What's Up

Dunbarton community welcomes new principal

Dunbarton High School has a new principal this year and he is ready to make a change.

Randy Tennant joined the Dunbarton community with a warm welcome. "I'm really enjoying Dunbarton," he states. "The Dunbarton community has been very welcoming and it's a very good school, good students."

Entering a new environment can be hard, but for Mr. Tennant it was no problem. "I was not intimidated, no. Sometimes it's overwhelming though, there are so many new faces and learning all the names of our staff members is a challenge but I'm really enjoying – people have been very welcoming here but I enjoy coming to work everyday so that's important."

Mr. Tennant has many goals for the future of Dunbarton. Some of those goals include improving numeracy and literacy scores, making sure students are involved as much as possible, and ensuring the school has a caring and welcoming environment.

Out of all the schools in Durham, Mr. Tennant's top choice is Dunbarton. "It has so much to offer to students from an extracurricular point of view... There are so many different clubs to meet the needs off all the students. Also academically the students are very keen to do well in their academics."

Mr. Tennant feels that he possesses many qualities that make him a good principal. "I really value relationships. I really want to get to know people and understand where people are coming from. If you have good relationships people know you, they are more likely to work with you and work towards the same goals... ability to listen and know where people are coming from and my honesty and integrity I think are very important..."

Mr. Tennant may be the principal but he was a student once too. He was involved in sports such as: hockey, fencing, and soccer. Like many students in the school, Mr Tenant has learned the importance of a good work ethic.  "As a student I didn't always apply myself as best as I could but as I got through university. I learned that doing your homework on a regular basis and being involved in school helped improve my marks."

Before coming to Dunbarton, Mr. Tennant was at the board office working as an administrative officer responsible for MISA – Managing Information for Student Achievement.

"I'm very approachable...Please take an opportunity to come meet me, introduce yourself to me, and get to know me so I can get to know you."

6.5 hours won't "change who I am"

It only took 6.5 hours to change Sarah Sleimans regular teenage life into one of dependability and adaptation.

Two years ago Sarah Sleiman noticed a large lump on her right ankle. The Sleiman family tried to ignore the issue and wait to see if it would go away until it eventually started to impair Sarah's walking and mobility. Then they went seeking help. They went from doctor to doctor getting different misleading answers each time they went.

Results from  an MRI scan finally came back in March of this year. Doctors found a tumor located on Sarah's right ankle

The tumor was four point five cubic centimeters and had taken up most of her ankle. Her mobility at this point was very limited and they had no idea whether or not the tumor was cancerous or not. Two days after Sarah had received the results her doctor delivered the news: " He told me the tumor contained a form of cancer known as Synovial Sarcoma which is a  rare form of cancer that usually develops in the joints of arms and legs."

" A Sick Kids doctor contacted me in hope that my tumor was benign ( a non cancerous tumor) but after a 6.5 hour surgery done on May 16th it was confirmed that my tumor was cancerous."

"The surgery was not a success and  I was left with two options. Option one was a surgery that was not guaranteed it would get all the cancer out of my right leg and would probably leave me with no use of it afterword's, or an amputation from the knee down which was almost  a 100% guarantee to get out all the cancer with minimal risk to the rest of the body. With lots of consideration and talks with cancer survivors I decided to go with amputation and went through  with the procedure on August Second."

" I lived in Pickering my whole life and had always planned on coming to Dunbarton, but after this happened to me we weren't too sure with DHS not being the most wheelchair accessible school if I would be able to come here."  But after talking with the school they arranged for all of Sarah's classes to be on the main floor for the entire first semester. 

"I do find it a difficult school to manoeuver in and I feel self conscious of my chair, being the only student to be confined to one. Hopefully I will be learning to use prosthetics by the end of the month." Sarah said after voicing her opinion about how frustrating it is being confined to one floor of the school.

Sarah describes this experience as "life changing" and when asked if this experience has changed who she is she confidently replied "I don't feel it was so traumatic that it changed who I am as a person".

Hopefully this young woman who glimmers with positivity will be walking on all levels of our school by the time next semester rolls around.

 Fat Bastard has "freakin huge burritos"

Cameron Beattie
Staff Reporter 

Since the opening date on October 15th, Fat Bastards Burritos (located at the corner of Whites road and Kingston road) has become a booming hit among teens at Dunbarton High School.  The all around "badass" appeal of the place seems to be driving the kids crazy. The mouth watering burritos have so many options, from butter chicken to  pulled pork. It is an absolutely amazing experience. 

Co-owner Ash says he "believes in the product". Ash has been involved in the burrito business for the past 2 years and he believes whole heartedly that the way they grill products instead of frying them, and how everything is prepared on site is a better way to run a business. You can taste the freshness in their products. Personally I have tried their butter chicken quesadilla and I have never tasted anything quite like it. I did not feel bloated or greasy  like I do after a deep fried feast; I felt pleasant and light. It was a very nice alternative from the usual bagel, a bit more costly but definitely worth it!! 

The biggest burrito they have to offer is a 14 inch long roll of heaven, weighing up to 2 pounds of pure burrito goodness. Co-owner Ash says that their Chicken Burrito is their most popular order. Co-owner Ash also takes pride in saying that almost everything is fresh, the only thing that is packaged is the lettuce that has to be packaged. They hand make their pulled pork, guacamole, butter chicken, salsa and many more of the ingredients used to make their signature mouth watering burritos so delicious.

I give Fat Bastards Burrito 11 out of 10 and recommend it to anybody who prefers the finer things in life. Don't be turned away if you're not a fan of spice, they have something for everybody there. Go try a "Freakin Huge Burrito".  You won't regret it.

On October 10, 2012, fifteen-year-old Amanda Todd committed suicide in her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia after struggling with the effects of cyber-bullying.  

Three months after posting a cry for help on the popular video-sharing website, YouTube, Amanda hanged herself in her home.       

The story starts at age twelve when Amanda was chatting via messenger with a boy she met online. He asked her to flash him and she did. Little did she know, this "boy" took a picture of this and taunted Amanda for the following years. This boy turned out to be an Internet predator who threatened to post the picture online if Amanda did not put on another show for him. Following this, Amanda turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with her anxiety.

After moving around several times to try and get away from her past, Amanda finally found friends who were supportive of her. Amanda's mother, Carol, thought that this was going to be the end of her daughters painful past.          

Two days before Amanda's death, she had stayed home from school with symptoms of a headache, a sore throat, and vomiting.

Bullying was not the cause but just a factor of Amanda's death. Amanda was struggling with anxiety and depression as shown in her previous attempts at suicide. She had tried drinking bleach as well as trying to overdose with her anti-depressants.     

This story is very controversial as seen on social media websites such as Facebook. Some people feel Amanda had put this on herself while others feel sorry for her as she was struggling with a mental illness without much support.

If you think you or any of your friends/family is dealing with a mental illness and need help do not be afraid to help. If you are in a crisis you can call Durham Mental Health Services crisis line at 905-666-0483 (if you're over 16) or Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.

Amanda Todd's death could have been prevented

On October 10th 2012, a 15 years old girl, Amanda Todd, committed suicide.  I strongly believe that there are many things that could've been done to prevent this tragedy.

Years before the suicide, Amanda had been using a webcam constantly, talking to strangers online, one being a 32 year old man. This male had asked her to flash him, and she showed him her breasts, which he then took a photo of. After he had the photo, he threatened to send the photo to all her friends and family members if she didn't perform a private "show" for him.  She refused and he sent the photo to friends and family.  Because of this, Amanda had to move several times and fell into depression and anxiety and panic disorder. Her schoolmates called her names and bullied her. Even after she had moved to several schools she was still being cyber bullied and had a failed attempt at suicide after some girls at her school had beaten her up.

When Amanda first started using a webcam to talk to strangers online she was only in the 7th grade, making her 12 years old. If Amanda was only 12 years old, she shouldn't have had access to a webcam. Her parents should have known better then to give her one, especially knowing about people online who put on hidden identities in order to lure and manipulate children. If Amanda had waited a few years to get a webcam, she would've been better educated on using the Internet safely and more responsibly. Because she was so young, she didn't and her parents should have kept her more protected.

After Amanda had moved schools and was still being cyber bullied, she should have removed her Facebook account and shouldn't have used the Internet for a while. If her Facebook account was deleted then people wouldn't have had ways to make her a target. And even if they were, she wouldn't have known once she moved schools. Facebook should do a better job of making sure cyber bullying doesn't happen on their website.

When the bullying first started happening at school, Amanda and her parents should have immediately dealt with it by letting the principle know, and letting them deal with it before it escalated. If the principle had been informed, he could have put a complete stop to the situation and it would've made other students afraid of getting involved and participating in the bullying. Instead, nothing was done and the problem escalated. Once Amanda was literally beaten by her classmates, her parent's defiantly should have stepped in and pressed charges. When were her parents going to decide that enough is enough, and do something about the situation? Instead they didn't, which is one of the reasons she's not here today.

Amanda had tried committing suicide before her actual death, and I still feel like the problem was still not being recognized enough. After she had tried committing suicide she made a YouTube video practically crying out for help, meaning that her problems still weren't being acknowledged enough by anyone. She should have received help from so many people, but she didn't get it, as she made clear in her video.

This young girl's story was a tragedy; however, it could've been prevented if her parents had done more to protect her and not sit back and watch everything fall into place. Facebook should have more strict policies on how their site is being used. Teens can be taught all the facts, and listen to all the lectures, but at the end of the day will still do whatever they want, whether its good or bad. Society needs to accept that and now think of other ways to prevent bullying rather then just "informing" teens.

Sports

NHL players making millions, but not in North America

Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin (32), currently playing for Dyanmo Moscow, celebrates a goal with teammate Maxim Solovyov (50).

 
Recently, the average day in the life of an NHL player has consisted of a lot of time wasting while the NHL and NHLPA try to solve their latest dispute. however, there are a group of players who have headed overseas to continue making their large salaries while the NHL is locked-out.

Since the lockout began on September 15th, thirty-five NHL players have headed over to Europe to play in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, a relatively new league founded in 2008 by energy giant Alexander Medvedev. Since then, Medvedev's brain child has grown to become the NHL's largest competitor.

The KHL – which consists of twenty-six teams based in Russia, Belarus, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic – was able to gain some popularity in the North American market with no NHL hockey, landing a TV deal in the United States with ESPN and MSG.

However, not much is known about the Kontinental League around North America, which is probably the main reason why only four of the thirty-five NHLers playing in the league are from Canada or the USA. San Jose Sharks winger Joe Pavelski and Winnipeg Jets young star Evander Kane are two of those North American players, but both have gotten off to woeful starts in Belarus with Dynamo Minsk, combining for just one goal and one assist through eight games. Meanwhile, Kane – a 30-goal scorer in Winnipeg last season – has already put up forty-five penalty minutes and has been suspended once.  It's a similar story for fellow NHLer and Minsk goalie Pekka Rinne, who has had more poor performances than good through the first part of the season, putting up a below average .906 save percentage.

Dynamo Minsk is not the only KHL team with North American NHL players on their roster struggling to get wins. HC Barys Astana, based in Kazakhstan, features New York Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh yet sit outside the playoff picture. While Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul signed with the KHL's smallest market team, Avtomobilist, who already find themselves 20 points out of a playoff position with only four wins in twenty-two games.

The decision to stay home rather than head to the former Soviet Union for most North Americans is in part not due to on-ice attributes of the KHL, however. The Russian league has often found themselves in controversy over lost wages, poor airline accommodation, and rumors of a team in the town of Chekhov being owned by the Russian mob.

Many of the NHL's eastern European players are ignoring some of these underlining factors and are returning home in order to get the chance to play in front of family and friends. Washington superstar Alexander Ovechkin has returned to his hometown Moscow to play for Dynamo Moscow, bringing the Capitals' Swedish centreman Nicklas Backstrom with him. Through fourteen games, Ovechkin has put up a point per game and helped the defending champions reach first place in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, down the street, CSKA Moscow (one of Moscow's four KHL teams) has signed a flurry of NHL players. After signing former Nashville Predator Alexander Radulov to a $9.2-million per year contract, "Red Army" has been able to add one of the NHL's top players in Pavel Datsyuk, along with Leaf Mikhail Grabovski and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. Despite Bryzgalov's awful 3.38 Goals Against Average and .881 save percentage, the trio of Radulov, Datsyuk and Grabovski have combined to spark CSKA's offence and put them back towards the top of the Western Conference standings.

It's a similar story in the factory town of Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg has added Leafs winger Nikolai Kulemin, Sergein Gonchar, and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin. Malkin is currently tied with New Jersey Devils forward and current SKA St. Petersburg captain Ilya Kovalchuk for the league lead in points among NHL player with 24.

Current NHL players are not the only ones putting up strong numbers in the midst of a lockout. St. Louis prospect Vladimir Tarasenko, who will join the Blues whenever the lockout ends, has scored sixteen points in just twelve games. While over in Nizhnekamsk, 2012 first overall pick Nail Yakupov of the Edmonton Oilers has ten goals and fourteen points in thirteen games.

The best story of the early KHL season however is not the addition of many superstar players; instead it is the rebirth of Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. The Lokomotiv team was headed to play their first game in Minsk on September 7th of last year when their plane failed to take off and crashed in a nearby river, killing all people on board except a flight attendant. Among the dead were former NHLers Brad McCrimmon, Ruslan Salei, and Pavol Demitra. Yaroslavl has returned in 2012 with an entirely new roster that includes locked-out NHL players Dmitri Kulikov, Semyon Varlamov, and Artem Anisimov and currently sit in second place among all twenty-six teams.

Despite threats from players like Ovechkin and Kovalchuk to stay in Russia even after the lockout ends, NHL fans shouldn't worry about their favourite players leaving their North American homes, as there is a rule in the KHL that locked-out NHLers can only earn 60% of their NHL salaries while they temporarily play in Russia. As well, the KHL and NHL have an agreement to honour all existing contracts within both leagues. All it means is that these players aren't as eager to return as their friends currently making $65,000 in the American Hockey League. 

Pro hockey continues despite lack of Leafs

Marlies rookie Greg McKegg (39) gets pushed on top of Rochester Americans goalie David Leggio during the first game of the season.

 It has now been nearly two months since the NHL officially locked-out its players for the second time in eight years, leaving players and fans to find a temporary source of entertainment.

The lockout hurts especially in the hearts of Toronto Maple Leafs fans, who have been waiting since April to see their team take to the ice again. Friday's news of the 2013 Bridgestone Winter Classic, which was to feature the Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, being pushed back until 2014 didn't exactly help either.

But unlike during the last lockout, all hope for fans of professional hockey in Toronto is not lost.

What many Leafs fans seem to forget is that there is another MLSE-owned pro hockey team in town. The Toronto Marlies, of the American Hockey League, are the affiliate club of the Leafs and gives fans a chance to see their favourite Leafs youngsters dawn the blue and white even with no NHL to watch.

The Marlies, who play in the 8000-seat Ricoh Coliseum at Exhibition Place where tickets start at just $10, gave Toronto its first taste of a pro-hockey final for the first time since 1967 when they made it all the way to the AHL championship series last June. The team stopped there, however, and was swept by the Norfolk Admirals, formerly the affiliate team of the Tampa Bay Lightning and now the Anaheim Ducks.

This season, the 'Baby Leafs' return with even greater expectations. Popular coach Dallas Eakins signed a 3-year contract extension this past off-season, while the Marlies added 2011-12 AHL top scorer Keith Aucoin along with blueliners Mike Kostka and Paul Ranger to their line-up.

Along with those three, the team also sees Leafs star defenceman Jake Gardiner and 2012 KHL champion Leo Komarov join the roster with no Leafs team to play on.

The Marlies also have some familiar faces returning to the line-up this season. Former first-round pick Nazem Kadri is headed into his third professional season and veteran centre Mike Zigomanis, a favourite of Don Cherry, returns after signing an AHL-only contract this past July. Zigomanis earned some fame this past season while Cherry regularly lobbied for him to be recalled to the Leafs on his weekly Coach's Corner segment.

Along with the likes of Gardiner, Komarov and Kadri, there are some other players on the AHL team expected to be watched closely by Leafs GM Brian Burke. Young players Matt Frattin, Joe Colborne, Korbinian Holzer, Carter Ashton, and goalie Ben Scrivens are all expected to challenge for roster spots on the NHL club.

For now, these player's focus is not on trying to earn a call-up to the NHL, but instead on helping the Marlies build on the successes of last season.

Life

Teens and Self-Harm

A growing issue with teenagers right now is Mental Health. Some teens are troubled with frequent intense and painful emotions that are indescribable. Some teens are able to cope with these feelings, while others react differently to their problems because they have not been taught ways to handle their emotions effectively. Instead of talking about their problems, teens tend to bottle up all their feelings and it makes it hard for them to think clearly. Some teens release these emotions by self-harming. Self-injury provides the teen immediate relief, but only for a short period of time. 20 per cent of Canadian children, teens and young adults suffer from Mental Health issues.  

A 16 year old girl from Dunbarton High School, whose name cannot be revealed due to privacy reasons, knows firsthand how to deal with this struggle. She struggles with anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and depersonalization disorder. This student deals with these struggles by self-harming.

As we started the interview, she sat very still and relaxed. As I got ready to ask my first question, she smiled nervously and nodded for me to begin. "Have you tried self-harming for various issues? Do you feel like it helps?" Without hesitation, she calmly responded. "Yes I have, and I feel like it does. I think it gives a way to release emotions."

After she responded to the first question, I felt comfortable asking more personal questions because of her welcoming presence. "I felt blank, emotionless and numb [when I first self-harmed]" She also revealed that she started self-harming at the age of 13, and that her first time "was kind of a blur. I was a little nervous because it was a weird feeling. I didn't know what I was doing."

It took her a little longer to answer my question. I watched her as she fiddled with her sweater zipper and patiently waited for her to respond. "Before [I self-harm], it's any type of negative emotions such as anxiety, stress, frustration, worry anger.  After it's a relief." When asked if it's hard to talk about her personal problems and if that's why she solves her problems by self-harming, she replied "It depends on the issue, if it is a real deep problem I wouldn't talk to anyone about it and that is why I self-harm. If it's just an everyday problem I'm more than likely to talk to a friend about it."

The 16 year old assured me that her dad does know about her self-harming. As the room got quiet, and after a short pause, she anxiously added "I would never tell my mom. After my dad found out he and I became closer I can talk to him more easily now about issues. Problems with my mom, stress from school, and friends [are issues that have caused me to self-harm]."

It was near the end of the interview. The room became quiet and all we could hear was the sound of the clock ticking at this point. She took a glance at the clock as I flipped my page over, got my pen ready, and then proceeded on asking my last 2 questions. The advice she would have for young girls who are thinking about self-harming is "Well obviously my advice would be biased because I think if you know your boundaries it's a good way to get out emotions but I would never want anyone to fall into that addiction."

When I began to write down her response, I felt a little edgy about asking her the next question, worried that she wouldn't want to give an answer or that the atmosphere of the room would turn awkward. I took a deep breath, and asked her the question very calmly.

Her eyebrows rose. Her facial expression looked very surprised, and I could tell she did not expect a question like this to be asked. She stared at her hands and started to fidget with her finger nails. After a few moments, she looked up and responded. "Yes, some days if my emotions are running too high, I feel like self-harm is not enough to release them. I don't think my self-harm could get worse because I know my boundaries and when enough is enough. I wouldn't do anything too drastic."

For my last question, I asked her if she is trying to recover, and what is making her want to recover. "Yes I am. I try to stop myself by finding distractions like listening to music or reading. I want to stop because I know it hurts my dad, step mom, and friends."

I was curious about what inspires her to recover. "My big inspiration is Demi Lovato, my dad and my grandma who passed away when I was four years old from cancer because I know she wouldn't want me to live my life this way." As I wrote down the last words of her answer, I smiled at her and thanked her for her time. She blissfully shook my hand and also thanked me for interviewing for her.

Healthy Eating vs. Dieting

Unsafe dieting among teenage girls has become a growing problem in today's society. Girls do not realize that there are healthy ways to lose weight without putting themselves at risk.

In society, it is shown that the typical girl should be very thin. Teenage girls are influenced by media, where they show models, actors, and actresses that have a certain body image.

In Canada, the average dress size is 8-10, while girls are trying to achieve an image of being a size 4 or smaller. With trying to live up to weight and size standards that teens think are "proper", many teens are using risky dieting as a way to achieve their goals.

A popular diet among teens is when you only intake 800 calories a day, the bare minimum that you can take in and still function normally. Another growing trend is to cut out all fats in the food you are eating to increase the success of losing weight. This can cause serious problems for a teen. Dieting can cause nutritional deficiencies with your iron and calcium, which can have short term effects on your body as well as long term. Also with eating less you are reducing the amount of energy that your body will have which can cause problems in your growth and development. Teens who diet also have a risk of having an eating disorder due to the fact that anorexia and bulimia helps them reach their goals easier and faster.

According to statistics, 41-66% of teenage girls have admitted to being on a diet to decrease their weight. The reasons vary between wanting to become healthier, being average weight, or trying to have a thin body type.

While some teens are dieting, there is also a healthy way to lose the unwanted weight. Moderation is the key to a successful way of losing weight. You can't think of moderation as what you can't eat or how much you can in a day. To be successful you need to think about replacing the unhealthy foods with healthier alternatives, which will not make you think about eating less food during the day.

Many also think that if you skip a meal, such as breakfast, it will help you lose weight because you are skipping a meal that you would normally eat, but by doing this you are actually hurting yourself. You should always eat breakfast because it speeds up your metabolism, and have small snacks throughout the day to keep your energy up instead of eating three big meals a day.

Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet is just as important as having carbs and grains. Most believe that carbs are unhealthy, when in reality there are bad carbs and good carbs. Healthy carbs include whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables while the unhealthy carbs include white flour, refined sugar and white rice.

Make sure to add protein and calcium into your diet. You want to make sure that your body doesn't take a negative effect to the changes so you need to make sure that you have enough energy and that your bones are strong enough to support the changes that you are making in your life.

Lastly, you need to be aware of your salt and sugar intake because you may not be aware that many foods that are considered healthy actually contain a lot of sugar or salt, which will slow down the weight loss that you are trying to achieve.

Although eating healthy may seem like a lot of work compared to diets, it is something positive to have in your life. Teenagers are in the middle of their development and you need to take initiative to be healthy for the good of your own body. You may want to lose weight but if you lose it in a healthy and productive way then it will be easier for you to continue your healthy lifestyle and maintain your weight. 

 iPhone 4 vs. iPhone 5

Thinner. Faster. Lighter. The iphone 5 is supposed to be the next big thing in the history of Smartphone’s. After Apple revealed it on their website early September, people couldn’t wait to get their hands on it. Some people even camped outside their local Future Shops, and Best Buys to get their hands on the iphone 5. While Apple promises us a better iphone, is there actually a big enough difference between this iphone and the very successful iphone 4 or 4S.

Let’s talk about the appearance of the iphone 5. The iphone 5 is significantly taller than the iphone 4 making the iphone 5 more sleek. That being said some people might not like the iphone 5 because of the height of the phone saying it’s too big, but to be honest the height of the phone does not make it too big. It still fits in your pocket perfectly and isn’t a pain to lug around. Another difference between the two phones is that the iphone 5 is thinner making it 20% lighter than the iphone 4. The iphone 5 feels comfortable in your hand giving you the freedom to do everything with just one hand. It is also made fully of glass and aluminum. You might think that since it is made of glass and aluminum it will break easily. Nope, no matter how many times you drop it there isn’t going to be a scratch.  Now with teenagers they tend to drop their phones a lot, that’s not a surprise. But having a phone that survives all these drops is a keeper. Finally you have the display screen; Apple promises you a 4 inch retina display that allows you to see things more lively and vivid, making it a larger more beautiful canvas. Also the iphone 5 has a 8 mega pixel camera while the iphone 4 has a 5 mega pixel camera making the camera quality that much better. That is why the iphone 5 has a better appearance then the iphone 4.

Apple states that the iphone 5 is faster than the iphone 4 because of the A6 chip as opposed to the A5 that the iphone 4 had making their new phone perform features even faster. Now the iphone 5 is indeed faster than the previous iphones, making your activities easier and quicker. Now based on experience, the internet is faster than the internet on the iphone 4, by putting them side by side and opening the internet at the same time and the iphone 5’s internet opened before the internet on the iphone 4. When it comes to the speed iphone 5 wins.

In conclusion, the iphone 5 is different than the iphone 4 and isn’t just another Smartphone. But it all depends on your preferences. If you have an iphone 4 and aren't bothered by it then don’t bother getting another phone. But if you want to get the new iphone 5 but are kind of hesitant, definitely get it. Now another complaint about the iphone 5 is the price point and it is quite high in price but there isn’t a huge difference in price between the iphone 4 and iphone 5 and you get a better quality phone. They say that the iphone 5 is just another iphone but it's not.  It's definitely better.

Arts

 If Not Now When?

There's one main thing every artist wants their listeners to feel after hearing their heartfelt work. For Olly Knights, he wanted his listeners "to feel like they've been given a warm hug for 34 minutes..." After listening to his debut album If Not Now When?, you feel just that. I must say that I discovered something very dear to me lately- a single word, lyric, an entire song can make you feel absolute warmth and ease. There are a lot of albums out there that move me, but I've come across very few that can make me feel completely fulfilled and in a suspended moment of euphoria.

If Not Now When? takes you on a musical journey full of warmhearted lyrics. When asked about the concept, Olly says, "it was really important to try and translate these hugely personal atmosphere's into something other people could enjoy, maybe feel were beautiful, I can't think of anything more positive to do with my life." This is what he wished to convey to his audience, and he certainly gets it across.

I've never really thought of music this way until listening to If Not Now When?. The new album by Olly Knights includes vocals that soar over gorgeous guitar playing which is further treated when the harmonies swoop in.  All of the elements come together to create an absolute soothing and comforting atmosphere. At first, it comes over you and makes you feel a delightful coziness. Shortly afterwards, you'll realize you've just heard an amazing and inspirational piece of music, and that is why you're feeling this subtle yet irresistible warmth.

The album opens with track Ripchord; an ethereal and lovely tune. "The words in the chorus are about cables under the sea carrying our hopes fears and dreams which I often think about, existential cyborgs.... Like woh!" Olly says as he describes the album.

At certain moments, vocals aren't even needed; the emotions expressed through the guitar and piano playing alone displays technical treats and beautiful melodies. It's extremely evident that Olly has passion spilling out of him for his work. As a faithful listener, I honestly couldn't ask for anything more pleasing for my ears.

A very rich joy is absorbed through every song as Olly sings to listeners about music, love, and life. I've found it to be one of the best albums of the year, and it's definitely some of the most touching music heard in a long time.

Come of Age

Last March, The Vaccines delivered their first stellar album What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?  It was so excellent that it comes off as a "greatest hits" album. With this, you may be unsure what to expect from The Vaccines for their next album. I didn't know if it could be beat. Well, wow was I wrong. Their newest album Come of Age displays a new sound for the band, a sound distinct from their prior album, yet one that works for them brilliantly.

Come of Age was just recently released in Canada. The album as a whole holds not one song to dislike. The Vaccines have officially kicked up the energy, the attitude and the overall feel of their music with Come of Age.

Going through the album, there are two standout tracks which really are attention grabbers. Ghost Town (this might just be my favourite off the album) and Weirdo. They each have a unique ambiance and every attribute swims into a river of harmonious and gripping beats. The song has a sense extremely reminiscent of swing music; its different downbeat may just make you want to dance like mad. The band's experimentation with even more melodic tunes is completely evident in this song.

After a two minute and twenty-one second moment of musical bliss, Ghost Town is followed by Aftershave Ocean. The guitar sways its rockabilly melody with the charming vocals. Every aspect of the song is to be adored.

I've found that even the performances have been kicked up a notch. Their guitarist Freddie has captured a certain southern, country-twang to his playing which is simply admirable. The drumming displayed by Pete follows this same path as it's far more complex, yet maintains that punk-element they are known for. Arni's bass playing is far more evident as it maintains its thumping throughout the album, and Justin stretching his vocal range really adds a nice touch to many of the tracks.

I've had the urge to see The Vaccines since their enthusiastic and exciting show in Toronto last May as they opened for The Arctic Monkeys. Well, I'm pleased that this urge will be fulfilled. The Vaccines have recently announced they will be returning to Toronto in February at The Phoenix. I am ecstatic to attend and watch Come of Age live in all its glory. So maybe I'll see you there? Until then, remember this: Next time you ask yourself What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?, expect something fantastic.

APOCRYPHON 

The Swords 'Apocryphon' is their fourth studio album and was released on October 22nd 2012.  This album has a total of 10 tracks and the album listens in 45 minutes. The albums style is more Stoner and Doom metal unlike their previous albums that were more Heavy Metal.

The album has received good reviews all around. AllMusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars and Ultimate Guitar Archive gave it 8.3 out of 10.  A lot of critics compared it to artists such as Black Sabbath and Sleep, praising its electronic elements.            

This album is the first by The Sword not to feature an instrumental track but the album is still an excellent buy. Each track will have you headbanging and wanting to learn it on guitar. One of the most heavy and unique tracks on the album is the album title song Apocryphon. At the beginning of the song, a synthesizer opens for a couple of bars until the heavy guitar riff comes in. The track is a good demonstration of the more Doom and Sludge metal approach the band used for this album. Unlike their previous album 'Warp Riders' which had a lyrical theme and was a concept album, 'Apocryphon'  was not and didn't have a concept. Guitarist Kyle Shutt stated that the album is "more of a metaphorical reflection of everything we've gone through".

This album is a great buy and it wont disappoint. 

Fifty shades of rated R

Zarah Javaid
Staff Reporter 

It's that one book that's got everyone talking, the one that you curiously Google to discover the plot and after reading most of it, your expression goes from innocent and curious to guilty and horrified, as you try to delete all the history off your computer. That book is Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James.

The book's age range according to the author is suitable for thirty to forty year old women that are dealing with a mid-life crisis' and are in need of cheering up or for a distraction. If only the author knew that those middle-aged women's teenage daughters are getting their hands on that book. Whether it's under the covers with a flashlight or openly reading it out in the public, teenage girls are reading the sexually erotica trilogy.

Apparently "Fifty Shades of Grey" has sold more copies worldwide than J.K Rowling's "Harry Potter" and Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight". The hype of the book has just increased world-wide to women and their appeal to erotica books. It's been charted number one for twenty weeks in a row. The book is based off a more intimate, more mature version of Twilight but for an older woman's appeal in mind for sure. It captures the images of a handsome in a suit and young college graduate that meddle into a contract of a very sexual relationship. This book definitely should have an age requirement.  Just as you need an ID for a bar, customers should need an ID for purchasing this book. 

Perks of being a wallflower

"Perks of being a wallflower" is a popular teen book published in 1999. American author Stephen Chbosky created a novel following the life of Charlie, a teenage introvert who tries to become more involved with others. It's a tale that many readers relate to and connect with. The novel is written in a letter format, with Charlie sending them off to a 'friend', needing the anonymity but at the same time needing someone else to understand.  When it first came out, the book was very famous among teens, and still is today. It ranked #16 on the "best-ever teen novels" list.

The book has also hit a new level of popularity.  It now has a movie based on the book.  The film stars Logan Lerman and Emma Watson. The number one concern fans had regarding the movie was hollywood directors swooping in and destroying a book loved by many (much like what happened with Logan Lermans other movie "The Percy Jackson" adaptions.)

Fortunately their fears were for naught.  Stephen Chbosky's decision to stay true to the book and pick apart every choice in creating the movie came with reward.  Many fans find that the movie has kept the integrity and uniqueness of the book. "I think that the book was better than the movie, but the format and overall feel of the movie was satisfying," said a local fan.

When people think leather the image of a rocker or a biker may pop into their head. But as the fashion industry became more and more advanced more designers incorporated leather into their pieces of fashion. Leather is becoming more and more stylish and sophisticated. This trend comes in all different colors ranging from a really light cream to a very dark forest green depending on your style. Leather can be worn by people with all different styles. It all depends on what you pair it with. Every fashionista should own at least one clothing item made of leather.

 Leather can be worn in all different ways depending on your style. Girls with a more feminine style may want to choose a nice leather heel to wear with their favourite summer dress, or pair a nice cream coloured leather jacket with a beautiful flowing tank top. This gives the outfit an edgy look but with the light hues it can also be very girly.If your style is a little bit out there try a pair of leather pants and pair it with a nice chunky sweater with a pair of combat boots. If you're a little bit daring pair leather pants with your favourite band t shirt creating a very edgy look.  It all depends on who you are and what look you're trying to achieve, this trend is very versatile.

Leather pieces can range from in expensive to very expensive depending on the stores you check. If you know you might not like this trend but want to try it check out stores like Forever 21 that offer a leather jacket for 30 dollars. If you're looking to splurge on a nice leather piece try stores like Chanel or Louis Vuitton that offer  pieces like purses ,footwear, and jackets for about 800 dollars apiece .

In conclusion, this trend is really great; this makes a lot of people excited for the cold seasons giving them something to look forward to. Learn that leather can be worn in many different ways and is a nice transitional piece turning a summer dress to a fall appropriate outfit. You will be seeing this trend a lot from designers all over the globe. Don't be afraid to go all out and just have fun with it.

Entertainment

Ask COCO

Dear COCO,

I really like this girl, but the problem is she is one of my good friends. I don't think she sees me as anything more, except maybe as a brother. How do I tell her how I feel or give hints that I like her? I really need to get out of the friend zone. HELP!

From,

Desperate for help.

Dear Desperate for help,

It looks like you're in a tough situation, but luckily every situation has a solution. First of all if you want to tell your friend how you feel, you have to consider a few important things. You expressing your feelings for her might completely ruin your relationship. Once you tell her how you feel she might be really appalled and your friendship may turn extremely awkward. However, she may be completely flattered and actually want to take things to the next level. Either way, your relationship will never be the same. 

 If you would like to tell her how you feel, without saying it full out then you have to know, actions speak better than words! Try being more flirtatious, and give her lots of compliments. Compliment her on the little things that usually just guy friends wouldn't take the time to notice.  Notice things only someone who's playing close attention to her would recognize. She will notice you, noticing more about her, and girls love that! Put in the effort to spend more time with her, more than you do with your other girl friends. Ask her out to lunch, or to work on homework together. Somewhere you're able to spend quality time together. Once she sees this, she'll catch on. Girls have a strong intuition.

 Really pay attention to how she reacts to all these changes you're making. If she seems overly flattered about you're compliments, and is excited to spend some quality time with you, then chances are she may feel the same way. If she doesn't notice the changes you're making, or care much for your compliments then chances are she only sees you as a friend and you're better off not telling her how you feel. Unfortunately you may just have to accept that fact that you guys will only ever be friends, or if this is someone you truly care about, then you may just have to keep on waiting. I hope everything works out for you. Just do what your heart says!

Sincerely,


COCO

The Latest "Buzz"

by Yalda Ahmaddi

From break ups to make ups, and doing drugs to become thugs, celebrities have always been in the news and causing mishaps. The latest buzz gets passed around from teenagers to adults, and even to children. It's usually the latest gossip about Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez's relationship, or Chris Brown's horrendous Halloween costume.

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have been in a relationship for quite some time now. In pictures and short snippet videos they always seem to be happy with each other. Smiling, holding hands and other things a 'perfect relationship' would have. However, on Halloween paparazzi pictures of Selena Gomez didn't show the famous Bieber by her side. Gomez had pictures with her friends and it seems like she was having a good time without Justin.

Another recent activity shown was on Justin Bieber's instagram, he posted a picture that had a sad vibe. He posted the caption with 'Lingse' which many of his fans took for being single.

Although we don't know for sure- and hey they may just be distant because of Justin Bieber's tour going on- it seems as though things may be falling apart slightly. We'll have to wait and see what else could happen.

Chris Brown has caused a lot of mishap over the few years that has passed. He is famously known because he had beaten Rihanna, after she posted pictures of her face bruised and stitched up. Chris Brown received a lot of negative comments because of his act. However, this Halloween he dressed up as a terrorist. He went as far as wearing a full costume with fake guns, and even a fake beard. After paparazzi pictures and videos, fans and people who know Chris for his talents were very upset at his joke and did not find it funny. Mr. Brown has caused a lot of controversy over his costume and his mother then decided to go on twitter to take action, "Dressing as a member of the Taliban is no worse than a traditional devil costume many kids wear for the annual festivities. Halloween is for fun, nothing more than just fun. Get a life please." As if her first tweet about Chris wasn't enough, she added "So does this mean when we dress our kids as Satan we are glorifying him or is it just out of fun? Keep smiling angel." He tweeted a picture of his costume with a caption 'swagg!!!!' his friends and him being in the front of the picture.

Staff

 Staff Writers:

January 2011

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