personal history, fees and life

I was reading the news yesterday on CNN and came across this story and it really caught me. I love little stories like - Oxford Project - this because I guess in a way it really does capture the essence of local history. It captures the everyday person, the daily life in a town, who most of us will be in history and what I personally like studying. I'm interested in the everyday history, seeing how people lived 100, 200... years ago, because despite everything we all are the same. the same ideas of love, hurt, hard work, stress, problems, happiness. But what I think is awesome about this is structure of a photo, then one 20 years later and just recording life. I would love to read this, I think oral history is such an interesting tool for finding out about the recent past and a way to record everyone's personal history. Because somehow everyone's lives are connected and just by reading about someone's life whether they live 3 miles, 300 miles or 3000 miles you learn more about someone else. I think everyone has an interesting story, even if they don't think so.

So this morning there was a march against fees through UCC and into the city. The Irish government is trying to reintroduce fees for third level universities and it is coming under protest. How it currently is set up, that students are only responsible for their registration fee each year and for UCC it is like €1000. They get free tuition for their degree. If they have to repeat a year or start a new course or already have a degree they have to pay, and the fees are around €6000 a year. And people complain about the registration fee, and many students get grants to cover the registration fee and some even get cost of living grants. So people are really against the reintroduction of fees, and I guess just coming from the states I don't see the big deal. I see it as by paying to go to college you are getting better facilities, equipment and everything. I was pretty much shocked when I first found out they pay nothing to go to university. And I guess it is just because it was my choice to go to a college where the tuition was $25,00-30,000 (the years I was there) and I see scholarships/college loans as a part of life. I could have gone to a state school, but in NJ the in-state tuition was comparable to what I was paying with scholarships and my parents were willing to help me pay for some of college. I just don't see the outrage, especially if they were to charge €5000 a year tuition. I guess it is just one of those things I'll chalk up to being American.

Went to the pub last night, it was a fun night. Good to see everyone, especially those who are just social members now. Some interesting conversations, lots of laughs. Not too many new people. I can't wait to go out this weekend. I hate not hiking on Sunday! Going to the cinema tonight with Brenda to see How to Loose Friends and Alienate People, so that should be fun :)

Ummm, so there is traffic outside and a car has 'favourite things' from the sound of music playing super loud, windows rolled down. It was quite amusing. Not the usual windows down, music up song.

So I was bored this morning at work, so I decided a layout change was in order. I like all the blues/greens and i thought a picture would be a good idea. Yay :)