mount doug`s student newspaper

Rampage
ISSUE 2 : NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010
MOUNT DOUG’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Festive Articles 2-4,
16
\People
5
Arts
7, 8
Interview
9
Beyond MD
10,
11
Clubs and
Sports
12,
13
Musings
14,
15
HOLIDAY
SEASON
Shortbread Cookie
Recipe
Here’s a little taste of the Christmas spirit to come, in the form of
cookies! Roll up your sleeves and get a crackin’ for some yummy
treats!
Ingredients:
Directions:
∉
∉
∉
∉
∉
Preheat oven to 350 °F.
Beat butter until light and fluffy.
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup 2 tbsp icing sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch or rice flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift in icing sugar and beat again until fluffy. Sift in cornstarch (or rice flour)
and blend in.
Sift in all purpose flour and salt and mix until dough comes together, and
then stir in vanilla.
Spoon large teaspoonfuls of cookie dough onto an un-greased cookie sheet,
leaving 2 inches between cookies.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until bottoms brown lightly.
Remove from cookie sheet to cool.
Enjoy!
Fun Ideas:
Mix in food coloring (red or green) to make the cookies a festive color.
Make 3 balled cookies in the form of snow men and decorate them with chocolate chip eyes, frosting, etc.
Put them in a box to give to your friends as a cheap, thoughtful gift
By Ana Kala
A Traditional and Not-So-Traditional List of
Christmas Songs
Traditional Carols:
Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful) [Latin/
English]
Deck the Halls
Do You Hear What I Hear
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Joy to the World
O Tannenbaum [O Christmas Tree] [German]
Silent Night
The Twelve Days of Christmas
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
by Cindy Ngan
Most Performed Holiday
Songs:
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an
Open Fire)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Winter Wonderland
White Christmas
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Gingerbread Recipe
Ingredients:
∉
∉
∉
∉
∉
∉
1/2 cup 2 tbsp icing sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch or rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup dark-brown sugar
∉
∉
∉
∉
∉
∉
∉
∉
By: Erin Skinnider
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups molasses
6 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
∉ Mix ingredients
∉ Bake 15 minutes, or until gingerbread is firm
in the center, but not dark around the edges.
∉ Cut out house pieces
∉ Ice and decorate the pieces of your house,
and carefully assemble it using thick icing.
A Jingle a Jumble
By Ana Kala
December is a few days away and it’s just the right time to bust out those earmuffs and give your thinker some exercise.
Instructions: In Column A there are the letters for a word, phrase or noun related to winter. Colum B has the blank spaces
for you to fill in with the unjumbled word.
Column A
Column B
1
sytfor eth nsow nam
______ ___ ____ ___
2
deytclilzras rtwar
____________ _____
3
twiner ndlawdnore
______ __________
4
tnsas stkrbfeaa
_ _ _ _ _ ‘_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5
lwobsaln htigfs
________ ______
Answers:
1. Frosty the snowman 2. Crystallized water (snow) 3. Winter wonderland 4. Santa’s breakfast 5. Snowball fights
Holiday Songs Continued:
Facts:
Jingle Bell Rock
Sleigh Ride
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
Feliz Navidad
Blue Christmas
Frosty the Snowman
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Here Comes Santa Claus
Carol of the Bells
Santa Baby
The most recorded Christmas song is White Christmas with
over 500
versions in dozens of languages.
White Christmas was introduced through a motion picture,
Holiday Inn, in 1942.
Jingle Bells was originally written to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Handel’s “Messiah” (the one with the Hallelujah chorus) wasn’t
written
for Christmas, but for Easter.
Rough Guide to
Homemade Present-making
Emily Thiessen
Card Tricks
1. Make use of all the junk you've got
lying around your house: buttons, feathers, broken cello strings, dead plants,
candy wrappers… there is no limit!
2. Collages are awesome, even if you
can't draw. Cut out words and shapes
3. Make a pop-up card! Take two identical folded pieces of paper, make two
short horizontal cuts across the fold on
one of them, glue whatever you want to
pop up onto the cut out bit, and glue all
of it onto the other piece of paper
4. Send them to your friends in the
mail; go nuts decorating the envelope
5. Make your own seal: burn a coloured
wax candle, drip the hot wax onto the
envelope at the corner of the V, stamp
something into it when it's half dry
Mix Tape
6. Make one in your favourite music
program
7. Burn it onto a blank CD
8. Make your own CD cover
Certifications - can be issued to a
family member/pet/friend, ie:
9. "I will do the dishes every day for a
month", "I will stop taking your food without permission", etc.
10. Write in cursive ink, put it in an envelope
11. Keep your word accordingly
Food
1. When in doubt, make cookies (and
other baked goods) and put them in a
nice tin – see Recipes section for ideas.
2. Make dinner for your parents
Extra Ideas
1. Write and/or perform a song/story/
poem/holiday monologue/dance
Things To Do With a T-shirt 2. Knit/crochet/sew something
1. Spray paint it with stencils
3. Compose an origami masterpiece
2. Acrylic paint it
4. Dig out a bunch of photos and make
3. Tie-dye!
a calendar
4. Find a high-resolution picture to use 5. Take pictures of a bunch of things
for a design, or make your own. Take it to your present-recipient likes, print them,
a print shop, or print it onto transfer paand stick them in an album
per yourself and iron it on
6. Make something out of paper mache
5. Modify it by cutting bits out
7. Make a gingerbread house
8. Recycle old wrapping paper bits by
reconstructing them into new ones, or
A Pet
1. ie: a potted plant, rock, sock monkey, use pieces of cloth
cotton ball with googly eyes glued, etc.
2. Give it a name, include certification
of ownership and care-giving instructions
VicMUN 2010
By: Avery Hiebert
Have you ever wondered how politicians rule the world? This year's Victoria Model United Nations Conference
(VicMUN) gave several of our city's students a chance to explore the alternative. A variety of students, from grade 9 to
university, met from November 5th to 7th to simulate a few days in the job of the United Nations. These delegates discussed the important issues in the world including genocide, piracy, and national sovereignty.
The delegates accomplished a considerable amount over this three day period. They passes several resolutions to
benefit the international community, effectively dealing with issues ranging from nuclear safety to the human rights of
terrorists. All of the delegates cooperated, despite natural disasters including a nuclear reactor explosion in Pakistan.
Not everything was fine and dandy, though. The fact that these delegates were mostly just teenagers or young adults
showed in several ways. During the first press conference of the weekend, a delegate from Turkey blamed Russia for the
Armenian genocide. This caused massive outrage and filled Moscow with rioters. Some other interesting suggestions
also came up. Brazil opted to rid the world of nuclear waste by sending it to the moon, despite the fact that their space
program was not nearly up for it. Afghanistan advocated imprisoning terrorists at sea, in oil-rig like structures, to protect
their rights. Some delegates even put forth a motion to assign rights to extra-terrestrials. These suggestions should serve
to strengthen everyones faith in politicians, at least in comparison to the alternative.
The seventh annual VicMUN was a great time for the students of our city to socialize, learn, and obtain skills of diplomacy that will help them forever, whether or not they go into politics. I hope that all those involved had a great time,
and will look forward to next year's VicMUN.
Mr. Adrian French Wins Governor General’s Award
By: Dan Gym
On November 19, 2010, Mr. Adrian French, Mount Douglas Social Studies and History
teacher and Acting Vice-Principal received one of eight Governor General’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History at a ceremony in Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Responding to an interviewer, he stated the following:
“I feel honoured to have been put forward by the school and privileged to represent my students’ work.
The award was a joint effort that included references from colleagues, parents and students.
Also my TA, Christina Stephanie and Kayla were wonderful in helping organize my thoughts
and the student samples. The application ended up being over 300 pages.
Lastly, it is a real pleasure working with student who consistently challenge the status quo when exploring Canadian history. The student's at this school are creative, talented and willing to push beyond the basic knowledge. The award is
really a tribute to them.”
Student of the Month December:
Name: Ashton Bachman
Grade: 12
Age: 17
Post Secondary Option: Looking for Musical Scholarships at
institutions around the island, then at Vancouver Arts Institute
and Camosun College. If that does not work out, he is considering becoming a luthier (guitar crafter) at Summit School of Guitar Building and Repair. He is, though, looking at his band’s
prospects first.
Likes: Playing guitar, playing hacky sack, playing rugby, drumming, “chilling,” philosophical equivocations, problems, theories, solutions, quantum physics, meta-physics, modern scientific theory, reading, gaming, meditating, and psychological
adventures
Dislikes: “hmmmmmmm”
About:
Ashton is the drummer in the band Heavy Indica. The members each have particular musical tastes, allowing for musical
diversity in their products. As the drummer, he insures that the
unity is smooth, yet brutally intense. Their music is “a combination of progressive jazz, progressive/groove metal, death/
thrash metal, deathcore, and [they] derive our influences from
a large host of artists, but mainly Black Sabbath Opeth, Led
Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Pantera, Bob Marley, Tupac, Rob Cheremy, Tool, Whitechapel.....” Their lyrics focus primarily on modern political and environmental issues.
ARTS
Meet
the Cast
By Joanne Chung
When I think of musicals, the first that pops into my mind is The Phantom of the Opera. Why? It’s a classic. The story was written a hundred years ago
and reached Broadway in 1988. And now, finally, it has spread to Mount Douglas.
The Phantom of the Opera, a Mount Doug production, is the musical to watch
this fall. Each year, Awai and his students perform a show that you will not regret
seeing. And you won’t be disappointed this year either. To represent the talented
cast, outstanding orchestra pit, and the hardworking stage crew, I met up with
the three main characters: Zach Rousseau playing the Phantom, Chelsea Kutyn
playing Christine, and Kiaran McMillan playing Raoul.
What are the challenges of being a main character?
(Sighs) All the lines and all the singing. It’s a very difficult role, the
Phantom. There’s a reason why there’s a prestige attach to the guys
who’ve played the Phantom. It’s a very difficult role to pull off. Hopefully I can do as well as, you know, Gerard Butler, or Michael Crawford.
What’s the best part of being the lead role?
It’s challenging but it pays off. It is a very fun role to do.
What do you think attracts the students to audition for the musical?
It’s fun. Just having a group of people together, sing a bunch of
songs, act like a bunch of goofballs during rehearsal and stuff like
that. Also, it’s The Phantom of the Opera. It’s like the musical. It’s kind
of cool to be in a sort of production like that.
How do you manage rehearsing so many hours a day?
Well, we’re rehearsing nine hours a week right now but once we get
into the theatre, we’re running twelve hours a day. It’s definitely hard
because I also have a football team I play with, choir, and cheerleading (laughs). It’s just hard managing the sport and the musical. But luckily, I don’t have many courses this year.
What’s your favorite line?
That’s a hard one. There are a lot of entertaining ones. I really like it when one of the managers finds out he has to give the Phantom twenty thousand Francs a month, and just completely freaks out. Or when Jack Jones, who plays Piangi, says the “Amateur”
line.
How and why did you audition for the musical?
Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorite musicals
and so right from there, when I heard we were doing
The Phantom, I was really excited but also nervous
because I knew that the music was difficult. So over
the summer, I worked hard on practicing the songs
and the monologue. Then, I auditioned for it.
What makes the musical so exciting that makes so
many people want to audition every year?
I think the people you’re with. I think the people make
the experience and the chance to perform on stage
because we’re not really given that many opportunities to perform and to sing in public. I think that people like the chance to show what they can do. And
just getting out there and performing in costumes. It’s
so much fun. And also, for The Phantom, what makes
it exciting is, this is the premiere of the show so it’s
never been performed anywhere in BC before. That’s pretty exciting.
How do you like working with Awai and the orchestra?
Mr. Awai is fan-tas-tic. There is no way we can do this musical without Mr. Awai. He’s been such a strong figure throughout the
entire four years I’ve been here and we’re really lucky to have him. He does a really good job with the pit band. They’re always
perfect by the show time.
Do you have any favorite lines?
I do actually! Jack, who plays Piangi the Italian opera singer, says “Amateurs!” with a hilarious accent. He just throws it in and he’s
so good at it too.
What do you think attracts the students to audition for the
musical?
You spend hours and hours and hours each day with so many
different people that you’d hardly known and get to know
them by the end of it. It’s like one big weird social experiment.
That’s what I like about it. You get to know people that you
wouldn’t normally get to know.
What is your favorite line?
Hmm. I really like when Jack Jones’ character, Piangi, says
“Amateurs!” with this bad Italian accent which is really funny.
The Phantom of the Opera played November 30th to
December 4th.
So, Raoul, how is the musical going so far?
It was a little hectic but now it’s coming together well. Everyone’s kind of getting the hang of it- what they’re playing and
what they’re doing in the production.
Is this your first musical?
No, I’ve done a bunch of musicals when I was little. My mom’s
an acting major so she got me into that quite early. But I haven’t in a while; I just decided it’d be fun to audition this year.
How is the teamwork between everybody?
I think everyone, more or less, likes each other and everyone
works well with each other. It just kind of flows.
You’re in Improv. How different is it from the musical?
It’s not really that different. Improv is not really much like acting but there are a lot of elements that you can add to acting.
And it helps with overall confidence. From experience, I’d say
they work well with each other.
By: Emily Thiessen
Book Review
Title: Catch-22
Author: Joseph
Heller
Rating: 9/10
War is scary. Soldiers die suddenly and unexpectedly. Yet
in most stories, if the protagonist is a soldier at war, he is
courageous and goes forward without fear. Personally, I
don’t believe this could happen; if you agree, I strongly
Athena Bolyos
recommend Catch-22.
Catch-22 is a story that takes place in World War II about
a bombardier named Yossarian, who is desperate to rotate home. The only thing that stops
him: Catch-22. Catch-22 states that if a soldier continues to go on war missions, he is potentially “crazy” and may speak to the
doctor on the base. At that point, the doctor can assess whether or not the soldier is fit to fly. If the doctor concludes the soldier
as crazy, he may be sent home to “heal.” The problem: when a soldier speaks to the doctor, he is immediately assessed as sane
and must continue to fly missions.
The characters in the story are incredibly human, each with his own hang-up. Ranging from flies in the eyes, to an obsession
with marching, everyone is unique. There is also a clever twist to the order in which each event occurs. The book begins somewhere near the middle and continues to flash back forward to different events, which also presents a flaw: the storyline lacks an
order, which can become potentially confusing.
One other thing which may present a problem is the odd burst of swearing and adult topics; but unless such a thing bothers
you, this book is certainly worth reading.
Movie Review
Title: Red
Rating: 3/5
Let me start by saying that I had no idea where this movie would
go at first. I knew it was supposed to have lots of action, tons of big
stars, and I was 99% sure that it was based on a comic book of some
sort. Well, I can safely say now that my assumptions were all pretty
true. As the movie finally came onto the screen after a megaton of
advertisements, I was quickly swept up within it. Red does not pre- Ben Barnes
tend to be anything it’s not and, for that, I enjoyed this movie. It is
violent, explosive, and full of a spectacular massive conspiracy-thriller plot line. It has plenty of comic relief as
well, from the well-delivered verbal antics to the obvious action-packed elements of the movie. The stars really
help sell this movie too, although if you’re someone who doesn’t care or doesn’t know who these people are,
then this point isn’t that important. There were drawbacks with the movie, of course. Some may get tired
quickly of some of the banter which is rushed back and forth between the main characters. Some may even go
so far and say that this type of thing has been done before. I can only speak for myself, so if you are somebody
looking for a very serious, deep, thought-provoking movie, perhaps you should make a pass. But if you are
looking for an honest, over-the-top action movie, with a bit more finesse, plot and acting ability, I recommend
Red.
Released: October 15,
2010
The Demise of the Movie Store
By: Quinton Groves
As the bust in the movie industry continues, stores across America continue to close, leaving thousands of workers left without
jobs and movie buffs without rentals. Last year, Movie Gallery stated it would close down its stores in America and leave the ones
in Canada. This summer’s blow out sales, however, said otherwise, as they failed to sell the company before going completely
bankrupt. Now as we speak the same process continues within Blockbuster’s doors. Blockbuster is said to last until the summer
of 2011 when it will shut down all across Canada. The most recent stores to close have been Rogers, and the Cadboro Bay movie
store which closed early this fall. People now speculate that movie stores will be history by the time 2014 rolls around, replaces
by vending machines located within grocery stores such as Safeway. Only time will tell if the few stores like Crazy Mike’s Video
and Yo Video stand a chance against what’s coming their way.
An Interview with Ida Chong
On Friday, October 8, 2010, Dan Gym and Hugo Wong
visited the Hon. Ida Chong for a sit down interview. Below
is an excerpt from the rather lengthy session that occurred.
Dan Gym: You're an alumni of Mount Doug.
Ida Chong: Oh, here we go, don't ask me what year...it's in the
'70's
Hugo: Well, could you actually explain the benefits?
Dan: So what do you remember most about it?
Ida: Well, the reason why the Chamber of Commerce (which
represents businesses) did this is because it’s easier to fill out
Ida: Mount Doug? I just remember it being the school where
forms and gives more clarity. When there are two sets of tax
students all felt like one large family. There were, of course,
rules, what makes it difficult is that if you don’t understand and
groups, that is to say students with similar interests that would
make a mistake, you get audited. I’ve had a case where somegroup together, whether it's drama or sports or academics, but
one didn’t charge PST because they thought they didn’t have
I remember graduation and we just felt like one big class, it was
to, so they didn’t. He was audited by a Provincial Sales Auditor,
a good feeling.
was told he made a $20,000 mistake for not charging it, and
was charged not only for $20,000, but for three years worth, for
Dan: Is there anything that you would recommend for stu$60,000. He came to see me, but unfortunately, that was the
dents going into the path of politics?
law. Those kinds of things can happen if some things are exempted and not others. Harmonized Sales Tax is sensible beIda: I feel that everybody should at least understand and take
cause it just puts everything together. It makes businesses able
an interest in politics, whether you run as a politician or not. In to keep jobs or hire new people. I heard from the Vancouver
politics especially, your personal life gets scrutinized and your Port authorities, who run the ports, that they estimate $2 mildecisions get scrutinized. You're in a fishbowl. You need to
lion a year savings. With that they can become more competiknow if your family and your children will support you.
tive and not charge as high a fee. It’s supposed to trickle down
to everyone. That’s why Jack Mintz said this will bring 113,000
Hugo Wong: You’ve been an MLA since ‘96. In those years, new jobs, and $11 billion. He did the math. We didn’t know, but
do you remember a time when you’ve gotten a lot of ‘flak’ the leading economists said that there would be a benefit.
for anything?
Ida: I think it can be cyclical. Each day does not come with
tough decisions. On some days you make hard decisions, but
every now and then you are confronted with a very difficult
decision. That’s why it’s cyclical. And when you make a very
difficult decision and you weigh everything and still have to
make a decision which is unpopular, you get the flak. We try to
make as many decisions as you can which are good for the
greater community, not just for our area, especially for provincial politicians. Supporters don’t understand why we make decisions if it doesn’t impact them specifically. Hopefully, we
don’t elect people who just bend with the wind.
Dan: Last thing, do you have a message for the students of
Mount Doug?
Ida: Go Rams go? (laughs) I think Mount Doug is an incredible
school with great teachers. I’m obviously biased because I went
there, but I want to see students do well, who want to achieve
great things and get their names out there, whether they like it
or not. It’s just a great community. The diversity at Mount Doug,
I notice now, is fabulous. Speaking as an Asian person, I think I
could have counted 15 Asians in the entire school. Now, we
have a huge amount. The ethnic mix is really good. I think
that’s great for a school like Mount Doug.
Hugo: Going through the provincial websites in regards to
the HST, I saw there were a lot of points about its positive
benefits.
Ida: Like $11 billion of new investments coming into B.C.
The full interview is available online at
mountdouglas.ca/webusers/rampage/
With the exception of George Clooney's character in Up
in the Air, most people are not fond of airports. With the
new screening procedures instituted by the Transportation
Security Administration in the United States, those who
dislike air travel may find they hate it by the time they've
been patted down or body scanned.
Media reports since the new screening procedures have
been overwhelmingly negative. John Tyner gained fame
when he said “...if you touch my junk I am going to have
you arrested.” However, a CNN poll suggested that over
80% of Americans agreed to the new security measures,
especially when reminded of the “underwear bomber” who
tried to blow up a plane last year. Pilots have revolted
against the enhanced scans and the pat
downs suggesting that the scans could
pose a health risk and that it would be a
waste of resources. It was pointed out
that pilots can carry firearms aboard
flights with proper certification, have a
fire axe in the cockpit, and could easily
bring down the plane with the controls.
The TSA backed off in this instance.
However, in an op-ed article, Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano
stuck by the scans for regular passengers,
as did reps from the TSA. President
Obama, who does not require the checks
as he flies on Air Force One, gave a decidedly lukewarm endorsement of the
scans, as did other Democrats.
To clarify, all airline passengers in the
US are by default obliged to receive a
body scan. According to the TSA, the radiation exposure is
negligible and is equivalent to flying for three minutes at
30,000 feet. Should the passenger refuse the scan or set off
a metal detector, he would be requested to submit to an enhanced pat-down. It is thorough, to say the least. Children
under 12 are given a modified pat-down, but teens are not
exempt. These procedures have caused so much grief that a
movement known as “National Opt-Out Day” has gained
traction where protestors would all choose the more time-
consuming pat-down on one of the busiest travel days of
the year, choking the airports.
Recent articles have advocated the use of profiling similar to that of Israeli airports, which have the most stringent
security measures in the world. Their security is based on a
series of checkpoints and questions posed by airport staff
designed to flag potential terrorists. Many in the media
have hailed their airports as being more secure while also
less invasive at the same time. While this would be less of
an affront on the North American thoughts on modesty,
they are not perfect. Interrogations of passengers have
ranged from innocuous to lengthy and invasive. One
woman had three bullets put through her Macbook as she
Airport Security
had items tying her to Islamic countries in the area such as
an Arabic phrasebook.
It is clear that no system is perfect. However, it brings up
a few issues. The ethical implications of profiling and the
effectiveness of blanket security measures come to mind.
At the very least, it is something to gripe about on the news
every night.
- Hugo Wong
By: Zach Rousseau
Windows Phone 7 (WP7)
Some of you may remember the Windows Mobile operating system that was on some phones a year or two ago, although
most of you won’t because it was geared more towards the business sort. Now, in this day and age, Microsoft has decided to up its
game in the SmartPhone industry and has introduced its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system to 30 countries around the
world on ten phones. At the time of writing, it has launched in almost all countries – including Canada – with different phones on
different cell phone carriers in each country. The manufacturers that Microsoft has teamed up with include Dell, HTC, LG and
Samsung.
As with all mobile operating systems, WP7, too, has its pros and cons. For instance, since Microsoft made it, it has Xbox
Live and Zune integration. However, when testing out its functionality, many tech bloggers found that it was lacking in some way.
The OS feels like it needs a bit more development, since it has some buggy behaviour, and many of the third party applications are
slow to load. The interface was simple and easy to understand, what with the large screens on the phones and easy to access features, but it lacked multitasking as well as copy and paste, which should be coming in an update later this month.
Microsoft has tried to employ a “Glance and Go” tactic for its users, hence the ‘hubs’ and ‘tiles’. WP7 is a very social
device, integrating nicely with your Twitter and Facebook feeds. The interface is designed so that you can glance at a screen on the
phone, skim what’s going on, and then put it away. Hubs, as mentioned previously, are sections in the phone that contain information in tiles. There’s a People hub, a Music hub with Zune integration and a Messaging hub. Essentially, “hub” is a fancy word for
menu.
In Victoria there are currently four available WP7 devices – the Samsung Focus on Rogers, the LG Optimus 7 and HTC 7
Surround on Telus and the LG Optimus Quantum on Bell. Now you may be thinking the same thing as I am – what’s the difference? Here’s a table for your viewing pleasure:
Samsung Focus
HTC 7 Surround
- 3.8’’ touchscreen
- integrated Dolby Mobile & SRS Surround Sound with slide
out speakers from the side of the phone and an integrated
kickstand
- Bluetooth, WiFi, 3.5mm audio jack, standard micro-USB
- 5MP camera with auto focus and flash
- 720p HD video recording
- $100 on a 3 year plan, $450 no contract
LG Optimus Quantum
- 3.5’’ touchscreen with a slide out
QWERTY keyboard
- Bluetooth, WiFi, 3.5mm headset
jack
- Xbox Live integration
- 5MP camera with flash, 4x digital zoom and Panorama shot mode
- 720p HD video recording
- $100 on a 3 year plan, $450 no
contract
- 4’’ Super AMOLED touchscreen display
- 5.0MP camera with auto focus and 4x zoom
- multimedia player: video & music files
- attachments: view & revise Office documents,
view PDFs
- Bluetooth, WiFi, 3.5mm headset jack
- $200 on a 3 year plan, $600 no contract
LG Optimus 7
- 3.8’’ touchscreen
- Play To: can connect to a DNLA enabled TV to share pictures
and videos on the big screen
- 720p HD video recording
- 5MP camera with flash
- Bluetooth, WiFi
- $100 on a 3 year plan, $500 no contract
(Optimus 7 left, Quantum right)
***supported audio formats: AAC, MP3, eAAC, WAV, WMA
***supported video formats: H.263, H.264, MPEG-4, WMV
***supported image formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG
Sources: Rogers, Telus and Bell websites; www.engadget.com
by Cindy Ngan
YCI
By: Emily Thiessen
Motivational Day
YCI Motivational Day was a cross-district
event that took place on the 22 of October.
It included ten student-led workshops on
various topics: Homelessness, Free Tibet, Advocacy (or How To Effectively Bug Your Government), Homophobia, Children's Rights,
the Environment, Bullying, Global Issues, YCI
Basics (how to run a meeting, organise an
event, etc.), Abilism (discrimination against people with disabilities), along with Mike Sheehan performing his team-building
magic.
nd
Content
The problem with YCI is that it’s so hard to explain while capturing the heart of it. We’ve discussed the question of “What exactly
are we?” in meetings a couple of times, but have not, as of yet, come up with an all-purpose description. Here, however, is a bit of an
explanation.
YCI is a Victoria initiative. Other than Mount Douglas’, there are groups in Spectrum, Esquimalt, and Oak Bay, with some people also coming from Reynolds, Vic High, and Lambrick. A committee meets on Thursdays to organise district-wide events.
Social issues throughout both the school and the world are the target of discussion such as issues of intolerance (racism,
homophobia, etc). Basically anything you consider a “cause” goes. See the Motivational Day list for examples. YCI is almost too
big for the name Youth Combating Intolerance.
The first order of business is education for the general community as well as for ourselves. Most of this is through guest
speakers, events (Multicultural Week, for example), and movie nights. The current project is an entry for the Stop Racism National Video Competition. Money made from events is used to raise funds for various charities.
YCI camp takes place each April at Thetis Island for four days. This is really the origin and heart of it all. Those who have gone
unfailingly say that it’s life-changing.
Everyone is welcome to drop in on Wednesdays at lunch, in room 107 to participate in brainstorming and organising events,
discussing current events, hearing guest speakers, and, sometimes, watching short videos. New ideas are always welcome.
Interview with Paul Brookes
Constable Paul Brookes works for the Victoria Police Department. He started the first YCI Camp in 2003, after the similar camp he
attended in 1999 lost its funding.
When and why did you decide to start YCI?
The camp made me realize that I didn't know the issues as well as I should and that there were many great youth in the world. In
2003 I ran my first camp and expanded the issues that the youth were exposed to (had only been 2 speakers in 1999 and I now
bring in 6-7 speakers).
How has it changed over the years? Where do you see it going?
Having more connections after camp and a regional committee has also been a gradual development over the years. Where do I
see it going... I am not totally sure. The sources of funding could disappear in the blink of an eye and my attention is always focused on keeping the funding and finding other ways to keep the initiative going.
Mini-Interviews
What do you like about YCI?
“…how inclusive, accepting, and understanding everyone is.” – Macayla Yan
“…that you can join at any time, and come and go if you’re busy.” – Erika Lowlind, seconded by Mavis Brace
How has it changed in the past year or so?
“There are more people, and more events. Nobody used to know about it, and now people are always asking when the meetings
are.” – Shiho Kawasaki
What’s the best part of leading it?
“The one thing that has effected me the most is seeing firsthand the difference we are making in our school. Leading YCI, although a daunting task at first, has enabled me to discover myself, and become more confident and comfortable with who I am.
The loving and inclusive environment that surrounds us gives us the strength to fight against intolerance, and raise awareness
of social issues.” – Alana Shenkenfelder, Mount Doug’s Fearless Leader
Mt. Douglas High School Senior Boys Soccer Team
The senior boys soccer team finished the season on a high note, winning the consolation Colonist Shield. Mt. Doug started the
season by beating SMU, 4-2 in an exhibition game and again in the final of the Colonist Shield by 1-0 at the UVic turf field.
We then met St. Andrews High School and won the semi-final game by 2-1. The team struggled in the first two league games
but showed constant improvement over the season. The last two regular league games against the top two teams, Claremont
and Stelly’s were very close. We had some outstanding performances from Brook Tefera, Andre Bittencourt, Sergio Munguia,
Jeff Broughton and Theo Williams in goal.
- Statement from Mr. Colantonio
Top Row: Indra Morey, Kyle Hendry, Hamilton Mack, Travis Heemskerk, Wellington Brocardo, Deep Gahunia
Middle Row: John Kanoga, Adam Nyhof, Sergio Romero, Jordan Heemskerk, Sergio Munguia, Ryder McRae, Andre Bittencourt, Jeff Broughton,
Mr. Colantonio
Bottom Row: Brook Teffera, Theo Williams, Lee Kang Seok
Missing: Matteo Qualizza, Mike Soles, Paul Roth
Stories in 1/160th of a Second: Pictorial Highlights
Lunch Crunch. The Daily Traffic Jam Begins.
- Taken by Joh Yoshida
The Rabbits. They’re Everywhere.
- Taken by Joh Yoshida
It’s a PUPPY!!!!! - Taken by Hugo Wong
Math Class - It's all Geek to me!
- Taken by Joh Yoshida
Best Sign Ever. Almost as Good as Our Bell.
- Taken by Joh Yoshida
Mike Griffin with the Ball.
- Taken by Hugo Wong
The Fashion of Indifference
By: Ben Barnes
Let’s travel back in time to a magical place I like to call
the 1950’s and 1960’s. You see, during this time lots of babies
were born. These said babies were so prevalent in number that
they earned the nickname “baby boomers”, literally causing a
boom in the population. Now, during these days, these babies
grew up around the counterculture movement of the 60’s and
Cold War. Back then, the media was still somewhat in its infancy.
As the media was still growing, people were in many
ways still isolated internationally and local communities were
more prevalent compared to today’s shift to city-wide or global
communities. Due to the media not having as much of an impact, people relied more heavily on local exchanges. This
meant 9 year old Jimmy could ride his bike down to the general store, pick up some gum, go see a movie, maybe visit a
friend’s house, and ride back to his home. Mean weight of 9
year old in 1963-1965: 68.5 pounds.
Today, things are quite different. Instead of riding his
bike, Jimmy’s mom has to phone up ahead of time, plan everything out, and get the SUV ready so she can drive him to the
theatre. Jimmy may not even feel up to it and would prefer
staying at home playing the latest first person shooter game so
he can raise his score shooting some others in the head, speaking with only grunts of “Yes,” “No,” and that, which I am not
allowed to mention in a school newspaper. After Jimmy is
dropped off at the theatre and his mom arranges when exactly
to pick him up, she goes home and watches some TV, or goes
on the computer or even her iPod. Here, she reads news about
evil pedophiles, terrorists, the latest celebrity break ups, and a
local murder. Eventually, she will dutifully start up the hybrid
SUV (because she knows that if you buy a hybrid you
DEFINITELY care about the environment). She takes Jimmy
home, and quickly orders some take out. Mean weight of 9
year old in 1999-
Health
2002: 79.2 pounds.
So, as you may have noticed, there’s a lot of stuff going on today that is quite different from the childhood days of
baby boomers. Although there are a variety of reasons for this,
let’s look at one: the media. Why should businesses bother
with violence when people are so conditioned that they will
literally do anything you tell them? Today, people are told
what to eat and drink, what to do when they’ve eaten or drunk
too much, what to do when they need to burn that food off,
what to do to make them look better, what to do to make them
feel better, and even what to do to make them happier (which,
oddly enough, always seems to involve buying something). I
could go on all day, seriously.
In short, there are problems with society today. But there
were problems with society yesterday too. Society was and is a
bipolar place. Every day I grow more and more tired of the
daily narcotics-like relationship this world has with the media.
We have to get our daily fix of news, though most of it is heavily biased and sponsored, which make us even more ignorant.
We abuse our mind constantly with the stupidity of one-sided
interviews and irrelevant trivial issues. The image of popularity
has been so engrained into our psyche that we allow for narcissists to lead our world and tell us what to do. We freely sacrifice ourselves every day physically, mentally, and financially to
defend the very system that hurts us each day. I do not blame
the parents and baby boomers. I do not blame the kids. I do
not blame the corporations, nor do I blame the politicians. I
blame everybody, because nobody seems to care anymore.
Sources:
Weight statistics: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad347.pdf
4 Simple Ways to Add More Exercise in your Day
By: Rebecca Lee
“The trick to healthy living is making small changes...taking more steps, adding fruit
to your cereal, having an extra glass of water…” – Paige Waehner
Take the stairs: make it a commitment to go to the second floor washroom instead
of the first floor washroom to keep those leg muscles strong.
Park your car in the furthest parking spot to force yourself to walk. If you get a ride
to school, ask your driver to drop you off a block earlier. This will save gas in the long run, and helps to avoid school traffic. If you take the bus, walk to the next stop, when you see your bus, sprint!
Carry textbooks with you instead of leaving them in your locker, this helps to build arm strength. Be nice and carry your
friend’s textbooks too.
Practise proper back posture. This helps you to contract muscles from your legs to your neck. Muscle contraction burns calories and builds muscles. People with good posture show poise and confidence.
WHAT TO DO OVER CHRISTMAS BREAK:
By: Erin Skinnider
Make a film of your winter break with your friends.
Bring your camera with you, and keep a record of happens between you, your friends and your family over your Christmas
Break.
Visit Mount Washington With Friends or Family!
Visit Tourism BC or Mount Washington Accommodations
online for more information, bus routes, and prices.
See a Show
There are always operas, plays or other productions being preformed in Victoria.
∉ The BCSPCA or the Mustard Seed are excellent examples of Visit: http://www.rmts.bc.ca/ for a variety of all of the producorganizations needing volunteers to help care for animals, tions currently being performed at the McPherson Playhouse.
and feed people in need. Get in touch with local organizaTake on a Creative Project:
tions!
Take on a creative project that you’ve never tried before. For
∉ Organize your own event. Collect canned food goods
around your community to donate to the Mustard Seed, or example, try photography, paint your room or sew a tote bag.
Try something new!
organize a group of friends to give out food to people in
Give Back!
need.
See our article on homemade gifts you can make, and choose
something festive to create!
Watch a Christmas Movie.
And Finally, Get into the Holiday Spirit.
Do something celebratory to the holidays! Go carolling, learn
about a holiday you don’t celebrate, wear a holiday sweater,
host a holiday party, bake something festive, or make your own
household decorations.
∉ Old Christmas movies always have great stories:1951 version of “A Christmas Carol”/ 1954 version of “Frosty the
Snowman”
∉ Watch Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows in theaters.
∉ Join the YCI in December for a Movie Night in Mount Doug.
Information will be posted around the school when facilities are booked.
Build a gingerbread house.
Nothing makes a more impressive centerpiece during the holidays than a homemade gingerbread house.
∉ As expected, gingerbread-building kits are sold at most
grocery stores during Christmas time.
∉ Build one from scratch using the recipe on page 3.
Credits:
- Teacher Sponsor:
- Mr. French
- Behind the Scenes:
- Editors-in-Chief:
- Ana Kala
- Dan Gym
- Hugo Wong
December Events:
- Layout:
- Jennifer Wang
- Cover Page
- Emily Thiessen
By: Joon Lee
16th - Holiday Strings Concert at Oak Bay
17th - Santa’s Breakfast, Film Festival, Last Day of School
24th - Christmas Eve
25th - Christmas Day
26th - Boxing Day, Senior Girls Volleyball Trip to Hawaii
31st - New Year’s Eve