the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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How to Get Through High School: An Interview with Ben Snyder

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By Blogger-Interviewer Leo Milmet

Welcome to How To Get Through High School: An Interview with an Academic Intellectual of Palm Valley School. In it, I interview the incredibly  successful Ben Snyder, senior at Palm Valley School, and I, along with the reader, learn a bit about who Ben is and what makes him successful? Ben Snyder and I sit down and talk about school and life. My questions for Ben are written in italics, while his answers are in normal font.

Leo: What is your full name?

Ben: Benjamin Thomas Snyder.

Leo: Why am I interviewing you?

Ben: Because you perceive me as academically successful. I get good grades. Most recently, I got the AP Scholar with Distinction award and I’m a National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist.

Leo: What are your hopes? Your dreams? Your ambitions in the future that motivate you?

Ben: That’s something I’ve been trying to figure out for a while. Recently, I’ve focused on physics. That’s developing as a passion of mine. It’s a most fundamental science. I’m a very logical person, and that’s just what intrigues me the most and gets me the most excited.

Leo: How do you find motivation?

Ben: My academic motivation stems from values entrenched in me from a young age. It’s just what you get. You did your homework to the best of your ability, you tried your best, and as I grew older, I learned why I was doing this. It was for my future. I’m still exploring, and I don’t know ultimately what I want to do with my life, so I want to get to a good college that puts forth opportunities for me to find my true passion that I can apply to earning a living as well. I’m still exploring.

Leo: What is your number one piece of advice for students going into high school next year?

Ben: Figure out what works for you. Every situation is unique, so whatever you’re doing has to work for you, what I mean by this is whatever goal you’re trying to accomplish and whatever you want to get out of high school–and that’s definitely not limited to academics. It could be socially, it could be, um, introspective, it could be, just buckling down and getting through it so you get a degree, or it could just be wandering through it because you don’t know what to do yet. It’s all unique to the person.

Leo: What is your number one piece of advice for students who are just going into Advanced Placement courses?

Ben: Don’t put coursework ahead of your well-being.

Leo: How do you manage time effectively, balancing out extracurriculars, AP courses, regular courses, the play, clubs, etc. with free time? APs generally give over an hour of homework each night, and other activities also take up a bunch of time, so how do you do it?

Ben: First of all, the hour-a-night thing about AP courses isn’t true for this school. They don’t always give an hour a night. For me personally, I like to tackle one thing at a time; I’m bad at multitasking, and it stresses me out when I multitask. Attack one assignment or objective at a time. That’s not always an option, but still keeping organized is what you need to do. I feel that in a way it’s kind of unfair because in some aspects I have a compulsion for order, and y’know, there’s like a… for instance, because I developed the habit of writing everything down in my planner and crossing it off when finished, I have a compulsion to do it even if it’s not necessary, so that I’m never aggravated by having to do it. If I forget to write something [an assignment] down, and I’ve already done it, I don’t do it, obviously, but for the most part, I write things down. For me, the things that I am organized about come natural to me, and the things I’m not, it really takes it out of me. If I have to keep my room organized, it’s exhausting.

Leo: Does being left-brained give you an academic advantage?

Ben: No, because there are creative elements to the school system. For example, I marvel at how someone like Amanda  (Amanda Laule, a Palm Valley senior) can understand the passages she reads.

Leo: What, specifically, are 2-3 things everyone should do to be successful in school, as a baseline?

Ben: Pay attention to teachers in class. Lectures. Also, give yourself breaks. If you really don’t feel like doing homework, it probably won’t be your best work, but I still recommend doing it, but after a break.

Leo: What are some more habits of successful students that you would suggest to people who want to become better students?

Ben: From what I’ve observed from my peers, it’s the people who care the most about academics and the people who prioritize getting work done.

Leo: How do you thrive within the system?

Ben: I mostly just work within it. I do what is asked of me, for the most part.

Leo: Any secret suggestions to high schoolers to minimize the stress of high school?

Ben: No, I don’t know any secrets. It’s gonna be there if you really care.

Leo: Any regrets about your high school experience that could educate others on what to do or what not to do?

Ben: I wish I had started thinking about college earlier. That’s about it.

Leo: How do you balance the pressures of AP courses and exams and SATs and the pressures of college application work?

Ben: Just…I find time. I mean, I have to sacrifice, like, I don’t get to study for regular tests or quizzes. I pretty much just find the time whenever I can.

Leo: What tools do you use to help yourself stay centered?

Ben: I keep my personal interests intact. Y’know, for me, I play basketball. Do whatever you like.

Leo: What are the easiest APs you took? The hardest?

Ben: Easiest for me was AP Calculus AB. The hardest, for me, it was AP US History.

Leo: What are your secrets to college application essays? To essays in general?

Ben: I don’t know. I’d love those secrets if someone has them, because I kinda struggle with introspection sometimes.

Leo: What are your biggest successes? Your biggest failures? How could you have avoided your failures?

Ben: I think the failures I’ve cared most about is the performance of the basketball team. We underperformed, I think, last year, compared to what we could’ve accomplished. I actually care a lot about that.

Leo: What makes you interesting as a person, and how did these character traits help or hinder you as a student? How might you grow these more desirable character traits and how might you temper the undesirable ones?

Ben: I’m an introvert, um, like my sense of humor is…unexpected. Introversion probably helped me because I didn’t feel as much of a desire to be social in my free time, but at the same time, I still have interests to distract me, so…

Leo: Any more keys to your being so successful?

Ben: I’ve probably already said this, but paying attention in class to teachers, I think, is the most important.

Thanks very much, Ben. You’re an incredible guy. Have a good day.

Editor: Bella Bier

baby it’s cold outside, but let’s warm up with these hot tunes

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By Makena Behnke

new music for a new holiday–even though these are not holiday-related songs, you may still enjoy them over your two-week break. this playlist  includes a multitude of different genres from different time periods. enjoy:

  • Dionysus by The Buttertones
  • The Killing Moon by Echo & the Bunnymen
  • A Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
  • Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers
  • Ruby Tuesday by The Rolling Stones
  • Vivid Red By Misfits
  • Holy Toledo by Vundabar
  • This Old Dog by Mac DeMarco
  • Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind
  • Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) by Fall Out Boy
  • Happiness Is A Warm Gun by The Beatles
  • The Impression That I Get by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  • Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard by Paul Simon

Editor: AJ Patencio

King of the Fighters XIII–A Review

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By Game-Reviewer James Zheng

A great graphic quality, a realistic sense of hitting, a diversity of abilities from game characters, all these are key elements to decide if a fighting game is truly extraordinary. All these qualities apply to one of the most classic and famous fighting games in the whole world, King of the Fighters. This series has continued updating for nine years. The very first work of KOF (King of the Fighters) was born in 1994; from there it gradually became an overwhelmingly popular fighting game. SNK Playmore released more versions each year until 2003.

SNK Playmore had a long and tortuous course in the development of King of the Fighters. While they were trying to release the seventh work of KOF they had to fight off a piracy version and fake simulators of their games. SNK Playmore rose again and then pushed out their thirteenth work–KOF XIII–as an announcement to the world that SNK Playmore is back.

There are three parts which make this particular work so fantastic. First, the animated artistic style mixes with 3D modeling. The characters are incredible even if the whole game is a 2D fighting game. If you play a special movement (a characteristic ability besides punch and kick), the animation may include fire, sparkles, and lightning. Secondly, because there are so many characters from which to choose, the game offers plenty of fighting combos. Some of them also have a characteristic background that creates a story. Thirdly, this game would not fail in the sense of playability, which refers to a factor that decides if this game gets boring. Since this game requires so much skill, it might take you a long time to master a certain character, but do not get me wrong. What I said does not mean every single character is extremely hard. They all have the basic and advanced fighting skills waiting for you to dig them out.

Depending on your preference of using keyboard or controller (I would suggest that controller is better) to play the game, you can play KOF on Xbox or PC system. The game is sold for $20 on Steam.

Editor: Makena Behnke

Hello My Name Is…

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A Short Story by Holden Hartle

Nomen opened his eyes this morning and rubbed the blurriness away. He rolled over, grabbed his glasses, and slid them on top of his nose. He rose out of bed and went through his normal morning routine, which began with his usual shower. He then brushed his teeth. These were always quintessential pieces of his morning.

His next process was to select his outfit, a process that was equally as important as his cleaning. He was always very pragmatic when choosing his outfit. Nomen paid close attention to which color shirt went with the ripped jeans he had just bought. Then, it was a question of which socks would go with both of those. Today he chose a white graphic tee with the new ripped jeans, along with a standard pair of white crew socks. This outfit was a popular, yet simple, trend that his friends were following.

The final thing he needed to top off his outfit was the “Hi My Name Is”  sticker. Everyone wears one. It is how people identify you. How else should they? Actually speaking to people and learning their story is much too difficult and time consuming. He places a new one on his outfit every day, and this day was no different. But the name he wrote on the nametag remained the same, Victor. He didn’t care for his own name very much, so he made his own, and that is how people knew him. No one other than his parents would ever know that he was anything but Victor, the kid that wears trendy clothing.

It was time for school. Victor received his driver’s license a few months ago, and could drive himself to school. This meant that the car was another thing he needed to keep clean and tidy for the world to see.

His red car, practically sparkling, cruised into the school parking lot. He parked in his designated parking spot. His face was neutral beforehand, but when he parked his car, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, like an actor before reciting a monologue. He breathed out, opened his eyes, and was in character.

Victor grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat and proceeded to the front steps of the school and headed to his locker. As he was putting his books away, he felt a tap on his right shoulder. As he turned his head to the right, Victor heard in his left ear, “Ha! Gotcha!” It was John, as per his nametag. He had been friends with Victor since the beginning of the school year, as they coincidentally had a few classes together. John was part of the “trendy-clothes club” and was wearing a Supreme t-shirt with a pair of designer jeans.

Victor retorted with a joking smack on John’s arm. They had a brief conversation about the hot new girl, Emily, and then proceeded to their first-period class.

Victor had to get through a whole five periods before lunch, and that might as well have been an eternity. Each day that Victor showed up to school, it was harder and harder to maintain appearances. A part of him knew that he wanted to drop the nametag and just be Nomen, but for one, that’s a really nerdy name, and two, he was sure everyone would drop him as a friend if they knew the real him. As Nomen, his world would come crashing down.

From time to time, Victor would look out the window. Rain clouds were gradually coagulating, creating a gloomy mood among the various classrooms, but everyone maintained their persona nonetheless.

One eternity later, it was lunch. Victor walked to his locker and met up with John before finding a place to sit. John moved slowly, so most of the indoor seats were taken, meaning that the pair had to sit outside. As they exited the double doors into the courtyard, the clouds were on the verge of bursting with tears. The pair found a table and started eating, talking about various people and what they were wearing.

It began to rain. What started as just a few drops quickly turned into a barrage of droplets. As the rain began to increase, the adhesive on Victor’s nametag began to come off. Victor’s nervous sweat and rain began to mix. Victor ran into the bathroom to try and salvage the situation. He was furiously attempting to stick his nametag back onto his shirt, but to no avail. There was no hope. He was Nomen now. He was a nerd. His friends would drop him. His outfit could be washed and dried, but his nametag couldn’t.

Nomen hit the bathroom wall with a closed fist and sank to the floor. People were going to ask what his name was, and he had to say Nomen. Who wants to be known as Nomen? Nomen silently cursed his parents for doing this to him.

After a while of sitting in the bathroom, Nomen realized that maybe this wasn’t the worst thing. Maybe it was better to be left in the dark, searching for who you want to be, rather than being the person that everyone expects.

Editor: Luke Langlois

Top 25 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes: Countdown #11-25

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By Leo Milmet, Buffy the Vampire Fanatic

Warning: There are spoilers for all 7 seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer in this post. Also, this post is designed for people who are very familiar with the series–there will be references to certain scenes, lines, etc. that simply may not make sense if you aren’t at least a casual fan of Buffy. That said, on with the post.

 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the most amazing television show ever to grace the small screen (and therefore, us) with its presence. In honor of its glory, and honestly just because I love it so so incredibly much, I wanted to list my top 25 favorite episodes. However, I have so much material here that I have decided to separate it into two posts. Here is #25-#11. Log in next week for the top ten Buffy episodes ever.

 

#25. “After Life” (Season 6, Episode 3) — This episode is both terrifying and emotional, fun and profound, bitter and sweet. And I always tear up a bit during Buffy’s conversation with Spike. That moment is perfection.

 

  1. “Selfless” (Season 7, Episode 5) — Anya is a great character, and her unique disconnection with humanity and traditional morality is showcased in “Selfless” more than in any other episode.

 

  1. “The Wish” (Season 3, Episode 10) — Cordelia (stereotypical popular girl)  has always been a hilarious character, but I think this might be one of her greatest moments. Her superficiality in wishing that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale is believable, and I love Vampire Willow and Vampire Xander. Points off for using the clichéd “be careful what you wish for” story technique, but it more than makes up for it with its unique dystopia and hilarity. Anya’s demon face still haunts my dreams.

 

  1. “Tabula Rasa” (Season 6, Episode 8) — GILES, GILES! The characters’ amnesia creates so many hilarious jokes; i.e. there’s a “loan shark” shark paid off with kittens. It’s wonderful seeing the characters act like I would (e.g. being terrified of and running away from the vampires) as opposed to their usual immense bravery and courage.

 

  1. “Dead Things” (Season 6, Episode 13) illustrates the horrible power of false guilt.

 

  1. “Band Candy” (Season 3, Episode 6) — This episode’s character-based zaniness is hilarious. I love how turning the adult characters into their teenage selves ties into the main plot of The Mayor’s attempt to take over Sunnydale. The incredible chemistry between Joyce and Giles is honestly the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in a ‘90s network TV show–except maybe the Buffy and Angel relationship in season two, or Xander and Faith in “The Zeppo.” But y’all get my point.

 

  1. “Villains” (Season 6, Episode 20) — This great episode, while by no means perfect, makes you think and ask yourself, “How far is too far?” “What actions are truly irredeemable?” and, “Is murderous revenge justifiable?” The episode does all of this while being one of the most action-packed episodes of the series, with a villain made only more terrifying as she morphs from soft-spoken nerd to vengeful grieving murderess.

 

  1. “The Replacement” (Season 5, Episode 3) — Xander is one of the most nuanced characters in the series. He is warm, funny, and humorous but with an awesome subtle-but-serious dark side, and this episode knows exactly how to deconstruct such a character. He is literally shown his potential as he gradually grows into a self-confident man in every sense of the word. That’s Xander’s arc throughout the series, growing up, and this episode shows that more than any other.

 

  1. “The Zeppo” (Season 3, Episode 13) — Another end of the world is gonna happen from some demon group or another. Excuse me while I channel Vampire Willow and say, “Bored now.” Oh, wait, even the writers know that, so they decided to make the “B” plot the “A” plot by focusing on Xander’s encounter with a group of undead psychos. And, I know it sounds lame, but anyone who’s seen it knows how awesome it is. And that ending? One of the best in the series.

 

  1. “Prophecy Girl” (Season 1, Episode 12) — I can’t imagine what people in 1997 thought of this episode. Just imagine this: you’re tuning into your favorite Monday-night schlock horror show, the ridiculously-titled (and, at the time, rather ridiculous) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which has potential to become a really good series, but it never (yet) really gets there, and you kinda like its cheesy grade-B horror vibes. Then you see THIS EPISODE, and Buffy completely changes. Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the greatest actresses of the ‘90s. I see you all laughing at this statement as I write it, but, my God, it’s true. The rawness of her emotion when talking to Giles about her imminent death is priceless, and the use of the Buffy theme music just makes you wanna get up and scream: “HELL YEAH!”

 

  1.  “Storyteller” (Season 7, Episode 16) — The biggest issue with Season 7 is its unfocused-ness. The introduction of too many “Potentials” always rubbed me the wrong way. But, this episode shows that Buffy will always be able to do right by its most important and interesting characters. I mean, come on, this episode is just one long running joke about the ridiculousness of Andrew Wells’ character, and it works so well. It’s funny, charming, and in the end, deeply, deeply moving. It’s about redemption and faith and the influence of The Blair Witch Project on modern horror and love and sacrifice and the awesomeness (and not-so-awesomeness) of nerd-dom.

 

  1. “Grave” (Season 6, Episode 22) — I got two words for ya. Yellow. Crayon. This episode had me bawling the first couple times I watched it, and I rarely cry in movies or TV. Xander’s monologue is one of the greatest scenes ever to be shown on television. The way the writers have, from the first episode, built up to that one moment in both of these characters’ lives is truly epic. While the rest of the episode is great but not truly on the level of the others you’re about to see, the “yellow crayon” monologue is, for me, maybe the greatest moment in all of Buffy.

 

  1. “Normal Again” (Season 6, Episode 17) — This episode is freaky. Buffy is tempted with the chance to live in a fantasy that, compared to her real world, is a paradise. She is presented with the chance to NOT be the “chosen one.” This has been her biggest internal long-term goal since the first season. Though she obviously accepts her calling, she doesn’t truly want to give up her life for a cause that is bigger than her (she merely deems it a necessary sacrifice). And here, she may have a chance at being “Normal Again,” and it’s tempting. It really is. But this episode is about waking up, and facing the true trials, tribulations, and horrors of what the real world presents, refusing to live in a fantasy.

 

  1. “I Only Have Eyes For You” (Season 2, Episode 19) — First of all, a round of applause for the beginning of the career of the great John Hawkes. Second of all, James is one of the greatest one-off villains ever. There’s a James in all of us, even in those who hate him most. He wants to be loved and can’t find a way to properly and appropriately express his love, so that love turns to hate. What could be more tragically relatable? Also incredibly well-done is Giles’s totally illogical (and yet so fitting of a man in true love) desperation to believe that the spirit possessing the school is that of Jenny Calendar, his now-dead love interest. And that ending is so bittersweet and moving, simultaneously reminding us even more of the noble, tragically heroic Angel of the past and the stomach-churning new reign of Angelus, brought forth by none other than our heroine, Buffy Summers.

 

  1. “Chosen” (Season 7, Episode 22) — These characters have come so far and done so much over these crazy seven years. Only when one considers the Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles from “Welcome to the Hellmouth” and then considers the moment this same gang facing the literal Big Bad of all Big Bads (the First Evil) does one understand the epically rich characters of this series. This episode has some incredibly character-rich moments like the First Evil’s midnight taunting sessions, Xander’s great line “That’s my girl. Always making the stupid decision,’ and of course that little smile on Buffy’s face at the very end that indicates that Buffy finally is NOT the “chosen one,” the “one girl in all the world.” In “Chosen,” Buffy has gone from her “chosen one” status into one empowered woman, who can bring one glimmer of hope for the survival of humanity and its vanquish over evil. Her character arc is now complete, and in the end, just like in one of the fairy tales she’d probably (and rightfully so) call lame and sexist, this TV scream-princess finally gets what she wants (to regain a “normal life”). This, while imperfect, is an incredibly satisfying conclusion.

 

Stay tuned for the top ten Buffy episodes, which will be revealed soon in a future post!

 

Editor: Holden Hartle

Go See It.

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By Makena Behnke

In Palm Valley’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone, we see quick changes, strong voices, and monkeys. The main character, Janet, played by both Marianne Capetz and Kaiya Treash, is portrayed as a bodacious movie star who retires into marriage. Charles Schnell plays Janet’s fiance, Robert. Robert is totally lovestruck by his gorgeous girl. Every musical number (and there are a lot) causes very powerful and strong emotions, especially the “Aldolpho” number. Jake Sonderman plays “lady killer” Aldolpho who accidentally seduces Jackson Dean, the Chaperone. The storyline goes many different ways and adds to the comedy (look out for the irony coming from Leo Milmet). Taking place in the 1920s, I’m confident in saying the hair and makeup of the play are definitely important aspects of the show. Back then, thin and dark brows, pouty heart lips, and perfectly pinned and slicked back hair was the most popular look. Every character is perfectly put together; outfits are colorful; and attitudes are sickly sweet. Our dear Janet, while in conflict with herself, sings a lovely song about her love for a monkey. Everyone in the cast executes the music perfectly. There is a range of different characters–from the ditsy Kitty, played by Caroline Scheil, to dramatic Marianne and Kaiya’s Janet. I highly recommend The Drowsy Chaperone to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and/or chills when grand musical numbers occur.

 

Editor: Holden Hartle

 

Ode to “Bohemian Rhapsody”

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By Holden Hartle

 

Queen has been in the media a lot recently, largely due to the movie Bohemian Rhapsody that came out last month. Since the release of the movie, Queen seems to be all that most music critics are talking about–a bit of a blast from the past. The song “Bohemian Rhapsody” is something where everyone goes, “Oh yeah, that’s a good song.” But, how did the song come to be?

The recent movie explains that after Queen released their first album, Freddie Mercury wanted to do something big and different, combining the vocal extremities of opera and the punchiness of rock n’ roll. And, after a long period of time composing in the country, the song was complete.

There was a lot of debate over whether or not “Bohemian Rhapsody” should be released as a single, as the song is almost six minutes in length. The record company was worried that the song was too long and that maybe it was a bit too avant garde. Needless to say, the song was released and was a huge hit. Its uniqueness is something that still strikes people today.

But what if the song was never released? Personally, I think the song is the work of a musical genius. This song fuses balladic lyrics with hard rock instruments, and operatic vocals. Yet, somehow, with all of these contrasting parts that dip into different genres, the song still remains coherent, and something that most people can immediately recognize from the piano introduction. But what if the song was never given the recognition? It is very possible that if Mercury wasn’t so adamant on the song being released as a single, it would have just been released as a part of the album and overlooked by a lot of people. Only the more hardcore fans would have listened to the song, because let’s be honest, even I only know Queen’s greatest hits.

It is kind of heartbreaking to think of a world without that song. Last year I went to a Green Day concert, and the introduction went like this. All the fans are talking to each other and suddenly, the lights go out. Then, in darkness, “Bohemian Rhapsody” plays before the band enters the stage. I was astonished as what seemed like every person in the stadium knew every word to the ballad. During the concert itself, Billie Joe Armstrong uses many of the crowd-hyping methods that Freddie Mercury did, i.e. the call and response method of singing a riff and having the crowd sing it back to you.

But now, back to the song at hand. Imagine creating a song with so much influence that a band from decades in the future will play your song in tribute, and that hundreds of thousands of people will be singing this ballad like it’s a hymn. But now imagine if that song was never released. Sure, life would go on, but only a select few would know of this fantastic song and its beauty.

The song deserves all of the media attention that it is currently receiving. The song has had several resurgences to the top of the charts, and, in my personal opinion, the song should remain on the charts for all time. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is so forward-thinking and is definitely unique from most other rock n’ roll ballads. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is truly beautiful.

Editor: Leo Milmet

Pizza: It’s A Superfood

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By Luke Langlois, Pizza Enthusiast

 

There are many things that people need to do to maintain the strength of their frail bodies. The most important, as well as difficult, aspect of everyone’s health is their diet. Today, I am offering up a quick strategy to overcome the challenge of consuming healthy meals. Just eat pizza!

According to most qualified people, healthy eating is defined as consuming a variety of foods with a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, and other nutrients with complicated names (calor-WHAT?). The same qualified people typically say that a healthy diet includes the following:  grains, fruits, vegetables, dairies, and meats. Pizza includes all of these things. Let us dive deeper.

The crust is the base of all pizza. Without crust, you have a gloomy, unstructured pile of cheese, sauce, and whatever else you decide to put on your pizza. Without crust, there is no pizza. Besides delivering the delectable tastes to our buds, the crust is a grain, one of the essential food groups. So it begins. Pizza includes one of the five essential food groups.

The tomato sauce is what separates breadsticks from pizza. Any real pizza connoisseur will tell you that the sauce makes or breaks a pizza. Without sauce, again, there is no pizza. Though, more importantly, the sauce is the source of the fruit group. Some people consider tomatoes a fruit, others a vegetable. Either way, it’s essential to your health. I personally recommend that you consider the tomato sauce a fruit. It is much more difficult to add an obscure fruit to your pizza than it is a small vegetable. Regardless, it is now evident that pizza includes THREE of the five essential food groups.

When people think of dairy, they think of cows. When they think of cows, they think of milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, or angry vegetarians. Now, here’s a challenge: which of these items is found on our pizza? It’s cheese. Cheese, the expensive fur coat of all pizzas, is another food that is proven to bring you to a state of well-being. It also brings us one group closer to the mythical promised land of five food groups.

Pizza sounds like a superfood already, but it gets better. There are a million different types of meat that can be put on a pizza. Typically, there’s pepperoni, sausage, or ham. But, you do not necessarily have to be typical. Who knows, maybe a nice filet mignon would be a fine pizza topping. Whatever meat you choose to top your pizza with, this final piece of the puzzle proves that pizza is indeed, a superfood.

Eating healthy may appear to be difficult, but the solution is simple. No longer will you have to endlessly browse superfluous social media accounts searching for an impossible meal plan. Just eat pizza. Your cells will thank you.

Editor: Leo Milmet

Kite

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By Jeremy Cheng, Poet Extraordinaire

 

I am a kite;

You are a kite holder.

You release the string and let me fly higher.

The wind blows;

I enjoy the breeze.

Suddenly, a strong wind comes from behind,

And you, afraid the string will break,

Pull the string back and make sure that I will not fly away.

Every time you support me,

I hope the string will not break

Because I love the feeling of you holding on.

 

Editor: Leo Milmet

How can I make videos like Jeremy?

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Want to make videos like Jeremy’s? Watch, and read.

 

By Blogger-Videographer Jeremy Chang

 

First, you need to take two videos.

The first video involves standing in front of the mirror and acting like you are looking for an item; then, you stand up, look into the mirror, and pretend that you are frightened and pass out.

The second video starts when you come up from the floor. It shows yourself inside the mirror and staring at yourself. You do whatever you want that is different from the first video! (Make sure the video is long enough.)

Second, download the app (Videoleap) from the App store on your phone.

Open Videoleap and press the “+” button and add the first video. Then press the “mix” button on the left corner which will lead you to add the second video.

Lower the second video’s “Opacity,” and adjust the second video to the first video such as lining up the mirror.

Next, you need to press “Mask” on the fourth button and choose “Linear” to hide the second video’s person who stands outside the mirror.

 

 

Do this, and you’ll have a video as eye-catching as Jeremy’s–although . . . he’s left a few secrets out to preserve his artistic signature.

 

Editor: Makena Behnke