Fire

I am sorry to inform you that a fire broke out at 10 pm Thursday night. All residents in the near by area have been evacuated and should be able to return tommorrow pending on permission from the local authorities. Because of the diverse nature of materials in the plant, the cause of the fire is unknown but this facility does not carry dangerous chlorine gas and the fire is not spreading to other businesses. Dozens of people have been sent to the hospital with breathing problems but many have already been released. The North Carolina State Department of Enviroment and Natural Resources had not detected anything out of the ordinary in the air. We would like to thank the local police and fire departments for their quick and brave actions. If you have any questions you can call the EQIS toll-free hot line.

listening skills

I have been disappoint in our listening skills during the group meetings lately. We do have an open speaking policy but we need to respect the presenters. I am tired of people interrupting others, asking questions that have already been answered, and exhibiting poor listening habits. Change is in order so we will not be so dysfunctional. I am giving you five points to help improve your listening skills. The first point is to turnoff cell phones or any other device that will distract you from listening so that you can be alert. Be able to relate and understand the information that is being delivered. Give the speaker your eyes and ears during the presentation so that you can pay attention to the body language. Be able to understand the speaker's position and motivate a similar answer. Lastly I want everyone to respect the presenter and not to judge him or her because of their beliefs. These five points will help each of us be better listeners. We need to be able to critically listen in meetings, this is something we have not been able to do. I am positive that these new points will greatly improve our enviroment and that we can execute each point perfectly. I am looking forward to see our group grow.

Comic-Con

Comic-Con is a national convention were fans of movies, videos games, and comic books can get together. Many people at Comic-Con dress up as their favorite character, and some even have pretend battles with their nemesis. While visiting Comic-Con, the fans can enjoy a wide variety of merchandise, souvenirs, art shows, games, and awards. With so many different events going every body is bound to have fun. Many special guests also show up at Comic-Con. This provides a fan a chance to talk with the actor that plays their favorite character or get an auto-graph from the creators of their favorite comic. A variety of food and beverages can be purchased at Comic-Con while one is viewing all the features that are offered. The 42nd annual Comic-Con is being held in San Diego California, July 21-24. Hotels reservations can be found online as well as the names of the special guests that are attending. Information will continued to be updated at comic-con.org.

The Rams

The St. Louis Rams are having a horrible season. Overshadowed by the win less record of the Miami Dolphins the once powerful offensive attack known as the greatest show on turf has fell off it's thrown as one of the NFL elite teams. Injuries have plagued the team all season with the offense only playing one game this entire year with all of its starters. They got rid of Mike Martz and the type of program great coach Dick Vermeil left has been completely decimated. Since we have approached the giving season all I want for Christmas is for the Rams to earn a high draft pick so we can finally get one of the many linebackers coming out of college this year and fix our horrible defense that has been played with all year long by the other teams in the NFL.

Christmas

I have been in DeKalb, IL for six months. I have not seen or heard the sound of the ciity I grew to love for the past 18 year of my life. Unlike most students at Northern I am not from the Chicago area. I have come to agree with Dorothy's statement, "there's no place like home. All of my problems will be fixed in six days, now that we have come to the end of the semester and christmas has approached. I can not wait until I go back to the city of St. Louis, MO. I want to see the ARCH, the muddy Mississippi River, and go to Forest Park and ice skate. My families tradition is to place the star on the tree on the night of Thansgiving, but since I have been in college I was not able to raise my four year old cousins to place the star on top the tree. Christmas is not about the presents I will get from my family it's about the time we will spend with each other sharing stories and memories of those who can not be with us this year.

definition of gender

Friday, October 26, 2007

Definition of Gender
I believe that genders is the different types of behaviors that are associated with a specific sex. in our society women are the emotional ones who worry about things and who put feeling into situation they become apart of. Men are not supposed to show much emotion. They are supposed to be hard core and keep their emotion out of situations.I believe that as a child males and females are typically raised to be either masculine or feminine. When a baby girl is born the doctors put colors such as pink and purple around them an in their nursery, because those colors are associated with the females sex. When baby boys are born they are put into nurseries that are either filled with sports themes or colors such as red and blue. Girls are raised with more etiquette than boys as well. When a mother teaches a young girl to wear a dress or skirt and how to carry a purse she teaches her the proper techniques that society feels is necessary to be a respectable young woman. Though young boys are taught by their father to wear a suit or to act in a chivalrous way when dealing with females, etiquette on their behavior is not emphasized as much as it is for young girls. Boys are often introduced to sport more than females , because it is look upon as something guys do. Every guy can remember the first time their father took them outside, gave them a ball and played catch for the first time or showed them how to dribble. A lot of males see sports as an option to being successful and being in the spotlight. The varsity quarterback or the star basketball player are usually the most popular people in High School and guys love popularity. Women on the other hand are taught things such as how to cook, sow, or are given dolls to play with. Their mother teaches them things that women have been taught for a long time as far as how to manage a household and prepare a meal. Even the dolls they are given come with a house or some type of home appliance that teaches them how to use it and instills in their minds that this is something a woman is supposed to know how to do.

Support your schools athletics

Many students on the campus of Northern Illinois University complain about the schools athletics and how badly some of the programs are doing. If more of the 26,000 enrolled in Northern would come and support their programs they would reap the benefits of division one programs. More fans at both men's and women's basketball games will show Sport Broadcasters that NIU fans want to see there teams play and more of the games will be broadcast on national television. Currently only receives national television during the football season and the school earns millions of dollars, but not enough to fund the many projects that have been introduced to fix problems around the university. If NIU students can sell out the Convocation Center during both men's and women's basketball games this seasons the school will receive million of dollars. The money earned can go towards things such as better dorms on campus, More state of the art technology, and even building a pool in the recreation center. I challenge all students to attend on game this year and Everyone will see the benefits of supporting our teams. Besides what else is there to do on Tuesday and Friday nights before everyone goes out and parties.

Why People Should not have Animals

Domesticating animals is one of the more popular things to do for families. Parents go out and get their children a dog or a cat and everyone has no problem with it. Earlier this year Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Micheal Vick was arrested on dog fighting charges. Many animals activists stood outside the courthouse and protested how the acts against the animals were inhumane, but when cameras were put on the protesters many of them had dogs on leashes with clothing outside with them protesting. Why is it okay for humans to have animals inside their home. Many people believe that their animal is apart of there family, but when did animals say they wanted to be caged or exploited for human pleasure.

I am not saying that what Micheal Vick did was right, but animals were not placed on this planet for human self interest. They are exploited in animal shows, zoos, and circuses and no one complains about the way these animals are being treated. Those who protest for the fair treatment of animals don't think about how placing dogs in homes, regulating when they can or cannot go outside, or regulating when they can or cannot eat is harming the animals. They say that the animal is happy, because it being treated fairly, but is being the possession of another being considered fair treatment.

What I Don't Understand About Finals.

I really don't get why some teachers give a chapter test out only a few days before finals. I mean come on why would you do that. I that that if you were going to have a chapter test then that should just be the final its self. We are all working really hard and studying a lot so we do well on are first finals here at NIU. So why do teachers think that it makes sense to make us all study real hard on several chapters and then four days later have a test on the whole book. I think that in order for us to do good on either a final that covers the whole book or a chapter test then teachers should give us a break and if they want are grades to go up they should pick one of the two test. I fell as though we are already stressed out a ton and they already know this and they still proceed to assign a ton of homework and two test with in four days. I just don't understand what they are thinking when they give all of this work to us. My roommate is taking a really hard course and the teacher assigned a chapter test and their final on the same day. I mean would anyone be able to tell me how you think that she is going to do well on both of those test? Although she is studying a lot for these test she still isn't sure how well she is going to do on these test. Which I didn't mention before was that her grade relies on her test score in that class. So some of these teachers who cram all of these test in at the end of the semester don't realize what harm it is doing to some of the kids grades especially when you put in a chapter test on the same day as a finial. Therefore I still am not sure about why we take a chapter test a few days before finals.

Plastic Surgery

A few weeks ago one of our classmates presented a persuasive speech regarding the negative sides of plastic surgery. She mentioned Kanye West’s mother and her tragic death due to plastic surgery. I can clearly see why the speaker thinks that plastic surgery is extremely dangerous. I’m here to stand up for plastic surgery and say that it has had a positive impact on my life, better yet, my health.

When I was younger, my brother accidently hit my face with a basketball and broke my nose. It was painful. At first the injury was not so noticeable, but as I grew older my face changed and the broken bone was affecting my breathing. This breathing problem held me back from playing certain sports in school. I grew tired of it, and I decided to undergo rhinoplasty, also know as the nose job. Everything turned out great during and after my surgery. I can’t imagine how much worst my health would be if I hadn’t found a solution to my breathing problem.

Too Many Drugs

We all get sick once in a while and we take medicine, but have you ever been on so much medication that it actually makes you sick before making you better? This is what I’m currently suffering from. At first, I was diagnosed with a medical condition, and I was prescribed Effexor XR. This medicine’s side effects make me weak and dizzy, so to control that I have to take Meclizine. Because of this combination, I have trouble sleeping, so I have to take Lorazepam on top of the other two.

I’m only 20 years old and I’m on more medication than my mother. That scares me because it makes me think about how many medications I will be taking when I’m older. I know my health should come first but it really sucks. I had to give up my cell phone because I could not afford the bill and the $110 per month of medication. I hope I have somewhat encouraged you to take your health seriously and not take it for granted. www.webmd.com

The College Experience

We are pretty much done with the first semester of our college experience. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was moving into the dorms. I remember being excited about this huge new change in my life. Most things turned out like I expected which is a good thing because I had already prepared for the changes. All my older siblings have attended college and they gave me the insight on what to expect and look out for. They warned me about bad teachers, tough assignments, completely different types of people, and overall an experience to enjoy and never forget.

I truly love the college life because I have matured and become more responsible and independent. Not everyone understands the whole college experience, so they don’t appreciate it. A way to think about it is to think… when will you ever get another opportunity to live out on your own with your peers where you don’t have your parents telling you how to behave? College is about being free and discovering yourself.

a raise?

A couple weeks ago, I emailed my boss about when I will be returning to work over winter break. In the email I stated something about discussing the possibility of me getting a raise for when I come back, and then I did not receive a response. I don't know if my boss simply got side tracked and forgot to respond, or if i pushed the wrong buttons asking for a raise. It made me wonder, what is the best way to ask for a raise? I wasn't rude when I asked for the raise, and I've only received one raise after working there for over a year, so it is well overdue. I'm not worried about being fired or anything serious because of my question, but I do not know how to handle the next email I need to send because I did not get a response.

I am not in this situation, but I think that some jobs might take advantage of their younger employees. They may think that because they are younger and have less experience in the work world that they do not need to promote or give raises to their younger employees. They might also think that the employee will never ask for a raise, and therefore, will only give a raise if it is asked for. I think that when it comes to money, you need to stand up and ask for what you want because it will never just be handed to you. Need help asking for a raise? Visit http://humanresources.about.com/od/salaryandbenefits/a/ask_raise.htm and here are some don't when it comes to asking for a raise http://www.forbes.com/2006/01/04/careers-work-employment-cx_sr_0105bizbasics.html

ahhh finals

I can't wait for finals to be over. I'm already stressing out way too much about what I have to study, the grades I have to earn on the tests, and what my GPA will be depending on the grades I get on the finals. It was really important to me to start off with really good grades because it is hard to raise your GPA if you start out poorly. I'm on the border between grades in most of my classes, so that just makes everything worse. In at least two situations, I have to get an A on the final to earn an A in the class. It makes you think, is it even worth it to kill myself studying to get an A that will be nearly impossible to achieve? If I don't, I know I will regret it later and all of the "what ifs" will come into play.

It seems like a lot of people scramble toward the end of a semester to earn every possible point to earn the best grade possible, myself included. Next semester I'm going to try to start of stronger so I don't have to worry about as many things at the end of the semester. For tips on surviving your finals week, http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/cs/exam-week.html.

Long Distance Relationships...

When you go off to college with a boyfriend or girlfriend who goes to another college you usually go into a long distance relationship with a very positive attitude. You think that we are in love, there is no one else for me, and he/she won't do anything to hurt me. Although you may believe all of those things the odds of your long distance relationship working out is slim to none. I went into a long distance relationship with all of those different thoughts in my head and as many times as people told me that things probably won't work out, I ignored all of it because all that I could thing about is being with him. Then I started going out more and meeting different people, by doing this I didn't loose interest in him. I just lost a lot of time to talk to him, I also was always busy and he would want to talk on the phone for hours every night which I was not able to do. Finally it got to the point that we would not even talk on the phone everyday, not even a "hi". Thats when I realized that this relationship isn't going to work out and that we both have a lot to do and don't have time in our lives right now for each other. Although some of the time long distance relationships don't work out there is a very slim chance that they do. Therefore when going into a long distance relationship even though you think that things are going to workout they usually don't. 

True Friends.

Over the summer I remember talking to my friends all the time saying how we are going to keep in contact with each other and we will always be there for one another for what ever reason. My parents told me before I left for college that I am going to make a lot of new friends ( which I had already known) and I probably wouldn't see nor talk to few if any of my old friends. As most of us would react to that, I got very upset with my parents and told them that they did not know what they were talking about and these people have been my best friends for over eight years of my life. I think they just gave up and was sick of fighting about this issue because they knew what was going to happen as soon as I left. The first few weeks that I was here I would text message my friends a lot because I was already very busy and didn't have much time for phone calls. As time has passed I stopped talking to one person at a time. Since I have left for college I have really learned the definition of a true friend which isn't someone who is there when they need something to wear, or to hang out with when no one is around. A true friend is someone who will be there for you no matter what and would do almost anything for you. Here at NIU it had made me realize who was and wasn't my true friends and as much as we hate to say it my parents were right when they told me that sooner or later even though I thought that the people who I spent eight years of my live with would soon be gone with in weeks. I have also learned that as people go off to college the change and you really don't have as much in common as you thought. Over all I think that even though you still keep in contact with you so called "true friends" from home you will soon realize like I did that some people that you think are your friends really are not. 

New Classes!

How many of us can't wait till the next semester starts? There are many things that I am both looking forward to and going to miss at the same time. I am going to miss all of the different friends that I have made through out the last couple of months here at NIU. I am also going to miss all the different classes that I have taken through out the semester as well as some of the teachers. There are also many new and exciting things to come alone with starting a new semester such as meeting new people, starting a new class, going into different buildings, and starting off your class with an "A". The reason I like starting off new classes is you get the chance to meet new people and start new friends. The good thing about that is that you get to keep you old friends that you made the semester before. I also think it is exciting to start a new class and find out who your new teacher is. Usually on the first day of class you will be able to tell if you are going to like them a lot or have a lot of problems with them. I also think it is cool that we get to go in all different buildings because most of us have only had classes in a few although they have walked past many of them. The main reason that I enjoy starting off a new semester is because you start off with a new beginning and have an "A" if you did not do to well during you first semester you are able to know where you stand and what you need to do to get the GPA that you want.

Snow After Break.

For some of us who don't live around here or are from places what are much warmer. The snow that we have gotten is just the start of it. Right now everyone is complaining and all of the buses are full. Although they try and plow the streets and shovel the side walks they are not always going to be able to get all the snow so, not only do we have to worry about how cold it is to walk to our next class because the bus is going to be full but, not slipping on our way there. The problems of getting to and from class are not what this blog is about. This blog is about how this is not the worst of the snow. The snow is only going to get worse especially when we get back from break. It is going to be colder than ever and the wind is even going to start blowing harder. The buses are going to be full and the side walks are going to have a lot of snow on them. Also, while walking through the street not only in the slush gross and dirty but, very easy to slip on and we have to cross the street to get to all of our classes. We all walk around outside and complain while we are walking to where we need to go but, in reality things are only going to just get worse and it is going to last much longer then a few weeks. 

Soooooo NASTY!!!!

I recently read the Housing and Dining Fines blog by unforgivable and I thought about my floor’s restrooms. First of all, I live on an all girls floor which probably makes you think, okay nice and clean, right? Wrong!!! I have never in my life seen a nastier bathroom. I don’t know what is wrong with these girls but it’s quite serious. The types of disgusting situations in the bathroom range from toilet paper all over the floors, unflushed toilets, urine and poop on the toilet seat and bloody pads on the floor. I no longer utilize this particular bathroom; instead, I use the other bathroom on the floor which is somewhat cleaner. We have had floor meetings to discuss these problems and to encourage people to clean after themselves. However, the meetings are useless and the bathroom continues to be bombed. A couple of us, from my floor along with the C.A., have met and tried to figure out a solution to this but we cannot seem to come up with a good one. She told us about the fines, but in my opinion this is unfair. So what can we do? Any suggestions?

What to Look Forward to Over Break...

There are many things that I  am looking forward to do over break but, I am not sure which I am most excited about. Is it sleeping in my own bed, being able to see all of my friends from home again, real food, or just hanging out with your family. I personally can't wait to go home to see my family.  My family and I are very close and I can't wait to just sit around with the fire place on and watch a movie and catch up with my mom. My mom and I are very close and I am able to go to her with anything and know that no one else will find out.  I am also really excited just to be able to wake up and see my family and be in my own house. I am also very close to my dad, I have not been able to talk to him as much as I have wanted to these past couple of weeks so it will be good to finally be able to talk to him whenever I want. I also am excited to go home to go golfing with my little brother. We go to the golf dome which is a indoor driving range and hit golf balls almost everyday. We usually have little games because he always thinks that he is better than me. Over all there are many different things that I am looking forward to over break but, I am most excited to see my family.