Cause and Effects
More American adults aged 25-60 are attending college
--Demographics
--Intellectual stimulation
--Skill enhancement
--People seeking new careers
--Interest in starting a new business
--The need to fulfill lifelong dreams
--Benefits of higher education are equal to or greater than the time, money and energy invested
--Joy of learning
--Opportunities for social interaction
--Many individuals are losing their jobs
** Businesses are closing their doors
** Budget cuts
** Jobs being shipped to other countries
--Veterans coming home from war, no longer have their job
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Creativity
Watching the video in class brought me back in time. Back to the early 1970’s when I was in elementary school. I can remember art, music and phy.ed class as being special times. We would look forward to the days that we would have these classes. It was a time when young children could be creative. When fifth grade came along we had the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument and join the band. All of these things are important as academics during the developmental years.
As time has gone by arts have become less important in the school systems. More stress is put on getting good grades. It is a known fact that people who have high intelligence are normally not very creative. Well, we need creative people in this world. What would the world be like with no creative people? I believe things would be much different. We wouldn’t have beautiful museums, wonderful novels, or the skyscrapers in the cities. Many of the modern conveniences probably wouldn’t have come about without creative people.
I believe that creativity is a very important quality in a person. I myself don’t think that I am very creative. During my adult life I concentrated my life to my job and children so I didn’t have a lot of time for hobbies. Now that I am in school again, I hope to find something that I can bring out a creative side that might be in there.
As time has gone by arts have become less important in the school systems. More stress is put on getting good grades. It is a known fact that people who have high intelligence are normally not very creative. Well, we need creative people in this world. What would the world be like with no creative people? I believe things would be much different. We wouldn’t have beautiful museums, wonderful novels, or the skyscrapers in the cities. Many of the modern conveniences probably wouldn’t have come about without creative people.
I believe that creativity is a very important quality in a person. I myself don’t think that I am very creative. During my adult life I concentrated my life to my job and children so I didn’t have a lot of time for hobbies. Now that I am in school again, I hope to find something that I can bring out a creative side that might be in there.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
My Caribbean Cruise
Last week my husband and I took a seven day cruise on the Carnival Conquest. Carnival’s main advertisement logo is “Carnival Fun Ships”, and now I know why. There are so many activities on the ship to take part in. The crew is definitely there to ensure you have a great time. I could get used to being waited on. All in all we had an excellent vacation.
Our ship took off from Galveston, Texas, on Sunday afternoon. We had two days at sea before reaching any of our ports of call. During these days we played mini golf, gambled at the casino and laid in the sun. There was always something to do. We watched an ice carver take a huge block of ice and make a flamingo out of it.
Our first port of call was Montego Bay, Jamaica. We took a three hour bus tour of the island. The island of Jamaica is beautiful. The tour took us through many towns or parishes as they call them. We stopped at a small craft market. All of the Jamaicans were so happy that Americans were there to purchase their goods. I bought some really neat wood carvings and some hand-crafted jewelry. Before we left the island we had a chance to stop at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.
The next day we were supposed to go to the Grand Caymans. The island doesn’t have a dock for the ships to come into, so they use small tender boats to come and pick you up from the ship. Between the weather and the rough waters that day we weren’t allowed to go in. It was too dangerous for the tenders to come out. The crew really stepped it up that day, knowing how everyone wanted to go on land.
Cozumel, Mexico was our last port of call. I had visited Cozumel three years ago right after the hurricanes went through. The island looks as though it had been through the hurricane. It is a beautiful island with its white sandy beaches and palm trees. The water is so blue and clear we could watch the fish swim around. We had nine hours to enjoy the island.
Saturday was our last day on the ship. It was a gorgeous day at sea. The water was calmer than it had been the whole trip. After laying and enjoying the sun all day we finished our trip up with a nice dinner at the steak house. The food was great and so was the service. I recommend a Carnival Cruise to anyone who wants to have an enjoyable vacation.
Our ship took off from Galveston, Texas, on Sunday afternoon. We had two days at sea before reaching any of our ports of call. During these days we played mini golf, gambled at the casino and laid in the sun. There was always something to do. We watched an ice carver take a huge block of ice and make a flamingo out of it.
Our first port of call was Montego Bay, Jamaica. We took a three hour bus tour of the island. The island of Jamaica is beautiful. The tour took us through many towns or parishes as they call them. We stopped at a small craft market. All of the Jamaicans were so happy that Americans were there to purchase their goods. I bought some really neat wood carvings and some hand-crafted jewelry. Before we left the island we had a chance to stop at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.
The next day we were supposed to go to the Grand Caymans. The island doesn’t have a dock for the ships to come into, so they use small tender boats to come and pick you up from the ship. Between the weather and the rough waters that day we weren’t allowed to go in. It was too dangerous for the tenders to come out. The crew really stepped it up that day, knowing how everyone wanted to go on land.
Cozumel, Mexico was our last port of call. I had visited Cozumel three years ago right after the hurricanes went through. The island looks as though it had been through the hurricane. It is a beautiful island with its white sandy beaches and palm trees. The water is so blue and clear we could watch the fish swim around. We had nine hours to enjoy the island.
Saturday was our last day on the ship. It was a gorgeous day at sea. The water was calmer than it had been the whole trip. After laying and enjoying the sun all day we finished our trip up with a nice dinner at the steak house. The food was great and so was the service. I recommend a Carnival Cruise to anyone who wants to have an enjoyable vacation.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Ettrick is a small rural village in Midwest Wisconsin. The population is only 550. Up until last fall it had been a flourishing small town. Since then the biggest employer, TRW, has shut the doors and closed up the plant. Many of the people who were employed there lived in Ettrick, but even more commuted in from surrounding towns. I was employed there for twenty-five years, as were a lot of the people who I worked with. The reason for closing you ask? More and more jobs are being shipped out of the country. Mexico, Japan, and other foreign countries are benefiting from Americans losing their jobs.
When a small town loses something as vital as industry many other things are affected. People don’t have the money to spend locally, so other businesses suffer. People have started to move out of the area to find work. This in turn hurts the economy. Other businesses in the area are starting to feel it. At one point TRW had employed 375 people. When people aren’t driving into work, they also aren’t stopping at the local gas station or spending money at other businesses.
I want to make sure Ettrick will be here in years to come. This is where I would spend my $100,000. I have spent my whole life in Ettrick. I went to grade school there, met my husband there, and raised my kids there. Ettrick is a great place to live. My three wishes in doing this would be; bringing industry back into town, opening up a restaurant, and donating money to finish the ball park.
My first wish involves getting industry back into the building that housed TRW. It is all set up and ready for any business to start. I would not be alone on this task, as I know there are people already dedicated to saving Ettrick. Many of my old co-workers haven’t found reemployment. It would be a great feeling knowing that I helped them get back on their feet. This first wish will get the ball rolling for my other two wishes.
We no longer have a restaurant in town. On Sundays, after church, there’s no place to get breakfast. If you want to go out to eat you have to drive to the next town. My second wish is open a small restaurant. The older people in Ettrick need a place to get together and have coffee. It’s not easy for them to drive out of town.
Growing up I remember spending weekends at the ball park in Ettrick. Teams from all around the area used to have tournaments there. A lot of people would come to town for these games. Ball players and their families would come for the whole weekend. Small business benefited from the revenue that was brought into the area. As years went by the ball tournaments ceased. The ball park got neglected as a result. My third and final wish is to donate money to improve the condition of the park. I would love to see times like the past when the bleachers were full.
In fulfilling my three wishes I believe Ettrick will survive. Getting the industry back into town is my most important wish. I believe once that is done the other things will follow.
When a small town loses something as vital as industry many other things are affected. People don’t have the money to spend locally, so other businesses suffer. People have started to move out of the area to find work. This in turn hurts the economy. Other businesses in the area are starting to feel it. At one point TRW had employed 375 people. When people aren’t driving into work, they also aren’t stopping at the local gas station or spending money at other businesses.
I want to make sure Ettrick will be here in years to come. This is where I would spend my $100,000. I have spent my whole life in Ettrick. I went to grade school there, met my husband there, and raised my kids there. Ettrick is a great place to live. My three wishes in doing this would be; bringing industry back into town, opening up a restaurant, and donating money to finish the ball park.
My first wish involves getting industry back into the building that housed TRW. It is all set up and ready for any business to start. I would not be alone on this task, as I know there are people already dedicated to saving Ettrick. Many of my old co-workers haven’t found reemployment. It would be a great feeling knowing that I helped them get back on their feet. This first wish will get the ball rolling for my other two wishes.
We no longer have a restaurant in town. On Sundays, after church, there’s no place to get breakfast. If you want to go out to eat you have to drive to the next town. My second wish is open a small restaurant. The older people in Ettrick need a place to get together and have coffee. It’s not easy for them to drive out of town.
Growing up I remember spending weekends at the ball park in Ettrick. Teams from all around the area used to have tournaments there. A lot of people would come to town for these games. Ball players and their families would come for the whole weekend. Small business benefited from the revenue that was brought into the area. As years went by the ball tournaments ceased. The ball park got neglected as a result. My third and final wish is to donate money to improve the condition of the park. I would love to see times like the past when the bleachers were full.
In fulfilling my three wishes I believe Ettrick will survive. Getting the industry back into town is my most important wish. I believe once that is done the other things will follow.
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