Think Pink - Cheer for the Tide

If you are looking for something to do tonight, you should go to the Gymnastics Pink Meet at Coleman Coliseum. It's Alabama vs. Auburn in T-Town, and tickets for the general public are sold out, according to RollTide.com.

1,700 seats have been set aside for student, though, so get there early to get in!! Don't forget to wear PINK to the meet and show support for breast cancer awareness!

What Do Mad Cow and Alzheimer's Have in Common?

I heard a very interesting story on NPR today about the link between mad cow and Alzheimer's. Apparently, the link is something called a prion protein, known to cause brain damage in mad cow cases. What was unknown was how the brain becomes damaged in Alzheimer's patients. It is now believed that these same prion proteins act in a different way to lead to brain advanced Alzheimer's.

Scientists hope this new discovery will lead to a way of preventing Alzheimer's! Sounds promising! Click here to read and hear more about this discovery!

Did You Watch?

Did you watch President Obama give his first speech before Congress this evening? I sure did. I was more impressed with our President tonight than I have ever been.

I consider myself a Republican (economically, anyway) and I was very impressed with the address. First, I don't remember him using the word "change" ambiguously. I think that was a very important step forward that he needed to make tonight. Also, I think his emphasis on education and health care really shows his long-term commitment to improving the economic problems.

President Obama made an effort to stress the severity of the problems we face as a nation before turning to the plans he has for the years ahead. Obama has a long road ahead of him, and I'm glad people are starting to realize that this financial downturn won't be fixed in his first 100 days.

A few points that I noted as I listened were:

• President Obama emphasized that Americans invented the automobile and that we need to become more dominant in that area. He said the same for solar energy.
• Families with an income of more than $250,000 may see increased taxes ahead, while 95% of working families will receive tax cuts.
• By 2020, President Obama wants the United States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

It was clear that foreign policy was on the back burner during tonight's address. Though he mentioned education, jobs, health care, and the recession numerous times, he spoke only briefly about the war in Iraq. There is no doubt in my mind that this issue will come to the forefront again in the future.

Overall, I think President Obama did a fine job of reaching out to his country this evening. I truly look forward to seeing his programs in action.

SGA Voting!

SGA election time is nearly here, and things will be a little different for voters! In case you haven't heard, voting will be done via MyBama this year.



Voting will be March 3-4, and you can find the link on your MyBama page! After logging in, you can scroll to the bottom and you should see this:

This new system seems much more convenient than having specific voting places, and hopefully even more people will be able to voice their opinions!

The Advantages of Perfect Attendance

In high school, students with perfect attendance often receive certificates and praise. In college, however, attendance is often not recorded, and rarely rewarded in such a public, official way. There are, however, several perks that come to students who are vigilant with their attendance.

You Might Get Bonus Points
On especially beautiful days, or extremely stormy days, attendance is often low. Just today I went to one of my classes and more than half of the class had skipped. Luckily for me, the professor decided to reward the attendees with bonus points. We answered a very simple question and everyone present received credit. Those who didn't come will never see those points.

You'll Know Things
Today, along with the bonus points, our professor told us that we will be having a quiz on Tuesday. If, by some strange chance, the students who missed today show up then, they will probably not be prepared to do well on the quiz. There are some days when tests or deadlines are postponed, moved up, or cancelled. If you are in class, you'll probably hear it straight from your teacher's mouth. If not, you may be mad at yourself for pulling an all-nighter to finish the assignment that was changed and/or postponed.

You'll Absorb Information
When I take essay based tests, I will likely remember key concepts and examples that I heard in lecture, but the textual information often slips my mind more easily. I would not call myself an avid note-taker. I tend to write key points and skim the specifics. Mostly, though, I absorb the key points. I relate the notes that I do take to the anecdotes a professor tells or the interesting facts given so that I can draw on them during the test. Perhaps that is just the way my brain works, but it works nonetheless.

Pop Quiz!?
Maybe it is just me, but my teacher have really enjoyed giving out pop quizzes lately! The dreaded words that ultimately lead to a pop quiz freak me out. I start wondering if I read the information thoroughly enough. Even making a bad grade, though, will put more points toward my total than someone who misses the quiz.

Study Guides, Helpful Hints, and Friendly Faces
Another professor of mine gave us thorough study guides via eLearning before our test. Everything that was on the test was on the 3 pages of text that she posted to the web site. The day after the test, roughly 20 people came to class, and she decided to change her policy. People who attend class will receive the study guide via email, but the snoozers will be losers. This is just one example of the help that can be found by going to class. Teachers often hint at possible test questions as they lecture. This is invaluable! Also, by going to class, you may form bonds with fellow students and form a study group.

Almost as Good as Office Hours
If you haven't learned the secret yet, here it is: GO TO OFFICE HOURS! Professors have these hours for reasons, and if you don't go, they just sit in their offices grading. But, if you can't (or are too lazy) to make it to a teacher's office, try sticking around after a class! Ask some questions, introduce yourself, and be mindful that the professor probably has only a few precious moments.


My point, in case you haven't figured it out: Just go to class! The benefits far outweigh the extra 50-or-so minutes of sleep that you'll lose by going to one class.

5 Reasons to Use Twitter

Whew! It's been a rough few days! I had a test and a paper last week and two tests today! Now I am done with tests and big assignments for a while, so I wanted to tell you about one of my newest obsessions.

Last week, after reading an article about celebrities on Twitter, I decided to create an account! Since then, I've started following some amazing celebrities as well as the few people that I know who are on Twitter. I guess in Alabama Twitter hasn't quite caught on, but in other parts of the United States it is HUGE. Ever since Myspace.com started getting bogged down in spam and advertisements, Facebook has been the social network. Now, I think Twitter is gaining ground.

For people who have never heard of Twitter before, here's what you need to know:
Essentially, Twitter is like one GIANT network of Facebook statuses. The only things to do on Twitter are to update with what is going on in your life, follow and reply to friends' updates, and express yourself in less than 140 characters. (Also, each update is called a "tweet.")

So, without further ado, here are 5 Reasons to Use Twitter!

5. Its Facebook without the hassle. No pesky application requests, no chat feature, and very little safety risk. You don't put personal information on your Twitter. You can add a very short bio, a link to a website, and your picture. It is so simple, too!

4. Less time-wasting. I admit I have wasted plenty of time on Twitter in the past week or two, BUT, compared to Facebook, this time is very short! There is nothing to check, really, except for the tweets of people that you follow!

3. Get information surprisingly quickly! Do you remember the plane that landed in the Hudson River? Well, people who were following Janis Krums on Twitter knew just minutes after the crash landing. He took this picture of the crash as his ferry boat approached the plane to help rescue the passengers and crew.

2. CNN, NPR, and other news outlets are twittering daily. I follow many news outlets so that I know if something truly epic happens. It is very convenient to have your friends, news, and celebrity insights in one place.

1. Oh, the people you'll follow! My favorite part of Twitter is following the celebrities! John Mayer has the best tweets, but since I'm a new fan of the office, Rainn Wilson's tweets are must-reads, too! Other celebrities on Twitter include: Taylor Swift, Ashton Kutcher, Greg Grunberg, Coldplay, Perez Hilton, Dave Matthews, Lance Armstrong, and SO many more! Some of my favorite Tweets thus far have been Lance Armstrong reporting that he collided with a motorcycle during the Tour of California ("Body's ok tho"), Rainn Wilson's posting of this hilarious video, and John Mayer's tweets immediately following his Grammy wins ("Heart is about to explode!").


I'm determined to convince more of my friends to join Twitter. It is so simple, and it isn't just something else to check... it is a fantastic way to stay in touch with your friends and to express yourself.

Go, now, and get a Twitter!!

And follow me: www.twitter.com/slizabeth

Domestic Violence

With the recent story of 19-year-old Chris Brown's alleged attack on singer Rihanna, the media has put a big spotlight on domestic violence. Rihanna, talented and kind-hearted, is not even 21 yet. The deaths of three members of Jennifer Hudson's family were also the result of domestic abuse, according to authorities.

Domestic violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, and it is never justified. For more information about Domestic Violence, check out DomesticViolence.org.

If you're in need of help, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline.


I'll leave you with interesting statistics about Alabama from 2005.

Statistics of Domestic Violence in Alabama

· There were 26,051 domestic assaults in 2005.
· Hands, fists, or feet were used as a weapon in 51% of the offenses. Other dangerous weapons were used in 17% of the offenses, including knifes and firearms.
· There were 27 homicides due to domestic violence in 2005.
· There were 57,176 shelter nights provided for adults and children in Alabama shelters in fiscal year 2006.

The Day I Met Nick Saban

Ever since Nick Saban came to Alabama, people have been talking about him. He was featured on the front cover of Forbes magazine, voted Liberty Mutual's Coach of the Year, and has earned praise all over the country.

Last April I signed up to be in a pep band for the Crimson Caravan promotional tour. It was to generate support and donations in several Alabama cities, and took place on several different days over a three week span. The Caravan consisted of Big Al, Alabama Cheerleaders, a Million Dollar Pep Band, Eli Gold, and of course Coach Saban.

One stop was in Dothan, Alabama. Dothan is very near my hometown, so I was excited to see my dad while the Caravan was in town. He had gotten tickets, so when the band was given a short break, I went over to him. When I did, it was just minutes until Nick Saban made it through the crowd to where my dad was.

It was exciting. I didn't know what to do, but I managed to say a few words, shake his hand, and smile for a picture.

That was a good day... one I definitely won't forget.

Super Bowl Gear

When the Super Bowl finishes and the winning team is given shirts and hats, do you ever wonder where the losing team's memorabilia is? Tonight the Steelers went away with snazzy Super Bowl gear with their franchise's logo on it, but the Cardinals will never see their hats.

I did a little google search earlier to see what I could find out about the losing team's gear. The New York Times published an article a few years ago to inform us about this topic.

Apparently, the gear will stay in boxes under heavy security until the time when they are donated to struggling nations in Africa. These people won't really know the problem with the shirts they wear, and the gear will never end up on eBay.

Interesting.