Dogs As New Street Sweepers

The Hopper Times


Breaking News:


Dogs are the new street sweepers.



The government has been forced to take action as a huge amount of complaints have come in from the public. Apparently, a source said that the streets of London have been filthy for months, but now it has become unbearable! The problem has been that no one has wanted to do the job, the government said in defence. So, now dogs are being trained to do the duty of sweeping the streets and keep them tidy!! Everyone has said that this is the perfect solution and they seem to be hard workers and definitely are doing the job well!
That's all for now :)

Written by: Charlie

The Soap Show

Episode: Episode 5
Date: Monday 17th September 2007
Time: 10 mins (approx.)
Website: http://www.podcastalley.com/player/player.php?pod_id=46914

Description of the episode by producers: Hear interview with soap stars from UK and Australian soaps like EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Neighbours and Home and Away. And we have regular guests from the classic Aussie soaps like Sons and Daughters and Prisoner.

Why I picked this podcast (summary):
I really enjoy watching EasEnders and always listen to any piece of extra gossip or information about it when I can. I have grown up with the show and have developed a strong liking for it! I was really pleased when I found a podcast on EastEnders and other soaps such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale. There are many quick soap updates called " 5 minute soaps" which are just short tales of the recent events that occurred that week. However this episode is roughly 10 minutes and has a lot of information about all different soaps past and present.
In EastEnders the Wicks family was mentioned and their departure. They have been in the soap since 2006 and have been involved in some major story lines such as getting the phsyco character Sean Slater that we all know and love thrown in jail for a crime he didn't commit (for once)! Carly, Deano, Kevin and Shirley were once one happy family until Shirley walked out on her kids when they were toddlers and they have never forgiven her for it. The hatred shown between them all was amazing and obviously very hard to portray as they are all friends off screen. When eventually Deano flipped and smacked an elderly man around the head with a baseball bat he had the cheek to blame it on Sean who obviously has previous records. After a good while Deano was found guilty and sent to prison, he unfortunately found this hard to cope with a changed in more ways than one, he turned into a monster that no one thought he would! His exit along with the rest of the family's is on the BBC I player if you would like to view it, I will not give it away!
Next, onto Coronation Street, David Plait! :O He was such a sweet, boy when he was younger..his sister's wedding really twisted him around, he almost killed his mother for crying out loud!! Recently his character even won the award for 'Best Bad Boy' out of many hopefuls. David, only a teenager, has had many ups and downs in his life...this has turned him into a bitter young man.. I'm scared to think what he will do next!
This episode talked about some past shows and ones to bring back! Crossroads was a favourite contender. It finished in 2003 after many years of success, there were 3 series and unfortunately in the last one the producers tried to change it into something it wasn't and therefore made it rather unpopular.
The subject of having day time soaps came up too, personally I think this would be fantastic because soaps such as EastEnders are on at around 9:30 pm which isn't very good when you need to go to sleep so that you can concentrate at school in the morning! Especially as it has been proven that there are more pupils that watch it than adults. A LOT MORE!! Maybe the viewings might rise as more people would be free to watch it and would stay awake for it. We all love the programme and would hate to miss it because of the timings!
There was talk of introducing other possibles soaps to our screens such as Sunset Beach and Passion. Passions is a bit of a question mark for the UK at the moment because it is all about Witchcraft. Apparently when first viewed not many positive responses came back! Even though actress Juliet Meels is in it!
This was my first experience using podcasts and I have to say thank you to Mr. White for introducing me to it as I really enjoyed listening to the gossip about the soaps old or new news! I will definitely be checking it for updates regularly, and I recommend to any other soap fan to listen to these podcasts for updates, catch-ups or even for fun, they are informative but fun at the same time!! :)

Episode: Episode 3
Date: Tuesday 17th April 2007
Time: Approx 10 mins (jumped at the end so I couldn't see the exact timing :S )
Website: http://www.podcastalley.com/player/player.php?pod_id=46914

Description of the episode by producers: Hear interview with soap stars from UK and Australian soaps like EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Neighbours and Home and Away. And we have regular guests from the classic Aussie soaps like Sons and Daughters and Prisoner.

Why I chose this podcast (summary): I absolutely love hearing more and more news about the soaps and actors whenever I can and here was the second part of the Soap Show special produced.
Bernie Nolan was in the line up, as she was being interviewed about her new stage show "Mum's the Word".She has previously starred in The Bill and Brookside, however her new project is something quite different. There was 6 women all mums from Canada that were about to quit their jobs because of the children needing them full time. Bernie and some of the other women started talking about their experiences and made it into a play. She was quoted as saying it is so funny and so real. Ray Quinn was mentioned too, He played her stepson in Brookside but in 2006 was in the X factor final along with Leona Lewis. Bernie said he always had a love for singing even at age 11!
Onto the soaps now and in EastEnders there are weeding bells sounding for Phil and evil, twisted Stella. Also Denise and Kevin have started to plan their wedding, one member of the Wick's family already said that they will not be attending their father's wedding, so most likely will be a classic EastEnder wedding!! But will Phil and Stella's be any different? Gary and Minty fight over Hazel too.
In Emmerdale Diane tries to persuade Andy to change his statement about Billy's "attack". Matthew finds out that Carl and Carry have a past together and will Paddy find love again as he sees a familiar face in college.
In Coronation can the Connor's fatal fall in the factory be covered up?
Also there was an interview with Paul Dorby!
There are 2 new soaps coming onto our screens one in Australia called City Homicide on Channel 7, starring Daniel McPheerson, Arron Peterson, Nadeen Garner, Damien Richardson, and Nonan Hazelhurst from The Sevlans. Apparently there are going to be releases of classic Australian soaps on DVD thanks to Andrew McCardo. In the UK an spurt off of Holby City is starting, called Holby Blue on Tuesday May 8th with Zoe Lucker from Footballer's wives.
Finally Son's and Daughters star Tom Richardson who played David Palmer is starring in All Saints directed by Peter Phelps who was his on screen son, John.
Once again this podcast was exciting and gossip-packed....fantastic!! I will definitely watch many more soon!! :)

Outsiders

1. Sometimes violence is justifiable.
Agree.
Self-defense is acceptable if someone was about to harm you or your family however, it can lead to a chain of violent events that may result in a catastrophe.

3. It's easier to make friends with someone who is a lot like you, then someone who is different.
Disagree
I think that no matter how alike or different someone is to you, you can make friends with them if you try hard enough. Also if they are too much like you it can get boring and frustrating and you may have arguments, like brothers and sisters do. It's always good to have a mixture of people as friends.

4. Loosing a loved can have positive outcomes.
Agree, disagree.
It can put the person who died out of their misery, and end their suffering if they have been ill, which is kinder for them. However for the people left behind like friends and family it's incredibly hard to deal with.

The Knight In Shining Moonlight

The Knight In Shining Moonlight

Setting: Asian building, 29th century, 2886.
Space, moon, 29th century, 2886.

Characters:

Sam Arthberry
Protagonist
Knight
Characteristics- kind, strong, intelligent, tall, dark hair, blue eyes, very pale skin, freckles.
Personality: Adamant, always wanting to do what is it right, means well, stubborn.

Nigel Clown
Antagonist
FBI Secret Agent
Characteristics- devious, sly, cocky, sneaky, short, blond hair, green eyes, tanned skin, spots.
Personality- Will do anything to get what he wants no matter the consequences, keeps himself to himself and doesn’t work in a team.

Helen Gartwright
Boss at Diving for Dolphins
Characteristics- kind, repetitive, fair, short, red hair, brown eyes, glasses, pale skin.
Personality- Paranoid, safety conscious, good manager, tends to drag things on though.

Theme- Science Fiction

Points of View- third person

Conflict- The knight tries to send vast amounts of water to the moon. Later Noah’s ark is sent too. The Secret Agent works out Sam’s plan and tries to stop him. They argue, get angry and each go out of their way to make the other person unsuccessful.

Climax- When FBI Agent Nigel gets his devious little brain around Sam’s brilliant plan.

Conclusion- The Knight unloads the historical Noah’s ark, packed with animals of various species along with the masses of water he imported from Thailand.




The cold frost suddenly hit young Sam; the winter had really begun to take off in Thailand and due to reverse climate change, at -15 degrees it wasn’t on many people’s list for holiday destinations. The knight and part-time scuba diver was all set for his weekly lesson in the unknown. Sam wasn’t the typical lazy young adult we have today, but a generous and willing man. “Diving for Dolphins” was the centre where Sam had joined, the boss; Miss Helen Gartwright was in the middle of her usual boring, long speeches about Health and Safety. She had repeated the same speech without a single smile for months, and no one and I mean no one was listening.
Finally after what seemed like a good few hours, the group of eager divers were on the road, heading for a different location that was now going to be their new area. The water seemed tranquil and with hardly any people on the beech, it was a perfect spot. With everyone’s gear on, they set off on the 2 boats. 3, 2, 1, the boys dived into the dark blue sea.
Their oxygen supply only lasted 45 minutes so they had to be quick. There was a sudden glimmer that caught Sam’s eye. It was metal, old but shiny still. As he neared, it loomed upon him; a blurry figure was all that could be made out of it. An old ship maybe? Ahh, yes, but not just any old ship, Noah’s Ark!! Sam floated their, shocked to the bone.
He kept this amazing discovery to himself for a while longer. The diver checked it out a few more times, each visit sure it was a miracle. After his fifth trip to the ark, he plucked up the courage to finally tell somebody. The only sensible option was the boss of the diving centre. Miss Gartwright didn’t stop laughing for at least 4 hours.
Sam felt like a complete and utter fool, and was depressed for some time. He eventually got over himself, and decided to hire some workmen to lift the shipwreck out of the deep blue sea, to a place where he could fix it up. It was 6 months before the boat was ready for anything, by then some interest had built up towards to the ark. Sam had a brainwave, “What if I could transport water and animals to the moon, what if?” he thought to himself. It him like a smack on the back, he could achieve this remarkable dream. Water from the sea was gathered, put into containers and shipped to the moon; it was in the newspapers in every town. Sam, who was from a little hut looking over a river, had made it into the papers. Trouble began! FBI Secret Agent Nigel Clown had caught onto his plan, was it all over now? Sam worked faster, trying to ship the animals off before Nigel could do anything about it. Unlucky Sam was devastated. Nigel had ordered a full inspection on the boat, to make sure it was humane for travelling. It would delay the procedure by a month.
Noah’s Ark was declared suitable and the animals were loaded two by two. Within 15 minutes, the animals and Sam were in space, slightly confused, but in one piece. The water seemed to have stayed and looked like it had made a permanent imprint on the moon’s surface. The animals were unloaded off the trailer, all in space suites, and started to roam around, free! More and more water was ordered and it wasn’t long before the moon had become a habitable place for living things. Nigel had been defeated; the authorities had declared the ship safe, so therefore it was out of his hands.
Everyone was happy; Sam earned millions, much to the annoyance of Nigel. The animals enjoyed their new habitat, grass grew and there was a frequent supply of water being delivered to the moon. It was a world record, and no one else has achieved this goal to this day. I hope other planets can be conquered, maybe in the future their might be holiday trips to Mars and Venus. Who knows?

A Taste of Salt- what really happened!

Djo seemed to be getting better by the day, but all of a sudden he had a stroke and as he was a;ready ill, it really damaged him and his condition. He became a vegetable, alive...just! It was like there was a body lying there but nothing inside of it. The doctors warned Jeremie that this was how Djo was going to be for the rest of his so called "life". For us, the choice would seem easy, but for Jeremie it was a hard and heart-breaking one. Her family was behind her all the way, but of course urged her to leave La Saline and go to France. With some gentle persuasion Jeremie said her final goodbye to Djo, who once used to be her everything! She left, and although some distance away she kept in touch with her family and Sister Claire. Jeremie knew it was never going to happen, but always asked if there was any change in regard to his condition. It was always "stable". Via her weekly telephone calls to home, she found out that Father Aristide had got the post as president, despite what the Tonton Macoutes thought of him. He helped towards making a better life for the Haitians but it did not last for long, does anything...??

Bravery Is Rewarded

Film: Raise Your Voice
Director: Sean McNamara
Written by: Sam Schreiber
Produced in: 2004
Stars: Hilary Duff, Jason Ritter, Oliver James, Lauren Mayhew, David Keith and Rita Wilson.

Raise Your Voice is an American drama that was first released on 2004 (Wikipedia). The setting is in Flagstaff, Arizona, where Terri Fletcher is from and Los Angeles where the music school is. It tells of a teenage girl named, Terri Fletcher, played by Hilary Duff who wants to go to Los Angeles for the summer to take part in a performing arts school. This movie was written by Sam Schreiber and directed by Sean McNamara.


It is the last day of school and the excitement is creeping into everyone. Terri and her family are putting on a celebratory BBQ for her older brother, Paul Fletcher, played by Jason Ritter, before he leaves for college. The tension is high, when Paul is slightly late and Terri kicks off about wanting to take part in the summer music school. Paul and his dad, played by David Keith, have their usual difference in opinion and it ends with Paul being grounded.
Terri felt slightly bad about this whole scenario and later follows him up the stairs. Meanwhile Paul has snuck out to the garden to post a DVD of Terri singing, in an attempt to get her accepted into the music school. When Paul comes back he finds Terri in his room, and has he shock of his life when his sister breaks the news that she has bought tickets for Three Days Grace, their favourite band! Paul honestly admits that he can't go because he has been grounded and the concert is that night. However with the slightest persuasion Terr changes his mind and they sneak out of the side window and into the car. Their Aunt Nina, played by Rebecca De Mornay is watching them and chuckles to herself, as it reminds her of what it was like to be a teenager again.
The siblings arrive at the concert after the talk they'd had in the car, Paul warned Terri that it was now or never to escape from their dad and do want she wanted to do for a change. They start to get into the spirit of things and open up, singing and cheering along with the band.
After the concert is over the pair set off home and are still singing and talking about the thrill of meeting their favourite band. Then, suddenly, BAM!! A car had come out of the blue with their headlights on full beam, Paul stared in panic. I thought this was very original and unexpected because the tragic events normally happens towards the middle or end not right at the beginning. Terri wakes up to find that she is in hospital and Paul is dead!
She blames herself for his death, forcing him to come out that night and torches and bright lights bring everything back.
Terri’s mum, played by Rita Wilson wants to do what is right for her child and sets up a plan where it looks like Terri is going to go and stay with her Aunt Nina, but is really going to Los Angeles to the music school. This fools her dad, and she is soon on her way.
When she arrives in her new destination she isn’t given the warmest welcome by Jay, English actor Oliver James but nevertheless gets on with things. She tries to settle in to her new room and get to know her roommate, but it doesn’t go to plan when her roommate simply states that she doesn’t want to get close to anyone in this fierce competition as she needs the money the most. The winner gets a $10,000 sponsorship.
The tutors are surprised with the depressed and quiet teenager they have on their hands and shows Terri the DVD Paul had sent in of her being her usual cheerful self. This turns out to be all too much for the girl and she storms out, finding a shoulder to cry on in Jay, who is with Robin, played by Lauren Mayhew. He supposedly dumps her but Robin doesn’t seem to quite understand it. Terri catches them out whilst she was about to practice for the final night along with Jay, as a team. However she isn’t pleased with what she finds and feels betrayed. When Terri finds Jay at her door, in a bad state she spends all night with him on the roof, making sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. He wins back her trust and they continue practicing for the final night. The pair attempt to try out their music in front of an audience at a local bar, but the bright lights are all too much for Terri.
Will she be able to pull it together for the final night? Will her dad smell a rat? Watch the film to find out, and trust me, it is worth it!!

This movie went to the top of my list because it was so emotional and the chemistry between the characters was remarkable, it seemed so real!! I cried in some parts, like when Paul died, aged 18. Also the music was so well timed into the scenes, like when Johnny Maglone, played by Nick Wald, plays Amazing Grace in the opening sequence in perfect rhythm on the recorder. It is simple things like these that really make a difference to whether you watch the movie or not, I personally think that it is a MUST to go and watch it!!
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raise_Your_Voice

Mr.Frog rules!

The Hopper Times


Breaking News:

Mr.Frog jumps to victory

The votes for the post of London Mayor have been counted and by a clear mile, Mr.Frog has dominated the election.
It has been this young frog's dream for many years to become a powerful politician, and now it's become reality. Members of the public have been saying that, with all due respect Mr.Frog had no competition, but a few critics and other politicians have been accusing the government of corrupting the vote, but this has yet to be proven.

Written By: Charlie