I <3 Arrested Development

Does anyone else here watch Arrested Development on DVD over and over? Am I the only one? Well, maybe in class I am (let me know if I'm not alone, classmates!), but I know for sure that many people around the country enjoy Arrested Development just as much as I do.

It's great, and there are so many reasons, it's really hard to explain it to someone who hasn't seen it or doesn't get the humor. But my all time favorite reason as to why Arrested Development is super cool is that nearly every single line is part of a joke or alluding to a joke. It's extremely clever, and I've watched every episode at least three or four times to make sure I catch it all.

Unfortunately, the show was canceled after only three seasons because apparently nobody was watching it. Now it's finally being made into a movie, and I have no idea when it's supposed to come out, but I hope it comes to Kearney. I will go as many times as my limited funds will allow me!

My boyfriend and my sister are both huge Arrested Development fans as well, and I never realized how often we make inside jokes from the episodes until I did it to someone who has never seen the show before. I guess I can't expect everyone to get it when I say "very ... handsome ... !" while acting like I'm about to barf. Or if something crappy happens, we say, "Michael!" in a low, vengeful voice. Also, since my last name starts with F, some of my friends who watch the show like to call me "Mr. F" ... if you watch the show, you'll see this is slightly insulting (or flattering, considering Charlize Theron is the actress), but it's all in good laughs.

Below, my favorite clip (explaining the "very handsome" thing) and my favorite episode, courtesy of Hulu.com.

Milk vending is good for everyone involved

For my local editorial, I decided to focus on the issue of adding milk vending machines to the campus. I know, it's not the most exciting subject in the world, but I still think it's important and something UNK should definitely consider.

Campus food services already offer an array of choices to students, but unfortunately, the vending machines on campus have a much more limited selection. To attract dollars and satisfy the needs of all students, it would be in the best interest of the university to expand the selection and include milk vending machines.

Studies began early in the decade with select high schools across the country to assess the market for milk vending machines. At the time, schools and communities were understandably worried about the rising obesity rate of children and teens, and because milk can be a healthy alternative to sugary soft drinks, it became the focus of many parents and principals who wanted a change.

After the school board in Madison, WI dropped its exclusive vending contract with Coca Cola in August 2000 and introduced milk vending machines alongside the pop machines, criticism about loss of funds soon turned to praise at the profits the milk machine was bringing to the schools.

Mona Arneson, the kitchen coordinator at West High School, told the Associated Press that she didn’t believe the milk program would work at first, but she was proven wrong when she began having difficulty keeping the machine stocked. In the first four weeks, students at the school of 2,100 pupils had bought 200 bottles of milk every day.

The Fluid Milk Strategic Thinking Initiative (FMSTI) ran its own studies, which indicated vending milk can be as successful as soda sales. In high schools, an average of 68 percent of students bought milk, and of those, 30 percent purchased milk at least once a week.

No studies have yet been released about the success of milk vending machines on college campuses, but if the success of milk vending machines at the University of Washington is taken into account, it’s not difficult to see that milk is just as popular among college students as high school students. Micheal Meyering, vending manager of the university, told University Week, the student newspaper, the machines sold out during the first couple of days after they were installed, leading him to ask the vendors for more frequent delivery.

The University of Nebraska would make a smart choice by installing milk vending machines on campus. Milk is already available at the Starbucks locations and campus convenience stores, but the hours at every milk-selling location vary from closing as early as 3 p.m. to only being open for lunch and dinner. None of these locations are open past 9 p.m. or during the weekends.

Just as students have the convenience of 24-hour soda, coffee, water and snack machines on campus, milk should have around-the-clock availability as well. Not only is milk a healthy alternative to soda, but many students simply prefer milk over other beverages. If previous studies can be believed, milk machines would also become a source of profit for the university, making them a worthy investment in this time of budget cuts.

Sources:
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
"Schools vending machines got milk - and students are getting it, too" - AP
University Week News