Is Getting to a Bowl Game Over-Rated?

The college Bowl season started on Saturady December 20th, at 11 a.m. in the East. This "prestigious" bowl was the Eagle Bank Bowl, and it was played between the Wake forest Demon Deacons and the Navy Midshipmen. I use the word prestigious very lighty because there are so many bowls now a days that it is becoming pretty easy to get invited to a bowl. All you have to do is win 6 games during a 12 game season, and then you have become bowl eligible. A bowl game is an opportunity for very good college football teams to play one extra game because they had a good season, it is not designed for mediocre teams with a lousy 6-6 record to stumble into the game so that they can feel like they did something good by making a bowl game. Every year it seems that a bowl game is less and less important. This year there are 34 bowl games, which means there are 68 teams in division 1 football that are going to play in a bowl game, which is more than half of all of the teams in NCAA Division 1 football. These bowl games make a lot of money for the sponsors, which of course is important, but come on, 68 teams? Really? That just makes the whole bowl season watered down and ridiculous. Less bowls is what we need, if there are too many bowls then people will not want to watch them all because there are so many medicore teams in them. If there is say 20 bowls, with the best 40 college football teams in the land, then people will stay intrigued and want to tune into those exciting bowls. So if your looking for something to do this holiday season, be sure to tune into the "Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl" on December 31st at noon Eastern time, between the Houston Cougars(7-5) and the Air Force Falcons(8-4). That should be an absolute dandy of a college football game.

What's with the Hype?

So who has not heard about this new movie that came out over the weekend, Twilight? Wow, is it ever a huge huge hit among students everywhere in this nation. According to Fandango.com there is being one movie ticket sold every five seconds for this movie, ohh and lets forget that is even before the movie actually came out. That was just tickets that were being sold prior to the movie actually coming out. I have a friend that read this book, and so did eight of her friends, and they all bought tickets for the midnight showing of this movie two weeks early so that they could watch it as soon as it comes out. That sounds a bit ridiculous to me. This movie takes place in a town called Forks, Washington, and because I live there, I have been to this town, and I must tell you that it is the armpit of the world. Because of this movie and book, the town of Forks is getting tons of publicity and also lots of tourism. What a blessing for the town of Forks, because without this movie there would certainly be no tourist.

Sports Star that Does the Right Thing

Doug Christie, a member of the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball League, has volunteered his money and time to pass out turkey's for the holidays. Doug Christie and his wife, have decided that during the Thanksgiving Holiday they will go around town to 100 less fortunate homes and pass out 15 pound turkeys for that family to enjoy and to have a great thanksgiving feast. They will be passing out the these turkeys in the Atlanta area, and are very much looking forward to the opportunity to help out the community that comes to support him at his basketball games. Doug Christie is thankful that even in the past when the Atlanta Hawks were no good, his fans still came out to support him and his teammates. The sports world needs more people like Doug Christie to be ambassadors for their game, and someone that their particular community can look forward to. Great job Mr. Christie, I hope that your fellow teammates and league mates will follow your example.

Shop Smart and Save for the Holiday Season

With the economy way way down during the upcoming holiday season it is tough to be able to spend lots of money for most middle class and lower class families. Here are a few tips to be able to save some money while you're shopping for the upcoming Christmas season.
-Establish an amount of money that you are going to be able to spend, and stick to that budget. Its very very important not to spend more money than you are able to spend.
-Make a list. Its just like when you're going grocery shopping, in order not to spend extra, you need to be able to make a list and stick to it. Don't buy anything extra that is not on the list.
-Its also very important to be able to leave your credit cards at home. Its obviously very easy to spend money with credit cards because it doesn't seem real, well at least not until the credit card bill comes.
-Some on the best gifts that I have received are gifts that are hand made, or other creative things that didn't cost any money. This can be a very important thing that you can do to save some more money.

These are just some of the things that you can do to save money, please spend wisely.bbbbbb

Fannie Mae Helps the Homeless

On November 22nd Fannie Mae will sponsor a walk in the Washington DC area to help the homeless. This year will be the 21st anniversary of this walk. On any given night in the DC area there are roughly 12,000 homeless people, with more and more on the brink due to the foreclosure crisis, and now is the best possible time to have the 21st anniversary of this ever so helpful homeless walk. Affordable housing is a big crisis in the metro DC area and it is critical for residents of the area to go on this walk, and try to help the homeless. I think it is great that the community can really try and help the homeless. In addition to thousands of people that will make this walk, there will also be an expected 70,000 people who will take place in mini-walks. This is scheduled to be a huge success, and all of us that are not involved wish the best of luck to all who will be a part of this.

Big Week for four College Players

This weeks nominees for the AT&T All America Player of the Week are Graham Harrell of Texas Tech, Paul Anderson of Boston College, Rashad Johnson of Alabama, and Jacquizz Rodgers of Oregon State. While all these players have had amamzing weeks, and amazing seasons as well, I strongly believe that the player that should not only win this weeks award, but also the Heisman Trophy this year is Graham Harrell, the quarterback of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Not only has he thrown for a zillion yards, and a zillion touchdown passes, he also has so far lead his team to beating the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Texas Longhorns. The Texas Longhorns game was an amazing game to watch, with almost no time left on the clock, Harrell threw a TD pass to standout wide receiver Michael Crabtree, to win the game by five points 37-33. An amazing game for Graham Harrell, and an amazing season and certainly eligible to win this weeks award. Congratulations Graham Harrell.

Tiger Woods Unveils New Course

Tiger woods unveiled his first ever golf course in Ashville North Carolina. This is the first ever golf course that Tiger has designed. Can you imagine how good he would be at the course that he designed himself? Just picture 10-12 years from now, when there is big tournements at Tigers course. Like today when they play tourements at Jack Niclaus' course. What an exciting time for Tiger Woods now, that he is so good that he gets to create his own golf course. Congratulations to Tiger and his family, because he has had an amazing career, and he will continue to do amazing.

Turkey Day

When I was going through the news stories for this week trying to think about what to write about. And as I read through some stories, I was shocked when I came across the stat that stated that on Thanksgiving day and the time leading up to and around that day, the nation consumes 46 million turkeys. That number is truly truly amazing number, and I was so shocked so much when I saw it that I thought was a typo. That is 46 million turkeys that are being killed, and you may think that bothers me? well it doesn't at all, thats the way I think it should be, but I absolutely commend the farmers and turkey raisers in this country and every other country for taking care of these turkeys and getting them ready to be eaten by me. The average turkey that we buy in stores for this holiday is about 15 pounds, and the leading state in the united states for turkey producing is the state of Minnesota, and to be honest I have no idea why that is, but all I can say is thank you Minnesota, and thank you the rest of the places that raise turkeys, for allowing me to enjoy this holiday with my family, and have a huge fat turkey on the table. Mmmm, makes me hungry just to thin about it.

City of Philly goes Wireless

Ive reported a few times on the city of Philadelphia, and how they are celebrating the trip to the world series. The last time I reported, the Philadelphia Phillies had just won the National League Championship series by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers, and were getting ready to start the world series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Phillies went on to win the world series in 5 games,(maybe I'm good luck) capturing their first world title since 1980. Traditionally when a team wins a championship, whether it be baseball, basketball, football, hockey of soccer, that team has a parade in the next few days going through the middle of their home city, where thousands and thousands of fans come out to celebrate one last time before it is time to think about next season. This year was no different, the Phillies paraded through downtown Philadelphia to celebrate again with their fans. The real reason for this story is the unusual amount of cell phone calls and text messages during this parade. Verizon Wireless reported a 500% increase in cell phone minutes being used during those parade hours in Philadelphia. Also on this day during the parade, two million text messages were sent between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. This is astonishing because it proves how many people come out to these parades, and i for one would have loved to be a part of this celebration. Congratulations Philadelphia, and be careful not to go over your minutes for this month.

Americans look for Ways to eat Healthier

For the past few decades Americans have been criticized for being the fattest country in the World. There are tons of fast food restaurants in this country, and quite frankly it makes it easy to get fat fast. There are countless fast food restaurants in this country and not nearly enough fast places to eat good food. This country is so fast paced, with so many things to do that most of there time there isnt time to actually sit down and get a healthy meal. It is so much more convenient to just go to a drive through and pick something up. Subway, Quizno's and other places like this are good, and they now have a drive through most stores. That is the biggest problem in this country as far as eating healthy, it is too time consuming to eat healthy. I think if Americans had a faster way to eat healthy it would be a much skinnier country. Now of course there are lots of variables but this would be a big help in making this country skinnier, but this is a big one. I know it would certainly help me. More places to eat healthy would be such a big improvement for this country.

Wisconsin Badgers go Carbon Neutral

The Wisconsin Badgers football team hosted the University of Illinois on Saturday October 25th, in what was dubbed as the first annual "Carbon-Neutral" game. The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department planted 20 acres of trees in a nearby Wisconsin Tree Farm. Also this event will provide all of the fans with the environmental strategies on how to keep the environment better. Every Saturday when there is a game a crowd gathers at the University of Wisconsin that is bigger than most Wisconsin cities. This was a great way to give awareness to the fans. The Wisconsin Badgers beat Illinois on Saturday, and the crowd was more than 30,000 people. Associate Athletic Director Vince Sweeney had this to say about the event. "It is important for us to be environmentally conscious in what we do, and spread the word on how everyday life can help the environment." This is a very important thing for the University to do, and is a great way to get some national recognition.

Oprah Winfrey goes Spanish

For years and years and years the Oprah Winfrey show has been a top rated afternoon show, and has throngs and throngs of fans and supporters. On this TV show, it is not uncommon to see Oprah randomly choose someone from her audience to give a car to, or to give away money. Its quite an amazing show, and because of Oprah's amazing charity work, she deserves all the accolades that she receives. The show has now become so popular that now her show will be broad casted in Spanish here in the United States. Starting on October 20th, 2008, the top six Spanish markets will get the Oprah Winfrey show in Spanish. The top six markets, and thus the first to receive this show in Spanish are as follows; Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Chicago. Some Hispanics in this nation just dont understand English that well, so now those that live in these six countries will be able to watch Oprah do her thing on her TV show. I think this is a great thing for the country, and hopefully will continue into even smaller markets throughout the United States.

Phils Fight to get to the World Series

Last week I reported on the "Phillies Rally by the River." The day I reported on the rally was the day of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, which the Phillies lost 7-2. That turned out to be the only game that the Phillies lost in that series, they went on to win the next two games in Los Angeles behind Joe Blanton in game four, and ace Cole Hamels in game five. The Phils celebrated their victory in L.A. and now travel to Tampa Bay to face the upstart Tampa Bay Rays. The city of Philadelphia is still partying as they prepare for the World Series which starts Wednesday. As a matter of fact, the city has set up a website called gophila.com/phillies, that allows fans to be a part of this playoff run.
This site has many things for the fans including:
-top 10 places to watch the game
-How to get there(transportation to Citizens Bank Park)
-Interactive map of Citizens Bank Ballpark
-Photo slide show that includes what takes place before and during the game.
-"Red goes Green" (information on the Phillies eco-friendly efforts)
-Where to stay. (The Philly overnight Hotel Package includes two-night hotel accommodations, and free parking.

This is an exciting time for the Philadelphia Phillies, and the entire city of Philadelphia. I'd sure love to be in Philly to be a part of the party of the World Series.

City of Philadelphia cheers on the Fightin' Phils

The Philadelphia Phillies won the first two games of the National League Championship Series at home in Philly. They need to win two more this series to advance and have a chance to play for the world series. Going into Los Angeles to face the Dodgers some Phillie fans had a great idea. Fans were invited to the "Phillies Rally by the River" where they could all cheer on their Phillies in Game three. They were all invited to the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing to watch the game on a 17' x 27' big screen TV. They were all allowed to bring their own lawn chairs, food, and drinks, and they were going to receive "rally towels" when they get there. I love this idea, it would be a lot of fun to attend. Ive actually always wanted to do something like this, but its never happened. Sometimes in games like basketball and hockey, the team on the road will open up their home rink for fans to come watch the game on the big screen. I am a Phillies fan in this series, so I was watching and cheering with them, but unfortunately for us, the Phillies lost 7-2 in game three, and now only lead the series 2-1. They will try again tomorrow in L.A. as they send Joe Blanton to the mound to try and extend their lead.

Jonas Brothers to sing in Big D

Ok, so when you think of the band "The Jonas Brothers" what do you think? Does the word over rated come to mind? I dont know about you, but it is a crying shame that this band even makes enough money to keep putting out albums. I personally have never even heard of them until I was forced to watch this years MTV music awards. That band is a mixture of the Backstreet Boys and Hanson. They are a way for 12 year old girls to spend their parents money, its just not write. Now, the reason I write about these guys is because they are singing at the traditional halftime show for the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving day football game. This Halftime show for the past 11 years has been the kickoff, no pun intended, for the Red Kettle Christmas campaign. This campaign in those 11 years has raised over a billion dollars for the Army to help serve 30 million people a year. This is certainly a noble cause, and one that I would personally love to be a part of, but the Jonas Brothers? Really? They just do not do it for me no matter what the charity. I'm pretty positive that I will be watching that football game because I am a sports fan. But if there is something else interesting to watch then I will certainly be watching that rather than the Jonas Brothers. Maybe the moms of this country will be hit by this performance and sell there mini vans in order to raise 8 thousand dollars for this important charity.

Billy Graham turns 90

To many Christian people, myself included, Billy Graham has been an inspirational leader to all of us. He is in my mind, the picture of how a Christian man should be. He goes out and tells the world about Jesus and what he has done so save us all from eternal hell. Billy Graham turns 90 years old on November 7th of this year, and what an amazing 90 years he will have lived by then. You would think that on this day, a man of his status, would want a big celebration for his 90th birthday, but not Billy Graham. This is, in my opinion, the best way he shows that he is a great Christian man, he is very humble, and wants no praise of thanks himself, but wants it to be all towards God. What a true testament to the Christian people on this earth. Everybody that has been effected by Billy Graham are urged to send him a letter on this special day telling the story of how Billy effected their lives. This is the best possible thing that Mr. Graham could receive on his 90th birthday. The effect that Billy Graham has made on this world is still prevalent worldwide today. I for one would like to thank him for the battle the he endured, and thank him for changing thew world in ways that I wish were possible for me. Job well done sir, job well done.

Is Hooters really worth it??

Hooters celebrates its 25th anniversary today on October 4th. Hooters started in a little town called Clearwater, Florida in 1983. When Hooters was started, it was a little restaurant where customers could go in and look at the Hooters girls while they eat their food. Hooters girls would wear short shorts, and low cut shirts. This restaurant evolved, and now in most of the Hooters restaurants around the world they have a full bar, and lots of televisions where most people will watch sports games as well as the waitresses. When I was younger and had never been to Hooters, people would talk about it like it was the greatest thing in the world since sliced bread. So naturally I wanted to go check it out. Ive been a few times now, and I must say that I dont think Ive ever been to a restaurant that was more over hyped than Hooters. I mean yes, there is some fairly decent looking girls, but in my opinion its a little degrading. I can see girls like that anywhere, especially at school there are some beautiful girls. And in my humble opinion, the food is way over rated. I'm not one to love spicy food, and I guess they're known for their spicy wings. But even the other food in not that good, and way over priced. A burger and fries cost you a good eleven or twelve bucks without a drink, and in my opinion you pay for the mush over rated atmosphere. It just goes to show how consumer driven the United States is. They will pay way more that a burger of some wings are worth just to see a few girls in some skimpy outfits. Its ridiculous. All of that aside though, congratulations to Hooters for making this a successful business for 25 years now. I'm not a fan myself, but they have made some great profits for their business. Kudo's to Hooters on their success.

Baron Davis to try Jenny Craig

Another great example of how a company, such as Jenny Craig, can really bolster their name but just signing one guy to use their program. They recently signed Baron Davis, a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors. It was just two short years ago when Davis, and the Warriors upset the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs with their up tempo style of basketball that the heavily favored Mavericks couldnt quite handle. This is great marketing and PR by Jenny Craig, but the question that it begs is, is Baron Davis that overweight to need to use Jenny Craig? I mean this guy is a professional basketball player, and a really good player for that matter. Doesnt this look a little bad for the league, or am I simply over analyzing this? How does the league look when one of their star players goes on Jenny Craig to lose weight? To me, that kind of downgrades the professionalism on the NBA. Shouldnt the Warriors have there own personal trainers to get this guy in shape if that is what he needs? Not to mention, why would they even want the fact that he is overweight to get out? I dont know, this whole story just seems a little stupid to me if youre a fan of Baron Davis, the Golden State Warriors, or the NBA. Nevertheless, this is a great stunt for the PR department of Jenny Craig.

Southwest Airlines

Not knowing exactly what to look for for this assignment, I just simply went to one of the websites listed on the assignment sheet, and explored around a little bit. I found a very interesting story about Southwest airlines. Apparently Southwest Airlines has been a customer of PR newswire for several years, and when things go south(no pun intended) in the company than they depend on PR newswire to help them out with some Public Relations problems. Ive always loved some of the commercials that Southwest Airlines has produced, maybe some of those were the result of PR newswire? I dont know if anybody has seen this commercial, but I love the one where the guy is doing a concert and he accidentally says the wrong city, "We love you Detroit!" Then the crowd gets really quiet, and his buddy comes up and says, "Detroit was last night." Then the Southwest slogan comes up, "wanna get away?" What a great commercial, but also what a great slogan for the cheap fares that Southwest Airlines represents. It was an interesting article if any of you have time to read it.

April 30th, 2008

Gates Foundation to Africa?

Early this morning I witnessed Bill and Melinda Gates, along with Ted Turner, getting off a private jet in Africa to meet with local African officials. The contents of the meeting are not being released at this time, although I was able to get some information out of Bill Gates. "Ted is working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with Warren Buffet. We are going to work with the World Health Organization to educate African people in health care," said Bill.

Bill Gates and Ted Turner used to spend their time out biding each other in donations, but with this new idea in Africa, they could put that money towards a great cause in Africa. Malik Ok, an African Mayor, is very excited about the prospect of having Bill and Melinda and Ted and Warren's help in health care in Africa. Ok said this about the idea, "Met with the three of them today. There are lots of diseases in Africa including measles, small box, HIV aids, that we would like to get rid of. We like their philosophy of educating our people in these diseases."

Warren Buffet has given the Gates Foundation a portion of his money to be used as they wish, whereas Ted Turner is more involved, he wants to know what exactly is going on with his money, and what it is being used for. When asked about the reason why he was in Africa, he had no comment.

More details on this proposed plan will be released soon in a press release. But as for now, The Gates Foundation is getting prepared to help the citizens of Africa fight their diseases.

Practice News Story 11: Accident

TREMONTON-Utah, April 17th, 2008, 11 p.m.

Devastating Crash Outside of Tremonton

Earlier today at around 4 p.m. a van carrying 10 Utah State students, and one instructor swerved off of Interstate 84, killing 7 people. Highway Patrol Officer Jason Jensen said, "We got there shortly after 4, and saw the van sitting on its wheels with bodies lying on the ground that had been flung out of the van while it was rolling." Jensen also said that he thinks the van was probably traveling somewhere between 95-100 MPH.

Kyle Holden, a witness that was traveling with the van on this field trip explained the scene like this, "The driver side real tire had exploded, Evan lost control and swerved off the freeway, and then the van rolled several times." Evan said that van was traveling no faster that 80 MPH.

The Dean of the College of Agriculture, Noel Crockett described thses students as one of the best group of students to come through here in a long time. "These students had lots of potential and it is a sad sad day here on campus."

Practice News Story 10: Investigative

April 10th, 2008

LOGAN Utah-

Important Meeting in Africa

On Wednesday I witnessed Bill and Melinda Gates and also Ted Turner getting off a private jet in Africa to meet with local officials. The contents of the meeting are uncertain, but according to Bill Gates, "Myself and my wife along with Ted Turner and Warren Buffet are planning on working with the World Health Organization to educate African people in Health care." Warren Buffet has given the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation control of some of his money to be used how they want to help the Africans get educated, whereas Ted Turner is more involved as he wants to know how his money is being spent and what it is being used for.

This is something that the African countries have been needing and wanting for some time now. Malik Ok, an African Mayor had this to say about the idea of working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, "Weve been given stuff before, clothes, medicines and other things, but the great thing about Bill and Melinda and Ted's proposition is that not only will they provide us with supplies, but that they will attemp to educate us about how to use these supplies as well. I really like this philosophy."

Bill Gates mentioned said, "There will be a press conference in a few weeks to talk about the details of this idea, but for now I can say the trip to Africa was very successful."

Practice News Story 9: Sports

SALT LAKE CITY Utah-

Jazz 16 3-pointers hold off the Spurs

The Utah Jazz held off the San Antonio Spurs 106-99 tonight at the Energy Solutions Arena. The Utah Jazz hit a team record 16 3-point field goals, none bigger than the one that Ronnie Brewer hit late in the game to break a 97-97 tie. Mehmet Okur blocked a shot by Tim Duncan which lead to Derron Williams finding Brewer for a big 3-pointer. Brewed described it like this, "Tied at 97, Derron found me, and I hit a big shot for me, and a big shot for the team. I'm just glad it went through."

C.J. Miles had a career high in points tonight as he dropped 30 for the Jazz. Derron Williams had his usual double-double with 15 points and 14 assists. Carlos Boozer also had a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Mehmet Okur had 15 points and a huge blocked shot late in the game against Duncan. Korver was 3/3 from 3-point land, and finished with 13 points.

Jerry Sloan had this to say about the big win for the Jazz, "We had some very good defensive stops, especially toward the end. I was very pleased with our teams defensive effort tonight."

With this win tonight at the Energy Solutions Arena, the Jazz have now won 25 of the last 26 games at home, proving that the Utah Jazz are one of the best home teams in all of the NBA.

Extra Practice News Story 8: Business

SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA

Google Time Warner?

Google Inc has made a hostile takeover bid for 50 million dollars to try and take over Time Warner Inc. A hostile takeover is when Google goes straight to the stockholders of Time Warner to make the offer to buy them out. Google decided not to do a regular takeover bid because of the fear that the Board of Directors of Time Warner might say no. The offer has not yet been accepted.

Dr. Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google had this to say about the offer, "Google strikes while the iron is hot, and the iron is hot right now in the media industry. This is the correct move at the correct time for Google."

This offer also affects other companies such as Yahoo and Microsoft. Microsoft was also looking to buyout Time Warner but had not yet made an offer. On the other hand Yahoo, who's value is rapidly decreasing, was eagerly waiting and hoping for Time Warner to buy them out. This offer buy Google could change both of those options.

Of the 50 million dollars that Google is offering, 35 million of it is in cash, 10 million is in stock options, and another 5 million will be used for any assumed debt. This decision will come soon from the shareholders of Time Warner.

Practice News Story 8: Business

SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA-

Google Time Warner?

Google Inc has proposed a hostile takeover bid to purchase Time Warner Inc for 50 billion dollars. A hostile takeover bid, meaning that Google will go straight to the shareholders of Time Warner in attempt to buyout that company. Google has decided to give the shareholders 35 billion in cash, 10 billion in stock options, and also 5 billion in assumed debt. Google is going straight to the shareholders because of the fear that the board of directors will not agree to sell Time Warner. The CEO of Google, Dr. Eric Schmidt had this to say about the chance to buyout a media company like Time Warner, “Google strikes while the iron is hot, and the iron is hot right now in the media industry. This is the correct move at the correct time for Google.” Nothing is finalized yet as the shareholders for Time Warner will soon be receiving an offer in the mail from Google.

Practice News Story 7: Speech

November 19th, 1863
GETTYSBURG, PA

Lincoln Speaks to a Big Crowd


Four months ago the North and the South fought one of the biggest, bloodiest battles of the Civil War, killing 7500 American soldiers. On a hot and muggy day in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Abraham Lincoln gave the speech that is being tagged the Gettysburg Address. In front of 1500 people in attendance President Lincoln said, “We are met here on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who gave their lives that that nation might live” Lincoln was very brief in his speech. The Civil War is still being fought today, and the North seems to have a firm hold on the South. But on this day in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the crowd was a somber and sad as all of these men have died fighting for their country. The battlefield will be a cemetery for those who died in this battle, and also it will be a landmark for the Civil War and what it meant. The North one this battle by a narrow margin, but everybody who fought and died for their country will be remembered here in Gettysburg.

Practice News Story 6: Press Release

For Immediate Release
February 28, 2008

ClearPoint Instruction LLC
President Mary Ann Parlin
Maryann.parlin@clearpointinstruction.com
Company Website www.clearpointinstruction.com
Phone: 435.760.5567

ClearPoint Instruction LLC is a company that was founded by Mary Ann Parlin in January of 2006. The purpose of this company is to create pamphlets and DVD’s to inform patients on health related issues, for example, pregnancies, surgeries etc.

While working for a hospital Marry Ann found that that people who were educated on the process they were about to receive, recovered faster, were happier overall, and also referred people back to the hospital or doctor who gave the surgery. On the other hand people who were uneducated were less happy and recovered slower after their surgery.

Senior Vice President Preston Parker said, “ClearPoint provides a way where people can get familiar with what is going to happen, and hopefully make for an overall better experience during and after the surgery.” ClearPoint is already working with clients including Mountain West Physical Therary, and Cache Valley Specialty Hospital. So far, ClearPoint has pamphlets about the pregnancy wheel, an inpatient surgery DVD, an outpatient surgery DVD, and two different Meniscus DVD’s, and also a Lumbar Fusion DVD. All of these things are no extra cost to the patients. ClearPoint is a company that makes their patients feel comfortable with a sometimes scary process.

Director of Public Relations Matt Ferris
Matt.ferris@clearpointinstruction.com
253.312.2387

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Practice News Story: Obituary

CHICAGO, Ill. - Oprah Gail Winfrey died on February 14th at around 3:30 p.m. Oprah passed away due to a tragic accident after she left her studio in Chicago, and started on her way home. She was mobbed by hundreds of excited fans right after leaving her studio. The fans managed to get in her car and Oprah tragically suffocated in her car. Unfortunately her fans loved her too much.

Winfrey was born on Jan. 29, 1954. She was the daughter of Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Oprah began her successful career as a 19 year old girl working for the Nashville TV station WTVF-TV. Oprah leaves her show behind, a show that was the number one talk show in the United States for 21 seasons in a row. The Oprah Winfrey show has 46 million viewers a week. Oprah put out her own magazine in 2000. The magazine is called O, and it is now one of the most read magazines in the United States. Oprah was also very generous, she donated many millions of dollars to all kinds of charities. Every year, at least once, Oprah would give free cars to every person in her audience.

Oprah is survived by her husband, Stedman Graham. They lived together in Chicago with their four dogs. Oprah also leaves behind many fans who absolutely adore her. Oprah was widely known for her generosity and being a great person. "Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not." Although people knew lots of the things that Oprah did, she lived by this quote, and she will be missed by millions of people.

Practice News Story 4: Court

Court Date Set for Break In

LOGAN, Utah-After last weeks break in of the Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints meeting house, the suspects have been arrested and been to preliminary trail. Judge Alan Mayfield has found probable cause and the court date for this trial will be held on March 21st.

Jim Michaels, a 35 year old man is accused of the crime and faces six months to one year of jail time. Also a 15 year old, who’s name is unknown will be on trial. District attorney Noel Mayfield(no relation to Judge Mayfield) says that, “I will go after the maximum punishment the law can produce.” According to District attorney Mayfield, these two men have been involved in other crimes together before.

Defense Attorney Robbie Cochran said that his client was concerned, and he felt that there was barely enough evidence to take this case to a trial. He feels that he and his clients have ample defense to fight this case. Cochran says, “We can definitely establish where Michaels was during the time of this break in.” Cochran also stated that this would be a very interesting trail because Judge Mayfield can go either way.

Practice News Story 3: Crime

LDS Church Break-in

Late last night on the corner of 900 N and 1600 E a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was broken into. Bishop Lawrence Shirk left the church t around 11 last night, and saw nothing suspicious in the area when he left. Bishop Shirk said, “Before I left a locked all the doors, but forgot to lock the windows, and the break happened in my office window” Bishop Shirk is the bishop of the Hillcrest 1st Ward. Shirk said, “these CPU’s were recently retired and had nothing confidential”

Robert(Bob) Knotz came is for his early maintenance rounds at around 6 in the morning, and knew something was wrong when he saw two smashed computer monitors in the hallway of the church. Knotz said that this is the first thing like this since he has been doing maintenance on the church in 20 years.

Deputy Sheriff Geoffrey Hasty is an investigator on this case and said, “this is a simple break-in, probably juveniles, we had leads and are currently doing our investigation.”

Extra Practice News Story 2: Fire

Scary Fire in Ogden

At about 2 in the afternoon on the corner of 21st St and Washington Boulevard in Ogden, a scary fire broke out in a 3 story apartment building. On the bottom floor of this apartment building was Pedro's Mexican Restaurant, which according to Deputy Fire Chief Greg Chamberlain, was where the fire started. Chamberlain said that the fire department was called at about 2:05, and that he and his men arrived on the scene at about 2:07. Arson clearly was not the cause of this fire.

The owner of the restaurant, Pedro Sanchez, described the fire as a scary event. He said, "I was cooking hamburgers when the grease caused the fire to start, I couldn't get the Fire Extinguisher in time, and ran out and told Michael(Freeman, a regular customer at Pedro's Mexican Restaurant) to call for help." Both Pedro and Michael escaped from the fire safely. Pedro's brother, Miguel and his daughters were not so lucky. Miguel and his two daughters, Maria Del Mar who is four years old, and Mercedes who is two years old, were upstairs when the fire broke out. They escaped, and Miguel was treated at the scene, but his two daughters were taken to Mckay Dee Hospital to be treated. Pedro has lived here in the United States for two years, and is legally owning and operating his restaurant. Miguel has been here for 6 months, and is waiting for his working visa so that he can work with his brother in the restaurant.

When asked about his life in the United States, Pedro responded, "I like it here in America, I like my restaurant, and am hoping to grow in restaurant. I would like to continue to serve my customers, and have already had offers from friends to rebuild my restaurant"

Rachel Calhoun, owner of the apartment complex had no comment on the subject until she was able to speak with her lawyers.

Practice News Story 2: Fire

Scary Fire in Ogden


At about 2 PM yesterday afternoon a fire broke out at Pedro’s Mexican Restaurant in Ogden, UT on the corner of 21st St and Washington Blvd. Deputy Fire Chief Greg Chamberlain was one of the first ones on the scene, he arrived on the scene at about 2:07 PM and said the firs had spread very quickly by then. The fire started in a restaurant, Pedro’s Mexican Restaurant, which is located below a two story appartment complex. The owner of the restaurant lives in the apartments upstairs. Pedro Sanchez, who is the owner of the restaurant that was burned was frightened when he saw that the fire had started. He said, “I was cooking burgers for my customer, when I saw the grease fire start. I was very scared and ran out and asked my customer, Michael so call the fire department.” Luckily everybody escaped the fire safely. Rachel Calhoun, the owner of the apartment complex had no comment when asked about the fire.

Practice Sports Story

The New TO?

It is well documented throughout his career that T.O.(Terrell Owens) has been a big time distraction and cancer on his football team? It started in San Francisco when he was a rookie under coach Steve Mariucci. Many of his teammates complained that he whined and cried about how he wanted things to be done. The thing about TO is, that nobody doubts his talent. This was evident when TO caught the game winning touchdown to oust Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers and advance to the second round of the NFC playoffs in 1999. But still, nobody wanted him in San Francisco. So he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles where it was thought that coach Andy Reid could straighten out the controversy stricken player. Wrong again as TO would always be complaining to reporters how he doesn't get the ball enough and so on. Not to mention his off field scares in the off-season of 2005 when he apparently "accidentally" overdosed on pain killers, and was sent to the hospital to stay alive. Although the Eagles went to the Superbowl with Terrell, coach Andy Reid still decided that he was too much of a cancer and no longer wanted him in Philly. Where would this talented, yet distracting WR go next? The Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones were interested in TO, and they decided to sign him to their team and give him another chance to prove himself. With legendary disciplinary coach Bill Parcells, Terrell Owens should not be a problem right? Well, kind of. As far as being in the media he was not too bad at all, but it was basically a love hate relationship between TO and coach Bill Parcells. After the Cowboys lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle Seahawks on a botched snap by QB Tony Romo, Bill Parcells gave owner Jerry Jones a choice, keep the coach, or keep TO, but not both. Jerry Jones decided that he wanted his talented WR Terrell Owens. This year the Cowboys went 13-3 during the regular season and had a first round bye in the playoffs before playing host to the New York Giants in the NFC Divisional Playoff round. The seven point underdog Giants came into Dallas and won the game 21-17 to advance on to play the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field. After the game TO was not his same old self in his press conference. Usually a man that wasn't shy or sentimental at all, Terrell Owens stood in front of all the cameras and microphones with his dark sun glasses on, and basically let his feelings go. The media asked questions about Terrell's quarterback Tony Romo, and his involvement with celebrity Jessica Simpson. TO was clearly in tears, and with his bottom lip quivering he defended his Quarterback by saying, "This is not about Tony. You guys can point the finger at him, you can talk about the vacation, and if you do that, it's really unfair," Owens said, his voice choked with emotion. "It's really unfair. That's my teammate. That's my quarterback. You guys do that, it's not fair. We lost as a team. We lost as a team, man." It was a side of TO that nobody had really seen before, it was bizarre to the reporters who were in that press conference. As much as myself and other people had not been a fan of TO because of his off and on the field antics and cockiness, a part of me felt for Terrell. When TO said, "thats my teammate. Thats my quarterback" is his trembling voice, there was a sense that TO had grown up some. The villain in TO, at least for the time being, had gone away. Now whether or not Terrell Owens is truly a changed man is yet to be seen, but that particular press conference after the Cowboys lost to the Giants was a touching moment that I wont soon forget about this years NFL playoffs. Not that I am rooting for it, but after this emotional press conference a part of me wouldn't mind seeing Terrell Owens win the Superbowl someday. Good work TO, for a few sentimental moments you were finally the role model that you are supposed to be, keep it up.

Matt Ferris

Practice news story 1: Accident

Utah State Van Crash on Field Trip

A Utah State University Van carrying 10 students from the Agricultural Department crashed while on its way back from Greenline Implimants in Tremonton. Kyle Holden, a man who works at Greenline Implimants was traveling in another van while this accident happened. Kyle Holden told reporters what he saw before the accident, “I was driving, and my van was set on cruise control at about 79 MPH when I started to pass the Van. I made eye contact with Evan(driver of the van that crashed), then I saw smoke, and from then I knew something was wrong” Kyle saw the van swerve from the fast lane to slow lane, and then saw the van start to roll. Police arrived on the scene within 10 minutes. Lt. Jason Jensen said that he arrived before dispatch had even called him. Him and his partner were just out patrolling when they came up on the accident. Jensen said, “in my best guess, I would say the van was going anywhere between 95-100 miles per hour when the accident occurred, and in my 15 years experience, when all the people come out of the van there was probably no seat belts being worn” This Field trip was during the Utah State Agricultural week, and the dean of agriculture said that, “it is a very sad accident to see this happen to an agricultural school during agricultural week, the rest of the agricultural events will be cancelled for this week”

Welcome to blogging...

Well this is my first time blogging, and I'm very new to this. I dont understand what exactly is going on here. I am doing this for my Jcom 1130 class, and am looking forward to the class, and also looking forward to being a blogger for my first time!! anyway, let me know what I'm doing here...

Matt Ferris