RTCPODS - China English Podcast Hub

Hey Kid News fans, as you know we're always working to increase the news IQ of our listeners. Now there's a way to help them improve in all sorts of subjects. IXL is an online learning platform helping millions of K-12 kids up their academic game. 75 scientific studies back up the boost they'll get in math, science, reading and social studies. Kids get instant feedback and explanations. Kids get reports showing what's working and where more help might be needed. And right now, Kid News listeners can try it out for 20% off when they sign up at IXL.com slash Kid News. Check out the monthly and annual memberships at IXL.com slash Kid News. Good morning and welcome to Kid News. I'm Kim. Today is Wednesday, February 5, 2025. And we begin with a first for a U.S. President. On Sunday, Donald J. Trump will pull up a seat at the Super Bowl. Plenty of VPs have attended but never the President, which means security in New Orleans already expected to be intense will now be even more so. Ticket prices meantime are hitting the skids. Despite the game's other history-making potential, with the Chiefs poised to become the first team to three-peat, football fans just aren't feeling it. The cheapest seat has fallen to around $4,000, according to reseller TickPick. That's down 30% in a week and is less than half what it cost to go last year. TickPick's CEO points to Chiefs fatigue. There's just not that much excitement to see KC play again. Then there's the location. New Orleans lacks the draw of last year's venue in Las Vegas. And finally, the stadium itself. The Caesars Superdome is bigger than Allegiant, so demand is not quite as tight. Kickoff for the Chiefs Eagles matchup is Sunday at 6.30 Eastern. There's some trouble in paradise. Over the past four days, hundreds of small earthquakes have rattled the popular Greek island of Santorini. The biggest so far hit yesterday and measured 5.3 on the Richter scale. Santorini is no stranger to earthquakes. It lies in a seismically active part of the world. But the intensity of this swarm is unusual enough to close schools through Friday and send worried tourists and residents packing. Santorini is known as Greece's Instagram Island. It attracts 3.4 million visitors a year, but is only home to around 20,000 permanent residents. Local broadcasters say about 6,000 of them have left to ride out the shaking elsewhere. If you have a phone and are allowed to bring it to class, how much time do you think you spend on it? According to a new study, more than you think, and certainly more than your parents and teachers would like. Research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that kids aren't just taking a quick glimpse here and there. They're clicking and scrolling for an average of one and a half hours, with 25% of students logging more than two hours. The study tracked phone usage with an app that measured screen time and activity on both Android and iOS devices. Lead author Lauren Hale says the findings raised serious questions about distracted learning, but she isn't calling for a ban. She says smartphones are an integral part of all teens' lives, and the goal is to find the right balance in school and beyond. There's a saying that all publicity is good publicity, but organizers of a World Cup skiing event in Germany might disagree. They're getting lambasted for giving the male winner of a ski-jumping competition a $3,000 cash prize, while the female winner of the same event received a gift bag with shampoo and towels. Skior Selina Freitag told a German broadcaster that she didn't want to complain too much about it, but you can see the difference. The International Ski and Snowboard Foundation defended its decision, saying the women's event doesn't bring in the same revenue, while acknowledging that the prize may have generated frustration and given a bad impression. Her sport, an organization whose mission is to empower, inspire, and educate women and girls weighed in on the issue on social media, saying it highlights the inequalities that still exist in sport to this day. In other kid news notes, it could go down as the most expensive musical instrument ever sold. This Friday, a Stradivarius violin made by Antonio Stradivari in 1714 goes up for auction at Sotheby's in New York City. Its value is estimated between $12 and $18 million. If it sells at the top end of that range, it'll top the $15.9 million paid in 2011 for a different Stradivarius made in 1721, which Guinness lists as the current record holder. And Joe Biden is going to Hollywood. We've yet to hear specifics about his post-White House plans, but we do know that the former president just signed on with powerhouse talent agency Creative Artists. CAA also repped him from 2017 to 2020 when he wrote a book and went on a nationwide speaking tour. The agency's other high-profile clients include Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Michelle and Barack Obama. Still to come, a rapper learns he won a Grammy while dropping off packages for Amazon. But first today's kid news quiz. President Trump will be the first sitting president to attend what? The Super Bowl. What popular tourist island is in the midst of an earthquake swarm? And Terini in Greece. Kids spend an average of how much time on their phones during school. One and a half hours. What instrument might set a record at an auction on Friday? A Stradivarius violin from 1714. In today's kid news kicker, winning a Grammy is hard. Winning a Grammy while you're in the middle of making an Amazon delivery, pretty much unheard of. UC Berkeley graduate Spencer Galanka was making rounds on his day job when he found out that Dochie won best rap album for Alligator Bites Don't Heal. Spencer helped with two of the most popular tracks by supplying beats to her and her producers over the phone. So even though he won't get a gramophone statue, those are reserved for lead producers, he's eligible for a Grammy certificate acknowledging his contribution. And according to SF Gate, he's probably the first to learn of a Grammy win while delivering packages. It was a great moment, he told the paper. I was kind of in shock, but it was awesome. Before we go, shout outs for our kid news classrooms, starting with Mrs. Elfsman and her fantastic fifth graders at Grayside in Mauston, Wisconsin. Go Golden Eagles! We're giving a big wildcat roar to Mrs. Cece and Ms. Parker and their Walker Wildcats at William Walker in Beaverton, Oregon. And hello to Mrs. Metz Rockstars at Meadows in Santa Clarita, California. And to Mrs. Dreheim and her Vikings at Dundee Middle School in Dundee, Michigan. Thanks for listening. Your feedback matters. Please take a moment to drop us a line at wehearyouatkidnews.org. And or rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. Have a great day and we'll see you back here for more Kid News tomorrow morning.