Dear Diary

Today has been a pretty good day. Juniors got to check in at 10 so I missed chemistry and math. In American history, we just sat around so I just talked to Lauryn. In English Caleb and I had to write a paper together about our debate. I hope he has food poisoning and not a virus or I might get sick.

After English all the juniors went outside together to the field. Lauryn and I layed out our blankets together by a shady tree. We had a nice chat. I had pineapple, a sandwich, propel, and a cookie for lunch. Everyone else gathered in groups. But not me and Lauryn. We're loners. Haha not really.

Right now I'm writing this feature story. I don't want to be, of course. I want to sleep. I haven't had enough rest lately and I feel worn out. I'll probably sleep like a baby tonight. I need that to be able to be awake for math tomorrow and prepare for the test Wednesday.

I recently discovered you can edit pictures at Walmart. I wasn't sure if you could brighten the picture and change the color and everything but you can. I might log on to walmart.com and pay a little extra money and edit my pictures online. I need to have them done by tomorrow. Hopefully it won't cost much since I only need 2-4 pictures made.

Today after school Lauryn and I are going back to my house. I'm going to change into some comfy clothes and we're headed to the mall. She has to find a gift for Taylor. We might go to Perkins Rowe too if we have time. I need to go to Walgreens and Bass Pro to get Danny something for his birthday.

It's awesome to know that school is almost over. I'll miss a few of the seniors though, especially Chelsey. It's just going to be different not having her here next year. It's also weird knowing next year I'll be a senior, applying to colleges and everything. But for now, I'm just focusing on the end of this year and having an amazing summer.

My Year in Journalism

This year in journalism has been interesting, to say the least. Balancing research and revision for stories with school and um..a life! was rather difficult at first. It seemed a little hectic. But eventually we all got it down pat. Sometimes I had 3 stories and things got a little stressful but we all did what we had to do to present a pretty ay-okay paper.

I enjoyed our guest speakers. Our guest speaker from LSU gave me a bigger view on jounalism and a lot of information on what a student experiences going into a major dealing with journalism. She helped me see that while interesting, it's not for me. I also liked when Andre Moreau talked to us. I thoroughly enjoyed asking him the "crazy" questions. After finding out that he was gay, it made my question about his career helping him talk to the "ladies" even funnier. Hehe

Dear Mrs. Melancon, blogs are of the devil! And since they come from you I in no way am calling you the devil! But I'm just saying, blogs are evil. Without blogs we would have had so much more time to work on our stories. I guess in a way, and I mean a tiny way, I'm grateful for some of the blogs. It helped me learn to write and gather my ideas pretty fast.

The best part about our journalism class is the people. We had a great teacher and really creative writers. We gave the people what they wanted! Well, we tried. I strongly believe the staff really cared about what we put in the paper. Collectively, we were perfectionists and really did our best to be proud of our work. I think that came out in our stories.

The thing I'll miss the most about this class is the fun times. I mean c'mon, as I'm writing this Nathan is in the corner doing the stanky leg! Urban dictionary and Cleverbot made for good times. Although this year in this class I was scarred (Chase Barrett), it was still awesome. Everyone made it interesting and even funnier! I'm gonna miss journalism next year!

Iceland Volcano

Millions of tons of volcanic ash from the Iceland volcano eruption is coming to North America. The same ash that has grounded planes in Europe is heading our way. The cloud of ash has already reached Newfoundland. As of now, it doesn't look like a threat to North America. Some say the ash may only reach the end of Newfoundland.

So far 63,000 flights have been cancelled in Europe. Within the first 3 days the Institute of Earth Sciences rated the ash discharge at 750 tons per second. The ash plume had reached over 6 miles. It's now at about 1 mile. Thousands of people are still stranded at airports. Every once and a while a huge chunk of magma the size of a car will shoot out.

Eyjafjallajokull is the name of the volcano. So far there is no evidence of the volcano reawakening. The plume at its highest was 9 km. Another volcano called Katla may or may not be reawakened by the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull. Katla was by far more fierce than Eyjafjallajokull. Meteorologists are standing by to make sure neither Katla or Eyjafjallajokull erupt again.

The volcano is located under a glacial ice cap. This makes the magma cool faster. This causes explosions and plumes of grit that could damage plane engines. In Iceland, the winds have blown the ash to farmland. Farmers have been struggling to board up windows and secure cattle. All crops are probably ruined.

W's and H's

Oxygen-Free Animals Discovered—A First
Who: scientists
What: multicellular organisms
When: recently
Where: Mediterranean Sea
How: The new animals appear to have modified versions of mitochondria called hydrogenosomes, which can produce ATP without oxygen. Hydrogenosomes were previously known only in single-celled organisms.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100416-oxygen-free-complex-animals-mediterranean/

"Tyrant King" Leech Discovered, Attacks Orifices
Who: doctors
What: Tyrant King leeches
When: possibly soon
Where: found in the Peruvian Amazon
How: Ironically, the ferocious leech may one day help people. Siddall and his team study leeches to develop anticoagulants—treatments that stop patients' blood from clotting. Medicinal leeches have been used for more than a century for various medical therapies. Finding a new leech helps scientists better understand the molecules that make leech saliva so beneficial.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100415-new-species-t-rex-leech-orifices/

Pictures: Millions of Sea Turtles Killed Accidentally?
Who: small fishers
What: killing sea turtles by accidentally getting caught in nets
When: in the last 20 years
Where: in the sea
How: The new study tallied sea turtle bycatch from published reports, which are primarily from observers aboard industrial fleets. All told, about 85,000 turtles were reported accidentally taken between 1990 and 2008. However, it is thought that the number is actually in the millions.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/photogalleries/100406-sea-turtles-killed-conservation-letters-pictures/#green-sea-turtles-trail-fishing-boat_18297_600x450.jpg

Puma saying goodbye to shoe boxes
Who: Puma company
What: no longer using shoe boxes
When: second half of this year
Where: unknown
How: cardboard frames wrapped in reusable shoe bags
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36459587

Chameleons have weatherproof tongues
Who: chameleons
What: weatherproof tongues
When: always
Where: everywhere
New research has found that the tongue of this lizard shoots out like a rubber band gun, maintaining high function at even very low temperatures. Understanding how chameleons' ballistic tongues work could lead to advancements in prostheses, sports equipment and more.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35767647/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Altered tobacco plants suck up pond scum
Who: British scientists
What: tobacco plants
When: right now
Where: Britain
How: By proving that the principle is possible, engineered tobacco is paving the way for a new generation of plants that could clean up environmental problems — and do it cheaply. The tobacco's powers came from implanted genes that produce antibody proteins, which bind to toxins and make them less dangerous.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35779904/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

Rural Life Museum

The Rural Life Museum is located in Baton Rouge on Essen Lane. It is open daily from 8:30 to 5:00 everyday. They are not open on most major holidays. General admission is $9. School groups with reservations get in for $5. Picnicking is not allowed. Bummer. Taking pictures and videos is permitted though.

Louisiana folk architecture is shown in a country church, pioneer's cabin with corn crib and potato house, shotgun house, Acadian house, and a dogtrot house. The Barn contains artifacts that tell of old plantation life. It is also filled with tons of tools and implements used in Louisiana industry and down on the farm. The Working Plantation consists of a commissary, overseer's house, kitchen, slave cabins, sick house, schoolhouse, blacksmith's shop, sugar house, and grist mill.

The Rural Life Museum “Top 10 Outdoor Museums in the World." When you go you will see chickens running loose. Oh it's just common. If you go during a big event you'll see Clydesdale horses plowing a field or oxen all harnessed up in their gear. You might even be able to pet a donkey or mule.

They're is a wagon you can ride in. I have never, but it looks pretty fun for the youngsters. I went to the Rural Life Museum last year. It was during a big event. I went inside a really cool, old church. The man explained how church services were done back then.

I saw some plantation and slave houses. I also was shown how to make candles out of wax. All the workers they're wear clothes from that time. It's pretty funny. They're is a room that has most artifacts and tools about the time of slavery. Overall, it was a pretty interesting experience and it'll be fun to go again.

Last Issue

That's Crazy! - Ripley's Believe It or Not Edition

1. Around this time of year, many of us suffer from seasonal allergies…watery eyes, itchy noses, difficulty breathing, we would do almost anything to make them go away…well ALMOST anything. Would you swallow the eggs of a pig whipworm? What about infecting yourself with an intestinal hookworm? Doctors at Boston University are studying worms and how they can protect us from inflammatory diseases. The studies seem to show that people with parasitic worms suffer less from allergies. Believe It or Not!

2. Iowa High school student Elizabeth Rasmuson wore a dress made completely out of gum wrappers to her prom. Her mom spent days crafting the dress. She even made a matching vest for her date. Believe It or Not!

3. Eleven year old Austin Forman was saved from a cougar attack by his golden retriever, Angel. He was playing outside when he first saw the aggressive cougar. Scared he just stood there. Right before the cougar's pounce Angel jumped in front of the boy and took the blow. From there the cougar and dog fought while the family called 911. Immediately after the cougar was shot, the first person Angel went to was the little boy to make sure he was okay. The dog suffered from a fractured sinus, many cuts on the face, and deep wounds on the hind legs. Believe It or Not!