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Dolphin Massacre in Japan - Editorial Commentary

Every year thousands of dolphins are killed from October to March in small villages on Japan. This shows that the Japanese government has no respect for animals and for the ocean and therefore, they should be punished. They don’t have the right to kill all these intelligent, kind animals for their meat! Why? Well there are many reasons… First of all, dolphins are migratory animals, so the they are NOT JAPANESE and therefore the Japanese can’t kill an animal that is not even their property! Second, dolphin meat is not even good for humans, so there is no point I in eating it! Third, dolphins are cute, intelligent animals that don’t harm humans so it’s simply UNFAIR to torture them and kill them is such a horrible way.
These poor dolphins risk extinction and they must be protected! They are MURDERED, not simply killed (http://www.glumbert.com/media/dolphin check this video out to see how they are tortured to death) …
Now, the Japanese don’t seem to understand that what they are doing is terribly wrong and so, they should be treated as the treat the dolphins… Maybe then they’d understand…
People are punished for killing other humans, and so they should also be punished for killing animals!!!! Probably the Japanese (like many other people) think killing thousands of humans is bad and killing animals isn’t… But guess what? It actually worse to kill animals, because humans are cruel, animals aren’t! All the Japanese who kill these animals and don’t even care and feel bad about it should die, because HUMANS DON’T OWN THIS PLANET AND CAN’T DO WHATEVR THEY WANT WITH IT!

Personal Aspect About Trieste

Trieste is a very small and pretty city in Friuli Venezia Giulia … I was born in Trieste and I’ve lived here ever since…. I like living here because it’s my hometown, but there are some things I don’t like about Trieste.
I like Trieste because it’s not too crowded and polluted and because there are many nice places… Trieste is near the sea, so during the summer I can go to the beach every single day. During the winter, the Carso is full of snow, and that’s very cool! One of my favourite places of Trieste is Val Rosandra, a beautiful valley. Another thing I like a out Trieste is that there are not too many shopping malls, but the ones there are lovely! I also like that the streets are full of cute little shops , and that the Triestini are friendly!!
However, there are some things I don’t like about Trieste. First of all, the sea is not crystal clear. Second, because Trieste is a small city, nothing important ever happens… No REAL famous singer does a concert here and that’s not fair!!! Also, Trieste is full of old people, and there aren’t enough young people!!
In conclusion, like every city, Trieste has some good qualities as well as some bad ones.

The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips By Michael Morpurgo

The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is a very particular historical novel set during the second world war in Slapton. It’s a story about Adolphus Tips, a cat that survives the war.
It’s 1943 and it’s wartime. However, life is pretty normal : a few fathers are away fighting and there are a few evacuees still in school, but that's about it. However, when the Americans arrive everything changes…His owner Lily , as well as many other people, is sent away from her house so that the Yanks can practice for the D-day landings.
Adolphus has no clue of what is going on, and he gets in trouble : he disappears!!! Lily is desperate, she’s scared that Adolphus might be killed or injured … So , she decides to become friends with some American soldiers who promise to help her find Adolphus Tips. However, the soldiers are always busy and she knows Adolphus can’t survive for long alone, with bombs flying everywhere. She then decides to risk her own life and cross the the wire in the danger zone to look for her adored cat…
Now, 60 years later, Michael is reading his Grandmother’s diary ( Lily) and he is discovering many things about the war and about “the amazing story if Adolphus tips”. He understands Adolphus was adventurous and brave, and he understands that he is very important because he still affecting his family’s lives after so many years.

Geographical Entry on Trieste - The Grotta Gigante

The Grotta Gigante is a very famous and big cave in Trieste (its central cavern is 107m high, 65m wide and 160m long). It is located in Borgo Grotta Gigante, only 15 km away from Trieste’s city center, and it is the biggest cave in the world open to tourists ( in 1995 it was recorded in the Guinness World Records book because of this). It can be easily reached both by car and by bus, and it is absolutely magnificent. Tourists can have a look at the spectacular and charming underground world. Some of the cave’s very particular features are it’s temperature, which is constant all year long, and it’s beautiful and enormous stalactites and stalagmites. But now, lets talk about the cave’s history… The cave was first explored by Antonio Federico Lindner in 1840. In 1897 it mapped by Andrea Perko, and in 1905 it was properly equipped for guided tours . Then, in 1908, it was finally inaugurated. However, tourism really began in 1957 when electricity was installed. Tours around the cave became “easier” and nicer because with electricity details that couldn’t be seen before, could be observed. Now, the cave is lighted in a very original and pretty way and it is full of steps so it can be explored easily and without to much fatigue. In conclusion , the Grotta Gigante is a unique cave that has been visited constantly ever since 1957, in every season of the year, by almost every tourist that comes to Trieste.

History Entry On Trieste - The Tram of Opicina, one of the few Trams in Europe

The tram of Opicina could probably be considered the symbol of Trieste. Trieste's tramway is an old trasportation system that "connects" the city center to the Carso, a region right above the city. The tram's first "trip" took place on the 9th of September 1902. This means the tram is 105 years old! Ever since 1902 , the tram has been used by tourists as well as "Triestini" to move around. But why do so many people use the Tram to move around? Well, during the trip, beautiful views of Trieste and its gulf can be seen and, it is well connected with almost every part of the city. The tram has changed a lot during his life... First it was open and has no windows so the driver was exposed to all types of weather. When it rained he wore a raincoat to cover him and the controls... Then, in 1908 the windows were added. The tram was also modified in terms of lenght , it was made longer right before the adding of the windows.

The tram has had many accidents during the course of it's life... For example, the 10th of October 1902, just 1 month after the"opening", at approximately 7 AM, the Tram of Opicina "fell" down Scorcola and crashed into a house, destorying it completly. Fortunally, the 4 people were aboard were able to jump off the veichle and save themselves. However, Antonio Sossich , the driver, remained stuck and broke one of his legs. A very famous song was written about that day: "El Tram de Opcina". This song is considered the most famous and important of Trieste's songs and, just like the Tram itself, it symbolizes Trieste. Every single triestino knows at least a small part of the song by heart, and most of the old people know every single word!!!!

For other information on the tram visit this site:

http://www.tuttotrieste.net/varie/tram/tram.htm

EL TRAM DE OPCINA lyrics

E anche el tram de Opcina xe nato disgrazià
vignindo zò per Scorcola una casa'l ga ribaltà
Bona de Dio che jera giorno de lavor
che dentro no ghe jera che'l povero frenador

E come la bora che vien e che va
i disi che'l mondo se ga ribaltà
E come la bora che vien e che va
i disi che'l mondo se ga ribaltà

Co'l due se va a Servola, co'l quatro in Arsenal
col sie se va a Barcola, col zinque in Ospedal
con l'uno in zimitero, co'l sete a la staziòn
co'l nove in manicomio, co'l diese in canòn

E come la bora che vien e che va
i disi che'l mondo se ga ribaltà
E come la bora che vien e che va
i disi che'l mondo se ga ribaltà

E anche ste mulete tute mate pe'l capèl
le zerca de acompagnarse a quelche bel putèl
ma co i riva a casa se senti un gran bordèl
e pare, mare e fia copa simisi co'l martèl

E come la bora che vien e che va
i disi che'l mondo se ga ribaltà
E come la bora che vien e che va
i disi che'l mondo se ga ribaltà

L'Italia ga pan bianco, la Francia ga bon vin
Trieste ga putele tute piene de morbìn
Carbòn ga l'Inghiltera, la Russia ga cavial
e l'Austria ga capuzi che no se pol magnar

E come la bora che vien e che va
i disi che'l mondo se ga ribaltà
E come la bora che vien e che va
i disi che'l mondo se ga ribaltà

E anche ste mulete xe nate carigade
le tira zo le cotole per meterse le braghe
le fuma come cogome, le legi el Grand Hotel
e pare, mare e fia copa simisi co'l martèl

Twilight By: Stephenie Meyer

Bella, the protagonist of the novel Twilight, written by Stephanie Meyer, has just moved to Forks, a city where it rains all the time!! The first day at her new school , Bella meets Edward Cullen, a handsome , yet very sinister guy. His skin is abnormally white, his hair looks like bronze, his eyes like gold and his teeth seemed to glitter… At first, Edward and Bella didn’t even talk to each other because Edward is kind of solitaire and always hangs out by himself or with his gang, made up of extremely pretty and mysterious people… However, Bella and Edward become good friends, and eventually their friendship turns into love…

Bella loves Edward a lot , but she feels that he is somehow “different”, and she knows he has a secret he doesn’t want to tell her. But Bella is determined, and she really wants to discover who Edward really is… Then, she discovers that Edward is a vampire and that all the members of his “gang” are too. She’s shocked and a bit scared but the emotions she feels for Edward are stronger than the fear . So, she decides to be his girlfriend anyway without knowing that loving a vampire could change her life completely. She thinks that nothing bad is going to happen because Edward and his friends are a particular type of vampires that drink animal blood and not human blood. However, she doesn’t know that also the vampires who drink human blood live in Forks and that they will come and visit her quite soon…

Life in Trieste

Although many young people don’t like Trieste because it’s small and a bit boring , adults love it because , unlike other cities, it isn’t chaotic and noisy but very “calm”. Tourists visit Trieste because of it’s history and because of its architecture. Trieste was the main port of Austro-Hungarian empire and the typical Austrian neoclassical architecture is still visible in many buildings. Also, tourists visit Trieste because they want to visit the Carso which is a wonderful area where the air is fresh and clean. Other tourists attractions are the various castles ( the one of Miramare for example) and the small but interesting museums that can be found in the city center. People also visit Trieste to assist to the Barcolana, a “boat race” that takes place in Trieste’s dark blue sea. Another very beautiful place where many tourists go is the Val Rosandra , a spectacular valley with wonderful waterfalls and an ancient roman aqueduct. There are so many places and things to visit here, far too many to list…

In conclusion, Trieste is a small city with many cultural and artistic attractions , a beautiful sea, a perfect place for nature lovers ( the Carso), and the Torri D’Europa , a super cool shopping mall!!

My Grade

1. I did all 6 entries
2. I did all 6 rough drafts
3. My grade: A
a. I did my work on time
b. I did my work completely
c. I used good grammar
d. I did proper proofreading (spelling, punctuation, etc.).
e. I did the best I could to make the 24 total comments that I needed to make (I 'm missing 3 comments but I will write them as soon as Sophia T has written all her entries).
f. I used my time wisely in class over the last month.
g. I followed the rules for each blog entry (Only 1 entry is a bit too long...)

Science Entry
DVDs

In science class we are studying many things, also electronics. We studied computers and all the things related to them. We also studies DVDs... Everyone uses DVDs but not many people know what they actually are and how they work.
DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc. It can be used to store data such as movies.
But how do DVDs actually work? In DVDs data is stored in small indentations and flats backed up by a reflective material.
When you insert a DVD in a DVD player, a mechanism inside the DVD player spins the disc and another one guides a laser beam that shines on the indentations and flats. The light patters are then “reflected” and read by an optical device that coverts the patters in tiny pieces of data which are called “bits”. These “bits” are then transformed in bytes that can represent data such videos, sounds etc.

ITALIAN ENTRY
"Stranieri come noi"
Vittorio Zucconi

In Italian class, we are reading a collection of stories written by Vittorio Zucconi.
Vittorio Zucconi was born in 1944, he is a journalist and works for 2 newspapers: “La Repubblica” and “L'espresso”. After traveling the world because of his job, he wrote this book, which is an attempt to show that people of all around the world are all the same and that they all feel the same emotions and the same pains...
The story which I liked the most is “USA: il giubbotto” ( USA: the jacket) , the story of Chenille, a young girl that lived is a poor suburb and that was killed “for her jacket”. Chenille was very good at school and so her mother decided to buy her a jacket of the “Chicago Bulls” which she really liked. One day, a girl saw her jacket and told her boyfriend that she would really want to have it too. So, he killed Chenille and gave the jacket to his girlfriend. When he was captured by the police he said: “I buy things with my knife, not with money: it costs nothing!”

Social Studies Entry
Life in Nazi Germany

Life in Nazi Germany was nice for some people, but it was awful for others... It all depended on who you were, and on what your beliefs were.
Nazi Party members lived happy lives: they got the best houses and the best jobs in the government. Ordinary people lived relatively nice lives too because Adolf Hitler had solved many of Germany's problems and the country was well organized. However, their lives weren't perfect because they were forced to do certain things and lost personal freedom: children were forced to join certain "clubs" and women had to give up their jobs to become "full time mothers". Also, women couldn't do many things: they couldn't join the army and couldn't decide how to dress.
Hitler's opponents and all the people who he didn't like, were treated very badly. Jews were usually sent in concentration camps, prostitutes, beggars, and homosexuals were also executed.

Drama Entry
Mid Summer's night dream
William Shakespeare

Who is Peter Quince?

Peter Quince is a character in "A mid summer's dream" , a romantic and at the same time funny play written by William Shakespeare. He is a carpenter and he works in Athens. He is the “ boss ” and playwright of a group of workmen (Nick Bottom the weaver, Francis Flute the bellows-mender, Tom Snout the tinker, Starveling the tailor and Snug the joiner) that want to perform the play “ Pyramus and Thisby” for Theseus and Hippolyta at their wedding. Although Peter is the official boss, Bottom often takes his place and this irritates him a lot.
In the play "Pyramus and Thisby" he recites the prologue, but because he is very nervous he does a mess and recites in an awful way!!!
This is very funny because he always corrects the other actors as if he were the best actor in the world and then he acts just as bad as they do!

Synopsis 8
Wise Child
Monica Furlong

When Wise Child’s grandmother, woman with whom she lived, dies, Wise Child is taken by Juniper, a healer and sorceress. Juniper is extremely kind to Wise Child and she teaches her many useful things such as reading, herbal lore, and even the beginnings of magic. Everything was going well until one day, Maeve, Wise Child’s natural mother ( a black witch) reappeared. Maeve desperately wanted Wise Child to leave Juniper and to go and live with her and so, she tries to convince her that life at her house would be much better offering her many gifts and luxuries. Forced to choose between Juniper and Maeve, Wise Child discovers the extent of her supernatural powers and her true loyalties. By this time, though, Maeve's evil magic, a mysterious plague (many of the village’s people get smallpox and Fillian Priest says it’s Juniper’s fault ), and the fears of superstitious villagers combine to place Wise Child and Juniper in what may be inescapable danger.... Infact, Juniper gets arrested and Fillian Priest also decides to kill her. Luckily, Wise Child and her friend Colman are able to get Juniper’s prison’s keys and save her before the execution. After that, Juniper and Wise Child escape, because they can’t remain in the village where everyone hates them and wants to see them dead. While they are escaping, Wise Child and Juniper see Finbar’s ( Finbar is Wise Child’s father) ship and so, they escape with him, forming a new, happy family.

The Relationship between Juliet and her Dad
The relation between Juliet and her dad is very formal. She is her father's property and must listen and obey him. However, Juliet, who used to be an obedient daughter, turns into "rebel" when she meets Romeo. She secretly dates Romeo, which her father hates and she also refuses to marry Paris, man that her dad had decided must be her husband. When Lord Capulet discovers Juliet doesn't want to marry Paris he flies into a rage. He calls her names, threatens to hit her, threatens to disown her, threatens to send her into a nunnery and says he is embarrassed of having a daughter that doesn't appreciate what he has done for her.
Here is a piece of the discussion between Juliet and her father about he marriage with Paris:
Juliet: "Good father , I beseech you on my knees, Hear me with patience but to speak a word."
Lord Capulet: "Hang thee, young baggage! disobedient wretch! I tell thee what: get thee to church o'Thursday , Or never after look me in the face..."

Burnt Alive
Suad (Suad is a fake name, the author doesn't use her real name because she could be recognized )

Suad lives in a country where all women can do is work for their masters: men. So when she remains pregnant without being married ( the worst thing a women could do) her male relatives decide to burn her alive. So, her brother-in-law pours gasoline on her and burns her. Suad doesn’t know what to do: she runs, she tries to protect herself with her hands but she can’t move properly because her skin is “melting”. Luckily, Suad saves herself. A group of Europeans interrupt “ the burning ” , bring her to a hospital where she gets 27 operations done. Despite the 27 operations, her skin is still burned and ruined permanently.
Then, these Europeans bring her to Europe. Here, she marries and she has a relatively nice life. However, she is forced to wear a white mask that covers and protects her burnt and ruined face. She desperately needs this mask , because if the people of her village recognize her, they will try to kill her again.

Call Waiting
R.L. Stine

Karen keeps receiving sinister phone calls but she thinks it’s just a sick joke… But as the scary phone calls continue she understands no one could go this far…
Someone wants to kill her and keeps calling her, telling her that if she doesn’t stop dating Ethan she will be killed.
The spooky phone calls are not stopping, the "killer" calls her everyday, Karen is frightened , she doesn’t know what to do, the "killer" is trying to drive her insane… Someone hates her so much they want her to become crazy, they want her dead…
What can she do? Can she really trust her boyfriend Ethan? Can she trust herself and her own mind?
Karen knows time is running out…
I would recommend this book to everyone because it’s a really gripping novel.
I think people who like books with a lot of suspense should definitely
read it. The only thing I think is a bit disappointing is that no one gets killed. I thought at least one person would die, but nobody did.

Witch House
By: Mary Hooper

The protagonists of the book “Witch House”, written by Mary Hooper , are Jake and Jenna. They think Bensbury is the dullest town on earth , and they think nothing creepy could happen in such a boring town. But creepy things happen in the most unlikely places… In fact, Jenna happens to see a ghost, there in Bensbury, a little village in the middle of nowhere.
Also, all of the neighbours’ cats disappear…
Because all of these suspicious happenings had begun when Mrs Wychwood had arrived , the twins begin to think she could be the reincarnation of Old Ma Morgan, a crazy old women that the villagers accused of witchcraft centuries ago. They believe Old Ma Morgan is out for revenge…
Jake and Jenna are truly spooked… Could the village be cursed???
If you want to know how this fantastic, gripping , seriously spooky novel ends… Read the book!

Girls Under Pressure
Jacqueline Wilson

The novel Girls Under Pressure is about an overweight girl called Ellie. Ellie thinks she looks awful, fat... DISGUSTING.
Her best friends are both drop-dead gorgeous and Ellie is sick of being the "ugly duckling". So she goes on a diet and she even starts to exercise... She's going crazy, her family and her friends try to stop her, but she doesn't listen to them. Then Ellie meets Zoë, an anorexic girl that almost dies because of her condition...
After seeing the harsh consequences Zoë goes through she decides to stop dieting.
This book was fabulous but it ended " suddenly ".
It's not as easy as described in the book to recover from an eating disorder. You can't be bulimic for a while, loose weight and then decide to "stop being bulimic". It's impossible... Recovering from an eating disorder usually is a really difficult and long process.

The Gypsy Game
Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Gypsy Game is the sequel of a fantastic novel, The Egypt Game. The book's main characters ( April, Melanie, Marshall, Elizabeth, Ken and Toby) used to pretend they were Egyptians but after a series of problems they decide to "become Gypsies"...
Toby, who says is an authentic Gypsy, and actually is, brings in real Gypsy jewelry and his father who's an artist paints a Gypsy caravan. So, what used to be called Egypt, becomes a Gypsy camp. Marshall, Melanie's little brother, also finds a dog and names him Bear. In fact, Marshall is convinced he's a bear and tries to train him.
The gang is having lots of fun, and everything seems to be perfect but then Toby starts acting strangely and suddenly disappears.
What has happened to Toby? What caused him to disappear?
If you want to know what happened to Toby read this fantastic book!

Gemma
Noel Streatfeild
Gemma is a movie star who isn't offered parts anymore... So when her mother goes to America to take part in a movie, Gemma isn't allowed to go with her and is sent to live with her Robinson cousins.
Gemma is really worried when she comes to know that she will have to stay 5 years with her cousins: this meant she'd have to go to school there, in Headstone. She's scared of what the other students will think about her, a star who isn't offered parts any more. And what is school like? She had always had a governess and had no clue of what school was like.
With her aunt's help she changes her surname from Bow to Robinson, in this way she will not be recognized...
So Gemma goes to school and she finds out life with her cousins is full of excitement: she forms a singing group with them and she even studies serious drama!

Demon Witch
By : Geoffrey Huntington
The protagonist of the novel Demon Witch, written by Geoffrey Huntington, is Devon March. Devon is a good looking, intelligent, rich guy,and oh, by the way, Devon is a Sorcer of the Nightwing, a demon fighter, a guardian of a Hellohole.
Devon's antagonist is Morgana who looks vurnerable and very beautiful , but very sinister too... In fact, Morgana is a witch ( Isobel The Apostate), who was burnt alive in 1522 A.D. , but turned herself in a bird instead of dying. She had " risen from the flames to live again". And, in fact, 500 years later, in 2022, she came back to life. She wanted Devon to open the Hellhole and releash its hideous inhabitants. So, Devon decides to throw Isobel in the Hellhole, and close her there forever. She wanted the creatures so bad , and so Devon closed her in the Hellhole with them!
This whole story is set both in the great house of Ravencliff, where Devon lives, and in a ancient city square.