My Top Destinations...

Where I would like to visit, or what I would like to see before I die:
1. Great Barrier Reef
2. Italy
3. Hollywood
4. Northern Lights
5. Mount Everest
6. Egypt
7. Great Wall of China
8. Aruba
9. Grand Canyon
10. Puerto Rico
11. Big Ben
12. France

13. New York City
14. Mt. Rushmore
15. The Sydney Opera House
16. The Gateway Arch
17. Stonehendge
18. The Moai Statues
19. Sweden
20. Norway
21. Germany
22. Spain
23. The Carribean
24. Ireland

The Last Chapters of HotText

These chapters of hot text says that "Good writing is not data," and it is also organized and persistant. To write well on the web, you must have somewhat of a sense of humor, and a snappy headline to catch the readers attention. Another element that would catch an average readers attention is a short reading. If it is too long, the reader may get distracted and feel the need to only skim and not focus on the entire article. Pictures and links can also help the readers visually understand the topic at hand.
Reading some of my fellow classmates feature stories, it was though they were so long and hard to finish reading. Now reading Chapter 17, I realized I should have added pictures to my feature story and maybe got a more eye catching title. An update of my feature story will be on my website as soon as I edit it.

This Moment on Earth...

John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry are coming out with a new book called "This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future."

Last evening, John Kerry appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and talked about his 250 page book. He said, "We are running out of time to make very important decisions..." and goes on to talk about how it mentions global climate change, toxins, chemicals, and cancer.

He includes stories about individuals making a difference in the environment. The Bush administration back off of The Polluter Pays Act which means citizens pay instead of the actual person dumping their pollutants into the environment.

Kerry states that this book is about regular people in America that don't think of themselves in an environmentalist way, but just want to make things right

Former Vice President Al Gore summarizes the book:

"John Kerry and Teresa Heinz have written a book that is a profound challenge to all of us but contains, in the examples of the men and women who are fighting the great fight for a better future for our environment, the clear hope that if we can embrace their resourcefulness, determination and essential patriotism we will prevail. Both John and Teresa have been long-time leaders in the battle to save the Earth's environment. Way back when it was not all fashionable, indeed when very few people in the world were even paying attention to it, both John and Teresa were providing outstanding and courageous leadership."

If you want to see the clip of John Kerry and Jon Stewart, visit the John Kerry Website.

Hot Text: Concepts from Chapters 1-16

Considering I have been catching on to this blog thing, the chapter from the Hot Text textbook have been commone sense. Chapters 1-4 talked about knowing the audience. I you do not know the audience, you will have a very vague idea what to write about.

This blog is for a class and includes students and a professor, I write about topics that may interest them. You also have to make sure you have fun, learn from what you are writing about, be aware of how it will affect you, and get close to people whom you write for. The next important step for a blog would be the structure of it and paying attention to what you are writing about.

Chapters 5-10 discuss the importance of cutting away unnecessary details, using a before and after concept, seperating the blog into paragraphs, and using simple words. If you do not put the text into seperate paragraphs, the reader will not want to read anything that you typed. It gets boring. Next is including some vizualization of text. In chapter 6 the textbook talks about is seeing if the title can survive out of context. An example: "Shark eats man at Venice Beach".
Announcing a new topic can also keep the reader interested. But to make sure they have your full attention, use bold, italicized, key words, links, and phrases.

When you are creating a blog, use the most important information and establish credibility from where you may have recieved your information. It is also bad to stray far off the topic of the blog. If you stray, the reader may not have an easy transition to the previous conversation.

Distinctive paragraphs help connect the dots from one paragraph to another and make an easy transition. It is best to start with the summary or conclusion, and if you say "no"- say why.

Chapter 10 talks about adding visual proof to your blog such as, menus, graphs, tables, maps, and different levels of the context. Another important concept is perceiving stability when it comes to the blog. Instead of keep changing the background, keep it the same. Not only does it make the website or blog look neater, it is also easier to navigate.

In Chapter 11-16, the textbooks focuses on blog genre's. When topics are being explained, it is best to have questions and answers wtih the reference included. Defining confusing terms for the readers show that you care if they read your blog or not. With a blog, you have the options of expressing your own ideas, and you are able to use quotations from famous people or even yourself. The important lesson to being a good blogger is putting emotion and attitude of your own into your work.

Is Hillary the next feminist icon?

According to Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the six million women who worked in the manufacturing plants which produced munitions and material during World War II while the men (who traditionally performed this work) were off fighting the war. This "character" is now considered a feminist icon in the US, and a herald of women's economic power to come. Rosie and her slogan were featured on newspapers, magazines and posters. Many people think that there was no real person who could be called "Rosie the Riveter". A real "Rosie the Riveter" was named Rose Monroe. The posters were made before she was discovered. She died at age 77."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_the_Riveter

After watching Hillary Clinton on C-Span today, my opinion of her grew even greater. I thought, "this is a woman who wants to stop the chaos and make America the way it once was.

She first wants to enforce the Equal Pay Act. She wants ALL women (Black, White, Latina...) to make the same salary men make for doing the same exact job. White women now are only making 70 cents of the one dollar men are making. Black women and Latinas are making even less.

Then she wants to get more American women involved in supporting EMILY's List. "EMILY's List, the nation's largest grassroots political network, is dedicated to building a progressive America by electing pro-choice Democratic women to federal, state, and local office."

She wants Healthcare issues in the United States taken care of so children can get proper exams and women can too.

And last but not at all least, Hillary wants to end the war.

She was inspired to run for president when she heard the words, "Dare to compete...Dare to compete." Well she is daring to compete, and in my opinion, anyone who is against stopping this war should maybe go over there to fight, maybe kill an innocent civilian....then see how you feel. How can you kill so many innocent civilians and call yourself a true American?

Hillary for President in 2008

To get this out of the way, I will be voting for Hillary Clinton for president in 2008. She shows more maturity than most of the men who run for President. She wants to stop the war the right way. She wants to put a cap on the amount of troops sent to Iraq. She wants to make sure that we leave Iraq alone and focus mostly on Afghanistan. That was the main focus to begin with.
In my opinion, George Bush is the worst thing that could have ever happened to this country. Whether he is a republican or democrat, I would definately vote against him or against someone who will carry on with this war.

To support Hillary visit her website to purchase "Hillary for President" products.

Political Scrutiny? Ha!

I read a blog about "Politcal Scrutiny." It kind of made me angry. This person said that Global Warming is NOT a big deal and Democrats are blowing it way out of proportion. Now in my opinion it is not nice dissing the other political parties. That shows no class what so ever. But as a democrat, I am not afraid to speak my mind. I think that global warming is something to worry about. Think about it- taken from Wikipedia-


"An increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including a rising sea level and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. These changes may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, heat waves, hurricanes, and tornados. Other consequences include higher or lower agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduced summer streamflows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors."



Now when you read that, do you really think it would be ok to not try to do something about that. For all we know Florida will be at the ocean floor in 30 years, we will all be dead of Malaria, and dengue fever, and there will be probably mass events of distinction. The Democrats can make all the fuss they want. It's better to be sure of something than to be left out in the dark.

Penn State Greater Allegheny Collegian

We have a new issue of Collegian coming out on the week of March 12. Our collegian consists of monthly happenings around campus, the country, and even the world.
Our February issue talked about our name change, Valentine's Day, and even included "Chris' Story," which talks about how THON started out. Other stories were included, and can be found on our website at Collegian.mk.psu.edu.
This picture is of our club. We are missing a few people. It is time for an updated picture. Our club advisor is Dr. Kathleen Brown. She is a very smart and experienced person. She is easy to talk to about serious issues, whether it be about school things or world issues.
Every issue gets better than the next. There are a few things that need to be fixed. But that is true with every paper.
We are here for the students. The paper is for those students who want to be heard. If you are student who wants to speak out, send your article to Monica Michna at mlm5102@psu.edu. It will be sure to make it into our Collegian.

Save the Puppies!

Have you ever seen a puppy as cute as this one? This little Golden Retriever is for sale online. If a family doesn't buy this puppy, what do you think will happen to it? It will most likely be given to a pound or pet store. Are puppy mills an option? Well according to KDKA, a Pittsburgh news channel, dogs and cats are being used for their skin and fake fur found all throughout the world in stores.
As a person who is against puppy mills and the abuse of any animal, I took the time of looking it up online at a website called Voice 4 Dogs. “Each year mainly in China ( but also Thailand and the Philippines) millions of dogs and cats suffer cruel brutal lives and unspeakable terror and pain before being slowly tortured to death, killed solely for their fur and skins for a merciless trade…this horror must be stopped, suffering dogs and cats desperately need your help, and within this web site you will find out how you can help to ban the trade in cat and dog fur in Europe.” They live in inhumane conditions similar to puppy mills, and maybe even worse.
The mission of this website is to abolish the trade of cat and dog fur and skins. “One cat fur coat alone requires the killing of up to 24 cats. 12 to 15 adult dogs are killed to manufacture each coat made from dog fur, and a horrific 40 or more if puppies or kittens are used.” It’s common to see stolen family pets and homeless cats and dogs used in the brutal action. These cats and dogs fur goes to accessories such as: coats, fur trimmed clothing, hoods, hats, gloves, stuffed animals, blankets, toys, fur pom poms on sweaters, and trim on jeans etc. Along with those, the fur is also found as children’s dyed hair-bows and items such as novelty key rings and hair accessories.
Because the thought of using dog and cat for fur is so disturbing, the labels will actually give false information about what is used to make the garment. The website makes it clear:


Dog Fur - may be Labeled As: Gae -wolf (note: Gae is the Korean word for dog) Sobaki, Asian jackal, Gou -pee, Goupee, Kou pi, Gubi, China wolf, Asian wolf, Pommern wolf, loup d' Asia (wolf of Asia), Asiatic raccoon dog, Corsac fox, Dogues du Chine.

Cat Fur - may be labeled As: Housecat, Wild cat, Katzenfelle, Rabbit, Goyangi, Mountain cat.


As of right now, “Voice 4 Dogs has found domestic dog fur on sale in the UK. This is the result of an extensive series of tests conducted on the fur by means of MALDI – TOFF mass spectrometry. Tests proved positive for domestic dog fur, found in a fur trimmed leather hat. The shop from which the item had been purchased claimed that their supplier had informed them that the fur was mink. This research proves that producers fraudulently substitute cheaper dog hair for more expensive fur such as mink. It provides evidence that the skins of domestic dogs and cats are indeed for sale on Britain's high streets. Voice 4 Dogs therefore urges the UK government to make good on its promise to ban dog and cat fur imports into this country when such fur is proven to be on sale. We presented clear evidence backed up by full laboratory reports to DTI officials and have been liaising with them about a strong, proactive UK stance on this issue within the EU. Other countries have already shown that these products are available elsewhere in the EU. However, according to the Department of Trade and Industry Voice 4 Dogs is the only British group DNA testing products in the UK for containing cat and dog fur.
Help make a difference and visit the website Voice 4 Dogs and make a donation. Before you visit the website, prepare for the graphic images that you are about to see.

Let me familiarize you with my Family.

This is my family. They mean more to me than anyone in the world. Not only do we all look happy because we are in San Francisco, but we also just won the Super Bowl. This picture is from last year, but I thought I would make a tribute to those people in my life that make it possible to go on. Without them, I would be insane. They are always there when I need something. And they are the type of people that would give others the clothes off of their backs. I love them dearly. Especially my brother Ewwwic (Eric). He is always there to talk to and totally understands me. Thank goodness he can talk Spanish now. HaHa. It's easier to talk. ;) Since I am at school, I don't get to see them all the time, but I miss them more than anything. I love you guys.

...so it continues...

And so the rest of Spring Semester continues. There are a lot of things to plan for in the next 3 months. Being involved on campus keeps me from dying from boredom.
Spring Break is coming up in March. I was planning on going to Florida to see my friend Carie, but instead I am staying here, continuing the job hunt and going to the St. Patrick's Day Parade with all of my friends and Susan, my best! friend. We also have another issue of the Collegian coming out. It will be a Spring Break issue including news on Britney Spears, Anna Nicole, and events world wide and campus wide.
At the beginning of April I will be heading off to Disney World with my family. Also in April, we have Spring Fling Week, which consists of inflatables, bands, other activities and the Semi-Formal. The theme of Spring Fling Week is "A Fling to the Stars" which leads up to the end of the week to the Semi, which is themed "A Night With the Stars." Last year we called it "One Last Fling" and it was a blast.
After such an exciting event is my 22nd Birthday!!!!!! Yay for me!!! I plan to get all of my lost friends and family member Louis and live it up.
I am looking forward to a good semester.

F to the T K!

This past weekend was THON. We work all year to make it great and increase the amount raised. THON jumped from 4.2 million to $5,240,385.17!!!!!
Our dancers made it til the end. However, we did run into a few bumps in the road. Rob started staring at objects and started to dream about them. JJ passed out a few times standing up. Dawn slapped her boyfriend in the face. Dion threw a bagel at a girl, spit tea on some guy, and went up the stairs to the public bathroom. It is safe to say we had a very interesting 46 hours, but it was worth it!! The most amazing thing comes of 5 months of fundraising. The standards are set high for next year, but more and more freshman and transfers coming to PSU, I believe that we can raise more and more each year.
T-H-O-N THON 2007!!! F to the T K, for the kids is what we say!!!
Many <3's, One Home-

Spaghetti Dinner and Poster Party

Tonight we had our poster party and spaghetti dinner. Dinner was hosted by Miss Erin O'Malley, our student activities coordinator. She used her apartment to cook us spaghetti, garlic bread, and other types of pasta. After dinner, the dancers and the committee fanned into the basement and started drawing posters that our dancers will love to see us holding up in the stands at BJC.
We have 2.5 days til THON begins and everyone is pumped. We will be driving up on Thursday evening and our campus will be treating our dancers and the chair to dinner at Olive Garden. We are looking forward to a great 46 hours!

Canning

This weekend is our last canning weekend and we are going to try to make it our best. Since we aren't allowed to can in intesections anymore, we are falling a little behind. But I have faith in our committee.
Our poster party and spaghetti dinner for our dancers will be held on Monday, February 12, 2007. It is always a good time.
We held a Volleyball MaraTHON on January 27th, and was a complete success. We ended up raising over $600 for the kids!!! The Xer's were the winners (a.k.a. the biggest team).
We are holding one more bowling fundraiser on Feb. 11, at 7p.m. at New Great Valley Lanes in North Versailles. It costs $10 per pesron for 2 hours of unlimited bowling. Last time we made about $200 including random donations! We have 10 more days til THON, and I am unbelievably excited!!!
Oh, and the COLTS won the Superbowl!!!!!

To find out more about THON or to make donations, visit: www.THON.org

A little bit of nothing.

We had our bowling fundraiser for THON tonight and we made appx. $200. It is definately better than nothing.
Tomorrow I will be working on a powerpoint presentation for prospective students. It will include our clubs and organizations, and pictures of events held on and off campus. I also have to be interviewed for a PodCast for the Editor of the Collegian and being the chair of THON. After that I have to report to a class room with some kids and get pictures taken for the new Penn State Greater Allegheny booklets. Tomorrow is a busy day, but I'm sure it will be better than yesterday.

Getting involved...

I love getting involved on campus. I mostly stick to groups I can use my Public Relations knowledge. I am involved in the Programming Committee and currently an intern with the Public Relations side of Penn State's Student Activities Department.
I plan on doing a PR campaign for our campus showing why students shouldn't just choose our campus for the cost, majors, or location, but for being involved in student activities. The purpose of the internship will be to develop, implement, and evaluate a public relations campaign for the Department of Student Activities. I will develop a campaign that will showcase activities, events, and organizations. This campaign will be made available to show the community and be used at admissions events. The campaign will be implemented to increase awareness for the campus’s student life to the community and prospective students. I will do any needed research to develop an effective campaign. Once the campaign is complete the Department of Student and Enrollment Services as well as the academic advisor will evaluate its effectiveness. I will also take on other duties. The duties will consist of: 1) Assist Student Activities Coordinator 2) Assist student groups with events and community outreach programs that may help campaign 3)Plan and coordinate events 4)Assist student groups with various forms of advertising 5)Attend department meetings 6)Work with other campus resources to complete campaign 7)Any other duties as needed. This internship will teach the me how to effectively develop a public relations campaign. I will successfully implement the campaign in hopes of increasing interest in enrollment at Penn State McKeesport. Any other duties will help educate the student on the inner workings of a college campus primarily the Department of Student and Enrollment Services.

*What THON is all about*

Taken from the THON website, here is a little information before I get things started....



The Mission of the Penn State Dance Marathon

The mission of the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon is to conquer pediatric cancer by providing outstanding emotional and financial support to the children, families, researchers, and staff of The Four Diamonds Fund.

* THON is fundraising over a year-long effort involving thousands of students and culminating in a challenging, two day, no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon.
* THON is changing the lives of students and children, reinforcing the importance of caring for one another, and inspiring the determination needed to beat cancer.
* THON is helping to conquer pediatric cancer through strategic investments in hospital bills, research efforts, and a new family-centered Pediatric Cancer Pavilion at the Penn State Children?s Hospital.

Together we will find a cure."


Visit: www.THON.org to make a donation. Every little bit helps.