Whenever a huge construction project gets underway, one thing is certain ... someone or several someones are going to be unhappy about it. Let’s face it, no one – myself included – likes to see heavy machinery when they look out their window. And barricades that prevent people from getting from point A to point B in a straight line are simply a nuisance. But that’s the hand that the people of Arcadia have been dealt this summer.
In order for a city or town to be the best that it possibly can be, these are necessary evils that we must deal with as a community. And I can certainly empathize with those whose businesses are bearing the brunt of the inaccessibility. As it turns out, I live in an upstairs apartment along Main Street right next to Anytime Fitness. Needless to say, I share your pain. While I have grown accustomed to the hustle and bustle of Main Street since I moved here, I am really starting to miss the days when the loudest noises I heard were Ashley and Gold’n Plump trucks rumbling by. Now replaced with backhoes digging, trucks hauling and the incessant beeping, warning of heavy machinery in full reverse mode, it’s not surprising why there are times when I want to just scream at the top of my lungs.
I am not, nor have I ever been, a morning person. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I’m pretty much useless before my first mug – or two – of coffee. But I’ll be damned if those construction workers aren’t trying to change that. So, when crews first started tearing up Main Street one morning just over a week ago, I was startled into awake – not because of the noise, but because the entire house was shaking and the windows were rattling. If I hadn’t known any better, I could have sworn I was living on a fault line and I had just survived my first earthquake. Not so much.
While I had considered for a split-second, actually waking up, hopping in the shower and heading into work early, I took one look at my clock – it was only 7 a.m. – and changed my mind. While it didn’t completely block out the noise, I put the earbuds of my iPod in my ears and tried desperately to fall back to sleep. This has become a daily routine for me, it seems, but I deal with it. Then, of course, there’s the daily question of “how am I going to get out of the driveway today?” With so much going on in front of the house, it’s oftentimes difficult to actually just drive out to the street. So there I am, driving over lawns, dodging trees and shrubs, using the neighbor’s driveway ... it becomes more of a game than an inconvenience. Either way, I know it will all be over before long and I will be able to go back to life as usual.
And that’s exactly what people need to realize. This inconvenience is only temporary. As the old saying goes, you have to take the good with the bad. Once the intersection is complete, everyone can rest assured that the downtown area will be much more inviting and aesthetically pleasing ... not to mention how much more functional and safer it will be with the heavy traffic flow. So the next time you find yourself growing irate over the mayhem going on downtown, just take a deep breath and try to picture the end result. These are just growing pains we must deal with in order for Arcadia to be more.
Jennie Oemig,
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Technology Does Not Always Equal Advancement
When I began my schooling quite a few years ago, we didn’t have computers, there was no such thing as e-mail and we were lucky if we had a functional overhead projector (many of you might remember it as the predecessor to PowerPoint). And before that, teachers had to settle for a plain old blackboard as a means of presenting information to their students. In this ever-changing, fast-paced world, when it comes to presentation of information, it is presumed the quicker, the better. However, when you take into consideration just how quickly we’re moving, I have reason to believe that speed is not always a good thing when the minds of today’s youth are at stake.
With the advent of computers, it seems that a lot has been sacrificed. Writing, penmanship, proper word usage and vocabulary have all been taking a hit now that we have software programs that do all the work. Sure, when someone has horrific handwriting skills, it may be harder for the teacher to make out words; either way, it should be practiced regularly in the classroom for other reasons. Writing aides in the process of forming sentences and learning words and word usage. Like one of my old high school English teachers spouted off on a regular basis: “You ARE spell check.”
While I admit that I rolled my eyes just about every time those words escaped her lips, I totally understand what she was getting at all those years ago. Just because you have a machine that corrects spelling and, sometimes, grammar, that doesn’t mean it will fix everything. For example, if you type “witch” when what you meant was “which” or you type “right” when you should have entered “write,” you’re on your own. If you just let the computer do all the work, you may end up with correct spelling, but you’ll end up looking like an imbecile in the long run.
Having spent the better part of my educational career studying the English language, I have a keen disdain for people who misspell or use the wrong form of words ... especially when we have all this technology to give us the right answers. If it weren’t bad enough that generation X already has a difficult time comprehending the their/there/they’re, to/too/two and you’re/your conundrums, we now have messaging geniuses (and I use that term loosely, mind you) further corrupting the English language. For all of you out there who have, thus far, been lucky enough to avoid this plague, here’s a brief synopsis.
Beginning with the dawn of instant messaging, people, for some reason or another, decided to exercise their right to be lazy, exchanging a few letters for entire words or even whole sentences (i.e. brb = be right back; lol = laughing out loud; your/you’re = ur; nm = never mind; b4 = before). While those are just a few examples, it upsets me that these are becoming part of everyday interaction via this blasted thing we call the Internet and has become even more popularized since cell phone companies introduced text messaging. I’m not going to lie, I cringe every time someone sends me a text that says, “k, thnx.” I mean, I understand the message being conveyed, but did I somehow miss the memo about vowels becoming optional?
I guess I just don’t understand how people can be in such a hurry that all of that quality education just goes right out the window. All I know is I either hope this is just a passing trends or that I’m not around when this abbreviated language becomes everyday practice taught in a classroom. I shudder to think that, one day, there might be a class in school entitled “Introduction to Text Messaging.”
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
With the advent of computers, it seems that a lot has been sacrificed. Writing, penmanship, proper word usage and vocabulary have all been taking a hit now that we have software programs that do all the work. Sure, when someone has horrific handwriting skills, it may be harder for the teacher to make out words; either way, it should be practiced regularly in the classroom for other reasons. Writing aides in the process of forming sentences and learning words and word usage. Like one of my old high school English teachers spouted off on a regular basis: “You ARE spell check.”
While I admit that I rolled my eyes just about every time those words escaped her lips, I totally understand what she was getting at all those years ago. Just because you have a machine that corrects spelling and, sometimes, grammar, that doesn’t mean it will fix everything. For example, if you type “witch” when what you meant was “which” or you type “right” when you should have entered “write,” you’re on your own. If you just let the computer do all the work, you may end up with correct spelling, but you’ll end up looking like an imbecile in the long run.
Having spent the better part of my educational career studying the English language, I have a keen disdain for people who misspell or use the wrong form of words ... especially when we have all this technology to give us the right answers. If it weren’t bad enough that generation X already has a difficult time comprehending the their/there/they’re, to/too/two and you’re/your conundrums, we now have messaging geniuses (and I use that term loosely, mind you) further corrupting the English language. For all of you out there who have, thus far, been lucky enough to avoid this plague, here’s a brief synopsis.
Beginning with the dawn of instant messaging, people, for some reason or another, decided to exercise their right to be lazy, exchanging a few letters for entire words or even whole sentences (i.e. brb = be right back; lol = laughing out loud; your/you’re = ur; nm = never mind; b4 = before). While those are just a few examples, it upsets me that these are becoming part of everyday interaction via this blasted thing we call the Internet and has become even more popularized since cell phone companies introduced text messaging. I’m not going to lie, I cringe every time someone sends me a text that says, “k, thnx.” I mean, I understand the message being conveyed, but did I somehow miss the memo about vowels becoming optional?
I guess I just don’t understand how people can be in such a hurry that all of that quality education just goes right out the window. All I know is I either hope this is just a passing trends or that I’m not around when this abbreviated language becomes everyday practice taught in a classroom. I shudder to think that, one day, there might be a class in school entitled “Introduction to Text Messaging.”
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Equality in Unity
A friend of mine recently made the comment to me that people shouldn’t get married anymore. While, at first, I found fault in that statement, it didn’t take me long to jump on board and agree with that sentiment, especially when you take the staggering divorce rate into consideration. Before I begin my rant, I’d like to take the time to congratulate my parents, who will celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary this November. Having been there through the majority of their union, I know that it wasn’t always easy.
Marriage is work, meaning you have to actually make an effort if you want it to last. That seems to be a fatal error in most marriages. One or both parties doesn’t put forth the extra effort to work out their differences. Instead, they take so-called “easy” way out by filing for divorce. While, over time, people may grow apart and find that their lives just don’t mesh well anymore, oftentimes people just jump into the commitment too quickly or without thinking through the seriousness of the vows they’re taking. Like I said, I’m not a big fan of marriage; however, I wholly believe that everyone who wants to try their hand at monogamy, in the form of marriage or civil union, should be allowed the right to do so ... no matter what their sexual orientation.
That said, I think it’s quite obvious by now that I am in complete disagreement with last week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that upheld the ban on gay marriages and civil unions. For some reason, I just don’t see what right the government has in determining who people should marry. I know that I wouldn’t want some matchmaker or – gasp! – my parents, choosing my spouse. So, why then, should the government be able to dictate who each individual can marry?
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have several close friends who just happen to be homosexual. Or maybe it’s simply because I wholeheartedly believe in the old saying that “all men are created equal.” And, as such, we should be treated equally, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. After all, this is the 21st Century. How are we going to continue to evolve as a species if we don’t allow for things like growth, change and open-mindedness? The vast majority of us no longer use a horse and buggy as a primary mode of transportation, so why is it that people insist upon living in the past when it comes to defining what a marriage should and should not be?
While I’ve heard many people take a religious approach to the subject, arguing that the Bible and dictionary both define marriage to be the sacred union of one man and one woman, there are many faults in those arguments.
First, I find difficulty in calling wedding vows sacred. Divorce has become far too common in this country for me to deem marriage a sacred union. Apparently, in this day and age, marriage just doesn’t hold the same bearing it once did. Just ask Elizabeth Taylor.
Next, there are those who believe that allowing homosexuals to legally marry will only devalue and weaken the institution of marriage ... as if the skyrocketing divorce rate is strengthening it.
Last, but certainly not least, is the definition of what constitutes a marriage. I apologize for not having my Bible handy, but if you look up “marriage” in Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, you will find this definition: “(1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law; (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage.” How about that? Definitions can be redefined. Hopefully, one day, so will the laws of our great nation, which prides itself on its citizens’ freedoms.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
Marriage is work, meaning you have to actually make an effort if you want it to last. That seems to be a fatal error in most marriages. One or both parties doesn’t put forth the extra effort to work out their differences. Instead, they take so-called “easy” way out by filing for divorce. While, over time, people may grow apart and find that their lives just don’t mesh well anymore, oftentimes people just jump into the commitment too quickly or without thinking through the seriousness of the vows they’re taking. Like I said, I’m not a big fan of marriage; however, I wholly believe that everyone who wants to try their hand at monogamy, in the form of marriage or civil union, should be allowed the right to do so ... no matter what their sexual orientation.
That said, I think it’s quite obvious by now that I am in complete disagreement with last week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that upheld the ban on gay marriages and civil unions. For some reason, I just don’t see what right the government has in determining who people should marry. I know that I wouldn’t want some matchmaker or – gasp! – my parents, choosing my spouse. So, why then, should the government be able to dictate who each individual can marry?
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have several close friends who just happen to be homosexual. Or maybe it’s simply because I wholeheartedly believe in the old saying that “all men are created equal.” And, as such, we should be treated equally, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. After all, this is the 21st Century. How are we going to continue to evolve as a species if we don’t allow for things like growth, change and open-mindedness? The vast majority of us no longer use a horse and buggy as a primary mode of transportation, so why is it that people insist upon living in the past when it comes to defining what a marriage should and should not be?
While I’ve heard many people take a religious approach to the subject, arguing that the Bible and dictionary both define marriage to be the sacred union of one man and one woman, there are many faults in those arguments.
First, I find difficulty in calling wedding vows sacred. Divorce has become far too common in this country for me to deem marriage a sacred union. Apparently, in this day and age, marriage just doesn’t hold the same bearing it once did. Just ask Elizabeth Taylor.
Next, there are those who believe that allowing homosexuals to legally marry will only devalue and weaken the institution of marriage ... as if the skyrocketing divorce rate is strengthening it.
Last, but certainly not least, is the definition of what constitutes a marriage. I apologize for not having my Bible handy, but if you look up “marriage” in Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, you will find this definition: “(1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law; (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage.” How about that? Definitions can be redefined. Hopefully, one day, so will the laws of our great nation, which prides itself on its citizens’ freedoms.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
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