RHBR -- Blogmeister

1. Mysterious Benedict Society/ Trenton Lee Stewart
2. Alex Rider (series)/ Anthony Horowitz
3. Eragon (series)/ Christopher Paolini
4. Harry Potter (series)/ J. K. Rowling
5. Artemis Fowl/ Eoin Colfer
6. Robin Hood/ Paul Cresswick
7. Black Duck/ Janet Taylor Lisle

In Fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That was when the great Christopher Columbus sailed from Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean, and discovered the Americas for Europe. Ever since 1934, the USA has been celebrating a holiday dedicated to Columbus and his achievements. But now, some people are questioning whether we should be celebrating Columbus or not. They have their opinions about whether Columbus did more bad than good, but they don't register all of the reasons why we should celebrate Columbus Day.

For example, some people say that celebrating Columbus Day is wrong because the natives were already there, and he invaded their land. But what they fail to realize is that Columbus found what was almost a separate world then, and brought it up to speed for its people and the rest of the world. It had already been discovered by the Vikings, and there were already natives living there. But Columbus made the Americas usable for everybody. And when Columbus brought Europe to the Americas, he and the other Europeans moved in and used the land and its resources to their full potential. Before Columbus, the natives had been living off of the land, but they weren't using the extensive forests, wildlife, or other resources, nearly as much as when the Europeans came in. And people say that celebrating Columbus Day is an insult to the natives because they were there first and Columbus came in and killed them. But they decline to recognize that many of the natives were hostile, and Columbus couldn't take a chance, even with the friendly ones. Besides, instead of flat out killing all of the conquered natives, he put some of them to good use as slaves, which is more humane and efficient than killing them. And with the Columbian Exchange, the Europeans brought new technology to the Americas, and brought back things like tobacco, potatoes, and corn, which became very valuable crops for Europe. Because Columbus discovered the Americas for Europe, he made life better for the majority.

And people say that Columbus day is not politically correct to celebrate, because it is an insult to the natives. But they refuse to acknowledge that celebrating Columbus Day makes the majority of our population, those of European descent, happier. And even if Columbus was being unfair to the natives, it wouldn't matter because in the end, it's the winners who get to celebrate their victory and their heritage. So there is really no good reason for the USA not to continue to celebrate Columbus Day.

Bridges

Bridge

Bridge of cards

Card game

Game

Song

London bridge is falling down

Portsmouth bridges need repair

Fix bridges

Make new bridges

Drawbridge

Draw a bridge

Bridge art

Arts

Song

Singing bridge

Bridge over troubled water

Jump off bridge into water

Bridge fishing

Eat fish

Smell fish

Bridge of nose

Don't burn the fish

Don't burn bridges

What can I write next?

We'll cross that bridge when we get to it

Stock Up on Cash!

Big tips that could save you millions

This year in math class, we did a project on the stock market. Each of us was given 10,000 imaginary dollars to "invest" in 3 different stocks of our choice. I chose Coca-Cola (KO), Starbucks (SBUX), and Disney (DIS). I invested in KO because I had bought a real stock of it earlier that year, and it had risen from about $40 to $55 in a matter of a couple months, so it would probably keep rising. I bought SBUX because many people love their coffee and it is a popular restaurant chain (especially in Seattle, where I was born), and because their history was reliable. And I chose DIS because it was a steady stock that was unlikely to lose any money, judging by their history.

By the 24th week of our stock market project, many of our stocks took turns that would have caused us to pick differently. I would not invest in KO, because almost the exact time that i bought it it lost me over $1,000. I would change it to a Panera stock because that was a great stock that rose about $25. I would also buy more SBUX, because that made me over $1,000. And i would change DIS to a penny stock because if i had 2 other good stocks, then even if i had a bad penny stock I would still be making money--and with a good penny stock i could make over $3,000 (total money).

I may not be an expert, but I can give you some good advice on investing in stocks. First of all, you should definitely research the stocks you want to invest in, and ask other people with experience. Also, only invest in companies that you're familiar with because those are most likely more popular, and because you have a better indication of stock quality with companies you know. You should research the historical prices of your stocks, because that will show whether your stocks will keep gaining or losing money. And lastly, you should check in on your stocks often. If you don't, then a stock could take an unexpected turn, and you could lose a lot of money that you could have saved by selling it. But in the end, a penny saved is more than a penny earned—hopefully.

Higgins Armory Museum Essay

New England is full of many historic sites, references, and museums. One example is the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts. The steel and glass building was built by John Higgins in 1930 to hold his collection of armory, which became publicized in 1931. The Higgins Armory Museum now holds one of the world’s best collections of arms and armory—over 35 suites of armor. There is an abundance of information you can learn about armor, knighthood, and changes in armor over the years.

Until the 17^th century, armor was a universally popular idea. It was used all around the world, for many reasons. Probably the most important was that it protected against blows from the enemy. Also, a knight would wear armor out of battle to assert and display their status, which was a significant aspect of feudal society (feudalism is a system that works mainly on a rigid social structure that strictly controls the way anyone of a certain social status can behave). Knights also used their armor to identify and represent themselves, and, in battle, to intimidate the enemy. When armor was made, it often highlighted local culture through the materials used and the designs on it and in some cases expressed traditions. There was war armor, but most knights also had ceremonial armor—much more intricate and fancy, and instead of seeing the battlefield, it was used in ceremonies.

There were two main types of armor, mail and plate armor. In the early middle ages, mail was the more popular protection, but it had a few flaws. It was vulnerable against crushing blows from heavy weapons and crossbows, since it was flexible and could be pushed in. So in the early 1400’s, plate armor moved in and became more popular. Now it was common to see a knight clad head to toe in a full suite of plate armor, which is the stereotype image that is associated with a knight. Also part of that image is that the knight is on horseback, which was a common sight in battle. Although knights were not clumsy, they also had to be in top physical condition to be able to fight with armor on, so being on a horse made it that much harder. Nevertheless, they were a formidable force.

During the period when armor was most popular, which is to say from ancient Greek times to the 1600’s, there were changes in the styles of armor. In Greek and Roman times, the most common armor to see was bronze plate armor, although they didn’t wear nearly as much as a knight in the middle ages. They usually just had a helmet, breastplate, and grieves (shin guards), with some varying items. Then, in the early middle ages, iron chain mail became popular but was abandoned in the 1400’s, to be replaced by heavy suites of plate armor, which was made of steel. It was much stronger and stood up to the things that chain mail couldn’t. However, there was something else that eventually wiped out armor altogether: gunpowder. It was introduced to Europe in the 1300’s, but didn’t catch on until the 1500’s. Armor just couldn’t stand up to weapons like cannons, guns, explosives, and other gunpowder-based weapons that were being invented. As it was being made heavier and heavier to withstand the heavy impacts, it became much too heavy to wear. So, with gunpowder growing more and more popular and armor getting too heavy, in the 1600’s the idea of armor was abandoned for a style of warfare that required much lighter, quicker tactics. Armor had become obsolete, and the world had moved into a much different style of warfare.

The information above, which all is taught at the Higgins Armory Museum, shows what a good source it is. It is clearly important to have a resource as good as the Higgins Armory Museum, because it gives us a good understanding of the history of armor. Furthermore, all of the exhibits displayed there teach us the important history and evolution of armor. So the next time you’re in Worcester, you should stop in to the Higgins Armory Museum and have a look.

Higgins Museum Essay

Evaluation

3 -- Outstanding 2 -- Ok, but could use some improvement 1-- Needed improvement 0 --- Missing

Introduction

3 Gave the reader background and general information about the museum --- set the scene.

3 Transitions to the body of the essay. (Three things that can be learned by a visit to the museum)

Body

3 Three topics were addressed, each with its own paragraph

2 Topics were clearly explained and used researched supporting details & vocabulary

Conclusion

2 Restated topic --- What can be learned at the museum?

3 Brought closure to essay (Summed up essay)

Structure

3 Essay format followed the directions for assignment

3 Spelling

3 Capitalization (Used correct capitalization)

Comments: Your essay reads well, good introduction solid supporting details in the body. More research vocabulary would have helped add depth to the explanations. You conclusion is ok, but could use a rewrite to make it less akward. Good overall effort on the essay.

Bumps and Jumps

Freestyle skiing began in the mid-1960's as a combination of acrobatics and skiing. The first competition was held in 1966 in Attitash, New Hampshire. It caught on relatively quickly, making its Olympic debut in 1992 in the form of mogul skiing. The next time was in 1994 as freestyle jumping, and then a third event this year in 2010 as ski cross, when skiers race over a track with jumps and other skiing obstacles, with the simple rule that the first one to finish wins.

In the mogul skiing, skiers race down one by one on a steep hill covered in moguls, or hard mounds of snow around 1 yard in width. They then do a jump, where they perform a trick in midair, land, and do another set of moguls. Then they do a second jump, and land and cross the finish line. They are judged on the quality and form of their jump and moguls, as well as their time. The range of tricks performed include 180, back full, back layout, back tuck, backscratcher, blunt air, cross, daffy, four-point take off, four point landing, and there are many more. They are usually a combination of flips and twists. One particularly interesting one is the Helicopter, when the skier flips and crosses their skis when they are upside down, so that they resemble the blades of a helicopter.

In the 2010 ladies' moguls competition, there was an interesting event, where Canadian Jennifer Heil skied an impressive run that she thought was gold. It was a solid performance, and the only skier left to beat her was American Hannah Kearney. She looked good on paper, but in the previous Winter Olympics, she had wiped out and gotten disqualified. When she saw that Heil was so far placed for gold, she could have just not taken the chance and skied for silver. But she wouldn't accept that, and in the spirit of the Olympic motto—citius, altius, fortius (swifter, higher, stronger)--she decided to go for the gold. She skied an almost perfect run, performing nearly flawless jumps and leaving Heil in the dust. She know almost immediately that she had won, and was positively ecstatic. Sorry Canada, you'll just have to wait until next time.

Hello, my name is Julius Sagum. It is the year 103 A.D. I am living in my home in Rome, with most of my family. My grandchildren have asked me to write down an account of my younger days and my adventures in the conquest of the Caledonians in Gaul. When we were there, I was a legionnaire in an army made up of thousands of men, led by none other than Julius Caesar. He was a great politician, and I was sad to see him go when he was murdered by the Senate. But that’s Roman politics for you. Anyway, I’ll talk more about the Roman army and its conquest of the Caledonians.

In our conquest, our army marched all the way to Gaul. The people that told Caesar to bring this army here thought we were goners, but boy, did we show them. We dominated in almost every battle we had. But they were not what I expected. They fought very differently than us, with long spears with spiral points to gouge a deeper wound, and a long wood and leather shield. They used a long sword for slashing, but it was no match for our short gladius sword, which we could use up close for slashing and cutting. They also had a peculiar habit: they wore jewelry into battle. They had a torc around their necks, and some of their helmets featured elaborate pictures of animals on the tops, so as to intimidate us. But it obviously didn’t work, because we took over that territory and controlled it. We set up forts, where we slept in barracks of twenty rooms with four people to a room, each with our own bunk. We cooked and gambled in two common rooms. We actually had a bath house, with a cold, warm, and hot bath, with a furnace. The Caledonians didn’t take bathing seriously, which I think is unusual. But they are unusual people. Anyway, when we were controlling them, different groups acted differently. Some rebelled or fled, whereas most others gave themselves under our rule. Things were going nicely until during one battle a Caledonian threw a spear and it hit me in the thigh. I lived, but could not walk correctly anymore and thus could not serve in the army, and was dispatched. Since then, I didn’t pay as much attention to what was happening there. Besides, the news was mostly the same, with the new cities being built and the rich people with their townhouses and luxury estates. I’m much happier here in Rome anyway.

Hopefully this is interesting for my grandchildren to read, and will give them a better picture of what it was like to be a Roman legionnaire. I am interested to hear what they have to say about my account. I have made it as accurate as is possible from my point of view, and hope that it serves its purpose to inform my grandchildren. Maybe later it will help their children learn about the Caledonians, and the next generation as well. Until then, I am glad to know that you have learned about my adventures in the Roman army.

Valentines Day sayings

Small stars are red, big stars are blue, a supernova is equal to my love for you!

There's a word for my love for you: cirrostratopathy (high levels of love)

They have tools to measure all kinds of things, but not love. That's because if there was one to measure my love for you, it would blow up.

If I was on the other side of the universe, I would travel lightyears just to see you.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY AND STUFF