By Megan Miller
Over the past few weeks, a chit chat was started in the Gryffindor common room by yours truly. The purpose of this chat was to give the Lions an opportunity to answer the question "If you had one wish, what would you wish for?"
The chat was left open for quite a while, and a fair number of replies were made. Fiona Chauvet's reply was that she wants there to be an end to all violence and war, and a few others, such as Professor Opal, agreed with her, saying things like wanting an end to the entire world's pain and hate. Roxanne Whitez also wants the world to be a better place, and for poverty to end world-wide.
Kimmie Brandon chose a slightly different wish, which was to bring all the cultures of the world together in attempt to understand each other better. Prefect Audrea Martin and prefect assistant Gawyn Crossguard both agreed, saying too that they wanted everyone to care about and love everyone they meet and be honest with people rather than lie.
Lastly, Stephanie Nicholson and Rose Wick replied that they want to get rid of all fatal diseases such as cancer that seem to be affecting more and more people everyday.
I'd like to thank everyone who participated in this chat and maybe one day; all our wishes to make the world a better place to live will come true!
From the House of Slytherin
Sera, the beautiful pile of dung, was walking alone down the street, when she saw Purplie doing the Crocodile Driving Worm. People were shocked because she had never been so many pirates cascading across the desert. Sera's confusion increased like global warming when she saw Snapiepoo with Junkette. She went into cardiac arrest and Snapiepoo rushed to Kayla instead. He told Kiley off, but she didn't care. Then he crucio'd Kiley, and made a balloon man. He gave Sera five golden rings and told her he'd marry her! She was shocked, but said yes but she planned to destroy Kiley right after she had the wedding. That night, she Shop-Vacced the puddles and FINALLY got the floor dry. No more Puddles!
Meanwhile, the penguins danced across Florida while carrying 24 pounds of fish. And the hitchhikers with black cloaks trekking up the Interstate were lost. So lost that they asked Sera for directions to Kill the Nurple. Sera said no way! Torture is wrong! Angrily, they went searching for the Moon Man. He lived in far and hidden hills and valleys. So anyway Junk broke the Shop-Vac to save Tom from becoming a puddly dust bunny.
But the tacos got all eaten which made Snape want to cry. Sera rushed to hug him but slipped on the giraffe and crashed into a pole. Being unconscious she fell prey to a carnivorous butterfly.
Sera was dead. No one cared. Except Jenii the Tree. She was beautiful and wonderful but sadly deranged. Very, very deranged. She was taken by Kato to a swamp and...
Anyway, back to Kiley who can't count but is awesomistic. She had eaten many little children with behavior issues. She is insane. Very, very insane. She decided to kill poor Taika. Taika poked her. That didn't help. Kiley murdered Taika. Taika cried and tried to lift her arm to whap Kiley, but she was DEAD. Dead like Sera.
THE END. XD
By The Gossip Queen
Since I seem to have a knack for hearing some of the best gossip that floats around the castle I�ve decided to start presenting you all with an article each month discussing some of it� from my personal viewpoint of course.
This month I�d like to focus on the rumor that I�m sure you�ve all heard that concerns the bad habit our potions master has of eating young Hufflepuff students. Now, before when I�ve heard mention of the rumor its always been said that he ate the first year Hufflepuffs, so knowing that I�m now a second year I felt quite safe that I had survived this long without suffering the horrible fate. But recently it�s been going around the grapevine that a certain ex-Slytherin housemate of mine has done something to provoke the Slytherin head of house into moving up the food chain a bit. I can only hope that any students holding prefect status would be an exception to his new choice of prey.
And to any of you who DO want to make it to your third year safely, upon discussing this topic with our very own head of house he did have one good piece of advice to give. �If you want to get away just run, you should be safe as I�ve never in my time here at the castle seen Snape run.� So there you have it. Although I must admit, as soon as I heard that advice I couldn�t help but wonder if running would have any effect on Professor Snape�s self-made breeze� I guess that would be something to look into, wouldn�t it?
By Hilary Stevens
So, if you could have one thing, meaning a potion, a spell, item or power, what would it be? Well that question was recently asked around Gryffindor, with some interesting results.
Fiona Chauvet wanted the Cat's Eye potion, which gives the user the ability to see in the dark. Gryffindor's Head of House Professor Opal wanted a special power, and interesting ones at that! She wanted teleportation or being able to move things with her mind! Hermy-own Granger had wanted invisibility originally, but wanted to be individual since Rose Wick already said invisibility! So she ended up saying the power to levitate. Kimmie Brandon wanted the Marauder's Map, whereas Leah Black wanted telepathy. Cornelia Potter wanted to fly without a broom, or anything for that matter, and Roxanne Whitez wished for a lifetime stock of Sugar Quills!!! This does in fact tell us about people in Gryffindor. But the question is: what would you have?
By Kimmie Brandon
What would you do if you could read other people's minds? Wouldn't you feel special or even more powerful, because � honestly � I can't think of one person being able to do this trick. But we Gryffindor's are lucky. Yes, we really are. Two of my housemates have decided to open up a topic, only to post the things which are going on in their minds. I have to say that I am pretty new here, but those topics were pretty much the first I stumbled over when I came here, and this is why I want to tell you something about it.
Fiona Chauvet and Hermy Granger are the two students I spoke of � being in possession of such an interesting topic. And, frankly, the Chit-Chat seems to be the best place for this.
Fiona was the one starting with it, as she delicately pointed out in her 'mind', along with other things she tells us there. We get to know of her adorable cat who annoys her at times, the list of things she has to do the other day, or simply that she's hungry and counts all the snacks that come to her mind. xD But she also shares other things with us, like her desire to have a baby leopard, because she was watching a movie with one in it. Or that she wants to draw, but fears her drawings won't look they way she wants them. Finally, her mind has become a place where some others join her � if only to switch homework around once, because no one wants to do them on their own.
Hermy's mind is different. She has made a 'deal' with the Prefect Audrea that, whenever the topic reaches an even numbered page, it is Audrea's turn to post there first. Hermy keeps us informed about things we might have never known or heard of like how many smilies we can put in one post. But it gets even better: Audrea and Hermy were sharing her 'Spam � songs' in there and I had quite some fun to read them. Last but not least, Hermy seems to leave secret messages in her mind, which I was not able to figure out. But I will keep on, maybe I will know what's going on in there which is not as obvious to us.
As you can see, the minds are popular. Not only with the two girls having started one, but also with others, who have either knocked to ask for entrance, or simply posted in there as a type of hijacking threads. I think I have been infected by the 'craziness of the mind'�and maybe I will start my own mind soon.
By Kiley Blaire
(Credit to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(virtual) for the info)
Imagine the Easter Bunny with access to a computer. Scary, right? Luckily he doesn�t (that we know of), but computer programmers since as early as 1971 have been planting fun little tricks in their products that have come to be called virtual Easter eggs. They are hidden messages or features in an object such as a movie, book, CD, DVD, software program, or video game. The term comes from the custom of the Easter egg hunt observed in many western nations.
Most commonly they�re software based, and they appear as messages, graphics, sound effects, or an unusual change in program behavior. The �eggs� appear in response to some undocumented set of commands, mouse clicks, keystrokes or other stimuli, and are intended as a joke.
But virtual Easter eggs don�t always have to occur in computers; they can be found in any type of media. Progressive rock band Pink Floyd created a puzzle known as the Publius Engima related to their 1994 album The Division Bell. And in the Dan Brown book Digital Fortress, a numerical message at the back of the book, when decoded, spells out �We Are Watching You.� Top that, Easter Bunny.
by Kato Nahilus
Chocolate. Luscious, delicious, silky smooth, simply divine chocolate. I love chocolate. Such a simple and yet profoundly true statement can be applied to the many incarnations that chocolate takes: chocolate chips, sauces, powders, and drinks; chocolate cakes, cookies, ice cream, and candy; sweet chocolate, semi-sweet, milk, dark, and bitter; a vehicle for raspberries, strawberries, and even oranges. For centuries, chocolate has caused many to wax poetic about its virtues, to sing its praises on high, and to offer its sweet bitterness to potential life partners.
What is it about chocolate that makes us all feel so good? Is it really a sinful pleasure in disguise? Why do we love it so much?
Chocolate contains some 380 different chemicals that in certain combinations can change the way we feel. Trace amounts of caffeine combine with theobromine and phenylethylamine, both of which are stimulants. It is partially this combination that gives us that wonderful chocolate "high".
Nibbling on the sweet stuff is a smart idea -- literally. According to a new study, researchers found that volunteers who ate about 3 ounces of milk or dark chocolate (about the amount found in a regular-sized bar) before taking tests that measured their reaction times and short-term memory did about 20 percent better than those who weren't given any chocolate. Hint, hint, professors and employers.
If you love chocolate but not tile guilt that comes with eating, take heart. In light of mounting evidence, experts now agree that this darling of the dessert world is actually good for you.
Dark chocolate and its cousin cocoa are teeming with potent antioxidant plant chemicals called flavonols that science reveals protect the health of the cardiovascular system by improving artery function. In a less scientific term, it helps your heart by helping out your arteries. And dark chocolate's health benefits don't stop at the heart. It also helps prevent prostate disease, fight inflammation, and even boost your mood.
Researchers are still figuring out exactly how the antioxidants in chocolate oil have such wide-reaching health benefits. What they do know is that the disease-fighting favonols in cocoa beans are similar to those found in red wine, green tea, and certain fruits and berries.
But before you load your cart up with all things chocolate at the next opportunity, read these tips for choosing products that will deliver a healthy treat.
Chocolate Tip #1 -- The Darker the Better
The higher the percentage of cocoa content, the higher the flavonol concentration. Look for bars with a minimum of 60 percent cocoa, though 70 percent or greater is best. However, most palates will find more than 85 percent cocoa too bitter. But go ahead and try some of the strong stuff out! Maybe you can gloat to your friends about how strong you can take your chocolate.
Chocolate Tip #2 -- Look a Those Labels
The health of benefits of a dark chocolate bar with 70 percent cocoa can be reduced with unhealthy added ingredients such as corn syrup and artificial fats. The lower the sugar and fat content, the better it is for your health. Avoid chocolate products that contain partially hydrogenated oils and sweeteners other than sugar.
Chocolate Tip #3 -- Move Over, Milk
Try and limit products that say "milk chocolate," or those that have milk or milk solids listed as ingredients. In addition to increasing the fat content, milk --even a class consumed while eating chocolate-- may prevent the body's absorption of cocoa flavonols.
Chocolate Tip #4 -- Keep Your Servings Small
Go ahead, let chocolate make your day, but limit daily consumption to about 1/2 to 1 ounce of dark chocolate. Obviously, any benefit would be wiped out if weight is gained. And if you are going to cook with chocolate (the first thing that comes to my mind? pancakes. Mmm...), keep in mind that the healthy effects of cocoa can be destroyed by heat, so melt it at a low temperature.