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The Dancers Behind The Art and The Pandemic

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Fiona sprague, a contemporary dancer of 16 years on November 15. Fiona has almost always danced, starting at the age of four in ballet, the idea of moving in an expressive way instantly clicked with her. Eventually, Fiona began taking contemporary dance in middle school finding a love for the fluid and creative art. She was dedicated to taking multiple classes a day year round in order to strive for perfection that was until March of 2020 when the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic reached Oregon. At the time, Fiona was dancing with Downtown Dance in Corvallis and in an interview she mentions remembering how she was about to perform and specifically thought that didn’t know if Covid was going to be a big deal. The next day, the state goes into lock down. Over the next two and a half years, Fiona struggles to find meaning and in turn a foothold in the world of dance. After stopping all classes once in lockdown, she began to struggle with a creative block. From being in the studio 7 day...
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Christmas Spirit in the Willamette Valley

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  Legacy Ballet's Sugar Plum Fairy Ball on November 20. From left to right the characters Clara (Makenna Hay), The Soldier Doll (Molly Anderson), Chocolate from Spain (Sophie Getz), and a Flower from Waltz of the Flowers (Abi Cook) dance for the members of the public at the Albany Historic Carousel during an event hosted by Legacy Ballet. The event is a way for the dance studio to advertise for their upcoming show: "The Nutcracker" and have children meet and greet the characters from the ballet. The upcoming shows are December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at Albany Performing Arts Center. Tickets are Available Online at  https://legacyballet.ludus.com The Thanksgiving traffic at dusk on Friday November 18. The Interstate 5 sits at a standstill whilst families rush home for the national holiday this coming Thursday. With schools closing early in the week, most people travel early and i5 north is a prime route for travelers from all over the state.  Bohdi Bakery and Café on November 1...
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It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War. A Comprehensive Review

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Lidnsey Addario, a conflict photographer who went headfirst into one of the most dangerous places in the world in order to educate the very world that told her no. A journalist diving headfirst into a culture that belittles women in order to know about and document the very women who struggle to exist. Addario, an amazing photographer, journalist, and author of “It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War”. While reading this book, I was awestruck at just how intense the entire book was. From kidnappings, to bombings, divorces, tragities, and countless other events, this book is an enthralling piece of work. Written by Addario herself, the book details her own journey of becoming a photojournalist and being thrust into combat in  The middle east while also attempting to maintain a life at home in the americas. Eventually, after a failed marriage, and much determination Addario dedicates her whole career into being a conflict photographer in order to educate the world ...
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Eliot porter: The American photographer with a love of all things natural and colorful.

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  Born in 1901, Porter grew up in a world where color photography was a topic of the future; far fetched and unobtainable. Yet, even as a child, Eliot Porter was fascinated with color and capturing it. All throughout his childhood, Porter would take a small Kodak box camera and take black and white photos of the birds native to his family's summer home in Maine. This fascination with photography followed Porter all the way through his early education and through college, yet, he never saw his own potential and only saw the craft as a hobby. That was until a friend and colleague, Ansel Adams, encouraged Porter to not only shoot with a more advanced camera but to pursue photography as a career. At this point in his life, Porter had graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemical engineering and a Doctorate of Medicine, and had remained at Harvard to be a medical researcher. And so, with the encouragement of Adams, Porter submitted his work to an American Place in 1...
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Albany Oregon: The Downtown Gems of November

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  The Albany Historic Carousel Located in downtown Albany on November 10. The beautifully handcrafted carousel stands in a large ornate building on 1st street in Albany and is one of the main attractions of the city. The animals and horses proper are all hand made from various woods and meticulously hand painted on site. Throughout the year, the nonprofit business hosts many activities and events for and with the community. The next event the carousel is hosting is a Nutcracker meet and greet with Legacy Ballet on November 20 for children ages 3-6. At its core, the carousel is a work of art made by the community and for the community with its many donations from citizens of Albany. The historic carousel is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11-4pm.  The annual Veterans day Parade  in Albany on November 11. The parade, after being cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic for two years, is back in full swing on the national holiday. With over 100 floats, countless businesse...
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Findings of a student: Around Campus

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When asked what her two favorite aspects of the Linn Benton Community College campus Meghan Creek, a student in her first year at LBCC, instantly responds "That huge pendulum in White Oak Hall! When I first walk into the building, every single time I think I'm about to be clobbered by the thing but when looked at from above it is gorgeous. As for the second thing I would have to say RoastRunners. They have great coffee and the staff is always great!" Meghan, pictured above on October 31, sits in the courtyard studying for her class later that afternoon.  The first of Meghan's favorite locations on campus; the White Oak Hall pendulum. The moving sculpture stands nestled into to a spiral staircase on November 3. The design of the decorative stone at the base is reminiscent of a compass and stands tall in the main entrance of the building.  The second of Meghan's favorite haunts; RoastRunners café, November 3. Two baristas prepare a festive peppermint mocha for a cus...
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Charlene Gutt: Assistant Department Manager of Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis, Oregon

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  Charlene Gutt stands in her office located on the third floor of Good Samaritan Medical Regional Center in Corvallis Oregon on October 21. She is the assistant department manager (or ADM) of the intensive care unit (ICU) of four years, and an ICU nurse of 24 years.  Through a global pandemic, the endless issues, and inconsistencies that the world we now live in throws at her, Char provides leadership, comfort, and excellent deescalating skills for her coworkers, employees and patients. She describes working through the aftershocks of the Coronavirus pandemic as "Disheartening and exhausting in a way most don't know. We still, even now, have patients landing in the ICU from Covid. While things might be going back to normal outside of the hospital, internally, my employees are exhausted from chronically short staff, family members of patients have no grace when it comes to restrictions, and overall morale is low." While on the job, Char can be found both on the floor, and...
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