Also, here's a link to my fotobabble assignment: http://www.fotobabble.com/m/aTNxSHJ4Mno5T2s9

Oct 12

Things are a little crazy right now. First, here's my required link for class: http://www.uwobus111.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss  . Now there's all sorts of craziness with the Occupy movements out there, and I intend on doing a little investigating. On Oct 15, there will be an Occupy protest in Appleton, and I will be there to interview the protestors. I've read many conflicting reports of the movement, and I'm not sure what to think about it, other than it's distracting me from my schoolwork. Instead of getting my online homework done early, I've been pouring through government data I got online, trying to work out the numbers to support what I believe to be the theme of the movement, that 1% of the population has received the majority of the benefits of the last decade or so of a booming economy, while at the same time being sheltered from the ongoing economic uncertainty. The situation is a bit more complicated than I care to try summarize in this blog post (assuming I could, or even really understand it) but I will probably post something more conclusive in the future.

The Beginning

It's a lot different entering the university system when you're twenty-five. For one, getting financial aid is a lot easier.

When I went to college the first time, at age eight-teen, my dad made too much money, but not enough. I'm sure some of you know what I mean. Your parents make enough to keep food on the table, and to live a somewhat comfortable life. You weren't far behind when the new video games or gadgets came to the market, and somehow, you always got that one big thing that wasn't too crazy for Christmas, along with a few other goodies for good measure.

But, when the time to go to college came around, your parents didn't make enough. My mother was dead by then, and though my father had recently taken a pay cut, his previous year's income was too high for me to be eligible for anything but a 500 dollar loan. I was a bit of a slacker in high-school, but I thought my natural ability would carry me through college. After-all, grades shouldn't be more important than ability when you are trying to enter the sparkling world of "higher" education, right?

Wrong.