1

The Legendary Lily Pond

By Pierce Inoue
Have you ever wondered about
the history and importance of the
Lily Pond at Punahou School? The
pond is where memories are made.
One of my memories was when
my friend dove at a sh headrst
with his net extended. I laughed
uncontrollably after hearing this
story.
The Lily Pond has a unique and
interesting history. It was the sacred
water of the ancient Hawaiians.
There are even a few legends about
the pond.
Long ago the fresh water stream
leading to the Lily Pond was
blocked. Later on a pueo or owl fell
and died near the Lily Pond. A kumu
buried it in the soil over there. The
sh were reintroduced a while later.
Over time the Lily Pond became
lthy because the stream was
blocked. Fish were also illegally
introduced at night. Despite the Lily
Ponds uninviting appearance it is a
bond that holds our school together.
Nobody is indifferent to the Lily
Pond's condition. Very frequently
students about our age wade
fearlessly into the Lily Pond to pull
out the invasive papyrus and other
noxious plants that harm our Lily
Pond.
Young children try to walk on
the lily pads. Some catch sh with
their classmates. They throw the sh
back in of course!

When Punahou students see the

pond, they see all of its history and
meaning. Kids talking with their
friends, feeding the sh, attempting
to catch the huge paku sh and
getting wet, and students just sitting
there and relaxing. We are very
In this issue:
Traffic Troubles 4
Rock the Books 6
Minecraft 8
Liter of Light 12
Turmoil in Ukraine 14
Book Reviews 16
Skateboarding 18
Kawaii Kon 20
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Photo courtesy of Cooke Library Archives
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2
The Legend of
Ka Punahou
Once, there was an old
Hawaiian couple who was
very poor. Every day, the
wife went down to the
spring far far away to get
water, while the husband
gardened for food all day
long. Sometimes, he had
to use water on days
without rain, making the
couple go without water.
One day, when the
wife was carrying her
water back home, she
wished there was a spring
closer to her home. That
night, the wife dreamt of a
goddess telling her that
there is water under the
big lauhala tree near her
house. She told her dream
to the husband, who told
her it was nonsense. Later
that night, the husband
had the same dream. The
same goddess from his
wifes dream told him that
he must uproot the hala
tree or the couple would
keep struggling from the
long walks and water
shortage. He thought it
was impossible to uproot
such a big tree, but he was
told to sacrice some red
sh so he did. Later, he
and a few friends pulled
and pulled at the tree. It
started to move. Then, his
wife came to help and
lucky to be going to a school that actually has it's own interactive symbol that
is full of life.
The Lily pond is so important to our school that we talk about it in chapel.
During some of our history classes we learn about the Lily Pond and the
numerous legends.
Next time you look at the Lily Pond try to feel its history and importance
that radiates from the water. So, next time you visit the Lily Pond, just think
how much it affects our school. If you don't think you learned enough about
the pond, try spend more time there. Maybe you'll amaze yourself with your
own discoveries.
The Lily Pond holds many memories for generations of Punahous
students. It will continue to be the heart of the school for many many more
years to come.
Photo courtesy of Cooke Library Archives
3
Damon Speech Contest
By Lindsay Kaback
The Damon Speech Contest
2014 was a successful event lled
with the top eight speakers of the 7th
grade. #Finalists gave speeches
about a topic they were passionate
about. The topics varied from blood
diamonds to shark nning and each
speech had points that stood out
from the others.
The Seventh Grade Damon
Speech competition began with
Kamryn Sonson (pictured above)
who talked about the difculties of
moving from one top private school
to another top private school. She
used personal anecdotes to explain
what it is like to move schools.
Xuan Nguyen told us
about an issue that most
people are unaware with. She
talked about where blood
diamonds come from and how
many children ages 5-16 do
not get an education because
they work in the blood
diamond industry.
Next, Michelle Okamura
expressed her concerns about
the safety of the Keystone XL
Pipeline. In her speech, she told us
about the ups and down of the
project and that people should sign
a petition to make this pipeline safer.
Lana Reeves (pictured below)
delivered a speech about the
question, How do you dene an
American? Her compelling topic and
great expression made her speech
one to remember.
The next speech talked about
Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual,
who face constant bullying the face.
Charlene Abanes speech was well
delivered and expressed her opinion
on a controversial topic
In the following speech, Slater
Pang used his heartfelt story of his
grandma to bring awareness about
people with Alzheimers being more
susceptible to fraud.
Lyra Gonzalez gave her speech
on child beauty pageants. In her
opinion, these pageants should be
banned because they send the
wrong message to kids.
In the nal speech, Alexa
Chong #talked about shark nning.
She stated that we shouldnt fear
sharks, and used compelling facts to
explain how we need sharks in our
eco system.
Charlene Abanes took the
bronze medal, Lana
Reeves took the silver,
and Lyra Gonzalez
took the gold in the
2014 Damon Speech
Contest. Although
there were only three
winners, everyone who
participated in the
preparing for the
Damon Speeches came
out victorious.
Contestants Charlene Abanes, Slater Pang, Lyra
Gonzalez, and Alexa Chong (below) awaiting
their turn to speak
7th graders are eager to hear the speeches
Michelle Okamura delivers her speech about the
Keystone Pipeline.
Photos by Eden Chun
4
Trafc Troubles
By Zoe Payne
Im one of those people whos
always rushing into the door just a
minute or two before advisory, or
runs onto the team space just
barely before a teacher starts
talking. Its not because I leave my
house at 7:45, or 7:30, or 7:15. I
try to leave my house at 7:00 on
an average school day (or maybe
Ill be running late and leave at
7:05-7:10) and then Ill show up at
the drop-off at around 7:45-7:55.
Even if I got up earlier, it wouldnt
help. My younger brother already
has enough trouble waking up 25
minutes later than I do. I dont live
very far away, either. The distance
from my house to Manoa is a bit
over 10 miles. On the weekends,
the drive in takes 20 minutes. So
why does it take so much longer
on weekdays? Its the killer trafc
that goes all the way in to town
every morning.
### Honolulu is the second worst
city in the United States for trafc,
and the third most congested in
North America. Apparently,
drivers take 60 hours out of their
year to drive in trafc. The Courier
asked some middle schoolers
about their trafc situations.
Tiare Tuimavave 19 leaves her
house in Aiea at 4:30 AM to beat
trafc and then goes to her
grandmothers house.
Sydney Lum 18 from Kailua
also leaves for school early, and it
takes Samantha Kuriyama 18
about 45 minutes to get to school
from Mililani. Geethanjali
Annamalai 18 spends one hour to
travel from Kailua to Punahou.
Why on earth is our trafc this
bad?
### One of the possible reasons that
Hawaiis trafc is so terrible is the
roadwork that always seems to be
going on. Constantly, we see those
orange-and-black signs that
declare the hours that construction
will clog up our roads. Another
possibility is the fact that you cant
escape down back roads. Go look
at a road map of Oahu and youll
notice that most smaller roads look
like snarls that dont connect to
any other twists of light gray lines.
In most other cities, experienced
drivers will know how to sneak
around slow-moving freeways by
using smaller residential roads.
Here, main roads are the only way
to get further than your own
neighborhood. Also, bad
infrastructure plays a part. Even I,
a 13-year-old girl, can see the
glaring issues. Off-ramps right
after merges cause terrible jams as
people attempt to get off the road
as other drivers attempt to get on.
Weve got way too few lane miles
for the number of cars in our state,
and the state of many roads is
simply awful.
### However, trafc seems to have
been better than usual lately. Im
not sure why this is, and if it might
be just in one area, but Im
enjoying it while it lasts. Hopefully,
the rail will alleviate some trafc,
and well make better plans the
next time new roads are being
built. Theres also the idea of
staggering the times jobs and
schools start and end (e.g. public
schools start at 8:30, private
schools start at 9:00, etc.). The city
could encourage carpooling more
effectively as well. Theres not
enough space to explore solutions
in this article, but they do exist and
are worth thinking about--at least
while sitting in trafc.
Top 5 Cities with the Worst
Traffic in the US
1. Los Angeles
2. Honolulu
3. San Francisco
4. Austin
5. New York City
5
Honor Choir
By Taylor Kealoha
Regional conferences of
the #American Choral Directors
Associations (ACDA) are held
every 2 years, alternating with
the National ACDA
conference.
There are 3 honor choirs
that are held in conjunction
with the ACDA conference:
Childrens Honor Choir, Junior
School Honor Choir and High
School Honor Choir. Auditions
are required to participate in
the Honor Choir at Punahou.
The rst audition is
performed live for choir
directors Ms. Patton or Mrs.
Scanlan. The following is
recorded and sent to the
conference coordinators.
Each Honor Choirs
practices and performances
are planned over a two year scale.
ACDA held this years Honor
Choir take place in the Western
Divisions Santa Barbara, California.
Punahou participated in the
Western Division.
In the end, fourteen 7th and 8th
grade Case Middle School students
made it through auditions and were
able to y in with Ms. Patton, Mrs.
Scanlan, and a group of other kids
from throughout the Western Division
on February 19th.
Before ying in to Santa
Barbara, the vocal participants were
asked to begin learning the selection
of 7 songs the ACDA had provided:
Omnia Sol (Let Your Heart Be Staid),
Oh What a Beautiful City, Nesta
Rua, and a traditional Hebrew song
called Hine Ma Tov.
Each vocalist spent an average
of 7 $ hours a day, over a period of
four days, practicing with the
directors, and other exceptional
singers.
On February 22nd, the
performance took place in the
Granada Theatre was full to
capacity.
We had felt that the 1,600-seat
Granada Theatre would be
appropriate for our audience, given
the attendance at recent Honor
Choir concerts. However, based on
our experience this year, we shall
work diligently to revise concert
logistics and implement other
measures as needed to assure
adequate audience seating for the
2016 Honor Choirs in Pasadena
CA, according to organizers of the
concert.
Case Middle School students
raved about the experience in
Santa Barbara.
Many claim that their
participation in this years Honor
Choir has improved their range,
boosted their condence and given
them memories thatll last forever
The Junior Honor Choir practiced their selection of songs with the internationally known conductor,
Rollo Dilworth.
Honor Choir participants for 2014
Photo by Ms. Patton
Photo courtesy of Camila Chaudron 08
6
Rock the Books Concert: Kickoff For the
Book Drive and to Promote Literacy
By Edlin Davis
One out of six people in Hawaii are functionally
illiterate, meaning that they cannot manage daily living
and employment tasks that require having reading skills
beyond the basics.
Mrs. Roster, a BLC librarian, thought of having a
Rock Concert to kick off the book drive and to
promote literacy. The Rock Concerts goal was to
encourage children to bring in books for Hawaii
Literacy and the Shriners Hospital. The books collected
(after the book drive) would be for both children and
adults in Hawaii who cant read.
Naia Young-Kingsbury 18 and Kalliyan Davis 18
performed three songs in the BLC library -- Imagine by
John Lennon, You Got A Friend by Carole King, and
Highway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin on March 6.
Naia played drums while Kalliyan played the
guitar. Students from grades of 5-8 were invited to this
event.
The turnout for the Rock Concert was outstanding,
with a show of one hundred people, according to
Mrs. Ramler-Reppun, a BLC librarian. Although the
concert lasted only twenty minutes (12:00 - 12:20 pm),
it was still a spectacular show by both of the 8th
graders.
Along with the Rock Concert, there is also a book
libyrinth on the 2nd oor of the library where
students and teachers can bring in book donations. On
the day of the Rock Concert, Carl Bell (19) added to
the collection of books in the spiral libyrinth. The goal
for the BLC librarians is to have the libyrinth wall, and
not to have it at, like a magazine.
What a miracle it is that out of these small, at,
rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after
world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or
excite you. Books help us understand who we are and
how we are to behave. They show us what community
and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.
Anne Lamott
Naia Young-Kingsbury 18 on drums
Kalliyan Davis 18 on guitar
The excitement over a great concert
Kalliyan beginning the Rock Concert
Photos courtesy of Ms. Ramler
Carl Bell 19 adding books to the libyrinth
Kalliyan beginning the Rock Concert
7
History of the Easter Bunny
By Brandon Char
I like Easter because I get to
eat chocolate and spend time with
my family, exclaims Zoe Payne19.
Easter is a holiday that is
celebrated everywhere in the United
States. But did you know that Easter
was not celebrated in the United
States until the 1700s?
Easter was celebrated in
Germany and when the German
immigrants came to the United
States, they brought the holiday
along with them. But what did
bunnies have to do with this
holiday?
The bunny is supposed to be an
ancient symbol of fertility and new
life. The Easter Bunny went around
to all of the homes of good children
and left chocolate eggs and candies
for them. The children would leave a
nest out so the Easter Bunny can
leave treats for them. They would
also sometimes leave carrots out if
the Easter Bunny got hungry from
hopping everywhere.
In a legend, the goddess Ostara
entertains children by turning a bird
into a rabbit. The rabbit then lays
eggs and gives them away as gifts
to the children.
In another legend, Eostre, the
God of Life and Fertility, cast the
hare into the heavens and created
the constellation, Lepus the Hare.
Eostre gave the hare the ability to
lay eggs once a year because eggs
are also a sign of fertility.
Easter is a great occasion that is
celebrated all over the world.
Knowing about what the Easter
Bunny has to do with Easter is like
knowing what Santa Claus has to
do with Christmas, or what Cupid
has to do with Valentines Day.
So have fun, and maybe you can
share some facts about the Easter
Bunny this Easter with your family.
Who Was the Best President
of All Time?
By Darren Zhou
If you were to ask me who I
consider the best president of all
time, my choice would be George
Washington. He was popular,
inspirational and made good
decisions.
George Washington was born
on February 22, 1732, in
Westmoreland County, Virginia. #
At the beginning of the
Revolution, Washington was
unanimously named as Commander-
in- Chief of the Continental Army. #
Despite the fact that he was a
member of the Federalist Party he
was immensely popular and was the
obvious choice for both Feds and
Anti-Feds for the presidency in 1789. #
To show how popular he was he got
all 69 electorate votes. ##
In 1792, Washington was able
to rise above the politics of that day
and carry all 132 electorate votes
from 15 states to win a second term.
Some things that set him apart
from the other presidents were his
exceptional skills in making
decisions. #One example is that he
relied on his cabinet for advice.
Unfortunately the presidents of
today have to contend with partisan
politics.
When dealing with foreign
powers, he was a proponent of
neutrality. #He restated this in his
farewell address of 1796, where he
warned against foreign
entanglements. #
He signed Jay's Treaty which
gave the British the right to search
and seize American ships that
traveled to enemy ports. In return
the British withdrew from the
Northwest Territory. #This helped
forestall further conict with Great
Britain until 1812. #
In 1795, Pinckney's Treaty
helped America's relations with
Spain by creating a boundary
between the U.S and Spanish
Florida. #Furthermore the U.S was
allowed to travel the length of the
Mississippi for the purpose of trade.
What made him inspirational
was that throughout the 19th century
nearly all political gures sought to
align themselves with his memory. #
Candidates would often invoke his
name to justify their actions.
Washington negotiated Jay's
Treaty which enabled a weak and
divided America at that time to
survive and forestall conict with a
still present and powerful British
Empire. #
Instead he insisted on a neutral
course until the U.S could grow
stronger. #He remained rm when
the rst opposition to the
government broke out in the form of
Whiskey Rebellion. ##
George Washington support for
neutrality was echoed by following
presidents as they respected his wish
to remain neutral in face of conict. #
His popularity was almost never
echoed by the others with the sheer
amount of votes he received. #
In a sense he set the tone for
how future presidents would conduct
themselves for generations to come. #
Observe good faith and justice
toward all nations. Cultivate peace
and harmony with all.
-George Washington
Photo from www.wallpup.com
8
Fencing
By Ian Saturnia
Fencing is an unusual sport to
most. Not very many people know
that it's actually an Olympic sport.
They don't televise it because it is
too fast paced that most people
can't see the score.
However it has a fascinating
history that dates back to the
medieval ages. #There are two
fencing clubs in Hawaii that you can
go to. You also dont need many
people to play the sport.
The history of fencing goes
back to the medieval ages. The
original sword, foil, was to meant to
kill.
As time went on they made
epee. The rules of epee was to first
blood, not death, (probably
because the murder rate was so
high) so it wasnt a life or death
fight. The most wealthiest people
were able to get fencing lessons in
those days not commoners.
There are two fencing clubs on
Oahu; Kahala Elementary and
Nuuanu. Both clubs teach you how
to fence by giving information
about where to get your gear and
what size you should get. The
Nuuanu club is more about form
and technique. The Kahala club is
more about letting you use the
sword as fast as possible and
getting used to it.
My mom introduced me to
fencing when I was ten. At first it
was hard to stay in form the whole
fight. It took a few months of
practicing my form and fight
techniques to be ready for
competition.
There are some people that
enjoy fencing at Punahou as well I
enjoyed fencing since it was a
structured way to 'spar' with
someone without there being much
chance of anyone being hurt. #It
helped me to learn important
lessons about timing and distance in
sparring. #It was a safe way to
understand some of the dynamics
involved in self-defense, said Jason
Abdoul, IT Specialist.
The most popular forms of
fencing are foil and epee. Fencing
is more than just attacking since you
must constantly move your feet to
dodge attacks. You are not allowed
to go past the strip or you lose a
point. Parrying is essential to
fencing. Parrying can be as simple
as hitting the other persons blade
or can be as complicated as circling
around to hit. Form is a huge part
of fencing. You must have your feet
at a 90
o
angle with at least one-foot
in-between, your knees have to be
bent.
I like fencing because it is
something new and few people do
it. The reason I like it is because If I
fail I am just letting myself down
and not letting down a team,
expressed Neo Takazawa 21.
Fencing equipment is hard to
come by locally. There is no place
on the island currently that sells
fencing gear. However you can bet
gear online, www.leanpaulusa.com
is a great start. When you are
you're getting gear make sure its
electric. Electric fencing is becoming
more popular for scoring purposes.
There are three types of swords
you can get saber, foil, and epee.
Foil and epee as I mentioned earlier
are poking weapons not slashing
weapons. The only difference is that
epee the whole body is target and
foil is only waist up not including
mask. Saber on the other hand is
more of the slashing blade but
target is still waist up.
My favorite weapon when I
was fencing in high school was the
epee. #This is because the rules of
right-of-way were confusing to me. #
It was easier to play 'first blood'
with my friends and classmates,
said Jason Abdoul.
Fencing Terms
1.Foil, the basic sword used to
stab the torso to score.
2.Epee, like Foil is used for
Stabbing but epee the whole
body is target.
3.Saber, is different because
you slash instead of stabbing.
4.Strip, the place where you
stand to fight.

5.Spar, to fight or to practice a
fight
6.Parrying, it is the motion of
moving your blade to block the
other blade.
Photo by Ian Saturnia
9
Enchantments
By Terrence Huynh
There are many enchantments for
Minecraft. Enchantments are spells
that upgrade your weapons, tools,
and armor. The Sharpness
enchantments, Protection, and
Power enchantments are the ones
you would want most.
Sharpness enchantment
will make your sword stronger so
that when you hit something it
would do more damage than it
normally would. #There is
Sharpness 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Protection enchantment
will make your armor protect you
more from the creatures or from
other players so you wont die as
easily. The Protection enchantment
has levels 1, 2, 3, and 4.
The Power enchantment
The Power enchantment will make
your arrow do more damage
when you shoot something with it
so it would do more damage. The
Power enchantment comes in
levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Mods (Modications)
There are thousands of different
types of mods for Minecraft.
Mods are les you can download
so that it will add more to your
Minecraft game. The mod that
most Youtubers have is the Too
Many Items mod. This mod is a
very common mod. It is very
useful. You can get things from the
Too Many Items mod that you
can't normally get from your
Single player creative menu, such
as Command Blocks, and
Spawners.
The Miner Paradise mod includes
many new ores (like ruby and
sapphire) and a new dimension.
You can use these ores to make
new swords and tools and new
sets of armor. They are a lot
stronger than normal diamond
armor and the new armor sets
give you different effects, like
poison and strength.
Minecraftedu: A Great Way to
Teach and Learn
By Callie Ruiter
When someone says Minecraft,
what do you think the person is talking
about? The game? #Upgrades? ##
To some people, it is also a creative
way of teaching through
Minecraftedu. #Minecraftedu is a
combined effort from programmers
and educators from several countries,
including the Untied States and
Finland.
Minecraftedu
is Minecraft
with several
parts designed
for better
education. To
help with
teaching about
cultures or
history, teachers
can download
famous places
such as the
Colosseum. #The lesson possibilities
are practically unlimited.
One of the new educational
alterations in Minecraftedu is that the
teacher is pretty much all powerful.
They are constantly in Creative, where
they have indenite quantities of
blocks and can y. The teacher can
limit what the students can do,
including banning re, T&T (which is a
big load off the mind), and monsters. #
The teachers can also warp students to
wherever they currently are.
One way to improve collaboration
skills with your classmates using
Minecraftedu would be to use survival
mode in multiplayer. The teacher
could set goals that cant be done if a
student eliminates another student. ##
Teachers are able to test the students
with various stimuli, to see what would
keep the students mind on a lesson.
Most students nd it easier
to concentrate on a lesson
in a game, rather than a
lesson out of a book, or a
lecture from the teacher.
However, there are some
possible downsides to
using this program. #For
one thing, students may
become distracted or try to
show off while playing, or
become preoccupied in
other subjects or at home. ###
Kids already sometimes try
to hijack the lesson, but in Minecraft, #
they are provided with even more
opportunities. #Also, what would their
homework look like? #
This is an ongoing debate. What do
you think? #Is it worth it?
Mrs. Dursos fifth grader
using Minecraftedu in class.
Photo by Callie Ruiter
10
CMS Happenings and Events
The 8th grade Damon Speech nalists.
Treble Choir performing Only Hope
during the Chapel.
Mr. Earle explains the criteria
for judging the Damon Speech
Finals.
Amy Bowers shows some spirit for
Saint Patricks Day.
Eden Chun from The Courier takes pictures of the
7th grade Damon Speech Assembly.
Lana Reeves talks about immigration.
11
6th grade students sit and listen to the
Rock Concert in the library.
The 7W team celebrates Pi Day.
The Middle School Spring Play directed by Ms.Taylor.
William Finnegan and The Courier writers.
12
Liter of Light
By Edlin Davis
No light? No problem. A new sustainable source of light has been developed for homes without any light. An
extraordinary innovation has brought light to many houses and slums in the Philippines, abolishing their unfortunate
dark days.
Liter of Light, which was a movement that was invented and began in the Philippines had an aim for those with
underprivileged households (mostly slums in the Philippines) who have no access to electricity or are unable to afford
it. This was a genius invention -- simple, but very effective.
All the liter of light is is a 1.5 or 2 liter empty plastic bottle lled with ltered water and bleach, slipped into a
hole of a square or rectangular piece of metal roong. Although this liter full of only bleach and water may not seem
like a strong light source, this bottle refracts the sun during the daytime and can create the same intensity as a 55
watt light bulb. With the proper and careful installation of this creative source of light, it could last up to ve years.
More than 15,000 solar bottles were installed in 20 Philippine cities according to A Liter of Light organization. They
hope to install more in the future.
Before this invention, some people of the Philippines had walk around with candles or even kerosene lamps to
get around their dark house and alley ways.
You never know when you might trip over something because its so dark, remarked a resident who struggled
without any light in her house before the liter of light device.
Carrying candles or kerosene lamps could lead to re. All the houses in the slums are built with extremely
ammable items: cardboard and wood, allowing houses to burn down in ames.
Without this invention people in the slums of Manila could still be struggling without light in the Philippines. It is
environmentally friendly and emits no carbon at all, unlike the lightbulbs most, or even everyone uses. The reused
plastic bottles and the other materials used in the liter of light eliminate the need for energy-intensive process which
includes transporting new bottles.
Now Liter of Light is hoping to help other poor countries like Jamaica who have no source of electricity or are
unable to afford the electricity provided.
To support the Liter of Light visit www.aliteroight.org. Innovative ideas lead to inventions like these. Lets be
inspired by this story as we think about our Project Green.
To create your own liter of light:
1. Punch a circular hole in a square
or rectangular piece of metal
roofing.
2. Slip a 1.5 or 2 liter empty plastic
bottle into the metal roofing hole
you created.
3. Apply sealant around the rim of
the hole (will seal bottle and
roofing together).
4. Fill plastic bottle with filtered
water and bleach.
5. Cap the bottle tightly.
6. Install the liter of light on your
roof, or anywhere where there
will be direct sunlight.
Check out this link to watch the
video: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=o-Fpsw_yYPg
Photo courtesy www.literoflight Photo courtesy theinspirationroom.com
13
Top Five Endangered
Animals
1. Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
This bird is so endangered that
it is almost extinct.
2.Amur Leopard
This animal is the most
endangered cat in the world
3.Javan Rhinoceros
This rhinoceros lives in Asian
swamps and only 60 are left in
the world.
4.Northern Sportive Lemur
This lemur is dwindling quickly.
5.Northern Right Whale
This whale has been hunted to
near extinction and there are
only 350 are left.
Global Warming and Animals
By Ryan Kong
### We are always worry about what global warming will do to us. However, have we ever thought what it does to
animals? These animals are probably even more alarmed than we are. They are losing their homes and dying from
global warming.
One of the animals greatly affected by global warming is the polar bear. As the temperature increases, sea ice
platforms melt and separate. The polar bear can only hunt on ice because thats where their prey (the seals and
sometimes killer whales) live. The polar bears have to swim in frigid waters to get to the hunting grounds. They risk
death while trying to get to their destination. The polar bears population is slowly dwindling.
When you think about animals affected by climate change, you probably dont think about caribou. This animal is a
VIA (Very Important Animal) according to the National Wildlife Federation. Alaskans depend on this animal for meat.
They are also our beloved symbols of Christmas. Sadly, climate change results in increased forest res for Alaskan
boreal forests. The res create newer, younger forests which lack the lichen that older forests have. Lichen is the staple
food of the caribou and without it, entire herds may die of starvation.
Another animal affected by global warming are seabirds. Global warming affects seabirds by causing foul weather
and by diminishing their food source which is plankton. Plankton prefer colder water and swim deep below the
surface to escape warm waters. Seabirds have tried to nd other food sources, but risk death because some prey is
indigestible. Climate change also caused sea levels to rise and some seabirds like little terns can have their nests easily
ooded.
Many of these fascinating and sometimes cute creatures face extinction.
Animals are an important part of our lives and ecosystem. We depend on them to feed us and help the
environment to ourish. Without animals, the world would be a desolate place without life. Global warming is a
danger not only to us, but to all living things.
##
Polar Bears are being stranded on small
ice platforms and can die from starvation.
The caribou is losing lichen to forest fires. Little terns are losing their nests due to the
sea rise caused by global warming.
14
Turmoil in Ukraine
By Ryan Park
Ukraine is located north of the
Black Sea and borders Russia,
Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland,
and Belarus. It bridges the EU
(European Union) and Russia. It was
once part of the Soviet Union, but
with the collapse of the Union,
Ukraine won their independence in
1991.
Ukraine is a presidential
representative democratic republic,
which means the President that holds
great power and has authority. Critics
have said that Ukraines political
system is weak and its leaders are
corrupt.
Ukraine has a history of
collaborating with the Russians. The
Russians even have their own Black
Sea Fleet based in the port city of
Sevastopol, Ukraine under a leasing
agreement between the two countries.
Ukraine is a very big exporter of
grain, including corn moreover has a
well functioning manufacturing sector.
Ukraine has made the news a lot
recently, so you may be asking
whats happening? Ukraines
economy has not been doing very
well the last few years and the people
of Ukraine are getting upset. When it
was time to renew trade agreements,
Viktor Yanukovych, former President
of Ukraine wanted to ally with Russia
again.
Those who wanted Ukraine to
ally with the EU rather than Russia
took to the streets. They demanded
change and set up camp in Kiev, the
capital city in Ukraine. Most of the
protesting took place in Kievs
Independence Square. Protesters
made barricades that were taken
down easily when riot police arrived
at the square, but the protesters
started to light the barricades on re,
effectively holding the riot police
back.
Some police ofcers were even
captured by the protesters. After this
defeat President Yanukovych decided
to escape. He ed to Kharkiv, which is
one of his strongholds and where he
enjoys plenty of support from the
locals.
Even after he ed, he still
believed that he was the legitimate
leader of Ukraine, but parliament
voted in a temporary new president
named Olexandr Turchynov. With the
new head of government, some parts
of Ukraine were outraged. Specically
the region of Crimea, which borders
Russia. Many residents of Crimea are
ethnic Russians.
This area wanted to leave
Ukraine and become a part of Russia.
Their leaders held a referendum
where an overwhelming 96 percent of
Crimeans voted to secede to Russia.
During the madness in Ukraine,
Russia saw an opportunity to
recapture some of its Soviet era
territory. First, Russia had troops
massing at the border with Crimea.
Then they entered Crimea and
surrounded all of the Ukrainian army
camps. Ukraine quickly surrendered
all of Crimea, because so many of
their soldiers were deserting and
leaving for the better paying and
much more powerful Russian army.
All of this commotion and
Russias aggression worried the West
including the United States. The
United States and the EU put
sanctions on many of Russias most
powerful leaders, trying to pressure
Russia into handing back Crimea. The
EU and the US have frozen all Russian
leaders assets that they hold abroad.
In response to all these sanctions,
Russia has threatened to stop
supplying oil and other natural
resources to the rest of Europe and
has placed sanctions of their own, but
they are not as effective as the
Western sanctions.
These events have lead to many
consequences for the worlds
economy. This crisis has also affected
the production of wheat and corn
which consequently drives up the
price of many goods.
Russias aggression has lead
investors to really start losing trust in
the Russian market. The Russian equity
market has plummeted 18% since the
start of this year. The stock markets
have also dropped 9 percent in 2014.
Heading forward, the United
States has identied that Russian
troops are massing at the border and
looked poised to take over more
Ukrainian territory.
However, Russia claims they are
just running military exercises. Ukraine
is gearing up for a showdown with
Russia. They have gathered volunteer
militias and have started digging
trenches and preparing for a possible
last stand. They are hoping to put up
a better ght than they did in Crimea
if Russia decides to strike.
Crimea borders both Ukraine and Russia. Crimea also gives access a country access to the Black
Sea, so it is a key location for Russia to have control over to help its army become more powerful.
Photo from commons.wikimedia.org/
15
3, 2, 1 Blast Off
By T.J. Johnson
It a perfect day outside,
the sun is shining and a good
time to go outside. You dont
know what to do, then you
see your model rocket that
you just built. You grab
your model rocket and all
of #the equipment to launch
your rocket. Your mom
drives you to a big open
eld and your whole family
comes to watch your
rockets. You run out on the
eld and setup your rocket. #
Everyone is at a safe
distance from the rocket
and watching what is about
to happen. You grab the
launch controller and countdown.
3...2...1.Blast Off. Your rocket ies
in the air, it goes so high you can't
see it. A trail of smoke is seen in the
sky and the parachute pops out. The
rocket gracefully comes back down
to earth. You setup your rocket
again and launch it because it is so
fun watching your rocket y through
the air.
Model Rockets have many
different parts. The rocket consists:
nose cone, parachute, shock cord,
wadding, engine mount, body tube,
ns, launch lugs and of course the
solid engine. The shock cord is what
attaches the body tube to the nose
cone and it is made out of rubber
band material. The parachute is
connected to the nose cone. The
launch lugs is what keeps the rocket
aligned with the launch pad pole.
Model rockets are have many
different stages in the ight process.
When you the push the key down
and the launch button down, the
launch controller cords are hooked
up to the igniters. The launch
controller sends the electrical charge
through the igniters to the engine.
The igniters then charges the engine
to the propellent. The propellant is
the rst stage of the rocket. The
propellant is the main fuel of the
rocket. You then see the rocket in its
thrust phase and during this phase
you will see the rocket accelerating
upward. The rocket sends out a
ame on the bottom and the rocket
should go really fast.
The coasting phase is when the
engine burns it delay charge.
During the delay charge, the engine
exerts a smoke that you can see from
the ground.The delay charge burns
just burns and doesnt accelerate the
rocket. The rocket the starts to
decelerate and coast. #The coast
phase is meant for the rocket to slow
down, if the rocket would sends out
its parachute during the rst stage,
the rocket would be torn to pieces
because it is going so fast.
When its thrust force is gone
the rocket apogees. The apogee is
when the rocket is at it highest point
completely horizontal to the ground.
At this time the rocket is going at it
slowest velocity.
The apogee is the best time for
the to eject the recovery device
because it is going at its slowest
speed. The ejection charge sends a
blast towards the front parts of the
rocket. The ejection charge is used
for the recovery device to be ejected
out of its body tube. After the the
parachute is out, the rocket has a
high drag force and come slowly
back down to earth. The rocket
will then land softly on the ground
and can be used for more
launches.
One way you get into model
rocketry is buying rockets set and
building them. Hobbietat,
located on 1413 10th Ave,
Honolulu is a great place to
start. They have really good
service and they have
everything there you need
to launch a rocket,.
The materials you need to
buy for launching a rocket:
solid engines, wadding,
launch pad, #and launch
controller. The igniters
should come with the solid
engines. The tools you would need
to build a rocket is carpenters glue
or plastic cement, pencil, ruler,
sandpaper, scissors, and need
different colored spray paint to
decorate your rocket. Make sure you
have plenty glue because that is the
main ingredient you need to build
your rocket.
I recommend you to buy Estes
Model Rocket. This company has
really good quality parts to build
your rocket and the most popular
brand. They have many different
kinds of rocket sets and have many
different kinds of skill levels. #I also
recommend you to rst buy the Estes
Alpha rocket set. This rocket is a
really basic rocket and a good rst
starter set. You should start to build
Skill 1 rocket sets, and then later on
you can build Skill 2, and all the
way go to Skill 5. The hardest skill
level is Pro Series II. These rocket
can handle very powerful engine
that are made out of composite.
Building a rockets are really
fun, especially if you build it with a
family member or a friend. I started
to build rockets when #I was about
10 years old with my grandpa and I
have been doing it as a hobby ever
since. Now it is your turn to start to
countdown: 3,2,1... Blast Off.
Photos by TJ Johnson
16
Book Reviews
By Emily Bender
Legend
Legend, is a 320 page book
published in November, 2011,
written by Marie Lu. #It is narrated
by two 15-year-olds who live in the
Republic, a post apocalyptic region
in the western United States. The
Republic is at a constant war with
the Colonies, a country in what is
now the eastern United States.
There are many problems living
in the Republic, unless youre rich.
When every child turns ten, they
take a Trial which conrms their job
and schooling opportunities, and if
you fail, you die. If that isnt bad
enough, yearly plagues strike
different sectors.
June, one of the main
characters, was born into an elite
family and one of the wealthiest
sectors. She is the Republics
prodigy since she was the only one
to get a 1500 on her Trial, a perfect
score. On the other hand, Day, the
other main character, is born in the
slums. He is the Republics most
wanted criminal and supposedly
uncatchable. His only goal is to help
his family.
Their worlds are very different,
and they have no reasons for their
paths to intertwine. However, there
is a murder and Day is the main
suspect. June is forced to go
undercover to nd Day. Will she nd
Day? In an unbelievable turn of
events, they both
discover many
shocking secrets about
their country.
I really recommend this
book to anyone who
liked the Divergent or
the Hunger Games
series. While the book
is very similar to those
series, it is faster
paced and quicker to
read. Even though
both Divergent and the
Hunger Games were
written before Legend,
what really sets it apart is that I
could connect with the characters
more. Unlike Tris and Katniss, June
has it all. She still has second
thoughts on the Republic. June and
Day taught me that you should
defend what you believe in.
Overall, Legend was an
adventurous book that I couldnt put
down. It made me think about where
our country might be 100, 200, or
300 years in the future. #It is much
more than a futuristic novel since
there are many lessons that can be
learned by reading this book.
Paper Towns
Paper Towns, is a 306 page
book published in October 2008,
written by John Green. #It is narrated
by Quentin Jacobsen, nicknamed Q,
a 18 year old boy who is about to
graduate from high school. He lives
in a subdivision called Jefferson Park
in Orlando, Florida.
The book starts with a ashback
from when Q was a young child. Q
and Margo Roth Spiegelman nd a
dead man in Jefferson Park. Q has
had a massive crush on Margo for
as long as he can remember. Then it
goes forward in time to when they
were both in high school. Q and
Margo have sadly grown apart.
Then, one night Margo climbs
into to Qs room dressed as a ninja
and asks him if he can drive her
around for the night. They go to a
supermarket and buy some very
peculiar things such as catsh and
spray paint.
As a reader, I had no idea how
they were going to use these things,
and neither did Q. With catsh and
spray paint on hand, they go on a
one night adventure around town.
One of the many things they do that
night was break into Sea World.
The very next day Margo
disappears. This is not alarming
because she has ran away before,
but she always comes back. Margo
is still missing after three days. She
has left a clue though. Q and some
of his friends go on a hunt to nd
Margo that may cost them their last
days of high school.
I recommend this book to
anyone who likes a good mystery
intertwined with hilarious jokes.
Unlike other books, the characters
are so real, and I couldnt help
relating to some of them. It was an
amazing book that was impossible
to stop reading. Margo made a very
interesting point that made me think:
Here's what's not beautiful about it:
from here, you can't see the rust or
the cracked paint or whatever, but
you can tell what the place really is.
You can see how fake it all is. It's not
even hard enough to be made out of
plastic. It's a paper town.
Photo by Emily Bender
17
Are Hydrogen Cars the
Vehicles of the Future?
By Zoe Payne
Many people think
hydrogen cars are completely eco-
friendly, run on water, and have
no carbon footprint. Are they
really? Toyota, Honda and
Hyundai are releasing new models
of hydrogen cars. They are
marketed as the future of the auto
industry and the design that will
save the earth. The Toyota FCV
will be available in 2015. Will
hydrogen cars really save the
environment? Are electric cars the
way to go?
The rst thing we need
to know is where the hydrogen
comes from. Hydrogen can come
from a number of sources. The
truly zero-emission method is when
hydrogen molecules are extracted
from H2O using electricity from
solar power, wind, or waves.
However, the more efcient
method involves natural gas.
Hydrogen and carbon molecules
are separated when the natural
gas goes through a fuel processor.
The leftover carbon is discarded,
producing air pollution. An even
bigger problem is hydraulic
fracturing, commonly known as
fracking. Fracking is how natural
gas is extracted
from the earth.
Fracking often
leads to chemicals
as well as natural
gas seeping into
aquifers and
going into tap
water, making it
ammable. Yes,
you read that
right. In North
Dakota, there
have been incidents where people
hold a lighter up to a stream of
tap water in their kitchens and
bathrooms and have the water
burst into ame.
Even with all of these
issues, are hydrogen cars still
better for the environment
than regular cars? They just
might be. Electric cars,
however, are another
category entirely. Right now,
the biggest battles in the auto
industry is hydrogen
carmakers like Toyota and
Honda against the electric
carmakers like Tesla and
Nissan. The biggest issue
with electric cars is their small
range, like the Nissan Leafs new
84 mile range or the Chevrolet
Volts 34 mile full-electric range.
The new Tesla models have a
good range, like the Tesla Model
Ss 265 mile range, and electric
cars still have a better carbon
footprint than gasoline ones. They
do have one, though, since much
of the electricity comes from
burning oil. For example, HECOs
electricity is __% generated
from...There are still questions
about hydrogen cars footprint,
and with fracking in the equation,
they arent quite as eco-friendly as
wed like to think. There is one last
thing to address: the infrastructure.
There is no system in place for
hydrogen. Its a lot easier to nd a
place to plug in your car than a
hydrogen fueling station. Building
these takes plenty of material and
land, too.
With fracking, natural
gas, and the infrastructure, it looks
like hydrogen cars arent yet the
way to go. However, they are a
step in the direction of a truly zero-
emission car. Someday, hydrogen
cars will be the perfect choice.
That day isnt yet. At the moment,
it looks like electric cars are the
best option for the environment. If
we can make the eco-friendly
model of hydrogen become more
efcient, then hydrogen cars really
will be the future.
What do you think
about hydrogen cars?
I think [hydrogen cars are] a good
idea.
-Scott Nakaoka 18
They seem like a good alternative [to
global warming].
-Gabrielle Prangela 18
I think hydrogen cars sound pretty
cool.
-Kelsey Ou 19
Photo from web.ornl.gov
Photo from www.wired.com
18
Skateboarding
By Austin Bryan
Skateboarding was started
around the 1940 by somebody.
Thats right, nobody really knows
who made the rst skateboard
because so many people have tried
to gain credit for it.
In the late 1970s, the members
of The Bones Brigade (Rodney
Mullen, Mike Mcgill, Tommy
Guerrero, Tony Hawk, Steve
Caballero, and Lance Mountain)
really helped promote
skateboarding by creating new
tricks, and pushing the limits of the
sport. Skateboarding was started in
California because some surfers
wanted something to do when there
were no waves.
Some of the rst big skateboard
tricks were the cabilarial, the
kickip, the mctwist, and especially
the ollie. The cabilarial is a fakie
(come in backwards with your feet in
the same position as you would have
them if you were riding your board
regular) #360 degree air, an ollie is
like a jump that you do by hitting the
tail of your skateboard on the
ground with your back foot, then
sliding your front foot up to the nose
and it jumps, a kickip is basically
when you ollie and ip your board
along the long edge, and a mctwist
is an inverted 540 degree spin.
One big competition these days
is the X Games. X Games is on a
world wide basis so everybody
watches it even if they dont skate,
bmx, dirt bike, etc. In the X Games,
there are many different styles of
skateboarding competitions. The
main skate competitions #are Street,
Vert, Park, and Big Air.
Girls can skate too! A good
example of that is Lizzie Armanto.
Lizzie won gold in the first ever
Womens park in Barcelona, Spain.
This really helped the women in the
skate scene. Lizzie was also the
only girl to compete in a mens
event (Bowl-A-Rama Bondi).
Some pros these days are
Nyjah Huston (from Mr. Jacksons
hometown of Davis, CA), Ryan
Sheckler, Bob Burnquist, Lizzie
Armanto, Tom Schaar, Bucky
Lasek, Curren Caples, Mikey
Taylor, and Heimana Reynolds.
Some top Hawaii skateparks
are; The Banzai Skatepark (under
construction), Hickum Skate
Hanger, kapolei Skatepark, Hawaii
Kai Skatepark, and Proper
Rideshop.
Overall, skateboarding is a very
cool sport. It is kinda like a mixture
of surfing and snowboarding for
some fun in the summer on land.
Tom Schaar doing a frontside stalefish.
Heimana Reynolds doing a frontside indy
Curren Caples doing a frontside method
Keegan Palmers doing a fontside tuck.
19
Proper Rideshop is traning facility which is a very good place to learn
how to skate.
Address: 525 Kokea Street. C6
Nyjah Huston doing a frontside boardslide.
Ryan Sheckler does a Tre-Flip at Woodward Beijing.
Tony Hawk doing a backside ollie on a vert
Alex Midler doing a backside nose blunt.
Steven Fernandez doing a backside boardslide.
Photos from Internet
20
By Abby Oshiro
Kawaii Kon was held in the Hawaii Convention Center from April 4-6.
When attending Kawaii-Kon this year, I was surprised to see how massive the
crowd was.
There were so many people in costumes, and it was very lively. There were
rows upon rows of vendors in the dealer room. there were so many hand-
made crafts along with merchandise almost falling off each table. There were
workshops, panels, Ask a character and so many other events located in
rooms on the second oor. There was a gaming room that was almost pitch
black and glowed with the robotic LED lights from each computer/gaming
device.
Hetalia World Conference was by far the best panel there. When
walking in, my heart almost jumped out of my chest because the turnout of
the people who were also attending exceeded my expectations. The audience
as well as the panel members all seemed to have a blast. There were also
smaller, but just as exciting rooms such as the Cosplay Cafe. Shelves
stacked high with manga, and a karaoke area where people could go up and
sing to anything they could into a microphone to the whole cafe. There was
also a place to order food and drinks. The workers there all had costumes on,
and worked as waiters and as promoters for a prize wheel in the back of the
shop.
Located in the back of the dealer room, was voice actor signing. One of
the most popular out of the attending voice actors, was Vic Mignogna. Who
had voiced Edward Elric (from FullMetal Alchemist), Tamaki Suoh (from
Ouran High school Host Club), Spirit Albarn (from Soul Eater), and many
other incredible voices from English dubbed animes.
However, the convention was very expensive. The admission cost was $40,
which allows you entry to some events.
Though I wasnt able to get a signature from Vic, my friends and I agree
that we had a great time, and we would denitely attend again next year.
Armin from Shingeki no Kyojin, a popular anime.
Akihito and Miraifrom Kyokai no
Kanata anime.
Photos by Kelsey Ou
Kawaii-Kon