Anyonewhomenstruatesisfamiliarwiththepanicthatcomeswithstarting aperiodunexpectedlywithouttamponsorpadsathand.Luckilyforthe IHScommunity,thispanicismerelymomentary,duetotheconsistent
supplyofmenstrualproductsinIHSbathrooms Oh, wait Asurveyofthe women’sbathroomsatIHS(theonlybathroomswhereperiodproductsare currentlyavailable)foundthatmanywerelackingmenstrualproducts
Asforthepadsandtamponsthatdoexistinsomeofthebathrooms,theyareof extremelypoorquality,tothepointofbeingbarelyfunctional.Thesmallpadsare toothintowithstandmorethananhourorsoofmoderateflow,andthepapery tampons with cardboard applicators are uncomfortable. Since cardboard applicatorsaredifferentfromthemorecommonplasticones,postersexplaining howtousethemwouldbebeneficialThe Tattler EditorialBoardaskstheschool toprovidedecent,functionaltamponsandpadsformenstruatingmembersofthe IHScommunitytouse
Additionally,therearemultiplewomen’sbathroomstallsinIHSthatdonot havesanitarytrashreceptaclesfordisposingofmenstrualproducts,andnoneof themen’sbathroomshaveanyatall.Thisisanissueregardlessofwhether someoneisusingproductsfromhomeorprovidedbytheschool.Withouta receptacle,apersonisleftwithseveralundesirableoptions:walkoutofthestall intoacrowdofpeopletodisposeofthebloodypadortampon(notanenjoyable experience for anyone involved), flush it down the toilet (disrupting the plumbing),stuffitintheirbackpack(anunhygienicsolution),orjustleaveiton thefloor(unfairtojanitors)Trashreceptaclesineverystallareessentialinorderto keepIHSbathroomscleanandfunctional
The Tattler EditorialBoardrequeststhatthesechangesbeimplementednot onlyinwomen’sbathrooms,butthroughoutallIHSbathroomstoensurethat everymenstruatingpersonattheschoolhastheirneedsmet,regardlessofwhat bathroomtheyuse.Menstruationisnotuniquetocisgenderwomen;peoplewho usethegenderneutralormen’sbathromsmayalsomenstruate.“It’sirritating havingnosuppliesorstalltrashcansinthebathrooms,”saidSkyBoyko,anIHS
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TheTattleristhemonthlystudent-runnewspaperofIthacaHighSchool.Allcurrently-enrolledstudentsatIthacaHighSchoolarewelcometosubmitwritingandphotographs. Asanopenforum,TheTattlerinvitesopinionsubmissionsandletterstotheeditorfromallcommunitymembers.Emailsubmissionstoeditor@ihstattler.comormaillettersto:
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studentwhomenstruatesandusesthemen’sbathrooms.Hewent ontoexplaintheawkwardnessofwalkingoutofthestallto disposeofmenstrualproductsinto“aseaofguysjustlookingat me"Supplyingmenstrualproductsandsanitarytrashreceptacles exclusivelytowomen'sbathroomsfailstosupporttransgender studentsatIHS
OtherschoolsinIthacaaretakinginitiativetoaddressthese typesofproblems.AsofSeptember2020,CornellUniversity providesfreemenstrualproductsineverysinglebathroom,an initiativeledbytheGenderJusticeAdvocacyCoalition.Abasket withnumeroustypesofperiodsuppliescanbefoundnexttothe sinks in Cornell bathrooms, including pads and tampons of multiple sizes There are also informative flyers about the movementtoprovideallschoolbathroomswithadequatesupplies
AtIthacaCollege,similareffortshavebeenmadetoensure accesstomenstrualproductsforallstudentsandstaffmembers, regardlessoftheirgenderidentity InApril2022,theschool’s Student Governance Council passed the GenderNeutral BathroomsinAllAcademicBuildingsbill.Thisbillnotonly focusesonthecreationofgenderneutralbathrooms,butalso includesarecommendationforeverybathroomatICtohavea supplyofmenstrualproducts.
Theseeffortstomakemenstrualproductsaccessibletoallare exactlythekindofinitiativesourownhighschoolshouldbe leading
AsforstudentparticipationinleadingthisinitiativeatIHS,the Tattler EditorialBoardasksthatthestudentbodystopwasting menstrualproductsinanattempttobefunny.Itisnotunusualto findpadsonthewallandtamponsinthesinksofIHSwomen’s bathrooms.Thoseparticipatinginthisactaretakingawayvaluable andvitalresourcesthatmanystudentsrelyon.Thesetypesof stuntsdisproportionatelyharmlowincomeindividuals,whomay notbeabletoaffordtobringtheirownmenstrualsuppliesto school
TheannualStateofthePeriodsurvey,commissionedbythe periodunderwearcompanyThinxandthenonprofitorganization PERIOD,studiesbarriersforstudentaccesstomenstrualsupplies intheUnitedStates.Theresultsofthe2021studyfoundthat almostoneinfourmenstruatingstudentsinthecountryexperience “periodpoverty,”atermusedtorefertotheinabilitytoaffordor accessmenstrualsuppliesduetolowincome.Accordingtothe TompkinsCountyYouthServiceDepartment,17.4percentof Ithacansunder18livedunderthepovertylinein2021,compared to169percentofpeopleinthatagegroupnationwide(United StatesCensusBureau)Therefore,itcanbeconcludedthatperiod povertyisquitecommonhereatIHS
“So,whatifIdon’tmenstruate?”youmaybewondering,“What amIsupposedtodo?”Allstudentsarerelatedtoandknowpeople whosebodiesgothroughthismonthlycycle.Tosupportyour peers’physicalandmentalhealth,youcancarryaroundapador tamponinyourbackpacktogivetoafriend(orstranger)inneed. Unfortunately,therecontinuestobeasocietaltabooregarding periods,butyoucanhelpbreakboundariesbyofferingthissimple
kindness.Moreover,ifyoudonotmenstruate,leavetheschool providedproductsaloneDonottamperwiththemorthrowthem away,asmanyatIHSgreatlyrelyonthem
AllbathroomsinG andHbuildingatIHSwillbecome genderneutralinthespring,andtheabovechangesshouldbe implementedinthosebathroomsassoonastheyaremadeavailable foruse.The Tattler EditorialBoardbelievesthatalargesupplyof qualitymenstrualproductsineverybathroom inadditiontomore sanitary trash receptacles is absolutely necessary. Those who menstruateshouldneverhavetobestuckinasituationwherethey lackadequateperiodsupplies.Whenstudentshavewhattheyneed, theycanfocusmoreonacademics,sports,andtheirsociallivesIn ordertotakeastandagainstperiodpovertyandtransphobia,every bathroomdeservesperiodnecessities
Everyyear,theIHSEnglishdepartmentgatherstopicka certainsetoftextsNaminganyofthesetexts,including Of Mice and Men, Macbeth, Othello,and A Raisin in the Sun,
willsparksomenottoodistantmemoryinthemindofanyIHS student.Indeed,someofthesebookshavebeentaughtatIHSfor morethan50years,andareknownasCoreTexts.Englishteachers fromeachgradevoteannuallytoselectthreeCoreTextsfortheir grade,andthebooksthenmustbetaughtbyeveryteacherinthat gradeAPEnglishLanguageandComposition(APLanguage),an 11thgradecourse,isthesingularexceptiontothemandatoryCore Textssystem Tonote,neitherIthacaCitySchoolDistrictnor NewYorkStatemandatestheCoreTextsystemItisclearthatthis systemofCoreTextsisfailingbothIHSstudentsandteachers.
CoreTexts,especiallyin9thand10thgrade,arerequired rhetoricinEnglishclasses.Butforcingstudentstoreadcertain requiredtextseveryyear,manyofwhicharethesamefamiliar novels,benefitsneitherstudentsnortheteacherswhoarerequired toteachthesetextsthattheythemselvesmaynotevenlikeinthe firstplace
Furthermore,havingEnglishteachersvoteonwhichbooksto establishasCoreTextseachyearentrenchesacertainsubsetof books As Ms Crawford, an AP Language teacher at IHS, describes,“Adisproportionatenumberofthecoretextsarewritten byolddeadwhiteguys Therearemanymoremoderntexts publishedthatfeaturediversevoices,andI’dlovetoseesomeof thosetextsmoreprominentlyfeaturedinourcurriculum.”The currentsystemencouragestheselectionofbooksthathavebeen taught in the past for which teachers already have curricula prepared.AnotherfactorinCoreTextselectionisthenumberof copiesofabookthattheschoolowns.SinceIHSownslimited copiesofnontraditionalnovels,teachersfavorlongestablished CoreTextssuchasOfMiceandMen,whichtheschoolalready hashundredsofcopiesof
ThecurrentCoreTextsystemisanobstacletoteacherswho wanttointroducenewandalternatetexttypestostudentsand negativelyimpactsstudents,whoseeverysimilartexttypesfrom yeartoyear.Thoughstudentsmaysporadicallyseenovelswritten bymorediverseauthors,theyareunabletowidelyexperience differenttypesoftextsduetotheCoreTextssystem.Forinstance, thisschoolyear and,forthatmatter,manypastschoolyears all 9th and 10th grade English classes must study a play by Shakespeare Moreover,CoreTextsmustbewholeclassnovels, meaning that implementing any form of student choice is impossible AlthoughCoreTextsdoprovidesomemeaningful standards for English classes by ensuring that teachers aren’t unilaterallychoosingtheirbookswithoutanyinputfromthe department,newlyreleasedtextsormoreunfamiliarandunique textsarenotrepresentedasstronglyintheCoreTextlist.Still, someteachersfeelthathavingsomesortofCoreTextrequirement isuseful.Mr.D’alterio,anEnglish10teacher,saidthat“[Core Texts]challengeyoungfolks’literacyinwaysthatIwishIwas pushedtopursue”
The Tattler EditorialBoardbelievesthebestwaytosupport students’interestinreadingandbringthemostvalueoutoftheir English classes is to have English teachers from each grade contributetwoorthreetextstoalistofpossibletitlesfortheir gradelevel.Englishteacherswouldthenhavetopicktheirreading materialfromthatlist,insteadofhavingthreerequiredtexts.In ordertoensureamorediverserepresentationofauthors,time periods,andopinionsinthebooksreadinclass,teacherswouldbe required to teach more novels than just the ones that they contributed namely,theselectionsofotherteachers Withthis systeminplace,teacherswouldbeabletoteachstudentsmajor ideasinanuniquewaywhileensuringthatstudentslearnthrough awidevarietyoftexts
Additionally,morestudentchoiceinclassliteratureshouldbe implemented.Specifically,studentgroupworksuchas“litcircles” alreadyusedinmanyclassesprovideindividualstudentsthechance tochoosebookstoreadthattheyfindinteresting,andshouldbe expanded.Teacherscanprovidealistofafewbooksfromwhich studentscanchoosetoreadeitherindependentlyoringroups,
dependingontheunit.ThesereformstotheCoreTextpolicyat IHSwouldgreatlyimprovebothstudents’andteachers’freedom inthetextstheywishtoreadandteach,helpingtocreateamore personalizedlearningenvironmentforstudentswhilemaintaining highliterarystandards
OpeningupEnglishclassteachingmaterialstoawidervariety ofbooksratherthanaprescribedlistoftextswillgiveEnglish studentsagreaterexposuretodifferentauthors,fosteringagreater understandingofdiverseliterarythemesandhelpingstudentsfind booksthattheyreallylove.Thisapproachbenefitsbothstudents, whocanfindmorevaluefromtheirreadingoptions,andteachers, whogaindiversecurriculumoptionsandareallowedtoteach theirfavoritetexts
ByMUKUNDGAUR
Thismonth,theBoardofEducationmetonOctober25th andNovember15th.BoEmeetingsbeginwithapublic commentsession,whereanycommunitymembercan speak,followedbytheRepresentativestotheBoEfromIHSand LACS,andsubsequently,theconsentagenda,wheretheBoard createsresolutionsinExecutiveSession(aprivatesessionthatthe publicisnotallowedtoattend)andpassesthembyvoteduring themeeting
AttheOctober25thmeeting,updatesonbathroomsatIHS werediscussed,withMr.Breiman,thefacilitiesdirectorofICSD, informingtheboardandthestudentrepresentativesofeffortsto reducevandalismanddestructioninbathrooms.Thebathrooms hada“baselineclean”earlierthisyearwithServoProtoeliminate
thesmellofurineandotherunsavoryaspects,butrenovationswill begininFebruaryandAprilofthisschoolyear.BathroomsinG andHwillbecompletelyredoneasgenderneutralMentalhealth dayupdateswerealsodiscussed,asthestudentrepresentativesto theBoEhavebeenworkingtomakethedistrict’slanguageand policysurroundingmentalhealthdaysclearer Thepolicywill likelybereviewedandrewritten,andtheBoEplanstomeetwith studentstounderstandwhatthestudentbodyproposesformental healthdays.ThestudentrepresentativesalsospoketoMs.Grover, theinclusionofficeratICSD,whoisworkingtoimplementthese changes.
Electricbuseswerealsobroughtupatthemeeting,andatleast twowillbepurchasedbyICSD Thedistrictisalsohopingfor grantstohelpbuythesebuses TheBoEalsodiscussedaland easementthatwillexpandtheGreaterIthacaActivitiesCenter (GIAC)ontosomelandformerlypossessedbytheCityofIthaca AttheNovember15thmeeting,therepresentativetotheBoard of Education from LACS discussed their system of school democracy,andarecentvoteatLACSastowhethertocontinue that system of school democracy, which failed to pass. The representativestotheBoEfromIHSdiscussedsomeupdatesat IHS,includingwintersportsstarting,theMoroccoTrip,andplans forthetenniscourtfencetoberepaired,andbroughtuptheir continueddiscussionofMentalHealthdaysinICSDThismeeting alsofeaturedapresentationbyMs GroverandMs Talcott,the deputysuperintendent,whodiscussedLearningForwardICSD,a planforprofessionaldevelopmentthathasfourkeypillars:Students as partners and leaders, educator identity work, antiracist curriculumforall,andstructuresofsupport.Partsofthisplan being implemented include antimarginalization curriculum advisors,therapeuticcrisisinterventionforschools(TCIS) ICSD hopestohaveatleastoneTCIStrainerineachbuilding,andyear toyear learning maps The BoE discussed pushback from educators,interruptingoppressiveschoolpractices,andotherways toimprovethisplan TheBoEalsodiscussedplanstomove forwardonretireehealthcareplanissues(seethepreviousmonth’s article)
BudgetandvotingmeetingsoftheBoEareopentothepublic, andthosewhowishtoattendmonthlyvotingmeetingsshould arriveattheBoardbuildingaround7pm,astheBoardwilllikely beinexecutivesessionuntilthattime.Additionalinformation includingtheBoE’sagenda,timesofmeetings,andmorecanbe foundathttps://goboarddocscom/ny/icsd/Boardnsf/Public#
Anationalassessmentofmathproficiencyshowsthelowest resultsinadecadeButinIthaca,it’sevenworse InlateOctobertheNationalAssessmentofEducational Progress,orNAEP,whichisknownasthe“Nation’sReport Card”wasreleased.Thisassessmentisadministeredeverytwo yearsandtestsfourthandeighthgradersontheirmathand readingproficiency Thereportshowsahugedropinmath proficiencyintheUnitedStates,withthenationalaveragefalling to26percentforeighthgrademathwhenjustthreeyearsago that number was 34 percent According to data from these nationalreportcards,mathproficiencypeakedfrom2007to2011, whenabout40percentofstudentstestedasproficient.Arethere factorsthatcausedstudentstoperformpoorlyinmath?Howdid mathproficiencychangeinICSD?
Thereisn’tanydatafromtheNAEPaboutIthacaspecifically; however,thereisdataavailablefromstatemathteststhatare administeredtogradesthreethrougheightThemostrecentdata availableistheNewYorkStatetestresultfrom2021,whichwas duringthemiddleofthepandemic In2021,only10percentof eighthgrade students in Ithaca were considered proficient, meaningtheyscoredalevelthreeorfourontheassessment.A levelthreeonthisassessmentmeansthatthestudentisableto meetthecommoncorestandardsfortheirgradelevel,whilea levelfourmeansthatastudentisexcellingandisperforming abovetheirgradelevel’sstandards.
Thedatapoolmaynotbelargeenoughtobecompletely accurateasonly82eighthgradestudentsfromICSDweretested Nevertheless, 10 percent is an extremely low number even comparedto2019’sresults,whichfoundthat21percentofthe 150eighthgraderstestedwereproficientButitwasn’talwaysthis way.In2013,ICSDhad389studentstakethestatetest,and41 percentofthesestudentstestedasproficient.Clearly,41percent to10percentisaconsiderabledrop.Onereasonmightbethatthe numberofstudentsthatactuallytookthesestateassessments droppedsignificantlyfrom2013to2021.Whatadditionalfactors might be contributing to this significant drop in math proficiency?
Itiswidelybelievedthatthepandemicisthemainreasonwhy studentsareperformingworseinschoolMissingoverayearand ahalfofarealschoolexperiencehassetbackagenerationof learners.Afterthepandemicstarted,almostallschooldistricts
aroundthenationswitchedtoacompletelyvirtuallearningplan. IntheexperienceofmanystudentsinICSD,thismeantsitting aroundalldayoncomputers,barelypayingattentiontowhat wasgoingoninclass Duringthepandemic,studentssimply weren’tlearningaswellastheycould,anddefinitelynotlike theyhadinpreviousyears Ithasbeenmostlyagreeduponby educators and government officials, including the current SecretaryofEducation,Dr.MiguelCardona,thatthislackof proper education has caused a downfall in learning and proficiencyforstudents.
Aftermonthsofbeingcompletelyvirtual,schoolsslowlystarted toreopenandtransitiontoacompletelyinpersonclassroomora hybridstyleoflearning Theideawasthattheearlieraschool transitionedtobeinginperson,themoreproficientitsstudents were Thatassumption,however,isn’taccurate,asdatashowed thatthereisnocorrelationbetweenthetwo Texaswasastate that pushed for schools to reopen, however, their math proficiencyissimilartothenationalaverage,whichwas26 percent.AccordingtoNAEPdata,in2019Texashadamath proficiencyof29percent.Floridahadsimilarreopeningplansto Texas,andtheirmathproficiencyisslightlyhigherthanthe nationalaveragebutisstillbelowthe2019proficiencyof31 percentCalifornia,ontheotherhand,wasverycautiouswhenit cametoreopeningschools Still,theyhadsimilarresultsto Florida,fallingfrom34percentin2019tojustalittleover26 percentThisdatashowsthatreopeningschoolsdidn’tdomuch tochangestudentperformance,suggestingthatthereareother factorsthatmayhavecontributedtostudentperformance.
ReturningtoICSD:thestatemathtestresultsarenotonly affectedbythenumberofstudentswhotookthetests,butalso bywhotookthetests.InNewYork,astudentineighthgrade takingAlgebraisexemptfromtakingthestatemathassessment, becauseAlgebraIcountsasaninthgradecourse Thiswould haveexcludedthesignificantportionofeighthgradestudentsin ICSDwhotakeAlgebraIineighthgradefromtakingthestate mathtest,skewingthemathproficiencydatainIthaca
Theremightbeotherreasons Duringthe201516school year,ICSDelementaryschoolsslowlyswitchedfromabranchof SingaporeMathtoanewmathprogram,EurekaMath.This changecausedwidespreadfrustrationamongbothteachersand studentswhofeltthatthesemathworkbooksmayhavealigned withthecurriculumrequirementsbuttheydidnotteachmath effectively or in depth This lack of foundation for math educationinthedistrictmayhavehaddetrimentaleffectson mathproficiencyinICSD
MathproficiencyisgoingdownintheUSandinIthaca,and itcannotcontinuetodeteriorateattherateitisTherearemany factorsthatcouldhavecausedthisdownfallsuchasachangein mathprograms,theCOVIDpandemic,andthenumberof studentsthatactuallytakemathassessments.Inthecomingyears, thecountryandschoolsacrossthenationwillseeiftheyareable tobouncebackfromthisandflipthestoryaboutmathinthe UnitedStates
Affirmativeactionisperhapsonethebiggestbuzzphrasesin thisdayandage Itdescribes“Thepracticeorpolicyof favoringindividualsbelongingtogroupsknowntohave been discriminated against previously,” according to Oxford Languages The general idea behind the concept within a universitysettingisthathistoricallyoppressedpopulationsmay needmoreassistancetosucceedacademicallyduetothehistorical challengestheyhavefacedThepolicyishighlycontroversialand has become especially partisan with Democrats generally supportingitsimplementation,andwithRepublicansopposingit. Affirmative action has been used by colleges as a factor in admissionsdecisionsfordecadesnow.Whileit’scertainlynotthe onlycriteriaconsidered,somepoliticiansandactivistsclaimthat raceplaysanunfairlylargeroleinadmissions.
Opponentsoftenclaimthatsuchpoliciespenalizehistorically privilegedcommunitiesandsetadoublestandardthatmakesit harderforwhiteandAsianapplicantstobeadmittedtocolleges andthereforesucceedintheircareersThesecomplaintshaveled toarecentSupremeCourtcasewithsignificantimplications, showingthatalargenumberofpeopleareunhappywiththe system.
In2014,alawsuitagainstHarvardUniversitywasfiledbythe organizationStudentsforFairAdmissions.Thegroundsforthe suit are that Harvard’s policy of “raceconscious” admissions decisionsareimmoralandunconstitutionalunderTitleVIofthe CivilRightsActof1964,whichstatesthat“Nopersoninthe UnitedStatesshall,onthegroundofrace,color,ornational origin,beexcludedfromparticipationin,bedeniedthebenefits of,orbesubjectedtodiscriminationunderanyprogramor activityreceivingFederalfinancialassistance.”Theplaintiffsare representingAsianAmericanstudentsrejectedfromHarvard,who
arguethattheyhadthequalificationstobeacceptedbutwere deniedbecauseofthealreadyhighAsianAmericanrepresentation oncampus.Additionally,AsianAmericanapplicantsgenerally receivedlowerscoresonpersonalitymetricsusedintheadmission processascomparedtoapplicantsofotherraces.
Harvardreceivesfederalfunding,oftenintheformofgrants, whichcanamounttomillionsofdollars Harvard’sdefenserests on the argument that raceconscious admissions are not discriminatory and allow them to foster a more diverse communityandcreateasbestaneducationaspossiblefortheir students Forexample,California’spublicuniversitysystemdid awaywithraceconsciousadmissionsin1996andhassinceseena significantdropinAfricanAmericanandLatinxrepresentation.
Thisargumenthasthusfarbeensuccessful,asoverthepastsix yearstheyhavewonthecaseinallmajorcourts.However,the StudentsforFairAdmissionsgrouphascontinuallyappealedthe caseanditisnowbeingheardbytheUnitedStatesSupreme Court IfthecurrentjusticesdecidethatHarvard’spoliciesare unconstitutional,decadesofaffirmativeactionprecedentwouldbe unwoundThiswouldhavemajorimplicationsforthenumerous otherinstitutionsthatusesimilaradmissionsprocedures
Inaddition,theHarvardcaseisnottheonlyonebeingheardby thecourt.Averysimilarsuit,filedbythesameorganization,is targeting the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (UNC)raceconsciousadmissions.BoththeHarvardandUNC casesweregoingtobebroughttotheSupremeCourtatthesame time.However,thecasesweresplitduetoJusticeKetanjiBrown Jackson’sdecisiontonotparticipateintheHarvardcasebecause she believed it would be a conflict of interest due to her attendanceatHarvardforundergraduatestudiesandlawschool,as wellasapositionontheHarvardBoardofOverseersthatsheheld forsixyears Althoughmanyoftheotherjusticeshavesimilar connections,nonehavesteppedaside.Thecaseswerethussplitto allowJusticeJacksontoparticipateintheUNCcase.
ThecurrentSupremeCourthasaconservativemajorityand this could very easily influence the outcome of both cases. Especially after the recusal of Jackson who is liberal by comparison,theoddsseemstackedagainstHarvard,andpossibly UNCaswellBothdecisionswillhavehugeramificationsforthe futureofcollegeadmissionsandtheracialdiversityofcampuses Whetherornotthe“StudentsforFairAdmissions”andtheAsian Americanstudentstheyrepresentwillwinisnowuptothewhims ofseveraljusticeswhowillsetprecedentregardlessoftheirruling.
ehavestruggledforthirtyyear[s]onthispathand todayinSharmelSheikhthisjourneyhasachieved itsfirstpositivemilestone Itisadownpayment andinvestmentinclimatejustice,”SherryRehman,theclimate changeministerofPakistan,saidaboutthedealmadeatCOP27 (the27thConferenceofParties),the27thsocalledConferenceof thePartiesFromNovember6thtoNovember20th,theEgyptian coastalcityofSharmelSheikhhosted110governments
OneoftheseheadsofstatewasPresidentBiden,whoinsistedto hisskepticalaudienceatCOP27that“thankstotheactionswe’ve taken”theUnitedStateswouldmeetitsemissiontargets.Biden’s administrationhas,infact,recentlytakenmanyimportantactions toward its climate goals. These actions include the Inflation Reduction Act, which invests 369 billion dollars in climate solutions and environmental justice, and the Environmental ProtectionAgency’srecentcommitmenttoasharpreductionof methaneemissions,agreenhousegasthirtytimesmorepotent than carbon dioxide However, after Biden’s predecessor, PresidentDonaldTrump,pulledoutoftheParisAgreementin 2017,trustintheUSclimatepolicieshasbeenlow Developing countries,whocontributelittletoclimatechangebutsufferits brutalconsequencesdemandmorefrombighistoricalemitterslike theU.S.,namelycompensationforlossanddamage.
ThankstoCOP27’shostEgypt,thisissuewascentraltothe discussionsthisyear.Afterfifteenlongdaysoftalks,partiesat COP27madehistorywhentheyagreedtotheestablishmentofa longawaited loss and damage fund, which would assist particularly vulnerable developing countries when fighting climatechange'sdisastrouseffectsAccordingtoreportersatInside
ClimateNews,this“couldbethebiggestadvanceinglobalclimate policysincethe2015ParisAgreement.”
It wasn’t until November 19th, the day after COP27 was originallysupposedtoend,thattheUSreverseditsoppositionto creatingalossanddamagefundthatwould“establishnewfunding arrangementsforassistingdevelopingcountriesinrespondingto lossanddamage,includingafocusonaddressinglossanddamage by providing and assisting in mobilizing new and additional resources,”accordingtoCOP27documents.COP27alsomarks thefirsttimetheEuropeanUnionhasagreedtothefund. Whilethesediscussionsweregoingon,fourteenfloodalertswere issuedforAfrica,accordingtotheInternationalFederationofRed CrossandRedCrescentSocieties.Afterleadersandrepresentatives oftheGlobalNorthleftEgypt,climatecatastrophescontinuedto devastatethecontinent Now,however,theGlobalNorthhada plan andacommitment tohelp
In2020,Shein,anonlineeshoppingwebsitebasedinChina, waslaunchedintothepublicspotlightItwasallanyonecould talkabout itsuserbasetripledinunderayear,andShein's “clothinghauls”explodedinpopularityonTikTok Italmost seemedtoogoodtobetrue:affordable,trendyclothesavailable withjustafewclicksofthefingerFashionhadneverbeenmore accessibletothepublic,andwithSheinsometimesaddingabout two thousand brandnewclothingitemstoitsstoreeveryday,it wasalwaysontopoftheeverchangingfashiontrends.
It’salmostagiventhatyouorsomeoneyouknowhasused Shein;IknowI’vecertainlyuseditbefore.Withitsthousandsof cheap,uptodateitems,Sheinlendsitselftoregularclothing haulsasoldstylesgooutoffashionandnewlooksarein Clothing hauls are one of the clearest examples of the consumerismthatfastfashionpromotes,andI’vefeltthepressure tokeepupasmuchasanyoneelseSeeingnewstylestrendevery fewmonthsputspressureonpeopletocontinuetobuynew clothes.Sheinistheeasiestavailablewaytogetnewclothesfast andfeellikeyou’restillintheloop.However,pumpingout clothingattheinsanespeedandquantitythatSheindoescallsfora lotoflaborandmaterials.AndconsideringthecheappricesShein boasts,itisoftenassumedthatitsworkersaren’ttreatedwellBut untilmorerecently,noonereallyquestionedit Aslongasthey gottheirhundredsofcheap,trendyclothes,theydidn’tcareabout thelimitedinformation,labor,andmaterials
Recently,footagefromanundercoverinvestigationfrom
ChannelFourshowedtheludicroussalarysomeworkerswere making:theequivalentoffourcentsperclothingitem.Laborers whoworkinfactoriesinChina haveabasesalaryofroughly556 dollarspermonth,andthat’snotcountingtheallegedfines workersface,awhoppingtwothirdsoftheiralreadymeager salary,afteronlyonemistake Workershaveeventoldstoriesof washingtheirhairbetweenbreaksbecausetheyworkedsuchlong hoursthattheyhadnotimetowashaftertheirdayended Additionally,migrantswerethemajorityofworkersemployedat thefactories,andtheyworkedupto70hourweekstofinishthe many,manyclothingitemstheywereassigned.Thisclearly violates China’s labor laws and forces employees to work inhumanehours.However,sincethemajorityofworkersdon’t stayattheoutsourcedfactoriesforlong,thepracticefliesunder theradar
Thelowqualityandleadcontentintheclotheshasalsobeena keypointpeoplebringupwhencriticizingShein,butlet'sbe honest:that’snotgoingtostopmostpeoplefrombuyingfromthe company.Thefastfashionindustryisatanalltimehigh,thanks toSheinanditsalmostdispensableclothes.Sure,you’renotgoing tothrowawayashirtyougotfortwentydollars,butifitcostfive bucks,youmightjustdecidetodiscarditforanother,equally cheapshirt.Fastfashionisadetrimenttotheenvironment,andit’s notanissueforpeoplewhobuyoneortwoitemsfromShein Theissueisthepeoplewhospendhundredsofdollarsonclothing haulsonlytodiscardmostoftheitemsinafewmonths
Insteadofthrowingoutoldclothes,considerdonatingthemto thriftstores WehavequiteafewinIthacaandthesurrounding areas.Similarly,trycheckingoutoneofthethriftstoresinsteadof hoppingrightontoSheinifyouhavethetime.I’vestoppedgoing toSheinandstartedgoingtolocalthriftstoresliketheReuse CenterandSalvationArmy.Notonlyisitmorefunthanonline shopping,butalsomoresustainable.Ifyoucan,Iencourageyou tomaketheswitch.Whilesayingthat,Ialsowanttomakeitclear thatwhilethisarticleiscriticalofShein,Iamnottryingtoshame anyonewhousesit,especiallyifSheiniswhatisaccessibleand affordabletoyou
World leaders met in Egypt this November for the twentyseventhConferenceoftheParties(COP27) climatesummit.Amajortopicthatwasdiscussedisone
thathasbeenupfordebateforsometime:shouldwecontinueto striveforthe1.5degreesCelsiustarget?
The1.5degreesCelsiustargetcomesfromthe2015Parisclimate summit,whichsetagoalfortheincreaseinglobaltemperaturesto remainbelowanincreaseof1.5degreesCelsiuscomparedtopre industrialtimes.Climatescientistsestimatethatwarmingpast1.5 degreesCelsiuswouldcausesevereclimateanomaliesandevents thatmayaffectmillionsofpeople,whereasremainingunder15 degrees Celsius would prevent many of these adverse effects Comparethistoaglobaltemperatureincreaseoftwodegrees Celsius,whichscientistsestimatewouldbecomesoseverethat hundredsofmillionsofpeoplewillbeaffectedandmayneedtoflee theirhomes.
Asofthewritingofthisarticle,1.5degreesCelsiuswasalsoa targetoftheEgyptsummit.Currently,theworldhaswarmedby 1.2degrees.Evenwiththisamountofwarming,weareseeing majorclimateeventssuchasHurricaneIan oneofthemost destructivestormsinthehistoryoftheUS Theproblemwith setting15degreesCelsiusasourgoalisthatitwouldrequireusto diversifyoureconomiesandstopusingfossilfuelsrapidlyClimate changehasbeenignoredfortoolonginourworld,andifweareto eachthatcrucialtarget,alotofworkneedstobedone.However, manyexpertsnowbelievethegoalofkeepingglobaltemperature
increasebelow1.5degreesCelsiusisunfeasibleandshouldbe abandoned,asaswiftchangeinglobalfueluseisunlikelyto happen and may be inadequate to stop environmental consequences Someestimatesshowthatcurrentemissionsand theirenvironmentalimpactshavealreadydoneenoughharmthat even if the world stopped all carbon emissions now, global temperatureswouldstillincreaseover15degreesCelsius Proponentsofchangingthetargetfrom15totwodegrees argue that it is more realistic and, therefore, more helpful. However,thereisadangerinchangingthetarget.Allowingthe issuetoseemlessurgentthanitiswillonlyservetodelaynecessary actionsthatwemusttakequickly.Thisiswhy1.5degreesCelsius shouldbeatargetthatwesetandattempttoreach.Evenifwedo notreachthattarget,wecankeepwarmingunderthemoresevere twodegreesCelsiusmarkWhilerealismisnecessary,itiscrucial tokeeppressureonworldgovernmentstotakeactiononclimate change evenifitisagainsttheirimmediateeconomicinterest Wemustlivewiththeconsequencesofoureffortsduringthis turningpointregardingtheglobalclimate,andeveryoneshould careaboutit,regardlessofage.AsthelateQueenElizabethIIsaid duringthelastclimatesummitheldinGlasgow,“Thebenefitsof suchactionswillnotbethereforallofustoenjoyheretoday…we aredoingthisnotforourselves,butforourchildrenandour children’schildren,andthosewhowillfollowintheirfootsteps.”
Until Brown v Board of Education in 1954, segregation, especiallyinsoutherncolleges,wasextremelyprevalent Mygrandmother,aSouthCarolinanative,wasprohibited
from attending the University of South Carolina because she wasBlack She attended South Carolina State University, a HistoricallyBlackCollege(HBCU)insteadOfcourse,South
CarolinaStateUniversitywasseverelyunderfundedduetoJim CrowlawsThismeantthatsimplybecauseofmygrandmother's race,despitebeinganexcellentstudent,shedidnotreceivethe sameeducationasherwhitecounterparts.Similarly,themajority ofmyfamilywasforcedtoattendHBCUsduetosegregation.To thisday,HBCUsremainunderfunded
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comparedtoPredominantlyWhiteInstitutions(PWIs).
TheUniversityofNorthCarolina(UNC)atChapelHillis being sued by the Students for Fair Admission, a nonprofit membershipgroupofmorethan20,000studentsandparentsThe StudentsforFairAdmissionarguethatUNC’sholisticapplication reviewthatusesraceasoneofthemanyfactorsforadmission violates the fourteenth amendment and is therefore unconstitutional.ChapelHillalsoconsiderslegacy thepracticeof acollegegivingadmissionsadvantagetoalumnichildren asone ofmanyfactorsinitsadmissionsprocess.
Until Brown vs Board of Education,UNCChapelHillwas segregated.ThismeansthatmygrandmotherandfellowBlack studentswereprohibitedfromattendingChapelHill Thisalso meansthatmyfather,whowasbornaftersegregation,wasnota legacyTheonlystudentswhowouldhavehadlegacystatuswhen myfatherwasapplyingtocollegewerewhite Evenwiththe integrationofschoolsin1954,legacystatusandunderfunded secondary schools for Black students kept Chapel Hill predominatelywhite.
Now,muchofthispastsegregationisregainingrelevancewith therecentSupremeCourtcaseonAffirmativeActionincollege admissions. The purpose of Affirmative Action is to provide equitableaccesstoeducationalandemploymentopportunitiesto peoplewhowereheldbackbysegregationandprejudice Those whoargueagainstaffirmativeactionarguethatadmissionsshould bebasedsolelyonmeritandnotrace Meritincludesstudents’ grades,standardizedtestscores,extracurricularactivities,athletics, andcommunityinvolvement.However,meritisoftencorrelated withthecaliberofschoolastudentattends,aswellastheirfamily income.Sincethesearebothrelatedtorace,itisimportantto considerraceincollegeadmissions.
Forinstance,let'slookatIndianandTaiwanesepeople,two demographicsintheUSwiththehighestincomesSinceproperty taxesfundpublicschools,IndianandTaiwanesepeoplearemore likelytoliveinanexcellingschooldistrict Withqualityhigh schools comes more wellfunded extracurricular activities and academicsupport,whichincreasesstandardizedtestscoresand meritopportunities.Redliningand de facto segregationmakeit veryrareforaBlackneighborhoodtohaveanexcellingschool district.Duringtheapplicationprocess,collegesoftenaskabout adversityorsetbacksapplicantshavehadtoface.Sincemany setbacksaredirectlycorrelatedtorace,excludingracefromcollege admissionswouldbeunethical
Affirmativeactionencouragesdiversitybyconsideringthe setbacksthatunderrepresentedminoritiesface AlthoughAsian studentsareminorities,theyarenotunderrepresentedwhenit comestothecollegestudentpopulation AtCarnegieMellon University, thirtythree percent of students are Asian, outnumberingwhitestudents.ThenumberofBlackstudentsisso lowthatmanychartsdonotevenshowapercentageforthem. CaliforniaInstituteofTechnologyisfourtyfourpercentAsianand sevenpercentBlack.CornellUniversityreportsthattheyare fifteenpercentAsian,notincludingthe
twentyfourpercentofInternationalstudents,whichisalso mostlyAsian.Ifuniversitiesaretryingtoincreasediversity amongtheirstudentbody,itwouldnotmakesensetoinclude Asiansinthe“underrepresentedminority”demographicwhen theyarenotunderrepresentedincolleges
StudentsforFairAdmissionalsoclaimthataffirmativeaction harms their chances of acceptance to top schools. This contention,however,isunsupported,asalmosteverysingletop schoolisaPredominatelyWhiteInstitution.Thereasonwhy whitestudentshavetheupperhandwhenitcomestothecollege admissionsprocessisduetotheracistsocietalstructures,suchas JimCrow,thattheirancestorsimplementedandthatstillhave lasting consequences to this day Even when schools were integrated with the Little Rock Nine, Black students faced violencejustforattendingaschooltheirfamiliespaidtaxesfor IfyoutrulythinkAffirmativeActionisdiscriminatory,whynot justbanthepracticeatcollegesthatwereneverraciallyexclusive normaleonly?Thatway,thecollegewouldbetrulyrace and genderneutral and would have never contributed to discrimination. In addition to this, the college would not considerlegacystatusintheadmissionsprocess,asthatwould favorwhitestudents.However,almostnocollegeoruniversity intheUnitedStateshasanondiscriminatoryadmissionshistory, whichiswhywemustmaintainAffirmativeActioninthe collegeselectionprocesstoencouragetrulyfairadmissions
MyfirstexperiencewitharazorwaswhenIwasabout eightyearsoldI’dbeenforcefedliesaboutthenature ofleghairandmadetofeelasifIwasadisgusting animalwhilestillinelementaryschool.Irememberpickingupthe razorandjustglidingitalittlebitbelowmykneecap,asgentlyas Icould.Iliftedtherazorup,andsureenough,thatlittleskinpatch wasasbareaseverSomehowfrightened,Ithrewtherazortothe othersideoftheroomandneverspokeoftheincidenttoanyone
AsIgotolder,moreandmoreofmyfriendsstartedshavingIt seemedtobethe“mature”thingtodo,especiallywithallthegirls aroundmegoingthroughpubertydecidingtoshave Mymom shaved,mybestfriendsshaved,mygrandmothersshaved;nearly everywomanandgirlinmylifetookalikingtotherazor.
Despitetheirwillingnesstoshave,Iwasunconvinced.Itwas idiotic,Ithought,tospendsomuchtimeonchangingsomething thatnoonepaidanyattentionto.Theyweresuchsmall,finehairs thatcausednotroublebesidesnot“lookingnice”Iwassurethat noonewaslookingatmyleghairandjudgingit,soIresistedthe razorforaslongaspossible
Thencamequarantine.Mostofusfellintopitsofunhappiness, forcedtodealwithourbodiesasiftheywereadiseasethatneeded tobetreatedManygirlslikemespenttheirdaysconsumingmedia thattolduswhatwouldmakeusmoreappealingtothemalegaze Asmuchaswecoveredourearstoblockoutthissocietalchant,a partofuswaslistening,too
Intheearly1900s,shavingwasn’taspopularasitisnow. Becauseofhowmodesttheclothesthatwomenwereexpectedto wearwere,bodyhairdidn’tcauseany“issues”totheoutsidegaze. AccordingtoVox,ittookuntilthemid1910stoearly1920s,as women’sclothesbecamemoreandmorerevealing,forshavingto becomeanovelphenomenon.Manybrandsatthetimeusedthe popularslogan,“thewomanoffashionsaystheunderarmmustbe assmoothastheface"Then,inthe1940s,barelegsbecamethe norm “Let’s look at your legs everyone else does,” one ad tauntedThissensationonlygrewinpopularity in1964,ninety eightpercentofwomenagesfifteentofortyfoursaidthatthey removedbodyhair.
Adsandsocietyalsocontributedtowomen’schoiceswhenit cametohairremoval.IntheUS,therewasanattempttomakeit mandatory for women to shave. White men took it upon themselvestomakesurethewomenaroundthemshavedtoo,as TheGrassRouteputsit,“ensuretheirpristineimageofinnocence andgentilityremainedintact”BreanneFahs,aprofessorofgender studiesatArizonaStateUniversity,saysthatwomen“oftendon't realizehowmuchsociety,family,andfriendsweighinonwhatwe dowithourbodiesAndhowmuchofwhatwethinkisachoice that'“Ichoosetoshave”' hasactuallybeenimpartedtoand enforceduponusforgenerations.”Evennow,themediathatwe consumeinfluencesusmorethanwethinkitdoes.
Shavingisalsocostly.Weallknowthatthebeautyindustry itselfisjustonemarketingtacticafteranother,preyingonpeople’s insecurities But surely shaving wouldn’t add up to much comparedtoourotherlivingexpenses,right?
WrongTheaveragewomanwhoshavesspendsaboutsixteen dollarspermonthonshavingsupplies,whichisaroundthesame priceastwopoundsofcoffeeItseemslikeasmallprice,however, thisaddsuptonearlytwohundreddollarsperyear.Ifoneperson spendstwohundreddollarseveryyearforfiftyyears,thatisten thousanddollarsusedsolelyonrazorsandothershavingproducts enoughforausedcar,sixmonthsofrent,or1,250poundsof coffee.
Anotheraspectofshavingthatmanypeopledon’tconsiderisits racistrootsThelogicofsocialDarwinismcategorizedbodyhairas animalistic Genetically,womenofcolortendtohavedarker, thickerhairthanwhitewomen,andbecauseofthis,theirbodyhair wasseenasunkemptanddirty Thehairofwomenofcolorhas oftenbeencriticizedinsociety,butitalsoplaysabigpartinthe stigmasaroundbodyhairandtargetswomenofcolorinagross attempttoforcewesternbeautystandardsontothem.
Along with this, we must discuss the audience. Body dysmorphiaismorecommoninpubescentgirlsthanwhenthey
wereyounger,andnowthattheirbodyisbecominghairier,it becomeslessdesirabletothemalegaze.Thisnotion,aswithmany othermalegazephenomena,canbetracedbacktopedophilic rootsNaturally,prepubescentgirlsdonothaveasmuchbodyhair asgirlswhohavegonethroughpuberty,sothesexualizationof hairlesswomenalsosexualizesminors,inparticulargirlsofcolor Appealingtothemalegazeisthebaseofmanywomen'sbeauty standards,andthisisnoexception.
Additionally,shavingisn’tallthatsafe.Anyonewithshaving experienceknowshowpainfulitistogetnickedbyarazor.They alsospreadskingermsandbacteria.Havingapersonalrazorisn’t themosthygienic,butsharingrazorsisevenworse,accordingto dermatologistDr CynthiaBailey Sharingarazorwithsomeone elseleadstorisksofvirustransmission,infection,andinternal illnesseslikeHepatitisBandC
So,istheconclusionthatallshavingisoppressiveanddangerous? Notnecessarily Shavingshouldbeapersonalchoice,andallI’m askingisthatpeopleexaminetheiractionsandwhatisinfluencing theirdecisions.Consideringthehistoryofrazorsandhairremoval, thecost,andthelabor,bodyhairisoflittleimportancetome.That said,it’simportanttogiveeveryonetheinformationtheyneedto makethesedecisionsforthemselves insteadofenforcingtoxic standardsonthem
Deathmetalhasalwaysbeenbrutal AlthoughI’dmuch ratheravoidtheoftengratuitouslyviolentlyrics,Ican generallylookpastthatandenjoythemusicalelements
TaketheinfamousbandCannibalCorpseforexample,withsongs suchas“HammerSmashedFace”andothersIdonotwishtoname inaschoolnewspaper.Theirlyricsdescribesenselessviolencein such brutal detail that I’m glad the vocals are impossible to understand.
Icanlookpastallofthisbecausethelyricstothesesongsare aboutpurelyhypotheticalsituations;theyaredesignedforshock valueratherthantobeacalltoarmsSadlyenough,notallbands knowhowtoseparatefictionfromrealityAnexample:theband aptlynamed“CattleDecapitation”
CattleDecapitationusesdeathmetaltospreadamessageof “socialjustice.”Whilethissoundsvirtuousintheory,itisn’tin practice.CattleDecapitation’slyricsareequallyasbrutalasthoseof CannibalCorpse,butwhatwassimplyedginesswhendoneby otherbandsisnowborderingondeaththreats.
Probablythemostdisgustingexampleofthisisthetrack “ForcedGenderReassignment”Thebandattemptstoadvocatefor transrightsbygraphicallydescribingmutilatingandtorturinga hypotheticaltransphobetomakethem“understand”whatgender dysphoria asthey,cisgendermen,understandit feelslike
ThereasonCannibalCorpsecangetawaywiththislevelof brutalityisbecausetheirviolentlyricsarenotdirectedatanyonein particular.However,inCattleDecaptitaion’scase,suddenly“I want to kill someone” turns into “I specifically want to kill transphobessoyoubetternotbetransphobic.”Notonlyisthis deeplydisgustingandimmoralbutitonlymakestheissueoftrans rightsworse.Ifsomeonealreadyhatestranspeople,threatening themwithviolenceisnotgoingtochangetheirmind
IhatetransphobiajustasmuchasanyotherIthacan;however, theseviolent,almostdeaththreatlyricsarecrossingalineanda half Socialjusticeshouldbedonebyhumanizingtheoppressed, notbydehumanizingtheoppressors.
CattleDecapitationhasmademanyothersimilarlydespicable songsinthenameofsocialjustice.Forexample,theyusedreal worldexecutionaudioinatrackaboutmisogynyandnamedan album Human Jerky.
WhatisalmostasbadasCattleDecapitationitselfisthefactthat manypeoplelookuptothemassomegreatbeaconofmorality whenthatcouldn’tbefurtherfromthetruthGlorifyingviolenceis badenoughwhentheviolenceisagainstsomehypotheticalperson, suchasinthecaseofCannibalCorpse,butonceyouthreaten actualpeoplewithviolence,evenforagoodcause,itcrossesthe linefromedgytofullonevil.
Content warning: This article discusses mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and suicide
Lifeishard,plainandsimple.Weenterthisplanetwithout asingleexplanationforwhyweexistorwhereweare supposedtogo.Andouruncertaintiesarenotstupidor
wrong; having questions about life is simply human For generations,peoplehavefoughtthroughallsortsofdifficulties rangingfromanxietyanddepressiontomaniaandpsychosisEach year,eighthundredthousandpeoplediefromsuicide
Inthepastfivedaysleadinguptothewritingofthispaper,I havebeenadmittedtoamentalhospitalatCayugaMedical Center.Iamlearningavarietyofcognitivebehavioraltherapy (CBT)anddialecticalbehavioraltherapy(DBT)concepts.During thisprocess,Ihaveaskedmanypeoplewithvaryingdegreesof experienceinmentalhealththesamequestion:
“Whydoyoulive?”
Inmyopinion,askingthisquestionrequirestheunderstanding thatforsomepeople,livingisachoice,notarequirementAndI believethatprovidingthesepeoplewithafewreasonswhyliving isimportantcouldbehelpful.
Herearemyfavoriteresponsestothequestion“Whydoyou live?”: 1.
Youmatter,atleastalittle.Tofamily,tofriends,topets,to society In the midst of global isolation (Covid19) and workingthroughsocialboundariesinthisschool,itbecomes easy(andpossiblycomforting)tofeelasifyourlifemeans nothing Icanassureyou,yourlifemeanssomethingto someonerightnowIt’suptoyoutodecidehowmuchyou thinkthatmatters
If you heartily disagree with the statement that you are important, or you believe that your life is ultimately meaningless,Isuggestthatyoulookfurtherintohowmuch otherpeoplemattertoyou.Thestatements“Idon’tmatter”or “nothingmatters”insinuatesthatnooneelsemattersto you.If youhavesomeoneinyourlifethatyoucareabout,maybea friend,familymember,orromanticpartner,andyouwould
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ratherthosepeopleexistthannot,chancesare,oneofthose peoplewouldrather you existthannot,andsoyourlife is noteworthy and meaningful to someone Getting lost in existentialismabouthow“eventuallyeverythingwillbegone” ispointlesswhentherearepeopleinyourlife right now that dependonyouforcomfortintheirlivesDyingprematurelyis adisservicetoeveryone,includingyourself.
2 Livingisjustlikeanythingelse Themoreyoudoit,the betteryougetatitIfyouplaypianoeverydayfortenyears, bythetimeyoufinishyouwillbesomewhatproficientatyour craft.Lifeisthesame.Thelongeryoulive,thebetteryouget atliving.
Mydadsentmealetterafewdaysago.Oneofthelinesstates, “Thebiggesttragedyofsuicideisnotthatsomeonemissesout onthejoysoflife,suchasfallinginlove,havingchildren, visiting exotic places, or having exciting adventures. The biggest tragedy is that the person never discovers how interconnectedweallareortheirowninnerfortitude”
Ifindthisquotetobehelpfulinunderstandingthatyouare almostguaranteedtobecomewiser,stronger,andmoregrown afteryouhavemovedbeyondastruggle Thatdoesn’tmean youwon’tleaveaproblemwithachiponyourshoulder,but ratherthatyouwillhavelearnedsomeresiliencebygoing throughthatpainfulprocess,andthatyouhavesubsequently improvedasaperson.
3Justbecauselifeisn’tfunnowdoesn’tmeanitneverwillbe Ihavegainedavarietyofskillsthroughoutmylife:theability toplaymultipleinstruments,theknowledgetoassemblea desktopcomputer,andthepersistencetosteadilyimproveon mygoaloflearningasecondlanguage OnethingIcan confidentlysayaboutlearninganewskillisthatitisalways somewhatdifficultatfirst.Youareprobablyinhighschool.If youareundertheageoftwenty,andyouareexpectedtolive untiltheageofeighty,howcanyouexpecttobegoodat living,whenyouhaveonlylivedfortwentyfivepercentof yourexpectedexistence?
Tothinkthatnotbeinggoodatlifenowmeansthatyounever willbeisabunchofhorseshit Expectingsuccessatthe beginning of a new endeavor is a oneway street to disappointment Allowyourselftimetoimprovebeforeyou throwitallaway.
4.Youneverknowwhatisgoingtohappennext,andthat’s partofwhatmakeslifefun.Maybeyoudietomorrow,or maybeyoumakeabigdiscoveryaboutsomethingyou’re workingon MaybeyougetascholarshiptoanIvyLeague collegeMaybeyougetathousandlistenstoyourmostrecent song on Soundcloud Whatever it is, there is always the potentialforthingstoimproveinaprofoundmanner Why notwaitaroundandseewhathappens?
It’sbesttoplayyourcardsbeforeyouquitthegame,especially ifyou’vebeendealtapoorhand.You’vemadeitthisfar,so
whynotkeepgoing?Evenonedayatatime?
Isaythesethingsnottoputmyselfonapedestal,ortotell otherswhattodo.IsaythesethingsbecauseItoohavehadthese questionsandwonderedwhatitallmeant,andthesearethe answersthathelpedme.
Ifyouhavereadthisarticleandarestillthinkingabout committingsuicideorknowotherswhoarestruggling,please contactsomeone.Reachouttoaparent,therapist,trustedadult, closefriend,orthesuicidehotlineat(607)272-1616Thankyou forreading,andbestofluck.
Iwasn’texactlylookingforwardtomyhoursofonlineAP Statisticsthisyear.Butateveryturn,Ihavebeensurprisedand delightedbymyteacherJennetteDriscoll thequalityofher
mind,thehumorofheranecdotes,andthedepthofherdedication toherstudents.Soyes,sheisateacherofAPStatisticsandHonors HistoryofSciencethroughtheonlinehomeschoolingcooperative PennsylvaniaHomeschoolers(PAHS) Sheisalsoageneticist,an earlyeducationprofessional,alinguist,asingerandaclarinetist, andamotheroftwoIcannottakecreditforthecompellingstory thatfollows Ijustaskedthequestions.Iknowthisarticleisalong one,butIcouldn’tbringmyselftocutasingleline.Hersisalife livedwithnorigid,unforgivingmasterplan;instead,shehasgone allovertheworldbyorganicallyfollowinghernaturalinterests. Thewidevarietyofnewjobsshe’striedandhadsuccessin,her readiness for new adventures, and her genuine dedication to educationmakeMrsDriscollamodelteacherIalsothinkthelife shehascreatedforherselfasanonlineeducatorshowswhy teachers(andnotjuststudents!)canmakegreatuseoftheexciting communitythatonlinelearningprovides
Ruby LaRocca: Occasionally in my online AP Statistics class with you, you’ll give us a glimpse of your past experiences an anecdote about working as a statistician for a factory to illustrate Simpson’s Paradox, or your time in a laboratory doing genetics research into the duplication of chromosome 15 to give us a sense of what the peer review process is like, or the time when you worked in a children’s hospital to explain Institutional Review Boards and statistical ethics. (And didn’t you also travel through Europe with an elite choir at some point?) Judging from what little I know about you personally, you clearly seem to have had a fascinating life so far and surely will in the future. Could you give me a quick thumbnail sketch of your life’s twists and turns? How did you come to your current job as a teacher of AP Statistics and the History of Science at Pennsylvania Homeschoolers?
Jennette Driscoll: Thanks, Ruby! I have taken a long and windingpathtogettomycurrentplace!IdidtourEuropewith AmericanMusicAbroad,anauditiononlyconcertbandandchoir groupIplayedmyclarinetonatourofthirteencountriesinthree weeks,withsometimesmorethanoneconcertperday.However, onthewayover,theairlineexperiencedmajordelays,andwe foundourselvesstrandedinNewYorkCityforafullday.My groupoffriendsandImadeourwaytoCarnegieHall,whichwas undergoingrenovationsatthetime,andwetookatour.Ourtour guidewasintriguedtolearnwewereonourwaytobe“ontour” asaperformancegroupandinvitedustosingonstage!Ihad actuallypracticedallthechoir’smusictoo,soIjoinedthemon stageatCarnegieHallforacoupleofournumbers Ouronly audiencememberswereotherpeopletouringthebuildingatthe time,butIcanstillclaimIoncesanginCarnegieHall!Thatsame summerIalsospentseveralweeksattendingahighschoolin Germanyasanexchangestudent.
IwentontoattendPennStateUniversity,whereImajoredin linguisticswithearlylanguageacquisitionandcompsciemphasis, wherewewereexploringartificialintelligenceandlanguage
recognition. After graduation, I got married and put my linguisticsskillstoworkasaleadtoddlerteacherinadaycare centerforafewyearswhilemyhusbandfinishedgraduateschool togethisPhD inappliedmathatCornell Whilethere,Ialso workedasafeatureseditorandoccasionalcolumnistfora(now defunct)quiltingmagazine,theQuiltPeddler,andalsoendedup employedasaremoteworkerbyAmericaOnline.
WhileatCornell,wehadtheopportunitytoliveinZurich, Switzerlandforasummer,anddidquiteagoodjoboftouring Europewhilewewerethen itwaspossibletojustbuyanopen railpassrelativelycheaplyandhopontoatraintoothercountries. Ialsobegan,usingAOLandadialupconnection,tohelpmy sisterbackinPA(Pennsylvania)homeschoolherthreechildren, helpingoutwithscience,math,andhistory
FollowingCornell,wemovedtoBoulder,Colorado,formy husband’spostdoc,andasweonlyhadonecar,Iwalkedtothe nearestjobIcouldfind atWalMartInlessthanayear,Iwasan assistantstoremanagerandeventookayeartoleadtheovernight shiftinunloadingtrucks.Wewon’tmentionthatIfirstcameto theattentionofuppermanagement,ultimatelylandingmethat position,byrepeatedlyinjuringmyselfonthejob(hint,donot runoveryourselfwithapalletjack,norslamyourhandinthe doorofthetrashcompactor thereareeasierandlessdestructive pathwaystogetintomanagementwhenyouhaveacollege degree!)ItwasalsoinBoulderthatIfinallyearnedmyblackbelt inIsshinryuKarate,thestudyofwhichIbeganwhileatPenn StateWhenwemovedtoDelaware,wheremyhusbandisnow theUnidelChairinMathematicsattheUniversityofDelaware,I continuedworkingforWalMartforashorttime,stillasan assistantstoremanager,butafterthearrivalofmyoldestchild,I decidedIreallyhadgoalsthatdidnotinvolveretail.Ireturnedto school,thistimeenrolledasanundergraduateattheUniversityof Delaware,inbiology,whereIearnedmyundergraddegreein biology,andspenttimewhilestudying,alsoworkingasalab assistantinphysicaltherapy,andworkedinthecampustutoring center,tutoringstudentsincalculusprepcourses,calculus,and statistics
Atthispoint,luckstruck,andmyresumelandedonthedeskof adoctorandresearcheratthelocalchildren’shospital,theAI DuPontHospitalforchildren.Myfuturebossneededaresearch assistantandwasembarkingonanewprojectinvestigatingspeech delaysinyoungchildren.Ageneticsexpert,shehadneverlearned muchaboutlinguistics,andthelinguisticsexpertontheproject hadneverdonegeneticsInIwalkedwithdegreesinbothfields andwashiredonthespot,forboththespeechgeneticsproject andaprojectresearchingautisminchildrenwithaduplicationon chromosome 15, which we refer to as Idic15 (Isodicentric chromosome15).Inthatposition,Ihadtheopportunityto conductdetailedchromosomestudies,includingsouthernblots, FISH,PCR,celllineimmortalization,andofcourse,workwith patients,doctors,andscientists.Thisworkinvolvedalotof statisticsaswell;youneedstatisticsinordertodecidewhether yourfindingsaremeaningfulornot,andagoodgroundingin
statisticsisnecessarytoensureyourproceduresaregoingtobeset up correctly to be statistically meaningful! Because we were workingnotonlywithhumans,butwithdisabledyoungchildren, wealsohadalotofinvolvementwiththeInstitutionalReview Board,apanelofethicists,doctors,andresearcherswhoworkto protecttherightsofanyoneinvolvedinascientificstudy Itwas trulyadreamjob!
However,afterIwasinvolvedinacaraccidentthatmade workinginthelabincreasinglydifficult,Idecidedtostayhome withmychildrenforafewyears theywere6and9yearsold Theywereenrolledinourlocalpublicschoolsystem,untilmy husbandacceptedasabbaticalpositioninSt.Paul,Minnesotafor halfayear.WehadalovelysixmonthsinSt.Paul,butwhenwe returned,werealizedourkidswouldbebetteroffhomeschooling ratherthanreturningtopublicschool,atleastforacoupleofyears. Thatcoupleofyearsturnedintohomeschoolinguntilhighschool graduation! Both are now university honors students While learninghowtocreatearigoroushomeschoolprogram,Imetmy mentor,CaroleMatheny,whowashomeschoolingherowntwo sons, older than mine Carole also taught AP Statistics at PennsylvaniaHomeschoolers.Afterhersonsgraduated,Caroleand Ihadatalk,andsheencouragedmetotakeoverherposition teachingstatisticsatPAHS.Likeme,Carolehadalsobeena scientist(sheistheonewhowasafactoryscientist)andshe respectedmybackground,knowledge,aswellasmyteachingskill inlocalcoopcourses,andshewasthinkingaboutretirementand whoshouldreplaceherIbeganshadowingherasshetaughtAP Stats,particularlyinherlastyearofteaching,whenmyyoungest tookherclass,andbecameveryexcitedabouttheprospectof teachingthiscourse DuringthistimeIalsospentayearco teachingAPEnvironmentalScienceatPAHSwithDr.Terrianne Lavine,whostillteachesthatclasstoday.WhenCarolewasready toretire,weapproachedtheRichman'sofPAHStoproposethe ideathatIstepintohershoes,andtherest,astheysay,ishistory. ThisismysecondyearteachingAPStatistics,andItrulyloveit.
RL: I’m interested to know what your personal relationship with homeschooling is. You have devoted the last few years to your online homeschooling students. Did you homeschool your own children, or were you homeschooled yourself? Do you think of homeschooling as a viable option for students who feel dissatisfied with or overwhelmed by a public school education? In my own experience, homeschooling is varied: some days are remarkable, but some are lonely. What do you find the opportunities and obstacles of learning at home to be?
JD: Greatquestion!Ihomeschooledbothofmysonsfrompart waythroughelementaryschoolallthewaythroughhighschool graduation, from which they both went to college with scholarshipsandinvitationstohonorsprograms.Ialsotaught severallocalcoopclasses,includingchemistrylab,theBillof Rights,physics,andhonorshistoryofsciencetomyson'sfriends.
Theybothtellmetheiroverallhomeschoolexperiencewasvery positiveandpreparedthemwellforcollegelife.
Iactuallybelieveverystronglyinourpublicschoolsystemand believethatitisavitalresource.Bothofmyparents,oneofmy grandparents,andseveralauntsandunclesinmyfamilywere publicschoolteachers,andIattendedpublicschools,asdidmy husbandIthinkpublicschoolteachersareanationaltreasure,even iftheirtruecapabilitiesaresometimeshamperedbyallofthe requirementstheyareboundtoMostpeoplereallydon’trealizeall thetimethatgoesintonotonlyclassprepandteachingand coachingandmentoring,butcontinuingeducation,classroom prepandmaintenance,parentconferences,worriesaboutsafety, anddifferentiatingeducationtomeettheneedsofaverydiverse classoflearners!
Somestudentsandfamilies,however,findtheirneedsarejustnot beingmet,evenaftereffortstoworkitoutwiththeschoolIfthe parentiswillingtododiligentresearchoneducationalmethods, curriculum,andnetworking,aswellasfindingouthowtosupport anyspecialneeds,thenhomeschoolingcanbeagreatoptionIam networkedwithovertwothousandhomeschoolingfamiliesinmy state,as(untilthisyear)coadminofmystate’slargestFacebook homeschoolsupportgroups(andpreviously,Yahoodiscussion server).TherearesomefamilieswhoItrytogentlyadvisethat theirstudentswoulddobetterplacedbackinschoolbecausethe parentissimplyunabletoprovideenougheducationalsupportat home Butmostfamilies,oncetheyare“allin”andhavebegun learning the ropes and forming mentorships with more experiencedhomeschoolers,doanexcellentjobofit!Itreated homeschoolingmysonsasmyownfulltime(ifunpaid)job Supportingthesocial,emotional,andeducationalneeds,whilestill beingaparentfirst,ischallengingandrewarding.
Forsomestudents,despitetheprotestsofmanyhomeschoolers, homeschoolingcansometimesbelonely.Homeschoolersmaylive inruralareaswithoutotherclosehomeschooledstudents,and limitedactivitiestogettogethertomeetotherstudents,although 4H, scouting, volunteering, church, homeschool dances and proms,andotherorganizedgroupscanhelpalot Theabilityto formaclosegroupoffriendsfreeofbullyingisanothermajorplus, asistheabilitytoflexaroundmedicalproblemsifneeded We foundthatthingsdidgetmorelonelythroughthehighschool years, simply because homeschoolers tend to customize their educationalplanstoaveryhighdegree,makingformoreconflicts whentryingtogettogetherwithothers.Itisnecessarytoinvest sufficienttimeinjustgettingtogetherwithotherteenstohang out.However,thatneedtoscheduleatimetohangoutmaymean thehomeschooledstudentislessexperiencedthanapublicschool counterpartatarrangingtheirownsociallife,areallyimportant skill in college and the real world Of course, my youngest experienced his last two years of homeschooling during the pandemic,whichmadethingsthreetimesasdifficult,socially!I actuallyrananinformalgymclassatalocalpark,withkickball, bocce,frisbee,cornhole,andotheroutdooractivities,justtogive mysonandhisfriendsachancetogatheroutdoorswhereitwas
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relativelysafe,andcontinuedteachingmylocalcoopclasses online, so they could keep up their friendships But it was definitelyadifferentexperiencethanmyoldesthad Somefamiliesdostruggleabitwithmaintainingrigorous academicstandards;theyeitherhavenobenchmarkforwhatto realistically expect, didn’t keep up with ongoing research in supportingahomeschooledstudent,orbothparentsneedtowork, or they need help with specialized classes such as foreign languages,labsciences,writing,ormathematics.Somefamilies strugglebecausetheyattempttorecreateschoolathomeinstead of fully embracing homeschooling, and this causes problems becausetheschoolsettingisdesignedtoeducatelargeclassesof studentsaltogether,whoaremovingthroughasetprogressionina setperiodoftimeItisimportanttorealizethatit’sokaytoteach classes that crosscurricular boundaries, to sign up for (high quality)outsideclasses,thatdon’tfallneatlyintoathirtysixweek pattern,ortakeplaceonholidays,summer,orweekends.It’sokay tobecreativeinimplementingevenroutinerequirements(thereis alocalhomeschooltheatergroupwherethestudentsreadawork ofShakespeare,rewriteitasacondensedfortyfiveminuteplay, designset,sandcostumes,andthenperform thiscaneasilybean English class! We live near the seashore, and some students completeayearofbiology,coveringthebigideas,butwithamore intensefocusonmarinebiology,andparticipateinhorseshoecrab counts,redknotbreedingareamaintenance,andbirding and incorporatelearningtosailorlearnaboutwaterqualityinseaboard communities).Andsomefamiliesrealize,andshouldbesupported inthistransition,theirstudentsimplyneedstogobacktopublic school.That’sokaytoo!
RL: In our class, you are remarkably accessible through online chat or email; you provide timely and helpful feedback to every graded assignment; you post daily messages to guide us through our day’s work; you expect a lot from us but you are very understanding. I know we greatly benefit from all the time you dedicate to us what do you get out of it?
JD: Thanksforthat.Ihavemoretimetodevotetoindividual attentionthanmostpublicschoolteachersdo.Thatisn’tbetter dedicationonmypart;manypublicschoolteachersareteaching5 differentclassprepsplusdoinglunchdutyandcommittees Iam teachingthreeclasses(APStatsandhonorshistoryofscience throughPAHS,andtutoringsomekindergartenersinmathatmy home)AndbothofmysonsarenowawayatcollegeThisaffords me more time to respond to my students, write letters of recommendation,andinvestinmoreeducation,materialsand planning, while still having time for my husband, cats, and hobbies.Also,Ihavestudentsfromallovertheworldworkingin differenttimezones.SoI’vebeenknown,ifIwasawake,to respondtohelprequeststhatcomeinat2am
WhatdoIgetoutofit?First,Ihavealwayshadacreativeside Iquilt,Ipaint,Idophotography,Iknit,Ispinwoolintoyarn (badly),Ising,Ihavedonetheater,Iplayclarinet(Iactuallyplayed
clarinet,saxophone,violin,piano,andtromboneinhighschoolas wellassinging) TeachinggivesmeagreatcreativeoutletasI designanewactivityorassignmentorrespondtohowtheclassis graspingthematerial,orthinkupanewapproachtogettingthe materialacross.Ilovebeingcreative.
IthinkthesubjectsIteacharereallyimportant,andI’mgrateful whenfamiliesentrustmetomentortheirteensthroughthem.I loveseeingthose‘lightbulbmoments’whenaconceptsuddenly makessense.Iloveseeingstudentswhoarenotfeelingconfident emergewithagreatdealofconfidenceinthematerialattheendof ayearandhelpingstudentswhoarereadyformoretofindaspark ofengagement Ihavebasicallyalwaystaughtthroughoutmy career asakarateinstructor,amanager,awriter,anonline communitymanager,asaresearchassistantworkingwithnew gradstudentsoremployeesinthelab,asadaycareteacher somehowI’vealwaysbeenteaching,nomatterwhatmycareer!It’s alsonicetoactuallygetpaidforitforonce!
RL: Okay, last question! Speaking to many peers who attend our local high school, I’ve found that they work very hard to get their work done, participate in sports, and lead clubs and activities, often staying up late into the night to do so. Some students I’ve spoken to, however, feel unfulfilled by the required classes they take and have found new and powerful interest in subjects they have studied through supplemental courses during the summer or in addition to their schoolwork. What online courses would you recommend through Pennsylvania Homeschoolers or another platform for interested students at the high school level?
JD: Naturally,Irecommendmyhonorshistoryofscienceclass throughPAHS!Itworkswellashistory,nonlabscience,orafree elective Wespendtimereadingprimarysourcematerialand literaturealongwithatextbook,andthestudentstaketurns leadingtheclassbypreparingdiscussionquestions.Insteadof exams,eachunithasashortpaperorproject,andstudentsneedto interactonthediscussionboards.It’sonethingtolearnabout HippocratesorGalileoorMendelorDarwin;it’sanotherthing entirelytoread“OriginofSpecies”anddiveintowhatitreally does ordoesn’t claim!Learninghowandwhythescientific method developed and how modern scientists operate when researchinganewideaiseyeopeningformany,andlearninghow history, science, technology, current events, warfare, and geographyinfluenceoneanotherinthespaceofonecourseisa wonderfulexperience.
IhighlyrecommendtherhetoricIIIIseriesatTheWell TrainedMindAcademy.Bothofmysonstookthissequence.Itis highlyrigorous!MyEnglishmajorcollegestudentactuallydecided nottotakeAPEnglish,asthesethreeyearspreparedhimverywell forcollegeandsimplyforclearcommunicationRhetoricstudents learnformalargumentandpersuasion,andexaminehowlanguage andperceptioninteract,andworkwithalotofpeerreviewtoedit theirwork
APEnglishwithPAHSisanextremelywellrunclassMyoldest
tookthisclassandfoundhewasexceptionallywellpreparedfor collegelevelwriting,andsubsequentlytheclasspreparedhim welltogeta5ontheexam
APComputerScienceatPAHSisphenomenallywelldone!I believetheinstructorhasanearlyonehundredpercentpassrate, andexactlyonehundredpercentinmanyyears,despitenot“gate keeping”whocantakethecourseortheexam.
AP Psychology at PAHS is taught by an incredibly knowledgeableandenthusiasticexpertinthefield.Studentswork onresearchprojectsandhaveaveryengagingtimeofit.
AP Environmental Science with PAHS is taught by Dr TerrianneLavine,aprofessorattheUniversityofKansas Dr Lavinetrulycaresaboutherstudentsaswholepeopleandis enthusiasticaboutthesubjectmatter Ispentayearcoteaching thiscoursewithDr Lavinewhilewewerehomeschoolingour youngestteenstogether.
I’mnotsurethereisabadclassatPAHS everyteacheristhere becauseit’swhattheygenuinelywanttobedoing.Justbesureto readstudentreviewsandwhatisrequiredintermsoftimeand commitment,andhowtheclassispresented,tomakesureyouare agoodmatchfortheclass
WhatAPlantKnowsisacourseontheCourseraplatform, taughtbyDrDanielChamovitzfromtheUniversityofNegreb Thisisanengagingcourseexploringthemanywayswenever imagined plants communicate with us, each other, and the environment!Didyouknowtreescanwarnoneanotherofabug invasion,andhowaplant’stendencytogrowupwardevenwhen stickingoutofasteepembankmentworksremarkablysimilarto thewaywehumansknowwhichwayisup.Ifastudentwantsto divealittledeeperintobiologybutthoughtbotanywasboring, thisclassisamust!
Byline,byClearwaterPress Throughareporter’snotebook, videos,andaworkbook,thestudentspendsayearasacub reporter,reportingoneventsthroughhistory(thereisaUSA historyfocus) Studentsworkthroughresearchtechniquesand crafting a newspaper (though using historical events) while honingtheartoftheexpositoryessay,witheffectivewordchoice, paragraphtransitions,citingsources,craftingalogicaltrainof thought,andbackingupclaimswithevidence.Myyoungestused thisasafreshmanbeforeembarkingontherhetoricsequenceat WTMAandlovedit.
DerekOwensTabletclass forthemathstudentwhowantsto workahead,needstoreviewmaterial,orwhoisinaschoolwhere ateacherhasbeenpressedintoserviceoutsidetheirareaof expertise,DerekOwenswillfillthegapwell Mysonsdidnot takethisclass,aswetaughteverythingthroughcalculusathome, butIhearconsistentlygoodthingsaboutit.
DearICSDTeachers, AstheseasonofChristmasapproaches,Ioftentakesome timetoreflectAndthisyearyouhavebeenonmymindquitea lot The Tattler isastudentrunnewspaperbutit’snotjustfor students Iknowplentyofteacherswhohavereadourworkand encouragedthislittlepaper,soIthinkit'stimewefinallyexpressed ourthanks.
MyclassmatesandIoftengroanandgripeabouthavingto attendschool,andit'struethatsomeofusdon’ttakefulladvantage oftheopportunitiesprovided.Thus,itfeelsnecessarytoissuesome acknowledgementofallyoudoforus,ofwhichwearetoooften ignorantorungrateful.Studentsmaybelievethattheyhavea prettyclearpictureofwhatit’sliketobeateacherButinreality, mostreallydon’thaveaclueYes,manyofusworkhardandstay uplateintothenighttocompleteourhomework,butwehave neverhadtobeheldresponsiblefortheperformanceofstudents whomayormaynotevencareaboutourclass Thepressureof thismustbeenormous.Inmyopinion,onlyaveryspecialkindof personcanbeateacher someonewhoisalwaysthinkinginthe student'sbestinterestsandnottheirown.
Theuntoldhoursofthought,preparation,andsweatthat teachersputintonourishingastudent'smindwithknowledgethat theymayonlyseethevalueoflaterinlife don’tgounnoticedI wouldnotbethepersonIamtodaywithoutthesupportofmany greatteachersthroughoutmylife Iwouldneverhavelearnedto playjazz,towriteessays,ortounderstandtheintricaciesofhistory withoutthoseeducatorswhochallengedmeandliftedmeto greaterheights.
ThispastyearIhaveoftenbeenstruckbythefactthatyoudon’t gettomovefromclasstoclassandimmerseyourselfindifferent coursesofstudythroughouttheday.Studentsoftencomplainof monotonybutIcanhardlyimaginehowmuchharderitmustbe foryou,whohavetoteachthesamesubjectorlessonforseveral classperiodseverydayIttakesapersonwhoisdeeplypassionate andinvestedintheirfieldofstudytomusterenoughenergyto cometoworkeverydayandteachkidswhomaynotevenbe listeningButIwantyoutoknowthatsomeofusare,andsomeof uscare.
Myadmirationforyouisboundless.AsweneartheholidaysI hopeyouwillhaveapeacefulandlovelyendtotheyear.Youall mostcertainlydeserveit.Whetherornotyougiveushomework, andwhetherornotyourtestsarehard,westillappreciateyouand wishyoutheverybestMayyourdaysbemerryandbright,andall yourworriesoutofsightWe’llseeyounextyear!
Withgratitude,CaedmonSethupathy
Haveyoueverbeenstuckwalkinguponeofthoseendless Ithacahills,regrettingeveryarduousminute?Haveyou everwantedtogosomewherebutdidnothaveaccesstoa
vehicle or bicycle? Well, worry no more! The Center for CommunityTransportationhaslaunchedtheIthacaBikeShare. SimilartoCitiBikeandLimeBike,theIthacaBikeShareprovides easybikeaccess.
Pricing:
TheIthacaBikeSharehasaffordableratesAnnualmemberships are150dollars,grantinguserssixtyminutesofbikingadayand fifteencentsperminuteafterthatIfyouwanttoventureonalong bikeride,daypassesareavailablefortwentydollars,includingfour hoursofridetimeAsingleridecostsonedollartounlockthebike and fifteen cents per minute. Users also receive a onedollar credit/freeunlockingwhentheyreturnthebiketoa“BikeHub,”a smallsquareshownonthemap.Ihavehadmymembershipfor onlyfivedaysandhavetakenoverfifteenrides!
ThecurrentboundariesoftheIthacaBikeSharestartat TaughannockBoulevardandGarrettRoadinNorthwestIthaca,to DanbyRoadandLarissaLaneinSouthHill,toEllisHollowRoad andDodgeRoadinEastIthacatoTriphammerRoadandBrook DriveinLansing.YoucanbiketoCornellBotanicGardens, Buttermilk Falls, Ithaca Mall, the airport, Wegmans, Thrifty Shopper,EastHillPlaza,downtown,andmore!Althoughmanyof
theseplacesarehilly,theelectricpedalassistmakesbikingupthese hillsfeellikenothing.Usersmaystillrideoutsideoftheboundary. Forexample,ifauserwantstobikepasttheEllisHollowand DodgeRoadline,theymaydosoaslongastheyreturnthebiketo theboundarywhentheyarefinishedForacompletemapofIthaca BikeShareboundaries,visitIthacabikeshareorgordownloadthe app
TherearemanybenefitstousingIthacaBikeShare.Quality electric bicycles can cost upwards of one thousand dollars. Repairingelectricbicyclescanalsobecostly.Ifanyrepairsneedto bedoneforabikewithIthacaBikeShare,thecompanywill immediatelyrepairitwithoutinvolvingtheuser.WhenIwas goingtounlockabike,Inoticedthatthechainwasbroken I notifiedtheappabouttheissue,andsomeonecametorepairitat nocosttome IthacaBikeShareisalsoresponsibleforcharging bicyclesNothavingtoworryaboutchargingthebicycleasauser bringspeaceofmind.
EnvironmentalImpact:
Transportationaccountsforthirtypercentofglobalcarbon emissions,withseventypercentaccountedforbyvehicles.Every timesomeoneusesasustainabletransportationmethod suchas walking,biking,scootering,etc overacar,asubstantialamount ofCO₂issavedfromtheatmosphere Bychoosingbikingover driving,wecanmoveonestepfurtherinpreservingourclimate
I’vebeenalongtimeenjoyerofhistory,andworkinginthe archivesletsmeseeanewthestoriedhallsofIHSstraightfrom thestudentswhohavecomebeforeus.Theyallowusto
experiencetheworldastheydid,throughtheirmindsandideas thatsurvivelongaftertheyhavegraduatedPlease,aboveallelse, enjoy!
January2009
Formanypeople,celebratingtheireightiethbirthdaymeans manythings,specificallydentures,hearingaids,droopingbreasts, acceptancethatdeathisnear,andanincrediblenumberofcake candlesTheStateTheatreofIthaca,whichcelebrateditseightieth anniversaryonDecember6,however,welcomedthisbirthdayasa timetohonoritsrecentsuccessinthepastyearsandadmire continuedlongevityTheStateTheatreopeneditsdoorsin1928
withsixteenothertheatrecompetitors Now,thetheatreremains thesolehistoriccinema The Tattler’s MichelaSchickelinterviewed DanSmalls,theexecutivedirectoroftheStateTheatreaboutthe recent twoday fiesta involving a show by the Squirrel Nut Zippers,muchfoodandtoasting,andthescreeningofthesilent movieSpeedy.
MichelaSchickel:Recently,thetheatrecelebrateditsanniversary with1920sthemedweekendevents.Whatdoyouthinkaboutthe progressthatthetheatrehasmade?
DanSmalls:Thelastfewyearshavemarkedtremendoussuccess fortheStateItsrebirthhasbeenrecognizedthroughouttheregion andtheleveloftalentwehavebeenabletosecurehasrisenwith thecontinuedprogresswehavemadeIt’ssoimportanttokeepthe State[Theatre]viable it’stheanchorofdowntownIthaca
MS:Whatsimilaritiesanddifferencescanyouseebetweenthe focusoftheStateTheatretodayversuswhenitopeneditsdoorson December6,1928?
DS:It’sactuallyquitesimilar:Thetheatrewasformedtobe Ithaca’scommunitytheatre.That’sstillourfocustoday:toprovide qualityentertainmentforallsegmentsofthepopulation
MS:HowmanypeopleattendedtheSquirrelNutZippersshow? Andwhatdoyoubelievewasthegeneralfeedback?
DS:Therewereover900peopleatthatshowThatincludedall paidguestsandthecommunitypartnerswehavesupportedthe theatreoverthepastfewyears.Thefeedbackwasthatwethrew thepartyoftheyear.The“speakeasy”partybeforehandwas completewithasecretentranceandfabulousfoodfromSimply RedBistro,IthacaBeer,andwinefromSheldrakePoint.Theband playedtwophenomenalsetsthatcouldn’tbemoreaproposforan eightiethbirthdayparty Thestreetfairendedtheshowwitha champagnetoast itwasanamazingandunforgettablenightWe receiveddozensofemailsandthankyounotes
MS:WhatwasyourhopefortheDecember7FilmandFamily Fare?Diditmeetexpectations?
DS:Thiseventtiedtotheoriginalopeningnight.Wetriedto recreatethatandIbelievethepublicenjoyedit.Weheardgreat thingsaboutthiseventaswell.
MS:HastheStateTheatreevercelebratedotheranniversaries? Whatwasyourmotivatorforcelebratingthisparticularbirthday?
DS:Iamnotawareofanyothercelebrationspersonally
MS:Whatisyouropinionabouttheimportanceoflocaltheatres inIthaca,NY?
DS:Beingthelastoftheseventeenoriginaltheaters,theStateis crucialIt’sourtietothepastandourlinktothefutureTheState Theatreistheplaceforthecommunitytogatherandcelebrateits diversity,andit’sthebestplacetoseebignameentertainment.
MS:Whendidplanningforthisanniversarybegin?
DS:Inconcept,sixmonthsormoreago.Inearnestoverthepast fewmonths.Therewasagreatcommitteewhogavetirelesslyto theevent
MS:HowweretheSquirrelNutZipperschosen?Andwhywere theychosentoperformduringthisimportantcelebration?
DS:Iwantedabandwhosesoundcouldhavebeenonstagein
anyofthe80yearssincethetheatreopenedTherewasnoother bandthatcametomindPlus,mytiestothemfrompreviouswork together made securing them at an affordable price more attainable
High School Musical 3 IsYetMoreDisneyFun
Doyoulovewatchingmusicals?Ifyoudo,HighSchoolMusical 3isamustseeThemillionsofdollarsmadeinticketsalessayitall Ihavetosaythat’sprettygoodforaGratedmovie
ThroughoutthewholemovieIwasontheedgeofmyseat,just waitingtoseewhatwasgoingtohappennext Themusicwas phenomenalandthechoreographyspectacular Themoviewas overthetop,withmanysurprises;althoughtheevildivawannabe Sharpay(AshleyTisdale)triestostealthespotlightasalways,some newfaceswerealsorevealedduringthemovie.Theteenagelove storywasagoodtwist Icansadlysaythatallthegirlsinthe movietheaterwouldhavedoneanythingtobeinGabriella’sshoes whenTroygiveshishearttoheronceagain
What’ssogreataboutthismovieisthatpeopleofallagescango seeitandwouldenjoyitjustasmuchasanylittlekidwouldSure, somespotsinthemovieareprettycorny,becauseafterall,inthe realworldnooneintheirrightmindwouldburstoutsinging abouttheirfeelings.Butthat’swhatmakesitsogreattosee;that’s reallywhatthewholemovieisabout.IcanproudlysaythatHigh SchoolMusical3wouldhavetobethebestHighSchoolMusical moviesofar.
What’sdifferentaboutthisHighSchoolMusicalisthatTroy (ZacEffron),Gabriella(VanessaHudgens),andthewholegang fromtherecentmoviesareallgettingreadytograduate,attend prom,andspendtheirlastmomentstogetherbeforetheschool yearendsAndwhatwouldbemoreperfectforspendingtheirlast momentstogetherthaneveryonebeingintheschoolmusicalright beforetheygraduate?
Duringtheselasttimestogether,everyonefindsoutwhatthey wanttodoafterhighschool.ButwillSharpayfinallycometoher sensesandlearnthatnoteverythinghastobeabouther?Willthere beenoughtimeforthewholecastoffriendstosaytheirgoodbyes? January 1968
LateinDecembertheIHSswimteamfacedaproblem.The highschoolpoolsufferedacrackandhadtobedrainedforrepairs. Theswimteamthenfounditnecessarytoseekotherquartersfor theirpracticesandmeets.Theseotherquartersbecamethetwo Cornellpools:TeagleandHelenNewman,forpracticesandIthaca CollegeforthemeetvsVestal
CoachCharlesBaxterexplainedthatthetwomajorproblems
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thatarosefromthemovewerethedifficultyintransportationand theadversepsychologicaleffectsofswimminginstrangepools Theswimmersfoundituncomfortableswimmingin“foreign” pools It was necessary to travel and constantly carry their equipmentfromplacetoplace.PracticeswereheldinTeagleHall inthemorningandHelenNewmanafterschool.Theswimmers wereall“anxioustogetback”totheIHSpool.Thehighschoolis gracedwithagoodpoolandthemermenlikeit. FortunatelyIthacahadtohostonlyonemeetoutsideoftheIHS poolThemeetwaslosttoVestalinaclosemeetatIthacaCollege TheIC poolexactlyliketheVestalonewhichputIthacaata disadvantageThemermenhavenowreturnedtotheirownpool February10,theIHSmermenwilltraveltoNewHartfordfor oneofthetoughestmeetsoftheseason Duringthemonthof February, IHS will be meeting Binghamton Central, Union EndicottandMaineEndwellforthefirsttimethisyear. CoachBaxtercommented,“Theboysshouldreachtheirpeaks inthenextfewweeks.”Theyusuallyreachtheirpeaksinearly Marchwhentheystartsprintingandgettingtheirbesttimes. BaxterexpectsDougBolgianotobreaktheminutemarkinthe 100yardbutterfly,andDougMarkwardttobreakthe50yard markinthefreestyleDuringthenextfewmonthstheswimmers willbedoingmoreworkinashorterperiodoftimewithfewer restperiods
Whenaskedtocommentonthechancesforachampionshipthis year,Baxtersaid,“Vestal,MaineEndwellandIthacaarethethree teamsincontentionforthechampionship.”Hethenaddedthat theyweren’tnecessarilyinthatorder.
‘TwasthenightbeforeChristmasandallthroughthehouse
Thepartyprogressed,sansproverbialmouse Therugwasrolledbackandthecoupleswereswaying Totherhythmofmusicavictrolawasplaying.
TheonlylightsshonefromalargeChristmastree Whichstoodinthecorner,quitesomethingtosee; Itwascoveredwithtrimmings,icicles,andsnow, Andgailywrappedpackagesnestledbelow
Itsparkledanddazzledlikemoonlightonwater, AsIgazedatthismarvel, nowordcouldIutter. Thewild,wickedwindwhichwasroaringoutside Madethekidsverygladoftheirfiresideyuletide,
Upstairsweremainhercurlersandcream Andpaontheroadtoa“ChristmasEve”dream, AndoldmaidAuntMollywithnightcaponhead
Hadlongbeenasleepinherfourposterbed
Thenallofasuddenthecouplesdidstop Whentheyheadonthestairwayaheavyclipclop Andwhattotheirfearstrickeneyesshouldappear Butthemanofthehouseholdinfullsleepinggear.
Thecalm,sedatemannerheusuallyhad Wasgonefromhisfeatures;Ithoughthewasmad! Forhiseyeswerepuffedupandthelidsnearlyclosed, Helookedeversomuchlikethesummer’slastrose
Hishair(whatwasleft)stoodstraightuponhishead; Hesquintedatus,shookhisfist,whilehesaid, “YoukidsarestillyoungbutI’mgrowingoldfast, IneedninehoursofsleeporIfearIwon’tlast.
SoIhearditstrikemidnighttwohoursago, Soputonyourcoatsandgetoutinthesnow! Don’ttakehalfanhourjustsayinggoodnight Bequickaboutit!Getoutofmysight!”
Thenheturnedonhisheelandwentstraightupthesteps Whilethekidssolemnlyputontheirwraps Whenhegottothetop,heturnedslowlyaround Andhesmiled,thenbeamed,ashesaidlookingdown,
“Becareful,thepavementiscoveredwithice. MerryChristmastoall,andtoallagoodnight!”
December 1919
TheAmericanpeople,inordertoform Amoreperfectuniontokeepusfromwrong, Securingforusalandofthefree, Forourselvesandourposterity, FormedanewConstitution,thelawoftheland, Allotherlawsithasinitshand
Thenexthighestlawsarethelawsofthestate, Whichguaranteesfreedomofspeechanddebate Thencomesthecounties,inallsixtytwo, Eachhavingitsspecialdutiestodo, Fromrecordingofdeedsandfilingofwills, Tothelevyingoftaxesandmakingofbills. Thenextsmallestunitisknownasthetown, Throughthecareofitshighwaysitwinsitsrenown. Lasttheschooldistrict,‘tissmallbut‘tisgreat, Itcaresfortheschoolsthroughoutthewholestate TheboysandgirlsoftheoldUSA Shouldbetheproudestonearthtoday, Livinginthis,thelandofthefree,
Ofhappiness,peaceandprosperity, Underaflagthatforevershallfly Undertheblueofthewesternsky, Welcomingallascitizenshere, Frommanyacountryfarandnear Butnowinthesedaysofstrikesanddisgrace, Itseemsthatourcountryislosingherplace Wemustnotforgetthelawoftheland, Madelongagobyourforefathers’hand.
ALFREDF.NIXON‘21
December 2016
The Crown Season1:AReview
ByJULIANPERRYAsNetflixcontinuestoproducemoreandmoreoriginalseries, ithasbeenimpressiveinitsproductionquality,and The Crown is noexception.Whilewatching The Crown,oneistrulyimmersed inthelifeofQueenElizabethII,achaotictimeinthehistoryof theBritishroyalfamily.Netflixobviouslyhadveryhighhopesfor theshow,havingallotteditthehighestbudgetofanyoftheirTV showssofarandbeginningproductionofthesecondseasonbefore thereleaseofthefirst However,itlackstheactionandsuspense thatmakeashowworthyofbingewatching,whichreducesits appealforalotofpeople The Crown seemstobeNetflix’sfirst attempttocreateatelevisiondramaintheveinof Downton Abbey, andwhileitseemslikeitwassuccessfulinthatregard,theshow isn’texactlyfastpacedorexciting,whichmaybeenoughtomake itanunattractiveoptionforNetflixsubscribers.
ThestoryofthefirstseasoniscenteredaroundEngland’s struggletomaintainstabilityfollowingthedeathofKingGeorge VI.AtthecenterofthisstruggleliesQueenElizabethII,whose burdenistomanagethedifficultyofdealingwiththerestofthe royalfamily,dealwithParliament,andmaintainherfamily’s image Theshowstartsoutslow,andImustadmitthatIwas losinginterestoverthecourseofthefirstfewepisodes,butas Elizabeth’slifebecamemorecomplicatedandmoredifficultover thecourseoftheseason,theshowbecomesmoreengagingandI startedtosympathizewiththestrugglesofvariouscharacters. Whileatpointstheplotwasnotappealing,atnopointintheseries wasIdoubtfuloftheexcellenceoftheactingorthesetdesignand productionquality.Theshowiscomprisedofscenesinbeautiful landscapesaswellasextravagantindoorsettingsthatserveaseye candytocompensateforaslowplot
Whileitsslowpaceandlackofactioncertainlymakeitless exciting,theyalsomake The Crown standoutamongNetflix’s selectionoforiginalworks Whileashowlike Stranger Things or Orange is the New Black ismadewiththeintentofgettingthe viewertobingewatchaseasoninashortperiodoftime, The Crown seemstohavebeenmadewiththeexpectationthatthe viewertakesbreaksbetweenepisodes,asstrangeasthatmayseem intheeraofstreamingtelevision.AsIwatchedtheshowIfound myselfimmersedineachepisode,yetIneverfeltthecompulsive
needtoimmediatelystartthenextepisode.Whilethatfactor doesn’tnecessarilyaddawholelottotheviewingexperience,it doesmakewatchingtheshowcompatiblewithgettinghomework doneontimeandnotlosingtoomuchsleep Ifwhatyouare lookingforisashowtowatchinoneweekend, The Crown isnot thethrillerorfeelgooddramayouwant
Still, to call The Crown boring would be incorrect The phenomenaloverallqualityoftheshowmakesitworthyofpraise, anditleftmelookingforwardtothesecondseason. The Crown is expectedtohavesixseasonsthattellthestoryofQueenElizabeth II’slong,illustriouslife,andgiventhatsofarmyimpressionofthe showhasimprovedasIwatchedmoreepisodes,Iseealotof potentialforittogetevenbetterinthecomingseasons.
Collegeappsaredue
Seniorsmadstressedallthetime
Theworldisending!
Vapes have long been preached as a way to get off cigarettes, but the rise of the vaping industry has had dreadful consequences for teenagers. Many high school students influenced by peer pressure and teen-directed marketing campaigns have started smoking e-cigarettes, with the The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reporting that 14.1 percent of high school students use e-cigarettes daily.
Since 2007, vapes have been gaining popularity, first as a way for people to quit traditional cigarettes, but the lack of proper regulations have made these products extremely dangerous. E-cigarette companies like JUUL have launched ad campaigns targeting young audiences, creating an image that their product is “trendy” and safe, despite very little research being conducted to prove this. The industry also continues to push flavored products to further attract a teenage audience, and this predatory tactic has undoubtedly hooked many teenagers on their products.
Overall, media and advertising influences, combined with peer pressure from friends who vape, creates a very toxic environment in high school that influences teens to start smoking. People who have friends who smoke are more inclined to try themselves or may be coerced into trying smoking unwillingly. Finally, many teens are affected by withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit which are very hard to get over, and unfortunately stay addicted without support for quitting.
Quitting vaping isn’t easy, but the benefits are certainly worth the struggle. If you’re thinking about quitting vaping, there are a few important strategies that you should know to help you meet your goal and live a healthier life.
ArtbyARTEMISINZINNAFirstly, it is important to make a plan. Think about the different reasons you want to quit and keep a list somewhere visible to remind you of them every day. This can help you stay motivated and focused. You might also set a quit date that you can prepare for. There isn’t a perfect time to quit, and there will always be stressors in your life, but try to set yourself up for success and avoid particularly stressful times (before a big exam, for example).
Secondly, surround yourself with supportive people. Don’t be afraid to talk to your family and friends about your decision, and ask for help when you need it. If they vape, ask them not to vape around you, or temporarily distance yourself from people who vape. Having a strong support system can help to keep you accountable and motivated.
Thirdly, understand your triggers and cravings. This is important to help you avoid situations that
While e-cigarettes are sometimes seen as a healthier alternative to cigarettes, there are many detrimental health effects that come with vaping. A CDC study found that ninety-nine percent of the e-cigarettes sold in the sample studied contained nicotine, including some products with a zero percent nicotine content claim or undisclosed nicotine content. While nicotine is harmful to everyone, adolescents are disproportionately affected by nicotine use. Nicotine severely harms brain development and negatively affects learning, memory, impulse control, and mood. Youth e-cigarette and cigarette use have even been linked to depression and anxiety. The flavorings in vape liquids—which have been reported as a major reason why teens choose to use ecigarettes—may be harmful to inhale and could cause lung damage in the long term.
In addition to these immediate symptoms, vaping can set a dangerous path further into life. A 2018 National Academy of Medicine report discovered that early ecigarette use directly corresponds with increased frequency and amount of cigarette smoking in the future. Half of all long-term smokers are eventually killed by cigarette use. Even if it never progresses to cigarette use, vaping is incredibly detrimental to teens’ physical and mental health. With all of these terrible side effects, quitting vaping is the obvious choice, but it is by no means easy. Along with the ongoing peer pressure many might face, there are many physical and mental symptoms that follow nicotine withdrawal. Restlessness, inability to sleep, feelings of anxiety and depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and intense nicotine cravings are all common when experiencing withdrawal. But don’t worry—there’s still good news: After getting over the initial experiences of withdrawal, quitting vaping can often lead to lower levels of anxiety and depression, as well as improved overall mood and quality of life. While the damage done by vaping can be severe, it is not irreparable. With the right resources, addiction to nicotine and vaping can be overcome, ultimately leading to a happier and healthier life.
could cause relapsing. Additionally, many medications exist to help curb cravings and withdrawal, such as nicotine patches, lozenges, or gum.
Lastly, take advantage of one of the many programs available to help teens quit vaping. This Is Quitting, for example, is a free text-based program that connects you with other young people who have successfully quit e-cigarettes. The program offers anonymous, confidential support to help 24/7 with stress, cravings, and slips. Even if you aren’t quite ready to quit, This Is Quitting can help to build your skills and confidence. All you have to do is text DITCHVAPE to 88709
IfanyonewaseveronthefoodsideofInstagramorYouTubein 2019,I’msureyousawtheextremelybeautifulanddetailedpies createdbyLaurenKoLaurenKoisanartistandbakerwhoisa firstgenerationUScitizenKo’sparentsarebothimmigrants;her fatherisfromHongKongandhermotherisfromHondurasShe wasborninSanDiegoandspentherchildhoodthere,butisnow basedinSeattlewheresheworksfulltimeasapieartist
LaurenKostartedoutworkingasasocialworkerinSeattleShe used that background experience and her platform to host fundraisers where the proceeds were donated to nonprofit organizationsforimmigrants,foodservices,andadoption.Kohas alsotalkedaboutnotfeelingAsianorLatinaenough.Sheusesthis tomakecreationsthatcapturethefeelingofbeingmulticultural andAmerican KousesherLatinaheritage,Asianheritage,and traditionallyAmericanelementstocreatesomethingnewthatbest capturesheridentityLaurenKoalsowantstouseherarttoshow something itcouldbeapartofher,astory,orafeelingThegoal isforsomeonetolookatherartandnotonlythinkthatitlooks good,butalsomaketheviewerthinkmoreaboutthedifferent
culturalelementsandwhatmessagetheartisconveying.
WithallofthesupportandattentionKoreceivedfromher family,friends,andsocialmediafans,itonlymadesenseforherto moveontoevenbiggerthings Shortlyafterherfirstfewviral posts,Kobeganreceivingmessagesfromagentsandeditorsasking herifabookwasinthepicture Korefusedtoanswerthese messagesuntilshebeganthinkingthatmaybeshecouldactually writeabookaboutherartthatpeoplewouldwanttoread.She spentcountlesshourstestingrecipes,bakingpies,writingdown therecipes,andcreatingastorywithinthepagesofacookbook. AllherworkpaidoffandherbookPieometrywasreleasedin October2020.Itwasextremelysuccessfulandquicklybecamea NewYorkTimesbestsellingcookbook Iwasgiftedacopyfor Christmasayearagoandthebookitselfisreallybeautifulandone ofakindKocontinuestobakepies,andhasstartedamovement ofexploringtheconnectionbetweenfoodanditsimpactSomeof herpies(liketheonebelow)connectaspectsofherHonduran identityusingcolorsoftheHonduranflagwithpatternsshefound in Chinese art, along with flavors from her childhood in California,tocreateatrulyAmericanpie.
AsI’vegottenolder,I’vegraduallymadetheshiftfrom consumingcontenttargetedatyoungchildrentocontent foryoungadultsAsanavidreader,thismeansgetting excitedaboutthenewestyoungadult(YA)dystopianromance novelandlesssoaboutafamilyoriented,adventuredrivenkids’ book.However,Ifindmyselfincreasinglydisheartenedbythe more“grownup”booksI’mreadingIwouldmuchratherreada PercyJacksonspinoffthananangstyteennovelaboutgrowing upI’mnotsayingthatIdislikeliteraturemeantformoremature audiences;Icanenjoyameaningfulcommentaryonlifeand societyasmuchasthenextperson Buttome,thepopular literaturetargetedatmyagegroupisincreasinglylessappealing,so here’smycaseforappreciatingchildren’sbooksasteenagers,inthe contextofmyfavoritechildren’sbooks.
Children’sliterature(whenexecutedcorrectly)providesstories
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that are insightful regarding complex ideas such as family, friendship,andsocialjusticewhilestillremainingoptimisticand hopefulThere’ssomethingendearingaboutreadingabookabout atenyearoldlearningtostandupforwhattheybelieveinItwas inspiringtomewhenIwastenyearsoldanditstillis,nowthatI’m sixteen.FrontDeskbyKellyYang,(still)oneofmyfavoritebooks, is a prime example of this it perfectly balances innocence, optimism,andsocietallyrelevanttopics.ThebookfollowsMia,an elementaryschoolagegirlwhosefamilyhasjustimmigratedto America,andtheiranticsandstrugglesinrunningamotelin CaliforniaIt’slaughoutloudfunnybutalsodeeplydisturbingin itsportrayalofthechallengesfacedbypeopleofcolorinthe United States Mia is a spunky, lovable protagonist, and her narrationshowcasesasparklyoutlookonlifethatseemsexclusive tochildren’sliterature Thisabilityofchildren’sbookstoaddress serioustopicswithhopeandoptimismissomethingthatIdeeply appreciate.
There’salsosomethingoddlyrelatableaboutseeingyounger charactersovercomingtheirobstaclesandgrowingfromthem.A KindofParadiseisaboutagirlwholearnstoforgiveherselfforher mistakeswiththehelpofaquirkycastoflibrariansTheAruShah seriesintroducesthemaincharacterasapathologicalliarwhojust wantstofitinTheclassic Wonder tellsthestoryofnotonlyaboy withafacialanomalybuthowitaffectsthepeoplearoundhimas well.Inallofthesecases,it’sinspiringtoseetheseyoungcharacters facetheirchallengesandcomeoutsuccessful.Itmakesmethink abouthowI’vegrownfrommyproblemsandwillcontinuetoand alsoreassuresmethattherewillalwaysbeatleastsomethingsthat turnoutokay.TheseoldfavoritesarewhatIturntoinorderto distract myself after a particularly difficult day when I need somethinghopefulthatwillcheermeup Happyendingsand personalsuccessmakemehappyondayswhenI’drathernotread anothergloomypictureofreality
Speakingofdepressingdepictionsofreality,anotherwonderful aspect of children’s literature (especially picture books, which you’renevertoooldfor)isitsabilitytodrawyouintoworldsthat arebizarreyetlogicalinawaythatveryfewYAnovelscan accomplish.IhaveyettofindaYAscifiorfantasynovelthatis more fun thansomethinglike Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Thebookversionoftheclassicodetofoodisactuallyquite differentfromtheanimatedmovieIhaven’tseenthemovieinat leastfiveyears,butIrediscoveredthepicturebookthispast summerwhileshelfreadingatthelibrary AfterIgotpastthe initialnostalgicgushing,Islowlyrereadit
Iwasfinallyabletoappreciatethesheercreativityofthe premise.Adreamtownwherefoodrainsfromtheskiesandthe weatherforecastpredictthenextmeal whowouldn’twantthatto bereality?It’ssuchanamusingideathatIcan’thelpbutbe intrigued.Theuncertaintyoftheending wasChewandswallow real? onlyaddstothewonderReadingthistypeofbookislikea joyrideorapieceofreallygoodchocolateI’mstillahugefanof dystopianfictionandhowauthorsuseittoconveysomething meaningfulthroughafictionalworldSometimes,though,youjust needalighthearted,fantasticalbooktoliterallypullyouin,away fromeverything.
ThenexttimeIneedabreak,IthinkI’llgotomybookshelfand flipthroughsomethingthatIgotyearsago.MaybeI’llfindan entirelynew,weird,andwonderfulworldorrediscoveranold favoritethatIforgotabout.AngstyteendramasareforwhenI haveenoughenergytointeractwiththeissues;whenIdon’t,I wouldratheradventurewithdragons(Wings of Fire)ormagical necklaces and lovable robots (Amulet) That warm and fuzzy feelingwhentheyoungprotagonisthastriumphedandtheir sparklyworld,realorfantastical,issavedfeelsjustasgreatevery time.
continuously Whentheeggwhitesreachmediumpeaks, gentlypourthemintothechocolatebatter
Usingasiliconespatulaorbigspoon,gentlyfoldtheegg whitesintothechocolatemixtureuntilwellcombinedwithout anywhiteorbrownstreaks.
Pourthebatterintothepreparedjellyrollpanandbakefor10 12minutes,(untilitcomesawayfromtheedgesabitandis slightlyrisen)Whilethecakeisbaking,placeasheetof parchment on your work surface and lightly dust with confectionerssugar
ByBRIDGETTIERNEYThisyummycakerollisaperfectblendoffluffychocolatesponge, creamy vanilla frosting, and crunchy chocolate bark. It’s my favoritedesserttomakeformyfamilyandfriends.
Takeyourcakeoutoftheovenandcarefullyturnitoutonto thedustedparchment,removethebakedparchment Gentlyrollthecakeupintheparchment,intoalogshapeLet itcoolatroomtemp,whileyoustartonthebuttercream filling.
Creamthebutterwithanelectricmixeruntilpaleyellowand creamy.
Addconfectionerssugar,vanillaextract,andmilkandmix untilcreamyandfluffy.
Onceyourrolliscool,unrollitandspreadbuttercreaminan evenlayerleavingabitofbuffersoitdoesn’tsquirtout Rerollandplaceinthefridgetochill
Meltyourchocolateinthemicrowaveinshortbursts,stirring inbetweenuntilsmoothandallmelted(about125minutes) Takeaspoonorsiliconespatulaandspreadglobsofchocolate sauceontop,untilyougetauniformsmoothlayer. Chillagainuntilreadytoserve(atleast15minstoallow chocolatetoset).
Enjoy!Itstoreswellinthefridgeforacoupledays.
Chocolate Sponge Cake
4largeeggs
1/2cupgranulatedsugar
2tablespoonsmilk
2tablespoonscookingoil(Iusecanola)
1/3cupallpurposeflour
11/2tablespoonsunsweetenedcocoapowder
Littlebitofbutterforgreasing
Smallhandfulofconfectionerssugarfordusting
Vanilla Buttercream Filling
1/2cupsoftenedbutter
1cupconfectionerssugar
1teaspoonvanillaextract
2tablespoonsmilk
Chocolate bark topping
1/3cupsweetenedchocolatechips
Instructions: 1 2 3. 4.
Preheatovento400℉ Lightlygreasea10by15jellyrollpan andlinewithbakingparchmentSetaside
Separateeggs,putyolksintoamediumbowlandwhitesintoa separatebowl Setasidethewhitesfornow Whisktheegg yolkswith1/2ofthesugar(1/4cup)
Add milk and oil to the sweetened yolks. Whisk until combined.
Sifttheflourandcocoapowderintothewetingredientsand whiskuntilit’suniformlysmooth,wellcombined,andglossy.
Note: Zak Kasian uses he/they pronouns This article uses both pronouns interchangeably
BornandraisedinIthaca,ZakKasian(’26)hasalwaysloved musicSincetheageoftwo,they’vebeenlearningtoplay dozensofinstruments “Musichasalwaysbroughtmejoy, hrhr nomatterwhattimeofdayornomatterhowIfelt,”Kasiansaysof hismusicalcareer“ItwastheonethingI’dgotowhenI’mfeeling down”Hisdebutalbum, Just An Intermission,wasreleasedinearly November Theycleverlycombinemajesticinstrumentalswith calmandhopefullyricsintheninetrackalbum
PROLOGUE: Theprologuetothisalbumisadarkandgloomyelectronic trackwithdistinguishedcrescendos.Itissimilartohauntedhouse
music,yetsomethingaboutitisstilllightandtender “The prologue,essentially,showsthatthisiswhatIwanttoopenup withinmymusicalcareer,”Kasiansaysoftheopeningtothe albumThetrackbringsafreshtakeonsuspensefulmusic
Musicaltheaterkids,you’regoingtolovethisbittersweetballad. “Withthissong,IstartedoutwiththepianoWhenIwascoming upwithlyricsforthis,Iwasinthisdarktimewithdepressionand anxiety,andIwaslike,Icanventaboutthisthroughsong,”Kasian reflects “There’smomentswherelifeisgoingtosuck,butthen therearemomentswhereyoucangetoverthem.”Thisisa sentimentalandupliftingpieceaboutstrugglingtoreachyour dreamsbutstillknowingyouwillmakeitintheend.
Stopsobbingbecauseof“There’sAMoment,”because“Don’t SweatIt”willmakeyouwanttogetup,dance,andliterallybreak intoasweatThisupbeatsonghasapositivemessageandagreat blendofinstruments“Ioriginallywrotethisinstrumentaltracka whileagoandIwasthinkingit'djustbeasoliddiscopieceWhen Iaddedlyricstoit,Iwaslike,ohyeah,thisisgonnabeacatchy thing.It’skindofjustagood‘getupanddance’song.”
THAT FUZZY FEELING:
Ajuxtapositionfromthefirsttrack,“ThatFuzzyFeeling”isan upbeat,livelytune Lowbrassinstrumentsmakeforaunique bridgethatcomplementstheelectronicdancepopvibesofthe song’s introduction. “I've always had a fascination for brass instruments.Traditionally,youdon'treallyhearbrassinstruments inindiemusic,butIwantedtobringsomethingnewintothe mix,”Kasiansaid.
Ifyou’veeverbeentoPorchfestorseensomeoneplayingmusic inpublic,thissongwillmakeyouthinkofthosehappymemories Thesongisbouncy,lighthearted,andsweet,withgushinglyrics “NowI’vekindofrealizedthesongisaboutgoingoutofyourway totravelanywheretogoseeaperson.Havingthatdrivejusttobe withsomeoneisawholenewlevelof,‘you'remyfriendandthisis howmuchofanimportantpersonyouareinmylife.I’lldo anything,I’llgoanywhere.’”
Justwhenwethoughtweweregettingoverthe“BabyShark” and“It’sRainingTacos”phenomena,thefourthtrackonthis albumisagoofy,PerryGrippesquetuneThevocallayeringadds tothecreativeandfunkyambianceofthissong.“Basicallyoneday Iwasjustthinkingofthisrhymegoingoverandoverandoverin mymind.ItwassomestupidthingIcameupwithonedayandI waslike,youknow,Iwannareleaseit.Andalso,Ihadtoputina slapbasssectionattheend.”
“Thissongiskindofaboutthefeelingofbeinginthepresence oftheunknown.”Kasianbravelytacklesthefeelingofuncertainty in“IDon’tKnowYet,”takingthelisteneronajourneyasthey exploretheworldaroundthem “Iwanttoleavethelistener wonderingWhendoesanybodyeverknowanything?Allwedo knowisthatthere’salwaysmoretoknow”
Etherealandenchanting,thepenultimatetrackonthisalbum illustratesatangiblenirvanathatthenarratorseeks.Withahintof TheBeatlesflairandPeterPanscenery,“AMagicalFaraway Place”imaginesanidyllic,otherworld“whereeveryoneishappy andfree”“IwrotethissongaboutCanada,”Kasianadmits “I alwaysseeCanadaaslikethisamazingplacewhereanythingcan happenandwhereeveryoneisjustfreetodowhatevertheywant Ijustwantedtoescapefromallofthisconfusionandcontroversy”
Kasiancloseshisdebutalbumwiththememorabletitletrack, “JustAnIntermission.”OriginallyperformedattheStudentsOf ColorSummitin2021,thistrackmarksasweetandwishful endingtothischapterinKasian’slife.“BackwhenIwrotethe song,Iwroteitaboutallofthequestionsthatarefloatingaround inmyhead WhenIstoppedtothinkaboutthisasapause,in reality,anintermission,ifyouwill,IreallythinkaboutifIdothis onething,willtheworldbebetterthanitalreadyis?IfImakeone move,willitaffecteverythingaroundme?”
ZakKasianhaspouredhisheartandsoulintohismusiccareer. “Ialwayslovethenourishingsenseofmelancholyandnostalgia andthat'swhereIwantmymusictogo,”Kasiangushes.“Iwantit tohavethissolemnyetfamiliarsenseofnostalgiaandIfeellike thatkindofmusicdoesn'treallyexistyet,soIwantthistobea
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turningpoint”Theyareecstatictoseewhatimpactthisalbumhas “Thisalbumisreallyforthepeople,notonlyjustregularpeople butpeoplewhoarereallystrugglingoutthereIwantthisalbumto liftthemupfromwhatthey’regoingthrough”
Find Just An Intermission onSpotify,Pandora,iTunes,orother musicstreamingservices.
description seemedlikeagoodplacetostart.JordanPeelehas suchgreatreviewsonthetwoothermovieshereleasedbeforethis: Us and Get Out Thetrailershowsanunknownflyingobjectinthe sky,whichleftmewonderinghowthemoviewouldexplainthe technologybehindthis
I'mnottheonlyonewhofeltfrustratedbythismovie;I interviewedIHSjunior,BrookeGordon,onherdislikeofthe movie.Shetoldmeshehadenjoyedthestartofthemovie,butit wentdownhillfromthere.Shethenwentontoexplainaminor plothole:horsesneedhorseshoestowalk,butthismoviedoesn't evenhavehorseshoes.Thismoviehadahighbudget,sixtyeight million dollars. Unfortunately, none was put into getting horseshoes,orinthiscase,aplot
Iwouldliketoclarifythatthisisnottheworstmovietoeverbe released thatwouldbe Open House,a2018“horror”filmdirected bySuzanneCooteandMattAngelandstarringDylanMinnette Butthat’sforanotherarticle Backto Nope, though:Ithinkthe cinematography was amazing, and the casting was great. Unfortunately,itwasjust135minutesofwantingtobescaredbut nothingevercameoutofit.Inourinterview,Brookespokeabout howdisappointedshewas,constantlywaitingforsomethingto happen.
JordanPeeleisafilmmakerknownforcreatingcomedyand horrorfilmsHisdebutmovie Get Out wasreleasedin2017, andwasdescribedbyVoxasanAmericanpsychological thrillerabout“aBlackmanwhostumblesintoaverywhite,very weirdworld."Asahugepsychologicalthrillerandhorrormovie fan,IwasprettyexcitedwhenIheardaboutanewthrillercoming outIsatdowninthetheaterandthefirsttenminuteswerepretty cool Theopeningsceneisafewclipsofamonkeywearinga birthdayhatandcoveredinblood Thereisalsoashoestanding whichIinterpretedassymbolizingthesaying“Waitfortheother shoetodrop.”Thefollowingsceneisgreat;Ihavenocomplaints regardingit.Itwasagreatwaytostartthemovie itleavesthe audiencewithquestions,andhooksthemsotheythinkthey'rein foramysteriousride.
Unfortunately,afterthat,themoviestartstogobyveryslowly. Thewholemovieisessentiallythesamesceneoverandoveragain, withminoradjustments Igotboredprettyquickly;nothingbig washappening,andIhadbeensoexcitedtowatchascifithrillerI hadneverreallybeenintoscifibutthis bythetrailerand
BrookeandIagreedoneofthebestscenesinthemoviewasthe kidsinthehorsestable Italsohappenstobewheretheword “nope”issaidthemostInthisscene,OJisinthestablebecausehe hearssomenoisesandweseecreaturesthatPeelemeanttobe aliensOJgetsfreakedoutandsays“nope”aboutfourorfivetimes, butitturnsouttojustbesomeannoyingkidsfromthenearby "circus."Gordonsaidthatitwasawellplacedscenesince“It happensattherighttime,alittleaftersomepreviousaction.”
IwouldliketoremindyouallthatIdonotwatchorread sciencefiction,soifitwerenotforWillThomasenlighteningme thattheword"nope"alsostandsfor“NotOfPlanetEarth,”thenI would’veforeverbeenmadatPeelefornamingamoviewitha wordthatwassaidsolittleIcouldcountitonmyfingersandstill haveafewleftoverAftersomeresearch,Ialsolearnedthatinan interviewPeeleexplainedwhyhenameditwhathedid;hesaid,“I wastryingtoletpeoplefigurethatoneoutforthemselves,you know?SoIwasn’tleaningintothatbutthecat’soutofthebag. WearetalkingaboutaUFOhereanditisnotofplanetEarthit alsoofcoursereferstohowBlackpeople whatwewouldsayif wesawaUFO:Nope.It’slike...noextraterrestrial.”
Ifyouthinkaboutit, Nope isjustJordanPeele’sfailedadaptation ofthethriller Birdbox butpoorlytranslatedtoasciencefiction thrillerWithbothcreatures,youcannotlookatthemorelsethey willkillyouYoucanspeakandmakenoise;justaslongasyoudo notlookatthem,youwillbesafe Thelargestsimilarityisthat bothcreaturesarenevercompletelyrevealedintheend. Birdbox wasjustsomedemonthatmadehumanswanttoendtheirlives.In Nope itisthisoddmetaljellyfishthateatsyou.Butitwasnever actuallyclarifiedwhateitherofthemwas.
AnotherodddetailBrookenoticedinthefilmwastheseweird eyesyoucouldseeinatleasttwoplacesTherewereeyesonthe
children’smasksfromthestable,andthenthesameeyeswerelater seenonamotorcyclist’shelmetItwasanunknownrepetitionand theonlyreasonBrookenoticeditwasbecauseshewassobored withthemovieitselfshewaslookinginthebackgroundforstuffto trytoputtogether.Shewasnoticingthingsonthefirstwatchthat shouldusuallybeseenafterafewwatches.
IwillsaythatIdidappreciatethatthemetaljellyfishalienin Nope wasnotjustaspaceshipandthatthesaucerwasindeedjust thealien.ItwasdifferentandIreallydoadmirethatbecauseI wasn'texpectingit.ThewholemovieIwasstillexpectingsome alienstocomeoutoftheship
BrookeandIwouldalsoliketoacknowledgethatPeelemadea scenetopointouthowhumansareawfulandwillexploitanything formoney InthismoviethatwouldbeGordy,thechimpanzee whokilledthewholesetandleftonlyJupebecauseitgotshotdead beforeGordygottoJupe.Jupealsogoesontogrowandexploit thealienshipformoneytoo.Hegetsalargecrowdtoseethisnew wildphenomenon,notthinkingabouttheconsequencesofthis decision:whentheshipgetstooclosetothecrowditsucks everyoneandeverythingupandconsumesthem.Mostviewers willtellyouthiswasthemostdisturbingsceneI,ahorror/thriller fan,willjusttellyouitwasmediocreIhaveseenmuchworseand gorier scenes I think that the connection between the shoe standingupatthebeginningofthemoviefinisheswiththisscene, with it starting with Jupe being the only survivor of the exploitationofGordy,toJupedyingashewassupposedtoearlier tothealienhewasexploitingtomakemoneyforhimself.
BrookeandIwouldalsoliketopointoutthatwhilethesecond scenewasverylong(theonewithOJandhissister,Emerald, workingonthesetandexplainingthebackgroundofthehorses andtheirtrainers),itgoesontoexplainthatweneedtoappreciate theBlackfolksworkingasthehorsetrainerswhilenotreceiving anyacknowledgment ThisscenedivesintotheBlackerasurein HollywoodmoviesBlackpeopleareusuallynotcreditedinmovies usingliveactionanimalswhentheyaretrainersorwhentheylet showsandmoviesusetheiranimals.SowhileJordanPeeledoes indeedrepresentsomeveryimportantthingsinhismovie,itstill wasn'tenoughtomakeitenjoyable.
WhenIsearchedfor"Nope 2022,"theoverallGoogleratingwas 2.8stars.Oneofthereviewssaid,“Itdoesn'tevenknowwhat genreitwantstobeItwasadvertisedashorrororsuspensebutitis farfromthat Toomuchtimeisspenttalkingabouthorsesand establishingbackgroundsandstorylinesthataremostlyminor (puttingitkindly)totheplotthatbythetimethemainplotdevice comesarounditjustfeelsabitunderwhelminganddisconnected” Anotherreviewstated,“Thewholealienterrorizingsmalltown conceptwouldofbeengoodifexploredproperly,butwenever reallylearnwhytheUFOdoeswhatitdoes,norwhyafterso manypeoplearekilled,there’snostateorfederalreactiontowhat goeson.Thealienshipcomesoutofnowhere,claimsitsvictims, and thelifegoesonuntilitfindsitsowndemisewhenit consumesagiantfloatingballooncowboy”
Goingoffofthelastreview,IwouldliketoaddthatPeelenever explainsanythingaboutthehorses.Hismovieissetonaranchthat would obviously have horses, and for some reason the alien spaceshipthingmakesthehorsesactupwheneveritisclose But Jordanneverexplainswhyitwasjusthorsesandnototheranimals thatreactedthiswayWhatconnectiondothehorseshavetothis creaturethatmakesthemhypersensitivetoit?Iassumeitleft otherviewerswonderingthesameasme,whichis,‘Whatwasthe point?’
IknowWillThomasbelievesthisfilmwastrulyamazing.I reallydidappreciatereadinghisarticleandhearinghispointof viewonthemovie.Ifyouwouldliketoreadwhyhebelievesit wasafantasticfilm,youcancheckouttheNovemberissueof The Tattler onpagethirtytwoI,however,willneverbeabletoseeeye toeyewithhimonthisIjustdonotthinkthefilmwaswellput together,thoughIlikedtheideaofitAlargemetalspaceshipthat turnsouttonotbeashipatallandjustthealienitselfThefactthat itcutsoffanythingelectricwhenitisclose.Alsothatitmakes horsesfreakout.Theseareinterestingconcepts,butIwouldreally liketoseeanotherdirectortaketheseideasandputthemintoa bettermadefilm,thatactuallyrunstogethersmoothly.Italso couldjustbethatIamnotascififansoIdidn’tunderstanditas muchasothersmayhaveWhileIhadlittleenjoymentwatching it,Iwouldn’ttellthosereadingthistonotwatchitInfact,Ihope thatafterreadingbothofourarticles ifyouhaven’tseenityetor youhave youcanagreewithatleastoneofouropinions
InLondon'sBritishMuseumyoucanseebeautifulartfromall overtheworld,learnthehistoryofothercountries,andadmire theircreationsUnfortunately,thisconvenienceisaresultof
centuriesoftheBritishlootingnonwesternnations’artMuchof thisartbelongstotheRoyalCollection,whichcontainspractically everythingtheBritishRoyaltyhasstolenthroughthecenturies Countrieshaveunderstandablybeendemandingtheirartback,
withlittlesuccess(thetermcommonlyusedforthereturnofartto its country of origin is “repatriation”). Although the British Museumdoesloanarttoothercountries,it’sratherironictobe loaningtheveryartyoustoletothenationstolenfrom Ifthe BritishMuseumreturnedalltheartifactsithasstolenfromother nations,itwouldbepracticallyemptyPeopleflocktoLondonto gapeatthewonderfulBritishMuseum,whilealsodismissingthe countriestheartisactuallyfrom.Artisreallymuchmorethanjust artinthiscase;it'ssymbolicofourworld'shistoryofimperialism.
practices,andthereismuchmoreweneedtodo…thisincludes reviewingthefutureofcollectionsthatweretakenbyforceorin unequaltransactions"Thisisagoodacknowledgmenttomake, however, other museums throughout the country have not mirroredtheseeffortsandstillholdontootherNigerianartThe artfromGreece,India,andChinadiscussedearlierhasnotbeen returned,andwilllikelynotbereturnedanytimesoon.
It’sbafflingthisisevenupfordebate:muchofthisartwas undisputedlystolenandmustbereturnedtothenationspillaged byimperialismbytheWesternworld.AlthoughI’mawarethis article will do absolutely nothing to influence Britain’s government,I’mhopefulitwillinspireyoutothinkaboutthe actualoriginofartwhenadmiringitTheachievementsofnations inAsiaandAfricahavebeencontinuouslydiminishedbytheWest, yetitcontinuestoprofitofftheircreations Imagineaworldin whichweactuallytakeaccountabilityforourheinouspastand makeanefforttomakereparationstoallthenationsthathavebeen pillagedfortheirresources.Repatriationofartisjustthefirstthing thatneedstobedone.
OneofthemostcontestedcollectionsofartistheBenin Bronzes,locatedprimarilyinBritainandFrancefollowingthe lootingoftheRoyalPalaceofBenin(inpresentdayNigeria)in 1887Thereisnoargumentthiswasalegaltransaction;itwasjust stolenart.Andyet,Nigeria’sdemandsforthereturnofthese statueshavebeenlargelyignored.InBeijing,TheSummerPalace (rebuiltafterbeingburneddown)stillhasn’tgottenbackthepieces auctionedoffbyBritishcommanderLordElginin1860.The AcropolisMuseuminGreececontinuestodemandthereturnof theParthenonMarbles(alsoknownastheElginMarbles,canyou guesswhosefamilywasresponsibleforthistheft?),andtheRosetta Stone,takenfromEgyptbyNapoleon,sitsinaglasscasein London Sitting on the former queen’s head was a crown, containingIndia’sKohiNoordiamond Somethoughtthather deathwouldmeanthereturnofthis,butnosuchluck.The diamond’shistoryisextremelycomplicated Britainclaimsitwas legallyobtainedduringtheannexationofIndiain1849 butIndia, Afghanistan,andIranhaveclaimedownershipofitandrequested itsreturn.
Someprogresshasbeenmade,withTheHornimanMuseum returningacollectionoftheBeninBronzesjustthisAugustInlate November,themuseumalsosignedover72objects(including some Benin Bronzes) to Nigerian ownership The museum’s websitereads,“Werecognizethatweareatthebeginningofa journeytobemoreinclusiveinourstoriesandour
Going into Wakanda Forever my expectations were virtuallynonexistentAfterthetragicdeathofChadwick BosemanandPhase4oftheMarvelCinematicUniverse hg (MCU)beingfranklyterrible,Ithoughtwewouldgetanother mediocresludgeofCGIandbadjokesSoitissafetosaythatIwas verysurprisedwhenIwitnessedoneofthegreatestsuperhero moviesofalltime
WakandaForevertakesacompletelydifferentapproachtothe genrethantherestoftheMCU,beingmoreofaslowburndrama thananythingelse.InsteadofrecastingtheroleofT’Challa,Marvel decidedtocontinuethestorywithouthim.Thekingdiesinthe firstsceneandmostofthefilmafterthatisaboutanothercharacter processinghisdeath.
Thisnewapproachworksphenomenally,especiallyduetothe acting,whichiseasilythebestoutofanyMCUfilmTheactors workedpersonallywithBosemanonsetsotheywereequallyas hurtbyhisdeathastheircharacterswerebythedeathofT’Challa Theemotionsofthecharactersonscreenperfectlyreflectsthe emotionsoftheactorsandaudience,blurringthelinebetweenart andreality.Thisapproachtodramahitstheviewersonadeeper emotionallevelthananyothersuperheromoviehassinceLogan.
Evenifyouonlycareaboutthemoretraditionalpartsof superheromovies,WakandaForeverisstillmorethanwortha watch
Firstly,IwasworriedaboutShuribecomingthenewBlack Pantherbutshedoesagreatjobatit.Shemanagestokeepallthe partsofT’Challa’sPantherthatwelovedwhileaddingherown partstothemix.Sheusesthepowerofhergriefandangerin combat,perfectlytyingtheactionanddramapartsofthefilm together.
Themainvillainistrulyunique bothvisuallyandthematically anditistheonlytimeIhaveseenanAztecbasedcharacterin anythingbuttheMortalKombatgamesHisbackstoryandmotive aresomewhatunderdevelopedcomparedtoKillimongerbutstill muchmorecomplexthanyouraverageMarvelvillain
Theactionisalsogreat,especiallyforaMarvelmovieInsteadof hurlingballsofCGIateachotherlikeinTheAvengers,the combatofWakandaForeverisverydowntoearthwithlotsof meleeandunarmedfights.Thislevelofgrittinessalsohelpsto hammerinthedarkthemesofthefilm.Ithinkthismoviecould havegonefurtherandmaybehavegonefortheRratinglike Logan,butunfortunately,theMCUwillnevergothatfar EventhecomedywaswelldoneItwasn’tlaughoutloudfunny oranythingbutitalsodidn’tgetinthewayofthemoreserious partsofthemovielikewhathappenedinLoveandThunder
Themovieisquitelongattwohoursandfortyminutesbutit neverreallydragson.Infact,itfeltinfinitelyshorterthanBlack Adam,theotherrecentcomicbookfilmwhichwasonlytwo hours.
Overall,themovieisamazingandyoushouldwatchitevenif youhatemodernMarvel.Thisissomuchbetterthanalltheother garbageinPhase4OverallIgivethismoviefouroutoffivestars whichisincrediblyhighforasuperherofilm Ilookforwardto Phase5withthesenewandexcitingcharacters
Inmyopinion,oneofthebestthingstodoinwinteristake walksinthesnow.Bundledupagainstthechill,thereisa beautyandstillnesstothesurroundingsthatyoucan’tfindany othertimeofyear.It’seasytofeelasthoughyouarefallingasleep underthedimglowofthestreetlights,witheverythingfrozenand peaceful.Hereareafewofmyfavoritesongsforthatperfectkind ofquiet:
“I’dLiketoWalkAroundinYourMind”byVashtiBunyan Dreamyandwarm,ascozyasapairofwoolsocks.
“Paul” by Big Thief Early morning drive, no particular destination.
“Clay Pigeons” by Michael Cera Blue and pensive, with whimsical,lonelylyrics.Bestwhenwalkingdownthemiddle ofanemptystreet
“Death With Dignity” by Sufjan Stevens Melancholy, staringoutthewindowkindofwinterchill “Coffee”bybeabadoobee Thatperfectsnowglobemoment “MyLittleCorneroftheWorld”byYoLaTengo Walking indowntownIthaca,windowshoppinganddrinkingcoffee. “FirstDayofMyLife”byBrightEyes Asunriseonacold morning.NeedIsaymore?
“Always Forever” by Cults Holding hands under the streetlights,watchingthesnowfall.
For latenights,asyourbreathcondensesinthecold
Hotcocoa andheavysnow
ByCOLBYBITTNERandCAEDMON SETHUPATHY
Asmanyknow,CodeRedisahighlypopularroboticsclub atIHS.Theycompeteseveraltimesthroughouttheyearat regionalcompetitionsTeammemberscollaboratetocreate u
arobotcapableofplayingagame(ie.shootingballsandclimbing). Theseeventsarehighlycompetitiveandrequireagreatdealof strategy,leadingmanyCodeRedmemberstoassertthattheir extracurricularsshouldqualifyasasport
Thedictionarydefinitionofasportis“anactivityinvolving physicalexertionandskillinwhichanindividualorteamcompetes againstanotherorothersforentertainment”Althoughhuman physicalexertionisnotpresentinCodeRed,therobotdoes performmanytasksrequiringcoordinationandathleticism.But morethanthat,thecompetitivenatureandentertainmentvalueof roboticscompetitionsleadtosomebasisforclaimsofsporthood.
CodeRedmembersTildenSmith,SophieWei,ShaineWei,and presidentEmersonSchryverwereinterviewedastotheiropinions onthistopicTheiroverwhelmingconsensuswasthatCodeRedis indeedasportforavarietyofreasons,includingtheaspectsof teamwork, strategy, and coordination that the competitions require,aswellaspreparatoryelementsoftheteam’s6to7week longbuildseasonwhereteammemberscollaboratetobuildthe robotfromscratch.Infact,CodeRedmemberTildenSmithtold The Tattler thatCodeRedcompetitionsareindeedsportsactivities
buttheclubasawholeis“aboutmorethanjustbeingasport” Theyarerequiredtobringelementsofingenuityandengineering skillsnotseeninotherpopularsports
AlthoughmostoftheCodeRedmembersinterviewedagreed withTilden,oneortwowereskepticalSophieWeiexpressedher opinion that Code Red is not a sport and more of an extracurricularoraninterest.ButEmersonSchryvercountered thatasportdoesnotnecessarilyrequirethepresenceofphysical activitydespitethedictionarydefinition.Hespecificallybrought upcompetitionssuchasNASCARwhichmanyconsiderbeinga sporteventhoughitdoesn’tperfectlyfitthetraditionaldefinition
SomeCodeRedMembersfeltthattraditionallyacknowledged sportsaregivenmorefundingandresourcesandwishthattheir clubwouldbegivensimilartreatment AccordingtoCodeRed administratorShaineWei,“Sportsareregardedassomethingmore superior”andthisrubsmanyclubsthewrongway.Thegeneral opinionisthatCodeRedisnotappreciatedinthesamewayas other more physical activities and should receive a proper acknowledgmentasasport.EmersonSchryvertoldusthatatthe endoftheday,hedoesn’tcarewhatyoucallitbutwishestoseean equalamountofsupportgiventoallkindsofextracurricular endeavors,includingCodeRed
ByCAEDMONSETHUPATHY
Continued from page 32
Socceristheworld’smostpopularsport,anditsbiggestevent iscurrentlyunderway.TheWorldCupistheultimatesoccer competition,wherecountriespooltheirbestplayersintoa anationalteamandcompeteagainsteachotherforthreeweeks leadinguptothecovetedchampionshipmatch.Themen’sWorld Cuphasbeenheldeveryfouryearsbeginningin1930,exceptfor 1942and1946,duetoWorldWarII Thisyear’sWorldCupis beingheldinQatar,aMiddleEasterncountrywithapopulationof almostthreemillion Itisthesmallestnationtohaveeverhosted theeventandwaschosenforthishonorbytheInternationalof Association Football (FIFA), which presides over international soccercompetitionsandtheWorldCup.
ThechoiceforQatartohostthe2022WorldCupwasmadein 2010,butsincethentherehavebeenallegationsofbriberyamongst FIFAemployeestaskedwiththedecision.Additionally,many humanrightsrelatedcomplaintshavebeenlodgedagainstQatar.
Thecountrylackedthenecessaryinfrastructuretosupportthe eventandthusbeganaseriesofconstructionprojectsthatwould buildhotelsandstadiumsMigrantworkerswerethemainsource oflaborfortheseprojectsTheyvastlyoutnumberQataricitizens andcomelookingforworkandincome,inmanycases,tosend backmoneytotheirfamilies.However,migrantworkershavedied duringtheconstructionprocess,althoughtheexactnumberis debated,andthishasresultedinallegationsofnegligenceagainst Qatar.Manyworkerswererequiredtopayrecruitmentfees,which isillegal.WageswererelativelylowandFIFAhasthusfarseemed powerlesstostopanyoftheseinjustices
Unfortunately,migrantworkers’rightsaren’ttheonlyalleged humanrightsviolationsQatarisarelativelyconservativeMuslim countryandantigaysentimentishigh LGBTQ+peoplehave beenreportedasbeingsubjecttoconversiontherapy,whilegay andlesbiansexisillegalandpunishablebyprisontime.Infact,the QatariambassadortotheWorldCuprecentlywentsofarastosay thathomosexualityis“damageinthemind”.Manyadvocatesare concerned as to why FIFA would allow such an obviously homophobiccountrytohosttheWorldCup.
Qatar’sconservativeIslamicbeliefsarenotonlyseenintheir sexuality policies but also in their refusal to have alcoholic beveragesservedintheWorldCupstadiums Thisdecisionhas beencriticizedbecauseQatarinitiallyagreedtoallowalcoholand thenrenegedonitspromiseBudweiserpaidmillionsofdollarsto becometheofficialalcoholsponsoroftheWorldCupbutisnow notpermittedtosellanydrinksexceptthenonalcoholicBud Zero.
Controversiesaside,thisyear’sWorldCupisboundtobe interestingwiththeUnitedStatesreappearingafternotqualifying in2018andthepredicteddominanceofBrazilThelatterhaswon firstplacefivetimesbuthasnotemergedontopsince2002 CountriesparticipatingintheWorldCupareplacedintoeight groups of four The thirtytwo teams then play their group membersonceeach Threepointsareawardedtothewinning teamandifitisadraw,bothteamsreceiveonepoint.Thetwo
teamswiththehighestpointtotalsineachgroupmoveontothe knockoutstage.Thesixteenremainingteamsarewhittleddownto thetwofinalists,whoplayeachotherinthefinalround
Althoughcontroversyhasbeenabundantthisyear,billionsof fanswillstillcheerontheirfavoriteteamsandthefinalswillattract agiganticcrowdofviewersThechampionshipwillbeplayedon December18thandBrazil,Spain,andFrancearethethreefront runners.MaybeBrazilwillfinallywinagainafteradroughtof twentyyears,orperhapstheFrenchwilldefendtheir2018title. Only time will tell. But this year’s global soccer season has providedmanywithfoodforthoughtregardinghumanitarian causessuchastheplightofmigrantworkersandoppressionofthe LGBTQ+communityFIFA’sseeminginabilitytocontrolQataris concerningandwillhopefullyleadtoadiscussion,andeventually actionastohowfutureWorldCupscanbebettermanagedwith anemphasisonhumanrights
Trigger warning: Blood, skin picking
“Nobodyislooking,youarefine,don’tworry,nobodyknows.” Everyoneisstaring,theyallknow,theycanseethroughmy jeansandseethatI'mbleedingallovermyleg.It’srunningdown intomysocks,leavingstains,soakingthemwithbloodEveryone knows Witheverymovementofmylegsspeedingthroughthe hallsIcanfeelthecrispnessofthedriedbloodonmylegcracking Itrunsdownmyleg,gettingcolderwitheveryinchitslides Rushingintothebathroom,Iquicklylockthedoorbehindmeand pullmykitoutofmybackpack.Itakeouttherubbingalcohol, sometowelsandthebandages.Ipullupmyjeans.It’sgotten worse.Therearesomanyscabsandsomuchmorebloodthan seemshumanlypossible.Everysinglescabonmyleghasbeen picked.Alltheholesinmyskinarethrobbing,asifpartsofmy beatingheartarearoundeachwound,andthebloodisdrenching mylegonitswaydown It’sstainingthebathroomfloor,Ican hearthechunksofbloodtopplingovereachotherastheyraceto getthroughthedrainmakingadisturbingsquelching Irubthe towelsonmylegtocleanupthebleeding WhenIpullupthe toweltoaddmorealcohol,Istopinmytracks.Myjawdropsand I’mhorrified.It’shappeningagain.Thereisnobloodonthe towels.Ilookatthefloor.Thebloodthatwasjustthereisgone.It wasallinmyhead…
Imagineyou’resittinginalibrary,workingonlearningMorse code.Gettingoverwhelmedwithstudying,youcloseyoureyes andeverythinggoesquiet.Nobodyisspeaking,nobodyismoving chairs.Everythingiscompletelysilent.Well,notcompletelysilent. Youcanhearthefan.Youcanhearthepersonatthebenchacross theroombreathing.Youcanhearyourselfblinking,thelightbulbs flickering Thepersonunderthefloorscreamingfaintlyforhelp Themouseintheceilingeatingatthewalls Wait,what?You pauseandopenyoureyes Becausewhenyouopenyoureyes, everythingisn'tsoloudYoutakeamomenttostopwhatyouare doingandleandown Lookingaround,youseethelibrarian staringatyouinalmostajudgementalway.Soyoudropapencil “byaccident”andactifyouarejustpickingitup.Asyougetcloser andclosertotheground,thefaintscreamingcomestoaquick stop.Youbenddownunderthetabletograbyourpencilandput youreartothevent,waitingforsomething,anything.Maybeyou wereimaginingitYousitbackupandcontinuewithyourwork Thereareamillioneyesstaringatyou,diggingintoyou,piercing yourskinwithlasersashotasthesun Whenyoulookaround yourself,nobodyislookingatyou Infact,nobodyishere,the lightsareoffandit’sjustyouThelibrarianthatwasjustjudging youisgone.Thepersonacrosstheroombreathingsoloudlyis nowheretobeheardorseen.Youbegintopackyourworkup. Grabbingyourphoneandturningontheflashlight.Asyou’re abouttoheadout,youhearyourname.Youwhipyourhead aroundtoseeifmaybethisisallinyourheadandasyoudo,you freeze.Thereisonelighton.Notinthelibrary,butyoucanseeit shiningthroughthevent Thereisapersonstaringbackatyou, withthesamecoloredeyesasyourself Maybeitwasthisperson cryingforhelpYouturnyourflashlightoffandsetitonthetable, puttingyourbagdownonthefloor Gettingonyourhandsand knees,youcrawlunderthetableandgetclosertothevent.The areaunderthetableissmall,soyoushouldalreadybeatthevent. Butitkeepsgettingfurtherandfurtheraway.Rightnowallyou canhearisyourbreathsandtheblinkingofyoureyes.Theyare theloudestthingsintheworld.Theventkeepsgettingfurtherand furtherawayfromyouandit’salsogettingsmaller.Thetablewas onlyaboutthreefeetlong whyisittakingyousolongtoreach thevent?Youstopinyourtracksandtakeadeepbreath“What amIeventryingtodohere?Ihaven’theardthepersonsay anything,norhaveIseenthemsinceIcrawledunderhereIam justgoingtoturnaroundThisisgettingfreaky”Beforeyoucan turnaround,thelightintheventturnsoffandyouhearsomething runningaroundinthevent.Theventisgettingcloseragain.You shakeyourhead,decidingthatyou’renolongergoingtotryto investigateandarejustgoingtotrytogetout.Youturnaround andstartcrawlingaway.Butit'spitchblackandyouleftyour
phoneonthetable Panicked,youlookaroundyourselfbecause thebenchesshouldbetheresoyoucancrawloutYouremember earlierwhenyoudroppedyourpencilandslidunderthetableSo therehastobeawayoutontheside.Butthereisn’t.Itisjustall walls.Itisjustconcretewalls.Youkeepcrawlingtryingtogetout butitissodarknothingistobeseen.Youpeekbacktoseeif maybethelightintheventhasbeenturnedbackon.Ithas,butit’s flickeringerratically.ItspellsoutRUNinMorsecode.Maybe youreaditwrong Thereisnowaythisventistalkingtoyou Tellingyoutorun Doesn’tmattertoyouanyways,soyoukeep crawlingThisisgettingwaytoocrazyYoutrytopinchyourself, hopingyou'reasleep,butyoufeelitItisn’tadreamYouwantto cryYoudon’tunderstandwhereyouare,howyougottothis,or whatishappening.Yousitrightwhereyouaretryingtothinkthis wholesituationthroughlogically. It must just be a dream.Aftera minuteofjustsittingthereyouopenyoureyes.Whenyoudoyou areconfused,you’rebackonthebenchinthelibrary.Youareno longerunderthetable.Yourbagisrightnexttoyouandyour phoneisinyourhandYoupickupyourheadAndseeyouhavea redmarkonyourarm Checkingyourcamera,youseethere’sa matchingredmarkonyourhead Wasitreallyalljustadream? Youturntoyourrightandseethepersonthatwasbreathingso loudly,justsittingtherereadingtheirbook Behindyou,the librarianisbackintheirchairclickingontheircomputer.Your heartrateisbacktonormalandyou’reconfused.Butnevertheless youjustwantout.Youneverwanttocomebackhereagain. Whateverthehelljusthappened,ifitwasadreamornot,youjust wanttobeasfarawayfromhereaspossible.Yougrabyourbag andrunoutthedooryoucamein.Butinsteadofitleadingtothe outsideworld,you’renowinasmallroomTherearefourwalls,all ofthemmadefromconcrete Inthecornerisasmallcotwitha blanketThereisarocknexttothecotwithabunchoftallymarks carvedintothewallTherearethirtytallymarksYousetyourbag downandcheckyourphone.Nocellservice.Youturntothedoor youjustcamethrough it’svanished.There’sjustawall.Maybe youneverwokeupfromthedream.Maybeyou’llwakeupagain. Youpacearoundthesmallroom.Youcanstillonlyhearyour blinkingandyourbreathing.Thensuddenlyasharpearpiercing scrapingcomesfrombehindyou.Lookingoverbythecot,yousee therockwritingfloatingbyitselfandcreatinganothertallymark onthewall Makingthirtyonetallymarks Butaftereverything thathashappened,whiletherockmovingonitsownisquite terrifying,itstillisn’ttheworstthingyou’vebeenthroughtonight You'reexhaustedandconfusedandfigureyou'renotgoingtoget anythingdonebyjuststandinghere.Youtrytoshoutforhelp. Youwalkovertothecotandjustlaydownforamoment.Closing youreyes.Whenyouopenyoureyesagain,there’ssomething shinythatcatchesyoureye.It’saventonthedirtceiling.Youtry toscreamforhelpagainbutnothinghappens.Youpushthecot undertheventandtrytostandonittoseeifyoucouldpossibly escape Youpeelthroughandfallback,startledbywhatyousee It’sapencilthathasfallenonthefloor,andyouseeyourself,going topickitup
TodayIwillnolongersitquietly infearofyourretaliation. TodayIwillsaysomething toremindthepeoplearoundyou thattheyhavevalue sotheydon’tstarttoquestiontheirhearts. Don’tyouknowthatchillingisnotmything? Ifeelmyearsredden. Myheartsbeatstwiceasfast andmyhandsareshaking unabletogripmypencil. Youglanceatmeasyou“whisper”words aboutloveyouthinkiswrong.
Allconversationcontinues. Letmetearupmypaper andrunoutthedoor. Youcan’texpect acceptanceand forgiveness. Yourmouthspitsvenom andthen worthless meaningless apologies. Myfriendsays, “Iforgotthatpeoplewerestillhomophobic.” Iguessthedarknessfindsitswayinsometimes.
Thetraincaristense.
Thepeopleintherowsfairlysparklewithquietnervousness. They don’t look at each other. Everyone is traveling alone, clutchingabagoraboxtohidetheirshivering.Theoneswho wereluckyenoughtogetseatednearthewindowsstarethrough them,asifsomethingoutsidewillhealtheirhauntedgazes
Thetrainglidestoanotherstop Softshadesofgraylight, reflectedfromthesilenturbanlandscape,filterintothecar The passengerswaitpatiently they’vewaitedtheirentirelives;another few minutes doesn’t matter for another person, twisted into himself,eyesfixedonthefloor,toboard.
Instead,anoldmanshufflesin,hisspinestraight,inaknittedred poncho and paintsplattered boots, colors that are too bright againstthegrayworld.Theoldmanstraightenshisponchoand marchestothebackofthecar,placinghimselfinaseatnexttoa womanwhoshrinksagainstherseat
ThetrainbeginsmovingagainTheoldmanfidgetsinhisseat, gingerlyadjustinghistoosmallponchoHeglancesatthewoman besidehimandthehoodcoveringherhead,thegrayscarves wrappedaroundherwaist.Sherefusestolookathim,fixingher eyesontheexpanseofgrayarchitectureoutside.Thereisnota singlepersoninsight.
“It’ssuchalovelyfeelingridingthistrain,isn’tit?Sosmooth,and quiet.Alotoftimetoreflect,I’mguessing?”Theoldman chuckles Thewomantightenshergriponthecardboardboxin herhandsandcontinueslookingaway
“Alotoftimetoreflect ,”herepeatsHeaddsunderhisbreath, “Notlikeeveryoneherehasn’talreadydonealotofthatNotan easydecisiontomake,huh?”
Hethrowsbackhisheadandlaughs,stringygrayhairfallingout fromunderhiscap.Thewomanjerksherhead,hereyeswideand quivering.Theotherpassengersstartleintheirseats,searchingfor thesourceoftheforeignsound.Whentheireyeslandonhim,they freezeintheirpositionsandstarelikechildren.Theoldman continueslaughing,eyessqueezedshut.Hiscacklesechointhe traincarFinally,theydiedowntogasps,andhemutters,“That’s theunderstatementoftheera”
Hesettlesdown,crossinghisarmsunderhisponcho,giggling fromtimetotimeTherestofthepassengersreturntotheirsilent pondering.Thewoman,unblinkinglystaringoutherwindow, almostforgetsthathe’snexttoher.Hermindcontinuesracing throughallthethingsshe’sgoingtodoonceshereachesher destination theirdestination,really,becauseallofthepeoplehere aregoingtothesameplace.Shetriestofindthemostefficientway tosayallthethingssheneedstosaysothatherwordswillstill conveythesamemeaningbutsoshecansaythemintimeThe
ironyofthesituationisnotlostonher.Shehasbeengiventhe sacredgiftofmoretimebutislimitedtomereminutesofit.No, givenisnottherightterm,shedecides Thatmakesitseemlike thisisacharityIt’sabargain,anegotiation,adeal,atrade
Atimelater,theoldmanreachesintoapocketandpullsouta tattered paper, barely bigger than his thumb His expression mirrorsthoseofhisfellowpassengers.Athisbittersigh,the womanfinallyremoveshergazefromthegraylandscape.Hereyes tracethehaggarddesperationinhisfacethatlaughterandpaint splashedcolorscannotmask.Thatlookistheonethatallofthe passengerswear.Iftheydidn’t,whyelsewouldtheychoosetotake thisride?
Thewoman’sgazefallstothepaperintheoldman’shandsIt’sa photo,stainedbeyondproperrecognition,butshecanmakeout twothings:achild’swide,puresmileandamother’sunfaltering love
Shepauses,takinginthephotoandthefamiliarityofthescene Thelinesofherfacesoften.Sheopenstheboxthatsheholds, untyingthecarefullyknottedwhitestringthatsecuresit.Theold manliftshishead,carefullytuckshispictureaway,andwatchesas thewomanrevealsstacksuponstacksofyellowedpictures.Allof themareoffamily,alaughingchild.Sheliftsoneoutandtracesa fingerontheinkedcurveofthebaby’schin
Thetwomeeteachother’sgazesThatfragilewayoflifethat theychosetobringuponthemselvesunitesthemandprobably everyoneelsesittinginthattraincarTheyexchangesoftsmiles
It’snowthatthetraincomestoaslowstopThepassengersall knowwithoutlookingthatthisisthefinalstop;theycanfeelitin theirburninganticipationanddread.Thewomanandtheoldman exitsidebyside,eachcomfortedbytheother’spresence.They haveneverspokenawordtoeachother,buttheyhavemadethe samefinaldecision.Inmoments,eachofthepassengerswillspeak withtheirlostonesforthefirstandlasttimeTheywillbendthe lawsofnatureinreturnforfinalobediencetothoselaws Only theyunderstandwhyanyonewouldevermakethedecisiontoget onthistrainTheydon’tclaimthattheirchoiceisright,butit’sthe onetheyhavemade Fatal“punishment”inreturnforbringing peacetothelost intheireyes,it’sanhonorablechoice.
MaryHarrisJones(18371930),knownas“MotherJones”to many,wasaprominentAmericanactivistwholedcountlessstrikes againsttheminingindustryandchildlaborAcontroversialfigure inhistory,Jones’ideaswereradicalforthetime.However,after someresearch,Ilearnedthatshedidnotsupportthewomen’s suffragemovement,andherCatholicupbringingledhertoargue thatwomenbelongedinthehome.Shefoughtformentohave betterworkingconditionsandpaytoallowtheirwivestocommit theirlivessolelytomotherhood.Jones’workasaunionorganizer isinspiringandshetrulychangedthebonesofAmerica,butitis alsoimportanttorememberthathermisogynisticviewswerethe basisofherworkasatradeunionistThefollowingpoemisbased onher
IamtheHellRaiser andIdareyoutospeak Toliftthelifelessbodies andriseupfortheweak Protestthedeathofthesingingcanary Thatlieswithyourmeninthecemetery Yourcoughingbabiesandcoalstreakedfaces Yourseveredlimbsintheseevilplaces America’swheelsturning,oneshovelfulatatime Workisadeathsentence,whenemployedbythemine
Dec.6 Dec7 Dec8 Dec.9 Dec12 Dec.13 Dec14 Dec.20
5:30pmBoysJuniorVarsityWrestlingv.Binghamton@IHS QGym
6:30pmBoysVarsityWrestlingv.Binghamton@IHSQGym
5:30pmBoysJuniorVarsityBasketballv UnionEndicott@ IHSQGym
7:15pmBoysVarsityBasketballv UnionEndicott@IHSQ Gym
7:15pmGirlsVarsityCheerleading@IHSQGym
7:30pmIHSWinterChoralConcert@KulpAuditorium
DeadlineforSubmissionsto The Tattler LiteraryIssue
5:30pmBoysJuniorVarsityWrestlingvJohnsonCity@IHS QGym
6:30pmBoysVarsityWrestlingv JohnsonCity@IHSQ Gym
5:30pmGirlsJuniorVarsityBasketballv.Vestal@IHSQ Gym
7:15pmGirlsVarsityBasketballv.Vestal@IHSQGym 7:15pmGirlsVarsityCheerleading@IHSQGym
5:30pmBoysJuniorVarsityBasketballv Auburn@IHSQ Gym
7:15pmBoysVarsityBasketballv.Auburn@IHSQGym 7:15pmGirlsVarsityCheerleading@IHSQGym
6pmBoardofEducationVotingMeeting(comeat7pmfor publicsession)
5:30pmBoysJuniorVarsityBasketballvBinghamton@IHS QGym
7:15pmBoysVarsityBasketballv.Binghamton@IHSQGym
7:15pmGirlsVarsityCheerleading@IHSQGym
7:30pmIHSWinterBandConcert@KulpAuditorium
5:30pmBoysVarsitySwimming/Divingv Binghamton@ IHSPool
Dec.21 Dec26 Dec.27 Dec.28 Dec29 Dec.30
5:30pmBoysJuniorVarsityBasketballv.Elmira@IHSQ Gym
7:15pmBoysVarsityBasketballv.Elmira@IHSQGym
7:15pmGirlsVarsityCheerleading@IHSQGym
7:30pmIHSWinterOrchestraConcert@KulpAuditorium
WinterRecess
WinterRecess WinterRecess WinterRecess WinterRecess
Name: Matricia Revas Snork Occupation: School Nurse Biography: Matricia is the youngest daughter of Albert. She was born in 1981 and attended Syracuse University for college Soon after, she got married and moved into a comfortable duplex outside of Sacramento Unfortunately, this all changed when her husband passed away due to a stroke, turning her life upside down She then went back to school, intending to become a school nurse Matricia applied to work at many schools, but none were interested in hiring her. Instead, she took her talents to the military where she saw action as a medic. After the war, she was awarded a medal for her heroic actions and settled down in Minnesota. There, she found a job at an elementary school, where she has served as the school nurse ever since. The child in her portrait is one of her many young students who respect and admire her greatly. (Pictured on other side)
Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21):
Good job, Scorpios! If you are reading this, that means that you managed to make it through last month with no astrological guidance whatsoever. Although we do apologize for the exclusion of your horoscope last month, we can assure you that it was most certainly not an accident… But November’s over now, so you don’t have to worry about that anymore!
This December, you’ll probably be making overly risky and stupid decisions while skiing, and will likely end up with a broken leg. Next winter, you’ll do it all over again. I told you so…
Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21):
As the temperature outside drops, you’ll confine yourself to your room, reading books about absurdly niche topics and then telling everyone around you (whether they want to hear it or not) what you’ve learned.
Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19):
Making snowmen, snowball fights, and sledding. All the basic outdoorsy winter activities. You’ll tell everyone how much you love winter sports because you’re quirky like that.
Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20):
You decorated your entire house with Christmas decorations on the first day of December, and are now spending the month wrapping DIY presents for family and friends while listening to holiday music.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20):
You'll just be having fun and enjoying the season. Going out with friends, planning holiday parties, picking up random hobbies (and friends) that you'll drop by Valentine's day.
Cancer (June 21 - Jul 22):
Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19)
You’ll likely take the time off from school to be overly productive—catching up on your reading, and preparing for Regents and Midterms while everyone else around you is having fun. Occasionally, you’ll take a break from this to plan out your whole future in concerning detail.
Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18):
Due to your rebellious spirit, you'll spend the last month of the year planning some sort of revolution or protest, perhaps leading efforts to bring back snow days to New York schools.
Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20):
Oh, what a month this will be for you. Prepare for the worst seasonal depression of your life. You’ll try watching some holiday rom-coms to cheer you up, but you’ll probably just end up crying.
For the 31 days of December, you’ll make sure everyone around you knows that summer is your favorite season. You’ll complain about the cold and be a total grinch when it snows for the third week in a row.
Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22):
It's a tradition to have some sort of gift exchange at the end of December among close friends, and you'll make sure it happens. December will be a month of planning Secret Santa, White Elephant, or whatever else you may call it.
Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22):
You’re mostly an observer, a wallflower. This month, you’ll prefer to sit by the fire and watch your friends interact, adding in occasional witty comments to the conversation.
Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22):
Winter is always a great season for style: you get to finally dig out your favorite coldweather clothing and put together amazing outfits. This month, you’ll post OOTDs at least every other day.