Ackbar Advocate by Foundations of Journalism

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 | May 25, 2018

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2018 in Review: Technological Innovations Pages 6-9

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4-5: Ready Player One Review 6-9: 2018 in Review: Technological Innovations 10-11: Five Composers from each era you need to know to be classically literate

12: Economic Policy Review 13: Editorial: Opinion on Chromebooks 14-15: 2018 Midterm Predictions 16-17: Harry Potter Book Reviews 2

STAFF Editor in Chief: Sam Fennell-Chametzky Managing Editor: Edward Keen Design Editor: Patrick Taylor

EDITOR’S NOTE Greetings. You have entered the Ackbar Advocate, our publication, with writing done by Edward Keen and Sam Fennell-Chametzky, and most of the designs by Patrick Taylor. It will mostly be an opinion-based, informative newspaper with articles ranging from a comprehensive review of “Ready Player One” to a detailed analysis of the prior centuries’ classical composers. Our cover story will be an article focusing on new technological innovations from this year at West, such as the 1:1 Chromebooks Policy and the introduction of Canvas as an online resource for the school. We hope you enjoy reading our paper.

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T MAY 25, 2018

“READY PLAYER ONE” REVIEW

BY EDWARD KEEN

magine a world in 2045, when everyone has basically given up. Issues such as poverty and starvation are at all-time highs, and the majority of the world’s population has stopped dealing with these issues. Instead, they step into a virtual reality universe called the OASIS, where one can do just about anything - interact with people, play games, go to school. But one figure is the catalyst for all this: James Halliday. He is the one who created this universe, and now, after his death, he has sent almost all of the users on an 80s-filled hunt in which the winner will win complete control of it all and inherit his net worth of $500 billion. This is the premise of “Ready Player One”, a 2011 sci-fi novel by Ernest Cline, which ended up being a huge critical and financial success, spawning a 2018 film adaption which was directed by three-time Oscar winner Steven Spielberg. But did the adaption manage to make the rare feat of being better than its source material? Many have argued over this, and I give my thoughts on the topic, as well as general opinions of the movie. The movie, which was released on March 29, despite many changes, tends to follow the same premise as the book. It follows Wade Watts (Parzival in the OASIS), a teenager who finds himself at the center of the quest for three keys which lead to the egg that grants control of the OASIS. He goes through many obstacles to try to gain the keys before IOI, an organization who intends to turn the OASIS into a totalitarian state, collects them all. Along the way, he meets new people and is hurled into a treasure hunt of over-the-top mystery and fantasy. Personally, I really liked this movie, comparison to the book aside. Some parts that I liked in the movie on its

own are the visuals and the soundtrack. The visuals of the movie are breathtaking; every shot in the OASIS is visually appealing and well-crafted. From an all-out battle including the likes of The Iron Giant and Godzilla, to an intense labyrinth taking place in the Overlook Hotel from “The Shining”, the visuals never failed to amaze. Another area the visuals succeed at is the converting of a real-life OASIS MOVIE user to their avatar; the use of motion-capture effects make the avaBudget: $175 tars seem consistently lifelike and perfectly synchronized with their Box office: $5 real-life persona. Likewise, the soundtrack is exceptional. Composed Reception: 7.8/ by Alan Silvestri, who scored “Back to the Future”, the music is deBOOK F lightfully original and perfectly captures the 80s feel of the movie. #1 NY Times Be Another part of the movie that I liked, generally even more Reception: 4.3/ than the book, was the actual hunt for the keys. While I would’ve Translated in preferred that the moves ie kept more of the mysterious, puzzling tone of the hunt that the book had, I really liked how each key in the movie was related to a personal aspect of

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Halliday’s life and centered around mistakes he made during his lifetime. In the book, each key is merely based around playing an old video game, or reciting lines from an old movie that he enjoyed, and I much preferred the more personal aspects that the movie utilized for the quest. The way the nostalgia and references were used in the movie was, to me, way better than the book. In the book, E FACTS there are at least 8-10 game or movie references with in-depth expla5 million nations per page, and after several hundred pages it feels pretty ex575+ million cessive. Simply put, the book depends a lot on the references to keep /10 on IMDB the plot moving - if you removed a majority of them from the book, FACTS it would fall apart. On the contrary, the same thing cannot be said for estseller the movie; rather, they are not the only things used to move the plot /5 Goodreads forward, and are not as redundantly employed nto 20+ Languag- as the book. I may be biased since I was not likely the intended audience, but I barely understood a majority the book’s references. In the movie, however, the references are ones that a wider audience

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can understand and appreciate, and aren’t as depended on for the plot. Of course, no movie is without flaws, and this is definitely not an exception. The two largest issues I had with the movie were the pacing and the characters. In the book, the story takes place throughout a several month period and the timeline of events do not feel rushed or overly fast paced. In the movie, it only takes place over a week-long period, making the entire quest feel extremely rushed and harder to understand. The character work was also an issue. The movie wants you to feel invested in the characters, however it does not give enough knowledge about them to justify that. For example, the main character gives some basic exposition about himself and his life, but other than that, you know practically nothing about him to genuinely care about him. All the other characters are treated similarly, with them giving one or two lines of dialogue about themselves - that just doesn’t suffice. Overall, “Ready Player One” definitely goes into the ‘the movie was better than the book’ category for me. It realized that the book had mistakes and it made lots of choices which I felt mostly worked out well, even if they did turn away from the source material. As a movie, it is fun, entertaining and visually significant, and while it does suffer from some poor decision-making in areas such as the character work, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to have an enjoyable moviegoing experience, whether you’ve read the book or not.

DESIGN BY EDWARD KEEN

2018 in Review: Technological Improvements BY EDWARD KEEN

This year at West has been quite the year when it comes to new technological innovations, two primary examples being the introduction of Canvas and the utilization of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;1:1â&#x20AC;? Chromebooks policy.

he technology used at West and other schools in the district has undergone many major changes throughout the last several years. Remember having to only use a whiteboard or a chalkboard and a projector for teaching? Or when schools did not have a multitude of computers and electronics for students and teachers to use? Take a look at those now: every single classroom in the district, ranging from elementary to high school, has an interactive SMART board to use for demonstrations, and there are vast numbers of up-to-date computers for students to use. Remember when there was no Google Classroom or anything similar in function? You probably don’t, but there was a time when there was no such thing in schools. During this school year, West has continued this trend of technological advancements in two areas: the area of online education with Canvas, a newer online system for students to utilize during for their studying and the program of giving all 2,000 students at West, as well of thousands of students in other high schools, a Chromebook to use for the year.

Canvas In previous years, you may remember using Google Classroom to handle a portion of your workload at school. You would turn in a majority of the online assignments there, have discussions, and more. Teachers would use it to make announcements that could not be made during class time, see all of their student’s assignments, and grade them. This year, however, West and other high schools in the ICCSD transitioned away from using Google Classroom to handle these types of material, instead moving forward with an educational site called Canvas as a replacement. Instructure, an independent technology-based educational company, first announced Canvas K-12, an educational program for all types of schools and colleges, in 2011, garnering a multitude of media coverage as a result. It was officially launched in 2012 and is being used in over 3,000 schools nationwide. In function, it is somewhat similar to Classroom. Teachers can post announcements and assignments that they want done, which, like Classroom, get sent to your student email. In addition, it also includes a “Modules” section where you can separately view documents uploaded by the teacher, a “Quizzes” area where teachers can make online practice quizzes or work, among many other educational tools for studying and practicing. “A majority the features of Canvas are very user-friendly for both teachers and students. Teachers have the ability to post and grade in Canvas and it is able to automatically place these grades in Powerschool,” said Guidance Counselor Greg Yoder. But why was this particular site chosen as a replacement, and how does it really tend to differ from past technology-oriented classroom sites? “Canvas is a product that has been out for a few years and therefore it has had a chance to work out the bugs,” Yoder said. “I know that the University of Iowa has been using it for quite some time and those who have used it in the past are thrilled to have it at West High.” No doubt, there was surprise and frustration among students and teachers when it was first announced that this year the school would be moving forward with a completely different software separate from what had been done in previous years. “I was initially frustrated by Canvas because I had a hard time figuring out how to use it, even after training. Many of us commented that it is not an intuitive program, [as] we spent a lot of extra time at the beginning of the school year learning how to use it,” said Molly Zywiec, a Spanish teacher. However, as the year has progressed, reaction has gotten better towards it. Design by Patrick Taylor

“In the end, it has been a very effective way to communicate with students and make information and documents available to them,” said Zywiec. As for comparisons to Google Classroom, Yoder mentioned its ability to sync up to Powerschool as a major benefit. “The fact that the product syncs with Powerschool is a huge bonus that Google Classroom was not capable of doing,” said Yoder, “It allows the student to access their necessary work in an easier manner.” The future of Canvas is not 100 percent certain at the moment, but it is believed that it will continue to be used in coming years, and more and more functions will be utilized for teachers and students to use and harness. “As I understand, the ICCSD entered a 3 year contract with Canvas, so I think their services won’t be going away anytime soon,” said Yoder, “We will likely see the use of Canvas becoming more and more accepted and teachers will continue to find useful applications for the classroom setting.” ww

Chromebooks Every single student and teacher at West have the same, exactly identical object. No, not a phone, or textbooks, or anything like that. The item in question is a small, black, laptop - a Chromebook. And this year was the very first year at West in which every single student was given one to keep and use for the school year, a major step forward from the past. Chromebooks, distributed by Google, have been placed in hundreds of school districts in the United States and have been used by hundreds of thousands of students of all ages nationwide. This is not the first year that Chromebooks have been at this school or used by students. Before, Chromebook carts were placed in a variety of classrooms, and students could use those while in class rather than having to go the library or one of the computer labs to access a file, do research, or do any school-related work that is necessary to be done on a computer. Work could also be done on computers in the library or in any one of the several computer labs. But this year, all students were given a Chromebook to use at school. Rather than having to make everyone go to a lab or request a Chromebook stand, a teacher merely would have to ask the students to take out their Chromebooks if they wanted online work to be done.

Labeled the “1:1 Program”, the goal of the program is, according to the ICCSD’s Office of Technology & Innovation, to “positively impact the educational outcomes and opportunities available to our students; to have increases in student engagement, improved equity of access, use of anytime/anywhere technology access, and improved attendance, among other factors.” The distribution of Chromebooks to high schoolers this fall was only the first step in a wide, several-year plan; in following school years, the program will be extended to junior highs and other areas of education. The program also applies to iPads and other electronics that are used in some classes. The program has had a long history before its utilization this year. It has been in development for several years with special teams formed to work on it’s development, and it wasn’t even actually intended at first to commence until two school years from now for the entire school. “Originally, the initiative was [to provide] seventh/10th graders with Chromebooks in 2017, while high schools wouldn’t have been fully 1:1 until Fall of 2019. Last year, we decided to go 1:1 at all high school grade levels in 2017, and to junior highs in 2018. This avoided the problem of some students having computers while others didn’t, and allowed teachers and students to be able to make better use of the technology right away,” said Adam Kurth, the director of Technology and Innovation in the ICCSD. Of course, it is the population of the school that gets the Chromebooks, so they should be part of the factors that help determine whether they should continue or not. So what did students think about Chromebooks? Overall, they believed them to be generally helpful and a fine addition to the school. “I think they’re a great new [innovation],” said Aaron Fennell-Chametzky ‘20. “I went to West last year and my experience was okay, but this year it [has been] amazing and honestly the best year of my life, the Chromebooks playing a big part in making that possible.” As far as the teachers’ reactions go, they had a similar positive consensus about Chromebooks. “I had positive expectations, and so far those expectations have been met,” said Jeff Conner, a science teacher. “The chromebooks offer us great possibilities in class and I think we should continue [with the policy]; the benefits have definitely far outweighed the problems.” Kurth too believes the Chromebooks program has been largely beneficial and has so far progressed in an appropriate manner. “It’s important to keep in mind is that any major technology initiative takes years to fully mature,” stated Kurth, “ I’m very happy with how our initiative has progressed during the year; deployment was smooth, feedback has been largely positive, and our teachers have been able to to provide instruction in new ways.” He also believes that the 1:1 Policy will continue in years to come, t his year being the only the start of what’s to come. “We will continue the 1:1 initiative for the foreseeable future,” Kurth said. “As we move forward, we’ll continue to provide support to make better use of the technologies, update policies in ways that better reflect our technology realities, and improve services so that our devices can offer students and teachers all the tools they need in order to maximize learning and teaching in the best manner possible.”

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Musical Composers: Five From Every Era

Five different composers from five different eras that you need to know to be classically literate

BY SAM FENNELL-CHAMETZKY

aroque (1600-1750): The Baroque musical era featured complex, intricate, and dramatic music. It corresponded with the artistic movement of the time, and much of it featured harpsichords and organs. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German composer of the Baroque era who is one of the most influential and prolific composers of all time. Bach’s music is very intricate and emblematic of the baroque style. Some of his most Famous works are the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations, as well as hundreds of cantatas. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was a German composer of the Baroque era who spent much of his professional life in England. His music was less complex than Bach’s and instead more dramatic. His music used many horns and included many vocal parts, and some of his most famous works are his Messiah oratorio and his Water Music. Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) was a French composer of the 17th century in the court of Louis XIV. His music was meant to glorify the King and honor him through the dramatic, exciting French baroque style. Lully practically single handedly invented the French tragic opera style that became standard for over a hundred years. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was an early Italian composer who bridged the transitional gap between Renaissance music and Baroque music. He was influential in practically inventing the baroque musical genre. Most all of his works were vocal, and much of his music was religious. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian composer of the early 18th century. His music displayed a faster, lighter, and more melodic style than that of his contemporaries. His most famous piece is The Four Seasons, a piece that sets all four seasons to different styles of music. Honorable Mentions: Johann Pachelbel, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Georg Philipp Telemann

lassical (1750-1825): The Classical period featured elegant, simple, and melodic music. It corresponded with the neoclassical era of art, and many of the most famous composers hail from this era. Of Bach, Mozart said, “Bach is the father, we are the sons.” But he was not referring to Johann Sebastian. He was referring to his son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), a German composer of the early classical period and an important musical innovator. Without his and his contemporary Gluck’s innovations, the classical era would never have dawned. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer who led the transition between the Classical and the Romantic eras. He blended the melodies of the classical era with the passions of romanticism to create a unique style that was expressed most eloquently through his 9 symphonies. Some of his solo piano works, such as Für Elise and the Moonlight Sonata, are some of the most enduring and popular classical pieces ever. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was an Austrian composer of the classical period who, along with his contemporary and friend Mozart, best typified musical classicism. Regarded as the father of the string quartet and symphony, he spent his early years innovating and composing, but didn’t gain mass fame until the 1790s when he moved to London, eventually returning to Vienna later in the decade. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was an Austrian composer of the classical period who is quite possibly the most famous and well-known composer of all time. A child prodigy, he gained immense fame during his adulthood for stunning operas such as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute. Some of his most enduring pieces today are Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Rondo Alla Turca. Sadly, he died at the age of 35, and the circumstances of his death are shrouded in mystery. Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was an Austrian composer of the classical period who, along with Beethoven, straddled the period between classicism and romanticism. Remarkably, he finished his career as one of the most prolific composers ever even though he died at just age 31. He was well known for composing Lieds (songs), and his Trout Quintet is one of his most enduring and popular works.

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odern (1900-1975): The Modern era of classical music was an era in which classical music changed greatly in order to adapt to changing times and tastes. Music became more daring and innovative, featuring jazz melodies and new instruments and tonal techniques. However, some tried to defend the old guard through neoclassicism. Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was a Hungarian composer of the modern era, widely regarded as the best since Liszt. He was well-known for incorporating Hungarian folk songs and styles into his music. Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was an American composer who is generally accepted as the greatest American composer of all time. His work was known for being particularly accessible and vernacular for classical music, causing it to be labeled as populist music for the common man. His most famous piece is Appalachian Spring. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was a French composer of the modern era whose music was often described as “Impressionist” due to the feelings and colors that it evoked in the mind of the listener. He was also hugely influential and innovative as a composer. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was a Russian composer of the modern era whose music was known for huge tonal contrasts. He composed in many different styles and, through a large body of orchestral work, established himself as one of the most important modern composers. Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian composer of the modern era. His initial works, such as the ballets The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, were groundbreaking and radical, breaking musical conventions. Later on, his music was more neoclassical in nature, borrowing heavily from the styles of Haydn and Mozart. Stravinsky was quite possibly the greatest composer of the whole 20th century. Honorable Mentions: Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten, Sergei Prokofiev

omantic (1825-1900): The Romantic era was a musical era that emphasized personal expression and virtuoism. Some of the music was very fast and singable, some very slow and emotional. This era probably features the largest diversity of different composers. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was a German composer of the romantic period whose music represented structural and traditional musical norms in contrast to the radicalism of composers such as Wagner. He is considered by some to be the greatest romantic composer, as shown by his inclusion in the “Three Bs” of music: Bach for baroque, Beethoven for classical, and Brahms for romantic. Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was a Polish composer of the romantic period who was most known for his hauntingly beautiful mazurkas, etudes, and nocturnes for the piano. One of his most enduringly famous and popular works today is his Revolutionary Etude. He tragically died at the age of just 39. Franz Liszt (1811-1856) was a Hungarian composer of the romantic era whose celebrity was based on his compositions for the piano. His works required a stunning amount of virtuosity, and he himself was known as a fabulous pianist. Along with Wagner, he promoted radical, new music, and the level of his celebrity was such that the phenomenon of Lisztomania developed. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was a Russian composer of the romantic era whose music was more western-oriented than that of “The Five”, a group of five Russian nationalist composers. Some of his most famous works are his three ballets (Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty) and the 1812 Overture.

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Richard Wagner (1813-1883) was a German composer of the romantic era who led the radical charge for new music. His music was loud and new, and while some thought it not pleasing to the ear, his influence is undeniable. Many composers who came after him even felt pressure to differentiate their styles from that of Wagner, because by the end of his life many of the greatest composers were his devotees. Honorable Mentions: Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Giuseppe Verdi

ontemporary (1975-Present): The contemporary era of classical music is an era in which classical music is very unlike that of any other era before. Much of the music is atonal, electronic, and unmelodic, so it often doesn’t sound as good as more traditional classical music. Contemporary classical music is also the era in which classical music is the least popular, as it has been almost completely supplanted in the public imagination by pop music. Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) was a French composer of the contemporary era who gained immense fame in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s for his avant-garde compositions and later gained fame for his career as a conductor. Philip Glass (born 1937) is an American composer of the contemporary period who, along with Steve Reich, was a pioneer of the minimalist movement that began in the late 1960s and hit its peak in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Glass gained fame with a general audience after his album Glassworks. György Ligeti (1923-2016) was a Hungarian composer of the contemporary era who was one of the most famous in the world from the 1960s to the 1990s. He was most famous for his opera Le Grand Macabre. Steve Reich (born 1936) is an American composer of the contemporary period who, along with Philip Glass, pioneered the minimalist style in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. He has been hailed as “America’s greatest living composer.” Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) was a German composer of the contemporary era who was one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century. He pioneered electronic music, and one of his most famous works is Licht, a cycle of seven operas written over the span of 26 years. The whole cycle consists of 29 hours of music. Honorable Mentions: Henryk Górecki, Arvo Pärt, Krzysztof Penderecki

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$ $ $$$ $ $ $ $ Economic Policy BY SAM FENNELL-CHAMETZKY

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The state of the economy, whether you realize it or not, has a major impact on your life and on everyone else’s’. If the economy is doing badly or our politicians pursue counterproductive economic policies, your career options and quality of life will be lower. Your future depends on the decisions that those in power make now. Thus, it is important to pay attention to and think about the economy, and consider which economic policies would be best for our country. Also, it is important to understand economic policy when deciding which candidates to vote for in elections. If you are economically ignorant, then you could be easily swayed by unsound arguments presented by dishonest politicians. Also, as a side note, this article will only focus on macroeconomics, as the present author knows very little about microeconomics.

Fiscal Policy: Fiscal Policy, for those not in the know, is economic policy regarding revenues and expenditures of the government. Fiscal policy is formed through tax policy and spending policy. Taxes are the primary source of revenue for the government, while spending on social programs and the military is the primary source of expenditures for the government.

My Policy Recommendations: Government spending on social services and public services such as Medicare, Social Security, and infrastructure should be high. This is because these are services that help people and make their lives better. Deficit hawks may complain that this would increase the debt too much. However, this increase in spending would be offset by high taxes and a moderate amount of military spending, unlike the bloated military budget that exists now. The main purpose of the high taxes, though, would be to reduce income inequality and make the rich pay their fair share. Also, the cut in military spending and the raise in taxes would not be a burden on the economy. This is because the economy is not in a recession at all; the economy is doing okay. Therefore, increased stimulus is not necessary. Monetary Policy: Monetary Policy involves inflation and unemployment, and the Federal Reserve’s efforts to balance the two against each other. The Federal Reserve does this with interest rates. High interest rates decrease demand in the economy, while low interest rates increase demand. When inflation is high, the Fed will raise interest rates, as this decreases inflation. When unemployment is high, the Fed will lower interest rates, as this decreases unemployment. In rare cases, called stagflation, both unemployment and inflation can be high.

My Policy Recommendations: The Federal Reserve should keep interest rates low, because there is no need to raise rates when inflation is as low as it is now. Unfortunately, the Fed has recently been raising interest rates. This is unfortunate because inflation right now is only at 2%, which is low. The Fed is doing this because it believes that inflation will rise soon, but to me it should “wait and see” instead of assuming that inflation will rise. If the Fed raises interest rates when inflation is low, then a recession could occur if enough demand is sapped out of the economy.

DESIGN BY PATRICK TAYLOR

EDITORIAL: CHROMEBOOKS AFTER ONE YEAR BY SAM FENNELL-CHAMETZKY AND EDWARD KEEN We, the editorial board of the Ackbar Advocate, oppose Chromebooks. We believe that the replacement of Chromebooks by desktops in the library has negatively affected the school, as Chromebooks are much slower than desktops and have less functions. Chromebooks also cause distractions in classrooms and are a waste of school money that could be better spent elsewhere. The school should either provide students with serviceable laptop computers or not provide any at all. Alternatively, students that already have more usable laptops should be able to opt-out of the Chromebook program. And in classes, instead of using Chromebooks, classes should head to computer labs to use desktops. I have an anecdotal experience involving the flaws of Chromebooks. Once I attempted to access Canvas on my Chromebook in the library, but the page wasn’t loading and the Chromebook didn’t seem to be able to process it. Once it finally loaded, there were links on the page, but clicking on the links did nothing as the computer wasn’t responding. I tried refreshing the webpage several times, but each time it just resulted in the whole frustrating process starting over again, a persisting problem that has primarily occurred on Chromebooks and not any other computers. Another issue with Chromebooks involves power. Although it is expected that students charge their Chromebooks at home, many of them do not and it is impossible to force them to do so. Therefore, at school there is no way to use the Chromebook if it is out of power and one has forgotten the charger unless an outlet is nearby. This impedes students’ abilities to participate and work effectively in class, as much class content today is put online using such services as Canvas. Desktop computers, on the other hand, never run out of power. Thus, they should be restored to areas of the school where they were removed so that classes can use them instead of relying on the notoriously unreliable Chromebooks. Additionally, much of the school’s policies toward Chromebooks has shown to be boneheaded. For example, a library Chromebook checkout system does exist, but oftentimes no Chromebooks are available. Also, students are not allowed to charge their Chromebooks during study hall. This is a clearly ludicrous policy. If a student has taken responsibility and brought their charger to class, they should be allowed to charge their computers. It seems ridiculous that they would be disallowed from doing so. Study hall is a class where Chromebooks are not a distraction, as nothing is being taught, and where students may need their computers in order to get work done.

though, is censorship. The computers do not allow students to search content on Google that it deems “offensive.” While this in theory is a good thing, it often blocks out far more than necessary. Even if something is considered “offensive”, that doesn’t mean that we won’t learn about it in school. For example, in my English class this year we were reading a poem called “The Bet.” We had to search about this poem on Google, but we were blocked from searching it because it was classified as “gambling.” Our teacher then had to talk to the librarians in order to While this in theory is a good thing, it often blocks out far more than necessary. Even if something is considered “offensive”, that doesn’t mean that we won’t learn about it in school. For example, in my English class this year we were reading a poem called “The Bet.” We had to search about this poem on Google, but we were blocked from searching it because it was classified as “gambling.” Our teacher then had to talk to the librarians in order to get “The Bet” removed from the block list - a huge waste of time that could be spent more efficiently. Also, in Spanish class we had to watch some YouTube videos, but the videos were blocked on the school wifi even though they were in no way “offensive.” This just goes to show that the robotic filters and algorithms in Chromebooks are not the best judge of what is offensive or not.

The Editorial Board Voted

2-1 Against the use of Chromebooks at West High

An additional issue with Chromebooks is privacy and censorship. Firstly, Chromebooks do not allow the Incognito browsing function on Google Chrome to be accessed. Additionally, the school tracks every single website that students visit and sends them to each students’ parents, which seems like a step too far. I doubt the people behind the Chromebooks would be happy with other people knowingly seeing all their activity. Students should at least have a little bit of privacy. It reeks of authoritarianism and spying. The Chromebooks also do not allow students’ to erase their browsing history. Possibly worse than all,

DESIGN BY PATRICK TAYLOR

2018 Midterm Elections BY SAM FENNELL-CHAMETZKY

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is facing a competitive reelection battle in this year’s Iowa Gubernatorial Election, as several Democrats have already declared for the governorship. Only three of those candidates, however, have polled over five percent in prospective Democratic primary polling. Fred Hubbell, a businessman from Cedar Rapids, is one of the 3 main Democratic candidates who has attracted a sizable amount of support. Hubbell is on the neoliberal, centrist wing of the party. Nate Boulton, a State Senator from Iowa, is another candidate who is running for the Democratic nomination. He is running as a mainstream Democrat, and he has been endorsed by 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. Cathy Glasson, a union organizer, is seen as the most progressive candidate and has been endorsed by Our Revolution, a Bernie Sanders backed group. In Ohio’s gubernatorial race, populist leftist Dennis Kucinich was defeated by Richard Cordray, who was supported by Elizabeth Warren. Kucinich garnered harsh criticism from many Democrats for his support of Russia and his praise of Putin and Assad.

Due primarily to the unpopularity of President Trump, Democrats have a good chance to win back the Senate this election cycle. There are several battleground, toss-up elections that Democrats will have to win, though. In order to get a majority, Democrats will have to perform well in several states. The elections in Missouri, Nevada, Montana, North Dakota, Arizona, and Indiana will all need to be won. In Missouri, Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill is facing a tough reelection battle in her run for a third term. She only won twice before because the Republicans nominated bad candidates, but this election, if the Republicans select a better candidate, it will be a hard-fought election all around. In Nevada, unpopular Republican Senator Dean Heller is a target for Democrats to unseat. Current polling has Democrats leading in that race. In Montana, moderate Democrat Jon Tester faces reelection in a deeply Republican state. Heidi Heitkamp faces a similar challenge, as she is an incumbent Democratic Senator from North Dakota running in a state that strongly favors Republicans. In Arizona, the resignation of Republican Senator Jeff Flake makes that state’s Senate election up for grabs. In Indiana, Joe Donnelly, an incumbent Democratic Senator who was only elected due to the Republicans nominating a hardline Tea Partier last time around, will face a difficult reelection campaign in his state that favors Republicans if the GOP nominates a more moderate candidate. Democrats also may try to target Ted Cruz in Texas, as Doug Jones’s win in Alabama showed that anything is possible. However, beating a Senator as high-profile as Cruz remains a longshot. It is also possible that Republicans could beat incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Manchin in West Virginia. Manchin, a conservative “blue dog,” is vulnerable. Although the hardright candidate Don Blankenship, who campaigned on ditching “Cocaine Mitch”, has been defeated, it will still be a challenging race for Manchin.

The gerrymandered congressional districts of Pennsylvania were also thrown out by the courts, and the new districts are sure to help Democrats win more congressional seats in the state. Democrats also have a chance to gain a House majority. Paul Ryan recently announced his retirement, so even if the Republicans retain their majority they will have to choose a new Speaker, such as Kevin McCarthy or Steve Scalise. If Democrats flip the House, Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker, will most likely regain the Speakership. In Iowa, conservative Republican congressman Rod Blum represents Iowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First district. This northeastern district includes the cities of Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, and Dubuque. The District is considered slightly Democratic-leaning, and recent polling has shown the race as a near-tie. David Young, a Republican congressman from Iowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Southwestern 3rd District, is also vulnerable. Recent polls have shown that race to be a toss-up.

DESIGN BY PATRICK TAYLOR

Harry Potter Book Reviews: Having sold over 500 million books worldwide and amassed almost $8 billion at the worldwide box office, Harry Potter has proven to be one of the most successful and popular franchises to date. This year, the franchise will celebrate 20 years since it began its run nationwide, and to commemorate this achievement, I looked back at the seven books and reviewed them for their quality. BY EDWARD KEEN

The first entry in the series follows Harry as a young wizard, discovering his magical heritage at his first year at the Hogwarts. One of the areas the very first Harry Potter novel succeeds at the most is the introduction of the Wizarding World and its many magical elements, as well as the primary characters that return in the following entries. The story itself, while slightly thin, is simple and to the point. However, it is clearly directed towards a younger audience, meaning that it is harder to reread and feel completely satisfied compared to most of the books in the series.

At his second year at Hogwarts, Harry investigates the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets after students around the school are found to be “petrified” (frozen like stone). For the second entry in the series, the plot feels really thin, and it feels a lot like a rehash of the first in most areas. Lots of things happen in it that don’t actually mean anything and aren’t revisited until much later in the series - for example, the Sword of Gryffindor appears to play a crucial role at the end of the novel, but it is not seen again until five books later. But for the record, just because I did not have completely positive remarks on it does not mean it is bad - honestly, all the books in the series are good for the most part, but this just fails to live up to the rest.

Harry’s third year at Hogwarts has him investigating Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from the wizarding prison Azkaban, who is believed to be one of Lord Voldemort's closest allies. With a quick, fast-paced plot, many fascinating new elements and characters and a familiar cheerful tone, it is an exhilarating ride from start to finish. It plays on the themes of loyalty, betrayal and tragedy while introducing some of what would arguably become the best characters in the series. It is also the first introduction of a darker, more mature turn in the series, which would later be carried on into future entries.

Harry, in his fourth year at Hogwarts, investigates the mystery surrounding the entry of his name into the Triwizard Tournament - a dangerous, life-threatening contest in which he is forced to compete. This is the first book in the series where the darker tone is completely utilized and the somewhat childish tone vanishes. The story is relatively easy to follow and delightfully original, while the adventurous tone makes it an interesting read with an unpredictable plot. Many new characters and storylines are introduced, and they all are unique and fascinating with lots of different stories to tell. As usual, it is written in a clear, concise matter that is easy to read and comprehend.

Voldemort returns as a threat in the Wizarding World, the Ministry of Magic reveals their true corrupt nature and Harry is troubled by problems at Hogwarts in his fifth year there. One of the biggest complaints I had about this book is that it lacks some of the excitement and allure of the previous books and instead feels, at points, slow and tedious with an excess of storylines. At a length of almost 900 pages, I feel it really would have benefited if it had been slightly shorter. On the other hand, the book has lots of elements that make it worth reading, such as the character development, new characters and emotional complexity.

Set during Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry and his headmaster/mentor Albus Dumbledore explore Voldemort’s past in order to prepare for the final battle against Voldemort. The plot is engaging and mysterious, and it features many surprises and twists. Additionally, Rowling is able to weave through many plotlines and piece them together by the conclusion, while at the same time setting up the finale of the series in an appropriate manner. The mood in the story shifts from a dark, relatively gritty tone to one that is charming and entertaining, and it mostly works those out smoothly. While some of the writing and storytelling is hard to comprehend and can be somewhat slow at points, it is overall a satisfactory sixth entry in the series.

Harry, along with his companions Ron and Hermione, leave Hogwarts in order to search for Voldemort’s seven Horcruxes - pieces of his soul - and end his cruel reign in the Wizarding World once and for all. The finale to the entire series is one I’d say is a success all around. It shows that the Harry Potter books can still work without having Hogwarts as the main backdrop throughout. While no new major characters are introduced, the existing ones are all well-developed and their character arcs, for the most part, are rounded out in an impeccable matter. Almost every scene is done well, whether it is merely a conversation between characters or an all-out battle. Like all the others, it has many surprises hidden up its sleeve that even the biggest fans can’t predict. Many of the closing books in a series tend to be bloated and overambitious, but this defies that and produces a story that, as a whole, is well done and a fitting conclusion to the saga.

Did You Read the Issue? 1.

DOWN:

ACROSS:

1. Composer of “Ode to Joy”

2. Ready Player One was made into a _____ into a movie in, released into 2018.

2. State Sen. Claire McCaskill is running for relection in 2018. 3. Educational softwate used by the ICCSD, introduced in 2017/

4. _______ Reserve. 5. Virtual world featured in Ready Player One. 6. Political Party defending Senate seats in Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, and North Dakota, in the 2018 Midterm elections.

COMPILED AND DESIGNEDBY PATRICK TAYLOR

Answers; Down 1. Beethoven 2. Missouri 3. Canvas

Across: 2. Miissouri 4. Federal 5. OASIS 6. Democratic