Everything that is put on the internet can be accessed by anybody. It's the simple fact of this day and age, pictures, videos, documents, anything can be discovered with a simple Google search. To show how much I could find about a classmate, Cami Stephenson, I searched several websites. While Cami does a good job at keeping sites such as Facebook private, I was still able to dig up some information.
Cami is 21 years old, and attends Utah State University, with a public relations major. She grew up in Kaysville, Utah, and went to Davis high school. While she was in middle school she took third place on a billboard idea for an anti-tobacco campaign. In high school she was the star in the play "Aida" playing as Aida.
Cami is LDS and attends the USU 53rd ward. She wants to one day become a country singer, and country music is her favorite to listen to. She hopes to move to Nashville and attend Vanderbilt to become a lawyer. Cami is also a Libra, and enjoys playing sports like running, volleyball, and basketball among others.
While Cami did a great job at hiding most of her personal information, there still was a bit that was leaked through. Her blog was the most telling, as it told of her daily events and had plenty of pictures of herself on it. Her Facebook was set to private, so very little information could be gathered there aside from groups and pages that she follows, and her friends list. Other things were found just by searching her name, and visiting a Myspace page that she hasn't been on since 2005.
It is almost frightening how easy it is to find information on people just by doing a web search. While Cami did do a good job, it is obvious that anyone can find out a considerable amount about a person online.
Adam
Sources:
http://www.blogger.com/profile/07323395561314924846
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=748287760&ref=search&sid=530625734.1543302142..1
http://joie-ful.blogspot.com/
http://my.hsj.org/Portals/2/schools/733/editions/DavisHighIssue5.pdf
http://www.myspace.com/17770494
http://health.utah.gov/pio/nr/2003/0521-Tobacco.pdf
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Final position paper
Burger Planet has been in the quick service food industry since 1934 with considerable success. However, recently there has been a decline in the number of 40-50 year old women buying food at Burger Planet. This is an extremely valuable demographic, because not only do women eat at Burger Planet, but they also bring their husbands and children to eat at Burger Planet. The reduction of 40-50 year old women that eat at Burger Planet is attributed to all fast-food companies being attacked by the media, and women becoming more educated on the dangers of eating unhealthily.
There are hundreds of websites, movies, magazine, and newspaper articles created annually to showcase how unhealthy quick service food can be, many of them stating that quick-service food is “unhealthy and dangerous.” Because of this, many customers are choosing not to eat at quick- service restaurants, thinking that it is something that will cause them to be unhealthy. The Popular documentary “Supersize Me” had detrimental effects not only on McDonalds, but also on every quick-service food company; forcing many of these companies to adapt.
There are enormous amounts of media showing that quick- service food is unhealthy for the consumer. This has lead to a drop in the amount of sales to the 40-50 year old women demographic at quick-service restaurants. Burger Planet needs to change its menu and strategies to make itself more appealing to the 40-50 year old demographic. Burger Planet can improve its image by adding healthy menu items, getting a celebrity spokesperson such as Jane Petersen, revamping Corny the Clowns image, and changing its marketing strategy to appeal to middle aged women.
A healthy menu can be a excellent jump start to attracting 40-50 year old women to Burger Planet. Healthy choices such as fresh fruit, salads, and fat free chicken sandwiches can attract demographics that are more health conscious, and would not regularly eat at a quick-service restaurant. By adding these healthy food options, 40-50 year old women are much more likely to eat at Burger Planet, as well as bring in family and friends to eat.
A celebrity spokesperson can work wonders for a quick-service restaurant. By hiring fitness guru Jane Petersen, Burger Planet can revamp its image. Jane Petersen is known nationally by 40-50 year old women because of her success in helping talk show host Opal Whitcomb lose weight, and become healthier. Petersen is a name that many women will recognize, and is someone who these women will trust for health advice. By having Petersen help with the promotion of the new healthy items on Burger Planets menu it is possible to attract more 40-50 year old women.
Corny the Clown has been taken out of Burger Planet’s marketing strategy for several years now, because quick-service restaurants have been accused of unfairly marketing to children with mascots. Adding new healthy menu items is the perfect opportunity to revamp Corny’s image. By teaming Corny up with Petersen, his name will be turned into something new, and we can use Corny the Clown once again. This will help attract children to Burger Planet, without having negative consequences for using a mascot.
While 40-50 year old women are eating at quick-service restaurants less often because of negative media and increased health awareness. It is possible to attract that demographic again. By implementing new, healthy menu items, hiring a celebrity spokesperson such as Jane Petersen, revamping Corny the Clowns image, and having a great marketing strategy, it is possible to change Burger Planets image and attract 40-50 year old women once again.
There are hundreds of websites, movies, magazine, and newspaper articles created annually to showcase how unhealthy quick service food can be, many of them stating that quick-service food is “unhealthy and dangerous.” Because of this, many customers are choosing not to eat at quick- service restaurants, thinking that it is something that will cause them to be unhealthy. The Popular documentary “Supersize Me” had detrimental effects not only on McDonalds, but also on every quick-service food company; forcing many of these companies to adapt.
There are enormous amounts of media showing that quick- service food is unhealthy for the consumer. This has lead to a drop in the amount of sales to the 40-50 year old women demographic at quick-service restaurants. Burger Planet needs to change its menu and strategies to make itself more appealing to the 40-50 year old demographic. Burger Planet can improve its image by adding healthy menu items, getting a celebrity spokesperson such as Jane Petersen, revamping Corny the Clowns image, and changing its marketing strategy to appeal to middle aged women.
A healthy menu can be a excellent jump start to attracting 40-50 year old women to Burger Planet. Healthy choices such as fresh fruit, salads, and fat free chicken sandwiches can attract demographics that are more health conscious, and would not regularly eat at a quick-service restaurant. By adding these healthy food options, 40-50 year old women are much more likely to eat at Burger Planet, as well as bring in family and friends to eat.
A celebrity spokesperson can work wonders for a quick-service restaurant. By hiring fitness guru Jane Petersen, Burger Planet can revamp its image. Jane Petersen is known nationally by 40-50 year old women because of her success in helping talk show host Opal Whitcomb lose weight, and become healthier. Petersen is a name that many women will recognize, and is someone who these women will trust for health advice. By having Petersen help with the promotion of the new healthy items on Burger Planets menu it is possible to attract more 40-50 year old women.
Corny the Clown has been taken out of Burger Planet’s marketing strategy for several years now, because quick-service restaurants have been accused of unfairly marketing to children with mascots. Adding new healthy menu items is the perfect opportunity to revamp Corny’s image. By teaming Corny up with Petersen, his name will be turned into something new, and we can use Corny the Clown once again. This will help attract children to Burger Planet, without having negative consequences for using a mascot.
While 40-50 year old women are eating at quick-service restaurants less often because of negative media and increased health awareness. It is possible to attract that demographic again. By implementing new, healthy menu items, hiring a celebrity spokesperson such as Jane Petersen, revamping Corny the Clowns image, and having a great marketing strategy, it is possible to change Burger Planets image and attract 40-50 year old women once again.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Draft position paper: Burger Planet
Burger Planet has been in the quick service food industry since 1934 with great success. Recently however, there has been a drop in the number of 40-50 year old women buying food at Burger Planet. This is an extremely important demographic, because not only do the women eat at Burger Planet, but they also bring their husbands and children to shop at Burger Planet. The drop in 40-50 year old women eating at Burger Planet is attributed to all fast food companies being attacked by the media, and women becoming more educated on the dangers of eating unhealthily.
There are hundreds of websites, movies, magazine, and newspaper articles created yearly to showcase how unhealthy quick service food can be, many of them stating that quick service food is “unhealthy and dangerous.” Because of this, many customers are being scared out of eating at quick service restaurants, thinking that it is something that will cause them to be extremely unhealthy. The Popular documentary “Supersize Me” had extremely detrimental effects not only on McDonalds, but also on every quick service food company; forcing many of these companies to adapt. Just weeks after the documentary came out, McDonalds made several changes to its menu to become more healthy.
All of the media coming out about how unhealthy quick service food is has also led to a sharp increase in education about what it takes to be healthy. People everywhere are taking time to learn about what it takes to be healthy, and in return are deciding to cut things out of their life, including quick service food. An overall sense of health has been leading to decreases in sales by the quick service food industry over recent years to certain demographics, most specifically the 40-50 year old women.
There is overwhelming amounts of media showing that quick service food is unhealthy for the consumer. This has lead to a drop in the amount of sales to the 40-50 year old women demographic at quick service restaurants. Burger Planet needs to change its menu and strategies to make itself more desirable by the 40-50 year old demographic. Burger Planet can help its image by adding healthy menu items, getting a celebrity spokesperson such as Jane Petersen, revamping Corny the Clowns image, and changing its marketing strategy to appeal to middle aged women.
A healthy menu can be a great jumpstart to attracting 40-50 year old women to Burger Planet. Healthy choices such as fresh fruit, salads, and fat free chicken sandwiches can attract demographics that are more health conscious, and wouldn’t regularly eat at a quick service restaurant. By adding these healthy food options, 40-50 year old women are much more likely to eat at Burger Planet, as well as bring in family and friends to eat.
A celebrity spokesperson can work wonders for a quick service restaurant. By hiring health guru Jane Petersen, Burger Planet can revamp its image. Jane Petersen is known nationally by 40-50 year old women because of her success in helping talk show host Opal Whitcomb lose weight, and become healthier. Petersen is a name that many women will recognize, and is someone who these women will trust for health advice. By having Petersen help with the promotion of the new healthy items on Burger Planets menu, it is possible to attract more 40-50 year old women.
Corny the Clown has been taken out of Burger Planet’s marketing strategy for several years now, because quick service restaurants have been accused of unfairly marketing to children with mascots. Adding new healthy menu items is the perfect opportunity to revamp Corny’s image. By teaming Corny up with Petersen, his name will be turned into something new, and we can use Corny the Clown once again. This will help attract children to Burger Planet, without having negative consequences for using a mascot.
With new healthy menu items, Jane Petersen, and Corny the Clown, a great marketing strategy will have to be used. If Petersen and Corny do a tour to malls and other events, Burger Planets healthy menu items will receive exposure extremely quickly. TV and radio commercials should also be implemented to help raise awareness of Burger Planets new menu items.
While 40-50 year old women are eating at quick service restaurants less often because of negative media and increased health awareness, it is possible to attract that demographic again. By implementing new, healthy menu items, hiring a celebrity spokesperson such as Jane Petersen, revamping Corny the Clowns image, and having a great marketing strategy, it is possible to change Burger Planets image and attract 40-50 year old women once again.
There are hundreds of websites, movies, magazine, and newspaper articles created yearly to showcase how unhealthy quick service food can be, many of them stating that quick service food is “unhealthy and dangerous.” Because of this, many customers are being scared out of eating at quick service restaurants, thinking that it is something that will cause them to be extremely unhealthy. The Popular documentary “Supersize Me” had extremely detrimental effects not only on McDonalds, but also on every quick service food company; forcing many of these companies to adapt. Just weeks after the documentary came out, McDonalds made several changes to its menu to become more healthy.
All of the media coming out about how unhealthy quick service food is has also led to a sharp increase in education about what it takes to be healthy. People everywhere are taking time to learn about what it takes to be healthy, and in return are deciding to cut things out of their life, including quick service food. An overall sense of health has been leading to decreases in sales by the quick service food industry over recent years to certain demographics, most specifically the 40-50 year old women.
There is overwhelming amounts of media showing that quick service food is unhealthy for the consumer. This has lead to a drop in the amount of sales to the 40-50 year old women demographic at quick service restaurants. Burger Planet needs to change its menu and strategies to make itself more desirable by the 40-50 year old demographic. Burger Planet can help its image by adding healthy menu items, getting a celebrity spokesperson such as Jane Petersen, revamping Corny the Clowns image, and changing its marketing strategy to appeal to middle aged women.
A healthy menu can be a great jumpstart to attracting 40-50 year old women to Burger Planet. Healthy choices such as fresh fruit, salads, and fat free chicken sandwiches can attract demographics that are more health conscious, and wouldn’t regularly eat at a quick service restaurant. By adding these healthy food options, 40-50 year old women are much more likely to eat at Burger Planet, as well as bring in family and friends to eat.
A celebrity spokesperson can work wonders for a quick service restaurant. By hiring health guru Jane Petersen, Burger Planet can revamp its image. Jane Petersen is known nationally by 40-50 year old women because of her success in helping talk show host Opal Whitcomb lose weight, and become healthier. Petersen is a name that many women will recognize, and is someone who these women will trust for health advice. By having Petersen help with the promotion of the new healthy items on Burger Planets menu, it is possible to attract more 40-50 year old women.
Corny the Clown has been taken out of Burger Planet’s marketing strategy for several years now, because quick service restaurants have been accused of unfairly marketing to children with mascots. Adding new healthy menu items is the perfect opportunity to revamp Corny’s image. By teaming Corny up with Petersen, his name will be turned into something new, and we can use Corny the Clown once again. This will help attract children to Burger Planet, without having negative consequences for using a mascot.
With new healthy menu items, Jane Petersen, and Corny the Clown, a great marketing strategy will have to be used. If Petersen and Corny do a tour to malls and other events, Burger Planets healthy menu items will receive exposure extremely quickly. TV and radio commercials should also be implemented to help raise awareness of Burger Planets new menu items.
While 40-50 year old women are eating at quick service restaurants less often because of negative media and increased health awareness, it is possible to attract that demographic again. By implementing new, healthy menu items, hiring a celebrity spokesperson such as Jane Petersen, revamping Corny the Clowns image, and having a great marketing strategy, it is possible to change Burger Planets image and attract 40-50 year old women once again.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Final press release 3: Cause promotion
Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA)
Cache Chamber of Commerce, 160 N. Main St. Logan
Cache Chamber of Commerce, 160 N. Main St. Logan
February 20, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact information:
Preston Parker
Office: (512)983-3765
Investing for your future
How to live financially independent
LOGAN, Utah - Living a financially stable life is possible, and the CVAIA aims to help you discover how.
In this day and age, it is extremely important to have and maintain a stable financial plan. The Cache Valley Area Investors Association helps it's members to build these plans so they can lead financially stable lives. CVAIA believes that a key to this is by using passive income, which is "the money you make in your sleep" according to CVAIA founder Preston Parker
CVAIA also helps members build their investments according to risk level. With increased risk, the need for education increases in order to avoid failure in the investment. However, the old adage rings true, that "the greater the risk, the greater the return." CVAIA helps teach it's members how to manage that risk from the safer investments, such as self, real estate, or commodities, to the riskier investments such as collectibles, securities, businesses, and intellectual properties.
CVAIA was founded by Preston Parker, who "wants people to be happy, to have jobs they love, and to be financially independent." Parker also states that "creating an atmosphere where people actually want to go to work may end up making the world a better place."
CVAIA was founded in August 2007 with the vision of helping people become more financially independent. The organization currently has over 100 members from all walks of life, and encourages new members of any age or financial situation to join the organization. It is free to join, and prospective members can find more information at the website, www.cvaia.com, or at their facebook page, www.facebook.com/cvaia.
For more information, please visit the website, or contact Adam Ward at (801)245-9747, or by email at adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Draft press release 3: Cause promotion
Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA)
February 17, 2010
Preston Parker, Club President
Office: (618)524-9844
Investing In Life
CVAIA was founded because "I want people to be happy, to have jobs they love and to be
financially independent," said CVAIA Founder Preston Parker."Creating an atmosphere where people actually want to go to work may end up making the world a better place."
For more information, please contact Adam Ward at (801)245-9747 or by email at adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
.
February 17, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact Information:
Preston Parker, Club President
Office: (618)524-9844
Investing In Life
LOGAN, Utah - Living a financially stable life is possible, and CVAIA aims to help you discover how.
In this day and age, it is extremely important to have a stable financial plan. The Cache Valley Area Investors Association helps it's members to build these plans and lead financially stable lives. CVAIA believes that a key to this is by using passive income, which is "the money you make in your sleep" according to CVAIA founder Preston Parker
CVAIA was founded because "I want people to be happy, to have jobs they love and to be
financially independent," said CVAIA Founder Preston Parker."Creating an atmosphere where people actually want to go to work may end up making the world a better place."
For more information, please contact Adam Ward at (801)245-9747 or by email at adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Final press release 2: Image Management
February 10, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information:
James E. Muellenbach III, President
Burger Planet
130 West, Sandwich Avenue, Gary, IN 56473
(486)123-9876
Burger Planet hires fitness guru Jayne Petersen
Burger Planet emphasizes commitment to health.
Gary, Indiana - Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen, trainer of Opal Whitcomb, talk show host of The View, are launching a comprehensive program to assist customers in eating healthy.
Petersen, 42, has teamed up with Burger Planet to promote new healthy menu options. As well as the traditional menu, Burger Planet now offers gourmet salads (ceasar, raspberry vinaigrette, and spinach) as well as fruit packages (bananas, apples, pineapple chunks, grapes, and peaches) and lettuce wrapped white chicken breast.
Petersen states “Burger Planet has been a leader in the Quick Service Restaurant industry in offering healthy menu choices. The company believes in encouraging customers to live healthier, active lifestyles and I have spent my life trying to teach women that lesson."
Petersen and Burger Planets’ Corny the Clown will team up and tour the nation, making health-conscious appearances at restaurants and shopping malls around the country. The two will also be featured in health-conscious advertisements. They kick off their tour May 12 at a Burger Planet restaurant in Times Square.
James E. Muellenbach III, CEO of the company states he hired Jayne Petersen because “both Jayne Petersen and Burger Planet share a commitment toward health. The women Jayne Petersen has helped lose weight eat at Burger Planet, so Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen are launching a comprehensive program to assist those women in eating healthy.”
Founded in 1934, Burger Planet is headquartered in Gary, Ind., and has 8,921 franchises in every state and 17 countries. Burger planet has served 52 million customers and counting, and employees 48,272 people.
For more information, please contact:
Adam Ward
(801)245-9747
Adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
(END)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information:
James E. Muellenbach III, President
Burger Planet
130 West, Sandwich Avenue, Gary, IN 56473
(486)123-9876
Burger Planet hires fitness guru Jayne Petersen
Burger Planet emphasizes commitment to health.
Gary, Indiana - Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen, trainer of Opal Whitcomb, talk show host of The View, are launching a comprehensive program to assist customers in eating healthy.
Petersen, 42, has teamed up with Burger Planet to promote new healthy menu options. As well as the traditional menu, Burger Planet now offers gourmet salads (ceasar, raspberry vinaigrette, and spinach) as well as fruit packages (bananas, apples, pineapple chunks, grapes, and peaches) and lettuce wrapped white chicken breast.
Petersen states “Burger Planet has been a leader in the Quick Service Restaurant industry in offering healthy menu choices. The company believes in encouraging customers to live healthier, active lifestyles and I have spent my life trying to teach women that lesson."
Petersen and Burger Planets’ Corny the Clown will team up and tour the nation, making health-conscious appearances at restaurants and shopping malls around the country. The two will also be featured in health-conscious advertisements. They kick off their tour May 12 at a Burger Planet restaurant in Times Square.
James E. Muellenbach III, CEO of the company states he hired Jayne Petersen because “both Jayne Petersen and Burger Planet share a commitment toward health. The women Jayne Petersen has helped lose weight eat at Burger Planet, so Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen are launching a comprehensive program to assist those women in eating healthy.”
Founded in 1934, Burger Planet is headquartered in Gary, Ind., and has 8,921 franchises in every state and 17 countries. Burger planet has served 52 million customers and counting, and employees 48,272 people.
For more information, please contact:
Adam Ward
(801)245-9747
Adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
(END)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Draft press release 2: Image management
February 10, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information:
James E. Muellenbach III, President
Burger Planet
130 West, Sandwich Avenue, Gary, IN 56473
(486)123-9876
Burger Planet hires fitness guru Jayne Petersen
Burger Planet emphasizes commitment to health.
Gary, Indiana - Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen, trainer of Opal Whitcomb, are launching a comprehensive program to assist customers in eating healthy.
Petersen, 42, has teamed up with Burger Planet to promote new healthy menu options. As well as the traditional menu, Burger Planet now offers gourmet salads (ceasar, raspberry vinaigrette, and spinach) as well as fruit packages (bananas, apples, pineapple chunks, grapes, and peaches) and lettuce wrapped white chicken breast.
Petersen states “Burger Planet has been a leader in the Quick Service Restaurant industry in offering healthy menu choices. The company believes in encouraging customers to live healthier, active lifestyles and I have spent my life trying to teach women that lesson."
Petersen and Burger Planets’ Corny the Clown will team up and tour the nation, making health-conscious appearances at restaurants and shopping malls around the country. The two will also be featured in health-conscious advertisements. They kick off their tour May 12 at a Burger Planet restaurant in Times Square.
James E. Muellenbach III, CEO of the company states he hired Jayne Petersen because “both Jayne Petersen and Burger Planet share a commitment toward health. The women Jayne Petersen has helped lose weight eat at Burger Planet, so Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen are launching a comprehensive program to assist those women in eating healthy.”
Founded in 1934, Burger Planet is headquartered in Gary, Ind., and has 8,921 franchises in every state and 17 countries. Burger planet has served 52 million customers and counting, and employees 48,272 people.
For more information, please contact:
Adam Ward
(801)245-9747
Adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
(END)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information:
James E. Muellenbach III, President
Burger Planet
130 West, Sandwich Avenue, Gary, IN 56473
(486)123-9876
Burger Planet hires fitness guru Jayne Petersen
Burger Planet emphasizes commitment to health.
Gary, Indiana - Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen, trainer of Opal Whitcomb, are launching a comprehensive program to assist customers in eating healthy.
Petersen, 42, has teamed up with Burger Planet to promote new healthy menu options. As well as the traditional menu, Burger Planet now offers gourmet salads (ceasar, raspberry vinaigrette, and spinach) as well as fruit packages (bananas, apples, pineapple chunks, grapes, and peaches) and lettuce wrapped white chicken breast.
Petersen states “Burger Planet has been a leader in the Quick Service Restaurant industry in offering healthy menu choices. The company believes in encouraging customers to live healthier, active lifestyles and I have spent my life trying to teach women that lesson."
Petersen and Burger Planets’ Corny the Clown will team up and tour the nation, making health-conscious appearances at restaurants and shopping malls around the country. The two will also be featured in health-conscious advertisements. They kick off their tour May 12 at a Burger Planet restaurant in Times Square.
James E. Muellenbach III, CEO of the company states he hired Jayne Petersen because “both Jayne Petersen and Burger Planet share a commitment toward health. The women Jayne Petersen has helped lose weight eat at Burger Planet, so Burger Planet and Jayne Petersen are launching a comprehensive program to assist those women in eating healthy.”
Founded in 1934, Burger Planet is headquartered in Gary, Ind., and has 8,921 franchises in every state and 17 countries. Burger planet has served 52 million customers and counting, and employees 48,272 people.
For more information, please contact:
Adam Ward
(801)245-9747
Adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
(END)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Editor shares success tips
Editor shares success tips
by Adam Ward
As seen in February 5, 2010 Utah Statesman
http://www.usu-tube.com/view/full_story/5800726/article-Editor-shares-success-tips?
Joseph Cannon said in 10 years the newspaper business will be run differently. He said the only newspapers that will survive are those that cater to a specific audience.
Deseret news editor Joseph Cannon gave four tips on how to be successful in the future, saying it was his “final lecture.”
Cannon, who spoke Wednesday at USU for the Huntsman School of Business Dean’s Convocation, said these tips are ones he wished he had heard when he was in college.
The first tip he gave was to never underestimate the role of serendipity in anyone’s life. He said when he was in middle school, he played trumpet in the band. Though he enjoyed it, the teacher told him to try the French horn, which is a much more difficult instrument. He picked up the French horn, and because he became quite good at it, he was able to get a full-ride scholarship to BYU.
If the teacher hadn’t suggested he tried the French horn, he would’ve never been able to attend a school that expensive and would have just gone to a community college in California, he said. His scholarship to BYU enabled him to go to law school and receive a great education.
His second tip was that fortune favors the prepared mind. He said if students are open and prepared for the possibility of good things coming in their life, it will bring good things. He said he once met the president of a steel company as he was working on an environmental board for the government, which was attempting to restrict emissions from steel companies. The president told him that it would kill the steel industry, to which Cannon said to call him if the Geneva steel mine in Utah was ever going out of business, and he may be able to do something.
A few years later the president called him and asked if he wanted to purchase the steel mine. Cannon purchased the mine and became the CEO of Geneva steel.
Cannon said his third tip was to read. He was a partner for a large law firm and was on the hiring board for the firm. He said that as the new generations of lawyers came to the firm, he noticed their writing was becoming worse. He said this frustrated him, because he considers writing to be an extremely important skill and to be a good writer people need to read.
He said that books such as “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” were both essential books that must be read in order to be successful. Cannon also said people need to put down their text messages and read a book. Taking time to read through a novel will allow people to understand it more clearly and get something out of it.
The fourth tip given by Cannon was to avoid all the noise in the world. He said it seems like everyone constantly has headphones in their ear or the television on while they’re sleeping and this bombardment of noise is distracting people from quality thinking. He said having quiet time to just sit and think will help people be more virtuous and figure out many things in life. It’s impossible to do this with all the noise in everyday life, he said.
Cannon then took questions about the newspaper industry and other general business questions that he had experience with. He said the newspaper industry is falling behind, and in 10 years it will be nothing like it is today. He said the only papers that’ll survive will be the ones that have a certain niche, where the readers won’t go away because it’s the only place to get certain news. He said the industry may be more like “daily magazines” rather than a daily news, with each newspaper having a particular set of people the content is meant for.
Cannon attended BYU for his undergraduate degree in political science and graduate degree in law school. After graduating he went on to do many different jobs, including working for the Environmental Protection Agency; being a partner in Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, a law firm that specializes in environmental and administrative law; being the CEO of Geneva steel and, now, the news editor of The Deseret News.
– adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
by Adam Ward
As seen in February 5, 2010 Utah Statesman
http://www.usu-tube.com/view/full_story/5800726/article-Editor-shares-success-tips?
Joseph Cannon said in 10 years the newspaper business will be run differently. He said the only newspapers that will survive are those that cater to a specific audience.
Deseret news editor Joseph Cannon gave four tips on how to be successful in the future, saying it was his “final lecture.”
Cannon, who spoke Wednesday at USU for the Huntsman School of Business Dean’s Convocation, said these tips are ones he wished he had heard when he was in college.
The first tip he gave was to never underestimate the role of serendipity in anyone’s life. He said when he was in middle school, he played trumpet in the band. Though he enjoyed it, the teacher told him to try the French horn, which is a much more difficult instrument. He picked up the French horn, and because he became quite good at it, he was able to get a full-ride scholarship to BYU.
If the teacher hadn’t suggested he tried the French horn, he would’ve never been able to attend a school that expensive and would have just gone to a community college in California, he said. His scholarship to BYU enabled him to go to law school and receive a great education.
His second tip was that fortune favors the prepared mind. He said if students are open and prepared for the possibility of good things coming in their life, it will bring good things. He said he once met the president of a steel company as he was working on an environmental board for the government, which was attempting to restrict emissions from steel companies. The president told him that it would kill the steel industry, to which Cannon said to call him if the Geneva steel mine in Utah was ever going out of business, and he may be able to do something.
A few years later the president called him and asked if he wanted to purchase the steel mine. Cannon purchased the mine and became the CEO of Geneva steel.
Cannon said his third tip was to read. He was a partner for a large law firm and was on the hiring board for the firm. He said that as the new generations of lawyers came to the firm, he noticed their writing was becoming worse. He said this frustrated him, because he considers writing to be an extremely important skill and to be a good writer people need to read.
He said that books such as “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” were both essential books that must be read in order to be successful. Cannon also said people need to put down their text messages and read a book. Taking time to read through a novel will allow people to understand it more clearly and get something out of it.
The fourth tip given by Cannon was to avoid all the noise in the world. He said it seems like everyone constantly has headphones in their ear or the television on while they’re sleeping and this bombardment of noise is distracting people from quality thinking. He said having quiet time to just sit and think will help people be more virtuous and figure out many things in life. It’s impossible to do this with all the noise in everyday life, he said.
Cannon then took questions about the newspaper industry and other general business questions that he had experience with. He said the newspaper industry is falling behind, and in 10 years it will be nothing like it is today. He said the only papers that’ll survive will be the ones that have a certain niche, where the readers won’t go away because it’s the only place to get certain news. He said the industry may be more like “daily magazines” rather than a daily news, with each newspaper having a particular set of people the content is meant for.
Cannon attended BYU for his undergraduate degree in political science and graduate degree in law school. After graduating he went on to do many different jobs, including working for the Environmental Protection Agency; being a partner in Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, a law firm that specializes in environmental and administrative law; being the CEO of Geneva steel and, now, the news editor of The Deseret News.
– adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
Lady Bobcats destroy the Box Elder Bees
As seen February 5, 2010, in the Smithfield Sun
Adam Ward
http://www.smithfieldsun.com/stories/lady-bobcats-destroy-the-box-elder-bees
Thursday night the Sky View Bobcats girls team faced off against the Box Elder Bees. While the game was close through the first quarter, the Bobcats pulled ahead in the second quarter. After a half time spent signing balls for charity, the Bobcats came out and extended their lead even more through the second half, ending the game with the amazing score of 70 to 31 for the Bobcats win.
The first quarter started off extremely close; with the Bees scoring first. The Bobcats wouldn’t let that stop them though, and scored immediately afterward. The first quarter was back and forth for the first part of it, whenever one team scored, the other team came right back and scored again. However with 3:37 left in the quarter, the Bobcats took the lead and didn’t lose it the rest of the game. The first quarter ended with the Bobcats leading the Bees 16 to 12.
The second quarter is where the Bobcats really began to pull away from the bees, scoring several times, both on the free-throw line as well as from the field. The Bobcats also managed to hold the Bees scoreless, and by the time there were only four minutes left in the half, the score was 31 to 12 for the Bobcats. The Bees managed to break their scoring drought however, partially with help from getting put in the bonus with 2:15 left in the half. Just a few seconds after they were put in the bonus however, they fouled a Bobcat player, putting the Bobcats in the bonus as well. The half ended with the Bobcats extending their lead even more to 35 to 19. Both teams amassed nine fouls throughout the first half.
During half time the Box Elder coach argued with the officials for a moment, then stormed off the court throwing her clipboard down as she left, in obvious frustration over how the game was going. The Sky View cheerleaders then performed their “love me” routine. Afterward there was a ball toss into a basket in mid-court; awarding a lucky thrower 50 dollars. They then drew to hand out Firehouse Pizza’s to some lucky members of the crowd who had bought tickets. The lady Bobcats spent the halftime signing pink and white basketballs, which could then be bought by the crowd for $25, with all profits going to breast cancer charities.
The third quarter began bad for the Bees, with the Bobcats coming out and scoring first. However there were no more points scored until there was 4:17 left in the quarter, and a Bobcat player Bobcat player Diane Washington nailed a three pointer. The Bobcats were able to land another three pointer, as well as a few free throw shots before the Bees broke their scoring drought with a jump shot. With two minutes left in the quarter, however, the Bees entered into the bonus, which helped them to close the point spread a small amount. The quarter ended with Sky View still dominating Box Elder with a score of 52 to 25. The Bobcats did have seven fouls though, while the Bees only had three.
The fourth quarter went much like the third quarter had before it, with Sky View running circles around Box Elder. The lady Bobcats scored nine points in the fourth quarter before the Bees scored one point. With 2:39 left in the game, the Bobcats got their tenth foul and put the Bees into double bonus, but it wasn’t much help with the massive lead that Sky View had. With only 1:29 seconds left in the game, Sky View also entered into the bonus. When the game ended, Sky View had 10 fouls, while Box Elder had gotten up to nine fouls. The final score was 70 to 31 for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats ended up dominating the Bees in almost every way. While Box Elder player Katie Vincent managed to score nine points, it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Bobcats. Player Nicole Hanson of the bobcats was the teams point leader, with 17 points, and Amy Andrus scored 14 points with 10 rebounds. The Bobcats ended up destroying the Bees with more than double their points.
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Box Elder 12 7 6 6 31
Sky View 16 19 17 18 70
Adam Ward
http://www.smithfieldsun.com/stories/lady-bobcats-destroy-the-box-elder-bees
Thursday night the Sky View Bobcats girls team faced off against the Box Elder Bees. While the game was close through the first quarter, the Bobcats pulled ahead in the second quarter. After a half time spent signing balls for charity, the Bobcats came out and extended their lead even more through the second half, ending the game with the amazing score of 70 to 31 for the Bobcats win.
The first quarter started off extremely close; with the Bees scoring first. The Bobcats wouldn’t let that stop them though, and scored immediately afterward. The first quarter was back and forth for the first part of it, whenever one team scored, the other team came right back and scored again. However with 3:37 left in the quarter, the Bobcats took the lead and didn’t lose it the rest of the game. The first quarter ended with the Bobcats leading the Bees 16 to 12.
The second quarter is where the Bobcats really began to pull away from the bees, scoring several times, both on the free-throw line as well as from the field. The Bobcats also managed to hold the Bees scoreless, and by the time there were only four minutes left in the half, the score was 31 to 12 for the Bobcats. The Bees managed to break their scoring drought however, partially with help from getting put in the bonus with 2:15 left in the half. Just a few seconds after they were put in the bonus however, they fouled a Bobcat player, putting the Bobcats in the bonus as well. The half ended with the Bobcats extending their lead even more to 35 to 19. Both teams amassed nine fouls throughout the first half.
During half time the Box Elder coach argued with the officials for a moment, then stormed off the court throwing her clipboard down as she left, in obvious frustration over how the game was going. The Sky View cheerleaders then performed their “love me” routine. Afterward there was a ball toss into a basket in mid-court; awarding a lucky thrower 50 dollars. They then drew to hand out Firehouse Pizza’s to some lucky members of the crowd who had bought tickets. The lady Bobcats spent the halftime signing pink and white basketballs, which could then be bought by the crowd for $25, with all profits going to breast cancer charities.
The third quarter began bad for the Bees, with the Bobcats coming out and scoring first. However there were no more points scored until there was 4:17 left in the quarter, and a Bobcat player Bobcat player Diane Washington nailed a three pointer. The Bobcats were able to land another three pointer, as well as a few free throw shots before the Bees broke their scoring drought with a jump shot. With two minutes left in the quarter, however, the Bees entered into the bonus, which helped them to close the point spread a small amount. The quarter ended with Sky View still dominating Box Elder with a score of 52 to 25. The Bobcats did have seven fouls though, while the Bees only had three.
The fourth quarter went much like the third quarter had before it, with Sky View running circles around Box Elder. The lady Bobcats scored nine points in the fourth quarter before the Bees scored one point. With 2:39 left in the game, the Bobcats got their tenth foul and put the Bees into double bonus, but it wasn’t much help with the massive lead that Sky View had. With only 1:29 seconds left in the game, Sky View also entered into the bonus. When the game ended, Sky View had 10 fouls, while Box Elder had gotten up to nine fouls. The final score was 70 to 31 for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats ended up dominating the Bees in almost every way. While Box Elder player Katie Vincent managed to score nine points, it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Bobcats. Player Nicole Hanson of the bobcats was the teams point leader, with 17 points, and Amy Andrus scored 14 points with 10 rebounds. The Bobcats ended up destroying the Bees with more than double their points.
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Box Elder 12 7 6 6 31
Sky View 16 19 17 18 70
Bobcats beat Grizzlies in last second
As seen on the Smithfield Sun on February 4, 2010.
Staff writer: Adam Ward
http://www.smithfieldsun.com/stories/bobcats-beat-grizzlies-in-the-last-second
Tuesday night the Sky View bobcats hosted cross town rivals Logan Grizzlies for a boys basketball game. The game was extremely heated, with each team getting nearly 20 fouls throughout all four quarters. The game was extremely close, with the closest point margin being 6 at the end of the first quarter; however, in the end, the Bobcats pulled off a last second shot to win the game.
The Grizzlies dropped a three pointer to start the game very soon after the tip off; however the Bobcats didn’t take long to retaliate, scoring two points immediately afterward. The rest of the first quarter went back and forth between the two, until the last minutes; when the Bobcats were able to pull ahead thanks to seniors Brian Godfrey and Nick Eskelson. The bobcats leave the first quarter with a commanding 13 to 7 lead.
Coming into the second half the Bobcats maintained their lead over the Grizzlies. However, the Grizzlies quickly fouled enough for the Bobcats to get into bonus with over a half of the second quarter remaining; this allowed the Bobcats to maintain a lead for most of the quarter. The Grizzlies didn’t go down without a fight though, and kept neck and neck with the Bobcats. By the end of the second quarter the Grizzlies came out on top, leading the Bobcats 20 to 19.
During halftime, the Sky View cheerleaders performed their sideline routine to the song “dollhouse.” After this the drill team attempts to do a routine of their own, but due to technical difficulties they were unable to perform. The audience then had the chance to throw balls into a bucket in the middle of the court to win 50 dollars, or win free pizza in a drawing. The teams then retook the court to warm up.
The third quarter started off slow, with no points being scored in the first three minutes of gameplay. Logan highs’ Sage Nyman broke the scoring drought shortly after he received his third foul. The rest of the quarter held many fouls for both of the teams, and Sky View left the quarter with six total fouls, while Logan only had three. The Grizzlies slowly increased their lead throughout the quarter, and with only 2:03 left, they had a 27 to 21 lead over the Bobcats. However, the Bobcats put together a comeback and the quarter ended with the teams tied at 27.
When the fourth quarter started, the Grizzlies quickly scored another two points, regaining their lead. They held that lead until there was 4:30 left in the game, when the Bobcats retook the lead for the first time since the second quarter. By this time both teams were in the bonus, with Sky View having 7 fouls, and Logan having 4. The teams then went back and forth with the lead, and at 2:00 Bobcat player Jordan Nielsen got his fifth foul and was ejected from the game; this also put the Grizzlies into double bonus.
With 30 seconds left in the game, Logan player Johnny Luke drops a three pointer to put the Grizzlies up 38 to 37. The Bobcats then burn the clock down to 18.6 seconds before taking a time out. Upon putting the ball in, Sky View player air balls a 3 point shot with only 10.2 seconds remaining on the clock, and it goes out of bounds and turns possession over to Logan. After several time out, Logan bounces the ball in, and it gets lost in a jumble and goes out of bounds again, switching possession over to Sky View with only 4.7 seconds remaining on the clock. After a few more time outs, Sky View player BrIan Godfrey passes the ball in, has the ball immediately passed back to him, and shoots a three pointer over the rim, just to be rebounded by teammate Kyler Carlsen, who made an easy layup with under a second left to win the game.
Sky View wins the game 39 to 38, and the bleachers emptied out onto the court; with Sky View fans yelling at the top of their lungs, and singing a few songs to celebrate their victory. It was a close game, with the Grizzlies leading for much of it, however, in the end the Bobcats pulled out on top and took home a very impressive win at the last second.
Staff writer: Adam Ward
http://www.smithfieldsun.com/stories/bobcats-beat-grizzlies-in-the-last-second
Tuesday night the Sky View bobcats hosted cross town rivals Logan Grizzlies for a boys basketball game. The game was extremely heated, with each team getting nearly 20 fouls throughout all four quarters. The game was extremely close, with the closest point margin being 6 at the end of the first quarter; however, in the end, the Bobcats pulled off a last second shot to win the game.
The Grizzlies dropped a three pointer to start the game very soon after the tip off; however the Bobcats didn’t take long to retaliate, scoring two points immediately afterward. The rest of the first quarter went back and forth between the two, until the last minutes; when the Bobcats were able to pull ahead thanks to seniors Brian Godfrey and Nick Eskelson. The bobcats leave the first quarter with a commanding 13 to 7 lead.
Coming into the second half the Bobcats maintained their lead over the Grizzlies. However, the Grizzlies quickly fouled enough for the Bobcats to get into bonus with over a half of the second quarter remaining; this allowed the Bobcats to maintain a lead for most of the quarter. The Grizzlies didn’t go down without a fight though, and kept neck and neck with the Bobcats. By the end of the second quarter the Grizzlies came out on top, leading the Bobcats 20 to 19.
During halftime, the Sky View cheerleaders performed their sideline routine to the song “dollhouse.” After this the drill team attempts to do a routine of their own, but due to technical difficulties they were unable to perform. The audience then had the chance to throw balls into a bucket in the middle of the court to win 50 dollars, or win free pizza in a drawing. The teams then retook the court to warm up.
The third quarter started off slow, with no points being scored in the first three minutes of gameplay. Logan highs’ Sage Nyman broke the scoring drought shortly after he received his third foul. The rest of the quarter held many fouls for both of the teams, and Sky View left the quarter with six total fouls, while Logan only had three. The Grizzlies slowly increased their lead throughout the quarter, and with only 2:03 left, they had a 27 to 21 lead over the Bobcats. However, the Bobcats put together a comeback and the quarter ended with the teams tied at 27.
When the fourth quarter started, the Grizzlies quickly scored another two points, regaining their lead. They held that lead until there was 4:30 left in the game, when the Bobcats retook the lead for the first time since the second quarter. By this time both teams were in the bonus, with Sky View having 7 fouls, and Logan having 4. The teams then went back and forth with the lead, and at 2:00 Bobcat player Jordan Nielsen got his fifth foul and was ejected from the game; this also put the Grizzlies into double bonus.
With 30 seconds left in the game, Logan player Johnny Luke drops a three pointer to put the Grizzlies up 38 to 37. The Bobcats then burn the clock down to 18.6 seconds before taking a time out. Upon putting the ball in, Sky View player air balls a 3 point shot with only 10.2 seconds remaining on the clock, and it goes out of bounds and turns possession over to Logan. After several time out, Logan bounces the ball in, and it gets lost in a jumble and goes out of bounds again, switching possession over to Sky View with only 4.7 seconds remaining on the clock. After a few more time outs, Sky View player BrIan Godfrey passes the ball in, has the ball immediately passed back to him, and shoots a three pointer over the rim, just to be rebounded by teammate Kyler Carlsen, who made an easy layup with under a second left to win the game.
Sky View wins the game 39 to 38, and the bleachers emptied out onto the court; with Sky View fans yelling at the top of their lungs, and singing a few songs to celebrate their victory. It was a close game, with the Grizzlies leading for much of it, however, in the end the Bobcats pulled out on top and took home a very impressive win at the last second.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Final press release 1: Announcement
February 3, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information:
Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCVV)
Preston Parker, President
851 N. Main St., Logan, UT 84341
661-772-7537
Newly founded Social Media Club of Cache Valley.
A place for social media.
Logan, Utah. Preston Parker, associate professor at Utah State University, announces the Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV).
The Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV) is a new branch of an international organization (Social Media Club) located in Cache Valley, Utah. The meetings are for sharing and discussing ideas about the use and application of social media.
The club started in the Cache Valley during the summer of 2009, with Preston Parker elected as president, and 6 others as the officials in the organization. The club meets every second Tuesday of the month, and discusses social media over dinner.
Parker states that the objectives of the club are "to help members share ideas, learn tricks, and gain knowledge on how to work with social media. Eventually we would like to become a non-profit organization; it will take time and sponsors before that is possible."
More information on the SMCCV can be found on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/smccv), Twitter (@smcofcv) or on the clubs (website http://www.smcv.com).
Adam Ward
Adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
(801)245-9747
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information:
Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCVV)
Preston Parker, President
851 N. Main St., Logan, UT 84341
661-772-7537
Newly founded Social Media Club of Cache Valley.
A place for social media.
Logan, Utah. Preston Parker, associate professor at Utah State University, announces the Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV).
The Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV) is a new branch of an international organization (Social Media Club) located in Cache Valley, Utah. The meetings are for sharing and discussing ideas about the use and application of social media.
The club started in the Cache Valley during the summer of 2009, with Preston Parker elected as president, and 6 others as the officials in the organization. The club meets every second Tuesday of the month, and discusses social media over dinner.
Parker states that the objectives of the club are "to help members share ideas, learn tricks, and gain knowledge on how to work with social media. Eventually we would like to become a non-profit organization; it will take time and sponsors before that is possible."
More information on the SMCCV can be found on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/smccv), Twitter (@smcofcv) or on the clubs (website http://www.smcv.com).
Adam Ward
Adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
(801)245-9747
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Draft press release 1: Announcement
Newly founded Social Media Club of Cache Valley.
Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV) is a newly founded club seeking new members interested in anything to do with social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media websites.
Logan, Utah, Jan. 27, 2010. The Social Media Club of Cache Valley is a newly founded club seeking anyone interested in sharing discussion about the use and application of social media.
The Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV) is a new branch of an international organization (Social Media Club) located in Cache Valley, Utah. The meetings are for sharing and discussing ideas about the use and application of social media websites.
The club started in the Cache valley during the summer of 2009, with Preston Parker elected as president, and 6 others as the officials in the organization. The club meets every second Tuesday of the month, and discusses social media over dinner.
More information on the SMCCV can be found on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/smccv), Twitter (@smcofcv) or on the clubs (website http://www.smcv.com).
Adam Ward
Adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
(801)245-9747
Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV) is a newly founded club seeking new members interested in anything to do with social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media websites.
Logan, Utah, Jan. 27, 2010. The Social Media Club of Cache Valley is a newly founded club seeking anyone interested in sharing discussion about the use and application of social media.
The Social Media Club of Cache Valley (SMCCV) is a new branch of an international organization (Social Media Club) located in Cache Valley, Utah. The meetings are for sharing and discussing ideas about the use and application of social media websites.
The club started in the Cache valley during the summer of 2009, with Preston Parker elected as president, and 6 others as the officials in the organization. The club meets every second Tuesday of the month, and discusses social media over dinner.
More information on the SMCCV can be found on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/smccv), Twitter (@smcofcv) or on the clubs (website http://www.smcv.com).
Adam Ward
Adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
(801)245-9747
Monday, January 25, 2010
Where did United go wrong?
In the spring of 2008, Dave Carroll and his band “Sons of Maxwell” were flying on United Airlines from through the Chicago O’Hare airport on their way to Nebraska, when a woman behind him looked out the window and observed that the baggage handlers were throwing a guitar case around the tarmac. Carroll and his band looked on in horror, as they knew the guitars being thrown around were bound to be theirs.
When Carroll arrived in Nebraska, his fears were confirmed, and his $3,500 dollar Taylor guitar was broken. He immediately tried to talk to three United employees to try to file a claim, but none of them were any help, as they just passed the buck. When Carroll arrived home he filed a claim with Air Canada (an affiliate of United Airlines), and they accepted the claim, but told him that he had to take it up with United, because they were the ones who handled his bags.
After nearly a year of fighting with United over settling a payment for his guitar, they finally denied Carroll a $1,200 waiver to cover the cost of the repairs to his guitar. Carroll stated that he was past being angry, but he was going to write three songs about the experience, and put them on YouTube. United still denied payment to him, so Carroll went through with his promise, and posted a video on YouTube.
The video Carroll put out was viewed over 150,000 times in the first week of being on the internet. Within a few months, the video had jumped up to over 4,000,000 views. The damage this cost United is undeniable, but there have also been critics who directly correlate the 150,000 views in the first week, with a $180 million dollar drop in the stocks of United. Some critics claim that the video single handedly lost the airline the $180 million; however there are many other critics who point out that this was during a large crash for all airline companies, and United was taking a fall just like every other airline.
But did Carroll have a massive effect on the reputation of United airlines? I believe that he did. 4,000,000 views on the first video, and another 800,000 on the second video is no laughing matter. I believe that this damaged United’s reputation, even if it was only for a short time. Carroll’s video’s were appropriate in my mind, as he waited patiently with United for almost a year to get a settlement, and then warned them that he was going to put these videos up. I don’t believe that he was trying to be slanderous to United’s name either, and that he was simply telling his story.
United Airlines did a horrible job with public relations. While the employees were doing their job, and just following the companies rules for handling claims, they did a bad job from the time that Carroll approached the three employees right after his flight, to when they denied him the flight waiver for the final time. No matter how you look at it, United could have done a much better with maintaining good relations between them and their customers. Particularly Dave Carroll. If they really did lose $180 million over the music video, this would mean that they could have paid for over 52,000 replacement guitars.
The company did back peddle and offer to pay him after about a week of the video being out; however Carroll declined, stating that they had their chance and are now more than welcome to donate the money to a charity of their choice, under his name. United then donated $3,000 to the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz for music education for kids; however the damage to their name had already been done, and this damage control went almost unnoticed.
The “United Breaks Guitars” song by Dave Carroll was extremely popular, and extremely detrimental on United’s reputation. These types of public relations blunders are easily avoidable by companies, and if United has just given Carroll the $1,200 in flight waivers that Carroll asked for, it could have saved United’s name from more defamation, and a lot of money.
Adam
When Carroll arrived in Nebraska, his fears were confirmed, and his $3,500 dollar Taylor guitar was broken. He immediately tried to talk to three United employees to try to file a claim, but none of them were any help, as they just passed the buck. When Carroll arrived home he filed a claim with Air Canada (an affiliate of United Airlines), and they accepted the claim, but told him that he had to take it up with United, because they were the ones who handled his bags.
After nearly a year of fighting with United over settling a payment for his guitar, they finally denied Carroll a $1,200 waiver to cover the cost of the repairs to his guitar. Carroll stated that he was past being angry, but he was going to write three songs about the experience, and put them on YouTube. United still denied payment to him, so Carroll went through with his promise, and posted a video on YouTube.
The video Carroll put out was viewed over 150,000 times in the first week of being on the internet. Within a few months, the video had jumped up to over 4,000,000 views. The damage this cost United is undeniable, but there have also been critics who directly correlate the 150,000 views in the first week, with a $180 million dollar drop in the stocks of United. Some critics claim that the video single handedly lost the airline the $180 million; however there are many other critics who point out that this was during a large crash for all airline companies, and United was taking a fall just like every other airline.
But did Carroll have a massive effect on the reputation of United airlines? I believe that he did. 4,000,000 views on the first video, and another 800,000 on the second video is no laughing matter. I believe that this damaged United’s reputation, even if it was only for a short time. Carroll’s video’s were appropriate in my mind, as he waited patiently with United for almost a year to get a settlement, and then warned them that he was going to put these videos up. I don’t believe that he was trying to be slanderous to United’s name either, and that he was simply telling his story.
United Airlines did a horrible job with public relations. While the employees were doing their job, and just following the companies rules for handling claims, they did a bad job from the time that Carroll approached the three employees right after his flight, to when they denied him the flight waiver for the final time. No matter how you look at it, United could have done a much better with maintaining good relations between them and their customers. Particularly Dave Carroll. If they really did lose $180 million over the music video, this would mean that they could have paid for over 52,000 replacement guitars.
The company did back peddle and offer to pay him after about a week of the video being out; however Carroll declined, stating that they had their chance and are now more than welcome to donate the money to a charity of their choice, under his name. United then donated $3,000 to the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz for music education for kids; however the damage to their name had already been done, and this damage control went almost unnoticed.
The “United Breaks Guitars” song by Dave Carroll was extremely popular, and extremely detrimental on United’s reputation. These types of public relations blunders are easily avoidable by companies, and if United has just given Carroll the $1,200 in flight waivers that Carroll asked for, it could have saved United’s name from more defamation, and a lot of money.
Adam
Thursday, January 14, 2010
What is public relations? - a letter to my cousin
Hey Beck,
I heard you were interested in knowing what public relations is, and what a public relations professional does. Public relations is the act of managing relations between a person or company, and the public. They do this by building a large network of business relationships, communicating effectively with everyone, and by making the person or company they work for look as good as possible.
One of the most important parts of working in public relations is to build a great relationship with a large network of people, including media, customers, investors, community leaders, activist groups, government agencies, and many others. It is very important that you build these relationships, because it enables you to work in a much more efficient way. By building all these lasting relationships, it is much easier for you to arrange press conferences, meetings with people in government, or even a meeting with investors to try to better your company. Maintaining good working relationships is very important for anyone involved in public relations.
Another one of the most important parts of working in public relations is communication. Simply put, public relations requires you to be able to communicate with anyone in any way; including writing, public speaking, group leadership, event planning, and social media networks. If a public relations professional can't communicate, they can't be successful at their job. It requires a good grasp of the language, as well as the ability to write efficiently.
A third important part of working in public relations is to make the company or person your working for look as good as possible. This can include "crisis" relations, where you try to make the company look good after something went wrong, or just making them look better by getting news stories published highlighting how good of a job the company is doing. Public relations professionals will do many things to make the company or person look as good as possible. It is essentially the core part of the job. It is extremely important, and without people in public relations to make the company or person look as good as possible, many more companies would have bad reputations today than they currently do.
Public relations is a fun and exciting career to be in right now. There are many parts to it and a lot of things that a public relations professional can do in their job, but as long as they have the ability to create a network of great business relationships, can communicate effectively, and can make their employer look as good as possible, they are sure to succeed in the career.
Sincerely,
Adam
I heard you were interested in knowing what public relations is, and what a public relations professional does. Public relations is the act of managing relations between a person or company, and the public. They do this by building a large network of business relationships, communicating effectively with everyone, and by making the person or company they work for look as good as possible.
One of the most important parts of working in public relations is to build a great relationship with a large network of people, including media, customers, investors, community leaders, activist groups, government agencies, and many others. It is very important that you build these relationships, because it enables you to work in a much more efficient way. By building all these lasting relationships, it is much easier for you to arrange press conferences, meetings with people in government, or even a meeting with investors to try to better your company. Maintaining good working relationships is very important for anyone involved in public relations.
Another one of the most important parts of working in public relations is communication. Simply put, public relations requires you to be able to communicate with anyone in any way; including writing, public speaking, group leadership, event planning, and social media networks. If a public relations professional can't communicate, they can't be successful at their job. It requires a good grasp of the language, as well as the ability to write efficiently.
A third important part of working in public relations is to make the company or person your working for look as good as possible. This can include "crisis" relations, where you try to make the company look good after something went wrong, or just making them look better by getting news stories published highlighting how good of a job the company is doing. Public relations professionals will do many things to make the company or person look as good as possible. It is essentially the core part of the job. It is extremely important, and without people in public relations to make the company or person look as good as possible, many more companies would have bad reputations today than they currently do.
Public relations is a fun and exciting career to be in right now. There are many parts to it and a lot of things that a public relations professional can do in their job, but as long as they have the ability to create a network of great business relationships, can communicate effectively, and can make their employer look as good as possible, they are sure to succeed in the career.
Sincerely,
Adam
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Speech by Harry Gutman
As seen in the October 22nd, 2009 USU Statesman
Adam Ward
Staff Writer
“We are on an unsustainable fiscal path, and we must take steps to fix it when the time is appropriate,” said Harry “Hank” Gutman Wednesday at the Intermountain Accounting Seminar sponsored by the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. The necessary steps, Gutman said, may inevitably involve raising taxes.
As the chief of staff for the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation from 1991-93, Gutman was the primary nonpartisan adviser to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees concerning the technical, economic and revenue aspects of tax legislation. Gutman also served as Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel in the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy.
Currently, Gutman heads the Federal Tax Legislative and Regulatory Services (LRS) group at Washington National Tax and is the director of the KPMG Tax Governance Institute (TGI). Under Gutman’s leadership, the LRS practice gives clients immediate notification about breaking developments in tax legislation or federal tax regulations, among other things.
Gutman began by reviewing the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act,” better known as the stimulus package that Congress and President Barack Obama passed earlier this year. Gutman pointed out that the $787 billion stimulus had to be paid for somehow and that bills such as the stimulus package will only add to the nation’s deficit, which is now at $1.4 trillion compared to $450 billion a year ago, according to The Budget and Economic Outlook from August of 2009.
The massive deficit causes huge problems for the United States economy, Gutman said. While the deficit is only 10 percent of the United States' gross domestic product (GDP), that number is still greater than all of the world’s GDP combined, with the exception of six countries. Gutman feels that American has dug a fiscal hole that it will not be able to get out of unless there are big changes.
Gutman said the only ways to get out of the hole are cutting back on spending or gaining a new revenue source. However, because of the way Congress works, he doubts any cutting will happen with the budget, so the only way to get out of the hole is to increase revenues, probably in the form of new taxes. Gutman knows that it isn’t what anybody wants but it is what must happen if the U.S. economy is going to get out of the fiscal hole that it’s in.
Gutman also warned that the timing of raising taxes is just as important as actually raising the taxes to get America out of the fiscal hole. There is a big scare about entitlement programs running out of money, such as Social Security or Medicare, Gutman said. However, Gutman said they won’t be a problem for 10 years, and nothing should be done to reform them until the economy is more stable and it is actually pertinent to reform the programs. Adding taxes now would hurt the recovering economy much more than it would help these programs, he said.
Gutman used a graph published by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, an international organization composed of 30 countries, about how much of the percentages of GDP goes to taxes. Gutman said the United States was down near the bottom – along with countries such as Mexico and South Korea – being taxed only a small amount. On the other hand, many citizens in European countries, such as Germany and Italy, are taxed nearly half their income.
There are many countries that are taxed much more yet still have a higher standard of living than the U.S. Gutman used the statistics to show that despite the public opinion that everyone is overtaxed, it is possible and could be beneficial to be taxed more. What’s more, Gutman said, is that higher taxes may be the only way to avert the next fiscal disaster the United States is likely to face as it recovers from the last one.
-adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
Adam Ward
Staff Writer
“We are on an unsustainable fiscal path, and we must take steps to fix it when the time is appropriate,” said Harry “Hank” Gutman Wednesday at the Intermountain Accounting Seminar sponsored by the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. The necessary steps, Gutman said, may inevitably involve raising taxes.
As the chief of staff for the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation from 1991-93, Gutman was the primary nonpartisan adviser to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees concerning the technical, economic and revenue aspects of tax legislation. Gutman also served as Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel in the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy.
Currently, Gutman heads the Federal Tax Legislative and Regulatory Services (LRS) group at Washington National Tax and is the director of the KPMG Tax Governance Institute (TGI). Under Gutman’s leadership, the LRS practice gives clients immediate notification about breaking developments in tax legislation or federal tax regulations, among other things.
Gutman began by reviewing the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act,” better known as the stimulus package that Congress and President Barack Obama passed earlier this year. Gutman pointed out that the $787 billion stimulus had to be paid for somehow and that bills such as the stimulus package will only add to the nation’s deficit, which is now at $1.4 trillion compared to $450 billion a year ago, according to The Budget and Economic Outlook from August of 2009.
The massive deficit causes huge problems for the United States economy, Gutman said. While the deficit is only 10 percent of the United States' gross domestic product (GDP), that number is still greater than all of the world’s GDP combined, with the exception of six countries. Gutman feels that American has dug a fiscal hole that it will not be able to get out of unless there are big changes.
Gutman said the only ways to get out of the hole are cutting back on spending or gaining a new revenue source. However, because of the way Congress works, he doubts any cutting will happen with the budget, so the only way to get out of the hole is to increase revenues, probably in the form of new taxes. Gutman knows that it isn’t what anybody wants but it is what must happen if the U.S. economy is going to get out of the fiscal hole that it’s in.
Gutman also warned that the timing of raising taxes is just as important as actually raising the taxes to get America out of the fiscal hole. There is a big scare about entitlement programs running out of money, such as Social Security or Medicare, Gutman said. However, Gutman said they won’t be a problem for 10 years, and nothing should be done to reform them until the economy is more stable and it is actually pertinent to reform the programs. Adding taxes now would hurt the recovering economy much more than it would help these programs, he said.
Gutman used a graph published by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, an international organization composed of 30 countries, about how much of the percentages of GDP goes to taxes. Gutman said the United States was down near the bottom – along with countries such as Mexico and South Korea – being taxed only a small amount. On the other hand, many citizens in European countries, such as Germany and Italy, are taxed nearly half their income.
There are many countries that are taxed much more yet still have a higher standard of living than the U.S. Gutman used the statistics to show that despite the public opinion that everyone is overtaxed, it is possible and could be beneficial to be taxed more. What’s more, Gutman said, is that higher taxes may be the only way to avert the next fiscal disaster the United States is likely to face as it recovers from the last one.
-adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
Project "Replay"
As seen in the March 27th, 2009 USU Statesman.
By Adam Ward
staff writer
Donated instruments give children chance to learn
Utah Public Radio (UPR) is hosting a campaign to collect playable musical instruments for children in communities around the state. Project Replay has been underway since March 15, and will continue through April 15, said Cathy Ives, general manager of UPR.
The purpose of Replay is simple: to give children the opportunity to own their own instrument, she said.
“The need for music in schools is always great, but with the budget cuts lately, this drive is extremely appreciated by educators this year,” Ives said.
The ultimate goal of Replay is to collect $100,000 in instruments for the Utah children. Ives said all donations are tax-deductible, and all instruments donated go to the school district of the community where the people who donate them live.
Ives started Project Replay in New Hampshire back in 1995. She worked there until 2000 before moving to Utah. Ives has done Project Replay in Cache Valley for the past two years, and collected $61,000 worth of instruments last year.
There are some heart-warming stories about donations from last year, Ives said. One of Ives’ favorites was when a Washington, D.C., public radio employee caught wind of the project and sent a high-quality flute. The other of Ives’ favorites was from an elderly gentleman whose wife had recently passed away. When he read about Project Replay, he felt it was a sign for him to donate his wife’s beloved flute that she’d had for more than 40 years, Ives said.
Ives has had conversations with Fred Child, host of “Performance Today,” the largest classical radio program in the country, and said Child liked the idea. Child plans on giving his support to this program, and encouraging every state to take part.
Along with Child, other prominent people in classical music are supporting this project, such as Nick Spitzer, Keith Lockhart, Michael Ballam, Blair Larsen, Fiona Ritchie and Peter Van de Graaff.
Teri Lewis, the executive director of the Cache education foundation, said last year’s drive was very beneficial to local students.
“Due to the success of last year’s project, many students in the valley were able to and excited to be able to utilize and participate in a worthwhile program,” Lewis said.
For more information on how to donate or if a donation is eligible for a tax reduction, those interested should call the nearest school district, Lewis said. They will appraise the instruments value if the donator wants to use it as a tax deduction. However, if the instrument is valued at more than $500, a professional appraiser is needed, she said.
Lewis said she urges people to donate.
“Everyone who has an instrument, they aren’t meant to sit in a closet, so look around and see what you have and be generous and donate to the districts that are in need,” Lewis said.
–adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
By Adam Ward
staff writer
Donated instruments give children chance to learn
Utah Public Radio (UPR) is hosting a campaign to collect playable musical instruments for children in communities around the state. Project Replay has been underway since March 15, and will continue through April 15, said Cathy Ives, general manager of UPR.
The purpose of Replay is simple: to give children the opportunity to own their own instrument, she said.
“The need for music in schools is always great, but with the budget cuts lately, this drive is extremely appreciated by educators this year,” Ives said.
The ultimate goal of Replay is to collect $100,000 in instruments for the Utah children. Ives said all donations are tax-deductible, and all instruments donated go to the school district of the community where the people who donate them live.
Ives started Project Replay in New Hampshire back in 1995. She worked there until 2000 before moving to Utah. Ives has done Project Replay in Cache Valley for the past two years, and collected $61,000 worth of instruments last year.
There are some heart-warming stories about donations from last year, Ives said. One of Ives’ favorites was when a Washington, D.C., public radio employee caught wind of the project and sent a high-quality flute. The other of Ives’ favorites was from an elderly gentleman whose wife had recently passed away. When he read about Project Replay, he felt it was a sign for him to donate his wife’s beloved flute that she’d had for more than 40 years, Ives said.
Ives has had conversations with Fred Child, host of “Performance Today,” the largest classical radio program in the country, and said Child liked the idea. Child plans on giving his support to this program, and encouraging every state to take part.
Along with Child, other prominent people in classical music are supporting this project, such as Nick Spitzer, Keith Lockhart, Michael Ballam, Blair Larsen, Fiona Ritchie and Peter Van de Graaff.
Teri Lewis, the executive director of the Cache education foundation, said last year’s drive was very beneficial to local students.
“Due to the success of last year’s project, many students in the valley were able to and excited to be able to utilize and participate in a worthwhile program,” Lewis said.
For more information on how to donate or if a donation is eligible for a tax reduction, those interested should call the nearest school district, Lewis said. They will appraise the instruments value if the donator wants to use it as a tax deduction. However, if the instrument is valued at more than $500, a professional appraiser is needed, she said.
Lewis said she urges people to donate.
“Everyone who has an instrument, they aren’t meant to sit in a closet, so look around and see what you have and be generous and donate to the districts that are in need,” Lewis said.
–adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
Societal Collapse
As seen in the March 17th, 2009 USU Statesman.
Adam Ward
Staff Writer
Natural resources key to society’s survival, USU professor says
A Utah State University professor challenges assertions by past and contemporary historians that societal collapse is caused by invasions, epidemics, environmental disasters and the like. Societies are doomed, Joseph Tainter said, when they become too complex to sustain themselves with the natural resources that they are supplied with.
As a society faces problems, it must rise to find ways to solve them, he said. Over time, societies can become so complex that they can no longer sustain themselves and that is when they fail, Tainter said. It has been shown with the Mayan, Roman and many other empires throughout history, he said.
In “USU Researcher Offers View on Collapse of Civilizations,” author Mary-Ann Muffoletto said Tainter uses Sept. 11 as an example of how the after-effects of that day caused the government to form the Department of Homeland Security, and how resources were poured into the department to develop more sophisticated defensive technologies. On top of this, she said Congress authorized the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, all of which take an incredible amount of resources.
Tainter developed this society theory as he was working for the forest service. He said he already had the ideas for it, but the theory came together when he read about the optimal foraging theory, which asks when animals stop foraging due to marginal return. Just as with animals, societies of the past have reached a point of diminishing returns and collapsed, he said.
Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to this problem, he said. Energy is key to society, he said, and whether the present society can make a transition to offer alternative energy sources is crucial. Tainter said he believes America needs oil at $60 a barrel to look for alternative energy. When gas was extremely high-priced it was good motivation for looking for alternative energy.
Tainter has helped publish many books including his key book “The Collapse of Complex Societies” in which he said he delves into the idea that energy is the basis of everything and when energy isn’t sufficient enough, societies will collapse.
Tainter, historian and anthropologist, is head of the department of environment and society within USU’s College of Natural Resources. Tainter said he was in the forest service for 28 years, studying long-term human and environmental interaction in Albuquerque, N. M.
Tainter was featured in the French publication “Les Cahiers de Science et Vie,” where his work was cited among other great societal researchers of the past and present. While many of the ideas differ, Tainter said energy seems to always take part in why societies collapse.
Tainters’ voice was heard among contemporaries Jared Diamond and Chris Scarre, along with voices from the past such as historians Edward Gibbon, Arnold Toynbee and Oswald Spengler. Each of these people are seen as the best on the topic, Tainter said.
As well as being featured in magazines and books, Tainter has been featured in two large documentary films. The most recent, “Blind Spot” with Adolfo Doring, featured 18 scientists and writers studying the consequences of fossil fuel dependence, Tainter said.
Tainter was also featured in Leonardo DiCaprio’s video “The Eleventh Hour,” which is about the changing environment and how humans can adapt, he said.
The movie premiers were an experience, Tainter said. For both the filming of the documentaries and the openings of them, he said producers gave him the “Hollywood treatment, flying me in, picking me up in a limo, and putting me in a very nice hotel.” Tainter said he is glad he got the experience.
Tainter said he retired from the forest service in 2005. After retiring, he taught at the University of New Mexico for two and a half years before moving to USU two years ago. While no classes are taught on the fall of societies, he said he does teach a seminar yearly.
Tainter suggests reading his first book “The Collapse of Complex Societies” to find more information on this topic.
–adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
Adam Ward
Staff Writer
Natural resources key to society’s survival, USU professor says
A Utah State University professor challenges assertions by past and contemporary historians that societal collapse is caused by invasions, epidemics, environmental disasters and the like. Societies are doomed, Joseph Tainter said, when they become too complex to sustain themselves with the natural resources that they are supplied with.
As a society faces problems, it must rise to find ways to solve them, he said. Over time, societies can become so complex that they can no longer sustain themselves and that is when they fail, Tainter said. It has been shown with the Mayan, Roman and many other empires throughout history, he said.
In “USU Researcher Offers View on Collapse of Civilizations,” author Mary-Ann Muffoletto said Tainter uses Sept. 11 as an example of how the after-effects of that day caused the government to form the Department of Homeland Security, and how resources were poured into the department to develop more sophisticated defensive technologies. On top of this, she said Congress authorized the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, all of which take an incredible amount of resources.
Tainter developed this society theory as he was working for the forest service. He said he already had the ideas for it, but the theory came together when he read about the optimal foraging theory, which asks when animals stop foraging due to marginal return. Just as with animals, societies of the past have reached a point of diminishing returns and collapsed, he said.
Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to this problem, he said. Energy is key to society, he said, and whether the present society can make a transition to offer alternative energy sources is crucial. Tainter said he believes America needs oil at $60 a barrel to look for alternative energy. When gas was extremely high-priced it was good motivation for looking for alternative energy.
Tainter has helped publish many books including his key book “The Collapse of Complex Societies” in which he said he delves into the idea that energy is the basis of everything and when energy isn’t sufficient enough, societies will collapse.
Tainter, historian and anthropologist, is head of the department of environment and society within USU’s College of Natural Resources. Tainter said he was in the forest service for 28 years, studying long-term human and environmental interaction in Albuquerque, N. M.
Tainter was featured in the French publication “Les Cahiers de Science et Vie,” where his work was cited among other great societal researchers of the past and present. While many of the ideas differ, Tainter said energy seems to always take part in why societies collapse.
Tainters’ voice was heard among contemporaries Jared Diamond and Chris Scarre, along with voices from the past such as historians Edward Gibbon, Arnold Toynbee and Oswald Spengler. Each of these people are seen as the best on the topic, Tainter said.
As well as being featured in magazines and books, Tainter has been featured in two large documentary films. The most recent, “Blind Spot” with Adolfo Doring, featured 18 scientists and writers studying the consequences of fossil fuel dependence, Tainter said.
Tainter was also featured in Leonardo DiCaprio’s video “The Eleventh Hour,” which is about the changing environment and how humans can adapt, he said.
The movie premiers were an experience, Tainter said. For both the filming of the documentaries and the openings of them, he said producers gave him the “Hollywood treatment, flying me in, picking me up in a limo, and putting me in a very nice hotel.” Tainter said he is glad he got the experience.
Tainter said he retired from the forest service in 2005. After retiring, he taught at the University of New Mexico for two and a half years before moving to USU two years ago. While no classes are taught on the fall of societies, he said he does teach a seminar yearly.
Tainter suggests reading his first book “The Collapse of Complex Societies” to find more information on this topic.
–adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
Why we crave Junkfood.
As appeared in the March 1st, 2009 USU Statesman.
By Adam Ward
staff writer
Science explains junk food cravings
As obesity in America reaches epidemic proportions, researchers are keying in on the reasons for ever-expanding waistlines and attraction to junk food. Their findings can be startling. A craving for a Twinkie may be tweaking a brain the same way illegal drugs do.
Why humans crave junk food, and how those cravings are creating problems was the topic of the most recent Science Unwrapped lecture at USU. Tim Gilbertson and campus Wellness Director Caroline Shugart outlined the problem and gave some suggestions for avoiding junk food addiction
Gilbertson said there are chemical reasons why humans are naturally attracted to junk food. His research found humans definitely do taste fat and enjoy the taste, but he could not initially understand why fat is craved over fruits or other healthier foods.
Gilbertson said he has since found humans crave fat because as a person eats more fat, their brain becomes desensitized. This creates a vicious cycle, he said. The more fat a person eats, the more the brain desires it.
Eating fatty foods is also pleasurable. The same receptors in the brain that affect drug users, making them constantly want drugs, are stimulated when a person eats fatty foods, he said.
Gilbertson said more than 300,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year are related to obesity. Obesity rates have soared between 1985 and 2007, with some states now having one of every three people being overweight or obese.
Gilbertson said genetic and metabolic disorders counted for only a small portion of the increase. Socioeconomic factors are a slightly larger cause of the increase; however, they are a growing factor because it is cheaper to buy foods that are unhealthy. The largest cause of increasing obesity is personal choice, he said. Choosing a lifestyle that is sedentary and has a bad diet is the leading factor in obesity, he said.
Gilbertson said he suggests educating young people regarding the effects of poor lifestyle habits can have a positive effect on preventing obesity.
Pharmaceutical companies have a great interest in making a magic pill that will melt fat, he said. However, there is still no pill that can help a person lose weight and keep it off. Gilbertson said there are hopes that in the near future there will be a way to do it.
Caroline Shugart presented information showing that if a white child was born in the 2000s, they have a 30 percent chance of developing diabetes because of obesity. Black children have a 40 percent chance and Hispanic children have a 50 percent chance, she said.
Shugart has been working to make it easier for USU students and faculty to make healthy choices. The Be Well menu at Utah State offers healthy foods at a discounted price. After the presentation, the catering services department provided healthy food for everyone to sample.
Stephanie Gregory, sophomore in dietetics, said she “liked how Gilbertson talked about the fat receptors. I love the food, and the public coming out and mingling.”
Christian Hopkins, sophomore in international business, said he also enjoyed the lecture.
“It was an excellent reminder of the necessity of remembering benefits of nutritional awareness,” he said. “My favorite was the presentation. It was something that we can relate to – it hit home because it is a common problem. And it’s something we have to deal with.
Science Unwrapped is a series of presentations that the College of Science is sponsoring monthly. More information can be found at www.usu.edu/unwrapped.
–adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
By Adam Ward
staff writer
Science explains junk food cravings
As obesity in America reaches epidemic proportions, researchers are keying in on the reasons for ever-expanding waistlines and attraction to junk food. Their findings can be startling. A craving for a Twinkie may be tweaking a brain the same way illegal drugs do.
Why humans crave junk food, and how those cravings are creating problems was the topic of the most recent Science Unwrapped lecture at USU. Tim Gilbertson and campus Wellness Director Caroline Shugart outlined the problem and gave some suggestions for avoiding junk food addiction
Gilbertson said there are chemical reasons why humans are naturally attracted to junk food. His research found humans definitely do taste fat and enjoy the taste, but he could not initially understand why fat is craved over fruits or other healthier foods.
Gilbertson said he has since found humans crave fat because as a person eats more fat, their brain becomes desensitized. This creates a vicious cycle, he said. The more fat a person eats, the more the brain desires it.
Eating fatty foods is also pleasurable. The same receptors in the brain that affect drug users, making them constantly want drugs, are stimulated when a person eats fatty foods, he said.
Gilbertson said more than 300,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year are related to obesity. Obesity rates have soared between 1985 and 2007, with some states now having one of every three people being overweight or obese.
Gilbertson said genetic and metabolic disorders counted for only a small portion of the increase. Socioeconomic factors are a slightly larger cause of the increase; however, they are a growing factor because it is cheaper to buy foods that are unhealthy. The largest cause of increasing obesity is personal choice, he said. Choosing a lifestyle that is sedentary and has a bad diet is the leading factor in obesity, he said.
Gilbertson said he suggests educating young people regarding the effects of poor lifestyle habits can have a positive effect on preventing obesity.
Pharmaceutical companies have a great interest in making a magic pill that will melt fat, he said. However, there is still no pill that can help a person lose weight and keep it off. Gilbertson said there are hopes that in the near future there will be a way to do it.
Caroline Shugart presented information showing that if a white child was born in the 2000s, they have a 30 percent chance of developing diabetes because of obesity. Black children have a 40 percent chance and Hispanic children have a 50 percent chance, she said.
Shugart has been working to make it easier for USU students and faculty to make healthy choices. The Be Well menu at Utah State offers healthy foods at a discounted price. After the presentation, the catering services department provided healthy food for everyone to sample.
Stephanie Gregory, sophomore in dietetics, said she “liked how Gilbertson talked about the fat receptors. I love the food, and the public coming out and mingling.”
Christian Hopkins, sophomore in international business, said he also enjoyed the lecture.
“It was an excellent reminder of the necessity of remembering benefits of nutritional awareness,” he said. “My favorite was the presentation. It was something that we can relate to – it hit home because it is a common problem. And it’s something we have to deal with.
Science Unwrapped is a series of presentations that the College of Science is sponsoring monthly. More information can be found at www.usu.edu/unwrapped.
–adam.ward@aggiemail.usu.edu
Monday, January 11, 2010
Welcome to the blog!
Here you will find all my writings I do. Everything from newspaper articles, to letters and poems I find interesting. Enjoy!
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