The Case Middle School

Volume 6
Issue 5
The Case Middle School
Courier
April
2010
Produced by the Students of Punahou School, 1601 Punahou Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
What’s New:
Morning Meetings
Above l. to r., Ms. McCool, Mrs.
Schull. At right, what a morning
meeting looks like in Mrs. Schull’s
homeroom.
Photos above courtesy of Sterling;
at right, photo by CMS staff
New Winne Project
Coming Our Way?
Mr. Michael Taylor (3rd grade
teacher) and his class.
Photos by K. Yonamine
By Kapri Lisehora & Hayley Morgan
Y
ou may not have heard but
the lower grades have recently
reconfigured how they conduct
their mornings.
Morning Meetings may be a new
concept here at Punahou but they
have been around for a while. The
Morning Meeting was started
by the NorthEast Foundation
for Children
(NEFC) and
implemented by
the lab school
for the NEFC at
the Greenfield
Center School
in Greenfield,
Mass.
Junior School
counselor, Ms. Eileen McCool
visited there while on her sabbatical last year. She came back to
Punahou and shared this practice
with a lot of teachers.
According to Mrs. McCool,
“Morning Meeting is a new approach that can transform the
entire culture of the classroom.”
We interviewed her to get some
specifics on Morning Meetings and
also got a few tidbits about Mrs.
By Kaitlyn Yonamine
B
y now, most of us should
know about the construction
on Wilcox Hall for the
Kindergarten and first
graders. And now,
there’s going to be a
project with grades
2-5.
To get more
information about
these projects for the
grades, The Courier
talked to Principal
Mike Walker.
What is this building project going to be,
exactly?
“Currently, our planning
for grades 2-5 is focused on
understanding the learning
needs of students in the
age group, and reviewing
the curriculum and educational program to insure it
best meets the
needs of that
age group,” Mr.
Walker said.
Will this
project be a
little along
the lines of
Wilcox, with
McCool herself.
Mrs. McCool has worked at
Punahou School for 17 years, and
when she was on sabbatical she
visited the Greenfield School in
Massachusetts, which is where she
learned about morning meetings.
She said the NEFC started the program, as a responsive classroom
approach.
The morning meeting
was founded
by a teacher
who was upset
to discover
that half-way
through the
year, her kids
didn’t know one
another. She
was determined
to change that
by developing this social curriculum so kids would be known to
each other.
Morning meetings take place in
the beginning of the day, and contain four parts: sharing, announcements, a game, and/or an activity.
Does it work for teachers?
“Absolutely, it’s fun,” said Mrs.
McCool. Mrs. Schull added later
that during lunch the teachers
…continued on page 2
different buildings, or will this
be just one building?
“As we did with Case and K-1,
decisions about facilities will come
after we have clarity
about the program
needs and implications,” he said.
But isn’t this
going to be a little
difficult, considering that Punahou
has already started
the Kindergarten
and first grade
project in Wilcox? And who
does this whole
building project
affect?
“The challenge,
and opportunity of
this next phase of
our master planning is that we
need to simultaneously consider
and understand
the needs of the entire K-12
campus,”
Mr. Walker also added, “This
is an exercise in interdisciplinary planning and confirms the
interconnected nature of the
school.”
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Punahou
Sustainability Fair
Inside Scoops
From l. to r.: Nicole Wong, Jamie
Shinsato, Mrs. Morgan, Ming
Tanigawa-Lau, Nichole Adolpho
and Loren Dowd.
Photos by K. Honnaka
4 Morning Meetings
…continued from page 1
Page 2
he annual Sustainability Fair
tries to raise awareness about
going green and also living a
greener life. This event took place
on April 9th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
on middle field and by the Lily
Pond.
About
3,000 people
attend this
fantastic event
each year
at Punahou
School. This
year the
Stainability Fair was
Punahou’s
fourth annual
year. Mrs. Carri
Morgan the
Luke Center Director,
shared the inside scoops on this
year’s Fair.
She said that a lot of effort is
put into the event in order to pull
it off.
Her job with the Sustainability
Fair is to help coordinate the whole
thing and work with everyone.
Also she supports all of the
different things that are going
on. Some of the things that
Punahou students did for this
year’s Fair included Academy students making things to sell.
An example is the recycled wallets that they made.
Other things that were in the
fair were Project Green projects
that the middle school children
have been working on in their science classes (see related story on
page 3).
This year, too, there were many
booths and activities.
On the day of the Fair, visitors
could get a tour of the gardening
project over at the Academy.
Also there
was a recycled
art show.
The
Sustain­ability
Fair has not
changed
drastically
over the years
but each year
it represents
new projects
made by the
students.
Mrs. Morgan said that
this year there
were some
new agencies coming to the fair.
Some of the newer ones included the Hawai‘i Monk Seal Response
Team, Honolulu Police Department.
Some of the ones that came last
year returned, like the Blue Planet
Foundation and 1st Wind.
The new big thing for this year
was to not only help the environment and go green, but also to
sustain yourself.
Mrs. Morgan gave us her
thoughts about what she thinks
about the whole thing.
“I think that it is awesome how
it all comes together and it is nice
because we can take a pause and
enjoy each other,” she said.
usually end up sharing things like
that anyway, and it’s a good way
to get to know each other better.
Fourth grade teachers Mrs.
Schull and Mr. Reid, and fifth grade
teachers Mrs. Church and Mrs.
Robles are just some of teachers
that have begun to start their day
with Morning Meetings.
Mrs. Schull and Mrs. McCool
both agreed that it was good for
learning experience.
Mrs. Schull said that twice a
week they gather before class for
their morning meeting. First, they
have a “greeting,” where they
either play a game or simply greet
each other.
Next, if someone has something
to share, then they share their
item or story.
If they still have time or there
wasn’t a sharing, they talk about
what’s going on, what people did
over the weekend or what they’re
going to do the upcoming weekend.
Sometimes they share funny
stories.
The sharing is always followed
by a game, Mrs. Schull told us.
She tries to make the game different every day.
Lastly, they talk about what
they’re going to do that day.
Are the meetings having an impact on the students? Mrs. Schull
said that she knows the students
enjoy it because before break she
asked them to fill out an evaluation about the year so far, and
more than half of them said that
“morning meetings are really fun.”
They are not only fun, but Mrs.
Schull thinks that meetings can
reduce bullying. Because of the
smaller and more personal environment, people get to know each
other better and make friends with
people who have the same interests as them.
Morning meetings are also a
benefit for the kids who are more
shy. Mrs. Schull told us that the
students that are always most
eager for morning meetings and
sharing are those kids that don’t
usually talk during the normal
school day.
She believes it’s good, especially for them, because it gets them
to be more open and let others
know more about them, so their
volume of friends increase, and
they don’t feel so left out.
She told us that before class she
just comes up with a general plan,
like which game they’re going to
play. She said the rest depends on
what the students bring up.
By Karrie Honnaka T
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Project Green
By Victoria Lee
I
Photo by K. L. Correa
Global Warming:
Fact or Fiction
t was here and it was huge!
Although the Sustainability Fair
came and went already, with every
Sustainability Fair there are projects that follow along.
What were these projects? One
was called Project Green.
Throughout the whole
seventh grade,
students worked
on their Project
Green science
assignments.
These projects took up
about a month
of work. The
best projects
were then put on
display for the Sustainability Fair.
This year, students had a choice
of 27 different topics to choose
from. Of those, they had to choose
the one that they really wanted to
do.
When they received these project ideas, they then were assigned
to construct and put that project
into action.
Some people might wonder,
what’s the purpose of this? Why do
By Kelly Marshall
I
n today’s hectic political world
many issues are being debated
but one of the most controversial
issues is global warming.
It not only affects just our
country but the future of our
world.
“We risk consigning future
generations to
an irreversible
catastrophe,”
said President
Obama, a proponent of manmade global
warming.
The most
popular option
for cutting global
warming would
be a “Cap-andTrade” law which
would give all
businesses a certain amount of
“carbon credits”
or the amount of
CO2 that they can put out.
If they go over the limit they
get fined but if they feel that they
don’t need all their credits they
can sell them to other companies.
According to some estimates,
although this law would cap the
amount of CO2 coming from our
industries, it would also cap our
industries.
Some estimates say that Capand-Trade could cost the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) as much
as 4.8 trillion and cause three million jobs to be lost.
Page 3
students have to do these projects?
Well, it all corresponds with the
Sustainability Fair to help educate
students about what they can do
to help the environment.
These projects were all based
on helping the environment or
showing how
we can help the
environment in
some way.
In Project
Green, students
were provided
with some materials from the
teacher, but the
students had to
provide some
of the materials
themselves.
They were
also provided with instructions
such as the purpose of the project and what they’re supposed to
construct or test, according to that
problem.
Once they finished their projects, along with all the data to
go with it, they had to make an
iMovie. This iMovie was based on
the project, such as what their
project’s about and the problems
they had doing the project.
So is it really worth it?
One person who strongly thinks
yes is former Vice-President Al
Gore. In his movie An Inconvenient Truth, Gore talks about
the causes and effects of global
warming.
However, the strong global
warming movement was slowed
recently with the East Anglia
scandal in which a hacker got into
the email accounts of some of the
leading climate change scientists.
It was found that they were
talking to each other about how
they were deleting and changing
data in their studies.
One of the major talking points
of global warming advocates is
that global warming hurts the
polar bears, but a recent study
shows that the polar bear population is actually growing.
This either shows that we’re
on the right track or that we have
nothing to fear.
Despite any arguments, the
greatest talking point for antiglobal warming groups is that
humans may not even be involved
in any changes in the earth’s
climate.
In a recent study by the National Center for Policy Analysis it
was found that humans contributed only 0.28% of CO2 emissions
and only 3% of all greenhouse
gases.
So if Cap-and-Trade were instituted for the entire world and it
cut human CO2 emissions by 50%,
which would be phenomenal,
it would only take away 0.14%
of CO2 while cutting the world
economy.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
I Survived the 2010
February Tsunami
Above, shoppers responded to the
threat. At right, some decided to
look for a big wave coming in.
Photos by Marco Garcia, AP
Speech Club Ending
for the Year, but
Ending with a Bang
By Ale Hedlund
O
n February 27th, 2010,
Hawai‘i was terrorized by tsunami warning
sirens that went
off at 6 a.m.
and continued
throughout the
day.
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake had just
struck Chile,
and a tsunami
was reportedly
heading for the
islands. Over
100,000 tourists were evacuated
from their beach-side hotels. Many
people left their houses early in
the morning to go to stores, stocking up on everything from toilet
paper, to canned foods, to water.
Residents of Hawai‘i were glued
to their TVs and computers, looking for the most current updates of
what would happen. Twitter—the
popular social networking web
site—was flooded with tweets from
people all over the world, tracking the tsunami as it made its way
toward the Hawaiian Islands.
Everyone wanted to know what
would happen.
By Connor Lee
P
unahou Speech Club is ending
its run for this year.
The last competition was Apr.
10th, a Saturday, hosted right
here at Punahou.
The whole year, there were a total of four speech festivals.
Sources say that the Punahou
team had a good year.
These speech meets are hosted
by different schools and many
students participate in the event.
There are five different categories
to choose from to participate.
You, the student, can choose
individually. The categories are:
1. Storytelling, 2. Poetry, 3.
Performing a drama script with a
group, 4. Original Oratory (which
is similar to a Damon Speech),
5. Impromptu (coming up with
a speech in five minutes about a
given subject on the spot).
The Team 7X English teacher,
Mrs. Fujioka, coaches the 7th
grade team.
Q: What do you think about the
Punahou Speech club?
A: I think it’s a great opportunity for anyone to try public
speaking events. It’s not too high
pressure, and you don’t need to
be extremely gifted to participate,
just try!
Q: Is this Punahou Speech
Club’s best year competition wise?
A: We don’t keep records, but
we have always done quite well.
Individual students get top rankings every festival.
Q: Are you happy with the results of this years competitions?
A: Oh, yes, very much so.
Page 4
Government officials had said
that food, water, and power could
be out for as long as five days.
Hilo was the first to be hit.
Shortly before
noon, reports
announced that
the first wave
had arrived.
On live televised showings
of the area,
however, the
only visible sign
was the strange
movements of
the water.
(When a tsunami is about to strike, the water
starts to recede from the shore.)
Fortunately, the waves made
little or no impact on the hit areas,
although many people would have
enough food at home to last them
a few weeks.
Their preparation and caution
about the coming “tsunami” may
not have been needed this time,
but tsunamis cannot be predicted
and it is good to be prepared.
Many people feared that this
tsunami might have been as horrible as the 35-foot waves that had
devastated Hilo in 1960, killing 61
people.
Many if the students who have
entered have been ranked with
superior ratings.
Mrs. Nelson is the coach for
8th graders. A few years ago, she
coached all three grades, 6th, 7th
and 8th. The Courier asked her a
few questions as well.
Q: What do you feel about
Speech Club?
A: I think Speech Club is a
great opportunity for students to
develop self confidence, and the
ability to speak in front of anyone.
Speech Club helps kids develop a
life-long skill.
Q: Is this Punahou’s best year
doing speech?
A: Every year is different. It
depends on the student’s effort,
commitment, and enthusiasm.
There are some students that
really take leadership roles, and
they help the whole club. I’m basically saying, it depends on who’s
in it.
Q: How old is the Punahou
Speech Club?
A: Oh, golly, let me see ... I
would have to say it’s at least
25 years old—25 or 30, maybe
longer.
Q: What would you say to the
students not in Speech Club?
A: Take advantage of an experience that will benefit you your
entire life. It’s a lot like being in a
sport. There are a lot of similarities between being on a sports
team, as well as a speech team.
Although students cannot join
now because the club has finished
for the year, next year is a great
idea to consider.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Taking You Back
to †he Past
In your deepest
daydreams, haven’t
you wanted a time
machine, taking you
back to the past?
By McKenna Noland
H
ave you ever found yourself
thinking that learning history
is just too much for your brain? In
your deepest daydreams, haven’t
you wanted a time machine, taking
you back to the past? You could
see how people back then dressed,
spoke,
and even
what
they
ate!
Well,
some
6th
graders
can help!
They may not own any time machines, but a few 6th grade classes
set up an enlightening project with
the help of their wonderful teachers, Mr. Tam, Ms. Edwards, Mrs.
Kano, and Mr. Eliashof, taking folks
back to 1893 and the Chicago
World’s Fair!
Each student in Mr. Tam and Ms.
Edwards’ classes was assigned an
historical person from that time
period, like Nellie Bly or Annie
Jump Cannon.
In Mr. Eliashof and Mrs. Kano’s
classes, students were assigned
an invention to study, for example,
the typewriter.
Those who had a person were
told to write a monologue about
their person.
They were to try to cram as
much information on their character, the time period, and the
Page 5
World’s Columbian Expedition as
possible, while still seeming natural.
Little did they know that Mr.
Tam wasn’t telling them the whole
truth, and that they were actually
to work in groups on a skit?
Like the monologue, they were
to try and inform the audience as
much about the person as possible, and still keep the audience
awake. It was a great activity, letting kids unleash their creativity.
Meanwhile, students who were
given an invention worked on
researching how it was invented,
where the idea came from, and
lots of other information. They had
a blast at it and also spent a lot
of time
working on
artwork of
their
as-
signed
invention.
Thanks to the help of Mr. Roberts, the performers were able to
unlock their musical selves as well.
They were allowed to join small
groups and perform a few songs.
They practiced “Home on the
Range,” “Drill Ye Tarriers,” “John
Henry,” “Bicycle Built for Two,” and
“Stars and Stripes.”
Mr. Roberts helped in another
musical way. He made sure that
every student in the team space
knew all four verses of “America
(My Country ‘tis of Thee)” by
heart.
That was the most important
song to get across to the audience
because the lyrics are so powerful.
Readers may assume that after
the plans were made, everything
else was a piece of cake. Not so.
Preparing was hectic.
On the few days before the
performances, there was a huge
chunk of time in the school day
reserved for practicing and editing skits, and the singers practiced
tirelessly under the guidance of Mr.
Roberts.
On the day they had to perform
for parents, there was barely any
time left for anything else but
practicing!
That evening, after all the work
was done, students and parents
were able to taste some food
samples that students made and
were eaten in the 1890s.
Students and parents were able
to mingle a bit before going home
and enjoying a relaxing weekend before performing again on
Monday morning to inform fellow
peers.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
React Is Out!
By Brandon Yahiro & David Kobayashi
A
t Waimea Middle School on
the Big Island, teachers and
administrators have been handing
out sugarless peppermint gum to
the kids, letting the
students to
chew gum
during math
tests.
Studies
show that
chewing gum
can brighten
mood and
enhance energy—and even
increase scores
on standardized
math tests by
three percent.
Perhaps it’s the
refreshing taste
and smell
of peppermint that invigorates
the senses and reduces careless
errors.
A new gum on the market may
help with math, perhaps by its
name alone.
Introduced about three years
ago, “5” gum has been making
new and interesting types of flavors every year.
It first started with the cold
taste of Cobalt to the sweet taste
of the new “React” flavors. Each
packet of gum has a total of 15
pieces.
There has been nine flavors of
this gum out so far.
The new React gum is black for
both cases.
This gum has a wrapper that is
the same color as the gum.
There’s an App
for That!
By Mari Miyabe & Casey Kawano
T
he iTouch is not only for music, but also for cool apps.
As Apple claims, “There’s an
app for everything.” It has been
proven that there is not an app for
everything, but there are apps for
outdoors, in the office, homework,
traveling, and language, including
hundreds of games.
Users of an iTouch are allowed
to look at the most popular or
favored apps. Here are some 6th
grade students and what their
favorite apps are:
Question: What is your favorite
application?
Lily Schlieman
A: Moron Test. “It reminds of
certain people in my life.”
Jodee Sakamaki
A: Unblock Me and Sims 3. “It’s
so fun and addicting.”
Stephanie Iwasaki
A: Unblock Me and Doodle Jump
“Because it’s fun.”
Malia Brooks
A: Impossible Test. “Because it’s
addicting!”
Kaimiloa Ah Mook Sang
A: Plants vs. Zombies. “Because
Michael Jackson zombies come
out.”
Justin Kaneko
Page 6
With this React gum you can
now make a black bubble.
There are only two React
flavors: sweet mint and tropical
burst.
The taste of these
gums may change
according to the person who chews it.
Have you ever
seen the “5” commercials were a
person falls off a
cliff or a stereo
beats and a person vibrates on a
floor of beads?
These commercials show
how interesting
it is to taste the
gum.
The company that
manufactures this gum is Wrigley.
It was founded in 1911.
Chewing gum has been around
for years, even centuries.
In the beginning the ancient
Greeks used to chew the resin
from tree bark.
It may not have tasted as
good as gum now but it sure kept
people occupied.
In this time and day gum has
really been modernized from tree
sap all the way to 5 gum.
The gum made today is made
of a man-made latex with some
coloring, flavoring and sugar.
5 is not just the only kind of
gum that Wrigley makes.
They make minty gum like Winter Fresh and Spearmint.
They also make sweet gum
flavors like Juicy Fruit, and Hubba
Bubba.
A: Tap Tap Revenge 3. “Because
it’s addicting.”
How are apps made?
Ideas for apps are submitted to
Apple by people. Apple picks the
best ideas and turns them into
apps for the public to enjoy.
One kid named Nate True
thought of the idea for the game
Tap Tap Revolution. He was inspired to make Tap Tap Revolution
based on the dance game Dance
Dance Revolution.
Originally, Nate created Revolution for his blog not for Apple. If
you wanted to play, you were required to “jailbreak” your iphone.
Later, a new company, Tapulous
bought the game after it was submitted it to Apple.
It was renamed to Tap Tap Revenge.
Over 13 million iTouches have
been sold in the U.S. so far.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Amy McNeill:
The Real Karate Kid
Twilight,
Good or Bad?
By Melissa Miura
C
hampion. From the Latin
word campus, which refers
specifically to Campus Martius in
Rome, which was used
for athletic practice,
military drill and games.
It is also derived from
Middle English, where the
word campio (n-) literally
means “fighter.” That is
what Amy McNeill, an 8th
grade Punahou student,
really is. A champion.
Karate is a martial art
developed in the islands of Okinawa, Japan
around the 17th century.
This Asian system of unarmed combat involves
both physical and mental
preparation and skill.
Starting the sport/
martial art Karate at the
age of 6, Amy McNeill
has been slowly working her way
up through colored belts, fighting
like the champion she is to make it
to the top.
Just last year at the Junior
Olympics, she took 1st place
against a 13-year-old female
black belt in forms (kata), and
took home an honorable 2nd
By Yeseul Do
T
At right, Mary Wakayama.
Photo by Y. Do
wilight. Filled with romance
and beautiful vampires, it was
a big hit.
It has been extremely popular for a long
time, especially after
the movie has come
out. But have you ever
had the thought that
Twilight has a negative
influence to girls?
Mary Wakayama is
the second place winner
of the recent Damon
Speech for 7th Grade.
Her topic was based on
how Twilight was detrimental to females.
1. How did you get the thought
of Twilight as your Damon Speech
topic? I mean, you usually think of
something serious, right?
I realized one day that the
series’ moral values are practically nonexistent. In fact, there are
screaming fans out there, wasting
their lives over a fictional person
(Edward Cullen... or the Twilight
series itself) who will never be real.
This obsession, this epidemic
that’s brainwashing and corrupting
people needs to stop. If you don’t
believe the severity of it, go to mylifeistwilight.com... I warned you.
I wanted to actually persuade
people by presenting my Damon
Speech. To stand apart from the
majority is something I strive for,
and this was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that.
2. Any tips for a good Damon
Speech?
I think that the key to a Damon
Page 7
place medal for a spar against a
13-year-old female black belt (kumite). Similarly, at the U.S. Open,
this talented Karate Kid took home
a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place medal
for spars, forms, and
weapons rounds against
both males and females.
In this year’s Junior
Olympics, Amy took the
gold in both kata and
kumite.
In the recent U.S.
Open tournament, she
took gold in the age 1415 for kata and sliver in
the 14-15 kumite (47 kg.
limit).
To learn more about
the life of this talented
champion, we decided to
interview Miss McNeill.
Here are the questions
we asked, and answers
we received from Amy.
Q: Are you one of the
only girls in your Karate club?
A: My karate club actually has a
pretty equal ratio of girls and boys.
Sometimes I have to compete
against boys, but I more commonly have to fight them for practice.
I’m glad I get that extra training, even though it is rough
…continued on page 8
Speech is to have good presentation skills. If you don’t hook your
audience by your speaking skills, it
won’t matter what your material/
topic is about because
they’ll just zone out on
you.
Practicing is essential, and in a place
where you can hear
yourself and your voice
inflections. Awareness
of your body is important, as is the volume
of your voice.
4. Have you had any
thought on your next
Damon Speech? If you
have, will it be related
to Twilight?
I entertained the idea of doing a
pro-Twilight speech next year just
for kicks...
As of now, I’m finding and
tossing ideas. I want something
our generation can relate to and
interact with. I want to pioneer
some “uncharted territory,” so I can
at least do some justice to what
Damon Speeches are about.
5. Brief summary of your Damon
Speech.
Twilight is a negative influence
on females, due to the degrading
relationships the main character
submits herself to. How that in turn
affects our lives, future relationships, and view of the world is
terrible.
The female stereotyping within
the series is totally unacceptable,
especially since 95% of fans are female. We can’t have this corrupting
our community, the very foundations of the future.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
A Slice of Pi
Page 8
you’re likely to encounter.
Calculating π to many decimal
places was used as a test for new
ie is not only a tasty treat that
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058
computers in the early days. With
we eat on special occasions,
the use of computers, Pi has been
but pi is also a number represent209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480
calculated to over 1 trillion digits
ed with the symbol “π”.
865132823066470938446095505822317253594081284811174502
past the decimal.
Pi is used to calculate the cirThe largest number of deci841027019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659
cumference (the distance around
mal digits of pi ever reached was
the
circle)
and
diameter
of
a
circle
334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486
1,241,100,000,000, (1.2411 tril(its width).
104543266482133936072602491412737245870066063155881748
lion.) Computer scientist Yasumasa
Pi is the ratio between the
Kanada at the University of Tokyo
circumference
of
a
circle
and
its
815209209628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204
Information Technology Center
diameter d.
665213841469519415116094330572703657595919530921861173
achieved this in 2002.
Thus, π = C/d. Also “π2r”or
Kanada’s team programmed
“πd” is the formula used to find
819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857527248912
a computer with a formula for pi
the circumference of a circle.
279381830119491298336733624406566430860213949463952247
and ran the computer for over 600
Even though the approximate
hours.
value of Pi was known before
371907021798609437027705392171762931767523846748184676
If a book containing only digits
his time, the first calculation
694051320005681271452635608277857713427577896091736371
of pi replaced every book in
the Friedsam Memorial Li787214684409012249534301465495853710507922796892589235
brary, four Friedsam Libraries
420199561121290219608640344181598136297747713099605187
would be needed to hold all of
072113499999983729780499510597317328160963185950244594
the books required to contain
1.2411 trillion digits.
553469083026425223082533446850352619311881710100031378
There is also a day to rep387528865875332083814206171776691473035982534904287554
resent this number celebrated
on March 14th.
687311595628638823537875937519577818577805321712268066
Pi Day is March 14th or
130019278766111959092164201989380952572010654858632788
3/14; pi’s approximation.
On March 14, 2015, the
659361533818279682303019520353018529689957736225994138
date will reflect five digits of pi
912497217752834791315155748572424541506959508295331168
(3/14/15) rather than three.
Pi minute will be at 9:26 on
617278558890750983817546374649393192550604009277016711
that day, and pi second will be
390098488240128583616035637076601047101819429555961989
at 9:26:53.
Pi day is also Albert Ein46767837449448255379774726847104047534646208046684259
stein’s birthday and the two
06949129331367702898915210475216205696602405803815019
events are most often cel351125338243003558764024749647326391419927260426992279
ebrated together.
Pi Approximation day is on
678235478163600934172164121992458631503028618297455570
July 22, because mathematiwas made by Rhind Papyrus in
674983850549458858692699569092721079750930295532116534
cian Archimedes’ first approxima2000 BC although he only had 1
tion of π was 22/7.
digit
behind
the
decimal
correct
498720275596023648066549911988183479775356636980742654
(22/7 is actually a lot closer to
(3.16045.) The next, and more
252786255181841757467289097777279380008164706001614524
π than 3.14 is.)
accurate, discovery was made by
In the 6th grade Downstairs
Archimedes (287-212 BC.)
919217321721477235014144197356854816136115735255213347
The symbol π (lower case Greek Weinberg, the team space cel574184946843852332390739414333454776241686251898356948
ebrated by eating pie, measuring
letter for pi) was first used to
circular objects to find the diam556209921922218427255025425688767179049460165346680498
represent the ratio between the
eter and circumference, making
circumference
and
the
diameter
of
862723279178608578438382796797668145410095388378636095
a poster with almost 100 Einstein
a circle, by William Jones in 1706.
068006422512520511739298489608412848862694560424196528
Pi is an irrational and transcend- quotes reading “Happy Birthday,
Einstein!”
ing number meaning that it will
50222106611863067442786220391949450471237137869609563
They also created colorful numcontinue without repeating.
643719172874677646575739624138908658326459958133904780
To discover the circumference of bers. Much to their surprise; when
lined up in alphabetical order acthe universe accurately you need
275900994657640789512694683983525957098258226205224894
cording to their last names holding
41 digits of pi.
077267194782684826014769909026401363944374553050682034
Therefore 41 digits of pi are suf- their numbers above their head, pi
to the 95th digit was revealed.
ficient for any circle measurement
9625245174939965143142980919065925093722169646151570…
4 KARATE KID
…continued from page 7
By Ellia Bower & Nicole Harrison
P
sometimes, because it gives me an
opportunity to fight many different
kinds of fighters.
Q: Do you participate in other
activities, or do you mainly focus
on your Karate?
A: Unfortunately, I don’t have
time to do anything regularly besides karate and school.
It (karate) does take up a lot
of time for me, because I practice
everyday, and during the summer,
twice a day.
For me, if I’m going to spend so
much time practicing, I want to go
all out to be the best I can be. This
leaves little time for much else.
Q: What makes up a typical
Karate practice for you?
A: At practice we usually start
off with warm-ups like carry-overs
and sprints. After that, we practice
our basics and our forms.
The rest of practice is taken up
by doing drills for sparring, which
is like physical fighting.
That part is pretty rigorous
because we do things like practice
a kick or a punch over and over, or
fight several rounds in a row.
Q: What color belt are you, and
what are your goals for your future
in Karate?
A: I acquired my black belt
three years ago. Once I got my
black belt, I really shifted my focus
to competition.
This year, my goal is to make
the national team and compete in
the Pan American Games.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Sports Drinks
vs. Water
QuickTime™ and a
Photo - JPEG decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
The best drink to
help you lose weight
is plain water. It has
no calories and will
keep you hydrated.
By Stephanie Iwasaki, Kristen
Takebayashi, & Korilyn Okamoto
D
o you ever get thirsty? Are
you very active and don’t
know which drink is best for you,
well here are some facts about
water and sports drinks.
Popular sport drinks, like Gatorade, Powerade, and
Propel are drinks that
everyone likes, but
here are the real facts
about them.
We all know that
sports drinks give people lots of energy, but
are they healthy? They
have 60 to 100 calories
per eight ounces. They
supply people with the
calories they need to
keep on moving.
Sports drinks do not hydrate
people as much as water, but their
sweet-tart taste makes people
want to drink even more. They
contain “carbo” boosts and electrolytes which may be lost from
perspiration but these drinks tend
to offer lower calories than juice or
soft drinks.
The best drink to help you lose
weight is plain water. It has no
calories and will keep you hydrated. If you can’t keep your hands
off of the sweet stuff, you can use
the ones that are have half the
calories of the regular drinks. They
still have a lot of sugar but are a
step in the right direction.
If on the other hand you’re trying to increase your performance,
studies have shown that people
who workout longer than 60 minutes can benefit from these sports
drinks. If you want to have more
intense workouts, run faster or lift
more weight, then a sports drink
can help you out.
Sports drinks are designed to
restore fluids, carbohydrates and
electrolytes lost during intense
physical activity. These products
help prevent dehydration and
fatigue. By packing sports beverages with nutrients such as sugars
and sodium for energy, and protein
for muscle reparation, you can
enjoy greater duration and recover
more quickly from a high-intensity
workout.
A lot of people drink regular
water to re-hydrate their bodies.
While it’s great to make the effort
to stay hydrated, the problem with
plain water is that it doesn’t contain those vital electrolytes. If you
don’t replenish those electrolytes,
you leave yourself just as open to
heat exhaustion and heat stroke
anyway. That’s where sports drinks
can come in handy.
The Three Types of Sports Drinks
There are three main types of
sports drinks available to you.
They’re known as hypotonic,
hypertonic and isotonic drinks.
Isotonic drinks contain high levels
of carbohydrates. So, they’d be
great for the athletes mentioned
above. Certain athletes don’t need
as many carbs, though. Jockeys,
for instance, don’t need as much
Page 9
of a carb boost.
So, hypertonic sports drinks
would be fine for them. The third
type is hypertonic sports drinks.
Hypertonic sports drinks are useful
for long events, like marathons.
However, they should be used
along with isotonic sports drinks
for the best results.
When to Use Them
Think of them,
mainly anyway, as a
preventative measure.
You should try to drink
a good amount before
your workout. You can
also take small sips
as you work out, in
order to replace liquids
lost during the exercise routine. However, the exact
amounts that you need are going
to vary a bit, depending on how
intense your exercise routine actually is. A weight lifter, for example,
is going to need a different amount
from a marathon runner. The runner, in turn, is going to need a
different amount from someone
who is just going for a short walk
on a treadmill in their living room.
So, you should talk to your doctor or personal trainer about the
right sports drinks and the right
amounts of those drinks to keep
your body hydrated and your energy stores stocked.
Depending on how muscular you
are, 55-70% of your body weight
is water. Being “hydrated” means
maintaining your body’s fluid level.
When you sweat, you lose water
which must be replaced if you want
to pet-form your best. You need to
drink fluids before, during and after
all workouts and events.
Whether you drink water or a
sports drink is a matter of choice.
However, if your workout or event
lasts for more than 90 minutes,
you may benefit from the carbohydrates provided by sports drinks.
A sports drink that contains 1518 grams of carbohydrate in every
8 ounces of fluid should be used.
Drinks with a higher carbohydrate
content will delay the absorption of
water and may cause dehydration,
cramps, nausea or diarrhea. There are a variety of sports drinks
on the market. Be sure to experiment with sports drinks during
practice instead of trying them for
the first time the day of an event.
The Bottom Line
The claim made by sport drink
manufacturers is that their product
is superior to water. It contains
electrolytes and sugar to replenish
what is lost during exercise so that
it can boost performance. Depending on what your goals are, these
drinks can help you.
If you’re trying to lose weight,
these drinks are bad because of
how many calories they contain.
To lose weight, you need to burn
calories while you’re exercising.
You burn about 100 calories for
every mile you run.
So the next time you get thirsty,
think about the real facts about
water and sport drinks.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
A Rainbow of
Birthstones
New Fiction
Books in BLC
By Tia Lovell & Madeline Boyle
B
irthstones are widely popular
everywhere. Look below to
read about yours!
January: The birthstone of January is a
garnet, which is deep red.
The garnet symbolizes
love, and also safe travel.
Next time you are traveling, bring
a garnet!
February: The birthstone of February is an
amethyst, which is a light
purple color. It symbolizes
power, or royalty. It is also
used to symbolize religion.
March: The birthstone
of March is an aquamarine, which is a light blue
color. Ever think about
taking over the world?
Put an aquamarine in water! (It’s
supposed to be powerful
then.)
April: The birthstone
of April is a diamond.
The reason diamonds are
used on wedding rings is,
first, because they are beautiful,
and second, they symbolize long
love!
May: The birthstone
of May is an emerald
which is deep green.
Emeralds were Cleopatra’s (a queen of Egypt)
favorite jewel. She even claimed
Egypt’s emerald mines as her own!
June: The birthstone
of June is the pearl.
Ancient Chinese thought
that pearls came from a
dragon’s brain!
Pearls symbolize elegance and purity.
July: The birthstone of
July is the ruby. It means
love and passion and
thought to represent heat
and power. The word ruby
came from the Latin word “ruber”,
which means red. The color ranges
from orangey red to purplish red,
By Zack Dang
F
or the past few months BLC
has been getting many new
fiction and audio books. The room
in the back of BLC where we could
put our bags is no longer available.
Instead BLC has turned that space
into a section for fiction books.
One of the books that is new
to BLC is Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a
Wimpy Kid: Dog Days.
This story is about a middle
schooler Greg Heffley, and he
records his attempts in a diary
to spend his summer vacation
indoors playing video games and
watching television, despite his
mother’s other ideas.
This book is recommended for
younger readers.
Also BLC has the book When
You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead,
a 2010 Newbery medal winner. It’s
about twelve-year-old Miranda who
Page 10
but the most prized are true red.
The large sized rubies are very
rare and valuable so it’s a perfect
engagement gem.
August: The birthstone of August is the
peridot. It connects to
nature and signifies
strength, both individual
and in a relationship. The
color ranges from a light yellowish
green to a dark olive. This gave it
the nickname “evening emerald.”
September: The
birthstone of September is the sapphire. It is
symbolic of wisdom and
purity. When given as a
gift, it represents sincerity and faithfulness. The name sapphire came from the Greek word
“sapphirus”, which means blue.
The color comes in all the colors in
the rainbow, but the most prized
color is deep blue.
October: The birthstone of October is the
opal. It was also symbolic
of faithfulness and confidence. The name opal
came from the Latin word
“opalus”, which means precious
jewel. The color is a light green
and it contains up to 30% water.
You shouldn’t drop it because it’s
soft and breaks easily.
November: The birthstone of November is the
citrine. It was symbolic
for hope and strength.
The name citrine comes
from the old French word
“citrin”, which means lemon. The
color changes in the heat.
December: The birthstone of December is the
blue topaz. It was symbolic of love and fidelity.
This word came from the
Sanskrit word “tapas”,
which means fire. The topaz has a
variety of colors.
Research and photos: http://www.about-birthstones.com/birthstone-list.html
encounters shifting friendships, a
sudden punch, a strong homeless
man and mysterious notes that
give hints towards the future.
These and other random events
written in a brilliantly constructed
plot.
The last book that I am going to
talk about won a honor award for
2010.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
by Jacqueline Kelly. This book is
about an 11-year Calpurnia who
awakens to new possibilities, and
through her evolving relationship
with her naturalist grandfather, she
learns to think like a scientist.
Kelly’s rich language captures
Callie’s voice and observations of
the natural world.
Check out this website to find
more award-winning books:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/
divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/index.cfm
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Humane Society
Helps Humans?
QuickTime™ and a
Photo - JPEG decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
The Yogurt Craze—
a Little too Crazy?
By Malia Brooks
H
ow much do you know about
the Humane Society? You
probably know that they provide
shelter for abandoned and mistreated animals such as dogs, cats,
and rabbits.
You probably also know that
they care for animals then put
them up for adoption.
But did you that the Humane
Society is the second oldest charity
in Hawai‘i?
Or that the Humane Society
used to help people, too, such as
mothers, children, and others who
had mental illness?
The Humane Society was originally organized in 1883 when King
Kalākaua said cockfighting was
unacceptable then banished it from
the Hawaiian Community
The Humane Society is “dedicated to promoting the human-animal
bond and the humane treatment
of all animals” and feels that every
living creature has value.
What some people don’t know
is that the Humane Society allows
people to volunteer there to work
and care with the animals.
Are you an animal lover that appreciates every living creature? Or
do you have a certain preference
By Mackenzie Feldman
A
lmost everywhere you look,
there is a frozen yogurt store,
home to many flavors and delectable toppings.
Nowadays, it is the most
popular dessert around. I think the
one we are most familiar with is
Yogurtland, the start to the yogurt
craze, and the one located right up
the street.
Even before the start to this
yogurt craziness, there is much
history that goes down from our
favorite treat.
The process that makes yogurt
starts where bacteria is added to
milk and turned into lactic acid.
Who would ever think of this
interesting formula? Well whoever
it was, they really scored with that
idea based on the number of new
businesses opening up. They made
something cool into something
very hot.
This process has been around
for 4,000 years.
The 1970s was the era that
frozen yogurt was first tried by
people.
It was the first time that people
were offered another choice besides ice cream, and people complained that it tasted bland, and
too much like regular yogurt.
The idea to a more healthy dessert was too good to resist, and
workers didn’t give up to make
frozen yogurt come back. They
perfected the recipe in the 1980s,
and came back in demand in 2008.
One of the reasons why it is
more popular these days is because you can serve yourself,
Page 11
for an animal? For example, do you
prefer cats or dogs?
If you do, you can choose which
animal you want to work with. This
reporter volunteered with her mom
a few years ago and worked with
the “green” dogs while others could
work with “blue” dogs.
The “green” and “blue” dogs
weren’t actually this color. This was
just a different way to categorize
the small dogs from the bigger
one’s. Another reason why this was
done, was so volunteers and future
owners could tell how difficult the
dog was to handle because of size
or weight.
Before starting to volunteer you
go through a training session where
one is taught the process of caring
for the dog. First, one takes the
dog out of it’s temporary cage.
Next, one takes the dog to a
designated area where one plays
with the dog and gives it treats.
Finally, you put the dog back in
it’s cage. I recommend that you try
this with your family if you are an
animal lover.
I have also learned that the
Hawaiian Humane Society has 700
volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering , visit www.hawaiianhumane.org and get involved today!
which people seem to enjoy.
Yogurtland’s mission is: “To
bring people together for the most
flavorful,natural, and fun frozen
yogurt experience while promoting a healthy lifestyle.” This seems
to be working well and enjoyed by
many, since yogurt is not only delicious, but very healthy.
It is a great source of calcium,
potassium, and protein. Other
health benefits currently studying
by scientists are the potential that
yogurt helps the immune system,
and can prevent and manage certain cancers.
There are at least 10 different
yogurt franchises just on O‘ahu
alone, not to mention most of
these have at least two or three of
their stores on the island.
Some of these places include Yogurt Mama, Tropic Rush,
Menchie’s, Orange Tree, Red
Mango, Tutti Frutti, Yogo Krazy,
Bubble Berry and Yogurtland.
What makes these different
stores unique is their flavors and
toppings. Menchie’s has flavors like
watermelon tart and milk chocolate mounds.
Yogurt Mama has eight different
flavors of mochi toppings, such as
chocolate and melon.
To really compare all of these
places, go get the inside scoop on
the yogurt with even a little bit of
toppings, by going to any of the
various shops.
Some wonder if the love for
yogurt will die out soon, or if these
stores will continue to prosper for
a long time. If you want them to
stick around, get up and get some
yogurt!
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Castle View
Comic Club’s
Spring Thing
By CMS Staff
T
he Castle View Comic Club is
going to be in transition next
year.
Many of the original members
have already moved, or will be
moving, into Case Middle School.
Current members include Amber
Chong, Ellia Bower, Anna Deryck,
Page 12
Tiare Deir, Shannon Kerner and
Robbie Bickerton.
This issue’s comic is by Amber
Chong and Robbie Bickerton.
The comic indicates how gullibility is not in the dictionary and how
peer influence can be harmful to
those who believe that gullibility is
not in the dictionary.
Be forewarned!
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Wizarding World
Revealed to Muggles
For the First Time
You Can’t Give
Alcohol to a Moose!
By Michele Miao
F
or the first time, all Muggles
will be able to visit and explore the wizarding settlement
of Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Well, at least they can in the new
Wizarding World of Harry Potter,
opening in
Universal
Orlando Resorts.
The Wizarding World
of Harry
Potter will
allow visitors
to explore
the Hogwarts castle,
Hagrid’s
hut, and
Hogsmeade,
and go on three different rides.
The journey begins with Hogwarts, where you can look around
the Defense Against the Dark Arts
classroom, Dumbledore’s office,
the Gryffindor common room, the
Room of Requirement, and more.
You can even visit Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, where
you can buy souvenirs such as
Hogwarts uniform and clothing,
house banners, stationery, and
many other gifts.
Authentic props used in the
movies are also available, such as
Death Eater masks, walking sticks,
and chess sets.
Along with the magical castle,
“Harry Potter and the Forbidden
Journey” is a ride that soars above
Hogwarts grounds, even facing an
array of magical creatures.
Next is Hagrid’s hut, where you
will learn how to approach a hippogriff.
To test your knowledge, go on
By Shirley Lin & Michelle Nagata
Y
ou may have known a few unfair laws, like the segregation
laws back in the 1950s and 60s.
But we’re to tell you about some
crazy or even absurd laws, some
of which don’t even make sense.
• In Alabama, you may not
drive barefooted.
• In Alaska, you can’t push a
live moose out of a moving airplane or give it alcohol.
• In Arizona, donkeys can’t
sleep in bathtubs.
• In Arkansas, dogs may not
bark after 6 PM.
• In California, snails are illegal
to own as a pet.
• In Colorado, it is illegal for
dandelions to grow within a city’s
limits (who are the police going to
arrest?).
• In Connecticut, a pickle must
bounce to officially be a pickle.
• In Delaware, you can’t change
your bathing suit in a public rest
room.
• In Florida, it is considered an
offense to shower naked (how else
Page 13
the “Flight of the Hippogriff”, a
roller coaster that dives, spirals,
and swerves around Hagrid’s hut
and his pumpkin patch.
Then revisit the Triwizard Tournament as you take off on either
a Chinese Fireball or a Hungarian Horntail as they twist, loop,
and nearly collide with each other
in “Dragon
Challenge.”
The two
coasters are
actually two
completely
different
rides.
Lastly,
end the
journey with
a visit to
Hogsmeade,
the wizarding settlement that includes Dervish and
Banges, Honeydukes, Ollivanders,
Owl Post, Zonko’s, and Three
Broomsticks.
Dervish and Banges has a
variety of magical items, books,
Quidditch supplies, and Hogwarts
supplies and equipment.
Honeydukes has sweets such
as Fizzing Whizzbees, Chocolate
Frogs, Bernie Bott’s Every Flavor
Beans, and more.
Ollivanders specializes in wands,
and the Owl Post is a break from
your shopping while watching the
owls above.
Zonko’s is the novelty joke
shop, with Extendable Ears,
Sneakoscopes, Boxing Telescopes,
Skiving Snackboxes, and more.
On Friday, June 18, Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) will be cutting
the ribbon to open this magical
amusement park to the world.
For more information go touniversalorlando.com/harrypotter/.
are they going to shower?).
• In Georgia, no one may carry
an ice-cream cone in his or her
back pocket on a Sunday.
• In Hawai‘i, it is unlawful to
sell a house with the new owner
unaware of a ghost’s presence.
• In Idaho, you can’t fish from a
camel or giraffe’s back.
• In Illinois, you can’t eat in a
place that is on fire.
• In Indiana, liquor stores may
not sell milk.
• In Iowa, the “Ice Cream Man”
and his truck are banned.
• In Kansas, musical car horns
are banned.
• In Kentucky, you aren’t
“drunk” until you can’t hold onto
the ground.
• In Louisiana, you may not tie
an alligator to a fire hydrant.
• In Maine, you may not step
out of a plane in flight.
• In Maryland, you can’t eat
and swim in the ocean at the same
time.
• In Massachusetts, it is illegal
to frighten a pigeon.
…continued on page 14
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Fang: now a Book,
not only a Tooth
4 STRANGE LAWS
…continued from page 13
Page 14
he book Fang is the sixth book
in the Maximum Ride Saga by
James Patterson. (Not Robert Patterson/sparkly vampire).
However, be warned: this is a
Spoiler Alert. Reading further may
give away details!
Fang begins with the Flock (Angel Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, Max, and
Fang) helping out in Chad. Then
one night Angel tells the Flock that
Fang will be the first to die.
Then they meet someone called
Dr. Hans who has a son named
Dylan. Dylan is just like the Flock
because he has wings.
He is also supposedly Max’s
perfect other half.
They decide that they are going to head back to their house
which was rebuilt by the CSM. Max
decides to teach everyone which
doesn’t go over well. Seeing as
Max was so against getting taught
at school, this came as a surprise.
During that time Dylan and Jeb
(Max’s father) show up on the
scene. Tempers flare as Fang and
Dylan get on each other’s nerves.
But that isn’t the only thing on
fire—during one of their fights, the
couch bursts into flames.
Tensions are high and Max gets
kicked out of the flock. Ever loyal
Fang follows her into exile while
Angel finally gets what she wants
and becomes the leader. Under her
guidance the flock heads to Las
Vegas. The flock gets sick and Max
and Fang come back.
Angel decides to go with the
Evil Dr. Hans and Fang goes to get
her with the note telling her to not
follow him.
Then Angel sends Max an urgent message through her head
that Fang is dying.
The Flock rushes to save him
and Max manages to do this.
Meanwhile Dylan is about to kill
Dr. Hans but when Max tells him
no, he tries to kill himself instead.
After that dramatic scene we
skip to a wedding. Instead of it
being Max and Fang’s wedding, the
two dogs, Akila (normal) and Total
(a mutant flying and talking dog)
get married.
After the reception Max comes
home and finds a note from Fang.
It explains why he left and tells
Max in 20 years if they are both
still alive he will meet her on the
cliff where they flew with the
Hawks in the first book. (Maximum
Ride; the Angel Experiment)
This amazing book in my opinion gets four stars.
• In Michigan, it’s illegal to paint
sparrows and sell them as parakeets.
• In Minnesota, you are not
allowed to park your elephant on
Maine Street.
• In Mississippi, it is unlawful to
shave in the center of main street.
• In Missouri, you can’t get
an elephant
drunk.
• In Montana, no item
may be thrown
across the
street.
• In Nebraska, doughnut
holes may not
be sold.
• In Nevada,
it is illegal to
drive a camel on the highway.
• In New Hampshire, it is illegal
to pick seaweed off the beach.
• In New Jersey, you cannot sell
raw hamburger.
• In New Mexico, you may
not carry a lunch box down Main
Street.
• In New York, the penalty for
jumping off a building is death!
It is also illegal to throw a ball at
someone’s head for fun.
• In North Carolina, it is against
the law to roller blade on a state
highway.
• In North Dakota, it is legal to
shoot an Indian on horseback if
you are in a covered wagon.
• In Ohio, you are not allowed
to get a fish drunk.
• In Oklahoma, whaling is illegal.
• In Oregon, you cannot juggle
without a license.
• In Pennsylvania, you may not
sing in the bathtub.
• In Rhode Island, you cannot
throw pickle juice on a trolley.
• In South Carolina, donkeys
and horses cannot be kept in bathtubs.
• In South Dakota, horses must
wear pants to
be allowed in
Fountain Inn.
• In Tennessee, driving is
not to be done
while asleep!
• In Texas,
it is illegal to
milk another
person’s cow.
• In Utah,
birds have the
right of way on all highways.
• In Vermont, whistling underwater is illegal.
• In Virginia, no one may wash
a mule on the sidewalk.
• In Washington, you may not
ride an ugly horse.
• In West Virginia, you cannot
walk a lion, tiger, or leopard, even
if it is leashed.
• In Wisconsin, margarine was
illegal.
• In Wyoming, it is illegal to
wear a hat that obstructs people’s
view in a public theater or place of
amusement.
Now you’ve just read one ridiculous law for each of the 50 states
in the US. Consider it a geography
lesson. We hope you were amused
by this article. To find out more
dumb laws, go to ahajokes.com.
Have fun!
By Amanda Nakanishi
T
In Michigan, it’s illegal
to paint sparrows and
sell them as parakeets.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Vinyl: the Ultimate
Test of Time
QuickTime™ and a
Photo - JPEG decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Moving to the
Music of the Times
By Libby Hoffenberg
C
Ds, iTunes, cassettes—there
are so many different ways
to buy and listen to music.
What about one of the first
ways, LPs? For anyone who has
never heard of an
LP, it is the 12-inch
record that serves as
a source of nostalgia,
amazing cover art
and a unique way to
listen to music.
At a record swap
at Fresh Cafe, there
were many different
record stores and
collectors selling and
swapping used
and new LPs.
There were all
different kinds of
people there. People who seemed
nostalgic, people
just hanging out,
and people who
had thousands of
LPs and were just
expanding their
collection.
This is just one of the ways to
accumulate records.
At places like Amoeba Music,
there are rows and rows of LPs.
Even though most people use
iTunes and listen to CDs instead of
LPs, there are many people who
still love to listen to music on a
Opinion by Jackie Emley
M
usic has changed over the
years so much, that it’s
nothing new that it influences the
youth of America and really all
countries.
In Africa, where large groups of
children and their families can play
drums and watch their mothers
and sisters dancing, making music
is a way to connect with family
friends and communities.
But here in America, things are
a little different. Our grandparents
listen to classical music, blues and
jazz—all of which differed a lot
from what our parents listened to
and is very different from what we
like.
Now we like pop, hip-hop, alternative rock and metal too. Music
is starting to sometimes seem like
a way of life. People who listen to
hip-hop can act very different then
those who listen to metal.
But how does music affect kids
today? Does it cause crime? Or
does it inspire greatness and creativity.
Music is often underestimated
as a helpful tool for students.
When you listen to music, it really
lights up your brain.
It activates certain parts of your
brain and that really helps you
with any thinking process.
Truthfully, though, if you are listening to Eminem, he may not be
as helpful as Mozart would be.
Page 15
record player.
Ward Wanashita and Dennie
Chong own Hungry Ear Records,
and they think that some vinyl
collectors like the way the LPs
sound, and some people in the
older crowd never stopped buying
records.
“For the younger
collectors, it’s a
novelty [to collect
records] and they like
the artwork,” they
said.
They said that
classic rock is popular
with the older buyers (Rolling Stones,
Bob Dylan, Creedence
Clearwater Revival) and for the
younger buyers, newer music
(White Stripes) is
more popular.
To many people, vinyl is the
only type of music
that has stood
the test of time.
Cassettes and
CDs have been popular, and now
iTunes is the way many people
buy music, but vinyl records have
remained popular to many people.
The black plastic, the vibrant,
colorful cover art, the way it spins
on the record player—it’s a whole
different way of experiencing
music.
Music is also really influential in
politics.
Remember last November,
Obama Girl? And Will.I.Am?
They both really helped advertise
Obama to the younger public,
helping Obama getting a lot of
votes from college students.
Not only does it influence
politics, it influences the youth of
America.
Now when you think about it
hip-hop fans have been criticized
that its all sex, drugs and money.
But really there is a lot of inspirational hip-hop that sends good
messages.
And think about friendships,
sometimes you can start relationships off of music, if say you both
like synth music than you might
just get along better than with
someone who likes pop.
Music sometimes has been
criticized as bad. True that some
of the lyrics are based on sex and
drugs. And that isn’t something we
want in our young lives, but what
about rebellious music?
In the 60s The Beatles, The
Rolling Stones and many other
great bands had new ideas for
music; messages. The Beatles are
a great example with many songs
protesting the Vietnam War.
Now many artists use the current war to send messages such
as; “21 Guns” by Green Day and
“Waiting On The World To Change”
by John Mayer.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
What It Takes to
Be a Superstar
The Descendants,
Filming in Hawai‘i
By Kaylee Wedderburn-Pugh
F
rom Youtube hits to crazy
debuts and even crazier lyrics,
the wide range of ways superstars
have come to be known is what
keeps the music industry both
fresh and interesting.
Justin Bieber, a recently famous star
loved by many
people all over the
world and who
started out singing other famous
singer’s songs such
as Usher and Justin
Timberlake on
Youtube, was
then signed to
a contract
and became well
known.
With
songs
like
“One
Less
Lonely
Girl” and
“One Time”,
the girl population, and even some of the boy
population, is swooning over Justin
Bieber, something that Justin
Bieber himself did not expect.
Similar to Justin Bieber, when
Lady Gaga was a little girl, she
would sing along to songs like
Michael Jackson’s hits and danced
to the sounds of the Rolling Stones
and the Beatles.
“I was always an entertainer. I
was a ham as a little girl and I’m a
ham today,” says Lady Gaga, 23.
Lady Gaga’s path to fame was self
promotion.
She made a name for herself,
and says, “I learned how to sur-
By Mia Masuda
T
oday, our islands of Hawai‘i
are the hottest destination for
Hollywood movies, TV
shows, and vacationing
actors. With the megapopular TV show LOST
wrapping up its sixyear run, directors and
producers are all fighting for a filming spot in
Hawai‘i.
The latest movie to be
filming here is Alexander
Payne’s The Descendants based on the book
by Kaui Hart Hemmings
(’94). The Descendants
stars one of the biggest names in
the film industry, Academy Award
winner, George Clooney.
Clooney stars as Matt King, a
wealthy land-owner with Hawaiian
royalty in his blood. His wife is put
into an irreversible coma after a
boating accident.
The plot revolves around Matt
and his two daughters searching
for the man their beloved mother
Page 16
vive as an artist, get real, and how
to fail and then figure out who I
was as singer and performer. And,
I worked hard.”
Lady Gaga wanted to be famous
from a very young age and found
her path to fame
Via his web site and official
MySpace page, Drake released two mix tapes in
2006 and in 2007, triggered a single and a
music video for one
of his songs. Drake
became the first
unsigned Canadian
rapper to have his
music video featured
on BET.
In 2008, Lil
Wayne was
given some
of Drake’s
music and
he immediately
called
Drake to
invite him
to fly to
Houston and
tour with him.
Drake and Wayne
recorded some songs during this
time, including “Ransom.”
Though now part of Lil Wayne’s
crew, Young Money, Drake was still
not signed.
In 2009, Drake released his
third official mixtape, So Far Gone,
for free download on his blog site.
It received over 2,000 downloads in the first two hours of
release. Drake achieved success
before even signing to a major
record label.
From lucky breaks to hard work
and practice, stars from all over
the world are becoming known and
celebrated for their skill.
and wife has been sneaking
around with. As their search continues, Matt begins to re-establish
a relationship with his daughters
who are both strangers
to him.
This book/movie
will definitely hit home
for Punahou families
because the two King
daughters, Alex and
Scottie, both go to
Punahou and the King
family relates to many
missionary families involved with Punahou.
Other cast members
include Judy Greer, Beau
Bridges, Matthew Lillard,
Robert Forster, Shailene Woodley,
and Nick Krause.
Filming is in production now and
will begin shooting on Kaua‘i at the
end of April. A 2011 release date is
expected.
Other films and shows being
shot in Hawai‘i include Pirates of
the Caribbean Stranger Tides, Soul
Surfer, Just Go With It, Hawaii
5-0, and Fantasy Factory MTV.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
A Pirate’s® Life for Me
By Luke Withy-Berry & Jared Kim
T
he voice is familiar: “When
you marooned me on that
god-forsaken spit of land, you
forgot one very important thing,
mate: I’m Captain Jack Sparrow.”
Jack is back, in Pirates of the
Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the
fourth installment in the
highly acclaimed “Pirates of the Caribbean”
series.
The star of the series, Johnny Depp, is
returning as Captain
Jack Sparrow along
with Geoffrey Rush as
Hector Barbossa. Those
not returning are Orlando Bloom and Keira
Knightley.
But, with the loss of
these actors, there are
important gains such as
‘Wimpy Kid’,
Wimpy Movie?
Review by Hunter Lee & Kevin Hoo
D
iary of a Wimpy Kid is a well
written story about a 11year old kid who faces
the horror of middle
school.
Greg Heffley is one of
the smallest kids in his
school, and always gets
bullied by big, scary
teens.
The people starring
in this movie is Zachary
Gordon as Greg Heffley,
and Robert Caprom as
Rowley Jefferson.
The person directing this movie is Thor
Fruedenthal.
But have you ever wondered
how he felt?
Greg Heffley is a very optimistic
guy that thinks he is the best and
will be a millionaire.
Just Ducky
Our Lily Pond has
become the home of
late to a couple of
adventurous ducks.
One of them, the
white Muscovy duck
pictured at right, is
even tame enough to
allow itself be petted.
Photo by S. Lin
Page 17
Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz.
Those two new actors are playing the parts of Blackbeard (McShane) and Blackbeard’s daughter
(Cruz).
In this movie, Jack and Barbossa go in search of the Fountain
of Youth. This was hinted from the
ending of Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World’s End.
Filming is due to start here in
Hawai‘i, on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i in
June. The movie itself is due on
May 20, 2011.
Including a new cast, there is
also a new director. Gore Verbinski
had done the trilogy of the Pirates
series, but for the fourth, Rob Marshall is directing.
You may remember Rob from
the movie Nine.
As Captain Jack Sparrow has
said, “I think we’ve all arrived at
a very special place. Spiritually,
ecumenically, grammatically.”
The story starts off with Greg
being sixth grade and being a nobody with only one friend, Rowley.
Both of them try to fit in at
school but don’t do so
well.
For instance, they go
to school and join the
wrestling club. They both
didn’t do well and then
get themselves on the
newspaper staff in a odd
way.
Greg joined many
groups and got into lots
of trouble with people,
ranging from his parents
to strangers.
This movie added some
parts that weren’t from the book,
like the Valentine’s dance.
Also there was a girl that was
the news reporter. Greg and Rowley didn’t go into the woods to run
away from the teens.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Alice in Wonderland
Review
Exploring Bones
Review by Amanda Chau
& Julia Barruga
O
n March 5th, the movie Alice
in Wonderland arrived in theatres. The movie was rated three
stars.
But we though it deserved five.
In this story Alice, the protagonist, played by Mia Wasikowska returns to her magical adventure in
Wonderland. Alice
discovers she
must fulfill the
prophecy of Wonderland and defeat the Queen of
Hearts. Along the
way she meets
many characters
that help her in
her journey. She
meets characters
like the Mad Hatter, (played by Johnny Depp), the
White Queen (Anne Hathaway),
and many creatures.
In the beginning as she makes
her way through the dark dirt hole,
and meets the characters, all of
them tell her she is the “wrong
Alice;” the one who isn’t right to
fulfill the prophecy. But she discovers it is her duty to help the ones
in Wonderland by kicking the Red
Queen off the throne.
The Queen of Hearts, known
as the most evil character in the
movie, has been running Wonderland. She does not want Alice to
take over her kingdom and defeat
her army of hearts.
By Flora Zhu
T
NT television series, Bones
is a continuing crime drama
show since 2005.
The two main characters, Special Agent Seeley Booth and his
partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan, investigate and solve murder
cases.
Dr. Brennan, a
forensic anthropologist, with her team,
in the Jeffersonian of
Washington D.C., investigate the bones
of victims, finding
cause of death from
evidence anyone
else would find impossible to use.
The head of the
team, Dr. Camille
Saroyan (Tamara
Taylor) also the head
of the lab investigates cause of death
and everything that could’ve
caused it.
Dr. Jack Hodgins (TJ Thyne),
specializes in particulates and
bugs, finding the location of
where the person was killed and is
also the conspiracy theorist of the
team.
Page 18
There are many good things
about this movie such as it being
very suspenseful. It was like you
never knew what was going to
happen next.
This movie keeps you on the
edge of your chair, and has plenty
of action.
We did not have a favorite part
of Alice in Wonderland because we
thought it was a
very good movie.
However, our
least favorite part
was the ending of
the movie. Julia
and I thought
it ended very
strangely.
It all happened
so quickly that
you don’t get an
enjoyable ending.
The most interesting characters were the Cheshire Cat and
the March Hare. You may know
the Cheshire Cat as the one who
smiles frequently.
We thought the most funny
character was the March Hare. He
would always burst into conversation and throw tea cups around. Be
sure to look for him if you haven’t
seen the movie yet.
Overall, this film was one of the
best remakes of the original Alice
in Wonderland we’ve seen so far.
With all its suspense, thrills, and
adventure, this movie was very
successful in theatres.
We recommend you watch it if
you haven’t already done so.
Angela Montenegro (Michaela
Conlin), is the artist of the team,
makes facial reconstructions of the
victims Dr. Brennan comes across.
She also, with advanced technology, is able to recreate crime
scenes.
Dr. Zack Addy (Eric Millegan), is
Dr. Brennan’s assistant, and with
a genius IQ is the
youngest of everyone
in the team.
And last of all,
Special Agent Seeley Booth (David
Boreanaz). Part of the
FBI’s Homicidal Investigations Unit, used
to be a former Army
Sniper, making him an
excellent partner.
When the FBI is
unable to solve murder cases, the Jeffersonian team is called
in and is able to figure
everything out just
from bones and scraps of materials
no one else would’ve been able to
use.
Bones has been a successful
television series filled with suspense, mystery, and is constantly
surprising everyone with the outcome of its murder cases.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Chocolate on
the Raceway
By Connor Burch & Brian Jong
W
hen you think of environmentally friendly cars, you
usually think of a Toyota Prius hybrid or a car powered with hydrogen fuel cells.
On May 5, 2009, Dr. Kerry
Kirwan, Dr. Steve Maggs, and Dr.
James Meredith, scientists at the
University of Warwick and part
of a racing team called
World
First,
un-
veiled
a
race car
named
“World First Formula 3” that can run on the waste
chocolate and bio-fuel.
For any of you that think
“waste chocolate” is the remains
of a chocolate bar that somebody
didn’t finish, it’s not. It is actually
chocolate waste from chocolate
factories.
This whole car is environmentally friendly. From the race specification steering wheel whose materials come from carrots to mirrors
made from potato starch to brake
Phiten Titanium:
Does It Really Work?
By Brandee Markwith & Kaitlyn Poentis
P
eople believe that Phiten necklaces help with your sports
performance and heath, but that’s
not necessarily so.
Phiten’s original technology was
to intertwine the titanium into
rubber or material so that when
one wears it, their blood cells
flow more fluently to make their
daily life more comfortable. People
believe that the Phiten releases
stress too.
The Phiten accessories were invented by a
Japanese man who was
a doctor/scientist named
Yoshihiro Hirata.
Hirata’s Phiten inventions concept was
to provide users with
health promoting technologies and products.
Even though some
people believe that
Phitens do not work, the
company went through
years of dedicated research and technologies to gain
the trust of Phiten users.
Phitens come in many different shapes and sizes. There are
accessories such as bracelets
and necklaces for wearing during
sports play. There are even protection series for when you injure
your body.
Phitens contain aqua titan, aqua
gold, aqua silver, which creates a
aqua medal.
Phiten even come in daily care
and sleeping goods. They have pillows and bed mattresses and just
a simple Phiten lotion that mois-
Page 19
pads made from ground cashew
nuts to a plant oil based lubricant.
The car also includes a radiator
coated in an emission annihilating
catalyst.
With all this possible, you wonder why this technology hasn’t
been incorporated yet in regular
cars.
The amazing part is that this
car’s blistering top speed is 145
mph and it can go from zero to 60
in 2.5 seconds! The emphasis of
the car was to use raw materials.
But don’t hope your father will
buy one of these. This amazing
car costs about $227,000 With
the tuition here around $17,000
a year, your parents will probably not want to shell out more
that 200 grand for a car that isn’t
street legal.
So you should probably hope for
an Infiniti G35 Sedan or an Acura
TL as your parent’s next new car.
To make this car go, scientists incorporated a BMW 2.0 liter turbocharged diesel engine that can run
on any type of biofuel.
The car has become the fastest
biofuel powered car ever created.
So look for news in the future
to find out what records this car
will be breaking on the Formula 3
racetrack.
turizes and is believed to reduce
your stress level.
Phitens are becoming a very
popular accessory these days.
They are sold all over the United
States. People from everywhere
wear them as injury recovery, and
sometimes even style.
Phiten accessories are also being worn by a lot of famous sports
idols.
Olympic beach volleyball player
Kerri Walsh wears a Phiten.
Basketball player for the L.
A. Lakers, Kobe Bryant, wears a
Phiten sleeve. Basketball player
Lebron James wears the sleeve
too. Baseball player Mani Ramirez
wears the necklace Phiten.
Phitens are sold at a very high
price. Some are even $200, depending on what type of Phiten it
is. The price can range from $25
- $230.
Some people say that Phitens
are a waste of money but some
people believe that it’s worth the
cost.
Phitens may not work, or maybe
they do. It’s a mystery that only
the inventors, themselves, know.
The CMS Courier
April 2010
Pack Your Bags
for South Africa
By Hoseung Lee & Jae Won Choi
T
he Winter Olympics is finally
over. The United States won
37 medals finishing as the best
country in the world.
Now, can they defeat England
in their first round of the World
Cup??? Depressing, but out of the
32 teams that entered the World
Cup, the United States only beat
or tied 11 of them. Yet they are
now facing England in their first
round, which includes the AllStar Wayne Rooney and the same
pro 2006 World Cup players. Can
Landon Donovan and his American
team shut down the veteran team
of England?
Well, I
guess we
just have
to wait
‘till June
3rd to find
out.
The
2010 FIFA
World
Cup takes
place
between
June 11th
and July
11th. It is
the first
tournament
hosted by
an African
nation.
204
of the
208 FIFA
National
Teams
enter.
Now 32
remain to
qualify in
the World
Cup. The
32 teams
have been
divided
into 8
groups of four teams each. These
groups are labeled A-H. All Four
teams in each group will play at
least once. Think of this as the
regular season in basketball or
baseball. Teams are awarded
3-points for a win and 1-point for
a tie. The two teams with the most
points move on.
The top 2 teams from each of
the 8 groups play a knock out
game. These teams are seeded
(Look up in the dictionary if you
don’t know what seeded means.)
And then winner takes all playoff.
This is just like college basketball’s
NCAA Championship or the NFL
playoffs.
In a game of knockout, there
can obviously be no ties. If a game
is tied after the 90 minutes of
regular time, two 15-minute overtimes periods will be played.
Both overtime periods will be
played even if a team scores a
goal. (There will be no golden
goal.)
If the game is still tied after the
extra 30 minutes, it moves to pen-
Page 20
alty kicks. Each team takes fiveshots. The team that makes more
goals wins. If they are tied after
five-shots, the game goes to a one
shot system. If one team misses a
shot while the other makes it, the
game is over.
The 16 teams will reduce down
to 8, then to 4, then to the championship. (There is also a third
place game played by the team
who lost the final 4.) The winner of
the championship game wins the
cup.
Here are the groups and the
teams in them.
Group A- South Africa, Mexico,
Uruguay, and France.
Group B- Argentina, Nigeria,
South Korea, and Greece.
Group C- England, USA, Algeria,
and Slovenia.
Group D- Germany, Australia,
Serbia, and Ghana.
Group E- Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon.
Group F- Italy, Paraguay, New
Zealand, and Slovakia.
Group G- Brazil, North Korea,
Côte d’Ivoire, and Portugal.
Group H- Spain, Switzerland,
Honduras, Chile.
Before the tournament, each
team will be given 1 million dollars
for preparation costs. Teams that
are eliminated will receive 8 million
dollars. The remaining 16 teams
will receive 9 million dollars. The
remaining 8 will receive 18 million
dollars. The Semi-Finals (Remaining 4) will receive 20 million dollars. The Runner-ups will receive
24 million dollars. The World Cup
winners will receive 30 million dollars.
The total prize money confirmed
by FIFA was $420 million, a 60%
increase on the 2006 tournament
There will be 10 venues for the
World Cup. In 2005, the organizers released a provisional list of
the thirteen venues to be used for
the World Cup. This was narrowed
down to ten venues, which where
officially announced by FIFA on
March 17th 2006.
The official mascot for the 2010
FIFA World Cup is Zakumi, an
anthropomorphized leopard with
green hair. His name comes from
“Za” the abbreviation for South
Africa and “kumi” meaning ten in
various African languages. Zakumi’s official motto is “Zakumi’s
game is Fair Play.” The motto was
seen in the digital advertisement
boards during the 2209 FIFA Confederation cup, and it will also appear at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Match Ball for the 2010
FIFA World Cup will be named
“Jabulani”, made by Adidas, which
means “bringing joy to everyone”
in Zulu. It is the 11th World Cup
ball made by the German sports
equipment maker.
It features eleven colors, one
for each player on the pitch: and
represents the eleven official African languages official languages
of South Africa, and the World Cup
even start on the eleventh day of
June and ends at the eleventh day
of July.
Let the World Cup now begin!