Category: BlockOne

The decision to change the colors of this year’s graduation robes to a unified maroon struck up a debate that should not have happened. This was a move in the right direction.

It was not a violation of tradition, as some stated as part of their argument against the shift, as the practice of girls of the graduating class wearing gold and the boys marron has only been around for a few years. Additionally, the change was to create an environment at graduation that felt safe for all students. The two separate colors automatically assume a gender to a student based on what they were wearing, something that not all student were comfortable with. That should not be a problem.

The graduating class is made of graduates and robes that are all the same color unifies them, rather than dividing them into two classes. This change was one made to include everyone, no matter their gender, and avoid outing students or forcing them to feel uncomfortable.

It seems to me that the students who were upset with the change were not considering the wider scale, the fact that the change was not made to anger them or cause a major disruption. It was simply mae to solve a  problem that had brought up by students affected by the separate robe colors.

Graduation is a place where every senior should feel comfortable and safe. Additionally, it’s only a couple hours of your life, and you’re going to look just swell in hat maroon gown. Save your passion for bigger issues, and let this one go. Let graduation be what it is: a day to feel good and acknowledge your accomplishments. You’ve made it this far, don’t let a robe color dissuade you.

    In the morning of April 30, 2019, Akihito, Japan’s emperor since 1989, completed an abdication ceremony and will be officially stepping down from his position. Due to health reasons, the 85-year-old will be the first Japanese monarch to step down in over 200 years, and his first son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will be inheriting the position late Wednesday, May 1.

    Japan’s hereditary monarchy has been the longest continuing in the world. Previously, monarchs were seen as gods, but after Japan’s surrender at the end of World War 2, Hirohito, father of Akihito, renounced their divinity. Additionally, political power was taken from the emperor, leaving him as a cultural figurehead only.

    Since 2016, Akihito has hinted at wanting to step down. According to BBC, Emperor Akihito was “given permission to abdicate after he claimed he felt unable to fulfill his role because of his age and declining health.” In 2003, the emperor had surgery for prostate cancer, and in 2012 he received a heart bypass operation.

    Akihito, throughout his time as emperor, has increased the amount of interaction with the public, which was previously nearly unheard of. The Emperor and Empress have tried to humanize the idea of the monarchy, though many in Japan still hold them to a god-like status. Akihito also advocated for peace, and was the first Japanese emperor to kneel to speak to commoners, who were survivors of a 1991 volcanic eruption in Nagasaki.

    With Japan’s Heisei Era coming to an end, a new era will begin, called Reiwa, meaning order and harmony. In his final speech, the emperor said, “I sincerely wish, together with the Empress, that the Reiwa era which begins tomorrow will be a stable and fruitful one. I pray, with all my heart, for peace and happiness for all the people in Japan and around the world.”

Being one of the few queer people, or at least open ones anyway, in a small community is not what you could call superb. Sure, our fashion sense is excellent, and we have a defining trait that makes a stand out in a crowd, but it ain’t all that.

I have been lucky enough to not have faced any blatant or violent homophobia in my time, and I love who I am, but in this tiny town, being a queer woman hasn’t been easy. It’s the little things, things that may be called trivial, that have made me more than aware that I’m an “other” in this place. Take school dances, for example. You don’t tend to see gay, lesbian, or any other form of queer couple dancing to a slow jam in a tight embrace. Instead, it’s a sea of boy-girl couples who don’t think twice about swaying romantically to “Slow Song at a School Dance No. 5.”

There’s also that bizarre relationship with some girls when I do tell them I’m gay, a fact that, with some, makes them uncomfortable with me. It’s “don’t come on to me, teehee,” or “ohmygod does this mean you’ve been in love with me,” or “how would you know if he’s hot, you’re a lesbian.” It’s these tiny interactions that are particular to me, things that wouldn’t be said to their straight girl friends.

It may seem silly of me to complain about such small things, belittling even of those who have suffered treatment far more severe than mine. It is not my intention to belittle those experiences. What I’m trying to call attention to is the subtle things, the things that aren’t as talked, or aren’t viewed as queerphobic behavior.

All I’m asking is that we think about these things. Think about what you say, the way you act, what have you. Try to pinpoint those things that only further distance queer people in small communities, because trust me, we don’t need to be pushed out anymore.

    In Norway, fisherman have discovered a white beluga whale that may have been trained by the Russian navy. Last week, fishermen near Inga, Norway were approached by the whale, who wore a harness and a camera. The phrase “Equipment of St. Petersburg” was inscribed inside the harness, leading experts to believe that the whale had most likely been trained by the Russian Navy.

    According to Audun Rikardsen, professor of marine biology at the Arctic University of Norway, Russia has had domestic whales in captivity, some of which have recently been released. However, Russian researchers contacted by Rikardsen denied involvement. “They tell me that most likely is the Russian navy in Murmansk,” states Rikardsen.

     If allegations regarding the Russian military are true, this is not the first time that they have trained animals for military use. In the 1980s, dolphins were trained for underwater weapon detection, though the program stopped when funding was lost in the 1990s. Additionally, sea lions, walruses, seals, and dogs have been trained by Russia as suicide bombs throughout history.

     Regarding the white beluga whale, the harness and camera were removed. However, Rikardsen wonders whether or not the animal will be able to survive on its own. “This is a tame animal that is used to get food served so that is why it has made contacts with the fishermen,” he said. “The question is now whether it can survive by finding food by itself.”

Many people have seen, or know of the famous film in 1984, the Karate Kid. Where the now kid, and the underdog, Daniel Larusso, defeated the defending karate champion, and bully, Johnny Lawrence. In the next two films of the trilogy, we saw Daniel Larusso overcome more challenges, but we never saw much of his original adversary, Johnny Lawrence. Now, with the YouTube Premium original series, Cobra Kai, you can.

 

The first season of Cobra Kai was released in the spring of 2018, and now, the second season has been released. Me, being the cheapskate I am, used the free trial of YouTube Premium to watch season 1 last summer, and am now trying to find a way to watch season 2 without spending any money.

 

The series takes place in modern times, where the original Karate Kid characters are now all grown up. Daniel Larusso is living the good life, with a wife and two kids, while being rich from owning an auto dealership. However, this series is from the perspective of Johnny Lawrence, who is currently at rock bottom, having peaked when he was in his younger days, before Larusso ruined everything.

 

Johnny and Daniel’s paths cross once again, as Johnny reopens his former dojo, Cobra Kai, and Daniel tries to stop him because he remembers how it bad it was. Johnny has good intentions, trying to teach kids to fight back against bullies, but by teaching them the way he was taught, he is making them bullies, just like he once was.

 

At the end of season one, Johnny realizes this, and tries to change, only when his former sensei returns for season two. If you are a Karate Kid fan wanting to experience the nostalgia, or are just looking for a show to watch, I would recommend Cobra Kai.

 

Now, time to find a way to watch season two for free….

It is known to the active reader that although a valiant effort movies do not give the books we read justice. Often times in our American society you see people out in their merchandise, like a t-shirt, that has some sassy comment on how the book was better. However, I the case of the Walk in the Woods I would beg to differ. Granted I have only watched a short clip, however it was only this short clip that gives me valid support of my argument. I believe the movie not only captured the characters and their essence, but also portrayed Bryson’s writing in a very realistic manner. Two men, seemingly ordinary, one of a crude nature, while the other unsatisfied, take on this extraordinary adventure. This image initially captured by Bryson, then is portrayed on the screen with the same manner and detail.

I truly believe this is what a movie should be… a portrayal. No movie is going to completely capture the intensity found within a book, because sight and hearing cannot put us inside the character’s head where writing can. I think it would be unfair to hold movie makers to this writers. And while some do represent the book poorly, I believe this movie about A Walk in the Woods to be a wonderful exception.

Truly loving myself for who I am, at least in my entirety, is something I would call a struggle. I have had my days where I’ve felt like I’ve looked nice, or felt comfortable with the person I was in a single moment, but finding that constant, ever present confidence and love with who I was, who I am, is not something I have really been able to say I possess.

There have been days where’ve I’ve hated myself, feeling like I was a void, a terror, a person who didn’t contribute anything, who would not leave a mark if she were to disappear. Lately, however, these days have been fewer and more far between. I have, at least for the meantime, found a place to perch in the middle ground. I cannot say that I am overflowing with self love and resilience, but I feel grounded, like I mean something. I like most of what I am, of what I look like.

This ideal, this inner peace if you will, is essential. We need that bit of self love for survival. It is not just about pushing through one day, but truly seizing something inside and forcing yourself to see that you, and no one else, is in charge. This is not attainable with the flip of a switch, and will not cure mental ailments to the point where they disappear. I don’t think that a bit of airy-fairy “wish the pain away” makes anything better, and the whole “if you love yourself, mental illness can’t touch you” mantra is not what I’m preaching. No ma’am.

For me, harnessing that will inside of me and pushing myself to say “hey, this is it, this is what you’ve got, you better love it, dammit” is lifesaving. I think we need to become comfortable with who we are, at least. It’s a start.