Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Female Genital Mutilation Awareness

A local movement in the Pioneer Valley has begun against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) by New Salem, Massachusetts resident MaryAnne Mohamoud. MaryAnne is originally from Somalia in East Africa where 98% of girls and women undergo genital mutilation. This overwhelming number has driven MaryAnne to encourage others to assist in putting an end to this traditional cruelty across Africa and around the world as well as raise awareness in the United States about the lifetime effects of FGM.

For more information, please click the following link to learn more about the cause and effects of Female Genital Mutilation and what you can do to help prevent and spread awareness in your area.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Boing Boing Boing Boing


Boingboing.net truly lives up to its mantra as a directory of wonderful things. With numerous daily updates of endless conversation-starting topics, I always leave the site learning at least something useful and sometimes even useless, but entertaining of course.

I have rounded up a list of my all time favorite topics from Boingboing's April posts. If they don't shock you, make you really think, debate, research, invest in, converse with others about, above all I hope they make you laugh.

Boingboing's Most Valuable Posts, April 2007
  • Coke skin cream? Link
  • Fossilized rain forest found in Illinois Link
  • Funny coffee mugs to animalize your face Link
  • Nike transformer - sneaker robot Link
  • Man and horse nap in bank Link
  • Fascist America, in 10 easy steps Link
  • Timelapse - video of cheese aging Link
  • Pack your bagel in a CD spindle Link
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Thursday, May 3, 2007

UMass Reacts To Shorter Academic Yearhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

UMass students are starting to get itchy. And no it's not because mosquitoes are biting. It's because, as usual, UMass students want summer NOW.

According to an April 2 article in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Michael Gargano, UMass chancellor of student affairs and campus life, suggested a change in the academic calendar last academic year. He has proposed starting the spring semester around Jan. 15 instead of Jan. 29, which is about the time the semester has begun for at least the last three decades.

The change would allow UMass students to finish final exams at the same time as other area college students, thus putting them on a level playing field when it comes to applying for summer jobs and internships, officials say.

At the very latest, UMass students now complete their final exams six to 13 days after students at the other four area colleges.

"I've already started packing my stuff up for the summer," said UMass sophomore Jake Dann. "But it's frustrating having weeks of school followed by exams to finish knowing your friends that go to nearby schools like Westfield are already home making money and having fun."

A UMass staff member, who would like to remain anonymous, agrees with Gargano's suggestion. "I think it's a great idea, but the only thing is, you need to look back to the 1970's and the reason why this decision of a longer year was made. Heat was the reason," he said. "During UMass' winter session, we turn the heat off. The expense is so high and it's only going to get worse. If UMass was planning to minimize the year, heat costs in the buildings might be the major reason it doesn't fly."

UMass officials are highly interested in faculty and student reactions or proposals to the suggestion at hand and report that changes to the academic calendar will not go into effect until the 2009-2010 academic school year.

If you are interested in learning more about UMass' proposal to shorten the academic year or the chance to offer your own suggestions, contact the man who will make the final decision himself, Chancellor John Lombardi and let him know what you think. Chancellor Lombardi can be contacted via email: Lombardi@UMass.Edu.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

UMass Practicioners Take Leaps And Bounds

I had no idea what Parkour was until a friend suggested checking out some online footage. Who has time for this was my initial reaction, but I kept an open mind in order to learn more about the latest adventure trend to hit the Pioneer Valley.

UMass sophomore Jackie Hai founded the program this past year and a quick conversation with her and her excitement about Parkour becomes electric. I couldn't help but wonder after speaking with her,what I could jump over or crawl through on my way back home that afternoon.

The following is what Parkour means to Jackie Hai. A short video clip about how she came to love Parkour, her motivation to start the UMass program and her future plans for Parkour and its members can be viewed by clicking this link.

Hopefully her enthusiasm will rub off on to you too!

Parkour is the art of moving efficiently from point A to point B by treating objects in the environment as an obstacle course. Parkour is as much a mental discipline as it is a physical one. Where some people might see a
railing or a wall and be forced to go in to the direction that they’re “supposed to go," with Parkour you instead make your way by going over, under, through or in any creative way you can in order to surpass the obstacle at hand.

Parkour is a physical conditioner and in earlier years before civilization and technology developed, running, jumping were people's means of survival and unfortunately they have become lost today.

Parkour is like going back to your roots.


This Saturday the UMass Parkour Program will host a meeting for students and residents of Western Massachusetts interested in learning more about becoming practitioners of Parkour also known as Traceurs. The meeting will begin at 1pm at the Haigis Mall on the UMass Amherst campus.