CANNONBALL IS BACK ....WITH A LATE STAMP! Another year, another editor – one who has, admittedly, been somewhat disorganised in the creation of this year’s first Cannonball issue (profuse apologies)! However, despite the excessive time lapse since its last appearance on the scene; Cannonball is back! (An announcement to which I assume you have all begun to vigorously fist-pump). 2012 is the year that we are all supposedly supposed to die; however, as that has not occurred as of yet (unless you are indeed Sammy from Dance Academy; in which case you are most definitely pushing up daisies at this point – much to all of our dismay) -we must await the apocalypse by undertaking outrageously exciting tasks that we have had on our bucket lists for years– such as bungee jumping or skydiving – or for instance, reading up on aspects of social culture such as facebook or the KONY phenomenon. Perhaps we should be spending these final hours reflecting on better times – such as Music camp or the cartoons we viewed “back in the day”. We could even spend our time perfecting our photography skills, exploring the liturgical music featured in masses or working on our street-artistry! To any of you who have embarked upon the horrific yet enjoyable journey that is SACE stage two this year; no doubt you feel as if the apocalypse has already arisen! You may be at the point of tearing your hair out at the thought of Research project; anticipating the next summative chemistry task that you have, or crouched in the corridor pouring over your Physics notes; However - take a moment to fill your head with the irrelevance of Cannonball (guaranteed NO PERFORMANCE STANDARDS zone) and you will for a blissful moment forget that the end is near! We at Cannonball WOULD have wished you a prosperous year....had we released this issue about 4/5 months ago – so for now it must be a simple “Happy reading!” Letti Sweet (On behalf of the cannonball team)
CANNONBALL #6 Contributors:
A Great Big Ethical Dilemma
Alexandra Rossi Facebooker
Charlie Hamra Millie Davies
The Approval Matrix
Tom Cicchianni-Jones Kony: Fact or Fad?
Antonia DiTroia Patrick Stobie
Shots with C-J
Esther Fong Street Dreams
Nathan Dignam Jean-Marie Nguyen
Stumble of the Month Where Did the Old “Holy,Holy’s” Go? My Childhood Was Better Than Yours Music Camp 2012 THANKS TO: Mr Coffey and Fr Davoren for their ongoing support. Ms Fleming and the bookroom staff for printing, Antonia DiTroia for her wonderful cover art. Facebook for allowing such a convenient meeting place; and the readers for being tolerant of the extensive period of time elapsed before release.
Image: Generations in Jazz – our musicians journeying off to Mt Gambier
Disclaimer: The ideas and opinions expressed in Cannonball are those of the authors alone and not necessarily representative of those of the publication or of Saint Ignatius’ College as a whole. Consent has been obtained from all teachers and students mentioned within to print the respective articles.
By Letti Sweet
being beaten was worse.”3 Others are coerced
A 2003 International Labour office estimate
with threats of violence, or are kidnapped.4 Not
states that there are as many as 1.8 million
only are these children being exploited sexually,
children
or
but are being violently forced to do so. The most
This industry is in
ethically concerning form of non-consensual
direct violation of the United Nations Declaration
involvement in this industry, is when parents sell
of the Rights of the Child (10th December, 1959),
their own children to brothel owners5.
which states that “the child shall be protected
Declaration of The Rights of The Child states that
against all forms of neglect, cruelty and
a child should develop “in an atmosphere of
exploitation. He shall not be the subject of traffic,
affection
and
of
in any form. The child shall not be admitted to
security...under
the
employment before an appropriate minimum
parents”6,
age; he shall in no case be caused or permitted to
environment in which parents need to sell their
engage in any occupation or employment which
children into exploitation. Ethically, this is a big
would prejudice his health or education, or
problem.
interfere with his physical, mental or moral
Perhaps more ethically concerning is the
development.”2
sexual
consensual involvement of children in this
exploitation of children industry, through non-
industry, whether it is for financial or social
consensual and consensual labour, and the effect
reasons.
it has on children, abhorrently violates the
support the family7, severe poverty pushes
declaration. These guidelines are created with
children towards the industry, especially when
the purpose of creating an ethical global
orphaned; demonstrated in Deborah Ellis’ novel,
community, thus, the exploitation of human
“The Heaven Shop”, in which a girl is forced into
beings, in the context of the commercial sexual
prostitution to support her orphaned sister.8 It is
exploitation of children, is one of our greatest
ethically problematic when a child can willingly
ethical issues.
lose all dignity so as to “solve” a problem of
One of the largest ethical concerns with the
poverty, considering that the Declaration of the
commercial sexual exploitation of children is
Rights of the Child distinctly states that children
when
have the right to “develop in conditions of
exploited
in
pornography worldwide1.
children
The
prostitution
commercial
become
involved
non-
which
is
moral
and
responsibility not
achieved
The
material of in
his an
Due to a cultural obligation to help
consensually. Children are lured with promises
freedom and dignity”.9
of jobs, and then shown the true nature of their
Socially, many children consent to sexual
employment. A Vietnamese girl, freed from a
exploitation through false promises of marriage
Cambodian brothel in 2005, said of her
or high paying overseas jobs.
experience; “I thought, I am here to serve coffee,
perception of “relationships” can also lead to
not be a prostitute. But the boss told me that I
consensual involvement, especially in teenage
had to be a prostitute. She forced me, and I was
girls. Shaneiqua, a 12 year old girl, was picked
scared. I did not want to go with those men, but
up by a pimp in New York City, who convinced
3
International Labour Office, 2003, Facts on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), Geneva, Switzerland <http://www.wotclef.org/documents/fs_sexualexploit_0303.p df> 2 United Nations General Assembly, 1959, Declaration of the Rights of the Child, <http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/humanrights/resources /child.asp> 1
An incorrect
Children for sale, 2005, NBC, United States, 1st September
4Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children 2012, UNESCAP, accessed 15 February 2012, <http://www.unescap.org/esid/hds/projects/csec/index.asp>. 5 ibid 6 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959 Facts on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, 2003 Ellis, D 2004, The Heaven Shop, Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Canada. 9 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959 7 8
her that he was interested in a relationship, using
raped or tortured by police officers17. Ms Hajah
this to persuade her to take part in pornography
Noraihan, the Malaysian consul to Uganda, stated
and prostitution. She said that “the only thing
that “the line between girls that are ‘caught’ or
really mattered to [her] was whether he was still
‘saved’ is often a matter of technicality” and
going to love [her] after [she] slept with other
“silence or shame can see them face criminal
men.”10 In New York City, there are more than
charges instead of being returned home.”18 The
2000 sexually exploited children under eighteen
fact that the authorities put in place by the global
years old11, a large percentage of which are
community to help control this situation are in
vulnerable, dependant girls.
fact punishing these children for being exploited,
To be loved is a
basic human desire, and ethical boundaries are
shows a massive ethical issue.
crossed when this is exploited.
The commercial sexual exploitation of children is
The effect that commercial sexual exploitation
an industry that is becoming increasingly
has on children is further proof of the ethical
prevalent, As a global community it is one of our
problem that it is.
The industry can impact
greatest ethical issues. There are programmes
negatively upon both the physical and mental
run by the International Programme on the
health of the child.
Physically, the actions
Elimination of Child labour (IPEC) that are
involved in the trade can result in early
attempting to combat this industry in Africa,
pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases,
South American and South East Asia19, however
such as AIDS/HIV, which, especially in low
this is not enough. We need to ensure that the
socioeconomic areas, can result in
The
authorities that we introduce are not detrimental
living environments in the industry are also
to the cause. There are as many as 1.8 million
detrimental. Often poor nutrition is evident, and
children involved in this exploitation20. A large
children
an
number of these children are involved due to
interviewed group of Tanzanian girls in the
factors such as poverty that we as a global
are
beaten
death12.
savagely13.
industry, 60% had no place to
live14.
Of
Again, this is
community can contribute to correcting. The
in direct violation of the Declaration of the Rights
Declaration of the Rights of the Child21 was
of the Child; “all children shall have the right to
introduced to provide a safe and ethical
adequate nutrition, housing, recreation and
environment for world’s children, so we must
medical services.”15
ensure that this environment is not further
The mental health of the child can also be
compromised
severely affected. Through being involved in the
exploitation of children.
by
the
commercial
sexual
industry, a child can develop low self esteem, severe guilt, and suicidal tendencies16. Perhaps more concerning is the effects of the treatment that children receive from authorities. Of the Tanzanian girls, 84% reported being battered,
10
Feldman, C 2007, 'Report finds 2000 of State\'s Children Are Sexually Exploited, Many in New York City', The New York Times, 24th April, accessed 10 February 2012, <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/nyregion/24child.html?_r =1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print>. 11 ibid 12 Facts on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, 2003 13 ibid 14 ibid 15 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959
17 18
in Malaysia', Daily Monitor, 15th February, accessed 15 February 2012, <http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/1688334/1327856/-/view/printVersion/-/12gwig9/-/index.html>. Facts on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, 2003 ibid 21 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959 19 20
16
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, 2012
Facts on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, 2003 Croome, P 2012, '600 Ugandan girls victims of human trafficking
By Alexandra Rossi
1.
The
Savvy
User.
You’re
Facebook is an amazing tool, as well as a
confident and experienced when it comes to
veritable jungle of different Facebooker
using the site, and would never make the
species – all with their own unique
mistake of using your school email when
characteristics:
setting up your account… You also use
The Facebook Addict. You’re completely and
Facebook to your advantage when it comes
utterly addicted. You check the site every few
to revenge. Lisa Cranwell and Fatima Dowd
minutes to see whether your profile picture
exercise this perfectly, uploading videos and
has accumulated more likes, delete your
photos of each other getting up to all kinds
Facebook status, deeming it a failure, if the
of shenanigans, from viciously eating a
likes don’t increase at a steady rate of one per
whole leg of Christmas ham, to débuting
minute. You ensure your pokes are always
their career as a pussycat doll.
returned. Notifications are a source of pure
2.
3.
4.
The Facebook Fadder. You are up to date
joy, and when someone ‘hot’ likes your photo,
with all of the latest Facebook fads and
you know that ‘you’re in ;)’, alerting your
participate in them whole-heartedly. You
friends immediately through the group inbox
make it known you are indeed attending
you have going. Homework is strung over
Kate’s party, with Nigel Thornberry as your
hours due to the constant flip between your
plus one, you’ll be wearing a turban,
beloved FB newsfeed and a Wikipedia-pasted
bringing your llama and will take numerous
word document open to convince yourself
photos of yourself planking whilst there,
that your work is progressing. The most
maybe even a sneaky hat shot. You’ve also
effective form of procrastination: “stattys”
shamelessly liked every ‘OH HELL NO’ and
documenting your lack of productivity.
‘LOL JK’ group there is.
The FACEbooker. You’ve taken the face part
5.
The Facebook Hacker. You find great joy in
of the website a little too seriously, and to the
discovering
frustration and (often) amusement of others
updating dps to heinous photos of the
online, constantly take ‘selfies’ (usually
victim, liking as many strange groups as
‘mirror shots’ taken by the individual -
possible, updating outrageous statuses and
frequently involving a ‘peace and pout’), that
inboxing as many people as possible with
you persistently ‘share’ so that ,through the
whatever takes your fancy.
newsfeed, everyone knows to ‘like the photo, not the link xoxo’.
6.
an
unguarded
Facebook,
The Conservative Facebooker. You have a hernia
every
time
changes,
producing a steady number of statuses
throughout the centuries. His findings, based
along the lines of, ‘WHY HAS IT CHANGED
on his theory 'Dunbar's number', developed in
AGAIN, WHAT’S GOING ON. WTF!?!?’ You’d
the 1990s, asserts that size of the part of the
rather disable your Facebook than get the
brain used for conscious thought and language,
new timeline, and when the notorious chat
the neocortex, limits us to managing 150
sound changed to ‘such a mystical sound’
friends, no matter how sociable we are.’ 22
(quote Francesca Bampton), - you were appalled. 7.
8.
9.
Although I find it hilarious that my mum
The Facebook Lingo Expert. Ms Sheldon’s
only has 3 friends on Facebook, she does
excessive use of LOL is the only example
have a point in saying; ‘At least mine are all
needed for this one.
true
The Occasional Facebooker. You check
revolutionised
Facebook occasionally, use it to chat to
networking has redefined the word ‘friend’,
friends when needed and don’t see how
with most online being acquaintances
people can become so obsessed with a
rather than real friends. So next time
relatively boring website.
someone laughs at you because they have
The Pressured Facebooker. Fed up with the
more friends, you can now tell them their
constant talk of what you’re missing out on,
brain can’t actually manage more than 150
you’ve given in and signed up to Facebook,
friends. LOL.
friends!!!’
As
a
result
interaction,
of
this social
completely and utterly confused as to how to operate in such a strange world to the amusement of many others. 10. The Facebook Denier. You are in denial that Facebook is so popular and are still clinging to the days of MySpace. You are a unique person… 11. Facewhat? One of those rare human beings who have been living under a rock for the
The Mirror Shot: Demonstrated by Jonpaul Anderson, Year 12 Student
past few years, only just emerging to find 1 in every 13 people in this world are Facebook users. Here’s a fun fact about friends. Whilst you may think accumulating a large number of friends on Facebook gives the impression that you are far more sociable than others; scientists have shown that being able to have this many friends in reality is false: ‘Oxford University
Professor
Robin
conducted
a
of
study
Dunbar
social
has
groupings
22
UK Daily Mail Online. 24 January 2010.5,000 friends on Facebook? Scientists prove 150 is the most we can cope with. [On-line] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article1245684/5-000-friends-Facebook-Scientists-prove150-cope-with.html Accessed 12 February 2012
By Millie Davies KONY 2012 is the new, world changing movement to stop a man named Joseph Kony; one of the world’s worst war criminals. I would consider myself a well rounded person; I listen to the News here and there, read articles and so on, but, strangely, not once had I heard of this man or his outrageous crimes. The night the Kony craze started, I logged on to my Facebook as usual (instead of starting the homework that I knew I should) and saw 6 new inboxes! To my disappointment, there were nothing that interested me and all sent me this half an hour long video to watch on YouTube; followed by an inspirational message as to how I ‘must watch it’. Pfft yeah right. Thank you, but I would much rather catch up on Next Top Model then waste half an hour on that. I then checked my newsfeed: page after page was filled with status updates about this new video and how we ‘MUST’ watch it. Despite my usual stubborn behavior and desire to watch Revenge, I watched the video; consisting of information about the man in charge of the campaign, Jason Russell, his life, the children he had met that were affected by Kony’s ruling and of course, the man himself, Joseph Kony. At first, I was all; ‘yeah lets stop this guy! Woo I will join the fifty million events on Facebook to “cover the night”(the plan used to make Kony famous)’; got my friends on board, talked about it with my family at the dinner table (which actually was a huge mistake as my six year old sister then was so afraid Kony was going to come and kill us so we had to get out the globe and show her just how far away Africa is)…. Anyway, I became totally on board! It made me feel like for once I had the chance to actually change something! My friend and I ordered one of the wristbands, getting our “own unique code” to follow our progress online and got booklets about informing others about the crisis. So Kony 2012 at this point had become an infectious craze. Everyone wanted to be involved in this; some for the
right reasons, others just to be seen as ‘taking part in it’. What I found hilarious was the people who shared the video: People who wouldn’t care at all about who was dying or being tortured half way across the world were sharing it as if they actually cared. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying everyone was this shallow, but you could easily pick the ones who were. Kony had become a superficial craze. Everyone talking about Joseph Kony, which I suppose was the purpose of the event, however, people started to wonder, did this peak too soon? The events for ‘Covering the Night’ weren’t for another two months would our teenage brains soon forget this and go on to something deemed more important in our minds? Of course. Within a week, two weeks max, it had stopped. Kony awareness had gone down and the talk about it had come to a halt. There were rumours circulating that the whole campaign was a scam for investors profit from the world movement. This accusation was not helped by the man in charge of Invisible Children, Russell, being arrested for violating laws about public behavior (the context of which is highly inappropriate for a school publication). Did any of us actually care about this Kony 2012? If it weren’t such a hot topic would we have cared? Its kind of like what all the teachers say about community service, you should do it because you want to not because you HAVE to do it. It’s easier to be a bystander and watch this happen, but it’s different to actually be involved. Of course all participation is encouraged, but perhaps think whether we are doing it for the right reasons. Have we ever cared about this before? Or did we have passion for another cause, world hunger? Cancer? Don’t be involved just to be seen, be involved to make a difference.
om “C-J” Cicchianni–Jones gives us the lowdown on all things photography....
T
EXPOSURES Okay so you‟ve got a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflux) camera... awesome! You‟ve bought it just for those top of the range shots - you can use it on Automatic, but that‟s for the amateurs bro! Now you‟re thinking; “how do I set an exposure on this thing so it‟s not too dark a shot or not too bright” Well; it‟s about 3 elements, which, along with some knowledge (or the exposure meter in the view finder on your camera) can give you a great nicely exposed shot. First, however, we must learn what an exposure is:
2. the Aperture is the size that the lens is open (also called F-stops), and 3. Shutter speed is the length of time that the shutter of the camera is open and exposing the light to capture the shot. Normal Situation:
Exposure (n): in a nutshell, it is the picture you are taking (or the one you have taken) When you press the button on your camera, you are literally “exposing” it to light. All photography is captured light. Without light, there is no picture. We don‟t see things we see the light reflected off them! The 3 Elements of an exposure: The 3 elements involved with an exposure are the ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed - when all these equal out to a certain point we have a nicely exposed shot! 1. The ISO (International Standard
Now you know what an exposure is we must expose the photo you‟re taking properly. Let‟s set the scene; you‟re outside with your friends playing around with your DSLR. The sun is out; there isn‟t too much contrast between colours, just a few green trees, green grass and a blue sky. To have a perfect exposure in this situation we want a high shutter speed, low ISO and a sharp aperture. When shooting people or portrait shots we try and shoot at a low aperture (like f/2.8 or f/3.5), as the wider the aperture (a wide aperture being f/1.8 a small aperture being f/22) the deeper the depth of field. To be safe, let‟s set our aperture at f/11 as this is
Organization, yeah don‟t ask me) is an
when our lens is at its sharpest and is fine for
exposing element output by the camera‟s
shooting landscape or portraits (pretty much a
sensor (that‟s why full-frame sensored
mid way aperture). We don‟t want too much
DSLR cameras are never as grainy when the
„graininess‟ in the shot, so we‟re shooting at the
ISO is high in comparison with cropped
lowest ISO we can (ISO 50 or 100), as the more
sensor DSLRs),
ISO used the more grainy a shot is going to be (that‟s why in high light situation we use low ISO‟s in the exposure). Now; we have our
aperture set at f/11, ISO set at 100 - so we want a low shutter speed if there is a lot of light (remember never to shoot directly at the sun as it ruins the cameras internal sensor). The faster the shutter speed (1/1000th), the quicker the sensor has to capture the image. In this case, we won‟t get any motion blur as its just a quick opening and closing of the shutter. Now; try a different range of low ISO, high shutter speeds and sharp apertures and see if you can expose your shot correctly so it isn‟t too bright and it isn‟t too blurry, it‟s just the amount of exposure the naked eye can actually see!
If you have any photography questions or want to know more about setting exposures email me at tommy.cj.photography@gmail.com How to set exposures under other circumstances, different types of cameras and composition will be discussed in other articles!
By Antonia Ditroia The success of the event in 2011 saw the Street Dreams Urban Art festival return to the Fringe in 2012, celebrating and showcasing the illustrated urban landscape of Adelaide. Taking place over 2 days, the festival allowed the public to experience a weekend’s insight to the Adelaide Urban Art scene.
The first event was held at the Fourwords Artists warehouse on Saturday, 3rd of March, whose walls were generously offered by the Fourwords movement team for Adelaidean Street artists to gather and paint beautiful murals with their spray cans full of imagination. Next came the full size dumpsters donated be Veolia, allowing three teams of artists to push the limits of what can be done to customize a dumpster. The Artist’s development of beautifying the garbage receptacles created the first event of the night, the Dumpster Biennale exhibition. The public were invited to observe the progression, those present lucky enough to experience the most extraordinary creations; a dumpster turned giant chicken, a dumpster disguised as a cassette player, complete with a giant cassette, and other dumpsters graced with the talent of intricate Street Artist ‘Store’ and muralist Kate Gagliardi. The audience then contributed to the deciding of the dumpster champion, determined by the level of cheering for each artwork before participating in the esteemed TShirt party, where one rule is paramount: all must wear a white T-shirt and purchase a mini spray can to contribute to creating a mural of each other’s torsos. This was a party where pumping tunes, chilli dogs and spray paint saw strangers become friends with the reciprocal phrase, “You spray me, and I’ll spray you”, and for some even, ‘Come to my
Mexican house party next week’, until the whole warehouse was a fumed-filled walking and talking work of graffiti. On Sunday, bright and early at 10am (well, early for a Sunday) a group of artists began working on a spray paint mural on the exterior of the Tooth and Nail art gallery. The progress was on show over the course of the day. Workshops at the gallery, at $25 per person, allowed one to develop their own abilities at street art; whether it is stencils, paste-ups or freehand aerosol, under the guidance of seasoned street artists. Following this was a free Adelaide Street Art tour guided by well known Street Artist Peter Drew (the guy responsible for the paste ups of old Adelaide criminals around town) who led participants on a detailed tour to the best nooks, crannies, alcoves and back alleys of Adelaide with a detailed insight into the personalities and history behind the street art featured there. This allowed for the public to appreciate all the street art big and small, in particular, my personal favourite, the cleverly designed replica of a fire extinguisher holder which instead bore a spray can, stating: “DIRE EXTINGUISHER- TO BE USED
AGAINS SOCIAL INDIFFERENCE, AND BORING, UNINSPIRED SURFACES.” All in all, the Street Dreams Urban Art Festival (completely run on a volunteer basis) was a rich experience, where one was able to experience direct communication with the prominent Street Artists of Adelaide, have firsthand observations of them at work, and gain a deeper knowledge of the Adelaide Street art culture, illegal or otherwise- whilst making friends with mutual artistic interests. If you are artistically inclined, declined, or just bored with Adelaide’s seemingly nonexistent cultural opportunities, I suggest you feed your creative appetite and experience the 2013 Street Dreams Urban Art festival for a rare experience of culture and beauty.
By Patrick Stobie Stumble… what? As it is “a map to an adventure you wouldn’t otherwise have found out about”; StumbleUpon will help you easily discover new and interesting stuff on the Web. Tell them what you like, and they’ll introduce you to amazing web pages, videos, photos and more that you wouldn’t have found on your own. As you Stumble through great web pages, rate them with a classic thumbs up for Like, or thumbs down for a Dislike. This will help them improve their recommendations so they can show you more of what’s best for you. StumbleUpon will tailor’s its findings based on that feedback as well as what similar Stumblers and the people you follow have Liked or Disliked. Whether you’re interested in Humour, Photography, Fashion or Sports, we have something for you. Every Stumble is an adventure, and something amazing is always just a click away – it is “the entire Internet, all in one place” As mundane as the principle may seem, one cyber-taste of this infallible website and you’ll be yearning for more… It is literally a treasure map to the internet – so, try it out, be surprised and find out for yourself what all of the fuss is about! Contribute to our Stumble of the Month section by emailing your suggestions and stumbles to ignatiuscannonball@gmail.com - Get on board!
12 Most Dangerous Tourist Attractions in the World! April 2, 2012 by Annamaria ·
If you are looking for some great destinations for your next vacation, there are a number of dangerous tourist attractions that you may want to avoid. Many of these locations have been made into tourist attractions in order to generate an income for the location, but it might not have been the best idea to turn them into tourist destinations. Here are twelve of the most dangerous tourist attractions in the world.
12. Chernobyl Tours The site of a nuclear disaster in 1986 near Prypiat, Ukraine, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant offers tours for those who are curious about the disaster and want to see the site in person. The management of the Chernobyl tours assure you that any remaining radiation levels from the disaster are too small to harm your health, but the danger may not just be toward your physical health. After taking the tour, you may find that you have been changed inside as well.
11. Death Road Tour
Known as the most dangerous road in the world, the 60 kilometer expanse of highway running between La Paz and Coroico, Bolivia has claimed numerous lives. The North Yungas Road is as small as 10 feet across in some locations and has no guardrails to keep you from falling over the edge. If you have the misfortune of going over the edge, your vehicle would come to rest after falling more than 2,000 feet to the bottom off the canyon.
10. Bungee Jumping into an Active Volcano It might night be the smartest thing to do, but it will definitely get your blood pumping. For $10,000, you can bungee jump from a helicopter into the mouth of Chileâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Villarrica volcano. The volcano is active with pools of whitehot lava bubbling below where you will come within 213 meters of the pool of molten lava.
9. Swim in Shark Infested Waters
When you really want to test what you are made from, try swimming in shark infested waters. The New Smyrna Beach in Florida is known as the shark capital of the world. Just an hour northeast of Orlando, New Smyrna Beach features inviting white sandy beaches, but beware. Just a short distance into the water, danger awaits.
8. Volcano Helicopter Tours Seeing the inside of an active volcano from a helicopter sounds like a great idea, but it can also be a deadly one. Many people have taken the risk by touring the inside of active volcanoes on the Hawaiian Islands with Hawaiian Island helicopter tours. The tours have not always come out as planned, with over 30 people having died from helicopter crashes during the tours since 1995.
7. Climbing Mont Blanc on the French/Italian Border Mountain climbing is a dangerous sport anyway, but attempting to climb Mont Blanc is to tempt death itself. The mountain reaches a peak of 4,877 meters with wind gusts
reaching 95 kilometers near the top. If the extreme temperatures dont get you, the wind will. There were more than 50 people who died on the mountain in 2008 alone. 6. Swimming with the Jellyfish
The greatest predator in Australia is not a shark, a snake or even a crocodile. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a box jellyfish. Located on the Northern coastline of Australia near the mouth of the rivers, the box jellyfish seems harmless, but has killed more people than all other deadly Australian animals combined.
5. Cliff Jumping at Bash Bish Falls The Bash Bish Falls in Massachusetts are very beautiful and a great place to take pictures, but the Falls harbor some hidden dangers. The Bash Bish Falls look great, but the edges of the cliffs have claimed many lives with crumbling ledges as well as pools that are shallower than expected.
4. Climbing Mount Cook in New Zealand The Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand looks like an idyllic place to climb. But the park is prone to avalanches and conditions that prevent rescuers from reaching you when you are in danger. The park has claimed many would-be and professional climbers. 3. Beautiful and Deadly Destination One of the most inviting destinations is also one of the most deadly. The island of Vanuatu has fantastic South Pacific beaches, that often experience tsunamis from earthquakes as well as cyclones and active volcanoes.
2. Tobaggan on an Active Volcano Tobaggan down the outside of the Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua. The volcano erupted in 1999, but the tobaggan guide swears he will know if it is about to erupt. You will still have to deal with gravel burns
when you travel at 68 km an hour over the rocky terrain.
1. Walk the Plank at Mt. Huashan China Hike along the face of Mount Huashan in China, thousands of feet in the air as you walk over wooden 12 inch wide planks tied into the face of the cliffs. This is definitely not a family friendly activity. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sound that bad, but there are NO hand rails, and the only thing keeping you on the side of the mountain is a safety harness, if you so choose to buy one. If you plan on checking out Mt. Huashan, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a simple travel tip for you. Watch your step!
Esther Fong
Have you ever listened to the Liturgical Ensemble during weekly Mass and wondered, ‘what happened to the old ‘Holy Holy’s?’, or, ‘why did Liturgical have to change the tunes we knew so well?’ You may have noticed new melodies and accompaniments to the sung responses of the mass, such as the Holy Holy and Gospel Acclamations - gradually introduced to both whole school and weekly Masses. According to Tanya Linsell, St Ignatius’ Youth Minister, these brand new melodies simply had to be established to collaborate with the new translations of Mass altered by the broader Catholic Church, According to Tanya; “our Archbishop asked all Catholic parishes and schools in the area to learn a particular musical arrangement to accompany the new translations of the Mass of St Francis, so no matter where Catholics celebrated Mass the same tunes would be well-known”. Therefore the liturgical committee’s decision to change the melodies of parts of Mass half way through last year was somewhat forced; despite the fact that the previous melodies were memorised and generally appreciated by the St Ignatius student body prior to this point. Interestingly enough, this drastic change to weekly Masses was not adapted to in a particularly enthusiastic manner by the student body; indicated by the extensive complaints from both staff and students received by Mrs Crosby. She explained that the main issue most staff and students expressed towards the new melodies concerned their apparent lack of energy and resultant lack of engagement from Mass participants. Consequently, at the beginning of term this year yet another set of new melodies were introduced as an attempt to reconcile the indifference the previous accompaniments
had brought; intending to supply a fresh interest and overall enthusiasm to Mass. Mr Millar, Head of Music, following a visit to the Church of St. Francis Xavier, New York with the USA Music Tour 2012 selected this particular set of melodies. These have proven to be far more interesting and commonly liked; however, Mrs Crosby expressed that she remains disappointed by the somewhat weak participation rate at weekly Masses, finding it “frustrating that hardly anyone sings to the new melodies despite the fact that they are a significant part of the responses and personal reflection of Mass”. She believes that the current selection of melodies are unlikely to be changed again in the near future; however, is extremely open to fresh ideas, methods or even musical styles (within appropriate reason) in order to increase student interest, participation and enthusiasm concerning the sung parts of Mass. So next time you celebrate Mass, take some time to consider and reflect on the selected melodies to the ‘Holy, Holy’s’ and Gospel Acclamations; are they currently engaging and interesting enough to encourage you to participate? If not, why? Are they too high, complicated or even boring? Did you prefer the sound of additional instruments, such as the trumpet melodies performed with the previous well-known accompaniments? Or would a different rock or drum beat simply improve the overall appeal and energy of the musical responses? Whether you’re a musical student or not, I strongly urge you to contribute your ideas to either Mrs Crosby or Tanya, sing out loud to encourage maximum participation and get the most out of weekly and whole school Masses.
appealing to younger kids – he’s a gerbil, he throws pies at villains to defeat them and he flies around on his bullwhip – what isn’t there to love?. Even at this stage I think I prefer the little fuzzy version more than the real thing.
By Nathan Dignam Looking at the kids shows on today, I wonder how the children of today are getting the entertainment they need. I remember, as I was growing up, the multitude of cartoon options that would never cease to amuse me. Now, I’m not as young as I used to be, so I don’t have the perfect perspective, but today’s children’s cartoons are an insult to the well loved classics. If any of these were brought back, I know that I’d be waiting at the TV, hardly daring to breathe, for the entertainment of my childhood to be brought back to me.
El Nombre El Nombre, the masked vigilante gerbil, is definitely a piece of childhood history for me. Even though the show only ran for five minute clips each time, it was definitely a favourite. It is only now, looking back on it, that I realise he was part of a series of educational shows, specialising in mathematics. They sure knew how to get kids to learn back then! Who could forget El Nombre’s pet tarantula Tanto, or the local bully Don Fandango who El Nombre manages to beat each time? A parody of the hero Zorro but much more
CatDog As I was researching this article (best research ever) I came across CatDog. I had to stop for a moment as my mind took me back to the days when I eagerly anticipated every episode of this brilliance. Cat was always smart and cunning, whereas Dog was naïve, clumsy and happy-go-lucky. In spite of Cat’s superior intelligence; whenever he tried to get something accomplishe d it blew up in his face – ironically, Cat is the underdog of the twosome. To this day I can still remember one episode where Dog becomes a vegetarian once he discovers that meat comes from animals – and his friends are animals! If my memory serves me correctly he then stops eating vegetables to as he believes them alive. This show remains a favourite in my memory because of its inventive baseline for the plot – the conjoined body of a cat and a dog. Rugrats
This little group led by Thomas “Tommy” Pickles wouldn’t ever stop being enjoyed by children everywhere – if only they would show it. This little band of toddlers – sometimes accompanied by Tommy’s three year old cousin Angelica - would escape the playpen the adults put them into and explore the world, trying
to understand what the adults are doing. These little escapades would usually be heading in a bad direction before a twist would ensure that all turned out well – a plot point basically every show uses nowadays. Of importance to me are the movies, which, unlike movies born of other children’s cartoons, are actually reasonably good. Favourites include Rugrats in Paris and Rugrats go Wild; also including… The Wild Thornberrys The thing is, when I was watching these as a child, I never saw the episode where Eliza receives the gift to speak with animals. No matter, this still is one of the best shows I can remember. Though he was just a supporting All these shows were so amazing, so original and so important to my growth and it’s a shame that all the children of today do not get to appreciate these wonders. To everyone reading this who as no idea what I’m talking about; cannot understand what these shows mean to me: I pity you...
role, Nigel Thornberry – or as he was formally known; Sir Nigel Archibald Thornberry – was in my opinion the best character. His never-ceasing antics were and are still the basis of endless laughter - even the memory of it can induce mirth! Search “Nigel Thornberry” on YouTube to see what I’m talking about – definitely see “They’re not mermaids, they’re DUGONGS!” He has a caring and logical nature which is at times absent-minded and naïve. This show was, is, and ever shall be ‘smashing’ (in the words of Sir Nigel). Pokémon In my opinion, I saved the best till last. Some people may not believe that Pokémon is the best show on this list. I pity those people. Pokémon is not just an amazing children’s show but it is the source of endless entertainment in the form of games which are still common among the older age groups. However, it is still the classics that made this show and the whole Pokémon universe so massive – the second most successful in the world behind the Mario series. The days of the original series were the best – the sequel’s decent but nowhere near the standard of its origin. Following Ash, Brock, Misty and Pikachu through the Kanto region was the highlight of my childhood days; where I would wake up at 6:30 each morning to eagerly watch. I would still probably make that sacrifice today to see the original series of Pokémon again.
By Jean-Marie Nguyen Location: Nunyara Retreat Centre; Belair. Music Camp 2012 was a wonderful weekend – presided over by music captains Josh Belperio, Brett Owen and Carmela DeRobertis, throughout which many fun times were had, and musical skills developed. The camp opened with a massive treasure hunt in groups; of which “Millario” (led by Carla DeAngelis and Tayler Giles) were victorious. We had the opportunity to listen to a Jazz Street Band perform; which was both funky and skilful, and we concluded the camp with the opportunity to show our own skills at the end of camp performance. QUIZ NIGHT As always 12 year students lead the quiz night with some very interesting questions, but this yr for the first time... The teachers did their own round of questions, trying to trick us all. The yr 12 students did their annual round of ‘yr 12 embarrassing moments’ and it was clear to say that this year’s yr 12s had many unforgettable embarrassing moments. It was a close game, but at the end of the night the winning prize went to 'the yellow submarines' lead by Isabelle and Brendan. PIZZA CHALLENGE As you all know, it’s been a traditional for many years now but the teachers have won the past few years now, which meant taking victory this year was sweeter than ever! Sorry teachers. THEMED DINNER TABLES This was a chance for the musicians to mingle. This year’s themes were bold and crazy with ideas such as “tools, mafia, classy Greeks” and much more. The winners were chosen by the music staff and the winning prizes went to “the shepherds, the harry potters and the Mafias” SKIT NIGHT
In the same groups as the treasure hunt, each group put on a skit paying out music students and teachers. This year the many payouts were “Josh’s ears not pressure rising properly” many American jokes and in almost every skit, “bresther” after all 10 groups performed, it was down to the music captains to pick the winner. Winning prize went to (leave line getting name of friend) lead by Kerryn and Charlie.