Brain Contour

The map below shows the latest results from a Forbes study, using IRS data, on where Americans moved from one county to another during the year 2008. I specifically picked Brookings, South Dakota and I was not surprised to see more of comings than goings. This is most likely due to the influx of students to the county. The South Dakota State University in Brookings is the largest university in the state.

SDSU Wecota Hall First Floor

Never mind the grammar, but the note is a threat to my existence at the basement. He specifically picked me when I am not the only one drinking coffee in the room, neither the only one throwing coffee cups in the waste bin.

For the past weeks, I have been complaining about the cleanliness of room 008. I have never talked to the cleaning guy, but the Center’s secretary. Although, I am pretty sure the admin has already been informed regarding the problem, it looks to me the guy has not done anything about it (yet) for weeks now since the complaint was raised.

The State of Peace Map

Here is where we stand among the bottom countries (with average scores):

Philippine Flores de Mayo

I was surprised to see a celebration of Flores de Mayo(Flowers of May) at the St. Thomas More Parish in Brookings, SD during the first Sunday of May. Little kids were bringing flowers to the image of the blessed Mother Mary near the altar. It was just a short event done after the Sunday mass.

In the Philippines, May is not complete without Flores de Mayo, a gentle and esthetically pleasing, four-week long festival celebrated in honor of the Virgin Mary. It is gathering kalachuchi shoots and sampaguita buds. It is filling the reed trays with petals of all kinds carrying baskets of: camias, santan, sampaguitas, lerios — the flowers of May.

It is the same celebration as many years ago. It is on how the churches observe and celebrate it and how the people look at it that make the difference. Many people I know say that they offer flowers to Mary for prayer intercession and as a form of thanksgiving.

I could not believe my eyes to read in this week’s issue of the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Collegian newspaper that last week’s plagiarism incident was only considered a mere mistake. I was told by the Collegian editor-in-chief, Ms. Poppinga, in one of our email exchanges last week that “we will take these concerns very seriously and will do what we feel is appropriate to rectify the situation.” I believe the necessary action taken this week is the one called “very seriously.” The “appropriate action” taken to rectify the BLUNDER was to publish a correction note in this week’s issue. It says:

I was informed via email that I got a perfect score for the essay portion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam when I took it more than 3 years ago. Even before the start of the exam, I was confident that I’d do good and expected a high score. But I never imagined getting it perfect.

My overall TOEFL rating reached 277 — a rating more than enough for admission to Harvard, which only admits international students with scores from 260 to 300.

Should international students fill out the US Census 2010?

My housemate and I just received the form for the 2010 US Census. Our first reaction was to throw it directly to the recycle bin, just like what we do to every spam mail we got from Capital One. We both thought the 2010 US Census form is only for Americans, you know for citizens. Census we thought is a count of the citizens, a periodic count of the country’s population (in this case the United States), all for purposes of taxation. So why will the U.S. mind both of us, international students, who may not be staying in the country for good?

The 2010 US Census stayed in the brown box bin for two days until my sister, who will soon become a U.S. citizen, called and asked me about the survey. That was when I thought that maybe my housemate and I were wrong.

Below is the approved two-page joint statement on the U.S. first national broadband plan issued by the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, on Tuesday:

Adopted: March 16, 2010
Released: March 16, 2010
By the Commission:

1. High-speed broadband is beginning to reshape every sector of our economy and many aspects of American life. Broadband service can be an indispensable engine for unleashing innovation and investment, spurring job creation and economic growth, and ensuring our country’s global competitiveness. Working to make sure that America has world-leading high-speed broadband networks—both wired and wireless—lies at the very core of the FCC’s mission in the 21st Century.