They say that college is the best four…or five years of a person’s life. So far, my life has molded and shaped me more into who I really am in these past three years then in any of the years before. I attribute that to this, life isn’t easy when no one else is looking out for you.

As much as I consider myself a man under my own will, all of the years up until college were pretty much handed to me. Grade school was a breeze, friends were good, and I wasn’t challenged too much in my faith. I didn’t have to worry about money, my health, or having food to eat. It’s surprising how quickly that can change.

It came up so fast. A week before high school graduation I suffered a grand maul seizure. It was the worst feeling. To feel completely paralyzed, unable to breathe. It felt like I was perpetually falling into the ground. I wanted to cry out for help, but couldn’t. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital.

It turns out that the doctors could find no clear explanation for why it happened. After a few months I felt better, but I was left with a stack of hospital bills and no answers. I had just turned 18 and didn’t know that I had to prove to my dad’s insurance that I was going to college to still be covered. Learning that I now had several thousand dollars in debt tacked to my credit report because of an insurance discrepancy was a new experience in life.

Finally in school, I continue to struggle with the lack of a real relationship with my father due to his prior addiction to alcohol. My relationship with my brothers is okay, but still very superficial; the result of being around emotionally lacking men.

I don’t see my mother often, but I love her very much. I’ve acquired the friendship of many at school, and I’m thankful for that support group. I still struggle to confide in other people. I struggle to feel like I have a love network that is constantly looking out for me; and I know life is perilously hopeless without one. Life was not meant to be lived alone.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says that, “two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

We need each other. I am tired of this 'every man for himself' mentality created by our society. I cannot take care of myself. I am broken alone, made perfect only by my faith in Christ who calls me to live together like family with my brothers and sisters.

James Arthur Baldwin, an American novelist, said this, “Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” I beg anyone who wants to experience love like it was meant to be, to take off their masks and reveal their true being. We cannot be loved for who we are not, if we were, we would not be loved; we would only be acquiring love for a person who doesn’t even exist.

Don’t ever think that being a man means not asking for help. We aren’t individuals; we’re a society meant to live together. Let us not be afraid to love each other. Let us not continue on in this masquerade of false identities. The truly interesting costume is the very one God gave us. Let us all wear that one.

During last week’s snow day, I helped four people get their doors open, and it made me think that I should share some tips about driving in the winter.

I drive a Pontiac Firebird all year round. Yes, it is a rear-wheel drive sports car, and no, it isn’t dangerous to drive in bad weather.

The first and possibly most important tip for winter driving is to get a nice pair of winter tires. For a 1999 Ford Taurus, a few options include Michelin X-Ice, Bridgestone Blizzak and Dunlop Graspic for less than $90 per tire (tirerack.com listed four X-Ice tires for $352 with shipping to Big Rapids). Most stores will install the tires for $10 to $15 per; and let people keep the old rubber to put on next season.

I find this cost easy to justify since I need my car all year, and the tires would be cheaper than insurance costs if I slip off the road or into another car.

As far as snow and ice are concerned, here are a few ideas. Lift your wipers up when you leave your car. It looks goofy, but ice won’t freeze to them and render them useless (when they run and just streak water across the window). A good new set of winter blades is under $20 for most cars and they have a jacket that not only looks more appealing, but also keeps ice out of the wiper’s suspension so they press evenly across the windshield’s contours. Most auto parts stores will install these for free in a few minutes.

If your doors freeze shut – don’t grab hot water! Starting on the passenger side, break the ice seal before yanking on the handle. To do this, gently pry in the upper corner and around the edge of the door. Don’t worry about the window breaking; I’ve seen doors opened almost an inch in the corner with no problem.

Once the ice seal is broken, pull on the handle and the door should pop right open. Once inside, crawl over to the drivers seat and break the ice seal from the inside and open the door. Lock de-icer might be needed, and it is quite acceptable – but don’t keep it in the glove box! Have your girlfriend throw it in her purse instead.

Hope this helps a few people out there, happy winter driving!

A few people have complained that the Coalition for Liberty, an RSO I belong to, does not have enough female members. Nearly every male member of the organization has been among the complainers. None of us are openly sexist (now that that one guy is gone) but are we subconsciously building a group in which women don’t feel welcome?

I hope not. I’d hate to be responsible for that sort of thing. My primary method for recruiting members to the group has been inviting Ferris students whose Facebook profiles state that they are “libertarians.” At the time of this writing, this group contains 82 males and 5 females.

So I’m probably not sexist. But I also have a habit of referring to all my documents as females, notoriously typing, “Here she is,” in the subject lines of emails with attachments. Someone told me that this is sexist. If so, which gender is it against? In any case, on the advice of a friend, I’ve started typing, “Here s/he is.”

There’s more. I enjoy “Family Guy” just as much as the next guy. (And I mean “guy” in the gender-neutral sense.) "Family Guy" is full of sexist jokes.

CBC News Writer Georgie Binks wrote that her son and her friends were watching “Family Guy,” and she was bothered by it. She wrote, “As the mother of the host, I listen in and am shocked to hear that the “humour” and the personification of the characters is frighteningly sexist.”

“Family Guy” is also full of sexist jokes about females and males, but we don’t really care about jokes against males. If we did, we’d have to care that, according to the New York Times, young men in large American cities are earning less than young females, and that, according to the Journal of Epidemiology, males are more likely to suffer from depression and commit suicide. We might also have to start caring that there are more females than males attending college. (Ask any heterosexual male college student how upset he is about the fact that he’s surrounded by women.)

To be fair, Binks complained about the gender stereotypes of both men and women in “Family Guy.” But are these stereotypes really problematic? According to an article on sciencedaily.com, sexist humor can actually affect men’s perceptions and actions related to sexist behavior. Western Carolina University faculty member Thomas Ford said that, after reading sexist jokes, males were asked how much money they would be willing to donate to a women’s organization. They were less likely to donate than males in the same study who were exposed to non-humorous sexist statements and non-sexist jokes.

I doubt that the creators of “Family Guy” intend to create sexist attitudes. The jokes in the show don’t seem to be meant as insulting to females. Rather, they exploit the stupidity of the characters who hold the sexist beliefs. Does this make the jokes any less damaging? Who knows? Am I going to stop watching “Family Guy?” Only if they stop showing Meg.

I try to avoid those old stereotypes about gender roles in dating relationships. For this reason, every time I go on a date, I bite the bullet and make the female pay. Since I adopted this policy, I have not dated many people to test it out on, but I’m sure most of my liberal peers will appreciate the gesture and maybe even walk me to my door.

On the topic of relationships, I have to admit that I really like women. Maybe my sexism is against men instead of women because I've already decided that I will not even consider engaging in a romantic relationship with any male.

As far as I know, this kind of discrimination is legal in romantic relationships, but if I were an employer who put out a “help wanted” advertisement that said “Applications from males not accepted,“ I could get sued. I can only hope that the government never corrects this double standard.

Then again, if I were an employer, I might decide to try to get away with hiring all women instead of men. According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service males are more likely to commit about any kind of violent crime than females. More women graduate from college than men.

So, am I sexist? I don’t think so, but if I am, you probably are too. So I won’t tell if you don’t.

While sitting at home coming down with a cold, I watched one of television's worst shows. On Tyra Banks there was a discussion about people who have relations with their friends. Banks interviewed numerous people to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of cuddling up with a buddy.

Friendship with benefits seems great at the thought of it. You have no strings attached, so you two are friends with a very casual dating relationship. The benefits can be really good, long, flirty conversations; make-out sessions with no commitment; sex without commitment; etc., according to urban dictionary.com.

Friendifits is really risky business. Many people commit to being uncommitted because they want to protect their feelings. Even if you try not to let your feelings get in the way of having a good time, it’s likely that you are going to end up getting attached. When you fool around with someone, any feeling you have for that person is going to get more intense, it’s only human. There had to be something there if you wanted to hook up in the first place, right?

Friendifits messes up friendships. Losing that friend is a potential risk of having Friendifits. Once you start hooking up with a friend, you are in this weird limbo of not being just friends anymore, but also not being together. It will be harder to be a friend after a hook up, so why not just save your friendship and not take it any further?

We are all college students and these are the years of our lives. If you do have a Friend with Benefits, a.k.a Friendifits, a relationship with no strings attached, or a friendship with no regrets, what ever lingo you want to use, you have to be serious about being safe.

Even if you’re not in a relationship and it’s all just casual, you still need to be serious about protecting yourself and your partner from sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.

Being Friendifits may seem like an easy way to have some fun, but all relationships have emotional and physical risks, even when you try to keep things casual.

Most importantly, ask yourself if friends with benefits is really what you want. Some people settle for it when they really want a more traditional relationship. Remember, honesty is the best policy, with other people and with you.

I have a best friend. I call him ‘Klumpp.’ Klumpp and I have known each other since middle school. I have another best friend. I call him ‘Petey.’ I’ve known Petey since my freshman year at Ferris. There are numerous others that I would count among ‘Best Friend’ status, but for the purpose of this article, these two will do.

I don’t believe you can or should have only one best friend. Though it goes against some law of physics that you can have more than one person be the best at something, I really do feel that while the time spent with each person may vary drastically it does not impact the level of maturity in the friendship or the experiences shared between the parties involved. The difference in time that I have known Klumpp and Petey is several years, but the level of dedication of time and energy to each person represents a level that is greater than that allotted to individuals in my life that I would label as just friends.

I understand that it can be uncomfortable to refer to someone as a best friend. The situation can become tense in the event that the other person does not think of you in a similar light, or someone nearby feels that they are worthy of best friend status.

Being a best friend is a big step. Not everyone may be prepared to make it at the same time, which is why a new, transitional stage has been developed to test out a large number of potential best friends at the simultaneously and determine the best options for the ultimate status. This best friend purgatory is casually referred to as ‘favorites’ or ‘favs’ if the person is in a hurry.

‘Favorites’ is an increasingly growing occurrence among our generation. However, it is most prevalent among young women. Away Messages and Facebook statuses can frequently be found to say things like, “Bio exam, then out with my favs!” Where this group of people goes out to still remains unimportant. Each moment together is a test to see who will develop the strong bond and eventually become a best friend, or a ‘bestie’ as in, “Can’t wait for my besties to visit!” It behooves one to understand that the practice of ‘favs’ and ‘besties’ is practiced predominantly by women, though occasionally re-enacted by males as a way to mock their gender counterparts.

We can likely assume that the position of ‘fav’ occupies that little nook between being a facebook friend and agreeing to a false relationship status between you and that person saying that you are engaged or even married. Also, promotion to best friend level entitles you to new activities and behaviors.

For one, you can make fun of each other without the need to say, ‘just joshing’ afterwards. And two, you automatically have a partner in crime for whatever activity you are going to undertake.

For men, the status of favs and besties is relatively the same, but bears different titles. The role of ‘fav’ in a male friendship is called, “this guy/ girl I know.” Sure, he probably knows more about the guy or girl than he is letting on, but the vagueness keeps the story going and the important details, like the punch line, remain intact.

Best friend status is noted by a title. These can range from, “my buddy, Petey,” to “my friend, Klumpp,” and all of the terms in between. Once a man is able to publicly profess his friendship, then it is the real thing.

It’s important not to lie to yourself and believe that you have a best friend when really, you don’t think of them that way. Sure you may see this person on a regular basis and enjoy the presence of their company, but truly, your admiration for them is not that high.

There is a simple test to determine if you are best friends. For girls, if you find yourself saying, “I love her to death, but…” then you are not really best friends. If you were really best friends, your recognition of their faults would not impede the relationship’s continued growth potential.

The guys’ test for this is usually something along the lines of, “He’s a cool dude, but he says/ does stuff sometimes that…” It’s the same story for both sides. If you were truly best friends, those minor imperfections would be a lot more minor.

There is, however, one loop hole to this system; Greek Organizations. I have nothing against fraternities and sororities, but they have different titles that go to their ‘favs’ or ‘guys they know’.

For girls that are in the sorority with other girls and they like the other girl but aren’t best friends, she is just a ‘sister.’ Guys that are friendly with each other, but not too concerned if he remembers him after college or not calls him a ‘brother.’

Get out there, meet some new people and put ‘em through the ringer. If they prove themselves to be worthy of the best friend status, then things are looking up for you. Then, start the process over and get more best friends. That way, when you die, you can be sure that the cheese platter at your funeral won’t be going to waste.

The “End of the Error” is finally coming into sight as President George W. Bush gave his final State of the Union on Monday, Jan. 28. In his speech, Mr. Bush claimed that the United States is a safer, stronger, and better country than it was when he took office in 2001.

I guess you could say that we are safer in the aspect that millions of lead based toys are being imported into the U.S. daily from China.

After seven years of Bush’s policies, the private sector has a stronger influence in Congress and the federal government as a whole.

The small percentage of Americans that comprise the upper class are living a better, richer lifestyle thanks to Bush’s tax cuts and policies that have been specifically directed at them.

Early on in his speech, Bush said, “As Americans, we believe in the power of individuals to determine their destiny and shape the course of history.” Yes, this is a true statement. But after eight years of cut and spend policies, we need a government and leader that can unite the country out of this economic recession and into prosperous times.

One of my favorite lines from the speech is, “America has added jobs for a record 52 straight months…” This statement may be true for a couple states, but it is definitely wrong about Michigan. For the past seven years, our beautiful state has been ignored by the Bush Administration.

Our industry-based economy has collapsed thanks to the policies that Bush, Cheney, and their Republican cronies have pushed with lightning speed through Congress.

One of the major highlights of Bush’s final address to the joint session of Congress was his new economic stimulus package. In regards to his highly thoughtful $150 billion bill, Bush said, “This is a good agreement that will keep our economy growing and our people working.”

I can see how $600 individual checks will spur some consumer spending, but how will it keep people working? I did not know that this “stimulus” package included the creation of new jobs. Maybe some of them will show up here in Michigan.

I think Mr. Bush needs to visit other places in the United States besides the White House, Camp David, and his ranch in Texas. He needs to talk to the average, middle-class, unemployed U.S. citizen. Americans don’t want a $600 check that will be gone once it is spent. They want a steady job that provides a consistent income at a reasonable pay rate.

For the past seven years, Bush has spent more time thinking about what countries to invade than he has on the almost 50 million Americans that are currently living without health insurance.

Health care costs have risen to unacceptable levels during the Bush administration. As expected, Bush promoted the typical Republican stance on health care. “We share a common goal: making health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans. The best way to achieve that goal is by expanding consumer choice, not government control.”

Hmm, let me think. Health care costs have risen through the roof over the past several years thanks to the lack of oversight by the government.

So for those of you out there that can not stand President Bush, just think that there are only 349 days left in this error.

Like most college students, I’m broke. I operate on a tight budget and I believe in clipping coupons. I pick up the paper every Sunday to see what I could possibly save on throughout the week.

I take the time to make a list and compare prices. I don’t just glance over prices and say “hey, that’s a good deal.” I seriously compare the prices.

Sometimes I find myself buying something from Wal- Mart instead of Meijer because it was 10 cents cheaper. Hey, if I can save 10 dimes then I can save a dollar!

Every week I’m bombarded with coupons that are useless. Coupons that read “3 for $3, or buy one get one free, sometimes irritates me. How is it possible that a store can send out a coupon that says “3 for $3” when the original price is only $1 anyhow?

So, since the original price is only a dollar, it doesn’t matter how many items I buy because I would still pay $1 per item. Buy one get one half off items are no better. The stores usually inflate the price on the first item to cover the second. You’re essentially still paying for both items.

It seems, however, that most people don’t notice this. Don’t worry! I’m here to help.

According to a Yahoo Finance article published on yahoo.com last Thursday, there are many stunts retailers use to get you to shop at their stores.

One stunt is the double discounts. This method confuses customers into thinking they are getting a great deal. For instance, a store might offer 45 percent off a $100 item or 20 percent off with an additional 30 at the register. If you add 20 and 30 you get 50 and it seems like a better deal than the 45.

That’s not the way it works. Forty-five percent of $100 is $55 so the item sells for that price. Twenty percent off $100 is $80. Take an additional 30 percent from the 80 makes the item $56. You now pay a dollar more because you thought you were getting 50 percent off instead of 45.

Yahoo also reported that pricing items at $9.99 instead of $10.00 makes consumers spend more money. Pricing items in this format makes it harder for the consumers to calculate and compare prices.

A 200-ounce package at $3 and a 400-ounce package at $5 let me know the 400-ounce package is a better deal.

If retailers mark the items at $2.99 and $4.99 then it seems that they are the same price because two is half of four and reports show that most consumers look at only the first numbers.

My biggest pet peeve of all with coupons is the “3 for $9.99” sale. It’s obvious that consumers usually spend more money than they intend to with this particular type of sale. You don’t need to buy three items to get the deal. Don’t buy three boxes of cereal if it takes you two months to eat one box. Just buy the one box at $3.33 please.

Now you know. Don’t let retailers play you for a fool!