As a natural worrier, I often think about the effects of litter, pollution and waste on the earth and how it will affect future generations. Environmental health has always been important to me. I think most of us try not to think about the devastation we contribute to the environment every day, or how we squander precious resources. It’s easy to forget how many people live in the same luxury as we do and billions of people share our one and only earth.

I believe that, inherently, people like to do the right thing. When humans do something good, they feel good. I love the rewarding and gratifying feeling of recycling. When I drop off my recyclables, I know what I have is not going to waste, and I smile. Most of what is thrown out every day is recyclable but sits in a landfill and continues to build up year after year. Resources on our earth are limited, and with the amount of people who need them, landfills won’t sustain the mass of garbage that will accumulate in the future.

I have two bins set up in my kitchen, one for plastic (bags, water bottles, detergent bottles, ect.) which must be thoroughly rinsed, and the other for paper products. When the bins get full, I dump the contents into the trunk of my tiny car, and I drop it off when I pass United and Wal-Mart on my way home from school. I prefer United because the bins are cleaner and they offer more disposal options. The labeled bins at United sit at the back of the building, and the bins at Wal-Mart are right next to the gas station.

For those who aren’t familiar with a compost pile, composting is a way to recycle everyday items such as leftover food and plant scraps. It’s the best fertilizer one could ever create for a garden. Every basic compost pile consists of browns (dead leaves, twigs, and plant scraps), which provide carbon; greens (vegetable and fruit scraps, grass clippings and coffee grounds, etc.), which provide nitrogen; and water, which provides moisture to help break down the organic matter. I use my compost pile to fertilize my garden and grow fresher fruits and vegetables. Often, compost piles can have different kinds of, well, animal feces in them because they are so full of nutrients. Now, don’t go poopin’ in my garden, but composting certainly makes for yummy vegetables.

No matter how far we stray from our natural instincts and how far entrenched we are into society, we are nature. I can’t begin to explain how it feels to sit in my garden and feel the dirt between my fingers, the blue sky above me, the soft breeze blowing through my hair, birds chirping, and insects lavishing in the brown gold. Then, the first sprout pokes its small green nose through the dirt like an eager child, slowly reaching towards the sky, begging for life. This is to watch life in its purest beauty, to see the foundation of nature nudge through the earth to do exactly what we do every day – live.

If you asked me why I spend my weekends washing out plastic bottles and getting dirt in my hair or  why I don’t just walk out my back door and throw everything into the dumpster, I would tell you it’s because I love my earth.

The cleanliness of the school and the surrounding campus is the responsibility of the students. The disrespect our buildings are shown have a negative impact not only on current students and faculty, but on every person to walk the halls of Canyon High School.

 The building itself aside, students should respect their learning environment for themselves, their peers and the school faculty. There is simply no reason to scribble one’s name on the wall, or leave lipstick kisses on mirrors, or ‘forget’ to pick up one’s trash after lunch. It only leaves an unnecessary mess for someone else. We, as humans reaching adulthood, should have the common sense and ability to do what we can to tidy up after ourselves. Our actions now do not only affect current students; the consequences of tearing the school apart will echo through classes for years to come.

 On a broader scale, the ecological impact we have on our campus is something to consider. The infamous Texas Panhandle wind carries trash far and wide, meaning that anything left outdoors is liable to end up strewn about campus, or in the surrounding neighborhoods. Not only does our campus look unappealing, but these items can pose a hazard to the nearby livestock, to the soil, which has difficult decomposing most trash, and to the general cleanliness of our town. As humans in an eco-savvy generation, it is our duty to minimize our carbon footprint, and to minimize danger the items we use pose to our environment.

 In our recent online poll, 7% of readers said the cleanliness of our campus was the job of the custodial staff. While they may receive a paycheck for their work, they also do a largely thankless job that could be made simpler by the courtesy, by the respect, of the students. Leaving a mess with the mentality that it’s someone else’s job to take care of it is juvenile and rude. Even if it is their job to clean, it is not fair to create extra work for the custodians, out of respect for them as our elders, and as fellow human beings.

 A change of mentality is needed from students. The current state of our campus is unacceptable, which is the result of our carelessness. We must take action to clean up our act and clean up our school, if not for ourselves, for the future of Canyon and Canyon High School.

According to the Iranian court, Iranian American Amir Mirzaei Hekmati made attempts to gather information for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). Iran has sentenced Amir to death upon charges of espionage and spying. Amir says that he was visiting family. A video has been released with Amir admitting to working for the agency. According to US officials Iran has used torture and threats to cause the victim’s family harm in the past.

This has not been the first hostage taking situation. Since 2007 Amir is the latest of 10 Americans to be held for Iranian political purposes. In 2009, three Americans hiked in Kurdistan Iraq and strayed slightly from the border. They were also arrested upon espionage charges.  Also in 2009 Roxanna Saberi, an American reporter was arrested for spying and was accused of infiltrating the Iranian government.

This past year the operation that eliminated Bin Laden was set into motion without consent of Iran. That action has angered Iran and recently with the events of Iran’s Uranium production increased to 25% and the capture of Amir Mirzaei Hekmati has seemingly been used to pressure Washington.

First of all let me explain how my blended family came to exist. Shortly after my first birthday and my older brother’s third birthday my parents divorced. When I turned four, my mom married my step-dad who had two daughters and a son. One second I was living with one older brother and the next, I had a grand total of four siblings.

I have very few memories of not being part of a blended family, so my take on that family dynamic differs from many. Because I have been with my family for so long the word “step” isn’t used. However labels become important when you make the transition into a blended family. The question of what to call your step-relatives is something that every member of a blended family must come to terms with. It took a few years of confusion and awkward moments to reach a place where they stopped being “step-family” and started being my family.

Along with labels, the simple act of acknowledgement is an issue that must be dealt with. Since my last name is different from my siblings the opportunity to not publicly acknowledge them was always present. The big difference between a biological family and a blended one is that things as simple as acknowledgment and labels don’t come naturally but are something you have to learn to do.

In blended families the term ‘sibling rivalry’ takes on a whole new meaning. At least it did in my family. Jealousy and competition is a huge aspect of everyday life. The biological division creates “teams” that are both determined to beat the other in anything. It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be family arguments, where that unspoken loyalty and bond between members of each part of a blended family comes out. My brother and I would stick together with our mom before we would stand by our step-dad and siblings which created frustration and unfairness. Fights don’t occur very often now because we’re older, somewhat more mature and the two oldest are either living on their own or married. But it’s taken a lot of arguments and compromise to get to a place where we all get along.

All the trials my family has gone through to become the close family we are now haven’t been nearly as hard as losing a core member. My step dad passed away in a fire at my house June 26, 2011. Loss in any family is difficult but with mine it seemed intensified because the one person who brought us all together and connected us was the one we lost. In some ways it has made us stronger while in others it inevitably has broken us. From the government’s perspective, my siblings are no longer legally my siblings, so we had to band together as a family by making a conscious decision to continue to be a family without any requirements or unspoken rule to accept and be together.

My step-dad always strove to achieve, along with the rest of my family, a way to become a true family despite our differences and issues. He believed that no matter what type of family you are, family is family. Families stick together and love one another, despite not always liking each other. A blended family is dysfunctional. No matter who it is or how well they get along there is no avoiding it. I have come to the realization that the dysfunctional aspects of my family is what makes them the people I love most in this world.

Growing up, I always thought that the contrasting opinion of each individual was beautiful. I loved hearing other people’s opinions and was always fascinated by the fact that each and every person had something he or she believed in and would fight for if it came down to it. A defining feature in the human essence is passion: emotion and opinion. Inevitably, one person’s opinion will differ from another’s, but it is up to the person to decide how he or she reacts.

I adore discussing with others. I loathe arguing. Yes, I believe that these two desires can be satisfied simultaneously. This is achieved by having something I like to call an “open mind.” One can accept that someone believes differently without arguing about it. Whereas discussing can be interesting and help open your mind and help you learn why people think as they do, arguing isn’t going to solve anything. One side is not going to prove anything to the other.

Arguing usually provokes anger and frustration and it rarely resolves the issue. It’s not going to change someone’s views. It will probably divert them from the opposing view even farther and then serve to evoke the ongoing stereotype for both sides that the people of the opposite stance are hardheaded, stubborn and fail to see the basis of the others’ argument.  An argument is what you make it. If the person decides to rebut everything by becoming angry and defensive, it only projects an illustration of immaturity. One part of sophisticated and interesting discussion is to take someone’s view, consider it, analyze it and accept or refute it, and if the latter, find other ways to conclude it. A disagreement of opinions does not have to be frustrating—it can be enlightening.

So, what I’m trying to request is to respect other people’s opinions, for goodness sake. Who cares if someone believes differently than you? Personally, I’m glad that we all see the world differently. If we all believed the exact same thing, this world would be a pretty boring place to live. Live and let live. Accepting that someone else does not believe strictly the same as you is not that hard to do.

It is a legitimate question. Many of the types of art that our culture enjoyed in past generations are either losing popularity or gone. It can be argued that art forms should die if they are no longer relevant, and I would agree. Still, the painters’ and the sculptors’ creations are consistent with the modern era and its values but we pay almost no attention to them.  Not only are some art forms suffering, but talented artists in popular genres such as music and books aren’t getting much recognition.

It seems that art is being replaced by entertainment. These two words are by no means interchangeable.  Art and entertainment almost never walk in lockstep. The next time you go to a movie, ask yourself whether what you watched created an emotional response and maybe even changed your world view a little, or if it just distracted and entertained you for its duration. Watching a movie for entertainment or listening to music just because you like to dance to it is just fine. It’s just noticeable that what is being recycled through our culture is of less substance and more distraction. 

So the solution would be to recognize and view the art forms we enjoy. They may be harder to find, but they tend to be more enjoyable. Just listen to a song that triggers an emotional response, watch a movie that makes you think “wow,” or enjoy a painting or book that captures you inside its world.  If these actions don’t happen, then it is likely art would recede even farther and maybe even dry up. 

I’m concerned for the future of art. Pop culture is pushing it out of the way to make room for its own agenda instead of adopting it and realizing its importance. It is still being held together by the minority of individuals who create art and those who immerse themselves in it.

Is art dying? The answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t expect or push towards a revival of it.

When expressing kindness to someone, it is important to mean it. Otherwise, it’s better to say nothing.  Saying you like someone’s t-shirt when you don’t is not benefiting anyone. It isn’t fooling anyone either; no one is going to be impressed by a few half-hearted compliments or generalized notes plastered around the school.  Rachel’s message wasn’t about spreading kindness for the sake of being kind, but to be kind in instances where you would otherwise not have been kind. 

If students turn Rachel’s Challenge into something that insincere, then the challenge itself fails. If the challenge is filled with people who act to impress others, or just to appease the challenge, then the message that Rachel’s Challenge is trying to convey didn’t succeed. 

Rachel’s Challenge is meant to spread kindness and compassion throughout the community. Reaching out to a student who is sitting alone, telling a parent you love them, or helping someone who is just struggling in life are a few instances where Rachel’s Challenge can benefit people. 

It may be argued that being kind on a dishonest level can still be beneficial by instilling a sense of kindness throughout the community and creating a starting point for real kindness. However, when that is allowed, it just creates a culture with a veil of deception. It widens the gap between sincere and insincere and makes it that much harder to distinguish whether or not someone means what they say.

To keep Rachel’s Challenge from being something that is insignificant or mocked, the standard of genuine kindness should be reinforced.  To take on the challenge is to embrace the full meaning of it as well.

I couldn’t see anything and only thought to keep everything tight. The only true sense I had at that moment was my hearing, all the people laughing and the shutters of their cameras. A voice rang out from the crowd saying, “This is going on Facebook!” When that single photo hit the web, my notification box was dinging every other second. I knew I had truly accomplished the plank when the twins from Utah commented on it saying, “nice plank.”

I was motivated. I was going to plank anywhere I went. Now that I look back on my prime time planking, I realize that was what I turned to so I could cope with not being where I wanted to be, with my best friends in Utah. When I hear people talking about how stupid planking is, I cannot help but to stand up to them and defend it. It has kept me from doing stupid things that could harm me. I decided to lay down face first in places, stiff as a board, instead of going out partying, and breaking the law, or doing some that is truly stupid. Planking has become something I do ever so often because I want to. Not for attention and getting the praise of others. I do it because I have fun looking weird. I have fun being me in my own way.

 But what about the protests in Libya and Iran? Or Bahrain, Syria, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Algeria, and Morocco? Two revolutionary protests in Egypt and Tunisia have not only given those two countries hope of democracy, but have set off a chain reaction of protests in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

  Protests are still ongoing in Tunisia, where the president has already stepped down. Violent responses by the authorities, such as opening fire on protestors, have angered the country’s population and triggered more and more protests. Their interim prime minister, Caid Essebsi, dissolved the secret police service in the country and has announced that there will be no members of the old regime in the new government.

Egypt seemingly found a solution to democracy when they overthrew Hosni Mubarak, but lately, it seems as if unrest is rearing its head yet again. Egyptian groups have gone back onto the streets to protest, since the military has not been meeting the protestors’ goals and corrupt officials are still in office. In the past few days, a group of men in plain clothes have attacked a group of pro-democracy protestors who were gathered in Cairo, the first violence since Mubarak stepped down.

 Libya has also captured the attention of the media lately. The leader, Col. Muammar Gadhafi, has lost almost all control of his country, but is still threatening to incite a civil war and kill as many of his people as he can before he is forced out of the country. Most of the cities in Libya have moved into the control of the protestors, but Gadhafi is still battling for the capital, Tripoli. Protestors have been rounded up and shot, attacked by fighter planes and tanks, and bombarded with tear gas. Foreign workers trapped in the country have been singled out and attacked, since people believe that they might be mercenaries. The United Nations recently passed a resolution that allowed countries to protect civilians in Libya, and military officials have stated that Gadhafi is not targeted in their bombings. 

Saudi Arabia has also been rocked by the protests in the area, and King Abdullah has been feeling the pressure. If both Bahrain and Libya lose their current leaders, then his country will undoubtedly be next in line. In an attempt to stop the protests, King Abdullah first announced that there would be benefits for citizens, such as extra funds for housing, studying abroad, and social security. When this didn’t stop the protests, the country announced a ban of protests in the country. State television declared that security forces would not hold back to make sure there are no attempts to disrupt public order. 

Could this be an age much like the era when colonies revolted against their mother countries to gain freedom? Corruption could be the new imperialism, rebelled against and overthrown by those who follow the example of successful protests and revolutions. 

The modern world is at the precipice of a new age. Democracy is spreading rapidly in the world, and before we know it, we may be dealing with Muslim democratic nations. Now is not the time for citizens of the United States to be ignorant of the revolutions sparking in the Middle East and Africa. 

So, what exactly am I trying to say here? Simply put, with the current protests, the Middle East has many western countries, including the United States, in a choke hold. Oil prices are rising, tourists and politicians alike are struggling to escape these countries, and international activities are being brought to a screeching halt. Every American should be paying attention to these protests nearly halfway around the world, because they could turn out to be a lot closer to home than we thought.