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         Social media has already changed the lives of so many people all over the world in several significant ways. But have you ever thought of using it to change the world? People all around the world are volunteering, donating, making loans (like we helped the Kiva program in synergy), and signing petitions, making other social actions as we speak. Many Social medias are now having applications and others that help donate or loan money to the people in need of it. Some social medias are just made for loaning money (Kiva) to entrepreneurs in different countries, to help them start, or upgrade their business for a greater income.

         Kiva is a social media that is made for people to make loans to the working poor, after establishing a new business for them; they will pay back while their income increases. I think that this is a good way to change the world. Some people have the ability to do a good job, but they just don’t have money to afford for the supplies. Mr. McGovern’s synergy group (including me) made loans to a small hospital in Africa. There are a lot of businesses that we can choose to loan to, but we thought that medication is very important to the poor country. So we had a bake sale that eventually sold up to a hundred dollars for loaning, and now they are slowly paying back our loan, after they returned all the money, we planned to use the money for another loan.

         Twitter has a project called Tweetsgiving, which aims to demonstrate the power of the social web by raising $10,000 in 48 hours to build a new classroom in Tanzania, Africa. To donate, share something that you are thankful for, and donate to the person (or thing) that you are thankful for. Tweetsgiving has already collected up to $11,131 last year in the duration of 2 days. The goal was actually $10,000, they have 111% of their goal. Even though twitter is really not my way of being social, I like the way that they are using this to help the world. I consider this a good way to get people to donate (to the person/thing they are thankful for) because it is thanksgiving and it is for a good cause.

         3rd Whale is a free IPhone application that is for finding green products and foods in 30 major North American cities. It calculates the distance it takes for walking, biking, or driving, to get to the restaurant or store. I think this is a good application for IPhone users because it is environmentally friendly to eat organic food and buy green products and this application makes it so much easier and convenient for the person. But I still disagree the Idea that it calculates the distance of driving to the place, because it isn’t green for the environment, and since it is already for a green cause, why calculate the driving distance and time?

         Facebook is a powerful tool for change, community, and social action. There are apps like Causes and other groups like feed a child with a click have joined and united users around the world for helping issues from global warming, poverty, AIDS, to animal rights. I think that this is a good way to help both the environment and the community, because many people use facebook, and I’ve seen many of my friends (including me) joining these groups and adding applications for a good cause. These projects are actually in action, unlike some projects that are just there as a vote or an online protest against animal rights or something.

Making videos, of commercials and facts of different issues and posting them on social medias or Youtube can really catch people’s attention and changing their bad habits and way of thinking. For example, where the hell is Matt? has inspired many minds to tears on youtube. Doing his “kooky” dance with citizens of earth from different countries and places. This video later was spread into facebook, Myspace, and several blogs in no time. I think this is one of the most visual way of explaining problems and differences of people around the world in wealth and religion.

         Briefly, this all connects to what I have learnt in the connected world unit. The connected world unit teaches me all the problems and inequality that is going on in several places on earth. But there is a way to solve it, through Social Media. I never knew that there were actually so many projects going on, each to solve specifically one of the million problems and issues. I think that if more people acknowledge these projects, more problems will be solved and people will fight for what they believe is right.

         Lastly, I think it was fun earning money for Kiva loans in school, and that each synergy group should have a small project like this to work on. Helping like this can be done in and outside f school, I think that I will participate more in these projects that are going on in social medias that we all use. Everything has been made so simple and convenient for volunteering, and donating people. You have a computer that can do all that right on your desk.

He wouldn’t hurt a fly

Yesterday, a canadian, Ian Cowburn, a hiker and jogger at age 60, was stabbed to death in a robbery while jogging in Rosmead Avenue opposite the Kenilworth Racecourse early on Tuesday morning. It was said that only his cell phone was stolen from him apart from his life. Ian was a member of both the Trails Club and Mountain Club of SA. Thomas, the chairperson of the trail club said that he was shocked to hear the news of Cowburn’s death yesterday. “He’s going to be a great loss to our hiking club. He led a lot of the hikes. He was a very fit person; he loved hiking in the mountains.” Thomas said yesterday that members of the club were reacting “pretty badly” to the news. “He was a friend to everybody and wouldn’t harm a fly.” 

For more information about this robbery, contact Michelle Jones  Email: michelle.jones@inl.co.za

                In seventh grade, It is necessary to use your time wisely to study for quizzes and exams, complete all your work with full effort, and hand it in on time for every assignment and every class whether you like it or not. By doing so, it can raise your grade dramatically and so your parents can be proud of you and not shout or ground you. During in and outside of school, you should always have friends. Friends can really help brighten your life when you have problems (not math problems you can copy off) and difficulties.

                Lastly, I think that it is important that you put all your effort into your school work, because it can affect your future life, and everything that comes after that. Secondly, after school work, I think that it is very important to have as many friends as you can. They can brighten up your days, you and your friends can help each other in everything that you are having difficulties doing. I think it is also important that you include everyone as one of your friends so everyone can have a good time. I think that by doing all this, it can improve both you academic and social life.

Billy’s mom visited her during the stormy day at the hospital. The storm was frightening. It was like hades had took over the world. All three of them looked out the window and saw huge black clouds, lightning, and rain that covered the atmosphere so much that it looked like it was midnight instead of in the afternoon. Why did the storm have to start today?

            The sight was like it was the end of the world, like a sign that Mrs. Swatson was dying. The storm now darkened even more, you now can’t see any trees outside, covered in the shadows of the clouds. The rain was now like bullets hitting from side to side using energy from the wind. Meanwhile Mrs. Swatson was enjoying her last minutes of life on earth. She believed that she would be able to meet her long-dead husband in heaven.

            Billy thought that she deserved it. The thunder was deadly by now, like it would actually break your eardrums. The wind blew down a street lamp, causing sparkling electricity all over the place. At the time when the storm was so strong, it brought a few trees to the ground, Mrs. Swatson silently smiled, and closed her eyes. She was dead.

The book Ender’s game to me, it’s cover tells me it’s going to be a science fiction book. Science fiction to me is boring and makes no sense. When I hear the word science fiction, I think of a UFO coming to earth and a someone sees it, takes a picture and everyone else thinks it’s a hoax. I wanted to change my book right away, but my teachers said no, and that I will really enjoy the book later on. I started reagin a chapter per day, then two, then three. It turned out that I really was enjoying the book. I’ve tried reading a few other science fiction books, but it turned out that I’ve never finished one before. I’m just not a science fiction type of person.

Ender’s Game is a science fiction book that I find more unique than others. Instead of having people run away and dying in an alien invasion, this book is talking about a story of this six year-old genius that was smarter and stronger than others, and was put into battle school. Which prepares armies to defend earth from buggers (Alien) from invading the earth again in the future. The previous war of the buggers have been raging all over the world for over a hundred years. And what the school needs now, is an ingenious commander that will lead his army and save the world from the space invasion just like the previous commander Mazer Rackham. Ender is a wise student and is anticipated to be the next commander of the army and save planet earth.

Finally, I think that this is a very interesting book, and I am looking forward to se how ender changed the world and it’s future. And if he succeeds, the world survives.

After reading a total of about seven blogs by seventh grade students about the Internet, and noticed that the Internet has made many people change their perspectives about reading. Those people used to like reading a lot, but the Internet came into their lives, and addicted these students (including me, but I still like reading). I observed the similarities of Internet use between these Blog posts as well. Enormous amounts of people use the Internet for social networking, games, PowerSchool, Blogging, and other Homework.

I’ve also read some issues about parents complaining about these students’ computer use, that they’ve been using it way too much, but some students have also caught their parents being on the computer even more than they do. I think that that’s an interesting point, because I think that if parents can do it, why can’t we? According to Synergy, this is a month of fairness, and fairness defines the providing of things that different people need (notice the blogs say that the students can’t live without the Internet, they need it) and everyone is to be treated equally.

In conclusion, I thought it was fairly interesting to read about people’s perspectives on the Internet, and how the Internet changed their lives, how they use it, and how much they need it just to live through each day.

Reading stuff on paper was usually the way to go, but now, everything is depended on the Internet, barely anything now is on paper. The Internet is now a significant part of my life; I use it to finish my homework, to contact my friends, and every so often, I even read from the Internet. In elementary school, when we were told to do research, the first thing that approaches my mind is the Library, but now, I think, why don’t I just go the computer lab? It’s simple and much faster. Do we have humanities homework? Check the blog. What’s the name of this? Where is that? How does it look like? Always comes to the same answer. Google it.

I don’t suppose that the Internet has changed only me. Everyone seems to be hypnotized to be on his or her computer at least once every day.  The Internet has changed many people’s lives so much in the past five years. Even my grandma is watching her stocks fall and rise from the Internet. We use the Internet in band class as well, to record our playing tests so we don’t waste so much time in class. Using the internet to turn in my work has changed the routine of my life; because that means that the work you do can be due in the middle of a holiday, or in the weekends. Even this piece of writing is Due on Friday May 8^th (Holiday) and is posted on my blog.

Before, I only go on the Internet for my homework, if my homework doesn’t require going on the computer, I don’t even touch it. But now, I go on the computer everyday, even though my homework is done on paper. To check my E-mail, Facebook, and sometimes, I just stare at the screen doing nothing. That’s why; my parents limit my computer use, to three hours a day, from 6:00 AM to 8:30 PM. I think they did the right thing, but I usually use up the three hours. I think the computer is just like alcohol, where you want to get on the computer to get the same affect you got the previous time, so you go on it more often, just like I learnt it in Mrs. Harris’s health class.

To conclude, the computer has changed me in a lot of different ways, and has also changed the habits of different people, who have to write a letter that will take six weeks to get to the other person, and live with a phone cost of 5$ per minute.

Recently, I found some short articles on Swine flu which started in mexico, and later spread into the USA, europe and possibly Oceania. The flu is transfered from pigs to human and now is spreading now from human to human. It is just like a normal flu, but is far more deadly, but can still be cured. Many people just thought it was a normal flu, but never thought it was the Swine flu, which is new the the human species. This is why so many people died of the flu, because they don’t think the flu is a big deal. The united states government has declared a public health emergency on Sunday, responding to the flu that spread, and has already sickened people in California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, and other states. More cases were confirmed on Monday in the United States, Europe, and also Canada. A total of 47 cases, 26 from mexico, Canada 6, Spain 1, and 2 more from scotland. Israel and New Zealand, 22 students and three teachers were quarantined after coming back from a three-week trip in mexico, and were investigated on suspected cases. South Korea is also going to test travelers who are arriving from other countries but especially the United States. I think that flues can spread easily nowadays, because transportation is now just a blink of an eye, arrivers from Mexico, the United States, canada, Europe, should all be tested when arrived at any country. 

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe is a famous american writer but all of his work is generally on the dark side, about the darkest subjects because of his unfortunate life, which you can find out more by visiting this site. One of his famous piece of writing is The Raven or the tell tale heart which we read in class. In the Raven,  he writes about the presence of the raven while in his chamber/bedroom describing everything precisely with the sort of vocabulary that we wouldn’t use as everyday language such as Obeisance or Beguile. the definitions of those words have already been linked on the page The Raven. Where you can read the poem. In the poem, rhyming is found all over the poem, and was a literary device that Poe uses a lot. His works were written a long time ago, and he uses the vocabulary that people from the time uses commonly in his writing, and also describes a bit how life was like back then. After reading the poem, I think it was hard to read through it because the vocabulary was complicated but maybe it was simple to the people back at the time, because surely some things have changed after the 1800′s.