What Will You Remember From 2013

Introduction

     As all of you know, there have been some tragic , unforgettable moments and some happy moments that we cherish till this day in 2013. Every year is different, and in these 365 days that have gone by, many events have occurred. Nelson Mandela's death, the Boston bombing, Typhoon Haiyan were some major tragic events that left me in a state of shock. I wrote this blog to talk about the these events and what to look forward to in 2014. 

      The event that keeps on coming into my mind is Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines. This particular typhoon was a category 5 super typhoon. The sad part is that the Haiyan killed atleast 6,155 people in the Philippines alone. According to Wikipedia, "Haiyan is also the strongest storm recorded at landfall, and unofficially the strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of wind speed". Haiyan formed on November 3, 2013 and it dissipated on November 11, 2013. So you can probably imagine how long the Philippines lived in fear during Typhoon Haiyan, event though many people did not survive.

      2013, for me, has been a year like none other. The transition from elementary school to middle school has made me more responsible and mature, and my family has noticed that. I have started taking more care of my little sister who is only 6 years old. The tragic moments during this year have really changed me to become a better person, and even I don't know how. The change that is occurring to me is a positive change that I am starting to like.

      I look forward to 2014, because I believe I can start all over again. I believe that every new year is a fresh start, and I can do better and better each year, be it sports, academics, or anything else. It is a once a year opportunity, and I don't want to ruin just like that. 

Top Ten 2013 Headlines

• Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 people
• Boston Marathon Bombing kills 3, injures over 264 people
• Nelson Mandela dies at the age of 95
• The death of Lou Reed
• The death of Corey Monteith
• The death of Paul Walker
• Hurricane Sandy destroys the U.S. east coast
• Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI
• Murder of Odin Lloyd
• United States ammunition shortage

Comment and Question

• My comment is that just like 2013, 2014 will also bring many happy and tragic moments

• How do you feel about 2014? What do you look forward to? What expectations do you have?

The Soccerball

Introduction

More than 3.5 million people across the world love soccer, including me. In fact, with this many fans around the world, soccer has managed to become the most popular sport worldwide. When I first think of the word soccer, thee first image that comes to my mind is a black and white soccer ball. But over time, soccer balls all over the world have changed. In this marvelous and interesting article, you will find many new and fascinating facts that will blow your mind!

 

 

 

 

The First Soccer Ball Ever

The earliest soccer balls weren't as perfectly round and spherical as the modern day soccer ball. No, soccer balls back then were very irregularly shaped, which made them unpredictable when kicked. Soccer balls at that time were actually just regular animal skulls and animal bladders. Village people would gather up in

large groups to see the soccer game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problems With The Soccer Ball

Over time, the soccerball had changes to it that made it better. The newer soccer balls were made of tanned leather, and were better shaped than the original version of the soccer ball. But with these improvements came problems. According to Wonderopolis" Along with the new styles of balls came new problems. Balls relying on tightly tied laces to seal air inside leaked badly. Players would have to stop to re-inflate the ball multiple times during a game. Leather balls were good for kicking, but due to their tendency to absorb water, could become very heavy. This posed a serious threat of injury if a player hit the ball with his head."

Where Did The Black And White Design Come From?

Well, according to Wonderopolis "The ball that changed the look of soccer forever? The “Telstar.” The 1970 World Cup in Mexico was the first televised World Cup ever. The Telstar took its name from a combination of the words “television” and “star.” But there was one little problem. A white ball viewed on a black-and-white TV wasn’t easy to see. Game officials needed to come up with a way to make the ball easily viewable to those watching at home. Their simple solution? Paint black pentagons on the white ball.

 

 

Top Ten Current Soccer Players

Lionel Messi (Argentina & Barcelona)

 

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal & Real Madrid)

 Xavi Hernandez (Spain & Barcelona)

Andres Iniesta (Spain & Barcelona)

 Robin van Persie (Netherlands & Manchester United)

Gareth Bale (Wales & Real Madrid)

Wayne Rooney (England & Manchester United)

 Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast & Manchester City)

Radamel Falcao (Colombia & Monaco)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden & Paris Saint-Germain)

Thought, Question and Fun Fact

• Thought: I thought that it was really interesting that the soccer ball had to go through so many changes before reaching the modern day soccer ball. It really wants to make me research more about this topic.
• Question: I wonder who actually created the game of soccer? Why? I will definitely research this.
• Fun Fact: Did you know that till this day, the Telstar remains the most common design for a soccer ball?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Who Invented Basketball?

Introduction

Are you a basketball fan? Have you ever wondered who created basketball? Where did they get the idea? Well, let me just start off by saying that a  Canadian man named Dr. James Naismith had invented the game. He worked at the YMCA Training School in Spring Field, Massachusetts. Dr. James worked as a physical education instructor, who had been challenged to create a game that could be played indoors in the cold Massachusetts as an "athletic distraction" to a disruptive group of students. In response, he invented basketball.

Where Did He Get The Idea?

 Dr. James got the idea of basketball from one of his childhood games. He used to play a game called "duck on a rock." In this game, you lob a small rock at a "duck" in an attempt to knock the duck down. Dr. James thought of this game when creating basketball and originated the game of basketball from this idea.  According to Wonderopolis, an online educational website, "With a two-week deadline, Dr. Naismith decided to invent a game of skill, finesse and accuracy, rather than one that relied on pure strength."

Basketball Changes Over Time

The basketball Dr. James invented is not the modern basketball we know today. Why? Well, that's because more pieces to basketball were added along as it started to get popular. Here are some changes: Dr. James used peach baskets as the hoop, however, we use rings with nets as the hoop. Dr. James also said that you could only advance by passing the ball, but now in basketball we can dribble and take really long shots. Dr. James's version included using a soccer ball as the basketball, yet,  in modern times, we use a real basketball.

General Facts About Dr. James

• Dr. James was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame
• He was also inducted in the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame
• He was born in 1861 in Ramsay Township
• He was a fantastic athlete and won numerous Wicksteed medals
• He earned a BA in physical education 
• He played Canadian football,soccer, rugby,and lacrosse
• He went to McGill University and earned a diploma at Presbyterian College in Montreal
• According to Wikipedia, an online educational website, "From 1891 on, Naismith taught physical education and became the first McGill director of athletics, but then left Montreal to become a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts."
• Dr. James created a new game called "Basket Ball" and the first game was played on December 21, 1891
• Sadly, Dr. James died on November 19, 1937

Top Ten NBA Basketball Players

1. LeBron James from the Miami Heat

2. Dwight Howard from Orlando Magic

3. Dwayne Wade from Miami Heat

4. Chris Paul from N.O. Hornets

5. Dirk Nowitzki from Dallas Mavericks

6. Kevin Durant from Oklahoma City Thunder

7. Kobe Bryant from L.A. Lakers

8. Derrick Rose from Chicago Bulls

9. Deron Williams from N.J. Nets

10. Blake Griffin from L.A. Clippers

 

Thought, Question, and Challenge

Thought: I thought that basketball must've been a sport on which you had to have good accuracy and stability if you wanted to be good at the game when it was first invented.

Question: If Dr. James hadn't been given the assignment of making up a game, what impact do you think that might have had on basketball?

Challenge: I encourage you to find 1 more person who either created another sport or played a major role in sports and write a small article about it. Please respond back to me and subscribe to my blog.



 





Why Is It Called "Black Friday?"

 Introduction

     Have you ever wondered why it is called Black Friday? Who thought of the name? Why did they pick that name? Well, you are going to find out the reason behind "Black Friday." After the turkey has been finished and the relatives have left, we prepare for another holiday. Black Friday is a sensational shopping spree, on which shops open nearly at 2:00 AM. The lines to get in are longer than the Empire State Building! Many shops like Macy's have enormous sales to lure in customers and to make money. In fact, since 2005, Black Friday has had the busiest shopping day of the year.

Why Is It Called Black Friday?

According to Wonderopolis, an online educational website,"Historians believe the name started in Philadelphia in the mid-1960s. Bus drivers and police used Black Friday to describe the heavy traffic that would clog city streets the day after Thanksgiving as shoppers headed to the stores. According to this alternative explanation, Black Friday is the day when retailers finally begin to turn a profit for the year. In accounting terms, operating at a loss (losing money) is called being “in the red” because accountants traditionally used red ink to show negative amounts (losses). " Black Friday is called Black Friday because of the fact that most business losses are written with red ink, and most promotions and new deals are written with black ink. Black Friday is when shops make much more money than usual because of all the people bustling in and out of the shop.

How did Black Friday First Start?

According to Black Friday.com "In the 1960's, police in Philadelphia griped about the congested streets, clogged with motorists and pedestrians, calling it “Black Friday.” In a non-retail sense, it also describes a financial crisis of 1869: a stock market catastrophe set off by gold spectators who tried and failed to corner the gold market, causing the market to collapse and stocks to plummet.As retailers began to realize they could draw big crowds by discounting prices, Black Friday became the day to shop, even better than those last minute Christmas sales. Some retailers put their items up for sale on the morning of Thanksgiving, or email online specials to consumers days or weeks before the actual event. The most shopped for items are electronics and popular toys, as these may be the most drastically discounted. However, prices are slashed on everything from home furnishings to apparel." So, as soon as shop keepers and retailers realized that they could lure in large crowds if prices go down. Retailers eventually formed one day where all the prices would go down and gigantic crowds of people would buy their items. That day is called Black Friday.

Top Ten Websites You Should Visit On Black Friday 

1. Amazon.com- a large website where whenever something comes out, they have it. Amazon has enormous Black Friday deals, including the new Galaxy Tab 3 for only $159.00.
2. Best Buy.com- a negotiable website with more items than you can count. Millions of people use this site to save money, and to get the best.
3. Black Friday.com- a enormous website that is especially made for Black Friday. It tells the deals other shops have so you can compare the deals, and pick the best one!
4. Walmart.com- a large selection of electronics, toys, clothes and much more. Walmart has anything and everything you would possibly want.
5. Target.com- choose from a wide selection of furniture, clothes, toys, shoes, and much more. This website is widely used by people all over the U.S. and you should use it too!
6. Kohl's.com- its just like any other store, except for the fact that it has its own cash. Yep, Kohl's is the perfect place to get money back! Get $15 Kohl's Cash for every $50 spent!
7. Walgreens.com- Its where everyone goes to get their basic needs, but also much more! Toothbrushes, paper, and everything you need is there, for great deals on this Black Friday
8. Costco.com- everything from computers to gourmet food, at the one of the lowest prices around. They also have a car station, where you can get your cars fixed up!
9. Sam's Club.com- Office supplies, TV's, furniture, and much more is all at Sam's Club. Sam's Club offers you the best deals on everything.
10. Macy's.com- a large selection of home items and beauty items. The perfect place for women to get their beauty items, with large sales for Black Friday.

Question, Challenge, And Thought Of The Day

Question: What stores do you like to shop at on Black Friday?

Challenge: Try to find one other store that people frequently shop at.

Thought of the Day: I thought it was a good idea to have 1 day where retailers make lots of money. In my opinion, Black Friday is a good way to make money for retailers, and a good chance to shop all you want for customers.

Thank You!

Commercial Techniques

Introduction

     Do you sometimes wonder what commercials do to draw you in? To make you want to buy that product? Well, what they really use is something called commercial techniques. Commercial techniques are ways people make you want to buy their product. They use propaganda, which is media that uses carefully - crafted messages to manipulate people's actions and beliefs.  There are 2 commercial techniques I am going to talk about. They are called name-calling and bandwagon. Name-calling uses negative words and bad names to create fear and dislike for people, ideas, or institutions. For example, some companies like Nokia might say that Apple are bad and they don't have as much battery life as Nokia. That would create dislike for Apple and would want to make more people buy Nokia phones. Bandwagon creates an impression that there is widespread support for a thing or idea. A company like Charmin might say that everyone uses this brand of toilet paper, why don't you? That would make more people think that Charmin is better than other companies and more people would buy Charmin brand products.

Examples of Propaganda

    As you can see, this commercial uses name-calling. People were making fun of the other phones people had, like someone who owned an Apple phone was making fun of a person who owned a Samsung. Then, every started fighting because they thought their phone was the best. Meanwhile, when everyone was fighting, the 2 waiters were peacefully talking to each other since they had a Nokia phone, which was supposedly the "better" phone. This commercial makes fun of other phones like Apple, which makes other people think that Nokia is better.


   As you can see, in this T.V. commercial, it uses bandwagon by showing that everyone in this ad has Pepsi can/bottle. This shows that the ad is trying to show that if you don't have Pepsi, you are not cool or something like that. Remember, bandwagon creates an impression that there is widespread support for a thing or idea.

My Opinion

   In my opinion, there are some good things, and also some bad things about these commercials. For the first, I did not like it very much, so the thing I really disliked about this ad is the name-calling is really embarrassing to other companies like Samsung. Although it is a technique to convince people to get a Nokia phone, that was kind of taken too far in my opinion.I would suggest Nokia to use a different technique. However, on the other hand, I think the technique was convincing, even though I think it was a little embarrassing to other companies. Nokia points out the disadvantages of other phones, which makes people want to buy a Nokia phone. In the second ad, the thing I liked about it is that it uses the band wagon technique in an effective way. It shows people with Pepsi break dancing and doing other amazing things. This shows not only that everyone is having Pepsi, but it also shows everyone doing cool stuff when they drink Pepsi. 

    In my perspective, I think both of these commercials will make money( unless they already have). This is because both of these commercials appealed to me and both made me want to buy the product. However, these two commercials used very different techniques, which tells me that its not only one technique that makes a lot of money. This means that both companies worked really hard on the commercials, and anyone who is part of the target audience would want to buy the product. Speaking of target audience, I think the target audience for the first ad is adults. This is because usually, adults use phones(although some kids have phones too), and this ad would make them want to think about getting a new Nokia phone instead of staying with companies like Apple or Samsung. I think the target audience for the second ad is mostly pre-teens and teenagers. That's becaus an adult wouldn't care about kids doing cool stuff on T.V., and neither would little kids. Also, teenagers would think if you drink Pepsi, then regular teens could do all that cool stuff too. 

Top 5 Bandwagon Commercials

This commercial shows that everyone wants to drink Pepsi. This shows that Pepsi is really popular and everyone either wants or has it.

This commercial shows that everyone has Pepsi and they love it. This commercial is a bandwagon commercial because everyone loves Pepsi so much that they are making music with Pepsi bottles and cans.

The first ad in this commercial shows that everyone has a triple whopper. That shows that whoever is watching this commercial would want to buy a triple whopper because everyone has that type of burger in this commercial.

This ad shows everyone talking to relatives and connecting to them face to face on the IPhone. That would make anyone who watches this ad and is part of the target audience want to buy the IPhone because so many people are connecting face to face on the IPhone.

Top 5 Examples of Name-calling

This ad is name calling because it shows at and t with the fastest network and it shows a particular company(verizon) slower than at and t. This means that people would try to avoid to get something from verizon since verizon is slower than at and t.

This ad shows people taking more pictures with the IPhone than any other phone. But it also shows people taking better pictures with Nokia than any other company. Nokia also says the bad stuff about IPhon and critisizes it.


This ad shows people taking bad pictures with other phones and it shows one person taking

Question and Challenge of The Week

What is your favorite technique? Search up different commercial techniques besides the ones I told you about and describe them. I challenge you to find one commercial that has an emotional appeal and describe why it has emotional appeal. I think that these commercials that I picked are very convincing and could easily make people want to buy the product they are trying to sell. What about you? Do you think the commercials I picked describe the technique I am talking about. Please comment and subscribe into my blog. Thank you for looking at my blog. 

The Chinese Warriors

China's First Emperor

  At the age of 13,in 246 B.C., Qin Shihuangdi took the throne . As some people saw him, he was a very cruel man. However, Shihuangdi also did some things that changed China in a good way. For example, according to National Geographic  " During his rule, Qin standardized coins, weights, and measures; interlinked the states with canals and roads; and is credited for building the first version of the Great Wall. "  Qin Shihuangdi also did some very cruel deeds. For example, he made numerous and very expensive constructions such as large palatial houses or palaces. To ensure stability to these projects, Shihuangdi burnt many books, and even went to the extent of burning some scholars alive.         

The Terracotta Warriors

      In 1974, workers digging a well  outside of Xi'an struck gold. The workers had unearthed thousands of clay, human sized, ready for battle, Chinese soldiers, who were guarding the tomb of  Qin Shihuangdi. It is called the Terracotta army. The Terracotta army is made up of soldiers, horses, chariots, bowmen, and archers. One surprising fact about this discovery is that no clay figure has the same face. Every figure has certain details that make it different from one another. According to Time For Kids " Experts say that long ago, Emperor Shihuangdi ordered the creation of the clay army, along with a 20-square-mile tomb in which to house it. For 36 years, 700,000 laborers crafted this underground city. It contains models of palaces and towers, and was protected from intruders by automatically-triggered crossbows. The city lay buried for more than 2,000 years." 

My Opinion of the First Chinese Emperor

     In my opinion, I think the first emperor of the Chinese Empire was very cruel and disgraceful. I have many reasons for believing in this opinion. First of all, Qin Shihuangdi was very  hard on punishments. he gave very harsh punishments for relatively "light" crimes. For example, if someone stole a pencil, the emperor would probably( if present at the scene of the crime) scold the person for a hour and give him/her a beating. Second of all, he was very selfish. What I mean by that is the emperor spent lavish amounts of money on building large palaces and other expensive construction projects(like the construction project of his tomb). Finally, the emperor had wanted have the same amount of power in the after life as he did in the real life. So, he killed some of his servants and his wives, so they could still serve him in the after life. This was also the main reason Qin Shihuangdi ordered workers to make the Terracotta army, so the army could protect him in the after life.

A Question and Thought

One question that poses a challenge to me is  " Why did Qin Shihuangdi make a clay army?" If he killed his wives a servants, then why did he not kill his entire army to serve him in the after life. It does not make sense to me. Why would he chose to kill some people, but not others. My final thought is that I can bet that many people hated the emperor. In fact, there were 3 assasination attempts to kill Qin. Yet, he still survived.

Question of the Week

In this blog, I have told you a lot about Qin Shihuangdi. What is your opinion about the first emperor of China? Do you like him, or do you dislike him? Explain why.

  

The Reptilian Emperor

Introduction

        Over 110 million years ago,in the Middle Cretaceous period, a gigantic creature roamed the wet lands of the Sahara. No creature could escape its grasp. It was called the Sarcosuchus imperator, or also named the "Super Croc". The Super Croc took on the biggest and fiercest creatures like the well-known  T-Rex. These large and fearsome creatures bowed down to the "Super Croc" in fear. According to the article "This Croc Really Rocks" Paul Sereno, a well-known paleontologist says, "The crocodile would wait for an unsuspecting  to approach the river or lake for a sip of water. Then bam! And that would have been it. Once it clamped onto the leg or neck of an animal, there wasn't a lot the prey could do."

Features of the Super Croc

       This ferocious creature had many different features that made it the one of the most fearsome creatures that ever lived. The Super Croc had a skull that was alone 6 feet long! Now, how did the Super Croc take down animals like the T-Rex? Well, the Super Croc could weigh about 10 tons and could be about 40 feet long. That's about as long as a school bus!   It spent most of its time in the water. How did the Super Croc catch prey under water? It had an extremely strong jaw that was designed for grabbing  prey. The Super Croc could also catch prey both under and above water. It had over 100 short but very strong  teeth in it's jaw! How did the Super Croc protect itself from creatures that stood up to the Super Croc? The Super Croc protected itself with armor plates called scutes. It also had a wider snout in the front for either making a noise to other Super Crocs, mostly for mating, or for the Super Croc to have a keen sense of smell.

Some Intelligent Thoughts

      When I first found out about the Super Croc, I was in a shock. How could such a powerful and ferocious creature become extinct over 100 million years ago? It had everything it needed to survive. It had power, defense, and it was a strong mechanism designed to catch from small slippery fish to large dinosaurs  like the T-Rex. The large scutes that covered its entire body protected it from the large and powerful jaws of other carnivorous creatures that roamed the wet lands , which we now know as the Sahara. Its strong jaws that were 6 feet long had over 100 teeth, that made other dinosaurs cower in fear. However, I am also glad that the Sarcosuchus imperator does not live today, although its less feared ancestors like the Nile crocodile still live.The Super Croc would have wiped out the entire human race by now!

Top Five Facts About the Super Croc

      1. The Super Croc had a wider snout in the front for either communicating to other Super Crocs or for it to have a keen sense of smell. This was a rare feature that very few, if any, animals have.
      2. The Super Croc was covered in armor plates called scutes that protected it from other feared creatures that roamed the wetlands of the Sahara while the Super Croc was still alive.
      3.  The Super Croc had a jaw full of more than 100 teeth!
      4.The Super Croc had a jaw that was 6 feet long, which gave it a massive bite.
      5. The Super Croc could weigh up to 10 tons and it could be as long as 40 feet long.

Five Cousins of the Super Croc

• Boar Croc-grew up to 20 feet long and stood upright. It ran very fast and had 3 rows of fans, which was used to slice up prey. 

• Rat Croc -grew up to about 3 feet long and also stood upright. It ate plants and grubs and used its buckteeth to to dig for food

• PancakeCroc-was the largest, but not as large as the Super Croc. It catch animals 3 times its size and kept its head low to the ground.

• DogCroc -it was as big as a dog and had a nose similar to a dog's. It was also an upright crocodile,  also was fast, and ate mostly plants and grubs. However, scientists say that it used the speed to run from animals.

• DuckCroc-about 3 feet long and ate mostly fish or frogs. It had a long narrow snout, used for searching bodies of water of food 

Question of the Week

As you have learned in this blog, there are many different cousins of the Super Croc. Which cousin would you want to be (besides the Super Croc)? Give your answer with reasons and features that crocodile has.