the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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(N)Ice Post.

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(N)Ice Post

By Luke Langlois

Did you know that officially declaring something makes it true? I am officially declaring war on Holden. The goal? I will prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that my sports predictions were far worse than his. Now, if you have read Holden’s post on the NBA rankings, you would know that a victory for me seems unlikely. Yes, Holden was quite wrong. But I broke rule #1 of playoff hockey; it’s unpredictable. Today, I would like to revisit the post that I wrote “predicting” the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

As a reminder: this is the bracket that I created. This does not reflect the current round of the playoffs (which you should watch). Let’s start with what I got right.

  1. The Dallas Stars did indeed eliminate the Nashville Predators in six games.
  2. I correctly predicted that the St. Louis Blues would eliminate the Winnipeg Jets in six games.
  3. San Jose eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights in seven games. The hockey genius over here called it.
  4. On that note, I did correctly predict the Western Conference Finals matchup!
  5. The New York Islanders eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins in FOUR games, a perfect sweep. I predicted that this would happen in six games, but I’ll give myself credit for this.
  6. The Boston Bruins eliminated the Maple Leafs in seven games, which matches up with my bracket.

I did get quite a few matchups correct, even down to the game count. Statistically, I got more correct than most people. But I got a couple of matchups glaringly wrong, which devalues just about everything I got right. Here’s what I got wrong:

  1. The Calgary Flames did NOT eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in six games. The Avalanche eliminated the Flames in five games. This was one of the many upsets by a Wild Card team.
  2. The Washington Capitals did take the Carolina Hurricanes to seven games, which matches my bracket. Unfortunately, I figured that the Capitals would be able to take the game seven on home ice. They did not. The Hurricanes won game seven in overtime, 4-3. So, that was not all that bad. I only got it wrong by one goal, right?
  3. If this were not a written post, I would let out an audible sigh here. Remember when I was saying Tampa Bay was just too good to not win it all? As a naive child once said, “. . . it is my FIRM belief that Tampa Bay is just TOO GOOD!” Yeah, that was me. Tampa Bay had one of the best regular seasons in the history of the NHL. Tampa Bay had a goal differential of +103. As a refresher, that means they cumulatively outscored their opponents by 103 goals. But suddenly, hockey started meaning something for them again. They could no longer cruise to win their games. The Tampa Bay Lightning were not receptive to this message. They got swept by the Wild Card Columbus Blue Jackets in what could be seen as the largest upset in the history of the NHL.

If you did not notice a common theme among the teams that got upset in the first round, they were ALL #1 seeded teams. This year marks the first year in NHL history that each division winner was eliminated in the first round. Anyhow, that’s enough of what I got wrong. Allow me now to update you on the current matchups going on.

  1. In a shock to many, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders in four games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. If you went back a bit, you would know that New York just swept Pittsburgh in the first round. Apparently, it was a fluke. This Islanders team was the first since the 1993 Buffalo Sabres to get swept after completing a sweep.
  2. The St. Louis Blues beat the Dallas Stars in double overtime in a seven game series. A win is a win, but it easily could have gone either way. As a reminder, St. Louis was dead last in the NHL in December. Good job, Blues.
  3. Many people expected a LOT from the Columbus Blue Jackets after their bulldozing of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Boston Bruins made relatively quick work of Columbus, defeating them in six games. Boston is currently leading Carolina three games to none. The winner of this series will advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Perhaps the city of Boston will be able to end their long-running championship drought.
  4. The San Jose Sharks, pleasing the home crowd, took down the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. They are currently facing the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals.

How many upsets have occurred in the NBA playoffs so far? One. How many upsets occurred in the first round of the NHL playoffs? MANY! Tune in to the NHL playoffs before it’s too late. Trust me. Watch these games.

Editor: AJ Patencio

How to Make the Transition to Adulthood: Using the Catcher in the Rye as an Example of What Not to Do

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By Holden Hartle, who takes his namesake from Holden Caulfield

This spring break, I took a trip to the East Coast in which I traversed Massachusetts and Rhode Island completely by myself. Everything from transportation to food was accounted for by me. It’s scary, needless to say. But I had a friend during this time, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.

I had never read the book before, despite it being the book I was named after, and I couldn’t have read it at a better time.

The book follows Holden, a sixteen year old who has just been kicked out of yet another prestigious school because he is unmotivated to complete his schoolwork. The angsty teen only passed one class at Pencey, his English class, and this was because he had read all of the books in previous years. His struggles in school stem from his hatred for adults. All adults with few exception are “phonies.” His teachers are no exception.

Because Holden is the narrator, and a pretty snarky one, you have to take everything he says with a grain of salt. He will state that a certain adult is a phony, but as the reader, you have to ask yourself why he would say something like that. Is a character actually a phony, or is he just a phony through the eyes of Holden? My brief background in AP Psychology tells me that Holden is displacing his fear of adulthood onto all adults, instead of accepting the transition.

The book gets it title from Holden describing his fantasy of being a “catcher in the rye” to his younger sister, Phoebe. He explains the scenario in which he is in a rye field with his back facing a cliff with a sheer drop off. In this field, children are running towards the cliff, and Holden is picking them up, and placing them further away from the edge.

Pretty weird fantasy, right? Not when you understand the consciousness of Holden.

To me, the bottom of the cliff is adulthood, and these children are conforming to what society wants; they are making the jump to become adults. Holden is desperately trying to keep these children in their current state, but he can’t save everyone. The reader learns that Holden has almost a quixotic factor to him. He has the idea that he can save everyone, but obviously this isn’t the case.

Towards the end of the book, Holden is watching Phoebe on a carousel. Holden cries happy tears as he watches Phoebe going round-and-round, stagnant in her childhood. She isn’t headed in a straight line to adulthood, she is stuck in her childhood, and that makes Holden happy.

So what does this have to do with you? Well, don’t be like Holden. The inevitable tide of adulthood is coming, and you can’t stop it, no matter how hard you or Holden try. So adjust. Humans are amazing at adapting to new social environments. Whether you are going to college or getting your first job, you can adjust to that new environment. If you completely immerse yourself, you mold yourself to match that situation. Holden couldn’t adapt; thus he clung to childhood with all of his being. This ultimately was his downfall. Don’t be like Holden.

Editor: AJ Patencio

bahrain in the membrane, bahrain in the brain

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By Makena Behnke

today, i bring you a quick info drop on a country that i find interesting: Bahrain. i came across this country while inspecting different flags and found one that caught my eye: a white and red zig zag flag. i looked it up and found Bahrain. my “not being taught about many Middle Eastern countries” is the main source of my interest in learning about them (something i do in my free time). so, i present to you a summary of things i learned about Bahrain. this is going to be a jumble of a bunch of random information; stay with me.

first, a little bit of background info: Bahrain, or the Kingdom of Bahrain, is a main island off the coast of Saudi Arabia and near Qatar, but thirty of its surrounding islands are also classified as Bahrain. it’s connected to Saudi Arabia and its surrounding islands by the King Fahd Causeway. Bahrain’s name comes from the Arabic term al-bahrayn, which means “two seas.” Bahrain’s capital, Manama, while being littered with impressive skyscrapers and wicked cool architecture, also serves as a major port city. the Bahraini economy is fueled by large amounts of crude oil production. Bahrain was the first emirate where oil was discovered in 1932 and has evolved into one of the most diverse economies in the Middle East. it has a population of 1.493 million, and their currency is the Bahraini dinar.

a majority of their population is made up of well educated and wealthy people; it is categorized as one of the wealthiest Gulf states. Bahrain is ruled by a traditional monarchy with the king as the main leader. Bahrain’s crime rate is low, with petty theft and pickpockets being the dominant crimes. according to safearound.com, it is ranked as the 111th safest country, but some regions of Bahrain are still safer than many places in the U.S or Europe. (safearound.com is actually a great resource in case you’re curious about when the best times to trek through an unknown country are or if you should bring your $75K diamond earrings.)

Arabic is the official language of the nation. Farsi, English, and Urdu are also widely understood throughout the country. now, religion time: 70% of Bahrain is Shi’a Muslim, 15% is Sunni Muslim, and 15% is either Christian or Jewish. Bahrain has an abundance of date palms and has been a major site of resources since Sumerian times. summer in Bahrain is humid and hot, going up to high nineties, not ideal, but winter has its lows in the seventies.

Bahrain’s land is only about 3% arable. it uses its small amount of land for tomatoes, pomegranates, citrus, bananas, and dates. most of its food has to be imported. you’d think because of all the oil production marine life would be damaged, therefore affecting the fishing part of the economy–you’re right. oil leaks and spillages have greatly reduced the number of economically beneficial fish and other marine life. unprocessed petroleum serves as Bahrain’s main export, as well as aluminum goods to the United States and Japan.

medical care there is free, and they have the highest female literacy rate in the Middle East. their legal system stems from Islamic and English law. compared to its surrounding gulf states, Bahrain has a very diverse population, both religiously and ethnically. Bahrain is more Westernized, in terms of clothing and everyday life, compared to its neighboring states. coffee is very important in Bahraini culture and is mixed with saffron and cardamom. Bahraini food often includes fish, meat, and dates. some common dishes: shawarmah, roastiree-ed lamb or beef, and muhammar, sweet brown rice with sugar/dates. soccer (really it’s football) is a popular sport among the young and old. horse racing is also super popular.

there is so much more to this country that i haven’t mentioned. for some reason, i find this particular country incredibly interesting. hopefully, you impress your friends with your extensive knowledge of this country.

sources:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Bahrain


https://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Bahrain.htm
https://safearound.com/asia/

Editor: Luke Langlois

Philosophically Speaking . . .

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By Makena “I-Like-Philosophy” Behnke

as everyone knows, philosophy is super cool, but super broad, at least when you’re offered that topic to speak about [as Philosophy Editor James did to Makena]. where do you start? well, here’s some quick philosophical quotes and their philosophers–some little things to give us pause.

Plato- “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”

Hippocrates- “Life is short, the art long.”

Isocrates- “It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement.”

Lucretius- “So potent was religion in persuading to evil deeds.”

Origen of Alexandria- “You yourself are even another little world and have within you the sun and the moon and also the stars.”

Socrates- “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.”

Ogyū Sorai- “Mathematicians boast of their achievements, but in reality they are absorbed in mental acrobatics and contribute nothing to society.”

Ptolemy- “As material fortune is associated with the properties of the body, so honor belongs to those of the soul.”

Homer- “Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are today. We will never be here again.”

Yang Chu- “Dead people are not concerned whether their bodies are buried in coffins, cremated, dumped in water or in a ditch; nor whether the body is dressed in fine clothes. What matters most is that before death strikes one lives life to the fullest.”


Philosophy Editor: James Zheng

Monster Prom 2!… Well, Almost

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By Dayton Kennard

Hello readers! If you can remember, a while back I did a post on Monster Prom, a dating sim that’s also a competitive multiplayer game entirely about romancing monsters who are probably too old to be in high school but are anyways. The game developer, Beautiful Glitch, made a wonderful and unique take on the classic dating sim and continued to bring more intriguing and outlandish adventures to their fans through seasonal updates, as well as new downloadable content. But just this week, they’ve done something many fans have been eagerly awaiting…

Beautiful Glitch has officially released their KickStarter for Monster Prom 2: Holiday Season!*

Where is KickStarter? Who is KickStarter? Why is KickStarter? Kickstarter.com is a website that allows content creators to raise money for a project through “pledges” of money from interested people in exchange for rewards for their loyalty! Beautiful Glitch used KickStarter to fund their first game (Monster Prom), and are now using it for funding their second game (Monster Prom 2)!

While they only released the KickStarter for Monster Prom 2 this week, they surpassed their funding goal in nearly one hour; they went on to raise over $100,000 in about 12 hours, and now have raised over 400% of their original goal in just about 24 hours! This is likely due to the tempting rewards they have made for their backers, including (but not limited to) dakimakuras, custom characters, polaroids, and even a trip to Barcelona, Spain!

While it’s not even been a week since its launch, the Monster Prom KickStarter is already surpassing expectations rapidly, and seems to continue growing daily!

Editor: Luke Langlois

*https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/corintio/monster-prom-2-holiday-season

Homer vs. the Greek One

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When Philosophy Editor James assigned his bloggers to write on the subject of Philosophy, Hannah immediately went to Homer, but which one?

By Hannah Hall

Two great men of not so equal intellect are Homer Simpson and Homer the Greek writer. Despite their differences, they each spit up quotes worth pondering. It can be hard to differentiate the two’s words; they are each philosophical in their own way. Now, I present to you a little game called Who said what?!! Ah, yes, you may think this is easy, but no no my friend; it is not as it seems. You may do this on your own and just read the quotes below, but if you would like to be interactive (recommended for fun), I have created a lil’ quiz!

Here is the link: https://forms.gle/w3bX72mC5TPtkbm78

Image result for greek homer simpson

If you don’t take the link, try the Who said what?!!” Quiz below:

Homer Simpson OR Homer the Greek

“I believe that children are our future, unless we stop them now.”

“The stars never lie, but the astrologers lie about the stars.”

“It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen.”

“Okay, whatever to take my mind off my life.”

“The tongue of man is a twisty thing.”

“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”

“I’ll tell people what to think. Now you tell me what to think.”  

“My name is Nobody.”

“Do I know what rhetorical means?”

“I didn’t lie! I just created fiction with my mouth!”

“Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean I don’t understand.”

“Even a fool learns something once it hits him.”

“Because they’re stupid, that’s why. That’s why everybody does everything.”

Sources:

https://www.greatspeech.co/homer-simpson-quotes/
https://quotes.thefamouspeople.com/homer-230.php
https://www.azquotes.com/author/6856-Homer

Philosophy Editor: James Zheng

A philosophical paradox–Are there truths?

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James, when he took his turn as the weekly editor, assigned everyone the task of writing to the theme Philosophy. Now, it’s his turn to weigh in.

By James Zheng

Generally, during our everyday life, the following questions of “really?” or “is that true?” appear in a usual conversation in response to crazy facts. People always  respond to those questions with something like, “I just know…,” or “Yeah, because I heard it from….” When you ask these questions, you normally accept the ideas given by others or online sources. But, should you believe these ideas? Are they true?

Regarding philosophy, some people say that the nature of philosophy is making a simple fact sound ridiculously complex. I would not disagree with that because philosophical questions make things sound entirely different and new. In my mind, philosophy is a way of comprehending our lives better and extracting the essence of everything.

But, as the study and discussion around philosophy develops, more questions arrive that are nearly impossible to answer. “Are there truths?” is one of these questions. Well, what is a truth? Going by the explanation from Google, truth is “the quality or state of being true.” Before going into this too deeply, there is one important factor I must mention called common knowledge. This type of knowledge is that of the majority and can be anything. Common knowledge can be things like humans need oxygen to be alive or Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States. Most of what we call common knowledge has also been verified as much as possible, like the idea that there are seven days in a week. We often define that kind of stuff as the truth. But, in philosophy, truth is not just simply a fact authorized by the public or a widespread claim. On the contrary, truth is more of a correct understanding of objective things and their laws. Currently, I think science is probably one of the most essential displays of truth.

In my mind, there must be more truths. Our thought and cognition is constituted by truths. The way that we can think is based on vast amounts of truth. If there is no truth, our ideas and thoughts would collapse because truth is the basis of our thinking. In other words, our thoughts are based on cardinal truths. Here is one example: when you are saying, “I want to eat something,” you are realizing the truth that you are hungry and you have the aspiration to eat, which sounds more like logic, but they are quite similar. Critically speaking, even in the circumstance that I say there is no truth, I have already accepted the truth that “there is no truth.” And, what are some examples of a truth? I would say that nature itself is a representation of truth. Nature represents two of the most reasonable phenomena, time and life. I cannot question the authenticity of these two things. It is not because I do not want to. I simply could not.

Still, in the philosophical region, I ask myself why philosophers bring up incomprehensible questions. It may due to the conflicts they had with their religious beliefs or they feel questionable about the world. Perhaps they were suddenly inspired by something. To not make this post too tedious, I found some interesting responses from a forum in regards to the question “Is there truth?”

  • “Absolute truth is incognizable in terms of a human being’s low compelling perspective. At most, human beings can only exclude a handful of things that are absolutely not truths.” – Blogger Liu Yang
  • “The truth is that I know that I know nothing at all.” – Blogger Passenger
  • “The truth that is said by my girlfriend is the only truth I know.” – Blogger YIIYG
  • “Dongfeng Ballistic Missile, Julang Submarine-Launched Missile, Tsar Bomba” – Blogger Xiang Long Deng Dai ing
  • “Love” – Blogger I Think You Lost Your Mind
  • “Truth is a described fact that is not contrary to objective facts such as the following things:

People will die if they don’t eat.

Nothing lasts forever.

Even the universe will perish. All things existing in the universe will naturally disappear.” – Blogger Ye Ban You Ren

  • “The world is always changing, changing is always definite, eternity is relative.” – Blogger Guang Ming Lei Luo

I still insist on my opinion of saying there must be truth. But, this post is not telling you to follow my idea or make some simple things sound really complicated. I personally just think that this question is interesting to explore. Is there such a thing as truth? If you are interested, please show me what you think about this question/paradox in the comments!

Editor: Luke Langlois

What Do You Think About on Wednesdays?

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I challenge the Blog Class to a writing prompt once a week. Most prompts I pull from Poets & Writers. To begin, I introduced them to Chindogu, a Japanese term that means “weird tool.” It was coined by Kenji Kawakami, a former editor of a monthly magazine called Mail Order Life. As a prank, Kawakami published prototypes for his bizarre inventions that were intentionally useless and could not actually be purchased. Later, Kawakami published a book titled 101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions: The Art of Chindogu. Some of Kawakami’s popular inventions included the Eye Drop Funnel Glasses, the Dumbbell Telephone, and Duster Slippers for Cats. I asked our Blog Class to play along and create their own impractical contraptions. They had to follow the tenets of Chindogu: “You have to be able to hold it in your hand and think, ‘I can actually imagine someone using this. Almost.’”—Ms. Zachik

Holden conceptualized Pencil Gloves

English students across the world are experiencing hand cramps right now as their English teachers force them to write essay after essay. Well, fear not, fellow high schoolers, for I have invented the Pencil Gloves (patent pending). It is a glove with a pencil superglued that you can wear Michael-Jackson style. To write twice as fast, you can wear a glove on each hand. The use of a glove gives your fingers some relief as you write that 1000-page essay due Friday at 11:59. You will no doubt get looks from your fellow classmates, both of admiration and possibly disgust. Without a doubt, you will be the talk of the school.

Hannah envisioned the TV Beep BEEP

I would invent an app for finding the TV remote. Whether this be on the TV itself or on the phone, I just want the remote to beep when I have lost it! If I couldn’t invent an app, I would certainly buy a remote that has that built in as a feature. . . . like “Find My iPhone.”

James “invented” the Branched Straw

Branched Straw is a new type of straw which you use to drink not only one drink, but multiple drinks. It can mix up a completely new taste for you. Sometimes, if you are hesitating between buying sodas or some other drinks, why not just buy all of them and use the branched straw to drink them all and feel the new taste.  

AJ came up with The Pin-Wheel Blower

Ever wanted to have the joy of seeing pigmented paper spinning, but there’s no wind and your lungs are too weak? Fear not! Our hand-held* device will blow the pinwheel for you AND exercise your arms!

*Disclaimer: Handles of device fit in two hands.

Luke “invented” the OopZZZ

So we’ve got a small little sphere with electrical shock capabilities implanted into your neck. This sphere has counterpart pieces that attach to everyday items like water bottles, laptops, pencil bags, etc. When you are out of proximity of a certain item, you get zapped, alerting you that you have left or forgotten something.

Makena says we need Baby Coffee

She pitches pocket-sized coffee pods that contain a shot of latte, coffee, tea, etc. From it, you get a boost of energy–in different flavors!

I, Ms. Zachik, go with Duster Mice (patterned after [stolen from?] Ray Bradbury’s “wall mice” which appear in his short story “There Will Come Soft Rains”)

Duster Mice come out and attack any dust or dirt or dog fur rolling about on the floor. When done, the Duster Mice then store themselves conveniently back in your wall. You only see them when dirt blows up. Then, they retract–out of sight. Dirt be gone!–Zachik out

Living Like Raccoons

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PVS alumnus Peter Kadel (‘18) now attends Virginia Tech. When here, he was a beloved blogger and, among other things, an AP English Language student. In AP Lang, Peter [was forced to] read Annie Dillard’s essay “Living Like Weasels.” An excerpt of Dillard’s essay is reprinted below. Peter reached out to us–seems he had a “weasel” moment while walking to his dining hall. Happily, he thought of us and captured it in writing.


“Living Like Weasels”

by Annie Dillard

The sun had just set. I was relaxed on the tree trunk, ensconced in the lap of lichen, watching the lily pads at my feet tremble and part dreamily over the thrusting path of a carp. A yellow bird appeared to my right and flew behind me. It caught my eye; I swiveled around–and the next instant, inexplicably, I was looking down at a weasel, who was looking up at me.

Weasel! I’d never seen one wild before. He was ten inches long, thin as a curve, a muscled ribbon, brown as fruitwood, soft-furred, alert. . . .

The weasel was stunned into stillness as he was emerging from beneath an enormous shaggy wild rose bush four feet away. I was stunned into stillness twisted backward on the tree trunk. Our eyes locked, and someone threw away the key.

Peter’s Weasel Moment . . .

Annie Dillard’s essay “Living Like Weasels” describes a moment when she made eye contact and had a connection with a weasel. I had dismissed this as odd like I had done with every other thing she wrote. But, I was walking to a dining hall from class and heard a rustling noise from an underground drainage grate, not in much of a hurry, I went over to investigate. As I stood over the grate, the source of the rustling scurried into the underground pipe, seemingly gone forever. But something made me decide to crouch above the grate and wait for the critter to show itself. Seconds later, as if it shared my curiosity, a little triangular head with black and white stripes on the face and grey on the head peeked out from the pipe. The triangular head turned to look up at me, and I found myself eyes locked with a raccoon. I was surprised and enthralled by this little creature. For a few moments we just stared at each other. Then he darted off to continue about his day, and I stood up and went on my way. It wasn’t till later I realized I HAD JUST HAD MY WEASEL MOMENT! But instead of a weasel, it was a raccoon. Now I realize the importance of Dillard’s piece; we all have the chance to experience that moment. And the animal we have it with reflects us. Dillard got the tenacious, scrappy and clever weasel. I got the mischievous, rambunctious, and curious raccoon, a pretty accurate reflection of myself. –Peter Kadel