H1N1 aka Swine Flu

Swine flu is defined as "a highly contagious form of influenza caused by infection " as stated from Dictionary.com. We were completely caught off guard when Swine hit Canada and the States all the way from Mexico. We were not prepared and had no idea how to deal with this deadly disease that seemed practically unstoppable. Swine Flu, later changed to H1N1, is a mix of diseases from pig (swine) and bird. Many people never considered that viruses could even be spread from animal to human we only considered human to human viruses and that was what was so different from all other diseases that we've so far studied. Little did we know that Swine would change everything...

After H1N1 broke out, people began to panic and people began to consider their personal health care and hygiene choices they made and started taking more care. And then they made the H1N1 shot. This would potentially help prevent people from getting Swine. Lots decided not to get it, remembering that the shot was still being tested, but many others decided to get it to protect there family. Of course with so many people wanting to get this popular shot at once clinics filled up and line were out the door. That's when they made the new rule: Only priority people would be able to obtain this shot. Priority people included: health care workers, children five years and under, senior citizens and people with serious health issues. These people were at a higher risk at getting this virus. For weeks this was that case and people were starting to get anxious, and finally they let the next group go...

Personally, my family decided to get this shot because my parents wanted us to be protected after hearing about the thirteen year old that died from Swine Flu. Some of my friend's family's decided not to, it's all personal choice. They argue that only people with medical conditions actually die, but you never know. I think of it as, one needle is better than getting H1N1. I'm glad I got that shot because I feel that the shot will help me from getting it. But what I have a hard time understanding is why certain, "special" people got to get their shot before other people, people who need it more. This totally defeats the purpose of having priority people get their shots first, people should have to wait for there turn for their shot. I just do not think that's right.

I fully recommend getting the H1N1 shot because I believe it will help, but it your choice. And if you do get the chance to get in before you group, wait! Other people need it more than you do, that's why they created priority people. Swine is a horrible disease that we're still learning about and it will take years and years until we do finally fully understand it. So, my question to you, do you think you'll get your H1N1 shot? What's holding you back? :)

Todays Survivor

Hope, is one thing that Eva Olsson will always have. As a survivor of the Holocaust, Eva Olsson has been through a lot. A lot of pain, suffering, watching loved ones die and almost losing all hope. Yet somehow she was able to overcome all that fear and was able to face up to the Nazis. She certainly still has those dreaded memories from her past but now she is looking into the future where it will hopefully be bright and sunny.

At age nineteen Eva and her family was told that they would be sent to a brick factory to work. No one questioned it. No one even considered that most of them would be eventually killed at their final destination. No one knew where they were going as they stepped onto that boxcar and no one had any idea of what was happening. A mix of strong emotions filled that small, cramped boxcar. Some filled with fear, others with disgust but almost everybody was confused. Everyone fed off each others fear and soon everyone was in a frenzy, panicking. For days they were stuck in that boxcar with just a rusty old bucket filled with water, praying and just hoping that wherever they were going would be better. When they finally arrived everyone was lined up. Some people were happy to finally be off the boxcar where there was water, but little did they know that this was just the start of a terrible nightmare. Eva was horrified as she was separated from her mother and her younger siblings never forgiving herself to tell her mother one more time that she loved her. From there Eva was launched into a series of unforgettable, atrocious events where she loses her father and is worked nearly to death.

The Holocaust was a terrible event. Too many people died because of what? Their religion, their hair and eye colour? What kind of monster would kill millions of people like that? So many people lost their lives and their relatives! I know I wouldn't be able to live knowing that I had killed someone, yet so many Natzis killed so many people because of one person, their leader, Adolf Hitler. The man that brainwashed thousands of soldiers into doing what he thought was the right thing. What I don't understand is why so many people just stood there watching him do all this. And as Eva said, "Being a bystander is just as bad as being a bully." A completely true statement that people from our generation can learn and follow because without those bystanders, Hitler would not have been able to kill all of those innocent people.

Eva Olsson is a beacon of hope and courage. She survived one of the most dastardly events of all time and we must respect her for that. She gave an amazing presentation which was truly inspirational, informative and most of all helped us all understand the hardships not only she but millions others went through. The Holocaust was an awful thing but we must not try and erase the horrific events, we must reflect and learn from our mistakes. The new generation must understand that, so we never fall back into the dark shadows again. One last word...Hate. Too oftenly used to describe things and people we do not like or get along with, but hate is what drove people to hurt each other and eventually kill them. It's what potentialy started the Holocaust. Let's not go down that path again. Please remove hate from your vocabulary... :)

Teamwork

Teamwork. One simple word that means a lot. With teamwork almost anything is possible, anything can happen, anything at all. Take a tall, fourteen foot wall. We never thought that we could climb up it using just eachother. But it was possible and it was done. We threw people into the air with just a tarp and made people fly like a bird. Teamwork opens doors of possibilities, and it's those possibilities that mold our world today... This week we went to Norval. A place where we would extend our teamwork abilities and work together to accomplish certain tasks.

Our first activity involved throwing people into the air and then catching them as gravity pulled them down. As the person lay down on the tarp, everyone would slowly lift the person off the ground. On the count of three everyone would pull and the person would go flying into the air. Soon after everyone would release a bit of tension in the tarp and gently catch the person. Teamwork was the key to making everyone soar and then catching them again. Without it they would not go up or they would not be caught. Communication here was essential, if one person pulled too quickly then the person would not reach the maximum height or would not go straight up or down. In order for teamwork to occur, communication needed to happen.

The second activity was called "Mission Impossible", but this task was the opposite of impossible with the help of everyone. One person wore a harness, was lifted off the ground and was maneuvered around trying to pick up balls off the ground. At first I was sceptical that I could lift a person, but then I was reminded that it wasn't just me who was doing this, it was me and another eleven people.

Third task. Visually it looked the hardest. How were we supposed to scale a fourteen foot wall with no hand-holds? We had a bit of trouble here coming up with a plan but once we established that, we had a green light to go. The communication was not the clearest because we were all to excited and wanted to get to the top, we forgot all about it. That was what made Aureon slip because we were not focused. But eventually climbing on top of each others sholders we all made it to the top, but without each other not even the best jumper or climber would be able to make it.

Lastly we joined together in a drum circle. This wasn't really a task but more so to show what we had learned today and actually hear the teamwork that we used. When we first came in, everyone was doing different beats and rhythms. Once we started, no one went out of beat once! The drumming sounds filled the room and urged and encouraged even more people on. Shakers, bells, drum sticks and maracas were then added. The room was alive with not only music, but teamwork!

Norval taught us how to work together as a team and showed us that the impossible is possible. That we could indeed fly and scale a vertical wall. That we could launch people into the air and make music so loud and still be in unison. Norval taught us a very important lesson. A lesson about teamwork, and anyone who's wise enough will know that teamwork is pure gold. Communication, another key aspect to teamwork. We found that it was much easier knowing what everyone was thinking and doing. So, maybe one day we'll make it to another galaxy or beyond. What do you think? All it takes is a little teamwork to get us somewhere far... :)

Little Things Are Just as BIG

There are two things that would normally come to mind if you read the title, "Little Things are Just as Big." One, something physical that you can hold or see that is so extraordinary, no matter its size can be just as good as something big or two, something that someone does that impacts someone elses day. Even though things are small does not mean that we shouldn't acknowledge them. Little things can be even better or just as good as something big. So here's a story that happened a few years ago that really proves how something small can really be big for someone.

A few years ago we were at McDonald's and there was a man in front of us just about to order. He was dressed in what looked like to be heavily worn clothing and had a scruffy beard that hadn't been shaved for a while. He was about to order a small coffee and was just a few cents away from getting his drink. He counted his his money again and frowned. Turning around he asked for a quarter. My dad smiled and checked his pocket. He handed the man a quarter and the man graciously took it and said "thank-you" with a warm smile. He proceeded to buy his coffee and then left the restaurant quietly. This just proves how something so little like a quarter can impact a person and make them so happy. Think about it. A small little quarter made this man very happy and supplied him with a coffee.

Little things are ignored and they shouldn't be. They are just as important as the big things we do. They are just as important and just as special. The small things we do impact on what big thing we want to acomplish and they need to happen if we want to complete our goal. So, just remember, little things are NOT to be neglected, they are to be embraced just as something big! :)

A Quote...

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of those acts will be written the history of the generation."
-Robert F. Kennedy

This quote is truly inspiring and brimming full of meaning. It's also written by a great person, Robert F. Kennedy who is one of my great heroes. The quote can be interpreted in many ways and can mean many different things to different people. This is what I think this quote is about....

What does this quote mean? Well, I think that this quote says that there are not many people that are so great that they can change something by all by themselves, like Craig Kielburger. But if all of us work together on a problem it will make a bigger effect then what one person has done and that's what will really count when people look back on us in the future.

The quote makes me think about all the changes and accomplishes we've made so far and how we have so much more to do. We're not going to make any big changes if everyone doesn't work together. One person can light a candle but if it wasn't for everyone else the flame would just burn out. That is why everyone needs to help. If everyone accomplished a simple task then it would make a big impact on our overall goal. For example if everyone just protested or refused to buy things made from child labour, child labour would be finally over and children would be free!

Think as the quote as a soccer game. One person can be a star player but the team will be much more successful if they all work together because if everyone works together the team will be a much stronger force. Or in a different point of veiw, think about all the wars we've been in. One talented solider would never be able to fight hundreds of other men. It's all his other men that have helped him win the battle.

I really like this quote because I think that there is a lot of meaning in it and and can mean many different things.It's a wonderful quote that we can all live up to and be inspired by. We've done a lot to change our world for the better but there is still so much more that needs to be done. But do you really think that one person alone can change the world by themselves? So lets help them! :)

Imagine Poverty

Imagine Poverty

Imagine… waking up with no breakfast, going to sleep with an empty belly. Walking miles and miles just to get water that’s not even clean. Imagine sleeping on the streets and begging for money just so you can get a meal. Curling up in the cold and just waiting to die. This is the life of people in poverty. They are people who need help and aren’t getting it.

I was shocked to find out that 18 million people a year are dying, dying from poverty. Why are all these people dying? And why are we not helping them? Poverty is a serious issue that we aren’t dealing with. I have traveled to a fair number of places all around the world and they seem to cover up poverty pretty well. But who’s actually looking to find poverty? No one is, no one want to really deal with it. They’d rather just stay in there little bubble than venture out into the unknown.

After reading some stories about kids who have, literally nothing, it has finally opened my eyes to how these people are living. People are unaware of the people living on the streets and how difficult their life is. Most people just walk by when they see someone on the streets begging for money and food. They think “Oh that person is a druggie, or they’re so messed up, look how they ended up. They don’t deserve help.” Even though this might be true in most cases it isn’t. Things happen, not all homeless people are druggies or crazy people. They’re just regular people who need our help.

So next time you walk past someone on the streets talk to them. Maybe give them a bit of money or buy them a hot meal. They will be thankful, whatever you do. :)