CNN's Report on GPS Tech in Cell Phones

CNN this morning reported on a new mobile service that will find you using your GPS and then will allow advertisers to send you coupons or promotions via text message.

I think this, especially for 20 somethings, is going to be a really cool product! Imagine being able to go food shopping and have coupons texted to you! Not only will it save paper and time (because you won't be cutting coupons) but I feel it will also teach college students how to budget and save.

Although the issue of privacy violations may come up in the future, right now I feel as though this is quite an interesting concept that will ultimately help us.

Students take a stand against hate

I recently wrote an article for The Quad News regarding the subject of hate. And although parts of this post may seem like a plug for my own article (and okay they are) the true meaning of this post is to make people aware of the problems at Quinnipiac as of late and also how we, as students, can change the world. That's right I said it- change the world, and even if we can't change the whole world, because let's face it the world is pretty screwed up right now, at least we can change our Quinnipiac world, our Quinnipiac home.

Hate is something that no one expects to encounter in their first year, or even in their four years at college, and it certainly was not something I expected to see my first year either, but it's there. It's present everywhere and the sooner people start talking about it, the better, because as the saying goes, Apathy is almost as bad as the act itself, or something to that effect.

Coming from New York City I have seen all kinds of people, and having traveled to nine different countries I have really seen ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE, but the one thing that never really struck me-as a child or now as an adult-was that I should discriminate against these various people because of their skin color, their hair color, their nationality or anything. I merely marveled at these differences and, as a journalist, asked them as many questions as I could to understand their point of view, their story. I feel everyone has a story and that every story deserves to be told and this story- the one which I have been spending days writing about and am publicizing on every website I know of- Twitter, Facebook, my blog etc- is about how students can change the world.

Students can change their college communities and we need to learn how to do this now, otherwise the world is going to be a lot more screwed up- regardless of our financial situation.

New Era

As I was reading the NYTimes today, I was startled (as all journalists should be) to see a picture of the flag draped coffins of soldiers on a plane returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is terribly sad that all these young men and women are dying for something that, in my opinion, is a waste of time, but as a journalist I feel a change coming upon us. Journalists were banned from taking pictures of coffins since the Bush-1 presidency, although regulations became a lot more strict during Bush -2, but now we are free to do what it is our duty to do as journalists- tell the whole story- the good, the bad and the ugly.

The times, as the saying goes, they are a changing :) finally

Stupid research to be doing during a recession

As I was reading the Wall Street Journal in the Student Center today, I realized why I generally do not read the WSJ- because some of their news is stupid. Who needs the Daily Show/Colbert Report for stupid (although quite entertaining news and labeled as a comedy) news when the WSJ is printing news about possible taxation OF SHEEP BURBS! That's right, a farm in New Zealand is measuring the amount of methane that sheep emit when they "belch" as the classy WSJ put it, and as I continued to read this article (the reason why I continued to read this escapes me) it says that since methane gas is the most devastating of the greenhouse gases, governments may begin to tax bovine burps!! AND YES I AM 100% serious. Read the article, and then tell me it's more important than (or on the same level as because this wonderful story was ON THE FRONT PAGE) the economic crisis, or the fact that the stock market is currently up, which I think is HIGHLY important, and frankly don't care about sheep, burbing or otherwise.

Jeez what has the world come to? What are we going to tax next- the whistling puppy?

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

With the current economic situation, many students are now wondering if there were things they could have, or should have done differently. Jenna Labisi is a junior from Staten Island, N.Y. and she believes there isn't much she could have done different, and yet Kelly Bruneau, a junior from Cheshire, Conn. believes she needs the extra year or two that grad school will give her.

These two students both attend different schools based on their needs and yet their message is universal- enjoy the time you have here in college, because before you know it, it's over.

The following are interview transcripts with the two college students:



Kelly Bruneau, 21, Cheshire, Conn. attends Quinnipiac University
Major: Economics Minor: Spanish and International Studies

1. What made you come to Quinnipiac?
a. I decided to come to QU because it was the best fit for me, I play lacrosse here and for me QU offered the best combination of academics and athletics. What is the hardest thing about being in college?

2. What’s the hardest thing about being in college?
a. I think the hardest thing about being in college is balancing everything - especially for me, being a student-athlete, I don't have a lot of time, so its really hard to do everything that I want to do and still do all of the things that I have to do.

3. What would you do differently if you could?
a. I'm honestly not sure what I'd do differently... I don't regret most of the decisions that I've made, academically at least...I just wish I knew what I wanted to do after college, because at this point I'm still very much undecided..

4. What worries you most about graduating next year?
a. I think what worries me most about graduating next year is that I have no clue what I want to do... and of course the fact that the economy is terrible right now, and the job market doesn't look so promising.




Jenna Labisi, 20, Staten Island, N.Y. attends SUNY New Paltz
Major: Communication Disorders Minor: Art History

1. What made you go to New Paltz?
a. I wanted to go to New Paltz because they had a variety of subjects and I wouldn’t have to do something I really didn’t like.

2. What’s the hardest thing about being in college?
a. Studying all the time and knowing that its constant studying is hard

3. Do you wish you had waited a year to go college and/or had taken a year off?
a. I’m glad I didn’t wait that I went straight to school because I would have worked and I wouldn’t have wanted to go to school and I probably wouldn’t have gone away to school I would have stayed home

4. What would you do differently if you could?
a. I wouldn’t do much differently

5. What worries you most about graduating next year?
a. I’m worried about not being able to get a good job that can support myself, and possibly a family, when that comes. I have to go to grad school to become certified so at least I have a little extra time before I have to become an adult.