March 2009 Archives

The excitement and fear of graduation approaching faster than expected is really starting to become a reality.  I can't wait till graduation day when I get to walk down the hill towards the graduation commencement.  With all this excitement building up I also have that twinge of fear of not having a job after graduation.  I would love to tell family and friends at graduation that I have a job all lined up after graduation but unfortunately at this time I don't.  It would definitely make celebrating graduation a lot less stressful and more exciting if I had a job afterwards.  However, job or no job it will still be exciting to tell people I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas' distinguished William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications.  It is also a sense of pride and quite an accomplishment because I will be the first in my family to receive a four year degree.  I am extremely proud to very soon be a first generation college graduate.  I know my family is just as excited as I am and that means a lot to me to hear how happy they are for me.  So in order to get this far there are a few important things you have to remember along the way and the path can get a little fuzzy sometimes...especially with a tough course load. 

            So as a guide for graduation:

1.      Sign up for graduation on enroll and pay.

2.      Decide how you want to receive your diploma on enroll and pay.

3.      Go to the graduation fair

·      Purchase tassel

·      Rent or purchase a cap and gown

·      Visit numerous stands to explore other graduation materials and benefits

4.      SHOW UP for graduation!

 

My dad's company is a snow removal company and many of his subcontractors do work outside of the snow removal industry, in construction and tree removal services, etc.
The first snow is a sign of the end of the year for most landscape and construction contractors. But for a growing number of contractors, winter brings more opportunities for new business. Although some companies, like True North, only do snow removal, many of its contractors work year-round in neighboring industries like landscaping, tree removal, and construction. For these individuals, snow removal is a seasonal side business.  
While snow and ice removal can be profitable for some companies, it is difficult to manage. The nature of the business demands excellent budgeting, planning and communication.
True North is working to better serve its subcontractors by providing a local and organized network through which they can meet others just like them and establish connections. This organizational community would create a link between subcontractors by providing company names, services and contact information in a central location.
An article by the Irrigation and Green Industry said landscape contractors expand into snow and ice removal for a variety of reasons, a primary reason being to carry their companies through the winter and to maintain good employees year after year. It also said that other businesses added snow and ice removal because of pressure to stay competitive by offering year-round services.
The client relationship is one of the primary reasons landscape companies expand into snow and ice removal. If you would like to be added to True North's developing network, please visit this page and list your name and services.

Just yesterday, it seems, we were enjoying 60, 70 and 80 degree weather here in Kansas and in most places across the country. For a second there it actually felt like spring. The flip flops came out, clothes came off - not all together of course - and people were enjoying their favorite outdoor activities. 

Let me be the first to tell you: happy International Dada month!

The Future of the Industry: Quality, Not Quantity
The snow-removal industry is, by its very nature, a risky business.  With the ever-present uncertainty surrounding the next year's precipitation amounts, concerns about the long-term future of the industry are often neglected. The economic woes have undoubtedly affected all involved parties -- contractors, subcontractors and customers alike.
A difficult economy creates an environment in which fewer projects can be sustained. Less business activity naturally highlights the competitive nature of the industry. Although competition is no stranger to snow-removal, it tends to compel companies to drive down prices. Even when security and snowflakes are scarce, the industry innovates. Companies are continuing to use down time to economize operations and weed out inefficiencies. The snow industry is evolving and quality demands continue to influence the future of snow removal operations.
Snow removal contractors can count on increased demand for their services because society is less and less tolerant of snow-covered roads, parking lots and walkways. So how will service companies hold up under increased pressure with less revenue to work with?

Equipment
One of the most important step for a successful and profitable winter season is equipment inspection and repairs before winter arrives. Contractors want plows and other snow management equipment with better diagnostics that are user-friendly and effective. Before the season begins, it is important to find a repair company that can service machines on-site, even if there is an in-house mechanic. Having external manpower you can depend on in tight situations provides an invaluable peace of mind.

Personnel
The success of any company is directly affected by the quality of the people running its operations on a daily basis. Specialized training for subcontractors and office personnel improves the flow of operations, snow or shine. Clearly defined expectations from the management funnel through and positively affect both the employee and customer's experience with the company.  Demand for personalized customer service is growing and businesses will find it increasingly important to ensure employees understand the contract and level of service each customer requires.  

Communications
Clear communication of service expectations, quality, reliability and price are vital to successfully fulfilling customer expectations and executing company objectives. As customers' expectations rise and profit margins decrease, getting it right the first time is more important than ever. As the client, communicating your direct requirements and working to establish a long-term relationship is much wiser than signing with a contractor that is only focused on the dotted line. For the contractor, maintaining constant communication helps stabilize customer retention and satisfaction. Seeking out available opportunities through focused effort, commitment and a single-minded approach will create excellence, and customers will notice.

Yes, yes. I know top 10 lists are cliche. But I'm desperate. My boyfriend had the idea to make a 10 ugliest things in the world list, and I decided to turn it into a blog. Thus, welcome to the phlog (photo blog) of ugliness.

Beware, it's about to get ugly up in here.

10. A very ugly flex

Everyday when I wake up, there is about a 50 percent chance that I remembered my dream.  And I love it when I do. My dreams remind me of what it was like to play pretend as a child, when I could be whomever I wanted in whatever it situation I wanted. In my dreams, I am usually transported to some imaginary place where I'm part of some glamourous situation. Dreams are a way to escape from the everyday worries and play out a totally unrealistically situation for a couple hours.

I love remembering my dreams, except, of course, when the dreams mirror my real-life stresses. Last night, my dream was a compilation of about everything that I have recently been stressed out about. First I yelled at my coworkers for not doing their jobs. (Because our staff is relatively young, they don't know how to do a lot of operational thing yet.) Then, on my way to school, my car brakes went out and I ended up crashing my car. (I just had to replace the muffler and tail pipe on it.) Finally, because I was late to school I didn't turn in a midterm project on time, and the professor of the class yelled at me. (I was worried about an assignment I had to turn in because I wasn't sure if I had completed it correctly. On top of that, the professor who yelled at me in my dream wasn't even the professor of the class - he was a professor I had last semester who gave me a worse grade than I thought I deserved.)

After waking up this morning, I wished I hadn't remembered my dream, which is a wish I very rarely make. But then I realized that I needed to gain some perspective. All the situations that occurred in the dream were way worse and more exaggerated than anything that has actually recently happened in my life. So, maybe, sometimes my dreams serve a greater purpose than entertainment; maybe my subconscious is telling me I need to relax and stop worrying about things that won't matter a week from now. From now on, whenever I have a stressful dream I'll try to see the big picture. Either that, or I'll learn to control my dreams. 

What took the University of Kansas so long to send students an email in regards to traveling safely over Spring Break?  Especially if their travels took them to Mexico.  Numerous universities, like Colorado State University sent out campus-wide emails to inform its students of the dangers in Mexico over the last couple of months.  However, the University of Kansas did not send out an email to its students until March 9.  I appreciate the fact the university even sent out an email but it would have been more beneficial to the K.U. students had it been sent out earlier.

 

 The U.S. Department of State renewed a travel advisory for Americans traveling into Mexico, whether that is by land, air or sea.  The advisory comes as a warning to students to ensure they realize the increase in crime in Mexico as many college students travel to popular destinations in Mexico for Spring Break.  The dangers in Mexico have included shootings, violent attacks and shoot outs, which can be traced back to the drug cartels.  Although these dangers seem to be in more towards the boarder towns and on the roads at night, college students need to be aware of what is going on around them for their own safety. 

 

The University of Arizona warned its students to be extra careful if they were traveling to Mexico during Spring Break back in February, while Arizona State University in Tempe and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff at that time mentioned they too would release an advisory to its students.  This is where the disconnect is.  What took K.U. so long to advise its students about traveling to Mexico?  Maybe if the advisory was sent earlier students would change their minds about traveling to Mexico or at least make sure they were going with a larger group of friends.  Then again maybe it would have no effect.  I just think it was poor planning by the university to not release an advisory to our campus until a week before Spring Break when other universities were advising and warning their students all the way back in February. Even the Arizona Republic was writing stories back in February about the dangers of students traveling to Mexico and advising them to avoid vacationing there for Spring Break.  What took the K.U. community so long for a warning?

     Somebody tell me why it's so hard to get a good meal around here, on campus that is. You would think with more than 20 locations across campus I could find at least one place to eat that tastes good, and is fast and healthy - not to say the current options we have are none of the above; I'm merely saying there are limited, if any, dining options I know of that fall under all three categories.

    Sure, there's Mrs. E's with her vast "array of delicacies" and The Studio with it's "multiple meal-plan options," but even then I still feel like I'm eating the same foods all the time, a lot of it's not healthy, usually by choice. So I can't complain too much about KU dining; ordinarily they do an excellent job. I just have one recommendation: mix it up!

     Adding healthy seasonings and other stuff is great. Putting some artichokes, or sun-dried tomatoes or tofu, or something, on the menu once in a while is even better. But add more healthy varieties to the menu that taste good and allow me to get full at the same time. I'll almost guarantee more people will want to invest in a larger meal plan and put money back into on-campus dining locations as a result of having better food options.

     Putting more flavor-packed, filling, healthy foods on the menu might be problematic because of food cost these days, I'm assuming (without looking at any facts or statistics). But making nutritious foods available to students at an affordable cost should still be the dining service's priority.KU dining services needs to remember now more than ever it has to be creative in soliciting "student bucks." The way the economy is we (students) are more than likely to go without before we just buy whatever is in front of us. Real talk. 

I grew up in the nineties. The economy was robust, life was good and pogs were fun. Like most young people growing up in a country with a thriving economy, I didn't spend one second thinking about what life would be like when I got out into the working world. Why? Because the working world was a certain. In the nineties, people graduated from college and got jobs. There was no awkward in between period where you were looking for a job and waiting tables to make ends meet. In fact, often job growth was so strong that companies were waiting to hire you before you graduated. The last two sentences may be a gross over exaggeration, but it certainly didn't seem like the case at the time. Heck, the economy was so good that smart people told unsuspecting suckers to put money in the stock market and that there was no chance that money wouldn't grow.

As you can see, things have changed. For the longest time it felt like the poor economy was something I just read about in the newspaper, but the issue is finally hitting closer to home.

When I graduate in December, the economy will likely still be in the tank.Even if things are on the upswing, it's unlikely that enough time will have passed that we'll be back to the happy days of the nineties and early 2000s. Fooey. What does this mean for me? Well, chances are I'll be battling for very few jobs not only with my equally qualified recently graduated brethren, but also those who have been laid off from other jobs in the field. What can be done about this? For once in one of these blogs, I don't really have an answer. Let's just continue to hope that things get turned around eventually, because I would one day like to have a full time job.

Sorry to bum everybody out.

That's so typical of...
The blonde cheerleader. The hippie pothead with dreadlocks. The local townie who only eats organic. The frat bro with sperrys, a popped collar and a sunglass chain around his neck.
Stereotypes are everywhere -- and people who "fit" the stereotype stick out like a sore thumb. Or maybe they blend right in.
 
Stuff "they" like

I recently came across a site called StuffWhitePeopleLike.com. I quickly found that many of the stereotypical things on the site listed as "stuff white people like" was almost entirely and completely true of MYSELF!
Here's just a few examples:
Ugly Sweater Parties
America
Bumper Stickers
New Balance Shoes
Outdoor Performance Clothes
Bottles of Water
Being the only white person around

Is it bad if it's true?
We have come to believe that stereotypes are bad, hurtful, judgmental boxes we put others in, keeping them from being their true selves. We have been taught that to stereotype someone is to judge a book by its cover and to potentially miss what's actually inside.
In reality, there are tons and tons of people who really DO fit the "stereotype" they appear to represent. This is because they want to be perceived that way. They have, for better or worse, re-engineered their personalities to conform to whatever image they want others to see.

All things in moderation
Stereotypes, if used wisely and in moderation, can be helpful and are not always harmful. I'm not suggesting you should look at every American Indian and assume they go to an Indian Nations university or assume every Chinese person is extremely good at math. Just be smart.
Recognize your initial reaction to something or someone and analyze it rather than dismissing it as racist tendency or too judgmental. Our instincts are often correct.
It just may be true.

For more interesting "steretypical" Web sites, visit:
StuffGodHates.com
StuffNobodyLikes.com

Click HERE for a comprehensive list of stuff all types of people like!

It's about time the House moved to grant Washington DC the voting rights it deserves. The bill, which passed last Thursday in the House of Representatives, purports to give DC one vote in the House and add another to the State of Utah, according to the New York Times. 

I am a film fanatic. I own an ungodly number of DVDs, the majority of which have made the transatlantic journey with me. When I was still living at home, I saw at least two movies a week: one with my friends on Friday night and one with my parents on Sunday afternoon.

There is one aspect of film-going that excites me to no end: that magical moment when the trailers start. I love trailers, maybe more than I love the films themselves. I analyze the trailers, too. Who got top billing? Did anyone get billing? What music was used? Did anything blow up?

The sweet thing about watching trailers now is that you can see them all online. I even remember the very first trailer I was watched on Quicktime: "Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace." Sure, it was about the size of a postage stamp and took like two hours to load with our dial-up, but it was two hours well spent.

Now, trailers load at lightning-fast speeds, are in HD and can be found consolidated together. I prefer Yahoo Movies and Apple's Quicktime site. They're on Youtube, and I've even seen them embedded in newspapers' movie reviews online. To me, it's just another way to incorporate video into writing.

To close, here is my top-five list of my current favorite trailers for upcoming movies:

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Watchmen
3. Public Enemies
4. Star Trek
5. Terminator: Salvation

I'm such a guy.

This week, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Kansas City voiced his opinion of what Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius may or may not do for her Cabinet position under Barack Obama,

Basically, Archbishop Joseph Naumann warned everyone that Sebelius might push for legal abortion rights in her new position.

Or in other words, he's using his power to shove his opinion onto others. 

According to the Associated Press, he has already expressed his concern for Sebelius' support of abortion rights and even told her to not take communion anymore, which sounds ridiculous.

Now, I'm not a hugely religious person, but I know enough about it to know that acceptance is at least some part of the Christian faith. What's worse is that Naumann has already jumped to the conclusion that Sebelius would automatically legalize abortion rights. In a new position. That hasn't even yet been confirmed.

Also reported, was that Catholic groups are scheming to protest Sebelius. I guess I don't understand what these groups will do in order to stop Sebelius, but I would hope greatly that they don't take any action until Sebelius makes clear that legalizing abortion rights might be in the works.

Somehow, I don't think that will happen.

Knowing the strong opposition that some religious Kansan conservatives have to anything other than what they know, I foresee this getting out of control. And if I get into that, this blog will never end.

I'll leave a funny comment from the LJWorld site to sum this up best. I'm not saying you have to agree, but it at least made me grin.

The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas has the reputation of being a top-notch journalism school, yet changes and updates are greatly needed.  

As a reporter and anchor for KUJH-TV, I am very disappointed in the outdated technology in both the control room and newsroom in Dole.  We need new lighting in the studio, a new set design and new software among numerous other things.  If the administration would look at our journalism schools competition, like on the local level, the University of Missouri or on a national level the University of Maryland or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, they would see journalism programs that have surpassed our own with the integration of media across all platforms within their programs.  These journalism schools have grown and adapted to the daily changes in television media, unlike K.U.'s program.  Our television station could be just as successful as our competitors but people have to be willing to spend money and time to get it to that level and sadly I don't know if there are a lot of people who are that willing.

As I think about graduation in May and our looming economy, it forces me to consider graduate schools.  I would love more than anything to obtain my master's degree from the University of Kansas but I refuse to pay thousands of dollars to get my master's from a school that does not keep their television station's equipment, technology and learning up-to-date.  I have decided that when I do go back to school for my master's in a few years that I will more than likely attend the University of Maryland.  They have a top-notch program that has just been updated with new learning facilities that include a multi-media "news bubble" lab, four 18-seat news labs, three seminar rooms, a third-floor devoted to professional training centers and the Richard Eaton Broadcast Theater.  How can K.U.'s television station even begin to compete with the newly renovated journalism school at the University of Maryland when our station is so outdated?

I am not placing blame on anyone; instead I am trying to get the point across to students and administration that if we want to keep the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications' reputation as a top-notch journalism school WE have to maintain it.  The fate of this journalism school rests in the hands of its students and administration.  I would love to see students and the administration show some passion and desire in maintaining that reputation through dedication of both time and money.  We have so much talent in our journalism school but maybe our program needs to set some goals, update our technologies and find students who are willing to commit themselves whole heartedly to helping the journalism school reach those goals.