The Harlem Shake by Mateo

The Harlem Shake is a song that was released not that long ago, and people have been making videos of it. The video begins with one person dancing to the song, and when the beat drops, it cuts away showing a whole bunch of people doing random things. No one knows why it is popular; it is like planking. It is just something people like to do for no reason other than to just have fun and make people laugh. For this reason it is not going to last; it will probably lose its popularity in a couple weeks. The reason I like The Harlem Shake is because of the originality of the concept. I like how something happens that you were not expecting. That’s what makes it so funny. So that is all that I have to say about the Harlem Shake. Thank you for reading.

Also, I was in the Harlem Shake Video below.

The School Blog Survey Results Are In By Mr. Durston

This blog is not only made by the students of this school, it is made for the students too. With this in mind, the administrators of this blog wanted to reach out to the students of JRC to find out a little bit more about the media that they consume on the internet and the way(s) that they access the school's online media. To achieve these goals, a few students distributed a survey to the grade 7/8 classes, and the results are in! Do the graphs look like you would have predicted?   

1. Have you visited the June Rose Callwood school blog (jrcallwood.blogspot.ca)?

2. Are you following June Rose Callwood on Twitter (@jrcallwood)?

3. What social networks, websites, or other media do you use frequently?

4. Do you use a RSS feed reader of any kind to read blog feeds (like Google Reader)?

5. How do you access the internet outside of school?

6. What articles and media would you like to see on the school blog?

Is J.R.R. Tolkien Sexist? By Glenna

In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien has a major lack of female characters. Whether it was because of the time he wrote it, or because it is just pure sexism, I feel this is wrong.

The Bagginses were said to have been "very respectable people," and they were the type to always follow a strict schedule. On the other hand, there's the Tooks. The Tooks are described as a hobbit clan that often disappeared and went on adventures.

Tolkien says, "Tooks were not as respectable as the Bagginses, though undoubtedly richer."

Bilbo's father was a Baggins and his mother, Belladonna, was a Took. As you will notice, Belladonna is a woman being portrayed as irresponsible. The Took side of Bilbo is supposedly a "bad" trait to have.

Why is it that Tolkien made Belladonna seem naive and foolish?

Besides Gollum's grandmother, Belladonna is the only female character.

When Bilbo and the dwarfs got captured by the wood elves, they became prisoners of the Elven King. Why couldn't he be a she? I don't see why the rulers are always men. Maybe Tolkien stereotyped women as weak, considering that around when the book was written, men viewed females as delicate and powerless. Yet there were Queens before Tolkien wrote The Hobbit.

I personally read a lot of Manga/Anime which happens to be the exact opposite of The Hobbit. Women often take the lead role, proving to young girls that women are both strong and independent.

As a female, I definitely don't support Tolkien's decision to have few female roles. Manga/Anime has a much better balance of both sexes.

Aren't women and men supposed to be equal?

See if The Hobbit is in the June Rose Callwood Library
  

The Cell Phone Game By Prachi

Wherever and wherever we go, we always carry a cell phone. Either if we are with our friends or out on a dinner or even at home on a couch, we always have our cells with us.

The time we spend with our family and with our friends is precious. We should spend our time with them wisely, but you are texting away when you are out with them. You are missing what is personal. You are not seeing their expressions or hearing their tone of voice.

So, I have created a game so we can enjoy every moment with the people we see but don't really see. The game is...

Whenever you are out with another or a group of people, put all of your cells in the middle of the table or somewhere. Don't pick up the phone if it rings or someone just texts you. Don't answer it. Whoever does should have to pay the restaurant bill.