Jez's Blog

The article, Geese decline 'caused by climate,' from BBC news, tells that the RSPB has warned that the decline in Hampshire's population of brent geese may be caused by climate change...

'To keep population levels stable, around 15% of a wintering flock should be young. This year, it's less than 1%,' said Chris Cockburn, the RSPB Langstone Harbour warden. These brent geese breed in one of the coldest place on earth, where it's extremely sensitive in any changes of its temperature. Therefore the climate change, which the general temperatures on earth are rising, has highly effected the breeding of the brent geese. They wouldn't be able to breed normally under such climate change.

In addition, I'd like to make a connection between what happened in this news article and what we've been learning in 09 humanities. We've been learning based on the topic 'why do civilizations collapse?' In which we've learned that one of the factors that causes a civilization to collapse is climate change. Therefore, as a result, in this case the climate change is causing the 'civilization' of the brent geese to decline.


P.S. The other possible reason for the decline of brent geese may also because that the Arctic foxes has taken the youngsters and the eggs.

1. Virus 'triggers child diabetes'

'Although genetics is known to play a fairly substantial role in a person's risk of developing diabetes, environmental factors must also be involved and the idea of a viral cause of diabetes has been considered for decades. '-- Virus 'triggers child diabetes', BBC News

On the SMASH Day of the 4th of March, our task to build a tallest possible tower out of clay and toothpicks. We were instructed to draw a sketch of the design for the tower of our own teams, before we started to build our towers. Which was quite an important part of the scientific method because it gave you an idea of what you shall do next before you move on. However, we usually neglected it because we usually thought that we already had an idea of what we shall do in our head; or perhaps, sometimes we just wanted to try and see what happens.

Personally, I think that drawing sketches may be important, but not quite useful. Our team failed on the task, even though we've drawn a sketch of the design for our tower before we started to built it. Therefore I think sometimes you should just try different things as you move on; well, at least that's what we (my team) did at the end. We changed our original tower design a bit so that it could be built taller without collapsing. The reason of why we changed our design was because that our tower seemed to fall apart when we tried to follow our original design. And so, although we failed the task, we've learned another problem solving skill, which is to think of another solution when the original one was not working. :D

‘What are they?’ asked Jaguar Paw’s wife. ‘They bring men,’ replied Jaguar Paw. ‘Should we go to them?’ she asked again. ‘We should go to the forest, to seek for a new beginning,’ he said. Then both of them, with their two sons, left the cost and went into the forest, and leaving the Spanish boats breathing on the coast.

‘I’m Jaguar Paw, son of the Flint Sky. My Father hunted this forest before me. My name is Jaguar Paw. I and a hunter. This is my forest. And my sons will hunt it with their sons after I am gone,’ Jaguar Paw thought, ‘this is my faith...’ Jaguar Paw and his family walked deeper and deeper into the forest. Day after day, they continued their seeking of a new place to settle down; a place to begin a new community.


To seek for a new beginning was definitely difficult. However, since Jaguar Paw was a hunter, he was very familiar with the forest. Therefore he and his family survived quite well in the forest. Jaguar Paw knew where to get all the water, food, and even herbs in the forest. He also knew the easiest path to pass through the woods in the forest, where they shall travel on during days; and he knew the safest place in the forest, where they shall stay during nights.

Sometimes, when Jaguar Paw when out to hunt, his wife would stay at a safe place, and take care of their sons. One day, while Jaguar Paw went out to hunt, his wife and sons stayed in a cave and wait for him to return. BOOM! Suddenly, a gun was fired somewhere in the forest and made a massive thunder. Jaguar Paw’s wife was shocked, and so were their sons. But she stayed calm and quickly covered her sons’ mouths. ‘Shh..’ she looked into her sons’ eyes, telling them to be quiet. And then she saw something was moving behind the bushes, near the cave. ‘Jaguar Paw?’ she thought. But, just right before she decided to walk over and check things out, a jaguar, using his last breath, stretched his paw and roared…

‘Honey!’ Whispered Jaguar Paw, behind the bushes of the other side. Jaguar Paw’s wife quickly recognized the voice, and as well as where it came from. She looked at the place where the voice came from, and saw him putting a finger in front of his mouth, signifying her and their sons to be quiet. Then he pointed to the top of a tree, signifying them to climb up there. And they did so. Jaguar Paw’s wife carefully carried their little son on her back, and supporting their older son (who was already able to climb the tree on his own) while climbing the tree.

‘Ah… Mama!’ the older son cried soundlessly. But it was too late, he slipped from the tree and… A hand grabbed him just in time! It’s not his mama’s hand, instead, it’s a stranger’s hand. A hand of a unknown young man. This man looked terrified. He was also hiding from something, or someone. And so were his fellows, who were sitting right next to him, on the top of the tree. One of his fellows held Jaguar Paw’s wife and genteelly pulled her up. ‘Thank you,’ she said, scared but still very calm. ‘There’s no need to be scared,’
said the young man, who had just saved Jaguar Paw’s older son, ‘I belief that we are all here for the same purpose. We are all seeking for a new beginning of life.’


‘I’m Jaguar Paw, son of the Flint Sky. My Father hunted this forest before me. My name is Jaguar Paw. I and a hunter. This is my forest. And my sons will hunt it with their sons after I am gone,’ Jaguar Paw said, solemnly, standing on the highest branch of the tree, ‘I shall only share the forest with my sons.’ ‘Our home has been destroyed and overthrown by outsiders. We’d be willing to become your sons and daughters, just to find another home and a new life,’ said the young man. ‘Very well, I shall share this forest with you. And we shall all seek for a new home and a new life together, in this forest, our forest. My sons and daughters…’


Images. Copied by Jez. 3rd of Feb. 2009
- http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2006_apocalypto_010_big.html
- http://www.theinsider.com/photos/10683_Apocalypto_Movie_Poster
- http://www.moviecritic.com.au/apocalypto-film-review/