Hello LMC! We meet again. Thank you for all the support that you gave us in the last podium newspaper, we appreciate it a lot and to celebrate this debut, we are going to have an amazing scavenger hunt next newspaper, it will take you all around the web and the winner will get to choose between a couple prizes that we have in mind. This has been planned for a whole month so you do not want to miss it. Now we are very happy to announce one more very amazing thing. We are making a Podium Website. Our website team has been working hours on this website and we are excited to get it out to you. The link to the website is www.podiumnews.org. Now today we have Current News, Quiz time, Recipes, A brand new Advice Column, Another brand new Video game review, A Short Story, USA News, A brand new Sports News, and finally, Mindfulness. Also go follow our Instagram and Subscribe to us on Youtube. It's on the Podium website under “Our Social Media.” That's it for today, hope you enjoy this edition of Podium.
This week was very uneventful but we still have some news for you all. To start the Department of Education is reopening all Elementary Schools on the 7th of December, but only if they are in district 1-32. So middle school is not opening up anytime soon. But hopefully it will open up soon so those of us who like Blended Learning can resume and continue seeing their Pod. There is a Covid-19 Vaccine on the way and a 90 year old made history. She was the first and definitely not the last to survive the COVID vaccine. It's an early birthday present as they say because she is turning 91 soon. That is a relief for most of us because we are all wondering when the COVID vaccine will come out and what the side effects are. Now seeing this shred of hope will help us all. That was current news, onto the next section.
Wow another quiz, it's been two weeks since our last quiz. Not only is this part of the newspaper dedicated to a quiz, but it's also dedicated to last week's quiz results. There are two links, one is the results and the other is
the quiz for this week. There's a surprise at the end!
Dear LMC Advice Column,
Hi, There [is] some advice I need, I keep getting stressed out because of school work and I have to do all of it in 1 day because my parents don't want me to have missing work and I have to be the perfect child in the family. Sometimes, the adults in my family make me do all the chores while my brother who is in 6th grade can do something else. If my brother help[s], my grandparents will say that I was being lazy and I shouldn't make him do it.
- Overwhelmed
Dear Overwhelmed,
I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. This is a problem that puts too much pressure on you. Maybe try communicating this to your parents, as scary as it may feel. However, if they don't listen, do you have another trusted adult you could talk to? Because this shouldn't be a situation you should be in. School should feel hard but not so much that you feel stressed about it. If someone listens to your concerns then maybe your next step is to create a schedule to split up the chores so it's more fair. Also let your grandparents know that you're not being lazy, in fact you do most of the work. Maybe also try talking to your brother about this - he might not know how him not doing chores affects you. Hope this helps! Feel free to message us any time!
- LMC Advice Column
Dear LMC Advice Column,
How do relationships with bf and gf work?
Do they have to listen to others?
Do they have to answer every time?
Do they have to tell others where they [are] going?
- Question
Dear Question,
Everybody's relationship is different, but you shouldn’t feel they are ignoring you or going places and not telling you a lot. However, if you want to be trusted, just let who you're dating know where you're going. Also about if they have to answer every question, Don't push anything if they are angry. Communication is key, and if they say/show signs that they are angry, give them some space. However, if your relationship is healthy you would need to be there for them. Overall, I can’t give you the best advice because all relationships are different but you should never feel that they are not communicating with you enough.
- LMC Advice Column
Have a question that you need advice for? Then email lmcadvicecolumn@gmail.com.
Thyme Short Bread Cake
Ingredients:
16 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 egg
3 ¼ cups of flour
1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice
2 pears peeled
Topping for cake
1 orange zested and juiced
3 thyme sprigs And extra to decorate the cake
Instructions/METHOD:
Step 1
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the egg and beat until just combined. Add the flour and mixed spice and beat on low until the dough just comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead until smooth. Divide into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 30 mins to chill.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 4 baking trays with baking paper. Roll out each dough portion between 2 pieces of baking paper to a 3mm-thick disc. Use a small sharp knife to cut a 22cm disc from each piece of dough. Place on the lined trays and prick discs with a fork. Place in the fridge for 15 mins to chill.
Step 3
Bake, swapping the trays halfway through cooking, for 10-15 mins or until light golden. Set aside on trays to cool.
Step 4
While the cookies are cooling combine the pears, extra sugar, orange zest, orange juice and thyme in a large saucepan. Stir over low heat for 5 mins or until the sugar dissolves. Cover with a piece of baking paper to keep the pears submerged in the cooking liquid. Cook, turning occasionally, for 15 mins or until tender. Transfer the pears to a heatproof bowl. Increase heat to high and bring syrup to the boil. Cook for 3-5 mins or until the syrup thickens slightly. Set aside to cool.
Step 5
To make the custard buttercream, use an electric mixer to beat the butter in a bowl until very pale. Gradually add the icing sugar and custard powder, in batches, beating well after each addition. Add the milk and beat until combined.
Step 6
Place the buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle. Place 1 biscuit disc on a serving plate. Pipe one-quarter of the buttercream evenly over the biscuit. Drizzle with a little of the syrup. Continue layering with remaining biscuits, buttercream and syrup. Carefully cut 1 pear into quarters. Arrange the pear quarters and remaining pear over the cake with the extra thyme.
Step 7
Enjoy what you just made!
Animal Crossing New Horizons… One of a whopping 11 others in the span of 20 years! I can understand why this game has grown in popularity, the feeling of getting away to a remote island where you are in control especially in this pandemic is so relieving and peaceful, you get to make friends with animals, pay off debt! OK the debt part isn’t really as fun… Animal Crossing it’s a game where you are able to express yourself in ways that you never knew we were able to! In the span of about a month you unlock a story, meet new characters, and decorate your island! Once you reach three stars you have a special guest come and you also unlock the power to terraform your island! You are able to form rivers and cliffs! Almost every month some very special event will occur such as already bunny day, Halloween, May Day, Turkey day, Nature day, and the upcoming Toy day! Animal Crossing has such a diverse range of characters and aesthetics to base your island on! Whether it is special items that you are able to craft or maybe special designs that you make yourself! Either way, animal crossing has such an amazing range of possibilities and however you use the game you will have fun, multiplayer is also available for people who want to hang out with their friends or visit each other‘s islands! I personally use this feature all the time and I find it extremely helpful, this Nintendo Game only works on the Nintendo switch family unless you purchase an older version such as new leaf which is also an amazing game! If you don’t have this game already… I would suggest you go get it right now! It will completely change your life! Now onto reading the next section!!!!!
Some of our newspaper crews corresponding villagers are…
NOTE: this is a continuation of last week's short story. If you have not read that, you will not understand this week's story. If you would like to read that, please click here.
It was a quiet week in the underwood. The animals stayed cautious, but it seemed as if the hunter would never come. Until one day, when of course he did.
That day, like most other days, was very cold. The only sound was the wind whipping about the trees.
It was time for dinner. I slowly creeped out of my den and slipped through the leaves. I spotted a downy woodpecker on the ground, unaware of my presence. I lunged, and was about to pounce and have a wonderful dinner, when all of a sudden, “BOOM!” a gunshot. I ran as fast as I could back to my den. The birds all fluttered out of their trees, and the squirrels clambered up them. I hopped inside my den, and stopped to catch my breath. There went my dinner.
I stayed still for what felt like forever, until it seemed like the hunter was gone. Then I crept out of my den and peered out and around. All the birds were gone. All the squirrels were gone. I was going to be hungry tonight.
I walked out and peered through the woods. There seemed to be a string, and hanging from it was a squirrel, still alive, but struggling. It saw me, and struggled even more.
“Stuck are you? Don’t worry, I don’t eat squirrels as a rule. Don’t like the taste.” I said.
The squirrel seemed to relax slightly, but kept its eyes on me cautiously.
“You know how to get me out of this trap do ya?” he said. “I can't seem to do it”.
I examined the snare. Then I reached up and used my teeth to cut the cord. It wasn’t very hard for a fox like me. But for a smaller animal, nope.
I cut the rope through, and the squirrel fell to the ground. “Thank you sir”. He said. And he scampered away through the trees.
Trump starts to admit defeat
Trump says the Electoral College would be making a mistake to elect Mr. Biden, but indicated (pointed out) he would depart without further challenge, Quoting,”Certainly I will, and you know that,”. Trump also says that this election is a fraud and is continuing to spread that rumor with no evidence whatsoever, despite the fact that he has lost so many court cases. In addition results that lean towards Biden are being finalized in all key states. To add on, The Associated Press has declared Mr. Biden the winner of the election, with 306 electoral votes to 232 for Mr. Trump, and yet he still believes that there was fraud. Finally, two weeks ago (Thanksgiving) the Trump campaign granted the Democrats access to staff and funding for White House transition.
Click here to listen to Trump speak himself.
Hi everyone, for this section, we are going to be talking about sports. College basketball just recently started back up. So far for men's college D1 basketball, Gonzaga is ranked number one. For women's D1 college basketball, South Carolina is ranked number one. There are many college basketball games a day. On December 9th one of many women's college basketball teams that are playing are Boston college at Georgia tech. And one of many men's college basketball teams that are playing on December 9th is Maryland at Clemson. I would watch a college game if I were you. And now we are on to football! Sarah Fuller is a new FEMALE kicker on Vanderbilt. She is the first female to play on a power 5 college football team! On sunday 12/3 the former super bowl champs, the Chiefs, are going to be playing the Miami dolphins. For all you soccer fans, Tottenham Hotspurs is on top quickly followed by Liverpool in the Premier League. For all you La Liga Fans, Atletico Madrid is on top with Real Sociedad behind them. That's all for today folks, onto the next section.
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Start by sitting quietly in a comfortable position.
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Close your eyes.
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Slowly relax all the muscles in your body beginning with your toes, working your way up the rest of your body to the muscles in your neck and head.
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After you’ve relaxed all the muscles in your body, imagine yourself in a peaceful and relaxing place (for example, lying on a beach). Whatever place you choose, think of yourself completely relaxed and without a care in the world.
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Imagine yourself in this place as clearly as possible.
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Practice this exercise as often as possible, at least once a day for about ten minutes each time.
Thanks to…
Miranda for making the Animal Crossings review
Nicki for writing the USA news that you all love
Olivia for making the sports section
Camille for writing the greatest stories ever
Ms. Douglas for letting us do this
Ms. Mulligan for always being there when we need it the most
Mila for making the excellent recipes
Nola and Izzie for doing the quizzes
Zephyr and Hayden for editing the newspaper
And thanks to you for reading this newspaper, because every student should have a Podium to stand on.