So as to not exclude those who are under 21 from more fun then they are already missing out on, here’s the gist. $2 Bob is an older man that goes to the bars and hands out $2 bills to girls that he encounters. He wears a $2 Bob hat, so you can’t miss him in the crowds, and carries tons of personalized $2 Bob trinkets with him. Most girls find him creepy, but after talking to Bob for a few minutes one night, I realized that he’s not a “creepy old man”, but in reality, he’s harmless and actually quite introverted.

$2 Bob poses with editor Heather Delp

After wondering about $2 Bob for too long, I decided to ask him if he would do an interview for BU Now. I knew that there had to be an interesting story behind this man and I wanted people to see that he’s not as bad as some might think. He had no problem with it, and after a couple months I was finally able to track him down on Thursday night at Good Old Days for a chat.

I found $2 Bob roaming around upstairs, so I brought him down to the table where my friends and I were sitting. As we passed the bar, Bob asked me if I wanted a drink. I didn’t think drinking another would be great for my interviewing skills, but I didn’t want to be rude, so of course I accepted. I got out my list of questions, pulled up a chair for Bob, and away we went.

$2 Bob is a 62-year-old man who has been married for 40 years. He is the father of three sons, and the grandfather of six grandchildren, with the oldest being five. He is looking forward to Christmas when his family will be reunited and he will be able to see all of his grandkids from Arkansas, Boston, and Pennsylvania. He is the president of a local insurance company and has a business degree from Penn State. Bob likes to go to the movies with his wife on the weekends, and when I asked him what his wife is doing right now, he said “reading”.

One of my big questions for Bob was what his wife thinks about him frequenting the bars. He replied, “as long as I don’t drink and only go out 2-3 nights a week, it’s tolerated”. Yes, you read right, $2 Bob doesn’t drink. You will almost always see him with a drink in hand, but it’s usually soda or cranberry juice. His drink of choice used to be gin and tonic with lime, or a Corona with lime. Fortunately, $2 Bob has been sober since August 30, 1998, which is over eleven years of sobriety.

The front of $2 Bob's business card

$2 Bob said his problem with alcohol started as a way to “self-medicate for severe OCD”, which is obsessive complusive disorder. It was his wifes idea for him to become sober, but he also agrees that it was a good idea. He voluntarily went to the outpatient alcohol program at Geisinger Medical Center, and after weighing the pros and cons, he realized that choosing sobriety was his only option.

Even though $2 Bob doesn’t drink, he says it’s still fun to go to the bar and talk to the students. His transformation from an average guy to a Bloomsburg staple at the local watering holes happened by accident. Bob revealed that he adopted the $2 Bob persona six years ago when he randomly stopped at Harry’s. After awhile, people expected him to have $2 bills and now he says that is part of the reason why he continues to be $2 Bob.

The biggest question I had for Bob was the most obvious, how do you get so many $2 bills and why? Bob says, “the bank orders them in lots of $1500 from the federal reserve”. He also told me that he has always had $2 bills since he was a boy because his grandfather worked at a race track. Bob spends between 40-50 dollars a night giving out his unique bills and says that he has never run out of money. If you have ever seen Bob’s wad of bills, you shouldn’t be surprised. I asked Bob how he can afford to give away money and he replied, “I don’t have any other expensive hobbies except my Penn State season tickets”.

$2 Bob is a relatively normal guy who might have more in common with you than you think. Bob takes one class a semester at Bloomsburg University to get away from work. He says he mostly takes history and pyschology courses, so you might even see $2 Bob around campus. Bob also has his favorite bill as a permanent part of his body. A huge $2 bill is tattooed on his upper back, so no matter what, Bob will always have a $2 bill with him.

Stamps with a picture of $2 Bob and his tattoo

All in all, $2 Bob answered all of my questions and was a great sport about me prying into his personal life. At the end of the interview, Bob left me with this quote, “if people get that much enjoyment out of it, then so do I”. Most people wouldn’t consider a bar the best spot for a recovering alcoholic to hang out, but it seems to be doing more good than harm for Bob. In fact, I give props to Bob for being able to resist alcohol for eleven years while spending at least one day a week at the bar! Hopefully, this article has shed some good light on a quirky but harmless man that you shouldn’t be afraid to talk to and get to know.

Besides, you might even make a few bucks.

Austin Robbins, owner of Ceylon Studios, photo courtesy of Kristey Mascaro.

Austin Robbins, a 23-year-old photography business owner (Ceylon Studios) who grew up in Bloomsburg wasn’t convinced the location of a small town would produce enough profit to sustain his new business. “Main Street feels like it’s been dying off and I wanted to bring something back to the downtown area where people could just hang out and watch the interaction,” Robbins says.

His new location, Elizabethtown, Pa, is a college town similar to Bloomsburg. Although it doesn’t have as much foot traffic, the downtown shop owners hold monthly meetings with the agenda of improving the downtown area in hopes of trying to get people to interact more with their town and notice the local businesses. The primary goal of these meetings is to consider options to make positive influences and have a positive impact on the student life.

Though the effects of the recession have been particularly hard on artists, gallery owners and hopeful entrepreneurs, Robbins was determined to prevail in a time of economic dismay. Although his business seemed to pick up quickly, Robbins has recently discovered that many people would rather have a friend take their pictures, rather than spending the extra cost in a professional studio. The price of a SLR (single lens reflex) cameras has been dropping at an increasingly high rate, making it possible for most anyone to own one. “It’s risky in my opinion. Wedding pictures, senior pictures, they are things that only happen once in your life, and its an experience everyone should have. Pictures last forever. Memories are something you should always invest more in,” Robbins concluded.

The New York Foundation of the Arts recently conducted a statewide survey on how the recession is affecting artists and found that many have lost their jobs and are struggling to afford studio space and materials as well as covering their daily living expenses. To make matters worse, many artists have lost representation, as more galleries have tightened their belts or shut down altogether.

As galleries close and art nonprofits suffer from cutbacks in funding and the loss of support from private institutions, artists must look for new outlets and resources in order to sustain themselves. Many have discovered alternative options for showcasing their work and staying afloat financially.

While it is easy to focus on the negative, many artists are transforming their struggle into opportunity, proving tough times can also be a period of remarkable ingenuity. Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics (FEAST ), a reoccurring communal dinner in a church basement, is a means of democratically supporting emerging local artists. Open to the public, diners pay for their meal on a sliding scale and vote for one of the proposed artists projects, which is then funded by the proceeds from the dinner and presented at the next FEAST.

The economic downturn might not make profits any easier or sustainable for artists, but they continue to look ahead.

Professor Witte's empty Feature Writing class, Friday 9:00 a.m., photo courtesy of Matt Hartman

The obvious response to this question is why are you in college if you aren’t going to put in full effort?  If you are really here to continue your education, why would you short yourself by skipping class?  Attending class is obviously important and can be a huge help, not only to your grade, but to what you actually take out of the class- the real learning that takes place.  But let’s face it; some of the classes we take are only because the curriculum forces us to take them.  I have zero interest in science and math, but I had to take 12 credits, almost an entire semester’s worth of classes.

Bus stop, corner of Glenn Ave. and North Iron Street, photo courtesy of Matt Hartman

I decided to try to find out how some other students felt, so I put together a small little survey.  The survey included a couple simple questions about attendance and I received about 25 student responses.  Not surprisingly, the results ended up being a lot like my thoughts.  Only 1 out of 25 students thought that attending class in college should be mandatory.  Most of the 25 students said that they attend class often, but not every class.  I feel like that is typical, sometimes there are circumstances when a student cannot (or chooses not) to attend: sickness, work, studying for another class, or other circumstances.

“I knew the information and did well on the assignments, but sometimes attendance brought my grades down,” said Nick Searles, a recent BU graduate.

Another question that I asked in the survey was whether or not students thought that attending classes in upper level classes in their major was more important than attending a 100 level gen-ed intro course, and 20 out of the 25 people said yes.

I cannot speak for others, but I think that students want to be at the upper level courses, because one day, they will hopefully be a professional, working and using the information they learned in these upper level courses.

Even though I do not think attendance should be mandatory, I think that students that do not come to class should not be able to make up missed work or hand in assignments late.  If you decide not to come to class, you should not get the benefits that students that attend get, but you should not get penalized for missing.

One student waits for bus before 11:00 a.m. Friday morning, photo courtesy of Matt Hartman

According to Bloomsburg University’s policy on class attendance, “Regular classroom attendance is expected of all students.”

Bloomsburg’s policy on attendance does excuse a student if he or she misses class as a result of extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control, including personal illness, death or critical illness in the immediate family, participation in a university-sponsored activity, or participation in a short term, obligatory military or military reserve activity.  In these cases, a student that misses an assignment should be allowed to make-up the work within a reasonable amount of time.

“I believe that it is the teacher’s responsibility to make class more valuable for the student than whatever else they could be doing,” said Professor Oliver Witte, an instructor in the Mass Communications department.

I understand why the university and professors would want us to attend class; if students attend class more often, participation will be higher and classroom discussions can be held creating a better learning environment.  But, as long as the students are doing the homework and passing quizzes and tests, should they really receive a lower grade for not being in class?  I don’t think so, at least not until the professors or university start paying the students’ tuition bill.

What do you think?

Here are a couple links of other people’s opinions

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/05/01/absent/

www.csmonitor.com/2002/0129/p15s01-lehl.html

The New York Post has been the center of all this Phillies bashing on the front page along with articles inside the paper. The Post has somehow created a sex angle against the Phillies along with calling the city of Philadelphia second-rate in comparison to New York City.  Yes, baseball has to do with these particular cities, but not which one is better. The media buzz surrounding the 2009 World Series is directly targeting the fans and players, mostly the Phillies by the New York Post.  This bashing is not a positive influence on the sports of baseball in any way.

Joel Sherman, who has been covering the Yankees baseball association since 1989 and is the author of “Birth of a Dynasty, Behind the Pinstripes with the 1996 Yankees” said on CNN, “The idea is to get the casual fan involved.  If you flip open the paper and read the words, it’s like one baseball team versus another, just like it’s always been.”  Inside the Post the articles are bashing of the city of Philadelphia, its fans, and the baseball players themselves. There are no straight forwards articles inside the New York Post which states the hard facts about the upcoming games, only articles about A-Rod’s girlfriend, how great their cuisine is in New York, and so on.

The gossip surrounding this series is completely irrelevant to the players. Of course they are going to read about themselves in the paper, which might distract them from playing like they are able to in the games. Yes, the New York Post is not meant to give cold hard facts like the New York Times, for example, but it should still not have a biased opinion for the entire country to see.

In the Philadelphia Daily Item, writers have not included any articles or demeaning headlines to try and say the Yankees are any lesser of a team in comparison to the Phillies.  Dean Grenfell, an avid Philadelphia Phillies fan of Bloomsburg University said, “All this mumbo jumbo is completely pointless. The sport of baseball just needs to be played with no questions or comments about it.”

Will Bunch, a senior writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, said on CNN, “Now since the Phillies won last year’s World Series, Philadelphia is a more confident city. And now it’s like New York is mocking us.” The New York Post has no reason to bash the Philadelphia Phillies team other than out of want to influence the Philadelphia players and fans.

Fans of baseball wonder why this World Series is so much more monumental than the past series. The media has built up these potential seven games to be the biggest games in a couple decades. Along with the buildup, the media has brought the nasty side of journalism into the series and is attempting to influence the opposing team continuously. Baseball is known as the all-American past time sport and that should not be challenged or potentially ruined by a few articles written by bias sports writers of the New York Post.

10. Michael Jackson- Shockingly I personally only saw one Michael Jackson this year.  This Michael Jackson was circa 2000, which I was disappointed with, I personally like the 1980’s Michael Jackson.  At the bar, I saw a guy wearing all black.  He had on a black hat, straight black hair, a black coat, and black sweatpants, the typical Michael Jackson look.  To complete this look, he added sunglasses and a little baby.  Not the most creative on the list but still worthy of the number 10 spot.

9. Male version of Wilma- For years and years, men have been dressing like women for Halloween.  This Halloween I saw something different.  It wasn’t just a guy dressed in his girlfriend’s clothes, I saw a guy dressed up like Wilma!  I guess you can call this a “themed” dress-up for a guy.  Normally guys just find a random dress and wear it.  This costume had a lot of thought behind it.  This guy had to get all of Wilma’s accessories, he had an orange wig, the classic off the shoulder white dress, and the big beaded necklace.   Last year I saw a lot of Flintstone’s and I saw the same this year.   What would have made this outfit even better would have been adding a female version of Fred.  Maybe next year.

8. Lumberjack- Surprisingly, I saw a lot of Lumberjacks this Halloween.  I was actually a lumberjack myself this Halloween! Although my costume doesn’t compare to that of the best lumberjack of the night.  While strolling the streets of Bloomsburg, I saw a tall man approaching me.  As he got closer, I had a better look.  This kid was wearing a plaid shirt, tan short shorts, suspenders, and a huge axe on his back.  To complete this outfit he added a furry hat, knee high socks, construction boots, and aviator sunglasses.  I’m surprised I didn’t see a tree strapped to his back!

7. Green Man- I was not familiar with this Halloween costume until I googled it.  On Halloween night my friends and I saw about 20 green men walking around and we all thought it was great, but we didn’t know what it was. Sunday morning I decided to google the Green Man and I saw he is from the show, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”  I have only watched this show a couple times and it is extremely funny, but I seemed to have missed the episodes with Green Man. However, I did find out who this Green Man is.  Apparently, he runs around Philly in a green body suit and pelts people with volleyballs screaming GREEN MAN.  Now, if I saw these green men doing that, they would be number one on my list.

6. Rednecks- Yes, many people dress up as rednecks for Halloween but I think I found one of the best!  Normally I see guys wearing cut off plaid shirts and sporting a mullet but I have never have a seen girls who dress up like rednecks let alone NASCAR rednecks!  When I came across these pictures on Facebook I couldn’t help but laugh. It was a group of girls who had on cut off jean shorts, disgusting blonde wigs, NASCAR tshirts, hats, and sunglasses. This was a great outfit and I’m sure it drew some laughs from other people!

Picture courtesy of Deana Hulsizer

5. Night at the Roxbury Brothers- We all know the annoying brothers from the famous SNL skit turned movie, Night at the Roxbury.  While at the bar on Saturday night, I saw two guys walked in wearing a purple and blue suit and I thought to myself, “No, this can’t be!”  Sure enough within two minutes of entering the bar they began to dance the famous dance and then I heard them talk and they sounded just like the Steve and Doug Butabi!  It seemed like these guys studied the infamous moves for hours and they succeeded.

Picture courtesy of Jasmine Ferri

4. Lady Gaga-  Lady Gaga has been in the news a lot lately so it’s only fitting that almost everyone wanted to be her for Halloween.  Thursday night, BU Now covered the Halloween Contest in the Scraton Commons.  Lady Gaga was at this contest and she looked amazing.  She had everything down, from the long blonde hair to the crazy outfit.  Just take a look for yourself, it’s amazing.

Picture courtesy of Justin McDonald

3. Transformer-  This had to be one of the most creative costumes I have seen.  Like the Lady Gaga costume, we show this Halloween costume at the Scranton Commons on Thursday night.  He dressed up like a transformer but his costume was made out of Beer Boxes.  How creative is that!  I didn’t see him walking around Saturday night wearing this but I hope he actually wore this out  to parties because I’m sure people would have gone nuts for this outfit.

Picture courtesy of Justin McDonald

2. Legends of the Hidden Temple Teams- Oh yes, the show that every kid wished they were on in the 1990’s.  Everyone wanted to be a Silver Snake or the Blue Barracudas and on Saturday night, some kids made their dream come true!  What made this outfit so great was that there were complete teams and they all looked like they just stepped off of the show!  Everyone had on their team shirt, the gold helmets, kneepads, mouth guards, and of course the fingerless gloves!  Has to be on of the best group costumes I have ever seen.

Picture Courtesy of Amy Lukens

1. Ghostbusters- Who ever thought of this costume is a genius.  When I say Ghostbusters, I don’t just mean he was wearing Ghostbuster coveralls, I’m talking coveralls PLUS the ghost buster backpack.   Crazy outfit right!  I don’t know where this person found the backpack thing, but wherever he found it or if he made it, he did a great job. To make this outfit better, he had someone dressed up with him, but she wasn’t wearing her Ghostbusters pack.  This costume is easily the most amazing thing I have ever seen!  Once you see the backpack, you will understand why this costume is number one on my list.

PIcture courtesy of Jasmine Ferri

There you have it, the top ten list.  If you saw a costume on Saturday night that isn’t on my list, let me know!  As for those who want a kick ass costume next year…start thinking now!

So as the self-appointed Commissioner of Higher Education, I am invoking my “best interests of the party” clause and declaring that Halloween be postponed until the end of the World Series.

Perhaps you have been too busy battling midterms to consult a calendar, but Halloween happens to share Saturday’s square with game three of the 2009 Fall Classic.  This is an obvious problem on two fronts:  1) Halloween is awesome 2) The Phillies-Yankees matchup not only may be the best World Series of our lifetime, but it also has a strangle-hold on the attention of everyone in the tri-state area.

We cannot in good conscience allow these two great events to battle each other for our hearts and livers this weekend.  While the importance of holidays change depending on your age and situation in life, Halloween arguably ranks right between Saint Patrick’s and the day before Thanksgiving for college students.

We shouldn’t be forced to choose. Halloween offers us a weekend filled with candy, booze, and girls dressed in mind-numbingly sexy outfits.  The World Series offers us a weekend of baseball, booze, and girls dressed in Chase Utley jerseys.  I want to move to Utah and marry both.

So here is what I propose.  This weekend, we celebrate the World Series.  Wear your red or blue pinstripes, mix up some “riot juice,” and enjoy Americas past time with your undivided attention.

Then the next weekend, from November 6^th to the 8^th, break out your Halloween costume and party like it’s October 31^st.   (Commissioners’ note: Feel free to break out some “riot juice” for your Halloween parties as well.)

Now traditional Halloween activities can continue. I am not about to wage a crusade against trick-or-treating. I just urge you to reschedule all Halloween-related parties and bar themes.

This idea is not as crazy as you might think. There is certainly a precedent for this type of action. In recent years, we have rescheduled Block Party to avoid a confrontation with the Bloomsburg Renaissance fair. The emergence of TIVO and Hulu.com has spurred a trend of watching TV shows at a time that best suits your lifestyle.  Even celebrations such as 21^st birthdays are commonly moved from a miserable Monday to a freak-fest Friday.

Like the character from Wedding Crashers who had to have her sweet sixteen on her thirteenth birthday, we are a generation that is used to getting what we want whenever we want it.  So let’s make this happen. Join the already 80+ people who have pledged their support to this cause in the “World Series > Halloween” Facebook event.

Remember, Halloween is a holiday, but this movement is a revolution.

Postpone Halloween one week and enjoy both events to the fullest.

And if you must celebrate Halloween this weekend, you could always wear a Yankees hat and go out as an asshole.

Traveling around to six countries in three weeks could prove to be a difficult task, but in my case it was nothing but an experience of a lifetime. First stop in Germany, then onto Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, France, and finally England. Each country was a new and unique experience, which only proved to be something completely different from the last. Between the food, culture and tourist stops, each place I visited brought something new to learn. Each place was an eye opening experience where the pictures could say a thousand words. Seeing the famous tourist attractions in picture or on television is nothing like experiencing their true beauty in person. Many of the museums, monuments and works of art took my breathe away. All the places to see in three weeks in a short amount of time and surely alot to take in.

After receiving information about the opportunity to study abroad for three weeks around Northwest Europe, I could not pass up this trip. What could be better than traveling around Europe and getting credits for classes? Of course at first, money seemed to be an issue, which it is for all college students, but I quickly overlooked that once I learned about the highlights of the trip. The Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Royal Crowned Jewels, Anne Frank House & the Peace Palace were just a few of the main stops we took along the way. This whole trip can be credited to Dr. Mark Usry, Associate Professor of Legal Studies, who has been doing study abroad trips for many years now. Summer 2010 will include a Central Europe study abroad program.

Studying abroad is not only a new and exciting way to learn, but allows you to experience many different cultures around the world. To learn more informaton about a variety of study abroad programs visit the International Education Office in Student Services 236.