Problem: This week is National Volunteer Week, a time for the Canadian Red Cross to recognize our dedicated volunteers who devote their time and talents from coast to coast. Over the course of the week we will use this blog to share stories about our volunteers and the amazing work they do --- a small part of the outstanding individuals across the country.

Take Saskatchewan for example. Last year that province was hit by wide-spread flooding, a hurricane and forest fires. Canadian Red Cross staff and volunteers went to work right away and helped more than 2,100 adults and 775 children recover the basic necessities of life.

It's important to share stories from volunteers to truly appreciate what they do. Christine Hoffman is a Disaster Response Volunteer in Canadian Red Cross in Saskatchewan. She's a _ Red Crosser for about 16 years. Still nothing could have prepared her for the call she took in the Recovery Center last year in response to flooding in Maple Greek. This story is best told in her own words. This is what she said:

"I will never forget the first phone call I took in the Recovery Centre. A young man called asking what services Red Cross was offering in town. As we were talking, he told me he had a rope in his backyard but he thought he would be using it for other reasons. _ I told him to come to see us so we could work together on a plan to improve his situation. He came in a little while later. Nearly two hours later he left standing straight up with tear- filled eyes. He thanked me for convincing him to come in. His home had been destroyed, but together we put together a plan and he was eventually able to move back into his own home."

During National Volunteer Week 2011, let's thank Christine, and the many other volunteers like her. Thanks for making us proud!
1. Who celebrates National Volunteer Week?
2. Where will the put stories during the week?
3. What will they be about?
4. Why is it important to do this?
5. Who is one volunteer in particular that they would like to thank?
6. How long has she been helping?
7. What's her title?
8. where?
9. What happened there last year?
10. How many adults were assisted?
11. How many children?
12. What year was she thanked?
Answer: 1. Canadian Red Cross
2. This blog
3. stories about our volunteers
4. to recognize our volunteers
5. Christine Hoffman
6. 16 years
7. a Disaster Response Volunteer
8. in Canadian Red Cross in Saskatchewan.
9. flooding in Maple Greek
10. One
11. unknown
12. 2011

Q: A primate is a mammal of the order Primates (Latin: "prime, first rank"). In taxonomy, primates include two distinct lineages, strepsirrhines and haplorhines. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment. Most primate species remain at least partly arboreal.

With the exception of humans, who inhabit every continent, most primates live in tropical or subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa and Asia. They range in size from Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, which weighs only , to the eastern gorilla, weighing over ; that is, without taking into account the weight of particular human individuals, reaching up to . Based on fossil evidence, the earliest known true primates, represented by the genus "Teilhardina", date to 55.8 million years old. An early close primate relative known from abundant remains is the Late Paleocene "Plesiadapis", c. 5558million years old. Molecular clock studies suggest that the primate branch may be even older, originating near the CretaceousPaleogene boundary or around 6374mya.

The order Primates was traditionally divided into two main groupings: prosimians and anthropoids (simians). Prosimians have characteristics more like those of the earliest primates, and include the lemurs of Madagascar, lorisoids, and tarsiers. Simians include monkeys, apes and hominins. More recently, taxonomists have preferred to split primates into the suborder Strepsirrhini, or wet-nosed primates, consisting of non-tarsier prosimians, and the suborder Haplorhini, or dry-nosed primates, consisting of tarsiers and the simians.

Answer the following questions:
1. What type of animal is this about?
2. What does it mean?
3. In what language?
4. What are its two main components?
5. Do most live in trees?
6. What's the smallest primate?
7. Who was that primate named for?
8. Other than humans, what's the largest?
9. How long have there been primates?
10. What's the oldest fossil?
11. Where do lemurs live?
12. What grouping are they in?
13. What else is in that group?
14. Andthing else?
15. What's the other grouping?
16. Are humans prosimians or simians?
17. Which other animals are in that group?
18. What does Strepsirrhini mean?
19. And Haplorhini?
20. Where did the primates' forebears live?
A: 1. primate
2. prime, first rank
3. Latin
4. strepsirrhines and haplorhines
5. at least partly
6. mouse lemur
7. Madame Berthe
8. the eastern gorilla
9. since around 6374mya
10. Teilhardina
11. Madagascar
12. Prosimians
13. lorisoids
14. tarsiers
15. anthropoids
16. Simians
17. monkeys
18. wet-nosed primates
19. dry-nosed primates
20. the trees of tropical forests

Problem: Abidjan, Ivory Coast (CNN) -- The European Union announced a recovery package of 180 million euros for the Ivory Coast on Tuesday as residents of the African nation attempted to adjust to life with a clear leader and relative stability after months of bloodshed.

Forces arrested former President Laurent Gbagbo after storming his residence on Monday. Gbagbo defied calls to step down after an electoral commission declared he lost a presidential election in November to Alassane Ouattara. Ouattara has been recognized internationally as the legitimate winner.

A violent power struggle followed the standoff, with supporters loyal to both sides taking to the streets in protests since December. Hundreds have been killed, according to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Andris Piebalgs, EU commissioner for development, announced the recovery package on Tuesday.

"We will stand by Ivory Coast and its people by immediately starting to work with the government of President Ouattara to support him in getting the country on the right track towards reconciliation, democracy, economic recovery and sustainable development," he said.

The funding will provide support to ensure basic needs for citizens such as health, water, sanitation and to support the agricultural sector, Piebalgs said in a statement. It also will clear the Ivory Coast's debt accumulated through the European Investment Bank.

Top military brass pledged their support to Ouattara in a ceremony Tuesday at a hotel in Abdijan. Gen. Phillipe Mangou, Gbagbo's former army chief of staff, said on state television that the generals were received by Ouattara and given orders to take measures to restore order in the country.
1. Which country is this article about?
2. Who was arrested on Monday?
3. What office had he had?
4. But did he lose the last election?
5. Were people telling him to step down?
6. Did he do it ?
7. So what happened to him?
8. Who really won the election?
9. Has there been fighting about the election results?
10. Was anybody killed?
11. How many people?
12. Who is Andris Piebalgs?
13. What does EU stand for?
14. What did he announce?
15. Name one of the needs this package will meet?
16. Anything else?
17. Anything involving the European Investment Bank?
18. Were the military in support of Quattara?
19. When did they say so?
20. Where?
Answer:
1. Ivory Coast
2. Laurent Gbagbo
3. President
4. yes
5. yes
6. no
7. he was arrested
8. Alassane Ouattara
9. yes
10. yes
11. Hundreds
12. EU commissioner for development
13. European Union
14. a recovery package
15. economic recovery
16. health, water, sanitation
17. Ivory Coast's debt
18. yes
19. Tuesday
20. a hotel