the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

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Quotable Quotes from FAST AND FURIOUS

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By Claire Jenkins

The Fast and Furious franchise is known for many excellent one liners. Below are a few of my favorites:

 

  1. “I don’t have friends. I have family.” – Dom Toretto (Furious 7) A great motto, close friends are like family.
  2. “I live my life a quarter mile at a time.” – Dom Toretto (Furious 1) Live FAST! die YOUNG!
  3. “Ask any racer, any real racer. It don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning.” – Dom Toretto (Furious 1) The competitor in me loves this quote. Winning is indeed winning.
  4. “The most important thing in life will always be the people in this room. Right here, right now.” – Dom Toretto (Furious 5) The idea of living in the present is a great idea. Wish I could relate.
  5. “Life’s simple. You make choices and you don’t look back.” – Han Lue (Furious 3) Life really is simple if you think about it. I agree.
  6. “Hey, we do what we do best. We improvise, all right?” – Brian O´Conner (Furious 6) Who needs a plan anyways? It’s fine.
  7. “Why don’t you just pack it up before I leave treadmarks on your face.” – Letty (Furious 1) Letty is my soulmate, that’s it.
  8. “You might want to keep your eyes on the road, playboy.” – Monica Fuentes (Furious 2) Just a solid quote. Eyes on the road, kids.
  9. “Who you choose to be around lets you know who you are.” – Han Lue (Furious 3) Your friends say a lot about you as a person. Keep the good ones around.
  10. “You’re loyal to a fault. Your code is about family and that’s great in the holidays, but it makes you predictable. And in our line of work, predictable means vulnerable.” – Owen Shaw (Furious 6) It’s nice to be loyal, but it can also get you into trouble.
  11. “Where you go I go, where you ride I ride, where you die I die.” – Letty (Furious 6) AWW. Dom and Letty are the bestestest couple. Through explosions, memory loss, car crashes, and lost love, Dom and Letty stick together.
  12. “Nobody makes me do anything I don’t want to do.” – Letty (Furious 6) Again, Letty is THE best.

Quotes from:

https://www.drivingline.com/articles/top-10-most-quotable-one-liners-from-fast-and-furious/

https://geeks.media/30-of-the-best-quotes-from-the-fast-and-the-furious-film-franchise-so-far

 

Editor: Peter Kadel

*Also, these are Peter’s favorite movies.

Common Mistakes I’ve Made While Driving

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By Claire Jenkins

Now mind you, I have a PERMIT, not a license. I am but a child in the driving world, and it is a SCARY world, people. For those of you who have been driving for years, it may seem like second-hand nature, but for us newbies it is practically WWIII. Whether you are trying to switch lanes or make it through a four-way stop in one piece, it feels like death flashes by every five seconds.

Below is a list of driving no-no’s that I accidentally “yes-yes’d”: 

  1. Stop signs are suggestions, right? Maybe not. But, okay, sometimes they are hidden behind things, such as bushes or people, and sometimes I’m just stupid, alright. I sort of made a rolling stop at one, but like, right in the middle of the intersection. It’s fine; I’m fine.
  2. Blinkers. Blinkers are complicated, and sometimes I mix up which way to push them. So, if you ever see an idiot turning right with their left blinker on, it’s probably me.
  3. Four-way stops. Okay, but if you and THREE other people all arrive at a four-way stop at the same time and everyone on your right goes first, excuse me, what? Then everyone is waving their hands at each other, and everyone is slowly inching forward, and next thing you know it’s been two hours and everyone has moved AN INCH. Driving is not for the impatient.
  4. Not hitting bikers is hard. Not honking at bikers is harder. Bikers shouldn’t be allowed on the road. That’s it.
  5. You know how you can turn right on a red light? Yeah, except I went left on a red light. Live fast die young; honestly, I’m amazed I’m still alive.
  6. What’s the difference between reverse and drive? I found out the hard way, and so did the curb in front of me. Olé, friend.
  7. I’ve cut people off before, but I haven’t killed anyone yet. I swear it’s not malicious; I really just don’t know what I’m doing.

I really do try my best, guys. Thanks for enjoying my stupidity, and don’t report me for breaking as many laws as I have while driving.

Editor: Makena Behnke

Destress your Distress

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By Claire Jenkins

 

Gentle reminders to take care of yourself and de-stress from the tests–AP’s and Semester Assessments. Here are some tips!

 

Pet a cat, for you feline lovers.

Pet a dog, for you canine lovers.

Ride a horse, for you equine lovers.

Eat some junk food, for you calorie lovers.

Drink some tea, for you herbal lovers.

Listen to some music, for you rhythm lovers.

Go on a hike, for you nature lovers.

Light some candles, for you scent lovers.

Play some video games, for you technology lovers.

Take a nap, for you sleep lovers.

Watch a movie, for you cinema lovers.

Take a deep breath, for you oxygen lovers.

 

Editor: Renée Vazquez

First Words–Revisited

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By Claire Jenkins

According to Psychology Today, “If the eyes are the window to the soul, then words are the gateway to the mind.” The words people choose to define things often reveal a lot about the person. When we think, we only think in verbs and nouns (Psychology Today). Other words such as adjectives and adverbs are added in when we form our thoughts into spoken words. The words others use when speaking or writing provide a way to observe the characteristics and the emotions of these individuals.

A while back I listed off words to a select pool of Palm Valley students and recorded their first-word reactions. Then, I came back and listed the same words to the same people, but this time they had a chance to think about their responses, and the word they felt fit the best was recorded. Here are their reflected-upon responses:

Female

transformative, complex, lips, human, children, woman, rights, Iron Man (think about it: the sign for iron is Fe)

Male

surprising, tiring, leaves, human, female, man, blue, mailman

Smart

overrated, determination, you, understanding, well-informed, brain, books, wise

Dumb

disregarded, growth, me, speaking, stupid, brick, mud, silent

Future

complicated, far, blue, bleak, work, time-machine, gifts, Star Wars

Past

dependent, ignorance, unsuccessful, civilization, history, dinosaur, emptiness, history

Present

confusing, wasted, Claire, existence, now, Santa, thoughts, 2018

Alone

peace, rest, white, sensitive, pondering, corner, pillow, wilderness

Community

bond, love, people, people, family, homes, garden, civilization

 

What would psychologists say about these eight people? What do you say?

 

Editor: Brennan Nick

A List of Calming Songs

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By Claire Jenkins

Have you ever been in a mood that isn’t happy but isn’t sad and you can’t find the proper playlist to match your mellow mood? There are a lot of amazing artists out there with perfect mellow music that you may have never heard of. There are plenty of bands and artists out there with songs you could possibly enjoy. Below is a list of songs by less mainstream artists that fit the calming category perfectly.

 

Morning Breeze – Juke Ross

River – Leon Bridges

Alps – Novo Amor

Youth – Haux

Colouring – Kevin Garrett

Settle Down – Ziggy Alberts

I’ll Be Good – Jaymes Young

Saturn – Sleeping At Last

Bones – Dotan

Breathe – Luke Cusato

New Recording 135 – LEO

Berlin – RY X

It’s Alright – Fractures

The Story Never Ends – Lauv

You There – Aquilo

Anchor – Novo Amor

 

Did these songs fit your mood? Which was your favorite? Leave your answer in the comments below!

 

Editor: AJ Patencio

Denim Day

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By Claire Jenkins

Today, April 25th, Peace Over Violence has organized a Denim Day in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. This campaign was ignited by a ruling made in a Supreme Court in Italy, 1999. This ruling, known to Italian lawmakers as “denim defense” or “jeans alibi,” suggested that a woman cannot be raped if she is wearing jeans due to the idea that “they are impossible to remove unless she helps,” which, in the eyes of the court, suggests consent. This ruling brought on an even angrier debate about how judges (and societies) should view sexual assault and rape.    

The third division of the Supreme Court of Appeals in Rome released a statement from a November ruling that overturned a 34-month sentence for rape in Italy. They stated that ”jeans cannot be removed easily and certainly it is impossible to pull them off if the victim is fighting against her attacker with all her force.” This suggests that the victim was not fighting hard enough and takes the attention away from the wrongdoings of the attacker. This is known as victim-shaming. It is the same type of thought process as “Well, what was she wearing?” or “Her skirt was too short.” This type of mindset is dangerous.

After this ruling, women lawmakers across Italy showed their support for this victim and their resentment towards this ruling by going on a “jeans strike.” They said they will wear jeans to Parliament until the decision is changed. On April 25th we carry on this “jeans strike,” and the students of Palm Valley wear jeans after donating one dollar to Peace Over Violence. Students also signed a pair of jeans in solidarity with victims of sexual assault around the world.

25th of April: We wear jeans to show our support.

Editor: Bella Bier

Shows to Binge Over

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By Blogger Reviewer Claire Jenkins

Quarter 4 will be over before we know it. Summer will be here, and there will be many hours in a day to kill. Why use your precious time to do something productive and be a part of the society around you when you can sit at home on the comfort of your couch and binge some Netflix shows! Below is a list of my personal favorite binge-worthy shows on Netflix.

Jane the Virgin 

The title sounds a little off putting, and that might be why it took me so long to watch it, but it’s honestly one of my favorite shows. It has twists, turns, murders, love, and very diverse characters. It’s about a woman named Jane and her family showing how they handle everything life throws at them. It never gets tiring, and there’s something for everyone. I would 12/10 recommend.

New Girl

This show is stupid, but I love it. A girl moves in with three roommates and has a blast. There’s quick one liners and love triangles for hours. It’s an excellent time waster.

Friends

Yes, this show is overplayed on Nick at Night, but there is nothing more satisfying than sprinting through 10 seasons in one week. There’s about 85 hours worth of pure gold, and if you plant yourself on the couch with the proper snacks and only stop for bathroom breaks, you’ll have it done in no time! You can do it if you try (seriously, someone please try; I honestly want to know how it goes).

Wynonna Earp

Wyatt Earp’s great granddaughter kills demons in Purgatory. WATCH IT! DON’T QUESTION ME, JUST WATCH IT!

One Day at a Time

One Day at a Time is a revamp of the old sitcom with the same name. It’s about a Cuban family in America, with an abundance of strong female characters. The show is basically a liberal free-for-all. This has Rita Moreno in it (from West Side Story and everything). Watch it. It’s not your parents’ One Day at a Time.

Editor: Bella Bier