WORDS DANCE Challenge #1 Contestants

CONTESTANT #6 1st PRIZE

Albert Einstein: The Story of a Humble Scientist

“Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolized.” ~ Albert Einstein

Born to Hermann and Pauline Einstein on March 14, 1879 in Wurttemberg, Germany, the young Albert became fascinated with science at an early age after an encounter with a magnetic compass left him wondering about things “deeply hidden.”

While growing up, Einstein’s family moved several times, and finally in 1896, he began training to become a physics and math teacher at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School. During this time, Einstein became a Swiss citizen, and fell in love with Maria Maric, a fellow classmate whom he would later marry in 1903, and have two sons with, as well an out-of-wedlock daughter that was given up for adoption.

Unable to find a teaching position after graduating, Einstein became a patent clerk, which provided him with a salary and time to think about unsolved physics problems. Einstein published five papers in 1905, one of which would earn him the Nobel prize, and another (describing his special theory of relativity) which would make him famous for the creation of the well-known equation e = mc².

Einstein then held various university teaching positions in Zurich, Prague and Berlin while publishing several scientific papers, including one that accounted for gravity in conjunction with his special theory of relativity. This paper described the general theory of relativity, and it argued that space and time were mathematically the same thing, and that two objects did not directly attract each other, but affected space and time with gravitational consequences. Meanwhile, Einstein’s marriage began to disintegrate, and eventually in 1919, he and Maric officially divorced. Soon after, Einstein married his cousin, Elsa.

Einstein continued to publish scientific papers as World War II approached. A Jew and a pacifist, he happened to be in California when Hitler took power in 1933, and did not bother to return to Germany.

In 1939, Einstein sent a letter to President Roosevelt that the Germans were developing a nuclear weapon. In response, the Americans created the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Einstein became a U.S. citizen in 1940 after renouncing his German citizenship, and died on April 16, 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey, leaving behind a world more knowledgeable due to his contributions.

References:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1921/einstein-bio.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bpeins.html

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_einstein.html

http://www.humboldt1.com/%7Egralsto/einstein/timeline.html

CONTESTANT #7 2nd PRIZE

Joaquín Salvador Lavado

Born in Mendoza, Argentina on July 17 of 1932 son of Spanish immigrants Joaquín Salvador Lavado is one of the most influents cartoonist of Latin America.

His vocation as cartoonist started at a very early age while sharing time with his uncle the cartoonist Joaquín Lavado who used to entertain his nephew with his drawings but it was until he was a teen when he started studying art at the Escuela de Bellas Artes dropping off his studies a couple of years later to become a comic book cartoonist

After selling his first job to a Silk store he decides to give it a try on Buenos Aires but he can’t find job at any newspaper or magazine. A few months later after his return to Mendoza begins his military service that although it was difficult for him to be there, coexisting with people from different social strata was very useful to enrich his style.

After his military service was over he decides to keep looking for a job opportunity back in Buenos Aires where he finally gets his first cartoon published and then one by one different magazines and newspapers also start publishing his cartoons.

After having a good position as cartoonist he makes his first exhibition in a bookstore on Argentina and by the year of 1963 he was requested to create some comic characters that were a mixture of “Blondie”(*1) and “Peanuts”(*2) to promote a line of electrical household appliances where the idea of Mafalda comes up but the Company decides not to do it after all and Mafalda returns to the drawer until a year later when it’s finally published as comic strip in a magazine and expand to other publications including international ones.

After that some of the comic strips were displayed in Europe into a recompilation of texts and graphic humour called “Libro dei Bambini Terribili per adulti masochisti” the first book of Mafalda called “Mafalda the Contestatory” with the introduction of the great writer, literary critic and semiologist Humberto Eco. While Joaquin keeps publishing his comic books his comic strip character Mafalda keeps expanding around the globe and Joaquin signs a contract for a Mafalda tv cartoon but in 1973 he decides to stop making Mafalda’s comic strips because of all the pressure that he was feeling trying not to be repetitive on any strip or as he said on an enterview “When you cover with your hand the last vignette of a strip and you know how will it end means that the story doesn’t work.”

After this Mafalda has been drawn a few times: for the worldwide campaign of the Declaration of the Human Rights for UNICEF, for an oral hygiene campaign for LASAB, to commemorate five years of democratic government of the President Raúl Alfonsín in Argentina, some welfare campaigns and now as spokeswoman of protests. The publications of his other comic books have continued until 2007 with his last one called “The Adventure of Eating” having so far more than 20 titles published and some re-editions.

His books have been translated into many languages around the world and he has exhibitions around Latin America and Europe but just as the world has opened the door to Joaquin Salvador Lavado (Quino) and his fantastic art he also has opened a world to us with his special way of representing every aspect on human life and those tiny details on every drawing is what make him so big.

References:

http://www.mundopeke.com/web/mafalda/autor/quino.htm

http://www.todohistorietas.com.ar/quino.htm

http://www.unesco.org/courier/2000_07/sp/dires.htm

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quino

http://www.quino.com.ar/

1* http://www.blondie.com/

2* http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts/

CONTESTANT #5 3rd PRIZE

George Washington

George Washington was born February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His parents were Augustus and Mary Ball Washington and he had eight siblings. Three of those were sired by his father before Augustus's marriage to Mary Ball. George's older step brother, Lawrence, would become influential in his life and actually became his mentor and tutor.

No one is sure about George's early education but it is generally accepted that typically, in colonial Virginia, children would begin their formal education around the age of seven. They were usually taught the 3 R's: reading, writing and arithmetic and when they were older, they were taught Latin and Greek. Their later studies might also include geometry, bookkeeping, and surveying. Well-to-do planters would then send their sons to England to complete their educations.

It is not known if George was educated at home or at a local private school, but it known that he excelled at math and surveying. It is believed that his 'formal' education ended around the age of fifteen, or perhaps after his father died, that he did not attend higher education classes in England and that he never learned any language but English.

George Washington was ever aware of his lacking education, and made up for it by obtaining and studying books on his own, and from learning by example from those who had earned his respect. His personal library was massive, for the day, and he was often seen with a book in hand.

After his father died, George began to spend time with his older half brother, Lawrence, and became a planter, like his father before him, and a surveyor. Lawrence introduced George into society, and taught him the fine art of social grace.

George made only one trip outside of the United States, at age nineteen and this was to accompany Lawrence to Barbados, in hopes that a warmer climate might influence Lawrence's failing health. It didn't, however, and Lawrence died within the year.

There is a story which is retold in schools across the United States about George's character as a youngster, in fact almost any child can recount it for you. In this story, George Washington's father discovers that his prize cherry tree has been cut down, and questions his children about it. Young George reportedly stands up, and says, “Father, I cannot tell a lie. Twas I who cut down the cherry tree.” While this is a great story, it actually never happened. So little is actually known about George Washington's early life, that when Mason Locke Weems wrote a book about George's life in the 1800's, Weems included a few made up stories intended to show George's outstanding good character.

George Washington grew to be 6' 2” tall, in a time period when most men were little more than 5' 6”. His height alone must have been intimidating to those who opposed him and probably instilled respect in those who served under him.

George Washington was heavily involved in politics through out his life. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, as the Justice of Fairfax County, Virginia, as a Delegate of the First and Second Continental Congresses and as President of the Constitutional Convention. His military career included serving in the Virginia Militia from 1752-1758 before becoming Commander in Chief of the Continental Army from 1775-1783.

On January 6, 1759 George took a wife. He married Martha Dandridge Curtis, a widow with two children from her first marriage. Martha was about eight months older than George, and they had no children together. Martha's daughter, (Martha) called Patsy, died at age seventeen. Her son, (John) called Jackie, also died young at age twenty-six. Two of Jackie's children were adopted by the Washington's and accompanied them to both of our nation's temporary capitals in New York and Philadelphia.

In February 1789, George Washington ran unopposed and was elected as the first President of the United States. He held the office for only two terms, declining a third due to his belief that two terms were the maximum any single man should serve. He was also offered, and initially refused, a salary of $25,000 per year. He did eventually take the money, however, thus putting an end to a possible inclination to only nominate and vote for future candidates for presidency who might be able to afford to hold the office.

After his presidency, he continued to be active in service to our young nation, and was appointed in 1798 to command the army when war seemed unavoidable with France.

He died at home in 1799 at his Mount Vernon Virginia estate and was buried on those grounds.

Perhaps because he felt his own education lacking, he made provisions in his will promoting education, by leaving stocks and money to support educational institutions. He also freed his slaves with that same document,stating that upon the death of his wife, that they should be emancipated, and his estate provided for them for decades after his death.

There are a great many tales, both true and fictitious, that are abound about George Washington. Perhaps it is because his early life is so elusive and his latter life so public that, as a nation, Americans are willing to bestow and accept heroic feats and attributes to him. In reality, he was but a man. Apparently a tall and imposing man, with good morals, and driven by the social mores of his time. It's perhaps nothing short of ironic that a man who never produced progeny of his own, is credited the birth of a nation.

Sources:

www.mountvernon.org

(Facts and Falsehoods about George Washington)

www.norwichbulletin.com/lifestyles/columinists

(Historically Speaking: George Washington, separating facts from fiction)

http://mehendale-parivar.blogspot.com/2008/04/little-known-george-washington.html

(Little Known George Washington Education Facts)

http://www.who2.com/marthawashington.html

Martha Washington

http://home.comcast.net/

(GeorgeWashington)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

(George Washington)

CONTESTANT 12 -- First Place

Sarah

"Get lost Weirdo!"

"Push off,"

"Go away and play with your crystal ball!"

"See-er Sa-rah! See -er Sarah!"

The voices were hard and the faces were closed as the group of girls stood united, backs against the door und refused Sarah entry to the library.

"You don't need to study anyway, you can see what the questions are going to be so why don't you tell us, and maybe we'll let you in."'

Sarah looked at them and considered their offer, but not for very long; she had been fooled before. If she did what they asked, they would write the questions down,

say "Thanks very much!" and STILL not let her in to the library.

She truly regretted telling Jenny her secret the previous term, but they had been best friends; she would never have thought that Jenny would react the way she had.

At first she had refused to believe that Sarah could really see the future, but then, once it was proved, she had reacted with fear and loathing.

"Well?" Jenny demanded, ''Are You going to tell us, or not?"

Sarah allowed herself once more to focus on the flickering images that hovered in the background of her mind, as she considered her options. The futures of two of them, Jenny and Anne, were fixed; nothing could alter that now, but the others were still in flux.

If she gave them the questions Erica's future solidified, if she didn't, it was Tracy whose path became fixed.

Sarah hated that her choices could have such a major impact on someone else's life.

"You girls stop blocking the door! You've got your books so move along." It was Mrs Granger.

"Yes Miss." said Jenny, and the girls walked away. As they left, the images that surrounded Tracy brightened into the clearer images of a certain future, but it had not been Sarah's choice after all. This time someone else's actions had been the deciding factor. She breathed a sigh of relief, and went into the library to get the book she knew she needed.

“Pens down please,” Mrs Granger said, and those who had been still furiously scribbling laid their pens down. “Sit still please, while I collect your papers.” She continued and walked from desk to desk, picking up the exam sheets.

Sarah kept her eyes firmly down, while she went by, and stayed in her chair as the other girls left the exam room. She didn’t want to look at anyone if it could be avoided; she dreaded what she would see. Over the last few days, the glimpses into the future had steadied for one girl after the next, and she was tired of seeing it, tired of knowing what no one should know. She particularly avoided mirrors!

“Well! Did I pass?” It was Jenny who blocked her path, with the rest of her coterie.

Sarah reluctantly looked up and looked at each of them, reading their futures as easily as she had read the exam questions.

“Yes, you all did,” she replied. “Don’t worry, you’ll all be on the trip.”

That was the reason, of course, for their badgering her about this exam. There was a class trip planned at the end of the month; a treat before the main exams began. Anyone who failed the exam they had just taken, would be staying behind for further revision. It wasn’t anything spectacular; just a trip to the beach, but no-one wanted to miss it. Except Sarah.

The next day, the results were posted; only three had failed and would miss the trip.

Everyone else had passed.

Over the next few days, Sarah stopped looking down. Instead, she made a point of looking at the people around her carefully. Her ability was growing stronger and she found she was now even seeing the futures of animals and birds.

She came to a decision.

On the day of the trip, she chose her clothes carefully. They were allowed to wear ordinary clothes for beach trips so she chose her newest and best. She had emptied her piggy bank, and taken out as much money from her bank account as she was allowed. She placed an envelope on her pillow.

Before she left, she hugged her mother tightly, “Love you Mum” she said then hurried out of the house before her mother could recover from the surprise.

At the school, she waited with the others in the classroom. She looked around and saw to her surprise that one person still had the flickering images of an unfixed future.

Andrea, the new girl, was walking towards the door. Sarah had never spoken to her, knew nothing about her, but suddenly realised that she had a chance to save her life. She followed Andrea down the corridor and into the toilets. Andrea disappeared into a cubicle, and Sarah took her opportunity.

The door handle to these toilets was loose and often came off. Several girls had been trapped in here the previous month. Sarah managed to pull out the screws, remove the handle and pull out the metal bar from the hole. She pulled the door shut as she left; Andrea would be stuck until someone let her out.

The others were boarding the coach as Sarah rushed to join them, as she climbed aboard, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the shiny wall by the driver. She could see her own future, fixed and short, but was content. As she took her seat, she looked around at the others. What would happen would be a terrible tragedy, but she had not created it, not had any of her choices led these people here. It was not of her making or doing. She had managed to save one person without another being affected. She could have saved herself too, but she was tired of this knowledge and relieved that it would soon end.

Even she didn’t know what, if anything, would come after and the uncertainty was a blessing after the last few weeks.

“What are you looking so cheerful about?” Jenny’s voice came from the seat behind.

“Oh nothing important,” she replied to her onetime friend, “I’m just reflecting on the importance of living each day as if it was your last. After all you never know do you?” She winked at Jenny, and then grinned at the sudden look of puzzlement followed by worry.

“What do you mean!” Jenny demanded.

“Have a great day Jenny, I intend to” Sarah replied, and moved to a different seat. She was going to do everything she could today, eat anything she wanted to, say anything she wanted to, do anything she wanted to.

The tragedy made the national news, an entire class of teenaged girls killed after a trip to the beach. Their coach had skidded on oil and gone off a cliff. There were no survivors.

CONTESTANT 7 -- SECOND PLACE

The Dark Side of Gene Therapy

Is it possible that one day humans will be able to cure any one of the four thousand genetic disorders? Although in its infancy, gene therapy is providing hope to those suffering from genetic disorders that the answer may be yes. Gene therapy is the insertion of a new gene into the cell using a vector, which carries the gene into the cell’s nucleus, to fix or replace a faulty gene. At present, the vectors are mainly viruses, but non-viral methods like liposomes are being explored (Health Canada). Though gene therapy provides humans with the possibility of curing genetic disorders someday, it should be banned due to the technique itself, the fact that it can trigger an immune response that may prove to be fatal, and because it poses serious ethical concerns.

One of the reasons gene therapy should be stopped is due to the technique itself. It is difficult for vectors to insert the genes into the correct cell or into its rightful place in the human genome. If the gene is inserted into the incorrect cell or into the wrong place, this may prove to be harmful. For example, a cancerous tumour could be induced if the DNA is inserted into a tumor suppressor gene. As well, many genes are only activated at certain times within the cell, and it would be inefficient for the cell to have them turned “on” all the time. In addition, gene therapy is expensive, and since biotechnology and drug companies want to make a profit, they will initially develop cures for common genetic disorders. However, the most likely candidates for gene therapy are those that have a mutation in a single gene, yet these people only account for 2% of all diseases (Yount 63). The nature of gene therapy is just one of the reasons that it should be ended.

As well, gene therapy should be discontinued because it may trigger a fatal immune response. Since viruses are currently used as vectors, they have the potential for deadly consequences if something were to go wrong. For instance, in the early 1990’s retroviruses were used as vectors because they inserted the genes directly into the cell’s genome. Although none was demonstrated to cause harm to a patient, a risk existed that the virus would insert the gene in such a way that it would result in cancer (AMA). As a result, in the mid-1990’s scientists turned to adenoviruses like the ones associated with colds. Though these modified viruses were deemed better because they only inserted the genes into the cell’s nucleus, the immune system usually did not recognize that the virus was harmless, and so began to attack it (Yount 51). When more viruses were delivered, the immune reaction simply became worse, and in the case of Jesse Gelsinger, an eighteen-year-old suffering from mild ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (a disease that prevents the liver from breaking down ammonia) who voluntarily participated in a trial for gene therapy for the disease, resulted in liver failure and ultimately his death (Yount 77). The potential for gene therapy to trigger a fatal response should be a consideration in halting gene therapy.

The serious ethical concerns posed by gene therapy should also be a reason to have it ceased. For now, gene therapy is in its early stages and scientists are looking to cure only those suffering from genetic disorders, but in the future when gene therapy will be common, how will humans determine what is classified as a “genetic disorder?” For example, could something as simple as myopia or a darker skin colour be considered a genetic disorder, and be treated? Gene therapy in the future may also allow humans to add to or remove certain traits. However, this might result in increased pressure to use gene therapy because employers might not provide potential employees with a job if they did not have a desired characteristic. In addition, insurance companies may not provide insurance to a person with a “faulty” gene, or prospective mates would only be looking for someone that possesses the most desirable genes. In the end, a master race would be created amongst those who can afford gene therapy, and a bigger gap would result between the rich and the poor. As well, gene therapy currently can only cause genes in somatic cells to be changed, but gene therapy in the future may allow germ-line genes – genes that can be passed to the next generation – to be changed (Yount 97). This would then violate the rights of an unborn child because their genes would be affected without their consent. In some cases, the child may be fine with the change after it is born, but in other cases the gene might prove to have some usefulness. For instance, blood cells are aided in fighting against malaria if a person carries one copy of the gene that causes sickle cell anemia (Yount 100). Due to the ethical concerns posed by gene therapy, gene therapy should be stopped.

Gene therapy should be banned due to the technique itself, the fact that it can trigger a fatal immune response, and because it poses serious ethical concerns. A complicated process, gene therapy may result in the formation of tumours or fatal immune reactions, and will change the way humans view themselves in the future. Ultimately, it will up to individuals to decide how far they are willing to go change their “undesirable” genes.

References:

1) American Medical Association. "Gene Therapy." 28 April 2008. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2827.html.

2) Health Canada. "Gene Therapy." 28 April 2008.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/sr-sr/biotech/about-apropos/gen_therap_e.html.

3) Yount, Lisa. Gene Therapy. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2002.

CONTESTANT 8 -- THIRD PLACE

Sian Williams

I grew up in a small town in rural Shropshire. This town was the extent of my world for a long long time and it still haunts my memories. Childhood Christmases with toy guns, action men and meccano, summer holidays with learning to smoke, running from angry wasp nests and making dens in the woodland.

It seemed to me that the whole of my world was filled with happiness, excitement and I entered that world without a care.

During one of those summer holidays, when I was 9, a family moved in next door and with them came their daughter Sian. Sian was a dark haired girl with deep brown eyes and a lovely lilting Welsh accent, I fell in love instantly. Over the next few weeks Sian came round to our house almost every day and was the only girl to accompany the gang of four boys that I hung out with and explored our world.

She was an instant hit with the boys, being a girl didn’t seem to stop her from getting into streams to try and catch fish or to stop her from climbing trees to peer into birds nests. In fact she even stole the cigarettes from her mum’s handbag for us all to share. On the way back from these mini adventures she would often walk with me and would even casually slide her arm around mine, causing butterflies to leap into the air and to fly around my stomach.

I never once during our adventures thought of telling her that I loved her it just didn’t feel right to say. Late on during the summer my mother announced we were going to go to the Welsh coast for a weeks break.

During that week I thought about Sian so often that she was wearing a path in my mind and I decided that upon my return from holiday I would tell her what I felt. I went around the gift shops looking for a present to give her and found a little cup with “Cara 'ch”, I love you in Welsh, written on it. Buying the cup took all of my holiday money and a considerable amount of embarrassment and teasing from my brother and sister.

I carried the cup safely in my lap all the way back on our four hour drive home and rushed round to Sian’s house as soon as we got to our house. She was playing in the garden with one of our friends and I went rushing up.

She seemed a little embarrassed to see me standing there in front of her, I said “hi” and Jim moved away from the two of us. She looked me in the eyes and said “hi” also. “Here” I said, words failing me as I handed her the present I had got her. She unwrapped the cup and stared at it, “it means “I love you” in welsh” I stared to say. She raised her eyes to my face and I instantly knew what I had presented to her was as welcome as a wasp in a jar of jam. “I know what it says” she hissed “what made you think you could buy me this” and she flung it at the wall where it smashed into hundreds of shards.

Later that year my parents split up but that year will always be the year that Sian Williams smashed my heart against her garden wall.

CONTESTANT #3 1st PRIZE

On dragon's wings I fly.

I only ever met her once, briefly. Didn’t like her much to tell the truth though, thinking back, I don’t suppose I made a particularly good impression either.

I’d been waiting for 3 hours; I arrived early to be sure of getting in, and was actually at the front of the queue. 19yrs old, somewhat sweaty from standing so long in the hot morning sunshine, in that London street, clutching a carrier bag containing almost every book she’d ever written. Big grin as I finally found myself face to face with my favourite authoress, and babbling inanely. Oh yes! I must have looked a complete idiot! She certainly seemed to think so, judging from the blankness on her face. I can imagine her thinking “Get a life!” as she smiled politely and signed all the books I had brought.

“Have a nice day,” she said,

“I will, I’ll be reading this” I burbled as I waved the new novel I had just bought, and headed out of the shop.

Cringeworthy!

And yet….

When I think about the impact that one woman had on my life, it is truly astonishing.

Anne McCaffrey.

A friend’s father introduced me to science fiction in my early teens. I spent many a happy hour rummaging through the boxes in their attic, pulling out ancient novels, taking home stacks to read in the week. I loved it, and still do. Heinlein, Asimov, Harrison, Herbert, Aldiss, all to be found on my shelves today, all excellent writers.

The stories excited my imagination.

None, however, had the same impact as Dragonflight.

I read it cover to cover in a couple of hours without stopping, then read it again.

When I put it down, my eyes were wide and I felt like I was floating. I truly wished I could get inside the novel and be there in that world. It’s hard to explain to someone who’s never experienced it; it’s a wonderful, magical, and yet also sad, feeling. It’s a sense of the wondrous things that may be possible, one day, for our descendents, but not for us. Never for us.

I borrowed Dragonquest as soon as I possibly could, and sped through that.

Over the next few years I acquired all her dragon novels as they came out.

Dragons! I was besotted with dragons. I had had only a mild interest in my art classes at school, but now I began to draw dragons. I experimented with different media, but my favourite was pen and ink. My artwork was intricate and detailed. I began with dragons, and progressed to elves, characters from Tolkein, and immensely detailed trees. From there I branched out (if you’ll forgive the pun) into Celtic knotwork.

I loved anything to do with fantasy, and so discovered the wonderful world and art of Wendy Pini, which further inspired my drawings.

Over the years I have also turned my hand to model making; attempting to reconstruct buildings on archaeological sites in my region. Some of those models are on display in our public area at work. The model dragon, however, sits on my drinks cabinet and watches over the room.

It was like a snowball rolling down the mountainside, one thing leading to another. Several of my favourite authors today, are people with whom she collaborated in various works, or people she recommended in her introductions.

I sit here today, surrounded by 3 thousand books (or so), and wonder what this room would be like if I had never read that first novel by Anne McCaffrey, had never progressed from enjoying science fiction to loving science fiction.

A lot less cluttered, perhaps, but also a lot greyer.

Thanks to her, I know what it feels like to ride a dragon.

If she did a book signing next week, here in this town, I’d probably still be at the front of the queue with a bag of books and an inane grin.

CONTESTANT #4 2nd PRIZE

Mentor, Mentee

    She's been part of my life for quite sometime now. It's hard to think of anything to say because, there's so much to say I can't type every single thing out. I do want to say she's sweet, clever, smart and very beautiful. She may be married but she's still her own woman. This woman is my mentor.
    I met her when I was in the 5th grade. I'm not going to say it all but just to make a long story short; we've bonded together through happiness, pain and much more. My mentor supported me through all of my bad times. Even in the good ones too, who ever knew a few kind words and a strawberry milkshake could go so far? She made it happen. If I ever needed advice and had no one to turn to I'd dial her up then soon see her smiling face there when I'd need her.
    She talks a bit too much, and can be a bit too generous but I wouldn't have her any other way. My mentor could be my grandmother and still be my best friend. She's helped me find ways to get jobs and introduced me to people that could give me a head start on my career. She knows when I'm uncomfortable and nervous. A heart to heart hug and a kiss on the cheek . She's so wonderful, God why did you pick me?
    Though, my mentor guided me through many triumphs I gave her a reason to love me also. When ever she's in pain or needs my help I'm there to give her whatever she wants. I comfort her when she wants company, even I helped her recognize a few hidden talents but let's not get into that^_^.
    We bond together so well, like yin yang, my mentor and I. There's so much more I'd like to say but it's all jumbled up in my head I can't make coherent sentences so let's just say we're the perfect mentor and mentee. If we were put together it'll be destructrion. Now how many can say that about their mentor and mentee.

CONTESTANT #1 3rd PRIZE

She

I loved her, of that there is no doubt. Indeed, she was the first woman I truly fell in love with, the first woman I met with whom I dreamed of spending my life. We met for the first time in the shadow of Putney Bridge, a place that will forever now be uniquely treasured to me, and my first sight of her stopped both breath and heartbeat for long moments. She possessed sublime beauty: long, straight, auburn hair; delicate, classical features; a glowing smile that showed small, white teeth; piercing, onyx eyes, a look from which connected directly with one's soul; a laugh it was impossible not to match with one’s own; and a slim, graceful figure that gave one the impression that she never quite made contact with the tangible world, but rather floated just above it. While others battled their way through the crowded streets, she slipped through the throngs as effortlessly as a neutrino through lead.

Before I met her I wore a shell, hardened through many years of disappointment, acute shyness, and lack of confidence. It was a shell that both protected me and proscribed my movements. She broke through the shell and released me from the twilight of existing into the sunlight of living. Being with her gave me a sense of self-belief that was intoxicating, so long had it been since I had experienced it. Crowded places, which before had held for me irrational but real terrors, suddenly opened up into inviting spaces, places I not only could enter but actively desired to be. For the first time in my life I felt drawn to other people.

She it was who brought me to London for the first time since childhood; she who showed me the sheer joy of simply being at the centre of things, where before I had been perpetually peripheral. She had spirit, an acute awareness of all around her. She taught me to see beauty and meaning in everything around me. She gave me vision where before I had possessed mere sight. She imbued my superficial appreciation of art with deep understanding for the first time. She showed me how to look through, beyond, around, and within; how to see the big picture and the detail; how to see the latent beneath the manifest. She showed me how to see the world through an artist’s eyes. She fired my desire to be creative in every way.

For a few brief weeks and months, I thought myself the luckiest man alive. Surely none could be more fortunate than I? Spending whole days exploring the city with the most beautiful woman on Earth; strolling around galleries; having long, latté-fuelled conversations in coffee shops; browsing the market stalls along Portobello Road; or simply people-watching in the most cosmopolitan city in the world. She fired every neuron in my brain. I felt more alive in those moments than I had before or have since. I fell through her event horizon and could not have been happier at the prospect of eternal imprisonment within that imperceptible sphere.

She was, of course, always far beyond my reach, but the message took a long time to travel from head to heart. Yet even after reality broke through and dissolved the dream, the joy, the calm, the contentedness I felt merely by being in her presence diminished little, and remains with me. I love her still, and always will, but as tides roll the sharp angles from a rock to form a smooth pebble, so time has moulded that acute romantic love into the rounded love of friendship. She will always be my dearest friend, the one who gave to my life depth, meaning, richness and joy for which I could never find a way to truly thank her enough.

CONTESTANT #4 1st PRIZE

If I were god.....

If I were god, and suddenly in charge of the world as we know it, there are so many things that I want to do, I wouldn't know where to start. The way the Christian god did it, I suppose, would be a nice place to start. I understand that on the first day, and each subsequent day thereafter for four more days, he began a series of creative events which started with dividing the light from the darkness and ended with him having created a perfect world, complete with the fish of the waters and the animals of the land and all things in between. The earth was perfect, without pollution and with plants and vegetation abound, in perfect harmony and able to provide everything needed for the continuation of the world. Finally, on the sixth day of creation, god created mankind. I am thinking perhaps he rushed that job a little bit though, as it seems that most of what is wrong with the perfect earth that he created has been caused by imperfect human hands.

The first thing that I would do would be to start over. By that, I mean that I would pick another place in the void of space and make a new heaven and earth. I would design the new earth and heavens pretty much as it was originally reported to have been done, except that I make a few more purple and blue flowers and cut back on the red and pink ones a little bit! I know that sounds a bit frivolous in a world fraught with so much hate and discontentment and in which so many things are just, well, wrong BUT I happen to love purple flowers and if I were god, I could have all the purple flowers I had enough imagination to create!

Once I had a perfect earth, I would look deep within myself and see what part I might have played in the untimely demise of the original earth and it's inhabitants. The first change I would make in myself is to take away all those jealous and self-centered tendencies that seem to mold most of my decisions. Then I would most definitely work on my anger issues. Just to be on the safe side, I would add some extra compassion and understanding to my psyche. After I had rid myself of all the things that I would punish humans for exhibiting, then I would move along to the next thing on my list.

Like the god of my childhood, the next thing I would eventually get around to is creating �man�. I would almost like to wait, and see if evolution is actually a possibility and if indeed one of the animals I created would indeed evolve and turn into an upright, opposable thumbed, thinking, problem solving, loving, compassionate machine, but I am inclined to be impatient, and, unfortunately, since I am still human and merely pretending to be god, I can't resist the temptation of impatience. But, since man was made in god's own image, and I fixed myself before moving on to mankind , I have already solved a few of the problems with him. I would make this man a little different from the original, though. I would keep the difference in the sexes, physically, in that men would be different from women, but I would make them closer to the same, psychologically and spiritually. Both would be logical thinking beings. Both would be problem solvers. Both would be equally good at spelling and math. Both would be able to cry and to express their feelings. Since we are starting over, and original sin has not happened yet, I would take that whole tree of knowledge thing and invite them to eat from it, without penalty. After all, knowledge is power and since I wouldn't change free will, it is all good. That would mean that women would no longer suffer in childbirth and that men would no longer have to toil upon the earth for their living, at least not in the sense that we do today. More importantly, they would be equals. Men would no longer have dominion over women and neither would carry the either the biological disposition or psychological frailty that would make them want to be superior to another fellow human being.

Speaking of superiority, I think I would make all humans green, perhaps. If there were but one race, there would not be a need to enslave, belittle or oppress another. Differences are what makes us feel superior to another, and if we were all the same skin color, that would be one less thing to feel superior about. I would leave other changes in place, though,like height differences, eye color, hair color and type. I feel some individuality is necessary, if for no other reason than to tell us apart!

Another thing I would change about humans is that I would make their genetic code a bit harder to break. This means that while they would be adaptable, they wouldn't break down and become defective in say 2,000 years or so. This would prevent chromosomal defects which lead to many disabilities and genetic predispositions which lead to many illnesses, including cancer and heart disease and other conditions such as obesity. Simply fixing the genetic code would not affect natural selection in that sloth and gluttony would still lead to obesity. Birth accidents might still produce a brain damaged infant. But, as a population, we would not be ravaged by the devastating effects of catastrophic illnesses caused by a break in our genetic codes.

I would also change the rules a little bit in that all the commandments come down to three basic rules: (1) Don't lie. (2) Don't steal. (3) Treat others the way you want to be treated. Since I fixed myself and am no longer a jealous god, that whole 'thou shalt have no gods before me' is a moot point.

Also, there would be no need for a sacrifice of any kind, as since original sin has been done away with and there would be but three basic rules, there would be nothing to atone for. Ultimately, man would not report to me, but he would be judged and punished for his bad behavior by his peers...thus making him ultimately more responsible and more willing to conform, as his punishment would be on earth...immediately and justly administered.

Also, while we are discussing the rules, I would take a closer look at that whole user manual, the bible. We are essentially re-writing the history of the world, with a newly improved god, a perfect earth, redesigned humans and a minimal amount of rules. The bible would be about 10 pages long, or less. What would be important is actually the history of civilization and the advent of society and its rules and regulations. Do not be misled, society will reinvent itself, as it has done for thousands of years. This is the true nature of the world, and, as such, is inevitable. I should hope that this world, the new and hopefully improved one, would migrate towards a more libertarian society, but that remains to be seen, doesn't it?

In conclusion, after having made all these changes, I would merely sit back and wait and see. After all, if I were god, I could certainly wait a few thousand years, see what develops and if it is undesirable, merely start again! IF I WERE GOD, that is!

CONTESTANT #2 2nd PRIZE

God of Mutual Understanding

If I had the lavish luxury, to become and be the one and only God, I would do a lot of things to change mankind. I would change social views, standards, and many other aspects of human culture, to make society less media-influenced and fairer for people to withstand.

First and foremost, I would make sure that there are formal definitions for different words. There would be no slangs, no gimmicks, no falsities but real words of utterance by humankind. Words are often misinterpreted and used against people as a dagger of aggression. Slangs are often misinterpreted and used sarcastically to damage the emotional psyche of young victims of abuse/bullying etc. Thus as God, I would not allow there to be slangs to exist. It would not only create less confusion to the world I created, but it would also help people understand each other for mutual respect, and less violent conflicts of mouth. It would prevent arguments and social misunderstandings that cause wars, fights, violence, and other malicious conflicts that start off by a misunderstanding of people�s words and thoughts. If I were God there would be less conflicts and less conversational misunderstandings by dismissing the existence of slangs, words with many meanings, falsities, etc.

Secondly, there would be no such thing as labeling people. Labeling people can often be misinterpreted as �name calling,� which against furthers my point, that name calling causes arguments, arguments causes enemies, enemies causes war, etc. There is a pyramid of violence and conflict that need to be suppressed so people can live in more harmony and peace. At the same token, labeling destroys a person�s sense of confidence when negative. For instance, if someone who was called incredulity, a retard, when their IQ was very high, but their social skills were below the normal aptitude of a person, it would hurt them. An insult is an insult, and as God I would not take people labeling each other in negative forms.

In addition, media would me more strictly monitored. There is a huge case of people dying from diseases such as bulimia, anorexia, and depression thanks to the celebrities in the media. If someone is acting as a bad influence, their existence should be either punished or not be allowed to be watched. Society would have more positive influences on television and the media such as rags to riches stories, hard workers, librarians, human services people, habitat for humanity leaders, and other people who create a legacy in society that is not acknowledged for stripping, throwing up food, and other atrocities that is in the current media. The media would be more educational and censored if I was God.

Also, I would create there to be more inventive natures in society. Many ideas become trite and clich�s, as well as overused. There would be room for invention and creativity that would help inspire others. As God, I would encourage the fine arts to flourish and thrive, as well as cultivate learning without the same and boring approaches to work, but new, exploratory and intriguing.

Next, if I was God there would be no super rich snobby people or people who are mean and perfect in every other manner. Or to state this more simply, there would be more equality between people in their flaws and material classes. Humankind was supposed to be realistic, and when reality hits, no one should be completely perfect, and be encouraged to make reasonable mistakes. In addition, no one should be hogging money. There should be charitable actions that are rewarded. The common pauper would have their place on television in equality to the charitable and giving millionaire. With all the separation between people and classes there would be more conflict and people being jealous. Jealousy is evil and as God society would be more equal, by encouraging people of all different classes and flaws to come together and improve this world.

Finally, if I was God I would encourage for professors and teachers to be more logical in their grading. Favoritism is a loathing process that causes a lot of conflict and hurt sentiments. Some people have gotten all A�s with giving charity/buttering up a professor/teacher. As God, objectivity would be encouraged as well as all due fairness to all students alike.

In conclusion, I would make the world a more creative and caring place as God. I would encourage less conflict and make people more giving, and objective to prevent misunderstandings, wars, and conflicts. As God, society would be not only being very peaceful under my rule, but people would improve their communication and mutual understanding through my rules. Society would thrive and not be divided in many separate throngs but united as one! Therefore, I would create and encourage caring and compassion as well as learning under my reign as God. I care for people, and I want people to feel positive about them. If I was God, I would fortify passion and fairness.

CONTESTANT #10 3rd PRIZE

If I were God...

What would I do if I were God? Well, to answer this question I will first have to somehow imagine the change in perception that I will experience. My senses and knowledge would change to such a vast degree that the way I exist would be on a vastly different scale. I imagine that the best representation of that would be the relationship between computer scientists and AI robots/nanobots. They are built with a certain level of intelligence and hopefully the capacity to learn on their own. They also try to build in the ability and desire to replicate. The scientists, despite their vast knowledge and power compared to the nanites, have no idea in a direct way how the nanites perceive anything. The two entities are so far removed that each can only hypothesize how the other acts or feels. So if I observe that I may see things in the matter of a scientist and his nanite creations I suppose I would test/instigate learning in my creations by throwing obstacles in their path. I would also let them rest and nurture them and lastly I would be wondering if there was some other entity that is so vast and powerful that to them I am a nanite...
   One of the first things I would be doing is measuring how far Humans have progressed, then placing some challenge in their path, some obstacle to overcome. Anything, a death in the family to winning the lottery, would do. Just something that would challenge certain or all humans to mature and learn. The idea would be to give them intelligence and the desire to replicate. I would want them to continue to grow and to get smarter!
   I would also make sure that they have enough time to recuperate. I would want them to rest and otherwise heal to get ready for the next challenge. It's better for them and would give me the new baseline so that we can tell if the humans are generally getting smarter or wiser. Or even stronger than they were before.
   Lastly, I would wonder how I came into being, is there some creature that is vastly more powerful than even I could ever imagine that is somehow guiding my life, my actions and imagination. Or did I just somehow come into being, and there is nothing more than my magnificence and power?
   So I guess while the scale of my power and perception would change dramatically I would probably not change much for humans. I might help point them in the right direction but it would really be up to them to learn how to be better all by themselves. I would nurture them where I could, nurse them when necessary but basically let them live their own lives as we all wonder about our existence and why we are here.

CONTESTANT #11 1st PRIZE

New York City

I grew up in a very small farming town, not too far from the Mighty Red River. As a teenager, there wasn't too much to do during the summer, after the chores were done, so most of us loaded up into old pick up trucks and headed to 'town' where we sat on the 'square' (a fond term referring to downtown) where we sat around, drank rodeo cool beer and dreamed of getting out of that one horse town, just as soon as we finished high school.

My sophomore year, a blended family of outsiders moved to town to take over the old McClanahan store and added five newcomers to our school. The boys seemed to fit right in, adopting jeans and boots and cowboy hats like all the rest of the guys. The girls, however, had it a little bit rougher. Their city clothes and city ways were foreign to all of us, girls and guys alike. Soon, though, Michelle and I became good friends, and soon she was hanging out on the square with us on the week-ends.

Every Sunday morning, around 3 AM the GreyHound bus would roll through town, take a left in front of the bank and leave town just as unobtrusively as it came in. That bus was headed to New York City and was the root of many a long, in depth conversations about what life might be like in such a foreign place.

Michelle wanted to be a singer. I wanted to be a writer. We made a pact that when we graduated, we would throw in together and get on that bus and go to New York.

Of course, we didn't. Life happened, as it so often does, and the dreams of singing and writing and becoming famous fell to the wayside.

I still dream of New York City, though. Not to go there to live and be discovered and write the all American novel but to go there and see the sites, feel the energy, experience the best that New York City has to offer.

A lot of things are keeping me grounded, however. Finances, for one. My health, for another. Family responsibilities, for a third. Possible even a bit of fear of the unknown.

I keep that dream hid away, slowly simmering on a back burner of my mind. I think I will go, someday. Maybe for as long as a fortnight. While I am there, I'll wander down Fifth Avenue. Maybe catch an off Broadway play, visit a museum, the Statue of Liberty, perhaps even the hole that was once the World Trade Center. Definitely, I'll have a slice of REAL Brooklyn pizza and grab a hot dog off of a street vendor. Someday.

CONTESTANT #13 2nd PRIZE

I dream of simple things...

We are all of us such complicated creatures: intricate and complex, full of memories, ideas, hopes, fears and yes, even dreams. Each piece of us, big or small, comes together to form the whole of who we are; to tell the story of who we were; and to shape who we will become. When we share any piece of ourselves, we change somehow and I�m not convinced it is for the better. Think of days of sepia toned photographs; scented thick with developing solution permeating dark rooms filled with captured memories forming, solidifying into something worth sharing. If light found its way into those dark rooms, the frozen moments and all the efforts that went into them would be lost forever. There would be nothing worth sharing.

The same theory holds true today, in a time of overexposure, where information is dispersed with painful ease in abundance. Google, MySpace, personal blogs detailing our every thought; we lack the privacy needed to develop into people of substance, people worth knowing. We lack the ability to capture a solid form in forced transparency and thus we are all overexposed, losing any charm we could have. How does one invite you into their dark room, to see the developing parts of themselves without being overexposed? What is a dream, if not a developing inertia within, pushing us to do something greater, to be something greater? How can we share these vulnerable pieces of ourselves without losing them in the process? Is there a way? I fear not and thusly keep such parts of myself locked safe, deep within my dark room and rarely invite others in.

For you, I will dig deep and find just the perfect dream to share, a part of me still developing thin lines only barely forming into recognition, the contours taking shape before our eyes. I invite you to come with me into my darkroom but I ask you not to leave hastily or you may destroy parts of me I can never recapture. Let�s watch patient the lights separating from the darks setting a mold for the dream you asked to see. The pictures may be confusing, let me explain.

The first of three photographs is the unlovable little girl who even her mother could not love. She was a studious child, learning to read at 4. She followed rules and learned to be the helper, the giver, the unimposing. The second photograph, formed solid, shows the futility of her search to find that love in others. The last is still forming and here it is the very thing you asked for, my dream. I want to be lovable, to find acceptance without limits, to be exactly who I am and have that be enough. I want to learn to love myself and be satisfied with who I have become. I want to stop searching for reasons that make me unlovable, self-loathing, picking myself apart to find that part of me that even a mother couldn�t love.

CONTESTANT #10 3rd PRIZE

A Love of Learning

I have a lot of dreams, and many of them would sound very familiar. I dream of ending world hunger, starting world peace and all those other dreams that many say are impossible. Well, I disagree that these dreams are impossible.

I am not so naive to think that it can be done overnight, or even during my lifetime. People must be taught that these and other so called impossible dreams are actually achievable. The examples above can only be realized when people work in harmony, but there is something that I could possibly do, a personal dream that I have that if I achieve it I could be the pebble that perhaps starts the avalanche of understanding. Specifically I speak of becoming a Professor of Philosophy!

When I become a Professor of Philosophy I will have shown that I have learned the foundation of wisdom, a love of learning that I can hopefully teach many others. I feel that as many people as possible must learn as much as possible to achieve these unachievable dreams. The only way that can happen is to teach people how to learn and to love learning. That is why becoming a philosophy professor is one of my dreams.

One would wonder why I have not yet realized such a dream! Well, there are may reasons for that. Where should I start? Well, one of my biggest limitations is time. I am married and have a child, which for those who know it means I have very little time left for anything! Also, going to college to learn philosophy is very expensive, and once again children are not cheap. So it will be difficult to come up with the required money to attend the local college and get the required degrees. Those two issues, as real as they are, are only a small part of why I have not yet reached my goal. The real reason is that I fear there is very little chance of successfully completing my goal. To be clear, I am confident that I could earn the PhD in a timely manner, however to earn a position where I could share my newly earned knowledge would be much more difficult. While I love learning for learnings sake I would need to justify the time and expense to my family, who already are the center of my life and rightly demand much of me.

I hope that in the near future I see an opportunity to some way achieve this one dream. So I can help others achieve theirs.

CONTESTANT #3 1st PRIZE

Be Nonsensical

Mag E. Nobody aka XXXXXXXX, age 33, died early in the morning on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 after suffering a long battle with acute realism.

Born two and half months early, she began her life in the same enthusiastic manner to which she brought to every situation she encountered. Growing up with a gypsy family, she was infused with a love of traveling. Having visited such places as Cuba, Mexico, Canada and Hell on a regular basis, she was a lifelong explorer. She most frequently resided in the Land of Confusion.

While other little girls dreamt of husbands and children and white picket fences; playing with dolls and hosting tea parties with stuffed animals, Mag E. avoided such mundane rituals by running swiftly away from the stinky boys who tried to pursue her and in later years, staring blankly at them, as the men who would interrupt her literary utopia, all the while wearing mismatched thigh-hi socks, quoting Dr. Seuss and drinking exactly 88 ounces of bottled water every day up until the moment of her tragic demise.

She was not conventional nor ordinary nor commonplace, always a woman of her own inimitable charm. She had the most infectious laugh and used it, even at the most inappropriate of times. Dogged in her pursuit of knowledge, new material to read and shiny things, it was quite common to find her with her mouth agape with wonder, tuned-out in way that made her both insufferable and lovable. Lost in some new discovery, an enthralling chapter or her own reflection in the shiniest of things, she would as soon dismiss you hastily as entertain you for hours. You never knew what she would do from one moment to the next.

Mag E. had a knack for saying exactly the wrong thing in the most perfect of times and the precise right thing at the most awkward of times. Though none of this detracted from her most delightful, nonsensical nature. She was personable and off-putting, always keeping those around her on their toes. It was an ironic twist of confirming fate that this most silly creature would expire on April fools day. Following her through till death, the theme within her life, laughing at an inside joke others would never really get.

Mag E. was preceded in death by her sense of hope and love for discovery, her opportunity to make the world a better place and her belief that people really were inherently good; and is survived by her unusually large and odd sock collection; forty three patient, interesting friends; 6,542,312 alphabetized, dust-free books; 2 sprites whom regularly mended holes in her blankets, keeping her peripheral company in the darkest of her hours, and 62 unopened water bottles.

In lieu of flowers and other obnoxiously useless items, please donate large sums of money to the �League of Nonsensical Pursuits of Realism�. No services will be held for Mag E. as per her request. Please read a book instead.

CONTESTANT #4 2nd PRIZE

Crackpot Snuffs It

Former resident Mr. Anonymous <Name omitted to protect the guilty... I mean to remain anonymous :>, 305, died June 27, 2281, at his home in the State of Confusion.

A service was held at the local insane asylum to celebrate his "finally kicking the bucket so we can rummage through all his really cool stash he kept hidden under his bed" as his former asylum mates call it. Burial took place in a big hole in the ground out back.

Mr. Anonymous was born June 27, 1975, in a hospital. Yep. That's right, folks. A hospital.

He graduated from Ima So High School in 1993.

He came roaring into the State of Mass Hysteria in the early 1990s, where he coached Major League underwater basket weaving for 1 year. His coaching days ended shortly after what his students referred to as "The Tadpole Incident."

He had lived in the State of Mass Hysteria for 60 years when he moved to the State of Confusion.

After the move, he enjoyed activities such as marble stacking and javelin catching.

Mr. Anonymous was a member of organizations such as The How to Make Toothpicks Society, The Padded Walls Club, and Captain Kangaroo's Merry Men.

His family wrote: �Thank God the old codger finally bit the dust. I mean, what was he thinking living for 305 years anyway? Does he have any idea how long we've been waiting for him to kill over so we can finally get our inheritance?!? Wait... Are you actually writing this down???�

He is survived by his greedy relatives, Ima Miser and Seymour Dollars of Moneyville

Mr. Anonymous was preceded in death by most of his family.

The Happy Loon Funny Farm was in charge of funeral arrangements.

CONTESTANT #6 3rd PRIZE

Read All About It!!!

    On Saturday, June 16th, Lady Hanaka, a Japanese immigrant died a tragic death at the age of 78 years old. Her family says Hanaka always knew she didn't have too long so she wanted to take a ride on a bull. A long lost dream you could call it. At exactly 3:32pm Lady Hanaka was thrust off of the raging bull's back and tossed a good 6 feet. The furious bull stomped and rolled over her in a fit of revenge for Hanaka kicking it in it's side 3 times shouting, "go bull, go faster, is that all you got?" She laughed for a few minute before coughing up blood and lying still living no more.
    Earlier in her life she was quite a wonder calling everyone "bakas" (idiots) just to rattle their skin. She would be described as outgoing and original. Not caring if she made friends or enemies, she's make strange notices out loud and whisper to herself when she was annoyed. She said she was speaking with her inner self and debating to whether or not to whip everybody's bloody body into a [insert lovely word here] lifeless pulp.
    She had a nice number of accomplishments, however. Lady Hanaka was the first to curse out an American in Japanese for trying to steal her duffle bag while 7 months pregnant with her second child. She wrote her own Japanese story that was transferred into French and read throughout that nation. She helped write the second essential Haiku.
    A few comments were made in the memory of our lost Lady Hanaka.
    "Oka-san was a unique person. And mother at that. My mother was a great woman but don't you think it's time I get what I deserve? I do." Says Hanaka's oldest child, Mikomi about her mother and how she wanted the money and land her mother signed off to her.
    "She was crazy. Nice and young in a old, wrinkly body. Teh, serves her right for being an old ruthless hag!" Commented Obito, Hanaka's only son, the second child. More comments were made but were said later on. Funeral serves will be held only with the Hanaka family, for Hanaka wanted to be cremated and have her ashes spread over the ocean.

CONTESTANT #11 1st PRIZE

The Enchantress of Numbers

This is the story of Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace, the first woman in the field of computer science.

Augusta Ada Byron was born on December 10, 1815 in London, England. She was the daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron and his wife Lady Byron (maiden name: Anne Isabella Milbanke). Only one month after Ada’s birth, Lady Byron left Lord Byron to raise Ada on her own. Reasons for the separation were never given but rumors circulated about Lord Byron’s inappropriate relationship with his half-sister Augusta Leigh. By April of 1815, Lord Byron had signed papers for a legal separation from his wife and then left England never to return.

Lady Byron, or Annabellla as she was called, was highly interested in mathematics. Determined to keep her daughter from developing any of her father’s poetic leanings, she had Ada tutored in mathematics and science at an early age. Ada was tutored by Mary Somerville, a remarkable Scottish polymath, researcher and author of scence texts. Ada was also tutored by William King-Noel, the 1^st Earl of Lovelace. In 1835, Ada married her former tutor and became The Right Honourable Augusta Ada, Countess of Lovelace.

Mary Somerville introduced Ada to Charles Babbage on June 5, 1833. This was a fortuitous and fateful meeting for Ada was taken with Babbage’s ideas and his plans to build the Analytical Engine -- a mechanical mathematic calculator and a precursor to today‘s computers. Ada was one of the few who understood Babbage’s ideas. She frequently met and corresponded with Babbage over the years and in 1842, Ada translated the Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea’s memoir on Babbage’s proposed Analytical Engine. Ada appended that translation with detailed specifications for calculating Bernoulli numbers with the Analytical Engine. These specifications are now recognized by historians as the world’s first computer program.

Not long after this breakthrough, Ada fell ill and was diagnosed with uterine cancer. She was bled to death by doctors trying to cure her. She died at the young age of 36, the same age that her father Lord Byron died. She left behind two sons and a famous daughter, the Lady Anne Blunt, breeder of horses.

Over one hundred years after her death, Ada’s notes on Babbage’s Analytical Engine were found and republished after being long forgotten. In 1979, the United States Department of Defense created a new computer language in her name: Ada. In 2008, the British Computer Society began an annual competition for female students of computer science with a medal awarded in Ada’s name: The Lovelace Medal.

Ada was the first woman in the computer science field at a time when there was no computer science field and when women weren’t generally regarded as capable of making important and intellectual contributions to the field of science. Much like Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace was a pioneer and a visionary. She foresaw that machines like the Analytical Engine could someday be used to contribute to the advancement of science, create complex music and graphics and more.

Babbage was deeply impressed by Ada’s writing skills and her intellect, calling her “The Enchantress of Numbers”, and while he was reluctant to credit anyone with influencing his work, he wrote of Ada:

"Forget this world and all its troubles and if possible its multitudinous Charlatans - every thing in short but the Enchantress of Numbers."

Ada was used as a character in The Difference Engine (1991) an alternate history novel of the steampunk genre by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.

CONTESTANT #27 2nd PRIZE

Marie Curie: Paving the Way for Females in Science

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” ~ Marie Curie

On November 7, 1867, one of the finest scientists the world has ever known, Maria Sklodowska, was born to two teachers in Poland. The youngest of five children, Sklodowska who would become known as Marie Curie, graduated high school at the age of fifteen, and then attended a “floating university” (the university’s location was continually changed so it could not be detected by police) with her sister since women were not allowed to study at the University of Warsaw. As a result, Curie and her sister made a deal: Curie would work as a governess and help pay for a formal education for her sister, and she would later do the same in return.

In 1891, Curie began to study math, physics and chemistry at the University of Paris from which she graduated with a Master’s and a doctorate, thus becoming the first woman in France to receive a doctorate. It was also at the University of Paris that Curie met her husband, Pierre Curie, changing her life forever.

Together, the couple discovered the elements polonium and radium, which led to a joint Nobel Prize in physics with Henry Becquerel in 1903. Curie would win a Nobel Prize in chemistry eight years later, and become the first woman to win two Nobel Prizes. She also remains one of only two people to win two Nobel Prizes, and the only person to win them in two different scientific fields.

Curie did not let the fame get to her head though. She used her discovery of radium to help treat the wounded soldiers of WWI, and refused to patent the process of isolating radium so that others could continue to work on her findings.

Curie died on July 4, 1934 from leukemia due to much exposure to radiation after earning another honour: becoming the first female professor at the University of Paris.

As someone who is going into the sciences, Curie is an inspiration to me because she is proof that women can succeed in this area. Despite all the recognitions she earned, Curie also remained true to her values, and is therefore an ideal role model. As Albert Einstein said, “Marie Curie is, of all celebrated beings, the only one whom fame has not corrupted.”

References:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-bio.html
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/marie_curie.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie
http://www.aip.org/history/curie/brief/01_poland/poland_3.html

CONTESTANT #1 3rd PRIZE

A Diamond Is Forever

-Your Right Hand Rules The World: Women of The World Raise Your Right Hand!-

    This woman was wrote and essayed about million's of times but I just have to add on one more. Rosa Parks. She was the woman who refused to give up her seat, the strong black woman who started the Bus Boycott. I have to say that I look up to her, for she was courageous, intelligent, and as so many people know, stubborn, staying in that seat!
    That was the day when Rosa a seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, thus she was arrested and fined for violating a city ordinance, but her lonely act of defiance began a movement that ended legal segregation in America, Making her an inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere. I count myself for one of those people.
    Rosa said in an interview, "Back then we didn't have any civil rights. It was just a matter of survival, of existing from one day to the next." Rosa Parks knew what she did was wrong in the eyes of that passenger, that cop, and the rest of those people on the bus but through her dark brown eyes she seen something much different.
    Parks, started a new part of history. Picture how would the world be if she simply got up and let that passenger take her seat. Would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. be so legendary? If she had got up would that boycott ever been successful (note that Martin and his supporters were planning a boycott)? Rosa got that boycott up and running causing hope to spark and will power to rise, helping Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a big leap in his own success. Think about if Rosa had not refused... Would I be typing about her today?
    She is inspirational to people all over the world, she gives hope and courage to everyone. What she did on that bus, it was a cataclysmic moment that made history.
    Notice, things have changed and time started anew, with things all the right thanks to Rosa Parks.

    Hope sparks with day light so near,
    And yet so far away
    Hearts quicken to the beat and blinded furious moments
    She took a stand, and stood up for her rights
    Yet sitting, stubbornly the whole time
    Yes she started something fresh
    Yes she started something new
    Rosa Parks began a click in the clock for she held her head up
    And courageously stood tall
    She is a woman of the world and an ever-lasting jewel precious to us all.
-THE END-

CONTESTANT #28 4th PRIZE

Vagina Voice

Eve Ensler, passionate feminist, playwright and author, speaks out on behalf of women everywhere in an unwavering effort to end violence against women. Eve’s Vagina Monologues have been acted out in playhouses and auditoriums across the nation, in several languages, recollecting the stories of various women. Each monologue uniquely depicts a woman’s story, narrated by her vagina, of her struggles, shame, the unnecessary violence she has faced, or a particular experience that in someway shaped her. I first saw the Vagina Monologues recounted in a university auditorium by my fellow students and cried tears of laughter, empathy, sympathy, and most importantly – empowerment.

As I arrived and waited to be herded through the small set of doors, I was surprised at the vast range in age, let alone the number of men present. The mere taboo nature of the word vagina conjured in my mind an event consisting only of women, more specifically young feminist women. Once we were seated, the crowd was buzzing anxiously. I wonder now, how many had known what to expect and how many were as in the dark as I was. I had a vague idea of what would unfold – but nothing near what I experienced, or the lucid feeling of empowerment I walked away with. The excitement was so fresh and invigorating, it left me frantic to learn more and share all that I had learned. I was so wrapped up in the stories and all the emotion and liberation woven into them – it did not even occur to me that they had been compiled and articulated by one remarkable woman.

Thank you Eve – for your continuous efforts to increase awareness and end violence against women – for every book, play, and every event that your efforts have inspired around the world. In my effort to increase awareness – I encourage all who read this to seek more information and to attend a showing of the Vagina Monologues – experience all the V-Day Campaign has to offer.

For more information, visit: http://www.vday.org

CONTESTANT #23 4th PRIZE

Lydia María Cacho Ribeiro

Why did I choose Lydia instead of any other female heroin from our history? Because I think we should read and learn from all those who have been great inspiration in the past but this is the one that needs all the support right now so she can take the fight to the ultimate level and feel that she will never be