Mary Ward Planet - Vol.16, Issue 1, Winter 2010-11

volume 16 | issue 1 | winter edition 2010

MARY ARY W WARD ARD M planet.maryward.ca

AN NEETT PPL LA information | art | style | leisure

F l o o d i n Pa k i s t a n | M . I . A S k i p p e r s | To o A s i a n ? !

MWP l a n e t

Issue 1 || Volume 16 ||Winter Edition 2010

03

Editor’sNote

Too Asian

WorldIssues

08

Return From the Underground Flood In Pakistan The Real Price of Bottled Water Largest Appeal - Smallest Effort When Children Are Forced to Kiill All I Need

Geeked Out In The Sun Boxing Day TTC Privatization Gender Justice Facebook Trip M.I.A - Skippers New York Art Trip Photo Essay SAC Glow Dance

La Nouveau Départment du Français Course au Bal des Finissants

WACT/Lifestyles

23

Top Ten Movies Chuck Call of Duty DeCa Self-Image + Media Because I’m a Girl KFC Double Down MODRA

14 19

Fun&Games Comic DIY Gingerbread

We are honoured to work with this talented and hardworking group of students known as the staff of the Mary Ward Planet. Led by super duper Editors-in-Chief, Michael Chen and Alex De Pompa, our writers, graphic designers, and photographers have created masterpieces, which promise to inspire, shock, titillate, and inform. The editorial “Too Asian?!” explores and critiques the controversial MacLeans’ article of the same name which claims there is an over-representation of “Asians” in university. In Alex Sadowski and Cormac Magee’s article “MIA: Missing in Attendance”, Mary Ward skippers take “self-direction” to a precarious level. Admire the amazing artistry of each layout and photo. The Mary Ward Planet Executive would like to thank Ms. Keenan, Mr. Chen, and our new principal Mrs. Lesniak for their keen editing skills and for supporting freedom of expression in our school.

So, this Christmas, chow down on a KFC Double Down, sue of the school year. Feliz Navidad!

Your PAL,

CreativeSpaces Sonnet Fall Remembrance Day Poems

All content ©2010-2011 Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this newspaper, in part or whole, is prohibited without the approval of The Planet executive members.

Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School is a self-directed learning centre located at 3200 Kennedy Road that was founded in 1985. It became a member of the CCSDL (Canadian Coalition of Self-Directed Learning Schools) in 1995.

Sports

Toronto Team Wrap-Up Miami Heat LeBron James MW Sports Review Athletes of the Season

Code of Ethics

All members of the Mary Ward community may voluntarily contribute to the Planet. Everyone exhibits professionalism and respects one another in all exchanges while keeping Christian values and practices. All submitted articles, layouts, and photography are subject to moderation. Material submitted is subject to approval by the Executive, staff moderators, and administration. All material must positively support the ideas and spirit of Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School.

Community

LaPetitePlanète

16

05

LayoutArtists

Harriet Austria Hazel Llanes Kristine Buerano Mariah Llanes Jed de los Reyes Shannon Cabrio Dorothy Manuel Rowena Rollon Michael Chen Amanda Navai Keanu Seropia Jan Cruz Christian Perez Kimberly Villaluz Lydia He Sarah Quinto Demijel Junio Allan Razon

Mrs. Powell, Ms. Albert, and Ms. Largo

24

Cover Design by Lydia He

Visit the MWPLANET MWPLANET @

http://planet.maryward.ca

editor’s section SECTION EDITOR’S Michael Chen Co-Editor-In-Chief

The time has come again. Red and green flow through the shopping malls. Commercials about Apple’s latest product, the iPad, played non-stop. Jingles fill the air. The sweet aroma of gingerbread invades homes while eggnog is filled up to the brims of cups everywhere. Cookies and milk are placed beside the fireplace for Santa. Gifts are bought, given and exchanged. However, it’s important to reflect on how fortunate we are and the real reasons of the season: quality time with family — and a well-deserved break!

Given the wealth that we take for granted, it is important to remember those who can’t enjoy the holiday season. In this issue of the Mary Ward Planet, Alex Sadowski and Cormac McGee focus on the taboo topic of truant students avoiding class. Meanwhile, George Lin and Monique Lim remind us of the devastating events which affected both Pakistan and the miners in Chile this past year. At the

same time, Yulenka Rebello takes us down the road to prom, while Nairy Khodabakshian reminds us not to get caught in narcissism.

Even if you did not have the best 2010, 2011 is right around the corner, so make the most of it!

Be sure to check out the new and improved Planet website at http://planet.maryward.ca. Hazel Llanes, our webmaster, constantly updates it with exclusive online content that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Whether you’re eating gingerbread cookies or the KFC Double Down, spend time with your friends and family, and enjoy the holidays. So curl up by the fireplace, listen to some Glee, play some Call of Duty: Black Ops, and read the latest issue of the Planet!

Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year!

Arevik Vardaryan Planet Relations

Jan Cruz Art Editor

Cormac McGee Sports Editor

Agatha Choy Photography Editor

Carolina Vecchiarelli Junior Editor

Carmelina Robino World Issues

Lydia He Junior Editor

Hazel Llanes Planet Webmaster

PHOTOS BY ANITA CRAWFORD

Alex De Pompa Co-Editor-In-Chief

Nairy Khodabakhshian Inggrid Wibowo Community Editor WACT/Lifestyles Editor

Sarah Quinto Creative Spaces

Jed de los Reyes Rédacteur

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 03

editorials EDITORIALS

too asian?!

The Mary Ward Planet responds to the Macleans’ article “The Enrollment Controversy”, formerly known as “Too Asian?” written by Stephanie Findlay and Nicholas Köhler.

To read the original article yourself, visit:

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/11/10/too-asian/

Tell us your opinion at planet.maryward.ca

Attention all Asians! Yes, you, with the glasses bowing intently over your schoolwork. Please don’t study so hard because you’re making all of the white people who want to party all day look bad. Also, don’t even bother trying to go to university, particularly any university where Canadian white kids would like to go to, because they will blame you for taking their university spots.

What? Was that offensive? Well, if it was, Macleans sure doesn’t think so.

In the November 10, 2010 issue of their magazine, an article entitled ‘Too Asian’? was published.

The focus of this article was to expose the over-representation of Asians in university, as well as the segregation between different ethnic groups on campus grounds across Canada. The Mary Ward Planet executive team was shocked by this insensitive and flawed report.

The piece begins with the story of a private school girl named Alexandra, described in the article as “a girl who looks like she came out of the Aritizia billboard”, or in other words, pretty, white, and stick thin. Alexandra is quoted in the article as stating that Asians go to U of T, while all the “white kids” go to Queen’s, Western and McGill. By opening the article with this image, the authors are painting a picture - with a lot of white paint.

That’s not the end of it. According to the article, Asians “assert their ethnic identities” more likely than “white students”. Throughout the article, they place Asians into the mould of academicallyfocused students who get “98 percent” and don’t “have other skills”. They are characterized as people who don’t get involved in extra-curricular activities, and who “tend to stick together”.

It’s not just stereotyping Asians either that’s the problem. White Canadians in this article are described as party animals who choose universities based on social interactions. According to the article, “many white students simply believe that competing with Asians—both Asian Canadians and international students—require a sacrifice of time and freedom they’re not willing to make. They complain that they can’t compete for spots in the best schools and party as much as they’d like.”

These simplistic descriptions are appalling; every individual is a complex person, and no one has the right to be reduced to a caricature. The very usage of the term “asian” or “white” to classify such large diverse groups of people is demeaning, and does not consider people’s individuality.

Of course, anything as biased as this ‘Too Asian’ article is sure to produce negative feedback. So, Macleans decided to defend themselves by writing another article, which stated that “they did not intend to cause offence.” What is also interesting to note is that they changed the name of the article to The Enrollment Controversy.

04 mwplanet VOLUME 15/ ISSUE 1

RETURN FROM THE UNDERGROUND

Sixty-three year old miner Mario Gomez said, “God is great and the help of my God is going to make it possible to leave this mine alive. Even if we have to wait months to communicate … I want to tell everyone that I’m good and we’ll surely come out OK.” During the month after word of the miners’ survival, rescuers worked hard to free them. Holes were made and widened to reach the shelter and to create room for the miners to escape. A rescue capsule was built and reinforced to lift the men out. On October 12, rescuer Manuel Gonzalez sent the shaft down, and 31-year old Florencio Avalos became the first of the thirty-three miners to be freed after 69 days trapped below the earth.

Though most of the miners have expressed great joy over coming out of the mine alive, some have remained silent about their ordeal, and even refuse to tell family members. At a news conference, seven of the miners said that they intend to write a book about their time underground.

By Monique Lim

Despite the limited disclosure of the Chilean miners, the attention surrounding their life-changing ordeal and rescue does not appear to be dying down. Reality shows, documentaries, and online games related to the event have continued to capture people’s interest. Spike TV announced

By Monique Lim that they are producing a mining reality series called Coal. In an hour and a half, Flash programmer Felipe Leon created an online game about rescuing the Chilean miners called Los 33, found at http://root33.cl/los33/.

PHOTOS FROM TORONTO STAR ARCHIVES

Incessant and heavy rains from July to August caused devastating flooding in Pakistan. The flood has ravaged onefifth of the countryís land. Millions of families have been displaced from their homes. Schools, hospitals, and roads have also been flooded and many resources rendered useless.

It is estimated that 20 million people have been affected by the flood; 6 million are children. The governmentís lack of support, and the slow reaction from outside countries, has left millions of people without shelter or food.

The United Nations has classified the flood in Pakistan as the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent history. More people have been affected by this flood than the 2004 SouthEast Asian tsunami and the recent earthquakes in Haiti and in Kasmir combined.

the flood in pakistan

The recent plight of the Chilean miners has been a hanuting news story. On August 5th, 2010, thirty-three men were trapped approximately 700 metres underground when part of the San Jose Mine in Chile collapsed. Two days later, a second collapse occurred, blocking off access to the lower parts of the mine. Initial rescue plans were thwarted, and the chances of the miners coming out alive were slim to none.

On August 22, however, at a depth of 600 metres, rescue workers heard tapping sounds as they were drilling to free the miners. The rescuers sent a probe down to the area.

The miners tied a note to the probe that read: “All 33 of us are well inside the shelter”.

The world was taken by surprise – the miners had survived 17 days of being trapped underground, though the emergency shelter where they stayed only had enough food for 48 hours. The trapped miners were admirably optimistic.

world issues ISSUES WORLD

The children displaced from their homes have lost valuable time devoted to their education. Food, school supplies, and humanitarian goods have completely run out. Water-borne diseases have become a threat.

Pakistan is in dire need of immediate assistance.

Development and Peace, the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada, carries out humanitarian missions across the world. The organization has helped many countries over the years, such as Burma’s political oppression and the disasters in the Philippines and Haiti. Development and Peace was one of the first organizations to react to the flood. It called upon the generosity of its supporters from churches around Canada. Dioceses across Canada raised awareness in their communities and asked for donations for immediate relief aid.

Since the project began, Development and Peace has raised $3 million from the kindness of its supporters.

It has spent $400 000 to supply first aid, food, and water.

Global solidarity and interdependence have become important values in society. Many people have been directly impacted by the flood. The crisis in Pakistan is not going to go away. The effects of the flood will be long-lasting and will cause major setbacks in the countryís development.

Mary Ward students have supported this issue passionately. Chaplaincy and Our Kids Our Future (OKOF) have collected donations on the behalf of students to help Pakistan.

OKOF selected Pakistan as their focus for their annual OKOF week. During the week, Students were presented with information and facts through announcements and posters in order to raise awareness of this seriousness issue. The proceeds from the bake sale, civies day, and other donations were sent to Pakistan through Development and Peace.

Although OKOF week is over, it is never too late to help.

By George Lin

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 05

world issues ISSUES WORLD

The Real Price of Bottled Water As Westerners, we often forget how blessed we are to have so many resources right at our fingertips. An abundant source of water, for instance, is so normal for us that we cannot imagine what it would be like to lack this resource. We use water for everything – bathing, cooking, drinking, etc. But can you imagine living in a society where you do not have a source of water? What about a society where your only source of water is being stolen from you?

This is often the case for many citizens of the Global South. Although public control of municipal water systems has been campaigned for by the Development and Peace group in 2005, the privatization of water still continues in other forms.

One form of water privatization includes the creation and usage of bottled water. Because bottled water is so accessible, the majority of bottled water users are unaware of what it costs our global society. In reality, bottled water costs many people a great deal of stress, poverty, and unjust living situations.

You may be thinking, what exactly does my bottled water have to do with the unjust living situations

The UN has requested two billion dollars, the largest ever disaster appeal after July’s floods in Eastern Pakistan. The magnitude of this disaster has exceeded those of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and February’s Haiti earthquake combined.

The international community, however, seems to have turned its back on Pakistan. The earthquake in Haiti earlier this year garnered a tremendous response; around $110 million was donated by the Canadian government alone. Mary Ward raised around $10,000, after the total was doubled by the Canadian government. Canada, as a whole, however, has raised around only $40 million for Pakistan, a massive difference from the response to Haiti.

of others? Do not think for a second that your bottled water is coming solely from Canada. Many of our bottled water sources are from outside of Canada, in the Global South. Due to this, bottled water companies serve as a threat to the rural communities of the Global South who need this water to water their crops, which they sell for profit. Instead, large corporations from developed countries steal the water sources of these developing countries and sell it for profit.

Many people do not realize that despite how insignificant their actions may seem, they affect the lives of others. In this sense, our community can be seen as a spider web in which all actions affect the spider web as a whole. For example, by buying and drinking bottled water, we fail to acknowledge that bottled water companies often steal the only sources of water of the impoverished citizens of the Global South.

Even though bottled water companies promise water retribution to the citizens of the land which holds their water source, many of these developing countries do not have sufficient government supervision to ensure that the citizens are actually getting water.

Bottled water is also bad for the environment. According to a 2001 report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), approximately 1.5 million tons of plastic are used in the bottling of 89 million litres of water each year. While some consumers may recycle their plastic bottles, many do not and their plastic bottles are carried to landfill sites. Some environmentalists believe that it may take 1000 years for a single plastic bottle to completely decompose. Within sealed landfills, these plastic bottles will not decompose at all.

In addition, the energy required to manufacture and transport these bottles to market uses more of the limited fossil fuels.

All humans deserve equal rights. Water, although we do not realize it, is a human right. Privatizing water through bottled water removes this fundamental right from some individuals. One way we can help to end this unfortunate situation is by joining Development and Peace’s Life Before Profit campaign. This campaign promotes making all of the areas we are in a “bottled water-free zone”, to show that we do not support the creation and usage of bottled water.

But at the end of the day, it’s your call. You can buy bottled water today, but in that instant, stop and think about what had to be done to give you that luxury, because you never know who is suffering for you.

It is difficult to find one “good story” from Pakistan in recent years. Even though the Taliban is considered an enemy of the Pakistan government, Pakistan-born Taliban agents make people wary, especially in light of Canadian efforts in Afghanistan. Corrupt dictatorships and the country’s rising as a nuclear power are some of the news stories that have arisen.

Canada is not against against Pakistan, but the media has seriously affected our thoughts. It must be jarring for the media to simultaneously run coverage of the Pakistan flood amid a story of the ongoing war with the Taliban. Understandably, most people do not want to donate to a country with a history of corrupt governments and nuclear weapons.

Yet Haiti was also controversial, they also has a corrupt government.

Reconstruction is moving slowly, and controversy is still being raised about how effectively the money raised was used. Hardly any of these issues, There are many factors to consider. One can conclude that the however, were raised during the Haitian disaster. news coverage of the previous Haiti disaster was a factor in the success There is a problem with the media’s coverage of world events of the donation campaign. During the Haiti disaster, Canada was largely influenced by the “Canada for Haiti” television special that stretched across and a problem with the way the world interprets it. Right now, the relief several Canadian channels. As well, former Governor General Michaëlle camps contain children and hardworking families who are concerned Jean alone created a great bridge of sympathy between Canadians and for their loved ones. The citizens who have been victims of the flood are Haiti as a result of her Haitian decent. An obvious component to the lack of the true representatives of Pakistan at this moment. They tell a story, not Pakistan relief is the lack of campaigning and media coverage, and others about terror or corruption, but about wanting to live good lives, and about needing help from a world that has turned its back on it. may be hesitant to help because of what is displayed in the media.

If Canada was able to do so much before, why is there such a poor response now?

06 mwplanet VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1

world issues ISSUES WORLD

“We walked for long hours and stopped only to eat sardines and corned beef with gari, sniff cocaine, brown brown, and take some white capsules… The idea of death didn’t cross my mind at all and killing had become as easy as drinking water.” (An excerpt from Ishmael Beah’s memoirs entitled A Long Way Gone, pg. 122) This was the life of Ishmael Beah, who, at the age of thirteen, became a victim of child soldiery in Sierra Leone during the 1991 civil war. Cocaine mixed with gun powder were his drive, bloody war movies his inspiration, and AK-47s his fetish.

As a thirteen-year-old, can you imagine living with the ambition of obtaining the biggest gun, or murdering the most people? Can you imagine running away from a violent rebel group one day, then being part of the war that killed your entire family the next? It seems like an unthinkable scenario to North Americans, but it was Ishmael Beah’s reality.

Most thirteen year-olds worry about what high-school they are going to go to, or who they are going to take to the graduation dance. But in Sierra Leone and other war-stricken and impoverished countries, thousands of children are stripped of their innocence and childhood, replaced with shiny guns, rousing war movies and stupefying drugs. They are transformed into brain-washed killing machines who find the strength to go on, not from spirituality and endurance, but from hard drugs. Children are the weapons of choice - their minds are easily manipulated, and youth are the only hope of continuing the fight in the future. To date, there may be as many as 300 000 child soldiers fighting in over fifty conflicts around the world, a number too large to ignore, though the reality of it can go unnoticed.

They are young people just like you and I. They have friends, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers; they go to school, and go out dancing. For these kids, however, most of, if not all of these things should be listed in the past tense. Some kids do not know where their families are, and some have watched their loved ones die. Others do not know who they have killed or how many.

From 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone has been devastated by war between the government and rebellious civilians. Each side uses child soldiers. Little girls were used for house-work and as sex slaves, while little boys were sculpted into murderers. None of these children understood what they were doing.

According to a UNICEF press release in 2008, Sierra Leone is the lowest ranking country in the UNDP Human Development Index. It is estimated that 60 per cent of the youth in Sierra Leone are unemployed, uneducated and unskilled. UNICEF, the United Nations and other organizations have been monumental in reversing the effects of the war and have been essential components in the rehabilitation of survivors. During the civil war, UNICEF trucks were stationed around the country and were commissioned to track down child soldiers and bring them back to the lives they knew (Ishmael Beah was one of the children saved by UNICEF). Since then, the Sierra Leone Parliament has approved the National Child Rights Bill and schools have been re-built by involved organizations, which are momentous steps in diminishing the exploitation of children, diminishing infant mortality rates, re-building system and rebuilding lives so that futures have positive prospects.

While progress has been made in recovering from the civil war, remnants of the war mentality still remain. Women and children are still vulnerable to exploitation and genderbased violence, and the practice of female genital mutilation is still prevalent.

This civil war ended eight years ago, but it still affects many people. Because of the instability in countries like Sierra Leone, we must understand the fragility of their country and how easily a major conflict could erupt again. We must appreciate our lives of freedom and do our part as a global and local community to help devastated countries and individuals. Although we live across the Atlantic, it does not mean that the suffering of others should stay across the Atlantic.

By Mercedes Villanueva Some messages are timeless. This stands true when one approaches the topic of human trafficking. Human trafficking is defined as the illegal trade of human beings for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labour. It is a modern-day form of slavery. It is one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world, and has been addressed by many of people – commoners, political figures, and even celebrities.

One group of celebrities, Radiohead, addressed the issue in a unique way in 2008

by creating a music video about it. The song, “All I Need”, was first aired on MTV. The music video uses two separate camera panels. On the left is a camera panel of a middle-class Caucasian boy, possibly living somewhere in North America. The second panel on the right is that of a young Asian boy who works as a sweatshop labourer making leather shoes. The interesting but sad part of this music video is that it draws strong parallels between the two completely different living arrangements. Though the Caucasian boy wakes up without interruption, the Asian boy and several other kids who all sleep in a tiny, crowded room are woken up by their slave owner. While the Caucasian boy is able to enjoy a cartoon with breakfast, the Asian boy is already working in the factory.

The Caucasian boy draws in school; the Asian boy paints black lacquer on the soles of the shoes he has to make. The stark comparison of their lifestyles continues like this until the end, when the viewer realizes that the shoes that the Caucasian boy wore to school were actually made by the Asian sweatshop worker. The video cleverly ends with the stark message, “Some things cost more than you realize”.

Although we may think that issues such as human trafficking do not affect us – they do. We are part of a global community, and thus we affect each other in many ways. Many of the things we buy actually come from companies like these, who exploit their workers – who are only children. It is important to research the companies we buy things from, and to verify that Watch “All I Need” byRadiohead: http:// w w w. yo u t u b e. co m / watch?v=DV1hQSt2hSE

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 07

COMMUNITY

community

Geeked Out in the Sun M Y S U M M E R AT “ N E R D C A M P ”

By Ann de Sequeira

Before I left, I tried to convince my friends that I was not going to a “nerd camp” even though I, myself, was convinced that that was the truth. Wikipedia defines Shad Valley as, “a Canadian summer enrichment program for high school students that runs every year, primarily in July. The program is open to both Canadian and international students, and runs in ten participating university campuses across Canada, where the students live in residence. It is focused on business, science, mathematics, and engineering.” The chance to attend such a program is an experience of a lifetime.

afternoon, I saw plasticised organs and a healthy lung versus a smoker’s lung. We got to see how they preserve dead bodies. I also went to an archaeology workshop where I made a stone tool and threw an atlatl. I went to workshops about Statistical Misconceptions to learn how to win the game of Risk.

I attended the program in Newfoundland, at Memorial University. We learned a lot about the history of Newfoundland and got to visit all of the important landmarks. We saw the place where the first wireless signal, sent by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901, was received. We also went deep inside a closed mine and saw the way ore was taken out several years ago. We spent three days in Fogo Island, which has a population of 750 people - the entire island is smaller then Scarborough! We visited one of the “four corners of the world”, and walked on the most Eastern Point in North America. All we could see for miles and miles was the Atlantic Ocean. I got to steer a huge ship in the ocean (I could not hit anything though, because the next body of land was over 3000 miles away – England!). I performed my first dissection, a squid, who took his revenge, even after his death, by squirting me with ink.

Our main project was to create a product aimed at the aging population of Canada. We designed it, wrote a business, financial, and marketing plan, and presented our ideas to the judges. The team that won from my campus (yellow team), now represents Shad MUN and will go on to represent us at the Shad Cup in Waterloo in November.

In addition to these outdoor adventures, I learned a lot from the 33 lectures I attended throughout the month. We had lectures on everything from Robot Vision to Cryptic Crosswords, to Nanophysics. When we attended workshops in the

We also had time for physical recreation. Every morning, I did Tai Chi. By the end of my time at Shad, I had learned all 108 moves. I also became a pro at handball and Capture the Flag.

After Shad Valley, I started my internship at RBC for five weeks in August. Shad Valley sent my resume to a shortlist of companies they have, and I got an interview at RBC. I got the job in as an intern in Internal Auditing. I learned a lot about RBC, its values, and the skills required to be an Internal Auditor.

Shad Valley was the single greatest experience of my life, and that is saying a lot. I have travelled to over 20 countries, spanning 5 continents, and I have yet to have an experience that had a more lasting impact on me than my month in Newfoundland.

BOXING DAY I

S

I

T

W O R T

By Michael Balano

It is that time of year again. It is the time to get all of your last minute Christmas shopping done for your loved ones at low clearance prices. When you think of Boxing Day, you instantly think of huge clearance sales, crowded stores, inconvenient parking, long line-ups and fierce battles for products. I have been shopping during Boxing Day, throughout numerous years of falling into the marketing trap. But the question remains, is Boxing Day worth it?

Analysts say about 16 per cent of holiday sales are made in the week after Christmas. According to a Visa Canada survey, more than five million Canadians plan to go shopping on Boxing Day and that $2 billion (which averages $328 per customer), will be spent on this day. The top items sold during Boxing Day are electronics, next to clothing. Finding parking will be an inconvenience.

Big retail stores such as Abercrombie, Hollister, Aritiza and others require shoppers to wait in line to enter the store. Countless minutes are wasted by waiting in line just to get into a store.

Are people serious? They may have great sales on Boxing Day, but analysts say that some sales are exactly the same the following week. After waiting 08 mwplanet VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1

H

I

T

?

in line to get into a store, you have to wait in another long line to get to the register. In between waiting in line and looking for the right thing to buy, there are always fierce battles between customers for the last pair of high-heels. It is best to avoid those conflicts because you may leave the store empty-handed or even worse, be escorted out of the store.

An incident occurred a few years ago where two men were convicted in a 2005 Boxing Day shooting of a Toronto teenager, Jane Creba. This incident caused crowded malls in Toronto to double their security.

There is the alternative of online shopping. Retail analysts believe that Boxing Day will be big this year, but the stores’ success will also shift towards online shopping. Statistics Canada indicates that last year’s Internet commerce sales in Canada totaled more than $39 billion with 56% of Internet users buying online.

Shopping in the mall during Boxing Day is not worth it because some stores have the exact same sale and items after a week. It is better to avoid the long lines and crazy shoppers and wait. I think that if you want to go shopping during Boxing Day, the best thing to do is to shop online and save yourself the hassle. So, if you are planning to go shopping during Boxing Day, remember to go early!

community COMMUNITY

N O I T A Z I PRIVAT

By Marian Kelly

Improving public transit proved to be a hot-button issue in this year’s municipal election. Mary Ward is full of regular transit users and many are more than willing to air their frustrations. The mere mention of the 43 Kennedy bus can send people into tirades. Many students have waited 45 minutes to an hour to get on a bus home, from school and glowered as the 3rd bus passed by, still as full as a bag of Jiffy Pop. There are also other complaints about rising fares, unreasonable delays, inconsistent customer service, strikes and poor accessibility.

Less than a year ago, the photo of the sleeping TTC fare collector went viral, adding insult to injury for riders who were still grinding their teeth over the latest fair hike. It became the trademark image for a city’s frustrations with transit.

And the year before all of that, in 2009, the CBC reported that complaints had increased by 15%, to 30 000, mostly attributed to the increase in fares.

The debate over which direction the TTC needs to take has become a much publicized issue. Ads issued by the Public Transit Commission warn riders of the failures of privatized transit systems in other urban centres. This was part of a multimedia campaign, put out in response to the public-private partnerships discussed in Toronto’s municipal election. All of the candidates -- with the exception of Joe Pantalone, who expressed his firm support for keeping transit public – mentioned partial privatization in their campaigns as a way to make up money for proposed expansions to the TTC. Under the current municipal government, privatization is being considered as an option to finance Ford’s plans to extend the Sheppard and Danforth subway lines to Scarborough Town Centre. He’s been quoted in the National Post as saying, “Unless the federal government comes to the table, our only option is the private sector.” Selling air rights on top of subway stations was one suggestion he put forward. Developers would buy floors above the subway station for their operations, providing both a source of capital for the project and attract development to the area.

If Ford pursues the public-private partnership further, this would mean contracting services within the system, such as maintenance work, design, and administrative and operational duties to private companies while maintaining government regulation. The TTC union could place a bid for the contract, but the market would be opened up to competition.

One example of a public-private approach that is not found on the Public

Transport Corporation’s ads is the York Region Transit System. Eight years ago, in an effort to reduce gridlock, York Region established an operating agreement with seven other private companies in charge of the design, construction, and operation of the new transit system. In 2005, a company called Veolia Canada won in the bid for a five-year contract with YRT. Today, they provide staffing and oversee expenditures, while York Region still maintains control of funding, sets the fares, the standards for service, routes and scheduling.

Ask what privatization would mean for the city of Toronto and you’ll get very different answers. Some public-private arrangements have not worked as well, but it would appear that there are public-private business models that have not gone down in flames, such as the YRT. Supporters of privatization argue that it is time we take the monopoly away from the TTC and open it up to the free market. Unlike the city union, a contractor can only keep a contract if they keep the public happy. Competition, they argue, would foster innovation, bring about improved service and efficiency, and more accountability in the future - it would also mean less chance of a strike. Although the private corporations are still unionized, they have fewer legal protections. If there are multiple service providers incorporated into the system, for example, one contract for bus service and another for subways, then the city doesn’t have to come to a complete halt if one union decides to strike. Some argue that CUPE members are over-paid, and that it is difficult to negotiate with them and their unions.

On the other side, some argue that businesses look after their own interests, not the common good, and that it is the public who will be reaching deeper into their pockets for fare so that they can maintain their profit margins. They believe that public transportation is the job of the municipal government and to contract this service would mark the beginning of making City Hall obsolete by giving too much power to corporations at the expense of social responsibility. In the words of Joe Pantalone, “Privatization seems all the rage for those who know so little about our city. I want to keep these assets for the public good of all Torontonians, not to make money for the few financiers on Bay Street.”

Better the devil you know, if the choice is between corporate greed and union greed.

GENDER JUSTICE: A HUMAN ISSUE

By Arevik Vardanyan

The annual walk to end Male Violence Against Women, organized by Gender Justice, was held at Mary Ward was only one of the many initiatives organized by Gender Justice. With their plans ahead, they are sure to make a difference.

At one of the enthusiastic, inviting and informative meetings, the members of the club discussed important issues, such as the Civil War in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The small club, filled with brilliant minds, was created to fight for the equality of men and women. Gender Justice looks at what they can do to make an everyday difference at Mary Ward. The expansion of the group is not the only thing that has changed among the club over the years.

This group has been educating and bringing awareness to Mary Ward students about unjust issues and gender equality. For example, last year the committee gathered unbelievable information about the 500 missing Aboriginal women from across Canada. The responsiveness of the presentation enlightened the student body, delivering facts about the unjust world we live in. The goal set by Gender Justice is not to promote either women or men, but to raise awareness of the issues that impact our world.

Megan D’Souza, a proud member of the club, says, “We want equality for both genders. For women to continue their purpose and have their voice.” This is why the group is working so hard to educate Mary Ward students about the Civil war continuing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Gender Justice Week, which began on December 6th, was a huge success. Donations were made to the Panzi Hospital, which has created a unit for women to get the help they need in the DRC. The club also showed a movie to help educate students.

The Gender Justice Committee believes that it is important for students to be aware of gender-related issues. Connie Tang, one of the three student co-ordinators of the group, says, “I do not want women and men to be the same, but equal”. This is why the club has devoted their time to end stereotypes that affect both men and women.

Remember to stop by every Thursday at lunch in the video studio for an enjoyable and informative meeting accompanied by Ms. Arturi. Gender Justice’s final mantra: “Gender justice is not a woman’s issue. It is not a man’s issue. It is a human issue.”

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 09

community COMMUNITY

On November 2, Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, welcomed nine Grade 11 and 12 Mary Ward Journalism students and their teacher, Ms. Largo to a luncheon and presentation hosted by the Empire Club of Canada at the Fairmont Royal York. Her presentation entitled “It’s all about People” gave insight on how the social networking site is being used as a marketing tool for companies, businesses, and people.

Ms. Sandberg’s presentation took place in the hotel’s grand Concert Hall and was attended by over 300 business executives. Mary Ward Journalism students were the only student representatives and were publicly recognized at the event. Before the presentation, the Mary Ward delegation was invited to a VIP meeting and photo shoot with Ms. Sandberg and Mr. Jordan Banks, Managing Director of Facebook.

Ms. Sandberg discussed how Facebook has garnered a powerful influence over the rest of the online universe. By shifting the internet towards people instead of information, Facebook personalizes the internet by giving people the opportunity to use their true identities and to connect with their friends and loved ones.

According to Ms. Sandberg, a people-centered interface also revolutionizes advertising and activism. Ms. Sandberg explained that advertisements traditionally talk at you. In contrast, on Facebook, businesses, corporations, and groups get people to do their advertising for them though fan pages and “likes”.

In the wake of the Hollywood film The Social Network, Mary Ward students were interested in what it was like to work with the real Mark Zuckerberg. “He’s nothing like how he was portrayed in the film”, said Libby Leffler, Facebook Business Associate and assistant to Ms. Sandberg. Ms. Leffler later sent the entire Journalism class a box of Facebook swag in the form of notebooks, pens, and baseball caps emblazoned with the company’s logo.

Established in 1903, the Empire Club of Canada is one of the oldest and largest speaker forums, with a membership comprised of Canada’s influential leaders in business, education, labour and government. It has been addressed by more than 3500 distinguished Canadian and international leaders, who have established themselves in various fields.

MW Journalism Meets Facebook 10 mwplanet VOLUME 16/ ISSUE 1

PHOTO BY KRISTINE BUERANO

community COMMUNITY

By Cormac McGee & Alex Sadowski

PHOTO BY KRISTINE BUERANO

Skipping is one of the oldest forms of student rebellion. It goes back as far as the Old Stone Age, or, more accurately, when Mr. Notten was in grade one, cutting class walking down the street, as the whole town went ballistic trying to find him. In these modern times, we do not have the police flying around looking for us, but skipping can have serious consequences. With phone calls home, detention, cameras in every corner of the school, and possible suspension, there are many measures being implemented to stop skippers from succeeding, but is skipping really a big problem?

According to Mrs. Poole, science teacher, in order to properly express your views on skipping, first you must define it. Teachers and students generally agreed that skipping was either leaving school at inappropriate times during school hours, or just not bothering to show up to school.

At Mary Ward, we have a few different definitions of skipping. At Ward, one does not necessarily have a specific classroom in which one has to be during a period. One cannot technically “cut class” unless one has a seminar. One form of Mary Ward’s own skipping techniques is “hall walking”. This is a Mary Ward student’s favourite form of skipping, and is the most common amongst all grades. It usually involves students circling the upper or middle floors for possibly hours at a time.

Some students leave an area because it is full and just sit in the hall and work. Any period of the day, one can find a student or two in the back hall beside the gymnasium. The student may work quietly or relax. The student, however, can quickly jump into action and pretend to be going to his or her locker if Mr. Chen or a hall monitor is approaching.

Another form of skipping is not attending a mandatory seminar or consultation while at school. This form of skipping is a classic among students who have guaranteed their teachers a completed unit, but have failed to deliver.

The third form of skipping is choosing to stay home for a period, or even the entire day. There are many reasons for doing so. Most students stay home to avoid distraction and to complete units, while others stay home to play Call of Duty: Black Ops. Both students are obviously skipping school, but only one is harming their academic progress.

If one stays home to do work, does it still count as skipping? From a survey of one hundred students, 58 students said “Yes”. Senai Woldai in grade ten says, “It’s still skipping even when you’re working, because at the end of the day, school is school and you have to attend.”

“Technically, it is skipping,” adds Sheereen Harris, “but if it’s productive it should be ok. I’ve been at school today for almost six hours, and done nothing, and probably would’ve had a more productive day at home.”

Skipping is a reality in all schools, but it is a bit different at ours.

When asked if they thought s k i p p i n g impedes your education, more than 50% of Mary Ward students b e l i e v e skipping does not necessarily hurt your chances at graduating.

“I could stay home and finish school, but I would

be missing out on the community here at Mary Ward,” explains Christine Amurao, a grade twelve student. Most students agree that skipping once in a while does not affect one’s academic progress. Grade eleven student Kyan D’Angelo believes skipping is bad only when one abuses it, and it causes one to fall behind or hurts one’s marks. He admits that he takes a day off for relaxing once in while.

There are many theories and practices to help curb the amount of students skipping, but they do not always work. Phone calls home are fine, but there is no way to determine if a student is simply erasing these messages before their parents get home. There is also evidence that students have left school on separate occasions, and not even received a phone call home. Whether that was a gift from TAs, or just someone not calling, this has yet to be determined, but there were no punishments for students leaving early. Although coming in late is not always skipping, it can be a form of it if it becomes a habit. There is also the new rule that if you arrive to TA after the national anthem, you are supposed to be marked late. This may work and get students to arrive a few minutes earlier. Some students agreed that if they knew they were going to be marked late, they would probaby just stay home. There is also detention for students who come late or who skip a period in the morning, but most do not attend the detention, and it is rarely enforced. It is clear that many of the systems designed to stop skipping do not work all of the time, but do they need to? Is skipping really a large scale offence?

Students were split down the middle on the question, “Is skipping bad”?

Most agreed that it was not a major offence, because who really cares if you miss a couple periods or a few days of school? More than half of students interviewed condemned substantial amounts of skipping, because one misses out on the various activities going on at Mary Ward every day. One can come to Mary Ward any day of the week and find something interesting going on. Whether it is a civvies day, a charity drive, a presentation, W.A.R.D., intramurals at lunch, contests, ESP, or the dozens of other clubs and teams putting on an event, no two days at Mary Ward are ever the same. High school is not only about academics, it is about getting involved and being integrated in the school community, and that is one thing you cannot do from home. Interacting with your peers and teachers is a key part of school, and there is no reason to miss out on that. With all of these amazing things going on every day, school is like a second home to most.

Mr. Candiotto says that skipping is something everyone does at least once in their career, and that is probably true. We have both skipped on various occasions, whether for fun, work, or just some relaxation. Even Mrs. Powell skipped when she was in high school here at Mary Ward.

“When I was younger, we used to work all morning, check in at lunch, then run out to my blue k-car, drive over to my friend’s house to watch Star Wars, then rush back for end of day check-in.” She does not believe skipping has changed over the years, because students still do not want to be at school. Kids have always been trying to find ways to bend the rules, and it probably will not ever go away.

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 11

community COMMUNITY

M ARY WARD TAKES MANHATTAN

By Hazel Llanes PHOTO CREDITS: DEBBIE LEE SANDRA DADASHLO PATRICIA SEVERINO KRISTIAN SOLIS INGGRID WIBOWO HAZEL LLANES

On November 15th, 2010, art, design and communications students made a bi-annual trek to The Big Apple. Over the course of five days, they travelled through the long history of art, photography, and moving images by way of various world-renowned galleries and museums in the city. Aside from that, the students strolled through Central Park, climbed to the top of Rockefeller Center, dined at local restaurants, stood in awe in Times Square and met a few celebrities along the way.

The third day was especially exciting as the students watched Fuerzabruta, a Cirque du Soleil-esque theater production like no other. They danced and chanted their school pride as they spilled out on to the streets, despite being soaked to the bone by artificial rain. The night was not over yet, as they attended a midnight screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows along with, what seemed to be, all of New York City.

Now back home, these students seem to be experiencing serious bouts of post-travel depression. “I miss it so much”, cried Dorothy Manuel, “I will definitely visit again in the future”.

12 mwplanet VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1

MW NY

community COMMUNITY

PHOTOS BY ANITA CRAWFORD & ROWENA ROLLON

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 13

la petite planète PLANETE LA PETITE

............................................

PHOTOS PAR KRISTINE BUERANO

La formidable nouveau département du

Français

Quand nous avons entendu la nouvelle que notre classe de français aura de nouveaux professeurs pour remplacer Mme. Wisniowski, Mme. Nangini, et Mme. Cassibault, on était un peu sceptique. Est-ce que notre nouveau prof va être gentil? Est-ce qu’il va insister pour que nous parlions français tout le temps? Est-ce qu’il va nous donner de bonnes notes?

La Petite Planète est heureuse de dire que les trois nouveaux professeurs sont très amicaux et possèdent beaucoup de talent. Ils vous encouragent à venir les voir. C’est le commencement d’une nouvelle ère dans le département français, et tu veux en faire partie!

Le premier jour de notre classe, j’ai remarqué que Mlle Reid avait une expression très sérieuse! Pourtant, elle est une personne gentille et savante.

Dans la première classe, elle nous a fait parler en français. Quand Mlle Reid nous a parlé en français, elle parlait avec confiance. Après avoir entendu son français, j’ai trouvé l’inspiration de continuer mes études. Elle explique des problèmes avec patience. Mlle. Reid a toutes les qualités d’un bon professeur.

Elle a eu l’occasion d’apprendre le français dans l’école élémentaire et elle a reçu on diplôme secondaire à Senator O’Connor. Pour continuer ses études françaises, elle est allée au Collège Glendon, le campus français de l’Université York. Sans doute, le système de Mary Ward est plus différent que ceux des autres écoles. Avec nos unités et nos “dates objectives”, elle est très impressionnée avec notre école.

Mlle Reid n’est pas une femme ennuyeuse, elle a beaucoup de projets pour le département français. Elle veut montrer à ses étudiantes que le français est très beau! Si vous n’aimez pas la langue française, vous pouvez vous assurer que Mlle Reid va changer ton opinion! Pour améliorer votre français, Mlle Reid a des conseils utiles: essayez de lire beaucoup de livres en français. Il y a beaucoup de revues qui sont très intéressantes et agréables. Aussi, elle vous encourage d’essayer de parler en français avec vos amis.

Quelques activités que Mlle Reid préfère sont de lire et des sports. En assistant Senator O’Connor, elle faisait partie de beaucoup d’équipes des sports. Un jour, elle espère de voyager aux pays où les citoyens parlent français. En voyageant dans ces pays, elle va se plonger dans la culture. Quand on se plonge dans la culture française, on peut améliorer le français.

Mlle Reid va rester dans Mary Ward pour quelques ans. Elle va continuer d’être une inspiration à plusieurs autres étudiants.

Par Chloe Ip

14 mwplanet VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1

On trouve M. Démoré très amical, sympathique, un peu drôle, et quelqu’un avec lequel nous pouvons nous accorder. Puis, M. Démoré nous trouve amicaux aussi, bien, il dit que tout le monde à Mary Ward est chaleureux, et que son expérience avec nous est complètement positive. La seule chose qu’il changera à notre école? La salle de français. M. aimerait avoir des fenêtres!

M. Démoré vivait à Markstay, un village de 500 personnes avant qu’il est venu à Toronto. Puis, avant qu’il a commencé à travailler à Mary Ward, il était musicien, faisant des tournées aux États-Unis et en Europe avec une chanteuse qui s’appelle Basia Bulat. Il a produit deux albums avec elle, en jouant la guitare, le piano, l’accordéon, et il a même chanté un peu! M. a dit que s’il n’était pas un prof, il serait un « troubadour errant ».

Maintenant, à Mary Ward, il fait déjà parti des équipes de sports, faisant le cross-country en automne, et le badminton maintenant. Dans notre entrevue, il a dit qu’à l’extérieur de l’école, il court un peu, puis il aime faire de longs trajets sur sa bicyclette. Autant d’aimer ces sports de réjouir de la photographie, il aime aussi…le falafel! C’est un mets libanais.

Et voilà quelques autres choses un peu intéressantes à propos de M. Il a rencontré Justin Bieber quand il habitait à Stratford. Justin jouait sa guitare et chantait sur la rue, puis M. l’a entendu et lui a donné un dollar! Quand M. était plus jeune, il a passé la nuit dans un quinzy (un igloo). Quelques autres faits: il ne regarde pas beaucoup de télé, trouvant que des émissions telles que Gossip Girl et America’s Next Top Model sont à la fois drôles et tristes. Un film qu’il vous recommanderait? City of God ou Groundhog Day. En conclusion, M. Démoré est un excellent ajout à notre département de français. On espère que vous aimiez votre temps avec nous, Monsieur. Bonne chance avec cette ligne de consultations!

Par Yulenka Rebello Je ne savais presque rien de Mlle Maljian, le nouveau chef du département français avant notre entrevue. Elle est le prof des classes 9e et la classe du français intensif de 10e, et moi – une élève de 12e – ne lui avait jamais parlé. Elle était tellement gentille quand nous nous sommes rencontrées. « Je l’aime beaucoup! » Mademoiselle disait au sujet de notre école. « Les étudiants sont très motivés, très intelligents et très enthousiastes, mais je pense que c’est difficile d’étudier à cause de la méthode différente. » Comme prof, Mlle Maljian a travaillé à Senator O’Connor, mais aussi en Californie et aux Barbades. Mais pourquoi est-ce que quelqu’un qui a travaillé aux Barbades veut retourner à Toronto? « Car je l’aime, » elle m’a répondu sincèrement. Si elle peut choisir une « superpuissance », elle voudrait le vol, car elle pourrait voyager! Elle aime voyager beaucoup; elle a visité les Caraïbes, la Jordanie, l’Italie, la Grèce, l’Espagne, le Mexique, l’Hawaii, la France, et les États-Unis.

Si Mlle Maljian pourrait mélanger n’importe quels parfums de gelato pour faire un « superparfum » que ferait-elle et qu’est-ce qu’elle voudrait faire pendant son temps à Mary Ward? Elle a ri et a répondu : la crème brûlée et la vanille haïtienne, ses parfums favoris. Pour la deuxième question, elle a dit qu’elle voudrait faire un café français pour les étudiants qui veulent en profiter après l’école.

Mlle n’a pas combiné les deux parfums de gelato, mais elle a déjà commencé le café français. Le café se rencontre un mardi sur deux après l’école pour visionner des films français, discuter des actualités et beaucoup d’autres bonnes activités.

Encore je vous encourage à venir au département du français pour parler avec Mlle Maljian de sa vie intéressante et de son café français. N’oubliez pas!

Arrêter d’apprendre est de fermer la porte à la vie.

Par Sasha Soraine

la petite planète PLANETE LA PETITE

PARTIE:UNE Par Yulenka Rebello Est-ce qu’un article sur le bal des finissants est vraiment nécessaire dans le premier numéro de notre journal ? On doit attendre encore plusieurs mois ! Bonne question. Bien, à mon avis, on ne devrait pas nous inquiéter jusqu’à l’approche de la date ! Mais, si vous êtes en 12e année (ou même pas), vous avez probablement entendu/ parlé/pensé du bal. Donc, voici mon histoire, ma « Course au bal des finissants ». Septembre est arrivé. La 12e année a commencé. Et dans ce premier mois d’école, j’ai eu au moins sept conversations au sujet du bal final ! À propos des partenaires et des « prompositions* », des robes et des chaussures, des couleurs et de la coordination, de notre tour là-bas, des « after parties », à propos de plus ou moins, tous duquel je ne voulais pas parler. Bien, j’ai gardé mes pensées un secret. À leur avis, j’étais une autre fille qui a hâte du bal des finissants.

La chose un peu ironique est que, le plus que je parle du bal avec les autres gens dans mon année, le plus que je reçois l’impression que peut-être on met trop de pression sur cette nuit culminante.

Plusieurs filles à qui j’ai parlé sont: A) heureuse d’aller faire le shopping pour leurs robes, chaussures etc.

B) Indifférente. Le bal est trop loin pour s’en inquiéter maintenant C) elles ne veulent pas y aller.

Mais, la plupart des gars à qui j'ai parlé sont:

A) se demande comment ils vont faire leur promposition / surpasser les prompositions de leurs amis B) se demande qui va recevoir leur promposition de bal C) Indifférent. Le bal est trop loin pour s’en inquiéter maintenant D) ne va pas, le bal est surfait.

C’est un peu bizarre en fait. J’ai pensé et parlé du bal des finissants chaque année depuis mon commencement de l’école secondaire. Quelqu’un commencerait la conversation, et je l’apprécierais. J’aime entendre parler de ce que les douzièmes porteront, et comment ils se présenteront au bal. Mais je n’aime pas beaucoup la conversation cette année, quand il se passera réellement. Alors, où tombe-je dans les catégories que j’ai mentionnées ? B) Indifférente. Le bal est trop loin pour s’inquiéter au moment. Sauf je pense que je m’inquiète un peu...

Avant de continuer, je veux vous dire quelques petites choses. Je n’aime pas les robes. Bien, je vais les porter, et je pense que les filles sont mignonnes en les portant, mais je n’aime pas les porter, ou faire du shopping pour les en acheter. Et je déteste les chaussures à talons hauts. Je ne porte JAMAIS les chaussures à talons hauts. Raisons? Je pense que je suis assez grande sans ajouter PHOTO PAR KRISTINE BUERANO quelques pousses de plus, je ne peux pas marcher en les portant, et danser n’est pas une option ! Puis, ils font du mal à mes pieds. Et voilà! Le bal des finissants les combine! (Mais c’est vrai qu’il n’y a pas de règles que les robes et les chaussures à talons hauts sont nécessaires…) Mais, ils ne sont pas les seules raisons que je n’ai pas hâte du bal.

LES PARTENAIRES. Je vais en parler parce que je sais tout le monde en parle déjà. Les gars se demandent à qui et comment faire leur promposition, et pour vous dire la vérité? La plupart des filles se demandent si elles vont recevoir une promposition, et de qui. Ou, elles vont faire une promposition à quelqu’un. Il n’y a absolument rien de mal d’aller seul, mais nous avons vu plusieurs prompositions mignonnes, élaborées, et drôles dans le passé, puis, tout à coup, nous nous demandons si nous allons en recevoir une ?! Et voici une pensée effrayante; les prompositions commencent bientôt ! La fin de janvier!

Jusqu’à présent, mon expérience avec cette célébration a été... bien. Je ne veux même pas penser à mes aventures de shopping pour ma robe, puis mes chaussures.

Mais vous en saurez quand le temps arrive! Cherchez pour Course au bal des finissants : Partie 2 dans le prochain numéro de la Petite Planète.

Bonne chance à tous, et Joyeux Noël! *Promposition : Une proposition à quelqu’un pour aller au bal final. Généralement extravagant, mais parfois pas tellement. Chaque fois, la personne demandée est flatté, et la personne qui fait la promposition risque sa fierté.

To read the English version of this article, please visit planet.maryward.ca

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 15

sports SPORTS

By Cormac McGee On October 14, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Games, came to an end. After ten days of tough competition, the athletes were able to finally sit back and relax while watching the amazing closing ceremonies that put a final bang on a surprisingly smooth Games. They were hailed as a commercial success in an evaluation report put on by the Commonwealth committee, even after a disastrous opening. But what are the Commonwealth Games?

The Commonwealth Games are an Olympic-style multi sport competition (272 to be exact) where athletes from countries that are in the Commonwealth of Nations can compete. The Commonwealth of Nations is an intergovernmental organization with 54 nations as members. Every one of these countries except Rwanda and Mozambique were once part of the British Empire, and every one of them send teams to this event. This year, there were over 6000 athletes with seventy one teams in total. Out of all these teams, Canada placed fourth with seventy six medals.

Diane Cummins, a Canadian who won bronze for the 800m explained to CBC that there is a lot more to these games than winning medals, that this competition is not for the athletes, it’s for the people and the chance for these sports to grow.

The motto for this year’s Games was “Come out and play”, which is ironic considering how many teams were still on the fence about travelling to Delhi because of various issues. Just two weeks before the competition started, a snake was found in a South African athlete’s room, a footbridge collapsed near the main stadium and conditions caused Scotland’s head coach to state that standards just were not good enough. Canada, among other countries delayed their flights to Delhi and demanded their athletes be put up in hotels until the village was ready. This shot India into motion which put more than 3000 people to work cleaning up the village for the final weeks of preparation. The heavy workload and cleanup seemed to help the village but as the Games went on, the opening ceremony damaged the track and infield, more than a dozen swimmers fell ill, the boxing scales were off by 3 pounds, and a scoreboard crashed to the ground at a vacant rugby stadium after a supporting chain snapped. The Indian government plans to investigate the shoddy construction work and alleged corruption that went into the preparation for the Games.

After finally deciding that the village was in an acceptable condition, Canada sent off its forty athletes to make us proud, and that they did. With twentysix gold, seventeen silver, and thirty-three bronze, we handily beat South Africa for fourth place falling just behind England, India and Australia who captured one hundred and seventy-seven medals. There were many outstanding athletes competing for our country, including Brent Hayden who won gold in the 100m and 50m freestyle swimming events, and Alexander Despatie, who dove to three gold medals, making his Commonwealth total nine, a Canadian record. One of the most inspiring people of the games was cyclist Tara Whitten, who strapped an ice pack on her back to combat the sizzling 36 C heat and pedalled furiously to gold in the women's individual time trial — her fourth medal in six events at the Games.

So after battling scorching heat, last minute fix-ups, and 6.2 billion dollar budget, the 2010 Commonwealth Games ended in Delhi without a hitch, and now we can only look forward to Glasgow in 2014.

16 mwplanet VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1

Every June, students and teachers gather in the cafetorium for a night of athletic appreciation. There is no denying that the Athletic Banquet is a fun night for all, but over the years, there have been some complaints from students. Firstly, some students aren’t happy with the cafetorium setting. Other schools host their banquet at halls and have a dance after, much like semi-formal. In a survey of 100 students, 8 out of 10 said they would prefer to have the banquet in a hall, even though it would cost $40 compared to the $5 deposit that you get back once you enter the caf at our current event.

One of the biggest draws to the banquet hall is the opportunity to have a dance after the ceremonies are over. This is because our regular athletic banquet is about 3 ½ to 4 hours, and after sitting down for that long, it is easy to become quite restless, especially for those who do not win awards. Some people have stopped getting tickets because they know their chances at winning something are slim, and they don’t want to sit there for 4 hours when they could be doing something else. The dance is something everyone can look forward to and it would even be fun at our school. The only problem with this is that our banquet goes until 10:30 or 11:00, and we have to be out of the school by 11:30, so we would only be dancing for 30 minutes, maybe an hour. Is it really worth paying all that money for a DJ to play half an hour?

Having the banquet in the cafetorium is a unique tradition at our school, and it is pretty neat to have all our banners slapped on the walls along most promising athletes and coaches gathered in a small space all there for each other. The school setting is very intimate, and the teachers surrounding the students is a very unique trait, but the caf could look classier. One way to keep the banquet from dragging on could be scrapping speeches for team awards, and only having them for individual ones. The speeches are the same every year, and a lot of teachers feel uncomfortable making them, so are they really necessary? Instead of these, we could use the screen and make it like the Oscars. Have the nominees pictures up on the screen, and then just announce the winner. This would also add some excitement, because who doesn’t want their giant picture up on a screen?

There is no guarantee any of these suggestions will ever be put into place. Our banquet does draw a large crowd every year, so there is obviously a lot of good things being done. Wherever the athletic banquet is held, there is no doubt it is a great night to appreciate all the athletic accomplishments of our school.

What do you think? Vote on the poll at http://planet.maryward.ca http://planet.maryward.ca planet.maryward.ca!!

SPORTS

By Nicolas Abrams

By Calvin Chen

This year’s crop of NBA free agents has not been this good in a long time. There were many big name free agents up for grabs, but none more sought-after as LeBron James, whose contract ran out in Cleveland at the end of the 2009/2010 season. Teams had been clearing cap space for that moment, to try to lure James to their team. Because James is one of the best players in the NBA, whichever team he chose to go to would become a contender for the championship. After most of the other free agents had signed long-term contracts, James was still contemplating which team to go to. He decided to wait until the last minute to announce his decision over national TV.

During the summer of 2010, basketball team Miami Heat received two new star players, LeBron James and Toronto’s own Chris Bosh to accompany superstar Dwayne Wade. This sudden change to the Heat roster prompted the NBA world to wonder if the next championship team has already been decided.

James had finally made his choice. “This summer I have decided to take my talents to South Beach and play for the Miami Heat.”

LeBron has now become Cleveland’s number one villain. As well, the Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh had announced earlier that he would be leaving to join Miami as well. Chris Bosh’s departure had been overshadowed by LeBron’s decision.

Bosh will be missed, but what James meant to Cleveland was more than what Bosh meant to the Toronto Raptors.

Now that James had chosen his destination, he will now have to deal with the widespread criticism that will come from the media. Cleveland fans are angry that he left, but what made them more upset was the way he handled the situation, by waiting until the last minute and turning it into a media event for the world to see. The LeBron Legacy will not be the same after this. Whether he goes on to win multiple championships, he will always be known as the guy who had to join up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to do it.

James’ decision, however, was not much of a surprise, except to Cleveland fans.

When a team has not won a championship and has not brought in significant players to support you, a departure was inevitable. James could have gracefully left Cleveland: he could have thanked the fans, but said that it was time to move on, but instead he created a media spectacle. The Miami Heat are now favourites to win the NBA championship. The course of the season will determine whether James has made the right decision.

The expectations are so high that many believe that this team will be a strong contender for the championships and win many in the six years they have in their contracts. It’s possibly the best team we’ve seen in a long time. James, Wade and Bosh have been nicknamed “The Big Three”, coined after the Boston Celtic’s own set of star players. The difference is that Miami’s “Big Three” are all in their prime and are in the best shape to compete. They even left many Los Angeles Lakers fans uneasy in their seats at the thought of losing their beloved “Three Peat” to this power squad. The NBA is partly to blame for the hype, featuring many of their plays in their highlight videos.

The Heat roster starts off with LeBron James who is arguably the best player in the NBA right now, holding on to numerous awards, including the Most Valuable Player Award, twice in a row. Chris Bosh is a proven gold medal winning player with the all-time leading records in Toronto in blocks, rebounds, steals, double doubles, free throws, and minutes played.

Dwayne Wade is the only championship ring owner in the trio, as well as being a very respected guard, leading many Olympic basketball games for the United States.

He is also the NBA scoring champion in 2009. Their other two starters, guard Mario Chalmers and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, are far from being big names, but manage to find their place in this group. On paper, this team looks absolutely amazing, giving sense and reason to their large hype.

It might be too early to judge, but Miami has started off the season poorly. They lost their first game to the Boston Celtics in an intense night. Their current record is 12-8, after winning one from Cleveland this Thursday. For Heat fans, this record isn’t too pleasing. What should have been hot and spicy is turning into bland and disappointing. But how can this team do so well in NBA 2K11, yet so poorly in the start of the season?

The simple answer is chemistry. The players haven’t played and practised together on a team long enough to build their teamwork. LeBron, Chris, and Dwayne are all very used to being the sole leader on their teams. They’re at their best when they are isolated with the ball. Playing off the ball is very out of their comfort zone, but when you’re playing alongside two other great players, it can’t be helped.

The Miami Heat is a championship-winning team. But right now, their paper work isn’t enough to prove it. There’s no doubt that towards the end of the season they will be a dominant force in the playoffs that will be feared.

VOLUME 15 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 17

sports SPORTS

Falling...

Toronto Teams Into Winter!

Not Impressing Anyone End of Season Sports Review Senior Boy’s Volleyball

As the Christmas break approaches, it is safe to say both Toronto Coaches: Emer, Harrison and Wong teams could use a break, though they do not deserve one.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are about a quarter way through their season, havig played 26 games so far with a 10-12-4 record. With 24 points, the Leafs sit in a dismal 28th overall in the league, 9 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They have the second worst penalty kill in the league and a goal differential of -17. This is in part thanks to players like Mike Brown, who has 2 points in twenty-two games and John McDonald who has 1 point in 14. Even bright spot Clarke MacArthur, who leads the team with 21 points, seems pathetic when compared to other team leaders like Sydney Crosby, who leads the league with 48. Not a single Leafs player shows up on the top 25 point leaders in the league. In fact, MacArthur ranks 52nd overall. The stars of the team this year have been goaltenders, Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson, with very impressive .893 and .903 save percentages respectively. The other players have been lacklustre at best. The next question is, why are the Leafs so bad? They have a Stanley Cup-winning General Manager, the US national team coach, not and they have been the most profitable team 5 years in a row.

The senior boy’s volleyball season was a successful adventure. The boys committed themselves and fought hard throughout the season. We enjoyed working with the boys and Congratulations on a successful season.

Record: 5-4 Playoffs: The team lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Coaches: Hathway, Davies and Vecchiarelli

Junior Boy’s Soccer

The boy’s soccer team went into very soccer game with a positive attitude and showed amazing determination throughout the season. We are all very proud of the boys, and had a great season with them. With eight grade 9s being back next year, the junior boy’s soccer team is looking very promising.

Record: 1-5 Playoffs: The team didn’t make the playoffs.

Cross Country

The Leafs have brought in numerous new players over the past few years in an effort to “rebuild” the team. However, how long does it take Coaches: Delgarno, Hayes and Poole to “rebuild”? Toronto is known as one of the greatest hockey cities in the The Mary Ward Cross Country team competed at 4 major meets within and world, so why are there so few players?

Phil Kessel is the most annoying player to watch. He coasts around most of the game, and stays near the side boards to avoid being hit. He was brought in to be a 50 goal scorer (which is not happening), who would carry the offence.

The Toronto Raptors are fairing a bit better, but not by much. They sit 9th in their conference with a poor 8-13 record, fortunately , eight place Charlotte Bobcats share this record. The Raptor’s season has been filled with ups and downs, with a surprising upset to Boston Celtics, but heartless losses like the one to the last place Sacramento Kings. For the past few years, the team has looked hopeful on paper but has been disappointing on the court. This season, however, with the departures of all-star Chris Bosh and the disappointing “powerhouse” Hedo Turkoglu, the team does not look very impressive. Andrea Bargnani leads the team with 20.2 points per game, and DeMar DeRozan comes in a distant second with 12.1, which is disappointing to say the least. The talent that the Raptors have is all pretty young, the oldest being Peja Stojakovic, but I don’t know if you can seriously call him talent as he has only appeared twice so far this season. Sonny Weems and Julian Wright seem to give some inclination that this team may be starting to head in the right direction. Both forwards are aggressive at the two ends of the court, and earn their minutes every game. The Raptors need to focus on developing the decent young talent they have, but they also need a leader. Barngani is a stats player, not a real leader and inspiration. Jose Calderon has also been around a few years, but he is struggling this year with only 9.2 points per game and playing only 25 minutes. The loss of Chris Bosh in the off season was a huge blow to this young Raptors team, and they need to take this year to develop and rebuild and hopefully find a seasoned player to lead this team back to the playoffs.

18 mwplanet VOLUME 16/ ISSUE 1

around the GTA. A couple new faces joined the team, including Daniella Giaretti, who came 10th at TDCAA’s and qualified for OFFSA. Senior boy’s runner Renaldo Romeral came 11th in the 7,000 metre run and missed OFSAA by 2 seconds. The senior girls also did very well at TDCAA’s; they finished fifth as a team. Congratulations to the whole team for an incredible season this fall.

Junior Girl’s Basketball

Coach: McAlpine

The junior girl’s basketball season started off roughly. With that in mind, the girls fought back to finish their season with an even record to make it into the playoffs.

They played their best game in the playoffs and should be proud.

Record: 4-4 Playoffs: The team lost in the second round of the playoffs.

Girl’s Field Hockey

Coaches: MacIsaac, Peets and Saran.

The girls suffered a tough loss when their Ontario player, Alita Fernandez, was injured and out for the rest of the season. The girls made the other team work for their wins, and should still be proud of their effort despite falling short.

Record: N/A Playoffs: The team didn’t make playoffs.

Coaches: Adourian, Santiago, Ventura and Waud

Gr. 9 Boy’s & Girl’s Flag Football

The boys played their one-day Flag Football tournament on a rainy day and still gave it a good effort. On October 12, the girls played their tournament and were able to take a game against Jean Vanier, the host team. After their tournament, both teams were able to celebrate with pizza and a movie. Congratulations on a short but successful season!

WACT/Lifestyles WACT/LIFESTYLES

TOP 10 MOVIES of 2010

By Michael Angelo Balano Movie Gross Info: Leesmovieinfo.net

Here are this year’s top ten highest grossing films. Movie lovers crowded into theaters to view these blockbuster movies, which made over $10 billion in ticket sales altogether. Toys, magical creatures, and dragons dominated this year’s box office.

Alice In Wonderland Walt Disney Pictures

2

Movie Gross: $399 920 000 19-year-old Alice, who returns to the world which she first encountered as a young girl, reunites with her childhood friends. She goes on a journey to find her destiny and to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror.

Inception

Warner Bros. Pictures

5

3

Iron Man 2

Marvel Studios

Movie Gross: $312 057 000 The world now knows that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is Iron Man. Under great pressure, Tony remains unwilling to reveal the secrets behind the armor out of fear that it will fall into the wrong hands. With the help of Pepper and James, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces.

Despicable Me

Universal Pictures

6

Movie Gross: $289 752 000 Dom Cobb is a highly skilled in the art of extraction. He steals secrets from within someone’s subconscious. This time, Cobb won’t be harvesting an idea but sowing one. He and his team of specialists would have executed the perfect crime. However, they were not prepared for the enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

Movie Gross: $246 092 000 Unknown to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a secret hideout, where Gru plans to steal the moon. Armed with shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle vehicles for both land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way - until he encounters three orphaned girls.

How To Train Your Dragon

The Karate Kid

Dreamworks Animation

8

Movie Gross: $217 388 000 Set in the mythical world of vikings and wild dragons, this action comedy tells the story of Hiccup, a teenage Viking. He encounters one of the rarest and most intelligent dragons, who challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the dragon world from a different point of view.

Columbia Pictures

9

Movie Gross: $ 176 592 000 Dre Parker was the most popular kid in Detroit, but it’s not so in China.

Dre’s feelings for his classmate Mei Ying make him an enemy of the class bully, Cheng, a kung fu prodigy. Mr. Han, the maintenance man, teaches Dre that kung fu is about maturity and a calm mind. Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

Forget Jersey Shore; Rolling Stones magazine has a show on their We Like to Watch List you can really fist pump about. What is it? It’s Chuck! A TV show jam-packed with action, comedy, and the right amount of romance, Chuck has something for everyone.

The talented Zachary Levi (who recently appeared in Alvin and the Chipmunks 2) stars as the eponymous, nerdy-but-charming computer whiz working at Buy More, a computer/electronic retail store that parodies several real-life chains (Best Buy in particular). His life is turned upside down after opening an e-mail containing topsecret government information that was subsequently downloaded into his brain. This information database is known as the Intersect, a program that allows Chuck to experience “flashes” of information from it; this allows him to

become aware of dangerous assassins and wanted criminals lurking about. Later on in the show, the Intersect is updated to version 2.0, equipping him with physical strength and skill. With the help of his two supervisory agents: trigger-happy, cynical Casey and discreet but compassionate Sarah, Chuck foils dastardly schemes and serves justice to villains.

Regardless of the critics’ positive reception, Chuck received surprisingly low ratings due to a lack of

Toy Story 3

Pixar Animation Studios

1

Movie Gross: $412 844 000 The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care centre rather than the attic right before Andy heads off to college. Woody tries to convince the toys that they were not abandoned by Andy and help them return home.

4

Eclipse

Summit Entertainment

Movie Gross: $300 099 000 Seattle is disrupted by mysterious killings and the vicious vampire Victoria continues her quest for revenge. Bella is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob; to stay human or to become a vampire.

Shrek Forever After

Paramount Pictures

7

Movie Gross: $238 372 000 Longing for the days when he felt like a real ogre, Shrek is tricked into signing a contract with Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in an twisted version of Far Far Away. It’s up to Shrek to break the pact in hopes of saving his friends and restoring his world to normal.

10

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief

20th Century Fox

Movie Gross: $163 192 000 Perseus, a demi-god, must save his family from Hades. He leads a band of warriors to defeat him. Battling demons and beasts, they will only survive if Percy can accept his power as a god, defy his fate, and create his destiny.

promotion and stiff competition in the Monday 8:00-9:00 time slot, competing against House, How I Met Your Mother, and Dancing with the Stars. Initially, producers were going to end the series after the second season, but due to the fan-launched “Save Chuck!” campaign, NBC and Subway renewed the show for season three and the currently airing season four. This season, however, could consist of anywhere between nine to nineteen episodes, depending on the show’s ratings. A Chuck fansite (www.chucktv.net) has recently recruited fans to be a part of the Chuck Flash Mob, which allows them to demonstrate their love for Chuck while trying to attract more viewers and saving the show for yet another season. Their technique is rather creative; they even wear the Buy More uniforms while promoting.

Unfortunately, many Mary Ward students have never even heard of Chuck, much less actually watched it. Grade 11 student Andrew Areghan commented, “[The show] sounds

cool. I saw the preview but House was on at the same time.”

The appeal of Chuck crosses over a broad audience, with a motivated and dedicated fan base. So why not try it for yourself? Once you tune in to Chuck, the intensity and thrill will leave you on the edge of your seat. If you want to watch our favorite computer nerd save the world, then catch the show on Mondays at 8 EST on NBC (Channel 11) or CHCH (Channel 10). VOLUME 15 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 19

WACT / Lifestyle WACT / LIFESTYLES

CALL of DUTY: THE CAKE IS A

LIE

After a hard day’s work of constant writing and mind-boggling brainstorming, it’s always nice to sit back, pick up a controller, take out a disk, and enjoy the virtual thrill-ride that are video games. Now I’m that certain that by the end of the holidays, there will be one game that millions upon millions of people will pour countless hours into. As the majority of you probably know, the next entry in the Call of Duty phenomena, subtitled “Black Ops”, has finally arrived. In case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s a basic rundown of the game’s several components: Single Player - This year’s adventure is quite the epic journey. The campaign, rather than simply inserting you into wars, has a much heavier focus on a story this time around. In the campaign story, you’ll assume the role of black operations agent, Alex Mason, who is being interrogated. Flashbacks will bring you to various areas across the globe throughout the Cold War era. Players will fight through several past conflicts and carry out “top secret” operations, hence the “Black Operations,” in order to seek and destroy the Soviet created threats, the “Nova 6” virus and sleeper cells. However, during his interrogation, secrets are revealed, and Mason’s view on his past will forever change. Enhanced through Black Ops’ campaign are facial emotion animations. The same motion capture techniques and technology used in the universally acclaimed Avatar will be used heavily in the campaign for better “emotion” and “immersion”. Gore, featured in Treyarch’s past Call

TRIP 2010 This year DECA travelled to the capital of the United States: Washington D.C. With just two supervisors, Miss Morra and Mrs. Ventura, the twelve DECA delegates toured the nation’s capital from November 10th to the 14th. Each day was filled with touring, conferences, night tours, shopping, networking, eating, and much more.

Although the bus ride from Ontario to Washington took a total of 10 hours, it was still exciting as everyone was anticipating the arrival. After finally arriving at 10:00 am, the group went straight to touring. The supervisors and student delegates toured a variety of attractions from the famous White House to the Washington Monument, to the Jefferson Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial to National Museums and much more. These monuments, memorials and museums were unbelievable.

Just as Thursday was filled with touring, Friday and Saturday were filled with exciting conferences. One of the main events was a scavenger hunt around the city.

Apart from this, there were also educational workshops of various interesting subjects for future endeavours related to business. These events brought the delegates with DECA members from all across the northern states. They met members from Arizona, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Texas, Minnesota, Maryland and Wisconsin.

After the conferences and tours that took place on Thursday through Saturday, Saturday

of Duty project World at War, will make a return in Black Ops’ campaign as well.

Although, the campaign may not be the main attraction to many, it’s definitely good news to those who want to enjoy playing a wholesome, gritty, and heartpounding campaign.

Multiplayer - Black Ops hosts a plethora of new features in its multiplayer component, including new killstreaks, weapons, theater mode, currency system, and multiple customization features. Apart from the welcome features, several things have been “nerfed” in order provide a more well-balanced and fair experience.

Zombies - That’s right! The co-operative fans have all come to play and love has returned in all its glory. Zombies, along with some new company, are back with new maps, weapons, and characters. As of now, there are three new zombie maps, one of which has certain “political figures” involved. Activision has expressed interest in having a heavy focus on DLC, so expect a lot more maps to come.

Portable version- Although the main SKU’s of the game are only available on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC, handheld gamers will be glad to know that haven’t been left out, a separate and unique Black Ops game created by N-Space is available for the Nintendo DS alongside the main versions. For portable shooter, it packs a punch as it too has a lengthy and diverse campaign including an online multiplayer and a zombie co-operative mode.

In the end, your opinion will matter the most in deciding whether or not the game was well worth the purchase. It’s highly suggested that you start warming up those itchy trigger fingers again, because Call of Duty: Black Ops is now available and ready for combat.

PHOTOS FROM CALLOFDUTY.COM

night was a spectacular night tour. They took a bus to all of the main attractions in Washington and saw them lit up at night. Our tour guide gave us enough information about each spot that we went too. One of the most memorable memorials that I witnessed was the Lincoln Memorial. As the DECA delegates stood in front of this impressive historical monument, we felt as if we were standing in front of history.

As the trip concluded on Sunday, they woke up bright and early to travel back to Ontario. Certainly, this trip was as unforgettable as the state was tremendous.

WACT WACT

By Nairy Khodabakshian What is ‘beautiful’? It is one simple word, but carries many standards and expectations. The exponentially increasing power of modern media has put teens in a situation in which the definition of beautiful is scarce and limited. Teenagers watch television, read magazines and newspapers, and come across billboards daily, so advertising has become commonplace to us. This media-driven message fuels the belief that if you do not have muscular arms or the perfect waistline, you are deemed unattractive.

Advertisers manipulate consumers by promising happiness through flawless figures, which only makes them want products more. And thus, this never-ending cycle of what is ‘beautiful’ becomes altered once again.

‘I’m ugly! You’re prettier!” Sound familiar? That’s because, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 59% of girls have reported dissatisfaction with their body shape, and 66% expressed the desire to lose weight. As a teenage girl living in the urban city, I am constantly bombarded with advertisements, television commercials, shows, and magazines that tell me the smaller your size, the more beautiful you are.

These unspoken standards, communicated through ads like beauty and make-up, give me a cookie-cutter image of the perfect human being. Television shows like ‘Jersey Shore’ and ‘America’s Next Top Model’ give me unrealistic images and expectations of humans. Ultimately, all of it makes me think that I am simply not good enough. People everywhere feel the need to nip and tuck every part of their body through plastic surgery to achieve this image of ‘beautiful’. There are surgeries where one can essentially staple his or her stomach in half in order to eat less. If the lining of the esophagus becomes dysfunctional, the person can starve to death. People are going to extreme lengths to please both others and themselves, regardless of negative effects on their health and wellbeing.

One common action girls take nowadays to lose weight is through starvation. The media fails to deliver the message to girls that it is okay to be comfortable and healthy.

Some girls do not seem to understand that they have a higher fat percentage compared to boys because nature prepares their bodies to house a baby. It is not hard to understand why girls want to be like the people on television or magazines, many of whom define ‘conventional’ beauty. Apparently, if you do not fit into this definition, you are in trouble! You are going to have to change yourself physically and mentally so that you can be beautiful… or at least that is what the media wants you to think. But what do I, an average teenage girl, want you to think? I think that you do not have to look to the media to find images of beauty; rather, take a look in the mirror. You are beautiful.

I think that there are healthier ways for the media to communicate with its consumers without making them feel self-conscious. If the media operated in a way where they represented ordinary women of all sizes, it would help boost people’s self-confidence and help broaden society’s definition of ‘beauty’.

I know that it is hard, but I hope that one day, this will no longer be an image. We have to become aware of misleading advertising ideas, one girl at a time. Because the truth is, the media is always going to tell you that you are not good enough. It is up to you to you, however, understand that you are good enough, and that you do not need to change yourself to fit in. We cannot all look like the people in magazines because variety is what makes life interesting. Therefore, go out today with a smile on your face. We cannot ‘flip’ ourselves the way we ‘flip’ through television channels or the pages of a magazine. We were born to look a certain way, and guess what? We are naturally beautiful.

“

”

By Nairy Khodabakshian

If you are a girl and reading this, what do you want to do after you finish high school? Well, you are lucky you are even in high school- in fact, you are lucky to even have made it past elementary. In third world countries such as Africa and Zimbabwe, girls are often neglected and underestimated. Most girls growing up in such countries do not even get to finish high school, as they must work to support their family. In fact, over 60 million of them are denied access into elementary school. This forces young girls to begin participating in the labour force, which often leads to them getting taken advantage of. In developing countries, 500 million girls and young women- equivalent to the population of North Americaare under valued and under rated (Because I Am a Girl Canada). Most of these girls are so young that they do not have enough education for a decent job, which leads to them being forced to working in dangers industries where sex and physical labour are key elements.

I know that I, as a teenage girl, am looking forward to finishing high school, continuing on to post-secondary school, and eventually starting a family. Girls in developing countries usually have children before they get to nineteen. That got me thinking- what can I do to help? I was fortunate enough to grow up in a first world country where girls have rights and are respected, so I would like to take advantage of this situation to help out other girls who are not as fortunate as I am. I often complain about having too much homework and not wanting to get up for school in the mornings, but then I remember that I am lucky enough to not only be seeing another day, but not having to worry about feeding my children, trying to get my family out of poverty, or having doing heavy physical labour. Every day, these girls get up, clean the house, fetch water, and do things like chop firewood.

The work they do is hidden and physically tiring, and they do not even get paid for it. These girls were misfortunate enough to have to give up school in order to feed their families.

Basically, poverty has taken over the lives of these young girls who have the potential to get to infinity and beyond. Without the education, these girls end up vulnerable. Usually, they must work away from home, becoming teenage mothers in the process. The sad part of this is that nobody sees their potential because they are girls. Nobody realizes that girls are just as equal as boys are, and that in fact they can make a difference in their community. This is where I can make a change.

There’s a very helpful foundation called “Because I Am a Girl”. They invest in these girls, giving them a chance to learn, which helps them develop skills to find decent jobs to take part in. Because I Am a Girl invests in these girls because not only do they see their potential, but they want to break this ever going cycle of poverty. The money these girls make usually ends up supporting their family, which can work towards pulling them out of poverty. Once educated, these women can then pass on what they learned to their children, helping them become self sufficient. Once this happens, the whole community will benefitthese girls will be smarter, stronger, healthier, and working towards an overall positive state for the economy of their village, their country, and eventually the entire world.

I know that once there is a chance, I make the best use of it, and I know these girls can too. By becoming involved in Because I Am a Girl, I know that I would be making a difference in a girl’s life. It is not fair for these girls to be living in such negative environments because they have just as much potential as I do- they just do not have people who believe in them. This is where I come in- I believe in these girls and I know you can too. See their potential- invest in them at a young age and watch them grow into an active part of their society. Because I am a girl I believe that I can make a difference. Because I am a girl I feel that it is my duty to help out girls just like me, girls who just need someone to believe in them. I believe I can make a difference, so I will work towards achieving this goal.

I will not give up until I know I have made a difference, and when I can actually see the results, and I do this all... because I am a girl.

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 21

WACT / lifestyles WACT / lifestyles

taking down the

DOUBLEDOWN

By Peter Castanheira

Do you enjoy sandwiches, but are tired of the tedious task of eating bread? Well, your cries have been answered! Kentucky Fried Chicken’s new ‘Double Down’ sandwich is your solution.

I use the term ‘sandwich’ loosely because this product replaces the buns with two boneless white meat chicken filets. These filets secure two of strips of bacon, two slices of Monteray Jack and pepper cheese, and the Colonel’s sauce. If you have ever dreamed of making a ‘sandwich’ modeled after Noah’s Ark, the Double Down is as close as you will get.

The sandwich is not healthy in any sense of the word. According to the KFC website, the Double Down contains 540 calories and 32 grams of fat. Yummy! The Double Down also contains between 1380 mg to 1430 mg of sodium, depending on whether you choose to eat it grilled. The recommended daily sodium intake for ages 9-50 is 1500 mg; good news if you forgot to take your sodium deficiency pills this morning, and bad news if you had second helpings.

I purchased the Double Down for the purpose of writing this article and recording the experience. My thoughts on ordering, coupled with my prior knowledge of the product’s levels of fat, were not enthusiastic. I made a mental note to take a brisk walk in the near future, and prepared myself for what lied ahead. On opening the package, I found that the Double Down was an unappetizing mess of grease and meat.

As for taste, the Double Down is incredibly salty. The cheese, however, contrasts the taste for balance. Because of its greasy ingredients, a dry side dish is recommended. The Double Down has a diameter of about the length of your ordinary office pen, but is filling on its own. It is also a tad spicy, though not so much as to be unpleasant. As a renowned fast-food connoisseur, my professional opinion is that the KFC Double Down is too salty to enjoy (unless you actually like that and care little for your health). Considering this, I would give the Double Down a 2 out of a possible 5.

The Double Down was in Canada for a limited amount of time as a promo. If you missed trying the ‘sandwich’ of your dreams - in case you have actually wasted REMs on artery clogging food) there is still a chance it will return, provided that it has sold well during its stint in the Great White North. One KFC employee says, “everybody is buying”, so there is a fair chance it will be sold in Canadian KFC eateries again.

Reasons for producing such a product are vague. One suggested answer is that KFC ran out of bread, so they replaced the ingredient with what they are most known for: chicken. On a more serious note, the Double Down was widely negatively publicized because of its unhealthiness, providing KFC with free press.

Due to the public’s interest on the Colonel’s questionable meal, competing fast-food chains will have to create something new to pique the public’s curiosity… perhaps with even greasier sandwiches (Wendy’s Baconator or Burger King’s Triple Cheese come to mind). No matter what the cause is, the trend is adipose and should be avoided for health purposes.

Planet Rating: 2 OUT OF 5 Ambulances rushing to the hospital

By Andrea Albert

Modra, an independent Slovakian-Canadian movie, enlightens its audience with a coming-of-age story that uncovers the essence of teen romance.

Slovakian-Canadian actor, writer, producer and director Ingrid Veninger makes her first solo debut with Modra. The film’s title means “blue” in English. This tale about self discovery is told from two teenager’s perspectives. The independently-produced film was created under Punk Films Inc. production house, which belongs to the director herself. The main characters are Lina (Hallie Switzer), and Leco (Alex Gammal). The characters are incompatible; this creates realistic tension in dialogue. The movie first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2010.

The style of the camera angles was similar to that of a documentary. Extreme close up, full frame shots were used to introduce the characters as part of a visual flow. The supporting characters seemed to be portraying themselves, rather than acting. This feature allowed the film to be seen as a “documentary fiction”.

The beauty of the film is the parched, almost ordinary way in which the story is told.

The movie strongly states, that even in sadness, happiness can be found. The simplicity and the reality of how teen romances actually take place are clearly shown. There is no fluff or sparkles. This is not a film that features glossy actors with an eloquent vocabulary. Instead, there is an abundance of awkward pauses, raw explosions, and several mindless conversations.

Many of the characters in the movie are related to the director, causing a sense of connectivity, closeness and authenticity. Unfortunately, the movie did not always have subtitles to accompany the speech.

Ingrid Veninger captures the essence of teenage romance overseas with taste.

Modra is a noteworthy film that understands and knows how to capture the moments that are expressive and absolute. It is a film that can fill anyone’s heart with delight.

Planet Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

22 mwplanet VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1

PHOTO BY CALGARYFILM.COM

modra

creative spaces SPACES CREATIVE

By Sarah Quinto Everything seems to be falling apart at the seams.

The sunlight dims and the clouds take to spewing acid tears. Yawns overpower me like mudslides. I find myself slipping through the day sleeping on mud, with silent rushes of rain pouring down my back. Rain like harsh words, bullets piercing through my skin. Rain that can’t be seen, only felt—swarms restlessly around me, and I can hardly hear for want of rest.

Endless streams of paper block my view, blotted by dabs of ink, letters gliding smoothly with no hope of finding where from. Numbers swim across my vision— eighty-five, ninety-two, ninety—never to be taken for granted, only earned through hard work.

One sigh. Two sighs. There aren’t enough days in the week for sleep. One snore turns into two and soon three form a murmuring choir of somnolence, a humming stillness in the midst of a toxic unflagging pace.

I find myself running through the forest. It’s autumn, and the trees are almost bare. I’m surrounded by the remnants of their summer selves; leaves litter the ground, neither here nor there. Shades of scarlet and amber cover the floor in bits of honeyed fire. Branches, shaped in cruel malcontent, claw their way up to meet the skies. Why? they seem to cry, why is this happening to me? Clumps of dying grass peek through the leaves, as if spring were battling with the idea of fall.

By Kendra Geniza Beautiful girl at the end of the hall she walks with rapid fire, far, far away.

She weaves through crowds; not bothering to call for walking too fast is not my forte.

Steps so filled with poise and decisive grace; toes tapping against the linoleum floor.

Fabrics swaying with her beat-heavy pace, sad to say it only makes my heart sore.

Her rhythmic footfalls echo my mind; she disappears farther and farther down.

Across the foyer, leaving me half-pined, hoping my words for her will be renowned.

But no matter how many words I write, for her, I’m sure, I’ll forever be trite.

My feet sink into mud and I hesitate. Each stride I take—each push of the leg forward in an attempt to move at an acceptable speed, running from an invisible enemy—is a struggle. I feel my lungs expand and collapse, expand and collapse; the motion reminds me of an accordion. My breaths come in harsh gasps. I’m pushing myself too much, I can’t keep up with my own pace—if I don’t think about it then it’s not happening, it’s all a figment of my imagination, nothing has changed, I’m still breathing—it’s too much, too much.

One word breaks the noise in my head and it is stop.

So I do.

Breaths breaking the still air, hands clutching my sides, almost completely doubled over, I take in the scene before me. Dimmed sunlight passes through the canopy and illuminates the forest with a sort of glow. The scenery is almost too pretty, contrived—like a painting, a moment stolen from time, immortalized in an artist’s rendition of beauty—and the realization strikes me.

I am lost.

The trees look on, silent and sardonic. Poor child can’t find her way out; she shouldn’t have strayed from the path in the first place. I can’t distinguish one tree from another, can’t find the trees that lead me back to where I was. The beating of my heart slows and thoughts rush into my head, sluggish and torturous.

Who, what, where, when, why? How? Before adrenaline spikes my veins, I try to resist. Resist the blanket of panic that threatens to cover me, body curled in the fetal position, restless. Before I whimper, I tell myself to tread carefully, to forget. Forget what’s happening around me and instead focus on being. Listening. Finding. Escaping.

I run back, tracing my missteps, hardly noticing the leaves crunch in protest. I don’t notice the trees; trees that seem to continue on with their silent chatter, branches raised in complaint. I don’t notice the wind screeching in my ears, each lament a plea. Wake up,, it seems to say. Wake up up.

Mere moments pass before I feel the earth crash into me. This time I hear the whispers, the gentle susurrations of a passing breeze, hear the cackles of windup. whipped twigs against bark. I close my eyes and listen. Wake up, up wake up The next thing I see is a blurry desk, knots in the wood portending its age. Papers, pens. The smell of ink. The room swims before me. Four walls enclose me—severe white painted with smudged graphite drawings. I turn my face away and close my eyes once more, thoughts clouded with faded leaves. Then it hits me.

I’m still in the forest.

By Philip Vu My life.

It slipped through my fingers.

My wife, My children, Were taken from me.

This is not my war, Why must I fight?

Is it for power?

Is it for wealth?

Is it for revenge?

Why must I fight?

As I hold death with my shaking and unsure hands, I steady my weapon and pull the trigger.

Kill or be killed.

That was the only thing they said, Before they gave us a gun and shipped us off to Hell.

Kill or be killed.

It was the only rule of the battlefield.

Death, Those who fight it, Continue to fight on the battlefield.

Those who have faced it, Have fallen, Their tortured souls taken.

Those who fear it, Feel the full strength of its grip, As it takes their last breath away.

As I walk this blood stained battlefield, I watch bullets fly and kill.

I watch grenades explode and destroy.

I watch airplanes demolish everything below.

Long after this battle has ended, I continue to fight.

I can only forever walk this battlefield, Where I lost my life.

As I lay here, Here in the meadow, Watching all around me fall, Fall to the ground.

I find myself lost, In the tall grass of this field, Stained crimson red, From the blood of many.

I can only watch, Watch the pain.

The sorrow.

The hate.

The despair in the eyes of all.

As I lay here, Motionless.

VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 23

fun andAND games GAMES FUN

Comic by Dorothy Manuel

3 cups 1/4 teaspoon 3/4 teaspoon 2 teaspoons 1 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon 1/4 teaspoon 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1 large 2/3 cup

all-purpose flo ur salt baking soda ground ginger ground cinnam on ground nutmeg ground cloves unsalted butter sugar egg unsulphured m olasses

STEP ONE: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

STEP TWO: bowl, beat and suglight

In your second the butter ar until a n d fluffy.

Add the egg and molasses. Beat until well mixed, while adding the flour mixture.

STEP THREE: Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.

2 cups

icing

ugar (sif

dered s or pow

ted)

r

d butte

unsalte

act illa extr n a v e r pu oon ream 1 teasp r light c o k il m poons STEP FOUR: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Place 1 1/2 tbs ed) rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with (if desir s r lo o c d food parchment paper.

Assorte STEP FIVE: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a Gingerbread Man cutter to cut out the cookies. With a spatula, lift the cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch apart.

STEP SIX: Bake. Small ones will take about 8 minutes; larger cookies will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

STEP SEVEN: Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minute. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

1/2 cup

STEP ONE: In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.

STEP TWO: Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). You can also add a little more milk if you feel it’s too dry.

STEP THREE: Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.

STEP FOUR: Tint portions of frosting with desired food coloring.

STEP FIVE: DECORATE AND ENJOY!

24 mwplanet VOLUME 16 / ISSUE 1

PHOTO BY AGATHA CHOY