Status Bubble

I don't think I'd enjoy this one bit. My emotions change 24/7 depending on who I'm talking to, same as my thoughts, and I would hate for people to know, because if they did, a lot of my secrets would just come tumbling out of my head for anyone and everyone to see. And, personally, I don't want complete strangers to know information only a friend of mine would know.

I would only put in my first name and my gender. Yeah. That's it. To me putting all of your personal information in a bubble above my head is a damn stupid idea. And maybe my medical information because there might be an emergency where people need to know that information. 

I don't know if I live any near sociopaths or psychopaths so yeah. Actually, maybe having that sort of information would be an okay idea. I mean... I guess? At least your family and friends would be able to know if you were going to become a danger to yourself or anyone else or if you need help..? 

With that amount of information, I don't think there be much change in my day-to-day interactions or have an impact on my life. I just think if someone was talking to me on the street they'd say "Hey, Zoe." instead of "Hey, you!". Which might be easier.

Creative Names

Take notes Make notes

When the administrators of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center inProvidence, Rhode Island, adopted six 'therapy' cats from an animal shelter, they had no idea that among them was one that possessed an uncanny sixth sense to predict theimpending death of terminally ill patients.

Oscar the tabby cat's story begins in 2005, when the newly born kitten was placed on third floor of the nursing center, home to patients that are in the last stages of illnesses like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer. The kitten spent the first year lazing around and watching the bustling activity around him. Then, just before his first birthday, Oscar began visiting each of the 41-patients on the floor regularly, just like the doctors and nurses did.

Initially, the hospital staff did not pay much attention to the feline's behavior. However, after some of the people that Oscar was snuggled next to passed away, they began to notice a pattern - the cat only went close to those that were a few hours away from dying. Otherwise, he would curl up on a desk and spend the day sleeping.

To test if it was just a coincidence, the staff tried to place Oscar next to a patient they believed was close to dying. But the paranormal cat refused to stay put and decided to snuggle next to someone else. Turns out he was right because 'his' patient died that same evening, while the one whose death the nurses had thought was imminent, lived on for another two days.

Among the biggest believers in Oscar's paranormal powers is Dr. David Dosa, ageriatrician and Assistant Professor at Brown University. He is so convinced of Oscar's unusual 'gift' that he not only published a paper about him in the New England Journal of Medicine, but also wrote a book. Entitled "Making rounds with Oscar: The extraordinary gift of an ordinary cat’, the 2010 publication outlines the various pieces of evidence he has been able to gather about the cat's predicting powers. Also convinced is the hospital staff who has been using Oscar's foretelling abilities to inform family members so they can bid farewell to their loved ones before it's too late.

Of course, not everyone believes that Oscar has a sixth sense. Some feline experts think that his perfect timing may have to do with a certain smell that the cat has come to associate with death. Others speculate it may have to do with the lack of movement in people that are about to die.

Then there are the skeptics who maintain that Oscar's record is not as perfect as it has been made out to be. They think that the hospital staff and Dr. Dosa have simply 'cherry-picked' the occasions when Oscar has been accurate and ignored the ones when he has not. Fortunately, none of this negative chatter has affected nine-year-old Oscar who continues to provide comfort to sick people in their final hours!

Tauranga Girls Orientation

Today all the year 8 girls went to the Tauranga Girls College Orientation day.

Each girl was brought into the hall and seated to meet the Head girls for next year. Soon after we were taken row by row and given four school ambassadors and one teacher, Mrs Potter. We were brought to a classroom and given a packet with multiple things inside. This included a map of the school, fees for each of the classes, stationary lists, ect. Mrs Potter then walked around checking that the school had all the right information about us as we filled in a Time Capsule sheet. It was basically asking us for 3 words to describes ourselves, what we're looking forward to next year, ect. 

Then, the ambassadors took us out of the classroom and showed us around the school. They went from block A to block J, all in alphabetical order.

I didn't learn much. Only where each block was, which is still really confusing. And how rude some of the girls there can be. 

After that, we were brought back into the hall for a karakia then left.

I only remember Anna, the head girl. And Tori, one of the ambassadors that showed us around the school.

I didn't really feel much about the whole thing. Probably just scared, most of all. And... Excited? I guess. I don't know if I cared or not, actually. 

I learnt basically everything I needed to know on the open night. And if anything, the orientation gave us less information that the open night. I was told that we'd find out if we're in accelerant today, but I guess not. I largely hope to be in accelerant.  

Movie Challenge Reflection

Movie Challenge reflection

What your group did well?
I think we worked together really well and was able to film really well as well. Actually overall, I think my group did a goo job.

What would YOU do differently next time?

There was a moment where I asked Rachel to say my line instead of me because I was too shy. Next time I would push past my shyness and give it my all.


Based on the criteria, how would you improve your movie if we gave you time.

I'd probably try and get better shots. Less shaking of the camera, positions where you could see both Jordan and Noah's face, as I think we could've been able to do that. 

Criteria:

Teamwork. Able to work collaboratively as a team to produce a movie

I think my team and I did really well as to working with each other. There were no arguments, we all listened to each other and we cooperated and made certain situations fair to everyone.

Quality of message - Life Ed theme. Shows understanding or learning from Life Ed programme

We decided on recreating a situation that Michael actually talked to us about because it was realistic. 

We all understood the messages that Michael taught us which was another reason why we thought the plot we had was a good idea. 

Able to use film making conventions. Camera angles, dramatic intention

We had multiple other shots with different angles, we even had the idea of filming a person each when they talked then edit it at the very end to make it all join up. But we decided that would be too difficult and just took simple, but effective shots.

Sound quality. Ability to ensure all dialogue is heard

The sound quality could've been better, but overall you could clearly hear each character. 

Waimarino - Blade of grass

I bounced in delight as rain began to hit my green, sleek back. The water ran down my back and quickly soaked into the dirt below me. Ah... I love the rain. I looked up to the many children with a confused look. Each one of them were jumping up and down, whining about the rain and how cold it was. Their faces were pale with the occasional blue lips and red noses. Half of them began running towards the spa pool. Once in, they let out a sigh of relief. What's their problem? It isn't that cold...! Is it? I hummed as I closely watched each boy and girl, then looked back down at my kind. Each one of us loved it. We never felt any sort of cold... Oh. Right. Humans can actually feel the harsh weather. I grumbled as my eyes lazily glanced over to the children coming my way. I've always wanted to feel what they feel. But I'm just grass. A legit piece blade of grass. I would like to call myself a special piece of grass, but I'm really not. I dragged my attention away from my thoughts and focussed back onto the children, who were stilling sprinting straight in my direction.

Straight in my... Oh no. The stampede of children trampled all over my fragile body, twisting me back and forth into the ground. This was just something I was used to. That doesn't mean it made the experience any less... Annoying. Painful. Disrupting. I'm happy that these kids are fast. They quickly went over me, then went on their way to their destination. I'm sure that if they knew how we felt when they ran over us they wouldn't, but they don't. Suddenly, the children began leaping into the river, making loud "Splish splash!" noises. Seriously? These large creatures were just complaining about how cold it was, but then they jump into the freezing cold river?! The children quickly scrambled out of the river and onto the concrete. I sighed. Silly, silly humans.  

Life Ed - Addiction

An addiction is when you need a drug in order to feel normal.

This shows addiction to drugs and how it takes affect. 

Memory
Reason
Mechanical skills
Intellect
Concentration
Emotions

Faster
Absorption
Rates

Reason
Excuse
Assertive
Change the subject
Humor

Walk away
Ignore
Tell someone or toughen up
Say no

Life Education

What does methamphetamine do to your body?

When someone takes methamphetamine, the drug creates a false sense of well-being and energy, making the user push their body faster and further than it's actually capable of. The user can endure a severe crash or mental breakdown when trying to get off of the drug. User's can also experience extreme weight loss due to the drug making them loose their appetite.
Methamphetamine can also cause hyperactivity, insomnia, nausea, increased aggressiveness, hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia and convulsions, which in some cases can lead to death.

Some affects are irreversible. Such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, damaged blood vessels in the brain that can cause strokes of irregular heart beat that could cause cardiovascular, collapse or death and liver, kidney and lung damage.

Some users experience brain damage, including memory loss and an inability to keep abstract thoughts.


Before and after shots of methamphetamine. 

(I just put down links because every time I tried inserting a photo my tab would stop responding.)

Before and After 1

Before and After 2

Before and After 3

Antonie Dixon

Antonie Dixon, powered by methamphetamine, attacked his girlfriend and her friend, Simon Butler Renee Gunbie, with a samurai sword in Pipiora before driving to Auckland shooting James Te Aute.
During Dixon's trial, he claimed that he was insane, but was still found guilty for murder, grievous bodily harm, firearms charges and shooting at police.
Dixon was found guilty again at his second trial.
Dixon was found dead in 2009 in his cell the day he was meant to appear at court. Reports say that he hung himself.

Current Events 11

Every animal turns one so why was Bao Bao's birthday so special?

Bao Bao's birthday is special because her brother, Tai Shan, has lived ti be able to see this milestone in Bao Bao's life. Bao Bao and Tai Shan are both Giant Pandas, and as you may know, these animals are endangered. So Bao Bao living to that age would be a very momentous occasion. Especially with the previous deaths of the five bear cubs of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian. Each died within days.

How did the zookeepers celebrate it?

The zookeepers did multiple things for young Bao Bao.
Firstly, Bao Bao was given the choice of three honey dipped bamboo shoots.
Each stick had a colourfully painted labeled 'Long Life', Good Health' and 'Many Cubs'. Everyone was overjoyed to watch Bao Bao choose the 'Long Life' Bamboo shoot.

The zookeepers also made a very special tier cake for Bao Bao. The Zoo's nutrition department had decided to make a tiered cake that was crafyed for dozen of diluted apple juice and dyed various shades of pink, with beet juice. Frozen in between the slices were Bao Bao's favourite fruits, apple and pears. Flower appliqués carved from carrots and sweet potatoes adorned the top of a large number '1' carved from frozen apple juice, completed the perfect treat.

The guests were also treated with a vanilla and chocolate cake as well as tradition dandan noodles, which were a gift by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China.

What are some of the things Bao Bao has learnt during his first year? What are some of the things in store for her before she turns two?

Bao Bao has learnt to stand tall on the measuring scale and respond to her own name.
The zookeepers hope to teach her to present her paw when she needs her blood to be drawn and lie down during her monthly ultrasound.

America's Favourite Giant Panda Celebrates First Birthday

Dangerous Decibels

Today, Room 41 went to the Whare Kai to attend a session called "Dangerous Decibels". Dangerous Decibel's is a programme where we were taught about the dangers of hearing loss. 

Our teacher, Toni, took the session. 

Toni spoke about 'decibels'.

Decibels are a way of measuring sound.  

First Toni explained to us how we were able to hear sounds and what parts where included in this process. 

We were told that 85dB was the highest it can go without becoming dangerous.

Toni showed us a chart. This chart had three separate colours. On top of these colours were labels. 

Green represented activities that wouldn't harm our hearing, orange represented things that have a time limit, and red was instantaneous hearing damage.  

She asked us to put our fingers in our ears and attempt to have a normal conversation with the person beside us. She said that is what is was like to have severe hearing loss. 

One of the exercises we had to do including a tuning fork and a ping-pong ball attached to a thread. 

She asked us to hit the fork on the floor, then put it beside our ear to hear a ringing noise.

She then asked us to hit the for on the ground, and place the tip of the fork against the ping-pong ball causing it to bounce back and forth off of the fork. 

Toni then went onto show us the small hairs inside of our hears and the damage that can done to them by using pipe cleaners as an example. Vibrations pass through the hairs, allowing there to be sound.

Another exercise was where Toni asked for three volunteers. Each volunteer was giving a device that recorded the amount of decibels something was creating. Toni explained how once those hairs were damaged, they could never be repaired nor could they regrow. 

After that, we had a conversation on ways to protect our hearing and a conversation on how you can tell if your in risk of having hearing damage.

One thing I learnt was how to actually measure sound, as I never knew.

Current Events 10

How is Bounce Below different from other trampoline parks?

Bounce Below is located at an underground mining cavern, making it rather special. It is also the biggest underground trampoline park in the world.

What are some of the things visitors with experience at Bounce Below?

There is a large selection of trampolines ranging in height to fit to everyone's taste and everyone's ages. The trampolines span to about 10,000 square feet, there's even shoots and ladders. Different coloured lights have been placed around the cavern as a light source, making visitors experience even more surreal, and breath taking.

What are the two zip lines called? What is special about each one?

The two zip lines located at Zip World are called Titan and Velocity. These two zip line are about 45 minutes within each other. Velocity is around one mile long and is also 500 metres above the ground. It is also the northern hemisphere's longest and fastest zip line.
The Titan is the first zip line in the world to house four lines, allowing more than one person at a time to experience this thrill. The Titan goes at 70mph.
Zip World is also now attempting to build the worlds first underground zip line.

Mining Cavern Transforms Into World's Largest Underground Trampoline Park

Rimu Challenges

A5 - ZoeW - Rimu Tree

P6 - I have done walked the Waikareo track twice with my mother, but being me, I forgot to log in both of those times.

A2 - I was featured in two newspaper articles for my bullying poem and drawing that I did.
Annemarie Quill: Identify hurtful signs of bullying
Anti-bullying campaign launched

I'll probably be posting more tomorrow seeing how I'll finish a few challenges tomorrow.

How Māui brought fire to the world.

Homework - A6

Improve your writing skill; Complete a piece of writing and submit it for publishing in a writing competition.

I am nearly done my piece for this competition.
(Heh same contest as Hayley.)

Winter Writing Competition

I'm not gonna link my writing. It puts me off.

Homework - P6

I have been unable to complete or start many challenged this weekend due to how busy Saturday and Sunday was.

I have organised with my mother to walk the Waikareao Estuary with my Mother during the up coming weeks.

Current Events 9

What are androids?

Androids are robots that act and look like how humans do. With the correct programming, scientists would be able to create a friendly, kind personality for an android, being able to be kind to other humans.


Name the three robots Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro has created for the 'Android: What is human' exhibition? What is their respected roles?

Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro created three androids. One adult that is named Otonaroid, one juvenile named Kodomoroid, , and one infant named Telenoid. The Teleporated Otanroid will work as as the Museum's robot science communicator  for the duration of the exhibition. One of her duties are having one on one conversations with visitors. Kodomoroid will work as the world's first newscaster. Kodomorid can skilfully recite news gathered from around the world via internet feed. Telenoid has a very different role. Telenoid was created to basically resemble... A toddler. Visitors can pick him up and even cuddle him if they want. Telenoid can also have small one on one conversations.


Why are android more difficult to build than normal androids?

Androids, as I said at the start, look like humans. Scientists spend hours creating a complete body cast, right down to the teeth. They literally spend hundreds of hours moulding and painting the features so that the android closely resembles a human being. That's the easy part. Then begins the countless hours if programming and installing complex machinery so that they don't only look like humans, but they can also make physical interactions.

Critical Thinking.
Some people believe robot androids are cool. Others think they are a little creepy. What side are you on? Why?

I don't really know what side I'm on. I mean, they're a little creepy, but they can also be very helpful.
Y'know what? I'm just gonna say that they're cool, for the main fact that they resemble humans.

Japanese Scientists Builds Robots That Look Eerily Human

Current Events 8

1. Who was responsible for making Nathan's hot dog contest famous? How many hot dogs did he eat?

Takeru Kobayashi gave this competition it's international fame. In 2001, japanese Takeru devoured 50 hot dogs in only 12 minutes. Takeru won this competition for six consecutive years until rookie Joey Chestnut yanked that title away from him in 2007.

2.  How many years has Joey won the contest prior to this year?

Joey has won seven consecutive times prior to this year. This year must've been a lot more special, seeing how he proposed to his girlfriend, Nelsie Ricasa, just before he began the competition.

3. What happened in the women's contest?

Three-time defending women's champion Sonya Thomas was unfortunately beaten by Miki Sudu. Miki ate at least 7 more than Sonya, claiming the title.


Critical Thinking:
What in your opinion makes these food eating competitions so popular?
I think it's the contestants because of how this competition actually became popular. It was all because of one contestant.

Joey Chestnut Wins Hot Dog Eating Contest for Eight Consecutive Year

Bali Inquiry

1. These are offerings to Hindu gods. These parcels consist of many different things. Including rice, flowers, animals, food and many other different things.

2. Education in Bali is very similar to the education we get here in New Zealand. School is compulsory to children between the ages of 7 and 15. State education is free at elementary school level. There are also fee-paying private schools. These schools include religious based schools, international schools and national-plus schools.  

3. These fish are called Garra rufa, or some know them as the Doctor fish. The Doctor Fish are rather beneficial for your skin. These little fish each the dead skin and bacteria off your skin and releases a substance called Dithlanol.  Doctor fish treatments are also very helpful to people who suffer from psoriasis. There are few risks with this treatment, though. Whilst the fish have no teeth to bite you with, there are still chances of bleeding. But then again, this is said to be very relaxaing.

4. Batik is a method of dying textiles and other items. Batik doesn't seem like a hard method, but I wouldn't really know. The method makes use of the resist technique; applying areas of cloth with wax to prevent them from absorbing colours when the cloth is dipped into dye. The wax is also applied to prevent the colours from spreading out to a particular area.  

5. The Saraswati Temple is dedicated to honour the Hindu goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning, literature and art, which is probably why the temple is so beautiful and artistic. 

Term Two PMI

P
I achieved the stars wrist band this term.
I am happy with my attendance this term, as last term it wasn't the best.
I was able to draw a bullying poster for a competition, which I was very proud of, if I'm being honest.
My maths level definitely improved this term, this is something I've been hoping to happen.


M
I was not able to finish my piece of writing for my Writing ICAS test. I hope I still did okay.
The only other minus was the Cross Country run. I will say that the relief that I felt after I had finished it was rather nice.


I
I did the Writing and Spelling ICAS tests this term. I am anxious, but excited for my results.
I found the year 8 Attitude assembly really interesting and funny.
I found Demon Dentist, the book Mrs Mills has been reading, really interesting and fun to listen to.
I did not expect to get to stage 7 in the IKAN test. Not saying it's a bad thing, of course.

Current Events 7

Questions

1. How long ago were these cavemen alive?

2. Where was the human waste found?

3. What was the main diet of the cavemen based on their waste?

4. What vegetables and plants were found in the human waste?

5. Who was one of the students who worked on the study?

6. In what caveman part did they find plant microfossils?

7. What is the scientific name for humans?

Answers

1. 50,000

2. Southern Spain

3. Traces of meat

4. Plants, such as tubers, berries, and nuts.

5. Anaira Sistiaga

6. Neanderthal teeth

7. Homo sapiens

Caveman poo suggest they may have eaten vegetables