Everything good must come to an end...

Well, today is the last day for graded blog posts.. perhaps I may continue blogging... with no grade attatched! Arizona's new immigration law has definitely caused a huge controversy all over the world. We spent a good 15 minutes discussing it in Philosphy today. How would you feel if you lived in a foreign country and they were harrassing you left and right to see your papers. I have not decided my thoughts on the new law or not... I'm waiting to see how it pans out before jumping to conclussions... because I can see both side of the story...

read the article here


Chao for now!

KSU is going green.

K-State was listed in the "Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges." To some, that won't seem like much, but to others it means a lot. More and more teenagers are starting to care more about the environment. So K-State will have one up on all the other colleges in Kansas if being green is definitely something they are looking for. The article on cjonline.com had a very clever lead: "Move over, purple. Kansas State University is going green." At first you almost think the article might be about KSU changing their school colors, so it makes you definitely want to keep reading to find out what the article is really about.

To read more about KSU going green click here

I just Topeka'ed you...

In response to Topeka renaming itself Google, Kansas for the month of March, Google has decided to rename themselves Topeka for all day on April 1st. Google, I'm sorry I mean Topeka, has stated that these act has no influence on what cities will be chosen as test sites for the fiber optic experiment, they simply just wanted to get in on the fun and share a joke with Topeka, KS (since March is over in all... back to Topeka we go). Even if this gesture by Google, or Topeka if you will, do not have any effect on the outcome of the fiber optics experiment it shows that Topeka has a great sense of humor and recognizes how bad the community of Topeka wants to be apart of the experiment!

When in doubt, remember what Mayor Bunten said, "all roads lead to Kansas, not just yellow brick ones." So if you are planning on moving out of Kansas... beware that no matter where you go... you will ALWAYS end up back in Kansas!

Did I confuse anyone else as much as myself with the use of Google and Topeka simultaneously and having no idea which one I was referring to?

For more on the name change: http://cjonline.com/news/local/2010-04-01/google_gag_tickles_topeka
visit Topeka's blog to see what they have to say: http://www.googleblog.blogspot.com

Death by barbed wire.. Ouch!

A Wichita girl was injured in a golf cart accident on Wednesday night when she crashed into a barbed wire fence. She died on Friday morning at the age of 14. If you have ever nicked your leg on some barbed wire you know how much that hurts. I can't imagine actually crashing into a barbed wire fence. Two of the girls friends that were with her were even unable to untangle her from the fence. I can not imagine being stuck, laying and waiting until help arrived. It's so sad that people die at such young ages...

For more information on this accident visit: http://cjonline.com/news/state/2010-03-19/golf_cart_mishap_kills_wich_girl

Say Goodbye...

The Legislation approved a bill that outlaws chemicals added to herms to mimic illegal drugs. These drugs, like K2, can be smoked to get the same effects as smoking marijuana. The bill also outlaws chemicals that mimic the effect of Ecstacy. The bill passed with a 37-1 voting record. Kansas had previously made it legal to purchase herbs with additive chemicals to mimic marijuana, such as K2. For some, it was fun while it lasted.

For more information on this bill see the article from The Kansas City Star: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/02/25/1773911/ban-on-synthetic-pot-sent-to-kansas.html

Don't do it... resist the urge.

According to an article on cjonline.com the Kansas Senate passed a bill today,Friday, that texting while driving is illegal. The first offense would be a traffic violation and the second offense would be considered a misdemeanor along with a uniform fine of $100. The question I rise is, how are they going to know if you are texting or not? From personal observation I have noticed most people look into the laps while texting and driving, not hold the phone up in the air for everyone to see. While this bill is moving in the right direction I think it would have made more sense to ban using a phone while driving period. Most of the people not paying attention while driving are either on their phone or just so extremly old that they should no longer be driving, no offense. Kansas would not have been the first state to ban the use of a cell phone while in the car.

To read more about the new texting ban visit: http://cjonline.com/news/legislature/2010-02-19/texting_ban_passes

Topeka says goodbye to jobs while Lenexa welcomes 220.

According to an article from cjonline.com Topeka has cut the jobs of six employees while eliminating over 36 currently vacant jobs as well. While another article from cjonline.com states that a collection agency plans to build a call center in Lenexa that would offer 220 jobs. I found these two articles very ironic. Many companies have been experiencing the impact of the recession in their business, but others are thriving. The collection agencies have their hands full with people of go after for their clients, mainly banks. I would say that both of the leads were written effectively, they both got straight to the point without giving away all the information so that the reader would continue to read. On a personal side note, layoffs are very stressful on everyone; the employer, the employees and the employees family. My dad works for Sprint, so my family has been through the ringer every time layoffs come around. This last cycle of layoffs my dad was actually told he was going to be laid off and that in two weeks it would be last day. His last week working at Sprint his boss called him into his office. He informed my dad that he would not be leaving, that they had simply made a mistake by thinking they didn’t need him. That decision, probably effective my dad and my family more than originally being let go to begin with.

To find out more about these articles visit:
http://cjonline.com/news/2010-02-11/city_cuts_jobs_more_could_come

http://cjonline.com/news/state/2010-02-12/lenexa_call_center_offers_220_jobs

What the Unexpectable Brings...

As everyone has heard by now, the earthquake devastated many Haitians. But what people do not realize is the good that has come from the earthquake. The Haiti government believes that once a Haitian leaves his country and becomes an American citizen that he is voluntarily renouncing his birthplace.But now, after the earthquake, the tables have turned. The people of Haiti are relying on people that were once shunned, to come back and help rebuild their country. And even though they were once shunned, they are responding to their plea for help in masses. So while the earthquake has caused tremendous damage, it has also helped to restore peace and allow those who have not been allowed to visit their country, as anything but other than tourists, come back and unite as one to rebuild their beloved country.

More information on this topic can be find at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/us/04diaspora.html?pagewanted=1&ref=us

Jeans For Teens.

So, here goes with my first blog.

I got a text from a good friend today informing me about the teens for jeans organization and a project they have going on right now. You can go to Aeropostale and donate your jeans to homeless teenagers. However, right now the first 100,000 donated will be donated to those in Haiti, but here is the kicker... Aeropostale will match the 100,00 donated jeans! And you receive 25% a pair of new jeans at Aeropostale after donating a pair. I don't know about everyone else, but I definitely have a couple (like ten) pairs of jeans just laying in my closet that I hardly ever wear. Why not give them to a good cause and help out those in Haiti. If this disaster happened here, wouldn't you want people to help us out? Check out jeansforteens.com to learn more!