The Sport Where You Stab People

Fencing has three main parts. Foil, Épée, and Sabre. I fence Foil, so let me start with an easier weapon to explain than Foil.

Sabre: It’s primarily comprised of two people running at each other and trying to be the first to stab the other. (of course, this is not a professional opinion.) The Sabre has an oddly shaped handle, and big bell-guard, (the thing that protects your hand from getting hit.)

Épée: You try to hit the other person anywhere on the body, and make your light go off before the other person. (also not a professional opinion.) The Épée has a bigger bell-guard)

Foil: (Here’s where it gets more difficult for me.) So in foil, you try to accumulate points. Usually to five, or fifteen. The thing is, there’s right of way. This basically means that even if you both hit. Whoever has the right of way gets the point or off-target, (that’s what happens when you hit someone off-target. The target is pretty much the upper body without the arms.) The Foil has a small bell-guard.

So that’s basically a ruff sum up of the different weapons/styles of fencing there are. But there’s more… there is also a problematic string of wires and cords that plug into things, (AKA I can’t explain it.) The cords connect to boxes that light up when one fencer hit’s the other no matter what weapon is used to do it. Those box wires connect through the weapons through different cords that you need to wear to connect to the box. These wires all have a pulley at the end of the fencing strip (the space in which you fence) so that you can move freely with the wire and plug on you. Like I said… difficult to explain and understand. Basically, it all works so that when you hit the person, you are fencing, your light goes off and you get the point unless you hit off target in which you would take a step back and continue fencing.

In foil, you have specific steps to take to get dressed. First, you put on your knickers (fencing pants.) Then you put on your chest plate (plastic with straps,) and plastron (arm pad.) After that, you grab your body cord (AKA wire,) and you put on your jacket. Then you put on your lamé (not lame) and put on your mask/helmet and glove. Then you grab your foil, and you plug in the wire into the slots, and that’s all! Oh, and don’t forget fencing shoes. The metal strip can be very slippery!

For me, I’ve been fencing for about 7 years. Every day for two hours from 6:30 to 8:30 I spend it fencing and sweating. You may not think it, but wearing 15 layers in a room temperature facility can make you sweat. Also the constant movement and activity. Fencing is my definition of hard work. Yes, school puts you through seven hours of lectures, homework piled onto you, and a “small” sense of boredom, but fencing is two hours of basically running up and down the strip to try and hit someone with your blade. Every day I would have to bandage my fingers because they got slashed, or my legs. Every day, I would show up to school with my arms and legs covered in greenish purple bruises. So yeah, fencing’s not a super easy sport.

Fencing is a sport where a lot of things break, really easily. Think about it, you’re hitting someone at who knows how many mph, with a thin low carbon steel blade that’s maybe the same width as your pinky. I’ve broken probably 5 blades. Twice on someone's leg, once on someone's arm, once I just touched it and it fell apart, and once because someone ran at me and it broke (I beat them.) When something breaks you have to buy a new one or fix your old one, both options drain the bank. Then you have things like your body cord which can snap, stop working, or just continually go off-target. (You also have to fix that,) and your lamé can just stop working, or also frequently go off-target as well.

As you can probably see, fencing is a challenging, hard, and weary sport. Fencing, however, does keep you fit, and strains you both physically and mentally.

I’ve fenced for a long time, I went to tournaments, lost, won, and bruised myself, but I still love the sport of fencing no matter how much pain can sometimes be caused.

Diagrams 1, 2, and 3

Catchers and Pitchers Report

Baseball field 

Catchers and Pitchers report for spring training and that means baseball season is just around the corner. Baseball season is a great time of year for me and my family. It is a long 162 games of blood, sweat, and dirt. All leading up to the playoffs. Thirty teams go in, one goes out with the trophy. But it all has to start somewhere and where better than beautiful -- at least in spring --Arizona or Florida.

Spring training field in Arizona

Pitchers and Catchers are prepping for a long season of injuries, wins, and loses. But that all begins during spring training. Arizona and Florida are two great places to kick of a baseball season so when we are here in rainy Portland, Oregon the sun is shining bright in Arizona and Florida. Each spring training area hosts about 238 games. Each team invites more than just the 40 players which make up the normal roster -- only 9 players play at a time but they have 25 on a set team, almost half of which are pitchers. The other 15 are on a major league roster, but even they spend time in the minors once the joy of spring ends.  Spring training is a great time for minor league players to show that they can make the jump from AAA, the minors' highest level, to the Majors. Even if they don't make the major league team, they have hopefully showed what they can do and impressed the coach and might make it next year or get called up to the show in the middle of the season.


For my family the baseball season is a fun and entertaining time of year, and we keep on hoping the Cardinals can get another World Series ring. I have grown up in baseball land with older brothers that would play, and I would sit up in the stands and day dream of when I could play. Every game -- watch, dream, repeat.

The regular season consists of 162 games and injuries are inevitable, even after all the spring training warm-up. A lot of players injuries are day to day but some are season or sometimes career ending. Sometimes the injuries are a bruised shoulder. Some are torn muscles. Some of the worst ones are torn ligaments or severe concussions. Imagine you are so exited for the first game of the season and then in a practice having a season ending injury right before the season started.  Some injuries happen later, like Shohei Ohtani (last year), who made a huge impression only to have his pitching season -- and possibly career -- ended by a ligament injury.  He could still hit for a while, but even that reality disappeared when he chose to have Tommy John surgery.  For Jonny Cueto, this year its possible his whole season may disappear because he is on the 60 day DL after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year in August.

2018 playoff bracket 

Spring training starts with all teams hoping to make the playoffs.  In the March heat, even Kansas City and Baltimore think they have a chance.  The best team from every division makes the playoffs, along with two wild card teams one from each league. The winners of the one game wild card series goes on to play in a best of five quarter final series, and then, whichever teams win play in a seven game series in the semifinals, although baseball people much prefer to refer to that as the league championship.  Then, the winners of those two series go on to play in a seven game final series.  That series is the World Series.

But there is no better place to start than beautiful and sunny Arizona or Florida. This is were spring training is held and the season beings. Whether you are playing in the games or watching the baseball season it is a very fun and entertaining time of the year.  It also means summer is coming.

Hard Work, Stress, and Muscle Relevant Gel

https://ica.smugmug.com/Camp/Music-2018/Intermediate-Music-2018/2018-Intermediate-Concert-Orchestra/i-HSqshXj

To be told that my pain is not validated that my hurt is fake because, I don't try hard enough. That I don't do anything, because I'm a musician, and that's what musicians do. Musicians also practice 4 hours a day, wake up at 5 am, and get arthritis when they are 12 years old, because being a musician isn't just a hobby, it's a full-time job. It takes up your whole life. We go to practices like an athlete does, we go to concerts like an athlete goes to games, and we train like an athlete does, but yet, we are not treated as one. We are treated as though we are weak, lazy, as if our hard work doesn’t amount to anything. Because although we work and practice the same or even more than athletes, there is still a large bias against committed musicians. I asked Lizbeth Carreno and Shin Young Kwon, violinists from the Oregon Symphony, and they said that many people don’t believe that being a full-time musician is an actual job. They also think that every time you pick up your instrument, you feel immense happiness. While it is very rewarding in the end, to get there you have to go through a lot. Practice long hours, sometimes on a single measure. You will get hurt a lot; your fingers usually are riddled with calluses and turn black from the combination of the fingerboard and sweat. There is also the daunting fear that something will happen to your wrist or fingers that could end your career. As for me, I am also a committed violinist. I attended Interlochen, an intense arts academy in Michigan this past summer, and I plan to apply to high school there. During last season, as I was preparing for the many auditions it took, I started to feel tingling in my fingers which then spread to my wrist and eventually to my whole arm, which was from the long hours and stress of the upcoming auditions and competitions.

https://ica.smugmug.com/Camp/Music-2018/Intermediate-Music-2018/2018-Intermediate-Concert-Orchestra/i-gS2Gk6N

I was not able to play as long, or as much as I would’ve liked, and every morning and night I slathered my arm with muscle relevant gel, in hopes that it would slow the process that might one day prevent me from pursuing something that I love. During that time of uncertainty, I felt like I didn’t have anyone but my teacher, Shin Young Kwon, who understood. I was scared, and my parents pushed and pushed me to keep practicing, even if I was hurting. My teachers didn’t care, or in some cases pushed me even harder, in classes like PE, I was constantly being compared to my brothers, who are division 1 tennis players. I feel as though if my peers and people close to me hadn’t of labeled me, and supported me more, I would have gotten through this time more successfully, and come out as a better violinist and overall person.

Why I Love Sports

Why I Love Sports

As I try to think back to a period in my life when I did not play sports, It seems as if I can not recall. Ever since I can remember, I have always desired to play sports whenever I had the chance. Whether it was soccer, or hockey, I always felt the need to run, and jump, and use up all the energy I have. Sports are what make me want to beat my goals and persist through the hard parts in my life.

One way sports change my life is by helping me to do better in school. The way sports do this is by letting me use up all my energy so that I can be more focused during the more academic parts of my life. According to Rochester University “Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and helps the body build more connections between nerves, leading to increased concentration, enhanced memory, stimulated creativity, and better-developed problem solving skills.” This is saying that playing sports and exercising makes you smarter.

Another way sports have help me is by reducing my levels of stress and anxiety. Whenever I procrastinate over school related things, I just decide to go play soccer, or for a run, or maybe throw the lacrosse ball around. Then I come back to the project I was just doing and it all seems to be much easier.

Another reason why sports and exercise is so important is that it actually doesn’t make you always more tired. In fact, exercise pumps more oxygen through your blood, which gives you more energy to go through your usual stressful day.

All in all, sports are what make me function everyday, and without them, I don’t know what I would do.

Food Is a Good Thing

Have you ever just started craving a random food? Well that often happens to me, I will all of the sudden get a craving for a food I haven’t had in a while and i have that craving until I get that food I was craving and that can take weeks! Sometimes those are foods that I don’t have easy access to or I have to pay a lot for them because they are expensive. So I took a ponder. What if we had machines or someway to change food and make whatever we want. I know that sounds just like cooking, but cooking is a lot of work, it can be quite hard, and sometimes you don’t do it right. But I also don't want to go out and pay for food. What if there was a machine that had a lot off special buttons that asked you exactly what you wanted and how you wanted it and then it just came out of the machine in seconds. But this machine could make any food that you want, Cupcakes, burgers, pizza, mac and cheese. You could even get food from restaurants like Taco Bell or Chipotle ect. But this machine would be easily accessible from the convenience of your own home

There could even be a feature on it that gives you health facts and reminds you what you have been eating. You could even set it to give you restrictions on what you eat that day, week, month, year. It could tell you how many calories you have eaten or how much sugar you have eaten.

Although Imagine being the CEO of a bussiness and all of the sudden a machine took over and started making the food. I think the down sides of this would be how many jobs are lost. So many people work at retaurants and deliver food. Those people would loose their jobs because of these machines. 

Volleyball: a Sport for Lazy People

When most people think of volleyball, they think of it as a sport for unathletic people or for just girls. Those people are far far away from the truth. To truly succeed in volleyball ,you need to have hand eye coordination, strength, speed, some general athletic ability, and the mental mindset to keep trying and get better.

Volleyball is not just a sport for girls. There are definitely many stereotypes for girls which is the thing that makes me most annoyed. For example, I hate hearing things that are like you probably just play volleyball because you want or have to play a sport. The truth is that a majority of volleyball players throughout high school and college are definitely girls, but when you get to the professional or olympic level many boys play volleyball as well. One of the main reasons volleyball is a female dominated sport is that many high schools or colleges don’t have enough interest or funding to support volleyball. In the fall, high school volleyball is in season, along with football. For some statistics on why volleyball is played more by women, click Here .

Volleyball is presumed as easy, because it seems like you just need to pass it up and over the net. In volleyball, you need to know how to pass, set, and hit. Passing is probably the most basic part of volleyball, but it is also the most challenging. If your feet are in the wrong place, or you aren’t low enough, the ball will schank off of you arms or platform and won’t go to the target. As you get older, you need to pass the ball perfectly every time, in order to have the best chances of winning the point, or the game. Setting seems easy, but it is hard to master. You need to use both of your hands to set, and they have to move simultaneously for it not to be called a double. Hitting, the coolest part of volleyball and the position that probably gets the most credit seems easy, but timing is everything. You have to set up your approach and start at the perfect time so when you jump you are able to hit it down well. For people to say “you probably just play volleyball to say you play a sport” or “volleyball is so easy”, I would like to see you try and play at a high level. When I play with my team, everyone will make some mistakes, and I think that it's good to help and encourage people so they won't make the same mistake twice. I definitely like when people don't tell me what I did wrong when I miss a pass, but say something nice so I can forget about it and do better next time.

To sum this up, I am trying to say that volleyball is way harder than it looks. You need to put in tons of effort to succeed. If you don’t play volleyball, DON'T say it’s easy. You wouldn’t know. I play volleyball, because I enjoy it and want to get better so I can play at a high level like this. I have been playing for four years, and compared to other people I kind of suck, but I’m just gonna keep trying my best and have fun.

Sources:

https://www.athleticbusiness.com/College/boys-and-mens-volleyball-participation-continues-to-lag.html

Images:

Image #1

Image #2

Image #3

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yew6w8aFS4I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0YLF3_cwp4

Burger Experience

Burger Experience

    Has anyone ever asked you what your favorite food is? I mean I know I have.  Like me you most likely did not have your answer off the top of your head (or in it at all during that time) and were caught off guard, but deep inside your brain you formulated and got an answer. My answer is the burger (and I can’t think of why anyone would chose any different.) Most likely you have experienced the exquisite taste of a perfectly cooked (perhaps not) juicy, medium rare paddy with the ludicrously marvelous melted cheese encasing it (and of course any other kind of ingredients you would like). Just imagine the slightly crispy bun crunching beneath your jaws, just imagine dipping the fries into the fire truck red catsup. I also bet that you have had the bogus burger, the false nasty dry fast food burger (if not, good for you.) As you might have found out I LOVE BURGERS!!! They are the world's greatest creation (besides the porta potty.) Part of the magnificence of the burger are the combinations of the condiments, my personal favorite is fresh onions, crunchy lettuce from an non gmo farm, crispy tomatoes, non colored cheddar cheese and fries with truffle oil. Part of my obsession with burgers is the inability to consume them often leaving the taste always exotic in my mouth, I eat burgers about once a month and driven by my lust I gulp it down, I never learn. Growing up in Portland on the eastside was a lucky break for me, the options of food was not limited (although not unlimited either) and there was a great choice for burgers. My personal favorite is Little Big Burger ( hear is a link to their site http://www.littlebigburger.com/.)  Little Big Burgers burgers are small but tall and anything but bad, they have fantastic fry sauce that has a tinge of heat but not to much and the space is friendly to all cultures ethnicities and religions making it a place for all people. Although Little Big Burger is very good the place I had my very favorite burger was at my friends house, the thing that makes this burger so good is that most of the condiments come from their own backyard also my favorite part is the over easy egg on it, the egg comes from their neighbors chickens. Despite the fact that I find Little Big Burger the best burger shop I have ever went to their are still many different burger places that are still astounding. Some of these include Killer Burger (https://killerburger.com/,) Lardo (http://lardosandwiches.com/) and In and Out Burger (http://www.in-n-out.com/#close.) Some Burger places I dream to go to are AU CHEVAL,

THE COZY INN and HOLEMAN & FINCH PUBLIC HOUSE I hope this blog has inspired you so when the next time you go out for dinner to ask, beg,

plead, implore for a burger.

Basketball, More Than Just a Game

James Naismith

James Naismith is the man who, in 1891, started the incredible game of basketball. All of the plays, from perfect pick 'n' rolls, to breathtaking crosscourt passes, to blocks and posterizing dunks that leave the crowd with chills down their spine, it all started from a single peach basket. The NBA (National Basketball Association), now has 30 official teams, a sixteen team playoff, and seven game series. This was not the case in years past. 

 January 20th, 1892. The first official basketball game is played in Albany, New York, with an end score of 1-0. February 14, 2017. Cavaliers 116, Timberwolves 108. How did this happen, might ask. How did 125 years and 23 days change the sport of basketball? That is what I'm gonna tell you about. The first recorded college game was in 18953 Hamline University played Minnesota A&M. Minnesota won 9-3. The following are some of the major rule changes and other events that affected basketball. 

• 1954-54 season. The 24-second shot clock is introduced
• 1979-80 season. Three-point line is established
• 1947-48 season. Foul out limit is increased from 5 to 6. Roster size reduced from 12-10
• 1972-73 season. The bonus, double bonus is invented
• 1977-78 season. During the last two minutes of regulation or overtime, if teams call a timeout right after getting possession of the ball, they get the choice of where they inbound the ball, midcourt of spot of possession. 
• 1980-81 season. Coach on opposing team chooses who shoots free throw after flagrant. 

Basketball means a lot to me. I went from the kid who couldn't make a layup, who was worst on his b team, to leading the B team as the youngest kid, to being on the A team as a young kid. It isn't great, but that improvement has meant a lot to me. I went from not knowing who Lebron James was, to taking NBA quizzes for fun to test my knowledge. When I needed someplace to go, outside to my basketball hoop is where I go. Playing basketball at lunch. Basketball after school. Watching the Blazers in the evening. Basketball has become a daily routine that I love. This year I've been trying to focus on my defense and physicality, getting one foot in front of the ball handler and stopping his drive. I've been known as the sharpshooter, the guy who is great at threes. While I like that, I want to be more. This season I worked on ramming into the defender in the key, right after I make a sweet shot fake and drive in. I want to get rebounds, and that has worked given that my leading stat is in fact rebounds. Basketball has become part of me, and I love it in every different way. 

CJ McCollum is my favorite player. Shooting Gaurd, just like me. Not the tallest guy, just like me. I admire his athleticism, going from averaging 5 points a game, to Most Improved Player, averaging over twenty points. He's extremely physical, and is also a sharpshooter, like me. He goes to the small name schools. Catlin Gabel. Lehigh. He is what I'd love to be. Basketball player, yet part-time journalist. I would love to be a sports writer. It is my dream job, going to major sports events, front row seats, writing about sports. Perfect for me. If I ever meet CJ, I'd be incredibly honored, knowing that he is my living dream.

I don't know if I could live without basketball. What would I do? How would I procrastinate :)? Going outside to shoot a sphere into the 18-inch diameter circle, going straight through the orange lining and creating the perfect "swoosh" sound as it ripples through the net. My favorite part about basketball though, is away games. I love away games. They are way better than home. The crowd cheering loudly fuels me, players who's faces I just look at and I want to cross up and drain a three in their face, they fuel me. Team's pregame chants and loud clapping, the rowdy parents who yell at the ref, that used to scare me. Now it just brings a smile to my face, thinking, 'wow, this is gonna be a fun night'. 

My New Home

As we fill up the wagon with all our most necessary possessions I watch everything else be hauled away. I ask my father why we can't keep them and he just looks away and mutters “You know we can only take what we need on the trail with us sally, I’m sorry.” “Let's move!” someone said from the top of the wagon line. The wagons started to move my father got up on the wagon and with a quick rip of of the rain we were off. It started off slow and hard and we had a little bit of trouble walking for so many hours but me and my mother just kept thinking about the new land. After walking for hours we finally decided to stop for the night and make camp.

I can't help but think about the trip coming up in six months. I can't help but think about the day I will board that Boeing aircraft and lift off into the clouds. I can't even begin to imagine what emotions I will be feeling when I leave the only home I have ever known and fly across the country. I can’t help but think about how excited I might be but also all of the sadness I might be feeling.

As we circle the wagons around the animals we start to make the fires and cook the dinner. I watched the piece of bread get put on my plate and waited for more, when nothing came I thought about the many weeks ahead and felt a little queasy. As I drifted off to sleep I thought about the future and what our new homes were gonna look like when we get there. I slowly drift off to sleep looking at the stars and dreaming. I wake up tired sad and to the sound of a bell that hurts my ears more and more with every ring. As I get up I eat fast, wash my hands, and we get on the road again my feet were sore and tired as I started walking.

I think every day about my last day at school about how that day might be the last day that I will ever see some of my friends. My friends have been everything to me and have helped me through everything from my first day of preschool to the last day of seventh grade. It is gonna be so hard to leave all of my friends some of which I have known for just about a decade.

We have been walking for way too many days to count know. I keep thinking about how we could possible travel there in far less time but it seems impossible to go faster then the horses we have today. My father says we are past the worst of the trail but I know the trail is just the journey a hard and horrible journey, that's probably why I’m so scared to get to this new land because I know when we gat there then we begin the quest.

I will always love every one here but at the same time I am really excited to try out a really fun new different culture. I’m excited to make knew friends be at a new school and see my new home but at the same time I'm terrified. Losing everyone I love is gonna suck and living across the country isn't gonna make it much better, but this is such a great opportunity my family just can't pass it up. I am going to be sad as I will ever be to leave all my friends and family in Portland but I hope I will make new friends and family were I’m going as well. I know that me and my friends will always be connected somehow no matter how far apart we are we are always going to remember each other.

As the wagon train came in the home stretch of our new home I thought about what a crazy journey it was to get here and how I would never do that again even if I wanted to. When I was in that line of wagons I didn't think about what I had just done would go down in history and be remembered to this day. If I could be in this world today my jaw would have dropped to see the the journey that me and my family took is probably only a hour plane ride and that would have made me mad. But that just goes to show that revolutions really do make a difference.

If you play board games you must know mumblety-peg...right?

In recent days, I find video games to be a very big time passer. But, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there was no Halo or Black Ops, so what was to be played? Back then board games were a popular way to spend time for soldiers and peasants alike with games from backgammon in 1645 that we still play (at that time called tables), to games that nobody plays anymore like mumblety-peg and.

There are many games we still play that are from the 1600s and 1700s such as solitaire, backgammon, chess and cribbage. We may play these games differently, but the concepts are the same: You try to take out the opponent's king in chess, you try to get card combos in cribbage, and you try to line up all the cards into the sides in a specific order in solitaire.

These games have all been played since at least AD 1700 and were often played by people in the American, French and industrial revolutions for fun. On top of the many still played and remembered games, there are a few from the revolutions we don't still remember. mumblety-peg was a game where both players would have a pocket knife and throw it into the ground as close to their feet as possible and the person who loses each round had to pull a peg out of the ground with their teeth (hence the name, mumblety-peg)
I personally love to play board games, even classic ones like solitaire. As you can see, in the 1700s board games were how people spent a lot of their time.

Backgammon board
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backgammon

-JewelsArePrecious

Sources: Wikipedia, Slate.com, 

Drones. What do they do?

A Drone. It is an Unmanned aerial vehicle that is used for many different reasons. Flying for fun, taking videos from the sky, and bombing your enemies. Are they fast, sturdy, and good? Are they bad or good?

One kind of drone is the MQ Reaper. It is a death machine. It can be flow from the US to blow up citizens from other countries. It is a good thing for war but it also harms and can harm many innocent people. Do you think that is good? These drones are just a tool for the military so they do not have to do their dirty work.









This Drone is a DJI Phantom. It is great for taking videos and flying above for fun. It is very good for aerial photography. It can be used by every day people instead of the military. It can be used to make movies and films.






Before drones people had used balloon to go bomb countries but were not very successful because they had no control of the balloon .In 1959, the government was concerned of losing pilots in enemy territory. They started working on the idea of and unmanned aircraft. They started by using drones called UAVs to scout enemy territory. These UAVs saved many pilots' lives, but they might've taken lives of others.






Drones are great for so many things. I have a drone myself, and it can make so many cool videos. But do you really think that we should use them for war and for killing others? Anyways, there have been more than a million drones sold since 2015. They have contributed in making movies to seeing unknown worlds. Drones are a wonderful invention to bring to the world.

Flipping the Pages Through History

Flipping The Pages Through History

Stephen King, an author of many books, once quoted,“Good books don’t give up all their secrets at once.” Each and every book written, published and read has it’s own story with a secret hidden, but what about the history of books? After reading a few books and learning about revolutions throughout history, I wondered how books evolved too. The process of books took many forms as technology and resources increased. A few forms of the first books in history were storytelling, painting, and writing. Each style had its own significance to the many cultures of which the story was created.

The first structures of books were painting and storytelling. Painting may not seem like a story, but if you look closer, the art almost seems like it’s telling a tale. An example where art takes the place of books is cave paintings, almost like a picture book on a stone wall. Besides drawing, storytelling was commonly used as well. In the olden days and even today, people have shared stories verbally. Telling stories in native languages, and passing them through generations of their people. The stories were told from the elderly to young adults and to children. One story that was told was “The Epic of Gilgamesh”. Over time, this story has changed and today, they have a few written copies.

One form of the earliest books made in history is the Bible. It was the first book to be made with parchment paper. Another one of the Bible’s earliest appearance were on paper scrolls. The Bible was full of many stories that happened throughout the beginning of history. An early use of the Bible was in Christian churches. Even the today, the Bible takes an important role not only in Christianity, but in many other religions around the world such as Catholic. Before paper was an available resource, in many places such as ancient Greece, they wrote on stone tablets. They also wrote stories and some of them being about the ancient Greek Gods such as Poseidon, Zeus, Hades and so many more.

After researching about the history of books, I feel like I have found one of the many secrets that books keep. In today's world, our skills have improved and our resources have increased. There are many books to read now in many different genres such as fiction, nonfiction, mystery, fantasy, the categories are countless. Most books nowadays are typed, printed and bound together into what we call books. In the future, I have considered becoming an author and writing many books for anyone of any age. I'm currently writing a novel called "The Shadows We Fear". It's about Victoria, a newly crowned princess, and how she must voyage across the deep blue sea to ask peace of her kingdom from their gods. Victoria also encounters many obstacles along the way. Stories have been such an important piece to human history. If you long to know a secret of books, just keep flipping the pages through history. I’m sure that the stories are hidden somewhere.

Links:

• New York Public Library Time-Lapse- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkD9aNOn6v0
• Book History TimeLine- http://english8.fsu.edu/Courses/ENG4834_S11/Book_History_Timeline.pdf
• The Epic of Gilgamesh- http://www.aina.org/books/eog/eog.pdf
• The Shadows We Fear- https://www.wattpad.com/user/moonbean842

The Misunderstood Shark

                Sharks of all kinds are feared by the human race. Personally as a person that loves sharks is worried for the future of sharks. I first discovered I liked sharks when my family brought me to the Natural History Museum in New York City. Mostly I was bored until we got to the ocean exhibit, thats when my eyes widened. I started running around looking at all the different plastic creatures and the I turn around and I see this massive jaw filled with razor sharp teeth. Im sure I tried to touch it and my parents quickly stopped me from getting a nasty cut but who knows. From that point on I new I loved the ocean and I especially loved sharks. 
               Right now there are approximately 470 known species of shark in the world, but it's impossible to count the exact number of individual sharks on the planet.World Wildlife Fund estimates that more than 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins. An d guess how many humans are killed each year… 26 was the most reported deaths in 2010. A vending machine is more likely to kill you that a shark. 
              Sharks live everywhere, they rang from Antarctica to Australia. They are everywhere. Now I don't mean to scare you but almost everywhere you go that is near the ocean, theres a shark. And you shouldn't be scared anyway, if I were to ask you right now why you were afraid of sharks, more than half of you will say something along the lines of "They eat people" or "they are blood thirsty flesh eating demons. or somewhere in that zone. But really they aren't hostile creatures.
             Sharks of all kinds have pretty common diet. they are all carnivores, But people have actually found some pretty wired things inside of a sharks stomach. here is a small list of things scientist have found in side a sharks stomach; Polar Bears, Reindeer, Licenses plates, Tires, Chicken coop complete with chickens, A full suit of armor, a fur coat, rubber boots, porcupine, video cameras, a horse head, and a bag of money. Now thats just a few things. You can probably imagine what else they eat. I guess they eat anything except for their veggies.
            Sharks have bad reputations because of movies and stories. The one movie that you always think about is… you guest it JAWS. Jaws was the first movie that really set off the whole flesh eating shark craze. Jaws is about this 25ft shark that is thirsty for blood and the main character, Brody, to save his town from this "monster" I won't say much more but there were sequels that just increased the fear with sharks.       
             Due to movies like this sharks are facing extinction. Over 1 million sharks are killed each year. People will either kill them for sport or some ail kill them for a tasteless soup made with their fins. It is a tradition in some countries to eat shark fin soup but is it really worth it? How they do it: First they catch the shark, cut off its fins and throw the animal back into the water to die slowly while bleeding uncontrollably. They leave the poor thing on the bottom of the ocean to die. 
       My goal is to make shark finning illegal all over the world. They have already done this in a few places fro example it is Illegal to shark fin in that state of hawaii. If sharks keep getting killed at this rate they will be gone in the next few decades. We need to stop this. You can help by going to here and donating even just $10 to help them stop this. I have done this, WWF is an great foundation to help. I hope you will learn to love sharks just as I did.

Thanks,
Sophie

Symbols of the Revolution

During the state of nationalism in Europe the countries wanted a symbol, object or language that would truly represent their country. They wanted something that would hold the people together when they face horrific wars, like the war started between the government and the nationalist. The nationalist fought for the independence of their countries, they believed that each country should have its own government instead of having the entire country be ruled by one king.

The American revolution was the first revolution deflecting the European monarchy system. The American revolution was a hard fought battle, full of war and politics. The journey to finding America's independence was such a great battle that it lasted eighteen years. Once the hard fought journey had ended the new country created a seal in honor of their winning their battle. The seal was named The Great Seal because of the honor it holds. The seal represents America's freedom and their courage. The flag in the eagle's mouth says “one out of many” in Latin. The olive branch in the the eagle's left talon stands for peace. The thirteen arrows in his right talon stand for war. The number of arrows, thirteen, stand for the thirteen colonies, at the time. For more information on symbols during the American revolution visit this presentation: https://prezi.com/hp0f6bpft15b/iconic-symbols-of-the-american-revolution/

France took on nationalism. They were one of the first countries to fight, inspiring many other countries to follow in their wake. After the French won their war there was hope for the other countries. During the French nationalism period a symbol of a rooster was made, and is now very important and symbolic to the French culture. The rooster had been used before nationalism in art and furniture but it wasn't truly famous until it was used in the revolution. The French decided to use a rooster because of the play on the Latin words gallus meaning gaul and the French word gallus meaning rooster. If you would like to fing out more about the rooster, or the other French sybols you can visit this cite: http://www.consulfrance-jhb.org/Symbols-of-the-French-Republic

 

Catlin Gabel, the school I attend, has a original logo of three trees. The three trees stand for lots of things. In my opinion the three trees represent the unity of the people on our campus. You will always have somebody by your side, you just have to look. We dig our roots deep, so we will always stand by. We are tall trees that just keep growing taller and taller, with stronger roots. There is also a more literal meaning of our three tree symbol. We have lots of trees and nature around our campus. To find out more about Catlin Gabel visit: http://www.catlin.edu/page.cfm?p=498

                                                         

One With the Music

I step on stage and my heart beats at a million miles an hour. As I let my fingers take over, I relax and immerse myself into the song. When I’m playing guitar, I don’t have to worry about anything else, like the colossal amounts of homework due, my next big game, or even the seemingly astronomical crowd staring up at me. It’s like taking a hiatus from the real world, where all your problems melt away into music. All I have to fret about is hitting the right note and staying on beat.   

This hidden oasis in the vast desert of reality wouldn’t exist without the modern classical guitar, an acoustic wooden guitar that originated in Western Europe. It belongs to a family of wooden instruments called chordophones. It typically has six strings made of nylon. The design of the modern classical guitar can be attributed to Antonio de Torres, the most influential guitar maker in the 19th century.  Francisco Táregga was a guitarist and composer who was considered the father of modern classical guitar playing. He determined many aspects of the modern classical technique and raised the prestige of the guitar in the classical music tradition.

My pick hits the last note and I let it ring out as applause erupts from the audience. Walking offstage after a performance is the best feeling. it’s an adrenalin rush, and really boosts your confidence. It’s a feeling of relief for getting past it and not having to be the center of attention any longer, and of exuberance for conquering any fears about performing. It’s also a little sad because the music stopped and reality dawns on you again. I am so thankful for people like Francisco Táregga and Antonio de Torres because they assisted the foundation of the instrument I love. Without them, there wouldn’t be that feeling of stepping of the stage, or the butterflies that tickle my stomach before I perform. There would be no interruption of actuality, and because of that, I am truly appreciative of this instruments and all people attributed to its creation.  

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_classical_guitar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_classical_guitar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_guitar

Images
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vAqS-e1fIbEwHQNmOl0ZwjR-9UCQYorRYjXD07ePlL1jOokAa-QQHf9Fs6u4aKTdMx8qfOkqbjM9nU9HgjQf4r4NjWWCziyea_8j_h48OF-TDFA587YzBF6oBsieH2cIcU6qw_em
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/6moRzUclPRssacbxnptPUV40gTQ4_fADx5xrczwLdSCRD1QsIkSZzu1-AGZj8P0g7PkjAaY1KCrANjrIrf4LHWUc71CqwEfDYauHe2nxEA1QcPGBg-SfNk_v1mTTmcjh5849BKHP

Video
https://youtu.be/B43xHBpNUWk

To Float Like a Swan

Ballet is amazing.  You can let go of all your worries and soar like a swan across the stage.  I have been dancing since I was 4 and currently dance at Portland Dance  School (Portland Festival Ballet).  Before class, I watch the trainees (they are very serious about ballet and do online school so they can do ballet all day) and I am entranced as they glide across the room leaping and twirling in their pointe shoes.  Ballerinas go through excruciating pain and hard work to get where they are, but some people just think ballerinas are fragile and that ballet is not brutal enough to be a sport.  A person at my ballet studio once performed 10 shows with 4 broken toes on one foot.  This shows endurance, dedication and determination.  Sometimes when I watch ballerinas flutter and float across the stage, I think about all of the other people who danced that role.  Who were they? Where did they come from?  Was ballet what did they did for a living?  I wonder about the first time a ballet was ever premiered and how someone even choreographed everything in it.   One ballet that initially failed and is now is one of the most popular ballets is Swan Lake.  

The music of Swan Lake was composed in 1875 - 1876 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  Swan Lake tells the tragic story of a young princess named Odette, who was transformed into a swan by a curse casted by an evil sorceress.  On Friday, March 4, 1877, Swan lake was premiered.  The role of Odette was performed by Pelageya Karpakova (Polina Karpakova).  It was originally intended to be performed by Anna Sobeshchanskaya,  however she was removed from the performance after a governing official accused her of  receiving a few items of expensive jewelry from him, only to sell the items of jewelry for cash and marry a fellow danseur.  The premiere was not well-accepted, and there was almost unanimous criticism concerning the orchestra, the stage sets, and the dancers.  The “failure” of the production was said to be due to a few other reasons.  One issue was regarding German origins of  the Swan Lake story.   Another reason was that the ballerina that danced the role of Odette (and possibly Odile) was “not particularly convincing” and was a secondary soloist.

 During the early 1890s and late 1880s, Vsevolozhsky and Pepita were conversing with Tchaikovsky about reviving  Swan Lake.  Unfortunately, on November 6, 1893, Tchaikovsky died just when the plans for the revival of Swan Lake were about to be fulfilled.   As a result of the tragic death, Drigo had to revise the score by himself.  Two memorial concerts that were planned by Vsevolozhsky were given and yielded in honor of Tchaikovsky on February 1894.  In the production, the ballerina who danced as Odile and Odette was Pierina Legnani, the Italian virtuoso.  The revival prospect of  Swan Lake had been planned for Pierina’s 1894-1895 season benefit performance because of her amazing talent.  

Her performance during her début in Cinderella with the Imperial Ballet demonstrated her phenomenal technique.  During the grand pas, in her variation, she executed thirty-two or more fouettés en tournant (turns on one foot) which at that time that was the most ever performed.  At the beginning of  1895, on Friday January 27, the revised Swan Lake was premiered.  The premiére of  the revival was a huge success.  Today it is the revised Tchaikovsky’s score  that is used when many ballet companies perform Swan Lake.

There are so many talented ballet dancers who have come before us and future rising stars that will come after.  Many of them may have endured similar hardships and criticisms in the harsh world of ballet.  Now when I am on stage, I look out into the ocean of people in the audience and through the blinding stage lights, and wonder...

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake

• http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbl7rkbPTK1qmy8oho1_500.jpg

• http://warmjello.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/misty-copeland-swan-lake-103.jpg

• http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbl7rkbPTK1qmy8oho1_500.jpg