Saturday, March 9, 2019

Season Six of Madam Secretary Remains Unknown


Oregon resident Cody Gotchall, a life-long math enthusiast, is pursuing a degree in accounting. In his free time, Cody Gotchall enjoys playing cribbage and watching television dramas, including the series Madam Secretary

Starring actress Tea Leoni as fictional United States Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, the intriguing political drama has aired on the CBS network since 2014. While the series is now in syndication, CBS has yet to announce if Madam Secretary will return for the 2019-2020 season. 

The show’s behind-the-scenes depiction of international diplomacy and political life has been popular with viewers. Madam Secretary has featured a host of famous cameos, including guest appearances by former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell, and Madeleine Albright. 

An average of 14 million people tuned in every week during the show's first season. However, audience numbers dropped about 10 percent between season four and season five. As a result, fans must wait to see if the series will be renewed for next year.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Ways to Improve Mental Math Skills


A college student in Oregon, Cody Gotchall has interests in accounting and math. Cody Gotchall also enjoys crunching numbers and playing cribbage with his family.

Being good at mental math sounds more difficult than it is. Here are a few ways to improve mental math skills:

- Play more games. Games like chess require basic calculation skills. Effective chess players must look ahead several moves to figure out which possible next move is best. As you play more often, your ability to make calculations based on future moves improves.

- Simplify the numbers. When doing math in your head, simplify the numbers to make them more manageable. For example, adding 493 and 880 in your head is difficult. But if you simply round 493 to 500, add 880 to get 1,380, then subtract the 7 that was added when you rounded up, you’ll get the final answer of 1,373.

- Learn multiplication tricks. For example, when a number is multiplied by 5, the answer ends in either 0 or 5. Another trick: multiplying by 12 is the same as multiplying by 10, then adding the number multiplied by 2. For instance, 12 times 6 is the same as 10 times 6 plus 2 times 6.

Monday, January 28, 2019

Balancing Humility and Confidence


College student Cody Gotchall is enrolled in an online learning program in accounting. Dedicated to helping others, he has volunteered with numerous organizations over the years. Cody Gotchall is particularly passionate about advocacy for disabled individuals and recognizes the challenge of balancing humility and confidence when performing such work.

Finding the right balance between these traits is an essential skill. Confidence refers to a feeling that comes from appreciation of one’s own qualities or abilities, but it requires self-awareness. Too much confidence often leads to arrogance. Conversely, while humility involves having a modest view of one’s importance, it can turn into self-deprecation if not properly managed.

To find a balance between the two, people must figure out where they stand in both areas. If they are overconfident, they likely express minimal interest in learning about others, and treat waiters and other service workers differently than they would a colleague. They can correct the issue by acknowledging when they don’t know something, sharing their mistakes, and seeking different viewpoints.

People with too much humility often shy away from actions like starting salary negotiations with their bosses. Further, they often have a list of things they wish they had said or done. To boost their confidence, these individuals can practice confident body language, such as frequent eye contact. Beyond that, they can learn to accept compliments, take risks, and let go of failures.

Monday, January 14, 2019

How Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs Differ


Cody Gotchall, an Oregon college student enrolled in e-learning courses in pursuit of an accounting degree, advocates for people with autism and traumatic brain injuries. This diagnosis has sparked his interest in volunteer opportunities related to people with disabilities. In addition, Cody Gotchall has begun looking into the capabilities of service dogs for people with autism.

Although many people believe service dogs and therapy dogs are the same, there is a big difference between the two when it comes to their training, capabilities, and protections in the United States.

Service dogs typically receive more training and have more legal protections. These animals help individuals perform tasks they would otherwise struggle to complete on their own. Most service dogs are large enough to control their owner when wearing a harness; however, they also need to be small enough that a person can easily control them. The most popular breeds for service dogs are Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and German shepherds.

Service dogs are allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act to enter public places where other dogs are not allowed. This includes public transportation, public restaurants, and stores. To denote they are service animals, these dogs often are required to wear a special vest that prohibits petting and signifies they are service animals.

Conversely, therapy dogs are tasked with providing physiological and psychological support. They frequently visit group homes, daycares, schools, and rehabilitation centers to give people with disabilities and other individuals the support they need.

Since therapy dogs have fewer responsibilities, they can be trained by virtually anyone as long as the trainer meets standards for registration and certification. They also can be of varying sizes and breeds, though they are expected to be very easy-going and friendly, as they interact with multiple people per day.

Monday, January 7, 2019

Collegiate Baseball Ranks Oregon State 7th for 2019


Oregon resident Cody Gotchall has studied at higher educational institutions throughout the state, including Oregon State University (OSU). Cody Gotchall maintains an interest in OSU sports and has followed the university’s baseball team for several years.

In December 2018, Collegiate Baseball released its predictive rankings for the top 40 college baseball teams for the 2019 season. According to the publication, the OSU Beavers ranked seventh after winning the NCAA championship this past season. This marks the fourth consecutive year, and the sixth time in the past seven, that OSU has ranked in Collegiate Baseball’s top 10. Other institutions in the ranking include Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Stanford, and Louisiana State.

Collegiate Baseball also released its predictive All-American teams around the same time. Two players from the Beavers baseball team, Kevin Abel and Adley Rutschman, made the list. A junior, Rutschman batted .408 in 2018, with nine home runs and 22 doubles. Meanwhile, Abel was the only freshman in the country to strike out more than 100 batters.

The publication also named pitchers Jake Mulholland and Bryce Fehmel to the third and second teams, respectively. Altogether, OSU had four players named to Collegiate Baseball’s All-American teams, the most of any team in the US.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Will Elementary Season 7 Finally Take Place in London?


Oregon native Cody Gotchall is an online accounting student and an active volunteer in the community. During his free time, Cody Gotchall enjoys watching TV series such as Elementary, an American series adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes.

Over the years, Elementary has gained much-deserved popularity for its refreshing but equally intriguing and exciting take on the central characters’ dynamics and the plot-twisting investigations set in contemporary New York City. As the sixth season ended with both Sherlock and Watson back at Baker Street in London, rumors have risen that the show has finally sent its main characters where they truly belong and off to new adventures.

According to showrunner Rob Doherty, moving the characters to England at the end of the season was primarily due to Sherlock Holmes confessing to murder to protect Joan Watson who was the prime suspect at the time. While there is no finality to the decision of leaving New York permanently, both Sherlock and Joan cannot return without first being acquitted for the murder charge. For now, the characters will find themselves solving mysteries in the streets of London as they face new challenges, both in their personal and professional lives.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Important Reminders Before Making a Blood Donation




An Oregon resident, Cody Gotchall is a student of accounting at the Chemeketa Community College. Cody Gotchall has always been an active and passionate volunteer for several nonprofit organizations including the American Red Cross, where he has donated blood since 2012.

The American Red Cross (ARC) is one of the largest humanitarian organizations that provides emergency assistance, disaster preparedness, and disaster relief in the United States. One of its essential services is blood donation, which supplies approximately half of the donated blood in the country. For new or existing donors, the American Red Cross sets important guidelines that must be met before making a blood donation.

Donors must be in good health condition. ARC will determine donors’ health status by conducting a general health check and learning about their health history. ARC can only accept donors who weigh at least 110 pounds. Moreover, donors must be at least 17 years old. However, some states allow 16-year-old donors as long as they have parental consent.