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Teens and Fitting In
Gelline, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
In our world today teens strive everyday to "fit in." They are pressured into things that are harmful to everyone. Some are sometimes pushed to the brink of doing drugs and alcohol, only because it's what the "cool group" is doing. They forget their own personality on the way. I believe that every single teen should strive to be his or her own person, instead of being what someone else wants you to be.
I believe that teenagers should create their own unique personality rather than being like everyone else. In my school I have never, in my nine years, felt pressured into being popular or not be myself. At my school every single individual is his or her own person. Our teachers encourage each student to be their own person and be leaders to everyone. No one is forced to do something they don't want to do. No one is pressured into anything. No one is left out;
everyone has a friend, because we're always ourselves when we're together. We are family, but only because we have our own things, if everyone did the same thing our class would be incredibly boring.
This is to any teen that knows they're in a group that is not for them; I encourage you to break out of that group. Be yourself, that's it. That is the bottom line, to almost everything. Be yourself when you're taking an interview, when your talking to a guy or girl you have a crush on, or even when you're talking to family and friends. You don't have to be something your not just to fit in. Just be you and if someone doesn't like it, well it's there loss. just remember: you are an amazing person, no matter what you do.
So next time when you look into that mirror, do you see yourself and what you as a person are or do you see what someone wants you to be?
Could Lake Mead Go Dry by 2021?
Jodie, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
Scientist believe that Lake Mead, an important water source to millions of Americans in the U.S., could go dry by 2021. At this point, scientist believe that that cause of the dryness comes from evaporation. Lake Mead along with Lake Powell supplies over 8 millions of people living in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego including people with water shortages. Studies have shown that there is a 50 percent that Lake Mead could go dry. The other 50 percent says that it could go dry by 2014.
"We were stunned at the magnitude of the problem and how fast it was coming at us," said Tim Barnett a study coauthor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the University of California at San Diego. He then included, "Make no mistake, this water problem is not a scientific abstraction, but rather one that will impact each and every one of us that live in the Southwest."
A result of all this problem somehow has to do with global warming. All we can do is pray that Lake Mead doesn't dry up.
The Great South Gate: destroyed to nothing!
William, 14, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
The Great South Gate, also known as Namdaemun, was once the walled city of Seoul, a landmark survived many foreign invasions and wars, and considered South Korea's top national treasure was destroyed in a fire and has shocked the whole nation.
A 70-year-old man was suspected of setting the fire and was arrested Monday night on Kanghwa Island. The man was identified only by his last name, Chae. The chief of a police station, Kim Young Soo, said that the man has confessed his crime. Kim also reported that the reason Chae set the fire was because of a land dispute with a developer company. Kim also said that Chae did not get enough compensation from the developer for his land in Kyonggi Province and was holding a grudge for many years. Kim also stated the fact that Chae was also responsible for the setting of fire to the Changgyeong Palace in Seoul, which caused about a $4,230 of damage.
Many Koreans were very sad and discouraged after hearing about the destruction of the Namdaemun. "With this fire, our national pride was burned down as well," said Lee Kyung Sook, top aide to President-elect, Lee Myung Bak. Cheon Ho Seon, a spokesman for the President Roh Moo Hyun called the loss" an utterly unfortunate and unspeakably deplorable incident." "The gate has been our representative cultural asset that has been with us for 600 years," Mr. Cheon said in a regular news briefing. "All Koreans were shocked and hurt when they saw the gate crumbling in flames in front of their eyes."
The Cultural Heritage Administration said that it would take three years and $21 million to rebuild the structure. Namdaemun was destroyed by the very thing it was built to fight off: fire. According to the Korean legend, Korean kings chose the site because they believed that the gate would protect the capital from the fiery spirit of a mountain, historians say.
How to get rid of bad breath germs
Stacey, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
Everyone knows that gum gets rid of bad breath, but which gum is best at getting rid of bad breath germs? A professor named Christine Wu at UIC College of Dentistry found out that the cinnamon gum, Big Red, gets rid of bad breath germs better than the other types of gum. The cinnamon gum contains cinnamic aldehyde, which is used in flavoring. Christine tested other types of gum and found out that some of the other gums could cause cavities and long-term infections. I think Christine did this experiment because, maybe she suffers from bad breath and wanted to find out how to get rid of it.
Christine tested the gum types by getting 15 volunteers. She tested all of there saliva before she started her experiment. She told all of the volunteers to chew on the gum that was given to them for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, she tested all of the volunteers' saliva once more and compared it to the salvia before they did the experiment. Then she did that same process for two other types of gum.
Microbiological analysis showed that the cinnamon gum reduced more than 50 percent of the bacteria. Next time you need to get rid of your bad breath just chew some, Big Red, and it will go away.
Death of a Los Angeles SWAT Officer
Andrew, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
In a close standoff, a man Killed an LA SWAT officer and seriously wounded another after reporting himself in, for killing three of his family members in a San Fernando Valley home. The incident began on Februrary 8th at 8:30 P.M. and ended ten hours later by a police sniper who shot the suspect and killed him.
Randal Simmons, the SWAT officer who was killed, had been in the LAPD for 27 years and for the last 12 was assistant squad leader. He was the first and hopefully the last SWAT officer killed in the line of duty in the unit's 41 year history. He would spend his off hours mentoring the youth in poverty and violence stricken areas of Los Angeles. "He was always there to support, mentor, and help", said LAPD captain James Craig.
James Veenstra the seriously injured SWAT officer, sustained a gunshot wound to the left side of his lower jaw and is expected to survive. Surgeons of the Northridge Hospital Medical Center says the officer is very fortunate because the bullet lodged into his jaw.
In the end, SWAT officers fired tear gas canisters into the house and used an armored vehicle to batter down the rear side of the wall. A few minute later the house caught on fire and the suspect ran out firing savagely at the SWAT officers. Before anyone else got wounded, a police sniper shot the suspect in the head instantly killing him. After hearing this tragedy, it made me realize how grateful I am for the people who take on jobs that involve risking their lives.
Academic Decathalon
Joseph, 14, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
I go to Cathedral Chapel School and our school recently participated in Cathedral High School's annual Quizbowl. This took place in January and we competed against may other schools in different subjects of the Academic Decatholon. Our school submitted two different teams so we can get ready for the big event in March against 108 other schools.
The Quizbowl is based on the big event in March, which consists of five areas on which we study as a team and eight individual subjects which we study. This year we are studying volcanoes, Abraham Lincoln, Beatles, Acts of the Apostles, and four of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books. At this event we competed against sixteen other schools, in logic, superquiz, and individuals.
Our team split into two teams of eight so we could decide on a team of ten, while all the other schools had a team of ten people already. There was the blue and, the team I was on, the green team. My team won first place in the logic part and second place in superquiz. The blue team placed fourth in superquiz and didn't rank in the top ten in logic. I placed second in my individual To Kill a Mockingbird. The green team won the competition overall.
Now our school has narrowed the team down to ten people through very tough decisions. I made the team and we are getting ready for the big competition. It will take place all day at the Los Angeles Coliseum on March 15.
Should Society be Able to Use Teen Repellents?
Christine, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
Did you know there were such inventions such as the "Mosquito" that gave discomfort to young people?
In England, a high-pitched alarm has been invented to keep young people away from stores. "The Mosquito" was invented by Howard Stapleton, from Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, and is manufactured by Compound Security Systems. This "anti-social teenager repellent" is placed where young people is liable to gather such as parks, stores, markets, and even alleys. This alarm is only audible to people younger than 21 years old because the company made the product 16 kilohertz. However many people are against the use of this alarm.
Many adults and children launched a "Buzz off" campaign saying it was unfair. England's Children's Commissioner Al Aynsley-Green said ""I have spoken to many children and young people from all over England who have been deeply affected by ultra-sonic teenage deterrents, these devices are indiscriminate and target all children and young people, including babies, regardless of whether they are behaving or misbehaving," he added. He wasn't the only one who spoke out though, Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said "What type of society uses a low-level sonic weapon on its children? Imagine the outcry if a device was introduced that caused blanket discomfort to people of one race or gender, rather than to our kids. The Mosquito has no place in a country that values its children and seeks to instill them with dignity and respect."
Do you think England should ban the use of "the Mosquito"?
Losing Art
Danny, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
The past few weeks at CCS, Cathedral Chapel School, the eighth grade class hasn't been behaving in our art class. People have been painting each other's faces, tossing water, and leaving the room a mess. The teachers warned us that if we miss behave in art anymore then there will be big consequences. Apparently the message didn't stay with us because the next art period we left the room a mess and left it for the teacher to clean up.
Obviously we didn't listen which led to big consequences at first our homeroom teacher told the principal that we were miss behaving and thought our art teacher could clean up for us. Our principal was nice about it and gave us one last chance. You can probably tell that next art class same thing; painting faces, leaving the sink one big mess, leaving paint brushes all over the place, and leaving water everywhere.
Our consequence was loosing our art period and the kindergarten class was given another art period. "I don't think we did that many bad things in art," says one student. "Why should the kinder class get more art time?" said another. My class didn't seem too happy about loosing art. The less artistic kids weren't as sad about loosing art as much as others. "I'm glad we don't have art now, we can focus on other subjects we are having trouble in," a student said.
I am obviously not happy about losing art. I for one enjoy drawing and painting, but our class was warned more than once and we didn't listen. Once we found out our consequence we weren't too happy. It also affects our homeroom teacher she used to be able to grade papers when we were in art now she has to watch us for an extra period. I believe we deserve this punishment because everyone was involved there wasn't one person that wasn't behaving correctly. So I hope this will open our eyes and we will see that we need to step up to the plate and set an example for all the grades.
Wiihabilitaion
Michelle, 14, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
Are games bad for you? Not in Chicago it isn't! Many patients are using Wiis to get better!
Wiis are the new sensations in rehab therapy. Patients recovering from strokes, broken bones, surgery, and even combat injuries are using Wiis to get better! Many patients in the rehab centers say that doing the same exercises everyday can get extremely boring and repetitive. But when the patients use the Wii, they are much more concentrated and don't even know that they are going though a lot of rigorous exercise.
"When people can refocus their attention from the tediousness of the physical task, oftentimes they do much better. Using the game console's unique, motion-sensitive controller, Wii games require body movements similar to traditional therapy exercises. But patients become so engrossed mentally they're almost oblivious to the rigor", Osborn says.
"In the Wii system, because it's kind of a game format, it does create this kind of inner competitiveness. Even though you may be boxing or playing tennis against some figure on the screen, it's amazing how many of our patients want to beat their opponent," said Osborn of Southern Illinois Healthcare.
Pfc. Matthew Turpen, aged 22, is paralyzed from the chest down from a car accident last year while he was stationed in Germany. He plays the Wii golf and bowling from his wheelchair and still seems to be getting tons of healthy exercise. A lot of guys don't have full finger function so it definitely helps being able to work on using your fingers more and figuring out different ways to use your hands and arms", Turpen said.
So next time you turn on that Wii; sure its fun and games, but it's also a good exercise!
Cathedral Chapel School win in the Academic Quizbowl
Brandan, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
Cathedral Chapel School, a school in Miracle Mile, won the Academic Quizbowl at Cathedral High School. The Quizbowl took place Saturday January 12, 2008. They sent two teams of eight to the Quizbowl. Both teams competed against thirteen other teams that had ten decathletes. This was there fourth win in a row at the Quizbowl.
There are three main parts of a Decathlon events. The events are logic, individuals, and Super Quiz. In the logic event the Green Team received first place. In the Super Quiz the Green Team received second. For the individuals overall they received first in Math, Current Events, and English. They received second in Current Events and Literature. They received third in Grammar, Religion, Science, Grammar, Math, and Fine Arts. Congratulations and good luck in the Academic Decathlon in March.
S.W.A.T. Officer Dies
Fred, 14, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
In San Fernando Valley, around 9 p.m. Wednesday, a man called S.W.A.T saying that he killed 3 relatives. Unfortunately, a SWAT officer died during the "fight." It is the first time this has ever happened in SWAT history.
Nearly 6 hours after the phone call, the SWAT team tear gassed the suspect's house. The officers were engaged in an open gunfire fight and 2 got shot, leaving one dead and luckily the other critically injured. The suspect was shot and killed. The 2 officers were taken to Northridge Medical Center. The man's name, of the man who died, was Randall Simmons, age 51. The other man who died was also 51 years old. His name is James Veenstra.
The doctors say that officer Veenstra will survive after surgery and he did. On the other hand, officer Simmon's family miss him terribly. His family includes, his wife (an officer captain in the force) and 2 children.
Cathedral Chapel School's Eighth Grade Legends
Brittney, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
Cathedral Chapel School has one of the best eighth grade classes ever, the Legends. We call ourselves the Legends because we can and have achieved more than the other eighth grade classes that have graduated from CCS. We call ourselves the Legends because we push each other to become better people and do the right things. We always try to find ways to help others and become effective communicators, integrated individuals, life-long learners, responsible citizens, and faithful Christians.
We get through our hardships with the help of an amazing eighth grade and language arts teacher, Mrs. Moldavon. When we do things wrong, she doesn't punish us to make us miserable, but she punishes us to help us understand what we did wrong and what we need to do to fix our mistakes. She is always finding fun ways to teach us. She goes out on her own time to buy things for us that would help us learn. She cares about our education, but most of all she cares about us as a class and as individuals.
The kids in my class are amazing. They work together nicely most of the time and they enjoy having fun. We call ourselves Legends because as a whole and as individuals we're very intelligent. We love each other even though we have disagreements and get on each others nerves. We'll all find out that the arguments and disagreements are worth it at the end of the school year because they brought us closer to each other. We are the eighth grade. Better yet... WE ARE LEGENDS!!!!
What Happened To My Shows!?
Lucenda, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
One question has been running through everybody's mind: When will my favorite show come with new episodes? As you have been hearing there has been a writers strike over the past three months. The main reason for the strike is that writer's felt that they were not getting paid enough for all their hard work and dedication to their programs. In my opinion I feel that the writers wanted to express that they are as important as any other person on the set such as the director. They to take a role in how large or small the audience is and what type of response they will get from producers.
Many of you should already of heard of the "Writer's Guild" which is an organization of writers that are contracted to many studios for movies, sitcoms, and commercials. They have formed together and have been peacefully protesting to make producers come to an agreement with salary. Shows like "House", "Ugly Betty", and "Gossip Girls" have been affected by the strike. They have only been hanging on to re-runs and announcements. Fortunately they had mercy bestowed upon them.
On February 12,2008, the writer's strike officially ended. I guess there still is hope in this world after all. Now shows such as Chuck, 24, and My Name is Earl are already rising back and getting back their audiences. I believe that this little event can teach a big lesson because it goes to show you that you don't need violence or attacks on the media to solve a problem writers all over California are now back in jobs and doing what they do best.
Writers Strike
Pilar, 14, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
The crippling strike by Hollywood writers is expected to end Wednesday, much to the relief of the workers and businesses that rely on film and TV productions. The deal appears to be a good one for both sides. The writers will get a bigger piece of the action online, though less than they'd originally sought, and the studios won't have to pay residuals on TV shows that are accessible on the Internet for only a short time. But before the Writers Guild of America and the studios celebrate the end of a walkout that cost the local economy an estimated $2 billion, they should remember why things reached the boiling point in the first place.
Many guild members went into the negotiations resenting what they felt was an absurdly low share of the revenue from DVD sales. The residual rate for home video hasn't budged since it was set in 1985, despite the studios' decline in costs and increase in profits from the shift from videocassettes to DVDs. The studios' refusal to appease those residuals led writers to fear that the rate set for online distribution also would remain in place. That's why they were willing to go on strike -- and stay there. To avoid a repeat, both sides have to be willing to change the compensation formula.
With commercial-skipping digital video recorders proliferating and TV shows becoming a staple on networks, the traditional TV business could be in for the kind of painful disruption that has undermined the major record labels. One benefit of the strike is that it helped push the industry to prepare better for that uncertainty, as well as for the increasingly intense competition and the decline of audiences to come. Studio executives are talking about canceling some of their more expensive and inefficient rituals, such as ordering dozens of pilots before choosing new TV shows and staging elaborate previews, and writers are forming ventures to create material for the Web independent of the studios.
They're not new ideas, but those are the steps both sides need to keep taking even as they get back to work.
Decathlon Quiz Bowl
Earl, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
Cathedral Chapel School has dominated the Quiz Bowl at Cathedral High School, winning first place every year. It wasn't that big of a surprise when they won it again. The road to victory wasn't easy though, it was achieved through tremendous effort and dedication from the coaches and students.
The coaches tested the students every week on every subject, so they can know it as well as the authors of books. Decathletes were also given logic problems to solve daily to improve and hone their skills. Everyone knew that they would only succeed with hard work.
At the Quiz Bowl, nine out of sixteen students placed in the top three at their individual subjects. This helped CCS win, but the first place in logic and second place in Super Quiz were the main contributors to the victory. Even though Cathedral Chapel won the event, they have to take it to the next level if they want to win the Decathlon.
Obama's Success Toward Becoming President
Darian, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
With his unique talent and great speaking ability Barack Obama swept all five contests this weekendóWashington, Nebraska, Maine, Louisiana, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Obama's weekend victories were significant, no doubt. He was slated to win in almost all of the contests, but he won them by wide margins: 68 to 31 percent in Washington, 68 to 32 in Nebraska, and 59 to 41 percent in Maine. The New York Times wrote that "these victories should give him momentum going the primaries on Tuesday.
Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvaniaówhich vote in March and April. Those three states alone command 577 delegatesónearly as many as all 10 post-Super Tuesday states Obama will likely have won (595). After February. But Hillary could close in on Obama's lead and more if she wins them. " The Associated Press said Clinton was now looking to "put a brake on Barack Obama's momentum."
One of Obama's speeches said," They said that this day would never come." "They said our sites were set to high." "They said that this country was too divided, to dissolute, to ever come around for a common purpose." "But on this January nite, at this defining moment in history, you have done what the civic said we couldn't do." An with that speech, is how Barack Obama won Iowa.
High Speed Jet Revealed
Kamran, 14, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
It's super slick, it's super fast. And its under development in Britain. It is called the A2, a passenger plane that is said to be able to one day travel at five times the speed of sound, from London to Sydney is less than five hours. Can it really be done?
The people working on the plane sure think so. Design engineer Rickard Fargas states "The plane is designed to fly halfway around the world in less than five hours. That's from Europe to Australia!" That doesn't include fuel stops, but it's incredibly fast! Modern planes can only travel that distance in twenty-two hours.
It can transport up to three hundred passengers at once. It's also environmentally safe, running on liquid nitrogen. That means no release of carbon dioxide! The plane isn't without its disadvantages, however. It flies at extremely high altitudes in order to intercept UV radiation from the sun (actually in the o-zone layer), which may cause anxiety to the passengers. They say it may damage the o-zone layer, though they're not sure yet.
With pros, cons, and all, the engineers state that the jet should be transporting cargo in twenty-five years.
Global Warming is Threatening the Existence of Penguins!
Joshua, 13, of California
Posted February 13, 2008
The warm weather caused by global warming is ravaging the existence of penguins. These penguins that live about a thousand miles north of Antarctica which is on the French islands, are becoming closer and closer to extinction.
During breeding season, which is from the months November to March, the parents go underwater looking for food so the chick can eat it once it hatches. The chicks, till it's parents come back, have to rely on the fats that they stored to survive.
Because of global warming, there aren't enough local fishes in the area for the young ones so the chicks die because of no food. Researchers found that the mortality of the penguins rose up to 50% because of global warming. It is not only the baby chicks that are dying; the adult penguins are gradually dying also. As the days get warmer and warmer, the availability of krill decrease-krill are what the adults eat before they get to their young. Since there aren't enough krill to come around, fewer adults survive to return to their young.
A marine biologist, Gerald Kooyman, states, "The penguin population is healthy for now, but if a population this robust starts to decline, that's an indicator." Even though this statement might be true, that doesn't mean that we should just wait until the problem happens, we should do something about it now! If we postpone to resolve this problem later, there might be no more penguins. I hope this word speaks out to everyone.
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