Britney on "Glee" - by Kristy

Fox's hit show "Glee" featured Britney Spears on last night's episode. Over 13 million viewers tuned in to see the pop princess-themed episode. The cast performed several of her earlier career hits, such as "...Baby One More Time", "Stronger", and "I'm a Slave 4 U". After the recent difficult years Britney has gone through, it was great to see her in such a positive light again. She is an amazing performer and has worked hard for her career and I think she deserves to be praised more for all she has done to shape the entertainment industry. I am happy that "Glee" recgonized her in this way.

Quotes to Perk Up Your Monday -by Kristy

Happy Monday everyone. I thought today might be a good day to share a couple motivational quotes from Values.com, hope you enjoy!

“After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.”

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”

“There's only us, there's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road, no other way, no day but today.”

“Don't be afraid to be amazing.”

Facebook founder donates millions to struggling school district - by Monica

Photo credit: thenextweb
Original article: Facebook founder's $100M gift could change Newark

A guy at work was talking to us yesterday that he doesn't know anyone who worries more about money and are more stingy with their money than the rich. He said that the richest people he knows are the ones who are constantly looking at how to get more money and are the least likely to donate their money to those in need.

To me, this seemed like a very sad fact.

So, when reading the Oakland Press today, I was happy to read about the donation a very rich man is giving to a school district in need.

You would have to live under a rock not to know what Facebook is. And Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old founder of Facebook who is worth $4 billion, is giving an $100 million stock donation to Newark, New Jersey's education.

He is expected to announce this donation today at 4 p.m. on Oprah.

Zuckerberg is one of high-tech's more generous philanthropists.

According to the article in the Oakland Press by AP writers GEOFF MULVIHILL and SAMANTHA HENRY:

The Newark district, which has about 40,000 students and a $940 million annual budget, has been plagued for years by low test scores, poor graduation rates and crumbling buildings, and was taken over by the state in 1995 after instances of waste and mismanagement, including the spending of taxpayer money by school board members on cars and restaurant meals.

We all have the ability to help those in need -- whether we are rich or poor or whether by donating our time or our money. There will always be people worse off than we are. And for Zuckerberg, there are many people who are worse off than he is. And he is using the money he has made to help those who are in need instead of hoarding it all for himself.

My dream of reporting from D.C. came true (well...sort of) - by Monica

So, as I have talked about before -- a couple of weeks ago I went on vacation to Virginia to visit my boyfriend's brother and went to D.C. for three days. Well, being the journalism nerd that I am, I fell in love while in D.C. I fell in love with a museum I didn't even know existed.

It's called the Newseum, and I really can't believe it's not more popular than it is. Housed in the Newseum are hundreds and hundreds of headlines and newspaper articles of memorable events, award-winning journalists' photography, a few of Elvis' jumpsuits, a piece of the Berlin wall, the top of the World Trade Center and a chunk of the Pentagon. There was also a gift shop (where I bought the above coffee cup). Sadly, there was no Oakland Press articles there (laaame)...only Detroit Free Press articles. I'm hoping in the years to come, I can help change this *wink*wink*.

But anyway, one of my favorite parts of being at the museum was making my own mock broadcast. Seeing myself reporting from "the White House" was surreal, something I always wondered what it would look like (even if I was actually standing in front of a green screen):

Detroit - by Kristy

Tomorrow night on ABC a new show will premiere called Detroit 1-8-7. It's a drama about crime and law enforcement in, you guessed it, Detroit. I think this is a great and exciting thing for the city. So often people have the tendency to look at Detroit in a negative light. I hope this show can put a different spin on the views people have. If Detroit was really a waste, then movies and television shows wouldn't be flocking here like they have the past couple years to film. Detroit has a lot to offer and it's cool to see Hollywood take notice. Many movie stars have admitted their apprehensions towards filming in Detroit, only to immediately take it all back after they actually visit. I think this new show and new spotlight on the city is an inspiring story. It proves that things aren't always as they seem and if you look hard enough you can see beauty in something that may seem rundown at first glance.

A new window of opportunity - by Monica

I know that following your dreams is a common subject I talk about. But after a horrible week (which I know isn't happy news), I came across this article in the Oakland Press by Catherine Galasso, who's syndicated columns are published worldwide. And it really helped me to keep my head up despite the bad news it felt like I kept getting dished this week.

I know that when you're going through tough times, the last thing you want to hear is, "Sometimes bad things happen so better things can fall into place." "But it hurts NOW," you think. The last think you care about is that, in the future, it will get better.

But I learned this week that if you keep wallowing in it, it is less likely that things will get any better any time soon. That's what inspired me by Galassso's article. When you want something, you need to WORK at it. You can just sit back and feel sorry for yourself because you aren't getting what you wanted.

Galasso wrote, Yesterday, I received an email from a reader who lost a job that she really loved and feared she would never find anything quite as good. Rather than focusing on uncertainties, she looked ahead and began to see in her mind’s eye new possibilities for her future and pursued them. “A few months later,” she wrote, “I found another job right around the corner from home, with the same exact hours as before, and the salary was even better.”

Meet Henrik Zetterberg - by Kristy

Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings will be doing an autograph signing on Thursday September 23rd at Hockeytown Authentics in Troy. Not only do fans have a great opportunity to meet Hank the Hunk but it's also for a good cause. In exchange for a wristband to guarantee your autograph, fans need to either bring a smoke detector or a $10 donation which supports the Red Wings foundation and local fire departments.

Unfortunately I have plans that day which will prevent me from attending, but luckily Hank is one of the few Red Wings players I have already had the chance to meet. If you can, make sure you take advantage of this awesome opportunity! It supports the community and you walk away with an autograph from one the National Hockey League's finest.