How to Make a YouTube Video

By Edison Chen

 

Very informative blog, Edison.  Kids- you must have your parents' permission to both visit Youtube and/or make a Youtube video!-Ms.R

     Have you ever wanted to post a Youtube video didn’t know how? Well, here are some directions to making one. First, you need a webcam or video camera and a Youtube account. You can get it by registering in Youtube’s home page. After registering start filming. It is recommended to be under 10 minutes. Launch Windows Live Movie Maker app from Windows Live website. Click Movie Maker at the top left corner and select New Project. Click Add Videos and Pictures to transfer your video. If your webcam is built in your computer, your video files might be in the public folder. If not, check the video folder. Drag your video to the bottom of the screen, first box. To add transitioning effects click animations. Click to add music for music. Preview it to make sure it is OK. Click on Movie Maker when you are done. Then select Publish Movie. Sign up and sign in your Windows Live account. After that sign in your Youtube account and click on Upload Video. It might five to an hour to upload. Have fun filming.

L.A. Trip By Rahul Krishnan

Hey Classmates,

            On my Thanksgiving break I went to Los Angeles. We had a lot of fun there. Have you ever been to California Adventure at Disneyland? I went to Disneyland and California Adventure. I have been to Disneyland three times! I like California Adventure better though. I like California Adventure more because there are a lot more rides. My favorite ride there was a ride called Grizzly River Run. What happens is that you are in a raft and it goes through caves at a high speed! They call it Grizzly River Run because the mountain you see near the ride is shaped like a bear. The only roller coaster we went on was called How to Fly. It took a lot of sharp turns and sudden drops. The next day we went to Universal Studios. Have you guys seen that place? This one was not as fun as Disneyland for me. The only ride I liked was the Simpsons ride. What it does is it takes you on what feels like a roller coaster ride. But actually, you are still in the same room the whole time. It looks like you’re not in the same room because the movie playing around you makes it more realistic. Also, the ride shakes and sprays water at you to make it seem more realistic too. We also took a studio tour.  In the studio tour they take us in a tram and show us the sets and props from movies and television shows. We left L.A with a lot of good memories. Before we reached home we stopped by our friends house and had more fun. It was the best trip ever! This is all I did on my Thanksgiving break.

                                                           

                                                                                                Your Classmate,

                                                                                                Rahul

            

Movie Making

by Ishika Shah

        You’ve definitely watched a movie before, but have you ever wondered how a movie is made? Wondered how Superman ‘flies’? How light comes out from Harry Potter’s wand? The answer: special effects. Oh, and to find the answer to the first one, keep reading. Movie making is a long process, but it might be interesting to watch. 
          Before the filming for a non-animated movie begins, a few things are needed. The first thing on the scavenger hunt list is a crew of a directors, actors, cameramen, a producer, and many others. Next is the area for filming, and the first few sets. Finally, the actors need a script that tells them what to say and do.
           Lights, camera, action! It’s filming time. Scenes are pretty long, so they are filmed in shorter parts that are only a couple minutes long. Each part is filmed many times. It gets a bit boring for the crew, but it provides choices. The best one is used in the final movie. Everything is filmed with a camera that takes very quick pictures, usually at the rate of about 24 per second! The voice is recorded seperately. The scenes are not performed in order. Everything that happens in one place is filmed, then everything that happens in another place is filmed, and so on.
           Sometimes, actors need to be shown doing things that are impossible in real life. That’s when special effects are used. For example, when a super hero is shown flying, ropes are used to move the actor through the air. Using a computer, the ropes are erased. Another way to do it is to record the actor and the background searately, and then combine the two using a computer. If the actor does not know how to do something or there’s a dangerous stunt the actor must perform, a stunt double performs that bit for the actor. The stunt double looks very similar to the actor. Sometimes, objects are inserted using a computer. That’s called graphics.
           Often, movies are animated. There are two types of animation. Usually, pictures are drawn as in Madagascar. Every picture is a bit different than the one before it. When the pictures are shown quickly, it looks like movement. Sometimes, puppets are used as in Elmo. The puppets are set, a picture is taken, the puppets are moved a bit, a picture is taken, and so on. These pictures are also shown quickly to look like movement.  
             After filming, a few things happen. The different bits are put together to make the movie. The many pictures are printed on a few long rolls of film. The voice track is next to the pictures. Then the film is taken to the theater for everyone to get some popcorn, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
            Next time you see a movie, think about these things. I challenge you to see if  you can find one place where special effects were used! Also, if you know an interesting fact about movie making and I did not include it, please share it with me.

Math

by Wasi Alam

Mathematics is used in every single thing that we do on earth. I can't name anything that can not be included in math. Even finding the longitude and latitude of the earth, you' re even using math when your drawing, like when you use a ruler to make a straight line. Of where you put the pictures on your drawing and much more. We can not live without math. You can't even draw a straight line without knowing your inches and centimeters. Making a chair also includes math. It's not just like you draw a simple chair and start making it. You need to know how long it will be. Calculate how big it has to be, because otherwise if you just design a chair and sent it to build, your chair might turn out to be 900 feet high. That's why we use math. I hope you use math today, bye!

P.S. Do you know what 10x10 is ? 

 

My trip to Bejing By Dyson Ye

                For October break, I went to Beijing. I visited places such as Tian Anmen Square, Badaling Great Wall, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Stadium, etc. However, a place called the Ming Thirteen Tombs (where 13 emperors and the royal family from the Ming Dynasty were buried) was robbed this month. An important tombstone went missing. We also walked four miles on the Great Wall. It was so steep and windy, it seemed like we would fall off! When we were close to the exit, a crowd popped up and blocked the wind for us. Too bad it was so crowded! There was also a place called the Summer Palace. The royal family lived there in the summer. There was a huge lake in the middle; we were too tired to walk more, so we took boats to get to the exit! Then there was the old Summer Palace. 150 years ago, when eight allies (birth of the Allies?) attacked the Qing Dynasty, the British and French burned the Old Summer Palace down.

When I visited the Olympic Stadium, there were segways on the running track for recreation. I rode on one. Since I’m short, I couldn’t go fast. It was so cool! Near the Stadium was the National Aquatics Center. It looked small, but it was really huge! We visited the pool where Michael Phelps swam. They were playing short clips about helping the earth and the elderly.

My favorite part about visiting Beijing was the four star hotel. They provided pretty much everything, from a buffet on the fourteenth floor (our floor) to soap and bath mats and even making your bed! The hotel was called Park Plaza. The buffet had food from all over the world! I found out we could access the Internet, even from my iPad! Have you ever tried Beijing (Peking) duck? You should! It tastes like duck, but the skin melts in your mouth like candy.

How did you spend your October break? Please share your break. Do you know any facts about Beijing? If so, say it in the comments!

HOw My Family Got Our Cats- By Cindy Lu

About  Our Cats and How My Family Got Them

By Cindy Lu

      Many people have pets. Do you know what pets I have? You'll find out very soon. My family adopted two cats over 2011's summer break. We were in Petco seeing if we could adopt a cat. An employee told us there was an animal shelter in Milpitas. So we went on Sunday to see. In the display room we saw a lot of cats. My sister took a liking in a black and white tabby she-cat with long fur named Rose. I took a liking in a male white cat with ginger patches, named Bullwinkle, but it didn't like me. Whenever it saw me, it would run away. Then I left the display room to see the younger cats still in cages. I saw a cage with ginger cats inside. A lady working there told us to see if we liked Orion. Orion just didn't let her carry him! He went to the back of the cage where nobody could reach him. Then she told us about Phoenix. She said Phoenix was a snuggle-bug and when she was working in the morning, she had him in her arms. After she finished talking, I asked her if she could take him out. She agreed and took him out and I carried him. I really liked this cat and my sister really liked Rose. My mom and dad agreed to adopt these cats so we bought supplies they needed and took them home.

      Phoenix and Rose are very nice and care for each other. Phoenix is a sandy colored cat with dusty green eyes. Rose is a black and white tabby with odd eyes which are copper on the outside, rimming her eyeballs are teal, and her eyeballs are green.  When we have visitors, Phoenix will greet them like he knew them his whole life. Rose is very shy and will get scared and hide. Phoenix eats a lot of fruits and vegetables. He eats apples, cantaloupe, peaches, nectarines, broccoli, lettuce. Rose refuses to eat fruits and vegetables. Both of them like cheese and chicken. If Phoenix can't find Rose, he'll meow really loudly. If Rose can't find Phoenix, she doesn't really care. Both enjoy staring outside and watching squirrels. Do you have any pets? If not, which pet do you want?

Pets- By Ronald Chen

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PET?

 

Here are a few reasons why I like a dog. It is because dogs can cheer you up when you are feeling blue or angry, they can accompany you, and they can give you extra exercise when you take them on a walk or run. They can cheer you up because when you are angry or sad, you can tell them why you are sad or angry, and they won’t laugh or tease you (I mean, dog can’t talk). They can accompany you when you are bored because you can take them to the park and run or walk with them. They give you extra exercise because dogs are fast and you need to try to catch up with them.

What is your favorite pet? Why?

Walmart- By Shrirang Bagdi

Walmart

Have you ever shopped at Walmart and bought something? I am sure sometimes. My family has shopped to Walmart several times as well. I was at Walmart this weekend and I was wondering why the products are cheaper than other retail stores, why there are so many customers there, and why there are huge varieties of products. I did some research and this is what I found. Walmart runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The first Walmart was opened by Sam Walton and his wife Helen Walton; they used 95%of their money to open it in Rogers, Ark. Walmart’s founder Sam Walton traveled the country studying everything he could about discount retailing; he got convinced that buyers wanted a new type of store. That’s how he got Walmart, the store were you get products that have the lowest possible prices available, guaranteed satisfaction, friendly knowledgeable service,  and a pleasant shopping experience. In the 1970s Walmart Headquarters in Bentonville, Ark opened. Today there are 8,500 stores in 15 countries, under 55 different names. Walmart are able to make profits by selling in large quantities. Walmart is the largest retailer store in America. Now that you know some facts about Walmart tell me if you have ever shopped at Walmart and what did you buy?  If not tell me about another retailer store that you like!J

The Day I Was Born- By Adam Loo

            The day of when I was born (As now known as a birthday) was AWESOME!!! Oh. Did I say that to loud? Well It all started at school. At 8:00. NO. It wasn't like that. It was like this. I woke up. Only my mom was awake. I started watching TV. I was a bit upset. Why? leave your answer in this blank: ________________________(And don't cheat because Santa is watching you. Behind you. In the shadows of your room. Now look behind you and you scream: BLOODY MURDER!!! Santa is holding a chainsaw!!!) And the answer to the Birthday Trivia Question is: I had an after-school that day. Well after the after-school I had a HUGE PARTY!!! It had a home, a home, and a home. Try to find out where I was in this blank:_______________(And don't cheat because Santa is watching you. Behind you. In the shadows of your room. Now look behind you and you scream: BLOODY MURDER!!! Santa is holding a chainsaw again!!!) It was at home! $0.00 will be rewarded for whoever got it correct! At this place called home I found out there was two stranger which one of them claims he is my friend and the other one claims that he is my cousin. Mysterious... One of them plays this game called MW3 (kids don't play it because it is rated M for much older and epic like me) and the DS. We ate a HUGE BBQ at my house that lives in the Milky Way. I ate a hot dog, a co-bob (sounds like Co BOB) and some chips. Then we played MW2 (well they played it not me) and the DS. We had cake. A 100 pound cake. Enough for 200,000,000 football players. An ICE-CREAM CAKE. And you know what's so special about it? I had three wishes in it! I blew on the candle. One. I blew on it a second time. Two. I blew on it a third time. Three! Well then...

THE END

Tomatoes -By Joshua Wong

Tomatoes

By Joshua W.

    In my backyard there are two cherry tomato plants. We water them every other day. Before it is ripe, the tomatoes are green, then yellow, after that, red. The red fruit is very sweet.  They grow very fast and if not picked, the tomatoes will explode. If they explode we cannot eat them because some bacteria or bugs might have gone inside. We also wash them before we eat them. The tomatoes need a pole to support them or else the plant will collapse and die. Our plant is getting quite tall, almost as tall as the wooden fence. Do you grow any fruits or vegetables? If not, what is your favorite?

5th Grade By Crystal Qin

5th Grade

                   This year at Portal is my last but I'm still very excited to start the first trimester. I hope I will have a lot of fun. Last year I saw that the fifth graders got to do a lot of things that we fourth graders did not get to do like Biz World and if you fourth graders don't know what that is it has something to do with bracelets. But it is also hard too you get harder math also. Last year we didn't get to go to Outdoor school but this year we finally get to go. Also if your in Band and you went last year 5th graders you get to go to great America. Last of all there is the 5th grade Ceremony on the Last day of school.Also if your guessing how I know this I know a fifth grader at my house and her name is Olivia. I will really miss Portal when I leave but I also am excited for middle school.

Comment: 5th graders are you excited for the year? and for the fourth graders are you looking forward to fifth grade?

                                                                                               

My Trip to the East Coast

My Trip to the East Coast

    My trip to the east coast was a very fascinating and adventurous vacation with my family to Boston, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.

    At first when I arrived at the airport, I was very nervous and didn’t want to go. Afterwards I was a little bit excited to go to the urban areas to see the difference between their place and ours.

    We first arrived at Boston, Massachusetts. Almost every building was made of bricks. It was a very old city. We followed the freedom trail (a red line on sidewalks that lead you to places). We came upon the Boston Capital Building. Many old histories were posted there. What was so cool was that I was able to see the Boston Bruins real home stadium! We also went to other parts of Massachusetts and took a tour around Harvard University.

    We took a bus to New York. The first thing we did was we came to the Scholastic art and writing building to see my brother’s (Tony’s) work that has won two gold medals; one for his video game, Evastro, and one for his writing. I’m also very proud of myself because I colored Evastro (the video game was created on paper) that helped my brother win the prize. So many photographies and portfolios won gold medals. They were so creative! On another day, we took a subway to Time Square. Wow, it was so crowded! If you went about a few meters away from your parents, you can get lost! Many commercials and news were on electronics that were posted on buildings. We bought “I ♥ NY” t-shirts. We came to other cool places like UK (United Kingdom). It’s so funny to see Tony bopping his head like a pigeon whenever one appears!

    We took another bus to Pennsylvania. We checked out U-PENN (University of Pennsylvania). The liberty bell was also cool. I didn’t know it was so small!

    Finally, we took another bus to Washington D.C. My it’s so hot there! It’s not regularly hot, it’s like you are in a heat stove! For dinner, we ate yummy noodles at noodle restaurant. It was so good! The next day, we checked out the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument (to climb on it tickets are free!), the White House, and much more cool places. All museums at Washington D.C. are free! My favorite one was this museum about mammals, humans, sea animals, reptiles, birds, etc. I went to the humans section and there was something really weird. It said that we are made of chickens, monkeys, other random animals, and even bananas! I was just being naughty when there was a machine that wanted to answer questions we came up. I typed: “Am I really a banana?” and “What’s today’s date?” and it said it would post it on it’s website! Of course, I know we are not made of those random things. It was time to visit the reflecting pool! It was so cool and Tony was playing with the ducks (does not sound anything mature like a teenager). The Capital Building was right behind the reflecting pool, though we weren’t allowed inside.

    Wow! There is just so much to say about the trip, but I can’t take up all this space in the blog. I hope you can also take a vacation to the East Coast one day and figure how fun it is yourself!

Comment: Have you went to the East Coast? How was it? If not, would you like to visit it or do you know any information about it?

Thanks!

Graduation

By Zarah

Hey Room 24! As you all know, Graduation/Last day of School is coming up! :D I am truly VERY excited for Graduation because we get to be the people on the stage while the fourth graders will possibly be on the carpet! Also, the fourth graders will probably sing the song "Shooting Star" for the fifth graders!! :D I bet all the fifth graders are AS excited as me! Fifth graders: Are you happy that you will be moving to Middle School/What middle school are you going to? Fourth Graders: Are you guys ready to move into fifth grade?

  Nature

                                                                          By

                                                                    Cindy Lu

              Open the screen door. Step outside. Here birds sing. Here trees being blown in the wind.

Step on the grass. Feel the grass between your toes. Everything in this is nature. Ever since I started

going into the garden everyday, I've learned to enjoy everything that has to do with nature. Trees, flowers

grass ...... Name it. Even in the coldest days, nature gives you a fire to burn in your heart. There are 

plenty of nature things around my house to enjoy. If you ever thought deeply into nature, nature includes 

animals from the smallest ant to the largest animal ever known on earth. In my brain, to truly respect 

nature, is to not kill ants for fun, and chicken, pigs, cows, sheep, cattle, ducks,  fish, and seafood for 

food. Though I have to admit meat does taste good. Now I am mostly vegetarian. What is your favorite 

thing in nature? I am sure the whole class would like to know what you like.

Friday the 13^th

 

By Mandar

 

Friday the 13^th was always known as an unlucky day. People who are afraid the Friday 13^th suffer paraskavedekatriaphobia. 21 million American suffer this.  Some people don’t go to restaurants, while others don’t go to work, and some just stay in bed so they don’t have to face the day!  It has been estimated that $800 or $900 million dollars is lost in this day because they don’t go to work.

 

People who suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia most likely consider themselves unlucky. But did you wonder how Friday the 13^th got unlucky?  Well there are many reasons to this. In numerology 12 is considered completeness such as, 12 months equal a year however 13 is considered irregular. Another reason there have also been strange events on the Friday 13^th.  That also makes people afraid the Friday the 13^th. 13 and Friday was considered unlucky making Friday the 13^th unlucky. Why is 13 unlucky? Here is why 13 is considered unlucky.  The fear of 13^th goes back to ancient history about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked an uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Loki arranged Hoder, the blind god of darkness to shot Blader the beautiful, the god of joy and gladness with a mistletoe-tipped arrow.  Blader died and the earth got dark. It is a bad, unlucky day. From that day on 13 was considered unlucky.

 

Do you believe in Friday the 13^th?

 

Ranger’s Apprentice

By: Eric Wu


Hi room 24! Do any of you guys read Ranger’s Apprentice? I do! It is a really awesome book series about these people called “rangers” who defend the kingdom. They are kind of like a medieval FBI of CIA. They are a special police force sent to do missions for the king and to drive out or kill evil people. They each have a long bow (a re-curve bow if you are an apprentice), a throwing knife, and a saxe knife. One of the main characters is Halt who is a legendary ranger and another is Halt’s apprentice, Will, who eventually becomes a legendary ranger too. Will’s best friend, Horace, becomes a legendary knight (wow, all of them are legendary). These are only some of the main characters in the series. There are 10 books in the series. In the first one, Will saves Halt and kills these creatures who were thought to be extinct that tried to kill Halt. In the second book, Horace kills an evil person called Morgorath when they do a one-on-one duel (and Horace was only a knight apprentice!) In the third book… Well, you get the idea. I would recommend this series to anyone. Do any of you guys read Ranger’s Apprentice? If so, do you like it? If you don’t read it, will you try it out?

Mario- By Dyson

          The video game character Mario is a pudgy mustachioed plumber who always saves a woman, no matter who that woman is. I think some of you know Mario, right? Well, here are some things that you probably don’t know about him. Please allow me to tell you:

·         In the game Super Princess Peach, Mario, Luigi and Toad are captured and Princess Peach has to save them.

·         Mario’s power-ups are: hammer, mega mushroom, Tanuki suit, wing cap, feather cape, fire flower, ice flower, metal cap, invincible star, invincibility cap, invisibility cap, penguin suit, cloud mushroom, starman, super mushroom, Boo Mario, Spring Mario, propeller mushroom, 1-up mushroom, Hover FLUDD, Rocket FLUDD, Turbo FLUDD, and Spray FLUDD.

·         Princess Peach has a talking parasol named “Perry”.

·         Mario’s house is called Mario’s Pad.

·         Characters with big noses and hands and grass skirts are called “Pianta” which means “plant”.

·         Super Mario Sunshine is the hardest Mario game to come out in history.

·         In Super Mario RPG, Bowser joins Mario in an attempt to get his castle back after his army is destroyed.

·         Bowser has eight children: seven of them are the Koopalings, and his other son is Bowser Jr.

·         Bowser Jr. believed that Princess Peach was his mother.

·         The turtles are called Koopas, and they are one of the most loyal kinds to Bowser.

·         Super Mario RPG is like the only game where Bowser cries like a baby.

·         Yoshi is a non-playable character in Super Mario 63 since he appears once in the game.

·         Yoshi’s Power-ups are the dash pepper, blimp fruit, and bulb berry.

·         Yoshi raised Bowser from a baby.

·         Bowser could ground pound at age one.

·         Yoshi’s rival is a dinosaur named Boshi.

·         Mario’s enemies are Donkey Kong, Wario, and Bowser.

·         In Super Princess Peach, Princess Peach has infinite lives.

·         Mario originally was a carpenter.

·         Mario became a plumber after being a character that was underground for a long time.

·         Princess Peach used to be Mario’s girlfriend, Pauline, and then Princess Toadstool.

·         In Super Mario Defense, you have to defeat Mario and Luigi before they take over Bowser’s Castle.

·         Bowser has four generals: Goomba, Koopa, Kamek, and MagiKoopa.

·         Mario’s three aged friends are Toadsworth, Frogfucius, and Grandpa Penguin.

·         Fish, also known as Cheep Cheep, can usually hurt Mario.

·         In Super Luigi Galaxy, spinning underwater can greatly decrease Luigi’s air supply.

·         Luigi is younger than Mario.

·         The Poison Mushroom causes Mario to shrink or die.

·         Mario can stand on clouds.

Another thing I'd like to share is that Mario‘s brother Luigi is very clumsy. Although Luigi has saved Mario more than once, Luigi is usually the one in trouble besides Princess Peach.

I hope that you have learned something you didn’t know before about Mario. If you know something about Mario that I didn’t mention, please share.

Don’t Eat at Fast Food Restaurants!
                        By- Annie Pan

Pull open the glass door and feel the rush of cool air. Step inside. Look at the color pictures of food above the counter, look at the cardboard advertisement for the latest Disney movie, get in line, and place your order. Hand over some money. Put the change back in your pocket. Watch teenagers in blue-and-gold uniforms busy working in the kitchen. Moments later, grab the plastic tray with your food, find an empty table, and sit down. Unwrap the burger, squirt ketchup on the fries, stick the plastic straw through the hole in the lid of your drink. Pick up the burger and dig in.

The whole experience of eating at a fast-food restaurant has become so familiar, so routine, that we take it for granted. It has become just another habit, like brushing your teeth before bed. We do it without even thinking about it — and that’s the problem. The

food you eat enters your body and literally becomes part of you. It helps determine whether you’ll be short or tall, weak or strong, thin or fat. It helps determine whether you will enjoy a long, healthy life or die young. Food is of fundamental importance. So why is it that most people don’t think about fast food and don’t know much about it? The simple answer is this: the companies that sell fast food don’t want you to think about it. They don’t want you to know where it comes from and how it’s made. They just want you to buy it.

50% of kids are obese because of fast food. French fries at fast food restaurants have “partially hydrogenated” oils in them. Don’t let an advertisement guide you around. You are the one deciding if you are taking the hard way of living where you eat junk food and like a shorter and unhealthy life, or if you want to have a healthy life where you can live happy and longer with no problems. Eating fast food restaurants can cause serious diseases and cancer. They contain many calories in meals. Even one meal can really bother your health. That’s how unhealthy fast food restaurants have. And we should now stop eating it.

Just think about all the oil and fat you’ll be eating once you open a new bought bag of junk food. Does it tastes well? What does it taste like? It tastes good, right? Well, it might taste better than regular food. That’s because hey have flavors added to the food. It’s not real food. That’s why most foods are cheap. Even some expensive ones have artificial flavors in them. It’s not real! It may look real, but the real ingredient is this: Junk! Just save your money! Cook your own food would be much better! You don’t even need money to buy them!Many and most places have chemicals in food that make them look real, but they are actually fake. Don’t count places like subway as your choice of junk food. That’s healthy. You have the choice for many vegetables and healthy things. But the drink and bag of chips may not be very healthy. Some foods are rotten and were put into chemicals to make them look yummy. Eating fast food can really turn you into an obese person. 50% of kids are obese because of fast food. Just don’t do it the simple way if it’s just the bad things that will get into your body.

• Pack your own lunch at school. Hot lunch may have expired food
• At home, don’t go to any fast food restaurants you know that has bad food
• Eat less oils, meat, poultry, and sweets
• Stay healthy!

After this passage, I will probably think you will not eat any more fast food restaurants. Search on the internet, read books about it, or even look in the magazine about fast foods. At the library, check out the video called Food Inc. It tells all about how you need to stay healthy and all those bad food products at many fast food restaurants.

Q&A of the Blog: 

Do you eat a lot of junk food? If you ever ate any junk food, did it ever make you feel sick? Will you ever eat junk food again? Why or why not?

Northern Lights

by Aishwarya

Hi Room 24! Have you ever read about colorful skies in the night? They are called the ‘Northern lights’ or ‘Aurora Borealis’. They are natural lights in the sky during long dark periods of time near the equinoxes.

Northern Lights as the name suggests happen in the Polar Regions. They are caused due to charged solar wind particles collision with oxygen and nitrogen in the earth’s ionosphere in the presence of strong magnetic field at North Pole. They are typically red or green but sometimes are blue. I  t was discovered that Jupiter and Saturn also had Auroras. In Antarctica there are southern lights and they are called Aurora Australis. Next time you plan to visit Europe, Go to Norway to see the Northern Lights !

Can you share a natural wonder of the world?

           Phobias     

By: Aaron Ho

Are you scared of something? If you are, then you have phobia. A phobia is when you have a fear of something.  I have claustrophobia, that means I am scared of confined spaces or I feel uncomfortable when I am in a squeezed.  I also have acropobia. It means that I have a fear of heights. I do not like heights, they make me feel like I'm gonna fall down.  There are many phobia's out there, but the most common ones are:

Accidents- Dystychiphobia.Air- Anemophobia.
Air swallowing- Aerophobia.Airsickness - Aeronausiphobia. Alcohol- Methyphobia or Potophobia.
Alone (being) - Isolophobia.Amnesia- Amnesiphobia.Anger- Cholerophobia.
Animals- Zoophobia.Animals skins - Doraphobia.Ants- Myrmecophobia.
Atomic Explosions- Atomosophobia.Automobile (moving)- Ochophobia.Automobiles- Motorphobia.

Bacteria - Bacteriophobia.Bald people- Peladophobia.
Bald (becoming)- Phalacrophobia.Bathing- Ablutophobia. Beards- Pogonophobia.
Beautiful women- Caligynephobia.Beds - Clinophobia.Bees- Apiphobia or Melissophobia.
Blindness - Scotomaphobia. Blood- Hemophobia or Hemaphobia..Body odors- Osmophobia or Osphresiophobia.
Bogeyman - Bogyphobia.Books- Bibliophobia.Bound or tied up- Merinthophobia.
Bowel movements- Defecaloesiophobia.Brain disease- Meningitophobia.Bridges (crossing)- Gephyrophobia.
Bullets - Ballistophobia.Bums & beggars- Hobophobia.Burglars - Scelerophobia.
Buried alive - Taphephobia.

Cancer- Cancerophobia, Carcinophobia.
Car (riding) - Amaxophobia.Cats - Aclurophobia, Ailurophobia, Gatophobia, or FelinophobiaCemeteries- Coimetrophobia.
Chickens- Alektorophobia.Childbirth- Maleusiophobia or Lockiophobia.Children- Pedophobia.
Chinese - Sinophobia. Choking - Pnigophobia Church- Ecclesiophobia.
Clocks or time- Chronophobia.Clothing- Vestiphobia.Clowns- Coulrophobia.
Coitus- Coitophobia.Cold things- Frigophobia.Colors- Chromophobia
Comets- Cometophobia.Computers - Cyberphobia.Confined spaces- Claustrophobia.
Constipation- Coprastasophobia.Contamination - Molysmophobia Cooking- Mageirocophobia.
Corpses- Necrophobia.Criticism- Enissophobia.Crucifix- Staurophobia.
Crossing streets- Agyrophobia or Dromophobia. Crowds - Agoraphobia.

Dampness - Hygrophobia.
Dancing- Chorophobia.Dark place- Lygophobia.Darkness- Achluophobia or Myctophobia, or Scotophobia.
Dawn- Eosophobia.Daylight - Phengophobia.Dying - Thanatophobia.
Dead things- Necrophobia.Decaying matter- Seplophobia.Decisions - Decidophobia.
Defeat- Kakorrhaphiophobia.Deformed people - Teratophobia or Dysmorphophobia Demons- Demonophobia or Daemonophobia.
Dental surgery- Odontophobia.Dentists- Dentophobia.Diabetes- Diabetophobia.
Dining - Delpnophobia.Dirt - Molysmophobia.Dirty (being) - Automysophobia.
Disease- Nosophobia, Nosemaphobia or Pathophobia.Dizziness - Illyngophobia..Dogs - Cynophobia.
Dolls- Pediophobia.Dreams- Oneirophobia.Drinking - Dipsophobia.
Drugs - Pharmacophobia.Dryness- Xerophobia.Dust- Amathophobia

Eating - Phagophobia.Electricity- Electrophobia.
Erection (losing)- Medomalacuphobia. Everything- Panophobia.
Eyes- Ommetaphobia Fainting- Asthenophobia.Fatigue- Kopophobia.
Feces- Scatophobia.Female genitals- Kolpophobia or Eurotophobia.Fever- Fibriphobia
Filth - Rhypophobia.Fire- Arsonphobia or Pyrophobia.Firearms- Hoplophobia.
Fish- Ichthyophobia.Floods- Antlophobia.Flowers - Anthrophobia.
Flying- Aerophobia, Aviophobia or Aviatophobia Fog- Homichlophobia or Nebulaphobia.Food - Sitophobia
Foreigners - Xenophobia.Forests- Hylophobia. Forests (night)- Nyctohylophobia
Forgetfulness - Athazagoraphobia.France - Francophobia or Galiphobia.Friday the 13th- Paraskavedekatriaphobia.
Frogs- Batrachophobia.Frost - Cryophobia.Garlic- Alliumphobia.
Genitals - Kolpophobia or Eurotophobia.Germans - Germanophobia Germs - Misophobia
Ghosts - Spectrophobia.Girls - Parthenophobia.Glass - Crystallophobia.
God or gods- Zeusophobia..Gold- Aurophobia. Greek - Hellophobia.

Hair- TrichophobiaHalloween- Samhainophobia.
Handwriting- Graphophobia.Heart - Cardiophobia.Heat- Thermophobia.
Heaven- Ouranophobia or Uranophobia.Heights- Acrophobia.Hell- Hadephobia
Holy things- Hagiophobia.Home - Ecophobia.Homosexuality - Homophobia.
Horses- Equinophobia or Hippophobia. Hospitals- Nosocomephobia.Houses - Domatophobia.
Hurricanes- Lilapsophobia.Hypnotized - Hypnophobia.

Ice - Pagophobia.
Ignored (being)- Athazagoraphobia.Imperfection- Atelophobia.Infection- Molysomophobia.
Injections- Trypanophobia.Injury- Traumatophobia.Insanity- Dementophobia
Insects - Insectophobia.Itching- Acarophobia.

Japanese - Japanophobia.
Jealousy- Zelophobia.Jews- Judeophobia.Jumping - Catapedaphobia.

Kidney disease- Albuminurophobia.Kissing- Philemaphobia
Knowledge- Gnosiophobia or Epistemophobia.

Lakes- Limnophobia.
Large things- Megalophobia.Laughter- Geliophobia.Lawsuits - Liticaphobia.
Learning- Sophophobia.Leprosy- LeprophobiaLice- Pediculophobia
Light- Photophobia.Lightning - BrontophobiaLiquids- Hygrophobia.
Locked in - Cleithrophobia Lockjaw - Tetanophobia.Loneliness - Eremophobia
Loud noises- Ligyrophobia.Love- Erotophobia. Love (falling in)- Philophobia.

Machines- Mechanophobia.Madness - Lyssophobia.
Marriage- Gamophobia.Meat- Carnophobia.Medicine (taking) - Pharmacophobia.
Medicines- Hydrargyophobia.Memories- Mnemophobia..Men- Hominophobia.
Menstruation- Menophobia.Metal- Metallophobia.Meteors- Meteorophobia.
Mice- Musophobia Mind- Psychophobia.Mirrors- Catoptrophobia.
Mobs - DemophobiaMoisture - Hygrophobia.Money- Chrometophobia
Moon - Selenophobia.Mother-in-law- Pentheraphobia.Moths- Mottephobia.
Motion - Kinetophobia Moving automobile - Ochophobia.Mushrooms - Mycophobia.
Music- Melophobia.Names- Nomatophobia.Narrowness- Anginophobia.
Needles- Aichmophobia or Belonephobia..Newness- Cainophobia.Night- Noctiphobia.
Noise - Acousticophobia.Nosebleeds- Epistaxiophobia.Novelty- Cainophobia or Cainotophobia.
Nuclear weapons- Nucleomituphobia.Nudity- Gymnophobia or Nudophobia.Number 13- Triskadekaphobia.
Numbers- Arithmophobia or Numerophobia.

Ocean - Thalassophobia.Odors - Olfactophobia.Old people- Gerontophobia.
Operation- Tomophobia. Opinions- Allodoxaphobia.

Pain- Algiophobia or Odynephobia.
Paper- Papyrophobia.Parasites- Parasitophobia.Parents-in-law- Soceraphobia.
People- Anthropophobia.Phobias- Phobophobia.
Pins- Enetophobia.Plants- Botonophobia.Pleasure- Hedonophobia.
Poetry- Metrophobia.Poison- Iophobia. Poisoned (being)- Toxiphobia
Politicians - Politicophobia.Pope- Papaphobia.Priests - Hierophobia.
Progress- Prosophobia.Property- Orthophobia.Prostitutes- Cypridophobia
Punishment - Mastigophobia... Puppets- Pupaphobia.

Rabies- Cynophobia.
Radiation- Radiophobia.Railroads- Siderodromophobia.Rain- Ombrophobia
Rape- Virginitiphobia.Rats- Zemmiphobia.Rectum - Rectophobia.
Relatives- Syngenesophobia.Religion- Theophobia.Religious ceremonies- Teleophobia.
Reptiles- Herpetophobia.Responsibility (neglecting)- Paralipophobia. Responsibility- Hypengyophobia or Hypegiaphobia.
Ridiculed- CatagelophobiaRoad travel - Hodophobia.Rooms- Koinoniphobia.
Ruin- Atephobia.Running water- Potamophobia.Russians - Russophobia.

Sacred things- Hierophobia.Satan- Satanophobia.
Scabies- Scabiophobia.School- Scolionophobia.Scientific terminology- Hellenologophobia.
Scratches - Amychophobia.Sea - Thalassophobia.Semen- Spermatophobia
Sermons- Homilophobia.Shadows- Sciophobia Sin- Hamartophobia.
Sinning - Peccatophobia.Sitting- Cathisophobia Skin disease- Dermatosiophobia.
Skin lesions- Dermatophobia.Sleep- Somniphobia.Slime- Blennophobia
Smells- Olfactophobia.Smothered - Pnigerophobia.Snakes- Ophidiophobia
Snow- Chionophobia. Social activities- Social Phobia.Society - Sociophobia.
Solitude- Monophobia.Sounds- Acousticophobia.Sourness- Acerophobia.
Speaking- Laliophobia Speaking aloud- Phonophobia.Speaking in public- Glossophobia.
Specters - Spectrophobia.Speed- Tachophobia.Spiders- Arachnophobia.
Spirits- Pneumatiphobia.Stage fright- Topophobia. Stairs - Climacophobia.
Standing up- Stasiphobia.Stared at- Ophthalmophobia.Staying single- Anuptaphobia.
Stealing- Cleptophobia Step-father- Vitricophobia.Stepmother- Novercaphobia.
Stings- Linonophobia.Stories- Mythophobia.Strangers - Xenophobia.
Streets- Agyrophobia. Storm, thunder- Brontophobia. Suffering - Panthophobia.
Sun - Heliophobia.Sunshine - Phengophobia.Surgeon's fear of operating- Ergasiophobia.
Surgical operations- Tomophobia.Swallowing- Phagophobia.Syphillis -Syphilophobia.

Tapeworms- Taeniophobia.Taste- Geumaphobia or Geumophobia.
Technology- Technophobia.Teeth- Odontophobia. Telephones - Phonophobia or Telephonophobia.
Termites- Isopterophobia.Tests- Testophobia.Tetanus - Tetanophobia.
Theaters- Theatrophobia.Thinking- Phronemophobia.Thunder- Ceraunophobia.
Thunder - Astraphobia Tickled - Pteronophobia.Tied down- Merinthophobia.
Time - Chronophobia.Toads- Bufonophobia.Tombstones- Placophobia.
Tornadoes- Lilapsophobia.Touched (being) - AphenphosmphobiaTrains- Siderodromophobia.
Travel - Hodophobia.Trees- Dendrophobia.Trembling- Ttremophobia.
Trichinosis- Trichinophobia.

Ugliness- Cacophobia.
Undressing - Dishabillophobia.Urine or urinating- Urophobia.

Vaccination- Vaccinophobia.Vegetables- Lachanophobia.Venereal disease - Cypridophobia
Vertigo - Illyngophobia.Virginity (losing)- Primeisodophobia.Vomiting- Emetophobia.

Walking- AmbulophobiaWashing- Abultophobia.
Wasps- Spheksophobia. Water- Hydrophobia.Waves - Cymophobia .
Wax statues- Automatonophobia.Weakness- Asthenophobia. Wealth- Plutophobia.
Weight- Obesophobia Wet dreams- Oneirogmophobia.Whirlpools- Dinophobia.
Wild animals- Agrizoophobia.Wind- Ancraophobia Wine- Oenophobia.
Witches- Wiccaphobia. Women- Gynophobia.Women (pretty)- Venstraphobia.
Words- Logophobia Words (long)- Sesquipedalophobia.Work- Ergophobia
Worms- Scoleciphobia.Wrinkles (getting)- Rhytiphobia.Writing- Graphophobia.
Writing in public- Scriptophobia

X-rays - Radiophobia.

Please tell us what your phobia's are and why you have them. It's ok to be scared of somethings. There's nothing wrong with having some fears, so you can tell us what your fears are and we will not tease you.