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The Palm Valley School Student Blog

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“Finland”

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Editor Jake Sonderman assigned the Blog Staff the theme “Conspiracy Theories.” Evan looks to the Northern Baltic Sea for this assignment.

By Conspirist Blogger Evan Spry

Let me ask you one question, have you ever been to or seen Finland? You know, the northern Baltic “country” neighboring Sweden and Russia? I didn’t think so. Many people have been fooled by their teachers and government into believing that “Finland” exists. You see, back in the Cold War Era, Japan and the Soviet Union had a very secret plan. They had shared classified intelligence about a stretch of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and the Soviet Union. Around the middle of the 20th century, the two countries collectively spread the misinformation that there was a landmass, known as Finland, on that stretch of ocean. They did this to secure prime fishing locations that would be shared between the two nations. Also, this stretch of ocean could be used strategically for the Soviet’s navy. This stretch would also not have to be burdened by the International Laws of the Sea. 

Now, you might ask how are these countries gonna transport all this fish without raising the suspicion of the nearby countries and their fishermen. Simple, the Trans-Siberian railroad. And you might wonder about all the hardware used to secure such a feat of fish transportation. Simple, Nokia. Nokia purportedly is a Finnish electronic company. This explains why Japan is the biggest importer of the brand’s product despite the fact that very few people in Japan actually use them. 

Now to the question of where do people actually go when they emigrate to or visit Finland. Well, the answer is simple; the people are transported to remote forested towns and cities in Sweden, Estonia, and Russia. This is where the so-called “Finnish” people live. You may think that Finland is easily seen from above, like in satellite images or even aircraft. However, you have to remember that the nations of Russia and Japan have many resources. The images that you may see of “Finland” are easily altered, and the two governments easily bribe every pilot that passes over it to keep it secret. 

I hope that today, I have brought knowledge and reassurance to anyone confused about this mysterious “Finland.” I think that it is important to question what big and powerful governments have presented to us as fact. Personally, I can’t believe that I have lived this long thinking that “Finland” was a real country. How naive could I be?! I urge all of you to spread the truth about the Northern Baltic so that we can rise up to the tyrannical governments that lie to us. Show the world that we aren’t stupid enough to believe that Finland exists.

Conspiracy Theories Editor: Jake Sonderman

Source Referenced: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/does-finland-exist-many-dont-think-so/

Got Time on Your Hands? Learn to Autotune with Jake

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By Jake Sonderman

Over quarantine, I bought and got to know autotune, the pitch correction tool that has run the music industry for years now. The capacity of Antares Auto-Tune to fix almost any pitch problem is incredible, but also the tool is very frustrating the more you get to know it . 

This is just a quick video tutorial on what I’ve learned.

Learned-Something-New Editor Hannah Hall

*Video Edited by Andrew Hall

Over Quarantine, I Cleaned My Closet–You Can, Too

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By Elizabeth Shay

Did you know that the average person only wears 20% of the clothes in their closet on a regular basis? I don’t know about you guys, but I have been wearing the same few t-shirts and pairs of sweatpants through these past months. So I decided to take action and sort through the mini department store in my house (aka my closet). Let me tell you, I found some things that haven’t seen the light of day since the dark ages of middle school and freshman year. My style has definitely changed since then, and, with college just around the corner, I was excited to take the opportunity to begin building an updated wardrobe that is both stylish and practical.

Here are the steps I took and some tips to help you get started: 

  1. Start with two piles (keep, donate/sell) and do a quick sort-through of all your clothes. If there are any items that you are unsure of, put it in the keep pile for now.
  2. Look through the “donate/sell” pile and further split it up based on what you want to donate and what you want to sell. With the money made from selling items, think about donating to a charity of your choice!

Places to sell: Depop and Poshmark

Places to Donate: Goodwill, Angel View, local shelters

  1. Look through the “keep” pile; don’t worry if it’s really large. Look through it again, and you’ll likely be able to identify more items to donate or sell.  
  2. Next steps to take include reorganizing your wardrobe and buying new pieces or revamping old ones. For example, consider using acrylic paints to transform your old jeans and shorts! Or, get out your scissors and sewing machines and get creative. And if you’re buying new items, make sure to shop smart and purchase pieces that you know you will wear and can be utilized in many different outfits so that all your hard work does not go to waste.

Learned-Something-New Editor: Hannah Hall

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324240804578415002232186418%C2%A0

What Did You Learn Over Quarantine?

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By Erik Bearman

Hello, everybody! During the past six months, many of us have been stuck at home in quarantine. And while this has certainly been a terrible inconvenience for us, we have also been given the gift of time. Many of us have probably avoided or otherwise been unable to do something (i.e. exercise or read for pleasure) because we “don’t have the time.” So much of our time is usually consumed by classwork and homework. And, what little time we have to spare is usually spent hanging out with friends, playing video games, and sleeping. I asked you: Now that we finally have this free time, what have we done with it that we weren’t able to do before?

Here is a compilation of your responses about what new things you guys did during quarantine. 

Ms. McKee

“Hi Erik! 

During my quarantine vacation, I learned piano through an app called Playground Sessions, and participated in [the] world’s largest virtual piano recital, with over 7000 participants and almost 1000 video submissions. 

Here’s the article about it! Please look at the picture at the top of the article and see why I am so excited about it! 

Video of world’s largest virtual piano recital released

This is a good question and I can’t wait to see the results!

Sincerely,

Ms. McKee”

Virtual Piano Recital

Ms. Castellano

“Hey Erik, 

Here is a little about my adventures this summer! I finally got to take the scenic Hwy 1 trip up California’s coast. I saw many places I had not seen before and got to explore beautiful campgrounds. My favorite stop was the Redwood National Forest. Here’s a few pictures of the trip.”

Josiah Llapitan

“This is my 3D printer, I . . . made face shields for my community.”

Kyle Mauerman

“I have enjoyed my extended stay in the great state of Washington. While I miss attending school, it has allowed me to stay up here longer and do things like hunting and fishing. I shot this deer at 40 yards with a bow on Sunday, Sept. 6th with my dad in Pe Ell, WA. Truly blessed to have meat in the freezer.”

Andrew Hall

“I sold a logo to an Amazon delivery company (KAL Delivery) in San Jose for $250.00. I didn’t do it for the money but more for the experience. I really just wanted a t-shirt with a logo on it (I never got a t-shirt). I designed a logo and got to talk to the owner of the company. I went through much trial-and-error, but it was overall a fun process and experience.”

Learned-Something-New Editor Hannah Hall

Something I Learned Over Quarantine: Medical Suturing Edition

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By Sara Habibipour

You’ve probably heard of someone getting stitches before. In fact, you may have even had an experience in which you needed to go to the emergency room for this procedure. Well, this quarantine, I taught myself how to suture, and I’d love to teach you as well! It’s actually quite simple, and anyone can do it. Literally…anyone can do it. You can buy a kit on Amazon! 

The kit only costs $25 dollars for all of this practice material! It includes a suture pad with various shapes of wounds, reusable suture threads and needles, and all of the tools you could possibly need. But, I only really use the needle forceps and the tweezers, which I’ll show in a bit. 

There are several suturing techniques, and oftentimes the technique you use varies on the type of cut. But, today, I’ll be teaching the two-hand surgical tie and the instrument tie. It’s quite difficult to explain through words, so here’s a video with voiceover instead!

I hope you learned something new from me, future doctor Sara! Even if you don’t plan on performing suturing techniques, if you ever need to get stitches, you’ll know exactly what is going on (which is actually calming for a lot of people)! Note that I’m self-taught and not a trained medical professional, so I’m not very good, but, hey, it’s still fun! If you are interested in practicing, the link to the Amazon product is here. 

Suture away!

Learned-Something-New Editor: Hannah Hall

In Quarantine, I Learned I’m an Introvert

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By Evan Spry

Evan’s dog Cleo in foreground: Evan’s to-do checklist in background

As we all know, the consequences of COVID-19 have been life-changing and new to all of us. The lucky few were able to exploit this mandatory quarantine and find new hobbies and passions, or even work on their physical strength by manufacturing their own personal gym in the corner of a room. I, however, did none of these, but I did learn something about myself. As all my peers grumbled about not being able to go out on the town and have fun with groups of people, I thought to myself, “Eh… This really isn’t that bad. I’m pretty happy where I am.” As I thought this over and over again, I began to realize that there may be something more to it. I’ve always known the difference between an introvert and an extrovert, but I could never quite figure out which one I was. I really enjoy being with friends and people I love and feel very comfortable in those situations. However, not much could beat lying in a cozy bed with my two dogs and the TV on. As I spent more time in my room during quarantine, I found out that this is where I’m most comfortable and where I recharge to the fullest extent. Unfortunately, due to my introversion, I started spending a lot of time thinking about myself. Now for me, this is one of the hardest things to think about for an extended period of time, and I’m sure many would agree. Luckily, some good came out of this. I started noticing my surroundings more and kind of woke up to the fact that I was extremely fortunate to be where I was, physically. I had good air conditioning; I had my own room and bathroom, and my own TV. What more could a man need!? I was also extremely fortunate that my parents’ business didn’t go under due to this pandemic. We were able to re-open our rental properties a few hard months into quarantine so we could get back into having a stable financial situation. This appreciation of the things I had was also sparked by the homeless persons that roam near my house. I knew many of these people, from volunteer work, and they were all good people that didn’t deserve to be stranded out in the heat with nowhere to go in the middle of a global pandemic. Fortunately, after a little while, these homeless individuals were provided hotel accommodations that were not being used. But the thought was still ingrained in my mind. I was extremely lucky. With this positive energy, I was able to work on myself emotionally. I learned that an unstructured environment gave me anxiety, so I started making daily schedules for myself with checkboxes. Some of these checkboxes included drinking eight cups of water a day and eating at least two solid meals. These increased my energy and, therefore, happiness. I also had a checkbox that I would check up on my parents daily to see if they needed any help around the house or with their business. This probably had the best positive outcome because they were much more happy and friendly with me and now mainly left me alone because they knew I would happily volunteer if they needed it. So, in the end, I have my introversion to thank for making me think overly about myself and not about missing social interaction. Without it, I would not be nearly as grateful or happy. Overall, this quarantine is a struggle, a big one, and everyone should be proud of themselves for not going crazy. I think many of us are too caught up in day-to-day life to sit down and give ourselves a pat on the back, but it is really important. And I applaud you all. 

Learned-Something-New Editor: Hannah Hall

Back in Business

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Dry, barren, and blank. The whole summer has gone by without a single article from The Bird on Fire. But, the good news is we’re back! Question is: Are you? I would hope you say, yes. This year our writers include returning staff me, Hannah Hall, and Quintus Ni, along with the new additions Jake Sonderman, Sara Habibipour, Elizabeth Shay, Erik Bearman, and Evan Spry. Since we are currently in Distance Learning, the Blog will be rolling out with alternating themes every two weeks. Coming back from this summer vacation, I thought that the first theme should be something quarantine related. Quarantine gave us so much time to self reflect, and with this reflection came new-found passions…or at least simple fascinations. So, officially, our first theme of the year is “Hobbies/Talents/Things Learned During Quarantine.” With that being said, keep your eyes peeled for new content; it’s coming VERY SOON! And, don’t be afraid to leave fun comments or opinions in the comment section; we love to hear what you have to say. 

Catch ya on the flip side,

Hannah Hall

Editor Hobbies/Talents/Things Learned During Quarantine

Not pictured: Quintus Ni

P.S. New content arrives in your inbox IF you are a subscriber to thebirdonfire.org. You can subscribe on thebirdonfire.org’s home page. And, you are always welcome to visit the blog site.

Luke’s Letter of Resignation

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By Luke Langlois

Over the years, thebirdonfire.org has brought plenty of enrichment to my mind. First as a reader, then as a frequent commenter, and now as an author. Although it may seem like an elective that pales in comparison to something as grandeur as drama, blog class perhaps offers you the best opportunity to individually improve. It facilitates creativity, writing, collaboration, critical thinking, attention to detail, and, most of all, individual accountability given our small staff. At the same time, however, blog class is relaxed and almost never serves as a source of stress (unless you fall behind;, don’t fall behind). Plus, having published posts provide college admissions officers another look into the voice of a student, and getting into college is almost never a bad thing. Did I mention the glory? So much glory. Simply put, blog may not seem like an appealing class at first, but it has something substantial to offer to everyone.

As a graduating senior, it will become a bit more difficult to be a staff writer for thebirdonfire.org. Yes, it would be possible for me to send a post as an alumnus, but some things just need to have a strong ending. As such, I am officially resigning from my position as a staff writer, and there will be no reboot. Nonetheless, every single time I put fingers to a keyboard (or, the outdated method, pen to paper), the flare I gained from the blog will shine in my writing. I thank anyone and everyone who ever read my posts, even the internet bots floating around that stumble upon our blog. Now, I must prepare for the long journey (two hours down the freeway) to the slightly larger playing field at USC. Luckily, my absence from the blog will hardly be a factor due to the fully capable people reading this post right now: the students. You guys have incredible writing talents that are just waiting to be uncovered and, well, blog class is waiting. Keep up the legendary name of thebirdonfire.org and create your own little twisted digital masterpieces. Anyways, it’s been real. So long, farewell, and thanks for all of the Oxford commas. 

The Last Editor: Katelin Slosky

Quintus says “Good Bye”～

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The school year, this strange year, is at an end. Quintus is off in quarantine in Shanghai. Before he left for home, he wrote this “goodbye.”

By Quintus Ni

Let the wind blow; let the rain fall; let years change; quietly stay in the fleeting time; fearless to the world’s vicissitude. To the end of mountains and seas, the most unforgettable one, in dreams, there you are, keeping your faith.

In a delicate world, with your promise to me, you held up the sky above your head, muttering to yourself with a few thoughts, constantly seeping, the sea of hearts from outside of the world.
 
Now I am, looking at the sky blue, with drops of tears, waiting for the wind, yet fascinated by the wind, facing the shadow, but feeling dizzy because of the shadow. I’m sad but the sadness won’t decrease. I’m missing someone, but that person hasn’t come back. Looking back again, the road is far. Holding on to the broken dream, I still won’t let it go.

A hot heart, with hot feeling, through the dreams of youth. Standing in this secular world, even if the mountains are high, I must see it all. I am not afraid of thick snow, long autumn rains, waiting for the warm spring, spreading the sun in summer, until once again into the covered, left edge of the dream.

Hold a pot of tea, standing under the eaves. Look away at the falling leaves. Quietly watch the change of clouds. Carefully listen to the breeze, ringing through the screen window. Life’s hardship and honor become nothing important.

However, in the dreams who would know time has a limit? Flying flowers scatter like smoke. In the hot air above the tea, even memories are like wisps of smoke. They emerge then disappear, gradually fade out, down the long road.

When the scent that flows into the bone marrow is swallowed, from time to time there come waves of bitterness, like those deep and shallow memories, suddenly bright then suddenly dark. When I’m not paying attention and shaking the body of the cup, the tea leaves rise and dance, float and sink, trying to find their position. Perhaps it’s because they are not resigned to the calmness. I repeatedly stir the bottom of the cup. Isn’t life like this, go back and forth, until the water is clear, which can be known by one glance. But the life always twists and turns, when the world washes away the dust, purifies, creates a completely sober self, not because we lose too much, but try to find a best balance point that belongs to oneself in this lifetime.

We are often walk in this world, afraid to be stung by this world. I suddenly no longer ask the truths.

The fragrance of flowers is slightly light after the rain. Facing hesitation, counting the torments, beside helplessness, listening to the heart, in the end one discovers, the life of a person is nothing more than being ordinary. Looking at the tea turning over and over, around for a few circles, and back to the original point of purity. The truth is, after growing up, looking back, it has long been destined that people’s lives are like a process of running around a circle.

The Last Editor: Katelin Slosky