katie and sara
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Camping Trip!
Maybe some of you think it's crazy to go camping when meteorologists forecast lows of 25* but we Coyotes can survive almost any kind of weather ... especially when we have two sleeping bags :P
here are a few pictures from our camping trip in Yankton, SD at Lewis and Clark Park 4/23-4/24.
here are a few pictures from our camping trip in Yankton, SD at Lewis and Clark Park 4/23-4/24.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Tradition
[Volante Article - Issue 4/27/05]
Opening weekend of pheasant or deer hunting season is practically sacred in our country. Teenage boys and grown men, both of whom often insist on sleeping until noon on Saturdays, arise at the crack of dawn to walk around the woods in a 20-degree drizzle. It is an important tradition. And who can forget the activities around the house at Christmas? Activities like cutting down your very own tree, baking cookies with your mom and all the rest of that mushy family stuff is pretty fun and in the spirit of things.
Our society puts a high value on tradition. We all like to participate in activities that are fun and important to us. Even in Verm-town, USA, we have our own little traditions that everyone gets excited about. Ask a USD student what the best week of the year is, and many will say Dakota Days (not counting spring break, of course). With random weekly activities and the football game, D-Days puts excitement in the air.
Yet, it seems that even this campus activity has lost some of its importance. Though I've only witnessed one D-Days week, which was not my favorite week of the year, I bet it used to be different. Have we forgotten what's behind this week of Coyote pride? I think some of us have. The D-Days committee put in a lot of work months in advance. I think we need to appreciate this work and ask ourselves: Is this week about partying or school spirit?
As I sit and watch the local news, I am reminded of yet another tradition that has turned sour. University officials plan to meet with Strollers' leaders to determine the show's fate. I can see why many students involved are upset. Strollers is an 82-year-old tradition. But what's the point? Another popular activity on campus seems to have lost some of its meaning.
Tradition becomes so important that we often forget what's behind it. I think this could be due to the fact that we like the feeling of comfort it gives us. Tradition gives us security because we know what to expect. How often have people gone to church against their personal wishes because they knew it was "right?" Is this another activity that we are just participating in because of the sense of security involved? Do we attend church because we feel guilty, or because we really, truly want to?
The Strollers competition could be gone, but we shouldn't complain. We should be thankful we still have D-Days. We have to be careful to keep in mind the importance of the activity we are involved in. If we don't, it becomes as routine as any of our normal daily activities. When this happens, we lose more than just another campus activity.
Opening weekend of pheasant or deer hunting season is practically sacred in our country. Teenage boys and grown men, both of whom often insist on sleeping until noon on Saturdays, arise at the crack of dawn to walk around the woods in a 20-degree drizzle. It is an important tradition. And who can forget the activities around the house at Christmas? Activities like cutting down your very own tree, baking cookies with your mom and all the rest of that mushy family stuff is pretty fun and in the spirit of things.
Our society puts a high value on tradition. We all like to participate in activities that are fun and important to us. Even in Verm-town, USA, we have our own little traditions that everyone gets excited about. Ask a USD student what the best week of the year is, and many will say Dakota Days (not counting spring break, of course). With random weekly activities and the football game, D-Days puts excitement in the air.
Yet, it seems that even this campus activity has lost some of its importance. Though I've only witnessed one D-Days week, which was not my favorite week of the year, I bet it used to be different. Have we forgotten what's behind this week of Coyote pride? I think some of us have. The D-Days committee put in a lot of work months in advance. I think we need to appreciate this work and ask ourselves: Is this week about partying or school spirit?
As I sit and watch the local news, I am reminded of yet another tradition that has turned sour. University officials plan to meet with Strollers' leaders to determine the show's fate. I can see why many students involved are upset. Strollers is an 82-year-old tradition. But what's the point? Another popular activity on campus seems to have lost some of its meaning.
Tradition becomes so important that we often forget what's behind it. I think this could be due to the fact that we like the feeling of comfort it gives us. Tradition gives us security because we know what to expect. How often have people gone to church against their personal wishes because they knew it was "right?" Is this another activity that we are just participating in because of the sense of security involved? Do we attend church because we feel guilty, or because we really, truly want to?
The Strollers competition could be gone, but we shouldn't complain. We should be thankful we still have D-Days. We have to be careful to keep in mind the importance of the activity we are involved in. If we don't, it becomes as routine as any of our normal daily activities. When this happens, we lose more than just another campus activity.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Nature v Nurture
[Volante Article - Issue 4/20/05]
Life is unfair. Are you barely 5 feet 5 inches tall while the rest of your family towers over 6 feet, including your little brother? Do you struggle with scientific terms as your best friend aces every test without cracking their textbook? Some of us were raised in rich families with a pool in the backyard and a beach house in Florida. Others grew up dirt poor, looking forward to a Christmas consisting of a few threadbare socks hanging above a small space heater and a 4 foot tall tree rotting away in a corner.
It's obvious that people are born and raised with families, experiences and traits that are unique to that individual. Some of us are coordinated, athletic and muscular, while others are tall, skinny and accident-prone. Some of us struggle with classes, while others are too smart for their own good. This leads to an interesting question relating to success and skill: Is it what you have, or what you do with what you have?
What you have is obviously important. You can't be a basketball star if you don't have the skills to become one. But, are these talents of agility, speed and coordination hereditary, or learned from early experiences? One factor is the likeliness of a child to be involved in the same activities as his or her sibling(s). While the youngest child will want to define their own status, the chances are that he or she could be a basketball star. We all know families who produce athletically phenomenal children. Most of the credit for this is due to the experiences the children have and their family environment.
Natural talent is essential; it does depend in part on heredity. But how necessary is talent? Take the example of a sense of humor. This is one trait that is more learned than inherited. A son may have a similar sense of humor as his father, which could be due to many things. The son may look up to his father, see him as his hero and want to act like him. The way the son perceived his father when he was younger is very important, and the son commonly ends up copying his father's behavior as he grows up.
I do believe that a gene increases the chances of how you will behave, but the qualities you inherit will not "make" you do one thing over another. The importance lies with what you do with those skills. If you don't practice, these skills can't develop and natural talent ends up being wasted.
I am making the significance of nurturing your skills very evident. In truth, what you have and what you do with what you have is important. But, the latter tips the scale. What you are experiencing today, right now, will affect what you are going to do after you read this article. Whether you roll your eyes, sit and ponder my crazy thoughts or scratch your head in confusion depends on what you've done in the past after you've read an off the wall opinion article. Either way, the experiences you have in early life directly affect the rest of your life, whether you like it or not.
Life is unfair. Are you barely 5 feet 5 inches tall while the rest of your family towers over 6 feet, including your little brother? Do you struggle with scientific terms as your best friend aces every test without cracking their textbook? Some of us were raised in rich families with a pool in the backyard and a beach house in Florida. Others grew up dirt poor, looking forward to a Christmas consisting of a few threadbare socks hanging above a small space heater and a 4 foot tall tree rotting away in a corner.
It's obvious that people are born and raised with families, experiences and traits that are unique to that individual. Some of us are coordinated, athletic and muscular, while others are tall, skinny and accident-prone. Some of us struggle with classes, while others are too smart for their own good. This leads to an interesting question relating to success and skill: Is it what you have, or what you do with what you have?
What you have is obviously important. You can't be a basketball star if you don't have the skills to become one. But, are these talents of agility, speed and coordination hereditary, or learned from early experiences? One factor is the likeliness of a child to be involved in the same activities as his or her sibling(s). While the youngest child will want to define their own status, the chances are that he or she could be a basketball star. We all know families who produce athletically phenomenal children. Most of the credit for this is due to the experiences the children have and their family environment.
Natural talent is essential; it does depend in part on heredity. But how necessary is talent? Take the example of a sense of humor. This is one trait that is more learned than inherited. A son may have a similar sense of humor as his father, which could be due to many things. The son may look up to his father, see him as his hero and want to act like him. The way the son perceived his father when he was younger is very important, and the son commonly ends up copying his father's behavior as he grows up.
I do believe that a gene increases the chances of how you will behave, but the qualities you inherit will not "make" you do one thing over another. The importance lies with what you do with those skills. If you don't practice, these skills can't develop and natural talent ends up being wasted.
I am making the significance of nurturing your skills very evident. In truth, what you have and what you do with what you have is important. But, the latter tips the scale. What you are experiencing today, right now, will affect what you are going to do after you read this article. Whether you roll your eyes, sit and ponder my crazy thoughts or scratch your head in confusion depends on what you've done in the past after you've read an off the wall opinion article. Either way, the experiences you have in early life directly affect the rest of your life, whether you like it or not.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Minnesotans
Hi. I'm from Minnesota, and I can't talk right well. Pronouncing certain words is difficult. About, while, sorry- the list goes on. I think the sentence: "Soarie, I was ouwt and abouwt fer a wall." [aka: "Sorry, I was out and about fer a while."] would cause my friends who are not from MN to roll around on the ground for a long time. Some of them might even die of excessive laughter. Other bad sentences:
"Can you git me some melk?"
"I tripped on a rutt on my way to the crik."
"What's yer ruff doin' on fire?"
"Where's my pellow?"
Still, I am proud to be a Minnesooootan...
even if i get made fun of fer the rest of my life.*
"Can you git me some melk?"
"I tripped on a rutt on my way to the crik."
"What's yer ruff doin' on fire?"
"Where's my pellow?"
Still, I am proud to be a Minnesooootan...
even if i get made fun of fer the rest of my life.*