Juicy Cruelty!

Most people engage in gossip. I cannot deny that I have gossiped or been intrigued by a magazine invasion of a star’s life. Gossiping becomes horrific when it is about you, your family, or your friends, especially when it shows up on the internet for the whole world to see.

A two year old website, Juicy Campus, does just that. It allows individuals to post gossip, true or not, about anyone they would like. The site encourages people to anonymously post the ‘juiciest’ uncensored gossip or rumors. The messages on the site range from the breasts of a professor, the ugliest couple, the sluttiest girls, to even racist or sexist comments. Sound Juicy?

Sounds more CRUEL to me! Why would someone want to post an invasive or mean comment about another human being? The pleasure of being a jerk? The glory of revenge? The pettiness of competition? The bitterness of separation? LET”S GROW UP!

The site claims to have "the simple mission of enabling online anonymous free speech on college campuses,” yet allows people to hide behind their free speech.

The site states, "There is no way for someone using the site to find out who you are. And we at Juicy Campus are not keeping track of who you are or what you post. In fact, we prefer not to know who you are,” Come on, why hide? Even the founder, A Duke alum and frat president keeps his identity secret from the world.

Juicy Campus is protected under Communications Decency Act of 1996, which aims to shield Web publishers from liability for libelous comments posted by third parties. Protecting and exercising freedom of speech and opinions is one thing but protecting lies or rumors is just irresponsible. So now people can make comments, potentially hurt others and not live up to their cruelty? IMMATURE?...Completely!

I guess some people just do not mature and stay, as juicy campus would say, “soooo totally high school”

Getting Up Early To Go Where?

As a kid, I went to church every Sunday morning and for every holy day of obligation. It did not matter whether it was storming or if the holy day was in the middle of the week or even if we were on vacation we would find a church and go. I did not hate going to church but it was never the first thing I wanted to do on a weekend morning. During church I rarely listened because I did not understand what was going on so I would make up games in my head or talk to my sisters until my parents would 'shush' us. My freshman year in college, I figured I would never get up to go to church because I did not have to go to please my parents anymore.

Starting that first semester away from home was scary since I had been with my family all of my life till then. I missed my friends and family so much that I wanted to cry the first few days at school. A few times I considered packing my stuff up, giving up on this college thing and returning home. It hit me that every other freshman around the country was going through the same thing as me. Maybe not all of them were missing their homes but they all were going through change and they somehow were surviving. This made me believe I would survive too. I still was seeking some comfort and familiarity and guess what I turned to to find it?

Yes it was my faith and church. I remember it was a Sunday night and I just got off the phone with my mom. I decided I would pray to help ease my mind and feelings. I was looking for this church that people had talked about on campus but could not find it as I walked all around the Drake area. When I was about to give up I found this small, unassuming church across the street from campus, St. Catherine. I entered it quietly, trying not to draw attention, as I was already late for the 9pm student mass. Immediately the students and church opened its arms to me. Everyone made me feel as though I was in the right place and that I would never be alone. That night church staff introduced themselves and all of the neat things going on for students to get involved in. Also that night the students walked back to my dorm with me as I made new friends. I started going to church there every weekend, waking up each Sunday morning to go.

I was no longer forced to go to church but I went because my faith was becoming something much more than just a word my parents had placed upon me. I really began to understand myself and my faith my freshman year. I realized what believing meant and why I did it. Most of this spiritual growth would not have happened without the persistent efforts and teaching by my parents but more importantly it would not have happened if it were not for the people at St. Catherine's. The church makes everyone feel as though they are apart of the 'family' and always welcome to come over no matter what they believe or who they are. The church gives students the tools to find themselves at a time when life is changing so much. I stay very involved in the church because I feel like I want to give back to the community that gave me so much, I want to make others feel as comfortable as I am, and I want to strengthen myself daily. I now know that I had found the most inviting church that has shaped a large part of me, thanks St. Catherine's.

New President

As one of my navy friends would say "There's a new boss in charge". I am talking about President Obama. I am actually excited about the new president, not because I am an overzealous Obama supporter or a fanatic liberal but because our country needs some change. A new president, no matter their party, race, gender or religion, helps usher in change because of their new ideas, new committee members and desire to better their country.

The economy is in a sinking ship that is trying to bail itself out but is not getting very far. People borrowed beyond their means and Uncle Sam has begun to show the hurt it is causing. Stocks are going up and down like an out of control roller coaster ride, while companies are pleading for money, people are loosing their homes, oil prices are on a happy downswing about to dangerously upswing, and the dollar is laughable in most other countries.

The United States needs to keep its nose out of everyone's bussiness including many of the conflicts in the Middle East. I believe people should enjoy freedoms and rights but by having a force come into your country just to fight another country, that is not freedom or peace. Besides, the US is not in the Middle East because they are fighting for universal freedom, they are there because there is a whole lot of oil and land at stake.

The environment is dirty and a whole lot more could be done to preserve it. From simple recycling, which is not even done in many places, to more efficient forms of energy, to cleaner water sources. We have the knowledge and power so why not use it to help preserve our world long enough for our posterity to enjoy it.

I know that recovery will take awhile, as in years, but I hope that the new president can help start that recovery process soon so our country can start building itself back up, while promoting peace and a safer environment to live in. I just want to have a job when I graduate, not have to worry about being recruited for WWIII, afford health care, and know that my children/grandchildren can enjoy the same world that I have lived in.

Not as Tech Savvy as I Thought

As a frugal college student I have used online sites to purchase my class books since I started at Drake. The bookstore usually charges a considerable greater amount for any book than a competitive price that half.com might have listed. I had bought the books online and never sold any books online because I would find younger classmates that needed the books or figured I might need them again one day.

As my bookshelf has filled up over the past 4 years with books that "I thought I might need again" but have never really used even once, I decided it was time to sell some of my books and get back some kind of money. Well the bookstore will usually buy books back and pay you nothing or if you are lucky up to about a quarter of what you paid originally. I will admit sometimes they are generous and will pay back about half of what you paid. Either way, I wanted to get back more than what the bookstore was offering so I decided to sell my books online. Like mentioned above I had only bought books online not sold them. Well I thought I was a smart college student up with the times, but I realized quickly how little I knew about online selling.

First off I had to call my sister to make sure it was ok to sell stuff online and enter account numbers because I was afraid I was going to get scammed...that happens more than you would like to know nowadays. Then after worrying about being ripped off or scammed for about an hour I finally signed up and put in my info. Placing my books to sell was easy and I guess my asking prices were too low because the next day I had already sold 4 books (I had placed 12 to be sold). So I thought it would be easy to just ship the books off and get my money.

Then I was hit with having to sign up for ebay.com along with half.com. So I did. Then I was hit with this Paypal thing, which once again I had to call my sister to ask about after I freaked out for a few moments. They wanted lots of personal information so once again I was leary. Well all was ok except I still was not sure how I sent the books and when I would get paid and how I would KNOW that I was for sure going to get paid. So I was a big ball of worry at this time because I did not want to send out these books and never see the money for them. I looked into my bank accounts and found that both sites had charged me a $1 fee. Once again I freaked out for a few moments called my sister. She thought I was a nut by this time and was getting frustrated with me. I realized that the fee was just for authorization and that I would be getting it back (or so I still think).

I am packing up my books and sending them off. I hope I did everything right and will see some compensation for them. The simple task of selling my books online turned into a 4+ hour job that created a lot of anxiety for me. I know this was a learning experience for me not only in how to use online sales sites but also how to keep my anxiety in check.

I Feel Honored But...

I would love to take advantage of every experience in life, so I feel honored when individuals approach me with opportunities for jobs, conferences, responsibilities and awards and try to take advantage of each offer.

As I have always put my interests behind others, I am coming to the realization that I need to stop trying to be superwoman. Physically and mentally I cannot do everything so sometimes it would be helpful if sometimes people forgot about me.

I know this sounds silly and seems like one of the most ridiculous problems to have. But I hate having to say no to people when they offer me an opportunity. When I have to say no to others' offers I feel like I am letting those people down and I HATE letting people down. I feel as if people are depending on me so I feel guilty that I cannot please everyone. Additionally, I am afraid if I do not take advantage of every opportunity set in front of me I might miss out on something in life.

I know that I need to learn that saying no is ok sometimes. This is much easier said than done but I hope that I can learn to do this. As much as I struggle, thank you for thinking of me.

Weird Number Fetish

I am a numbers person because I work well with numbers and think better in numbers. Sometimes I think about numbers so much that I think I have a fetish with numbers. For example:

~I do not like any prime numbers except one and three.
~I am not a fan of odd numbers unless they end in five.
~I really like even numbers.
~I will not get out of bed in the morning unless the time ends in an even number or a five.
~I think even numbers are good luck.
~I love number patterns and games (like sudoku)
~I like decimals better than fractions but fractions look neater.
~I think America should adopt the metric system because it is much easier and organized when it comes to numbers.
~I time things in times that end in even numbers or numbers that end in five.

Have you ever thought about numbers so much?

I Have!

As the Price of a Diploma Diminishes

Many students start out with a part time job earning minimum wage just to earn a little money for the education that is promised to get them a better job. Students are told that they cannot get a satisfying job without an advance education, so they struggle through the competition, rigor, and demand to obtain a college education. This education comes at a hefty price, in the tens of thousands of dollars each year with a 5% increase in tuition each year, no matter if it is public or private. Tuition is not the only cost as books, room and board, and travel/transportation require a good chunk of change. After completing those four years, the student will have their piece of paper but will also have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. The student will take that piece of paper and try to get the job that they were assured from the beginning.

In today’s economy, jobs are not hiring because they do not have enough money to even keep the people they have as they lay people off. If any job is hiring, the jobs will tell them that they cannot hire the graduate unless they have experience, but the graduate cannot get experience until the job hires them. The student with their piece of paper, thousands in education debts and four years of potential income earning passed up, now goes back to living with their parents and to the part time job that earned them minimum wage. On the upside, the graduate is now able to work full time and brag about how expensive that now framed piece of paper was.

Was the student dumb? This makes my two more years till graduation a little more worth while. Let us hope for better times to come.