Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Pirates

I thought that pirates were a thing of the past but after reading this article I was clearly wrong. According to a press release by Liberty Maritime the Liberty sun and its crew was attacked by the Somali pirates. The Liberty Vessel was carrying food aid for the African nations suffering from the famine. The attack happened just off of the Somali coast where the Liberty Vessel called for backup from the United States Navy. No one was injured in the attack and the crew was said to be very calm in the situation.

The fact that this attack even happened is an eye opener to me. We hear about crime all around us all of the time. Something being stolen someone being shot, but that all happens on land. It is truly a sign of how corrupt of people there are out there when ships are being fired at and “pirates” come out of the woodworks to steal with at sea.

The good thing that came out of this attack is the reassurance that we can depend on other good people to help out when the world is corrupt. The Navy did an amazing job at responding and showed that there is always help.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Positioning Framework Final





















In recent studies done by the National Center for Health Statistics, it was shown that 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese and that 61.4 percent of women are obese or overweight. In an article by msnbc it discussed how after a 10 to 15 year study of individuals, it was proven that being overweight or obese can take 3 to 10 years off an individual’s life. It also discussed the rising trend for eating healthy and right. After this research and our own we know that 30 to 50 year old women do not want to eat unhealthy food. That is why we propose to make a few additions to the menu at Burger Planet. These additions will give a more healthy variety to appeal to those women that fall into that age range that do not want to partake of unhealthy foods.

We believe that by adding healthy choices it will increase the variety of food choice and help change Burger Planets image. These healthy additions will help Burger Planet to be more family friendly because everyone in the family will be able to find something they enjoy. We also believe that this will offer us better customer relations.

We propose to hire an expert in eating trends to help the people understand and believe that the food is healthy that we are providing. Jane Peterson, a fitness guru, recently helped Opal Witcomb, the talk show host, lose 75 pounds. Jane Peterson is now a well known fitness name and people trust her because of how she helped Opal. We would like to bring her on the campaign to add her testimony and be a spokes person on the healthy food at Burger Planet. We believe that women in that demographic will trust and believe Jane Peterson.

There will also be some benefits to changing the menu and hiring Jane Peterson. We know that by doing this the customers will know that we care and are responding to the rise of eating trends by providing healthy options. It will show that we care about our customers and how they eat. By seeing that we care this will then increase our customer dedication. This will also expand our reach from only loyal customers to any who would like a healthy meal.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

80's night




















Turned background black, hue saturation, clone stamp, added text

Derby




















I added text, changed the hue saturation, desaturated it,combined the two layers and used the eraser tool to make our faces and bodies color and used the burn tool.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Photo Shop Assignment



Picture or no Picture

I was reading an article in PRweek that was talking about how the pictures of Rihanna after she was beaten that were released. It discussed that in a regular situation the pictures of the victim would not have been released but because of her celebrity standing they were. This made me ask the question, what makes the rules different so that if you are a celebrity the pictures are shown but if you are Joe from down the street those pictures would never be seen. What gives us the right to invade in their lives because of their status? I understand that everyone wants the hot gossip but if the case were different, if it involved someone with not as high of a profile, the pictures would’ve never been shown. Doesn’t she deserve the same respect as any one of us? In my personal opinion the showing of the picture was a poor PR decision for TMZ.com. It wasn’t there picture to show in the first place. The police even said not to show it. “The photo is not supposed to be publicized; the police have made that clear,” says Rob Howe, news editor at People. I think next time instead at looking at the status of the person in the picture think of the person themselves and how it will affect them.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Final Media Pitch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2009
Emilie Wheeler
Local News Editor
The Herald Journal
75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321
ewheeler@hjnews.com

Subject Line: Reach Financial Independence Quicker

Dear Emilie Wheeler,

I know a lot of people are looking for ways to make money and help boost the economy. There is the program that can help.

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA), a non-profit organization located in Logan Utah, teaches you how to reach financial independence quicker through passive income.

CVAIA helps people recognize opportunities to invest their time, assets, experiences and thoughts. CVAIA teaches people that if they invest these things it will lead to a passive income and financial independence quicker. They help you find opportunities and teach you how to invest in them. CVAIA teaches that if you invest in something that you are interested in you will be doing something that you love.

President and founder of CVAIA, Preston Parker said, “CVAIA helps people to learn and apply philosophies that will lead them to becoming financially independent quicker.”

It is really easy to get in touch or involved with CVAIA. You can find CVAIA at www.cvaia.com, on Facebook, include yourself on their email list or attend their weekly meetings. Meetings are held every other Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce. CVAIA has helped people reach financial independence within three to fifteen years.

If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive Income largely makes this possible. Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. They practice methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geological locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risks of investing.

If you have any other questions please give me a call. We have specialist that you can meet and talk with.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Manager
michelletopnce@pubr.com

-END-

Final Press Release 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27,2009
Emilie Wheeler
Local News Editor
The Herald Journal
75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321
ewheeler@hjnews.com

There is help if you have a mental illness
Cache Valley program helps those with mental illnesses cope with difficulties in their life.

LOGAN, Utah—The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), is a non-profit organization in Cache Valley that is holding meetings and support groups to help those with mental illnesses and their loved ones.

NAMI is a nationally known recovery support group for those with a mental illness regardless of their diagnosis. Group sessions are held the second Thursday of every month, free of charge. Sessions last 90 minutes and are held at the Logan Regional Hospital, second floor Room 5. The support meeting is held at 7 p.m. and the education meeting, to educate those living with a mental illness and those who want to know more about it, is at 8 p.m. NAMI also offers a recovery support group that is held every other Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Logan Library. Sessions are lead by trained individuals who are also in recovery. It is a place where those with a mental illness, or those who know someone with a mental illness, can talk to someone who understands.

Programs offered by NAMI are Family-to-Family and Building Recovery of Individuals Dreams and Goals through Education and Support (B.R.I.D.G.E.S.). Family-to-Family is a 12 week course that helps families deal with and understand mental illnesses. Family-to-Family is taught in early spring and fall. B.R.I.D.G.E.S. is a peer-to-peer taught course that brings people together to share their experiences with mental illness.

For more information please contact me.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Director
801-555-2345
mtoponce@prd.com

Monday, February 23, 2009

Draft: Press Release 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Emilie Wheeler
The Herald Journal
75 West 300 North
Logan, UT, 84321
ewheeler@hjnews.com

There is help if you have a mental illness
Cache Valley program helps those with mental illnesses cope with difficulties in their life.

LOGAN, Utah—The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), is a non-profit organization in Cache Valley dedicated to helping those with mental illnesses and their loved ones.

NAMI is a nationally known recovery support group for those with a mental illness regardless of their diagnosis. Group sessions are held the second Thursday of every month, free of charge. Sessions last 90 minutes and are held at the Logan Regional Hospital, second floor, 5. The support meeting is held at 7 p.m. and the education meeting, to educate those living with a mental illness and those who want to know more about it, is at 8 p.m. NAMI also offers a recovery support group that is held every other Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Logan Library. Sessions are lead by trained individuals who are also in recovery. It is a place where those with a mental illness, or those who know someone with a mental illness, can talk to someone who understands.

Programs offered by NAMI are Family-to-Family and Building Recovery of Individuals Dreams and Goals through Education and Support (B.R.I.D.G.E.S.). Family-to-Family is a 12 week course that helps families deal with and understand mental illnesses. Family-to-Family is taught in early spring and fall. B.R.I.D.G.E.S. is a peer-to-peer taught course that brings people together to share their experiences with mental illness.

For more information please contact me.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Director
801-555-2345
mtoponce@prd.com

Friday, February 20, 2009

Media Pitch: Draft 1

Subject Line: Reach Financial Independence Quicker

Dear Emilie Wheeler,

Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA), a non-profit organization located in Logan Utah, teaches you how to reach financial independent quicker through passive income.

CVAIA helps people recognize opportunities to invest their time, assets, experiences and thoughts that will lead to financial independence through passive income. Passive income is the generated income from that opportunity that was invested in. Passive income is a way that anyone can receive income doing something that they love. President and founder of CVAIA, Preston Parker said, “CVAIA helps people to learn and apply philosophies that will lead them to becoming financially independent quicker.” CVAIA has helped people reach financial independence within three to fifteen years.

There are many ways to get involved with or contact CVAIA. CVAIA can be found at www.cvaia.com, on Facebook, you can include yourself on their email list or attend their weekly meetings. Meetings are held every other Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce.

If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive Income largely makes this possible. Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. They practice methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geological locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risks of investing.

If you have any other questions please give me a call. We have specialist that you can meet with and talk to.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Director
michelletoponce@pubr.com

Friday, February 13, 2009

online resume

Check out my resume!
Resume

Final Press Release 3: Cause Promotion

Feb. 6, 2009
For Immediate Release
President Preston Parker
160 N. Main Street
Logan, UT 84321
cachevaia@gmail.com

Become Financially Independent
Cache Valley Area Investors Association helps educate reaching financial independence

LOGAN Utah— Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA), a non-profit organization, is helping educate others on how to become financially independent with passive income.

President and founder of CVAIA, Preston Parker said, “CVAIA helps people to learn and apply philosophies that will lead them to becoming financially independent quicker.” This organization helps you become financially independent quicker through education and opportunity, leading to a passive income. To achieve passive income CVAIA educates people to invest their time, assets, experiences and thoughts to create opportunities that will lead to financial independence while doing something they love. When passive income is higher than expenses, financial independence can be reached.

There are many ways to get involved with CVAIA. You can find CVAIA at www.cvaia.com, on Facebook, include yourself on their email list or attend their weekly meetings. Meetings are held every other Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce. CVAIA has helped people reach financial independence within three to fifteen years.

If people learn the right mentality and approaches to investing, they can all be successful in what they desire. People should be able to spend their time doing something they love, not just a job that provides an income. Passive Income largely makes this possible. Cache Valley Area Investors Association (CVAIA) teaches people how to increase passive income. CVAIA embraces the Law of Attraction, Law of Abundance, and Law of Exchange. They practice methods found in the ideologies of books including Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Wealthy Barber, The Millionaire Next Door, Atlas Shrugged, The Automatic Millionaire, and The Secret. CVAIA began in August 2007 and now has members from many geological locations and from all walks of life. The members come together with the same belief: that education mitigates the risks of investing.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Manager
michelletopnce@pubr.com

-END-

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Facebook

I was reading an article titled, “A Mother and Her Daughter Face up to Facebook,” by Debra Bruno and I had to laugh. I actually didn’t get Facebook until August of 2008. Until then I thought Facebook was pointless and a waste of time. I ended up getting Facebook so that I could easily share pictures with friends of events that we had attended. Since I have begun using it I have found it to be enjoyable and helpful in life. Facebook provides opportunities for networking and maintaining connections with others. I have attended two different colleges and although I do have my friend’s phone numbers and I could call them, it is easier to check out what and how my friends are doing on Facebook. I can view photos, leave comments and send them messages. It is a great way to communicate without inconveniencing someone with a lengthy phone call or a massive email. Everything you would ask about is available to view on their Facebook page. I do, however, talk to and communicate with all of my “Facebook friends” in person as well. I don’t believe that there are friends and then “Facebook friends”. My Facebook friends are my friends. I also don’t believe that you aren’t “true friends” unless you are Facebook friends. I have friends that I am not Facebook friends with and they are still just as good of friend. I believe that Facebook can be taken to the extreme, where you add anyone and everyone if you know them or not as a friend, or you only truly add friends that are actually your friends. It can be used for “Facebook stalking” and trying to find that cute guy or girl that you have a crush on, but that is not all. Facebook can be used to educate people on upcoming events in town, on campus, and the status friends. It is a way for families and friends to stay in contact when life takes you different places. Facebook can be good or bad, it depends on what your intentions are.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Draft Press Release 3: Cause Promotion

President Preston Parker
160 N. Main Street
Logan, UT 84321
cachevaia@gmail.com
Feb. 6, 2009
For Immediate Release

Become Financially Independent
Cache Valley Area Investors Association Helps educate in reaching Financial Independence

LOGAN Utah— Cache Valley Area Association (CVAIA) is helping educated others on how to become Financially independent with a passive income.
CVAIA educates people to invest their time, assets, experience and thought into opportunities. President and Founder of CVAIA, Preston Parker said, “CVAIA helps people to learn and apply philosophies that will lead them to becoming financially independent quicker.” This organization offers education and opportunity to achieving a passive income. Passive income is the product of time, assets, experiences and thought put into a chosen opportunity.
CVAIA holds meetings to educate on financial questions every other Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Chambers of Commerce.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Manager
michelletopnce@pubr.com

-END-

Revised Final Press Release 2: Image Building

Burger Planet
123 Lakerway
Gary, IN 84341
801-555-4567
burgerpalnet.com

Feb. 5, 2009
For Immediate Release

Burger Planet changes up menu
Burger Planet adds new food to help 30-40 year old women eat healthier

GARY Ind.—Burger Planet has hired Jayne Peterson, fitness guru, to be the spokes person for their new line of food geared toward women aged 30-40.

Jayne Petersen has been a sensation in the weight loss industry with her latest weight loss success story, Opal Whitcomb, who lost 75 pounds. Petersen, who has encouraged women to live a healthier lifestyle, will be supporting Burger Planet in a menu that is healthy choice for women. Peterson said, “The company believes in encouraging customers to live healthier, active lifestyles and I have spent my life trying to teach women that lesson."

Recent market research has shown that 30 to 40 year old women are eating less at fast food restaurants due to the unhealthy food choices. Burger Planet, along with their classics like the Saturn and Mercury, has provided a healthier menu. Burger Planet has added white meat chicken breasts, with the choice of mayo or no mayo and the choice of it being wrapped in lettuce. They have also added packets of different types of fruit: Apples, grapes, peaches, pineapple, or bananas. As well as a new line of gourmet salads

James E. Muellenbach III, company CEO, said “Burger Planet cares about its customers. For more than seven decades, the company has succeeded because it put customers first. We listen to our customers. And our customers desire healthy choices, of which we offer many.”

Burger Planet was founded in 1934 and is currently the leader of the Quick Service Restaurant Industry (QSR). Its companies founder James E. Muellenbach I, is the current president of the QSR Association. It has 8,921 franchises in every state and 17 countries. It has served up to 52 billion customers and counting.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Supervisor
801-555-3322
michelletoponce@burgerplanet.com
-END-

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Final Press Release 2: Image Building

02-5-09
For immediate release
Burger Planet
123 Lakerway
Gary IN, 84341
801-555-4567
burgerpalnet.com

Burger planet changes up menu
Burger planet adds new food to help 30 to 40 year old women eat healthier

GARY Indiana—Burger planet has hired Jayne Peterson, fitness guru, to be the spokes person for their new line of food geared toward women aged 30-40.

Jayne Petersen has been a sensation in the weight loss industry with her latest weight loss success story, Opal Whitcomb, who lost 75 pounds. Petersen, who has encouraged women to live a healthier lifestyle, will be supporting Burger Planet in a menu that is healthy choice for women. Peterson said, “The company believes in encouraging customers to live healthier, active lifestyles and I have spent my life trying to teach women that lesson."

Recent market research has shown that 30 to 40 year old women are eating less at fast food restaurants due to the unhealthy food choices. Burger Planet, along with their classics like the Saturn and Mercury, has provided a healthier menu. Burger Planet has added white meat chicken breasts, with the choice of mayo or no mayo and the choice of it being wrapped in lettuce. They have also added packets of five different types of fruit: Apples, grapes, peaches, pineapple, or bananas. As well as a new line of gourmet salads

James E. Muellenbach III, company CEO, said “Burger Planet cares about its customers. For more than seven decades, the company has succeeded because it put customers first. We listen to our customers. And our customers desire healthy choices, of which we offer many.”

Burger planet was founded in 1934 and is currently the leader of the Quick Service Restaurant Industry (QSR). Its companies founder James E. Muellenbach I, is the current president of the QSR Association. It has 8,921 franchises in every state and 17 countries. It has served up to 52 billion customers and counting.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Superviser
801-555-3322
michelletoponce@burgerplanet.com
-END-

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Draft Press Release 2: Image Building Final

02-2-09

For immediate release

Burger Planet

123 Lakerway

Gary IN, 87265

801-555-4567

burgerplanet.com

Burger Planet changes up menu

Burger Planet adds new food to help 30 to 40 year old women eat healthier

GARY Indiana—Burger Planet, in addition to their existing menu, has added a new line of food geared toward the healthy eater.

Burger Planet was founded in 1934 and is currently the leader of the Quick Service Restaurant Industry (QSR).Its company’s founder, James E. Muellenbach I, is the current president of the QSR Association. It has 8,921 franchises in every state and 17 countries. It has served up to 52 billion customers and counting.

Recent market research has shown that 30 to 40 year old women are eating less at fast food restaurants due to the unhealthy food choices. Burger Planet has now provided healthy choices in addition to their original menu classics. Burger Planet has added white meat chicken breasts, with the choice of mayo or no mayo along with the choice of it being served wrapped in lettuce. They also have added packets of five different types of fruit: apples, grapes, peaches, pineapple, or bananas. At the same time adding a new line of gourmet salads.

James E. Muellenbach III, company CEO said, “Burger Planet cares about its customers. For more than seven decades, the company has succeeded because it put customers first. We listen to our customers. And our customers desire healthy choices, of which we offer many.”

The company has hired Jayne Petersen, a famous fitness guru who helped Opal Whitcomb lose 75 pounds, to be there spokes person for their healthy line of food. Peterson said, “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."

Burger Planet as been able to help those women between the ages of 30 to 40 eat healthier food. Burger Planet will still be serving the classics like The Saturn, a burger with onion rings layered on top, as well as a soda to go along with any meal. Burger Planet has made it so that anyone can choose how they want to eat.


Michelle Toponce

Public Relations Supervisor

michelletoponce@burgerplanet.com

801-555-3322

-END-

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Tug of War

As I was reading the article, “The Coming Tug of War Over the Internet” found on washingtionpost.com, written by Christopher Stern, I began to wonder if this is a debate that is still happening today? Are telephone communication companies debating giving priority service to the internet company that pays more? The internet itself is not owned by anyone, neither are the communication air waves.

The article discusses how telephone communication companies have to pay for building faster, better communication networks to compensate for how much space an internet search engine like Yahoo can take up. Telephone communication companies believe that they are getting the raw end of the deal. Especially when all the search engines have to do is pay a small fee to be connected to the internet using the telephone company lines. Telephone companies want to make it so that a search engine must outbid search engine to receive a better connection service form the telephone communication companies. This would in turn give some internet search engines an unfair advantage over others due to the service they are being provided. Some websites will pull up faster than others. Some sights will process information faster than others, and it won’t be due to the search engine itself but the connection that it is paying for. This makes service harder for anyone but an already huge search engine to get the service needed to start a new search engine idea. As Alan Davidson, Washington Policy Counsel for Google says, “Our worry is not for Google but for the prospect of bringing fresh innovation to the Internet. After all, if worse comes to worst, Google can pay AT&T or BellSouth to maintain its role as the Internet's dominant search engine. But the bright young start-up with the next big innovative idea won't have that option.” By making a search engine pay a certain fee to receive better connection services we will limit the number of new ideas and information that could further benefit our future.

There is a solution. In this article it discusses a Telecommunications Act that is being revised. The Concept of “network neutrality” could be added to this law. It would prohibit telecommunications companies from making search engines pay more money to receive a better connection. I believe this is a concept that should be put into the act. It will protect the growing momentum of ideas that be distributed through the internet.

Is Google a Friend?

I was reading an article on Google and how it tracks every search, every click, basically every move you make. This information can then be subpoenaed by the government divulging to them your personal life. You would think that this information would be protected, that a search engine would delete this information because it would waste of space, but this is not so. Google can hold onto personal information for as long as they want, meaning if it is subpoenaed for any reason they would have a huge user history on you. Today, everything is done typically online enabling the government to know all about you with one little subpoena. Now I don’t feel like I have anything to hide, but it is a fact that search engines are advertised for “personal use.” If it is so personal why are they keeping a history log of us? Why are they tracking our every move? I understand that it helps them to gear searches for a more personalized search, however, you can still get that same personalized search if your user history is deleted after 30 days, such as AOL does. I do not like the fact that my personal information is out there, up for grabs.

There is a law called the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that was enacted in 1986, keeping most of our electronic use private. Since this was before the internet it does not include privacy from search engines. I believe that we need to revise this law to fit the current electronic commutations that are practiced today. Communication has significantly changed since 1986 and I am sure that this law is past due on a revision. Until this happens, or something is done in regards to our user privacy, there are acts that can be taken to increase your user privacy. In his article “FAQ: When Google is Not Your Friend,” Dean McCullagh, staff writer at CNET News, says to protect yourself you should, “Clear your browser history, encrypt your hard drive, clear cookies set by search engine, and if you’re really worried go to anonymizer.com and sign up for one of its anonymous browsing options.”

The bottom line is that something has got to change. At one point in time our electronic communications were protected, but because of advances in technology they are not anymore. Our protection should advance with the technologies and time, not stay stagnant behind it.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Final ABC Press Release

01-17-09
For Immediate Release
ABC Real Estate
123 Creative Way
Logan UT 84341
801-555-4567
abcrealestatellc.com

Investors needed for creative way to buy and sell homes
ABC Real Estate is seeking investors for a proven investment in buying and selling homes

LOGAN Utah—ABC Real Estate is looking for investors to participate in a new and creative way to buy and sell homes.

ABC Real Estate is launching its third and newest location in Cache Valley for their beneficiary-directed equity-holding land trust. ABC Real Estate was created last summer in August, 2008. With one company in California and another in Salt Lake, this new way of buying and selling homes has been proven successful with a 99% success rate.

Seller’s homes will be put into a trust where investors will have to pay an initial investment. A resident will then be put into the home with bad credit and will make payments on the home until their credit can be brought back up. When their credit is up the resident will buy the home breaking the trust and the original home owner, along with the investors and ABC Real Estate, will receive a percentage of the trust.

This benefits all parties involved. Investors will receive a percentage of the trust that will be agreed on when investments are made. The home will be sold, and the resident will regain good credit while living in a home. This system works very well and has proven worthy of investment.

Michelle Toponce
Public Relations Supervisor
michelletoponce@creativeway.com
801-555-3322
-END-