Article of the day: UPMC hospitals ban sale of Post-Gazette from their gift shops (taken from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Before I go further in this post, it would be helpful if you read this article to understand what I'm talking about:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/pittsburgh-company-news/2015/06/24/UPMC-hospitals-ban-sale-of-Post-Gazette-from-their-gift-shops/stories/201506240066

Of course, I know your time is valuable, so if you don't want to read it, here's a brief overview. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) officials are banning the sale of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspapers in medical center facilities because the officials don't approve of the way journalists are covering the hospital.

I love this article so much. I love it NOT for the fact that I agree with big corporations and the way the United States's capitalism has gone. Rather, I love this article for the fact that journalists are standing up to big business.

When I was in university for my journalism training, one of the key things my professor pounded into our heads over and over again was that we weren't to take bribes from anyone. Don't take any free vacations, free hotel stays, free dinners. Don't take anything, because then the companies will come back at you if you don't portray them in the best light possible and attack you. That then sets you up for the possibility of a bias, because let's face it: no one likes getting yelled at.

Many people like to think that journalists are just out to cater to big business and aren't looking out for the little guys, in this case the American public. That isn't the case for paper journalists, not a lot of them anyway. In some cases, it is true, but that's more so in TV news media.

No one says it better like Post-Gazette publisher John Robinson Block:

"The Post-Gazette is edited without regard to any special interest, and our news columns are not for sale, at any price...we have been here since 1786, and have as our purpose the same goal that UPMC was established for -- to serve the public's interest, not a narrow purpose."

"...To serve the public's interest, not a narrow purpose." A lot more people need to keep this in mind, journalists, corporate heads and the American public alike."

When in Doubt...

I have been trying to find free email templates or HTML codes for the last two days. I cannot find any to save my life, not anything I like, really. So, when it doubt, you just have to work with what you have.

Currently, I'm working on a notification email about our upcoming three-hour panel on home buying and veterans. Harvey's show (RERNLV) is teaming up with Veterans Talk on Saturday, May 23rd at Club Fortune Casino . The show will be on from 11 AM to 2 PM.

It's a little hard at the moment, though. Because this is a collaboration, Harvey wanted to get some tips on advertising and promotion for the event. I want to wait before I get an email back before I do anything, but I also don't.

For the email, I was thinking an American flag in the header, since this IS a military panel and it's happening on Memorial Day weekend. The only issue, like I said, is waiting on what the hosts of the other show advise.

We shall see!

Flag Desecration: It's Never Okay

I usually watch what I say before I blast something out for the entire world to see on the Internet, but I read something today that angers me to no end.

At Valdosta State University in Georgia (that's right - this happened in the South), university officers detained an Air Force veteran after she picked up the American flag protesters had on the ground (full story can be found here).

My father is in the Army National Guard. He was previously in the Navy before switching to the National Guard, and he has served his country for over 20 years. I have several friends and family members who have and are currently serving in the United States military, protecting the public's rights including the right to protest.

As a journalist, I am by NO MEANS arguing that these protesters don't have the right to demonstrate nor am I arguing that they don't have the freedom of speech. There is, however, a very fine line that you don't crossed, and these idiots crossed it.

What's worse, university officials and campus police have now crossed it as well. The American flag is not to be desecrated in any manner. By not correcting the protesters, they are condoning this type of behavior which can and will cause issues in the future.

Now, I am aware that it is a basic right to have the right to PEACEFULLY assemble. However, I strongly believe that it isn't "peaceful" when you're desecrating the American flag. These students should face punishment for what they did. The veteran stood up for what she believes in. She fought for that flag, for the right to not have it desecrated like that, fought for THEIR RIGHT to protest, and she's the one facing all of the punishment?

I don't think it's right. Not one little bit.

A Brand New Chapter

We already know that our lives are books. We know this through traditional speeches given to us on certain occasions: first day of school, first job, high school graduation, post-high school job/getting accepted to college, college graduation, and so on and so forth.

Those are life's major chapters, but we go through minor chapters in our lives as well, such as moving to a new city or moving to a new house. In my particular place, one chapter is closing and another one is beginning as I get ready to move once again.

Moving isn't a new thing to me. I've been moving around since I was a baby for my dad's job or watching over our old house until it sold, whatever the reason was. I moved last year in July from Pennsylvania to Las Vegas, to a small apartment almost on the far outskirts of the city, and now, I'm getting prepared to move again.

My current apartment is lovely, don't get me wrong. It has a spacious kitchen where my best friends and I all sat on the floor and got into some pretty heavy conversations about our pasts. There's the small little dining nook with a blue accent wall where we'd play cards or sit and talk while we got ready to go out on Friday nights. The open living room had enough space for at least six of us, if not more, all crowded on my futon or air mattress when we had our "girl parties," as Riney referred to them. Then there's the bathroom with the garden tub my mother would die for, and the master bedroom with a walk-in closet that could easily sleep three people. It's a gorgeous place for starting out, and it's served its purpose well, but now, it's time to move on.

My lease expires at the end of this month. After that my rent skyrockets by $65 a month, which it's ridiculously high already, I think, for a one bedroom, anyway, but real estate IS all about location, location, location. Now that I'm on one of the best Berkshire Hathaway teams not only in Nevada, but in the entire country (our team is called Brown Blankfeld Group - come check us out), I could have an agent helping me find a place. Our one property manager set me up on a search, and we looked at properties last Saturday.

I found a few that I liked, but one I really fell in love with. It was a courtesy listing, which meant the owner used a Realtor just to list the property and see if she got any leads. I loved the place, and it was closer to work, which was something I was strongly looking at. I put in an application, got accepted, and that was supposed to be that.

Yes, that would be that...in a perfect world.

As it turns out, I'm not as entirely sold on this property as I thought I was. After consulting with my boss, the office manager, and the property manager, I decided to take a look at ONE more property...and after looking at it, I knew THIS ONE was THE one.

It's a gorgeous 1st-floor unit in a gated community two blocks from my job, straight up the road. It has a GORGEOUS kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. The dining room is a separate little area all of its own, as is the laundry room. The living room is sunken in with a fireplace and everything. There's a small hallway into the bathroom, and the hallway boasts linen storage, which is perfect for my towels and washcloths. The bathroom itself has a much larger tub than I have at this complex, with gorgeous tile accents. The master bedroom is tricky. It looks like it's just a room with a mirror. Surprise, though, as the mirror turns out to be a door to the closet!

As soon as we saw the unit, I was sold. I had to get my application in that day. I had to; there was no other choice. Luckily, the agent was a Berkshire Hathaway agent as well, and we met up an hour later for me to turn in everything. I checked my email today, and there was a lease waiting for me to sign sitting pretty in my inbox. Needless to say, I got accepted!

I'm really excited. I'm going to go over the lease with my boss on Monday, and then sign it and hand over the signed lease and most of the funds this week. I'm going to try to see if we can split up the cleaning deposit at all, or even possibly get it waived, but I'm really happy with my decision.

I'm just trying to remain positive that everything will go smoothly until I get the keys!

Just A Little Excited...

I will preface this by saying never before have I been on a cruise. I was on an overnight ferry from Portsmouth, England to Le Harve, France, but let’s be real. That doesn’t count.

That being said, I didn’t know what to really expect when my boss told our team he planned a team cruise. You see, we’re a close-knit team of real estate professionals (aside from myself and the office manager - we’re administrative staff), kind of like a professional family of sorts, so we do a lot of great team events. This is one of them.

I expected a cruise ship to be…I don’t know, stuffy, I guess? You see how much fun people have on those Disney Cruises, and since I knew this wasn’t a Disney Cruise, I didn’t know really what all was going to be included. Of course there was going to be some kind of bar, the pool, and the casino. But what if there wasn’t anything else but the shore excursions to do? I was a bit nervous.

Fast forward to tonight, though. I decided to do a little research as our cruise is coming up at the end of this month. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO AND SEE AND ENJOY ON THIS FREAKING SHIP. I’m almost disheartened that the trip is only four days!

We’re taking Carnival Imagination, and it’s packed with so many things to do and see on the ship. There’s the pool, mini-golf, lounges, the casino, the bar, room service, dancing, concerts, game nights, a library…it’s literally packed!

…Which reminds me. I’m not. So much to do…and 26 days left!

Marketing Plan Sample - 5 Simple Steps to Market Any Business

The Art of Job Hunting

Out in the North American forests, a hunter sips their coffee in a tree stand at 5 a.m. and waits for the perfect prey to stumble into the cross-hairs of their rifle. They waits four hours or maybe even more when they spot it. There, right in front of their sight, is a large eight-point White-Tailed buck gnawing on some grass.

The hunter is stealthy as they grab their rifle, line up the shot, and take it. The buck tries to bound away, but he falls a few yards later, dead as a door nail. The hunter drags the deer from the forest and takes it to a meat processor, and has the choice to get the deer stuffed as a trophy.

You're more than likely wondering what the point of that story was. You see, the deer trophy to that hunter is a work of art. It's something they can mount on the wall or stuff the whole thing and display it, something that they can be proud of and say, "Yes, I shot that. This was my doing." Hunting in general can be seen as an art medium. In that respect, so can job hunting.

I know. It's a strange analogy, but work with me here.

Before a hunter gets a license, they need to determine what kind of prey they want to go after. For all intents and purposes, let's go with deer. A hunter chooses deer. You are the hunter. The deer is a real world job.

After you pick your prey, you have to go through the procedures of obtaining a hunting license and gathering hunting equipment. The hunting equipment symbolizes your workforce skills. The license is any experience or any degree you obtain.

You have your prey, your equipment, and your license. All that's left is the actual act of hunting itself, right? You have to start early, but not too early as you might miss something in the darkness, or a better opportunity down the road. You skulk trough the woods, and you notice a lot of tree stands or hunters muddling around. Remember, you are not the only hunter out there. There could only be one deer that travels through your selected patch of woods. You could all be vying for that one deer. It's best to put yourself out there ahead of time and get your equipment set up, so if that deer comes into your sights you can snag it quickly.

That brings up another point, though. You should make sure your equipment fits you and the prey you're going after. You wouldn't bring a rifle to harpoon a whale, or a harpoon to shoot a deer. Make sure your equipment matches the prey you want, and hone that equipment so you're better qualified to shoot your prey.

You are now that hunter sipping coffee at 5 a.m. while you sit in your tree stand and wait for the perfect job to cross your path. Your eyes scroll the landscape of online job postings, and you polish your resume so you can start shooting at jobs. 

Not every shot is a hit. Sometimes, successful hits aren't rewarded with instant gratification like a job offer (or the death of the deer, if you're keeping up with the analogy).

Sometimes, you have to follow the injury trail and keep after the prey before finally having it in your grasp.

It may take several hours, several days, or in some cases several weeks before you finally have your prey in your grasp. When you get it, though, you'll be just like the hunter who gets their deer mounted: proud, beaming, because for the time being, you have mastered the art of job hunting.