Readers Digest

Reader’s
Digest

By: Jerry Xia

Table Of Contents

1. This page
2. Recipe for the peach cobbler: A scout traditional dessert
3. Health: Soccer concussions
4. A Weird visitor
5. Hot pocket incident
6. Bio: Henry Xia
7. Tech: What Hoverboards are all about
8. ShammyBammy
9. Big Hero 6
10.Pops in the park
11. W​ hat to know for 8th Grade

1

Recipe for the peach cobbler: A scout traditional dessert

Ingredients
● ground cinnamon
● 1/3 cup for cobbler sugar, 1/4 cup sugar for topping
● 2 3/4 cups baking mix, divided
● 2 (16 oz) cans sliced peaches in heavy or light syrup, or in fruit juice
● 1 pint fresh blueberries
● 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
● 1/2 cup milk
● cinnamon sugar, (1/4 cup sugar combined with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon;
store in an empty spice shaker jar; shake well before each use)
● (You also need a Dutch oven with charcoal and aluminum foil with a fair amount
of space)

Instructions

1. Spray a Dutch oven with vegetable oil cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Drain 1 can of the peaches. Combine both cans of peaches, including the juice

from the undrained can, the blueberries (if using), 1/2 cup baking mix, 1/3 cup
sugar and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Place this mixture into the Dutch oven.
3. To make the topping: Combine 2 1/4 cups baking mix, 1/4 cup sugar, butter and
milk in a resealable plastic bag. Drop bits of dough, using your fingers, on top of
the peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
4. Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the top
is golden brown and crusty.
5. Get a plate and enjoy

Why it matters to me

I have been camping many times and this recipe is by far the simplest and the
tastiest. We have a dessert competition every single time and this one always win. You
can bring a can of peaches and materials and you can make it anywhere you go. There is
a merit badge called the cooking merit badge and the final step to complete this merit
badge is to cook the traditional scout dessert: Peach cobbler. You can make another
version of peach cobbler using an oven at home. My mom has made this one time for me
using the oven it tastes just the same, but using the dutch oven always has the best taste.

2

Health: Soccer concussions

Soccer has been increasing in popularity in the U.S. as a high school sport, and with the
recent victory of the U.S. team in the Women's World Cup, that will likely grow. But so has the
number of concussions among young soccer players, according to a new study. There have been
more concussions with girl soccer players than with boys, ratio 627:442. Mostly relating to harsh
physical movement and “heading” or hitting the ball with your head. Even though high school
football has a higher chance of a concussion, Soccer is still the second in leading head injuries
among female athletes. For boys, soccer was the fifth leading cause of concussions. Soccer is
supposed to be considered safer than boxing or football, but several tragedies suggest otherwise.
Concussions can cause memory loss, irritability, and sleepiness, which were among the most
common symptoms found in the current study of head injuries in teens.(CNN) These problems
can last up to several months. Reports are now starting to trickle in that soccer, like football and
boxing, can also lead to lasting brain damage. Even if there were a way to reduce concussions,
there are still plenty of ways to get an injury, which includes sprained ankles, wrists, and torn
ligaments. From time to time soccer has grown to be more a contact sport, not always using your
feet. These cause injuries when players try to chest a ball and resulting into bumping into
another player. There have been rules and regulations about banning heading in some soccer
complexes after being unable to withstand the cost of the head injuries. Other complexes
banning the leg to get higher than your waist. Although soccer’s many injuries and tragedies, it
is still a reliable sport for children and teens. Teens can protect themselves by avoiding
aggressive plays and avoiding using the head.(USS)
Citations
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/14/health/youth-soccer-safety/
http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/03/17/11/31/100805-general-concussion-article

3

A Weird visitor

Yesterday, I went sat on a couch and was reading this interesting book. I was
flipping a page until I heard a Thud! I went to go look and saw a feather on the ground
outside on our deck. I opened the door and looked closely. It was actually a small bird!
Excited, I went inside to tell my mom. I dipped water in it’s mouth which was already
open. We put him high up to see if it would fly, it didn’t. My mom searched for seeds,
while she did the bird jumped on my shirt and flew off.

4

Hot pocket incident

I like cheese, so one day my mom and I went to go buy hot pockets. We went to
Walmart and bought hot pockets my mom did her shopping, then went home. I opened
the box and immediately went to the microwave when I realized that one of the packets
of 3 was missing. We tried returning it but they said that the box was a typo and there
was only 3 when the box said 6. They sold it for a 6 pack dollar amount which is just
ripping us off. We never bought those scammed Hot Pockets from Walmart again.

5

Bio: Henry Xia

Henry Xia was born on February 19th, 1972 in Shanghai China. He grew up and
went to Tsinghua University in Beijing. He moved back to Shanghai after 5 years, and
worked as an Engineer. He got a wife named Jo who also worked as an engineer. They
later on moved to Canada in seek for a new job in 2006 and the bad pollution in the area
he worked in. He found a place to live in Mississauga, Toronto where he had his first
son, Jerry. He worked at a engineering company named Hatch LTD. At the company
they made new friends with coworkers. Until they left for 2011 to find a new job because
Hatch did not provide the salary Henry and Jo needed. They went to go move to British
Columbia, Canada. He found an apartment right next to the ocean. He and his wife
found a job at Fluor, also an Engineering company. Jerry was 5 and went to
Marlborough Elementary school. In 2011 he had a second son, Leon. In 2014 He and his
family moved to Kansas, United States to find his current job. The company found
Henry and wanted him to work for them. The company was Burns and Mcdonnell, an
engineering company. He drives 20 minutes everyday to go to his work. His two sons go
to Overland Trail Elementary and Middle schools. He lives now with a wife and two
children in Leawood, Kansas.

6

Tech: What Hoverboards are all about

Hoverboards are really cool and all, but there are cost issues and danger issues. Children
and teens are wanting to buy these hoverboards from all over the place, from retail markets, to
online shopping. It has risen in sales by 85% from the past 2 years. It looks cool when a kid
strolls down a sidewalk on a hoverboard, but riding and controlling a hoverboard is harder than
you may think. Hoverboards require balance and control, so if you don’t have balance and
control and you ride a hoverboard on a sidewalk, that can be very dangerous(CNET). These
boards, as you’ve might of guessed don’t actually “Hover” they just give the feeling of hovering.
They also cause dangerous fires, a hoverboard created fire​ burned down a house in Louisiana a
few weeks ago; a​ nother scooter​ combusted in the same state in the past week(WIRED). The
cause of the fires are simple, the Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery inside the hoverboard is too
weak. It is right under the left foot pedal, and when constantly stepping on it and crashing
causes the lithium-ion to combust, then explode. Overcharging the batteries can also create
enough heat to melt the battery and make it explode. Plugged in or not the hoverboard can even
explode after setting it on a heater or in the hot sun. Although all the errors of this product, It is
still the leading “Toy” of Children to teens. It is still the christmas gift and a hot toy (No Pun
Intended)(Nytimes).

Citations:
https://www.wired.com/2015/12/why-hoverboards-keep-exploding/
https://www.cnet.com/news/why-are-hoverboards-exploding-and-catching-fire/
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/21/technology/hoverboard-still-in-the-future.html?_r=0

7

ShammyBammy

Has this ever happened to you? You spilled liquids all over the table! You spilled
liquids all over the floor! You spilled liquids on your pants! Hi, I'm Jerry Xia, and I'm
gonna be showing you a great, new product! It's called the ShammyBAMMY! No, not the
Shammybammy... it's called the ShammyBAMMY! so say it like that. It's the greatest
towel, chamois and rag technology! Don't believe me? Watch this! If you have a spill on
your table, an old rag or towel will just soak it up all so boringly, but thanks to the
ShammyBAMMY! now not only will you not soak up the liquid, but you just push it off
the table! We have 15 different colors of ShammyBAMMY! Red, Purple, Brown, Orange,
White, Yellow, Butter, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Chicken, Green, Black, Barf, and Dog Poop!
Still not impressed? If you order now we'll throw out a second ShammyBAMMY! for
free! That's right, you're getting two ShammyBAMMYs! for the price of one! That's a $5
value for just $19.99! Order your ShammyBAMMY! and you'll be saying 'BAMMY!'
every time!
BAMMY!

8

Big Hero 6

The plot of the movie is: ​Hiro Hamada is a 14-year-old robotics genius living in
the futuristic city of San Fransokyo. After graduating from high school, he spends much
of his free time participating in illegal bot fights. To redirect Hiro, his elder brother
Tadashi takes him to the research lab at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology,
where Hiro meets Tadashi's friends, GoGo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred, as well as
Baymax, the i​ nflatable​ healthcare robot that Tadashi created. Hiro also meets Professor
Robert Callaghan, the head of the university's robotics program. Amazed, Hiro decides
to apply to the university. To enroll, he signs up for the school's science fair and presents
his project: m​ icrobots​, swarms of tiny robots that can link together in any arrangement
imaginable using a neurocranial transmitter. Hiro declines an offer from Alistair Krei,
CEO of Krei Tech, to market the microbots, and Callaghan accepts him into the school.
When a fire breaks out among the exhibits, Tadashi rushes in to save Callaghan. Hiro
rushes in to help, but a sudden explosion apparently kills both Tadashi and Callaghan.
Hiro makes discoveries with Baymax and his friends that someone is stealing his
microbots for bad so they find and stop the villain who is later revealed as Professor
Callaghan.

I liked this movie because it was cool, relatable, and emotional. I liked how the
name of the city of San Francisco and Tokyo combined. It combined adventure, tech,
and love together to create this animated movie. It gives be another positive point of
view for robots and what they can really become in the future. If I would rate this movie
I would give it a 5/5 stars.

9

Pops in the park

Although not everyone at school goes to pops in the park because you need to be
in band, It is still my favorite event I have ever attended at school. First of all it’s at the
end of the year, everyone is already happy. Second of all we are at a park eating junk
food and playing games. We arrive at this place called Harmon park and we put our
instruments on the ground and go have fun before dinner and music starts. There are
obstacle courses that can get you house points (Every section of instrument is a house)
We eat buffet style with plates and sit down on our lawn chairs or on the picnic tables.
We have around 10-20 minutes after done eating before the music starts. When the
concert actually starts we get our instruments and music out and sit on the music chairs.
Every grade starts playing their own songs. 3 schools: Valley park, Overland Trail
Elementary, And Overland Trail Middle. I Am especially excited for this year because
the 7th Grade and 8th Grade bands are playing together. We will play songs from
movies or Tv Shows. We’ve played Charlie Brown, Pirates of the caribbean, Indiana
Jones you name it! After eating we still have time to play and eat until we have to go.
Over all the other fun experiences i’ve had with school events, this one definitely wins,

10

What to know for 8th Grade

8th Grade is the last grade of middle school, also the toughest. In 8th grade you
have to get your game up, because next year you will be in high school. I have to admit I
am excited about bragging to the next 7th and 6th graders about whatever we have to
brag about. The 8th graders on my bus act like the king of the school, but guess what?
Next year they will be at the bottom of the school. That goes the same for me. We need
to get our grades and our behaviour better to get a good impression for high school. In
8th grade the teachers are going to be more strict, because we already know how they
roll in middle school. Mistakes will be harder to be forgiven, and classroom policies will
likely increase. Of course how could I forget? The dreaded homework will also increase.
In 8th grade they are preparing you for highschool. High School is preparing you for
college or university which is the most important part of your academic life.The thing
i’m excited the most about is Band. In 8th grade band we get to go to Branson, we have
Jazz Band tours, our songs will be harder and more fun to play. Band is the only subject
that I don’t mind getting harder. Music is only fun to play if it sounds hard and cool. In
8th grade the lower graders will look up to us and think about what they will look and
act like in our shoes. I think that is the coolest part of being and 8th grader, because that
is exactly how I feel right now as a 7th grader and last year as a 6th grader. All I can say
is Good Luck to me next year!

11

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