Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
YouTube has been involved with its viewers since it first began back in 2005. Back in May, YouTube dedicated a whole week to comedians, naming it Comedy Week. That week, the website highlighted hilarious videos, comedians, and YouTube users so that everyone could get a good laugh.
Now, YouTube is promoting Geek Week. And, of course, this special week is being dedicated to science-related videos while throwing in a little video gaming fun and some Star Wars videos into the mix. The website will be launching some type of geeky riddles every morning of this week. You can try to solve the puzzles yourself by logging on to your very own YouTube account.
The riddles, known as “Easter Eggs” are hidden throughout the websites with geeky videos that may be along the lines of these topics: comic books, video games, and IQ Tests. Yesterday, the Easter Egg clue was found, but it was written in a different language. After decoding the Huttese language, the new clue to be searched by all users was: “Use the force, Luke.” All people who searched this phrase in the YouTube search bar found all of their YouTube channels, videos, and items hovering on their internet page.
With more Easter Eggs to be found throughout the week, users are flocking to the website to help decode the daily riddle. Aside from the games and opportunities YouTube is offering for the next few days, many teachers and educators are finding Geek Week very helpful while they are making their yearly plans for their classes.
YouTube is used in many classrooms across the United States because of its variety of videos. Geek Week has been highlighting a bunch of science-related videos, experiments, and helpful study aids for science classrooms for kids and students of all ages.
To help get some science-y classroom tips and ideas, you can get on YouTube and check out their playlists. They have a variety of scientists with their very own YouTube channels and accounts that post easy to do and fun experiments. There are also many lessons and videos to help in all different science classes, including Physical Science, Biology, and Chemistry.
Here’s the schedule for the rest of Geek Week so you can log on and check out their videos:
Blockbuster Sunday, Global Geekery Monday, Brainiac Tuesday, Super Wednesday, Gaming Thursday, Fan Friday, and Best of Saturday.
Be sure to log on and check it out for yourself!
Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Cape Girardeau, Missouri – Breast cancer has become an enormous problem for many women across America throughout the past few decades. Scientists and doctors have stressed the importance of getting checked for this common type of cancer but sadly, the process of a mammogram is much too expensive for some women to afford. There are many organizations that help fund recurring problems such as this one, but a local team of girls created their own way to help out with the cause.
Five different female swim teams from Cape Girardeau, Saxony Lutheran, Jackson, St. Vincent (from Perryville), and Poplar Bluff created and sold “Splash Out Cancer” T-shirts in order to help the cause.
"It made me feel like I was helping and making a difference with people," said Cape Central Freshman Josey Powell.
The girls all enjoyed selling the T-shirts and explaining the cause and the importance of their sales. They claimed that what made it even better was that it was their very own idea and their actions that lead to their end result and their success.
The five swim teams raised money for “Dig For Life”, a program at Saint Francis Medical Center that helps donate to women who can not afford mammograms.
The girls explained that once they talked to a handful of people in their very own community about their cause, they began to realize how many people really could not afford the needed procedure and that the cause “hit home” for a lot of them. The more they talked to local women, the more it fueled them to keep selling T-shirts, but they were not just T-shirts to the swimmers. Instead, the girls looked at the T-shirts as a way to help these women continue their lives with less stress and worrying about the thought of breast cancer but had no way of knowing for sure.
Once the sales ended, the five teams totaled their sales and came up with a profit of nearly $1500, which was completely donated to the Saint Francis Medical Center and the Dig For Life program. The girls did not only learn from this experience, but many claimed that they grew from it and that they look forward to doing it again next year.
The other swim teams at Cape Girardeau High School wanted to join in with the cause. The other sports have Dig Pink games and Hoops for Hope games but swimming was a little left out of the loop for breast cancer awareness. The T-shirt sales helped them become apart and help spread awareness not only in their high school, but throughout their community.
Submitted by
Dee Loflin SMT Manager/Writer
Jefferson City, Missouri - The Missouri Arts Council is looking for arts heroes—people, organizations, and communities who have made significant contributions to the state’s cultural well-being, to receive the 2014 Missouri Arts Awards. The council is seeking nominations in six categories: Arts Education, Arts Organization, Creative Community, Individual Artist, Leadership in the Arts, and Philanthropy.
The Creative Community category can be made up of groups from arts districts, business districts, tax districts, and neighborhood associations. Nominees in the Philanthropy category may be non-Missouri residents as long as they benefit a nonprofit Missouri arts organization. Nominees in the other five categories must be current Missouri residents or Missouri-based organizations or communities.
The award recipients will be announced in October and the ceremony will be held on February 5, 2014, in the Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City.
Missouri Arts Awards recipients are selected by an independent panel of distinguished representatives of the arts community throughout the state. Cynthia Cartwright chairs the panel, vice chair of Missouri Arts Council and Trust Board.
The deadline to nominate artists is August 26, 2013 (mailed nominations must be postmarked by the 26th). Online nominations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. For more information, go toartsheroesneeded.com or contact Virginia Sanders, Missouri Arts Awards coordinator at 314-340-6851 or artsawards@ded.mo.gov. Individual artists can nominate themselves.
About the Missouri Arts Council
The Missouri Arts Council is a division of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The council provides support to nonprofit organizations through grants that meet our strategic goals:
• Increase participation in the arts in Missouri
• Grow Missouri’s economy using the arts
• Strengthen Missouri education through the arts
The Missouri Arts Council awards grants to organizations to stimulate the growth, development, and appreciation of the arts in Missouri. This funding makes possible quality arts programming to communities throughout Missouri. In addition to financial assistance, the Missouri Arts Council provides expertise in community development, fundraising, marketing, grant writing, arts education, artistic disciplines (visual arts, music, literature, theater, dance, festivals, and film/media), and more.
Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Essex, Missouri – Winston Churchill once said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”
Something about this quote seems to sum up everything there is to being a horseback rider. Horses have been called gentle giants and the sport of horseback riding is quickly growing and is taking America by storm. It is attracting people of all ages from all different parts of the country in more ways than one. Although horseback riding is known as an outdoor recreational sport and activity, it is much more than that.
Kayla Uhles, a senior at Richland High School and a local rodeo star, has spent her summer offering beginner horseback riding lessons to students and local kids. She is offering beginner horseback riding lessons, barrel racing, and pole bending lessons (both beginner and intermediate). Uhles has taken many, many lessons from various accomplished trainers and currently competes in multiple rodeo events. She has been around horses from a very early age and fell in love with every aspect of the sport; and now she is willing to pass it on to others.
These lessons include learning multiple things that are crucial for beginner riders. These lessons will include: safety, tacking up, riding, unsaddling, and general horse knowledge and care. As the teacher, Uhles created ways to work on balance and confidence with her students by playing all sorts of games and other fun activities.
Horseback riding has been proved to help the riders in more ways than one. Even though it is thought as a “passive activity”, horseback riding is actually a great way to exercise and helps with cardiovascular movements as well as muscle conditioning. There have also been multiple studies and the interaction with the horse helps in both mental and psychological ways and benefits the rider in numerous ways.
Aside from the beginner lessons, Uhles will also be offering rodeo event lessons which will include arena time with the teacher’s well trained horses. During this time, the students will learn about position, horsemanship, mental preparedness, pattern work, and various types of drills.
Uhles owns both a large sand round pen, a small and large pasture, a tilled arena, and many trails to work on with her students. She also provides all equipment that will be needed during their lesson time, which includes: tack, helmet, and the horse.
The young rodeo star has well trained horses that are perfect for both very beginner riders who are fresh to the saddle and riders who may need a more advanced horse for their lessons. Both horses that are used are very well mannered and experienced and have competed in many, many rodeo competitions.
Lessons with Kayla Uhles and her horses are $25 per hour. If the student wishes to use their own horse, it is only $20 per hour. Uhles is available Wednesday through Saturday until mid August and then will be available throughout the entire week. If you wish to sign up for lessons or ask questions, feel free to call 1-573-258-1162.
Article Submitted to
ShowMe Times
news@showmetimes.com
Poplar Bluff, Missouri – Schultz Surveying and Engineering, Inc. (SSE) was chosen by Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AECI) to perform surveying services on over 700 acres of land near their New Madrid Power Plant location.
The land was purchased by AECI in 2012 to construct a railroad spur from the main Burlington Northern line west of Highway 61 to the Cotton Belt line running to their power plant. The property no longer needed for the project is being auctioned off by AECI on July 12th. Before selling the property AECI knew they would need to provide accurate legal descriptions and maps for the real estate transaction.
The survey included 8 tracts of land comprising just over 700 acres in southeast Missouri along the Mississippi River. SSE owner Stan Schultz stated, “As a rural resident I love working with our cooperatives and AECI is a great group to work for. We have also helped Sho-Me Power, Clay County Electric, Black River Electric and several other cooperatives before. Having a staff that understands what it takes to produce and deliver electricity to rural Missourians makes working for our electrical cooperatives very enjoyable.”
Don Berry, R.L.S. of SSE concluded ‘The survey and subsequent plats, as well as the full-color aerial map we provided were a bit above the routine, but because this property was being auctioned off we knew the potential buyers would want a good view of what they were bidding on. I always enjoy working for AECI because their folks are so professional and Mr. Murray gave very clear instructions.”
Schultz Surveying and Engineering is a Missouri based civil engineering company with offices in Poplar Bluff, Branson, Lake Ozark and Doniphan. They have provided surveying and GIS services to a variety of utility clients including city owned electric utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and for-profit utilities such as AMEREN UE.
Additionally, they have done small, medium and large survey projects for MoDOT, the USACE, and many cities, large corporations, small businesses, and private individuals. To learn more about their services please visit www.schultzengineering.com
