| ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: OCTOBER 30 – NOVEMBER 4 | |||
| MONDAY | OCTOBER 30 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| Girls Hockey Begins | WSP Ice Arena | ||
| TUESDAY | OCTOBER 31 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 1 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 2 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 3 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| SATURDAY | NOVEMBER 4 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| 2:00pm (Boys) 2:45pm (Girls) | 11:30am | 4:00pm | Cross Country State Meet | Les Bolstad Golf Course |
Monthly Archives: October 2023
“ADVENTURE TIME: TOGETHER AGAIN” review
By: Cade Sullivan & Joey Briseno
*Warning: This review contains spoilers
“Adventure Time: Together Again” is an episode from the television series ‘Adventure Time: Distant Lands’ on the streaming service Max, and it is a 40 minute whirlwind that gives the titular characters a satisfying conclusion. This episode is a rollercoaster as we follow Finn on his journey to be reunited with his best friend Jake in the afterlife.
The main driving point of this episode, which is Finn’s struggle to find his best friend again, feels very human and very real, as it is extremely hard to lose someone close to you. This helps the story, giving it sentimental value and something for the audience to root for. We were so invested that we found Jake’s initial reaction to seeing Finn again very disappointing, as he didn’t seem to care at the moment that Finn had come all that way for him.
Another interesting element here was the main villain, New Death, and his relationship with his father Death. While it isn’t a major focus of the plot, we are given an insight through a flashback. Death tries to teach his son a lesson, but his son is indifferent and disrespectful. This soon grows into anger that we can assume has been building up for a long time, and New Death strikes down his father and becomes the new Lord of the Dead, suffering the consequences for his inpatience and temper.
“Adventure Time: Together Again” is an impressive achievement of modern animation, and it’s crazy to think how far the show has come since its first season in terms of looks. Colors are either bright and vibrant or gloomy and sad depending on the environment. The multiple “dead worlds”, which is the term of worlds in the afterlife, are especially impressive, with each having their own look, feel, and unique sounds. Sound design is up to par, and it’s noticeable from the beginning that this is not a low-budget Saturday cartoon.
The main character here is definitely Finn, as Jake becomes more of a supporting character throughout the runtime. Finn’s friendship with Jake is the driving force behind all of his actions, as he traverses through countless dead worlds looking for his buddy. Jake is his normal self once he leaves the zen state of the 50th dead world, and is his trustworthy self as the two rebel against New Death. Other than those two, no characters are very important to the story besides New Death’s servant Mr. Fox, who strikes down his ruler to become the new Lord of the Dead.
The antagonist, New Death, is a conflicted character whose backstory paints the picture for his personality: a petulant child. New Death hasn’t matured from his backstory and continues to rule the dead worlds with an iron fist. He also poses a threat to Finn and Jake, as until they receive the Kiss of Life from Life itself, they are unable to hurt their foe. New Death is never a likable character, as he has no redeeming qualities to speak of, and his demise at the hands of Mr. Fox serves as the total end of his character.
“Adventure Time: Together Again” is a satisfying conclusion to the stories of Finn and Jake, if a little too long. While the plot and dynamics are interesting, the pacing was a little slow and caused the episode to feel longer than it should have. However, that doesn’t take away from the strong emotional core and beautiful animation. If you follow ‘Adventure Time’ or are just a fan of the series, we would recommend watching this spirited conclusion of Finn and Jake’s character arcs. 4.5/5
What it’s like to have birds as pets
By: Alex Martinez
Birds are fascinating animals; there are many different types of birds, including parrots, budgerigars (budgies), owls, finches, blue jays, and many others.
Budgies are a very unique type of bird. Budgies, or budgerigars, are small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrots. Naturally, the species is green and yellow with black, scalloped markings on the nape, back, and wings.
What is it like to have one of these types of birds as pets? More specifically budgies. Budgies are gentle and docile birds. Budgies are native to Australia’s forest, grassland, and shrub-land habitats, where they roam in flocks and forage for food. These cute little parrots make wonderful companions and are typically docile and simple to train, especially if acquired at a young age.
Budgies are big on brains and personality. Many have been taught to whistle tunes and talk, and are just as intelligent as some larger bird species. A properly trained and tamed Budgie can even imitate human speech.
Having budgies in pairs is recommended to keep each other company but they may not bond as much or well with the owner. Budgies are fun pets as they’re very curious animals and the smallest things you do catch their attention.
Keeping budgies as pets can be very messy and they can be very loud. Taking care of budgies isn’t necessarily that hard, but their food and water needs to be changed many times a day because it could get dirty quite a lot. Not changing and cleaning their food and water constantly could affect their health as they are sensitive little creatures.
It is good for budgies to be out of their cage every once in a while because, like many other pets, they need exercise to stay healthy. Budgies are good at hiding their illnesses, and it’s sometimes hard to notice when they’re sick and asking for help. However, keeping budgies in a safe environment will lead them to be happier and more energetic.
Budgies are wonderful pets and would never fail to lighten up your day with their cheerful chirps. These amazing little creatures will most definitely keep you entertained, as they’re fun and intelligent animals.
PRIZM: Now accepting submissions!
Do you like to write, but nonfiction article writing is just not your thing?
Then you’re in luck! The Plaid Line is proud to announce that it will now be accepting student generated creative writing, art, and photography for possible publication in the PRIZM section.
If you are interested in submitting work for possible publication, and are a current student of HPSH, please contact Ms. Lingofelt in room 2205 or via email @ liana.lingofelt@spps.org
Crepe recipe and review
By: Sophie Johnson & Addison Strack
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Recipe:
- Whisk the flour and eggs.
- Gradually add the milk and water.
- Scoop the batter onto a hot griddle, make sure it is a thin layer.
- Cook until lightly browned on the bottom.
- Flip and continue cooking until done on both sides.
Toppings:
- fruit (blueberries, strawberries, banana, apple), chocolate chips, Nutella, peanut butter, whipped cream, caramel
Review:
These crepes were so simple to make, yet so good. The recipe was fairly easy, with minimal ingredients that you probably already have in your house. There also aren’t a lot of steps to follow, so there’s less chance of making mistakes. We have a couple different topping recommendations, but you can add almost anything you want to these crepes. The crepe itself doesn’t have an overpowering flavor, and it isn’t sweet like a pancake, so you aren’t limited to only sweet toppings.
Our favorite topping combination we tried was Nutella and strawberries. This is a very common topping that is put on crepes, so of course we had to try it. After trying it, we understand why it is so popular. The crepe is on the more savory side, so it helps to balance out the sweetness of the Nutella.
Another combination of toppings that we tried was peanut butter, banana, and chocolate chips. The combination was really good, but we ran into a small problem. We found that since the crepes were on the thinner side, it made it difficult to have multiple toppings. If we added too many toppings, it caused the crepe to tear and break, making it more messy to eat. If you don’t mind the mess though, we definitely recommend this combination. To help to avoid the mess, next time we agreed we would try adding chocolate sauce instead of chocolate chips. This would make it so that you still have the chocolate flavor, but less ingredients for the crepe to hold.
We also tried the combination of apples and caramel since it is fall. This combination was okay. It was good, but we both agreed there were a couple of things that could have helped to improve it. The texture of the apples were more crunchy, and we again ran into the problem of the crepes tearing. Next time we agreed that we would cook down the apples so the texture paired better with the texture of the crepe, and there would hopefully be less tears and breaks. We used a caramel sauce which worked well with the crepe texture and flavor. We also think that it would taste even better if we added some cinnamon to add more flavor to this combination.
One final combination we tried that was very simple was blueberries and whipped cream. This combination was good, and we don’t have any improvement ideas. The whipped cream was really good on the crepes, and we agreed you could have added whipped cream to almost any of the combinations and it would be really good.
While we were making our crepes, we found that it was difficult to make the crepes thin enough without them tearing when we flipped or removed them from the pan. To avoid this, we tested some different oils in the pan to see which one helped with this problem. Butter worked the best in this situation because we were able to make the crepes thin without them tearing. When you are adding butter to your pan, make sure that it covers the entire pan when it’s melted down, and this will greatly improve this problem.
This recipe was great, and we would recommend it to anyone who wants to try crepes. Next time we want to try this recipe with savory toppings. We think that it would be interesting to try to use the crepes as a substitute for a tortilla and make burritos with the crepe.
Overall we would rate this recipe a four out of five, and we would definitely make it again.
Link to recipe:
Why you should try to meditate
By: Jefferson Palma
*Note: This article contains the thoughts and opinions of the author and should not be used in place of medical advice
Meditating is a quick way to reduce stress on a busy day or when you’re tense, worried, and anxious. It’s a reset button on your mind and it could improve your day using such a little amount of time.
It doesn’t need any specific equipment or anything at all, and you can do it basically anywhere: in the bus, in a train, or when you’re in class and the teacher is late. It’s simple, quick, and effective.
Meditation is a complementary medicine that can relieve the mind and help it be relaxed at a deeper level. It could alleviate symptoms from specific medical conditions especially the ones that could worsen from stress.
Some researchers argue that there’s no conclusion to draw about the health benefits, but there’s some scientific evidence that supports the health benefits of meditating.
There are endless types of meditations that you could try but I’ll provide 3 examples to start off.
Yoga is a common practice used for thousands of years. It involves physical movement, breathing exercises, and concentration to calm the mind and body. It can build up flexibility, strength, endurance, and physical well-being.
Another good one is mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation flourishes your natural curiosity about the work of your brain. It helps reduce all the running thoughts crammed into your brain by approaching your moments as momentous and being more mindful by living in the present.
Mantra meditation will be the last example. Mantra meditation is when you repeat a word or a phrase repetitively in your head. Although it requires more focus, it can reduce wandering thoughts and increase more focus.
The earliest documents of meditation can go as far back as 1500 BC in India. It is a practice that ancient people and modern people have been using. There are a variety of mediation techniques that you can find best for yourself and endless ways of exploring it.
Beth El gathering
By: Mira Kaufman
On Tuesday, October 10th, St. Louis Park’s Beth El synagogue hosted a public gathering by JCRC to support Jewish people and Israelis who have experienced loss of murdered relatives due to Hamas in the “Simchat Torah War”. The gathering took place in their main sanctuary but had such a big turn out of around 1,700 people that they had to use the mini sanctuary. Hundreds of people waited in line to give support and they eventually had to turn people away due to the lack of space. It was supported by many local Jewish organizations such as CRC, Minnesota Rabbinical Association, Minneapolis Jewish Federation, Saint Paul Jewish Federation, Minnesota Cantors Association, and TC Jewfolk.
The gathering consisted of speeches, songs, blessings, and more. Local rabbis and cantors grouped together to sing and pray for the healing and lives lost. Speeches were given by Amy Klobuchar, Governor Tim Walz, many local Israelis, and an Israeli defense forces soldier from Minnesota.
In Klobuchar’s speech, she showed support to the Jewish community and showed true emotion to the lives lost. According to Samie Solía, on KARE 11 News, Amy Klobuchar shared that Hamas is; “Trying to instill fear. They are trying to make you turn away. They are trying to destroy Israel. We will not let that happen.”
Tim Waltz showed empathy and his speech gave a tone of ardency to the Jewish people. According to Lev Gringauz on TC Jewfolk, Waltz said; “If you did not find moral clarity on Saturday morning, and you find yourself waiting to think about what you needed to say, you need to reevaluate where you’re at.” He made the claim that many need to reevaluate their thinking on politics and gain empathy for all lives lost and murdered in this war.
The local Israelis that spoke were Tal Dror Rouche, Shai Avny, and Ben Ribnick. They each spoke of personal stories, family, bravery, and more. Tal Dror Rouche spoke about an elderly woman whose home was broken into by Hamas terrorists but survived by spending over 20 hours distracting them until help came. She fed them, told them about the meaning of life, mended their injuries, and more.
The gathering gave community and allowed mourning to those suffering, for Hamas is not just trying to take the land of Israel but they are actively taking the lives of the innocent civilians. Their goal is to murder Jews.
Movie review on ‘Grave of the Fireflies’
By: Cleo Newton
*Warning: This review contains spoilers
‘Grave of the Fireflies’ is a studio Ghibli movie about two siblings trying to survive through World War Two in Japan. At the beginning of the movie, a sickly boy is sitting hunched over against a column; a couple scenes later, he dies. The movie then shows what events happened that led up to this point in the movie.
The 14-year-old brother, Seita, is responsible for taking care of his little sister, Setsuko. During the first air raid, Seita was seen quickly burying supplies like food in their family’s backyard. He tells his mom that he would meet her at the safe house with his little sister in a bit. The mom leaves and in a couple minutes, the bombing starts.
After the bombing, everybody in the town was called to meet at the elementary school to get food, medical attention, or any other help they can provide. There, Seita and a friend line up to get food. Seita leaves his little sister with the friend to go see his mom after hearing she was injured in the bombing. His mom was in terrible condition; she has really bad burns covering her entire body.
After seeing her like this, Seita doesn’t want Sesuko to see her until she gets better, so he lies to her and says that she’s in a hospital and that they can see her when she gets better. Seita and Setsuko go to stay at their aunt’s house which is nearby. Their house, and many other buildings, were destroyed during the first bombing.
There, they eat and sleep. Seita works to get food and plays with his sister in his free time. He also writes to his dad who is a soldier fighting in the war. Their aunt may be providing them with food and shelter but she isn’t very caring. She gets annoyed when Setsuko cries; she tells Seita that he isn’t working hard.
Later, Seita and Setsuko decide to move out, and they find a sheltered place by a lake to live. They brought things like a mini stove, bedding and some food with them. They have fun the first couple of days but they soon run into another problem; they’re starting to run out of food.
During the air raids, Seita goes and steals things from people’s houses after they leave so that he can trade them for food. Even though he has things to trade, people won’t trade with him. Seita struggles to find food for him and his sister as they don’t have any money and no one is willing to trade with them.
Later, Seita finds out that Setsuko is sick and brings her to the doctor. The doctor just says that she needs to eat more food. Seita resorts to stealing food from other people’s gardens. The owner of the garden eventually finds out and turns him in to the police after beating him up. Luckily, the police let him go since he’s still a kid.
Eventually, Seita does manage to buy some food after extracting money from his parent’s bank account. While he was at the bank, he overheard people talking about how Japan lost the war. He’s really upset because this means that now both of his parents are dead. He buys more food but Setsuko has already been starving and dies later that night. The next morning, he gets some coal so that he can cremate his sister. After he finishes cremating her, he puts some of her ashes in a tin and leaves. The movie ends with Seita walking down the hill leaving the shelter and everything else behind.
I got a copy of this movie from the library, but you can also watch it on AppleTV. Overall, I would give this 4.5/5.
10 most popular costumes this year
By: Brennan McMahon
Halloween is a very popular holiday for children. Kids dress up in costumes and walk around asking people for candy. The struggle for parents is making sure your kid has a costume. If they do not, then here is a list of the 10 most popular costumes for this year.
1. Western Barbie
With the release of the new ‘Barbie’ movie it was clear that many people were going to dress up as Barbie. It is a super easy costume to make or buy all you need is a lot of pink and a cowboy hat.
2. Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso is a famous TV show character and is known to be a great soccer coach. All you need for this costume is a fake mustache, a whistle, and a soccer ball.
3. Western Ken
Western Ken is also from the super popular ‘Barbie’ movie that came out this year. For this costume all you need are white boots, black pants, and a cowboy shirt.
4. Wednesday Addams
‘Addams Family’ is an older movie but nevertheless it is still super popular. For this costume you only need a black dress.
5. Little Mermaid
The live action ‘Little Mermaid’ came out this year. This movie is not as popular as ‘Barbie’ but still a great movie. For this, you are going to need to buy a costume but they are very easy to find on Amazon.
6. Buzz Lightyear
With the release of the movie ‘Lightyear’ it has made Buzz Lightyear super popular. You can get a super realistic costume on Amazon.
7. Money Heist
The popular TV show ‘Money Heist’ is full of antiheroes and it is super easy to dress as one for Halloween. All you need is a Dalí mask and a red jumpsuit.
8. Jon Snow
With the new ‘Game of Thrones’ TV show there are going to be many people going as Jon Snow, the former King of the North. You are going to have to buy this one online.
9. Joker
Joker is the antihero of the Batman movies. For this costume all you are going to need is a green shirt and a purple suit, pants, and face paint to pull this costume off.
10. Batman
With the Batman movies being so popular there are bound to be some people dressed up as Batman. This is a super easy costume to find on Amazon.
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Book review on ‘One of Us Is Lying’ by Karen M. McManus
By: Chloe Rocha
This book is about five students who enter detention one day, but only four manage to survive the ordeal.
‘One of Us Is Lying’ tells the captivating tale of Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, and Cooper, who all become prime suspects in the murder of Simon Kelleher. Each of these high school students have their own secrets that they don’t want revealed. They are desperate to protect themselves and their secrets. Knowing that, you can’t help but wonder how far each of them are willing to go to ensure their secrets remain hidden from the public eye and ruin their reputation.
I enjoyed this book because it delves deep into the personalities and thoughts of each suspect. The whole story isn’t told from just one point of view, but four. By doing this it keeps the reader guessing what really happened until the very end.
‘One of Us Is Lying’ takes on dark themes, such as murder and depression, catering to a teenage audience. Unlike other authors who struggle to develop complex plots for younger readers, Karen M. McManus writes with an enjoyable voice that effectively establishes her story, targeting young adults perfectly.
Overall, This book is a surprising and engaging read that is difficult to put down. I particularly appreciated the in-depth exploration of each character’s perspective, ensuring that the audience remains fully engaged in the story-telling. If you’re looking for a compelling and grounded mystery to unravel. I highly recommend checking out ‘One of Us Is Lying’.
If you read this book and you enjoy it, there is a series by Karen M. McManus. The next books follow a lot of the same characters, but they follow different stories. The books in order go: ‘One of Us Is Lying’, ‘One of Us Is Next’, and finally ‘One of Us is Back’. I personally have yet to read the rest of the books, however i did start ‘One of Us Is Next’ but never finished it.
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 