Phillip Merrill
Stories (6/0)
Dual Immersion In Elementary Schools
The sun shone brightly, taking some of the sting from the chilly February morning as I made my way toward the main entrance of Foothill Elementary School in Brigham City, Utah. Erected in 1988, the building was typical of most Utah elementary schools built at that time. The single story brick edifice consisted of three wings or hallways of classrooms radiating out from a central space that served as the gym/cafeteria/stage. The flag was snapping smartly in the breeze as I passed the flagpole and entered the building.
By Phillip Merrill4 years ago in Education
The Periwig Poacher Strikes Again
The Periwig Poacher Strikes Again The sign reads H.G. Higglebottom Memorial Botanical Garden, but it is more like a nature preserve than a garden. The walls and peaked roof of the garden are massive plates of glass held together with cleverly engineered steel beams and rivets; they enclose an area densely packed with plant and animal life, the space roughly equal to three shovelball stadiums—room enough to spend an entire day stalking your quarry. The hot, damp air inside the structure combined with the thrill of the hunt brings a sweat to your face and neck. Crouching in the underbrush, you pause only long enough to wipe your face and take a quick pull from your canteen. Peering up into the lush canopy overhead you can see several species of exotic birds and boisterous primates, but the creature you seek neither climbs nor flies and prefers open spaces to trees and shrubbery. Concentrating on the ground beneath you as well as the branches and leaves and twigs surrounding you, you creep silently toward the open area that winds its way through the garden.
By Phillip Merrill4 years ago in Criminal
Big Brother In The Twenty-First Century
Big Brother in the Twenty-First Century -Or- Why I Am Proud to Be a Prole Seventy years ago on June 8, 1949 what would become George Orwell’s last book Nineteen Eighty-Four was published. An instant success, it has continued in its popularity and terms such as “Orwellian” and “Big Brother” have become part of the standard dystopian lexicon. Nineteen Eighty-Four tells the story of Winston Smith, a man at odds with a political system that seeks to maintain absolute power and control over its citizens’ actions and thoughts. In many ways, Orwell’s work has proved prophetic. We are living in a society where nothing we do is private. Our thoughts - and in turn our reality - are being continuously monitored and controlled. While Orwell’s book deals with a strictly political antagonist, the forces at work in our society are not as easily identifiable. This paper will discuss the main images of Nineteen Eighty-Four and compare them to their contemporary counterparts. While this may seem a bleak topic, rest assured that along with his dire predictions, Orwell also indicated a method of fighting back against the oppressiveness of the system.
By Phillip Merrill4 years ago in The Swamp
What's The Worst That Could Happen?
What’s The Worst That Could Happen? Riding the bus to and from work was so routine that the execution of the task was automatic, requiring no thought or attention on my part. I considered my commute as a type of rest time. It existed somewhere on the spectrum of consciousness between sleep and watching television. While it wasn’t as physically beneficial as sleeping, it was still rejuvenating to let my mind go completely blank. Occasionally random bits of conversation from the other passengers on the bus drifted to me out of the ether and I idly contemplated their meaning.
By Phillip Merrill4 years ago in Horror