The New Recruit written by Andy Mcnab (book)

The New Recruit written by Andy Mcnab is a fictional thriller centered around Liam Scott, a boy that has just joined the army, and has no idea what he is up against. Liam Scott is a 16 year old kid from London who has joined the army hoping to get away from his parents and eventually go to Afghanistan to fight for his country on the battlefield. Liam and the rest of his friends have high expectations, and believe this is going to be an “exciting adventure”.

I found the characters in this book to be interesting and very relatable to many year 12 boys here at Mt Aspiring college. This is because I know that most teenage boys love doing stupid things, and dangerous stuff that would scare a lot of people. Liam and his group of friends were just like that, they wanted to experience life on the battlefield, and feel what its like to come face to face with life and death. However things didn’t quite go as Liam had thought they would, we can see this in a quote from the book that states, “Liam was very quickly realizing Afghanistan wasn’t quite as he had imagined.” another quote from one of Liam’s friends says, “You begin to realize that the only good thing that can come out of any of this is that you get through each day and each night, then go home in one piece for a pint of beer, a warm bed and, if your lucky, a shag.” This shows that sometimes in the search for risk and adrenaline people get themselves in trouble, and when Liam realized that the army wasn’t quite what he’d imagined, he needed to accept what he had to do and trust in himself to make it through.

I believe Liam joined the army not just to get away from his parents but to feel the thrill of fighting and to be free. This is because in today society everyone wants to bubble wrap activity’s and things that are even slightly dangerous. The Albert Town bridge is a great example of this, a fun and low risk activity banned because of a few minor incidents. With the bridge banned, kids in Wanaka will try find new and more risk taking activity’s that could end up backfiring, like it did for Liam in the story.

I personally cannot imagine how tough army life in Afghanistan would have been for Liam. However, I can relate to the messages that are given throughout this book. The main message being that things aren’t always as they seem. For example, I can remember signing up for basketball camp ages ago, and everyone was way out of my league. I would of been the smallest kid in the gym, however I had to tough it out, and by the end of the camp I had drastically improved as a player.

I found this text an okay read and I would recommend it to boys and girls who are interested in army life and/or thriller action books with cliff hangers that keep you on your toes. Personally I found the start a bit slow and boring, however the New Recruit has a great ending that sure to have you wanting more.

Soul Surfer written by Bethany Hamilton (book)

Soul Surfer written by Bethany Hamilton tells the story of a 16 year old girl who’s life took a drastic turn after her arm was bitten off by a shark. Bethany Hamilton’s inspirational story spreads the message of how good things can always come from the bad. She never gave up, and despite only having one arm, she is currently surfing at the professional level and has many titles to her name.

October 31st 2003 started out as just another normal day for Bethany Hamilton. It was a beautiful morning in Kauai, and an even better morning to go surfing. Bethany and her whole family were surfing freaks, so today was no exception, they were going to catch some waves!

Fast forward to midday, and in the middle of the crystal clear ocean. Bethany and her best friend Alana were sitting on the water waiting for the next set of waves to come in. It was the calm before the storm. When all of a sudden, “It came, literally, out of the blue. I had no warning at all; not even the slightest hint of danger on the horizon.” “That’s all it took: a split second. It felt like a lot of pressure and a couple of lightning fast tugs.” This shows how someones whole life can change in an instant, with no warning. From this moment on, everything in Bethany life would change, however thanks to her endless positive outlook on life, she didn’t let her missing arm stop her.

One of the most powerful lessons in this book is Bethany’s ability to keep going, and not let anything stop her from accomplishing her goals. Bethany could have so easily just gave up, she could of quit surfing because people told her she “couldn’t do it”. Despite this, Bethany took the time to re learn how to surf with one arm and had the patients to fail over and over again. She was able to push through the tough times and the doubts, and is now one of the most recognized professional surfers on the planet.

As teenagers and people in general we have a tendency to think of the worst outcome when things go wrong. For example, when we play sport and loose a single game, we become hung up on that loss even though that one game means virtually nothing in the big picture. I remember how I was so gutted when our basketball team didn’t make the semi finals last year. When I look back on that, yes i was sad its normal, but what I should of been thinking is how can we improve for next year.

as a whole I would definitely recommend this book to teenagers from Mt Aspiring College as it contains many important life lessons that we can relate to. Lately in the news and in our society we have suffered from many terrible tragedies such as the Christchurch terrorist attacks. As a country we have done a great job on focusing on the positives and not letting events like this effect us. However I believe we could all take something out of Bethany’s story and implement it into our own lives.

Joker directed by Todd Philips (movie)

The 2019 film “Joker” directed by Todd Philips tells the story of the protagonist, Arthur Fleck. Located in Gotham city, the mentally troubled comedian is abused and disregarded by society. As the cycle of mistreatment continues, a broken Arthur begins to embark on a downward spiral of revolution and crime.

I found the main character Arthur Fleck very interesting to watch in this film. Joaquin Phoenix’s superb acting in combination with the character was a perfect fit. The movie portrayed the Joker like no other had before. In most films involving the character he remains mysterious and in the shadows. However a full 2 hours of seeing the joker in the spotlight, and seeing what goes on in his life is fascinating to watch.

Throughout this story, Arthur’s troubled childhood and traumatic upbringing is slowly revealed. It becomes clear that Arthur’s past has played a large role in his mental condition and state of mind. This brings in the message of how people can be strongly scared by the things that have happen to them. In a quote from the movie we hear Arthur say ” I don’t think I’ve been happy a single minute of my life”. This shows us that his experiences must have influenced him, as people are not just born unhappy. In the real world people can be strongly influenced by experiences they have had, influenced to a point where they are lead to make radical decisions at the cost of their own or others lives. This relates to the Joker as this is exactly what he did in the film. When Arthur couldn’t take the bullying anymore, he began to loose control, ending up taking the lives of multiple people.

There were many challenges Arthur was faced with in this movie. The film dives deep into the mind of Arthur fleck, and gives an insight into his sever mental illness and troubles he is battling with. Whilst suffering with all this depression, Arthur with ambitions of becoming a successful comedian, continues to work on his stand up comedy. As his stand up comedy continues to flop, and he is fired from his job, Arthur’s world and mental health begins to crumble. A scene from the film shows a close up shot of Arthur speaking to his councilor. In this scene we here him say, “all I have is negative thoughts”. This quote shows that Arthur is far from the happy clown and comedian he masks himself to be in the outside world. Arthur is lonely, sad, and filled with negativity.

Overall I would recommend the Joker to a mature audience. Its a brutal, dark and compelling story of a mans painful journey to self destruction. Together Todd Philips and Joaquin Phoenix have completely re imaged the character of the Joker, and shown that not all villains are born evil, they are real people just like you and me.

Into Thin Air written by Jon Krakauer (book)

Into Thin Air written by Jon Krakauer is a best selling non-fiction book based on the 1996 Everest disaster. The book tells the story of a group of climbers, lead by Rob Hall and Scott fisher as they attempt to conquer the worlds tallest mountain, Everest. Shortly after reaching the summit, eight climbers tragically lost their lives. Throughout the book many key messages of courage and bravery are conveyed from leaders Rob Hall and Scott fisher.

There were a range of interesting characters I admired when reading this book. I was amazed at how many of the climbers were nothing but inexperienced tourists, who had no clue for what they had signed up for. Right from the get go these problems showed in the book, with a few of the climbers slowing down the expedition drastically due to altitude sickness. When reading the book, these subtle signs began to foreshadow and hint at the disaster that was to come later in the text.

The leaders Rob Hall and Scott fisher really stood out for me when reading this book. When disaster struck these two men completely disregarded their own lives and safety. In the midst of a violent storm 8000 meters high, both guides stayed up to try save their hopeless crew. Frozen, out of oxygen and slowly dying, Rob hall makes one final call to his wife back home in New Zealand. “Sleep well, my sweetheart. Please don’t worry too much.” no one ever heard from Rob Hall after that call. As a result of his bravery Rob along with Scott were both claimed victims by the mountain, dying of hypothermia. This quote and shows us how the mountain has no mercy, and how mistakes have serious consequences. The team knew the storm was coming however they insisted on reaching the summit. They also knew that “summiting past 2pm is extremely dangerous”- Scott Fisher. This lack of judgment lead to the deaths of eight people and sparked great international controversy about the actions of the climbers.

In the real world every action has a consequence. If i’m playing sport and misjudge a pass, or a shot, that could cost my team valuable points and time. Although the severity in this book is much worse, I can still relate to having to make hard decisions. Even the most experienced get it wrong sometimes, and when lives are at stake, it can be a dangerous game.

Overall I would highly recommend “Into Thin Air” to a reader that is interested in Mountaineering, as the book does contain lots of technical jargon and history about Everest. As the reader we really begin to develop a connection to the different people in this book, making the disaster and their deaths all the more tragic. This book really opened my eyes to why people want to climb mount Everest, and put themselves in such danger. There were also many key messages in this book which stood out for me and can be related to the real world. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would read it again.

The Fault in our Stars written by john Green (book)

The Fault in our Stars written by John Green tells the story of 16 year old Hazel Grace Lancaster. Diagnosed with thyroid cancer at a young age, her mother makes her attend a support group, where everything changes. She meets and falls in love with seventeen year old, Augustus Waters, an ex basketball player and amputee. The two teens share the same interests and hobbies and become majorly involved with each others lives. However Hazel is hesitant to continue with their relationship as she does not know what the future will hold regarding her cancer.

I found the protagonist, Hazel an extremely interesting an emotional character. The book really dives deep into her world, and how cancer has affected her every day life. For example, having to breathe constantly through the support of an oxygen tank shows how difficult and hard it is to be a normal teenager with cancer. Despite this, Hazel didn’t let cancer get the best of her, She continued to work hard and stay motivated. Instead of feeling down and sorry for herself, Hazels positive and bright mindset gets her through the tough days. “ I didn’t tell him that the diagnosis came three months after I got my first period. Like: Congratulations! You’re a woman. Now die “. This quote from the book shows Hazels humorous side, and also shows how through a positive mindset you can turn any negative situation into something good. I found this quote extremely inspiring. It teaches us to keep moving forward in life taking each day as it comes, and enjoying the little things. I can relate to feeling helpless and not being able to do the things normal teens do. For example when I broke my Arm mountain biking. This sucked, however staying positive and focusing on the things i could do, instead of those which i couldn’t really helped me to be able to get through that time in my life.

Dealing with lung cancer was no easy task, and Hazel had to face many challenges along the way. Varying from seizures, depression and her significant other Augustus passing away, Hazels life was far from a fairy tail. Overcoming Augustus death may of been the toughest challenge of all. Augustus was kind, caring and positive. This pulled hazel out of the dark head space she was in, and he made her feel like her life was worth fighting for. After his death she came to realize just how much of an impact he had left on her life. He was everything to her, and now he was gone. This was an extremely heartbreaking moment in the book as we start to develop a connection with Augustus as the reader. During this moment I found myself trying to imagine how horrible I would feel if I was in Hazels situation. It takes an extremely strong person to be able to pull through events like these, a person like Hazel.

Personally I would recommend This book for anyone going through a tough time in their life. The book shows us that everyone is fighting their own battle, and you are not alone. Struggling or not, I encourage more people to read this book, as it gives us an insight into the people that are in a pretty bad situation, and their positive, inspirational outlook on life. I could sum up this story with a quote from Master Oogway. “yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift… that is why it is called the present” This quote shows how we should focus on the now, and not worry about the future. This is what both Hazel and Augustus did. Despite knowing they were gonna die, the two ended up falling in love, and lived their final days happy knowing they found each other. This is a beautiful book full of love, laughter and heartbreak. Once again i really enjoyed this book and hope to read it again someday.  

Why are we not seeing electric aircraft (article) https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/116045024/climate-explained-why-are-we-not-seeing-large-electric-aircraft-and-will-we-see-them-any-time-soon

With climate change becoming a serious threat to the future of our planet, we are slowly breaking our old habits and turning to electric vehicles as the answer. With millions of electric cars being sold globally and trains, why hasn’t the aviation industry caught on. This article explains why we are not seeing any large electric aircraft, and if we will see them in the near future.

According to this article, the problem is all to do with weight. Unlike a car or train, the energy used on an airplane is directly proportional to its mass. For example, increasing a planes weight by 30 percent means that the plane will now require 30 percent more energy to function. This is a problem as the weight of the battery’s themselves would require more batteries to keep up, resulting in an endless loop. So far this doesn’t look very promising, however despite this issue, small electric aircraft may be on the horizon.

This article tells us that manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus are well underway in developing “small electric air taxis with up to four passengers” This article does not give many specifics about when these small Aircraft will be released. However It does say that we may be seeing small commercial electric aircraft within “roughly the mid century”. That’s only 30 years from now! Although it seems like a long way this could be an extremely beneficial step in helping to create a cleaner environment and solve global warming. Its exciting to see that airline companies’ are thinking about the future, and trying to help eliminate carbon emissions.

Although this article is purely factual, It still has some key messages and Ideas that I have taken away from it after reading. In a time of environmental crisis, it shows how airline companies do not just care about making money. Instead they are investing millions into trying to help the planet. I think we can all relate to this article and try help the planet by doing simple good dead such as not littering. I found this article very interesting and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in aviation.