The dragon 2013 2014 issue 3 by Chinese American International School

DRAGON

THE

May 2014

5th Graders Visit Taipei The Crystal Necklace, part 2 Chabot Space Museum Save the Tigers!

Dear Reader, Welcome to the Dragon. This spring, CAIS students circled the globe; I, personally, was seen in, or over, Seattle, Vancouver, Anchorage, Khabarovsk, Harbin, Beijing, Xining, and in a couple remote villages in Western China’s Qinghai province. The eighth grade jetted to Beijing (and as you’ll can see, flew a route up North America’s western seaboard, across Alaska to Russia, then down to China) and after that to Xining, the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. Upon touchdown in Xining, we were presented with traditional silk scarves, used to welcome guests. Our Tibetan guides, who lived in Xining and hailed from tiny villages around Qinghai, greeted us with a phrase in their Sanskrit-based language. The twenty-some Americans, three chaperones chasing after a mob of rowdy teenagers, left their footprints all across the plateau: in Xining, where we visited a mosque frequented by the Hui minority, in Erthi, where our Tibetan-language-only hosts greeted us warmly (but without running water or even a pit toilet!), in Rebgong, where we hiked to a monk meditation retreat, and in Labrang, where we smelled yak-butter statues in a monastery. Amidst hours of road to Xining, after two weeks of adventure, we even got snagged up on a snowy pass: hungry, cold, and filled with the angst of being with the same teenagers nonstop not just for the two weeks, but eleven years at this wonderful school. After our vehicles finally unstuck themselves from the icy grime, and maneuvered past the jam of icicle-lined trucks, I realized my earlier ordeal—regardless of how close I thought I was to death by exposure— was nothing compared to the stench of my classmates wringing out their socks inside the van. All in all, an illuminating experience in many different ways; going from Taipei and Beijing, as polluted as they are, to Western China was a culture shock. We were lucky to be among the few that stray from pandas and the Great Wall, to unveil the other China: full of political sensitivities, ethnic tension, language barriers, and other goodies at large. At the same time, the fifth-graders caught what was perhaps their first glimpse of the Far East. These voyagers’ domain was less desolate; they spent two weeks in the shining capital of Taiwan, Taipei. There, they saw for themselves the Chinese culture that for several years had simply been fed to them through photographs and printed pages. The fifth-graders, driven by sugary snacks’ indelible energy, swept their way around Taiwan, some all the way to Kaohsiung in the South. They were hosted by families from the Ren-Ai Elementary School, and accompanied their buddies—their Taiwanese fifth-grade counterparts—to class. They left footprints—romanticized, figurative footprints, of course—in the incense ash of the Confucius Temple, and in the flour of the Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry. Hopefully that sounded enticing enough; given that I did not actually go to Taipei, all the grandiloquence in the previous paragraph was gleaned from a single-page schedule available online and a couple Google searches. That is the kind of journalistic integrity you’ll find in the Dragon’s every issue. In this one, you’ll find a look at Sochi’s Winter Olympics, opinions from the CAIS community through survey or interview, and an answer to the question: “How does music affect you?” With many of our award-winning (belonging to the self-designated Coolest Club at CAIS) journalists returning from assignments abroad, and their editor bloviating about their experiences in his letter, you can see that our magazine has grown a lot. The amazing opportunities offered to us help us see and listen, write and think. Every student I’ve known has learned to think a little more deeply, and write a little more thoughtfully. The Dragon has grown accordingly. Why, you might ask, amidst all this “growth”, does the Dragon have a circulation less than that of the party invitations distributed by the popular kids at your high school? The reason is that when our writers are just acquiring the critical mass of unbelievable skill, for lack of a better term, they defect. Off to high school, and never to be seen again in the pages of this magazine! Just as I am about to, hence the edginess of this letter (unless I’m so used to the rubber stamp of “we worked very hard on this packet of paper” that anything else seems dangerous). But before our high turnover rate becomes visibly apparent, please enjoy this issue of the Dragon. Welcome! Warmly, Zachary Ngin Editor-In-Chief

Dragon Lists

a collection of lists about 4th grade highlights, put together by the Dragon Magazine writing staff.

Colby’s Top 5 for Grade 4

Bye, Bye 4th Grade By Spencer Li

It’s almost time for fifth grade!It is totally unbelievable! 1. Chinatown Shopping Field Trip There are so many memora- We got to go shopping and there ble moments that I decided to make was a scavenger hunt. a top five awesome moments: By Colby Condon

2. Sanchez Adobe - We got to make adobe bricks and to do that we had to stomp around in mud. We also got to make candles.

5. Going to Chinatown because we had a little treasure hunt, we got to buy stuff, and we got to hang out with our friends!

3. JOURNALISM! -We get great 4. Recess (duh) because it’s supsnacks and we get to go ANY- posed to be fun. WHERE in the whole school (if we 3. Free Friday because we get to are working on a story). play games (if you finish your home4.Book Fair - We get to buy stuff work!). and more stuff and read stuff and 2. Being with my friends - you yeah... know why. 5. Spirit Days -Because we can dress 1. Our Chinese Skits because I got up! to be with my friends.

Top 5 for Alyssa Yin’s First & Last Year of… 4th Grade! 5. My field trip to Chinatown was the best part of the year. We got to bring money, and that was really good because in Chinatown, there’s tons and tons of candy! And it’s dirt cheap! 4. My second-favorite highlight is candy and sweets. We got lots of food in class! 3. CAIS email accounts! Email accounts are awesome! I like having email accounts because you can get profile pictures and have special backgrounds. 2. Chromebooks. Having a Chromebook account is soooo fun! I like getting themes and having a profile picture. 1. This is my least favorite, but still a favorite. Reading! I think you all have enough wits in your brain to know why reading is fun.

The Dragon Magazine Staff Box The Dragon Magazine is the Chinese American International School Journalism Club publication for the 2013-2014 school year. All opinions expressed in this publication are the opinions of the writer and do not reflect the opinions of the school or its staff. This is a student run publication (under the supervision of the Journalism Club advisors) and therefore the writing, layout, and editing are done by the students who make up the staff. Questions and comments may be sent to The Dragon Magazine, 150 Oak Street, Room 399, San Francisco, California 94102 or emailed to The Dragon Magazine (Dragon_Magazine@cais.org). Editors: Zachary Ngin, Mari Fong, Caitlin Farmer, Rene Fong, Evan Lim, Oliver Chessen, Jet Sze Staff: Zachary Ngin, Mari Fong, Caitlin Farmer, Rene Fong, Evan Lim, Oliver Chessen, Jet Sze, Grace Carroll, Ian Tang, Madison Han, Cassie Eng, Andrew Mortazavi, Kira Ngai, Rory Kustner, Nate Berson, Gianni Brattesani, Kai Chang, Lila Chen, Io Gilman, Mia Silberman, Brooke Gieselmann, Max Guo, Madison Ho, Devon Carlson, Colby Condon, McKayla Ly, Yuxin Berson, Henry Frazier, Alyssa Yin, Ethan Kraus, Melissa Chow, Madison Laymon, Jackson Laymon, Sophia Hsu, Madison Han, Beatrix Kim, Joey Silberman, Spencer Li, Vinnie Fong Advisors: Ron Morris, Carol Xie

Opinion Section

Recess Rant

By Alexandra Wythes, Abby Shen, Alma Mitchell, and Sophia Messinger

The new Recess Champs is a BIG mistake. If you have a person in your class who is really slow, it’s not fair to the rest of the class, and it’s a big disappointment to those who actually care. Also, the teachers who pass them out usually pass them to their own classes or the first person in line. If they want us to line up faster, they should cut the peace on earth thing. Mr. Moore has received a lot of letters from 3rd grade red and gold, explaining that if their friends are in a different class they are becoming enemies. Therefore the red and gold

classes had a meeting with Mr. Moore discussing recess champs. He said “You are making the problem yourself and that you can work together to make it better.” Also the prize is a bad prize. It is a 15 minute recess. Don’t they know what the word SCHOOL means ?!? We are not trying to be single minded about the idea of recess champs, so here is the other opinion: Some people think that it is a big improvement, they like the 15 minute recess….. Another recess mistake is the peace on earth thing. If the ground is wet you can’t do it. Also, THE GROUND IS

Homework

Do you like homework?

By Spencer Li

Homework. My worst enemy. Who agrees? There are so many reasons not to do homework. First, it is a huge waste of time. Can you imagine how much time you could save if we didn’t have to do homework? You could do more sports, have more time to just lie around, and you can actually go to sleep for a decent time! And, you wont have to worry about the teachers getting mad at you if you didn’t do it. Personally, I think that the person that invented homework is the biggest dodobird in the world (and as you know, dodobirds are extinct!). If we didn’t have to do homework, we could do so much more things! Let’s see about the people that agree or disagree with me:

DIRTY!!! GERMS!!! Germs are bad, don’t they know that? Plus it takes longer. Wasn’t peace on earth meant to make us lineup FASTER?!?!?!?! Wasn’t clapping their hands a cais tradition?! Clapping their hands is way better. Help us at recess to start a cheer “Equal rights for equal heights!!!” (If you want) Also, when game of the week is jailbreak, dodgeball, medic or any game that includes balls, other people can’t use the balls, and it’s not fair. There should be more balls, so everybody can play what they want to with the equipment they want.

“No!! Because it’s very tiring and I want to crumple it up!” Dexter Shen Koa Papandrew of second grade said,: of third grade told me. “It’s way too much work, and I don’t Fourth grade’s Madison Ho said: “Not like wasting my time on it. at all, because it’s the worst thing the Second grade’s Garrett Janson ex- world has invented.” claimed: “Kind of, because some of it Max Guo of fourth grade: “Kind of, because although it sometimes wastes is easy, and some of it is hard.” time, it’s also good for you.” Joey Silberman of Eighth grade announced: “No, because it puts stress Haifu Owen in second grade agreed: “Kind of, because it helps you learn.” on already stressed out students.” Callum Demuth of fourth grade cried: Me (Spencer Li of fourth grade) said “No!!! Because it takes away my video to himself: “Homework, go down the toilet!!! It wastes your time, stresses game time!!!” you out, gets you tired, and it’s borFourth grade’s Michaela Ryan also ing!” said: “ No!!!! Because it’s boring and it Homework is terrible! If you takes away my time.” have objections, please keep them Vinnie Fong of fourth grade called: to yourself. I think all of these in“No, because it’s boring, not fun and terviews, piece by piece, reveal the wastes your time.” horrific weird face of the dark thing called homework!!! Even though we First grade’s Skyler Wintor claimed: have to do homework now, we might “Yes, because it’s hard and it lets you not need to do it in the future!!! Try learn stuff.” not to die of boredom in the mean time!

Top 10 Video Game Series

By Mari Fong

I love video games. I have every Nintendo video game console up to date, with the exception of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). There have been some great, long lasting series that are still continued today that have adapted well to these systems, as well as some short lived series as well. This is my list of top 10 video game series. You might see a YouTube video up, possibly by the next issue, so keep your eyes peeled in the next issue! 10. My Sims Ah, My Sims. The more kid friendly version of The Sims, both developed by EA. It’s a fun game, but it’s really easy. So, according to the story, the town used to be a happy place, with lots of residents and joy. There was a man who made this all possible by building houses and decorating them with “Essences”, the material used to make the citizens happy, which is collected by shaking trees, making others happy or mad, prospecting, or even just fishing. After this man mysteriously disappeared, people started moving away. After a while, you come to the town and you’re supposed to fix it! I’ve referred to PeanutButterGamer before, and I’m doing it again. Much like his opinion, the storyline is kind of, well, easily fixable. The reason people started moving away was because it was dangerous, and all the roads were blocked off! Overall, this game is still on my list because it’s still fun and enjoyable. 9. Sonic I love the Sonic series. Sonic may not be faster than the speed of sound *cough* Game Theorists *cough*, but he certainly made his skid marks in the minds of gamers. There isn’t much to it. He’s a classic character that retained his ability through the generations.

8. Donkey Kong

3. Super Smash Bros.

Same as Sonic, not much to it. He may have been the villain in the first few Mario games, but *cough* Game Theorists *cough* he is abused by Mario. He has changed through the consoles, but it adapted well. Donkey Kong 64 was and still is much different than his latest game, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, but it’s a good different. One of the better characters to start your gaming adventure on.

It’s been on every 3D graphics home console in the Nintendo franchise. And now, in Summer 2014, Nintendo releases the first Super Smash Bros. game to be on 2 consoles, more specifically, the first game in the series to be released on a handheld console! Sadly, for my fellow Wii U users, we must wait until Winter 2014. The super smash bros series is a fun series, and the first is where to start.

7. Mario

2. Pokémon

OF COURSE MARIO HAS TO BE ON THIS LIST! He is the star of Nintendo. He may be mental (GT!) but, of course, he is a classic. Nuff said.

I don’t know 1 person who doesn’t like Pokémon. Not only is Pokémon a fun and has a never-gets-old storyline, it has a lot of theorists coming back to it because of its mysterious storyline. Many people have theories on who Ash Ketchum’s father is, and whether or not Ash is still 10. People have theorised Professor Oak is Ash’s father, but many don’t think this is true. Oak is WAY too old to have been the father, and even if he was, in one of the first episodes of the the series, when Ash reaches the first town down the road of a Pokemon trainers quest, he calls his mom and she says, “Your father will be so proud.” This symbolizes his father is probably away and shows Oak isn’t the father. Also, Ash called Oak before his Mom. This is a theory, but that’s what makes Pokemon fun, is the mystery. Another mysterious thing about Ash. He’s actually 16, as of 2013. Is he in acoma? Well, that’s just a theory. A Game Theory! NEXT!

6. Kirby He’s a cute ball of pink. He can transform, he can fly, he can suck in anything. Can I stop? Kirby is just a great starter series for any young child, and a great character choice for anyone just starting to play the Super Smash Bros series. Oh, good lead in to my next video game series. 5. Professor Layton Professor Layton is a puzzle based kind of adventure game made for the DS series. It’s a fun game, and all the puzzles in the game were created and written by a best selling author of puzzle books, Akira Tago. The storyline of the first three games are all fun and mysterious, and include all the aspects of a good storyline. 4. Harvest Moon Not the moon. The video game. Harvest Moon is a series based on farming. It’s not your average FarmVille game. You actually have a life outside of farming. Marriage, befriending other villagers, fishing, festivals and holidays. You can have cows, sheep, a horse, and chickens. Some games even let you have ducks and pets from around the village (such as ferrets, pigs, snakes or even bears). The best part I think about the games are the cutscenes, more specifically the heart events. Heart events happen when you have given your choice bachelor(ette) enough gifts to raise their heart points to a certain number, which will trigger the event if you see them at a certain time, place and with certain weather and item requirements. Harvest Moon overall is a great game for all ages.

1. The Legend of Zelda Last year, I had an article on the Top 10 Weirdest Zelda Characters. And of course, I did that list in honor of my #1 favorite video game series, The Legend of Zelda. It’s adventurous, replayable, and one of my favorite games to play when I’m depressed. Well, it’s a great game when you’re down in the dumps. I also love to play Zelda marathons! I love to make Zelda themed snacks (which you can check out at: ) such as a pizza with a triforce made out of roasted peppers or heart container cookies. The Legend of Zelda is indescribable, and I can’t say enough. The storyline of each game is great, it’s super replayable, and if I went on you would be stuck here reading all day. That concludes my Top 10 Video Game Series! Keep your eyes peeled in the next issue to see if I decide to upload a video!

SAVE THE TIGERS! \ Help! There’s only 50-60 more South China Tigers (Panthera Tigris Amoyensis) left in the wild. They’ve been losing their homes due to deforestation, habitat destruction, hunting, and medicinal purposes. The little-bitty-bit of habitat that’s left isn’t big enough to sustain a tiger population!!! It hasn’t been sighted in the wild for 25 years at least!!!

“They’re so cute!” Sophia Hsu, 4th grade Will you help us Save The Tigers? We plan to help by either emailing the World Wildlife Fund, (worldwildlife.org) an organization that helps all animals, all over the world, we are raising money to donate by setting up a garage sale or lemonade stand or any other way to make money, or write to our congressperson. In San Francisco, our congressperson is Nancy Pelosi. There is a sample letter (to your congressperson) on the World Wildlife Fund website, or you can also write your own. Can you ask people to help out? I you would like to help or if you know someone who would, please give them the info: http://worldwildlife.org/species/tiger Hopefully they’ll help. Tell them the bad news and facts, and if they want to help, add them to the list. Together we all have the power to bring back an Animal Species!!!

by Alyssa Yin

Games of the Week By Spencer Li

What is your favorite game of the week? The game of the week is a game that changes every week, and is played at reccess. At the beginning of the year, the people who now regularly play the game weren’t as interested in the game of the week, and complained about how boring the games were. But now that Mr. Moore has invited people to give ideas for game of the week, people are enjoying them a lot more. Many people, including me, like dodgeball games where you tag other players with a ball. Here are how some of the CAIS students feel about the Games of the Week.

What is your favorite Game of the Week? “Kickball, because you get to catch “Kickball, because I’m good.” and kick.” Hunter, 3rd grade Koa Papendrew, 2nd grade “Jailbreak, because I’m good at throw“Ultimate football because you can ing balls.” catch balls in the touchdown zone.” Garrett, 2nd grade Reuben, 2nd grade “Red light, green light, because it’s “Ultimate football because you can hard.” catch and throw.” Owen,1st grade. Haifu, 2nd grade “Jailbreak, because I get to scream.” “Survivor tag, because everyone plays Dexter Shen, 3rd grade and I’m fast.” Jaden Harris, 3rd grade “Jail break, because it’s kind of like dodgeball and you can throw balls.” “Survivor Tag, because it’s full of acJacob, 3rd grade tion.” Rider, 3rd grader

“Jailbreak, because it’s the world’s awesomest (awesomest?)game.” Madison Ho, 4th grade “Jailbreak, because it’s the best game ever.” Henry Frazier, 4th grade “Jailbreak, because sometimes the teachers play.” Vinnie Fong, 4th grade “Jailbreak, because you can throw balls at each other.” Mckayla Ly, 4th grader “Jailbreak is the best thing since naptime.” Spencer Li (me), 4th grade

Good Sports at CAIS by Kira Ngai A lot of people like sports

“I like Volleyball because you can spike a ball.” Kira Ngai ( 5th grade)

because they are fun. The Dragon interviewed some people around campus to find out what sports they like and why.

“I like Soccer because I feel that every position on the field is important.” Mr. Morris (Teacher)

Dragon: What is your favorite sport and why?

As you can see most of the people chose Soccer.

“I like Soccer because it is awesome!!!” Diego Scanlon (5th grade) “My favorite sport is soccer because it is fun.” Ella English ( 3rd grade)

Soccer 62.5% “I like Boxing because it is interesting and it is only you, someone else, and your guys’ body.” Alfred (Security Guard) “I like Soccer because you can kick a ball and I like kicking stuff.” Jacob Ngai( 3rd grade) “I like tennis because it is a mental game.” Lin lao shi (Teacher) “I like Soccer because I love it.” Ms. Spillane (Teacher)

Volleyball 12.5% Boxing 12.5% Tennis 12.5%

Riding an Elephant By Henry Frazier During Febuary break, I went to Thailand. My favorite activity was riding on a elephant. The elephant place was called Siam Safari. They have different tours every day. The one I went on was the morning tour with lunch. It was very fun.

My day at Siam Safari First We pulled up in the parking lot. Then we met our tour guide. Next Then we took a long elephant ride. The elephant looked like a regular elephant. Then We also got to watch baby elephants do tricks. Then I also saw how Thai curry is made. Then We also watched how rubber is made and went on a ox ride. Finally Then we got back in the van and went home.

My Favorite Games By Max Guo Today, I am going to tell you about 5 of my favorite video games: 5. Carrot Fantasy - Carrot Fantasy is a game where you have to protect a carrot from monsters with a lot of cool defenses, such as gas bottle, octopus, and toy plane. The enemies make funny sounds when they die. In Carrot fantasy, there are 3 modes, story, boss, and the nest. In story mode, you get through different levels, in boss mode, you must defeat the boss in the time limit, and in the nest, you raise monsters from the game, but they look different. 4. Mino Monsters - Mino Monsters is a game where you train monsters, called Minos to defeat enemies, know as Grublings. There is also arena mode, where you battle other players, I like battling Hacker because he is so easy to defeat.

Emojis Rule!

By Alyssa Yin

So, the 4th graders recently got their CAIS e-mail addresses! Unfortunately, the teachers told us that we cannot use Emoji in our messages! Alyssa Y. and Valerie W. were both totally, completely devestated about that! Here is what CAIS lower school students think of the No Emoji rule: Sophia H, 4th grade: “Well, they are kind of improper, but they are useful for showing people how you are feeling when you type.” YuXin B, 4th grade: “Omigod! They are so cute!”

Quiz: Which of these animals would you be? By Alyssa Yin

5. What can be found in your back1. In your free time, you can be pack? 3. Minecraft - Minecraft is the best game A) Shhh! Don’t tell… your pet grassfor people who like to build things, in found… A) outside hopper and his cage Minecraft, you can choose between three B) at a friend’s house B) Something to show your friendsmodes: creative, survival, and hardcore. C) doing after-school activities who knows what? 2. Pokemon X - Pokemon is awesome! C) A butterfly plant to plant in the In Pokemon, you train different types of awesome pokemon and make them 2. Which of these three colors would schoolyard (you got permission already) fight with other pokemon in pokemon be your favorite? battles. Now there is a new 3D version of A) green pokemon called Pokemon X, and there is B) yellow THE RESULTS ARE IN! good news and bad news about it: C) red Good News: it has a ton of new features, If you got mostly As, you would be… like mega evolution and new and epic 3. If you dress up for Halloween, what legendary pokemon do you dress as? A dog. You just loooooove being outBad News: there are only 3 legendary A) vampire side in the fresh air… Aaah. pokemon B) ghost 1. Puzzles and Dragons - Puzzles and C) mummy If you got mostly B’s, you would be… Dragons is an epic game where you a penguin. You enjoy being in groups have cards of monsters and you fight 4. What is on your Christmas list? and are a “people person”. other monsters by matching orbs to atA) Grow Your Own Weird Plants Kit tack monsters. Different monsters have B) The Book For You And Your If you got mostly C’s you would different powers,and you may level up be… a bee. You love teamwork and or evolve monsters by fusing them with Friends C) a membership to the Save The helping out anyone, from royalty to other monsters to create monsters more homeless people. powerful than the last one. In Puzzles and World! club Dragons, there are 5 elements, fire, water, wood, light, and dark.

NOTE: This is NOT an act of plagiarism! This is an extremely original quiz that I came up with myself!

That Crystal Necklace by Alyssa Yin

Part 2 (see last issue for part 1)

Then they’re back. The cryptic words.

Get yourself gone, you ugly old man. Go away. God, who are you, girl? Oh! You only care about the necklace, don’t you? Grrr…. Hey, so if I just take this necklace off, you won’t care, WILL you, Randall? Grrr…. Wait a minute! How do you know how to chat in brains?

Hi, Serenn. Through this potion I have given you the ability to communicate with me, just as I am doing with you right now. You have to clear your mind. Then repeat this incantation over and over in your mind: Maisie commute. Please beThen he says some not-sogin. Maisie commute. Please begin. nice words that I wouldn’t dare repeat again. I do as she says. Then he’s gone. I take a Maisie commute. Please be- shaky breath. I want to tell my mom and dad but I know they’ll gin… Serenn! I have been waiting. go overboard and keep me in the house for, like, FOREVER. And I I have an urgent message for you. can’t risk that. I CAN’T risk that. I Yes? Is it bad? Um… maybe? … Um… Se- CAN’T RISK THAT! I CAN’T renn, there’s someone out to get you. “Sere-enn!” “Ye-ess, Mom?” What?????? I always reply to my mom His name is Randal Craskin. like that. He’s tall and old. “Ten-nis!” “The tea-cher says no class Then I get an image in my toda-ay!!!” mind. “Oh. O-kay!” My mom can be excessively Ooh, Maisie. He’s scary. That’s why I wanted to tell irritating. Very. Then guess who comes up you. He wants the necklace- and the stairs? Randall. Oh boy. you- gone. Forever. “Mom!!! There’s an old man The feeling clears. I take a in my room who doesn’t look hapdeep breath. Knowing somebody py!!!” She flings open the door out there wants to kill me, is in- just as Randall tackles me and rips tensely creepy, and off my crystal. Get out. Get yourself gone. “Give the necklace back to I summon as much cour- my daughter! She bought it and age as I can. I swear this is Randall should get her money’s worth.” Craskin.

“Why should I?” “Because I said so!” He had no choice. He mumbled something under his breath and shoves it… Into his pocket! “MOM! IT’S IN HIS POCKET!” Then Mom tackles him and rips away my crystal. “Give the necklace back to me! I stole it and should get my effort’s worth.” Randall repeated. “Why should I?” “Because I said so!” “Too bad.” 5 minutes of arguing pass, and Randall is finally out the door. Mom and I watch him through the door. Then Randall opens his eyes. His tiny, bright red eyes. THE END Hey everybody, I’m writing a second story in the Crystal Necklace series! It’s here: https://docs. google.com/a/cais.org/document/ d/1pEy3N5UD pL9T YRt7pp_ s Wj O _ Ya 6 t W N 3 y G Wn s N Yfm42g/edit So anyway, go ahead and read it! Alyssa

What’s your favorite The Oscars Girl Scout Cookie? By Henry Frazier

The Oscars were awesome. It was the 86th annual Academy Awards Ceremony. It was hosted by Ellen Degeneres, a popular talk show host. Some of the winners were: Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave Best Leading Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Leading Actress:Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) Best Animated Feature Film: Frozen Best Directing: Gravity Best Editing: Gravity Best Soundtrack Song: “Let it Go” (Frozen)

By Colby Condon, Yuxin Berson, Mckayla Ly, and Devon Carlson

Annemarie R. 4th grade said: “I really like Thin Mints. I love everything about them, though they should What’s your favorite Girl come in bigger boxes.” Scout Cookie? There are several cookies to Anuhea T. 4th grade said: “Thin choose from, such as Thin Mints, Sa- Mints because they have chocolate, I moas and Savanna Smiles. love chocolate!” We asked around the school and here are some of the replies we Lena H. 4th grade said: “Tagalongs, got. because I like cookies with peanut butter.” Alice C. 4th grade said: “Thin Mints, because they’re minty and chocolatey, As you can see, most people a very good mix!” like Thin Mints, though there are some people who like other kinds. Lea T. 4th grade said: “Thin Mints, Colby likes Samoas, Yu Xin because the flavor of the mint and likes Thin Mints, Vinnie likes Thin chocolate, is the perfect mixture.” Mints, Mckayla likes Thin Mints, and Devon likes Thin Mints.

This year’s oscars were awesome. I think that Ellen was a great host, and I am so glad for the winners.

How Does Music Affect You? By Cassie Eng Even if it is Katy Perry, The Beatles, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake or even Chicago, music has been around for the longest time in all cultures. But what effect does music have on the brain? Music is a combination of auto frequencies and patterns in the air and clashing together in your ear. Like how your eyes process light, your ear processes sound waves and can trigger excitement in your brain. It can be triggered by food and drugs. The body has created a system that rewards you for achieving them. It starts by a release of a neurotransmitter called “dopamine.” Dopamine makes you feel “pleasurable.” When dopamine is released following a reward like a delicious meal or winning the lottery, dopamine causes a feeling of satisfaction. Drugs, or cocaine, take advantage of this neurotransmitter or preventing its removal causing continual stimulation of your neurons. Music has the ability arouse pupil dilation, increase blood pressure, and the brain to have “Auditory Movement Emotional Regions.” But even if you don’t need music to survive, this reaction releases the chemical dopamine. Though the exact reasoning is still unsure, music chemically makes our body feel great. And like drugs leaves you craving for more, music becomes very addictive. Dopamine tells your body that it was rewarded and leaves you seeking more. But that’s not all it does….. Did you know that music actually improves athletic performance? Music can really set a mood. Like classical or jazz music may relax your body, pop and rock can get your blood pumping. But if music can enhance a mind set or resist mental fatigue, can music improve athletic performance? The answer is “ Yes it can!” The term “Synchronous Music” refers to uptempo songs with a strong beat that goes well with the repetitive movement of a sport. This is the kind of music that shows higher workout progress in athletes especially in sports that have rhythmic or repetitive movement like cross- country skiing. For example: Haile Gebrselassie was listening to the famous song “Scat Man” when breaking the 10,000 meter world record.

Scientist have found that music can act as a cognitive and a physical stimulant especially if the song has a meaning to the person. For athletes who get nervous before a competition, music can be used to enhance confidence, self-esteem, and mood, music can also convert attention instead of thinking of fatigue. Research has found that athletes listening to pop songs when working out have increased heart rate and muscle power compared to the people who don’t. Also, because music can trigger emotion, music can enhance mental imagery which is a technique that athletes use to picture themselves mastering a sport before a competition. This technique is crucial for the mind especially before a major event. Funny enough, some coaches with hold music as a motivational tool. Athletes are told they can use music only if they complete a specific physical goal. But songs with as much as 120 beats per minute showed the greatest improvement. I interviewed Kira ,in 5th grade, about what kind of music she uses to exercise, here are her answers: Dragon: Do you listen to music when you exercise? Kira: Yes, except for swimming. Dragon: What kind of sports do you play? Kira: Swimming, volleyball, and running. Dragon: What kind of music do you listen to when you play these sports? Kira: I listen to pop songs. Dragon: What do artists do you love to listen to? Kira: One Direction and Lucy Hale, why? Dragon: Music actually enhances athletic performance so if you run 1 mile while listening to music, you will probably run faster than a person not listening to music. Or if you work-out while listening to pop songs, your heart-beat will increase and gradually get more muscle power than someone who does not listen to music. Do you have any questions? Kira: So should I be listening to music more often? Dragon: Yes. So no matter what type of music, music does increase physical performance and has a “feel good” effect on the brain. So make a playlist of your favorite up-beat songs and blast the music.

Ask Ian

By Ian Tang You may have seen that many companies mess with kids’ brains by secretly imprinting certain techniques in their videos and ads. Agent Ian and Joey plan to get to the bottom of this. One of these techniques is called “Celebrity Endorsement.” On social media applications and websites, posts from kids’ favorite celebrities can get them up to $10,000. They can do this by simply talking about how much they love a certain product. This way, it seems more realistic to the consumer and it isn’t even marked as an advertisement on the social media. For example, on June 3 last year, Miley Cyrus said, “Thanks @blackjet for the flight to Silicon Valley! #wecantstop.” This is a good example of how celebrities post something that looks normal but they were actually posting it for money. Another technique is that some companies make videos that are teeming with references to a character that kids love. Lucky the Leprechaun much? Anyway, these characters are essentially there to hypnotise kids into buying their products. And they work. You think those two were bad? Wait until you go to happymeal.com. Websites like this have interactive games that not-so-secretly advertise happy meals. Just think, even if they didn’t directly advertise happy meals, the kids that play these games will associate playing fun games with eating happy meals. “Mommy, can we go to Mc______’s?” is just about one of the most common things kids say these days, and it might just be because of websites like this one. As you can see, businesses are teaming up with media and celebrities to take advantage of kids. They basically brainwash kids into buying their products, and the most effective advertising on parents may be their own children. If that’s not wrong, we don’t know what is.

The Supreme Chabot Space Museum By Sophia Hsu

Have you ever had the chance to use or see a real working telescope? Would you like to look into space at a magnified view? If you do, I have discovered the perfect place for you, The Chabot Space Museum. You will find that it is the perfect place to go to learn about space and space travel. Over the February break, I went to the Chabot Space Museum in Oakland Hills, across the Bay Bridge. The museum has three real, working telescopes that they open to the public for star-gazing every clear Friday and Saturday night.

1. Above: Sophia and her brother and sister at the Space Exhibit at the Chabot Museum. 2. Left: The building where the telescope “Nellie” is located, with the rolling roof. 3. Opposite page: Sophia observing the planet Jupiter through the telescope “Nellie” during a nighttime viewing.

Like most observatories, the museum is located at the top of a hill. They have a whole exhibition on what it's like for astronauts to live in space, with exhibits that show how it's like to move in space, how astronauts move around, how food is packed and what it looks like to be in space. There is a really fun exhibit where you jump in front of a special camera and someone takes a photo of you when you are still in the air, as if you are floating. After that, you can email the photo of you or your friend suspended in mid-air to anyone you’d like. It’s neat because the machine with the camera lets you type in the email address that you want to send the photos to. The three telescope’s names from smallest to biggest: Leah(Lee-ah), Rachael (Raychill) and Nellie(Neh-lee). Leah is a pretty average telescope, and Nellie is a huge telescope looks like a huge magnet on a stand. Rachael is somewhere in between. Each of them has their own observatory that are domelike and have a small strip of roof that slides off to let the telescope point to the sky. As for Nellie, the whole roof slides off when she points to the sky. On April sixth, I went to my first sky-sighting at the Chabot Space Museum. I went with my family, and we saw Rachel with her roof already off. The first thing we saw was

Jupiter and four of its moons. We also saw part of the constellation Orion. This experience of stargazing was amazing, and I really hope to go again. I hope that in the future other people will come to the sightings. If you can come, we would be happy to welcome you to the sightings.

Chabot Space and Science Center 10000 Skyline Blvd. Oakland, CA 94619 Phone: (510) 336-7373

Colby and Devon’s 55 Random Facts By Colby Condon and Devon Carlson 1. A pair of ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz sold for more than $660,000. 2. Every year about 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 snow crystals drop from the sky. 3. A speck of blood contains about 5 million red blood cells. 4. Penguin droppings can be pink. 5. If you could drive to the sun, it would take about 190 years to get there. 6. The moon weighs 81,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons. 7. A man wrote an entire novel without using the letter “E”. 8. The first person arrested for speeding in the United States was driving 12 miles an hour in 1899. 9. The worlds most expensive coin sold for $7.4 million. 10. In Japan, the “OK”sign means “Pay Me”. 11. A lump of gold small enough to hold in your hand can be flattened into a sheet as big as a tennis court. 12. It can take up to three weeks to make a Jelly Belly jelly bean. 13. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a piece of popcorn. 14. Lady Gaga wore a dress made of raw meat. 15. Temperatures on Venus reach more than 880 degrees. 16. A rat can survive a fall from a five-story building. 17. Lily pads can grow to be wider than a king-size bed. 18. Strawberry and chocolate-covered Cheetos were sold in Japan. 19. One of the worlds largest icebergs is bigger than New York City, U.S.A. 20. There are no coffee shops in a town called Hot Coffee in Mississippi, U.S.A. 21. When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 3,000 miles an hour. 22. There are about a Trillion web pages on the Internet, that’s about 140 for every person Earth! 23. Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. 24. If you counted all of the hours Angry Birds fans have spent playing the game, it would add up to more than 200,000 years. 25. A black hole can weigh as much as 10 billion suns. 26. You will likely get more than 600 colds in your lifetime. 27. Spider silk has been used to make violin strings. 28. There are more than 700 versions of the story Cinderella. 29. A group of musicians in China makes instruments out of potatoes, carrots and other vegetables. 30. A blue whale’s largest veins are so big you could swim through them.

31. A restaurant on a Spanish island is built on top of a volcano-and uses the volcanic hole as a grill. 32. The Scarlet Ibis gets its color from the red crabs it eats. 33. More people live in Tokyo, Japan, metro area than in all of Canada. 34. You can buy cupcakes through 24-hour ATMs in California and New York City, U.S.A. 35. There’s a foam replica of Stonehenge in Virginia, U.S.A. 36. One out of every 10,000 clovers is a four-leaf clover. 37. A swiss jeweler created a ring made entirely of diamond-including the band. 38. In China you can buy green tea ice cream flavored Oreo cookies. 39. Istanbul, Turkey, is located on TWO countries: Europe and Asia! 40. The village of Tilt Cove in Newfoundland, Canada has a population of 5. 41. On the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, a restaurant re-created the ten-course dinner served onboard the night the ship went down. The price? $1,000 per person! 42. In Taiwan, garbage trucks blast music to remind people to bring out the trash 43. Some police officers in Cairo, Egypt, patrol the pyramids on camelback. 44. A Taiwanese airline flies Hello Kitty themed jets. 45. More people have been to the Moon than the bottom of the ocean. 46. A company in England created cheese scented perfume. 47. A volcanic eruption 2 million years ago left a hole in the ground as wide as 400,000 soccer fields. 48. The symbol “&” was once a letter in the English alphabet. 49. You will likely get 10,000 small cuts, bruises, and sprains in your lifetime. 50. You could cook a large pizza on the surface of Venus in 9 seconds. 51. There’s a jellyfish that can turn from an adult back into a baby. 52. There’s a town in Oregon named Boring. 53. Only female mosquitoes bite. 54. All of the adults on earth weigh a total of 316 million tons. 55. A restaurant in the United States made a giant corned beef sandwich made of: 150 pounds of mustard 530 pounds of lettuce 260 pounds of cheese 1,032 pounds of corned beef

Facts from the books Weird But True 4 and Weird But True 5 Email your favorite facts to Colby Condon or Devon Carlson and it might make it into the next issue of, the Dragon!

The Sochi Winter Olympics By Joey Silberman

The world cheered in excitement as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, began. A total of 88 countries participated. Every competing athlete strived to improve their abilities and go for the gold. The array of fireworks during the opening ceremony on February 6 left the crowd in awe. The opening ceremony was flawless except for the fifth snowflake ring failing to open. There were security concerns about terrorists groups in the area, so many of the participating countries posted security guards around the arena to keep the viewers safe. Also, many visitors were concerned about how the Russian government might act in this event. This is the first time in a while that the President and the First Lady of the United states did not actually attend the Olympics. Despite the concerns about security, the Olympics went off without a hitch.

In the final standings, Russia won first place with 13 gold medals, 11 silver, and 9 bronze. This led to a total of 33 medals. Russia had the highest amount of gold, silver, and total medals out of all of the competitors. Norway achieved second place, and Canada got third place in gold medals. However, in total medals, the United States got second place. I think that the holding the Olympics in Sochi was a very good idea because the climate was just perfect. The snowy terrain offered a great atmosphere for the competitors and the viewers. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the news about the success regarding the safety of the winter Olympics in Sochi. Even though Russia generally doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t support gay rights, everyone was allowed to compete. Finally, I think many young viewers were inspired by all of the young competitors in the Sochi Olympics.

I saw this when I looked at a few of the videos of the Olympics in Sochi, and I saw more cheering from the children than from the adults. I really enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics in Sochi, and I hope that every Olympic Games is just as successful.

Part 2

Taipei Personalities 5th grade Taiwan Exchange Trip By Mia Silberman This is the first week that the 5th graders are back from Taipei City, Taiwan, where we had a two week sleepover at a “buddy’s” house. Some of the many diverse foods there included: Oyster omelet, Pig’s blood cake soup, Pig’s feet, Chicken heart, and… wait for it… the best bubble milk tea ever! The school we were collaborating with is called RenAi elementary school, in the DaAn district, where we went to school daily with our buddies. Class time for me was a bit of an overwhelming experience, because the teachers sort of freaked me out. Their school was very different from CAIS in many ways. Their school’s size was astounding, about 10 CAIS’s in one RenAi! Also their classrooms do not have doors, so their class is constantly being interrupted by outside sounds. In our 5th grade at CAIS there are about 40 students. The 5th grade at RenAi has about 450 students. At Ren-Ai, we had many classes, such as ballooning, stilts, chinese yoyo, and taiwanese opera puppets. They even gave us chinese yoyos. We also went on field trips, like when we went to yangmingshan, a national park, and the fruit market for a tropical fruit scavenger hunt. Besides that, we also went places with our buddies, most people

went to Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan and the fourth tallest building in the world. People went to Din Tai Fun, which is a world-famous soup dumpling place. People also went to the night markets, which there are many of, where the San Franciscan students can eat Taiwanese snacks, play games, and shop for clothes and stationery. Soon after, the buddies came here to San Francisco to see our beautiful city. The were here, also, for two weeks. When they were here we took them to places that were somewhat

similar to the places that they took us to in Taiwan. We took them to downtown, where they saw our skyscrapers, we took them to dine on different cuisines, such as Mexican or Indian, that they’ve never had before in Taiwan. We will also took them to farmer’s markets and malls, both of which they have in Taiwan, but much different from here. “I like the off-the-grid. I also liked going to the beach, and the Exploratorium. Taiwan’s weather is warmer, though. The food is also different,” said my buddy, Annie.

Annie and all the other buddies left on Friday, May 9th to go home, but until then they were very busy here visiting famous sites such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and, of course, the awesome food! (Burritos from the mission, multiple ice cream shops, and off the grid.). Our buddies left here thinking that food here was very good Through this program, we CAIS students have learned independence, friendship, and how to try new things in new places.

The Race to the Capitol In Washington, politicians fight to improve their party’s chances in the 2014 midterm elections. Across the nation, many others battle over governor’s mansions, seats in Congress, and other elected offices. By Zachary Ngin Just as it should be, the most important event in American politics is the election. 2014, an even year, is an important one. Even though the White House is not up for grabs until 2016, the people elected will shape President Barack Obama’s last two years in the Oval Office. Every day now, Congressmen are reminded of this year’s election. Everything they do must be in the interest of their party’s standing with the public. With the whole of the House of Representatives, a majority of governorships, and a third of the Senate in contention, political fireworks abound: on Capitol Hill, in every American media market, and in the heart of any issue that dares show itself this year. Before jumping into the fray of electoral politics and complexities, you should know exactly what will happen on Election Day this November 4th. American citizens around the country will decide which lawmakers will sit in the two chambers of the Capitol. Members of the House of Representatives, who are up for reelection every two years, represent districts roughly equal in population (around 700,000 people). They are, in theory, proportionately representative of American opinion, though there are ways to manipulate that. The Senate, whose 100 members serve six-year terms and are elected in three staggered classes, gives equal voices to every state. The majority in both chambers can theoretically change every election cycle. This year, all eyes are on the Senate. Republicans hope to wrestle away the Democratic Party’s five-seat majority. I will try to explain the logistics, and politics, of elections nationwide. For those who are unfamiliar, I will first briefly outline the platforms of the conservative Republican Party and the liberal Democratic Party. Liberals believe in government action to solve problems. They think that the federal government should combat

injustice and protect rights. They believe that the government should take care of its people, and should regulate society to protect the interests of the people. They think that the rich should play a part in helping the poor by paying taxes. They believe that big business should be regulated in order to protect the rights of workers and individuals, and to protect the environment. They support social mobility: aiding the poor so they have an opportunity to rise to the top. They are generally progressive on social issues. They are more accepting of abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage. Their arguments are driven less by religion; they think church should be separated completely from state. The liberal view is that all beliefs and ethnicities have a place here, and no one should be alienated because of their unique qualities. They believe in elevating the poor, and providing more opportunities to minorities. For example, they are all for taxing the rich in order to provide food for the poor. They approve of affirmative action: basing school admissions or other

April 21, 2014

decisions on race or gender in order to represent the underrepresented. Liberals are less nationalistic, and are for more civil discourse (domestically and abroad). They disapprove of the death penalty and unwarranted military action, as well as an unreasonably large military. Global warming and the environment is a big issue to them; Democrats are likely to support clean energy, environmental regulation, national parks, and using the government to slow global warming. Democrats believe that fewer guns lead to less violence, and are more likely to support gun control. They believe that it is the government’s duty to aid the poor. They support subsidized health care and housing, as well as food stamps and welfare. To pay for this aid to the unfortunate, they levy taxes on the successful. They are strong supporters of pluralism, and would like religion to be completely separate from the government. They fight for the rights of immigrants and the minority. They would like to see illegal immigrants forgiven, and the rights of these minorities protected.

President Barack Obama is a Democrat. The Democratic Party’s progressive views make its composition younger, more racially diverse, and more composed of women than its rival: the Republican Party. Republicans believe that individuals should not rely on the government to solve their problems. They believe the government and its regulation should be small and limited. They have a great relationship with businesses; they believe that government rules should not prevent big businesses from employing people and strengthening the economy. They are advocates for the free market, and are reluctant to cede allowances to the poor and unsuccessful. Conservatives believe that the government should keep the people free to pursue the American dream; from there, the free market and the efforts of the individuals will be enough. They believe that the government should not hand money to the poor through programs like food stamps and housing subsidies, which use tax money from the rich to aid the poor. They believe in friendlier policies towards corporations, as to strengthen the economy and enable Americans to get jobs. They are all for independence from government help; they might say those that can succeed have lived the American dream, and those that don’t might not be trying hard enough. Conservative platform issues are often rooted in religion, so the GOP leans traditional on social issues. The GOP does not believe in gay marriage, abortion, or fetus stem cell research because they believe in traditional unions and the sacrosanctity of life. Some conservatives do not believe in global warming, instead attributing the rise in temperature to the Earth’s natural fluctuations. They do not believe restrictions should be imposed on companies for the sake of endangered species or protecting the environment. They support the oil, coal, and gas industries as a way of avoiding foreign energy; alternative, renewable energy is not worth the risk. Republicans are also more likely to approve of Christian values being expressed in a public way. Republicans support a strong, nationalistic stance abroad. They support

a stronger military, and lean more towards direct assertion of power through military action rather than diplomacy or actions in the international community. They support tough sentences for drug offenders and other criminals, with red states performing far more executions. They are ardent protectors of the Second Amendment, and fierily oppose gun control. The right favors a hard stance towards illegal immigrants, often deportation, and almost definitely no path to citizenship. The GOP hates unnecessary mandates and other government programs, such as a mandate to buy health insurance. They think corporations and individuals should handle as much as possible; they support privatization (turning government programs into privately owned enterprises) of social security, health care, and other programs. They sometimes dislike the national parks, because they are a federal program that uses land and resources. Conservatives are all for a freer market with less regulation (even if Democrats say the regulation would protect the consumer and elevate the poor). They are all about jobs, and fulfilling the American dream for yourself; they despise long-term government welfare and other help. They want lower taxes, to allow successful Americans to keep their wealth.

House of Representatives: The Republican Party has controlled the House since 2010, and currently occupies 233 of the 435 seats. Democrats control 199. John Boehner of Ohio holds the Speaker’s gavel. This year, the focus will be on the Senate. The House is largely seen as out of reach for

the Democrats, for several reasons. One is a logistical disadvantage. After the census of 2010, GOP-controlled state legislatures drew electoral districts in ways that favored the right. So even as more votes were cast in favor of Democratic candidates in 2012, the Republicans retained a substantial majority. Politically motivated redistricting is called gerrymandering. Because of this, Democrats will have a difficult time winning back the House before 2020. Another disadvantage for the Democrats is the President. Midterm elections are usually unfavorable to the party in the White House. The other party, usually angered by White House policy, is angry and motivated to vote. The midterm election of a president’s second term is usually particularly devastating. President Bush’s second midterm was a disaster for the GOP; it lost 31 seats in the House and six each of Senate seats and governorships. Bush’s party lost both chambers of Congress. Democrat Bill Clinton’s first midterm was marked by the Republican Revolution, as a result of which the Republicans took 54 seats in the House, 8 in the Senate, and majorities in both chambers of Congress, state legislatures, and governorships. President Obama’s first midterm was also unfavorable to his party. A dissatisfied conservative base, driven by the radical Tea Party movement, led to a 63-seat loss for the Democrats. This trend would make a Democratic takeover of the House historic. Additionally, the current political climate is unfavorable to Democrats. President Obama’s Affordable Care Act is deeply unpopular, especially in red states. Democratic Senators from those states,

all of whom voted for the ACA, must face a constituency dissatisfied with the law. The initial website rollout of the law was a failure, which mitigated the unpopularity of the GOP following the government shutdown last October. There is general unpopularity with the President, a dysfunctional government, and the status quo. Republicans are energized by the health care issue, and are motivated to go vote. A special election in Florida’s 13th district was won by a Republican, David Jolly, despite a strong Democratic contender who ran for governor. Many predict that the GOP will slightly increase their majority in the House. Nancy Pelosi, Democrat, represents the 12th District of California (including most of San Francisco) in the House. She is the highest-ranking Democrat in the chamber (Minority Leader) and held the Speaker’s gavel before Republicans took the House in 2010. Her unique leadership position that allows her to promote the interests of her district very aggressively, as well as her district’s far-left views, makes her incredibly unlikely to be defeated. Last election season, she won with over 85% of the vote.

Senate: Both parties have the Senate in sight, and are ready to fight tooth and nail to retain, or regain control of the chamber. The Democratic Party currently controls 55 seats (including two Independents that caucus with them); Majority Leader Harry Reid leads the chamber. The Republicans control 45 seats; they are led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Control of the chamber is a tossup. The Democrats have several vulnerable incumbents, who were elected when America was inspired by President Obama’s first presidential campaign. But now, dissatisfaction with the president, and particularly his health care law, may take their seats away. The Democrats are in danger of losing several seats, many in states where Obama lost in 2012. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, and Mark Udall of Colorado all must fight for their seats. They are mostly in states that lean right, with populations that deeply

disapprove of the President, and the Affordable Care Act, which the Senators voted for. Again, the political climate favors Republicans. This midterm election favors the party out of the White House, and Republicans typically show up in greater numbers than Democrats during midterm years anyway. Control of the Senate is a tossup; a widget from the New York Times, updated daily with poll data, says that the GOP has a 53% chance of taking the chamber. The most likely result is a Republican gain of six seats, resulting in a two-seat majority (51-49). But right behind that are the probabilities of Democrats retaining the Senate, and a slightly greater gain for Republicans. Everyone is watching the Senate. There is still great potential for change in the political climate, so politicians in Washington are acting very carefully to increase their party’s standing with the public. When they tackle the policy issues that they have to as lawmakers, they are careful to act in ways that will energize their voter base, and tip the independent voters towards their party. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer represent California in the Senate. Neither are up for reelection this year.

Governorships: The majority of governorships are up for grabs. Republicans hold a large majority in this segment of politicians, and so will be defending several seats from Democrats. Especially notable is the race in Texas, where many politicians tried to out-conservative each other in their goal of succeeding three-term Gov. Rick Perry. The winner of the primary, Greg Abbott, will face the underdog, Democratic State Senator Wendy Davis, in the general election this November. California Governor Jerry Brown is running for reelection. He is likely to win a fourth term.

Here are a few major issues that will take center stage this election cycle: Affordable Care Act:

Americans don’t like Obam-

acare. The President’s law has become a symbol of big government: government that invades people’s lives, forces from them money and time, and redistributes their wealth. The root goal of the ACA is to provide everyone with affordable health insurance. To accomplish this, many are essentially forced into buying insurance; those who haven’t enrolled by the deadline will pay an extra $95, or 1% of their income (whichever is higher), in taxes. Even with this unpopular provision, the health care law sank even lower when the launch of the federal online exchange (where you select a health care plan) Healthcare.gov failed last October. The website was fraught with errors, and its server couldn’t handle to load of the applicants. There was huge fallout to the President and his Democratic Party; Republicans pointed to the launch as living proof that the law was fatally flawed. Kathleen Sebelius, Obama’s Cabinet Secretary of Health and Human Services, who managed the rollout of the ACA, resigned a couple weeks ago. The GOP plans to make health care the big issue this election season. To show their disapproval, House Republicans have

voted to repeal all or parts of the law dozens of times. GOP Rep David Jolly’s (FL-13) campaign in the special election this March hinged on his disapproval of Obamacare. Many political attack ads aimed at incumbent Democratic senators tear into their support of the law. Many of these ads cite President Obama’s promise that “if you life your plan, you can keep it.” The law ended many health care plans that it deemed lackluster, so Obama and the Democrats that repeated his claim while selling the law to their constituents are suffering for it now. A central part of Republican campaigns across the country is a promise to repeal or change the ACA; vulnerable Democratic senators are distancing themselves from the law, and are promising to change it themselves. The Republican base of those who despise intrusive government is energized and angered by the awful imple-

mentation of the law, and will be driven to the polls. Even though the law has surpassed the initial goal of seven million enrollees by more than one million (regardless of the website problems), it remains unpopular and a polarizing issue this election.

Immigration: Most politicians—John Boehner, President Obama, Harry Reid, and John McCain included—think our immigration system is broken. They agree that reform is necessary. They just don’t agree on how to do it. Democrats, traditionally more popular among minorities and immigrants due to their policies of elevating the disadvantaged, have been pressuring Republicans to reform the system. Bipartisan reform began in the Senate last year. The “Group of 8” senators—four Democrats, four Republi-

cans—wrote a comprehensive immigration bill that included amnesty and a path to American citizenship for those inside the country illegally. The bill passed the Democrat-led Senate with more than two thirds of the chamber’s vote. However, John Boehner, Speaker of the House, refuses let his chamber consider the bill. He has cited distrust with the President to enforce existing policy (even though the President has been painfully aggressive with its deportation policies, deporting more than any other administration, to meet the intense anger of immigrant advocates). He released principles for his party’s stance on immigration. But after backlash from his party’s conservative base, he backed down. At this point, it is extremely unlikely that the House will act on immigration until after the election. Republicans would like to get a majority in the Senate, after which they would have more leverage in negotiations with Democrats. The left continues to pressure the GOP on their inaction. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she’d rather pass immigration reform than win in November. Democrats started a discharge petition to force a vote on the House floor; if a majority of the chamber signs it, they override the Speaker’s authority by forcing Republicans to vote either for or against the bill. This move is unlikely to succeed, but keeps attention on the issue. Swing districts with large minority/immigrant populations, who of course would like to see immigration reform happen, that are held by Republicans are in danger of being taken by Democrats who target Speaker Boehner’s refusal to act. It’s an issue that Democrats will continue to press this election season.

Minimum Wage: During President Obama’s State of the Union address, he proposed that the federal minimum wage be raised to $10.10 per hour. This means that every worker in the country must be paid this minimum, or higher. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour; many states and cities have raised their own minimum wages. The federal minimum wage is at the lowest it’s been for decades

(due to inflation); Democrats would like to raise it, but Republicans are stalling. Republicans say that this would take more money out of employers’ and corporations’ pockets, preventing them from hiring new workers. Because of their focus on jobs and the economy, they are reluctant to support a raise. The Congressional Budget Office confirms that a raise would lift many out of poverty, but would also eliminate jobs. Democrats hope to press the issue this fall. A raise is very popular among Americans, and Democrats hope to energize the voters that would be benefitted by a raise. The party’s platform involves programs to aid the poor and minorities, who are far more likely to work minimum wage jobs. The party’s progressive views also draws the votes of women (especially single), who are likely to be working on the minimum wage, and who would like a raise. Democrats hope that this issue that would affect their core voter base would motivate them to the polls, given that these minority and women voters have simply not shown up at the polls during midterm elections.

Foreign Policy: Americans are dissatisfied with President Obama, and this is further inflamed with conservative politicians’ and commentators’ constant criticism of his foreign policy. His response to the Syrian Civil War and the Ukraine Crisis has been criticized as not strong enough. Secretary of State John Kerry’s Israel-Palestine peace talks have faltered, which will not help the administration. The administration is still hopeful on talks with Iran on its nuclear program, but there has been no agreement yet. President Obama has been helpless to prevent the Russian Federation’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, and has responded with many ways out for Russia. Sanctions on whole sectors of the Russian economy have not been imposed. The administration keeps pushing for diplomacy, which some may be tired of even as Syria’s civil war simmers after failed peace talks, and after a US backdown from airstrikes following a chemical attack. A new Congress cannot radically change the President’s foreign policy, but voters might express dissatisfaction at the polls.

Energy: There is a great debate going on between Democrats and Republicans regarding energy. Democrats argue for exploration of clean energy, while Republicans argue for the more immediately rewarding but environmentally damaging coal, gas, and oil industries. President Obama has stalled on approval of the Keystone pipeline, which would transport Canadian tar sands across the border down to an existing pipeline in Nebraska. The gas boom in the Great Plains (because of hydraulic fracturing) has driven a large number of people to the previously slower states of South Dakota and Kansas. Voters in those states appreciate what the natural gas boom brings to local economies, and would like fossil fuels exploited. The GOP is critical of the Democrat’s delay on approving the pipeline. At the same time, the Democratic Party worries about the environment. Liberal voters and environmental

activists would be angered by a turn away from clean energy to the polluting and unsustainable fossil fuels.

Economy: The economy has always been an important issue. The crash of 2008 still has lingering effects; we are well into the process of recovery, but it is slow. Voters angered by President Obama’s handling of the crisis handed the House to the GOP in 2010, and those still not pleased by the slow rate of growth may not be so favorable to Democrats. The typical liberal stance is to levy taxes on the wealthy, and redistribute this wealth in the form of programs to benefit the poor and minorities to allow mobility and equality of opportunity. Republicans support free market capitalism, and would like to see fewer restrictions on corporations, employers, and the wealthy. Big business, which would like to keep its money and increase its profits, likes Republicans.

Tea Party: The Tea Party, a radical conservative wing of the Republican Party, has cemented itself onto the face of American politics. Tea Party conservatives have defeated several establishment Republicans in primary races before, and hope to win more seats to promote their deeply conservative values in the Congress. One challenged the Senate Minority Whip, John Cornyn, in a primary race, only to lose by a large margin. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is also facing a challenge from the right, which he is likely to win. A divided Republican party will waste the resources of the party, and may deter voters that are uncomfortable with how far right the party is. Other wings of the party are the libertarians, who are socially more liberal and emphasize civil liberties, and the social conservatives, who are often religious and deeply conservative on issues like gay marriage and abortion.

Other: Education may be an issue in some areas. The federal government recently introduced Common Core standards that provide a standardized curriculum for students nationwide. Some appreciate the guidance, but others see it as an infringement of states’ rights. States’ rights are a similar issue. Conservative states typically would like greater autonomy from Washington, largely to avoid regulation and to maintain their own conservative values. Conservative voters would like a federal government that does not want to interfere with the states. Gay marriage is a major issue. Greater acceptance for gay marriage nationwide leads to fallout for Republicans who openly oppose it. Because the Supreme Court

granted the states the right to decide on this issue, the gubernatorial and statewide races may have more civil rights undertones. A Democratic governor/attorney general is far less likely to fight for a gay marriage ban than a conservative one. As usual, those who are driven by environmental issues and global warming will vote Democrat. Those who hate the increased regulation caused by global warming will vote Republican. Gun control is always a polarized debate. Democrats in states like Colorado have faced major fallout over a gun control law, and the typically energized Second Amendment supporters will go to the polls to support looser gun regulation. President Obama’s State of the Union speech mentioned women’s rights. Women still face great adversary in the workplace, with much lower pay and much fewer leadership positions. Both chambers of Congress are at their height of a women-men ratio, yet neither chamber has ever been more than 20% women. Women lead less than 5% of the Fortune 500 companies. Democrats, as the more liberal branch, tend to fight more for women’s rights. They have introduced women’s rights legislation that has been defeated by Republicans; they can use this to energize women voters to support Democratic candidates. A major issue in voters’ minds this election season is the election campaigns themselves. Democrats like to paint Republicans as out of touch with the middle class and only serving the rich and big business. They have cited anonymous donors to Republican campaigns, who often donate huge amounts of money, as an example of how the GOP is driven by the interests of wealthy businessmen and not the middle class consumer. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has repeatedly torn into the Koch Brothers, two chemical-industry en-

trepreneurs who would like to see decreased regulation of their industry and fund ads attacking Democrats. The Supreme Court recently struck down a provision of the campaign finance law passed after the Watergate scandal limiting the total amount of money individuals can contribute to campaigns. Voters are wary of big money that exploits the political process to protect its interests. It’s a lot to take in. Elections are incredibly complex, with thousands of elected offices decided in one day. Most politicians in Washington right now are focused on the elections. Most moves by the President, by Congress, by any governor, by any other official are targeted towards voters. Both parties are vying for the public’s support this November, and the fight, as always, is sure to be bitter. This is what it looks like when the people have the power. Some of the most powerful people in the world are fighting for your attention, your favor, your vote. Their policies are crafted to be approved by the people. It may seem silly, and petty, and overblown, but it’s incredibly special. The men and women in Washington care about your opinion, much more than you’d think. They are representing your interests, because that’s what they need to do to be reelected and get your support. Even as the views of politicians clash, this is representation of the great diversity of views in America. The power of your ballot can really change how this country is run, so exercise it. Unless you’re under eighteen, like me. Then all you can do is talk about it, and leave people wondering why you’re so obsessed with politics when you’re technically not old enough to make conscious decisions for yourself, let alone participate in political discourse.

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Crossword Puzzle Answers

I believe that every student in the whole school did a great job. Students who do really well on the test can get awards and prizes. Visit the Math Kangaroo website for more information and to see how to compete next year. • Levels correspond with school grades: 1st Grade -- Level 1 2st Grade -- Level 2 3st Grade -- Level 3 ... 12th Grade -- Level 12 • 75 Minutes multiple choice test • 24 Questions for students in grades 1- 4. • 30 Questions for students in grades 5 and up • Each participant receives a competition booklet, an answer form, scratch paper and pencil. • No aids other than writing instruments and paper will be allowed. In particular, no calculators will be allowed on any part of the competition, and any cell phones must be turned off.

Across 3 Republican party abbreviation 5 Governs the Gaza Strip, a territory near Israel 7 The agency Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, accuses of hacking Senate computers to interfere with an investigation. 11 Independence Square in Kiev 12 Music, film and technology conference held in Austin 15 A free trade pact among the United States, Canada, and Mexico that recently turned twenty 17 Last Super Bowl Winner 19 Manufacturer of missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner 22 Latest Super Bowl halftime performer 23 California governor, who is seeking reelection in the fall (surname) 24 Intended destination for the lost Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 26 Leaker of documents concerning intelligence agency surveillance 28 Won presidential straw poll at Conservative Political Action Conference (2 Words) 30 Capital of Catalonia, a Spanish area that will vote on independence this year 32 The highest ranking official in the Catholic church, the pope, is the bishop of this city 35 Site of Russian naval base in Crimea 36 Singer of the song "Dark Horse" 37 US House Speaker's home state 38 Host country of the 2014 FIFA World Cup 39 City of the knife attack in China 40 Has entered year four of civil war 41 Number of gold medals won by Team USA at the Sochi Olympics 42 An army officer went on a shooting rampage at a base in this state

Down Defeated Sweden's team to win the gold in Men's Hockey at the Sochi games Exclusive broadcaster of the Sochi games President of Russia (surname) Represents San Francisco in the House of Representatives (surname) Abbreviated name of President Obama's health care overhaul law (aka Obamacare) Album of the Year Grammy winner (2 Words) Has been pope for one year Kingdom that will vote on whether to leave the UK Host city of failed Syrian peace talks, and Ukraine crisis talks A strategic military alliance incorporating the US, Canada, and much of the European Union; member states promise each other protection in case of attack The Turkish government blocked this social network, only to have it ordered unblocked by a court Main character of the film that won Best Picture at the Oscars Host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics Won special election in Florida's 13th district (2 Words) State where a controversial anti-gay law was vetoed by GOP Gov. Jan Brewer Common name for NJ Gov. Chris Christie's lane closure scandal Afghan capital, site of several deadly Taliban attacks leading up to the presidential election Town affected by deadly landslide in Washington State Top Democratic senator, who has been battling with Minority Leader McConnell on the Senate floor Famous double amputee athlete who is being tried for murder in Pretoria, South Africa (surname) This city used cheese salt on their roads to fight the winter ice Neighborhood of a gas explosion in New York Winner of the Best Animated Feature Oscar City host of 2014 Olympic and Paralympic games This test was recently revamped to reflect resourcefulness over memorization

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Publish your comics in The Dragon

Rules (from the Math Kangaroo website):

Zoo Wee Momma! Are you an artist?

Very recently there was a Math Kangaroo test at CAIS, put on by the parents. Math Kangaroo is where the people who want to take a Math Kangaroo test get together by grade in differents rooms and take the same math tests. You have 75 minutes to complete it.

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Math Kangaroo

Join the fun! CAIS Journalism Club Fridays from 3:30 - 5:30d

by Zachary Ngin, Editor-In-Chief

Zachary’s Corner

America’s Great Expectations in Ukraine President Obama’s apparent weakness is louder at home in Washington than in Tehran, Kabul, or Moscow. By ZACHARY NGIN

THIS ARTICLE IS DATED MARCH 19, 2014. IT DOES NOT REFLECT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SITUATION IN EUROPE AND WASHINGTON BEYOND THAT DATE. The world swirls around a United States that has long been a hemisphere away from the action. American politicians have great expectations of American domination, and reminisce of former glory. But many are disillusioned by the apparent superiority of our country; we should exercise restraint in the endless crises abroad, for American influence, while powerful, is not sacrosanct. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry cannot launch a campaign of magic spells across the great flanking oceans. American intervention costs money and lives; some in Washington recognize this, while others push for aggression. The biggest and most intrusive government is not found in gun control or a health care mandate, but in an expectation to help govern nations on the other side of the earth. We should always promote our interests abroad, but we should first consider the fifty states at home, and that countries may not be asking for American intervention. The first step to effective foreign policy is internal unity and restraint; a polarized Congress is embarrassing. Policymakers should focus on deep divisions at home. American pressure can be exercised, but many have dangerous expectations of instant solution. Last year’s government shutdown, among other things, have led many other countries to raise their eyebrows at an apparent leader in democracy and development. At the very least, we should project considerate and unified foreign policy. The first step towards reason and compromise among lawmakers is the dispulsion of unrealistic expectations. Internationally, we should not appear as two nations, split along partisan lines. Any decision by President Obama shouldn’t immediately be lambasted by the GOP or others; everyone should instead carefully consider the practicality and realism of their own solutions, as well as the blame they place on Obama. In this election year, many lawmakers can score points by criticizing the unpopular president,

but it’s embarrassing to come across as a bully who is quick to exercise power, but whose foreign policy suffers indigestion because of an indecisive government. Take Ukraine, the most recent in an endless series of crises. The newborn government in Kiev first gloated over the overthrow of the corrupt former president Viktor Yanukovych, but quickly came to terms with the facts of debt, instability in the Russia-leaning East, lack of credibility, and looming default. Starting last November, citizens gathered in Maidan, Kiev’s Independence Square, to demand closer ties with the European Union and an end to corruption. Yanukovych’s harsh anti-protest legislation, kidnappings and beatings of activists, and sniper fire in Kiev fed the fire. While protesters the West, in Kiev and Lviv, chanted and fought in Maidan to overthrow Yanukovych in favor of closer ties with the EU, the East (geographically, ethically, linguistically, and culturally closer to Russia) stayed silent. When the protesters in Kiev succeeded, it was the East’s turn to reel. High off success, the new Parliament pushed through an unwise and provocative measure eliminating Russian as an official language. Russia-leaning cities like Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk went through major whiplash with the rapid change of power. The Crimean peninsula, site of a Russian naval base in Sevastopol, felt especially alienated. Suddenly, eastern Ukraine was in protest. Busloads of Russian citizens were ferried across the border to protest in the eastern cities; they, along with irate Ukrainians, took over government buildings and protested the “fascists” in Kiev. Russian media reported chaos in Donetsk, and that fascists had killed a citizen wanting to return to mother Russia; most reporters agree that it was the other way around. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, angry that the strategically important Ukraine turned away from his country, sent his troops into Crimea to protect the allegedly endangered ethnic

Russians. They bloodlessly took over, and occupied the Crimean peninsula, on which Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based. On Sunday, Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join the Russian Federation in a Putin-instigated referendum on secession from Ukraine. The Kremlin has signaled that it is willing to embrace Crimea as a subject of Moscow. Worth noting, however, is a pattern of human rights abuses in Russia, an inherently unfair voting process, and a crackdown on media freedom and proUkraine advocacy in the same league as Beijing, Tehran, and Riyadh. The election was conducted as Russian troops watched, masked and carrying weapons. Thousands of troops have moved into the Crimean Peninsula, and thousands more gather near the border in ‘planned’ exercise. The borders of Crimea are carefully guarded against journalists and Ukrainian activists (“no cameras allowed”), and all flights to the regional capital Simferopol have been cut off, except for those from Moscow. There are reports of Russia cyberattack on Ukraine, and fears of Russian ambition to move further into eastern Ukraine; Russian troops have already moved past the borders of Crimea to seize a natural gas plant, a piece of infrastructure critical to the peninsula. In Russia itself, a long campaign of antihomosexuality and crackdown on peaceful protest has raised controversy. A large campaign had been mounted before the referendum, encouraging the citizens to lean towards Moscow. A Russian opposition activist’s access to the Internet has been cut off. Russian state media speaks of anarchy in Ukraine, justifying the ‘peacekeepers’. There have been almost no gatherings in Crimea supporting a continued connection with Kiev; opposition activists have been beaten, intimidated, or kidnapped. Russian citizens have a vision of American soldiers parachuting into Kiev, while Western media corrupts their Ukrainian compatriots. The head of the Russian state media agency pointed out that Russia is capable of turning the United States into nuclear dust, and suggested that President Obama’s hair is gray with worry. The Kiev government is now faced with an incredibly polarized nation, a foreign invasion, and is on the brink of default. Interim President Turchynov asked for billions in foreign aid, from the International Monetary Fund, the US, and elsewhere. Most ominously, the first Ukrainian military casualty was

shot dead by a Russian soldier on Tuesday. The United States, largely considered the face of the West, could do little to stop Putin’s power grab in Ukraine. President Obama’s response has been widely criticized, but I don’t believe that there are better options for his administration. The scathing internal criticism makes the United States look divided and petty: squabbling over not just its own affairs, but another country’s. The United States’ response has been one of winged messages, carried by our couriers: Secretary of State John Kerry, United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power, and President Obama himself. Washington has torn into Russia’s “anachronistic” act of violence. The White House commented: “We are long past the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of elected governments.” It is anxious to support the Western-leaning government in Kiev, but there is a limit to what it can do to apprehend Russia. Bilateral trade is laughable; economic sanctions would not pose much damage. Europe, however, is another story. Russian gas fuels a third of Europe, and the EU almost a third of Russian international trade. If European leaders were to smash Russia with sanctions, the Russian oligarchs and businessmen would be very unhappy with the Kremlin. Putin, who addressed the upper chamber of the Russian Parliament on Tuesday, said he Washington, for its part, has been vigilant in lobbying European leaders to punish Russia. Of course, trade goes both ways. A significant portion of European exports go to Russia, and the EU reasonably dependent on Russia for its gas. To counteract this, Washington is looking at the option of exporting American energy. Western companies have holdings in Russia, and will, along with European economies, be hit hard by cutoff of trade. Moscow could also hinder negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program, in which unity among the world power negotiators has been crucial, and with Bashar al-Assad’s Syria; the Syria talks have failed so far, and depend largely on Russia, as the only government with real leverage over Assad. But leaders are losing patience with Russia’s invasion and intentions of annexation. Tuesday’s announcement of official annexation are sure to ignite the anger of European leaders, even those who thus far have shown restraint out of concern for European economies. Ger-

man Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and French President Francois Hollande have all signaled that if Russia does not take a diplomatic “exit ramp” as offered to Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by Western diplomats, they will impose economic sanctions. President Obama and the State Department are agitating the European powers, and are working to bring international condemnation and isolation to Russia. Washington has pledged support not only to Kiev, but also to Poland and the Baltic States, which are growing increasingly concerned for their own safety, given Russia’s ease of invasion on made-up pretenses. Samantha Power at the United Nations pushed for international condemnation of the referendum in the Security Council, the UN’s most powerful body. Russia, a permanent member, vetoed the resolution. China abstained. But the thirteen other members of the Security Council voted for the motion: this referendum is illegal and Russia needs to stop. The United States has spearheaded pressure on Russia, so much that European leaders are tentative to follow suit. To act in Ukraine, we will need cooperation across the West, from NATO and the EU; right now, President Obama is pushing for this cooperation. US military might is unrivaled, but not a single politician is raising the possibility of a military response. Economic support to Kiev is widely supported; Washington pledged $1 billion in aid. Yet, just as they criticize his weakness or illegitimacy, members of Congress are fighting tooth and nail over the aid bill. The Obama-aligned Senate passed an aid bill, but GOP Speaker Boehner’s House of Representatives is mounting a protest over reforms to the International Monetary Fund. Obama says that they would allow the international body to better aid Kiev, but House Republicans are not happy. They refused to allow these changes to pass along with the aid. Congress went on recess for 10 days before passing the aid to Ukraine. It’s an ominous preface to the aid that Kiev will undoubtedly need in the future. Obama’s political opponents are mounting a campaign of biting dissent. But it’s unclear exactly what they would have done differently. The right complains of decreasing American influence in the world, and pushes for strength in response. Yet no one dares suggest military action, and Washington is already aggressively lobbying Europe to inflict

damage that it simply can’t. The United States simply does not have much leverage over Russia, and Obama is doing almost all he can to punish Putin, as well as provide a diplomatic solution to the crisis. He’s exercising diplomatic persuasion, but is also taking a harder stance than most of the EU nations; he has pushed the Group of 8 industrialized nations (including Russia) to move their meeting from Sochi to The Hague, minus the Russia. He has also ordered increased military drills in the Black Sea and has put arms in nearby Poland. Now, it’s clear across the West that the blame now lies squarely on the Kremlin; it has been given plenty opportunity to back out, and to protect its interest with nonviolent means. Some lawmakers have suggested that Obama isn’t making good on his threats. They note his “red line” on chemical weapon use in Syria, and that he later opted for a diplomatic solution over the airstrikes he initially pushed for. But I have trouble imagining that there would be no resistance to another Middle Eastern war in Syria. Additionally, it’s unclear how his action in Syria directly encouraged Putin to flaunt the US. It’s true that President Obama should not threaten action and not follow through; it does slightly undermine American credibility. But President Bush’s fervor for the invasion of Iraq, even with some allies grumbling, did not deter Russia from invading Georgia in 2008, when Moscow declared the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions independent from Tbilisi because of their Russian ties. In a New York Times op-ed on Friday, GOP Senator John McCain demanded further action in Ukraine, much of which had been taken by Tuesday. He advocated for international isolation, stepped-up military drills, and reassurances to Poland and the Baltic States; it seems his traditionally harder views on foreign policy line up with Obama’s aggressive push to condemn Russia and act in this crisis. His approach has been so direct that some European leaders, obviously with much more to lose, have stalled. His messages are seen as weak in the Capitol, but are likely reverberating in Brussels, Kiev, and Moscow; other countries that may seek to poke at American influence, like Hamid Karzai’s Afghanistan, China, and Iran, are watching. Obama’s willingness to rally the international community should be seen as a sign that he will get things done, as controversially stated in his State of the

Union address, “with or without Congress”. In the interest of not making the US look even weaker than they say it is, Obama’s political opponents to the right should stop chiding his foreign policy. There is an ideological conflict: Republican versus Democrat. But when this divide doesn’t translate into real policy differences, our policymakers should be a little quieter about their differences. United States influence is mighty enough. We should not worry about being erased from the world, even if we focus on “nation building at home” for a while. Our military spending is greater than that of the nine runners up combined. Our network of defense treaties that obligate mutual protection, extending to NATO and Japan, account for well over half of the world’s military spending. We have military bases all over the world; it’s hard to imagine foreign troops living and working in New York City, but that is the case, even in developed, powerful nations like Germany and Japan. Our military is held to the standard of fighting wars on two fronts at once. We have the largest economy in the world, and have great sway over most nations internationally. We have veto at the United Nations Security Council and the sole veto at the International Monetary Fund. I imagine that other countries are annoyed that the United States is constantly throwing its weight around and trying to maintain dominant influence everywhere, while not even getting its act together at home (i.e. the government shutdown and the NSA spying controversy). We are fine, and policymakers should realize that America is the single most powerful nation in the world right now. I try not to be an exceptionalist; American power has been put to use in flawed ways (for example, the Iraq War). But the United States will remain a major power in the world for a while, even if globalization and greater power to the people of the world are making the US government less of a defining force. The world is not waiting for a historically unproductive Congress to act in their own nations. People power is apparent more than ever; revolutions mark the continents as citizens take their freedom into their own hands. In Kiev and Cairo, Caracas and Bangkok, Tripoli and Damascus, people are standing up and shouting. Now, it’s not as much for another country to liberate them, but a rallying cry for them to liberate themselves. It’s

up to America to take advantage of the people power – democracy – worldwide. Or else, the United States’ influence and intervention will be another oppressive force that the people will once more rise up against. We are at crossroads. You would think that we are always at crossroads, but given the global network of people and power and wealth and strength, that is to be expected. The United States needs to learn to coexist with the people, just as most have peacefully coexisted with Washington’s hand in world affairs. The first step to agreeing to disagree (even when the adversary does not possess nuclear weapons) is to lower expectations everyone heeding the United States’ opinion. Not everyone is going to agree. We have our very own nation at home, with which we can do whatever we want. It’s democracy. It’s ours. But in the context of events elsewhere, we should put more power in the hands of people there rather than people here. Barack Obama isn’t king of the world. Our Congress isn’t a supergovernment, or even the United Nations. And that’s a good thing.

Do you have an opinion about something? Anything? Share it with people in The Dragon

Current Events Crossword! Zachary Ngin

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Across Republican party abbreviation Governs the Gaza Strip, a territory near Israel The agency Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, accuses of hacking Senate computers to interfere with an investigation. Independence Square in Kiev Music, film and technology conference held in Austin A free trade pact among the United States, Canada, and Mexico that recently turned twenty Last Super Bowl Winner Manufacturer of missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner Latest Super Bowl halftime performer California governor, who is seeking reelection in the fall (surname) Intended destination for the lost Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 Leaker of documents concerning intelligence agency surveillance Won presidential straw poll at Conservative Political Action Conference (2 Words) Capital of Catalonia, a Spanish area that will vote on independence this year The highest ranking official in the Catholic church, the pope, is the bishop of this city Site of Russian naval base in Crimea Singer of the song "Dark Horse" US House Speaker's home state Host country of the 2014 FIFA World Cup City of the knife attack in China Has entered year four of civil war Number of gold medals won by Team USA at the Sochi Olympics An army officer went on a shooting rampage at a base in this state

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Animal Style Oliver Chessen’s

By Oliver Chessen

Behavior

The Patagonia Mara is a species of large rodent. The Patagonian Mara’s habitat ranges from northcentral Argentina south almost to Tierra del Fuego. The terrain of the area is overgrazed and barren soils in the Monte Desert, lowland habitats such as forests and bushes, and open plain and steppes.

Description The Patagonian Mara well resembles a Jackrabbit and Capybara. The Patagonian Mara has a head and body length of 27–30 in, with a tail of 4–5 1.6–2.0 in, and it weighs 18–35 lb. The Patagonian Mara has a diet mainly composed of 70% wheats and grains, and 30% flowers. They may also walk or hop like hares ang gallop like horses. They can also communicate with a number of sounds, from low grunts to high screams.

Conservation Unfortunately, the Patagonian Mara is in decline due to hunting and habitat alteration. They have also abeen extirpated (locally extinct) in some areas. People hunt the Patagonian Mara for fur, which they use for rugs. The Patagonian Mara is also greatly affected by habitat destruction(alteration), especially from major corporation that use the Patagonian Maras habitat for resources (wood, paper, etc).