Mayoral Election--Vote Local

So, okay. There was a great turn-out of young voters in November's presidential election. And that bodes well for an engaged and concerned electorate. But we'll have to see if this translates to a good voter turn-out for the April 7th election, which for Manitowoc voters will feature a mayoral election. Regardless of the outcome, Manitowoc will have its first new mayor in over 20 years. The two candidates are Dave Soeldner and Justin Nickels. Both candidates have made themselves available to the public, and, in particular, to students here at UW-Manitowoc. They each want your vote. The BLURB just wants you to vote. It's the smart thing to do.

Cures for the Mid-Winter Blahs

Well, first of all, unless you have the means to head someplace warm and sunny, you're sort of stuck. But here are three things that might actually help.

# 1. Take megadoses of Vitamin D. Really, it helps. You should be taking 1000 to 2000 units a day in this climate.

# 2. Splurge on some fresh flowers. It doesn't have to be long-stemmed roses. This time of year a bunch of tulips or daffodils can bring on a real "spring is in the air" feeling.

# 3. Do something different. For example, you might want to give Campus Life Nights a try. This week it's an Annex tournament. Next week it's Texas Hold'em and a Taco bar. March 11th is Karaoke night. And the 18th is a Bowling outing at Meadow Lanes North. This stuff is sponsored by Student Senate. It's free. And it's no pressure fun. Or you could try to learn how to juggle watermelons.

Jabali Afrika is performing here February 4th!

Check out a sample of their stuff!

'Cause, Baby, It's Cold Outside

Check out these hot ideas for staying warm on campus.
#1--Get to campus early to snatch up a parking spot near a building entrance, or get to campus late after the early birds have left and vacated their prime spots.
#2--Once on campus, stay put. The food in the Commons is pretty decent and they take debit cards, so save the gas and the chill.
#3--Bring one of those blankets with arms in 'em--like they advertised on TV as perfect Christmas gifts for people who want to read, or knit, or change the channels without having to take their arms out from under the cozy warmth--and slip it on whenever you sit down.
#4--Invest in a case of those hand and foot warmer things that people use for Packer games or deer hunting and ducttape them to any body parts that you want to keep especially warm and that you don't mind removing tape from.
#5--Eat really spicy food.
#6--Wear a goofy hat. (Why is it that all the warm hats are so dumb looking?)
#7--Sit very close to people. (This may require their express consent, of course.)
#8--If you have to leave a warm spot you've managed to secure, move very quickly to another warm spot--run if necessary.
#9--Do something that is terribly embarrassing because it will make you sweat and/or blush.
#10--Read something really spicy. (Even if it doesn't help combat the cold, it might take your mind off it.)

Inauguration or bust!

Two of our students are Inauguration-bound! Check it out:

Study Night, Study Night, Stud-Stud-Study Night

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 may well go down in history as your last crack at getting help in preparation for Fall semester FINAL EXAMINATIONS, which begin bright and early December 17th. So our strong advice to one and all is to don your comfiest apparel and come take advantage of the Student Senate sponsored campus STUDY NIGHT. Over 30 faculty and staff members will be here to answer those last questions and to explain again that vexing issue, formula, phenomenon, or process. To feed the body--if not the mind and soul--there will be sub sandwiches aplenty and healthy as well as corn syrup-laddened accompaniments. The camaraderie alone is worth the trip to campus.

Last Minute Reminder--JOHN RUSH on campus

Just like we've been saying: John Rush--voted campus entertainer of the year in the national On Campus magazine--will be performing here at UW-Manitowoc Wednesday evening, December 10th at 8:00pm. It's free for UW-Manitowoc students. $8.00 for non-students. So come. Bring a date. Bring your mom. She'll think it's very cool to be asked and she'll love the concert.