We're taking bets that we take our safety for granted...

We all take our safety for granted. It is sad to say that bad stuff happens everywhere. At the college where I work at the campus community woke up to the e-mail below. Sadly things like this are happening more and more on college campuses and in places that were considered safe before. I included the e-mail because I want people to read the safety tips because they are very important. Males should follow these rules as well although we usually think we are tough enough to handle these types of situations we are not. Please don't take your safety for granted. Bad things have happened for centuries upon centuries, but we should educate ourselves and our children so that we can lessen the potential bad things. I hope this is helpful for people or at the very least scares you into being safer.


To: All Members of the College Community
From: Chief of Campus Police
Date: April 18, 2006

All members of the College Community are alerted of the following incidents that occurred on campus between late last night and early this morning:

A female student was abducted at knife point from the Evergreen Village parking lot at approximately 11:00 p.m. last evening. The student was forced to make an ATM withdrawal and the perpetrator stole her money.The student was sexually assaulted before being returned to campus approximately two hours later. She was treated for injuries sustained during the incident. Later, a Gateway Village apartment was entered through an unlocked door. A female student wakened to find the intruder holding her at knife point and demanding money. She struggled with the offender and called out to her roommate causing the intruder to flee the area. The student sustained a minor cut to her neck during the incident. Also, an incident of breaking and entering through an unlocked door was reported in Gateway Village in which two laptop computers were stolen. No one was injured in this incident. The College’s Police Department and the Springfield Police Department are conducting a joint investigation. These incidents are believed to have been committed by the sameindividual. He is described as a white male between 20 and 30 yearsold, wearing dark pants, gray shirt, and an olive (green) cap.

IMPORTANT SAFETY REMINDERS
1.) Be sure to keep your doors locked.
2.) Do not travel alone at night. We encourage you to use the “BuddySystem.” Please remember the Campus Police Department also offers a24-hour escort service
3.) Blue Light Emergency Call Boxes are located throughout the campus toreport suspicious activity.
4.) Be alert to your surroundings. If you notice any suspiciousactivity, please report it to the Campus Police Department immediately.
5.) Remember that the College offers personal safety programs for all members of the College community through the Office of Residence Lifeand Campus Police.
6.) Accurate, firsthand information reported to Campus Police is encouraged and will assist in the investigation.
ADDITIONAL COLLEGE INITIATIVES
1.) The College’s Campus Police Department has increased foot, bike, and cruiser patrols throughout the campus.
2.) Additional Residence Life Staff will be on duty.
3.) The security cameras throughout campus have been useful in providing details for the joint investigation and will continue to be used by the police departments. Anyone having any accurate, firsthand information regarding these incidents should contact Campus Police immediately.

We're taking bets that Hottie of the Week...

Hottie Alana De La Garza of CSI: Miami is the newest in a long line of CSI Hotties. She play Delko's sister Marisol who has cancer and the hots for Horatio. Each episode she is in makes the show even better. I hope she signs a long term contract to make CSI: Miami as hot as it should be. :)

We're taking bets that you are not a CSI...

CBS's CSI has offered up some clues to its final few episodes with a web page. This page could provide you with minutes of entertainment or hours of frustration. Hopefully you can find the clues because I didn't see much myself. Yes there is a dead guy there and I don't think he is a clue. Have fun.

We're taking bets that August needs a holiday...

Hey Everybody!!! Spring is rocking out currently. Although it is 7,000 degrees in my office I am enjoying the weather. I hope everyone else across the country is enjoying Spring so far. It is Question Time once again. Have fun. Invite others to answer. Just post in the comments section. Remember you can be anonymous.

A. The United States is in need of a major holiday for August. It is up to you to come up with this holiday. What would your holiday be and would workers have it off or not?

B. Which side of the bed do you typically sleep on?

C. What is more annoying being awoken by a car alarm or a phone call with the wrong number?

Answers

A. My Holiday would be August 14th and it would be called Play Day. It would be a federal holiday and only convenience stores and supermarkets would be open. People across the country would play games that day outside. Wiffle Ball and Ultimate Frisbee Tournaments would be held across the land. Oh what fun we would have. :)

B. I actually love the left side of the bed, but I tend to move to whereever is most comfortable.

C. I think being woken up by the wrong number is absolutely the worst. Especially since there is almost never any good news coming out of a phone call after Midnight.

We're taking bets that Fenway gets better every year...

Opening Day at Fenway Park was yesterday. The new EMC Club was introduced to the public. So now the rich people have to endure the elements. Which is how baseball should be enjoyed anyway. The experience was fantastic for everyone that attended especially since the Sox beat the Blue Jays 5-3 with new ace Josh Beckett getting his second win. Nothing probably will ever top last year's World Series ring ceremony in front of the hated Yankees, but I can't stop thinking that Fenway Park just keeps getting better. Some day they will probably have to build a new one, but the one we have now needs to be cherished every single day.

We're taking bets that Hottie of the Week...

Hottie Mary J. Blige has been on top of the Billboard charts for much of the last month and a half. Like most celebrity women she is consistently changing her hair, but she always looks great. If you missed her performance on Saturday Night Live you truly missed a beautiful singer at the top of her game. I hope she continues to make beautiful music and entrance us with her beautiful eyes.

We're taking bets that Da Vinci is happy with the outcome...

Here are a couple of observations I have had over the past few days...

* Being sick is not a bad thing because you can catch up on sleep and TiVo. The only thing I could do without is the lethargy and the sinus pressure. I think it would be great if there was an illness where you could not go out for a couple of days because you were contagious, but there was no pain involved.

* Inside Man is a must see movie. Denzel Washington and Clive Owen are absolutely fantastic actors. The story is great and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering exactly what is going to happen next. I think that Spike Lee might have found a way to make great movies again. All he needs to do is make one movie like this every other year and he can make his message movies in the opposite years.

* Dan Brown won his case where he was called a copycat. Now The Da Vinci Code" can continue to be the book most people say they last read without feeling like they are reading a thief. It also means that the movie with Tom Hanks will go on as scheduled. I think that it will become one of the the top ten blockbusters of all time. The story is that good and Paul Bettany looks so creepy as the albino that it has to be a great movie.

* Having worked facilities management this story makes me smile. My favorite line was about the emergency toilets that could be flushed later. Wasn't every toilet an emergency toilet that could be flushed later or did they designate some as brown only and others as yellow only? I guy has to wonder. :)

We're taking bets that snow in April is never fun...

Well it is currently only 45 degrees here in Western Massachusetts and yesterday we had a snowstorm. Granted all the snow is gone now, but it was not too much fun. I also don't understand why New Englanders lose their ability to drive in the snow after April 1st. It is crazy. I hope that everyone has had a great to start to April. It is Question Thursday. Post your answers in the comments section. Get others to answer. The more the merrier. Don't forget you can be anonymous. Have fun.

A. You are an evil mastermind. For some strange reason everytime you enter a room a song plays. What would that song be?

B. Ben & Jerry need your help! What is their newest ice cream concoction, and what are you going to name it?

Answers:

A. I think mine would be something that wouldn't give away my evil tendencies. I think that Right Now by Van Halen would be the best beginning for me. Good piano intro. Can't really beat that.

B. It would be Butter Cream Ice Cream with mini balls of Lindt Chocolate and peanut butter swirls. I would call it Better Butter Nutter. :)

We're taking bets that Katie Couric is going to be missed Today...

Katie Couric has announced that she is leaving the Today Show in May. She gave a heartfelt speech this morning to all of her viewers. (If you have the capability go to msnbc.com to view it.) She is going to be the first solo woman anchor of CBS Evening News. I think she is going to be fantastic at it and be a reason to watch network news again. I really do hope that she has a couple saying like Walter Cronkite did. I am mostly looking forward to all the montages that NBC will do over the course of the next month and a half. She has had like a billion haircuts over the last 15 years and it would be fun to see them all. I hope that NBC is able to find a suitable replacement. Someone perky, intelligent, beautiful, and funny. If that is not too much to ask.

We're taking bets that squirrels are fun...

Spring has arrived and Squirrel season is in full affect. No I do not mean squirrel hunting season. Just the fact that they are everywhere you look. You gotta love squirrels because they are the most paranoid animals in the world. I don't know who their natural predators are but it must be close to impossible for them to be caught because they almost never rest unless they are in a tree checking things out. It amazes me that they can be on the side of a tree facing downward and not get dizzy. Wouldn't you think that all of the blood would rush to their heads like it does with us. Though I guess it would be pretty weird seeing a bunch of squirrels falling out of trees because they are lightheaded. Have a great day everyone.

We're taking bets that Hottie of the Week...

Hottie Sarah Shahi is best known for her work as Carmen on Showtime's The L Word. She is also in NBC's new comedy Teachers. Since Teachers will only be on for a few weeks before it will be cancelled I thought I should bring attention to Sarah. She is an ex-Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. An extremely beautiful girl who hopefully has better shows ahead of her.

We're taking bets that WNEC is lucky to have Al & Marian LaRiviere...

Being a college administrator I get to meet wonderful people on practically a daily basis. Tonight we had a reception put on by two benefactors to WNEC, the LaRiviere's. They have a residence hall named after them and they always put on a reception for the students of the building every April. Al and Marian are easily in their 80's and love the college with all their hearts. They come to the building and cannot wait to speak to the students. Although the students are a little apprehensive they warm right up to them and share about things like their classes or the NCAA tournament. These are two amazing people that try hard to give back to the community they love so much. WNEC is very lucky Al and Marian are a part of their community and I feel blessed that I was able to be a part of their generosity.