Issue 49 by The High

Editor in Chief Johanna Ohlsson Graphic Editor Christine Geiger Editors Aidan Kirby, Ruby Griffiths, Jocelyn Kwan,

Febuary 6, 2015 Issue 49

Show, Glorious Show Zsofi Igo considers herself a reviewer

an I have some more? Were the words escaping the audience’s mouths after Oliver! Last night this amazing production took to the stage to tell the heart-breaking story of a young orphan Oliver (Ben Pons & Max Jones) and resulted in a standing ovation. Oliver was quickly put in an orphanage after his mother died but is soon kicked out because he couldn’t ‘have some more’. He then gets sold to Fagin’s (Thomas Murphy) gang, which is a band of pick pockets, but gets caught on the job by Mr Brownlow (Jai Sinh). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for young Oliver because it means that he finally is being raised

in healthy and wealthy environment. However, the terrifying Bill Sikes (Daniel Haid) thinks otherwise. Their little secret service of pick pocketing cannot be discovered. Bill’s wife, Nancy (Beth Rennie) is asked to bring Oliver back, but she doesn’t want Oliver to turn into an ill-mannered pick-pocketer. Therefore, she has some tough decisions to make regarding Oliver’s position in the gang. The show is on for three nights, plus a matinee performance on Sunday for those who can’t make it on the weekdays so everyone can have a chance to be considered part of the family. During the intermission, you can also be singing along with Food Glorious Food because there is an amazing free buffet.

Three words to describe the plot: kissing, murder and drinking. Now that I’ve got your attention, we can go more into detail. The little Oliver has the sweetest voice when he sings which creates utter silence in the audience. We also feel so inclined to help him because he is treated so unfairly. He’s not the only one that sings though. We had the amazing Beth Rennie, playing Nancy, who stunned us with her stunningly pure voice, revealing so many emotions. Lucas Pos, one of the knife sellers also astounded the audience with his deep and resonating voice. There was also the power couple of Mrs Bumble (Anita) and Master Corney (Dario) who sang many duos, and of course the hilarious and very talented Thomas Murphy singing in the crippled voice of Fagin.

Pictures courtesy of deelee.photo

continued on page 4

ComPPlete Paul Baroudi talks about a week of PP

or years 7 to 10, the third Monday of January each year marks the beginning of a week in the mountains: La Tzoumaz, Verbier, Crans Montana, with all students skiing for five days straight, and living the Swiss mountain lifestyle. What could be better? A close second was experienced by Year 11 who, for the first time in secondary, had to stay behind in Lausanne to finish their eight month long journey of the IB MYP Personal Project, over a period of five days which everyone knows as Personal Project Week. When the students weren’t spending hours on end working on their 3,500 word reports, 10 page appendices or even touching up their products, there was a wide range of activities and events for the students to do. Just like the afternoon and evening activities in ski week, the activities back at school gave the

students a nice change to the report writing and product reflection. On top of the report writing, supervisor meetings, and other activities in between, the Year 11 students also had to come to school early, for the daily homeroom activity, a different theme each week. Monday was a hallway remake of the famous gameshow Hole in the Wall, followed by a Tuesday morning of a geographical and 20-word word jumble. The mid-week homeroom activity was an old student classic, as those of Year 11 created their best and most airworthy paper aircraft to enter in a contest of distance. Thursday came with more brain games as the students participated in a Family Feud sort of game, before a race with static electricity by Friday. Most days had over half the time contributed to the work of the actual report, making use of the empty classrooms and hallways that are usually filled with teachers and students. Monday, however, consisted of the first three periods contributed to team

building with Mr Harrison and Ms Varga, as did Thursday morning, followed on both days by the infamous report writing for the rest of the school day. “It was a lot of work, but it was time that I needed for my report”, said one Year 11 student. Tuesday was an exception to the Personal Project week, as it consisted of a day long leadership workshop. This Personal Project week did not mean that the students were exempt from Physical Education, as they played a game of Kingie Dodgeball and the New Zealand art of Poi Dancing throughout the week. Although given all this time to complete the report, there was still an inevitable rush on Friday at 3:40 to submit the work to each student’s supervisor, to finally start on the presentation for the Wednesday afterwards, and Personal Project Presentation Night, attended by many. Now that the Year 11s have finished their process, they can rest easy. The same cannot be said for the current Year 10s, who start the journey of their own this May.

Quarter Life Crisis Christine Geiger regrets everything

s this even a thing? Probably, because that might explain the state I’m in right now. Take an existential crisis, sprinkle it generously with premature regret, a teaspoon of complete and utter confusion and top it all off with the sudden realization that you are but an insignificant speck which is applying to a speck university, in a speck world, to then lead a speck life in this infinite universe. Why should that speck go to university? What does it matter? Why do we follow these predetermined lives? Is there not more to life? It’s all a bit like a pet store right now: we’re all stuffed into our course cages, waiting for adoption. Business birds, economics eels, and the one or two other courses which people apply to (because the world desperately craves more business folk) alike, all waiting. Even once you have passed the selec-

tion stage, you still get to face a lengthy interrogation process. Survival of the fittest, I guess. Interviews alone are terrifying, but group interviews are slightly more unnerving, as you get to both listen and judge others, but also have others listen and judge you. Here’s the question a Graphic Design applicant in my group was asked: “So would you say that this font,” *points to font* “is particularly related to this?” *points to a picture of a Red Panda* “Think carefully.” . The answer was unclear. A lot of misunderstandings also occurred in other courses; for example, a sculpture was very unprofessionally misinterpreted as a “sock-puppet-camel”, when in fact it was a furry-swordfish. The outrage was palpable. Why, in our high school years, must we decide on the future and all that is to come. I still regret choosing certain IB subjects! How many university courses can you take before it gets weird? Three masters? How about spending life in university and studying everything - only then could you actually make a valid judgment. And even

though you applied for the Graphic Design course, you can’t help but mention the evolution of spiritual communication and embodiment in European sculpture of the human form. Did you choose the right course? Sure. Maybe you just like to cross disciplines. And I ask myself from time and time again, why not study Glove Making. That seems like a humble and respectable life. On the other hand, maybe it’s not. But what bothers me is that the childhood dream of becoming firefighting pilot rockstar cowboy astronaut billionaires, is not in fact realizable. Where’s that pet store cage? Where’s that course? Pick something and stick to it till the end - one should stay true to the nightmare of one’s choice. And when did we all stop wanting to become garbage men just so we could stand on the back of the truck? There’s a point at which you gave that up. Maybe you realized that your life has seen enough sh...it is sad nonetheless. “You don’t need to go to university, just get a cat.” - Johanna

Stress Test Jocelyn Kwan examines a week of off-piste

t was just that time of year again. That one week when you’re so consumed with stuff, depending on where you are, that you forget everything going on outside. Depending on your year group, you will be..

...In year 7, enjoying or completely hating your first entire week away from your family in the mountains with your classmates and friends.

going to have that entire week of skiing with all your classmates ever again or crying that you have personal project… Or both.

...In year 10, trying to make the most of your last ski week or jumping with joy that you never have to spend another winter in the mountains with those people again. ...In year 11 crying that you’re never

...In year 12 crying that you have exams or thinking you’d rather be in Personal Project week, wishing you never took that week for granted.

Looked like a bad fall. How’s the snow?

...In year 13 crying that you have exams.. Crying even harder when you realize your next set of exams are the BIG ONES, or mentally breaking down from all the damage IB’s done to you. Whatever category you fall under, during this extremely diverse time, you suddenly forget about the rest of the world. I remember being so caught up in Personal Project week, that being the ignorant person that I am, hadn’t realized that year 12s and 13s were actually coming in and out of the school for IB exams. Now I kind of wish I was back in Personal Project week… But only because I appreciated the times I could casually walk to the vending machine at any point during the day *haha inside joke with all you people who actually remember my comic published in Issue 41 Of the High.. If you do actually remember that then wow, I congratulate you* Year 12 exams were sort of a blow to the face. But in all honesty, in many ways they were actually not as bad as I expected either. It was actually quite chill. In many ways we were granted quite a lot of freedom. I mean, the highlight of my exam week was that I got to sleep in until 11 on some days, when my exams were in the afternoon. But then again, I live next to school. But if you were so unlucky as to have to take the school bus at 7:30 in the morning for a 13:30 exam, then I guess you never got to experience the luxury of that privilege.

Illustration by Ian Chen

Show, Glorious Show (continued from front page) You could tell it was good because all they needed to stun us was an empty stage and their voices. The music was all magnificently played by our very own orchestra made up of several ISL students and teachers like Mr Alexander (violin) and Ms Cheetham (piano). The sheet music was also more difficult than usual, as one of the violinists said and it consisted of a lot of page turning. The music created a really nice atmosphere because it played softly in the background and reflected the mood of the characters. The person in charge of all of the orchestra was of course the brilliant Ms Brown who probably developed some great arm muscles during the night as she was elegantly waving her hands in the air for a full two and a half hours. The funniest character is definitely Mrs Sowerberry, unexpectedly played by Antonis. He became a prepubescent boy again and found his inner femininity when he got given breasts. It was

very funny to see him touching his newly formed breasts on stage like that’s something girls do in a casual conversation… (S)he was such a good actor and had such a pretty women face that people couldn’t tell that it was a guy at first. But it was especially funny for fellow year 12 students to see him kissing Mr Sowerberry (Oliver). The numerous awkward laughs were also hilarious as well as a comment that a little boy made after a character died: “well that’s not very nice” (which made us all laugh at a very inappropriate moment). The costumes were intricately made by a group of parents lead by Mrs Jones and even the backstage crew got fitting 19th century outfits! Every guy also enjoyed growing (gluing on) side burns, putting on top hats and tailcoats and of course they couldn’t escape the theatre make up. This probably consisted of a period of revelation and shock when finding out that a thin stick of blackness (eyeliner to you and me) will have to be put under their eyes and a beige sticky layer (foundation) had to be applied to their face. Girls dressed up in colourful

frocks to parade across the stage while the orphans were given dull rags to show the extent of neglect. The light and sound crew, with Josh Lowin in charge, also paraded around in stylish black XL T-shirts, but most importantly their talents with the many buttons and knobs enhanced the show by adding sound effects and colourful lighting. The weeks leading up to this play were very stressful, as everyone was trying to fit in rehearsals at recess and lunch. Antonis comments that it was very interesting to “find out how Mr Fessler and Ms Hannell look when they are super mad” but everyone says that they were fantastic directors and none of this would have been possible without them. Ms Hannell and Mr Fessler will finally be able to sit back and relax after the Sunday production and admire the product of their hard work. So don’t miss out on this hit musical production of Oliver, it will definitely leave you wanting more.

Practically Perfect Practitioners Shivani Patel talks about teachers If you are looking for a change That is something we’ll arrange. Must have patience, not too strict, Be kind, if you want to be picked. You must have reason, you must have passion Never resort to desertion. Give us your time And we’ll all be fine. Don’t be boring Or we’ll be snoring. Please don’t yell Then we’ll excel Drive independence yet, remain united, and tend our budding minds but most of all, be kind!

he new year is upon us and the hunt for new flesh has started. Just like Jane and Michael Banks’ wish list for the perfect nanny, in Mary Poppins, we, the students, have certain prerequisites. Alongside the obvious teaching skills, we are looking for that extra spark. The most important thing is to make learning fun and exciting - why not make a smile with cartoons on handouts and cartoons on tests. Also, we love teachers that bring in food and tells us random jokes and stories. Remember, we probably don’t have the longest attention spans, so when we doze off, feel free to be selfish and keep the homework for yourselves. In addition, it is imperative that you remember that every child is different. With visual, auditory and kinetic learn-

ers out there, please remember to vary teaching methods so that the knowledge you hope to pass on to your students has the best chance of reaching them. Be inspiring, no pressure! As learners, we require respect and empowerment from our new educational leaders. We want every student to be seen as an equal and for there to be no favourites. If we have to follow a rule then you should too! On the other hand, we know that we are here to learn, so we want teachers to be firm when they need to be, while respecting that we have a life outside of class. Remaining impartial and not judging us for past mistakes will be appreciated.

Ilustration by Ian Chen

Suis-je Charlie, Sammy Said returns with a special report from France after last month’s events.

n Wednesday January 7th, at 11:30 local time, a black Citroen pulled up to the headquarters of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo from which two masked gunmen emerged. The men entered the building and asked the whereabouts of the offices, then shot and killed concierge Frederic Boisseau. With the destination the newsroom, the men identified as Cherif and Said Kouachi - forced cartoonist Corinne Rey at gunpoint to enter the code, granting them access. Once they reached the second floor newsroom, the men armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles opened fire. Ten people, including editor Stephane Charbonnier, were killed. Police arrived as the gunmen were leaving, blocking the assailants’ path. Nonetheless, the black Citroen was reported driving north of the Charlie Hebdo office, where footage shows the gunmen stopping to shoot police officer Ahmed Merabet once, then a lone gunmen walking up to Merabet, now on the ground, to shoot him dead. The car then continued to drive, and was later found abandoned mid-street, after crashing. The gunmen reportedly then

stole another car – a silver Renault Clio – and disappeared. For the remainder of the day (and the days to come), Paris was on high alert, deploying 500 increased police officers and launching a manhunt for the gunmen. On Thursday January 8th, at 08:45 local time, an unidentified single gunman shot and killed a policewoman and injured a man in a supermarket in Montrouge. At 10:30 local time on the same day, the Kouachi brothers robbed a gas station in the north of Paris. The same silver car was identified, leading police on a chase, but to no avail. On Friday January 9th, the pair were identified in another stolen vehicle in a town north east of Paris, where Said Kouachi was shot in the neck. The brothers then lead the police on a fast paced pursuit on a road heading towards Paris before seeking refuge in a printworks in Dammartin en Goele. Hundreds of armed forces surrounded the factory. Helicopters, military equipment and snipers were deployed, initiating what would be an eight-hour siege. At approximately 17:00 local time, the

stand off came to an end when the suspects emerged from the factory, opening fire on police forces. Ultimately, the suspects were killed, leaving two injured police officers. As suspected by authorities, the Montrouge shooting was confirmed as linked to the Charlie Hebdo incident. Almost immediately after the Kouachi brothers were killed, another hostage situation emerged in a supermarket in Paris, where a man identified as Amedy Coulibaly held several people hostage in a kosher supermarket. Forces moved, shooting Coulibaly dead and freeing the hostages, four of whom were found dead. Coulibaly’s partner was later identified as Hayat Boumeddiene, who is said to have fled to Syria via Turkey, according to the Turkish foreign minister. Coulibaly’s link to the Kouachi brothers was simply that he was a supporter, leaving police several threats to “let them live”, and so his attack was retaliatory to the killing of the Kouachi brothers. Thursday 8th was decreed a national day of mourning, with flags held at half mast for three days and a national moment of silence held at 12:00 local time. The world mourned alongside France, with vigils and peaceful marches condemning the violence and preaching and endorsing “freedom

ou suis-je pas? differs is how they chose to handle their discontent. This is what should be condemned: their actions, not their religion. Of course, in defense of Charlie Hebdo, there does exist caricatures of Jesus, Buddha and other religious figures. However, the explicit prohibition of visual depiction of religious figures is almost exclusive to Islam. And despite the existence of these illustrations, I can almost guarantee that none were ever drawn by Muslim journalists (because regardless of the religion the caricature represents, any drawing of religious figures is a sin).

of speech”. International reactions included the British Foreign Office Union holding its flag at half-mast in respect for those lost, while many other countries have shown solidarity with France, condemning the attacks. Apart from the issues of “freedom of speech” and France’s “slip” in security, in light of the kosher supermarket incident, some have brought to discussion anti-Semitism. (They seem to forget the Arabs who committed the crime are just as Semitic as the Jewish customers of that kosher supermarket.) All things considered, several joined something of a resistance against #jesuischarliehebdo. Several students, at both French private and public schools, protested, going as far as to chant “Allahu Akbar”, saying that “the Charlie Hebdo journalists deserved what they got”. In fact, in one school in Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris, some 80% of students refused to honor the moment of silence. Several counter movements were initiated such as #JesuispasCharlieHebdo or #JesuisAhmedMerabat. Such reactions seem obnoxious, but there are still valid arguments; as is often the case with terrorist attacks, there is a lot of generalization and hostility towards the group of people associated with the terrorists (Muslims and/or Arabs). The biggest issue many have with the #jesuischarlie “movement” is what it represents, which is “freedom of speech” (peep the overuse of sarcastic quotation marks). Freedom of speech is all good and well: unarguably paramount to the world of journalism, especially in a modern world of profuse sources, what with the Internet and suchlike. But of course, there has to be

a limit to the aforementioned “freedom of speech”, or at least some type of common courtesy or respect. It is important to remember what caused the aggravators to aggravate in the first place. Though it was ridiculously untimely (almost 9 years late to be exact), the attacks were in response to a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad, which received its due criticism when it was released in 2006. The infamous cartoon covered the February 9th issue: a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad saying, “c’est dur d’être aimé par des cons” (it’s hard being loved by jerks), under the title “Mahomet débordé par les intégristes” (Muhammad overwhelmed by fundamentalists). There were several things wrong with this cartoon. Aside from the fact that it was definitely racially stereotypical (and somewhat degrading), it crosses religious boundaries that even I, a very modest, very progressive Muslim, find blasphemous. One: the very visual existence of Muhammad is a sin (it is likened with paganism and renders the religion superficial, digressing from the moral to the physical); Two: the speculation of what the Prophet would say is essentially treason; and Three: what the Prophet is illustrated to say is mocking of himself, the religion and the religion’s followers (though it’s aimed at fundamentalists - point and case - it is still offensive to Muslims). What many do not seem to grasp is that not a single Muslim was not, in someway, somewhat disturbed by the cartoons; and to say the Kouachi brothers were adherents to “radical Islam” would be wrong. Their beliefs (at least on this matter) were the same as the majority of Muslims – what

The French population took none of this into account. Instead, A substantial demographic has turned to Islamophobia in light of the attacks. On January 23rd, Agence France-Presse published an article stating that there have been 128 violent anti-Muslim acts (such as grenades, pig heads and Nazi swastikas defacing mosques...all aside from individual harassment), almost equal to the total amount of attacks in 2014. Such a reaction is normal, even expected, specifically with France’s political history and diplomacy (or lack thereof) with Islam. In fact, on the whole situation, from the 2006 cartoon to the most recent events, Pope Francis has said, “If he [Dr. Alberto Gazparri, a Vatican official] were to insult my mother, he could expect to be punched. […] It’s normal. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others.” Twice he said: it is normal. Once he said, and that should be more than enough, that you cannot insult the faith of others. The pope, ladies and gentlemen: a 78-year-old Christian man. Nevertheless, any such violence is inexcusable regardless of the reason. In response to the attacks, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls took to the press, saying (oh so beautifully diplomatically), “France is not at war with religion. France is not at war with Islam or Muslims. France will protect, as it always has done, all of its citizens. Those who are believers and those who are not.” And as promised by Manuel Valls, trios of the gendarmes, armed with assault rifles, fill and line any and every public place - even in the little town I live in - in Pau, from Place Clemenceau to the local Carrefour. A little game my friends like to play is who can say my full name loudest before getting me shot.

Class it Up Alive Jeavons prepares for a cool school ball

hen it comes to finding a dress for winter ball, a girl is one of three types: “I found the perfect dress and bought it, a year ago”, “I’ve ordered my dress and it’s coming this week!” or “I’ll just go shopping the week before...” I, for one, have experienced both the relaxation of being over-prepared and the stress and panic of being under-prepared. And, while Winter Ball is obviously much more anticipated by some people than others, it is not a long shot to assume you’ll want to look your best. So, if you’re one of the ones still without a dress for next Saturday’s Winter Ball, then look no further for some tips on finding a dress that suits you, without cracking under the pressure, with ISL’s biggest external social event of the year being less than two weeks away…

“Legs, boobs or back - choose one.”

...the previous writer of The High’s fashion column fabricated this simple rule

to keep the adolescents of ISL conservative yet stylish. However, I believe that, depending on the dress, the rule can be extended to two of the above areas. But before I let you show your whole cleavage to the world with my approval, just remember one thing: would you happily see your grandma while wearing this dress? If that thought put you off, then maybe you should rethink…

Short or long? The eternal question.

Within my experience of life as an ISL girl, there is hysteria and controversy that revolves around the long-shortdress decision. Winter Ball is, for many, the one night a year when it is appropriate to wear a dress down to your ankles, but don’t be pressured into thinking this is the only option. Whichever your preference, just ensure that you feel comfortable in it for at least 5 hours. While, if it is on the shorter side, ask yourself if it is still appropriate for a school event.

Sleeves, straps or strapless?

We all know how great a strapless dress can be, but beware of the clas-

sic mistake of one that requires you to pull it up every five minutes. Not only will the fidgeting be distracting, but you don’t want your dress falling as soon as you hit the dance floor. Sleeves are a great look that suit this season particularly well - just watch out that they don’t make the dress look too heavy, especially if it is floor-length.

The extras.

I don’t know how many times my mother has told me to “wear shoes I can stay in all night.” And, while I hate to say she’s right, well...she is. You don’t want to be that girl, the one who ends up carrying her shoes round in her hands all night because they don’t fit properly. I understand more than anyone that style cannot be sacrificed for comfort, but just think about the pain before you buy an especially uncomfortable pair. The fact that a bag of some kind is needed is often forgotten about until the last minute when, really, it should be a key element of the whole outfit. Obviously, you’re going to need to keep the essentials with you during the night, so find a bag instead of sharing one with your best friend for the entire night (best friends you can thank me later).

A Love for Music DJ Ruby Griffiths spins some tracks

The Stone Roses –Sally Cinnamon (single mix) John Mayer –In your atmosphere (live at Nokia Theatre) David Bowie –Modern love The Black Keys –Never gonna give you up The Cure –Friday I’m in love Stevie Nicks – Love is like a river Tears for Fears –Head over heels Ella Fitzgerald –Lover LaVern Baker –Endless Love Teenage Fanclub –If I never see you again Stone Temple Pilots –First kiss on mars Destiny’s Child –Love Poco –Crazy love B.J. Thomas -Hooked on a feeling

Everything but the girl Love is strange

Led Zeppelin Since I’ve been loving you

Spandau Ballet True

Joni Mitchell A case of you

A Frosty Reception Meghana Mortier doesn’t go ball-istic

event. Whether it is renting a smartlooking tuxedo or picking out a dress and matching shoes, there will be money spent.

inter Ball is an event that every student in the high school can remember being held since they joined ISL. Held for the past few years at the Hotel de la Paix, the venue has changed this year to the even more luxurious and extravagant Lausanne Palace. The ticket prices have also changed, dropping from 85 CHF to 75 CHF. But the underlying idea of Winter Ball has stayed the same throughout; Winter Ball provides the chance for students to dress up and spend an evening with their friends at a fancy venue. So what’s the problem?

But let’s say you already have that perfect outfit and have no need to buy a nice bowtie or a hair accessory, so Winter Ball just costs you those 75 CHF and nothing more. Is it really just 75 CHF though? Not really, you could do so much with that money. You could buy yourself Super Smash Bros for 3DS and still have money left over, or finally get Far Cry 4.You could go out to dinner and movie, or pick up that book from Payot that you’ve been dying to read. Is it even worth paying the money to go to Winter Ball when you could do so much more with it?

Basically, it comes down to two things: the expense and the experience.

The second subject of concern is the actual event. Essentially, you are dressing up in fancy clothes, going to a fancy place, and eating dinner with some friends. The very first problem: your table. There are four possible ways this could go; you managed to get a table where everyone on it is your friend but some of your other friends are seated on other tables, you get a table where some people are your friends but the other people don’t interest you at all, you were extremely unfortunate and could only get a table with people who aren’t your close friends, or you happen to have exactly ten good friends and all of you are seated at the same table. The last option is very unlikely, so it is foreseen that in most cases you will

75 CHF is a lot of money. One of the first things that new students think about when they consider attending Winter Ball is whether they are willing to spend that much money. The money you pay for a ticket goes to renting out the venue, paying for the catering, and paying for extra services such as the professional photographer. But if you chose to go to Winter Ball, you are going to be paying a lot more. If you have the perfect outfit stuffed somewhere in the back of your closet, you’re in luck, but most students end up spending a significant amount of time and money on finding some nice clothing for the

not be entirely satisfied with your table. So here’s what I say: avoid going to Winter Ball and being unsatisfied with your table and instead go out with all of your friends, completely cutting out the problems of either not being able to sit with all your friends or having to sit with people who aren’t your friends. The solution for this first problem actually works perfectly for every other problem e.g. food (go eat somewhere where you know you like the food rather than the possibly-good-possibly-badpossibly-mediocre food at Winter Ball) or teachers (go do something somewhere where teachers aren’t around to witness your every move). Do you see the logic? Overall, Winter Ball might be a nice idea, but in truth it’s not really worth it. On the last day of the selling of the Winter Ball tickets I walked past the sales table where a trio of ladies were counting out the money they had collected from selling the tickets. Upon the table were stacks of 100 CHF notes as thick as a math textbook. Whether this testament to the Winter Ball actually being worth it or in fact an indicator of how students wish to spend their money, possible without thinking if they are spending it practically, is for you to choose. But seriously, a video game, a couple of new books, or a nice new pair of winter boots would be a lot more worthwhile than a single night with friends in an environment that you didn’t even choose.

Horoscope Madame D is not amused

own life and realize that people should be envious of you, because you’re great.

Sagittarius

Libra aybe it’s your time of the

month, because you’re being over-emotional when dealing with a situation. Control yourself and it will turn out in your favor.

Taurus

There is a subject that you are trying to avoid, and yet you must. Make sure you have a plan as to what to do or say when the time comes or you’ll be caught like a deer in the headlights and will fail.

Leo

You have a very fixed opinion on an important matter, which may not be correct. Be open to different perspectives and take them seriously as not all situations can be assessed in your usual logical way.

Scorpio

Start following through on everything you say. You do not want the reputation of being a wishy-washy type of person. Be dependable and put effort into things that are important to you.

Aries If you wake up in the morning and decide that it is going to be a good day, it will turn out true. Go into the world with the belief that every enemy is a potential friend.

Virgo

You may be comparing your life to someone else’s. Jealousy is not a good color on you - look at the gifts in your

You tend to live with your head in the clouds. Someone close to you is trying to give you hints at something important, but if you don’t take the time to pay attention to what they are saying, you’ll die.

Cancer

There is a big difference between brainstorming and over-thinking. You are

feeling too much pressure and it is putting restrictions on your ideas. Be more carefree in the coming month.

Capricorn

Surround yourself with good people that don’t annoy the heck out of you if you want to be happy. You can’t control everything in life, but you can seek out happiness where it exists.

Gemini

If someone has conveyed a sense of disapproval or disrespect about something you have said or done, keep in mind that it is only one person’s opinion. Haters gonna hate, do what you want.

Pisces

Someone is overstepping their line and it is time to put them in their place. You are uncomfortable with their actions. Be kind and thoughtful when you kick them to the curb.

Aquarius

Stop being a kitten and man up, face the situation that you have brought upon yourself - because if you avoid it, it will just get worse.

Boyz II Men Ruby Griffiths spent less than twelve years writing this review

oyhood is not just a movie about childhood, but an opportunity to observe the semi-fictitious journey of a family, crafted from childhood memories. Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his sister (Lorelei Linklater) live with their bright, single-mother (Patricia Arquette), who is figuring out how to be parent and understand her responsibilities. Their family moves around Texas trying to financially stabilize their lives. The mother, somewhat missing the point of “family”, discovers, slowly, what it really means to be one. The film discusses the idea of what a family is and whether is should be defined by traditional roles and actions – especially, considering the father’s (Ethan Hawke) influential, yet smaller role in the children’s lives. You follow the life of a young child

through the ages of five to eighteen in Richard Linklater’s portrayal of childhood. Boyhood contrasts the stereotypical, outdated “coming-of-age” moment (usually summed up in an emotional conversation about stereotypes and parents in a library) with a superior artistic interpretation of aging through better expressed, unique memories that, in the larger sense, are universal. I think people forget that at the tender age of five or six, children have developed their own opinions; they have vague, confused understandings of their surroundings – portrayed wonderfully when viewing their parents’ relationship at the beginning. The movie is illustrated through the eyes of the two young siblings, whose knowledge is slowly shared with the viewer as they age. It’s looking through all of the small memories and mistakes that build up over our aging processes – especially as families. These memories are unique in their effect on how we perceive our relationships and ourselves. Linklater highlights the short and often symbolic memories that are only

of personal significance. The plot does not advance in any immediate way; however, aging timelessly pushes the story. Linklater describes it as the reliance on “the cumulative effect of the way we perceive cinema”. The characters are real; it feels documentary-like due to the ease and talent of the actors. In fact, the children gradually became artistic collaborators in the movie. Their own conversations are mirrored in improvised script to reflect the reality of boyhood and the impression of “growing up”. Linklater uses larger concepts and improvised emotional themes to structure each scene. You become invested in each character because of their authenticity and fallibility. Summarizing the movie would be difficult because it explores a vast array of experiences that you connect and empathize with – the changing pop culture references that label each year are interesting to look back on. It is a privileged view of our formative years.

The Inter-Review Chloe Rodriguez is not North Korean

ho honestly thought that it would be a good idea to make a movie about assassinating a dictator while said dictator was still living and breathing? You might have heard about all the controversy and commotion caused by this film over the holidays. This includes North Korea allegedly hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment and releasing the company’s private files, the public clash between the studio and the White House, the eventual cancellation of the film, and the last minute decision to screen the film in about 300 small movie theatres. However, after watching the Interview, the first thought that crossed my mind was “Is this what all the fuss was about?” If you don’t already know, the movie is focused around Dave Skylark (James Franco), a vapid celebrity talk show host and his credibility-starved producer, Aaron Rapport (Seth Rogen). After years of screening only tabloid worthy material on their show, Skylark and Rapport land the interview of a lifetime when North Korean dictator and apparent American showbiz fan Kim Jong Un agrees to do an interview with Skylark on air. The catch? The duo have to travel all the way to the secretive and taciturn North Korean capital, Pyongyang, to conduct the interview. Things take on a Mission Impossible kind of vibe when Skylark and Rapport are approached by the CIA and are asked

to assassinate Kim Jong Un while they are on their stay in North Korea. The two American journalists are welcomed into the home of the dictator himself. However, tragedy strikes when Dave Skylark begins to bond with the dictator, and decides against assassinating him, putting their mission in jeopardy. Everything works out in the though. To be honest, I’m not even sure how I feel about this movie. It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not good by any stretch of the imagination. I suppose I was expecting something big, but only felt kind of disappointed after the hype (Hype? More like political conflict and controversy) that was made prior to the small scale release of the film. I wasn’t expecting it to be amazing but, hey, when someone makes death threats over the release of a film, you tend to raise the bar a little. However, I did end up hating it slightly less than I thought I was going to. I suppose The Interview could be considered funny. There was a lot of banter and good chemistry between Franco’s and Rogen’s characters, although there were the really awkwardly delivered Lord of the Rings references. The film does have the ability to sell a gag, but many of the jokes just fall flat and seem just plain awkward. The script is straightforward, but has way too many pop music montages for my taste. There is still the political aspect to consider. Unsurprisingly, the oppressive nature of Kim Jong Un’s regime is completely downplayed in the movie. Kim Jong Un himself is played off as a likeable, quirky, and eccentric leader throughout the entire movie. While I do not know Mr. Kim personally, I don’t think he’s some cool guy that plays basketball, drinks margaritas, and listens to Katy Perry as shown in the film. There are some mentions of death camps, starving people, and mass executions in the script, but most of them are made into jokes. That’s right, Hollywood took a serious issue, a tyrannical, repressive regime that millions of people suffer and die under, and turned it into a massive joke. But, hey, it’s all about freedom of speech, right folks? Political hullabaloo aside, the Interview is a movie that can be best described with a shrug and a “it was kind of funny I guess”. I suppose the lessons that we can all learn from this entire fiasco are; not all publicity is good publicity, and that the best way to get people to see a movie is to convince them that it’s their “patriotic duty”.

Night Terrors Edward Fraser crawls through the night

ightcrawler is a film following Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a scavenger living in Los Angeles, who finds new work by filming newsworthy events within the local area. As the more gruesome events are in higher demand by the local news networks, Bloom takes desperate measures to capture the best shots of them. An immoral and saddening process at the heart of many of the news networks is unveiled, in this well-composed, dramatic thriller. Before watching this movie, I had no idea what to expect. Although the movie started slowly, it quickly began to pick up pace. I have to say, there were certain scenes within this movie that definitely arrived unexpectedly. The extreme lengths that Louis Bloom was willing to go to in order to make a little extra money were shocking, unethical and just plain wrong. Along with his formerly homeless assistant, Rick (Riz Ahmed), Bloom constantly tests the limits of what is right and wrong...and how far Rick would be willing to follow Bloom down his path to corruption was a fascinating aspect of the film. Although the description of the film is not the most intriguing, this piece is definitely worth a look. One word of warning: those who cannot bear a little sin and immorality may not be as keen to watch this film. Overall, it’s a true masterpiece of a film, written with an excellent script, astonishing acting, and great cinematography.

All Work and No Ski makes Jocelyn Kwan a dull girl

Oliver Wordsearch