Cady Koffman

Readers Digest
By Cady Koffman hr 4

Table of Contents
2……………………………………………………………………………….100 Word Stories
3………………………………………………………….Word Power Words Crossword
4……………………………………………………………………………Health and Medical
5…………………………………………………………………….………….Points to Ponder
6,7,8……………………………………………………………………..………….Who Knew?
9,10…………………………………………………………………………………….I Survived
11,12……………………………………………………...Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe
13………………………………………………………………………………………………Jokes
14………………………………………………………………………….OTMS Track Event
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100 Word Stories
Fireball
When I was seven, I went camping. We did everything you usually do on a camping trip.
Experiencing nature, sleeping in tents… and roasting marshmallows. We were making s’mores
when my dad cried “Tod your marshmallow’s on fire!” Tod flicked his stick up to blow it out, but
the marshmallow went flying off the stick. It looked like a ball of fire flying through the sky. It
was as if it was in slow motion, until it landed on my arm. I fell off the log in shock. I had a big
purple burn from my wrist to my elbow.
White River Rafting
We were trying to go white river rafting, but everything went wrong. First, the company
picked us up one hour late! We finally arrived at the river and saw that we would have to
manually inflate our raft! That’s when we realized our guide only spoke Spanish. The water was
calm, and when there was finally rapids ahead, our guide went around them and into a tree!
The tree began to sway and then fell on my head! Our guide ended the tour an hour early, and
we never got to see the level 5 rapids that we were promised.
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Word Power Crossword Puzzle
Across
1.coastal
navigation; the
exclusive right of a
country to control
the air traffic
within its borders
Down
1.consequence,
inference
`
2.people who
expose or throw
out old ideas
3.one who uses big
words
5. lack of
moderation
6. out of normal
time range
7. without thought;
random; careless
4.generosity (of
spirit)
9. essence, typical
example or symbol
of
10. Infamous
8. lack of respect
11. people who
criticize or
disparage
12. living example
of
13. Burdensome
14. Infamous
"Crossword Puzzle Maker:." Create Your Own Crossword --
Easy for First-Time Creators. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2017.
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Health/Medical
Brain Tumors
A brain tumor is a growth of abnormal cells in the tissues of the brain. It can have
symptoms of seizures, headaches, weakness in one part of the body, problems with walking,
nausea, and more. The cause of a brain tumor is unknown. Some are primary brain tumors,
which start in the brain. Others are metastatic, and they start somewhere else in the body and
move to the brain. Brain cancer can also spread to other organs and other parts of the brain.
Brain tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign brain tumors are noncancerous. Malignant
tumors typically grow faster than benign tumors, and aggressively invade surrounding tissue.
Benign are usually easier to surgically remove because they have clearly defined borders, and
usually are not deeply rooted in brain tissue. Benign tumors are not generally considered to be a
major health problem or to be life threatening. Most malignant brain tumors develop from the
glial tissue, which supports the brain's nerve cells. These tumors are known as gliomas and can
be life threatening. Surgery is the usual treatment for most brain tumors. To remove a brain
tumor, a neurosurgeon makes an opening in the skull. This procedure is called a craniotomy.
The neurosurgeon will try to get the whole tumor, but if the tumor can’t be completely
removed, they will only partially remove it. Partial removal will still help to reduce pressure on
the brain. They will then treat it with radiation or chemotherapy. Some tumors cannot be
removes. In those cases, your doctor may do a biopsy to find out how to best treat the tumor.
Points to ponder
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/brain-cancer/brain-tumors-in-adults#1
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/brain_tumor/treatment.html
https://medlineplus.gov/braintumors.html
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/brain-tumour-malignant/Pages/Introduction.aspx
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Points to Ponder
How come you press harder on a remote-control when you know the battery is dead? –Brynn
Minor
Why are they called buildings, when they're already finished? Shouldn't they be called builts?-
Meredith Vaughn
Why are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together?-Mandy Gibbs
Why do people without out a watch look at their wrist when you ask them what time it is? Why
do you ask someone without a watch what time it is?-Geoffrey Abrams
Why does sour cream have an expiration date?-Maddy Harmon
The light went out, but where to?-Annie Jordan
Why do banks charge you a "non-sufficient funds fee" on money they already know you don't
have?-Aarthi Toniappa
Does the reverse side also have a reverse side?-Amelia Senglaub
Why is the alphabet in that order?-Ellie Shumate
If the universe is everything, and scientists say that the universe is expanding, what is it
expanding into?-Amanda Koffman
If you got into a taxi and he started driving backwards, would the taxi driver end up owing you
money?-Paige Kuluva
What would a chair look like if your knees bent the other way?-Rowan Gornall
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to see it do the other trees make fun of it?-Lydia
Shwartz
Why is a carrot more orange than an orange?-Marley Barash
How much deeper would the ocean be if sponges didn’t live there?-Jadyn Jacobs
5

Who Knew?
An Octopus has 3 Hearts, 9 Brains & Blue Blood
An octopus has three hearts, nine brains, and blue blood. Two hearts pump
blood to the gills, while a third circulates blood to the rest of the body. The nervous
system includes a central brain and a large ganglion at the base of each arm which
controls movement. This means that at the end of each tentacle there is a brain!
Their blood contains the copper-rich protein hemocyanin, which is more efficient than
hemoglobin for oxygen transport at very low temperatures and low oxygen
concentrations. This causes their blood to be blue and is responsible for giving the
octopus good oxygen intake.
"An Octopus Has 3 Hearts, 9 Brains & Blue Blood." The
Daily Catch. N.p., 02 Nov. 2015. Web. 11 May 2017.
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A Banana is a Berry?
Yes, a banana is a berry! The scientific usage of the term "berry" differs from common
usage. In scientific terminology, a berry is a fruit produced from the ovary of a single flower in
which the outer layer of the ovary wall develops into an edible fleshy portion (pericarp). Berries
are identified as being many seeded with a fleshy inner layer. The definition includes many
fruits that are not commonly known as berries, such as grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and
bananas. Another thing that you probably thought to be true about bananas is that they grow
from trees. That statement is false! Originally from Asia, the "banana tree" is really not a tree in
the true sense. Bananas are produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in
the genus Musa.
"Berry." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 May 2017. Web. 11 May 2017.
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Some Ants Make Themselves Explode When Attacked!
The exploding ants of Borneo were first described by Ulrich Maschwitz in 1974. These
ants would respond to even a light touch by “exploding”. The body wall would rupture and a
sticky yellow goo would ooze from the ant and glue it to the tweezers. These ants are territorial
and defend their arboreal nests from invader ant species. When exposed to European ants in
the laboratory, the exploding Camponotus ants would grasp the invader by the leg or antenna,
press its body to the head of the invader and squeeze its abdomen until the abdomen ruptured
spilling glue over the eyes and mouthparts of the invader ant. The two ants, locked in a death
grip, tumble to the forest floor to be consumed by other predators.
"Attack of the Exploding Ants." Living With Insects Blog.
N.p., 08 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 May 2017.
8

I Survived
Two Pilots Were Flying from Oahu to Hawaii—Then They Heard the Engines Go Quiet
Pilots Sydnie Uemoto and Dave McMahon were flying from the island of Oahu to Hawaii
for practice hours, when they heard their engines go quiet. It took them a minute to register
that they might crash into the ocean below. They quickly went through everything on the
emergency checklist and prepared for a water landing. There was a flash of white as the plane
made contact with the water. Uemoto forgot to brace herself and slammed into the wall
breaking her nose. McMahon jumped out of the plane and then encouraged Uemoto to join
him. Once they were both in the choppy waves the put on their life jackets but McMahon’s
didn’t inflate! Uemoto was a wreck—crying and terrified. McMahon tried to calm her, keeping
the two of them turned away from the waves and making small talk while they swam towards
land. After a few hours, a navy plane circled above. They waved frantically trying to get its
attention, but sadly it didn’t see them. After 8 hours they began to cramp up shiver
uncontrollably. Because McMahon didn’t have a life jacket, he began to have trouble
swimming. Uemoto let McMahon grab onto her legs while she swam with her arms, and he
swam with his legs. After a while in this position, Uemoto felt a flash of excruciating pain. She
lifted up her arm. In the moonlight, she saw something white and silky clinging to her forearm,
coming off in goopy pieces. Jellyfish. Within seconds, Hawaiian box jellyfish toxins can cause
nausea, loss of consciousness, muscle problems, and difficulty breathing. And now, in her
weakened state, Uemoto was plowing through a swarm of them. Moments after the first sting,
she felt the venom work its way through her body. Her heart felt as if it were beating more
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slowly. She gasped for air as her body cramped up, each muscles clenching. Then she fell
unconscious. When the sun rose that morning, the two pilots were greeted by a beautiful sight,
the island of Hawaii closer than they had dared dream. Despite the jellyfish and exhaustion,
they had made remarkable progress overnight. They continued to swim. Suddenly, all of the
fish swimming below them were gone. Uemoto saw a shadow in front of them that made her
breath catch in her throat. McMahon saw it too, a shark, about ten feet beneath the surface.
They carefully swam around it and continued to swim. Just before noon, they saw the familiar
orange shape of a Coast Guard helicopter. It whizzed overhead, just to their right, and the two
of them waved their hands and tried to make themselves visible against the water. Just as
before, the aircraft disappeared, another agonizing near miss. After almost 20 hours they were
still stranded in the water. Finally, a third helicopter flew overhead. This time, it saw them. A
rescuer lowered himself into the ocean. Finally, they were safe and sound.
Hune-Brown, Nicholas. "Two Pilots Were Flying From Oahu to Hawaii When They Heard the
Engines Go Quiet." Reader's Digest. Reader's Digest, 09 Mar. 2017. Web. 11 May 2017.
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Recipe-
Chocolate Lava Cake
Ingredients
Baking spray, for spraying custard cups
1 stick butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray four custard cups with baking spray and place on a
baking sheet.
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Microwave the butter, bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate in a large bowl on high
until the butter is melted, about 1 minute. Whisk until the chocolate is also melted. Stir in the
sugar until well blended. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolks, then add the vanilla. Stir in the flour.
Divide the mixture among the custard cups.
Bake until the sides are firm and the centers are soft, about 13 minutes. Let stand 1 minute.
Invert on individual plates while warm and serve with vanilla ice cream.
I love this chocolate lava cake so much! It is a beautiful moist cake with delectable hot
chocolate sauce inside. It is delicious with vanilla ice cream on top because of the clashing
temperatures. It is great to have after a fancy dinner considering that it is very rich and
different from other deserts. In my opinion, it is the best treat there is. Plus, it is not hard to
make! You can make it in one bowl and then just bake it in the oven and it will be done! That is
why this chocolate lava cake is my favorite desert.
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Jokes!
1. Did you hear about the guy who got the whole left side of his face get cut off? He’s all right
now.
2. Yesterday I accidentally swallowed some food coloring. The doctor says I'm ok, but I feel like
I've dyed a little inside.
3. Why don't some couples go to the gym? Because some relationships don't work out.
4. I wasn't originally going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind.
5. My friend thinks he is smart. He told me an onion is the only food that makes you cry, so I
threw a coconut at his face.
6. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
7. Q: What did the duck say when he bought lipstick?
A: "Put it on my bill."
8. Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a
soft drink.
9. Q: Can a kangaroo jump higher than the Empire State Building?
A: Of course. The Empire State Building can't jump.
10. Q: you know why you never see elephants hiding in trees?
A: Because they’re really good at it.
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Current Event
OTMS Track Meet on May 4, 2017!
There is an away track meet at Aubrey bend on Thursday! It will be Aubrey Bend Middle
School versus Overland Trail Middle School. Don’t forget to come to support your team. The
events will be discus, shotput, 100 meter, 200-meter relay, 400-meter relay, 400 meter, 800
meter, 1600 meter, triple jump, long jump, and high jump. To get to the track, walk behind the
school. The cages were discus and shotput take place are to the right of the track. This will be
the last track meet of the year. Everyone is welcome to cheer on our school!
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