Leo's Blog

God's Children

2009-06-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

I don't get the people..they could just farm themselves and fish themselves and move to other places.

Poverty

2009-06-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

African nations typically fall toward the bottom of any list measuring small size economic activity, such as income per capita or GDP per capita, despite a wealth of natural resources. The bottom 25 spots of the United Nations (UN) quality of life index are regularly filled by African nations. In 2006, 34 of the 50 nations on the UN list of least developed countries are in Africa.^[1] In many nations, the GDP per capita income is less than $200 U.S. per year, with the vast majority of the population living on much less.

Morrie's Aphorism#5

2009-05-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Be hopeful but not foolishly hopeful
I think everyone knows this except for people who are foolishly convinced that there is something to believe in.

How do electrolytes work in our body?

2009-05-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

Many normal body functions are dependent on these substances. Normal body functions, not to mention performance, are severely compromised if acceptable levels of electrolytes are not present, especially in the heat and / or when exercise goes beyond the two hour mark.

Morrie's Aphorism#4

2009-05-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

When you are utterly frustrated or angry, express these feelings. You don't have to be nice all the time, just most of the time.
I think this is true. If everyone can do that then the world would be a lot more perfect.

What is lightning? Why does wearing rubber shoes help you during a storm?

2009-05-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

What is lightning? Why does wearing rubber shoes help you during a storm?
Lightning is atmospheric discharge of electricity usually accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms.

During a thunderstorm lightning may hit the ground and travel through the acidic raindrops that was once in the sky. If we had metal soles the electric charges of lightning will travel to the ground, through the water, up your metal soles and into your body. I think that will be really painful. Some of us don't like to get electrocuted so we wear soles made with rubber, because rubber is a good insulator so it can prevent lightning from coming up your soles.

Morrie's Aphorism#3

2009-05-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Don't assume that it's too late to be involved in something.
I think this is quite true only once you miss the chance it is very hard to get in it again. So you must be fast. You must learn to seize the chances

Morrie's Aphorism#2

2009-05-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others.
I think this is kind of important because if everyone could do that then there will be no revenges and tragedies.

What would a day in your life be like without electricity?

2009-05-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

What would a day in your life be like without electricity?
I think that the days will either be really boring or better. Without the discovery of electricity I think there will be no artificial light, computers, internet and many other things that need electricity from the start. Things like clocks, washing machine and all those things that maybe our daily need might never be invented.
I think that if there was completely no electricity then my life will be a lot simpler, because there will be no games that I would have to keep looking at, there will be no textbooks (not the printed kind), just imagining it gives me a picture of a good world. But there may be some disadvantages like there will be no vehicles like airplanes and cars and maybe not even bicycles. Maybe there will be some hand-made bicycle and a lot of horse riding.

Morrie's Aphorism

2009-05-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

Get as much as help as you can when you need it.
This is Morrie's aphorism. There is nothing special to it because everybody who is smart enough will know it. Morrie's aphorism is what we need to do everyday.

Earth Day

2009-04-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

A few days ago there was a day called Earth Day. I am going to write about what I will do in spirit of the Earth Day. There are easy things you can do like, less tv, turning of the ac, turning off the lights, car pool, riding bike.

Kids attacking teachers in class

2009-04-21T04:17:00.001-07:00

Students spend a lot of time in school and some of the use these times badly. More than 10 students reported that the teachers in school was attacked.
Almost everyday, there are reports saying that the teachers were threatened by knife and violent.

2009-04-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

More pirates attack in Africa

2009-04-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

More and more pirates attack ships off the coast of Somalia, a country of Africa, capturing one and damaging another. American captain Richard Phillips is held captive on a life boat. American navy is trying to rescue him now.

My question: Who is withdrawing the forces?

2009-03-31T06:47:00.000-07:00

Most of the British troops are scheduled to be withdrawn at May 31. There are going to be 400 British soldiers left behind to keep peace and help them train their soldiers and also help with other things

British troops moving out of Iraq

2009-03-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

British troops are finally beginning their final withdrawal from Iraq! it has been six years since the American-led invasion of the country. Most of the troops are leaving by 31 May - the official date for the end of the combat.
Four hundred troops wil stay behind to keep peace and train Iraqi forces.
My question: Who is withdrawing forces?

2009-03-26T04:46:00.000-07:00

Blood Red Horse Chapter 5

2009-03-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

There are two brothers, Gavin and Will. William is the main character, I think.William is younger brother of Gavin. They fight each other a lot. There is another character in the book called Ellie. She hates Gavin as much as William does. Sir Thomas went to a war, and he couldn't spend a lot of time on building the castle. So time passes, William becomes better on riding horses.

The First Crusade

2009-03-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

The first crusade's destination was to take over the Jerusalem. In the time Pope Urban II launched the first crusade. A lot of people went to the crusade because the pope promised them that they would get a lot of money and land and will get a free pass to heaven when they die. Most of the people went to the crusade to go to heaven and to wash their sins away by doing what the pope tells them to do.

Strange salt treatment for asthma

2009-03-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

Link
Sickness that irritates breathing has always been a problem. For centuries, people had been going into salt cave to make their lungs better. The tiny particles of salt is said to help stop people coughing and wheezing as much. A patient in London is now testing in a man-made salt cave.

Character Sketch Essay

2009-03-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

My sister. She how they talk. Me and my sister, we have some things in common with the characters in the book. Paul and Norman. Sometimes I try to give her help. Not by offering money or go fishing. I just offer help. But she is quite like Paul. She knows that she needs help, but she doesn’t admit it. Like in the book, Norman’s father said to Norman, “You are too young to help anybody and I am too old,” he said, “By help I don’t mean a courtesy like serving chokeberry jelly or giving money.”
“Help,” he said. “is giving part of yourself to somebody who comes to accept it willingly and needs it badly.
“So it is,” he said, using an old homiletic transition, “that we can seldom help anybody. Either we don’t know what part to give or maybe we don’t like to give any part of ourselves. Then, more often than not, we do not have the part that is needed. It is like the auto-supply shop over town where they always say, “Sorry, we are just out of that part.”
I think she don’t accept my help willingly because she wants to do her stuff on her own. She is not better than me in anything but some lame game that she plays on my computer. So she doesn’t get to give me any advices, like Paul and Norman.
My sister is like Paul. She likes to act strong, but she is not as stubborn as Paul. She also doesn’t gamble or go fishing. She is understanding but she doesn’t show it and I will never confess to her.
She is like combination of Paul and Norman, the not complete version. Help, she gives but was denied for most of the time. Offer, she did but was never taken.

journal 5

2009-03-19T20:30:00.001-07:00

march 17
journal 5
Somewhere along the line she had forgotten that it was I who liked chokecherry jelly, a gentle confusion that none of her men minded.
“Help,” he said, “ is giving part of yourself to somebody who comes to accept to willingly and needs it badly.”
Once i have been blamed for making my sister bleed when i had done nothing wrong.

journal 4

2009-03-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

journal 4
"You have never really seen an ass until you have seen two sunburned asses on a sandbar in the middle of a river."
I feel no personal connection to this quote but i like it because it's funny. It was more fun in the movie because their was visual aid. I feel a little personal connection with this quote because it is not exactly personal. My friend had not been sunburned but kind of hurt his butt because his pants were thin and there was snow on the ground. Kind of frozen. Not sunburned.

journal 6

2009-03-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

journal 6
march 20
“You like to tell true stories, don’t you?” he said, and I answered, “Yes, I like to tell stories that are true.”
this quote was on the last page of the story.
i feel no personal connection with this quote but i like it because i like true stories

journal 3

2009-03-19T20:05:00.004-07:00

journal 3
"Brother," he said, "you can't catch trout in a bathtub"
this quote is kind of funny
One time, i dropped my marble in my bathtub and i couldn't fish it out so i think that is kind of similar. Kind of personal connection. It was when I was in kindergarten. My friend too. He had a similar experience. His had a frisbee and he threw it and it got caught on a rock in the middle of a river. He was unlucky. He couldn't get it out.

journal 2

2009-03-19T20:05:00.003-07:00

journal 2
march 12
“Although I know nothing about fishing,” she said.
This was complicated statement.
i like the quotes

journal 1

2009-03-19T20:05:00.001-07:00

journal 1
march 11
“Izaak Walton,” he told us when my brother was thirteen or fourteen, “is not a respectable writer. He was an Episcopalian and a bait fisherman.”
“The bastard doesn’t even know how to spell ‘complete.
no personal connections between my own life and events in the day’s reading.
no questions to discuss.

What I learned

2009-03-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

What I learned about the life of people living in Scotland were bad except for the British. People were randomly picked on, slaughtered, raped and taken against their will. All does farmers and other people waged war for freedom against them. The people were badly treated. Kind of like slave but not exactly.

What I know

2009-03-11T05:01:00.000-07:00

After the Romans were gone, the protection that they had once provided was gone and so most of the trading stuffs were stolen. And the Roman Empire fell, so the money was no more. They had to find a new money system. At first they just traded stuff. Like 'I give you a sheep, and you make me a boat.' Another thing is, when the Roman Empire fell, the center was reestablished by the Catholic Church, so that was a big difference. More and more people started to depend on the the Church more than any other people. The economy also got bad, because there was no cash coming in their pockets, some was left with nothing to trade with but maybe a few pieces of money that doesn't mean anything after the Empire fell.

My favorite place

2009-03-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

My favorite place is Korea in the winter, because there are snow and stuff. The lake turn into beautiful mirror and you can step on to some of them. But what I like the most is the skiing and snow boarding part. Sometimes I fall down couple of times while going fast, but it is still very fun playing on snow. My favorite place in the summer is Singapore. I don't know why. I just like the place.

Why do you think the novel is titled The Sun Also Rises?

2009-03-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

I don't know why it is titled The Sun Also Rises. I don't have a clue why it is called that. Maybe I don't know because I didn't read carefully enough, but I just don't get the meaning of the title.

Passport Reflection Question

2009-03-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Traveling Nitrogen Passport we finish today was easy. Most people didn't go to the same station in the same order because they roll differently, which means they get to travel to other places by other means.
I went to two stations right after each other. Atmosphere and Soil. I thought me that nitrogen can repeat the cycle in midway. Like for example, a real nitrogen stuck in a coal might be release back into the air but then breathed in by some plant then turned into part of the stem then be turned into a coal in million of years after.
Atmosphere seemed to have the most nitrogens. I think it is because that all of the nitrogen stuck below the atmosphere in form of either liquid, gas, or solid returns back to the atmosphere to start the whole cycle again, only the stations will be different.
I think the point of activity (Traveling Nitrogen Passport) was to let us understand the movement of nitrogens in the air. The stages of nitrogen. The form that all nitrogens could take, and that the nitrogen could repeat the stages a lot of times. Like for example, Surface Water nitrogen gets sucked up by a tree then be turned into a leaf, then falls back into the river, then pressed down by a rock, decompose in water, then repeat the cycle again.

Feudalism

2009-03-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

Feudalism arose at a time when central governments were weak or nonexistent in Europe, and kings used the system to exert control over their subjects and secure military strength throughout their lands. In the absence of a strong monarchy and rule of law, the feudal relationship between the lord and his vassal was the glue that held medieval society together.
"http://historymedren.about.com/od/feudalism/a/feudalism.htm"

This is the simplified version of definition, and there are a lot more better explanations and exceptions that go along this medieval history. It is fair to say that this is the explanation you read from the textbooks and the dictionary.
But the problem is.......
Nearly none of them are accurate.
Feudalism was NOT the "dominant form of political organization in medieval Europe.
"http://historymedren.about.com/od/feudalism/a/feudalism.htm"
I read something similar like this before somewhere and there was no "hierarchical system" of lords and vassals like we like to think. Manorialism or Seignorialism was not part of a Feudal System.
Kings did NOT use Feudalism to exert control over their subject, and the feudal relationship was NOT the "glue that held medieval society together.
"http://historymedren.about.com/od/feudalism/a/feudalism.htm"

Isolating the SMASH variable & the science of Benjamin Button

2009-03-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Button TED Talk
The people making Benjamin Button's face went through a lot of steps. The science of Benjamin Button. They had to make the person acting Benjamin Button wear blue hats. (I think for the blue screen.) They took picture of every thing that Brad's face was able to do and use some kind of technology that uses white ball stuff to make the 3D face of Brad ((old),(Benjamin Button)).
They had a lot of different actors for Benjamin Button as person then they will stick the head of older Brad's.

Blood Red Horse

2009-03-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

Blood Red Horse Chapter 5. There are two brothers, Gavin and WIll. William is the main character, I think.William is younger brother of Gavin. They fight each other a lot. There is another character in the book called Ellie. She hates Gavin as much as William does. Sir Thomas went to a war, and he couldn't spend a lot of time on building the castle. So time passess, William becomes better on riding horses.

Humanities: noble

2009-02-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

I am a noble. I owe allegiance to Christianity and the queen. I offer protection to the queen and I fight for Christianity. I am a noble. In return, I expect to be rewarded with money and servants. I also provide funds for wars.

Art

2009-02-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

What I saw in the movie...was a man building some cool things.
I remember the man making stone eggs and using ice bits to make a strange thing attached to the rock. The man made many rock eggs using many rocks. The man also used small wooden branches to make a big wooden web. He also made some kind of leaf trail on the water. Everything else I forgot.
The rock eggs I liked the most. It was beautifully crafted and accurately fitted into place. When I looked at it, it gave me some kind of holy presence, the feeling like your looking at something old.
Rock eggs were made in various places. One was in the water and the water washed it away. One was built in the bushes. I think they built it and put a camera over there for a year, because they filmed the whole season.

Humanities

2009-02-18T03:22:00.000-08:00

The simulation we did today was kind of useless since most of us knows what we were doing. But of the simulation we did today was to teach the 6th graders then it might be useful for the 6th graders to learn at least something about the medieval times that they are going to learn in 8th grade.

Blood Red Horse

2009-02-17T03:30:00.000-08:00

The two main character in the Blood Red Horse I think is William and Eleanor. William doesn't like his brother, Gaven, and because William doesn't like Gaven so Eleanor tries not to like Gaven too, but after Eleanor saw Gaven mourning for his dog, she changed her mind.
Eleanor is kind and smart and i think she likes William. William likes horses.

Bullfighting

2009-02-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

I think that bull fighting is inhumane. Hundreds of bulls die in a year to please the people. I think maybe if they just play with the bulls not kill them then it is a bit less inhumane. After all, I think that we, humans, should only kill when it benefits us in some way or another. Like killing for fun is not a way that beings with superior knowledge and intellectual development should act.

The Clock of Life

2009-02-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at a late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. For the clock may soon be still by Robert H. Smith
I don't know if I like this poem/quote. I never appreciated nothing in language arts but stories, but I know what this poem/quote is about. It used the clock was our life. It is a commonly used word to describe life. It also tells you to spend your life wisely do things you will enjoy during your life because life is short. In the end, I don't find this poem/quote extraordinarily interesting and not even interesting, but I don't think it's bad/ Its just that I don't like quotes and poems.

SMASH Day Reflection

2009-02-11T17:32:00.000-08:00

We tried to make a scope used in submarines. We needed to look into the box where there was so called treasure. The supplies given to make the scope thing was a small torn box, a stack of scrap papers and some mirrors.
We modified our design for a few times but at the last time we were adding to it, one of the mirror changed places and fell down. We knew that we needed to modify our scope because the things we saw through the mirror was wrong. We had to look at the angles and shift the mirrors into the right places. I think my team communicated all right.
Draw your design first, then find the angles of reflection.

mirrow image

2009-02-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

When i look into my mirror. I see a boy. A man. A boy. And a man. I not so sure. I'm not sure of what the others make of me either. So it makes me curious....but not so much. I don't like looking at the mirror much because I know what I will see. When I really think..I realize that I'm not very curious at all.

Australia burns up in the heat

2009-02-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

The heat wave forced the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne to suspend lots of matches because the player couldn't cope with the heat.
Two houses were engulfed in flames in soutern Australia, more than 140000 homes have been left without power.

Kenya explosion clainms many lives

2009-02-04T19:15:00.001-08:00

At some point a split petrol caught alight and the tanker exploded, killing at least 111 people and hurting more.
Some thinks that a lit cigarette may have started the laze, while others say it was lit on purpose.

Reflection

2009-02-03T03:44:00.000-08:00

I used critical thinker and problem solver, effective communicator, and active learner.
I used critical thinker and problem solver by thinking on what to write on the Research Paper. Especially on the conclusion part of my Research Paper. I was effective communicator because I think one would understand what I am thinking and what I am telling them if them read my Research Paper. I was an active learner because I learned a lot about Ancient Greece and Rome history while I wrote my Research Paper.
One of the big relationship between Ancient Greece and Rome I learned while doing the Research Paper is that Ancient Greece and Rome interacted with each other a lot in the ancient times. Although the difference between them are very similar but you should be able to tell which is which while reading my Research Paper. For the most of the part at least.

language art

2009-02-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

i think that the SRCs are a good example for effective communicator, because they talk clearly and loudly. most of the time in the all school gathering, the SRCs come up and says something of the school stuff which they had discussed and then made a decision. the requirements of being a effective communicator is a mouth, and brain.

Effective Communicator

2009-01-22T17:55:00.000-08:00

Effective Communication is when you talk clearly and loud enough. Being an effective communicator can make your life a lot easier and make other people around you feel better too. Effective communication is important because otherwise nobody will understand you. You can improve your communication skills by talking more, loudly, effectively, and clearly.

UN closer to resolution on Gaza

2009-01-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

UN Security Council have overcome its division and is now poised to vote unanimously for a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Chances of the resolution being agreed appeared to recede earlier when new disagreements emerged in New York between Arab states and Western powers.
Thirteen days of fighting between Israel and Hamas have left an estimated 765 Palestinians and 14 Israelis dead.

6 years old boy drives himself to school!

2009-01-08T04:22:00.000-08:00

Link
A boy in America missed the school bus, but he wanted to go to school so much that he took his parents car key and tried to drive to school.
He drove about six miles before he crashed, and when he got out, he tried to journey on foot.
The boy told police in Virginia that he didn't want to miss the breakfast or P.E. His parents have been charged with putting him in danger.

Rockets hit Israel from Lebanon

2009-01-08T04:18:00.001-08:00

Link
Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting for two weeks in Gaza over who has the right to live where.
Strangely, Lebanon, which is located on north of Israel, fired at least three rockets to Israeli troops.
It sounds like the Lebanon people are pushing for a peace plan.

Re: What I learned about from the video about the culture of Rome

2009-01-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

The Romans kept the Jews as slaves. In the movie, Ben-Hur treat his slave like servants, it may be because Ben-Hur was like a slave himself. The Roman military wore long red capes behind them. I think that the colored feather that was glued to the helm shows how high ranked the person is. Like Ben-Hur's Roman general friend (I don't remember his name) his helm had big fluffy red feather on his helm when the other soldiers had kind of like spiky cut-short style of red sticks? on their head. I thought I also saw that the body plates and the helm was decorated. The materials they used to make those things, I think they are gold, silver and steel.
The part where we stopped watching. When a general or some high ranked guy went on the galley where Ben-Hur was on, I think that was one part of Slavery culture in Ancient Rome. I also think that the Romans were very technologically advanced in more ways because they had fought more battles than most of the countries near by. The galleys they make looks plain on outside but I think it is terrible being at the lowest part of the boat. First one could drown with the boat with the galley was hit by whatever thing, second you could be killed at any moment, third they don't care if one grows sick and die because they can just replace one with another man who has been condemn to death. They also had a guy with two hammer down there also. I think he gives orders on how to row the boat. They had developed some kind of system that tells them when to go fast and slow.
When I continued to watch the video, I found out that sometimes slaves would be given to winner as a gift. In the video Ben-Hur was given to the general, and the general adopted him as his son, which Mr. Carpenter says it would not have happened in the real world. Also when the general went to see the king, he was riding a chariot and wearing golden armor with a golden feathery thing on the helmet. I think that means glory of victory or something like great honor. And this time when I watch the video, I found out that the feathery things are not feathers.
The langauge they speak, I'm sure that it is not English but in the video they made it English to make us understand the thing they speak.
In the video, Ben-Hur's mother and sister was found with Leprocy in the jail room. Leprosy is also known as Hansen's disease because of the scientist who discovered the bacillus. Treatment of the Leprosy works the best with using Dapsone. This medicine is currently being used to suppress leprosy, and seldom is leprosy completely removed from the body. Important is to understand it can only be halted using a multi-drug treatment. Leprosy patients are taught to take care of themselves using a kind of visual check if they have significant nerve damage. Withoutthe sensationof pain to identify cuts and bruises, patients must watch themselves constantly or be characterized by multiple leisons. These leisons are acconpanied by sensory loss in the affected areas, which begins in the extremities, toes, and fingertips at the beginning. Leprosy in all ages has been considered one of the more despicable diseases. Its victims have been despised throughout history and kept in sperate places called leper colonies or sanitariums. Even today, most people with leprosy are shunned by thir neighbors and are held at arms length, and it is simply wrong.

Scientists spot new pink iguana!

2009-01-06T04:22:00.000-08:00

Scientists found a new species of iguanas. It is being called Rosada iguana because it has rose colored scales. It had been spotted in the Galapagos Islands, in the Pacific Ocean.
Some lucky park rangers saw one of them back in 1986, but people thought it was a one-off, meaning that it is one extraordinary iguana, and was quickly forgotten.
The scientists estimated about 100 of them and they are listed on endangered species.

What I learned about from the video about the culture of Rome

2009-01-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Israeli troops fighting in Gaza

2009-01-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

Israeli soldiers and tanks had been sent into Gaza as it tries to stop members of Hamas group from firing rockets at them.
For more than a week, Israeli has been dropping bombs in Gaza, which is home to about 1.5million Palestinians. Israel say the bombing is necessary to protect its people and it won't stop until the rocket attacks stop too.
Nobody is backing down right now, but British Prime Minister Gordan Brown, want Israel and Hamas to end the violence.

Fighter Jet crash in USA kills 3

2008-12-10T04:30:00.001-08:00

A plane hit houses in residential area of San Diego in California. It detroyed three homes and around 20 more had to be evacuated.
The pilot was the only person on board the plane. He ejected from the plane before it hit the ground and was taken to hospital with injuries.

More trouble expected in Greece

2008-12-10T04:26:00.000-08:00

Police in Greece are preparing for more violence across the country as a national strike is held in protest at some of the government's decisions.
Unoins planned it all weeks ago, but it's happening after days of rioting started when a 15 year old boy was shot dead by a police in Athens on Saturday.

Zimbabwe disease now an emergency

2008-12-08T04:50:00.000-08:00

The health problems in Zimbabwe is now treated as an international emergency. Hundreds of people had died from a disease called cholera, which people can catch from dirty water.

Riots in Greece after teen killed

2008-12-08T04:45:00.000-08:00

A teenager was shoot in Greece and killed by a police officer. Shooting riots started in Athens, after a group of people threw stones at a police car. better not go to Greece right now..

Hanging Fire

2008-12-05T03:13:00.000-08:00

I don't really get the main theme of Audre Lorde. The poem is kind of confusing to me, and I don't know why. I just get the fact that he is complaining about life..nothing more.

Thailand airport protests ended

2008-12-04T04:24:00.000-08:00

The anti-government protesters, who were unhappy about the government of Thailand, took control of the airports in Bangkok more than a week ago. It was because the court found Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's People POwer Party, and two other parties, were found guilty of buying votes, which meant the election wasn't fair.

Schools closed after snow storms

2008-12-04T04:19:00.000-08:00

More than four hundred schools across England and Scotland have been closed after a heavy snow fall overnight. Yorkshire seems to have been hit the hardest, and it is still snowing now. Lots of roads are very dangerous in the areas where it has been snowing.

Rainforest destruction speeds up

2008-12-01T03:27:00.001-08:00

The people who monitor forest clearance say more than 4500 square miles of Brazil's tropical woodland were chopped down from August 2007 to July 2008. That's an area more than half the size of Wales and nearly four per cent bigger than in the previous 12 months. The experts say the conditions could have been worse if the government of Brazil didn't take actions against illegal logging.

Empty planes leave Thai airports

2008-12-01T03:23:00.000-08:00

Around 40 planes have taken off from Bangkok WITHOUT any passengers on board! The planes are headed to other airports to pick up stranded people. Thousands of people have been stuck in Thailand for seven days since the protests at the airports started. The protesters wanted the government in Thailand to resign.

Astronauts fix their wee cleaner

2008-11-27T04:48:00.001-08:00

About the astronauts on the International Space Station again.
The astronauts figured that their wee cleaner was damaged. The wee cleaners job was to turn wees into drinking water.
The waters will now have to be fixed by scientists

Soldiers battle gunmen in Mumbai

2008-11-27T04:43:00.000-08:00

The soldiers in Indian city, Mumbai, are fighting some gunmen, who are believed to be holding some hostages in two luxury hotels.
The soldiers surrounded the buildings shortly after the gunmen opened fire at seven locations across the city on Wednesday.
So far, the reports say that 101 people have been killed and almost 300 people injured.

Astronauts on toughest spacewalk

2008-11-24T04:32:00.000-08:00

It took astronauts on the International Space Station to fix a joint that's supposed to keep the ISS's solar panels pointed towards the sun. The joint hasn't worked properly for more than a year because it's been jammed with metal grit.
The joint is fixed now but it took longer than they suspected because one of the astronauts lost their toolkit.

Man sets up home in airport

2008-11-24T03:55:00.000-08:00

A Japanese man made himself a house in an airport in Mexico. The man is called Hiroshi Nohara flew in from Tokyo three months ago andhe stayed at the terminal. He lives off free food and drinks given to him by the airport restaurants and passengers and at night, he sleeps in a chair. In the morning, he sits around chatting and signing autographs for tourists and says he doesn't know when he is going to leave the terminal.

Poem thing

2008-11-24T03:24:00.000-08:00

Link
Little Things by Julia Carney
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.

Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our world an Eden
Like the Heaven above.

The form of the poem I chose is short and has only two paragraph. The poem is short but it can describe a lot of people by just using the two paragraphs. I think it represents me by 'Little drops of water, Little grains of sand' because like the drops of water is like the blood and the grains of sand is like the flesh, the bones that makes me up. The waters and the sands can be a lot of different things, like the water can be the personality and the sand be the identity that makes me up.
When I read 'Little Things' by Julia Carney, I get this images like little things gathering and clustering together and making a gigantic thing that is mighty strong. Like that can be referring to human-being.
The speaker of the poem is being ambiguous but I get it that nobody can be confused by the things written down by Julia Carney. I just wrote ambiguous because the topic can be referred to a lot of things, including you.
How this poem sounds to me is like little things being made into a huge, tough things. Perhaps it is a matter of stupidity, or perhaps just a failure to understand context. I get this poem like many little things can be made into a big thing. So like anything useless might be something very useful when its in large number, for example, a drop of water with useless, but when the whole planet is circled with big puddles of water then it might be rather useful to travel across.

How were ancient Rome and Greece different?

2008-11-15T06:28:00.000-08:00

Greeks and Romans were different nations and spoke completely different languages. Although these two civilizations look alike in religion, education, dressing and so on, but there are also many differences in the ways of thinking. The romans considered impressive as something ideal, while Greeks appreciated something simple and essential.
This can be observed for example in architecture and literature. It was easy for the Romans to accept their emperors as Gods, but in Greece, Alexander the Great was the single monarch who tried to impose this idea and he was found dead soon after that. The Greek ideals are based on the concept of a man's freedom and this is why they lacked a central government and they were divided in smaller city-states and kingdoms. On the other hand, the Roman empire was united and the Romans were seen as subjects and servants of Rome.

The FAT questions

2008-11-13T06:06:00.000-08:00

My 5 big FAT questions I want to answer during this expeditions are listed below:
How were ancient Greece and Rome different?
Why did Athenians decide to be democracy?
Why did the Spartans decide to train their military forces rather than education?
Were Greece and Rome similar in many ways? Did they speak the same language etc.
Why were the Spartan women trained when Athenian women didn't?

Mission to find life on Mars ends

2008-11-13T05:58:00.001-08:00

The mission on Mars to find life has been ended. The spacecraft had landed on the planet's northern plains in May.
It had been digging below the surface for signs of life and had been sending pictures back to Earth.
US space agency said that it hadn't heard from the craft since Nov. 2, but would keep trying.

Second school collapses in Haiti

2008-11-13T05:51:00.000-08:00

Part of a school collapsed on the Caribbean island of Haiti, day after another school there fell down. At least nice people were injured, but luckily most of the students had been outside when the school gave away. The man responsible for public safety in Haiti said that the ways noth schools had been constructed was against the rules of safety

Effective communicator

2008-11-13T05:33:00.000-08:00

An effective communicator is someone who can communicate effectively. Someone who can talk clearly like the voice has a large range and can be heard at the end of the room. Also effective communicator can be someone who can make people easily understand them (using words).

Examples of a time me being an effective communicator: All thorough out the 7th grade Humanities project, when Mr. Burghauser was still here. My voice had been heard at the back of the room (most of the time) and people understood the meaning of my words.

Barack Obama makes big US speech

2008-11-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

The Site
Barack Obama doesn't become the president until 20 January 2009, so until then he is working out what he wants to do when he gets to be the president. He is making his first speech after winning the American presidential election.
He said that he wanted to create jobs and help families but he admitted that it is not going to be easy and is going to take a long time.

Fear of disease in troubled Congo

2008-11-10T03:15:00.000-08:00

The Site
An outbreak of cholera, a kind of disease that comes into your body from drinking dirty water spreaded through the refugee camps.
All this people got infected because of the fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What do governments do?

2008-11-10T03:06:00.000-08:00

A good government govern the people, collect the taxes at reasonable amount and etc. A bad government steals from the people, maybe murdering etc. But what a government do, whether good or bad, it is governing the part of land they have to govern.

Boy chooses Fantastic new name

2008-11-06T04:18:00.000-08:00

The Site
A 19 year old teenager from south west England changed his name from George Garatt to Captain Fantastic Faster Than Superman Spiderman Batman Wolverine The Hulk And The Flash Combined.
Some RULES you need to know before you change your name.
1. If you're under 16, you need to get your parents' permission
2. When you're 17 you can call yourself whatever you want - you can just start using your new name.
3. If you want to get a passport, you may need proof you've changed your name.
4. One of the most common ways to do this is to get a solicitor to write an official statement - known as a deed poll - which you have to sign to say you've changed your name.

Barack Obama wins US election

2008-11-06T04:08:00.000-08:00

Why is a BLACK president a big deal?
Barack Obama's made history as America's first black president, but why's it such a big deal he's got the top job? But until now, the top job has always gone to a white man, so it's a huge deal for America, and the rest of the world, that Barack Obama has become president.

modeling the five student outcomes

2008-11-06T01:56:00.000-08:00

I think i modeled active learner, person of high character. I think i am an active learner because i learned a lot about Russia and Australia in the past two weeks, and i modeled person of high character by doing two current events every time.

What science skills did you use during the SMASH Day activity? How do these science skills help us be better scientists?

2008-11-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

We used the skills from Scientific Method.We predicted what will happen when we put the three rings on top of the tower we made from paper. Purpose is an important part of having a good experiment (If you have a good experiment with good Purpose, it means you are a good scientist!), it tells you what to think of, so Purpose is always the first step. Also, Prediction is an important part of experiment. Every kind of experiment needs a prediction, you may not know that you are thinking about Prediction, but you actually are. To be a good scientist, you would need a good Prediction and a good Purpose.

One day until US voting begins

2008-11-03T02:44:00.000-08:00

There is only one day left before US voting for president begins. Barack Obama and John McCain are racing through the states trying to win more votes.

Boy killed in halloween shooting

2008-11-03T02:39:00.001-08:00

The Site
A 12 year old boy was shot dead when he and his dad and one of his three brothers decided to trick or treat.
A 22 year old man was arrested and charged with murder.

Stars making music!

2008-10-27T04:01:00.000-07:00

The Site
A team of French astronomers found out that all stars give off a repeating rhythm, which experts think that each one is pulsating, or throbbing. The sound that the stars make are slightly different from each others, because the noise they make depends on their size, age and what they are made of.

Space tourist comes back to Earth

2008-10-27T03:56:00.000-07:00

The Site
Richard Garriott, the computer games millionaire joined a group of astronauts on boarding the Russian Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft. He took photos of Earth to see how its surface has changed in the past 35 years when his dad was in the space, taking pictures of Earth for 2 months.

Reflection about the video.....

2008-10-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

I think the jazz music in the video is kind of crazy, I understood completely nothing. It is not bad but just I don't like it. I don't listen to jazz and I know nothing about it. Maybe what I heard in the John Coltrane video is normal for jazz musics, but to me it is just a bunch of noises, like listening to foreign languages.

Bail bombers' execution date set!

2008-10-25T01:47:00.000-07:00

Imam Samudra, Amrozi and Mukhlas who were convicted over 2002 bali bombings are going to be executed in November. They were found guilty of planning the attacks, which targeted nightclubs at Bail's tourist resort of Kuta.

Three shot dead in Afghan capital

2008-10-25T01:40:00.000-07:00

The attack took place in front of the offices of the courier company DHL in Sher Pur area of the city. Unknown gunmen have killed three people including two foreigners.

India launches first moon mission

2008-10-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

Chandrayaan 1 smoothly of the surface of the Earth on Wednesday, of southern India for a two years exploration.
There is no astronauts on board but there is a robot that can take 3D picture of the surface of the moon.

Crazy weather hits Australia

2008-10-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

Site
Australia is famous for the sunshine and the sandy beaches, but Australia has been hit by storms that caused a lot of lightning and hailstones.
Over 11000 lightning was recorded during the storm, which cause a spectacular view upon the city of Brisbane.

Game delayed over Islam phrases

2008-10-20T04:24:00.000-07:00

The Site
A background music in the video game called Little Big Planet contains phrases from the Koran, which is a holy scripture for Islam.
All the CDs were taken back from the stores by Sony to remove the song.

China 'sorry' after milk crisus

2008-10-20T00:42:00.000-07:00

The Site
About four babies died because the tainted milk and thousands of other children had to be treated in hospital. China's leader, Premier Wen Jiabao said that China was only part of it. So it means there is another country or company is part of it. There might be a lot of them, but you never know until you find out.

Wildfires raging in California

2008-10-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Site..
Somehow wildfires started at the north of Los Angeles, and so far two people had died from it and a lot of people had to leave their home.
Over one thousand firefighters are trying to get the fire out but the winds fan the fires and start other new flames...they must be having a really hard time right now..

China toy firms forced to close

2008-10-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

The Site...
You must know and you should know that most of the things you use everyday is made in China, but if so many things are coming from China, why does the companies in China go out of business?
That's because the things do not meet the safety rule and because not many people buy toys now. Last year for example, lots of toys sent to UK were called back to China because of the safety issue..so be careful of what you use!

Hurricane batters Mexico coast

2008-10-13T04:06:00.001-07:00

City of La Piz in Baja California was hit by Hurricane Nobert. Over three thousand people were forced to leave their home to temporary shelter.
The wind of the hurricane was up to 103 mph (165km/hr). Hurricane Nobert is now downgraded to tropical storm.

Warning kids over loud music!

2008-10-13T03:55:00.000-07:00

Original Site
Scientists say that listening to loud music just for one hour is enough to damage your ears. If you listen to high volumes every day a week for one hour for five years, it could cause permanent damage to your ears.
Hint on how you can know if the music is loud:
Ask other people next to you, if they can hear the music leaking out of you ear phone or not.

Which is more dense - a stack of five NT or a stack of twenty NT?

2008-10-11T02:54:00.000-07:00

I think twenty NT stack is going to be more dense because if both have the same height, then you need to see the width.

Europe Biggest Glacier Is Melting!!!

2008-10-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

Vatnajokull in Iceland covers 8,000 square kilometers, and at its deepest point is more than 900 meters thick.But scientists say it's melting at a rate of a meter a year, because of rising temperatures and reduced snow fall.They've warned that all of the country's glaciers are melting, and that rising sea levels could cause bad floods in other parts of the world. Vatnajokull might disappear in 100 years.Scientists say people living in low-lying areas might have to move to higher ground to escape the rising waters.

Bone bits found in Fossett plane

2008-10-04T23:27:00.000-07:00

Preston Morrow was the first one to discover Steve Fossett's bones on his way back from a mountain walk. He found documents with Steve Fossett's name and also his pilot license and other things amongst pine needle.
Scientists are now carrying out test on the bone to know how Steve Fossett died.

Why did we spend 3 days (that's 225mins) on mass and volume?

2008-10-02T06:37:00.000-07:00

Why did we spend 225 mins looking and studying mass and volume when the question is Can Matter Disappear? I think we did it because we had to know that all the solid and liquid things have mass and volume so when we know that we might have a better grip on the question.