Swine Flu

Swine flu, also known as Mexico flu, has spread over the whole world mostly by passengers of airplanes leaving Mexico City. The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the alert level to 5, the second highest. Some countries have already started to distribute their emergency medical reserves. There are over ten countries affected by swine flu already:

Countries hit:
• Australia
• Austria
• Canada
• China
• Costa Rica
• Germany
• India
• Mexico
• USA
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Israel
• New Zealand
• Russia







The first case of Mexico flu that affected human population was in 1938. The symptoms that occur when you are hit are: fever, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhoea , lack of appetite, vomiting and coughing. There is no vaccine against it but you can try to prevent it by washing your hands often, avoid big events, avoid staying in small rooms with many people and stop kissing. When you get infected you can fight the flu with medications like Tamiflu, an antibiotic that you normally take when you get common flu.
Everyday there are more people infected with the virus and in Mexico more then 100 people have already died. In Mexico, where the Flu originated, all the schools are now closed, no one is on the streets anymore and when people wear masks in front of their mouths and noses they cannot breathe in the virus. People all over the world are scared of a global epidemic.

The IB is unique


The IB educators are able to give you a totally different school experience. They believe that you first develop an understanding of your own national and cultural identity. You have to learn a second language and to live and work with other nationalities. They are for a worldwide community. The IB educators ensure with schools in 134 countries, that much people have access to this high educated knowledge standard.

Rugby

By Isabel Querzola, MS2

Rugby started in the year 1823 when the football player William Webb Ellis took the ball and ran with it into the goal. Although some people are not sure if the story is true, it is said to be the beginning of rugby and the trophy of the world championship is named after William Webb Ellis. In modern rugby, two teams with 15players on each side try to get more points than the opponents. Therefore they have to bring the ball behind the touch-line.
At the beginning they had no kits that protected them. Later the game got faster and more violent and the kits became more protective. But the rules haven´t changed that much.
The best national rugby team at the moment is from New Zealand. The best team in New Zealand is the All Blacks, and for the kiwi people they are the most popular team.

Basketball
(by Ben Berkel, 5 March 2009)

Passing, dunking, dribbling, blocking, shooting, rebounding, positioning and also fouling is part of the game we all love named basketball?

Basketball was founded in early December 1891 in Springfield Massachusetts by a Physical Education teacher from Canada, named Dr. James Naismith. He came from McGill University in Montréal. He was an instructor at the YMC Training School, now named Springfield College. To keep his students occupied, and on a high standard of fitness level through the long New England winter, he imagined this new game that we call basketball. After rejecting most of his ideas he wrote down the basic rules and nailed a peach basket over the door of the gym at 3.05m high. Today the official height of the basket is still 3.05 meters, but the rules take up over 10 pages today. The main aim of this game is to invade the opposing side and score by shooting the ball into the basket. The professional NBA stars like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Parker, etc… and until 2002, the all-star Michael Jordan earn millions and millions in one season of basketball!
I really like the game because it combines running, throwing, jumping and many more kinds of activities I like!!

Blackjack

By Sebastian Michel, MS2
5/3/2009

The history of Blackjack is unclear. Some people believe that Blackjack started in French casinos in the early 1700s where it was known as "vingt-et-un" The game became known as Blackjack because if a player held a Jack of Spades and an Ace of Spades as the 1st two cards, the player was the winner. So the Jack was the most important card and Spades are black, the game was called “Blackjack”. The goal of the game is to get a higher number than the other players, but the tricky thing is that you are not allowed to get more than 21 points. At the beginning you get 2 cards. But you can get more cards but you have to pay with chips one chip for a open card (not so good because every body can see what you got) or 2 chips for a closed card ( so only you can see). You can put money in the pot so at the end more money is in the “bank”.

Ryan Giggs signs Manchester United contract

By Gabriel Wiedemann
26/2/2009

Ryan Giggs, a 35 year-old player, agreed for a 1- year contract extension with Manchester United until June 2010.

Ryan Giggs, who made his team debut 18 years ago, first played for Manchester City till he left the team in the 1990 - 1991 season. Giggs came from Manchester City and went to Manchester United in the 1990 - 1991 season. He was 17 Years old when he came to Manchester United. Ryan Giggs held a host of football records, including being the most decorated player in English soccer history. On the 11th May 2008 Giggs got the 1st
division English league title medal. Giggs was the first player in the history of English football to win two Young Player of the Year awards. Giggs was born at St David’s hospital in Carton, Wales. Ryan grew up in a town called Ely in Northern Wales.
Source: Google Images.

Ripstik & Wave board history

By Sebastian Michel and Isabel Querzola MS2
26/2/2009
You may believe the Wave board is the original, but it was actually just the first brand that sold in the US. The original inventor of this two-wheeled skateboard was a Korean man who sold it in Korea by another name. Two American asked for the rights of the board and offered to pay money in order to build and sell it. The men however only paid the inventor 10% of what they promised, so the inventor took the idea to the Razor scooter company where they named the board the Ripstik.