2011-2012 Issue 1 by Eye of the Tiger Thornhill Secondary School

Clubs, clubs, clubs Interested in becoming involved with one of our student groups? more on pg. 3 issue one

the student newspaper of thornhill secondary school

fall 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER Mr. Graham Graham Mr.

An inspiration to so many

Jamie Graham was more than just a teacher for students and staff, he was the personification of Thornhill’s welcoming spirit. His passion, dedication and professionalism made him someone to remember. Mr. Graham, Thornhill will never forget you.

The curtain has fallen, the show has ended A graduate’s farewell to a open arms and an inescapable wit man who inspired him to be that could bring even the most serious people to their knees with more. laughter. Whether it was being BY AARON MELLET NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

an is the sum of all his actions. He is defined by the endeavours he chooses to pursue towards transcendence, living beyond himself. So there is absolutely no question as to why the loss of such an incredible man has left such an unfathomably large dent in all our hearts. It is because he was such a large part of them in the first place. Jamie Graham welcomed anyone and everyone into his class with

asked to sizzle like bacon, dance the hula, or on more trying days, overcome one of your biggest fears, no one could ever have asked for a more intellectually funny man, innately in-tune with the rhythms of humanity. His sympathy and love knew no bounds, his wisdom was profound beyond measure and his hugs could remedy even the most broken of spirits. His talents, on and off the stage, were immeasurable. His drama program defined a generation of students coming out of the

dramatic arts at Thornhill, breeding some of most talented students, a few of whom I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with. He put his life into his work at Thornhill Secondary School, and his dedication was second to none. His trying efforts can be seen in the legacy he left behind; a drama program that exudes a sense of community, passion, family and professionalism, and a forever-loyal group of colleagues and students that will never forget what Mr. Graham gave us all. He strived for excellence in his art, and he did so by focusing on the human experience of drama and not just the conventions of a

production. By doing so, he was able to open us all up, and in many cases, show us that which we were not aware of before, our own hidden talents. I will never forget Mr. Graham and what he gave to me – unconditional love and sound guidance when I needed it the most. And I am only too sure that no one who encountered him will be able to forget him, for whatever reason they may possess. Whether it was his matching outfits, or his undeniably big heart, Mr. Graham will always remain a part of everyone’s fond memories at Thornhill Secondary School as he was simply too great not to be held

in the highest esteem. And even though the curtain has been called, the actor has bowed and much of the audience has left, his show will always go on. He will always live through the brilliance of his nature, the light he had shed unto all of us. Rest In Peace Mr. Graham, we will never forget you. The Eye of the Tiger would like to thank Mr. Graham for his many years fostering creative talent in his students. Thornhill will miss him, and will continue to nurture the legacy he left behind. Thank you, Mr. Graham. All photos courtesy of Tomer Michailov. Sketch courtesy of Ms. Retsos.

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EYE OF THE TIGER

Lim, Lim, Lim: Have you met him yet? The Eye of the Tiger sits down with our new viceprincipal, Mr. Lim. BY ANNIE XIE OPINION EDITOR

With the departure of Ms. Hetherington at the end of last year, TSS needed a new vice principal. This is where Mr. Lim comes in, as a dynamic and enthusiastic educator whose love for helping students becomes evident within seconds of talking to him. This is Mr. Lim’s first year as a vice principal, after spending 15 years as a classroom teacher in high schools around Ontario, from Oakville to Belleville. Most recently he comes from Richmond Hill High School, where he was Head of the Math Department. Mr. Lim is a native Torontonian and earned his math and education degrees at York University. Many students first met Mr. Lim during the annual Safe Schools presentation, which quite honestly tends not to be very interesting. But this year’s initially sleepy crowd gave a warm welcome to the new vice principal. The audience roared with laughter during Mr. Lim’s segment about drugs and alcohol at school. “Don’t come to school drunk,” he stated plainly, “I mean, why would you do that?” He asked the (rhetorical) question because he’s serious about student success. His mechanism for this is his emphasis on academic, social and emotional growth for the development of the whole student. I sat down with Mr. Lim during lunch to learn more about himself and his thoughts on education and TSS. It was during my lunch, obviously, because I’m not sure he has one. Let’s go back to when you first became a teacher. Where did it all begin? My first job teaching was at an independent all-girls school in Oakville, teaching computer science and math. I had to take a summer course at the University of Toronto to obtain the computer qualifications since I graduated as a mathematics and science teacher. I lasted one year, the length of my contract, and then I was declared redundant. There was no job for me. Then what? I applied to every single board of education in Ontario. I took the first job offer, and that took me to Belleville. I was full-time math for four years. After that I decided to return closer to home. I was at Unionville H.S. for five years before I made the trek to Richmond Hill H.S. The ad-

WHY HELLO Thornhill gives a warm welcome to Mr. Lim, our new vice principal, and a new member of our family. ministration there helped mentor they’re closely-knit. And the stu- ed to become an educator? Yes. Since grade four, I’ve always me to get the experience to be a vice dent leadership is different! I noprincipal. I have worked in special ticed that on Grade 9 Day, the men- wanted to become a teacher. I like tors were deliberately there to help helping people and explaining ed., alt ed., and guidance. grade nines feel integrated. I also things. So you’ve done everything. Did you always know you wantfigured out what BOSS stands for! Not everything! No, no, no. Thought it was the secretaries and ed to work in administration? Why math? No. I went into administration I love math. I was good at math. I custodians! What’s the biggest difference because of principals that have suplike seeing the patterns and solving between teaching and working in ported me. At Unionville, I was problems. once given an admin period in What’s your philosophy on edu- administration? As a teacher, I got to teach a wide which I spent one period in the cation? Focusing on student growth and variety of students. As VP, I spend office. What’s interesting is both developing the whole student. I like more time with at-risk students who Ms. Hetherington and I were given seeing students grow. As a teacher I need more support academically administration leadership periods saw them for four months in a se- and emotionally. But it’s helping that same semester – Ms. Hethermester; as a VP I’ll see them for four kids, and that’s what I wanted. I do ington went forward while I reyears. I want to tell students, “I want walk the hallways and visit class- turned to the classroom. It is a small to help you. You can come to me rooms to remind myself of the in- world as I now replace her at TSS. and I’m not going to be judging credible accomplishments of our At Richmond Hill, the new principal was looking for teachers interested you.” It’s about working with a students. What’s the biggest challenge in in being part of the school leaderteam—teachers, the admin, guidship team. That’s when I said to him ance, ESL, special ed., social work- being a VP? Multi-tasking and time manage- I was interested and he took me ers, Student Success teachers—and asking, what strategies can we have ment. There are lots of meetings under his wing for three years. Then and people unexpectedly coming in I felt ready. in place for each student? What’s the highlight of your What was your first impression nonstop. There’s always so much going on, but I want to support stu- career so far? This is the part of TSS? I come from Richmond Hill H.S. dents and I want to support teach- where we make you look good. Come back to that one, I need to where a few teachers and the previ- ers. How do you think education has think about it. ous VP were from TSS. I didn’t Sure. know much about the school, but I changed since you started teachOh, I know. The highlight of my knew it had a good reputation, high ing? I really saw the change in 2000, career has been working with stuacademic standards and a variety of programs for students from essen- when we went towards a 4-year dents who are at-risk and just being tial to AP. There’s also a strong tech curriculum. When it was a 5-year part of the journey and seeing them program and arts program. I like curriculum, the emphasis was on graduate. As a teacher I’ve attended that it’s a smaller school, and things covering the material. Now it’s all the graduations. Every student are going well. [chuckles] That’s about teaching the curriculum. has a journey to go through; some better for me, since it’s my first year. Now teachers have to support the are smooth, some are rocky. The How is TSS different from other entire continuum, including the whole purpose of being in school so students who aren’t passing. It’s long is to get that diploma, to cross schools? I think TSS is different in that the about students now, and it’s not just that finish line because it opens teaching staff chooses to stay a long about filling them with knowledge. doors to the future. We need to do Did you always know you want- what we can as teachers to get them time. It’s more like a family and

there. It’s always about putting students first. How long will you be here for? I retire September 30, 2026. What? Where does that come from? That’s my retirement date from the 85 factor. But I’ll probably stay until I’m 60. I love what I do. I always have. Since I was a student teacher, I have never lost the passion for kids. Do you think that in math education, the focus has shifted away from the important concepts? It’s about teaching math context. I think that’s really important. For any subject, there has to be relevance for students. Students can sit there and memorize material for a test, but they don’t retain it. You want to look at the big picture, to problem solve, to think critically, to apply knowledge, to make connections to the real world and the teacher needs to help them understand that. When I make classroom visits, I ask students, “What are you learning? Why are you learning this?” And if they can articulate that to me, that shows me they know what they’re doing. When students know what the goal is, the question becomes if they’re meeting that goal, and if they’re not, what are they doing about it? So the ownership has to be in the student’s ball court as well. What do you do in your spare time? [laughs] There’s no such thing as spare time. No? Well, I run marathons. I started three years ago and I’ve run seven. It’s a stress reliever to me. I think running a marathon would just make me more stressed. I have a funny joke: If kids are running away from me, they get the advantage at the beginning, but after a longer period, the momentum gets in my ball court. But that’s not why they selected me to be a VP (well I hope not!). I just want to help kids. What’s something that no one knows about you? I thought no one knew about the marathons, but students came in and were like, “How was the marathon?” And I think to myself, how do you know that? [laughs] [I point to the photo of a dog on his computer and on his wall] And you have a dog? I do. His name is Bud, a Chow Chow, and I’ve had him since he was a puppy. Is this going in the newspaper?

The senator stampede: The old, the new, and the strange Picking senators like a BOSS. BY MARY LEE NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

enators are an important facet of our life at Thornhill; they allow for BOSS, our Board of Student Senators, to get input from all of Thornhill’s denizens. They essentially act as grade representatives, though they do dabble in helping BOSS to set up events and raise school spirit. This year, Thornhill had an am-

ple amount of students trying out for Senate, even though only four spots are available per grade. For some, it was a first to see so many come out and get involved with the school community. Nearly thirty candidates ran for Senate and all of them put up a plethora of posters, as our hallways could attest to during the campaign period. In fact, leading up to the election, it felt like there was an overload of printed paper, plastered names and

slightly-corny slogans. Down every hallway and around every corner, it was hard not to spot the signs imploring the student body to vote. Halfway through the election, there was the surprising notice that no posters were to be put up in the stairwell as they were a fire hazard, which applied to both clubs and Senators. This came as a slight shock to some as prior to the election, there was no problem with bulletins and posters alike going up

near the stairway. Despite this small setback, vying Senators did not slow down their campaign and instead, ploughed ahead at full speed. It should be noted, though, that this was not the only hindrance on the way to the election; originally, voting and speeches were to take place on October 3rd, but due to the unfortunate passing of Mr. Jamie Graham, they were postponed to the 11th. This was done out of respect for his passing, but aside from

this, everything moved ahead. With that, it’s time to meet your new Student Senators Thornhill! Congratulations to Bryan Chui, Brendan Ross, Kelly Goncalves, and Hanna Schneider in Grade 9, Justin Chun, Frances Kim, Priscilla Leung, and Sarah Shin in Grade 10, Parnian Araghian, Ana Dsh, River Wong, and Daniel Voloshin in Grade 11 and Glenn Kogan, Benjamin Kowal, Josh Wong, and Rebecca Zeidenberg in Grade 12!

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It’s a whole new year here We will remember The mistakes of the past can- because of war. Few of us know what it means to be in that posinot be repeated. BY ADELE CHUI EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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WELCOME! Orientation Day was a huge success for all! Top left, Mentors smile brightly at the camera; bottom left, waiting in line for burgers; right, everyone assembling in the gym. Photos courtesy of Yauheni Baldziusau .

In Flander’s Fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses, row on row” are words heard across the nation as hundreds of thousands of people remember the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers. November 11th is a day of memory, for those whose lives were taken in service for our country. It is Remembrance Day. 11 a.m., November 11, 1918. The end of World War 1. It is a day of sadness across the globe, as all mourn the loss of the brave soldiers who paid the ultimate price. In Canada today, there are official ceremonies, recognising the men and women who passed away while serving Canada. Throughout the country, flags are lowered to half-mast, and everyone stills for a moment of silence to remember those who died. As a student, it is difficult for us to grasp the trials and tribulations of the soldiers who lost their lives

tion, to give everything, even one’s life for one’s country. To help us, the Social Justice League and History Department of Thornhill have worked together to bring to you, the students, the Remembrance Day Memorial. Posters decorate the hallways, and the front-display case is filled with poppies, newspapers, and various items that recognise the sacrifice of Canadian soldiers in the wars past and the battles to come. SJL has hired a speaker to talk at the Remembrance Day assembly, as well as presenting a slew of photos, poems and songs illustrate the solemnity of this event. Executives of Thornhill’s major clubs have decorated wreaths that are placed next to the stage, as Thornhill’s unique tribute to those who died for the country. So on Remembrance Day, stop for a minute. Bow your head, and remember those who left, who threw away their hopes and dreams, and gave themselves for us. We cannot, and will not, forget.

Exposing Thornhill’s student clubs Let’s go clubbing! School clubs, that is. STAFF NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

hornhill’s clubs, organisations, and student groups; from the popular to the loved. Missed the Clubs’ Fair? Well, no fear! W e give you the facts from the mouths of the clubs’ execs themselves.

tary partner schools, Orientation Day, and many more. Remember your first day and the lovely blueshirted students who were happy to help you out? Those were the Mentors, and you could be one too! Check for news later in the year. Board of Student Senators timmy.shin@hotmail.com The Board of Student Senators (BOSS) is a group of elected student representatives that are devoted to improving student life at Thornhill. BOSS organizes school-wide events like Carnival, Open Mic Night, and Semi Formal—building spirit and community within the student body. As the representative student organization in the school, BOSS also listens to any student concerns and works to resolve them in ways that can improve the entire community. In all, BOSS works to improve the experiences students have at Thornhill and hopes to create lasting bonds within the school.

The Eye of the Tiger eyeofthetigerchiefs@gmail.com Become a part of Thornhill’s award-winning student-run newspaper! The Eye gives you, the students, the chance to become a published writer and photographer in our seasonal newspaper. We publish four times a year, letting the student body of Thornhill express their opinions and ideas on school and world events that affect the school and its students. We meet on a Monday in Room 201. Give us an email, and we’ll be happy to add you to our illustrious group of writ- Chinese Student Association ers, photographers, layout design- csathornhill@gmail.com ers, and finance team members! Thornhill Secondary School’s Join us T.S.S., you won’t regret it! Chinese Student Association is here to teach students about the Chinese Thornhill Prefect League culture beyond rice, dim sum and tssprefects@gmail.com kung fu while creating an environThornhill Secondary School's ment where students can learn new Prefect League is responsible for things and make new friends or just assisting teachers, students, and simply bond with their old friends. visitors with school events. The Pre- We meet every other week after fect League is divided into four school on Fridays in Room 216 so if houses, and has a long history of you’re interested, so whether exemplary members who represent you’re Chinese or not, come join us the integrity, motivation, and dili- for some fun filled awesomeness! gence of Thornhill Secondary School students. These senior stu- DECA dents are diligent and motivated tssdeca.exec@gmail.com individuals from all areas of our DECA is an experience. It is school. Applications will be accept- based around an international ed later in the year. competition where students are given real-life business scenarios, Thornhill Mentors and using their creativity, persuaThornhill’s most welcoming stu- sion, and speaking skills, present dent group, the Thornhill Men- their solutions to a judge. DECA tors, is a selective assembly of stu- allows students to gain confidence, dents ranging from Grade 10 to 12 meet people, and have fun! This who are among the first to greet year, competitors have the opporGrade 8’s and 9’s to Thornhill. The- tunity to compete at three different se students work to facilitate a stu- levels; Regionals at Ryerson Univerdent’s smooth transition from ele- sity, Provincials at the Sheraton mentary to secondary school with Centre, and Internationals in Salt events such as visits to elemen- Lake City, Utah. We meet on Tues-

days in Room 216, and can be con- Thornhill Athletic Council tacted at tssdeca.exec@gmail.co m. thornhillathleticcouncil@gmail.co m Reach for the Top The Thornhill Athletic Council tss.reach@gmail.com supports Thornhill’s athletes and Reach for the Top is a club based promotes a healthy environment on the love of trivia! It’s a nation- within the school. TAC fundraises wide association, with teams all for athletes and plans events such over Canada participating. Thorn- as the Terry Fox Run, the Athletic hill’s Reach team meets every Fri- Banquet and intramurals for studay in Room 202. We start our dents. TAC also supports school meetings off by having a member teams, sells Spirit Wear, promotes give a presentation about a world Healthy Eating Active Living issue, scientific phenomenon, or through the HEAL board and enpop cultural event. After that, we courages students to get active! finish with a Jeopardy-style trivia Headed by Ms. Therrien, we meet in showdown. Members have the op- the mornings in Room 157 and will portunity to travel to other schools always be there for our Tigers! for tournaments and exhibition matches and possibly even appear Math Club on TV. We take a fun, casual ap- tss.mathclub@gmail.com proach to trivia, and new members Math Club is devoted to providare always welcome! ing a stimulating environment for students looking to sharpen their Sick Kids Club T.S.S. mathematical and problem solving sickkidsclubtss@gmail.com skills. We have weekly meetings The Sick Kids Foundation is com- each Monday in Room 120 to work posed of many dedicated students on and discuss math problems as a from grades 9 to 12 that meet on group. In addition to this, we are Tuesdays after school in Room 119, also pursuing a number of long to discuss various opportunities to time goals which include, but are raise money for the foundation. We not limited to, world domination, plan and organize many different rediscovering Atlantis, and finding fundraisers with all profits going out how they get the caramel in the towards the foundation. However, Caramilk bar. it's not strictly business with us; we have a lot of fun too, through mak- Model U.N. ing tons of new friends and giving tssmodelun@gmail.com back to our community. If you’re Model United Nations is the perinterested in helping to make a fect opportunity to improve public change in the lives of thousands of speaking skills while enjoying intersick kids, we'd love to have you as a action with fellow members. There member this year! will be fun club events like out-ofschool competitions and trips. Computer Club MUN is a club where students are tss.computerclub@gmail.com able to take on the roles of UN amComputer Club is a place for bassadors, learning about current students to explore the possibilities world events and debating to reof programming and using comput- solve international issues, each ers to solve problems. We meet representing a country. The club once a week on Thursday in Room meets Mondays in Room 209, so 221 and work together to under- come out and join us! stand a concept before trying to apply it to various problems. Most Human Welfare Awareness Club of our work is in computer pro- jchun_27@hotmail.com gramming and software design. This The purpose of the Human Welyear, we will also spend a few weeks fare Awareness club is to promote on hardware-related projects such knowledge of human rights as building a trivia buzzer system throughout the school and its comand creating an interactive Smart- munity. As a club, we find that reboard using only a Wii remote. specting a diversity of cultures, is

truly the key to prosperity. Our ultimate goal is to expand the students' reach, outside the school and into the lives of others. These meetings will be held in Room 114 every other Friday or Tuesday. We hope to see you there! Film Club skatingchamp11@hotmail.com Film club is a great way to get involved in extracurricular activities while engaging your creativity and developing your knowledge on movies and film. In this club, students get the chance to watch a variety of movies as well as apply their knowledge to make their own films. At the end of the year, students are given the chance to demonstrate their aptitudes in film making by entering their work in our Annual Student Film Festival. So come on TSS, join us every other Thursday in Room 146! ROCK Christian Fellowship rockthornhill@gmail.com ROCK Christian Fellowship stands for Rely on Christ the King. It is a club where a loving community of believers and non-believers gather to share in open discussions and play in various activities. We welcome a diverse group of people and we would like to create a comfortable environment that is inviting to newcomers and one that people can make friends and develop strong relationships with one another. We focus on helping one another by creating a fellowship. We meet every Thursday in Room 119 afterschool until 4 pm. Environment Club tss.enviroexec@gmail.com The Environment Club focuses on a variety of environmental issues, both local and global. Some of the things we think of doing this year involve creating awareness in the school, activities regarding renewable energy (such as building a solar generator), and connecting students to environmental volunteer opportunities. We meet every Monday afterschool in Room 215. Come join us, and help create a sustainable future for our generation and those beyond!

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Stopping cancer in this lifetime Thornhill’s annual Terry Fox Run and Carnival! Oh, what fun! BY ERIC CHOI NEWS EDITOR

n Wednesday, September 28th, TSS held its annual Terry Fox Run and made another amazing success! As always, every year, every student was asked to donate at least 2 dollars to raise money. Most of the students donated and participated in the run. With the beautiful sun and warm weather, it was a picture per-

fect day for a run. Most of the students walked the 5 -kilometre route, but some of the more active and dedicated individuals of Thornhill who decided to run the route. The fastest runners of each grade were awarded with a 10dollar gift card to Subway. Congratulations to the winning runners, including Bernice Johnson, Adam Liberman, Stephanie Biddell, Glen Katznelson, Eden Render, and Sean Smith! Let’s not forget the teachers who bravely ran the route with their fellow students! After the actual walk/run, stu-

dents were warmly welcomed to the lunch, provided by Thornhill’s local favourite burgers, Golden Star Burger! Delicious and yummy treats such as cotton candy and snow cones were also served as well. These yummy foods were a welcome sight after a morning of exercise. Students were allowed to spend fun time with their friends on the exciting and bouncy rides at the carnival. The most memorable attractions include the jump-and-stick, tug-ofwar basketball, the gigantic slide, and the obstacle race with a part-

ner. All these bouncy rides have given students the memories of trying to knock each other off the bouncy rides and spending fun quality time with their friends. The view of all the students amusing themselves with the fun attractions and the delicious food was clear evidence that the TSS student body is warm and welcoming to all and gave off a very friendly atmosphere. Kudos to the student representatives from BOSS, prefects, and the Thornhill Athletic Council were able to successfully prepare the T.S.S. Terry Fox Run and carnival.

As a whole school, the students walked and ran the route to raise money for the charitable cause. And as a whole school, students were able to interact with each other and make priceless memories. Congratulations to Mrs. Clark’s class, which was able to raise $586! Thornhill was able to raise $3180 for the Terry Fox Foundation, and if it weren’t for the students and teachers who prepared the event and the students participated, the Terry Fox Run could have never happened. Great job, TSS! Let’s hope for the same success next year!

RUN, JUMP, PLAY! Thornhill students and teachers had a blast at the annual Terry Fox Run and T.S.S. Carnival! Photos courtesy of Yauheni Baldziusau, Diana Levina, Ryan Khurana, and Daphne Hui.

The Question of Palestinian Statehood and the UN Will it be resolved with the new Palestinian effort for statehood ? BY GUY ROMM NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

istory is in its making; a new nation is seeking independence. Since Palestine’s declaration of independence in 1988, Palestine has been an observer of the United Nations General Assembly and has gained diplomatic recognition from over a hundred countries.. Now, Palestine attempts at separating its borders from Israel, taking a huge chunk of Israeli owned land from the Israeli government and splitting the holy city of Jerusalem in half. Saeb Erekat, former chief negotiator of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), is quoted saying "We are not going [to the UN] for a unilateral declaration of the Palestinian state. We declared our state in 1988 and we have embassies in more than 130 countries and more

countries are recognizing our state on the 1967 borders. The recognition of the Palestinian state is a sovereignty decision by the countries and it doesn't need to happen through the UN." Palestine is attempting to receive recognition from the global community and to define its borders and government through the United Nations. By September 2011, 126 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognized the independence of Palestine diplomatically. The remaining 67 member states refused to acknowledge the entity of Palestine. These 68 states included North America, Western Europe, and the UAE, among others. It is clear from these statistics which countries would support Palestine and which would not. Palestine 194 is the name for this diplomatic campaign to the UN. The campaign’s name represents that if Palestine succeeds in gaining recognition from the UN, Palestine would become the 194th member

state of the United Nations. This campaign is run by the Palestinian National Authority, which acts as the unofficial government for Palestine. Another entity worth mentioning is Hamas. Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic political party that controls the Gaza Strip, a location of much warfare between Israel and its neighbours. The name Hamas is an acronym for "Islamic Resistance Movement". Hamas is credited with missile attacks on Israel, as well as supporting those who wish to see Israel wiped off the face of the Earth. A member of Hamas is also the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, a major parliamentary position in Palestine. This may be the reason the United States fights against Palestine’s diplomatic war for recognition, as Israel’s main ally is the U.S. Throughout the debates on the topic in the UN, the U.S. has been a strong supporter of Israel. In response to Palestine’s attempt at

recognition, the U.S. halted all foreign aid to Palestine. The problem facing Palestine is getting the approval of the Security Council at the UN. The Security Council reviews all member state applications. The Security Council, which includes the U.S., will only be able to accept the application if nine members of the fifteen in the council approve it, but the U.S. said that if Palestine submits an application, the United States will veto it. Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riad Malki, said that eight members of the council openly support Palestine’s “right to freedom”, requiring only one more country required to vote. A veto will block the bid from being accepted. If the Security Council approves it, two-thirds of the United Nations General Assembly must approve it as well for the application to move on. Israel’s weak reputation will surely push the vote in favour of Palestine. In attempt to make Middle

Eastern relations better, the United Nations has attempted forcing Israel and Palestine to peacefully cooperate. Palestine refused to communicate with Israel. Israel is in a dangerous position right now, with diplomatic relations with Turkey and Egypt recently taking a wrong turn, and with Israel’s attempts at getting the European Union to side with it against Palestine. As well as moving diplomatically forward, Palestine is attempting to improve its cultural standings as well. Palestine recently submitted an application to Eurovision, a popular song contest that occurs every year in Europe. This move has been angrily criticized by the United States (who did not take a part in this contest). With Palestine’s application recently submitted, it is up to the UN to approve or refuse Palestine, and hopefully, to avoid a Middle Eastern crisis. Whether or not Palestine fails in the UN, history will have been made.

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Farewell WikiLeaks founder discusses ‘injustices’ Layton What is WikiLeaks and who is the person behind it? BY STACY GAIKOVAIA NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

Canada mourns the passing of a leader who brought his party the greatest success. BY ESTHER YONG NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

his past summer, on August 22, 2011, Canadians heard the shocking news of Jack Layton’s death early in the morning. Pancreatic cancer had taken away his life at the age of 61. Jack Layton demonstrated leadership all throughout his life. As a teenager, he was viewed as a potential politician by fellow high school students. Boy, were they right. While obtaining a PhD in political science, Jack Layton began his public political career in 1982 for the Toronto City Council. Though busy in his political career, he continued to teach political science in various universities in Toronto. In 1988, he married a fellow city councilor in Toronto named Olivia Chow. Then in the 1990’s, Jack Layton failed twice to win a seat in the House of Commons, but he persisted and prevailed. He was rewarded for his efforts by his election as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in the year 2000. Layton was known for his stand for community activism and involvement, working toward a fair, dignified strategy to eliminate poverty, ending the war in Afghanistan, and acceptance of everyone regardless of differences and the notion of clean air and water. Three years later, he made a run for and became a leader of the New Democratic Party. After leading the party for a year, he tried for a seat in the House of Commons in the 2004 federal election and was successful in the Toronto-Danforth riding. The climax of his life’s accomplishments was reached early this year when he was made leader of the official opposition after winning a great number of seats in the House of Commons for the NDP. He knocked the Liberals out of second place, progressing from 18 seats to a record 59 seats in the recent May election. However, during his profound success, he informed the public in February that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Having seen his father overcome the same sickness 17 years earlier, he promised that this obstacle would not interfere with his duties as a Member of Parliament or as a leader of the NDP. Then in July, 2011, just two months after the elections, he announced that he would be taking a temporary leave to fight a newly diagnosed cancer. Leaving Nycole Tummel in his absence, he was hoping to return to office in September to the House of Commons. Sadly, he was unable to do so, as he died on August 22, 2011 at 4:45 am in his home in Toronto. His death brought about an outpouring of national grief, even among those who did not necessarily support the NDP while Jack Layton was alive. Jack Layton demonstrated the zeal, honour and strength Canadians can have as a nation. This was demonstrated in his final letter to Canadians: “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” Thank you Jack Layton, for your service to Canada.

ikiLeaks is infamous for publishing submissions of otherwise inaccessible material, mostly sensitive governmental, corporate, or religious documents. They preserve the anonymity of the providers by making them untraceable. For some, WikiLeaks is the future of journalism, and is the “world's first stateless news organisation”. For others, particularly the governments and corporations whose secrets it exposes, this site poses a major threat. Because of the website’s policy on keeping all of their sources anonymous, they have been in a fair share of legal wrangles. For example, one controversial document posted last October was 400,000 secret US military logs detailing operations in Iraq. They also have a copy of the Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta, and a document that details restrictions placed on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. The site claims that it takes "classified, censored or otherwise restricted material of political, diplomatic or ethical significance" but not "rumour, opinion or other kinds of first hand reporting or material that is already publicly available". Surprisingly, WikiLeaks has fought off more than 100 legal challenges successfully. A team of reviewers chooses what is published onto this website.

HYPOCRITE? This WikiLeaks founder has found himself in some hot water. The founder of this website is 40 year-old Australian Julian Assange, who recently has started having some legal troubles of his own. He was accused of sexually harassing two Swedish women on the week of August 11th. Both of these women claimed that he had attempted to have unprotected sex with them against their will, and Assange is wanted for questioning in Sweden. Assange claims that these charges are without basis, and says that he was warned that the U.S government was trying to entrap him. He also says his accusers “each had sex with me willingly and were happy to hang out with me afterwards.” As a result, Assange was believed to be in hiding in England, facing a criminal prosecution and possibly jail. However, his court trial happened on the 24th of February in Sweden. One of the most important com-

ponents of Assange’s defence case is that a forced trial in Sweden on a charge of rape violates his human rights. In his argument, Assange’s lawyer stated it was “crystal clear” that the sex had been consensual. That what was being defined as “rape” by Assange’s Swedish prosecutors was, in fact, no such thing. Assange has lost his battle to stop an extradition to Sweden on charges of rape and sexual molestation. He then was taken to a London jail, yet got out on bail only nine days later. He posted more than $300,000 in cash for his release, must wear a monitoring device and check in with police daily. So far, Assange is not facing charges related to WikiLeaks yet, and for now is required to stay at a friend's 10-bedroom mansion, where he is free to use the internet as he pleases. During the past year, he has conducted 50 hours of interviews with

an anonymous writer who wrote a book entitled “Julian Assange: The Unauthorized Autobiography”. The book was sponsored by Assange to help salvage WikiLeaks’ precarious finances. However, after seeing the first draft, Assange had his regrets and attempted to renegotiate the book deal. The book was published nonetheless. Assange found out about this only 12 hours before it went for sale in British bookstores on the week of September 22nd. He then went on to accuse his publisher, Canongate, of “opportunism and duplicity”, claiming that he breached contact, confidence, and Assange’s creative rights. The book itself includes an account of Assange’s nine days in London’s Wandsworth Prison, information about his childhood, and about how he found classified material such as war logs from Iraq and Afghanistan. It has been described as a “nuanced and balanced portrait” and a “-very human portrait of Julian, warts and all.” Assange is our only connection to the arcane website that is WikiLeaks. The point of WikiLeaks, as many say, is to stop governments and other cooperate officials from deceiving civilians and abusing power. This is, undoubtedly, Assange’s goal. However, he violates the rights of others, and then argues that his rights are being violated by a forced trial. He was also convicted with rape and served only nine days in jail. Who’s a bigger hypocrite than Assange himself?

The justice system kills Troy Davis “The U.S. death penalty humiliates us in the eyes of much of the world.” BY CRYSTAL CHEN NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

1:00pm on September 21 was the hour that marked the end of Troy Davis’ 20-year legal battle in Savannah, Georgia. In the August of 1989, police officer Mark MacPhail was shot twice fatally when he intervened in a fight between a homeless man and his attacker. Days later, Troy Davis was convicted with the murder of MacPhail chiefly on the word of “eyewitness” Sylvester Coles, on a trial with no murder weapon or physical evidence. From first trial to death, Troy Davis maintained his innocence, that he had seen the fight, not the shooting, and that he did not possess a weapon. While waiting on death row, articles about the incident including interviews with the witnesses reveal that seven out of nine of them have changed their story. Other witnesses accused Coles, the witness who triggered the arrest, as the real killer. It was a black man’s word against white men in the southern United States, at a time and place with heavy racism. As this case of severe justice inequality garnered more fame, appalling more and more people, many public figures expressed their support for Davis. Former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Georgia Congressman Bob Barr, and even FBI judge William Sessions are among those who supported Davis’

innocence, and called for a stay of the case. Davis’ execution was postponed three times. One huge incompetency of the legal system the Troy Davis case has brought light on is eyewitness credibility, especially reliance on it for death penalty decisions. In event of a frightening killing with the added factors of discrimination or stigma, a few biased sources without the support of physical or scientific evidence should not be enough to prosecute an innocent man’s life away. Capital punishment is the other statute being called into question by this case. Everyone, from the US Supreme Court to the Pope, has

stepped in to support or delay the case due to “too much doubt” as one popular slogan says. Nearly one million people signed a petition for Davis’ freedom. Yet Troy Davis was executed nonetheless. What was the faulty system trying to prove by denying all these appeals and ending this long battle in September 2011? Though press has died down since the execution and the Twitter hashtag #toomuchdoubt is no longer trending, Troy Davis will not have died in vain. His last plea to America to keep fighting the death penalty regulation has led to one of his advocates, Keepin’ It Real talk show host Al Sharpton, proposing a

law preventing death penalty sentences without scientific and physical evidence. On the night of his final execution date, 700 supporters gathered outside the Georgia execution chamber to mourn. Over 1, 000 people attended the funeral of Troy Davis chanting and wearing, “I Am Troy Davis” in efforts to continue fighting the death penalty. They represent the everyday people struggling with a broken justice system that decides the fate of their society. They represent their martyr, and do so to save him and those in his situation.

HE WON’T HAVE DIED IN VAIN Troy Davis’ death has lead questioning as to whether the death penalty is just.

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Doug & Peggy: a Tim Hortons surplus Twitter, Timbits, and gravy been shut down, Toronto has 3.9 libraries per 100,000 people, similar trains don’t mix at all. BY DANIEL VOLOSHIN NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

here has been some controversy at City Hall about proposed methods to fill the $774 -million gap in Toronto’s operating budget. In fact, “some” is a gross understatement, particularly when examining the public feud between Doug Ford and Margaret Atwood. It all started when Councillor Doug Ford spoke on CFRB 1010 radio on July 14, 2011. He was looking to halt the gravy train, believing that one of its most popular stops was in Toronto libraries. Regarding the number of libraries in the city of Toronto, he stated, “We have more libraries per person than any other city in the world. I’ve got more libraries in my area than I have Tim Hortons.” Please dismember this statement by reading some nonfiction. Now that the Urban Affairs branch has

to Vancouver. Meanwhile, Halifax has got 4.3 libraries per 100,000 people, and the entire state of Vermont has 30 libraries per 100,000 people. Vermont has only one quarter of the population of Toronto. That gives it around 7.5 times the library density of Toronto. In Etobicoke, Doug Ford’s area, there are 13 library branches, and 39 Tim Hortons shops. In fact, on a per capita basis, the Etobicoke area has fewer libraries than Toronto as a whole. This is where Margaret Atwood comes into the picture. On July 21, in retaliation to the proposed library cuts, the two time Governor General's Award-winning author rallied her 225,200 Twitter followers to sign a petition when she retweeted this from @sonalogy: “Toronto’s libraries are under threat of privatization. Tell city council to keep them public now.” Within two hours, the server

holding the petition crashed due to the sheer volume of incoming signatures. Atwood may not be as big an icon as Tim Hortons to some, but by the next day’s evening, the petition had 17,300 electronic signatures. Next, when asked to comment on Atwood’s internet campaign at a conference on July 26, Doug Ford blasted the literary icon, telling her to get elected. "Well, good luck to Margaret Atwood, I don't even know her. If she could walk by me I wouldn't even have a clue who she is," Ford told reporters on Tuesday. "But she's not down here, she's not dealing with the problems, and if she did, tell her to go run in the next election and get democratically elected and we'd be more than happy to sit down and listen to Margaret Atwood." At this point, both Margaret Atwood and Doug Ford were briefly “trending” worldwide on Twitter, meaning they were among the most discussed topics on the social net-

working site. Returning late to the second round in the war of words – she was writing in the woods without electricity – Atwood replied to Councillor Ford’s ignorance in an e-mail to the Sun. “The most staggering thing about [Ford’s] statement is that it implies that only councillors (not voters, not taxpayers, not citizens) are allowed to voice any opinions.” On July 28, she also cautioned reporters after a press conference. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the Fords are stupid, they’re not stupid. So given that they are not stupid they will think this through and what we all want of course is a good city council and a good mayor and maybe this will help them become a better city council and better mayors.” Responding soon after, Ford stated “I appreciate Ms. Atwood saying that, but I also appreciate she’s a very smart lady. She should go in and find efficiencies for us,” later adding “We don’t have a mandate

to close anything, our mandate is to fill the $774-million gap.” The back and forth continued on Twitter until, finally, the couple met. On September 20 at a farewell party for the arts adviser to Rob Ford, Councillor Michael Thompson introduced the unsuspecting two to one another. Thomson even took a picture of them with his BlackBerry, showing the pair smiling together, with Ford’s arm apparently around Atwood’s shoulder. Atwood communicated her surprise on Twitter at 8:20 PM that evening. “T-pals, UnBLeevAbul! I just met D. Ford! At a NotTimmies Arts Party! (He knows what I look like now! :D) Sez #libraries will not be cut! :D” At an executive committee meeting that week, it was revealed, rather abruptly, that there were not going to be any proposals to close any Toronto public library branches. And so ended the epic saga of big -idea man Doug Ford and literary giant Margaret Atwood.

European The tale of two nations: United States and Pakistan These two countries come recession is from two different worlds. bad news BY GUY ROMM NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

A stressful and turbulent economy mean bad news. BY HYEWOAN SONG NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

hough we are used to hearing about inflation, personal bankruptcies, high unemployment rates, and federal debt crisis, most people only visualize our own country, or our neighbour America in the crisis; other countries follow when we list ‘countries affected by the recession.’ What most people fail to realize is that the recession in the Americas are practically over. In fact, the Bank of Canada, Canada’s central bank, officially declared the recession to be over on July 23rd, 2009, and America has been in an “economic stagnation” since early 2011, meaning there has been economic growth annually, but it has been going up rather slowly (about 3-4% a year). Denmark was the first country to see the recession in Europe, in early 2008. The crisis spread quickly, and among the first to be severely hit were Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Russia. However, in current days, PIGS are the countries being hit the hardest. The acronym stands for Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain. Greece, at first, benefited from adopting the Euro back in 2001, but got pulled down with the rest of the Euro Zone (the 18 countries in Europe that use the Euro). The decision to adopt the Euro backfired again when Greece failed repeatedly to meet EU deficit rules. The country’s deficit, which is how much a country spends instead of makes, is at 12.7%, with a debt of 413.6 billion dollars. Greece’s credit rating is currently the lowest in Europe. Conflicts are still being resolved, and protests continue, and people are saying it is hard to be an optimist in Greece these days. Throughout Europe, recession continues to be a problem all citizens in all aspects. But history repeats, and hopefully, soon recession will end everywhere, for everyone.

he United States has provided support to Pakistan since the traumatizing day of 9/11. The war on terrorism was initiated and Pakistan became a major ally in said war. With Osama Bin Laden dead, Pakistan is under criticism and the U.S.-Pakistan alliance is in jeopardy. It all began in 2001, when President Bush urged Pakistan to join the war on terrorism, and how could they refuse? Pakistani relationships with its neighbours were in a horrendous state. Both India and Afghanistan were not happy with Pakistan, and refusal to the U.S. would put another diplomatic relation off. And so, Pakistan brought its arms up against terror and received a hefty $1 billion from the U.S. as a token of appreciation. Showing that this ‘friendship’ was not a classic alliance, the Pakistani president at the time, Pervez Musharraf, said “We've captured 689 [terrorists] and handed over 369 to the United States. We've earned bounties totalling millions of dollars.” Is there possibly another reason for the alliance?

A ‘beautiful’ relationship began, and when Pakistan was hit by the Kashmir earthquake, the United States was there with a helping hand. But, on July 11, 2008, an American airstrike killed 10 members of the Pakistani military. Pakistan declared that this was an act of aggression and that it had disrespected the current relationship. In attempt to save the relationship, President Bush commented that Pakistan was a strong ally. Criticism erupted and it was found that Western officials believed that 70% of the $3.4 billion that the U.S. gave to Pakistan for foreign aid had been used for an unintended purpose. The general public seemed to despise the alliance and hateful comments filled the news. Each side had something disrespectful to say about the other. In 2009, the recently resigned President of Pakistan said that the money that the U.S. gave the country has been used in preparation for an India-Pakistan war and not for its initial purpose of capturing the Taliban. At the end of the year, Barrack Obama said in a speech “In the past, we too often defined our relationship with Pakistan narrowly. Those days are over.... The Pakistani people must know America will remain a strong supporter of

Pakistan’s security and prosperity long after the guns have fallen silent, so that the great potential of its people can be unleashed." The year 2010 arrived, the capture of the No. 2 Taliban leader led to a round of applause given to each country, and, obviously, the U.S. was recognized as the backbone of the assassination. By the end of 2010, twenty billion dollars have been given to Pakistan from the U.S. for ‘support’. And then, Osama is killed! Pakistani officials reported that Pakistan had not been a major help, and had only allowed the United States to use its airspace for the mission. Many officials then accused Pakistan of previously knowing the location of Osama Bin Laden, since his compound was in a major city, not far from the Pakistan Military Academy. The media responded and WikiLeaks released information that clearly showed that the Pakistan government knew about the whereabouts of Bin Laden before his assassination. Those accusing Pakistan of betraying the United States, also ventured to accuse Pakistan of supplying the compound used by Osama Bin Laden, on the grounds that it was supposedly once a safe house for the Pakistan

intelligence service. Now you have been brought up to date and can clearly see that here is a relationship going to waste. Each side was using the other; Pakistan used the U.S. for aid for the country, and the U.S. used Pakistan to capture Osama and other terrorists. Pakistan and the U.S. are in a sort of peaceful war, each accusing the other of disrespecting the alliance. Recently, the U.S. accused Pakistan of helping guerilla forces in Afghanistan, alienating the Pakistani public from the U.S. The former president of Pakistan accused the U.S. of using Pakistan as a reason for its failure in Afghanistan, while saying that Pakistan must contact the peace-wanting Taliban. Pakistan has recently sought diplomatic relations with China, India and Saudi Arabia. China decided to distance the Pakistani government from its own in response. India allied with Afghanistan in spite of Pakistan’s attempts at improving its status. Will this be the end of this ‘beautiful’ friendship? Surely, it is on the verge of collapse, and it is no wonder why. John D. Rockefeller once said “A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship.”

NASA satellites are falling back down to earth? Getting hit by a satellite? BY GUY ROMM NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

n September 7th of this year, NASA announced that a satellite weighing six metric tonnes called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) would crash to the Earth’s surface before the end of the month. As the date of the crash approached, estimations became more specific and the satellite was predicted to fall around the 23rd or 24th of September. This turned out to be an accurate prediction as the satellite crashed just past midnight on Saturday, September 24th. NASA has stated that the satellite fell in a southern part of the Pacific Ocean. This was the largest piece of NASA space junk to fall to the Earth in over 30 years. According to calculations made by NASA, the UARS entered the

Earth’s atmosphere above the general area of the American Samoa. There were several pieces of debris that broke apart from the satellite before reaching the Earth’s surface, sending them crashing into an area of water southwest of Christmas Island and around 300 miles northeast of the location of the main crash in the Pacific Ocean. According to a statement released by NASA, the chances of the satellite striking a person were 1 in 3,200. When the possibility of debris landing in northwestern Canada was temporarily raised, the Internet was quickly filled with claims from Canadians who claimed to have seen the satellite falling. These claims soon became invalid when new calculations made by NASA revealed that the pieces of loose debris had landed a few minutes earlier than everyone had

originally thought, and therefore in a completely different location. It was believed by residents of Okotoks, a small town south of Calgary, Alberta, that debris had fallen near their town. A video even was posted on YouTube, sparking debate and speculation, but the whole situation was judged to be a hoax after local officials performed an investigation. These rumours were further disproved by NASA’s new calculations. The UARS had been orbiting the Earth since its launch on the space shuttle Discovery in 1991 in order to study the Earth’s atmosphere. The satellite had been put out of service in 2005 as other satellites were available to serve similar purposes and the UARS became redundant. After the 1991 launch of the UARS, new procedures were imple-

mented by space agencies to lessen space junk and the falling of satellites. As a result of these improvements, there will no longer be satellites this size falling to the Earth uncontrolled in the near future. On the other hand, a slightly smaller German astronomy satellite called the ROSAT is predicted to fall somewhere around late October or early November. The ROSAT was launched in 1990, before the changes in procedure, and weighs 1.8 metric tonnes. The chances of a piece of the ROSAT striking a person are higher than the chances of the UARS striking a person had been, as more pieces are expected to fall to the Earth. Nonetheless, the odds of an individual getting hit are extremely low since the chance of anyone getting hit at all are 1 in 2000. So don’t worry. You won’t get hit, we hope...

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Shakespeare is not a waste of time If so many students despise reading Shakespeare, why do we still study his works? BY J.B. KIM OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

oday, the study of Shakespeare’s works is prevalent in many schools across North America. William Shakespeare wrote many plays for the purpose of evoking feelings in his mostly British audience, and this conviction, some may say, gives the audience knowledge of true self. So, is this the reason that we study Shakespeare, and if so, is Shakespeare truly effective for today’s audience? I look around my English classroom. There are heads on the desks and kids on their phones, and through their peripheral hearing, they hear the works of Shakespeare’s elaborate language. So, for these students, is Shakespeare effective? Are his works redundant for an audience of fast replies? The unfortunate truth in today’s teenagers is that Shakespeare is fondly looked upon as a great-grandfather, who has lost his sight of this miraculous world. But because I attentively listen to the works of Shakespeare in the English class, I have to say, maybe it is the way the students view Shakespeare, like the view of

HATE IS A STRONG WORD Students don’t hate Shakespeare per-se, they need to look at his works in a better light neglected classical music in teenagers today? Shakespeare wrote around 40 plays in his lifetime, which were marvelled by the British. And most importantly they found true love. True love is most delicate in thought, but I have only heard; Shakespeare inspired in British people true love. The British fell in love with his works and the general population loved to participate as an active audience with emotional responses.

But along these lines, were some British that did not find the inspiration and those were the non-critical thinkers found in many English classes today. Why have they not found his works so great? Could it be the ignorance of the non-critical people? This ignorance is found as the blindness of true reality, the ignorance of true self. When Hamlet evokes emotion in Claudius through the play, reenacting the late Hamlet’s death, Claudius wakes up from his sleep to

acknowledge that his public innocence has been spoiled. In this example of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s true intention is to identify everyone as sinners, in their own ways. This identification comes through in all his plays. For example, the death of Romeo and Juliet is the result of the foolishness in lust that would bring the audience, themselves in lustful relationships, to an epiphany—the realization of the knowledge of true self. Like so, the people with their

heads down could be the ones who are avoiding reality, avoiding themselves. But, if you were to live such a life of ignorance, how are you to put a name on oneself? Another way to say the same phrase, who are you? You would be surprised at the number of reluctant people, unable to answer this question, but once you discover the motif of Shakespeare’s true intentions, maybe then you may tap into true knowledge. And once you find the truth, you can enhance your ability to face the ups and downs in your life, a privilege that many miss upon. Not to say that those who do not read Shakespeare are not critical thinkers, acknowledging true knowledge. However, those who regard Shakespeare as a man of lost words are wrong. And they may regard him as such because of their ignorance to Shakespeare’s true tactic, to help readers confront one of wrongs and hopes. To say that studying Shakespeare is a lost cause is a wrong conclusion. Instead, why don’t we find a new approach to him? Bring him into a better light that could adjust to today’s fast environment, and possibly we can help students find knowledge of most importance. Let Shakespeare awake you.

Can it really be this easy to agree Taking the raw plunge A Thornhill Secondary student takes a raw to these terms and conditions? School vegan challenge. What exactly is the good way information, art, and data on places like the web. The only terms and to copyright? conditions are the few that the proBY GRACE TO OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

ook around: you are surrounded by media and advertisement. And almost every single idea or product belongs to someone legally. Today, numerous products, information, ideas, and artworks are under different and very specific licenses. The purpose to licensing is to prevent people from distributing movies, music, and shows without the consent of the producers, in order to make an unfair profit. In order to protect the creators, there are many different laws and regulations to keep people from distributing works for personal profit without the producers’ permission. The Creative Commons is one of those licensing options. It is a nonprofit organization that works to make it possible to legally share artistic and creative content, as well as ideas and information. Compared to regular copyright laws, the Creative Commons is considered to be the better alternative that can satisfy both the audience and the producers. However, there are some issues that may rise because of all the freedom that can be offered under the license. It is true that the Creative Commons license is able to allow more freedom to share media information than regular copyright laws; it enables the producers to retain the legal rights of the works, as well as being able to share their ideas, knowledge,

ducers choose to set, which aren’t as severe as the regular copyright laws. This type of artistic distribution law is also beneficial for the audience. Audiences are able to enjoy the entertainment that can be easily accessible on the Internet, usually free of charge. Information that is licensed under the Creative Commons is constantly being shared among individuals. The Creative Commons license can be seen to be similar to free ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising that is shared amongst many people all over the world, usually via the web. A very clever marketing gimmick, it is good for the producers to gain some fame and for them to test and see if the product or idea is appealing to the general public, before creating more for actual profit. Normally, it is strictly illegal to copy, distribute, and share works that are under the regular copyright laws. People and companies who wish to use a specific piece of work would need to go through the tedious process of getting permission from the producer. But with the Creative Commons, the audience gets to have more freedom in sharing the content without needing to get the necessary authorization from the creators. Although the Creative Commons license can offer many positive sides for both the audience and the creators, there can be some negative aspects on the issue. The producers may potentially risk losing the sense of ownership for their works. Crea-

tors also don’t typically get a decent amount of money every time the information or work is being passed and shared. There are also some restrictions that are applied to some of the works under the CC license, which include that you must credit, and that you can only use it for noncommercial purposes. Avid photographers, both professional and amateur, use an imagehosting website called Flickr to upload their photographical artworks to share with the worldwide audience. The site’s users have all agreed to upload their works under the Creative Commons license and the photographers are able to set the legal conditions of their works on the site. This allows them to have their photographs to be seen and they can be given feedback by the Internet public on a regular basis. The Creative Commons may have limits set on the shared content, but it also allows the media to circulate more rapidly than before. The use of the Creative Commons is increasing, especially amongst artists; songs, movies, and photographs are able to circulate the industry faster, an easy way to gain an edge against the competition. The terms and conditions of the Creative Commons also aren’t as effective as the regular copyright laws, and the content may be abused. There are risks to releasing your work for many people on the Internet to tinker with if you do not wish for it to be altered in any way.

BY SANDRA SINAYUK OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

s an unusual, healthmagazine-reading teenager, I couldn’t help my curiosity towards the idea of a raw vegan diet, which has been published and discussed in nearly every health magazine and blog. The idea that eating a diet composed of at least 75% raw food can boost energy and improves the appearance of skin intrigued me, so I decided to challenge myself. For the entire month of August, I decided to eat a diet composed of at least 75% raw vegetables, fruits, and legumes. The promises of a raw vegan diet are what make it so appealing; it’s no wonder that countless celebrities have experimented with the diet. Famous raw-vegans include musician Jason Mraz, actress Demi Moore, and supermodel Carol Alt. Raw vegan enthusiasts claim that a raw food diet can discourage aging, since raw food retains more digestive enzymes, which give the body a break from wasting a lot of energy on digestion. In addition, many people suggest that raw foods store more vitamins and minerals than cooked foods. However, in con-

trast, an article on veganhealth.org states, “Cooking liberates some nutrients, such as beta-carotene and other antioxidants, for easier absorption… It makes many foods more edible”. While taking the challenge, I personally felt energetic and healthy at some points, just as the diet promises. Being a newcomer to the diet, however, I didn’t realize certain raw ‘rules’. One of my largest problems arose when I made coconut ‘fudge’ balls. Composed of mainly oily almond butter, the dish was satisfying, but after I (unwillingly) ate my father’s portion, I found myself nauseous and weak due to the ‘fat overdose’, which had the same symptoms as a hangover. Taking the challenge has allowed me to explore new, delicious dishes; however, I have decided that I will not continue with the diet as it was difficult for me to follow it strictly. I will still try to consume as many raw vegetables and fruits as I can. Regardless of raw benefits, I have personally found that I enjoy soups too much to give them up, although I adore raw marinated mushrooms and fruits and vegetables in any form. I enjoyed the experience, but realized that a raw vegan diet, which may be ideal for some, is not ideal for me.

RABBIT FOOD? Maybe it is, but it brings a huge slew of health benefits.

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How good are good marks? Is it ever enough? Today’s 90% could be tomorrow’s 80%. BY RICHARD WONG OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

ave you ever purposely taken an easy course for the sole purpose of boosting your average? A great deal of students have done so, thinking that they could benefit from their decision where there really is none. Sure, they can breeze through their courses and end up looking like straight-A students on their report cards. But does this make them any better than students that receive average marks in courses where they really have to work for

their mark? When a student gets an effortless 100, any onlooker would assume that this student needs not do anything to improve, but a high mark obtained with little effort is a poor reflection of the student’s strengths and weaknesses. The number implies that the student is perfect but its recipient knows better, harbouring only a shallow contentment for having a high average. Students see improvement when they are forced into stressful situations, like when they have strict deadlines to meet, or when their best work will earn them a lower mark than they are comfortable with. When students apply real

effort towards developing the skills required to fare well in a difficult course, they gain a long-term advantage over those who have an easy time in school. This improvement does not happen in an environment where students can get by easily and without applying much effort. A real education prepares students for the demands of society by providing an environment that builds skills such as teamwork and stress management. Those who choose not to work hard in school remain protected in their bubble wrap of easy 100s and are bound to face shock when they enter the real world. They effectively deny them-

Is there a point in filling in those yellow volunteer forms? It’s not just for the hours. BY SALLY KIM OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

or anyone that wants to graduate high school, it is mandatory to have completed 40 hours of community volunteer service. However, is this necessary? From one perspective, it can be seen that yes, these 40 hours do matter and it is important that we do these hours. In another perspective, we can say that no, we do not need these hours, and they don’t mean much in the long run. Are these hours an important part of high school life, or would it be better if we didn’t do them at all? To many students, these hours are not beneficial and do little but take up their time. Much volunteer work has to be done a lot at once or done very routinely, over a period of weeks or months. For students who have jobs or an overwhelming course load, this could be some-

thing that holds them back. Some organizations also give extra hours, devaluing the hard work that other students do. We can argue that these hours are not effective, because people are not honest about the amount of work and the type of work that they are doing. In contrast, some may feel that these hours are beneficial. Why are these 40 hours so important? For one, they give people experience for future jobs, leadership opportunities, and the like. Students are able to volunteer in many different fields and learn about variety of organizations. Volunteering in different fields can help students determine what they do and do not want to do in their future, and learning about different organizations can also help students find jobs and other volunteer opportunities. Overall, I feel that 40 hours of volunteer work is not much to ask for, as many students do as much

as 500 to 1000 hours to receive scholarships. Because many universities look at the number of hours an individual has completed during their four years in high school, they can help students receive opportunities they would otherwise have not gotten. Completing these hours in Grades 9 and 10 can be more effective, so that in Grades 11 and 12, students are able to focus more on school work and applying for universities. The Guidance Office can also help students find volunteer opportunities and new placements! However, we need to be more honest when filling in these yellow forms; if you really only worked for 4 hours, then do not write 8! Look back on which volunteer work has helped you and which has not. Lastly, do not always think of these hours as something we must do, but something we want to do to help the community and the people around us!

When should we use calculators? Math just wouldn’t be math without calculators, but are they really necessary? BY SARAH SHIN OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

re we allowed calculators for the test?!” probably slipped out of your mouth at least once, if not numerous times, during school. A hotly debated topic in recent decades is the role of calculators in math education. For years, mathematicians and teachers in various countries have been trying to found a definite answer for the question, “Are calculators really beneficial?” Whether students are exempt from distressing calculations or not is generally depend on where you live in the world. Places like Canada, the UK, Singapore and USA generally allow the usage of calculators while countries like China, Korea and Japan do not; most East Asian countries forbid calculators in classrooms. It also varies slightly by teacher, unit, etc. So for us Canadians, is it truly effective for students to use calculators? Firstly, math education in high school aims to test student’s ability to solve questions in a logical and creative way. Many say it’s fine to use calculators for simple arithmetic because those simple calculations aren’t significant in determining one’s mathematical capability. Furthermore, some teachers feel

less motivated to teach when calculators are banned because they are restrained in giving students more relatable, real life intricate problems; there are only so many types of questions that can be done by solely by the human brain. This leads to the third point: students are less motivated in math class because they cannot find a reason as to how BEDMAS or functions will offer them any help in the future. They are easily frustrated by math, and reject it on a widespread scale. Isn’t it worth compromising in cases like these? However, is it a real accomplishment to receive a high school diploma when one is not able to add subtract multiply and divide without a calculator? Is one really a genius just because they can multiply 2 by 20 in less than a second? Many say that students are unacceptably dependent on their calculators. “My grandfather didn’t use a calculator when he was in school

and now he’s able to give answers on the spot, so much faster than me!” Said Naomi Lewin, a grade 10 student. “I think we’re way too dependent on calculators.” Even students aren’t lured by the convenience of calculators to think they are requisite for math, mainly, because too many of their peers can’t perform the basic fundamentals of arithmetic. Statistically, students who learn in calculator- free environments are better at math than their non-calculatorusing counterparts; Hong Kong, which generally does not allow the use of calculators, was ranked number 1 in having the highest level of math education. All in all, calculators are definitely a brilliant intention, but perhaps there can be too much of a good thing. Use it only when certain functions are needed, and build your calculating skills for simple arithmetic isn’t a bad idea and will help you in the future!

1+1= ? Students are dependent on calculators, even for simple problems.

selves the opportunity for real improvement. Yet there are some who believe, almost piously, that a high average will get them into a good college or university. This may even be the case; what university would not want a student scoring 100s or high -90s consistently? However, in a post-secondary environment, those who fail to work hard and do not understand their strengths and weaknesses are bound to fare poorly, and those who do well have a good track record of working hard. This applies to the real world as well; those who can keep their jobs, especially in times of economic crisis, are those with the skills to

make themselves effective workers. Ultimately, the reality is that one cannot reach one’s individual potential without hard work. No athlete goes professional without extensive and rigorous training. No doctor diagnoses or treats patients without having studied and practiced medicine for years. High school is a starting point for some students to develop the skills that they need later on in life, so as a student, you have something to consider: Will you work hard in courses suitable for you to work toward your full potential, or will you take it easy now and cheat yourself out of a more manageable future?

Less sodium, less sugar, less fat: more controversy A look at how the new YRDSB food policy is affecting our cafeteria, and our students. BY VIVIAN ZHANG OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

s many students are already aware, TSS vending machines and cafeteria menus have undergone a drastic change. Candy and chocolate have been replaced by baked chips and (artificially) fruit flavoured snacks. Cafeteria menus have also been altered. There are many reasons to be displeased about this matter. First and foremost, it is wrong that the students and staff had no choice in this matter. Being the people that this change would affect the most, we deserve a say in this newly created policy. The students at TSS and all over the YRDSB should have the choice of what kinds of foods to consume. Instead of limiting students to only diet sodas, low fat foods, and baked chips, the cafeteria should give them a variety of choices. In a hyperbolized situation, protein is very beneficial and important to the body, but the school board would not adjust the menu again so that every dish prepared contained meat, because that would restrict the selections for vegetarians, vegans, peskitarians, etc. If students are able to choose which types of food to consume at home, they should be able to have the same liberty at school. Being surrounded by a different type of food during lunch and during school does not change anybody’s overall diet. No one is going to suddenly enjoy eating low fat, low sodium, and low sugar foods when they did not like them before just because school cafeteria menus and vending machines have changed. These new policies have restricted students’ choice, and have only enraged the students, the opposite of the desired effect. Instead of creating a new policy which angers students, money should be spent trying to promote healthy eating, so that students can make their own choices of what they do and don't want to eat. This change was unnecessary, and ineffective. Moving on to the subject of money, because of this new change, the lineup at the beginning of lunch to purchase food from the cafeteria has dwindled greatly compared to last year. The fact is that fewer students are buying food from the cafeteria because they don’t like or

want to eat it. The food isn’t as flavoured as it could be. According to the YRDSB’s new secondary school policy, all items on the menu must have less than 240mg of sodium. Just because a dish is low fat and does not contain an abundance of sodium does not mean that it is healthy. It just means that it is not unhealthy, and there is a distinction. The healthiest food can possibly get is if its ingredients, or the food itself is organic. There is not a plethora of fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria, and those are the embodiment of healthy eating. Salads are surely much healthier than a low fat, low sodium lasagna, so why not have a healthy balance of regular non-diet food, and healthy fruits and vegetables? Before this policy was conceived, if a student forgot their lunch, they could just buy something from the cafeteria. Now, many students would rather go without a lunch. The school vending machines now have no more regular chips, and no regular drinks. The absence of chocolate and candy has been missed. Unlike popular opinion, chocolate and candy is not extremely harmful to the body. When enjoyed in moderation, chocolate is actually beneficial to the human body, as is sugar. Now, there are practically no choices. There are chips, of the same few flavours but different brands, artificially flavoured snacks, and unappetizing cookies. The lack of choices creates a lack of response from the students and staff that would usually purchase foods from these vending machines. This affects the amount of money the school cafeteria along with the vending machines could make. Profits are lowering and more students are bringing lunches from home because of the new food choices. So all in all, this YRDSB policy was quite unnecessary to concoct. Going to all the trouble to choose the cafeteria menu and vending machine selection resulted in fewer students purchasing the new food that is supposedly better. All it’s done is make more controversy and even more annoyances for the average student buying food in our cafeteria. If this policy did anything at all, it unintentionally encouraged students to stop purchasing the food being provided at school, and begin bringing their own sodiumfilled and sugar-suffused foods that also had copious amounts of fat. So what was the point?

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EYE OFTHE TIGER

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Going digital, Baby South Korea’s new online classroom is a precursor of what it to come. BY TIMMY SHIN OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

arlier this year, the South Korean government announced an ambitious initiative to spend over $2 billion in implementing digital textbooks in every classroom in the country. The goal is to replace all textbooks with digital learning materials on a cloud-based system that students will access with schoolsupplied tablets. This new system will enable traditional course contents to be supplemented with much more multimedia and make the need for paper textbooks and handouts disappear. It is no surprise that South Korea is one of the first countries to adopt this all-digital education initiative. The country is one of the most wired and connected places on Earth. According to a U.S. web hosting company, Akamai, South Korea hosts the fastest Internet in the world and ranks number one in the world for broadband Internet access per capita (Canada ranks 6th place, the U.S. 16th). It is also no coincidence that a 2009 study done by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) concluded that 15 year-olds in Korea have the highest ability to absorb digital information, beating New Zealand and Australia, the runnerups by a large margin. There is no doubt that the world is moving towards an age where

textbooks and handouts in schools will be replaced by digital materials—and South Korea is one of the first countries to move towards that age. However the shift from what we have now to a digital classroom will be massive. Looking at South Korea, $2 billion alone is being spent towards their digital initiative. A massive server system is being created to in which all digital textbooks will be deposited, Wi-Fi networks are being implemented in every school in the country (urban and rural schools alike), and a customized e-learning program is being developed that will be included in every student’s tablet. But no matter how many resources are invested into these kinds of initiatives, both teachers and students have to embrace the change. This has already happened in South Korea. The collective effort in South Korea has made a huge

difference in the implementation of this digital initiative. In North America, students are probably just as connected as students in South Korea. There are probably thousands of initiatives here and in the U.S. that also support technology in classrooms. However, the distinguishing factor in South Korea is that Korean teachers and administrators have pushed the change more effectively, and the government initiative announcing the removal of paper textbooks in all classrooms by the year 2014 shows the final push towards a truly digital classroom. There is no doubt that the whole world is moving towards a digital age. However, as seen in South Korea, it is a matter of how well the change is being embraced and how well it is executed for us to truly determine how far we can move towards a digital age.

E-READERS Are these the new textbooks of the not-so-distant future?

iDISTRACT The newest toys are useful, but are there more cons than pros?

iPads: Cool or wasteful? Teen minds are easily distracted, especially with shiny new gadgets. BY CAROLYN BURTON OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

s many of you are aware, last year, our school purchased a set of iPads to be used in class. I know that many students in our school were, and still are, thrilled with the purchase; after all, it is an iPad! Now, I’ll admit that I was one of these thrilled students initially, but now I wish the school had bought something more useful, such as printers, scanners or even new software. iPads are fun and all, but I think that they are a waste of the school’s money and resources. It is my opinion that iPads in class will only become a useful thing once students get used to having them in the classroom. Why? Because they are more of a distraction in class, with students often completely forgetting the work that they are supposed to be doing and instead focusing on the shiny new toy in front of them. However, this will not likely happen because each class gets them only occasionally, not giving students enough time to overcome the excitement of actually using the

iPads. I am not saying that the iPads were a terrible idea- they can be a great educational tool when used properly, but the only problem is whether they will be used properly. Perhaps instead of buying the flashy computers, the money would have been better spent on more printers, or maybe even some scanners. It just seems to me that with all of the other alternatives, maybe buying the iPads wasn’t the best decision the school could have made. Now, one simple but costly way to fix the aforementioned problems would be to simply buy more iPads. This would give more students the opportunity to use them, and would let students gradually familiarize themselves with the iPads so that they wouldn’t be so distracted. But let’s face it: the school is not able to afford more at $719 apiece. Considering how many would be needed for a class set, perhaps the money would be better spent on other pieces of technology that would be more beneficial to the school. There will always be distractions within the classroom, but the school does not need to add additional distractions to the learning environment.

Fluorescent lights aren’t eco-friendly or healthy? It might sound ridiculous, but we should go back to incandescent lights. BY DANNY ROMM OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

the current to the light. Because of this ballast, headaches, nausea, reduced immune system functionality, and retina (eye) damage occurs very frequently. That's what you may have been experiencing from these lights. But this is just a small bump in the road; I'm not done scaring you yet. Fluorescent lights emit mercury (and other dangerous heavy metals) into the air while they work. There is "enough mercury in a single… [fluorescent light bulb] to contaminate 7000 gallons of water,” Mike Adams, a writer for Natural News, reports. As well, it only takes “a single gram of mercury to contaminate a two-acre pond.” Frightening. Mercurialism is the scientific term for mercury poisoning. Mercurialism can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, glands, and one’s immune system. For

animals, mercurialism can also cause death, reduced reproduction, and abnormal behaviour. Our school, along with most other schools in Canada, use fluorescent lights. These lights contain vaporized mercury. Now imagine, hypothetically, if a light in the gym was to break with a class inside. The mercury would spread, contaminating the area. If the mercury got inside the vets, it could spread; this would be considered a toxic spill, and we would be required to evacuate the school while a HAZMAT team cleans it up. An average Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) can contain up to 30mg of mercury, and these levels of mercury can kill a person. Do you still think that these lights are ecofriendly? Well, through release into the atmosphere and water run-off, approximately two tons of mercury

goes into the atmosphere every year from these lights. Once in the atmosphere, the mercury spreads all over the world through natural cycles. Mercury takes a long time to dissipate; it could take decades, even centuries. Still think these lights are ecofriendly? To top it off, there is no convenient way to properly dispose of these lights. There are certified waste recycling centres to deposit finished lights; however, you would have to drive there with the lights. Then you are in a car, a compact area, with fluorescent lights. Let's rephrase: you are in a small area with one of the most toxic substances on Earth, and the only thing protecting you really is glass. Feels safe, doesn't it? Normally, fluorescent lights are disposed of in the garbage, which goes to landfills, after which the

uick, look up! You're in danger! Why? Because there is a very large chance that the light you are under right now contains one of the most toxic substances on Earth: mercury. Fluorescent lights. Incandescent lights. Which ones are better? The fact is, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Of the people who do know those terms (incandescent and fluorescent), many choose fluorescent lights. Why? Because they're apparently more ecofriendly. But are they really more ecofriendly? The short answer is no. After the facts are given, it is evident there is absolutely no way fluorescent or compact fluorescent lights are better than incandescent lights in any way, except perhaps destroying the environment; fluorescent lights are far better at that. Incandescent lights (the classic light bulbs) basically consist of a wire in a glass container. Fluorescent lights are lights with gas in tubes, and inside them electric lighters light this gas constantly, at a rate of approximately 60 hertz. Because of this, the light flickers, generally beyond perception; albeit at an annoying rate which may bother your eyes. Fluorescent lights operate on a ballast. A ballast is an electrical device which acts as a resistor generally, but works slightly different in fluorescent lights; they regulate WHICH ONE IS BETTER? That’s a big question, especially with the amount of information pointing both ways.

mercury goes into the earth (and groundwater). I realize I'm being a little onesided here, so for a paragraph I will play devil's advocate. Incandescent lights have a lifespan of only 1200 hours (as opposed to CFL’s 8000 hours), use 60 watts of electricity (as opposed to CFLs 13-15 watts), and emits 4500 pounds per year of carbon (as opposed to CFLs 1051 pounds/year). Therefore, incandescent lights are horrible for the environment, right? And fluorescent lights must be the answer, correct? So, let's stop advocating fluorescent lights, and begin pushing incandescent lights again. Another factor; these lights are made in China by poor factory workers. These workers are exposed to such high levels of mercury that can kill, and indeed do. According to Times Online, "Tests on hundreds of employees have found dangerously high levels of mercury in their bodies and many have required hospital treatment." Mercury levels are incredibly high at times; one man had a mercury level 150 times the accepted standard. Well, readers, in 2012, Canada, the United States, and the European Union are banning incandescent lights. What can we do if we fear the horrors of fluorescent lighting? Well to be honest, there's not a whole lot you can do. Soon the only modes of light will be CFLs, FLs, LED Lights (better than CFLs, but not as good as incandescent lights), and the good old sun. Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best.

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Fallacy of the genius: Atheists and is our IQ everything? this world IQ shouldn’t change how you view someone – including yourself. BY SHANE SUKERMAN OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

hroughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, our intelligence is often the defining factor of who we are. It affects how our peers and family view us— not necessarily in a negative sense, but their opinions take it into account nonetheless. The general way one determines their perceived intelligence of another individual is through conversation and interaction, which happens to be how we find out who we enjoy spending time and become friends with. Friendships that begin this way often turn out to be the longest lasting and most rewarding. Through face to face interaction, deeper bonds are shared and connections made, proving it to be one of (if not the most) accurate ways to get to know somebody and how their mind works. An Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, is a score based on how you did on a standardized test designed to determine intelligence—it is often taken to predict future job capabilities or achievements in school. Children who receive high scores on intelligence tests have been noted to learn more in school than others who didn’t score as high. It has also been noted, however, that marks in school depend on more than IQ, and involves factors such as discipline and interest. Among peers, it is often something talked or bragged about, turning a simple standardized test designed for showing someone what they are capable of, into a

potentially devastating contest of intelligences. Personally, I think that IQ tests can shine a lot of light on some people’s unknown skills and strengths. I do not, however, think it is a measure of someone’s intelligence—at least not an accurate one. Scoring high on an IQ test doesn’t make you smarter than anybody else, and it isn’t something that should be flaunted. A test that you take, regarding you, should be a private thing, something that should boost your confidence if you’re feeling down, but not your ego. In the same respect, someone who scores low on an IQ test shouldn’t let it graze them either—it’s still just an estimate. These tests aren’t designed for each individual, they are designed for the general public—something to fit everybody. Something we’re constantly reminded of by our parents and teachers is that we are our own person, and we’re all different. A test designed for the majority of people should be something taken lightly, as an opinion or a suggestion, and not as a final determination of your quality of mind.

Your intelligence is something that can’t be assigned to you; it’s something we all have that grows based on our upbringing and education. We go to school, not to find out our intelligence, but to increase it, and to expand our learning. Somebody could be born smarter than you, but it is never beyond your reach to become smarter than them. An IQ test can’t predict how our minds grow, and where they will end up. It can only determine where we stand currently. Talking to someone, on the other hand, can give you a fairly good idea of how their mind will develop—at least, it’s the best way we know of so far. Even in school, grades come from tests, projects, assignments, and class work and participation. It’s about time everyone got a little bit more confidence in themselves, stopped listening to what people and tests say about them, and gave a serious effort to find what suits them and what they are good at. If something is really important to someone, they can do whatever they want. Don’t let a test change that.

TESTING TIME Standardised IQ testing: don’t let it get your brain down.

Why should humans have rights? The deprivation of human rights is a crime to all of humanity, and we must not take part in it. BY JUSTIN CHUN OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

ociety, on a local and global scale, inevitably defines itself on inequality and corruption. Regrettably, a set of standards and "exemplary" expectations are set to be followed and critiqued by the general public. If a person does not, however, appeal to these principles, he or she will be discriminated against by the members living in the lies that society contains. In past years, visible minorities have been subjected to derogatory slurs and stereotypical comments from this type of judgement. Furthermore, a deficiency of rights, not only within our own communities, but also in countries across the globe, remains common today as well. The only manner that we seem willing to perceive the struggles and anguish other people are going through is via media coverage. In this case, the media dramatizes the situation to an extent, in order to keep the public's interest. Yet, we, in such a blessed country, fall short to even consider the possibility of being interested, let alone, be held responsible. As traumatic events continue, the more there is blood and death; the more

the world is torn apart, the less we become concerned. Whether derived from prejudice or injustice, local or global, an absence of human rights is still absent, until deemed present. As we scrutinize a person or a group of people, we might tend to categorize or label these individuals, through prejudgement and an utter lack of knowledge of who they may be. During my youth, I have grown to have a passion for human rights and how they affect us all. I have matured as a human to reject partiality and inequity, but in particular, racism. In my opinion, it is sickening how narrow-minded and inhumane racial discrimination is. In retrospect, it is the most favoured discrimination of all. Races are subjugated to a point where they turn to the walls and hate themselves because of what other people portray them to be. The reality of us, all being humans, proves a point that we should not be segregated into different arbitrary divisions based on the colour of our skin, for example. My objective on this argument is to broaden these narrow conceptions of others and to comprehend that we all belong to the human race. We must acknowledge the fact that everyone is equal in freedom, however different a person may appear to be. In spite of what an individual represents, whether it be race, religion, sexuality, or culture, one can mere-

Was this atheist ad any different from ads from other religions? BY RYAN KHURANA OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

bout a month ago, atheist organization livingwithoutreligion.org put advertisements across America promoting atheism and the secular lifestyle. The ad in its entirety simply stated that you do not need god to hope, to care, to love, to live. Controversy arose within days. On the internet, particularly on Facebook and Twitter, many people were outraged. Some were posting comments such as “This is straight scary!”, “These are crazy times”, and “Ridiculous right? It made me so uncomfortable”. One even went as far to suggest that, “This is probably why we’re getting hurricanes and earthquakes here”. This is an unjustified and uneducated bashing of a group of people. Atheists are just regular people like anyone else, but are being persecuted for their beliefs. Would this kind of reaction have occurred if this were advertising another religious group, if this were a religious ad being looked at by atheists, or if this were placed in Canada? The first major question regarding this: what makes this ad any different from those Christian ads for churches, or from those advertising synagogues or mosques? Those ads certainly wouldn’t draw as much controversy. Fundamentally, though, all are promoting a certain view on religion, whether it is for or against it. There is a rising demographic for those who do not believe in god, or who do not affiliate themselves with any religion, especially in modern youth; approximately 1 in 6 Americans live without religion. The reaction to this ad suggests that it was considered an all out attack against religion. This does not seem to be its purpose. A belief is a belief, and this particular ad was there to show that there is an alternative way of life that is equally as valid as say, a Christian one. It was not there to be

thought of as an ultimatum, but rather a viable suggestion. That is why such a reaction to it is as unjustified as it was. The next major question: would atheists have the same view as if this were a pro religious advert? Ads for synagogues, mosques, and churches are everywhere and they rarely, if ever, receive any backlash from the atheist community. Sure, some very rare cases incite controversy from certain groups, such as the problems regarding the 9/11 memorial and the “ground zero mosque”. However, there is a major difference between those debates and the controversy surrounding simple ads placed around cities. Those opposed to the ‘atheist ads’ need to remind themselves and respect that others have differing beliefs than their own. After all, it takes all kinds. Finally, would this have sparked as much controversy if the ad were in Canada? Being placed in the US, a decidedly very Christian country, really hurt this campaign’s chances of being accepted. A country whose president must be sworn in on a bible and whose money contains the motto in god we trust probably isn’t the most accepting place for non-religious groups. Sure, Canada also has some very religious notes in its national anthem among other things, but Canada as a whole puts less emphasis on religion than our southern neighbours do. If that ad had come up in Canada, I doubt it would spark as much controversy, with the numbers for non-religious people being reported at between 2030% here, compared to the 10-15% in the States. We are considerably more tolerant of religion up here and are more of a secularized society. Our American friends evidently do not share this tolerance. This ad was clearly not targeted at religious people, and clearly did not try to be as aggressive as some other campaigns. What it did do was make its point. The only problem with that, however, is that some people just don’t want that point to be made.

ly be judged by the content of his/ her character. All of mankind must not fail to realize that everyone is created equal. In the global scheme of things, humankind's only concern and occupation is the battle for supremacy and wealth. An insufficiency of human rights has shown to be evident under these corrupt circumstances. Our world has become filled with so much hatred, darkness, and greedy ambitions that we have lost hope for the peace and love that we can achieve through unity, as brothers and sisters. Our apathetic mentalities have developed to a point where we have lost sight of the destruction taking place on the other side of the world. We disregard the inequalities and injustices other people are living through, just because it feels comfortable to do so. Why must humans die in order to sustain our own convenience? We just watch people suffer from poverty, war, and malnutrition on the news. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." We, as citizens of humanity, must be aware of the responsibility to reach out and to initiate a change, locally and globally. It's your choice to promote the rights that every human deserves. ACCEPT NOT HATE Diversity is key, especially when it comes to religion.

editorial

fall 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER

from the editors

The Eye of the Tiger is an award-winning school newspaper that reaches 2000 students, parents and members of the community each issue. To advertise with us, please contact eyeofthetigerfinance@gmail.com or eyeofthetigerchiefs@gmail.com

EYE OFTHE TIGER

Adele Chui

Eric Choi

Nathan Oh

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

Jessica Wu

Annie Xie

Mitchell Gould

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

OPINION EDITOR

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Jennifer Yoo Wilmer Kwong

Jordi Klein

Yauheni Baldziusau

DEPUTY OPINION EDITOR

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Congratulations to one of our own, Jordi Klein, for winning first place in poetry in Vaughan Public Libraries’ annual Early Harvest competition!

To kill or not to kill: that is the question

YES Annie Xie

roy Davis, you say. Troy Davis is why the death penalty is wrong. No. Let’s get this straight. Like most rational people, I wanted clemency for Troy Davis. His case made me angry, because it’s hard to support the death penalty when places like Georgia are executing people like Troy Davis. But just because people can’t execute the execution properly doesn’t mean that executions are wrong. Troy Davis doesn’t change the fact that the death penalty is proper justice for people who do commit heinous crimes. “What if they’re innocent?” they ask. Well, “What if they’re guilty?” We don’t live in a fantasy-land where all convicts are innocents who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Let’s accept that there are people who commit heinous crimes, and let’s acknowledge that sometimes (though not often enough), we do

Adele Chui

ur justice system is not perfect, not even by a long shot. There are thousands of people convicted wrongly yearly, and in countries where the death penalty is the punishment for first-degree murder, an innocent could just as easily have their lives at stake as those who are guilty. Troy Davis was one of these innocents, wrongly convicted and then sentenced to death because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. With a system that has flaws and holes that can be abused, how can we truly sentence someone to die for a crime that we are not sure they committed? ‘But what if they’re 100% guilty?” is the question. The truth is, we can’t be sure. And though not all of those convicted are innocent, not all of those convicted are guilty. They could be someone’s neighbor, child, friend, relative; an average passerby who found themsel-

ves in the wrong situation. Out of the hundreds of thousands of people convicted, can we rest easy knowing that there are some that were innocent or whose crimes were grossly over exaggerated? We can’t. The death penalty is reserved for major crimes, such as first-degree murder. However, every individual sentenced could be useful to society in some manner. Rehabilitation and manual labour are just two methods in which, instead of wasting a productive human life, we could utilize it. Perhaps it’s inhumane to sentence someone to hard labour or life. But it’s more inhumane to just kill them. The death penalty is based on simple logic: he killed therefore he should be killed. But things aren’t that simple. Mental illness, abuse, addictions, poverty; these are all factors that come into play when someone kills. Our system is faulty and easily bused. Troy Davis was just one of the many who have died and will die because of the wrong punishment. How many more will need to die?

Requesting a change: the TCC needs to revise “RequestStop” Because the world should be bit safer for everyone.

little girl is running through the playground at recess. She trips over her untied shoelace and falls, skinning her knee. As she starts to cry, the teacher rushes over to her. “Oh, don’t cry, sweetie,” the teacher tells the girl. “It will be OK.” Later, a small boy slips while playing tag, treating himself to a serious case of road rash. But this time when the teacher kneels down, it is not to offer a hug or sympathetic words. “Big boys don’t cry, OK?” This account is not entirely fictional, but actually an anecdote from a study done at an American kindergarten. Overall, when a female student would get hurt, adult caretakers would rush to her side and offer comforting words. But when her male counterpart sus-

tained a similar injury, teachers would tell the child to “man up”, or one of its many derivatives. Shocking? This startling example of gender bias is an all-too common one in society. Girls are delicate, precious flowers to be protected; boys are rough n’ tumble heavyweights to do the protecting. Too often, for a boy to show weakness is unacceptable, to the point where many men have trouble expressing emotion or requesting help. The 1982 murder of Jenny Isford shocked Toronto. Isford, a Toronto Argonauts cheerleader, was taking her usual bus route home late at night. After she exited the bus at her normal stop, her soon-to-bekiller followed her through the back doors of the TTC bus. Isford, then just 19, was raped and strangled blocks from her North York home. In response, the Toronto Transit Commission created Request Stop,

Eye of the Tiger is advised by Mrs. Borges.

LAYOUT DIRECTOR

FACEOFF The Eye will be hosting a series of editorial debates about controversial topics this year, with the first between Annie Xie and Adele Chui arguing the validity of the death penalty: is it right to execute human beings for their crimes?

catch these people and we do have the evidence to back up their guilt. I don’t think the death penalty should be used for all first-degree murder, but there are crimes that are atrocious enough to warrant it. Brutal torture, child murder, and serial killings are among them. With these crimes, the amount of harm inflicted upon an individual and society as a whole is too great for the punishment to be just life in prison. When individuals commit these atrocious crimes, they plainly do not deserve to live anymore. The death penalty is not an eye for an eye, because to oversimplify all situations, the victim and the offender are not equal. One is innocent, and one is guilty. It makes little sense that the guilty one is the one who lives, even in a jail cell, and in Canada, for far less than a lifetime. Citizens deserve proper justice. The officer in Georgia did not get it, and neither did Troy Davis. Georgia did not do the ultimate justice justice. But it could, and it should.

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a program aimed to prevent a similar scenario from ever happening again. Request Stop allows a rider travelling on a bus from 9 PM to 5 AM to get off the bus at any point along a regular TTC route, enabling riders to get off closer to their home or another safe place. However, there is a catch: the program is only available to the TTC’s female riders. That’s right: apparently, males are not deserving or worthy of the TTC’s protection. Sure, males get assaulted and attacked just as women do, but they’re manly men! They can take care of themselves, right? They don’t need anybody’s help! This is a sexist and old-fashioned way of thinking. Is a 13-year-old boy going to be able to defend himself when he is attacked? Is a 72year old grandfather going to be able to protect himself from a mug-

ger who wants his wallet? Is a 32year-old father walking with his young child? Yes, there are men who could and would defend themselves, just as there are many women who could do so. That does not mean that all men do not require protection In 2010, there were a staggering 22,768 reported cases of assault in Toronto. How many men need to be raped, assaulted and otherwise attacked for the TTC to start paying attention to, and protecting, their male riders? If the Toronto Transit Commission is concerned with the safety of its riders, then it should be concerned with the safety of all of its riders. While it certainly means well, the Toronto Transit Commission needs to revise Request Stop if it truly wants to make Toronto a little bit safer- for everyone.

Junk or not? A look at the board-wide policy getting students to eat right.

oming back to school in September was met with a lot of dismay by many members of the student body, and possibly even a few teachers. Papers to write, tests to study for, and even new drama to deal with were all valid reasons not to look forward to coming back. However, one thing that people could look forward to was the good old cafeteria food. However, upon our arrival back at school, a drastic change had overcome the place where we spend forty minutes each day, chatting and energizing our bodies: the vending machines, which once held salty snacks and sugary goodies were now filled with nutritional bars and low sodium snacks. And those wonderfully tasty French fries, beloved by many, were now replaced by ... potato wedges. That’s right. Not even allowed to be called French fries, these wedges of potato just can’t compare to drizzling some delicious ketchup over a cup of steaming fries. Now, many people are probably asking a very important question: Why is this happening? Well, upon going to www.ontario.ca/ healthyshools, a webpage comes up that not only encompasses eating healthy, but getting involved with the community and publishing healthy cookbooks. Now, though a lot of these ideas are nice and all, are they really realistic? Maybe not for high schools. First, how many of the approximately 1200 students who attend our school actually eat, or ever purchase anything from the cafeteria? It’s much easier on the student’s or their parents’ wallets just to bring a lunch rather than going through the hassle of standing in line to pay for something that you could make at home for a more reasonable price. Not to mention the fact that the students who do buy their lunches at school probably just go right to the junk food when they get home to hold them over until dinner. Another possibility is, since they are unsatisfied with the lunch provided, students will venture outside of the school to get what they want. The multitude of pizza places and fast food joints will provide the students with what they want, and at a good price: flavour and fulfillment. Located at every second block, it is really not too difficult to leave and be provided with all of the fatty goodness that you know and love. It’s all well and good for the province of Ontario to implement this healthy food policy, but if the student body isn’t well informed of what is happening, the new food will just be seen as extra punishment for a deed they didn’t know they committed. But for those in high school already, who are accustomed to grease and great flavour, it seems to be too little and too late.

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fall 2011

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EYE OF THE TIGER

NBA 2K12: Lockout Edition NBA fans beware, it isn’t pretty right now in the world of basketball. BY VICTOR LI SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

he NBA has just come off one of its most successful seasons since the retirement of Michael Jordan. With the underdog Dallas Mavericks defeating the Miami Heat’s Big Three, 2011’s NBA playoffs was one of the best in recent memory. However, not long after the Mavs were crowned the NBA champions, the league decided to lock out its players on July 1, 2011 as the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) between the league and the players expired. The league owners claim that they lost $300 million as 22 out of 30 teams in the league were losing money in the 2010-11 season. The league wanted to reduce the players’ salaries by 40%, and place a hard salary cap of $45 million per team instead of the soft cap of $58 million currently in use. However, the players’ union opposed these changes, and the league responded by locking them out. The two parties continued to meet throughout the summer, but while they agreed on many issues, they could not overcome their differences in terms of money. As a result, the lockout continues, and many players have looked for other alternatives, with no end to the lockout in sight. Many players chose to play exhibition games in pro-am leagues during the summer, such as the Drew League and the Goodman League, while others have already signed with foreign leagues, notably Deron Williams signing with the Turkish team Besiktas and Kenyon Martin, Wilson Chandler, and J.R. Smith, all of the Denver Nuggets, signing with different teams in the Chinese Basketball Association. Many other overseas players have also gone to play on teams in their native countries. Although both parties assure that they are working hard to ensure a deal as soon as possible, the NBA preseason has already been cancelled, on top of training camp and free agency. At the position the players and owners are currently at, it would take a miracle to have the season start on November 1st, as originally planned. The lockout isn’t just affecting the fans. Business owners who rely

ALL-STARS BABY Looking for these basketball giants? Chances are you won’t see them again for a while. At least until this lockdown is over and done. on the NBA for profit, such as sports bar owners and concession stand operators are sure to take a huge hit to revenues, as are all the arenas where the teams play. The

estimated losses from missing the first two weeks of regular season play are about a hundred million dollars. The losses will hit especially hard in cities such as Orlando,

Memphis, and Portland, which have no other professional sports teams. For fans who need their NBA fix, regardless of whether or not there is a season, get a copy of

NBA 2K12, probably the best basketball video game ever released, and probably the closest you’ll be to NBA basketball, at least until the lockout ends.

Thornhill’s strikers are striking hard September AoM: David The varsity boys soccer team is kicking it up a notch! BY MARY LEE TAC SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

espite only a few games under their belt, the Varsity Boys Soccer team is already going strong into their season. With a line-up of over 20 strong players, the team is made up of players from all grades that have already bonded and learned to work together. Led by Ms. Therrien and

Mr. and Mrs. Clark, they practice diligently as they work their way towards the play-offs. All three coaches have put a lot of effort into training the team and making sure that they can work together. The team has done an amazing job with their games so far, thanks to the effort that all of the boys have put in. Some notable players include Daniel Morris, who stars as one of the team’s strikers and Matthew Jones, who always backs the team at the net. Badie Komyzi has also stepped

up to the plate this year at defence, making a great addition to the team. Also, Spencer Wyatt and Marko Miketic, who suffered from shin splints and a shoulder injury respectively, have successfully recovered and are ready to play along with the rest of their team. The Boys Soccer team has a lot of work cut out for them, but with the support of their coaches and the rest of their amazing team, they had a great season. Keep on roaring Tigers!

Athlete of the month. BY MARY LEE TAC SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

avid is a grade 9 tennis player who is ranked number one in Canada in the Under -14 age bracket. Part of Thornhill’s senior tennis team, he joined in the hopes of winning the title for our school and upholding our reputation in tennis. David is part of the National Tennis Team of Canada and has also ranked 9th in the European Tennis

Association. Moreover, he placed at the Under-14 National Championships at the age of 12. A tennis player through and through, David has been playing since the age of 4 and trains twice a day both before and after school. He is a hard worker that is looking forward to playing and winning against players in the Under-16 and Under-18 categories. Congratulations David, for doing so well in tennis! Let’s wish David the best of luck in all of his future matches!

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fall 2011

EYE OFTHE TIGER

page 13

Winners and Losers: 2011 NFL Picks Who was chosen and who was thrown aside? Let’s take a look. BY DANIEL GRENIER AND GABRIEL WAHL SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

ith fall comes many things: the start of a new school year, festive holidays, and of course the start of a new chapter in the great book of American football. Even with the lockout scare that worried many fans, the NFL is back in full swing. In this article we will be covering our picks for division winners, losers, potential playoff berths, and the conference champ in both the NFC and AFC. Now without further adieu, here are the picks for the NFC. Let’s start with the NFC North. The Vikings and Bears made quite a few changes over the offseason, the biggest being the acquisition of Donovan McNabb by the Vikings. The Packers and Lions have managed to keep relatively the same roster as they had in the previous season. Y- Green Bay Packers (13-3, clinched division) X- Chicago Bears (10-6, clinched wildcard) Detroit Lions (9-7) Minnesota Vikings (2-14) It is hard to believe that the Vikings can overcome the new quarterback change. Without the passing threat, Adrian Peterson will not be able to have those beast games we have come to expect (not to mention the bad second half defence). The Packers will have a fairly easy time clinching the division due to their fairly easy schedule. The NFC South could turn out to be an exciting division to watch with the new rookie Cam Newton of the Panthers. This division also has two very good teams in the Saints and Falcons. Y- New Orleans Saints (11-5, clinched division) X- Atlanta Falcons (9-7, clinched wildcard) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) Carolina Panthers (5-11)

Cam Newton will probably not improve the Carolina Panthers very much but they could be a team to watch in the upcoming years. The Saints should have a fairly easy time winning the division having both the Buccaneers and the Panthers as an easy four wins but also because they show great determination at coming back from behind and from holding a lead. Onto the NFC East. With the ups and downs of last season, it will be interesting to see who can recover and who can come out on top. After Michael Vick’s breakout performance in the 2010 campaign there are some very high hopes for this Eagles “dream team”, but with an early injury to Vick’s off hand and his usual careless running, either could cause a much more serious injury. Y- New York Giants (10-6, clinched division) Washington Redskins (8-8) Dallas Cowboys (8-8) Philadelphia Eagles (7-9) The so-called “Miami Heat of football” won’t have a season they think they deserve. It is hard to tell if it’s coaching or sloppy play but their defence doesn’t look strong enough against some of the better offences in the league, especially since their defence runs a lot of zone coverage which needs time to develop a good feel with your teammates to be played correctly. Ah, the NFC West, probably the worst division in the league. With the Seahawks essentially downgrading their offence with Tavaris Jackson, they should hope for a low draft pick so they can start to rebuild. The 49ers look to be the best team in the division but that isn’t saying much. Y- San Francisco 49ers (8-8, clinched division) St. Louis Rams (6-10) Arizona Cardinals (4-12) Seattle Seahawks (4-12) This looks to be another year with a mediocre team making the playoffs. Hopefully we’re proven wrong and one of these teams end above .500 but it’s not likely. As for the conference champions and a

trip to the Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers will most likely get it again. They have too explosive an offence to be stopped not to mention the veteran leadership that helped them get the Lombardi trophy last year. Now for the AFC predictions. A few weeks into the NFL season, and we already have some shockers and some not-so-shockers in the AFC. For starters, the Buffalo Bills have jumped out to a roaring 3-1 start, thanks to clutch plays by QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and RB Fred Jackson. The Oakland Raiders, despite a pedestrian 2-2 start, have shown bursts of potential through the running combo of Michael Bush and Darren McFadden. And the Indianapolis Colts minus Peyton Manning have flopped to 0-4 to start their worst season in the Manning era. Anyways, this is all about the PREDICTIONS, starting with the always predictable AFC North. It seems every year, the two behemoths are looking down at the two fighting to stay out of the basement. This is how I see the North shaping up this year: Z- Baltimore Ravens (13-3, clinched conference) X- Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4, clinched wildcard) Cleveland Browns (6-10) Cincinnati Bengals (5-11) Just a typical year up north. Although this may be the year Baltimore, under Joe Flacco and Ray Lewis, blow by the Steelers to capture the division and the conference. The Steelers will have another good year; it all will depend on how protected Big Ben Roethlisberger will be. His young offensive line will be the key to their offensive success. The Browns will be another face in the crowd this year, and will not be considered a playoff team until they sharpen up defensively. The Bengals drop to the basement; young Andy Dalton, with his limited options, will not go very far this time around. The East will show similar results as last year, but there are one or two exceptions to that rule. Take a

look at how we see the AFC East looking at the end of week 17 this year: Y- New England Patriots (11-5, clinched division) X- New York Jets (10-6, clinched wildcard) Buffalo Bills (7-9) Miami Dolphins (4-12) The East shows shades of the 2010 season. The Pats, under the helm of Tom Brady, will clinch yet another division title. The Jets will swipe the second wild card seed, as Mark Sanchez will have a breakthrough season with Santonio Holmes getting 55+ catches to help them back into the postseason. Although the Bills have jumped out to a 3-1 start, they are not the real thing… yet. The Bills show a lot of promise, but the schedule just does not swing their way. When making these predictions, we did not give the Dolphins a win until week 9, so we do not think this year will be a good one for Fins fans, but look on the bright side: they will probably get a top 5 draft pick. The AFC West will not be the laughingstock of the conference this year, but that’s another story. Everything looks pretty normal here. Here is the 2011-2012 AFC West: Y- San Diego Chargers (10-6, clinched division) Oakland Raiders (8-8) Denver Broncos (6-10) Kansas City Chiefs (4-12) The Chargers will yet again easily clinch the West: Phillip Rivers is better than ever, and the Chargers defense has certainly stepped up. The Raiders are almost there, as the running game is phenomenal but they’re still having quarterback issues. We’ll have to wait and see if fresh-out-of-college Terrell Prior can fill in those long time empty shoes. The Broncos under the reins of new coach John Fox are not quite ready for playoff contention, but big things are coming soon – stay tuned. Finally, was the Chiefs’ 10-6 2010 season a fluke? No. Just that without Jamaal Charles, their offense is one-dimensional. And

without Eric Berry, their secondary is too susceptible to long-bombs. Finally, we have the AFC South, and FINALLY, the Colts will not win this time around. With an injuryplagued Peyton Manning sitting on the bench, young Curtis Painter has big shoes to fill. This is how the AFC South will look this year: Y- Houston Texans (11-5, clinched division) Tennessee Titans (6-10) Indianapolis Colts (6-10) Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) The Texans have been sitting on the fringe for a few years now, but with rushing champion Arian Foster in the backfield, Pro Bowl WR Andre Johnson, and potential Pro Bowl QB Matt Schaub, the Texans have all the tools necessary to make a playoff run this year. Matt Hasselbeck will not be the push the Titans need for postseason ball as his career winds down. We think Peyton Manning will return late and give the Colts 6 wins on the year. And finally in Jacksonville, Coach Jack Del Rio will give rookie Blaine Gabbert the ball a lot more often, but this training process will result in a losing season for the Jags. After all the dust has cleared and the last snap has been hiked, the two teams we feel have the most power, heart and determination are the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers, the teams we feel will claw and scratch all the way to Super Bowl 46. When these two butt heads at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on February 5th, everything will be left on the field. When it’s all over, the Baltimore Ravens will prevail in a tight game, 27-23. No matter which way you look at it, the 2011-2012 NFL season looks to be a high-powered offense type of season, so if that’s your style, get excited. Electric hits, spectacular catches, and moments that will give you goose bumps will surely headline this season. The engine is all revved up and ready to go. Get ready for one heck of a year.

New season, new team, same hopes, same dreams Can the Leafs come back? Or are they doomed to fail another season? BY JACOB SOKOLOFF SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

n a hockey crazy town like Toronto it seems like there’s never a wrong time for Leafs talk and every year around September, whispers begin of a new Leafs team that has the potential to play long into the spring. Being a big hockey fan myself, I’d love to see the Leafs win it just as much as any other fan, but overspeculating and getting excited about things that aren’t really there only make the forthcoming disappointment all the more disheartening. In this article I’m not going to try and convince you that this is the best team ever, I’m just going to say it how it is. Brian Burke says that he likes to make most of his moves in the offseason and this year he definitely held true to his word. The summer kicked off with a bang as the Leafs went and traded their 2nd round pick from the Bruins that they got in the Tomas Kaberle trade to get a fast, experienced, puck-moving defenseman in John-Michael Liles.

Then they made another big splash by signing Tim Connolly, a big free agent center who can score goals and provide some offensive support to Phil Kessel. The biggest deal though in my opinion is when somehow Burke pulled one out of his hat and traded Brett Lebda, a prospect, and a draft pick for Cody Franson and Matthew Lombardi. Not done there, he signed Philippe Dupuis, Mike Brown, Luke Schenn, and traded a 4th round pick for center David Steckel. Now heading into the 2011-2012 season, the Leafs have many new pieces that they didn’t have before. Starting off, if Connolly can manage to stay healthy he should provide good offensive support for Kessel that the young Tyler Bozak struggled to supply last year. Also, by having Connolly on the top line it relieves a lot of pressure off of Bozak’s shoulders and should let him develop more as a young player. As well, by getting Lombardi the Leafs found another center that is a good two-way player with speed and is good on the draw. Speaking of face-offs the Leafs’ newlyacquired center David Steckel led the league last year in face-off win percentage.

These two guys will definitely help a struggling Leafs penalty kill and provide support up the middle to a team that has become known for its lack of talent at the center position. Brian Burke always said he likes “truculence” in his defensemen, but I think that he’s changed his mind a little bit. With the new hitting rules being enforced under the iron fist of Brendan Shanahan it seems like the fast puck-moving defensemen are becoming more and more effective. Burke noticed it too and he went out and got John-Michael Liles, Cody Franson, Jake Gardiner, and recent draft picks Jesse Blacker and Stuart Percy. All these players are fast, offensive, puck-moving defensemen and it’s going to be up to Liles – the student of hall of famer Rob Blake – to tutor them all into becoming complete NHL defensemen. There is a lot of competition for spots on the team with Keith Aulie, Carl Gunnarsson, Mike Komisarek, and many others vying for those last remaining spots. All in all, I think that this Leafs team could be a dark horse to look out for this season. They’re young which means that they have the

energy, and no job is safe this year so you can expect to see 110% in the effort column from every player. If goalie James Reimer can duplicate the amazing numbers that he put up last year, he should be able to come out with a bunch of wins in those close games.

In conclusion, the Leafs are faster, stronger, more experienced, and they have a drive and a sense of urgency that hasn’t been seen in Toronto since the days well before the lockout in 2004. It should be a fun year to watch the Leafs and I’m sure that they’ll put on a show.

GO LEAFS! Hopefully, this is the season for the Leafs to bring back glory.

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Talented or Lucky?

Hunting the Big Bird

Jose Bautista proved that once again, he is one of the Is James Reimer lucky, or is best players in the game. he really as skilled as he BY NATHAN OH SPORTS EDITOR looks? BY DAKSH DATTA SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

ver the course of a mere 38 games, James Reimer has become arguably the most promising player on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster. He doesn’t seem like much at first, especially as a promising player from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though that may not seem like much given the Leafs' reputation as one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League, he could be the player that head coach Ron Wilson and General Manager Brian Burke have been looking for. He's young, promising, full of potential, and talented. While 38 games may not be enough to start making playoff bets, it certainly gives many fans hope, something they could not afford for the last few years. Reimer had a 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators in his first game with the Leafs. Since then he has recorded four shutouts and led the Leafs to a mere four wins away from the playoffs. He came 11th in the league in save percentage, which is no small feat for a first-timer.On October 6th, 2011 he recorded the first season opener shutout by a Leafs goalie in nearly a decade against the Montreal Canadiens in a 2-0 win. Could he really be the player that will push the Leafs into the playoffs and closer to the Stanley Cup? Only time will tell, but he is turning out to be their best shot yet. Keep an eye out for this player, because hopefully, he won’t disappoint.

fall 2011

lbert Pujols. Prince Fielder. Ryan Howard. These are the names that first come to mind when thinking of the best power bats in Major League Baseball; the players that, with one swing of the bat, can end a game in their respective teams’ favour and strike fear into even the best of pitchers. To a lesser extent, guys like Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, and Robinson Cano are slowly but surely gaining the reputation as younger sluggers that pose a direct threat to pitchers league-wide. But the name not mentioned? Jose Bautista. The seven-year veteran and the face of the Toronto Blue Jays franchise had unreal expectations set for him this season after an excellent 2010 campaign where he posted 54 home runs and 124 runs batted in with a .617 slugging percentage. 2010 was also the year he was voted into his first-ever AllStar Game, and as a result turned a lot of heads through his magnificent play. However, many critics, fans, and players across the league figured his numbers were phony and his season a fluke, citing steroid use. The steroids Bautista allegedly used would have helped him during his at-bats and would consequently catch pitchers off-guard as to how to pitch to him. What’s worse is that during his 2010 career year, other fans just did not bother to care. The prevailing thoughts around the league, especially in winning cities like New York and Boston, were not to worry about Bautista. Even if he was a good

player at the plate, his fielding ability was still unproven and besides, he was playing in Toronto; they never win anyway. Over the following season Bautista changed two of those ideas that crossed the minds of many ignorant people even outside of Toronto. And he did it in a big way. He started his rise to fame in the city he played for. His outstanding work on the field a year ago resulted in sponsorships and business deals off the field that saw him on billboard and television advertisements throughout the GTA. This allowed Torontonians, baseball fans or not, to see the new face – literally – of its baseball team. And on the field, Bautista picked up where he left off, only smacking three home runs out of the park in his first 12 games but still possessing a .311 average through that period. The season wore on, and although the Blue Jays yet again had no shot at the 2011 postseason, Bautista’s play improved on both sides of the ball. He had the hitting part down, as shown by his numbers the past two seasons. However 2011 proved to be another important year for Bautista in terms of his development and maturity as a player. This was most evident in his fielding, as Bautista not only played three positions throughout the season (third base, right field, and designated hitter), but became good at playing all three, giving fans across North America and the world a taste of his abilities during the 2011 All-Star Game when he made an amazing catch in foul territory for the American League All-Stars. Although the team Bautista plays for is not outstanding, his numbers are. Many of Bautista’s critics now

stand corrected: his play is not the by-product of steroid use and what he provides on the field is pure talent. Not only has he turned quite a few critics into believers, but he has also gained the respect of fans worldwide. Going back to the All-Star festivities this past July, Bautista broke a record, getting 7,454,753 votes to make him the highest-voted player in baseball history. The awe of critics and adoration of fans combined was also enough to make managers and front office personnel of other teams take notice. Suddenly the spotlight was cast not only on Joey Bats, but on the Blue Jays organization. The team had been flirting with .500 all season, but somehow mass exposure was sent up north as the Jays were subject to a very unprofessional and inaccurate story of stealing signs from other teams (but that’s another story). So Jose Bautista has it going in every aspect. The explosive monster bat when it comes to offence, and the speed, skills, and arm needed to play well in the outfield. He has the ability to silence his doubters through his actions while garnering praise and respect from baseball people across the globe.

And very rarely does one man bring celebrity status to his whole team, but then again, Bautista is a rare talent. Plus he has the big smile, warm heart, and approachable personality that everyone wants in a role model. All of this culminates to a fan base and city that rallies around his every move, rightfully making him the “MVP!” of Toronto. At this point, Toronto is no longer the only city that loves Bautista. Pittsburgh management must be feeling nostalgic because they traded him away thinking he was nothing more than a utility player. The Yankees and Red Sox are always looking for another big name to bulk up their Evil Empires. And millions of others outside of North America, including in his native Dominican Republic, relish at the idea to meet this newfound superstar. Bautista, the hunter who punished baseballs and pitchers for a living, is now the hunted: by the interested media that want to know about the slugger next door; by the starstruck fans that want at least an autograph; and by several teams who would like this five-tool AllStar on their respective rosters.

MVP Bautista is a star on the field, and off the field. Where will he go next?

Red Sox thrown in postseason laundry It’s an exciting season for Boston. And by exciting, we mean nerve-wracking. BY JOHN PETERS SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

ost teams holding a ninegame lead in the AL Wild Card standings at the beginning of September would be getting hyped up and ready for the MLB Postseason by the time the end of the month rolled around. They would be making slight roster changes, adjusting the lineup and pitching rotation and getting ready for the first round of the playoffs. However for this year’s Boston Red Sox, this was not the case. The Red Sox were set to have an unbelievable 2011 season. They were the proud owners of a 160 million dollar payroll and the top free agent in Carl Crawford. After a slow start, they picked up their game and were playing like the team they were supposed to be. That is until September. At the beginning of the month there was a chance that they would be taking the AL East division over the New York Yankees. By the 28th of that same month they were hanging on for dear life in the last game of the season. On the 162nd game of the season Boston still had their fate in their own hands. A Boston win and a Tampa Bay loss would send them into the post-season. If they lost their season would be over. If both

teams won, a one game playoff would be played. Boston had the upper hand as well. They were playing Baltimore who was without a doubt one of the worst teams in 2011. Tampa on the other hand, was playing one of the best teams in the league in the New York Yankees. It started out as well as it could have for the Red Sox. They quickly went up 3-2 and Tampa quickly fell into a 7-0 hole. This is the way it stood in the 7th inning when an hour and a half rain delay occurred. By the time Boston resumed play Tampa had fought back to make it 7-7 in their game and eventually managed to win in 12 innings. Boston sent their best closer to the mound in the 9th to close it out in Jonathan Papelbon. A ground rule double and single later the game was over and the collapse was complete. Boston went 7-20 in the month of September. There are many people to blame in this situation. You could blame the management for not keeping the team calm and getting a positive vibe going when things got tough. But most critics tend to blame the players and rightfully so, as the evidence is right there. Josh Beckett, the Red Sox’s ace, managed to get only one win in September. He also allowed 6 runs in two of his starts – one of which was in the final series with Baltimore. This was something he did not do once in the month of August. John Lester, who was on

the mound in the series finale lost 3 times in September, not including the final game. He was another ace for the Red Sox. These were two guys who can guarantee to get a win and they could barely do that in the final month of the season. To add to their pitching woes, Jonathan Papelbon, who had 31 saves on the season and usually means a guaranteed win, blew it in the 9th inning against Baltimore. "I was just overthrowing the ball, not really focusing on location," Papelbon said. "I felt great. I felt great all year." On the other side of the ball, Boston’s star studded lineup did not provide the offense they were used to. David Ortiz, former MVP Dustin Pedroia, top free agent Carl Crawford and even home run hitter Adrian Gonzalez were all playing below average in September. They

did not shy away from the spotlight after the game and made sure everyone knew that they were disgusted in the way things turned out. "I'm devastated. I'm heartbroken," said Dustin Pedroia, whose home run in the final game was just not enough. "To play hard for 161 games like we have and have it end like this… It should not have gone down to the last game of the season to decide if we were going to the post-season." Ortiz followed that up by saying, “Trust me, a lot of guys in here will be thinking about what happened for a long time." And he is right, as this is a franchise that has been very used to success in the past five years. A big part of that success has been Terry Francona, the team’s manager. In response to the events at the end of the season, Francona was let go just a couple days after

the final game. Many people are saying that letting the two-time World Series Champion manager go was a rash and unnecessary decision. That being said, reports had surfaced that Francona did not get along with some of the players in the clubhouse towards the end of the season. “When things go bad your true colours show, and I was bothered by what was showing,” Francona said in response to the rumours. The Red Sox proved this year that no cushion is a big one in major league sports. Not even a ninegame lead can save you from a collapse of epic proportions. When a season lasts 162 games as it does in the Major Leagues , it is not often that two teams will come down to the wire like this, and with the way the Red Sox are feeling right now, they hope it never does again.

RED SOX WOES Boston’s team shows us how unstable major league sports are, collapsing after a series of wins.

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A year of sports: who and what to watch Whether or not you’re an NBA fan, there is no doubt that there will be a lot of vacant space on television stations as they try to make up for lost games. Nevertheless, sports are still ongoing, and there are several people and storylines to follow throughout the 2011-2012 sports season. By Nathan Oh

oronto Maple Leafs. A team once known for its tradition of greatness and top-notch players has been anything but recently, last making the playoffs in the 2003-2004 season. However General Manager Brian Burke was very busy this past offseason and has added several key veterans in Tim Connolly, David Steckel, and JohnMichael Liles to play alongside a young core. Throw in stud goaltender James Reimer and the Leafs could find themselves deep in postseason play.

innipeg Jets. The true feel-good story for Canadians everywhere, as Gary Bettman finally gave up the miserable team in Atlanta to revive the Jets franchise and fan base that has been waiting for fifteen years. The Jets roster is mostly comprised of the Thrashers team that won only 34 games a season ago, so don’t expect too much. But the team being moved to the capital of Manitoba should have everyone north of the border smiling.

idney Crosby. Coming off of a couple of devastating hits last season, Crosby’s recovery and rehabilitation from concussion-like symptoms have been welldocumented. But the biggest story here is the wait for his return. When he does come back, Sid the Kid will definitely have some pent-up energy to play with and his play will excite fans in Pittsburgh and fans across the league. Unfortunately, though, it is only a matter of time before he suffers from another injury, and the worst part is that this injury could end his career.

ndianapolis Colts. The Peyton Manning era, along with the dominance he displayed on the field, has existed for as long as most of us remember. This year, though, is different: neck surgery has kept Manning out of preseason and the first seven games of the 2011 regular season. His absence has definitely been felt, as the Colts are 0-7 and look discombobulated in their games. With Manning out at least another two months, the Colts better find a solution fast.

am Newton. If the mega-star from Auburn did not turn heads in college, he has definitely turned most of them now. Yes, he’s playing for the Panthers, but his individual numbers are astonishing and enough to make him the #1 contender for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. And if he can somehow get Carolina through to the postseason, that won’t be the only award he’ll win.

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review

EYE OF THE TIGER

Summer movies, what’s HOT & what’s NOT A look at which films sizzled, and which fell short. BY YELINA LEE AND DIANA LEVINA ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTORS

issed a few summer flicks and wondering what to watch? No problem. For each genre that you might be interested in, we’ve got a few recommendations for you. We’ll start off with the HOTS. HOT: Remember when you were a youngster and you BEGGED your parents just to go see it in theatres? Well, guess what, it’s back and it’s bringing all your favourite characters with it. Toy Story 3 was rated an incredible 4.3/5. A review in Rotten Tomatoes stated, “’Toy Story 3’: Alternately affecting, hilarious and heartbreaking and the most original prison-escape movie ever made.” Not too bad for a sequel, right? Starring Tom Hanks & Tim Allen, this movie’s sure to keep you awake. Next, the most astonishing, adventurous and most awaited movie of this summer... This movie is something that most teenagers, adults and even children scream for. No, it’s not Twilight, its Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Scoring an 8.5/10 (definitely less than it deserved) on www.slashfilm.com, it was a box office sell-out in the first week. With all of your favourite heroes and villains serving up action in spectacular 3D, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is by far the coolest action/adventure movie of

the 2011 summer. Now, be ready to close your eyes in fear, because the vampires are coming. Definitely not for children, or for easily-frightened adults either, Fright Night is a movie where you’ll be left wondering if your new neighbour is a vampire or not. It scored only a 7/10 on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s a must watch. It will leave you biting your nails, screaming and paranoid for quite a while if you’re easily scared. Planning a Halloween-themed party? Start your night off by renting this flick. NOT: Yet another pointless sequel where you expect a good laugh that leaves you completely disappointed is the, The Hangover 2. Yes, we all pictured it being as hilarious as the first by all of the climactic moments from the trailer. Trust us; those are the ONLY good moments. The only thing that changed from the plot from the first movie is that they added a few new characters and changed the setting. For you boys, don’t worry, you don’t have to see another chick flick with your girlfriend. Something Borrowed, starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson and Colin Egglesfield is incredibly boring and similar to any other romance movie you’ve ever hated. Rotten Tomatoes only gives it a 14% like. If you planned on going to see it, you can definitely skip that idea. Be grateful for our warning. So if you’re waiting for these movies to come out on DVD, we SIZZLING HOT Top, the last installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 warned you, some might not be worth your money. was a box-office hit that drew in crowds; bottom, the toys are finally back together after 11 years for Toy Story 3.

House’s last season? Is House going to move on for good or will he stay afloat for another season? BY PETER ZHANG ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

hat would you feel if the 7th season of your favorite show just ended with your favorite character driving his car into his boss/ex-girlfriend’s garage to return a petty hair brush? The only thing I felt after that episode was dread for the upcoming season. It is quite reasonable to say that House will never be the same again. For one thing, how likely is it for Doctor House to get a job working at a hospital now? He isn’t exactly the most caring type of doctor and he certainly won’t find another hospital with a fictional department of diagnostics. But both those problems could be taken care of if the Dean of Medicine, Lisa Cuddy stayed on the

show. That’s right, Cuddy is leaving. In the past, House’s shenanigans were tolerated as long as his superior went out of her way to make sure House wouldn’t get into trouble. Now, House is either going to have to change his attitude towards people or find a different job elsewhere. What’s also disappointing is that there’s no longer going to be the comical House-Cuddy relationship that many fans cherish. Despite this, there are even more changes to the upcoming season. After missing half the season in the 7th season, Thirteen is going to permanently leave the show during this season. This is quite unfortunate as Thirteen has always been an amusing character with exciting twists in her secretive life story. Without her, it kind of feels that the show is going to be a lot duller now, not simply because she’s extremely attractive, but because of her rebel-

lious and carefree attitude. Even with all these changes and departures, I still have a strand of hope that House will somehow make a transition and continue diagnosing in this show again. I remember a few seasons ago when House had all his doctors fired and had a team composed of a confused and manipulated janitor. Yet, eventually, he got his team back with a few modifications and I really hope that there is still a chance that this can happen again. There are quite a few options for this show in the future and in my opinion, I think House needs to go back to medicine. Running a prison show with House just isn’t going to work; it’s boring and won’t appeal to regular “House” fans. The writers need to immediately get House out of jail and back to diagnosing, and the sooner they do it, the faster we can appreciate the genius that is House.

IS THIS GOODBYE? With many of the regulars ready to leave for good, the 8th season may be the end of House.

Moneyball, the real value Review of the book-to-film adaptation, Moneyball BY LAUREN MALYK ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

hronicling the strategy used to reinvent baseball based on Michael Lewis' bestselling book, “Moneyball” looks at the conflict between business and baseball. The movie follows Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, a one-hit wonder former major league baseball player-turned general manager for the Oakland Athletics and how he changed the game of baseball. With the help of Peter Brand, played by Jonah Hill, Beane is presented the challenge of assembling a winning team on a tight budget, which is a daunting task given that conventional wisdom in baseball stresses the importance of paying top-dollar to get the most physically impressive players. So, when he meets Peter Brand he realizes that Brand has the power to change everything with “sabermetrics," an approach to baseball that relies on statistics rather than physical appearance. Using this method, they decide to outsmart their opponents by picking underdogs who were overlooked due to their personalities, looks, and the way they played the game. Thus begins the sense of brotherhood between Beane and Brand. However, with the start of great friendship sometimes comes great conflict, as all of Beane’s associates

quickly voice their opposition to his new plan, leaving Beane with a choice between conventional wisdom and the new moneyball approach. Throughout the movie you experience flashbacks from Beane’s glory days that help the viewer understand how scouts, based on the conventional wisdom of player evaluation, predicted he would become a star, but was ultimately a disappointment. When it comes to acting, Pitt’s portrayal of Beane was as solid as the wood of a baseball bat. His charm and dramatic flair also helps touch the hearts of people who may not necessarily be fans of baseball. In terms of storyline, the movie makes the sometimes dull game surprisingly interesting with the help of Beane’s partnership with Brand. Pitt and Hill are a very unlikely comedy duo, but they pull it off with such effortlessness that it makes the story come to life, with one of the highlights of the movie being the one-liners and bantering between the pair. “Moneyball” is a tale exemplifying what happens when conventional wisdom is flipped on its head, as the person running the A’s, Beane, is put in charge of the organization instead of the scouts who champion the old approach. Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie. “Moneyball” hits hard and out of the park with a reminder that money really isn’t everything.

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Clap Your Hands Say Yeah goes hysterical The band’s recent album proves to be unexceptionally exceptional. BY ANDREA HOWARD ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

GOING LONG AND STRONG The influence of Nirvana, Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain, and Krist Novoselic, isn’t ending.

Nirvana – the legacy After 20 years, the smell of teen spirit lingers on... BY ISSAC TAM ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

eptember 24, 2011 celebrated the 20th anniversary of grunge band Nirvana’s top selling album, Nevermind, an album regarded as one of the most influential rock albums of all time. With its hit single “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” it has survived as the album that revolutionised the 90s and became the music anthem of its generation. But what had made this unexpectedly popular album so ... popular? Backtracking to the days before Nirvana was even formed, two young men, namely Kurt Cobain and partner Krist Novoselic met at Aberdeen High in the year 1987. These two unlikely musicians started a project called Fecal Matter. Joined by their new drummer Aaron Burckhard, they started recording what was on Cobain’s Fecal Matter tape. In the band’s first months, they went through several names including Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, Bliss and Ted Ed Fred. Finally, Cobain suggested Nirvana, a name that had a beautiful meaning, quite contrary to the raunchy punk rock band names at the time. In the January of 1988, Novoselic and Cobain moved to Tacoma and Olympia, Washington, leaving their drummer behind. They recruited new drummer Dale Crover to help record their first demos. Dale Crover left soon after, and was replaced by Dave Foster who also left soon, after a stint in jail. Burckhard returned but was too drunk to practice one day. Seeking a new drummer, they placed an ad in the newspaper but with no success. A friend later introduced the pair to Chad Channing and the three musicians stuck. Nirvana played their first show in May. Around November of 1988, the band released their debut album Bleach, an album heavily influenced by 1980s punk rock and the 1970s heavy metal of Black Sabbath. The album was a favourite of college radio stations and sold a steady 40 000 copies. By April 1990, Nirvana met up with producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin to

record a follow up to Bleach. At this time, the band’s chemistry with Channing grew less and less and eventually he left just as demos of Nirvana’s songs circulated to major labels. In September of 1990, Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, a fellow band, introduced Cobain and Novoselic to Dave Grohl, who was looking for a new band after his previous band split. Auditioning Grohl a few days later in Seattle, Novoselic later stated, “We knew in two minutes that he was the right drummer,” and so started the Nirvana that we knew and loved. Nirvana signed to DGC Records in 1990 and started recording their first major label album, Nevermind. Recording their songs at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, they unleashed a repertoire of songs such as “In Bloom,” “Breed,” “On a Plain” and “Come As You Are.” Initially, DGC Records was hoping for the album to sell 250 000 copies. Little would they know that the album’s first single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” would become so popular that the album would sell over 7 million copies in the US alone. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” owed much of its popularity to airplay times of the song’s music video on MTV and its omnipresence on radio. By Christmas 1911, Nevermind was selling 400 000 copies a week in the US. In January 1992, the album rose to number one on the US Billboard 200, kicking Michael Jackson’s Dangerous out of the number one spot. Not only did they gain the number one spot in America, they also made number one in Canada and other countries. The Billboard later stated that, “Nirvana is that rare band that has everything: critical acclaim, industry respect, pop radio appeal, and a rock-solid college/alternative base.” Their fan base was definitely rock -solid among the college age kids. Overnight, what was left of 80s disco disappeared as the sounds of Nirvana ushered in an age of angst filled teenagers. Depending on who you ask, some may take this as a good thing, others, a bad thing. However, it was definitely a new ballpark.

ttaining success without a record label is something virtually impossible for most bands, but by releasing their self titled debut album through the Internet, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah received major attention and praise from blog sites, including Pitchfork Media. The much anticipated sophomore album Some Loud Thunder produced dark and experimental songs that had reviewers swooning. After a five-year hiatus and two excellent albums under their belts, the stakes are high and the obvious question is drawn: can they do it again? On September 20th, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah released their third studio album, Hysterical. With the first notes played and the first squawk of front man Alec Ounsworth’s voice, it’s certain that much has changed. The most apparent difference is that Mr. Ounsworth has toned down his raw trademark singing style for a smoother sound, managing to add more ease to his music, without losing the embodiment of the band. It is also clear the band changed direction in lyrical impact for this most recent album. Hysterical features songs on the struggles of love

and relationships; a nice break from the heavy commentaries on society and war as seen in their previous albums. Unfortunately, not all changes have been for the better. The instrumental arrangements lack the creativity and individuality of past works. All songs off Hysterical feature a similar beat with a juvenile over lay of instruments. Conventional, dull and expected. Where is the experimentation and lush wall of unusual sound, this band is coined for? The absence of this takes an enormous toll on the overall quality of this album. One thing that has prevailed though, for the entirety of this band’s career, is the undeniably catchy melodies they produce. The music is fun and instantly likable. An example of this would be “In A Motel.” It’s easily the best track on the album. In the beginnings there is effortless echoing acoustic strumming, which blends into an accompanying violin melody. Harmonious ghostly vocals complete the song for a hauntingly beautiful effect. Regretfully, this gem is one of the few on the album. In contrast the least appealing song is “Same Mistake.” The continuous and unchanging bass line is overpowering and painfully simple. The true disappointment is its expectedness; nothing about it is memorable or interesting. Simply drab. A lukewarm review for a lukewarm album. 6.7/10.

Now how did this album become so widely popular? Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl told the Associated Press, “It’s hard to imagine something so innocent and simple turning into something that’s out of your hand. I think that album came out at a time when a lot of kids didn’t have anything to believe in, and Nirvana was entirely real.” Nirvana’s rock was a contrast from the rock that was listened to previously. The lyrics were moody and rather blatant with harsh tones and a depressing look at the world. “Here we are now/Entertain us,” a line from “Smells Like Teen Spirit” reflected on the mindset of the generation and most definitely teenagers; everything should be catered to me. Although a rather harsh and snobbish message, it stuck, resulting in millions of copies sold of the hit single. In “Come as You Are,” the message of “Come as you are/ As you were/As I want you to be/As a friend, as a friend,” is such an enticing message for the many people who were hungry for comfort in a disapproving society. In September 1993, Nirvana released another album, In Utero, a A ROUND OF APPLAUSE Top, the members of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah; contrast to what they had done bottom, the new album Hysterical, a successful return from their hiatus. before. This too made it to the number one spot on the Billboard 200 and sold 3.5 million copies. In early 1994, the group embarked on a European tour. In Rome, Cobain’s wife Courtney Love found him lying unconscious on the floor after mixing prescription Rohypnol and alcohol and he was rushed to the hospital. The rest of the tour was cancelled and the band returned to Seattle. Cobain went into rehab. On Friday April 8, 1994, Cobain was found in his home with a self inflicted shotgun wound to his head. Thus was the end Nirvana. Nirvana made a connection with millions of fans around the world and certainly they made a connection with me. Reminiscing on grade 8 when a couple chums and I played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for a talent show, I could remember the rush and energy I got from playing it and I knew that this was a song more powerful than the words could realize. The legacy they leave behind is one that will last as long as the lingering smell of teen spirit.

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X Factor: a revamped version of American Idol or better? A breakdown of what the new show entails. BY WEINI MENGHESHA ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

verything on television now-a -days seems similar to something you’ve seen before. That is the nature of these talent shows. It’s a cookie-cutter set up with the harsh judges, the prize money, the people who audition, and the audience… right? Wrong. X Factor is a completely new breed based on the original American Idol model, the key difference being the interaction between the talent and the judges. In American Idol, judges rarely did more than just that – judge. X-Factor divides the contestants into four groups – girls between the ages of twelve and thirty, boys between the ages of twelve and thirty, solo contestants above thirty and groups – with each judge taking control of one category. The judges spend time with their respective groups, training them and assisting in the production of their performance on the main show. In Idol, contestants are trained by others, namely producers and occasional guest stars. The most appealing part of the new show, X Factor, is the cash prize. While American Idol offers a $1 000 000 prize along with a record deal, X Factor offers its winners a cash prize of $5 000 000 – to be paid in

annual instalments of $1 000 000 for five years – as well as a lucrative record deal and a Super Bowl commercial. American Idol is often criticized for catering to only one type of music – solo acts. We all know that talent comes in different forms. There are the groups (two or more), the rappers, and the various other musical acts that are allowed to shine through the program. The four categories assigned to each judge ensure that all possible acts are covered. The competition against a wider variety of talents makes the show much more interesting as the dynamics vary greatly from that of American Idol, not to mention that there’s a little something for all the viewers at home to enjoy. Aside from Kelly Clarkson, Jordin Sparks, and a few select others, how many other winners from the last ten seasons have you heard of after American Idol? Very little, I take it. While there is no guarantee that the winner will morph into a superstar, the huge prize can definitely improve their chances. X Factor and American Idol are two vastly different television programs, yet which one you prefer over the other is not a decision that can be made for you. Either way, one thing is for sure: you will not be able to escape the new X Factor X-CITED? Nicole Scherzinger, Steve Jones, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and L.A. Reid pose for the promo pictures. phenomenon.

Death of a celebrity: the leftovers Reputation and profitability don’t die with the star. BY KEVIN GREENSPAN ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

DON’T BE TOO KEEN ON SHEEN Charlie Sheen wears his winning smile.

You can’t process Sheen with your normal brain A look at why Charlie Sheen is still winning. BY REBECCA JADE DENT ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

ome people believe that Charlie Sheen has hit rock bottom, but he is clearly #winning. Charlie broke through as a film star in Oliver Stone’s “Platoon” and “Wall Street.” Sheen continued with his path of financial success in film after film. His recent unorthodox decisions have created global controversy and plenty of media coverage. Perhaps this is because of Sheen’s arrests, substance abuse, acting hardships, domestic violence, offensive public behavior or unusual polygamous relationship. For eight successful seasons, with a salary of $1.2 million an episode, Sheen was the star of “Two and a Half Men,” owned by Warner Brothers. On March 8, 2011, Warner Brothers fired him after he verbally demonstrated his anger to the show’s ex-

ecutive producer, Chuck Lorre. Many people are unhappy with his dismissal from the television show, because Sheen’s beloved role of Charlie Harper mirrored his real life persona, which made him a great actor and perfect fit for the character. Although society has become engrossed in critiquing his life, Sheen does not let the negative attention affect him. Due to his admirable lack of shame, Charlie has posted viral videos on the internet, been openly interviewed, and agreed to be “Roasted” on the Comedy Network by a series of comedians and celebrities. The bottom line is that Charlie Sheen always speaks the truth, which is hard to find nowadays. He refuses to conform to the media’s idea of perfection and gives society the opportunity understand that he is not willing to be artificial. He has a different brain; he has a different heart; he’s got tiger blood, man.

he death of a celebrity, much like the life of a celebrity, occurs in the public eye and is subject to scrutiny by the media. The treatment of the death of a celebrity by the media varies by situation - celebrities with little notable work left behind will perhaps get an article on the main page of entertainment sites, like imdb.com. If a mid-level celebrity dies under mysterious or controversial circumstances, there will certainly be a story to follow even if it isn't exactly dominating the headlines. There are some celebrities, though, whose deaths have led to nothing less than media sensations. How the public responds to a celebrity death is a topic that comes up whenever a household name passes away. It's also one that is understandably approached with caution, especially when the celebrity lived a life that was less than respectable. Two of the most recent notable celebrity deaths, and the public and media response, have raised some interesting questions: How should we honour the dead if they were jokes while alive? Should the embarrassing private lives of celebrities be forgotten once they've passed on? Are revivals of dead celebrities' works respectful tributes, or quick cash-grabs? Arguably, the most shocking and widely-felt recent celebrity death was that of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson was a pop music icon, a name known around the world, a legend. And, for quite some time, a laughing stock. Is there anyone out there who hasn't told or heard a Michael Jackson joke - one about his nose, his skin color, or the idea that he was a pedophile? When Jackson died on June 25th, 2009, these jokes stopped. The fact that they ever

existed in the first place, and that they were such a huge part of Jackson's image in his final years, was largely ignored. What happened instead was a celebration of the pop star's life and his contributions to the world of music. This was ostensibly a good thing. The public collectively decided to let bygones be bygones and set the de facto rule that it's only cool to disrespect the living. Facebook statuses like "RIP Michael Jackson, a true legend" were posted by those who, days earlier, would not have batted an eyelash at someone calling that same man a freak. Those who noticed the hypocrisy at play kept mostly quiet. But is it really hypocrisy? Working with just the facts of the case, the answer is a resounding yes, but there's more happening under the surface. The old phrase, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" comes to mind - it's perfectly fine to make fun of a celebrity endlessly, ruthlessly, until they die. Once that happens though, the image of the celebrity is distilled down to its very essence. All of the petty name-calling and joking gives way to respect and acknowledgment that this person had talent, and did good work. To the average cynic, this is phony and hypocritical. In fact, it's the best possible reaction the public can have. After all, it's not like the media suddenly condones a badlybehaved celebrity's life when they pass on. When Amy Winehouse died on July 23rd, 2011, nobody was declaring hers a "life welllived". Nobody was mourning a saintly humanitarian. They were mourning a great talent. Even Winehouse's most vicious detractors would be hard-pressed to deny she was one. When all is said and done, the art is the most important thing an artist leaves behind after death. Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse had great talent, and made great music, and after they died,

everything else about them became...irrelevant. It is to nobody's benefit to make the less desirable aspects of their lives important again. What is less tolerable is the response to celebrity deaths by those who stand to profit. Using a person's death, celebrity or not, to make a quick buck is almost invariably deplorable. This is why the "Remembering Amy Winehouse" section on iTunes that popped up minutes after news of her death was made public felt less like a respectful tribute and more like a makeshift gift shop set up at a gravesite. For that week, iTunes felt that "remembering Amy Winehouse" didn't mean a eulogy or photo album, but rather an excuse to remind you that her music is still for sale on iTunes. Michael Jackson was the subject of a similar posthumous for-profit vehicle, the concert documentary This is It, released only 3 months after his death. The movie documented the rehearsal process of Michael Jackson's would-be tour of the same name. It was promoted as a peek at Jackson "as you've never seen him before", and a look at what he was like in his final weeks, but it was, unsurprisingly, a cashgrab disguised as a tribute, and it was criticized as such. Yet, it goes down in history as the most successful documentary film of all time, taking in $261 million worldwide. This is not the legacy these artists deserve. Talented celebrities, like Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse, that leave behind exceptional bodies of work should get the respect of the public, even if it means willfully ignoring years of abuse. That respect, while arguably hypocritical, should extend to these corporations, who instead continue to treat the deceased like products. Haven't we, the public, decided these departed artists deserve more than that?

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Famed Superstar headed for Broadway! On its way from the best theatre company in Canada to the best in the world! BY RACHEL LEVITT ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

he Stratford Festival`s biggest theatre production of the year has blown away many fans of the already famed musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. There are so many astounding elements that have made this show the success it has become, that it has undoubtedly earned its way over to Broadway. The show`s composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, came to see it and declared it the best production of his show that he has ever seen. Even tween idol Justin Bieber went. What makes Jesus Christ Superstar such a cult classic amongst both Lloyd Webber and non-Lloyd Webber fans? For one, it tells a story that is of huge importance in our society no matter what your religion is, because the story of Jesus is so widely spread. It also explores Jesus’s “friend” Judas’s point of view and Mary Magdalene’s love for Jesus. The show also has not been written with a biased view, making it more appealing to various religions, as it is was not created to promote Christianity. It illustrates what made Jesus a good person, but still explores controversial views about how some did not believe he was the Messiah. It also shows, however, the large group of people who believed in him and how he copes with the stress of being so needed. Aside from an intriguing plot, the show harbours a catchy rock score composed by the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber (also famous for Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat) and lyrics by Disney lyricist Tim Rice (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King). The Stratford cast is filled with some of Canada`s greatest talents

RESURRECTION ON BROADWAY Paul Nolan takes on the role of Jesus in Stratford’s production of the musical. such as Paul Nolan, Chilina Kennedy, Bruce Dow, Josh Young and a phenomenal ensemble. Stratford does not accept just anyone into their high-end company; they look for the best of the best. Every single performer in this cast was chosen from hundreds vying to get in with the company. Even Melissa O`Neil, who is normally cast as a lead and has had a four time platinum single, was cast in an ensemble role.

Paul Nolan first drew attention to himself two years ago when he starred in Stratford’s production of West Side Story as Tony. Now he puts on a heart-racing performance as Jesus. With his spectacular voice and incomparable acting skills, Nolan`s performance brought tears to many audience members` eyes during the dramatic crucifixion scene. There could not have been a more perfect fit for the role of Jesus.

Chilina Kennedy, who co-starred with Paul Nolan as the female lead Maria in West Side Story, plays Mary Magdalene in possibly one of her best roles yet. She has starred in many other shows at Stratford such as Kiss me Kate (Phyllis), A Funny thing happened on the way to the forum (Philia) and the title role in Evita. Apart from having a beautiful voice, she is also an extremely diverse actress.

She put on a Puerto Rican accent for West Side Story, played a flirty ditz in Kiss me Kate and an empowering performance as Evita Peron. Her fantastic voice and acting bring so much to the role because she really makes you feel for her character in every song she sings (something few performers do to great effect). It is yet another role that displays her unbelievable talent in the performing arts industry. Bruce Dow puts on a brilliant performance as King Herod who was one of the leaders involved in Jesus` crucifixion. He was the third place winner of Canadian Idol and has done many other shows at Stratford such as The Tempest, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Cabaret. His evident talent adds so much to the villainy of his character, making it a very memorable performance. The real showstopper, however, was without a doubt Josh Young, who put on a spot-light stealing performance as Judas. His powerful voice had also landed him a lead role in Stratford`s production of Evita where he played Che Guevara (which won him the 2010 Broadway World Toronto award for best actor in a musical). Young has also released a self titled album and another CD called Still Dreaming of Paradise which is a compilation of Broadway show tunes and pop songs. He brings incomparable energy and drama to his roles which is what certainly has made him the highlight of this production. Overall, with its combination of brilliant storyline, fantastic music and stellar Canadian cast, Jesus Christ Superstar has earned its place on the Broadway stage. The show will be running until October 29th and has been nearly sold out for most shows, however, if you get a chance to see it, the result is guaranteed enjoyment. Most importantly though it has left millions of audience members with the memory of one of the best musicals ever to be seen on stage.

Wardrobe check: do you have these key pieces? Update your looks with the top trends of the season. BY PRISCILLA LAY ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

ake a look outside, the leaves are changing colours and it’s also the time to change your wardrobe. Time to pack up your summer belongings for your stylish Fall jackets. Have you thought of all the jackets you have at home? If there’s one that’s passed down from 1990s, it can still blend in to today’s style; this year has been all about going back to the days of vintage wear. Don’t think jackets aren’t taking any part, they take major one! Leather jackets have always been a big hit; it’s easy to match with a fancy ball gown or even to the most casual denim jeans. Doesn’t matter if it’s a jacket from Danier or from a small boutique, its easy to mix and match. They’re worth the buck! Think of it, it keeps you warm almost year round and can look cute for teenage girls, to the glamorous twenty year olds look for forty year olds. Don’t think this whole leather jacket issue is just for girls, it’s a major trend for guys as well. Guys can always change from the hoodie to a much warmer leather jacket.

The leather jacket doesn’t only look good to one gender; a buff biker jacket can also make a teen like you look more buff. Look at these leather jacket fans! Fall isn’t all about leather jackets, though. Of course there are many options in what style of jacket you want. Whether if it’s going to be that bright red trench coat or winter warm duffle jacket. Both jackets blend in with this Fall’s breezy style. Looking at this duffle jacket you must think the highest cost would probably be around the five hundred dollars… Well it’s worth more than that! This duffle jacket is actually worth $1,055. The Burberry coat is worth so much because of the material it’s made of; its elegant wool and high quality Burberry lining that could be worn for both Fall and Winter. Even though the quality of this jacket may fool you, it wouldn’t fool us fashionistas! You can always get this piece for ten times cheaper. Don’t be too surprised when you go shopping with your mom, or your friends, and discover better prices at the department stores like Sears, the Bay and possibly Walmart. Don’t forget. department stores always have their sales signs up for WHAT TO WEAR? Top left, red duffle coat from Burberry Brit; bottom left, Khloe Kardashian in a cropped black leather jacket; right, Chace Crawford in a brown leather jacket from Dolce & Gabbana at Fashion’s Night Out. you!

review

page 20 EYE OFTHE TIGER

fall 2011

SUDOKU

JIGOKU

SLITHERLINK

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. Numbers cannot be repeated; use the existing numbers to help you.

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. > and < connections between squares indicate that one number is greater than or less than another.

Horizontally or vertically connect adjacent dots to form a path that forms a single loop, without crossing itself, or branching. The numbers indicate how many lines surround each cell (only 0-3 are permitted).

CROSSWORD Across 1. Major oil hub 6. Home extension 9. Some G.I.’s 13. Bedtime for some 14. _____-eyed 15. Scads 16. Famed San Francisco rock venue 18. Progenitor 19. Claims 20. Gush 21. Decorative elements 24. “Indeed!” overseas 25. Laughs 26. Novice 28. _____ de Dios (church, in Spain) 29. “The best _____ to come” 30. Hose 33. Alphabet Sequence 36. Game played in this puzzle? 39. Tokyo, formerly 40. Request to a waiter who brings the salad 41. Tang 42. Smell 44. Truancy 46. Best successor 48. Mythic Hun 49. Word on a U.S. coin 50. Finale of a sort 51. Wall Street purchases 54. Outback critters 55. 1971- 72 Rose Bowl winner 59. Bet 60. Puppeteer Tony 61. Taranto’s locale 62. Shambles 63. Do-say link 64. Relative of “Merci”

Down 1. Crown 2. Lateral start 3. See 4-Down 4. With 3-Down, a Chicago bakery 5. Surprise attacker 6. Nostalgic work 7. Be deprived of 8. “Oh, why not?” 9. Represent, in spying 10. 70’s TV variety show host 11. Jazzy Chick 12. Swelters 14. Avows 17. If not 21. Part of some bio titles 22. Do some yard work 23. Summer dress features 25. Research moneys 27. Subj. of a D.D. degree 28. _____ Tech 31. Key opener? 32. Connected (to) 34. Short and staccato, musically 35. Wooded 37. Bowl-shaped cooking aid 38. Uncouth one 43. Misplays a tape, maybe 45. Cartel 46. Buzz off 47. Oddsmaker’s last words? 48. Arcade name 51. Neighbour of Pelion 52. Grps. Sponsoring open houses 53. Mlle., in Marbella 56. Lick 57. Soft shoe leather 58. Ingredient in old fashioned food

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