The Party of the Year

It’s the citywide party everyone is talking about.

Las Vegas events, the Las Vegas Convention Center and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Fireworks by Grucci and the city of Las Vegas is proud to host “America’s Party 2011”, the ultimate party of the year and much anticipated New Years Eve event.

“There is no better place to party than Las Vegas, and New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas has become the biggest party of them all,” Mayor Oscar B. Goodman said.

As the evening hours begin draw closer to the midnight hour, the Las Vegas strip will be closed down to vehicle traffic and the crowds will take to the street to prepare for the ultimate Vegas party experience.

The theme of the eight-minute pyrotechnic display will be “Party – Las Vegas” and will be launched from seven rooftop locations on the strip. As the clock strikes midnight, all eyes will shift to the rooftops of MGM Grand, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island (TI), The Venetian and Stratosphere as 49,375 effects light up the Las Vegas Strip.

The fireworks display will feature vibrant colors and distinctive music including Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite” and Katy Perry’s “Waking Up in Vegas”

From jetting comets, sparkling willows, flash salutes there is no doubt that this pyrotechnic display will offer locals and visitors to the city, a glitzy extravaganza to ring in the New Year, in classic Las Vegas style.

“For the 12th consecutive year, we will coordinate this display for the thousands of revelers on the Strip and those watching around the world. This celebration is only possible because of the cooperation between the LVCVA, Las Vegas Events, Fireworks by Grucci, the Clark County Fire Department and Building Services and the individual resort properties.” Las Vegas Events President Pat Christenson said.

Festivities are not limited to the display in the sky, live concerts and additional fireworks can be found under the neon canopy at the Fremont Street Experience.

This third annual TributePalooza, on Freemont Street will feature the world’s best tribute bands performing live on both the 1st Street and 3rd Street stages, from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m.. Electrifying performances from these bands will include tributes to AC/DC, Aerosmith, Green Day, Heart, Led Zeppelin, No Doubt, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rolling Stones, Styx, Sublime and Van Halen.

Though this is the third year for TributePalooza, this year ticketed admission will be in effect at $20 per person and is restricted to those 21 years old and over.

To purchase tickets in advance Visit Here or call 702-386-8100.

Regardless of where you celebrate in the city of lights, you are there is sure to be plenty of attractions and party locations throughout the city.

For more information on New Year’s Eve festivities throughout Las Vegas, go to Visit Las Vegas . For more information about America’s Party: A Vegas Celebration, visit Las Vegas Events.


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A Twitterful Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas,
     and all across Twitter
Not a Tweetdeck was empty,
     but full all a-glitter.

The updates were posted,
     from near to a far
And tweets kept on coming,
     from desk, plane and car.

The tweets were all posted,
     with speed and delight
As each one made plans,
     for that great winter night.

"I'm traveling!" "I'm eating!"
    "I'm hanging with family"
"I just wrapped the presents!
     I can say now so happily"

And I at my laptop,
      and grabbing for my phone
Post 140 characters,
      a tweet of my own.

From lifecast to business,
      from profound to sublime
The tweets that are posted;
      a reminder of the times.

Relevant or crucial,
      with our beloved site
The world gets much smaller,
      with each tweet we type.

With technology growing,
      with each passing year
People are adapting,
      but there's one thing we fear.

That our site that's so precious,
      so real and so true
Will end up like MySpace,
      then what would we do?!

The fail whale, the fail whale,
      now please go away
If we can't tweet right now,
      it won't be Christmas Day.

We tweet when we're happy,
      we tweet when we're sad
We tweet to get business,
      and if we can't we get mad.

What would life now be like,
       without tweet feeds I wonder?
 It would feel like the stoneage,
       feel odd, like a blunder.

And so we keep tweeting,
      with hopes it will stay
140 characters in
      thousands of tweets a day.

Reply, direct message,
      tweetdeck and tweetie
Addicted we are,
      to this website genie.

On update! On follow!
      on DM and retweet!
On hashtags! On handels!
      on new profile complete!

Awake in the morning,
      and a return to tweet-tweeting
We gather our hashtags,
      and hope for re-tweeting.

The future we've seen it,
      it's right here on Twitter
We'll stay here and tweet,
      we won't move, we'll just sit here.

The future is now,
      as we enter eleven
Our hopes they grow brightly,
      from Earth up to Heaven.

With a glow of the monitor,
      surrounding my room
Merry Christmas to all,
      I'll follow you soon!





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Vegas Draws in the Western Culture Experience

NFR in Review: The final days of the Wrangler’s National Finals Rodeo is rounding up, but rodeo fans are saddled up for stirring performances from all the participants to the very last hour.

Autograph sessions, a cowboy Christmas gift show, rodeo performances, and live entertainment have occupied WNFR fans throughout the week.

With an assortment of performance rounds, fans found themselves enthralled in the excitement that surrounded them in the dirt-lined arena. From bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping and barrel racing, there has been something for everyone to enjoy. 

Now with only one final weekend left of the event here is a bit of a recap of the excitement that has occurred over the past few days, to get up pumped up for the excitement that has yet to come.

With this weekend’s performance still ahead, the final outcomes of this year’s WNFR are still to be determined. These final performances in the remaining rounds will prove to be a test of skill and determination from each performer in an act to establish the top ranked rodeo professionals in the world. 

The WNFR scoreboard is updated and the current leading placeholders for the WNFR performance rounds are in and still up for final determination based on this weekend’s performance scores. In addition to the leading performers, below is a brief look into the specifics of each

            Bareback Riding: Justin McDaniel, (ranked 6 in the world) has an average score of 672.0/8

            Described as one of the most physically demanding events in rodeo. A bareback rider sits directly on the back of a bucking horse. During the ride, the cowboy’s feet must be above the break of the horse’s shoulders. He holds his feet up at least through the horse’s first move, usually a jump, then spurs the horse on each jump, matching the horse’s rhythm .

            Steer Wrestling: Billy Bugenig, (ranked 10 in the world) has an average score of 36.50/8

            This coordinating effort between two mounted cowboys (the contestant and a hazer

who controls the steer’s direction) requires the contestant to ride next to a sprinting steer, then dismounts from his horse, in an effort to grasp the steer’s horns and wrestle the steer onto its side.

            Team Roping:

            Team ropers work as partners: one header and one heeler who move in precise coordination. They and

their horses start in the “box.” When the header nods, the chute gate opens and the steer gets a head

start.

            Team Roping (Headers): Luke Brown, (ranked 6 in the world) has an average score of 48.10/8

            The header throws the first loop, which must catch the steer’s head or horns. He then wraps his rope around his saddle horn – and moves his horse to pull the rope taut and changing the direction of the steer.

            Team Roping (Heelers): Martin Lucero, (ranked 6 in the world) has an average score of 48.10/8

            After the header has completed his task, the heeler is to catch both of the

steer’s hind legs with his own rope. After the catch, the heeler also ties off his rope to stop the steer. When the ropes are taut and both horses face the steer, the time is recorded.

            Saddle Bronc Riding: Cody Wright, (ranked 1 in the world) has an average score of 681.5/8

            This riding requires a specific saddle. The rider’s boots must be above the breaks of the horse’s shoulders. The cowboy begins spurring in long, smooth strokes, in sync with the horse’s jumps. His only handhold is a six-foot braided rope and his free hand may not touch his equipment, his body or the horse.

            Tie-Down Roping: Fred Whitfield, (ranked 6 in the world) has an average score of 66.50/8

            A calf gets a head start out of the chute. The cowboy races up on his horse and throws a loop over its head; his horse stops and pulls the rope taut while the cowboy jumps off, dashes down the rope, lays the calf on the ground and uses a second rope to tie any three of its legs together.

            Barrel Racing: Sherry Cervi, (ranked 1 in the world) has an average score of 110.68/8

            This is an intense race against time, where riders race one at a time in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels set up in the arena.

            Bull Riding: J.W. Harris, (ranked 1 in the world) has an average score of 538.5/6

            The most dangerous and well-known rodeo event around, the primary goal is to stay on the back of a bucking bull for eight seconds while only holding on with one hand.

           

            With seven diverse events featured in the WNFR nightly, fans can expect nothing less than pure boot stomping and spur kicking excitement for the WNFR closing weekend. For more information on WNFR featured events, stats and rider scores visit www.nfrexperience.com/

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Triumph Over Coursework Angst

It started out like a typical loathing acquaintanceship. We didn’t see eye to eye on almost any issue. We argued at simple tasks and requests. We didn’t understand each other’s questions and when we did agree to cooperate, there were still major elements that were despised. During our first few weeks together I avoided interaction as much as possible, but as the final week approached things suddenly clicked. Dreamweaver and I were no longer enemies, but rather joining forces in a website designing rampage.

Throughout the course of the semester we have examined many elements of social media that I was already familiar with and participated in. The beginning of the semester started off as a recap of already existing practices and knowledge. As the class progressed I became exposed to new means of accomplishing the tasks I previously half hazzardly approached. While I had previously created websites for my blog and business with fill in the blank templates, creating one from a blank white screen was a new escapade I had yet to embark on.

After dissecting the developmental components of Dreamweaver, learning the idiosyncrasies of HTML/CSS codes and reconditioning myself to type in all lowercase letters I had finally warmed up to the process of designing a website from scratch. Once the process of putting my site to the server and typing with symbolic coding set in I was infatuated with the process of creative web design.

Both rewarding and functional, the skills acquired from learning Dreamweaver has allowed me to go beyond from filling in the blanks of a pre designed format and fully design a website from scratch, something I am very proud to announce.

Although it was a rocky start to learn and there were many frustrating ‘SOS’ e-mails and text messages exchanged between myself, and others knowledgeable in the program, I can now say that I look forward to future explorations into the world of web design.

As an aspiring all-platform journalist I am very excited at the idea that I may now incorporate one more element to my skill set that I may build upon and apply toward my career in journalism

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College 411

As I near the end of what seems like an extensive, yet simultaneously swift college career, I am left in a state of self-reflection and contemplation.

What have I learned? Over the years I have managed to write reports, research topics, read what once felt like endless assignments and then repeat everything that was taught during the dreaded finals week. 

Aside from the theories, the biographies, the skills and the common practices the things that have impacted me the most and that is worth sharing with every student in the world are the things that were not necessarily taught, but rather were simply just learned. 

• Take advantage of every opportunity, it’s the most random places that you meet some of your greatest resources
• Mac & Cheese and PB&J Sandwiches are reliable full meals 24/7
• Dishwashers are amazing…(you learn this your first month living in the dorms)
• Classes are only appreciated once you move on to higher-level courses
• Socially- college is just an extension of high school, only with a high dollar amount
• Parents help you out more than you realize and are amazing to have around…(One of the many things that are taken for granted when living at home)
• Peeling the shell off of a boiled egg is harder than your mom makes it look
• The best and most dependable friend you will ever have is yourself, be the person you want to be
• Dirty dishes add up fast
• Your best friends are the ones who offer to help you move without you asking
• Make friends for all occasions, have someone you can cry to, someone who can always make you laugh, someone to encourage you and someone to slap you upside the head when you screw up or start slacking
• Compliments, ice cream and hugs can solve almost any stress that arises
• Stressing is pointless… it won’t change the situation, so it’s best to always remain positive and optimistic no matter how impossible things feel
• Your teachers are your best resource. Get to know your teacher and you’ll get to know their network
• Homework is always easier when you actually complete the assigned readings
• 8 a.m. classes on a Monday morning should be carefully thought through before being attempted
• Never give up… persistence is an admirable trait
• If it is 100+ degrees outside, chances are the air conditioning has made it 60 degrees inside…bring a sweater
• Headphones are a great investment
• Learn to find a balance between studying and fun, it will keep you from going insane
• Just because the school serves it doesn’t mean it’s healthy…chances are if the school serves it often, question it’s nutritional value…consider making your own food
• Be an adult but keep your inner child near the surface ready to explore new things
• Gravitate toward people who are smarter than you, they will help bring you up to their level
• After being on your own for two years it will suddenly sink in with your parents that you are gone…if they suddenly cry at the thought of you growing up, be patient with them
• Sundays are much more relaxing if all your homework is already done
• Writing a 15-page research paper the day before it is due is not impossible but should be avoided to prevent exhaustion
• You will always have more brains and motivation than money…don’t let a small budget scare you away from striving for large goals
• Laundry adds up
• Get involved with different activities, even if you only do it once. Keep your mind active with new things outside of classes for an extra incentive to wake up in the morning
• You can get a lot more done during the day if you wake up before noon
• Times New Roman font was created by newspapers to fit as much text on a page as possible… if you have a page requirement and no font specifications try Arial instead (you didn’t hear this from me)
• Some of the best researchers and field experts may teach courses…they may also be some of the worst teachers, adapt, ask questions, join study groups and pick a different teacher the next time around
• When you find that one mentor-type professor take every possible class they teach
• Fear and nervousness are sources of adrenaline… embrace it and use it to accomplish all you can
• At the end of the day if you can honestly say that “you did your absolute best” then that’s really all that matters

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