If Animals could speak…

… what would they say?

This is an interesting question. Many people hold the “human race” in superiority to other animals. I think otherwise because we are technically classified as animals too. Homo sapiens, correct? Eating other animals is not the issue. Other animals eat other animals; it’s a natural phenomenon (food chain). I don’t understand why humans ignore the animal’s existence. Animals have rights too, we have completely demolished those rights.

My concern lies in the fact that America is still caught up in “Manifest Destiny.” Destiny is the subconscious and vague goal that Americans pursue. Deforestation is very common. Run someone out of their house and they live on the streets, at least until they find some place else. I am sure Mr. Raccoon will be happy to live in the tree that got trampled by a bulldozer. Animals have no choice. Want to be a grizzly bear’s pet? How about a mascot for a little league squirrel baseball team: “The Cincinnati Humans.”

Many would argue that animals would eat us if we were nice to them. I beg to differ. Animals assimilated to the human existence; they have assimilated to our ways and have put up with us, ESPECIALLY when we take their land. This reminds me of the Native Amer-…

“I hope you die!” is something I’d like to hear from another fellow animal. I participate in this selfish act of self-indulgence… It’s the American way.

-Carlo "Carnage" Callwood

Memories

A knight without a Queen,
None to obey or follow,

None to rule or lead,

A life without a hollow.

A prince in search of his princess,

A Romeo falling for his Juliet,

A Dante fighting for his one and only,

A Moon to live alongside his Sun.

My life I will not let go,

Whatever it may become,

No matter what its path is.

Regret to remain non-existent.

This life shall remain my own,

Whether it be meant for a martyr,

A knight in travel, or,

A King to save the world.

My heart still beats,

Without surrendering to the dark,

I kneel to the light.

To you I hold out my hand.

My pride can break,

My hope can shatter,

My life can fade,

Yet, my heart won’t stop.

Dearly beloved,

I will always miss you,

Being a thousand miles apart,

Being even seconds apart.

With hate as a witness,

Love continues to fight,

With the dark as my ally,

I fall into the light.

You break past my every wall,

I build past the ones that belong to you,

An imperfection in one,

Is a perfection in the other.

The world could be on the brink of despair,

Yet, you would only matter,

Is this a dream … or is this,

A dream turned into a nightmare?

The faces watch,

The voices speak,

The thoughts wonder,

And the truth sleeps.

My end was brought about,

Leaving only your beginning in the horizon,

The dark took me whole,

My light flickered weak.

I lost myself and I did nothing,

Lost in the thoughts of the past,

My hope burned away,

From night to day.

I never forgave myself,

Yet, I wouldn’t change a thing,

Even if I could,

A new beginning I will bring.

I still think of you,

My inspiration lives on,

My hope rekindled,

My life out of the shadows.

From the dark I walk on,

With the light I know,

Perhaps in time we will meet again,

Strangers closer than any other.

Until that time I will let it be,

I can’t live blind my dear,

I won’t allow myself to,

I’ll always remember you.

A farewell, this is not.

For the puzzle is incomplete without one another.

This one’s for you,

My Karoline.

-Anonymous

Countdown

Less than a week is
less than 52 before I holler
"Yoohoo!" to a U-niversity.

It's adversity to
live in a city
that you feel is real sh--ty.
Deeper in the gritty
is the house that be my prison cell...

phone is the only escape.
I don't want to be here,
I'm too near the bull----...
too many tears, especially
when I get a mind flick
and dream of a Phil Jackson
Bulls hit.

Damn...

Six rings around the rosey
and my gaurd is down... no point
or James Posey...

A resignation of the pain
is only...
days away from Or-land...
Oh sh--! I ran from the Middle
East bottomless pit.

I will be a ballpoint pen...
Get it?
I'm the point, give me the ball
and I OD with the pen after I shake them all
off.

So ship me away, next-day.
Because I'm impatient
to lay in a place vacant
of sh-- that plagues
the brain...
A vacation.

For four years is what I need...
come back to visit a place and bleed?
Fu-- is you teekin aboot?
I'm speaking of true hurt.
I'm never leaving the truth.


-Carlo "Carnage" Callwood

Surviving SAS

I will truly miss the summer. No more waking up when I want, going out when I want, and doing what I want to do. Come August 24th the awful feeling of school will be back. Waking up at 5:30 in the mourning, doing outlines given by Mr. Pino, catching the bus 75, and that’s just a few of the things that I will encounter when I come back to school. At least on the bright side it’s my senior year so I have something to really look forward to. That is my back to school experience which is different from the experiences other seniors had, and different from the experiences the juniors had. Since the juniors are not coming back to SAS but are now entering SAS, I would like to give them a few tips that I find helpful.

1. Don’t be intimidated by the school
2. You will get as much as you put in
3. Don’t take the MDC classes too lightly
4. Strive for all A’s in your MDC classes, it will augment your GPA significantly
5. Don’t give up
6. Don’t be fooled by your inflated GPA
7. Study for your PSAT, it will help you a lot
8. You need your sibling not vice versa

-Mrs. Skinny Jeans n the J

African-Americans

Are African-Americans accurately portrayed in television and movies? First, I must first ask: What standards are used to measure this? Setting standards that an ethnic group must succumb to, whether African-American or not, sanctions the basis for social discrimination and prejudice. In truth, there is no single characteristic that can define an African-American. How then, can we say whether or not African-Americans are accurately portrayed in the media?

My favorite television series is “One Tree Hill”. One of the most memorable characters is nicknamed Skills (played by actor Antwon Tanner), an African-American basketball player who always says what is on his mind. Skills speaks Ebonics, which some might say is an improper use of the English language. While some are proud of his acting and representation of our Black culture, other viewers on online forums have commented that Skills makes African-Americans seem uninformed. Does his use of slang show that African-Americans are ignorant? Can Ebonics be considered a part of our heritage and be cherished as it is a sign of our past struggles in America? Is his “speak whatever is on my mind” attitude indicative of an African-American's impulsive and defiant nature towards society?

On the other side of the spectrum, we have Carlton Banks, played by Alfonso Ribeiro, on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”. The sitcom became so popular that my generation would later watch the show through reruns and still relate to the issues presented. On one such episode, Carlton Banks’ “Blackness” was examined as he attempted to join a fraternity. Simply put, the leaders did not believe that he was black enough. Carlton Banks can be described as a preppy conservative. This is far from the usual portrayal of African-Americans as left winged individuals with a more urban style of attire. Carlton Banks was articulate and destined for success. Did the character Carlton Banks stray too far away from the typical Black male living in the “hood”? Did his hopes and aspirations to attend a prominent school and become a judge contradict with the accepted stereotype that African-Americans try to “get rich quick” through schemes like the lottery or street pharmaceuticals?

Society represents African-Americans in many different ways. Are they inaccurate? Of course they are not. We are a diverse group of people who come from many different social backgrounds. While we all share similar ancestry, we have different upbringings and different personalities. Whether it is an African-American who is great at basketball and speaks Ebonics or a conservative prep that chooses to speak proper English, we are all African-Americans.

The underlying message portrayed through this essay is one that ignites considerable thought. It is not about how society portrays us as a culture. It is about how we see ourselves as a people. We may dislike what we see on television or think it is inaccurate because we have not yet accepted the beauty that is the African-American culture and the diversity that is found within it.

-Anonymous

My List

I find the senior year to be one of the hardest years of my life. Not only do I have to juggle college applications but I have high school and Miami Dade classes to keep up with. Most people, who are not in SAS, would go crazy and would not be able to handle the stress that comes from having so much on their plate. In order to prevent myself from giving up, I made a list that would help me through the year.

Get a girlfriend

Get friends; I wish I had some

Avoid “oxymorons”

Attend classes five minutes earlier than usual, 11:45

Recognize that the answer is always irony

Get the “Bruin” to accept me

Get a smaller white tee, medium isn’t small enough and manages to make it into the office

Sit by the “cool people” in building one

Get a brand new phone and a DS

Get a Micro SD (lol J), it is way better than a memory card

Send in this article before the deadline, whenever that is . . .

Avoid senioritis, aww never mind too late



By the person who is always around in the background even if you don’t know it, LITERALLY.

I’M RIGHT BEHIND YOU AS YOU READ IT.

-Anonymous

The Communication Thread

Words

The only connection between

Us

I cling on to them

Like my last line to life

Smiling at the fact when you speak them

Frowning at the fact that I don’t get to hear them often

Wavering at the fact as to where I stand

Save your breathe, is the action my friends tell me to take

Thinking.

I start off in following their suggestion

Until I feel that yank toward you

The words you speak to lure me are mesmerizing, compelling, calming, flowing

Yet firm and clear

My decisions are and are not of my own

I know that my body is following your direction

Yet I have no intention of stopping it

Connection created from concrete

Hidden

PROMISES, it’s what build this tremendous solid structure of consideration

Red is the color of our thread that interlocked our

Words


-Nemo