M07023

War Crimes by Nicholas Corbin 2/6/2011

War crimes have been around for 100’s of years but I think the worst war crime was committed by the Nazi’s, this was during World War II. This was when Germany blamed the Jews for everything bad that had happens to Germany in the last world war I, and the history of the world war II.

Hitler came to power by saying to the German people that it was the Jews and communists that is why they were defeated in World War I. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Thousands of Jews were arrested and taken to concentration camps where they worked as slave labourers or were shot and buried in mass graves. This went on for 3 years until the Nazi party held the Wannse Conference in January 1942. This is where they decided on the final solution, the extermination of all Jews. Giant deaths camps that where mainly based in Poland were built to carry out the task of extermination of all Jews. Some of these giant death camps where Auschwitz, Treblinka and Belzec. The Jews where sill treated the same as the concentration camps but in the death camps there were gas chambers that were often disguised as showers. Jews were herded into the showers (a.k.a gas chambers) and killed. Then their bodies were taken away to be burned in big furnaces. The scale of the murder of approximately 8.5 million Jews living in Germany controlled Europe around six million were killed. Because six million Jews were killed this is why I think the worst war crime was committed by the Nazi’s.

When the Allies founded the first death camps and concentration camps they were shocked that the Nazi’s could be so crill. The Allies decided that the Nazi’s who committed this war crime would have to be punished. The bad thing about Germany was that after the war Germany made a law that if a x-German soldier said they were forced to do something bad like killing millions of Jews the charges got dropped and then they could go home but with a lot of the Germans said they were forced to do it so a lot of it was blamed on Hitler. With this law lots of Germans were getting away with war crimes. I fined this law to be stupid because if a German soldier signed up to joined army they had a choice to do that. If they were told to kill Jews they did it because in Hitler’s speech he blamed the Jews and the communits for losing World War I. So the German people believed this too so they didn’t kill Jews because they were told too. They kill Jews because they disliked them.

This war crime was the worst one, because of the gas chambers because how would you feel if you where taking from your house to be shot, beaten or have to walk 100s of miles to a concentration camp or a death camp where you would be a slave or gassed to death. Can you imagine actually walking 100s of miles to a death camp or concentration camp where you would eventually die? Just emagen that been herded in to a room told to take off there clothes because they where going to have a shower so you  walk in to a dark gloomy room the door is locked behind you and there is about a 100 people in there with you and then a hole opens up and a German is poring something in to the shower then you start to coughed and coughed like your coughing up your lungs now your coughing up blood and then there’s nothing just internal darkens. That wouldn’t be a nice way to die I think. This is anther reason I think this was the worst war crime. I gather this information from www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/nuremberg.htm

Because of this information I think the worst war crime was committed by the Nazi’s because they gased and shot Jews and buried in mass graves this is why I think the Nazi’s committed the worst war crime.

M07085

Effects of Marijuana on Teens

By Brendon Mclean

Marijuana is one of the most widely used illegal drugs and a lot of young people do it. I personally don’t think there are any benefits from it and it does cost quite a lot to get a hold of. A lot of people try it because they get peer pressured into it and then get addicted to it. Marijuana can be taken many ways for example smoking it or eating it.

I think Marijuana is a bad thing because it has a lot of effects and dangers, one of the main effects is your mood it can range from stimulated or happy to drowsy or depressed. It can also give you red eyes, make you sleepy and make give you the munchies. Marijuana makes some people paranoid or hallucinate. Smoking it is just as tough on the lungs as smoking cigarettes. Online website http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teendruguse.html shows you the information on these effects and outlines that Marijuana is not good for you.

Marijuana is one of the cheaper drugs but still quite costly drug it can cost hundreds of dollars which is very hard hitting in the pocket. The drug can also become highly addictive , teens who use Marijuana start to become dependent on it to feel go, deal with life, handle stress or maybe to even deal with school. Most people inhale it but there are many ways of consuming this drug for example baking it into brownies also known as space cakes. Research on http://www.teendrugabuse.us/marijuana.html shows there were 14.6 million teens using it in 2002 in the us, 4.8 million of those were using the drug regularly.

There are many reasons why teens start smoking Marijuana, many kids start because they see there friends using it and think it is cool or get peer pressured into it. At my school I know of a group of boys that does consume this drug on a regular bases. They may also see it on T.V for example the movie Pineapple Express is bout Marijuana or it could be on a song, like the song Ganga Farmer. A famous person that done it when he was alive Bob Marley, t quite often see Marijuana as his theme on posters and things like that, he also sung songs about it. Some people think Marijuana makes you smarter and some people think it can make you smarter.

These are some of the reasons why I think doing Marijuana is bad for you there are many more reasons out there but I just outlined the main obvious ones. Marijuana is illegal because of the effects it has on you. I know people that have used it and it does make them do silly things and that is why I think Marijuana is bad for you. If you ever get into the situation for getting peer pressured or anything into it don’t do it.

M07073

Do you think the driving age should be raised? I do not think it should. There are three main reasons why it shouldn’t be raised. At fifteen years of age young people are responsible enough to drive , secondly , you do not want to wait one more year. Lastly, they have made the test a lot harder so you really do need to study and know how to drive.

At the age of fifteen we are boys turning to men, girls turning to young woman. We are maturing more and more everyday. We know we need to be mature and safe when were driving, so we are. Young people these days need to be places like town, sport, etc so how do we get there if we don’t have our licence. On http://www.aa.co.nz/ the people of New Zealand have posted and said what they think on the matter and 74% think its better having your licence at a younger age, and its not just young people saying that ,’Im 37 years of age and its great having your licence young people need there lcence they need to be places this is just wat I think’. My personal link to this is I have my licence and don’t know what I’d do without it.

My second point is why, why wait one more year it’s a waste of time its not going to stop the crashes or the deaths on our roads. This is a direct quote from http://www.nzdrivers.co.nz/ ‘My son was in a car crash and they had a highly modified vehical I think if we lowered the power of our cars it would help a lot thanks’.Instead of raising the drivers age why don’t we do something that’s really going to work and improve this. So why don’t we lower the cc that your allowed so fore the learner and restricted licence drivers let them drive up to 1800cc vehicle. I think this will really help because all guys think bout is going fast or having the fastest car, this should happen later for now you just want a car that gets u from a to b not some flash car that always breaks down. Guys being guys would try showing off trust me not a good idea ‘I was driving my nannas Holden commodore threw town saw a mate then sped up and just about lost control.                    

The last one is the tests the tests are a lot harder then they used to be. People used to get there licence by just going and taking the tests, no study just common sense. The research I've done on this topic from http://www.drivenewzealand.co/  shows not only are the new tests 23% harder it only has a 64% pass rate to the older test having a 81% pass rate which means our older drivers wouldn't get there licence these days. So in a way that makes the young drives not more experienced but better drivers.

This brings me to my conclusion it’s really a no-brainer, it should not be raised. And why is this. We are responsible. We don’t want to waste another year .and we have the harder test. Think about those three things; put your self in our shoes.

07073

M07065

What does attract youth to gangs?

What does attract youth to gangs? As I have researched there are many
different answers and reasons why youths get attracted to ‘gang life’.
When I was on www.youtube.com I come across a video talking and videoing
youths from gang central South Auckland New Zealand where there are a lot
of youths involved in gangs. Youth gangs are boys and girls aged from
12-18 where they make a crew/gang and end up in trouble doing small
crimes.

What does youth gangs seems so cool to youth? on the video I watched it
shows that these boys and girls like being in a youth gang or being in the
life style as one and it partly because of  the American gangster
lifestyles we see on TV, internet and movies with that comes the rap hip
hop attitude that these boys and girls try so hard to be like the reason
why I say this is because there talking to a boy about his life on the
streets an what he gets up to with the youth gangs and they bring up about
the American gangsters an he say “ we ant trying to be like them they
trying to be like us” I think its like a pride thing that is important to
them to keep there reputation up. Most youth gangs are made up of young
Maori and pacific and has been on the rise since 2006 and is getting worse
on www.ehow.com it tells me this.

Anther attraction is they feel like they are being protected mabby growing
up with no friends or there family doesn’t care about them they go and
find boys like them and join a youth gang to make them feel like there
being looked after you could call it www.msd.govt.nz. DRUGS, SEX AND
ACHOLE for youth these 3 things are very big factor in in our life’s
growing up and in youth gangs there is a lot of peer pressure around you
when your with people that have drugs or cajole I think that would be a
big part of why youths join gangs as teenagers even myself here about how
good it can be. Most youth gangs are found in South Auckland and there has
been near killing with the youth gangs at war www.startimes.co.nz

Racisms is defiantly a big reason why youth join gangs as I’ve read in
most of my research they say its mostly Maori an Pacifica youths that are
apart of these youth gangs an yes that is true but they are given this
like name tag as youths who are bad an they don’t think there worth it so
they join gangs. They could be a victim of racisms an’s why they join
because there someone there that will protect them when there only getting
into more trouble. Youth gangs are  getting worse as people are starting
to get seriously injured in fights as it is over just there ‘territory’ as
a boy said from the youth gang in Invercargill the ‘NSD’ (niggers down
south) www.stuff.co.nz . Most of these boys would have potential if it’s
in sport music or academically but they are given no chance as they are
labelled as bad people and don’t know how to get out of it as they are
just kids.

M07092

Why the driving age should go up!

Do you think the driving age should go up??? Because I do!  Even though I’m fifteen and do have my driver’s license there are too many younger drivers out there who don’t realise the responsibilities of driving on New Zealand roads.  Because of this there are more fatal accidents caused by these younger drivers.  Since the driving age has been fifteen, crashes on New Zealand roads have increased by a large sixty percent.  In my opinion drivers in New Zealand don’t take driving on the road that seriously and it shows that they are immature.

I also think the driving age should go up because cars these days are getting to powerful and dangerous.  Younger drivers don’t actually realise how risky they are and the responsibility needed to drive them.  I’m pleased I’ve got my license now and not when I turn sixteen because it would be frustrating to wait that long.   Now that the driving age is going to be put up parents and guardians will have to take out there own time do drop there kids off at sport or special lessons.  Most of them would be happy to do this knowing there children are going to be safe getting to these places.  If there children were driving to these places at a young age they would be worrying if they drove safe and responsibly.

In my opinion as the years go by teenagers are getting smaller and less responsible than older teenagers.  Because of this, older drivers on the road are feeling unsafe knowing there are immature younger drivers and know that at least half of them don’t know the driving responsibilities and how risky it is driving on the open roads.  Big weekends like Queens Birthday and Easter the road tolls for young drivers deaths are outstanding.  The toll in the past two years has increased largely since 2007 when the driving age was fifteen.

In my opinion all the things I have mentioned above are things to keep children that are unsafe off the road and to keep the parents of their children safe knowing that they won’t be harmful on the road.  I hope that one day all teenagers and other road users know the driving responsibilities needed to keep safe and be aware of things on the road. 

07092

M07002

Imagine a world without sport. Obesidity rising? Kids looking up too Ronald MacDonald rather than a famous sport star?....  I’m here too talk about “why sports are beneficial to us in life” For most people, sports benefit our everyday lives; they make us happy when we’re low, smile when we’re angry or set memories over memories.  In closer details “Sports help us learn the aspects of life”. Playing sports in a young age can benefit our lives, it helps us strengthen bones and muscles and “Improve leadership qualities”. The obvious one, “sports help have a positive body, a good out look one life”, our Haoura is a self-well being. Its aspects are Social, spiritual, physical, mental and emotion. In the next 3 paragraph will be written on the headings I have chosen in the speech marks...

                                                                                                                            

Everyone knows a leader.  My favourite leader is the captain of the all blacks, Ritchie McCaw. He is the finest leader New Zealand has at the moment and will Lead New Zealand to win the Rugby world cup. Obviously sports have a lot to do with Leaders.  From teenage years at school they will look up to leaders such as the First Xv captain. From a young age playing rugby, Keanu Kahukura, he captained the Marist team U13 this is what brought him to where he is today, the head boy of Southland boy’s high school. Sports at young ages improve leadership qualities. It helps us in life that in years to come it will benefit us. June 2^nd

June 3^rd

If you see most sports stars now, they have a toned out body. Sports have the benefits of making your everyday lives better. Playing sports gives you a positive out-look on life. Before I played sports in Year 8, I was big and I was a couch potato and didn’t like any sports but later on I got put into rugby. From then-on-now I play for the 2^nd XV and I run the 100metres in 12 seconds at the weight of 91 kgs. I feel great. Sports have the ability to improve everybody’s well-being and a toned out body.

Now here’s one of the best beneficiaries I picked out. Sports have a lot to do on the future of your life, from a young age of playing sports to a age you are now. Sports are like an aspect of life. Winning and losing? Achieving and failing? Kids will learn from a young age that they can and can’t win everything in sports, this is what is linked up too life. They will know that they can’t achieve everything in life. If we lost a game in rugby, we’d have trainging and have group discussion on our faliures during the game . This helps us regather what we should do next time we verse then and train harder. Another aspect is ‘Team work’ . Team work will be a main part in the future as well. You can’t  build a house on your own without a lot of help. So in Rugby , kids will know that theres no such thing as one-man-team.  So sports ain’t just got to do with physical, it can also be what we can use in the future.

Y07043

Driving Age

Driving children around can be a hassle. Especially if they are very social or play sport. With having a child being able to drive, relieves the stress of “what time do I have to pick them up?” Or “where are they?” So, the driving age should not be put up. As of August 1^st 2011 it is going to change to 16. In order to help parents cope it should stay at the current age of 15. As well as this it will teach young adults how to become independent. Driving also helps them to be more responsible.

In order to help parents cope, the driving age should stay the same. A personal example of this is when I was waiting for my mum and she forgot to pick me up. When parents are driving children around remembering where they are or what time to pick them up puts a lot of pressure on parents. So it should stayat the current age which is 15 for a learners licence.

Teaching young adult’s independence can be hard but letting them drive is an easy solution. When people drive by themselves they have to make decisions that involve no one but themselves. An independent 16 year old would be them driving to sports practices and parking in a good spot by themselves.

Teaching young adults how to be responsible can be a hard task. But letting them drive is a huge responsibility and that’s why it should stay at 15. If you are driving on the road by yourself, you have to be responsible because if you’re not someone could be injured or even killed. With driving comes a lot of costs like, warrant of fitness (WOF), petrol and registration. To pay for all that you have money and to get money you have to work. Most 15/16 year olds can’t get a job because they’re not old enough, or big enough. Also if you are involved in a crash that is another huge cost that needs to be payed for.

In summary, the driving age should not go up because it helps parents cope with all the stresses. Helps young adults become independent. It also helps young adults become a lot more responsible behind the wheel and hopefully everywhere else.