Reader's Digest

READER’S DIGEST

By Matt Freeman

Table of Contents p.2
p.3
Obesity p.4
Ramen Noodles p.5
The Microwave p.6
Douglas Freeman Biography p.7
Diving p.8
Cat in the Garage p.9
Rejection p.10
Funner in the Summer p.11
What’s With Water? p.12
Math Words
FAN Night Spotlight

1

Obesity
Obesity has been a huge problem among children and teenagers for a long time, but it’s
much, much worse in this day and age. Many more people at a much younger weight are
becoming obese. “About 15% or, to give the exact figure, 9 million teens in America below 15
years of age are obese” (Teenage Obesity). This might not seem like much, but this is only for
teenagers under 15 and 15% is approximately 1 in 6. The main causes of obesity in teenagers
include overeating, being inactive, and watching too much television. All of these can easily be
prevented. For overeating, all you need to do is have someone help you set a diet and you can
keep track of what you eat every day. You don’t need to play sports if you don’t want to, you can
just go outside for 30 minutes to an hour each day. If you watch too much television, just limit
yourself to an hour or two each day. According to Sutter Health, obesity as a child has
quadrupled in adolescents and more than doubled in younger children over the past 30 years.
“Nearly one third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese,” (Sutter Health). This just
goes to show that children are developing much worse habits than before and it is bad for
everyone to allow this to continue. Unhealthy weight gain is the cause of more than 300,000
deaths each year (Obesity). Obesity costs society an estimated $100 billion per year (Obesity).
Not only is obesity costing us billions of dollars each year, but it’s also costing us our lives if we
allow it to continue. Obesity is a very pressing and important issue among children and teenagers
that needs immediate attention.

Sources
1. http://obesity.ygoy.com/obesity-teens/
2. http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/diseases/obesity.html
3. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-

Guide/Obesity-In-Children-And-Teens-079.aspx

2

Ramen Noodles

Yield: 2 8oz servings
Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients:
● 1 packet of Ramen Noodles (includes noodles and seasoning packet)
● 2 cups of water

Equipment:
● Small Pot
● Wooden Stirring Spoon
● Liquid Measuring Cup

Instructions:
1. Pour 2 cups of water into pot and bring to a boil
2. Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes while stirring occasionally
3. Turn off heat and pour in seasoning
4. Stir for 1 minute until the seasoning is dissolved
5. Allow to cool before serving

I love ramen noodles because they are quick and easy to make. The best brand for ramen
noodles is of course the most popular, Maruchan®. The chicken flavor is my favorite because
I’ve only tried that one and none of the other flavors. My brother, my sister, and I make ramen
noodles all the time when our parents aren’t home. Two of us can actually make the ramen
noodles while the other one gets out bowls, silverware, and something like chips. Ramen noodles
are definitely worth the cost because they often come in bulk so they’re at a discount from their
already cheap price, they taste amazing, and they take almost no effort to make. Ramen noodles
are great because they can be a main course when combined with meat, vegetables, or both
(preferably meat) or they can be a side dish/appetizer on their own. My favorite part about them
would have to be the broth just because it tastes so good when you add in the chicken seasoning.
This is why I love ramen noodles so much.

3

The Microwave
The microwave oven (microwave) affects many lives today by helping us make and heat
our food. The microwave is an appliance used in the kitchen that warms and cooks food by
giving off microwave radiation to it (Wikipedia). The microwave radiation causes the polar
molecules in the food to spin, creating thermal energy which heats the food (Wikipedia).
Microwave ovens are designed to heat food very quickly when a normal oven would take much
longer. Microwaves also usually heat/cook food more thoroughly and equally than other options
such as an oven, a grill, or a stovetop (Wikipedia). The microwave oven was invented partially
on accident by Percy Spencer. Spencer was working on producing radar equipment using
microwaves for the Allies in WWII (Today). One day, while standing next to an activated radar,
he noticed that the chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. Spencer and his colleagues started
intentionally heating foods to see if the same thing would happen (Today). Eventually he
attached on of the electromagnetic field generators to the inside of a closed metal box creating
what we call “the microwave” (Today). The microwave oven was then improved until it was
ready for commercial use. Eventually, microwaves got to the point where they were small and
cheap enough for the general public (Today). Microwave ovens can be very useful in many
ways. They allow us to heat up coffee in the morning. They save us time and effort by getting
things done quickly and with little assistance (Life). If you’re having a busy day and only have
the time to heat up some leftovers, a microwave can get that done almost immediately (Life).
Microwaves can also be used to make quick meals like macaroni & cheese or chicken noodle
soup. Microwaves are very useful and our lives would be much different without them.

Sources
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven
2. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/08/the-microwave-oven-was-invented-

by-accident-by-a-man-who-was-orphaned-and-never-finished-grammar-school/
3. https://fee.org/articles/life-without-a-microwave/

4

Douglas Freeman
Douglas L. Freeman is currently 50 years old and he was born on July 4, 1966. He
recently started a CPA practice and he would like it to grow so when he’s around 60 he’ll be able
to retire. At that point all of his children, Marisa (11), Matthew (13), Gabriel (15), Alexandra
(19), and Nathaniel (22) will all be in or out of college and he would like to travel and do
mission work. As a CPA, Doug isn’t particularly fond of working with numbers, but he likes
seeing what the numbers tell about the businesses and he enjoys business strategy. The main
thing he doesn’t like about his job is that for 2 or 3 months every year he has to work late.
Douglas is a Christian and he places his faith in Jesus alone. Douglas feels that He has led him to
where he is now, so he feels that he is successful in life so far. He loves his family very much
and has always enjoyed a close family relationship.He finds great joy in raising his children and
seeing how God created them, but he didn’t like changing diapers at all, fortunately that’s over
though. Douglas left public accounting a while ago because it didn’t give him enough time for
his family. He recently returned to it, however hoping to build a firm that allowed the employees
to have time for their families as well. He feels that his life has gotten physically easier, because
he doesn’t have to follow his children around as much, but mentally harder because he’ll often
try to outsmart his children and it ends up in them outsmarting him. It’s also become more
difficult emotionally for Douglas because his kids all have successes and failures that he goes
through with each and every one of them. Doug is very satisfied with his life and wouldn’t
change a thing because he has everything he needs and wants.

5

Diving
During the summer after 3rd grade, I was taking dive lessons. This was before I joined an
actual team. One day at dive lessons, I wanted to show my coach something. I was going to show
him that I could do an inward dive off of the three meter board. I hadn’t done it too much so I
ended up not jumping out far enough and hitting my forehead on the board. The lifeguards had to
do a deep water spinal on me and call the paramedics. They asked a bunch of questions and
luckily, I didn’t have a concussion.

6

Cat in the Garage
All of my cats are very odd but the youngest one is by far the weirdest. She likes to go
exploring in our garage all the time and sometimes she sneaks out and gets locked out for the
whole night. There’s a hole in the garage door that this little bird always comes through and my
cat likes to go out there and watch it. One day, she was in the garage and the driver window of
my mom’s car happened to be open. We went out to check on her 20 minutes later and she had
somehow managed to get on the hood of the car and make her way inside. She’s very weird, but
at least she’s nice, most of the time.

7

Rejection
I took a picture of this Gatorade bottle because it reminded me of rejection. People will
use you to only part of your full potential. Once they’re done with you, they’ll discard you, leave
you for dead. They throw you out onto the streets and no one notices you ever again. Your own
emotions and sense of security wear away at you until you’re hardly recognizable anymore. They
make you feel like you’re worth absolutely nothing, like no one appreciates you. Slowly all of
your color and personality begins to fade away. Rejection is always a very hurtful thing. No
matter how subtle the “rejector(s)” might find it to be, it will always hurt, sometimes
permanently.

8

Funner in the Summer
I like to do many different things in the summer. These include summer camp, going to
Worlds/Oceans of Fun, going to the pool, and many more. The summer camp I’ve gone to every
summer since third grade, this being my last one sadly, is Youthfront camp west. I always go
with my the soon-to-be sixth, seventh, and eighth graders from my church, usually for five days
in late July. We have a few worship sessions each day with an overall theme. In between each
session we have discussion time with our cabin and then we have free time. During free time we
can go swimming, play paintball, play soccer, etc. Every night we have a special event like a
shaving cream war, pool party, or something like that. I also love going to the pool during the
summer when I don’t have anything planned. I usually go to Tomahawk Ridge pool because it’s
only a few minutes away from my house. It’s a great way to cool yourself off on a hot summer
day. My favorite thing to do at the pool is to go off the diving boards. I love diving because I’ve
been on a team for 4 years now. I first started diving the summer after third grade when I quit the
swim team. I dive for a city team called the Overland Park Waves. Two years ago I learned how
to do a 1½ and last year I learned how to do a double. My brother, sister, cousin, and friend from
church are all on the team with me. For the past couple of years, and it will continue through
high school, I’ve gone to Worlds of Fun with my church at the very start of summer break. Last
year I went on a lot of rides for the very first time because I’d been too scared to go on them
before. I went on the Patriot, Mamba, Boomerang, and Prowler for the first time. I still haven’t
gone on the Steel Hawk even though I know I’ll be perfectly safe and fine because I still feel like
I’m somehow going to fall off. My favorite ride as of now is the Boomerang. I love it so much
because you get to go upside down and backwards. These are the things that I like about
summer.

9

What’s With Water?
Water is a very precious resource that is often taken for granted. There are many cool and
interesting things about water that not many people know about. 68.7% of all freshwater on
Earth, or about two thirds is trapped in glaciers and icecaps. This makes it so that out of all
freshwater, which is only about 4% of the total water content on Earth, only about one third of it
is accessible and much less is drinkable. It takes close to 6800 gallons of water to make the food
necessary to feed a family of four for one day! That’s about 900 cubic feet! About 70%, a little
more than one third, of the human brain is made out of water too. For the first six months of a
baby’s life, they will consume about seven times as much water per pound as the average
American adult. This means that since adults should drink about ⅔ their weight in ounces, babies
drink about 5 times their weight in ounces of water each day! Every single day, each person loses
about 1 cup of water from exhaling.
Hot water, under certain conditions, can freeze faster than cold water! This is known as
the Mpemba effect. On average, swimming pools lose around one thousand gallons of water
every month because of evaporation. There is more freshwater in Earth’s atmosphere than there
is in all of the rivers on Earth. Be careful not to drink too much water because if you drink too
much you can die of water intoxication. It takes a lot of water to make certain common foods
such as beef, wine, chocolate, bread, burgers, and apples.
Every year in the US household leaks waste upwards of one trillion gallons . That’s
enough water to support 11 million homes! 10% of homes waste 90 gallons of water every single
day due to leaks. A leaky faucet that drips once a second can waste 3,000 gallons of water every
year.

10

Math Words
It might be your favorite thing in the world or you might despise it, but either way math
is something you’ll need to know at some point or another. Before you get stuck not knowing
what a problem is asking, take this quiz of words you’ll need to know.

1. trigonometry n.-math dealing with A: octagons B: hexagons C: triangles D: squares.
2. apothem n.-segment going from A: center to midpoint B: vertex to vertex C: midpoint
to midpoint D: center to vertex.
3. pi n.-ratio of A: area to radius B: area to diameter C: circumference to radius D:
circumference to diameter.
4. secant n.-line that intersects a ___ at two points A: cube B: triangle C: circle D:
rectangle
5. ray n.-line made with A: 2 endpoints B: endpoint and continuous line C: 2 continuous
lines D: 3 endpoints.
6. geometry n.-math dealing with A: variables B: lines, shapes, and solids C: probability
D: operations.

1. trigonometry-[C] Math dealing with relations of sides and angles of triangles; as, You
must use trigonometry to find the side length of the triangle. Latin trigon (triangle), metry
(measure).

2. apothem-[A] A line segment from the center to the midpoint of one of its sides; as, The
apothem multiplied by one half of the perimeter is equal to the area. French apo (separate).

3. pi-[D] The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter; as, Multiply the
diameter by pi to get the circumference. Greek pi (used to represent the periphery).

4. secant-[C] A line that intersects a circle at two points; as, Secants of circles can be
used to find certain angle measures. Latin sec (second) and -ant.

5. ray-[B] Part of a straight line originating from a point; as, A line is made up of two
rays with the same endpoint. Latin radius.

6. geometry-[B] Math dealing with points, lines, angles, curves, shapes, and figures in
space; as, I’m using geometry a lot this year to find the measurements of shapes. Greek geo (the
earth) and metry (measure).

11

FAN Night Spotlight
Falcon Activity Night, often referred to as FAN Night, is a fun event on a Friday
night once a semester at OTMS. The great thing about it is that it only costs 5$ to go. Every time
I’ve been to one, it lasted from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM. The last one, which was just a few weeks
ago, was awesome. There are many fun things to do while you’re such as dancing in the
commons, playing basketball in the gym, and playing on the computers in the library.
I personally spent most of my time at FAN Night in the gym. It started off with a
frisbee game called Kan Jam and bean bag toss. Not long after everyone got here, people started
complaining about not being able to play basketball, so one of the adults moved everything into
the equipment closet and let us start playing basketball. I was pretty tired and I didn’t feel like
running around much, so for most of the time I just stood by the basket yelling “JD, I’m open!” I
got quite a few easy buckets that way so it worked out pretty well.
There’s an eighth grade lounge that gets set up in the teacher's lounge every time.
I’m not allowed to go in it yet since I’m in seventh grade, but I assume they probably have
snacks or something of that sort.
Most of the people at FAN Night hang out in the commons. They can sing and
dance if they want to, or just have conversations. A lot of the time, people hanging out in the
commons will walk up the ramp and buy food like smoothies, candy, and hotdogs. When paying
for your FAN Night wristband, you get to write your name on a raffle ticket. Towards the end of
the night, there is a raffle drawing where you can win prizes like Starbucks giftcards, iTunes
giftcards, and as of this year, a football signed by all of the KC chiefs. FAN Night is a great way
to spend your Friday night and is definitely worth it for the low cost.

12