The pair of shoes, scuffed and worn, stood sentinel at the door...

The soldier's pair of shoes were very worn from the many hot and grueling days in the hot desert. He would wear them for days and even weeks at a time.

He has owned them for seven months since being deployed to Falligua, Iraq, where he was a machine gunner on an up armored Humvee. The shoes are in need of some major repairs. They are very faded in color and the soles are close to being worn completely off

After the seven month deployment the soldier and his really worn in shoes stood at his parents door, looking sentinel while waiting for them to answer the door. After his parents opened the door, there he stood tall and embraced them with love. The shoes were never worn again after that day but never thrown away; there were way too many memories spent in those shoes.
By: Sallie

A little boys shoes

The pair of shoes, scuffed and worn, stood sentinel at the door. Those shoes only a few weeks old. Little boys play hard. That little boy loved those shoes, and never wanted to take them off. From playgrounds, riding bikes, running, splashing in mud puddles, four wheeling, to anything that involves dirt and outdoors. That little boy loved those shoes no matter what they looked liked. That little boy would sleep in those shoes if he was allowed. He said once the shoes were scuffed and worn, the shoes were the best. That little boy is my son and he loves his red Nike shoes.

By: April Cottle

Parents You Should Make Your Kids Mind

 

    You are responsible for your kid’s bad behavior. Parents should teach their kids right from wrong. Parents don't make their kids mind them. Parents think it's funny and cute when they misbehave. All kids need to learn to listen to what their parents tell them to do.

   Most people will never learn to teach their kid’s right from wrong. Their kids think it’s cool to go drink some beer or liquor. They think it’s cool to go smoke some cigarettes just because their friends are. Most kids think when they curse it makes them look tough and cool, but it doesn't.

     A lot of parents think it’s funny and cute when their children misbehave. Some parents get a kick out of their children when they get smacked in the face by them. I know some parents laugh and think it’s funny to listen to their kids say dirty words. Some children look at their parents and just start yelling at them in front of a bunch of people. Don't let your kids act like that, it makes you look bad, and most of all it should make you feel bad.

     Some parents don't make their kids mind. The kids normally make their parents mind them. They never listen to what they are told. They do what they want to do, and when they want to do it. Put your foot down make them listen.

      Everyone needs to step up and be a parent, make your kids mind. If you have to whip them, ground them, even make them stand in the corner. If you can't get them to listen to you, and respect you, then send them off until they start respecting you. That is the issue with kids now days they think they can get by with anything. They need to be punished for the wrong stuff they do. They will learn sooner or later to start minding you and listen to everything you say. Don't let your children disrespect you, curse at you, or even yell at you. It's not right for kids to act like that.

                              written by: Ashley

What was your favorite childhood toys?

  When I was a kid I had too many different toys. I remember when my friends and I used to play on the patio at my house; we had a lot of fun. My favorite toys were the marbles, the little soldiers, and cars. These were my favorite toys because we could always play outside of the house with them.

   When we played with the marbles they were always fun because those little things were very pretty and colorful. There were different sizes and colors. We always tried to get the tiniest one in order to play. There were many different ways to play. One of the easiest ways to play was tossing the marble to the opponent’s marble. I remember I had collected about 500 of them, different sizes and colors.

   The little soldier toys were very fun to play. They were mini green army toys with weapons. Some of them came attached to trucks, tanks or some were sharpshooters. When we played, we pretended we were going to a war zone. We would build our own military base with all the survivor accessories. There were usually two different groups of soldiers with different uniforms.  To identify the enemy they must have different uniforms than ours.

  The cars probably were one of my favorite toys. I collected different types of cars. My favorite cars were Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. We played them almost everyday on the patio at my house. Racing the car was one of the ways that we played; sometimes we could trade cars with our friends. I also collected most of the little Hot Wheels cars, I always kept them clean and shiny.

   I believe each person had different childhood toys when they were little. But my favorite toys always were the marbles, the little soldiers, and the cars. It was really fun, and it’s an experience that I will never forget. I will always remember the rest of my life how things was really fun when you are a little kid.

 

Carlos Lopez

Cheating helps students learn?

                         Cheating doesn’t help students learn. First they’ll never learn anything. Second they’re turning in someone else’s work. Third they’ll never make it anywhere in life without help from another person handing them the answers. I just don’t see any reason to cheat.

                      First, if you cheat yourself through school you’ll never learn how to do a lot of things for yourself. You may never learn to read, write, or how to comprehend. Cheating is an inappropriate response to learning; it’s just a dishonest action. Its’ also self-degrading because when you cheat you are telling yourself  that you do not believe in your own abilities and if your abilities are not real because you cheated, you will have let those people  down.

                       Second, if you cheat you’re just turning in someone else’s work. For example, Sarah does her homework assignment and Tasha doesn’t do hers; so she just copies the answers down. Now what did she learn did she learn besides how to cheat off a friend. Using other classmates work is just taking credit for another’s work. We all have our own brains that we can use. We also have our parents, teachers, and other peers to help us through. There is no need to cheat just ask for help. It shows a lack of responsibility as well as lack of knowledge.

                       Third, they’ll never make it anywhere without help through everything. If you cheat throughout school continuously it becomes a habit of him/her which is not good for anyone’s future career. You will never reach goals without receiving answers from some source which basically means you did nothing at all. It’s unethical and unfair; it ruins your educational/personal life. Cheating is like doing drugs; it just ruins you. Many of us have done it in one way or another whether we are willing to admit it or not. It has been and probably will continue to be an issue for all schools throughout the nation.

                        This is why I say cheating doesn’t help students learn anything by using someone else’s answers to everything. You’ll end up nowhere besides behind everyone waiting for an answer. Students shouldn’t cheat in classes cause when it comes to test time what are you going to do then. Cheating causes stress, always hiding things and worried about getting caught. It’s just a dumb reaction in life.

                                                                                                       Written By Dora Marie Allen

Are we too dependent on computers?

                  I do believe, we are too dependent on computers. First stores depend on them. Second schools systems depend on them now. Finally the young group of people relies on them more now days. Look at the world; it has been corrupted by computers/internet.

                  First all stores depend on computers the most. The reason I say that is because you can go in the store and the cashier says ‘sorry computers are down.” Or you can go into Wal-Mart they only have two lanes open and the line you choose to get in the cashier says “sorry my computer is running slow.” There is no way around it these days every store is ran by or off of computers.

                 Also schools are now depending on computers. They have Pre-Kindergarten learning how to use a computer but that’s just where they start teaching computer skills. The high school kids now have to turn in assignments online in some classes. College students also have to use computers for every class they take. The teachers need them too for many different reasons. For example, the teachers’ computer goes down so she cancels class for the day. Did you know they don’t even teach cursive writing anymore? So when lids grow up, they’re going to have jobs and will need to sign for things. They aren’t going to be able to sign for anything because they won’t know their own signature.

                 Finally the younger generation in America is very dependent on computers, iPods, and other devises more than talking in person with somebody. It’s scary that they like staying inside playing video games, or on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and many more rather than going outside to communicate with the real world. I remember being young going out with my friends playing hide n seek, tag, sports, and making mud pies just enjoying life. Now kids are only connected to the cyber world, we didn’t use to worry about the things these children/people do in 2013.

                       So where would we all be if our computers systems come crashing down, we would all be in a world of trouble because the world is ran by electronics. Computers have taken over our everyday lives. If no computers you can’t go to the store for anything, you couldn’t go to school, and the younger kids act like the world is coming to an end without computers/Wi-Fi. Even though computers are very useful for ALL PLACES around the world, we shouldn’t be so dependent on them.

 

 

            

 

 

Drug Court

          I like to tell you all about my experience in drug court. People say drug court is always trying
  to set you up to fail, but that is not true. If it was not for drug court I would be dead, and if you
  don't want to change your life then you won't. Drug court gives you the tools to make it in the
  real world. I will give you a peek into my life that put me into drug court.

           My life was going no where. I was using and selling drugs. I didn't care if I lived or died.
  Well, to sum it all up, my story is I got set up and busted with drugs. Drug court gave me a second
   chance in life. I owe them everything. They believed in me when no one else did. So what I
   am trying to tell you all, is don't judge something or someone before you know the whole truth
   about it.     

Eric Corey

 

 

I Am Second, is a book that has had a huge impact on me, in a very positive way. First and fore most it places God first. Secondly, it has given others the ability to tell their personal encounters with God and how it changed their life around for the better. It also has a website where you can view the courageous people telling their stories so that it's more personable for you. Last but not least, the I Am Second website gives you the chance to take daily challenges and possibly become a group leader. I Am Second is a very empowering and positive book. I would recommend it to everyone, especially those who don't know God as first in their life. I know I am second!

Placing God first is the main focus of I Am Second. I can remember when I saw myself as being first and no one was above me. This way of thinking only worked for so long. I had to go through alot of ups and downs before I realized my way didn't work; I started reading self-help and spiritual healing books. As I started reading books I gained more knowledge, but was still stuck in the same mind-set. One day I picked up the book, I Am Second. Since I finished this book I haven't thought the same, fore God is first and always will be.

In this book it tells the powerful stories of real people, just like you and me. They tell of how their lives were going great, or so those on the outside thought. They tell of what was going on inside their lives that outsiders couldn't see. The stories range from racism, divorce, fame, drugs and alcohol, rejection all the way to sex and prostitution. These are real people with real stories, that will grab your attention, from famous people all the way to ordinary, unknown people that others may not even notice.

With the book comes a website that you can also join. It is www.iamsecond.com. This allows you, the reader, to be able to watch the many stories online. You can get a more personable feel from this, because you are watching the person tell their own story. From the book it could be anybody telling the story, but watching the videos you actually get to see the raw emotion of that person while they are telling their personal stories.

Once you're on the website you also have the chance to take daily challenges and even possibly become a group leader. The daily challenges have opened my eyes to see things more clearly. They challenge you to watch selected videos and pray for specific things for the day. It also challenges you to send the video for the day to someone who comes to mind, once you're done watching it. This is a very positive way to become involved in someone's life that might not reach out to you.

I am very blessed and thankful that I was introduced to this book. If not, I would have never chose to be selfless and place God as number one in my life. Also, it now allows me to reach out to others that need guidance, who may not have courage to open up and ask for guidance. I Am Second is a very powerful and positive form of outreach. I highly recommend everyone read this book!

--AMY BLACK--

The worse experience I ever had in my life is with Dave the monster. It all started the day Dave kicked me out of his class. He told me that I was not welcome in his class anymore. That night I started having nightmares that he was chasing me. Then everyday that I went to school he followed me around everywere I went. Then it went from bad to worse. he started calling me every morning between 6 and 8. He would ask me if I wanted to come back to his class and I would say yeah and then he'd laugh at me and say to bad and then hang up. Then I tried not answering the phone when he called, but he kept calling till I answered, and he would always say the same thing. Finally I went to the police and told them what was going on. I filed a complaint against Dave and he was arrested. He was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Since then life has been good for me. They replaced Dave with a new teacher and I got let back in the class. I hope I never have any experices again That I had with Dave the monster.

Lance Patton

Right or Wrong?

Many people have different opinions on how to deal with murderers. My own opinion is that they should be  punished! Some crimes should have death penalty; where as others may need a different approach. There are many who have a mental condition, that drive them mad. Also consider different age groups should vary on how they are delt with. There are many things to think about when dealing with murderers.

There are assorted murder cases you should reflect.Some crimes are more serious then others. They also have different consequences, for example rape, physical abuse, and being involved with gang activity. All these resaut in the death pentalty or a life time in jail. My opioun is that this is right. They deserve punishment.

People who have unstable brains are also involved with murders. I feel these people should be put in a high security mental hospital. Insanety is not something to joke about people are really sick and need help. They shouldn't be roaming free out and about. These people are confused and should be handled differently.

Now we must think of the different ages. I don't think you should punish a five-year-old the same as a fifty-year-old. Childerns mind maturity is lower and should be delt with to there understanding. Punish the person appropriately.

Crime, there are so many different ways to handle it, and speculate about. Consider what types of crimes and cases that should be on death pentalty or a life sentence. Think about the mental stability, and ages. There should be disiplen in the right way.  -Kelsey-

Kimberly Shigley


                   Being a good employee takes a lot of effort. You have to always show up when you are scheduled to and be on time. Employers don't like it when their employees are always late everyday; you might get fired because of it. Getting your  work done and staying out of trouble are major pluses. Employers will not hire you if you just waste time not doing anything. By doing these things right you will become a good employee.

My experience with Gustav

          Have you ever been in a hurricane? Well I have, many times. I have lived in Louisiana all of my life, until I moved to Kentucky in 2011. The last big hurricane I was in was Hurricane Gustav.

          It was the second most destructive hurricane in the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm was the seventh tropical cyclone, third hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the season. Gustav triggered the largest evacuation in United States history with more than 3 million fleeing.

          It formed on August 25, 2008, about 260 miles southeast of Haiti. It strengthened into a tropical storm that afternoon and into a hurricane the morning of August 26. Later that day it made landfall near a town in Jacmel. It inundated Jamaica and ravaged Western Cuba and moved across the Gulf of Mexico.

          When Gustav was in the Gulf it gradually weakened because of the high winds and dry air. It weakened to a category 2 hurricane late August 31, it remained its strength until it make landfall on the morning of September 1 near Cocodrie, Louisiana.

          By that time my family and I was already prepared for the storm. We went and helped a friend of the family with her house and land hoping to survive the hurricane. She lived with her daughter who had Down Syndrome. She asked if we would stay there and keep them company, so we did. People were calling Gustav “the storm of the century … the mother of all storms.” Everyone we knew was worried and was evacuating. But my father is a firefighter and we stayed to help others who were in need.

As the hurricane hit Plaquemine, it was rough. The wind was up to 115 mph and the rain was coming down hard. We watched as trees fell over and roofs flew off houses. One significant thing I remember is our neighbors shed tumbling through his yard and across the road into the river. The lady we were staying with was terrified. As her house shook the lights went out and her back porch tore into pieces. When everything calmed down we turned on the radio and listened to all that had happened.

         In the state of Louisiana, 34 parishes were declared as disaster areas. 48 deaths were blamed on Hurricane Gustav. Five were due to falling trees, two due to a tornado, and the rest were indirect deaths. In Baton Rouge, wind damage was the worst of any storm in memory. The damage was so severe to effectively shut the city down for over a week. Most schools were closed for a week, and many for two or three weeks while power was restored. Around 1.5 million people were without power in Louisiana in September.

           We were left without power for three weeks, living off of water and MRE’s. It was so hot and there was no way of getting cool while helping others save their homes and cleaning their yards of debris. The roads were covered with trees; it took all day and night clearing them out.

         When it was over we went to our house to see what damage was done. Our home was torn in two, it was no longer livable. My husband and I moved in with his family until we moved into our own house. My mother and father went and lived with a friend of theirs. Debris cleanup was still ongoing at the end of 2008, four months after the storm had passed.

Written By: Heather G.

A teacher who has made a difference.

          Sherry is an instructor at the Adult Learning Center in Ashland, KY. She always has a warm welcoming smile upon entering the classroom. Sherry has her own unique way of helping you understand the material that is being taught.  Sherry believes in her students,more than some believe in themselves. No matter what they may be intimidated by she has the knowledge of many subjects. What is most important is that she has the ability to reach the minds of her students with her caring personality and just being herself.

We thank you Sherry for putting in the time an effort for your students.We also thank you most of all for just being you!!!!!!

                                                     Emma & Cheryl

On October 7th my family and I went to Europe. We left at 11 o'clock at night and got there at noon the next day. From the airport we took a cab to the hotel. We were in London for2 days before we met the tour guide and went on to Wales. We went on a ferry from there to Ireland for 6 days. We took a buggy ride one day. One day we went threw the woods were they said leperchauns were seen. We spend 2 days in Dublin. Then we took a ferry back to Wales. From there we went to Liverpool England.We stayed in the hotel were Roy Rogers stayed at. We spend 4 days there. One day we went to the highlands. It was real cold up there. While we were there we saw the lock ness monster. Nessie din't move are anything. We took some pictures of the lock ness. The next day we went to Glasco were we stayed 2 nights. One night we went to a show were they danced on stage. They played the vilon and everything. They had men dancing skirts. They served chicken and potatoes for dinner. After we left Glasow we went to York. While I was in York I ate at a Pizza Hut. It was forever before I got waited on. After I left York I went to Leeds were I spend the night. The next day we came back to London. That evening we went to a pub. We all laughed and talked and drank. When we got back to the hotel I hung out in the bar with the ozzies. The next day we went to the airport and flew to NYC. On the plane I had to sit next to a strange woman. After we landed in NYC I was glad to be back in America. I will always rememer this trip for as long as I live.

by Lance

The most influential person in my life is no other than my grandmother, "Kemin", who had the most wonderful and kind-hearted personality I've ever known in my life. Of course, I've wonderful relatives, friends and loved-ones like my husband, but nobody compares to my grandmother, who made great impact on my personality during those seventeen, tender years of growing up in her custody.

My grandmother's real name is Imelda Agsicio Pulacan, a typical Filipina, popularly known as "Kemin" in our village, someplace around Baguio City, Philippines. I could say she's a wonderful person because of her unconditional love, generosity, perseverance, determination and humble positive outlook in life. With her mediocre education and knowledge, she persevered in bringing up me and my kid sister. When I was three years old, my parents separated and left us to my Grandma's care and sought their own way of life.

Grandma Kemin treated me and my kid sister like her very own flesh and blood, with so much devotion. With her immense determination to provide us a good life, she worked hard almost everyday notwithstanding all the difficulties and hardship of life. She'd seize every opportunity in any work, just to provide food and shelter for the family of four that comprises her and grandpa Felix (a retired veteran), my sister and I. She was the breadwinner, while grandpa, my sister and I help each other in the house chores. Grandma's one of a kind, who wants to give everything for the people she dearly loves. She'd been a devoted, selfless person. I'll always remember those times when she wanted to buy something for herself but ended up buying a better quality of shoes and clothes for my sister and me. I knew she'd willingly gave her own food for us is we needed more. She accommodated us the best she could physically, morally and emotionally. She provided for me and my kid sister's education until we finished high school. Actually she wanted to give us a higher education but her age and health caught up with her.

Whenever Grandma had time, she'd always devoted for us to teach us good moral character, before tucking us into bed. Besides the Golden Rule: "Do not do unto others what you won't like others do unto you", she'd embedded in our minds, she's the first person who taught us to pray the Lord's Prayer in our own dialect. The most repeated advice she'd gave us is: "To always take good care of each other no matter what life brings", and to study hard because good education was the only gift and treasure she could leave behind, which nobody can steal from us. There are also lots of good and inspiring experiences my grandma Kemin shared to me. Every weekend and holiday, I'd always accompany and help her in either going to the mines for gold panning or vending wooden, or stone key chains and ashtrays that my grandfather and I did at home, at the city parks and sidewalks. She'd always tell me to be proud no matter how hard or what kind of job I do, for as long as it's decent and I work hard for it, the fruit of labor is gratifying.

Without that unconditional love and gracious support grandma gave me and my sister, we wouldn't be what we are today. We may never had the comfort of materialistic life other people have, but the wisdom, good foundation of life and principles taught to us would be efficient enough as a tool while I'm growing older. I may not be the best person she wanted me to be, but I'm pretty sure she'd be very proud of what  I've accomplished for now. I think she was the best gift God had ever given to us and I would always cherish those memories and times I had with my grandmother whom I adore as a mother, best friend and mentor for the rest of my life.

RVG

A Hero

Have you ever had so many heroes that you have looked up to? I have and every single one of them is very special to me! There is one individual who sticks out the most to me; that is my wonderful mom! She is the best person I know. She is very family oriented, a wonderful house wife and she is there when you need her.

My mommy spends all of her time with her children and grandchildren no matter how she feels. She is the most dedicated person I know. My mom spends alot of her time doing things that I need to do for college such as driving me to school and helping me to get my work done. When I have a question she is there to help me out as much as possible. She has been there for me through everything. Even when I'm moody and yelling she puts up with alot more then most people would.

My mom is a stay at home mom and house wife; however, for her that is a full time job. She cooks, cleans, and does the laundry. My mom does everything! She is the base of the house hold; without my mom the house would fall apart. I remember that no matter what was going on when the school bus ran, mom had supper on the table waiting for us.

Mom has always been there for me when I needed her. She is the one who everyone turns to when there is a problem or a question we don't have the answer to. My mom is the one that has all of my trust because I know no matter what happens my mom will never turn her back on my brother, my sister, or me. Mom is always there when she is needed.

Friends may come and go, but your mom will never leave. Your mom, mommy, mother, whatever it is you may call her is with you for life, and she is your best friend. You may not notice it now but you will when you move out or you're going through a tough time, and she is the one helping you through it. Your mom will be the one there greeting you at the door when you come in to visit her if you've been gone or just coming in from work/ school. She is there to dry your tears or provide a shoulder to cry on, and when you need a hug she is there with arms wide open.

Responsibilities

As I have gotten older my responsibilities have changed. When I was a little kid I only had a few responsibilities that my parents gave me. They wanted to make sure that I understood the consequences that could affect my life. Now as I am coming into the adult world my responsibilities have gotten more serious.

Some young kids do not have big responsibilities, but some kids have huge responsibilities depending on their situation. When I was a little girl my parents gave me some responsibilities like feeding animals every night, keeping my room clean, and getting up in time for school every morning. They never made it a big deal if I forgot to do something; they just made sure that I understood some of the consequences that would happen. I have been told that if I didn't feed the animals or give them water they could starve or become dehydrated. If I didn't get up for school on time and they noticed, they would come and see if I felt fine and make sure I got up to make it on time so I didn't miss any class work or important information that would be taught. The responsibility of keeping my room clean was going to help me with organization skills, and if there was an emergency my parents would be able to get to me safely without having to trip over anything.


With becoming older I have realized that I have important responsibilities such as paying bills, getting to college classes on time, and getting all my homework done on time. Although I don't have to pay bills quite yet, I have learned that if they are not paid on time they can end the supply. Since I have to pay to go to college, it is a big responsibility to make sure I am not late or miss information that would be taught. Also, it is important to make sure I do the homework that is assigned, so I don't end up flunking the class.

Responsibilities become more important as we get older. Some responsibilities are the same from when we are young to, as we get older. If my wonderful parents did not teach me the importance with responsibilities, then who knows where I would end up, not being able to take care of my family or myself.

Amber Kirchner

The Challenges of Being a Firefighter

The challenges faced by a professional fire department are numerous. But here’s the top four problems faced: recruitment, funding, manpower, and morale.

Because professional fire departments are not always paid a regular salary, getting people to join is a major challenge faced on a daily basis. Most of the time, people look to see how much money they will make. When they find out that they only get a Christmas bonus, often times they change their mind.

Funding is a concern because everything has to be approved before being able to purchase. Situations may arise when people need gear; it needs to be approved. New tools need to be approved first. It may take days, weeks, even months before it will be approved. Meanwhile you just have to make do with what you got.

Manpower during the day and early morning is a challenge because people work during the day and need sleep. Sometimes trucks will roll out of the station under manned for calls, and sometimes it’s no problem, but when a truck rolls out with only three people to a house fire, you got a problem.

Morale is an issue due to firefighters getting tired of going on stupid calls and not getting anything in return, which brings up a very old but very true saying “You gotta love what you do.” Being a volunteer firefighter takes a lot out of somebody but when you love firefighting as much as firefighters do its no problem. I have been a firefighter for three years and I love it, I love the fact of when everything goes wrong, and we come rolling up people seem to get a feeling of relief.

In closing, I would like to say that firefighting is something that not everyone is cut out to do. Firefighters are a special breed of people. Even though we face several challenges, we seem to make everything seem better.

Philip Perry

Unsafe Driving Awareness

There are many reasons why traffic accidents occur, all though some are more common then others. Take the elderly for example. They have fading eyesight and much slower reflexes. Others like to drink and drive. Adding alcohol to your blood stream slows you down, impairs your reflexes and judgment. That’s just plain dumb. It causes numerous amounts of deaths each and every day. Last but not least would be cell phone usage. The rate of accidents caused by talking on the phone without a head set along with the new trend of texting has sky rocketed statistics.

As we get older our senses change a huge deal. Vision and slower reflexes play a big roll in elderly accidents. As Fading eyesight and mental confusion come into play, it can cause serious car mayhem. Many states still give drivers licenses even after failing to pass a quick response test or simple exam.

One of the biggest problems with traffic accidents according to Alcoholalert.com is drinking and driving. They state that there are 15,000 deaths caused by DUI’s (Driving under the influence) out of the 40,000 that occur each year. Most that are involved in a DUI are male and under the age of 25. Many of these young men combine drag racing with little driving experience. It becomes catastrophic.

Finally there is cell phone usage. More and more think it’s okay to multi task while driving. The University of Utah held a study recently and found that someone behind the wheel texting or talking on their phone at the same timer are six times more likely to be in an accident then other drivers that have their full attention on the road. Edgarsnyder.com states that everyday of the year people are texting or talking on cell phones while driving. This results in half a million accidents over 5,000 involving fatalities.

When it comes to driving we shouldn’t compromise our safety as well as the safety of others on the road. We all need to stop and use our heads. Thinking about the accidents that are caused by these and many many others on a daily basis would slow down or even stop deaths across America. So when you jump behind the wheel remember, our lives are important. Drive smart.

Tiffany Dean

Reasons for Returning to School

My reasons to return to school this year are many. I was, for many years, a truck driver hauling many different commodities we use in everyday life. It was a rewarding job in the past, but as time and today's changes in the economy took a downward spiral, I had to decide my future and my career choices wisely. So, since I wanted to succeed and accomplish the goals that I always wanted to achieve, I decided to go back to school.

Deciding to go back to school is a major challenge for me, but if I want a stable career, it's the only thing that makes sense in today's world and its challenges. There are lots of opportunities out in the job market as a truck driver, but I have decided that school is the best thing for my future and the new career I have chosen. There are easier things I could have chosen to do, but I like learning now more than I did when I was a student at Boyd County High School back in 1974-76. I learned a valuable lesson the hard way. Now I have to learn from that and go on and never give up on my expectations.

Furthermore, as a truck driver for many years, I always had the drive to learn something new every day. Every time I read something that pertained to the job I was doing, I learned new things, so I was in certain circumstances learning. So school is something I have been doing but in a different form or environment. For example, reading log books or paper work related to the job I was doing at the time of employment were things I could not have accomplished without school and its rewards from the past.

So, I decided to take my career to a new level and further my education. I can use my past experience as a truck driver in my new career that I wish to achieve when I get out of school. I plan to use my school degree and experience as a truck driver to achieve this goal that I have set for myself. My new career that I have chosen at this time is to be a D.O.T. officer in Kentucky. A D.O.T. officer's job is to check commercial trucks that travel through the state of Kentucky. They do road patrols and check for safety violations and things that might be unsafe to the general public and the drivers who operate them.

Finally, my choice to go back to school at this time in my life will be an investment that I think will be worth the time and effort I put forth to achieve my new career and life style. My past experiences have made me realize that if anyone wants to achieve things in life, you have to put an effort into your goal and never give up, no matter how many times you have a setback in life. Never quit learning; it will carry you a long way in life. Look out in the world today and look at all the things and wonders that we have because of school and learning. So this has inspired me to go back to school and become a D.O.T. officer and make my career choice a reality.

Robert Rigsby