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Posted via email from gracelim's posterous

We are the Champions- The Contest

In a thinly veiled guise as a teachable moment, I had asked my students in the Intro to Journalism and Mass Communication class to come up with a video of them playing Queen's We are the Champions song. Why? Since the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, I had been playing a different version of the song 5 minutes before each class. The first day, we heard the Gregorian Chant's version, then Green Day's take. With 110 students, I figured surely more than a few of them could do as well if not better.

For the record, this is completely voluntary. No grades are attached to this exercise that demonstrates the ease of disseminating a message to the masses. However, there is a prize that has yet to be determined, but assuredly will be worth all the trouble.

Let me know what you think. Play nice.

Entry No. 1.
To watch on YouTube, click here.



Entry No. 2
Note: This was filmed in widescreen. To see the entire video, click here.

So You Want to be a Journalist

The Hottest Women at UW Oshkosh

The sizzling hot (literally) women (and men) are in Teresa Lind's Advanced Sculpture class at UW Oshkosh, where they learn to pour metal and make beautiful 3-D pieces. For journalists, immersed in the 2-D mediums, metal pouring was an awesome sight to behold.

Student journalists Kristen Manders and Mai Yeng Xiong and I managed to stay away from the 2,000+ degrees Fahrenheit crucible. Can't imagine what the sculpture students who were handling the crucible were feeling. We used two Kodak Zi8 to film the pouring. By the end, the plastic casing on the little cameras were smoking hot. Shawn McAfee of UW Oshkosh Learning Technologies came along to take still photos.

Sculpture instructor Teresa Lind oversaw the metal pour, which ran like a Broadway production. Everyone had a role and everyone must by in sync. Unlike a play, however, a misstep in a metal pour could mean a trip to the ER.

The following video is a preview of the upcoming story on Teresa Lind, her students and the wondrous beauty of hot metal pour.

What in the World is Trent Eating? [A Baptism by Fire Segment]

After a hard day of shooting, we all sat down and had a hearty late, late meal. Trent's heartier than most. He opted for the 40-ounce cheeseburger that Trent ordered. As much of a foodie as I am, I have to say I was taken aback by the size of the bun. Trent's meal was like a circus sideshow all by itself. Other diners came up to take photographs. Mark wanted to charge $25 a photo. That's the young entrepreneurial spirit!

Dinner and an Opera

One of Tracy's former students (named Joe) suggested that we head to Victor's Cafe on 1303 Dickinson St. in Philly. This cafe is staffed by young opera singers, who will break into an aria every 20 minutes. Our waiter T.J. was terrific. (Yes, I secured his permission to videotape his performance.)

Every time one the wait staff starts singing, Tracy braces herself. The tough political scientist is a music soft touch.

Doug proclaimed to our taxi driver that we all had given the restaurant 4 stars for a total of 16 stars!