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Once in a while, one reads a story that proves the old adage that real life can prove far more unusual than fiction.

Greg Mortenson was an amateur American mountain climber, living out of a Volvo in Berkeley, barely getting by while working as a nurse in hospital emergency rooms. In 1993 he went to Pakistan as part of an expedition to climb K2, the world’s second highest mountain — 100 feet or so shorter than Mt. Everest, and many times as dangerous. He and two fellow mountaineers nearly made it to the top when disaster struck. One of the them fell, and had to be carried for two days across some of the most difficult rocky and icy terrain in the world, with little food or water, barely alive. On the way back to camp, Greg got lost and nearly died from the cold.

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Twelve new stars will shine on the 5th season of the most popular ballroom dancing competition, Dancing with the Stars. The celebrities picked for the televised dancing competition vary in age, and often come from different professional backgrounds. They range from starlets to Hollywood legends, boy band stars to rappers, and even female wrestlers to professional athletes. On the fifth season of this hit show, the celebrities who will attempt to outshine one another are: Melanie Brown a.k.a. “Scary Spice”, Sabrina Bryan, Helio Castroneves, Mark Cuban, Jennie Garth, Josie Maran, Cameron Mathison, Floyd Mayweather, Wayne Newton, Marie Osmond, Albert Reed, and Jane Seymour.

In Dancing with the Stars, each celebrity is paired with a professional dancer who will teach them some fancy footwork in preparation for their weekly performance. After the performance, there are three judges who usually give brief critiques and cast their votes. Viewer participation is highly encouraged as viewers are allowed to cast their votes for their favorite star online or by phone.

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So you’ve read the entire Harry Potter series, but did you know that author J.K. Rowling drew much of her inspiration from myths and stories that existed before?

In a recent interview, Rowling shared that her inspiration for part of the most recent book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” came from a story “The Pardoner’s Tale” written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century as part of his collection, “The Canterbury Tales.” In The Pardoner’s Tale, three men set out to find and kill Death. Similarly, in the Deathly Hallows, there is a story of three brothers who succeeded in beating Death by crossing a river and as reward received gifts from him.

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Ancient people can become new discoveries. This week, scientists and archaeologists studied a body found in Egypt in 1903 and discovered that it is actually the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh. This finding is being called the biggest Egyptian discovery since Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922.

Queen Hatshepsut became Pharaoh when her husband Pharaoh Thutmose II passed away after 13 years of rule. Thutmose’s son, Thutmose III, was too young to take the throne so Hatshepsut was put in place as the regent – a temporary ruler. Even as Thutmose became old enough to take the throne, Hatshepsut declared herself the real Pharaoh and continued her rule.

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Fox’s newest game show, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?   has been topping the Nielsen national ratings charts and only slightly behind the #1 rated American Idol. Hosted by stand-up comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, this new game show offers adult contestants a chance at $1 million by answering a series of questions that are taken directly from elementary school textbooks. Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?   measures a contestant’s knowledge of various subjects targeted at the 5th grade level. The subjects covered include Math, Geography, Social Studies, Science and Spelling.

This show has attracted so many viewers because both adults and kids can play along at home while watching. The show has 5 resident 5th graders that play the game alongside the adult contestant. During each round, the contestant chooses one 5th grader to be his classmate and is given a chance to receive help from them if necessary. The contestant who answers 10 questions correctly receives $500,000, and gets a shot at answering an additional question for $1 million.

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American Idol became an instant success when it launched in the United States in 2002. With millions of viewers tuning in each week to show their support, American Idol has quickly become one of the most popular shows in America. American Idol has launched several successful music careers for American Idol winners and contestants. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks are all successful musicians who won the crown of American Idol. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have both won several awards for their songs and albums. Runners-up Justin Guarini, Clay Aiken, Diana DeGarmo, Bo Bice, and Katharine McPhee are also launching successful careers in the music industry. Season Five’s, Chris Daughtry is currently the best-selling American Idol contestant who was neither the winner nor runner-up of his season. His album reached number 1 on the Billboard charts in its ninth week of release.

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Chinese New Year is the most popular holiday celebrated among Chinese people. It is a time when families and friends come together to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. As they enter a New Year, the Chinese put all things of the past behind them. They clean their homes, pay off debts, and even get new haircuts. These activities represent new life and new beginnings.

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The tradition of Valentine’s Day may be traced to 15th century Europe, but its future may well lie on the other side of the globe, in 21st century Asia. The rapid adoption of Valentine’s Day in the world’s two largest countries is spreading this tradition far beyond the Tower of London prison where the Duke of Orleans is said to have initiated it with poetic letters to his wife in France.

China actually has a similar, far older tradition, that celebrates romance on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month each year. But Valentine’s Day on February 14th is becoming an even bigger deal, especially in major Westernized cities like Shanghai. Fancy hotel suites and special high-priced dinner evenings are increasing in popularity. Indeed, according to a report on China.org, there is huge demand among couples to get married on February 14th - a newly auspicious date, and preferable for many to marrying on traditionally appropriate wedding dates.

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Which country produces the largest number of movies?

You might be surprised to learn that India produces an average of 800 movies a year, and that number continues to grow. Just as the movie capitol of the United States is Hollywood, the movie capitol of India is Bombay, but it is commonly called “Bollywood,” a combination of the words Bombay and Hollywood.

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Jim was savoring the last days of summer before the new school term. Sitting in a pocket of willow tree roots, his back bolstered by the trunk, he closed his eyes and clasped his hands behind his head. The narrow margin of grass next to the pond was still green and its sweet tang mixed pleasantly in the warm air with the dusty brown aroma from the adjacent fields.

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Cecil’s Story by George Ella Lyon takes place during the Civil war. Cecil’s dad has gone off to fight. In Cecil’s world, this means that everything has changed. In fact, Cecil’s mom has left Cecil with the neighbors while she goes off to find his father.

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Do you want some recipes for trouble? You might find them in this book, Beware of Boys by Tony Blundell, where a tricky wolf is served up a taste of his own medicine by an even trickier boy. What happens is this: the boy gets lost in the woods. A wolf captures him and decides to eat him up. “Raw?” asks the boy with a look of surprise. The wolf ponders this, not knowing what the proper etiquette for cooking boy might be.

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