Wednesday, June 17, 2009

is nz really clean and green. sorry if it is bad. i rushed due to time constrains.

Is New Zealand really clean and green?
New Zealand is a clean and green country. New Zealand is clean and green because it is a country that opposes nuclear weaponry and other nuclear usage. New Zealand also has large areas of native parks and wildlife protection areas. There are no large clusters of factories so acid rain is very rare. However, all these reasons may be due to the small population in New Zealand and the small demand for power, factories and space.
New Zealand is a country that opposes the use of nuclear power and weaponry. Nuclear technology, especially nuclear weaponry is very dangerous and harmful towards not only living organisms, but also the land, as it can cause huge destruction to the land due to its immense power. Nuclear weapons are not ‘green’ because they can cause harm towards living organisms such as humans and animals because it can cause cancer and potentially death. In the case of nuclear testing in the pacific, aquatic life can be killed from the radiation and this harms the environment. Large amounts of land can be destroyed if a nuclear bomb was to be dropped over it and this is not ‘clean’. There may be nuclear accidents in nuclear power stations so it is dangerous for a country to have nuclear reactors. New Zealand avoids contact and does not support nuclear power and weaponry to remain clean and green.
There are many large national parks and wildlife reserves around New Zealand to encourage the growth of flora and fauna and to keep New Zealand green. The national parks ensure that New Zealand’s clean green image is maintained because visitors can enjoy landscapes and forest that are untouched. The national parks also preserve wildlife and provide the animals with a place to live without human intervention and protect the environment from urbanisation. There are parks in all parts of New Zealand so the clean green image is consistent throughout the country. In other parts of the world, it is uncommon to see a park in a city, which would obviously mean that there are fewer trees and plants to give the country a green appearance. Logging is controlled or prohibited in national parks so this guarantees that New Zealand remains environmentally friendly because of the amount of space where trees and other wildlife can grow peacefully.
There are no large clusters of factories in New Zealand so the air is cleaner in New Zealand, resulting in non-acidic rain. This clean rainwater maintains New Zealand’s green environment because it means that no harm is done on our lakes and rivers and ensures that our aquatic life is safe. Safe rainwater keeps the trees in New Zealand alive and healthy so that we remain green. The clean rainwater is a result of having few large factories that send chemicals into the atmosphere and is a sign that the air around New Zealand is clean and therefore, proves that New Zealand is a clean country. In other developed countries, acid can be common and this is not clean and green because it harms the environment and shows that the country is not clean.
However, these above reasons showing why New Zealand is clean and green may all be due to the fact that New Zealand has a relatively small population that is spread out. This would mean that there is no large demand for housing so there will be space for national parks and reserves. It would also mean that nuclear power is not suitable or required, as it will produce too much power for New Zealand to use so it will be a waste. Our small population will also mean that large factories are not required as we can simply import goods such as electrical appliances from other countries. However, New Zealand’s population is not the only reason for our cleanliness because other factors such as political decisions that are made in consideration for the environment, e.g. not allowing nuclear powered ships into New Zealand waters has nothing to do with population numbers.
New Zealand is a clean, green country for many reasons. New Zealand does not use nuclear technology because of the harmful effects it has on the environment. New Zealand has large areas of national parks where New Zealand’s flora and fauna are able to grow. New Zealand also has few large factories so the atmosphere around the country is clean, which is beneficial to the environment and helps New Zealand maintain it’s green image. However, New Zealand’s small population may be one of the reasons for New Zealand being clean and green, but despite this we do many other things to remain clean and green that does not relate to the population.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Hi Mrs Amos. This is my drinking age essay:

The drinking age in New Zealand should be raised to 21.

The drinking age in New Zealand should be raised to 21. By raising the drinking age, students will more likely stay in school and concentrate on studying, enabling them a better future. It will also reduce the number of young alcohol consumers, and therefore, future adult alcoholics. Unwanted teenage pregnancies are becoming common and this can be attributed to drunkenness. However, by raising the drinking age, some teenagers might actually be encouraged to drink more, just to challenge the law.

The drinking age should be raised to 21 so that students in college can focus on school and academic studies, rather than be distracted by alcohol. The current legal age for purchasing and drinking alcohol in clubs in New Zealand is 18 years of age. This is also the age most seventh form students are in college, thus enabling these students to purchase and consume alcohol. It is very likely that these 18 year olds have friends who are younger, and due to the fact that alcohol is usually consumed in social events by teenagers, a large amount of time can be wasted partying and drinking, in preference to completing assignments. Also, the effects of alcohol can last until the next day so students may not be able to attend classes, or concentrate during school, thus making them fall behind in their work. Therefore, the current drinking age is not only detrimental to18 year-olds studies, but also to younger students. Teenagers should be focused on their schoolwork so that they will be able to pass exams and enter university to get a better future. By raising the drinking age to 21, it will be harder for students in college to come into possession of alcohol, and therefore ensure that they study without the distraction of alcohol.

Raising the drinking age from 18 to 21 will reduce the number of young drinkers, and potentially, future adult alcoholics. Young teenagers are introduced to alcohol earlier through friends at the same school who are older and are able to purchase alcohol. Young people are less likely to consider their future and have a weaker sense of responsibility. They are also more easily influenced by friends to look ‘cool’, or to fit in with a group. According to ALAC, over 40% of New Zealand teenagers under the age of 17 binge drink with intentions of getting drunk, and obviously, without consideration for mental and physical consequences. This clearly shows that teenagers are more likely to drink to the excess with no consideration for long-term consequences. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to mental dependence so the drinker will feel as if they require alcohol to be normal, turning them into adult alcoholics who are a danger to both society and themselves. By raising the drinking age from 18 to 21, young teenagers will no longer be able to access alcohol because it is unlikely that they have close friends who are 21 or over. This will mean that by the time teenagers are introduced to alcohol, they are young adults so they are more sensible and have better control over themselves when making decisions to do with alcohol. This can potentially reduce the number of adult alcoholics in New Zealand in the future.

New Zealand has the second highest number of teenage pregnancies in OECD countries, and according to a World Health Organisation academic, “reckless alcohol consumption” was the main reason for unwanted teenage pregnancies. By raising the drinking age from 18 to 21, fewer teenagers (14-17) will be able to access and consume alcohol, therefore also reducing the possibility of drunken sexual encounters in teenagers. Studies have shown that children born to teenage mothers have a higher risk of health problems, behavioural difficulties and academic underachievement. The teenage mothers are likely not to complete schooling and therefore be disadvantaged socially and economically. They will then be forced to depend on the government for welfare and benefits to survive. Therefore, by reducing the number of unwanted teenage pregnancies, there will be fewer teenage mothers, and this is beneficial for not only the mother and her child, but also the government.

However, if the drinking age was increased to 21, some teenager rebels might deliberately choose to consume more alcohol to challenge the law. Some people may find breaking laws thrilling, which may explain why people commit crimes such as arson, graffiti and property damage. Also, some young people may find doing bad things ‘cool’, thus being more encouraged to drink. Some people enjoy the feeling of getting drunk, as it can make them feel good. This may begin illegal alcohol trades so that teenagers who cannot legally purchase alcohol can still access it to get drunk. However, despite these rebels, the majority of people will not deliberately break the law so by raising the drinking age, there will be a positive outcome as a result.

The drinking age in New Zealand should be raised from 18 to 21. This will encourage students to concentrate on their academic studies, as well as reduce the number of unwanted teenage pregnancies due to drunkenness. It will also reduce the number of young people who binge drink, thus potentially reducing the number of adult alcoholics in the future. A minority of the teenage population may deliberately challenge to law, but the majority will abide by the law so it is worthwhile to raise the drinking age to 21 to benefit the society.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Hello Mrs. Amos this is my second Mean Creek essay

Briefly describe one important scene or event in your film or television programme and explain why it is important.

One important scene in the film Mean Creek, directed by Jacob Aaron Estes is the opening scene where George beats up Sam. This event is important because it was the reason that the revenge plan was developed, which is what the film is based on. The opening scene also shows the position of Sam and George in society and helps the audience to form opinions about them. It also introduces the video camera as an important object in the film.

An important scene in the film Mean Creek is the opening scene. The first person we see is George, through the lens of his camera. He is a fat boy and is alone as he films himself playing basketball at school. The second person we see is Sam, also through the lens of George’s camera. Sam is a smaller boy and is also alone. Once George realises Sam is touching his camera, he begins to yell verbal abuse at Sam and tackles him down, telling him to ‘never touch my camera again’. George begins to beat up Sam, who does not defend himself, while continuously yelling obscenities. A group of children gathered around to watch being beaten up but no one stops George or helps him up after George leaves.

This event of George beating up Sam is important because it is the reason that the revenge plan was formulated. The revenge plan was developed after Sam told his older brother about the bullying incident with George. If George never beat up Sam, there would have been no need for the revenge plan, and therefore, the plot would be different, or the film would not exist. The event of George beating up Sam is how the story starts and without it, there would be no story. Sam’s anger and frustration towards his maltreatment by George fuelled his decision to pay George back and plan a revenge with his brother. It is also important because it makes the audience feel sorry for Sam and understand or support his revenge plan as vengeance.

The opening scene is also important because it introduced two of the main characters and gave the audience an insight into the position of George and Sam in society. It also gives the audience an idea of their personality and behaviour. The opening scene shows that George is a bully and is in a position of power, as he has a physical advantage over his victims such as Sam, who is much weaker and submissive. The initial opinion audiences have of George will be made upon his rough behaviour and rude language, and will be likely to be negative. This negative first impression will be important because George is portrayed differently later in the film, and the change in their opinions of him will be larger, especially when his video camera was found at the end of the film. It will also help show that first impressions are not always accurate and that George was just misunderstood. The opening scene also shows that neither of them are popular at school or have many friends. This is important to the film because it shows the audience that the boys were just ordinary teenagers so that the film is more believable.

The opening scene introduces the symbol of George’s camera as a way into George’s mind. The opening scene begins through the lens of George’s camera and most of the scene is shot using the perspective of the viewers of the video. In this way, Jacob Aaron Estes makes it obvious from the beginning how important the video camera is to George, and will be to the film. The use of the video camera is important because it demonstrates how unusual George is and how connected he is to it. George’s unusual behaviour of videoing himself playing basketball alone can be used to capture the audience’s attention and at the same time put emphasis on the importance of the camera. It is also important because it is a link to the end of the film when the audience also watches from George’s video recordings to obtain a better understanding of George’s purpose for the video recordings.

In the film Mean Creek, directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, the opening scene of George beating up Sam is important. It is an important scene because it introduced the two boys and showed their relationship and position in society to the audience. The video camera was introduced to the audience in the opening scene, and its importance was emphasised. It is also important because it was the reason the revenge plan was developed to teach George a lesson, forming the beginning of, and the reason for the film.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Hi mrs Amos. Here is my essay on Mean creek:

Describe an important idea in the text. Explain how verbal and or visual features of the text help you understand the idea.

An important idea in the film Mean Creek, directed by Jacob Aaron Estes is the idea of revenge and its consequences. This idea is conveyed through silence and the lack of music as verbal techniques, and camera angles and camera movement as visual techniques. Through the use of these techniques, we are able to understand the ideas much more clearly.

An important idea in the text was revenge and its consequences. In the film, Sam was bullied by George, and as revenge, Sam, his older brother Rocky and Rocky’s friends Marty and Clyde invited George on a boat trip along a river. Millie, Sam’s girlfriend also went on the boat trip. The plan was originally a mean, but still a typical teenage boy prank that was not intended to be sinister, but the film showed that revenge can have serious consequences and that plans can go wrong. The film showed that revenge is not a way to solve problems, as the revenge itself can lead to larger problems that can change people’s personalities and views of life.

A verbal technique used to show the idea of the seriousness of the consequence of revenge is silence. When the group realised that George was truly dead, there was almost complete silence because no one spoke and there was no music in the background. Also, the characters moved lightly and did not make much noise. This shows that they were mourning and were shocked by George’s death as a result of their originally innocent revenge plan. The silence was used so that the audience could also feel the character’s sense of fear and tension as they come to terms with the consequences of the boat trip. The lack of sounds makes the reality of George’s death and magnitude of their problems obvious, as there is nothing to hide or cover it up with. This verbal feature helps us to understand that the revenge plan went wrong and that a huge problem arouse out of it.

Slow camera movement is a visual feature that helps the audience understand the consequence of revenge. After George’s dead body was dragged to shore, the camera moved slowly from one scene to the next in one continuous movement, rather than flashing quickly from one event to the next like when Rocky was in the water and the rest of the group were rowing to shore. This slow camera movement shows that there is not much action because the characters were still in shock and sets a slow, sad mood, which is reflected in the character’s emotions and feelings. It shows that the consequence of the revenge plan was very serious and the situation is grim. The camera movement helps the audience to understand that the consequence is bleak and that the result of the revenge plan was not positive.

Different camera angles are also used as a visual feature to show the consequences of revenge. There was a very high angle shot of the group of teenagers standing around George’s body, showing how alone and vulnerable they were. It was similar to when Sam was lying on the ground with other children standing over him, and even though this time, he was the one standing over someone else’s body, it still seemed as if he was completely powerless in the situation due to the high angle shot. This shows that revenge is not a solution to problems, as even though Sam ‘beat’ George, he gained nothing from George’s death. When Millie was about the stab the snail, the director used a low angle shot of her face to show her dominance over the snail. Millie’s decision to kill the snail was unexpected and the low angle put her in a position of power. It showed that the consequence of their revenge plan was very serious and that Millie was changed emotionally by the incident. It showed that Millie is no longer the innocent girl she used to be.

An important idea in the film Mean Creek, directed by Jacob Aaron Estes is the idea that consequences of revenge can be very serious. This idea is shown through the use of verbal techniques, such as silence, and visual techniques such as camera movement and different camera angles. It is through the use of these visual and verbal techniques that the audience can fully understand the idea of the consequences of revenge.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Hi mrs Amos. Here is my essay:

Social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook are endangering NZ teens.

Social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook are not endangering NZ teenagers because the sites are not the cause of the problems that arise on the Internet. Cyber bullying is not the fault of social networking sites, but the teenage users who use them incorrectly. Better self control and time management would ensure teenagers that they do not waste excessive amounts of time on social networking sites. Myspace and Facebook encourage socialisation and communication between teenagers around the world. However, false identity can be a problem for teenage networking site users, but with better education, the problems linked to false identity can be prevented.

Social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook are not responsible for cyber bullying. It is the users of these networking sites that are to blame for bulling others through the Internet. It is the teenagers’ own bad, or lack of, social skills that cause them to want to bully others through networking sites. Parents should also take the responsibility to watch over their child’s activities on social networking sites and check what their child is sending and receiving. This would enable them to take control if cyber bullying is an issue. Networking sites try to prevent cyber bullying by allowing users to ‘block’ other users from their page so that harmful messages cannot be posted by the ‘blocked’ user – it is the teenager’s own responsibility to use this service.

New Zealand teenagers use an increasing amount of time on social networking sites, but this is due to their bad self-control and management skills, rather than the social networking sites. It would be extremely unreasonable to expect networking sites to log users off after a certain period of time to prevent NZ teenagers from wasting time that should be spent on homework or other responsibilities. Instead, teenagers should be more responsible for their own future and test scores by controlling their time used chatting on Myspace or Facebook. Parents should also control their child’s Internet usage so that they do not spend too long on the social networking sites.

Social networking sites were developed for the purpose of communication and socialising so that people in different cities or countries could ‘meet’. This means that New Zealand teenagers can talk to friends in other cities or countries over the Internet, instead of spending more money on phone bills. Networking sites provide a way to instantly keep in touch with friends and family around the world. Myspace and Facebook provide useful services that are beneficial for teenagers’ social and communication skills. They can also boost teenagers’ confidence by allowing them to make new friends without actual face-to-face contact, which may be a challenge for people who are shy. They allow New Zealand teenagers to meet other teenagers around the world where they will be able to talk about their experiences and lives.

Teenagers can be endangered on social networking sites due to chances of ‘meeting’ sexual predators or other harmful users with a false identity. Teenagers, especially teenage girls can meet people through these networking sites, and if by chance, one of these people was a sexual predator pretending to be a normal friend, shewould have no way of knowing his/her real identity. This can be very dangerous for innocent users, especially if they go to meet their ‘friend’ in person. However, these dangers can be prevented if users avoid becoming friends with people they do not know, or alternatively, do not meet their on-line friends in person alone.

Social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook are not endangering New Zealand teenagers as problems that occur within the sites are not caused by the networking sites. Instead, they are caused by teenagers who misuse the sites for cyber bullying, rather than its purpose, which is for communication and socialising. It is also teenagers who are endangering themselves by spending an excessive amount of time on these sites instead of completing their academic work. Dangerous people can be encountered in networking sites, but can also be avoided using common sense, making the networking sites a safe and enjoyable place for New Zealand teenagers.