The Atlantic Ocean

  

                                                    By Jack Jones

The Atlantic Ocean is a great place to see. It has colorful coral reefs and many different animals.  Coral reefs can be many different colors red, green, blue, orange, and pink. I have never seen a coral reef but I would like to. The largest coral reef in the Atlantic Ocean stretches over 700 miles. It has over 500 species of fish, including the mammoth.

The Atlantic is the second biggest ocean. It separates north and South America from Europe and Africa. Its area is 76.762 million sq. km. The Atlantic is spilt into two parts, the North and South Atlantic. The North Atlantic is a thriving shipping area and the South Atlantic has tons of fish. The Atlantic Ocean holds 17 quadrillion gallons of water!  In the northern part of the Atlantic there are icebergs and parts of the icebergs break off and float into the water. The Atlantic is roughly half the size of the Pacific Ocean.

The Atlantic has the most isolated island in the world. It is called Tristan De Cunha and the closest thing to it is 1,300 miles away. Madeira Islands are located in the middle of the Atlantic. They are 500km from Africa. The average temperature is 21 Celsius. I am amazed that the highest point of the island is 1861m.I wish I could go there and swim off the coast of one of the Madeira Islands.

The natural hazards for ships are icebergs, fog, and hurricane. Many animals are endangered like manatee, seals, sea lions, and turtles. Fish are going down in numbers from drift net fishing. That is not good because then there won’t be many fish left and that will disrupt the food chain.  If fish die out many bad things will happen to the Atlantic and all the other oceans.

 I think it would be cool to go scuba diving in the Atlantic and I would like to try it someday.  Many people have gone down and not came back but people are making better technology every day. You have to train to become a scuba diver and you have to have a snorkel and lots of other equipment. If you want to take pictures you have to get an underwater camera. I think going scuba diving in the Atlantic will help me learn more from an underwater view and it would also be lots of fun.

Storms

                                                                                                     By: Matei Mandoiu

                                                                                                                                                         I.            Storms

There are three main storms; tornadoes, lightning storms, and hurricanes. A tornado is a small funnel cloud (a cloud that is shaped like a funnel) spinning quickly in circles, destroying everything in its path. Lightning can be different colors. It’s formed by tiny droplets rubbing together forming electricity. Hurricanes are the biggest and have 5 speeds. Hurricanes are very strong over water but die away over land.

                                                                                                                                                      II.            Tornadoes
Tornadoes usually occur during early April to middle June. It is very hard to take a picture of one because they are very fast. Tornados are very powerful and are faster in spinning than you can blink. Usually, tornadoes are at less speed than 110 miles per hour (177 km per hour) but they can go to the speed of 302 miles per hour (486.021888 km per hour).


                                                                                                                                             III.            Lightning
Lightning is usually near water because it is attracted by the water. Lightning makes a path of electricity. It can actually strike the ground twice. The ground recharges the electricity in the lightning. The lightning flashes the first time, it splits up. How the lightning is formed is something else, the positive and negative charges are in a cloud, the charges rub together forming a small flash near the cloud. The negative charges fall slowly toward the ground. The first negative that touches the ground, turns every negative charge (including itself) positive, forming a big flash in every path the negative charges took.

                                                                                                                                               IV.            Hurricanes
Hurricanes are the most powerful and destructive storms on earth. They are huge and can be the size of Belarus, a country next to Ukraine. The hurricane has an eye, eye wall, and a spiral rainbow. The eye is usually calm, but the spiral rainbow is always roughly counter-clockwise. There are 5 categories, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (the strongest). When a hurricane slows down on land, it turns into a tropical storm. The hurricane moves slowly, but it is deadly.

                                                                                                                                                      V.            What damage they do
As you can see, Storms do a lot of damage. Tornadoes destroy objects in its path. Lightning blazes and catches dry objects on fire. And Hurricanes flood land with ocean water. Now you can see why you need to avoid storms, and why they are so dangerous.

Venomous Snakes by Dawson Logie

                                      

INTRODUCTION

People are usually afraid of venomous snakes but that is not always necessary. There are 2700 DIFFERENT kinds of snakes and only 360 of them are venomous so most snakes are relatively harmless. Some snakes in captivity (in a zoo) can live up to 50 years old.

Snakes eat termites, rodents, birds, frogs, some small deer, and other reptiles.  This article will be about venomous snakes. It will first explain the difference between venom and poison, describe different types of venomous snakes, and finally explain what to do if you ever encounter, or are bitten by a snake.

HOW VENOMOUS SNAKES KILL

Venomous creatures have fangs that will inject venom under the skin. Venom is only harmful if it is injected under the skin. Poison can cause harm if swallowed or inhaled but snakes are not poisonous, they are venomous.

Venomous snakes can kill prey in two different ways. The first way is to immobilize the victim by biting it and the victim may die from the snake’s venom. The second way is that the venom immobilizes the victim, which leaves a distinct odor so the snake can track its prey back to eat it.

TYPES OF VENOMOUS SNAKES

Like every type of animal there are main types of snakes. With venomous snakes, there are only 3 main types. They are Rattlesnakes, Cottonmouth, and Copperhead.

Copperhead Snakes

The Copperhead snake has very few species only 5!! The only time a copperhead snake will bite is when it is stepped on or sat upon. Copperheads are fascinating because they are camouflaged, meaning they can blend into their surroundings. They can slither right under your nose without you noticing. Watch out!

Cottonmouth Snakes

The Cottonmouth snake mostly lives in northern North America usually in slightly salty water. There may be one or two snakes in other places like the southeast .   You don’t really need to worry about cottonmouth/water moccasins because they are only mildly venomous meaning they only have enough venom to kill a small rodent and not a human.

Rattlesnakes

There are 27 different species of rattlesnakes.  Some rattlesnakes are popular and some aren’t.  The best known rattlesnake is the Eastern Rattlesnake. It was almost elected as the country animal in The United states. One of a less popular rattlesnakes is the panamint speckled rattle snake. It is only 2 – 3 feet long.  Not all rattlesnakes have enough venom to kill a person, but some do.

Other Examples Of Venomous Snakes

There are other types of venomous snakes that are not part of the main types listed and one article cannot cover them all.  Gaboon Vipers are five to six feet long and they weigh a surprising twenty pounds. King Cobras on the other hand are a completely different story. They are an amazing eighteen feet with enough neck muscles to stand eye-to-eye with a six-foot man.  The snake is coiled around, and he has enough muscles in his neck to stand up straight with six feet of his body. King Cobras can kill an elephant within three hours with their venom. Some snakes, like the pygmy rattlers, have rattling habits (shaking the tail) to warn bigger creatures but sadly there is nothing to worry about. Coral snakes are rare but when you find one try not to get one angry because they are very venomous. 

DON’T OVERREACT TO THE SNAKE: HOW TO KEEP SAFE

The most common advice people give about snakes is that you should not get bit. Stay away from snakes if at all possible. If you do encounter a snake, you should remember that the snake doesn’t want to bite you any more than you want to be bit. It usually just wants to scare you away from its den and get you to leave it alone. If you intrude on a rattle snake’s territory it will probably not use biting as its first reaction because a snake’s venom is like a snake’s money it doesn’t want to waste its money. Don’t step on, sit on, or startle a snake. Look before you step over logs or rocks and make noise on approach. When you are approaching a rattlesnake, it will rattle its tail to warn you before biting and when you hear that it is time to run.  If you are ever bit by a snake, do not panic as panic can spread the venom more quickly. Remain calm and get yourself to the hospital for an anti-venom treatment.

There are many more types of snakes but I tried to mention as many as I could.  I hope you learned a lot about snakes. I know I did.

Tai Chi Information

By Jessica Moyher

How to breathe correctly

        When you do tai chi you feel relaxed inside and outside. Inhale and let your stomach get big like a balloon. Exhale and let your stomach squeeze in. You now know how to breathe correctly. There are different ways to breathe. Water breath is when you breathe you can’t hear it. You most likely do water breath every day. Fire breath is when you hear your breath but it is faster. You breathe in quickly. Then you breathe out through your mouth quickly. That is fire breath.

Rising and Falling Hands

    To do the Rising and Falling Hands you turn your hands palm up and slowly bring them up your shoulders as you inhale. Next when you exhale flip your hands palm down and slowly bring your hands back your side and keep doing it over and over again. That keeps you from stressed out moments or to calm down. Stay relaxed, smile, and be kind. Most importantly stay positive.

How to do tai chi

         There are many ways to do Tai chi. These are the five styles of tai chi, tai chi Chen, yang style wu style, and sun style. Tai chi is made to do it fast and slow. Tai chi was taught slow and not very powerful. Before anything you need to learn discipline. When you do Tai chi it is slow and you should feel like you are under water. That is why you need to learn it. Some people get frustrated because they want to learn it fast.  When the people in the temple long ago they did tai chi fast and powerful when they got attacked.  That doesn’t mean you can’t do it fast though. The movements of tai chi should flow nicely and never rough.

Tai chi Fan

Tai chi fan is very similar to Tai chi.  The only thing different is that you have a fan in your hand. The fan is very loud if you flick it open. Fan comes in different symbols all the time. The main color also changes, too. Fan is a weapon. It is used for the ladies to defend themselves. A real fan that they used had spikes at the end. The moves still flow.

Tai chi Sword

Tai chi sword is also similar to tai chi and tai chi fan. The sword is flexible at the tip. I think the sword comes in the same color all the time. The sword was used for the men to fight for their country. When you learn with the sword it is probably not sharp. It flows from your shoulder to the tip of the sword like a wave.

Elephanta Caves

By Kishan Sonpal

This winter break I went to India. Not only did I enjoy seeing my grandparents but also seeing the Elephanta Caves. The Elephanta Caves are located on a little island off Mumbai, on the Arabic Ocean and is in a little town named Gharapuri. The Caves were built by Indians sometime around the 6^th century A.D. and they were discovered by the Portuguese.

The reason the caves are called Elephanta Caves is because the Portuguese found an elephant statue in front of the main cave. When the Portuguese came to India they visited these caves and gave its official name. These caves were built from a giant rock inside to outside and from bottom to top. There are several columns which are only meant for beauty, not for support.  It has statues of nine different forms of the Indian god of destruction, Lord Shiva. The Portuguese used the statues for target practice. I even got to see a bullet in one of the statues.

One pose has Lord Shiva meditating.   Another is him destroying evil, and the last one is him at his wedding.   My favorite is the “Trimurti,” which is a structure that has three heads . One of Lord Shiva the destroyer second Brahma the creator and third Vishnu the maintainer.  The locals believe the three gods keep the world in balance.

This place is very beautiful.  It has the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other.  It has been considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. [United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization.]  But beware of the monkeys. They can cause a lot of ruckus. They will snatch any food or drink from your hand. One monkey snatched a water bottle from my dad and started drinking from it. It was very funny. This was one of the best parts of my trip.  

                                                                         Trimurti

Fire!         By: Matei Mandoiu

 A starting Fire
   It was a hot day in the forest, the ground was dry with leaves, and animals were scattering for shade. As the day grew hotter, a flame flickered through the sun light. The day was so hot, a leaf caught fire like there was an invisible magnifying glass above. A fire had just begun.

    Inside the fire

  The fire is made up of chemicals: heat, oxygen, and fuel.                                                                             

This is known as “The Chain Reaction.”

The flame is not the fire. The flame spreads fire. The flame is made
 up of gas and and solids. Yes, the flame is made of solids that are invisible.

Moving the fire

   The fire moves from the breeze of the wind and spreads around. The fire spreads depending on the speed of the wind. Water does not move fire, it puts out fire.

The good and bad fire

   Fire can be deadly, but sometimes it helps us to live. The fire can make a lot of damage. It can burn down houses, buildings, forests, planes, helicopters, etc., and it can burn objects down really fast. The fire in the fireplace gives us heat and does damage to the wood, but not to the house. The fire makes energy also. It is used to power things, the fire makes light to see.

Where fire is used

   Fire is used in fireplaces to heat the house during the winter. It is used at campsites

to heat the family during the night. Fire is also used in stoves to heat or cook
the food. Fire is used for many things that even you use.
 
How to start the fire

 Fire can start in many different ways : Very strong heat can catch dry objects on fire. A magnifying glass needs to be placed in front of paper and strong sunlight to catch the paper on fire (The objects need to be on different sides). Two rocks rubbed together can make a spark and catch fire.

Safety from Fire

   If the stove doesn’t turn on, turn all equipment off and open all windows to not let the house catch fire. Fire that is already burning is best in moist area. If not, dry objects like trees or leaves can catch fire. To make the area moist, you can take a hose and spray far and high for protection.

 The ending fire

   The clouds have come to the forest with rain ready to put out the fire. Rain and fire are enemies with each other. The rain is falling, and making the fire hiss like a snake. The fire is getting smaller every second the rain strikes the fire with drops of water. The fire is getting fainter now, the rain is also getting fainter. But the rain leaves marks to destroy the fire. The rain left everything in its way wet to not leave the fire pass. And the little droplets from the remaining trees will help the rain win the battle. The war is over between rain and fire.

The Tallest Man in the World

                                  By: Allison Raynor

Robert Pershing Wadlow was the tallest man ever to walk on earth. He was born on February 22, 1918, in Alton, Illinois. His parents were Addie Johnson and Harold Wadlow. Robert had pituitary gland problems which made him grow so tall.

 By the age of four, Wadlow was five feet four inches. I think that’s amazing because most ten year olds aren’t that tall! But he didn’t stop growing there, by ten he was six feet six inches. When he was nineteen, his height was eight feet six inches. Robert’s shoe size was a size 37AA, in men’s shoe sizes (AA means double wide).

            Wadlow was so tall that he couldn’t feel his lower leg and feet much so he needed leg braces to walk. The leg braces caused blisters on his ankles which he couldn’t feel. The blisters got infected and he needed surgery, but that didn’t help, it got worse. Then Robert died in his sleep, age 22 1940 July 15.

             On July 19 his funeral was held in southern Illinois. About 40,000 people came to his funeral. Now there is a guard guarding his tomb so he is not stolen. There are also wax replucas of him in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! There are Ripley’s in Saint Augustine, Florida, New Jersey, Atlantic City, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Queensland, Gold City and Mexico. There’s also a statue of him in the Empire State Building.

             I went to Niagara Falls this summer and I went to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! That’s how I know about Robert Pershing Wadlow and wanted to research about him.