Mary Ward Planet - Vol.17, Issue 3, Summer 2011-12

volume 17 | issue 3 | summer edition 2012

MARY ARY W WARD ARD M planet.maryward.ca

AN NEETT PPL LA information | art | style | leisure

M a r i n a N e m a t | F LU X | E d m o d o

As the last of the computers is shut down, and the newspaper is put to bed, there is a bittersweet feeling that lays on the tip of my tongue. It has been an amazing year, with tons of talented journalists, photographers, illustrators, and layout artists coming in and out of the comm. tech. area, sharing their talents and expertise. The paper, once again, was the recipient of six Toronto Star Newspaper Awards, with Alex DePompa, editor-in-chief, winning the prestigious Brad Henderson Award. It could not have gone to a more worthy person! We have had an awesome year, and I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with so many inspiring people. Sadly, we say good-bye to our many graduates. Alex DePompa, our editor-in-chief, will continue down his journalistic path as he ventures off to the University of Toronto to the Literary Studies Program. Kristine Buerano, our Photography Editor, will be off to the York University/Sheridan College Joint Program in Design. Inggrid Wibowo, our Webmaster, is off to the University of Toronto; Kim Villaluz our Planet Relations is going to the University of Ottawa; Rowena Rollon, Community Editor, will be studying at the University of Toronto; Alex Cabaj and Angeli Marteja, co-redactrices, are going to the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph respectively; and Sarah Quinto, Creative Spaces Editor, is off to Ryerson University. We also say good-bye to long-time contributors Eumela Nuesca, Megan D’Souza and Fionna Chui. I wish you all the best as you travel down your next road, and hope you enjoy your journey. You will be greatly missed here at The Planet!

Editor’s Note Editorial

U.S. Politics Koney 2012 Federal Budget Solar Storms

Toronto Blue Jays It May Not be the Euro Cup Sports Wrap-Up

Mary Ward Thinks Fast Tin Can Trek For Teens We Day Community Wrap-Up Art Show: Flux The Book of Sarah: Marina Nemat Paying Respect: Ward Visits Vimy

La Musique Francais Revue de la Piece La Verite de la Viande Le Monde Entier Au Revoir, Mademoiselle

All content ©2011-2012 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.

The Mary Ward Planet is the official student newspaper of Mary Ward C.S.S. 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.

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.

The Appeal of Fairy Tales One Direction American Idol Carly Rae Jepson Assassin’s Creed All That Glitter is Gone The Lorax Review The Hunger Games Review

I Am Bedtime Story Last Chance When It Clicks

Photography Contest Winner

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Alex De Pompa PHOTO EDITOR: Kristine Buerano ART EDITOR: Lydia He WEBMASTER: Inggrid Wibowo PLANET RELATIONS: Kimberley Villaluz WORLD ISSUES EDITOR: Carolina Vecchiarelli COMMUNITY EDITOR: Rowena Rollon SPORTS EDITOR: Nairy Khodabakhshian

Rowena Rollon Kristine Buerano Alex De Pompa Angeli Marteja Alex Cabaj Lydia He

CO-REDACTRICE: Alex Cabaj CO-REDACTRICE: Angeli Marteja WACT/LIFESTYLES EDITOR: Jercy David CREATIVE SPACES EDITOR: Sarah Quinto JUNIOR EDITOR: Abigail Galindez JUNIOR EDITOR: Shamita Sivakumar EDITOR’S SUPPORT: Samantha Quinto

Eumela Nuesca Jercy David Ashley Quan Inggrid Wibowo Kimberley Villaluz Fionna Chui

Samantha Quinto Carolina Vecchiarelli Abigail Galindez Sarah Quinto Shannon Cabrio

Cover by Kristine Buerano Colour Spread by Inggrid Wibowo

Kristine Buerano Bea Serdon

Ashley Quan Dylan Wong-Yong-Chin

Camille Galindez

The Planet would like to express its condolences to Bea Serdon. Her photos on pages were not credited. Bea has been a dedicated contributor to the Planet, and we deeply regret these mistakes.

editor’s note NOTE EDITOR’S

After four years and twelve issues, it is my time to say goodbye to the Mary Ward Planet. Serving on this publication has been an immensely rewarding experience that has helped me to develop a strong work ethic and sense of character. I have honed my writing and editing skills, learned to create graphics and design layouts, and developed close bonds with my fellow high school journalists.

What I will miss most about the newspaper are the people who have worked tirelessly to create a professional, high quality publication. To the graduates and those who have contributed to the Planet consistently – thank you. It is your enthusiasm and dedication to the Planet that has made this such a wonderful experience for me.

mitment to La Petite Planet; and Ms. Largo, for her journalism and design expertise.

The end of the 2011-2012 school year is fast approaching, and many of us are running on few hours of sleep as we try to finish our units and study for exams. If you happen to find a rare moment of calm this summer, take the opportunity to read our school’s award-winning newspaper. Learn about Edmodo, a recent educational innovation likely to become a popular new teaching aid next year on page 4. Sarah Quinto dissects the appeal of fairy tales on page 18. Turn to pages 14 and 15 for an article and exclusive interview with internationally-recognized author and activist Marina Nemat, or flip to pages 12 and 13 for a photo collage of this year’s art show, Flux.

Writers – thank you for the time and energy you put into crafting your articles.

Photographers – thank you for capturing the spirit of our school in still image.

Layout designers – thank you for teaching me about typography and the horrors With the ceaseless events, campaigns, and sports games taking place throughout our school, it is often difficult to keep updated. Check out Nairy Khodabakhof Comic Sans. shian’s Sports Wrap-Up on page 11, and Rowena Rollon and Fionna Chui’s ComThe late nights we spent in Communications Technology finishing the paper are munity Wrap-Up on page 11 to keep informed about everything happening in among my best memories of Mary Ward, and are so because of the wonderful our school. people who were there and stayed until the newspaper was sent to print.

I would like to congratulate the entire Planet team on another successful year, We were honoured at the Toronto Star High School Newspaper Awards again this and thank the students of Mary Ward for their support and interest. It has been an year. I received two awards; one was for critical writing, and the other was the unforgettable experience.

Brad Henderson Award. I owe the latter to my diligent executive team, and to our teacher moderator, Ms. Powell, whose wisdom, dedication, and commitment to Have a great summer everyone! this newspaper has inspired me and made the Mary Ward Planet possible. I could not have done it without you. I would also like to thank Mr. Demore for his com-

ET THE M ARY WARD PLAN

By Eumela Nuesca On May 24, 2012, Mary Ward Planet editors, illustrators, photographers and contributors visited the Toronto Star’s printing plant in Vaughan for the Toronto Star High School Newspaper Awards. Founded by Brad Henderson, a top Star executive, these awards acknowledge journalistic talent in Toronto high school newspapers.

Awards are given out for various categories, including critical writing, editorial cartoons, humour, illustration, and photography.

Among these awards is the Brad Henderson Award. Brad Henderson started out at the Toronto Star as a newsroom messenger boy and worked his way to the top. He became the go-to guy for many of the newspaper’s printing and technical problems, while still being able to connect with his co-workers.

Brad Henderson has since passed away after fighting a battle with cancer.

His legacy lives on through talented journalists who not only excel in writing, but demonstrate integrity and an honourable character.

It is no surprise that the Planet’s very own Editor-in-Chief, Alex De Pompa, was chosen to receive this prestigious award. His hard work and dedication to the Mary Ward Planet is respected by many members of the Mary Ward community. As usual, the Planet’s contributors also won various awards. Alex De Pompa was also awarded runner-up for Critical Writing.

Mariah Llanes took first place in Illustration. Inggrid Wibowo won first place for Layout and Design Page, and Fionna Chui was runner-up in the same category. In addition to these awards, the Mary Ward Planet was the runner-up for Best Electronic Newspaper and received a cheque for $250.00 to help improve the Planet thanks to webmaster Inggrid Wibowo. The event was truly an inspiration to all young journalists, as it recognizes talented work from students across Ontario and ensures that the future of journalism is in good hands.

PHOTOS BY KRISTINE BUERANO VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3 mwplanet 03

editorial EDITORIAL

Over the course of the 2011-2012 school year, many teachers at Mary Ward have been looking towards Edmodo as a means to reach out to students and to revolutionize traditional methods of teaching. Edmodo is essentially a customizable online classroom that provides students and teachers a secure place to access homework, grades, class discussions, and share educational content.

Teachers can post videos of seminars, assignments, school-related documents, grades, and award badges for various fields of education on the Facebook-based platform.

These features and others make Edmodo the perfect balance between social networking sites Youtube and Facebook.

Teachers can upload videos and adjust privacy settings as they wish, while students can comment and “backpack” the videos for future reference. The backpack feature is similar to “favoriting” a video on Youtube.

Edmodo allows for the formation of an online community that is accessible any hour of the day, rendering it convenient for everyone. The website harnesses the power of social media to engage students in schoolwork.

Students can set up their mobile phones with Edmodo so that they get notifications of updates automatically sent to their phones. This allows students and teachers to connect in real-time.

Edmodo helps teachers to become more involved with students. They are able to communicate with students one on one or with the entire classroom. Consultation lines

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become less hectic for teachers, as they can use Edmodo to present ideas or concepts they may not have enough time to explore in class online. This way, teachers do not have to rush through their consultation schedules, thus ensuring that each student will get the time needed with the teacher to fully understand the concepts of that particular course. This improvised form of teacher-student communication can further guarantee academic success and better use of in-class time for teachers.

Edmodo is especially effective for self-directed schools like Mary Ward. It allows students to manage their time better in that they do not have to worry about conflicting seminars for courses: they can attend a seminar during the school day, and then watch the other at home on Edmodo. It also gives students more time to do things that they cannot do at home, like writing tests and conducting labs. Students can also contact a teacher directly for help or post their questions on the “wall” for their peers. Edmodo also allows teachers to remind their students of upcoming seminars in the calendar feature to ensure higher attendance.

Edmodo is full of great opportunities and will soon be the number one gadget for students and teachers in schools everywhere.

The database is user friendly and allows users to feel a sense of comfort in accessibility. Students are inseparable from the internet, and the Edmodo app puts this to good educational use. The simplicity and safety of Edmodo makes this customizable online classroom a worthy time investment.

KONY 2012

By Andrea Carandang

The world of social networking buzzed with various posts and tweets about KONY2012. The video, created by Invisible Children, went viral days after its release. It seemed like the world was suddenly aware of Joseph Kony and the monstrous deeds that he and the Lord’s Resistance Army have committed in Uganda, Sudan and Congo. As stated in the film, Invisible Children’s goal was to “make Joseph Kony a household name; not to celebrate him, but to bring his crimes to the light.” The film wanted to raise enough awareness to force the arrest of Joseph Kony. Celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Oprah Winfrey and Rihanna tweeted with the hashtags #KONY2012 or #STOPKONY. KONY2012 became the number one worldwide trending topic on Twitter.

But who is Joseph Kony? What has he done that has caused such a storm in the world of social media?

world issues ISSUES WORLD A blog on Tumblr known as visiblechildren was created to criticize the film and Invisible Children. Grant Oyston, a sociology and political science student in Acadia University, stated that the organization only spent 32% of what it earned in 2011 towards its causes, spending the other 68% on staff salaries, travelling expenses and film production. Oyston also stated that Invisible Children has associated with Sudan People’s Liberation Army, which has also allegedly raped women and looted various villages. Others have also criticized Kony 2012, stating that it has targeted US leaders instead of African leaders to create change. Some say that the entire campaign is pointless, as Kony has left Uganda. Still, others say that the film makes it look like the fight with Kony in Uganda is still ongoing, even though it uses footage from ten years ago.

PHOTO BY NEWSONE.COM

Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. For over 26 years, he has kidnapped boys and girls so that they may be turned into child soldiers or sex slaves. Boys have often been forced to murder their own parents, as well as mutilate other people. It is believed that Joseph Kony and the LRA have kidnapped approximately 60,000 children. If they tried to escape, they would be murdered.

He has often used religion and peace talks to place people in a false sense of security before attacking them. He has evaded arrest for years. Joseph Kony remained relatively unknown to the world until Invisible Children released the short film Kony 2012 on March 5.

Invisible Children, the organization who created the film, was co-founded by Jason Russell in 2004, to raise awareness about the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. It has used films to spread awareness about the LRA, with Kony 2012 being its most famous film. Despite the LRA’s departure from Uganda, Invisible Children still continues to spread awareness about their activities. Since the organization’s creation, they have rebuilt schools in Uganda and have created an early warning radio network, which warns Ugandans of any surprise attacks from the LRA. Though Invisible Children has won many awards for its films, Kony 2012 has received many criticisms.

Perhaps the biggest criticism comes from the Ugandans themselves. Many Ugandans have responded with anger to the campaign, saying that the film inaccurately portrayed their suffering. Northern Ugandans were the most affected by Kony’s reign of terror, yet they were unable to view the film as they cannot afford Internet access. Some people wonder why the film was not created in 2005, when Kony’s reign was at its peak, rather than today, when Kony has moved away from Uganda. Ugandans also state that Kony did not begin the rebellion and that arresting Kony may not remove the Ugandans’ problems. Most importantly, the northern Ugandans were not looking for the military help that Invisible Children asked for in Kony 2012.

Today, it seems like the hype for Kony 2012 has died. However, Invisible Children has recently posted a video on their Youtube Channel, called Kony 2012: Part II, Beyond Famous, which responds to the criticisms that the original video received. This new video features Ugandans describing Invisible Children’s efforts in Uganda and how it has helped them. The response video also discussed an event that occurred on April 20, known as Cover the Night. After sunset on April 20, people around the world went out to the streets and put up posters of the campaign, hoping to bring light once again to the issue regarding Kony. Although the support for Invisible Children varies, it is evident that the Kony issue must still be addressed.

The U.S. 2012 Election: Obama vs America

By Eumela Nuesca

The 2012 U.S. elections are in full swing, and the likelihood of Barack Obama being re-elected as president is not promising. His campaign in 2007 promoted change, but four years later, Americans are left with nothing.

Obama has set the record for the worst poverty in American history since the Great Depression, as one in three Americans deal with poverty. Unemployment rates have gone up 10%, gas prices are higher than they were compared to Bush’s presidency, and Obama is also the only president to ever have the U.S. military involved in four wars. However, these wars served a purpose, as the 44th President ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Obama has also created a Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This act, better known as “Obamacare”, is somewhat of an equivalent to Canada’s health care as it covers the health costs of citizens that are not covered by their employer or government-sponsored insurance plans. The goal of the act is to maintain minimal health insurance for struggling Americans. Though this act seems like a great plan for the future of America, big insurance companies have been convincing their citizens otherwise. There is some truth to these corporations’ claims. Insurance companies are stating that in the long run “Obamacare” will end up costing Americans more than investing in an insurance plan.

Besides the loss of voters over failed promises, Obama’s only real threat is Mitt Romney. He is the richest candidate on the 2012 campaign with a net worth of about $190 - $ 250 million. While Obama holds a 3 percentage point advantage on who is the best to create jobs, Romney holds a 4-point lead on who is best to handle the economy, most likely resulting from his master’s degree in business from Harvard University.

The Democrats defend foreign policy, and constantly remind Americans of the death of Osama Bin Laden. However, even with the biggest threat to America dead, Americans are dealing with economic, health, and social issues that cannot be squashed with an army. This is where Romney comes in, as he states that he would impose tougher sanctions on Iran to keep Iran from building nuclear weapons. Romney would also repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and replace it with a market-based reform. Repealing “Obamacare” is supposed to reduce healthcare costs for each individual.

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world issues ISSUES WORLD

By Shankri Fabian You will be lucky to find a penny, as Canada’s Federal action plan squeezes it out of the budget. The proposal was announced in the House of Commons on April 5, 2012. With several increases and decreases in the budget, citizens have given the new budget mixed reviews.

Although the production of the penny will be discontinued due to the fact that it costs 1.6 cents to make a penny, it will still hold its value in the economy. Individuals who do not have a penny to purchase their merchandize will have the prices rounded up or down.

While several changes to the budget have been made, there have not been any tax changes for individuals. With the new budget in place, citizens who are reaching retirement age may be required to extend their toil, as the age for retirement increases from 65 to 67. During the

budget speech, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said, “The Old Age Security program was designed for a much different demographic future than Canada faces today.” He explained that because the baby boomers are reaching retirement and Canada’s birth rate is declining, it is in the nation’s best interest to postpone the age of retirement.

At the same time, more than 19,000 federal public sector jobs will be cut over the next three years, reports the Digital Journal.

This process, and the addition of other reforms, is expected to help to bring Canada back on track by 2015.

The budget also includes an increase in the cap on Duty Fees on cross-border shopping to the United States. The limits rise to $200 for 24 hour trips, and $800 for 48 hour trips, allowing Canadian shoppers to bring in more from the States without being taxed this summer.

By Alex Cabaj

PHOTO BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

There has been a lot of abnormal weather lately, both on Earth and on the sun. On March 29, researchers from Aberystwyth University in Wales presented the first recorded video footage of a solar tornado. The footage was captured using the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite last September.

Solar tornadoes are tornadoes on the surface of the sun. However, instead of being made of air, solar tornadoes are made of plasma, essentially superheated gases. The sun’s surface appears to be uniform to the naked eye, but in reality it is a turbulent sea of plasma. Occasionally, magnetic fields can direct the plasma in such a way that it spirals towards the sun’s atmosphere, creating a solar tornado.

Researchers at Aberystwyth University claim that the footage could be the first video ever taken of a solar tornado. The video was captured using the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly telescope on the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite. The satellite was launched with the goal of gaining more knowledge about solar activity in order to predict future solar storms.

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A heightened interest in research about the sun and solar storms can be attributed to the fact that solar activity is nearing its peak. The current eleven-year solar cycle will peak in 2013. During solar cycle peaks, solar storms occur more frequently. The storms are also stronger at that time, sometimes strong enough to affect people’s daily lives. In 1989, for example, a coronal mass ejection – a burst of radiation from the sun – caused a power grid failure in Quebec, which lasted several hours.

Observing solar tornadoes offers researchers more insight into how the sun works. The presence of solar tornadoes has been associated with coronal mass ejections. If researchers could predict when large coronal mass ejections would occur, preventative measures could be taken to ensure that power grids and other technology would not be affected.

However, until further research is conducted, the sun’s weather will remain unpredictable.

sports SPORTS

By Megan D’Souza Toronto sports franchises at the major league level, such as the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jays, the Raptors, and the TFC are known for making it hard for fans to cheer due to their quest for the post-season being hopeless. As Torontonians prepare for the summer, they need not worry because there is a vibrant new edition of a team sure to be a contender in the near future: the Toronto Blue Jays. After the 2011 edition of the team achieved a dismal 81-81 record, the Jays’ improved roster looks to finish in the top three of the competitive American League East.

The new and improved roster by position includes: J.P. Arencibia / Jeff Mathis (C) Adam Lind (1B) Kelly Johnson (2B) Yunel Escobar (SS) Brett Lawrie (3B) Jose Bautista (RF) Colby Rasmus (CF) Eric Thames (LF) Edwin Encarnacion (DH) Rajai Davis / Ben Francisco / Omar Vizquel (defensive relief, pinch hitting) At first glance, the only name that stands out is that of Jose Bautista. However, there are a variety of reasons why this team has the potential to make it to the post-season.

New Units Providing Confidence: The Blue Jays have returned to their classic look of baby blue, white, and grey uniforms; the retro blue jay bird; and cut-block lettering; all of which were made famous by the ’92-’93 Toronto Blue Jays World Series Champions. The addition of a red maple leaf also adds a sense of pride to Canada’s only baseball team. The new look, along with the youthful spirit that comes from having younger players, creates a dynamic unrivalled in the Major Leagues, evidenced by their 24-7 record-setting spring training record. They have built confidence by staying patient at the plate, improving on team defence, upping their pitching and bullpen staffs, and putting the focus on base-running.

This young, talented team has drawn many comparisons to the ’92-’93 Blue Jays, the only winning Blue Jays team in history.

They’ve Finally got a Bullpen: To the dismay of the Blue Jays’ faithful, General Manager Alex Anthopoulos did not make big splashes in the offseason with players like Prince Fielder and Japanese pitching prospect Yu Darvish. To his credit, he

By Caitlin Cosgrove It may not be the Euro Cup, but Mary Ward’s second annual intramural soccer season has proven to be a success once again. This year, students used this opportunity to get active and have fun. The soccer intramural season started in October 2011 and concluded at the end of February 2012. This year’s intramurals have been far more popular than those of last year’s.

All students and teachers were invited to watch the intramural soccer games at lunch every day in the gym. The bleachers were consistently filled with spectators who came to watch the games. Students and teachers of all ages and skill levels were invited to participate and to create their own teams. Over one hundred students and teachers were registered to play. There were a total of sixteen teams who were given the opportunity to play fifteen games for fifteen minutes over the span of five months. Afterwards, the eight most successful teams advanced to the playoffs with thirty minute games.

There was never a dull moment in the soccer intramural season. The fancy footwork and breathtaking plays never failed to entertain the audience. Participant Daniel Rusiecki said, “Intramurals brought out the best athletes in the school to showcase their talents. The games were exciting, intense, and unpredictable.”

Mary Ward’s teachers showed their school spirit by formulating a talented team of eleven players. The teachers were extremely successful and made it to the semi-final round. Although they did not claim first place, the teachers’ famous homemade Italian jerseys looked great, and the team has proven to be one of the crowd’s favourites. Mr. Morra, one of the

PHOTO BY BlogTO

stuck to his plan and did not over-spend on hot commodities that may not pan out for the length or worth of their contracts. However, he did focus on strengthening the bullpen, the weakest part of last year’s Blue Jays, which led the Majors in blown saves. With the additions of newbie-closer Sergio Santos and veteran pitchers Darren Oliver and Francisco Cordero, as well as the re-acquisition of Jason Frasor, the bullpen situation should be improved and fans should expect more saves.

Improved Starting Pitching: The rotation’s veritable ace, Ricky Romero, will look to equal if not improve on last year’s All-Star campaign. This should be easily accomplished with the improved team-defence. Fans should be excited about the Jay’s second starter, Brandon Morrow. Known for his ability to blow fastballs by hitters, Morrow has solidified his spot by mixing in more pitches like the cutter, slider, and his new curveball. #3 starter Dustin McGowan, when healthy, is the dark horse of the rotation. Look for the last two young starters, Henderson Alvarez and Kyle Drabek, to build confidence as they go into their sophomore seasons. Although they may not be big-ticket pitchers now, all five starters have the ability to become All-Star pitchers.

Canadian Kid, sophomore, Brett Lawrie: The fiery fan favourite Brett Lawrie has fit himself perfectly into the mould of the Jays. He’s a heart-and-soul kind of guy that leaves it all on the field. Brett surprised everyone last year with his ability to score runs in key situations and his Golden Glove calibre defence.

Extra Wildcard Spot: The addition of the extra wildcard spot is a godsend to the Blue Jays, who have to compete with the likes of the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and the Tampa Bay Rays for two post-season spots. The extra wildcard spot adds another spot in the American League, bringing relief to Jays fans everywhere.

It may be possible that the Jays will make the post-season this year. They will need players to perform to par, and to have luck on their side. It is imperative that their starting pitchers are able to pitch 5-6 innings deep regularly, which alleviates the pressure on the bullpen to close out games. They have to maintain their offensive abilities and win head-to-head matchups against the aforementioned powerhouses of the American League. Maybe reaching the postseason this time around is a stretch, but you can look forward to seeing the youthful Blue Jays score a lot of runs and play right until the bottom of the 9th inning, giving it their all.

teachers on the team, said, “It was a great bonding experience for the teachers.

We remained a force to reckon with, placing third this year and second last year.”

He jokingly added, “With the Borowskis leaving this year, we will be the top dog next year.”

Though there were many talented teams featured this year, team U.S.A was the most successful. The undefeated group claimed first place in the playoffs for the second year in a row. Congratulations to Michael and Philip Borowski, Brandon Pasquale, Marizan Chandrasegar, and Christian Lumia for their well-deserved victory.

Statistics were regularly submitted on the intramural Facebook page, such as the ranking of the teams and game results. Over three hundred goals were scored this season. Honourable mentions go out to Carl Deabreu, Alexis Mitri, Brandon Pasquale, Anthony Mitri, and Nick Abrams, the top five goal scorers of the season, with all having scored a minimum of ten goals.

Intramurals would not have been possible without all the people who volunteered their time in helping out this season.

Thanks to all the teachers who gave up their lunch time to supervise the games. Special thanks go out to Philip and Michael Borowski who organized the season, refereed the games, and cleaned up the litter in the gym after each game; your work is appreciated by the entire Mary Ward community. Hopefully Mary Ward will continue the tradition next year, with the upcoming season being bigger and better.

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sports SPORTS

By Nairy Khodabakhshian As expected, the 2011-2012 Spring Season for Mary Ward’s sports teams was successful. Teachers are proud of the students’ enthusiasm and dedication to their respective sports.

When interviewed about the Varsity Badminton Team, Mr. Démoré was eager to share the wonderful news. The team had a very successful season, with the senior team taking the TDCAA championship for the first time in decades. The team won their Ajax invitational tournament and sent out the largest number of badminton players to OFSAA in Mary Ward history. The team also won the TDCAA league for the third year in a row. Thanks to Mrs. Largo, Ms. Iannucci, and Ms. Valiulis for their help in training the team.

Mr. Morra, coach of the Senior Boys Soccer team along with Mr. Vecchiarelli, shared that his team has improved their game. Nick Abrams scored four goals and Sevag Boghossian scored one. Philip Borowski had one shut out. Most of the games were ties, setting an overall score of one win, three ties, and no losses. The boys were placed in a tough division, but they proved themselves to be serious contenders. The coaches are proud of the boys for their effort and commitment.

The Senior Boys Soccer Team has qualified for OFSAA. The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team carried on the Mary Ward tradition, playing five games and winning all of them. Mr. Rossi shared that the key to the season will be to stay healthy. The team’s goal is to win the tier 2 championship. The leading goal scorer is Gracie McKague. The team won the St. Patrick’s tournament, along with the consolation finals of the Senator O’Connor tournament.

The team won the TDCAA championships. The coaches are very proud of the girls for a great season.

The dragon boat team, coached by Mr. Wong, Mrs. van Rooyen, Ms. Morra, and Mr. Petrasek, is off to a strong start again this year. The team began training in January, doing twenty-minute runs and one-hour circuit training sessions. The seniors trained the juniors during the tough workouts. The team is looking forward to water practices and going out on the boats. The tournaments begin in June. Good luck!

The Table Tennis team, coached by Mr. Notten and Mr.Hathway, has had one of their most successful seasons to date. The team came in first in juniors overalls.

This was also the case for the overall points (junior and senior points combined). Medalists include Kimberly Pallarca, who received a gold medal. Anthony and Alexis Mitri won silver in the junior boys’ doubles, and Ryan Chan and Stephanie John earned gold in the junior and mixed doubles. Jessica Hsu and Patricia Mae Guerrero earned bronze in the senior girls’ doubles. Andrew Areghan and Roselle Lucero earned silver medals for the senior mixed doubles. Francisco Ho earned silver for senior mens singles and Jordan Hajkowski earned bronze for this category as well. Erin Edghill earned the senior gold medalist title and Carolina Veccharelli earned silver for this category. The team had a great season – keep up the excellent work.

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The Varsity Track and Field team has also added many great new players. Shania Alexander has proved to be a potential OFSAA athlete as a 100 m and 200 m sprinter. One of the senior boys, Evander Cobbold, who was a finalist at OFSAA, will be graduating this year. D’Agostino stated that this is a building year for the team.

The Varsity Girls’ Rugby team, coached

by Ms. Peets, has had a surge of participation this year. Many girls stepped up to replace last year’s leaders. The team had some tough games, but is doing its best. The captains this year are Leilani Samocino and Asanka Da Silva. The team has gotten significantly better and is hopeful for future games.

Ms. Peets also shared some information about the Varsity Boys’ Rugby team. The team suffered some injuries this season, but continues to work together. Many new players have joined. The team won two games, tied one, and lost three. The team’s dedication has been outstanding; they have practiced five times a week since Christmas break.

The Mary Ward Junior Boys Volleyball Team had many great moments. Two matchups ended in 3-0 victories in a middle-ranking season amongst very strong teams.

Mr. Simone would like to thank Jenzen Dela Paz, Michael Mines, Bryan Gascon, Earvin Almosa, Mclein Espinase, D’Sean Benois, Keith Buenaflor, Kane Ho, and all of the other members of the team for their skill and dedication. At Libero, Kenneth Modina and Dylan Yu did an impressive job, handling serves and spikes all over the court. Joshua Rojas represented extremely well as Captain. Good things are to come for the Junior and Senior boys volleyball team at Mary Ward.

Upon interviewing Mr. McAlpine, he shared that the Varsity Girls’ Softball team was off to a good start, with a record of 2-1. The team hopes to make the playoffs this year.

Upon interviewing Mr. Hathway for the Varsity Boys’ Softball team, he shared that the team has played five games. They are currently standing at four wins and one loss. Compared to last year, the guys are doing much better. The team consists mainly of the same members from last year, and has become very strong in terms of defence. The team has two more games left, and the prospect of making the playoffs this season is very good.

When interviewing Mr. Kennedy for the Varsity Girls’ Flag-Football team, he shared that the team had a tough game on May 15, as they lost 15-1. The high part of the season was the tournament on the week of May 7. The team won the C division AY Jackson championships. They also placed third overall on their May 11 game.

The team tied one game on May 10, and the momentum was carried over to May 11. The defense continues to be very strong, while the offense is progressing. The team’s goal is to get the offense to improve on point scoring. The playoffs start next week and the team is very excited to compete.

Thanks to all of the coaches who took their time out to participate in these interviews, and best of luck to all of the wonderful and dedicated teams! You make Mary Ward proud.

PHOTOS BY BEA SERDON

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By Sarah Quinto Thirty-six Mary Ward students took part in THINKfast, a 25hour overnight fast sponsored by Development and Peace, to raise funds and awareness for smallscale farmers in the Global South. The fast began at 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 22 and ended at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, March PHOTO BY CAMILLE GALINDEZ 23. The event was a success, with participants raising more than $1700. Mobilized by grade twelve students Camille Galindez, Angeli Marteja, and Rowena Rollon, THINKfast consisted of a dedicated group of students guided by Mr. Démoré and Ms. Saran.

After a liturgy in the chapel, students participated in various icebreakers. Students also learned about the corporatization of farms in the Global South by watching the documentary The World According to Monsanto, which concerns agricultural biotechnology company and seed supplier Monsanto. The seed supplier obtained Delta & Pine Land Company, a company known for patenting Terminator technology – sterile seeds that produce no flower or fruit after the first generation, preventing the natural spread of seeds in the wild. This forced farmers to rely on seed suppliers as opposed to natural methods. While Monsanto has agreed not to commercialize the process, its actions have raised the ire of activists, indigenous peoples, and farmers worldwide.

Students were able to cement their learning through games and a simulation activity based upon agricultural themes that gave them the perspective of the farmer. Participants were also given the opportunity to relax through a meditation session and an optional movie viewing.

The next day, students distributed petitions for reforms in government policies for farmers to TAs. “I really liked learning about the injustices that were occurring,” said grade ten student Stephanie John. “[The event] really opened my eyes to how the situation was for small-scale farmers.”

There were also frequent juice breaks for those who needed more sustenance than the requisite glasses of water. By the end of the day, students were clamouring for their solidarity meal, devouring humble bowls of tomato, vegetable, and chicken noodle soup; handfuls of crackers; and ice cream bars. “It was fun. It was a bonding experience, and I appreciated that I was able to connect with students in different grades,” said grade 10 student Thomas Sweeney.

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School Store??

By Frank Coutinho The Tin Can, Mary Ward’s official school store, has been operating for the last twenty years. It is located on the main floor of Mary Ward, beside the day care center. This store, unlike most conventional stores, is based on a unique social phenomenon – it is run entirely by students. Since its opening day, the grade eleven marketing students have been put in charge of the store. They run the store during lunch, market various products, record the weekly sales, and reinvest the profits into future store operations. This year, the grade twelve management students are also helping out. These students work with the Mission Statement of the Tin Can in mind: “To provide senior students the valuable experience to manage and operate a store, while at the same time providing a service to all of the students and faculty of the Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School.” Presently, the Tin Can sells such products as school supplies, locker accessories, reusable water bottles and freshly-popped popcorn.

The Tin Can was named as a reminder of Mary Ward’s humble beginnings. When the school was first established, it was not located in a building, but was composed of several portables connected by metal hallways. As a result, when students talked about Mary Ward, they jokingly referred to it as the “Tin Can”. When the school store was first opened, the students and teachers placed the Tin Can sign on the top of the door as a reminder of Mary Ward’s past.

The Tin Can has been doing well since its beginning, and has managed to adapt to the changing and growing needs of Mary Ward. Recently, the Tin Can has been going through difficult times because of the Healthy Food for Healthy Schools Act. The act, which the government passed in 2008, was an effort to make schools a healthier place to learn. Due to this new regulation, the Tin Can is prohibited from selling anything that may be considered unhealthy. This includes gum, muffins, cookies, candies, mints, and ice cream – all of which accounted for a large part of the Tin Can’s sales over the years. Determining what new products to sell is the present problem of the staff of the Tin Can. However, the grade twelve management students have come up with a plan to defeat this problem – goodies such as 100% juice freezies, frozen yogurt, and “healthy cookies”, all of which have been approved of by the Public Health Nurse, will soon be sold at the store.

“We are hoping these after-school sales will provide goods that the Mary Ward Community will want,” said grade twelve student and Tin Can accountant Andrew Areghan.

The Tin Can staff hopes that profits will increase for the school store and that the store will continue to be an important part of students’ lives at Mary Ward.

The top three students who raised the most money were later recognized for their efforts. Grade ten students Kevin Woo and Thomas Sweeney took first and second place respectively, and grade twelve student Rowena Rollon placed third.

While the event ran smoothly, there is still room for growth. “I think we were successful in raising awareness within the group. Out of the group, we could use some improvement,” Mr. Démoré noted. But will there be an opportunity to participate next year? “We’ll leave it up to the students to decide,” said Mr. Démoré. “If there’s enough student interest, we’ll gladly lend a hand.”

The possibility of THINKfast 2013 remains to be discussed, but the spark of awareness ignited by the 2012 participants cannot be denied.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY QUAN

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Down Dope Up Hope with

Trek fo r

Teens

By Ashley Quan

Youth homelessness is a serious issue that is not getting enough attention. Over 10,000 Toronto youth head for the streets every year. The Trek for Teens Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of youth homelessness in Toronto.

The ultimate goal of the foundation is to make it easier for homeless youth to get out of bad environments. “Youth homelessness is an issue we are not aware of enough,” said Camille Galindez, the Student Leader Facilitator of the foundation. “The statistics are jarring, and there is too much stigma against homeless youth.” Since its beginning, the organization has raised over $15,000 for Covenant House Toronto, Horizons for Youth, and Youth Without Shelter.

Through the efforts of volunteers, several events are put together across Ontario every year to educate people and to raise awareness about this issue. Events include Battle of the Bands, the Fashion Show, the Dance Competition and, most notably, the Trek for Teens Race Day.

PHOTO BY JEFF DYLAN WONG YONG CHIN

The Trek for Teens Race Day took place on May 12. The annual race in the heart of downtown Toronto is similar to the television show The Amazing Race. Teens between the ages of thirteen and nineteen participated in the event.

Each participant pledged a minimum of $30, and formed teams of three to five members. All the teams met at Yonge and Dundas before the race commenced at 10:00 that morning to register and to pick up the Toronto Trek for Teens tshirts. Each team was given a different destination as their first anchor point.

Once teams reached that destination, they were given a challenge in which they must work together to complete in order to get the next location. There were a total of eight destinations that teams had to reach to finish the race. To navigate between places, groups were given a map, but were only allowed to travel by foot. The race is a great way for youth to join together for a cause while having fun. Participants got to exercise their teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Students were excited about participating in the event. “I am looking forward to Trek for Teens because it sounds fun –it is a great way to be educated and to have good time,” said Michael Bryce, who participated for the first time this year.

Race winners will be awarded gift cards as prizes.

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with

-Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.

By Rowena Rollon Members of Mary Ward’s Free the Children chapter and Our Kids, Our Future were inspired to take action after joining hundreds of other Canadian youth at the first annual National We Day in Montréal.

The conference, which took place on March 1, was part of a three-day social justice-oriented trip offered by Education First Tours and Free the Children.

Taking place from February 29 to March 2, the trip comprised of celebration dinners, leadership workshops, and sightseeing tours in the city. The National We Day conference was the main event.

Aiming to empower youth to make positive change in their communities, the symposium imitated previous We Day conferences held by Free the Children, with one difference: instead of several thousand student activists being gathered in a large venue, National We Day consisted of only about 2000 students from different schools across Canada, all of which had received a personal video invitation from Free the Children co-founder, Marc Kielburger, to attend the event.

The entire trip placed an emphasis on making personal connections with the young activists. Upon arriving at Montréal on February 29, students were told to change into their party gear, and were taught a new dance dubbed as “The We Day Dance.” All of this was done in preparation for a celebration dinner and dance, held to commemorate the volunteer work that these leaders have already done for their communities.

The dinner also gave students the opportunity to meet activists such as Spencer West, a paraplegic who plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for clean water in East Africa; Degrassi star Melinda Shankar, who had travelled to Ecuador with Free the Children last year; as well as Marc Kielburger.

“The smaller venue was great,” said Ms. McAndrew, teacher supervisor of the trip. “There were fewer people, and it was a nice change from the other We Day conferences. It gave the students the chance to meet the heroes that they look up to, which was really a highlight for them.”

The National We Day Conference had students hearing even more inspirational stories from activists like Craig Kielburger, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., Martin Sheen, Etienne Boulay, Jesse Giddings, Nathalie Lambert, Lauren Howe, Justice Murray Sinclair, Robin Wiszowaty, and Noah Kaplan. Performers included Radio Radio, Nikki Yanofsky, and The Midway State.

“The speakers were amazing and made us realize that anything is possible,” commented grade nine students Abigail Gregorio and Vincent Constantino.

“Our favourite speaker had to be Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., because he was the most interactive. “ “He also talked about not only issues that Free the Children focuses on, but also others that affect teens a lot today, such as drugs. His message on how we need to help drug dealers find a real job, and sayings like, ‘down with dope, up with hope,’ were really clever and inspiring,” added Abigail.

After the conference, the young activists were treated to a night out in the city. They had the chance to taste poutine in its place of origin, visit seven different ecosystems in the BioDome, ascend the Olympic Tower in a funiculaire, and play two games of bowling.

The last day of the trip allowed students to participate in a leadership workshop, where each individual was able to learn about different leadership styles. Each school shared their current and past campaigns, and were asked to create an action plan for the following school year. Mary Ward students chose to focus on Aboriginal issues, and planned to create more unity between the social justice groups at the school for the 2012-2013 school year.

The trip officially ended with a guided sightseeing tour around Montréal.

“I went to National We Day in the hopes of learning more about how to engage others in social justice work and get inspired to do more,” said Sarah Quinto, co-leader of the Free the Children chapter at Mary Ward. “Speaking as someone actively involved in social justice work, I wish that the trip focused more on each individual school and how to improve the work we’ve been doing, as opposed to the spectacle of We Day, since I think I would have gotten more out of the experience.”

We Day is a movement that was created by Free the Children founders Craig and Marc Kielburger in 2007.

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By Fionna Chui and Rowena Rollon Although the school year is coming to an end, the Mary Ward community continues to be full of spirit and activity. Filled with dance competitions, a musical, and numerous fundraising events, the last three months were a busy ending to the 2011-2012 school year.

On April 20, Adrenalyn competed at the Notre Dame Dance Off, placing 2nd. They also competed in Toronto’s Best High School Dance Crew on April 21, and placed 5th. In partnership with Mrs. Tsang-Lee’s Dance Class, Adrenalyn also participated in a flash mob at Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School in celebration of National Dance Week. “Right now, we are trying to spend as much time as we can together,” said Adrenalyn member, Shanika Henry-Steer.

“Jeleel Ragudo, Lester Lampa, Randell Rivera, Justin Kang, Olive Alleyne, Jay Arellano, and I are all graduating this year, and Adrenalyn will always be a part of us for the rest of our lives.”

In April, members of Best Buddies treated themselves to a movie night by watching a screening of The Hunger Games. They also held a farewell barbeque to thank the volunteers who contributed to the program. “We had another amazing year, and it is all thanks to volunteers,” said Alita Fernandez, president of the club.

“My greatest reward for running this program is to see all members happy, as we work towards the integration and inclusion of the special needs students within our school community.”

DECA member Fawn Rasquinha placed in the Top 20 during the Finals level for the Human Resources Management category at the International DECA Competition. The competition lasted from April 26 to May 3 at Salt Lake City, Utah. “DECA was a really great experience, and it is nice to find something that I can be proud of,” said Fawn Rasquinha. “I really enjoyed everything about DECA. The Mary Ward chapter helped me a lot. … The student executives this year made everyone feel like they belonged.”

This year’s musical was Big, which tells the story of a thirteen year-old boy who is transformed into an adult. The play kicked off with a preview on April 16, and after three elementary school performances, opened on April 19, and ran until April 21. Students Joseph Fabie and Raquel Rayner played the lead roles of Adult Josh Baskin and Susan Lawrence. “The musical was really fun to watch,” commented audience member Karen Choi. “The singing was well done, and it exceeded expectations.”

GreenQuest held their annual Earth Week to raise awareness of the school’s carbon footprint. Each day of the week was given a different theme to focus on specific environmental issues, such as water, energy conservation, and recycling. Alex Cabaj, co-chief environmental officer, said, “We faced some scheduling conflicts

PHOTOS BY KRISTINE BUERANO

because Earth Week took place at the same time as the school play. Still, things went very smoothly.”

The newly formed Health Action Team (HAT) started with a bang with Daffodil Days in March, where they sold daffodils to fundraise for the Canadian Cancer Society.

From April 23 to 27, they hosted HAT Week, in which they had a volunteer nurse come in to help their booths ‘‘Rethink What You Drink” and “Food Proportions”.

Perrine Pallarca, a member of HAT, said, “Although we started out with such a low number of members, we managed to make an impact on the Mary Ward community as to how important it is to maintain one’s health.”

The Lion Dance Club began last year because students wanted to promote the Chinese culture. This year, the group performed at Chinese Martyrs Catholic Church, the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, and also at the Asian Heritage Month Assembly held at Mary Ward. Debbie Lee, a member of the club, commented, “Lion Dance is done to drive away evil spirits and to welcome in the New Year. I think as a club we’ve grown tremendously. A good majority of the people in the club are new at it, and I think as a whole we picked it up very quickly. ” Our Kids, Our Future (OKOF) held Rumblemania, a teacher vs. student basketball fundraiser event on March 27. They also had a treats sale on April 26. From these events, the club raised over $1000 for Sick Kids Hospital. Coleader Andrea Carandang said, “I feel that this year has been a very successful year for OKOF. All our initiatives, including our Advent Service Project for Birkdale Women’s Shelter, were well received by the students of Mary Ward.”

On May 3, Student Activity Council (SAC) organized a Club Appreciation event, where they gave out certificates, cake, and juice. The event commemorated the hard work and dedication of club members. They also organized the end of year barbeque on May 24, where they served hotdogs, pop, chips, and freezies. Abigail Lopez, vice president of SAC, said, “SAC this year was crazy fun. Everything we did, we worked together. Even though it was stressful at times, we still worked together with joy.”

With its overwhelming amount of clubs, the Mary Ward community has had a busy year, though student participation can always increase. “We are grateful that this school has every club that can be represented,” principal Ms. Coburn commented. “However, a lot of the time, it is the same students that participate in every club, and I wish that all students could get involved in something in the school.” The students who have made Mary Ward a more enriching, sociallyconscious community should be proud of their achievements. Judging from this year’s level of participation, next year can only bring greater things.

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By Alex De Pompa Tortured, raped, and forced to marry one of her interrogators, Marina Nemat spent two years in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran. She was arrested as a political prisoner in 1982, when she was sixteen, on false charges by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. She has since published two memoirs, Prisoner of Tehran (2007) and After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed (2010).

Marina Nemat came to Mary Ward on April 27 to speak to grade eleven and twelve students, and again on May 1 to speak to a smaller group of thirty students. Throughout both of her talks and interview, Nemat emphasized the importance of bearing witness.

In her first talk, she described the events of her life and how she was arrested, condemned to death, and ultimately freed from Evin prison. Born April 22, 1965, in Tehran, Iran, Marina Nemat grew up listening to the Bee Gees and watching Donny and Marie Osmond on television. She attended a Zoroastrian school for girls despite being a devout Christian.

The Iranian Revolution saw the end of her childhood. Iran’s monarchy was overthrown and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi left the country. The leader of the revolution, AyatolPHOTO BY BEA SERDON lah Ruhol- lah Khomeini, established Iran as an Islamic republic. Dancing was declared illegal; wearing perfume, makeup, or nail polish was declared “satanic” and therefore illegal; and the hejab became mandatory for all women regardless of their religious beliefs.

“We are not immune to horror,” Marina Nemat says. “Horrors in history happen little by little. Always. The stupidest question we could ever ask is ‘How bad can it get?’ It can get real bad.”

Inexperienced, fanatic young women who were members of the Revolutionary Guard gradually replaced the teachers in Nemat’s school. Instead of teaching their respective subjects, the women would spread propaganda about building the perfect Islamic society and eliminating all corruptive Western influences. One day, in Calculus class, Nemat asked her teacher to direct her attention back to their studies.

The teacher told Nemat that if she did not like what she was being taught, then she could leave. Nemat gathered her belongings and left the room. Her fellow students followed her, and by lunch recess, most of the students of the school had left class

By Kimberley Villaluz

The journey began on April 4, 2012. Eighteen students, including me, ranging from grades ten to twelve going on the Vimy Ridge trip gathered at the Toronto Pearson Airport with teacher supervisors and organizers of the trip, Mr. Malott and Ms. McAndrew. A fourteen-hour direct flight took us to Amsterdam, Holland.

We were greeted by Sean, the tour guide for the trip, a cheerful man with an Irish brogue, in Amsterdam. The old brick buildings gave the city of Amsterdam a distinct character. A few buildings tilted to the side - the result of age and soft soil, Sean explained. Sean showed us some interesting places we could visit, including boutiques, cafés, and the famous Van Gogh Museum.

The Van Gogh Museum was filled with tourists and art admirers. It was a lovely, modern building. Artist statements and biographical details about the artists accompanied portraits hung throughout the museum.

After we visited the museum, we headed to our hostel, an old castle complete with a moat and a bridge recently renovated for travellers.

The next day was dedicated to further exploration of the city of Amsterdam.

We spent the morning in the Waterlooplein flea market, and went on a 14 mwplanet VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3

and refused to return. Nemat had unintentionally caused a school-wide strike, which ceased when the principal threatened to involve the revolutionary guards.

Nemat attended a protest rally with her friends in autumn 1980. There she witnessed the murder of a man shot by a revolutionary guard. When she arrived home, she went into the washroom and took out a jar of sleeping pills. Overwhelmed by the suffering she had witnessed, Nemat contemplated suicide. “I remember that jar of pills,” she says. “[It] was really tempting.” She decided not to commit suicide because she realized that she had to bear witness to what had happened. “I think to choose to die, from my very humble perspective, is a very selfish thing. When you get to that point, you feel like a coward. It doesn’t feel good.”

She went to the store and bought a sheet of bristol board. On it she wrote an article about the attack of the revolutionary guards. She went to school early the next morning and taped the bristol board to a wall to be read by students. The principal tore down the article, denying its truth.

A month after the strike, a teacher who had been working at the school since before the revolution informed Nemat that she had spotted her name, along with those of other students, on a list in the principal’s office. The teacher advised Nemat to leave the country.

Marina Nemat was arrested around nine o’clock p.m., January 15, 1982.

She was taken to Evin Prison. Her interrogators, Ali and Hamehd, asked her for information on the whereabouts of Shahrzad, a young Communist woman whom Nemat had briefly met once before. Nemat did not know where Shahrzad was, so her interrogators tortured her. Both of her wrists were placed into a single handcuff, and her feet were whipped with a black cable. “The point of torture is not to extract information,” Nemat says. “The point of torture is to destroy the human soul.”

She was to be executed, but Ali intervened and had her sentence reduced from death to life in prison.

In building 246 of Evin, Nemat was reunited with her friend Sarah, who, along with her brother Sirius, had been arrested shortly before Nemat. After becoming convinced that her brother had been killed, Sarah began to write memories of her life before Evin on her body. “Sarah showed me her soul through a very desperate act,” Nemat says. She explains that if she could have titled her memoir without the concern of publishers, she would have called it “The Book of Sarah”.

Nemat recalls that when she was in Evin, she and the other prisoners would not talk about the present because it was too painful, and they would not talk about the future because it was not certain that they would have one. Instead they talked about the past. “What makes you human?” Nemat asks. “Happy memories.”

Six months after she was arrested, Nemat was called to see Ali. Her former interrogator confessed his love for her and asked her to marry him. Nemat initially refused, but when Ali threatened to arrest her parents and boyfriend, Andre, Nemat

canal tour in the afternoon.

After the canal tour, we were ushered back on to the bus to enjoy another tour through the streets of Amsterdam, with an Amsterdam local, Ingrid, guiding us. While she pointed out landmarks, the bus navigated through the cobbled roads crowded with cyclists. According to Ingrid, every citizen in Amsterdam owns approximately one and a half bicycles.

We then went to a cheese farm, whose workers also produced clog shoes.

After that, we headed to the Hard Rock Café for a free dinner provided by EF Tours.

The final stop of the day was Anne Frank’s house.

It was a solemn place, and the tour of the house was a humbling experience that brought home the reality of the tragedy of the Holocaust.

PHOTO BY ABBY MARTEJA Ms. McAndrew summarizes the third day, “We had breakfast in Holland, ate lunch in Belgium, and had dinner in France!” We woke early on Saturday and boarded the bus with our bags and drove to Bruges, Belgium. Horse-drawn carriages and carts that sold Belgian waffles and tourists milled about the city.

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acquiesced.

Nemat met Ali’s family, who graciously accepted her. She converted to Islam and married Ali on July 23, 1982. Until then, Nemat had always wondered why Jesus had chosen Peter as one of his disciples, considering that Peter denied Jesus three times. Nemat realized that she too had betrayed Jesus, and she began to rethink her opinion of St. Peter. “Betrayal is when you succumb to our human weakness. It is not something to be ashamed of. And I think that’s what Jesus and St. Peter showed us: our human weakness.”

Though Ali repeatedly raped Nemat, her perception of him changed drastically during the time they were married. From his family she learned that Ali had spent three years in Evin during the time of the Shah as a political prisoner. “I came from hating him to seeing him as a person very much like myself. And I think that that made me have a lot of compassion for him,” Nemat explains.

Four months later Marina Nemat learned that she was pregnant. Ali subsequently resigned from his job. He had gotten into an argument with the Prosecutor of Tehran, Assadollah-eh Ladjevardi, who was in charge of Evin Prison, for the extreme methods the interrogators used.

“He [Ali] was just an angry person who had done some bad things,” Nemat says sadly. “He was a very good guy, intelligent and pleasant, and suffering. He tried to respond to that suffering and just that effort of trying to break free is a merit in itself. There was a lot of goodness trying to break free. If he had lived, who knows what would have happened?”

On September 26, 1982, Ali was assassinated on his parents’ street. He and Nemat were leaving his parents’ home when two men on a motorcycle drove by and fired at them. Ali pushed Nemat to the ground. He was shot. Feeling a sudden pain in her abdomen, Nemat lost consciousness.

When she awoke in the hospital, she knew that her husband was dead. She soon learned that she had had a miscarriage.

Nemat returned to Evin Prison. Hamehd tried to marry her to someone else, but Ali’s family intervened. Using his political connections, Ali’s father managed to secure Nemat’s release. After two years, two months, and twelve days, Marina Nemat left Evin Prison.

At home, Nemat was a prisoner of silence. The first day she returned home, her parents discussed the weather over dinner; they did not ask Nemat about her experiences.

Nemat decided her to marry her boyfriend Andre. Friends and family tried to convince them otherwise; the punishment for a Muslim woman to marry a Christian man was death. But Nemat refused to compromise; they married on July 18, 1985.

Marina Nemat arrived in Canada on August 28, 1991. Andre found employment as an engineer, and Nemat worked at McDonald’s, and later Swiss Chalet. Nemat’s parents joined them in Canada in 1993. In March 2000, after her mother’s funeral, Nemat had a psychotic episode after her father told her that her mother had forgiven

her for the suffering Nemat’s arrest and imprisonment had caused the family.

Other psychotic episodes and chronic nightmares followed. It had been sixteen years since she left Evin, but Nemat was finally coming out of a state of shock.

“Shock is a body armour against emotion. It protects you. To enter it is easy, to get out is hard,” she says.

To cope, Nemat turned to writing. She completed the first manuscript of her memoir in 2002, and then took creative writing courses to revise it.

Prisoner of Tehran was published in 2007 with an excerpt of the poem The Old Stoic by Emily Brontë as an epigraph: ‘And if I pray, the only prayer / That moves my lips for me / Is, “Leave the heart that now I bear, / And give me liberty!” / Yes, as my swift days near their goal, / ‘Tis all that I implore / In life and death, a chainless soul, / With courage to endure.’

“It’s the moral of the story,” Nemat says of the poem. For Nemat, life is about becoming a chainless soul.

Nemat was awarded the first Human Dignity Prize in 2007 “because of her strength of character despite her life experiences.”

She currently teaches a creative writing course in Farsi at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. Prisoner of Tehran was adapted for the stage and directed by Maja Ardal under the Contrary Company and Theatre Passe Muraille.

A movie adaptation is currently in production.

In her second talk, Marina Nemat emphasized the importance of involving youth in social justice campaigns, and asked students for suggestions on how to engage youth. Nemat also works with Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) and Amnesty International.

Nemat does not know what gave her the strength to write about her experiences and to bear witness to those who suffered in Evin Prison, but it is the only thing that has satisfied her. Though she has survived great suffering, Nemat does not consider herself to be brave. “I’m not brave, I’m stubborn,” she says smiling. “Being brave, to me, is not living without fear. It is living in fear, that you do not let it overcome you.”

Despite her tribulations, Nemat’s faith has remained constant. “It is in nothingness that God enters,” she says. From being a prisoner in Evin Prison to becoming an internationally recognized and respected author and human rights activist, Marina Nemat has shed the chains the bind her, and will continue to do so and Marina Nemat (centre) with MW’s co-chaplains to help others to do the same.

Mrs. Arturi (left) and Mr. Rosseel (right).

PHOTO BY BEA SERDON

The next day we drove to Ypres, Belgium, to see the Menin Gate and wander around the city. After our time in Ypres, we drove to a World War I cemetery, where we had to find the graves of specific soldiers. Going through the tombstones, I was appalled to see the amount of nameless soldiers that had died during the war. After a few minutes of searching, I found the soldier that I was assigned, and I paid my respects. Soon after, we gathered together and did a remembrance service with prayers and read Flanders’ Fields.

Monday was the 95th anniversary of Vimy Ridge. We travelled to the small town of Givenchy, which had been occupied by the Germans back in World War II before being freed by Canadian soldiers.

An official service was held in memorial of the Canadian soldiers who fought at Vimy PHOTO BY ABBY MARTEJA Ridge. Speeches were given in French and English to commemorate the soldiers

and we were given the opportunity to pray while we burnt candles in memory of the fallen soldiers. Watching the ceremony was a powerful experience, as the Battle of Vimy Ridge was a defining moment in Canadian history.

After the ceremony, we drove to a concert hall, where we listened to the music of Canadian bands Hey Rosetta! and Spirit of the West. It was an enjoyable night, and everyone danced and sang along to the bands’ music.

The next day, we checked out of our hotel and drove to Juno Beach. The beach had gorgeous white sand. We were on a tight schedule, so we had to rush to our next destination, the World War II cemetery. This cemetery was much bigger than the last, complete with two watch towers on either side of the gates that lead to the cemetery. In the middle of the cemetery was a statue and a plaque commemorating the fallen Canadian soldiers.

We spent the night at a hotel in L’ile. The next morning, we drove to Paris.

After checking in at our hotel, we went to the Louvre. The Louvre is a vast, gorgeous building. Due to time constraints, we could not explore the entire museum, but we did have the opportunity to see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. We took a boat ride and the metro back to our hotel.

We left Europe on April 12. Vimy Ridge is beautiful place that I will not forget, but the most important thing I took away from the trip is how proud I am to be Canadian.

VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3 mwplanet 15

la petite planète PLANETE LA PETITE

Par Alex Cabaj Le 19 avril, je suis allée avec la classe de 12e année en français pour voir deux pièces : Les précieuses ridicules de Molière, et La cantatrice chauve de Ionesco. Nous les avons vues au théâtre George Ignatieff à l’université de Toronto.

J’ai bien aimé les pièces, et je les ai trouvées très bien réalisées.

La première pièce, Les précieuses ridicules, est une pièce écrite au 17e siècle, alors la langue était un peu différente de celle qu’on utilise aujourd’hui. Pourtant, elle n’a pas été trop difficile à comprendre. La pièce est une comédie qui raconte l’histoire de deux jeunes femmes, Cathos et Magdelon, des cousines qui sont allées à Paris pour chercher de l’amour. Elles rejettent les hommes que le père de Magdelon, l’oncle de Cathos, a choisi pour eux. Alors, les hommes qui ont été rejetés envoient leurs valets, déguisés, pour que Cathos et Magdelon tombent amoureux d’eux.

J’ai trouvé la pièce très comique. Les acteurs étaient très drôles, et ils jouaient leurs rôles d’une manière très convaincante. Molière crée toujours des personnages exagérés, et les acteurs ont bien capturé ceci. J’ai surtout aimé l’interaction entre les comédiennes qui jouaient Cathos et Magdelon et les acteurs qui jouaient les valets. Mon moment préféré de la pièce est quand Cathos et Magdelon se sont rendues compte que les hommes desquels elles sont devenus amoureuses sont, en vérité, des valets. La réaction de Cathos et Magdelon était très comique.

Le seul détail qui m’a dérangé en regardant cette pièce était que certains acteurs ont oublié leurs lignes parfois. Pourtant, ils avaient souvent beaucoup à dire, alors on peut comprendre pourquoi ils pourront oublier quoi dire. En tout cas, malgré quelques petits erreurs, j’ai trouvé que la réalisation de Les précieuses ridicules était bonne.

La deuxième pièce, La cantatrice chauve, est une pièce absurdiste du 20e siècle. Ce n’était pas difficile de comprendre la langue

parce que cette pièce est plus contemporaine. Pourtant, le sens de cette pièce était un peu plus difficile à comprendre que le sens de la pièce de Molière.

La pièce décrit un jour dans la vie de M. et Mme. Smith, et ce qui arrive quand ils ont des invités. Les invités, M. et Mme. Martin, ont oublié qu’ils sont mariés. Pour quelques minutes, ils sont étonnés pourquoi ils semblent avoir voyagé dans le même compartiment du train, et pourquoi ils habitent dans la même chambre du même appartement. Puis, plus tard, le capitaine des pompiers arrive et demande s’ils n’ont pas une incendie chez eux. Finalement, les visiteurs partent, et la pièce se termine de la même manière qu’elle a commencé : M. et Mme. Smith se parlent.

J’ai aimé cette pièce, même si elle a été un peu difficile à comprendre. La comédie était un peu différente de celle de Molière. Ionesco fait du satire, mais son satire est plus contemporain et plus surréaliste. Un exemple de ce satire contemporain dans la pièce que j’ai aimé est le satire du patriotisme. Chaque fois qu’on a mentionné la Grande Bretagne, tous les personnages dans la pièce se sont mis soudainement debout pour quelques barres du hymne « Hail Britannia ». Puis, ils s’étaient assis comme si rien ne s’est passé. Ceci est arrivé plusieurs fois, mais à chaque fois, c’était très drôle, parce qu’on ne s’attendait jamais de ceci.

Cette pièce était un peu difficile à regarder; il y avait des moments quand les personnages parlaient, et rien ne semblait se passer. C’était un peu difficile à suivre ces conversations, parce qu’elles ne faisaient pas toujours du sens. Ainsi, la pièce était parfois un peu difficile à suivre. Malgré ceci, j’ai aussi aimé la réalisation de La cantatrice chauve.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX DE POMPA

Par Angeli Marteja Lorsque nous pensons à la musique française, à quoi est-ce que nous pensons? Pour beaucoup de nous, c’est une tâche difficile. Le Canada est un pays bilingue, nos produits ont les mots en anglais et en français, mais beaucoup de citoyens ne pensent pas deux fois à notre langue seconde. C’est une opinion populaire que la musique est une langue universelle et le Canada a beaucoup d’artistes fameuses, mais personne ne connait pas la musique française.

Quand je pense à la musique française, je pense à Daft Punk et l’autre musique techno-danse (avec Carla Bruni, la première dame de la France, comme une exception). Sans mentir, je n’en connais pas beaucoup. Cependant, la musique que je sais n’inclut pas de paroles et c’est la source de mon appréciation pour la musique francophone du Canada. Une autre opinion de la musique française est qu’il est folk et c’est les vieux gens qui l’écoutent. Ici, je présente deux exemples qui prouvent autrement.

Le premier groupe n’est pas québécois nécessairement - ils sont originaires de la Nouvelle-Écosse. Radio Radio a un son unique et je n’ai jamais écouté quelque chose comme ça. En raison du fait qu’ils sont venus de l’Acadie française, ils font du rap en « franglais » et avec un accent chiac. Leur musique comprise d’électro hip-hop et il est très funky. Radio Radio a relâché leur album plus récent, Belmundo Regal, en mars 2010 avec Bonsound Records. Les paroles sont bizarres, mais c’est une partie de leur charme. Par exemple, avant la chanson 9 Piece Luggage Set, ils ont fait une liste des autres pièces des bagages : « In fact tu ne pourras pas mettre ta suitcase, garment bag, briefcase, duffle bag, hat case, toiletterie kit, laptop bag et ton man purse dans ton wardrobe trunk! » 16 mwplanet VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3

Avec des admirateurs, une chanson favorite est Kenny G Non-Stop. Kenny G. était un saxophoniste du jazz et la chanson présente un saxophone en bruit de fond et aussi des choeurs féminins séduisant et de bons rythmes. Je trouve l’album très accrocheur, mais je dois dire qu’il n’est pas pour tout le monde parce qu’il est « humour hip-hop ». Encore, Belmundo Regal et Radio Radio sont bizarres, mais c’est une bonne chose si vous aimez les choses différentes.

Si vous n’aimez pas le hip-hop, peut-être que vous devriez écouter à Béatrice Martin, alias Cœur de pirate. Son album plus récent, intitulé Blonde, s’est relâché en novembre 2011. Il s’est mis au #1 au Québec et il a été proposé pour Francophone Album of the Year dans les 2012 Juno Awards. Le son de Cœur de pirate est plus doux et il est classé d’habitude comme l’indie-pop, mais on peut écouter beaucoup de sons différents. L’album commence avec une chorale paisible dans « Lève les voiles » et il est talonné avec des chansons avec des influences jazz et même un peu de country. De plus, cet album est plein de paroles qui vienneut du fond du cœur. Je crois que ma chanson préférée est Place de la République, mais Verseau est une proche deuxième. Toutes ces chansons ont beaucoup de personnalité et on peut écouter que sa musique est plus mûr que son album précédent. Blonde par Cœur de pirate est charmant et il a beaucoup de valeur « rejouer ». J’aime cet album et Cœur de pirate et je vous le recommanderais sans aucun doute.

On ne doit pas comprendre le français pour apprécier les artistes francophones parce que la musique est vraiment une langue universelle.

LA PETITE PLANETE

la petite plan planète

la vérité de la viande Par Angeline Nimjeh

En Amérique du nord, nous aimons beaucoup notre viande. C’est assez bon marcher, c’est nourrissant et c’est abondant. L’Américain moyen mange 90 kilos de viande par année et, au monde entier, la consommation de viande a doublé. Mais est-ce que nous savons d’où vient, cette viande dont on en mange tellement tous les jours?

La vérité de la viande c’est effrayant. Les poules, les cochons et les vaches dans les abattoirs sont les animaux les plus maltraités du monde. Ils habitent sous des conditions insupportables. Les agriculteurs partout dans les abattoirs souffrent de maladies. 30% des agriculteurs ont des maladies de poumons. Il y a de gros problèmes pour l’environnement aussi. Les gaz à effet de serre se lèvent dans l’atmosphère et causent tellement de poussière et de polluants intenses et dangereux. La viande alimentaire produit 40% de gaz à effet de serre et c’est la plus grande cause de polluants de l’atmosphère - beaucoup plus que la pollution des autos et de toutes les autres causes dont on est déjà conscient. Plus de 90% de la forêt tropicale d’Amazone est disparu depuis 1970, tout simplement à cause de la production de viande globale.

Les agriculteurs donnent des produits chimiques aux animaux pour qu’ils grossissent. Une poule régulière pond 100 œufs et alors, les agriculteurs leur donnent des injections pour que les poules produisent 250 œufs. Mais, à cause de ces injections, le poulet ne vit pas longtemps et, il meurt après seulement 40 jours. Dans les 50 années passées, l’industrie de nourriture a beaucoup changé. Un grand nombre de gens sont morts à cause des bactéries dans la nourriture. Au supermarché, on nous montre des agriculteurs souriants, de propres étables et les animaux heureux sur les cartons et les boîtes, mais, en réalité, cette industrie est très différente aujourd’hui. Les animaux sont abusés, le nombre de maladies a augmenté et il y a beaucoup de pollution dans notre environnement. Notre nourriture est en danger et les industries ne veulent pas que l’on connaisse la vérité. Quand nous achetons des produits de viande, en leur donnant notre argent, nous encourageons ces industries.

Alors, qu’est-ce que nous pouvons faire pour éviter, ou au moins diminuer, tout ceci?

La réponse est simple. Ce n’est pas nécessaire, ou bien réaliste, que l’on deviendrait tous végétarien. Nous pouvons manger moins de viande, ou bien, de la viande biologique. Nous pouvons acheter de la viande des animaux nourris à l’herbe, ou nous pouvons acheter de la viande de ferme locale. Manger moins de viande, diminuerait le risque de maladies, comme l’obésité, les maladies de cœur et le cancer. Nous devons insister que l’on arrête l’agriculture d’usine. En prenant de petites étapes, nous pouvons faire une différence énorme. La décision est à nous tous.

Par Veronica Ng Désolé, mais vous ne pouvez plus appeler cette professeure de musique, qui n’est pas mariée, « Mademoiselle Lee ». Dès le mardi 21 février 2012, le terme « mademoiselle » est disparu des formulaires administratifs en France. L’exact terme pour les autorités est maintenant « madame », qui est équivalent au terme pour les hommes, « monsieur ». Le nom de la famille remplacera les choix des « nom de jeune fille » et « nom d’épouse ». La suppression va terminera un type de discrimination et il protégera l’intimité des femmes. Le premier ministre de la France, François Fillon, a décidé que les femmes ne doivent pas choisir comment elles veulent décrire elles-mêmes plus dans les formulaires administratifs. Bien que beaucoup de femmes qui sont contentes du changement, elles veulent le rendre permanent en l’année de l’élection.

Le dernier septembre, les organisations Osez le Féminisme et Les Chiennes de Garde ont eu une campagne pour éliminer « mademoiselle » des documents administratifs. Ils se sont disputés que l’emploi de « mademoiselle » établit une discrimination contre les femmes et se forcer à signaler leur statut marital. Contrairement aux femmes, les hommes ne doivent pas révéler son statut marital.

Les organisations ont disputé aussi que l’équivalent de « mademoiselle » pour les hommes, « damoiseau », a été enlevé de la langue il y a des décennies.

Après la victoire des organisations féministes avec l’enlèvement de « mademoiselle » sur les formulaires administratifs, elles veulent enlever « mademoiselle » sur les documents des organisations privées aussi. De plus, Osez le Féminisme veut disputer pour moins de publicité sexiste et plus petite différence de salaire des femmes et hommes.

Angela Sweeney, une des leaders de Gender Justice ici à Mary Ward, dit que « l’emploi de Mademoiselle est une source de discrimination et inégalité parce qu’il révèle le statut marital des femmes pendant qu’il n’y a pas distinction pour les hommes. » Cependant, Lucksson Namasivayasivam croit que « le terme ne définit pas une personne. » Les organisations de féministe ont abordé une bataille semblable aux États-Unis, mais il n’y a pas d’interdiction du terme « mademoiselle » pour les documents d’américains.

Par Claudia Luk Quand je regarde la télé chez nous confortablement, mange tous les nourritures que je désire, et dormir comme un bébé le soir, qu’est-ce qui arrive autour du monde?

Est-ce qu’un enfant meurt de faim?

Est-ce qu’une mère et ses enfants sont abandonnés?

Est-ce qu’une famille ne peut pas payer le loyer?

Je ne sais pas si ça me concerne ou s’ils veulent de l’aide.

En tout cas ils ont besoin d’assistance.

Qu’est-ce que je peux faire tous les jours pour assurer que les gens dans les autres pays sont stables.

Je n’ai pas peur de dire que je prends beaucoup de choses pour acquis.

C’est évidemment que nous ne voulons pas que les autres souffrent, Mais est-ce qu’on a la motivation de faire quelques choses?

La décision est finalement à nous de décider.

Beaucoup de questions, mais pas de réponses.

VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3 mwplanet 17

WACT/Lifestyles WACT/Lifestyles

By Rebekah Barona Boy bands were common in the nineties, but their popularity started to die down in the twenty-first century. New UK boy band One Direction, consisting of members Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson is bringing back the mania. The group was originally signed to Simon Cowell’s record label, Syco Records, though later signed to Columbia Records in North America.

Each band member auditioned in 2010 as solo artists for the seventh series of The X Factor. They made it to the show’s “bootcamp”, but failed to get through to the judges’ houses, though they qualified for the “Boys” category. After a guest judge’s suggestion, the boys were put together, forming the band One Direction, and qualifying for the “Groups” category.

Though One Direction finished third in the series, Cowell decided that it was “just the beginning for these boys,” and signed them a £2 million record contract. They developed their debut album with vocal producer Savan Kotecha and released their first single What Makes You Beautiful on September 11, 2011. Since then, One Direction’s career has skyrocketed.

Their album Up All Night was released in North America on March 13, 2012 with Columbia Records. Selling 176,000 copies in its first week, the album went straight to number one on the US Billboard charts, making One Direction the first UK group

By Sarah Quinto With their combination of simplicity and psychological insight, fairy tales are able to provide a vehicle from which hidden desires can be faced and darker childhood truths can be explored. Through the words of a fairy tale, friendly and not-so-friendly strangers are encountered, old hags are tricked into mistaking a bone for a stickthin finger, and princes lavish lonely girls with riches and warmth.

Violent in origin but pure in intent, fairy tales have served both to entertain and to soothe over countless years. Judging from current trends in pop culture, it appears that fairy tales are staging an insistent and insidious return to the forefront of storytelling.

One need only look at the upcoming list of films and the current television line-up to notice a resurgence in fairy tale adaptations, most of which are aimed towards a more mature audience, with a more modern, shinier veneer. 2011 saw a darker, more sexually charged retelling of Red Riding Hood along with a film adaptation of the bestselling young adult novel Beastly, which in turn is a spin on Beauty and the Beast. It also saw the premier of two television series with fairy tale elements: Once Upon a Time, which concerns a small town, its curse, and a host of familiar characters; and Grimm, a police drama involving detectives descended from a line of uncanny hunters trying to maintain a balance between the human and the supernatural.

Earlier this year, the Academy Award-nominated animated film Beauty and the Beast was re-released in theatres in 3D. Two Snow White movies have also cropped up: the more family-friendly adaptation, Mirror Mirror, was released on March 30; and the grittier, more action-oriented Snow White and the Huntsman will be released June 1. The live-action film Maleficent, which focuses on the back story of the scheming villainess in Sleeping Beauty, is currently in production with an anticipated 2014 release. Another adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, this time helmed by Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Torro, is in its final negotiations. In an unexpected move, Walt Disney Studios recently announced its plans to release a film version of the Sondheim musical Into the Woods, which concerns a series of fairy tales retold with more than a touch of realism. For the less romanticallyinclined, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters will be released in 2013, along with a film version of the lesser-known Jack the Giant Killer.

It is not difficult to see the draw in retelling universally acclaimed stories. While it would be easy to dismiss these adaptations as indicative of a decline in creativity in Hollywood, or as a way to milk the lucrative family market, it would be a mistake to ignore the possibilities that these stories provide. Fairy tales can be likened 18 mwplanet VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3

to debut at number one.

One Direction is not only breaking into the music charts, but also into teenage girls’ hearts. Their musical talent, combined with their looks, is the perfect combination for a successful phenomenon. Niall Horan is known as “the cute one”, Liam Payne “the sensible one”, Zayn Malik “the quiet, mysterious one”, Harry Styles “the PHOTO FROM CANYOUHEARTHIS.CO.UK charming one”, and Louis Tomlinson “the funny one”. They are often labelled as the new British invasion. With their captivating looks and quirky personalities, One Direction causes a Justin Bieber-like craze in every city they visit.

to skeletons: while the bare bones of plot and message are contained within its structure, there is much room for experimentation, and paths that are not thoroughly explored in the telling can be realized in an adaptation. The characters that populate many fairy tales are glossy, static stand-ins whose motivations seem incomplete, and the idea of fleshing them out is enticing. While the stepmother in Snow White is undoubtedly a wicked woman, can the motivations of a complex human being be as simple as vanity? The simple framework of a fairy tale cannot provide an answer, but it can provide a context to look for one.

Perhaps the return to the innocent – albeit with darker undertones – can be attributed to a culture that has become desensitized to blood and gore, where movies and television shows are routinely spattered with blood and punctuated by gunshots. The simpler conflicts that can be found in fairy tales are emphasized in family-friendly adaptations, as can be seen in Mirror, Mirror and the re-release of Beauty and the Beast 3D, which allow families a chance to reconnect in an environment that has become more and more fast-paced.

However, the fact remains that many of these adaptations are action-oriented and aimed at mature audiences. Most fairy tales have violent origins – stepsisters are forced to endure self-mutilation, and many eyes are pecked by errant birds – and it seems that most aspire to emphasize their grisly beginnings. Promotional material for Snow White and the Huntsman highlights a great battle that must be fought. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is set fifteen years after the trauma of their encounter with the witch, and emphasizes the killing aspect involved in witch-hunting, while the violence in Jack the Giant Killer centers on the premise of a war between the protagonist and an army of invading giants. While it seems that blood and gore has become a popular source of entertainment and the main motivation for showcasing these adaptations, the purity in their intent cannot be denied. Good cannot triumph over evil without cost. Great sacrifices must be made, and victories can often feel empty for a while. The protagonists of these tales rightly experience emotions that the original versions neglect to explore.

While the media becomes increasingly saturated with gory images, the appeal of a simpler time becomes apparent. It becomes cathartic to slip into the skin of a familiar tale, where motivations are black and white, judgment is easily passed, and justice is always served. In fairy tale adaptations, there may be shadows hiding behind the light, but audiences can be reassured that there will always be someone to chase them away. The lines are thickly drawn, not blurred. This certainty is appealing in a world that has been thrown into discord to those who are struggling with the ground shaking beneath their feet, trying to find their place.

WACT/Lifestyles WACT/ LIFESTYLES

By Ashley Quan

PHOTOS FROM COOL LOGO DESIGNS AND BLOGSPOT

With such success, it’s no surprise that Idol has come back strong for an eleventh season. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are seemingly more comfortable sitting in the judges’ chairs, offering useful feedback at times to the surprise of more cynical viewers, though it wouldn’t be Idol without its fair share of questionable feedback. This year has arguably the strongest top ten contestants in Idol history, with much variety, ranging from country to gospel to blues. Best of all, there is no clear front runner this year. In fact, there were about five or six viable contenders going into the top ten.

My personal favourites of the top ten included Heejun Han, Phillip Phillips and Elise Testone. Heejun Han, twenty-three years old, is possibly Idol’s most memorable personality. He has a witty, off-beat sense of humour and a great sense of comedic timing. Idol, not having portrayed Asians as anything past a second coming of William Hung, surprised many when showcasing Han and his great vocal talent. He has a warm and beautiful tone, as well as the ability to emote and connect with the songs that he is singing. He also has a budding “bromance” with fellow contestant, Phillip Phillips.

Elise Testone is another contestant who feels every lyric she sings. In the early stages of the competition, she had stated that it was more important to her to connect to every word she sings than to hit every note. Testone has the most distinct voice out of this year’s batch. Vienna and Whole Lotta Love were among her stand-out performances in the season. Testone brings a bluesy-rock styling to her music, and has displayed great vocal technique and power. However, her Idol journey was far from smooth-sailing. She was in the bottom three so many times, her mentor Jimmy Iovine dubbed the bottom three as ‘Elise’s summer home’.

Other standouts include Jessica Sanchez, Colton Dixon, Joshua Ledet and Skylar Laine. Jessica Sanchez is the best technical singer in the competition. Being only sixteen years old, she can hit big notes effortlessly. Her cover of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You has over three million views on YouTube, being the most watched video on the American Idol YouTube channel. In fact, the top five most watched videos on their channel are Jessica Sanchez’s performances.

She has a great range and is able to tackle the big diva ballads with ease and perfection. However, as Iovine said, she’s a good ‘student’. She can mimic every note and run of the original song to a tee, but many feel she struggles to find her own sound. She has a great presence, but needs to work on connecting with her songs to make the audience feel what she is singing.

Colton Dixon, sharing the title as this year’s resident pretty-boy with Phillips, is quite the opposite. While I do not personally find his vocal ability too impressive, he knows who he is as an artist. He understands his image, and knows what he wants musically. He will definitely be going the Christian-rock route.

Joshua Ledet is not necessarily my cup of tea, but there is no denying the vocal talent that the twenty year-old possesses. His take on When A Man Loves of Woman was one of Idol’s greatest moments this season. He clearly is a gospel singer, but is able to ‘take his songs to church’ without over doing it, unlike last year’s Jacob Lusk.

Skylar Laine, eighteen years old, is another contender this season. She’s a firework, filling the stage with energy and fun when she’s on it. She’s a country artist, and she delivered consistently every week.

Hollie Cavanagh, DeAndre Brackensick and Erika Van Pelt have also displayed tremendous talent on the Idol stage. Though, they have not been the most consistent contestants, they have all had some fantastic moments during their run.

Cavanagh’s range, Brackensick’s falsetto and energy, and Van Pelt’s tone and maturity are all really great qualities that they possess.

This year’s American Idol is Phillip Phillips, often fan-dubbed as P2 or Psquared. He is a twenty-one year-old from Leesburg, Georgia. He worked in his father’s pawnshop before going on the show, but singing has always been his passion. Phillips has a very original sound, and tends to rearrange songs to match his style. He is not the type of singer to belt and he does not have a wide vocal range, but he is a guitar-playing, laid-back singer-songwriter artist. One of my personal favourite qualities in P2 is that when he sings, he feels it in every inch of his body; from his toes to the bulging vein on his forehead, Phillips lives in his music.

This season has had a very well-matched crop of talent. I am excited for next year, and hopefully they’ll have a new panel of judges.

Whether it has pounded skulls with its chirpy opening notes, or has enticed with its compulsively watchable video, Call Me Maybe has met millions of ears the world over. The infectious single by Carly Rae Jepsen may have just hit the airwaves, but Call Me Maybe has already taken over the charts. The British Columbia native started off her singing career by placing 3rd on the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007. After the release of a domestically successful debut album, Jepsen finally hit platinum with Call Me Maybe, a delightful, catchy pop song that brought Jepsen success and a record deal from Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber. The Baby singer signed Jepsen onto his new label, Schoolboy Records, and has offered to mentor her career in the United States. The decision was largely influenced by his own beginnings – R&B singer Usher signed the singer back in 2008 and also offered to mentor his career. The fact that Jepsen had already been working on a full-length album at the time may also have worked in her favour.

While its merits as a well-crafted pop song have no doubt helped, the worldwide success of Call Me Maybe may also be credited to the popular spoof video of the song where stars like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Ashley Tisdale make an appearance. The viral video attracted over 30 million views, and the free publicity allowed the song to reach number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jepsen made her first appearance on American television on the Ellen Show, accompanied by her new mentor Bieber, where she gave her first live performance of the song. Since then, Jepsen has experienced even more success – the track has hit number one on iTunes and has become certified platinum in four countries.

So far, Jepsen has released an EP as a follow-up to her hit single. The EP garnered generally positive reviews from critics and peaked at number six on the Canadian Albums chart. It was originally meant to be a full-length album, but was PHOTO FRO changed to an EP at the last minMB LOG ute. This sudden decision removed SPO T several songs from the original track listing, including a collaboration with Bieber.

This is only the start of what has the makings of a successful career. With managers like Justin Bieber and Scooter Braun, Carly Rae Jepsen is sure to be calling back attention soon enough.

VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3 mwplanet 19

WACT/lifestyles WACT/lifestyles

PHOTO BY UBI.COM

Assassin’s Creed III is the fifth and possibly last major installment in the Assassin’s Creed series. Like its predecessors, the game is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal. With this being the next huge release in the series, Ubisoft is introducing a brand new setting and a whole new roster of characters with which players can interact.

Assassin’s Creed III brings us to Colonial America, taking place between 1753 and 1783. This means players will be thrown in before, during, and after the American Revolution. Gamers will play as Ratohnhaké:ton (pronounced Rahdoon-ha-gay-doon), also known as Connor Kenway. He is a half Native American, half English man born into the Mohawk Tribe. He is said to have had an unhappy childhood due to the strained relations between the Natives and the European colonists at the time. Eventually, Connor’s village is burned down by the Europeans, and the following events cause Connor to join the Assassin Order in his early twenties. Later on, the American Revolution starts, and Connor finds himself involved. Despite his role in the war, Connor is not allied with either the Americans or the British; instead, he assassinates Templars on both sides of the conflict.

It has also been confirmed that Desmond Miles, the present day Assassin who is reliving these memories of his ancestors via the Animus, will make a return, and Ubisoft says that players will play him as well. No details have yet been released regarding Desmond’s role in the game.

If Assassin’s Creed’s use of historical time periods has not previously piqued the interest of history buffs, Assassin’s Creed III will do the job. A majority of the people players will meet in the game were real people who lived during the time period. Players will meet iconic people such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Charles Lee. They will also be able to see many of the historical battles that occurred during the war. Players will even visit American cities like Boston and New York. The Database will also make a comeback in this game. It will hold a myriad of real facts and information about landmarks, battles, people, and items that a player can read at any time in the game.

As this is most likely going to be Ubisoft’s biggest release to date, and as they have worked on the game in secret for three years, they will add and revamp

PHOTO FROM FANPOP.COM

By Charles Dalistan

a lot of things in the game. They are using a brand new game engine, revamping the combat system, and it has been said that they are even changing the free running system.

One major new development in Assassin’s Creed III is the use of trees. At least one third of the game will take place in the wilderness of the United States, which is dubbed “The Frontier”. As little to no buildings will be present, Connor will have the ability to climb trees, and can travel through the forest by jumping from branch to branch. This is a breath of fresh air from the usual urban freerunning of past games.

Another new thing Ubisoft will add is a more intricate weather system.

Instead of constant dry weather, not only will there be plenty of snow and rain during the game, the game will have seasons. Leaves will fall in autumn, and flowers will flourish in the spring. The weather will be directly related to the present season, and will actually affect game play. Rivers that flow in the summer will freeze in the winter, causing new paths to open. European forces may have difficulty trekking through the snow, but with Connor’s ability to jump from tree to tree, the weather now becomes an advantage.

One thing the game developers are bringing back from Brotherhood and Revelations is the multiplayer format. Players will be able to run around and assassinate their online friends once again.

Information on the plot of the game has been kept secret. However, even with the lack of information, fans are excited for the new installment because of its premise.

“I’m not a hardcore gamer, but one of the most interesting additions to Assassin’s Creed III is the introduction of a character who is of Native American background. It’s admirable that the developers of the game are trying their best to incorporate history and give tribute to the culture,” says Justin Valmores, a grade twelve student.

The fight against the Templars may be coming to an end – do not miss it!

Assassin’s Creed III comes out October 30, 2012.

PHOTO FROM 1ZOOM.NET

By Makasha Armstrong Say goodbye to the sparkling vampires – that’s right Twilight fans, no be attributed to dedicated fans, who are commonly referred to as “Twihards”.

The first part of Breaking Dawn left viewers hanging, ending just as Bella more swooning over the dreamy vampire/human/werewolf love triangle, or looking forward to action-packed vampire fights. The big-screen adaptation of the Swan completed her transformation into a vampire after the gruesome birth of Twilight saga is bidding its long-awaited farewell. The second part of Breaking her daughter, Renesmee. In Part 2, one can expect to see Bella as a vampire, realDawn will premiere on November 16, and it is rumoured that the final installment izing her long held goal. Unfortunately, certain obstacles are in the way of her happy ending. The Volturi, the strict council will conclude the series with a controversial that governs the vampires in the Twilight uniending. Breaking Dawn was split into two verse, has set certain rules to keep vampires a movies to accommodate its length, the first secret from human beings, and one of those of which was released last year. rules forbids immortal children. As a young Stephenie Meyer sparked a vamhalf-human half-vampire hybrid, Renesmee pire craze worldwide when Twilight was appears to be an immortal child – and Bella first published. The book is about a teenage and the Cullen family must protect her from girl named Bella Swan who moves in with the Volturi. her dad in Forks, Washington. In the small As the cast wrapped up last-minute filmtown, Bella meets Edward Cullen, a mysteriing, the three principal actors, Kristen Stewart, ous, attractive boy to whom she finds herRobert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner were inself strangely drawn. Eventually, she learns terviewed about their future plans. All menthat Edward and his family are vampires, PHOTO FROM WILDABOUTMOVIES.COM tioned how they would greatly miss the series and soon faces the challenge of being in love with one, as she repeatedly puts her life at risk as a human. In the big-screen due to positive fan reaction and the fun they have had on set. Being involved in adaptation, Kristen Stewart plays Bella Swan while Robert Pattinson fills the role Breaking Dawn has undoubtedly been good for their respective careers, as all of Edward Cullen. Taylor Lautner plays Jacob Black, a character who gains more three have numerous films lined up for the future.

After watching Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner from significance in later films as Bella’s infatuated best friend.

Three books followed Twilight after its overwhelming success: New Moon, the very beginning, it is hard to believe that the movie franchise has come to an Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Each novel has been adapted into a film, spawning a end. For many, the vampire/werewolf legacy will remain a treasured tale. movie franchise that has so far earned over $2 billion worldwide. Its success can 20 mwplanet VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3

PHOTOS FROM BREAKINGDAWNMOVIE.ORG

WACT/Lifestyles

WACT/lifestyles

By Jercy David

Dr. Seuss’ beloved tale The Lorax hit the big screen in 3D. Originally a short animation broadcasted on televisions in 1972 based on the children’s book of the same name, this movie includes a cast played by actors such as Betty White and Taylor Swift. The movie features incredible animation, as well as a set list of upbeat music that will have audiences laughing and singing along.

The original story of The Lorax tells the tale of a man named the Once-ler, who has aspirations of making it big in the corporate business with his invention, the Thneed. In order to create his Thneed, he must chop down trees, disrupting the environment. The defender of the trees, named the Lorax, warns the Once-ler to stop destroying the environment before it is too late. The Once-ler ignores the Lorax and continues to chop down the trees, leaving nothing behind as his business booms. By the time the last tree is chopped down, the forest that was once a thriving environment becomes a dreary and desolate place. The Once-ler’s business eventually dies from lack of production due to tree scarcity.

The Lorax (2012) stays true to the original storyline, but also adds a modern twist to the classic tale. In this movie, Thneedville is a town governed by the most successful and prominent company. The richest man in Thneedville, Mr. O’Hare (Rob Riggle), is a man who found a way to sell fresh air in the heavily polluted town. A boy named Ted (Zac Efron), who has a crush on high school girl Audrey (Taylor Swift), changes everything. Audrey’s one wish is to see a real live tree, and with help from his Grammy Norma (Betty White), Ted goes to find the Once-ler to ask what happened to the trees, and to find a way to bring one back for Audrey. The Once-ler (Ed Helms) then begins to tell his story of his encounter with the Lorax (Danny DeVito).

This year’s movie keeps the story’s emphasis on the importance of caring for the environment, and Dr. Seuss’ original message is easily identified throughout the movie’s duration. However, with Mr. O’Hare’s burning desire for money and success, the movie also tackles political issues, such as corporate greed and lack of concern for the environment. The famous line from the story – “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it’s not going to get better. It’s not” – is repeated numerous times throughout the movie, instilling the need for society to

take charge and begin caring about what is going on around the world. The message is both moving and relevant.

Despite how inspiring and nostalgic the story’s message may be, it may fail to entertain audiences. The poppy music creates a childish feel. The movie starts off in a big musical number, where the entirety of Thneedville joins in on the grand opening to the movie. From there, it’s just song after song. Though there are breaks in between to subtly cue in the music, the soundtrack dominated a large chunk of the movie. Some may not mind how the music played such a prominent role, but others may agree that the animation turned musical is more suited to a younger audience.

The use of bold, bright colours and vibrant animation within the movie stays true to the whimsical feeling of the Dr. Seuss’ children’s book, which is only enhanced through the movie’s release in 3D. This, coupled with the poppy music featured throughout the movie, may turn some people off. It comes across as incredibly childish, and along with its added twist of a boy trying to impress a girl by attempting to make her dream come true, it also seems a bit cliché.

As well, the cast’s two most popular members – Zac Efron and Taylor Swift – did a decent job with their characters, but the movie’s trailers were misleading in hyping up the importance of the actors in regards to the plot of the PHOTO FROM TIME.COM movie. Helms and DeVito do not get as much credit for their more prominent and well done roles within the film, and it is clear that Efron and Swift were simply a way of attracting a larger young audience.

Overall, The Lorax was a success. Although its take on injustice and brilliant animation sparks nostalgia for audiences who grew up with Dr. Seuss’ subtle but powerful messages and creative world, it still managed to turn off some viewers. In the end, go to theatres to watch The Lorax if one is bringing young family members or watching it on a Tuesday for a reduced ticket price.

By Vicky Papuga

PHOTO FROM HUNGERGAMESMOVIE.ORG

With the promise of a movie, the flames of interest in The Hunger Games were ignited. The book was originally published in 2008 to acclaim, but the recent film adaptation has caused the hype to skyrocket.

So how did the movie fair in comparison to the book? Did it live up to expectation?

As always, one turns to the fans for answers.

In North America alone, The Hunger Games stayed the number one blockbuster in theatres for three straight weeks, bringing in an astounding $33.1 million in ticket sales. However, the movie received mixed reviews. Some fans loved the movie, and others were more critical of it, specifically when com-

paring the movie to the book.

“For a book to movie adaptation, The Hunger Games was quite good, although I wish that the character development between some characters was more focused and detailed. I had also been hoping that some of the smaller idiosyncrasies were going to be kept,” said Ayla Fleischacker, a grade eleven student at Mary Ward.

I had a love-hate relationship with this movie. I allowed myself to get carried away with excitement for the movie. Becoming a fan of the book some time before the movie release date was announced had its perks, as I did not have to wait a long time for this amazing book to come to the big screen. When I went to watch the movie, I noticed the

excitement of fans mounting while they waited in line. After everyone had finally settled into their seats, this silent anticipation was palpable in the air. I could not tear my eyes from the screen from the moment the movie began until the end, and maybe this is why I began to nitpick.

I thought the casting was absolutely perfect, though it initially took me some time to appreciate the actors chosen for the roles. I think the great actors are what saved a lot of the movie, as at times it seemed really rushed to the point where I was not sure if somebody who had not read the books would really understand what was happening. Though the preparation and training before the game did not get enough attention or detail, the way the people of the Capitol and the rest of Panem were costumed was amazing and stayed true to the ideas presented in the book.

In my opinion, the Hunger Games itself was amazingly executed.

I think the gore featured was called for and added to the gritty feeling of the movie.

One of the most emotional parts in the book is Rue’s death, and this is also the part in the movie that gave me chills.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen was phenomenal. Her tears brought me, and many others, to tears. Everyone could feel the heartbrokenness in the scene. The scene was done with such power that it really made the games an emotional event, not just a bloodbath.

If you have not seen it yet, then you are missing out on a lot of action. So happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour!

VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3 mwplanet 21

creative spaces SPACES CREATIVE

by Evander Cobbold An unbalanced dream which I've never before experienced, Sprawls into my very existence with such magnitude.

A being emerges that one does not see, but merely senses.

Far from ordinary, beyond explanation, an expansion of my imagination, An unexplainable presence that lingers through the depths of my soul.

Her intellect is beyond human intelligence, A flawless being or spirit, one might say.

Why she appeared to a mortal with such sinful nature?

One will never know as long as the lungs expand.

She never fails to amaze as the reality of her presence is overwhelming.

The sun’s core is flawed compared to the brightness she emulates for my eyes to bear, Or one's thoughts to envision.

A devil created mirage or a Deity’s virtuous creation?

One may never know.

A gift to civilization which has not yet been revealed for the world to distinguish, One may say humanity is not worthy to stand in her very presence.

Her mere existence is but in the mind, But manages to consume the entire human flesh.

One must question her realness, Her ability to break down one’s purpose is her greatest attribute.

One does not need to come into physical contact to become internally changed.

Once one comes into any form of contact, he or she is forever changed!

She extracts the deepest of secrets one barricades in the pits of one’s vast soul.

She has a deeper knowledge than one will ever know of thyself.

An immaculate goddess in the living form, The Serengeti’s clone.

Her beauty cannot be depicted by the greatest of artists.

An evil curse occurs as this miraculous dream comes to a shattering end!

Yet, somehow her presence still lingers throughout my organic structure.

By the grace of the holiest of angels, This angel with no halo lies next to me.

This extraordinary life form is eternally part of one’s entity, Ceaselessly a part of one’s living soul.

In sickness and health, until death do us part.

Sleep is no longer necessary as reality is indeed greater than one's finest of dreams.

by Grace Chalabi My name is Grace Chalabi, pronounced ‘Shalaby’, not Cha-lab-eye.

There is more to our language than ‘habibi’ and ‘yalla’.

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There is no letter ‘P’ in our alphabet... it is pronounced ‘B’. We drink Bebsi, go to sbas, bark cars, and fix broblems. Our invites read: Blease accebt our barty invite and breferbly bass by the bastry shob and buy bita bread.

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When we get invited somewhere, being on time is not in our vocabulary. If we are invited at 6:00 for dinner, we leave the house at 7:30.

We are ridiculously friendly. We talk to someone in the grocery store and then we invite them over for coffee.

When you are invited over to people’s house for ‘coffee’, we will serve you dinner.

Then when you are actually invited for dinner, we will feed you a week’s worth of food.

And it doesn’t matter how full you are or if you already ate. We will pile food on your plate for you. You must eat, or you cannot leave. Period.

There is more to our food than hummus and shawarma – there is an encyclopedia for all the foods out there.

Our cultural dance is called dabkeh. We hold hands and go around in a circle. The most basic dabkeh dance is two steps and a kick. As long as there is Arabic music on, the dabkeh won’t be too far behind!

We do not ride camels. We drive BMWs, our taxis are Benz, and on our roads, red lights are green lights, no-entry signs are entry signs, and stop signs are decorations.

22 mwplanet VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3

I am Grace Chalabi, and I am Lebanese.

creative spaces SPACES CREATIVE

by Shankri Fabian

A slight lapse in reality Is really hitting me hard.

I hope my conscience takes a caution because these odds are tough to beat.

It’s easy to spark an attraction but it’s hard to turn a motion into emotion and beat the odds called life— One in a million chance in which you could fall without shattering your heart to pieces like glass— mine is pounding through the sounds of brass and drumming— tribal dance.

I’ve got the game mode on and I hate it. It’s all or nothing.

Am I in it to win or should I keep running?

These thoughts are breathing, creating a life of its own I panic. I’m about to shut down Like a venomous snake allergic to its poison, my pores find it difficult to digest, like it’s some great big test To see just how much this diva can handle Before a cardiac arrest, I’m dying— To see what this can be, but I don’t want to And I don’t want you Saying lies to avoid you Slapped by this thing called reality “Girl, he’ll only hurt you.”

So now I’m crying, I’m prone to mistakes I’m not the perfect entity But like this? What’s happening to me?

I truly wasn’t looking for this to happen.

Meeting you for the first time. Sarcastic tone on I wasn’t in it to stand out or shine But regardless of the fact I remember you staring Trying to size me up And evaluate what I’m hiding Only the shattered would try to break it down And seek what’s actually going down And before you knew it— it clicked as much as my body tried to refuse it. A slight interest in your flashback, withdrew and landed itself on my lap. “Do I actually care?”

It’s about time I look away; I should have never met your eyes— I wish I never met you in the first place I feel stupid. I’m no average girl But now I’m a girl without a destination I’ve got it all going on but I’ve got my heart falling.

Places.

Basically—it’s hard to think about myself Without thinking how my actions can possibly affect you What have I done?

ILLUSTRATION BY KRISTINE BUERANO

There are grey walls enclosing me; soon they will crush me to death.

There are many creatures who linger here, yet I choose to live the life of a lone wolf; It’s every man for himself in this chaotic place.

A somber area where depressed souls roam; Filled with paranoia, I pace back and forth with caution. There is no assurance or certainty in this place. Amongst the chaos, there lies a beast waiting for me.

A monster in the night It rips souls with deceiving lies, With the illusion of a friend but a face of a foe; Its black eyes like dark pools of tar.

A swift, slithering, slaying pounce is all it takes, One unfortunate enough to cross its path will dwindle.

How many more countless souls will it devour?

I come face to face with this creature, Paralyzed with fear, the beast knocks me to my feet.

Why should I be the victim of this cat and mouse game?

This imbalance of power brings me no justice.

“Do not torture me, oh powerful beast!”

I cry as it wraps its body tighter around me.

Its teeth puncture my soft skin, and venom enters through my veins.

Lying there wounded, my blood flows out like the Red Sea, The beast bellows out insults and lies as I lie helpless, Not one creature comes to my aid.

It spits in my face and antagonizes me, Its scaly, slimy, sickly skin pokes at my wounded body.

The daily intimidation and threats have caused me too much melancholy, My mind has been tortured for too long. I might die now, but who will die tomorrow? This beast won’t stop until it is satisfied.

I muster all the strength left inside of me; With one angry swipe of my claw, The beast falls to the ground.

Now it is over; My soul can finally rest in peace In the calmness of the Garden of Eden.

By Caitlin Cosgrove VOLUME 17 / ISSUE 3 mwplanet 23