From the heart of Ja'Nae

By Ja'Nae Hawkins on 3/25/2011 Distance affects everything. If you are trying to complete an assignment and you are not focused on that assignment, your work will be affected. Your mind was distant from the goal you were trying to achieve. If you and your mate are over 50 miles apart, I would consider this to be a long-distance relationship, and the relationship should be handled with care.

Long distance can be good for your relationship, but it can also be bad. Andre James, a freshman at Jackson Community College, said that, "Long distance relationships are not impossible, as long as you are committed to each other. Also, it's fun showing your mate how much you have missed them." Long distance relationships have not been the most prominent types of relationships, but they can work. According to www.waiit.com, within a year over 8 percent of long distance relationships will cease to exist. Determination and faith are two factors required for a successful relationship.

Ashley Butler, junior, said that, "Dealing with a long distance relationship takes a lot of trust; without trust there is nothing. Just getting out of a long distance relationship gives me a sense of relief. I was in a relationship without trust; he didn't trust me and I most certainly didn't trust him. It felt like the saying my mother use to say: 'Don't trust them as far as you can see them.'" Being a college student in a long distance relationship is not recommended because of the level of responsibilities, and trying to make everything work in school, as well as, in a relationship. I was in a long -distance relationship and yes, we had our problems, but we made it through the tough times and we are still committed and loving each other, more and more every day.

Long-distance relationships can be horrible. If you are an insecure person you won't be able to handle a long-distance relationship. When you are apart from your mate you will automatically assume that they are cheating or misusing your love. I have been insecure in my relationship, but I overcame my imperfection. Ashlee Barnett, a freshman at Dorsey School in Warren, said having a boyfriend in Missouri was really hard. "I felt like I could not deal with the stress of having a relationship and managing school. My ex-boyfriend told me he was not ready to settle down because of the distance and he didn't feel that we were working out."

Long-distance relationships, with hard work, can work. I have not seen a relationship that has not required a lot of hard work to make it a successful relationship. Yes, distance causes problems, but it is that individual's choice to let the distance affect them and their partner.

The World According to Josh

By Josh Vaughn on 3/25/2011 So there I was walking on a cold February night. It was pitch black, and the only thing that was helping me see was the light from the posts. My hands were going numb from the cold, and I knew that I only had another mile to walk until I got home.

Let me back up the story a little. I was at my friend Jared Brinker's house, but I had to leave because it was getting late, and since I couldn't get a ride, I had to walk. I'd already been outside for a mile and a half, and parts of my body were completely chilled because the temperature outside was 5 degrees.

I was walking past the church near the bridge I needed to cross when I noticed something, a car was in the driveway leading to the back of Bennett Park. Nearby were two people, one man and one woman. They were shoveling the driveway, which made no sense to me until I looked closer. Their car was stuck in the driveway! I thought about it and I knew they were never going to get that car out of the driveway. They already looked exhausted from trying to get that car out and I knew they weren't going to be able to go much longer. I asked if I could help and they gladly said yes. The woman got into the car while the other man and I put our hands down on the hood. We pushed and pushed with all of our might while she drove backwards, but it was to no avail.

She stopped spinning the tires and waited. By this time my exposed hands were freezing, and I could barely move them. I knew I couldn't leave, though, because I was there to help them. "Let's try again," said the man. I responded by saying, "Let's do it." Again we pushed with all of our might to get the car to move, but it just rocked back and forth. My feet kept slipping and I realized that we could push all day long but it wouldn't help if we didn't have any traction. I grabbed the shovel and hollowed out a little hole to the ground that I could use to put my feet on.

"One more time," I said to the man. He nodded in approval and once again, we put our hands on the hood. We looked at each other and slowly grinned. Time slowed down as I waited for that thunderous noise of the tires spinning. In a split second of hearing the tires, I reacted and pushed with all of my might. My feet weren't slipping and I got a clear push. I used all of my strength. and finally we got that car out. I was thanked by the man and the woman and I knew my work there was done. I walked the rest of the way to my house and it took another 13 minutes.

The moral of this story is that if you see someone that you could help, give up a little time and help them. It doesn't take much to help someone that is in need. Even though I didn't get anything out of helping them, that didn't matter to me. I found out that the best reward is knowing that I did something good for someone besides myself.

The Bookworm

By Judy Fales on 3/25/2011 On Friday, March 11, while students were on Spring Break, younger students converged on Burrage Library to meet Curious George and to celebrate reading.

In celebration of March, "Read Across America" month, publishers Houghton Mifflin, Penguin, Candlewick, Harper Collins and Simon & Schuster dispatched their most popular characters into the field to encourage young Michiganders to read, read, read.

Sixteen families brought 36 pre-schoolers to the lower level of the library to play games, read and meet George.

Michigan Great Start and the Early Childhood Literacy Coalition coordinated this month-long tour of children's book characters. Across the state, Curious George and Lyle Lyle Crocodile appeared courtesy of Houghton Mifflin, Froggy courtesy of Penguin, Mittens the Kitten courtesy of Harper Collins, Maisy Mouse courtesy of Candlewick Press and Olivia courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

At the event, George presented each young person with a new book featuring the "Cat in the Hat," complete with magnetic figures to place within the scenes inside the book. The Cat is the mascot of the nationwide "Read" celebration. Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2 is recognized as the annual kick-off.

Librarians used the opportunity to register families for library cards. Many were not aware that the public has access to Burrage Library, the Children's Room and the two public computers. While the library collects no tax revenue from the community, Olivet businesses contributed to the fund to renovate and expand the library in the early 1990s. This formed a community, campus partnership.

Move Review: The Green Hornet

By Doug Fales on 2/25/2011 What do you think of when someone brings up hornets in conversation? Fast, annoying, obnoxious little creatures that you really wish would just disappear, right? Well unfortunately, I feel the same way about green hornets, or at least one green hornet that has been buzzing around the movie theater lately.

"The Green Hornet" stars Seth Rogen as Britt Reid, a 28-year-old, rich, popular, good-for-nothing. He goes through life without a care in the world, until he falls into the generic "father dies and leaves him all his money" story, and through a bizarre chain of events, he and his new friend Kato (played by Jay Chou) decide to fight crime while posing as criminals to find the source of a crime wave.

Avoiding every Batman-related comparison I could make, the story is just very unimpressive. The plot moves at a snail's pace, leaving large gaps for mindless fight scenes, with editing that's so quick you can barely follow. The characters are rarely even one-dimensional, and the lead villain is the worst of them. These characters are the same we've seen in countless other movies, and all they manage to do is shine a negative light on the Green Hornet source material.

It's very strange how strongly Rogen defends his acting role in this film, considering half the time he acts like he's in an entirely different movie. True, some actors are able to bridge the gap between serious, funny, and so on. But most actors/actresses can't, and Rogen is no exception. Just as people don't want to see Johnny Depp dancing like an idiot, they also don't want to see Rogen acting like he's better than them.

The supporting cast isn't much better, with the possible exception of Chou as Kato. From what you see of him, Chou really seems to have some potential. In the future we might even see a promising martial arts movie career out of him. The only problem with him in this movie is that he is simply too young for the role - especially considering he is taking on a role that was previously handled by Bruce Lee in the 1960s TV show of the same name.

Normally it doesn't take so long getting to the rest of the film, but the story and acting required a bit more mention than usual. As I said before, the action scenes are frequent and repetitive with few memorable scenes. The effects and cinematography also follow this "middle of the road" template, where they feel outdated and boring even though the film just came out.

I'll admit I wasn't originally looking forward to watching "The Green Hornet," considering it was forcing me to break my "No supporting 3D movies" oath, but that's not an excuse for my disliking the movie. I've gone into other movies like "Pitch Black" and the original Harry Potter with a bad attitude and come out of the theater thoroughly impressed. I've heard some pegged "The Green Hornet" to be a "so bad it's good" type of movie. I personally claim it to be an "it's so bad it's physically painful to watch" type of movie. "The Green Hornet" is rated PG-13 and is a waste of time. If you want to get excited about a movie with 'Green' in the title, skip this one and go see "The Green Lantern" when it comes out in June.
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