Michigan stays blue

On November 6, many Americans rushed to polling places to vote for the new President of the United States, who will take office in January 2013. For a candidate to win, he has to get 270 of 538 total votes. Many states are neck-and-neck. Pundits identify Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Ohio as crucial swing state.

Although Michigan isn’t considered a swing state in this election, and is predicted to be “blue” at the end of the night, Michigan voters could surprise the country due to Republican nominee, Mitt Romney’s, connection to the Great Lakes State. Republican Mitt Romney’s father, George Romney, served as the 43rd governor in Michigan from 1963-1969. Much like his father, Romney has a business background and he is hoping to win in Michigan this year like his father did in 1963.

In Michigan, voting is running smoothly despite large voter turn-out. Two-thirds of the Michigan voting population is predicted to cast their ballot this election.  Whoever wins Michigan will earn 16 electoral votes. Polling places in Michigan close at 9 pm, and NBC News called the state for President Barack Obama.

This year 60 percent of the Americans voters said that the economy was the biggest issue for the next President to address. Out of the economical problems, people said that unemployment was a HUGE problem and that this problem should be addressed quickly. Both of the issues are important to Michigan voters. The auto industry bail-out during Obama’s first term was seen by many in the state as a good policy.

—Kid Reporter Molly Pribble

Learning Japanese

Language class in Ann Arbor sending messages of hope to kids in Japan.

I’ve been taking Japanese as my language class for a year now at Emerson School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I really enjoy it! My Japanese teacher Kayo Nakamura has given me such a wonderful opportunity this year to learn and appreciate all-things-Japanese.

Ann Arbor has a large Japanese community. I recently attended a Japanese cultural celebration at the University of Michigan so I could learn about the Japanese culture along with the language. The last celebration I attended was Oshogastu, which celebrates the Japanese New Year. I had the chance to pound sticky rice (mochi) with a wooden mallet (kine) in a bowl (usu).

When the earthquake hit, my teacher told us how bad the earthquake and tsunami had affected Japan. Her family lives in the southern part of the country. The earthquake hit in the northeastern part.

Radiation has been leaking from nuclear reactors at one of the main power plants. Kayo told her mother not to go outside in the rain because it might contain radiation. Many people from the Tokyo area were told to evacuate.

I saw the YouTube videos of the tsunami sweeping across the country leaving a trail of destruction. Cars and houses were tossed around like miniature toys. Many people in Japan are bracing for earthquake after-shocks, some of which have registered over 6.0 magnitude. The original earthquake was a 9.0.

Emerson school just announced two ways that students can pitch in to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. First, we can bring in our own money to donate to the American Red Cross. Second, we are writing letters of support to schoolchildren in the Sendai area.

Ms. Nakamura showed us how to write HOPE in Japanese: 希望.

Now, my class is writing cards filled with hope to send to the kids in Sendai, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake. A Deputy Consul General to the Japanese Government will hand deliver our letters, notes, and cards upon her return to Japan.

I’m hoping that these letters will lift spirits by showing the Japanese people that schoolchildren from across the globe are thinking of them.

—Molly Pribble

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Molly Pribble with her Japanese teacher Kayo Nakamura in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo Courtesy Molly Pribbble)

Ice Dancers Take Gold!

Meryl Davis and Charlie White now compete for world domination

The 2011 U.S. Nationals Figure Skating Championship was held this past weekend in Greensboro, NC. Meryl Davis and Charlie White were Ice Dancing favorites to win their event.As I had just interviewed Meryl and Charlie, I anxiously awaited the coming of the U.S. Nationals so I could watch them perform on ice again.

When I started watching, I was staring at the TV thinking, “They are thrilling, athletic, and magnificent to watch! Did I really just interview them?”

They skated in two different programs: a short dance and a free dance. In the short dance, they waltzed to music from “La Boheme” and “La Traviata” that wowed the judges and the audience.

Meryl wore a short peach dress and Charlie wore a black and white tuxedo. They did amazing jumps, lifts, and twirls that scored them a solid 76.04. They were almost six points ahead of the second place team!

In the free dance, they performed a spicy tango with difficult “twizzles” and an amazing over-the-shoulder lift. Meryl wore a beautiful red dress and red flower in her hair while Charlie wore all black.

Meryl and Charlie were perfectly in sync with each other throughout the entire 4-minute production. Once off the ice, they were exhausted from giving it EVERYTHING!

I jumped up and cheered when I saw they had earned a whopping 109.44 to give them a grand total of 185.48. This score earned them their 3rd consecutive Ice Dancing National Championship Gold! Yeah, Meryl! You rock, Charlie!

They will be performing March 21-27, 2011 in Tokyo, Japan, for the World Figure Skating Championships. They really want to win this. It’s No.1 on Charlie’s current “checklist.”

Watching them this weekend, I’m positive they will win. Canadians and Russians: Watch out!!

—Molly Pribble

PHOTO: Meryl Davis and Charlie White show off their gold medals for winning the dance program during the awards ceremony at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011. CREDIT: Bob Leverone/AP Images

Ice Dancing and Reading?

Yes, but not at the same time! Olympic Ice Dance Champs talk to Kid Reporter

To be honest, I didn’t particularly remember the details of the Ice Dancing competition from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics when I got the assignment to interview Silver Medalist Ice Dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White. My mom and I went onto YouTube to do some research!

We found many interesting interviews and videos of their ice dancing routines. I was really impressed by their “Indian-inspired” ice dance in the Olympic competition. The music and choreography were great! Both skaters were completely in sync with the music and each other.

I also liked the Phantom of the Opera ice dance. Toward the end of that routine, there was an interesting lift that involved Meryl flipping onto Charlie’s back and positioning her skate blade on his calf while gliding across the ice. How did they not fall doing that move? They made it look so smooth and easy.

Just before the interview I had butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous and excited at the same time. When I got to the ice arena for our scheduled meeting, Meryl warmly welcomed me and went to find Charlie. When I asked them the questions, they gave me great answers—just the answers I needed to write a great article. They were extremely nice and told me that I had done a terrific job for my first interview. No more butterflies!

One really interesting thing I learned about the ice dancing pair is that they love to read and are excited by Scholastic’s Campaign to “Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life.”

“Reading every day is something we take to heart,” Meryl said. “Our education is something we really take pride in.”

“Reading books you enjoy can help you advance your education,” Charlie said. “For me, it was key in being accepted into a great college like University of Michigan.”

Both have their respective lists of “influential books” noted on Scholastic’s You Are What You Read website. Some of their all time favorites are targeted for teens and older such as The Chronicles of Amber (Charlie’s favorite) and The Lord of the Rings (Meryl’s favorite).

I asked them about their favorite childhood books. Meryl said The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was her favorite book because of the adventures and mischief she could experience by reading.

And Charlie’s favorite childhood book? A story about a bunny rabbit that sucks all the juice from vegetables.

“Actually, just mentioning the book makes me want to find my copy of Bunnicula so I can read it again!” Charlie said with a loud laugh.

You can check out You Are What You Read and add your own favorite books. It’s cool! (Kind of like ice dancing.) Also, check my story about the interview!

—Molly Pribble

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Molly Pribble with Olympic Silver Medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Canton, Michigan, where they train for their ice dancing routines. (Photo Courtesy Molly Pribble)