May 2

FREE PLAY!

 

Last school year, some schools in the U.S., started a new recess program. Each day, teachers set up organized activity stations. Students can choose from games like soccer, volleyball, and four-square. This type of program, called a structured recess, is used by thousands of schools across the United States.  Why can’t we just get to do what we want?

At my school, recess is free time. Of course, teachers are around to make sure everyone behaves. But we can play whatever we want. After sitting in classes all morning, students need a break so we’ll be refreshed and ready to learn in the afternoon.

Plus, sometimes you just want to hang out with friends at recess. We have P.E. class to make sure we get enough exercise. Recess should be a time without so many rules so we can actually do something without being controlled.

May 2

Silence your Phone!

Classroom magazines image

Above: Mike Kemp/Getty Images; Below: Photos Courtesy of Families

Have you ever gone to a movie and been bothered by someone’s glowing phone screen when you want to focus on the movie screen? Most theaters ask people to turn off their phones before the film starts. But many theaters don’t enforce that rule. Why can’t they just do us a favor and ban cell phones at the movies?

Most people use their phone constantly and can hardly get off them! The movies are one of my favorite places because hardly anyone is on their phone. But when people are on their phone it really agitates me, why can’t they just go somewhere else to use their phones?

The movies are a place for most people to relax and watch a good screenplay, but for phone users, it’s just another relaxing place for them to use their phone. Plus it’s pretty annoying when you are in the middle of an intense movie and you keep hearing “RRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGG RRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG” So next time you go to the movies please remember to silence your phone.

 

May 2

Lets get rid of plastic bags!

Imagine an island of trash the size of Texas! That’s 268,597 square miles of trash! It’s not really a solid island but still, it’s a big blob of floating garbage in the middle of the ocean. I think we need to get rid of plastic bags once and for all. First of all bags take forever to decompose, second of all it pollutes the ocean, and finally, you have other options besides plastic bags.

It takes time to decompose

You may think that plastic bags don’t do anything to the land but they do. People throw away plastic bags and plastic trash every day. It takes about 1000 years to get rid of the plastic bags on our planet and there are 100 billion plastic bags thrown away every year. If it takes a long time to decompose plastic bags, there could be a lot of trash on our planet, for a very long time.

It pollutes to the ocean               

Another reason why plastic bags should be banned, many other bags wash into the sewer drains and end up in waterways.  Did you know that scientists in Norway found 30 plastics bags in a whale’s stomach, that’s crazy how so many plastic bags get polluted in the ocean and land! More than 17 billion pounds of plastic bags ended up in the ocean. Plastic trash is harmful to animals because the animal can get trapped in the plastic bag. It can also eat the plastic bag which can cause it to die. Plastic bags can be polluted in rivers, lakes, and farms.

You have other options

Why do people even need to use plastic bags for groceries? Khalea Jai Hoggs from India thinks, “People have other options at stores. They can use recyclable paper bags or buy cloth bags, which they can use over and over again.” Khalea makes a good point. When you go to a grocery store the cashier worker should give you only two options–a paper bag or your own bag. Although paper bags are not the best option, it’s still better than a plastic bag.  You could choose a paper bag to help the environment, or you could always bring your own cloth bag.

In conclusion, polluting plastic bags is a bad choice as it’s invading our world, and making it into the food chain. To sum up, first It takes a long time to decompose, second it pollutes the ocean, and finally, you have other options other than a plastic bag. Although paper bags are not the best option, it’s still better than a plastic bag. Where I stand, I think that plastic bags should be gone forever.

            

May 2

Should exotic animals be kept as pets?

 

Image result for baboon in cage

Baboons are thought to be cute pets, but as soon as it’s huge teeth grow in it is abandoned.

Imagine being ripped from your home and sent to live in a cage with strange food and drinks. Find that hard to imagine? Exotic animals that are kept as pets have been forced to take that image and turn it into reality. Most kids think it is cool to have an exotic animal as a pet, but really it is bad for the animal that is being kept as a pet! From where I stand, I think that keeping exotic animals as pets is a bad idea. Keeping exotic animals as pets is a bad idea because they are not domesticated and can kill you or hurt you badly. Also, most people are unable to properly take care of the animal. Plus they could give you terrible diseases if you don’t vaccinate them properly.  

First of all, animals like dogs and cats are domesticated, but exotic animals aren’t and can be dangerous to their owners. No one should be able to keep exotic animals as pets. When they are babies they might be cute but when they get older and mature their territorial instincts kick in and it gets more and more dangerous the older the animal gets. They belong in their natural habitats. It has taken thousands of years to domesticate dogs. So, saying that wild animals are house pet’s, is like saying a wolf is a dog, or a tiger or lion is an ordinary house cat.

They are completely different in the way they think. Tigers would attack and kill us if they could. House cats are not like that.

In addition, most people are unable to provide the natural environment of the animal, along with its natural prey or territory that it eats. All exotic animals are wild and need plenty of space to roam. This is another thing, another thing people, are unlikely to provide. Most people abandon the animals when they mature because they lose their cuteness, resulting in homelessness or death. This form of severe animal cruelty. For example, have you heard of the python outbreak in Florida? This is happening because people have a problem with letting them go loose in the everglades. Also, there is nothing in that environment that eats them.

Another reason, exotic animals have very dangerous diseases that can spread diseases to their owner. Exotic animals have many diseases that humans can catch like tuberculosis. Also, they can spread parasites and if they are not vaccinated properly then the animal will suffer. Do we really want to take the chance of getting very sick or hurting an animal just so we can say “I own a tiger”? I definitely wouldn’t.    

There is no point in taking an innocent animal from its home just to put in captivity for our own amusement. How would you feel if someone took you from your family, put you in a cage and started calling you Fluffy? To make matters worse, it is very cruel to the animal because they don’t have their natural environment and probably won’t have proper care. To make it worse the animal endangers your health with parasites and diseases. Also, some animals would have no problem straight up attacking you. Why must we have such a thing just for our own amusement? Many people say that the exotic animals great pets because they can teach children about that species, but I say that is what zoos are for. So that’s what I think, exotic animals should not be kept as pets.

May 1

Swimming For Gold

Imagine you are in the Olympics  in a pool swimming an 800-meter freestyle. You touch the wall and poke your head up.  You realize that you’ve won the 800 hundred meter freestyle, and you set a world record.

Related image

Swimming Life & Personal Life

Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky was born on March 17, 1997 in Washington D.C. She started competitive swimming at age six.  Her brother started swimming before her, and Ledecky followed him into the sport. She began to swim on a summer league swim team.  Her favorite stroke is freestyle just like mine. When 

Ledecky got older, she started to swim for a club team. That team is Nation’s Capital Swim club (NCAP).  She also swam for the team USA in 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Accomplishments

You might think that Katie Ledecky went to the Olympics and got medals, but she didn’t just get medals from the Olympics.  She also got medals from the World Championships and Pan Pacific Championships. In the Olympics, Ledecky won five gold and one silver medal.  In the World Championships, Ledecky has won fourteen gold and one silver medal. In the Pan Pacific Championships, Ledecky has won five gold medals.  That makes a total of twenty-four gold and two silver medals. Ledecky didn’t just win medals, she also set world records. She set records in the World Championships, National Championships, Pan Pacific Championships, TWST Senior Invitational, Arena Pro Swim Series, and Summer Olympics.

Training

Katie is self-disciplined like another athlete.  She goes to bed at 9:30, and wakes up at dawn to start training.  She can be found spending her days in the water rather than on land. She quit the swim team at Stanford so she can train for the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo. Ledecky still attends classes as a student at Stanford University.

Katie Ledecky inspires me because I swim on a team and I want to go to the Olympics one day. I think that Ledecky is the girl version of  Michael Phelps. She has won many awards, and she still lives on today. I hope to see Katie at the 2020 Olympics. Go, Katie!!!

April 25

The Royal Family of Norway (And Its Monarchy)

Have you ever wanted to know how to live royalty? Well here is the place to be, I  will be telling you about the monarchy and the royal family of Norway! I will be talking about why it is a monarchy, the history of Norway, the names of family and what they do. So hopefully you will enjoy!

What is a monarchy?

A monarchy is different from a republic because in a monarchy the state head is born to the position, and in a republic the state head is elected by the people. The monarchy of Norway is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the royalties do not have any real power. In Norway the king has only used his right to veto only once in modern times. That happened in 1940 when Norway was invaded by the Germans. The entire royal family had to flee the country for five years, in fact today’s King of Norway lived in the U.S. during this time.

Norway’s Monarchy

Norway has been a monarchy since 872. In 872 was the battle of Hafrsfjord and Harald Fairhair won and is considered Norway’s first king. At the time the Norwegians were known as the Vikings. One fun fact is that the Vikings took over several British Isles, parts of Ireland. They also traveled and settled in Iceland, Greenland and in the USA, way before Columbus. Between 1397 and 1814 Norway was under the Danish king, and between 1814 and 1905 Norway was under the Swedish king. In 1905 Norway gained Independence from Sweden. Norway elected king Haakon who was Prince of Denmark as their new king and that is the family that is still the Norwegian Royal Family.

Today’s Royal Family

There are four main people in the royal family King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. That means when King Harald dies, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will inherit the throne and become King and Queen. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit have two kids, Their two kids are Princess Ingrid Alexandra (14) and Sverre Magnus (12). One day Princess Ingrid Alexandra will take over as Norway’s head of the nation and become the queen because she was first born.

The Family’s Royal Life

The King, Queen, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess travel all over the world to represent Norway. They are also heads and protectors of a lot of charities. The King and Crown Prince also meet with the current state cabinet every Friday. Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus goes to school like the rest of us.

Now you know more about Norway’s royal family, the history of it, and monarchy in general. This is how their life goes along in Norway for the family. You learned how the states of Denmark and Sweden took over for almost 500 years, you also learned about the current Royal family, and what they do. Thank you so much for reading my report!

 

April 25

Hurricanes

Remnants of Hurricane FernandaCreative Commons LicenseHURRICANES 

The clouds are dark and moving in fast, it’s starting to rain hard then it turns into sideways rain drenching the yard. The wind picks up and blows hard striking trees in its path. The windows are taped or boarded, the gas tanks full, a wallet full of money, cabinets stocked with food and water, batteries, radio, and candles ready. We are prepared. Watch out, here comes a hurricane!

What is a hurricane? Hurricanes are powerful ocean storms. They have high winds, heavy rain, and gigantic waves. Hurricanes can cause bad damage to the land. The wind can be so strong that it knocks down power poles causing entire towns to lose electricity. It knocks downs trees causing damage to homes, stores, cars and other things in its way. Huge waves can cause massive flooding to towns and cities. It can destroy towns and even hurt or kill people. Hurricanes are given names just like you and me are. For example, Hurricane Harvey was the recent hurricane that hit Texas and caused major flooding and killed about 88 people. There was a hurricane Sarah in 1959. Hurricanes in the United States happen mostly on the East coast, Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean.  My parents grew up in South Carolina and experienced many hurricanes. In one hurricane (Hurricane Hugo) they lost power to their homes and missed school for three weeks! My mom said, “it was like camping in our house but really hot and no TV”. Unlike earthquakes and fires, hurricanes are predictable and people have time to prepare for them or evacuate if needed. In San Diego, we have to watch out for earthquakes and fires more than hurricanes and those we can’t really prepare for.

How do hurricanes form?  Hurricanes start in warm water in the ocean.  Warm air rises from the top of the ocean. The air gets cold as it rises. The water in the air forms clouds and gives off heat. The storm starts to grow and spin. More air rises and cools.  When the winds reach up to 74 miles per hour that means the storm has become a hurricane.The center of the storm is called an eye. The eye of the hurricane is very calm. Everything around the eye is the hurricane and spins around the eye with wild winds and heavy rain. The eye is usually 10 to 40 miles wide. My dad said his most memorable part of the hurricane was when he went outside during the eye of the storm and “it was so quiet, still and eery”.  Since hurricanes are formed from warm water, we in San Diego don’t need to worry about a hurricane striking as the water in the Pacific Ocean here is cold.

What is the damage from a hurricane?  There are five types of hurricanes. Some are bad and some can be extremely bad. They are rated into categories of 1-5. Category 1 is weak and winds can reach 74-95 miles per hour. Category 2 is moderate and winds reach 96-110 miles per hour. Category 3 is strong and winds reach 111-130 miles per hour.  Category 4 is very strong and winds reach 131-155 miles per hour. Category 5 is considered devastating with winds greater than 155 miles per hour reaching up to over 250 miles per hour. Category 4 and 5 are considered to be the worse and can cause major damage, however, a category 2 storm can cause major flooding depending on the amount of rain. The damage that the hurricanes can do is ruin houses, trees, and the land. It can flood the whole area around the hurricane. Trees can fall and break things causing damage and power outages. Flooding can be bad depending on what category it is. It could be a minor flood, or a major flood where the water can reach the top of your car roof, or halfway inside your house, or even worse, cover your entire house. For example, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded the city of New Orleans and destroyed about 275,000 houses.

Hurricanes can be scary, but at least there is time to prepare for them and people can predict where the hurricane will land. It is important to have an emergency plan and disaster kit ready in case you will need to evacuate or get stuck in your home.  A hurricane can be a catastrophe, or it could be a minor storm. You just need to be prepared.

April 25

Nothern lights

Creative Commons License Juho Holmi via CompfightHirvisuo

 Have you ever seen beautiful colorful lights in the sky? You may know them as the northern light but the scientific name is aurora. The northern lights are also called aurora borealis or the polar lights. In the south, they are called southern lights, or aurora australis. Is it magic or is it science? Keep reading to find out.

This natural display of lights is mostly seen in high latitude regions, around the Arctic and Antarctic. You are probably wondering how the northern lights are created? Well here is how it works. It begins with a solar flare on the sun’s surface. This solar flare breaks away from the sun and travels through the universe. This is called solar wind.

When the solar wind reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, it hits the Earth’s Magnetosphere. This collision sends the solar wind toward the earth’s northern and southern poles. These collisions result in countless, little bursts of colorful light. The color of the aurora is different depending on the altitude, amount of atomic oxygen and other molecules.

The colors are red, green, blue, ultraviolet, infrared, yellow, pink. My favorite color is the ultraviolet. This color is seen using special equipment and is not visible to most humans. The first person to capture an image of the northern lights was Carl Stormer who had to use special cameras. Now we can capture beautiful images of the northern lights thanks to digital cameras.

This really cool reaction encircles the polar region of the earth and occurs at a zone called the “Auroral oval”. One day I hope to travel to the auroral oval and see these amazing lights.

Do you like northern lights or ever heard of them?

 

April 25

Anne Frank’s Sad Story

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who tried to hide from the Germans. Imagine you lived in an old office building and couldn’t get a lot of food, that’s what Anne’s life was like. It was cramped with other Jewish people who were also in hiding. I chose this topic because I wanted to learn what it felt like to hide in an old office building which the families called the “Secret Annexe”. Anne Frank died in a concentration camp, but what was her life like .  Image result for anne frank                                                                                                                                                           

Anne was born on June in Frankfurt, Germany. She had her mother Edith Frank, her father Otto Frank and her older sister, Margot. Anne was a Jewish and Jewish weren’t aloud to own certain things or go certain places. On June 14th, 1942 Anne celebrated her birthday with a party. She was happy to receive so many presents. One of the presents was a diary. Anne named her diary “Kitty”.

The Secret Annex            Image result for the secret annexe pictures

A few days later the Franks got a call and the Germans wanted to take Margot to a concentration camp. The family did not want to separate so they went to an old office building which they called the “Secret Annexe”. The Van Daans also went into hiding in the “Secret Annexe”. Life in the Secret Annexe was pretty scary. There were burglars and gun shootings, also food ran low. On August 4th, 1944 Anne Frank was captured and sent to a concentration camp along with her family. Anne, her mother and her sister died in the concentration camp because of hunger and torture. Otto Frank had survived and saved Kitty [Anne’s diary] and showed it to publishers. They were amazed at the story of a young girl.

I learned it was scary to be Jewish during the 1940’s because the Germans invaded homes and stole belongings from Jewish families. Many people admire Anne Frank for her strength and her strong will to survive. War is horrible. Many people died during war and we need to prevent it from happening. Little girls shouldn’t have to hide in old office buildings from people who want to capture you. They should be happy and free.

Photo Credits:

ANNE FRANK pictures: http://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/media/16160/custom-custom_size___afs_a_afrank_iii_030-upsized-72ppi_scxpq5fj.jpg?center=0.4336283185840708,0.57333333333333336&mode=crop&width=960&height=730&rnd=131577333920000000

Secret Annexe   picture:http://www.annefrank.org/ImageVault/Images/id_1211/height_357/width_580/aspectRatio_1.6246/conversionFormatType_Jpeg/compressionQuality_80/scope_0/ImageVaultHandler.aspx

April 25

Dye Hair, Dye

Classroom magazines image

On January 24, ninth-grader Tim Jenkins walked into his school in Gulfport, Mississippi, with a new look. He had dyed his hair hot pink. Tim was suspended that day for breaking the school district’s dress code. The policy requires students’ hair to be “clean, neat, and a natural-looking color.” Tim wasn’t allowed to return to school until he dyed his hair back to its natural dark brown. I think that schools should not be able to control what you wear or what color you dye your hair because it helps kids express their personality. Also, a lot of adults say it is distracting

It helps kids express their personality. That should be left up to the kids and their parents. At my school, we’re allowed to dye our hair any color we want. We even have a “Crazy Hair Day” during Spirit Week. It’s important to be able to express yourself, so why can’t you express yourself at school?

I don’t think dyed hair is distracting. Most people would look at a kid’s brightly colored hair for a minute and then go back to what they were doing. plus the only reason adults say it is distracting is that they don’t like it.

April 24

How to be a good dog owner

A Bachelor Named...Creative Commons License Sydney Petty via Compfight

Do you have a dog? Do you want to be a good owner to it? Well, I do. Start with giving it its own space to roam around in, Dogs need freedom! Feed it healthy foods and feed it twice a day, You don’t want an overweight dog, Do you? Walk it every day because dogs need exercise and they need to get out every once and awhile. And play with it as much as you have time for, Dogs need a lot of attention or else they will start to act wild and will not listen to you as much. Make sure to give it a checkup schedule and a good vet

Different dog breeds need different things, like some dogs like being with people and other dogs like to be alone, and how chihuahua are small and german shepherd is big.Depending on your age you should get either a puppy or an older dog.

You need to dog-proof your house, Put all shoes back where they belong or in a place where your dog can’t reach them, NEVER and i mean NEVER leave any prized possessions in a dog’s reach. Get a collar so you can attach its leash when you walk it and to put its tags onto it. And BUY TOYS so it won’t think your stuff is toys and so if it is alone it has something to play with and you can play with the toys with your dog. If you don’t want it sleeping with you or on your chairs or couch then buy or make it a bed to sleep on at night. And potty train it if it is a puppy so it will not make a mess in its sleep.

Use these methods to have a happy healthy and good dog. 

April 24

Surprise Attack On Pearl Harbor!

USS Nevada attempts escape from Pearl 80G32558.jpg

The bombing of Pearl Harbor

Public Domain, Link

Everyone has heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War 2, but how much do you really know?  2390 Americans were killed and 1178 were wounded. Although it seems very different, Pearl Harbor was very much the same as the attack on The World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.  Imagine standing on the deck of your battleship and seeing the first wave of a total of 353 enemy planes headed straight for you! Did you know that during the attack, American sailors and pilots shot down 29 Japanese planes?  This article will focus on the tragic loss of life and devastation inflicted by the Japanese military during their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

The Japanese Attack Plan

The Japanese planned their attack in waves.  The first wave had a total of 183 planes and 5 midget submarines.  A midget sub holds two people and is used to cut through underwater cables protecting the ships in the harbor.  The second attack wave had 170 planes, including torpedo planes, fighter planes, and bombers. A total of 353 planes were transported across the Pacific on six aircraft carriers.   24 battleships escorted the fleet.

Moving Base, Unprepared For Attack, Entering World War 2

The American Pacific fleet was moved from San Diego to Honolulu, Hawaii, to create a Pacific force that could possibly defend against the advancement of Japanese forces, which had already secured the Philippines.  America created an oil embargo on the Pacific rim, cutting off oil supports to Japan. Army General Hideki Tojo took over as Prime Minister for Japan and told Japan to “ Get ready for war.”

The Tragic losses

On the morning of December 7, 1941, twenty-one American ships were hit with bombs and torpedoes, including all eight of the great battleships.  Not all of the ships were destroyed, but many were badly damaged. Other ships such as the USS Arizona, Pennsylvania, Cassin, Shaw, and Downes were also destroyed.  2390 American sailors and 1178 were wounded, for a total of 3568 casualties.

Conclusion

The attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 is forever remembered as the most brutal and devastating attack on American soil up until that point in history.  It served as the American entry point into World War 2. Although many, many thousands more soldiers and sailors sacrificed their lives over the next four years, we will always remember this day over all others.

April 24

Anne Frank: Life in the Secret Annex

The year is 1942, you are settling down ready to write in your journal when you hear people nearby, you become frightened thinking they have discovered you. You get enough courage to peek through the blinds. Outside a kid has come home from school to find their family taken away, another person comes home from shopping to find their family was taken too. But worst of all, some Germans were taking away families giving them little time to pack.  All of this was happening because they were Jews. Anne Frank was a Jew too, she hid away from the Germans in a secret building called the Secret Annex. She hid for 2 years before she was found and later killed. Even though she was just a girl her story of bravery was fascinating.

Happy times

On June 12th, 1929 Anneliese Marie Frank was born in Frankfurt Germany, she had an older sister Margot Frank. Her parents Edith and Otto Frank were Jewish. In 1933 Edith moved with Anne and her sister to her mother’s home, while their dad, Otto Frank moved to Amsterdam. Edith, Anne, and Margot later followed him. During that time Adolf Hitler was growing control of Germany and invading other countries. Otto worried that Hitler would gain control of Amsterdam and tried to go to the U.S with his family but they couldn’t.

Dangerous Years

In 1919 Adolf Hitler came to power, the problem was that he hated Jews. Even if your grandparents or aunt was a Jew and you weren’t, you would still be considered a Jew. There were special rules for Jews, stuff like no going to the beach. You can only go to a Jewish school. If you were caught disobeying then you would be shot. Later he immediately sent any Jews he could find to a concentration camp where they would be murdered and be killed. It was a gruesome time. The Franks were in trouble, non-Jewish people hunted down Jews for money, the Franks could trust no one! Some people tried to escape but that didn’t work they were surrounded. In the end, many Jews would have to hide from the Germans but even that was dangerous because they could be found. This was also dangerous for non-Jewish people, if they  were caught helping a Jew then they would be killed or sent to a camp.

The Secret Annex         

The Franks went into hiding in the secret annex. The secret annex was in the building where Otto Frank [her dad] worked, the entrance was hidden behind a movable bookshelf. It was very spacious compared to the hiding spots other Jews lived in. It had four floors with seven people living there, the Franks had one floor to themselves. At first, Anne shared a room with Margot, but then when came he moved into Anne’s room and Margot moved into her parents. The seven people living in the secret annex include Mr. and Mrs. van Pels, Peter van Pels, Fritz Pfeffer, and the Frank family.

Discovered!                    

On August 4th, 1944 the police discovered them, it had been more than two years since the Franks had first arrived. Everyone was caught by surprise, they were all arrested along with two helpers. Anne was sent to the Westerbork concentration camp along with her sister Margot and her mother, they were later moved to Auschwitz. In the end, Germany surrendered and the people in the concentration camps were freed, but it was too late for Anne, her mother Edith, Margot, Mr. and Mrs.van Pels, Peter van Pels, and Fritz Pfeffer they all had died.  Anne’s dad Otto Frank was the only one who survived, everyone else who lived in the secret annex died. No one knows if the people in the secret annex were betrayed or not and if they were no one knows who did it.

Conclusion

Anne’s story is just one example of hiding, there are billions of other stories of these scary times. The concentration camps were a horrible thing, it ruined wonderful people’s life like Anne’s. But like she said, “ What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it from happening again.” We can keep all those people in our heart, and in our mind, we can remember to prevent those stuff from happening again. Her diary was published in an amazing book titled Anne Frank diary of a young girl, you can even go see the secret annex where she hid in Amsterdam. Her life was short but every second of it was important.

Diary of Anne Frank 28 sep 1942.jpg

Anne Frank original diary written in during World War two.

By Anne Frank – https://www.ushmm.org/exhibition/anne-frank/htmlsite/artifact_1_0.html, Public Domain, Link

April 12

African Ring Neck Parrot

African ring neck parrot.

Imagine you are an African Ring neck looking for fruit, seeds, and nectar for your daily lunch, joyfully munching and crunching on your delicious food. You may wonder why these beautiful animals are called African Ringnecks. Well, these birds come from Africa and when they grow older they develop rings around their necks.

Their lifespan is about 20-28 years. They are from West Africa. They live in palm tree when they are not breeding and they roost together in a flock and move to warm environments. They make loud calls when danger is nearby to warn their flock mates. They eat blossoms, fruit, and nectar.

As pets, these birds are so smart and unique they can be taught to talk. First, they start mimicking then they start talking by themselves. These birds can be mixed up with their cousins the Indian Ring neck. You can tell the difference by looking at the beaks. African ring necks have smaller plum colored beaks and Indian ring necks have larger red beaks. Indian ring necks are bright green and African ring necks have more lime colored feathers. These birds are great pets and are really friendly for families.

Image result for african ringneck parrots eating in the wild

These birds are very unique because they can do lots of interesting things and are very friendly.

April 12

Animals and Rabies

A wolf.

Do you know the difference between an animal that has rabies and one that doesn’t? This is going to show you lots of things about animals that have rabies and about taking care of them. Rabies is an infection and it can be spread through an animal’s saliva and blood.

If an animal is acting strange or is trying to bite you then it may have rabies. To test an animal for rabies the test must include tissue and they need to work on two parts of the brain, the stem, and the cerebellum. If an animal with rabies bites you it only spreads through their saliva so you don’t have to worry if your next to the animal while breathing the animal will not infect you.

A bobcat.

To help an animal with rabies you’ll need to scrub any bite or wound immediately with soap and water. The most common animals that have rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes. Rabies also spreads to cats, cattle, and dogs. When you get bitten by an animal with rabies you get a fast acting shot to prevent the virus from infecting you and get the shot right were the bite was.

All mammals are able to have rabies but birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians can not. Humans may be able to survive rabies without a treatment because some animals that have rabies survive without a treatment. Animals get rabies from having a large virus in the saliva which contacts with mucus, membranes, or open fresh wounds.

Next time you see a wild animal try to see if it’s acting strangely because if it is then you know it may have rabies. You will want to be careful if you get close to a wild animal because it might bite you.  

April 12

Jose Mujica and His Legacy

Jose Mujica, President of Uruguay

Did you know that Jose Mujica president of Uruguay was nicknamed the poorest president in the world? He was nicknamed that because he believes that you don’t need a lot to be happy, that is why he drives a 1938 blue beetle car. Mujica says, “I am not the poorest president, the poorest are the one who needs a lot to live”. Jose donates 90% of his 12,000 dollars a month salary to charity and instead of buying a presidential private plane he bought a rescue helicopter to help people that need it. Those are some of the ways Jose Mujica was a good president

Before Mujica was president he was in prison for ten years and in that time he basically lived in a hole. The prison was like that because the country was very poor and very tiny. In that prison it was so boring and lonely, all he did was play with the ants. He says when he picked up an ant and put it to his ear he could hear it scream. During his time he had a lot of medical and mental problem because of the way he was treated in the prison.

Jose Mujica helped in many ways like as you know he donated 90% of his salary to charity. But that was not all he did to help. He did not take advantage of his power, he would wait in line at places like supermarkets and hospitals. He didn’t see himself as superior to the rest of the citizens

Another way Mujica was a unique president is he did not live in a mansion with butlers or servants he lives in a small house with his wife. One of Mujica’s passions is farming his land on in his freetime. Unlike many other presidents he chooses not to live the luxury life. ‘’My definition of poor are those who need too much.Because those who need too much are never satisfied’’, states Mujica. He is a very simple and humble man, trying to better his country.

Another thing he did was  legalized marijuana so instead of people going to jail because of it and the government spending thousands of dollars on the people arrested for marijuana they can use the money on charity and more important things -like hospitals, ‘’It is targeting the battle against drug trafficking, every addiction is plague except for love’’ says Mujica .

Jose Mujica also legalized same sex marriage. To make equal rights and opportunities for everyone regardless of their sexual orientation Mujica says,“Its older than the world for us, not legalizing it would be torture to people needlessly.”

Jose Mujica helped in many ways financially and emotionally for many people in Uruguay. Mujica made a difference with his powerful message he spreads around the world teaching others that happiness is on the inside you just need to find it. He also believed that you don’t need money to live a good life. Even though he is not president anymore, he will always be remembered for his kind and generous heart.

April 12

Game Show host, Scott Rogowsky

I am talking about Scott aka Scott Rogowsky. He is a game show host for HQ Live. HQ is an app on your phone you can buy. In HQ you answer 12 questions and you have 10 seconds to answer them. If you answer them all right you win money. Usually, the prize is $2500 dollars but they changed it to $5000 dollars. HQ is a live game show on your phone, pretty much. Your chances of winning are very slim because there are usually 1 million and a half players.Image result for hq host scott If you do win, you split the prize with other people that won. But you will get very little money or a lot of money depending on how hard are the questions are. Like my mom won but there were 330 other winners because so many people won so she only won $15 dollars. The most money ever won was 25k! The most money ever played was $250 thousand dollars. Early in Scott’s career, he did not want to be an HQ host, he wanted to be a professional baseball player. He liked making people laugh in high school so he did drama in school to make people laugh. Also, he wanted to be a comedian, too.

Scott got to be the HQ host because his old colleague at The Onion kept in contact with him on Facebook. His friend Gallo was the HQ director. He tried out to be the HQ host but he had no idea how famous he was going to become. Then he got the part! He performs twice a day on the app. The reason he wanted to be the HQ host is that he thought it would fit his personality of being funny and it did. In my opinion, Scott is very funny. He always is telling jokes live, that’s why I think he is funny.

Also, he has very good humor and always makes me laugh. He is very good at his job and has nice suits. Scott stands out above the rest because he has a great personality and he is very famous. Scott is very smart, has very good jokes and he is very funny.

April 12

The Interesting Life of Alexander Hamilton

Do you like July 4th, also known as Independence Day? You might know that July 4th is our country’s birthday. But who discovered America? Well, the people who discovered the United States of America were called “ Founding Fathers”. One of them was Alexander Hamilton, a very important person in American history. His goal was to make a very strong, central, government. Today, I will be telling you about his life and how he was such an important person.

Childhood

Alexander Hamilton was born in Saint Nevis, a small island, on January 11, 1755. Alexander’s parents weren’t legally married and were poor. His mom’s name was Rachel Faucette, and was from France. His father, James Hamilton, was from Scotland, related to a very rich family. Alexander also had a brother named James. Since his parents weren’t married, he wasn’t allowed to go to a formal school and instead got tutored. Alexander also enjoyed reading and speaking in French and English.

In 1765, the Hamiltons moved to Saint Croix when he was 10 years old. Soon enough, Alexander and his mother got very sick. Luckily, Alexander gotten better from his cruel sickness. Sadly, Rachel Faucette died on February 19, 1768. After his mother died, his father moved to another island alone to make more money. Then, Alexander and James moved in with their adult cousin, and left after he committed suicide. Now Alexander and James were very lost in life.

Soon, Alexander got a job as a clerk while he was the only age of 13. Also, Alexander got to write for Saint Croix’s newspaper, the Danish American Gazette when he was 15. When Alexander was 17, a massive hurricane came and pounded Saint Croix and other islands. Soon, he wrote about that on the newspaper. Many rich people were impressed of Alexander and soon gave him enough money to go to New York!

College

Alexander Hamilton arrived in New York in 1773. He decided to go to King’s College in New York City. Hamilton also became a “loudspeaker” for the American Revolution. He did not like Great Britain taking over most of the states in America including New York. Later in College, Alexander started a group called the “Hearts of Oak”. It did not have to do with anything in the name. The group would do military drills in case they would have to go to war some day.

The Revolutionary War

Finally, the Hearts of Oak training paid off for Hamilton. Many general military soldiers, including General George Washington, wanted Hamilton to work for/with them.  Soon, Alexander became a military leader. A few weeks later, Washington asked Hamilton to be his assistant. Hamilton said yes. Also, Hamilton became friends with a military Frenchmen, Marquis De Lafayette. In 1780, Alexander met a woman named Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of Philip Schuyler, a war hero. Hamilton fell in love with Eliza and married her in October of 1780.

Hamilton quit his job as being Washington’s assistant of being “ too careful and overprotective”, but Hamilton still fought along his side in the world. Finally, Washington gave him command of a group of men. Then, Hamilton was sent to Yorktown, Virginia to fight a big battle against Great Britain with Lafayette and Washington. After two weeks of battle, Hamilton and the Continental army won!!! America now had its own freedom and liberty! Now, Hamilton had to create the government.

Politics and the New Government

Eliza had a son named Philip Hamilton on January 22, 1782. Hamilton went to a law school in New York to be a lawyer. In 1784, Alexander Hamilton made the first national bank in New York for the United States of America. In 1787, the Hamilton family had grown. They now had four children. In 1788, the United States of America’s new government was official. Also, in 1789 George Washington won by a landslide for president against John Adams. Hamilton quit his job as a lawyer and became the first secretary of the United States of America. And the political parties were not the same from now. One were the Federalists, one were the Anti Federalists, also known as Democratic Republicans. Alexander Hamilton was a Federalist.

In 1790, George Washington got very sick, and Alexander took care of him. In !792, Eliza and Alexander had their fifth child, named John Hamilton. In 1789,  New York City was the new capital of the country. Then in 1790, Washington D.C. was the capital, even though it wasn’t even built until the year 1800. In 1795, Hamilton quit his political work and being secretary. Eliza now had 7 children.

A man named George Eaker made a speech and insulted Hamilton and his son Philip. Philip was mad and challenged Eaker to a duel. Philip dies the day after he got shot in the duel. Burr started to act as a very greedy man and Alexander started to dislike him, which made their friendship break in half like twigs. Then, Alexander called Burr “Untrustworthy” at a dinner. Burr became angry and challenged Hamilton to a duel. In the duel, Hamilton shot his bullet up in the air thinking Burr would also surrender, but got shot. Alexander Hamilton died on July 12, 1804.

Alexander Hamilton is one of the most important person in American history. He started out poor to a legacy. A life changer. This taught me even if you think you are unsuccessful, you can make success in pretty much anything. 

April 12

Dump the Test!

 

Image result for stressed kids taking tests

Have you ever been super stressed out about taking a test? Well, I definitely have. and many others do too.  In California, kids in grades 3-12 take a standardized test every spring. Some schools don’t even have tests anymore just because it costs so much money! It costs about $1,270 dollars per classroom to have one test per year! Not to mention the fact on how much stress piles up on the students. One test can change your heart rate from 115200 to 2340000! That’s just crazy! I think schools should dump these tests.

Tests cost so much money so why even bother to keep doing them? Between the cost of the paper and the ink, the cost can pile up to over 1000 dollars! And that’s just one test per year! Why keep taking them. We could just take them on the computer. Why waste precious trees just to take a stupid test?

Not to mention how much stress piles up on the poor students. just one test per day can change your heart rate by 2224800! That’s only one test per day and in middle school, you can have up to 5 tests per day! Why do schools want us kids to be so stressed all the time?

Standardized tests do not boost learning Most kids guess on a standardized test like GATE and if they get lucky and do good when they guess the test will be harder. And say there is a kid in high school tacking the NWEA then he guesses and if he does good he could go to a good college if he does bad he will go to a bad college. And most people think there should not be the test is because they never do good on them.

 

April 11

History of the Olympics

 

                                                                              

The Olympic rings.

Olympic Rings

Imagine you are in the Olympics. You can be in the Summer or Winter Olympics, you choose. You have just won a gold medal and are standing up on the podium with a heavy medal around your neck and a bouquet of flowers in your hand. You are looking around the arena at all your fans clapping and cheering. Instead of thinking about your latest victory, you are thinking about how the Olympics started and how they got to be so big, and how they have changed                   

Ancient Olympics

The first recording of the Olympic Games dates all the way back, 2,800 years ago in ancient Greece. The early Olympic Games only had one competition, a short foot race. Over the years, they started to add more sporting events. The added events included chariot racing and a run wearing a full suit of armor. Men were the only participants. The law forbid women from competing in the games or even watching the games. Winners from the games were rewarded crowns of olive leaves instead of medals. The Olympic Games began to decline after the Romans conquered Greece. In the year 394, Theodosius I (the Roman Emperor) ordered the games to be stopped.

Modern Olympics

The Olympics returned in 1896, almost 3,000 years later. The modern Olympics began and were held in Athens, Greece. In 1900 the Olympics moved to Paris, France and for the first time in history, women were allowed to compete. In 1904 the Olympics were held in America in the city of St.Louis  A few of the cities where the summer games have been held are London, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Rome and Rio De Janeiro, the most recent location. The tradition of hosting the Summer Olympics in different cities every four years still continues to this day. In 1924 the Winter Olympics were held for the first time. They included cold weather sports. The winter games are also held every four years in different cities such as Chamonix, Lake Placid, Squaw Valley and Pyeongchang County, where the latest games were held.

Sports Played

Many sports are played in the Summer and Winter Olympics. There are 42 summer events and 15 winter events. Some of the cold weather sports played in the Winter Olympics now are Alpine skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, ski jumping, snowboarding and speed skating. Diving, volleyball, gymnastics, swimming, tennis and basketball are some of the many sports played in the Summer Olympics. More countries attend the Summer Olympics than the Winter Olympics. Also, worldwide, the Summer Olympic sports are more popular.

Many changes have been made to the Olympics of long ago. Women now play a major role in the Olympics. Also, the games are so big that almost every nation participates. Changes are still being made today. For example, in 2020 the Summer Olympics are expected to have bouldering and speed climbing, which are both rock climbing sports.