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FEEdEr SChooLS FaCE oFF IN ThE NamE oF SCIENCE

» FRIDAY - FeBRuARY 20 - 2009 « NEwSPaPEr.rhhSwEB.Com » FEBruary ISSuE «

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OutgOing Oligarchy Officially Ousted by Obama

USA–On January 20th, Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, famously becoming the first president not to be entirely white. Guests of note at the ceremony included former presi-dents Jimmy Carter, George Bush, Bill

Clinton, and George W Bush, as well as Obama’s

former rival for the demo-cratic nomination Hillary

Clinton, and former vice-presidents Walter Mondale, Dan Quayle, Al Gore and Dick Cheney. The arrival of the out-

going president and vice-president was greeted by boos from the crowd, which were editted out by many major news networks. Dick Cheney arrived in a wheel-chair, inviting comparisons to

fictional character Doctor Strangelove. The invocation was given by Reverend Rick Warren, and musical guests included John Williams, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill, as well as the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin. Obama was sworn in on the same copy of the Bible used to swear in President Abraham Lincoln. The oath was adminis-tered by Chief Justice John Roberts, who made several blunders in the wording of the oath. Fox News wast-ed no time declaring that these blunders invalidated Obama’s presidency. The oath was administered a second time in the evening to assuage any doubts. Obama’s inaugural address, highly anticipated due to the comparisons drawn between his speaking abilities and those of former president John F Kennedy, discussed the many prob-lems facing America and

the ideological direction Obama plans to go in to deal with them. One controversial moment in the speech came when Obama included non-believers among his list of the different faiths pres-ent in America. Another con-troversial moment came when Obama declared that Americans needn’t put aside their values in order to have their safety. Several conser-vative pundits vocally dis-agreed with this. The following day, Obama’s first acts as presi-dent included overturning the secrecy orders on the Bush Administration docu-ments and beginning the process of closing down the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison. Obama, whose mother was Caucasian and whose father was Kenyan, is half-black, becoming the first nonwhite person to hold the office. His plans for the White House in-clude building a basketball court.

America becomes one nation under a groove

BY ReeD ClemenTSstaff writer

perspectives »

school »

The word ‘fan’ has traditionally car-ried around a lot of

emotional baggage. Elicit-ing thoughts of deranged, foaming-a t - the-mouth stalkers, our modern per-ception of the archetypical fan is anything but positive. And this has merit: in our increasingly tech-centric world today, there has been a shift from ‘old’ media, such as the tried-and-true pencil and paper format, to the sensory pleasures available in television, music, and the internet. By allowing for an instantaneous depth and breadth of knowledge, these new means for displaying content have empowered our obsessive imaginings beyond what was possible a mere decade ago. How-ever, regardless of your spe-cific brand of fixation, be it ‘botoxed’ seductresses, or sparkly fictional vampires, there is a certain constancy

On Thursday Janu-ary 29th, while many of us roamed

the school halls anxious to find out our exam marks, students gathered in the cafeteria with looks of ex-citement and anticipation of their own. These stu-dents, hailing from feeder schools Moraine Hills, Crosby Heights and H.G Bernard, were the future students of Richmond Hill High School attending the Elementary School Science Olympics. Hosted annually by our very own Science Committee, with the help of Mr. Doucette, staff and RHHS Prefects, the Sci-ence Olympics has gained a reputation for being a fun-filled experience for all those involved. The day began with a flourish, starting with an address from resi-

BY KeVAn lustaff writer

BY AASHTI VIJHsenior staff writer

ConTInueD on PAge 7

Stories are best told from the beginning, and this story begins

with the Jews. Since the late 19th century, reacting to anti-Semitism and perse-cution in Europe, the ever-moving people had been migrating in waves to Otto-man and later British Pales-tine in a modern exodus to their national and spiritual home. As Jewish settlement and immigration grew, so too did international po-litical and financial support for the creation of a Jewish state. The problem, then and today, was that Pales-tine was never an empty land just waiting for some-one to live in it – it was the home of the Palestinians and the place where layers of ethnicities, interests and

religions always overlapped dangerously. From the be-ginning, the response of the Arab world and the Pales-tinian ethnic majority to proposed Jewish statehood was outrage. The Israeli dream (and the Palestinian night-mare) nonetheless became a reality in 1948 when the Israeli Independence estab-lished the Jewish state of Israel within UN-approved borders, claiming much of Palestine and dividing the rest. Tensions immediately exploded into a full scale invasion of the new country by several Arab nations, a war which redrew the origi-nal UN borders in Israel’s favour and caused 80% of the Palestinian popula-tion to flee their homes as refugees. This is how today’s

Gaza and the West Bank were created: they are the remaining Palestinian re-gions whose status, and the condition of the people in-habiting them, has been the subject of 60 years worth of conflict and controversy The tradition con-tinues. By 2005, the Pales-tinian Authority (the gov-ernment of autonomous Palestine) was controlling the Gaza Strip and the parts of the West Bank that were not occupied by Israel and the illegal Jewish settle-ments it’s been building there for decades. Then the following year, the Author-ity was effectively split be-tween its two factions: the ruling Fatah party contin-ued to run the West Bank, while the Hamas movement took over Gaza. Hamas was

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ACHIeVemenT AT RHHS

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once upon a time in the middle eastBY AleX PloSHKostaff writer

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ConTInueD on PAge 2

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Photo by The workers’ Party of Ireland,http://www.flickr.com/photos/workerspartyireland/3193235165/

A flattened apartment in gaza - the aftermath of an Israeli air strike that left many dead and injured.

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Canadian Politicsfor

DUMMIES

What’s happened, what will happen.

As the New Year approached, the world was graced with quite an interesting month of politics. There is a new face – and a new skin tone – in the White

House, violence in the Gaza Strip hit an unprecedented level at the end of last year, and the global economy con-tinues to crumble. However tempting it is to focus our attention on these pressing issues, we can’t forget some of the exciting things happening within our own borders. On the 27th of November, Stephen Harper an-nounced in his budget update a bill that would strip politi-cal parties of the $1.95-per-vote that the government orig-inally provided them. Although the Tories had just come off one of their best fundraising quarter-years, the Grits were on the verge of bankruptcy, and the Dippers (NDP) and the Bloc weren’t doing too much better. Some con-tend that this was simply a poorly-timed political move on the part of Harper; others call it a necessary step in the right direction, a step that would have given the Harper government $24 million to spend (which is about 0.002%

BY VITHuSHAn JeYAKumARAnstaff writer

of Canada’s GDP). Regardless of what it was, the opposition parties reacted in a most predictable manner. As soon as Prime Minister Harper proposed to cut the parties’ funding, they revolted. They correctly highlighted Harper’s lack of ac-tion demonstrated in the budget update. Although many Tories defended their leader by acknowledging that the purpose of the update is to provide the people with a mere “update,” it only makes sense that Harper wouldn’t have needed to mention any party-funding measures. Nonethe-less, he did so, and the opposition parties were right to demand more significant action. Here’s where it gets crazy. Dion, in an effort to turn the economic crisis into a political game himself, de-cided to create a coalition with Layton’s NDP and Du-ceppe’s Bloc. They threatened a vote of non-confidence (in essence, another election) within days of the budget if the Conservatives didn’t cede to their demands. Unfortunately for them, a week isn’t enough for the Conservative Party of Canada to bring forth well-planned and thought out fiscal measures, and nobody wanted the government of Canada to spend $300 million on another election. So the Conservatives did the only thing they could do: stop Parliament for a month. This process, for-mally known as the prorogation of Parliament, gave the Liberal party time to choose an interim leader and gave the Tories the time it needed to devise the budget it would deliver as soon as Parliament went back in session. Well, January just came and went, and while we were rejoicing the ending of our exam week, Ste-phen Harper’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced in his budget a $64 billion deficit over the next 2 years. This sounds somewhat strange coming from the political party that promised several times never to run a deficit in hopes of being elected. Regardless, the only thing we can do to help get our country out of this recession is to spend money, and throw more capital into the mix. This way, companies can invest more, and can pay more wages and salaries, and the cycle of spending is accelerated. But that’s a different article, for a different time. And Michael Ignatieff, the new leader of the Liberal Party, is making the right decision in letting the Conservative party continue without any unnecessary interruptions, but is keeping a close eye on the measures put forth by the Harper govern-ment. The only way for us to get through these times is to forget about politics. To forget about elections and votes of non-confidence. To forget about the Tories and the Grits, the Dippers and the separatists. Rather, we must look at ourselves as Canadians. Think as Canadians. Act as Canadians. Then, and only then, will we be able to get out of this great mess that is the global economic crisis.

Photo By “ItzaFineday” at flickr.com,http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzafineday/3084647673/

more than one hundred citizens of Calgary attended a rally support-ing the formation of a coalition government consisting of the liberals and nDP with the support of the Bloc Quebecois.

FRom PAge 1

BY DAnIelle RoSensenior staff writer

as radical as it was popular, and its denial of Israel’s right to exist and its continuing use of terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians made the situation unacceptable for Israel. It re-acted with a blockade of Gaza, which has turned the Strip into a humanitarian disaster. The blockade continued through a five month ceasefire with Hamas, which ended in December. The rest is recent headlines. Hamas started launching rockets (kindly donated by Iran) at southern Is-rael, and Israel reacted with a three week offensive called Operation Molten Lead. Air strikes and ground forces hit

news » February | Pg. 2

CONSUMERISM CAN BE culturally cOstly

At Richmond Hill High School, there is a very uni-form economic distribution: the majority of the students here are of the upper middle class, com-

ing from families that have a sizeable disposable income. As a result, most students are able to dress in reasonably new clothing and carry on their person at all times both an mp3 player and a cell phone. Of course, since it is the norm at our school, most readers will not see how this is in any way something worth remarking. The truth is, it is

BY ReeD ClemenTSstaff writer

increasingly less remarkable: all over the western world, this upper middle class lifestyle is taking over. Wonderful, you say? Cell phones for everyone, you exclaim? Not so. This abundance of wealth causes a way of life known as consumerism. Essentially, it is a lifestyle built around buying products, which really means a lifestyle built around buying products one does not need. Yes, the reader might say, but we want these things and they make our lives better. Perhaps this is true, but there are a few issues that need to be examined before we can really un-derstand what consumerism means for us. The first is a purely moral issue, and it is an old classic that has lost most of its power due to overuse, but it still bears mentioning. If you have more than you need, and others have less than they need, should you not give to them? That is to say, if you can afford to always buy the latest iPod, when that money could easily save the lives of a dozen people in the third world, is it morally justifiable to buy the iPod? I am not attempting to imply that it is not; I am only raising the issue for contemplation. The second issue is one that requires a bit of a summary of our history as human beings. It used to be the case that most people were trapped in lives which consisted of doing work they did not want to do solely because it was necessary to afford their survival. This is no longer the case in the modern western world, thanks to such developments as technology and socialism: now, someone can survive many years without making much of an income. However, consumerism works against this modern comfort. Though necessities such as food and shelter are now relatively easy to afford, an individual in a consumerist culture “needs” much more than these things: they need a television with digital cable or at least satellite,

Photo by Piero Fissore,http://www.flickr.com/photos/pierofix/3094329703/.

a computer with internet access and Windows Vista or at least XP, they need a cellphone with a plan that will allow them to send text messages as well as phone calls, and they need several sets of reasonably fashionable clothes with such frills as factory made tears to imply a self-evident fa-cade of poverty. An elegantly uniform suburban house and a car or SUV, or, if one wants a family, both – these things are also necessary, though not until one’s thirties. Because these things have become so culturally expected, and be-cause altogether they cost more money than most people can make doing something they enjoy (because of course one gets paid more for doing something one hates), most people are trapped in a life of white collar slave-labor: most people have no viable option other than to spend half of their waking hours doing something they despise. It is a form of culturally created and indentured servitude that robs many people of their opportunity to find authentic happiness through self-actualization. Another crucial issue with consumerism is the distribution of power that it creates. Because most people work for corporations in order to be able to spend money buying from other corporations, as described above, this gives said corporations a tremendous amount of wealth and power, not to mention the power they are able to de-rive by means of using their wealth to influence politicians. The problem with giving corporations so much power is a fairly straightforward one: they are organizations devoted entirely to self-interest at the expense of the general public. This means that consumerism really is not in the interest of democracy, as it strips the people of most of the little power our electoral system provides them. Of course, in the coming depression, a consum-erist lifestyle will be harder to sustain. This article is not trying to attack your lifestyle, dear readers, but only to provide you with food for thought, so that you might have an easier time relinquishing your voluptuous decadence, your seductive luxuries, before they are taken from you by the force of economic collapse; because, after all, if these habits of yours are torn down by force, there is no reason that they will not take you with them.

Hamas targets across Gaza and destroyed tunnels under the Egyptian border that were used to smuggle weapons (and necessities). Fighting reached Gaza City, and by the time both sides declared separate ceasefires on January 18th, 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed. The strip is in ruins, and the aftermath is predict-able. Hamas is far from destroyed, rocket fire has resumed, and tunnels are being reopened by ordinary Gazans who use them to smuggle supplies. Controversy about Israel’s actions is increasing as new reports add to what was known before. Facing an enemy that hides in mosques and uses

urban areas with civilians as shields, Israel had no choice but to fight the way it did. However, the destruction of UN facilities (including a school) and the use of shells with white phosphorous that burns through houses and people (illegal in civilian areas) are being called into ques-tion by the UN and human rights groups. Gazans will rebuild, and the story will continue. It’s a story in which good and evil switch depending on the day of the week and the paper you’re reading, and where there’s only one certainty: the people of Palestine are los-ing.

ONCE UpON A TIME IN ThE MIddlE EAST

As a steadily increasing number of people are be-coming iPod junkies, it is nearly always guaranteed that you can spot someone with the signature white ear buds no matter where you look. From in class to in the halls, many people sport these headphones no matter the time or place, but are these headphones safe enough to be worn for a long duration? Many people question the safety and potential hearing loss due to these headphones. The problem with the ear buds is that they are placed directly into your ear. By inserting these ear buds, the sound level of the music is usually increased to about six to nine decibels, which is comparable to the noise level somewhere between a vacuum cleaner and a motorcycle. The louder the volume of your music, the harder it is to hear quieter sounds. Because you cannot hear quiet sounds as well as usual, it makes it harder to differentiate the background noise from a speaker. Hearing loss will not be as big of an issue in a quiet environment, like at home, but where the background noise is prevalent, such as in a cafeteria, it will make understanding others’ words harder. Depending on the length of time that you are listening with the ear buds, you can cause seri-ous damage, not to your eardrums but the part of your ear which is much deeper; the nerve bringing the sound to your brain. This nerve is made up of tiny hair cells and if these hairs are stimulated for too long (by listening to your music for an extended period of time), they will begin to lose their function. If exposed too many times, they will eventually die off. These cells are not replaceable. If listening to iPods or mp3s is your “thing”, you may want to think about purchasing a background-noise canceling set of earphones which go around the ear rather than directly in. As well, try to reduce the time that you listen to your music. The possibility of hearing loss will decrease significantly if you listen less. Finally, don’t lis-ten to your music too loud, 50-60% at the maximum. If you feel the need to turn up your music to tune out other noises, that is an indicator that you probably shouldn’t in-crease the sound at all. Why age prematurely?

A ‘BuDDIng’ ISSue

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In December of 2008, three female employ-ees at a KFC franchise in Anderson, California were caught taking a bath in the dishwashing machine. Even better: they took pictures of themselves, and posted them on MySpace with the caption ‘good times at KFC’. If you’re wondering what kind of women bathe in KFC dishwashing tubs...well, the picture below says it all. Osama bin Laden has run out of money! Good news for America; the terrorist in chief is making requests for financial aid, which is a sure sign that he’s almost out of funds (he’s never asked anyone for anything before), and his latest press release was a terrible-sounding audio file in lieu of the high-quality videos he usually produces. Amazing, as a word, is generally used in a positive way. However, a certain Chicago man is also ‘amazing’; in court for his latest charge of driving without a licence (his 13th, mind you), his judge sen-tenced him to serve 13 days in jail (coincidence?), and this man was not to drive until he completed those 13 days. Immediately after leaving the court-room, the same man spent a few minutes cleaning and dusting off his car, after which he climbed in and drove away. Amazing. He was stopped and brought back to the courtroom 22 minutes later, in front of the same judge, who sentenced him to jail starting immediately. Throughout the entire proceedings, this man was wearing a full-length purple faux-fur coat and a fuzzy purple fedora-and his car was purple. Amazing. A 23-year-old man was apprehended by Australian customs after the latter discovered two live pigeons in the former’s pants. The pigeons were wrapped in paper and padding, and stuffed in his tights. Suspicion arose after two eggs, several seeds, and an eggplant were discovered in the man’s luggage after disembarking a 10 hour flight from Dubai to Melbourne. The man in ques-tion could be fined $71,000 US and sentenced to, at most, 10 years of prison for smuggling. The pigeons were not injured in the process, at least not physically. In the last three months, a porta-potty pyro has set more than 20 portable toilets ablaze. The arsonist, or possibly group of arsonists, has caused approximately $50,000 US worth of property damage. Although the first few incidents took place at night, recently they have been happening in the afternoon. Police are still looking for those behind the trail of burning plastic and waste. The lack of witnesses has made the investigation much more difficult. Luckily, nobody was injured.

In recent years, piracy has been on the rise. And this isn’t about a tanned Johnny Depp or storeowners with boxes filled with fake DVD’s though. These are Somali

pirates off the coasts of Africa, armed to the teeth with AK-47’s and rocket launchers; what once were groups of disgruntled fishermen, by taking advantage of the chaos in an unstable country, have now become organized fleets of marauding bandits. Over the last couple of years, these pirates have evolved and developed various ship-capturing tactics. Lar-ger ships, usually hijacked vessels called “mother ships”, are being used as mobile bases, from which smaller boats are released, enabling them to reach greater distances from the coasts of Somalia. Small boats or “skiffs”, disguised as coast guard or officials, then board ships. Unsurprisingly, the crews are more than happy to surrender to the pir-ates, due to the latter’s weaponry, which includes semi-automatic pistols, assault rifles, explosives, and yes, even the occasional axe. Within the last year alone, there have been 293 reported incidents, 49 hijacked ships and nearly a thou-sand hostages taken. With over $150 million US collected by these pirates last year, no wonder anti-piracy has be-come such an important issue, taught at many maritime academies in North America. Without the massive black powder cannons of the early modern era, ships have been left defenceless against automatic weapons and explosives. Since arming the ships is illegal in most countries and leaves crew members fearful of mutiny, ships have turned to non-lethal defence. The pirates move fast on small boats, boarding massive ships with grappling hooks and rope ladders. Once on board, they either raid it for goods or hold it for ransom. One of the most effective ways to stop these modern high sea pir-ates is to keep them from boarding in the first place. At the Maine Maritime Academy, students are being taught non-lethal ways to defend ships and prevent pirates from boarding. These techniques include the use of high-power water hoses, lights, observation methods and evasive manoeuvres. Although these techniques are not new, there is now a new sense of urgency to teach them.

TDSB aDminiSTerS a more ‘DiverSe’ curricu-lum in SchoolS

It has been over a year since the first suggestion of an Africentric alternative school, and in the midst of the controversy, the Toronto District School Board has taken

its first step to combat the 40% dropout rate among black students. TDSB, the largest school board in Canada, has prepared a new Social Studies curriculum for elementary school students, which includes units that go beyond a “Eu-rocentric focus” to meet the needs of a diverse population. Late in January, about 120 teachers and principals across the GTA, of many who were of African descent, at-tended an all-day training session for the new curriculum. Despite the fact that the curriculum is still in its primary stages of development, the educators have fit in the smallest details such as using the term ‘enslaved Africans’ rather than ‘slaves’ to avoid more negative connotations and stereotypes. The curriculum, which is already in effect in some schools, covers units for all levels of elementary school.In kindergarten, where children first learn to communicate effectively by listening and speaking, a new Africentric cur-riculum could mean learning about the storytelling tradi-tions in West Africa. The teacher will have the opportunity to share African legends or folklore, and later expand on the topic to cover other subject areas such as geography and sci-ence by locating Africa on a world map, or teaching about a particular animal introduced in the story. Students in Grade 2 may learn about African nam-ing traditions and how people of African descent who had lost their names due to enslavement have tried to reclaim their names. Built into the Grade 3 curriculum of studying early settlements in Canada, students will also learn about African-American communities which were founded by those who escaped slavery from the United States.Early African civilizations will also become a part of the curriculum, and students in Grade 5 will have a chance to compare and contrast them with early European and South American civilizations. In Grade 8, students will study from a new history curriculum which has integrated Africentric aspects, such as the Anti-Slavery Act passed in 1793 and the development of African-American settlements such as Drummondville. The new curriculum will be used whether or not an Africentric alternative school is built, and it is the school board’s goal to reduce the dropout rate to 15% among black students by 2014.

T r o U b l E o n T h E

hIgh SEaSBY TImmIe lI

guest writerunorThoDoX BaTTerY uSeS Pee-Pee

In an age where excessive garbage and the usage of un-natural chemicals is frowned upon, companies are mak-ing an effort to introduce new technology aiding us in

the upkeep of a healthier lifestyle. Recently introduced in Japan by the Aqua Power System is a rechargeable battery, capable of running off of various liquids- including water, soda pop, juice, saliva and surprisingly, even urine. This environmentally-friendly battery has been named the “NoPoPo” (Non-Pollution Power) aqua battery, appropriately named considering that using these “natu-ral” substances reduces the harmful chemicals produced compared to a standard battery. Available in AA and AAA sizes, these batteries can be recharged using a small pipette, essentially causing small amounts of carbon and magne-sium to react with the liquid to produce a charge, in turn producing power. Especially interesting is that unlike con-ventional batteries, these batteries can keep their charge up to ten years, although having a finite amount of times that they can be recharged. Unless you plan on travelling to Japan anytime soon, you’re out of luck getting your hands on one of these efficient on-the-go batteries. A European release is in the works, but the date has not yet been officially released.

ThEnoPoPo baTTErY

BY DAnIelle RoSensenior staff writer

Finally, a scientific explanation on why we are attracted to certain people With February being the month with Valentine’s

Day, one can’t help but sense the love in the air. You’re walk-ing down the hall, your eyes turn to a couple, and the guy is a bit gross. Not exactly the guy you would want holding your hand. But you follow the held hands and catch a glimpse of the beautiful girl and think that they were brought together by a matchmaker whose eyesight isn’t too keen. How can this be possible? Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher may have found the answer, and the surprise is, it can be proven scien-tifically. Fisher says that there are certain brain chemicals that relate to certain aspects of our personalities. A study done on Chemistry.com with 40,000 people helped identify what type of temperament a person was and who would they be attracted to. Using academic literature, it was realized that cer-tain brain chemicals could be associated with different per-sonalities. Different expressions of the chemicals dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, estrogen, oxytocin, and testoster-one in their respective systems can be associated with four different temperament traits. Explorers, people who express dopamine, tend to be curious, creative, impulsive, optimistic and energetic and are risk takers. People who express serotonin, Builders, are calm, traditional, community-oriented, persistent and loyal. They are also cautious, but not fearful. Directors, people who express testosterone, are usually very analytical, decisive, and tough minded. They like to debate and can be aggressive. The last group is the Negotiator. They express activity in the estrogen system and are broadminded imaginative, compas-sionate, intuitive, verbal, nurturing, altruistic and idealistic. According to Fisher, these four types of temper-ament can determine who you will be attracted to, somewhat like an astrological sign but this method actually has science to back it up. Explorers are attracted to Explorers, Builders to Builders, and Negotiators and Directors to their respective type. But actually testing for these chemicals has been prov-en difficult because many participants are from the college population. Participants may be taking drugs like Ritalin, Prozac, birth control pills, cocaine, all of which alter their brain chemistry. Understanding your own temperament type may be useful in finding your perfect partner. Different types have different views of intimacy and different things that they are looking for in a partner. People belonging to each type may even use different words to describe certain things. Certain people can be attracted to words, if the words that they are hearing match their temperament type. Especially on dates, by understanding someone’s temperament, one can create a better level of intimacy and be able to reach people more ef-fectively. By gathering more and more information about these brain chemicals and temperament types, scientists may be more and more closer in understanding the place of biol-ogy in love. Maybe now each of us will have better luck in finding our significant other by inspecting their chemicals in-side their brains. Who ever said the science geek couldn’t get the girl? A new study has recently revealed new information on

our environmental issues, suggesting that, even if our CO2 emissions were to drop substantially from

their current levels, there will nonetheless be long term repercussions that last for at least a thousand years. The reasoning behind this actually relates to how carbon cycles through an ecosystem, particularly where it gets trapped in specific ‘sinks’. The most important exam-ple of a CO2 sink would be the oceans themselves, which store the gas as Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3). In fact, ap-proximately half of the carbon dioxide released in the past 200 years has been simply absorbed by the oceans, which is the equivalent of about 240 billion metric tons of car-bon itself. This leads to some interesting results. With its incredible capacity for storing CO2, the oceans actually act as a sort of buffer against changes in atmospheric car-bon dioxide. Currently, as we are releasing more and more greenhouse gases as a result of manmade factors such as in-dustrial activity, the oceans are actively working to capture much of the excess gas. However, if we were to attempt an ambitious reduction in our emissions, the oceans would work against us, slowly releasing stored carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. This is a rather sobering idea, particularly for results-oriented people. Torn between a concerted effort towards what effectively amounts to nothing, and a po-tential worsening of the situation, there really is no room for recovery anytime soon. In fact, if one were to look at the rapid increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, a 40% change from pre industrial revolution levels to approxi-mately 385 ppm (parts per million) today, it is immedi-ately apparent that even this static result is a bit ambitious. In fact, optimistic forecasts predict that, even if a rather aggressive 450 ppm may be our stabilizing point in the future, weather changes, temperature change, and water level rises are here for the long term. Nonetheless, this isn’t the time to bust out the canned goods, and prepare to spend the next thousand years hidden under a rock. There are currently strong trends towards more sustainable environmental practices. Hot off the heels of a strong economic recession, efficiency has grown to be a mandatory factor in most corporate and residential decisions. Dramatically reduced industrial out-put, as a direct consequence of our reeling economic con-ditions, doesn’t hurt CO2 levels either. Over the long run however, new legislature and incentives such as ‘carbon credits’, which are currently na-scent developments, will take wing and possibly limit our output sooner. However, these remain a wild card in the equation, a uncertainty in the face of guaranteed environ-mental change for the foreseeable future.

ClImATe CHAngeS HeRe FoR THe

long runBY KeVAn lu

staff writer

when love met scienceBY TImoTHY lee staff writer

eurocentric to Africentric: TDSB Combats Dropout Rate

BY mInHA leesenior staff writer

news » February | Pg. 3

Source: Splash news

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Q:Wow a girl rocking the taekwondo world! There must be a story behind this. How did

Taekwondo first become your interest?

A: Hah. How it first became my interest? Not so much. I hated taekwondo for hmm…five of the eight years

I’ve taken it. I came home crying almost every day in kin-dergarten, so my dad made me start taekwondo in grade…I believe it was grade two. He said I needed to learn to ‘defend myself ’ since I didn’t have an older brother that could protect me.

Q: First at provincials sounds quite amazing. An achievement like this sounds like just a moment

of glory, but just one moment of honour may take as much as a lifetime of effort and hard work. How much did you have to put into taekwondo to get such an award?

A: Haha quite a bit? I train three hours every Saturday from ten in the morning till one in the afternoon

and an hour and a half on Fridays…those are the spar-ring classes. Let’s just say every Friday and Saturday I get new bruises from sparring, which is basically fighting with chest guards and whatnot, they heal over the week just in time for a fresh batch of bruises the following weekend. On Thursdays I usually go for an hour or two, depending on how much homework I have. Those are the classes I almost never miss. Then, I go once or twice for an hour or more on Tuesdays and Wednesdays if I have time. So that’s training anywhere from four to five times a week. It used to be more when I lived in Scarborough but it’s kind of far when you live in the north end of Richmond Hill…you know? Oh but the funny thing is, I didn’t train to compete. It was more like I did that training…and com-peting just sort of happened. But either way, I’m making it sound really tough, but it’s not…quite that bad… You know, once you get over the whole doing homework and eating in the car thing.

Q: Is there someone that truly influenced you or someone that was your motivation for your dili-

gence?

A: Oh, Master Kang! He’s one of the instructors at my taekwondo school, he’s my master. He’s amazing!!! I’m

saying he’s my master because he’s one of the few instruc-tors that have really earned my respect. Sure, I’ve been left pretty dead after more than a few classes from crazy and tiring speed or stamina drills, but he puts so much effort into teaching us, coaching us, and just pushing us…in a good way of course. I’ve learned so much and improved so much in the three years that I’ve been training with him. He’s one of the reasons for why I finally started liking

taekwondo. Plus, he’s CRAZY at taekwondo!!! He used to be number one in his division in Korea…and to win a tae-kwondo tournament in Korea? It is crazy impossible. You have to fight something like ten matches to place, and I mean just placing, not winning gold. Oh, I can’t forget my parents who’ve driven me around all these eight years…especially in the last one and a half years…all those drives all the way to Scarborough, you have to train hard if they spend that much time driving you, waiting for you and driving you back.

Q: As for the recent future, do you have any plans in your taekwondo career?

A: Haha, I wouldn’t say I have a…career…but in the recent future? Well, I have my third provincial tourna-

ment coming up on Feb. 28th, and then I’m off to nation-als on May 16th-17th, so wish me luck!

Q: Looking further, what are some goals that you have in the field of taekwondo? Any plans?

A: Uh…well, this is actually my first season compet-ing at the provincial level and I haven’t been to many

tournaments…less than ten maybe in my whole life so far. I barely have any experience compared to a lot of the girls that compete with me, but we’ll see how junior nationals go this year and next year. Then who knows? If I train re-ally hard, maybe I’ll place in the nationals and get to some international competitions… I’ve thought a little about going to the Olympics…but hardly. It’s just a thought in the corner of my mind. I mean, it’s a big thing. Taekwon-do’s a part of my life, but it’s just a hobby. We’ll see how nationals go in May this year, and then we’ll see how they go next year and go from there.

Q: Thanks for being patient there and there’s just one last question. Personally I have had the luck

to see youa kicking away and doing awesome moves, but many of the people who are in awe reading this at the moment are probably wondering if there’s any way that they could have that experience watching you as well. What do you think?

A: HAHAHA! I think I’ll take that as a compliment I’m actually thinking about starting a club next year, so

maybe then? Or if not, I’ll let you know about any demos or tournaments that you’d want to see… You could al-ways come to Scarborough and watch me train…but that wouldn’t be much fun.

BY KATIe KImstaff writer

BY AlICe Youstaff writer

gloria Cho age 15

BY AlICe Youstaff writer

I’m amazing at: Visual Arts

edward Wang age 15

Anyone who knows Edward Wang will tell you that art is his life. Currently in grade 10, Edward has gained a school-wide reputation for his artistic tal-

ents. The drawing on the left is an example of his work. I had the opportunity to interview to Edward recently.

Q: When did you first start drawing?

A: I’ve been drawing forever. Back in kindergarten, I drew a picture of a black and white killer whale using

pencil crayons. Others thought it was pretty good.

Q: Who’s your favourite artist?

A: I have a lot. I like Monet and his use of colours. He’s an impressionist I learned more about two years ago

while doing an art project. I was supposed to draw some-thing based on a famous artist. So, I chose Monet’s paint-ing called Lady with a Parasol. I also like Damien Hirst who is an abstract artists. I read about him in the news-paper and then researched him. Hirst apparently made a butterfly collage using real butterfly wings.

Q: Which artist style do you most resemble?

A: I have my own unique style which was influenced by all the artists’ work I’ve seen and also by my art teacher.

I like drawing 2D cartoons, but I’m pretty flexible in what I can create.

Q: What inspired this picture?

A: It’s called House. My friends Jennica and Nathaniel were talking about their dream houses, which I thought was really cool. Their ideas were original and creative, and I thought it would be perfect to draw for the paper. I’m dedicating it to them. It’s black and white ink sketch.

Q: What are your future goals?

A: I’m to be a doctor, but I plan to keep drawing forever.

Q: Vincent Van Gogh said, “The only time I feel alive is when I’m painting.” Do you agree that this ap-

plies to you and your art?

A: I agree. When I’m drawing, I get really into it. It’s pretty intense. I’m very focused on the art at that point.

Q: Do you want to be famous?

A: Of course!!!

Q: What do you want the students at RHHS to know about you?

A: I want them to know that I believe you can do any-thing if you really try. This applies especially to art be-

cause there are no hard and fast rules. It’s about you creat-ing your own world and expressing yourself.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. I wish all the best in your artistic pursuits.

I’m amazing at: Taekwondo

my proudest achievement: Plac-ing first in sparring at the pro-vincial tournament

Trademark: Flying sidekicks over pyramids of people, or rows of people, or… just people :)

House by edward WangDedicated to his friends Jennica and nathaniel.

School » February | Pg. 4

Keep the earth green. Please recycle. Brought to you by the RHHS Spyglass Team.

edward Wang age 15

Some may know her name, others may not. Regard-less, Esther Phua is one of the most colourful and vibrant characters under the roof of RHHS. An ac-

tive member of the school community, she also has a deep appreciation for art and music.

Among the many talented individuals who took to the stage that night, Esther Phua won her category for solo performance in the annual 2008 Star Search with a calm and mellow rendition of Priscilla Ahn’s Dream, sing-ing along to the strumming of her acoustic guitar.

Having asked her a few questions regarding her performance, Esther showed that her performance was not inspired from the willing and wanting of stardom, or to show off to the world her wonderful skills, but rather, a delicate show of self-expression. As she said,

one of the lines of the song is, “long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park, I asked god who I’m supposed to be.” As plain as that rhyme is, it speaks truth into my life. I’m seeking and searching; I’m trying to discern some sort of direction in my life.

And although it’s a common misconception that greatness comes from pure talent alone, Esther’s accom-plishment stands tribute to the importance of hard work and effort. After all, that and the necessary passion are

what make a talented musician – it’s about love more than it is about skill.

After a heart-warming performance, all her hard work and practice paid off, as her name was called out in dramatic fashion. The crowd cheered and cameras flashed as she made her way up the stage to claim her prize. When asked how she felt about winning, she said:

I was surprised. I will never be able to shred like Jeff Shin, or belt like Seth greenfield, so it seemed a little unfair in some ways.

Although she makes a good point, at the end of the day, everyone deserved to win. The talent in RHHS is just so diverse, with so many awesomely talented peo-ple hidden amidst the crowd of seemingly commonplace Raiders. Yet without a doubt, Esther deserved no less than what she got – the trophy that will forever set her name in the history books as the winner of the 2008 RHHS Star Search.

When asked about next year, Esther said “for sure – but something wildly different. If anyone can play the glock-enspiel, harmonica or ukulele, contact me!”

Thus we can all look forward for what Esther may have in store for next year’s talent show. Until then, Esther’s music can be found at myspace.com/estherphua.

THe gReAT AmeRICAn nAPKIn - THe SummeR SKInnY

BY ZImu ZHustaff writer

esther Phua age 16 “

Hopes Dreams

long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park,I asked god who I’m supposed to be.

BY DonAlD mAKstaff writer

25 Teams. 4 Pools. 1 Identical goal. To be the York Region Athletic Association (YRAA) Champi-ons, you must be the best senior girls tier one

volleyball team in all of York Region. Richmond Hill High School is only one of the six teams in the central pool, fighting for a chance to make the playoffs. Coached by Ms. Pugh, and led by team captain Nailah Francis, the team practices 2 to 3 times a week and plays an average of around 1 or 2 matches per week. These young and athletic girls work hard, together, to overcome several obstacles and challenges. “We’re a pretty strong team, but there are also many other strong teams in our pool,” Maggie Clark, a team member, comments. Another team member, Rox-anne Guo, reveals, “I think we are a good team individu-ally, but just need to work together when we are down in a game.” She describes how it is sometimes hard for a team to fight their way back up to level the score. Currently third in the central rankings, Rich-mond Hill High School has a match record of 4 – 4, and a total of 13 points. Their biggest worry is Thornlea Sec-ondary School, which has a record of 6 wins and 0 losses. Although mediocre this season, the girls have done pretty well in exhibition tournaments that do not affect their sea-son. Out of the 3 tournaments they played, they have claimed the championship title at the Vaughan tourna-ment. This will give a much needed momentum boost to their so-so season. When asked what your favourite memory was thus far, Maggie Clark immediately responded, “Winning the Vaughan tournament, definitely.” Now all these girls have to do is transfer their success onto their season games, and they can really advance far. If they can stay in position to get into the round one playoffs, they will play on Thursday, February 19 at 3:30pm, possibly on home turf. Hoping to advance be-

yond that round, the next step is the YRAA Tournament, where the top 8 teams of the school board battle it out. Another incentive to do well may be that they get a day off school to play at Alexander Mackenzie High School for this tournament on Tuesday, February 24 at 8:30am. Pro-vided that they can progress further than the semi-finals, the much anticipated YRAA finals will be played in the evening at 8:00pm on Friday, February 27. It would be a dream come true if they can be YRAA champions and even go as far as the Ontario Fed-

Mid-Season

eration of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) level. The biggest key to winning matches and moving forwards is confidence. As long as this team truly believes that they’ve got what it takes, there’s virtually nothing stopping them from reaching their goals. With a belief that this team can do better, Olga Khuskivadze adds, “We have greater potential than what we’ve shown so far.”

&Photo By myles Tan,http://www.flickr.com/photos/myles_tan/

School » February | Pg. 5

dent Student Trustee Vithushan Jeyakumaran, as well as from special guests Bill Ho-garth (the Director of Education) and School Trustee Peter Luchowski. News coverage of this event spanned beyond our newspaper to include Rogers TV, who interviewed various students and staff involved in the days activities. After a brief introduction to the day’s itinerary, students were set off to immerse themselves in a day filled with scientific learning and exploration. Students participated in competitions located throughout the school building designed to test their knowledge of basic Chemistry, Physics and Biology. Events included a Biology Game Show, Hurricane Engineering, Polymer High Jump, Mission to Mars and many other, aptly-named skill-testing competitions. These competitions allowed grade 8 students to get a taste of high school science while also finding creative solutions to science-related problems and working as a team. The air of Richmond Hill High School was filled with the laughs of budding-scientists for the duration of the day. Andy Chen, President of the RHHS Engineering Club and one of the key exec-utives involved in organizing this event, remarked on the impact he hoped to make on the grade 8 students; “The main purpose of the science Olympics was to get the public interested in science again, the kids visit their school in an event which prompts them to collaborate”. This introduces them to the learning and competitive, however friendly, environment of high school.” This was the shared mindset of the Science Committee, which worked dedicatedly towards making this event a success. With over 80 volunteers, 10 supervising teachers and 8 events each with a team of science students from various grades, organizing the Science Olympics was a grand undertaking—all for the love of science. As the day came to a close we bid farewell to the grade eights, leaving them after a warm closing address from our Principal Mr. Glezakos. Leaving our school were not the same grade eights who had entered just a few hours ago, but future Raiders, and perhaps even “the next Einstein, Newton or Galileo”.

A GoLd METAL EvEnT AcHiEvEMEnT AT RHHSFRom PAge 1

one of the many events that students participated in. Both the students and helpers are very busy during this very important day.

Keep the earth green. Please recycle. Brought to you by the RHHS Spyglass Team.

UNDERWORLD

Questioning Always Question Perhaps you don’t remember Always Question. In

September of 2008 the organization renewed their efforts to spread “reading material” around RHHS

including pamphlets that showed the current and former administration in a negative light. The most scathing parts were regarding the GSA (gay-straight alliance) and the visit of F.W. De Klerk (former president of South Africa). Following several attempts at distributing this “reading material” it seemed as though Always Question had simply disappeared, but had it actually accomplished anything? After some phone calls, our reporters were able to get an interview with a representative of Always Question, one that admitted to both failures and successes, and gave us some insight as to where they stand today. The inter-view went as follows:

Q: What was the intent of Always Question’s campaign at RHHS?A: We were trying to spark political consciousness, as well as expose the dirty history of the school

Q: What did you think of the response by the school?A: We expected a response - but not to that extent, we were not prepared for the extent of the actions taken by the school especially in terms of violation of our freedom of speech

Q:Do you think you accomplished anything?A: No not really, basically the action committee and ev-erything regarding that particular incident fell apart but hopefully we planted the seeds for future political action

Q: Have you learned anything new from this experi-ence?A: This opened our eyes to the amount of resistance and taught us little tactical things (eg. Hand stuff out like free food to get people’s attention)

Q: Is Always Question going strong?A: The organization is currently going through many changes; we are aiming a lot of our current work at inter-city schools instead of suburbs. We realized that the major-ity of students didn’t have the sort of interest in the issues that we had hoped for.

Looking at both the administration and Always Question’s view of the conflict at RHHS, it seems that all parties can agree it was an exercise in futility. Neither side had anything to gain as Always Question failed to create it’s desired impact while the school administration’s harsh response may have damaged it’s reputation and encour-aged further actions by similar groups. In fact, even sourc-es from within the RHHS staff admit that the administra-tion has made serious mistakes, though it is evident that those made by Always Question overshadowed them. “Always Question? What about Always Solu-tion?”, asked one source. Perhaps Always Question has to realize that not all questions have answers, and the answers that do exist can’t be found by placing the blame on the shoulders of the administration. Ultimately, after Always Question’s collapse, where does everyone stand? It is un-clear whether the administration will act differently in the face of the next challengers to authority, and certainly no school policies have changed as a direct result according to an inside source. As for Always Question, the future is uncertain, but they have conceded that the high school environment as at it stands in Richmond Hill is not con-ducive to their cause. Perhaps this is an indicator of our intelligence, or maybe, just maybe, this is a statement of our ignorance.

Miley Cyrus finds herself yet in another photo scandal after a picture of her “slanting her eyes” which is being called racist. The term “slant eyes”

has long been a derogatory term for Asians. The Organisation of Chinese Americans, an Asian-American advocacy group, issued a statement say-ing, “The photograph of Miley Cyrus and other individu-als slanting their eyes currently circulating the Internet is offensive to the Asian Pacific American community and sets a terrible example for her many young fans. This im-age falls within a long and unfortunate history of people mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent.” “Not only has Miley Cyrus and the other indi-viduals in the photograph encouraged and legitimized the taunting and mocking of people of Asian descent, she has also insulted her many Asian Pacific American fans,” said George Wu, executive director of OCA. “The inclusion of an Asian Pacific American individual in the photo does not make it acceptable.” The group demanded an apology from Cyrus. “I’ve also been told there are some people up-set about some pictures taken of me with friends making goofy faces! Well, I’m sorry if those people looked at those pics and took them wrong and out of context! ” Cyrus blogged on Wednesday. “In NO way was I making fun of any ethnicity! I was simply making a goofy face. When did that become newsworthy? It seems someone is trying to make some-thing out of nothing to me. If that would of been anyone else, it would of been overlooked! I definitely feel like the press is trying to make me out as the new ‘BAD GIRL’!” “I feel like now that Britney is back on top of her game again, they need someone to pick on! Lucky me! haha Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know what is on my heart. You guys know me and have been by my side every step of the way! You guys know my heart and know the most important things to me are my friends, family, fans, and GOD! In NO WAY do I want to disappoint any of you! But, when I have made mistakes in the past, I feel like I’ve owned up to them and apologized.” Famous for her role in the hit Disney Series Han-nah Montana, where she plays the title character, Miley Cyrus has achieved international stardom in the short time of two years. This recent photo scandal comes after nu-merous other photo related incidents from her Vanity Fair photo shoot in which she posed topless, and provocative personal photos that have surfaced on the internet. People are determined to follow Miley Cyrus’ every move, as she is becoming one of the world’s most talked about celebrities. It seems that she is breaking away from being Disney’s little star and attempting to free her-self from the Hannah Montana persona. With The Han-nah Movie possibly being the franchise’s end, Miley Cyrus is finally free to move on to bigger things following in the footsteps of other ex-Disney stars like Shia LaBeouf, Hil-ary Duff, and Lindsay Lohan. But none of them achieved stardom like Cyrus did at age sixteen. Will she crash and burn or will she be able to recreate herself to an actress or artist that can be taken seriously?

Wiped of its modern warfare, advanced tech-nology, contemporary fashion sense and the longevity of the historic rivalry between ly-cans and death dealers, Underworld: Rise of

the Lycans is a story of beginnings. With Rhona Mitra as a fresh new heroine, and former supporting actors Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy as current main actors, this prequel further explains the hateful feud amidst werewolves and vampires. Setting the dark atmosphere right away, the story unfolds as Lucian (Sheen) is born as the first werewolf able to take human form, a lycan. Viktor (Nighy), the vampire lord then takes advantage of the situation and starts breed-ing lycans to be used as slaves and daylight guardians. The social pyramid is broken when Lucian has an affair with Viktor’s beloved daughter Sonja (Mitra). This Romeo and Juliet’s ‘star-crossed lovers’ situation does not go without trouble. Soon discovered, Viktor sentences Lucian to death, but ultimately catalyzes the war between these two immortal bloodlines. The movie then jumps into action, the pace accel-erates, and it does not slow down until the very end. Very

graphic fight scenes with medieval weapons lead to lots of blood and gore appropriate to its 18A rating. Camera shots were quick and similar to those of the Bourne mov-ies, and Quantum of Solace. Detailed computer generated werewolves were so explicit that it feels as if they actually do exist. In addition, the black tones and blue tints set the dark and mysterious mood, while also providing an impressive visual imagery. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans has a plotline that is solid, not too complicated, but not too simple ei-ther. However, there were moments where the story was unfocused and sometimes had loopholes. As the tale pro-gresses, the movie soon finds its course and grandly sails through. Though some may find this story lacking twists, it is deliberately predictable. Those who have watched the first film, already knows how it is going to end, but this movie is about the journey, not the destination. Where this prequel ends, it opens the road back to the first Un-derworld movie starring Kate Beckinsale. As long as you know lycans are werewolves, and death dealers are vampires, the first two films do not have to be watched to understand this movie. However, watch-

Title: underworld: Rise of the lycansStarring: michael Sheen, Bill nighty, Rhona mitra

Fun Fact: Writer and actor Kevin grevious plays Raze (more commonly known as the big African American werewolf with the really deep voice) and was reportedly inspired to write this story because of interracial dating tensions. Who would’ve guessed?

ing the first film would definitely allow you to enjoy this one more. If you have absolutely no gratification in this genre, then this movie is not for you. If you have not seen the previous films, but are interested in this epic war of immortal creatures, then you should probably go watch the first movie and then watch this on the big screen. If you have seen Underworld, and are only slightly curious about the beginning, wait for a DVD rental. This third installment in the franchise may not surpass the original, but does redeem itself from the disoriented sequel. Un-derworld: Rise of the Lycans ultimately provides a pleasant thrill, which will please the majority of action lovers and Underworld fans.

r i s e o f t h e l y c a n sBY DonAlD mAKstaff writer

review

‘Sweet lil’ Miley’

At It Again...

Perspectives » February | Pg. 6

bY TIMoThY lEE staff writer

Keep the earth green. Please recycle. Brought to you by the RHHS Spyglass Team.

behind this behaviour. In fact, recent research has revealed strong basic trends in our choices, such that every fan-person’s obsessive roots stems from a set of fundamental principles, splashed with a heavy dose of Darwin and a sprinkling of Freud. To clarify some of these basic ideas, it helps to refer to modern scientific speculation regarding specific examples, such as the timeless question as to why specif-ic traits such as blonde hair, tanned skin, and wide hips have historically tended to appeal to testosterone-laden male adolescents. Studies done as recently as September of 2008 have demonstrably shown that these character-istics increase levels of attraction, which has led scientists to believe that we instinctively select for potential mates that can maximize our ‘fitness’, which, in biological terms, refers to the number of viable offspring one has, not one’s physical strength. Blonde hair tends to fade quickly as one ages, so it is hypothesized that bright yellow locks act as a sort of indicator as to a woman’s healthiness, an idea which is mirrored by the sun exposure implied by bronzed skin. Similarly, wide hips imply a better ability to bear children, which reflects this motivation as well. In this sense, the ridiculous fan appeal of the typical femme fatale has less to do with higher order thinking, and more to do with our subconscious desire to keep a bit of ourselves clinging to our collective gene pool. Now, you may be thinking that this is a bit of a

lie. After all, what about those wonderful intangibles, like that dreamy voice, or that Nobel Prize in Physics? Well, recent proposals suggest that dopamine, a neurotransmit-ter that allows different neurons to interact in our brains, is primarily responsible for our ‘romantic love’ response, as well as the risk-reward duality that drives procrastination (both of which probably ruin school averages). The typi-cal example of this was a study published in 2002, where anthropologist Helen Fisher showed a group of 40 people two photos, one their crush, and one of an acquaintance, and analyzed their neurological response. It turns out that the photo of their infatuation opens dopamine pathways in an area called the prefrontal cortex, as well as triggering dopamine production in the brain, which suggests that it is the chemical that drives these romantic thoughts. Inter-estingly, looking at the picture also simultaneously inhib-ited the amygdala, the section of the brain associated with fear. More importantly, dopamine acts as a neurotransmit-ter in the cortex, where higher-order thinking occurs, and it’s here that a wonderful personality or fabulous richness can factor in as a potential plus when searching for the perfect person to stalk. Interestingly, this means that love, lust, and of course, crazed fan obsession, is induced by a duality be-tween self preservation and more controlled motivations. Compounding this, by inhibiting the amygdala, fan mentalities also reduce fear, which explains some of the bone-headed moves that people have made in the past. One needs not search hard to find stories of the ridiculous collective power of headstrong fans: Complaints were re-cently made by Soho residents that ‘spectators’ at a Jonas Brothers performance at the local Apple Store disturbed the peace by screeching non-stop, injuring residents, and slowing down traffic. And this behaviour is global too! On January the 16th, 2009, one particularly adoring fangirl sent her passport and home address to Taiwanese Boy Band member ‘Wu Zun’, asking him to elope with her, while he was on tour promoting a new album. Evidently obsession not only draws on our imagination and funda-mental instincts, but it also limits that tiny fearful voice in your head that prevents you from making those particu-larly unwise decisions. So, let this be a lesson learned: The next time you’re staring incredulously at a particularly fanatical friend, just keep in mind that they feel no fear, and have that irritating little desire to keep their genes alive for the next generation. In that sense, our modern day fixation with photoshopped, cosmetic-surgery-enhanced beauty is just another example of our fearless pursuit of self preser-vation.

FRom PAge 1

Photo By Caleb Sconosciuto.http://flickr.com/photos/seraphimc/108577092/

Unfortunately, the television produced for our gen-eration is, on average, unspeakably idiotic. The Hills? The OC? Come on, that’s not television,

folks. Let me suggest something a little different, for the sake of your own intelligence. Flight of the Conchords is composed of two twentysomethings from New Zealand, Bret and Jemaine, and the show revolves around their bi-zarre lives in New York City. The plot of each episode is crafted so they can insert these unbelievable songs that the members of the duo write themselves. The humor is dry and subtle, like it should be. None of the cheap laughs found on most other comedy shows.. and I know it’s hard to sit for half an hour without seeing a fat guy getting beat up, or an old lady farting, or a little black kid making dirty jokes. I know. So trust me, this is like nothing else you’ve seen…it’s good. Easily 4.5 out of 5.

BY mARTIn FoXsenior staff writer

And the Academy AwardShould not go To...

The ReaderSLUMDOG

MILLIONAIREand...

THE REST

BY mARTIn FoXsenior staff writer

Flight of the Concords Review

Kate Winslet’s performance in The Reader is probably the best out of her Oscar group. Jolie comes close for

Changeling, but Winslet’s role was definitely more chal-lenging, and to be honest, probably her career high. She should also be given credit for another interesting and I thought good performance in Revolutionary Road. She has been nominated six times in her life, and, similar to last year’s Scorsese win, she has to win an Oscar even if she would not ordinarily for her single performance in The Reader this year simply because of her number of nomi-nations and her undeniable and strangely unconfirmed talent. The film, however, should not win Best Picture because it simply isn’t as good as it wants to be. Much of the dialogue sounds self-important - stating truisms in a German accent does not indicate any real depth of mes-sage. The trailer employs, stupidly, two perfect examples, the first being “Societies think they operate by morality, but they don’t” and “We are trying to understand!”. The result of both these lines when uttered in the movie, along with others like them, is a shaking of my head and a wors-ening of my opinion. I also dislike the very Hollywood-esque manner in which these two characters slip into a relationship with each other. The character of the boy is a bit shallow and cinematically hackneyed, , and thus not really eligible for any profound connections, but Hanna Schmitz is a fascinating creation and she should have been explored just a little bit more during the start of her rela-tionship and during the trial. Overall, a great film, but not Oscar-worthy because it’s simply not moving enough, not intelligent enough, and not provoking enough as it means to be, and as it needs to be to win the Oscar.

*The 81st Academy Awards will be held on February 22, and will be hosted by the desperately undervalued Hugh Jackman. As usual, competition is very close, and debating the merits of each film is one of my very favourite

things to do. Here is my concise take on this year’s contenders:

The more I think about Slumdog Millionaire, the less I like it. It’s charming, yes, and it definitely knows

how to hold the viewer’s attention. However, it’s a clear-cut case of mainstream cinema selling sizzle and not steak. The relationships are tenuous and unrealistic, and when seen with an objective eye, the entire premise is ridiculous-I’ll explain in a second. One of my more specific bones to pick is how awful Dev Patel’s performance is. You overact-ing clown, your next job will likely be in Old Navy com-mercials after such a ludicrous and wholly incompetent performance. “There was no call!” Please. About half your lines were mediocre, and the other half, laughable. The only excuse I can think of is that his character is in fact average, and so his performance necessitated a certain mo-notony to be real-but I don’t buy it at all. He conveyed not a single emotion with any realism, and I could not believe how flat his acting was in comparison to the eye-catching cinematography with which the director clearly made no effort to make as ‘realistic’ as Patel’s performance. The story’s central relationship, as is the acting which creates it, is blatantly forced; only in Hollywood could a person become so devoted to a girl he knew for a few days at a few year’s age. There is not an ounce of realism or truth to this ‘magical’ bond, which purports itself to be touching and romantic but, to me, only rings false and makes me roll my ever-critical eyes. I understand that it’s very easy to fall in love with this movie, but I hope the Academy is not so juvenile as to praise this sugary and cliché-ridden movie for anything more than what it really is; two enjoyable hours of saturated colour, music, and movement, but not much else.

Unfortunately, I have not seen Milk, and I’m out of space to comment on the others. I just want to say, in

as few words as possible, that Changeling should DEFI-NITELY have knocked Slumdog Millionaire off the top 5 list. This year, there have been several movies that haven’t been nominated, like The Wrestler and Gran Torino, but you can’t nominate everybody. Changeling, however, is as dramatic as Frost/Nixon, as engaging as Benjamin Button, as good a story as Slumdog Millionaire, and is acted as well as The Reader. I can’t see why it’s been superseded by a vastly inferior film (you know which one I’m referring to). The plot is about a corrupt police force, a desperate wom-an, a missing child, and a psychopath; I’m not going to tell much more because it’s nothing short of breathtaking. As a movie, it floored me, and the story develops naturally, the acting, very good. There’s no such thing as a perfect movie, but this one comes close. Clint Eastwood directed it (very well), but I really didn’t like his other film, Gran Torino, because it was tarred by some of the year’s absolute worst performances. I realize it’s difficult for a 70-year old white director to make Asian gang violence look realistic, but it’s unacceptable how bad the acting was throughout the film by anybody who wasn’t Eastwood himself. The ending was very, very good, and surprisingly, I didn’t predict it-a good sign. I can’t wait for the Oscars, because for the first time in several years I actually have no clue who will win in most of the categories, though I’ve always guessed and more often than not been correct in previous years. Each film nominated has its merits, but they’re all very different and I didn’t particularly like any of them much more than another. However, you can’t have five films all lose...

Perspectives » February | Pg. 7

Keep the earth green. Please recycle. Brought to you by the RHHS Spyglass Team.

A Kakuro puzzle is a crossword which uses numbers. The clues are in the small triangles. The blank squares must be filled with digits 1 through 9. The numbers in an answer must add up to the clue (Left for rows, top for columns). However, no number can be dupli-cated in an answer. For example, two squares that add up to 6 may be 1+5 or 2+4 but not 3+3.

6 3 2 5 9

8 9 4 7

5 3

6 4

5 7

1 5

7 9

2 4 3 1

5 8 7 9 4

HARD

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7 8 6

2 4 3 7 8

6

6 2 8 3

7 9 4 1

8

5 2 3 9 7

6 9 7

SuDoKu

SPECIal ThanKS To oUr PhoTogra-PhErS:

BOBBY CHUIJONATHAN PANGMYLES TANanD To laYoUT DESIgnErS

JOHN LIUSUSAN WANG

Fun Stuff » February | Pg. 8

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