October Horoscopes

Horoscope designs by Cheryl Loh

Aries – Teach others as you would teach yourself. Time sometimes calls for a change in perspective, don’t leave it to the answering machine.

Taurus - Rushing through your issues will lead you into a dead end. Take your time and make wise decisions. When talking to others, be a little more tactful.

Gemini – Being whimsical is part of being a Gemini. Don’t ignore a hunch when it comes, because that hunch might help you in the long run.

Cancer – Take a step back and reflect on the good times. Motivation and direction is what you need right now. Walking outside may give interesting results.

Leo – Realize there are more things to life than work. Friendships will keep you sane. Whenever you need some happy time remember to suit up!

Halloween Eco-Tips

by Chanel Ly

1) Walk, don’t drive! – Walking around to go trick-or-treating can be a lot of fun, so there’s no need to drive to someplace far to dig up some good treats.
2) Hand out something different. – If you don’t want to give out plain old candy or contribute to giving the little ones cavities, here are some ideas on some other things that you can distribute: granola bars, eco-friendly pencils, toothbrushes, organic candy, fair trade chocolate.
3) Collect something different. – Some of us, but not all, do not crave sweets as much as when we were little. So, instead of collecting sugar, you can collect cans or books to donate to a charity.
3) Buy a used costume or home make your costume. – To prevent spending extra cash on a costume that uses our world’s limited resources, visit a local thrift store or find materials at home to create one that’s one-of-a-kind. Homemade face paint can also be made. Make a group costume with friends! You won’t regret it.
4) Natural decorations. – If you’re planning to invade your house with pumpkins, be sure to purchase pumpkins and other vegetables such as squash from a local farm, preferably organic.
5) Use the entire pumpkin. – Let’s not let any pumpkins go to waste! Roast the seeds, make pumpkin soups or pies, or at least compost the remaining parts if they are not going to be used.
6) Flashlights with rechargeable batteries. – Rechargeable batteries can be charged over 1,000 times which removes the need to trash hundreds of conventional batteries.
7) Use 100% beeswax or soy candles. – Paraffin wax candles made from petroleum (a non-renewable fossil fuel) can release harmful toxins when lit.
Recycle. – After the party’s over, don’t forget to recycle as much as you can: your costume, decorations, and treats.

http://twistedplot.ca/index.php/2007/10/25/10-eco-friendly-halloween-tips-and-ideas/

Halloween Comic

by Jessie Li

Spook fest

“One time, at a party in grade 9 I was dared to go into the host’s bathroom, lock the door so nobody could get in, and say “Bloody Mary” 9 times in a row.
When I got to the 8th Bloody Mary, I felt really cold, and by the 9th time I started choking. People couldn’t get in to save me but luckily I held onto the doorknob and opened the door. I wasn’t choking on anything but it was like her hands were around my neck. They took pictures of me thinking that it was a joke but the pics were all blurry and I had no pupils in my eyes.”
-Amanda Chan

“One time, I was like three, I was in Mexico; I was walking around with my mom’s camera and taking pictures. It was dark with a few dim lights, and I took a picture at a blank spot on the wall and when the picture came out, there was a figure of a man holding his hand out at the camera.”
-Shai’a Bak

“One night, a couple years ago, I was lying on the floor in my room, doing some math homework. Normally I listen to music when I do homework but this one time, I felt too lazy to turn the radio on. So as I was trying to figure out a complicated equation, I heard calm breathing right by my left ear. Nobody else was in my room, let alone right beside me. I held my breath to see if it was just me, but the breathing kept going. Since then, I’ve hardly ever sat in my room by myself without the radio playing.”
-Monika Chan

Brave New World

by Jessica Luu

There may not be Goblins or Ghosts in Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World, but the subtle horrors and shocks of his satirical and ironic theme is enough to scare readers—though, in a very different way from modern day terrors.

Imagine the world’s future. Will there be flying saucers as our main transportation? Or an end to world hunger? Or even machines that rule the world? In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley’s vision of the future is uniquely expressed.

The story takes place in Central London in 632 A.F. Everything we used to know is gone: family, love, literature, religion, disease, old age, natural births, and unhappiness. Civilization is at peace, now that all the causes of corruption and social unrest have been obliterated, thanks to the many controllers of the World State. Implemented are a set of beliefs and rules that society is conditioned to follow. Everyone is conditioned from the time they are embryos until they are seventeen years of age.

Burn After Reading

Movie Review
by Mitchell Agostinho

Here’s a better title, “Burn Eyes After Watching.” To be perfectly blunt, I didn’t like it; simple as that. Even though it had some great jokes and some cool moments, the movie was really boring. It started ok, then got weird, then got weirder, then got creepy, then funny, and then before I knew it, it was over. Honestly I expected more from the Cohen Brothers.

Last year the world applauded the Cohen Brothers for their gritty drama, “No Country For Old Men” (yes that was them). As their big follow up to their not one, not two but three Oscars, they made this. Burn After Reading has an all star cast (and I mean ALL STAR). The cast is comprised of: John Malkovich, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, David Rasche, and J. K. Simmons. Great cast but a wee bit too many names all crammed together in high hopes of a smash hit (like The Dark Knight). The Cohen Brothers deliver a funky and over tried black comedy that left me wondering in the end.

Critical mass; Oct 31st

by Jenn Lin

This month’s Critical Mass Bike Ride: October 31st, HALLOWEEN NIGHT. 6:00PM at the Vancouver Art Gallery – suit up and ride your bike in your costumes! This is the best Mass of the Year!

Critical Mass has been occurring in places throughout the world since September 1992, the first ride occurring in San Francisco. It was originally called “Commute Clot,” but the name changed to Critical Mass by the time the second ride took place. The new name came from the idea that the bikers, once they reached a big enough mass, would be able to stop traffic completely. A “critical mass” is then achieved. It takes place every last Friday of the month and usually in places where it is evident that more appreciation for bikes is needed on and off the roads. Though it is somtimes negatively called a “rally” or “protest” against drivers and people using cars – the bikers do not purposely do anything to provoke authorities. On the contrary, it is meant to be a fun and peaceful ride.

Below is a journal entry that I wrote back in Grade 11. Hopefully after reading it you will gain some insight to what it is, why people do it, and why I myself enjoy it so much.

I went to my first critical mass on April 25th of 2008. At first I was a bit unsure if it was a good idea to go because I don’t consider myself the best bike rider, but when I arrived at the Vancouver Art Gallery and saw so many bright faces, I was instantly glad that I had gone. The weather was absolutely amazing, and there I was a part of this huge gathering of people that believe in alternative transport and that roads should belong to not only cars, but bikes as well. It was the closest thing to a radical movement I had ever been to and I enjoyed every bit of it.

He Shoots, He Scores!

by Gurjita Gadey

It’s that time again – hockey season is back! the 2008/2009 NHL season gets on its way on Thursday, October 9th, 2008. However, you can still catch some of the pre-season games on TV this year. Now on to the Canucks, they’re back this season with a totally new looking team; with players like Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, and Trevor Linden gone, it is truly the end of a great era but the start of an even better one with Roberto Luongo leading the way. With new additions like Pavol Demitra, Steve Bernier, Darcy Hordichuck, Ryan Jhonson, Kyle Welwood and more, this year should be very interesting. They’ve started the pre-season defeating the San Jose sharks, Anaheim Ducks and the Edmonton Oilers twice thus giving them a 4-0 record. I know that the Canucks are predicted to finish near the bottom of this year’s season but just remember that anything is possible when one has heart and puts in the effort. They might be the underdogs but you should never write them off because everyone has an equal shot at winning the Stanley Cup. Who knows what this new season is going to bring us?

GO CANUCKS GO!

Moon Festival

by Tanya Grace

It begans on a wonderful Saturday afternoon with a Harvest Fair at Slocan Park. Sticky fingers finishing up last-minute lanterns, local harvesters showing off their prized crops and other various activities proved to be the source of entertainment for both the young and old.

Once the sun began its descent beyond the horizon, we began to follow a rather large moon to the Refrew Ravine where we would be transported into a whole other world. On our way we were accompanied by magicians of music which made the atmophere merry. After walking a fair big and sharing smiles, there was definitely an air of euphoria as we entered a world of enchantment.

There was a fork in the road as we entered; you could choose to follow the crowd into the sea of warm lights, or make a turn into the Stream of Consciouness where you could witness a quirky tea party and see a cathedral of silk. Following the path by the ravine you could pursue into a hall of trees hanging droplets of Prayers for the Water and right before exiting, you could witness a very eerie performance in the small clearing beneath the trees. Entering into the park, if you turned around, you would have been able to see the sun setting on one side of the vast sky and a full, harvest moon rising on the other.

Before the night ended, everyone gathered by the park. They were all entranced by the dancing lions and the story of the moon and the sun and many were enjoying moon cakes. Once the finale came around, you couldn’t possibly leave right away, for the performance was definitely captivating and the performance was definitely captivating and the fireworks were twice the spectacle they were last year. This year’s Moon Festival was absolutely much more than what I could describe in words.

ZERO WASTE?

Did you know that Canadians produce 12 million tonnes of waste per year? Waste Reduction week is October 19th to 25th and we want you to take charge. There are so many simple ways to reduce the number of times you take the trash out. For example, compost! 2/3 of our household wastes can be composted. We throw out almost 7 millions tonnes of organic waste each year! So, as long as it isn’t a meat product, or something that isn’t biodegradable, it can go in a compost bin and you’ll have a batch of healthy soil ready for your garden.

Fact: 60% of all garbage in landfills don’t belong! Other than composting, most ‘garbage’ can be recycled. Another way to reduce waste is by using less. This includes packaging, paper, plastics, water, food, and almost anything else. For example, you can bring your own lunch from home instead of buying it every day. In fact, for the duration of Waste Reduction week, the Windermere Cafeteria will be charging more for anyone who does not bring their own tupperware. So remember that if you want to buy your lunch, bring your own plates and utensils. For those who do bring their tupperware, you’ll be saving money and a small part of the planet too!

Now you may wonder why we even do this at all. Well, in case you haven’t noticed already, the world is pretty much as its breaking point. Any more over the edge and we’ll never be able to turn things around. Scientists all around the world have been saying this for years, and we need to listen to them! We live in such a consumer society that the line between “needs” and “wants” has pretty much disappeared. We buy so many things and throw out even more! All the garbage we make hides in a bag while it’s around us. Then, some large machine comes and takes it away to massive landfills where the garbage sits for many years. “Out of sight, out of mind!” But we need to think about this. Start changing your habits during Waste Reduction week and then go on to make it every week of the year. You don’t know how much of a difference you can make until you actually try it out.

AIDS Walk for Life

by Windermere Walkers

Thank-You Windermere for your donations that went towards the AIDS Walk for Life. This year we raised $330 and it was our third year in a row fund-raising. This money will help improve the lives of people in BC that are affected by HIV and AIDS. The walk took place on Sunday, September 21, 2008. Although we had a late start, the atmosphere was still very festive and fun. Once again, thank-you for your generosity.

Bikes, Bikes, Bikes! Yikes!

Here at Windermere, the newest “it” toy is not a Nintendo DS, or the new 3G IPhone, but a bicycle!

Have you noticed the sudden increase of bikes around the school lately? Windermere is beginning to enter a new revolution of bicycles. More and more students and teachers are buckling up their helmets and riding to school. I mean, why sit in that stuffy, humid car when you can relax and enjoy the fresh air on your bike?

Fortunately Windermere has many areas where to store your bike and opportunities to learn how to properly maintain it. ACTION (Active Community Team In Our Neighbourhood) has been holding bike workshops from time to time and are going to continue to do so this year. (If you are interested, come to ACTION meetings on Tuesdays to get more details).

Also, we have bike racks that are very conveniently located in front of the school’s main entrance to lock up your bike. If those are fully occupied (which they frequently are), no worries, we have another solution! Our new bike shed in front of the parking lot beside the tech building is another great place to store your bike. It keeps your bikes safe and dry from the elements. The bike shed is available to all students and staff and will be open in the mornings between 8:00 and 8:25am. You can simply drop it off and pick it back up after school beween 3:05 and 3:30pm.

Windermere has held some very successful and pretty awesome events that have promoted bike awareness, including last year’s “Bike Train,” “Bike Fest,” and “Anti-Idling Week.” These are just a few steps that Windermere students have taken to be that muc more of an eco-friendly school. You can also help take action by simply riding your bike to school. You’re not just helping the environment by putting less pollution into the air and using up limited resources; you’re also helping your own body to gain those extra benefits that you don’t seem to get setting in a car. It’s a win-win situation! So, grab those funky bikes of yours and ride to school TODAY!

The Beginning of Windermere’s Compost System

by Nate Leung

If used paper and cardboard have a home in blue recycling bins, and bottles and pop cans belong in their own kind of recycling bins, where do banana peels and discarded fruits and vegetables go? In compost bins, right?

What IS composting? Composting is the decomposition of biodegradable organic matter by aerobic bacteria, which produces compost. In other words, compost is the decay of food which turns into soil.

By now, I can bet that most of you readers are wondering why I’m babbling over this topic? If you haven’t already noticed, our school – Windermere Secondary – has our own organic garden located in our lovely courtyard. Full of carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and more, our garden now provides our cafeteria with some of the ingredients they need to make our healthy lunches.

As most of you have learnt in Biology, plants not only need to photosynthesize energy, but they also require nutrients from the soil. Now, here’s the real question – what happens when the soil in our garden runs out of these “nutrients?” We simply “add” in nourished soil, right?

Here’s where Windermere’s compost system comes in handy; with the newly established compost system, we can “produce” our OWN soil – enriched with nutrients – and fully replenish the old, used soil. Not only do we eliminate the need to buy enriched soil from other companies, but we also decide what goes in our soil. Much of the soil sold in the “outside” world is often contaminated with pesticides and other chemical enhancers.

So, quite simply, the next time you finish eating your banana or your’e left with only an apple core in your hand, don’t think twice to dispose of your organic material in the compost bins. Every time you put something into the compost bin, you leave something special behind at Windermere because anything you contribute will be composted to become the soil in the Windermere Garden.

White Poppies? What happened to Red Poppies?

by Jessica Luu

During the month of November, members of Free the Children will be selling White Poppies to staff and students at Windermere. But that doesn’t mean Red Poppies are not to be worn in the school.

In the past, Red Poppies represented the many soldiers who fought in WWI. It was also recognized in John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Field.

“We shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Field.” – lines 14 & 15

At the time, poppies grew immensely during WWI, as it thrived on disturbed soil. The colour of the poppies resembles the shade of blood. But it was also red from splattered blood of the dead soldiers. But now, red poppies are symbolized as a continuation of war and support to the soldiers in Afghanistan. The government is encouraging troops to contribute in the war, and it is now glorified instead of frowned upon. Red poppies are no longer a sign of peace or a commemoration of those that fought in WWI.

White Poppies are the opposite. It was first suggested by pacifists to encourage a No More War Movement in the United Kingdom. However, it was unsuccessful and was never accomplished. A few years later, it was distributed by Co-operated Women’s Guild in 1933. Though the red poppies were already released, the white poppies weren’t meant to be an insult to the decreased soldiers of WWI.

Now, S.I.N.G. (Students Inspiring a New Generation) would like to distribute White Poppies to spread the word of world peace and to truly remember the deceased from all the wars, rather than just WWI. This is a cry to end militarism and the economic reliability on arms sales. There are certainly better methods to solve conflicts than what we are doing now. Members of S.I.N.G. hope that there will be an end to these wars and for peace to finally settle; White Poppies are the start to spreading this message.

So watch out for members in the hallway in November and contribute to broadcasting the message to your friends and family.

Sea of Garbage

by Alyssa Goncalves

Garbage on land is accumulating at an alarming rate therefore people are now starting to pay close attention to the waste they produce and how it is affecting our environment. Unfortunately the garbage we have on land isn’t our only problem, as we are now beginning to realize the affects of waste in our oceans.

Out at sea, most of the debris that scientists are finding come from the fishing industry; things like fishing floats, ropes net fragments and various other fishing gear. The majority is made up of plastic and plastic particles. Not to mention eighty percent of debris that washes up on beaches originates from land-based sources, such as street litter that washes out to sea through storm drains.

In addition, a ten mile wide discovery of plastic Taco Bell bags was made in 2000, floating in the ocean as a result of a spill. This one spill contributed 6 million bags alone. Fast forward eight years later and we now have a “plastic soup” of waste bubbling in the Pacific Ocean, continuing to grow. This same “soup” now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.

All this plastic debris kills more than a million seabirds every year, as well as 100000 marine mammals a year. Syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have been found inside the stomachs of dead seabirds that have mistaken them for food. “Ghost nets” – fishing nets that have been left or lost in the ocean by fishermen – continue to act as killing machines, catching fish and various other marine creatures. In 1980, scientists recovered a 1.5km piece of net that had 99 seabirds, 2 sharks, and 75 salmon. The net was estimated to have been adrift for 90 days and had traveled 60 miles.

Let’s Beat the Beetles

by Emily Chan

With our world slowly dying from the affects of global warming, some things get pushed aside. For example, we all know about the melting glaciers, the dying polar bears, and the natural disasters that have killed and ruined many people. But how about pine beetles?

Pine beetles are attacking pine trees all around us. Now that they have killed many trees in B.C., they are going after their newest victim; Alberta.

The economy will be hurt drastically. With the average price of lumber being $73 for one cubic metre, the forest industry can expect a loss of $32.5 BILLION dollars! If the infestation continues this strongly, we’ll lose 445 million cubic meters of pine trees in just 20 years. To put this into perspective, a telephone pole takes up one cubic metre. That’s a LOT of telephone poles for just 20 years.

It’s hard to miss the affect that the pine beetles are taking on our forests. This summer, I went up to a cabin for vacation, and the change was startling! Even if you hadn’t heard about pine beetles before, it is pretty hard to turn a blind eye. The luscious green trees that I had expected to see turned to the red, dead trees that have begun to engulf the forests. In fact, by 2013, over 80% of mature pine trees in BC will have been killed. It’s no less than an epidemic.

Gateway to What?

by Kevin Chan

As a follow up to Peggy Lam’s article based on the Gateway Project (see Think Translink)…

Kevin attended a Gateway Project protest on Sept. 27th. Below is some background information followed by his experience at the rally.

WE DON’T WANT NO TRUCKIN’ FREEWAYS!

You might remember an article from last month’s issue about the Provincial Government’s proposed ‘Gateway Project.’ For those of you that don’t, the ‘Gateway Project’ is B.C.’s plan to increase economic growth and decrease congestion by building and expanding freeways (Highway 1), twinning the Port Mann Bridge, and expanding the Delta Port shipping terminal. They plan to develop a major freeway between Port Moody and Maple Ridge to be known as the North Fraser Perimetre Road (NFPR). A brand new freeway (SFPR) with travel from Delta Port terminal and travel along the South side of the Fraser cutting through the ecological area of Burns Bog before connecting to the new Golden Ears Bridge.

This project has been named “the most environmentally threatening highway mega-project in the history of British Columbia” by activists from gatewaysucks.org and has been likened to BC’s equivalent of the Alberta Tar Sands. Provincial Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon has claimed that “Gateway is a done deal,” and that the project is going ahead. Unfortunately for the Provincial Liberals’ upcoming election, hundreds if not thousands of citizens from across the Lower Mainland would disagree with that statement.

Now, for the protest…

Editor vs. Editor – Oct 14th Election

Topic: “To Vote or Not to Vote; THAT is the Question…”

J: Chitha, the elections are coming up!

C: So…?

J: SO?! I went to an all-candidates meeting a couple of weeks ago, and now all I can think about is politics.

C: Oh? How did it go?

J: It was pretty interesting actually. Within just half an hour I was able to learn a lot about each political party – not including the Conservatives because they just didn’t show up – and got a feel for what they stand for. I was sad that I had to leave early. But hey, who would you vote for? Do you even believe in voting?

C: I don’t know. I think I’m divided between NDP and the Green Party, and yes, I believe in voting. However, there are many times when I have been disappointed when they have not held up their end of the bargain. Idealistically, the perfect politician would do everything that they promise. In reality, we know that that is impossible, and people make mistakes. Yet it’s those politicians that ride of corporate sponsorship and secret agreements that bother me. Those are the ones that have their hands deep in their pockets and smile at the camera when necessary.

To Whom it May Concern:

“On Tuesday September 30th at 12:20pm, a theft occurred outside of Room 212. I, Amy Bui, had just finished collecting all of the money for the Leadership t-shirts. I was holding $340 in my hand, and as I crossed the threshold, the money dropped. Before I could grab it, a tall 15-17 year old boy with black scruffy hair and darker coloured skin kicked the bag away, picked it up and ran. If anyone has any information regarding this, please help return the money to Mr. Jackson’s box or to my locker (2498) and no questions will be asked.”

Sincerely,

Amy Bui, Grade 8