Friday, March 20, 2020

Tips for Moving out of the Dorms

Tips for Moving out of the Dorms Moving out of the dorms? Two semesters is more than enough time to pack all sorts of debris into  a college dorm room. Here are some expert tips to make the process a little easier. 10 Tips for Moving out of a Dorm Room Spring Cleaning:  Encourage the notion of a pre-spring break cleaning. Doing a trash purge just before spring break means that much less garbage to deal with on the last day of school. You know your child will bring home bags of dirty laundry, but if weather permits, have him bring home any winter clothing, boots and/or flannel sheets that he doesnt still need at school.Divide and Conquer: If your child is coming home at any time before the end of the second semester, or you are going to visit him, take an empty duffel bag or two and start packing up winter clothing and any other non-essentials. Every bag you can get out of the room early is a bag you won’t have to deal with on the last day of school.Consider Summer Storage: If your childs dorm room has accumulated a lot of possessions - hes purchased a mini-fridge, for example, or youve traded in the Suburban for a Prius - you may want to consider a summer storage option. Store bulky possessions at a self-storage place near campus and you wont have to move it back next fall either. Most self-storage places take reservations, so youll want to reserve a unit 30 days ahead. Purge the Fridge, Dump the Trash: Have your child empty his refrigerator as soon as his last final is over, and start taking trash to the dumpsters. Wait till the day the dorms close and those dumpsters will be full.Sell the Books: Encourage your child to assess his textbooks and sell back anything he no longer needs. English lit books - Canterbury Tales, for example, and 1984 - can be used by siblings or friends forever, but genetics textbooks become obsolete very quickly. Sell them to the campus bookstore, via Amazon or Craigslist or through a textbook rental company such as Chegg.com, where, for example, an excellent condition, Organic Chemistry textbook that retails for $156 can be sold back for $81 or traded in for $89 in Chegg Dollars - which can be used, in turn, to rent next years textbooks. And Chegg pays the postage. Any of those options are preferable to lugging heavy books home to rot in your garage.Bring Supplies: It is easier to pack a car with regularly shaped objects – boxes or large Rubbermaid bins - as opposed to black plastic trash bags, grocery bags, and loose items. So bring packing boxes, rolls of packing tape, a roll of paper towels, a bottle of cleaning fluid, and a few trash bags for actual trash. Wear grubbies. Bring bottles of water and granola bars. Empty and Load: Time for the move! Empty all drawers, desks, cupboards and closets. Check the area under the bed and atop tall pieces of furniture. Pack boxes and tubs as neatly as possible, so they hold as much as possible. Dont mix dirty laundry into boxes of clean contents. Take water breaks, watch your back, and clean as you go. Use the corridor as a staging ground, stacking each packed box neatly against the wall until youre ready to make a trip down to the car.Consider Donations: You may find there are some items that you and your child will be willing to part with if space doesn’t permit them aboard – rugs, for example, or oddly shaped, relatively inexpensive items, such as electric fans or lamps. So many items of this sort get thrown away on the move-out day, some schools have started setting up separate dumpster areas so those items can be salvaged and donated. If your childs school does not have such plans, consider doing a Goodwill or thrift store run before packing for home. Pack Em Up, Move Em Out, Rawhide: If you have lined up summer storage space, either in campus housing or off-campus, move those items first. Then enlist all your Tetris skills and start loading your car with everything that’s coming home. Save soft items – blankets, bedding, and overcoats – to stuff into nooks and crannies and pad fragile items.Final Sweep: When the room is completely empty, do one last drawer and cupboard check. Check the restroom too, if your child has a toiletry cupboard there. Sweep out the dorm room and mop off any obvious grunge. Unplug the mini-fridge and arrange for pickup. Pull out the dorm checklist the university gave you last fall, the one that lists existing damage, and go over it with an R.A. so your child can check out. One last potty stop, hugs all around and you’re off! Now the only problem is, where to put all that stuff when you get back home...

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Congress Members Who Voted Against the 2002 Iraq War

Congress Members Who Voted Against the 2002 Iraq War The directionless Iraq War has killed over 4,100 U.S. soldiers, wounded or maimed more than 200,000 more, and delivered a devastating blow to our countrys reputation and moral authority. Its time we honor the members of Congress who voted in 2002 to prevent the Bush administrations hasty rush into an unprovoked attack and occupation of Iraq. Voter Breakdown The dramatic, much-debated vote on Joint Resolution 114 was taken on Oct. 11, 2002. It passed the Senate by a vote of 77 to 23, and the House of Representatives by a vote of 296 to 133. In the end, 156 members of Congress from 36 states had enough information and personal insight and wisdom to make the correct decision for our nation and the world community. Six House Republicans and one Independent joined 126 Democratic members of the House of Representatives in voting NAY. In the Senate, 21 Democrats, one Republic, and one Independent courageously voted their consciences in 2002 against the War in Iraq. These discerning, courageous leaders are exactly what our country needs to lead us out of the present abyss in Iraq under the Bush Administration. We can trust their judgment! Voting Record This convenient list is organized by state, and features all 156 members of Congress who voted NAY to the War in Iraq, including their political affiliations. State Congress Name Party Notes Alabama Rep Earl Hilliard D retired from office Arizona Rep Ed Pastor D Arkansas Rep Vic Snyder D California Sen Barbara Boxer D California Rep Joe Baca D California Rep Xavier Becerra D California Rep Lois Capps D California Rep Gary Condit D California Rep Susan Davis D California Rep Anna Eshoo D California Rep Sam Farr D California Rep Bob Filner D California Rep Mike Honda D California Rep Barbara Lee D California Rep Zoe Lofgren D California Rep Robert Matsui D deceased California Rep Juanita Millender-McDonald D California Rep George Miller D California Rep Grace Napolitano D California Rep Nancy Pelosi D California Rep Lucille Roybal-Allard D California Rep Loretta Sanchez D California Rep Hilda Solis D California Rep Pete Stark D California Rep Mike Thompson D California Rep Maxine Waters D California Rep Diane Watson D California Rep Lynn Woolsey D Colorado Rep Diana DeGette D Colorado Rep Mark Udall D Connecticut Rep Rosa DeLauro D Connecticut Rep John Larson D Connecticut Rep James Maloney D Florida Sen Bob Graham D Florida Rep Corrine Brown D Florida Rep Alice Hastings D Florida Rep Carrie Meek D retired from office Georgia Rep John Lewis D Georgia Rep Cynthia McKinney D Hawaii Sen Daniel Akaka D Hawaii Sen Daniel Inouye D Hawaii Rep Neil Abercrombie D Illinois Sen Dick Durbin D Illinois Sen Bobby Rush D Illinois Rep Jerry Costello D Illinois Rep Danny Davis D Illinois Rep Lane Evans D Illinois Rep Luis Gutierrez D Illinois Rep Jesse Jackson Jr. D Illinois Rep Bill Lipinski D retired from office Illinois Rep Jan Schakowsky D Indiana Rep Julia Carson D Indiana Rep John Hostettler R Indiana Rep Pete Visclosky D Iowa Rep Jim Leach R Maine Rep Tom Allen D Main Rep Baldacci D Maryland Sen Barbara Mikulski D Maryland Sen Paul Sarbanes D Maryland Rep Benjamin Cardin D Maryland Rep Elijah Cummings D Maryland Rep Connie Morella D Massachusetts Sen Ted Kennedy D Massachusetts Rep Michael Capuano D Massachusetts Rep Bill Delahunt D Massachusetts Rep Barney Frank D Massachusetts Rep Jim McGovern D Massachusetts Rep Richard Neal D Massachusetts Rep John Olver D Massachusetts Rep John Tierney D Michigan Sen Carl Levin D Michigan Sen Debbie Stabenow D Michigan Rep David Bonior D Michigan Rep John Conyers Jr. D Michigan Rep John Dingell D Michigan Rep Dale Kildee D Michigan Rep Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick D Michigan Rep Sandy Levin D Michigan Rep Lynn Rivers D Michigan Rep Bart Stupak D Minnesota Sen Mark Dayton D Minnesota Sen Paul Wellstone D deceased Minnesota Rep Betty McCollum D Minnesota Rep Jim Oberstar D Minnesota Rep Martin Olav Sabo D Mississippi Rep Bennie Thompson D Missouri Rep William Clay Jr. D MIssouri Rep Karen McCarthy D retired from office New Jersey Sen Jon Corzine D New Jersey Rep Rush Holt D New Jersey Rep Robert Menendez D New Jersey Rep Frank Pallone Jr D New Jersey Rep Donald Payne D New Mexico Sen Jeff Bingaman D New Mexico Rep Tom Udall D New York Rep Maurice Hinchey D New York Rep Amo Houghton R New York Rep John LaFalce D New York Rep Gregory Meeks D New York Rep Jerrold Nadler D New York Rep Major Owens D New York Rep Charles Rangel D New York Rep Jose Serrano D New York Rep Louise Slaughter D New York Rep Edolphus Towns D New York Rep Nydia Velazquez D North Carolina Rep Eva Clayton D retired from office North Carolina Rep David Price D North Carolina Rep Melvin Watt D North Dakota Sen Kent Conrad D Ohio Rep Sherrod Brown D Ohio Rep Stephanie Tubbs Jones D Ohio Rep Marcy Kaptur D Ohio Rep Dennis Kucinich D Ohio Rep Thomas Sawyer D Ohio Rep Ted Strickland D Oregon Sen Ron Wyden D Oregon Rep Earl Blumenauer D Oregon Rep Peter DeFazio D Oregon Rep Darlene Hooley D Oregon Rep David Wu D Pennsylvania Rep Robert Brady D Pennsylvania Rep William Coyne D retired from office Pennsylvania Rep Mike Doyle D Pennsylvania Rep Chaka Fattah D Rhode Island Sen Lincoln Chafee D Rhode Island Sen Jack Reed D Rhode Island Rep James Langevin D South Carolina Rep Gresham Barrett R South Carolina Rep James Clyburn D Tennessee Rep John Duncan Jr R Texas Rep Lloyd Doggett D Texas Rep Charles Gonzalez D Texas Rep Ruben Hinojosa D Texas Rep Sheila Jackson-Lee D Texas Rep Eddie Bernice Johnson D Texas Rep Ron Paul R Texas Rep Silvestre Reyes D Texas Rep Ciro Rodriguez D retired from office Vermont Sen Jim Jeffords D Vermont Sen Patrick Leahy D Vermont Rep Bernie Sanders I Virginia Rep Jim Moran D Virginia Rep Bobby Scott D Washington Sen Patty Murray D Washington Rep Jay Inslee D Washington Rep Rick Larsen D Washington Rep Jim McDermott D District of Columbia Rep Brian Baird D West Virginia Sen Robert Byrd D West Virginia Rep Alan Mollohan D West Virginia Rep Nick Rahall D Wisconsin Sen Russ Feingold D Wisconsin Rep Tammy Baldwin D Wisconsin Rep Jerry Kleczka D retired from office Wisconsin Rep David Obey D