A Brief Overview of Senegal

SENEGAL

Pre Colonial: In the 13th and 14th centuries the land that is now Senegal belonged to the Mandingo empires to the East of it.  The first group of people to trade here were the Portuguese in the 15th century. In the 19th century the French took over all of senegal until about 1920 when they declared it a colony and Darkar (now Senegal's capital) was the capital of all French West Africa.  And after 1958 Sengal became a member of the French Community.

Colonial: The French took over in the 19th century Senegal becomes a part of French West Africa. In 1946 Senegal became part of teh French Union. and in 1958 Sengal joins the French community.  The French Colonized Senegal to spread there religion, language, and ideas. 

Independence: In June 1960, Senegal and the Frenched the Mali federation which became independent on June 20, 1960. The federation broke up August 20 of that year because of political difficulties.  Senegal proclaimed independance and Leopold Senghor was elected as Senegal's first president in August 1960. 

Present Day: Angry mobs in Senegal are attacking and humiliating gay's by going to thier local cemetary, diggin up gay mens bodies, and then spitting on them. Also, 5 soilders have died in clashes with rebles in the southern region of Casamance.

Similarities in Creation Myths From all Over the World

Many different cultures around the world have stories about the creation of the Earth.  Each story is told differently but they have many similarities. Here are a few:

The Making of People from Dirt

In most of the creation myth's gods create people out of some form of dirt. Whether or not it be clay, dirt, sand, etc. It's actually very intresting because dirt, mud, and clay are all simple elements you can find easily on Earth. And to even think about people bieng made out of dirt, clay, or mud, is kind of gross to think about. But it's also cool at the same time and it kind of makes the element Earth not seem so boring. I'm not sure why most creation myths use dirt, clay, or mud to create people. But I also find its intresting that most myth use this because it makes it feel not so made up.

Starting the Myth with "In the beginning..."
Another thing I noticed is myths usually start with the phrase "In the beginning..." It sounds like all the stories use the same tone or "voice" in there story which i thought was pretty cool because these stories are all from different cultures and different parts all around the world but yet they all start out the same. I mean, I guess the creation of the world would start in the beginning but I would think they'd phrase it differently.

The Conflict Between Good and Evil
I also noticed how there is always a conflict between good and evil. In every single creation myth there is some evil force trying to take the good side down. It makes it kind of sound like a super hero story. Which I guess in some perspective it is. Like in the story of Theseus. Each story must have some kind of evil force bringing them down which makes sense because that's how it is in real life also. So, I found this very accurate.

In creation myths each story explains how the Earth was formed, how people came to be, and how animals came to be. Each are simliar in some way, wether it be through the creation of people from dirt, the conflict between good and evil, or simply startin the story with "In the beginning...". Each story is created to make us feel comfortable and open our minds to the creation of the world instead of us wondering how it came to be. But the truth is, we'll never actually know because we weren't around.

Rabbit- Proof Fence.

      Rabbit-Proof Fence was an outstanding movie.  It kept you on the edge of your seat and wanting more.  It helped me learn a lot about the Aboriginal culture; it was very informational.  It was a story of 3 girls who were captured, put in a camp, but very determined to return home.  From the beginning of the movie it broke my heart.  I can only imagine what it would be like to be pried away from your family not sure when or if you would ever return.  It was really sad to see the devastation on the mothers and grandmothers faces as their child was being forcefully taken from them. But the movie wasn't all sad. Soon enough, Molly, Gracie, and Daisy escaped from the camp and began their long trek through the desert to find their way home. They walked a long time while trying to escape the tracker and trying to throw him off by covering their tracks. Also, there were many people who helped them along the way. One woman gave them food and clothes, many men gave them food, and one maid even let them stay in her home so they would have somewhere to sleep.  But there were people that gave them away also.  One man found the girls in his home so he called the cops so they would take them away, but luckily the girls escaped in time so Moo Doo the tracker could not find them.  Another man told Gracie her mom was at the train station so out of hope Gracie left Molly and Daisy to find her mother.  Sadly, Gracie was captured and Molly and Daisy never saw her again.  Like I said before, it would be hard to see family be taken away once, but twice?  I can’t even begin to imagine.  Molly and Gracie were very sly with their hiding spots and when they ate, what they ate, and when and where they slept. And many miles later, Gracie and Molly had finally made their way back home.  It was a great movie and I would recommend it to anyone.  It’s a great story of hope, faith, and love.

Halloween Disaster

                With my Spider-Man shirt and blue jeans on, I walked out of my car and into Natalie Reilly’s house where I would be spending my fourteenth Halloween.  I walked in the house to see Mike dressed as Edward Cullen, Nick and Maddie dressed as themselves, and Camlie, Katii, and Natalie dressed as football players.  I honestly thought this would be the best Halloween ever and I was right.  But we all know every great moment has at least one downfall, and this downfall happened to be involving me.  But luckily, it didn’t happen until the very end of the party. 

                “Trick-or-Treat!” Everyone screamed as loud as they could because it was the last house they would approach before we went back to Natalie’s place.  But I of course would be spending another Halloween watching my friends trick-or treat without participating.  Now I know what you’re thinking, I thought I was “too cool” to trick-or-treat; but that’s not true.  Honestly, it killed me watching them participate in the festivities with me watching.  The real reason I didn’t go was because I’m allergic to chocolate so obviously there’s no point going trick-or-treating when you can’t eat any of it.  So as everyone collected there last piece of candy of the night we made our way back to Natalie’s house.

                When we finally made our way back, we all walked inside, lazily plopped down on Natalie’s couch, and turned on the T.V. While Camile searched for a scary movie everyone else dug through their candy and started eating away. Everyone sympathetically gave me all their suckers so I wouldn’t be completely left out.  As I searched through Nick’s bag for suckers I came across a king size Butterfinger; and this is where it started.  I hadn’t had chocolate in a couple of years so I thought maybe I’d be over it now.  I asked Nick if I could have it and he said sure. I took one bite and I was in heaven.  I kept eating and eating until it was all gone.  It was so good and nothing was happening I was so happy but, about 5 minutes later that all changed.  I broke out in hives and my throat started burning, it became hard to breath.  I can for the faucet and drank about 3 full glasses of water. I had a coughing fit and it felt like I was choking. I kept drinking and drinking and finally, about 10 minutes later I stopped choking but my throat was on fire.  I still have a sore throat from it but thankfully it’s slowly going away. But, I will never forget that Halloween.  It was the scariest moment I’ve ever been through.

And the Winner is... KRAFT!

    Velveeta and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese; two of the most popular brands of macaroni and cheese around.  These two competitors caused a big fuss in Mr. Fielder's 3rd hour class this week. I know it might sound silly, but arguments went on and on about which brand was better. But really, it shouldn't have been an argument at all; Kraft should have won hands down. No argument needed. 

    Kraft, the brand kids love.  Nearly every time I sit down and watch T.V. "Rex the Dinosaur" appears on my screen telling me to eat the delicious macaroni that he and everyone else loves.  It's actually a very cute commercial and kids love "Rex".  Does Velveeta have a cute little dinosaur mascot? Heck, does Velveeta even have a commercial kids would enjoy? I don't think so.  Another thing for kids that Kraft provides and Velveeta doesn't is macaroni and cheese in shapes!  They have so many characters kids love; for example: "Pokemon", "Scooby-Doo", "Looney Toons", and even, "Spongebob".  I can guarantee almost any kid 14 and under, including myself, and any parent that has had young kids, has once in there life been guilty of eating Kraft's creative shapes.

    Not only is Kraft's design better but it's taste is better to.  When people put a big spoonful of Kraft in their mouth their taste buds go wild.  It's like a cheesy firework has gone off in your mouth. I mean, I guess Velveeta could do that to your taste buds to; If you like the taste of fake cheese and feet that is.  Velveeta should be called "Velveeta Macaroni and Cheese Product" because within the first bite you take you can tell instantly that the cheese used is not real.
    It's obvious that if someone were to judge macaroni and cheese on style and/or taste, Kraft would win by a landslide. It's the only macaroni and cheese that's adult and kid friendly. Sorry Velveeta, but were putting you back on the shelf and taking Kraft off. So please, do yourself a favor, put away the Velveeta and explore the world of what GOOD macaroni and cheese tastes like by purchasing the one and only Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.
 

Alphabetical Introduction

A is for Alyssa, that's my sisters name. Arnold Palmer- My favorite drink. It's half lemonade and half iced tea. 
B is for basketball, one of my favorite sports. I've been playing since second grade.
C is for cats. I have two cats that go by the names Oliver and Leo. Camping- I go camping every summer with my family and family friends. Castle Gardens- The pool club that I spent my whole summer at with my Frost and St.Edith friends.
D is for Doritos. My favorite late night snack. Daughter- I'm a daughter to my lovely parents Melanie and Vince.
E is for Erika, that's my name. EnV3- My phone is an EnV3. I always have it with me.
F is for freshman, I'm a freshman at SHS. Frost- I went to Frost Middle School before i came to Stevenson.
G is for Glee. I record Glee every week and watch it with my sister.
H is for Holocaust Museum. I went there for my cultural event with Katii Lipinski and Haley Lawrence. We had an awesome time.
I is for ice cream, my favorite kind is vanilla.
J is for Julia, Julia Cavagnini is my best friend. We hung out almost every day this summer.
K is for karaoke. My uncle has a huge sound system in his basement so we have karaoke night every time we go over his house.
L is for League of Their Own, my favorite movie. It's about all the baseball players going off to war so the woman make a baseball league of their own.
M is for Melanie, my moms name. I love my mom.
N is for naps. I love taking naps when I get home from school.
O is for Okapi. Okapi's are my favorite animal. They're part giraffe, part zebra, and part horse.
P is for Panera Bread. On every PLC day at Frost my friends Suzy, Carlye, and I would go to Panera bread for lunch to celebrate getting a quarter of the day off.
Q is for quite. I'm pretty quite at school because I don't really know anybody yet.
R is for Randall, my last name. Reeses- My favorite candy that I'm not allergic to.
S is for softball. Softball is my favorite sport. I've been playing since I was 10. Storm- I play softball for the Livonia Storm. Stevenson- I attend Stevenson Highschool.
T is for Taco Bell. Taco Bell is my favorite fast food restaurant. I always order a quesadilla.
U is for Up North. I go up north every year to Caseville with my family and one friend and we got jet skiing, boating, and we shop downtown.      
V is for Vampire diaries. It's mine and my moms favorite show. Vince- Vince is my dads name, I love my dad.
W is for water. I love water. Especially swimming in it during summer at the pool club.
X is for Xbox 360. I have an Xbox 360. I play all the time.
Y is for yoga pants. I love wearing yoga pants.
Z is for zebra print. I love the look of zebra print. My phone case is pink, green, and yellow zebra print.