JENNY PENG

First there was “Love Actually”. Then came “He’s Just Not That Into You”. And now, from the writers of the latter comes another movie with a colossal cast and a perplexed plot, “Valentine’s Day”.

The film is set in Los Angeles on February 14th, and it depicts the many ways that couples throughout the city celebrate the day of love. Ashton Kutcher stars as florist Reed Bennett, who decides to propose to his fiancé, Morley (Jessica Alba), but is devastated when she eventually leaves him because she cannot bring herself to the commitment. At the same time, Reed’s best friend, a school teacher named Julia (Jennifer Garner), is helplessly in love with a cardiologist (Patrick Dempsey), who, unbeknownst to her, is actually married. Julia finds out about her lying boyfriend through Reed, who coincidentally meets the cardiologist while selling him two, not one, dozen roses. Throughout the movie, a TV sports reporter, Kelvin (Jaime Foxx), is forced to interview couples about their perspectives towards Valentine’s Day, although he shows an obvious contempt for the occasion. Ironically, on that same day, he ends up falling for a publicist, Kara (Jessica Biel), who is equally hateful towards the day of love. Kara is a publicist for Sean Jackson (Eric Dane), a closeted gay football player dealing with a career crisis. Jackson’s partner, Holden (Brad Cooper), a man who seems to be indifferent towards intimate relationships, meets a US army captain, Kate (Julia Roberts), on a plane ride back to Los Angeles, where they discuss the concept of love itself. Kate is the mother of a lovesick little boy, who, as it turns out, is in love with Julia (Jennifer Garner). Throughout the movie, all the characters have to face and combat relationship problems on what is believed to be the most romantic occasion. As confusing as the plot may seem because of the tangled mess of interconnected storylines, all the characters are, in a way, impacted by Reed’s flower shop, as they head to the store to buy last minute flowers and cards. The majority of them are interviewed by the sports reporter, Kelvin, a character who connects the separate lives of all the couples into one news story.

As the movie with the biggest cast, “Valentine’s Day” stars nineteen well-known actors and actresses, including both McDreamy and McSteamy (Patrick Dempsey and Eric Dane, who both star in “Grey’s Anatomy”), two Taylors (Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner), and four Oscar winners, Kathy Bates, Jamie Foxx, Shirley MacLaine, and Julia Roberts. However, like any rom-com that squeezes countless subplots into one storyline, the movie confuses the audience as it becomes difficult to track the lives of at least ten couples who all connected in some way to a small flower shop. In addition, since the majority of the cast is composed of big-name celebrities, it often becomes difficult for the audience to envision the character as opposed to the actor. The screenwriter’s idea of having various couples express their different opinions towards love is brilliant, yet the plot of the movie itself is extremely unrealistic because almost all the characters, including the ones who are only physically attracted towards each other, manage to find “true love” with their partner by the end of the 125 minutes. As portrayed in “Valentine’s Day”, everybody finds love, and couples always overcome difficult times, which, obviously, is not the case in reality. The movie does offer some good laughs, in the sense that there are many witty jokes and physical injuries, but after a few minutes, the humor dries up as the characters’ mishaps get dull and repetitive. All in all, Valentine’s Day is a movie that’s sinking in a sea of sophisticated subplots. And when you’re drowning like that, not even nineteen actors can save you.

SINK YOUR TEETH INTO TRUE BLOOD

KAT TOMASONE

Let’s get it over with: this show is about vampires. I know, I know, the whole vampire craze is way overblown, but put aside your current attitude towards vampire dramas. “True Blood” isn’t remotely similar to those preteen-y love stories that make you want to lose your lunch.

We enter this futuristic drama where humans have known about the existence of vampires for two years. Many vampire secrets have been revealed, and there’s an entire culture surrounding them. The Japanese have invented a blood supplement called TruBlood, which satisfies all of a vampire’s nutritional needs, and comes in a variety of flavours like O-, B+, etc. Fang-bangers, or humans who let vampires feed on and have sex with them, are a new phenomenon, and there are tons of negative stereotypes that surround them. Vampires in the media are fighting for vampire voting and marriage rights, while drug dealers everywhere are selling vampire blood or “V” to a new generation of addicts looking for heightened senses, impressive strength, magical hallucinations, and an incredible sex-drive. Religious (mainly Christian) officials make frequent television appearances to help the public see their point of view: that vampires are the Devil’s children and need to be killed off as quickly as possible. Media wars between vampires and religious figures comprise almost all of TV programming, and assassinations and murders are frequent. These aren’t the kiddie, virginal, animal-feeding vampires you’re seeing nowadays. No sparkling skin or rings that let you walk in daylight here. These bloodthirsty-yet-somehow-civilized vampires follow all the rumours and myths to a T, right down to sleeping in coffins.

One of the dynamic themes in the show is the recurrent feeling of history repeating itself. How many past wars have been fought over segregation? How many times has the Church controlled segregation by using the Devil and Hell as a scare tactic? Traitors, suicide bombers, and the training of secret armies bring war to countries that formerly prided themselves on being peaceful nations of freedom.

Set in a small, southern town called Bon Temp, the life of our leading lady, a telepath named Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), is turned completely inside out when a vampire moves into town. Sookie, however, is drawn to him because she can’t hear any of his thoughts, and finds it peaceful and relaxing, as her telepathy has prevented her from being close with men because of the vile things she can hear them thinking about on dates. After she saves the vampire, Bill Compton (Stephan Moyer), from some humans trying to steal and sell his blood, they become inseparable–at least after dark–and get caught in a steamy romance that makes Edward and Bella look like naïve, whiney children. Sookie’s boss and not so admirer Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), along with her best friend Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley) and womanizing brother Jason, worry about her safety. They think Bill sees her as nothing but a “blood-bag”, and will throw her away the second he gets bored. The rest of the town shames her for befriending a vampire.

The best part about every character in the series is the depth they have. Every character is both good and evil, and there is a very thin boundary in between the two that is constantly challenged and crossed. By the end of the second season, there are over ten main characters that are each so complex that it’s hard to believe they aren’t real people. There’s so much emotional appeal that you even feel sorry for the enemy when something bad happens to him.

Every action-packed second of this R-rated show squeezes in so much emotion, sex, and gore that by the end of one episode your whole body aches to watch the next. From fight scenes to sex scenes, the show is so artfully directed that you’re putty in its hands. You will swoon, cry, scream, wince, sit at the edge of your seat, and get hot whenever it wants you to. It’s a perfect show for adults and young adults alike, whether you want romance, action, sci-fi, or mystery. “True Blood” has me smitten, and I’d take Bon Temps over Forks any day.

YEOGAI CHOY

When Joanna Newsom put out her debut album “The Milk-Eyed Mender”, many listeners immediately fell in love with her for her sincere voice, her emotive lyrics, and her eloquent harp playing. However, there were others who couldn’t stomach her eccentric voice, and quite understandably. On “The Milk-Eyed Mender”, Joanna Newsom’s voice was brittle, squawky, creaking, and childish, and no one could be blamed for rejecting the album on account of it. And even though there were many who liked (or, at least, tolerated) her voice, it was a problem for Joanna Newsom; it bottlenecked her creative output. There is only so much that can be conveyed through a crackly voice that squeaks at every turn like a bad wheel on a shopping cart. Her voice, not her choice of primary instrument, the harp, cornered her into a musical rut, one of naïve fantasy, nostalgia, and nothing more.

Her next release was “Ys”, an album of five sprawling lays about bears and meteors and such, the tracks averaging over ten minutes in length. Though she evolved lyrically and instrumentally, laying down grand, elaborate instrumental arrangements to match like lyrics, her voice was the same as on her first album, and, as before, it hampered her style.

However, her epic, two-hour long triple album “Have One On Me”, released February 23, makes it plain that her voice has undergone a tremendous change since “Ys”. Vocal nodules appeared on her vocal cords while she was in the studio, prevented her from speaking or singing for two months. When the nodes cleared, she found her voice changed. On the new album, she shows that she has at last gained control of that unruly voice of hers. And not only has she tamed it, she has mastered it. The cracks, squeaks, creaks, and warbles that were once her bane she now employs periodically to great effect as accents and ornaments, proving that her voice is now as expressive as her harp. The result is a sophisticated, refined vocal style, one that no longer appeals directly to the listener’s emotions through its nakedness and childish straightforwardness. Her voice now no longer holding her back, she is finally able to soar to the heights promised on previous releases by her masterful harp playing and grand scale songwriting.

Musically, Newsom expands her well-established sound found on previous releases. Unlike on “Ys”, on which the orchestra only exists to fill the musical gaps in short gasps of string flourishes in between lyrics, Newsom has allowed the orchestra on “Have One On Me” to take a larger role, allowing more instruments (arranged by Ryan Francesconi) into her musical palette and letting them have a stronger presence. A good example of this is the first track, “Easy”, on which Newsom plays the piano, backed by a handful of bowed strings, several woodwinds, some brass, and a rocking drum kit. The electric guitar, bass, and standard drum kit, all rock staples, make several showings, and the rock edge backing Newsom’s harp and singing make for a unique sound. But her harp is still the main instrument and it is as beautiful as ever. “Go Long” features just Newsom and her harp, and her harp is given its moment to dazzle, ending the song in a virtuoso cadenza.

Joanna Newsom’s lyrics are more intricate than ever, requiring careful listening and perhaps even notetaking to comprehend fully. However, much of their beauty is appreciable to the casual listener. Newsom’s words drip with grace, heart, and wit as she explores heartbreak, yearning, anticipation, and solitude.

“Have One On Me” is incredibly focused. Newsom has put together a carefully planned and carefully executed album on which lyrics, themes, and melodies smartly echo through the whole album. A handful of themes crop up again and again throughout the album. The most frequent theme is that of heartbreak, and, taken as a whole, the album could be viewed as Joanna Newsom’s treatise on the matter. “Have One On Me” also features many musical echoes. A figure in the rocking upbeat, rollicking “Good Intentions Paving Company” finds itself buried in the heart of the meandering and, at times, eerie “In California”, then recurring again in the closing track, the contemplative “Does Not Suffice”.

At two hours in length, “Have One On Me” is a gracious megalith, marked by a stronger voice from Newsom, an expanded array of instruments, and evocative and thoughtful lyrics, that stays cohesive from the first song to the last, tied together by the recurrence of motifs both lyrical and musical.

ALEX MCROBERT

Once upon a time, Alice Sebold’s novel, “The Lovely Bones”, struck me with thunder. It’s the striking story of Susie Salmon, fourteen, who was raped and murdered by one of her neighbours on her way home from school. Susie narrates the story of her death from the “In-Between”, a place the dead go after life, but before heaven. From there, Susie watches, while the mystery surrounding her death remains unsolved. She watches as her killer covers his tracks, her sister hardens her emotions, and her younger brother questions what it means to be dead. She watches as her father becomes hysterically obsessed with putting the pieces of her murder together, and her mother gets so worn down that she ends up leaving her family. It’s the story of a girl stuck in a limbo afterlife, struggling to cling on to the living while being pulled into the next world.

Anyone who’s read the book would know that this story is not meant to focus on the idea of heaven or what happens when you die. Susie’s presence in heaven is merely a vehicle for propelling the story from start to finish. Sebold masters the touchy subject of death with grace by emphasizing the power of love and family at times of need. She communicates how one bump in the road can affect and change such a widespread array of people far beyond the immediate family; Susie’s grandmother, her schoolmates, the boy who asked her out the day of her death, and her killer himself are all affected by her death.

Unfortunately, Peter Jackson, who directs the film adaptation, (best known for his adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings”), dismembers and slays all the beauty of Alice Sebold’s novel, replacing it with outlandish effects, plot holes, and thinly drawn characters—for example, Susie’s grandmother appears solely for awkward comic relief, reminding viewers that the best way out of their problems is resorting to alcohol.

Constantly, the story of Susie’s (Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”) family is abruptly jerked back to her in the heavens, where she can be found running through fields for extensive periods. She’s wearing a butterfly getup in one image and jiving on a colossal earth-shaped hedge the next. Then she’s dashing through a forest with her new friend Holly, then she’s on the beach playing with oversized ships-in-a-bottle. Due to the shag carpeting and beehive hairdos the 1970’s setting brings to the film, I sometimes wondered if Susie’s trip to the In-Between was just a metaphor for a trip on ecstasy.

Jackson takes the Technicolor landscapes of heaven too far. In the end, it comes off as a low-budget, cheap graphic film, neglecting to focus on the true momentum of the story: what’s happening on Earth. The novel sheds light beautifully on family, remembrance, and love, whereas the film had the audience numb with gruesome graphics. Even I, who had read the book multiple times, occasionally had no idea what was going on while the film flashed back and forth between reality and fantasy.

Also, it put way too much emphasis on Susie’s father’s “murder mystery” side of the story, which was completely irrelevant, and drew my attention away from the main point of his character: a representation of the painfully psychotic love of a parent who has lost a child to a violent crime. Along with the trippy heaven scenes, it makes the film feel like “Across the Universe” oddly meshed with an episode of “CSI”.

Now, I’ll admit, despite its considerable flaws in plot and direction, I’m slightly selling the film short. There were a few perks that made me less regretful of wasting my allowance on a $13.50 movie ticket: for instance, the wonderfully talented cast, which included Rachel Weisz (“The Constant Gardener”) as the heartbroken mother; Mark Wahlberg (“The Departed”) as the fanatical father; and a shifty-eyed Stanley Tucci (“Julie & Julia”). Additionally, the original musical score by Brian Eno was exemplary.

One critic suggested the film could’ve been better; I, along with many other critics, think that justifying Sebold’s novel onscreen is simply unfeasible.

BOYS’ HOCKEY

CAM WATT

The boy’s varsity hockey team had an exciting year. The team made it as far as the quarter finals, but were defeated by rivals Lawrence Park in a 4-2 game. This season was particularly special, because it was the last for our beloved Mr. Selby. Mr. Selby has coached at North Toronto for over thirty years. Mr. Selby was one of my favorite hockey coaches. He will surely be remembered for his calm and positive figure. Several senior players will not be returning to NT next year, but I’m sure will have an impact wherever they play next. We almost made it boys; all I can say is just wait until next year!

CURLING

JON REED

Many people are actually shocked to here that North Toronto even has a curling team, but we do. In fact they, are in the playoffs at the beginning of March, and are looking quite strong. Most of the players are new to the great Canadian game, but are being taught well by team coach Mr. Zohar. Ben Papageorge who is curling for his first time says, “Zohar is a great coach, and because of him curling is almost as good as hockey.” For someone in Canada to say that curling is almost as good as hockey is really saying something. One can see that Mr. Zohar is really showing the kids on the team a new great sport and talent. When asked who the MVP on the team Ben said, “In curling there is no MVP. It’s about a team effort.” Ben couldn’t have said it any better. That’s what curling is about. Working as a team, discussing the next shot and helping each other out. Hopefully the curling team will get some inspiration from the fine job by Canadian curlers in Vancouver and can bring some more curling spirit to North Toronto!

GIRLS’

VOLLEYBALL

SAM KELLERMAN

It was a nail biting season for the senior girl’s volleyball team. We finished our regular season with 4 wins, and 2 losses. We managed to beat our neighborhood rivals down the street as part of the regular season, in an intense 3 set game. We made it into the quarter finals against Oakwood C.I. and unfortunately lost in a third set. We also had a full day tournament at Monarch Park, where we were probably the only team to studying be during our breaks! Congrats to all the girls for a fun season, full of games and early morning practices and thanks to coaches Mr. Gorenkoff and Chu, for their dedication to the team.

SWIM TEAM

GILLIAN MCCORD

It was a close call for the swimmers of NT last year when the TDSB threatened to close down our pool. Luckily, however, the decision was overruled and our swim team had one last year to show off their talents in NT’s old pool, and show off did they ever. The team of about seventy students was coached by Ms. Chamberlain, Ms. Chisholm, and PJ who did an amazing job motivating the athletes through early morning practices and cheering them on during late-night swim meets. Sr. swimmer Toby Sirek, and Jr. Ryan Sheridan were the captains of the boys teams, and Krista Nordin and Kim Chau lead the girls. As the swim team is one of NT’s largest teams, they also brought home one of the largest victories. About a third of the team made it to the city championships, and another eight moved on to compete at OFSAA. Congratulations to everyone on the team, especially the amazing coaches!

MIRANDA RAMNARES

For nearly six years now, “Lost” has been the most mysterious show on television. And although many viewers were disapproving of the show’s last season, many flocked to their television sets on Monday February 2nd to watch the final season’s premiere. The episode begins exactly where we left off in the finale of season five, the sorrowful parting of Sawyer and Juliet and the explosion of the atomic bomb core. The scene continues on, now featuring Jack, sitting in an airplane in 2004. For a time, we believe that Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and John Locke are safely continuing on their original flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. All hope is shattered, however, once we emerge from a painfully long commercial break to see the season five ending repeated once more, now continuing into a different scenario. Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sawyer, Sayid, and Jin are once again on the island, apparently in the present time. While most doubted that the already complex show could become more complicated, the season six premiere removed all doubt.

Now, instead of viewers being confronted by backwards and forwards leaps in the narrative, we have these new sideways jumps, which breaches into the world of alternate universes. It was very interesting to see the supposedly happy ending, especially when it was shown that even though the passengers of flight 815 weren’t on a deserted island, they still managed to meet each other and become connected in some way or another. However, seeing as the time of the flight and the present time on the island differ by three years, it is, in some form, time travel. This makes it all the more confusing, and seems to be reaching a point where “Lost” will simply be much too difficult to follow. In season five, time travel was a very convoluted twist in the plot, and it didn’t connect to the plot line from the previous four seasons, and became much too prevalent in the story. I was really hoping that it would be finished with by the end of the fifth season seeing as time travel is generally a very questionable topic, that caused a lot of confusion for viewers who have their individual understandings of the concept.

Luckily enough, some of the shows original strange and secretive plot seems to be emerging in the sixth season. This includes the introduction of some very new and very mysterious characters. In particular, the man at the temple, Dogen, seems to be almost as complicated as the former leader of the Others, Ben, a character who really enhanced the show. The writers have also been ruthless when it comes to character deaths, as in this episode alone, more than six characters died, including the important characters Juliet and Sayid (though he comes back to life). However, the worst is yet to come and as rumours of the show’s finale begin to brew, it is very likely that the shows creators (J.J. Abrams, Jeffery Lieber, and Damon Lindeloff) still have an ending that is sure to shock us. All in all, “Lost” has clearly proven that it will retain its standard of strangeness even as it heads into its finale, the premiere promised a much clearer storyline that is devoid of muddled and, at some points, very confusing time travel. My prediction is that true “Lost” fans will not be disappointed by this season.

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JON REED

Shock. Embarrassment. Disappointment. This is what all Canadians felt from the mountains of Vancouver to the fish harbors of Newfoundland after the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Canada finished in seventh place and Canadians, along with the rest of the hockey world, were shocked. We expected to win gold medal but instead ended up without a medal at all. We were ranked seventh in the world at the game that Canada, and Canadians, loved. After the games, there was only one thing on Canadians’, and the players’ minds: Vancouver 2010. Vancouver represented redemption: for a tournament that wouldn’t be forgotten. Vancouver represented a second chance: a second chance to win gold. This time, however, it was different. This time, the games are at home in front of the home crowd. Things are going to go differently this time. Team Canada, this year, is a powerhouse team. We have the best goalies to ever play the game, some of the most talented forwards of all time, and a blue line that would even have intimidated the Broad Street Bullies. With a team like this, one thing is perfectly clear: this year is our year. Everyone said the same thing in Turin, but so they should. Hockey is Canada’s game. The embarrassment in Turin raised lots of questions. The majority of the criticism was directed at the coaching staff and the general manager. Pat Quinn, who has had years of experience coaching, got a lot of blame but the fault shouldn’t lie on Quinn, or even that of general manager, Wayne Gretzky. You see, four years earlier in Salt Lake City the coach and GM were the same, and Canada came out with the gold medal. Gretzky put together a strong team, Quinn had done a fine job behind the bench, and the players produced. Yet almost the same thing happened in Turin. Gretzky put together an equally strong team and Pat Quinn had done his job behind the bench. The difference this time was that the players did not produce, and the outcome was disgraceful. However, this year it is a whole new ball game (or hockey game). The new GM is Steve Yzerman, who is receiving his first Olympic gig as GM. Behind the bench there is also nothing to worry about: Mike Babcock will be the bench boss this year and has shown that he can win by having his Detroit Red Wings be in the Stanley Cup finals for the past two years in a row. Team Canada will have the same starting goalie that they had in Turin; Martin Brodeur. He is the best goalie to ever play the game and will hopefully be able to be strong between the pipes. But no matter how remarkable Brodeur can be, it is also known that he is only human, and so backing him up is Robert Luongo.

Next are Canada’s forwards. Canada is going to have some of the best players in the league, like Crosby, Nash, and Iginla. Yzerman must have had a hard time picking twelve forwards when there are so many amazingly talented Canadians. I’m sure that everyone on the team deserves to be there, but there are some other players who didn’t make it that maybe should have including Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both of them were on the team in Turin but were passed up this time for Vancouver. They both play together in Tampa and have good chemistry, and could have added to Canada’s team.

Finally there are the blue liners. There really are no holes in Team Canada’s defense but again there are two other players that perhaps should have been picked. First is Jay Bouwmeester. He was on the team in Turin and constantly shows that he is a spectacular defenseman. With a 15 goal and 27 assist 2007-2008 season with the Panthers he showed that not only can he block shots, he can put the puck in the net too. Second and most important of all who may have deserved to be on the Team Canada roster the most is Washington Capitals Mike Green. He also had an amazing 2008-09 season, registering 31 goals and 42 assists. While Bouwmeester was questionable for Team Canada it is believed that Green is a true asset that should have made the roster. It looks like Yzerman is putting together a more physical blue line than a scoring one.

Until we see Team Canada in action everyone will wonder if Yzerman has made the right decisions, but one thing is for sure; Canadians will have nothing but gold medal on their minds for their beloved Team Canada hockey team.

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AMY KIKUTCHI

“What do you want to be when you’re older?”

How many times have you been asked that question by your parents, grandparents, and especially those distant relatives that you see once a year at those dull family reunions? Countless times, no doubt. You see, it’s not too bad when you’re younger because you still have many years of schooling to think about your options. The problem really starts to sneak up on you once you enter in high school. There you are sitting at your gum-infested desk, staring indifferently at your course selections sheet. Hmmm… what to choose…

What we all worry about is keeping our “options open.” The major decision for you is the sciences. You need a group three elective to graduate, which means you need to take a grade 11 science, co-op, or a tech class. Most of us NT students go for the science option. Chemistry, biology, and physics. Which ones(s) should you take? But wait! Let’s not get sucked like an unforgiving tornado into that stereotypical way of thinking that those are the only three sciences we can take! As long as you have passed grade 10 science you can take earth and space science and/or environmental science. And I know you want to take environmental science.

Your face goes blank. Environmental science? What’s that? But do not fear, you aren’t the only one feeling so lost and confused. After asking some people what they thought environmental science was, these were some of their answers…

“I don’t know, you learn about the environment?”

“It’s ecology all over again…it’s stupid. You learn it in grade 10 anyway.”

“A useless course. Who cares about weather and stuff like that? You wouldn’t learn anything useful from taking that course.”

Oh, alright. So you think that you might take it because it sounds like an easy course.

WRONG.

At this point I get ticked. Environmental science might not be numbers and formulas but it is in no way a bird course. Those answers you just read were complete balderdash. Think I’m just joshing you? These are some quotes from students who actually take environmental science.

“People think it’s some stupid course but you learn so much from it.”

“Unlike a lot of other courses, you learn things that are actually useful to you.”

“Oh my god, I LOVE environmental science!” (Yes, love is supposed to be capitalized)

There you go, you have solid proof.

Yet perhaps you are still thinking physics would be a more practical course. But so you know that the speed of light is c=3.00X108 m/s? Unless you are going to become some physics engineer, will it really help you in your future career? Probably not. But knowing that breathing in air fresheners can kill your cilia and cause lung disorders, now that would be helpful to you.

Hoooold on! Rewind that thought. Air fresheners can cause lung disorders? You mean, that stuff that I see in those commercials with happy, smiling families kills you? Yes. To put it bluntly, it can kill you. So now you wonder what else you don’t know about the society you thought cared about your well-being. That titanium dioxide in your foundation can also give you lung cancer? That trisodium nitriloacetate in Tide laundry detergent can give you cancer? That your deodorant can give you cancer? That your insect repellent, your mascara, your baby wipes, your toothpaste, your juicy steak, and your supposedly healthy whole milk can speed you up on your road to the grave? These are the kinds of things you learn in environmental science.

People are just too ignorant. Only too often do we fall into that venus fly trap that the multi-million dollar corporations have set for you. If you want to avoid those deadly digestive enzymes that slowly corrode your soul, you must learn about the things that are really going on around you. An easy way to do that? Take environmental science.

Let me give you an example. I was sitting in environmental science class the other day and my teacher asked us what kinds of foods give us calcium. As if they had practiced this their whole lives, my whole class chorused in unison, “MILK!” I was stunned into complete silence. I felt as though I was the only living being surrounded by a bunch of milk-drinking robots. Fact#1: Just drinking milk does NOT give you all this calcium you thought it would. You need magnesium to fully absorb calcium so that your body can use it. How many people know this? Definitely not enough. Let me re-enforce this. Dairy products aren’t the only calcium supplying foods out there. Other calcium high foods include tofu, spinach, broccoli, peas, sesame seeds, bok choy, almonds, rhubarb… the list goes on. Fact#2: The milk you drink (unless it’s free range organic), contains more harmful substances than that calcium you are trying to get at. The cows are injected with growth hormones, which could give you or your future child premature or abnormal body development. That’s just the milk. Certain containers contain dieldrin, heptachlor, and hexachlorobenzene which could leak into the milk and increase your chances of getting breast, colon, and prostate cancers.

So I ask you, do you really want to drink that glass of milk every morning? Think about it.

So here you are, back to staring at that darn course selection sheet. If you want to become an engineer, than by all means, go for the usual three. But honestly, make sure you know about all your available course options. Environmental science is not useless, and is not a course for airheads. For most of us, it will be more useful for leading healthy lives. Break through the stereotypes, learn to be an individual, be aware, and know what is in the products you buy.

If that smelly Uncle Mitchell of yours asks you what you want to be when your older, even if you still aren’t sure, at least you can tell him that you are well on your way to becoming a healthy and socially active citizen that will one day help crush the corporations’ hold on innocent victim’s lives.

So make a healthy choice that will help you through these vulgar socially constructed norms. Go on, checkmark that tiny box for environmental science. Your future could depend on it.

CHRISTINA ZHA

“Phenomena…” begins Alex Redinger, a grade twelve student at NT. “It was a thunderous intermingling of lighting and well-costumed choreography, sharply punctuated between acts by a probably-drunk audience member.” Being a fourth year NT student yet first time attendee, he says “the show was well worth the expenditure.”

Another fashion show has come and gone, and this year,Phenomena’s ticket sales alone have raised $21,000 for charity week’s 2010 recipient, Not for Sale.

Praise for the show can be found in every corner of the school. Cady Lewis, a grade eleven student, says, “Phenomena was a show to remember: from the great choreography to the wonderful designs, NT students should all be proud.”

Sabrina Ren, a designer, praises the promotional photos. She continues, “[Designing for the show] took a lot of work and I definitely spent like 100 hours trying not to poke myself with a needle. Overall, it was a great bonding experience too during rehearsals because we had to spend five hours every night with the same people.”

Kailee Mandel agrees that “the show was really awesome, and well done. The directors did an amazing job, both in the preparation of the show and of course during the performance. Lindsay, Rachel, and Alex really set the bar high.”

Not everyone was impressed though. One student commented that she didn’t attend the show because it looked “like a wannabe Enigma (2008)… Only not so good.”

Phenomena is the first fashion show to have notedly made efforts to become eco-friendly. This is the first year in fashion show’s nine year history that an environmental head was appointed. In preparation for the show there were talks of recycling fabric, reusing set pieces, and reducing acrylic paints. However, on the night of the show when the audience walked into the auditorium, the first thing that they saw was the Styrofoam cup columns hanging from the ceiling. Styrofoam is definitely not part of the eco-friendly deal.

Nevertheless, audience members including Remy Modak say that they “loved the swirly paper cup decorations. [They] really brought more attention to the runway.”

Set design head Paniz Moayeri admitted that set design’s green effort was not very successful. She explained that the set team originally had ideas to only use the recycled cardboard and wood from last year’s show, Hypnosis (2009), but “it proved to be impossible to continue. At the end, with Planet X and the columns, we went full out just to finish the set.”

This year’s environmental head, Christopher Blackford, said in terms of assisting the team with eco-friendly initatives, he “didn’t do anything.” The plan was that the team was supposed to ask for green advice from Chris Blackford but not one team member approached him.

On a positive note, Paniz says that leftover set materials are being passed onto a potential team for 2011’s fashion show.

As the models made their way onto the T, there were many exclamations over the designs of the dresses. Not only were the dresses beautiful, but Student Design head Biran Goswami says that they were also eco-friendly. “The way we got it out to the other designers was to tell them during the preliminary meetings to use pre-used fabrics and materials: Apocalypse and Reincarnation were the ones we really encouraged recycling.

This year especially, the heads and directors (who designed) really did re-use old fabrics to set an example, so we expect a lot more students will do the same next year. On an interesting note, the Archaic shirts were from goodwill with some leather patterns added on, and the Tunguska shirts were repainted from ones used in Enigma. Lindsay Hepburn, one of the directors, concluded, “I hope that future fashion shows will continue to implement our new initiatives, such as design leaders and the eco-plan. If the joke hasn’t run on long enough, it was a phenomenal opportunity.”

MAYA CHAKRAVORTY

When I got my report card in November I was delighted to see that I had received a 92 in English. Considering that I had started grade 11 English with a 67, it was quite an improvement. Now, notice that I didn’t say anything along the lines of my being pleasantly surprised, shocked, or astounded. I knew perfectly well why I’d gotten that 92. It wasn’t by winging presentations or being lucky. No sir, like every good thing in life, it came with hard work.

But to truly understand the story of the little black 92 typed on my blue TDSB-emblazoned sheet of paper and how it got there, let me take you back to my summer holiday of 2009. My break started well enough: a visit with my parents to England followed by staying with a friend in California.

The real story started the morning after we arrived back from Santa Barbara on August 1st. I woke up, drowsy from the trip back home, and went down to the kitchen to eat. As I was spooning the cornflakes into my mouth, my mother asked me what I was planning to do with the rest of my summer and how I was going to prepare for grade 12. I shrugged and mumbled some excuse about checking Hamlet out from the library and reading it. She nodded, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

“As I thought, you have no game plan do you? How are you going to get into a good University if your grades are like last year’s?” She demanded of me like a ruffled goose. I was about to reply, but she steamrollered on. “If you think you’re going to sit around in your PJs and do nothing until school starts, you are seriously mistaken. After your appalling performance in English last year, you’re going to sit down and relearn materials from grade 11!”

My expression was now of pure horror. Then the rules and regulations started raining down like a shower of rockets. I had to get up at 8:30 every morning, including weekends. At 9, I had to sit down at the kitchen table where my mother could see me, so that I wouldn’t skive off. I would log onto Sparknotes.com and, from there, choose a book that I had already read. I had to review things such as the synopsis, symbols, themes, and character analyses, and then click on sample essay questions. I would choose one of the questions and write an answer to it in essay form. After I wrote it I would click on the model answer button and see what came up. If my answer was similar to that of the model answer, then I had done well. But if the answer was different, I would have to explain to my mother why.

So started my rigorous training in how to write a good essay. I wrote comparative essays, literary essays, and personal essays. I wrote about Anne Frank’s diary, The Life of Pi, Lord of the Flies, The Bean Trees, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, and so much more. After I had finished writing my essay, I handed it to my mother and she read it over, putting in her corrections with a red pen and explaining why she liked or disliked various parts.

The first week was horrible. I didn’t want to sit down and write an essay while all of my friends were sleeping in or hanging out. I resented having to sit down at the kitchen table with Mum next to me, supervising me like a toddler. My answers were nothing like those of the sample answers, and my mother tore apart my essays without reserve.

By the second week though, I had noticed a marked change. She pointed out fewer errors in my writing and actually began to ask me why instead of immediately criticizing my work. I found it easier to identify the themes and symbols in books that I was reading for pleasure and I began to question why the author’s choice of words.

By the third week, it had become a routine. I was at the table between 9 and 9:15 and my mother would ask, “Which book are you reading today?” And so, the first day of school crept closer and closer as I continued to churn these essays out like a photocopier.

I remember the first day of English. Mr. Small asked us to answer some comprehension questions about a convocation address and the entire class groaned. I relaxed as I began to read the questions. I had seen the exact same ones in Sparknotes and had answered all of them at least five times each. I started writing, and handed the assignment in, pretty confident that I had done well.

When I got my assignment back a few weeks later, I got a grade of 88%. That’s when I knew I had cracked it. Although my mom’s approach was probably a little extreme, an essay a day, what she proved to me, and what I hope I’ve proved to you, is that practice makes perfect… or pretty close. For all of those students who are unhappy with their English marks, there is something that can be done. Instead of complaining, read a book. When you’re reading, think about it analytically. Try to find the central theme or thesis of the work and why it’s significant. Question the piece: why did the author choose that word, or that stylistic device? And after that, try writing something about it. Maybe it’s a review or a comparison essay to something else you’ve read. Anything. The trick is to keep reading and writing. In my case, an essay a day kept the seventies away!