Raising Our Voices

“Super-size Me” – no more

Benji Bear — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:30:52 +0000

As if we don’t have enough laws already, politicians are continually adding new laws as well as amending old ones. Some are definitely needed. Some are well, quite interesting. I guess the lawmakers have to feel like they are earning their salary!

Take for example a law in Riverside, California that states that it is illegal to kiss on the lips unless both parties bathe their lips with carbonized rose water. (Where does one get carbonized rose–water??). In Walnut, California – no person shall wear a mask or disguise on a public street without a permit from the Sherriff. Kinda ...

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“We are living in a digital world and I am a digital girl.”

Lindsay Masterson — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:58:51 +0000

Okay, so the headline only really works if you sing it like Madonna, but I’m expecting that most of you either did or now will go back and do so.

In honor of last week being Social Media Week, I realized I needed to get back into gear and get another blog posted. It’s been a while since I last posted (that seems like a familiar theme every time I get on here) and I really don’t have much of an excuse. I’ve been busy with work and class, but I spend hours a day on social media sites. ...

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Burpee Museum Field Adventures Part Two – Male Bonding

Benji Bear — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:16:16 +0000

Hanksville, Utah – Population 215. There’s not much in Hanksville. For a town that has a sum total of two restaurants and one gas station, and a place where nobody seems to know who Hank is (and believe me, I asked everybody), they do have a lot of one thing… Dinosaurs. Which is exactly why we were in Hanksville, Utah.
I was part of an excursion team from the Burpee Museum of Natural History. We were there to explore a dried riverbed, which was home to many dinosaurs including two triceratops that were found near each other.
The morning after ...

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The Great Willy Winkenbauch

Benji Bear — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:15:18 +0000

The Great Willy Winkenbach!

What if you were completely out of shape but I told you could run 60 yards for a touchdown – or maybe you never kicked a football in your life but I could show you a way you could kick a 70-yard field goal without breaking a sweat? Now even people who have no athletic ability or those people who are incredible at sports can be on an even playing field – just because of how fast they can click a mouse (plus a little bit of luck!) That’s right – I am talking about the ...

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The Long Lost Blogger

Lindsay Masterson — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:16:09 +0000

I realize that I start off too many of my posts with, “It’s been a while.” or something along those lines, so today I will just skip that part since it’s pretty clear I’ve been missing in action for quite some time. (I guess this whole introduction defeats that purpose…)

I’ll start by saying that nothing has changed in my untimeliness when I write these posts. I really should be working on homework right now, but I’ll get to it as soon as I’m done. After all, it is summer, isn’t it? With a part-time job, a part-time internship, two ...

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Pop Culture – Mayor Bloomberg’s Misguided Legislation against Obesity

Ryan Moran — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:00:27 +0000

In the latest government attempt to limit free will, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to pass a bill to limit the size of sodas sold in New York City to 16 ounces or less. If the legislation passes, the “Big Gulp” may fade into obscurity, but what’s to prevent customers from purchasing two slightly smaller “Gulps”? While obesity surely represents a problem both in America and abroad, does Mayor Bloomberg really think sinking money into ineffective, misguided legislation will curb the growth of New Yorkers’ waistlines? Rather than solve anything, this bill simply contributes to another well ...

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“The End of the World as We Know it” – High School Graduation

Ryan Moran — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:16 +0000

Whether or not you believe in the Mayan prediction that the world will irrevocably change in December, 2012, for thousands of high school seniors this year really does represent, in the words of the band R.E.M., “the end of the world as we know it.” This month, more than a decade of hard work and perseverance by myself and many of my fellow seniors across the country culminates in one of the ultimate accomplishments of young adulthood – high school graduation. Simply put, life will never be the same, even if Earth keeps spinning.

For some of us, the road ...

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The Day I Got Arrested (memoirs of a 3rd grader)

Benji Bear — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:46:42 +0000

When I was a third grader in Elementary School, I was just your regular,
everyday kinda kid – staying out of trouble, going to school, doing my homework,
hanging out with my friends. That was, until I had a run-in with the police.

The day started out quite normal – except that after a few nights of going to bed super-late, I was exhausted. I couldn’t even tell you what cereal I ate for breakfast that morning. I had barely made it through school that day and I was glad to finally be on the school bus, heading home. The other elementary school kids on the ...

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Critiquing the Critics: New Election Year, Same Old Tactics

Ryan Moran — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 23:38:45 +0000

“Criticism is a study by which men grow important and formidable at very small expense.” – Samuel Johnson

We currently find ourselves in the thick of yet another election year, and while each candidate vows to enact a variety of social, economic, and general policy changes should he or she be voted into office, past experience suggests that any promise made by a politician -especially during an election campaign – should be taken with a grain of salt. Every year some politicians, apparently aware of the publics ever increasing skepticism regarding campaign promises, attempt to shift the subject away from ...

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If At First You Don’t Succeed

Lindsay Masterson — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:29:42 +0000

Try try again.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and there’s definitely reason for that. With eight classes, a new job, and the extreme desire for summer to be here, there hasn’t been much free time. My thought behind the title of this post is that everyone, myself included, fails at a lot of things. Lately, I’ve been struggling to keep up with school work and have been extremely stressed about it. As I sat here cramming for tomorrow’s test, I realized I do this a lot. I should’ve learned from past experiences that the night before is not ...

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