CarolianOctober2013Issue - St. Charles Preparatory School

The Carolian Page 2the more respected programs incentral Ohio, no team in its rightmind should chalk up St. Charles asan automatic win. Also, a realizationof the potential that this footballteam has. With two Division Icommits, an experienced line, aplethora of electrifying tailbacks,and a seasoned quarterback, theCardinal offense is as formidable asany in the state. On defense, astrong linebacking core is surroundedby an athletic secondaryand a brutal, punishing defensiveline. It is time to start recognizingwhat the St. Charles Cardinals are:Saint Charles vs. DeSales Continuedstate contenders.So, in response tothe question, “Thebeginning ofwhat?” the answershould be,“Something special.”Right: SeniorNathan PutoffcongratulatesSenior Ben Haleafter a CardinalScore.Courtesy of Google Imagesthe 2014 summer and fall season.Go Cards!Courtesy of Google Images

The Carolian Page 3By Jacob Dilley ’16We are at war. Two viewpoints,two ways of life. No, I’mnot talking about Syria, I’m speakingof course of the war betweenMarvel and DC Comics. The twocompanies have been waging battleover the comic market ever sincethe mid-twentieth century. Now,they are fighting for the top spot inBy Scott Cooper ‘17Ever since Microsoft unveiledthe first Xbox in 2001 tocompete with Sony’s Playstation 2,Nintendo’s Gamecube, and theSega Dreamcast, a conflict knownas the “console wars” has ragedacross the globe. Millions of fanshave been rushing to defend theirpreferred gaming company, whetherit be Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo.Great console exclusives havebeen made available through everysystem, such as Killzone and Unchartedfor Playstation, the ever popularHalo and Forza for Xbox, and aslew of Super Mario Bros and Zeldatitles for Nintendo’s systems.Soon, the gaming scene willbe changed forever, with E3 2013unveiling jaw-dropping next generationtechnology, and Novembermarking the release of the muchanticipatedPS4 and Xbox One. Inthe coming months, the gamingcommunity will see many peopleswitching sides in the console wars.The Avengers 2 vs. Man ofSteel 2: by A Superhero Geeka movie industry dominated by superheroes.The battle may rely onthe outcomes of the two blockbustersscheduled for 2015: TheAvengers 2 and Man of Steel 2. I breakdown the matchup and point outkey problems that will need to beresolved if that company were tocome out on top.The Tech of the NextGenerationMany people will be buying theirfirst console, and multitudes ofpeople, gamers or not, will be forkingout cash to buy the latest andgreatest technology.This article is meant toserve as a guide to the would-beconsole players or even veterangamers who are on the fence aboutwhich console to cash in on thisholiday season. This will help yourdecision, and if it’s already set instone, all I can say is that debatesover video games help pass lots oftime. (I speak from experience.)As an owner of a PC, Xbox360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii, Ithink it’s fair to say that I am mostly,if not completely unbiased. Themost important thing to rememberis that there is no “best console”, itjust depends on what you want inyour gaming machine.Many amazing games arecoming out soon, the likes of whichmost of us have never seen, butonly save for in our daydreams. Imake a bold leap of faith when IThe Avengers 2- The Avengers 2:Age of Ultron is the sequel to thewildly successful original. The moviewill feature the same director,Joss Whedon, and most of the samecast, including smart-alecky RobertDowney, Jr., teen dream ChrisHemsworth, and Samuel L. Jackson.Just looking at the star-studdedcast and crew, one would think thefilm would be unchallenged.say that the upcoming generationof gaming will be the best gamershave ever seen. With titles likeUbisoft’s Watch Dogs, Activision’sCall of Duty: Ghosts, Bungie’s Destiny,and EA’s Battlefield 4, we are in fora treat. With later releases like Blizzard’sDiablo 3 for PS4, Visceral’sBattlefront, and a raving pack ofMMO’s like Square Enix’s FinalFantasy XIV and Zenimax’s ElderScrolls Online, this generation is sureto rock the gaming world.We’ll start with the oldnews, and our friends over at Nintendo.The Wii-U was released latelast year to dismally disappointingsales. Titles like New Super MarioBros U and Zombi U just didn’thold much interest. I think this ispartly due to many saving money inanticipation of Sony’s and Microsoft’snew consoles. Althoughthe Wii-U’s second screen tab mayhave been seen as innovative at thetime, tablet integrated gaming intitles like Watch Dogs and Tom Clancy’s:The Division make the Wii-U’s

The Carolian Page 4Buckeye RewindBy Keaton Maisano ‘17The first week of OhioState football brought a mix ofemotions. The first quarter consistedof three Buckeye touchdownsand two successful two-point conversions.This positive energyceased in the second quarter, whenthe Buffalo Bulls outscored theBuckeyes 13-7 thanks to two OhioState turnovers. The Buckeyeswere able to pull together a 40-20win that showed potential on theoffensive side. The offense of OSUhad their moments but was onlyable to produce ten points in thesecond half. Braxton Miller beganhis Heisman campaign well with178 yards through the air and 77on the ground. His two touchdownshelped combat the onepick-six he threw. Overall, Braxtonhad a strong showing.The second week of thechase for OSU’s eighth championshipbrought the beginning of thequarterback controversy thatwould unfold in the followingweeks. On the seventh play of theBuckeye’s first offensive drive,Braxton Miller went down with aknee injury. Back-up quarterbackand senior captain Kenny Guitoncame in and took control of theoffense. The combination of SanDiego State’s four turnovers andGuiton’s 235 total yards and threetouchdowns resulted in the Buckeyescruising to a 42-7 victory.The third week broughtmuch anticipation because of theuncertainty on who would be takingthe snaps for the Buckeyes.When Ohio State came out forwarm ups, Braxton Miller was notin uniform, and Guiton was warmingup. Guiton, starting the firstgame of his collegiate career, didnot take long to heat up. On thefirst drive, he connected with widereceiver Devin Smith for a 90-yardtouchdown pass. This play set anOSU record for the longest playfrom scrimmage. Guiton continuedon for 368 total yards and fourtouchdowns. Guiton’s performancewas not without the team’ssupport. Running back Jordan Hallrushed for 168 yards and threetouchdowns. The California GoldenBears did not lack in the offensivecategory either as theyachieved 503 yards in the 52-34Ohio State victory. This game setthe foundation for the quarterbackcontroversy that would unfold inColumbus.The fourth week furtherstrengthened the debate on whothe starting quarterback should beas Guiton had his second straightstart. Seizing the opportunity, Guitonpassed for an OSU record sixtouchdown; all of which were inthe first half of 76-0 dismantling ofFlorida A&M. This game gaveGuiton thirteen passing touchdownsin three weeks of play. Agood showing from running backEzekiel Elliot added 162 yards tothe 603-yard total gained by theBuckeyes. This game fulfilled thepromise of the offensive schemethat second-year head coach UrbanMeyer had advertised. The onlyproblem is that this promise wasfulfilled by the second-string quarterback.Guiton has proved to bemore than able to run the offense,but can the offense be taken awayfrom the human highlight reel,Braxton Miller? Coach Meyer issticking with Miller, but that doesnot wash away all the controversy.It will only take one turnover orone unsuccessful series for thedoubt to set in on Miller.Since the end of out-ofconferenceplay the Buckeyes havereeled off two impressive winsagainst ranked Wisconsin andNorthwestern teams. The Bucksare eyeing another strong seasonwith an eventual matchup withMichigan.After four weeks of play,the Buckeyes are well on their wayto earn a shot at the national title.Quarterback questions still linger,but those will be resolved soonenough. The Bucks will have achance to prove themselves againstthe 23 rd ranked Wisconsin Badgersin primetime at the Shoe. If thegame is anything like the last timeWisconsin visited the Shoe, BraxtonMiller will have no problemregaining the support of the scarletand gray loyal.

The Carolian Page 5American Ninja WarriorBy Declan McCord ‘14For the fifth straight year, there is no AmericanNinja Warrior. If there were any doubts thatthis sport is more difficult than all others, theyshould be vanquished now. There are not too manyother sports that conducted their first five seasonswith no champion.If you are uninitiated, American Ninja Warrioris the world’s hardest obstacle course. It is ashow that started out in Japan, and after 29 seasonsacross the Pacific Ocean, there have been threechampions (one who won twice). America has onlybeen trying for five years, and we have yet to produceour own Ninja Warrior. This season therewere four qualifying rounds in Venice Beach, Baltimore,Miami, and Denver. The top 100 competitorsfrom these rounds were taken to the Las Vegas finalsto face a replica of the legendary Mount Midoriyama,which has marked the final round forevery Japanese and American season.Mount Midoriyama has four stages. If competitorsfall, they are eliminated. If they completethe stage within the given time, they can advance tothe next stage. Stage 1 is more geared towardparkour, and this season saw 21 competitors advancefrom it to Stage 2. Seven athletes advancedfrom the upper body-oriented stage two to the evenmore upper body-oriented Stage 3. No Americanhas ever completed Stage 3, but this year rookie BrianArnold made it to the final obstacle of the stage,the flying bar. He got about halfway through beforefalling, making him the American who has comecloser than any other to the climactic rope climb ofStage 4.This season saw NFL players, UFC fighters,Olympic medalists, weathermen, and many otherscompete. The competition is open to anybody, so Iwould love to see some St. Charles students give it ashot. It would not be a bad idea even to consideradding it as a varsity sport to strengthen our chancesof producing the first champion.After a season of controversy, heartbreak,horrible puns, and record-setting performances, wehave ultimately ended where we began, with nochampion. Next summer be sure to tune in to theworld’s toughest sport and possibly witness thecrowning of the first American Ninja Warrior.Courtesy of nbc.com

The Carolian Page 6Sam Aslaner’s Turkish AdventureBy John Browne III ‘14If you have noticed that the hallwayshave been lacking the aroma of a state champion,it is probably because we are missing one ofour brothers this year. Sam Aslaner, a memberof the class of 2014, has decided to take up theoffer of a lifetime and travel to Denizli, Turkeyfor the entire academic year. Denizli, translatedas “Ocean,” is right off the coast of Turkey nearGreece. During his immersion, Sam must relyon his ability to speak Turkish to socialize, dohomework, and read. At his school, he will berequired to learn either French or German inTurkish. If you thought learning Latin in Englishwas difficult, just imagine the challenges Samwill face. He will also use Turkish to communicatewith his host family, which consists of afather, mother, twenty-one year-old daughterand sixteen year-old son. The father is a textileworker, and the mother, like the majority ofwomen in Turkish society, is a stay-at-homecaretaker.Sam became involved with this tripthrough the Ohio Bureau of Educational andCultural Affairs. He explained that after September11, the United States initiated a program toallow students to travel to predominantly Islamicnations to gain a better understanding of Islam.Sam will be traveling and studying on a fullscholarship, which includes his food, housing,and living expenses. He will also receive amonthly stipend of $180. Having been to Turkeybefore, Sam expressed that he will not need tobring or buy much while he is there becauseTurkish culture is much simpler than that ofAmerica.I could sense both excitement and apprehensionin Sam’s voice as we talked. “I’mdefinitely excited to go back,” he said, “I haven’tbeen there since after my freshman year.” Samsaid that the Turkish culture, cuisine, and educationsystem is very similar to that of Greece. Healso noted that as an added bonus, he will attenda school that has…(pause for dramatic effect)…girls!Sam said that while in Turkey hehopes to continue swimming and playing waterpolo. “If they have state championships in Turkey,I’ll try my best to win one,” Sam said jokingly.Overall, Sam seems really excited to starthis excursion.When he comes back to the States, Samplans to take classes at St. Charles to earn hissenior year credits, play water polo, swim, andgraduate. “I could just get a diploma from mypublic high school and be on my way,” Sam noted,“but I did not put up with three years of St.Charles (and Chemistry) to get a diploma fromany school. I want to graduate as a St. CharlesCardinal.” As a benefit of being a fifth year senior,Sam will have the opportunity to graduate inthe Class of 2015 with his younger brother David,an opportunity many people will never have.Sam could not help but smile throughout ourdiscussion and seemed to be filled with bothexcitement and anxiety. He said he will behomesick for that year, and he’ll miss St.Charles, his teammates, his family, and his girlfriend,but the thing he is going to miss themost: “Walking with my brothers in the Class of2014 at graduation.” Remember to keep Sam inyour thoughts and prayers this year as he venturesoff into unfamiliar territory to begin a newchapter in his academic life.Courtesy of Google Images

The Carolian Page 7The basic premise of the movie,according to IMDb, is that a government-maderobot/alien/whatever named Ultron puts theAvengers out of business until(surprise, surprise!) it turnsagainst them. One of the problemsWhedon has to address isthat, because of the success ofthe first movie, much will be expectedof the film. The first moviewas a superhero fan’s dreamwith not one, not two, but sixsuperheroes causing mayhem.We still have that cast of heroesin this sequel, but that’s the problem.The characters have thesame moves, the same powers. Ithas to be bigger and better;something that doesn’t seem possible.Another point to make isthat there won’t be much morecharacter development. All theheroes already have discoveredtheir potential and have won distinctemotional battles. They’veall told their origin stories andmost importantly, they’ve allbanded together. Now what?Where does Whedon go fromthere? Plus there won’t be muchgoing on romance-wise (not thatthere’s anything wrong with nodrama). The final problem thatthe franchise has, and that Marvelhas had throughout theirmovies, lies in the villains. Simplyput, Marvel has been ineffectivein creating villains that theaudience will remember and love(or hate). Only devoted readersof the original comics know whoUltron is. Marvel has yet to createa villain as iconic and as universallyknown as The Joker orLex Luthor. These problems andseem to be substantial roadblocks to the top of the superheromarket.Verdict- Marvel has nowhere togo but down. The Avengers 2 looksto lead the way.Man of Steel 2 (Batman vs.Superman)- Man of Steel 2 is thesequel to the blockbuster-turnedfailureoriginal. The movie willstay under the same direction asthe first, under Zack Snyder, andthe main actors of the first willstay, like British-born Henry Cavilland sassy Amy Adams. Thebiggest news of this sequel wasthe revelation that Batman wouldbe involved in the movie and thesubsequent casting of Ben Affleckas the Dark Knight.Both the bat-symbol inthe promotional picture and theage of Ben Affleck (41) hint theplot. That bat-symbol is the sameone used in The Dark Knight Returns,a 1986 comic about the returnof Batman after ten years ofretirement. The Batman we’ll seewill probably a moreexperienced,grittier hero; just thekind of guy a young guy like Supermanneeds. However the alternatetitle Superman vs. Batmansuggests some obvious conflict.There are some majorproblems for this greatlyanticipatedsequel. First off, ZackSnyder needs to somehowavenge the horrible first movie.In Man of Steel, Snyder relied onthe incorrect assumption that allthe audience cared about was thelook of the film. He sacrificed astory for expensive CG explosions.Also, the film was too darkfor many people, especially thosewho loved the originals. Anotherproblem with this sequel is that itseems like a jump. Snyder seems,in essence, to be skipping a crucialpoint in the overall storywhere we get to know and lovesocially awkward Clark Kent andhis adventures at The Daily Planet.This will fail to brighten themood, especially since the plotshould only get darker with theintroduction of Batman. Ultimately,this movie is a gamble forDC Comics. Unlike Marvel, thecompany has only one franchisecurrently running. That meansthere’ll be nothing to cushionthem if this movie fails. Eventhough they dominate the videogameindustry and the moderncomics industry, Marvel has yetto express itself through film.Maybe the heroes were nevermeant for the big screen. That’ssomething they need to find outsoon.Verdict- This could be DC’s lastchance at victory. Man of Steel 2seems like a desperate and pressuredcourse of action.Something tells me thatthis battle will not be over soon.The superheroes like Superman,Spiderman, Batman, and CaptainAmerica are characters that willnever die out. However, as a newera of superhero movies begins,the way each company representsitself in these films will alter howthis battle turns out. Therefore,these two blockbusters mark acrucial step in defining an era.May the best team win.

The Carolian Page 8tab look a little bulky and outdated,despite it being extremely recent.There’s a fine line between beatingcompetitors out of the gate andreleasing too early. That was a riskNintendo was willing to take.I hate to dismiss them sohaughtily, but the truth is, biggerthings are coming. Let’s cut to thechase and talk about the specs.first, Sony’s PS4. The PS3 was partitionedin a kind of a limiting way,devoting only a certain amount ofspace to graphics, etc. Theychanged this with the PS4. Thissystem is not so much a console asit is a computer with Sony’s OSblanketing it to deliver us a smoothgaming experience. We’re talkingabout a 500 GB hard drive, a powerfulGPU that’s around the samelevel as the Radeon 7870, withDX11, and a really slick processor.The PS4’s claim to processing fameis a custom AMD Jaguar 8-coreprocessor. Now, in my opinion,AMD can’t be beat when it comesto gaming rigs, but this Octo-corebeast is not as powerful as Sonymight like you to think. Remember,Jaguar model processors are oftenused in high-end tablets, netbooks,and entry-level laptops, not gamingcomputers. These cores aren’t particularlypowerful by themselves, oreven paired. It’s putting eight ofthese babies together that reallypack the PS4’s punch. There’s alwaysa better processor, but forsome next generation computing,an AMD 8-core sounds pretty nice.In comparison, the XboxOne also features a heavily customizedAMD chip that combines aneight-core Jaguar CPU, a GPU tailoredfor DirectX 11.1 graphics.The Xbox One will have 8 GB ofram, rivaling the PS4, but the ram isDDR3, as opposed to the PS4’sGDDR5. These specs really are notthat different. Both machines arevery similar in hardware, but thereis one game-changing difference.The Xbox has a GPU that’s veryclose to the Radeon HD 7790,which is significantly less powerfulthan the PS4’s 7870. Overall thePS4 definitely has the upper handin terms of specs.The PS4 definitely packsmore of a punch in the technicalarea, but all students about to goand pre-order it, not so fast. Sonymay have a winner in specifications.We buy consoles for their featuresand interface too, not just specs.Let me explain some features.I’ll only go over a few importantfeatures in this article, butit’s important to remember this:The PS4 is a gaming machine, whilethe Xbox One is a multimedia center.It wants to be the one device inyour living room, with all of yourmedia needs coming through it,hence the name “One.”One of the PS4’s sellingpoints rests in the Dualshock 4controller. This is a really nice lookingcontroller, but besides that, italso has a revolutionary piece oftechnology integrated into it: Theshare button. With the share button,you can instantly share yourgaming successes in video form tosocial media sites. Say you got thatperfect headshot in Call of Duty.Press the share button, and all yourfriends can see it. Needless to say,that’s pretty awesome. The controlleralso has a headphone jack,which means you’ll be able to listento your games using any 3.5 mmheadphones you want. Not muchhas been revealed about the interface,but it looks promising, alludingto lots of online features andsocial connectivity.In comparison, the XboxOne is packed with cool featuresalso, although these are not somuch focused around gaming. TheXbox One is Skype integrated, soyou can talk with your friends whilegaming or watching TV, using theinternet service as opposed toXbox Live chat. Xbox One canalso be used as a TV, as you canroute your television through thesystem. What really excites methough, is the operating system.The Xbox One uses a clever combinationof 3 OS’s. One is Zune,the OS on the 360, albeit a veryupdated and streamlined version ofit. It also has Windows RT, the OSof the Surface and other Windowstablets, and finally, Windows 8,Microsoft’s latest OS. This willcombine the best of the three. Theinterface of Zune, the simplicity ofRT, and the speed of Windows 8.Doubtless, we’re looking at a verysnappy and quick interface, pleasingto all gamers. There are alsoreports of very powerful cloudgaming, but not many details havebeen confirmed so far.In terms of features, Ithink the Xbox One takes the cake.As I have said before, there’s no“best console”, it all depends onwhat you prefer as a gamer.Hopefully, this article hashelped clarify what next generationplatform you’ll be gaming on.When making your decision, rememberthis: PC is always better.(wink)Courtesy of Google Images

The Carolian Page 9T H E C A R O L I A NOwner and PublisherMr. James LowerFaculty Moderator:Mr. Jack GibbonsEditor-in-Chief:Stephen McFadden ‘14Managing Editors:Troy and Tanner Plewa‘14Editors:Declan McCord ‘14Ryan Meder ‘14John Browne III ‘14Christopher Mitchell ‘16Evan Meder ‘16Jacob McCorkle ‘17Colin O’Connor ‘16Front Page photo of St.Charles Building courtesy ofSteven Turville, Class of2010.Writers Featured:Declan McCord ‘14John Browne III ‘14Reed Gossard ‘16Ryan Meder ‘14Jacob Dilley ’16Scott Cooper ‘17Keaton Maisano ‘17The Carolian is the official, student-run newspaper of St. Charles Preparatory School. It ispublished monthly during the school year. The Carolian was founded in 1926, and has been oneof the school’s great traditions since its inception. For 84 years, The Carolian has been thepreeminent source of news in the St. Charles community.The Carolian may be found online at the St. Charles preparatory School official web page,StCharlesPrep.orgAny inquiries concerning The Carolian may be directed to:Mr. Jack Gibbons - Faculty Moderatorjgibbons@cdeducation.orgORStephen McFadden- Editor-in-Chiefstmcfadd@gmail.comSt. Charles Preparatory may be reached by the following means:Address:2010 East Broad StreetColumbus, Ohio43209Phone:614-252-6714Fax:614-251-6800