As soon as the heavy metal doors of the school slammed behind me and I took a step into the building, I could sense that something was different. Something was missing. The last time that I was in this middle school the halls were alive with excited children carrying instruments, humming or singing new pieces of music, hurrying to their classes. Bright posters and artwork covered the walls, advertising the upcoming band concert and the greatly anticipated spring musical, The Wizard of Oz.

“The NCAA opposes all forms of legal and illegal sports wagering, which has the potential to undermine the integrity of sports contests and jeopardizes the welfare of student-athletes and the intercollegiate athletics community” (“College Sports Betting”). The Internet has made it easier than ever for gambling to occur in an anonymous and unsupervised manner.

Our Founding Fathers established the Electoral College as a system that protects our country and acts in its best interest. Before the crisis of the 2000 Presidential election, the Electoral College debate was on the backburners for many years, however new prominence has been delegated to the issue in recent years and alarming concerns have been brought to the forefront. To some, the election served as evidence in their case for the system’s abolishment, feeling it is archaic and outdated. Radicals such as Illinois Senator, Richard J.

Shopping in the grocery stores, consumers will find increasingly congested stacks of food with the labels of “organic food”. Organic food has been one of the fastest growing sectors of food industry in the past few decades as a legitimate alternative to conventional food. Organic food can be defined as the “product of a farming system which avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth promoters and additives” (Kouba 33). There is a growing market for organic food even though its price is usually significantly higher than that of conventional food.

For the last several years the debate over outlawing horse slaughter in the United States has been a growing issue whose effects are being felt internationally. There are those in favor of outlawing horse slaughter because they believe that their pet should not be slaughtered for someone else’s plate, and that the mass killing of horses is inhumane.

Len Bias is considered by many to be the most talented basketball player to have ever played for the Maryland Terrapins. Twenty-fourth year Duke Coach, and Maryland rival, Mike Krzyzewski, described Bias as “an amazing athlete with great competitiveness,” likening him to the great Michael Jordan (Ryan). Bias’ death from a cocaine overdose, less than two days after being drafted to play in the NBA by the Boston Celtics, shook America, changing college athletics beyond recognition and instigating a period of academic reforms, random drug tests and increased coach responsibilities.

As our nation's economy grows and faces increasing competition from countries like India and China, its energy needs will continue to expand. In a world economy that is dependent on cheap, reliable fuel, our nation needs to adapt to rising world fuel prices in order to simply survive. Currently, the United States is investing in many technologies so that it may produce electricity cheaply; at the same time, it is looking for a solution to burning expensive gas in our cars.

Over the weekend I went grocery shopping and bought about fifty dollars worth of food. As I came back to my dorm, placed the food in the refrigerator, and stored the snacks in the kitchen cabinets, what remained on the kitchen floor were ten empty plastic bags. The cashier had placed what I had purchased in five double-bagged parcels. This is not the first time this has happened to me ever since I arrived here in Maryland as an exchange student one month ago. In fact, it seems to happen every time I go grocery shopping.

On a cold day this past January I was working at my veterinarian's office and I saw the most pitiful sight I have ever seen. I had been aware of neglect, one of my own horses was a rescue, but I only saw the cases where the horse survived. I saw the difference between a horse that lived out his years with a caring master and one who was forgotten and forsaken by his owner.