Novel 9 Synopsis - Ipods

Ipods are being used by many people. Apple has become a major brand for mp3. There have been many types and generations of ipods. Currently there is the ipod shuffle, the ipod nano and the ipod video. Each one is different and has its own characteristics. The ipod shuffle doesn’t have a screen and therefore when you listen to music you shuffle the songs. The ipod nano is a little bigger than the ipod shuffle. It is longer but thinner. It has a screen but it can’t play videos. The ipod video is the biggest one. It can play play music as well as videos. It has the largest screen of them all. There have been 2 generations of ipod shuffle, 2 generations of ipod nano and 5 generations of ipod video. Once the ipod video was just called ‘ipod’ because it couldn’t play videos. The first one didn’t have a color screen but then when the color screen ipod came out it was called ipod photo. Finally the ipod video came out. The 9^th of April 2007 Apple announced it had sold the 100 millionth ipod. Thinking that the first ipod was sold in November 2001! Apple also sells computers with hardware and its own software Mac OS, and all kinds of accessories. Steve Jobs is Apple’s president. Ipods have a good sound quality and have a fantastic design. It has been estimated that 20% of the people decide to buy Apple because of its original design. Overall Apple is a great brand and it has had many great ideas.

Biography - Number the Stars, Lois Lowry

There's a war in Copenhagen. The Nazis have invaded many parts of Europe. Annemarie, her little sister Kirsti and her best friend Ellen are the main characters of this book. They all live in the same house but Ellen is Jewish. One day Annemarie and Kirsti were running in the city because they wanted to practice their running skills for a race at school. Two soldiers stopped them and asked them many questions. Annemarie was really scared but Kirsti wasn’t because she was smaller and didn’t know that they were in danger. When they return home they decide not to say what had happened to their parents. In the meanwhile, Lise, a relative of Annemarie dies in a car accident. Ms. Johanson, Annemarie’s mother knows they are in danger staying there so they decide to go to uncle Henrik. So they gather all the things they have and go. They didn’t bring much food because it was scarce and they knew that uncle Henrik had lots of food because he is a fisherman. They then get the train and leave. When they arrive they don’t find uncle Henrik. They go and look if his boat is there but they don’t find it. They assume that he has gone fishing. The kids go to sleep and Annemarie hears uncle Henrik talking with his mother. She remembers how nice it was when they went there in summer. The next morning they all decide to go away to be safe. Everyone gathers as much stuff as they can and go on the boat. They hide Ellen and her family in the boat because they were Jews. They then sail off to Sweden escaping from the Nazi invasions.

Editorial Commentary - Endangered Species

Endangered species should be protected from us because they are responsible for useful medications and for business.

Both plants and animals are used in making over 40 percent of the world's medicines. These medicines have compounds of different species. These endangered species also make pharmaceutical industry gain $40 billion annually. Only 5 percent of the species of plants we have discovered have been protected because of their pharmaceutical importance, but we still lose about 100 species each day.
There are about 80,000 edible plants in the world, and humans need only 20 species to provide 90 percent of the food in the world. In our planet their is an ecosystem that has to be respected. For example flies and spiders. If spiders didn't exist there would be too many flies. The same goes for plants and animals. There are also great incomes and a lot of jobs because of plants and animals. For example commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the Pacific Northwest provides 60,000 jobs!
Plants and animals are also an attraction for tourist and therefore provide a lot of money. Every year in the United States over 108 million people want to see wildlife and spend lots of money. Americans spend over $59 billion each year for traveling, hotels and food in wildlife recreation.
There are many factors for which plant and animal species are endangered: habitat destruction, introduction of exotic species, overexploitation and other factors.
Our planet changes over time. There are many natural changes that occur at a gradual pace, and this causes only slight impact on all the species. The problem is that when these changes occur at a fast pace, the species don't have enough time to react and to change. This can cause many plants and animals to die. The major and strongest forces that destroy habitats are humans. For example we build cars and use them, but we don't understand that by using them we make many things happen. When we use cars we pollute and pollution affects global warming. Because of global warming, the ice caps are melting, If the ice caps melt, the seals (that live on ice) will die and so will the polar bears because they are dependent on seals; they eat them to survive.
Native species are plants and animals that stayed in one place for a long period of time. So they are adapted to one kind of environment. Sometimes these native species are moved, intentionally or accidentally, by humans. This can cause these species to die because they change environment.
Overexploitation is another cause of endangerment. It means to have use of too much of one species. For example people who killed whales for money without permission brought many species of whales to low population sizes. When some species of whales were in extinction, many nations decided to do something to protect them. Many species of whales including the grey whale have recovered (the population of these species has grown since then).
There are also other factors that make various plants and animals become endangered. Diseases and pollution are the ones that affect them more.
Plants and animals should be always respected because they are part of nature. We need them to survive and to keep a balanced ecosystem. It is unfair to kill them to make money.

Personal Aspect Entry: Zampolli

Zampolli is an ice-cream shop located in Triest, precisely in via Ghega 10. Every person that goes to Triest usually goes to eat an ice-cream at Zampolli. Zampolli sells the best ice-cream in Triest. When you enter into Zampolli and you look on the wall near to the exit, there is a newspaper article. The article was posted on a France newspaper and the writer says he ate an ice-cream at Zampolli and it was excellent. He claims that Zampolli could be one of the best ice-cream shops in Europe! Zampolli is also famous for the incredibly big variety of flavors it offers. The taste that is mostly sold is "variegato nutella." It is the cream flavor with Nutella on top. Zampolli is famous for using the original brand of Nutella and also for putting alot of Nutella. There is more than one Zampolli in Triest, but the one in via Ghega is the best. Zampolli makes the ice-cream and doesn't use powder milk but real milk. If you ever go to Triest, you should go to Zampolli!

Geographical Entry: Barcola

Barcola is a seaside in Triest between Roiano and Miramare. Barcola was born in the roman age and it was used as a fisher takeover until the first half of the XIX century, when the people in Triest began to build summer residences in Barcola. One of the most important buildings at Barcola is the church of San Bartolomeo, that was built in 1785. In Barcola there are the Topolini, historical constructions on the see where people can take a bath. They are called Topolini (little Mickey Mouses) because these constructions are made like Mickey Mouse's ears. From 1969, every year in October, a nautical manifestation takes place the Barcolana. Giorgio Strehler, a famous actor and director, was born in Barcola. Barcola is a very cool place to go and to take a bath. In Barcola there is also a round fountain. There are also many trees in Barcola, and it's the best place for all people. You can go there to swim and be sun bathing or if you don't enjoy the sun you can play cards in the shade, under the trees.

History of Triest: La Triestina

The "Unione Sportiva Triestina Calcio" is Triest's soccer team. Triestina plays in serie B. The president of this society is Stefano Fantinel. Triestina's trainer was Andrea Agostinelli but now is Franco Varella. Triestina Calcio was born in 1918 from the fusion of two Triest teams, the Ponziana and the Foot-Ball Club Trieste. Triestina's stadium is called Nereo Rocco. It was named after a famous Triestina player. From 1927 Triestina played in Serie A until 1956 when it was retreated to Serie B. Currently Triestina is in Serie B. Triestina is currently sponsored by Bossini rubinetterie. Triestina's uniform is red and white. Initially the shorts and knee socks were black. The shorts' color was changed to white short after. After the post-war period even the knee socks were changed to red. Triestina is a really good team. Unfortunately the previous president, Flaviano Tonellotto sold Triestina's best player, Denis Godeas. This caused a great pain to Triestina. Flaviano Tonellotto was kicked out of Triestina and in came a new president, Jannine Koevets, but in this same year, 2006, two more presidents were changed.

Arts Block entry

In arts block we are doing one of Shakespeare's plays: A Mid Summer Night Dream. In this play I am the stage manager but I also have two little parts in the play. My two parts are: Starveling and Peaseblossom. This play will be performed in a theater in my city. It will last for an hour and a half. I will appear for one minute in all the play. However I will be for all the play in the backstage helping with props, costumes, music and light. There is a lot of work to do but I like it. I like finding myself with a friend, Michele that is doing lights in this play to prepare for the play. Last year I was the stage manager in another play and Michele was doing the lights. We found ourselves to find sound effects and organize the play to make it the best possible. It was really fun and I enjoyed it!

Novle 8 Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan

Darren, a half vampire is trying to kill Mr. Crepsley, a full vampire. Darren has to leave the Vampire Cirucus to go with Mr. Crepsley to the big city. Mr. Crepsley has a business in this city and he doesn't want to talk about it with anyone. Then Darren meets a young women with whom he is falling in love. Then Darren finds a newspaper report that says that there are many murders occuring in the city. The murders happen where Mr. Crepsley is. So Darren decides to follow Mr. Crepsley and she sees he is following a man. She sees that Mr. Crepsley is preparing to attack this person and so she attacks. The man that was about to be attacked escapes. Mr. Crepsley explaines to Darren that he was trying to catch this guy because this guy was a murderer. Later she finds out that it is true, the man was part of a group called the Vampaneze. The Vampaneze think it is okl to kill humans if they feed themsleves with them. So Darren and Mr. Crepsley make a plan to trap this guy. They trap him and the story ends.

Novel 7 Dreaming in Black and White

The protagonist of this book is a young, disabled boy named Hannes. He dreams to be taken back in time when there was the Third Reich. In this dream he fears the Nazis because Hitler didn't want disabled men and children; he wanted only perfect human beings. He thought that there was no room for disabled people. Hannes' school recommends him to think that the school is his home because of his disabilities. But Hannes knows that they say this because they want him to go there to kill him eventually. Hitler says that it doesn't have sense to spend money on disabled people because a family could do more things with the same money. A friend of his mom told her that if she loves her child (Hannes) she shouldn't leave him go at this school because the Nazis built a crematorium near to this school. He says that it has been built to kill the disabled children that go to this school. At the end Hannes wants that someone signs the contract to make him go to this school. His dream is coming to an end but he still thinks how bad disabled people were treaten.

Italian Entry: Analisis del Periodo

In Italian we are doing the (analisi del periodo). In the (analisi del periodo) you need to identify and separate each proposition. To divide them you put one 'slash' after each proposition. After the end of the (periodo), you put two 'slashes'. You also need to underline each verb. Remember that there is a proposition for each verb. Then you have to identify the (proposizione principale). After this you need to find the other types of propositions. There are two types of propositions: (coordinative) and (subordinate). You also have to specify to what the proposition is related or linked. (proposizioni principali) can't be linked to other propositions. (Subordinate) and (coordinate) can be related to each other. You also need to specify if the (proposizione coordinativa) or (subordinata) is (soggettiva) or (oggettiva). The proposition is (soggettiva) when the subject is not in the (proposizione principale). If the subject is in the (proposizione principale) then the proposition is (oggettiva). The last thing you need to identify is if the proposition is (implicita) or (esplicita). The proposition is (esplicita) if the person of the verb is clarily distinguished, otherwise it is (implicita).

Social Studies: World War II and the rise of Hitler

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict that was fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers, from 1939 until 1945. The three major Axis Powers were Nazi Germany, dictated by Adolf Hitler, Fascist Italy, dictated by Benito Mussolini, and the Empire of Japan, dictated by Emperor Meiji, Emperor Taisho and Emperor Showa. The Allied Powers were all the rest of the world: North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Hitler was born in Austria in 1889. He used propaganda and charismatic oratory to convince people of his view. After the death of his parents, in 1913 Hitler moved to Munich. When the war started, he volunteered in a Bavarian regiment. After the war he was a member of the Freikorps. In 1919 he joined the German Workers party that then became the NSDAP or Nazi Party. In 1925 Hitler seized leadership of a reorganized and newly-legalized Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party. Hitler then lost the elections of 1932. He was made Chancellor in January 30, 1993. In March 5, 1933 elections, the Nationalist German Workers Party won. This is how Hitler rose to power of Germany.

Science entry: motors

My science project is based on motors. I am doing my project with another classmate: Giulio.

Motors

may seem complex but really aren't. To make a motor you need a battery, a pen, a magnet, a 60cm wire, a rubber band and two paper clips. First you bend them to make a W with them. Then, with a rubber band you attach one paperclip on the positive (+) of the battery and the second on the negative (-) sign of the battery. Then you put the magnet on the battery. It will stick because of its magnetic field. Then you will coil the wire around a pen. After this, the wire will be coiled up, and you will uncoil 5cm on each of the two ends of the wire. Then you will remove 2cm of the insulation from each of the two ends of the wire. Then you will put the coil of wire on hte two paper clips and it will start spinning. If you want to make it stop you just need to take the coil of wire away from the paperclips.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Juliet and Friar Lawrence)

Juliet is in love with Romeo. Romeo has been banished from Verona. The Prince says: "Immediately we do exile him hence." Juliet has to merry Paris, but she doesn't want. Friar Lawrence, one of her closest friends says that he has a plan. He makes a potion that will make Juliet sleep for two days and it will make her feel cold. She will apperar dead, even though she isn't. Juliet had a fight with his father because she didn't want to merry Paris. Friar Lawrence says:" Go home, be merry, give consent to merry Paris." In this way when she will be found dead, people won't think she has done it on purpose. Friar Lawrence is a really nice guy and he has a lot of courage because if he was caught making that potion for her, he would be killed. Juliet doesn't have a good relationship with her parents, and sees Friar Lawrence like a father. If Friar Lawrence didn't exist, Juliet would have been lost, without someone to guide her and give her counsils on what to do.

Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz

Scorpia is a secret organization that stands for Sabotage, Corruption Intelligence and Assassination. Alex decides to go to Venice. When he arrives he finds head quarters in a building. When he enters Nile, another assassin finds him and puts him in a close room to drown. Alex manages to escape and tells Nile who he is. Nile understands he is John's son and doesn't kill him. Alex decides to start working for Scorpia. Scorpia has a plan: kill all children aged 12 through 13. This plan is called Invisible Sword. They send alex to kill a person. When he shoots to the person, he is caught by MI6 and later finds out that the person he had to kill had a bullet-proof jacket. MI6 sends him back to Scorpia to find out more on their plan, and he stops them. When he returns to MI6 a scorpia's assassin shoots him. The story ends with him being apparently dead.

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Matthew Freeman is a normal boy. One day Kelvin, one of his friends convince him to steal some dvds from a shop. When he's inside trying to get as more dvds as possible he gets caught. He is then sent to Yorkshire as part of a rehabilitation program , called the Leaf Project. He goes to live with a strange person in a strange place. One day he tries to escape, going in the woods, but gets back to the place he started and can't understand why. Later he finds out that long ago, a group of people called the Nexus, banished a group of evil beings called The Old Ones. He then finds out that the Nexus are four boys and one girl, and that he is one of them. With the help of the Nexus and a journalist named Richard Cole, he defeats The Old Ones and the Raven's Gate doesn't open.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnuts is a very unfortunate boy. One day while he was passing under a bridge, a person who had stole a pair of expensive shoes, throws the shoes from the bridge, and they land in Stanley's backpack. He is caught by the police and is falsely accused of having stole them. He is then sent to Camp Green Lake, where he is forced to dig one whole each in the desert. One day, zero one of his new friends, of Camp Green Lake decides to escape. Later Stanley finds out that Warden, the director of that place is making children dig wholes to find a treasure. Stanley decides to escape and finds zero. Stanley and Zero find a place called the Thumb of God, where there is food, water and shade. They manage to survive and go to the police, and Warden gets arrested.

Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz

Alex is still recovering from the sniper shot (in scorpia). When he is in the hospital, four people enter, and Alex disarms them. Before he can call the police, a fifth man enters and knocks him out. When he wakes up, he is held hostage of Force Three, an organization for which the people he knocked out worked. Kaspar, the head of Force Three, leaves Alex to die, but he manages to escape. Drevin, an enemy of Force Three, calls Alex to thank him. Joe Byrne director of the CIA phones Alex telling him Drevin is the biggest criminal in the world. Alex's cover is blown up. He is caught again and brought to a hangar. Drevin launches a missile to Ark Angel, a space hotel he was building. Drevin tries to escape on a seaplane, but he crashes and dies. MI6 sends Alex into space to move the missile. He moves it and lands in the coast of Australia.

The French Confection by Anthony Horowitz

The two protagonists are two brothers, Nick and Tim. Tim is the older. One day, they win a week-end for two in Paris. In the train from England to Paris, they meet two strange people. One is a steward, and the other one is named Erica Nice. When they arrive, they go and visit the Eiffel Tower. When they come back two people kidnap them. These people ask them what the steward gave them, but Tim and Nick don't understand. Finally, these two criminals drug Tim and Nick, and they leave the two brothers on the road. The police finds them and wants them to find these criminals before returning to England. The police tells them the code name for the boss of the two criminals is mad american. Tim and Nick find the mad american. It was the code name for “madameericanice.” The police comes and arrests the criminals, and Nick and Tim Diamond have solved another case.

Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer

Moon Fletcher is a twelve-year old boy who likes to "play detective". He was solving a case. One day, someone hits him in the face with a metal object. He loses his senses. The next morning his parents found him and brought him to the hospital. When he woke up, he escapes from the hospital. Someone was trying to accuse him of something he dadn't done, and he was going to find out who this person was. Moon decides to go temporaneily to live with Red's family. Moon was suspecting that Red was the person who had tried to square him. Moon sees the metal object. He runs out of that house, and goes to the police to tell what had really happened. Moon had solved the biggest mystery of his life, and got the biggest criminal of his town arrested.