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Welcome to the third issue (a.k.a. “The Discovery Issue”) of The Fourth Era,
The cold winter gives way to the very welcoming spring. At last the first signs of
greenery are showing, the sun shines and the days are pulled longer. At last the
breeze is not chilly but caressing, the sun not distant but warm. At last nature is
reborn!
Life is everywhere and it is like we have discovered a new land. Not a day passes
that we do not discover new and amazing things that engages our imagination in
a process only you know. While your mind wanders the plains and valleys of the
unknown land. So open your eyes and your minds to the wonder of discovery!
RUBY’S POINT
Editorial by Ruby Thelot
You’re probably thinking, “Will Ruby’s Point
reinvent itself for the Discovery Issue?”
Some would agree that status quo is the best,
others the opposite. I shall discuss this in my
rant. On with the editorial!
Now, whilst in an animated conversation with
my friend, I had an epiphany. Let I share it with
thee. She was categorical: the US should not
abandon the (very expensive) space program.
She maintained that the Final Frontier had to be
explored, for to discover the mysteries of the
Universe would shine a light on our own dark
and mysterious existence.
I would like to think otherwise. I believe we are
so centered on the exterior that we omit what is
Hoping you enjoy it,
Jason Liu
April 2011
most important, what is primordial, the Inside.
For me, the greatest mystery does not rely in
the outside universe, but rather in the deepest
corner of our soul. On our vast globe, we have
explored almost everything, except its depths,
this applies to us. We must develop the ability to
know ourselves, le moi, though, as Pascal
would say, it is haïssable. On this note, we
could dare to say that fear prevents us from
finding who we truly are. Is it so?
The very moment a man understands his soul,
lonely Cimmerian, so somber and
misunderstood; he hath made the grandest of
discoveries -Himself.

EDITORIAL - NEW DISCOVERIES
Assil Abda
Spring, the season when everything starts again, the
stepping stone towards summer and the exit of
winter, the perfect season to discover new things to
enjoy for the rest of the year. One discovery we often
believe to have made yet seldom attain is true
love.
In a previous issue, Mr. Thelot rightfully pointed out
how we abuse the English language’s three words “I
love you”. I agree with him, I mean how many of us
can affirm that they actually found true love, and not
those amourettes that last two weeks or so. How
many times have we witnessed the birth of a new
couple and then, just as quickly as it emerged, the
relationship ends within a three week span? How
many times, during that short period do these
“lovers” throw the sentence “I love you” around, just
to find themselves saying, “Well it didn’t work out.”
Did they mean it, or did they just toss the sentence
around like a banal “I’m tired”?
Inversely there are those who mean it from the
bottom of their hearts but who, sadly, don’t receive
the same amount of affection from their other half. I
can’t help but feel sorry for these people because
their desire to be loved by the person who they
believe to be “The One” clouds their thinking in such
a way that they can’t see, or rather refuse to see, that
their strong feelings aren’t reciprocated. They
convince themselves that there is something
between them and this other person because they
can’t face the facts; in other words they build their
version of a perfect reality to run away from the harsh
reality. Something I’d like them to reflect on is the
following: Are you trying to convince yourself that
your feelings are reciprocated merely to avoid facing
the reality of things? Or is there truly reason to
believe that this mutual attraction exists? It might
EDITORIAL - DISCOVERY
Eric Mereniuk
“The act of noticing or
learning something.’’ That is
the definition of discovery.
However, discovery is so
much more. Discovery is
what has always driven man
to look beyond what he
already knows, what has
brought about every major
historical event. After all, what
would give life meaning if not
the discovery of new people,
new experiences, new
places, and even oneself?
help these people to stop wasting their time trying to
build something on invisible ground and to instead
find a stable landscape to build something solid on. I
guess what I’m trying to say is don’t chase something
that isn’t there because you just might pass up
something that could be much more special than
what you’re chasing; they say it’s not where you’re
going but with who, I think it’s more like it’s not with
who you travel but rather where you’re trying to go
with them: if the destination suits both parties
everything works out, but if the companions aren’t
going to the same place the journey isn’t going to last
very long.
A new discovery, yet to be made for many of us,
surely should be true love. Some might not be
looking for it yet, others might claim to be living it,
and others might even think that it doesn’t exist, but
sooner or later most of us search for it.
Understandably so, Maslow stated it himself in his
pyramid, to reach self-accomplishment man needs to
be loved. True love, according to many, is a treasure
worth venturing for, however long the voyage may
be; the longer the expedition, the sweeter the
treasure; feeling that it’ll only last as long as you both
make it last. The sad thing, however, is that you don’t
know for certain that you’ve found it until it’s gone.
Many have spent years of their life searching for it,
lesser are those who’ve found it, and rarer even are
those who haven’t used it up. To all those who
haven’t found it, I bid good luck, to those who believe
to be living it, I wish for it to last, and to those who
think to have lost it, I say sometimes we have to
scrape the surface to find a few last coins to keep our
hope alive, otherwise there is always more than one
treasure to be found.
Yes, however we try to put it,
discovering new things has always
been a turning point in humanity.
From the discovery of fire to
Columbus discovering America, to
such seemingly mundane things
like merely meeting someone for
t h e f i r s t t i m e , d i s c o v e r y i s
omnipresent in both history and
everyday life. As Galileo Galilei so
justly put it, “All truths are easy to
understand once they are
discovered; the point is to discover
them.”

WHAT KNOCKS ME OFF THE MODUM...
I love Rebecca Black!
Ruby Thelot
Hi! Do you know what irks me? People who are
closed to change, they think old is better. I would
beg to differ. These people strike me as irksome
especially in one field: music.
Whenever a new artist comes along, thousands
of people gather on the social networks to
destroy him or her. It all started with an illustrious
nobody called Justin Bieber. Now, with social
media, new discoveries in art are a common
thing. Bieber set an example, the proof that
success is possible when you have talent.
Whether you are poor or disadvantaged,
nowadays, fame is a click away! I don’t like him
per se, yet, quite frankly, I see this as another
road to the American Dream! THE AMERICAN
DREAM.
I’m about to come out of the closet. Yes, I have
the Black Plague! I like her. Rebecca Black is a
decent singer, probably better than some of our
favourite pop idols (She sang the American
National Anthem and, she sounds nicer live than
a certain red-haired girl whose constantly asking
what her name is!).
Everybody hates her song Friday! The
comments are abominable: “It’s the worst song
ever!” “Go kill yourself!” (and I shall refrain from
quoting others,
much more crude
and vulgar).
Really? I think
people are using
her for catharsis
p u r p o s e s ,
because, she’s
famous and, guess
what people,
you’re not. She
has 75 MILLION
VIEWS whilst your
channel barely has
a thousand. BAM.
I decided that I would go against all. Because,
you don’t think before making the judgement,
you don’t ponder, you blindly follow the mass
and its favorable or hateful comments!
Remember what Chamfort said, “It is safe to
wager that every public idea, every accepted
convention is sheer foolishness for it has suited
the majority.”
By the way, if instead of Miss Black, the song
was sung by a gorgeous, bikini-wearing bimbo,
maybe Tori, I would wager that the like/dislike
counter would be reversed and people would be
saying she is amazing. There’s a word for that -I
believe it’s called hypocrisy.
Her lyrics are no different from the Black Eyed
Peas’ I Got a Feeling! I mean if you’re saying her
lyrics are shallow, well they are no different from
the others. There is no depth whatsoever in I
kissed a girl, I liked it, I hope my boyfriend won’t
mind it. Be straight. Apply the same criteria to
every song. Otherwise, it’s called -hypocrisy?
Maybe unfairness, who knows.
To all you Black haters out there, let it be known
that you knock me off modum. Stop irking me!
Leave her alone! To end with De Béranger, Mon
coeur est luth
suspendu, qu’on ne
le touche, il
résonne.
P.S. I wrote this on
Friday.

Canada Goose is real fur? Then why is everyone
wearing it, don’t they have any respect for animals?
The Natives would be furious! And what’s this you
tell me you paid $900 for something that’s going to
go out of style in 6 months (6 months when you
won’t be needing it). And you take the risk of being
beaten and stolen from. Bad life decisions: 1, you:
0. {BEEP}
This is something I’ve wanted to discuss for quite
some time now: Tiger Woods.
Him, “I’m addicted to sex, I’m addicted to sex!”
Me, “Get real Tiger, we’re all addicted to sex, you
just can’t keep it to yourself.” {BEEP}
SHANGRI-LA
Yuanhong Xie
Since the valley of Shangri-La
was been first mentioned in
the novel Lost Horizon written
by the famous author James
Hilton, it attracted the curiosity
of many. Maybe we always
desired such a place of
happiness and peace, a place
where people are immortal
and live in perfect harmony.
The valley of Shangri-la is
supposedly located
somewhere in the
Himalayans, near the border
of Tibet. It is also called
Shambhala by Tibetans.
According to rumours, a kind
of perfect human beings live in
this paradise where they guide
the evolution of the human
race (I don’t want to be rude,
but they aren’t doing a very
good job. But maybe it would
be much worse if they weren’t
there. Who knows?).
Those who went looking for
the Shangri-La valley never
came back. Personally, I think
Jason Liu
they died of cold during this
perilous expedition or, even if
this is not very plausible, they
just stayed there. It also says
that there is, near the valley, a
monastery influenced by the
residual energy of Shambhala
where many people have
benefited from the incredible
therapeutic effects.
There is apparently a
prophecy of Shambhala which
mentioned that each of its
People have rights. You have rights, I have rights,
and, in India, even cows have rights. But you know
who doesn’t have rights: hobos. Yeah, that’s sad.
You’ll probably find a cat lawyer if you looked. Hell,
you’ll even find a devil’s advocate for some triple
life-sentenced child-molesting drug-dealing waste
of space. But no one wants a hobo. Hobos are
people too. {BEEP}
Fashion is a life of misery. Especially for the
designers. They always have to come up with fresh
and new ideas, year after year. Inspiration comes
and goes. Like money to be had in arts. Respect for
the designers. Peace. {BEEP}
Yuanhong Xie
kings will reign for a hundred
years and there will be thirtytwo
of them. The world will
deteriorate until the reign of
the last king who will lead a
battle against the forces of evil
(sounds quite like the
Apocalypse doesn’t it?).
We don’t know what will
happen in another two
thousand years. So who really
cares about the “end of the
world”?

GET TO KNOW YOUR TEACHERS!
Eric Mereniuk
Yves Marchildon
Science Teacher
Q: How long have you been teaching at
Brébeuf?
A: I’ve been a teacher here since 1989, so it’s
my twenty-second year working here.
Q : Where did you teach before?
A: I taught half a year in a public school in East
Montreal, and one year near Chateaugay.
Q: How is Brébeuf different?
A: Well, the school is more selective, so the
students are better. Also, I found the public
school I worked at very “Québécois”, while
Brébeuf has more ethnic diversity.
Q What about the fact that Brébeuf is an all-boys
school? Did that surprise you?
A: No, not at all. I actually studied here, so I
already knew how the class dynamic was. It
wasn’t at all hard adapting to an all-boys
environment.
Q: How are your colleagues and the work
atmosphere?
A: Well, teaching here is a challenge, because
excellence is expected from every teacher, and
not just professionally, but also personally. As for
my colleagues, though I’m at good terms with
them at work, they aren’t necessarily my friends
in everyday life.
Pop Quiz!
Hobbies: listening to classical music, watching
movies, reading, playing strategy games. I enjoy
changing the outcome of historic wars, like
World War II. I once made the Germans win!
Favourite movie: I love Citizen Kane.
Favourite music: I like Beethoven’s symphonies.
Favourite book: I enjoy Victor Hugo’s novels.
Sports: I don’t really play much, but I like to
watch Formula 1 racing and hockey during the
series.
Interests in secondary IV: I liked history (my
teacher was Mr. Champagne) and physics (with
Père Bourgeois).
Favourite student: I don’t have any favourites!
What a weird question.
Advice for students: Be prepared. Be curious.
Don’t let school bore you: find the magic of
discovery and have a taste for culture.
Céline Blais
Math Teacher
Q: How long have you been teaching at
Brébeuf?
A: Well, it’s been about twenty years since I
started working here.
Q: Where did you teach before coming to work
here?
A: Nowhere, actually: I started working at
Brébeuf at age twenty-two.
Q: What was your reaction to teaching at an allboys
school? Were you surprised?
A Well, I was already aware that it was an allboys
school, so I wasn’t surprised. Actually,
having done internships with all-girl classes, I
think I actually prefer teaching boys.
Q: How do you find the work atmosphere here?
And how are your colleagues?
A: Well, the atmosphere is pleasant overall, and
I like my co-workers overall, though I obviously
get along better with some of them than I do with
others.
Pop Quiz!
Hobbies: Well, I take care of my family,
obviously. I also enjoy playing tennis and
reading.
Favourite movie: I love The Godfather.
Music: My favourites are Phil Collins as well as
the band Genesis.
Books: Well, my favourite author is Henning
Menkell. I really like his books: they’re slightly
macabre detective stories set in Sweden, and
I’ve read them all.
Sports: Well, as I’ve said, tennis. I was also a
soccer coach for eight years.
Interests in secondary IV: I liked math, physics
and French.
Favourite student: WHAT? I can’t tell you that. All
I’ll say is that I like all polite students.
Advice for students: Do your work when you
have to, not when you want to!

GET TO KNOW YOUR TEACHERS!
Ivan Galindo da Fonseca
Patrick Letendre
Latin Teacher
Q: How long have you been teaching here?
A: Three and a half years now.
Q: Where did you work before?
A: I taught at Paul-Gérin-Lajoie-d’Outremont
high school for about ten years and I still teach
at Université de Montréal.
Q: Is Brébeuf different in any way?
A: I studied for seven years here (high school +
college) and it hadn’t changed much since I had
left, so I knew exactly where I was.
Q: What about the fact that it’s an all boys
school? Did that shock you a lot?
Co-ed schools and all boys schools are
completely different. It’s easier to talk about
certain subjects at an only boys school, like
political history. Personally, I believe schools at
this level shouldn’t be mixed because boys and
girls don’t work at the same speed. Girls, for
example, mature faster and differences are the
most noticeable in Sec. 2 and 3. That doesn’t
mean I don’t like teaching co-ed schools. It’s
good, though, that it’s only boys at some point in
life.
Q: How are your colleagues?
A: It’s a pretty good environment. It’s very
strange having old teachers as colleagues
though.
Pop Quiz!
Hobbies: besides my overloaded agenda, sports
(judo), reading, traveling, and especially hiking.
Favourite book: Lord of The Rings.
Favourite type of music: I don’t really have one.
Sometimes I listen to rock, even hard rock, and
sometimes I listen to classical music. Right now
I’m into movie soundtracks.
Favourite sport: judo.
Favourite miniseries: Babylon Five, a sci-fi
series, kind of like Star Trek, but better. Ms.
Lapenna agrees with me, she watches it once a
year.
Favourite subject in sec IV: maybe math or
biology, but definitely not Latin.
Favourite student: Nobody can answer that.
Advice for students: Ex nihilo nihil (Rien, aucun
résultat ne viendra de rien, aucun effort). Labor
omnia vincit improbus (Un travail acharné vient
à bout de tout).
Laurence Beebe
Art Teacher
Q: How long have you been teaching here?
A: Twenty-five years.
Q: Where did you work before?
A: This was my first job. I had two job offers and
two interviews the day I graduated from
university.
Q: What was your reaction to teaching at an allboys
school? Were you surprised?
A: When I got here, I had a big preconceived
image of boys’ schools and also it was still a
Jesuit institution back then.
Q: How are your colleagues?
A: It’s good, the relationships are good, and it
was nice to have 14 new teachers this year. It’s
actually the first time in 25 years there are so
many. However, I don’t eat with the other
teachers in the cafeteria much, because I really
like to take a break from work. And between
teachers, we usually talk about work, the
students, etc. I like my peace and quiet now and
then.
Pop Quiz!
Hobbies: hunting (I killed my first dear last fall),
fishing, sculpting, water sports, snowshoeing.
Favourite book: books about art history.
Favourite type of music: trip hop, acid jazz,
Radiohead, Portishead, Morchweeba.
Favourite sport: hockey and skating.
Favourite movies: Biutiful, The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button, Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie
Poulain.
Favourite subject in Sec. IV: Physics
Favourite student: Favourite student? Are you
serious?! YOU WANT AN ACTUAL NAME?!
Advice for students: Tis’ better to look good than
it is to feel good. Dolce Gabbana Yo!

GET TO KNOW YOUR TEACHERS!
Ivan Galindo da Fonseca
Julie O’Reilly
English Teacher
Q: How long have you been teaching at
Brébeuf?
A: It’s my eighth year now. It has gone incredibly
fast: I wasn’t here this past year and when I
came back it was as if I had never left.
Q: Where did you teach before?
A: I taught English for three years at the École
de musique Vincent-d’Indy, and as the students
there were older and musicians and I have a
background in music, I would talk about music
every chance I had.
Q: How is teaching at an all boys school?
A: It’s funny; my male traits come out teaching
boys: I’m more direct, assertive, not as vindictive
as I could be and I really like that. Between you
and me, I don’t like teaching Sec. 5 half as much
as I like teaching Sec. 4.
Q: How are your colleagues?
A: The English department rocks! I love them. I
have this ongoing rivalry with Mrs. Lapenna; it’s
like the IRA (Irish Republican Army) against the
Italian mafia, of course, all in good faith. But yes,
everyone is cool, even the Italian one, and I say
this with the most affection.
Pop Quiz!
Hobbies: busy with kids, writing, working out,
listening to my iPod while I work out, relaxing,
flamenco dancing which I stopped because of
my kids and skiing.
Favourite movie: perhaps Run Lola, Run. I also
like romantic comedies (I am a girl) and I am
actually a closeted Twilight fan (big secret!).
However, I’m more of a miniseries person, and I
really like LOST.
Favourite type of music: depends on the season,
in winter I listen to Susie Arioli (jazz), I also like
Jesse Cook, a flamenco guitarist. These days
I’ve been listening to Twilight soundtracks, kind
of like a teenager wannabe.
Favourite book: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
Favourite sport: skiing.
Favourite subject in Sec. IV: English (literature).
Favourite student: All teachers are lying to be
politically correct when they say they don’t have
favourite students. Students have favourite
teachers, we have favourite groups. For me, my
“chouchou” group was gr. 403 in 2005-2006.
Advice for students: Life is beautiful! Embrace it!

DISCOVER (SOME OF) YOUR FOURTH ERA WRITERS
Compiled by Eric Mereniuk
Before starting, I would like to thank Ms. Couture, Mrs. O’Reilly, and Ms. White for the questions they provided for the section,
as well as the writers who participated!
Ms. Couture: Which discovery would you have
liked to make? Why?
Eric Mereniuk: Let’s see…I guess I would’ve liked to
discover the use of liquid nitrogen in cooking,
because molecular gastronomy is just awesome.
Jason Liu: I would have liked to have known what it
was like to be born a girl…because we live in an allboys
school environment, life in a mixed school or
an all-girls school might change my point of view on
a lot of things.
Ruby Thélot: A math theorem. That way, everyone
could use the “Thélot theorem.”
Fabio Leon-Rosa: The Internet, because of its many
uses.
Pascal Nguyen: Nothing. Wait, has nothing been
discovered yet?
Ivan Galindo da Fonseca: The mirror. Think about it,
how awesome is the mirror?
Ms. Couture: Which discovery would you like to
make in the future?
Eric: I would like to discover a new element,
Merenium, which would be indestructible, yet light,
making it the best element ever! Also, my family
name would be immortalized. Otherwise, I could
settle for bringing mammoths back from extinction.
Jason: I would like to discover an alien race: it would
put an end to the everlasting question “are we
alone”… and no doubt this other species would
have a lot on their minds about us. It would be the
perfect opportunity to finally have a peaceful
encounter of the third kind.
Ruby: I want to discover proof of the existence-or
nonexistence-of a superior being.
Fabio: I want to discover a vaccine for AIDS.
Pascal: I would like to discover the existence of
Pokémon.
Ivan: I want to, nay, will discover a way to prove the
non-existence of souls.
Mrs. O’Reilly: What is the Mona Lisa thinking
while people stare at her?
Eric: “Damn Botox…I can’t move my face!”
Jason: Maybe she’s contemplating all the styles of
clothes throughout various eras. Or trying to have a
conversation with someone. Or hoping that
someone would break her out. Or wondering when
she can finally stand up.
Ruby: “My face is frozen…Get me out of here!”
Fabio: “Hey! Stop undressing me with your eyes!”
Pascal: “What are they looking at?”
Ivan: If only someone would get me a mirror...”
Mrs. O’Reilly: Would you rather be a vampire or a
werewolf? Why?
Eric: Well, a werewolf is harder to kill, but I find the
whole “eternal life” thing of vampires more
interesting. Also, since this is a Twilight-related
question, I would be shiny, which is useless, but kind
of cool.
Jason: Werewolf. They’re big, cuddly, fluffy, and
pack a punch. Also, nobody wants to sit near a cold,
dead body…
Ruby: I would be a werewolf, of course. I have the
body for it. Then again, I don’t care much for
Twilight, so it’s trivial.
Fabio: A werewolf. After all, I’m already halfway
there.
Pascal: Dead.
Ivan: A vampire, so I would finally have an excuse
for drinking blood. Then again, werewolves take the
art of gastronomy to a whole new level.
Ms. White: What are you going to miss going into
Secondary V?
Eric: Well…Except for the addition of girls, the only
thing changing is our teachers. So, I’d have to say
our teachers, then.
Jason: Um…I don’t know yet…but not cafeteria
food!
Ruby: The sense of brotherhood, I guess.
Fabio: I’ll miss the brotherhood.
Pascal: I’m going to miss the semi-relaxing days of
secondary IV.
Ivan: Aside from Latin? Being new I guess.

SANITY (NOT) INCLUDED
Embrace your inner craziness
Welcome to an all new section of The Fourth Era where we let the writers go a little crazy. All right,
maybe a lot crazy in some cases. As the subtitle suggests, we invite you, the readers, to come with
us on an occasionally insane voyage of odd facts and mind-boggling fiction. Now, before you read
on, please remember this: in the following pages, sanity is NOT, I repeat, NOT, included.
What if...Offer Shlomi had
never been born?
Eric Mereniuk
Most of you know him as…
Vince from Shamwow!
Who hasn’t heard of Shamwow? Though nobody
actually buys this product (that would be a
complete waste of money, after all), who do we
have to thank for not purchasing it? I mean think
about it: if you just saw a Shamwow sitting next
to a regular old washcloth with the caption
“Absorbs twenty times its weight in water!”, you
might actually consider buying it. After all, why
wouldn’t you? It’s just a washcloth, and what
would there be to lose? Nothing. Absolutely
nothing. But thanks to Vince (from Shamwow!),
nobody wastes their hard earned money. He’s
got that perfect mix of obnoxiousness and
pettiness which makes everyone think, ‘’Why
should I care that ‘Germans always make good
stuff’? My regular washcloth is fine!’’ Yes,
decidedly, Vince (from Shamwow!) is an unsung
hero of our generation.
After all, Vince’s help doesn’t stop at washcloths.
He’s also saved many a household from the Slap
Chop (hmmm…I wonder how it works) and it’s
cheese-grating companion, the Graty (wow…I
wonder how they came up with that one?). Sure,
though they seem great on paper, they’re kind of
the new Magic Bullet (Only three seconds!
One… Two…Threeeeeeeee…eee!): they just
don’t work. Sure, veggies get chopped in the
commercial, but chances are that you’re never
going to slap hard enough to get a clean cut, and
even if you could, you would only cut the food in
one place. And as for the Graty, do I really need
to say why nobody will buy it? I mean, come on.
The Graty? But thanks to our friendly
neighborhood salesperson, we can avoid
discovering this first-hand because we’ll never
buy the two gadgets!
What if...no one came up
with the idea of dumps?
Jason Liu
Let’s pause for a second and think. What if no
one came up with the idea of dumps? Then the
earth would be swarming with water bottles, or
covered in cardboard boxes, or pieces of wood
would be floating around the seas, or rotten
carcasses might linger on the roads. There
would be a colossal island of junk drifting in the
seas: Junklantis! But the stench would be so foul
that people would be forced to walk around in
gas masks. So foul that babies would be given
one at birth. So foul that anybody without a mask
would be contaminated and die. Thank God
someone came up with the idea of dumps!
What if...the Mayans
weren’t exterminated?
Jason Liu
You know, the Mayans apparently had the most
advanced civilization on the face of the planet.
It’s a shame that they were exterminated. But
what if they weren’t? They could show us a thing
or two about astrology. Or perhaps they could tell
us the true meaning of the year 2012. Maybe
they could let us in on the mysteries of the
temples they built, or how they built them. And
according to some, they were even contacted by
alien races! So many things we will probably
never know, because, after all, the world will end
on December 21, 2012 at 9 in the morning -or
will it?

WHAT IF...JUSTIN BIEBER WAS AMERICAN?
Ivan Galindo da Fonseca
I was on my bed, when I heard the news. “Yet
another bomb,” announced the radio.
I sighed. These were the worst times the century had
seen. I went downstairs where my parents’ bodies
lied, untouched, ever since the first attack. God, how
I hated that little brat!
The war had already destroyed all the other
provinces and territories. Quebec was the only one
left, the first to be born and the last to die, oh the
irony. Everyone I knew had already died. All I could
do now was walk amidst the chaos, and look for the
other survivors. I knew there were some. There had
to be some.
Justin Bieber was his name. The new tyrant, the new
Hitler was taking his vengeance on “la terre de mes
aïeux”. He hated Canada, all because of some
stupid best quality music country award. We hadn’t
had any bad musicians for such a long time. Well…
Celine Dion didn’t count. For the first time in
centuries, the U.S. had lost. Even the Americans
themselves, who were so used to voting for their so
beautiful country, couldn’t stand that obnoxious
pesky feminine voice. So what! Deal with it, child.
We won! That’s right; you caused your country’s ruin.
Enraged, using his annoying little toupee, he was
able to manipulate Arnold Schwarzenegger and thus,
the state of California. From there, he made his way
up all the way to presidency. Who would have
thought? Five years ago, I would have laughed if
anyone told me the next genocide would be formed
in the hands of an androgynous twit.
Nonetheless, he had us. He had us good. That mind,
useless for musical talent, was a master of military
strategy. That child had destroyed the whole
Commonwealth, starting with the U.K., and then
Australia, New Zealand, India…until finally, he
unleashed his coup de grace, Canada.
Thankfully, he didn’t know Quebec was also part of
it. For once Jean Charest had had a good initiative.
By giving Bieber a poutine, the child grew quite fond
of “Mini-France”, as he liked to say. The destruction
around me was nothing but miscalculated bombs.
The child was a military genius, yet he just couldn’t
point India out on a map. Lac Saint-Jean must have
sounded Hindi, since he attacked us around seven
times trying to find Mumbai.
I turned off the radio. I had had enough. Tomorrow,
the fiend was coming to visit Old Port, to taste a
beaver tail. Jean Charest, who had now become his
chief advisor, had passed on the tip. Tomorrow, this
would end.
I stood in front of the rails. Behind me was the
skating rink, and to my right, the Marché
Bonsecours. I had used all my science skills, and put
lots and lots and lots of salt on the rink. The ice was
almost electric. The water had already divided the
Na and Cl molecules, all I needed was an anode and
little Bieber would be the cathode. After all those
years of bad singing, negative energy was all that
was left inside him. The pole nearby worked
perfectly.
I sniffed the air. He was here. Along with him,
Charest and sixty senators.
I placed the trampoline, right in front of the beaver
tail place. Bieber would fall into my trap and bounce
off towards the river. By calculating the parameter a
of the parabolic function, I had determined the other
zero. He was going to fall right into the lake, that little
brat.
They were opening the door when I told all the
senators to stab Charest 23 times. They weren’t very
hard to convince. “Delendus est Charest,” one of
them cried.
Bieber screamed, cried, ran in circles, until finally I
had to hold him still and say, “MOVE TO YOUR
LEFT.”
And so he did, right into the trampoline. Off goes
Bieber through the air. The lake shined as the
electricity went through the dead boy’s body.
We were, at long last, free.

ARE YOU TOO PARANOID?
Don’t worry: it happens to all of us
Eric Mereniuk
Who isn’t a little paranoid deep down? I mean, it’s only
natural. But some people (like me, I must admit) are kind
of borderline crazy in their paranoia. Yeah, I’m a proud
paranoid, and all you closet paranoiacs, who are too
paranoid to admit that you’re paranoid (wow, I’m getting a
little confusing here), should just face the facts. After all,
acceptance always breaks through barriers. So, first, let’s
identify who is paranoid. Do you:
● Think quietly to avoid being heard (yes, it’s
completely absurd to all non-paranoiacs, but
paranoid people will understand)? (Check!)
● Avoid certain people to an obsessive-compulsive
extent because you fear that they will talk to you?
(Check!)
● Stalk people just to make sure nobody talks
behind your back? (Not check!)
● Ask at least half a dozen people the same
question to make sure you get a good answer
(hey, you can’t trust everybody)? (Check!)
● Get nervous every time you have to speak to a
stranger, a figure of authority, group, or practically
anybody you aren’t close to? (Check!)
● Go crazy if you hear people mention your name
during a conversation? (Check!)
● Second-guess almost everything you do?
(Check!)
(NOTE: the characteristics above do not all apply to me)
Now, for some of you, recognizing your paranoia was as
simple as identifying which of the above applies to you. If
that is the case, I’m sorry to inform you that you’re not
paranoid enough to be ultra-paranoid. So stop reading this
article and move on. Maybe read the Jason’s rant, or the
teacher/writer Q&As.
Now, if you’re still
in denial, let me tell
you how this is
going to happen.
You’ll go through
the five stages that
a r e b a s i c a l l y
similar to the five
stages of grief. So,
here they are:
THE MOLE PEOPLE
(or how to successfully discuss a conspiracy theory on film)
Jason Liu
The Mole People is a 1965 cult
fiction movie based on the
pseudoscientific fact that the
Earth is hollow. This means that
there are surface people and
then there are mole people.
Hollow Earth, of course, is a
conspiracy theory where it states
that the earth has holes and that
in those holes inhabit intraterrestrials.
Let’s see how this movie goes:
so the doctors stumble onto the
Sumerian Albinos society, which
uses the mole people as slaves
to harvest mushrooms, since
these can grow without sunlight.
Blablabla, one girl has natural
Caucasian skin; the albinos
believe the doctors are sent from
their goddess Ishtar. Having
lived underground for several
generations, the Mole People
cannot look bright light in the
eye. Because of this, the
flashlights the doctors have
brought are irritating to the point
that one of the Mole men kills
one of the doctors.
Blablablablabla and the
remaining men escape to the
surface with the Caucasian girl
where she is killed by an
earthquake.
Average movie. But successful
scientific scandal! And why is
1. Denial: This is what was happening a few
seconds ago.
2. Anger: Realistically, you’re getting a little annoyed
by the fact that I seem to know too much. Or, you
just hate my article, me or the fact that I’ve written
so much for the issue.
3. Bargaining: You’re now thinking, “OK, please just
stop now! Fine, I’m paranoid, whatever!” but I
won’t stop.
4. Depression: You’re now sad that you’re paranoid.
The horrible reality of it has finally set in, which is
good. You’re on your way to-
5. Acceptance: Now, you finally accept the fact that
you’re not perfect. And it’s fine. But nobody can
ever know (hey, you’re still paranoid!). Wait, does
the fact that I’m writing this mean that I’m not
paranoid enough?
Over the course of this article, I hope that at least one
person has discovered something about himself. Or
herself (hey, I hope some teachers read the newspaper).
After all, the theme is discovery.
that? Because the narrator is
Frank Baxter, an English
Professor at the University of
Southern California, who
discusses the points-of-view of
John Symmes and Cyrus Teed.
Because it shares the success
f o r m u l a o f a l l t h e o t h e r
Hollywood blockbusters: gore,
horror, suspense, girls, guys and
a healthy load of gossip. The
success factor comes from the
fact that the gossip followed the
viewers outside the cinema
theatre. Because remember
young conspirators, what get’s in
our minds stays in our minds.

ATLANTIS: THE LOST CONTINENT
Yuanhong Xie
We have all heard of this fabulous city in the
middle of the Atlantic sea, lost a few thousand
years ago.
Atlantis (Greek for ‘‘Island of Atlas’’) is a
legendary island first mentioned in Plato's
dialogues Timaeus and Critias. In Plato's
account, Atlantis was a naval power lying "in
front of the Pillars of Hercules" that conquered
many parts of Western Europe and Africa
around 9600 BC. After a failed attempt to invade
Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean in ‘‘a single
day and night of misfortune’’.
The lifestyle of Atlanteans has been the central
focus of the development of several theories.
We know that the society of this lost continent
was essentially based on two social classes: the
wealthy citizens and slaves. Of course, there
were also men of State, various councils of
elders, as well as policy advisers, but they were
all from the citizen’s class and were quite
wealthy, probably because they benefited from
slave labour. Interestingly, the slaves were well
treated and well respected for their expertise. In
fact, according to our current criteria, they would
constitute a kind of middle class and some of
them even amassed some wealth.
The Atlanteans were a very indulgent civilization
that gave all people the opportunity to benefit
from its generosity. The citizens of the lost
continent live an average of eight hundred years
and were approximately two hundred and sixtyfour
meters tall (the Bible also refers to the
existence of giants in Genesis Chapter 6). We
might think that these giants are the product of a
fertile imagination, but more than a dozen
skeletons measuring this size have been
discovered in various locations around the
world. The Spanish conquistadors also noted in
their journals the description of blond giants of
the same size in the Andean region conquered
by the Incas.
The Atlanteans worshiped arts, and culture
played a very important role in their lives, along
with technology and progressive advancements,
which would become uncontrollable and, one
day, lead to the collapse of their civilization.
Initially, the citizens of the lost continent
engaged in creative activities such as
philosophy, literature and painting, but they
gradually evolved towards a technocratic
society centred on trade.
Yuanhong Xie

HISTORICAL FICTION
The Hill of the Poisonous Trees
Xavier Boyer
Ho Van Tay shook his head as he took a photograph of a
desolate hotel. He looked around Phnom Penh, once the
bustling capital of Cambodia with a population of two
million souls, now lifeless, save for Vietnamese soldiers
who had captured the city without a fight. Khmer Rouge.
They attack Vietnam with armies of teenagers with almost
no ammunition among them, they leave their capital city to
rot and let the jungle take over. They relocate their entire
population to the countryside. What a bunch of loonies.
Tay photographed another building. It looked like a school
and somehow seemed to be in a better state than the
other buildings. Tay walked closer to take a closer picture
when it hit him: the stench. The stench of rotting flesh.
Holding a scarf to his nose, Tay looked closer. The
windows of the school had been replaced by metal bars,
barbed wire lay everywhere around the fence. This was no
school. What were the Khmer Rouge up to? Calling a few
soldiers to him he started walking towards the “school”,
taking a deep breath of the pungent air.
They entered the building. The interior of the building was
no better than the exterior. The corridors where dirty and
barren, the ceiling showed signs of decay and was rotting
in some places. And, of course, the stench didn’t help -it
was overwhelming. The rot seemed to be coming from a
half-closed door to what was probably the locker room.
Pointing to the room (he didn’t want to speak, fearing that
he would gag if he did), Tay kicked the door opened.
The sight was horrific.
Shackled to the floor by an iron bar stood the decapitated
corpses of two men, bloated and buzzing with fat, black
flies. The bodies were thin, emaciated things even bloated
in death; their limbs looked like frail branches that you
could break with a single snap. The two heads were a
rotting, bloody mess. It seemed that their killer had hacked
their heads to pulp with whatever thing he had used to
murder those poor souls, to deny his victims the chance of
being identified. The room was covered in what seemed to
be rotted blood. It was everywhere: on the floor, on the
walls, there was even some on the ceiling.
Tay quickly snapped a photo of the headless butchered
corpses and closed the door. The stench did not go away.
It was not long before they found the other bodies,
chained to bed frames or iron shackles. All had been killed
in terrible
ways. One
had been
gutted like a
fish; another
was as black
as ash and
bloated, just
as if he had
been burned
by a
Painting by Van Nath depicting the horrors of the Khmer Rouge
Painting by Van Nath depicting the horrors of the Khmer Rouge
flamethrower. One of the captives had been waterboarded
to death. His face was convulsed in abject terror and his
fists were clenched tight on his manacles, as if he had
tried to break them. Another one had been whipped to
death, his back a bloody, gory mess of muscle and
vertebrae, the whip lay near him, soaked in blood. The
rest of the prisoners had all been killed in similarly terrible
ways. They had been hacked to pieces, decapitated,
strangled, beaten to death with clubs and iron bars. They
found fourteen corpses in total.
But they also found seven live prisoners.
One of them was named Van Nath. He said he had been
kept alive only because he knew how to paint. He would
paint from dawn to dusk, ignoring the pain in his back,
painting portraits of brother #1, Pol Pot, under the prison
sadistic warden, Comrade Duch.
Van Nath showed him the board where the ten rules of
tuol sleng were written, the vats of water where they
drowned the prisoners, and the “gallows” -a post where
the Khmer Rouge hanged the traitors to the regime.
He showed him the medievalistic techniques used by the
Khmer Rouge to extract confessions: electroshocks,
white-hot metal, sharpened knives, pincers to gouge out
nails as well as an old favorite of the Khmer Rouge:
suffocation with a plastic bag, both cheap and reusable.
He showed him the photos. There were thousands of
them. Men, woman and children, both alive and dead.
They had no name, just a number. A face with no name.
And then there were the confessions. They were often
thousand of words long relating everything from their
youth to treasonous actions against the regime and
missions given to them by their KGB and FBI paymasters.
Following these confessions came a list of names:
relatives and friends, all traitors to the Angkar, the
organization of which Pol Pot was the unquestionable
chief.
But the worse was the murder tree, covered in sticky gore.
To save precious ammunition, Khmer Rouge soldiers
would simply bring babies and young children here and
bash their heads against the trunk until they died.
On this day, the 7 th of January 1979, Ho Van Tay learned
what Tuol Sleng meant in Cambodian: “hill of the
poisonous trees”.
Note: Ho Van Tay, a Vietnamese combat photographer,
was the first person to bring images of Tuol Sleng to the
world (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Tuol_Sleng_Genocide_Museum for more details).

THE UTILITY OF VIDEO GAMES
Bertold Shihman
The video game market is one
that has been greatly expanding
since the first competitive and
interactive video game created in
1972: PONG. This game
consists of two players each
controlling a small paddle and
bouncing a ball from one player
to the other. The goal is to make
your opponent miss the ball. Very
hardcore.
Since then video games and the
companies in charge of making
them evolved non-stop, giving us
games today where millions play
at once, 3D games and much,
much, much, much, much (okay,
not THAT much) more.
Parents and other responsible
people consider that video
games are a grand factor in teen
health deterioration everywhere.
Moreover, we, poor and sad kids,
are faced with punishment and
other stuff which need not be
named. It’s not our fault video
games attract us like a street
lamp attract mere flies. It’s not
our fault the companies keep
sending out new and improved
material that we must buy at
once. It’s not our fault that all of
our friends are playing these
games, making us want them
even more. It’s not our fault that
video games come with such
mind-blowing graphics and
intense violence. None of this is
our fault. How can it be? We are
mere teenagers.
Indeed, we are like mice that
cannot resist the cheese sitting
on a totally obvious trap; but we
go there every time and get
caught every time and want to go
back again because the cheese
is just too amazing to resist.
When we take a little time to
think about all of this (the
parents, the consequences, the
graphics, the new releases, the
violence, the trap and the
cheese), we can realize that
video games are not such a bad
thing after all, really.
First, let’s start with the parentrecommended
alternative:
sports. However, when the
weather feels a little grouchy, the
sun decides to play hide-andseek
and the wind decides it just
has to ruin everybody’s day just
because it can, how can parents
expect us to go play soccer or
something. Sure, I like to slip and
fall and dirty my brand new shirt,
especially when it’s raining. Sure,
I like to go ahead and catch a
cold (so popular these days).
Sure, I like to have wind blow all
kinds of junk into my face (that’s
my favourite). I love all these
things. No I don’t, NOT AT ALL! I
HAAATE them! So what do I do?
Guess. Come on, you can do it,
guess. All right, I’ll tell you, I play
video games. Partially because
this helps me make the bad
times pass and because, like all
male teenagers, I need
something to do, all the time.
Second, we shall go to another
parent-recommended alternative:
reading. Sure, I enjoy reading
books. In fact, I have read quite a
few in my life (3...no I’m just
kidding). But you have to agree
with me on this, some books can
be a little too repetitive and
others just don’t light any sparks.
In addition, some books that
come in whole series require a
long wait time in between books
while the author finish the next
one. That’s where video games
come in. New material is
constantly poured in to improve a
game and compete versus other
people. This means it almost
never gets boring. The action is
always hot.
Last, the most dreadful factor:
true benefits. Benefits such as “it
helps me improve my kill-score”,
“owning noobs is fun” and “I liiky
explisii-ons” absolutely do not
count. I’m talking about the real
benefits. One of which is
maintaining friendly relationships
with people who are too far away
to meet in person or people that
don’t have the time to spend four
hours meeting you. Therefore,
video games with live chat help
with this problem.
In addition, you can talk to all of
your friends without having to call
them one by one. Furthermore,
there is competition; kids that
aren’t that physically strong do
not necessarily learn the means
of competing. While playing, kids
can participate in a tight
competitive situation, learn what
stress is and how to deal with it
eventually in their future.
Also, there is the development of
y o u r i m a g i n a t i o n . Y o u r
imagination grows the more stuff
you see, touch, hear, smell,
taste, learn, experience and feel.
Therefore, doing anything helps
expand your imagination except
repetitions. In video games, new
stuff is always launched at you
and all this new material that you
have never seen or thought of in
your whole life increases
exponentially the limits of your
imagination.
In conclusion, I’m not saying that
video games should replace all
other kinds of activities or that
you should play 27 hours a day
and 12 days a week. No. All I’m
saying is that a little video
gaming from time to time will do
no bad and even a little good.

REVIEWS
Nintendo 3DS
Sick of 3D being everywhere these days? Well, prepare to be annoyed.
Eric Mereniuk
So, we can all agree that 3D is the new go-to
thing in movies. I mean, every movie genre –
action, horror, comedy, and especially
animation– has had at least one movie in 3D,
whether it was worth it or wasn’t (seriously, who
would go see The King’s Speech in 3D?).
Now, Nintendo is bringing this (slightly
annoying) trend to the gaming world with its
next handheld: the aptly-named –and glassesfree-
Nintendo 3DS. See that clever pun?
Using D to…yeah, I didn’t find it too great
either. So, how does this little system work
sans glasses? Don’t we normally need those
uncomfortable glasses (that make some of us
worthy of the nickname six-eyes) that block out
one image with one lens and vice-versa to
create a three-dimensional image?
Well, you all know how Avatar was filmed using
two cameras to heighten the sense of 3D by
trying to simulate eyes? Imagine using this with
a large number of images, allowing your eyes
themselves to actually create the 3D effect on
their own. This is possible thanks to the
inclusion of a slider on the handheld, which
enables users to change the intensity of the 3D
effect. It even lets them turn it off completely
(after a while, your eyes will probably get tired.
Also, using the effect massively decreases the
battery life, which is by far the system’s biggest
problem). Also, players can look forward to
enhanced wi-fi settings, allowing you to
download
c o n t e n t
without having
to connect to
the Internet
yourself.
Of course, no
system would
be complete
without a solid
lineup of
The wonderful device itself.
games to back it up, and the 3DS has a great
set of games coming. Though the main
attractions of the launch lineup may seem a
little…underwhelming (the main highlights
being Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and
Steel Diver), a wide array of titles is coming,
including remakes of the Nintendo 64 classics
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (one
of the finest –if not the finest- games of all time,
remastered with improved menus and
graphics? Yes please!) and Star Fox 64,
another game considered the best series entry.
If you’re
wondering if
there are
any non-
Nintendo
g a m e s ,
Capcom has
you covered
with not one,
but two
Resident Evil
g a m e s :
Resident Evil
Revelations, No need for glasses Wario.
and Resident
Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. Fans of Nintendo’s
mustachioed plumber can look forward to an
as-of-yet untitled platformer, a new RPG entry
in the Paper Mario series, and a new Mario
Kart. S h o o t e r f a n s , w o r r y n o t : t h e
announcement of games for the system is far
from being finished, and the 3D effect is bound
to entice at least one developer.
However, the question surrounding this
handheld is: does 3D really make a difference?
We’ll just have to wait and find out : by the time
you read this, the 3DS will already be available
in stores.

Pokémon Black Version/White Version (Nintendo DS)
Will Nintendo’s latest entry get fans to catch ‘em all?
Eric Mereniuk
Ahhh, Pokémon. Few games are as addictive
as the series, and this specific entry fits in with
the theme of discovery. For the first time, you
won’t be able to catch any of your old favourites
(yes, not even you, Pikachu) until the end of the
game. What does this mean? First of all, you’ll
constantly be discovering new Pokémon as you
progress through the game (I told you that it fits
in with discovery). You’ll also use new moves,
explore new locales, and even see new types
of battles, Triple Battles and Rotation Battles (in
which you can change your Pokémon and
attach in the same turn).
The Pokémon and Moves
Now, let me prepare you for this: after some
five hundred Pokémon made over the course of
the last four sets of original games, the design
quality is bound to diminish from generation to
generation. Unfortunately, this has happened in
these games. A lot of the new Pokémon just
plain suck (well, visually at least). Sure, they’ll
eventually grow on you after a few hours, but
let’s just say that Snivy (the new grass starter)
is no Bulbasaur or Chikorita. Also, the designs
of the legendary Pokémon (Reshiram, the white
Pokémon, is caught in Black Version, while
Zekrom, the black one, is caught in White
Version) are not quite up there with the series’
best (such as Ho-Oh and Lugia). Oh, and one
problem for old favourites: these (often ugly)
new Pokémon’s moves are, in some cases,
overpowered, meaning that you’ll have to keep
using these new
creatures.
The Region and Story
This new entry takes
place in the Unova
region, which is a very
different place from the
Japan-inspired Kanto,
Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh
regions. Whereas the
previous locales were, for
the most part, very nature-related, this new
region is far more urban. Oh, and one other
thing : Unova is a much more linear region than
those from previous versions of the series.
Instead of branching paths, Unova has one
large circular main path that forms a loop (with
the exception of the first town and the Pokémon
League), meaning that it won’t be very easy to
get lost. Oh, and aside from a few Pokémon,
the main difference between the versions
comes from two areas : White Forest (in White
Version), and Black City (in Black Version),
which each have specific events to see and
items to find. The story, on the other hand,
while keeping the core elements (you are a
young boy or girl setting out to thwart villains’
plans, become Champion, and catch the
Legendary Pokémon), is slightly more complex.
Team Rocket has been replaced with a new set
of villains called Team Plasma, who supposedly
fight for the liberation of Pokémon. Also, the
Legendary Pokémon are actually part of the
story, but you’ll have to play the game to find
out how the whole situation unfolds.
Let’s face it, new creatures and more complex
story aside, this is basically the same old
addictive game as before. You’ll still capture
hundreds of Pokémon, battle many trainers,
and defeat the Elite Four, but whether or not
that’s a bad thing is up to you. If you’ve already
played Pokémon, but have skipped a few
games, this is a great way to re-enter the
series, and if you’ve
never played one of the
games before, this is a
good starting point. But if
you’ve played every
other game and are
thoroughly sick of the
series, nothing I can say
will make you buy this
game.
Overall score: 8.5/10.

The Sly Collection (PS3)
Rediscover a trio of PS2 classics
Eric Mereniuk
Sly Cooper is a somewhat little-known trilogy of
PlayStation 2 games that was released between
2002 and 2005. They were met with good reviews,
but were kind of lost in the swarm of great games
coming out in those years. Fortunately, Sucker
Punch has decided to re-release these games in
HD for the PlayStation 3, meaning that those who
missed the series the first time around will get a
chance to finally discover why reviewers loved them
so much, and those who did play the games will get
to rediscover them with enhanced cel-shaded
graphics (which, by the way, look great). So, without
further ado, I’ll review each part of the collection
(Please note that the whole package costs about
$40, making it a great deal).
Overall score for the whole collection: 9/10
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus
The first game of the series is, strangely enough,
the odd man out. After an easy heist (in case you
hadn’t guessed, Sly is a raccoon thief), we’re
introduced to Sly Cooper. With his sly remarks (no
pun intended), the character is instantly likable,
which is one of the big pluses of the series.
However, the other characters are a little annoying
in this game (especially Sly’s two partners in crime,
but more on them later), because they all feel minor
next to the protagonist. Now, back to the game
being the odd man out. You see, though there is
some stealth involved, the first game is very much a
straight-up platformer, which isn’t necessarily a bad
thing. Though the game isn’t particularly hard (or
long, for that matter), clues to opening safes allow
you to discover new abilities, and timed challenges
add replay value. Also, the story, though not great,
sets the stage for the amazing Sly 2 (sorry, I’m not
giving spoilers). 8.5/10
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Now this is really the series’ high point. Though
there is still platforming in Sly 2, the overall
structure of the game vastly changes, and for the
better. Whereas the previous game had players
accessing levels from a central area before
proceeding to a boss fight, this entry functions with
missions. You’ll still have a hub world where clue
bottles are scattered, but this time, the main area is
much bigger and less linear, meaning that finding all
the clues will actually be a challenge. But back to
!
the structure: the game is divided into eight
episodes (once again, not a very long game, but
excellent nonetheless), that are divided into various
stages of a main objective. These general goals are
then divided into individual missions. Here’s the
best part: in addition to playing as Sly (he does the
thieving and more intense platforming), you’ll also
get to control his partners Murray (a pink
hippopotamus, who is the brawn) and Bentley (a
turtle; he’s the brains and the demolitions expert).
This ensures that the gameplay is varied enough so
that you never get sick of playing as one of the
characters. Also, the story and voice acting is much
better than it was in the first game (or in the third for
that matter).
Finally, the most important thing is that you feel
more like a thief in this game: you have a more
structured objective, get by more security, have recon
missions, and even get to pick pockets (hey, it’s
the little things that make a great game).
9.5/10
Sly 3: Honour Among Thieves
Sly 3 is the third outing of the series, and it follows
the mission structure found in the previous game,
albeit less successfully. Though you’ll still steal, get
by security, complete missions, and pickpocket
guards, the story (which diverges from the one in
the other two games) is not as good. Another
problem is that Sucker Punch thought that because
players liked having more than one playable
character, they could add more characters. This
would’ve been okay if the game was long, but it’s
shorter than Sly 2 (only six episodes this time). This
means that the tried-and-true gameplay elements
are less present. Another minor problem is that clue
bottles are gone from the game. This takes out any
motivation to explore the locales. But don’t think
that this means that the game isn’t good: there are
still some great moments in the new segments, and
Sly’s missions are, as usual, a blast. 8.5/10

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: Artists to Discover
Sami El-Agha
As you may have understood, the theme of the 4 th Era issue you’re reading right now is discovery. For the
music part of the newspaper, I decided to create a list of 20 artists with different musical styles. I chose them if:
1. They aren’t too well-known (at Brebeuf I mean).
2. They do something interesting.
3. They bring something new to my list (music type for instance).
A S K Y L I T
D R I V E -
Maybe some
of you guys
a c t u a l l y
know them
(they are
kind of wellknown
and
popular), but
I started my
list with more
popular bands before really going underground.
To summarize, A Skylit Drive is a band of posthardcore
metal (really close to punk) with different
elements of experimental music and melodic
metalcore. They were formed in 2005 in Lodi,
California. The band has released a DVD, three
albums and is still active. From 2007 to 2009, they
signed with the Trash Hero label. Presently they are
with Fearless Records. Present members are:
Micheal Jagmin on lead vocals, Brian White on bass
and vocals (including screams), Joey Wilson on lead
guitar, Nick Miller on rhythm guitar, Corey La Quay
on drums and death growls and Kyle Simmons on
piano, keyboards, synthesizers and programming.
Key Song: All It Takes For Your Dreams to Come
True.
OK GO - OK
Go is an indie
rock/pop band
originally from
Chicago and
Washington,
DC (the
members met
w h e n t h e y
were 11 years old at the Interlochen Arts Camp).
They are now residing in Los Angeles and have
been active since 1998. They are mostly notorious
for their wacky and original music videos (I tell you
those are fun to watch!!). We can find Damian
Kulash on lead vocals, Tim Nordwind on bass, Dan
Konopa on drums and Andy Ross on guitar. They
released 3 studio albums and were signed with
Capitol Records before creating their own label:
Paracadute.
Key Song (and video): Here It Goes Again.
ROSE - Her real name is Keren Meloul. She was
born on May 24, 1978 in the city of Nice. She is a
Folk and French pop
singer. She’s been
artistically active since
2006. Her name comes
from the movie Rose, a
biographical movie about
the life of Janis Joplin.
She plays guitar and
sings...really fun to listen
to. She has now
produced 2 studio
albums.
Key Song: Ciao Bella.
ALL CAPS - The band
consists of 2 members:
Kristina Horner and Luke
Conard. They somewhat
became famous for their
numerous song parodies
available on their Youtube
Channel. They do techno/
pop and have 3 official
albums, but they’re not
studio recorded because
they are not signed. They
post homemade videos of their songs on Youtube
and regularly put some new singles on iTunes.
Key Song: Don’t Unplug Me.
HYSTERICA -
Hysterica is an all-girl
Swedish heavy metal
band founded in 2005
in Stockholm. They
released a demo in
2006, which did bring
them some notoriety.
After several years
playing gigs and
touring in Holland, UK,
Belgium and Germany,
they finally released their first album in 2009:
MetalWar. All the members have a nickname: Anna
de Vil (vocals), Marydeath (keyboards), SatAnica
(bass), Hell’n (drums) and Bitchie (guitar). They won
the award for Newcomer at the Swedish Metal
Awards in 2010.
Key Song: Girls Made Of Heavy Metal.

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: Artists to Discover (continued)
Sami El-Agha
F3TCH - Somewhere
back in 2006, in
London, England was
born a four-piece band
called F3tch. They
play hardcore/nu metal
music and since their
debut, they haven’t
stopped getting bigger and bigger. They now have
official merchandise; they do big gigs, their own
Youtube series (F3tch TV on Youtube); they even
held the first spot on the Kerrang! (rock magazine)
Unsigned website chart and have over a quarter
million fans on Youtube and a good fanbase on
Myspace. If you appreciate Korn you will probably
like F3tch.
Key Song: Controlling Me.
THE PILLOWS -
The Pillows, is a
long-running indie
rock/alternative
rock band from
Hokkaido, Japan
that have been
active since 1989.
They previously
signed with many
labels like
C a p t a i n , P o n y
Canyon and King, before signing with Avex Trax.
Through their long carrier, The Pillows released
dozens of original studio albums and several EPs.
With Sawao Yamanaka on vocals and rhythm guitar,
Yoshiaki Manabe on lead guitar, Shin’ichirō Satō on
drums and Jun Suzuki on bass, the band is still
running with more energy than ever! They are the
band that made the whole soundtrack of the
animated series FLCL (a short, but fun anime to
watch).
Key Song: Ride on Shooting Stars.
US AGAINST THE STARS - It is
an emo/hardcore/screamo band
from Colombus, Ohio. They are
still unsigned, but they make
great music and are still getting
bigger; they say themselves in
their MySpace biography that
they never imagined getting this
far and they are working their
brains out to make their music
as good as possible. Oh, and by
the way, they are on tour now.
Key Song: So Long, Atlantis.
SON OF DORK - Son of Dork is a pop/punk band.
Even though they have been inactive for close to 3
years, they still haven’t declared the official end of
the band. Their inactivity was caused by the
departure of guitarist Dave Williams but, when all
that happened in 2007, the band still had a sufficient
quantity of songs to release
a second record and
rumours say that the band
is still working on it. Only
one record was published
by Son of Dork and it is
called Welcome to
Loserville. If you ever
enjoyed listening to
Blink-182 or McFly, Son of
Dork is a great choice.
Key Song: Ticket Outta
Loserville
THE CRYSTAL
KEYS - Now, be
proud young people,
because here is a
band from Montreal
( t h o u g h t h e r e ’ s
another few a little
later in the article)!
This is for you,
house and indie
music fans. We can easily feel all their various
influences. From classical music to punk rock, they
find a way to touch every genre. They’ve been on
MusiquePlus and are starting to take more space on
the Montreal indie scene. They have a self-titled EP
that is waiting to be released: The Crystal Keys.
Key Song (don’t mind this one too much because
ALL their songs are worth listening to): Kitchen Sex.
CRAWPUPPIES - I present to you an unsigned
alternative/indie/powerpop/rock’n’roll band. They
were born in Hobart, Indiana. Members are: Chad
Clifford - Singer/Acoustic Guitar, Aaron Hedges -
Bass, Chris Karp - Drums, Mike Curtis - Lead Guitar.
Sorry guys,
t h e r e i s
nothing more
to say about
them since I
didn’t find any
bio, not even
o n t h e i r
MySpace
account!
Key Song:
World’s Much
Bigger.

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: Artists to Discover (continued)
Sami El-Agha
MIYAVI - For those
asking, yes, this guy is
Japanese. But please,
don’t underestimate this
g u y, b e c a u s e h e i s
awesome! He’s a
superstar in Japan and is
admired by most of the
North American visual
kei/j-rock fans. He’s a solo
artist, plays guitar and sings and most of his style is
resting on acoustic guitar slapping (he plays electric
guitar in only a few of his songs). He is also known
for his REALLY extravagant hairstyle and clothing.
He was born September 14, 1981 in Nishikujo,
Hyogo, Japan. He has presently released 8 records
and recently published his Live in London album.
This is some music you don’t want to miss!
Key Song: Selfish Love
POXY – Has anyone
ever heard about
Xavier Cafeine? I
guess most of you
have. Poxy that I am
presently presenting
you right now is
Xavier Cafeine’s
band before he went
solo. He formed this
band after the end of
his previous band: Cafeine. Poxy is presently
inactive (if not ended) and has released one selftitled
album so far. On bass and vocals we have our
one and only Xavier, on guitar, Eric Calibur and Eric
Sonic, and finally, on drums, Samuel Cafeine. If you
like alternative/punk rock, Poxy could be something
interesting for you.
Key Song: Bad Habits.
HIMEKA - Here’s another
girl from Quebec, but this
one’s special -she sings in
Japanese! Her real name
is Catherine St-Onge and
was born on July 20, 1981
in Quebec (this kind of
contrasts with her music).
She does J-pop and has
been active since 2009.
Her name comes from a character she created for a
story she wrote when she was 13 years old. What
headed her towards J-pop is probably her deep
passion for the Japanese culture. Maybe you guys
are thinking she’s just a girl singing in bars at night
or having small gigs. Actually, she released 3 singles
and 1 album and has become more and more
popular in Canada, US and Japan (oohhh, and by
the way, she moved to Japan in 2008 in order to
pursue her singing career). Her debut single Azu e
no Kizuna was used as the opening theme to the
PS3 videogame Valkyria Chronicles, another of her
songs was used as one of the two ending themes of
the animated feature Tegami Bachi and also won the
Animax Anison Grand Prix, a prize targeting aspiring
singers in Japan. Pretty successful I guess!
Key Song: Asu e no Kizuka
EVERYTHING
AFTER ZERO – This
is a band I personally
really appreciate.
Everything After Zero
is another band from
Montreal. They play
progressive metal.
So, if you guys like
Dream Theater,
Opeth, maybe Protest the Hero, you might look
forward to listening to them. Sorry, I’m not sure if
they are signed or anything else, but I can say their
debut EP is now available on iTunes and that
different types of merchandise are now on sale (tshirts,
stickers, etc). Nevertheless, you can still listen
to their music on their MySpace account. Here is the
lineup: Jordash on drums, Dax on vocals, Jiak on
guitar/vocals, Sacha on bass and Dave on
keyboards. They’re worth to listen to for at least one
song.
Key Song: King of the Hill
P R O P H E C Y
WITHIN - Now,
while you are
presently reading
this article, on the
other side of the
Ocean, there is
Prophecy Within,
an Irish progressive
rock/metal band from the city of Cork, struggling to
stand out as artists. It all began during the summer
of 2008 when bandmates Barry Wilson (drums), Ben
Deloughry (guitar) and Hugh Deloughry (bass)
decided to begin their three-piece instrumental
musical project. All three have been working since
then on promoting the band via the Internet, writing
music, etc. In 2009, they had a very supportive
fanbase (approx. 800 suscribers on Youtube, Twitter,
Facebook and MySpace) and enough tracks to start
seriously playing gigs on a regular basis. They are
still unsigned, but yet growing like never before.
Key Song: Cloudburst (P.S. Watch their covers on
Youtube!!).

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH: Artists to Discover (continued)
Sami El-Agha
ROOTS OF TRAGEDY -
Not too far from the last
band, in Norwegia, lies a
black/death /progressive
metal band. Roots Of
Tragedy aren’t known at
all (well, almost) outside
their home country, but,
contrarily to some other
artists I talked about
earlier, they are signed
with the record label Soundmass. The way I
discovered them is a pretty funny story: I was in a
library where I found a book called All Known Metal
Bands. Since I’m somehow a metal fan I bought it.
Then day after day, I open the book to random
pages pointing to random bands. Roots Of Tragedy
was one of them. Anyways, sadly, I didn’t find any
more information on the band.
Key Song: Pray For Death.
SOUL OF
SAM - Another
Montreal band!
Well, this band
a c t u a l l y
c o n t a i n s
somebody you
know well,
fellow students at Brebeuf, and it is Olivier Downs,
the man we all like. He is the guitarist of this
alternative band with Kat on vocals, Max on bass,
Jon on drums and finally Tom on guitar/vocals. They
are unsigned but have many songs available on
MySpace and their official website. I personally think
Here’s hoping this list gave you the
opportunity to listen to different things
or to discover new artists, I hope you
stay on the wonderful road of
discovery!
Soul Of SAM is a pretty good band and is worth
some listening.
Key Song: It Ends Tonight.
DIAL TRIPLE ZERO - Montreal again! This a
alternative/pop punk/rock band formed by
Rosemarie Sarno on vocals, Alex Mathieu on guitar,
Antoine Michaud on lead guitar, Andrew Krupa on
bass and Daniela Fata on bass. They participated in
the Can Your School Rock? TV show and often play
gigs at Café Campus, Metropolis, etc. They don’t
have many songs
online yet, but they
have a lot in stock.
Just wait until they
release the whole
thing. Most of them
are about 17, so
they have time to
work.
Key Song: Infected
by Sunset.
SURGE - I don’t know why, but I feel you guys know
them. Maybe because on lead guitar we can find
fellow Nicolas Rivera and fellow Julien Theriault on
drums! To complete the band, there’s Jerome Paupe
as rhythm guitarist, Eduard Paraschivescu on bass
and Vithou Thurber on vocals. They have been
active since last summer, and boy, they are rising
quick. They have over 10 songs on their MySpace
page and are always working on more. It would be
cool if you guys maybe went on their account or their
website to listen to a few songs and, if you like rock,
that’s even better!
Key Song: Rock On OR Brainwashed.
SURGE

THE LOST SYMBOL
Xin Tong Wang
!
The Lost Symbol is a
thriller novel written by
Dan Brown. It is the
sequel to The Da Vinci
Code. Once again, Dan
Brown merges science
and mystery together to
provide a suspenseful
and breathtaking story.
T h e t w o p r e v i o u s
novels involved secrets
within the Catholic
Church, but this time,
the story relies on
Freemasonry.
PLOT
Robert Langdon, a Harvard University
symbologist (note that this academic discipline
does not exist in real life), is invited by his
billionaire friend Peter Solomon, a 33 rd degree
Mason (the most important position in the
Freemason Brotherhood), to give a lecture at the
Capitol. However, when Langdon arrives, he
discovers the severed right hand of Peter
Solomon. He learns that it was actually Peter’s
kidnapper, Mal’akh, who summoned him.
VOX MAGISTRORUM
What was your biggest discovery?
Ivan Galindo da Fonseca
Amélie Couture: When I was little, the word chairlift.
Daniel Deschênes: At what point Tectonic music
could put me in a trance.
Julie O’Reilly: When I was 22 and I went
backpacking throughout Europe, the power of
experience.
Melissa White: That there is nothing like
experiencing something in the country/place it was
created (ex. Irish music in a Dublin pub, Greek
salad on Santorini or a Beaujolais nouveau in
November in Paris).
Alexandre Dandenault: That Jihad Haidar had a
double life.
Hélène Lepage: We can always accomplish more
than we imagine.
Yves Marchildon: Strategy games and the Matrix.
Laurence Beebe: Fatherhood.
Marie Lapenna: That usually, when you think
something’s true, it’s the opposite .
Jocelyn Strouvens: Philosophy.
Mal’akh threatens to kill Peter if Robert Langdon
doesn’t find the Masonic Pyramid and the Lost
World, which, according to Masons, is located
under Washington, D.C. When Inoue Sato, the
head of CIA’s Office of security, arrives, this
kidnapping becomes a matter of national security.
Now, Langdon has to decode the mysteries
hidden in the Brotherhood before it is too late.
REVIEW
This book is EXTREMELY addictive. Dan Brown
fills the story with twists that captivate the reader.
Obviously, Dan Brown explores the world of
symbols, and makes an incredible amount of
references to real people, locations and events.
This book also contains a large amount of
interesting facts. For example, Robert Langdon
explains that, “a cravat (a tie) is a
mispronunciation of ‘croat’. It originated from
Croatia, where warriors used to fight with a red tie
to intimidate the opponent.”
It is also a delight to explore the different
conspiracy theories with Robert Langdon’s
detailed explanations. If you adore mystery
novels, The Lost Symbol is definitely a book for
you!
Jean-François Bouquet: Exercise and working out
regularly, taking care of my health.
Céline Blais: My passion for cats and tennis.
Roxane Cousineau: Learning by mistake.
Alexander Ary: My first time in Europe, 41 years old,
seeing Italy and Annecy, the importance of
architecture.
Amélie Dorais: Poetry at Cegep.
Hélène Lalonde: The influence of the Romans and
the Latin language in French literature and in our
society.
Lucie Meilleur: That what was important in life, was
surprising myself every morning.
Emmanuelle Cloutier: Trips.
Patrick Savard: To what point old Brébeuf students
can surprise us.
Patrick Letendre: That, at 15 years old, I was more
dangerous than I thought I was, because of martial
arts.

VOX DISCIPULORUM:
What was your biggest discovery?
Ivan Galindo da Fonseca
Nicolas Lefebvre Brossard: That the Earth turns
around the sun.
Assil Abda: That Simon Dao had the black plague.
Simon Dao: That Assil discovered that I had the
black plague.
Eric Meneniuk: Myself.
Mihai Marian: A witch.
Cristan Waldie: Johanne.
Vlad Steanta: A girl.
George Theophanous: Cyprus.
Huu Duc Nguyen: Jamaica.
Lambert Gagné-Coulombe: God.
Jihad Haidar: “Les dozes”.
Yann Trottier: Music.
Yu Qiao Luan: Youtube.
Thomas Paci: Vartan’s voice.
Brian Tran: Tumblr.
Jack Wang: The answer to this question.
Nhan Nguyen: Women.
Riadh Dhane: My talent.
Alexandre Mouland: The female body.
Joseph Chartouny: That I fathered Alex Goulet.
Alexandre Goulet: Joseph Chartouny’s sexual
orientation.
Frédéric Brillant-Marquis: That when I touch my
IPod for a long time, there’s a voice control
command.
Raphael Tagalakis: Facebook.
Charlie Poirel: Music.
Nathan Cudicio: Cirque du Soleil.
Guillaume Pelletier Boisvert: That I can put my foot
behind my head.
Jonathan Leblanc: Dandy’s definition of pain.
Frédéric Harding: Diet Coke and the cancer that it
shall bring me.
Dany-Frank Hamel-Godbout: That I’m not capable
of doing the Spanish “r”.
Louis-Charles Genereux: Finding Brébeuf.
Ali Khadraoui: Ivan.
Backer Kobaissi: BMX.
Kevin Chan: That Jesus wasn’t born on December
25.
Questions? Comments? Feedback?
Want to help out with the next issue?
We are always looking for more volunteers to
help out with future issues of The Fourth Era.
We are also looking for artists and writers that
would like to contribute a piece(s) to the paper.
Email all your ideas, comments, suggestions,
etc. to Ms. White at: brebeufesl@gmail.com or
melissa.white@brebeuf.qc.ca.
Jason Liu: Minecraft.
Antoine Robert-Halabi: My patriotic love for
Switzerland.
Gabriel Varinot: (a + b) ² = a² + 2ab + b²
Pascal Nguyen: K pop.
Djavan Habel-Thurton: Cicero.
Ruby Thélot: Rebecca Black’s Friday.
Simon Bouthiller: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club
Band.
Alexandre Lajoie: Jesus.
Nicolas Lefebvre: The power of the human brain.
Ali Manar: That there is no big discovery.
Edmond Rafie: Breakfast food.
Richard Castaneda: Hangover 2.
Sébastien Grégoire: The population of Cuba.
Lin Yu Pan: Internet.
Vartan Benohanian: When you subtract a number
from the number with its digits switched, the result
will always be a multiple of nine (21-12=9).
Ismail Himmad: Your mom.
Victor Privé: Taylor Swift.
Sami El-Agha: Beards.
Yuriy Bishchanyk: Captain Scarlet.
Fabio-Luis Leon-Rosa: Music.
JiaQing Fan: That chess is a really old game.
Charles Hébert: Brébeuf.
Yun Da Liu: Girls.
Julian Nguyen: Silly bands.
Robert Sands: Lacrosse.
Charles Péloquin: Twin tip skis.
Tianchen Wu: The western concert flute.
Jean François Bélanger: RuneScape.
Kabin Wang: Me.
Steven Wong: Facebook stalking.
Gabriel Chootong: That I have cousins in London
and in Sweden.
Ivan Fonseca: That I can also do a Vox
Magistrorum! And Latin, of course.
Xavier Boyer: The scale of the Khmer Rouge
genocide.
CORRECTION!
Last issue, we missed giving credit to the
right writer for two articles (Video Game
R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s & T V S e r i e s
Recommendations).
Our deepest apologies to Julian Nguyen!