PRICELESS
WINTER 2015
GL Vol. 4, Issue 4
• Phillipe Petit • Robot Fiction • Job Hunting Tips • NEW Environmental Feature in Colaboration with Earth Guardians
Written by young people for young-minded people
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845.679.6997 solargeneration.net
TOC/MastheaD CONTENTS Restaurant Review: Sushi Makio ...................... p. 8 Fiction: The Faeries Game................................ p. 10 Advice: Ask Sushi...............................................p. 12 Advice: Ask Jai....................................................p. 13 Reviews: Books & Movies................................ p. 14 Fiction: Mimi Ngo ...................................... p. 16-17 Fiction: The Metallic Creature .........................p. 18 Performance: Passion for Dance .................... p. 20 Fashion................................................................ p. 21 The Art of Mark Kanter...............................p. 22-23 Cover Story: Phillipe Petit ..........................p. 24-28 Environmental Section: Earth Guardians .p. 29-33 Animal Adoption ............................................. p. 34 Poetry ............................................................p. 36-37 Employment ................................................ p. 38-39 Nature ..................................................................p.41 Holidays ........................................................p. 42-43 Memories............................................................ p. 44 Awareness ...........................................................p. 45
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher................................Cathy McNamara Art Director......................................................... Grey Ivor Morris Executive Editor............................Monique Winum Martindale Senior Copy Editor................................................... Julie Schmidt Editor....................................................................... Cynthia Adler SALES Marketing & Sales Director.................................Carolyn Handel Advertising Sales ......................................................Marie Shultis Sales & Distribution ......................................................Seth Allen DISTRIBUTION: 7,000 COPIES. Throughout the Hudson Valley and NYC. Published by GoodLife Publishing 34 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY 12498 ONLINE VERSION: GoodLifeYouthJournal.com
SUBMISSION INFO: GoodLife accepts work done by young people aged 10 to 20 and pays $$ for accepted work. Deadline: Winter: Nov 9th, Spring: Feb 9th, Summer: May 9th, Fall: Aug 18th • Permission: Need a parental email if you are younger than 16 (giving permission to publish your work & receive payment). Need address. • Topics Examples: Lifestyle, music, book & movie reviews, sports & fitness, political & environmental. • Writing strategies: Reflecting, Reporting, Explaining, Arguing, Opinion and Humor! Length 200 to 500 words Be CREATIVE and send work that you would be proud to have published. All articles must be appropriate for ages 10 to 100! Work not used is stored for possible future publication. Send submissions as Word documents to: Goodlifejournal@gmail.com Thanks, Cathy McNamara (Publisher) (845) 332-3353
Open Call for Young Writers, Photographers, Cartoonists and Webmasters! Volunteer and learn more about publishing. Page 4 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
Publisher’s Letter BOARD OF SUPPORTERS AND MUSES
! u o Y k n a h T
Cynthia Adler Mary Ann Place Wendy Bass Nick Alba
Joan Reynolds Marilyn Manning Sandra Palmer Shaw Earth Guardians NY
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Coincidentally
H
ow is it possible not to fear falling? We try to avoid it at all costs and yet still it happens! When I decided to leave Indiana with my girlfriend to find work in New York City, I feared I might fall! But I knew spectacular things happened in the city and my need for adventure, growth and figuring out how to support myself was greater then my fear. I gave myself space for mistakes, but vowed to make as few as possible and learn fast. I mean, it was NYC: sink or swim and no regrets! Upon our arrival gratefully, a friend gave us life saving advice “Get The Black Book!” It was like a candy catalog of all the NYC advertising photographers and their studios. It helped us find our dream jobs with photographers that impressed us most. I had fun working in the photo district for the next 15 years! Polaroid, Bank of NY, on set at Chalkin Studio 1986…Yay! One evening at a party I met a group of journalist photographers from Sygma and Black Star. One of them, Michael McCarthy from England, was in need of a place to stay for a couple of weeks, so I offered him my Brooklyn pad. We became friends and all he could talk about was this French man who had amazingly high-wire walked between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center a few years earlier. Yes, Philippe Petit (coincidentally interviewed in this issue)! The young photographer was also a skydiver inspired by Mr. Petite’s feats! He and a friend had come all the way to NYC to parachute off the Empire State building! And so they did…telling a few newspapers when and where so it would make the news. Something that Mr. Petit would never have done but then...everyone follows their calling in a their own way! Inside the GoodLife winter issue, Jack Warren interviews Philippe Petit, giving the reader a window into this extraordinary man’s world. The most famous high wire artist explains it is a most peaceful, serene, and secure place where he is truly free and fulfilled with his passion for life when high wire walking. Also it is a pleasure to introduce a quarterly environmental feature section that is co-organized by Goodlife and Earth Guardians (young activists, artists and musicians from across the globe stepping up as leaders). These pages are for anyone and everyone who has a passion to do something about Mother Earth’s future! Filled with news - here and abroad - with things we can do to make an impact. Love,Warmth &Peace for 2016. Happy Holidays!
ON THE COVER: Suika Sono-Knowles photo by Keiko Sono
Spring issue coming next!
Deadline Feb. 9th. • Inventions • Elliot Landy • Environmental Feature Disclaimer: The views expressed in this magazine do not reflect those of the publishers, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW
Sushi Makio
By Finn Doering, age 13 http://sharpfinnsoup.wordpress.com/
T
he thought of finding a great sushi Japanese restaurant outside of NYC is hard to imagine., but I am happy to say, incredible fresh creative sushi is available right here in the Hudson Valley! Sushi Makio is located in a tiny strip mall and even though the setting might make you think twice, it’s part of the allure of finding this amazing restaurant! Owner and Chef Makio Idesako has been making sushi for 50 years and used to own a restaurant in NYC before owning one in Westchester and High Falls. Now, you are lucky if you can get one of the 7 tables or a spot at the sushi bar to experience delectable food. Makio cares about the environment and the source of his seafood. He is 66 and loves preparing live crab. I had the green seaweed salad followed by the fried veggie dumplings. My parents and I shared 3 specialty rolls, one of which is called “OUT OF CONTROL”, which is named well. This roll consists of snow crab,scallions, masago(fish eggs), Japanese mayo, toasted almonds, Wasabi mayo and Toro fish belly on top! It is beautiful, melts in your mouth and leaves you wishing it wasn’t $25 so you could have 2 more! We also had a soft shell Spider roll, which was crunchy and delicious and the Wicked Tuna roll with big eyed tuna, scallions, crab, avocado and cucumber with 7 spices. He also offers OMAKASE, a multicourse dinner based on the chef ’s best choices, which is a traditional concept you don’t experience just anywhere. Chef Makio claims he will retire at 70. So if you haven’t discovered this place you better get moving!!! And don’t forget to try the bubble soda!! Sushi Makio is located at 1088 Morton Blvd. in Kingston. Next to TCBY. T: 845853-8078 http://www. sushimakio.com/#!
“Chef Makio claims he will retire at 70.”
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www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 9
Fiction
The Faeries’ Game
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By Zoë Frances Harvey, age 12
t was not quite night. A wistful painter splashed yellow and pink on the bright sky, and drew in clouds from the east and west. Rolling mountains sprinkled with tree-topped ornaments housed people who came from their shells and fires to watch the splattered masterpiece be born and die. Lovers danced on lithe toe steps and children sang praises to the invisible artist.
“The faeries floated through the sky with cold, weary stars, looking for a place for the next round if their game to begin.”
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Photo by Katia Michalopoulos of Eden O Clair
The golden orb sank quietly over a pond, a glittering reflection of what had been a minute or so past. The grassy blades whispered by the mirror’s edge, as they hid silvery shadows, flittering quietly as faeries can, so that no one can hear them. And yet, someone did. She lay sleeping as the sound invaded her nightmares. Colors ran beneath her eyes but wouldn’t place themselves, so she heard them instead. Tasted them, touched them. The colors filled her blind eyes as the faeries called. The artists’ sky had vanished when darkness fell. The sun broke into a thousand pieces shaped like stars. Yet the faeries still called the blind child, hearing colors, who crept from her covers and ran across the cornered blades of grass that fell beneath her feet. The colors whispered and fell silent as the faeries began to sing of the moonlight on the mirrored pond. Spirits swirled around the girl and led her to the Seventh Circle in the faeries’ cruel game. Shimmering lights pulled gently at the child’s curly locks and whispered what all the colors meant. Her eyes shone and her lips curled into a smile, though she did not know she stood in the Seventh Circle. Before she fell, the girl whispered in the faeries’ language and touched the sound of church bells nearby, before her knees buckled and Death took her. “Poor girl, poor girl,” the guilty faeries moaned. “Her eyes were filled with kindness that the world shall never know. She’ll never see the colors that always called her name. But the moon shines bright and round, so we play the faeries’ game.” Their cackled, broken laughter replaced the silent night. With the Seventh Circle filled with bloody conscience, the faeries floated through the sky with cold, weary stars, looking for a place for the next round of their game to begin.
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 11
Advice
Ask Sushi and
Fluffy Advice by Griffin Stewart, Brooklyn, age 15
H
Questions by Lisa Grandelli
ello and welcome to another Ask Sushi, with me, Sushi your loyal host. So, a lot of stuff has happened since my last column. One of my pack members left for a couple of months and the other one just turned fifteen. But not only that, I have been learning kung fu! It’s been so much fun and I’ve learned so much. Oh, and my sifu says that I’m one in a million, not to brag or anything. And he also says that I’m the first dog he’s ever taught. Besides that, I also got lessons in guitar and I’ve been learning such classics as French Poodle and Who Let the Dogs Out. And don’t worry, I’ve still been eating lots of chicken. So yeah, I think that’s all that’s going on right now. Oh wait, if you remember my friend Kibbles, he’s been visiting from Chickenslovakia...he says, “Ahoj.” Well, enough about me. Time for some Sushi questions: Question 1: “Make new friends but keep the old.” What is the best way to go about this?” A: That’s a great question. Well, the statement itself is simple enough but going about it is another thing. I know from experience. Like one time, when I was minding my own business walking, this dog approached me and we shook paws and exchanged phone numbers but as she walked away, five more dogs came over and we all started sniffing butts and saying hi and barking at each other and then they left and I forgot all about the phone number of the first dog. It’s easy to forget about your old friends when you make a bunch of new ones. Not to say your old friends are any less important, but when you first make a friend, you have to nurture the relationship. First of all, in both cases, stay in touch. Get a new friend’s email and phone number. Just remember to look through your contacts list. If you want to hang out with a friend, as soon as you see their name you’ll probably contact them. Second, when time permits, make plans. All you have to do is call or text them, tell them that you wanna hang out and then choose a day. It’s that easy. And finally now my Sushi wisdom to you. Page 12 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
Be the one who makes the plan. If you wanna stay in contact, all you have to do is take the reins and make the offer to whomever you want to be friends with. By doing so, there’s no way of losing your old friends and it’s a good way to make new ones. That’s my Sushi wisdom to you.
Question 3: Do you have any fun winter activities, indoor or outdoor, that you really love to do? A: Oh boy, you have no idea! Are you ready for my master list? Running around under tables. Eating chicken. Sleeping on the couch. Barking at anyone who walks up the Question 2: “Do you ever procrastinate? I stairs. Barking at everyone who leaves. Eatdo...lots of people do! How do I stop? ing chicken bones. Sleeping on my favorA: Well, personally, most of my life is spent ite orange chair with a cushy pillow. This eating, sleeping and licking various objects one is one of my favorites: taking up half and comrades, oh and I can’t forget chicken. of someone’s chair and spreading out as Chicken is the most important thing. But much as possible. And then there’s taking you know what, I did at some point, have a up half of somebody’s bed by spreading out small moment of procrastination when one as much possible. (You have no idea how of my pack members gave me two bones. hard both of those are when you’re only One was a lamb bone and it still had little eight inches off the ground and only four lamb bits on it. The other one was a chicken inches wide!) Giving pack members moral bone and you know how much I love chick- support. Licking my back paw and then en. I was sitting on my pillow thinking to sticking it into my ear then licking it again. my self, which Rinse, repeat, for one? Of course, a half hour or so. it was a no Eating more chick-brainer. Chicken. Walking in the en! Are you, kidnice breezy winter. ding me? It was Marking my terrichicken. tory around my livWhat did you ing quarters. Jumpthink I would do? ing at my mom. And now for Running around my Sushi wisin circles. Singing. dom to you. Kung fu, and playSometimes in ing in the snow. life, you get a Oh, and now, pracchoice to do ticing guitar. what you have to And now for do or want to do. my Sushi wisdom It’s better to take to you. As long as action than to sit you stay active in idly. Now, there’s the winter time and no real fix-all to have fun, nothing procrastination, can slow you down. but there are a The author and his interpreter, Griffin. Question 4: I like to couple of tips to be fashionable and get you moving. Give yourself a pep talk. have my own style. Does fashion play a role List the pros of whatever you have to do in your life? and the cons of not doing it. Put on your A: Are you pulling my paw? Is this some favorite music. That always helps me. Like kind of joke? I am like the most fashionable what about, “Dirty Ol’ Egg-Sucking Dog” dog in the world. Have you seen my coat? It by Johnny Cash? That’ll get ya movin’! And shimmers like the stars in the skies, and the you can treat yourself to something you re- orange in my pelt blazes like the fiery sun ally like, if you do it. Like, one of my pack and yet, my black patches are as dark as the members…if she get’s something done, darkest night. The white on my belly is as she’ll get a chocolate bar for herself after, soft as a baby’s buttocks. My eyes glow with and eat the whole thing! such ambiguity and passion. And now for And that…is my Sushi wisdom to you. my Sushi wisdom to you: fashion is my life! See ya later, dogs!
Ask Jai
Advice
It’s Gonna Get Betta by Miriam John, age 13
H
i readers! It’s Jai here, and a lot has been going on in my life lately. My human, Miriam, has been going to a new weekly program she calls “EarthWalk” so she’s gone for a day every week. On the days that she is home, she has been spending a lot of time cleaning up her room. Us fish live in Miriam’s room, and Miriam has been so busy lately that she hasn’t spent much time in here, so it’s nice to have her with us now while she cleans her room. Also, when she’s in here she plays John Denver, which we really like. We even dance to the music. Okay, now it’s time to answer this question! Q: Do you have any fun winter activities, indoor or outdoor, that you really love to do? A: Well, us betta fish are tropical and don’t like the cold, so winter isn’t a very fun season for us. We come from rice fields in Thailand where it is warm all the time. However, bettas can find something positive in winter, and that has to do with bonding to a place. In order to explain what I mean, I will tell you a story: In the beginning, everything was one with everything else. There was no boundary between places; every creature and every place was united in the flow of life. As life evolved, however, people started to separate into different groups, different animal species started to have conflict with each other, and places started to become more diverse. The underlying oneness was still there, but more noticeable were the differences. You see, the world used to be united with one “song”: one vibration, one energy, one way. In the biggest picture, that universal song is still the core of our being; underneath all the differences we are all still dancing to the same music (meaning we are all still one), but people now tend to separate themselves from each other. As well as separating themselves from each other, people also try to separate themselves from nature, which is where the winter part comes in. For a long time, Miriam tried to get the indoor conditions
Miriam and her pet fish, Jai.
just perfect for us bettas in the winter, so we would feel like we were in Thailand and so the cold winters here wouldn’t have any effect on us. However, no matter how warm Miriam kept our water, we could still feel that this place was different from our native Thailand. Feeling at home and bonding to the individual vibration of a particular place, while also understanding that all places are one. In a bigger sense, this is very important to bettas. This is the way the world works best. If everything were exactly the same, it wouldn’t work. We need all the different views of all the different people in the world. We need all
“In feeling at home, you will be able to see that you are connected to all the rest of the universe.” the different kinds of places so there is a lot to experience and explore. This is the reason for living: experiencing and exploring different ways of being in the world. But we also need to realize that we are all here together and we are not alone. A good example of this is a puzzle: if all the pieces of the puzzle were identical they wouldn’t fit together and wouldn’t be able to create a picture. If all the puzzle pieces were different but refused to join together to create the puzzle, then it obviously wouldn’t work either! So it is with everything in the universe. You need to know that separation AND connection are both very important parts of life. We feel at home in this part of the world when we experience what the climate is like here. This doesn’t mean that we don’t need warm water to survive. It just means that instead of resisting the difference between here and Thailand, we can accept winter and evolve so we are eventually able to fully embrace this place as our home. Bettas are still figuring that out. They are still evolving towards that. The purpose of evolution is to be able to integrate into and feel at home in many different kinds of places. I think that the goal of life on this planet is to embrace where you are right now and experience it to the fullest, and in doing that, you will feel at home. And in feeling at home, you will be able to see that you are connected to all the rest of the universe. The point is that even though winter itself feels hard and unnatural to bettas, it helps us understand this place where we live, and therefore we will be able to see that this place is connected to every other place, and that feeling of connection and oneness is what will bring us all home. www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 13
Reviews
Book & Movie Reviews
By Stella Prince, age 11
Hi folks! In this issue, I will be reviewing two books and one movie. The books are somewhat favorites of mine. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy them and get something out of my writing. Yours truly, Stella Prince A CORNER OF THE UNIVERSE: This book is a Newberry awardwinning masterpiece, by Ann M. Martin. She has written so many books that I adore, but this one is probably my favorite. The story is so touching. It’s about a girl, Hattie, who finds out she has an uncle who is a bit, well, disturbed. He comes and lives with her over the summer, which is good for the first half of the book, but then …. Something traumatic happens at the end of the book, and Hattie is very upset. It takes place in the 1950’s. A great, deep, book. I highly recommend it—probably not for kids 9 and younger, though. êêêê½ HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL: This book, by Robin Herrera, is a very touching and sad story about a povertystricken girl who lives in a trailer park. She describes her life through the pages, how her father is absent, her sister isn’t really her sister, and so on. Star Mackie’s life is hard. Being part of her family is difficult. But, somehow, Star manages to make her school days (people tease her) more positive—she starts a poetry club. In this heartwarming chapter book, things go on in Star’s life that are both heartbreaking and good. I thoroughly recommend this book. êêêêê THE INTERN: I thought this movie was great. Not excellent, but great. The director was good, and the acting was great . . . obviously, since the stars were Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway. The movie was funny and had a good plot. There’s nothing really incredible about it. I thought it was sad at the end. It’s a good movie for ages 10 and up. Don’t get confused if you see it is PG-13; it is technically a movie for adults and has swearing in it. I still recommend it, although it’s a little adult. êêêêê Page 14 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
Advice
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 15
Fiction
By Mimi Ngo, age 17
Was that a Lose or a Win?
I
T ALL STARTED WITH A TEXT saying she wanted him to come and hangout with her. That was typical and not really anything special. What she said next was note-worthy though… “Oh, I’ll have food ready too,”. Note that she normally would tell him if she was ordering takeout, “U + Me + Pizza emoji,” or “I’m feelin’ House of Wong tonight.” Instead, this time for whatever reason, she felt the need to actually write out a complete sentence (which was completely unlike her, by the way) and speak proper English without the embroidery of emojis. So, it wasn’t exactly his fault for getting the wrong idea. Maybe she was cooking for once? She’s never cooked him anything and he was way too hyped up at the idea for him to think rationally. Maybe it was his fault for misunderstanding? Or maybe it was just his hopeful thoughts tucked neatly in the corner of his subconscious speaking to him? In any case, he simply got too excited and hopeful, only to be disappointed due to his own assumptions. Then again, maybe if his ohso-lovely significant other (me) would stop speaking vaguely and just be blunt, he wouldn’t have had to get his hopes up. Thus, he spent the rest of the day prepping himself to be sur-
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prised when he walked through her door to see her in the kitchen doing something other than making pizza rolls. Of course, one can’t forget that hope is often crushed. When he did come to her apartment, he was definitely surprised… but just not in the way he would have expected. There she was, standing in the kitchen, with a few large bowls of cheese puffs, popcorn, and pretzels. Oh, and don’t forget the huge batch of previously frozen sugar cookies with the printed Christmas images on them. “Wait, I thought you said you were making food?” he said, very much surprised. “Nah, I said I would have food ready. I’m not making food,” she laughed. “Thought you knew how lazy I was by now! I think this is perfectly fine. I ate the same stuff yesterday.” He suddenly felt the urge to just lie down on the floor and go to sleep till the end of time. “But I thought you were going to cook and stuff? That’s what it sounded like!” She laughed some more, “Yeah, right! You know what this reminds me of?”
Photos by Pico Aguayo
(Models: Eden O’Clair & Andrew Kester
Fiction “What?” he said, lying down on the couch to stare straight up at the ceiling in defeat. “That Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special with the annoying kid who invites him or herself over and then complains when it’s just pretzels and not real food.” She brought all the junk food over to the couch and turned on the TV. “But you’re not as obnoxious.” “Mhm.” She rolled her eyes, “Now stop sulking; I planned for this night for awhile now. We’re going to watch ‘Frosty the Snowman,’ ‘Rudolph,’ and ‘Frozen!’” He sprung right up, “Anything but this!” he said “Puhlease can we watch something else? I don’t think I can listen to ‘Let it go’ one more time… why not watch ‘Die Hard?’” She lifted her brow, “So you’re one of those? One of the people who think ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie?” She sighed and put the bowl of cheese puffs down. “That is not a Christmas movie! It only happens during Christmas Eve and that’s it.” “I beg to differ! Just go online, there are plenty of arguments saying it is! And they’re plenty valid,” he said, crossing his arms. “Uh huh, that’s like saying ‘Cory in the House’ or ‘Shrek’ is the best Anime,” she laughed. She scrolled through the list of movies on Netflix
“She’s never cooked him anything and he was way too hyped up at the idea for him to think rationally.” until she settled with one, “Okay, so what do you want to watch?” He shrugged, “Anything but ‘Frozen.’” “Then what about… ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?’” That didn’t sound bad, actually. He always enjoyed the movie as a kid…and the candy always looked good. BUT there was that annoy-
ing Oompa Loompa song that he couldn’t stand after listening to it 30 times every December since he was 4. “Eh, anything but that.” “I thought you said anything but ‘Frozen!’” She challenged. “Yeah… and anything but ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.’” “Unbelievable. It’s a classic though!” she shook her head in disbelief. “‘Elf?’” “Nope, watched it too many times,” he literally watched it just as much as “Willy Wonka.” “Then what do you want to watch?” “‘Die Hard.’” She narrowed her eyes at him, “Are you just cranky because I didn’t make dinner?” “No”, he said Actually, he just really didn’t like that many Christmas movies. “Nope.” He said again. She was still skeptical, of course. “How about this? If I make you double chocolate chip cookies from scratch, will you watch whatever I wanna watch?” Ooh, this was a tough one. He usually hated the movies she picked out because they always had some kind annoying song in them… but the homemade cookies! What would he choose? The cookies or his sanity? Maybe he could bargain with her, “Can they be the ones with the chocolate dough and white chocolate chips? And can you make peanut butter ones, too?” She posed with her finger on her chin as if she was thinking hard about it. Now for the trump card, he said “I’ll even watch ‘Legally Blonde’ and two whole seasons of ‘How I Met Your Mother.” That’s how much he was willing to sacrifice of his own time for those homemade cookies. Lucky for him, that did it. She instantly got up and practically teleported to the kitchen to start making the cookies. It looks like they would both win — and lose — tonight. www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 17
Fiction Story and illustration by: Nolan Fuller age 12
The
I
Metallic Creature
n a small town just outside of New York City, 12 year-old Matt Farley slept soundly and peacefully in his little four-poster bed. That is, until the explosion. A piercing scream filled the air and Matt’s eyes snapped open. He looked around the room at his Pokémon posters tacked on the wall and a strange greenish light shining in through his old, weatherbeaten window. I knew this house was haunted, thought Matt with a feeling of dread, as the screeching sound became unbearable and he clapped his hands over his ears. The window seemed to glow even brighter with the eerie green light and then burst into billions of sparkling fragments as a dark shape swooped in through the jagged hole. Yep. Definitely ghosts, thought Matt as he cowered under his blanket. But when Matt looked out from his hiding place underneath his covers, he saw not a ghost, but something just as unbelievable and even more incredible. The shiny, faintly glowing metallic creature that Matt saw before him looked like a mad scientist had mashed together a kitten and a dinosaur, turned the whole thing into a robot, and then added some epic rocket booster wings for good measure. In other words, it was totally awesome. (And slightly terrifying.) The weird glowing Robo-Kitten edged closer to Matt. Matt backed away. Matt gulped nervously “Hey, Mr. Robo-Kitty, no offense, but could you please just back off? I don’t exactly feel like getting electrocuted by a weird cat robot the day after my birthday,” he said as he moved even farther away from the robot’s creepy glowing eyes. To Matt’s surprise, the creature actually listened. The robot cat backed up a bit, and then started whirring and clicking. Its ears started slowly spinning around like radar dishes. What’s it doing? thought Matt, when suddenly, the Robo-Kitty snapped its ears back into place and headed for Matt’s brand new TV. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” shouted Matt. In response, the robot wagged its electrically charged tail happily and began munching on the TV’s wires and electrical components. “Cut it out!” said Matt angrily, “I just got that for my birthday!” But the robot didn’t listen. It just sat there on the carpeted floor, chewing on poor Matt’s TV. Matt continued to watch in a mixture of horror, anger, and fascination as the kitty-robot chewed up and ate everything electrical in the room. Soon, Matt’s TV, his computer, his alarm clock, and even his lava lamp were nothing but a charred mess sizzling on the floor. Then, before Matt even had time to think about what had just happened, the now-replenished mechanical creature buzzed contentedly, plugged itself into the wall, and proceeded to explode each and every electrical socket in the entire house.
“Matt continued to watch in a mixture of horror, anger, and fascination as the kitty-robot chewed apart and ate everything electrical in the room.”
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“Now you’ve done it!” yelled Matt angrily as he hopped out of bed and, heedless of his earlier worries, headed towards the robot. The creature looked up and bleeped nervously as Matt marched forward with a foam Nerf sword in each hand. The robot clicked and whistled in submission and fear. However, Matt was still angry. He raised his foam sword to whack the terrified creature, and began to swing it down, when all of a sudden; the robotic cat emitted a blinding flash of light. Matt was sent reeling backwards, his arms flailing wildly as he crashed into his bed and instantly fell back to sleep. Matt’s eyes slowly blinked open as he stirred in his bed and began to wake up. What a strange dream he had had! But as he looked around the room at the still-smoking remains of his prized electronic possessions, Matt realized with a sinking feeling that maybe it hadn’t been just a dream after all. Then Matt had a terrible thought: How was he going to explain this to his parents? They would never believe him if he told them the truth: that a robot dino-kitty had smashed the window, flown in, and eaten everything electronic in the room! That sounded ridiculous! So would he have to lie? He hated lying! Unable and unwilling to come up with an answer, Matt simply plopped back into his bed, looked around the room for a few minutes, and then fell back into a deep, peaceful sleep.
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 19
Performing Arts
The Passion for Dance
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Top: Julia in her dressing room. Bottom: Fellow dance students Mattie Geskie, Brooklyn Myle and Jaiden Myle.
mance, one that you pour your heart and soul into while you feel an emotional connection with the audience. A performance can be great if it is a solo, but it is even better if it is a group routine, because you also connect with the people with whom you are performing. I dance four days a week at Choreo Dance Studio in Kingston, New York. I have been taking dance at Choreo since I began dancing in 2004, under the instruction of Therese Dougherty. Therese is the reason that I have become the dancer I am today. She is the one who taught me everything I know about dance, and has taught me many other things. Not only does she teach her students dance, she also teaches us life lessons. Therese has been there through it all with me to support and encourage me to be the best dancer - and person - I can be. Choreo is my second home, and the people there are my family. Most of us met when we were in elementary school, and have been in the same dance classes since. We have gone through a lot together. We were there when anything exciting, special, or sad happened to one of us. Over the years, my “dance friends” turned into my “dance and school friends.” One would think that we spend enough time with each other every day at dance, but I guess not! My dance friends and I always know that we are there to talk when they need it, and we are there to make them laugh when they need that, too. We have been friends for so long that we have moved past the point of calling each other friends: we are family. I love knowing that after a long day at school, I can come to the studio and relax with my friends. I know I can let out all of my emotions in my dance class and put all of my energy into a dance routine. I am lucky to have dance in my life. Dance has made such a powerful impact on my life. Throughout my twelve years of dance, I have put a lot of sweat, some blood, and many tears into dancing. This is my passion, and I am grateful for it every time I am given the opportunity to dance.
Photos courtesy of the author.
have been dancing since I was four years old and haven`t stopped since. Even as a young child, I knew I loved to dance. Something about dance was special to me. I knew I loved dance since the moment I started, because I loved to be at the dance studio and on stage. Even twelve years later, this is still true. Each time I step out onto a dance floor, I feel at home. Dancing makes me feel free. When I dance, I am able to let out my stress and anger from the day, and just enjoy the music. Every move I do in a routine expresses the emotions of the piece and what I am feeling. When I do a fun, upbeat routine, I feel happy, and when I do a serious, difficult ballet number, I feel powerful. No other activity allows you to express your emotions like dance does. Taking dance classes is a very important part of my life. Every part of dance is fun to me, from stretching to performing on big, beautiful stages. After school, I go to dance class to improve my technique, flexibility, and to work on routines. In dance classes, you can push yourself to do the best you can do. We begin class with stretches, which feel amazing after a long day sitting in school. Together, the other girls in my class and I motivate and encourage each other to work our hardest. We then go to the ballet bar and do technique work. Technique is important to dance because it is the basis for all the steps you do. Finally, we move to center floor to begin routines. This is my favorite part of class, because it is the most challenging. “Dancers are the best thinkers,” my dance teacher always says. By this, she means you must think for yourself in order to be a dancer. Not only do you push yourself to the extremes physically, you also have to work mentally. We are expected to memorize proper technique, names of steps, and many different routines. Performing for an audience makes all of the many hours of work you have put into rehearsals and classes worth it. There is no better feeling than stepping off the stage knowing that you did an amazing perfor-
By Julia Hack, age 16
Art
Fashion By Starla Bolle, age 11
W Photos by Starla and Roxy Bolle
hy do we wear clothes? Well, we used to wear them to keep us warm, protect us from harsh weather, and keep us modest. But we’ve evolved so much since then. Now we wear clothes to stand out in a crowd,
Below right: Roxy wearing top by Tees by Tina, as a dress, scarf from Tickled Pink, purse by Hobo. Below left: Oversized vegan cashmere sweater by Nally and Millie Ruched pants by Prairie Underground and boots by Amid Mooz.
express ourselves, and be heard. So why should school take that away from us? Where I used to go to school, students are not allowed to wear spaghetti straps, skirts and shorts that don’t go passed your knee, or shirts that are off the shoulder. Kids are not even allowed to wear opentoed shoes. It was a nightmare.
I couldn’t take it anymore. So now I’m transferring to a glorious school - a wonderful school where kids can wear just anything they want. When I was there visiting, a girl even wore footy pajamas! And that school is called Sudbury. It’s fashion heaven - a place where I finally have Fashion Freedom! www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 21
Art
The Art of Mark Kanter Interview by Caleb McNamara, age 24
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ark Kanter is a fine artist with a very unique style of painting he calls “configuration”. Mr. Kanter has taught in Italy at the International School of Art in Umbria, Columbia University, Parson’s School of Design amongst other Universities. Also a recipient of a New York Foundation of the Arts and a Helena Rubinstein Foundation grant. He lives in Saugerties, NY with his wife, Artist Heather Hutchinson (light and transparency installations) and their son Dante (Scholastic literary award winner and writer for GoodLife and Battering Ram). Caleb: You refer to your work as “configuration”... in the dictionary it says The arrangement of parts or elements in a pattern or form. Do you think you could describe that term a little? Mark Kanter: That’s a term that I borrowed from a friend who’s a poet, artist and an critic named George Quasha... but it’s very appropriate for my work because we think of figuration as one thing and abstraction as something completely different, but I don’t really see those two being separate. If we look at art history and you really analyze what’s going on in a Renaissance paintin... it’s very “abstract”. If those figures walked off the canvas they would be monstrous in our world but they exist consistent with the world that the painter creates. So there’s abstraction and figuration. I call my work “configuration” because I don’t really try to deal in concrete imagery although some stuff that is concrete seeps out. I come from studying and working with the model for 8 hours a day, five days a week at the NY Studio School. So the figures in me do come out, but they come out of a process and the process is configuration. I use monoprint (a single impression of an image made from a reprintable block)... to have something to start with, something to create a structure but also something to create something accidental and exciting for me to respond to, so I’m in dialog with what’s going on in the painting, that’s really my process, I don’t know what the result is going to be. CM: What was it that turned the focus of your work to ancient mythology? MK: I don’t really see the theme being about ancient myths but I have
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Art always been interested in mythology. What I started to notice in MK: I think if somebody is really interested in being a fine artist or these painting over and over again is that they started feeling like visual artist my thought is to not go to art school. Start by trying myths of creation. In a way my talking to you about my art and to get a good liberal arts education because I think that people that my configuration is kind of like mythologizing the act. People are are working in fine art have to have a functional understanding of constantly creating and re creating the reality that they are experi- the intellectual culture that they are living in. Literature and phiencing all the time... a lot of things go into that... their health, their losophy and all that stuff as well as art history and fine visual art emotional state, how tired they are, their culture, their thinking... as a practice are important to study. I think the Malcolm Gladwell their education, their talents... or things they are not good at doing idea of the 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field all these things go into the way they is a good one to start from but I think are structuring their world. So really that it’s one thing if you’re going to art “I use monopront to have something school to learn design, graphics, industhe world is being created all the time by everybody. Right? to start with, something to create a trial design, fashion design or something where you need to be trained to CM: What is your painting process like? structure but also something to do a job. In a way, the job of the artist is MK: It varies the drawings are very to put something out in the world that create something accidental and direct... right onto paper moving macan be a part of the cultural conversaterial around, usually changeable maexciting for me to respond to” tion and can impact people via the culterials like charcoal and then some of ture. You as an artist have to know the the paintings are painted directly to culture inside and out, or at least have canvas as well. I do a monoprint in most of my works drawing the tools to do that, so I think a liberal arts education and studying and painting. They start out on Plexiglas... and I use an oil-based art is a good place to start. You know you can study in another way printing ink that I move around until structure or something starts whether that’s a grad program or finding an artist who you really to suggest itself. I know it when I see it and then I’ll print it onto like and seeing if you could get an assistant job with them. Just canvas or paper... then work back into it once it’s dry. I begin look- working a lot and drawing all the time... putting in the hours. You ing for spatial structure and light and dark structure. I think often have to really put in a lot of hours. very formally but then in the process of making art you can put yourself right in the moment, like a state of Zen, not directing it CM: Do you have any upcoming news or anything you’d like to get with a conscious thought process. In the best of those times I don’t out there? really remember doing a lot of what I do... I’m not in a trance, I’m MK: I will be in a big group show at a gallery called Sideshow in Wiljust acting! There is an immediacy to seeing and responding. When liamsburg Brooklyn in January that’s the only thing upcoming at the I was a younger painter I probably forced things a lot or felt I had to moment. I also might be teaching some drawing around here again. do something one part would work better then another... but now Caleb: Locally? my process is to try to work on the whole thing all at once. MK: Well that’s the question right now. I wish I could tell you, but if CM: So, as a professor, do you have any advice you would give to any something changes before you go to press I’ll let you know. People young aspiring artists who are looking to enter school and then go can contact me through my website if they are interested in that! from there? markthomaskanter.com
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 23
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everywhere. The producer of The Walk, the Zemeckis film, has a weird strategy of publicity that I completely disagree with. They didn’t send me to France, they sent Joseph and the director. They didn’t send me to Moscow–I speak Russian, and have many friends in the arts there. The first time I was invited internationally was by The Rome Film Festival, coordinating with Sony. The film was a big, big success. They introduced me, I did a lot of press. It was four days, but I love to travel and to talk about my stuff.
HILIPPE PETIT is difficult to encapsulate. He is a performer, an artist, a magician, and a craftsman. He has written several critically acclaimed books, such as Why Knot, a poetic guide to tying over 60 kinds of knots; Creativity: The Perfect Crime, a treatise on the creative process; L’Art du Pickpocket, a manual about, yes, exactly what it sounds like; and To Reach the Clouds, a memoir about the day he snuck into the World Trade Center, rigged a cable between the twin towers, and gave early morning Manhattanites the high wire act of their lives. To Reach the Clouds, republished in 2015 as The Walk, is the inspiration for James Marsh’s 2008 Oscarwinning documentary Man on Wire. It has recently been adapted for IMAX 3D by director Robert Zemeckis with Joseph GordonLevitt playing the lead. After opening at the New York Film Festival, The Walk has screened worldwide, receiving much praise. Petit is also an excellent host. After driving down the winding country road to his upstate New York house, I am greeted by Philippe with open arms. I am given the full tour of his barn. He built it himself using exclusively 18th century tools and manuals, which is exactly the kind of information you must come to expect from Philippe Petit. Inside, there is a small, polished stage with a red curtain behind it, where, I am told, Philippe occasionally performs for kids. Next to it is a wall of picture frames commemorating artistic inspirations; Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, Federico Fellini, and Bruce Lee are all honored, as well as his high wire mentor, Papa Rudy. He shows me the golden bow that his accomplice, Jean-Louis, used to shoot the famous wire from one tower to another. Then, we sit down to talk. JACK: How was the Rome Film Festival? How has traveling been in general? Phillipe Petit: At the time of Man on Wire, I was helping with the film and I travelled all over the world. I went to Australia, to Japan, Tonatiuh (left) and his brother Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. Page 24 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
JW: That’s great. So, you talk a lot about being an artist, rather than just a performer? PP: No, no, no. For me, it’s the same. Maybe in America when you say “artist,” you think more painters, or designers. My title is “High Wire Artist” as opposed to, I don’t know, “Circus Acrobat,” which I am not. [Laughs] But I am a performer. You put that all in the bag of arts; I don’t make a big differentiation.
The author with the legendary Phillipe Petit
JW: Was there a time you remember realizing “I am an artist”? PP: No, actually, I never thought of that. It’s a label that people give you when you achieve things, but I never thought of myself as an artist. I would think of myself more as a craftsman. Somebody who wants tools and wants to build things or achieve his goals, his dreams. So I am a worker. We have the word “artisan” in French, which translates as “craftsman.” Somebody dedicated to sculpting wood, or painting, or, in my case, many arts: high wire and other things. But no, to answer your question, I never thought of myself as an artist. I know I am! But, I didn’t stop and say “Who am I?” and “What am I?” I’m busy doing my stuff and people call me what they want. JW: No need to put labels on it. PP: No, I don’t think so.
“I am practicing with very old props and I am walking on a steel wire rope that originated thousands of years ago in the form of twisted vine!”
Cover Story
Life on the High-Wire can be Tricky JW: Was it any easier working with Joseph Gordon-Levitt–I know he plays music and does art of his own–knowing that you had that in common? PP: Yes, yes, yes. He’s a great guy. I know so many movie stars, and very often when you’re famous and rich, you are transforming yourself into sometimes not a nice person, sometimes not a true person. I hate that, personally–people who have lost their soul because of a life like that. So, this kid–I call him “the Kid,” because I don’t know the difference–this young actor, he came to my workshop with the perfect condition of mind. He was very respectful–we were respectful of each other, of course–he was very intellectually open, you know. He came by himself, which is kind of rare, because these days when movie stars travel they have their entourage. Anyway, I had a very tough program. Eight days, 9 to 5, a little lunch, very quickly. I even put beds on the floor, so we could take a little nap after lunch. Working very hard, he succeeded on the last day. He was able to walk on the wire all by himself, 10 feet high, 30 feet long, with a heavy balancing pole. But this wasn’t only because of my teaching, it was because of his state of mind. He has a background of loving circus, loving clowns, loving pratfalls and acrobatics, so it did help. He is a great guy, so I had a good time. He made fun of me of course, because I’m so...you know. Plus, besides learning to walk, I wanted him to learn to walk how I walked, with a certain panache, a certain elegance, a certain bravado. So he learned that. I told him that I wasn’t interested [in having] him just walk across for the film; I wanted him to be me. So, besides learning that, I knew from the first day, he was, from the corner of his eyes, learning how to be me. He was observing my body language, my way of talking, my crazy and very precise thing with details, which was very helpful for his performance. Because at times, I cannot believe it, this guy is me! I gave him a phone call the day after I saw the movie. I said, “You did a beautiful job.” JW: In the book, you talk about a film you’re making in your mind, and a lot of the imagery is very vivid. So, is film an artistic medium you’re interested in? PP: From a very early age, I fell in love with movies, and I’ve wanted to make movies all my life. Actually, when some people say “What do you do?” I like to say “I am a movie-maker who has not done his first movie yet.” When I say that at 20, 40, it’s cute, but now at 66, when I say that, I realize, why did I never do my own film? Is it because I’m too much of a perfectionist and the situation was not super right? Werner Herzog is teaching cinema and he says, “If you don’t have a camera, steal one! And if you write a script for more than 10 hours, then you’re an asshole, so burn it, it’s not a script. A script should be written in a few hours, in a bus, on a matchbox!” This madness I should have followed, because here I am, at the end of my life, and I have not done my first film, and it infuriates me! But I live through my life as cinema,
Story and photos by Jack Warren, age 17
Cover Story
Finding the Balance (cont’d) because–it’s amazing– sometimes I see two or three films a day. But anyway, the way I lead my life, the way I write, it’s very cinematographic. I wrote this book To Reach the Clouds in a cinematographic way. I really cut it ready to be shot, sometimes I even give camera angles and things. When I was 25, I had a great producer in France, who said “Okay, so, you want to make movies?” I said: “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He said: “Okay, well, make a movie for me: three minutes.” And I refused! “Three minutes, that is ridiculous, I will not do that!” I regret that arrogance. I should have said “Of course! Even two minutes!” because it’s a great school to make a movie limited by time. I’m sure there are great movies that are one minute long. I should have played the game. I had the feature film in my head. I knew it was a way for this producer to test me, but I was stupid in that sense. That’s my relationship with movies. It’s even more difficult when a film is being made about me or about a bit of my life like Man on Wire or The Walk. It’s eating me alive, but both films were great films in a way, so I’m not mad. JW: If you were to make The Walk, how would that film be different? PP: That’s a great question. That’s a secret. It would be really ridiculous after a documentary and a feature film in IMAX and 3D for me to even think or talk about if I were to do a film of my own. In a better world, I would love to be asked one day to make a film about the same subject. Even if it’s not a $150 million budget, even if it has to use pictures and footage like in the documentary. I have an entire film in my head. Because I wanted to do that film before The Walk. That’s why I had very good cameramen come to France to
the place I was practicing and they shot all this footage. I have tons and tons of footage of that time, black and white and some color and some with sound. I actually wrote a film of how I would show my walk, and I tried to share that with James Marsh and Zemeckis. I even have storyboards. I would be the happiest man on Earth if somebody said–it’s almost a joke–but if somebody said “Okay, let’s break the rule of cinema, you have a documentary and a feature film about the same subject, and you never have three films about the same subject, but you do it...” I am the guy who did the walk, so I think it would be quite interesting to see my point of view. None of those films have really nailed a certain part of my character, which is part of the adventure–the street juggler, the magician. All that is touched [upon] here and there by those two moviemakers but it’s not even given a full rendition. This rope is not just his rope. It’s his universe, he loves to make knots. But those are not super important things. If my reaction was “I hate the film”, I would not do the press. I like the film very much. But because you get deep into detail and ask me, yes, I would have shown all the rigging differently, the way it really was. Even my street juggling is not shown as my true street juggling. I have a very special character who doesn’t really play with the audience. Well, I play with the audience, but I don’t ask them to applaud or love it. I am almost antagonistic. Here’s my top hat I used in the street, it’s a battered top hat. They decided in the movie to give me a perfect, all new top hat. It’s a crime! JW: That top hat is more battered than my top hat! When I saw The
Petit with the arrow that was used in the historic highwire walk between the twin towers in 1974.
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Cover Story Walk at the Woodstock Film Festival, the whole audience was laughing, clapping, screaming, very invested in the story. Were you ever drawn into it as a member of the audience? PP: Oh, yeah. Sometimes I’m on the edge of my seat and then I realize, it’s crazy, but parts of the movie are so well put together I am drawn into it. From the beginning, there is a certain joie de vivre, which is certainly my credo in life. I’m always joking, always running, always ebullient–the movie conveys it. Maybe a little too much. My friends say, you can be ebullient, but you can also be profound sometimes. But there’s not much profundity there. But we go back to the storyteller. Somebody tells the story and that’s okay.
“Everybody’s so paranoid about safety, about security, which go together a little bit.”
JW: I love feeling the kind of communal sense of storytelling I get with an audience. Do you prefer watching the movie with audiences? PP: Yes, I do, because I’m a performer. Practicing is nice, I love to practice, but only the birds look at you, or your friends. But when you perform, when there is an audience, it becomes the beauty, the miracle of performing. A movie in your bedroom is very different than a movie in a full theater. I like to judge a movie when there’s a full house because you can see the laughter, the “oohs” and “ahs.” You can feel the audience’s reaction and that indicates if the movie moves people or not. The first time I saw the movie, it was the worst. It was in a giant IMAX theater in New York, with me and [my partner] Kathy in a 500-seat empty theater. It was the first time, and I liked it very much, but the next time I saw it, it was the New York Film Festival opening, full of New Yorkers and movie people and they screamed and applauded and laughed. That’s when I realized the film is really catching people. It’s always better to see a performance instead of a little laboratory such as rehearsing or a private screening.
JW: What do you think of the IMAX and 3D technology? PP: I don’t like it, generally speaking. IMAX works well if you shoot the Grand Canyon or a polar bear in the immensity of the Arctic. But a film in IMAX usually is not used to its fullness, although the IMAX was incredible for The Walk. The 3D is the same. Usually I think the 3D is a little device to maybe enhance the movie, but it’s artificial to me. When you see people doing action, you don’t need 3D, but in the case of my walk, it’s incredible what 3D does. The first 2/3 of the movie you don’t need IMAX or 3D, but you cannot do that. JW: What do you think about the digitization of film in general? PP: I have a strange opinion of all that. First, I built my barn with 18th century tools and methods. It took me years. I could have over two weekends, like my neighbors, with tons of noisy electric tools. done the same, but it would not be the same. I wrote a book about building the barn with old tools, because when I look at traditional tools, they are enhancing the communion of the craftsman and the craft. They are not teaching, they are not trying to burn steps or
achieve speed or whatever. It’s a human being sculpting marble or painting. You don’t need modern tools for that, you can use tools that have been used for 4,000 years: a mallet, a chisel, a brush, a canvas. So, I am wary of new tools and a big part of me almost refuses to step into the 21st century. I don’t have an electronic watch, I don’t have a cell phone, I don’t use a computer, I don’t even know what Facebook is, or Twitter. I am practicing with very old props and I am walking on a steel wire rope that originated thousands of years ago in the form of twisted vine!
You’re in trouble and you want to go where the closest hospital is instantly and it [a GPS] guides you, so that’s fantastic, but somehow I think it dulls our senses a lot. I see a lot of people of all ages with their phones and they don’t look at the beautiful monument, they take a picture. In Rome, they take pictures of themselves to prove they were there. They forget to look, they forget to smell. When you have the little maps that say turn left and right–it’s nice to have a real map or to ask somebody. There’s a humanity that we are slowly losing with all those marvelous tools I refuse to make friends with. On the one hand, I am a total jerk, an imbecile. But on the other hand, I feel I possess my senses and I still use them and I’m not going to be caught having them dulled. Maybe the confusion of that is closest to finding balance. At the moment, I am quite unbalanced with my 21st century gadgets. I detest all those little tools. Even for the opening of The Walk they did a little virtual reality thing where the journalists go into a screen and they see the wire and you see all of New York and after three steps the machine says: “You have no balance!” And they all marvel at that. They say, “Philippe, have you tried that?” and I say, “I won’t go near that machine!” It’s not a cable. To me, it’s ridiculous. I see kids sometimes, they have a [video game] program of climbing and they climb virtual-reality rocks as virtual-reality rocks are falling. I say go and climb truly. It seems absurd to me. I must sound like an old guy who hates modern life, but it’s not true. This is a thing I’m not jumping in on. JW: I have a typewriter. So difficult to use, but so satisfying. PP: I wrote my first book with an old typewriter. There is something with those old tools that are not made to win time and make your life easier. There is a certain thing–it sounds silly–but you write with a pencil, at some point your pencil is dull so you stop and go to a sharpener. This kind of little interruption, you’re not just taking a break, you’re thinking of your sentence, you’re thinking “Should it be two sentences?” It’s beneficial, I am sure of that, I have experienced it. [It’s like] sharpening a tool for a sculptor or barn builder; you have to stop from time to time so it bites the wood well, and if you do that, you’re still in communion with the craft you’re doing. You’ll see these are not interruptions. They are not dead moments. They are actually moments to make you daydream or think or prepare for the next phase. That’s how I feel things. [Laughs] www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 27
Cover Story
Finding the Balance (cont’d) JW: You didn’t make this barn in front of an audience. Does doing that feel different from your other artistic exploits? PP: No, because there is a solitude and loneliness in all my craft and in most art. Like a writer or sculptor; it’s one human being with a goal of doing something. Yes, with the barn I could have had 12 assistants, it would have been faster, but I wanted to learn. I was not concerned with time and I liked the fact that it was lonely work. When I work on the wire or practice magic, it’s lonely work. Except, the minute you create a performance, then it becomes a beautiful exchange between people. But the loneliness of the artist is something essential. JW: Do you perform as much as you used to? PP: No, because my profession is a strange one, and I think in some decades it will disappear. It will be illegal; poetry will become illegal. I don’t know. I have a weird feeling. It’s getting more difficult for me to be invited all over the world to do high wire walks. I still do it, and I still receive offers, but not as much as in the past. In some years, I will do five or six performances. These days, sometimes for a year I don’t do anything. Sometimes, I have offers and I reject them because they are not beautiful artistically, but the ones that I would like to do come to me less and less because I think we live in a world where people are afraid to say yes to great moments, great feats, great celebrations. It’s much easier for a politician or minister of culture to say no than say yes, because then they would have to start working on it. No is so easy. For an artist, I receive a lot of nos. I think it comes from the way we live now. Everybody’s so paranoid about safety, about security, which go together a little bit. A stupid example: in some states, you are five years old and you cannot learn to ride a bicycle without gloves and a helmet. Soon there will be a safety belt. In my age, you grab a bicycle, you try, you scrape your hands, you fall 10 times, but if you are stubborn, you will find out how to ride your bike. To put a kid in a cocoon of false security–that, I think, is a kind of gangrene growing around us. Therefore, what do I represent as a wire walker? People who don’t know my world, they think “This guy is crazy, he could fall at any moment, he risks his life,” so therefore they say, “It’s better to hire a mime and not a wire walker for our celebration.” It’s getting harder and harder for me to be invited as a wire walker and I think it’s because it frightens people. I can prove to them I don’t take any risks, but I think we live in a world of people suing each other all the time over security. “You can’t play in my backyard unless you sign this!” I think we have lost our humanity. It’s easier to say no to a magnificent walk between mountains. It’s sad. I keep working, but not as much as I would like. But that’s okay. I do so many other things.
PP: Yes, yes, yes, for many reasons. The political frame is eating the artist alive. It’s very hard to resist. It’s very hard to be an honest and true artist today because of the publicity and promotion, but also the politics of art. I think it’s very hard because if you are not being discovered, if you don’t sell your painting, what are you going you do? You’re gonna take a job on the side and try to paint two hours a day? It’s a fight today for an artist to be an artist. Many artists actually cannot. They wait tables. Nothing wrong with that. It’s not new. Being an artist is a wonderful life, but it’s the most difficult life of all. If you want to be true to your art and to yourself, you have to make no concessions, you have to fight all the time, you have to readjust your priorities. If you’re successful, you have to not fall into the comfort of success; being rich and famous and having collectors come, and you’re not even painting, and already the painting is sold. It’s difficult. But it’s a great life if you are holding on. JW: Do you have any advice for young artists? PP: I do lectures a lot between my rare high wire walks. Sometimes I lecture to kids in universities. It’s very dangerous if you feel you have advice to give young people because, what are you, a guru, a god, a master? It’s a dangerous thing to give advice. But I basically say you need to learn all that is not taught in your schools. Teachers look at me like: “What are you talking about?” I say, “Do you have courses in intuition? Do you have courses in tenacity? Do you have courses in mistakes?” The value of mistakes is that they are the best teacher. Make mistakes and learn from them instead of making mistakes and accusing. “It’s his fault, he did it!” That type of thing. And follow your intuition. Listening to a problem because a problem very often whispers the solution. Rather than having a problem and looking at a big book from school about the solution of such a problem, follow your intuition, listen to your senses, be yourself. In education, we’re not being taught that as kids. That’s why I rebelled. When I was a little kid I was thrown out of five different schools because I was juggling and walking on wire, because I didn’t see the benefit of what I was being taught. My advice is a little bit rebellious: Don’t let anyone tell you that something is impossible. Break the rules. Not the rules of society: don’t start stealing, but break the rules of creativity. Don’t go into a creative session with luggage from the past. Go naked and learn and decide and invent and use extremes, use opposites. Be a rebel a little bit. Find the passion. If you find the passion for something in art or a way of living, then your life will be following that thread of passion. Do not accept destiny as something falling on your shoulders from above, but build your destiny with tools that are very old and don’t need to be modern. Go directly into the matter from your heart to your hands to whatever you want to sculpt. Be true to yourself, find some fire in life and do not let it be extinguished.
“My profession is a strange one, and I think in some decades it will disappear.”
JW: Do you think it’s harder to be an artist today? Page 28 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
Interview
Who are the Earth Guardians?
Earth Guardians is a global group of young solutionaries working to create a better world through activism, art, media, and music. Our vision is a world where young people understand the way each decision we make affects other people and the planet. We are committed to bringing about this vision by elevating the voice of our young leaders - as it is this generation that will be most affected by the decisions we make today.
EARTH GUARDIANS ON THE WEB: TWITTER: @earthguardianz WEBSITE: earthguardians.org FACEBOOK: facebook.com/EarthGuardiansTribe CONNECT WITH CREWS: earthguardians.ning.com
Earth Guardians @ COP 21 In Paris
YouTube: youtube.com/earthguardiankids
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his December, the United Nations met to discuss and come to an agreement on how to address climate change and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. It has been billed as one of the most important conferences for the future of our planet. A delegation of Earth Guardians had the incredible opportunity to amplify the youth voice during these talks. Welcomed by the Paris Earth Guardians Crew, amazing crew leaders from all over the world convened in Paris during COP21 to call on world leaders to act. Xiuhtezcatl and Itzcuauhtli were joined by Aidan Ferris (Woodstock, NY), Daniel Jubelirer (California), Jaiia Cerff (Austrailia), Tashi Dorje (Bhutan), KC Leigh (New Zealand) and some of the Boulder Crew in Paris, to lead RYSE Youth Leadership Trainings and participate in actions, workshops and discussions, beginning with COY 11 (Conference Of Youth).
SHORTS: Teen Films
Bearsville Theater Friday,
Aaron Ableman, Itzcuauhtli Martinez, Aiden Ferris, Jaiia Cerff, Jasi Sikora, Tonatzin Martinez, KC Leigh, Tashi was still en route! www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com •• Page Page 29 29
SilenceIntoAction
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ompletely silent for 45 days, Itzcuauhtli (Eat-Squat-Lee) Roske-Martinez went on strike for climate action. After participating in the People’s Climate March in 2014, the 11-year old boy was furious with the reaction that the hundreds of thousands who marched received. Though the event was major, not much came of it during the UN Climate Summit that happened the following day. Roske-Martinez was so upset by the results of the march that instead of screaming in the streets he decided not to talk. He declared that he would not speak until world leaders would take substantial action on climate change. It was one of the hardest things he had ever done, but made an impact that gave him hope. “I almost gave up because it was so hard, but my mom inspired me to keep going,” shared RoskeMartinez. Through the month of Roske-Martinez’s silence he received many followers including famous people like Mark Ruffalo who believed the no-talking campaign was brave and thoughtful. People pledged around the world to become climate leaders and fight for action. On December 10th of 2014, the followers Roske-Martinez gained agreed to devote anywhere from the whole day to a few hours of silence in honor of the campaign. Itzcuauhtli and his brother, Xiuhtezcatl (Shu-TEZ-caht), were raised under the Aztec tradition. They consider themselves indigenous environmental activists who practice preserving the environ-
By Scarlet Disko, age 17 ment in everyday activities. Tamara, the boys’ mother, is the founder of the Earth Guardians which is a group of performing youth who deliver messages in their music that inspire people to stand together on behalf of the planet’s future. The goal of the guardians is to empower youth to become leaders in order to co-create and promote a better future for themselves as well as the planet. Itzcuauhtli, 12 years old now, and Xiuhtezcatl, who is 15, are strong leaders of this group and travel the world delivering speeches as well as performances of their original eco hip hop. “Why should I go to school and learn a bunch of stuff if there is not going to be a world worth living in?” Itzcuauhtli shared in a letter about his strike. The Roske-Martinez brothers and many of the world’s youth worry that if we do not act now to create a change then there will be no future to continue in. Taking action, the Roske-Martinez brothers are attending the COP21 United Nations Conference on climate change in Paris in December. They are asking for one million signatures to pledge to become climate leaders and join in a moment of silence on December 10th, 2015. The ambition and dedication of these two young boys is inspiring. They have already connected millions of people around the globe to direct more of their focus on how they care for the world. We can save the planet one step at a time through the simple decisions we make on a daily basis.
Q&A with Itzcuauhtli Roske-Martinez Aidan: When you started the silent strike (climate protest) what kind of outcome did you want to see? I know you wanted world leaders to take action, but what did you expect to happen when you first began? Itzcuauhtli: You know, I actually wasn’t expecting so many people to join on and to hear what I had to say or didn’t have to say, I guess. But I really just wanted to get my message out to the people that you don’t have to…whoops! Sorry, I’m cooking here and something just spilled. That you don’t have to be out in the street screaming, you know, in order to get your message across and that the smallest of actions can quantify the person you are and you can still make a difference. Aidan: What was it like to go on a silent strike? Itzcuauhtli: It was EXTREMELY difficult…it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was a lot of pressure: from school, from kids…from everything. You know, it was a constant. Yeah, it was really difficult and at one point I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. Aidan: So what kept you going? Itzcuauhtli: Well, I was about to give up when all of a sudden I started seeing that people were listening to me. That really inspired Page 30 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
By Aiden Ferris, age 21
me to keep doing what I was doing. Aidan: So how exactly did people treat you? Like those around you in school and your teachers…how did people react at first? Itzcuauhtli: My brother was ANNOYED. Aidan: Really?! (giggle) Itzcuauhtli: Just a little bit…I mean, not at first. He was like, this is going to be so sweet. I’m not going to hear my brother talk for like, how ever long. Aidan: Aww! (laughing) Itzcuauhtli: It was funny! But, after awhile, we would start getting into fights and I’d put my finger to my mouth and go “Shh” and he’d get so annoyed by that. But yeah, it definitely had an impact on people around me. It definitely got people curious and it definitely got people kind of like, “Hmmm…” People were sort of testing me to see how serious I was about it…kids trying to get me to talk… kids in the hall just screaming my name trying to get me to turn around and be like, “Oh, hey”. A lot of my friends were supportive.
The others weren’t not supportive; they just didn’t get what I was doing and you know, no matter how hard I tried to explain it I couldn’t because…I couldn’t talk. Aidan: Well, so how did you deal with that... like not being able to fully explain to your friends what you were doing? Itzcuauhtli: Well, I kind of pushed people away, which I wish I hadn’t done. But it was extremely difficult and I would just come home and I’d be by myself because I felt like it would be easier to be by myself than to be out there trying to talk to people who didn’t get what I was doing and didn’t understand why I was doing it…no matter how hard I tried to explain it.
Aidan: Right, it was something you felt you HAD to do instead? Itzcuauhtli: Yeah, if it comes to the point were there’s no other choice, like when they’re still not listening and I feel like it would help, then I’d definitely do it again. I’ll do whatever it takes. Aidan: Cool! OK, well, I just have Cathy and Cynthia here who would like to chime in. Cathy: Itzcuauhtli, you speak such beautiful words of truth. Cynthia: Do you feel that if there was a revolution of silence – let’s say around the world for a day, two weeks, whatever – do you think that would make a difference in with what’s happening with the climate today? Itzcuauhtli: It definitely would! It would definitely get a lot of attention from world leaders. And it would definitely spark a lot of curiosity like it did with me. People would ask, Why are you doing this? And it would get more people on board!
Aidan: That’s so interesting to hear because it’s like those who are around you didn’t quite get it, but then there was this entire global community who was right there with you…so it Aiden Ferris and Itzcuauhtli are stalwarts of the must have been a very interesting experience. Earth Guardians global team. Itzcuauhtli: Sometimes I would come home and I would look up “climate strike” on the internet and, I don’t Itzcuauhtli: They say that one person can fight the revolution, but know, it inspired me. It’s like seeing how many people were mak- if everyone WAS the revolution…even if just 1 million people went ing a difference and however hard I try at school, no matter if they silent one day...it would make a difference. don’t listen or what, I still have hundreds of people by my side. Aidan: That’s awesome! You’re so powerful, Itzcuauhtli! Aidan: What are your next steps in this action moving forward? Do Itzcuauhtli: Thank you so much. you see yourself doing something like this again? I know we’re going to Cynthia: We’re all sending you a big hug. be bringing the petition that you started to COP 21, but after that do Itzcuauhtli: I’ll send you one, too. you see anything that you would like to continue with this action? Do you have any thoughts? Fun Facts with Itzcuauhtli Itzcuauhtli: Well, we’re trying to get as many signatures as we can Favorite Movie: Castle in the Sky or National Treasures for the COP 21 Paris Climate Talks. We have around a couple hunFavorite Actors: Sandra Bullock, Dulé Hill, and Stephen Amell dred thousand right now. Aidan: That’s awesome! Itzcuauhtli: But we’re trying to get 1 million signatures. But yeah, I’m not exactly sure what I might do next - I don’t wanna do a silent strike again. I didn’t want to do it the first time!
Favorite Animal: Monkey Favorite Plant: Hemp Dream Place to Travel: The poorer parts of Africa in order to bring climate change and clean energy/resources to them Favorite Type of Music: Hip hop
Youth Leadership In the News BREAKING: Judge protects right to stable climate in groundbreaking decision in Washington case! Seattle, Washington – Late last night, King County Superior Court Judge Hollis R. Hill issued a groundbreaking ruling in the unprecedented case of eight youth petitioners who requested that the Washington Department of Ecology write a carbon emissions rule that protects the atmosphere for their generation and those to come. In a landmark decision, Judge Hill declared “[the youths’] very survival depends upon the will of their elders to act now, decisively and unequivocally, to stem the tide of global warming…before doing so becomes first too costly and then too late.” ” Itzcuauhtli, Tonantzin and Xiuhtezcatl were the last to carry a sacred stone that was run to COP21 by indigenous peoples all the way from the Artic in the “Run for your Life” initiative. They passed it to the Marshall Islanders to be carried into and kept inside the COP21 summit with all of the prayers for World Leaders to wake up on behalf of the future of humanity.
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 31
Taking to the Streets of Paris COP 21 Delegation Updates Day 1: Weaving the Fabric of Our Social Movement
By Daniel Jubelirer, age 21. Earth Guardians Delegate at COP21 and RYSE Youth Council Member
the world for climate justice, with marches in cities everywhere. In Paris, the climate movement organized a creative “human chain” solidarity action. 10,000 people linked arms in the streets of Paris, on he Earth Guardians delegation has landed in an apartment the sidewalk. We agreed to not block traffic (car or pedestrian) and to in the center of the city, just blocks from the Seine. We had a remain peaceful in our actions. The police agreed to not interfere with community meeting and created house agreements. We are the event. slowly sinking into becoming a family together, with all the joy, love, Later in the day, people laid out 10,000 shoes in Republique Square arguments and organized chaos of a as a “ghost march.” Even Pope Francis community. donated shoes to may in the square in Today we spent all day at COY 11protest of climate injustice. This was a Conference of the Youth. This conference beautiful and artful way to make a big brings together over 7,000 youth statement in the streets while not risking climate activists. There are 40 concurrent arrest! workshops and sessions at all times, plus Around the same time, protesters lots of informal space for networking and against police brutality took to the streets. connecting. My first day of COY was full of They choose to directly confront police, so many amazing connections. and Earth Guardian’s delegates saw police Xiuhtezcatl spoke in the opening spray pepper spray and tear gas into the ceremony, where we were welcomed by crowd, and arrest hundreds with force. a mid-level delegate from France, and UN Protesters also threw bottles and other Secretary General Envoy on Youth Ahmad objects at the police. This action was not Alhendawi. The tone was optimistic: that part of the human chain climate justice this is a time for young people to lead The 0 on our eyes represent zero fossil fuels by 2050, which event. We witnessed the interaction and push for historic climate justice and is what is required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. between police and protesters from the climate action right now. sidewalk just beyond where the tear gas was sprayed, so it got in our eyes. On The Eve of the COP 21: Getting Into Action We are now reflecting on what today’s actions mean for our Successful social movements do not always look to the police or state movement, for this global moment? Earth Guardian’s delegates authorities for permission take action for justice. In the 1965 Civil weighed in: Rights march from Selma to Montgomery, protesters were forbid to “Today was wild. First of all, the action today was really incredible. It march on the first day across that bridge, yet they marched anyways. showed that even though the government banned public gatherings, Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot to death by a state police officer in front of his family for his decision to march. Ultimately, that movement people can get together and co-crate to have an impact when faced changed the United States and the world. In the Indian Independence with adversity. It was a creative solution to a challenging situation. Movement, inspired by Ghandi’s nonviolence principles, communities It was an incredible example of how in the future, when we are hit rose up and claimed their sovereignty despite such actions being with challenges as a movement, that incredible people will come forbidden by the British colonial government. After much courage, forward with solutions. There was a gathering of 10,000 people in the streets! In terms of the violence, it was one of the most dramatic sacrifice, and strategic action, they too were successful Right now in Paris, “state of emergency” laws officially forbid any thing I’ve ever experienced. I was tear gassed for the first time. I’ve political protests, marches or other creative actions in public spaces. never seen anything like that before. It seemed surreal. While it was Yet we face interconnected crisis that impel us to act. The climate crisis, stressful and chaotic, the day was also exciting. It was great to be able ecological crisis, and social inequities are a matter of life and death for to stay connected and safe and together as a group with other Earth Guardians.” -Jaiia Cerff many people. According to “I found the action today a DARA report, 100 million to be really inspiring; so people will die by 2030 many people were there from climate impacts if the standing together- united world does not act now, with a common vision of and many more displaced. the world we want to live 100. Million. People. We in. Even though there was face a historic choice so much aticipation for the right now: act on climate giant march, I think linking change now, or go down arms to show peace, love a path of unthinkable and respect in this way climate chaos. was amazing. I’ve never So today we took seen an actions quite like action. Today we saw that before!” -Aidan Ferris massive action around Photo by Aidan Ferris
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Solar Energy Turning into a Cash Crop for California
By Kyiah Giannelli, age 13
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olar energy has become mainstream in the past couple of years and more and more people are starting to try to jump on the bandwagon and get some extra money. Many of those people are located in California and with its vast plains and open fields it is an ideal location for solar farming. Many people are entering the solar energy with plans to make a lot of money, and some are just entering it by accident. A few years ago a man named Nick Rajkovich bought over a thousand acres in Fresno County California because he wanted to start an almond farm for his family’s business, but lately California has suffered from a large drought and all of Nicks almond plants have been dying. Because of this drought Nick has gone from an almond farmer to a solar farmer. Nick is not the only farmer who has gone this route, many others have started to turn to solar energy because of this drought. It has been predicted that more than 500,000 acres of land will be turned into solar farms. Solar energy is not nearly as valuable as almonds in money terms but in the long run solar energy could be running all of America’s cities, cars, houses and anything else that requires electricity only in the next few years! The state leaders of California are fighting a new law that requires half of the state’s electricity to come from renewable resources such as solar power
Pipeline Issues
With the help of the Hudson Valley community, SOLARgeneration donated this system to the Raktrul Monastery in Eastern Tibet.
by the year 2030. They are also trying to make it cheaper than ever for farmers to jump on the idea of solar energy and make a large profit off of it. Solar energy is definitely changing our nation and we can only hope that one day our nation will be run solely on renewable resources such as solar power.
URGENT: YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED!
FERC has allowed Spectra Energy to begin construction of the massive 42 inch diameter high-pressure AIM gas pipeline and destruction is happening now! The pipeline will cross the Indian Point nuclear facility, putting 20 million people in the most densely populated region of the nation at risk. Please share widely, and take action! http://sape2016.org
Productivity & Outreach Center
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e want to let you know about what the crews are up to around the world... Check out what’s happening in New York: We have had a very busy fall and are learning and experiencing a lot of exciting things. • Omega Institute for the annual Seeds of Change Conference. • Partnering with and supporting local grassroots initiatives. • Annual Bioneers Conference in San Raphael CA. • Volunteering with Scenic Hudson’s river clean-up initiative. • Planting trees and taking part in global cimate marches. • Supporting the Pipline fighters.
The top item on our agenda is the task to create a hub for like minded individuals, young and old to come together and take positive action to address climate change and social justice in our community and the rest of the world. We feel that it is most important to help young people embrace their ability to use creativity to come up with innovative solutions, civically engage, foster entrepreneurship and interact with the wealth of mentors and changemakers in our area. Earth Guardians NY always welcomes new members and soon will be hosting several series of public workshops for young people’s participation. Stay Tuned! —Aaron Luborsky, EGNY Youth Director. You can find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/earthguardiansny Our website: http://earthguardiansny.org www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 33
Animals
Have You Been to the Rondout Valley Animals For Adoption?
By Stella Prince, age 11
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Photo by Anna Compton
oes anyone out there feel lonely? Or sad that they can’t get a dog, perhaps? Well, the Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption Center in Accord, NY will let you volunteer! It is an amazing opportunity to do a good deed and have fun doing it! There are so many adorable pups that you can play fetch and cuddle with. And it is also an amazing feeling to be part of such a great community—everyone knows your name and includes you in special holidays like Christmas—they even give you a stocking! Go to the shelter today, and play with the dogs that have been abandoned, abused, and more. Make their lives happier, and yours too! I got all three of my dogs from the shelter. We adopted Scout before I was born. My parents had just moved here from the city and they needed someone like him to live with us. Scout was adorable and sweet from the moment I first laid eyes on him till the night he died last summer. I will always remember meeting him for the first time. The shelter took him in as a pup and raised him until we took him home. Dotty we still have—she is a sweet, sweet dog, turning seven next summer. We adopted her from the shelter the summer I turned six. She was one. With black dots on a white background, you can’t miss her. She looks like a blur of black and white—she runs so fast. Dotty was found on the side of the road, homeless, and probably abused, until the shelter picked her up and took her from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Accord, where she lived until we got her five years ago. And lastly, my littlest, Cookie. She is caramel colored and white with dark, piercing, brown eyes with a black rim. She is very small—and a bit fearful. She is the cutest thing ever! We adopted her last October when I was 10, and after Scout dying, well, she melted our hearts. I don’t know where the shelter found her, but I remember going inside
They also give the dogs agility training. 2. HOLIDAYS: When the dogs are there for Christmas, each dog usually gets something special. At the very least, lots of cuddles and treats! And that’s all a dog needs, isn’t it? 3. PLAYING: Playing is a very important part of doggie childhoods. Luckily, the shelter understands that and gives them a big field to run in, and the volunteers can take them to a nice playroom in the back for fun and games! It really is a great environment. 4. AND LASTLY… LOVE: The biggest thing that they do there is give the animals love. They cuddle, they play, and the workers really have a special relationship with each animal. So do volunteers! Please come to the Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption Center today. It is a magical place. INFO: 4628 Route 209 Accord, New York 12404 Phone: 845-687-4406 Email: info@suesternberg.com Website: www.suesternberg.com
Anna Bee and Morgan Spinedi #matildathebulldog
Some Area Pet Shelters Heart of the Catskills Humane Society: http://www.heartofthecatskills.org 46610 State Hway 10 Delhi, NY (607) 746-3080 Hudson Valley Animal Rescue & Sanctuary: http://www.hvars.org 15 Barnes Drive Poughkeepsie, NY (845) 392-4849 PAWS Unlimited Foundation: http://www.pawsunlimited.com 637 Murray Rd Kingston, NY (845) 336-7297 and finding her, her sister Scamper, and her mother, Cora, all in a room with big windows. I played with them for a bit and I knew she was the one for me. The shelter is a part of my life. Here are a few things that they do for the dogs there: 1. TRAINING: The shelter uses many methods to train the dogs, such as teaching them to sit and lie down with a simple hand motion. Page 34 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption: http://www.animalsforadoption.org/rvaa/ 4628 US-209 Accord, NY (845) 687-7619 Saugerties Animal Shelter: http://www.saugertiesanimalshelter.com 1765 Rt 212 Saugerties, NY (845) 679-0339 Ulster County SPCA: http://www.ucspca.org
Animals
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 35
Poetry
To the friend I don’t know and maybe never will
By Dalaina Yamawaki, age 16
To the friend I don’t know and maybe never will, I feel it, this need to not be where I am, but to be with you, I was blessed with a life that has so much potential, But I would give all of that up just so you could have it, You have worked harder then anyone I know and myself to get here, I sit and walk with ignorant people who think they are the sun everyday, And you the one that hides like a shadow, because the world is trying to turn you into one,
Ignoring the fact that someones parade just ended when a bomb went off, And people so often turn bombs into fireworks and the debris into confetti, Without a single thought to the bodies, because don’t worry it is just a number, You’re not the one who has to see the face, Or be told that your mother, your child, your sister or your friend, Has just erupted into bits and pieces of what they once were
You are the hidden sun, full of greatness and pain, I look around me and I see people,
My dreams and my future are not worth a penny,
Who have problems that can fit on the tips of their tongues,
As if that face lying on the ground means nothing to me,
Cry out as if they are being separated from their child, their little brother, or their homes,
Because it means so much, you mean so much,
But most of them cant even imagine what that feels like, And I know what I think doesn’t even come close,
So that your easier to hide and easier to swallow because they can’t take it,
But people today are so fragile yet so careless, and when they get hurt and I say get over it,
They cant swalllow the fact that a humans life is worth more then their jordans,
Society erupts in offense to defend the wounds of the ignorant,
And god forbid their shoes get dirty as if there aren’t humans covered in dirt, blood and mud,
But I am sick of watching people throw tantrums over papercuts, It does not make me thankful it makes me sick, To watch people take what they have for granted, Flaunt their privileges around, as if they have helped anyone at all, Marching their endless parades,
If I spend my lIfe acting as if bombs are just fireworks,
So much more than the shadow the world is trying to trap you in,
Trying to escape their country, terrified because they might not make it to their next meal, Yet you cant pause the game when dinners ready because youre on a kill streak, People around me have lost their ablity to connect and to help others, It’s better to just ignore it they say, this is why I strive to much to be with you, To be apart of something and to help someone thats worth it, There is nothing you can do they say, I cannot stay because I will not let be an answer, There is nothing you can do is a phrase I refuse to swallow, Unlike the people who drink it like its water, There is nothing you can do is an ignorant excuse and not a reality, I am sorry that people are so quick to turn your struggles into a status, About how awful the world is or how they send their prayers,
Photo by Kayleigh Myer
Instead of actually doing something about it, My rights mean nothing to me if you dont have them aswell, Because you are not a shadow, you are not something easily swallowed, You are a human, a real, living, breathing and beautiful human, And never let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Page 36 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
Poetry
A Love Root
By Jacob Internicola, age 12
My heart is a root, And winter is coming, Deadly is frost, I better start running. But I cannot run, For I hold the Earth, Just one little tug,
When You Step Out the Door
Skiing
By Hendrix Bruno, age 7
Snow mountains Feels like hills
Feels fast Wind in my face Snow in my mouth
Fragile,
By Forrest Tinney, age 14
Lost,
One winter day I stepped out the door into wonder land.
I need one more clue,
Frost, snow and the ice looked like something from a dream. Yesterday’s snowman looked almost alive and the pond was like a lake of glass on that winter wonder day
Feels great Feels awesome
And it will disperse.
To help sprinkle light, Just like th dew.
A flame, A crystal,
Winter Days
By Katelyn E. Haberski, age 11
It is cold out there But i don’t care; I want to -play in the snow
All just one thing; Man I just wish, like old times we’d sing.
A Love Root is all, All that I am, Sunk in the the ground,
I don’t need to watch a show; I will play with my friends I don’t need to organize my pens; Get me a shawl Bring me a ball;
Photo by Chloe Rovitz
I will play all day I don’t need to lay Winter days!
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 37
Employment
JobConnect
I
Illustration by Caleb McNamara
n order to learn more about helping young people find work, I spoke with Shannon Mahony, Youth Employment Case Manager at Family of Woodstock’s Youth Employment Program. This program helps youth aged 16 to 21 living in Ulster County who are out of school and in need of work experience and career development. They connect young people to paid and unpaid internships. Family’s YEP also off ers workshops on resume-building, career exploration, interviews, job-readiness skills, and more. One way to start out is by finding a volunteer position in an industry you are interested in working in. Once you identify which industry you would like to work in, you can apply for volunteer positions or internships. This volunteer or intern work will help you get some references in your field and get your resume started -- maybe before you’ve even been paid. This is an important part of the process of beginning to work. Yes, you may find yourself working for free. But unpaid/volunteer positions are nowhere near worthless, as Shannon points out. “They provide experience -- something to put on a resume, and at least one professional reference. If you are interested in something but not sure if you want to commit to a job or career in that field, you can volunteer first before delving in.” She added, “If you’re not sure of your interests yet, it’s always great to be involved in extra curricular activities, like after school activities, at your local library through various courses and programs, or through other community events like writing classes or
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By Shannon Meyers, age 21 a Toastmasters club, to help you develop your interests which can help you better understand where you want to go in your career.” When you begin looking at and applying to job postings, it’s important to keep in mind that it doesn’t hurt to try. Does the job posting say you need 2 years experience for the position? Do you feel like you have the qualifications you need to do the job, but don’t have the 2 years experience yet? Do you know that you could quickly learn the skills you need? Do you have other, non-work-related experience relevant to the position? Thinking creatively – and just giving it a shot - can take you far. Another thing that can really help you out is networking - simply talking to people. You’ll be surprised at how many people will be willing to help you when you reach out and let them know what you’re trying to do, and what you have to offer. You can reach many people this way. Think about it: if you let, say, 5 people casually know that you’re looking for some work experience, at least one of them, through their many connections, may know some-
“Find something that you like to do based on your interests so you can get a job that you enjoy.”
Employment
Resumé Dos • Put your jobs in reverse chronological order. Your last/ current relevant job goes first. • Move your education to the end of the page. Your degree in Economics and minor in Sociology should go after your work experience. • Turn accomplishments into numbers. Some departments have 1 person, and some have 350. Quantify yours. • Identify your strengths. Make sure to highlight skills in your resume by placing them directly under the job title. • Write out your description of each skill/accomplishment.
Don’ts • Write paragraphs. Recruiters want to be able to glance at the resume and get the gist. Blocks of solid text require more attention. • Make the recruiter guess what your actual job was. Put your titles in bold. • Share Too Much Information. • Make your resume too long. 1-2 pages is the generally accepted length. Anything longer will likely get overlooked. • Forget to proofread. Look for spelling, grammar, and consistency. Does it make sense? one who knows someone who has been looking for an intern at their office, or whatever. Word of mouth can take you very far, or at the very least, give you a start. Are resumes important? Shannon said, “Resumes are important, but it depends on how much experience you have. If you have no experience and still want to make one, focus on your personal skills. It’s important to take time to do that. Sometimes it’s optional, but it depends. It’s good to have one.” When I asked if she had any general advice for young people seeking work, Shannon said, “Find something that you like to do based on your interests so you can get a job that you enjoy. Don’t let ‘no’s discourage you. Be persistent and motivated. Networking is also important. For interviews, always dress well and ask lots of questions, but also listen. Listening is often more important than talking.” For more information about Family’s Youth Employment Services, you can contact them at 39 John St./P.O. Box 3516 Kingston, NY 12402; (845) 331-7080; (845) 338-2370 (after program hours: 9AM5PM M-F); ycms@familyofwoodstockinc.org. For information about any of Family’s other services, visit www.familyofwoodstockinc.org. www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 39
Music
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Nature
Maple Syrup Report
T
his year about a month ago my mom, brother, and I went to the Ashokan Center for Maple Fest, where we took a hike to their sugar shack and we learned about how to make maple syrup and how to tap a maple tree. We also learned how gross fake maple syrup is because it could contain frack bit lube or other questionable substances! A couple of weeks later my dad bought a field evaporator (small simple evaporator) to use at his client’s house. A few days after that my dad bought some buckets, spiles (a spout to send the sap out of the tree), tubing, and lids. That week we tapped my dad’s client’s maple trees. We tapped about 15 to 20 trees. The next day we got about 20 gallons of sap to boil down in his evaporator. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to equal 1 gallon of maple syrup so that means we got about 2 quarts. Sap only runs when it is above freezing in the daytime but below at night. The weather did not cooperate with the sap flow requirements just about every other day for 2 to 3 weeks, but now it is too cold all the time. Last week we went to my dad’s friend Marty, who was having a maple sugaring party in his sugar shack where he has, in my view, a very nice evaporator.
By Forrest Tinney, age 14
At his party he showed me how to use a hydrometer (a tool to tell the sugar content of the syrup). The way it works is you float it in a special container and where it stops bouncing you read what number it is on and that is the sugar content. The same week my dad’s client said we could take home the field evaporator. At our house we probably evaporated about 120 or so gallons of sap into syrup over the next three weeks. About 2 weeks later my dad and I went to his client’s house to remove the buckets, spiles, and line. Now there is nothing to do but wait and make a sap house.
Maple Fest at Ashokan March 13th 2016 11am-4pm
Photos courtesy of the author
Family Fun, Hands-On Activities, Music and a Pancake Breakfast all day. Tap a tree and watch syrup being made. Try your hand at Blacksmithing. Enjoy singing and dancing with Jay and Molly. More to be announced! Day activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Dinner and Dance to follow! Visit ashokancenter.org http://ashokancenter.org for the details!
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 41
News Year’s Resolutions
JOINING THE DOTS
S
ometimes I realize that there are too many books, magazines or post-it notes in my workspace, countless icons on my desktop creating an explosion in my reality, as well as in my head. Tonight I have decided to clear it all up and start my journey all over again. The question is – does it work like this? Well, I guess the only way to find out is to try. You live and create a mess, you get rid of what makes a distractions and you re-arrange everything to start it all over again. Most of my days I write down everything into my good life journal – my improved life plan, my budget, dietary changes, new startup ideas, my blog topics my music lyrics, poetries and melodies. I write down my thoughts, the ones I feel to be worth to focus on. It can create a huge mess but it can also help to draw out some pretty awesome future project plans. You just have to dig a little deeper into it. So let’s see what happens. What if you had it all? What is the passion, the skill, that one love that you would want to do day and night from early until the very late at night? That is the passion that needs to be found and used right now. You
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By Eliza Salinieka, age 23 United Kingdom
must focus on that - what you would like to do at any moment in your life. What nurtures your personality, improves mind, body, and soul and gives you that energy buzz, creates happiness, brings money and meaning into your life supplying you with the very essence of yourself being the most powerful person in the world! Someone I met a while ago told me that life is all about joining the dots and I can agree that this is very true also for me. We can only jump from one experience to another and sometimes we need to stay longer in one place, struggle a little bit to be able to jump higher to get closer to our most desired goals. Remember every little experience affects your goals – decisions, people you spend your time with, your focus, persistence of your work, your failure or success. All of this is creating your value and you want to make sure it grows. How can you then think systematically and how can you create a smoother process in order to be where you want to be? Start with planning and setting up some goals and then focusing on those goals 24/7 and please do look after your life and dreams like it’s all that matters. I promise that the results will come if you are true to yourself.
“How can you then think systematically and how can you create a smoother process in order to be where you want to be?”
Holidays
The Sofa
W
By Amanda Liotta, age 14 hen I was younger, a tough old sofa was positioned like an immobile dragon in my parents’ living room. The leather was a dull brown the color of chocolate. My sister and I, without permission, would eat our morning toast on it and drip warm butter, crumbs, and raspberry jam on the pebbly exterior. We’d watch non-age appropriate sitcom on it since we had free range of the remote. I would jump on it when no one was looking, pretending to be a ninja. My baby sister would stuff crackers beneath the seats for fun. That sofa was burdened by my sister and I tossing and turning on it at nights as we waited to catch Santa Claus in action. The sofa was parked between two walls yet didn’t mold properly between them. A snug triangular shaped gap resulted out of it. It was a plan area for us kids. A cute little room we stashed all of our legos in. My sister and I hid in there once while we played hide and seek with our mother. Apparently it was too good of a place to hide since five minutes into the game our mother was beginning to grow panicked and called out our names is desperation. That sofa was with my sister and I for eight years before being tossed out yet its memory will always lie in us.
Holiday T-Shirt
by Will Lyttle of Thorneater Comics for sale on December 21, 5 PM at Golden Notebook, 29 Tinker St, Woodstock. (845) 679-8000 There will be portraits, quick sketches and lots of laughter and good cheer! T-shirts are also available at Thorneater Comics on Facebook.
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 43
Memories
In Memory: Shama Gaffney, Ryan Kelder and Derek Wood
For Shama Fallen Among Us You see three horrible letters and you recognize the name. Faces flash through your mind to find this name’s place. You pray you do not not know them and for all the ones who did.
The World goes on but it will never be the same without you... you are like family and will be forever in our hearts and minds. For now we will keep our friends close and watch over them and be there...and you will be there watching over us too.
By Kaitlana Petunia Viglielmo
A face comes up and into focus as you read the words. Your heart begins to pound.
You wish you could have helped in some way.
You know them.
You wish you knew them better.
You knew them, but it’s many years ago.
You wish didn’t know their name.
Now all you know is the name,
You’re friends with friends of the ones that fall.
The face, And a smile
You want to help them out -
That can no longer be embraced.
Let them know they’re not alone But all this for not.
A feeling of loss takes over
It’s gone to far.
Even though what’s lost, you never really knew.
Its hit the bottom.
You feel this guilt That comes from nowhere And has no place to stay
Now we must go on. It’s stuck every generation, Young and old alike. You want it all to stop. You don’t want another one to fall. You may not know them,
But you do. All the time may pass, But you’ll still see their face, Hear their name, and miss the simile That you never had the chance to know. You have joined the fallen: The group gone to soon Before their time. You have fallen amoung us. It wasn’t your time. It’s too sad and too soon. You are still one of us, Still a big part of what we all are. Together, we must stand To stop this tragedy, So there will be no more letters before a Name you knew. So there will be no more fallen among us, And no one will have to know this pain Of losing the one you knew, The one you loved Your friend.
Above left: Shama Gaffney with his sister Shayla and mom Gloria at his graduation ceremony. Above: Ryan Kelder showing his sense of humor. Right: Derek Wood, who was known for his freestyle stunt bike tricks. Page 44 • www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com
Awareness
Community Lives at Risk
O
n November 16, 2015, concerned citizens gathered at the Woodstock Town Hall in light of two recent local drug-related deaths. Over 70 adults, youth and health professionals were in attendance. To start the evening, Dr. Ray Harvey of the Institute of Family Health and a member of UCAN (Ulster County Against Narcotics) Legislative Committee, gave a presentation displaying statistics, including a graph that showed the rise of OxyContin sales, heroin-related deaths, and drug rehabilitation admissions related to opioids. “In the 70s, the heroin epidemic in minority communities caused 2000 deaths a year,” he stated. “In 2013, there were 9000 deaths from heroin. I believe we’ve seeded the ground for a heroin epidemic by making opioids so available. Kids in my office say, ‘My mom gave me an OxyContin for pain” with the same ease as “My mom gave me a glass of milk!” Dr. Harvey described how Naloxone works as an opioid antagonist against heroin - a powerful opiate. When a person overdoses on heroin, the drug binds to too many opioid receptors in the brain. This causes the brain to stop sending signals that regulate a person’s heartbeat and breathing. If Naloxone is injected during an overdose, it knocks the opioids off the brain’s receptors, allowing the person to breathe normally again. The medication can be administered either by needle or nasal spray. Dr. Harvey is doing trainings and giving the drug to save lives. A local young man from Saugerties named Aaron, reported on his own path through drug addiction. “From 18 to a couple years ago when I got clean, I was arrested every couple of months. I was in hospitals and rehabs, here and in Miami, and I got high the day I got out. Finally I did my time in jail and got tired of it. No one would bail me out. My mother stuck to her guns. Then I moved to another town, made new friends. All my old friends are dead, in jail, or still using. I went to a meeting every day and stayed clean.” Aaron graduated from Twin County Recovery Services, an outpatient drug treatment program in Catskill. Aaron asked why no one was talking about Vivatrol, a Medical Assisted Treatment he found helpful. He is now a volunteer with AWARENESS, the New Paltz-based peer-topeer education program organized by Marie Shultis. AWARENESS Volunteer Caitlyn Sanzi, Peer Leader and Assistant Administrative Director of AWARENESS, described it as “a safe place for youth 16 to 24 to speak openly about their feelings. You don’t have to have a problem, we welcome all youth. We educate youth to deal with peer pressure, talk about self-image, as well as the dangers of substance use. Young people may attend the eight-week sessions to learn life skills.” Activist and parent Rachel Marco-Havens stated, “We have a disconnection problem, we’re not listening to the young people. We have to start working toward youth empowerment.” Marco-Havens added, “Kids are taking responsibility for their friends’ problems because they don’t feel the adults are. They say you
Report By Mikey Shultis, age 21 can get an eighth of coke with the right handshake any time in school. Some kids suggested early drug education.” A recent graduate of Onteora said, “Why is it I wasn’t made aware of what Percocet was until I found myself addicted in 10th grade after taking it for three years?” Kasandra Quednau, a 24-year old in recovery shared how she grew up using drugs on the streets of Woodstock. “In all the time my friends and I walked around high no one ever confronted us. They had to know.” While she was happy to learn about the services Family of Woodstock offers, she never knew they existed. Kassandra was excited that she had the opportunity to attend the AWARENESS Education Program and was amazed at what a wonderful resource it is. “It’s important to offer youth a safe place where they aren’t judged.” Carol Kelder stood up and spoke about her son’s story. “On November 22, 2013, my son overdosed from heroin. The hospital was going to release him with no plan for more treatment until my husband and I said, “He needs a referral.” In August 2015, he overdosed again and died. “I’m a grieving parent, first in the shock stage, then the sadness stage, and now the anger stage. If you can hear me at all, that has to change. We have to work on it as a community.” Vince Kelder, Ryan’s father, shared “I was the one who found my son dead on the kitchen floor. I’m a person in recovery. I haven’t had a drink or drug in 19 years. When I found my son dead, I didn’t pick up a drink, due to my spiritual principles.” He attributes his sobriety to Twelve-Step programs that saved him from addiction. Randi Kelder, Ryan’s sister also spoke about her brother. She described Ryan’s addiction started when a doctor prescribed Xanax, a common antidepressant, while he was attending college. She recalled how in the hospital in 2013, Ryan was ready to get help. The hospital said his problem wasn’t bad enough to help him. Randi reiterated what her Mom stated and encouraged everyone to band together and hold the insurance companies accountable to provide much-needed help through health insurance plans to save lives. With this disease affecting more and more of our youth - right here in our own communities - we need to address it now. Please write or call your State Representatives and tell them drug addiction is a disease and must be included in health insurance coverage if we are to change the current course of society.
Illustration by Caleb McNamara
“Kids are taking responsibility for their friends’ problems because they don’t feel the adults are.”
www.goodlifeyouthjournal.com • Page 45
Illustration by Caleb McNamara
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