Not only are average Americans posting information that should not be public, but news stations are.  There was a tweet today from USA Breaking news that read, “Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is in Britain & police know where but have not acted on arrest warrant yet.”  Very interesting both governments would let information out like that.

There was another tweet a couple months back from the same source that the United States knew where Osama Bin Laden was.  You can now translate tweets and I am sure that information going public on the web threatened our chances of capturing him.

How do we tell the generation who is just becoming familiar with the internet not to publicize information that could cause them harm when we are all doing it now?  It seems no one is setting a good example.

It is believed that he ran to the ledge and jumped onto a small roof.  This happened mid-game with fans not realizing it until post-game. This is the second death at a major sporting event in a week.  Last week, a two-year-old boy fell at the Lakers game from a luxury box and died.

So, what is security going to do at these stadiums?  How do we prevent these deaths, whether they are on accident or on purpose?  Who is at fault in an accident?  The parents, the person who fell or the stadium management?  It will be interesting to see if more deaths continue to occur this year and what steps will be taken to be sure this does not happen.  These are both very sad stories and no one wants this type of reputation at their stadium.

This is a story that really needs brought to many people’s attention.  The NFL now has new strict rules on tackles and hits.  If someone tackles you and makes helmet-to-helmet contact, there is a hefty fine.  When tackling quarterbacks, there are also special rules.  Football players have very severe injuries with this game; however, they are paid less than most Major League baseball players.

Fans are continuing to get upset over all the new rules wondering when the sport will just go to two-hand touch or when they will just let the players play.  As a fan, I admit, I do get upset about new rules coming out of the NFL each year, but then I read a story like McMahon’s and understand the rules.  A football player’s life expectancy is a lot less than any other profession.  The NFL is doing what they can to protect these young players.  How should the NFL come out to show fans that the new rules are for protection?  Maybe showing stories like McMahon’s before games will help fans understand.  No matter what the NFL does, people will get hit hard and be injured – it’s how the game is.

What kind of pressure does this put on the Vikings coach, Brad Childress?  The team is suffering this year after many injuries and a bad trade.  During yesterday’s game, all you could hear in the dome were fans chanting to fire Childress.

As a public relations professional, how do you defend the owners, the players, fans and coaches?  Who is to blame for these two usually powerful teams horrific season?  As owners, do you let the coaches finish the season or get rid of them now?  Tough decisions to be made and a lot of explanations.

These cities include: Orlando, Fla., Atlanta, Ga., Tucson, Az., Las Vegas, Nv., Fort Worth, Tx., San Francisco Bay Area, Ca., San Antonio, Tx., Phoenix, Az., Houston Tx., and Los Angeles, Ca.

A scientist found that millions of Americans one day will be drinking their own urine.  Because of this drought, many people in the west will be relying on treated sewage- which contains human waste- for their drinking water.  One city that could be facing this sooner than most cities is Phoenix, Az because there are too many people living in this area which does not have fresh water.  The closest lake Phoenix receives it’s fresh water from is 230 miles away.

How would you handle this situation and present it to the people living in your community?  How would you sell this idea of not having fresh water to drink, cook or bathe with?  The states and local governments will have a lot on their hands in the next few years and it will be interesting to see how the governments and the people react.

Many people feel very unfavorable about the ISP putting more officers on the highways.  One man commented saying, “They are all in this for the grant money, not for our safety.”  Another took a stab at the ISP stating that their officers should try slowing down first.

Of course this will not be viewed positively in motorists eyes, but as drivers, we need to respect the law and work to not break it (or just not get caught).  Think wisely before hitting the road in November, especially when driving home for fall break!

Well, now it is time to think if you are really getting a sale or if the store is scamming you.  And I mean unethically (and probably unlawfully) scamming you.  I recently went to the mall to do my fall clothes shopping with my mom.  I had a few coupons for Express because I am on their e-mail list.  By the way, being on a store’s email list is the best thing ever!  Anyway, my mom found me this adorable sweater and to make it better, it was buy one, get the second 50% off.  While we searched for my size, my mom noticed that one sweater that was an extra small was $34.99 and the other extra small sweater, same color and everything, was $29.50.  Weird, huh?  Well, all the other sweaters were “$34.99″ as well.  What really made this fishy was that there was no printed price, the bottom of the tags had been taken off and the store put their own $34.99 tag.  The sweater that was $29.50 did have the bottom, originally printed tag though, which proved that the store had just tried to scam us.

So, next time you think you are really getting a sale, think twice.  A lot of stores pull this maneuver with marking up a price and then giving you a sale, Express is not the only one.  A very unethical scheme.  So, if this is brought to national attention, what will a company like Express do to bounce back?  How do you recover from lying and misleading your thousands of customers for years?  Maybe one day, you will be behind the scenes working on this meltdown.

What will actually be seen by the TSA employees?  Everything.  Yep, everything.  However, it is a distorted fuzzy image.  You feel like this is an invasion of privacy?  Many do.  You can opt-out of the full body scanner and be patted down instead.  These are the measures that airlines and the government feel need to be taken to prevent anymore attacks and to prevent innocent lives from being lost.

Something interesting I have found when reading about these scanners is it seems that more men are bothered by the new security check point updates than women.  Many men are commenting on the radio and online, but women are being more quiet about the issue.  A few men were even concerned about their kids, and I expected the women to be more hostile on this topic.

There has not been a study of what the radiation exposure from these scanners can do to a human though.  No one has released any studies indicating if you are more likely to get cancer choosing to go through the x-ray machine rather than the pat down.

Are you concerned that your privacy is being invaded?  Do you feel safer?  Which will you choose, the pat down or the x-ray machine?

Minimum wage hits home to us as well since we are working to make it through college.  A United States Senate candidate, whom is a millionaire, thinks the minimum wage should be lowered.  She wants to give middle class families a pay cut after they received their first minimum wage increase in 2009 in over a decade!  The United States now has a bigger wage gap than ever, with the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, and  the middle class disappearing, and they need millionaire to tell them to take a pay cut?

With the state this country is in, after the worst recession since the Great Depression, can you imagine what lowering the minimum wage would do to families?  Most families are already going through not only a pay cut, but workers have had their hours cut as well.  The millions making minimum wage right now would be working just as hard, just as many hours, but for less.  This would make it harder to make ends meet with bills, the price of groceries going up and basic living expenses.

Who is the person behind this idea?  Her name is Linda McMahon and she is the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Connecticut.  She was the CEO of WWE before launching her campaign.  One again, we have another CEO giving Main Street the burden.

Her opponent’s spokesperson gave this response to Linda’s position on the minimum wage decrease, “Linda McMahon laid off ten percent of her workers and takes home $46 million a year so it’s no surprise she’s thinking about lowering the minimum wage.”  The current Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, is the Democratic candidate hoping to seek election in 2010.  We cannot have millionaires taking these ideas to Washington so they continue to benefit, while leaving the American people out to dry.

Candidates are taking positions on many ideals that affect us directly and we need to pay attention to what they are saying.  Election day is only 32 days away, and this year is more important than ever to have our voices heard and make sure candidates are representing our wants and needs.

Source:

http://wp.me/p15BSR-j

9. Jen B./Willie Nelson Loses Six Ounces/11-29-10: “As a frequent news reader, I did not even hear about this.  So, maybe it really isn’t news or even that surprising to the public.  I agree, this will not hurt his career.  Lil Wayne, another music artist who is in his peak, was just released from jail on charges of possession with marijuana.  When he came out, he had a new album released and it is selling like crazy.  You look at the NFL and there are players who have committed murder, been convicted of rape and have even hurt animals, and people are still wearing their jersey.  Nelson is safe in my eyes and his popularity will not dwindle away.”

8. Kelsi Scheer/Arresting a Dead Man/11-15/10: “This is crazy! One thing that now makes me on edge is that this story is out, giving people an idea of how to escape the law.  This man got away with it, almost, and I am sure there are smarter people out there who know they can get away with this act.  I am curious to see how the FBI will handle this situation.  Will they check everyone’s record that has been committing crimes?  Will they try to set up a new system to prevent someone from claiming they are deceased when really they are still alive?  This is an interesting story that will be scary yet intriguing to watch develop.”

7. Marli/Big Body, Big Frame/11-8-10: “Instead of these shows that show people overweight and dating or who have eating disorders, they need more shows like The Biggest Loser.  This show represents normal people who are trying to lose weight in a healthy way.  However, these people on this show have nothing else to do except workout.  Producing a show with a mom who just had kids and is trying to juggle her job, new babe, eating right and working out would probably be best fit for the average person in America.  Of course, seeing these shows about people with eating disorders or people who are overweight are sad, but what can we do about it?  Or how does one use these stories to help themselves when it costs a lot of money to do so and maybe the person is not ready to admit it.  TV programs need to focus on everyday lives of more Americans instead of these special stories.”

6. Alex/Sleep & Its Intoxication/10-25-10: “My roommate loves to sleep all day and I never understand why.  I have such a busy lifestyle that five hours a night usually has to be enough.  People are always saying eight to ten hours is what we should be getting each night, but how do people really find time for this much sleep?  My roommate who sleeps probably closer to the 10 hours a night and adds a nap in the day, rarely does her homework and a lot of the time does not attend class so she can sleep.  I guess only each individual knows how much sleep he or she needs, but what do people use a lot of sleep for if they aren’t doing anything except sleeping?”

5. Amy Curry/One Step at a Time/10-24-10: “There has been a lot of news circling around this issue facing us today.  Even a school board member came out saying that gays should commit suicide.  He later apologized for this comment; however, his apology can’t be sincere since that is his belief.  I really hope this organization hits home for a lot of people around the country.  This organization can’t be the only way to stop the bullying though.  It starts in the homes.  Parents need to start educating their children and teaching them right versus wrong.  This means, setting aside you beliefs, religion and political beliefs to teach children that bullying is wrong, no matter what.  One can have their beliefs, but bullying to the point where kids are ending their lives is not right.  I hope parents realize this and start stepping up the plate for the right reasons.”

4. Marli Knipping/Marijuana Pepsi/10-12-10: “These different names being given my parents has been nothing new.  A few years ago, there were parents trying to figure out which type of cheese to name their child after.  I feel that employers should not judge by a person’s name.  What about the problem of male’s being given a more feminine name or vice versa?  Should they not be hired because you cannot distinguish if it is a man or woman? I did not choose my name, and it is a shame that an act of a parent will be held against these kids later in life.”

3. Sarah M/My Brand New Face/10-10-10: “I LOVE these types of documentaries that really make you appreciate your life and what you have.  It also shows you just how much the media makes you feel like you should look perfect.  But, why does the media get to determine what perfect really looks like?  And why does perfection have to be on the outside?  This man is truly courageous.  One other thing that really caught my attention is this show gave awareness and this man is wanting to let people learn about the disease.  This type of approach will make me want to donate more rather than telling me about the disease and immediately asking me to donate.  I enjoy getting to look at the life of someone and really grasp what it is I am donating to.  Great story!”

2.  Amy Curry/Jon Stewart/10-4-10: “This is all very interesting.  We have seen such an out lash at people recently due to their race, religion or where they come from.  Sanchez works for CNN, and notice he made one comment that was out of line and was immediately fired.  I wonder if anyone notices the out of line comments from Fox News and that their employees are not fired, but are actually still making false accusations and making very inappropriate comments.  It can be dangerous to allow a TV host to talk this way because it gets a base fired up and who knows what they will do.  There have been pictures of Glenn Beck’s base impersonating a hanging of the President.  So, when does it stop?  And when will other networks start to take action and decide on what is taking it too far? Just an interesting look at how the two networks operate.”

1.  Devan/Colbert & Stewart Call on Youth/9-27-10: “Colbert and Stewart have had a comical way of educating the youth on the issues that face us today.  This duo rally should produce a high turnout in D.C. and show Glen Beck that the youth and Democrats are mobilized for mid-term elections.  However, Stewart and Colbert picked the worst date to hold this rally.  It is on the Saturday before elections and a majority of people who want to attend will be out knocking on doors and making calls to be sure people go to the polls that Tuesday.  I wish them the best, even if the rally is during GOTV weekend.”