Friends are Important -by Faith Liao

        Do you think friends are important? Well, I do. Friends mean a lot to me. A lot of people may ask: what are friends for? What do they do? Do they care?

        Well, I can answer all these questions. What are friends for? Need help? Your friends are there for you. And they would love to help you.

       What do they do for you? Real friends stand up for you, and you should stand up for them.

      Do they care? Real friends absolutely care for you. They will love you. That is why friends are important. Friends are there when you need a hand.

Exciting Trip to Mysterious New World–Neptune -by Ryan Chen

        Imagine you will be the first 100 lucky people to travel to Neptune in a new model of super-sonic spaceship. So now is your chance!!  Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun in our solar system. No human ever went to visit the faraway and mysterious Neptune. Only a space probe called Voyager 2 has traveled to Neptune. The space probe took photographs for 5 mouths. So, instead of a 12-year-long trip, we will make it a 4-year-long trip. That's three times faster than before!!! You can closely take a look at the dark storm spots raging, the trademark blue atmosphere, the amazing 13 moons, and the almost-invisible 6 rings. 

        Neptune has a very hot core [5000 degrees Fahrenheit].  The freezing, strong winds on Neptune makes it pretty dangerous to visit. We will provide you with everything you need, with all safety equipment.  We can help you get there for a luxury tour and let you stay at a 5-star hotel. You will be filled with unforgettable memories and have fun exploring this unique planet!

The Discovery of Mercury -by Ryan Chen

        No one really knew who actually discovered the element mercury. It was known to the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, and Hindus in 1500 BC. It was also found in Egyptian tombs. The Chinese thought it was a potion that made them live longer, but it was toxic and killed many Chinese people in 1500 BC. In 1772-1774, two people, scientist Carl W. Scheele and chemist Joseph Priestley heated mercury oxide that made a candle burn five times faster than normal. They had found oxygen. This element is named after the planet Mercury.

Properties

        The atom of mercury has eighty protons in the nucleus. It also has 121 neutrons and eighty electrons. The element’s atomic number is eighty, so it is considered a big atom out of 118 elements altogether. The atom has six energy levels where electrons zoom here and there. It is classified as a transition metal and has a silvery white color. It is 200.59 for atomic mass in the state of liquid at room temperature. It is so dense that a steel bolt and a cannonball can float on it! It is melted at -38.83 degrees Celsius, and boiled at 356.73 degrees Celsius. When mercury is boiled, the gas is harmful to people and can go through glass when shaken around because it is very dense.

Uses of Mercury

        Mercury is most commonly used for thermometers. The mercury expands when exposed to heat. Barometers have mercury because it expands due to pressure in the atmosphere. Mercury is also used in street lighting and to extract gold, silver, and platinum from their ores. Mercury hardens with steel and makes teeth filling, too!

 

The Advantages and Disadvantages of the American and British Army During the American Revolution -by Miriam Chen

          A bang was heard. The war of 1775 started. Is Britain stronger or is America stronger? Who will win? Britain was making unfair taxes and laws on the Americans, and because of this, war started. Americans said that they had the right to govern themselves. On the other hand, Britain disagreed and fought. In the American Revolutionary War, there were many advantages and disadvantages for both American and British armies, which affected the course of the war.

            For Britain, they had many advantages and disadvantages. The British had many advantages. First, they had enough money to hire foreign troops. They were a strong nation at that time and could afford to hire others to fight for them. Also, the army that they had were well trained. Most were experienced fighters that fought the war for Britain while the woman helped cook and send in supplies. Finally, they had the best navy, which protected the coastlines and supply lines. In the textbook History Alive! by Bert Bower, it stated that "Britain had one of the strongest armed forces (military) in the world. The British navy controlled the seas with 270 war ships. Britain’s shipyard built another 200 warships before the war was over." Britain had a lot of advantages that helped them during the war. Despite these advantages, Britain also had many disadvantages. Since the British army had to travel a long distance to fight in the American Revolutionary War, they lacked sleep, were homesick, and were exhausted. The guns that they prepared for the battle were smooth bore muskets, which took longer to load than the American guns, so by the time they reloaded their muskets, they might have been shot at already. Bower mentioned in his book that "soldiers from America also captured cannons and muskets from Britain.” Even though the British had a big strong army, they still had many disadvantages and problems that contributed to their losing the war.

The American Continental Army also took part in this war. Apparently similar to the British army, the Continental Army had advantages and disadvantages. The Continental Army had advantages such as they were able to fight on their own land, which helped them know the areas. Also, they had widespread knowledge of  firearms. In the book History Alive! it said that “The Continentals could fight a defensive war. They did not have to destroy the British army, instead hold them off.” In America, the Continental Army had many motivations and assistance from France to help them fight the British army. Even though Britain was big and strong, America had great strategies and courageously fought Britain. Sadly, America also had a few disadvantages. The Continental Army lacked training and discipline. They also had shortages of ammunition, food, clothing, and medicine. Also, some men fled the army because of starvation and weather. In the book History Alive! it mentioned that “During the winter of 1777-1778 the men in Washington’s army suffered from freezing conditions and starvation, yet they refused to give up.” The Americans faced advantages and disadvantages in the war.  

In conclusion, there were many advantages and disadvantages for both American and British armies during the American Revolutionary War, which affected the course of war. Even  though Britain had a strong and well-trained army, America eventually won the war and was recognized as an independent nation.

The Time Capsule Reopened in 2500 -by Miriam Chen

        The box that you are opening is called a time capsule. Inside this time capsule there is an essay written by a fifth grader in 2015 about her life. Right now in 2500, you must be wondering what school was like in 2015. Well, in 2015 there is a structure called school and we stay there for about 7 boring hours. In school we have two resting period called recess and lunch. We have fields of grass and structures that we play on. But in 2500 you might have robots playing with you and talking to you.

        In 2015, what we do to get around is to ride on vehicles called a car, a scooter, skateboard, or a bike. You might not believe this but we need to move physically in order to get somewhere. What I think you do is ride on hover boards and air-like vehicles. This might sound impossible but it's not. In the morning, we have alarms or watches that wake you up. Once you wake up you have to wait until breakfast is fully cooked. Instead, in 2500, you have robots that make your breakfast. Before you wake up they gently call you, unlike alarms that will annoy you until you wake up and turn it off. In 2015 when you are hungry, food won't just appear out of nowhere. Instead, if you order a snack you have to wait for it. Now in 2500, you can probably order food from your iPhone 75 plus and get it right away. Even though life in 2015 sounds hard, it still had its advantages.

Complaints From Your Goldfish -by Alison Wu

April 29, 2015

Dear Owner,

    Thank you for actually paying attention to me sometimes. I know it’s hard, with you being busy with your work and all, but have you noticed how badly you have been taking care of me? I, as a goldfish, deserves more respect. You do not seem to be aware of all the problems in my tank here. By the way, have you noticed that you haven’t changed the filter cartridge in HALF A YEAR??!! (The package says to do so once a month). Please think about changing the following conditions, if you actually care about me.

    First of all, there are way too many pebbles in the fish tank. Actually, maybe I should call it a fish bowl, since it’s so small. Anyway, the rocks pretty much fill up half the bowl, and if you ask me, that means there is not much room left. The package that held the rocks when you bought them said very clearly to use only half the rocks in a standard fish tank, and a fourth of the rocks for a fish bowl like this one. Second of all, remember when you bought me? (And I personally think that it’s kind of stupid for that store to sell me for fifty cents. We fishies are worth more than that, aren’t we?) The store dude said to make sure I had enough space in the tank. Third of all, those other fish you put in the tank with me should probably go away. They swim so fast, it’s a wonder that I actually get to some food fast enough to stay alive. Also, they are annoying. Especially that fat red one. He snores so loudly (even when he’s not sleeping), I barely ever fall asleep.

    Another thing. The water and the cleaning. Last time you had fish, they all died because the water wasn’t clean. You need to put clean, filtered water in my tank and clean it  every month. Tap water and sloppy, ineffective cleaning every six months just won’t do. Also, don’t use the sinking kind of fish food, or at least use a different brand. The kind that I get results in countless numbers of rotting fish food at the floor of the fish bowl. Please try to be more responsible with your pets.

Sincerely,

Your Hopeful Pet Fish

Frogs -by Allison Wu

Frogs are so interesting that there are about a million facts about frogs. There are many types of frogs that live in different parts of the world. Frogs live everywhere except Antarctica. Some live in trees, rivers, lakes, ponds, and deserts. Many people think that a toad is not a frog. Actually, a toad is a kind of frog, although there are a lot of differences between them. A toad always has a poisonous pouch, no teeth, and has dry, bumpy skin. It has short legs for walking. A frog does not have to be poisonous. A frog has teeth on the upper jaw. Its skin is moist and smooth. It has long legs for jumping. Watch out! Some frogs may seem pretty but they can be poisonous. Their colorful skin is to warn enemies to not eat them. One of the most dangerous frog is the Terribilis, also known as the golden dart frog. Terribilis are smaller than your finger but they have enough poison to kill 20,000 mice. Frogs are very interesting animals.