Online Portfolios

As if having a paper portfolio isn't enough, some employers want us to have an online portfolio as well.

However, an online portfolio can be made in a day or less! With http://www.freewebs.com/, it is simple to make! You don't need to know HTML language or any type of coding to publish your website on the Internet. All you have to do is add text, pictures, and of course your work samples, and "TA DA!" you have your portfolio!

I just made my own online portfolio today. Visit my website here! It's pretty cool and it took me around 3 hours. I still have some work to do on it and some more things to add, but it was simple and fast!

I know there are a ton of other websites that will host for free too, such as www.bravenet.com/webhosting, http://www.110mb.com/ and http://www.freewebsites.com/. Just type free web hosts in Google and a bunch will come up.

You can even check to see if your Internet provider includes free web space in your Internet package. Programs from Microsoft such as FrontPage, Publisher, and even Word help you create a website as well.

And finally, if you need advice for what to put in a portfolio and how to put it together, I would recommend "Creating Your Career Portfolio: At-a-Glance Guide for Students (3rd Edition)" by Anna Graf Williams and Karen J. Hall. It gives you step-by-step instructions, great tips, and even a CD-ROM with templates to help you get started.

Good luck!

SONG OF THE DAY: Britney Spears - Womanizer
Today's Scripture: "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." (Romans 13:11)

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Update on Quack for the Cure

There is only 4 days left before our rubber duck race for Community Cancer Services. It is on Sunday, Oct. 19 from 4-6 p.m.

As of today, we have sold 300 rubber ducks along with our event t-shirts making our total amount raised around $1,400! Our goal is to have at least $500 left over after expenses to give to the Community Cancer Services (but I think we will surpass that goal by a lot).

If you haven't purchased a duck and want to, no worries! We decided we are going to have 50 extra ducks at the event to sell for those who want to participate in the duck race or who want to up their chances of winning by purchasing more rubber ducks!

We are also selling raffles at the event. Some of our top prizes include an mp3 player, a $50 Visa gift card, a $50 Pickard Street Grille gift certificate, and many other prizes.

Our sponsors include Bennigan's (who is providing free food at the event), Pepsi, Celebration Cinema, Meijer, Ace of Diamonds, The Mole Hole, Basketree, Boomers Night Club, VFW Post 3033 Men's and Women's Auxillary, C & S Sports Center, Headliners, Pickard Street Carwash, Tim Otteman, the Pelkki family, the Rios family, and Cheryl Sherman.

We really appreciate all their donations and help with our event! Thank you!

So come out to our event and support a good cause while having some fun! :)

SONG OF THE DAY: Various Artists - Just Stand Up (for cancer)
Today's Scripture: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasaure." (Phillipians 2:13)

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Food For Thought On Election Day

For all of you thinking about voting for Obama, read this e-mail I received from an e-board member of the Michigan Tactical Officer's Association. This is just another reason I WILL NOT vote for Obama.

"To all,

I have read all of the e-mails from not only some of the MTOA board members, but from other Law Enforcement & Military personnel about Barack Obama's rudeness and what seems to be disgust for basically anyone in uniform. Well, it's my turn to add to the list of e-mailers and here it is:

So members of the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department, MSP, and other local agencies inside Calhoun County are working with Secret Service in the security of Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama's bus arrives in Battle Creek and pulls into the stadium area. Before Mr. Obama exits the bus, he has the Secret Service get off and tell all Law Enforcement personnel in uniform that they now have to stand behind the bus so Mr. Obama is not seen with anyone in a Law Enforcement uniform before he gets off or while in the public view. So, everyone from MSP, Sheriff's Dept., and other agencies looks at each other for a brief second, goes and stands behind the bus out of sight so Mr. Obama does not have to see, or been seen with, what to him is 'undesirables' since he refuses to been seen or even acknowledge Military or Law Enforcement.

At a time of war and terrorism in our world, this presidential candidate who is being protected by various branches of the military & law enforcement at the tax payers expense, refuses to acknowledge, be seen with, have in his photographed background, any type of Military or Law Enforcement in uniform.

But this is not in the media or headlines in the news. Why? I wonder what the story or media frenzy would be if it was Muslims, blacks,whites, Jews, or any other race, gender, religion, and/or occupation, that Mr. Obama refuses to be seen with or have around him.

Why would Law Enforcement branches make this up? Law Enforcement traditionally has had more funding under Democrats. Just food for thought leading up to November 4th."

Jason Kern
Michigan Tactical Officer's Association
Executive Board Member
Training Committee
jason.kern@mtoa.org
http://www.mtoa.org/

SONG OF THE DAY: T.I. - Top of the World
Today's Scripture: "To the praise and glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:6)

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English is Crazy

If you're bored and need a laugh, read this....

English is a Crazy Language
From Art Bejima

"Let's face it: English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
And while no one knows what is in hot dogs, you can be pretty sure it isn't canine.
English muffins were not invented in England nor French fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meats.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese, 2 moose, 2 meese? Is cheese the plural of choose? One mouse, 2 mice. One louse, 2 lice, 1 house, 2 hice?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Why do people recite at a play, and play at a recital?
Ship by truck or car and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
Park on driveways and drive on parkways?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy opposites?
How can the weather be hot as Hell one day and cold as Hell another?
When a house burns up, it burns down.
You fill in a form by filling it out and an alarm clock goes off by going on.
You get in and out of a car, yet you get on and off a bus.
When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?
It is said that English is a language that doesn't know if it's coming or going!!"

SONG OF THE DAY: T.I. ft. Jay-Z, Kayne West, Lil' Wayne - Swagga Like Ours
Today's Scripture: “In the house of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is great [priceless] treasure, but with the income of the wicked is trouble and vexation” (Proverbs 15:6)

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Quack for the Cure

Quack for the Cure Rubber Duck Race
Sunday, October 19th: 4-6 p.m. @ Island Park. Individuals buy “pink ribbon” rubber ducks to race down the river at Island Park. (actual ducks above)

• One duck for $5 or 5 ducks for $20
• GRAND PRIZE: $200, 2nd place: $100, 3rd place: $50 (Contestants who buy a duck DO NOT have to be present at the event to win)
• Food will be provided by BENNIGANS! (Ask about the Bennigans "green rubber ducks" and how you can win with them!)
• Raffles for great prizes will be held once the race is done - tickets are $1 each.
• All proceeds go to the Community Cancer Services of Isabella County.
• For more information or to purchase ducks, e-mail quackforthecure@hotmail.com or contact Kim Sherman at (989) 390-5952.
• You can also purchase rubber ducks at the "Into the Light" Cancer Walk on Oct. 3, 2008 from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Island Park
• Look for our event on Facebook: Quack for the Cure!

Keep reading my blog to stay updated on how much we've raised, sponsors, and any updates about the event! So far we've raised $160, but our goal is at least $500 so we need your help!

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Rise Above This

The lyrics to Seether's "Rise Above This" come to mind when I think about my team, the CMU women's soccer team. This past week, our head coach, Tony DiTucci, left for personal matters. Losing a head coach is never easy, but so far, we have persevered and will continue to do so.

We began our MAC season last Friday against Ball State and Miami of Ohio and I am proud to say we started our season off tremendously! With the unfortunate timing of our head coach leaving and the looming responsibilities put on our assistant coach Tom Anagnost, adversity never touched us. We won both games 3-0, two shutouts and two wins to begin our most important season of the year.

I know you might want the "juicy details" of our head coach leaving, but there isn't much to say. What I can tell you though is we really didn't do anything different in practices to prepare for our MAC season. We focused on the things we needed to work on and didn't worry too much about the teams ahead of us. The game of soccer is so much different from a sport such as football. Bryan Anderson mentioned that if the football team went into practices or games not knowing what the other team was going to do, they would lose. But in soccer, as long as you execute what you know your team needs to, you will win.

Sure there are a few things you need to know to prepare. Our scouting reports always include the formation of the other team, which players are the best - standard things that the other team will know about us too. But honestly, every game we are really only "playing against ourselves."

Another reason we focus on ourselves is because all the teams in the MAC are even. Winning each game is all about mentality, not which team has more talent or intelligence. It is literally a fight to the death every time we take the field to play a MAC game. To give an example, this weekend, the teams in the top four last year all lost this past weekend to teams that placed toward the bottom of the pack, including us. We finished 11th out of 12 teams last year.

However, this is a new year and I can honestly say with 100 percent honesty that we have a shot at winning the MAC. If you don't believe me, you can come watch us this weekend for our third and fourth MAC games. On Friday, Sept. 3 at 4 p.m., we play Northern Illinois and on Sunday, Sept. 5 at 2 p.m., we play WESTERN! They will both be great games to watch, but I can guarantee you a new team with a new attitude and fight. FIRE UP CHIPS!

SONG OF THE DAY: Seether - Rise Above This
Today's Scripture: “Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37)

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CMU faculty strike

Central Michigan University faculty have filed complaints of unfair labor practices against the Board of Trustees and may go on strike. The faculty and the Board have not been able to reach an agreement on the faculties' contracts and are far from it.

CMU faculty are unhappy with their wages and feel they are not getting paid enough for the number of hours they work. If they are still unhappy by the middle of October, they will go on strike and all classes will be dismissed.

For students, the strike will affect them more than they think. It means Christmas break could be cancelled. Classes will go on during the holiday if the strike lasts long enough. As for athletes, practices will have to go on without the coaches and seasons could be ruined.

The CMU football team is going for their third consecutive MAC championship. The CMU women's soccer team has held the highest GPA in the nation for the past three years. These teams don't want something they can't control to ruin their chances of success.

With time closing in and the faculty and the Board's continuing argument, this could mean hard times for Central Michigan University.

SONG OF THE DAY: M.I.A. - Paper Planes
Today's Scripture: "Those who fear the Lord lack nothing." (Psalm 34)

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Gotta get through this

Wow, have I been busy. I barely have time to even think of all the things I have to do. Practices come earlier than ever in the morning, classes keep piling on the work, driving to Saginaw seems never ending, and night creeps up like a stalker in a beat up van.

But, on the bright side, I love every minute of what I do. I don't know what I would do without soccer. Even though it can get monotonous and SO tiring, I would be lost in life without the lessons it teaches me everyday. With school, I'm learning things I'll have to apply in my career and it's stuff I'm interested in. I want to work hard because I want to be the best I can be. And driving to Saginaw isn't as bad as it seems because I know I'm going to an internship that I enjoy a lot. I like the people I work with and it is great experience. I want to work with a professional sports team someday so this is a tremendous stepping stone to that path. I love being in the sporting event atmosphere. I can't get enough of it. On game days I help out with all the promotions, such as Pepsi, Hooters, Jet's Pizza, Meijer, and so many more. And as far as nights go, I get to go to sleep. And who doesn't love sleep?

Oh, on another note, for my RPL 430 class, we are NOT doing a golf ball drop. We decided on something completely different that is much easier. Looking back on the golf ball drop, it would have been too difficult. So instead we are going to do a rubber duck race and a golf ball drop. At a later date, I'm going to have a whole entry posted about it so people can get all the information about it there. Plus, all the little details aren't worked out yet and I don't want to lead anyone on. I do know, however, that all our donations will go to the Community Cancer Services of Isabella County to support breast cancer. So keep an eye out for that information.

SONG OF THE DAY: David Archuleta - Crush
Today's Scripture: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” (Psalm 84:11)

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Golf Balls from Up Above

For my recreation programming class, my group decided on doing a golf ball drop for our fundraiser. For any of you who haven't heard of this before, here is what it is. We will sell raffle tickets with numbers on them. If you buy a raffle ticket, you get a golf ball assigned to you with a number. A date is set aside to get all the golf balls together and they are dropped from high in the sky onto a putting green. The ball closest to the hole or the ball that goes in the hole wins a prize.

We believe it is a good idea because it is simple and inexpensive. The most work we will have to do is marketing the event and making people aware of it as well as selling the tickets. It is also a good event because people don't actually have to show up at the event to win. So if there is a scheduling conflict with the consumers or the weather isn't good or they just don't feel like going, they don't have to worry! They will win even if they're not there. I think that will be a major selling point. It's difficult to get people to actually come out to an event.

However, our theme is yet to be decided. Instead of golf balls, we figured it would be fun to drop something else. We thought of tying Halloween into our theme and dropping something like skulls or bouncy balls that look like eyeballs. And instead of dropping everything on to a putting green, we could drop everything into a cauldron. We would have to set the date around Halloween and our charity would have to be okay with this idea.

We also thought of tying a charity into our theme. If we decided to donate our money to the local animal shelter, we came up with the idea of dropping dog bones or tennis balls out of the sky. For breast cancer, we could drop plastic pink ribbons out of the sky.

We also need to come up with an idea for how to drop our items from the sky. We have to be pretty high so that leaves us with a helicopter, a hot air balloon, a fire truck, or if we must, we have an indoor rock climbing wall.

So I don't know if we should make this so complicated for ourselves, but if we can figure this out, I think it will be a great event and we can raise a lot of money. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, they will be greatly appreciated! Or even tell me if you've held an event like this before and what problems you ran into or tips that made the event run well!

I am excited about this project and more information will come soon! Keep reading :)

SONG OF THE DAY: Miley Cyrus - 7 Things I Hate About You
Today's Scripture: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

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How To Make Money for Your Charity

So today was the second day of my first day of new classes. haha But I had state and local government, which was as boring as it sounds, intro. to multimedia design, which sounds interesting and seems like it will be fun, but I've heard bad things, and last but not least, recreation programming, which is how you can make money for your charity!

We were told in class today that we must organize an event and plan everything ourselves to raise money for a charity of our choice. We will be put into groups within our class, and in the past, each group raised around $500 for their charity. So, it is good for us because we are learning and this will be great experience, but we are also doing it for a good cause.

If anyone is interested, please comment on this post and I will tell you how to get in touch with me. It must be SOON though. We have to have these events organized and completed before Thanksgiving (Nov. 25, 2008). We will be doing everything from the marketing, handling the press, evaluating our budget, getting volunteers, and coming up with the idea for an event all on our own. It will be fun for us and easy for the charity! :) Hope to hear from people soon! Thanks!

SONG OF THE DAY: Jessica Simpson - Come on Over
Today's Scripture: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phillipians 4:13

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New School Year

Today is the first official day of classes. I am not as excited as I have been in the past and it's just because I know how much work I have ahead of me. I will be VERY busy this semester. For one, soccer takes up a lot of my time. We have practices every morning until about 10:30a.m. and we travel for half of our games, meaning we leave Thursday afternoons and don't get back until Sunday night. It's a lot of doing homework on the bus and in the hotel while trying to rest after just playing a grueling 90 minute game. But hey, I love the life of a student-athlete. I wouldn't want it any other way.

But on top of all that this semester, not only am I taking two 400 level classes, but I am also a student-athlete on-call tutor and I recently got an internship with the Saginaw Spirit! I cannot begin to describe how excited I am for that. Their internship program is well-known as one of the best around and has been for the past seven years. It hasn't started yet, but it will soon. Orientation is Aug. 29th, which I unfortunately cannot make (we will be in Oklahoma playing the Sooners!!), but the "make-up" orientation should be soon after that. Hockey games start in September. My position is game day operations, but I will also be working a little in other types of positions as well.

So keep reading for updates on my internship and what I'm doing with that and how it's going. It will be awesome and hopefully I will have more information on that soon! I'll also be talking about my classes and what types of projects and assignments we have. That should be interesting as well. I have State and Local Government (I had to take it as a general education class...yuck!), Intro to Multimedia Design, Public Relations Writing, and Recreation Programming. As I've said before, I'm majoring in public relations and minoring in public affairs and events management. But I'll keep you posted on everything!

Song of the Day: Jack Johnson - Upside Down
Today's Scripture: “I will give you thanks in the great assembly; I will praise you among a mighty throng” (Psalm 35:18)

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Press Release Tips

Press releases are obviously a huge part of public relations. However, when journalists see press releases as more of a pain in the ass than a saving grace for their media, there is a problem. I was looking around and I found some interesting links to help make your press releases better and hopefully readable.

http://www.pressreleasegrader.com/

http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2007/04/six_telltale_signs_that_a_pres.html
**(Make sure you read the comments after this article. There are more tips there that are very useful too.)**

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Hungry Girl

Since I will be living in an apartment off-campus this upcoming school year, I decided to buy a cookbook to give me different ideas of what to cook for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. I got a taste of having to cook for myself this summer because I lived away from home and I found that it wasn't too bad. I don't mind having to cook, but the food that I actually can cook and have time to cook can get boring. I get sick of it pretty fast and I have to come up with meals for 9 months out of the year. And, with being an athlete, I want to have healthy meals. I can't be ordering pizza and making mac n' cheese and spaghettios every night.

No worries though! I found the perfect cookbook! It's called "Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World" by Lisa Lillien. The author is not a nutritionist or a doctor and she is not trying to get you to go on a diet. She is just a woman who loves food and has done a lot of research and has a lot of experience with low fat foods. Most of the recipes make one serving and that is all I need since I'll be cooking for me, myself, and I. The best part that I am SO excited about though is that she gives lots of CHOCOLATE recipes! That's right, you can still have chocolate and not have to pack on the pounds. Her other recipes include breakfast, salads, soups, lunches, healthy junk food (there's an oxymoron if I ever saw one), "manly" meals, party foods, fruity dishes, foods you bake in the oven, and coffee and alcoholic drinks. The second best part about this book is that most of the recipes are simple. They don't call for outrageous ingredients and they don't take long to make. However, there are fancier recipes if I decide to wow my roommates and cook a big fancy meal for all of them.

If you are interested and want to find out more, check out the HG website. Lillien even has a free daily e-mail with tips, tricks, and suggestions for making your cooking low fat. You can even order her book online. Or, if you want it now, I've seen the book at Sam's Club and Barnes and Noble. So, if you're a college girl who has to cook for herself and isn't a whiz with a spatula, I would highly suggest this book. I don't get excited about cooking, but when it comes to this book, I am like a kid in a candy store!

Here's some examples of food from her book and how many calories they are...

• Eggs Benedict - 183 calories
• Breakfast Pizza - 127 calories
• Chili Cheese Nachos - 216 calories
• Cheeseburger - 202 calories
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge - 65 calories
• Onion Rings - 153 calories
• Tuna Melt - 212 calories
• 7-Layer Burrito - 277 calories
• Sweet Potato Pie - 113 calories
• Cookies and Cream Freeze - 160 calories

Now that's some food to get excited over!

SONG OF THE DAY: Jordin Sparks - One Step At a Time

Today's Scripture: For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)

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Daddy's Girl

I don't think guys will understand this post so if you are a guy and you don't want to read about the mushy relationship between a girl and her mom, then I would advise you not to read on.

For you girls who have a mom that you are close to and you tell her everything, I envy you. I hear my friends talking about how they never keep anything from their mom and how they talk and laugh and do things together. I mean, it's not always sunshine and rainbows with these mothers and daughters, but with my mom and I, it's more like rain clouds and crushed dandelions.

My mom was raised in an atmosphere where hugging and kissing each other was inappropriate. Her two sisters turned out to be failures and my mom's mom was abused as a child. So, ever since the beginning, my mom has never had that special touchy/feely relationship with me. I can never remember a time when she's playfully kissed me on the cheek a bunch of times, tried tickling me to make me laugh, she's never given me a huge bear hug or even something remotely close to a tight hug, and we've never done anything just the two of us. I mean we've went shopping together, but that's only when she needs to buy me something or is grocery shopping.

I look at other mothers with their daughters and I get jealous. No matter how much my mom yells at me, no matter how much she favors my brother, no matter how much she makes me mad and keeps denying me the chance to spend some time with just her, I still love her to death and I always go to her first. It's a really twisted kind of relationship and to me it seems very one-sided on my part. Yet, I always go back. I want so desperately to tell her everything, to have her hug and kiss me naturally and have fun with me. But, after this long, after all this time in my life not doing it, I highly doubt it will ever happen.

Sometimes you can't change people. I can't change my mom and I can't tell her all the things I haven't told her. It's too late now. She's not a bad mom though. I know she does her best and she has sacrificed for me and she provides for me and I know she loves me. I just don't know it all the time...

SONG OF THE DAY: Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved
Today's Scripture: "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust" (Psalm 4:8)

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Not So Ying and Yang

Everyone wants to believe that we have gotten to the point where racial discrimination is no longer a problem. Viewers watch TV shows like Rob and Big, with a little white guy and a big black guy being 'best buddies forever,' and they watch awe-inspiring movies like Remember the Titans that bring the Caucasians and African Americans so much closer together. These types of media make it seem like everything is a-okay. However, not everyone sees in black and white.

From my experiences going to a mixed high school, being in college, and having a police officer for a father, I have found that racial discrimination is still a problem today. Yes, it has come a long way from Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., but it is still lingering. And, I believe that this problem is 50/50, fueled by both sides evenly.

I learned in one of my college classes that there is no such thing as reverse discrimination. First, let me give you a definition of reverse discrimination- "discrimination directed against members of certain social or racial groups, as white males, thought of as being dominant or having benefited from past discrimination against minority groups who are now favored, often as a result of affirmative action." Now, I believe my teacher was wrong. I believe there IS such a thing as reverse discrimination and it happens quite often.

My dad comes home and tells us about some of the things he has to deal with at work. Not only is it his job to pull people over, arrest people, etc., he has to deal with people and listen to their crap. A lot of that crap he has to listen to is African Americans trying to tell him that they're only being arrested or pulled over because they're black. One hundred percent of the time that is untrue. There are rumors about police raping "unsuspecting black women," which is also almost always untrue. And yeah, white people have jokes about black people, but black people have jokes about white people too. White people can get bullied and be the victims of violence by black people just as much as the opposite can happen.

According to Darnell Hunt, professor of sociology and director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, "African Americans have always had to think racially. They're very conscious of race, of dealing with it on a daily basis" (qtd. in Dolliver, "Double Vision: The Race Issue Revisited, Adweek). But why? I highly doubt that they have someone discriminating against them every day of their life. We are all homosapiens: blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos. And if they do get discriminated against, why can't they be the bigger person and let it go. Slavery happened a long time ago and this country will never revert to that huge mistake. Why don't they let the dumb hick run his or her mouth and just walk away? Why do black people have to be so vocal and upset about it? This generation had absolutely nothing to do with what happened in those horrible times.

I don't know what can be done about this problem. A lot of smart and powerful people have tried to do something about it, but it just seems to keep reminding everyone that there is a problem. Has anyone ever thought of maybe ignoring it? I mean what is up with having BET (Black Entertainment) and the NAACP (National Association of Advancement for Colored People)? There is no WET (White Entertainment) and the last time there was an association for white people, it was something like the KKK (Ku Klux Klan). Now I'm not saying the NAACP goes around discriminating against white people by burning down homes and carrying out violent acts against white people. However, why have an association at all? I would be a little offended if I were African American. Are people saying that black people can't succeed on their own? They have to have an association all to themselves?

I know I'm treading a very fine line right now, but I can assure you that I am not racist. And I know I am a hypocrite for writing about this when I said people should try ignoring that there is a problem. But, it is a topic that makes me frustrated and I wanted to vent. I don't mean to offend anyone in any way and I apologize if I have. However, I'm American and I have a right to my opinions.

SONG OF THE DAY: Chris Daughtry-Home

Today's Scripture: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

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"In the Woods"

For the past week, I've literally been 'in the woods' camping with my family while reading a book called "In the Woods" by Tana French. I finished the 429 page book in four days, meaning it was one of those books that you couldn't put down because you HAD to know what happens next. It is a murder mystery book about a man named Adam whose friends mysteriously disappear when he was 12 years old while they were all playing in the woods. The police find Adam facing a tree with his fingernails broken off and dug into the tree with his shoes filled with blood and he cannot remember what happened. This man grows up to be a detective and at the peak of his career, a little girl is murdered in the same woods his friends disappeared in. He goes about trying to solve the murder while dealing with his own past. The beginning and middle were amazing, and like I said I couldn't put it down. However, the end was, to my surprise, very disappointing and unsatisfying.

**WARNING: IF YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK, DO NOT CONTINUE READING OR IT WILL SPOIL THE ENDING**

The only thing I found semi-satisfy was that the murder case of the little girl was solved. Adam pulled through and figured it out after a few weeks. It is always subconsciously satisfying to know justice was served. However, in this case, good did not prevail over evil. The murderer of the little girl was as harmless as you or I; he was brainwashed by a psychopath. The psychopath, named Rosalind, was jealous and thought her sister was getting too much attention. So she found a frail, incompetent man to prey upon. He fell in love with her while she fed off this attention like an animal, and convinced him to kill her unsuspecting, gullible sister. And to boot, Rosalind got away with it. In the end, she was nothing more than a prim, pretty girl. I guess it is an original ending that wasn't suspected and it is just fiction. But there is that nagging, uncomfortable, angry feeling in the back of my mind that I can't shake. Things like that more than likely happen in real life and it's terrible.

That was only the beginning of what I found disappointing. The other part had nothing to do with the murder case. It had to do with the detective's love life. Before the girl was murdered, a woman named Cassie joined the murder squad and the two became best friends. I can't begin to explain how close they were because only French does their relationship justice. He spends a lot of time developing their relationship through little details and intricate feelings. But, with all those little details, unraveled a complicated relationship. They were perfectly content being just good friends through most of the book until the murder case got to Adam. He ended up kissing Cassie and that was the breaking point. He made things weird between them and their relationship was completely ruined. He avoided her, didn't talk to her, wouldn't tease her or touch her like before. He ended up confused and lonely, still in love with Cassie, while she felt dejected and turned to another detective and fell in love with him. All he could do was stand aside and let her go. He made one final drunken, pitiful try by calling her and saying 'I love you. Are you really gonna marry this boring guy?' and all she did was say 'I think you have the wrong number.'

It's sad how this works in life too. Something gets in the way and messes everything up. The guy is too afraid to commit and let something good come into his life. The girl gets hurt and has to start over, each time a little wearier and broken. I hear it all the time, "All the good guys are taken already." Yeah, that's because those guys aren't the scared (excuse my language) pussies that float around from girl to girl living unsatisfying, but don't care because they don't have the balls to be with that one girl. It's sad how many relationships get ruined because of the miscommunication and misunderstandings between the sexes. However, I guess it's like in nature, only the strong survive. So, if there is true love between two people, nothing can ruin it and only the strong relationships will survive and last forever. It's all part of the plan. However, it doesn't make it any less disappointing to see what seems like a perfect relationship break down and go to pieces.

The last part I found disappointing was that Adam never solved his own childhood mystery. He tried throughout the book and French gave broken, weird hints as to what happened, but it was never concluded. It left they mystery to the imagination, yet, French didn't give enough to let your imagination run with it. He made it seem like the disappearances weren't caused by a human and that contradicts the whole theme of his story. It seemed like French thought he would figure out what would happen as he was writing the book and kept adding bits, but in the end, he couldn't figure out what happened either. He left it a tangled mess that made me drop my jaw in frustration.

However, it really was a page turner and well-written. French described the relationships of all the characters better than I think I could describe my own relationships in life. They were real and I felt like the characters jumped off the pages. I actually had dreams about the characters and I found myself very attached to them. Maybe that's why I wanted Adam to be happy and let himself fall in love with Cassie. I know what it's like to have a relationship like that and I wanted that for him too. Overall though, it was a great book and if I had to go back in time, I would choose to read it all over again.

SONG OF THE DAY: Gordon Lightfoot-Cotton Jenny
Today's Scripture: “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24)

*imastar*

Love, Life, and Computers

Imagine if our world suddenly had no computers, no Internet. What would we do? So many things would be affected. Communication would become much slower, news would travel at snail pace, newspapers would start to dominate again; we would be unable to access the ominous information library, no blogging, no emails, no Twitter or Facebook; people would actually have to pick up a phone and talk to each other, or heaven forbid, talk to one another in person; everything would have to be handwritten, designs would have to be drawn out, taxes would have to be done the old-fashioned way, no hearts or solitary or Second Life; kids would actually have to start finding other things to do, like maybe play outside for once. PR would become a whole new game. We would have to rethink a lot. But, it would come down to our world drastically changing in an instant. It's scary that we rely on computers for so much.

That's why I haven't been able to post for 2 weeks. My laptop unfortunately crashed and I was unable to fix it until now. I had to wait until I came home so my computer genious mother could get her hands on it. Luckily, she was able to fix it period. So I am back up and running!

More posts later! Hope you continue to read my blog and enjoy it!

SONG OF THE DAY: Akon ft. Luda - Buck in Here
Today's Scripture: "My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness." Isaiah 26:9

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More PR in NC

Like I said, I would do some more research on internships available in the great state of North Carolina. I came across a few that sound pretty interesting. They are smaller internships that would be great building blocks to a successful start in PR. Like I said, everyone has to start somewhere and I will take whatever I can get my hands on. It makes me excited, but at the same time so frusterated because I still have school left to finish in Michigan. Blah! But I can't just drop what I'm doing and frolic off to NC. Here's what I found....

1. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences: "Public Relations/Communications Interns may gain experience in writing, media relations, marketing and publication design. Interns may participate in grant-writing projects; Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program and have completed four semesters of coursework. Graduate students may also apply. Experience and/or knowledge of field of internship. Grade point average of at least B. Enthusiasm/strong interest in learning about science education, environmental science, museum studies, research, etc."

2. North Carolina Special Olympics: "As a communications intern, you will gain experience in the following: Building relationships with the media, Writing, editing, proofing, Reporting/interviewing, Desktop publishing, Analytical thinking, Working with various computer software packages (Microsoft Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, Access), Operating in a business environment,
Nonprofit management Duties/Responsibilities: Keep current and accurate media database, Maintain photo files, Maintain statewide news clippings, Write press releases as assigned, Assemble press kits, Attend state-level events and interact with the media as assigned, Write articles for monthly and quarterly newsletters as assigned, Write athlete and volunteer profiles/ Web spotlights, Assist in implementation of national public education campaign as assigned,
Other duties as assigned by the vice president of communications
Qualifications: Good oral and written communication skills, Good organizational and analytical skills; attention to detail, Strong interpersonal skills, Good editing skills and knowledge of language, grammar, punctuation and style

3. North Carolina Aquariums: "Special Events, Public Relations and Visitor Services provide opportunities for qualified interns to gain valuable experience in the unique aquarium setting. Supervisors with extensive experience in their respective fields oversee each of these departments. Interns in these areas are expected to be meticulous and professional. Creativity is a must. A four-month commitment is required, Qualified individuals are assigned to specific projects working along side experienced aquarium staff"

4. North Carolina MADD: "General Office Intern: General Description: This position will assist the State Office with various programming and fundraising efforts, as well as special event planning. Duties may include contacting volunteers and sponsors, as well as dissemination of program materials.
Marketing/Public Relations Intern: General Description : This position will assist the state offfice in coordinating our marketing and public relations programs. It will assist us in implementing our PR efforts through working with local and statewide media, schools, law enforcement and community partners. This position will also assist us in marketing our programs, core events, assisting with newsletter writing and production."

I really think the Special Olympics one sounds the most interesting and I would love to do something like that. I should really look into my school's Special Olympics program and see if I can land myself an internship there before heading out to my dream state.

SONG OF THE DAY: Relient K-Gibberish
Today's Scripture: "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land" (Isaiah 1:19).
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PR in NC

It's ALWAYS been my dream to live in NORTH CAROLINA some day. I've been to Caro, NC before and I went in December and it was beautiful there. It was still in the 50s and 60s and there was blue sky and sun! I'm sick of the long winters and unpredictable, crappy weather in Michigan. I also heard that NC was the top state to find jobs in. That was a few years ago so I don't know if that's still true, but I don't really care. The economy there has to be better than Michigan's anyway. Michigan is going down the tubes.

Anyway, I started doing some research on some firms in North Carolina and I came across many!

• carolinapr - "one of the oldest, most established public relations and marketing communications firms operating in the Carolinas; a mid-sized agency; employees contribute their time and energy to further the success of more than 50 local, regional and national civic, and professional organizations"
• fama pr - "only PR firm named to the Boston Business Journal's "Best Places to Work" in 2007 and 2008; partners with technology companies to provide excellence in corporate communications and public relations; Our client base is broad, from stealth startups to publicly-traded companies"
• HiTechPR - "extensive expertise in business to business marketing communications for the electronics, telecommunications and computer industries has set us apart from other companies; multidimensional approach to marketing communications; wins five international public relations awards for the successful launch of Herzlia-Based Genoa Color"
• Hill & Knowlton Inc. - "leading international communications consultancy, providing services to local, multinational and global clients; part of WPP, one of the world's largest communications services groups
• Weber Shandwick Worldwide - "PRSA awarded Weber Shandwick three Silver Anvil Awards, two Silver Anvil Awards of Excellence, three Bronze Anvil Awards and six Bronze Anvil Awards of Commendation at the recent North American awards ceremony; a global public relations and communications leader; a unit of The Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), which is one of the world's leading organizations of advertising agencies and marketing services companies"

These are just some of the big time firms and agencies. These are the serious ones that you need lots of experience in PR to get a job there. However, everyone has to start somewhere and I believe I will make it there some day! I will move to North Carolina and happily work and live there. I don't know if it will be at one of those places, but I am going to do some more research and see if I can find internships there. I will keep updating on what I find.

In the mean time, if anyone has any suggestions or input or has anything to say about North Carolina in general, please do so! I appreciate any and all comments! I'm sure anything will help me out right now. :) Thanks!

SONG OF THE DAY: Britney Spears-Toxic

Today's Scripture: "Great peace have those who love Your law and nothing shall make them stumble" (Psalm 119:65).

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How ironic...

After I wrote my last entry, I checked my email and I received the PRSA Issues and Trends daily e-mail and the very first link was a story about Twitter from PR Tactics and The Strategist Online. Go here and read more about it. It's a better article than my blog post and tells you a lot more about it.

*imastar*