April Horoscopes
Aries – Regardless of which Language Arts course you are taking, you’ll feel like a master at that language this month! And if you’re not learning a second language, well, always has room for improvement!
Taurus – April is a very appealing month, and it makes you wish the summer wouldn’t come just yet. Could it be the looming exams or the hot days?
Gemini – Your hearing may seem poor this April. Perhaps you have cranked up your iPod too much? Or maybe you’ve recently attended a really loud concert? Whatever it is, don’t worry. It’ll get better back soon.
Cancer – Continue reading here!
Suicide Seeds
By Jacqueline Ding, Grade 10
Human tragedy: A farmer and child in India's 'suicide belt': Ⓒ Daily Mail
True legacy stands the test of time, in spite of unexpected impediments and complications. For thousands of years, the natural succession of one seed by its many descendants was the sustainable cycle that provided stability and served as a means of preserving life and resources. Storing harvested seeds could grant a farmer self-sufficiency and freedom from being confined to corporations. But it is precisely what “businessmen” would never allow; it upsets the balance of their world, wherein everyone is completely dependent on them. They live only to be the death of others—or, at the very least, the bane of one’s existence.
U.S. Electronic Waste Sent to Africa
By Aaron Leung, Grade 10
Curtis Palmer, "e-Waste" January 4, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.
In Ghana, Africa, rain pours down during damp weather and turns Agbogbloshie into a muddy field. The mud is so thick and strong that it can grasp the shoes of those who set foot on it. (That is, if they actually wear any.) However, this does not stop children of varying ages from running around scrap yards. What they seek is any electronic waste that contains copper. On a lucky day, they can find about $2 worth of copper minerals from abandoned electronics (including computers, television sets, and phones), most of which are electronic waste that we have “recycled”; in other words, much of the e-waste in Agbogbloshie comes from First World countries, such as the United States.
The Windermere List: Easter Edition
- Easter: a Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection of Christ
- The Council of Nicea: the first Catholic ecumenical council, who made Easter a true holiday back in 325 AD
- Christian calendar: Easter Sunday is considered the most important day of the year
- Quinquagesima: the fifty-day period leading up to Easter and, for some, the period when meat is forbidden
- Easter symbols: bunnies, eggs, plastic grass, chicks, ham, candles, palm branches, etc.
- Chick hatching out of an egg: (more…)
Hope for Korean Reunification
By Cindy Cen, Grade 10
John Pavelka, "North Korean Flag" April 30, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Common Attribution.
If you did not know the lyrics to “O Canada” in English, no one would really mind in ordinary circumstances, aside from being awed by your poor memory. The most they would do is perhaps to joke a little about your seemingly unpatriotic behaviour or something along those lines. However, what if you were to be imprisoned or even tortured for forgetting just one word of the national anthem?
North Korea has been labelled consistently as one of the worse human rights offenders in the world. (And when I say “human rights,” I am referring to the rights that we take for granted because we have gotten used to having them in our lives.) If you were living in North Korea, you would have no liberty. You would have no freedom of speech, and you wouldn’t be able to do what you want. The government, or you’re your neighbours, would be watching your every move to see if you were following the rules set down by “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il (or King Jong-un, now that he has succeeded his late father as the supreme leader of North Korea). (more…)
Some Good News and Some Bad News
By Tammy Lee, Grade 12
SOME GOOD NEWS
Good-bye, Bottled Water!
Vancouver Community College has decided to ban the sale of bottled water on its campus starting in spring 2013. This marks the college as one of the first in the Lower Mainland to cast aside the society’s illogical preference for convenient plastic waste over reusable bottles. The executive director of VCC Student Union, Tiffany Kalanj, said: “It’s really a common-sense solution to sustainability on campus and it’s so much cheaper to have tap water, and Metro Vancouver . . . has the best water in the world.”
Are We Killing Ourselves?
By Claire Fergusson, Grade 10
Agent Orange is a powerful poison used by the U.S. military in the Vietnam War. It was used as a chemical defoliant to shed tree leaves, so that Vietnamese guerrilla soldiers could not carry out any surprise attack on American soldiers, who gained a great advantage in the war as a result. Agent Orange has been proven lethal to not only plants but also ecosystems and the people who live within them. Until this day, Vietnam still suffers from water and soil contamination, and many generations still have to deal with the harmful effects of Agent Orange.
USAF, "Agent Orange Cropdusting" circa 1962-1971via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution.
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is one of the two major chemicals found in Agent Orange. It is used in lawn care products across Canada and the United States. However, it has been recognized as a cancerous toxin. (more…)
Globalization and the Need for Sovereignty
By Sharan Pawa, alumnus
Hannes Rinkl, "Abstract Globalization" February 12, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.
Globalization can be defined as “the increasing integration of diverse economic, sociocultural, military, and environmental phenomena by means of dense networks of action and information that span vast distances around the world,” according to James Danziger, research professor of Political Science at the University of California.
Although globalization entails the world-wide exchange of goods, services, technology, and culture, there are various reasons as to why the globalization movement can be harmful to independent states and undermine the rights and freedoms upheld by sovereignty, which refers to the assertion that “each state has complete authority and is the ultimate source of law within its own boundaries. It assumes that all states are equal before the law and that each state has the right to protect its territory against any aggression or intervention.” Sovereignty is instrumental in the preservation of cultural diversity, environmental wellness, and economic stability—all of which are threatened by globalization.
Movie Review: The Hunger Games
By Max Miller, Grade 12
Park County Library System, "The Hunger Games Slogan" March 21, 2012 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.
The Hunger Games isn’t a franchise that needs much of an introduction, especially in a high school newspaper. Chances are you’re already familiar with the story of Katniss’ fight for survival; even if you aren’t, it wouldn’t have been possible to escape the media blitz and mountains of hype surrounding the movie release. It has been described as the biggest pop culture phenomenon since Twilight, though lots of fans think it unfair to compare the two—count me among them.
For the uninitiated, here’s a quick run-down of The Hunger Games. (more…)
NHL Playoff Preview
By Mike Chen, Grade 12
As the NHL regular season winds down, teams on the playoff bubble are battling for the final spots to compete at the most grueling and challenging level of the sport. On the other side of the spectrum, the top teams are playing out their final games with a clear goal in mind: to stay healthy and be fully prepared for the playoffs.
April Canu-pdate
By Matthew Inouye, Grade 10
“This is the year!” This perennial statement of hope still stands strong after 41 years of Vancouver Canucks hockey, a statement of seemingly increasing validity with each passing season. But now, as the winter snow begins to melt and Mother Nature turns on the spring showerhead, the Canucks find themselves with just days left until the beginning of the 2011-2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. But we need to take a closer look at the team in order to truly tell whether or not the this year’s Canucks have what it takes to fix a forty-year trend of “We’ll get’em next year!”
Kony 2012 Indoctrination
By Angela Ho, Grade 11
Alejoh Designs © 2012
Less than a month ago, the global community was hit with an online activist campaign video that went viral in just a few days, attracting more than 70 million viewers. Kony 2012 successfully promoted Invisible Children Inc.’s ‘Stop Kony’ campaign, which urges the capture of Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and—according to Invisible Children—the world’s most wanted war criminal. Having operated in Uganda, the LRA is now active in South Sudan, Congo, and Central Africa. It is responsible for many of the horrific war crimes that have taken place over the last 20 years, and to say that many lives have been affected would be an understatement. It’s true: Joseph Kony is a pretty nasty guy, but the way that this situation is presented by Invisible Children Inc. is what I consider a cleverly orchestrated piece of propaganda.
Spring Break Survey
By Nichoson Nguyen, Grade 11
YES! We have come back to school, and I hope everyone has had a great spring break. To start off the first month of final term, let’s see how some of our fellow students have answered the following questions.
1. What did you do over spring break?
2. What are your thoughts about being back to school?
3. Could you share your thoughts on The Hunger Games without spoiling it for others?
Giants’ Brendan Gallagher Remains Out of the “Twitterverse”
By Dickson Liong, Grade 10
It was all fun and games when somebody asked the 19-year-old Gallagher about a tweet one of his former Giants teammates, James Henry, had sent to former Giants forward Spencer Bennett and all his Twitter followers in regard to the current Giants captain’s lack of presence on Twitter.
The tweet read: “@spencer_bennett breaking news Brendan Gallagher just confirmed he will join Twitter in 2012. #beauty.”
