Just got back from the presidential debate

All hell broke loose today in the newsroom with news that one, our current interim president and the head of IHL are currently under investigation; two, there was an emergency meeting regarding the hiring of our new university president; and three, IHL still says we will have a president announced by November. It was a MAD HOUSE...two reporters and two editors working online, on the phones, pulling up all that we could find. It's days like that when I realize how much I love the journalism industry.

As I worked calling several Mississippi agencies, my sister called. I took a five minute break to catch up with her, then received a beep in from a Gulf Coast number. Fortunately, I switched over to take the call. It was someone from the public relations department at the University of Mississippi (more commonly known as Ole Miss down here) calling to see how many reporters and photographers we were bringing to the debate tonight.

"I was under the impression that we couldn't get on campus tonight," I said.

"Oh no, you're welcome to come! No press passes left or tickets to the actual debate, but you're free to hang out in any of the common areas on campus - we're showing it in the Grove."

"Great! Thank you so much!" Click, close phone, run back into the newsroom. "WHO'S FREE TO GO TO OXFORD TONIGHT?!"

"WHAT!? WE CAN GO?"

"YES!"

Okay, I realize that was a little dramatic, but we were just so excited to get to be there. Three of us got to go - a fellow reporter and the photography editor. We had a good ride down there and the weather was incredible. Kudos to Ole Miss for a job well done - very well organized, friendly volunteers/workers, clean facilities, and decent parking. Not to mention excellent idea to broadcast the debate in the Grove on two big screens to enable thousands to stay on campus, even if they couldn't make it inside to the actual debate.

I'm in the process of writing a story about the debate - it'll be interesting. Still haven't figured out exactly how I feel about the debate - were questions really answered, who has solid ideas, where in the world are we going to come up with something to get the country out of this economic crisis?

Okay, enough researching, reading, Twittering, and typing. It's been a very long day and I'm headed to bed...FINALLY.

Links to articles on Palin and Obama

Got up early this morning to get some interview questions written for an interview that I have in less than an hour...need to go find some dressy clothes that I can be comfortable in all day on campus!

Found these two articles via Drudge Report while eating breakfast and thought I would share:

The first is a three page article from the International Herald Tribune about Sarah Palin and her Downs Syndrome infant Trig. Really well written; shows her struggle with everyone, examines the rapidity of which she went back to work after Trig's birth, and talks about how her family handled it. Here's the link: Palin fuses politics and motherhood in a new way

The second is a short article from The Washington Times about Barak Obama's verbal slip Sunday while he was being interviewed by ABC's George Stephanopoulos on "This Week." (In case you haven't heard, he accidently said "my Muslim faith" instead of "my Christian faith," and Stephanopoulos was the one who immediately corrected him.) I'm not an Obama fan, but I do pity that slip. I've definitely done things like that! (Yet no one's paying that much attention to me so it's not a big deal anyway.) Here's the link: Obama's verbal slip fuels his critics

So it's totally unacceptable to be pro-life?

Gov. Sarah Palin with husband Todd and infant son Trig, who has Downs Syndrome.

Today's issue of The New York Times featured not one, not two, but three stories on Gov. Sarah Palin's 17 year-old unwed and pregnant daughter Bristol ON THE FRONT PAGE.

Seriously? Who deemed all three front page stories necessary? Very tactful, NY Times. Excellent work.

As countless politicians and public figures (McCain, Obama, and Thompson, to name a few) have said, it's a private matter. Sadly, it's now under public scrutiny simply because Palin is McCain's running mate.

The press has been merciless in bringing this issue to light and honestly, it's none of their business (so one might ask why I'm blogging about it...). I don't believe in hiding the issue, but please, let the girl have some privacy. (Lord knows if McCain and Palin take office that neither Bristol nor the rest of the families will have any privacy.)

I'm cheering for Palin and for Bristol - why? Because it's obvious that they're pro-life. One, they've been open about Bristol's pregnancy, the baby's father, and the fact that she plans to marry the father and keep the baby. Two, Palin's fifth child, Trig, has Down's Syndrome. Due to pre-natal genetic testing, Mr. and Gov. Palin knew that Trig would be born with Down's Syndrome, yet they chose to keep him - even despite family pressures from Gov. Palin's own mother. I find it disgusting that the grandmother of a child that's already been born and a great-grandchild still in the womb would still talk about the possibility of abortion. Seriously, what is wrong with you?

So what do I think? Let's leave Bristol Palin alone and focus on Gov. Palin; after all, how is this side story really going to change Gov. Palin's ability to lead our country in the role of vice president? And let all the pro-life voters out there commend Gov. Palin and her family, speak up, and stick with them - after all, isn't this the kind of person we've been wanting in office for years?

Suffering from mouth ulcers/sores?

Yikes, what a gross title. I also realize this may win the award for the most random blog post (potentially ever), but I wanted to share this great product with anyone who might need it!

If you get mouth ulcers/sores (different than fever blisters that appear around the outside of your mouth), have rub spots from braces or dentures, or other irritations/injuries to your mouth and gum area, you should try Colgate's Orabase. I've had the worst ulcer on my gumline/inside lip for a week now, as well as two small ulcers on my tongue caused by a daily medication. I finally broke down last night and headed to Kroger to buy Orajel, which is what I've used in the past. Even though the relief doesn't last very long, it still keeps the spot numb for a few minutes.

After seeing the ADA (American Dental Association) seal on Orabase, I picked it up instead. Wow. If you suffer from any kinds of mouth sores, try it. Just by applying a pindrop-sized drop of the paste makes the spot go numb for a while, plus the pain decreases even when you start to regain feeling in the area.

It's a little pricey ($5.99 at Kroger and the box size is very deceiving - the tube is only 0.21 ounces), but it really does work. I bought the paste, but the web site shows that it comes in a gel form as well. As always, follow the instructions and check with a doctor or dentist if anything strange happens. I'm no expert, but I really do recommend this product. Thank you, Colgate!

Olympic spirit

I'll be the first to admit that I was less than excited about some of the things that I've heard about the Beijing Olympics. After watching the opening ceremony tonight, my expectations changed.

Kudos to China for a truly spectacular opening ceremony! Watching Li Ning light the cauldron was an experience that I'll remember for a long time. Incredible vision, engineering, and just plain skills over there.

Watching China's Yao Ming carry the Chinese flag into the stadium brought tears to my eyes - not because of Yao, but because of the nine year-old boy walking beside him. Second grader Lin Hao survived the May earthquake of a 8.0 magnitude that killed 28 of 31 students in his class. After freeing himself from the rubble, he went back in to save two of his classmates. When asked why, he said that he was a leader (a hall monitor) and it was his responsibility.


Photo from http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/headlines/n214518587.shtml

Wow. And that's coming from a nine year-old. That's the Olympic spirit.

Read the story from the official Olympic web site here.

Cat weighs 44 pounds (the weight of an average five-year old)

While I was in New York in May, I received news that my beloved Mississippi was the "fattest station in the nation" for the third year running (according to CalorieLab; other articles and sites have said that this is the fourth year for Mississippi - alas). My home state of Tennessee falls closely behind at number six. The article gives the typical reasons and explanations for Mississippi's obesity: fast food is quick, convienent, and located everywhere, while some of the grocery stores (you know, where you buy fruits and veggies and all that great healthy stuff) are over 40 miles away. Crazy, but it's not hard for me to believe!

Would you know, obesity's even becoming a very large (pun intended) problem even with pets. Check out this monster of a cat, nicknamed "Princess Chunk," found wandering the streets of New Jersey:



She weighs 44 pounds! To put that into perspective, that's the average size of a five-year old child, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Read the complete article and view a slideshow of other strange pets (including a woman who has her lab running for town mayor) here.

Looking for baby names? Don't use these.

Not to turn into a baby names blog or a celebrity blog, but I found this quite crazy, amusing, and sad...all at the same time:

Interesting Baby Names

Some of the most unique/horrible baby names: Dweezel, Moon Unit, Diva Muffin (those three are Frank Zappa's kids), Sage Moonblood (Sylvester Stallone), Audio Science (Shannyn Sossamon), Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo (both are Jamie Oliver's children), Moxie Crimefighter (Penn Jillete), Little Pixie (Bob Geldof), Pilot Inspektor (Jason Lee), and Jermajesty (Jermaine Jackson).

Yikes. Apart from a few normal names that made the list (Pierce Brosnan's son is Dylan Thomas and Kate Hudson's son is Ryder Russell- please explain how those two made the list) and few unique (in a good way) names (John Mellencamp's daughter is Justice and Jessica Alba's daughter is Honor), most of them are cruel and unusual punishment.

For the love of all things good, holy, and right in the world, please don't name your children something crazy...like Lemonjello and Orangejello (twin boys, rumor has it they might be in Memphis?).