You have rights....but not here.

Photo thanks to sxc.hu

North Korea seems to once again create extra tension between them and the United States.

On March 17, Lauran Ling and Euna Lee, two American journalists from Current TV in San Francisco, were apprehended by North Korean soldiers on the North Korea China border.

The charges placed against them are "committing hostilities against Korean nation and illegal entry," said KCNA. They are being sentenced to 12 years of hard labour.

According to the New York Times "The United States government had demanded that the North forgo the legal proceedings and release the two women."

The women were doing a story on refugees fleeing from North Korea to China in search of food.

It's unknown if or when North Korea will release the two back to the U.S. but the U.S. is still pursuing their release.

Additional sources: http://www.topix.com/topstories/north-korea
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/08/world/asia/08north.html

-Erik Bender

Sailor duck saves life.

Bay Area News reported that a rubber duck in the form of a sailor saved a 90-year-old woman's life this weekend.

Thursday, after Shirley Madsen had a riveting day at the casino she decided to have a bath before dinner.

"I only had an egg and a half of a pancake for breakfast," Madsen said. "When I got home I was trying to decide whether to have dinner first or take a bath."

According to Madsen's daughter, Diane Weber, Madsen leads a very active lifestyle, and it is not uncommon for her to miss her daughters phone calls during the day.

However, when Madsen decided to get out of the tub she could not lift herself. She stayed warm by continually draining and refilling the tub with warm water.

Too weak to use her hands as a cup, Madsen discovered that a rubber sailor duck had a hole in the bottom that would be sufficient for collecting water.

Madsen was discovered by Weber on Saturday when another daughter, Christine Steigelman grew concerned. Madsen returned home with dry skin, a deep tissue bruise and the equivalence of two bed sores.

"I will never get in another bathtub, ever," Madsen said.

With a laugh, she further advises: "Get a bunch of rubber duckies and make sure one of them can't swim."

Having a safety plan is important when many of us have older relatives that are beginning to show signs of aging. Madsen's daughter Steigelman said, "We are close (family) and we had a routine, but we did not have a plan."

Madsen will be equipped with a waterproof medical alert device in case of this ever happening again. Unfortunately for some, it is too late, our elderly relatives may be too weak or confused to push the button on the device.

Do you have an elderly relative or neighbor who doesn't have extended family? Make sure you talk with your family or neighbor to create a plan like Madsen's daughters did. If she doesn't answer their twice daily phone calls, a member of their family will go to her home and check on her.

For more information on medical alert devices, check out LifeStation's 11 tips, and an article in the NYTimes about the importance of research.

Flickr photo by Jo Naylor.

-Becca Martino

Finals Week!

So this week is finals week, everyone has their heads slammed into their books, studying, studying, and more studying. I have found that having short hair is a benefit during finals week, why you ask? Because, all the hair I've been trying to pull out is too short for me to do so!

The bright side is, after this week, most of us can relax. Unless you are getting right back into the mix by taking summer classes of course.

Everyone knows this is a stressful time. Some ways to alleviate that stress are as follows:

• Go to Collegehumor.com and scroll around, I guarantee you will laugh.
• Take an hour out of the day and go to the gym.
• Go take a walk
• Play with a cat, they are proven to reduce stress...unless you are allergic, than stay away.
• Stop studying, turn the lights off, put some techno on, and dance. (I listen to techno and dance while I study, but that's just me)
• Put your face in a hole here.
• Read about other peoples misfortunes at FMyLife.com.
• Take naps.

So, there you have it folks. I had a great time with all of you in class! Study hard, don't over exert yourself, and good luck on your finals!

-Justin Brauch

Photo Credit: poppy2323 at flickr.com.

Does anyone know what these big seed plants are? They have self seeded all over the Philomath area; the flowers are purple and about four or five inches in diameter the seeds look like giant dandelion seeds. I think their beautiful. When I was a child I used to pick dandelion seeds, make a wish and blow them all over the yard chasing them in the breeze and trying to catch them. It was a silly little game that I played by my self when I was around eight or nine years old.
photo by: Lillian Love Whoops this is suppose to be on the photo blog. Me and my computer are haveing quite the time trying to get the write blog account up. forgive me this will be in it's rightful area soon.

LBCC dives deep for local youth

LBCC’s physical science department has partnered with the Oregon Workforce Alliance to deploy an underwater and volcanic exploration team.

The team, which consists of LBCC students and nearly 50 young adults ages 14-21 from across Oregon, will spend part of July and August engineering, building, and operating an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

The ROV will do the deep water diving and exploration of the underwater volcanic geology of Newberry Caldera, 70 meters under the surface of Paulina Lake, a part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, 25 miles south of Bend. The team will operate and maintain the vehicle from the shore, analyzing data, videos, and samples, and documenting the research, according to an LBCC press release.

LBCC physical science instructor Greg Mulder and a team of undergraduates, including LBCC’s ROV Club, will be on staff for nearly six weeks at Paulina this summer.

“This is really exciting,” Mulder said. “A number of our students get to take part in real-world exploration and discovery.”

The goal of the project is to better understand Oregon geology and expose participants to career choices in science, engineering, and math.

In addition, the LBCC ROV Club will travel to Buzzards Bay, Mass. next month to the Marine Advance Technology Education Center for an international ROV competition. According to Mulder, at the last competition LBCC’s ROV Club beat out schools such as Purdue and MIT.
The club’s current mission is to “design an ROV capable of successfully completing a submarine rescue training exercise,” states the ROV Web page.

The Oregon Workforce Alliance is supporting the project financially with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars to make the program available to at-risk teens and adults

“We’re thrilled to support and partner on this project. Youth across rural Oregon will benefit from the opportunity and experience, hopefully sparking their interest for their future and career choices,” said Kris Latimer, CEO of the Oregon Workforce Alliance.

According to the release, being part of an exploratory team will give participants the opportunity to gain skills in communication, self-esteem, and teamwork.

Other partners in the project include Clatsop Community College, Central Oregon Community College, Community Services Consortium, Linn Benton Lincoln Workforce Investment Board, and the Job Council.

Additional information about the project and enrollment in LBCC’s ROV Club is available at www.tocowa.org/urov.html or www.lbccrov.com. For more information about the Oregon Workforce Alliance, go to www.tocowa.org or call Kris Latimer, at 541-928-0241.

(photo credit: LBCC ROV club)

People Who Make a Difference

This year has been one of the best years in my life. I have learned more this year then anytime that I can remember. I would not have been able to do as well if it were not for all the help and genuine support that I received from teachers, counselors and students. The students who greeted me every mourning,made coffee, and prepared my lunch every day will all be missed. I was spoiled with all the fabulous service and excellent gourmet food I received everyday at school . You will all be missed and I look forward to seeing all, who return next fall. I hope you all have a great Summer!
Posted by, Lillian Love

Welcome to Camp (David Studios)

A band can only be as good as it’s recording. David Lindell, a Corvallis area native, has been recording bands and single handedly running Camp David Studio since late 2005. David started the camp in his moms garage. He quickly made enough money to move the camp into a storage unit in south town Corvallis, where it sat for 3 years before David moved it to Portland.

Why work at a gas station or in fast food when you could record bands. David started the camp so he could be his own boss, so he didn’t have to get a “real job.” He chooses when he works, and who he works with. I don’t think that David realizes the impact he has on other bands. He helps bands take it to the nest level.

Just a small list of bands that David has recorded includes Broadway Calls, the Angries, No City Lights, Arise the dead, Rental 58, The Reed Sea, Two Hands, Box Modern and many more.

The thing that really sets Camp Dave apart from other studios is David’s precise attention to detail. When working on the computer he’s known to pull every track apart down to the shortest of intervals fading out unneeded rings, leveling out volumes and adjusting the tones. This dedication along with the highest quality of equipment makes for one sweet recording.

Ross Goodman, of No City Lights, had the pleasure of recording with his band at Camp David Studio Several times. “He’s pretty professional, yet makes it a loose working atmosphere.” Goodman explained that the songs he’d recorded with David have helped immensely in getting shows and that David also helps gain bands recognition by featuring songs recorded by them on his MySpace page. “David has a lot of creative insight for the bands recording with him, whether they choose to accept it or not is up to them.”

If you’re in a band considering doing some recording, think about heading to the camp to lay down a couple tracks. David just urges that if you do come to record with him, “make sure you’re ready to go and bring a good attitude. I try my very hardest to make you sound good, you should too!”

You can contact David through the camp’s MySpace page, www.myspace.com/davidlindellaudio. He welcomes any questions you may have and would be glad to set up an appointment to record.


photo by Mike Finn


-Blair McMackin