Author: Lisa Mungovan

A masked intruder, was trying to sneak onto a flight last week, at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. It was a clever raccoon, either trying to stowaway to someplace warmer than New York, or looking for an in-flight snack. He was apprehended, interviewed, and released into the woods, after a stern warning.

It’s a beautiful sight, to see leaves turn red, orange, and yellow in the autumn. There’s a handy map for leaf peepers, to track when the colors are at their peak. SmokyMountains.com gathers data to update the Fall Foliage Prediction Map, so you can plan a trip to the forest, to collect leaf bouquets.

Every year, Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska has a “fattest bear” competition. The final 4 are Walker, 7 4 7, Grazer, and Chunk, but there are still 3 days left, for the public to vote. The brown bears have a few more weeks to stuff themselves, before they start to hibernate for the winter.

When you make a taco, do you put the lettuce on last, or the cheese? Today is Taco Day, so experiment with your layers. It’s also Cinnamon Bun Day, but I don’t think that would taste good on a taco. Afterwards, change any burned-out light bulbs, for Change A Light Day. Don’t drop it!

A 103-year-old man jumped out of an airplane in Texas, to earn a world record. Al Blaschke is officially the oldest person, to complete a tandem skydive. He was strapped to Don Cameron when he left the plane at 14,000 feet, and they landed safely with a parachute 5 minutes later.

Lots of people run, walk, or bike, to raise money for charity. A man in Scotland, biked 200 miles to England, and has raised over $10,000 in donations. Wesley Hamnett made it a little more fun, by riding his 8-year-old daughter’s tiny pink bike. He had to replace 8 busted tires along the way!

Do you use emojis when you text? Emoticons can symbolize emotions, like a smiley face, or a heart. Now, a new emoji for forgiveness is on the way. It’s a red heart, above 2 hands giving the thumbs-up sign. When someone apologizes by text, you can easily let them know, all is forgiven.

Time crystals sound like science fiction, but they really exist. They are a new form of matter, where particles move forever without losing energy. Researchers collided time crystals together, and found they obey the general dynamics of quantum mechanics. That means scientists can predict how time crystals will perform. Let’s make a time machine!

Today is International Frugal Fun Day. Frugal means thrifty, so do something that doesn’t cost a lot of money. How about a hike in the woods, to find different-colored leaves! You can make cards with them, for Card Making Day. It’s cheaper than buying a card, and a way to give frugal fun away.

32 tons of carrots mysteriously appeared, on the streets of London this week. The pile of carrots turned out to be an art installation, called Groundling, by Rafael Perez Evans. The University of London art student, was making a statement on food waste, and the devaluing of crops. The carrots will be donated to animals.