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By Anna Green, September 10, 2010 11:22 am

Ballpoint pens can be tough on the fingers. Paint-markers are messy and have a nauseating odor to them. Pencils need to be sharpened, roller-ball pen tend to fail to place ink on the paper, and highlighters are simply good for highlighting rather than writing words. Finding the right pen that works well with note-taking in college isn’t as easy as it sounds. Even high-tech gadgets such as laptops, cell-phones and PDAs have limitations in its use and power. Yet, note-taking is vital in college, especially when the lessons being taught are done through long, tedious lectures, hard-scrabbled scrawling on the white board, or Power-point presentations. So what is a student going to use to write his/her notes?

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Possibly, one of the most powerful tools to come around in recent times is an inexpensive one. Gel pens are slightly higher in price than the typical ball-point pen; however, the price is worth it when one finally gets a chance to swish it over a piece of paper with the greatest of ease. They are ergonomically designed, easy to refill, and come in packs of different colors. Gel pens, by far, are the smoothest-and best – pens to use for taking notes. Despite the onslaught of technology, pen and paper note-taking is still the most viable tool a college student can have. Laptops are bulky and its batteries have a limited amount of energy. A user usually has to sit near an outlet in order to plug in and keep it going. The same can be said about cell-phones and PDAs.

Also, college professors tend to frown on these devices. Some see it as an obstruction, and believe the student is using them for other matters such as text-messaging friends or cheating on exams. Others, as one example proved, are simply paranoid that someone is trying to record their lecture for nefarious reasons (one professor banned them for fear that the devices were being used to collect evidence against him for the FBI). Pen and paper are easy to carry and to retrieve. All it takes is a notebook, backpack or a three-ring binder – with a pen pouch – that can carry both.

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The secret behind the gel pen is its ink. It is thicker than the standard types found in ball-points, roller ball, and fountain pens. Its high viscosity allows for more support of various pigments than other pens. In other words, it can come in many colors. The ink rarely congeals like a ball-point pens and it doesn’t bleed through the paper like paint-markers or fountain pens. The reason for this is the ingredients in the ink.  It is kept in a water-based gel made of water, biopolymers (such as xanthan gum and tragacanth gums) and thickeners such as polyacrylate. As a result, the pens:

Create bolder lines than ball-points pens Smudge less. Are less prone to bleed through the other side of the paper and anything under it. Create finer, more controlled lines with fewer blots than a fountain pen. Can be seen on dark surfaces. Support an assortment of colors. Have no odors.

The design is also a plus. More expensive models will use contoured rubber grips to ease the pressure one usually puts on a pen. Most models are retractable and require no caps. This makes matters easy for the note-taker who may have to juggle the cap, papers, books, and other devices while seated in a lecture hall. It’s simply one less thing to worry about. Most gel pen models are similar to rolling ball pens. Some models – such as the Pilot G2 – will come in different point sizes such as ultra fine, extra fine, fine and bold points. Its G-TEC-C models come in micro fine and hyper fine. Gel pens are similar to fountain pens, as well. Its design allows for refills. Often, the refills come in various colors, types of gel-ink and design. The straw-like cartridges can be swapped out of the pens and replaced with another. Although the pens as an entire unit is relatively cheap and can be replaced easily with less time and money than the refills, the ink in some of these refills are specialized for certain needs.

There are several companies that make quality gel pens. Pilot’s G-2 series and Zebra are two companies that come to mind. Paper-mate has also come out with its own gel pens, as well. They are probably to most affordable of the three. Technology is one thing. The feel and pressure needed to push this pen across the paper is more important. The inks come out smoothly with little or no effort. On top of that, it doesn’t dissolve as fast as other inks, thus leaving a longer and lasting impression on the notes. Since it comes in different colors and can be bought in rainbow packs, several can be used during a note-taking session to illustrate, underline or highlight an important topic. On top of that, gel pens are surprisingly durable. They can survive an accidental trip to the washers, or a drop in the water and still be workable. By far, gel pens are the most useful – and smoothest pens – out there. Due to its price, it’s also a great buy – especially in bulk. So if one needs a good tool for note-taking, look no farther than the gel pen

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By Anna Green, November 21, 2009 2:22 am

As an elderly, former university professor, I am deeply anguished whenever I come across shameful academic writing. Such writing not only exposes the inability of the writer but it exhibits the extent of decline in American university teaching and is a symptom of a decadent civilization.

I recently came across a piece titled Future Prospects for Economic Liberty which was published by Hillsdale College. The piece’s author is Walter Williams, the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University. He writes, “The Founders understood private property as the bulwark of freedom for all Americans, rich and poor alike.” Well, perhaps, but not likely. A few founders, some founders, many founders, or all founders? They certainly didn’t put any such statement in the Constitution. There is but one instance of the phrase “private property” in the Constitution. It occurs in the Fifth Amendment and reads, “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation,” which clearly allows the government to take private property. As a matter of fact, the Constitution institutionalizes no economic principles as Justice Holmes, dissenting in Lochner vs the People of the State of New York, recognized when he writes, “a Constitution is not intended to embody a particular economic theory, whether of paternalism and the organic relation of the citizen to the state or of laissez faire.  It is made for people of fundamentally differing views, and the accident of our finding certain opinions natural and familiar, or novel, and even shocking, ought not to conclude our judgment upon the question whether statutes embodying them conflict with the Constitution of the United States.” And although I assume a few poor people own private property, historically the poor were property less and known as slaves or serfs.

Williams also writes, “the Constitution restricts the federal government to certain functions. What are they? The most fundamental one is the protection of citizens’ lives. Therefore, the first legitimate function of the government is to provide for national defense against foreign enemies and for protection against criminals here at home.” Well what can one make of this claim? Certainly the Constitution’s Preamble lists provide for the common defense as one of the things the Constitution was expected to do, but nowhere in the Constitution is there any reference to “saving lives.” Defending the nation against foreign enemies isn’t a life saver. People die defending nations. The Constitution also doesn’t say anything about protecting citizens against criminals, although it does say, again in the Preamble, insure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare. Making specific acts criminal doesn’t insure or promote either of these.

Of course, saving lives is a good thing, and if Williams believes that that is a governmental function, he’d better start advocating universal healthcare, safe working environments, higher wages, market regulation, and a host of other programs not enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. All of these programs, and many others, save lives.

Williams also writes, “the free market system is threatened today not because of its failure, but because of its success. Capitalism has done so well in eliminating the traditional problems of mankind—disease, pestilence, gross hunger, and poverty. . . .” Well, I know of no disease that has been eliminated. Certainly cures for some exist, and some can be controlled, but I defy him to name a single one that has been eliminated. And “gross hunger and poverty” certainly exist in the America I live in. It has recently been reported that one in six Americans live in poverty and that food stamp assistance currently is at an all-time high of about 36 million.

These claims of Mr. Williams certainly are dumb, but he makes even dumber claims. For instance, “if I offer my local grocer three dollars for a gallon of milk, implicit in the offer is that we will both be winners. The grocer is better off because he values the three dollars more than the milk, and I am better off because I value the milk more than the three dollars.” Not only is this statement nonsense, it is based on a gross misuse of English diction. Consumers in grocery stores don’t “make offers” to “local grocers.” There are places commonly called “farmers markets” where that kind of offer may take place, but not in any grocery stores in the communities I have lived in for more than seventy years. The local grocery stores are massive corporations. How could any consumer make them an offer for a gallon of milk? The managers of these local grocery stores are often even hard to find. How would a checkout clerk respond to an offer to pay so-and-so for a gallon of milk?

But the dumbest claim is this: “Another common argument is that we need big government to protect the little guy from corporate giants. But a corporation can’t pick a consumer’s pocket. The consumer must voluntarily pay money for the corporation’s product.” In a sense, but what if the consumer has no alternative? And what about products that don’t work as advertised? That’s certainly a way of picking a consumer’s pocket. Our local Fox television station regularly runs a feature called “deal or dud” during which it tests highly advertised products. I presume that Mr. Williams would be shocked to learn that most are duds. Corporations certainly use such products to pick consumers’ pockets.

Mr. Williams is a shameful example of a university professor who has adopted an ideology, parrots it, and has never had an original thought of his own. His references to the Constitution are asinine and his reasoning ability is far weaker than sophomoric. What’s worse, however, are the two institutions mentioned above—Hillsdale College and George Mason University and others like them. They can be likened to Mideastern madrasses—pure purveyors of ideology. These institutions have abandoned the classical educational ideals of truth, goodness, and beauty for belief, greed, and exploitation. And not only Americans but the whole world is paying a horrid price for it.

©2009 John Kozy

Retired professor of philosophy and logic who blogs on social, political, and economic issues. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he spent 20 years as a university professor and another 20 years working as a writer for various private companies. He’s an active blogger. His pieces can be found on http://www.jkozy.com/.

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By Anna Green, October 11, 2009 5:14 am

If you are like many people, September means back to school and already you’re starting to feel the dread in the pit of your stomach: what about the term papers?

For many students, nothing fills them with more dread than the idea of writing term papers for class. It’s especially bad when the grade for an entire class is based upon the grades earned for writing term papers.

The simple truth is that most of the time, the problem many students face when writing papers is that they think they can’t do it. Too many students let the dread overtake their good sense and they just can’t seem to get started.

Others simply think they can put off the paper until the last minute and whip it together on Sunday afternoon. Some people can, but if writing papers is not your best skill, this won’t work too well. Luckily, there is always help available.

Consider checking out an academic writing and research service to get help with your paper writing needs this semester. Contacting a model paper writing company can give you a clear vision on how to complete the task.

Avoiding procrastination is another important step to finishing your term paper; you have to start it to finish it! The sooner in the semester that you begin the paper, the sooner you can set it aside and enjoy all the things the fall has to offer. From football to Christmas pageants, the fall semester should be a wonderful time! It surely doesn’t have to be filled with dread. Writing papers can either take up all your time and make you worry, or you can break it down into manageable steps and enjoy the opportunity to get back to school and see all your friends.

Choosing a topic that is interesting is key to writing a good term paper. Make sure to narrow it down so that you are not trying to write a new history of the entire solar system, but don’t make it so narrow that you can only write two pages, because that will be far too short.

Start your research early to see what else has been written about your subject and to begin you outline. Write an outline of the points you want to cover and your introduction and conclusion.

From there writing a paper is a lot like filling in the blanks. And again, there is always help if you need it!

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By Onslow, August 30, 2009 10:00 am

If you have not yet started back to school, Labor Day weekend might be your last big chance to enjoy some summer fun: go to the beach, relax with family and friends, go top the park, or just finally read that book you meant to read starting back in June. However, if you have already started back to school (as tens of thousands of students did last week), then you have two choices. You can either enjoy Labor Day weekend along with your friends and family, or else you can get started on the homework assignments which are surely already piling up.

Now, everyone could understand why it would make the most sense to get started on your research papers, essays, and journal entries. You never want to get behind when it comes to school work, especially at the college level. Once you are behind, you will have a really hard time catching up again. Many students, in fact, never do catch up again. And a big part of not falling behind is using every moment you have to your best advantage. That means never procrastinating, getting started as soon as possible, even working ahead if you can.

However, that isn’t much fun. Everyone else will be having family reunions, big blowout picnics, beach get-aways, and doing so many other fun things that sitting down alone for many hours writing term papers sounds awfully depressing. That is definitely one way to look at it. Or you can remember that your education is an investment in your future, and what you put into it is exactly what you will get out of it. If you buckle down now, you will reap the rewards in the future.

Remember, though, that being a college student need not be drudgery all the time. Everyone has to live their lives, and you only live once! You can always buy a model paper when you need one to assist you through particularly rough patches — or particularly fun patches when you would rather be with your friends and family than all alone in the library writing research papers. Just be sure to find a reputable academic writing and research company, one that can see you through your classes now, and for the months and years to come.

Jon Ginsburg is a partner with PowerPapers.com, an innovative academic writing company which specializes in providing custom-written, original model papers of all kinds. PowerPapers firmly believes that a quality model paper can be a key learning tool for almost any student.