In 2019, an estimated 792 movies were produced in the U.S. and Canada before the coronavirus pandemic affected the film industry. Moviemaking is a complicated process that takes time and effort which is often overlooked when watching the actual movie, although the people behind the scenes are as crucial to the moviemaking process as the actors. While watching a movie can be super fun, making a movie can be a little bit stressful.
A big cat makes a big scat. Mountain lions weigh up to 220 pounds, and their poop or scat can be 15 inches in length. Mountain lion scat is a communication tool, and scientists study it to learn about the health and behavior of Arizona’s big cats.
Did you know that some of your favorite things came about by accident? A special kind of spring in a battleship engine became the Slinky. Play-Doh, created to clean wallpaper, evolved into a toy. Another famous but accidental invention is the popsicle!
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that grants the wishes of children with severe illnesses. World Wish Day is April 29. It is the anniversary of the first wish ever granted.
In 2018, Lily Brown and Tait Hansen won the Young Inventors Challenge with their game Betcha Can’t! The Chicago Toy and Game Fair is held every November, and is open for ages 6 to 18. In order to compete, first you must design a prototype for your idea and make a pitch. Then, during the fair, present your product.
The Wildlife World Zoo is open after almost five months of being closed because of COVID-19. To celebrate this event, I interviewed Mickey Ollson, the founder of Wildlife World Zoo.
Ollson wanted a zoo from the time he was very young. When he was 10, he drew a map of his zoo. He had always loved animals, since he grew up on a farm with all sorts of farm animals, birds, and the family’s dogs. He even once had a pet alligator!
I interviewed Christopher Rodarte, author of the book “La Llorona: Ghost Stories of the Southwest.” He explains that he has always been very interested in the legend of La Llorona, a popular tale in Mexican and Southwest cultures. Rodarte’s book retells people’s tales of the weeping woman of the Southwest.
Think you know everything there is to know about light rail? Think again! Late last year, I went on a tour of the Valley Metro Operations and Maintenance Center, guided by Debby Thacker, assistant manager of Rail Operations. My first glimpse of the OMC was from a conference room with a huge glass window looking down on a giant mechanics shop. I was so amazed to see a whole train inside the building, along with a lot of fascinating machinery that does many incredible jobs.
Do you recognize yourself in a mirror? Does your dog? Scientists have determined that most children recognized themselves in a mirror by the age of 2, but what about animals?
In 1970, a scientist named Gordon Gallup Jr. created the Mirror Test or MSR Test to see if animals had self-awareness. It works like this: a mark is painted on an animal in a place they cannot see, like their face, and then they are placed in front of a mirror. If the animal recognizes the mark as being something that shouldn’t be there and attempts to remove it, then they have self-awareness.
In April, I attended a surprise birthday car parade for a Girl Scout named Emaline. The parade started at La Madera Park and ended at her house. Among those participating in the parade were other Girl Scouts in her troop and friends. The surprise parade was for Emaline’s 8th birthday. Emaline attends Sam Hughes Elementary.
