Reality Tv

Reality Tv

Alexa Kerprich

Reality tv shows have been around forever and a ton of people watch them. But are they really reality or are they faked to get more viewers? Do the people in the show have certain requirements? Or is it all real? You never know with those shows.

Reality tv shows are very popular. People like to watch what other people go through I guess. But are they really going through that? Some people think they are, some don't. Olivia Neal says “Some of it is I guess but like in the one with Kardashians they say they’re not acting and stuff but really, well I don’t know this for a fact, but they probably have guidlines with what they’re going to react to and what they’re going to say” this could be true, could not be. You never know. But, some shows, like the cooking ones are probably not fake because what is there to fake about those?

There are some more popular reality shows that almost everyone knows about, and there are some that almost no one knows about. Shania Goertz says  that she likes “Keeping up with the Kardashians and Dance Moms.” those two shows are pretty popular. Some shows that aren't as popular are My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé, Temptation Island, and Farmer Wants a Wife. Some shows just don't make it. But others do really well, like Keeping up with the Kardashians, Dance Moms, Survivor, Amazing Race, and American Idol. Almost everyone knows those shows and most of those people like them too. Survivor, Amazing Race and American Idol are all shows that you try to win, like a contest kind of. They are all different though, Survivor is a show about teams and surviving on an island while doing little games and the team that loses has to loose a person from their team. Amazing Race is a race around the world. Teams of two have to go to different countries every day to try to get to the end of the part of the race that's in that country. American Idol is a show where people audition to sing and every week a certain amount of people get eliminated. The last week there is only 2 people left and one wins.

I also asked people how much and what parts of reality shows do they think is fake, Olivia said “Not so much with really little kids but with like grown ups and stuff and teenagers and I feel like their laughing and their crying are kind of fake and they exagarate the drama.” Shania agreed and said “Well, there’s a lot that’s fake in reality shows like when they’re crying and using more drama then there actually is needed.” But not all of it is fake! A lot of it is real too, like the shows that I just talked about. Those can't be fake, especially American Idol because the winner of that show is chosen by the votes from anyone who calls in.

The last question I asked when I interviewed people was 'do you think they should keep making reality shows?' Shania said “Yes because a lot of people watch them.” and Olivia said Yeah because the people that are in the shows are making like a well, they’re not really making a business but they’re having fun making them and there’s a lot of people that do watch them." Reality shows do really well with making money but people have different opinions of them. Some think they are completely fake and they don't even like to watch them, but others think that they are good shows and really enjoy watching them!

The names of some reality shows

Movies over the years

Movies over the years

By: Eva Driscoll

Over the years there has been hundreds of thousands of movies that we have come to love. Some of those would be classics like Ariel, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping beauty,  Snow White, and Toy Story. A similarity to all of these movies is that they are all Disney movies and for children of all ages. Because there are so many kids many families have gone to see these movies which makes them best sellers and things people will remember forever.
  The main genres that movies have are: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Stand up comedy, Crime, Fantasy, Mythological, Horror, Love/ Romance, Science Fiction, and Thrillers. Most of the time action movies consist of weapons, bombs, explosions, swat teams, and anything that could be a threat or a danger to society. Comedy movies are always an option because its light hearted, fun, and laughing always makes you feel good. A majority of comedy movies are where the main struggle in the movie results in hilarious actions. One of the people that I interviewed said that they enjoyed Comedy movies, “That is just my favorite movie genre, and they usually have my favorite actors in them”, Said Kristina Mokalla.
  Horror movies are for the people who love adrenaline and to be freaked out, most of the time the movie is about a monster, human, or non-human chasing a person or people.
  Now love and Romance movies any girl or guy would love to watch. Some love and romance movies can be funny, dramatic, or a thriller, it’s the best of all. Only one person said that they liked Love and Romance movies “It’s because I have a sensitive side.” Says Aj Hart.
  Choosing your favorite movie can be difficult that’s why I asked people their top three.
Mallory Hoffbeck said that her top three favorite movies were Sherlock Holmes, The Hunger Games, and Lord of the Rings. Kristina Mokalla said that her top three favorite movies are Step Brothers, Due Date, and Wanted. Megan Brock likes every type of movie except Horror and Syfi and with that she choose her top three to be Charlie St. Cloud, Hairspray, and The Hunger Games.
  Aj Hart gave me eight of his favorite movies instead of three, his favorite movies were The Notebook, Facing the Giants, Courageous, Remember the Titans, Black Hawk Down, Forrest Gump, 300, and We Were Soldiers. For his favorite genres he said that they were Action and Romance.
  Movies are made for entertainment and escaping reality for a short while and whether it’s to laugh to forget your problems and heartache, to be freaked out so you can scream with your friends, to believe in the possible invasion of earth for an hour and a half or to cry your eyes out with a bowl of ice cream over your favorite romantic movie. Those are some of the possibilities that movies can create. From the beginning of movie making when there were no words to all the amazing special effects that we have now, movies have and always will stir emotions in all of us.

Word count: 521

Nba Playoffs

NBA Playoffs     By: Jonah Han Word Count:385

       The NBA Playoffs have so far been the most exciting one in years. With several matches going into game 7 such as Lakers vs. Nuggets, Clippers vs. Grizzlies and Celtics vs. 76ers it has gathered a lot of attention from fans. Also, game winning shots by stars such as Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant have gotten their home crowds in cheers.

       When asked about the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Tristen Walker said, "I think that the NBA Playoffs have been very entertaining with all the close games and game 7s." Ryan Kister said, "I think the NBA Playoffs have been extremely exciting because of all the good teams matching up against each other." Sergio Menezes said "The NBA Playoffs have been great and exciting so far." Michael Muller said "The Nba Playoffs have been okay but Kevin Durant has been amazing in these playoffs."

       Although many top caliber teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks have all been eliminated from the playoffs, there are still many top caliber teams still in the playoffs. In the western conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing vs the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder are leading 3 to 2 in the series and Kevin Durant has averaged 30 points per game in the series for the Thunder. In the eastern conference finals, the Miami Heat are playing vs the Boston Celtics. The series is tied 2 to 2 and LeBron James is averaging 28 points per game for the Heat.

       When asked about who they want to win the NBA Championship, Ryan Kister said "I think that the Oklahoma City Thunder will win the NBA Championship with their star power and Kevin Durant's clutch shooting." Tristen Walker said "I think the Oklahoma City Thunder will win because I think that Kevin Durant is the best player in the whole NBA by far. Sergio Menezes said "I think the Boston Celtics will win the NBA Championship with their veteral leadership. Michael Muller said "I think that the Miami Heat will win the NBA Championship with their star players such as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.

       Overall, the NBA Playoffs have been great so far. Although we have seen many great moments this Playoffs, the best has yet to come.

Carly Rae Jepsen by Olivia Neal

Carly Rae Jepsen

By Olivia Neal

With American Idol, Xfactor and YouTube available to the public, it seems very easy for people to become famous now days. Music artist Justin Bieber discovered Carly Rae Jepsen in 2011 by posting a video of her singing on YouTube. Justin says, “I clicked on her video and the moment I heard her voice, I knew I had to let the world hear her amazing talent”.  Justin called her and asked her if she wanted to come and meet him and discuss her career of singing. Justin then decided to sign her on his label and she has now successfully released her first single Call Me Maybe.  Her official music video posted on YouTube currently has 189,108 views and is still getting more views daily. Call Me Maybe is now ranked number four on music’s top forty. In 2011, Ellen DeGeneres on the Ellen show called Justin and Carly on her show to talk about the discovering of Carly Rae Jepsen. She said that the phone call Justin made to her was the most miraculous thing that had ever happened to her. “With her talent, anything is possible for her right now” says Justin.  

Julia K.  Says  “We as a country should not be getting more famous people. I think that Carly doesn’t have the talent to be famous and that she should just give up now”. Personally, I think that if you have a dream of being a singer, then go for it. The last thing you want people telling you is give up now. In 2007, she placed third in the fifth season of Canadian Idol, and was a part of the Canadian Idol Top 3 concert tour. She has already been doing so well and hasn’t been in the industry for a long period of time. I think that she should follow her true talent and not care what negative things people think about her.

Carly Rae Jepsen released her

First single call me maybe thanks

To Justin Bieber

Word Count: 535

Sorces: YouTube, CNN, Google

By: Olivia Neal

Title: Carly Rae Jepsen

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

  Team with Potential:

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

                   By: Jonah Han

Word Count: 543

         Although the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim only have a record of 26-26, many people such as Bill Plunkett from the Orange County Register agree that they have a bright future. Loaded with young talented players such as Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout, they are projected to be one of the MLB's best teams in the future. Not only do they have great young talent, they have established stars such as Albert Pujols, Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson that have been in the Playoffs several times. It is not surprising their fan base is growing.

         Out of all the people asked in Media Lit 7 if they liked the Angels, 80% of the people said “yes”. When asked about the Angels, Sergio Menezes said, "I think they are one of the best teams in the MLB and they have a great starting pitching staff”. Tristen Walker agreed “I think that they are a great team with great power hitters such as Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo.” Michael Muller added “I think the Angels have the potential to become a dynasty in the years to come and Mike Trout will become a future star.” Likewise, Vladik Katin stated, “I think that the Angels are good and they have a nice stadium.”

The Angels also have the right leadership. They are owned by Arte Moreno. He bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company for $180 million dollars. He has invested a lot of money to get top free agents over the years that he has been the owner. He gave 1st basemen Albert Pujols a 10 year $254 million dollar contract in 2011 and center fielder Torii Hunter to a 5 year $90 million dollar contract in 2008. By attracting and keeping talented players, he has helped to turn the Angels from a losing team into a borderline playoff team.

Because of their recent success, the Angels attendance has increased rapidly. In 1997 their average attendance was 21,553 fans and in the past 15 years, it has increased 13,935 to 35,488 in 2012. During the 2012 season vs the Texas Rangers on June 2, 2012, the Angels broke their all time attendance record with 44,227 fans at the game. This is not surprising since they have become one of the most thrilling teams for fans to watch.

When asked if they would attend an Angels game Sergio Menezes said “I would because they are an exciting team to watch.” Michael Muller agreed “I would want to watch them because it seems like they are always in a close game and close games are very exciting.” Tristen Walker added “I would love to watch the Angels because they have some of my favorite players on their team such as Albert Pujols and Jered Weaver.” Even Ryan Kister stated, “Although the Angels are not one of my favorite teams, I would love to watch one of their games.”

The Angels have made their mark as one of the brightest and most exciting teams in the MLB. They have all the tools to possibly become the best team in the MLB and attract fans with their flashy play. It will be interesting to see if they can live up to their potential. Personally, I am a believer.

TV vs. Outside

This shows an average 12-13 year old boy jumping on a trampoline.  This is a very good source of exercise for the average teen.

Instead of being outside in that bright shining weather, this boy is sitting inside eating junk food, while watching TV.

By: Libby Graalum
Do teens and Tweens of modern America watch too much tv compared to going outside? At a percentage of 33 of american children that are obese, it is not very uncommon for there to be an overweight kid in every other household. One of the factors for the obesity of the kids, is the exercise of the youth. The average exercise rate for an average 12-13 year old girl and boy is 1 hour a day. In a recent study, only 35% of tweens run, walk, do a sport, etc. for that an hour a day. The other 65% say they get 3-4 hours a week or 25-35 minutes a day. By only exercising only half the average time, the kids are only burning half the calories they consume (about 1800-2000 calories for girls ages 12-13 and 2000-2300 for boys the same age). This causes the body to save the calories as fat cells. If the child continues to not exercise as needed, they will become overweight.

But, why aren't kids getting the proper amount of exercise for their age? One of the many distractions is the very common in an average American house. They can range from 1-5 in a single house of a family of 4. It is in fact, the humble television. From comedy to drama, anything is on the TV. As asked by some seventh grade boys and girls, some very common shows include:

• Glee
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Phineas and Ferb
• Psych
• Vampire Diaries
• Secret life of an American Teenager
• Big Bang Theory

"I normally watch TV about 45 minutes every week (Monday to Friday)." Says 12 year old Eva Driscoll. "And I work out about 30-45 minutes everyday."
But some kids that are unlike Eva, don't workout as much as her. Instead of exercising or playing outside with a friend of pet, most kids sit inside, and watch their favorite shows on the TV. If it couldn’t get any worse, some kids sit down and watch TV or movies after they eat a big meal or sitting in front of the TV while eating. When you eat this way, you aren't paying attention to what you are eating so you might eat too much. When the calories should be getting used by exercising, they are just sitting in your body waiting to be used. But if the energy from your food is not used soon enough, it will build up as fat.

"What if my favorite show is on but I have to go outside or exercise?". This is a frequently asked question for seventh grades with no after school sport. If you have cable TV and you have the ability to record shows, you can ask your parents if you can record your show to watch after you play outside. If your family has an in-home gym (or just a treadmill or elliptical) that has equipment in front of a TV, you can watch a movie or your show on the TV. Another common concern is "What will I do outside?". Megan Brock (another seventh grader) says, "I normally ask a friend to come over and we just play outside." Having a friend over to jump on your trampoline (if you have one) or playing with a family (or even neighbors) dog is a great source of exercise. If you are unable to do these, ask your parents (or legal guardian) for some ideas or what to do for good exercises at home.

(word count: 581)

Widow of a 9/11 is found dead in colorado

 

                                                             By Josef Triman           

                                                  Word Count: 259

The Wife of the 9/11 Pilot

Widow of a 9/11 is found dead in colorado

Its a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining and the kids are playing outsides and where are you? dead. Sandy Dahl, 52, was found dead in her home in Colorado. Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Carl Blesch said Saturday that there was no indication of foul play. To all you who don’t know what widow is a widow is a woman whose husband is dead. She died in her sleep from natural causes."Sandy was instrumental in the creation of the Dahl Fund following the tragic events of 9/11, and her guiding light will be missed," the fund said in a statement posted on its website. Dahl worked tirelessly running the Captain Jason Dahl Scholarship Fund and her death was a surprise, said David Dosch, a family friend. The scholarship fund gives money to aspiring pilots to help them attend commercial flight training schools. Jason Dahl was piloting United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001 when it crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It is believed that passengers aboard that flight thwarted a plot to steer the plane through the U.S. Capitol dome and eventually caused it to crash in a field.
In an interview last year on the anniversary of 9/11, Stacy Dahl wore their wedding ring.
"I do think about him every day," she told CNN affiliate KMGH. "The reason I am doing this (interview) today and the reason that I do this at all is to make sure he is never forgotten."

An MVP upset for Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.

An MVP upset for Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.

                            By Vamsee Padala
In the MVP race kevin durant had the lead for the first half of the season but then Lebron james took over in the second half of the season. The totals for the MVP votes were 1. Lebron james with 86 votes. In second place 2. Kevin durant with 36 votes. In third place 3. Chris paul with 6 votes. Then next in fourth place 4. Kobe bryant with 4 votes. Then in fifth place 5. Tony parker with 2 votes. Quote “ i think Lebron should have gotten less votes and kevin durant should have gotten more votes and should have been MVP”.
When LeBron James took his talents to Miami, I thought that he unofficially and unknowingly disqualified himself  from MVP consideration for the duration of his carrerbecause he elected to play alongside another great player in Dwyane Wade. But much to my surprise, LeBron has strung together another stellar campaign and has himself in line for possibly his third league MVP. He’s mired in a two-man race with Kevin Durant and the two seem to be going back and forth.
But if you ask Durant, he thinks LeBron should win it,

He deserves all the love (for MVP),’ said Thunder forward Kevin Durant. ‘He’s playing phenomenal basketball. I’m just trying to get better every single game and trying to help my team as much as I can. I’m just blessed to be in that conversation. Then for kobe everyone expected him to get more votes because he was in the top 2 for the scoring title.

Word count: 314

The Miami Heat’s 4th quarter problems.

The Miami Heat’s 4th quarter problems.

By Vamsee Padala

The miami heat have had many 4th quarter problems such as quote

“The heat's bench have streaky shooters” another quote “Lebron needs to take more game winning shots instead of passing to d wade.” Another thing i have seen is the all-star game where lebron had that 1 big turnover instead of taking the shot he tried to pass the ball and got the ball stolen. The miami heat are a good overall team but their 4th quarter problems could hold them back from winning the finals. Some problems that have came from d-wade are when he has the late game fouls those fouls in the last second caused some losses for the miami heat. Lebron’s problem is that he tries to pass instead of shooting the ball to win the game or to tie it up. I think if this happens then the heat could become many times better. This will also make lebron a much better player because wade can already make 4th quarter shots and when wade and lebron were out bosh made some game winning shots. only two losses for the miami heat so far this season, but the important aspect of those were fourth-quarter collapses.

A lot of this has to be blamed on the effort defensively, but for the most part, it is because of a fluent offense that eventually becomes stiff.

Miami must stop settling for jumpers and do what it does best: push the pace and get to the line.

With three stars to go to, Miami should not have a lapse in ability when it matters most. However, figuring out how to cure these obvious problems should be second priority behind staying healthy come playoff time.

Let's look at Miami's most logical options and what the Heat bring to the table late in games. Lebron and wade have been on quite the roll the past four games. In fact, the duo has never played better together.

Yet despite their brilliance as of late, they need to show more something more before we call them perfect, and that’s the ability to do what they’ve been doing in tight fourth quarters.

During the past four games LBJ and Wade have combined to score 251 points (62.8 per game) and have combined to make 99-of-169 (59 percent) shots from the floor.

However because of their brilliance, the Heat have pretty much cruised to four consecutive playoff victories, winning by an average of 16.5 points per game.

Miami’s biggest problem has been fourth quarter execution and with the roll that they are on right now, it’s quite possible that they won’t need to be put in that situation anytime soon. But when they do, whose hands does head coach Erik Spoelstra put the ball in? It’s been an issue in the past as two of Miami’s three postseason losses have come down to the final seconds with the ball never finding its way into LeBron’s hands.

With the way things are clicking between Wade and James at the moment, there is little doubt that they will figure out late-game situations as well, but until are put in that situation and produce positive results, let’s hold off on calling them perfect just yet.

Pressure situations in the postseason have been the only thing truly holding this Miami team back, dating back to the 2011 NBA Finals.

Once they conquer that mountain though, will there be anything stopping them from accomplishing everything they set out to do?

Of course, given the way they are performing on the offensive end, we may not see LeBron and Wade in that type of situation for a very long time.

It’s been an issue in the past as two of Miami’s three postseason losses have come down to the final seconds with the ball never finding its way into LeBron’s hands.

With the way things are clicking between Wade and James at the moment, there is little doubt that they will figure out late-game situations as well, but until are put in that situation and produce positive results, let’s hold off on calling them perfect just yet.

Pressure situations in the postseason have been the only thing truly holding this Miami team back, dating back to the 2011 NBA Finals.

Once they conquer that mountain though, will there be anything stopping them from accomplishing everything they set out to do?

Of course, given the way they are performing on the offensive end, we may not see LeBron and Wade in that type of situation for a very long time.

It’s been an issue in the past as two of Miami’s three postseason losses have come down to the final seconds with the ball never finding its way into LeBron’s hands.

With the way things are clicking between Wade and James at the moment, there is little doubt that they will figure out late-game situations as well, but until are put in that situation and produce positive results, let’s hold off on calling them perfect just yet.

Pressure situations in the postseason have been the only thing truly holding this Miami team back, dating back to the 2011 NBA Finals.

Once they conquer that mountain though, will there be anything stopping them from accomplishing everything they set out to do?

Of course, given the way they are performing on the offensive end, we may not see LeBron and Wade in that type of situation for a very long time. 

Word count: 435

Mothers ban Blood on the Dance Floor?

Mothers Ban Blood on the Dance Floor?

Dahvie Vanity(left) and Jayy Von Monroe(Right) of
Blood on the Dance Floor.

 By, Isabell D.

  

  Theses days, teens get harassed by others for the simplest things. If a kid wears all black, their labeled as "goth". If a kid wears band shirts and has their hair covering parts of their face, their labeled as "emo", and so on and so forth. 

Teenagers of this era of  time need a place to come together, and be who they truly are. And that's what the Vans Warped Tour is. The Vans Warped Tour is a place where dozens and dozens of alternative bands perform and become known. Alec Ramsey stated "Warped Tour is the gathering of all my favorite types of music, and I guess it's somewhere I feel like I belong." Warped Tour has been going on for years and years, and has been becoming more popular each year. 

   Bands such as Black Veil Brides, Sleeping with Sirens, Asking Alexandria, and Never Shout Never have been on the tour's line up in the past few years. So has a band named Blood on the Dance floor. Blood on the Dance Floor consists of two men named Dahvie Vanity, and Jayy Von Monroe. They have been known to produce catchy, upbeat music that enlightens the day of anyone that listens to it. But in there past, they have also been known to produce very sexual music. From a Bryanstars interview with B.O.T.D.F. (Blood on the Dance Floor), Dahvie said "We were just young pups then, and we were just starting out. We didn't know who our audience was going to be. After we realized that young teenagers were listening to us, we freaked out! Were seriously going to mature our music cause Jayy and I are truly maturing as well." 

Blood on the Dance Floor in the studio working
on their latest album. 

  Hundreds of teens and young adults all over the world are fans of B.O.T.D.F. Including some Stoller Middle School Students. Alec Ramsey said "Their music is upbeat and their newer kind of music sends a good message." Kata Winkler stated that "Blood on the Dance Floor's music is just plain amazing." B.O.T.D.F. has matured their music and made it something to where everyone can enjoy it. At the 2011 Vans Warped Tour, Blood on the dance Floor was one of the headlining bands  of the tour. 

  But just two years ago, Dahvie Vanity was accused of rape of a 11 year old girl who calls herself Jessie Slaughter. Dahvie was sent to jail for 2 weeks, but was later released because no evidence was found that he actually did rape Jessie. 3 months after the rape trial, Jessie came out and said that she did it all to get attention. 

Mothers, however, believe that Jessie only said that she did it for attention, just so people would stop hating her over the internet. So a group of mothers came together to form a petition stating that "Young teenage girls will be pressured into performing sex acts in public during 'Blood on the Dance Floor' performances." and "We strongly encourage The Warped Tour to retain its focus on independent musical ARTISTS who wholeheartedly push and explore the many facets of independent music rather than flash-in-the-pan cheap exploitive gimmick acts formed by self-serving pathetic sad and grotesque individuals who's sole goal is to exploit children." Many don't agree with this, such as Alec Ramsey who said "I mean, sure mothers are powerful, but they can't censor what music we listen to. It's our life. Were bound to hear it sometime." Alex Jones said "It's stupid. Parents can't hide everything from us. We all grow up and we WILL end up knowing and learning about everything they have been hiding from us." and Kata Winkler said "It's OUR lives for crying out loud. Dahvie and Jayy produce amazing music that makes me happy. That's something that parents just don't understand." 

       Loyal fans of Blood on the Dance Floor (me being one myself), know that Dahvie and Jayy have only ever wanted their musical message to be to spread love, unity, peace, and respect. Dahvie said in a Bryanstars interview "We want world peace, ya know? We have been told before that our music has saved some of our fans lives.  Bullying and hate need to vanish from this world, and we need to let the voices of these young teens and adults be heard, and to not be put down. " 

   So far, there has been no word on whether or not Blood on the Dance Floor is playing this years 2012 Warped Tour. 

Koalas could go extinct

Koalas could go extinct

By Callen Guillory    period 3    Media Literature

You arrive at the zoo in Australia and you are excited to see the Koala Bears. When you arrive at the zoo, you sprint towards the Koala habitat and you are exhilarated to finally get there. You have been waiting in lines and planes and car rides. This is the moment, you are finally here. Your smile is as bright as the sun and when you look through the glass of the Koala habitat, there are no Koalas. You look over to the right, then left and you notice a sign with the words “Sorry, but the Koala habitat is closed due to a medical illness in the Koalas”.

In Australia, the most popular attraction is dieing of a disease. In some places in Australia, koalas are actually going to be extinct. The cause, AIDS and it’s deadly. This disease is causing Koalas to die a slow and painful death.

Millions everywhere are heart-broken from this. Australia Koala foundation president Deborah Tabart says “I can promise you after being on government committees for years and lobbying minister after minister, I see nothing in our country being done to protect Koalas”. The foundation also states that if nothing is done to help save Koalas, they will be extinct in 30 years. People are also saying that Australia will lose about 1 billion US dollars, because they make that much money with tourism.

word count: 243

Links

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-12-13/world/australia.koalas_1_koalas-deborah-tabart-extinction?_s=PM:WORLD

pictures

http://www.stanford.edu/~jay/koalas/koalas.html

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/koala/

Lakers Struck by Thunder

By: Eric Patterson

The OKC Thunder played against each other
in the second round of the playoffs

For many years the Lakers have been the golden standard for being a great team. The Lakers have made it to the playoffs every year for the last 7 seasons. Kobe Bryant is one of the best players in the NBA and has lead the Lakers to five championship wins. According to Ryan Kister the Lakers have a better record for being a historically good team. He also says that two years ago the Lakers were much better than the Thunder. Now the two teams have met in the playoffs, and the results reveal a new reality for the Lakers.

The OKC Thunder and the LA Lakers played in a seven game series in the second round of the 2012 playoffs. The Thunder beat the Lakers in the series four games to one. The Lakers also struggled in the first round of the playoffs when it took them seven games to beat the Denver Nuggets in their series. The Thunder had no problem beating the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in a four game sweep in their first round series. In the series between the Lakers and the Thunder, three of the games were very close, the other two were blowouts for OKC. In game 1, OKC set the tone by winning by 29 points. The next three games were close, OKC won by two, then Lakers won by three, and OKC won game four by three points. In game five the Lakers had to win to continue in the playoffs, this is the time when stars can rise and lead their team to a huge comeback, but instead the Lakers lost by 16 to end their postseason play.

Kevin Durant dunks the ball

These results suggest a new reality for the quality of the Lakers team. It also shows a new path ahead for the Thunder. The Thunder proved themselves in both of their seasons. First they swept the Dallas Mavericks, the defending champions. Then they went on to beat the Lakers, one of the best teams in the NBA four games to one. On the other side, the Lakers struggled in their first series against the Nuggets. The Nuggets were only rank sixth, while the Lakers were third, but it took the Lakers seven games to beat them. Then the Lakers got knocked out by OKC. The Thunder seem to be on the road to success, they may be the new, upcoming legends of the NBA. While the Lakers currently remain a strong team, it is clear that they are not the superstar team they were before, and are on a downward spiral. The Lakers must change some things around, and see if they can regain the superstar status they had a few years ago. For the Thunder they need to keep up the intensity and they might be able to get to the finals, and if they do make it to the finals they would have a good shot at winning it.

Now the Lakers are going home and trying to get ready for next season. They will be looking for things they can change in the lineup and in their playing style to try to bring back the life the Lakers had before. For the Thunder they are now going on to the conference finals where they are playing the San Antonio Spurs. This will be a very tough match for OKC as the Spurs have won their last 18 games and haven’t lost in the playoffs. Anything can happen in the playoffs, and the Thunder should play some great and interesting games to finish off their postseason.

Is Gymnastics a real sport?

            When you think of Gymnastics, do you view it as a sport or as a hobby?

Those who like Gymnastics agree that it is a sport. Others who are of a different athletic group think that it is just a hobby and doesn’t require any athletic ability to participate in. Over seventy- five percent of the students interviewed at Stoller Middle School agreed that gymnastics is a real sport based on the facts that it is active, you are physically moving and you are working out every part of your body. “ I think Gymnastics is a great sport as long as it is properly practiced. I don’t agree with the sport when it is to the limit of girls being anorexic or bulimic. I also don’t agree with it when gymnasts are overly dedicated to the sport that it takes over their lives and put Gymnastics before school work”.

            Personally, I think that Gymnastics is a phenomenal sport. Yes, you do get hurt but in every other sport you get hurt. “Gymnastics is one of the best sports out there”(Mrs. Davis), you are using every part of your body, you have great balance and on top of everything, its so much fun! Gymnastics gives you strength; agility, speed and you learn a lot of technique. Kids should start out young in my opinion to get a head start on strengthening their bones and muscles from early ages. They can only do sports for so long.

                                                                                               

                                                           

One of the best US Gymnasts Shawn Johnson.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Gymnastics+shawn+johnson&um=1&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1138&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=j-Et8nkm8okovM:&imgrefurl=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/gymnastics/2008-08-19-johnson-beam_N.htm&docid=mMILJ77j83XfcM&imgurl=http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2008/08/19/w-gym2x.jpg&w=245&h=351&ei=-sq-T9qsAqrYiQKF-dyOCA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=321&sig=117719575028764282652&page=2&tbnh=156&tbnw=109&start=20&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:20,i:173&tx=83&ty=36

Word count: 248

Name: Olivia Neal

Article Title: Is Gymnastics really a sport?

This is how much food a family gets in a week or less
World Hunger, will it always be a problem?

Children and adults all over the modern world and especially in third world countries are dealing with hunger and starvation. Usually when countries are starving they don't have the resources for their country to survive. This terrible act has been going on for many years, it’s still happening because people are eating and wasting food in countries with plenty along with poverty in most countries. In the US we have plenty of food around us, but we still have starving children and adults. This is because people are taking advantage of our food. We are taking more than we can eat and throwing away what we don't eat.

People are eating too much and not exercising, which is causing obesity, which is also a big problem in the world. Obesity is where people are severely overweight and can’t stop eating. Some of that food that is not used or thrown away can be used for people in need. This is a huge problem because its bad for their health.

Life expectancy  is much larger than it was 30 years ago. The life expectancy in the early 1800’s was maximum of 35-50 years, now its almost 80-90. We are living longer because scientists and doctors are coming up with new medicine to make you live when you're on the verge of death, more sanitation in your home and on the streets and we are cleaner and take care of ourselves impressively better. This makes the population huge (a population explosion) and the resources less and less. There is less land to plant crops and with global warming a constant concern, the crops existing are being compromised with changes in weather. How do we keep up with the ever growing population? Considering we have more than 7 billion people on the earth currently. People need to feed their families which can be from 1 child to more than 10 children with the parents. With less resources it’s getting harder to provide for your family and yourself. If each family had 6 children, minimally, the resources would be a lot less accessible than if you had 1 or 2 kids. “If each person had one or two kids their lives would be just as great as if they had 5 or six” says Mrs. Mcarty.

There are solutions to these problems. People could be planting more fruit trees, and vegetables in their own backyard. If we decided as a nation to each grow at least ¼ of our food we eat, this would deduct the amount people would need to buy as well as the amount farmers would be expected to produce. There is plenty of space for plants but we use that space for houses, buildings, roads, malls and factories. Other solutions are minimizing our food portions and eating and buying less food. We could even out the distribution of food in other countries. In other countries they don't have very much food because of poverty. In most third world countries, the average person is either unable to work or receives such little amount of money for their job, they are unable to buy the resources they need for themselves and their families.  Unlike the United States, we have plenty of food but we still have starving and hungry families everywhere.

Most of the people we interviewed said that world hunger is one of the things that can never be stopped or taken care of, “No, i don’t think it’s possible because the one reason is that many countries are third world countries so they don’t have any resources and money,” Aj Hart said, “and also parents don’t go out and try to provide they just sit there and wait for someone to help them.”
In our world we act like it's every man for himself.  We interviewed some people and most of that said we are one world and should work together as one, and the others said that each part of the world should take care of itself with no help from anyone else. “No, we are one world and we need to work together on this planet.” said Mrs.Denio. We are one world and we do need to work together to stop world hunger and starvation. It’s a huge problem and most people don’t care about it. Like I said earlier, every man for himself. Mrs slater said “ i think we should take care of our country first.” Is this the solution? only take care of ourselves first? Would this solve the issue? If we take care of ourselves first, would we then be able to take care of others.. show them what worked for us?
    The main third world country is Africa, that is also the main hunger and starvation center in the world. In other countries we have hunger and starvation but nothing compares to Africa. The people that live in Africa not only have starvation problems, they also have many diseases that spread around like the flu. To get that noticed around the world would be amazing. The couple of ways that people have said that you could help make the hunger more noticeable  around the world were, “I think the media center, commercials, and doing what you're doing, posting articles online would help world hunger get noticed.” says Mrs. Slater. It’s an issue that is getting greater by the day. People have a tendency to avoid or ignore any problem unless it’s personally affecting them. So, how do we get the issue under control? How do we get people to care? How do we solve the problem?
There are starving people all over the world, some of them are children and some are adults with families. No matter who or what it is it's still a problem, we need to fix this problem because it won’t go away if we ignore it.

There were 925 million people that are struggling with hunger in 2010, now there is over 1 billion.The big question that stills hangs above us is... how do we solve the problem of hunger and starvation?

These kids are reaching out for your help, please help them.