A Worldwide Hero With A Message For The World

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa.  He was a brave, courageous man that spoke out against segregation and racism.

Mandela was thrown in prison for 27 year because he tried to overthrow the pro-apartheid government of South Africa.  He was first imprisoned in the year 1962, and was released in 1990.   

Immediately after he was let out of prison, Mandela began working in order to make life better for ALL South African’s.  

Finally, in the year 1994, after a long, hard fight against the government, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president.  After being president for 5 years, Mandela retired.

He won lots of awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize and the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen.  Along with winning multiple awards, he also quoted multiple quotes, including these quotes:

• Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

• I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.  The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers the fear.

• Let freedom reign.  The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.

• Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.

• Forget the past.

But, unfortunately, on December 5, 2013, he died in Houghton Estate, South Africa, of lung illness.  Nelson was 95 years old.

The world lost a great man, a man with great courage and a dream of fair treatment for all people.  And, just like the people before him, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., and many, many more, he fought for his beliefs nonviolently.

Right now, take a minute to think about things you are thankful for.  Then, think about things other people are in great need for.  Visualize a perfect world.  How can you change the world to make it perfect?

You could do something simple, like, reduce the amount of trash you use.  Or, you could do something big, like show people that skin color, culture, and other reasons people are discriminated, are reasons to like them.

How would your perfect world look?  Would people be happy, and stop dying?  Will the greedy give to the poor?  How great would it be to live in a world where nobody was in danger?  I think that is the kind of world I want to be in.  Follow the dreams of people like Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.  There is always room for a positive change.

Thinks about this:  What can you do to change the world and make it a better place?  Comment your ideas, and maybe you can inspire someone else to make a difference.  

Catching Fire: A Great Movie Was Released In Theaters

The author of Catching Fire is Suzanne Collins.  The Hunger Games, the first book in the series, was a huge hit.  People of all ages were so excited to hear Catching Fire was coming out soon.   

Summary:  Katniss Everdeen won the Hunger Games last year.  The Hunger Games is a way for the Capital to show they have control over each of the 12 districts.  Each district must send one male and one female tribute between the ages 12 and 18 into The Arena to fight to the death.    Only one person comes out alive.  The prize is no longer being in jeopardy of having to go to the arena.  But President Snow wants Katniss eliminated.  She is giving the citizens of Panem hope.  They are fighting for their freedom, and the Capital is having trouble controlling all 12 districts.  Now, the victors (people who have won the Hunger Games) are all in jeopardy of going back to the arena.  The Capitol calls this the Quarter Quell.  And Katniss is one of those people!  Now in a fight to survive, she must decide who her allies are and protect herself, plus her allies, at all times.  But if only one comes out alive, is it wise to keep her allies?

Characters: Katniss Everdeen: a victor from the Hunger Games who is giving people hope

                   Peeta Mellark: the male tribute from the Hunger Games who also won the same                                                                                                                 

                                          year as Katniss.  Normally, only one person wins, but read the first

                                          book in the series, The Hunger Games, to get that story

                   Finnick Odair: a victor and one of the tributes fighting in the Quarter Quell

                   Johanna Mason: a victor and one of the tributes in the Quarter Quell   

                   Beetee: a victor and a tribute in the Quarter Quell

                   Wireless: a victor and a tribute in the Quarter Quell

                   Mags: a victor and tribute of the Quarter Quell.  She volunteered for Annie, and Mags

                              is a very old woman

                   Gloss: a male victor and a Quarter Quell tribute

                   Gale Hawthorne: a friend of Katniss

                   President Snow: the leader of Panem

                   Plutarch Heavensbee: head gamemaker (creates the arena for the Hunger Games)

                   Effie Trinket: the person who chooses the District 12 tributes and brings them to the  

                                        Capitol, where they train for and participate in the Hunger Games

                   Caesar Flickerman: the Hunger Games host

                   Primrose (Prim) Everdeen: the little sister of Katniss.  Katniss volunteered for her,     

                                                                which is why she was in the Hunger Games in the first

                                                                place

                  Mrs. Everdeen: the mother of Katniss and Primrose

                  Haymitch Abernathy: a victor who does not compete in the Quarter Quell, but   

                                                    who coaches Katniss and Peeta, (the District 12 tributes for the

                                                    Quarter Quell).  He plays as an alcoholic

                  Claudius Templesmith: the Hunger Games announcer

                  Cinna: the stylist for Katniss, who picks amazing costumes for Katniss  

My favorite part:  The ending was the best part.  Yes, the entire movie was very suspenseful, and had a lot of action.  Costumes played another large role in making this a great movie.  The scenery, especially in the arena, added emotion to the story.   But, there is a third book in The Hunger Games Trilogy.  I read that book, Mockingjay, last year.  But the movie made it so I have to read it again.  I would recommend this book to anyone who like violence, action, suspense, and a bit of mystery.

Books In The Series:  Book #1- The Hunger Games

                                  Book #2- Catching Fire

                                  Book #3- Mockingjay

I hope you love The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins as much as I did.  If you do end up reading the series or seeing the movies, please comment your thoughts below.  Also, if you read a book or see a movie that you really enjoy, please feel free to also comment that.  

An Unsolved Mystery of Outer Space

Scientists are in the process of finding out more about dark energy.  We know so little about it, and it’s invisible to all forms of electromagnetic radiation, including light.  This makes it impossible to investigate using current tools.  

First, you need to know that our universe is made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons that stick together to form atoms.  Also, you should know that about 68%-75% of our universe is said to be made up of dark energy.

Dark energy is a force that repels gravity and cause the universe to expand quickly.  Scientist believe that dark energy exists only because of the gravitational effect it has on galaxies/galaxy clusters.

But lets say that there really is dark energy out there, taking up 68% of our universe.  What is it?  Here are a few scientific explanations.  

Explanation 1) Dark energy is just a property of space nobody understands yet.

Explanation 2) Albert Einstein’s “Empty Space” theory is true.  This theory states that empty space is not nothingness, but that empty space has its own energy.  In other words, empty space is NOT nothing!

Explanation 3) Dark Energy is a new type of dynamical fluid or field.  It fills space, but the effect on the Universe’s expansion is the opposite of matter and normal energy.

Explanation 4) Albert Einstein's theory about gravity is incorrect.  In his theory, Einstein states, “Gravity is not a force, but a distortion in the shape of space-time.’’

Who knows.  Perhaps one of these theories about dark energy is correct.  Or perhaps there isn’t even any dark energy.  But if there is, what is it made of?  There are millions of questions that will be asked.  

Comment your ideas about what dark energy is, and if you think it exists or not.

       

A Spooky History of...Halloween!

“Trick or Treat!”  a random person yells as you come to the door with a bowl of candy.  Why do we even celebrate this holiday?  You may not think it is important, (Ok, so kids ADORE Halloween, but parents may be able to do without).  But is it really meant to be a spooky day with candy?

No, it’s not.  This holiday actually originated in England, Scotland, and Northern France.  Celtic cultures celebrated a celebration called Samhain (sah-ween).  Samhain was celebrated in order to tell the end of summer and the beginning of winter.  The Celts believed that the Spirits of the dead could return to life during this celebration.

In Celtic cultures, they believed the priests, or druids, could predict the future.  During this celebration, they sat around a bonfire.  While they sat around the bonfire and listened to what the druids had to say, they wore animal skins.  Celts threw animal skins and crops into the fire to sacrifice to the spirits.

A.D. Romans were the next people to influence celebrations dedicated to the dead.  Many people believe it is possible that Romans are the reason apples are bobbed and handed out for Halloween.

By 800 A.D. Christianity was in Celtic territories.  Christians started All Saints Eve. In the 1800s, English and Irish immigrant came to America, bringing All  Saints Eve with them.  All Saints Eve was later named All Hallows Eve,  which was later shortened to Halloween.

In France, a disease called Black Death wiped out half the population.  The French celebrated All Saints in order to celebrate mortality.      

Modern Halloween is celebrated in America, Ireland, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, and New Zealand.  But even so, Trick or Treating didn't become popular until the 1930s.  Nowadays, Americans spend over 5 billion dollars for Halloween.        

Gravity: A Must See Movie

Summary: 5 people go on a mission to fix the Hubble Telescope.  But, suddenly, the team receives a message from Earth that the Russians struck their own satellite.  The debris from the Russian satellite struck other satellites, and the debris was flying towards the Hubble Telescope faster than a speeding bullet.  The debris strikes the Hubble, and the whole movie turns into a fight to survive.

Gravity is a must see movie for anyone interested in going to outer space.  The graphics are so amazing you’ll wonder how they filmed the movie without actually being in outer space.  I loved it!  This movie is the closest you will get to outer space.

But, seeing it on a regular TV won’t be much fun.  You should see it in theaters in 3D.  In the movie, satellite debris flies out at you.  It looks so real, I found myself dodging the debris, even though I knew it was just a movie.

This movie is sci-fi, and the scenery is beautiful.  No, divine.  They show aurora's,  the sun peaking around the Earth, and all the other wonders of space.  For a while, I forgot I was on Earth.  The movie makes you focus on just the screen, and tune out everything and everyone.

I went to the theater to see this movie with my family and friends.  You need to sit towards the middle of the theater, see Gravity on a big screen, in 3D, and I bet you will love every second of it!

Intro: Jessie's Big Bang

Hi everyone, I'm Jessie.  In this blog, you will be reading information on just about everything!  I love to play softball, sing, play the violin, read, and learn, especially about space, biology, and history.  Writing has always been one of my favorite things to do.
My friends and I also love sewing and just being ourselves.  We enjoy telling jokes and making videos. Occasionally we even write plays!  If anything, we savor every moment together.

                                                         Me and my friend chillaxing

Thanks for visiting my blog.  I'll be posting more posts soon, so keep visiting!    

Misclassified Species Revealed

On Thursday, August 15, 2013, the Smithsonian scientists announced that they had made a rare discovery of a new mammal, which is the first animal discovered in 35 years!  

This adorable mammal is about the size of a raccoon, and has the face of a teddy bear.  Its bodies features also include a long tail, large eyes and rusty colored fur.   Many people say it looks like a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear.

Since the classification of this animal is so new, many people do not know about it.  But, if you watch the News, or like to surf the web, you may have heard of the olinguito (pronounced oh-lin-GHEE-toe).

This is a picture of an olinguito laying in a tree

The olinguito is a native mammal to the Andes Mountains of Colombia and Ecuador.  They weigh about 2 pounds and mostly eat fruit found in trees.

But, scientists are stumped on how this creature has been mislabeled as their cousin, an olingo. Or, in other words, are NOT a new species.

 

This is an olingo                                    This is an olinguito

Many scientists find it silly that, there actually HAVE been olinguitos in zoos.  But, since this new species of animals has been classified as olingos for over 100 years, nobody realized that this species was just one of the many new species that are patiently waiting to be classified as a new species.

The olingo (the cousin of the olinguito) has short, grey fur, while the olinguito has thick rusty red fur.  But, unlike the olinguito, which to native to the Andes Mountains of Ecuador and Colombia, the olingo is native to rain forests in south and Central America, stretching from Peru to Nicaragua.  An olingo’s body length is between 36-42 centimeters, and their tail is about 37-49 centimeters long.  An olinguito’s body length is about 14 centimeters long, while its tail is about 13-17 inches long.   

But enough about the olingo.  The olinguito is shy, nocturnal, and has been in U.S. zoos since the ‘70s and ‘80.  Isn't that baffling?  For years, people have seen an “undiscovered” mammal.

The scientific name for an olinguito is Bassaricyon Neblina, which is Spanish for “little olingo”.  The olinguitos are also part of the order carnivora.  This means they are carnivores.  But olinguitos are almost always observed eating fruit.  Olinguitos are also in the family Procyonidae, or the raccoon family.  

Many scientists believe that the olinguito is the smallest mammal inside the raccoon family.   

Think about this: Have YOU ever seen an olinguito?  Also, think of how you treat the world.  Olinguitos, and all other animals of the world, need a home, and, if you destroy it, how are scientists supposed to classify other animals?

Also, think of all the places that haven’t been explored.  How many discoveries can YOU make?  Just by doing the simplest tasks, like recycling or reducing the amount of trips you take in a car, you can help scientists.