Surfrider

Surfrider Foundation’s focus on the protection and enjoyment of ocean’s and beaches through marine protected areas is prominent. The environmental organization is fighting for water quality, beaches and marine environment protection for swimmers, surfers and beach goers.

With high demands to recreate around the coastlines, marine ecosystems are threatened. Surfrider recognizes the world is irreplaceable and is committed to preserving natural living. The organization also acts to preserve open access to these areas as well as believing in environmental education for the health of the planet. Marine Protected Areas are any areas of the coast and ocean with FAUNA, historical and cultural features. They have been either reserved by law or have other means of protection. The main goal is to balance human access and preservation. With that in mind, all areas of our oceans should have different levels of protection.

Creating Marine Protected Areas will have three benefits. First they will enhance coastal experience by preserving wild recreational areas. Next, protection of special coastal and ocean places will occur and lastly, ecosystem health in marine, estuarine and beach habitats will be restored. As of now only 1% of our oceans are protected. Those areas do however show conservation in marine life as well as restoration.

Healthy living by the ocean is what people search for. Surfing, fishing, diving and kayaking are all components of stress free coastal living. It is important for knowledge to be gained through research and education. Surfrider Foundation listen’s to their indicator species - the surfers - and is pushing for world involvement.



Vocabulary:
Quality-  the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something.
Ocean- An ocean is a body of saline water that composes much of a planet's hydrosphere. 
Coastal- relating to or near a coast.
Environment- the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.
Research- the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
Planet- a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.
Ecosystem- a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Grammar Point:

Conjunctions in English include:
And
As
Because
But
For
Or
Neither
Nor
Whether
So

Yet

Grammar Exercise:

Which conjunctions do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using some of the conjunctions you found in my blog.

Game of Thrones

This past weekend I finished re-watching the series Game of Thrones.  I started re-watching the series because my girlfriend finally started watching during season seven and was seriously confused with what was going on.  We started the series together again in the beginning of September and now she is caught up and excited for season eight to arrive.  Game of Thrones is by far the best television show I have ever watched.  The reasons I say this is because there is literally something for everyone whether you like action, drama, romance, history, science fiction, or anything else this show has it all.  The best part of the show is just how detailed and important every episode is to the series.  There are small clues and hints given through out the whole series that you don't even remotely notice are important until you are up to date on the show.  The show has white walkers, which are basically zombies, dragons, historical aspect such as the use of Greek fire, and tons of drama.  I highly recommend the show to anyone who loves good television.

Vocabulary:

Throne- a ceremonial chair for a sovereign, bishop, or similar figure. 

Romance- is the expressive and pleasurable feeling from an emotional attraction towards another person. This feeling is associated with, but does not necessitate sexual attraction. 

Science Fiction- is a genre of speculative fiction, typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology, spaceflight, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.

Drama- a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance.
Action- the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim.
History- the study of past events, particularly in human affairs
Zombie- a corpse said to be revived by witchcraft, especially in certain African and Caribbean religions.


Vocabulary Exercise:
http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/BuildCrissCross.asp

Grammar Point:

The personal pronouns in English include:
I/me/my
You/your
We/our
He/him/his
She/her
It/its
They/them/their

Grammar Exercise:

Which personal pronouns do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using some of the personal pronouns you found in my blog.

Long Island

Some people don’t realize how many seasonal activities there are to do on Long Island. If you are not from here, most people don’t even realize that Long Island is a separate part of New York. With 118 miles of land stretching from New York Harbor to Montauk Point, and 23 miles between the Long Island Sound and the Atlantic coastline, there is so much to do.

One of the biggest attractions on the east end of Long Island is the Wine Country containing many vineyards on both the north and south shores. They are open for private tastings, wine tours and even large reservations can be made for parties. The most popular time of year for visiting the vineyards is between August and November. This also goes hand in hand with the apple orchards and pumpkin patches. To make it worth your trip out east for the fall you can go apple picking, pumpkin picking, visit a corn maze and drink at a vineyard all in one day. While you’re on your way back home, stopping at Briermere’s Farm for a pie is always on the agenda.

In the summer months of June to late September, the beaches are filled with families soaking up the sun. The north shore beaches are all accessible by car, which are on the Long Island Sound and the south shore has beaches on the Great South Bay, which can be driven too. From there, you can also take a ferry or boat across the bay to get to Fire Island and experience the Atlantic Ocean.

Although winter isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite time of year, there are still activities to be had. Most kids spend their snow days sledding on the exit hills of Sunrise Highway, ice skating on the Great South Bay neighborhood ponds and building snowmen in their backyards. Springtime tends to be a little more enjoyable with the blooming of flower fields, such as the Lavender by the Bay in East Marion, skydiving with Sky Dive Long Island, fishing in the Moriches Inlet and golfing at numerous golf courses.

Grammar Point:

Proper nouns- a word (other than a pronoun) used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things common noun, or to name a particular one of these proper noun.

Grammar Exercise:

Which proper nouns do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using proper nouns?

Kris Kringle

If you ever want to see the true meaning behind the Christmas I would recommend getting involved in the Kris Kringle fundraiser hosted by the Harbor Crab Co in Patchogue. This fundraiser has been running for 12 years in the Patchogue and Bayport-Blue Point communities and is truly humbling. I have never met so many kind people in my life. Harbor Crab’s two restaurant owners, Frank Mills and Mark Miller, started this fundraiser on their own Christmas Eve one year and have brought it into their place of business. From there, the employees got involved, their families and now most people in the surrounding communities donate as well. This past year $80,000 was raised to be distributed to 8 different families in need. I have never seen a parking lot full of people get so quiet before setting out to carol around the neighborhood. This fundraiser has been extremely successful over the past decade and continues to grow each year.


Vocabulary:
Humble- lower (someone) in dignity or importance.
Kind-  a group of people or things having similar characteristics.
Surround- be all around (someone or something).
Full- containing or holding as much or as many as possible; having no empty space
Quiet- making little or no noise.
Successful- accomplishing an aim or purpose.


Vocabulary Exercise:
Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.

1. It is important to be ______________ in life so you never lose sight of what is important.
2. Being a _______________ person is important to me.
3. It is important to always remember who ________________s you and the impact they had on your life.
4. It is always hard on thanksgiving to not get ______________ and leave room for dessert.
5. Sometimes when someone is __________________ they are sad and you should try to help them.
6. _____________________ people always remember where they came from and try to help others.

Grammar Point:

Adjectives- The simplest definition of an adjective is that it is a word that describes or clarifies a noun. Adjectives describe nouns by giving some information about an object's size, shape, age, color, origin or material.

Grammar Exercise:

What adjectives do you see in my paragraph? Write three sentences using some of the adjectives you found in my blog.