While they don’t get paid as much as full-time professors, adjunct professors are just as effective in their teaching abilities and they are as well-liked by students as full-time professors.
During the 2008-2009 school year, Missouri Western employed 187 full-time faculty and a lesser 149 part-time faculty.
One adjunct professor in particular is Professor Shane Heard. He is best known as theatre teacher and play director Coach Heard at Lafayette High School. He teaches theatre I, theatre II, stagecraft and applied communications. At Missouri Western, he is Doc. H, a professor of English 104 and English 108.
In addition to being an adjunct teacher, Heard is a dedicated father and husband, with a bachelor’s degree in education from Missouri Western. He is also an alumnus of Baker University, where he received an educational doctorate in educational leadership and the University of Missouri in Columbia, where he received his masters of education degree in curriculum and instruction.
Lafayette High School graduate, Taylia Guyer always enjoyed her classes with Heard. “He made me really love theatre class more than I already did! Having his class first thing in the morning always brightened my days,” Guyer said.
Heard spends his days at Lafayette and teaches night classes at Western. “I like teaching college for the fact that students have paid to be there and therefore they tend to work harder,” Heard said, “It is interesting to see the mix of students in both the high school setting and the college setting. In high school, you have many levels of learners. The same is true for college.”
However, Heard says that his job with Lafayette pays more and he thinks that the students there need him more than the ones at Missouri Western.
Even after the bell rings, sometimes, he still cannot get rid of his students. He has had several students from both Cameron High School, where he used to also teach and Lafayette High School, who have attended his classes at Missouri Western. “As a teacher of both, I get to see the progression of learning from grade 9 all the way through to senior in college,” Heard said.
Although he would love to be a principal one day, Heard still enjoys teaching students at the college level that he has also taught in high school. “The older students get, the more they work for their grade,” Heard said.
Lafayette graduate and Missouri Western sophomore Courtney Boner had only wonderful things to say about Heard, regardless of the homework she has to do for his class. “He makes class interesting by making us laugh with jokes and humor when class begins,” Boner said.
Boner is not the only one who thinks he does his job well. On ratemyprofessors.com, Heard received an overall 4.5 out of a ranking of 5 points and scored high in every category. Although the comments are anonymous, the site reports him as being very nice, helpful and highly recommendable.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Which type of parker are you?
I originally got this idea from a blog post by Single Dad Laughing in his post called My Special Place.
I never really thought about it, but why worry so much about where you are parking when you go to the market, mall or other large establishment?
I see people during every visit to HyVee or Home Depot, driving in circles around the parking lot in search of the closest empty spot they can find. Or waiting with their turn signal on to take a front row spot from the man loading his groceries.
In Single Dad Laughing's post, he says:
I recently realized how much sense this made. Five or ten extras steps really isn't that big of a deal. I used to complain when my husband would park further away from the door because he wanted to lessen the chances of getting door dings, but I completely agree with Single Dad Laughing's logic.
I tried parking far away from the building and realized how much I loved not having to squeeze myself into or out of the car without hitting the one next to me. I found that I enjoy the luxury of not having to try multiple times to fit a huge truck in between a van and an SUV. Plus, those extras five steps are just that more exercise that can only be positive on the body.
Parking in the back allows for less stress when it comes to getting out of the parking lot. It also allows for never having to worry about where you are going to park or whether or not there is going to be a space open for you.
I suggest that everyone try it at least once. I, skeptically, did. Now I find nothing but logic in the argument of parking in the back of the lot.
I never really thought about it, but why worry so much about where you are parking when you go to the market, mall or other large establishment?
I see people during every visit to HyVee or Home Depot, driving in circles around the parking lot in search of the closest empty spot they can find. Or waiting with their turn signal on to take a front row spot from the man loading his groceries.
In Single Dad Laughing's post, he says:
"Some people spend obscene amounts of time driving around, trying to find something close. They'll wait 30 seconds, a minute, two minutes, five minutes, or however long it takes for another customer to load up their groceries, get in, get buckled, and pull out.
Why?
If they would have pulled straight in and parked in the back without ever looking for another spot, they'd be ahead by a minute or two by the time they started their shopping. They'd also have burned an extra calorie or two, stretched their leg muscles a little more, and felt a little better".
I recently realized how much sense this made. Five or ten extras steps really isn't that big of a deal. I used to complain when my husband would park further away from the door because he wanted to lessen the chances of getting door dings, but I completely agree with Single Dad Laughing's logic.
I tried parking far away from the building and realized how much I loved not having to squeeze myself into or out of the car without hitting the one next to me. I found that I enjoy the luxury of not having to try multiple times to fit a huge truck in between a van and an SUV. Plus, those extras five steps are just that more exercise that can only be positive on the body.
Parking in the back allows for less stress when it comes to getting out of the parking lot. It also allows for never having to worry about where you are going to park or whether or not there is going to be a space open for you.
I suggest that everyone try it at least once. I, skeptically, did. Now I find nothing but logic in the argument of parking in the back of the lot.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Being Bi-Lingual
Thomas Jefferson got it right in a letter to Peter Carr in 1988. The infamous quote from that letter reads “Apply yourself to the study of the Spanish language with all the assiduity you can. It and the English covering nearly the whole face of America, they should be well known to every inhabitant, who means to look beyond the limits of his farm.”
Everyone with the ability to at least study another language should take advantage of it, especially when it comes to the Spanish language.
Not only does it have the huge advantage of getting paid more at some jobs for being able to speak Spanish, but knowing the language can make international trips more fun and it allows for a great personal sense of accomplishment. Instead of giving into those happily oblivious moments when the robber yells a Spanish phrase on Law and Order, understanding what was said would make it that much more entertaining of a show.
I strongly recommend that anyone who has the means should at least somewhat study another langugae. Doing so is only for the better, in the long run.
Everyone with the ability to at least study another language should take advantage of it, especially when it comes to the Spanish language.
Not only does it have the huge advantage of getting paid more at some jobs for being able to speak Spanish, but knowing the language can make international trips more fun and it allows for a great personal sense of accomplishment. Instead of giving into those happily oblivious moments when the robber yells a Spanish phrase on Law and Order, understanding what was said would make it that much more entertaining of a show.
I strongly recommend that anyone who has the means should at least somewhat study another langugae. Doing so is only for the better, in the long run.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Review of: Behind the Burqa: Our Life in Afghanistan and How We Escaped to Freedom
Behind the Burqa
Our Life in Afghanistan and How We Escaped to Freedom
Batya Swift Yasgur
277 pp. Wiley Publishers. $23.27
Batya Swift Yasgur’s interpretation of Sulima and Hala’s tales of escaping Afghanistan, although seemingly bland at first, is a very interesting account of the sisters’ lives. However, the negative details in Behind the Burqa almost seem to be in place as an attempt at making Americans feel bad about invading the Middle East. Yet the book itself seemingly attempts to make Americans feel better about themselves after the United States began the war in Iraq.
Regardless, the book is written very well, it is a heart-touching story and it is very informative. “In Afghanistan, the father picks out a prefix or suffix for all his sons that stands for some ideal or important family value, such as courage or adherence to God’s will. Father chose Abdel, which means “servant of God.” But in day-to-day conversation, we called them by their individual names – Karim, Asim, and Zamin.”
This novel shows just how underdeveloped Afghanistan was. They allowed girls to go to school but didn’t prefer it. In fact, they were against school, period, for the most part. Also, they were not advocates of everyday hand-washing.
“What are germs?” Karim asked… “They are tiny things, so small we cannot see them… It is unsanitary to simple spread a cloth on the floor when we eat. I am having a special table built so that the food can be higher than the floor.”
On the other hand, Behind the Burqa seems to be in place with a very specific goal of making others, especially Americans, feel bad. The account of Suilma is told first. As a child, she began working, illegally and impressively, for women’s rights. As well, she survived a very abusive martial relationship that carried over into her escape to the United States.
During one account at a women’s meeting, she recalls, “One woman told me that the Qur’an specifically mandated this treatment of women and we had no right to violate the Qur’an’s words… Men are superior to women on account of the qualities with which God hath gifted the one over the other and on account of the outlay they make from their substance for them.”
After Sulima moves to the United States, her younger sister Hala begins doing good deeds of her own, such as secretly educating children when all of the schools are shut down.
When Hala tries to escape to the U.S., she is unable to speak English and she is put in jail. She relies on Sulima who attempts to help her gain asylum, as being deported back to their home country is one of Hala’s biggest fears.
“For all of us, healing from the wounds inflicted by our own governments was almost impossible. We felt no safety. We were in a harsh and alien world. And we had been caught completely off guard. We had come to the United States with high expectations… I thought people in America were treated equally. But when I came here, I found out that this wasn’t true. Bad things happen to people who come from other countries. You can be put in jail for no reason other than leaving your country to save your life.”
Our Life in Afghanistan and How We Escaped to Freedom
Batya Swift Yasgur
277 pp. Wiley Publishers. $23.27
Batya Swift Yasgur’s interpretation of Sulima and Hala’s tales of escaping Afghanistan, although seemingly bland at first, is a very interesting account of the sisters’ lives. However, the negative details in Behind the Burqa almost seem to be in place as an attempt at making Americans feel bad about invading the Middle East. Yet the book itself seemingly attempts to make Americans feel better about themselves after the United States began the war in Iraq.
Regardless, the book is written very well, it is a heart-touching story and it is very informative. “In Afghanistan, the father picks out a prefix or suffix for all his sons that stands for some ideal or important family value, such as courage or adherence to God’s will. Father chose Abdel, which means “servant of God.” But in day-to-day conversation, we called them by their individual names – Karim, Asim, and Zamin.”
This novel shows just how underdeveloped Afghanistan was. They allowed girls to go to school but didn’t prefer it. In fact, they were against school, period, for the most part. Also, they were not advocates of everyday hand-washing.
“What are germs?” Karim asked… “They are tiny things, so small we cannot see them… It is unsanitary to simple spread a cloth on the floor when we eat. I am having a special table built so that the food can be higher than the floor.”
On the other hand, Behind the Burqa seems to be in place with a very specific goal of making others, especially Americans, feel bad. The account of Suilma is told first. As a child, she began working, illegally and impressively, for women’s rights. As well, she survived a very abusive martial relationship that carried over into her escape to the United States.
During one account at a women’s meeting, she recalls, “One woman told me that the Qur’an specifically mandated this treatment of women and we had no right to violate the Qur’an’s words… Men are superior to women on account of the qualities with which God hath gifted the one over the other and on account of the outlay they make from their substance for them.”
After Sulima moves to the United States, her younger sister Hala begins doing good deeds of her own, such as secretly educating children when all of the schools are shut down.
When Hala tries to escape to the U.S., she is unable to speak English and she is put in jail. She relies on Sulima who attempts to help her gain asylum, as being deported back to their home country is one of Hala’s biggest fears.
“For all of us, healing from the wounds inflicted by our own governments was almost impossible. We felt no safety. We were in a harsh and alien world. And we had been caught completely off guard. We had come to the United States with high expectations… I thought people in America were treated equally. But when I came here, I found out that this wasn’t true. Bad things happen to people who come from other countries. You can be put in jail for no reason other than leaving your country to save your life.”
Monday, April 25, 2011
An Artsy Mommy
If being a mom and wife at 21 doesn’t seem hard, alone, throwing costume and web designing into the mix can make it even more difficult. Saint Joseph local Taylia Banks-Guyer plays the role of super-mom in finding time to express all four titles, plus many others in her life.
If not caring for her two boys, Aidan and Jordhán or entertaining Charles, her husband of almost 2 years, Taylia can be found at her computer, evolving a new chapter of her latest masterpiece or sketching another creation to life. She has participated in the annual National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, for 3 years.
If not caring for her two boys, Aidan and Jordhán or entertaining Charles, her husband of almost 2 years, Taylia can be found at her computer, evolving a new chapter of her latest masterpiece or sketching another creation to life. She has participated in the annual National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, for 3 years.
Taylia's oldest son, Aidan, on his first birthday
Taylia's husband, Charles and their youngest son, Jordhán
NaNoWriMo is an annual competition in which participants have the entire month of Nov. to produce a 50,000 word story and submit it for an award. Every November, when the competition begins, Guyer’s computer becomes her best friend for thirty days.
NaNoWriMo participants have until June to revise their stories for proof-printing to receive a copy of their story if they wish to do so.
“I have been winning NaNoWriMo since I started it, so that's three 50,000+ word stories,” said Guyer. Participants receive free proof copies of their completed NaNoWriMo novels in June of the following year. “The best part about NaNoWriMo is the absolute, utter, crazy chaos that ensues! No matter how much you plan throughout the year for NaNoWriMo, or how anxious you are for the clock to turn midnight into Novemeber to start, nothing will prepare you for it. You'll write for hours, you'll go without sleep, your characters will develop minds of their own and you won't be able to stop them from changing your plot on their own. That's the best thing ever!” she said.
Although writing has been a passion for her since she was in middle school, writing fictional stories about her favorite WWE professional wrestlers, she says that the process of creating a NaNoWriMo submission, no matter how well planned, never stays on track the way the author originally intended.
“I plan my story up to the closest detail, creating entirely new worlds, characters, relationships, religions and governments. I get to the point to where I can watch my story like a movie through my head and all I have to do is write it down once November 1st comes. But I've never had a NaNo go the way I planned it,” said Guyer.
Along with writing, she also has a strong passion for cosplaying. Cosplay is short for “costume play” and is defined as a performance art in which participants dress up as specific characters to meet at a “Comicon”, commonly abbreviated simply as “Con”.
A Comicon is a convention of mainly comic book fans and gives masses of them the opportunity to meet and join and express their creativity and love for certain characters. In recent years, Comicons have become more well-known. Kansas City’s Comicon is called Naka-Kon.
“There are two types of cosplayers, those who just dress up, and those who actually become the characters when they do so,” said Guyer.
She makes all of her own costumes for these events. “I like to piece my costume together piece by piece, in the most cost efficient ways possible. Charles bought me a $200 suit for an interview,” she said. “Why just use it once? So I put it to use for my cosplay and actually won best costume for it. People cosplay lots of stuff, though it's mainly anime characters and video games. People will cosplay actors, musicians, and etcetera. To me, it's kind of like still getting to do the theatre thing that I miss so much”.
She has even expanded the craze onto her family. “When kids are older, you can dress them up to take them to the Con with you. That's my biggest thing; I want to get the whole family into it. I got Charles to agree to do it with me this year and it just helps to give us all something to do together. We're going to go to Anime Nebraskon in Nov. It's a little bit of a bigger Con than Naka-Kon but I am excited!” said Guyer.
While Guyer has extended her love of cosplaying onto her family, she believes her family has to come before cosplaying.
“Family has to take precedence over your cosplaying. Not only does it cut your time to work on it, but it cuts funds and all that. I love my little family, but it just means that it's something that makes my passion for cosplay a hobby and not a profession,” said Guyer.
In addition to cosplaying and writing for NaNoWriMo, Guyer also expresses her creativity through drawings, web design and voice-over acting as well.
Guyer says that although web designing was a good source of income for her, she lost her passion for doing it because she was getting paid to. Instead, she turned to voice acting.
“Anymore all I've been doing is some voice acting with some friends. That is what I want to do for a living; it’s just a hard business to get into. We write our collaborative stories and then end up picking scenes and acting them out,” said Guyer.
Not only does she have a talent and passion for voice-over acting, but Guyer also possesses a gift and desire for drawing, whether it being on the computer or with pencil and paper. Typically, she does drawings for herself, but creates them, more so, as gifts for her friends.
“I've been doing art commissions for people, mostly free stuff. A friend recently paid me $15 to do a picture of him and his girlfriend together, even though I told him it wasn't needed. But basically I'll draw any request for people, or make icons, or resize stuff for backgrounds. I actually hand-drew an entire background for a friend once,” she said.
For Guyer, drawing, like web designing, is more of a hobby that she does for free rather than for payment.
NaNoWriMo participants have until June to revise their stories for proof-printing to receive a copy of their story if they wish to do so.
“I have been winning NaNoWriMo since I started it, so that's three 50,000+ word stories,” said Guyer. Participants receive free proof copies of their completed NaNoWriMo novels in June of the following year. “The best part about NaNoWriMo is the absolute, utter, crazy chaos that ensues! No matter how much you plan throughout the year for NaNoWriMo, or how anxious you are for the clock to turn midnight into Novemeber to start, nothing will prepare you for it. You'll write for hours, you'll go without sleep, your characters will develop minds of their own and you won't be able to stop them from changing your plot on their own. That's the best thing ever!” she said.
Although writing has been a passion for her since she was in middle school, writing fictional stories about her favorite WWE professional wrestlers, she says that the process of creating a NaNoWriMo submission, no matter how well planned, never stays on track the way the author originally intended.
“I plan my story up to the closest detail, creating entirely new worlds, characters, relationships, religions and governments. I get to the point to where I can watch my story like a movie through my head and all I have to do is write it down once November 1st comes. But I've never had a NaNo go the way I planned it,” said Guyer.
Along with writing, she also has a strong passion for cosplaying. Cosplay is short for “costume play” and is defined as a performance art in which participants dress up as specific characters to meet at a “Comicon”, commonly abbreviated simply as “Con”.
A Comicon is a convention of mainly comic book fans and gives masses of them the opportunity to meet and join and express their creativity and love for certain characters. In recent years, Comicons have become more well-known. Kansas City’s Comicon is called Naka-Kon.
“There are two types of cosplayers, those who just dress up, and those who actually become the characters when they do so,” said Guyer.
She makes all of her own costumes for these events. “I like to piece my costume together piece by piece, in the most cost efficient ways possible. Charles bought me a $200 suit for an interview,” she said. “Why just use it once? So I put it to use for my cosplay and actually won best costume for it. People cosplay lots of stuff, though it's mainly anime characters and video games. People will cosplay actors, musicians, and etcetera. To me, it's kind of like still getting to do the theatre thing that I miss so much”.
She has even expanded the craze onto her family. “When kids are older, you can dress them up to take them to the Con with you. That's my biggest thing; I want to get the whole family into it. I got Charles to agree to do it with me this year and it just helps to give us all something to do together. We're going to go to Anime Nebraskon in Nov. It's a little bit of a bigger Con than Naka-Kon but I am excited!” said Guyer.
While Guyer has extended her love of cosplaying onto her family, she believes her family has to come before cosplaying.
“Family has to take precedence over your cosplaying. Not only does it cut your time to work on it, but it cuts funds and all that. I love my little family, but it just means that it's something that makes my passion for cosplay a hobby and not a profession,” said Guyer.
In addition to cosplaying and writing for NaNoWriMo, Guyer also expresses her creativity through drawings, web design and voice-over acting as well.
Guyer says that although web designing was a good source of income for her, she lost her passion for doing it because she was getting paid to. Instead, she turned to voice acting.
“Anymore all I've been doing is some voice acting with some friends. That is what I want to do for a living; it’s just a hard business to get into. We write our collaborative stories and then end up picking scenes and acting them out,” said Guyer.
Not only does she have a talent and passion for voice-over acting, but Guyer also possesses a gift and desire for drawing, whether it being on the computer or with pencil and paper. Typically, she does drawings for herself, but creates them, more so, as gifts for her friends.
“I've been doing art commissions for people, mostly free stuff. A friend recently paid me $15 to do a picture of him and his girlfriend together, even though I told him it wasn't needed. But basically I'll draw any request for people, or make icons, or resize stuff for backgrounds. I actually hand-drew an entire background for a friend once,” she said.
For Guyer, drawing, like web designing, is more of a hobby that she does for free rather than for payment.
A picture of Taylia that she altered with Photoshop
A digital drawing by Guyer
A digital drawing by Taylia
A Super Mario Brothers sculpture by Taylia
A Final Fantasy sculpture by Taylia
A pencil and paper drawing of Wolverine from X-Men, by Taylia
A drawing by Taylia
A pencil and paper drawing by Taylia
To view more of Taylia's art, please visit the following website: http://renoxrayneftw.deviantart.com/
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Penniless Midwest
Missouri Western sophomore Crystal Crawford knows what it is like to have to take out money for school with worries about being able to pay it back.
“I went to school solely on grants and scholarships at Northwest, but when I transferred here, I had to start taking out loans. I was surprised at how ridiculously fast it can add up!” she said.
Credit cards are also a big factor in college student debt.
“I got a Kay Jewelers card my freshman year and I did good keeping it paid until I had to start taking out loans, and it just gets harder and harder to keep things paid,” said Crawford.
According to The Institute for Higher Education Policy, a nonprofit organization that researches and features educational information, about 35 percent of borrowers made timely loan payments without becoming delinquent in 2005, totaling over $13 billion in loans.
In a March 2011 research of 2005 graduates, the IHEP reported, “About 15 percent of borrowers not only became delinquent, but also had defaulted on their loan(s) at some point during the first five years of their repayment term”.
According to USA Today, the average amount owed by college graduates is $19,000. However, they also reported that “Many undergrads, though, have debt exceeding $40,000”.
At Missouri Western specifically, according to the financial aid department, 56.24 percent of students have federal loans which totals $21,782,317. The average loan amount per Western student is $6,535. In some cases, almost double the amounts of students have loans as do students have grants, scholarships, or participate in a work-study program.
Not only are student loans a big factor in debt among college students, but credit cards attribute to that debt, as well.
Credit cards are typically part of the debt that college students rack up, as according to the College Student Credit Card website, the average balance that students owe on their credit cards is $885.
They also reported that the average student has at least two credit cards, some have up to 4 and only 17 percent of students do not own credit cards. On average, they reported that only 55 percent of college students with credit cards pay off their credit card debt.
Missouri Western junior, Courtney Boner knows what it is like to obtain and to use credit cards.
“I have one store credit card, but I always make sure I never charge so much on it that I am unable to pay the balance in full with my next paycheck” she said.
Boner uses her credit card intelligently, refusing to rack up any more debt than she has to.
“I figure I have enough with student loans, I would rather not owe any more than I absolutely have to once I graduate,” she said.
Missouri Western sophomore Lisa Winslow says she refuses to even sign up for a credit card.
“I used to have one, but they are all trouble. I have too much money out in loans as it is!” she said.
While credit cards can be a bad idea if they are not used and paid off wisely, there are some advantages to college students using credit cards. Using credit cards intelligently can help out by bettering your credit score which, in turn, can help you buy a car, a home, or get a job. They can also help a student establish credit, which is also very useful in making big purchases like a car or a house.
“If I see something that I want, but I know I can’t pay it off, I just refuse to buy it. Sometimes it is hard to do, but I haven’t let myself do it yet!” Boner said.
“I went to school solely on grants and scholarships at Northwest, but when I transferred here, I had to start taking out loans. I was surprised at how ridiculously fast it can add up!” she said.
Credit cards are also a big factor in college student debt.
“I got a Kay Jewelers card my freshman year and I did good keeping it paid until I had to start taking out loans, and it just gets harder and harder to keep things paid,” said Crawford.
According to The Institute for Higher Education Policy, a nonprofit organization that researches and features educational information, about 35 percent of borrowers made timely loan payments without becoming delinquent in 2005, totaling over $13 billion in loans.
In a March 2011 research of 2005 graduates, the IHEP reported, “About 15 percent of borrowers not only became delinquent, but also had defaulted on their loan(s) at some point during the first five years of their repayment term”.
According to USA Today, the average amount owed by college graduates is $19,000. However, they also reported that “Many undergrads, though, have debt exceeding $40,000”.
At Missouri Western specifically, according to the financial aid department, 56.24 percent of students have federal loans which totals $21,782,317. The average loan amount per Western student is $6,535. In some cases, almost double the amounts of students have loans as do students have grants, scholarships, or participate in a work-study program.
Not only are student loans a big factor in debt among college students, but credit cards attribute to that debt, as well.
Credit cards are typically part of the debt that college students rack up, as according to the College Student Credit Card website, the average balance that students owe on their credit cards is $885.
They also reported that the average student has at least two credit cards, some have up to 4 and only 17 percent of students do not own credit cards. On average, they reported that only 55 percent of college students with credit cards pay off their credit card debt.
Missouri Western junior, Courtney Boner knows what it is like to obtain and to use credit cards.
“I have one store credit card, but I always make sure I never charge so much on it that I am unable to pay the balance in full with my next paycheck” she said.
Boner uses her credit card intelligently, refusing to rack up any more debt than she has to.
“I figure I have enough with student loans, I would rather not owe any more than I absolutely have to once I graduate,” she said.
Missouri Western sophomore Lisa Winslow says she refuses to even sign up for a credit card.
“I used to have one, but they are all trouble. I have too much money out in loans as it is!” she said.
While credit cards can be a bad idea if they are not used and paid off wisely, there are some advantages to college students using credit cards. Using credit cards intelligently can help out by bettering your credit score which, in turn, can help you buy a car, a home, or get a job. They can also help a student establish credit, which is also very useful in making big purchases like a car or a house.
“If I see something that I want, but I know I can’t pay it off, I just refuse to buy it. Sometimes it is hard to do, but I haven’t let myself do it yet!” Boner said.
Tips from College Student Credit Card on using your credit cards wisely:
• Consider your purchases. Buy things you need
before things you want, and consider whether you
would buy the item(s) if you were not charging it.
• Budget. Do not spend more than you have.
Pay off the balance each month. If you pay off your
balance each month, you do not have to pay interest.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
On the Alabama State Line
Summers in Mobile, AL offer many attractions and this, of course, comes with increased revenue for those businesses.
Mobile is home to one attraction in particular, the U.S.S. Alabama battleship, also known as "Lucky A”. The battleship served in World War II in 1942 and carried 127 officers and 2,205 enlisted men. The battleship earned its nickname because it did not lose a single person to the enemy during its time of service.
Visitor Dorothy Flanagan, after her 4-hour experience aboard the battleship said “I really loved it a lot. Even though I am from a military family, I have never seen anything like this ship before. I really just enjoyed seeing everything and would recommend it to anyone who visits Alabama. Plus, it didn’t cost nearly as much as I expected to get in”, she said.
Mobile is home to one attraction in particular, the U.S.S. Alabama battleship, also known as "Lucky A”. The battleship served in World War II in 1942 and carried 127 officers and 2,205 enlisted men. The battleship earned its nickname because it did not lose a single person to the enemy during its time of service.
One room in the battleship has walls lined with the names of crewmen who served on the Alabama
The battleship was retired in 1962 and moved to Battleship Memorial Park in the Mobile Bay two years later. School children from Alabama raised the $100,000 to bring the battleship to Mobile Bay.
The battleship opened as a museum on Jan. 9 1965. It was added to the National Historical Landmark registry in 1986.
Visitor Cheryl Gann said her favorite part was getting lost inside the battleship.
“We tried to follow the arrows and stay on track, but it was really easy to get lost. It was a little confusing and the doorways were kind of hard to step through since I am so short, but I really enjoyed it and wouldn’t mind coming back again,” she said.
A hallway inside of the battleship
Navigating the battleship can be slightly confusing and visitors must watch where they step because of holes in the floor that lead to lower levels of the ship. Touring the ship is led by red, yellow or blue arrows. Visitors follow each color from beginning to end to ensure that they see everything on the tour.
Examples of knots used on the Alabama
The U.S.S. Alabama is similar to many battleships from its day. However, this ship is much larger than a typical battleship.
The U.S.S. Alabama, the sixth completed ship of the United States Navy, is one of the biggest ships ever built. The walls of gunmetal grey, while dull and colorless, stretch upward for what seems like forever. From outside the main building, at least 10 feet away from the U.S.S. Alabama, the ship will not fit in one full picture. Instead, the photographer must snap two shots to capture the entire battleship. Even being inactive today, the ship’s presence is reinforced by its oversized demeanor.
The U.S.S. Alabama
The beginning of the journey is a trip from the ground, up the wide, grey ramp to the ship’s deck of informative signs and gadgets.
A walk on the deck, from bow to stern, is nearly a 5-minute walk. The ship can be clearly seen from the highway across the bay. The battleship covers 175 acres and it could hold nearly 160 football fields. However, even in the rain, visitors still seem to enjoy their experience aboard.
Children can be seen pretending to take down enemies from behind the ship’s massive guns, shouting “pshoo, pshoo” at one another. All the while, mothers are snapping photographs. Fathers are warning them not to slip when they climb back down and grandmothers are telling fathers “let them just be kids”.
On deck of the U.S.S. Alabama
Visitor Dorothy Flanagan, after her 4-hour experience aboard the battleship said “I really loved it a lot. Even though I am from a military family, I have never seen anything like this ship before. I really just enjoyed seeing everything and would recommend it to anyone who visits Alabama. Plus, it didn’t cost nearly as much as I expected to get in”, she said.
A diving suit used during Alabama's active days
The battleship was joined in Mobile Bay by the U.S.S. Drum submarine in 1969, which is also open to guests.
Battleship Memorial Park is scattered with war honorary sites, tanks and stone statues. Their Air Pavilion includes planes from World War II and a simulation flight for children. Although the building received damage and flooding during Hurricane Katrina, the site was remodeled and remains up for display.
The U.S.S. Alabama received on-screen time when it appeared in the films Under Siege and Rapid Fire and was in the ABC television series War and Remembrance.
The battleship was used as hurricane shelter during Hurricane Katrina. It suffered some damage that shifted the ship’s anchorage, but served its purpose well.
Directors of Battleship Memorial Park were unavailable to comment on the income increase the U.S.S. Alabama brings to Mobile Bay.
The U.S.S. Alabama and Battleship Memorial Park is open for touring every day except Christmas. The park is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Nov. through Feb. and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. March through Oct. Admission for ages 12 and up is $12, for ages 6-11 it is $6 and for children under the age of 6, admission is free.
Friday, April 22, 2011
About Me
As a senior at Missouri Western State University in Saint Joseph, Missouri, I am majoring in both English: Public Relations and Spanish. I am looking to graduate in a minimum of two years from now and begin a career in either translating and/or public relations. Ideally, I would love to study Spanish, learn to be a translator, move to South America or Spain. Initially, I have no desire to be a teacher, but I think it would be very interesting to move to a Spanish-speaking country where I could teach ESL (English as a Second Language) classes.
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