Niraj's Post

Cricket

by Niraj

The 2010 Cricket World Cup is coming this February! Many cricket fans all over the world are getting excited. Let me tell you more about this game.

Cricket originated in Britain and it soon spread to all the countries ruled by Britain. Today this game is played all over the world. Some of the top cricket teams are: India, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and England.

Cricket looks similar to baseball but there are some differences. There are two teams of 11 players each. One side starts with the ball, the other with the bat. There are two batsmen and 11 players from the bowling side on the field. The two batsmen stand on two ends of the bowling pitch. Just like a catcher in baseball, there is a wicketkeeper behind the batsman. There are three wooden sticks behind the batsman which are called stumps. The bowler(like the pitcher) bowls to the batsman and tries to get him out. There are four ways to get out. 1)The ball hits the stumps 2)The ball is caught by one of the fielders 3)The batsman cannot reach the other side of the pitch while trying to get some runs. 4) The batsman moves away from the crease(home plate) while hitting the ball and the stumps are hit by the wicketkeeper. The batsmen try to make as many runs as they can by 1)running between the stumps 2)by hitting the fence to get four runs 3)hitting over the fence to get six runs(like a home run). One inning is considered complete when 10 batsmen get out. The two sides get to play 2 innings each with a maximum of five days of cricket. Since this takes too long, nowadays they also play a shorter version of a one-day cricket game.

I enjoy this game a lot, especially the one day version. Do you know about any other games that are not so well known in USA but played elsewhere?

Umair's Post

How Animals Survive in Winter ?

By: Umair

Winter already started here and its really cold.Last week the temperature was in the range of thirtees ! We use sweaters, jackets, quilts and heaters in home to protect ourself from cold weather.

In arctic the temperature in winter can go about 29 degrees below zero! It is freezing cold! Still animals in arctic survive the cold and harsh weather.Many animals have several layers of thick fur coats.

The polar bear is one of interesting animal in arctic which can survive the cold weather of arctic.All summer long polar bear eat as much as food they can.When winter starts, polar bears go into their dens and sleeps for the whole winter.This is called hibernating.Hibernating saves the polar bears lots of energy.The heart beats slows down and their body temperature lowers.This is how they can survive the winter.

Can you think of other animals that protect themselves from cold and survive the winter ?

Anita's Post

 



 UFO Sightings 
By: Anita

In November 2010, at Colorado, Denver, people thought they spotted a UFO. It was like bright lights moving across the sky in a special kind of pattern. Another one was spotted in Brazil at daytime, but it was a bright cylinder and cigar-shaped object. Multiple daytime UFOs were sighted in Seoul, South Korea and looked like small, black objects moving back and forth in the sky. One UFO was seen at Ecatepec in South Mexico which was like a tiny, white object moving very quickly. The last sighting was like a white, shining star except bigger and a little brighter. Scientists think that the UFOs are some different kind of space ships. What do you think they are? Do you think there is anything in them? What?

Rohan I.'s Post

My Favorite Sport

By: Rohan I.

There are many sports in this world but my favorite sport is basketball. I like this sport because it is a team sport. This game is played with a ball and 10 people on the court. There will be 5 people from each team. The object of the game is to score the ball into your opponents hoop. Each time you score inside the 3 point arch you get two points. If you score outside the 3 point arch you get three points. The positions that people play in basketball are :
1. point guard
2. small forward
3. shooting guard
4. power forward
5. center
All of these positions are really important. The point guard is the person who makes open lanes for there team mates and the main passer. The small forward position is for people who can layup and shoot from far distance. My favorite player LeBron James is a small forward. A shooting guard is the person who takes most of the layups. Next, the power forward is a player that usually shoots from close distance and gets rebounds. Last, the center is usually the tallest person on the team and gets the most rebounds. As you can see, basketball is my favorite sport what is yours and why?

Ryan M.'s Post

A Severe Storm

By:Ryan M.

You all know about storms. Right? Well a severe one happened on Wednesday. Winds whipped across the East Coast. The area suffered heavy rain and severe weather that knocked out power to thousands. There were also many floods that happened in the unexpected weather.Thousands of people without electricity suffered to the extreme weather. Some schools even delayed openings! The storm brought tornadoes to several Southeastern states. If you lived in the area where this happened, what would you do and why would you do that?

Project Cornerstone Survey

Project Cornerstone Survey

By Naren

Every month a topic about self-esteem, bullying, and other stuff an average kid should know is involved. Every school does it. 60% of kids get bullied or are bullies. Let’s try to help. If you are a victim then pay a close attention in Project Cornerstone. 
Our teacher in Project Cornerstone is Anita’s mom. She and other members read us stories. I like Simon’s Hook. What Project Cornerstone book do you like the most? Anyways, there is the "looking at" problem. Parents do not look at the sheet that we get. Do your parents look at the sheet? Do you like Project Cornerstone? Be honest, loyal, truthful, and all those other things!!!! Anyways, Project Cornerstone is good for you and I agree to keep on doing Project Cornerstone.

Julie"s Post

Black Friday

by: Julie 

Last Friday, as many of you know, was Black Friday. My parents woke me up at around 7:00 to eat breakfast, and we drove to JCPenny to shop. There were LINES of cars in the parking lot. We had to park on the top level and take the elevator down. When we reached the store, there were crowds at every corner and turn. We had to squeeze through crowds to get where we wanted. My parents weaved around the store to look for stuff they need. They came back with nothing. We walked down to Sears and looked. Still nothing. So, my parents drove over to Target and shopped. My parents found nothing they need again. I suggested we buy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and my parents agreed. They know I am very into magic. So we went home with a single movie that cost us hours of shopping. My mom and I made a joke on the way home: What if we found lines of people in front of our house?

Did you go shopping on Black Friday? What did you buy? If you didn’t shop, what are you looking forward to on future Black Fridays?

Jamie's Post

Global Warming 

By: Jamie 

        While people enjoy the luxury of food and shelter, global warming is effecting the world and the environment around us. Some lazy people don't care and might say it doesn't matter. But ice is warming and melting even more than usual.
    More and more Polar Bears can't reach land and drown. That is because the ice is melting and there is the pollution that we cause from fuels we use need to drive cars to the trash we litter. Also people are cutting down the rain forests where a lot of antidotes and remedies can be made from. By cutting down the rain forests, we are destroying some species that lives there, and when we do that, we are also upsetting the balance of nature.
    Doing this also will destroy us in the end. First we pollute the air and water, which causes birds and fishes die or get sick. Then we eat the sick fish and we don't feel well. A lot of other animals eat fish and birds and will feel bad. Many things will eventually be eaten by us. Then they might all die of sickness or us eating them.
    Now we have new electric cars. When we grow up, the roads will probably be filled with them.


When you are an adult will you drive an electric car and try to save nature? What are some ways to stop global warming or at least slow it down? Why do you think it will work?

Andy's Post

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

By: Andy

Every Friday after Thanksgiving, shoppers flock to stores around the country to take advantage of the big sales of Black Friday.  Black Friday is a special day when stores offer extremely low priced items so many customers will shop at their stores. Since there are big crowds at stores at Black Friday, people wait at the entrance of a store in the early morning so they can be the first one in the store when it opens. Some people are now using their smart phones to help them shop. You can now download apps on to your phone that can tell you how to navigate a complicated shopping mall or to help you see in which store an item is the cheapest.

Most stores are now offering online websites which you can buy items on. Since a growing amount of people are now buying online, there is now Cyber Monday which is the Monday after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday is the same thing as Black Friday but you buy all the cheap items online. An example of a great Cyber Monday deal is the Lost Hero for 48% off at Barnes&Nobles. What did your mom, dad, or family members do on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?