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Sailing the Dream

Sixteen-year-old Mike Perham boarded his 50-foot yacht last November with a single goal: becoming the youngest person to sail solo around the world. His planned four-month, nonstop circumnavigation became a nine-month odyssey. He faced many challenges and spent his birthday at sea. But after 30,000 miles, Mike returned to his starting place of Portsmouth, England, on August 29 to a hero’s welcome. Mike recorded his voyage in his blog (www.totallymoney.com/sailmike.) He told CE student reporter Gray Robertson about his record-setting trip.

Gray Robertson: What inspired you to try to break the record? Was there a point when you realized it was harder than you had originally thought?

Mike Perham: It was a real adventure. The ocean is a broad power of nature, and I wanted to go out and experience it. … [Yes, on] day 1, when the autopilot broke down for the first time. … It is [one of] the most important pieces of [equipment] on the boat, allowing me to leave the helm to adjust the sails, cook food, and catnap. I did everything possible to mend it, taking advice from my dad who was speaking to the manufacturers. Eventually, I had to give up on it—and my hopes of completing this solo circumnavigation nonstop—by [stopping to] get it fixed. I was pretty down, I can tell you.

GR: What was the scariest thing that happened on your voyage?

MP: Big storms in the Southern Ocean [were scary], but at the same time, this was the best part of the voyage. The Southern Ocean is the most fantastic place to sail. It is cold … and wet, but with the strong westerly winds and big waves constantly pushing the boat forward, the difference between windswept and wipeout is sometimes balanced on a knife-edge. As the boat accelerates down each wave, the adrenaline rush is intense. … It must be like driving a car really fast … I don’t know, because I was too young to drive when I set out around the world and have just applied for my … license. Passing my driving test is my next great challenge!

GR: What was it like celebrating your birthday on a boat?

MP: It was really cool. I was looking forward to it a lot. I cooked my favorite meal—chicken in wine sauce—and opened presents that family and friends had given to me.

GR: When did it finally sink in that you had broken the record? How did you feel when you completed your journey?

MP: [I realized it] only once I had got back on [firm ground] in Portsmouth. … [It felt] really fantastic. It can get quite lonely sailing a boat on your own, but to see the thousands of people lined up on the quayside at Gunwharf Quays, I realized that there have been many more people who have been living my dream with me.

GR: What would you say to kids who dream of sailing around the world?

MP: Go for it and live the dream, but to sail around the world you have to be totally focused.  Age is not the prerequisite—that is just a number. … The first requirement is to have the experience. … The second … is physical strength. Can you cope with pulling down a sail that got jammed in a force 8 gales while constantly being hosed down with cold spray? The third … is psychological. Can you cope with being alone for long periods? Can you function when deprived of sleep? The fourth … knowledge. [Do you] have … the knowledge to repair electronics and the general skills of mending and making do? Because when you are out there in the middle of the ocean, there is no one there to help. You have to do it all alone.

Stacks of Sorcery

In the best-selling book series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, 15-year-old twins Josh and Sophie set out on a journey to help Flamel, an ancient immortal who can use magic, to retrieve his stolen book of powerful spells. Irish author Michael Scott draws on his vast knowledge and love of world mythology to stage the battle between good and evil. The newest book, The Sorceress, is the third in the six-part series, which movie producers plan to adapt for the big screen. There’s also a new online game to accompany the series at www.alchemystgame.com. Scott chatted with Current Events student reporter Destiny Cuevas about the Flamel series.

Destiny Cuevas: Did you always want to be an author?

Michael Scott: [Writing] grew on me gradually. I always loved reading. … Certainly, in my late teens I was starting to write. My first book, a collection of Irish folklore, was published when I was in my early 20s. I never thought I would be a writer. My mother wanted me to be an accountant. I wanted to be a librarian.

Destiny: How did you get the idea for the series? Who was Nicholas Flamel?

Scott: I had been toying with the idea of using all the great characters and creatures from world mythology in one story for a long time. … Nicholas Flamel was one of the most famous alchemists of his day. [An alchemist is someone who practices the medieval science and philosophy of turning base metal into gold and creating a remedy to cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely.] … Of course, the greatest mystery linked to Nicholas Flamel is the story of what happened after he died. When his tomb was opened by thieves looking for some of his great wealth, it was found to be empty. … Had Nicholas also discovered that other great mystery of alchemy: the secret of immortality?

Destiny: Who is your favorite character?

Scott: Actually, it is Dr. John Dee. … He was the original hero of this series. Like all the other characters in the series, he was a real man … he was a mathematician and geographer, astronomer and astrologer, and also part of [Queen Elizabeth I’s] network of spies. He signed his coded messages “007.” The two 0’s representing the eyes of the Queen, and the symbol that looked like a 7 was Dee’s personal mark. I loved the idea that he was the original 007—James Bond.

Destiny: What advice can you give aspiring young writers?

Scott: Writers have to read. … Read everything! You will see [the Flamel series] is a mixture of fantasy, history, mythology, geography, legend. And … write. Do it every day, even if you throw it away the following day. … Write the ending, so you know what happens to your characters … if you plot and lay out all the major events … it will make it easier to complete.

Photos: M. Scott (Perry Hagopian); Cover (Courtesy of Random House Children's Books)

Meet CE News Blog’s Student Reporters!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Current Events has a new set of student reporters. The writers are the winners of the CE Student Reporter Contest from this past summer. They will interview other teens, celebrities, politicians, and other newsmakers throughout the school year. They will also help write debates on news topics relevant to teens. Their stories will regularly appear in Current Events magazine and right here on the CE News Blog! Welcome student reporters! Here’s the scoop on why they will make top-notch reporters. 

Donald Collins

Clinton, MO

Sixth grade

“I enjoy learning and writing about different people.”

 

Jack Roberson

New Bern, NC

Sixth grade

“I love the Weekly Reader magazines and I thought it would be cool to be a part of it.”

 

Sarah Rothenberger

Fleetwood, PA

Sixth grade

“I like writing and I thought it would be fun to interview people that kids like me would be interested in.”

Brendan McSharry

Cranford, NJ

Seventh grade

“I thought it would be fun to write in a magazine that I read every week for school.”

 

Destiny Cuevas

Orcutt, CA

Seventh grade

“I want to give facts and nothing but the facts so students and children know what’s going on around the world.”

 

Jessica Remlinger

Snohomish, WA

Seventh grade

“I love reading anything and everything. … I write newspapers for fun with my cousin.”

 

Gray Robertson

Birmingham, AL

Seventh grade

“When I was in sixth grade, I would announce sports news for the school’s morning broadcast. … I’m serious about reporting. I’ve always wanted to be a sports reporter for ESPN.”

 

Maria Belding

Pella, IA

Eighth grade

“I really enjoy writing, in all forms, and this is a great way to do a lot of one of my favorite things.”

 

Cole Boettcher

Mequon, WI

Ninth grade

“I’ve always loved to write. I got really excited when I heard about this contest that Current Events was holding. I grew up reading Current Events and I always thought it would be really cool to write for them!”

 

Meghan Coyle

Alexandria, VA

Ninth grade

“Interviews get to know people. They get a rare look into a person’s character, personality, and beliefs. You don’t get that from press releases or biographies. … Those are facts. These are people.”

 

Noosha Razavian

San Diego, CA

Ninth grade

“I have always had a passion to debate about almost anything, from the recent Presidential election and political parties to whether or not schools should have uniforms.”

 

Lory Martinez

Kew Gardens, NY

Eleventh grade

“I love to write and tell stories. I also love to ask questions and have a natural curiosity for the world around me, which is an essential attribute for a journalist.”

Teen Solves Own Medical Mystery

Do you know what an autoimmune disease is? As an 8th grade student and son of a physician, I did not know what one was until I read recent headlines. An autoimmune disease is when your body does not recognize its own cells and attacks them using special proteins called antibodies. Many people you may have heard of have autoimmune diseases. Nick Jonas has Type 1 Diabetes; former U.S. President John F. Kennedy had Addison’s disease.

Now the spotlight is on Jessica Terry, an 18-year-old high school senior at Eastside Catholic High School in Washington. Terry had problems as a child with stomach pain, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. Doctors ran several tests and said samples of her intestinal tissue were normal. “Not knowing much about a disease you’re growing up with is not only nerve-wracking, but it’s confusing,” Terry told Washington’s Sammamish Reporter.

Then, one day in her Advanced Placement biology course, BioMedical Problems, Terry took matters into her own hands. The class was assigned a group project to study and report on different tissue diseases. Local pathologists, scientists who study diseases, taught the students how to analyze slides. Terry requested samples of her own tissues so she could inspect them under a microscope for herself.

After hours of examining her slides, lo and behold, she found a large, dark area showing inflammation known as a granuloma. This is a sure sign of Crohn’s Disease, an incurable but treatable autoimmune disease. She called her teacher over immediately. “‘Ms. Welch! Ms. Welch! Come over here. I think I’ve got something!” she shouted. Her teacher knew Terry was onto something. “I snapped a picture of it on the microscope and e-mailed it to the pathologist,” Welch told reporters. “Within 24 hours, he sent back an e-mail saying ‘yes, this is a granuloma.;"

Doctors were impressed by Terry’s finding. “Granulomas are oftentimes very hard to find,” said Dr. Corey Siegel, a bowel disease specialist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. “I commend Jessica for her meticulous work.”

What does the future hold for this budding scientist? She’ll begin nursing school in the fall and has written a book for children about Crohn’s disease, which she hopes to have published. As for solving her own medical mystery? “This has been the highlight of my high school career, for sure,” Terry told the Sammamish Reporter. “How many other kids across the nation get an experience like this? It’s been amazing.”

~By Raul Madera, Current Events student reporter

Photo: www.komonews.com

$50,000 for Texting?!

Fifteen-year-old Kate Moore has a text message for all parents: "Let your kid text during dinner! Let your kid text during school! Your kid could win money and publicity and a phone."

Texting paid off for her. Just eight months after she got her first cell phone, Moore was crowned the nation’s newest texting champion at the LG U.S. National Texting Championship held June 15-16 in New York City. Her fast fingers won her $50,000. Over two days of fierce competition, the high schooler from Des Moines, Iowa outtexted 20 other finalists from around the country. Challenges included texting blindfolded, texting while navigating an obstacle course, and texting three long messages with all the necessary abbreviations, capitalization, and punctuation. Moore beat out 14-year-old Morgan Dynda from Savannah, Georgia, by only a few seconds in a tie-breaking round. 

Like any other “sport,” the competition required lots of practice. For Moore, training includes 400 to 470 texts a day, or 14,000 texts a month. She even texts to study for tests with friends. She says looking back at the messages is a good way to review. She says she makes sure her cell phone doesn’t take time away from other aspects of her life, though. She also meets people in person and goes out with friends on weekends. She performs in school plays and keeps up good grades.

So, the next time your parents are upset about your texting bill, just tell them you’re training—for $50,000.

~By Tiffany Lam, Current Events student reporter

Photo: AP Images

Author Sighting

I recently had the rare opportunity to meet Yoko Kawashima Watkins, award-winning author of the autobiographical novels So Far from the Bamboo Grove and its sequel My Brother, My Sister, and I. She was in Connecticut for a few days to promote So Far from the Bamboo Grove. I was able to ask her a couple of questions. Let me first tell you a bit about the author, who has led a hard and fascinating life.

As a child, Watkins lived in Nanam, North Korea because her father, who was a Japanese government official, was stationed there during World War II (1939-1945). In 1945, angry Korean and Russian Communist forces sought vengeance for decades of Japanese oppression and attempted to flush out all of the Japanese people living in Korea. Watkins, her mother, and sister were forced to flee to Japan, leaving her father and brother behind. Watkins was enrolled in school, but a few days later, her mother passed away. Many years later, Watkins became an interpreter at a U.S. Air Force base in Japan, where she met Donald Watkins, an American pilot whom she married in 1953.

Kaitlyn Ali: Who or what influenced you to become an author?

Yoko Kawashima Watkins: I met a badly spoiled American child. She was 15 years old. The girl had everything she wanted, but she still complained. I went home and that was when I wrote about hardship. I soon sent the girl a letter saying that she should appreciate what has been bestowed upon her.

KA: Was it difficult for you and your family to live through World War II?

YKW: Absolutely! That was the main reason why I wrote the books So Far from the Bamboo Grove and My Brother, My Sister, and I. Many people were against the war. Of course, children never start war. The government officials start it. All they thought about was greed. They didn’t even think about the women, children, and grandparents that would be affected by it. 

Yoko Kawashima Watkins is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Even as we were driving away she stood and waved to us until we were out of sight, which is a Japanese tradition. She currently lives in Brewster, Massachusetts with her husband and four children.

~By Kaitlyn Ali, Current Events student reporter

Photo: Kaitlyn Ali, Yoko Kawashima Watkins, and Amanda Cooper (left to right)

Girl Power

Tamora Pierce loves writing stories about heroes—female heroes. As one of the leading young adult fantasy authors, she paved the way for “girl power” fantasy in the early 1980s with her first novel, Alanna: The First Adventure. Since then, she has written more than two dozen books featuring fierce heroines. Her latest novel, Bloodhound: Beka Cooper Book Two, the follow-up to Terrier, hit the shelves on April 14. Its heroine is a 17-year-old medieval policewoman sniffing out criminals in the Lower City. Pierce spoke to Current Events student reporter Tiffany Lam about Bloodhound and her writing career.

Tiffany Lam: Who is your hero, both literary and nonliterary?

Tamora Pierce: As a writer … Mark Twain. He’s my literary idol. His work is as clear and distinct as if he were writing today. He wrote what he had to say about politics and religion in his time, and it applies just as much as if he wrote it today. I liked that he could combine humor and drama and tell a powerful story to get his story across. … I try to [do that]. He was the one who showed me you could have a book and have it be dramatic and have parts of it that are funny. He always spoke his mind about things, [such as] human folly, yet he still managed to believe in heroes. I try to do that. Outside of writing, [my hero] would have to be Eleanor Roosevelt. She did so much good. She was able to be Franklin Roosevelt’s legs, speak on his behalf, and go on to make her own career.

Tiffany: What made you start writing?

Pierce: My dad. When I was in sixth grade, he caught me telling stories to myself while doing dishes. Instead of telling me I was crazy … he suggested I try to write a book. … The thing that made it stick, [when I realized] that he thought it was important, was that he said I could use his typewriter. Up until then, if I had touched his typewriter, I would have lost some fingers. I knew it was a big deal that he gave me permission to use his typewriter. He suggested I write about travels in a time machine. I thought I could go back in time and write about the Trojan War. I kept tapping away.

Tiffany: What is your inspiration for these books?

Pierce: Writing the kind of thing I wanted to read. My dad shared with me what were then termed “boys’ books”—The Boy’s King Arthur, Tales of Robin Hood and His Merry Men, Tarzan, the James Bond [stories]—adventure books. I kept reading these and I loved them, but they didn’t have any girl characters. It didn’t occur to me that the writers may have left us out on purpose. I started writing adventure books [with female heroes]. I started writing fantasy stories with girl heroes.

Tiffany: How do you choose your characters?

Pierce: I based [the character Alanna] on my sister Kim. If I wanted somebody pig-headed enough to disguise herself as a boy, that was my sister. She made a really good model for Alanna. She’s a paramedic and a nurse, and has saved hundreds of lives. She knows I based Alanna on her, but she doesn’t believe me.

Tiffany: How long did it take you to develop the character?

Pierce: She sort of popped into my head. Any character you develop at a certain point becomes [his or her] own person. I’d say it took me just a few weeks to know who Alanna was and what she would do. I’m lucky in that characters come pretty quickly to me once I know what they look like and what they sound like and how they move.

Tiffany: What is your take on the high expectations for Bloodhound to inspire readers, especially girls?

Pierce: I think they’ll like it. Beka is no longer a puppy; she’s a full-fledged dog. She now has the responsibility of a scent hound. She would like to get a permanent partner. She’s gone through four of them. She’s faced a threat in the kingdom in the shape of counterfeit money.

Tiffany: Is there a message you’re trying to send to young girls?

Pierce: Not really. I mean, my books are about things I believe in, but I don’t try to send messages. … My heroes determine their own lives, rather than someone else telling them how to live. … We need to stand up for others and for people who can’t stand up for themselves. … Beka chose to become a dog in the Lower City because she believes the poor deserve justice too. … When crimes are committed against the poor … [the poor] don’t get looked after very well. You see it all the time in our world. The people who are poor do not get the same attention, because they don’t have the money or influence.

Tiffany: Do you believe there are girls out there who will be changed after reading your book?

Pierce: I do because there are girls who have written to me who said they were changed, that they were able to get through a hard time, or that they decided to take up writing, or fencing, or horseback riding, or went into the military. And I believe them because they took the trouble to write me and tell me.

Tiffany: What do you hope readers will take away from your books?

Pierce: I hope that they take away that they can build their lives to shape their dreams; that it won’t be easy, that it will take a lot of work and determination; that if you want something bad enough, you will achieve it. … There are people who will try to manipulate the world around you with money … and it’s up to the good people.

Photos: Random House

Ladies Who Lunch—With Michelle Obama

Current Events student reporter Betsy Potter had the honor of attending the annual First Lady’s Luncheon in Washington, D.C., on April 30. The event is for congressional wives and is closed to the media, but Betsy was able to attend with her grandmother, whose husband was a congressional representative from Nebraska from 1990 to 2000. Didn’t get an invite? Read along as Betsy unravels her day—you’ll feel as if you are right there lunching too! 

The air is filled with a medley of female voices blended together until they sound like one, and the room is a patchwork quilt of many different-colored dresses. I am at the First Lady’s Luncheon, honoring Michelle Obama, in Washington, D.C.

When we arrive, we strut our way down a flight of grandly carpeted stairs and are greeted by security guards who search our purses before waving us through the spacious lobby of the Hilton Washington. We wander—almost suffocated—by the crowd until we find a small place to rest. Then we are ushered to our seats in the ballroom. We find our table, number 160, which is decorated elaborately in green and brown, and take our seats. 

After a while, we hear the United States Marine Band playing “The President’s Own.” When the introductions of the distinguished guests are complete, there is a presentation of the Color Guard. Then many others and I hastily stand to catch a glimpse of the honored guest.

In response to our welcoming applause, Mrs. Obama calmly gives her speech. She speaks of many things but emphasizes the importance of helping others. “One of my greatest passions [is] national and community service,” she states. She then speaks about the unique ways people across the country help others in need. 

Mrs. Obama also tells a bit about her new, busy life. She says her daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, are getting good grades, playing soccer, and hosting slumber parties in the White House. Among other things, she speaks about walking the dog, Bo, who joined the family a few weeks ago. “Even though the kids are supposed to do a lot of the work, I’m still up at 5:15 a.m. taking my dog out,” Mrs. Obama says. “So for everyone who has a child asking for a puppy, you have to want the dog. As I do. I love my Bo.

While she speaks, we are served a three-course meal of baby watercress salad, roasted Pacific Coast halibut, and cherry clafouti, a custard-like French dessert. Yum.

After a few more speeches, we are entertained by the vocal talents of Blake Lewis, a former American Idol contestant.

When he finishes, we bid the other women at our table good-bye and quietly take our leave. But it’s hard to quiet my thoughts after spending two hours in the presence of one of the most powerful women in the world. 

~By Betsy Potter, Current Events student reporter

Photos: Three generations of Potter ladies attend the First Lady's Luncheon on April 30, from left to right: Elsie Barrett (my grandmother), me, Rachel Rice (my friend), and Beth Barrett (my mother); First Lady Michelle Obama: AP Images

X-Man

Actor Taylor Kitsch knows how to mutate. He regularly appears as Tim Riggins, a high school football star on the TV series Friday Night Lights. In his latest role as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the 28-year-old Kitsch plays a mutant thief with the power to change any object’s potential energy into kinetic energy. Kitsch spoke to Current Events student reporter Larissa von Nyssen about the movie, which hits theatres May 1.

Larissa von Nyssen: Tell me about Gambit.

Taylor Kitsch: He’s kind of a loner. He’s lawless. He’s still raw … he doesn’t really care how [he fights]. He knows he’s going to look good doing it anyway probably, because he’s young and has that kind of strut. He’s like a young Wolverine in a sense. … I try to make him as much of my own as I can.

Larissa: What were the challenges in making an action movie?

Kitsch: I think the challenge for me in this action part was … trying to get the character across, not just being “action-y,” because you do want to have pieces of the character show through these fight sequences. … I’ve never really done that many fight sequences and that much training and choreography, so it was a first for me in that sense. And I loved it. I had so much fun.

Larissa: How was the movie different from other works you’ve done?

Kitsch: The stakes [are higher]. The people already know who Gambit is … and when you’re in a $150 [million] to $200 million movie, things are a lot bigger in every sense. You have more time and more prep for the character, rather than [with] an independent [film], like what I did before this one, called Gospel Hill. 

Larissa: Do you have a favorite character to play?

Kitsch: I don’t think I could win either way if I say one or the other. I’m really attached to Tim Riggins. I’ve played him for three years. I love how he’s evolved, and I could play him a long time. I still think there’s so much to explore. You’ve got to expect the unexpected with him. For Gambit, he’s so much fun to play. If I were to pick a mutant to play, it would probably be him or Wolvie. I was super fortunate to get a pretty cool cat. These guys go to the beat of their own drum.

Larissa: What are some future roles you’re considering?

Kitsch: I just got a part [in a movie] called The Bang Bang Club. I play a photojournalist named Kevin Carter. It’s a true story of these South African photojournalists in the ’80s and early ’90s before [Nelson] Mandela’s first democratic election [in the country]. This will probably be for me the most challenging role by far. … I don’t really want to be in my comfort zone. … It’s a very heavy role. I’m just excited to have a go at him.

Photos: Twentieth Century Fox

Take One ... Rolling!

 

Ever wonder what it’s like to be on the set of a movie? Current Events student reporter Kaylynn Parks got to find out. She went behind the scenes to watch the filming of Race to Witch Mountain. Here’s her sneak peek.

Everyone thinks movie sets are glamorous and filled with Hollywood stars. That’s partly true, but making movies also takes a lot of work by a lot of people. I got to see this in action on the California set of the new Disney movie Race to Witch Mountain. The movie, due out March 13, stars AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, and Dwayne Johnson. It’s about a brother and a sister with special powers who are trying to escape from some bad guys who want to use them for evil purposes. If the story sounds familiar, you might have seen the movie it was based on, a 1970s film called Escape To Witch Mountain.

The size of the set was overwhelming. When I first walked into the room, I felt like I was walking onto a spaceship. There were giant cameras and lights everywhere. The scene I saw was filmed in a taxicab, and there were parts of cabs all over the set. You could definitely tell it wasn’t real. That was because they were using only part of a cab for the filming. Behind the cab, there was a giant blue drape called a “blue screen.” The filmmakers fill in that area later to make it look like the cab is actually outside.

People were everywhere on the set—running cameras and moving microphones, directing the actors, even bringing lunch. The actors were all very outgoing and polite. Off camera, they would joke with one another between takes. It was amazing how fast they could go from laughing hysterically to being completely serious. When the director was ready to start filming, the actors automatically got into character. There was a loud beep. Red lights by the doors turned on, meaning no one could leave or come in until they finished the shot. Then the crew yelled “rolling,” clicked the markers, and started filming.

It took at least eight tries to get that short scene just right. The actors had to make the scene absolutely perfect. They would have to redo the scene because something as simple as an arm movement, or the way someone said something, was slightly off.

When I talked to the actors, they had nothing but good things to say about their costars. AnnaSophia and Alexander agreed that one of the hardest things about filming was attending school between scenes. When all the adults got to take a break, they had to go to class. AnnaSophia was very sweet. Alexander was bubbly. He got excited about the way the scene went. Johnson (formerly known as “The Rock”) was very gracious and thanked everyone working on the set. Alexander said this about Johnson: “The three most important things in life are integrity, credibility, and honor—and Dwayne has all that and more.”

Being on the set definitely changed my ideas about what goes into making a movie. It looks like fun—and it is, but it’s also a lot of work.  

—Kaylynn Parks, Current Events student reporter

Photos: Disney Enterprises, Inc.