Art History

I have always enjoyed exploring the world of art history; and the secrets that lie behind each artist. Being involved in the art program at Cascade for the past four years has given me the opportunity to explore the careers of many artists. Most recently I have been looking into the life of Magritte, a Belgian surrealist painter. Most of his work deals with imagination. In several of Magritte’s painting he uses a black hat on his subjects. This hat appears in several of his painting throughout the years. Some speculate that the hat represents Magritte himself because he was often found wearing that very hat. Another interesting thing about Magritte is that he often times covers or wraps his subjects hiding them from view. This could have to do with his early childhood. When he was a young boy his mother committed suicide, when they found her, her head was wrapped in a cloth. There is so much to learn about the art world; and I feel that having a better understanding of the person behind the art helps build a lasting connection and understanding.

Animal Cruelty

In the past few weeks as I have been watching the news, I have noticed that there have been a very high number of animal cruelty cases. One story was about a family whose dog had just had a litter of 10 puppies. While the family was gone, 4 of the puppies had managed to get out and were in the neighbors yard. A passerby called animal control, not knowing who the puppies belonged to. This person was only trying to protect the puppies, hoping that their owners would find them at the shelter. However, just 5 hours after the puppies arrived at the shelter, they were all put to sleep. When the family contacted the shelter, they were told that the dogs had been put down. When further questioned, the shelter simply claimed that they had made a mistake. My question is why were the dogs put to sleep in the first place? There is ALWAYS someone who will adopt a puppy, which isn't always the case with older dogs. Also, why were they put down so soon after their arrival? If these were my dogs, I would be furious. That is someone's pet, and because they were out of their yard, they were killed.

In another case, I heard about a dog that someone had soaked in ammonia. The chemical burned the dag so severely that it had to be put down. The vet who cared for it said she had never seen anything so horrible done to an animal, and she was still having nightmares about it.

The final story is one that I have heard on a personal account. A kid I know, who lives in Lake Stevens owned a rot weiler (sp?). His dog did not fit the normal, aggressive and dangerous description that rot weilers are known by. Actually, the dog was very calm and friendly. One day, however, the neighbor called the cops and said that he had been in their yard. The police came out to investigate and the officer found the dog sleeping on his own front porch. The neighbor also claimed that the dog had bit him (which was not true). The officer then preceded to shoot, and kill, the dog. The dog was asleep, and had never left its own yard. For no real reason, the officer decided to shoot him. The kid I know is now in court over this issue, apparently the officer has done this before. He has shot and killed more than one pet for no reason.

I am disgusted by the way animals are being treated. Just like humans, they do not deserve to be treated this way. I think that the punisment should be more sever for the people who choose to commit these heinous crimes against innocent animals.

Mannerisms

Last week I compared mannerisms between blind children and autistic children and the similarity found with each disability. What I realized was that many people do not have a clear understanding of, mannerisms and the effect mannerisms cause.
Because I do not have an autistic relative I only know a small amount about, the effect mannerisms have on autistic children. I do however have a brother who is deaf- blind; so I have been exposed to the mannerisms, that effect deaf-blind children. Mannerisms defined are " physical behavior patterns that occur in visually impaired children and may last into adulthood." These mannerisms include: eye pressing, finger flicking, head banging, head weaving, fixated staring and maintaining a blank expressionless face. Many blind children engage in mannerisms because they are self-stimulatory behaviors. These behaviors interfere with learning, development, and socialization. They cause these children to withdraw from their surroundings and enter a world of their own. Mannerisms have a negative effect on deaf-blind children and there for should be diminished as much as possible.
I have learned through first hand experience that these mannerisms have a negative effect because they are causing these children to fall behind. Mannerisms are also causing social isolation and disfigurement. Mannerisms are real and they effect many blind children. The best way to counteract and prevent mannerisms is to engage these children in learning and the world around them.

Hundreds of Dollars spent just to ask a girl to prom... is it really necessary?

As we walk around campus, there is one thing that is sure to be talked about: Senior Ball. Who is going with who, and most importantly, how were you asked.

DON'T GET MAD YET MCNAMAR... THIS STORY REALLY DOES HAVE A POINT AND ISN'T ONE OF THOSE "CAN YOU BELIEVE WE'RE ALMOST DONE STORIES."

I myself have wondered why how you are asked to a dance is almost as important as getting asked at all. What ever happened to "will you go to______ with me?" I recently read an article online that discusses this issue. It said that asking someone to be your date has become such a production of the years that even before the big night the boys are blowing their money. It has turned into a competition between the boys, who can be the most creative when popping their question. And it has brought out bragging right among the girls "Well, MY boyfriend did this to ask me."

"Clearly, though, it is a big thing. A chat with her girlfriends, a phone call or a quick conversation by the lockers between classes won't do anymore. That's so 2005. In 2006, the request has to be painted on a giant sign parked in front of her house or accompanied by 50 red candles, hundreds of Hershey Kisses and an original poem. Why? For the same reason guys go to prom: because girls want it that way."

"Trouble was, he didn't have a clue how to impress her."
"I wish my boyfriend had done that."
"Lahr is the kind of guy who is terrified by the idea talking to a girl on the phone. "I'll be in my room, staring at a name on my cellphone, wondering whether I should call. The whole social thing is totally nerve-wracking," he says."
"The prom invite had him rattled big-time."

I think girls have become to needy, to many of us expect something extraodinary. As you can see from the quotes from the story, asking a girl to prom (or Senior Ball in our case) has become very stressful for the guys. I think this question should go back to something simpler. Save the extravagance for when you get engaged.

I'm not going to lie, my own boyfriend took a lot of time planning and asked me in a very cute way. However, I would have been fine if he had just said "Will you go with me?" I don't expect him do spend great deals of money on me, but when he does take the time to plan somethig special, I am sure to let him know that I appreciate it.

Overall, I think that girls shouldn't expect to be asked in an amazing way, and they shouldn't put pressure on the guys. We should all just be happy that we have been asked, and if they do go above and beyond, be sure to let them know how much you appreciate the efforts that they have made to make this a special event for us.


If you'd like to read the article, go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12863585/

YEAAAAAAAAAAA LES IS FAMOUS!!!! He even looks normal in the picture! Congrats Les!

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Les, congratulations on becoming published before me; I will forever hold it against you!

Go here, if you have not read the essay published in Sunday's Herald.

Autism vs. Mannerisms

This week I was reading an article in Time magazine about autism. I found this article to be very intriguing because there have been many times when I have heard about autism and have not really had a clear understanding of what it is and the effect autism has. What I found to be the most interesting was the classic symptoms of autism "spinning, head banging, and endlessly repeating phrases.” I found this very interesting because head banging and spinning are also commonly found with blind or visually impaired children; only they are called mannerisms. I researched mannerisms for my argumentative paper; only I argued that mannerisms have a negative effect on deaf-blind children and therefore should be diminished as much as possible. I thought that it was great to be able to connect something I had done in the past and apply my knowledge of mannerisms when I was reading this article.

Cry, The Beloved Country

I don't know how many of you are taking the time so stay caught up on the reading, but I am actually finding it quite interesting. It is books such as this that remind me how much I have yet to learn about the world. I realize that I am too wrapped up in my own world, and I sometimes forget just how big the world really is. I spend too much time worrying about the little things, rather than things that really matter. It is very interesting to hear about the struggles in South Africa, because although I know they exist, I admit I do not know the details. I never realized that they faced many of the same struggles as America has faced over the years. I have learned, many times, about the famous bus boycott during the martin Luther King era, but I had no idea that the same boycott took place in South Africa. As I read through the chapters, I sometime completely forget that I am reading about Africa, for the same struggles took place here as well. Sophomore year in world history, I remember learning about things such as the Romans and Egyptians. Now, I am wishing that we had spent more time studying times closer to the present. At times, this novel can be a bit hard to decipher, but the knowledge that I am gaining is far worth it. If you have yet to take the time to do your reading, I suggest you start now. The information that Paton portrays is really quite interesting.

Time magazine

This week Time magazine had a special issue about 100 of the world's most influential people. A majority of the people are household names; George Bush, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, and Condoleezza Rice, etc. However there were several people I had never heard about before; Mugtada Al-Sadr, Pervez Musharraf, Geoffrey West and Mukhtaran Bibi to name a few. All of these people have extraordinary stories behind their name. These stories are about how they are making a difference in the world and how they are influencing the world we live in. I read all of these stories with amazement wondering how one person could make such a large impact.
One story I found extremely intriguing was an article about Bill and Melinda Gates and the Gates foundation. This article talks about how the Gates Foundation is funding several projects and how they are making an impact on the world we live in. “The Gates foundation now funds more then a third of the worlds entire malaria research funding" There belief is that the each life has equal value. Jim Carter says “This is the must important foundation in the world."

Senior year

This past week, and especially today at the senior meeting, everything has become a lot more real to me in terms of the year ending. Now that prom is over, the halls are buzzing with talk of senior ball. Who will ask who? Where's the best place to eat? What are the groups? And so much more. Also, today we got the first details of graduation, jubilation, senior breakfast and all the other "senior" events. Until now, it honestly hasn't felt like high school is ending. Yea, I know I am going to UW in the fall, and I have made a lot of plans for next year. However, college has always seemed so far off in the distance. Now, it is just right around the corner. Not only are the number of school days left getting smaller and smaller, other things are ending too. Next Thursday is our last softball game if we don't move on to districts. This season has gone by so fast, it truly feels like tryouts were just a couple weeks ago, not a couple months ago. I always wondered why the seniors were always sad at the end of the season, and now I understand. I have been playing on this team for four years now, and it means a lot to me. It seems strange to think that next year I won't be out playing again. I believe i am ready for high school to end, I am ready to escape at least some of the drama, and to be in an environment where people are there because they want to learn. However, I am not ready to give up on the relationships that I have formed over the years. I hope I can stay close with people, especially those who mean the most to me.