Burke's organs and tissues were donated in accordance with her wishes. She died surrounded by family and loved ones at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City at about 9:22 a.m., according to her publicist's statement.

"The family expresses their heartfelt gratitude for the international outpouring of support they have received from all the people Sarah touched," the statement said.

Burke, who was not only one of the best female skiers in the world but a red carpet regular and fashion plate who was once named one of FHM's 100 sexiest women alive, crashed after a faulty landing while on a private training run in the Eagle Superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort Jan. 10.

Burke's accident occurred on the same course where snowboarder and Olympic medalist Kevin Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2009.

Freestyle skiing is something of a daredevil sport, a sort of trick skiing that uses the half-pipe, which is normally used by snowboarders. Burke was training for the upcoming X Games in Aspen, Colo., where she was the defending champion and expected to win again.

Described as a pioneer in the sport, Burke was the first woman to land a 1080 (three full-body rotations) in competition, according to the Associated Press. She was performing a trick called a "flat spin 540" when she was injured.

She was also a favorite heading into the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, having lobbied to have women's skiing superpipe added to the lineup.

Burke, from Whistler, British Columbia, married fellow freestyle-skier Rory Bushfield in 2010.

While Bushfield and Burke's families have asked for privacy, a public celebration of the ski champ's life will be held in the coming weeks.
ABC News' Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed reporting.

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Sarah Burke Dead at 29 After Half-Pipe Skiing Accident

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Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke died today, nine days after sustaining serious injuries in an accident on the half-pipe course in Utah. The 29-year-old Winter X Games champion and 2005 half-pipe world gold medalist suffered severe irreversible damage to her brain because of lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest.

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About this film

The Story of Bottled Water, released on March 22, 2010 (World Water Day), employs the Story of Stuff style to tell the story of manufactured demand-how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows virtually free from the tap. Over five minutes, the film explores the bottled water industry's attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. The film concludes with a call for viewers to make a personal commitment to avoid bottled water and support public investment in clean, available tap water for all.

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Movie Resources

Credits

The Story of Bottled Water was co-created and released by The Story of Stuff Project and a coalition of partners, including Corporate Accountability International, Food & Water Watch, Polaris Institute, Pacific Institute and Environmental Working Group. The movie was produced by Free Range Studios.

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The Story of Bottled Water - Story of Stuff

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About this film The Story of Bottled Water, released on March 22, 2010 (World Water Day), employs the Story of Stuff style to tell the story of manufactured demand-how you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows virtually free from the tap.

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California’s bag ban hurting the job market? | Fox Business Video

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The Inconvenient Truth Behind Efforts to Ban Plastic Bags

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Sharks: Stewards of the Reef (sharkstewards.com)