A Thousand Paper Cranes

The ancient Japanese folktale, “The Crane Wife,” begins with a man finding an injured crane and nursing it back to health. This winter, LBCC will feature a play of this story, as well as a giant origami paper crane playing the role of the injured bird.

Intrigued by the origami crane being used in the play, Cory Warren, one of the cast members, went online to try to find instructions on how to fold one himself. Instead, he uncovered some fascinating information on the history of origami cranes, and the legend of the Senbazuru.
“Senbazuru” is a Japanese word which means “1,000 cranes.” According to ancient Japanese legend, anyone who makes a Senbazuru will be granted one wish.

The Senbazuru was popularized by Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl suffering from leukemia due to radiation poisoning from the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Sasaki heard about the Senbazuru and decided to make the 1,000 paper cranes, so that her wish of being cured would come true.

Unfortunately, Sasaki died after only making 644 cranes. In memory of her, Sasaki’s classmates folded the remaining 354 cranes, completing the Senbazuru in her honor. Because of Sasaki, the Senbazuru has come to represent a hope for international peace and diplomacy. A peace park in Japan holds a statue of Sasaki, surrounded by a supply of donated Senbazurus that are continuously being replenished. For every Senbazuru donated, a Japanese corporation donates $1,000 to charities promoting peace between nations.

Warren was fascinated by what he had learned about the Senbazuru, and told Dan Stone, director of “The Crane Wife” and performing arts instructor at LBCC, about the tradition. Stone also found this information fascinating, and wanted the cast to make a Senbazuru to decorate the lobby with the intention of sending it to the peace park after the show ended.

Warren took on the task of making the Senbazuru. He put together crane-making kits, handing them out to cast members and students. He organized crane-making parties and folded hundreds of origami cranes himself.

A few people, mostly cast members, helped with the origami. Besides Warren and Emma Barry, who has one of the lead roles in “The Crane Wife,” made the most cranes. “[I] didn’t do a quarter of the work [Warren] did,” said Barry.

“The Crane Wife” opened last week, and the children attending the show were able to see the evolving Senbazuru, now up to 800 cranes, decorating the lobby of the Russell Tripp Performance Center. Warren is hoping to finish the last 200 cranes before the show closes.

Nora Palmtag, LBCC Student, Shares Story of Segregation

Nora Palmtag dives into life with energy and zest. If you see her walking across campus, you may notice her sunny smile. But what you don’t know is that behind that smile is a woman with a truly phenomenal life story, the type you’d expect to see in a hardback memoir on display as you walk into Barnes and Noble.

Just like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and other people you’ve read about in history textbooks, Palmtag was a civil rights activist, fighting for justice in 1960’s Mississippi. Only a teenager at the time, Palmtag stood up for her rights as best she could and stirred up her community so much that the KKK wanted her dead.

Palmtag was born in 1949 in a one-room shack to a 16-year-old mother. She grew up in Clarksdale Mississippi, a place that was full of injustice.

“You couldn’t drink out of a water fountain because it said ‘white,’ and you had to walk another ten blocks to get to the next one,” says Palmtag. “You go through the whole downtown, and there’s no bathroom you could use. At the doctor’s office, you didn’t get seen until all the white patients were gone. After all the white people were gone you’d get seen, one by one, but you still couldn’t use the bathroom there.”

Schools were also segregated, and the black schools were vastly underprivileged. The textbooks at Palmtag’s high school were leftovers from the white school, with pages missing, and vulgar words scrawled across the pages.

A big reader, Palmtag eventually discovered the writings of Martin Luther King Jr., and realized that things did not have to be the way they were. “I decided to go to the white school and see, why didn’t they want us there?” says Palmtag. “What’s going on? Why were the kids allowed to write in our books all the nasty things they did, and tear out the pages before they sent them over to our school? They didn’t even know who we were.”

The kids at her new school hated her, spitting on her and calling her names. The KKK wanted her dead for daring to de-segregate the school. But Palmtag refused to be intimidated into leaving.

Once, Palmtag convinced her mother to take her to another town, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was arranging a march. Palmtag wanted nothing more than to march with the protestors. However, when she arrived, King told her that it was too dangerous, that he wouldn’t be able to protect her. According to Palmtag, King said, “I know what you’re doing. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

And so, Palmtag kept doing what she was doing and survived the abuse of high school. Ole Miss, ordered to de-segregate in order to receive federal funds, offered her a full-ride scholarship, but she refused. She wanted to get as far away as possible from the kids who had hated her in high school, and so went to college in Illinois instead.

Palmtag had been in the top 10% of her class in Mississippi. Even so, she struggled in college. Her parents didn’t support her financially, so she tried to work full time on top of being a full-time student. Eventually she was completely burned out, and decided to strike out for the West with $100 in her pocket.

Palmtag settled in Washington, getting a job with a cable company that eventually took her to Oregon. Upon retiring, Palmtag decided to go back to college, and came to LBCC.

Now, Palmtag is eager to share her story. “It’s not about me, so much as the fact that anybody…can bear anything,” says Palmtag. “If I could survive all this crap I went through, no matter how broken I was in the end, if I could survive it and make it to where I am now, you can survive anything. You can do it.”

Open Source Club Music Website

The unfortunate thing about life is that good music is either free or legal, but never both. At least, that’s the assumption of the general public, an assumption which LBCC’s Open Source Club is trying to change with the debut of their new website, listenvotedownload.org. 

Listenvotedownload.org exists as a way for the Open Source Club to share the bounty of free music with other LBCC students. As the URL suggests, students can listen to the songs on the website, upvote the ones they want to promote, and download their favorites.

“We’ll bring your dead music collection back to life,” said Open Source Club faculty adviser Chris Riseley.

The idea for the website began when Riseley discovered Jamendo.com, a website full of free and legal music. “Everyone who uploads a file there—artists across the world—signs the appropriate release forms,” said Riseley. “There are over 300,000 separate songs.”

Riseley loved Jamendo, but found that there were a bunch of terrible songs along with the good ones. He wanted a way to find the good songs and make it local.

Riseley approached club president Micah DeVyldere with the idea of making a CD of the best Jamendo songs to distribute on campus. DeVyldere didn’t like the idea. “CD’s are dated,” he said, “and there were logistical issues. Like, how many songs do you put on the CD? Chris wanted a whole bunch.”

DeVyldere suggested making a website instead. Riseley loved the idea.

DeVyldere spent fall term writing the website, which is now up and running. The website, listenvotedownload.org, only plays songs from Jamendo.com. Students can listen to the small selection of good songs already on listenvotedownload.org, or they can click on the large plus sign in the corner of the webpage and add their own favorite songs from Jamendo.

“Overall, it’s really easy to use,” said LBCC student Jenny Ramerez, trying out the website for the first time. She had fun scouring the thousands of songs on Jamendo to find something to add to listenvotedownload.org.

“I like indie type music,” she said. “I was tired of listening to the same bands over and over.”

Riseley hopes that eventually, local musicians will upload their songs to listenvotedownload.org, through Jamendo. Using Creative Commons licensing, musicians allow Jamendo to distribute their song for free, but they still own the rights. “It’s a way for students to support local songs,” said Riseley.

Riseley, who knows two DJ’s at KBVR, hopes to get some of the top voted song songs onto the radio. “We hope to use this as a way to help local artists meet local radio stations,” he said.

Whether listenvotedownload.org songs end up on the radio, the Open Source Club plans to leave the site up indefinitely. Students will be able to keep adding to and refining the music selection.

Currently the top song on the website is called "How To Make The Worst Song Ever," perhaps rising in the ranks due to its interesting title. Most of the rest of the music consists of indie songs, including the second and third ranked songs, "Boats Swept Away" and "Elevators."

According to DeVyldere, the ultimate goal for the website is to promote free and open content on the internet, and to, in his own words, “shove free music down people’s throats.”

Further Information:

What: A new music website

Where: Listenvotedownload.org

Who: Created by LBCC's Open Source Club

Why: Discover new music that is free and legal to download

Contact Chris Riseley:

Email: riselec@linnbenton.edu

Office: NSH 211

Website: http://cf.linnbenton.edu/artcom/english/riselec/web.cfm?pgID=5664

My Experiences Getting Involved on Campus

I was the only one who didn’t bring a computer to the club meeting. The other members jabbered away in computer talk, which, as far as I could tell, was half English and half obscure acronyms.

“Come to the open source club meeting!” Chris Riseley, my old writing teacher, had said. “It’s for artsy people like you.”

From what I could see, the club was actually for smart computer-geek types.

Getting involved on campus is generally seen as a good idea. Teachers will tell you that extracurricular activities are great for resumes, and foster communication skills. A research project done at California State University found that students involved in extracurricular activities "achieved much higher rates of retention and graduation, maintained better GPA's, and had higher good standing rates."

I talked to some LBCC students on the subject, wondering how those statistics hold up. 80% of those I talked to felt that the extracurricular activities they'd participated in helped their grades overall. One student said, "it gave me another reason to be at school." Another said, "participating in extracurricular school activities is a really good practice for your integrity and self-discipline, and ultimately improves study habits."

I would agree with my fellow students that extracurricular activities have a positive effect on grades and life in general. However, I would like to take it a step further. I think that part of the beauty of extracurricular activities comes from trying new things I never knew I was interested in, which is why I initially took Mr. Riseley up on his offer and went to the Open Source Club meeting.

When I first arrived on campus I only got involved in things I was already interested in. Since I was into Journalism, I spent a term writing for The Commuter. I was given random topics to cover, and I covered them. I began researching and writing about events on campus I never would have attended if I'd been given the choice.

Once, for instance, I was told to do a write-up of the LBCC Psychology club. Psychology isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I went. Interestingly enough, the club was mostly about helping college students who struggle with depression. I’m a college student, I struggle with depression, and yet under normal circumstances I never would have gone to the psychology club.

Another night I had to go to a concert given by the LBCC music faculty. The performances were magical. I was awed at the talent of the music faculty, and the loveliness of this strange little concert I would never have heard of had I not been forced to cover it.

I began to look at campus involvement in a new light. How many interesting things are there to do on campus that I'd never even considered doing?

According to the LBCC website, the college currently has 27 clubs and 13 co-curricular programs available to students, some with interesting sounding names like “Near-Space Exploration Club,” and “Spherical Cow.” I’m sure that some of the clubs and events on campus are boring and/or pointless. I’m sure that others are fascinating and delightful. We might as well try them out and see for ourselves.

Of course getting involved on campus will help you in a myriad of ways, giving you more connections on campus, personal growth, and ultimately, better grades. But I like to get involved on campus because there are so many interesting things available. College is about preparing for future careers, but how can I know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life if I haven’t tried everything?

When Riseley dragged me to the open source club meeting, I was the odd one out. I didn’t know anything about computer programming. I knew nothing about open source culture and all great free content available to the public online. Even so, I found it fascinating. I went to the next meeting, and the next, because I had discovered an interest I never knew I had.


Get Involved!

Campus Clubs and Events:

LBCC Clubs: http://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life-and-leadership/clubs

LBCC Events: www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=linnbenton.edu_luaktm2u9o6e1ig9tbdiuqe2v8@group.calendar.google.com

LBCC Co-Curricular Programs: http://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life-and-leadership/co-curricular-programs

LBCC Online Club Manual: http://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life-and-leadership/clubs/online-club-manual

Student Life and Leadership:

Website: http://www.linnbenton.edu/student-life-and-leadership

Phone: 541-917-4457

Office: F-120 (first floor of Student Union building)

Alyssa Chart, Rodeo Queen

 

The room is filled with people in cowboy hats and giant belt buckles. They mill around, chatting with each other, eating appetizers, and looking over the assortment of birdhouses and wine-bottle-cork wreaths in the silent auction. Alyssa Chart stands at the front of the room in a sage green leather gown, greeting them all with a smile, a handshake, sometimes a hug. She is the 2013 Benton County Fair and Rodeo Queen, and this is her coronation.

Chart grew up in Benton County, and graduated from high school in 2011. Eager to stay in the area to finish her education, she is currently dual-enrolled at Linn Benton Community College and Oregon State University. The same love of her home area drove her to try out for the position of Benton County Fair and Rodeo Queen.

In order to become queen, Chart had to fill out an application, and then go up against two other contestants in a tryout process. The tryouts included a rehearsed speech, an impromptu speech, a personal interview, and a horsemanship display. In the end, Judges were impressed by Chart's horsemanship skills and friendly personality, and she was chosen as the next rodeo queen.

“I’m eager to represent and promote this county,” she says. 

Chart’s official coronation is part ceremony, and part fundraiser to pay for her expenses as she travels around promoting the rodeo. Many of Chart’s friends, members of her church, and other rodeo queens from around Oregon have come to support her both emotionally and financially. And they’re all eager to talk about how wonderful they think she is.

Christy Schrock, one of the queen coordinators and Chart’s former 4H club leader, is convinced that Chart will make a great queen because of her warm and inviting personality. “You can teach them to ride better, you can teach them to be better speakers, but you can’t teach them to have a great personality,” she says.

Several people from Chart’s church, including her pastor and her godmother, congregate at one of the tables scattered throughout the room. It’s easy to see that they think the world of Chart.

“There’s nothing derogatory about her at all,” says Dana Wells, Chart’s godmother. “She’s the sweetest, and she loves animals."

Chart, who describes herself as a “total animal person,” has been working with and training horses and dogs her whole life. According to her grandfather, before Chart was even old enough to enter junior dog shows, she trained a Portuguese Water Dog and showed it at dog shows all over the state, competing against adults and doing an outstanding job.

Even though she loves dogs, Chart’s passion is horses. Unsurprisingly, most of the classes she’s taken at LBCC have been animal science courses. Her ultimate career goal is to own a boarding stable for horses, and to that end, she is still undecided about whether she wants to get an animal science degree or a business degree.

Still, in the year ahead Chart’s main focus will be on her rodeo queen duties. She is excited, looking forward to getting to be with her horse and no longer having to ask for money. As rodeo queen, her job is to attend community events, mingle with people and get them interested in coming to fair and rodeo events. Chart, with her passion for animals and her love of her home area, is tailor made for this position.


Alyssa Chart:

Age: 19

High School: West Albany High School

College: Dual enrolled at OSU and LBCC

Interests: Training horses and dogs

Hobby: Riding in a professional drill team

Career goal: Owning a boarding stable for horses

Mentor: Nichole Schrock, Miss Rodeo Oregon

Favorite Things: Her pets and her awesome truck

As Decade Fades: A Book Review

 

People like to walk down the street with their headphones on, music playing in the background of their life like a soundtrack. They post Facebook status updates that are nothing but song lyrics. No matter what people go through, there is always a song that can be applied to that specific moment.

This idea of a soundtrack to life is something Joshua Fields Millburn explores in his first full-length novel, "As Decade Fades." Millburn, a writer for the popular blog The Minimalists, suffered heavy depression in his late twenties, as his mother died, his marriage ended, and he realized that life wasn't giving him satisfaction. That's when he became a minimalist and started his blog. Now, he channels his feelings during that era of his life into "As Decade Fades."

“I’m not Jody Grafton, the novel’s broken and bruised main character," Millburn writes on his blog. “I have, however, felt all the emotions in this book, felt them down to my bone marrow. But I think you have, too.”

"As Decade Fades" is about a musician named Jody Grafton, a one-hit-wonder of sorts who has hit rock bottom in life. The story follows Grafton as he travels to Brooklyn to help his friend with some music, even though Grafton himself has given up on music. Grafton is facing what he calls a mid-mid-life crisis. An explanatory line from the book reads, "He wasn't sure what had happened, but one day he woke up halfway between somewhere and nowhere and he was twenty-something and nearing thirty as the decade faded."

Grafton has multiple flashbacks during his time in Brooklyn, and the story is told partially in the present day, partially through flashbacks to the past, and partially through music reviews and articles about Grafton. This adds an interesting layer of depth to the novel, but sometimes it makes it hard to follow the timeline.

Through it all, Grafton notices the most interesting little details, from the number of ice cubes in the glass of lemonade, to the way that no one in the airplane can figure out how to get the bathroom door open. Sometimes these details are pretty gross. At other times they are beautiful things people normally wouldn't think of. Grafton can be a very crass character at times, and makes some terrible decisions, yet the reader ends up rooting for him, hoping he will get his life together.

Everywhere he goes, song lyrics jump into his mind. Lyrics that he's written in the past, lyrics that someone else has written, and lyrics that he thought of in that moment. It's as though his life is music to him. Even though he tried to give up music, he can't escape it entirely.

The book was written in an emotional melancholy style that will appeal to some and not others. Blogger Nelle Guebara appreciates the style, saying that "Millburn has been able to elicit from his readers the same emotional reactions Grafton is feeling." However Jake McCrary, reviewing the book on goodreads, described it as "crammed too full of metaphor to the point of being distracting."

It's always interesting to see how bloggers make the shift into novel writing. For the most part, Millburn, has handled this shift well. Though some scenes are slightly crass, readers will be drawn in by Millburn's obvious talent at crafting words.


Further Information:

Title of Book: As Decade Fades

Cost: $15 for paperback, $7 for Kindle edition

Size: 284 pages

Publisher: Asymmetrical Press

Release Date: Dec. 25, 2012

Author Website:  http://joshuafieldsmillburn.com/

Author's Blog: http://www.theminimalists.com/

The Black Curtain Society

At the beginning of the Black Curtain Society meeting on Friday there was a giant piece of paper lying on the floor. Brandon Breiner and Emma Barry struggled to fold it.

“They’re doing giant origami,” explained Dan Stone, the club’s faculty adviser.

There are many clubs on campus, but the Black Curtain Society, LBCC’s theater club, is the only one where you’ll get to see someone making a 3-foot paper crane during the meeting.

The Black Curtain Society is a club for students who want to get involved in any form of theater. However, the club places an emphasis on improv comedy. Though the club meetings are full of fundraising and performance ideas, the meetings are informal with lots of jokes and laughter.

Co-presidents Emma Barry and Kim Willaman have worked hard to make the club what it is. According to Barry, the Black Curtain Society has been floundering for quite some time. The previous presidents were often extremely busy, with little extra time to devote to the club. Last summer Barry and Willaman decided to take on the presidency together, which has worked out quite well.

One of the current goals of the club is to put on improv shows as a fundraiser. Last fall, a group of LBCC students performed at the Eagles’ Club in Albany. The show was about half rehearsed and half improv, and it was a huge hit. The Eagles’ Club is asking them to come back, and Barry and Willaman are working to find other venues as well. 
These shows would be student-run, and not for credit, as paying for credits is a major hardship for some people who want to get involved in theater. Equipment comes from the people involved, with most actors wearing clothes they already own. The proceeds of the shows go back into the Black Curtain Society fund.

Barry and Willaman hope to build up the fund, and use the money not only to do fun things like attend shows, but also to submit plays to festivals and pay for various competitions. “We have a lot of very talented people,” says Willaman, who is eager to help these people get the recognition she feels they deserve. But recognition, of course, takes money, which is why the club is so focused on fundraising at the moment.

According to Willaman, theater is something everyone should get involved in, because it’s an excuse to act immature but still do something constructive, improving your communication skills and learning to think on your feet. “You can act like a nut, and people appreciate it,” she said.

Stone chimed in and said that people should get involved in theater because “their life depends on it.” He further explained that the arts are what make us human, and theater is a combination of all the arts, incorporating dance, music, and visual arts.

After Friday's meeting was over, Rose Taylor approached Stone and asked if she could get involved backstage.

“Of course!” said Stone, enthusiastically.

Taylor thanked him, and then said that she had trouble getting involved in clubs because people saw that she was in a wheelchair and were afraid she would hurt herself. But she figured of all the clubs, the theater club would probably be the least discriminating.

This made the club members laugh, because it’s so true. The theater club doesn’t just tolerate differences, it embraces them. No matter who you are, if you have any interest in theater and are willing to help out in whatever way you can, the Black Curtain Society will embrace you.


Get Involved:

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/blackcurtainsociety

Co-presidents’ email address:  blackcurtainoflb@gmail.com

Dan Stone’s email address:  dan.stone@linnbenton.edu

Meeting time: 3:30 p.m. Fridays in the Russell Tripp Theater on the Albany campus