branyba's blog

When my friends start complaining about the high gas prices I respond, “It’s about time!” They then look at me with confused disgust long enough for an explanation. There is a bright side to these ridiculous petrol prices. As my biology teacher, Dr. Lishak, explained freshman year, the rise in gas prices pressures people to conserve for once.  Read More »

The attempt I made last week to bring the issue of progressives being misunderstood came back to bite me. Can’t say I didn’t see that coming, just not in the way it did. I received emails and phone calls about how demeaning and confusing I was in my explanation. My bad; thought it spoke for itself. It was suggested to me to stop being an extremist and to stop reading communist novels.  Read More »

I woke up this morning and checked my e-mail, as I do every morning, only to find another disgusting chain letter claiming that Senator Barack Obama is a Muslim who hates America, refuses to hold his hand over his heart during the pledge of allegiance and was inaugurated while placing his hand on the Bible.  Read More »

Do you know where that steak you just ate came from? If so, job well done, you are few and far between. If everyone were as conscious as you there would be less risk of E-Coli outbreaks and mad cow burgers. We would all be safer, healthier and happier if we realized not only where our meat comes from, but the effect it has on our resources, as well.  Read More »

I am the first to say I am privileged to be a white middle-class young woman. As I am quick to remind people, I have never been called an acceptation to my race, though I have kindly been called a “ball buster” as well as other derogatory terms not suitable for print.  Read More »

I think everyone will agree that my generation knows little about the importance of volunteering. Not because we are inherently lazy and self-centered as a whole, but because it has never been a central issue. Unless you are a member of a sorority or fraternity or are benefiting from a scholarship that requires community service, it never crosses your mind.  Read More »

With all the talk of economic woes I wonder if the negative rhetoric is doing any good. A friend of mine mentioned that the buzz word “recession” is one of the direct causes of the mayhem. Perhaps our pessimism about it all is scaring us into a depression. Instead of focusing on the negatives that we are dealing with at the moment, maybe we should assess what got us here.  Read More »