Phoenix Rolls Out $1.4 Billion Train!

Christmas came a few days late as Phoenix rolled out its shiny, new train system Dec. 27, giving passengers free rides for the first few days.

Excited crowds gathered at stations along the 20 miles of track to ride the snazzy and sleek METRO light rail trains, the newest ones in the country!

“It’s been very exciting. We’ve had a very successful first five days, which were free. We had nearly 350,000 people,” says Hillary Foose, public info officer for the light rail system.
The light rail begins in northwest Phoenix at the Christown Spectrum Mall, runs through the heart of Phoenix, goes past ASU and ends in Mesa.

Adults pay $1.25 for a one-way ticket or $2.50 for an all-day pass. Kids 6 to 18 pay only half; and kids 5 and under ride for free. The all-day passes are also good on all Valley Metro buses. The trains are smooth, and riders can listen to their tunes, read a book (or Bear Essential News) or enjoy the sights as they ride.
But the train isn’t gonna set any land speed records like the bullet trains of France and Japan. It cruises at about 25 miles per hour and makes stops along the way to pick up and let off passengers at stations built at key intersections.

Construction of the light rail system started in February 2005, and rail workers finished this first portion on schedule. In all, the light rail cost $1.4 billion, but METRO officials are expecting some big benefits.

“We’re encouraging people to try us. If it’s not a good fit for your commute, maybe it’s a good fit for attending sporting events or going to a concert venue. We connect to a lot of destinations,” Foose says.

Train officials expect at least 26,000 boardings a day. Since the trains run on the overhead powerlines, they don’t directly pollute the air! Car pollution should drop by about 12 tons a day!

Safetywise, you never want to be on the tracks. “Always be aware—look and listen for the train. The train will flash its lights and will sound a bell when it leaves an intersection,” Foose advises. If you need to cross, use designated crosswalks and their signals. On the platforms, stay back from the bumpy warning strips and be courteous to your fellow passengers. There’s no horseplay around the station.

Real-life Pirates Terrorize Somali Coast

GULF OF ADEN, Somalia—They may lack the charm of Capt. Jack Sparrow, but pirates off the East African coast are hijacking ships and kidnapping crews for millions in ransom.

The pirates took more than 40 ships in 2008. Currently, these thieves of the high seas still hold 15 ships and their crews. Some of these ships are gigantic.

A Ukrainian ship nabbed in September holds 33 Russian tanks and other weapons.
But pirates stole their biggest ship in November—a Saudi Arabian supertanker that’s as long as three aircraft carriers! The ship is loaded with 2 million barrels of oil.

The modern-day pirates are very sophisticated. Somalia lacks a formal government to keep order, so pirate operations have taken over many pockets along the coast. Just east of the coastline are very busy shipping lanes.

Attacking pirates are armed with military rifles and even grenade launchers. They attack in small and fast boats, trying to force their way aboard the ship. They launch their operations from larger mother ships that cruise near the shipping lanes.

Pirates target just about anything that’s moving in the open water—cruise ships, tugboats, freighters, etc. Huge ransom payments are making the pirate life worth the risk. This past year, the pirates have collected more than $120 million. And another $25 million is expected to be paid out soon for the ship transporting the Russian tanks.

To fight piracy, many governments, including the United States, have sent navy ships to help patrol the waters. But it’s nearly impossible to protect such an enormous area. The threat of piracy has forced some ships to go the long way around Africa to get where they need to go!

Is Shaq Sinking Suns?

There's a new big man in town; the Phoenix Suns are betting he's the spark they need to win the playoffs.

One of the biggest stars in the NBA universe, Shaquille O'Neal, is now wearing purple and orange. And both Shaq and the Suns have a lot to prove. Shaq, who just turned 36 and has endured knee and hip injuries, wants to show he's still a big force in the NBA. His critics say that the Diesel is too old and too slow for a high-octane, blazingly fast team like the Suns.

During the regular season, the Suns are one of the toughest teams in the West. And while fans love the Suns' exciting and high-scoring brand of basketball, led by two-time League MVP point guard Steve Nash, the team has never won the NBA Finals.

The Suns believe that Shaq is the piece that's been missing. At 7 feet 1 inch tall and 325 pounds, Shaq gives the Suns a true center who grabs rebounds, plays tough defense and passes the ball well. Up till now, Amare Stoudamire has been stuck playing center for the Suns, even though he's really one of the best power forwards in the game. With Shaq in at center, Stoudamire is freed up to do what he does best!

"Psychologically it really helps us out. Guys are much more willing to go to the boards and fight around the basket with Shaq in there," explains Head Coach Mike D'Antoni.

Fans love Shaq's superstar qualities. The big guy has won four NBA Finals and was MVP for three of them! But the Suns have lost their winning ways since Shaq started playing on Feb. 20. In the trade for Shaq, the Suns gave up All-Star forward Shawn Marion, who said he wanted to be traded at the beginning of the season. For years, Marion had been a clutch scorer. As of press time, the Suns have won just two of their last six games and have fallen to fifth place in the Western Conference. Fans wonder whether it's growing pains with the big guy or could it be a bad fit?

'Doomsday Vault' Opens for Business!

SVALBARD ARCHIPELAGO, Norway-Imagine a bank that's so far north that polar bears outnumber the people living there! The bank is located on Norway's Svalbard archipelago just 620 miles from the North Pole. As you may have guessed, it's cold there. During winter's around-the-clock darkness, temperatures can fall to -22° Fahrenheit.

The bank was blasted into the side of an arctic mountain and has reinforced concrete walls to help protect its valuable deposits from natural disasters, global warming and even a nuclear explosion. Welcome to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault-also called the "Doomsday Vault" by the press!

You can find seedbanks all over the world. Native Seeds/SEARCH is a seedbank here in Arizona. Its mission is to protect the diversity of local seed used in farming and their wild relatives. "We have nearly 2,000 varieties in our seedbank, mainly corn, beans and squash," explains Carolyn Owens, who works on grants for the seedbank. "Just like the seedbank in Norway, the seeds need to be kept cold, so they're stored in a freezer," she says. Seeds for the bank come from southwestern states and northern Mexico.

Seedbanks help protect our food supply from the "what ifs" in life-like what if there's drought; what if a disease attacks a certain kind of wheat, or what if global warming changes what can grow around here?

Modern farming has led to fewer and fewer varieties of crops. This has brought about many varieties of food crops being lost forever, and Owens says it's alarming. "It's just more cost effective to grow a single variety...but you don't know what disease is going to come along down the road," she says. A disease could wipe out an entire variety of a crop, leading to food shortages. But if there are enough other seed varieties, like wheat for instance, one of those types of wheat may turn out to be resistant to the disease.

Owens points out that a lot of seedbanks are in politically unstable areas like Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, and have been looted or destroyed. In the Phillipines, a flood wiped out the country's seedbank.

That's why the Svalbard Global Seedbank was created-to protect the diversity of seeds no matter what happens in the world. Countries can "deposit" different varieties of seeds. If a disaster jeopardizes crops, the country can make a "withdrawal" of seeds.

The vault was built by Norway at a cost of about $3 million. Because seeds are so small, the "Doomsday Vault" can hold up to 2 billion seeds!