Clever Names

THE CAT WITH A SIXTH SENSE

Does Oscar The Cat Have A Sixth Sense? One Doctor Certainly Thinks So

By Meera Dolasia on November 23, 2014

CCSS NAS-6 Grades: 3-8 Word Search

When the administrators of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, adopted six 'therapy' cats from an animal shelter, they had no idea that among them was one that possessed an uncanny sixth sense to predict the impending death of terminally ill patients.

Oscar the tabby cat's story begins in 2005, when the newly born kitten was placed on third floor of the nursing center, home to patients that are in the last stages of illnesses like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer. The kitten spent the first year lazing around and watching the bustling activity around him. Then, just before his first birthday, Oscar began visiting each of the 41-patients on the floor regularly, just like the doctors and nurses did.

Initially, the hospital staff did not pay much attention to the feline's behavior. However, after some of the people that Oscar was snuggled next to passed away, they began to notice a pattern - the cat only went close to those that were a few hours away from dying. Otherwise, he would curl up on a desk and spend the day sleeping.

To test if it was just a coincidence, the staff tried to place Oscar next to a patient they believed was close to dying. But the paranormal cat refused to stay put and decided to snuggle next to someone else. Turns out he was right because 'his' patient died that same evening, while the one whose death the nurses had thought was imminent, lived on for another two days.

Among the biggest believers in Oscar's paranormal powers is Dr. David Dosa, ageriatrician and Assistant Professor at Brown University. He is so convinced of Oscar's unusual 'gift' that he not only published a paper about him in the New England Journal of Medicine, but also wrote a book. Entitled "Making rounds with Oscar: The extraordinary gift of an ordinary cat’, the 2010 publication outlines the various pieces of evidence he has been able to gather about the cat's predicting powers. Also convinced is the hospital staff who has been using Oscar's foretelling abilities to inform family members so they can bid farewell to their loved ones before it's too late.

Of course, not everyone believes that Oscar has a sixth sense. Some feline experts think that his perfect timing may have to do with a certain smell that the cat has come to associate with death. Others speculate it may have to do with the lack of movement in people that are about to die.

Then there are the skeptics who maintain that Oscar's record is not as perfect as it has been made out to be. They think that the hospital staff and Dr. Dosa have simply 'cherry-picked' the occasions when Oscar has been accurate and ignored the ones when he has not. Fortunately, none of this negative chatter has affected nine-year-old Oscar who continues to provide comfort to sick people in their final hours!

Orientation Day - Girls College

Our day started by everyone lining up at the school gate to wait for the buses when they arrived everyone crowded onto the buses then we were off. When we arrived at girls college we went strait to the hall. After a few speeches we went to a classroom with one of the teachers. Then we did a tour of the school and a few activities then we went back to the hall for the farewell. 

I learned quite a few things during our visit one of the things I learned was where everything was. I also found out what  I would need for next year and what the classes would be like. Another thing was how the bell system worked so we knew where we would be and when.

When we started off I felt really nervous but after a while I felt more confident and started to get the feel of the place.

Life Ed Movie

Movie Challenge reflection

Embed your movie into your blog. Write a reflection underneath that outlines

What your group did well?

We made our characters so they did and said what someone of that age would. Basically we made them believable.

What would YOU do differently next time?
I would try make the teacher costume more believable and get more into the characters place because I don't think the teacher was very good.

Based on the criteria, how would you improve your movie if we gave you time.
Criteria:
Teamwork
Able to work collaboratively as a team to produce a movie
I think that it was a pretty good movie but the one thing that we could improve was the sound quality in some places. If I could I would plug in a microphone so the sound quality was even.


Quality of message -
Life Ed theme. Shows understanding or learning from Life Ed programme
Able to use film making conventions
Camera angles, dramatic intention
Sound quality
Ability to ensure all dialogue is heard
We made our movie and we tried to make it interesting by using different angles and dramatic intention the sound quality wasn't the best that is probably one place to improve because you could hear it but it wasn't that clear in some spots.

WAIMARINO

From my perch above the water I watched as crowds of loud noisy children swarmed into the Waimarino Adventure Park yelling excitedly at each other. Then the noise started to fade as the teachers settled the hypoactive children. The large group headed down to the far end of the park out of my sight. Ten minutes later the children came back in crowds disappearing into the small changing room then coming out dressed in togs, wetsuits, thermals and more.

After that I watched kids plunge into the dark murky water the flinging their arms about paddling like mad to reach the shore. Once they had all done their supposed swim test they scattered in different directions to the other activities. I watched as people swung off the platform holding onto the rope then falling in to the water yelling and making a fuss. Also, I stared as the kids came flying from no where on mats and in kayaks. I laughed as kids fought each other on the gladiator pole shoving each other to make them fall off. I watched as kids flew into the air only to come strait back down into the water. I also observed the kids who did back flips off my cold solid back.

Later on I watched as the kids climbed into the kayaks and paddled out onto the calm lake. Then some of the children tried to stand up but they ended up falling into the water. Then they made a large circle out of kayaks while the instructor gave them instructions.

When they came back they when down to the tent got their gear and came back to get changed then just like they had suddenly arrived they left.  

LIFE EDUCATION - ADDICTION

Addiction is when you need a drug to feel normal.

While we were at life education we got given a acronym to help us remember what parts of the brain gets affected by drugs the acronym was MR J M ICE here is what it means.

M - Memory
R- Reason

J- Judgement

M - Mechanical Skills
I - Intellect
C - Concentration
E - Emotions

While we were at life education we got given a acronym to help us remember why teenagers get affected by drugs quicker than adults. The acronym was FAR it means.

F - Faster
A - Absorption
R - Rate

We also got told an acronym that can help you get out of a tricky situation it was REACH WITS this is what it means.

R - Reason
E - Excuse
A - Assertive
C - Change the subject
H - Humor

W - Walk away
I- Ignore
T - Tell someone/Toughen Up
S - Say NO

About Methamphetamine

What is Methamphetamine?It is an illegal drug that is classed with cocaine and many other drugs. It has many street names that include meth, crank, chalk, speed, ice and glass. This drug is a dangerous and potent chemical that is mostly taken in groups with other people.

What Methamphetamine Does To your Body?

Methamphetamine starts by acting as a stimulant but then it starts to destroy your body by burning up the bodies resources this creates a dependance that can only be relieved by taking more of the drug. This drug is highly addictive and some people say they tried it once and they were addicted instantly. This drug can make people angry, unpredictable, aggressive and psychotic.









Cases about methamphetamine addictions:
Antonie Dixon after taking methamphetamine attacked two of his friends with a samurai leaving one of them with nasty gashes around both her wrists and the other with only one hand. Then also after stealing a car he went and shot another person in te atue.


Steve Williams killed his daughter Coral Burrows after staying up for five days in a row and barely eating anything. His statement said that he said she got cheeky to him and he flew in to a rage repeatedly punching her in the jaw. The police say that he was on methamphetamine when he committed the offence and later found out that he was out raged that she had left something at home and got angry hitting her and killing her almost instantly.