Brenda Autry Journalism Blog

I don’t know if it is the way the strangler fig trees and creeping lichens seem to devour the massive stone walls of Ta Prohm. The mystical pink blush in the carvings of Banteay Srei. Or the humbling feeling of standing in the shadow cast for centuries by the towering spires of Angkor Wat that makes me want to return more. Banteay Srei But whether it’s something I remember, or something I know I’ve yet to discover, few places in the world have left me longing to return as much as Angkor Wat. Hidden in the jungles of Cambodia for centuries before being rediscovered, Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, but was soon converted to a Buddhist temple. It served as the capital for the ancient Khmer people until the 15th century, and today is the largest religious monument on Earth, receiving millions of visitors every year. Angkor Archaeological Park , often mistakenly called the Angkor Wat Temples (Angkor Wat, translated “Templ...

Exercise is an important part of maintaining physical and mental health. With gyms being closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many people are looking for a way to work out at home. Currently, Physiq Fitness in Albany is offering several of their fitness classes online. The classes include yoga, cardio dance, core, and some QFit team training classes. They are offered online through Physiq’s Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Zoom links. You have to have a membership to access most of the workouts, so are they worth it? Physiq's Current online offerings. Image courtesy of Physiq Fitness. I tried a couple of their classes to find out. I really enjoyed the Cardio Dance class with Bethanie Gambardella. Cardio Dance, similar to Zumba, is a cardio class that incorporates choreographed dance moves to music. This type of workout works well online because it doesn’t require any equipment and you can do it in a relatively small space. This class is offered twice a week live on...

“Coming to the United States was hard. It shocked me,” said Subbappa Ribeiro, a yoga instructor at LBCC. “Before coming here I lived an isolated spiritual life. I think even if I had gone to a big city in India I would have been shocked.” Subbappa Ribeiro in his studio at LBCC Ribeiro is from Mysore, Kanataka in the southern part of India. He started practicing yoga in high school at age 16 and got serious about it a few years later when he met his teacher, B.K.S. Iyengar . He soon began dedicating more time to his yoga practice and moved into his teacher’s ashram where he spent 10 years of his life. “I started out working as the head of the kitchen. I ordered the groceries and things like that,” Ribeiro explains. “Then I started assisting my teacher [Iyengar] doing things like cleaning the studio. But this was just a couple hours a day.” “During my free time I studied, worked on my yoga practice and attended spiritual gatherings. I was searching for truth. I was learnin...

Every February, competitors from every corner of Oregon and every walk of life come to meet in the ring and battle for the title Oregon Golden Gloves Champion. For some, the road to this moment is long and paved with sacrifice. But still they come; with smiles on their faces and dreams in their hearts, hoping that at the end of the night they will don the blue and gold jacket that will brand them a champion forever. Golden Gloves Champions Past and Present. Photo courtesy of Kelvin Watkins Photography. Half an hour before the competition starts, the audience trickles in to fill hundreds of available seats in the large auditorium of the Salem Armory. The ring-side tables already hold a few of the more devoted boxing fans who are willing to pay a premium for the privilege of better proximity to the action. For now, the real action is behind the curtain on the stage that serves as a preparation area for tonight's fighters and their teams. Scattered across the dimly lit stage ...

Emily Whittier was hired last term as a part-time instructional specialist in the non-destructive testing program at LBCC. She began working in the industry about 15 years ago when she found that her job as a hairdresser just wasn’t paying the bills. Emily Whittier prepares a part for testing “I had to figure something else out,” Whittier said. “I got a job at Selmet through a temp agency. I started out as an entry-level darkroom attendant and I really liked it. It was easy, fun and even though I initially made less money per hour, I was making more because I always got 40 or more hours a week.” Whittier, who also works as a level II radiographer with Pacific Cast Technologies, makes about $29 an hour now. She worked at Selmet for 11 years and received on-the-job training that enabled her to move forward in the field and obtain her level I and level II radiographer certifications. Currently Whittier is one of only two females employed in academic roles in LBCC's A...

In an unlikely warehouse in an industrial area on Ferry Street in Albany, something unexpected is happening. When you open the warehouse’s white metal door and hear loud thuds coming from within, you may expect to see large pieces of machinery, or other industrial equipment. Instead, you are greeted by a large boxing ring, rows of heavy bags, weight equipment, and several sets of fists flying. This is where the Boxing Club at Oregon State University  meets to practice four times a week. Brandon Martin and Quentin Storey doing boxing drills The Boxing Club at OSU began in Corvallis about seven years ago in partnership with the Corvallis Boxing Club, which is no longer in operation. They moved to their Albany location this summer, and now train in partnership with Hand Boxing Club . 20-year-old Brandon Martin, a third-year business major who is dual-enrolled at OSU and LBCC, is the club's veteran competitor. Martin started boxing two years ago and has had 12 bouts. He ...

“There are points when I feel like math is the bane of my existence,” says Clarissa Palmer, who is currently in her third term at LBCC . “Sometimes in class I just stare at my paper because I don’t know what to do. But I don’t want to ask for help when everyone else gets it.” This feeling rings true for many math students. That’s where the Math Cafe comes in. The Math Cafe is a safe and friendly space with comfortable furniture and free coffee where students can go to get help in Math 50 through 111, do homework, or just hang out. The Cafe is located in Willamette Hall 227, and is open Monday through Friday from 8 am-5 pm, no appointment needed. Joe Collins (instructional assistant) and Emma Rockwell Palmer, who is now in Math 95, comes to the Math Cafe for a couple of hours almost every day. “My Math 50 teacher kept telling us about the Math Cafe and when I started having a hard time, around the fifth week of class, I came in and Brie [Wood] was really helpful. I liked h...