Things to Know Before You Go

Traveling can be a wonderful adventure that allows a person to explore different cultures or even just escape the mundane every day activities. However, traveling can also be dangerous, so people should make sure that they are aware of the realities of the places they travel to.

The United States government posts international travel information, which updates citizens on what places they should avoid visiting at the present time. There are 2 different types of alerts: the travel warning and the travel alert. The travel warning is used for countries that have been deemed to have been long-term unsafe places for tourists to travel. The travel alerts usually include more immediate and usually more specific dates and places that American citizens should avoid traveling. These alerts usually call people’s attentions to natural disasters, anniversaries of terrorist attacks and coups.

The places that are listed on the travel warnings page include the countries that most people would expect to see there, including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chad and Columbia. The more surprising places can be found on the travel alerts page which currently includes Germany and Honduras.

The travel alert in Germany was released November 12 because the Department of State wanted to alert American citizens to the fact that Al Qaeda has been sending videos threatening to conduct terrorist attacks against the country. Considering I am planning to visit Germany this summer, it was good to be alerted that was taking place. I will not be changing my plans, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

In order to help assist American citizens who are traveling out of the country, the government urges people to register with the U.S. Department of State in order to expedite any help they may need from a U.S. embassy or consulate. This is important because situations can come up such as terrorist attacks and natural disasters, during which United States citizens may need special help. It is easy for travelers to register their trips online through the U.S. Department of State website and it is well worth the time.

The most basic way that travelers can remain safe is to pack and act consciously while they are preparing for and while they are on a trip. It is wise to leave expensive jewelry, social security cards and extra credit cards at home. Another thing that people should do is photocopy any important documents such as passports, airline tickets and driver’s licenses and leave a copy of that information with friends or family before they leave on their trip. While people are on their trip it is a good idea not to travel alone at night, beware of pickpockets and scam artists.

Overwhelmingly, the amount of people who leave the United States come home in one piece and have the opportunity to share how wonderful their trip was with their friends and family. However, it is important for people who are leaving the country to be aware of the dangers that could come up.

My Christmas Wish

Christmas is a mix of excitement and stress. Most of the stress comes from finding the perfect present for everyone on my list while at the same time keeping my budget in mind. My only wish this Christmas is that I find something great for all the great people in my life.

I don’t know what it is about men in my life, but they are incredibly hard to shop for.

My dad is one of those guys that always has says that they don’t need or want anything when Christmas or a birthday comes around. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, for him I have never showed up empty handed on Christmas Day. My poor dad has pretended to be excited about gas cards, movie tickets, handmade ornaments and many other things that only a father would appreciate. This year is going to be more of the same stress as Christmas approaches, but hopefully this year I can somehow come up with something wonderful at the last minute.

The other person in my life who is impossible to shop for is my boyfriend. It’s not that he doesn’t want anything, it’s just the fact that he will mention something he likes and I will get it, but eventually have to return it for some reason. For example, this year I have already bought and returned an iPod because his mom bought it for him and I have returned a set of tools because he bought them for himself. I will have to listen carefully to come up with another gift idea soon.

The problem doesn’t go away when it comes to my mom and my friends either. Sure I would love to get my mom that trip to Paris she would love, but the reality is when you are working part time at a craft store there is a budget you have to stick to. I think I have finally settled on a present for my mom, but she has a habit of buying everything she wants.Once again I need to find something that she says she wants,but that she has not bought for herself.

Over the years I have had to pare down the list of friends that I buy presents for because buying something for all of my friends isn’t possible monetarily. I usually buy presents for my close friends and we do a small gift exchange one evening during the week of Christmas. Because I do not get to see my friends as much as I would like to while I’m in school, the evening is usually the time that we all catch up on what has happened during the past 3 months. It is always a fun night and it’s a great way to relax after a long, stressful semester.

I still have a lot of work to do to ensure that everyone in my life gets the presents that they deserve because I they are all important to me. I know that whatever I come up with they will all appreciate, but it would be nice to find a great gift for everyone.

Turkey Day

Like most people in the United States, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my immediate family like we do every year. I’m sure other people in the class will have torrid stories about drunken relatives doing crazy and unimaginable things; but my Thanksgiving was what the holiday is really all about: spending time with family and enjoying a big meal.

I awoke to the sound of my mom shutting the cupboard doors quite loudly at 5 a.m. I love to sleep and I can usually sleep through anything, so I was annoyed and surprised that I was up at such a crazy hour. I tried desperately to stay perfectly still in hopes that I would drift back to sleep, but it was no use. I climbed out of bed and headed downstairs to see what the need for being so loud.

Just as I was reaching the landing that connects the stairs in my house, I realized with much excitement that it was Thanksgiving, which meant not only would I be eating tons of yummy food, but also that there was tons of ads to look through.

Like most women that I know I love to shop and I love to get a good deal when I do shop. Yes, I have been known to wake up at crazy hours in hopes of getting a cheaply made Disney snow globe from JCPenny. I can’t help it. The whole process of flipping through pages and pages of sales items just makes all my common sense go down the drain and in my mind I get the crazy idea that waking up at the crack of dawn is worth saving 10 dollars on an item.

I ran down the stairs and out the front door picked up the newspaper and shuffled through trying to find what I was interested in. Meanwhile, my brother and my dad had wandered downstairs just in time for a wonderful breakfast of waffles, hot chocolate, coffee cake, toast and eggs.

My family is notorious for eating early, so it was no surprise that our Thanksgiving “dinner” actually took place at 1:30 p.m. As we happily consumed our turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce, stuffing and all the other holiday staples, we talked about what stores we were interested in going to the next day and had the television on in the background.

As I was sitting there eating my food, I couldn’t help but get sentimental and think that I really do have a lot to be thankful for. I have wonderful parents who have put up with me through car accidents (even when I hit the side of the garage), school dances and all the times that I snuck out in high school. I have a brother who is equally understanding and forgiving. Next year, when I am stuck eating at a restaurant for Thanksgiving because I will be away at school and I have never made a huge meal on my own, I’ll be wishing that my mom was there to make me a delicious meal and that I had my whole family for company.

A Little Piece of Heaven

I already know the one place I am looking forward to going after I graduate this semester: Monterey Bay.

With its beautiful Pacific Coast views and wide range of attractions, it is the perfect place to relax and enjoy life again. Apparently this belief is expressed by other people as well, because Monterey came in third place in Yahoo’s survey of prettiest towns .

Arguably the most famous part of Monterey is Cannery Row, which contains restaurants, hotels and miscellaneous shops. Cannery Row has a little bit of everything including a Mexican restaurant, a couple of art galleries, a Ghirardelli shop, a wax museum and an As Seen on TV Infomercial Products store. The street is so popular that it is mentioned in Bob Dylan’s song Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (“With your sheet-metal memory of Cannery Row/ And your magazine-husband who one day just had to go…”) and it served as the setting for John Steinbeck’s books Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday. The movie titled Cannery Row, which was released in 1982, was based off of the two books by Steinbeck.

What really draws in the crowds is the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is located on the north end of Cannery Row. The aquarium houses a diverse range of sea creatures and is one of the largest aquariums in North America. Out of all the exhibits, the ones that I make sure never to miss are the giant kelp forest and the penguin exhibit, which opened in 2008.

Of course, there are many other reasons to visit the city. Monterey has several historic sites that might be of interest to visitors including the Cooper-Molera complex, which once belonged to a wealthy merchant and today shows the difference between the Mexican natives and the wealthy class and Colton Hall, which is where the 1849 constitutional convention took place.

Monterey is also the perfect playground for people who enjoy outdoor activities. Being so close to the ocean allows gives people the perfect chance to go out on a boat, go kayaking and scuba diving. There are also extensive trails that visitors can use including one that I have walked on several times called the Monterey Peninsula Recreational Trail. The 18-mile trail extends from Pacific Grove, goes through Monterey and eventually ends in Castroville and it provides an amazing view of the ocean from start to finish.

Another interesting fact about Monterey is that it has been and currently is home to an extensive list of artists. Among the most famous are musician Frank Zappa, author Josh Billings who is credited as being the second most famous humorist after Mark Twain and who died in Monterey, author Robert Louis Stevenson, who is the author of The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde and who stayed in Monterey in 1879.

If you are looking for a calm place that has abundant natural beauty, a wide variety of attractions and has an extensive history, then Monterey Bay is the place for you.

Lots of Love for "Big Love"

The television show “Big Love” brings interesting plot lines and solid acting to the concept of present day polygamy. The show has drawn a lot of attention since its premier in 2006 and surprisingly most of that attention has been positive. Since its premier the show has been nominated for 4 Golden Globes, 5 Emmy Awards and 1 Television Critics Association Awards among other awards.

Dorothy Rabinowitz of the Wall Street Journal gave the show 90 out of 100 and wrote that the show is a, “thoroughly sharp, seriously compelling drama about a family of Salt Lake City Mormons living in a polygamous arrangement.”

The show was co-created by Mark Olsen and Will Scheffer, who completed 3 years of research in order to make sure that they accurately portrayed the polygamous lifestyle. One big name that is associated with the shows crew includes producer Tom Hank.

The show depicts the life of a middle-class business man named Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his three wives Jeanne Tripplehorn, who plays the part of first wife Barb Henrickson, Chloe Sevigny, who plays second wife Nicolette Grant and Ginnifer Goodwin, who plays the role of third wife Margene Heffman. Bill is shown as a Viagra-popping bed-hopper who keeps the women on a tight sexual schedule.

The women are expected to obey Bill and essentially make sure that he is happy at all times. He gets to live like a king and the three women are left to raise the ever growing group of children that are in the family. However, even with these character flaws, Paxton is able to convince viewers that he is a loving family man who would do anything for his wives and children.

Of course, the story lines also revolve around the children that this family has created. As the older children have continued to grow up, the story lines have shifted to include more information about their lives. For example, Sarah, Barb and Bill’s daughter finds out that she is pregnant and that starts a whole new storyline.

Overall, the show portrays polygamy in a more positive way than it has been shown before. While there are points in the story line that show the consequences of the lifestyle they have, Barb gets excommunicated for not denouncing her family life and their neighbors threaten and alienate them, the audience gets the impression that this is a family that does genuinely care and love one another.

It is refreshing to see a serious drama that really makes an audience question everything they knew about people who choose to practice this lifestyle. This show certainly beats out the huge amounts of television shows that are airing right now.

Since the action in this drama comes only so often, the viewer needs to stick around through a couple episodes to get hooked on this compelling show. With the new season premiering on HBO in January 2010, viewers should tune in, sit back and prepared for a slowly developing, but rewarding plot line.

Stress:The Enemy

The list of student worries is never a short one: Tests, papers, illness, work, relationships among other things lead students to experience a high level of stress.
Personally, I have had to struggle with the difficult task of balancing homework from 7 classes, work and trying to maintain some semblance of a relationship with my boyfriend all semester. At this point it’s a struggle just to remember to set my alarm in order to make sure I climb out of bed and make it to class at the right time.
According to Questia Trusted Online Research, “if stress is not dealt with effectively, feelings of loneliness and nervousness, as well as sleeplessness and excessive worrying may result.” Obviously students don’t need to experience these additional things on top of the stress they have to begin with.
To avoid these unpleasant side effects students can engage in a number of stress relieving activities.
After asking several of my friends who happen to also be Sacramento State students what they do to relieve stress, there seems to be 5 things that most students think of when they think stress relievers.
The most common response that students gave as a way to relief stress is through exercise. Even if a person can only get away for a 30 minute walk, the benefits can still be great. Exercise has been shown to “stimulate[s] various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out,” according to MayoClinic. Not only does exercise make people feel happier, it contributes to a healthy lifestyle, which is one less thing that can contribute to stress.
The second most common answer was to manage time and money effectively. It is important for students to invest in a datebook or some other way to keep track of weekly assignments and work schedule. One student, Nikki Pottier, suggested a great way to keep track of expenses. She writes down what her income is every month and then writes down her expenses, with some simple subtraction she is able to see what money she has for shopping and going out with friends.
Another thing students cited as a way to relieve stress is by listening to music. Although several students wear headphones on the few minutes to their next class, listening to music for longer periods of time can be more relaxing. One of my friends said she listened to loud music instead of the usual classical music because the upbeat tempo actually helps her escape the stress of school.
As the semester starts picking up pace there are the mixed feelings of wanting it to speed up so I can officially say that I am a college graduate, but at the same time having so much to do that I wished there was more time. One thing I know for sure is that I will be trying these tactics out in the last weeks of the semester so that I don’t become totally overwhelmed.

Columnist Gail Collins

Gail Collins: author, groundbreaking journalist and journalism award recipient.

Collins started working for The New York Times in 1995. She joined the staff as a member of the editorial board and as an Op-Ed columnist. In 6 short years she managed to become the first women to ever be appointed editor of The New York Times editorial page.

This was not the first major accomplishment for Collins. Before she joined the Times she founded the Connecticut International Bureau. When she sold the Bureau in 1977, the Bureau was one of the largest news services in the country and had an impressive circulation of 30 news chains.

Collins had other miscellaneous jobs in the journalism field before joining The New York Times including working as a reporter for the United Press International and as a columnist for New York Newsday and the New York Daily.

Collins writes mostly political columns on everything from political advertising to political grooming, but she has also written on a wide range of topics including the soap opera “Guiding Light”, which recently went off the air. No matter what her topic, Collins manages to bring her signature sense of humor to every column.
It was that sense of humor and her down-to-earth tone that helped her land the prestigious New York Women in Communications Matrix award in the newspaper category in 1989.

In 2007 Collins stepped down as editor of the editorial page and took a leave from work in order to complete her latest book “When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present.” The book was published in October 2009.

As the title suggests the book is about the trials and tribulations of American women over the past 5 decades and actually is intended to take over where her lost book “America’s Women” left off. In the course of her writing, Collins reveals several statistics from the past that are unbelievable now including that in 1960 two-thirds of women that participated in a survey didn’t like the idea of a female president. Collins also discussed the mistreatment of women in professional careers including doctors and pilots.

With facts like that in mind, journalist Lesley Stahl sat down with Collins to talk to her about her new book and asked her the loaded question:

First question: Did we win? Have we achieved equality?

We definitely won. I’m not quite sure I know exactly what equality is, so I’m not sure that I would be willing to go that far. But to look back, which it’s hard to do, I was talking to the people who’ve been there. You forget what it was actually like. And, for perspective, you really have to go back and look at, say, 1960. And it’s such a stunner on every possible level.

Collins has also written “America’s Women,” “Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity and American Politics” and “The Millennium Book,” which she co-authored with her husband, Dan Collins who is the senior producer of CBS News.com.

Round Table Pizza in the University Union

Round Table

There are several places to eat on campus and students should take the time to visit the Round Table Pizza restaurant located in the University Union across from the University Center Restaurant.
The restaurant is open from 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Fridays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Sundays.
The restaurant is decorated like a sports bar and has several big screen televisions that were set to sports games, while the walls were covered with Sacramento State sports memorabilia. It’s a fun atmosphere and it allows students the opportunity to talk to people at their table and even mingle with people from other tables as well.
Diners can choose from a variety of pizzas including several specialty pizzas such as the Italian Garlic Supreme, King Arthur’s Supreme and Gourmet Veggie. All pizzas are available with original thin or pan crust. Customers also have a choice to create their own pizza by mixing vegetables, crust, meats and sauces to create their very own specialty pizza.
The pizzas are available in 5 sizes: personal, which includes 4 slices, small, which includes 6 slices, medium, which includes 8 slices, large, which includes 12 slices and extra large, which contains 16 slices.
Another option that diners have is the gourmet sandwiches, which include the Turkey Club, Chicken Club and RT Pizza.
To complete the meal, customers can choose from a variety of sides including Garlic Parmesan Twists, Buffalo wings, Garden Salads and Caesar Salad. Beverage selections include the usual soda, water and beer. Sacramento State is one of the few schools that offer students the option of having an alcoholic beverage in an on-campus restaurant.
As soon as Hilary, Hilary’s friend, Nora, and I went to order our food, which included a medium Smokehouse pizza, 3 Garlic Parmesan Twists and 3 sodas.
Luckily, the cashier was more than willing to help us split the bill 3 ways and we were each able to walk away with a meal for just under $10. Another thing that I appreciated was the fact that the cashier asked to see identification when she discovered that I was paying with a credit card.
Once we had placed our order, we were handed a number and walked back to our table where we met up with JJ from our column writing class.
After 10-15 minutes of conversation about apartment life our food arrived at the table, which was considerably faster than most experiences that I have had at Round Table restaurants.
We settled in to eat and started learning about each other’s family pets, beats and other miscellaneous topics. It was a good time with good conversation. The food was hot, tasty and hit the spot.
Although it was not the best pizza I have ever had, it was pretty good and I would recommend it to other people on campus who are looking for a reasonably priced meal, excellent service and just a great place to catch up on sports games and spend time with friends.

AB 656

With the state of the economy, all sorts of ridiculous-and some not so ridiculous-ideas are being thrown out as ways to collect revenue in support of higher education.
Enter Assembly Bill 656 or AB 656.
Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, Democrat, has come up with a way to tax oil in order to help the University of College, California State University and California Community College systems recover from the lack of funds that they have received.
The bill would make it mandatory for all business that extracts oil from California to pay a 9.9 percent tax.
Money from the bill would be divided between the three school systems with the UC system receiving 30 percent, 60 percent would be given to the CSU system and the remaining 10 percent would go to the community college system. This yearly break down would give $270 million for the UC system; the CSU system would get $540 million while the Community college system would get $99 million.
Unfortunately, school officials have been less than enthusiastic about the bill. The UC system is not thrilled with the amount of money that it would receive, while all three school systems are worried that the money they receive from the bill would make it so other money would be withheld from them.
While schools officials are not supporting the bill, 150 students and teachers showed their support in a rally on Monday in the Sacramento State University Library Quad.
The event was kicked off b y a speech from ASI President Torres who urged students to support the bill.
“We must say to the nation that higher education is the solution to our problems,” said Torres. We must invest in higher education and Assembly Bill 656 does exactly that.”
Torrico got students and faculty revved up by mentioning the huge profits that oil companies take in yearly. He told the people in the audience that California was the only state that does not tax oil company revenues and that it’s about time it did.
The rally was one of eight that are being held on eight different California State University campuses including Hayward and San Jose.
The bill is also being supported by groups such as the CSU’s California State Student Association.
The need for the funds is obvious. Students are paying ridiculous fees that are only expected to continue to go up with no end in sight.
The tax is a logical way to help fund education that is needed according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
The bill state that the study showed “California's need for college-educated workers is outpacing the state's ability to produce them, and that gap is expected to widen in the future.” With such a huge need for college graduates and higher education becoming more and more of a financial stretch for the middle class, the money from the oil companies would help bring tuition back to a reasonable price, prevent faculty from losing their jobs on campus and put teachers back in classrooms.

University of Phoenix Could Buy CSUS

Higher Education is important to society as a whole and to individuals. For an individual, having a degree provides more opportunities and ultimately more money. People who higher education under their belt are an asset to society, according to the College Board Inspiring Website, because they have “higher rates of volunteering, voting and donating blood correspond to higher levels of education as do lower unemployment and poverty rates. Similarly, socially valuable behaviors, such as tolerance for the opinions of others, seem to increase with education.”
Since 1947 Sacramento State has continued to provide these personal and societal benefits, but with the recent change in the economic climate the school is being forced to make some tough choices. One of these choices could end up being whether or not Sacramento State should be sold off to The Apollo Group's University of Phoenix.
If this billion dollar deal were to take place, it could have severe consequences for the future and quality of education at Sacramento State.
The University of Phoenix has notoriously low standards for students and its faculty. Because the university has been so focused on the amount of money that it is making for its investors, sacrifices have been made with regards to class content and teacher qualifications. This is in stark contrast to Sacramento State where recent numbers on the CSUS website indicate that 98 percent of teachers on campus have a PhD.
The University of Phoenix program offers students less options as far as majors goes. Do you want to get your degree in history? You’re out of luck. Also, while the field of communications is offered, students do not have the choice of focusing on a more specific concentration, like journalism.
All the flaws in the University of Phoenix’s program can be seen in the graduation rate. According to the New York Times, “on average across all American universities, the rate is 55 percent” while the University of Phoenix has a meager 16 percent graduation rate.
Along with all of its educational drawbacks, students can expect to pay more money to attend the campus. According to the New York Times,”[University of Phoenix’s] annual tuition and fees as $9,630, about half the average at private four-year colleges and twice that of four-year public colleges.” Even with the increase in tuition fees at Sacramento State, the prices that students would have to pay with University of Phoenix are ridiculous, especially considering what students would be receiving.
The program may work for some students who need a more flexible school schedule, but students who can avoid this low level university usually try to go somewhere that has a more prestigious background. While Sacramento State is no Harvard, the degree that students earn from the university represent hours of hard work from students to complete assignments from professors that know what they are talking about.
If Sacramento State gets taken over by The Apollo Group it would not only hurt students who would currently be attending the university when the transition takes place, it would also diminish the value of the degrees of students who have already graduated from Sacramento State.

Trouble For Obama

When social networking and politics connect it can lead to national problems, which is something that leaders of the social network, Facebook, discovered during the past week.

For a brief amount of time, Facebook users had the option to take a quiz that asked the question “Should Obama be killed?” The possible answers that people could select were “yes,” “no,” “maybe” and “if he cuts my health care.”

The quiz gained national attention from media outlets including CNN and NBC. However, the seriousness of the situation hit home when the Secret Service was brought in to investigate the situation. Ultimately, Facebook was asked to remove the poll and they complied. By the time the poll was removed, about 750 people had taken the poll.

The Secret Service, with the help of Facebook, was able to track down the minor who created the quiz. They spoke to the minor and the parents of the minor and determined that the quiz was a prank. No charges were filed.

The quiz opened up a wide range of issues for Facebook users. Should the social network site screen information that is posted? Should the poll been removed at all? Is this a violation of freedom of speech?

Some users thought the poll should have been left up because it was “just a question” and did not actually prompt people to take action. On the hand, some users thought the quiz was “hate speech” and were angry that someone even thought to create the quiz.

With more than 350,000 applications, Facebook would not be able to constantly keep track of everything that each user creates and posts on the site, but they might be able to scan for key words and prevent that information from being posted.

As for the right to freedom of speech, many people argued that the quiz stepped over the line. There is a huge difference between stating your beliefs and posting a quiz asking people if they think someone should assassinate the leader of the United States. Many people who commented on the story stated that they believed that it could give someone the encouragement to follow through with the assassination.

Many users were wondering how such a quiz could have been created in the first place. The quiz was created using a third party application on the Facebook site. The application allows users to do a wide range of activities on the site including creating quizzes, learning about new books and playing games. The application was suspended while the investigation was going on.

This quiz is one of several things that Obama had had to deal with. Another issue that has recently come up in the mainstream media is the public policy poll that asked conservatives from New Jersey if they believed Obama was the Antichrist. The results were 18 percent were sure that Obama was the Antichrist, while 17 percent were not entirely sure.

From these ongoing problems that Obama has had to encounter its seems that the honeymoon period between Obama and the public is over.

And Baby Makes Two-Version Two

As the clock neared 5 a.m. it was obvious that I was not going to sleep until well after day break; Ella was entering the world. I had been up the whole night and as daylight slowly stretched across the sky I found myself exhausted, but unable to sleep.

My friend was giving birth to her new daughter and since we had recently become as close as biological sisters, I considered this baby girl to be my niece. As I sat outside her room my mind tangled around our journey to this hospital. My friend had told me that she was pregnant five months before she gave birth. I was excited as any friend would be, but something struck me as odd. The oddity was that my friend abandoned all of her friends, including me, many years ago and disappeared into the bay area.

During those five months leading up to the birth that she chose to communicate with me I was aware that she needed a friend, someone to trust. All of her friends, including me, had lost touch with her. We had tried to call her, but her phone remained unanswered.

The announcement of her pregnancy struck my heart and I spontaneously asked her if I could plan the baby shower. When I asked her if I could plan the shower I heard her voice quiver through the phone, but I thought little of it.

I held the shower in San Jose where she lived, but when I arrived at her apartment I found myself in utter shock. I was afraid and unsure about whether or not I should leave my car and make my way to apartment number she had given to me. I cautiously opened my door and made my way to her apartment. The apartment, coated with the constricting and stagnant smell of cat urine mixed with aerosol air spray, was small and unfurnished. My friend was alone and I understood that she needed help.

The baby shower was supposed to begin at noon, but no one arrived. As we sat eating cake that I made for the occasion talking about the past, I found myself admiring her spirit. I admired my friend because nothing seemed to bring her down even when she shared her deepest hardships. She asked me to return and I told her that I would be tied up with school, but would make time.

My friend called me 3 weeks ago and told me she was in labor. I arrived to the San Jose hospital close to 9 p.m. With each scream my head snapped to look towards the hallway and her room. Then there was silence. The silence began to grow and I started to get nervous.

Then I heard a new cry, a tiny cry. Ella Irene was born. When I was allowed to walk into the room and hold Ella I was honored. The first thing I noticed when I glanced at the little girl in my arms was that she was beautiful and had the same brown hair and blue eyes as her mother.

I remember that when I glanced around her recovery room I found it eerie that there were no presents, or balloons – she was just another young, single mother. She will have a difficult journey ahead of her.

The event of my friend giving birth has taught me the value of friendship and courage. I watched my friend grow in maturity in the short five months that I spent with her. Though I am not Ella’s true related Aunt, I believe that I will be something deeper.

And Baby Makes Two

As the clock neared 5 a.m. it was obvious that I was not going to sleep until well after day break; Ella, my new niece, was entering the world. I had been up the whole night and as daylight slowly stretched across the sky I found myself exhausted, but unable to sleep.

My friend was giving birth to her new daughter, my niece. As I sat outside her room my mind tangled around our journey to this hospital. My friend had told me that she was pregnant five months before she gave birth. I was excited as any friend would be, but something struck me as odd. The oddity was that my friend abandoned all of her friends, including me, many years ago and disappeared into the bay area.

During those five months leading up to the birth that she chose to communicate with me I was aware to the fact that she needed a friend, someone to trust. All of her friends, including me, had lost touch with her. During her absence there were stories that were occasionally shared which revolved around her. Many of the stories were not true, as I later discovered, because no one really knew where she was or what she was doing.

We had tried to call her, but her phone remained unanswered. The announcement of her pregnancy struck my heart and I spontaneously asked her if I could plan the baby shower. When I ask her if I could plan the shower I heard her voice quiver through
the phone but I thought little of it.

I held the shower in San Jose where she lived, but when I arrived to her apartment I found myself in utter shock. The apartment, coated with the constricting and stagnant smell of cat urine mixed with aerosol air spray, was small and unfurnished. My friend was alone. She left high school when she turned eighteen to follow some guy to the bay. I never asked who the father was, or what happened to that guy from high school, but I understood her need for help.

The baby shower was supposed to begin at noon, but no one arrived. As we sat eating cake that I made for the occasion talking about the past, I found myself admiring her spirit. I admired my friend because nothing seemed to bring her down even when she shared her deepest hardships. She asked me to return and I told her that I would be tied up with school, but would make time.

My friend called me 3 weeks ago and told me she was in labor. I arrived to the San Jose hospital close to 9 p.m. With each scream my head snapped to look towards the hallway and her room. Then there was silence. The silence began to grow and I started to get nervous.

Then I heard a new cry, a tiny cry. Ella, a beautiful brown-haired, blue-eyed girl, was born. When I was allowed to walk into the room and hold Ella I was honored, but it was when I looked at my friend that I realized the hardship that she endured.

I remember that when I glanced around her recovery room and found it eerie that there were no presents, or balloons – she was just another young, single mother. She will have a difficult journey ahead of her.

The event of my friend giving birth has taught me the value of friendship and courage. I watched my friend grow in maturity in the short five months that I spent with her. Though I am not Ella’s true related Aunt, I believe that I will be something deeper.

Travel

Whether its pristine water bordered by sandy beaches, patches of fluffy snow or the rich vegetation of the rain forest, everyone can get some joy from traveling. If travelers know where to look, not only can they enjoy the natural surroundings of foreign places, but they can appreciate the complexities of a culture more completely.

Becoming acquainted with food, music and language are just a couple of ways that travelers can gain their bearings in a new place.

Traveling is the perfect opportunity to try things you never thought you would. Can anyone say balut? However, immersing yourself into ones culture can be a delicious experience. The tasting of new food is as exotic as it is exciting. New flavors light off your taste buds like little firecrackers that explode in the night.

Another way that travelers can get the most from their experience is to explore the night life of a city. In Spain where most people stay up until the early morning hours, travelers can gain insight into this rich culture by taking part in the festivities long after other travelers have gone to bed.

One of the most important things a traveler can do is put down the travel book that they purchased at Barnes & Noble and really experience the place that they are visiting.

Some travelers briskly walk the streets of well known tourist destinations with a step full of false confidence and are unaware of the treasures that they are missing. These travelers, while making home in luxury suites, remained sheltered in their hotel rooms awaiting expensive tours and delightfully rich meals. They may not even know what they are missing out on.

More seasoned travelers embrace and inhale the culture that surrounds them. They make slow, calculated steps instead of the boorish speed walk of the amateur. To become a seasoned traveler one does not use the examples or suggestions of infrequent travelers but learns from trial and error. Seasoned travelers wake up before dawn touches the land; they do not wait to get accustomed to jet lag, but are thirsty for adventure.

Unlike less experienced travelers, seasoned travelers conjugate early in the morning of the hostels and share their knowledge with other travelers. In their conjugations they share with one another how to get the furthest for the small bit of money they possess and then move on. These travelers move with one bag and are not afraid to make a stale, stained train chair their home for the night in order to save money on hostels as they ride on to their next destination.

However, travelers do not have to go on a national or even international trip to experience cultural differences. While one person may be perfectly content staying at a local beach with friends, others long to see the pyramids of Egypt or the Great Wall of China.

It does not matter how many miles a person ventures from their front door, only that they actually go somewhere and experience something. Like Saint Augustine said “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

CSUS Campus Comes Together For Rally Against Fee Increases

This past Wednesday students and professors presented a united front in the library quad while they sang songs, chanted, and spoke from personal experiences about the recent fee increases.

For the Fall 2009 semester students were bombarded by two fee increases, which totaled to a 32 percent increase. The fee increases were delivered by email and left many students scrambling at the last minute to come up with the extra cash.

“I came home from my summer vacation and went on my school account to check my class schedule for the fall,” said CSUS student Nikki Pottier. “I was shocked when I saw the fee increases on my account. At first I thought it was mistake, but then I read the emails. I am lucky that my parents came through with the extra money. I would have been dropped from all my classes. I’m angry and I’m [at this rally] to see what I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Students were not the only members of the campus community that took a hit this semester. For the first time, CSUS professors have received a 10 percent deduction in pay and have been told they must take furlough days during class times. These mandatory days off make it impossible for students to correct papers or even answer student emails as these things are considered work.

Students joined professors in taking turns expressing how they have been effected personally by the recent changes in the system, as well as what they thought could fix the problem. Students stated that as members of the working class, they were appalled that they were being taxed so heavily when there were other things the money could come from. Many people voiced their opinion that California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and CSU Chancellor Charles Reed were the ones to blame for the situation. ASI President Roberto Torres urged students to march to the capital in the Spring to show representatives that the students are fed up.

The situation is only going to get worse as fee increases are expected to continue to growing over the next couple years. Reed said that tuition will continue to increase to about 5,000 dollars a year.

The situation begs the question: what are the top people doing to ensure that the future of Sacramento State does not look so bleak?

One thing is certain; these officials are not taking pay cuts. According to the Sacramento Bee’s salary database CSUS president Alexander Gonzalez took home 368, 584 dollars in 2008 despite the fact that the campus was expected to have a budget deficit.

While students are dealing with pay increases, bigger classes, or they are one of the students that were not able to even get enrolled as CSUS due to decrease in enrollment, the board of trustees and other school officials are continuing to rake in huge amounts of money.

The message of the rally was clear. The future of higher education is in serious jeopardy and students and professors need to act together to create change.