Earth Day Climatologist Speech 2011

We may only be one person, but know matter what you do or who you are we can all make a difference in awareness of climate change, and help Mother Earth.

picture from binaryfuzion.com

LBCC had a special guest this Earth Day that made us all aware of climate change, and how we as people can get involved. Daniel Brown is a climatologist from Oregon State University that seems to know his stuff.

There was quite the turn out of interested people to Brown's speech last Friday on April 22.

Michelle Zink a LBCC student was one of many who was in for a listen to what climate change is. She is a student enrolled at OSU, and told me she would like to more about what goes on at OSU.

"I'm curious as to what the difference is between what they say on the news, and what he is going to tell us today." says Zink.

In Brown's presentation he first started out  fundamental points on what climate change is and the difference between the climate and the weather. The main points as to the difference is that climate is the long term factors of what green house gasses are doing and weather is the short term.

"Climate is something we can measure", Says Brown, "But it is very difficult to feel".

One of the main point that Brown was trying to configure is that the signals of climate change are on the increase all over the world. There is an increase in the average global temperature, and a rise in the sea level. There are already signs of coastal impacts. We see flooding, larger waves, and some erosion along homes and buildings along the beaches. There is also a higher signs of increased wildfire activity.

One of the most drastic changes in Oregon over the next years will probably be the projection of vegetation by 2070-2099. There will be minimal rain forest like vegetation like there was in the past and in the current years.

Oregon is one of the states in America that is making a difference. We are following Portland and making better transportation decisions.

Oregon's total fuel consumption was only .25% while the population increased by about 10.4%. That was a 9.2% decrease in consumption per capita. If we can learn to ride bikes, or carpool and take a bus, then every one else can see what a difference it makes around the world.

Some ways that we can help as humans is to splurge for improved efficiency. If we decide in the supermarket to buy energy efficient light bulbs, and solar water heaters there is a lesser impact on the Earth.

"While not every one can buy solar panels and hybrid cars we can make little changes in our daily lives", says Deron Carter, a LBCC physics instructor, "If we decide to spend a little more on recycled paper towels rather than the cheap bargain brand we can make a difference". 

We may not all be climatologists, but we can all help create less of a carbon footprint for ourselves. So ride a bike instead of driving a car, splurge a little more at the grocery store to make better green decisions, but most of all be aware of what you can do to help.

At a Glance
Places to Recycle: Allied Waste Services of Albany-Lebanon
Location: 1214 SE Montgomery Albany, Or 97322
Phone: 541-928-2511
Hours: Monday-Friday 8a.m-4p.m
Email: alliedwasteofalbanylebanon@republicservices.com

Linn Benton History Class Jumps the Pond

Picture taken by Kyle Holland

Just a hop, skip and a jump to one of the most interesting adventures of all time. A possible once in a lifetime trip that many will never encounter. LBCC had a couple lucky students that got to spend 10 days in not one but two foreign countries.

Robert Harrison, LBCC history instructor, and a group of six students got to go on a spring break trip to Italy and Greece. They were originally scheduled a trip to Egypt, and see the Nile river and the Great Pyramids, but plans back fired when the turmoil and protests proceeded in that country. The school board thought that the trip would be too risky. It was too dangerous, and they wanted to be certain that everyone would be safe. Bummed out they were able to create a last minute trip to a place that is equally impressive that also was very interesting to the students.

Throughout the six days they spent in Italy these lucky students were able to see different sites and museums.

They were able to visit the Roman Colosseum, the Sistine chapel, the City of Pompeii, and also the Vatican museum. They were able to interact with the modern culture and see some of the historical art and culture that Italy is known for.



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Afterwards they got to hop in a plane and see parts of Greece for four days. They were able to see the Parthenon, also interact with some of the culture there too.

The two LBCC students that got to go this year were Kyle Holland and Amanda Wallace. They were accompanied by Kyle's wife Darleea, and OSU student, and also one of Harrison's Zumba members.

This group of people were taken by the LBCC instructor Robert Harrison. This was his second trip to both Italy and Greece. Many of the sites that they got to see this time he had seen a previous time before. He did learn some new information, and got to learn more in depth information of some of the places they went to.

One of the more difficult things about traveling to a different country is learning their language and interacting with the locals. Many of them made hand gestures to try and get their point across in conversation.

Harrison was able to talk a little bit with some of the people.

In a line for the Vatican museum he was able to understand some of what two women were speaking in front of him. He could tell that they were speak Italian, so he asked them if they knew some French, and found out that they were tourists too. These women were actually from up in the Northern part of Italy.

"The next time I travel to a foreign country I plan to learn more conversational phrases." says Harrison "I will probably spend more time learning about the language and making sure that I can communicate with the locals."

According to Harrison they had a terrific tour guide that showed them different sites that most would not know to look for on a trip to Italy or Greece.

At the Vatican museum they got to learn more information about the sites they were seeing. The students even got to see a pope that has been placed in a glass coffin. Also in the Vatican they were able to see some of history's finest art like Michelangelo's statue "David".

"Since we were not able to see any nude beaches, my favorite part of our trip would have to be Vatican City." says Holland

Harrison's favorite educational part of the trip was to see the Vesuvius crater, and learn more about the next time it may erupt and some more information on what happened.

There has been talk about the next big trip that will be taken by Harrison. He is planning on a two-week summer student trip to major Civil War battle sites along the Eastern part of the US.

The students that attend this trip will receive a school history credit towards school.

Some of the sites that would possibly be seen are Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, the Battle of Antietam site in Maryland, The Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, and Ft. Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.

"I would like to make it a camping tour," says Harrison, "We would camp out, and cook out like they would in the Civil War, and sing songs like the soldiers would at that time. We don't need hotels."

So if you are interested in a educational trip across the country that could help go towards a history credit. See Robert Harrison at LBCC today.

At a Glance:

Who: Robert Harrison
What: Information about next trips, including the future Civil War battle sites.
How to contact. harrisonr@linnbenton.edu
Office: SSH 203
Phone: 541-971-4571

LBCC Tutoring Center

Need help in school? There's an app for that. Well not really, but if you are stuck with assignments, or just need help in a subject there are people for that.

LBCC has a tutoring facility in the Learning Center that offers a wide range of subject matter.Their website on the LBCC homepage has a list of subjects of tutoring options. They can help you with math, science, writing, and even help you with your French and Spanish classes.

The tutoring program also has other subjects that can be offered for help. Those subjects include accounting, automotive, horticulture, medical terminology, human anatomy & physiology, computer science, software applications, nursing, and engineering.

Students should not be afraid to seek help. If you are serious about your college experience, and you could use a little extra push toward making the grades, sign up for tutoring. They can help you one on one.

Tutors take the time to help you develop a positive attitude about learning, and can help you become a better independent learner. They will not do your homework for you! They are there to help, but you must have an appointment first.

If you would like to sign up for tutoring it is simple. According to Sheri McIntyre if you would like to sign up for personal tutoring come to the Tutoring Center in Willamette Hall and fill out the registration form. It is quick and simple.

Sydney Altson, a LBCC student has been attending student tutoring for over the last month. She was at first skeptical, and wasn't sure if tutoring was right for her, but when her grades started to slip she sought help.

"Tutoring has helped me so much," says Altson, "They help fit my schedule, and gave me the better understanding to be able to learn the criteria".

People all over the campus attend the tutoring center daily.

"Winter term we had 1460 tutoring sessions," says McIntyre, "Fall term we had 1253 sessions".

There are benefits to becoming a tutor. Most tutors are students as well. Many of them are recommended by instructors, and have passed certain classes with content mastery.

If you are interested in becoming a tutor, talk with your advisor, and your instructors then set a meeting up with McIntyre. The starting wages for a tutor are $9.01/hour. Many of them have a 10 hours a week available.

If you are interested in signing up for tutoring, or if there is a subject that you need help in but don't see it on the list contact McIntyre. They can try and arrange a tutor for you.

At a glance:
What: Tutoring
Where: LBCC Learning Center
When: Monday-Thursday 9am-4pm
For more information contact Sheri Mclnytre at 541-917-4679

Jennifer Moody

Jennifer Moody is an amazing person who in my 50 minutes of meeting has taught me alot.

In class she and her personal life has taught me how to be a better writer, and to follow my goals. Her columns in the Albany Democrat-Herald is just some of the ways she one on one with her readers. She gets the information out to the public and never seems to choose sides of the right or the wrong.

Some of the things I learned from Jennifer Moody are that there is no right way to write a feature story. That everyone is different and that we are to let our imaginations soar.

When writing a story we need to be accurate and fair, and always try to avoid yourself. It depletes a story when we use the words "I", "my", and "me".

Jennifer Moody has a family just like herself. Her daughter is into editing and conventions also. She told us a story about when her daughter and her were looking for ideas and her daughter freaked out about the spelling and conventions of the note cards they were looking at.

One things that helped me are that great ideas don't always come from ourselves. That some great ideas come from everyday activities and what other people want.

You can get ideas from the calendar, buisness meetings, and even what you saw on your way to the grocery store. "Don't write about the bakery, Write about the piece of pie." says Moody when it comes to writing your story try to give as much detail as possible.

In what I have heard and seen she is a person we can all look up to for following our goals and dreams.

At a Glance
Who: Jennifer Moody
What: Writer at the Albany Democrat-Herald
When: Started in 95'
Why: She has the passion for writing

Feature Story Critique

The first feature story that I critiqued was out of the Linn Benton Community College paper called the Commuter.

It is a campus local paper that is simple, but they always have interesting stories, and get in touch with their community.

The story that I went over was out of the most recent issue of March, the story is called "Compliments Can Be Kind". The story is about how compliments to the opposite sex can be taken the wrong way and in the mean time people can get "creeped out".

Adam LaMascus the writer of the story put it together very well. There were very few errors, and it was just the right length. It wasn't too short to where you are wondering what else, and its not too long to where you are bored half way through the story.

I agree with Adam about the content with the story. Compliments can be kind. They are not always a person who is checking you out, or secretly undressing you in your mind. People need to learn how to take compliments, and not get weired out.

Compliments are meant for good, not bad. People of the opposite sex may actually think you look nice. Many women and men do spend an hour in front of the mirror in the morning.

Like Adam says in his story, "If I spent that much time trying to make myself look good, I'd be offended if somebody didn't compliment me". So in other words, good story Adam, and I agree we all need to learn how to take compliments.

A Decline in Jobs Forces a Rise in Middle-aged College Students

College isn't just for the teenagers anymore. With the tanking economy in the past years in the united states it seems that many people who have attended college are now attending again. Jobs are scarce and it seems that the only way to even make a living now days is to go back to school and get a degree. It isn't easy in this life now days to start over and go to school. Many students have children, work part time jobs, and mainly just don't have the money. Financial aid is going up, and to many it is scary to think about paying off student loans for a school they may not even graduate from. Colleges around the country are experiencing a rise in the middle aged men and women attending their schools. There is not just a rise at LBCC but there is also a rise in other part of the country like Texas and Alabama. Parking lots are filled in the fall and also throughout the semesters. Robin McAllister of Alpine, Texas is a student going to Sul Ross State University. She has seen a huge rise in students of all ages attending even large universities. Her mother is also one of the students taking online classes and attending a part time job just to make a better living, find a better job, and raise a family. "I never thought my mother and I would be taking classes at the same time," Says McAllister, "but I guess that is what a tough economy does to people". Around the LBCC campus there are students that also have been to school when they were younger. Linda Milligan of Alabany, has a family and also works at the Benton Habitat For Humanity she attends school full time and is also a transfer student for Oregon State University. The tanking economy and not being able to find a job has brought her back to school. Milligan, "It's tough, but its life." The career counseling office at LBCC has had many opportunities for students to find jobs on and near campus. They help students find jobs that they love and help them better their lives. Carla Raymond from the LBCC career office has seen many times what the recession and state of the economy has done to students that are trying to find jobs. She informs students to attend career fairs. There is a lot of information out there that can help students follow their dreams. Make appointments with career counselors and employment specialists. They can critque your resume and help you succeed in finding a job. "Be persistent," says Raymond "We are in a recession, one of the best things you can do is to join organizations to get to know employers." There are many different websites that you can go to to help with career choices. To find employers who hire people in your field you can go to www.acinet.org/acinet. Its rough now days to find a good job, and to succeed in a career. All of our possible jobs are going overseas and getting transferred to China because its a lot cheaper. Many are struggling and it seems that more and more we are seeing homeless people begging on street corners, and freeway entrances. For some it seems that there is no hope. Everyone can make a difference in their communities and better their own lives. Don't let an economy of doom stop you in your tracks. There are options. At a glance: What: Career Services 33rd Annual Career Fair: Where:Activities Center At Linn Benton Community College (Albany Campus) When: April 14th 10:00 AM- 2:00 PM Who to contact: For more information contact Carla Raymond Email: carla.raymond@linnbenton.edu Phone: 541-917-4788

News issues

Tanking economy and job losses Nut Graf: The current economy has created job loss across the country. Many adults have come back to school because of job loss and trying to get a degree for a career. In the future will we ever get out of this recession? Or will we forever be in a tanking country that only results in homelessness and fear? 3 Sources: The Employment Office at LBCC Students that are looking for jobs Current students that have been in college before and came back because of job loss or trying to find another job. Questions: What are some issues that you face towards helping students find jobs in this economy? How difficult is it to find current jobs for students? What is the reason students come back to LBCC after being in school before? What are your opinions about the job market right now? How is the economy affecting you?