Don't Mess with Recess, Say Doctors

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:03]Germany's spray vault or spray forest is a pretty breathtaking place known for its wateride villages, canals, and boat trips through them. That's why if you like the idea of a job that lets you sail through serenity every afternoon, you can see how someone like Andrea Bunar would hold on to the position for 15 years. From the spring until the fall, she uses a car to deliver mail in the morning and a boat to do that in the afternoon. There are about 65 homes she visits on the water, bringing them 600 letters and 80 packages per week, according to the AFP news agency. She says this was the only way things were done all year round until the 1950s. But after a sound road system was built, this became more of a novelty. Boat deliveries are made in just one village.

[00:00:49]Now, on the other hand, why change a process that's been done there successfully for 129 years? Bunar says this has been her dream job all along, that being on the water is so relaxing, it slows down life.

[00:01:13]I'm Carl Isus for the world from A to Z and Wednesdays are mid. Some of you requested a t-shirt saying that and now we've got one at world az.org/store.

[00:01:23]Now, some stateside stories sustain our steady pace. The first is a case of good news, bad news for the US economy. The good. The government's jobs report, which recently came out with stats for April, showed the nation added 115,000 jobs that month. That's 50,000 more than economists expected and seen as one sign of a strong economy. The unemployment rate, the percentage of workers who don't have a job, stayed the same as March at 4.3%. Now, the bad. Inflation is up. Prices on stuff we commonly buy increased 3.8% this April over where they were last April. That's the highest year-over-year increase in almost three years and includes price hikes on food and fuel, and they're widely blamed on the conflict in Iran. The Trump administration says the increases are temporary and that it's focused on affordability and economic growth. Its critics blame the administration's actions in Iran and warned that inflation may continue to increase in the months ahead. Next story. The American Academy of Pediatrics, an Association of Doctors, says recess needs to be protected in schools or become part of their day again. Health officials say 40% of US school districts have cut back or cancelled recess altogether over the last 20 years as they've prioritized test scores. But the pediatrics organization says regular breaks, including unstructured playtime like recess, can help children and teenagers learn, help prevent obesity, and help them socialize with one another. Additional benefits may include better concentration in class and reduced restlessness. Are there downsides? Critics of recess say it takes up valuable learning time and that students could be prone to bullying or getting hurt if teachers aren't keeping an eye on things. Some schools are worried about legal liability over incidents like that. In schools that have recess, doctors say it ranges anywhere from 10 minutes or less to over an hour.

[00:03:16]A massive fire is burning in the Florida Everglades. The blaze named the Max Road fire broke out on Sunday.

[00:03:23]>> We could hear it crackling. That's how bad it was. I had to hose down my house.

[00:03:27]Everyone was hosing down all their trailers before the fire department came.

[00:03:30]>> The area primed for fire as large parts of the state continued to experience severe levels of drought.

[00:03:36]>> Very, very concerned coming out in the middle of the night just to make sure that it wasn't, you know, coming towards our way.

[00:03:42]>> Firefighters attacking the flames from the ground and the sky. In addition to firefighting efforts, authorities positioned police and fire rescue resources at the ready in communities close to the flames. Emergency officials said there was no imminent threat to the community. However, they did urge locals to monitor conditions in case that changes. Some residents preparing to make a quick exit if the flames get too close.

[00:04:07]>> We're keeping an eye on things. We've already set aside some things in case we have to leave.

[00:04:12]>> Others doing what little they can to prepare their properties for a worst case scenario. We're going to have to just keep watch, make sure that we do what we can to protect our house and pray that the wind stays to the west.

[00:04:25]>> I'm Reed Bingan reporting.

[00:04:30]>> Word the knowledge. What US location is known as the end of the road? Cape Flattery, Washington, Key West, Florida, Homer, Alaska, Ukiabic, ALASKA.

[00:04:50]IT IS ON THE Kenai Peninsula that you'll find the city of Homer, Alaska, the end of the road. Though our next story takes us to the northernmost tip of the state.

[00:05:01]The annual midnight sun season is underway. This time lapse shows the sun setting on America's most northern town on Sunday for the final time until August 2nd. Utki, Alaska will see 84 straight days of light. The National Weather Service says the midnight sun season is when communities north of the Arctic Circle get non-stop daylight in the summer while the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun.

[00:05:33]>> On this date in world history, >> the United States declared war on Mexico on this date in 1846. The Mexican-American War lasted 2 years and eventually expanded US territory by more than 500,000 square miles. On May 13th, 1981, Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in Vatican City by escaped Turkish prisoner Ali Ag. The leader of the Catholic Church later visited Agawa in prison and forgave him.

[00:06:03]Decades later after his release, Agawa laid flowers at the tomb of the late Pontiff. and a British mom and mountaineer made history on this date in 1995.

[00:06:14]Allison Hargraes became the first woman to climb Mount Everest without oxygen or help from Sherpa's local Tibetan guides.

[00:06:21]The 33-year-old reached the summit of Pakistan's K2 Mountain 3 months later, but died in a massive storm on her way back down.

[00:06:30]>> When you think battery, you probably think of your typical triple and double A's or maybe your car battery. But a sand battery doesn't generate electricity, it stores it. Countries around the world are investing in sustainable energy more and more.

[00:06:46]Hydropower, wind, solar, and growth in wind and solar outpaced global demand for electricity in the first half of 2025, according to a report from the think tank Ember. But the sun don't always shine and the wind won't always blow, which leads to gaps in green energy supply. Sand batteries offer one solution. Finnish company Polar Knight Energy developed and installed the first sand battery in 2022. Ever since, there's been growing interest in the technology. It's thermal energy storage.

[00:07:20]Sand is heated using pipes. The sand's density and layers of steel and insulation trapping this heat until it's needed, sometimes up to months later.

[00:07:31]Italy hopes its first sand battery plant, this unassuming metal box, could be a gamecher for its energy industry.

[00:07:38]Powered by roof solar panels, the system heats sand to 600°.

[00:07:45]>> We convert electrical energy into heat and store it in our fluidized sand bed system and then release it when needed in the form of steam.

[00:07:54]The technology has exciting implications, but while it may solve old problems, new ones could pop up.

[00:08:02]>> The costbenefit analysis may well favor these new systems, but clearly there will be environmental costs and therefore also social costs in some countries.

[00:08:13]>> Evaluation of costs over the long term will tell whether sand batteries are truly sustainable. Sand is an essential raw material used for construction, glass, and microchips, and it seems impossible we could ever run out of it.

[00:08:27]But it is a finite resource, limited, and becoming more scarce. Mining too much sand can destabilize ecosystems, erode river banks, and contaminate groundwater. But researchers think sand battery technology could have more benefits than risks if handled with care.

[00:08:50]I think it'd be funny to announce three schools, but like get all the mascots wrong. To have people be like, "Wait, we're not the home of the Raisinets."

[00:08:57]I'm not really going to do it. Instead, we're calling on the Vikings of Lake View Junior Senior High School. Mr. Clund's class is watching from Columbus, Nebraska. We've got the Eagles flying in Grand Blank, Michigan. That's where you'll find Woodland Park Academy in Mrs. Bishop's class. Finally to Roy High School where the Royals rule in Mr. Wardell's class in Roy, Utah.

[00:09:23]Michael Knight, Kit, and Pontiac Trans Am are terms far more familiar to folks in their 50s who remember when the show Nightrider was on TV. But recently, a vehicle like Kit with a similar vanity plate was caught on camera speeding in New York City, and officials forwarded the $50 fine to Kit's address. So, how do we know the indestructible AI icon of the 80s wasn't joy riding in the Big Apple? Because it's been sitting at a museum in Illinois since like, well, years, and it's now appealing the fine as a case of mistaken identity. They must think the car has silver spoons in its mouth with family ties to the prairie state. Of course, they'll have to call the A team or Miami Vice to solve the case of growing pains without just Cosby. Maybe it'll go to Night Court where Kick can show them who's the boss, saying, "Give me a break. My museum's a different world. Maybe that car is a chips off the old block, but he and I are perfect strangers. And if coach or Charles were in charge, they'd tell you I've got enough family matters of my own not to bug Kagny and Lacy in the heat of the night. Very few of you will get all that, but your teachers might unless they get saved by the bell.

[00:10:24]I'm Carl Isus for the world from A to Z.