Lego Man

A giant Lego man has washed ashore on a Florida beach.

Discovered by a man taking a morning walk on the beach, the eight-foot-tall, 50 kilogram fiberglass Lego man wears a t-shirt that bears the cryptic message "No Real Than You Are" on its front and "Ego Leonard" on the back.
Originally thought to have been a viral marketing stunt from Legoland, a Dutch artist is believed to be behind the giant figurine - though whether Ego Leonard is the artist or the Lego man's name, no one is sure.
Believe it or not, he's not the first of his kind, either - other Lego figurines washed up on beaches in Holland and England in 2007 and 2008.

Article sourced from NZ HERALD -





With some research can you tell us more about the Lego man
e.g.
Where did he come from?
What do you know about the artist pressumed to have made him?
What connections does the Lego man have with another Lego event?
What does protective custody mean?

Inventor, Innovator, Genius – Steve Jobs’ Legacy

Photo by Albert Watson

Steve Jobs changed forever the way the world views, and interacts with, technology.

Jobs passed away last week, at the age of 56, from cancer.

Jobs helped to invent and market many products including the Macintosh computer, the iPhone, the iPod and the iPad. Along with Steve Wozniak, he founded computer company Apple.

It may be difficult for young people, who may have never known computers and phones before Steve Jobs changed them, to understand the massive impact he made.

A 1984 video of Jobs unveiling a brand-new product called the Macintosh computer, gives some idea.

To us today, the technology seems horribly outdated, clunky and… can you believe it?the images on the tiny computer screen aren’t even in colour!

But listen to the audience in the video as Jobs walks over to a small bag and takes the computer out. It has a handle! It’s small enough to carry! It has graphics, not just text! The audience gasps, cheers and claps because no one has ever seen anything like it.

Until the Macintosh, computers were enormous and in order to use them you usually had to have extensive training. Very powerful computers, for instance, in large companies, were mounted in special computer rooms. Computer technicians would walk up and down the aisles of blinking lights and wires, flipping switches and fiddling with dials.

With the Macintosh computer, Jobs put extensive computing power into the hands of the everyday person.

Jobs created much more than the Macintosh. He created technology from the viewpoint of the user. The iPhone cell phone, for instance, houses as much computing power as the original computers NASA used to send humans to the moon — and yet it fits in the palm of the hand and is simple to use.

Steve Jobs and rival Bill Gates (owner, Microsoft) in 2007; Image by Joi Ito

Because of his original way of looking at things, his willingness to experiment and the way he brought new ideas to his products, Jobs is seen as a type of leonardo DaVinci or Thomas Edison – a genius inventor in terms of technology and design.

“His life changed our life,” technology guru Xeni Jardin told reporter Rachel Maddow. “His vision of technology changed the world.”

In 2005 Jobs told the graduating class of Stanford University that “death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change-agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.” Then he looked at the young graduates in front of him and reminded them that, “Right now, the ‘new’ is you.”

Jobs is survived by his wife and four children.

Related Video Links

Steve Jobs unveils the Apple Macintosh, 1984. (5:11)

Rachel Maddow video commentary on Jobs’ genius, including an interview with Boingboing.net’s Xeni Jardin. (17:59, but worth watching; Xeni Jardin at 10:23)

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement address. (15:05)

Writing/Discussion PromptWhen computers were first invented, most people probably couldn’t have imagined inventions such as the laptop, iPhone, iPad and iPod.
How do you think technology will be different in 5 years? 10 years? 50 years? 100 years? How do you think this technology will change how we live?

Reading PromptWatch the first video link which shows Steve Jobs explaining the Apple Macintosh computer. (Note: Always get an adult’s permission before viewing any video on the Internet.)
How does this video help you understand what you are reading?

Grammar Feature: Different kinds of sentencesDifferent kinds of sentences are written in this article.  Declarative sentences make a statement and end with a period.  Interrogative sentences ask questions and end with a question mark.  Exclamatory sentences express a strong feeling or emotion and they end with an exclamation mark.
Get red, orange and yellow pencil crayons.  Underline declarative sentences in red, interrogative sentences in orange and exclamatory sentences in yellow.  Which type of sentence is written the most?  Why do you think this is the case?

Dan Carter out of World Cup

Key first-five Daniel Carter has been ruled out of the entire Rugby World Cup with a torn left groin, with Aaron Cruden being called into the squad as cover.

All Black doctor Deb Robinson said Carter had a tear in the tendon and his World Cup was over. A scan has revealed the 29-year-old, 85 test All Blacks vice-captain had torn the adductor longus tendon in his left groin.
He suffered the injury during kicking practice at the captain's run training session in Wellington yesterday afternoon.
Robinson said: "The scan confirmed our worst fears that the tendon has torn which means he is out of the tournament."
Meanwhile All Blacks coach Graham Henry has reiterated that Colin Slade has always been their first choice to backup Dan Carter, despite growing calls for halfback Piri Weepu to be used as a pivot.
Henry said earlier today that he was devastated for Carter.
"He has worked so hard to be at a peak for Rugby World Cup."
"We will rally around him and pull together as a team."

The Twits -Emeralds

The Twits
By Road Dahl

Teegan says that they were making some plans.
Heidi says that they were going to steal something in someones house.
Leah says that they were making plans.
Vailo says that they were gonna steal something in someones house like old women's house

Teegan scored 5/10 because it wasn't interesting at all.
Heidi scored 5/10 because their was know pictures.
Leah scored 5/10 because it wasn't interesting with out the pictures.
Vailo scored 6/10 because their was know picture but their was only one picture with two people but the words was a little bit interesting.

From Vailo,Heidi,Leah,Teegan.

The Twitts-Diamonds

Twitts 

Kirsten said that the Twitts  where making a plan.

Theissen says they had team work to plan a work sheet

Theissen scored 5-10 because there needs to be pictures.

Kirsten scored 5-10    there needs to to be pictures

9/11 Victims Honoured, Remembered

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011 11:21 PMAustralia

U.S. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and former U.S. President George W. Bush at the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero. Image: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Just over 2 weeks ago was the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

“9/11” refers to three terrorist attacks in the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001 – the ninth month, the 11th day.

On that day 10 years ago, nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists attacked two World Trade Centre buildings in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Near Pennsylvania, a plane was hijacked and crashed into a field.

The victims of the attacks were from more than 90 countries. Around the world, millions of people commemorated 9/11 in their own way.

At the site in New York where the twin towers once stood, called Ground Zero, thousands of people including U.S. President Barack Obama attended remembrance services. Bells rang and there were moments of silence so people could think about the people who died in the attacks and the heroes—including members of the New York Fire and Police Departments—who worked tirelessly to save others that day.

In Canada, hundreds of people gathered at a hockey arena in Gander, N.L., where U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson thanked the town’s residents for generously helping the nearly seven thousand Americans who had been stranded there for three days 10 years ago. (Their flights had been cancelled to keep the airspace clear).

British Prime Minister David Cameron and the relatives of 67 British people who died in the 9/11 attacks, attended a ceremony in London. An American flag at the U.S. embassy in London flew at half-mast.

Mourners in Tokyo, Japan, gathered in front of a glass case containing steel retrieved from Ground Zero. They honoured 23 Fuji Bank employees who died in the World Trade Centre.

There was an emotional ceremony in Australia. The country’s prime minister said, “on this day, on behalf of millions of Australians, I say this: We do not forget. We never forget.”

Writing/Discussion Prompt

Australia’s Prime Minister expressed the importance of never forgetting the events that took place on 9/11. Why do you think it is important to remember this event and what are the dangers of forgetting?

Reading PromptWhat do you know about 9/11? Where did you first learn about it? What questions do you still have?

Grammar Feature: Spelling (double consonants)
Certain words are harder than others to spell. As a result, they’re often misspelled–by kids and adults alike. “Difficult” words often have double consonants. For example, today’s article includes the often misspelled word, “commemorate.” In order to become a better speller, it is important to memorize words with double consonants.

Here are some other commonly misspelled double consonant words:
millennium, different, pollution, opportunity, recess, soccer, attention.

With your reading group, write 10 different words that include double consonants in a new post on our reading blog home page.  Remember to add your group name int he title, incase you do not get your post published today you will know what draft is yours to work on tomorrow!

Reading just for fun - Week 8