"Why Rachael, why do you post your column on your blog though it can be read on the newsrecord's site?"
"Lo, dear reader: my editor takes my 850 word article of comedic goodness and butchers it into 580 words of quirkless ugliness."
Monday, January 22, 2007
Advances in technology and procedure have revolutionized our society and pulled us out of the dark abyss of antiquity in almost every aspect of daily life. There are practices, however, that still plague us with their inconvenience, inefficiency, and incompetence. The process of purchasing textbooks, for example, is in dire need of further evolution. Though buying used textbooks online is a good way to avoid the anguish of paying full price, many times the process is just as painful.
For the most part my experiences with sites such as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com have been positive; in a matter of minutes I’ve been able to locate the needed textbook for a twentieth of what it costs new and commence the new quarter. The organization and clever layout of the popular sites makes ordering books completely painless. For a brief moment we naive students dance our celebratory dances, ecstatically calculate our hundreds of dollars in savings, and aggressively put two figurative fingers up to the system with all the mutinous rebellion we can muster. But when our books have yet to arrive three weeks later, our camaraderie begins to dwindle and we look ashamedly to our hated nemesis: the bookstore.
It seems a step in the wrong direction to shop at the bookstore in light of our many options. The truth of the matter, however, is that textbooks are actually fairly priced, and campus bookstores only keep 4.5% of textbooks sales (after operating costs, personnel, and taxes have been paid). There is no big-business villain clutching a dollar-stamped bag to blame for the price of textbooks. “Academic books, especially specialized ones for graduate courses, have a lower sales volume than popular books, causing costs to be spread out over a smaller base number, thereby increasing a book's unit cost,” explains a statement recently released from the University of Cincinnati’s Department of University Relations.
Thus there is no easy fix to the problem of high textbook costs. Students have found ways to get creative, but any alternative method will have its pros and cons. No company can mass-distribute used goods for the low prices that individual sellers can, and unfortunately that is where the steals are found on sites such as amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com (buying books new from these sites provide the consumer with the dependability of a big seller, but is seldom much cheaper than the bookstore). Buying from an individual seller is cumbersome, and anyone who has ever dealt with Ebay will know that; few sellers are easy to get in contact with, professional, and prompt. The sellers that carry the texts students need are most often other students and therefore even less likely to execute an online transaction with professionalism. Orders are sometimes cancelled- as were three of mine this quarter- or delayed, and at times the savings made possible by this bothersome process are completely negated, especially if one has to hunt down and photocopy library copies to complete the first couple of assignments. Ordering textbooks a month ahead of time also has its disadvantages; if you’re anything like me and the other 20% of students who refuse to buy a text until reading has been assigned- nothing is more frustrating than dropping $60 on a book that the teacher never uses- then ordering books prematurely is not the most attractive option.
It seems as if whether we buy our books from the bookstore or order them online we will be left wrathfully swearing under our breath. As seamless as amazon.com may make the process seem, textbooks will continue to act as the vile bane of our existence for some time to come. Though tiresome the old adage may be, it certainly rings true in this case: “If it seems to good to be true, it probably is”.
For the most part my experiences with sites such as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com have been positive; in a matter of minutes I’ve been able to locate the needed textbook for a twentieth of what it costs new and commence the new quarter. The organization and clever layout of the popular sites makes ordering books completely painless. For a brief moment we naive students dance our celebratory dances, ecstatically calculate our hundreds of dollars in savings, and aggressively put two figurative fingers up to the system with all the mutinous rebellion we can muster. But when our books have yet to arrive three weeks later, our camaraderie begins to dwindle and we look ashamedly to our hated nemesis: the bookstore.
It seems a step in the wrong direction to shop at the bookstore in light of our many options. The truth of the matter, however, is that textbooks are actually fairly priced, and campus bookstores only keep 4.5% of textbooks sales (after operating costs, personnel, and taxes have been paid). There is no big-business villain clutching a dollar-stamped bag to blame for the price of textbooks. “Academic books, especially specialized ones for graduate courses, have a lower sales volume than popular books, causing costs to be spread out over a smaller base number, thereby increasing a book's unit cost,” explains a statement recently released from the University of Cincinnati’s Department of University Relations.
Thus there is no easy fix to the problem of high textbook costs. Students have found ways to get creative, but any alternative method will have its pros and cons. No company can mass-distribute used goods for the low prices that individual sellers can, and unfortunately that is where the steals are found on sites such as amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com (buying books new from these sites provide the consumer with the dependability of a big seller, but is seldom much cheaper than the bookstore). Buying from an individual seller is cumbersome, and anyone who has ever dealt with Ebay will know that; few sellers are easy to get in contact with, professional, and prompt. The sellers that carry the texts students need are most often other students and therefore even less likely to execute an online transaction with professionalism. Orders are sometimes cancelled- as were three of mine this quarter- or delayed, and at times the savings made possible by this bothersome process are completely negated, especially if one has to hunt down and photocopy library copies to complete the first couple of assignments. Ordering textbooks a month ahead of time also has its disadvantages; if you’re anything like me and the other 20% of students who refuse to buy a text until reading has been assigned- nothing is more frustrating than dropping $60 on a book that the teacher never uses- then ordering books prematurely is not the most attractive option.
It seems as if whether we buy our books from the bookstore or order them online we will be left wrathfully swearing under our breath. As seamless as amazon.com may make the process seem, textbooks will continue to act as the vile bane of our existence for some time to come. Though tiresome the old adage may be, it certainly rings true in this case: “If it seems to good to be true, it probably is”.
On November 7th, 2006, Ohioans voted to ban smoking in public places. Two months later, after the proverbial smoke has cleared, the disgruntled, defeated individuals opposed to the bill have angrily sauntered home for a consolatory cigarette, and the victors zealously enjoy the triumph, public smoking can still be found in restaurants, bars, and doorways all over the city; eyebrows are beginning to raise. Though the bill has been enacted since December 7th, the Ohio Health Department, which is responsible for enforcing the ban, will not do so until regulations have been decided upon. The board of health has until June to begin enforcement of the ban, though Health Department spokesman Jay Carey said that they anticipate enforcement to begin in early April.
Until then, Cincinnati will wait in limbo. The Hamilton County Health Commissioner has been quoted as saying that 90% of the county’s restaurants and bars were smoke-free upon inspection, yet a Cincinnati Enquirer article published last Friday named several establishments that still proudly permit smoking. Due to the legal complications impeding enforcement of the ban, the Health Department hands out what little punishment it can to those blatantly resisting the law: an informational letter politely outlining the demands of the law, a metaphorical slap on the wrist so mild it almost seems playful. Like the rent-a-cops that patrol our nation’s malls, the helpless ban nearly begs you to steal its pristine hat and engage in a game of keep-away. Restaurants that feel no need to post the required “no smoking” signs now flaunt signs that instead say “smoking permitted”.
A lack of uniform compliance to the new law will give the owners of many establishments reason to complain, and rightfully so; a state-wide smoking ban will not prevent smokers and non-smokers alike from frequenting restaurants and bars, but a poorly-enforced one will detrimentally impact businesses in full observance of the law. Though a surge in bar patrons across the river in Kentucky wouldn’t be too surprising, I doubt smokers would abandon their favorite bar in Mason, Ohio in favor of one 35 minutes away simply for the right to smoke inside. If, however, bars across the street allowed smoking, one could easily understand how smoke-free bars would lose business to their local, dissentious brethren.
This past Saturday I visited three bars and two restaurants around the city to see how many were following the new law, and to hear the general opinions of the employees and patrons. Only one of the five had posted a sign and effectively removed smoking; not only were the other four full of customers happily and proudly puffing their favorite tobacco, but the employees behind the bar in three of the establishments spoke with me while Bogarting Marlboros. One patron- who good naturedly said I could cite him as only “Jimmy the Greek”- represented the opinions of most of the individuals I spoke with: until inspectors start handing out tickets, he’s not going to stop smoking in his favorite bar unless “someone puts a gun to [his] head”. Expensive fines, however, will succeed in prohibiting Jimmy and his friends from smoking in public. Only one patron refused to entertain the thought of complying: “It’s my right to smoke, and these tickets sound more amusing than intimidating”, the patron said, as he tapped a cigarette in an ashtray in front of him.
Bruce Rose, of Northside’s newly smoke-free Blue Jay Restaurant, however, says that the majority of serious restaurants will not risk blatant disobedience to the ban, and that the restaurant he works in hasn’t lost a bit of business because of the smoking ban. A red “no smoking” sign is the first thing that greets costumers as they walk into the Blue Jay, and ashtrays and cigarettes are nowhere to be seen. Bruce isn’t thrilled about the change because he himself is a smoker, but he doesn’t particularly care whether or not other Cincinnati bars resist the ban. “Why would they?” he asked, well aware of the lack of enforcement.
Such is the tone amongst many in regards to the unprepared and sloppily executed ban. Regardless of whether or not one supports or disagrees with the law, we can all see how premature enactment has led to confusion and made it hard for all of us to take it seriously. Is Cincinnati really delusional enough a city to think that sense of duty alone will hold controversial change intact? Enacting the ban before enforcement is possible was a mistake, but at least it has given smokers downtown something to laugh about until the city cracks down on smoking later this year. And who knows? Even April may not bring the transformation we’ve all been expecting since last November. “Come on, honey,” Jimmy jovially laughed as he looked around the strident, raucous inhabitants of his local bar. “If a health inspector walked in here and started writing us tickets, do you honestly think we’d let him leave?”
Until then, Cincinnati will wait in limbo. The Hamilton County Health Commissioner has been quoted as saying that 90% of the county’s restaurants and bars were smoke-free upon inspection, yet a Cincinnati Enquirer article published last Friday named several establishments that still proudly permit smoking. Due to the legal complications impeding enforcement of the ban, the Health Department hands out what little punishment it can to those blatantly resisting the law: an informational letter politely outlining the demands of the law, a metaphorical slap on the wrist so mild it almost seems playful. Like the rent-a-cops that patrol our nation’s malls, the helpless ban nearly begs you to steal its pristine hat and engage in a game of keep-away. Restaurants that feel no need to post the required “no smoking” signs now flaunt signs that instead say “smoking permitted”.
A lack of uniform compliance to the new law will give the owners of many establishments reason to complain, and rightfully so; a state-wide smoking ban will not prevent smokers and non-smokers alike from frequenting restaurants and bars, but a poorly-enforced one will detrimentally impact businesses in full observance of the law. Though a surge in bar patrons across the river in Kentucky wouldn’t be too surprising, I doubt smokers would abandon their favorite bar in Mason, Ohio in favor of one 35 minutes away simply for the right to smoke inside. If, however, bars across the street allowed smoking, one could easily understand how smoke-free bars would lose business to their local, dissentious brethren.
This past Saturday I visited three bars and two restaurants around the city to see how many were following the new law, and to hear the general opinions of the employees and patrons. Only one of the five had posted a sign and effectively removed smoking; not only were the other four full of customers happily and proudly puffing their favorite tobacco, but the employees behind the bar in three of the establishments spoke with me while Bogarting Marlboros. One patron- who good naturedly said I could cite him as only “Jimmy the Greek”- represented the opinions of most of the individuals I spoke with: until inspectors start handing out tickets, he’s not going to stop smoking in his favorite bar unless “someone puts a gun to [his] head”. Expensive fines, however, will succeed in prohibiting Jimmy and his friends from smoking in public. Only one patron refused to entertain the thought of complying: “It’s my right to smoke, and these tickets sound more amusing than intimidating”, the patron said, as he tapped a cigarette in an ashtray in front of him.
Bruce Rose, of Northside’s newly smoke-free Blue Jay Restaurant, however, says that the majority of serious restaurants will not risk blatant disobedience to the ban, and that the restaurant he works in hasn’t lost a bit of business because of the smoking ban. A red “no smoking” sign is the first thing that greets costumers as they walk into the Blue Jay, and ashtrays and cigarettes are nowhere to be seen. Bruce isn’t thrilled about the change because he himself is a smoker, but he doesn’t particularly care whether or not other Cincinnati bars resist the ban. “Why would they?” he asked, well aware of the lack of enforcement.
Such is the tone amongst many in regards to the unprepared and sloppily executed ban. Regardless of whether or not one supports or disagrees with the law, we can all see how premature enactment has led to confusion and made it hard for all of us to take it seriously. Is Cincinnati really delusional enough a city to think that sense of duty alone will hold controversial change intact? Enacting the ban before enforcement is possible was a mistake, but at least it has given smokers downtown something to laugh about until the city cracks down on smoking later this year. And who knows? Even April may not bring the transformation we’ve all been expecting since last November. “Come on, honey,” Jimmy jovially laughed as he looked around the strident, raucous inhabitants of his local bar. “If a health inspector walked in here and started writing us tickets, do you honestly think we’d let him leave?”
With the remembrance of the United States’ astronomical obesity and energy consumption statistics burning brightly in the back of our minds, one is likely to guess, fatalistically enough, that the United States is losing the recycling game as well. Such is not the case: in a list that peaks at 49% and bottoms out at 4%, recycling statistics comparing European and North American countries showed that in 2001 the United States recycled 32% of the 409 million tons of generated waste.
The University of Cincinnati’s recycling statistics are no less impressive; in 2004 the University recycled 4,902 tons of waste, and, according to UC’s Administrative and Business Services website, has 115 toters in 29 buildings across campus devoted to recycling mixed office paper.
Do you use any of them?
As embarrassing as it is to admit, I’ve used these bins no more than three times during the school year (and that’s a rather optimistic estimate). I even know where many of the ninety-gallon toters are located- one sits strategically outside the freshman studios in the DAAP building, probably less than fifteen feet away from my locker and studio classes- yet I can’t recall embarking on the arduous, fifteen-foot pilgrimage to the recycling bin (There goes my right to condemn American apathy, I suppose).
This realization, however humiliating, has led me to the belief that if UC’s recycling habits have room for improvement- and of course they do- the students and faculty should be the first to change. UC has provided students with an easy, accessible way to recycle. If the average student is anything like me, however, then UC students are not taking advantage of the opportunity.
Clearly recycling needs to be brought back to the attention of students and faculty. The 1990s boasted a nation-wide elevated awareness of the importance of recycling, but the past few years have shown waned enthusiasm. In 2002 Americans only recycled 21% of plastic bottles, as opposed to the 37% we recycled in 1995. Has this trend of indifference extended to the University of Cincinnati?
When I first began pondering this article, I thought of several improvements that needed to be made to UC Recycling: I find the absence of those ever-amusing can-crushing devices to be quite bothersome, and I’ve always been befuddled as to why America doesn’t have the quad garbage/recycling bins I’ve seen on every corner in Norway, Germany, and Spain. Reflecting on the minimal use I get out of the bins we do have on campus, however, makes me wonder whether or not we’d actually make use of additional options. Stuffing our recyclables into the wrong compartment of a quad container out of stupidity, carelessness, or juvenile and sick amusement seems a behavior much more likely to be displayed by American college students.
What could be done to recapture our concern? Perhaps flyers posted above trash cans, a brief reminder given by teachers at the beginning of each quarter, or campus-wide incentives (“STUDENTS GRANTED DISCOUNTED PARKING PASSES FOR RECYCLING”) would bring student’s attention back to our crucial need to recycle. As inconsequential as these actions may be, I suspect they would successfully encourage students to recycle (especially the parking thing; I bet we’d ceremoniously offer our grandmothers to the heathenistic gods of recycling- all while wearing loin cloths and war paint- if it meant free parking). The many benefits of recycling are well known, and it is an activity many agree with but simply forget to support. Hopefully we can focus our efforts and, as students, faculty and employees, aid UC’s efforts to recycle and produce less waste. Which, as estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency, “are equivalent to planting approximately 3,300,000 trees.
The University of Cincinnati’s recycling statistics are no less impressive; in 2004 the University recycled 4,902 tons of waste, and, according to UC’s Administrative and Business Services website, has 115 toters in 29 buildings across campus devoted to recycling mixed office paper.
Do you use any of them?
As embarrassing as it is to admit, I’ve used these bins no more than three times during the school year (and that’s a rather optimistic estimate). I even know where many of the ninety-gallon toters are located- one sits strategically outside the freshman studios in the DAAP building, probably less than fifteen feet away from my locker and studio classes- yet I can’t recall embarking on the arduous, fifteen-foot pilgrimage to the recycling bin (There goes my right to condemn American apathy, I suppose).
This realization, however humiliating, has led me to the belief that if UC’s recycling habits have room for improvement- and of course they do- the students and faculty should be the first to change. UC has provided students with an easy, accessible way to recycle. If the average student is anything like me, however, then UC students are not taking advantage of the opportunity.
Clearly recycling needs to be brought back to the attention of students and faculty. The 1990s boasted a nation-wide elevated awareness of the importance of recycling, but the past few years have shown waned enthusiasm. In 2002 Americans only recycled 21% of plastic bottles, as opposed to the 37% we recycled in 1995. Has this trend of indifference extended to the University of Cincinnati?
When I first began pondering this article, I thought of several improvements that needed to be made to UC Recycling: I find the absence of those ever-amusing can-crushing devices to be quite bothersome, and I’ve always been befuddled as to why America doesn’t have the quad garbage/recycling bins I’ve seen on every corner in Norway, Germany, and Spain. Reflecting on the minimal use I get out of the bins we do have on campus, however, makes me wonder whether or not we’d actually make use of additional options. Stuffing our recyclables into the wrong compartment of a quad container out of stupidity, carelessness, or juvenile and sick amusement seems a behavior much more likely to be displayed by American college students.
What could be done to recapture our concern? Perhaps flyers posted above trash cans, a brief reminder given by teachers at the beginning of each quarter, or campus-wide incentives (“STUDENTS GRANTED DISCOUNTED PARKING PASSES FOR RECYCLING”) would bring student’s attention back to our crucial need to recycle. As inconsequential as these actions may be, I suspect they would successfully encourage students to recycle (especially the parking thing; I bet we’d ceremoniously offer our grandmothers to the heathenistic gods of recycling- all while wearing loin cloths and war paint- if it meant free parking). The many benefits of recycling are well known, and it is an activity many agree with but simply forget to support. Hopefully we can focus our efforts and, as students, faculty and employees, aid UC’s efforts to recycle and produce less waste. Which, as estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency, “are equivalent to planting approximately 3,300,000 trees.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
I have a million things I could be doing right now: the form assignment that was assigned less than 30 minutes ago, the comparative literature essay that is due next Thursday, the 15 sketches for drawing that is due next Wednesday, the stock portfolio for economics, review of art history, and so on and so forth. However, I have decided to give in to my complete inability to focus, and piddle about instead during my one-hour break between form studio and economics. I’ve been at school since 9:30 this morning (and I’ll be in class until nine this evening!), and have lost motivation.
The day has been productive, so to speak. Despite printing problems I had this morning I was able to attend all three classes punctually and prepared. Quite honestly, though, I always have printer problems. Printing at home is not an option, because neither my father nor Bryan has a printer heavy-duty (read: decent) enough to do the trick, the computer graphics center does not allow the use of specialty paper, and kinkos is full of useless middle-aged delinquents too preoccupied with their general failure as human beings to be of any assistance (I’ve made a couple of enemies there). Not only does my father’s printer do a horrible job, but also upon warming up it hisses, beeps, and rattles with such fury that I suspect complete possession by a most violent spirit. Between the printer demon of hell, the CGC’s flimsy paper, and kinkos band of ruffians, I am left with no way to print my assignments, save my own creativity and resourcefulness. In the end I conceded to the gods of big business, and went to kinkos- the one up in Mason, not the criminal-ridden one down here by UC.
I don’t feel very well. All I’ve had to eat today is the breakfast I had back home in Mason and vending-machine junk from DAAP. Subsequently my eye has been twitching maniacally since the early afternoon. Half way through studio, when I muttered to my studio mates about my ailment, Whitney relayed to me the fact that such conditions are brought on by unhealthy eating habits. I nodded with interest as I plunged my hand back into a bag of potato chips I had purchased earlier.
Economics is upon me, I’m afraid, so I must dash. This is the last class of the day, luckily enough, considering that it’s three steady hours of dry economics.
The day has been productive, so to speak. Despite printing problems I had this morning I was able to attend all three classes punctually and prepared. Quite honestly, though, I always have printer problems. Printing at home is not an option, because neither my father nor Bryan has a printer heavy-duty (read: decent) enough to do the trick, the computer graphics center does not allow the use of specialty paper, and kinkos is full of useless middle-aged delinquents too preoccupied with their general failure as human beings to be of any assistance (I’ve made a couple of enemies there). Not only does my father’s printer do a horrible job, but also upon warming up it hisses, beeps, and rattles with such fury that I suspect complete possession by a most violent spirit. Between the printer demon of hell, the CGC’s flimsy paper, and kinkos band of ruffians, I am left with no way to print my assignments, save my own creativity and resourcefulness. In the end I conceded to the gods of big business, and went to kinkos- the one up in Mason, not the criminal-ridden one down here by UC.
I don’t feel very well. All I’ve had to eat today is the breakfast I had back home in Mason and vending-machine junk from DAAP. Subsequently my eye has been twitching maniacally since the early afternoon. Half way through studio, when I muttered to my studio mates about my ailment, Whitney relayed to me the fact that such conditions are brought on by unhealthy eating habits. I nodded with interest as I plunged my hand back into a bag of potato chips I had purchased earlier.
Economics is upon me, I’m afraid, so I must dash. This is the last class of the day, luckily enough, considering that it’s three steady hours of dry economics.
I hope all is well, my dearest readers, and that we are collectively pulling through the sludge of post-holiday January unscathed. What a dreadful time of year this always is; money is tight, everywhere, and the few people dining out let their pending Macy's bill prevent them from tipping decently. Winter is snuggling into the landscape, settling down for a long, lingering nap, and we poor inhabitants simply don't have Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanza to distract us from the inclement weather. Speaking of, however, who in the US actually celebrates Kwanza? Is its inclusion yet another half-assed attempt to recognize the mistreated African Americans of this country, the majority of which have never been to Africa and couldn't care less about Kwanza? Honestly. That's neither here nor there, I suppose, but is a rant of the season regardless.
Things are well here in Cincinnati. I am back in school, however, and have decided to be honest and realistic about my abilities: I won't write when I'm in school. Though the therapeutic benefits of the activity are direly needed when I'm in the middle of a quarter, there's simply no time. Luckily enough for me, I've decided to make time, in a way; I now have a weekly opinion column for the University of Cincinnati's News Record. As silly as it sounds, I'm quite proud of it and roughly 50% of the stuff I write (sometimes time runs out and one must publish rubbish. I am not excusing this, but it happens nonetheless). Its basically similar to the things I whine about here, but published consistently. If you are interested, go to newsrecord.org and click on opinion. On the opinion page you will find the brilliantly titled column "sensible skeptical", and, quite luckily, no picture (the one they took for the hard copies is horrid). I would post a direct link, but I am tired and cold and ready for bed. It's late and I must get up early to complete studio work. Also, I think I am catching Bry Bry's cold. That is all.
Things are well here in Cincinnati. I am back in school, however, and have decided to be honest and realistic about my abilities: I won't write when I'm in school. Though the therapeutic benefits of the activity are direly needed when I'm in the middle of a quarter, there's simply no time. Luckily enough for me, I've decided to make time, in a way; I now have a weekly opinion column for the University of Cincinnati's News Record. As silly as it sounds, I'm quite proud of it and roughly 50% of the stuff I write (sometimes time runs out and one must publish rubbish. I am not excusing this, but it happens nonetheless). Its basically similar to the things I whine about here, but published consistently. If you are interested, go to newsrecord.org and click on opinion. On the opinion page you will find the brilliantly titled column "sensible skeptical", and, quite luckily, no picture (the one they took for the hard copies is horrid). I would post a direct link, but I am tired and cold and ready for bed. It's late and I must get up early to complete studio work. Also, I think I am catching Bry Bry's cold. That is all.
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