10 Uses For Your Body After You Die

"Like many Americans, you probably think you're pretty charitable. Perhaps you donate money to the needy or ill, give away your old clothes, volunteer at your child's school or participate in holiday gift drives in December. But you may be missing something. As you're charitable in life, you could also be charitable in death" (10 Uses For Your Body After You Die)

1. Donate your organs
2. Donate your tissue
3. Will your body to a university
4. Help doctors practice their skills
5. Leave your body to "the body farm"
6. Become a crash test cadaver
7. Give your body to a broker
8. Send your body on tour
9. Become a skeleton
10. Be on display at a museum


This is actually a good idea. While it's tradition to bury your loved ones, all their body is doing underground is rotting; so why not donated their body to science. Donating your body to science can help future generations learn more about the human body through studies and research. Just think your skeleton could be in you grandchild's classroom or you could be a museum exhibit that travels the country. Donating your organs or tissue could save a life. I my self am an organ donor and I look at it this way; if I was in an accident and needed an organ transplant to survive wouldn't I be hoping for someone to have been generous enough to donate their organs so why wouldn't I do the same. So maybe think about this creative new idea on what to do with your body after you die.

Competitive High School Cheerleading

Most people see the cheerleaders at the football games cheering on the sidelines but there's a whole other world of competitive cheerleading out there. From November to March, competitive cheerleaders spend their weekends traveling all over the state and sometimes out of the state to competitions. I cheer for my school and my school also has a competition team which I also participate in. We go to camp in the summer and put together our routine; this includes choreographing a dance, putting together stunt sequences and a pyramid, coming up with a cheer, and adding tumbling where needed. A routine has to have all these elements and has to be about two minutes long. Two minutes, I know that seems like a lot of work for a two minute performance but in those two minutes you are constantly moving, flipping, dancing, jumping, cheering, and stunting. Once you have this routine down, you start competing.

If you were a competitive cheerleader you would  wake up anywhere from 4-7 in the morning on a weekend, depending on how far away you had to travel to compete. Once you were at the competition, you'd walk into a huge arena and see hundreds of cheerleaders and their parents in the stands; you'd see a 9 or 7 panel mat with girls warming up tumbling on it and a judge’s stand in front of the mat. You’d go put your bags down, put your sneakers on and go warm up your tumbling. Maybe an hour or so after warming up tumbling, you'd go with your team to warm up your full routine. Right after you warm up your full routine, you'd go out on the performance mat and perform for the judges.

You have one shot to hit every stunt, land every tumbling pass, and do the dance choreography correctly. You're standing in your first position just waiting for your music to start and your heart is pounding and your palms are sweating. The music starts and you just go. I've competed in competitions since I was eight and honestly once you're on that mat and that music starts you experience this feeling almost like blacking out; it's like your body knows what to do and just does it. You don't remember seeing anything or anyone out in the crowd. You end your routine and cheer as you exit the floor. You have the rest of the day to watch the other teams perform and awards are usually around 5 or 6 in the evening. They call all the teams down to the mat and they start handing out awards; after you find out how you placed you get to go home and rest after a long exhausting day. This is what a competitive cheerleader’s life is like on weekends in the winter and spring.

Columbus High School Cheerleading 08 STATE CHAMPS!

The "Liberal Gene"

"Can there really be a liberal gene? They’ve got to be joking. But no here it is, straight from Fox News today: James Fowler, a professor medical genetics and political science says liberals can’t help being – liberal. Of course, what Fowler calls the “liberal gene” he also explains as being the “open minded” gene. " (The Liberal Gene)

This may seem pretty out there but it's believable. Traits, including personality, are inherited from your parents, so why not the ability to be open minded.  However, I don't think you can call this gene the "liberal gene" because your political views, while they may be influenced by your parents, are not directly inherited from them.

Senior Show

 At my high school we have this tradition called "The Senior Show"; obviously it's something you get the privilege of doing your senior year. Any senior can sign up to be in the performance but no one is forced to perform. Our one English teacher creates a theme and then scripts the entire production. He gives each group of seniors a skit and works with the groups one night a week for about a month. This year our theme is "books we have read through out our school career". My group is rapping the children's story "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. There's seven of us in our group; two of the guys are rapping the two main characters parts and the other five of us are acting out the parts of the book where Sam-I-Am asks the other main character if he would eat green eggs and ham in different locations. We've been trying to come up with entertaining actions to put into our skit to make it more humorous and so far it seems to be coming along favorably. The performance is in November and I hope everyone enjoys it.

I am Sam, I am Sam, Sam I am

That Sam-I-am, That Sam-I-am!

I do not like that Sam-I-am

Do you like green eggs and ham?

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
I do not like green eggs and ham.

Would you like them Here or there?

I would not like them here or there.

I would not like them anywhere.

I do not like green eggs and ham.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am

Would you like them in a house?

Would you like them with a mouse?

I do not like them in a house.

I do not like them with a mouse.

I do not like them here or there.

I do not like them anywhere.

I do not like green eggs and ham.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you eat them in a box?

Would you eat them with a fox?

Not in a box, Not with a fox.

Not in a house, Not with a mouse.

I would not eat them here or there.

I would not eat them anywhere.

I would not eat green eggs and ham.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Would you? Could you? in a car?

Eat them! Eat them! Here they are.

I would not, could not in a car

You may like them. You will see.
You may like them in a tree?
I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be.

I do not like them in a box.

I do not like them with a fox

I do not like them in a house
I do mot like them with a mouse
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

A train! A train! A train! A train!
Could you, would you on a train?

Not on a train! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! Sam! Let me be!
I would not, could not, in a box.
I could not, would not, with a fox.
I will not eat them with a mouse
I will not eat them in a house.
I will not eat them here or there.
I will not eat them anywhere.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Say! In the dark? Here in the dark!

Would you, could you, in the dark?

I would not, could not, in the dark.

Would you, could you, in the rain?

I would not, could not, in the rain.
Not in the dark. Not on a train,
Not in a car, Not in a tree.
I do not like them, Sam, you see.
Not in a house. Not in a box.
Not with a mouse. Not with a fox.
I will not eat them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere!

You do not like green eggs and ham?

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Could you, would you, with a goat?

I would not, could not with a goat!

Would you, could you, on a boat?

I could not, would not, on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not eat them in the rain.
I will not eat them on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not eat them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.

I do not like them here or there.

I do not like them ANYWHERE!

I do not like green eggs and ham!

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

You do not like them. SO you say.
Try them! Try them! And you may.
Try them and you may I say.

Sam! If you will let me be,
I will try them. You will see.

Say! I like green eggs and ham!
I do!! I like them, Sam-I-am!
And I would eat them in a boat!
And I would eat them with a goat...
And I will eat them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good so good you see!

So I will eat them in a box.
And I will eat them with a fox.
And I will eat them in a house.

And I will eat them with a mouse.

And I will eat them here and there.
Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE!

I do so like green eggs and ham!

Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-am

The A,B,C's of Cheerleading Stunts

Cheerleaders jump, tumble, dance, cheer, and stunt. While all these things make up a cheerleader; stunting is arguably the most athletic part of it all. We lift and toss girls our own size into the air, but what are all these stunts called?

Arabesque



Arabesque - A fully-extended, one leg stunt where the flyer stands on one leg and extends the other straight out, behind her, while keeping her chest upright and arms in a "T" motion

Awesome - A fully-extended, two legged stunt where the flyers feet are together, instead of shoulder width apart in the air

Back - The person behind the stunt holding the flyers ankles

Base - The person supporting the flyers weight in a stunt

• Main Base - The person supporting most of the flyers weight in a one legged stunt
• Secondary/Side Base - The person helping the main base support the flyers weight in a one legged stunt

Basket Toss - A stunt using two bases, a back, front, and flyer. The two bases interlock their arms in a basket position; the flyer stands on the balls of her feet on the basket; the back and front have their hands under the basket and help the bases throw. Once the flyer is in the air she rides the toss to the top then hits a trick like a toe touch, pike, or any verson of a twist. The flyer then returns to the cradle position and the bases, back, and front catch her.


• Back Tuck - A basket toss where the flyer rides the toss to the top then does a back tuck in the air and returns to the cradle position to be caught, ground stunters all do the same thing as a regular basket toss




Toe Touch Basket Toss


• Kick Twist -  A basket toss where the flyer rides the toss to the top then kicks on leg to the corner and uses that momentum to then twist her body 360 degrees while in a laidback position, ground stunters need to watch flyer and move with her but catch the same as a normal toss
• Twist - A basket toss where the flyer rides the toss to the top with her hands in a touchdown motion then twists her body 360 degrees by taking her arms from a touchdown position to a motion where you put your right hand in your left pants pocket and your left hand in your left back pocket (not literally), ground stunters do the same thing as in a regular toss
• X-Out - A basket toss where the flyer rides the toss to the top, balls up and then makes an "X" with her body then returns to the cradle position to be caught, ground stunters catch the same



Bow-And-Arrow



Bow-And-Arrow - A one legged stunt where the flyer stands on one leg and kicks the other up and grabs it with the opposite hand in a stretch position and the other arm is in a "Half T" motion

Cradle - A dismount from any stunt where the bases and back have hold of the flyer, they dip together and pop the flyer into the air, the flyer rides the pop to the top and then sits and is caught by the ground stunters and raps her arms around the bases neck to help catch herself

Full Down/Twist Cradle

Double Down - a cradle dismount where the flyer rides the pop from her bases then twists 720 degrees in a laidback position and then is caught by her bases

Elevator/Half - A two-legged stunt, where the bases keep hands at chest level and flyers legs shoulder width apart, back holds ankles

Extension/Full - A two-legged stunt, where bases arms are fully extended and flyers feet are shoulder width apart, back hold ankles

Full Down/Twist Cradle - a cradle dismount where the flyer rides the pop from her base and then twists 360 degrees in a laid back position and then in caught by her bases

Heel Stretch - A fully extended one-legged stunt, where the flyer stands on one leg and kicks the other to the same hand and holds it in a stretch position, her other hand is in a "High V"



Heel Stretch Pyramid



Liberty - A fully extended one-legged stunt, where the flyer stands on one leg and bends the other at the knee with her foot placed at the knee of the leg she is standing on

Pyramid - Multiple stunts connected

Scorpion - A fully extended one-legged stunt, where the flyer stands on one leg and hold the foot of her other leg behind her head with both hands in an extremely arched position

Single- Base Scorpion

Sponge - A dismount where the bases keep both feet and lower the flyer back down to the load position, having their hands near their bellybutton; the flyer bends at the knees and catches the bases on their shoulders, holding her weight; the back slows the flyer down by catching the butt

Single-Base - A stunt where only one base holds the flyer

Varsity, School Cheerleading: Behind the Scenes

As I said in my about me, I am on my varsity cheerleading squad. Many people see us cheering at the home football games, but very few know what goes on behind the scenes. For regular, varsity cheerleading I have practice twice a week plus games. Our practice consists of two hours of stunting, dancing, and learning cheers. At the football games the crowd watches us seamlessly perform gravity defying stunts, but what does it really take to execute these stunts? Most practices we will spend at least half of our time working on new stunts. Each time we start learning a new stunt the flyer has to be taught what she is doing in the air, the bases have to be taught hand grips, and the back has to be taught their grip. The next step is just to attempt the stunt; however, this does not always go smoothly. Most times the flyer falls or a base looses her grip and it's up to the rest of the group to catch the flyer and safely return her to the ground. I don't mean to scare anyone but sometimes when trying a particularly difficult stunt, girls will get hurt, especially if spotters were not paying attention. Statistics show that cheerleading accounts for 65 percent of all injuries in girls’ high school athletics (report by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research at the University of North Carolina). This is why there are safety regulations set up by the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches & Administrators (AACCA Safety Rules and Regulations). Usually however, the stunt may not hit perfectly but no injuries will occur. Now that everyone has a feel for what the stunt is like; the next attempt usually goes smoother. Once every group has hit their stunt, the next step is to put it to counts or a cheer. This finished product is what the fans see us perform at the games. The time we have left at practice we spend reviewing or learning new cheers and dances. To learn new cheers, we break it down into parts. First you learn the words then you start to put motions to the words. We learn probably about one hundred cheers to use during the season. As for dances, we learn these one eight count at a time (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8... repeat). A typical dance we do at a game is usually three to four eight counts. Each count has a motion, and learning one eight count at a time helps so you can perfect that part of the dance before you move on to the next. Once you have learned the dance to counts the next step is to put it to music; you may still count but you have to count to the beat of the music.  It can take us anywhere from one to three practice to learn a dance, depending on its difficulty and the amount of time we have to work on it. Learning new stunts, dances and cheers is what we do in the two practices a week before each game. It takes hours of preparation behind the scenes before we are game day ready, so next time you attend a sporting event and you see the cheerleaders stunting, dancing, or cheering; give them respect and credit because what they do is not as easy as it seems.