Elephants

Did You Know…

• Elephants are the largest living land mammal.
  
• They are characterized by their long trunks, thick, round legs, and large heads with big, flat ears.
  
• An elephant’s trunk is a combination of the animal’s upper lip and nose (the nostrils are found in the tip). The trunk weighs about 290 pounds in adult males and can lift about 250 kg.
  
• The trunk is essential for daily functions such as breathing, eating and drinking.
  
• Elephant tusks are made of ivory and are considered enlarged incisor teeth. Tusks protect the trunk and are also used for activities like defense, digging, lifting objects and collecting food.
  
• Elephants’ colors vary from gray to brown. They have coarse and sparse hair covering their bodies.
  
• Elephants are most likely to be found in savannas, grasslands and forests.

Edited by Katie Weise

Sydney Slotkin Q&A

Allison Weiss, 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Athens, Ga has gained notable recognition on the Internet from her strategic use of social networking website to promote her music and herself.

Sydney Slotkin: What sites do you use the most to promote your music and why are they good tools?

Allison Weiss: Right now my primary promotion sites are Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and YouTube, with MySpace in a quiet fourth place. They're all great tools because they allow me to directly interact with fans of my music. I like to know a lot about the people listening to my music so that I can provide them with as awesome of an experience as possible. I format my promotion efforts based on what I see people saying and doing. For instance, instead of just hoping people will like a t-shirt, I can ask them directly. I recently did this with my new record (which comes out in November), by allowing my fans to vote on two of the songs on the album.

More specifically... Twitter is great because it's so easy and so addictive. Tumblr is great because it's like Twitter, except with greater possibilities for sharing information, and it's got a super strong community feel. Facebook is great because everybody and their mother (literally) is on it and using it constantly. MySpace is not great, but unfortunately if you're a musician you have to have one...
In addition to these, I also use iLike, ReverbNation, Virb, Vimeo, PureVolume, FourSquare, Last.fm, LinkedIn, and a million others. Basically if you name it, I'm probably on it... I just can't think of them all right now.

SS: What are some of the direct results you've seen from using these sites to promote your music? If you want to give some specific examples, that might be easier.

AW: I guess I just mentioned a couple things up there, but in addition to that, I just see my fanbase growing more and more every day. The fact that I'm out there on the internet all the time means people can follow me or listen to my music whenever they want and decide for themselves if they like it. Also, it's really easy for someone to send their friends a link to my MySpace or my Twitter or something, and so the word-of-mouth promotion works really well. I've definitely met people at shows who come up to me and tell me they found me on YouTube or MySpace or that they follow me on Twitter or Tumblr. It's pretty incredible. I recently went to Los Angeles and played a show in a coffee shop, and there were probably 30-40 people there, even though it was my first time. I consider that a pretty awesome turnout. The majority of them had found me online through various social networking sites. One girl in particular said she'd been a fan for about 5 years, after she found a cover song I did on YouTube. She told me that her and her now-boyfriend met because of that cover. That's pretty incredible, if you ask me!

SS: What do you think has been the best result from using these sites as promotional tools? What do you think just doesn't work for you?

AW: Definitely just the ability to connect with fans and to spread my music to as many people as possible. I think of myself as more than just music. I'm kind of my own brand. A lot of the people who really like my songs also really like me as a whole package. When I perform, I talk a lot between songs and banter with the audience, and the internet gives me a place to show that side of my personality that comes with the performance. I haven't really found anything yet that doesn't work for me. I'll give anything a shot. I joined Twitter over a year ago, but only started using it to it's full extent a few months ago. So from that experience I've found it's a good idea to give everything a shot. I can usually tell when something's got the potential to get huge, though, so if I really believe in a service I'll go for it and promote it hardcore. I don't know if you've heard of Tumblr.com, but when I joined it, none of my friends were on it, until I forced them to join. I think there were maybe two other people in Athens who had one. Now it seems like everyone I know is getting one, and I think it's only getting bigger.

SS: What kind of potential do you think social networking sites have for musicians promoting themselves?

AW: I can't imagine trying to be a musician in a world without social networking. If it weren't for MySpace and YouTube and Twitter and all that, nobody would know who I am. Social media allows musicians to self promote like they've never been able to before, and I believe it can only get better. I recently joined a site called LiveStream.com, and I've been broadcasting some of my concerts to the internet. I also do impromptu living room shows whenever I feel like it. A couple weekends ago I did a marathon show where I played for 4.5 hours, and I had about 150 people watching it the whole time. There's also a chat room attached to the video, so my fans can interact with eachother. They were all talking about what time they had to get up (or stay up to) to watch the stream. It was amazing. There were people from the UK, Australia, Germany... all over the place, really! It's kind of mind blowing to know that I've got fans across the globe, and it's only because I'm really good at the internet. Well, I mean, I guess they like my music too. Hah.

SS: How exactly did you use all these websites to promote yourself so far? I just added you and Twitter and you have over 2000 followers.

AW: I basically just use them regularly and honestly. With Twitter, I try my best to be really engaging. I always tell people, Twitter is ridiculous at first, but when you get the hang of it, it can be really fun. It's more than just saying "I'm having a sandwich," it's about discussing that sandwich in detail, putting an exciting spin on it, or doing whatever you can to make it as interesting as possible in 140 characters or less.

ASF- AECAFE

By Alexis Economy

The Glad Shack, adjacent to the cafeteria, once sold drinks and snacks but now it sells school spirit items and apparel.

Currently a coffee shop is under construction in the school's library. As of now there is no definite date set for its opening.

The lay out of this high schoo l cafeteria is similar to the lay out of a mall food court.

The Clarke Central High School Cafeteria offers healthy lunch options, such as fresh vegetables at the salad bar.

The Clarke Central cafeteria has six lines that serve a variety of foods, including pizza.

Edited by: Lauren Willson

Alt. Story

Katie Weise
Time Line of Music Video Game Releases
2005:
Guitar Hero
2006:
Guitar Hero 2
2007:
Guitar Hero 3, Rock Band, Guitar Hero Encore Rocks the 80s, Guitar Hero Carabiner, Guitar Hero 3 Mobile
2008:
Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero: Aero Smith, Guitar Hero: On Tour, Guitar Hero: On Tour: Decades, Guitar Hero 3 Backstage Pass, Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile, Rock Band 2, Rock Band Track Packs: Vol.1, ACDC Live, Vol.2
2009:
Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Guitar Hero Smash Hits, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, Band Hero, DJ Hero, Guitar Hero on Tour: Modern Hits, Guitar Hero 5 Mobile, Guitar Hero Arcade, The Beatles: Rock Band, Rock Band Unplugged, Rock Band Mobile, Lego Rock Band, Rock Band Track Packs: Classic Rock, Country, Metal.

Alternate Story Text

Q: Who are some prominent Democrats using social media?

A: President Barack Obama is on Facebook and Twitter. Links to information and ways to participate in the political process are posted on both of the Web sites. On Facebook, President Obama has over 6.8 million supporters. On Twitter, under the username BarackObama, he has over 2.4 million followers.

Sen. Claire McCaskill is a prominent Twitter user with over 33,000 followers. Her page, claircmc, features updates about her political activities and ideas, and her personal life. She also responds to many ‘tweets’ she receives from other users.

Sen. Chris Dodd’s office maintains a Twitter page, under the username SenChrisDodd, with updates about the Senator’s activities as well as linking to political videos and articles. Sen. Dodd has over 9,000 followers. On Faecbook, he has over 3,000 supporters.

Q: Who are some prominent Republicans using social media?

A: Sen. John McCain has a Twitter and Facebook account. On Twitter, at SenJohnMcCain, where he has over 1.5 million followers, he posts information about his activities, links to articles, and political thoughts. He also holds conversations with his daughter Meghan McCain through her Twitter. His Facebook account, where he has over 500,000 supporters, is updated similarly.

Rep. John Boehner is the Minority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has over 11,000 followers on Twitter, account name GOPLeader, and over 18,000 supporters on Facebook. He updates with links to political articles and videos.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of Calif. has over 1.3 million followers on Twitter, under the name Schwarzenegger. He updates with information about his activities, photos, and links to articles.

ASF- ABCar

Car theft is always a risk when leaving a car parked in an open parking lot or parking garage. Help yourself by protecting your car from theft.

The 10 most-stolen cars in Georgia for 2008, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau were:
1) 1994 Honda Accord
2) 1994 Honda Civic
3) 2004 Ford F150 Pickup
4) 1994 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
5) 1990 Chevrolet 4x2 Pickup
6) 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass
7) 2002 Ford Explorer
8) 2000 Dodge Caravan
9) 1999 Ford Taurus
10) 1997 Toyota Camry


Here are some tips from the UGA Police website about how to prevent vehicle theft:
1) Make sure you don’t leave the keys in your car or leave your car idling while unattended.
2) Check that your doors and windows are locked at all times.
3) Hide valuables, such as Ipods, GPS devices and cell phones, or take them with you.
4) Set your car alarm or use a steering wheel lock.

While nothing is guaranteed, taking measures similar to these will help prevent your car from being broken into and/or stolen.

Edited by: Dana Hortman

ASF-Zingo Athens profile

Who? Zingo Athens
What? Athens premiere designated driver/chaffeur service
Where? 398 Foundry Street, Athens, Georgia 30601
How? Call Zingo at 1-866-75- NODUI (66384)
When?
Hours of Operation:
Monday-Wednesday, 8 p.m.-3 a.m.
Thursday-Saturday 8 p.m.-4 a.m.
Closed Sundays. After hours service available by appointment.
Cost: $10 pick-up, and $2 per mile


Name: David Iezzi
Age: 23 years old
Hometown: Vidalia, Georgia
Employed: 8 months
Job description: Zingo dispatcher; answers calls, routes drivers; used to drive for Zingo.
Quotes:--“We have one driver that is on duty during the weekdays.”
--“The amount of customers we have using Zingo depends on if there is a home game in town or not. On game day weekends, we make about 25 to 35 rides. On nongame weekends, we have 16 to 18 rides.”
--“I like my job, except for the fact people get mad because of the wait time.”
--“I would agree that Zingo is better than taxis, because for one, you have your car the next day. Second, you know the person is legit. Not to mention it is cheaper if you pack more people in.”


Name: Brian Miller
Year/major: Senior journalism major at UGA
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Employed: working since mid-June, 3-4 months
Job description: Zingo driver
Quotes:
--“I have many stories, but nothing that can be printed.”
--“What I like most about my job is that I get to meet a lot of people, especially bar owners.”
--“I also like when I get big tips from customers.”
--“One time, I drove 98 miles, past Watkinsville to Madison, then back to Athens.”


Name: Winston Murray
UGA alumni
Hometown: Newnan, Georgia
Employed: Over a month
Job description: Zingo driver
Quotes:
--“I don’t have too many crazy stories; nothing that really sticks.”
--“I have one sad story though. I was driving this guy and his dog, Gizmo, home one night. During the ride to the guy’s place, Gizmo had pressed his paw down on the button and jumped out of the backseat window. We didn’t notice the dog had been missing until we got to the guy’s place. The guy was distraught, screaming and crying. It was sad. I didn’t ever find out what happened to Gizmo.”


Name: Matt Fuller
Year/major/school: Freshmen healthcare science major at Athens Tech
Hometown: Powder Springs, Georgia
Employed: A couple of months
Job description: Zingo driver
Quotes:
--“I really like my job a lot. It’s a good chance to make money. Also, I get to help people out.”
--“I lost one of my best friends recently. He was driving home one night and a person drinking and driving ran into him.”
--“On my first night as a driver, I made $100 on tips from the same customer. They tried to force me to go to a party with them. They even threatened to beat me up if I didn’t go.”


Edited by: Ashley Bene