November 2013Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam

This month in Magis...SJ 2013-2014Basketball Tips Offpg. 5

Matthew 25:Ignacianos por Haitipg. 3

Existentialism &Moral Accountabilitypg. 8

JESUIT/ on page 2

Students Examine Vocations At Jesuit Day

On Jesuit Day students listened to vocation stories from Mr. Brendan Love, nSJ and other members of the Jesuit community. Jesuit Day, celebrated annually on November 5th at Strake Jesuit College Preparatoy, gives students and faculty alike a chance to learn about the Society of Jesus from the perspective of resident and visiting Jesuits. Photo: Magis

by Brandon Bain ‘16 & Perry Corrigan ‘15MAGIS

Every student at this school owes his educa-tion to the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits have a long history (since 1540 AD) beginning with St. Ignatius of Loyola, the religious order’s founder. One very important part of this history is the “formation process” of Jesuits. It takes about twenty years to become a fully formed and professed Jesuit, and this prolonged period of testing allows for a man to be transformed into the type of person that St. Ignatius and his companions desired for the service of God in their Society.

Men who feel called to join the Society of Jesus must apply to enter one of the four Jesuit novitiates (houses of initial formation, similar to seminaries) in the United States. The novi-tiate period lasts for two years and is a time for discerning if religious life in the Society is the right path for the individual to grow in relation-ship with God. “Novices” usually spend this time working in a variety of service and minis-try positions and taking classes on things like Ignatian Spirituality, the history of the Jesuits, scripture and Catholic Social Teaching, and the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience enabling them to become better formed to the Jesuit order and religious life.

Novices also make the Spiritual Exercises which is a 30-day period of silence and prayer designed by St. Ignatius over 450 years ago. At the end of the novitiate period, if the novice dis-cerns—along with the Society—that he is truly called to this life, he then takes perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and he is allowed to write the initials “SJ” after his name referencing his vows in the Society of Jesus.

First Studies, following the novitiate, is a time of academic study for Jesuits. Depending on a man’s educational background, First Stud-ies can take anywhere from two to four years. Two years of graduate level philosophy and one year of graduate level theology are taken, and more courses are necessary if the Jesuit doesn’t already have a bachelor’s degree.

After First Studies comes Regency, a three year period when Jesuits first begin to teach at schools. Usually “regents” are assigned to teach at Jesuit high schools and universities in the province they have taken vows in. However, where a Jesuit is sent for Regency is based primarily on the needs of the Society. Mr. Fryer, SJ, is finishing up his third and last year teach-ing at Strake Jesuit as a regent. Next year he will move on to Theology Studies.

Theology Studies is typically a three year period spent studying for a Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.), usually at the Jesuit School of

Theology in Berkeley, CA (part of Santa Clara University) or at Boston College. Many Jesuits also take extra classes in a field that they are interested in and would most likely teach or minister in later on. This time of study is also a time for the men who feel called to priesthood (one can discern to be a religious “Brother” that takes vows but does seek the sacrament of Holy Orders) as a Jesuit to ready themselves for ordination. Ordination happens at the end of the Theology Studies. After ordination and/or Theology Studies, the man may be invited to do more studying or will begin a new ministry for the Society.

Tertianship (which is in many ways like a third year of the novitiate) when a Jesuit returns to the Spiritual Exercises to once again make the 30-day silent retreat, follows ordination or several years of ministry in the Society of Jesus. Tertianship is a time when the Jesuit prepares for his Final Vows by returning to the basics of the Society and by diving into a new minis-try. This ministry can be teaching, working at hospitals, serving the poor, or other types of ser-vice. Tertianship can take place anywhere in the world, regardless of where the Jesuit's province is. Tertianship does not have a set time period, but it usually lasts for around a year.

Final Vows is the last step in Jesuit Forma-tion. Jesuits must be invited to receive Final

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MagisStrake Jesuit College Preparatory

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Editor in ChiefSydney Robinson ‘15

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Mission StatementThe Strake Jesuit College Preparatory student newspaper, Magis, exists to inform and entertain the Jesuit community by producing a quality news product containing pertinent, informative, and interesting information about our school and the broader interests of our students. This newspaper contributes to the intellectual growth of our community by creating a public space for examining important issues, and by provid-ing an understanding of journalism theories and techniques for our staff. Magis staffers will be virtuous, honest, trustworthy and dedicated in our news coverage. We strive to be fair, open, and honest. Our goal is not only to report information but also to encourage and foster discussion amongst our community. Overall, we strive to do all things ad maiorem Dei gloriam—for the greater glory of God.

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Magis. News page 2November 2013

Mr. Brendan Love, nSJ, speaks to students and faculty about his process of discernment in deciding to enter the Jeusit Novitiate of St. Stanislaus Kostka. He is currently at SJ on his “Jesuit Experi-ment.” Photo: Magis

Vows by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus. At Final Vows, Jesuits repeat their perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience that they origi-nally took when they entered the order. However, at Final Vows Jesuits may be asked to take a fourth vow of obedience specifically to the pope to go wherever he calls them to go in regards to mis-sion. This formally brings the Jesuit into the order completely and entirely. After Final Vows, the Jesuits may be sent to a new location for a new ministry. Recent-ly, Fr. Flavio Bravo, SJ, took his Final Vows right here at Strake Jesuit during a school-wide mass.

These are all the steps required in the Jesuit formation. In a certain sense, Jesuits are never done forming them-selves; even after Final Vows, they continue to study and better themselves in Ignatian Spirituality and contempla-tion. Jesuits are very versatile: they are able to serve in all different parts of the world doing all different ministries because of these many experiences.

Recently, Strake Jesuit students were given an opportunity to hear about this

formation process and the experiences it brings from Mr. Brendan Love, a novice in the Society of Jesus. Mr. Love, nSJ, has been with the Jesuits since August of 2012 and is here at SJ for a few more weeks on his “Jesuit Experiment” which lasts from October until mid-December and allows for novices to work in Jesuit high schools or other ministries of the Society.

Mr. Love is from Denver, CO, where his three brothers (two older and one younger) now live. In Colorado he enjoyed hiking and the outdoors. Mr. Love has his pilot’s license and before entering the Society worked for an airline company based out of Denver. He enjoys watching the Broncos and the Nuggets, and he is often spotted in the weight room after school or helping out with athletic programs and retreats. He’s also co-teaching one of Mr. Fahy’s Theology 3 classes.

Mr. Love explained that he became familiar with the Jesuits as a student at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado, which he attended from 2000-2004. He never really thought about becoming a Jesuit while at Regis, but maintained some friendships with Jesu-

its who taught him. After graduation from college Mr. Love enjoyed his job and the potential career path he was on, but he also started to give more thought to becoming a priest and, more specifically, a Jesuit. Mr. Love also thought he would enjoy community life and was drawn to learning more about Ignatian Spirituality.

Having explained his vocation story in discerning to be-come a Jesuit, Mr. Love also recounted several stories from his past 16 months of formation. When Mr. Love was on the famous novice "pilgrimage" this past March, Pope Francis was elected. The pilgrimage is a three-week experience during the first year of the novitiate when each novice is sent out to a city anywhere in the country with just $5 and a Greyhound bus ticket. Novices must beg their way from their initial city to their next ministry placement (which could be over a thousand miles from their drop-off point!). It was the final day of his pilgrimage and he was in downtown Chicago at a very poor Jesuit parish. He was waiting for a few other Jesuits to drive him to his next assignment in St. Louis, Missouri. They were all overjoyed with the election of Pope Francis, and they “cel-ebrated” with dinner at Steak and Shake on the five-hour drive from Chicago to St. Louis. Since then, Mr. Love has really en-joyed learning more about the pope, and he especially enjoys reading and praying over Pope Francis’s homilies. He admires the pope’s humility and his dedication to prayer, which he has found truly edifying as a young Jesuit.

Mr. Love is finding his time at SJ to be comforting and inspiring: “I have been very impressed with the students at Strake Jesuit. They are smart, well-mannered, upstanding individuals. I'm looking forward to the rest of my time here.” We're likewise excited to welcome Mr. Love, nSJ to our com-munity here at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory.

If you would like to find out more about the Society of Jesus,

stop by the PMC or attend a Kostka Club event!

JESUIT/ from page 1

Magis. News page 3November 2013

Matthew 25 Supports Ignacianos Por Haiti

by Gregory Wiatrek ‘15MAGIS

The Matthew 25 Drive has helped the impoverished annually, and this year’s Drive was was no different. With all the proceeds from the this year’s drive going towards Ignacianos por Haiti, hundreds of children will have access to education in one of the poorest coun-tries of this hemisphere. But the drive is about much more than giving back, it is an experience all of the student body learns from.

The origin of the name stems from Matthew 25: 35-36 in which Jesus tells the righteous, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” For three years, the student body has been fulfilling these words by raising funds and awareness for Haitian education and aid. In 2010, a 7.0 mag-nitude earthquake left most of Port-Au-Prince in ruins. Seeing the suffering and

aid the country needed, the Jesuit Sec-ondary Education Association (JSEA) decided to begin a three-year campaign to help victims of the earthquake and the country in general. "Seeing the outcome of the efforts put into it, the way the community comes together to respond to where they see a need to help and the outpouring of generosity.... There is always a sense of gratitude within our community, and so this is a way to respond graciously knowing that our ef-forts will benefit someone in need," Mr. D' Souza explained.

This year, all the funds raised went to Ignacianos por Haiti to support Jesuit volunteers and teachers giving Haitian children an unparallel opportunity at a quality education. Fr. Bravo, SJ., whose Peer Ministry class spearheaded the Drive, explained how raising money is good, but not the ultimate goal of the drive itself: “Helping others and raising awareness about the issues at hand is the reason for the Matthew 25 Drive. It is about a Jesuit student putting to work his education and his conscience in service to others. If the drive was a good learn-ing experience about the issue of pov-erty, even if we only raised one dollar,

the Drive would still be a success.” Thankfully, the student body has always given graciously to the drive. Mr. D'Souza, who plans the Drive, reflected on the successes of past years: "In the past, drives have raised anywhere from a few hundred dollars to between $3000-$5000, based on length of drive and what is supported. This year's drive is the largest we have collected so far, over $9500, more than double our previous maximums.”

Both the Peer Ministry Class and the Pastoral Ministry Of-fice had the entire student body involved to educate and raise awareness about the mission of the Mathew 25 Drive. Activi-ties like the student vs. faculty volleyball game, the annual burger and hot dog cookout, and SJET features were just some of the ways the entire student body helped out with the Drive and learned about how much of an impact our contributions can go. As Fr. Bravo explained: “The more empowered the student body is, the richer the experience becomes and the more the entire school is in solidarity with the poorest nations and the struggles they face.”

Let us live the words of Matthew 25 by being Men for Oth-ers not only for this Drive, but in all future endeavors.

Magis. News page 4November 2013

Only ten years ago, Mr. Tom Beverick was your average Strake Jesuit freshman. So how did he end up becoming Director of Admis-sions? Who is this fellow SJ brother behind the desk in your English class and how has his time at Jesuit impacted him for the rest of his life?

Mr. Beverick was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and has spent most of his life in Sugar Land after moving to Texas in third grade. He became part of the Jesuit community in 2003 attending St. Laurence Catholic School beforehand.

Like most people, Mr. Beverick has many fond memories from his years at SJ both on and off the field. But one class forever etched in his memory was Fr. Leininger's final math class before his retirement. Fr. Leininger's most visual impact on Strake was his creation of the school’s flag, one of the first things visible upon entering the campus. Mr. Beverick knew of Fr. Leininger's reputation: “He was an absolute leg-end at Jesuit. He wore a full-length black robe everyday to math class. We called him Darth Vader. He would stand at the back of the class-room and pick a student at random to ‘go to the board,’ which was a terrifying experience. Not knowing the answer was never an excuse. You would stand up there in front of the whole class until you got it right, even if that meant being at the board for multiple class periods!”

Though having many memories from that class, there is one particular moment that has left a permanent mark on Mr. Beverick. On Fr. Leininger’s final day of class, the students filled the hallways, chanting and shouting his name. There, Mr. Beverick saw something profound on Father Leininger's lips: a slight smile. “That was probably the only time I saw him crack

a smile. That memory of him grinning as he walked off into the sunset will always stick with me.”

Upon graduating from Jesuit in 2007, Mr. Beverick went to Texas A&M University where he earned a bachelors in both History and Eng-lish. Last year he became part of the Alumni Service Corp and helped coach football, sopho-more basketball and lacrosse in addition to teaching English I. None of that would have happened if Mr. Beverick decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a lawyer: “I did not have a passion for law. After quite a bit of thought and prayer, the urge to try teaching became overwhelming. Lo and behold, there was an opening in the ASC, but the deadline was only three days away. Thankfully, I got all of my information in on time and was chosen. As the year went on, I fell in love with the school and the job. A few months in, I couldn't imagine doing anything else.” Usually after a year of service, alums leave Jesuit to pursue other interests, but not Mr. Beverick. He was fortunate enough to become a full time faculty member as an English teacher and now has the very important role of Director of Admissions for the school.

What does the Director of Admissions do? Simply put, Mr. Beverick is the representative for Jesuit when it comes to events like leading eighth grade tours, answering questions from parents, and advertising Jesuit. As Mr. Bever-ick explained, he doesn’t really have to market the school—it sells itself. “I tell prospective students that we have fantastic academics and extracurricular activities but our best and most important side is our spiritual side. We take our "Men for Others" motto very seriously. If you make all A's and are an all-state athlete but do not learn to be a Man for Others or acquire the traits of a Grad at Grad, Strake Jesuit has

failed you. Strake Jesuit is a place to grow your relationship with God and to form bonds to last a lifetime.”

To make sure Jesuit is the right place for them, Mr. Beverick leads eighth grade and pri-vate tours along with encouraging prospective students to explore everything that Jesuit has to offer. Events like Crusader for a Day, Open House, athletic events, plays, and concerts give them plenty of opportunities to make sure this school is the right one. As Mr. Beverick points out, “this will be the biggest decision they will ever make.”

Outside of school, Mr. Beverick helps out with Habitat for Humanity and the Ministry of St. Joseph, a service organization he and his dad founded at St. Laurence. You might also see him canoeing down Buffalo Bayou, listening to his favorite musicians (Bob Schneider and James McMurtry), exploring the city, or trying a new food truck . Besides being an Aggie fan, Mr. Beverick counts the Texans and Rockets amongst his favorite professional teams. His top three TV shows are The Wire, Arrested Devel-opment, and the Emmy Award winning Break-ing Bad.

When asked what have your students taught you that you could not have learned anywhere outside the classroom, Mr. Beverick replied, “The main thing that my students have taught me is that teaching and being at Strake Jesuit is absolutely what I want to do for a long time. Don't get me wrong - not every day is perfect. But those days where discussion is flowing - the days where students are almost leading the class themselves while I simply lead the discussion in certain directions - are so rewarding. Seeing everybody involved in a discussion that they thought they had no interest in 20 minutes prior is an amazing thing to see.”

Mr. Beverick ‘07 Returns to Lead Admissionsby Gregory Wiatrek ‘15 MAGIS

Frassatti Society Upcoming Dates

Dec 6thJan 10thFeb 7th

Prayer for the Canonization of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati

“Oh merciful God, Who through the perils of the world deigned to preserve by Your grace Your servant Pier Giorgio

Frassati pure of heart and ardent of charity, listen, we ask You, to our prayers and, if it is in Your designs that he be glorified by

the Church, show us Your will, granting us the graces we ask of You, through his intercession, by the merits of Jesus Christ,

Our Lord. Amen.”

IMPRIMATUR, 1932

Magis. Sports page 5November 2013

by Omar Javed ‘15 MAGIS

SJ Basketball Tips Off

To say that the Texans are having quarterback problems would be a huge understatement to say the least. Matt Schaub has set an NFL record for the most consecutive games with an interception returned for a touchdown. Because of this, Schaub has lost confidence in himself, as well as the confi-dence of his teammates. In the Seattle game, when Schaub threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown which tied the game for Seattle, Arian Foster could be seen on TV throwing his hands up in the air in disgust. This season, Schaub has shown that he is no longer a starting caliber NFL quarterback. He is as mobile as a sloth, and makes mental mis-takes time and time again that are beginning to cost the Texans games.

TJ Yates, another quarterback on the roster, is also not the answer to the problem. We all remember the season when Yates replaced an injured Matt Schaub to lead the Texans to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. However, when Schaub was injured during the game against the St. Louis Rams, Yates had a quarterback rating of 45.3, and threw for two interceptions, one of which was returned ninety-eight yards for a touchdown. Yate makes the same mental errors that Schaub has repeatedly made and making Yates the starter would not solve anything.

However, there is one more quarterback on the Texans

SJ Basketball Schedule on

Page 7

roster who has proven that he can com-pete. That quarterback is Case Keenum. Keenum is a local hero as he played for the University of Houston. With Matt Schaub injured, Keenum earned the start against Kansas City who has one of the best defenses in the league. Keenum threw for 271 yards and a touchdown. For a rookie making his first regular season start playing against a top notch defense, Keenum was outstanding. Kee-num has shown coach Gary Kubiack that he deserves to be the permanent starting quarterback for the Houston Texans. Keenum does not make the same mental errors and fold under the slightest bit of pressure that way Schaub and Yates do.

Also, Keenum has experience run-ning an offense based out of the shot-gun which is starting to become a new trend in the NFL. More and more, you are starting to see the successful teams in the NFL such as the Broncos base their offense out of a shotgun formation.

Teams have begun to figure out how to stop the Texans and their zone-run scheme offense. The key to success for the Texans offense is to become a more shotgun oriented team, which worked when they implemented this against Kansas City. When running an offense based off of the shotgun formation, Keenum gives you the highest chance of success. Schaub has never been success-ful in the shotgun. Meanwhile, Keenum set multiple NCAA records while run-ning this type of offense at the Univer-sity of Houston.

The Texans have not had the season that everyone was expecting. A big reason for this, has been a lack of pro-duction from the quarterback position. Case Keenum gives the Texans the best chance of ending on the right foot and saving the season. Keenum deserves to be made the permanent starting quarter-back of the Houston Texans.

The Case for KeenumBy Chris Breuer ‘15

MAGIS

Strake Jesuit basketball has arrived as the Crusaders recently began their 2013-2014 season. Coach Amorosa begins his second year as Jesuit's head coach and is ready for his team to accomplish great things.

"I expect our team to continue to improve. My goals are to be better at the end of the season than we are at the beginning, become a team, and leave a legacy as a Jesuit team that competes hard no matter what the score."

Along with growth and develop-ment, winning has also been a goal of every Jesuit basketball team. The team is consistently one of the best teams in the district. "As a team we would like to continue the success the program has had throughout the years. We would like to compete for a district title and play up to our potential in the playoffs," said senior point guard Brian Doyle. "Within the district we are one of the top teams that everyone will be gunning for," added coach Marshall.

Although the Crusaders' past years of success in the district and in the playoffs make them title favorites and targets for other schools, this is a new year where nothing is given. "We lost a great group of guys last year, who figured it out at the right time of the season last year which helped us solidify a spot in district (2nd place finish) for the play-offs. That group left their legacy of this program continuing to be successful," said coach Marshall.

Losing two outstanding players in Reveal Chukwujekwu and Trey Young

(who are now playing basketball at HBU and Alcorn State respectively) forces ev-eryone on the squad to step up and show their talents. "Everyone on the team must do what they do best very well. If you rebound, rebound well, if you defend, then defend well, right down to the point of if you are a player who does well in getting others ready because you a good practice player then do well in that role. Everyone is important in his role for us this year," said coach Mar-shall.

The good thing is coach Amorosa and Marshall have five returning seniors in Brian Doyle, Hunter Thompson, Wilson Dunn, Dylan Livit and John Jewett, and with them six returning lettermen with three returning starters. Having high ex-pectations for his seniors, Coach Amo-rosa said, "I want our five seniors to lead on and off the court. Three of our seniors are third year varsity players. I want them to lead vocally and by example. I want them to know how important they are to our success at the beginning of the season, this year, and in the future.”

Brian Doyle is also setting the bar high as he prepares to lead this team, be-ing a third-year lettermen, he said, "As this is my last year I would like to be a leader on the team and leave a legacy of hard work. In addition, I would like to make 1st team all-district at the end of the year.”

According to Coach Amorosa and Marshall, the most important keys to have a successful season are teamwork, leadership, and playing "the Jesuit way" which means, "being prepared to play hard all of the time and knowing that we represent the name on the front of the

jersey and the legacies and foundations left by others." Coach Marshall's final key to a successful season is the

student support. He said, "The famous student section known as the Xander Zone is one of the final and a very important pieces to our program being successful. Our student section is an integral part of our basketball program and teams. They are on the teams and act as our 6th man. The Xander Zone puts diesel in the Crusader tank. As former student and now '09 alumnus Klein Kubiak once said, "What makes the Xander Zone so special and unique is that it's a loudness and wittiness that cannot be found anywhere else on this side of the Missis-sippi."

"Our team is coming together…. We have had some injuries and we are mixing in several new players. I expect us to con-tinue to grow and mesh as the season gets closer starting and we can officially practice after school,” said coach Amorosa.

"Right now, coach Amorosa and I have been very pleased with how this year's varsity depth, strength and skill have come around. This has been a comfort because for us to have another successful season, everyone will have continue to make sacrifices to work hard (players AND coaching staff).The new varsity players bring that attitude of hard work with them and the returners have made sure to help mentor them along as they work hard too. This recipe has always proven to work well for us, so it should be a good formula for us this season again," added coach Marshall.

With good team chemistry, hard-work during PE, and senior leadership, this Jesuit basketball team has all the tools to make this a memorable and successful season. The team looks to re-bound from its loss to St. Thomas with a full schedule of UIL play through December and January (see page 7 for the varsity schedule through January).

Magis. Arts & Features page 6November 2013

Set in Nazi Germany, The Book Thief follows a young girl named Liesel Meminger who is forced to live with her new foster parents in the small town of Molching, all told in the perspective of Death. Author Markus Zusak never imagined that his book would become a bestseller or even receive numerous awards since it’s publishing in 2006. “The truth is, I thought no one would read it—a 550 page book set in Nazi Germany, narrated by Death, in which nearly everyone dies. It’s not the easiest book to recommend to your friends,” says Zusak in his Bookreporter inter-view. Without focusing so much on the Holocaust and the war itself, Zusak drew from his parents’ experiences while they were growing up as children in Germany at that time.

It’s no surprise that after being on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 4 years, Zusak’s novel has been adapted into a major motion picture by 20th Century Fox. Originally set to open in theaters on January 17, 2014, Fox de-cided to move the date up to November in order to seek and compete for awards buzz in the following months. Brian Percival, known for working on the British series Downton Abbey, was hired to direct the movie. Percival and his pro-ducers searched across the globe to find a young actress fit to portray the titular character of Liesel. Out of the thousand actresses who auditioned, none of them were good enough for Liesel. “It was key that we found someone who didn’t have to act it so much as just be Liesel,” says the director to USA Today.

The Book Thief Puts NY Times Bestseller on Screen

Image: © 20th Century FoxLiesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse) steals a book at a rally on Hitler’s birth-day during a public book burning.

by Anthony Truong Nguyen ‘15MAGIS

It was only until French Canadian actress Sophie Nélisse sent in an audi-tion tape, that Percival found the perfect Liesel. Nélisse finally joined Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson, who were already cast as her foster parents, the Hubermans. She was among big actors like Rush (one of the few to receive an Oscar, Tony, and Emmy), and people were worried about whether or not she will be able to get it right. “I’ve had the opportunity in my career to have played opposite some extraordinary actresses and Sophie is just a true, natural origi-nal,” says Rush. “She’s a gifted per-former who has an instinctive and highly creative rapport with the lens.”

In order to make the film feel authen-tic, producer Karen Rosenfelt brought in production designer Simon Elliott to cre-ate a highly detailed set of Liesel’s town in a studio as well as insisting that it be filmed in Germany. In Germany, the cast went to the town of Görlitz to film the book burning and Nazi rally scenes. The crew was fairly shocked by the real-ism of everything. “The Nazi imagery is terribly overwhelming,” Rush says. “You could see how the German extras were in turmoil over having, for some of them, to relive a scene like this.”

How well will this film adaption live up to it’s source material? From what Zusak has seen from the trailer, he writes in his blog post, “It looks abso-lutely stunning, and it’s very hard to hold the emotion at bay.” Not only this,

but he also notes one crucial fact to readers that Death will be narrating the film. While the actor of Death was to be kept under wraps, it was soon revealed that Death will be voiced by Roger Allam, most notably known for playing Javert in the original production of Les Misérables. On October 3, the film opened at the Mill Valley Film Fest and received a standing ovation from the audience and so far the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. “Just as he does in the book,” Zusak writes on his blog. “Death will help look after us. And he’ll do his very best.”

The Book Thief is now playing in a theater near you.

On September 10th of this year Apple simultaneously released two new iPhones. There is the high-end model, the iPhone 5S, and the low-end, budget model, the iPhone 5C. Each iPhone is targeted to a different audience.

The iPhone 5C achieved many firsts for Apple. It was the first time Apple released a low-end phone along with the next generation iPhone. It was the first iPhone released in several colors: green, yellow, blue, white, and pink. Lastly, it is the first time since the iPhone 3GS that an iPhone is made out of a single polycarbonate shell.

The reason the 5C is considered a "low-end" phone is because it is not re-leased with many upgrades to the iPhone that precedes it. Instead, the iPhone 5C is basically just an iPhone 5 enclosed in a polycarbonate (plastic) shell. It has the same tech specs and capabilities as the 5, besides supporting more cellular net-works. Usually, Apple releases the next generation of an iPhone and lowers the price of the previous one. Instead, Apple will sell the 5S as the next generation,

and the 5C will replace the iPhone 5 in the current iPhone lineup. Although the 5C is a low-end phone, it is not incred-ibly cheap. With a cellular contract, the price starts at $99. Without a contract it starts at $549; these are both only $100 cheaper than the current 5S.

Now, let's discuss the brand new 5S. First of all, who ever-would have thought we could get a gold iPhone? The iPhone 5S comes in gold, silver, and space gray. The gold is more of a light champagne, the silver is similar to the white iPhone 5, and the space gray is just a weird way of saying the word 'gray'. The phone is the same shape and size as the iPhone 5. More importantly, the 5S has a new 64-bit A7 processor, a fingerprint scanner, and a new rear camera and flash. The new processor promises speeds up to twice as fast as the previous 5 model. The fingerprint scanner, dubbed “Touch ID”, offers a very fast and secure way to unlock the phone; it also al-lows the fingerprint to replace a password when buying from iTunes. Apple has not currently given the Touch ID feature to developers to use in their apps, however they very well might in the near future. Lastly, the new camera offers a better aperture and sensor, as well as a "True Tone" flash that makes pictures with flash look much more real.

There are many supporters of the new iPhones, however there are also those who think these are just a bad sign of what is to come in the post-Steve-Jobs era. Regarding the 5C, critics have much to say. They say that it not really a cheap phone for the lower market; they think it is just a ploy by Apple to gain more market share. They also say the plastic is a very ugly and unpersonable way to make an iPhone compared to the Jobs philosophy of making products as beautiful as they can be.

Now with the 5S, it needs to be known that "S" generation jumps are always an awkward stage for the iPhone. Although "S" jumps have always included slight changes to the current model, many customers are still disappointed when the new "S" model looks too much like the previous. Many critics of the 5S say that the 64-bit processor is just a gim-mick; they say that the amount of speed that the processor offers can barely even be accessed by the user because the user never even requires that much process-ing. However, the 5S still shows many signs of better speeds.

Obviously with the design overhaul in iOS 7 and the split into two new iPhones, Apple is having a year of changes. This really is the first we are seeing of the post-Jobs era; most prod-ucts previous to these were still designed and planned under Jobs even though they were released after his death. Since we all use iPads, the changes at Apple and their products affect us all.

Whether or not you believe that Apple is continuing to innovate or that they are falling behind their rivals, Apple still has a lot more to say and a lot more to show us.

New iPhones: Post-Jobs Era by Brandon Bain ‘16MAGIS

Magis. Arts & Features page 7November 2013

by Aaron Bui ‘15MAGIS

Battlefield 4 Review: Dynamic Play

SJ Varsity BasketballNovember

December

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EA and DICE make a return with Battlefield 4 after releasing Battlefield 3 two years ago. Battlefield 4 includes the new Frostbite 3 game engine, a new feature called “Levelution”, and tons of character/weapon customization. DICE emphasizes the game’s destruction ca-pabilities through the game engine and Levelution. Some old and new weapons have been added to the game with a new attachment system. The game feels fresh and immersive from the improved user interface to the luxurious and bright destruction in the game. When loading into my first multiplayer match, I could already see the new and exciting visual and physics-based improvements. I played a round of Domination on the map Siege of Shanghai, one of the ten multiplayer maps offered in the

game. The seven game modes and other maps add varied gameplay, keeping the player busy and interested. In the PC version, a maximum of two teams of 32 fight over five control points that are spread across the map, while the console ver-sion allows a maximum of teams of 16. Frostbite 3 immerses you into the game by adding great detail in the buildings, char-acter models, and vehicles. You can watch the battlefield from afar and take in the full beauty of the scenery, but the game shines when people blow up the map sky high. DICE's new feature Levelution allows for huge game-changing events, such as collapsing a skyscraper by taking out its four supports. Players can now interact with the battlefield, like riding up an elevator or closing gates where they can block pathways. These in-game alterations to maps will keep the gameplay dynamic and interesting so that players can take advantage of to win multiplayer matches. In addition to the new map-changing elements, DICE comes in guns-blazing with their new animations, weapons, and attachments. It creates a more engaging experience dur-ing the game. There are four classes in the game: Assault, Support, Recon, and Engineer. Players level up each class separately, unlocking new weapons and items for their arsenal, yet each weapon contains tons of attachment customizations. The developers have added tons of weapons for each specific

class and even separated those weapons further by putting them under categories. New items, such as incendiary gre-nades, smoke grenades, or flashbangs, have been added to the game. DICE has improved their knifing animation and even implemented a new counter-knifing mechanic, with the addition of differ-ent knifes. Leaning is now possible in the game, but a player must move up against a wall and aim to perform the new combat stance. Swimming has been improved in the game with diving, hold-ing a handgun while in the water, and realistic animations for in-water combat. Attack boats and jet skis have been rein-troduced from Battlefield: Bad Company 2, creating a new area of combat on the sea. Battlefield 4 has completely re-vamped the gameplay in the Battlefield series with its amazing dynamic envi-ronments and new vehicles and weap-ons. The game draws both new and old players towards its cinematic gameplay and well-structured leveling system.

Magis. Opinions page 8November 2013

How do we know that things are real? The question is somewhat troubling to amateur philosophers of our genera-tion, but most of the people who glimpse the title of this article will say "who cares?" and get on with their lives. But for those of us cursed with a desire to know the existential, the idea of an objective reality is central to the idea of ethics. In short, people assume our actions and thoughts only matter if they have real consequences and intent, respectively. So if nothing is real, our conception of morality, of right and wrong, means nothing.

Now let's look at how people doubt reality exists. First, how do we know we're not the figment of some gargantuan, omniscient child-god's imagination? (as in the Hindu tradi-tion). The more common way of putting it is how do we know we're not just brains in jars wired to some machine that sends electrical stimuli to create an illusion of reality? The answer to both questions is very simple: it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if there is a possibility reality does not exist, so long as there is a possibility that it does. When I say it "doesn't mat-ter" I mean it shouldn't affect our actions in any way, not that we should disregard the question. If there is a possibility, no matter how small, that what we experience is real, then the consequences of our actions in the real world are infinitely more compelling than the lack of everything in a false reality.

Even a small chance that we are held accountable for our choices gives those choices infinitely more weight than any-thing could have if there was no accountability. The chance of something is a better guide to action than the assumption of nothing. To review: we can't prove that reality exists or does not exist, so there is a possibility either way. The probability of nothing means nothing to us because our actions would have no meaning. Therefore, the probability that our actions do have meaning is an equally compelling guide to action as proof that reality exists.

I would further contend that we cannot make the claim that nothing is real, because it depends on some conception of real-ity not rooted in empirical or observable phenomena. Saying

by John McMillan ‘15MAGIS

Existentialism and Musings on Moralitythe world we live in isn't real doesn't make any sense because we would have to compare our world to another one that we can't actually describe. To say that some-thing isn't real, we first have to understand what is real. The "reality" we live in is based on our observation and categorization of information we receive in a variety of ways.

Our ability to reason is resultant of the world around us. Reason is simply the process by which we most correctly determine things, and that process is shaped by the nature of our experience. For example, on planet earth I can see that when the sun is in the sky it's light and when the sun is below the horizon it's dark, so I can reason that the sun is the source of light for the earth. If, however, I lived my whole life in an underground bunker without seeing the light of day, I could not on my own arrive at the conclusion that a star millions of miles away is my light source. So the "real-est" thing we can experience is our present pseudo-real state. Hence, we cannot say that our own experience is less real than some abstract construct (like the brains in jars or the child-god).

CONCLUSION: It doesn't matter if things aren't real because if there's a chance reality exists then that perceived reality is the only usable guide to action. Also, we can't say that our world is less real than anything else because we would have to make an impossible claim about the nature of reality.

Source: knowyourmeme.com; Image © Life

When the government shut down, the first thing people chose to do was point fingers. Right now there are a lot of fingers being pointed at a lot of people while a ton of unhappy Americans are trying to figure out what all this meant and means for the future. As many people already know, this government shutdown was due to Congress' failure to compromise on a national budget. Many people in government jobs were furloughed, meaning they took a “vaca-tion” without pay. All national parks were closed and the American people displayed their discontent via social media and on the streets.

On September 30, just a few hours be-fore the budget deadline, the Republican owned House seemed to have no inten-tion to compromise with the Democratic Senate and visa versa. Republicans in the House spent most of the time com-posing a plan to tie government spend-ing to a one year delay on the funding of Obamacare (a law that is already in

effect.) Soon after sending the plan to the Senate, majority leader Harry Reid killed it explaining in a New York Times interview that he did not want to go into the conference “with a gun to [his] head.” In short the Republicans tried to link an entire government spending bill exclusively to defunding a health care law that is now already in play. The Republican House has already tried to repeal Obamacare some 42 times without success. Their only plan was to try to force a govern-ment shutdown unless health care reform was defunded.

Looking at all this from a Republican standpoint and in hindsight, I can begin to understand the frustration that they feel when dealing with these issues. Nobody likes it when you have to put up with things with which you disagree. Looking at this from a Catholic standpoint, I cannot fully support this law due to certain immoral clauses (funding for contracep-tives and birth control). Republicans, however, have decided to make this Obamacare legislation the overriding factor and instead of trying to compromise on these issues and reform the legislation, they seek only to destroy it. Sometimes party fac-tions wish to repeal legislation not because of what it is, but because of who passed it.

The fact of the matter is that many Americans are at least seeking out Obamacare as demonstrated by the 4.7 million visitors of the healthcare.gov website on October 1. The law which Republicans fought to destroy kicked off just a day

after its funds were threatened. Millions of Americans deserve a health care plan that they can afford and a break from the endless fees of a private market that can charge insane amounts of money for limited coverage.

The bottom line in this debate remains that neither party wants to seem weak. There are factions in each group who, no matter how reasonable something may be, refuse to compromise. The Democrats believe that if they allow Republicans to bully now then they will be able to bully next week and the week after always forcefully getting what they want. On the other hand Republicans have foolishly promised extreme right wing faction of their party that they will stop Obamacare.

Unfortunately neither party can find common grounds on issues which frank-ly should not be the overriding factor in passing a budget. Until both parties can learn to compromise, the likelihood of any real legislation is near impossible.

Government Shutdown Reminder:Compromising is Always Necessary

by Joe Wager ‘15MAGIS