A Beginners Guide to Horse Showing by Josie Embleton

     As a horse show exhibitor with parents that have no idea what they're doing around horses, I decided it might be helpful for anyone else like me to have a guide to horse showing for their family and friends who might not be used to the atmosphere. The first thing a horse show parent should know is appropriate behavior at the show. The basic rule is not to do anything that may spook the horses. For example, my dad once thought it would be a great idea to bring a beach umbrella to the horse shows in the summer. This is actually one of the spookiest items for a horse. Luckily, I made sure he knew that was a very bad idea before he showed up with an enormous, green, flapping umbrella. Some other spooky items/activities are crinkling soda cans and water bottles, plastic bags, and pretty much any other thing that moves and makes sounds. (You always have to keep in mind that horses are prey animals and are incredibly spooky.)
       The next important thing your parents need to learn is the horse lingo. This is an important part of horse showing because if you are like my dad and think "Under Saddle" means the class is beginning, you might end up rushing down to the ring thinking the class is starting without you, only to realize that it actually begins in two hours. The term "Under Saddle" really is a type of class, a flat class specifically. It has nothing to do with when the class is beginning. Another important term to know is when a rider/trainer says, "That was a great trip!" It is important to know that they do not mean a trip as in the horse tripping, they mean a trip around the jumps. My mom once made that mistake and was quite worried until we explained to her that my horse did not trip. Other terms that may be helpful to know are:

• A "green" horse- This means the horse is young or inexperienced, not that the horse is the color green.
• Lead Change- This means that when the horse is in the canter or gallop, the horse switched his leading leg.
• Schooling- when someone is "warming up" or practicing. You can think of it as teaching the horse how to ride the jumps.

There is much more to know, but this guide should be a good, quick introduction to the appropriate behavior at a horse show.

 

Quote Review by Natalie Earl

Quote: "Overthinking the process will kill any career in the creative space. You just have to do, not think." -Casey Neistat

I was simply scrolling on social media and saw this quote, this caught my eye because I am someone who overthinks a ton. Thinking about something is care free and it is harmless but once you go into detail about every possible outcome it becomes intense and harmful to your mind. In school for most students it is impossible to not overthink about your career and how your grades will affect you in the future. School is one factor of life that is most stressful and to overthink about work makes it ten times worse because now you know what can go wrong. So many factors of life give a negative feature but I have learned that I cannot let this affect me. Homework, tests, and quizzes give a lot of students stress and that causes them to become worried about their life. Overthinking is almost like quick sand, you are fine one moment but in a second you become trapped in your own thoughts and cannot escape them. Do not let overthinking kill your creative space and just do what you think is right because this is your life and I believe that you should just live life and not worry about the minor details.

The Psychology of Literature by Stephanie Downes

Picture an evil monster. It lives in the forest, and scavenges for human blood. What does the monster look like? Is it furry or scaly? Does it walk on two legs or four?  If you ask anyone else, their depiction of this monster will most likely be different from yours. Recently after reading Beowulf, our class looked up pictures of the evil swamp monster, Grendel. We were all very surprised when we saw that there is a countless amount of different depictions of the creature. The question is why? Why do we all read the same words, yet see images that are so versatile? Why do we associate colors with traits, or traits with appearance in literature?

In early literature such as the Bible, the word “white” is used to describe purity and goodness, and the word “black” as evil and satanic. This explains why from the earliest times until present day, we associate these colors with these traits. Early literature set many precedents for modern depictions of characters and scenery. For example, I'm sure you've heard the quote in which, “God said, ‘let there be light,’ and there was light.” The Bible uses light to portray God, creation, and purity. In addition to this, in the story of Adam and Eve, the Devil is portrayed as a dark and mysterious snake. As you can tell, early literature set the basis for literature in the future to follow.

When we picture a monster, most of the images in our head will be dark and gloomy. However, what creates the slight differences? What in our minds controls whether we portray something “evil” as large or small, man or woman?  It can all be traced back to our past experiences. Literature that we have previously read, or media that we have watched in the past heavily impacts our perception of characters in books. For example, if a book mentions an evil sorcerer, some people may immediately picture the character as similar to Voldemort. However, if a reader is not familiar with the Harry Potter series, their view would be completely different. Overall, all of our minds work differently, and the way that our brains perceive and imagine literature makes for a unique and exciting adventure for everyone!

A Poem by Ryan Dailey

Mush, wrinkles and slime

How can something so simple be so complex at the same time.

Every thought

Every memory

Every decision

Every action

Made with something so close to nothing

But yet, it is everything

All in this ball of mush we call a brain.

Book review by: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Book review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Rate: 9/10
By Sophie Venus

This is good book if you like action and adventure. It takes place in today's time where a disease infects all children. Those who survive get special abilities and according to how dangerous their abilities are they are sorted into colors. When Ruby survives she is one of the most dangerous ones, an orange. This book tells her journey as she tries to survive the harsh world that has set out to make sure no one like her survives. I give this book a 9/10 because it is a very good read but I think if the author had told it from other characters perspectives along with Ruby it would make it even better. Overall I think this book is really interesting and I couldn't stop reading it.

The Hero's Journey in the Lion King - William Theilacker

The Lion King is a classic Disney film, however the concept of a hero's journey that Joseph Campbell first introduced can be seen in this children's story. In The Lion King the main character, Simba, is the heir to the throne at Pride Rock. Everything in his life is perfect but Simba wants an adventure. He is tempted to venture into the only place he is told he can't go, the elephant graveyards. His uncle, Scar, hints that he should go there, and this is where Simba's call to adventure is. Simba never really refuses the call to adventure and is accompanied by his friend Nala. They cross the first threshold when they enter the elephant graveyard, as they are venturing into the unknown. Simba is reprimanded by his father after almost being killed by hyenas in the graveyard. However his final separation from his known world is when his father, Mufasa, is killed by his uncle Scar. This is Simba's belly of the whale moment because he leaves his home, Pride Rock, after his father's death because he thinks it's his fault that Mufasa died. Simba's road of trials start right after Mufasa dies as he is chased out of Pride Rock by hyenas and could have died, then he is found near dead in the desert, and finally overcoming the struggle he has in thinking he killed his father. Meeting with the goddess is when Nala comes and finds Simba in the forest he's been living in ever since he left and they fall in love. Simba's atonement with the father moment is when he goes back to Pride Rock and confronts Scar who took over after Mufasa's death. This is the atonement with the father moment because Scar is the one who holds the ultimate power. The ultimate boon is when Simba overthrows Scar and take backs the throne. Simba refused to return to Pride Rock until Rafiki shows him that he must return. Simba crosses the return threshold when he is shown in the end with his son. He is the master of two worlds because he has managed to balance both the lives he led. Happily Ever After.

Heroes: Navy SEALs and Beowulf

After reading Mark Owen's memoir of his experiences as an elite operator on SEAL team six and the Beowulf Epic, one thing stood out to me. Heroes come in all forms and have stayed with us in one form or another throughout history. On May 2, 2011 Navy SEALs flew into Abbotabad, Pakistan where they raided terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden's lair. The operators assaulted the compound and used explosive charges to blow open the doors. They split into teams and gained entry into each building in the compound. After a brief gunfight, the SEALs overwhelmed the terrorists and killed two high level Al Qaeda operatives, Bin Laden's son, and Bin Laden himself. The men then thoroughly searched the house and gathered an extensive amount of intelligence about the terrorist group and exited. The whole operation took about 30 minutes. In the epic, Beowulf enters the mead hall to slay Grendel, then enters Grendel's mother's lair to kill her, then climbs the mountain in his kingdom to slay the dragon. Beowulf kills three monsters that are all killing innocent people. He does so with great bravery and valor. Despite differences in technology and tactics, the team of SEALs that killed Bin Laden and the great warrior that was Beowulf are very similar.

Both Navy SEALs and Beowulf share one common aspect. They take the fight to the enemy. Beowulf crossed the oceans and entered the mead hall. The SEALs rode helicopters across a hostile country's border into a terrorist compound. Beowulf dove into the sea down to Grendel's mother's lair to fight. The SEALs slid down ropes into a dark, unknown area. Beowulf climbed the mountain the defeat the dragon. The SEALs climbed a single staircase up to the third floor of Bin Laden's compound where armed radical Islamic terrorists were waiting. Beowulf didn't know what Grendel's tactics were, or what weapons his mother had in her lair. The operatives in Pakistan didn't know if there was going to be booby traps, suicide bombers, human shields, or other terrorist tools in play. Both Beowulf and the SEALs accomplished their missions by defeating the masterminds of the enemy. This brought prosperity to their homelands and made the world a safer place.

However, both warriors did so at great personal sacrifice. Navy SEAL Robert O'Neil, who actually fired the shots that killed Bin Laden, speaks around the country about his experiences. He says the hardest part of the job is saying goodbye to his daughter suddenly, and not knowing if it is the last time he will see her again. Beowulf didn't know if he would say any of his kinsmen again when he sailed to support Hrothgar against Grendel. The SEALs didn't know if they would see their wives and girlfriends, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters again when they deployed to go after Bin Laden. This is the life of warriors: leaving safety and security to take the fight to the enemy, to accomplish the mission. Because every monster, every terrorist eliminated makes the world a little bit safer. This is what sets true heroes apart. The fact that they leave safety to go into the unknown. For example, other examples of heroes are the firefighters than continued to climb the world trade center even as it was crumbling down around them. Another example is the person who walks away from their friends to sit with a lonely person. Another example is the cancer patient who enters the chemo treatment room every day not knowing what will happen or how their body will react. These people are all heroes. The world is filled with these heroes, and they serve as role models and examples for all others.

Whether fighting with swords and axes or night vision and advanced assault rifles, whether riding viking ships or stealth helicopters, whether climbing a dark mountain with a fire breathing dragon or climbing a dark staircase with an armed insurgent around the next turn, Beowulf and Navy SEALs show extreme bravery and selflessness in their actions. It is these actions that keep us safe, this bravery and this selflessness, that lets the free world be free. George Orwell says it best, "People sleep peaceably in their beds because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf". So as you are reading this blog post, some young man somewhere is climbing that mountain to slay the dragon in the foreign land to defend his kingdom. Some rough man is peering down the sights of his rifle on that staircase ready to do violence to keep us all safe. Some brave man, some selfless man,ventures into the unknown to slay the dragons and monsters to make the world a better, safer place.

Thank you for reading.
Billy Stoddard