Kendall Westbrook

When I was around 5 years old, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was just airing on television. I thought it was amazing how regular high-schoolers were able to turn into superheros and save the planet from the evil villain, Rita Repulsa and her apparently inexhaustable supply of monsters.

My mother, however, told me that I wasn't allowed to watch it because it was “too violent.” That didn't stop me from hiding under the kitchen table when my 10-year-old sister had it on! The Power Rangers became my secret heroes.
Today, I look back on those memories with fondness.

Workers in orange and navy uniforms dig through rubble on recovery missions. Citizens are being scanned for radiation by people in HAZMAT suits. Workers at the crippled Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant are scrambling to prevent a devastating meltdown. Land which was once green and fertile now looks brown, lifeless, and entire towns and villages have been turned into matchsticks from the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and deadly tsunami that ravaged the northeastern coast of Japan's main island.

A recent “…name of publication…” article stated that college is a waste of money. The article cites a recent study of about 2,300 undergraduates from 24 different schools, which tested with the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a standardized test that measures general knowledge.

The empty husk of a service counter and a glowing neon sign are almost all that remains of the now defunct Book End Café in Herrick Library.

The Book End, which opened as “The Herrick Café” at the end of the 2007 fall semester, was “Alfred University’s attempt to encourage students’ educational efforts,” according to an article published in Dec. 2007.

The purpose of the café was to give students a less formal, serious environment to study in. Students could enjoy coffee, tea, muffins and even salads or watch television in the corner near the front desk.