I have changed my blog to zacw3.edublogs.org because it is easier to use.

As you may know, the Beijing Olympics are only 53 days from the 16th of June and the world is slowly turning it’s eyes to China. But in Tibet it’s a different story. Since the Dalai Lama fled Tibet with his 3000 followers in 1959, China has claimed Tibet for it’s own. With the recent riots, rumours have filtered down of Chinese soliders beating and killing innocent Tibetans. Even though China has denied killing any Tibetans, they have admitted to killing 2 Tibetans. The Chinese premier has also said that the Dalai Lama is responsible for masterminding the riots when the Dalai Lama says that he had nothing to do with the riots. He has also threatened that he will step down if the Tibetans start getting violent. Also, we have been watching videos about the China & Tibet situation and have heard that even though the Chinese have apparently given Tibet freedom, the Tibetans say that they have not been given freedom. We have also seen a video of some Tibetans fleeing over the mountains between Tibet and India to join the Dalai Lama. One of the shocking things is that children as young as 11 are crossing the mountains on their own! They send their children over there because:

1. Their children are apparently not getting a good enough education,
2. Not allowed to practice their religon,
3. And because India seems safer than Tibet.

So what do you think?

ElephantsThe elephant is the largest land animal on earth, but it is only the second tallest. There are two major types of elephant, the Asian elephant, and the African elephant. The African elephant is the bigger type, which can grow up to four meters tall and weigh about 7.5 tonnes. Elephants fully mature at the age of 25 and live until 65. Also, both genders of the African elephant have tusks, whereas only the male Asian elephant has tusks. The Asian elephant is the smaller type of elephant, and its ears are smaller and curved at the top. Sadly the Asian elephant is endangered because of poaching and the ivory trade. At the moment, there is thought to be only about 60,000 Asian elephants in existence which is only about a tenth of the African elephant population. 

Elephants have small eyes protected by long, thick eyelashes, but they are colour blind and they have limited vision in strong light. Their skin is 2-4 centimetres thick and it is grey and wrinkled. These wrinkles hold water that slowly evaporates, keeping the elephant cool. The trunk of the elephant is its most important sense and is used like a hand to pick up and move things as well as breathe. The elephant’s tusks are like teeth and can grow up to 1.5 metres and are mostly used for fighting and defending against predators and other elephants, lifting up heavy or large objects, and digging.Elephants communicate in a number of ways including touching each other’s trunks, trumpeting, bellowing, snorting and others. If danger is sensed, the herd will gather around the youngest elephants first.  

Elephants are naturally herbivores and in the wild they eat: grasses, leaves, and shoots. In captivity they eat these and hay, oats, potatoes and even some meat. Elephants can swim reasonably well, and they use their trunks as snorkels so they can go quite deep. Elephants live in many different places around the globe such as: the desert, the mountains, the tropical rainforest, Africa, India, and southern Asia. Each day, elephants spend 2-4 hours sleeping. Elephants are also used for various things, such as carrying people, objects, and for parades. Even though you may see elephants in circuses looking or sounding happy, they may have to live in poor conditions and with very little food. These elephants will then often catch diseases or starve and die.

As most of us know, the phoenix lander landed on mars on the 25th of may and is due to begin excavating the soil to find ice and if the planet can support life. The scientists expect the mission to last 90 martian days [or 92 earth days]. They want the lander to survive the martian winter so they can see the martian ice developing. Unfortunately, the Phoenix is not mobile like the other rovers because they reused older equipment, the area of Mars where the Phoenix is basically where the ice is, and the  equipment weight that would be needed to allow the Phoenix to travel can instead be used to hold more scientific instruments. The project cost $325 million [US] and is the most expensive project ever conducted so far by NASA. The lander landed at about4:48 pm but unfortunately, the lander only opened the parachute 7 seconds after it was due to open, so it landed about 28 kilometers away from it’s estimated landing point.

I will try and find out more about this.

Zac

Look at this suprising news story. 

The authorities in Guinea, faced with mounting protests by soldiers demanding back pay, say they will pay the arrears, some of which go back to 1996.

Each soldier will receive up to GNF5m ($1,140), and subsidies for army rice will be increased, Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare announced. Earlier, the defence minister was sacked a day after troops kidnapped the army’s deputy head in the pay dispute. One person was killed but the capital, Conakry, is now reported calm. On Tuesday shots were fired and shops looted by soldiers based at the Alpha Yaya Diallo base in the capital, Conakry. Prisoner release PM Souare, who was only appointed by President Lansana Conte last week, promised that none of the mutinous soldiers would be punished. He added that he had freed all soldiers who had been detained after a general strike in early 2007 against President Conte’s rule. “I appeal to all our compatriots, and particularly our armed forces: consolidate the foundations of our state and our democratic achievements,” said the prime minister in a televised statement. On Monday, protesting troops had captured Gen Mamadou Sampil when he tried to negotiate with them at the Alpha Yaya Diallo base. Shots were also heard in two other garrisons in Kindia, north-east of Conakry, and N’Zerekore in the south east. There were unconfirmed reports that several people had been injured in the violence. Following the unrest President Conte summoned senior government officials including Mr Souare for a meeting that lasted more than four hours. Later a presidential decree read out on public radio announced that Defence Minister Gen Mamadou Bailo Diallo had been fired. The protests come the week after President Conte also sacked Lansana Kouyate as prime minister. Mr Kouyate was appointed as part of a deal in 2007 to end deadly riots that paralysed the country, and left at least 130 dead. He was replaced by Mr Souare, a former minister of mines and ally of Mr Conte. The dismissal of Mr Kouyate was reportedly one of the soldiers’ complaints, as they said they had no-one left to petition. His sacking sparked protests in Conakry last week. President Conte, who took power in a coup in 1984, bought off a similar revolt and general strike last year.

I think that these soldiers have been poorly treated and they deserve all of their money and some more for the trouble that has been caused.

I got this from www.news.bbc.co.uk.

Last week, on the 14th of may, 8 kids from TAI went up to the kids lit quiz at st Paul’s in Hamilton. As we had all been at Totara springs, we were all really tired. After a quick stop for tea, we jumped in the van and beetled up the road to the collegiate. When we got there, we had to find a place to sit and choose our double up question [the one we got double points for] which was magic. When everybody had chosen it, the Quiz began. The quiz-master was NZ’s own Wayne Mills! Our first category was cretaceans [or dolphins and whales] some of the other categories were: constructions, myths, and others. We were split into two teams, TAI1 and TAI2. Half-way through, we had a 20 minute break. During the quiz there were prizes for answering certain questions. We only got into 1 spot prize competition. When the quiz was finished, we found that we had come 16th out of 42. This was a really interesting quiz and i learned a lot.

Last week, on Tuesday the 8th of March 2007, we set off to Ohope christian camp for 3 nights. We had lunch at lake Okatina and went for a half-hour walk in the bush. Once we got to camp, the owner of the camp welcomed us and told us about the rules. About 30 minutes later all the kids and adults went down to the beach to play for 45 minutes. When we got back to camp we grabbed our togs and went to the pools for a 2 hour swim. When we got back we had to hang our togs on the washing line out the back. After a while, somebody came around shouting that dinner was ready, it was meatballs and veggies, yummy! Then we had desert, jelly and ice-cream, yummier! After that, we all trooped back to our cabins, my roommates were: Ivan, Iain, Greg, Winiata and Johannes. We all played cards for a while all which Ivan won! Then the parents came around telling us to go too sleep as it was 10′clock. On the next day, our class went to the high ropes. I didn’t do the high ropes because i have Acrophobia but i still did the low ropes. When we finished, we went to the amazing maze’n’ maize which was really hard even though we were the first team out. When we got back to camp, we grabbed our togs and went back to the pools. When we got back, we had to be really quick because dinner was ready, cooked chicken and potato, scrumptious! Then we had pudding: lime jelly with ice-cream cake, beautiful! When we got back to our cabins we had another game of cards,which Ivan won again! Then we went to sleep. On the third day, we were up bright and early and ready to go. Our first activity was…….. fishing. I didn’t catch anything but everyone else caught at least 1. After fishing, we went kayaking, which was great fun as i had not been in a kayak before. After that, we went back to camp and then out on a loooong walk to Shelly bay which was just like it’s namesake. Once we all got back to camp we went out to the Awakeri hot pools which were nice and relaxing. We then had sausages on the barbecue. On the fourth and final day, we had to pack up and leave by 9:00. We just made it. we stopped at Te puke for lunch, which was fish and chips and was really nice. By 2:00pm we made it back to school. This was a cool camp and i enjoyed it a lot.

Her hair cascades down her old, chubby cheeks, as her voice shrieks with rage at Cinderella as she does. Her scowling face would kill any man who saw her. The thin, unforgiving, grey eyes are slitted by her grey eye lids.  Her fat, round body suggests that she has had too much food and the stink that surrounds her is that of a dead animal. Her thin tottering legs are ridiculously undersized and her high-heeled shoes are extremely ugly and small. She walks with authority and sneers at Cinderella with every opportunity.  She is the ugly stepmother. She is the new mother of Cinderella, who was formerly called Mary, and forced her to do all the house work, mostly with cinders and ashes which is why they call her Cinderella. She married her father and came with a horrible, ugly daughter of her own whom she adores. The father knows nothing about the bullying and believes that “Cinderella” is her nickname, and calls her that too. As she sits and cackles about bullying Cinderella, she thinks that life is good.

 The wish List.

The wish list starts off with Meg Finn, and her partner in crime, belch bre-nnan robbing a pensioners flat, and ends up with them both killed by a gas explosion. Whereas belch goes to hell, Meg has equal deeds, having Pleaded before belch to spare old Lowrie McCall, the pensioner who they robbed. The only way for her to get into heaven is to complete the old Pensioner’s wish list.I enjoyed this book because it was funny and very interesting, giving views of heaven and hell, showing s.t peter and Satan. This book was easy to read and was very well-written. My favorite part is when they have to get past the guard outside the TV studio, so Lowrie can complete the first task on the wish list.
Eoin Colfer is a great author and I would to read some of his other books, as this are so enjoyable I want to read it again. I would rate this book 9/10 for its superb writing but it could have been a bit longer. By Zac.