This is the TRUTH about Curious George!! Never underestimate the horrible message of imperialism in children's books!
Sunday, February 26
Thursday, February 23
Lack of Snow Melts Winter Fun
Here's my latest article for The Western Carolinian. It talks about how the lack of snow is affecting local businesses.
"Cullowhee's winter wonderland has been nonexistent this season due to unseasonably warm temperatures. While students may be bummed by the lack of cancelled classes as compared to the 2011 spring semester, local businesses also feel the heat of Mother Nature.
Ski resorts, like Sapphire Valley and Cataloochee, have experienced less business this season because few snow-loving sports fanatics want to ski or snowboard in 60 degree weather. Sapphire Valley, especially, has lost a substantial amount of business.
Steve Martel, director of amenities at Sapphire Valley Ski Resort, said revenue is less than half of what it was last year. This year, the facility has been open for only eight days.
"When you can't make snow, I guess the days of our ski hills being open are limited," he said. "You really can't compensate. It's like a golf tee time that got rained out… There's nothing you can do to change the weather."
While the majority if not all of the snow used at the resort is generated, the weather has been too warm to even create ice pellets that convert into snow for skiing. The pellets immediately melt.
"We never got to the point where we could cool down the ground," Martel said. "It's been too warm of a winter to do anything for skiing."
Cataloochee has experienced less of a hit, but Chris Bates, general manager, said that business is "ten percent off" compared to last year..."
"Cullowhee's winter wonderland has been nonexistent this season due to unseasonably warm temperatures. While students may be bummed by the lack of cancelled classes as compared to the 2011 spring semester, local businesses also feel the heat of Mother Nature.
Ski resorts, like Sapphire Valley and Cataloochee, have experienced less business this season because few snow-loving sports fanatics want to ski or snowboard in 60 degree weather. Sapphire Valley, especially, has lost a substantial amount of business.
"When you can't make snow, I guess the days of our ski hills being open are limited," he said. "You really can't compensate. It's like a golf tee time that got rained out… There's nothing you can do to change the weather."
While the majority if not all of the snow used at the resort is generated, the weather has been too warm to even create ice pellets that convert into snow for skiing. The pellets immediately melt.
"We never got to the point where we could cool down the ground," Martel said. "It's been too warm of a winter to do anything for skiing."
Cataloochee has experienced less of a hit, but Chris Bates, general manager, said that business is "ten percent off" compared to last year..."
Check out the rest of the story here!!
And if you want more Western Carolinian, be sure to subscribe!
Fall 2012
I have registered for my Fall 2012 classes, and I am very excited about them! My adviser is an absolute genius and figured out a way to substitute a UNCG credit for a required credit that I would have had to suffer through here at Western. I'm very excited that I don't have to sit through Research, Literary Criticism, and British Literature... AGAIN! It was agony the first time.So for all you English majors friends on Facebook and to anyone else wanting to know... here are the classes I will be taking starting this August to December:
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays:
- Introduction to Creative Writing and Editing, 11:15-12:05
- Spanish 102, 12:20-1:10
- Formalism and American Literature, 9:30-10:45
- Mathematical Concepts, 11:00-12:15
- Film Genres, 12:30-1:45
 |
| Sunrise, January |
Monday, February 20
61. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Book 61: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby (B-)
I don't know what it is about these books my professors pick for us to read... I just can't get into them!!
A memoir, Bauby was the editor for France's Elle magazine when he had a stroke in his early-40's. The accident left him with a condition called "locked-in" syndrome. He is unable to move anything except his head side to side. He cannot speak, he cannot swallow, he cannot use the bathroom on his own. Bauby was only able to communicate by blinking his left eyelid. The best way I can explain it is to copy a passage from the actual novel:
While I can appreciate the pains that went into writing this novel, I find the whole thing to be so inconclusive that it's difficult to read. It is amazing to see this man's life before and after the accident, but there's no developing plot. You go here... you go there... you go everywhere. It's not until the end that you learn (if you didn't read the back cover) why Bauby is actually in the hospital.
The film adaptation, too, was all over the place. In fact, it was one the few movies I actually fell asleep during! Making a film about a man who can only communicate by blinking is not an exciting film. Oh, it's a piece of art, but it's not entertainment. I just kept thinking, "Why??"
Bauby's story is one of beauty and acceptance of the things we cannot change. I just wish it had been told in some type of order...
I don't know what it is about these books my professors pick for us to read... I just can't get into them!!
A memoir, Bauby was the editor for France's Elle magazine when he had a stroke in his early-40's. The accident left him with a condition called "locked-in" syndrome. He is unable to move anything except his head side to side. He cannot speak, he cannot swallow, he cannot use the bathroom on his own. Bauby was only able to communicate by blinking his left eyelid. The best way I can explain it is to copy a passage from the actual novel:
"This morning, with first light barely bathing Room 199, evil spirits descend on my world. For half an hour, the alarm on the machine that regulates my feeding tube has been beeping out into the void. I cannot imagine anything so inane or nerve-racking as this piercing beep beep beep pecking away at my brain. As a bonus, my sweat has unglued the tape that keeps my right eyelid closed, and the stuck-together lashes are tickling my pupil unbearably. And to crown it all, the end of my urinary catheter has become detached and I am drenched" (57).
 |
| Bauby's alphabet from the film |
The film adaptation, too, was all over the place. In fact, it was one the few movies I actually fell asleep during! Making a film about a man who can only communicate by blinking is not an exciting film. Oh, it's a piece of art, but it's not entertainment. I just kept thinking, "Why??"
Bauby's story is one of beauty and acceptance of the things we cannot change. I just wish it had been told in some type of order...
Works Cited:
Bauby, Jean-Dominique. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. New York:
Vintage Books, 1997. Print.
Friday, February 17
Cullowhee Bridges Falling Down
Here is my second story for The Western Carolinian in Issue 1.
Cullowhee bridge construction causes headaches
Lex Menz, News Editor
"A Cullowhee bridge undergoing construction for deterioration repairs is causing delays and inconveniences for residents who are accustomed to crossing it.
Bridge 82, on State Road 1002 near the intersection of Rogers Road, will be closed for reconstruction for 150 days.
Joshua Deyton, Division 14 Bridge Management Engineer of the N.C. DOT, said the repairs are "due to the deterioration of the bridge deck and other vital components of the bridge. These types of repairs now will prolong the life of the structure, thus eliminating the need for a much more costly bridge replacement for a long time."
The bridge itself will not be completely pulled down, but the repairs are wide-ranging..."
Cullowhee bridge construction causes headaches
Lex Menz, News Editor
"A Cullowhee bridge undergoing construction for deterioration repairs is causing delays and inconveniences for residents who are accustomed to crossing it.
Bridge 82, on State Road 1002 near the intersection of Rogers Road, will be closed for reconstruction for 150 days.
Joshua Deyton, Division 14 Bridge Management Engineer of the N.C. DOT, said the repairs are "due to the deterioration of the bridge deck and other vital components of the bridge. These types of repairs now will prolong the life of the structure, thus eliminating the need for a much more costly bridge replacement for a long time."
The bridge itself will not be completely pulled down, but the repairs are wide-ranging..."
See the rest of the story HERE!
 |
| By Kalen Quinn |
Photo of the Day February 17
This is Rebel! He's the cutest puppy in the whole world!! He's our neighbor's puppy, and every time I go on my walk, he will follow me around. He actually followed Stuart and me from his house at the bottom of my mountain all the way to the top without breaking a stride. I absolutely adore him, and I wish I could get a puppy of my own! Here he is in my trailer before I had to drive him back to his house because he refused to stay on the porch!
Thursday, February 16
60. Things Fall Apart
Book 60: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (C-)
Gosh, I hate this book! I hated it in 10th grade, and I still hate it now!! And, this time I have to write a paper on it.
Why this book sucks:
1. WAY TOO MUCH DETAIL
2. The ending is abrupt and out of nowhere with too little detail
3. The names are too hard to pronounce and I keep getting them mixed up
4. What is going on with Ikefuma?
5. Why can't Okonkwo love his son and stop beating his wife (especially during the Week of Peace)?
6. I greatly dislike proud characters.
Also to Mr. Achebe, I don't appreciate you calling Joseph Conrad a racist. First of all, Heart of Darkness is better than Things Fall Apart. Secondly, everyone was a racist back then. You can't call Conrad a racist because every white man was on his high horse back then thanks to imperialism and straight up pompousness. Just because he wrote a book about it showing Africa from the white man's perspective doesn't mean you get to go around hatin'. That is how he saw Africa. It's his opinion. Yes, I'll agree that Conrad had a love relationship with the word "black," but he was a descriptive writer. He may have needed a thesaurus but that's no reason to call him a racist. So there!
Gosh, I hate this book! I hated it in 10th grade, and I still hate it now!! And, this time I have to write a paper on it.
Why this book sucks:
1. WAY TOO MUCH DETAIL
2. The ending is abrupt and out of nowhere with too little detail
3. The names are too hard to pronounce and I keep getting them mixed up
4. What is going on with Ikefuma?
5. Why can't Okonkwo love his son and stop beating his wife (especially during the Week of Peace)?
6. I greatly dislike proud characters.
Also to Mr. Achebe, I don't appreciate you calling Joseph Conrad a racist. First of all, Heart of Darkness is better than Things Fall Apart. Secondly, everyone was a racist back then. You can't call Conrad a racist because every white man was on his high horse back then thanks to imperialism and straight up pompousness. Just because he wrote a book about it showing Africa from the white man's perspective doesn't mean you get to go around hatin'. That is how he saw Africa. It's his opinion. Yes, I'll agree that Conrad had a love relationship with the word "black," but he was a descriptive writer. He may have needed a thesaurus but that's no reason to call him a racist. So there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)