Richard Perkins has dedicated 59 of his 63 years of life to music.
Perkins has been teaching music courses at ARCC for 37 years. In full, he has been teaching one form of music or another for 42 years. At the ARCC Coon Rapids campus, he is currently teaching Music Theory, Advanced Music Theory, Aural Comprehension and Advanced Aural Comprehension, but he has taught every music course ARCC offers, at one time or another.
Although his wife isn’t in the music business, she does love music and helps Perkins frequently. He admits that he has to thank her for lending him many of her CDs for his Rock and Roll History course.
Before ARCC, Perkins taught at Amery, Wis. He taught a variety of different classes, including music for Special Education, jazz, elementary music, middle school choir, high school band, and swing choir. “It was a wonderful way to start my music career,” Perkins said, “because I experienced so many different levels of music education right away.”
His aunt, Viora Perkins, was a piano teacher, so Perkins began learning to play the piano at the early age of four. In Spooner, Wis., the town he grew up in, the band program allowed children to start learning an instrument in the fourth grade. When Perkins followed his fifth grade brother, Mike, to band one day, the teacher gave him a coronet and told him to sit down and play. Perkins was eight and not technically old enough to learn an instrument, but he said, “I’ve been playing the trumpet every since.”
His school also had an orchestra program, so he started on the violin, but progressed much faster than his classmates. “Maybe I thought it was too easy,” Perkins said, “so I stopped playing the violin and stayed with the trumpet.”
As far as his teaching style goes, Perkins realizes that every student learns a different way than those around him/her. He tries to cater to the many ways students learn by offering a variety of teaching styles. Some of these include visual, aural, and tactile methods. Overall, he simply wants to help students to understand music and love it as much as he does.
Perkins told me that the way in which he teaches constantly changes. If a student doesn’t understand what he is trying to teach, he attempts to help that student to learn by teaching in a different manner. “If one way doesn’t work, then I try another way,” he said simply.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Who's Your Patty? Controversy
McDonald's recently began using the phrase "Who's Your Patty?" on advertisements. A small restaurant called Lions Tap in Eden Prairie has been using this phrase on their menu for four years. They decided to sue McDonald's for using their trademark, though they only filed for a federal trademark a few days before the trial.
Star Tribune 10/30/09
Star Tribune 10/30/09
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Perkins Interview Transcript
How old are you?
63
How long have you been working for ARCC?
I have been teaching music for 42 years, the last 37 at ARCC.
What exactly do you teach at ARCC?
I have taught all music classes offered at ARCC sometime in my career at ARCC. Music
Appreciation, Class Piano, Music History, Rock and Roll History, Fundamentals of Music and
many other courses. Presently I am teaching Music Theory, Advanced Music Theory, Aural
Comprehension and Advanced Aural Comprehension.
How would you describe your teaching style?
My teaching style is to engage students and help them understand music and learn to love music
and learning as much as I do. I attempt to offer many types of teaching styles to cater to the many
learning styles that students use. Visual, aural, tactile learning styles are a few of the
teaching styles that I try to use.
Where did you teach before ARCC?
I first started teaching in Amery, Wisconsin. I taught everything from Music for Special
Education programs, elementary music, middle school choir, high school band and jazz
ensemble along with swing choir. It was a wonderful way to start my music career. I experienced
so many different levels of music education right away. I also learned many ways to teach music.
It has been extremely helpful throughout my career. Afert four years of teaching in Amery I
decided to return to college and work on my Masters of Music. I entered the University of Iowa and
completed my Masters in Trumpet Performance. While at Iowa I taught at Cornell College in Mt.
Vernon, Iowa. I also played with the Cedar Rapids Symphony.
What first got you interested in music?
I got interested in music as a child. My aunt was a piano teacher, I started piano lessons from her
when I was four years old. I grew up in Spooner, Wisconsin. You could learn a band instrument
beginning in the fourth grade. When my brother Mike was playing in the band in fifth grade I
followed him to band. I was not old enough to start an instrument, but the band director gave me a
cornet and told me to sit down and play. I was eight years old at the time. I've been playing
trumpet ever since. Trumpet is my main instrument.
They also had an orchestra program and I started on the violin. For some reason I went through
several violin books and progressed faster than the rest of the class. Maybe I thought it was too
easy, so I stopped playing the violin and stayed with the trumpet.
Are there any specific people or events that have influenced the way you
teach, or your decision to become a music teacher? If so how or why?
I am asked often why I became a music teacher. One of the main reasons was the Vietnam War. At that
time if you were a teacher you were deferred from being drafted into the service. I decided to
teach rather than go to war. After a year or two teaching deferments were eliminated, but I was
never drafted. Teaching allowed me to teach and perform. I always wanted to be a trumpet
performer and teaching allowed me to do both. I was not thrilled, initially, to be a teacher but
grew to love it.
There are many people, courses, books and events that influence how I teach. Mainly it is the
students and my interest in helping them learn about music. If a student does not understand a
topic or concept that influences me into finding a way to help the student. If one way doesn't
work than I try another way. My goal is to help students understand the material and love music as
much as I do.
Was the piano the first instrument you played?
Yes^
What is your "main" instrument?
Trumpet^
Are you married? If so is she musical, or does she help with your teaching in
any way?
I am married but my wife is not in the music business. She loves music and has helped me quite a bit.
I borrowed many CD's from her collection of CD's for my Rock and Roll History Class. I have to
thank her for that.
What was your aunt's name?
My aunt's name was Viora Perkins.
63
How long have you been working for ARCC?
I have been teaching music for 42 years, the last 37 at ARCC.
What exactly do you teach at ARCC?
I have taught all music classes offered at ARCC sometime in my career at ARCC. Music
Appreciation, Class Piano, Music History, Rock and Roll History, Fundamentals of Music and
many other courses. Presently I am teaching Music Theory, Advanced Music Theory, Aural
Comprehension and Advanced Aural Comprehension.
How would you describe your teaching style?
My teaching style is to engage students and help them understand music and learn to love music
and learning as much as I do. I attempt to offer many types of teaching styles to cater to the many
learning styles that students use. Visual, aural, tactile learning styles are a few of the
teaching styles that I try to use.
Where did you teach before ARCC?
I first started teaching in Amery, Wisconsin. I taught everything from Music for Special
Education programs, elementary music, middle school choir, high school band and jazz
ensemble along with swing choir. It was a wonderful way to start my music career. I experienced
so many different levels of music education right away. I also learned many ways to teach music.
It has been extremely helpful throughout my career. Afert four years of teaching in Amery I
decided to return to college and work on my Masters of Music. I entered the University of Iowa and
completed my Masters in Trumpet Performance. While at Iowa I taught at Cornell College in Mt.
Vernon, Iowa. I also played with the Cedar Rapids Symphony.
What first got you interested in music?
I got interested in music as a child. My aunt was a piano teacher, I started piano lessons from her
when I was four years old. I grew up in Spooner, Wisconsin. You could learn a band instrument
beginning in the fourth grade. When my brother Mike was playing in the band in fifth grade I
followed him to band. I was not old enough to start an instrument, but the band director gave me a
cornet and told me to sit down and play. I was eight years old at the time. I've been playing
trumpet ever since. Trumpet is my main instrument.
They also had an orchestra program and I started on the violin. For some reason I went through
several violin books and progressed faster than the rest of the class. Maybe I thought it was too
easy, so I stopped playing the violin and stayed with the trumpet.
Are there any specific people or events that have influenced the way you
teach, or your decision to become a music teacher? If so how or why?
I am asked often why I became a music teacher. One of the main reasons was the Vietnam War. At that
time if you were a teacher you were deferred from being drafted into the service. I decided to
teach rather than go to war. After a year or two teaching deferments were eliminated, but I was
never drafted. Teaching allowed me to teach and perform. I always wanted to be a trumpet
performer and teaching allowed me to do both. I was not thrilled, initially, to be a teacher but
grew to love it.
There are many people, courses, books and events that influence how I teach. Mainly it is the
students and my interest in helping them learn about music. If a student does not understand a
topic or concept that influences me into finding a way to help the student. If one way doesn't
work than I try another way. My goal is to help students understand the material and love music as
much as I do.
Was the piano the first instrument you played?
Yes^
What is your "main" instrument?
Trumpet^
Are you married? If so is she musical, or does she help with your teaching in
any way?
I am married but my wife is not in the music business. She loves music and has helped me quite a bit.
I borrowed many CD's from her collection of CD's for my Rock and Roll History Class. I have to
thank her for that.
What was your aunt's name?
My aunt's name was Viora Perkins.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Dog Recovers From Viscious Bear Attack
Roxie, a 6-year-old boxer, and her owner, Tim Peltz, of Mount Pleasent, Wis. got out of his truck on Oct. 17. Roxie went over to the woods and met up with a mother bear who bit Roxie and swung her around. Peltz went into the house for a gun, but when he returned the bears were gone and Roxie was bleeding out. The vets didn't think she would make it, but she's proving to be a very strong dog indeed.
Pioneer Press
Pioneer Press
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Princeton Takes Zimmerman
Princeton Football Game
Oct. 13, 2009
It was a chilly Minnesota Autumn night last Monday, but that didn’t stop Princeton’s Varsity Football team!
The team’s quarterback, Junior William Soule, started the game against the Zimmerman Thunder with a perfect throw to No. 75, Sophomore Zack Woodman. Woodman leapt into the air to catch the toss and landed on the field already running towards an early touchdown. He didn’t quite make it, however. No. 66 on Zimmerman’s team, Junior Bobby Fleischer, tackled Woodman at the 20 yard line. The number of players who had been running directly behind the two caused a massive pileup on top of Woodman. He suffered a minor sprained ankle, but felt too injured to continue in the game.
“I would never let a little thing like a sprained ankle keep me from playing,” Jason Hanson, a sophomore at Princeton High School who was thrilled to take Woodman’s place in the game said.
As the sky darkened and the air chilled further, Princeton scored another three touchdowns. The student section in the Princeton bleachers was going wild with excitement at the victory they were sure they were headed for. Senior Tom Jarvis said, “The only reason I even go to the high school football games is because of how pumped the students get.”
It was nearing halftime and Princeton was up 28-0. Suddenly, however, Zimmerman was nearing their twenty yard line. No. 23, Ben Howard of the Zimmerman team, scored a touchdown, five seconds before halftime.
“The Princeton fans weren’t discouraged,” Assistant Coach Eric Bjurman assured me. The cheerleaders came out and did a few cheers, and before you knew it, the game was on. Forty-five minutes into the third quarter and Princeton was still in the lead with 28-20. The next hour was a “satisfying and intense battle,” as starting center, No. 58 Reid Atterbury, worded it.
Neither team scored again until the last ten minutes of the game. Hanson said, “I was starting to get worried we were going to have to settle for eight points ahead.” He made it through the wall of blue and white outfitted players, though, and scored the last touchdown for a Princeton win of 35-20.
Zimmerman fought hard, but in the end, Princeton came out on top, winning the last game of their football season.
Oct. 13, 2009
It was a chilly Minnesota Autumn night last Monday, but that didn’t stop Princeton’s Varsity Football team!
The team’s quarterback, Junior William Soule, started the game against the Zimmerman Thunder with a perfect throw to No. 75, Sophomore Zack Woodman. Woodman leapt into the air to catch the toss and landed on the field already running towards an early touchdown. He didn’t quite make it, however. No. 66 on Zimmerman’s team, Junior Bobby Fleischer, tackled Woodman at the 20 yard line. The number of players who had been running directly behind the two caused a massive pileup on top of Woodman. He suffered a minor sprained ankle, but felt too injured to continue in the game.
“I would never let a little thing like a sprained ankle keep me from playing,” Jason Hanson, a sophomore at Princeton High School who was thrilled to take Woodman’s place in the game said.
As the sky darkened and the air chilled further, Princeton scored another three touchdowns. The student section in the Princeton bleachers was going wild with excitement at the victory they were sure they were headed for. Senior Tom Jarvis said, “The only reason I even go to the high school football games is because of how pumped the students get.”
It was nearing halftime and Princeton was up 28-0. Suddenly, however, Zimmerman was nearing their twenty yard line. No. 23, Ben Howard of the Zimmerman team, scored a touchdown, five seconds before halftime.
“The Princeton fans weren’t discouraged,” Assistant Coach Eric Bjurman assured me. The cheerleaders came out and did a few cheers, and before you knew it, the game was on. Forty-five minutes into the third quarter and Princeton was still in the lead with 28-20. The next hour was a “satisfying and intense battle,” as starting center, No. 58 Reid Atterbury, worded it.
Neither team scored again until the last ten minutes of the game. Hanson said, “I was starting to get worried we were going to have to settle for eight points ahead.” He made it through the wall of blue and white outfitted players, though, and scored the last touchdown for a Princeton win of 35-20.
Zimmerman fought hard, but in the end, Princeton came out on top, winning the last game of their football season.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Man Found Unconsious, Parents Dead
Relatives found Michael Schwarze, 22, unconscious in a cabin near Longville, Minn. last Saturday. They also found his parents, Lee and Nancy Schwarze, 58 and 55, dead on the scene. Autopsy results are expected later this week.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
My Obituary
Samantha Lauryl Brand, 16, died last Friday, November 13. A psychotic serial killer named Jason Voorhees butchered her, apparently for no reason.
Brand was a happy girl who loved to help people and have fun. "She was always looking out for her friends," her mother commented.
Brand was a junior at Princeton High School, and a part time PSEO student, taking online college courses at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. She had hoped to finish her Associate in Arts degree before graduating from high school. After high school she was planning on pursuing a Master's degree in Music Education, though she was still unsure of what college she wanted to attend. She had hoped to get a job teaching a high school band.
Speech was another thing Brand loved to do. She first joined in eighth grade and ended up loving it so much she had been in it ever since. High school speech season doesn't start until late December, but she had already decided her category and piece for this year. She was going to do an informative speech on the history of the Joker. The topic was suggested by her mother.
Brand will be cremated on Monday, November 16, and a memorial service will be held at the Crystal Lake Funeral Home on Tuesday from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Her family plans to scatter her ashes in the Rum River, near the Rum River Park in Princeton.
Surviving Brand are her brother, Logan Brand, her mother, Beckie Brand, and her father, Dan Brand.
Brand was a happy girl who loved to help people and have fun. "She was always looking out for her friends," her mother commented.
Brand was a junior at Princeton High School, and a part time PSEO student, taking online college courses at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. She had hoped to finish her Associate in Arts degree before graduating from high school. After high school she was planning on pursuing a Master's degree in Music Education, though she was still unsure of what college she wanted to attend. She had hoped to get a job teaching a high school band.
Speech was another thing Brand loved to do. She first joined in eighth grade and ended up loving it so much she had been in it ever since. High school speech season doesn't start until late December, but she had already decided her category and piece for this year. She was going to do an informative speech on the history of the Joker. The topic was suggested by her mother.
Brand will be cremated on Monday, November 16, and a memorial service will be held at the Crystal Lake Funeral Home on Tuesday from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Her family plans to scatter her ashes in the Rum River, near the Rum River Park in Princeton.
Surviving Brand are her brother, Logan Brand, her mother, Beckie Brand, and her father, Dan Brand.
Monday, October 12, 2009
True Grimes
Tawana Rue Grimes is, above all, a family woman. The most important thing in her life, barring her faith, is her family.
Tawana’s nickname True came from combining her first and middle name. “True is a lot easier for people to remember and say,” she said when asked about it.
True’s family includes family down south, along with her four children. Justin is 30-years-old and works at the Children’s Hospital. He is very musical and has played with many bands, and is getting married on December 5 of this year. He met his 23-year-old bride to be at a funeral. Summer is 27 and recently moved to Vermont to continue her job selling life insurance. Before this she was a hair stylist. Holland is 23 and graduated from Normandale as a registered nurse. She worked for two years in Minneapolis before moving to Nicaragua to become a volunteer missionary. And last, but not least, Ben is 22 and works as the assistant manager at National Camera. He is a part time photographer, taking pictures for a few weddings a year. He collected vintage cameras in middle school and got interested in photography in high school, right before setting up a dark room in their house.
The Grime family has all become avid travelers and hikers. Two of her children have lived in Latin America and three have spent time in Europe. True said that they would all certainly travel more, if the funds were available. However, they all love each other and being outdoors, although winter isn’t their favorite.
Since they were all used to the warmer South, the cold Minnesota winters really chill the Grimes family. True loves walking just after snowfall, though; listening to the silence with a hot mug in her hands. She also likes that the cold seems to slow down their hectic lives and bring them together more.
True said that she couldn’t imagine her life without her kids and family. “My heart goes out to people who have no children or family. I don’t see how they get through the tough times in their life.”
“We might not be perfect but we can always count on each other for help, love and support. That’s what families are for.”
Tawana’s nickname True came from combining her first and middle name. “True is a lot easier for people to remember and say,” she said when asked about it.
True’s family includes family down south, along with her four children. Justin is 30-years-old and works at the Children’s Hospital. He is very musical and has played with many bands, and is getting married on December 5 of this year. He met his 23-year-old bride to be at a funeral. Summer is 27 and recently moved to Vermont to continue her job selling life insurance. Before this she was a hair stylist. Holland is 23 and graduated from Normandale as a registered nurse. She worked for two years in Minneapolis before moving to Nicaragua to become a volunteer missionary. And last, but not least, Ben is 22 and works as the assistant manager at National Camera. He is a part time photographer, taking pictures for a few weddings a year. He collected vintage cameras in middle school and got interested in photography in high school, right before setting up a dark room in their house.
The Grime family has all become avid travelers and hikers. Two of her children have lived in Latin America and three have spent time in Europe. True said that they would all certainly travel more, if the funds were available. However, they all love each other and being outdoors, although winter isn’t their favorite.
Since they were all used to the warmer South, the cold Minnesota winters really chill the Grimes family. True loves walking just after snowfall, though; listening to the silence with a hot mug in her hands. She also likes that the cold seems to slow down their hectic lives and bring them together more.
True said that she couldn’t imagine her life without her kids and family. “My heart goes out to people who have no children or family. I don’t see how they get through the tough times in their life.”
“We might not be perfect but we can always count on each other for help, love and support. That’s what families are for.”
Former Teacher Runs For School Board
John Krenik was paid $12,000 by the St. Paul district last year to resign from his job as a special education teacher at Murray Junior High School. The reasons for the district wanting him to resign are unclear, however, Krenik did file a complaint against the district for discriminating against him for an unspecified disability, which was later dismissed. Krenik ran for a position on the school board and got the sixth of seven places.
The Story
The Story
Friday, October 9, 2009
Sarah DeRosier
Q: Hi, Sarah, I'm Sam. To start out the interview, why don't
you tell me what some of your hobbies are?
A: Hi Sam!
Well first of all my favorite Hobby I have is Fire Spinning. Basically
it comes from the art of Poi Spinning, which is a ball on a string
that you spin in both hands. What I do is a little extreme because I have kevlar Wick attached to a chain that I soak in Kerosene, and then light it up! You can YOUTUBE Fire spinning to get a better idea of what it is. I first
discovered this hobby by spinning glow sticks in my living room, but I was at
a party downtown Minneapolis and I saw someone from the Minneapolis Troupe
called, "Illumination" fire spinning on the street. I knew I had to learn how so I bought a video and started learning with socks with tennis balls in them. Next summer I am going to try to go a little more professional by doing more parties, and now I have a partner, my boyfriend! (I taught him how because he loves fire and dancing!)
My second hobby is going to concerts, I LOVE music! I have seen so many concerts in my lifetime, it keeps me going, it's basically my religion. My favorite shows are techno shows, mainly because I love hearing the music bumping in your ears, I love dancing with glowsticks, and I love watching other people dance and you find that most at techno shows. I'm actually going to see a DJ named Armin Van Buuren this Thursday with my boyfriend who loves techno just as much as me, we actually met at a techno show. His name is Ben and I love him very much.
In my spare time I also like to watch and critique movies. This annoys a lot of my friends so I try to keep it in my head, until I get together with the people I know will debate with me and then it's a free for all! I love conversation, I could seriously talk anyone's ear off if you give me a good subject.
I check my email in the morning and afternoons usually, so feel free to email me with any more questions and I'll do my best at responding quickly!
Q: Tell me a little more about your fire spinning. How long did you practice with the socks and tennis balls before you moved on to sticks? How long was it before you actually lit them on fire?
A: I only was spinning the "sock poi" for a few weeks until I bought myself glow balls! I think I was practicing for at least 3 months before I started with fire. The first night I spun the fire was an incredible rush, I was downtown Minneapolis at an event called, "Spin Jam." So I had a lot of professionals helping me. they taught me the essentials to fire safety before I lit up, and after I was filled with such adrenaline and excitement like I had never experienced!
Q: Have you ever performed a show for strangers?
A: My friends and family have often asked me to spin at parties they are
throwing, which are mostly in front of strangers for me. I also have spun
at campgrounds for strangers which was really fun.
I don't have anywhere special to spin, mostly in backyards and bbq's. My
favorites are bonfire parties, because they usually are low key and people
really enjoy watching a fire spinner.
you tell me what some of your hobbies are?
A: Hi Sam!
Well first of all my favorite Hobby I have is Fire Spinning. Basically
it comes from the art of Poi Spinning, which is a ball on a string
that you spin in both hands. What I do is a little extreme because I have kevlar Wick attached to a chain that I soak in Kerosene, and then light it up! You can YOUTUBE Fire spinning to get a better idea of what it is. I first
discovered this hobby by spinning glow sticks in my living room, but I was at
a party downtown Minneapolis and I saw someone from the Minneapolis Troupe
called, "Illumination" fire spinning on the street. I knew I had to learn how so I bought a video and started learning with socks with tennis balls in them. Next summer I am going to try to go a little more professional by doing more parties, and now I have a partner, my boyfriend! (I taught him how because he loves fire and dancing!)
My second hobby is going to concerts, I LOVE music! I have seen so many concerts in my lifetime, it keeps me going, it's basically my religion. My favorite shows are techno shows, mainly because I love hearing the music bumping in your ears, I love dancing with glowsticks, and I love watching other people dance and you find that most at techno shows. I'm actually going to see a DJ named Armin Van Buuren this Thursday with my boyfriend who loves techno just as much as me, we actually met at a techno show. His name is Ben and I love him very much.
In my spare time I also like to watch and critique movies. This annoys a lot of my friends so I try to keep it in my head, until I get together with the people I know will debate with me and then it's a free for all! I love conversation, I could seriously talk anyone's ear off if you give me a good subject.
I check my email in the morning and afternoons usually, so feel free to email me with any more questions and I'll do my best at responding quickly!
Q: Tell me a little more about your fire spinning. How long did you practice with the socks and tennis balls before you moved on to sticks? How long was it before you actually lit them on fire?
A: I only was spinning the "sock poi" for a few weeks until I bought myself glow balls! I think I was practicing for at least 3 months before I started with fire. The first night I spun the fire was an incredible rush, I was downtown Minneapolis at an event called, "Spin Jam." So I had a lot of professionals helping me. they taught me the essentials to fire safety before I lit up, and after I was filled with such adrenaline and excitement like I had never experienced!
Q: Have you ever performed a show for strangers?
A: My friends and family have often asked me to spin at parties they are
throwing, which are mostly in front of strangers for me. I also have spun
at campgrounds for strangers which was really fun.
I don't have anywhere special to spin, mostly in backyards and bbq's. My
favorites are bonfire parties, because they usually are low key and people
really enjoy watching a fire spinner.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Being Sleep Deprived Could Cause Serious Accidents
Exercise 4, Chapter 11
You may think that not sleeping as much is viewed as a good, cool thing to do, but it could
Diana Gant has been a professor in the Psychology Department at Anoka Ramsey Community College for 17 years. She is recognized as one of the nation’s leaders in the study of sleep. She started studying sleep even before graduation from college, writing her thesis as a graduate student.
Gant said that when she started out, she was interesting in writing about people who got little sleep and continued to be productive. However, a problem arose when her subjects got a chance to sleep in dark, quiet rooms and slept for nine hours. That added to other work convinced her that most people suffer from sleep deprivation.
Gant has found that people should get about nine to 10 hours of sleep each night, though the average person only gets around seven. She has also found that when a person doesn’t get enough sleep they are much more susceptible to causing accidents.
Gant has looked at major disaster like the space shuttle Challenger, the accident at Russia’s Chernobyl nuclear reactor and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. She says that the element of sleeplessness contributed to all of them and “probably caused all of them.”
Through studies of the number of car accidents in the state right after daylight savings time in the spring, Gant has found that there is an 8 percent increase the day after the time change, since most people lose an hour of sleep. She found a corresponding decrease in accidents in the fall when people gain back that hour of sleep. She says that the increase in accidents as a whole is because not only are people losing that hour of sleep, but their biological clock must be reset until the fall, when in must be reset again.
If you aren’t getting enough sleep, Gant recommends you relax for an hour or so before going to bed by watching TV or reading a book. Don’t drink or eat much, especially things with caffeine or sugar in them, as that will upset your sleep. And when you’re going to bed, shut off the lights and close the blinds, a silent and dark room will best help you sleep soundly.
You may think that not sleeping as much is viewed as a good, cool thing to do, but it could
Diana Gant has been a professor in the Psychology Department at Anoka Ramsey Community College for 17 years. She is recognized as one of the nation’s leaders in the study of sleep. She started studying sleep even before graduation from college, writing her thesis as a graduate student.
Gant said that when she started out, she was interesting in writing about people who got little sleep and continued to be productive. However, a problem arose when her subjects got a chance to sleep in dark, quiet rooms and slept for nine hours. That added to other work convinced her that most people suffer from sleep deprivation.
Gant has found that people should get about nine to 10 hours of sleep each night, though the average person only gets around seven. She has also found that when a person doesn’t get enough sleep they are much more susceptible to causing accidents.
Gant has looked at major disaster like the space shuttle Challenger, the accident at Russia’s Chernobyl nuclear reactor and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. She says that the element of sleeplessness contributed to all of them and “probably caused all of them.”
Through studies of the number of car accidents in the state right after daylight savings time in the spring, Gant has found that there is an 8 percent increase the day after the time change, since most people lose an hour of sleep. She found a corresponding decrease in accidents in the fall when people gain back that hour of sleep. She says that the increase in accidents as a whole is because not only are people losing that hour of sleep, but their biological clock must be reset until the fall, when in must be reset again.
If you aren’t getting enough sleep, Gant recommends you relax for an hour or so before going to bed by watching TV or reading a book. Don’t drink or eat much, especially things with caffeine or sugar in them, as that will upset your sleep. And when you’re going to bed, shut off the lights and close the blinds, a silent and dark room will best help you sleep soundly.
Obama Isn't Living Up to His Promises
President Obama promised during his campaigning to give homosexual persons the right to openly serve in the military and other rights that had not previously been allowed to them. Thus far in his presidency, he has been slow on acting on these promises, though he has given a few more marital benefits to them.
STORY HERE
STORY HERE
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
My Earliest Memory
One of the earliest memories I still remember is when my mom brought me to a pet store to adopt a cat for me. We walked in and it smelled of the typical odor that goes along with a building that stores many animals and supplies for them. On either side of the door were large cages filled with puppies, though I don't remember what kind. And on the right side wall were the cages with cats inside. I eagerly looked in every one of them, but was sorely disappointed when I saw that almost all of them were various shades of gray or black. Not one tabby or white colored feline in the bunch. But that certainly wasn't going to stop me from taking one home with me. Not long after I had decided I was just going to have to settle for a gray cat, my mom called me over to the counter up front. She pointed me to a cage separate from all the others, I still don't know why. Inside was a beautiful calico cat. Her fur was dusty white with sploches of brown and black. Her pretty pink nose sniffed curiously as I poked my fingers through the holes in the cage. I told my mom she was the one I wanted and couldn't keep my eyes off her while she filled out the paper work and drove us home. I decided to name her after a character in my favorite movie at the time, Hunchback of Notre Dame. I named her Esmerelda and her nickname soon became Ezzie.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Budget Cuts Affect Police and Public Safety
The Sheriff’s department is facing problems due to a budget cut imposed by the county commissioners. Sheriff Gus DiCersari has concerned because the sheriff’s department is being forced to drive old police cruisers. “My deputies can’t keep driving these old vehicles. Something bad is going to happen," he said on the subject. In a meeting on Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff and county commissioners met to discuss these issues. Commission member, Anne Chenn, said the county’s yearly budget was reduced this year because of rising costs of health care, fuel and the $30 million the county spent to build a new prison. The Sheriff also felt the need for five new deputies as well, saying: “You’re putting the lives of the people of this county in jeopardy.”
One of the main arguments that arose during the meeting was the concern brought by the rise of migrant workers in the county. Commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne argued that the migrant workers create a problem in the county for law enforcement, schools and the health care system. They told Chenn that the county should be funding the Sheriff’s department as opposed to programs for migrant workers who’ve come into the county. “They take away jobs from decent people and work for next to nothing and if something gets stolen, you can bet it is one of them that’s taken it. We need to protect local residents from them,” said Shenuski. Both Shenuski and Laybourne are in agreement that the Sheriff’s department is in need of increased funding to hire new deputies for this very reason. Chenn denied the claims brought forward by Shenuski and Laybourne, claiming that the migrants are hardworking individuals that add a great deal to the community, pay taxes and that many are seeking citizenship as well. Chenn told Sheriff DiCesari that the county did not have the $580,000 to fund the new police cruisers and additional deputies.
In the end, the vote was 5-2 against the sheriff’s request, with Chenn telling DiCesari that the Sheriff’s department would have to make do this year without the funds.
One of the main arguments that arose during the meeting was the concern brought by the rise of migrant workers in the county. Commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne argued that the migrant workers create a problem in the county for law enforcement, schools and the health care system. They told Chenn that the county should be funding the Sheriff’s department as opposed to programs for migrant workers who’ve come into the county. “They take away jobs from decent people and work for next to nothing and if something gets stolen, you can bet it is one of them that’s taken it. We need to protect local residents from them,” said Shenuski. Both Shenuski and Laybourne are in agreement that the Sheriff’s department is in need of increased funding to hire new deputies for this very reason. Chenn denied the claims brought forward by Shenuski and Laybourne, claiming that the migrants are hardworking individuals that add a great deal to the community, pay taxes and that many are seeking citizenship as well. Chenn told Sheriff DiCesari that the county did not have the $580,000 to fund the new police cruisers and additional deputies.
In the end, the vote was 5-2 against the sheriff’s request, with Chenn telling DiCesari that the Sheriff’s department would have to make do this year without the funds.
Crash Victims Identified
At 11 a.m. on Friday two vehicles collided head on about three miles east of White Earth on County Highway 34, and both then slid into Net Lake. The mother and two daughters in one vehicle were identified today as Sheyenne Lovely Norcross, 28, Rock E. Keezer III, 3, and Keyian A. Keezer, 8 months.
Monday, September 21, 2009
World's Oldest Man is a Minnesotan!
Walter Breuning was born in Melrose, Minn. and lived there for 22 years, at which point he moved to Montana and worked on railroads for 50 years. He will celebrate his 113th birthday today, making him the oldest man on Earth.
Star Tribune
Sam
Star Tribune
Sam
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Warzone Erupted on I-790
A horrible accident involving 18 vehicles on Interstate 790 leaves two people dead and twenty injured, of those twenty, four are fatally wounded.
Two people driving cars were killed in the accident and twenty were injured and sent to the hospital. An ambulance driver told Fire Chief Tony Sullivan that four of the injured had suffered life-threatening injuries. The Life Flight helicopter from Memorial Hospital was called to the scene and flew the two people with the worst injuries to the trauma center in Statesville, 50 miles from the crash site. All five of Princeton’s ambulances were on the scene, along with ambulances from four neighboring cities.
The accident happened on the northbound lanes of Interstate 790, on the western edge of Princeton, at 6:45 this morning. The Princeton Police Department is not done investigating, yet, but at this time they believe that two tractor trailers collided and started a chain reaction crash. According to Sergeant Albert Wei, of the PPD, a total of four tractor trailers and 14 cars were involved.
“One of the tractor trailers was a tanker hauling diesel fuel, “said Wei. “It was very lucky that it didn’t roll over, or dump any fuel or catch fire. The truck part of the tanker was damaged when a car hit it, but the truck driver managed to get it stopped along the side of the road.” Sullivan told reporters that the crash site looked like something from a war zone when he arrived, with bodies laying along the road, people covered with blood sitting next to their cars, emergency workers running from place to place trying to help the injured, and sirens wailing in the distance as more fire trucks and ambulances were called. “I’ve never seen anything that bad in the 18 ½ years I’ve been with the Fire Department,” he said. Sullivan and his firefighters had to cut the roofs off of three cars to free drivers and passengers trapped inside. And, according to Wei, the police officers on the scene were having trouble figuring out which people were from which vehicles and who was driving or riding.
The accident closed the entire highway, north and south. Rush hour traffic was blocked up on Interstate 690 for three hours, due to the extra commuters forced to use it instead of I-790, which was still closed at 10 a.m., with no promise of being open soon.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sioux Tribe Children Penalized for Their Poverty
Eight days before school started, a letter was sent out informing parents of children in Eagle Butte, S.D., of a dress code that was to be put in effect when school started. Many had already bought their children school clothes and couldn't afford to buy different ones, resulting in many being pulled out of classes for "inappropriate" clothing.
Actual Story
Actual Story
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Coffee Shop
Princeton's Coffee Corner is a great place to just sit down and relax, read a book, chat, read the newspaper. It's a family owned business, and the manager is the wife of a history teacher in the high school. It's a very small shop, but homey and familiar. High school kids go down there all the time for drinks, though everyone knows not to go there if you're skipping. It always smells pleasantly of coffee, not too strong, but there. No matter who happens to be there at any given time, you can always walk in and start a conversation with them. Even though I don't like coffee, I do love going to the Coffee Corner.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Lead.
The lead of a story is the most essential part. Without a lead, no one would even bother taking the time to read the article. It has to be eye catching, unique, and simple.
If you complicate the language, readers wouldn't read further, simply because they already have to think about it. They want you to tell them what's going on, not to have to infer what the story is about. If you simplify your words, you will not only make it easier on your readers, you will be advertising to many more groups of people. For instance, if you write a story on a medical condition and your lead contains big medical terms, doctors and nursing students would probably read it, but the elderly man just looking for news will bypass it because he doesn't know what you're even saying.
Leads also have to be eye catching and unique. You have to find the strangest fact about the story and try to use it in the lead. It's a very fine line, however, because you still have to summarize the story in the few sentences allowed. AND you have to somehow make your lead unique. Other papers are going to use the same information you have, with the same strange facts, so you have to word your lead carefully to make it completely original.
Leads can be difficult to write, but if you find a way to perfect them, you'll be in a much nicer journalistic world.
If you complicate the language, readers wouldn't read further, simply because they already have to think about it. They want you to tell them what's going on, not to have to infer what the story is about. If you simplify your words, you will not only make it easier on your readers, you will be advertising to many more groups of people. For instance, if you write a story on a medical condition and your lead contains big medical terms, doctors and nursing students would probably read it, but the elderly man just looking for news will bypass it because he doesn't know what you're even saying.
Leads also have to be eye catching and unique. You have to find the strangest fact about the story and try to use it in the lead. It's a very fine line, however, because you still have to summarize the story in the few sentences allowed. AND you have to somehow make your lead unique. Other papers are going to use the same information you have, with the same strange facts, so you have to word your lead carefully to make it completely original.
Leads can be difficult to write, but if you find a way to perfect them, you'll be in a much nicer journalistic world.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Summary: Men's Underwear
It has been found that sales in men's underwear is a good place to look if you want to know when the recession will be over. It seems that when times are tough, people tend to skimp more on underwear than other things, even though they're a necessity.
Friday, August 28, 2009
News Experiences
My three most noteworthy news experiences would have to include the article about Mr. Schwartz, the one about Taylor Otto's death, and the one about Briana Stottrup's suicide.
One news article that I remember would be the one in which Joel Stottrup reported about his own daughter's death. Tears welled up in my eyes as I heard his voice telling me about how she had been clinically depressed, though nobody had seemed to know it. I read his words, telling me that she had been found by her mother, his wife, her wrists still bleeding. They say that 90 percent of the people who attempt to commit suicide find they don't want to die, as they're about to. That's enough to wonder about the people who succeed.
Another significant news article that I have read would be the one about Taylor Otto's unfortunate death. I was in eighth grade and he was in eleventh, so I didn't know him. But my friend, Elizabeth, did. He was seventeen, died in a crash on 95, like so many others before and after him. He was in a car full of friends having fun. The driver was racing down the highway as fast as he dared, but when he tried to go around a bend in the road, he turned too fast and the car rolled. Of the four people inside, only Taylor died. Elizabeth had known his family for years, and I watched as she mourned for him.
The last and most recent news experience I've had is about a substitute teacher and driver's ed. instructor at my school. His name is Mr. Schwartz. Since seventh grade, my best friend, Charlotte, and I have called him Frog Man, because he is very over weight and has squinty eyes that make him look like Jaba the Hut from Star Wars. We always used to joke that he looked like the kind of guy who would kidnap and molest you if you got too close, and dreaded driver's ed., for fear of having to be in a car with him for two hours. In ninth grade, he left the school to go on a two year missionary trip to Brazil. Halfway through tenth grade, the school was doing routine checks on all of the employees' computers and found 145 pornographic images of minors on his. This article made me feel anger, though I wasn't completely surprised. And not just because it was him, but because I live in Princeton. I've always said that my town is probably cursed, because just about every sick, bad thing that can happen in a small town, does.
One news article that I remember would be the one in which Joel Stottrup reported about his own daughter's death. Tears welled up in my eyes as I heard his voice telling me about how she had been clinically depressed, though nobody had seemed to know it. I read his words, telling me that she had been found by her mother, his wife, her wrists still bleeding. They say that 90 percent of the people who attempt to commit suicide find they don't want to die, as they're about to. That's enough to wonder about the people who succeed.
Another significant news article that I have read would be the one about Taylor Otto's unfortunate death. I was in eighth grade and he was in eleventh, so I didn't know him. But my friend, Elizabeth, did. He was seventeen, died in a crash on 95, like so many others before and after him. He was in a car full of friends having fun. The driver was racing down the highway as fast as he dared, but when he tried to go around a bend in the road, he turned too fast and the car rolled. Of the four people inside, only Taylor died. Elizabeth had known his family for years, and I watched as she mourned for him.
The last and most recent news experience I've had is about a substitute teacher and driver's ed. instructor at my school. His name is Mr. Schwartz. Since seventh grade, my best friend, Charlotte, and I have called him Frog Man, because he is very over weight and has squinty eyes that make him look like Jaba the Hut from Star Wars. We always used to joke that he looked like the kind of guy who would kidnap and molest you if you got too close, and dreaded driver's ed., for fear of having to be in a car with him for two hours. In ninth grade, he left the school to go on a two year missionary trip to Brazil. Halfway through tenth grade, the school was doing routine checks on all of the employees' computers and found 145 pornographic images of minors on his. This article made me feel anger, though I wasn't completely surprised. And not just because it was him, but because I live in Princeton. I've always said that my town is probably cursed, because just about every sick, bad thing that can happen in a small town, does.
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