Hey guys! I saw this on Yahoo News, and it caught my eye:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081227/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
It's about a bombing that Israel made on the Palestinians, and I though that this added a whole new level to what we talked about in class about the Isreali/Palestinian conflict. Israel bombed the Gaza Strip and killed over 200 people and wounded over 400. For my proposal, I suggested the two-state solution, but now I don't know what to think.
I just wanna hear your opinion on this!
-composer_for_the_class
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
uhm guys...
does anybody understand Mr. Chavoya's homework?
does he seriously want us to do that for every problem?
Did we not learn that in seventh grade?
-Emmi :/
Friday, August 29, 2008
Grade Requests Update-Mr. Nic
Hi all, I just wanted to let you know that I have read all of your columns and will be emailing you tomorrow with your grades. It has taken me longer than anticipated to read and assess all of your columns, but I can say that on the whole they have been wonderful and I think that most of you will be happy with the grade that you receive. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them, all 110 columns! In the future, so that we can continue to do these assignments with some regularity and so that you can share your writing with your classmates and in turn read their work, but so that I can continue to maintain some semblance of a life outside of school (yes, teachers have a life too!) I will read and comment on the columns, but will not assess them. You will get the full points for writing them, as you did with your first writing assignment about your essence. You will still get assessed on your unit papers as well as the occasional in class essays that we will do, now that you have tables to write on. This way we can continue to write on our blogs and you can do so without worrying about your grade, you can write for the pleasure of writing and sharing your incredibly insightful and mature opinions with me and with each other.
Mr. Nic
Mr. Nic
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Shared Experiences of the Silver Screen
Shared experiences of the silver screen
By Nate Nichols
Every child of my generation has seen Bambi, but to this day I have never seen the movie because my mother hated the fact that it starts with the mother getting shot. It’s ironic because I’ve seen just about every other movie that’s been released since I was born. My grandfather, a very sarcastic law librarian, was addicted to movies, and took me to see anything that was G-rated, even though he hated “kiddie” movies. He started going to movies when he was a boy and his uncle owned a theater in San Francisco. He would take the streetcar on his own and go see movies like Tarzan. He spent one summer living in a treehouse, wearing only a loincloth tied around his waist with a rope. Later in life, he turned to movies when his first wife was dying of cancer. It was his only escape from his grief.
We would go to the movies every weekend, sometimes twice. He would always buy Goobers (chocolate covered peanuts) and Hershey’s Almond candy bars. I got popcorn, and we both drank Cokes.
We saw Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Rugrats. But afterward he would complain about how awful they were for days. I would always say, “I didn’t think it was that bad,” and he would groan and say, “It was awful.” He was particularly vicious about Nemo, savaging the little fish with words I can’t use in a school assignment. Still we kept going to movies.
He even took me to see Never Been Thawed, an independent film my guitar teacher was in. It played at the Valley Art Theater. The movie featured a Christian rock group with a lead singer who collected frozen dinners. I thought it was pretty funny, but he hated it.
My parents love movies, too, and we go frequently. We sample everything from documentaries to comedies to foreign films to action. I like almost everything.
But now that I’m older, I’ve put my foot down about seeing “chick flicks” with my mother. I’ll never go see Sex in the City.
Movies have brought my whole family together because it’s something we all enjoy doing. They’re a window into other worlds and you can see things from someone else’s perspective, like reading a book by a foreign author.
My grandfather died last year, and I miss him a lot, but I think about him every time I buy a movie ticket.
By Nate Nichols
Every child of my generation has seen Bambi, but to this day I have never seen the movie because my mother hated the fact that it starts with the mother getting shot. It’s ironic because I’ve seen just about every other movie that’s been released since I was born. My grandfather, a very sarcastic law librarian, was addicted to movies, and took me to see anything that was G-rated, even though he hated “kiddie” movies. He started going to movies when he was a boy and his uncle owned a theater in San Francisco. He would take the streetcar on his own and go see movies like Tarzan. He spent one summer living in a treehouse, wearing only a loincloth tied around his waist with a rope. Later in life, he turned to movies when his first wife was dying of cancer. It was his only escape from his grief.
We would go to the movies every weekend, sometimes twice. He would always buy Goobers (chocolate covered peanuts) and Hershey’s Almond candy bars. I got popcorn, and we both drank Cokes.
We saw Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Rugrats. But afterward he would complain about how awful they were for days. I would always say, “I didn’t think it was that bad,” and he would groan and say, “It was awful.” He was particularly vicious about Nemo, savaging the little fish with words I can’t use in a school assignment. Still we kept going to movies.
He even took me to see Never Been Thawed, an independent film my guitar teacher was in. It played at the Valley Art Theater. The movie featured a Christian rock group with a lead singer who collected frozen dinners. I thought it was pretty funny, but he hated it.
My parents love movies, too, and we go frequently. We sample everything from documentaries to comedies to foreign films to action. I like almost everything.
But now that I’m older, I’ve put my foot down about seeing “chick flicks” with my mother. I’ll never go see Sex in the City.
Movies have brought my whole family together because it’s something we all enjoy doing. They’re a window into other worlds and you can see things from someone else’s perspective, like reading a book by a foreign author.
My grandfather died last year, and I miss him a lot, but I think about him every time I buy a movie ticket.
My Life
Ballet has played a key role in making me the person I am today. From my first ballet recital when I was just two and a half, to now, at age fourteen, ballet is my life. It gives me a way to express myself both physically and emotionally, and gives me something to work on each and every day of my life. Whether I’m physically taking a ballet class or if I’m just sitting in front of the television, I know that there is always something that I can be thinking about in order to improve my technique.
Outside of my Corps Intensive class at ASA, I take classes as often as I can, and I love finding ways to further develop my technique with every class. I am constantly striving to be like my heroes, the ballerinas who not only have been lucky enough to have a successful career in ballet, but they have also been able to inspire a new generation of dancers, including myself, who’s greatest dream would be to be able to dance with the same artistry and technique that they bring to the stage.
Over the course of the past hundred or so years, ballet has changed radically. The expectations continue to get higher and higher with more and more being asked of every dancer. Even the typical “ballet body” has changed, in past years; a ballerina could look almost like a normal, very slender person. However, as times change, the ideal ballet body continues to get skinnier, and natural flexibility and turn out become more crucial. For instance, if you were to watch a video of the Ballet de Monte Carlo, which was considered one of the best companies in the world fifty or so years ago, today, compared to a video of New York City Ballet (NYCB), you would notice that not only has the level of technique and difficulty level risen considerably, but the dancers in NYCB would also look considerably more slender.
One of the reasons that ballet has evolved so much is simply because of the level of competition. For me, that level of competition is what drives me to improve and push through the pain each day. Because ballet is my life, I love it. It’s just that simple.
Outside of my Corps Intensive class at ASA, I take classes as often as I can, and I love finding ways to further develop my technique with every class. I am constantly striving to be like my heroes, the ballerinas who not only have been lucky enough to have a successful career in ballet, but they have also been able to inspire a new generation of dancers, including myself, who’s greatest dream would be to be able to dance with the same artistry and technique that they bring to the stage.
Over the course of the past hundred or so years, ballet has changed radically. The expectations continue to get higher and higher with more and more being asked of every dancer. Even the typical “ballet body” has changed, in past years; a ballerina could look almost like a normal, very slender person. However, as times change, the ideal ballet body continues to get skinnier, and natural flexibility and turn out become more crucial. For instance, if you were to watch a video of the Ballet de Monte Carlo, which was considered one of the best companies in the world fifty or so years ago, today, compared to a video of New York City Ballet (NYCB), you would notice that not only has the level of technique and difficulty level risen considerably, but the dancers in NYCB would also look considerably more slender.
One of the reasons that ballet has evolved so much is simply because of the level of competition. For me, that level of competition is what drives me to improve and push through the pain each day. Because ballet is my life, I love it. It’s just that simple.
Religion (Essay Number Two) - Sara
Okay, there were some really cool religion essays out there, and I already wrote my essay, but religion is really a big part of my life (sort of) and I had a lot of thoughts on the subject, so I wrote this. Enjoy.
In the world we live in today, many people grow up under the same roof (for at least part of their lives) with two different religions, or one religion and one anti-religion. The person will usually pick one faith (or lack thereof) and the other parent will get used to it.
Religion equalizes itself. It’s not easy, but we learn to cope and we live our lives. Many people in our class have written incredibly thoughtful essays on that process.
My process was a little bit different.
My parents have been separated for as long as I can remember. I cannot recall ever living under the same roof with both my mother and father together.
My mother is Catholic, while my father is steadfastly anti-organized religion. As they never lived together with me, the comfortable equilibrium most households reach never occurred. Certainly, my Jewish stepmother practices her religion, but a stepmother doesn’t have any hold on your beliefs. And besides, she is hardly devout and only celebrates the most major holidays. So on one side, you have Catholicism, and on the other, Agnosticism. There is no in-between.
As most people do, I eventually picked one. I ended up going with being agnostic. But my mother’s household is still undiluted Catholic. Now, don’t get me wrong, I adore my mother. I see my dad on weekends, but it isn’t the same. My mom is the more central parent. But I do not believe that there is an old man in the sky giving us blessings when we pray. However, my mom still takes her Catholic (maybe all Christians, I don’t know) responsibility to raise her children as Catholics. My siblings are believers. I argue with my mom a lot about religion, more that anything else. She still believes I need a “spiritual life”, even it isn’t a Catholic one. We’ll see. With my dad, it never comes up unless we’re talking about my mother. Instead of two indistinct worlds that are really one, I have two, distinct worlds that will never meet.
Sometimes I accidentally overhear my mom discussing my religion on the phone with her friends. She says that when she asks me about my religion, I start spouting my dad’s words. I don’t think this is true, but it will never be resolved either way.
My parents will never reach a compromise, quite simply because they very rarely have the chance for a conversation. They’re polar opposites, really, that won’t meet in the middle. Jumping from two different religious worlds is hard, but I wonder if it might be harder to have to live with one in the same house while choosing the other. I’ll never know.
In the world we live in today, many people grow up under the same roof (for at least part of their lives) with two different religions, or one religion and one anti-religion. The person will usually pick one faith (or lack thereof) and the other parent will get used to it.
Religion equalizes itself. It’s not easy, but we learn to cope and we live our lives. Many people in our class have written incredibly thoughtful essays on that process.
My process was a little bit different.
My parents have been separated for as long as I can remember. I cannot recall ever living under the same roof with both my mother and father together.
My mother is Catholic, while my father is steadfastly anti-organized religion. As they never lived together with me, the comfortable equilibrium most households reach never occurred. Certainly, my Jewish stepmother practices her religion, but a stepmother doesn’t have any hold on your beliefs. And besides, she is hardly devout and only celebrates the most major holidays. So on one side, you have Catholicism, and on the other, Agnosticism. There is no in-between.
As most people do, I eventually picked one. I ended up going with being agnostic. But my mother’s household is still undiluted Catholic. Now, don’t get me wrong, I adore my mother. I see my dad on weekends, but it isn’t the same. My mom is the more central parent. But I do not believe that there is an old man in the sky giving us blessings when we pray. However, my mom still takes her Catholic (maybe all Christians, I don’t know) responsibility to raise her children as Catholics. My siblings are believers. I argue with my mom a lot about religion, more that anything else. She still believes I need a “spiritual life”, even it isn’t a Catholic one. We’ll see. With my dad, it never comes up unless we’re talking about my mother. Instead of two indistinct worlds that are really one, I have two, distinct worlds that will never meet.
Sometimes I accidentally overhear my mom discussing my religion on the phone with her friends. She says that when she asks me about my religion, I start spouting my dad’s words. I don’t think this is true, but it will never be resolved either way.
My parents will never reach a compromise, quite simply because they very rarely have the chance for a conversation. They’re polar opposites, really, that won’t meet in the middle. Jumping from two different religious worlds is hard, but I wonder if it might be harder to have to live with one in the same house while choosing the other. I’ll never know.
music by campbell
I love music. Something about it is just so great. It’s just so easy to express and tell what emotions are trying to be portrayed through music. Music can say a statement without any words attached. It can be as simple, or as complex as the composer wishes. Its one of the greatest ways someone could express themselves. I enjoy music because its fun, a great way to express yourself, and it gives me something to do for hours.
It took me a while to get into music. I could recognize popular songs at the time and that was pretty much it. Eventually, I started listening to the Beatles and my interest skyrocketed. Now I listen and like a wide range of music from jazz, classic rock, Latin jazz, Ska, Latin, punk, blues, and techno. Pretty much anything that is not Country music. After I got into the Beatles, I took up the electric bass and eventually learned to play trumpet, piano, upright bass, synthesizer, and (by force) sing. My interests in music lead me to Arizona School for the Arts for my 8th and 9th grade year. ASA was clearly a good choice because I’m already a better musician and it has a great academic program. The current arts classes I take are Concert Strings, Piano, and Jazz Band. Jazz band is my favorite arts class. Jazz is such a free, expressive genre. More so then any other genre that I know of. This is why I love jazz. Most music is very scripted and preplanned. However, jazz is full of improvisation, emotion, and life.
I’m currently in two bands outside of school. One is called “Universal Spunk” in which I play the bass. You probably have heard of us if you have been at ASA a while. I think the best way to describe us is psychedelic/rock/funk. I haven’t been in it too long, probably six months. “Universal Spunk” affects my life by giving me an outlet outside of school to express myself. The second band I’m in is called “Graceful Giraffe” where I play bass, the synthesizer, pretty much anything the song requires. It’s a techno band I recently started. “Graceful Giraffe” affects my life because it gives me a chance to combine music and friends in one activity.
Right now music is my life. Its valuable to me because it teaches me skills I need for the real such as patience, practice, working with others, solving problems, and countless more. Music impacts my life by giving me something to do. If I did not have music I would probably not do anything all day. Music has given me experiences that I would have never had if I didn’t take up an instrument. Music is a part of culture that has affected me in countless positive ways along with millions of other people, which is why music is a part of culture that should be continued throughout the rest of history.
It took me a while to get into music. I could recognize popular songs at the time and that was pretty much it. Eventually, I started listening to the Beatles and my interest skyrocketed. Now I listen and like a wide range of music from jazz, classic rock, Latin jazz, Ska, Latin, punk, blues, and techno. Pretty much anything that is not Country music. After I got into the Beatles, I took up the electric bass and eventually learned to play trumpet, piano, upright bass, synthesizer, and (by force) sing. My interests in music lead me to Arizona School for the Arts for my 8th and 9th grade year. ASA was clearly a good choice because I’m already a better musician and it has a great academic program. The current arts classes I take are Concert Strings, Piano, and Jazz Band. Jazz band is my favorite arts class. Jazz is such a free, expressive genre. More so then any other genre that I know of. This is why I love jazz. Most music is very scripted and preplanned. However, jazz is full of improvisation, emotion, and life.
I’m currently in two bands outside of school. One is called “Universal Spunk” in which I play the bass. You probably have heard of us if you have been at ASA a while. I think the best way to describe us is psychedelic/rock/funk. I haven’t been in it too long, probably six months. “Universal Spunk” affects my life by giving me an outlet outside of school to express myself. The second band I’m in is called “Graceful Giraffe” where I play bass, the synthesizer, pretty much anything the song requires. It’s a techno band I recently started. “Graceful Giraffe” affects my life because it gives me a chance to combine music and friends in one activity.
Right now music is my life. Its valuable to me because it teaches me skills I need for the real such as patience, practice, working with others, solving problems, and countless more. Music impacts my life by giving me something to do. If I did not have music I would probably not do anything all day. Music has given me experiences that I would have never had if I didn’t take up an instrument. Music is a part of culture that has affected me in countless positive ways along with millions of other people, which is why music is a part of culture that should be continued throughout the rest of history.
School the learning center -Ben m
-----School has its ups and downs but whether it is up or down it is a place that has ultimately impacted my life the most and will probably continue like that for the rest of my life. I have been in school since I was three and have learned almost everything I know from it. I have met life-long friends, played games at lunch-time, and learned.
School has impacted me by what it has ,and in the future, hopefully, what it will bring to me in life. Earlier I mentioned I met some life-long friends, this however, is not the only thing it brought to me. School has brought me a great education and hopefully later a great college education then an excellent job.
-----School has brought me friends. I do do a lot of extra curricular which has brought me to meet a lot of my friends, but school has given me my bestests, excuse my word, friends by far, so far. They were twins who over the summer moved to Chicago, Illinois. I met them at my previous school, which we attended about 7-8 hours of five days a week, and then I would see them another hour Wednesday and two hours on Sunday at Hebrew SCHOOL!!! I did meet other friends in Pre-K, too. In both scenarios to conclude that little rant, sorry, I met both at school and saw them most at some sort of school.
-----I have learned a lot through school both in subjects like Social Studies or Science or just about myself. Mrs. Kuhl taught me about my personality. I learned in what I thought was right and wrong through Hebrew school, grade school, and my house, in which I consider a school for kids always learn from their parents. I have learned about my Jewish faith at Hebrew school. I have learned about everything from school. On answers.com the said for a definition of school," A session of instruction", this definition proves that even the presidential ads on TV is a type of Homeschool.
-----School has impacted my life more than anything else has because it has given me a place to have a future and not be bored, though it sometimes happens anyways, that is besides the point. School has given me a life outside of soccer singing outside of school, doing extra instruments outside of school, and other, most of the time exciting and fun stuff. School has affected me more than that infinitely dense point that is considered to be the start of the Big Bang Theory, which we learned recently in science, but still I am thankful for school even if I think I am bored tired of it!!!
Sorry Mr. Nicholas the ----- is my indent my computer would not do the indent
Feel free to criticize peers.
WC about 450
music
I love music. Something about it is just so great. It’s just so easy to express and tell what emotions are trying to be portrayed through music. Music can say a statement without any words attached. It can be as simple, or as complex as the composer wishes. Its one of the greatest ways someone could express themselves. I enjoy music because its fun, a great way to express yourself, and it gives me something to do for hours.
It took me a while to get into music. I could recognize popular songs at the time and that was pretty much it. Eventually, I started listening to the Beatles and my interest skyrocketed. Now I listen and like a wide range of music from jazz, classic rock, Latin jazz, Ska, Latin, punk, blues, and techno. Pretty much anything that is not Country music. After I got into the Beatles, I took up the electric bass and eventually learned to play trumpet, piano, upright bass, synthesizer, and (by force) sing. My interests in music lead me to Arizona School for the Arts for my 8th and 9th grade year. ASA was clearly a good choice because I’m already a better musician and it has a great academic program. The current arts classes I take are Concert Strings, Piano, and Jazz Band. Jazz band is my favorite arts class. Jazz is such a free, expressive genre. More so then any other genre that I know of. This is why I love jazz. Most music is very scripted and preplanned. However, jazz is full of improvisation, emotion, and life.
I’m currently in two bands outside of school. One is called “Universal Spunk” in which I play the bass. You probably have heard of us if you have been at ASA a while. I think the best way to describe us is psychedelic/rock/funk. I haven’t been in it too long, probably six months. “Universal Spunk” affects my life by giving me an outlet outside of school to express myself. The second band I’m in is called “Graceful Giraffe” where I play bass, the synthesizer, pretty much anything the song requires. It’s a techno band I recently started. “Graceful Giraffe” affects my life because it gives me a chance to combine music and friends in one activity.
Right now music is my life. Its valuable to me because it teaches me skills I need for the real such as patience, practice, working with others, solving problems, and countless more. Music impacts my life by giving me something to do. If I did not have music I would probably not do anything all day. Music has given me experiences that I would have never had if I didn’t take up an instrument. Music is a part of culture that has affected me in countless positive ways along with millions of other people, which is why music is a part of culture that should be continued throughout the rest of history.
It took me a while to get into music. I could recognize popular songs at the time and that was pretty much it. Eventually, I started listening to the Beatles and my interest skyrocketed. Now I listen and like a wide range of music from jazz, classic rock, Latin jazz, Ska, Latin, punk, blues, and techno. Pretty much anything that is not Country music. After I got into the Beatles, I took up the electric bass and eventually learned to play trumpet, piano, upright bass, synthesizer, and (by force) sing. My interests in music lead me to Arizona School for the Arts for my 8th and 9th grade year. ASA was clearly a good choice because I’m already a better musician and it has a great academic program. The current arts classes I take are Concert Strings, Piano, and Jazz Band. Jazz band is my favorite arts class. Jazz is such a free, expressive genre. More so then any other genre that I know of. This is why I love jazz. Most music is very scripted and preplanned. However, jazz is full of improvisation, emotion, and life.
I’m currently in two bands outside of school. One is called “Universal Spunk” in which I play the bass. You probably have heard of us if you have been at ASA a while. I think the best way to describe us is psychedelic/rock/funk. I haven’t been in it too long, probably six months. “Universal Spunk” affects my life by giving me an outlet outside of school to express myself. The second band I’m in is called “Graceful Giraffe” where I play bass, the synthesizer, pretty much anything the song requires. It’s a techno band I recently started. “Graceful Giraffe” affects my life because it gives me a chance to combine music and friends in one activity.
Right now music is my life. Its valuable to me because it teaches me skills I need for the real such as patience, practice, working with others, solving problems, and countless more. Music impacts my life by giving me something to do. If I did not have music I would probably not do anything all day. Music has given me experiences that I would have never had if I didn’t take up an instrument. Music is a part of culture that has affected me in countless positive ways along with millions of other people, which is why music is a part of culture that should be continued throughout the rest of history.
ART
by- Eric
Most things that I encounter confuse me. Each day, when I reluctantly crawl from my bed, I expect to learn more about the world in which I live. But despite my ignorance, by each days end, I am left once again with more questions than answers. Why do politics seem so immature? Why is religion, a power that the masses blindly follow, so immoral? Why must people behave the way they do? And yet for every question I come across, I can always refer to visual art. Art is one of few things that I find quite clear.
Art is a universal language. It’s comprehension is not hindered by barriers of time or culture. It is an art form that can express feelings that are beyond words. Feelings so complex that only a combination of texture, color, and technique can do them justice. Although, a work of art is not limited to expression of emotion. In fact, I have yet to discover a single form of communication that can present the horrors of war more clearly than Picasso’s Guernica. No combination of inspirational speeches and anti-war protests can contain the insight and impact that this painting portrays. No individual will walk away from a sight feeling more disturbed. It is a feat that seems impossible by any other means. This has been recognized by cultures throughout the ages.
Fortunately, there is much to learn from the artwork of cultures foreign to us. Especially those that are extinct from the modern day. A single piece of art can, by it’s nature, reveal the values and beliefs of an entire culture. Bearing in mind that the history of extinct cultures holds mysteries that are unsolvable by historians across the board, this seems a remarkable accomplishment. Yet another of life’s cruel and complex elements overcome by art work. One of many triumphs occurring since history’s beginnings.
However vast and distant art’s victories may seem in the grand scheme of things, it still has a direct effect on a culture so microscopic as are own. Currently, the use of art within our society has become self centered and commercialized. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to go a single day without witnessing our society’s manipulation of art in order to sell products. Whether it be a billboard, a poster, or an image on the television, this corruption of art is ever present. And as this corruption grows, it seeps into our societies political and religious establishments. As the church uses art to glorify its image and gain followers, politicians associate themselves with contemporary artists in order to project an image of intelligence and sophistication.
It is unfortunate that something as clear and effective as art has become a tool of the major powers of society. It is a shame that art has always been most acquirable by the rich. It is pathetic that early cultures created art in which they could exalt their society and today we have been reduced to using art to boost our society’s image. But such is life. Life confuses me.
Most things that I encounter confuse me. Each day, when I reluctantly crawl from my bed, I expect to learn more about the world in which I live. But despite my ignorance, by each days end, I am left once again with more questions than answers. Why do politics seem so immature? Why is religion, a power that the masses blindly follow, so immoral? Why must people behave the way they do? And yet for every question I come across, I can always refer to visual art. Art is one of few things that I find quite clear.
Art is a universal language. It’s comprehension is not hindered by barriers of time or culture. It is an art form that can express feelings that are beyond words. Feelings so complex that only a combination of texture, color, and technique can do them justice. Although, a work of art is not limited to expression of emotion. In fact, I have yet to discover a single form of communication that can present the horrors of war more clearly than Picasso’s Guernica. No combination of inspirational speeches and anti-war protests can contain the insight and impact that this painting portrays. No individual will walk away from a sight feeling more disturbed. It is a feat that seems impossible by any other means. This has been recognized by cultures throughout the ages.
Fortunately, there is much to learn from the artwork of cultures foreign to us. Especially those that are extinct from the modern day. A single piece of art can, by it’s nature, reveal the values and beliefs of an entire culture. Bearing in mind that the history of extinct cultures holds mysteries that are unsolvable by historians across the board, this seems a remarkable accomplishment. Yet another of life’s cruel and complex elements overcome by art work. One of many triumphs occurring since history’s beginnings.
However vast and distant art’s victories may seem in the grand scheme of things, it still has a direct effect on a culture so microscopic as are own. Currently, the use of art within our society has become self centered and commercialized. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to go a single day without witnessing our society’s manipulation of art in order to sell products. Whether it be a billboard, a poster, or an image on the television, this corruption of art is ever present. And as this corruption grows, it seeps into our societies political and religious establishments. As the church uses art to glorify its image and gain followers, politicians associate themselves with contemporary artists in order to project an image of intelligence and sophistication.
It is unfortunate that something as clear and effective as art has become a tool of the major powers of society. It is a shame that art has always been most acquirable by the rich. It is pathetic that early cultures created art in which they could exalt their society and today we have been reduced to using art to boost our society’s image. But such is life. Life confuses me.
Politics and music in culture.
Music is a common threshold for every living person. A well-written melody is enjoyed by everyone, and the hard contrast of dissonant chords of a background movie soundtrack can strike fear and inspire emotion into anyone watching that dark themed movie. We speak all differently, with many different tongues to compliment many different societies. Societies in the past have had music, and we do not fail to be different from them. Music will always speak a tone everyone can understand, and can leave an impression on any person regardless of who they are, where they came from, or what they have done.
At a school such as ASA, the musical arts are a large part of the even bigger arts department. It has played an infinitely large role in my life, from the enjoyment of listening to the music to actually playing it. Music has brought everybody at ASA together under the common enjoyment of the musical and performing arts, which not only gives everybody a unique kind of bond, but also changes the culture of the school drastically. I never expected ASA to be so inviting when I first arrived, with the cheers and crowds of frantic people trying to find that person they never actually got to talk to over summer, and the ones who wanted to discuss how summer just never lasts long enough, the aura surrounding every individual there was that of kinship, care, and real enjoyment. What I personally believe is that music, and the enjoyment of it, brings everybody together. In the school culture as a whole, I think the music is also what keeps ASA from becoming a normal public school. The people are so different, and the love for everything creative is always present. Because of music, my life has changed so much. Because of the arts, every time I walk down the hall, I walk in rhythm to whatever song is in my head. Usually, when I’m alone, I don’t even need to think, it is almost like the songs and tunes playing repeatedly in my head sort out all of my thoughts, and help me concentrate.
Demoiselles
In my fourteen years, I had probably seen it a hundred times. But I saw it for the first time in the rainy month of March, surrounded by cool air and the scent of intellectuals and light conversation, lingering "three feet away" from each masterpiece. Its warm hues of red and orange and pink and yellow all surrounded me in an overwhelming haze of beauty. I watched the fractured women clinging to the veils that concealed their naked bodies as if it would shelter them from the cruelties of humanity. Before me hung one of the world's greatest masterpieces, Picasso's Demoiselles staring at me with unblinking eyes.
Before I could use words I used images. Art, therefore, has become the medium that I have always turned to, to express myself.
I love words just as much as I love art, but only through art can I see the truth. It is easier for me to trust the visual representation of an item rather than a description of it because words are limited but art is not. I love the idea that art perseveres although it changes. Although it is easier for me to rely on art than words, I find it hard to rely on many artists in the same way, especially in modern times. They often misconceive the meaning of art and use it for different purposes than expression. The reason that I make this reference to modern art is that much of the art preceding pop art had something to say. For example, Picasso, rather than continue with the expected, chose a different path of ingenuity. Picasso used multiple viewpoints and fragmented planes to create masterpieces different than anything ever seen before. Not only did Picasso try to change art. He tried to change the world.
Even in my earliest memories, I can remember being surrounded by art. The art museum was a common destination in the weekends. My mother and I would usually take the tour in which you went to each piece of art, pressed a button, and listened to a tale of how the piece came to be, and what it meant. I often think about those days, upset that the exhibition sign changes before I have a chance to step into another world of perspective. A world in which everything is just the way I want it.
This idea that art is anything I interpret it to be is perhaps why I love it as much as I do. Knowing that I can have a connection to something painted by someone 500 year my prior, gives me hope that one day we will stand as one.
I thought about all of this as I stood in the white-walled showroom of New York's renowned MoMA staring at the women who would stare back forever.
Ben Diego
Religion: One many ways to try to understand (by Katie)
Humanity has been striving to explain the staggeringly confusing phenomenon of life and the world we live in since the emergence of intelligence itself. Where did the universe come from? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Do we really exist? What is the meaning of life? Do we simply cease to be after our death, or is there something beyond our mortal lives? Religion, which is strongly partnered with philosophy, has long served as a means of trying to answer these questions. It offers hope, inspiration, and reason. It can give people a sense of purpose and meaning. Religion has been alive and relevant since prehistoric times and it survives all over the world today. It is hard to imagine something that has a greater effect on an individual’s decisions in their life than what they choose to believe. In addition, religion brings people together in a community and unites them in fellowship. Sadly, it also can drive people apart. It is difficult to think of a more controversial subject. Everyone has their own opinions. People are very defensive about their beliefs and can often be narrow-minded and insensitive when addressing other people’s ideas. Wars have been fought and people killed over this. Mahatma Gandhi said that all religions were both true and possessing of some error. I can strongly agree with this idea. Different religions have more similarities than their followers might admit. Many have shared base philosophies, such as the idea of a human soul. Most faiths have a system of morals, which I believe are of the utmost importance. If nothing else, one of the best features of many religions is a goal to guide us toward behaving with love and kindness toward one another. I mean no offense to atheists. I do not think that you have to be religious to be a good and moral person. I am simply acknowledging the important role that religion has played both throughout history and in our society today. I believe in respecting all religions, even if I might not agree with them. I am Catholic and this religion makes sense to me. However, within every religion it is natural and perfect for people to have differing political views and interpretations of the specific meaning of a religious text. To once again borrow from Gandhi, religion is not a narrow, restrictive dogma. Any specific religion is a foundation for your own personal relationship with your god.
-Katie S.
God and Me.
By Ed
Before you read this rather sacrilegious block of text, I’d like to say a few words. First and foremost, I’m not going to censor my ideas or feelings. If you think that my less-than-gracious opinions toward organized religion will offend you, I suggest you stop reading here. Second of all, I see no one in a different light for what they believe in. While I may be blatantly against organized religion, treating anyone differently based on what they or I think and believe would make me no better than that which I’m speaking (writing, I suppose) against. With that in mind, allow me to state my thoughts.
For as long as my memory spans, religion has played a rather sizeable role in my life. All of my paternal ancestors were baptized Catholic. The preschool that I went to, in fact, was also Catholic. In my early years, I never lent the whole idea of God much thought, and just assumed that there was indeed a big man in the sky. It was later, around the age of 10, that I began to think seriously about my beliefs. Right off the bat, I realized that I thought the idea of God was somewhat preposterous. I found it difficult to posit that an ethereal, omnipotent being created all that is, was, and will be. Even more far-fetched, it seemed to me, was the idea that this same being watches over us today, recording our sins, giving us divine direction, and saving us from evil. Back then, I found the idea of religion to be nothing more than a factual error. I thought that taking action in the name of one’s God, while silly, was on the whole innocuous. I’ve come now to view religion in a very different way. I see it now as a way to comfort us, to give us answers, and, foremost, as a set of ideals for those who do not wish to come up with their own. In this respect, I do not object to organized religion at all (except for maybe the just-add-prayer morals). However, this set of ideals has been twisted, raped, and mutilated. It’s been rendered down to nothing more than “justification” for senseless slaughter, segregation, and subjugation. Take, for example, the Spanish Inquisition, which was essentially the Salem Witch Hunts on a continental scale. Thousands of Judaists, or suspected Judaists, were tortured either into confession and execution or a slow, painful death. Ever heard of the Knights Templar? They were the most lethal fighting force of the Crusader Army (endorsed by Pope Clement V), which annihilated, pillaged and murdered any “heathen” town or state with total impunity. Even now, people subjugate and kill each other over their beliefs and religions.
As I’ve said before, I disagree with religion’s ideas on a factual and moral basis. In fact, I appreciate the message of camaraderie it tries to send. However, I believe that the incidental set of morals and ideals that come with an organized religion have been insidiously and horribly twisted. No individual, culture, or nation has the right to justify their actions by means of a higher deity, and no one has the right to view or preach the viewing of another individual, culture, or nation based on their belief in that higher deity.
In short, I believe that organized religion, while hugely prevalent in any culture, has been abused.
Any comments at all are quite welcome.
Before you read this rather sacrilegious block of text, I’d like to say a few words. First and foremost, I’m not going to censor my ideas or feelings. If you think that my less-than-gracious opinions toward organized religion will offend you, I suggest you stop reading here. Second of all, I see no one in a different light for what they believe in. While I may be blatantly against organized religion, treating anyone differently based on what they or I think and believe would make me no better than that which I’m speaking (writing, I suppose) against. With that in mind, allow me to state my thoughts.
For as long as my memory spans, religion has played a rather sizeable role in my life. All of my paternal ancestors were baptized Catholic. The preschool that I went to, in fact, was also Catholic. In my early years, I never lent the whole idea of God much thought, and just assumed that there was indeed a big man in the sky. It was later, around the age of 10, that I began to think seriously about my beliefs. Right off the bat, I realized that I thought the idea of God was somewhat preposterous. I found it difficult to posit that an ethereal, omnipotent being created all that is, was, and will be. Even more far-fetched, it seemed to me, was the idea that this same being watches over us today, recording our sins, giving us divine direction, and saving us from evil. Back then, I found the idea of religion to be nothing more than a factual error. I thought that taking action in the name of one’s God, while silly, was on the whole innocuous. I’ve come now to view religion in a very different way. I see it now as a way to comfort us, to give us answers, and, foremost, as a set of ideals for those who do not wish to come up with their own. In this respect, I do not object to organized religion at all (except for maybe the just-add-prayer morals). However, this set of ideals has been twisted, raped, and mutilated. It’s been rendered down to nothing more than “justification” for senseless slaughter, segregation, and subjugation. Take, for example, the Spanish Inquisition, which was essentially the Salem Witch Hunts on a continental scale. Thousands of Judaists, or suspected Judaists, were tortured either into confession and execution or a slow, painful death. Ever heard of the Knights Templar? They were the most lethal fighting force of the Crusader Army (endorsed by Pope Clement V), which annihilated, pillaged and murdered any “heathen” town or state with total impunity. Even now, people subjugate and kill each other over their beliefs and religions.
As I’ve said before, I disagree with religion’s ideas on a factual and moral basis. In fact, I appreciate the message of camaraderie it tries to send. However, I believe that the incidental set of morals and ideals that come with an organized religion have been insidiously and horribly twisted. No individual, culture, or nation has the right to justify their actions by means of a higher deity, and no one has the right to view or preach the viewing of another individual, culture, or nation based on their belief in that higher deity.
In short, I believe that organized religion, while hugely prevalent in any culture, has been abused.
Any comments at all are quite welcome.
Why I Love Theatre-Sophie
So when I first received this assignment, I was all ready to celebrate my endless love for theatre, a topic on which I can talk about for days and provide random, useless facts on. But then I thought about why I honestly love theatre. I want to believe that when I saw “The Producers”, my theatre world lit up, but it’s actually because of my mother.
I am told multiple times that I am too dependent on my mother’s beliefs and that may be true, but my mom has always been there for me, accepting whatever I try to do. She let my sister and me listen to things like “Rent” when we were at young, impressionable ages and henceforth, showed up to kindergarten (at least my sister did) singing “Rent” and every swear word involved. How many kindergarteners do you know that can sing Pulitzer Prize winning dramas?
I love my madre (I’m expecting all the Spanish kids to come after me with a knife for writing that…) and most of her opinions are passed onto me. I refuse to indulge anyone in the delight of Bratz® dolls because they keep getting more and more promiscuous, a STRONG belief of my mother’s. And I despise the lyrics of all rap songs because I find them stupid and degrading (sorry if I offend someone there).
My mom has accepted me through all of my mistakes. When I ran away from home (for like, an hour), she held me in her arms while I sobbed onto her clean shirt. She didn’t ask why I had run away; she just held me and kept me warm. To have someone hold me like that, even though I felt like I didn’t deserve it, was the most amazing thing. I love my mom more than anything. Heck, she’d probably go kill anyone who was mean to me with a machete, or run them over, like she jokingly threatened to do this morning to my ex-best friend, who went all “I wanna be popular and you’re not popular so we can’t be friends anymore” on me.
Even when we started having our differences and varying opinions, I have never ever said to her I hate you, and I don’t think I ever will. I love rap for its seductive beat that lures me onto the dance floor, and my madre hates the entire idea. I DESPISE the musical “Sweeney Todd” and my mother would probably go see it 50 gazillion times while I huddled in my room reading “trashy romance novels” in the words of my mom. She listens to alternative music and Broadway musicals, while I blast annoying 90’s pop songs, followed by modern musicals.
Even while we having varying opinions, we still share a love of something. I listen to Brittney Spears and A*Teens, followed by “Altar Boys”, and madre blasts Green Day and Patti LuPone. We have our opinions, and we still collide. My mother affects every choice I make, whether I want her to or not. She my mommy and I would never EVER, not even if someone begged me on hands and knees, trade her for anything. I love her, and even when I’m off at college, she can still expect to hear from me “Mommy, how do you spell irresistible?” “Look it up in a dictionary. I’m going back to bed,”.
Sophie<3
I am told multiple times that I am too dependent on my mother’s beliefs and that may be true, but my mom has always been there for me, accepting whatever I try to do. She let my sister and me listen to things like “Rent” when we were at young, impressionable ages and henceforth, showed up to kindergarten (at least my sister did) singing “Rent” and every swear word involved. How many kindergarteners do you know that can sing Pulitzer Prize winning dramas?
I love my madre (I’m expecting all the Spanish kids to come after me with a knife for writing that…) and most of her opinions are passed onto me. I refuse to indulge anyone in the delight of Bratz® dolls because they keep getting more and more promiscuous, a STRONG belief of my mother’s. And I despise the lyrics of all rap songs because I find them stupid and degrading (sorry if I offend someone there).
My mom has accepted me through all of my mistakes. When I ran away from home (for like, an hour), she held me in her arms while I sobbed onto her clean shirt. She didn’t ask why I had run away; she just held me and kept me warm. To have someone hold me like that, even though I felt like I didn’t deserve it, was the most amazing thing. I love my mom more than anything. Heck, she’d probably go kill anyone who was mean to me with a machete, or run them over, like she jokingly threatened to do this morning to my ex-best friend, who went all “I wanna be popular and you’re not popular so we can’t be friends anymore” on me.
Even when we started having our differences and varying opinions, I have never ever said to her I hate you, and I don’t think I ever will. I love rap for its seductive beat that lures me onto the dance floor, and my madre hates the entire idea. I DESPISE the musical “Sweeney Todd” and my mother would probably go see it 50 gazillion times while I huddled in my room reading “trashy romance novels” in the words of my mom. She listens to alternative music and Broadway musicals, while I blast annoying 90’s pop songs, followed by modern musicals.
Even while we having varying opinions, we still share a love of something. I listen to Brittney Spears and A*Teens, followed by “Altar Boys”, and madre blasts Green Day and Patti LuPone. We have our opinions, and we still collide. My mother affects every choice I make, whether I want her to or not. She my mommy and I would never EVER, not even if someone begged me on hands and knees, trade her for anything. I love her, and even when I’m off at college, she can still expect to hear from me “Mommy, how do you spell irresistible?” “Look it up in a dictionary. I’m going back to bed,”.
Sophie<3
Music=Life
By: Will Snider
I am one of the biggest music geeks ever. Music is what gets me up in the morning. I was not always good in school but music was something that always came easy to me, whether it was singing or playing musical instruments. There are many reasons why people like music, such as the emotions portrayed, the emotions it makes you feel, and the different interpretations and meanings. I like to say that I enjoy it all. Before I came to Arizona School for the Arts, I was made fun of for liking music but I stuck with music and don’t ever plan on giving it up.
My love for singing all started when I was three years old and I had just learned to talk well. Ever since then, singing has always been one of my passions. After many years I gave in to my mother and auditioned for the Phoenix Boy’s Choir. I was accepted and I quickly grew through the ranks of the choir. My other passion that involves music is saxophone, which I actually only started last year when I started Jazz Band. Music gives me the opportunity to do things that are very exciting.
One of the things I like about music is the opportunities it gives you. Three years ago I got to go on tour with the Boy’s Choir up the west coast and into Canada. Two years ago I was able to go to New York for a week and perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I also got to go to Europe with the Boy’s Choir. My largest accomplishment in Saxophone was this summer when I was accepted into the NAU Curry Summer Music Camp Jazz Institute. Listening to music is just as good as performing and practicing it.
I love to listen to music and observe its different meanings. My favorite types of music are Jazz, Broadway, and several rock groups like The Police and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Especially because I play jazz, it is a good idea to listen to the jazz greats such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Gerry Mulligan. One of my reasons to listen to music is to steal ideas for improvising.
Music always makes me feel great and I will probably pursue it in life. Even if I decide to not continue in music, It will always be one of my greatest passions.
I am one of the biggest music geeks ever. Music is what gets me up in the morning. I was not always good in school but music was something that always came easy to me, whether it was singing or playing musical instruments. There are many reasons why people like music, such as the emotions portrayed, the emotions it makes you feel, and the different interpretations and meanings. I like to say that I enjoy it all. Before I came to Arizona School for the Arts, I was made fun of for liking music but I stuck with music and don’t ever plan on giving it up.
My love for singing all started when I was three years old and I had just learned to talk well. Ever since then, singing has always been one of my passions. After many years I gave in to my mother and auditioned for the Phoenix Boy’s Choir. I was accepted and I quickly grew through the ranks of the choir. My other passion that involves music is saxophone, which I actually only started last year when I started Jazz Band. Music gives me the opportunity to do things that are very exciting.
One of the things I like about music is the opportunities it gives you. Three years ago I got to go on tour with the Boy’s Choir up the west coast and into Canada. Two years ago I was able to go to New York for a week and perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I also got to go to Europe with the Boy’s Choir. My largest accomplishment in Saxophone was this summer when I was accepted into the NAU Curry Summer Music Camp Jazz Institute. Listening to music is just as good as performing and practicing it.
I love to listen to music and observe its different meanings. My favorite types of music are Jazz, Broadway, and several rock groups like The Police and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Especially because I play jazz, it is a good idea to listen to the jazz greats such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Gerry Mulligan. One of my reasons to listen to music is to steal ideas for improvising.
Music always makes me feel great and I will probably pursue it in life. Even if I decide to not continue in music, It will always be one of my greatest passions.
you will read the ASA mission statement for about the billionth time in this post
So, I am almost positive that the only people reading this site are people in relation to ASA. Therefore, I am almost positive that the people reading the words on this page know what ASA is. Just in case you don't, "ASA is a rigorous academic and performing arts learning community cultivating creative problem solvers, engaged citizens, and life-long learners." I have to say that I agree.
The story:
A wee little Carly (and she was a wee little Carly. She didn't reach four feet tall until she was in fourth grade) entered the Madison School District at age six. (This portion of the post is going to be written in third person. Deal with it.) Throughout the five years that she participated in the education of Madison, she became aware of the evil it produced. (I apologize to any pro-Madison viewers.) Being called "shorty," "small fry," "short stop," basically being looked down upon her whole entire life was not an easy thing. Elementary school wasn't as hard as middle school. Someone was usually there to save her from the vicious words (thanks, Zola!). But middle school, as she imagined, was another story. The bullying continued, and she had had enough crap. She had heard of a happy place called Arizona School for the Arts. She took a number, took the test -you guys know the process- and hoped, prayed to get in. She could not stand public school any longer. (I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about.) She can remember the day so clearly. Working on homework, a ten-year-old Carly notices her mom enter the room. She sees the ASA logo on the paper in her mom's hands and FLIPS OUT!!!! She would no longer have to deal with the public school environment. (And Zola and Kacy would be there too to save her from anybody who was thinking of sassing Carly.)
The story:
A wee little Carly (and she was a wee little Carly. She didn't reach four feet tall until she was in fourth grade) entered the Madison School District at age six. (This portion of the post is going to be written in third person. Deal with it.) Throughout the five years that she participated in the education of Madison, she became aware of the evil it produced. (I apologize to any pro-Madison viewers.) Being called "shorty," "small fry," "short stop," basically being looked down upon her whole entire life was not an easy thing. Elementary school wasn't as hard as middle school. Someone was usually there to save her from the vicious words (thanks, Zola!). But middle school, as she imagined, was another story. The bullying continued, and she had had enough crap. She had heard of a happy place called Arizona School for the Arts. She took a number, took the test -you guys know the process- and hoped, prayed to get in. She could not stand public school any longer. (I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about.) She can remember the day so clearly. Working on homework, a ten-year-old Carly notices her mom enter the room. She sees the ASA logo on the paper in her mom's hands and FLIPS OUT!!!! She would no longer have to deal with the public school environment. (And Zola and Kacy would be there too to save her from anybody who was thinking of sassing Carly.)
The E-
Wait. The story is over, but not done, if that makes any sense. I'm still alive- I go to school with you people! **
Not a day goes by that I don't think about how lucky I am to be at ASA (okay. Maybe I skip a day or two.) Who knows where I'd be, WHO I'd be if I hadn't taken the test. I am so blessed to be provided with the greatest education I've ever seen. And I'm blessed to be surrounded by the smartest, most creative, fantastic people IN THE WORLD. To me, education is an extremely important division of my life. I mean, I'm learning eight hours a day, five days a week. I feel so bad for other kids who don't have the opportunities to get as good of an education as I'm getting. Yeah, you may argue that ASA has changed a lot, or whatever. But it's still a billion trillion gazillion times better than... THAT place.
I really hope that the students reading this post are thankful to be at ASA. If you don't like ASA at all, you need to leave. You are preventing people from getting into this fabulous school (and it'll breaks your heart to learn that you didn't get into a place that you wanted to be so bad. I know. My family has experienced the rejection end of the process.)
As much as I may complain (which I can do nonstop) I love school. School is my life. It really is. Being at ASA, I've learned that education is not only a K through college kind of thing. I am going to do exactly what ASA is teaching me to do, and be a life-long learner.
**Just to clarify, I am not looking for sympathy or anything. That's just the story. No big deal.
My Addiction
By: Hailey Bickel
Throughout my life, reading has been my utmost favorite hobby. Whether it is poetry, novels, or even playwrights, reading has always been one of my major priorities. I do not know what exactly got me into reading, but I remember when I was about seven, my parents made me have one-hour everyday of “quiet time”. During that time, I had no idea what to do, I would sit and by ten minutes already gone, I would be bored to death. One day, my step mom told me to read a book, and that is what started my own “bookworm syndrome”.
I have read a wide variety of books, from Harry Potter, to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and yes, even the Twilight series. I always read books for pleasure and I never thought it would affect me in any way. That was until I read both Speak and Go Ask Alice. Not only were they both well written, the books made it so that I would not read them through my eyes; I read them through my heart. They were emotionally frightening books to read, yet so beautiful. In Go Ask Alice, it is about a girl who moves in high school and deals with boyfriends, abuse, drugs, and even being homeless. Those events caused me to really think about my life and what I was going to do with it. I will always remember that book and how it made me feel. It made me realize how precious every moment of your life is. I realized then, that literature would affect my whole way of life, whether it is learning new things or even changing my beliefs, literature will always effect who I am.
Even though I may later be a high-class surgeon and I will not have time to go out with friends and party, I will always have time reading. Books have always helped me relax. Whenever I am upset or if I just cannot sleep, reading has always been the best medicine. When I go out of town, I usually bring a book with me as my bible. People may say that is weird, they may say I am crazy for reading so much, but I do not care. It is like saying that someone who goes on the internet for hours is crazy, I am just different and reading is my hobby. Because of my strong beliefs towards literature, I have always thought that reading is my religion, my medicine, myself, and I hope that it will stay that way my whole life no matter what comes towards me in the future.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Food
Food
Annelisa L.
Food plays an important part in everyone’s life, some people more than others. Personally, food plays a really big part in my life. I am always eating. I think good cooking is one of the most amazing and difficult art forms. I often wonder how we detect different tastes in food. I wonder why we like different foods more than others. I looked it up and found out some interesting stuff about taste.
Apparently there are four main tastes: sweetness, bitterness, sourness, and saltiness. Some people think fattiness is a fifth main taste. Some other people think that there also is a taste called umami (or “meatiness or relish”) that makes some of us like foods like cheese and meat. Somehow, our taste buds detect the different amounts and combinations of these tastes in our food and we individually prefer different combinations. Also, the temperature, moisture, spiciness and texture of the food play a role in what we like. Extra: Supertasters are people whose sense of taste is “significantly more sharp than normal”. Women, Asians, Africans, and South Americans are likelier to be supertasters. 25% of people are supertasters, so about 5 or 6 people in our class are supertasters. Are YOU a supertaster?
Anyway, the point of my essay is the impact of food on society. Restaurants like McDonalds and Burger King have become regular words in our vocabulary not only throughout the US, but throughout the world. Restaurants such as these have become vital parts of our culture. They don’t always have a positive impact, as you can see from movies like Supersize Me. However, everyone has probably eaten at them at least once, and everyone has talked about them, whether it is to praise them or complain about them. 26.6% of people in the U.S. are obese, so food literally has a big impact on them.
Things like pictures of apples, hamburgers and fries have gone so far as to become pop culture icons. Every country and culture has its own food stereotypes.
Long ago, food reflected the climate, terrain, and social standing of those who made it and/or ate it. Eating of gourmet foods, and even obesity, reflected high social standing. The varying qualities of foods people ate showed what class they were in. Now, since we have access to materials from around the world, it reflects the personal taste and flair of the cook. Like mixing colors of paint, you can mix together flavors to create a unique new flavor. That is what I enjoy most about food.
Annelisa L.
Food plays an important part in everyone’s life, some people more than others. Personally, food plays a really big part in my life. I am always eating. I think good cooking is one of the most amazing and difficult art forms. I often wonder how we detect different tastes in food. I wonder why we like different foods more than others. I looked it up and found out some interesting stuff about taste.
Apparently there are four main tastes: sweetness, bitterness, sourness, and saltiness. Some people think fattiness is a fifth main taste. Some other people think that there also is a taste called umami (or “meatiness or relish”) that makes some of us like foods like cheese and meat. Somehow, our taste buds detect the different amounts and combinations of these tastes in our food and we individually prefer different combinations. Also, the temperature, moisture, spiciness and texture of the food play a role in what we like. Extra: Supertasters are people whose sense of taste is “significantly more sharp than normal”. Women, Asians, Africans, and South Americans are likelier to be supertasters. 25% of people are supertasters, so about 5 or 6 people in our class are supertasters. Are YOU a supertaster?
Anyway, the point of my essay is the impact of food on society. Restaurants like McDonalds and Burger King have become regular words in our vocabulary not only throughout the US, but throughout the world. Restaurants such as these have become vital parts of our culture. They don’t always have a positive impact, as you can see from movies like Supersize Me. However, everyone has probably eaten at them at least once, and everyone has talked about them, whether it is to praise them or complain about them. 26.6% of people in the U.S. are obese, so food literally has a big impact on them.
Things like pictures of apples, hamburgers and fries have gone so far as to become pop culture icons. Every country and culture has its own food stereotypes.
Long ago, food reflected the climate, terrain, and social standing of those who made it and/or ate it. Eating of gourmet foods, and even obesity, reflected high social standing. The varying qualities of foods people ate showed what class they were in. Now, since we have access to materials from around the world, it reflects the personal taste and flair of the cook. Like mixing colors of paint, you can mix together flavors to create a unique new flavor. That is what I enjoy most about food.
One Proud Teacher-Mr. Nic
I just wanted to take a quick moment to commend all of you for the time, effort, passion, creativity, and energy that you have put into this assignment. I had high expectations for this, but you have exceeded even those, and I just want to say how proud I am to be able to work with you, and how much I am looking forward to this school year. I will be reading through the columns and comments that you all posted over the next few days, and hope to be caught up on my reading and grading by the end of the week.
I will discuss in class how you will be graded on these, and I do take some time to grade them as I read and reread them carefully, so be patient with me as I know I don’t get you immediate feedback. What I lack in timeliness I will try to make up for with depth in my assessment of your writing.
Remember, I am looking for, in order of importance, the quality of your ideas, your writing style, and the fundamentals of your writing. In other words, what you have to say, how you say it, and that you say it in the proper fashion. I really enjoy reading good creative writing, and to that end I welcome you to challenge yourself and to try different things with your writing. I would rather you take some risks and fall short than to play it safe and give me the standard 5 paragraph AIMS essay, and I will take all that into account when grading and assessing you.
Again, thank you for being such wonderful students and for giving so much of yourselves. I will always do everything I can to live up to the challenge and the honor of being one of your teachers here at ASA.
Mr. Nic
I will discuss in class how you will be graded on these, and I do take some time to grade them as I read and reread them carefully, so be patient with me as I know I don’t get you immediate feedback. What I lack in timeliness I will try to make up for with depth in my assessment of your writing.
Remember, I am looking for, in order of importance, the quality of your ideas, your writing style, and the fundamentals of your writing. In other words, what you have to say, how you say it, and that you say it in the proper fashion. I really enjoy reading good creative writing, and to that end I welcome you to challenge yourself and to try different things with your writing. I would rather you take some risks and fall short than to play it safe and give me the standard 5 paragraph AIMS essay, and I will take all that into account when grading and assessing you.
Again, thank you for being such wonderful students and for giving so much of yourselves. I will always do everything I can to live up to the challenge and the honor of being one of your teachers here at ASA.
Mr. Nic
“I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.”
“I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.”
Abby v.
To some, this particular junction of words may have no particular applied meaning. It is simply a statement expressing one man’s marvel at the treasure one can find amidst his own family. How cliché. However, this distinct quotation, a collection of words arranged by the poet Dan Wilcox and the actor Thad Mumford, somehow seems to harbor not only a unique sense of my appreciation, but also an unjustified sense of realization. I’ve always been aware of the impact my family had on my life, but I suppose I had always just taken it for granted, as many of us do. This being the case, becoming conscious of the happiness that my family provides me is an overwhelmingly hypocritical moment. I am aware that, as much rapture that I receive from being around such supportive and loving people, it isn’t as simple as appreciating your family all the time. As much as I can explain how much my family means to me, how fun it is to hear my younger sister Olivia’s obnoxious cell phone vibration and the increasing decibels of my little brother Danny’s Xbox; I think we can both safely assume that it is completely untrue. However much I do love them, I am most likely annoyed by them 100 times more, as is any teenager in the beginnings of high school. Maybe I’m even underestimating the bitterness a person can feel towards his family in restriction to children, when in fact everyone feels this way. Who is there to say they never get annoyed by their family occasionally, if not more? I know I have never in my life met anyone who had never felt a sort of virulent resentment towards a certain member of their family. As the saying goes, one loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. As humorous as this saying may be, I think we all are aware of the truth behind this statement; however we may try to hide it. No one here is a member of the Brady Bunch after all. Although they may make us feel like ripping some hair out or graduating early, I feel that without the faults and fights to cause some discord amongst us, it makes it that much more meaningful to feel the sense of unity and unconditional love when the arguments cease. A family’s imperfections add to their amazing ability to eventually put the differences aside and come together simply for the fact that they are amalgamated by bloodlines and genes. It requires an immense amount of love to have the power and self discipline to be able to instinctively stand behind and support someone that has the capability to cause you so much frustration. And for this sole reason, being a family is the closest bond and the fiercest devotion a person can feel for another person. To some, a family exists for the soul reason of torture, or a punishment due to karma. A mom to roll eyes at, a dad to ignore, and a brother and sister to fight with, whenever the need arises. Others notice the optimistic side of being a part of something more significant than yourself. A mom to talk to, a dad to learn from, and a brother and sister to unite with when necessary. Our family is constructed purely for the benefit of making each other complete and well-rounded people, with some hostility and merciless lessons in the process. However, despite the differences and hardships of belonging to someone other than yourself, I believe that those burdened with a brother to laugh at and a sister to receive pain from, are surprisingly lucky. I feel so infinitely blessed to have such a perfectly dysfunctional family to call my own, and I am so glad that I can never get rid of them.
To some, this particular junction of words may have no particular applied meaning. It is simply a statement expressing one man’s marvel at the treasure one can find amidst his own family. How cliché. However, this distinct quotation, a collection of words arranged by the poet Dan Wilcox and the actor Thad Mumford, somehow seems to harbor not only a unique sense of my appreciation, but also an unjustified sense of realization. I’ve always been aware of the impact my family had on my life, but I suppose I had always just taken it for granted, as many of us do. This being the case, becoming conscious of the happiness that my family provides me is an overwhelmingly hypocritical moment. I am aware that, as much rapture that I receive from being around such supportive and loving people, it isn’t as simple as appreciating your family all the time. As much as I can explain how much my family means to me, how fun it is to hear my younger sister Olivia’s obnoxious cell phone vibration and the increasing decibels of my little brother Danny’s Xbox; I think we can both safely assume that it is completely untrue. However much I do love them, I am most likely annoyed by them 100 times more, as is any teenager in the beginnings of high school. Maybe I’m even underestimating the bitterness a person can feel towards his family in restriction to children, when in fact everyone feels this way. Who is there to say they never get annoyed by their family occasionally, if not more? I know I have never in my life met anyone who had never felt a sort of virulent resentment towards a certain member of their family. As the saying goes, one loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. As humorous as this saying may be, I think we all are aware of the truth behind this statement; however we may try to hide it. No one here is a member of the Brady Bunch after all. Although they may make us feel like ripping some hair out or graduating early, I feel that without the faults and fights to cause some discord amongst us, it makes it that much more meaningful to feel the sense of unity and unconditional love when the arguments cease. A family’s imperfections add to their amazing ability to eventually put the differences aside and come together simply for the fact that they are amalgamated by bloodlines and genes. It requires an immense amount of love to have the power and self discipline to be able to instinctively stand behind and support someone that has the capability to cause you so much frustration. And for this sole reason, being a family is the closest bond and the fiercest devotion a person can feel for another person. To some, a family exists for the soul reason of torture, or a punishment due to karma. A mom to roll eyes at, a dad to ignore, and a brother and sister to fight with, whenever the need arises. Others notice the optimistic side of being a part of something more significant than yourself. A mom to talk to, a dad to learn from, and a brother and sister to unite with when necessary. Our family is constructed purely for the benefit of making each other complete and well-rounded people, with some hostility and merciless lessons in the process. However, despite the differences and hardships of belonging to someone other than yourself, I believe that those burdened with a brother to laugh at and a sister to receive pain from, are surprisingly lucky. I feel so infinitely blessed to have such a perfectly dysfunctional family to call my own, and I am so glad that I can never get rid of them.
You Are What You Eat - Sara
They say you are what you eat.
I would have to agree. I love to cook food from all over the world, and what each culture’s taste buds are accustomed to says almost as much about the culture as their architecture. It reflects the sophistication of their technology, the flora and fauna in their region, their climate, whom they trade with, even their cultural values.
When you think America, you think apple pie. Homemade. Love, comfort, giving. Or, depending on your level of cynicism, you may think of fast food. Many people rely on chains such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell for daily meals. We seek out the familiar, the reliable. We value speed and efficiency. No matter where you are, you will get the same Big Mac in the same three minutes and you will be on your way to your destination with your nourishment conveniently at hand.
Of course, not all Americans are like this. Some seek out organic meat and produce, whole grain breads, or whatever suits their fancy. An entire demographic can be instantly labeled as “crunchy-granola” types. Say that, and everyone will know what kind of person you are talking about. Just by one kind of food they eat. A movement known as the “slow food” movement is entirely devoted to cooking and eating more slowly, the antithesis of the concept of fast food chains. In many countries, meats are slowly cooked in marinades and spices, sometimes for over a day. These countries value doing a job slowly to do it well. For simple energy, food reflects so much more.
I, personally, love to cook. Many people do. What began as simply sustenance, fuel if you will, evolved into an art. Food tastes good when you cook it certain ways or add certain ingredients. We like food with lots of fat and sugar because when we were just evolving and food was just food, fat and sugar were both hard to come by and gave you energy. You’d need that fat for winter, or that precious sugar rush if you woke up a sleeping cave bear.
But there are no cave bears now. We continue to pursue different tastes in different cultures. But why does peanut butter taste good with jelly? Is it simply because we are used to peanut butter being served with jelly? Why do different people like different things? Something as simple as “I don’t like tomatoes”. Every cook has to ask, why?
I believe the answer is both in our DNA as humans, and in our culture. Scorpions on a stick seems strange to Americans, but in China they are common. In the pursuit of the perfect taste, people from around the world from different societies take food in incredibly different directions. Not simply because of available ingredients, now that we live in a world of imports and exports, but because of our cultural influences. Some foods are regarded as sacred, while others are forbidden because of religion. We prepare things differently, we think differently about what we eat. Some people eat lamb kabobs happily, while others shudder at the thought of meat. What we eat is more than the calories we get. What we eat is who we are.
I would have to agree. I love to cook food from all over the world, and what each culture’s taste buds are accustomed to says almost as much about the culture as their architecture. It reflects the sophistication of their technology, the flora and fauna in their region, their climate, whom they trade with, even their cultural values.
When you think America, you think apple pie. Homemade. Love, comfort, giving. Or, depending on your level of cynicism, you may think of fast food. Many people rely on chains such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell for daily meals. We seek out the familiar, the reliable. We value speed and efficiency. No matter where you are, you will get the same Big Mac in the same three minutes and you will be on your way to your destination with your nourishment conveniently at hand.
Of course, not all Americans are like this. Some seek out organic meat and produce, whole grain breads, or whatever suits their fancy. An entire demographic can be instantly labeled as “crunchy-granola” types. Say that, and everyone will know what kind of person you are talking about. Just by one kind of food they eat. A movement known as the “slow food” movement is entirely devoted to cooking and eating more slowly, the antithesis of the concept of fast food chains. In many countries, meats are slowly cooked in marinades and spices, sometimes for over a day. These countries value doing a job slowly to do it well. For simple energy, food reflects so much more.
I, personally, love to cook. Many people do. What began as simply sustenance, fuel if you will, evolved into an art. Food tastes good when you cook it certain ways or add certain ingredients. We like food with lots of fat and sugar because when we were just evolving and food was just food, fat and sugar were both hard to come by and gave you energy. You’d need that fat for winter, or that precious sugar rush if you woke up a sleeping cave bear.
But there are no cave bears now. We continue to pursue different tastes in different cultures. But why does peanut butter taste good with jelly? Is it simply because we are used to peanut butter being served with jelly? Why do different people like different things? Something as simple as “I don’t like tomatoes”. Every cook has to ask, why?
I believe the answer is both in our DNA as humans, and in our culture. Scorpions on a stick seems strange to Americans, but in China they are common. In the pursuit of the perfect taste, people from around the world from different societies take food in incredibly different directions. Not simply because of available ingredients, now that we live in a world of imports and exports, but because of our cultural influences. Some foods are regarded as sacred, while others are forbidden because of religion. We prepare things differently, we think differently about what we eat. Some people eat lamb kabobs happily, while others shudder at the thought of meat. What we eat is more than the calories we get. What we eat is who we are.
Still Life Captured- Raisin
It was one summer that I finally realized I was quite possibly the third or fourth worse drawer on the planet. Yet still, writing expressed only half of my emotions and music expressed the other. But I wanted more, I wanted something that could both document experiences and hold memories beyond my mind and still have a little touch of “me”. That’s when I picked up the camera and “aimed for the waist”.
My mom always told me, when I would get a little disposable camera for a field trip, that when I take pictures of people to “aim for the waist, not the head”. I nodded but was thinking, “blah blah” and made faces at her when she turned around. It wasn’t until I was twelve years old when I realized, that a little disposable camera could go beyond the “say cheese” and instead capture the beauty of nature in ways that could be cherished in generations to come. Sure, I could still get a group of grumbling people, squish them together and bark at them to make a silly face or act like they enjoyed having their photo taken, but usually, it didn’t end up pretty.
When I was dragged from the cotton candy and rides at the fair to take time to look at the “artwork” collection (that consisted of scribbles who people called a masterpieces), the only “art” that mesmerized me the way art should was the photography. The use of black and white when photographing shadows or the incorporation of so many colors in one picture fascinated me. I loved scenes that took the red sunset and used that as a background to make palm trees look black or footprints on an early morning beach.
But what about my photography, my “subjects” if you will… Like I mentioned in class, I love the sky. In a photo it is the sky that sets the mood for the whole picture. The lighting, the color, the shapes of clouds, even wind running through trees to form something of a more violent picture all add to the “flavor” the “spice” of a photo. For example, if I took a picture of someone standing in the rain with black clouds hiding the sun, you would feel different than if they were in the same spot on a bright sunny day. I also like taking pictures of my dogs. When they get lonely, they will snuggle together which is always a “Kodak Moment”. (No copyright infringement intended.)
I try to take my camera everywhere. Sometimes at the expense of others since I then have the ability to document everything they do, but blackmail is just mean. When taking pictures of people, non-posed photos are the best. You get to see people for they are and (for the means of this assignment) really analyze their cultural being. However on the flip side of that coin, posed photos bring out the “royalty” in people. Posed or not, city or landscape, photography is my favorite element of culture.
Alex Nunez
I counted as I wrote: 505 Words (Excluding name, title and stuff down here)
Lol just kidding
Raisin
My mom always told me, when I would get a little disposable camera for a field trip, that when I take pictures of people to “aim for the waist, not the head”. I nodded but was thinking, “blah blah” and made faces at her when she turned around. It wasn’t until I was twelve years old when I realized, that a little disposable camera could go beyond the “say cheese” and instead capture the beauty of nature in ways that could be cherished in generations to come. Sure, I could still get a group of grumbling people, squish them together and bark at them to make a silly face or act like they enjoyed having their photo taken, but usually, it didn’t end up pretty.
When I was dragged from the cotton candy and rides at the fair to take time to look at the “artwork” collection (that consisted of scribbles who people called a masterpieces), the only “art” that mesmerized me the way art should was the photography. The use of black and white when photographing shadows or the incorporation of so many colors in one picture fascinated me. I loved scenes that took the red sunset and used that as a background to make palm trees look black or footprints on an early morning beach.
But what about my photography, my “subjects” if you will… Like I mentioned in class, I love the sky. In a photo it is the sky that sets the mood for the whole picture. The lighting, the color, the shapes of clouds, even wind running through trees to form something of a more violent picture all add to the “flavor” the “spice” of a photo. For example, if I took a picture of someone standing in the rain with black clouds hiding the sun, you would feel different than if they were in the same spot on a bright sunny day. I also like taking pictures of my dogs. When they get lonely, they will snuggle together which is always a “Kodak Moment”. (No copyright infringement intended.)
I try to take my camera everywhere. Sometimes at the expense of others since I then have the ability to document everything they do, but blackmail is just mean. When taking pictures of people, non-posed photos are the best. You get to see people for they are and (for the means of this assignment) really analyze their cultural being. However on the flip side of that coin, posed photos bring out the “royalty” in people. Posed or not, city or landscape, photography is my favorite element of culture.
Alex Nunez
I counted as I wrote: 505 Words (Excluding name, title and stuff down here)
Lol just kidding
Heres my attempt
(The phone lines ruined it)
My Best Friend - Kenna Harrison
So today, I was sitting in class while Mr. Nicholas was explaining the assignment and I really had no Idea what I wanted to do! Then I started to think about things that have happened in the past week and it came more than clear, the MOST important thing in my life, my cousin.
My cousin, Sam, is my best friend. I love her to no end. She is leaving tomorrow to go to Baltimore, Maryland because my aunt got a job… We grew up together. I was always at her house and we became the sisters neither of us ever had. She cut my hair when I was little causing me to have to get a bull cut, we used to fight over the prettiest Barbie, and most of all our favorite outfit for them. It was a white jumper with gold shorts or a skirt that went over it, with gold boots. IT WAS EVERYTHING! We adored that outfit! But we did have our fights, hair was pulled and tears fell but we always still somehow ended up playing together!
Then they moved… I thought the world was over… They we’re gone for five years. But we grew as people… She went her way and I went mine. Then finally she moved back two years ago. The first year she was back we didn’t really talk and we weren’t all that close, but then this year… I can’t even explain… She had new experiences, as well as I, and we really could help each other with whatever was going on in each other’s lives. I met all her friends and made some new friends that I will keep for quite a while because of her. Basically she became my number one. I can’t even begin to explain how much I completely adore her. She has showed me that no matter what bad happens in our lives, good can always come out of it, and trust me, she would know!
After becoming accustomed to having her around, I now have to completely alter my way of life. She is still just a phone call, or MySpace message away, but it’s not the same.
Earlier we went to their house to say our last goodbye and I haven’t cried that much in a while. I’m going to miss her like crazy. She has showed me a new way to do things and a new outlook to have on the way I see the world. She will forever be my hero. She is such a strong willed person and I truly look up to her because of it.
I will miss my cousin, my sister, my Barbie buddy,
and most of all my best friend.
♥Kenna Harrison♥
My cousin, Sam, is my best friend. I love her to no end. She is leaving tomorrow to go to Baltimore, Maryland because my aunt got a job… We grew up together. I was always at her house and we became the sisters neither of us ever had. She cut my hair when I was little causing me to have to get a bull cut, we used to fight over the prettiest Barbie, and most of all our favorite outfit for them. It was a white jumper with gold shorts or a skirt that went over it, with gold boots. IT WAS EVERYTHING! We adored that outfit! But we did have our fights, hair was pulled and tears fell but we always still somehow ended up playing together!
Then they moved… I thought the world was over… They we’re gone for five years. But we grew as people… She went her way and I went mine. Then finally she moved back two years ago. The first year she was back we didn’t really talk and we weren’t all that close, but then this year… I can’t even explain… She had new experiences, as well as I, and we really could help each other with whatever was going on in each other’s lives. I met all her friends and made some new friends that I will keep for quite a while because of her. Basically she became my number one. I can’t even begin to explain how much I completely adore her. She has showed me that no matter what bad happens in our lives, good can always come out of it, and trust me, she would know!
After becoming accustomed to having her around, I now have to completely alter my way of life. She is still just a phone call, or MySpace message away, but it’s not the same.
Earlier we went to their house to say our last goodbye and I haven’t cried that much in a while. I’m going to miss her like crazy. She has showed me a new way to do things and a new outlook to have on the way I see the world. She will forever be my hero. She is such a strong willed person and I truly look up to her because of it.
I will miss my cousin, my sister, my Barbie buddy,
and most of all my best friend.
♥Kenna Harrison♥
Religion. -kacyanne. THE REAL THING.
OH MY GOODNESS I FIGURED IT OUT! Here is my long awaited essay hahahaha
Religion constantly floods my mind. I don’t know how much time I spend constantly debating what I should believe. Should I belong to some religion that has so many already established rules and beliefs, a good amount of which I do not fully believe in myself? Is it truly okay to go against what my own family considers an acceptable “religion”? As a younger child, I was influenced by my father and stepmother to be apart of the Catholic belief system, but as I grew older, and was able to realize what was really being read to me, I came to acknowledge that I did not believe in anything they were feeding me. In addition, I was directly affected by my uber Catholic stepmother who honestly took advantage of the whole “sin however much you wish (even though for heaven’s sake, we know you didn’t mean to!), then confess so you’re pure” system the religion had established. (I do not want to offend anyone, as I am not trying to make generalizations. I know that not everyone takes advantage of this system. I was unfortunately in direct target practice of sinning from my lovely stepmother). On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I was very heavily influenced by my mother, who begged to disagree with religion altogether. I was never told anything of God, other than to, ultimately, revolt from the fact that God, whatever that may be, does not exist.
As I’ve grown older, and developed my own ideas as a person, I’ve started to believe in something different altogether. I am not an Aetheist, nor am I a Catholic. I am undefined. I have come to believe that there is a God, or higher power, that can control elements of our own lives that no mortal human could possibly control.
That being said, I get a hefty dose of grief, much from individuals who I am very close to and have very strong religious views. I think that there are so many religions out there for a reason. There are so many cultures and parts of society that there is just no way that we can all believe one firm idea. Why should some individuals be so coherent to one religion just because they were raised to believe it as a young child, who honestly has no true judgement as to what is right, what is wrong, and what they should believe other than what is fed to them through their parents and elders? At such a young age, children’s minds are so malleable that it just isn’t fair to influence someone on such a level that they grow up not knowing anything but their own “bubble” of society they live in. I see religion as a flexible, but very stable belief that society uses as a support when they need explanation to their own lives. And ultimately, I view that as the sole purpose of religion. People need explanation, and often, someone else to blame when things go horrible wrong, or so unbelievably “romantic movie scene” perfect. I think that’s the only way I’ve gotten through most of what I’ve experienced in my lifetime. As human nature, we’d like to blame a lot of what we do on something other than ourselves. Religion gives us an excuse to do so.
-kacyanne(:
ohmygoodness! 554 words!
Religion constantly floods my mind. I don’t know how much time I spend constantly debating what I should believe. Should I belong to some religion that has so many already established rules and beliefs, a good amount of which I do not fully believe in myself? Is it truly okay to go against what my own family considers an acceptable “religion”? As a younger child, I was influenced by my father and stepmother to be apart of the Catholic belief system, but as I grew older, and was able to realize what was really being read to me, I came to acknowledge that I did not believe in anything they were feeding me. In addition, I was directly affected by my uber Catholic stepmother who honestly took advantage of the whole “sin however much you wish (even though for heaven’s sake, we know you didn’t mean to!), then confess so you’re pure” system the religion had established. (I do not want to offend anyone, as I am not trying to make generalizations. I know that not everyone takes advantage of this system. I was unfortunately in direct target practice of sinning from my lovely stepmother). On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I was very heavily influenced by my mother, who begged to disagree with religion altogether. I was never told anything of God, other than to, ultimately, revolt from the fact that God, whatever that may be, does not exist.
As I’ve grown older, and developed my own ideas as a person, I’ve started to believe in something different altogether. I am not an Aetheist, nor am I a Catholic. I am undefined. I have come to believe that there is a God, or higher power, that can control elements of our own lives that no mortal human could possibly control.
That being said, I get a hefty dose of grief, much from individuals who I am very close to and have very strong religious views. I think that there are so many religions out there for a reason. There are so many cultures and parts of society that there is just no way that we can all believe one firm idea. Why should some individuals be so coherent to one religion just because they were raised to believe it as a young child, who honestly has no true judgement as to what is right, what is wrong, and what they should believe other than what is fed to them through their parents and elders? At such a young age, children’s minds are so malleable that it just isn’t fair to influence someone on such a level that they grow up not knowing anything but their own “bubble” of society they live in. I see religion as a flexible, but very stable belief that society uses as a support when they need explanation to their own lives. And ultimately, I view that as the sole purpose of religion. People need explanation, and often, someone else to blame when things go horrible wrong, or so unbelievably “romantic movie scene” perfect. I think that’s the only way I’ve gotten through most of what I’ve experienced in my lifetime. As human nature, we’d like to blame a lot of what we do on something other than ourselves. Religion gives us an excuse to do so.
-kacyanne(:
ohmygoodness! 554 words!
RELIGION. -KACYANNE TAKE FOUR OR FIVE? I LOST COUNT. D:
i just burned my finger and an oven mitt to a crisp. that being said, this little post better work. if it doesn't, i'm giving up and I need some kind of blog tutor hahah
this is annoying.
okaaay. after posting in the wrong blog twice, you'd think I could understand how to function the COPY AND PASTE, but no. My lovely little copy and paste has to relocate to another bubble for me. I LOVE TECHNOLOGY.
Religion. -kacyanne(:
WHATNOW?! i spend all this time on a pretty post and it poofs?
now i have to copy and paste again. my life is so laboring hahahaha
I Dance Pretty
I Dance Pretty
“I dance pretty” is the quote that I have on all of my binders and that my friends and classmates know and love. It is a quote that I came up with for a tee shirt design in ballet class. It did not win and no big surprise there, but it still is a great spirit lifter, comical joke, and inspiration to me even though it was harshly rejected as a tee-shirt. Even though I love to dance, there are some days that I am not felling the power, at all.
The reason for which there might come a day that I would feel like this is greatly because of the immense difficulty of the art in which I pursue. It can be extremely frustration at times and the difficulty, athleticism, and beauty of ballet and dance is greatly underestimated by society. The goal in dance is to make the steps your doing look easy and effortless and I think that it this could be a significant reason for the underestimation of the art. The art form is living in the shadow of more popular activates like watching football or sports. An example of this is that my own father had never seen a ballet performance before I started dance but has watched countless sports games. This represents most of the non-arts community through America. They are really missing out on the beauty of ballet.
For the rest of the population and arts community who have taken advantage of the art form, it can really have a great impact on someone’s life. It has inspired me to contribute to the art form and present and give my art to those people watching in the audience. It has also installed a very powerful motivation, drive, and work ethic to succeed in everything I do. Ballet has also put me through a rough, rocky road and character building process due to the endless stereotypes about male ballet dancers. To name a few: all male dancers are gay, ballet is for girls only not guys; making male dancers rejects of society (especially in children), and guy dancers are just weird. Besides this, ballet has most importantly given me a leisure activity that I love to participate in on a regular basis. I love the athleticism involved in the jumping and lifting in the art form. It is a great way to stay fit and active every day. I also love the performing aspect of it, performing is worth all the hard work.
Connor W
Books and video games: My escape-Scott J.
Literature and video games. Hmmmmm. Where to start. Literature and video games both affect the way I live my life. Reading books is my escape. When I really hate life I bury myself within the confines of a book and don’t come out until I feel better. When I’m too angry to focus on a book, I play video games. My Playstation 2 is my venting tool. In my life, these two items are a few of the things that keep me sane (if you can call me sane at all).
I have a bookshelf in my room. It has five shelves, two rows on each shelf, and it’s ten feet high. Oh, and another thing: I have no room at all for more books. I love them to death, and I never want to give any of them up. So what do I do when I have no room for more books? I go to my parents’ collection. They have a lot more books than I do. They have a room the size of Mrs. Labouchere’s classroom full of books. The house came with the shelves, and that room is effectively called: the Library (ooh, creative, right?). Whenever I need another book, I just go into the Library and randomly pick up a book off of the shelves. I love it! One of my favorite series in my parents’ collection is called Spenser. Yes, like my middle name. It’s about a private detective named Spenser (no first name mentioned) who solves a really intricate case every book. It’s by Robert B. Parker, if anyone’s interested, and the first book is called “The Godwulf Manuscript).
When there aren’t enough books at my house, or if I just want to get away, I go to Barnes and Noble, which is really close to my house. Barnes and Noble is, simply put, Heaven. I absolutely worship the workers, and plan to work there when I’m sixteen. Rows and rows of books, waiting to be read. I’ll go there around ten a.m., and not realize it when it’s 5:00 and I need to be home for dinner! Books are huge in my life. I know that a lot of people (maybe not those at ASA) don’t like to read. I ask them if they’ve read any good books, and they say that they don’t read. I think that this is a bad decision. Reading makes you smarter. It was proven.
Video games are the way I dissipate anger. I get angry a lot (friends, don’t say a word). I hate admitting it, but it’s true. I’ll sometimes get home from school in such a rage that my parents dismiss me to the garage to hit the punching bag. Personally, I don’t think that it works, but there you are. What really helps me is to plug in my Playstation 2 and play Star Wars Battlefront 2. It’s my way to express myself: bloody violence.
There are a lot of people who say that video games are bad for you. Well, you know what? They’re right. I always feel a little off after I’ve played video games for a few hours. It’s inevitable. However, just because video games are bad for you doesn’t mean that you have to avoid them completely. I play Battlefront all the time with my friends. It’s just a matter of pacing yourself, and not overdoing it. It’s the second week of school, and I haven’t played a video game for three weeks (which is weird because I’ve gotten angry a lot over the past three weeks). It’s what I do.
My two favorite video games are War of the Monsters and Star Wars Battlefront 2. War of the Monsters is a third person melee. The story is that aliens attack the Earth, and are wiping us out. However, Earth makes a super-weapon that destroys all of the UFO’s on and near the planet. However, all of the UFO’s emit a toxic liquid when destroyed, and this liquid mutates things when they’re touched. There was even a human that was electrocuted when a UFO was on a power cable. He turned into a giant electric eyeball. There are also monkeys and preying mantises. It’s very cool. The monsters fight in the game.
Everyone knows I’m a Star Wars fan. Battlefront is a game where you play as a clone trooper. You roam the galaxy fighting the Sith (if you know what that means) and the Separatist army (the Droids). I love shooting it out with the Separatists, because it really feels like war, watching people die next to you. I don’t particularly like war or death, but with Star Wars it’s ok.
Literature and video games play a huge role in my life. I love them both. They both have there downsides, but it’s what I like to do.
Scott J.
P.S. Halo is cool too.
I have a bookshelf in my room. It has five shelves, two rows on each shelf, and it’s ten feet high. Oh, and another thing: I have no room at all for more books. I love them to death, and I never want to give any of them up. So what do I do when I have no room for more books? I go to my parents’ collection. They have a lot more books than I do. They have a room the size of Mrs. Labouchere’s classroom full of books. The house came with the shelves, and that room is effectively called: the Library (ooh, creative, right?). Whenever I need another book, I just go into the Library and randomly pick up a book off of the shelves. I love it! One of my favorite series in my parents’ collection is called Spenser. Yes, like my middle name. It’s about a private detective named Spenser (no first name mentioned) who solves a really intricate case every book. It’s by Robert B. Parker, if anyone’s interested, and the first book is called “The Godwulf Manuscript).
When there aren’t enough books at my house, or if I just want to get away, I go to Barnes and Noble, which is really close to my house. Barnes and Noble is, simply put, Heaven. I absolutely worship the workers, and plan to work there when I’m sixteen. Rows and rows of books, waiting to be read. I’ll go there around ten a.m., and not realize it when it’s 5:00 and I need to be home for dinner! Books are huge in my life. I know that a lot of people (maybe not those at ASA) don’t like to read. I ask them if they’ve read any good books, and they say that they don’t read. I think that this is a bad decision. Reading makes you smarter. It was proven.
Video games are the way I dissipate anger. I get angry a lot (friends, don’t say a word). I hate admitting it, but it’s true. I’ll sometimes get home from school in such a rage that my parents dismiss me to the garage to hit the punching bag. Personally, I don’t think that it works, but there you are. What really helps me is to plug in my Playstation 2 and play Star Wars Battlefront 2. It’s my way to express myself: bloody violence.
There are a lot of people who say that video games are bad for you. Well, you know what? They’re right. I always feel a little off after I’ve played video games for a few hours. It’s inevitable. However, just because video games are bad for you doesn’t mean that you have to avoid them completely. I play Battlefront all the time with my friends. It’s just a matter of pacing yourself, and not overdoing it. It’s the second week of school, and I haven’t played a video game for three weeks (which is weird because I’ve gotten angry a lot over the past three weeks). It’s what I do.
My two favorite video games are War of the Monsters and Star Wars Battlefront 2. War of the Monsters is a third person melee. The story is that aliens attack the Earth, and are wiping us out. However, Earth makes a super-weapon that destroys all of the UFO’s on and near the planet. However, all of the UFO’s emit a toxic liquid when destroyed, and this liquid mutates things when they’re touched. There was even a human that was electrocuted when a UFO was on a power cable. He turned into a giant electric eyeball. There are also monkeys and preying mantises. It’s very cool. The monsters fight in the game.
Everyone knows I’m a Star Wars fan. Battlefront is a game where you play as a clone trooper. You roam the galaxy fighting the Sith (if you know what that means) and the Separatist army (the Droids). I love shooting it out with the Separatists, because it really feels like war, watching people die next to you. I don’t particularly like war or death, but with Star Wars it’s ok.
Literature and video games play a huge role in my life. I love them both. They both have there downsides, but it’s what I like to do.
Scott J.
P.S. Halo is cool too.
my theatre :)
I used to be one of those people who thought that musicals and musical theatre were lame or for sissies. Until I came to ASA and realized that musical theatre was one of my favorite things on this earth. Realized that things like Cats and The Lion King that I had been watching since I was little were musicals. I wish more people outside of our little ASA world understood that theatre and musical theatre really can be “cool” as opposed to “sissy” or “lame” or “gay”. Which COMPLETELY offends me, by the way. I absolutely hate it when people use the word gay to describe anything other than homosexuality. Anyway, back on topic. I love musical theatre and just theatre in general.
Theatre impacts my life in many ways. I spend a LOT of my time at the theatre and I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve said the words “I can’t. I have rehearsal.” But even though it’s a total time-suck, I love theatre and the people that surround it. Whether they be diva-lead-roles or all-black-wearing-tech crew. I love how easy it is to express yourself when you’re around theatre people, and how supportive people are of your ideas, whatever they may be. So many people involved in theatre are not only actors, but singers, writers, dancers, directors, techies, costume designers, etc., etc. This opens up many, many opportunities for you to express yourself in whatever way suits you.
Theatre always makes me happy, no matter what’s going on in my life at the time. I always have friends there and there are always people to support me. Theatre is such a loving, accepting community and I am eternally glad to be a part of it. It’s always making me not only a better actor or singer, but a more outgoing, more inviting, more accepting person.
One aspect of theatre I particularly like is masks. I love how they can transform a character from happy, to sad, to angry, to embarrassed, simply with a change in facial expression that doesn’t even come straight from the actor. The expression is put onto their face and it is up to the actor to work with it and act through it. Masks, however, can also be related to real life. There are different “masks” for each different persona a person has throughout their life. There’s a different “mask” for how you act with your school friends, around your teachers, around your theatre friends, around strangers, family, etc. I love how putting on a different “mask” can change your entire mood, or even aspects of your personality.
/abruptending
Emmi Hoyos
The Fashion Menace
When most people examine the elements of culture, they tend to navigate towards the things they love. The things that make their lives more fun. That's where I differ from most. I prefer to criticise. I probably shouldn't, but it's what I gravitate towards. I know what I like. I know these things. It doesn't provide me any substance to think about what I like when I can just do them. I don't have to think to know what I like. I have to think about what I don't like. I have to think to discover why I don't like it. I have to actually think to criticise. It's more of a challenge. I love challenges.
So I have to think rather hard to decide what in our society makes me the most angry. I've come to a simple conclusion: fashion. When most girls think of fashion, all they can think about is "that cute little jacket I found at the mall this Saturday." I am not most girls. Anyone who knows me will tell you this. So, unlike most girls, when I think about fashion, I am able to look at what the fashion world does to our society. I am able to think about how many problems come up because of a girl's most simple obsessions: clothes and beauty.
We generally want to be accepted. We want it more than anything. So when a new line of clothes come out, girls can be expected to want a piece of it. It has nothing to do with whether or not they actually like the clothing. It has nothing to do with whether or not they're comfortable in the clothing. It has everything to do with if the other girls they know want it. And they usually do. The idea of a new line of clothes is enough to make most girls run a mile to get to the mall. But like I said, I'm not like most girls. I take the time to examine whether a piece of clothing appeals to me. I take the time to examine whether I'm comfortable in it or whether it's not worth buying. Clothes shouldn't be about fitting in like most girls make it. They should be about your comfort. They should be about you.
Again, we want to be accepted. Even more, we want to be admired. Beauty. It's what every girl wants. Even I am partially guilty there, although I won't cover up the real me to get at it. Here's the problem I run into for beauty: again, the fashion industry controls it. They decide what's beautiful. In my opinion, you should never change who you are for such a simple and shallow wish. The fashion industry has their own idea. Make-up. Cover up what you really look like so you can fit in with the stereotypes you want to fit under. Cover up yourself for someone more beautiful. And diets. Revolve your entire life around being thin. If your ribs are showing, you're the perfect weight.
People always wonder why make-up sales are going through the roofs. Why girls are covering up pretty much every blemish that makes them unique. Why girls are developing eating disorders more than ever. It's because the fashion industry is in control now more than ever. Of course, the fashion industry doesn't tell us outstraight that we're not beutiful enough. That would probably qualm everyone's doubts as to who's to blame. That would probably force the fashion industry to back up a bit. No, no. They are many things, but they're not stupid. no. They just show us. They don't say anything. They show us what they want us to look like. And we follow like the trained puppies most of us are. It's difficult to break such a tradition. Following instead of leading. Showing instead of watching. It's difficult not to stand on the sidelines and listen to what they tell us. It's difficult to doubt.
And that's why I chose to write this. It's difficult. It's difficult to write this, knowing it will probably offend a lot of the people who read it. It's difficult to write this, knowing I'm only completing my isolation from the idea of normality. Just like anyone else, I want to accepted. I want to be adored. And so, it takes a lot of work to break down all of those wishes. To give up those simplistic, shallow wishes and follow my deeper, more substantial desires. It's difficult to give up on the short-term wishes in order to follow the long-term ones. It's difficult to speak the truth. It's a challenge. A great, big challenge. And I love challenges.
Kira Painter
So I have to think rather hard to decide what in our society makes me the most angry. I've come to a simple conclusion: fashion. When most girls think of fashion, all they can think about is "that cute little jacket I found at the mall this Saturday." I am not most girls. Anyone who knows me will tell you this. So, unlike most girls, when I think about fashion, I am able to look at what the fashion world does to our society. I am able to think about how many problems come up because of a girl's most simple obsessions: clothes and beauty.
We generally want to be accepted. We want it more than anything. So when a new line of clothes come out, girls can be expected to want a piece of it. It has nothing to do with whether or not they actually like the clothing. It has nothing to do with whether or not they're comfortable in the clothing. It has everything to do with if the other girls they know want it. And they usually do. The idea of a new line of clothes is enough to make most girls run a mile to get to the mall. But like I said, I'm not like most girls. I take the time to examine whether a piece of clothing appeals to me. I take the time to examine whether I'm comfortable in it or whether it's not worth buying. Clothes shouldn't be about fitting in like most girls make it. They should be about your comfort. They should be about you.
Again, we want to be accepted. Even more, we want to be admired. Beauty. It's what every girl wants. Even I am partially guilty there, although I won't cover up the real me to get at it. Here's the problem I run into for beauty: again, the fashion industry controls it. They decide what's beautiful. In my opinion, you should never change who you are for such a simple and shallow wish. The fashion industry has their own idea. Make-up. Cover up what you really look like so you can fit in with the stereotypes you want to fit under. Cover up yourself for someone more beautiful. And diets. Revolve your entire life around being thin. If your ribs are showing, you're the perfect weight.
People always wonder why make-up sales are going through the roofs. Why girls are covering up pretty much every blemish that makes them unique. Why girls are developing eating disorders more than ever. It's because the fashion industry is in control now more than ever. Of course, the fashion industry doesn't tell us outstraight that we're not beutiful enough. That would probably qualm everyone's doubts as to who's to blame. That would probably force the fashion industry to back up a bit. No, no. They are many things, but they're not stupid. no. They just show us. They don't say anything. They show us what they want us to look like. And we follow like the trained puppies most of us are. It's difficult to break such a tradition. Following instead of leading. Showing instead of watching. It's difficult not to stand on the sidelines and listen to what they tell us. It's difficult to doubt.
And that's why I chose to write this. It's difficult. It's difficult to write this, knowing it will probably offend a lot of the people who read it. It's difficult to write this, knowing I'm only completing my isolation from the idea of normality. Just like anyone else, I want to accepted. I want to be adored. And so, it takes a lot of work to break down all of those wishes. To give up those simplistic, shallow wishes and follow my deeper, more substantial desires. It's difficult to give up on the short-term wishes in order to follow the long-term ones. It's difficult to speak the truth. It's a challenge. A great, big challenge. And I love challenges.
Kira Painter
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Music to My Ears-Mr. Nic
There are very few things in life that I enjoy more than music. Time spent with loved ones, a fiery sunrise, a peaceful sunset, and a big old tuna sandwich on sourdough are a few, but music is one of my favorite things to experience. When I listen to good music I am taken away to another place, I become almost oblivious to my surroundings. Whether I’m in my car banging out the drum solo on the steering wheel or strumming the guitar line on my center consul, or at the gym with my iPod and mouthing the lyrics while keeping time with my feet, I get to a place where I don’t even care if people are looking at me funny or what they even think because I’m in the middle of a great tune and nobody can touch me.
Some songs bring back memories of certain times in my life, sometimes sad memories but mostly great ones, as my life has been made up of mostly wonderful people and great experiences. I can hear a song and it will take me back to a certain time and place, usually accompanied by a big smile on my face as I remember high school days spent cruising up the esplanade at the beach at sunset, or sitting in my buddy’s car in front of my house, him doing the lead and me doing the backup vocals.
When I hear great music I get emotional. I get goose bumps at some music, and some music is just so good that it brings tears to my eyes. Not because I’m sad, but the opposite, I just feel so good to be alive and so fortunate that it humbles me and brings tears streaming down my face, and I’m old enough that I don’t care anymore if that seems unmanly so I just let them fall. I also come to tears at movies, plays, and musicals, again not even at a usual tear jerker moment, like when Old Yeller died or when ET wanted to go home, but just when something moves me.
My tastes in music have expanded over the years, but I still love all of the musical styles that I have been exposed to since I first fell in love with music as a little kid. When I was only 2 or 3 years old I used to listen to my record player so much that as a punishment my parents would take my record player away. It did the trick because I didn’t want that punishment again.
Growing up my parents made a decision to not have a TV in the house, so in addition to reading a lot, I spent countless hours in my room, lying on the floor and listening to my albums and to the radio, which back in the days before corporate radio dominated the airwaves was really enjoyable. From Elvis Presley records that I listened to and Sam Cooke records that my grandparents had in their collection when I was a pre-schooler, to heavy metal, which I started listening to in junior high, to new wave or alternative music that I listened to in high school, to the classic rock that I got turned on to in college, to jazz which I also fell in love with in college, to classical music that I used to listen to when studying for exams but have come to greatly appreciate in recent years at any time, to opera, which I fell in love with only last December watching the performance of La Boehme at the Orpheum theatre, music is something that enriches my life and gives me great pleasure, and it is something that will always be a major part of who I am.
Some songs bring back memories of certain times in my life, sometimes sad memories but mostly great ones, as my life has been made up of mostly wonderful people and great experiences. I can hear a song and it will take me back to a certain time and place, usually accompanied by a big smile on my face as I remember high school days spent cruising up the esplanade at the beach at sunset, or sitting in my buddy’s car in front of my house, him doing the lead and me doing the backup vocals.
When I hear great music I get emotional. I get goose bumps at some music, and some music is just so good that it brings tears to my eyes. Not because I’m sad, but the opposite, I just feel so good to be alive and so fortunate that it humbles me and brings tears streaming down my face, and I’m old enough that I don’t care anymore if that seems unmanly so I just let them fall. I also come to tears at movies, plays, and musicals, again not even at a usual tear jerker moment, like when Old Yeller died or when ET wanted to go home, but just when something moves me.
My tastes in music have expanded over the years, but I still love all of the musical styles that I have been exposed to since I first fell in love with music as a little kid. When I was only 2 or 3 years old I used to listen to my record player so much that as a punishment my parents would take my record player away. It did the trick because I didn’t want that punishment again.
Growing up my parents made a decision to not have a TV in the house, so in addition to reading a lot, I spent countless hours in my room, lying on the floor and listening to my albums and to the radio, which back in the days before corporate radio dominated the airwaves was really enjoyable. From Elvis Presley records that I listened to and Sam Cooke records that my grandparents had in their collection when I was a pre-schooler, to heavy metal, which I started listening to in junior high, to new wave or alternative music that I listened to in high school, to the classic rock that I got turned on to in college, to jazz which I also fell in love with in college, to classical music that I used to listen to when studying for exams but have come to greatly appreciate in recent years at any time, to opera, which I fell in love with only last December watching the performance of La Boehme at the Orpheum theatre, music is something that enriches my life and gives me great pleasure, and it is something that will always be a major part of who I am.
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