POUR S’AMUSER MAY 2018
PICTURE OF THE MONTH Max, a very good Poodle mix, leads his owner on a hike while demonstrating his independence and inherent goodness. According to his owner, Max likes chasing bees and digging holes in the backyard.
ANDREW BURGESS:
CONTENTS
02 04 06 08 10 13 14 16
PHOTO OF THE MONTH THE FARM LIFE YOUR BRAIN ON A.I. THE END OF TIMES THE BEST BUDDY HOW TO GET STARTED: HAND LETTERING THE BOOKWORM SPORTY STYLES
COVER ART & DESIGN BY CLAUDIA CHIA
ANDREW
As the designer of this project, Claudia uses fun colors and patterns. She enjoys baking and anything art related. She’s involved in orchestra and is also on the West Girls Varsity Golf Team. Claudia is a fun person to be around and very dedicated to the production of the magazine.
CLAUDIA
CHIA
EMMA GIBSON
Emma is in charge of infographics and the book reviews. She enjoys reading books in her free time. Some of her favorites is the Harry Potter series. Emma likes to give other people suggestions on which books to read and introduce them into some of the worlds that Emma has immersed herself in over the years.
MEET THE STAFF
BURGESS
Andrew is the writer for this magazine. When he isn’t working on homework, Andrew enjoys listening and playing music. His favorite genre is jazz. As the pianist of the West High Jazz Ensemble, Andrew spends much of his time rehearsing. Andrew writes with detail and while still having quick, to the point articles.
THE FARM LIFE
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F E AT U R E MAY 2018
Many city-slickers have preconceived notions about farm life. Natalie Young ‘20 answers some questions about what living on a farm is really like. BY CLAUDIA CHIA
Natalie Young ‘20 hugging baby goat billy Ace at her farm, Lucky Star Farm.
Goats of Lucky Star Farm running in the field early in the morning
Pour S’amuser: Best Part about living on a farm? Natalie Young: I think the best part about living on a farm is that it’s such a unique experience that I get to have. We have a lot of fun stuff going on at the farm, and it’s always an adventure. Also, our farm isn’t in town so it’s usually pretty peaceful.
PS: Would you want to have a farm when you grow up? NY: Yes, I would love to have a farm! Living on a farm and PA: Special chores for living taking care of animals has given me so many amazing opportuon a farm? Is there a lot of nities and has helped me decide work? NY: I don’t really do a ton of that I definitely see a future with chores because I’ve been pret- animals and a farm. ty busy, but most nights we take the goats out for a walk PA: Were there times where you around the pond and then do didn’t like living a “farm life”? chores. In the summer I have NY: Since we are farther away a lot more time so I get to do from town, sometimes it gets annoying because it takes us a more outside and with the while to get anywhere in town animals. and I don’t really live close to any of my friends. PA: Favorite animal on the farm? NY: The goats!!
DESIGN BY CLAUDIA CHIA PHOTOS FROM NATALIE YOUNG
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“ LIVI N G O N A FAR M AN D TAK I N G CAR E O F AN I MALS HAS G IVE N M E SO MANY AMAZ I N G O PPO RTU N ITI ES AN D HAS H E LPE D M E DECI DE THAT I DE F I N ITE LY SE E A F UTU R E WITH AN I MALS AN D A FAR M .”
Young walking with family llama.
SUNNY THE LLAMA
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OPINION MAY 2018
YOUR BRAIN ON A.I. Rapid advances in technology raise questions about our future as a society and as a species. BY ANDREW BURGESS
I
n our modernized, technologyindependent and Baby Boomerinfuriating society, Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. Thanks to our free market, AI has permeated itself through nearly every techrelated aspect of our lives. Siri. Map directions. Self-driving cars. Facebook tagging. Youtube Autoplay. Search term predictions. So yeah, it’s improving our lives -- what’s so controversial about it? Well, the whole Facebook situation was caused by The Zucc™’s complete disregard of user privacy, using the site’s vast database to share the personal data of 87 million people to Cambridge Analytica for advertising purposes. This brings up a major question: do we want convenience at the expense of sacrificing privacy? Most of us have inadvertently agreed by using these sites and not looking at the Odysseylength user license agreements. Algorithms used in social media and other conveniences can be viewed as the basis of AI. Because of Google, YouTube and Facebook’s high user engagement, their search result and suggestion algorithms can be hugely influential to people’s opinions. Even programmers don’t always know what data their algorithms use to generate results. As a consequence, algorithms can racially discriminate, target underprivileged people, or target those facing mental illness for advertising -- all outside the responsibility of companies. As data scientist Cathy O’Neil puts it,
“ALGO RITH M S AR E O PI N I O N S E M B E DDE D I N CO DE .” DESIGN BY CLAUDIA CHIA
Another facet of AI is Machine Learning. This basically means that a program can use data on its own to improve performance, without the need for programming. Uber and Lyft use machine learning to improve wait times and increase efficiency (and traffic accidents, apparently), virtual assistants use it to understand your voice (except when they don’t), and Tesla uses it in their self-driving cars (wait, they actually don’t usually crash). How,
INFOGRAPHIC BY EMMA GIBSON
specifically, does this facilitate our demise as a civilization? Well… as any teenager desperate to acquire currency may have noticed, our job market is pretty trash and would probably become even more trash with the addition of stuff like McDonald’s self checkout machines. Once those become more prevalent in retail and similar jobs, we’re basically screwed. Keep in mind that self checkout machines won’t ever demand $15 an hour, ask for paid maternal leave, or (God forbid), unionize. Lastly, if you think humanity is saved by our ability to simply put away our phones or whatever other gadget, we probably won’t. The next step in technology is likely Brain-Machine Interfaces. Yeah, a computer implanted in your brain. This tech needs some improvements before it’s available, but it’s catching up scarily fast. Mr. Tesla Dude, aka Elon Musk, is on top of this trend. Two years ago, he started Neuralink, a company seeking to create the first consumer Brain Machine Interface. Many scientists and philosophers think that we as a species will start to merge our consciousness with these computers. Sounds like a scifi plot, but that’s where this is headed. To wrap this up, all this technical AI jargon stuff shouldn’t just be limited to techoriented people. This is the future. We’ll all have to deal with the consequences of new technology, from an even worse job market to increased income inequality. So if you ever consider dropping out of your oppressive math class, just relax and understand that whatever education you get (or don’t get) will become meaningless in a society run by our robot overlords.
Artificial Intelligence will be known as AI throughout the timeline
History of Artificial Intelligence
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OPINION
MAY 2018
1936 First programmable computer is created, leading to further research in the world of AI
1956 The Dartmouth Conference is considered the birth of AI. The name AI was coined here.
AI started in myths and stories in ancient times through stories that placed consciousness or intelligence in nonliving items.
1956-1974 The Golden Years of AI, the world of AI made leaps and bounds during this time period. Daniel Bobrow created STUDENT, an early algebra word problem solver.
1972 1975
The first desktop computer is made by Ed Roberts. It was called the Altair 8800
1981 First laptop created by Adam Osborne. It was called the Osborne 1.
Compiled by Emma Gibson Source: Wikipedia
World's first android created in Japan
1980-1987 AI starts to become more knowledge based.
Present
Microchips are getting smaller and technology is a growing field. New androids are being made with the capability of expressing emotions. Sophia, a robot, has achieved citizenship in Saudi Arabia.
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N EWS
MAY 2018
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DESIGN BY CLAUDIA CHIA
09 N EWS
BY: ANDREW BURGESS
R
ecently, a video went viral in which dozens of news anchors from across the country read the same script about distrusting popular media (ironically). This happened because all of those stations have been bought by Sinclair, a media conglomerate. Sinclair then gave them must-run programming, such as Bottom Line With Boris, a two-minute segment aired every day from former Trump aide Boris Epshteyn. Bottom Line is essentially Trump propaganda, spreading blatant misinformation in some cases and undermining the legitimacy of broadcast media. One such segment, aired in April, praised Trump’s tariffs despite warning from experts that it would cause an economically devastating trade war with South Korea, citing a March 25 pact between the two countries that forces South Korea to slash its steel exports to the United States by 30 percent, while exempting it from a regular 25 percent tariff. Seriously, does anyone with basic knowledge of an economy think this is a good idea? Another must-run segment features Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump adviser, essentially pushing a conspiracy theory about the so-called “Deep State,” an unelected group of government officials who are supposedly manipulating administration policy. Because of its sheer ridiculousness, it’s a bit hard to relate to other situations. Basically, it’s equivalent to a large news network pushing outright conspiracy theories about 9/11 being an inside job, or that the Sandy Hook massacre was faked. This touches on the root of the problem here -- this isn’t a major news network. Somewhat unjustified
BY TH E
MAY 2018
N U M BE RS
89 193 1, 270, 230,0 0 0 markets controlled
stations controlled
amount of people they’ve reached
sentiment against CNN became a serious topic, with hundreds of thousands of Americans branding them as part of the Fake News Media™, and the God-Emperor himself posting memes dissing CNN, which further fed into the vicious cycle. This sentiment spread to basically every news source except Fox News, (probably) Russian political Facebook accounts, and ironically enough, news networks like Breitbart or InfoWars that actively spread conspiracy theories. With this ridiculous chain of events, it’s understandable that many Americans would turn to their ol’ reliable local news sources.
“AN D N OW WITH N EAR LY 2 0 0 STATI O N S CO NTRO LLE D BY A S I N G LE B ROADCASTI N G G ROU P, TH E I SSU E H E R E B ECO M ES PR ETT Y VI S I B LE .”
Essentially, differences in opinions expressed throughout the local newssphere help people create unique but informed opinions, and one corporation monopolizing this news sphere could be incredibly damaging to public opinion in general. One The general impression among staff in Sinclair-owned station is that things haven’t really changed. Traditional news media has been on a decline for the past couple decades as people turn away from magazine subscriptions, and media companies have essentially been scrambling to implement budget cuts to make up for lost revenue. Because of this, positions in media, especially broadcasting, have been very fragile. For example, anyone quitting or being fired would be replaced instantly. In terms of mustrun segments, those have been around for a while in the form of shared stories and broadcasting - where one station runs another station’s story. Apart from dealing with Boris Epshteyn, Sebastian Gorka, and a slew of other conspiracy-ridden and media-distrusting segments, it looks like ultimately, not much is going to change among Sinclair-owned stations.
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COV E R MAY 2018
LEFT TO RIGHT: Laurel Haverkamp ‘20, Orion Crowley ‘18 and Elise Seery ‘21 smile for the camera at the 2017 Best Buddies Fall Fun Fest
THE BEST BUDDY Laurel Haverkamp ‘20, the aspiring president of the West High chapter of Best Buddies, tells about her experiences, goals, and memories with her buddies. BY ANDREW BURGESS AND CLAUDIA CHIA What got you interested in Best Buddies, and how did you hear about it?
Both of my parents worked in special education and my mom now works with creating IEPs for students in special education, so Best Buddies has always been something I’ve heard her talking about. I got involved at West at the club fair. I knew when I walked into the cafeteria freshman year that it was the booth I was looking for. As soon as I found it, I signed up. Then at our first meeting, Maddee Whitehead, who was the president last year, asked anyone interested in getting more involved to come talk to her. I did, and I was on the executive board my freshman year.
What’s the process of becoming Chapter President?
For me, [the process] was more aimed at the reason why I’ve been the Vice President this year. Typically at West we have a junior VP and a senior [Chapter President]. We didn’t have any sophomores on the board last year, so I was the VP this year as a sophomore, not junior. This year we went through the CP process with our coordinator, Alyson Moen, and I was selected to be the Chapter President for the 2018-2019 school year.
Talk about your friendship with Orion.
My friendship with Orion is my favorite part about Best Buddies. He has taught me how to be a good friend and that you don’t have to do crazy unique things to have a good time. Orion really likes listening and singing along to music, so whenever we go somewhere together and I drive, I always play music and we sing along to the songs. We jam out to anything with a good beat and he really likes Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney. Whenever we drive together, I always try to take the long route because I never want to cut that time short. When I hang out with Orion I always have a great time and I hope everyone can experience a friendship like that.
What is your goal as president next year?
My goals for next year are largely focused around getting more people at West involved and making sure people understand that you don’t have to be in a one-on-one friendship to come to our events and have a good time.
Describe your friendship with the current president.
Sadie Widmer is amazing, simply put. I have been able to work with her this year and I am so thankful for that opportunity. She has taught me a lot this year and she has become a good friend of mine. I know that her love and passion for Best Buddies is genuine and I hope that I am able to live up the standard she has set for next year.
“ I TH I N K L AU R E L WOU LD B E A G R EAT LEADE R . SH E ’S ALWAYS PE PPY AN D E NTH U S IASTI C AN D SH E WO R KS R EALLY WE LL WITH OTH E RS.” LEFT TO RIGHT: Crowley, Haverkamp and Durian celebrating at homecoming.
- E M MA DU RIAN ‘19
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Haverkamp and Crowley biking at the University of Iowa Homecoming Parade.
Sadie Widmer ‘18 and Haverkamp at the 2018 Best Buddies Friendship Ball.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Crowley, Haverkamp and Seery at the 2018 Best Buddies Friendship Walk.
HER INSPIRATION Lisa Haverkamp (mom): She was an elementary school teacher, then principal at Solon and Weber. She’s now regional administrator at Grant Wood AEA. Mike Haverkamp (dad): He student taught fifth grade at Shimek and was once a special education teacher.
Haverkamp and Crowley grinning after the Best Buddies coin toss at the Seniors Night football game.
HER FUTURE
WHAT IS BEST BUDDIES? Best Buddies works with people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Haverkamp and Crowley celebrating their victory after a cake decorating contest.
Haverkamp and hopes ed Nations
is inspired to better the education in kids’ lives, to teach in underdeveloped countries with UnitInternational Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
“...there’s special education which I’m really passionate about, but there’s also so many children in underdeveloped countries around the world who aren’t given proper education or aren’t educated at all. And I thought ‘I can help with that’,” said Haverkamp. Haverkamp wants to start teaching in high risk schools in Chicago because of the teaching experience required, and it would be easier to start in the states instead of being immediately thrown into a completely different culture. Since she needs to know one the UNICEF languages, she is currently taking Spanish 3 honors, and plans to take French 1 her senior year. Haverkamp plans to major in special education with international studies with UNICEF.
DESIGN AND ART BY CLAUDIA CHIA PHOTOS FROM LAUREL HAVERKAMP
HOW TO GET STARTED:
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E N T E R TA I N M E N T
MAY 2018
BY CLAUDIA CHIA
MATERIALS
ART & DESIGN BY CLAUDIA CHIA
TOOLS: Crayola Broad Tip Marker Micron Pen Set Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Marker Pilot G2 Retractable Premium Gel Ink Roller Ball Pen BOOKS: Hand Lettering 101: An Introduction to the Art of Creative Lettering- By: Paige Tate Lettering for Beginners- By: Lettering Designs
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REVIEW MAY 2018
THE BOOKWORM Good books are hard to find and I would like to make that search just a little bit easier. I tend to read fantasy/fiction books that can allow me to submerge myself into different worlds. While I tend to enjoy most of the books I have read, there are a few that I think everyone should read. -Emma the Bookworm
EMERALD ATLAS By: John Stephens Kate, Michael, and Emma have lived their lives in orphanages, hoping that their parents would come get them. After being rejected by a potential parent, they are sent to Cambridge Falls where they meet Dr. Pym and live in his mansion. While exploring the mansion, they find an emerald colored book that when touched by a photograph, transports them to the place and time the picture was taken. Will the dark past of Cambridge Falls be revealed? What will happen when Kate, Michael, and Emma travel through time? I first read this book because it was a gift from my grandparents. I loved the fact that the book is part of a trilogy because it allows the characters to grow more, the character development in the first book alone was amazing. The book’s plot is original and engaging. I enjoyed that the usual time travelling story was twisted from the character just having the power to needing a prop, or the book. I could really connect to each of their problems and worries. It showed some of the bad aspects to having siblings, but it also allows one to see all of the good. Because I am the oldest of my siblings, I can totally understand and connect with Kate’s worries and stress about her younger siblings. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who needs a good series that will keep them on their toes.
REALITY BOY By: A.S. King
His whole childhood was a TV show. Gerald Faust has major anger issues, brought on by the reality tv show, Network Nanny, his mother brought into his life when he was five. Nicknamed ‘The Crapper’, he struggles to lose the image he created for himself twelve years before. This was an intense book and I have not read another like it. “Reality Boy” took me on a rollercoaster of emotions that allowed me to feel like I was in Gerald’s world. It addressed the damaged mental state of Gerald and how something in childhood can mess a person up for a long time. It was not an easy book to read because of all of the emotions that I felt when reading it: contempt for the people who make fun of Gerald, heavy-hearted for the times when Gerald has to find family in strangers. This was an all around good book that I would recommend to people who don’t mind swearing.
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REVIEW
THE THIEF LORD BY: Conelia Funke
MAY 2018
Prosper and Bo have run away to Venice, Italy. With nowhere to live, they fall in with a group of thieves led by the Thief Lord, Scipio. The group lives in an abandoned movie theatre that provides Bo and Prosper a hiding place from the detective that has been sent to find them. Will the boys’ hiding place keep them safe? Should they trust the Thief Lord? I read this book as part of a book club. When I started to read it, I was insanely bored. The story was slow and boring and it had nothing I usually liked to read. The book was definitely aimed towards a younger crowd because the characters were all fourteen years or younger. I enjoyed the setting of the book, I could feel like I was in Venice along with the characters. While I did enjoy the book, I have definitely read better.
CHASING ORION By: Kathryn Lasky
Polio is just something found in newspapers, right? This is what Georgie thought before she met Phyllis, the girl next door. Georgie starts to talk with Phyllis, who is outside everyday in her iron lung(a machine used to help people suffering from polio breathe), but is Phyllis lying to Georgie? Will Georgie be able to unravel the web of lies that Phyllis spins? While this was a good book, it was not very memorable. I usually am able to remember the plot of a book, but had to jumpstart my memory for this review. Some of the good aspects came from the fact that it described some side effects of polio that tend to be less thought of. Usually one would focus on the medical side to the sickness, but this book tended to focus on the more social aspect of it. My overall opinion on this book is that it was a good read while I was reading it, but it wasn’t good enough to keep at the forefront of my repertoire of books to recommend.
HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY By: Audrey Niffenegger
Julia and Valentina are twins. When their mother’s twin, Elspeth, dies and decides to leave her flat to the girls, her only condition is that their parents don’t step foot inside until they have lived there for a year. The girls move in to find an eclectic space. The London flat borders the Highgate Cemetery and the sisters start to find out more about their mysterious aunt. They meet her neighbors, her lover, and possibly Elspeth herself. In my opinion, this book was a good read. The mystery aspect of the book kept me hooked through the slower beginning. For the most part I enjoyed the side stories. Over half of the book was Julia and Valentina getting into arguments, which led to me getting the feeling that the twins were not very happy with each other. The book seemed to be a little random at times, but so am I. It kind of matched my thinking style, jumping around, a lot. I was a little confused by the plot and why the twins moved into a flat after never really knowing their aunt. Some of the plot points that come into play towards the end of the book are really unnecessary and confusing. Overall, the book was good, but the confusing storyline made it hard to read.
FOOTJOY hydrolite women’s rain jacket $185
ADIDAS women’s rangewear sweatshirt $70
FOOTJOY dryjoys women’s rain pants $120 NIKE women’s golf shoe $135
ADIDAS women’s original NMD $130
LEFT TO RIGHT: Ellie Kouba ‘19, Rylee Goodfellow ‘21, Madison Kiersch ‘21
SPORTY STYLES
NIKE women’s adjustable hat $25
girls golf edition DESIGN BY CLAUDIA CHIA