Happy New Year

Let this coming year be better than all the others.

Vow to do some of the things

you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time.

Call up a forgotten friend.

Drop an old grudge,

and replace it with some pleasant memories.

Vow not to make a promise

you don't think you can keep.

Walk tall, and smile more.

You'll look ten years younger.

Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you'.

Say it again.

They are the sweetest words in the world.
- Ann Landers


Here's to new beginnings.
Happy New Year!

Tags: New Year, Holiday Greetings, Media by Sistrunk

Facts you may not know about texting

The truth cell phone companies are hiding

The public assumes that wireless carriers’ costs are far higher than they actually are, and profit margins are concealed by a heavy curtain. During the past three years, four major carriers decided to increase the pay-per-use price for messages to 20 cents from 10 cents. According to the New York Times, the cost went up even though the texting business is booming.



Tags: Cell Phones, Text Messages Technology, Business, Media by Sistrunk

Merry Christmas

Remembering the Christmas miracle and the treasure of friendship

During this joyous season, I remember the prophesy of peace - and the reason for the season of Christmas. It is also a time to be thankful for friends.

A FRIENDSHIP PRAYER

Dear Lord,

Thank you for a special gift,

one that cannot be bought

for any amount of money.

Thank you for a gift wrapped in beauty,

that is wonderful in all seasons and times.

Thank you for a gift that is always near

in times of need

and brings great joy.

Thank you for the gift that sparkles

with freshness every day.

Thank you for my friend.

May I never take this gift for granted.

Amen.

(by John C. Maxwell)

M E R R Y

C H R I S T M A S !

Tags: Christmas, Holiday Greetings, Friendship, Media by Sistrunk

Christmas tree theft on the rise

Sign of the times?

CNNMoney.com says police nationwide are seeing an increase in the number of Christmas trees being stolen from commercial lots:

In recent weeks, police across the country have seen an uptick in the theft of trees from commercial lots. In Baytown, Tex., cops caught a man earlier this month trying to take several holiday trees off a lot. In Portland, Ore., police nabbed a man last week dragging a stolen tree down the street around 3 a.m. Officials in Hillsborough County, Fla., are investigating a Christmas tree crime spree, with more than 20 stolen from one lot owner alone.

In that instance, 14 Fraser firs were swiped in the middle of the night on December 2; another eight were stolen about a week later.

The story also reports:

Sales of fresh Christmas trees have been on an upswing since 2002, with approximately 31 million sold last year for a retail value of $1.3 billion, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. But with little evidence of any black market for Christmas trees, and a six-foot fir costing as much as $200, officials suspect this year's thieves are likely stealing trees for their own living rooms.

Meanwhile, the National Christmas Tree Association has launched a campaign aimed at debunking Christmas tree myths. Check out these 10 myths and urban legends.


Tags: Christmas Trees, Media by Sistrunk

Google adds print magazine rack to its search engine

Internet giant archives old publications

As part of its quest to corral more content published on paper, Google Inc. has made digital copies of more than 1 million articles from magazines that hit the newsstands decades ago.

For now, the old magazine articles can be found only through Google's search service for finding digital copies of books. But the company plans to eventually include magazine articles in its general search results.

Users who want to restrict the scope of their inquiries to magazines can choose that option through the book search's "advanced" function.

Dozens of magazine publishers have agreed to let Google index their archives. The incentive: Google will link to the Web site of a participating magazine publisher and share some of the revenue that is expected to be generated from ads shown alongside the old articles.

The list of old magazines already available through Google include past issues of New York Magazine, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science and Ebony.

More info: Google Blog

Tags: Google, Media by Sistrunk

'Change the Channel'

A story about making a difference

Egyptian bloggers recently decided to revolt against what they consider to be their country's "current rueful state." Nermeen Edrees, who writes for Global Voices, describes being haunted by "grim headlines" - stories about murders, corruption, sexual harassment, and other unsavory acts.

A group of Egyptian online writers, led by Tarek Amr, decided to turn the negatives into a positive by embarking on the "Change the Channel" campaign.

This is a great story about bloggers networking and affecting positive social change. Click here to read Nermeen's post. (The graphic, by the way, says "change the channel.")


Tags: Change the Channel, Tarek Amr, Nermeen Edreesa, Egypt, Blogging, Media by Sistrunk

Solving the mysteries of the teenage years

Getting inside a kid's head

Have you wondered why the teenage years are often tough on young people - and their parents? Recent research on the adolescent brain offers some eye-opening information.

Here's a report worth checking out:

The Teenage Brain: A Lesson in Understanding for Parents of Adolescents

If you're really into the science of young brains - if you secretly wonder if your child is an alien - you might want to visit PBS.org to read the Frontline series Inside the Teenage Brain.

Tags: Teenagers, Parenting, Brain, Science, Education, Psychology, Media by Sistrunk

Quote of the day

"The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave."
Patrick Fitzgerald,
the United States attorney in Chicago,
commenting on charges against
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois.

Related: A Portrait of a Politician: Vengeful and Profane

For the latest on the Blagojevich story, I recommend following the Chicago Tribune. For my newsroom colleagues in Illinois, all hands are on deck for this coverage.

Tags: Blagojevich, Media by Sistrunk

'A gentle tongue can break a bone'

Can introverts succeed in PR?

Scott Baradell of Media Orchard recently wrote an insightful post on whether one needs an "outgoing personality" to succeed in public relations. What he says may surprise you.

Scott writes that "the PR field has too many surface smiles and surface thinkers, and not enough going on underneath. That's something we introverts can use to our advantage." Check out his post.


Tags: Public Relations, PR, Marketing, Shyness, Media by Sistrunk

Odetta, freedom's voice, dies at 77

Remembering the "Queen of American folk music"

Odetta, the singer whose deep voice wove together the strongest songs of American folk music and the civil rights movement, died on Tuesday. She was 77.

Odetta was one of the most influential folk artists of the past 50 years, influencing Janis Joplin and Joan Baez and inspiring Bob Dylan's early decision to trade his electric guitar for an acoustic. Performing alongside Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte, Odetta's work for the American civil rights movement led Martin Luther King Jr to dub her the "queen of American folk music".

Stories surfaced recently about the singer's illness. Reportedly, she had hoped to be well enough to perform, as scheduled, at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration in January 2009, as the New York Times reports.

Related: Odetta-The Last Word

YouTube: Odetta sings with Tennessee Ernie Ford


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Tags: Odetta, Folk Music, Civil Rights, African American, Media by Sistrunk

Study: More TV and Web equals more health problems

The impact of media on children's health

The average modern child spends nearly 45 hours a week with television, movies, magazines, music, the Internet, cellphones and video games, a new study reports. By comparison, children spend 17 hours a week with their parents on average and 30 hours a week in school. That's according to a report released Tuesday by the National Institutes of Health and the nonprofit advocacy group Common Sense Media.

In what researchers call the first report of its kind, a review of 173 studies about the effects of media consumption on children asserts that a strong tie exists between greater exposure and adverse health outcomes, such as childhood obesity, tobacco use, and early sexual behavior.

"Media is increasingly pervasive in the lives of children and adolescents," James P. Steyer, Common Sense Media founder and CEO, said in a joint news release. "Parents and educators must consider the effects of media when they're trying to address issues with their child's health. This report makes is clear that we need a bold new agenda on media and technology use. We hope this report will create a new sense of urgency in that regard."

To read an executive summary (PDF) of the report, click here.



Tags: Television, Children, TV, Technology, Internet, Media, Culture, Media by Sistrunk