Author: Lisa Mungovan

Today is Inspire Your Heart With Art Day. Spend some time creating art, going to a gallery, or learning about famous artists. Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci, who painted the Mona Lisa, wrote backwards? See if you can do it, for Backward Day! Wear your clothes backwards, and see if anyone notices!

13-year-old Naomi Wadler was one of the teenage change-makers, who spoke at the World Economic Forum, last week in Davos Switzerland. She began her life as a student activist against gun violence, when she was in elementary school in Washington DC! Naomi’s mission is to empower African American girls, and create a better world.

Jonathan Tippett of Vancouver British Columbia, spent over 10 years designing a huge, 4-legged robot, named Prosthesis. The steel exoskeleton is nearly 13 feet tall and 18 feet wide! A pilot must sit inside to control it. Aside from being really fun to ride around in, Prosthesis is also the world’s largest tetrapod exoskeleton.

Last year, Lincoln the Nubian goat, won the election for pet mayor of Fair Haven Vermont. He’ll have to defend his position this year, against K-9 Sammy, who is a member of the Fair Haven Police Department. The city charges 1 dollar to cast a vote, and the money goes toward building a new playground.

On March 10th 1999, a message was written and sealed in a bottle, and presumably tossed into the ocean. It said, “Sent from Mrs. T Smith, Whitehaven, Cumbria, England.” Nearly 21 years later, Lexie and Emmie Sanderson, ages 10 and 7, found the bottle on the beach, in Burnfoot Scotland, near Dundrennan. It had only gone 21 miles!

I’m sorry I can’t take your call right now; I’m time-traveling to see the dinosaurs. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll get back to you yesterday! Make your own fun excuse, for Inane Answering Message Day! It’s also Croissant Day, so enjoy a deliciously flaky, buttery pastry, and save one for me!

One of Time Magazine’s Most Influential Teens in the past, 17-year-old Salvador Gomez-Colon, spoke recently at the World Economic Forum, in Davos Switzerland. His community in Puerto Rico had no electricity for over a year after Hurricane Maria. Now he works to bring smart energy like solar-powered lamps, and hand-powered washing-machines to disaster areas.

Do you like to eat 7-layer bean dip? How about 70-layer bean dip. Bush’s beans set a world record with their gargantuan dip, which weighed 1087 pounds! There were 10 different varieties of 7-layer dips, including veggie, Cuban, Caprese, fiesta, and buffalo. Now they need some gigantic chips to scoop it all out.

Raise your hand if you celebrate your dog’s birthday. Do you give him presents and special treats? Max Chewning was so excited about his dog’s first birthday, that he rented a billboard to announce it! The electronic sign said “Happy Birthday Dood,” with a picture of the birthday dog. Too bad Dood can’t read!

Along the edges of many roads, the surface has grooves in it. When tires roll over them, the sound is loud and annoying. But some rumble strips are music to your ears, literally! The grooves are placed on the road itself, and patterned to play songs as you drive over them.