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

My enjoyment of my free time is spent in many ways. I like hanging out and catching up with my friends. I really enjoy many forms of exercise and going to the gym. The most important form of leisure to me is spending it with my family.

To me, catching up on things and getting to hang out with my friends is a great way to spend my spare time. I like to go shopping and being able to try on clothes with my girl-friends. I also think being able to walk around a park and maybe even bringing the kids is a good way to catch up and hang out. Just one evening out to dinner and having a casual conversation, or just having a relaxing evening out with a friend is a good way to spend if I get a free evening.

Another way I enjoy my time off is spent in many forms of exercise or even going to the gym. I like to get out and walk, sometimes even run for several miles to challenge myself. Going to the gym for a good workout clears my head and it also is a good stress release for me. My favorite is spent hiking with my father and we spend the day observing nature, and it's also a great getaway from daily life if I get any leisure time.

Most importantly to me is to be able to spend time with my family. I think having a game night is a great way to spend with them to catch up on everyday things. Getting to go biking is a very enjoyable way to spend with my family and is a good activity too when we are free. I also love to spend a pleasant evening just sitting around a campfire and going camping with my family as well.

These are many ways that I enjoy spending my free time along with so much more that I love to do. I think just to be able to catch up and hang out with my friends once in a while is a great escape. To be able to go out to the gym or even go exercise is mentally and physically a good way to spend if I get time off. The most significant way that I can spend any spare time is with with family.

Autumn Johnson

Staying Healthy

There are many things you can do to keep healthy and also many benefits to staying healthy. Dieting and exercising are the most common techniques to staying in shape and healthy. Staying healthy yourself not only provides a better lifestyle for you, but also provides a better future for your family. Best of all, it improves your mental and physical state of mind.

Dieting doesn’t always work. The majority of people who diet either fails or they gain back all the weight. You don’t have to “diet”, you just need to improve your eating habits. It’s always nice to eat out, but don’t do it often. Greasy foods are horrible for your body! Also, it’s good to make not eating after six or seven a habit. Sodas are full of calories. With that said, watch drinking them too much or just totally eliminate sodas from your diet. The acids are horrible for your teeth anyway!

Exercising is great for your health and your state of mind. Exercises like running, sit – ups, push-ups, swimming, and weight-lifting, etc. burns many calories. It tones your muscles, suppresses your appetite, and also increases your strength and endurance. Exercising is known to inhibit depression, while also encouraging others to have a healthier lifestyle. In addition, exercising improves your mental and physical performances.

Staying healthy is easy for some, yet hard for others. If you have a healthy lifestyle it encourages your family to stay healthy their selves, while it also gives you a healthier future with your family. If you keep a well balanced diet, along with exercise you’ll have less risk of being obese. Furthermore, when you’re healthy you feel better about yourself.

After all, staying healthy isn’t all that complicated. There are many benefits to it also. Dieting betters your whole family’s future, along exercise. It helps you mentally and physically. The healthier your lifestyle is the more likely you are to encourage your family and any others around you to better themselves and the way they live by balancing their diet and exercising.

Ashley Freeze

My Opinion on Domestic Violence

I do not believe people who commit domestic violence should be let out of jail. People who commit domestic violence end up hurting a lot of people. The courts most usually ignore the fact that the perpetrators will keep repeating the violence.

Domestic violence has three stages. First off, there is physical abuse where there are black eyes, broken bones, and concussions. Then there is mental abuse where they say things like you are ugly, worthless, stupid; you can't do anything right; or it is all your fault that I hit you. Then finally there is sexual abuse. The abuser will try to make you have sex or leave, or he may tell you that you will have sex with his friend or get out. Or he may even say things like you cannot have sex worth a damn.

It always ends up hurting a lot of innocent people. There are thousands of women who get hurt every day. There are many children (believe it or not) who end up in the hospital or morgue. There are even men who get abused, maybe not as many as women and children, but it happens to the men, too. Sometimes there is even death involved in the most violent cases of domestic violence.

In most cases, the courts do not think about what abuse does to the victims. The perpetrators will always plead innocent and swear that they do not remember doing it. They will spend very little time in jail. The judges never seem to order them to get any kind of therapy for the battery to their victims.

I do not think that perpetrators who commit domestic violence should be let out of jail without at least being ordered by the judge to get some kind of therapy for their crimes against women, children, or other men. Because once they get out, they are going to do it again--maybe even killing their victim.

Tiawatha Stevens

How to become a pastor

In this day and age becoming a pastor means you need to have an education. It requires you to go to school. Therefore, I am going to break it down, so if you choose to be a pastor you will be well informed.

First, you must have a desire to become a pastor. You need to be a good people person but be able to be assertive. You must also have a calling from God; that's the most important in my personal belief.

Second, you must have at least a high school education. You then must seek out the pastoral college you wish to attend. Sometimes people wish to choose the college by their denomination or faith. I would choose by prayer.

Third, when you have meet or fulfilled all the requirements, you must apply to the college you choose or are led to. After you complete 18 months to 2 years, you will be called to one, two, or several churches. You must choose one and only one. When you've done all that, get to know your new congregation and begin your new life in ministry.

When you become a pastor you will become a leader, a counselor, a friend, a brother and a father. This life is a very rewarding and fruitful life. I hope to be a pastor one day myself.

My Best Friend

When I was twenty two years old, I bought a dog from my friend Ian. I was sitting at home one day, when the phone rang. It was Ian, wanting me to come to his house. His female pit bull, Sadie, had a litter of puppies, and he wanted me to come and see them. As soon as I got off the phone, I got in the car and headed to his house.

As I pulled in the driveway, I saw Ian standing at the door waiting on me to arrive. So I put the car into park, got out and walked inside. When I got inside, Ian acted like he couldn’t wait for me to see Sadie’s new puppies. He just kept saying, “Man, you gotta see these pups!” So we made our way upstairs, where Sadie and her pups were.

Before we even got to the top of the steps, I could hear them crying and yelping. As soon as Ian opened the door, I saw some of the prettiest puppies I had ever seen! As I looked at them, I didn’t see any of them that I really wanted. Ian said that he also had two more pit bull pups out back that he would be interested in selling as well. So I agreed that we make our way to them. Maybe I would be interested in taking one of them home.

Once we were in the back yard where he kept the rest of his dogs, we walked up to a kennel with three dogs in it. The first one I saw was brown with white around his eyes. His name was Duke, he was six months old, and weighed sixty five pounds. That’s huge for a six month old pit bull! The second dog’s name was Trigger, and he was black and white. Ian said that Trigger was two and a half months old, and weighed about twenty pounds. He was definitely the most beautiful dog I had ever seen in my entire life! The third and final dog was a female, brindle in color, and about thirty pounds. Ian said that he would rather keep her though. The only thing that I could think of was that I really wanted Trigger! So, I had him get Trigger out of the kennel, and we headed back into the house. Once we got back inside, Ian went to the kitchen to get Trigger’s papers out of the cabinet above the sink. He handed me the papers and I handed him three hundred dollars. Then I decided to get my new dog home.

Over the next three years, Trigger learned so much! He would follow me anywhere, and everywhere I went. He was the most loyal dog I had ever seen. I could tell him just about anything and he would do it. Furthermore, he would protect me from anything that he thought might try to harm me. He loved kids too. He would protect them from harm at any cost. Then just before he turned four years old, someone came in my yard in the middle of the night, and stole him right off his chain. I haven’t seen him since. Trigger was my best friend, but nothing could ever take away the memories that we share together. I think about him everyday, and I know that he is still thinking about me as well.

written by: Dustin Caldwell