Into the Storm

I finally got round to watching this film over the weekend having picked it up in on a trip to one of the many malls in Bucharest.
I was really keen to see the film based on the trailer to see how they show the effects of a tornado.

The film focuses on a school teacher and his two sons, they cross paths with a group of storm chasers who are attempting to film the eye of a tornado.  Throw in a couple of amateur storm chasers with a go-pro and a truck for some light relief and there's enough to keep you entertained during the film.

Often disaster films are not 100% accurate, read back to the post on San Andreas for one example.  So how do Tornadoes form?  There is a great TED video which explains the conditions needed that you can watch below.

Have you seen the film?  What did you think?  Would you like to earn extra house points by writing a review?  Post a comment or email me to get earning those points.

You can see I also picked up Pompei staring 24's Kiefer Sutherland and the man who knows nothing from Game of Thrones.  I haven't had time to watch this one yet but I will add a post soon.

Climbing High

After the trip to see Everest with year 9 and the KS4/5 students I wanted to know more about the disaster, and what happened.  Films often take liberties with the truth taking a back seat to the spectacle, and due to the tragic nature of the story some aspects cannot be 100% accurate as the only people who know what happened lost their lives in climb.
Ms Carman told me of this book Climbing High the day after the trip, she thoroughly recommended it and suggested I pick it up from the library.  To be honest, I haven't used the library much, my mistake really, and I should try to make better use of it this next half term, though I do have several books waiting to be read at home.

So, the book.  It follows the disaster through the eyes of Lene Gammelgaard, the first Danish woman to summit Everest.  This was part of her process of coming to terms with what happened and follows a diary format charting her arrival in Nepal, through the preparation climbs from Base Camp to the summit attempt and subsequent disaster.
It is very much a first person account, if Lene doesn't experience it then we learn what she knows, which is often brief pieces of information, highlighting at times how alone you could be on the top of the world.
It's impossible not to feel for her, and the others on the expeditions whilst reading the account, especially knowing what has happened, and that for some people she is writing about their last days.
If you've seen the film then you will already know what happens, if you are interested to build a wider picture of what happened on this fateful climb then this book is certainly worth taking the time to read, and with it being available from the school library it shouldn't be hard to find.  If you do take the time to read it then post your thoughts in the comments section, you may even like to write your own review which could be shared with your English teacher.  Or if you have recently read another Geography themed booked email me a review and I will share it on here, and you can earn house points and certificates.

Climbing High Good Reads Reviews

Would you take a 20 minute flight?

We all know there's nothing I like to talk about more than football, and Tottenham.  An article from this weekend came up regarding the mighty Spurs and their visit to Bournemouth.
White Hart Lane to Dean Court is 126 miles according to google maps, with a journey time of 2h 28 minutes, though via coach this could be over 3 hours.

Spurs however decided to fly, a flight time of 20 minutes.  Footballing wise the club are saying the decision was justified as we left with a 5-1 win and Harry 'Hurricane' Kane grabbing a hat-trick.

What about the environment though?  Can you use this Carbon Footprint calculator to work out if Spurs would have been better off driving?  Does the result justify the journey?

You could also think about what is the longest and shortest flight you have ever taken?  Did you need to take that flight or was there an alternative?

I think mine would be East Midlands to Belfast as the shortest, (somewhere around 90 minutes) I think with Paris to Shangai being the longest.

If you would like to read the article about the Spurs flight click here.

Afghanistan - Pakistan Earthquake

A 7.5 Earthquake hit Pakistan and Afghanistan this week causing at least 260 people to lose their lives and damage across borders in the region.  As I find articles I am adding them into the news folder on Pearltrees.

Can you remember how Earthquakes happen?  Which type of plate boundary caused this Earthquake?  If you would like to earn extra house points then can you produce piece of display work on the impact the earthquake has had on people in the region.

Geography in songs...

Last week on BBC 6 music (check it out for a range of music) there was a feature with a huge Geographical theme.
Bands named after places, who have written a song with a place in it.

So how can we do?  We'll broaden it out a bit, in the comments post songs that have:

Places in the song title
Something Geographical in song title
Songs about a Geographical issue
Bands named after places

How about these to start us off...

Tsunami - Manic Street Preachers
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
Maximo Park- Named after Maximo Gomez Park in Little Havana, Miami

If we can get enough then I'll create a page for them.  House points are available for your suggestions!!

Piatra Craiului

Last week Year 7 and 8 left behind the constantly developing urban area of Bucharest with it's traffic and heat, heading out to Piatra Craiului for their outward bound trip.

But what is it?  Where does it's name come from?  How was it formed?

Create an information poster about our trip location to gain extra housepoints.

How did it come to this in Syria?

One of the big questions about the Refugee Crisis and Syria is how has it got to this point.  Click the image below to a cartoon which sums it up very clearly, and reminds us that wars are never straight forward.

The cartoon itself is taken from Years of Living Dangerously they also have a Facebook page if you are interested (if you are under 13 and not old enough for Facebook ask an adult to show you)

Of course you may disagree or have more questions which you can use the comments section for if you wish.