Natural History museum.

“The Alabama Museum of Natural History, located in Smith Hall, the first building to be built on the University of Alabama campus in the twentieth century, is one of the finest examples of Classical Revival architecture in the region.”

“Experience the natural diversity of Alabama through exhibits from the Age of Dinosaurs, the Coal Age, and the Ice Age. View extensive collections of geology, zoology, mineralogy, paleontology, ethnology, history, and photography. Explore the Alabama Museum of Natural History housed in historic Smith Hall, one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in the region. See the Hodges meteorite, the only meteorite know to have struck a human.”

(http://museums.ua.edu/history/about.html)

We visited the Natural History Museum as a class the other day. It was very enjoyable, and it is definitely something I'd recommend every University of Alabama student visit at some time during their time in Tuscaloosa. My favorite exhibit was the Hodges Meteorite—the first known meteorite to actually hit a person, and it happened right here in Alabama!

Of course, best of all, the museum is free for all students!!

I'm Feeling Lazy

Click here to read.

In class today we were talking somewhat about the religious fanatics, such as Brother Micah, that have made the University's "Free-Speech Zone" their new home. While these preachers may be a nuisance, or even occasionally offensive, at least they aren't as sick as the Westboro Baptist Church. This "church" thanks God for dead soldiers, terrorist attacks, and murders.

I'm sorry this post is so short, but I'm off to clean my room to get ready for the break. I hope everyone has/is having a wonderful break!

(Also, I'm having trouble getting my previous posts to show up. I'm working on it!)

The Crimson Ride

The Crimson Ride, the University of Alabama's bus system has many flaws. The buses are too big, the routes need to be tweaked, and the bus drivers are often rude and inconsiderate. Despite these problems, the Crimson Ride has the potential to be a booming success, with a few tweaks:

• Buses should run twenty-four hours a day. Part of the reason the Crimson Ride was established was to provide a safe mode of transportation for students on campus. It does not good if it stops running at 9:00 PM on weekends when students are more likely to stay out into the wee hours of the morning.

• Buses should change their routes where they take as many right turns as possible to reduce time at intersections and reduce the number of bus stops—there is no need for a bus stop every two-hundred feet.

• Bus stops should be covered and weatherproof and well-lit.

• Bus drivers should be more courteous.

These changes are cheap, realistic, and would make the Crimson Ride a more enjoyable and efficient bus system. Ridership would go up, and there would undoubtedly be fewer complaints.