Homelessness Action Week
Hey Warriors! The Law 12 classes are going to host a clothing drive this week from October 9 -12 during homelessness action week to help out the homeless people that are in need of supplies. Homelessness is a very large issue across Canada. In Vancouver, the cost of housing is expensive and some people cannot afford to live with a roof overhead with these prices. The lowest cost of living is $375 per month. The money that the homeless are getting from welfare is $375, which means nearly 75 percent of the city’s cheapest housing remains unaffordable for those on welfare. To help our cause, please donate your unused toothpaste, toothbrush and any gently used clothing or socks to the Law 12 clothing drive. Your donation is very important to us and it will help the homeless people significantly.
By Jason Do
Jarret “Stoll” the Show
By Matthew Inouye, Grade 11
First is better than last, one is higher than eight, and 111 points is more than 95. So the Canucks beat the Kings, right? Well, despite having the superior roster and regular-season record, the Vancouver Canucks were shown the door by Jared Stoll, who scored the series-winning goal in the overtime period of Game 5.
Monsanto vs. Vermont
By Sydney Emo, Grade 10
It’s true that we are what we eat, and anyone that can understand the significance of that statement would have to agree that it’s extremely important to know exactly what we are eating. People wouldn’t knowingly go out of their way to buy food with ingredients that could cause cancer, yet we buy food like that all the time because those cancer causing ingredients aren’t labelled. What about genetically modified food? Does that sound appetizing?
Thanks to Monsanto, the company ruling the agricultural industry with their genetically modified seeds, much of the food we eat is probably not as “natural” as we think it is. 93% of the population is in favour of having any GMO food products clearly labelled, and the State of Vermont is the first state to bring forth a bill that would force companies to label all of their GMO products properly. Of course, as always, multi-billion dollar corporations really do not have the public’s best interests at heart, so for them, this proposed bill is nothing but a danger of them losing profit. Monsanto has wasted no time in defending its profits and is now threatening to sue the state of Vermont if the bill passes. (more…)
May Horoscopes
Aries: The taste of strange, new food may just be what you will be craving this month. Experiment! And enjoy!
Taurus: Just think. The beachy, summery days are at your fingertips. Just wait till you finish your exams first!
Gemini: It’s your birthday soon, and you’re not ready to grow up yet. Cherish your childhood or you’ll regret it!
Cancer: (more…)
The Death of Honesty
By Kelly Ninh, Grade 11
I would like to think that all human beings are born with honesty being a trait engraved within them. When it is stripped from us, it is most likely due to the occurrence of desirable life events. For instance, we may interact negatively with others around us as a result of the desire to follow the social status quo or to pursue other priorities in life.
When we were young, we were taught that it was important to tell the truth—that being “good” was the equivalent of being truthful. As we grow up, however, we may begin to recognize some loopholes. Sometimes, it just seems better to conceal reality in an act of compassion, or it may appear harmless to tell “a little white lie.” The fact is that everybody in today’s society lies every now and then. All the more reason for us to avoid taking what others say at face value: it is hardly possible for an average person to detect lies with a considerable degree of accuracy.
The Importance of Language and Literature
By Sharan Pawa, Alumnus
Language can be seen as more than just a method of expression. It is a shared language that connects different individuals, while producing a large community with shared ideas. Literature can be viewed as an expression of perspective, and literary traditions develop over time. I believe that both language and literature are major components of cultural preservation.
Embedded in language is cultural perspective. Different languages encapsulate differing world views, and learning a new language means learning how a different way to organize ideas. Continue reading here…
Gender Representation and the Media
By Nichoson Nguyen, Grade 11
In a workshop held during a meeting for Peer Facilitators, there were guest speakers from a non-profit organization named Check Your Head. The topic of the day was “Gender Representation and the Media.”
To start off, what is gender representation? Gender representation is the set of characteristics that the society typically attributes to each gender. So, if I were to ask, “What characteristics would a masculine person have?” Words like “tough,” “big,” “tall,” “short hair,” “sports,” and “cars” would probably fly through your head. How about if I were to ask, “What characteristics would a feminine person have?” People would normally come up with answers like “long hair,” “sensitive,” “housework,” “Barbie,” “heels,” and “dresses.” This sort of stereotypical attributes is the type of issues addressed during the workshop.
Posthumous Baptism
By Thea Sample, Grade 11
Baptism is a ritual that represents the initiation or acceptance of an individual into a religion. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also known as the LDF Church or the Mormon Church) believes that only people who have been baptized into their religion can go through the gates of heaven. In other religions, baptism mostly occurs when one is still a baby. The Mormon Church, however, believes that only adults, who can give actual consent to their own baptism, can undergo baptism and, therefore, gain entry to heaven. Another controversial practice is the Mormon Church’s baptism for the dead (posthumous baptism). Mormons have been known, in many cases, to baptize people via “proxy” many years after the deaths of the subjects. Essentially, the ceremony requires someone to stand in for the deceased as a “proxy” and be baptized in his or her place. Members of the Mormon Church are encouraged to research their family history, so that they may baptize those who died before being converted in Mormonism.
The Windermere List
Highest grossing actor of all time: Samuel L. Jackson
Top grossing book series of all time: Harry Potter
Highest grossing movie of all time: Avatar
Top paid app for the iPad: Angry Birds
Top selling record album: “Their Greatest Hits” – Eagles (Elektra)
Second top selling record album: Michael Jackson (“Epic”)
Top grossing professional sports club in the world: Real Madrid
Highest paid athlete in the world: Tiger Woods
Top grossing wedding movie in the U.S.: My Big Fat Greek Wedding
An Education Crisis (Part 1)
The effects of school on high school students’ creativityBy Brendan Chan, Alumnus
It is well known that creativity is important in all aspects of life. It not only stimulates the creation of new and innovative ideas but also plays a large role in students’ development, especially during high school. As defined by the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education, creativity is an “imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce outcomes that are both original and of value.”
An Education Crisis (Part 2)
By Brendan Chan, Alumnus
Scholarly Conflict and Key Players
Education lacks the ability to nurture creativity in children needed to adapt to our changing world. In his article, “Fostering creativity or teaching to the test? Implications of state testing on the delivery of science instruction,” Christopher Longo suggested that standardized curriculums are teaching high school students in the United States for the test rather than stimulating creativity and self-motivational learning. By reviewing and analysing research done by others, he outlined his paper, beginning with a lengthy history of standardized testing. Then, he moved on to talk about its implications and how state testing could go hand in hand with creativity. What Longo found was that students were being spoon fed information in order to score well on tests, in turn reducing the motivation in students to inquire into their own learning. (more…)
An Education Crisis (Part 3)
By Brendan Chan, Alumnus
Discussion
Schools in North America are teaching an outdated curriculum that is not only preventing students from keeping up with the changing world, but also fails to encourage self-learning, a crucial component of creativity. The North American education system was born out of the capitalistic model of the economy, in which education systems resemble assembly factories where large groups of students move from teacher to teacher, class to class, and grade to grade. The system’s rigid use of standardized testing to produce students with set skills and standards contributes to the reduction of flexibility in, and the commodification of, education. (more…)
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.
