I can admit with a slight twinge of embarrassment that I'm a regular user of facebook...well, perhaps user is not quite the right word for it. I have facebook as one of my favorites on my web browser and it is one of the first websites I visit when I turn on my computer, but for the life of me I don't know why.
Plenty of people use Facebook on a regular basis for a myriad of different reasons. They will post what's happening in their lives for their friends to see, upload new photos or videos of family and friends, allowing people in their social circle to see photos of their child or a fun party that they've attended. For some it's a way to keep in touch with friends and family that they don't get the opportunity to see everyday or have lost touch with.
I am not one of these people, I've tryed to be one of these people, letting people into the goings on of my daily life. I've uploaded pictures of my baby or a recent trip to Astoria but I just can't keep up with it or find the desire to do these things on a regular basis.
My experience with facebook is a timid one, we have a luke-warm relationship. It's there in front of me but I cannot find the enthusiasm that some people have for it. I post a new status update somewhere around three times a year, I continually ignore requests and invitations for groups or events, I stay far away from the compulsive games that litter the website (except for a brief addiction to bejeweled) and when I'm on I generally sit there, stare, and do nothing.
So why do I keep going on the website? Why would this website be one of the first websites I go to? If I'm not engaging with these friends I have on facebook then why would I even bother having an account?
Well in truth I think I'm somewhat of a social media voyeur. I want to know what goes on in friends lives. I want to know if a friend is doing good in their life or if they're having a bad day.
I've spent a good amount of time as a social hermit, even when asked to go out I would push away until people would just stop asking, but I still care about these people. Facebook allows people like me to still know that my friends are doing OK without having to engage them personally.
We all want to be part of society, no matter how much we pretend we don't. It's bred into us, it's part of our nature. Facebook has allowed people like me (slightly socially awkward) to keep that feeling of being part of society while remaining in the background.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Obama Seeks to Cut Pell Grant
Obama Seeks cuts to Pell Grants
By John Rosales
Changes are coming to your financial aid packages…possibly.
In an effort to cut the federal budget down President Obama recently announced that some changes are coming to students. Obama is outlining a plan for his 2011 financial budget and is targeting some key finanical aid programs. In an effort to reduce the growing costs and deficits for the Pell Grant that are projected to be about $20 billion dollars in the next year alone.
Among these changes will be a withdrawal of summer eligibility for the Pell Grant. Three years ago the Pell Grant gave the option for year round program eligibility, allowing students to apply for financial aid during the summer terms. Those students that rely on this grant in order to get an extra step up towards their degree will be feeling the hit.
Another fixture on the chopping block will be an option that allows for the government to pay the interest on graduate loans while the student is attending classes. Graduate students will no longer have the ability to have the government help pay the interest on their loans while in school, this does not apply to undergraduates who will still have said option.
Obama is cutting these programs in an effort to help quell continued pressure by the Republican Party to rein in federal spending. Obama's decision was made in an effort to maintain the current Pell Grant allotment of 5,550 dollars by making cuts to programs that were deemed not to be working as planned. According to the educational organization the year round Pell Grant options that allowed students to apply for financial aid during the summer term was not worth the cost that it accrued. This option was instituted about three years ago and had not lived up to expectations.
Republicans have been seeking cuts to spending, targeting among other things, the ever increasing costs of these student grants. Republican congress proposition for reducing the educational cost deficit of the Pell Grant was to decrease the maximum allotment of the grant from 5,550 to 4,705 dollars, reducing the grant funds by about 15%. Obama made the cuts to these educational programs in order to maintain the grant allotment at their current levels.
The cuts to the educational programs will be a problem for some students that rely on these summer programs to get a leg up on their progress towards degrees. However, without these cuts more students would have a harder time funding constantly escalating tuition costs. Even keeping the grant at its current amount is insufficient for the growing costs of higher education. Obamas’ plan will beef up the budget for educational grants and costs by $100 billion dollars over the next decade.
At A Glance:
Obama Administration
Pell Grant
Summer Financial Aid
LBCC financial aid office:
Takena Hall room 117
phone: 541-917-4850
By John Rosales
Changes are coming to your financial aid packages…possibly.
In an effort to cut the federal budget down President Obama recently announced that some changes are coming to students. Obama is outlining a plan for his 2011 financial budget and is targeting some key finanical aid programs. In an effort to reduce the growing costs and deficits for the Pell Grant that are projected to be about $20 billion dollars in the next year alone.
Among these changes will be a withdrawal of summer eligibility for the Pell Grant. Three years ago the Pell Grant gave the option for year round program eligibility, allowing students to apply for financial aid during the summer terms. Those students that rely on this grant in order to get an extra step up towards their degree will be feeling the hit.
Another fixture on the chopping block will be an option that allows for the government to pay the interest on graduate loans while the student is attending classes. Graduate students will no longer have the ability to have the government help pay the interest on their loans while in school, this does not apply to undergraduates who will still have said option.
Obama is cutting these programs in an effort to help quell continued pressure by the Republican Party to rein in federal spending. Obama's decision was made in an effort to maintain the current Pell Grant allotment of 5,550 dollars by making cuts to programs that were deemed not to be working as planned. According to the educational organization the year round Pell Grant options that allowed students to apply for financial aid during the summer term was not worth the cost that it accrued. This option was instituted about three years ago and had not lived up to expectations.
Republicans have been seeking cuts to spending, targeting among other things, the ever increasing costs of these student grants. Republican congress proposition for reducing the educational cost deficit of the Pell Grant was to decrease the maximum allotment of the grant from 5,550 to 4,705 dollars, reducing the grant funds by about 15%. Obama made the cuts to these educational programs in order to maintain the grant allotment at their current levels.
The cuts to the educational programs will be a problem for some students that rely on these summer programs to get a leg up on their progress towards degrees. However, without these cuts more students would have a harder time funding constantly escalating tuition costs. Even keeping the grant at its current amount is insufficient for the growing costs of higher education. Obamas’ plan will beef up the budget for educational grants and costs by $100 billion dollars over the next decade.
At A Glance:
Obama Administration
Pell Grant
Summer Financial Aid
LBCC financial aid office:
Takena Hall room 117
phone: 541-917-4850
Jennifer Moodys' Feature Writing Visit
During a recent visit to LBCC’s Feature Writing class, journalist Jennifer Moody (reporter for the Democrat Herald) spoke to students about some of the important facets of being a journalist. She regaled the students with some of the stories of her own experience as a journalist and some of the key tools she has learned during her professional career.
One of the main facts she made clear was important for a writer was writing conventions. It’s these conventions that help the reader decide how good the writer is and whether the story is worth reading. The reader will judge the story based on how well the article is written and not necessarily what the subject matter is about.
She used a story about her daughter to help illustrate this point. Jennifer talked about how her daughter read an article and talked about how full of errors it was; her daughter judged the writers intelligence based soley on convention errors. Simple spelling mistakes or improper punctuation can help the reader decide on whether or not an article will be worth reading.
Jennifer also told the students to be ready to write about anything, even if it’s outside of their normal comfort zone. She mentioned how she disliked writing about sports but how when the time came for her to write a story about sports she was ready to do it. It’s this versatility to be ready to write about anything that really prepares a writer to become successful in a journalism career. If something comes across the writers’ desk, they should be able and willing to write about it.
One student asked Jennifer how to narrow a story down when there is so much to write about, how can you isolate a topic to just one small article? Jennifer replied with an analogy about a bakery, “You don’t write about the bakery, you write about the piece of pie. The pie will tell you about the bakery.”
In essence it is not necessarily the budget cut, or the escalating costs of tuition. It’s the small business that’s affected by the budget cut or the student that can’t afford books because of rising tuition. These small parts of the story help to illuminate the bigger picture for the reader and writer.
Jennifer cast an illuminating light on some of the key problems and issues the future journalist would have to contend with. She gave the students her own tools and trick on how to deal with these issues when they arrive. The class session with Jennifer was helpful for any writer hoping to find a future in the journalism career.
One of the main facts she made clear was important for a writer was writing conventions. It’s these conventions that help the reader decide how good the writer is and whether the story is worth reading. The reader will judge the story based on how well the article is written and not necessarily what the subject matter is about.
She used a story about her daughter to help illustrate this point. Jennifer talked about how her daughter read an article and talked about how full of errors it was; her daughter judged the writers intelligence based soley on convention errors. Simple spelling mistakes or improper punctuation can help the reader decide on whether or not an article will be worth reading.
Jennifer also told the students to be ready to write about anything, even if it’s outside of their normal comfort zone. She mentioned how she disliked writing about sports but how when the time came for her to write a story about sports she was ready to do it. It’s this versatility to be ready to write about anything that really prepares a writer to become successful in a journalism career. If something comes across the writers’ desk, they should be able and willing to write about it.
One student asked Jennifer how to narrow a story down when there is so much to write about, how can you isolate a topic to just one small article? Jennifer replied with an analogy about a bakery, “You don’t write about the bakery, you write about the piece of pie. The pie will tell you about the bakery.”
In essence it is not necessarily the budget cut, or the escalating costs of tuition. It’s the small business that’s affected by the budget cut or the student that can’t afford books because of rising tuition. These small parts of the story help to illuminate the bigger picture for the reader and writer.
Jennifer cast an illuminating light on some of the key problems and issues the future journalist would have to contend with. She gave the students her own tools and trick on how to deal with these issues when they arrive. The class session with Jennifer was helpful for any writer hoping to find a future in the journalism career.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Video Game Addiction Column
Video Games: The New Drug
By John Rosales
It’s sent people to the poor house, ended relationships, and even caused people to lose their friends. It’s an addiction that seems to be growing more prevalent every year. It’s an addiction that most people don’t even see coming.
Video games have become the newest drug. It may seem a stretch for some people to believe that something as harmless as a video game can be the cause of such a serious addiction, but each day we’re seeing it become more of a problem. It’s become such a problem that there are help groups specially dedicated to assisting people recover from this addiction.
Most of us have grown up with video games, playing them since our childhood. We've waiting in anticipation for that Christmas or birthday gift that would send us packing to our bedrooms for hours on end, but most of us come out of it just fine. So what's caused this shift from simple pastime to hardcore addiction?
One contributing factor is the ever-expanding content for games. It used to be that you would play a video game until you beat it, and then it would go on the shelf to collect dust. Video games now offer continually expanding content to games. Add-on packs and new levels are added all of the time, so much so that a game doesn’t have to end for years after its initial release.
Another contributing factor to game addiction is the online role playing game or mmorpg(Massively Multi-player On-line Role Playing Game). Games like World of Warcraft never really end; there is no ultimate endpoint or finale to the game. The games encourage the addiction, with gamers constantly seeking perks and benefits in the game that will make them “elite” player's. Hours spent in the game garner the player not only gear, but bragging rights; a new weapon or a new set of armor is something that shows the player's dedication to the game. It also enables a certain superiority over other less dedicated player's.
The Internet is full of stories from players who have tried to quit or know someone who is addicted. Rebeltim shared his experience on the website Digg:
“3 years ago my wife missed new years with me and our 4 kids because while we were doing the count down, She was playing WoW…What started as just a couple nights a week turned into everyday, every free moment and late into the evenings(early mornings).” There are countless stories remarkably similar to this on almost every post.
Groups of people can spend months trying to earn a new set of armor or a special weapon and when this is accomplished there is always another piece of armor or another weapon waiting in yet another dungeon. It’s this constant search for the newest and best gear that keeps gamers playing over and over again every day.
There also seems to be obligations between players to reach a common goal, they rely on one another to complete quests or dungeons and if a player doesn’t help out with their guild (a group of people working together in the game) then they feel as though their letting them down and disappointing them.
“Yeah, my girlfriend seems to have a hard time with letting down her guild and will sometimes run an extra instance just to help out,” getbusyliving remarked on Digg.
These are the extreme cases, most of us can handle these games; we can continue to function in society. The reasons for addiction are different for each person; Some are social, some enjoy the sense of accomplishment for being one of the best and for others it’s just an escape. The problem is it's becoming ever more evident that these games don’t just become pastimes but take over peoples lives. People begin to work their lives around playing the video game instead of playing the video game around their lives.
At A Glance:
Online Gamer Addiction Help:On-Line Gamers Anonymous
Online Game Addiction Forum:TechAddiction
Online Game Addiction Stories:Video Game Addiction.org
Online Game Addiction Symptoms:Telling It Like It Is
By John Rosales
It’s sent people to the poor house, ended relationships, and even caused people to lose their friends. It’s an addiction that seems to be growing more prevalent every year. It’s an addiction that most people don’t even see coming.
Video games have become the newest drug. It may seem a stretch for some people to believe that something as harmless as a video game can be the cause of such a serious addiction, but each day we’re seeing it become more of a problem. It’s become such a problem that there are help groups specially dedicated to assisting people recover from this addiction.
Most of us have grown up with video games, playing them since our childhood. We've waiting in anticipation for that Christmas or birthday gift that would send us packing to our bedrooms for hours on end, but most of us come out of it just fine. So what's caused this shift from simple pastime to hardcore addiction?
One contributing factor is the ever-expanding content for games. It used to be that you would play a video game until you beat it, and then it would go on the shelf to collect dust. Video games now offer continually expanding content to games. Add-on packs and new levels are added all of the time, so much so that a game doesn’t have to end for years after its initial release.
Another contributing factor to game addiction is the online role playing game or mmorpg(Massively Multi-player On-line Role Playing Game). Games like World of Warcraft never really end; there is no ultimate endpoint or finale to the game. The games encourage the addiction, with gamers constantly seeking perks and benefits in the game that will make them “elite” player's. Hours spent in the game garner the player not only gear, but bragging rights; a new weapon or a new set of armor is something that shows the player's dedication to the game. It also enables a certain superiority over other less dedicated player's.
The Internet is full of stories from players who have tried to quit or know someone who is addicted. Rebeltim shared his experience on the website Digg:
“3 years ago my wife missed new years with me and our 4 kids because while we were doing the count down, She was playing WoW…What started as just a couple nights a week turned into everyday, every free moment and late into the evenings(early mornings).” There are countless stories remarkably similar to this on almost every post.
Groups of people can spend months trying to earn a new set of armor or a special weapon and when this is accomplished there is always another piece of armor or another weapon waiting in yet another dungeon. It’s this constant search for the newest and best gear that keeps gamers playing over and over again every day.
There also seems to be obligations between players to reach a common goal, they rely on one another to complete quests or dungeons and if a player doesn’t help out with their guild (a group of people working together in the game) then they feel as though their letting them down and disappointing them.
“Yeah, my girlfriend seems to have a hard time with letting down her guild and will sometimes run an extra instance just to help out,” getbusyliving remarked on Digg.
These are the extreme cases, most of us can handle these games; we can continue to function in society. The reasons for addiction are different for each person; Some are social, some enjoy the sense of accomplishment for being one of the best and for others it’s just an escape. The problem is it's becoming ever more evident that these games don’t just become pastimes but take over peoples lives. People begin to work their lives around playing the video game instead of playing the video game around their lives.
At A Glance:
Online Gamer Addiction Help:On-Line Gamers Anonymous
Online Game Addiction Forum:TechAddiction
Online Game Addiction Stories:Video Game Addiction.org
Online Game Addiction Symptoms:Telling It Like It Is
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Profile: Robert Harrison
Bringing History to Life at LBCC
by John Rosales
Robert Harrison is not your typical instructor; with his bushy mustache and array of suspenders you would think he was a carpenter from “This Old Home” rather than a history teacher with a PhD, but from the moment you first walk into his class you know you're in for a unique experience.
Harrison is a professor of social science at Linn-Benton Community College and believes that having the students get involved in his lectures is an important part of the learning experience, “[I] want to be creative and do fun things…not just lecture.”
Harrison starts his lecture off with students telling him what happened on this day in history, while he jokes about the grisly facts that he encourages them to bring in. His lecture is not just him talking, but him darting a glance in students direction and nodding at them while encouraging them to get involved in the conversation.You can see the enjoyment he gets from learning pieces of history from his students and the excitment he has while he teaches them,always making sure to engage the students. His humor, while sometimes bordering on the macarbe, keeps the classes light-hearted and interesting.
Its his dedication to making students get involved that really shows in his classroom. He holds special classes dedicated to something he calls the Meeting of the Minds, which involves the students getting dressed up as a person from history and giving a presentation as that character . He hopes that this unique way of teaching will help to inspire his students not just to write down facts and dates but to really become involved with history.
Matt Johnson, a student at LBCC said about Harrison, "He knows the material really well...he's really enthusiastic about it and it makes
you want to be enthusiastic about it."
Mr. Harrison has been teaching at LBCC since 2006 but has been teaching college classes all over America for the past 22 years. He was born and raised in Tyler, Texas but has traveled extensively all over America. He received his doctorate from Ohio State University and taught in a variety of places ranging from New Jersey to Arkansas but eventually moved to Oregon and became an instructor at LBCC.
Mr. Harrison grew up in the South around many historical Civil War locations, which helped to spark his interest in history and is also one reason he became involved with local Civil War re-enactors. Taking students to these reenactments and having students learn about history, not just from reading a textbook, but from getting involved and seeing history in front of them has been one of the most enjoyable parts of his career.
Mr. Harrison described some of the difficulties that come with his unique teaching style, "I want students to write, I think that it helps them learn the material ...I think it's important for students to write and get feedback.” However, with class sizes as large as they are it’s hard for him to find the time he believes necessary “I want to spend more time prepping for class than grading papers.”
In his spare time Harrison enjoys a variety of passtimes including one of his favorites...jazzercize.
“I’ve been doing it for 25 years now…I love it...a friend dragged me to it and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Harrison does not just teach classes on campus but dedicates his time outside of class as well. Harrison is the advisor for the democracy club and has worked tirelessly to help the students fund educational trips. Not only has the club traveled to places like Greece but they have also been involved in many projects around campus including helping students get registered to vote.
Scott McAleer, professor of social science talked about harrison's dedication, "Robert does a tremendous amount of work...above and beyond his job; Weekends spent selling Christmas trees, garage sales, raffles, zombie dances. None of this is part of his job...it's something he does for the students."
It's his dedication to the students learning experience that really makes him one of the many unique instructors that teach at LBCC; making their experience not only educational but also memorable.
At A Glance:
Professor Robert Harrison
Social Science Instructor
Linn-Benton Community College
PhD: Ohio State University
Office: SSH 203
Classes:History 103,202,203. Humanities 102
Email:harrisr@linnbenton.edu
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Brothers Album Review
"Brothers" Album Review
By John Rosales
"Brothers" is the latest album release from the blues alt-rock band The Black Keys. The Black Keys are a rock duo formed in 2002 that consists of vocalist/guitarist Dan Aurbach and drummer Patrick Carney. "Brothers" is the sixth album from the band and is their most successful to date. The album sticks to the band's roots, which is hard-driving, soulful blues rock. It provides the right amount of catchy modern blues rock tunes and slower, soulful rhythm.
Their methods haven’t changed much from previous albums with the deep smokey-whiskey voice of lead singer Dan Aurbach belting out tunes that seem as though they should be emanating from a 60-year-old blues barroom singer. Aurbach sings of similar topics related to most all blues rock songs; he’s singing of trifling women and lovers long gone, but with enough of a new and modern twist to keep the old material fresh.
The beats are solid and catchy as Carney shows his dominance over the drums, making you tap your feet and move along to most of the songs. Aurbachs’ mastery of the guitar is prevalent in long guitar solos that are up there with some of the best guitarists in the genre.
The fare is a little stale from the artists though as they basically repeat the same sounds from their previous albums; though the songs are a little cleaner and crisper than in their past albums.The band continues to retain that garage band retro feel that is their signature.
If you’re looking for variety from The Black Keys you’re not getting it with this album, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The band plays the music that garnered them the attention and the audience they received in the first place. Each song is enjoyable and fun in its own respect; (think AC/DC, same stuff but always enjoyable.) It's pure raw, simple blues rock that’s headed by talented musicians that know how to play the blues.
This has been a breakthrough album for The Black Keys whose careers have been struggling to garner them the popular success they deserve. The band had felt as though they wouldn’t last much longer in the music world but with the recent success of their latest album they seem to finally be getting the success and attention they deserve, being a hit in both the charts and with critics.
This recent album has not only been a commercial success for the band(the album has reached number three in the Billboards charts) but has also garnered the band recognition from the critics. Their album has been nominated for a Grammy Award for best alternative rock album and their single “Tighten Up” has also been nominated for best rock song.
After years of struggling to gain attention, the band has finally hit the right chord with popular audiences' and this latest album deserves all the attention that it’s given them. It is one of the best alternative rock albums of 2010 and if you enjoy catchy blues rock songs with unrelenting guitar riffs and pulse pounding percussion all of which are fronted by an incredibly soulful and powerful voice, then this album is for you.
At a Glance:
Band:The Black Keys
Band memebers: Dan Aurbach: vocalist/lead guitar, Patrick Carney: Drummer
Album: "Brothers"
Record Label:Nonesuch Records
Album Release date: May 18, 2010
Singles: "Tighten Up", "Howlin' For You
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
LBCC Goes Green
LBCC Goes Green
By John Rosales
LBCC is continuing to show its commitment to sustainability and green technology as solar panels were recently added to what will eventually be a gazebo in the courtyard. This is just one of the many advancements made in the past couple of years that illustrates the schools' sustainability practices. The school has shown increasing interest in showing the community and the students their dedication to becoming a sustainable campus. Renovations to many of the buildings are still underway and interested students can see how the school is creating new and exciting projects that revolve around the idea of sustainability.
Madrone Hall is the newest building addition to the campus and its design and construction reflect this dedication to sustainability. A portion of the building itself was constructed from recycled material; the building reused about 10 percent of building waste in order to help in its construction. The building also sports a set of solar paneled windows facing the south side of the school. These windows produce around nine kilowatt hours of energy, which, in comparison to the 19,000 kilowatt hours the school consumes, doesn’t seem to be a very effective addition.However, through efforts like these the school hopes to teach the ability to use alternative energy in a functional way.
Madrone Hall has also incorporated a water cistern that is used to collect rainwater from the roof. The water travels down a water slough and is filtered and dispersed into the ground. This helps to relieve the amount of water that goes into the sewer drains. This not only helps the school but will also help the community.
Daniel Lara, dean of science and technology at LBCC expressed what the school hoped to accomplish by focusing so largely on sustainability in their projects: “It allows the college to communicate to the external community what went into its building practices…it’s a way for the college to say these are the values we hold.”
Construction is still being completed on the White Oak Hall building, which is located next to Madrone Hall and was formerly the home of the science and technology program. One of the more creative and interesting features of this newly remodeled building will be the green roof. This donor funded project will literally be a garden on top of the roof. Four inches of soil will cover the roof and will be home to over 7500 different plant species. It will also help to reduce thermal energy costs by creating a natural insulation for the roof. The roof will be used as a teaching tool for some of the classes on campus and should be completed sometime around April.
There has also been the construction of a solar gazebo in the courtyard that will not only provide much needed shade for students but will also help to offset power consumption for the school. These projects also help the school gain certification in the LEED program, a program designed to acknowledge efforts towards sustainability in new buildings.
The mechatronic and industrial maintenance program is also working on some green projects and is working to create students that can bring renewable energy to the community.
Denis Green, the program advisor explained why thinking about sustainability is so important: “The cleanest, cheapest energy is the energy you save…people think if I change a light bulb it wont make any difference, but if you and a hundred people change a light bulb it makes a difference.”
It is not just the leadership that is working towards a greener campus but students are also getting involved by creating projects around the school. The Green Club, which was formerly called the Students for Sustainability Club, is a student run organization that is hoping to help educate the students and local community about the benefits of a greener life.
Advisor to the Green Club, Lori Fluge-Brunker talked about what the Green Club was hoping to accomplish on campus: “We’re hoping to be really educational…bringing that element of education to the campus community.“
One of the clubs' future projects is an Earth Day fair which the members are hoping will educate students on the need for green living. Hopes are that the fair will also have a few TED speakers that will come and talk about sustainability. TED is an online website dedicated to spreading innovative ideas. The club is currently seeking more students to help with the oncoming projects, so if you’re interested they urge you to visit their website and become involved.
At a glance:
The LBCC Green Club Advisor Lori Fluge-Bunker phone number: 541-917-4411, email:flugebl@linnbenton.edu
Justin Hussey, Green Club student rep. email: obvious.ingenuity@gmail.com
White Oak Hall, Madrone Hall
Mechatronic and Industrial maintenance program
LBCC sustainability
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