Monday, October 28, 2013

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Real Jobs! Zombie Makeup Artist News-O-Matic talks to a makeup artist who turns people into zombies! Check back next week for Katie’s zombie makeup tips! Want to create a zombie? You could be a zombie yourself. Or you could be a makeup artist and make other people look like zombies! Katie McGregor (KM) is a makeup artist from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She talked to News-O-Matic (NOM) about creating zombies, scaring children, and making people feel beautiful. NOM: How did you become a zombie makeup artist? KM: I’ve always been an artist. Then I got a job as a face painter at Sesame Place. From there I decided to go to school for makeup artistry to learn to do it for film, TV, fashion, photography, and special effects.

NOM: What’s the best part of the job?

KM: The best part is seeing your work published or hearing people talk about the good job you did. I get to see my work in magazines and on TV! That’s the best feeling!

NOM: What are your favorite scary things to turn people into?

KM: I get to make tons of zombies, which is always fun because you can make them different every time. But my favorite would have to be any character I designed myself.

NOM: Is it fun to make people look really terrifying?

KM: To me, they don’t seem so terrifying. I look at them more like a piece of art. It’s what the actor makes of the makeup that is scary. But, yes, it is fun!

NOM: Have you ever made anything that was too scary for you?

KM: Working in movies, I have had to do some effects, such as making a wound look real. Sometimes that gets a little in-depth and too real for me.

NOM: What colors are good to paint yourself scary?

KM: It depends on the character. For a zombie, red and black can be scary — but not very realistic. Deep browns and maroon reds will make your character look dead and rotting like a zombie should.

NOM: Which do you like better: beauty makeup or scary makeup?

KM: Doing the scary makeup makes me feel more creative. But there is nothing like making someone feel beautiful for a special day. It’s all an amazing feeling!

NOM: How does it make you feel when you make someone look really scary?

KM: I feel really accomplished. Not only did I make something that I am proud of, I made something that people are going to remember.

By Melanie McCall

realistic: real-looking

amazing: great; wonderful

McGregor’s art may look perfect, but she has made mistakes too. “I’ve glued people’s eyes together, had makeup fall off, and splattered paint,” she said. Make your own zombie! “There are so many things you can use if you’re creative,” said McGregor. Check back early next week to read more of her tips.

Melanie McCall

Katie McGregor at work (making zombies)

Bucks County,

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania was named after William Penn. And Penn named the area of the state called Bucks County!

The amazing and talented Melanie McCall

Monday, October 28, 2013

©Press4Kids

The Week Ahead Get a sneak peek at the big events this week!

Want to know the big news stories coming up? Check out “The Week Ahead”! Start of the NBA! The pro basketball season kicks off on Tuesday night. Will LeBron James lead the Miami Heat to the team’s third straight championship? The league’s best player says he wants to get even better! Halloween! The spooky day finally arrives on Thursday. Kids across America will put on their costumes and trick-or-treat for goodies! Will you be one of them? Be sure to check out News-O-Matic’s special Halloween edition too! A New Senator Cory Booker, a leader from New Jersey, will become America’s 100th senator. He just won a special election in his state. Booker will join the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The Power of Children Awards On Friday, November 1, the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana, will give out important awards to kids. Children who made a difference and worked on projects to help others will earn the prizes. New York City Marathon The world’s largest marathon will take place on Sunday, November 3. About 50,000 runners from all over the world will run the 26.2-mile race in New York City. Will someone beat the course record of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 6 seconds? A Solar Eclipse! On the morning of November 3, a very rare and special event will happen. The Moon will pass in front of the Sun, blocking its light completely! This total solar eclipse can be seen in Africa. But some people in North America will get to see part of it too! By Alexandra Friedell

solar: relating to the Sun eclipse: event when the Moon passes in front of the Sun

Last year, the New York City Marathon was canceled because of Superstorm Sandy.

Come up with an idea for a project to help others. Then make it happen and show people how powerful kids can be!

Getty Images

Runners race in the 2011 New York Marathon

Monday, October 28, 2013

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New York,

New York

New York City is divided into five different parts, and four of them are islands. The marathon runners pass through all five!

Getty Images

Monday, October 28, 2013

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Welcome Back, Birds! Birds return to an island in Alaska, which used to be “Rat Island.”

In 1780, a Japanese ship was wrecked off the coast of Alaska. The rats on the ship swam to a nearby island, where they ate the local birds and their eggs. The rodents took over, which is how the island got its name: “Rat Island.” In 2008, a team of scientists used poison to kill all the rats there. After there were no more rats, the island needed a new name. Last year, its name changed to Hawadax. And now birds are returning to the island! A conservation group shared the news on Wednesday. It said that seabirds called tufted puffins have been breeding there for the first time in hundreds of years. Other species that used to live on the island — but disappeared when the rats came — have now been seen there too. “The island is hardly recognizable,” said a scientist who worked on the island. “It's alive with bird fledglings.” By Alexandra Friedell

conservation: saving; protection breeding: making babies species: types of animals fledglings: young birds

The native Unangan (Aleut) people first called the island “Hawadax.” It means “Welcome.”

Clean up your room! Then come up with a nice, new name for it.

Island Conservation

A black oystercatcher (and no rats)

Monday, October 28, 2013

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Hawadax Island,

Alaska

Today, no humans live on Hawadax. But people lived there in the past and have visited for thousands of years.

Island Conservation

Monday, October 28, 2013

©Press4Kids

A Galaxy Far, Far Away…

Scientists discover the farthest galaxy!

Scientists have just found the most distant galaxy ever! The giant group of stars

is also the oldest galaxy ever discovered. That’s because it is so far away that its

light needed more than 13 billion years to reach Earth!

“We’re not seeing these galaxies as they are now,” wrote astronomer Steven

Finkelstein in Nature. “We’re seeing them as they were 13 billion years ago.”

Finkelstein and other scientists used telescopes in space and in Hawaii to study

the faraway galaxy — and take pictures of it.

The remote galaxy, named z8_GND_5296, is much smaller than the galaxy with

our Sun (the Milky Way). But it created new stars at a much faster pace. It

turned gas and dust into new stars almost every day!

Finkelstein and others will keep searching for more galaxies in the distant

universe. “We need to continue looking for more,” said an astronomer to the

BBC.

By Russell Kahn

astronomer: scientist who studies space

remote: faraway; distant

z8_GND_5296 is about 30 billion light-years

away. That’s

176,358,750,000,000,000,000,000 miles!

Find a galaxy in the nighttime sky! You can’t

see z8_GND_5296, but you can spot the

Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye.

NASA

The galaxy as it looked 13 billions year ago

Monday, October 28, 2013

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Mauna Kea,

Hawai

The Hawaiian language has only 12 letters!

NASA

Monday, October 28, 2013

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Wacky Week

Take a look at the wackiest stories of the week!

Ready, Set, Shake!

Dogs sure look silly when they shake water off themselves. And now a

photograph has the funny proof! Carli Davidson just made a whole book of the

playful pooches in mid-shake!

Farter-Wear!

Do you fart? Don’t deny it. Now you can hide that stinky smell! A new underwear

can filter the smell of farts! But sorry, farters. Shreddies Underwear is only sold in

England for now.

Chocolate Dresses!

Models in London, England, wore dresses made of chocolate. Some of the clothes

weighed 40 pounds! “I can’t say I’ve ever wanted to eat the dresses I’ve worn

before!” a model told NPR.

By Russell Kahn

The chocolate dresses were part of a French show

that is traveling around the world. It will come to

New York in November 2014.

Take pictures of a dog. Try to get it to shake,

and see if you can get a funny photo!

Dogs: Carli Davidson. Chocolate: Paul Winch-Furness - Courtesy of Salon du Chocolat. Fart:

Shutterstock

Dogs: Carli Davidson. Chocolate: Paul Winch-Furness - Courtesy of Salon du Chocolat. Fart:

Shutterstock

It has been another wacky week!

Monday, October 28, 2013

©Press4Kids

London,

England

London is the largest city in the European Union

(EU). More than 8 million people live there!

Dogs: Carli Davidson. Chocolate: Paul Winch-Furness - Courtesy of Salon du Chocolat. Fart:

Shutterstock

Monday, October 28, 2013