Deteriorating Values in America
Puritan values have been deteriorating in American society today. Our society does not have the same quality of simplicity and temperance. The value of industriousness and religion today is less then what it was to the Puritans. These values governed the lives of the Puritans and were the building blocks of our country. How much have they deteriorated?
People in American society are incredibly technology savvy. They live in an age of computers, electronic mail, chain stores like Wal-Mart, colorful clothes from the runway – they live in a materialistic world. Americans try to find happiness through money and a television screen. Some try to find happiness through a pair of earphones or an intricate blouse. The Puritans did not use materialistic items to gain happiness. They believed that keeping their lives simple helped them achieve true happiness. The Puritans dressed in simple styles and made simple music. These people also wrote in a simple manner by discarding all excess words and descriptions. Their simple world is a stark contrast to the complicated, high-tech world of America.
Puritans also believed happiness was gained through industriousness. Americans today pride themselves in being industrious. They built this country from the ground up with the sweat on
their brows. However, the younger generation has not been taught the value of hard-work. The older generation is always telling the younger generation examples of how hard they labored when they were young. They complain that the younger generation does not know the true meaning of hard labor. Do they have a point? Technology had changed the American-life drastically. Physical labor is not needed as much because machinery can perform that hard labor. Americans only have to sit back and supervise the equipment. The significance of hard-work has not been transferred to the younger generation of America effectively.
America’s temperance has also started to diminish. There are more murders, rapes, and theft due to people who do not have enough self-control over their emotions and feelings. Not many people train themselves to gain as much education as they can by studying their hardest, or to discipline themselves to balance their schedules. Puritans disciplined themselves and their minds to do these things. They disciplined their minds to study the bible and follow its teaching as close as they could. They tried to control all of their actions and thoughts so they would not do or say anything to hurt others or themselves. They would control their language and not curse or talk in an inappropriate manner. Present-day America is slowly losing its discipline. Children at the age of four are cursing because that is what they hear around them. Some teenagers are throwing tantrums in public and not controlling themselves. They are losing the value of self-control.
The importance of religion has deteriorated the most. Puritans dedicated their entire lives to religion. They would attempt to memorize the entire Bible word for word; they could quote a verse from the Bible and compare it to what is happening in their lives whenever they wanted to. When something wonderful happened in their lives they thanked God: If something terrible happened, they believed God must be furious with them for sinning. In modern-America, this dedication to religion is rare. Not many people can quote the entire Bible, much less a verse that would fit a situation in their lives. If something terrible happens, people do not blame it on their sins; they blame it on accidents or misfortune. In addition, there are more atheists and agnostics in today’s world. They either do not believe in God, or they are not sure if God exists. All Puritans believed in God. There was no doubt in their minds that He existed. The importance of religion has also deteriorated.
The values of the Puritans are not as present in America today as it was in the past. Life-styles are not as simple, and the population’s self-discipline is not as strong. The value of industriousness is not being transferred efficiently to the youth of America, and religion is not as important as it was to the Puritans. These values have been deteriorating in modern America.

Katherine Leckie                                                                                                            Leckie 1

Mrs. Amdahl

Intro to Composition

11 May, 2007

Comparing Clique Behavior in Different Schools

            I have recently moved from Nooksack Valley High School to Albany Area High School, and the stark contrasts between the cliques in these two schools are easily seen. One school has stereotypical cliques, the kind you see in movies. This school’s cliques divide itself as much as it possibly can, and will fight over possession of the new student. The other school does not have stereotypical cliques. They do not divide themselves as much, and they will keep their distance from the new student in school.

 

Movie-Like Cliques

            My old school, Nooksack Valley High School, has stereotypical, movie-like cliques. A movie set in a high school always have the same cliques; the popular crowd who think they are the elite of the school, the nerds who are extremely smart and awkward that everyone makes fun of, the “gothic” or “emotional” people who wear heavy black eyeliner and black clothes. That is what is seen in Nooksack, plus it goes farther. There are the “regular” people, the Hispanics, the Drama Dorks, the Band Geeks, the Choir Nerds, the athletic, the list never ends. Within all of these groups are also subgroups. The popular are split between the athletic, the actors, and the beautiful. The “regular” people are split by clubs, activities, or common interests. The nerds are divided by the smart, the annoying, the ones with people skills, the ones who plays chess, and so on.

            My new school, Albany Area High School, does not have stereotypical, movie-like cliques. There is of course the popular crowd, the nerds, the other groups. Yet, the popular is not necessarily the elite of the school. They are not popular because they are athletic, beautiful, or have connections to important people. They are popular because they are extremely nice, open, and everyone loves them. The nerds are not always made fun of and hated. Some nerds are extremely confident instead of awkward, and some of them are popular and good-looking. This school has many different groups, but they are not the stereotypical cliques seen in movies.

Divisiveness

            Nooksack’s cliques are divisive. The cliques would never mingle with each other or associate with anybody else by free will. They do not even talk to each other unless they absolutely have to in class. This division is most easily seen in the cafeteria. On the right side sit the popular people, divided in their little groups by small, circular tables. In the middle sit the average population, also divided into groups by circular tables. On the left side are all of the leftover cliques, also divided into their groups in the same manner as the rest of the student body.

            Albany’s cliques are not as divisive. Its cliques do not separate themselves as much as the cliques in Nooksack. The people in these separate groups still mingle with each other. It is not a chore to associate with each other;  it is socially okay. In the cafeteria there is no specific side the popular or the other cliques have to sit in. Everyone still sits in their own little groups, but the groups themselves are mixed up. A perfect example would be the long, rectangle table I sit at with my friends. We sit in the middle of the table. On one side of the table is another group that we occasionally talk to. On the other side at the very end sit two boys. Our group consists of all girls, and we don’t know these boys very well. However, we still include them in our conversations and they include us in theirs. All of us are very friendly and civil to each other.

Behavior Towards New Faces

            Nooksack loves new faces. They willingly spread their arms wide for them if the new face is not awkward or unconfident. In fact, Nooksack loves new faces so much that all of the different cliques fight over who gets the new student. It is a competition to see who the new student decides to join. The different cliques will do their best to pull the new student to different activities like they are reeling in a fish.

            Albany is not as open to new faces. Of course they are nice to the new student, but they like to keep their distance. The new student wanders around the social world attempting to fit into a group for a long time. Eventually this person will find a group or a group will find the person. The group will gladly accept the new face and begin to build strong bonds of friendship almost right away.

 

            However vastly different these two schools are to each other they still have their similarities. Within all of these cliques lie strong ties of friendship and loyalty. The groups will always include everyone in their activity, and will do their best to make the transition for the new student easy and comfortable. The new student will be pulled and accepted into a group eventually. Once the new student is in, everyone will feel that person had been there all along.

Katherine Leckie
Mrs. Holmvig
Biology
May 4, 2007

Article Reaction

Honestly, I can't believe that people argue if a personality only depends on genetics or only depends on the environment. I agree with the article; both factors determine a personality. Some people are just born shy or outgoing, but in the right environment that can be changed.

I thought it was extremely interesting how scientists have identified genes that help to predict emotional behavior. One example I particularly liked was how Kagan could determine that a fetus is shy if it's heart beat was faster than that of other babies. Another example I liked was that scientists believed that people with a longer variety of a dopamine - 4 receptor gene will be thrill seekers because they are less sensitive to pain and physical sensation.

I thought this was a very interesting article. It had good support for both arguments, and was able to make this subject sound interesting. It used lots of examples, and was very informative. It was a long article, but I still enjoyed reading it.

Katherine Leckie   Leckie1
Intro to Composition
4 May, 2007
Mrs. Amdahl
 
The Emotional Drama In Drama

Musicals are emotional roller-coasters. Emotions can progress from excited, bored, stressed, to a combination of any feelings. Most people will go through certain stages during the production, creating more drama backstage then there is on stage.

The experienced students will start out with mixed emotions. The love the drama department, and they can't wait to start! Their schedules are busy again and they can be back with their friends. Everybody is excited to become familiar with the music and the story of the musical. The cast will be singing the songs throughout the halls, giving their fellow school members a small preview of the musical. They remember how much fun their last production was, and they are hopeful about this next one. At the same time, most of the actors and actresses will be disapointed with the casting. In their minds they had their own image of the musical; they had an idea of who deserved and fitted which part. They themselves wanted a certain part that they felt was perfect for them. So it was for Fred, a junior. He wanted the role of Conrad Birdie. Acting as Conrad would be acting like himself! He already had an amazing voice and the same attitude as Conrad. Then a sophomore got the part. What happened to seniority? Was the director blind to his talent? Did he even have talent? He was just beaten by a sophomore! How dare a sophomore steal his part! He cannot handle that part, there is no way! Eventually Fred realized that the sophomore deserved the part. Fred actually liked the part he got better. It fit his personality, and it was a bigger leading role. This kind of scene is typical with most of the cast. They are upset about somebody else getting their part, but in the end they realize that it was for the best of the show.

Once everybody gets on stage and starts to block the cast will become extremely bored and impatient. The schedule will be extremely irregular. The director only needs certain people on a certain day, therefore most people only have drama practice 2-3 times a week on different days of the week. When the students are needed at drama practice their time on stage is extremely limited. The director needs to put everyone in a certain spot on stage. The scene needs to be organized and walked through slowly. Blocking every scene is a long, tedious, but necessary process. Most of the cast will be waiting for long periods of time to even get on stage. It's frustrating for the cast. They wait a long time -- wasted time in their opinion -- to get on stage, and when they're on stage they wait some more, or they can finally act but will be interrupted constantly.

Once most of the scenes are somewhat blocked everyone is happier. The scenes can finally be run through semi-smoothly, the actors can actually start acting on stage, and be coached in their acting. Now is their time to improve their skills,  and they are able to learn more about their character and the plot of the musical. Everyone can relax and start to joke around. They can create random, funny stories about things that happen at practice, or they can share past experiences and stories like "Remember the time the tent collapsed during an important music number?" or "Remember the time there was a blackout right before the musical started so we had to delay it until six?" Everybody also has fun learning some choreography. They get to dance and sing and move around. They are no longer stuck sitting in a theater in a chair staring at a scene waiting for it to be blocked. Everyone feels that the show is finally coming together.

The week before opening night is the worst time for everyone. Practices are run long and hard, and nobody has had a decent night's sleep. Everybody can feel the pressure of opening night and they start to panic. They start  to either pick on each other's acting, become frusterated with the people who keep forgetting their lines, and stress about how almost everybody forgot the choreography and they have to be taught all over again. The set isn't done, the pit keeps messing up the music, and the tech people keep getting in the way or they are too slow. Everything is run like the real show and the younger kids don't realize that they have to keep quiet backstage or that they can't run through the house to get on stage. Everyone wonders why they put themselves through this torture. They ask themselves, "Is it really worth it?" They all want a couple more weeks to prepare, otherwise the show will be a complete fiasco.

The performing nights are the best days out of the entire drama season. The actors can go on stage and act their hearts out, while having fun at the same time! The younger kids finally realize that they have to be quiet backstage, and everything backstage runs smoothly, including the tech and set changes. Everybody miraculously remember their lines and choreography, and if they forget they have fun improvising! Every night there is a cast party, which is tradition, and extremely entertaining for the cast. Everybody finally feels the thrill of performing on stage, and can feel the sense of accomplishing a terrific show.

Sadly, the musical has to end. It is a bittersweet feeling. The cast can finally sleep and rest. They can go back to work and not have a hectic, busy schedule. Unfortunately they have nothing else to do. There are no more productions to look forward to for a while. For the seniors, it was their last show. The prospect of graduating and moving away from their friends becomes more real. Everybody feels the pain of not being on stage acting anymore. But, gradually, they hear rumors of the next drama production. It won't be too long before they become excited again, and then auditions roll around. The actors know that it won't be too long before they are back home, back to acting on a stage.

First, take out all of the blocks from the bag and find a grey block with sixteen bumps and put it in a clear space to work on.

Second, find a grey block with eight bumps on it and place it on the right four bumps of the first block so that four bumps from the block will be hanging on the outside.

Third, find another grey block with eight bumps on it and place it on the left four bumps so that four bumps from the block that was just put on is hanging in the same manner as the block on the right.

Fourth, find the last grey block with eight bumps on it and place it on the right four bumps of the other grey block so that four bumps will be hanging on the outside. 

Next, take a grey block with six bumps on it and place it on the first three bumps on the left of the left block with eight bumps on it.

After that, take the grey block with two bumps on it and place it on the third bump nearest the center on the right grey block so that one bump is hanging in the center.

Next, take the dark brown block and place it directly on top of the third row of bumps on the left grey block so that nothing is hanging.

Afterwards, take the yellow block and place it on the left bump of the grey block so that the left bump on the yellow block hangs on towards the center.

After that, take the light brown block and place it on the right bump of the dark brown block so that the right bump on the light brown block hangs toward the center.

Finally, take the oblong-shaped granite block and place it on the left bump of the yellow block and the right bump on the right brown block so that the two bumps on the grey block are on the right and the block is hanging in the back.

Katherine Leckie      Leckie 1
Mrs. Amdahl
Intro to Composition
23 April, 2007

My Black Cat

The sleek black cat sneaked towards the door. Dark as night he crouched into a nearby black space. He moved his tail back and forth, the rest of him tense and still. A white shoe pushed the door open. The cat pounced on the shoe, looked up, and scampered away. Quick as light he halted in the hall and watched th stranded foot with wide eyes. Another identical white shoe slid in. The cat flew back; paws stretched out, ready to play with the swinging laces on the shoe. He swung one up to his mouth to gnaw on it, attempting to squeeze out nonexistent juice from it. The shoelace snapped out of his mouth, and started to spin around. The cat immediately tried to recapture it, digging his nails into the flying string. He flips onto his back, hoping that his paws could catch the string better that way. His belly is covered with dark, gray, silky fur. Small hands with crimson nails reach out to rub his belly, causing him to relax his muscles.

That night he looks up at me with yellow eyes as big and round as the moon. His ears perk up. He heard a long stream of clickity-clack while my mom poured some dog food into a bowl. My cat starts to flip his tail, and continues to look at me expectantly, licking his lips. I sigh and drag my feet to his food bowl. My small hand with the crimson nails reach towards the bag of cat food next to the bowl to shake out the brown pebbles into the dark blue bowl. My cat purrs deep in his chest, and slowly makes his way to the bowl. His head bobs with every mouthful, and he snaps the pebbles in his mouth. A few minutes later, his stomach satisfied, he stretches his way towards me. Butting his head against my shin he begs to be cuddled. He winds himself around my ankle to prevent me from moving away so that I would have no choice but to pick him up. I sigh and lift him. He relaxes his body and slinks out so that he is longer then my arm. I hold him in the crink of my arm and smile. It was moments like these which makes caring for my cat worthwhile.

TWO SPECIFIC PROCESSES THAT TAKE PLACE IN THE HUMAN BODY

Active Transport:
Active Transport is the movement of materials from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration. Small molecules or ions are carried by transport proteins or "pumps" found in the membrane against the current. Larger amounts of molecules are carried by the processes endocytosis and exocytosis. The shape of the cell membrane could change. An example is during the digestion of the food in the small intestine. The food is absorbed by the villi until the concentration inside the villi increases and it is impossible for more food to be absorbed inside the villi. Simple sugars, amino acids, minerals and vitamins have to be actively absorbed into the villi. Another example is with amino acids. The amino acids have to be actively transported out the kidney tubules ( a place with low concentration of amino acids) to the blood (a place with high concentration of amino acids).
Osmosis:
Osmosis is the movement of water through the cell membrane until an equilibrium is reached in the concentration of the solution in and outside of the cell. Water can move across the selective membrane, but other materials cannot. The water will continue to move randomly until the concentration of the water and other molecules reaches and equilibrium. One example is in blood cells. Water from the solution around the blood cells move randomly in and out of the blood cells until an equilibrium is reached. Another example is the absorption of water in the small intestine. Water will move in and out of the small intestine's cells until an equilibrium is reached.
Diffusion:
Diffusion is the movement of materials from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. One example is in the lungs. Oxygen is moved from alveolar air space (an area of low concentration of oxygen) to blood circulating around the lungs (an area of high concentration of oxygen). Another example is digested food products. The digested food moves from an organ cavity (an area of low concentration of the digested food) to bloodin the capillary of villus (an area of high concentration of the digested food).

ONE DAY FOOD LOG

Breakfast: One bread roll
Lunch: Ham and cheese sandwich
Dinner: Twelve pieces of gyoza (pot-stickers -- meat and vegetables wrapped in sticky-rice paper), two cups of milk
Other: One bottle of water, 5 chips, Claritin

Graph
Food Pyramid: Fats, Oils, and Sweets -- Use sparingly    Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Groups -- 2-3 Servings    Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group -- 2-3 Servings    Vegetable Group -- 3-5 Servings     Fruit Group -- 2-4 Servings     Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group -- 5-11 Servings
Actual:Fats, Oils, and Sweets --  1 Serving   Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Groups -- 3 Servings    Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group -- 4 Servings      Vegetable Group --  2 Servings    Fruit Group --   None   Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group -- 9 Servings



I discovered that I need to add more fruit and vegetables in my diet. I also need to cut down on meat and grains, and possibly fats and oils.

FIVE DIFFERENT CELL TYPES


Red Blood Cells:
Red blood cells main function is to transport oxygen throughout the body and then release it. They are located in the blood.







Pancreatic Cells:
Pancreatic cells main funtion is to produce and export proteins, and to produce enzymes that digest food. They are located in the pancrease.







Muscle Cells:
Muscle cells main function is generate force to enable the body to move. They are located in all muscles.







Brain Cells:
Brain cells main function is to process and store information, and to give function, support, and nutrients to neurons. They are located in the brain.







Nerve Cells:
Nerve cells main function is to communicate information with electric or chemical signals. They are located in all nerves.

Organelles Structures within a cell that perform cell functions are called . . .

Cellwall A strong layer around the cell membrane is called the . . .
Organsystem The highest level of organization in a multicellular organism

Two The cell membrane has how many layers?

Nucleus Structure that contains the cell's DNA

Plant Chloroplasts are only in _____ cells

Preexisting New cells are produced from what kind of cells?

Diffusion The process of where molecules tend to move from a high concentrated area to a lower concentrated area

Cytoplasm The region between the membrane and the nucleus

Nucleolus The small dense region inside the nucleus
Prokaryote Organism whose cell does not contain a nucleus
Osmosis The diffusion of water through a cell is called . . .
Eukaryote Organism who's cell contains a nucleus is called a . . .
Livingthings All _____ are composed of cells

Cells

Across
5. Structures within a cell that perform cell functions is called . . .
6. A strong layer around the cell membrane is called the . . .
7. The highest level of organization in a multicellular organism
8. The cell membrane has how many layers?
11. Structure that contains the cell's DNA
13. Chloroplasts are only in _____ cells
14. New cells are produced from what kind of cells?
Down
1. The process of where molecules tend to move from a high concentrated area to a lower concentrated area
2. The region between the membrane and the nucleus
3. The small dense region inside the nucleus
4. Organism whose cell does not contain a nucleus
9. The diffusion of water through a cell is called . . .
10. Organism who's cell contains a nucleus is called a . . .
12. All _____ are composed of cells

MATCHING
1 point each

A.  Organ System
B.  Cell
C.  Nucleolus
D.  Cytoplasm
E.  Preexisting
F.  Cell Wall
G.  Plant
H.  Living Things
I.   Two
J.   Eukaryote
K.  Diffusion
L.   Nucleus
M.  Osmosis
O.  Prokaryote
P.  Organelles


______  Organism whose cell contains a nucleus
______  Chloroplasts are only in what cells?
______  A strong layer around the cell membrane
______  Structures within a cell that performs cell functions
______  The basic unit of life is a . . .
______  The highest level of organization in a multicellular organism
______  Organism whose cell does not contain a nucleus
______  A structure that contains the cell's DNA
______  The cell membrane has how many membranes?
______  The diffusion of water through a cell
______  The region between the membrane and nucleus
______  The process of where molecules tend to move from a high concentrated area to a lower concentrated area
______  New cells are produced from ___cells
______  All ___ are composed of cells
______  The small dense region inside the nucleus

SHORT ANSWER
1 point each

1.  What does the cell membrane do?
2.  What process do autotrophs gain cellular energy from?
3.  What process do heterotrophs gain cellular energy from?
4.  What is passive diffusion?
5.  What is facilitated diffusion?
6.  What is isotonic solution?
7. What is hypotonic solution?
8.  What is hypertonic solution?
9. What are the common molecules needed  by a body to maintain life's functions?
10. What is a semipermeable membrane?


ANSWER KEY FOR TEST

MATCHING

1.    J
2.    G
3.    F 
4.    P 
5.    B 
6.    A 
7.    O 
8.    L 
9.    I 
10.  M 
11.  O 
12.  K 
13.  E
14.  H 
15.  C

SHORT ANSWER

1. The cell membrane regulates what enters and leaves the cell while providing protection and support
2. Photosynthesis
3. Cellular Respiration
4. Movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
5. Movement of molecules from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration
6. An equal amount of concentration of a solution inside and outside a cell
7. When the outside concentration of a solution is higher outside of the cell and lower on the inside
8. When the outside concentration of a solution is lower outside of the cell and higher on the inside
9. Oxygen, water, salt, glucose, and carbon monoxide
10. A cell membrane that is selective about what goes inside and outside the cell

ANSWER KEY FOR CROSSWORD
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Katherine Leckie
Block 2
Activity Journal

Thursday: 
Choreography for the musical -- 4.5 hours.
Friday: 
Ran 1 mile and did curl-ups -- 20 minutes.
Saturday: 
Choreography for the musical -- 3 hours
frisbee -- 1 hour
Sunday:
Stretching -- 20 minutes
Monday:
Choreography for the musical -- 2 hours
Tuesday:
Walking -- 15 minutes
Wednesday:
Choreography for the musical -- 1.5 hours

My goal is to become physically fit by the end of the quarter and to maintain that fitness for the rest of the year at least.

Katherine Leckie               Leckie 1
Mrs. Amdahl
Intro to Composition
4 March 2007

Also Known As Tik

Not many people would respond to a name like Tik. People think of blood-sucking bugs that crawls all over when they hear that name. Unfortunately, that was my nickname; a shortened version of another nickname. People tend to give me many nicknames, but "Tik" was one of the most popular. Why, I don't know. Maybe because it was fun, and my name was easy to turn into a nickname. Maybe it was because nicknames brought us closer together.

I should start with what my actual name is. In Minnesota, I'm known by by first name, Katherine. In Washington, I'm known my by middle name which is Miki (pronounced Mee-Kee). Everybody thought it was awesome that I had a Japanese name. They loved to hold out the vowels in my name because it sounded so different from the so-called version of "Mickey," which most people thought my name was. I hated trying to correct them, and not many people listened, so I gave up. For fun, my friends would say my name as fast as they could, and as many times as they could when they realized that my name was different then what they thought it was.

My friend Katrina realized this amazing fact in eighth grade. Laura, Tayler, Katrina, and I were sitting at a table studying when she started singing, "Miki Leckie. Mickey Leckie. Miki Leckie. He he he he!"
"Katrina, what are you doing?" I asked.
"Having fun. Miki Leckie. Miki Liki. Miki Liki! That 's sweet!"
"Katrina, stop murdering my name."
Meanwhile, Tayler was having fun with everybody else's name. 
"Taura! Trina! Tiki!" She loved the fact that we couldn't change her name to start with a "T" because it already did! "Ha ha ha! Taura, Trina, Tiki . . ." Tayler suddenly stopped singing. Her eyes lit up. "Tiki. I like that!" 
Katrina started laughing. "Miki Liki Tiki! It rhymes! That's awesome! I'm going to call you that from now on!" 
"What?" I yelled. 
The next day, Katrina and Tayler wouldn't call me by my actual name. They would call me Tiki or Miki Liki Tiki. My classmates heard, and figured they liked those nicknames too. All year long I would walk down the hall and somebody would yell, "Tiki! Miki Liki Tiki!" Eventually I got used to it. I even started to like it. I didn't have to correct people who said "Mickey" instead of "Miki" anymore!

By ninth grade, everybody started calling me Tiki -- my classmates decided that Miki Liki Tiki was too long to say. One day, Katrina and Tayler saw me at lunch and shortened my name even further.
"Hi Tik!" Tayler said. 
"Huh? Did you just call me tic? As in, a type of bug?"
"No, Tik is short for Tiki."
"What?"
Unfortunately, like "Tiki" spread through my classroom like wildfire, "Tik" caught on just as fast. Instead of someone running up to me yelling "Tiki!" They woul yell "Tik!" People who didn't get the joke would stare and whisper, "Did they just call her tic? Isn't that a type of bug?" I would have to explain the whole "Miki Liki Tiki" story to them.

I've always wondered why I liked that nickname. Why did I let others call me by wierd nicknames? Even in Minnesota my friends would change my name to something else. Except, instead of Miki Liki Tiki being shortened to Tik, my nickname Kat was elongated to Kitty-Kat. Then I realized a pattern. My friends used nicknames to be closer to me. To show that they cared for me. My friends in Minnesota customized my name to help me feel more comfortable and closer to them, and to show that they wanted to accept me into their group. Nicknames were a way for all of my friends to show that they care for me.

Katherine Leckie
 March 26, 2007
Extra Credit

Beyond Stones and Bones

I thought that using information from when body lice evolved from head lice was an extremely smart idea. It's almost sad that scientists didn't think about that before. It's almost common sense; when there's a new environment, a.k.a. clothes instead of body hair on humans, there will be a new species or adaptation, in other words, body lice. One thing I didn't quite understand was how the scientists calculated how long ago this evolution occurred. The simile the author used about calculating how long it takes a typist to produce a document if you you know he makes six typos per minute helped me understand how the scientists calculated the evolution of lice a little bit more, but not by very much. 

The part about how there could have been many different branches of human-like creatures that became extinct was extremely interesting. It makes sense that the lineage split up creating similar, new species. It happened to many other animals, why not humans? It's really interesting to think about what the other human-like creatures looked like, and how they acted. How close they were to acting like humans. And which creature survived and turned into the human species.

I wanted to know more about the hypothesis that the main trigger to becoming fully human was that the human-like creatures were usually prey so they clumped together in groups and began to socially bond. People usually perceive men as strong, smart, and not weak. It's interesting to think that human-like creatures were weak, and were usually hunted instead of being the hunters. Because of that, they formed groups in order to survive, and that was what triggered humanity.

The whole thing about studying more than just the brain-size of these creatures to track when these species became humans was also fascinating. The scientists used the brain shape, like if the brain was asymmetric, which marked an increasing specialization and more complex cognitive ability. I didn't know that scientists could tell what the brain was shaped like by looking at the skull. I didn't know that the brain leaves impressions in the skull! I also didn't know that the shape of the frontal lobe affects the ability of decision-making and initiative and advanced planning in a creature. Just a difference in the shape of the frontal lobe determined if the Australopithecus africanus or the paranthropus survived and reproduced or turned into a dead end.

I also didn't know that there was actual DNA that helped to spurn brain growth resulting in a more complex brain, or that there is a molecule that could change into neurochemicals that underlie perception, behavior, and memory. I never realized that even our abilities to think, how we behave, our memory, and how complex our brains are was encoded in our DNA somehow. Even if it's a gen that can turn into a molecule that affects how we act or remember things. I also didn't know that the hormone oxytocin promotes trust during interaction with people. These things make me realize that there's something in our bodies that promotes and affects absolutely every aspect of our life. Whether it be friendships, memories, behavior, or how well our brain functions.

Katherine Leckie
Article #7
March 23, 2007

This article expresses surprise that the more children a woman has, the more risk the woman will have for dying in the year. I, for one, am not surprised at all. It's common sense; childbirth can be life-threatening and requires a lot of energy. Not to mention the energy it takes to raise a child. Compare a woman with three children and a woman with nine children. Which one do you think is more likely to live? The one with the three children of course. First of all, the woman with nine children went through childbirth nine times. Second of all, this woman is probably wearing herself out caring for nine children. Therefore, she's more prone to dying because she has no energy and her body is more worn down the woman that has three children. Pretty much the only thing this article did was put statistics to why this piece of common sense is true.

One thing that I did agree was surprising was that men fathering children are at some risk too. I wished the article spent as much time explaining why men were at risk as they did for the women. In fact, I wish they put why the men were at risk at all; the article only mentioned that it put men at risk. The reasons for why a woman is at risk is obvious. However, the reasons for men being at risk is not obvious, and the article should have put in an article or two about that.

Katherine Leckie
Article #6
March 16, 2007

I am very glad to learn that the hospitals are taking a concern in the "never events." All hospitals should take concern in their patients like that. Patients go to the hospital for help, and the hospitals do not help if a surgeon accidently leaves a foreign object in their body or perform surgery on the wrong body part. It's extremely unnerving and sad that the number of these types of accidents keep rising. Honestly, I don't know how a surgeon could accidently leave a needle or a sponge inside a body. They perform surgeries every day, and they should always be thinking about what they're doing, not off in la-la land or doing the surgery mechanically. Somebody's life is in their hands. They need to be aware of what they're doing at all times. Because if their mistake, the patient could have an infection, or even death. No matter what, it causes some sort of problem for the patient, and the patient has to spend more money and stay in the hospital longer. It's not fair for the patient at all. They have lives to get back to! They don't have time for a surgeon to risk their health! 

I couldn't believe some of the statistics the article gave. For example, 58.4% of these accidents happened because the surgeon didn't follow the rules adequately enough! That's absolutely ridiculous.

Katherine Leckie
Mrs. Hoffarth
March
English 10


Degraded Chivalry
What exactly did the word chivalry mean for a knight in the 12th century? Did this word wrap up the ideals of honor, respect, and nobility for the knights? Chivalry governed their entire life; it governed their code of conduct, the way they thought, and all of their choices in life. Gravett writes, "Although knights were men of war, they traditionally behaved in a courteous and civil way when dealing with their enemies. In the 12th century this kind of behavior was extended to form a knightly code of conduct, with a special emphasis on courtly manners toward women . . ." (40). This quote summarizea what a knight was, how he behaved, and how entwined the ideals of chivalry were in their lives. Nowadays, the connotation for chivalry ia somewhat different. It still has the same ideals as it did back then, but chivalry is not as emphasized.

The idea of honor was at the very heart of chivalry. Everything the knights did was done for honor. For example, if a knight promised, on their honor  to do something, they would do it no matter what. The only reason they wouldn't do this was if they were dead. Another example is the fact that all knights fought with honor. They treated their opponents with a great amount of honor: If their opponent's back was turned, the other knight would not stab it because that would be an unfair, cowardly, and a not honorable thing to do. In today's society the concept of honor still exists, though not as much as it did during the time of the knights. In fact, it is much less so. Most people have the desire to be honorable, but they don't focus on it or aggressively try to prove their honor as much as the knights did. For example, modern people try not to lie and try to do the things they say they will do. Knights, on the other hand, do not lie at all or they shame themselves. Honor is still alive today, but it is not as huge of a value in today's world as it was for the knights.

Another part of chivalry was respect. In essence, respect is a code of conduct or the way people treat each other. The greatest example of respect would be the respect expected to be given to women. A knight would always do a lady's bidding, treat her like a queen, and treat her like she was always right. Now, modern men treat ladies somewhat decently. They still act chivalrous, do most of the things women ask them to do, and treat women with dignity and respect. However, they would not go to extremes, like putting down their coat across a puddle for the lady to walk on so that the lady would not get dirty, as the knights would have done. Another example of respect playing a part in chivalry was the different degrees of respect given to people of different classes. A noble or a person of royalty was given the utmost respect. An honorable knight was also given a high amount of respect, though not as much as a noble or a person of royalty was given. People of the lower-class were barely given any respect, especially from the nobles or the people of a higher-class. Now, the people of royalty and the upper-class are still given the greatest amount of respect, but the lower-class people are given much more respect then they would have been given during the knights' time. Obviously, the rules of chivalry pertaining to the ideal of respect has varied greatly from the knight's time to this time.

Nobility and social class played as big of a part as respect did in chivalry. The idea that a person of noble birth couldn't love or act as chivalrous to somebody of a lesser birth as opposed to someone of nobility was natural. In the Tale of Sir Gareth, Lady Lyoness says, "I am in difficulties because I do not know whether or not Sir Beaumains is of noble birth, and until I know, naturally, I cannot love him. (Mallory 790). If Sir Gareth is not of noble birth, then Lady Lyoness can't love him. It would be extremely un-chivalrous and looked down upon if a lady of noble birth loved a commoner. In modern days, nobility isn't as much of an issue. Most royalty will only marry others of royalty, but they have the choice to love someone else, their choice would be respected. Social class also isn't much of an issue now. Everybody usually treats everyone with a good form of chivalry and respect, and can love whomever they please. People are also able to work their way up the social ladder, when back then it was impossible. If one was born a commoner back then, they would always be a commoner no matter how hard they worked. If one was born in poverty now, they could work hard, recieve an education, and rise out of poverty status. Nobility and social status played a huge part in chivalry and how people treated each other, but it's almost not a part of chivalry now.

The meaning of chivalry has changed over time. All three aspects of chivalry (honor, respect, and nobility), are alive today, but not as prominent as it was for the knights. For them, chivalry was a way of life. The entire knighthood was based on honor, respecting each other and the people around them, and nobility and social class; in other words, chivalry. Chivalry was the way of life and it was expected of the knights. Most aspects of chivalry has changed. Sometimes these aspects are more emphasized, but on the whole chivalry has been degraded as history progresses.

Works Cited

Gravett, Christopher. Knight. New York: Knopf, 1993

Malory, Sir Thomas. "The Tale of Sir Gareth." Adventures in Appreciation. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc, 1989. 776-793.