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(02/22/17 10:04pm)
Halfway through the semester, spring break is much needed. The air is getting warmer, summer is getting closer and studying becomes nearly impossible. While many college students want to go to the beach during the break, there are plenty of other fun adventures to go on. If you’re on a budget and not a fan of the beach, these day trips will make your spring break fun and affordable. Because spring break is getting closer, it’s time to start planning now.
Callaway Gardens – South of Atlanta, Callaway Gardens is a great place to go over spring break because there are plenty of things to do. Their Butterfly Center is especially fun in the spring because of the flowers that will be blooming. Also, the Butterfly Center is indoors, so you can still enjoy spring even if it is cold or raining. There are also trails and gardens to visit if the weather is nice. For more information you can visit www.callawaygardens.com.
Savannah – Not far from Macon, Savannah is a beautiful historic city perfect for a relaxing day. The city is full of good restaurants and shopping. Most of these are on the riverwalk where you can see ships passing by. There are also many museums and tours that are great for people who love history. Some of the most popular tours are ghost tours that you can take at night. For more information visit www.savannah.com.
Tallulah Gorge State Park – Located in the northeast corner of Georgia, Tallulah Gorge State Park would make a great day trip if you enjoy hiking. You can either hike up and see the Gorge from above, or hike down to the bottom of the Gorge. The park also includes a small museum about the surrounding mountains. This would be a great trip for you if you enjoy the outdoors.
Atlanta – Atlanta is always a great place to go if you want to take a trip but don't know where to go. If you’re looking to stay indoors, you can fill a whole day by visiting the World of Coke or Georgia Aquarium. Atlanta is also home to great shopping, especially at places like Atlantic Station. Finally, if you want to take a walk or ride a bike, the Atlanta Beltline is a great trail to do so. For more information on things to do in Atlanta you can visit www.atlanta.net.
(02/14/17 2:22am)
Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that is all about the candy. Whether you prefer candy hearts or a classic box of chocolate, sugar is a big part of the Feb. 14 celebrations. If you're looking for a homemade treat to celebrate, these three recipes can be made in your dorm room. You can share them with friends, your significant other or keep them all to yourself.
Courtesy of Flickr
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
[sidebar title="Ingredients" align="left" background="on" border="none" shadow="off"]
1 pound white chocolate, melted
Bag of pretzels (any kind)
Colored sprinkles
Parchment paper
[/sidebar]
These chocolate covered pretzels are really easy to make, but look adorable with festive sprinkles. If you also want to give your friends a gift you can put them in clear plastic bags to hand out.
Directions
Lay down a sheet of parchment paper
Melt chocolate according to instructions on the bag
Dip part of pretzel into chocolate and gently shake off the excess
Hold over the parchment paper and sprinkle on the colored sprinkles
Place on the parchment paper to let the chocolate harden
Source: dinnersdishesanddesserts.com
Courtesy of Your Cup of Cake
Red Velvet Puppy Chow
[sidebar title="Ingredients" align="left" background="on" border="none" shadow="on"]
5 cups of Rice Chex cereal
¾ cups of white chocolate melts or chips
¼ cups of chocolate melts or chips
2 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons of milk
1 cup of red velvet cake mix
½ cup of powdered sugar
Valentine’s colored M&M’s (optional)
[/sidebar]
Puppy Chow seems to be a classic Christmas treat. This recipe takes that classic and makes it perfect for Valentine’s Day with red velvet cake mix.
Directions
Place Rice Chex cereal into a large bowl
Put cake mix and powdered sugar into a large plastic bag
Melt the chocolates together in the microwave and stir until smooth. Be careful not to burn them.
Stir in cream cheese and milk
Pour chocolate over Rice Chex cereal and stir until coated
Dump cereal into the bag with powdered sugar and cake mix. Shake until coated
Pour onto a plate or cookie sheet and let cool
Mix with M&M’s and serve
Source: yourcupofcake.com
Courtesy of the Slow Roasted Italian
Chocolate Covered Oreo Pops
[sidebar title="Ingredients" align="left" background="on" border="none" shadow="off"]
1 package of Double Stuffed Oreos
Lollipop sticks
White candy melts
Pink candy melts
Vegetable oil
Sprinkles
Parchment paper
[/sidebar]
Oreos make a great snack or dessert. Making them into lollipops and dipping them in candy melts makes them perfect to share with your friends on Valentine’s Day.
Directions
Place your index finger over the top of an oreo and push a lollipop stick up through the filling of the oreo. Stop once you feel the cream push up against your finger
Lay down parchment paper
Melt the candy melts according to packaging and stir in small amount of vegetable oil to thin
Dip each oreo in the candy melts until coated
Scrape the bottom of the oreo off and place on parchment paper
Design each oreo with sprinkles or candy melt drizzle
Allow the pops to fully set by letting them sit out or placing them in the refrigerator or freezer for 5-10 minutes
Source: timeoutwithmom.com
(02/12/17 8:25pm)
Courtesy of Pixabay
Open When Letters
In every college student's life, there has been a time when you just really needed to hear words of encouragement from someone you love. You can give someone this gift by writing letters for them to open whenever they need them. For example, you can have ones that say open when you’re sad, stressed or made a bad grade. These can be decorated or just a simple a note. For an example, visit amylanham.com
Courtesy of Wikimedia
S’more Snack
Valentine’s Day is all about the candy, especially chocolate. To make S’mores in a bag, take 2 graham crackers, a piece of Hershey’s chocolate and a marshmallow and put them in a small clear gift bag. To make it even better for Valentine’s Day, try to find heart shaped marshmallows that come out in February. Tie the bag with ribbon or string and add a fun message like “I need S’more friends like you.” You can print this message for your gift at littlepeanutmag.com.
Courtesy of Flickr
Valentine’s Socks
Who doesn't love a pair of fun socks? Warm up your friend’s feet and their hearts with a warm pair of socks. You can get a fun pair of Valentine’s socks from a store like WalMart or Target and put them in a clear gift bag. Tie it up with some decorative ribbon or string and add a fun message like “Valentine, you knock my socks off!” You can download and print a message from madetobeamomma.com to attach to the bag.
Courtesy of Pixabay
Long Distance Present
If you are far away from your loved ones this year, you can mail them a box of some of their favorite things. You can include their favorite candies and snacks. Any cheesy, cheap Valentine’s gifts you could get at places like the Dollar Tree would be fun to put in there. Also, you could add cheesy Valentine’s cards to make them laugh. Just fill the box with anything you think they would like to show them you’re thinking about them even when you're far away.
(12/14/16 6:04pm)
Things to do in Macon
Ocmulgee National Monument – About 15 minutes from Mercer’s campus lie historic earthworks built by Native Americans 1,000 years ago. If you’re looking for doing some hiking, this is the perfect spot to visit. The park is free and is full of trails and landmarks to explore. Climb to the Great Temple Mound to see downtown Macon, or hike down to the Ocmulgee River. Just make sure that you watch out for the alligators!
Macon Mayhem – Did you know that Macon has its very own minor league hockey team? If you’re looking for some winter fun, hockey games and ice skating are great activities to make your winter days fly by. If you're lucky, you will even get to see one of those famous hockey fights. If hockey isn’t your thing, the ice rink will also be open during the holiday season for ice skating.
Allman Brothers Museum – Because Macon is the hometown to several famous musicians, you can check out the previous home of the Allman Brothers Band that has been turned into a museum. It’s full of memorabilia and will make you feel right at home with one of the most popular bands of the ’70s.
Things to do in Atlanta
Centennial Olympic Park – During the Holidays, Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta has an ice skating rink. Tickets are only $12 per person, and there are lots of other things to do around it, like visiting the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola. If you’re feeling brave, you can ride the SkyView Atlanta — a giant ferris wheel in the park.
Show at the Fox – In the heart of Atlanta, the historic Fox Theatre always has plenty of holiday shows running in December. From ballets like the annual showing of Nutcracker to Christmas musicals, The Fox doesn’t disappoint. Tickets sell fast, so you’ll have to buy them in advance on the Fox Theatre website at foxtheatre.org.
Atlanta Botanical Garden – Garden Lights, Holiday Nights of the Atlanta Botanical Garden will make you feel like you’re walking through a winter wonderland. The already beautiful gardens will be lit up with holiday light displays that are sure to take your breath away.
Things to do in other parts of Georgia
Callaway Gardens – Pine Mountain is home to Callaway Gardens, an incredible drive-through light display for the holidays. Fantasy in Lights includes many recognizable holiday stories, and some of the lights are even floating on the water. Don’t forget to bring some hot chocolate and snacks to enjoy the show from the comfort of your own car. December tickets vary from $19-28, depending on the events of the day. A calendar of events can be found at http://bit.ly/1k8iybo.
Tour of Homes in Madison – The small town of Madison is home to many beautiful historic antebellum homes. In December, these homes are decked out for Christmas and open for tours. Take advantage of the opportunity to see these homes and admire their beauty by candlelight.
(12/04/16 1:08am)
“Gilmore Girls” fans were able to return to Stars Hollow when Netflix premiered its four-episode revival of the show on Nov. 25.
“Gilmore Girls” captured the hearts of many during the early 2000s. The show follows a single mother and her beloved daughter, who are able to experience life and the struggles that come with it while remaining best friends.
The show’s final episode aired in 2007 until Netflix decided to pick it up and answer fans’ questions about what had happened to the Gilmores.
The revival’s four episodes were each centered around a season, picking up with Lorelai and Rory catching up during winter in Stars Hollow. The revival showcasing each of the seasons seemed to represent the different seasons of life that each of the characters had transitioned into since the show left off.
Overall, the revival did a very good job of continuing the show without major changes — a risk that is pretty common when many people are expecting the show to pick up exactly where it left off.
A vast majority of the original cast returned, and the chemistry between them did not lose any of its momentum, even with the nine-year break. It was as if the lives of each of the characters had continued on ever since the show ended, and the viewers of the revival could get a glimpse into what life was like for them now.
Lorelai was still the spunky coffee addict that she always had been, and she continued to help Rory navigate being an adult. Together they both talked about love and life just as they always had.
Lorelai and her mother also were still trying to navigate their complicated relationship, especially after a major change in Mrs. Gilmore’s life.
The town of Stars Hollow seemed to be the same as well, with Taylor’s crazy antics including writing a Stars Hollow musical. Kurt was still holding many odd jobs, starting one that may have gotten him into some legal trouble with a popular company. Babette and Miss Patty were still the town’s main source of gossip.
Although many things had changed since we last left the people of Stars Hollow, all the things that fans would want to remain constant did.
The last words of the last episode do leave viewers with more questions than they started with, which hopefully implies that this will not be the last we see of the Gilmore Girls.
Although this definitely appealed more to an original ‘Gilmore Girls’ fan base, the revival could also appeal to those who had never seen or heard of it either.
All four episodes are available for streaming on Netflix, along with all the seasons of the original show.
(11/22/16 11:00am)
Greener Mercer is an unofficial Mercer organization that is seeking to to bring staff, faculty and students together in order to promote sustainability, recycling and conservation. They are in the process of becoming a student organization.
This group started in spring 2015 by a group of students who wanted to make Mercer more environmentally responsible.
“Greener Mercer will bring the Mercer University standard to a higher national level, because the Mercer community is not on the same environmental standard as surrounding accredited universities,” said Kaitlyn Kong, a member of Greener Mercer.
Andrew Kelley, the organization’s future president, said that forming one group responsible for promoting environmentally friendly behaviors on campus allows the organization to make a bigger impact.
The group also hopes to inform Mercer students about how to improve the community.
“[We] hope to collaborate with agents within the community like Keep Macon Beautiful, especially when it comes to recycling efforts,” said Mercer professor Derek Glasgow.
So far, the organization has weighed food waste in the Fresh Food Company and set out recycling bins at a football game as part of Be a Green Neighbear Week.
Other ongoing projects include measuring how much waste is produced at Mercer football games.
Future projects will take this data and introduce specific recycling projects to fit the needs on campus.
Greener Mercer is also working on adding more access to recycling on Mercer’s campus, and they hope to develop a map of on-campus recycling bins in the future.
The group also plans on hosting informational lunches to teach students about different areas of sustainability.
While Greener Mercer continues these projects, they are also working on becoming an official organization.
“Through [making Greener Mercer a] student organization, we aim to help make it easier for students to be sustainable on Mercer’s campus,” Kelley said.
By becoming official, Greener Mercer will incorporate existing student organizations focused on the environment and continue recycling projects that are already taking place on campus.
They will recruit students for eco-friendly service and strive to make a difference in the community, said Kelley.
“I am looking forward to Mercer’s students, staff and facilities becoming more environmentally friendly,” said Mercer student Mary Melissa Roland.
(11/21/16 12:00pm)
If you’re staying in Macon for the Thanksgiving holiday, you don't have to give up having a home-cooked meal. These three slow cooker recipes are fall favorites that don’t require much more than a crock pot. Invite the people in your dorm over for a Friends-giving, but make sure you schedule in time for a post-turkey nap.
Macaroni and Cheese
This Mac and Cheese recipe is easy to make, and it is much better than the kind that comes in a box. This does require a little bit of cooking before all the ingredients go in the slow cooker, but it is still a very simple recipe.
Ingredients
1 16 ounce box elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 stick of butter or margarine
2 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese (reserve ½ cup)
1 can evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups of whole or 2% milk
1 teaspoons of salt
½ teaspoons of pepper
Directions
Put macaroni, butter, and cheese in crock pot and stir well
Stir in eggs, both milks, salt and pepper
Top with cheddar cheese
Cook on low for 3 hours
Source: My grandma
Green Beans
Green beans are a favorite Thanksgiving staple, and they are super simple to make. This recipe does require cooking the bacon beforehand, but bacon makes everything better, so it’s worth it.
Ingredients
5 cans of cut green beans
½ pound of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces
¼ cup of butter
⅔ cup of brown sugar
7 teaspoons of soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons of garlic powder
Directions
Drain the green beans and pour them into the crock pot
Add the cooked bacon on top
Melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder
Drizzle the sauce over the green beans
Cook on high for an hour
Stir all ingredients again before serving
Source: herviewfromhome.com
Turkey
If you’re feeling adventurous, impress your friends with this turkey recipe. Prepping the turkey to cook is pretty easy, but it will have to stay in the slow cooker for six hours. Your work will pay off, though, when you have enough leftover turkey to eat until Christmas break.
Ingredients
1 (6-7 pound) bone-in turkey breast
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1½ teaspoons cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
Directions
Pour chicken stock in the bottom of the crock pot
Combine garlic, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper and rub over turkey
Transfer turkey to a 6 qt. slow cooker
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until tender
Source: wishesndishes.com
(11/03/16 9:44pm)
As the presidential election gets closer, both the Mercer Young Democrats and Mercer College Republicans are promoting their parties on Mercer’s campus.
Both the student organizations have a greater opportunity to share their political views on campus since it’s a presidential election year.
“Voting is important because it gives individual citizens the ability to peacefully have a say in their government,” said College Republicans President Austin Paul.
This is the Young Democrats’ first year as an active organization on campus, and they are collaborating with the Mercer Law Democrats.
“I think that students that align more with our ideologies need a place to be able to have open dialogue and I am glad to really just give them a place to feel comfortable doing that,” said Young Democrats President Desirrae Jones.
The Mercer Young Democrats have meetings every other week where they discuss issues leading up to the election.
“Some people come to our meetings with no real political knowledge and leave more informed. At this point in the cycle, that is all we can really do,” Jones said.
Their goal is to spread the message and ideas of their party.
Some of their members are volunteering with the Democratic Party of Georgia. Other Young Democrat students are working on ballot initiatives.
The College Republicans are also promoting their party on campus by holding meetings and events that promote republican candidates and ideas.
They have members who volunteer on Republican campaigns.
“We believe that voting is one of the most important things a citizen can do,” Paul said.
To support their party, Paul also said they promote electing other Republicans who are running for other offices on the ballot.
They are collaborating with the Georgia Association of College Republicans to elect Senator Johnny Isakson.
Paul said they are working to see what else the organization can do to promote the election leading up to Nov. 8.
Both the Mercer College Republicans and Mercer Young Democrats encourage students to vote by posting articles and information on their Facebook page.
Jones believes that the only way for people to have their opinion heard is by voicing it through the voting process.
“By not voting, you're saying that you don't care. And you should. No matter how you feel about it, this is your country and you actually have a say in how it is run,” Jones said. “Do not throw that away.”
Both organizations are supporting Mobilize Mercer, which is an organization on campus that encourages students to vote.
“We encourage all students to vote regardless of political affiliation,” Paul said.
Mobilize Mercer’s debate watch parties provide students an opportunity to get involved in the election regardless of student’s political affiliations.
Jones said Mobilize Mercer makes students feel more comfortable attending watch parties since they are non-partisan.
“Our elected officials on every level make decisions that affect us every single day. Voting allows us to help shape those decisions,” Paul said.
The general election will take place Nov. 8.
(10/28/16 3:30am)
Forgetting that you don’t actually have a kitchen, you volunteered to make Halloween treats for the people who live on your hall this season. Instead of settling for store bought cookies, these three easy, spooky and dorm-friendly recipes are sure to impress everyone.
Witch Brooms
This is probably the easiest treat to make if you don’t have a lot of time. It takes about 10-15 minutes to make these, and they are really cute.
Ingredients
1 bag of mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 bag of pretzel sticks
Directions
Unwrap peanut butter cups
Turn one peanut butter cup upside down and poke a pretzel stick through the bottom
Source: thriftyfun.com
Witches’ Hats
These Witches’ Hats are almost made entirely out of chocolate, and they pair really well with Witch Brooms.
Ingredients
1 package of chocolate striped cookies (or oreos)
1 tube of orange decorating icing
1 bag of Hershey’s kisses
Directions
If using chocolate striped cookies place them on a plate with the striped side down
Cover the bottom of a Hershey’s kiss with orange frosting
Place the kiss in the center of the cookie and press down so that the icing forms an orange band around the kiss
Source: cookthestory.com
Chocolate Bats
This treat takes a little more time than the other two, but it is still easy to make in your dorm room. It also contains some ingredients that are used in the other two recipes, so it will fit your budget.
Ingredients
1 bag of miniature Reese’s cups
1 package of thin oreo cookies
1 tube of white decorating icing
1 package of edible eyes
Directions
Unwrap Reese’s cups
Break the Oreos in half and separate so that one cookie gives you four bat wings
Scrape the icing off of the Oreos and discard (or eat)
Use the tube of decorating icing to pipe icing onto the back corners of the cookie pieces
Press one cookie piece onto the left of a Reese’s cup and one cookie piece on the right
Pipe icing onto the back of two edible eyes and place in the middle of the Reese’s cup
Source: chelseasmessyapron.com
(10/16/16 5:37pm)
To encourage more Mercer students to vote in the upcoming presidential election, Mobilize Mercer has helped students register to vote and hosted events to get them interested in the election.
The last day for Georgia residents to register for voting was Oct. 11. Residents could register online or in-person leading up to that date.
Mobilize Mercer’s goal was to get as many students registered to vote before then. They want to see all eligible students vote in the presidential election Nov. 8.
“We’re really trying to engage our students in the political process, because it’s a lot of people’s first time voting in a presidential election,” said Mobilize Mercer President Emily Thompson.
Mobilize Mercer wants to make voting fun because college students have the lowest voter turnout, Thompson said.
Thompson said that the reason she thinks voting is important is because it is a way for people to be heard.
“I work on a couple campaigns and my boss was telling me about this one school board election, and the guy lost by one vote, and his wife didn't vote. So, it just goes to show the importance of one vote,” Thompson said.
This semester, Mobilize Mercer’s Facebook page has encouraged students to get involved in the election by posting polls where students can share their opinions.
To encourage students to sign up, Mobilize Mercer had tables in the UC and Connell Student Center where students could register to vote during lunch.
There was also a TurboVote application on the homepage on MyMercer where students could register to vote online.
Mobilize Mercer is also planning on hosting presidential and vice-presidential debate watch parties.
Their first presidential debate watch party took place Sep. 26 in Willingham Chapel.
“We had over 60 people come out to our first debate watch party and I was blown away. I was not expecting that big of a response,” Thompson said.
The purpose of these watch parties is to engage students in the election by serving pizza and drinks to make watching the debates fun, Thompson said.
The watch parties also gave students a chance to register to vote if they had not.
On the day of the election, Mobilize Mercer plans to have an election watch party.
They will also be driving students to the polls if they need rides.
“I am registered to vote because I did it in high school, but I have to fill out forms to vote elsewhere if I don’t want to have to drive an hour to go vote at my local poll at home. So, I don’t vote,” said Mercer Student Geoffry Johnson.
On election day, Mercer students can vote at the Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections office and the Macon Terminal Station.
Students can also request absentee ballots online. A complete guide from Google on how to apply for and send in an absentee vote can be found with a search for “how to absentee vote.” Georgia applications for absentee voting must be sent in time to arrive by Nov. 4.
“We know that the registration process can be confusing and difficult, especially for freshmen or students who have never registered before, so we help aid students in the registration process,” said Drew Winslett, a member of Mobilize Mercer.
General elections take place on Nov. 8.
(09/29/16 11:45am)
The International Cherry Blossom Festival announced on Sept. 13 that they have appointed Thomas Wicker as their interim president and CEO.
This announcement came just days after Jake Ferro was asked to resign on Sept. 6, according to a Telegraph article.
“Thomas is fully committed to bringing his experience and wealth of knowledge to the Cherry Blossom Festival and the Board is honored and thrilled that he has accepted this position,” said Board Chair Stacy Ingram in a press release.
Wicker has worked with the festival before and is very familiar with the Macon area.
He has held several positions with the Cherry Blossom Festival before.
He was on the board of directors from 2007 to 2012, the executive committee and board chair from 2011 to 2012 and he was festival chair in 2011.
“The festival has been a boost to Middle Georgia’s economy, drawing thousands of visitors from across the southeast and the nation,” Wicker said in a press release.
Wicker has also held several positions in Macon including working for the Tubman Museum and the Macon Chamber of Commerce, as well as serving on Mercer’s National Engineering Advisory Board.
Wicker has also received many community awards such as the 2013 Community Service Award and 2014 Leadership Award from NewTown Macon.
He is taking this position after retiring from Georgia Power where he served as the region vice president.
“I am excited and enthusiastic to build upon the festival’s foundations which began with Carolyn Crayton’s vision and William A. Fickling, Sr.’s generosity,” Wicker said.