Diffusion

Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

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I love fools’ experiments.

I am always making them.

-Charles Darwin

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Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

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Letters From the Editors

We wrote this magazine, so if you see it here, we find it interesting. Different people have different tastes; therefore this magazine contains flowers, lethal diseases and everything in between.

However, there is a curious lack of exclamations marks, as we the editors believe them to be overused and have squirreled them away except in the most dire of circumstances.

This magazine is here to inform and entertain with our own special blend of sarcastic slapstick.

Some articles are more slapstick. Others are more sarcastic. Pick your poison.

--X Willis

If you’re reading this, it’s too late. But thanks for reading our magazine anyway. Especially this part. Most people don’t read letters from the editors. They’re usually pretty boring, or have no purpose whatsoever. Like this one. In fact, I probably wouldn’t recommend reading this.

Anyway, this magazine is about science. If you don’t like science, too bad. We have articles about a multitude of subjects ranging from teachers to death and more! Hoping you enjoy reading the rest of the magazine.

--Ben B.

Dear Readers, I hope that while you read this magazine and the many articles in it, you will appreciate the different characters that wrote the many pieces. Over the course of writing these articles, we fought 826 times and have made-up just as many. We’ve laughed several times, screamed, had internet failures, and endured hours of frustration. We now present this magazine, not as a perfect manifestation of our dreams, nor as a perfect masterpiece, but rather as a memory of our year together. With the best wishes in your readings.

--Daniel Zimmerman

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Bios Daniel Zimmerman (aka. Mister Pip) loves to spend his free time enjoying many of the hidden splendors of life: reading, talking, and playing cards. Along with playing tennis, he enjoys playing bowling and losing miserably. The biggest joy of Zimmerman’s life is working on exploring the world of languages. Attempting to learn Spanish, English, German, Icelandic, Czech, and Polish, he is now working on creating his own language, Novin, which is based off romance languages.

Ben B. often spells his name right. It’s not that hard to spell. He aspires to be a humble writer with a large ego. Biology is one of his seven most favoritest subjects at school. He really enjoys long walks by the beach. And he means really long walks by the beach.

Seriously. The last time he went on one, he passed out and woke up in a hospital. Dressed as a doctor. Which was everything he ever wanted. Except the writing thing of course. He loves it when people look over his shoulder while he’s writing about himself, especially when they butt in and correct his grammer. And add things. He compares his life to a tax evation... illegal and boring.

X. Willis often spells her name wrong. She swore in eighth grade that she’d never wear matching socks again - unless it’s a life-or-death matter. On that note, she feels sorry for her shoes - only one pair has evey lasted more than a year. Obviously, shoes need to be made with stronger glue. Another thing that needs to change is makeup.

She feels that it’s useless and time-consuming. Unfortunately for her, that’s not how her mother feels. She believes that if you can only be one thing, be different, because you’re unique. Just like everyone else. Oh, and sarcasm is one of her more prominent features.

Ximone Willis is usually seen running frantically towards her bus while dropping her books (She really would appriciate some help.).

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Opinion

Ben Bailey Why underwater life is not just a fantasy.

Headline art courtesy Duke University

A

A few hundred years ago, America was a frontier for the Europeans. The plains were vast and rolling, the food plentiful, and horizons limitless. Fast-forward to today. We now have a new “frontier” to explore. It’s not space, however, as Star Trek would have you believe. The human race is working on beginning a new life in the ocean. Living underwater is possible, plausible and pleasurable. While it is true that this new venture may be costly and take a lot of faith from the people, it is certainly worth taking that chance. Underwater colonies could be the thing that saves us from environmental problems. If we can change ourselves (both physically and mentally), we can change the world.

Underwater Tunnel

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

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The world is in a state of global warming, and living underwater would help solve environmental problems by decreasing the polluting population on the Earth’s surface. According to the Climate Institute (climate.org), sea levels will rise between .6 and two feet in the next century.

If a rise of two feet occurs, cities such as Amsterdam and Ho Chi Minh will be partially submerged. Maybe instead of combating this, we should learn to live with it.

In the process of building underwater residences, we are already developing new technologies such as mobile hydropower systems. These technologies would also be useful in normal life. They would help lead humans towards a cleaner, more efficient way of living in general because of the streamlining involved in the creation of such technologies. Take, for instance, the Coral World Park that is being built in Asia. This is an underwater resort that has all the necessities for life, including oxygen, security, and solid structure.

The engineers have developed a complex model for society. To take care of security issues, they say that the “whole resort will be tightly guarded.” This underwater resort will be a great way to improve society and the environment.

One culture in Southeast Asia has adapted to a partly-underwater lifestyle already. They are freedivers, and dive for food and recreation.

This gives them a much different view on life.

These people (the Bajau) “can change to be better adapted to the water,” says an article from BBC. The science behind this principle is actually fairly simple. If you expose the body to intense or extreme conditions, it changes to fit the environment. The same article states that “during breath-holding, oxygen stores reduce and the body starts diverting blood from hands and feet to the vital organs.” This shows that humans, contrary to popular belief, are actually pretty good at adapting, and living underwater may be the next step in the evolutionary process, as the Bajau realize. If the Bajau can do it, we surely can.

Opinion

Another way humans could end up living underwater involves drastic evolution. While this is more unlikely, it is still possible. According to an article by Greg Downey on PosBlogs, humans

“They’ve changed to fit their environment, and so can [we].”

may evolve to have a longer breaking point (the point when we feel forced to breath). Delving into science fiction, other changes might include underwater vision, larger lungs to hold our breath for a longer time, and maybe even gills or webbed hands to make it easier to swim. Alas, most people alive today would not live to see the evolution of an underwater human. This could take thousands of years. These changes are certainly not likely

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

(especially not any time soon), but would lead to an easier life for humans under the sea, and would quite honestly be really cool.

Life underwater is the future of society. Humans can adapt, evolve and create; we’re versatile creatures. The next logical step in human history would be to move underwater (whether it be into house bubbles or large community residences) - to explore the ocean, the final frontier.

Some people think we should settle on Mars instead. This would be even more challenging than living underwater: Here’s three reasons why to choose water over Mars:

1. We don’t want to cause damage to another planet.

2. Water is abundant on our planet.

3. It makes up 70% of our bodies. We were made to live with water.

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Opinion

By caveofknowledge.com; Tiffany McArhur; and free-desktop-backgrounds.net

A

frail old man, struggling to push his cart out of the store. A young child, standing on tiptoe to reach for a book. A homeless person, crouching on the street.

These people all need help in some form. Though it may not seem like much to us, we help them because it’s the right thing to do. But is it really? In The Case Against Helping the Poor, Garett Hardin maintains that helping people eventually leads to large-scale suffering. However, in any situation, Hardin’s logic is intrinsically flawed. Therefore, in approximately 547 days (December 21, 2012), we’ll have to help everyone we can or risk losing our humanity.

Of course, we say we’ll help people, but how will we choose who? We won’t have enough food to feed the world when the apocalypse happens so there has to be some selection process. Our best plan is to choose those with the most to lose. Older children and adults with families are the only real options. They’ve got intense motivation to live - no child wants to die, nor does any parent want their child to die. Then we have the topic of teenagers.

For all their angst, the majority of teenagers don’t really want to die and will do whatever it takes to keep living. They will never give up on life, which is a major point when you’re considering who to help - that way, these people will not waste your investment. People who would waste your investment consist largely of the elderly, the very young, the obese and the apathetic. The elderly, in many cases, are ready to die - and if they are not, they can prove it with their usefulness in watching chil-

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Unknown Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

By X Willis dren, cooking or cleaning, simple work that has to be done by someone. The very young cannot do anything, but chances are someone will undertake the task of caring for them - someone other than you. The apathetic are a lost cause because they just don’t care. If they did care, then they wouldn’t be apathetic.

“Choose those with the most to lose”

In his article, The Case Against Helping the Poor, Hardin maintains that aiding people by giving them food will inevitably lead to mass death. “If some [people] budget for accidents [such as crop failure] and others do not...the poorly managed ones [without budgeting] will suffer. But they can learn from experience...[unless aid] is open to every [person] every time a need develops, [they] will not be motivated to take Joseph’s advice [to store excess from times of plenty to use in times of little]. Someone will always come to their aid...As a result...[they] will not learn to mend their ways, and will suffer progressively greater emergencies as their populations grow.” In other words, no one will learn to save food because they will not have to; by ‘babying’ people in need, we will prevent them from ‘growing up’ and learning how to budget food. Hardin’s fatal flaw is that he assumes we have the resources to provide nothing but supplies. In the apocalypse, we will not have the luxury of merely handing out supplies; the Continued on page 16

Opinion

Complete with handy numbers and descriptions, so you know what to find first!

Air

It’s breathable. You last approximately three minutes without it, which is why it’s the first thing you’ve got to find. It’s comprised of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% aragon, less than 1% carbon dioxide and a whole spew of other gases that don’t really do much.

Water

It keeps you cooled down and hydrated. Without it, your cells shrivel and die. You’ve got approximately three days to find some before you fall into a dehyrdation induced delirum, usually followed by death. Its chemical equation is H2O.

Food

It’s edible. You live for about three weeks without it. As omnivores, we can eat both flora and fauna - animals and plants. While easier to catch, plants are harder to identify - unless they come in cans. In that case, bring on the can openers!

Shelter

It protects you from the elements. It may not sound like much, but when you’re dying of sunstroke or literally freezing to death in the winter rain, you’ll regret not building anything.

There isn’t really a time limit on this one...it all depends on the weather.

All together, what does that spell?

Awesome Walruses Feel Safe

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Opinion

L

ions and Tigers and Bears. Oh my! As the American culture is changing, it is now easier for Americans to purchase wild animals, animals that pose a threat to the safety of the owners and others. Some of the wild animals arising in the pet market are monkeys, exotic birds, and numerous types of reptiles. Wild animals are able to entertain, amuse, and allow for diversity in a household, but the fact of the matter is that these creatures should not be treated and housed like pets. Due to the safety threat and general complications for both the animals and the owners, exotic animals should not be kept as pets.

pets by using them for private a desire for these animals. If this sale and keeping them in far inad- cultural desire could be removed, equate conditions. Wild animals numerous innocent animals could suffer in conditions such as these be removed from harm’s way. where they are sim- As well as being a hassle to attend ply being to and take care of, wild pets can kept for the cost owners thousands of dole c o n o m i c lars through the initial purchase advantage and ongoing care. The original of the own- purchase of an exotic animal, deer. Exotic pending on what sort of animal, a n i m a l s can range in the thousands of dolare diffi- lars. According to the Exotic Pet cult to buy Center, a typical pet store with and bring listed pet purchase prices, monthrough in- keys can range from ternational $2,500 to borders. As a result these animals are smuggled in, where they are malnourished, underfed, and live in unfit conditions. Illegal smuggling cases are becoming more common even with larger-sized From 2003-2006, 650 million ananimals, such an illegal tiger imals were imported.

One of the largest negative effects trafficking case reportof the ownership of exotic animals ed by ABC News. Pet$10 billion is spent a year in illegal animal smugis the pain that the animals endure Abuse, an animal society gling (Second to illegal drugs) under confined ownership. Many committed to releasing Over 210 million animals were imported for animals are used for cruel pur- information pertaining to research, ranches, and zoos poses, and treated without proper animal abuse cases, has rein 2005. care. Now of course, not all exotic ported cases where over 200 wild and Exotic Animals carry exotic animals $ 4 , 0 0 0 , numerous diseases such as have been il- while other salmonellosis, herbes B, and legally packed exotic birds monkey pox. in a house and are in the trapped in cag- $1,000 to 90% of exotic reptiles ofes. The trauma $ 2 , 0 0 0 ten secrete salmonella in and harm this range. The their feces. causes the ani- cost of caring mal is due to for these ania demand for mals is ludicrous when compared exotic animals to the price of dogs and cats, as in the Ameri- there are numerous animals in can culture. need of adoption, that can be obOur culture, tained from numerous societies Young Americans are having a growing interest in exoctic animals as pets. thanks to me- such as local Animal Controls and pet owners abuse their pets in this dias, such as the Internet, televi- Humane Societies. The cost of way, but there is a potential large sion, and radio, has let people ex- the animals only grows as veteriprofit from exotic animals. This perience what possible joys there causes many owner to abuse their are of owning exotic pets, creating Continued on page 16.

“Exotic animals should not be kept as pets.�

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Images from flickr.com

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Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011 Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

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Walk WalkOn On

a teacher andand a friend a teacher a friend

Ben Bailey Ben Bailey

Photos courtesy Ben Bailey

W

hen most people are asked what their favorite teaching moment was, they usually reply with some big teaching triumph. A child with a disability learning a concept they’ve been struggling with, or just the smiles on children’s faces.

Amanda Walker, however, thinks differently.

“The moment I remember most of all in the classroom was [when] I had a kid who suddenly just vomited on another kid in class.”

Ms. Amanda Walker has been teaching at LASA for ___ years, and she’s

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one of the students’ favorite instructors. She teaches with a smile on her face, a mind full of knowledge, and a heart full of caring, with the goal to teach students how to teach themselves.

Walker’s childhood started out and continued in a boarding school. In fact, the first time she walked into a public school was her first day of teaching. She feels her education and the educators there affected her in a positive way. “[My teachers] made me want to do well and want to learn,” she said. I

think the responsibility for [making me want to teach] belongs to the teachers I had in high school who did so much and made me want to do the same thing.”

After going through school, Walker was sure she wanted to be a teacher.

However, after a few years of being with high school students, she decided to go back to college for a while to get a more extensive and in-depth education.

It only took a few years back in college for her to decide that she should stick with teaching high-school stu-

Feature dents. Something about going back to college just didn’t feel right to her.

“It’s kind of sad,” she said. “You can’t really get any rapport with people. By the time you get to know everyone’s names, it’s over. Something happens between high school and college where they stop wanting to learn, and just start feeling like ‘I payed my money, and you have to give me my grade, even if I don’t show up.’”

Teaching is something Walker enjoys. Instructors usually want students to feel loved and learn as much

Sitting in a corner of Walker’s classroom, notice some disheveled papers lying near microscopes, or hear a persistent bird call. The squawking comes from Zazu, the class bird.

“My life has been much happier since I got a parrot,” she said. As for the clutter, Walker thinks that her room says that she has “organization problems.”

Walker doesn’t really think there’s any moment that defines her as an instructor.

Amanda Walker

“I wouldn’t say there is one. Maybe

“

The best part of being a teacher is getting to be with kids all day, [and] the teaching part is definitely a passion. as they can. Of course this is exactly what Walker feels for her pupils.

“The best part of being a teacher is getting to be with kids all day, [and] the teaching part is definitely a passion,” Walker said.

Unfortunately, there’s a large portion of teaching where kids aren’t involved. That’s when the job can get repetitive and strenuous.

“All the parts where kids aren’t here, that’s a job. A boring and hard one, too,” she said.

In fact, Walker feels that “the worst part of being a teacher is all the bureaucratic stuff.”

”

there will be at one time,” she said.

However, there are specific moments that make Walker feel good about teaching.

Photo courtesy Flickr

“I think that really anytime a student succeeds at something, that’s a defining moment,” she said. “Over and over again, it’s the same defining moment, just with different people. And it makes you feel great every time.”

Of course, there is always one main thing teachers want to teach their students: “If there is one thing I want students to learn from me,” Walker said, “it’s how to teach themselves [and] how to not need teachers anymore.”

Zazu, the parrot Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

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[bī-ŏl’o-jē]- a branch of science concerning the natural world [tij’-teŋ]- passing information and knowledge from one [ h ŏ p’- k ĭ n z ] - the acid untold story g [jē’nōm’]-the set of, Daniel Zimmerman

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Feature

B

“

Hopkins encountered a big change when she came to work for LASA as a full time biology teacher after working for O. Henry Middle School as a substitute.

“I’ve been in two different roles,” Hopkins said, “At O. Henry, I was really just stepping in place of the teacher” Though she enjoys teaching at LASA, she has fond memories of her time working as a substitute at O. Henry. “[At O. Henry], I had kids that would just get so excited to see me and give me hugs every day in the hallway. I don’t get hugs from any of the students at LASA.” laughed Hopkins.

She appreciates the fact that she has been able to work at both schools where she enjoyed her time teaching students.

“I really enjoyed working at O. Henry and I really enjoy working at LASA.” Hopkins said, “[I] have to count myself lucky that I got into two such wonderful places.”

The best part of teaching is being able to come and see so many people.

Hopkins has been informed that, due to budget cuts, her job is no longer secure and that she may lose it at the end of the year. She is unsure of what exactly she will do, but is keeping numerous possibilities open.

“Hopefully, I can stay at LASA and teach,” Hopkins said, “If that doesn’t happen, then the next best scenario would be going somewhere else in the district, and teaching somewhere else.”

”

Hopkins incorporates a new way of looking at biology in her class.

“[I hope my students] see biology not as a science as something where they have to memorize a bunch of stuff, but really more as a philosophy.” Hopkins said

Her teaching ideal is allowing for students to see biology, as more than just dissected frogs and DNA, but rather as a life-long skill.

“Biology being the study of life, there’s so many parallels between things you can discover in biology and things in the real world,” Hopkins said. “I hope [my students] allow themselves a chance to reflect on the things that we’re learning in Biology and understand how it’s applicable to them, their life, and their philosophical view of the world as a whole.”

Hopkins enjoys that along with teaching, she is able to talk and visit with her students at LASA. “The best part of teaching is just being able to come and see so many people everyday and getting to know people and every single class,” Hopkins said. “It’s just really fun to see so many familiar

Continued on page 16.

All photos taken by Daniel Zimmerman

rittany Hopkins’ classroom is lined with the artifacts of past teachers who worked there. A desk spray-painted with the word “Beckham”, a projector from the 80s, and numerous stained test-tubes carrying the scent of old science experiments gone wrong. But Hopkins room could not be farther from who she is. A firstyear teacher bringing in new ideas, isn’t teaching in pastteacher’s method, but starting with new methods of teaching and ideas. Hopkins, a new biology teacher, is bringing in new ideas and a new view of what exactly biology is.

Hopkins didn’t take a direct approach to becoming a biology teacher; in fact ending up in the biology field was an indirect approach to another goal.

“I went into biology, because I wanted to be a vet,” Hopkins said, “Unfortunately there [weren’t] any zoology degrees that you can do as a graduate.”

Her immersion in Biology was only half of what helped her to become a biology teacher.

“I started volunteering at a middle school in Seattle, and that’s when I realized I wanted to be a teacher,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins helping student in her classroom.

Dihydrogen DihydrogenOxide: Oxide:Diffusion: Diffusion:June June2011 2011

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Continued from page 9.... ...people we help will have to work for their food. By doing so, they will learn to budget supplies whether they like it or not.

Finally, aren’t we morally obligated to assist these people? According to Peter Singer in Practical Ethics, if allowing a person to die isn’t any different than killing, then by not helping that person, we’re murderers. It is impossible to justify leaving people to die when you have the means to prevent it. Unless helping them means death, you are morally obligated to aid however you can. If we do not help people in need, then how are we human?

In the apocalypse, our humanity will be tested more than it ever has been before. It is not the survival of the body that will be the most important, but survival of the human consciousness. We may fight to the death to live, but in the end all that matters is the fight to stay human.

Continued from page 11....

zee, which her friend had had for several years. According to the New York Times, Nash’s face was torn up as she later revealed on a day-time television show. Both her hands were ripped off, along with her nose, lips, and eyelid. The damage the chimp did to her face is immense, and the psychological toll is impossible to determine. Animals that are unaccustomed to an environment and to people should not be kept with humans as they pose as a safety threat. The fact that dangerous exotic animals can unexpectedly attack at any time, causing for severe injuries or death should be a stopping factor in the purchasing of exotic animals as pets. Animals do not necessarily have to be large and vicious to be a threat to owner’s health and safety.

The BBC reported that a man had severe eye inflammation after he cleaned out his pet tarantula’s cage. The hairs from the spider had caused for the owner to have the eye problem. Most owners do not calculate all the risks that having an exotic pet can cause. There are numerous problems that can arise, even if the animal is labeled as harmless.

With more and more exotic pets coming into the household, society needs to realize and understand the potential threat that the animal has. These animals require lots of the owner’s time and energy, can be horribly abused, and inflict harm upon their owners. As long as people house wild animals, however there will be a possibility of severe danger every day.

narian bills, special eco-system setups, and specialized food come into play.

Animals such as chimps are the same size or larger than humans and require a large diet, just as humans do. having large animals is just another three meals to add to the daily grocery list.

The ratio of cost of keeping a wild pet to a normal household pet is incredible. Continued from page 15....

Not only are the foods and upkeep of normal household pets much cheaper, faces every single day and being able but also more available than exotic to come to the same place.” pets.

Hopkins is aware that in the current market, teaching jobs aren’t Exotic pets, out of fear or anxiety, can readily available and that she may harm their owners causing life-changhave to continue her education to find ing effects. Some extremely serious cases have occurred over recent years, work.

“I’ve thought of going back due to owners owning not only exotic, to grad school, [but] I’m not really but also violent pets. In 2009 Charla sure what I’d do,” Hopkins said. “If I Nash of Connecticut was mauled by her friend’s 200-pound pet chimpan- did what I wanted to do, it would be something in the field of education,

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but seeing as the field of education is sort of unstable right now, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

She has also pondered going into an entirely different field.

“I’ve thought about going into something with computers, like software industry, even though I’m not qualified for any jobs in the industry,” Hopkins said. “That seems like where the future is and that’s where a lot of the growth opportunities are.”

With her fresh and modern ideas, Hopkins is leaving a permanent mark on her classroom. The room now will have the memories of a teacher that as she would say, was a ‘mutation’ from the typical biology teacher.

Continued from page 19....

“There,” Steven remembers, “was a church member who [had been] a doctor in Cuba. He said he must spend ten years to get his diploma in the US. I thought, if I have to spend ten years for my study, [what about] my children’s future? I thought, it’s better not to think about myself instead of the future of my seven children.

And I’m glad I did.”

Now six of his seven children have college degrees and all of them have good jobs. “[That] could not [have] happen[ed] if I stayed in Vietnam,” Steven remarks.

But which country does Steven prefer? Easy.

“Paradise.”

By Ximone Willis

Art by Henry Roberts

Across the Pacific in several weeks

By X Willis Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

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Art by Andrej Pausic

Feature

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cross from me sits an escapee and former inmate.

His tanned, weathered skin shows years of sun. You’d never know it, but this man formerly served as a military doctor. Because of that, he was sent to jail.

Although today Steven Hoang lives a sedate retired life in Houston, Texas, only 36 years ago he served as a doctor in the South Vietnamese army.

When the North Vietnamese communists advanced on Saigon, his family’s lives were in jeopardy. Luckily, he and his family managed to scramble aboard an oil tanker in their escape from Vietnam the day Saigon fell. Despite having no money, the family managed to literally jump onto an outward-bound ship.

Their boarding was nothing short of a miracle, but the trip was nothing short of hellish.

they left port. As they were boarding, the Viet Cong began shooting at the ship. The captain’s brother was forced to launch the ship captain-less, though launch isn’t really the correct term for what happened; crashed-through-thepier-to-the-sea is. The captain’s brother had never sailed a ship this big and rammed into the pier An oil tanker similar to the one Steven Hoang and his family traveled the Pacific with. before managing to get out of communism regime which is intolthe harbor. In the process, a huge erable,” he said. Even now, to him hole was rent in the side of the ship. Vietnam represents “government Eventually, the engines stopped run- atrocities against its people and the culture degradation under the communist regime.”

“

I had the audacity to stand up against them

The

misfortunes

began

Photo by Unknown

“We were almost starved because there [was] not enough food for [the] 3000 souls who [scrambled on board in a panic],” said Steven. But, he continues, “The real nightmare was thirst.”

There was plenty of water, but it was only distributed twice a day and, Steven adds, “our family of nine did not have a container to save water.”

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Despite this, Steven was glad to be on the ship. He couldn’t bear living under communist rule again.

“I have experienced living under

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“The people [who were not members] of the communist party were suffering pain, humiliation and indignation,” Steven remembers. “I was one of them. The difference was [that] I had the audacity to stand up against them before they put me in jail.”

”

ning. According to Lynda Hoang, Steven Hoang’s daughter, they drifted for weeks.

before

A photo of Steven Hoang at approximately 25.

During the reign of the communists, Steven was sent to jail twice.

“During a campaign to clean up...the remnants of capitalist ideology,” he continues, “most intellectuals, who they considered as obstacles on their way to a communist society, were arrested with false accusations.”

“I was one of them,” he recalls. “I did not shut my mouth against indoctrinating conferences in which they tried to brain wash the populace.

Those conferences were held by illiterate peasants that they considered as proletariats, the back bone cadres of the communist party.”

Feature But that was just the icing on the cake. According to Steven, “The most important thing [was] maybe [that] I did not adhere to the Union, a satellite organization, which was considered as mandatory for all civil servants [while] working [as a physician] for the most prestigious hospital of Thanh Hoa province.”

in a panicky mentality,” he recalls.

With the multitude of people pushing to board, it was a miracle that they made it on the ship. There had been two ships moored at the pier; one a cruise ship and the other an oil tanker.

“My father tried to buy tickets, but his money was useless,” Lynda said.

“People had bags and bags of money with them...it was a ship for the rich people.”

The Hoangs jumped onto the oil tanker, which by that time had taken

“

But his money was useless...People had bags and bags of money

After a month in jail, Steven managed to escape to Laos and searched for the office of the International Committee (IC).

Unfortunately, Laotian communists arrested him and sent him back to Vietnam for a high security imprisonment without the IC’s knowledge.

One month later, Steven managed to escape again, this time with two friends. He was able to cross into South Vietnam, where he was free.

Then the communists came again.

up its gangplank as well. When the Viet Cong began firing, the ship took off.

“My brother managed to jump the six, seven, eight feet from the pier to the ship,” Lynda said. “From there [he] made it onto the deck. My father handed us over [to him] or threw us up [so that he could catch us].”

A few weeks later, the ship landed in the Philippines.

They made it onto the deck of the cruise ship and were told to get off.

Photo by Lynda Hoang

“A few hours before the collapse of South Vietnam, we jumped on ship along with thousands [of] other[s]

”

The oil tanker’s gangplank was down and people were streaming on as fast as possible.

“When our ship came to the Philippines...we thought, ‘We’ve landed [in] paradise!’,” said Steven. “[The US military base] was decorated with colorful Christmas lights while music filled the air.”

For them, recounts Steven, America was “beyond anybody’s imagination.” American life was much easier than Vietnamese life due to the recent anti-discrimination law; it gave immigrants equal job opportunity.

However, the one thing Steven didn’t do was apply for a medical license.

When the family arrived in Houston, they were sponsored by a church via an immigrant-support program.

Steven Hoang and his wife, Lisa, celebrating his 80th birthday...and 36 years in America

Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

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ens & Grounds of LBJ 2010 Gard -201 e h T 1

Design by, Daniel Zimmer tos & man Pho

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Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

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Someone offers you an unidentifiable meat.

Pet it

You see a puppy.

By X Willis

You’ve lost your car keys. Don’t be silly. That would

Eat it

Kill it

No, thanks

never happen.

I care don’t. I bike have a anyway. away Go.

is transmitted between animals via exposure to bodily fluids. The disease attacks the brain, inducing hyrdophobia (fear of water) and causing muscle spasms as well as speech confusion.

normally follows infection with Streptococcus bacteria. Although antibiotics usually cure the disease, it can return if medications are not taken in the following three to five years. Complications include abnormal heart rhythms and heart failure.

YES

A POLITOED! It increases mosquito defense by 60%! Pull out last pokeball?

is a relative of Ebola, and is tranmitted by contact with infected people or primates.

It begins with headache and ends with suffers bleeding out (decomposing their internal organs into bloody pulp and ex29pelling that waste through all orfices).

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Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

(new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) is thought to be caused by the introduction of prions, misfolded proteins. Once introduced into an organism, prions induce other proteins to misfold as well. In the case of vCJD, this usually results in the mental deterioration of the infected; the patient suffers dementia and personality changes as well as motor control loss.

No, I have better things to catch

is transmitted by mosquitoes and blood transfusions, but primarily the former. Fever and muscle pain can end in destruction of blood cells and respiratory failure.

Ben Bailey

TTYL STFU ILY WTH IKR TBH =| BBL -_:P GTG ROFL :O >:( *_* IDK WTF :3 <3 :) :( :D D:

Now try making your own sentence!

Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

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A righteous explosion of knowledge and sarcasm.

Just like Prince Rupert’s Drops.

Rick Hap

S ’ T ER

P U R E C OPS N I PR DR

www.wikimedia.org

More Scientific explosion-esque things inside

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Dihydrogen Oxide: Diffusion: June 2011

Molten glass is dripped into water.

The center of the teardrop begins to coll and condense immediately while the outer surface takes a little longer.

This forms a vacuum, which renders Prince Rupert’s Drops nearly indestructible-unless you break the tip of the teardrop.

While it is possible to hammer on the fat part of the drop, the tip of the tail is exteremely fragile, and once broken, sets off a chain reaction of increasing violence.

Translation: Don’t try this at home (Unless you really want to).