Term 1 & 2 Review

Kyle.G and I made a podcast on our learning journey so far in 2010.

Chocolate Chiffon Pie

Sonna´s Chocolate Chiffon Pie

For the base:
125g chocolate-coated biscuits ( e.g. chocolate thins), crushed
50g butter, melted

For the filling:
25g dark cooking chocolate
125g packet marshmallows
1/2 cup full milk
250ml cream, whipped
grated chocolate, for sprinkling

1. Grease an 18cm spring-form tin.
2. To make the base, combine the biscuits and butter and press the mixture into the base of the tin.
3. Refrigerate
4. To make the filling, melt the chocolate in a pot over hot water.
5. Gently fold in the marshmallows and add the milk.
6. Blend with a wooden spoon cooking over a low heat until the marshmallows are half melted.
7. Remove from the heat and continue to fold until the mixture is smooth and spongy.
8. Leave to cool.
9. Fold in the whipped cream and pour the mixture over the base.
10.Refrigerate.
11.Just before serving sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia

The huge monument towers into the sky of Barcelona in Spain. The Sagrada Familia is so spectacular even in its unfinished state. The exterior of the Sagrada Familia is carved with detailed patterns. In 1891 Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi took over as official architect of the Sagrada Familia and made the project as a personal obsession. He had been working on the project for 15 years when he died in a trolley accident on June 10th 1926. The cathedral was left unfinished. Despite controversy over whether the cathedral should remain in its uncompleted form as a monument to the architect but construction began in 1979, closely following Gaudi's original plan. The Sagrada Familia is not expected to be finished till 2026. Construction is not supported by the government. Money from the tickets purchased by tourists is now used to pay for the work.The amount of money used last year for construction was $38,000,000. The Sagrada Familia had been started by the architect Fancisco del Villar in 1882, who had to abandon the project in 1883 and Gaudi took over. When completed the Sagrada Familia will have 18 towers. Only 8 of the 18 towers have been built. The reason why the Sagrada Familia is taking so long to build is because it relies completely on donations and ticket money.

The exterior of the Sagrada Familia.

The interior of the Sagrada Familia.

The Sagrada Familia. You can see the crane from the construction in the background.

The number grid that I saw carved on the exterior of the Sagrada Familia.

All rows, columns and squares add up to 33.

The Electric Car

In room 28 for ALJ we are learning about technology: blessing, beast or burden. We watched a movie called who killed the electric car. This is my review:

Review: Who killed the electric car?

WALT: Describe how advancements in technology occur to meet a need or to solve a problem.

1. What problems does the use of the electric car solve?

It solves the problem of digging for oil in the ground because it uses electricity. It also solves the problem of air pollution because it does not release any fumes into the atmosphere.

2. Who will benefit from the electric car?

Everyone will benefit from the electric car because it is fast and environmentally friendly. It will also decrease the risk of getting lung cancer because it doesn't pollute the air with deadly fumes.

3. What problems are caused by the electric car?

It takes 3 hours to reach full battery and it can only run 100 miles on the full battery. The accessories such as radio and heating run on the electricity and the battery drains quickly. Also you can't travel long distances like from city to city because you may run out of charge.

4. Review on Who killed the electric car?

The electric car was invented in 1996. Electric cars are environmentally friendly and easy to use. People didn't want electric cars because they were expensive and they didn't know much about them. The electric car makers were proving gas car makers wrong. The government goes against electric cars and makes a new hydrogen type of their own. The government also gave General Motors a limited time to speak in court pushing them down. Electric cars were found and were going to be crushed. People were trying to stop the last of the EV1's being crushed. 4000 people were interested in the EV1 and then it went down to 50. People took the electric cars of the road. In the summer of 2004 the last private electric car was taken of the road. General Motors took all the cars and stored them behind a building. They crushed all the EV1's and other electric cars and claimed they were going to recycle and reuse. People then wanted to buy the cars off General Motors. General Motors did not respond to the offers. Now people have never heard of the EV1 or know anyone who owns one. Consumers couldn't see the difference between electric cars and gas cars because people only looked at the price and the features when looking for a new car instead of looking for environmentally friendly cars. In the 20th century, lots of cars were made but barely any of them were electric cars.