Rover to the rescue! By Grace

I’ve always wanted a dog. I don’t have any extra requirements other than the usual sterilization stuff. It doesn’t have to know how to lead me across the road or anything. But I read something over the news recently about some dogs and I’m beginning to change my mind. Catch this: some dogs can call 911 if their owners are in trouble!

This canine Buddy doesn’t wear a cape, but it came to the rescue of Joe Stalnaker when he suffered from a seizure, calling 911 and barking repeatedly when the dispatcher answered the phone. Joe was sent to the hospital once the police arrived and has recovered from his seizure.

Apparently, he’s especially prone to seizures due to a head injury he suffered from 10 years ago, and since he adopted Buddy at the age of 8 weeks, this talented dog has saved his life thrice. Buddy was adopted from Michigan-based Paws with a Cause, which trains assistance dogs to get the phone if its owner started showing signs of a seizure.

Isn’t this so cool? Dogs are definitely going one step further as man’s best friend. In the fictional world of Disney’s film 101 Dalmations, the dogs saved their puppies from the evil Cruela de Vil. Closer to us in ISB, Raimy, who’s from sixth grade, used to have a Siberian dog who liked to go into the refrigerator- and stay there! Oda, who’s also in sixth grade, has a Great Dane who’s the nicest dog ever, but is scared of a lot of things, like drunken people on the street. 6^th grader Margaret had a dog Blanco who would run to fetch his treats when Margaret threw them. Dr Everett’s Dalmatian catches Frisbees and rolls over. Shawnie’s uncle’s Pomeranian dog Jubbie used to jump onto beds and comfort her cousins when they cried (isn’t that so sweet?). Her aunt’s dog only bites foreigners, and leaves Asians alone (strange…)! My great-aunt once had this pair of dogs who followed me around all the time, even to the toilet, where I had to chase them away (with much difficulty) before closing the door. What amazing stuff does your dog do? Comment on this post to share the ‘tail’ (tale)!

Information was taken from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26706278/.

HURRICANE IKE BY TIM

On September 1^st 2008 a hurricane hit the Caribbean Area. HURRICANE IKE! Hurdling winds at over 145 miles per hour, this hurricane took the lives of over 145 people. Ranked a category 4 hurricane, this thing was deadly. The damages in total were over $29.5 BILLION. It doesn’t seem much to care about half way around the world, but when your whole family lives in Texas ,it gives you something to worry about. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were hit by this storm. Although the water didn’t hit them, the winds did. Trees were falling, houses were falling to the ground and the power went out for who knows how long. These are the areas in which Ike hit: Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Hispaniola, Cuba, Florida Keys, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi Valley, and Ohio Valley. We tried to contact our relatives for days; even weeks with no response. Finally, we emailed to see if they were okay and they replied with a yes! I shouldn’t be the one worried about this when there are far worse case scenarios. Louisiana has it the worst living on the coast of the United States of America. So help out before it’s too late. Even if it’s the simplest thing like donating clothes or even a couple hundred baht. So go and help out today.

Snakes in ISB-Matt

Have you ever seen a snake in ISB? I have. In fact, kids in ISB have claimed they also have seen wild snakes. Some of those students include Robbie, Afek, Teoy, Tim, Pranav and Jacob. Usually, they have been spotted in the same place, the track and field around the elementary area. Some say they have seen some longer than the bus and others say about a foot long. Pranav and I were walking one day when we saw a brown snake near the elementary basket ball court. It had this weird design on it and was about a foot long and by the time we told the teacher the snake had disappeared into a bush. Jacob Richardson said he was running the cross country course when he jumped over a huge stick that suddenly twisted and moved. He stopped and looked at it and it started to move again, so he jumped back and screamed, “Snake”!!!!!!!!!! The girls started to scream and run back and Jacob continued his cross county run. About every kid I asked said that they had seen a snake near the elementary play ground (not the big toy) and cross county. Afek says it’s because I S B was built on a cobra field. I think that it’s because those specific areas are areas that are suitable for snakes plus those areas are near ditches and sewer systems.

Interesting snake facts,

How to avoid getting bit by a snake

· Learn your surrounding

· Always take a partner with you into a field

· Wear thick material clothes when going out in to the wild

· Try not to scare a snake

How to treat a snake bite

· When bitten by a venomous snake try not to move a lot, movement helps the venom spread around the body

· Breathe

· Keep the victim warm, calm and at rest contact an emergency room immediately

· If you have a first aid kit or a snake bite kit wash the bite and place suction device over the bite do not suck the bite with our mouth.

· If you’re alone and on foot walk slowly toward help if you have a cell phone or a way of communication use it.

· Try to identify the snake that bit you or the person you are with but do not waste time. If you identify the snake it makes it easier to treat the snake bite.

For more information about snake safety visit

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone/safety/critters/snakes.shtml

Orphanage Care Givers – After the First Visit -Raimy

On Wednesday, September 10, the orphanage care givers went to pay a visit to some babies without a home. I was one of the people. We took a small Montri Van and rode 15 minutes to the Payathai Babies Home. Excited, Sarah Banbury, Louise Bastiaans, Oda Spross, Raimy Shin, and myself, hurried to the room where all the little babies were. Mr. Straub and Mr. Guthrie led the way. When we got there, we carefully pushed the door open and opened our arms wide for them to cuddle. The babies came toddling to us, wide smiles on their faces. The baby I was holding never let go of me, and when I tried to hold someone else, she started whimpering and crying. I became so attached to some of them only on my first visit.

They are adorable. They are worth your time after school on Wednesdays. They will love you for coming to the Payathai Babies Home to care for them, feed them, and give them the time and attention they never get enough of. Those babies, they will hold their arms up to you. Sometimes they won’t get the cuddle they want because of another baby in your arms. Just think, did that ever happen to you when you were young?

It’s a great feeling to give someone a smile, a laugh. Give the present of happiness to these homeless babies.

HOLIDAY SPOTS - Anurag & Vignesh

Are you a person who likes to visit different countries or places? If that’s so then we got a great article for you! Read the next few paragraphs to know more about visiting places in THAILAND or nearby.

Thailand is the 3 top places in the world for visitors to go. They didn’t just give Thailand the award for no reason. Thailand has a lot of visiting places and one of them is Pattaya. Pattaya is a beautiful beach in Thailand. There are many other places near or in Thailand like Phuket, Cambodia, and Singapore.

Phuket is a tremendous place to go for holidays. Over there you can go to the ride of the ocean or just hang out over there. Another place is Cambodia. Cambodia is most likely a village and with a temple named Angkor Wat.

Singapore is a pollution free place. It is so awesome. It has a lot of mall to go shopping and tall buildings. Singapore also has great hotels and they are really luxurious.

So don’t spend your time sitting on the couch and watching T.V. Go to these cool places.

Upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences by Ethan

During the month of October, the middle school students and their parents will be attending the parent-teacher conferences. In middle school parent-teacher conferences the students go with their parents to their core classes and discuss their recent work between themselves, their parents, and their teachers. Usually before the conferences ,the students get help from their teachers to make a portfolio of all the work that they have done so they can show their parents. The students also have the choice to go to their elective or language classes but it isn’t mandatory like the core classes are. Most of the time students are anxious about the conferences because of having to show their grades to their parents. I asked a few students what they thought about the conferences.

Afek explained, “I think they are useful because your parents are aware of how you are doing and can help you later on.”

Pernav said, “I think they are good because the parents know what you are up to in school.”

Grace stated, “ I think they are ok. I wonder what my teachers will tell my parents.”

“I think it is a waste of time for me because I feel the students don’t need to attend and it should be a informative bonding time between the parents and teachers,” Robbie said defensively

“ I think it’s a real time when the teachers reveal things about what you do and how you do it,” Sasha declared

Nino said,” I don’t like them because the parents always fuss about your grades and how you do.”

Of course, we all have different viewpoints and opinions, but, in the end, we all have to attend the conferences. The only people who won’t be attending the conferences will be the 8^th grade students who will be going on the Operation Starship trip. Although their parents still have to attend the conferences. I think in order to have a successful conference try and behave and bring your grades up in class and I assure you your parents won’t be questioning your academic skills.

quirky facts: part 2 by ethan

As we all know, ISB was supposedly built on a cobra field, and the NIST campus used to be the ISB campus, but there’s more!! ISB is the oldest IASAS school in southeast asia. ISB also has a large number of students enrolled in the school, both elementary, and high school. We have an estimated 1800 students from all over the world. Did you know that ISB was the school that a few famous celebrities attended when they were young? In addition to the last quirky facts post we’ve added a new load of interesting facts that will catch your eye and make you wonder how and why. These 25 facts range from humor to actual interesting facts.

DID YOU KNOW?.?.?.?.?.?

1. If you scream for 8 years 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

2. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

3. Right-handed people live for approximately 9 years longer than left-handed people

4. Some lions mate over 50 times per day.

5. Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

6. A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brothers’ first flight.

7. Most dust particles in your house are made up of dead skin.

8. The first Mr. McDonalds died of an overdose of cholesterol.

9. It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs.

10. People fear spiders more than they do debt.

11. On average 100 people choke to death from ballpoint pens a year.

12. “TYPEWRITER” is the longest word that can be typed in the first row of letters on a keyboard.

13. Thomas Edison, the light bulb inventor, was afraid of the dark.

14. The Eiffel Tower shrinks 6 inches in the season of winter.

15. 100% of Lottery Winners gain weight.

16. It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

17. You cannot burp in space because there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas.

18. In every continent of the world there is a city called “Rome”.

19. The longest record flight of a chicken is 13 seconds.

20. You would need 14,826 billion fireflies to generate as much light as the sun produces.

21. Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue twice as much as any other color.

24. There are as many chickens on the planet as there are people.

25. Mel Blanc, the man who voiced Bugs Bunny was allergic to carrots.

THAT’S ALL FOLKS!!

These quirky facts are very true and very real. Although they may seem very false, in fact, we got them from a trusted source. We got these facts from an agenda from Ethan’s old school which was made from an actual company that put little side facts, the quirky facts, on every page.

IPod Nano. Another one? Benedict

So far, Steve Jobs (The person who created Apple) has created 4 iPod Nanos over the last 4 years. The newest one, iPod Nano-chromatic was finished on September 9, 2008. The new iPod nano has 2 models. An 8 GB model and a new 16 gb model. This is the first time there is a 16 GB nano. It is 3.6 inches tall, 1.5 inches wide and 0.24 inches thick. The 8 GB holds 2000 songs and 8hours of video. The 16 GB model holds 4000 songs and 16hours of video. There is 24 hours of listening and 4 hours of video every time you recharge it. It takes about 1.5 hours to charge up 80% of the iPod. If you flip your iPod over, the screen flips over too. If you shake your iPod, the iPod shuffles your songs and plays them. I think that the new iPod is much better than the other iPod nano because of all the new things you can do on the new Ipod for the same price.

Apple “refurbished” items By Tim

Did you know that you can buy the ipod Nano 4GB (previous generation) for just $79 from $149. That is almost half the original price! You can also get the 8GB for $99, half the original price of $199. That is, I think, the best deal you can get. You can even get the AppleCare Protection Plan for your ipod Nano or Your ipod Shuffle for just $39. The pack extends the 90 days of complimentary single-incident support and one-year warranty on your iPod to up to two years of world-class support and service. You can even get the refurbished certified Macbook Air for just $1499 from $1799. There are a lot of refurbished certified apple products, and if you want to look at them, you can go to the apple store online, and there will be a corner that says refurbished ipod Nano starting at $79. If you click in there, there will be a lot of cheap refurbished certified Apple products

We Need A Break by Ethan

The second to last week in October of 2008 all the ISB students will be taking a long week break after a good 3 months of hard and strenuous school work. The good thing about this break is that all the ISB faculty and staff will be off. This gives the teachers a chance to relax and take a break before they come back and deal with all the students. The students attending the Operation Starship trip will arrive the Sunday before the break, and then they go straight into the break. This gives the O.S. students a time to get over the jet-lag and get ready for the upcoming week. So, where are students and faculty going during the break? Some students and teachers will be going back to their home country and other students and faculty will be going to a vacation spot. Other people will be just be hanging out here in Bangkok with their other friends. A few students and teachers were able to tell where they were headed to on the October Break.

Matt said excitedly, “I will probably be going to Hong Kong to just relax and chill.”

Sasha stated, “I will be just staying here in Bangkok and just hanging out with my other friends!”

“Since I’m going on Operations Starship, I’ll probably be staying in Bangkok to get over my jet-lag, “Robbie said.

Khun Ed said,”I will go to Uban Rachathani province which is near the Southern Laos.”

“I will be going all over Northeast Thailand after I get back from chaperoning O.S.,” said Mr Souza.

Win said,” I will not be returning to Bangkok after O.S. so I will be going to New York to visit my family.”

This 1 week break will be a good way to get our minds off of school and just get away from school life. I think we should all just relax and not do anything strenuous that works our minds. Just hang out with friends, or relax at home. Maybe even go to the beach and let your mind roam. I think we will all be looking forward to this October Break.

Jonas Brothers Craze! - Sara

Every girl (and guy, if there are any) who love the Jonas Brothers can get excited now! Rumors have said that In November, the trio is coming down to Bangkok to perform an exclusive concert. Special access and backstage passes can even be found through sponsors, if you have connections. The concert has not been confirmed yet, but people everywhere have been saying that the Jonas Brothers are coming to Bangkok! If you have no clue who the Jonas Brothers are, well then here is a little bit of information about them. They are the number one teen boy band. The group members are Nick, Joe and Kevin. They compose pop and pop rock songs. They started their band in 2005 and have become very famous. When people talk about them, they usually say “Nick is cute, Joe is hot, Kevin… what happened to you?!” Now you have a little bit of an idea what they look like in comparison to each other:]. They have also starred on the movie “Camp Rock” which was an amazing summer movie for children and teens. The Jonas Brothers are also going to be in the second “Camp Rock” movie which should be out in a year and a half. The reason why it’s coming out so late is because the Jonas Brothers are very busy with touring and writing songs. If they do come to Bangkok, I think that everyone should go and listen to their music because you can really learn to enjoy it!

(The concert has NOT been conformed yet, so do not get your hopes up too high)

Decorating Your Agenda Part 1- by Grace

The MS Agenda is something all we middle-school students share. It’s where we write down homework and assignments (ugh!), project deadlines (oh no), take note of school rules to keep by (oops) and it also informs us of upcoming school events (after which you can just pop down to LITM and check out what happened, if it’s been written about).

But you’ll never guess it’s the humble Agenda from behind some creative covers some students have been creating. Many students here have taken up their art materials, kicked their artistic muses in the shins, drunk some creative juice, and decorated their Agendas with aplomb. Seriously, take a look around you, and you’ll be surprised at the cool designs you see!

Maybe soon, you won’t see the plain old Agenda anymore, with the white background and faded green light bulbs gracing the cover. Maybe soon, the school will be filled with a myriad of decorated Agendas, with colours ranging from outrageous fuschia to a gentle periwinkle, from eye-catching lime green to electric blue.

It all depends on your creativity, people! Art has no limits: as Shawnie will show you in Decorating Your Agenda Part 2.

This little piggy...-by Grace

Hey, ever had times when you stared at the mirror in hopelessness about the little red pimple growing on your nose? Everyone has times when they just don’t feel good about themselves. But compare yourself to Penelope Wilhern- a girl who grows up with the features of a pig as a result of a curse on her family.

In the movie Penelope, which is available in stores now, Christina Ricci stars as the young woman who is forced to ‘interrogate’ many blue-blooded bachelors, who are eligible to break the curse and free her of her porcine appearance, via a two-way mirror daily.

Her obedient, hidden life is turned upside-down one day when Lemon, a short cunning reporter who is dying to get his revenge on the overprotective mother (Catherine O’Hara) who once seriously hurt his right eye because he’d been hiding in the Wilhern household for a shot of the pig-like baby, hires a guy whom he mistakes for a blue-blooded bachelor in debt, Maxwell Campion (James McAvoy, who also starred in Becoming Jane).

There is a time in the movie when everyone discovers that Max is actually Johnny Martin, just a normal guy without a single bit of blue blood in his veins, but by that time it’s too late: he’s fallen in love with Penelope, but turned down her hand in marriage, and Penelope’s decided to break out and become independent.

This movie (produced by actress Reese Witherspoon, who co-stars as Penelope’s outgoing friend Annie) is a delightful story about believing in yourself and making your dreams come true, and although the ending may be a little bit predictable, there are still twists along the way that make this romantic comedy charming.

I love this movie because Penelope’s sad life before Max –or rather, Johnny- arrived touched me- the way she had to live in seclusion, not knowing anything about the outside world. It was also amazing when she finally claimed her independence. This movie is definitely one of my favourites. You have to catch it!

Picture taken from http://www.filmstreet.co.uk/uploads/images/Penelope_Christina_Ricci_1_809.jpg.

Stuck with my brother, and no one but Introspect to visit- by Grace

You might have a brother, be it younger or older, in your home- and he may be the source of your delight or irritation.

Author Nicholas Sparks not only has a brother too, he’s written a book about it. I finished reading it over the long weekend, and found it a hilarious, yet introspective book, that led me to reflect on my own life and my relationship with my two older brothers, who live back in Singapore.

Published in April 2004, 3 Weeks With My Brother may not a book you have heard about, but all the same, it comes from the bestseller author of The Notebook, and it’s a great book to pick up and read.

This non-fiction memoir is about how Nicholas Sparks himself receives a brochure in the mail about a three-week journey around the world. He decides to go with his older brother, Micah Sparks. Despite the fact that both are married with young children, their wives give the go-ahead and agree to take care of the children for the three weeks they’re on the journey.

The following paragraph is from the prologue of the book.

It isn’t easy living with an author. I know this because my wife has informed me of this fact, and she did so again that day. To be honest, it’s not the easiest thing to hear, and while it would be easy to get defensive, I’ve come to understand that arguing with her about it has never solved anything. So instead of denying it, I’ve learned to take her hands, look her in the eyes, and respond with those three magic words that every woman wants to hear:

“You’re right, sweetheart.”

More of the prologue is available as an excerpt on http://www.nicholassparks.com/Novels/ThreeWeeks/Index.html. I hope that from reading the paragraph, and maybe the rest of the excerpt, you’ll be all set to pick up this spectacular book, because you definitely won’t regret it.

Information taken from http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nJ9UGUXtKz8/RvrspELftkI/AAAAAAAADbg/wiMeCKYvKBI/s400/three%2Bweeks.jpg&imgrefurl=http://myworldbeyondstars.blogspot.com/2007/09/book-review-three-weeks-with-my-brother.html&h=400&w=265&sz=17&hl=en&start=1&usg=__PSAJIa6JzmvZL4l3YeQUGNn0nB4=&tbnid=Or51mO9dyeVonM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3D3%2Bweeks%2Bwith%2Bmy%2Bbrother%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGLG_en___TH287

Orphanage Care Givers- Raimy

On Wednesday, September 10, the orphanage care givers went to pay a visit to some babies without a home. I was one of the people. We took a small Montri Van and rode 15 minutes to the Payathai Babies Home. Excited, Sarah Banbury, Louise Bastiaans, Oda Spross, Raimy Shin, and myself, hurried to the room where all the little babies were. Mr. Straub and Mr. Guthrie led the way. When we got there, we carefully pushed the door open and opened our arms wide for them to cuddle. The babies came toddling to us, wide smiles on their faces. The baby I was holding never let go of me, and when I tried to hold someone else, she started whimpering and crying. I became so attached to some of them only on my first visit.

They are adorable. They are worth your time after school on Wednesdays. They will love you for coming to the Payathai Babies Home to care for them, feed them, and give them the time and attention they never get enough of. Those babies, they will hold their arms up to you. Sometimes they won’t get the cuddle they want because of another baby in your arms. Just think, did that ever happen to you when you were young?

It’s a great feeling to give someone a smile, a laugh. Give the present of happiness to these homeless babies.

Rubik's Cube Part 2- by Shawnie

This is the second part of the Rubik’s Cube, in this article I’ll give you the formula for solving the… RUBIK’S CUBE!!!

Formula:

Most 3×3×3 Rubik's Cube solution guides use the same notation, originated by David Sing master, to communicate sequences of moves. This is generally referred to as "cube notation" or in some literature "Sing master notation" (or variations thereof), or sometimes (but rarely) it is called "direction inferred notation" or "DIN". Its relative nature allows algorithms to be written in such a way that they can be applied regardless of which side is designated the top or how the colors are organized on a particular cube.

• F (Front): the side currently facing you
• B (Back): the side opposite the front
• U (Up): the side above or on top of the front side
• D (Down): the side opposite the top, underneath the Cube
• L (Left): the side directly to the left of the front
• R (Right): the side directly to the right of the front
• f (Front two layers): the side facing you and the corresponding middle layer
• b (Back two layers): the side opposite the front and the corresponding middle layer
• u (Up two layers) : the top side and the corresponding middle layer
• d (Down two layers) : the bottom layer and the corresponding middle layer
• l (Left two layers) : the side to the left of the front and the corresponding middle layer
• r (Right two layers) : the side to the right of the front and the corresponding middle layer
• x (rotate): rotate the Cube up
• y (rotate): rotate the Cube to the left
• z (rotate): rotate the Cube on its side to the right

When an apostrophe follows a letter, it means to turn the face counter-clockwise a quarter-turn, while a letter without an apostrophe means to turn it a quarter-turn clockwise. Such an apostrophe mark is pronounced prime. A letter followed by a 2 (occasionally a superscript ²) means to turn the face a half-turn (the direction does not matter). So R is right side clockwise, but R' is right side counter-clockwise. When x, y or z are primed, simply rotate the cube in the opposite direction. When they are squared, rotate it twice. For 'z', you should still be viewing the same front face when rotating.

This notation can also be used on the Pocket Cube, the Revenge, and the Professor, with additional notation. They not only have the F, B, L, R, U, D notation but also f, b, l, r, u, d. For example: (Rr)' l2 f'

(Some solution guides, including Ideal's official publication, The Ideal Solution, use slightly different conventions. Top and Bottom are used rather than Up and Down for the top and bottom faces, with Back being replaced by Posterior. '+' indicates clockwise rotation and '-' counter-clockwise, with '++' representing a half-turn. However, alternative notations failed to catch on, and today the Sing master scheme is used universally by those interested in the puzzle.)

Less-often used moves include rotating the entire Cube or two-thirds of it. The letters x, y, and z are used to indicate that the entire Cube should be turned about one of its axes. The x-axis is the line that passes through the left and right faces, the y-axis is the line that passes through the up and down faces, and the z-axis is the line that passes through the front and back faces. (This type of move is used infrequently in most solutions, to the extent that some solutions simply say "stop and turn the whole cube upside-down" or something similar at the appropriate point.)

However there is another (less common) system of move notation. It is very similar to cube notation, but has a key difference that makes it less daunting to new cube solvers. It is called "direction displayed notation" or "DDN". Each move is represented by two letters. The first indicates which side is to be moved, the second indicates which direction that side is turned. from the F point of view.

• F (Front): The side facing you. "R" means turn it right or clockwise. "L" means turn it left or counter-clockwise.
• U (Up): The side on top. "R" means turn it right (from the F perspective). "L" means turn it left (from the F perspective).
• D (Down): The side on the bottom. "R" means turn it right (from the F perspective). "L" means turn it left (from the F perspective).
• R (Right): The side to right. "D" means turn it downward (from the F perspective). "U" means turn it upward (from the F perspective).
• L (Left): "D" means turn it downward (from the F perspective). "U" means turn it upward (from the F perspective).

• B (Back): The side opposite from the side facing you. This side is hardly ever used in algorithms of any notation let alone direction displayed notation. However if you need to know, first turn the entire cube so that the B side faces you then rotate it as if you were rotating the F side. "R" means turn it right or clockwise. "L" means turn it left or counter-clockwise.

To indicate a half move just put a 2 at the end of the first letter. To indicate rotation of the cube as a whole, use the same notation for direction displayed notation as one would for Sing master notation. (x y z)

Lowercase letters f, b, u, d, l, and r signify to move the first two layers of that face while keeping the remaining layer in place. This is of course equivalent to rotating the whole cube in that direction, then rotating the opposite face back the same amount in the opposite direction, but is useful notation to describe certain triggers for speed cubing. Furthermore, M, E, and S (and respectively their lowercase for larger sized cubes) are used for inner-slice movements. M signifies turning the layer that is between L and R downward (clockwise if looking from the left side). E signifies turning the layer between U and D towards the right (counter-clockwise if looking from the top). S signifies turning the layer between F and B clockwise.

For example, the algorithm (or operator, or sequence) F2 U' R' L F2 R L' U' F2, which cycles three edge cubes in the top layer without affecting any other part of the cube, means:

1. Turn the Front face 180 degrees.
2. Turn the Up face 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
3. Turn the Right face 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
4. Turn the Left face 90 degrees clockwise.
5. Turn the Front face 180 degrees.
6. Turn the Right face 90 degrees clockwise.
7. Turn the Left face 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
8. Turn the Up face 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
9. Finally, turn the Front face 180 degrees.

For beginning students of the Cube, this notation can be daunting, and many solutions available online therefore incorporate animations that demonstrate the algorithms presented.

4×4×4 and larger cubes use slightly different notation to incorporate the middle layers. Generally speaking, uppercase letters (F B U D L R) refer to the outermost portions of the cube (called faces). Lowercase letters (f b u d l r) refer to the inner portions of the cube (called slices). Again Ideal breaks rank by describing their 4×4×4 solution in terms of layers (vertical slices that rotate about the z-axis), tables (horizontal slices), and books (vertical slices that rotate about the x-axis).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubik%27s_Cube

Hope this formula can help you solve your Rubik’s Cube. Happy Cubing!!

Rubik's Cube Part 1- by Grace

You might have seen many people whipping out little cubes with colourful squares all over them, and turning it row by row, column by column, until all the sides have the same colour. You might even do it yourself: in which case you’ll know that I’m talking about the Rubik’s Cube, a gadget which has increased in popularity lately.

Now, I can’t solve it myself (I always said I’d learn, but guess what, I haven’t), but my brother can and I’ve always watched him spin it expertly round, or lubricate it slowly and carefully, with awe. It’s an item of interest to me, and one day when I find the time, I might just borrow his and try to solve it. Who knows?

Do you play with the Rubik’s Cube? Some do it for fun, while others do it competitively. The World Cube Organisation (WCA) takes charge of such competitions, which aren’t just for the cube. The competitions also involve other puzzles labeled as ‘Rubik puzzles’ or ‘twisty puzzles’ since they are played by twisting the sides of the object. On September 19-21 this year, in Spain, the European Rubik’s Cube Championship 2008 will take place, and people from around the world will compete to win the official European Championship titles.

Maybe you don’t play it competitively, but you might want to know a little bit of history behind this multicoloured gadget. Erno Rubik was a Hungarian professor of interior design, and he was interested in finding out how the blocks could move independently without falling apart. After he had fixed the little blocks together, he marked each side with colourful adhesive paper and twisted the cube, thus inventing the Rubik’s Cube puzzle in the spring of 1974, when he wanted to discover ‘the way home’, back to the original cube with each side having the same colour.

Something you might not have known before is that it’s much, much easier to solve the Cube quickly when you’ve lubricated it. This can be easily done by placing a tissue on the table, or wherever you’re doing it (it can get a little messy so try to keep your surface clean), take apart the Cube and, using Vaseline (you can buy it in small containers), lubricate it.

Rubik’s cubes are available in sizes as small as 2 x 2, or even 6 x 6. The one most people use is 3 x 3.

Now that you know a bit more about the Rubik’s Cube around the world and its history, look out for Rubik’s Cube: Part 2, by Shawnie, which will attempt to teach you how to solve the cube!

Information was taken from http://inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/Rubik_Cube.htm, and from Rubik’s official site, http://www.rubiks.com/. The picture was taken from http://yuripanda.deviantart.com/art/Rubik-s-Cube-83023469.

Omelets for Breakfast –Win E. + Pranav

Have you ever heard that eggs are good for you? Eggs are filled with protein. Our new cafeteria has some good omelets. Guess what? It’s like making your own because you can choose what to put in it. The choices are mushrooms, ham, bell pepper, cheese, tomatoes, and onions. You can also put all of it together. It is a good alternate from eating at home, which many kids don’t do.

Here are some opinions from the people that have tasted the new omelets:

Pranav: “It’s really good, because if you talk politely they might give you extra ham.”

Benedict: “They taste good.”

Matt: “It’s delicious.”

Also, there are other breakfast options at our new cafeteria. They are eggs, ham, pancake, French toast, hot dog, and bacon. They are served from 6:30 to 10 AM.

The New iPod Touch By: Tim

Did you know that a new iPod Touch is coming out? Well, it’s going to be a lot better than the old one because for one reason, it has better software which comes with the iPod, it has a built-in speaker and also, it is thinner, and it has a volume control on the side. It has a 3.5 wide screen. It is also cheaper than the old one. The price is starting at just $229. You also get free engraving if you buy it on the apple online store. It comes at 8 GB, 16GB, and 32GB. The box includes the iPod touch, earphones, USB 2.0 cable, dock adapter, polishing cloth, and a quick start guide. I think that it is a good deal. I hope the iPod touch will be coming to Thailand in the stores soon.

Fossils by Margaret

On October 30^th, 2007 there was a fossilized spider that was found. Scientists brought the 50 million year old spider back to life by 3D pictures. They say that this was the first time the VHR-CT technique was used to digitally dissect a fossil in amber.

On January 8^th, 2008 it was proved that France was a jungle because some 55 million old fossils were found. It was discovered in the Oise river area in northern France. The second picture is about the fossils that were found.

On September 3^rd, 2008 the scientists from Oregon State University and National History Museum in London have found the oldest fossil Gecko. It is said that it is about 97 to 110 million years ago.

As you can see, there is lots of information about fossils that may be related to what 6^th graders are learning in humanities- archaeology. These kinds of news are related to what they are learning because if they can get information from outside of school, they will understand better how this archaeology is working. The 6^th graders are going to do some model digs that are going to help understand more about what archaeology is and why it is important. Also, they are watching an educational movie about a boy named CT and the crew traveling to search for evidence about the Mayans which is called “The Second Voyage of Mimi”.

For more information, go to www.sciencedaily.com

Sports Bash - Raimy

The music was on, and everyone was dancing. Dancing, running, making trains (?) on the dance floor. Guess what this party was?

SPORTS BASH!

At 3:00, the party started. Some people were playing basketball, netball, and ping pong. I arrived at the gym at 3:30, and by then, I could tell that lots of people already wanted to get in the cool MPB and dance. For my friends and I, it was a lot of fun. We didn’t really play any sports, but at 4:00, when the dance officially started, we were never off the dance floor. Every time we went to get something to drink, we were distracted by another one of our favorite songs and we pulled each other to the dance floor again. By the time it was over, we were exhausted and thirsty, but I really think it was worth it.

Let’s hear some opinions about the sports bash.

· “It wasn’t very good, because nothing was new, and I didn’t like the songs.” – Anurag, 7^th grade.

· “I loved it, I really wish we get to have another party soon!” –Roni, 6^th grade

· “It was good ‘cause we get to go crazy!” –Emi, 6^th grade

· “The 6^th graders ruined it,”-Matt, 8^th grade.

I came to a conclusion that the 6th graders loved it, the 7th graders didn’t really like it, and the 8^th graders just didn’t have any fun. The reason that only the 6^th graders enjoyed it was because it was the 6^th graders’ first party in Middle School, and it was all new for them. They went a little crazy on the dance floor. So, I guess for 7^th and 8^th graders, it wasn’t very fun!

6th graders, next time, at the Halloween Party on October 31 at 3:00, let the other grades have some fun too!

Prime minister sacked-Christian

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was sacked because he received money from a cooking show. Not only that, but when you are a prime minister, you cannot have any other job. The Constitution Court Tuesday afternoon disqualified Mr. Samak from the job of prime minister for violating the constitution by hosting two cooking shows on commercial television.

Nino said that he was happy

Ben said I don’t care

Wyn said the same

Dr. Everett said don’t ask me

I personally think that he knew what he was doing, but he did not want to quit, he wanted to lose his job.