123 Main StreetSportstown
British Columbia
V2A 1W3

May 16,

2011

Mr. Kleats
Basketball Coach
123 Main Street,Sportstown, British Columbia
V2A 1W3

Dear Mr. Kleats,

I am the father of Joey Joyce, one of your players on your basketball team. First of all, I would like to thank you for putting the time in to be these boys’ coach. I know that I cannot set a lot of time away from my work to be with the team so I fully appreciate your role as their coach.

Unfortunately, this does not express the meaning of this letter. As a relatively frequent attendee of your team’s games and practices, I have noticed some concerns that relate to the performance and attitude of your team.

I realize that you have other responsibilities outside of basketball, but I have noticed that you are often late for games and practices. The concern I am voicing is the fact that this doesn’t encourage integrity and responsibility in the young players. I have also noticed that practices are fairly unorganized and don’t focus on the players’ technique. I’m sure that this is just because of the lack of time to set up constructive drills. Perhaps you could find an assistant coach to help you with time management and help organize practices. This would help relieve the stress of having to rush other responsibilities you may have.

Another concern that has brought itself to my attention is the way in which you address the aspect of winning. Do you think since these kids are only grade 7 that it is important to set them up for the future with a positive outlook on not only the objective of the game, but of the fluidity of a team environment? These kids need to learn about sportsmanship and gain a healthy competitive attitude. Also, I have seen that certain members of your team play more frequently than others. As grade 7 players, it's important that they grasp the concept of integration and a humble sense of pride for their potential future athletic careers in high school. I recommend that you ask the players how they feel about sports and work to build their genuine spirit of the game by establishing all the players as equals. They all deserve a chance. 

As a father yourself, I’m sure you understand these concepts. I just wanted to let you know that these concerns need to be addressed.

I look forward to speaking with you in the future and continuing to assist you in any way I can.

Regards,

Joel Joyce    

An Illusion of Success - A Corrupt Education System

Every year, grade 12 students are embraced by post secondary opportunities. Every student waits in silent anticipation for this glorious moment for it indicates their readiness and maturation as adults in a vast world. Through rigorous academic trials, lessons on life skills and global perspective, senior students are pounded with the abilities and knowledge to thrive and prosper in the distant future.

Senior students at Princess Margaret Secondary are so well prepared for their upcoming university and college challenges they need not to pay attention in class. For many, indulgence in their doodled and drool covered papers is a vivid sanctuary of their lives to come. Everyone is just so intelligent. Give them a due date and they’ll hand in their cunning reports of having a doctor’s appointment, having to drive a younger sibling to school to make sure they excel as they have, or perhaps that they needed to finish a level on they’re latest video game to maintain the functionality of their reflex arcs. All in all, these seniors are ready. They are above trivial high school politics. They think, no, they know that the ludicrous attempts teachers make to discipline students are futile. For what do they need to be disciplined for? They obviously don’t need to be, they’re almost adults! They can take care of themselves. If they can convince liquor store clerks that they’re 19, they can convince the education system that they’re ready to graduate.

On the other hand, to test this theory is a different story. The vision of graduation is an illusion. That’s the point of school deadlines really. Fundamentally, that’s what they’re doing, creating a mirage of educational success whereas it’s actually a barren desert with absolutely nothing but cold sand blowing over the horizon. Teachers create this hallucination by creating loose deadlines where students can easily get away with not doing their work and put it away for another day. This course of action ultimately sets universities up perfectly financially and students up emotionally. Students pay thousands and thousands of dollars to further build up their ridiculous egos only to flunk out in their first semester. This process is effective because it allows graduates to see the world for what it really is in an abrupt fashion, quite like a punch to the stomach; they’re not going to forget it.

Corruption in the education system is working. Students are raised and educated inefficiently because of mainly, lack of discipline. This allows post-secondary institutions to open graduates' eyes leaving a lasting scar that will teach them a lesson. This is what young adults are emptying their wallets for, life lessons. Money well spent.

Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd


So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here.


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Pink Floyd is a highly acclaimed English band known worldwide for their "progressive and 
psychedelic" rock music. The song "Wish You Were Here", written for Pink Floyd's 1975 album "Wish You Were Here" is about Roger Waters' (one of the band's original members) uses imagery and allusion to convey his feelings of alienation from others. As expressed in the quote, "so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from a pain", Waters is questioning people to make them realize what their problems are and tries to stimulate them to have a good look on how they should lead their lives. In the next few lines, Waters alludes to the present war going on as he asks the question "And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?". This is significant because it refers to the "heroes" who are the soldiers who are traded into "ghosts" which means that they are being killed, but who is trading them? This question is targeted at authority or the present government since they have control over sending the soldiers into battle. The next questions in the song, "Hot ashes for trees?", "Hot air for a cool breeze?" and "Cold comfort for change?" express Waters' feelings through imagery about the industrial change in society and how the environment is being affected by human actions. This leads to the last major question of the song, "And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?". Waters not only voices the fact that people are now starting to be controlled by escalating capitalism and commercialism but foreshadows what is happening today regarding consumerism. To tie Waters' personal experience into the theme of the song, he makes reference to his relationship with his ex-wife by stating that "[they're] just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, running over the same old ground." This quote reflects on the fact that the couple were never meant for each other and that they continually faced the same problems. The connection with this line and the next is important because of the fact that "the same old fears" symbolize the fear that Waters had surrounding the idea that at any moment the relationship would collapse. The point Waters makes is that even in innocent relationships, people are manipulated to be people who they are not. Pink Floyd will live on through their use of poetic devices and sheer talent as international icons of music and rock that affected many just as the song "Wish You Were Here" reflects on the idea that people are alienated by others and people should find out who they are by staying true to their values.   

A Domestic Conundrum

     Mrs. Wells slumped on to the couch next to her husband. "Where have you been all day?" uttered Mrs. Wells anxiously.

     "I had to stay at work a little later today," exclaimed Mr. Wells. "There is an issue with the photocopying machine so I wasn't able to send out my report."

    Mrs. Wells replied, "What was so important about having to send your report today? I've been sitting here watching your roast chicken that I so tirelessly prepared for you get cold! Not to mention thinking about whether you got yourself wrapped around a telephone pole. I know how you like to drive that new convertible."

     “I’m sorry! I…I…” stuttered Mr. Wells, “Listen, the copying machine wasn’t actually broken.”

     "What are you on about?"

     "I...I..." Mr. Wells trailed off and stared blankly at the newspaper in his hands avoiding what he had to explain.

    "What is it Bill?"

   Mr. Wells sighed, "I got laid off today. The company couldn't afford to pay my salary. This damn economic crisis has ruined me!" Mrs. Wells sat speechless and emotionless, simply stunned at her husbands words. "What did I ever do to deserve this? What did I ever do?" preached Mr. Wells. "I was a good worker!"

     "What are we going to do Bill? I don't have a job to help pay for food!" spat Mrs. Wells. "What about the electricity bills? What about our mortgage? About...about...I can't live on the street!"

     "Listen Pam, if we’re going to get through this, I need you to be on my side." Mrs. Wells grabbed her hair with both hands and started to sob. "We need to stay calm. Let's just think this through, okay?" stammered Mr. Wells.

    Mrs. Wells choked, "How can I stay calm? How can I? What are we going to do?" She trailed off and suddenly stopped crying. "I have an idea." stated Mrs. Wells suddenly. "We can leave here. Never come back. The border is only 36 miles south of us!"

     "And we can start a new life!"

     "Exactly!" answered Mrs. Wells enthusiastically. "We'll live on the beach in Guaymas!"

     "That’s a great idea! Let's pack up right now! We can leave for the bus station in an hour!"

     In the distance a sound of multiple sirens echoed and drew closer. Mr. Wells looked up from his paper which he was pretending to read. "There's one thing I forgot to say."

     "What's that?" muttered Mrs. Wells.

     Mr. Wells looked down at the floor and pulled a matte black Heckler and Koch from his waist belt and held it loosely out in front of him. "I shot my boss." Mrs. Wells stood up with a new calm demeanor and cool headedness.

     "Let's go.”

     Mr. and Mrs. Wells quietly slipped out the back door moments before the tactical enforcement team broke down the front door.

    

The Purpose of the Individual, Is the Common Purpose of the Crowd

Bullying is an epidemic in our country, a blemish on our superior record of the upbringing of our youth. High school for many, is a place that represents an intolerable pit of doom with an endless stream of verbal abuse, physical mishaps and social conundrums. It has to stop.

Princess Margaret Secondary is an oasis on the brutal horizon of high school oppression. The palm trees of inclusion sway in a cool breeze of self confidence and high esteems. The spray of the lapping waves in the pool reflects the refreshing scene of a social model that all students should encourage.

A common undertaking at Princess Margaret Secondary is the well known, high-five. This gesture of affection and appreciation is a pandemic that has infested the school and the people who associate themselves with it. Despite the fact that there are certain cliques and social groups that keep to themselves, the local atmosphere within the school is positive and is stricken with a sense of optimism that everyone feeds ravenously off of. This entitles everyone to connect with one another. Like a crowd. It is harder to control an individual because they have a certain purpose but a crowd is different, it has a common purpose, the purpose of an individual. In this case, this purpose is to function as not as a school but as a family. A community. A living organism that dominates each of its movements with precise control.

There is much to learn from a school like Princess Margaret Secondary. Let every school catch the plague of positivity and optimism, for each and every one of us has a purpose. Why not find and establish a place where you can express your views without being judged? This is what schools everywhere should look up to, and hopefully one day, all schools will see each other as equals. Lets call them, extended family.

That Guy

You know me. I am “that guy”.

 I am that dude you see ambling down the dim drive. I am that kid who throws the newspaper on your roof every morning. My identity is a mystery. I move with meaning and strike with elegancy. I am Taurus burning bright on a clear night sky. Yeah. You know me. Dmitry Ivanovsky discovered the virus, the pathogen, the disease. I discovered the white blood cell, the remedy, the cure. I am the oil of oregano. I am organic and clean, sustainable and righteous. I am Batman’s butler, always giving advice and offering my loyal service. I am 24/7.

Who am I? I’m “that guy”.

You may ask what sets me apart, let me tell you. I am the strings to your guitar, the battery to your television remote, the service to your cell phone.

I am “that guy”.

I developed the first photograph. I saved the Titanic from sinking. I rode the last unicorn. When I was a young boy, I won the Nobel Prize for my scientific research in climate change. I invented the term wireless. I have the power to control the elements: earth, air, water and fire. I am the last Airbender. My inexplicable ability to enthral myself in colloquies and hold engaging conversation allows me to be triumphant over daily drowsiness and fatigue. Take that Redbull. Ka-Pow. I am unimaginable goodness like the secret ingredient in Dr. Pepper or the never ending questions over how the world was created. I am the smallest particle, the sub-sub-subatomic particles. I am the 27^th dimension. I’m that guy who’s going to college.

I’m the guy whose life has infinite possibilities.

You know me.  I’m “that guy”.

2011 - The Final Battle

As the dusk of grade 12 is approaching on the horizon, the high academic warriors prepare their broadswords and battleaxes for the university entrance wars, supplemental application brawls and the scholarship clashes. The written material is being fortified, edited, checked, and rechecked. The competition for the best references is tight and the pressure to be the top countryman and astute swordsman is at its peak. Lightning between the adversary's eyes are flashing wildly with the fire of a blacksmith's forge and for good reason. The fight for their future is about to begin. Light from the post-secondary sun ominously glows upon the barren and grim battlefield. For many, faltering in combat due to the might of their opponent is all too common. Although the experiences of these losses can be crushing, with a new mindset and sharp pencil, any man or woman can prevail. There will always be another future engagement, always another contested scholarship, and always another encounter with a new rival. These are what the mercenaries of each graduation class face and to the bitter end they will fight for their freedom to an education and ultimately for their goals to be a better gladiator in whatever field they end up in.