Initially, I did not sign up for blogging; I actually did not realize that it was a course a student could choose. However, when I got my course sheet for the upcoming senior second semester, my senior elective was blogging. A little frustrated I did not get into Hippie Literature, I still decided to stick it out and see what ‘blogging’ was all about. Since the word was unknown to me, looking it up on dictionary.com seemed to be the logical thing to do. I figured I should have some previous knowledge of what ‘blogging’ was before I enrolled in the class. This definition was the result: ‘an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page’. So I unhatched what a blog is, a diary that is typed. I did not understand how the class would even work however; we show up, write what we did for the day and leave? It just did not make sense. From the class, I expected my writing to improve, because we would be writing everyday in our ‘diary’, but we did so much more.
Considering I had no expectations walking into the class, I was still surprised at how much we accomplished in one semester. ‘Blogging’ was not just a personal diary of a day’s work, it included the news, opinions and gossip. I had no idea that a blog could consist of so many ideas. Not only did we practice writing, we watched and learned about the Presidential Election, the Aboriginals, and on a lighter note, freezer balls. From serious to entertaining, our class discussions ranged from a variety of things. I did not expect, also, that we would learn how to hold a debate and respect eachother’s opinions. Not only did I learn how to sort out the good information from the useless information in web articles, but I also got a little more computer savy with using our blogging website, edublogs.org.
Every Monday, a blog would be due that would exemplify our writing and thoughts from the previous week. It could be on absolutely anything, from politics to events around Tabor. We did around nine blogs each, and there is a big difference in writing style from the first one to the last. Our writing style consisted of connection of ideas. Connect your topic to first how it affects you, then your community, and then the world as a whole. The lessons learned or events that everyone can be educated by was really the theme in each blog. Along with carefully corrected grammer and paragraphing, the topic had to interest you first, and then your readers. If you were not interested in the topic, then it was hard to write something interesting that people would read. It was helpful that there was no parameters on the topics of what we could write about, that way you could write something that interested you. Also, it was helpful we had a wide variety of interests in the class, some sports, others athletes, and as a result each blog was unique.
A post that I had, ‘Its still a good day to be a seawolf’, exemplified our writing style because it connected to me, as it was about losing the semi-finals on the team that I was on, and how it affected me. Moreover, it connected to the Tabor community and the world as a whole because although we lost, the lessons learned and companionship will stay longer than the happiness of a championship.
Blogging was a great class to learn the ins and outs of internet. It taught me how to use a certain writing style to connect to not only yourself, but to the people around you. It brought to my attentions events that I would never have explored myself, such as the Presidential Election and Obama’s Priest. These things make me recommend blogging as a senior elective. One thing I would advise doing would be to spend a little more time using the website, because it is complicated to figure out on your own. Thank you giving me the experience of blogging!
The Celtics against the Cavaliers game seven was a hard fought battle, but Celtics came out on top, advancing into the semi-conference finals. The last place team just could not out work the top-seeded Celtics. Despite LeBron James having over 40 points, the rest of the team could not knock off Boston, who has homecourt advantage throughout the whole playoffs, and are undefeated at the Garden during their playoff season. Pierce, number 34 from the Celtics, also had over 40 points, despite having a bruised quad. From tip off through the last quarter, it was a very physical game, and the veterans from the Celtics had more experience at the end of the game to hit very crucial shots, whereas the three year rookie James, missed an important foul shot that could have saved the game. Although the Cavs were upset, to bring the series into game 7 with the top seeded Celtics was an accomplishment all in its self.Although the Celtics squeaked by Cleveland, they are going to have a tougher time against the Detroit Pistons. The two teams, seeded number 1 and 2 respectively, have had a long line of history when it comes to the playoffs. The Celtics have beaten the Pistons to end their chances at the playoffs in the years, 1968, 1982, and 2002. In contrast, Detroit has knocked Celtics out of the playoffs 1988, 1989, and 1991. It is going to be a tough brawl, the two teams met during the regular season and the Celtics won two out of three, however Detroit beat them at home, which is a hard thing to accomplish. The Celtics have had two tough series so far, the first against the Atlanta Hawks and the seconds to the Cavs. Detroit beat the Magic in five games, so their legs will be fresh and well rested from the week off of not having to play. Although the ‘Big 3’ on the Celtics, Garnett, Pierce and Allen, are more skilled than most of the players on the team in my opinion, but they will be very tired from playing 14 games in a short period of time. The Celtics are 7-0 at home but 0-6 on the road, and if the series comes down to game 7, I don’t think home court advantage is going to triumph over the Celtic’s fatigue. The last time the Celtics clinched the Eastern Conference was in 1987, and as a strong team they can advance and do well. The Pistons have something to prove as they lost to the Spurs last year in the Championship. Almost everyone one the Celtics team have made a playoff appearance, and I think with their experience, they will win over Detroit. Whichever team wins will have a hard time beating the Lakers if they should win.
Mothers Day is generally a day that goes by, celebrating with little family gatherings and quiet afternoons. For the Duggar family, they found themselves on the TODAY show, and heard their mother announce she was pregnant- with her 18th child! Michelle Duggar, 41, surprised her other 17 children, with another sibiling. “We’re expecting!” the happy mother told co-host Meredith Vieira, “Number 18!” The new baby due around new years, 10 months after their last child was born. The Duggar’s kid range from ages 9 months to 20 years old, with all the names starting with ‘J’. There are ten boys, seven girls, and two sets of twins. Michelle has gone through 15 pregnancies, with 13 natural births, and 2 C-sections. Michelle’s husband, Jim Bob, and herself are both real estate agents, who pay for everything in cash, and essentially are debt free. They are currently building a 7,000 square foot house over the course of two years, which will have 9 bathrooms, and 13 rooms dormitory style, in Tontitown, Arkansaw.
The couple belongs to a evangelical Christian movement called Quiverful. The claim that children are the lord’s blessings, and should accept them as they come. The lord will determine how many kids. “We just let the Lord decide,” Jim Bob, 42, told Vieira, on the TODAY show. Married in 1984, Michelle was 17 and Jim Bob 2 years her senior. They did not have kids for four years, until Michelle stopped taking birth control to have their first son, Joshua. Michelle returned to birth control but still got pregnant. Unfortunately, she suffered a miscarriage, which was because of the pill. Because of this, the Duggars prayed for more children, as many as the lord would allow them to have. Seventeen kids later, they are still praying for more.
Although it is good that they are seemingly out of debt and can afford to feed and dress seventeen kids, there is more at stake than the physical. With seventeen kids outnumbering two adults, it is impossible for the parents to give each one the attention that they need. The kids must feel left out and with all the demand of seventeen kids, the parents must get exhausted, which is neither good for the health of the children or the parents. As Michelle keeps getting older and wants to have as many kids as the Lord wants her to have, the babies born in her older age may develop mental or physical deformities due to her age. The older children have to focus more on their younger sibilings which yes, developes character, but it prevents them from having a normal life. While I think its great that the Duggar’s feel like they have so much love to give out, but they need to stop focusing on how many kids they are going to have and focus on the children that they have and what is best for them.
Central Washington University and Western Oregon University faced off for a big softball game to earn a spot in the playoffs from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. They knew if was going to be a good game, but what they did not expect- is it to make national news. The Softball game was very important, as the winner of the game would continue their season in the playoffs, while the other would have better luck next year. The score was 2-0, the lead going to CWU. Western Oregon batter, Sara Tucholsky got up to the plate with two players on base. With two strikes on her, Tucholsky connected with the ball on the next pitch to hit a home run, something she had never accomplished in ther four years of varsity highschool, and her four years at college. The two runners on base come in to score, while Sara Tucholsky starts rounding the bases. She missed tagging first, so she went back to tag it. In the process, she twists her knee in the wrong place and immediately collapses in pain. Crawling back to first base, it is clear that she is unable to round the bases. Usually when an athlete gets hurt, the first thing that the coaches, players and spectators think is if they are going to be ok, and to rush them to get to the nearest help. However, in this case it was different. If Tucholsky did not touch all the bases and touch home plate, her home run would not count, and the score would be tied, 2-2. If WOU puts in a pinch runner, meaning a player that has not entered the game yet to run for her, her home run would only count as a single. This girl is lying here in pain, and it is difficult for everyone to make a decision. The obvious one would be to put in the pinch runner, but being an athlete, Tucholsky refused to get off the field and not take the lead. Watching this was painful, as a girl who just hit a homerun, making her dream come true, had to ruin it by getting hurt.
As I said before, the game made national news. The reason? The first baseman on the opposing team, Mallory Holtman, the career home run leader, asked the umpire if she and her teammates could help Tucholsky. The umpire said that there was no rule against it, so the first baseman and shortstop for CWU picked Sara Tucholsky up and carried her around all the bases, stopping at each base and lightly touching it with the good foot. The girls on the other team gave up their playoff position when the girl scored home, making them lose. These girls showed a selfless act, and deserved to be recognized on national television. As an athlete myself, I know how hard it is to lose, especially when you can control the outcome. It took a lot of courage and strength for those girls to overcome their love for the game to do the right thing. What makes the story even better was the CWU girls had no idea it was Tucholsky’s first home run in her softball career. I am glad the news is showing positive things in the world, of people doing the right thing, rather than the murders and robberies they normally show.
It was nice out, the sun beaming down upon the freshly cut grass. It was mid day and the softball game had just begun. It started off smoothly, with Tabor getting on base with the second batter, then the third batter crushed it and sent both of them home. Although in the first inning it was 2-0 with Tabor winning, the game quickly turned around. By the 6th inning, it was 6-3 Exeter, with Tabor up to bat. Getting a little anxious and worried, Jackie Donahue comes up to the plate, first pitch and nails a home-run, tieing Exeter. Top of the seventh was similar to the bottom, as no one scored, sending the game into extra-innings. Exeter was up to bat in the top of the eighth inning, the first three batters getting on base. Tabor was getting a little anxious, but Collen Kirby, a sophomore, struck two batters out in a row. Bases loaded, two outs, the last batter grounded out to shortstop, Kelly Foley for the easy out. It was Tabors turn, to win the game meant to advance on into the championship game. Finally, Steph Ciampa gets on base, steals second, and Kara Moffa gets out but advances Ciampa to third. Next batter, Lexi White is up to bat and hits it to left field, as the coach sends Ciampa home, the left fielder throws the ball to the catcher and in the collision, the Umpire calls Ciampa out. Two outs, finally the bases are loaded. Tabor batter gets up to the plate, full count, two outs bases loaded. The next pitch, the ball is hit past the shortstop and the winning run comes in.
Aren’t you mad you missed the game? The game was exciting, eventful and fun to watch, although no one showed up except the parents of the players. Spring sports at Tabor are often forgotten, as fans seem to be more into tanning rather than spectating sports. Although, games like the one above happen more often than not in spring sports rather than any other season because the scoring is lower, so sports like baseball and softball have more close games, which are more exciting. Also, Spring sports altogether have better records than anyother season, which is another reason why people should watch them. Crew in 10-0, Softball is 7-1, Baseball is over 500 and Golf is 5-2. Most games are outside, which is more enjoyable than sitting inside a sweat gym or a freezing hockey rink. The Tabor community needs to come together and support these teams and just because it is the end of the year, does not mean they can come out and watch. Fan support can sometimes dictate a close game, especially in high energy games such as lacrosse.
A frantic call is made to the police at 3am in the morning. A girl claiming she is sixteen has said that she is being forced to marry a 50 year old man in the morning. She identifies the area on the phone, and never to be seen again. The call resulted in a police raid to the area, and removal of 416 children, and lawsuits of abuse and deprivation.
The place she identifies is the FLDS cult, a desolate ranch that spans between Colorado City in Arizona and Hildale, Utah. It is a 10,000 strong sect, complete with housing for hundreds of people, three- story temple, and independent water and power grids. The name of the place is YFZ ranch, and these men, women and children are basically selfsufficient. Their daily life starts early- try 3:30am. One mother, Rebecca, states “the kids couldn’t wait to hop out of bed at 4 a.m.- or 3:30 a.m. if I let them!” Each person, no matter how old, has a role that they play from sun-up to sun-down. The onlder girls are in charge of getting their younger brothers and sisters up and ready for the say. There is no need for them to wake their sibilings up, for no one wants to wake up last in the sect. Their clothing looks similar to the show, Little House on the Prairie. Minimal skin was shown, if any, as their ‘high-neck dresses’ starched and wrinkle free that met their hightop sneakers made for working with white socks. The women cannot cut their hair because in when in Heaven, they must use their hair to wash their husband’s feet. Their food preparation is no different than their oldtime clothing style. They do not just ‘open a can’ and serve the food, they grind wheat, churn butter and milk the cows for drinks. Schooling comes secondary to their lifestyle, but they still have time to teach reading, singing, piano lessons and chores. If one does not do their chores, they will be strictly punished.
Bizarre to a ‘normal’ and modern lifestyle, but nothing out of the ordinary- yet. The leader of their sect, Warren Jeffs, who recently served 10 years, after being convicted of being an accomplice to rape after forcing a 14 year old girl to marry a 50 year old male, preaches “ perfect obediance produces perfect faith.” In the law of the sect, it is illegal to contact past the confinements of the powergrid, laughing out loud, and no social dances or hangouts. No movies, TV and no internet. You must marry who you were told, usually one of your fathers friends, whom has many wives already, and birth whatever children he gives to you. Jeffs preaches that it is a male dominated world, and when death occurs, the husband gets to decide whether the women can enter Heaven or not. Strict punishments, such as abuse can occur if a child or wife does not follow these guidelines.
The police were shocked by this displayed and immediately rescued 416 children from the compound. The hard decision for the judges is whether these kids are aloud to go back to their mother and fathers, or go into government care because it is not safe for them. In my opinion, the kids should be as far away from that place as possible. The kids are strictly controlled, and does not know anything about the outside world and how to survive. When asked by judges and officials to point out who their mother and father were, some kids pointed to three or four people, other did not know at all. This is not a safe environment for these kids. There would be people who would just disappear from the community, and the leaders would say, “they were called on a mission. The went to Zion” and that would be the last anyone would ever hear from them again. A childhood without laughter and worldly experience is no childhood at all. I think these children should have a normal lifestyle and stop being deprived of a childhood, one where they don’t have to wake up at 330 a.m. to do chores and get scolded at if laughing out loud.
Baseball- America’s favorite pastime. A game based on the rivalries, traditions, and of course, superstitions. It is what makes the game fun, and the fans true to their teams. There is no bigger rivalry than the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, dating back to when professional baseball became popular. With every game, every practice comes explanations and superstitions of each outcome of the game, resulting in curses. “Curses start off very easily. It’s all the power of suggestion and they take on a life of their own,” said Dan Gordon, an avid baseball writer. The eighty- six year losing streak jynx, or ‘The Curse of the Bambino” of Red Sox after they sold Babe Ruth is probably the most well-known. Another superstition with the Red Sox accounts for their retired jersey numbers. They have number 9 for Ted Williams, 4 to Joe Cronin, 1 for Bobby Doerr and 8 for Carl Yastrzemski. If those numbers are put together, they form a date, 9-4-18, April fourth, 1918, the day before Red Sox won the last Championship until the one in 2004. Some laugh at these ideas, but to serious baseball fans, this is no joke.
No wonder many Yankee fans were outraged at what they found out was under the newly built Yankee stadium. A construction worker of Bronx, New York, but a long time lover of the Boston Red Sox, Gino Castignoli, steathly put a David Ortiz t-shirt in the foundation while building the Yankee stadium. When the foundation dried, the shirt remained hidden and the rest of the million dollar stadium was built on top of it. The worker finally confessed to the NY Post of his dirty deed, after the Yankees crushed his hopes of a curse when they beat the Red Sox in the stadium. Two other workers, whose names were withheld, said that they remember Castignoli, who only worked for a day on the site and can predict where the shirt would be. The shirt happened to be buried underneath the visitor’s dugout, under almost five feet of concrete. Yankee fans were absolutely outraged at the possibility of a hex lingering over the new stadium, while the Red Sox fans secretly smiled at the possibility of a good luck charm buried underneath. When the knowledge of the t-shirt was revealed, the workers immediately put on their hardhats and got to digging up the stadium, due to the superstition. At 3:25 pm, the tattered jersey was found, and although it looked like a measely rag, the words ‘RED’ were clearly visible. Sighs of reliefs came from the Yankee fans, and even some Yankee officials as they all gathered around to watch the jersey to be removed.
Castignoli, as it turns out, happens to be a criminal pre- jersey incident. He pleady guilty to a 40-million dollar illegal gambling streak and involvement with mobsters. He may be in trouble again as the Yankee management may press charges and sue the Red Sox fanatic man. To me, sueing this man would be an absolutely rediculous. Castignoli did it in the spirit of the game, to show loyalty to his game. Is that not what baseball is all about? The fans bring character to the game, and if it was not for the craziness of the superstition, myths, and even burying a t-shirt to create a new one, baseball would not be the same. Although I can see why the Yankee fans would be angry at the potential handicap of their team, but things like these make the rivalries stronger, and make the games more exciting to watch.
The phenomenom was born in northern India, to the parents of factory worker Vinod Kumar and his wife Sushma three weeks ago. The baby, who is yet to be named, survived an extremely rare case, of two skulls being fused together to one. This means as the baby was shown, she had four eyes, two noses and two mouths. Most doctors have never seen a case like this, a child surviving this. “Since the heads are fused, separating them is not possible,” paediatrician D.K Gupta of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences told the Hindustan Times newspaper. To be thankful the baby is still living is an understatement, but the baby is breathing and eating normally with no complications. Although it is still early, doctors say that the baby girl should be o.k. to go on living life fully. India is no stranger to phenomenoms as this case comes just months after Indian doctors performed a rare to remove the extra limbs of a girl born with four arms and legs. Indian doctors are famous for preforming unlikely surgeries, like the case above, removing unwanted limbs. Kumar and his wives’ baby has attracted much attention from doctors wanted to do plastic surgery to recover a ‘normal’ face. But, the girl has found easy acceptance in Kumar’s large, extended family, who say they have no plans to consult doctors to check if the girl can receive treatment or corrective surgery. “The doctor said everything is normal when she was born. So where’s the need to get medical help?” said the child’s father. Although I think it is great that the child has found acceptance with her immediate family, I do not think the real world is going to be as accepting. As cruel as that may sound, I feel little kids are more critical, curious and are more open about asking questions about children who don’t fit the normal standard. By not fixing her face, I feel the child will feel out of place and secluded by her own peers. In my opinion, the parents should at least look into getting the surgery because although physically she may be fine, emotionally growing up with the disorder may be detremental. capt.cps.mvg33.060408194832.photo00.photo.default-512×360.jpg
“I hear people talk about game pressure,” Miller said, “the higher up the ladder you get into the NCAA Tournament.”
For most basketball teams, the NCAA tournament is life or death. Some teams, such as North Carolina, Duke and UCLA almost always have bids into the tournament. For other teams, for the most part, smaller less-known schools, the chance of getting a spot to play in the tournament is slim. Once in the tournament, the pressure is high and intense. The top teams want to keep their reputations and spots in the tournament to try and win a championship, while the higher seeds want to prove themselves that they can win even though they are from an underdog school.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers felt as though the game was over, as they were up by fifteen points with eight minutes to go in the second half. Drake, whom took their game to the next level under the pressure, went on a rally and tied the game up, with thirty seconds to go. The next play; a player from Drake gets fouled, for two shots. Sweat was dripping down as he nervously made his way to the foul line. The pressure of these two shots was immense. Despite his nervs, he made both the fould shots. Coming down the court with five seconds to go, Ty Rogers from Western Kentucky hit a three-pointer from several feet beyond NBA range with two seconds left to clinch a win for the underdog Hilltoppers.
Although student-athletes, such as myself in basketball, can relate to these high pressure situations, many students will never get a chance to experience that intensity. However, they may experience another type of pressure recently: waiting for college acceptance letters. The pressure to get into a good school is similar to that of the basketball game, if you do not work hard, you fail. Students tend to get nervous and discouraged when they see their other peers get college acceptance letters. This pressures them to get into a good college, and if they do get the fatal rejection letter, the pain of the disappointment is deep. The real world puts so much pressure on a student to get into a good college because if you do not, the level of life will be lesser than if you do.
Students work really hard to try and meet the standard of schools. They do all the homework, study for tests and even wake up early to get extra-help to try and rise above the pressure and get into a well reputed college. However, most of the college acceptance is based on one test- the SATs. The pressure going into that one test can determine the level of academics in college you attend. I think this is very unfair, as research states that these tests are based on genetics, no matter how hard you study and prepare for the test, you are limited by your gene pool. Statistics show that generally how your parents did on the SATs or in school is basically how you are going to do. In my opinion, this makes the pressure of applying to college even greater, as you can not control the outcome of what happens.
Whether the pressure is making the game winning shot, or just waiting to here from your favorite college, everyone can relate to pressure and have to learn how to cope with it.
This weekend could have been historic for the Tabor Seawolves. As girls varisty basketball made the semi-finals on Wednesday, things were looking up, and the road to victory was right in our grasp. The senior basketball players, including Tiff, Jilly, Maddie and I were especially hungry for a championship considering we had made it the past two years but lost undeniably. We have had the Class A championship ripped from us too often- and this year was our year to win it. The dynamics of the team were as perfect as a team can get. Nearing the end of the season, the team was playing the best they had ever done and everything seemed to fall right into place. The plays were executed flawlessly, the coaches and players all getting along. The season, despite little competition, made our team one for the history books- playing the hardest schedule and going undefeated. We were ranked number one in the A division for seedings of the tournament, followed by Worcester, Nobles and Kent respectively.
After a marginal win over Andover to secure a spot in the semi-finals, we thought we were intangible. Our next oppenent: Kent. Considering we had already beaten Kent in a Christmas tournament a few months ago by a good amount, we were feeling pretty confident. We prepared as normal on Thursday for the next day. Although I was confident, I still got the ‘butterflies’ as game day had approached.
When the refs threw up the ball for tip-off, the nervs went away and the game was played. Throughout most of the first half, we were pretty evenly matched. Jilly, who is easily 6 foot 2 inches and usually the difference in the game, was sized up against a girl from Ukraine, who was just as big and strong. Depsite the refs favoring Kent, with the fouls 9-2 at one point, at the half the score was a tie, 30-30.
Going into the locker room, there was mixed feelings. Although we were not playing our best, the score was still tied and there was another sixteen minutes to play our hearts out. As Mr.Becker walked into the locker room for the half time talk, the room went quiet, I was curious to hear what he had to say. His calmness and confidence cooled us down and we prepared for the next half. The second half started, well, sub-par if you will. Despite the 50 Tabor kids cheering us on, we were down by 15 points with six minutes to go. Panic started to overcome me as Becker called a timeout to figure out what was going on. After a ‘pep talk’ from him, we came out with a bang. The big girl on their team and best player had fouled out, and all I was thinking was this was our chance to comeback. I was right. Going on a 17-2 run, we were suddenly up by one with ten seconds left. After a made three by Maddie, without thinking Kent got the ball in quickly, pushed it up the court as time was running down. I turned around to see the point guard throw a pass to a player in the corner, and with a second to go she shot the ball, seeming like she wasn’t even looking as she did it. The ball jiggled around the rim, and in slow motion went it. As the ball bounced on the floor and Kent girls rushing the court, all I could really think that this wasn’t real.
This was the seniors last year to pull through and win a championship. We didn’t accomplish that. What we did accomplish was something more important. After the game, no one pointed fingers, or yelled. We were not sad we had lost, but more importantly because the season was over. The team that consumed most of our time, that made us laugh the most, and felt like a home away from home had ended. Even though we did not accomplish what we set out to do, what we came away with was more important.
