This year we started a charity called R.A.C.E (Raising Awareness of Cancer Everywhere) Our goal was to raise money and awareness of cancer. We came up with many different ideas to raise money: car wash, selling different items, etc. finally we came up with running a charity football game. We had to come up with all the rules and ask all sorts of people to come out and play. We got all of the students that we needed and even some staff to come out and play. All and all it was a success, if only it hadn't rained. We were able to raise $21.05 for cancer research, it may not seem like much but it was still helpful. So to all participants we say Thank You!
 
_"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something." -Henry David Thoreau

 
Year three in Zugzwang, what a year. It was filled with many twists and turns, as well as the never unexpected back stabbing. Campaigning came first and it was certainly hard, speeches, questions and answers and a somewhat unfair grilling by the "supreme being" A strenuous process that put a lot of pressure on those involved and most showed their true colors. Even after the grilling the National Unity Party, under the leadership of Nathan Christopher, still came out on top. 4 members of the NU Party were elected to the House of Commons: Laurel, Connor, Nate, and Jake and 3 members of the Chewbacca Party were elected into seats: Allan, Nasir, and Ethan. At the first House of Commons, there were only modifications and additions to previous bills along with a new bill. The new bill consisted of the communist ideals that were going to be instated in Zugzwang. The new bill was knocked down by one of the NU party members due to a lack of coverage of the bill. That was year 3 in Zugzwang.   
 
"Who the hell is this guy?" -Dylan Branscombe
 
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In class today we watched a short documentary about the job crisis affecting youth in Canada today. It's scary to think that youth, like myself, in Canada are planning ahead and preparing our futures just to be told " Sorry, that job isn't available anymore." I am scared that in 2 years down the road I am going to pay thousands and thousands of dollars for a piece of paper that says "Congratulations, your an idiot for paying for me." Because that's what this problem stems from, it stems from the youth of today thinking that if they had the right credentials and a thirty-thousand dollar education behind them they'll get the 'dream job.' The problem also does not just lie with the students, it lies with the parents, the teachers, and the universities and colleges. Everyday we're told to go out and learn something new, to go to college get a degree and than go work 9-5 and come home to a house with a white picket fence. Well those jobs are gone, but nobody tells us that they are, mostly because they, themselves don't know. The boomers and the children of boomers (mostly our parents) hold all the jobs that need a degree and they still think, because most likely they still have that job, that as soon as you receive a degree that you are automatically eligible for a job.

The biggest problem with the job crisis in Canada, is that the baby-boomers stick around and "double dip" in the job pool, or they just stick around and don't retire. The youth of today are only left with the scraps of what jobs are left, people who are qualified and have a University/College degree are stuck working in places like McDonald's, Burger King, Canadian Tire and etc. 

Other problems include people like teachers and parents telling us that we can be whatever we want, but we can't do that because we don't have the grades. Kids go into grade school uneducated and "dumb" and come out intelligent than the come to high school intelligent and leave dumb, its an endless cycle of intelligence and idiocy. And it's all about money. Universities are reliant on schools educating children to an extent than "dumbing" them down to another level and pick the best of the bunch. Teachers need to stop conforming to the needs of the "regular" school system and stop listening to the government and start listening to themselves and what they know is right. That is why our generation is jobless...  

 
Some really great ideas and opinions as well as some raw emotion were expressed today. In our class today we expressed our spoken word poetry, by performing in front of the class. At first I was nervous, but as the time to perform came closer, the nerves wore off. I performed a poem that expressed an encounter between a bully and a victim, and the story ends up in the victim killing himself. I felt that the audience stayed tuned because I feel that I delivered the poem in a time efficient manor,  and talked to myself (Which some people thought was funny) Anyways, the poem to me felt like a great way for all of us in the class to express ideas and hidden emotions. I feel like that if more people took the time and effort to write a really good poem than we would have a class of truly poetic people.

 
Fellow Zugzwanians,

Thank you for taking the time to come to hear my campaign speech. As you know my name is Nathan Christopher and I am running as the leader of the National Unity Party a.k.a the NU Party. I am tremendously excited to be running for Prime Minister of Zugzwang, I am truly honoured that my party nominated me as the leader of the party and I am ecstatic to make some much needed changes to the country if I am elected. First a little bit about me, I am Nathan Christopher, obviously, I am currently a lawyer, and the leader of the NU Party, I enjoy long walks on the beach, and getting caught in the rain (Laughter from audience) Anyways, our party stands on a solid belief platform, an idea if you will. An idea that the country of Zugzwang can be a prosperous and economically advanced country, that all the citizens will thrive and not live in poverty. I believe that with a little effort and more involvement by the government Zugzwang will be the nation that it is destined to be. If elected Prime Minister of Zugzwang I will put forth the effort to change...

  • The Welfare Situation
  • Creating more resources without raising taxes
  • Creating more jobs, thusly increasing the financial situation of citizens
  • Protecting the environment, while still allowing development to occur
  • Bringing more wealth to Zugzwang by creating employment opportunities


Those are just some of the changes that I hope to implement if elected Prime Minister. If elected, I will listen to you, the citizens, and I will respond to your needs first. I am about the country of Zugzwang, I will soly not focus on the needs of my party, I will put all my effort into the people of Zugzwang. I hope that you will give your vote to my party and myself, I am very excited to be running and I hope to be the best leader that Zugzwang has ever seen. Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for listening. It is truly a time for greatness.   
 
"50 years of Bond, 23 movies, 7 actors who've played Bond, and its still the same damn Queen." -Unknown
 
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We are not in control, we are second class citizens to the cyborgs that we create. Cyborgs, huh? Kinda sounds like something out of a movie, doesn't it? Well sorry, but that's real life for you, whether we like it our not computers are the way of the future. It's just like the movies where a super computer eliminates the need for human knowledge and humans that aren't necessary to the advancement of the technology aren't needed. Now that probably won't happen but it could run a close second, but we sometimes have to call into question whether or not we want computers to rule and run our lives. Why know a piece of information or a fact when Google can answer it with the click of a button or why learn cursive writing when Microsoft Word or Google Docs can do it for us? Well I think its the idea of keeping as much of the "old way" as possible, I like computers and using them however sometimes computers can be a pain. For example if your using a computer that is slow, productivity will go down and most likely you will become frustrated. The idea of keeping the old way of doing things is pretty self explanatory. Computers have earned their place in society, but sometimes the human way is the best way to do it. Computers are made by humans, so naturally there is always room for human error.  

 
"It's not what you look at what that matters, it's what you see." -Henry David Thoreau