Is Obama sounding more like McCain (i.e tax cuts for rich, charter schools) because he is slipping in the polls and trying to appeal to independents or is he slipping in the polls because he is sounding more like McCain?

When is James Carville going to take over Obama's campaign?

Both McCain and Obama are claiming to represent change. What kind of real fundamental "change" can we expect from them? Federal aid to expand charter schools? Oh Boy! That is "change" that we can retreat from.  Movement from the quagmire in Iraq to one in Afghanistan? Oh Boy! How about a few billion to rebuild Georgia (not the U.S. state)? Oh Boy!

McCain has rallied his base. Has Obama rallied his? Is Obama taking me and my vote for granted?

Can Obama win with his base being solidified, new voters, and good turnout? Does he need to run to the "middle" and does he risk alienating his base in doing so?

Dale

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 4:49:12 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1] | 

It looks as if the right to carry a concealed handgun by a permit holder in Ohio has been enlarged. The ability to carry a handgun in a holster while in a car, and being allowed to have it locked within a car trunk while a campus/school property has finally passed. Common sense prevails! Hopefully, soon a CC permit holder will actually be allowed to carry in the classrooms of Ohio.

I am the not attached in any way to Lourdes College, except as a student. I am the contact person for the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus at Lourdes. If you are interested in furthering the right to concealed carry on campus you can contact me either at school or via the "campus leader" tab at:

http://www.concealedcampus.org/

Students for Concealed carry on campus is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprised of over 30,000 college students, college faculty members, parents of college students and concerned citizens (about 90% US college students and 10% faculty, parents and concerned citizens) who support the right of concealed handgun license holders to carry handguns on campuses. SCCC has members in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign countries.

SCCC has two main objectives. The first objective is to educate the public about the facts of concealed carry and dispel the many myths about concealed carry. The second objective is to push state legislatures and administrations to grant concealed handgun license holders the same right - the right to carry concealed handguns - on college campuses that these license holders currently enjoy in other places (office buildings, movie theaters, grocery stores, shopping malls, restraurants, churches, banks, etc). Because, SCCC fully supports states' rights, it is our policy to push for change at the state level, rather than at the federal level. The first step is to see "colleges" removed from the list of places listed as "off limits" by concealed carry laws inmany states. The next step is to see other states follow Utah's lead in prohibiting state (tax subsidized) college from enacting their own bans on concealed carry.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 4:19:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [9] | 

Dale Lanigan is a new Lourdesworld blogger for 2008.  Welcome, Dale!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:02:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Since making her solo debut in 2002, Mieka Pauley’s list of accomplishments is greater than most musicians dream about. Already, Mieka has performed her mix of blues, soul and acoustic rock with music giants Eric Clapton, the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Blues Traveler, Martin Sexton, Jason Mraz and Citizen Cope.

She received the first ever Starbucks Emerging Artist Award, won the BMI/Rock Boat Song Contest and took top three honors at the famed Telluride Bluegrass Festival's Troubadour Competition. A Harvard graduate and Boston native, Mieka has played at three of the country’s top music festivals – The Newport Folk Festival, On The Bricks in Atlanta and Dancin' In The District in Nashville. Learn more about Mieka Pauley at http://www.mieka.com/.

The Mieka Pauley concert, part of the College’s ongoing Performing Artist Series, will be held in the Ebeid Student Center in Delp Hall on Friday, September 26 at 8:30 p.m.  

Lourdes College students, faculty, staff and alumni can receive two FREE tickets with a valid Lourdes College ID card.  Tickets for the general public are only $10 each.  For concert tickets, contact the Franciscan Center Box Office at 419-824-3999

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:07:52 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

If you are an Education Department student, you know that the Praxis tests are essential to getting through all the steps to eventual graduation and licensure as a teacher. What you may NOT know is that the WIN Center offers sessions in PRAXIS I PREPARATION, to help you get ready to take the Praxis I tests. Don't miss out on this great support opportunity!

The facts:

Sessions are held  

• Friday, 9/26/08        10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
• Monday, 9/29/08       9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
• Thursday, 10/2/08     3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, 10/4/08    12:00 noon - 1:30 p.m.
• Thursday, 10/30/08    3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Friday, 10/31/08        2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

No, you don't have to take all the sessions - just one! The sessions are FREE to registered students, faculty and staff, and are held in the WIN Center. Call the Center at 419-824-3748 to reserve your spot. Seating is limited, but walk-ins will be accepted if there is space.

Get in there and get some practice with the Praxis!

Tuesday, September 09, 2008 9:50:44 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

The election is approaching too fast now. We’ve watched for what seems like years as the debates and the primaries raged on. We took forever to whittle down to two people for President, and now we have less than two months from the conventions to the election to figure out what we need to see to make our choices. That really wasn’t an issue for me as we knew these people inside and out because of the process. We now, though, have a candidate for VP that nobody knows, and the system broke again.

There is truly a lot to say about all of that, I know. Today, though, I have a related thing about which to rant.

I again recently heard people talking about how important it is to vote for somebody who relates well to the common man. In the last two elections the phrase was that we needed to vote for the person you would more like to have beers with. We got George Bush and it was hailed as a real victory for the idea of getting the guy who seems most like us.  

I’ve been thinking about the ‘guy you would like most to have beers with’ thought because I heard it again yesterday by a McCain supporter. You know the line. Obama is an elitist, doesn’t understand good working folk, etc. It is good political banter, and it’s worked for a while as we’ve already said.

I don’t really know if anybody takes that stuff seriously though. In truth, the whole thing is probably code for something else, but what if some voters took to heart the ‘I would rather have a beer with him, so I should vote for him’ baloney?

Many of you know me. Many of you know that I have had beers with a wide variety and a large number of people in my life. I know ‘beer ’ stuff. I think you know I know ‘beer’ stuff. Here’s what I don’t get:

Most of the people I have had beers with are by and large the last people I would want to lead this great country. Most of the people I have had beers with would be the most likely to start a war with a country that never attacked or threatened us. They would make up reasons for doing so. They would yell things like “Bring it on” toward other countries when they don’t know what else to say. They would dress up in costume and hold a party for Mission Accomplished when the war is really just starting. They would throw away the ideas of negotiation and diplomacy as possible foreign relations tools.

They would give us the incomprehensible situation we find ourselves in now.

Just what is the problem with voting for the smartest people? On the list of criteria a voter uses to choose the POTUS why wouldn’t ‘Smartest’ be the first thing on the list? Not the only thing, but surely the first thing. “Let’s see. This guy sounds brilliant. The other guy can’t put together a coherent sentence with a speechwriter and a teleprompter, but I think he drinks beer. I guess I should just call the brilliant guy ‘too eloquent to be President’ and vote for the other guy.”  

This has to stop.

What are the criteria YOU use to figure out voting? 

Monday, September 08, 2008 5:27:42 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [5] | 

In the larger scheme of things, it might not seem like a big deal. After all, what harm could it do? Blonde girls know they're smart even if people generally think that telling "dumb blonde jokes" is okay, right?

Or maybe not. A put-down is a put-down, no matter how harmless the intention. If I had a blonde daughter, I wouldn't want her within hearing distance of someone inferring that blondes don't have a lick of sense. Children have a hard enough time growing confidence as it is, without having adults knock them down.

When did blonde jokes become popular? I don't know - I just know that I have endured them for far too long, smiling politely while wanting to conk the offending jokester on the head. What could they possibly be thinking, telling a joke like that to me?

You may be thinking that I have no sense of humor. You would be so wrong! I laugh at the most obvious of amusing things, and at the least obvious. I find mirth everywhere. I try not to laugh inappropriately. Sometimes when I am under stress, I find myself laughing uncontrollably, because suddenly lots of things seem funny. I guess that's a good stress-reliever, so I'm okay with it. 

But wait - what does NOT telling blonde jokes have to do with anything? Well, it has to do with being aware of your words and your attitudes. This covers most anything - like my mother always said (and probably yours, too), "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

The only way to grow and evolve as a kind and enlightened human being is to pay attention to the kindness of your actions. And since learning how to be more "present" in this world leads to greater happiness, I encourage you to pay attention.

You never know what you might learn. 

Monday, September 08, 2008 5:06:11 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] | 

Young Democrats Organization At Lourdes College!

Tuesday, September 16

^{4:30pm In The Ebeid Student Center!}

@ 4:30pm

I am excited that a new opportunity is coming to Lourdes College. A Young Democrat Organization is currently being founded. I am pleased to announce that in the EBEID Student Center on Tuesday, September 16th at 4:30pm, the first "unofficial" meeting will take place. Young Democrats are being encouraged to come out and help shape our new chapter!

The chapter will become part of the national Young Democrat organization (www.yda.org). Check it out!! This opportunity will allow for members of Lourdes Chapter to attend state and national conventions, along with other great opportunities!

All students under 36 are encouraged to attend the meeting. This meeting will be the first step in forming the constitution and by-laws for the chapter; necessary steps for officially being recognized as an organization at Lourdes College!

Currently there are several students already coming to this event, and you don't want to be left out of this exciting endeavor! We will also decide the process of electing officials to run the organization (Even the founder is leaving the president position up for election; it could be you)!

Also, we are gratefully excited that Professor Mary Stockwell is the "presumptive" advisor for this organization, although we hope to obtain several advisors, as we expect to have many members (fingers crossed).

Please respond ASAP to richard.frelin@students.lourdes.edu, if planning to attend, or if you would like more information about this extraordinary opportunity.

Thank you and we are looking forward to seeing you there!

P.S. Vote OBAMA-BIDEN!!

Monday, September 08, 2008 3:06:43 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1] | 

The Princeton Review, nationally known for its test preparation and admissions services, has included Lourdes College in The Best 368 Colleges guide for the fifth consecutive year.

Lourdes College was one of the 158 chosen from the Midwest, which comprises 13 different states and was among 26 chosen from Ohio. In excerpts from surveys published at Princetonreview.com, Lourdes students cited the College’s focus on academics, flexibility of course schedules and the beauty of the campus itself, among the things that made it one of the best colleges.

The Princeton Review evaluates over 2,000 colleges and universities each year, making selections for its list based on criteria of academic excellence and feedback from current students, parents and guardians, staff members and educators.

Monday, September 08, 2008 10:04:17 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] |