the bird on fire

Cat of the Moment #1: Komfy Kitty

March 8, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Guest Blogger and Resident Cat Lady Amanda Laule

Hi buds! Here is a picture of this special little guy. This cat represents all I want right now after all the stress of Senior year: a warm place to snuggle and a nice long nap. I hope you have a weekend that is as wonderful as this kitty. I hope this kitty inspires you to take it easy once in a while. This time of year gets extra stressful (Juniors, I’m looking at you), so do something for yourself this weekend! Do the important thing: take a nap; eat a snack; pet a cat, and spend time with family and friends 😉

Editor: Holden Hartle

Werewolf–One of the Best Modern Party Games

March 8, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By James Zheng, Master Game Player & Blogger

What games do you usually play for entertaining a party? Normal answers will come out: Uno, Cards Against Humanity, Mario Kart, Blackjack, etc. We’ve played those games a thousand times. All of them are really popular but common, so common they bore you as you play them over and over again. There is an amazing game which would definitely bring up the atmosphere in a party.

The Werewolf game is really similar to a classic party game called the Mafia (Werewolf is actually generated from the Mafia game). They have the exact same setting on some points; however, the Werewolf game is more fun than the Mafia! Originally, when you look up the Werewolf game online, there is only the American style, which is also the initial version of Werewolf. When it spread to China, this game became truly popular and players added more contents to it. So, please notice that all the things I show you are partially generated from the Chinese-style Werewolf game.

Required factors to play the game include six to fifteen players and role cards. Ten or twelve is the best amount. This game must have a moderator during the whole game to direct the procedure. The role cards are decided by players according to the number of participants.

Gameplay part 1–There are two teams in the Werewolf game; humans and werewolves (which also applies to the innocent and the mafia in The Mafia). The Werewolf team has to kill all the humans while all the humans need to banish the werewolves. To achieve their goal, werewolves have to pretend to be the humans to avoid being banished so that they can eliminate as many humans as they can. In the same way, the humans have to find all the werewolves based on the flaws in their statements or any other factors.

Game setting–Everyone should get a role card before they start, and the moderator must be ready, then the game will begin on the first night. There are two rounds in the game, which refer to the night and the morning. Night is always before morning; it will keep rotating until the game is finished. An essential part of the game, during the night, is that the moderator has to tell everyone to close their eyes and remain absolutely quiet. The Lord card (a card which gives players special skills) and the werewolves’ card holders will be called by the moderator to take their action. Werewolves have to decide to slay a player every night. When it comes to the morning, the player who is killed during the night will be out of the game. Then, each of the players need to speak their thoughts individually. The time limit for speaking (30 seconds, 60 seconds, etc.) should be decided before the game begins. After everyone finishes their statement, they have to vote to eliminate a player. Then the player who gets the most votes will be out of the game as well; this movement is called banish.

Role cards

Villager, belongs to the human team. They do not have special abilities, but they have to listen to everyone’s words, find the werewolves, and be active in voting to banish them in the morning.
Werewolf, belongs to the werewolf team. They will be called by the moderator, “Werewolves, please open/close your eyes” before/after they take action. Werewolves usually have 20 seconds to point at their target. During the morning, they need to act like humans and mislead them to banish other players beside themselves.
Seer, the Lord card belongs to the human team. When Seer is called by the moderator, he can see one person’s role (he can only identify whether that person is a human or a werewolf, so he does not know if that person is holding a Lord card or not).
Witch, this Lord card belongs to the human team. Witch is holding a cure and a poison. When called by moderator, he can only take one action each night. He can use a cure to revive a player who was slain by a werewolf or use poison to kill one player. Witch only has one cure and one poison.
Guardian, this Lord card belongs to the human team. When called by the moderator, Guardian can protect a player (including himself) from being killed by a werewolf. But, he cannot protect the same player twice in a row. By the way, the poison used by the Witch can penetrate the Guardian’s shield.
Hunter, this Lord card belongs to the human team. The Hunter can eliminate one player after he is dead. The only moment he cannot use his skill is when he is eliminated by poison from the Witch. When called by the moderator, the moderator will tell him if he can use his skill or not–based on whether he was poisoned or not.

Further tips and details

The player who is banished or out of the game in the first night will still have a chance to speak.
Only the werewolves know who their teammates are. Humans don’t know who their teammates are. And werewolves can say that they are human, and normally mask as villagers (since there are at least two or four villagers, it is hard to know which one is fraud).
To find the werewolf or to suspect someone, try to treat this game as a psychological game. If you find someone too nervous or too feeble, they might hold a werewolf card. Or, if you find someone who is speaking too much or too little, they will be questionable. You can always take a guess at everyone’s card according to their statement.
The core of this game is the Seer because nobody knows who other players are except the Seer. Only the Seer and werewolves have the ability to lead the teams. And the Seer has to share his or her information on the first day.
Each player has to be brave to speak out their opinion and tell others their identity, and be active in voting.

The Werewolf game is my best recommendation ever. It’s a very social game because you have to speak and communicate with each other to collaborate during the whole game. It’s also a really casual game to play with friends!

Editor: Makena Behnke

The Rise of Modern Esports

March 5, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Esports Specialist James Zheng

Esports is the abbreviation of electronic sports. “Electronic sports” generally refers to the mode in which the competitor utilizes electronic devices to play against other competitors based on experience. And, the common manifestation of electronic sports is in gaming sports, where players play against others with a team or individually. Esports was nevertheless really unknown and thought to be meaningless back in the day. But, is it a waste of time?

The reason that I decided to write this post is due to the things I found out a few days ago that made me realize how the realm of esports is actually pretty fascinating. I was browsing on a live-stream website, and then I saw these different game league matches. There were games held on two platforms: mobile and computer. And, when I observed those matches, they were conducted decently and scrupulously. It made me feel like a game was not just a “game.” With millions of fans watching games’ live streams and watching conversations about the players, it gave me a sense that esports are cooler than I thought. These games included League of Legends (a multiplayer game released by Riot Games), Warcraft III, Overwatch, and Dota 2 (all released by Blizzard Entertainment), etc. It shocked me that the development of esports could be this successful and popular. Esports is an industry.

The abundance of esports is definite. Earlier in 2000, a South Korean company directed the first worldwide event in esport history–the World Cyber Game, which included more than twenty games in the competition. It was held worldwide until 2013 (it revived in 2019 again); it was given the title “Esports Olympics.” Around America and Europe, the Overwatch League is taking place. Cities can compete against other cities–just like the NBA. In like manner, The League of Legends World Championship annual tournament is probably the biggest event in the realm of esports. Once The League playoffs start, there will be more than thirty countries playing live stream matches. After seeing these examples of esport play, I completely changed my view towards gaming, professional game players, and esports!

However, is playing esports professionally a realistic dream for everyone? The first thing we know is that we normally just play video games for entertainment, and before I had that amazing discovery on live stream, I never thought that playing a game could ever be a goal. Sometimes I just thought it too impractical. In contrast, the occurring of esports had begun a few years ago. I have seen cases in which a teenager live streams and plays video games every day instead of accepting education in school to pursue their goal. There are circumstances that some of them succeed in the end, but very few. The vast majority of players eventually abandon the idea of earning money at esports. If you are a pro player, you do not know when there will be a new, better player to take your position. Likewise, you also need to worry about the future of your team. There are still so many experienced teams who have already played for several years. When your team encounters them, it will be extremely hard to survive. And the result is only going to be the dissolution of your team.

The undeniable fact is that esports has sustainable support from billions of fans. And, as far as I can see, there is indeed a tremendous potential possibility within esports and the love dedicated by fans and players to play, to develop, to earn, to win.

Editor: Holden Hartle

random things to do

March 4, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Makena Behnke

i don’t always like to be on my phone or on the computer when i have spare time; it makes me feel good when i’m not sucked into social media or random websites. but, as a student, it’s hard to make time for things we want to do. i get it, but if you do happen to have time to spare and you’re not sure what to do without your phone, here are some suggestions:

do some art. whether it’s drawing, colouring, painting, or photography, or really anything creative, it’s a great way to let some energy out, and it’s fun. whatever you decide to make doesn’t have to be good. just let it all out.
go for a run. you don’t have to run fast or far, maybe just a quick dash around the block. you don’t even have to put shoes on or any special running clothes. (i like running barefoot; it feels good to feel the pavement.)
read. maybe you’ve been meaning to finish a book you started a while ago, or you want to re-read your favorite book. maybe you can explore a new genre you haven’t really looked at before.
clean, & re-organize. this sounds really… not fun, but when someone isn’t forcing you to clean, it’s not that bad. maybe sort through your bookcase, or sweep the floors, something simple. it always makes me feel more productive, plus my room is cleaner than it was. it’s a win-win in my book.
explore your area. if you haven’t ventured outside your home much and into the possible random shops and restaurants you may have around you, you might want to explore. even if you don’t think you’ll find anything, it’s always good to just take a look. and, if you live in a strictly residential area, just wander around and see what houses you’ll find; maybe you’ll see a cute dog or something.
watch a movie. sitting down with some snacks or maybe doing some art while watching a movie is always nice. it’s less mentally destructive than being on your phone or computer, at least for me.
find new music. click on a genre you wouldn’t usually spring for, find something new. i usually type a random word into my spotify search bar and listen to a couple songs or an album that pops up. i’m not always successful, but it’s still fun.
sleep. when all else fails, just sleep. you can take a quick nap to fast forward to something you’re looking forward to (a dinner, movie, etc). or you can nap to fill time. let’s face it: we all need more sleep.

Editor: AJ Patencio

The Puppet Cuts Free

March 1, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

A Fable by Guest Blogger Charles Schnell

At the top of a grassy hill almost untouched by humankind, his house stood basking almost too closely to the sun. He was the proud owner of the house on the hill. He was the one who made the dolls. And, he was a puppet.

Everyday, the puppet had to wake up, find himself at the desk in his study with his strings still attached, and get to work again. His life consisted of being hunched over his wooden desk, delicately weaving and stitching dolls together. Eighty dolls a day, to be exact. Six days a week–this would be the puppet’s routine: wake up; make eighty dolls; go to sleep.

Then, on the seventh day, the puppet would have to make his way to the village and deliver the dolls to the market. The strings attached to the hands of the heavens led the puppet’s way.

Walking back to his workshop on the hill, the puppet would have to hear the same comments from the villagers.

“Yeah, the dolls are nice. But what else do you do?”

“Wow, how do you come up with so many new designs? Every week you have something new!”

“Where do you see yourself in four years?”

In the beginning, the puppet tried answering these questions, but he always found himself at a loss for words, and the strings of the heavens do not stop for their puppets. So, he gave up and returned to his house on the hill in silence.

This all continued long enough for millions of dolls to have come spilling out of the puppet’s soul. Until one day, the doll stopped. He dropped his roll of yarn and did not pick it up again. The heavens tugged and pulled on the strings, but the puppet did not concede. In fact, that day, the puppet took his yarn cutting scissors, raised them up while resisting the tugging of the heavens, and cut his strings.

Freed, he could no longer sense the heavens. All contact was cut. And for once, he left his house on a day that was not the seventh day.

At first, he liked the town. He liked being able to roam without the strings. And, for the first time, the villagers saw a smile on the puppet’s face.

Freedom did not come without its drawbacks, however. His newly found freedom caused newly found anxiety. Without his strings, the puppet had nowhere to go.

No, he had too many places to go, too many choices. That led to the puppet’s insecurity and anxiety. Pretty soon, the smile disappeared from his face.

The puppet continued on for a long time like this: anxious and insecure. But, one day he faced what he knew he had to do.

He returned to his old house on the hill, his desk, his workshop, his yarn, his scissors he cut himself free with.

He took a deep breath. He realized what he was about to do was for the best. He took the remnants of his strings to the heavens. He proceed with great care as he slowly and reluctantly stitched and spliced the strings together again. The heavens, seeing they had control once more, worked their magic, and the puppet fell asleep.

The next morning, the puppet awoke to his familiar life. The hill was untouched; the house was close to the sun; and the puppet made eighty more dolls.

Editor: Luke Langlois

Website Showcase: Pew Research Center’s Political Typology Quiz

March 1, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Luke Langlois, Internet Explorer

Hello, faithful and loyal readers. I want to bring something brand new to THEBIRDONFIRE.ORG. I would like to start doing an occasional website showcase because the internet is a vast landscape, and, quite frankly, there are so many nifty websites or tools that most people have never heard of. Later on, we may venture into the wild west of the internet. I would like to present a political typology quiz in anticipation of the upcoming election. Many Americans make what is called a “latent” decision when election day comes. They make an opinion based off of split-second decisions. Which candidate’s name do I recognize? What has the news said? What are the polls like? To make an informed decision, an individual has to know what they believe. Additionally, an individual deserves to know what each party stands for, and what party they most closely align with. This is why I implore whoever is currently reading this to take Pew’s Political Typology Quiz. This short quiz will give you seventeen questions of two choices. You should pick the choice that more closely represents your belief, even if it does not 100% represent your belief. After all of the questions, the quiz will show you where you fall on the typical “left-right” spectrum. Do note that this quiz is courtesy of Pew Research Center, and your response will be anonymously recorded for their research purposes. Find the link below!

Link: http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/

http://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/

Editor: Holden Hartle

Who is Running for President?

February 28, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org Leave a Comment

By Holden Hartle, Blogger and Future White House Chief of Staff

Some of our blog followers will be able to vote in 2020 for the next President of the United States, and, of course, the adults that follow the blog have been voting for years (at least I hope you have been). In any case, I feel as if you should look beyond what party your candidate is a part of, and actually do research into who these candidates are and what they believe in. So, here is a brief description of each of the candidates that have said they are running as of February 25, 2019. My source is The Washington Post. You can find more information by going to their website that is updated daily. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/politics/2020-presidential-hopefuls/?utm_term=.b2ec254a97e7

Democrats

John Delaney–Back in November, he was the first person to announce that he was running for President. He served three terms as a representative for Maryland’s 6th District. His platform, like many other Democrats, involves health care, but not universal health care–like other Democrats are proposing, but rather he is using his background in finance to come up with a “more reasonable” set of federal benefits and a way to afford it. For further information, go to https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-a-democratic-health-care-planwithout-medicare-for-all-131930755.html.
Andrew Yang–Our current President has started a trend in which candidates with little political experience have a shot at gaining the presidency. Likewise, Yang has no experience in politics. He is an entrepreneur who started Venture for America, a nonprofit that helps recent college graduates make a living through startups that can “revitalize a city.” His website can be found here: https://ventureforamerica.org/. In terms of his platform, he has an idea for a universal basic income for all adults of $1000 per month. His idea is that if people have more money, they will spend more money, and the economy will grow.
Tulsi Gabbard–She is currently the Representative for Hawaii’s 2nd District and a combat veteran. She is no doubt a trailblazer, as she was the youngest person elected as a Hawaii representative at 21; she was the first American Samoan elected to Congress, as well as the first Hindu. She prides herself on being an environmentalist and a proponent for LGBT+ and women’s rights.
Julian Castro–He is the current Mayor of San Antonio and served as the 16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017. He is very anti-Trump, as he recently held a rally near the site of the new wall, as well as publicly bashed President Trump’s State of the Union Address.
Kamala Harris–Simply through observation, Harris already seems like a very popular candidate. She is one of the current senators of California. According to her website, she will “provide sweeping tax cuts for the middle class,… raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, make higher education tuition-free for the vast majority of Americans,… protect the legal rights of refugees and immigrants, and expand access to affordable, quality health care with Medicare for All.” Her website can be found at https://kamalaharris.org/.
Marianne Williamson–Williamson, along with Andrew Yang, has no experience in politics. Rather, she is a spiritual teacher and author. She is running for president after an unsuccessful run as a representative for California’s 33rd District. Though she doesn’t have any experience in the government, she is no stranger to activism, as she has started several nonprofits for various social problems, such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the ‘80s.
Elizabeth Warren–Her platform is very Bernie-esque. The current Massachusetts Senator fights for the middle class. She has been in the news a lot recently for her opposition to President Trump and for President Trump’s critical view of her. She definitely has lots of name recognition due to the media.
Amy Klobuchar–Klobuchar is the current Senator for Minnesota and feels as though the views of the midwest have been unheard or misrepresented by the federal government. She is also very family oriented. In an article in The Economist, that can be found here https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/02/16/democrats-should-take-a-good-look-at-amy-klobuchar, she is described as being “the opponent Donald Trump would least like to face” because she is the antithesis of the President. She promotes the small towns in the midwest, while he focuses more on urban areas. This may lead her to a surprising run.
Bernie Sanders–Crowd favorite Bernie Sanders is the most recent candidate to announce his run. His ideas that originated in his 2016 presidential run are prevalent among the other candidates that are running this year. It will be interesting to see how he fairs against some of the other “young guns” whose platform is very similar to his.

Republicans

Donald Trump–As you will notice, the list on the Republican side is rather small. As of the time I am writing this, February 25, 2019, the incumbent President is the only one who has announced that he is running again. He has also said that his campaign slogan will be “Keep America Great.” Though it does look like he will be experiencing some roadblocks in the future. There are other candidates who are exploring bids, like William Weld, or even people who are simply looking like candidates, like John Kasich, but President Trump is the only person to officially announce his run.

Editor: Makena Behnke

Sleep

February 27, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 2 Comments

By Luke Langlois, Blogger and AP Psychology Student

It is truly a miracle that most humans enjoy sleeping. After all, we do spend one-third of our lives sleeping. And, we all have a general idea of what we get from sleeping. Sleeping gives humans the energy to carry out our day. Sleeping somehow cures humans of short-term illnesses or some sort of stress. To our conscious minds, sleeping is like a small time machine. But, contrary to what we might perceive, a LOT goes on while we’re sleeping. Coincidentally, there is a whole unit in AP Psychology about sleep and consciousness, so, why not share this knowledge? Today, I present to you a bit about what goes on in your head during your deep sleeps.

The Stages of Sleep

Scientists have defined five different stages that humans progress through during sleep.

Stage 1 – A light sleep: Stage 1 of the sleep cycle is, as might be expected, the stage where one is in the “lightest” sleep. You’re not awake, but you’re not completely asleep. It is best described as the stage of drifting off to sleep. Sudden noises or disruptions will easily bring you back to a completely conscious state. Individuals will sometimes feel as if they are physically falling during this stage. Additionally, individuals sometimes have what is called a “hypnic jerk” during this stage, where they may experience abrupt muscle spasms and jump back awake. This stage lasts about 5-10 minutes.

Stage 2 – Preparing for a deeper sleep: This is a fairly short stage that is part of the transition into a deeper sleep. During this transition, the individual’s brain waves continue to slow down, with some specific bursts of activity which are known as “sleep spindles.” During this stage, the body’s temperature slightly decreases, and the heart rate gradually lowers. This is a generally uneventful stage and serves mainly as the “sleeping housekeeping” for the body. This stage lasts about twenty minutes.

Stage 3 – Transitioning into a deeper sleep: This is where an individual begins to transition into a much deeper sleep. After this stage, it becomes very difficult to awaken an individual. Slow brain waves known as “delta” waves emerge in this stage. Brain activity here is quite low. This stage lasts about 5-10 minutes. Be aware that some sources will not recognize this period as its own separate stage, and will instead group it in with the next stage, calling it all “Stage 3.”

Stage 4 – Deep Sleep, but without REM: Stage 4 is sometimes referred to as “delta sleep” because of the continuation of the delta brain waves during this stage. It is quite difficult to awaken someone from this sleep, and it will take some additional effort. There is no dreaming during Stage 4, but some well-known sleep events occur here, like sleepwalking. This stage is the most “restorative” stage for the body, and lasts for about 30 minutes.

Stage 5 – REM!: REM sleep, also known as the “Rapid-Eye Movement” stage is the most active stage for the brain, even if it is the deepest stage of sleep. During this stage, the body experiences increased eye movement, an increased breathing rate, and increased brain activity. Dreaming is most prevalent in this stage and rarely occurs in other stages. While these systems become more active, the voluntary muscle systems are paralyzed. The brain releases a paralyzing chemical that, theoretically, prevents the body from acting out its dreams. The length of this stage varies, depending on how long an individual sleeps.

So, now that you’ve got a general look at the stages of sleep, there are some things that should be mentioned. First, one sleep cycle does not equal the total amount of time that one spends sleeping. One will go through multiple sleep cycles in the typical 8-hour sleep. Secondly, this is not a completely linear 1-5 sequence. When an individual first falls asleep, they only progress from Stage 1 to Stage 4. After Stage 4 is reached, the brain goes backwards. It goes into Stage 3, then 2, and then falls into the REM stage. One sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. I will send off this post with something practical for the nappers in the audience. A 90-minute nap is going to provide you with the best “refresh,” as you have been able to go through one whole sleep cycle. But, this is not to say that shorter naps aren’t as effective. No matter what, sleep on!

Editor: Makena Behnke

shirt

February 27, 2019 by szachik@pvs.org 1 Comment

By Blogger-Poet Makena Behnke

A Recollection/Reflection: February 4, 2019

i’m sitting on my bed in a hand-me-down shirt from my mom. it’s run thin from being worn too much, and it has an abstract sunset on it. it’s too soft to be real. there are holes from crickets chewing. the shirt is way older than i am. it’s stretched out from being pulled over the only two heads that’ve ever worn it. it’s from old navy or one of those stores. i’ve taken the shirt to europe almost every time. it’s too thin to provide any warmth except the bare minimum. one day it’ll run too thin and i’ll have to stop wearing it, but i’ll never throw it out.

Editor: Holden Hartle