The signs are all here: displays in department store windows
are showing elves playing peek-a-boo behind lavishly wrapped
gift boxes; kiddies are forming long lines in order to whisper
their heart’s desires in Santa’s ear; and lights of red, green, and
gold are adorning most people’s homes. Yes, we would have to
say it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This is
supposed to be a joyous season but sometimes this, along with
what the true meaning of Christmas is, can be forgotten as we
rush from store to store looking for the perfect gift. Giving
presents and trimming trees are great ways to celebrate
Christmas, just as long as we keep in mind the reason for our
celebration—the birth of Christ.
All of us on the "Cougar Cry” staff would like to wish
everyone here at Wilkes Community College a very Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year! Working for this news
paper all this year has been a very rewarding experience, and
we would like to thank all of our readers for the wonderful
support we have gotten thus far. Merry Christmas and God
bless!
'Amber Burgess
'Christy Blevins
Shoebox Drive
Successful
Thanks goes out to everyone who
participated in the Operation Christ
mas Child campaign. Because of your
donations. Alpha Kappa Omega was
able to deliver forty-six shoe boxes
filled with toys, clothes, books and
candy to Samaritan’s Purse ministries
in Boone on November 16, 1995.
These boxes will be given to Bosnian
children who really have very little to
call their own. Everyone who helped,
whether it was by giving money, bring
ing donations, or taking the time to
wrap boxes, should feel good inside
knowing that they helped to bring a
smile to some child’s face this Christ
mas. Donations and gifts to send the
filled boxes amounted to $230.00.
The chapter expresses thanks to all
that participated.
Wellness Fair
Coming to WCC
Wilkes Community College will
hold its annual wellness fair on Tues-
dayj^January 23,1996 from 12:00 pm
to 1:00 pm in the Commons Area of
Thompson Hall. This year’s theme is
HTNESS FOR THE FUTURE. Rep
resentatives from various service organi
zations will distribute free materials
on fitness, nutrition, and other well
ness issues. The event is open to all
students and college employees. Stop
by, browse, and get some refresh
ments at the wellness fair.
Attention Financial Aid Students!
1995-1996 Calendar
Dec. 18
Monday
federal Pell Grant Payment Date
Federal NCSIG Payment Date
Dec. 21
Thursday
Federal Work Study Payment Date
Dec. 21-
]an. 1
NO CLASSES!
Jan. 2
Tuesday
1996-1997 Federal Student Aid Applications and
1996-1997 WCC Scholarship Applications
Available
Jan. 19
Friday
Federal SEOG Payment Date
Jan. 31
Wednesday
' Federal Work Study Payment Date
Feb. 2
Friday
Last Day to withdraw from a class
Last Day to apply for a Winter Quarter Loan
Feb. 6
Tuesday
No Classes—Spring Quarter Registration and
Advisement Day
Feb. 6-9
Tues.-Fri.
Early Registration for Spring Quarter
Feb. 23
Friday
Last Day of Classes Winter Quarter
Why We
Lose Jobs
There are three students in my
classes who have lost their jobs
because of imports. The students I
speak of, Hal, Don, and Michael, are
very fortunate because they are con
tinuing their education. They had the
misfortune of losing their jobs, but
they have been blessed with an edu
cational opportunity to build a
stronger foundation for their future.
Where did their jobs go? I read an
article in the November 1995 issue of
Awake! entitled "So Many Live and
Die in Crushing Poverty!” and I
believe that I had located my class
mates jobs. A young Asian girl named
Yati works in a factory sewing leather
and lace for shoes. Yati works 250
hours a month - that is 62.5 hours a
week and she earns a grand total of
$80 a month. She is forced to live with
two other people in a lO-by-12 foot
shack with no furniture whatsoever.
Yati sleeps on a mud and tile floor in
the fetal position. She is malnourished
as most of her people are.
The company that Yati works for
sell their shoes in the United States for
more than $60 a pair. Yati and other
employees who helped make that shoe
were paid approximately $1.40.
Our great nation supports the
grandeur of the United States and the
indignities of other countries. "It is a
price the companies are willing to pay
for their greed. So as the profits
mount, so do the heartbreaking cas
ualty figures” (p. 3). We lose our jobs
at an alarming rate and Asians lose
their lives in an appalling manner.
Who is to blame?
-Christine Boult
Last Payment Date for Federal Pell Garnt, SEOG,
NCSIG, Loans and Scholarships, Winter Quarter
The New Generation
Cerebrovascular accident or stroke
is the primary neurologic problem in
the United States and in the world. It
is also the third ranking cause of
death.
Having a stroke is an after effect of
one of the following events: a blood
clot within a blood vessel of the neck
or brain, a clot or foreign material
carried to the brain, or a rupture of a
cerebral blood vessel causing bleeding
into the brain tissues. Any of the
above can cause an interruption in the
blood supply to the brain and cause
temporary or permanent loss of move
ment, sensation, memory, speech, or
thought process.
Mycordial Infarction or heart at
tack is another increasing problem in
our country. Mycordial Infarction
refers to mycordial tissue that is de
stroyed in regions of the heart by
being deprived of adequate blood
supply due to decreased coronary
blood flow. The reduction of blood
flow is either from a narrowing of a
coronary artery or a complete oc
clusion of an artery. In the United
States, well over a million heart
attacks occur annually.
The best way to prevent a stroke or
heart attack is knowledge. Knowing
the risks and taking steps to alter the
factors that predispose a person to
having a stroke or heart attack may
save a person from having an early,
untimely death or permanimt lifetime
disability.
Although there are certain causes of
a stroke and or a heart attack that a
person can’t change, such as age or
gender (Heart attacks are seen more in
males over forty years of age). A big
risk factor that one can change is in his
or her diet. A person can make a big
difference by controlling his or her
blood pressure and cholesterol by
decreasing fat intake.
A few months ago while working, a
conversation was about how we
usually see strokes and heart attacks in
the elderly patients. We are now
seeing twenty-, thirty-, and forty-year
old patients with heart attacks and
symptoms of strokes. A doctor sitting
at the desk commented, "This is the
beginning of the McDonald gener
ation.” After thinking about it,
I realized what he meant The age
groups that we are seeing have such an
increase in cardiovascular disease and
strokes are age groups that grew up
during the time fast food restaurants
moved into our country.
If this is the beginning of the
McDonald Generation, I encourage
you to think of the end results and
what we are doing to our children and
the future generations. It’s fast and it’s
quick. It only takes a minute. If you
have to choose food, ask for a
nutrition guide and choose healthy.
Remember, knowledge and the use of
it is your best tool to a long, healthy,
and happy life.
■Pamela Rhoades