Nova's notes
If you’re not taking courses over the summer break, don’t waste your time being idle. Use that time to improve yourself, perhaps create new, positive habits or break old, unhealthy ones such as smoking cigarettes.
It’s nearing the end of the semester and many students are growing restless, drifting through these final weeks in apathy. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the reason we’re all here — to learn. This is not only something we do in college, but something we should do every day for the rest of our lives and the biggest and most expansive avenue we have to do so is science.
We’ve come so far in the fight for women’s rights that it seems absurd to regress to a society whose future is controlled predominantly by men. Lately, there have been strong campaigns against the legality and financial coverage of contraception, which if successful could be detrimental to the health of women all over America.
Religion, science and human rights... how are they related? One of them is constantly being used to harm the other two. Tolerance is such a key ideology to the future of humanity, and we can only benefit from it being widespread faithfully, scientifically and ethically.
Sometimes it's tough not to get caught up in the over- commercialized Hallmark holidays like Valentine's Day. Couples may feel obligated to be a little extra gushy than normal, and singles everywhere reflect on how single they are. For those who are looking for love or even to simply meet someone outside of their regular bubble of interactions, online dating has become an immensely effective tool in connecting people and expanding social horizons.
It's a fresh new year, and with it comes a new team dynamic here at The Accent. Many of our editors are returning from last semester, but have taken on new roles, myself included. I welcome all Austin Community College students, faculty and staff back to campus for the spring 2012 semester as the new Editor-in- Chief of The Accent.
From one veteran to another
It was “fifth week” in basic training. The following week was graduation. Sometime during the last few years, the Air Force decided there would be a fifth-week ceremony where all trainees receive the Airmen’s coin and officially become an Airman instead of a trainee.
Sometimes it’s still hard to believe I enlisted in the Air Force. I was one of the last people that anyone, including myself, expected to join.
I was stationed in Germany during the 2008 presidential election. It was the second one I voted in... or at least, thought I voted in. I found out later they don’t even count absentee ballots, which I can’t understand. The people whose lives are most impacted by political policies, who are stationed overseas in the name of our country, aren’t even included in the vote? Seriously?
There are two types of people who become Military Training Instructors (MTI) or drill sergeants as they are better know in the movies. The first type, hard-as-nails on the surface but soft and gooey on the inside, will yell and belittle in order to toughen trainees up and acclimate them to the military's stressful environment.
"One, two, three, four, let's wake up the Air Force!"
It was 5 a.m. Blind with sleep, I peered outside my third- story window; the entire Army detachment was doing jumping- jacks in unison a stone's throw from my bunk bed. It was early March at Fort Meade, Md., and the temperature was well below freezing.
Remembering safety important in high-risk situations, can train brain to react without thinking
A voice crackled over our handheld radio: "213 and 324: what is your location?" Staff Sgt. Brown asked. My desert bff, Noelle, and I were sitting in a dusty white pick-up truck in Iraq, waiting outside our housing compound to escort a fuel truck inside to refill the generators.
Dear DC,
The semester is coming to an end, and between studying for classes you’ve probably given serious thought to what you’ll be doing in the summer. There are places to go, people to meet and things to see. But what you probably didn’t give that much thought to are the new friendships you’ve forged in the classes you just finished.
Kissing has always been something that I enjoy. The reason I love it is because even though it can mean a lot of different things, they are all affectionate. In some countries a kiss is how someone says ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye.’ In almost any placeyou go to, a kiss is how you show someone affection, and at times, the most amazing kisses are a promise of more things to come. Kissing is so universal that I’m always astounded by the number of people who don’t know how to kiss properly. I will admit though, kissing is mutual so here are my top three tips for giving someone a mind-blowing kiss.
Tips for fun-filled road trips
Spring Break is right around the corner and if you're anything like me, between studying for midterms, you're most likely planning what you will do during the break. South by South West (SXSW) will be in town, but the event can be hectic and parking is impossible. You could always take a trip, but unless you're willing to fork over hundreds of dollars for a plane ticket, your best alternative for travel is taking a road trip with a couple of friends.
I think sex is interesting. others say that I seem to be very passionate about the subject, but I think it's simply because it's everywhere. The media learned a long time ago that sex sells and because of this, they have no problem exploiting it for all it's worth. Sex is predominant in almost everything I see on television, almost every piece of music I hear and in almost every book I read. It is for this reason that I find myself to be in disbelief when I try to talk about sex with other people in a public place. If everyone has sex and if sex is so universal, why do people find it to be such a sensitive subject?
ACC geology class travels in, around Austin to get first-hand experience, examine dinosaur tracks, n
The anticipation of going on a trip with a class brings you back to the middle school field trip days. We all packed a lunch and had our hiking shoes on ready for an adventure with Austin Community College’s ever-so-funny geology professor Joanne Mathis.
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While some may argue that nothing exemplifies the holiday spirit like long lines at the cash register and early bird sales at the mall, the past few weeks have demonstrated a new facet to the holiday season. Nestled alongside the gift of giving and goodwill-to-all is the new face of the holiday season.
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I've often wondered what troops today could have in common with troops of wars past. It's hard to imagine; the images I have of World War II (courtesy of the History Channel) have little in
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When I first enrolled at Austin Community College in 2005 I felt like a fish out of water.
I was still adjusting to college life and I knew that I wanted to pursue journalism or photojournalism, but ACC's journalism program didn't look all that appealing to me considering there were only a handful of basic classes to choose from.
As a result, I enrolled in core curriculum classes and felt really bored and unchallenged until one day, after I had taken a year off from school to take care of my kids, I came across a MySpace post from my former high school newspaper adviser Matthew Connolly.
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Procrastinating teachers all over the Austin Community College District have rolled up their sleeves, steeled their nerves and promised themselves to finally get down to teaching.
"I've really been putting this off too long," mathematics proffesor Jessica Toth said. "Now it's really coming down to the wire."
On every campus, students are beginning to notice the increased tempo of their classrooms.
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The military salute is supposed to be a gesture of courtesy and respect between enlisted personnel and officers, and even between officers of different ranks. It's such a big deal that in basic training they made us salute ourselves in the mirror before every meal. But mostly, it's just an inconvenience — for both enlisted and officers.
My home station was much larger than most bases; it housed both the NATO Allied Air Component Command Headquarters and served as the headquarters base to all Air
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This will be the last installment on my reccuring column "From the Editor's Desk." In the next issue of the Accent, I will be writing my -30- column.
I'm hesitant to let go of the helm and move on with my life because of all the memories I have built up working here, but its time for me to start saying my goodbyes.
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Are there any issues at ACC that you think would merit an Occupy Student Life movement? If so, what
Are there any issues at ACC that you think would merit an Occupy Student Life movement? If so, what would they be? What do you think about the Occupy Austin?
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In keeping with their "Zero Input" policy, the ACC Board of Trustees recently laid out guidelines for which punitive measures will be employed to enforce the new smoking ban at ACC.
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The Accent Newspaper is like a child to me. I have worked here in a number of roles over the past three years and have watched first hand how the paper grew better and better each semester. I care deeply about Accent, but its really hard to understand why we do not have an adviser yet.
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We love getting feedback from our readers. Whether its positive or negative any comments, suggestions or story tips are always welcomed.
Recently though, we have been receiving a few comments concerning our relationship with the Office of Student Life. I would like to make it clear that the Accent only reports unbiased news and features with the exception of opinion columns and entertainment reviews.
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Round Rock Campus— ACC president/CEO Dr. Richard Rhodes broke ground at a ceremony Thursday, to begin construction at the Austin Community College Spaceport Launch Pad. The launch pad, which should be operational in mid 2012, is the first of its kind in the Austin area.
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Austin Veterinary Hospital- -Shocking news was announced Saturday, when ACC district spokesman Shaun Adler confirmed reports that R.B. Bbhoggawact, more commonly known as "The Riverbat," has contracted rabies. The Riverbat has been ACC's mascot since November 2010.
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In Bahrain over 50 people have been arrested. In Yemen over 170 people have been murdered. In Syria, the death toll went over 2000. In Libya the massacre exceeded 5000. What have all these people died for? Their right to life.
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It's funny how our world revolves around the internet. While in the middle putting together this issue - on press day no less, the internet stopped working at Austin Community College campuses.
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For a long time the thought of Austin Community College having an official sports team was an outrageous idea.
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At an unveiling ceremony last week, ACC President/CEO Richard Rhodes presented the new name of Austin Community College.
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Scoring an internship in college can be tough. There isn't a one-size-fits-all formula to landing one, and, let's face it: rejection (continued)
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I don't want to write this. It's deadline day. Two section editors are not even in this room, and our main designer has a class in an hour. I'm trying to drink the coffee from this morning, but I believe that our adviser has made it extra strong and gross as a passive aggressive reaction to us not turning our content in on time.
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Austin City Limits (ACL for friends) music festival happened on Oct. 2-4 at Zilker Park. But who doesn't know that? With the number of billboards all over downtown Austin and on the pedicabs (those little carriages ridden by actual people that look too much like slave work, despite the green initiative), only the most distracted Austinites and temporary residents were not aware of the concert until the first week of October.
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I have never been a big sports fan. Since I was a little kid I hated all kinds of games, especially the ones involving balls, because apparently my head just attracts them.
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Barracuda battle
After the first complaint from members Ann and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart was issued, many would have thought that John McCain and Sarah Palin would have stopped using their music to promote the Republican ticket, but they continue to do so. On September 9, 2008 at a rally in Lebanon, Ohio, they replayed the song "Barracuda", a reference to Palin's high school nickname, Sarah Barracuda, against the wishes of the band.
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" She understands the energy issues better than anybody I know in Washington, D.C., and she understands Alaska is right next to Russia. She understands that. Look, Sen. Obama's never visited south of our border. I mean, please." This was John McCain's response to ABC's Charles Gibson when questioned about Palin having not obtained a passport until last year, while America is dealing with an insurgent Russia and the current war on terror.
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Karissa Explains it All
Karissa explains it All
College students are the number one demographic to suffer from sleep deprivation. In fact, (continued)
Karissa Explains it all
Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day traditionally marking the beginning of the (continued)
Karissa explains it all
When I first became a college student I relied solely on greasy fast food and soda for (continued)
Karissa explains it all
Students who find themselves stressed out from managing to accomplish the hundreds of things (continued)
Karissa Explains it All
I hate math. I loathe it so much that I would rather (continued)
Karissa explains it all
I have attended both online and classroom courses (continued)
Karissa explains it all
Condoms are a staple on my grocery list, right along with milk and fruit. The family planning aisle (continued)
I remember the first time I used a computer in elementary school. They were big and clunky and it took place in a time before (continue)
Karissa Explains it All
Credit cards and college students don't mix. Sure there are some students that are financially (continued)
Karissa Explains it all
Recently, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, (continued)
Karissa Explains it All
The Zilker Park Trail of Lights has been an Austin tradition for 43 years and is a long-standing (continued)
Karissa Explains it All
I am a firm believer in God and faith. I believe that there is a higher authority watching over (continued)
Karissa Explains it all
An increase of binge drinking among college students has revealed a dangerous new (continued)
Karissa Explains it all
In 2004 I was a freshman at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I wanted to feel (continued)
Karissa Explains it all
On New Year's Day of 2008, my family and I were driving in our Volkswagen Jetta heading south (continued)
Karissa Explains it All
Attack advertisements are an old-fashioned political tactic that needs to stop. This year, (continued)
Karissa Explains it All
I went into early labor on the first Saturday of (continued)
Karissa Explains it All
The Community College Survey of Student Engagement published their annual survey (continued)
If you own a cell phone with a camera and text messaging capabilities, congratulations you are capable of participating (continued)
Karissa Explains it All
Attack advertisements are an old-fashioned political tactic that needs to stop. This year, (continued)
More and more employers are using social networking sites, looking up potential employee's profiles, and determining (continue)
Lets face it, MySpace is dead. The social networking site is no longer the leader, and more and more users are heading over to (continued)
Karissa Explains it all
College without grades sounds alluring, but what impact would ending the grading system (continued)
Peanuts and peanut related products are a staple of the average American's diet. It is very disturbing, therefore, to learn that on Feb. 9, (continued)
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