VIS Spotlight Student Magazine - Superheroes

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VIS Spotlight Superheroes

Editorial: Dear Spotlight Readers, superheroes

Text Editors: Layout Editors:

The Ocean of Tears A short billion years after the Big Bang, the grand ball of the galaxies was opened. Each star picked a group of planets to dance in orbit around them. One of the youngest stars, the Sun, took her own share of main planets and other satellites, asteroids and comets. She looked about and her first choice was Mercury, a small planet of a greyish colour who turned out to be very pleased because he had a liking to the heat, so the warmest orbit, nearest to the new star suited him just fine. Next was Venus, who was not named after the goddess of beauty for no reason. She believed her tan needed to be absolutely perfect all year round: she liked quite a lot of sunlight, but unlike Mercury, she certainly did not want to get sunburnt. Third in line was Earth who needed her distance from the Sun just right so that her temperature would neither freeze nor boil her future habitants (she already had some ideas about hosting life at some point in the future). Mars, being named after the god of war, wanted to be somewhere around the middle so he could keep an eye on things‌ When the Sun was near the end of her selection, two of the largest planets in her system, Saturn and Jupiter, claimed that they deserved their own satellites as well. After a long argument, the Sun let them both take a limited number of dwarf planets and asteroids. A few minutes later, the Sun told Jupiter and Saturn that too many asteroids would hide their importance and size. However, Saturn argued she did not look grand enough and demanded more satellites to make an asteroid belt. The Sun agreed, avoiding another fight. So Saturn returned with a magnificent set of rings after having taken every single remaining satellite. All accept one; a dwarf planet called the Moon. No one had noticed her. At this point, the Sun was frankly rather fed up. She wanted to get this orbiting business over and done with as quickly as possible. She settled Neptune, Uranus and Pluto in their places hastily, and then at last the Sun turned to the most important thing: shining as bright as she could and basking in her own glory. She paid no notice to the little voice of the Moon, desperate to draw attention and to get her own place around the Sun, but too shy to cause a fuss. By then, the solar system was one giant party and the lonely Moon was just drifting along, with no orbit of her own. The Earth took pity on her and suggested that she orbit around her instead of the Sun for a while... at least until she felt better. Quietly, the Moon began to circle around the Earth and she has not stopped to this day. Though she was grateful to Earth for having given her a home in her orbit, the Moon was inconsolably sad. She cried so much that the tears that fell to Earth formed a pool that grew and grew until it covered most of the surface of the planet. That is why the oceans and the seas on the Earth are as salty as tears... and that is why the Moon is nothing but rock and dust as far as the eye can see, bone-dry from surface to core: she cried herself dry a very long time ago. Almost everyone has forgotten this story. But the seas and the oceans still remember. To this day they follow the Moon as the tides rise and fall. Albertine Carle G6

Our Teacher Superheros Mr. Bowie= Mr. Incredible

Mr. Malone= Lex Luthor

Patricia

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI):

The Psychometric Theory determines your Superhero Much to the exasperation of most of my family and friends, during the past six months or so I have immersed myself in the world of personality typing, more specifically, that of Myers-Briggs Theory. Myers-Briggs Theory stems from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI as it will subsequently be referred to, and is essentially a psychometric personality assessment designed to measure the psychological preferences of individuals in how they perceive the world and make decisions. Nowadays MBTI is used to help individuals to better understand themselves and others. A common use for MBTI is also in career possibilities, as each type generally has its own preference or strong point in terms of jobs or skills. Each type consists of four categories (dichotomies), each with two possible preferences. The dichotomies are expressed by a letter meaning that each type is written out as four letters. The important thing to remember is that although each type will have one of the two possible letters for each of the categories, every person is a mixture of both possibilities. The letter that is represented in the type is simply the dichotomy that is the most prominent in that person and plays a more dominant role in their behavior.

DICHOTOMY 1 – How do you get your energy? (Extravert or Introvert) The two possibilities for this dichotomy are Extraversion [E] or Introversion [I]. Extraverts essentially direct themselves towards the outer world of activities, excitements, people and things and get energy from others. Introverts do the opposite and direct themselves inward to the inner world of thoughts, interests, ideas and imagination – in other words they get their energy from being alone.

Extraverted Characteristics t "DU ĕSTU UIJOL SFĘFDU MBUFS t 'FFM EFQSJWFE XIFO DVUPČ GSPN JOUFSaction with the outside world t 6TVBMMZ PQFO UP BOE NPUJWBUFE CZ outside world of people and things t &OKPZ XJEF WBSJFUZ BOE DIBOHF JO people relationships

Introverted Characteristics t ćJOL SFĘFDU ĕSTU UIFO "DU t 3FHVMBSMZ SFRVJSF BO BNPVOU PG iQSJWBUF time� to recharge batteries t .PUJWBUFE JOUFSOBMMZ NJOE JT TPNFUJNFT TP BDUJWF JU JT iDMPTFEw UP UIF PVUTJEF XPSME t 1SFGFS POF PO POF DPNNVOJDBUJPO BOE relationships

1VUUJOH JU TJNQMZ FYUSBWFSUT BSF ZPVS DMBTTJD TPDJBM CVUUFSĘJFT BMXBZT JO UIF NJETU PG UIF DPOWFSTBUJPO BOE SFBEZ UP HP UP UIF OFYU QBSUZ *OUSPWFSUT XFMM TPNFPOF T HPU UP TUBZ IPNF PO B 'SJEBZ OJHIUy

DICHOTOMY 2 – How do you take in information? (Sensory or Intuitive) The two possibilities for this group are Sensory [S] or Intuitive [N]. Sensors notice the sights, TPVOET TNFMMT BOE PUIFS TFOTPSZ EFUBJMT PG UIF QSFTFOU 'PS UIJT SFBTPO UIFZ BSF WFSZ DPODFOUSBUFE on the here and now, preferring to deal with ‘what is’ than what could be. They also tend to enjoy clear and concrete as opposed to abstract and hazy information, and for that reason can be very factual. The ideal inspector (such as Sherlock Holmes) would almost have to be a sensor in order to pick up on the tiny details needed to solve a case.

Intuitives are just the opposite: they prefer to look at the big picture and speculate on possibilities. They BSF LOPXO UP CF WFSZ JNBHJOBUJWF BOE DPODFQUVBM BOE MJLF UP EFBM JO BCTUSBDUJPOT 'PS UIJT SFBTPO UIFZ tend to be more successful when dealing with abstract theories (as shown in the sciences or math), but this is not always true as many sensors are equally successful in these areas. Sensing Characteristics t .FOUBMMZ MJWF JO UIF /PX BUUFOEJOH UP present opportunities t ćF VTF PG DPNNPO TFOTF BOE DSFBUJOH practical solutions is automatic t .FNPSZ SFDBMM JT SJDI JO EFUBJM PG GBDUT and past events t #FTU JNQSPWJTF GSPN QBTU FYQFSJFODF t -JLF DMFBS BOE DPODSFUF JOGPSNBUJPO EJTMJLF HVFTTJOH XIFO GBDUT BSF iGV[[Zw

Intuitive Characteristics t .FOUBMMZ MJWF JO UIF 'VUVSF BUUFOEJOH UP future possibilities t ćF VTF PG JNBHJOBUJPO BOE DSFBUJOH JOventing new possibilities is automatic t .FNPSZ SFDBMM FNQIBTJ[FT QBUUFSOT DPOtexts, and connections t #FTU JNQSPWJTF GSPN UIFPSFUJDBM VOEFSstanding t $PNGPSUBCMF XJUI BNCJHVPVT GV[[Z EBUB and with guessing its meaning.

Putting it simply, sensors are your down-to-earth, learn by the book types and intuitives are your spaced-out, head in the cloud types. %*$)050.: o )PX EP ZPV NBLF EFDJTJPOT ćJOLFS PS 'FFMFS

ćF QPTTJCJMJUJFT GPS UIJT EJDIPUPNZ BSF ćJOLFS <5> PS 'FFMFS <'> ćJOLFST VTVBMMZ MJLF UP NBLF UIFJS decisions using logic and based on what is fair. They prefer to analyze information in a detached or objective manner and form logical conclusions. 'FFMFST MJLF UP NBLF UIFJS EFDJTJPOT CBTFE PO DPNQBTTJPO BOE UBLJOH JOUP BDDPVOU UIF FNPUJPOT JOvolved. They prefer to form conclusions using subjective analysis. Thinking Characteristics t *OTUJODUJWFMZ TFBSDI GPS GBDUT BOE logic in a decision situation. t /BUVSBMMZ OPUJDFT UBTLT BOE XPSL to be accomplished. t &BTJMZ BCMF UP QSPWJEF BO PCKFDtive and critical analysis. t "DDFQU DPOĘJDU BT B OBUVSBM OPSmal part of relationships with people.

'FFMJOH $IBSBDUFSJTUJDT t *OTUJODUJWFMZ FNQMPZ QFSTPOBM GFFMJOHT BOE impact on people in decision situations t /BUVSBMMZ TFOTJUJWF UP QFPQMF OFFET BOE reactions. t /BUVSBMMZ TFFL DPOTFOTVT BOE QPQVMBS opinions. t 6OTFUUMFE CZ DPOĘJDU IBWF BMNPTU B UPYJD reaction to disharmony.

Putting it simply, feelers are your puppy-loving, emotional whirlwinds: they cry at movies and like to daydream about world peace. Thinkers, well, we’re still searching for some feeling in those ice-cold hearts of theirs.

DICHOTOMY 4 – How do you deal with the outside world? (Judger or Perceiver) The possibilities for this dichotomy are Judger [J] or Perceiver [P]. Judgers like to approach the outside world with a plan. They want to be organised in what they do and enjoy making decisions and finishing their projects. 1FSDFJWFST UBLF UIF PVUTJEF XPSME BT JU DPNFT BOE UFOE UP CF NPSF ĘFYJCMF BOE EJTPSHBOJ[FE ćFZ MJLF keeping things open-ended and are open to new opportunities.

Judging Characteristics t 1MBO NBOZ PG UIF EFUBJMT JO BEWBODF CFGPSF moving into action. t 'PDVT PO UBTL SFMBUFE BDUJPO DPNQMFUF meaningful segments before moving on. t 8PSL CFTU BOE BWPJE TUSFTT XIFO BCMF UP keep ahead of deadlines. t /BUVSBMMZ VTF UBSHFUT EBUFT BOE TUBOEBSE routines to manage life.

Perceiving Characteristics t $PNGPSUBCMF NPWJOH JOUP BDUJPO XJUIPVU B QMBO QMBO PO UIF HP t -JLF UP NVMUJUBTL IBWF WBSJFUZ BOE mix work and play. t /BUVSBMMZ UPMFSBOU PG UJNF QSFTTVSF work best close to the deadlines. t *OTUJODUJWFMZ BWPJE DPNNJUNFOUT XIJDI JOUFSGFSF XJUI ĘFYJCJMJUZ GSFFEPN and variety

Putting it simply, judgers are your manic, deadline-oriented worriers: they finish their projects weeks before the due-date and own a million binders. Perceivers prefer a late-night cramming session – we’ll find out how that went if they ever show up on time.

8IJDI .#5* 4VQFSIFSP BSF ZPV 'JOE PVU XIJDI TVQFSIFSP ZPV BSF JO GPVS FBTZ TUFQT &YUSBWFSU PS *OUSPWFSU BSF ZPV B TPDJBM CVUUFSĘZ PS B CJU PG B MPOFS

2) Sensor or Intuitive (are you down-to-earth or in the clouds?) ćJOLFS PS 'FFMFS BSF ZPV DPME IFBSUFE BOE MPHJDBM PS EP ZPV KVTU MPWF QVQQJFT

4) Judger or Perceiver (are you a neat freak or a slob?) Now that you’ve chosen put the first letters of each word together and you’ve got yourself a type! -PPL CFMPX UP TFF XIJDI TVQFSIFSP IBT UIF TBNF UZQF BT ZPVy #Z $IJBSB )BFĘJHFS

Rugby

THREE Athletes we suspect of secretly being superheroes Superheroes possessing celebrity alter egos have become a clique plotline in the world of comic

athletes of secretly being superheroes.

3.

Captain America

One of the most beloved superheroes in the Marvel Universe is Captain America.

Alter Ego: Lance Armstrong

the amount of Oxygen his lungs can take in an extremely high amount. That’s not all. Lance Armstrong’s muscles produce And let’s not forget how Lance Armstrong CRUSHED cancer.

all odds and beat his cancer within only four months of diagnosis and had returned to his rigorous

2. The Flash

night Barry Allen’s chemical apparatus was crushed by a lightning bolt that struck

Alter Ego: Usain Bolt

1. AQUAMAN

in the ancient city in order to further extend his research. Aquaman’s father learnt

Alter Ego: Michael Phelps

Jukebox Corner Album of the Month: Bastille - Bad Blood: This is the debut album from Bastille, a quartet from South London, they have released two EPs, one being a collection of covers of 90s songs, and the other being a recording of a show they performed. Dan Smith, the lead singer, and the creative heart of Bastille, has written a group of melancholic piano ballads, which has then been infused with the merest hint of dance beats from the UK bass scene. The songs to look out for on the Concerts in Vienna: Bruno Mars - 24th October Bon Jovi - 17th May Green Day - 29th May Leonard Cohen - 27th July Roger Waters - 23rd August

Musicians to watch: Haim - A three-piece rock band, which includes 3 sisters; Alana, Este and Danielle. nu-folk, mixed with 90s R&B. Gabrielle Aplin - This 19 year old built up a fan-base through youtube, releasing music when she could afford to. By the end of last year she had a Christmas number one which made her future look brighter. Disclosure - With their single ‘Latch’ being one of the biggest tunes of last year, it was not long until this brother based duo hit commercial success, and with there new single ‘White Noise ft Alunageorge’ booming through the radio waves I’m sure it won’t be too long.

Top 10 Superhero Movies 10. Captain America features villains with the old clichéd German accents which is always a treat. 9. Kick Ass place in the last decade. This is an hysterical satire about a collection of lunatics who are 8. The Incredibles - Now I know what you’re going to say ‘Is The Incredibles really a superhero movie?’ The answer is YES! This movie has to be one of my top ten as we grew up with it, we all have our favourite power and we all know that the best part of the movie is when Jack-Jack defeats Syndrome. 7. Spider Man 2 is lifted by a subway carriage of New Yorker's after saving them is arguably the best in the entire series. 6. Amazing Spider Man - This new adaptation just squeezes in front of the last generation of Spider Man. This reboot sees the story going back to the beginning to give a smarter and more interesting origin. The relationship between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey is also much more intimate and realistic than the one between Peter and Mary Jane. 5. Batman Returns of the greats because it has the second greatest villain in Batman history, The Penguin, who is played by Danny Devito. It also stars Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Michael Keaton as Batman, as well as being directed by Tim Burton. Need I say more? 4. Superman: The Movie – This means going back to the oldies now, but it is still seen as one of the best, with Christopher Reeve giving his iconic performance as Superman. Even genius even after 35 years. 3. Iron Man - With the larger than life character that is Tony Stark, Iron Man brings a new set of characters into the mainstream viewing. Prior to this, Iron Man was once only known 2. The Avengers but this is not due to the money that was made from it, but from the legacy it gave each there has ever been. 1. The Dark Knight still features the eccentric, psychotic, anarchistic version of the Joker that had previously never been seen before. The Joker is unforgettably brought to life by Heath Ledger, and

Elspeth Rance

Your Super Heroscope Aries (March 21st – April 19th) Superhero: Captain America Fierce, loyal, fearless Aries are born leaders. Captain America, the leader of the “Avengers” can rely on his speed and strength, just like you. Who knows, sure not to turn into an evil, power-abusing villain because with great power comes great responsibility. The quote may not be from Captain America, but it Taurus (April 20th – May 20th) Superhero: The Green Lantern Some may regard a Taurian as stubborn but it just shows your great willpower crime, but don’t get too upset by setbacks. Remember to learn from your mistakes, and don’t be too hard on yourself. A Taurus also seems to be a little too generous, beware of people who take you for granted. Gemini (May 21st – June 20th) Superhero: The Wonder Twins situations and ‘morph’ into the shape and form they need to, so that they don’t base all your decisions on your mood. Cancer (June 21st – July 22nd) Superhero: The Invisible Woman/Sue Storm You are really caring. Cancerians are sensitive and may even be shy. Sometimes you may feel like you just want to disappear, like Sue Storm, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a worthy opponent. You adore your family and friends, and the love for them makes you want to help them. You are protective but you might dislike getting out of your comfort zone, and prefer to do things they way you already know. Try to be

Leo (July 23rd – August 22nd) Superhero: Spiderman Leos, apart from being clever, are also quick thinkers. You enjoy being the centre of attention when you are out and about, saving New York City, but in class you are more of a quiet person. You are not a class clown but you do crack some jokes at times (usually inappropriate times). However, you would delay doing a school project for something you think is more important. Try not to be over dominant in social situations. Virgo (August 23rd – September 22nd) Superhero: Robin You are a quick-witted person. Virgos are smart people and tend to have a keen eye for detail. You enjoy a twisted sense of humour and time your puns perfectly. Sherlock Holmes. You believe in doing the right thing, especially if there’s a joke in

Libra (September 23rd – October 22nd) Superhero: Wonder Woman outrageous. You might not, however, decide to show it, but instead keep it to yourself, since Librans can be quite diplomatic. As the symbol shows, you are a keen supporter of justice and balance. You like to maintain order, and may, at times, have problems accepting other people’s decisions. You also might like to dominate people. Concentrate on learning to accept healthy criticism. Scorpio (October 23rd – November 21st) Superhero: Batman Those who have this sign can be quite secretive. They are independent, quiet and tend to be quite happy alone. You prefer relying on smaller groups of people. You choose your friends carefully, as you don’t like being disappointed by them. Loyalty is a big aspect of your personality, and if someone else is being dishonest your Scorpio anger will show how you feel. Try to be a little more forgiving, as we are all human – (OK, some of the heroes are aliens, but they still have feelings, too) and we all make mistakes. Sagittarius (November 22nd – December 21st) Superhero: Thor Sagittarians, much like Thor, can’t stay in one place for long. Traveling may seem like a burden to some but you enjoy it a lot. You really like seeing new places and learning new things. Sagittarians are quite open-minded too, but when you have to solve a problem you rely on your unbreakable personality, it won’t harm you. Capricorn (December 22nd – January 19th) Superhero: Superman Much like the man of steel, you are down to earth and logical. Capricorns are loyal to those whom they love. You are determined to reach your goal and your aim is justice and truth. You might have problems dealing with change, especially when things that you thought were certain start to alter around you. Try to accept that some things just are the way they are and don’t freak out because of differences that bother you. Aquarius (January 20th – February 18th) Superhero: Professor Xavier You are obviously intelligent, like Prof. Xavier, and quite a good reader of people. You can understand and sympathise with them, but sometimes you care more about ‘the greater good’ and forget that people have emotions. You, too, have emotions but aren’t very clear of them, instead you think forward, into the future, planning ahead to keep everything in balance. Try to maintain the balance between relationships and work. Pieces (February 19th – March 20th) Superhero: Aquaman clear about what you feel like. Communication seems to be your strength, but remember not to the deep waters of your daydream world. Like Aquaman, you have a sense of helping those who are in need of it, and you are good at healing wounds, emotional or physical. Ever thought of being some kind of doctor? Make sure you can distinguish reality from fantasies.

Senior Varsity Basketball Team This year, the SV Boys ISST Basketball Tournament was held in Bonn, Germany. A small city on the banks of the river Rhine, the ex-capital of West Germany turned out to be a perfect location for this year’s tournament. The VIS athletes arrived in Bonn at lunch on the 6th of March, the tournament officially starting the day after, on the 7th of March. The tournament would take place over a 3-day period, the final games taking place on a Saturday, 9th of March. Only the 10 best VIS basketball players were picked, according to the tournament rules. VIS found out which teams were part of its pool (POOL A) long before the tournament started. These teams were: American School of the Hague (ASH), International School of the Hague (ISH) and Sir James Henderson School of Milan (SJH). Arguably, this was perhaps the tougher of the two groups. The first game VIS would play would be against the American School of The Hague. Relegated from Division 1 last year, they were now in a dominant position in Division 2 and were therefore expected to win the tournament. This was a catastrophe for VIS. Turnovers, sloppy passes, forced shots were everywhere and things did not look very promising. VIS lost the first half by more than 30 points. ASH were simply a much better team. The second half VIS played much better, learning from its mistakes, yet still coming short as the result of the second half was 26-23 for the Dutch school. The loss in this game would put a lot of pressure on the second game against ISH. If VIS still wanted to grab a medal, the players would have to show it and defeat ISH. ISH, a robust and tough team won its first game and was now looking to build a double win streak. Unfortunately for VIS, the pressure was too much to handle. The team lost by 2 points, lacking the team work which ISH showed. This game proved that although individually VIS is one of the best teams of the tournament, they sometimes lack the teamwork and camaraderie of other teams. The atmosphere was grim, coach Bowie expressing his disappointment with the results and the team in general. In his characteristic manner, however, he stressed the importance of living in the present and acknowledging that nothing can be changed about those two games, yet lessons can be drawn from those losses for them to be turned into victories in the team’s remaining three games. VIS would have to win its remaining three games in order to get 5th place. In its next game, VIS played SJH, the school from Milan. VIS finally displayed a fraction of its impressive game-play and won the game by 17 points, final score 50-33. The pointers were starting to go in and the players were finally starting to play together as a team. The question was; how long could they keep it up? Their next game was against the British School in the Netherlands, who went for last place in Pool B. VIS simply outplayed BSN, winning the game by more than 50 points. This crushing victory would serve for good morale in the last game. The game against BSN revolved mostly around playing with the posts who had not shown their potential previously in the tournament. The last game turned out to be a rematch of the game against SJH. This time things would be different, both teams trying their best in a final confrontation which would determine who would go for 5th place and who would have to settle for 6th. As the game was starting, coach Bowie again emphasized the importance of the game: one last game for the seniors, one last game for the team in this formula. A win was a must. The game started off badly for VIS, which was losing until half time, at which point it equalized the score to 31-31. The game was close from all aspects, neither team managing to grasp a firm lead. It seemed the game would be decided in the final seconds. An unnecessary foul from the Milan school lead to a 2 point deficit in the final seconds which made it impossible for the Italians to catch-up. The final result was 51-49. The team was very happy, yet slightly disappointed knowing they could have done so much better. Unfortunately, this was the last game for the three senior players of the team and hopefully they had a great last basketball tournament at VIS. Congratulations! -Radu Cretu

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