The Sentinel (Issue 3)

The newest Sentinel. Best one yet, but still plenty to work on.

The Sentinel (every week)

Yeah, I know it sounds too good to be true. The Sentinel traditionally only comes out every three weeks. That means you, the anxious reader, has to wait approximately 21 days. That means 21 days without news from the college by the lake. That means 21 days without finding out what is going on with ASNIC, the drama department so on and so forth.

Well, no more.

From now on the Sentinel website will be updated, weekly. Giving you, the anxious reader, your much needed fix.

So, stop whining and click here...

or...

Here.

Bourgeois (or Bushwa?) Suffering

This post is about suffering, and all the forms that it manifests in my daily life...
For instance, yesterday, I was biking to a coffee shop. I was going to meet my brother and just hang out and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.

I had this nice white long-sleeved tee-shirt on. It was really nice, really comfortable and really good looking. I felt happy to be wearing this shirt.

So, like I said I was biking. Going along, riding next to this beautiful lake, just enjoying it all.

And then, you know what happened?

These freaking bugs came out of now where. Literally thousand upon thousands of these dumb obnoxious worthless gnats.

And you know what they did?

They didn't get out of my way. They plastered themselves against my face, my hair, my nice white shirt, my pants, my eyes.

I could barely see, I could barely continue forward.

And that isn't even the worst part.

The worst part, was that when I finally reached my destination, I tried to brush them off, and they splattered all over my beautiful, pure white shirt. Leaving all these ugly yellow blood marks.

The nerve.

This is just one instance of the daily suffering that I'm forced to endure.
Another great example.

About a month ago I go a new computer. With the new computer came a new I-pod, which was part of the whole deal. Well, I decided to engrave something on the back of my I-pod. After thinking about it long and hard, I decided I wanted to write Bourgeois Suffering. Bourgeois is a french word that means middle-class. I figured that putting this on the back of my I-pod would be a good reminder to me and others about the daily hardships I'm forced to face living in North Idaho. See above.

Well, not being French, and not understanding how to spell French words, I decided to Google and determine the most appropriate way to spell 'Bourgeois' (as you can see, I learned how to spell it correctly, alas too little too late).

Being hopelessly American I spelled it Bushwa (it makes sense, if you think about it).
So, I Googled it, just to double check.

That didn't help at all, all the dictionaries told me 'Bushwa' means nonsense or bullshit. Well, I decided that the online dictionaries didn't know what they were talking about. So I went ahead and got Bushwa Suffering engraved on my I-pod.
Now, you might say this is my fault.

It's not.

Let me explain how this is just another example of my daily suffering.

I live in North Idaho. Because I live here I know next to nothing about French. I took Spanish in school. Spanish isn't French. French words are different than Spanish words, and Spanish words are different than English words.

I'm a victim of ignorance.

Henry B. Adams said, “Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts.”
I couldn't have said it better myself.

See, clearly I have been the victim of a faulty education.

So, don't be pointing your fingers at me saying that I'm full of Bushwa. It's just not the case. I am suffering. Deeply suffering, from a lack of knowledge, brought on by “inert facts.”

And yes, there are still bugs in my nose.

Note: Pema Chodron, a Tibetan Buddhist nun, coined the phrase Bourgeois Suffering. Obviously she doesn't have anything on me in the suffering department.

Institutionalized Blindness

I live in Northern Idaho. I love it here, it's beautiful and peaceful.
For me at least.
A few weeks ago, Rachel Dolezlal, an art teacher at the local college (North Idaho Community College) found a noose on here porch. Dolezal is mixed race and a human rights advocate. She is strong and not quite about her work here.
And she has become a target for hate groups. The community response here was typical, people were outraged. Angry that that kind of thing still happens in this area.
And its terrible. And people should be outraged.

But we are missing something. I couldn't put my finger on it for a long time. Everyone is supportive. Everyone is committed to driving hate and racism out of this area. But something felt wrong.

And then I went to the Action Against Hate benefit dinner (through Gonzaga University). It was a great event, and, don't get me wrong, the organization behind it is doing good stuff.

But, it epitomized the problem, in my mind.

Every speaker, every person honored (minus one) was white. There were few colored people in the audience. There were none up on the stage. It was a bunch of well meaning white men(mostly men) talking about all the great work they had done.

And, yes admitting there was a lot more work to be done.

But, the irony was irresistible. And no one talked about it. No one brought it up. Not a single speaker recognized their innate inability to truly feel what someone of color feels.

I'm white. I don't know what it's like to be discriminated against (I'm also a man, so I've got a lot going for me). So, how can I, a white male, really 'get' what it's like to be black? Or native American? Or Asian? Or any of the other of a multitude of marginalized groups?

In my mind that is the problem currently. People are doing wonderful work. People are strongly against racism. Against hate. Discrimination. All of that. But, the institutions, the processes that surround the good work being done, are fundamentally flawed. They are fundamentally discriminatory. And people don't want to, or simply can't reflect on the institutions they are caught up in.

And, like I said, I'm white. So everything I observe, everything I think is colored (bad pun) by this. And quite possibly everything I've said isn't true, possibly I'm full of it and don't know what I'm talking about. Hopefully, however, I have the humility to recognize this and defer to the knowledge and life experience of someone who has actually been discriminated against, who has actually been hated for something as ridiculous as the color of their skin.

The NIC Sentinel (Issue 2)

This is the second issue of the Sentinel. It looks good. Photos printed well etc. It was a short one (only 16 pages) but overall I'm happy with it.

The next one, which comes out on Oct. 26, is going to be much longer (24 pages, and possibly a tab section). So we really don't have that much turn around time. I'm excited though.

I love my job right now. It feels so good to be part of a paper. I love seeing it go from rough (or no) ideas to a reality that you can hold in your hand. Really a unique and wonderful experience.

Anyways, comments are always welcome.

Again, these are just the pages I designed.


The front page...

... just an inside opinion page, nothing special, although the art work is good...

.. again inside page...

... the volleyball page. As you can see they are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation...

... this is quite possibly my favorite page ever. It all worked out, and despite my fears it printed great.

Photos

Here are three pictures. These photos were shot for the annual Race for the Cure. It's a fundraiser to help 'fight' breast cancer. It starts at the NIC campus and then works it's way around Coeur d'Alene. Quite a lot of people were there this year.

A few things

Well I don't really have any one coherent theme for this post. So here are just some random topics (well not just random, how about just unrelated to one another).

Weather

The weather is changing. I love summer and each year I look toward the changing of the seasons with a something bordering on dread. I don't want to be cold, locked up inside etc.

And then the weather changes... and well it's great. Today was the first 'real' fall day in Couer d'Alene and I loved it. I biked a lot (to get to various places) and it was wonderful to be outside in the cold and just feel the crispness of the air.

I think my deep rooted dislike of colder weather goes back to my high school days. I liked high school, actually I think it would be fair to say I loved it (well parts of it). However, it prevented me from doing quite a lot of things. Instead of being out side I was forced to be inside, sitting at a desk. So, I never really got to enjoy the nuances of the colder seasons.

Now that I'm emancipated things are changing. Yes, technically I'm in school, but college is a different beast (well at least for me). I have more free time. I can actually go outside and enjoy the cold weather. So, I'm all ready for the Northwest Winter. It's going to be a good one.

Biking

The last week or so has been an excellent bike week. Unlike today the weather has been warm (actually hot) and the sun has been shining. I've been putting in a lot of miles, going on 40 mile rides every other day or so.

There is something about road biking that is so amazing for me. It's so peaceful, so quite. I'm able to go places and see the natural beauty of this area in way that I never would be able to, if it weren't for my bike.

Plus it is such a clean way of moving. I don't mean environmentally clean (although it is), I mean just clean feeling. It's just you, the bike and the road. If you have a bike that is efficient and tuned up... oh boy, what a great feeling.

The Sentinel

And finally, and definitely not least, the Sentinel. It's production week, so starting yesterday I've been working fairly non-stop. It's a shorter issue, so not as much to do. However, there is still plenty of things going on. I think I said it in my last post but putting out a paper is a pretty amazing process. It's just this huge outburst of energy. When you finish you feel drained, but so good.

And I really love it. Honestly, all the work and frustration aside I love working on the paper.

Well, that is it. I think I'll post a few photos I took last weekend for some college events. I'll throw up the PDF's of the Sentinel when it's all done Sunday at noon. And until then, adios.

The NIC Sentinel (Issue One)

Well, it has happened. The first issue of the Sentinel is coming out tomorrow morning. It was a long weekend, but overall things went pretty well. There are a lot of things to improve on (no doubt there) but I think that the staff is willing and capable of stepping up to that challenge.

I'm heartened.

Personally I love production weekends. These weekends are such a high of creativity, energy and chaos. I feel like I disappear for two or three days. I don't think about anything but the paper.

All that being said, Oh my god I'm glad it's over. This one was stressful, I'm not going to lie. My first time ever as the Managing Editor. It was all of the editors (mostly) first time designing or doing anything like that. So, there was a lot of stress and last minute decisions/designs.

Anyways here are some selected PDFs of the paper. Selected meaning the pages I designed.


Front page, A1...

...second opinion page...

... back page of A section...

...and the back page of the B section. This is possibly the only whitewater rafting page ever created with no (that's right) no actual rafting photos. But it looks OK, other than that huge problem.

Guest Writer

Well hey, like I just said in my last post I haven't been writing much. So I decided to introduce a 'guest writer'. His name is Leo Francovich (no relation) and he is an up-and-coming writer. Check it out, it's worth your time.

Procrasti-nahilldoitlater

This will be shoddy.

It is 11:24 PM on a Monday night. I have just returned from working at Rogers Ice Cream and Burgers. While there, I scoop ice cream, and flip (guess it) burgers. I have just realized that I have an article due for the Illuminati Wednesday. P.S. for anyone who can write, you can do this too. But wait, the article is due Wednesday and I am writing it Monday night. Now, what would you call that? That is called motivation, but that is, fortunately, not what this article is about. This article is about procrastination, my other skill. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am very good at what I do, and procrastination is one of the things I do. So, have no qualms about my qualifications in this subject, but before I get sidetracked, let’s dive in.

To better describe the complex and vast field that is procrastination, I will examine its affect on my own life, starting in fourth grade. Now, as you all know, fourth grade was a great time for me, I would consider it my peak. I had straight A’s, a scooter, lots of fourth grade friends, and a bowl cut. Now, you may ask, “What happened?” I’ll tell you what happened, I ate the fruit of knowledge. I did not eat this fruit in fifth or sixth grade; I merely eyed it warily, wondering how it got into my life and when it would leave. However, in seventh grade, after years of curiosity and confusion, I sank my teeth deep into the fruit and discovered my lack of purpose. What I discovered is a simple cause for procrastination: There are so many better things to be doing than homework. You have no idea.

After I ate the fruit of knowledge I started to devote myself to my new faith, missing some deadlines and barely scraping by others. I had started down the path. Perhaps this was the reason for my straight D average I achieved that year, or perhaps, as I suspect, I was simply wronged. Either way, I had stopped turning things in on time, and I was consistently coming up short of expectations. Now, many of my well-adjusted, mature, seventh grade colleagues decided that they would postpone gratification. If they wanted to do something, they would do their homework first. Favorite TV show? How about some English? Local rodeo? Let’s see if you can buck that pre-algebra! Mother in hospital? That is just the science of life, my friend. I could not achieve this academic foresight, however, and I lived a life of instant gratification. Once I started I could not stop.

This brings me to my next point: procrastination is like freight train, a late one, but more importantly, something that does not stop easily. Once you lose one assignment, you lose them all, and you find yourself pushing a vacuum for Carl. If I remembered anything from my math classes, I would tell you that it builds exponentially, but I don’t think I read that chapter. The beginning of each school year for the last six years started the same for me, I would try to work hard for about a week or so, I’d lose steam and stop turning things in, and then I’d be fighting an uphill battle, which is not something you want to be doing.

So, forgive me for growing up a little, but this article is here to warn you against procrastinating, which is probably what several worried teachers (the ones that aren’t from Indiana) reading this article are waiting for me to say. Control the freight train, do your homework, and visit your mother in the ER later, there will always be another accident. Don’t do it for glory, for GPA, or even for God, do your homework for self-respect and a dedication to education. Do all of this and do it on time, and you will become whatever you want to be: an accountant, an ornithologist, or a gladiator. Hopefully the latter.

P.S. If you were wondering what sort of fruit it was, the fruit of knowledge I mentioned earlier. It wasn’t an apple or anything like that. It was a kiwi.

More Photos

Well, I've been doing a lot of photo posts. I like these, but I think it's important to write too. So, hopefully I get back to that. But honestly photo posts are quite a bit quicker to do, so for now this is what I'm going with...

... here is a photo of Heidi Groover (I took this almost a year ago)...

... and here is the same photo that I posted a few days ago, but in color. I didn't really realize that it worked in color too, so that is kind of neat.