911 Reports of Dahmer Case

Jeffery Dahmer is behind bars for killing a total 17 people and he is pleading insanity. Police officers found 11 mutilated bodies in the apartment of the 31 year-old. However, the transcripts of a 911 call have been released and there is evidence that some of these deaths could have potentially been prevented.
Knerak Sinthasomphone, one of Dahmer’s victims, had been spotted on the corner of 25th and State where Dahmer resided. The 911 transcripts reveal Glenda Cleveland, a resident of the neighborhood, called 911 to report a naked boy who was outside covered in bruises. Cleveland stated, “He’s been beaten up real bad…He can’t stand up…He has no clothes on. He is very hurt.”
In response, the dispatcher sent two officers to investigate the scene. The officers made homosexual remarks and reported the male to be seriously intoxicated. Dahmer of course had been briefly interviewed and he calmly explained the naked boy was his 19 year-old boyfriend.
Cleveland followed up by calling the officer saying her daughter flagged down a policeman after they walked up on a young child being molested by a male guy. She asked the police officer who old the boy was, to which he responded repeatedly that he was an adult. The officer said, “It’s all taken care of. It’s as positive as I can be. Ok. I can’t do anything about somebody’s sexual preferences in life.”
Cleveland replied by saying, “Well, no, I’m not saying anything about that, but it appeared to have been a child. This is my concern.”
The two officers have been suspended after the arrest of Jeffery Dahmer and his confession to this incident.

Minneapolis Police Dog Dies in Fall from Roof

A possible burglary was unfolding at the former Downtown Jaguar auto dealership around 8:15 Monday. The dog Chase, who had been on the force since 2007 was atop the building and fell to it's death. He was rushed to the University of Minnesota for medical treatment but nothing could be done. The three suspects were apprehended at the scene.

Stress Relief

My job is the main cause of stress in my life. I work at a fast paced customer service call center for a box company called ULINE. I take over 120 calls daily and by the end of the day of some days I'm ready to slam my fist through my computer screen. Luckily, I have a few ways to relieve stress to save myself, and my hands, a lot of pain.

The first and most sucessfull way is by heading directy to the gym after work. The nice thing about my company is they understand the pressure of dealing with customers, and they give us an amazing discount to Lifetime Fitness. After a long day, there is nothing better than revitalizing your body with a dose of healthy exercise. I crenk up the tunes on my Ipod and run through any issues I have lurking in my head. By the time I get off the treadmill I ususally have forgotten my troubles and feel great from the endorphins.

Another stress reliever is sitting down on my cozy couch and watching a good TV show or movie. I'm currently hooked on the show "LOST" and while I'm watching that show I am completely focused on all the entertainment it has to offer. I recommend this show to anyone!

Finally, I have my amazing boyfriend Ben, who is always willing to listen to me vent about my bad days. He is always on my side no matter how silly the issue might be. Somehow no matter how upset I am he puts a smile on my face and makes me feel so much better. Or if all else fails he pops open and hands me a cold beer.

Former Packer Brett Favre Leads Vikings to Victory

The Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers have always had an intense rivalry. In 2009 quarterback Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers signed on to begin playing quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. This decision sparked much attention in the football league and has caused much debate for all of the fans.

The Vikings have been on an almost undefeated roll with Favre as their leader. Favre already has achieved much fame and success in his career, along with several awards and recognitions including: most AP NFL MVP (most valuable player) awards, most consecutive starts by a quarterback, and most wins by a starting quarterback. According to officialbrettfavre.com, in the playoffs Favre stands behind Joe Montana in pass completions, passing touchdowns, passing yards, and passing attempts.

In a recent poll conducted through facebook, the question asked was, “Now that Brett Favre has joined the team, do you find yourself watching more games or tuning into how the Vikings are doing?” 20 people responded to the poll between the ages of 20-32. The results were as follows: 30 percent of the responders were already die hard Vikings fans that found themselves watching with higher expectations, 65 percent said they are watching more Vikings games now that the team is doing much better than past years, and 5 percent said they are not watching and do not care.

One of these true fans named Jason Kemp, a 25-year-old from Elk River, MN commented, “I have always been a huge Vikes fan and I know that they are way better now that they have Favre on the team, but it has no bearing on if I choose to watch them or not. All true Vikings fans hated Favre only because he was a Packer, but respected him as a quarterback because he is one of the best of all time. I love that we are actually trying to win a title this year by trying to get a high caliber player like Favre.”

The change from Packer to Viking has been hard on Favre himself, having to face the angry and betrayed packer fans in the game that took place in Green Bay. As he entered Lambeau Field, his one time home arena, the crowed welcomed him with boos and jeers. “I had mixed emotions coming in, because I know how special these fans are,” Favre said in an interview on espn.com. “I want to lead this Vikings team to a Super Bowl, believe me, I do. And I will do everything in my power.”

Other fans have been tuning in to Vikings games for reasons other than Favre. Meghan Forestell-Pearson, a 30-year-old college administrator says she used to only watch the game because her husband is a true Vikings fan. However recently she began taking a bigger interest in the team. “I watch more football than I have in the past. I think it's because they have a good team this year. Favre is part of that but they also got rid of a lot of the slime balls on that team. Go Vikes!”

Creationists hand out Darwin book with new intro

Earlier this week, a Christian group went to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus and passed out over 1000 free copies of Charles Darwins, "On the Origin of Species." This new book contained a 50 page intro that makes the case for creationism before Darwins classic work on evolution.

Flu Shots Unpopular to Young Adults

The H1N1 virus has gotten a lot of attention from the media in the past year and flu shots are hard to find, but where are they going? A recent poll shows that the majority of flu shots are not going to young adults between the ages of 18 to 29. The results show that two out of 50 of these young adults actually took the time to get vaccinated. The common response when asked if they had gotten the flu shot this year was, “I never get sick. I don’t need one.”

In addition to low numbers of young adults that did receive the flu shot, none of them were the new H1N1 vaccination. Many people are worried that this was rushed to market because of the recent scare, therefore are very uncomfortable with the idea of putting it into their bodies.

However, when speaking to young adults there were several misconceptions they had about the regular flu shot. “I had the flu shot once years ago and it made me sick,” said Erin Vander Wyst, a 22 year old college student. “They do offer the flu shot on campus but most of us will not even consider it.” Several other people shared this view point, that the flu shot is not preventative because it gives you the flu.

Some of the people interviewed even volunteered at a mass inoculation for kids ages 5-9. Having been exposed to the vaccine and having the education of the flu shot did not seem to help sway their opinions. “The inoculation was the closest I got to flu shots,” said Jarrod Hammer, a 26 year old volunteer.

Alyson Saunders, 19, responded to the poll by saying, “I did not get any shots, even when my work was giving them away free.” Like most of the others she was not educated on the benefits of the shot and that preventive action is the best defense against the flu.

E.T. Phone Rome

The Vatican has called in experts to study the possibility of of extraterrestrial life and its implications of the Catholic Church. The Vatican recently held a five day conference which included thirty scientist from all over the world. These scientists were Catholic and non-Catholic, and they were called to explore the issue of life forms on other worlds.

The Happiest Place on Earth

I have had the fortune of being able to travel with my family on many separate occasions. The most memorable and enjoyable of these travels was our entire family visit to Disney World. When my grandmother died in 2006, she left a lot of money with my Mom and Aunts. They decided to pool the money and buy everyone a plane ticket to Florida for Christmas. I had been to Disney World once before as a child, and honestly I thought it was much more fun as an adult. There is a reason why they call it the happiest place on earth, and I would go back in a second if I had the money.

My favorite theme park was MGM Studios, where I faced my ultimate fear, heights. I braved to ride the “The Hollywood Tower of Terror.” This is basically “Power Tower” in the dark. I am absolutely terrified of heights and free falls, but I decided to face my fears in memory of my grandmother. It was an amazing adrenaline rush which boosted my confidence and raised my bravery bar. Since then I have been able to do all kinds of other scary rides, included the Rip-Cord at Valleyfair which is basically the superman ride. Next year I’m planning to skydive for my 25th birthday.

It was in that magical place where I really discovered that the only thing holding you back from accomplishing your dreams are yourself. Anything can be done if you put your mind to it. Thanks Mickey!

Cub Foods ends gasoline promotion

Cub Foods ends their alliance with Holiday Gas station after two years of offering coupons. The last coupons have been printed and need to be honored by their expiration date. When spokesperson LeeAnn Jorgenson was asked why Cub decided to drop their program, she said, "The change allows us to provide greater value to our customers in other ways."

Halloween 2009

I spent the night before Halloween this year at Epic Nightclub downtown Minneapolis. Everyone was dressed up so it really felt like the 31st. This was a techno concert and there were so many creative costumes. I unfortunately didn't think to put on a costume that night, but everyone else picked up the slack. The most creative costume I saw was a man walking around in a full body one piece that was pure green that glowed in the black light. (see pictures) I also was very impressed by two girls who were working at the door dressed up as Mario and Luigi. Finally to top it all off, I ran into a group of 3 penguins, one actually took a picture with me. Penguins are my favorite animal so I was thrilled to meet a few! Halloween is the perfect time to show your creative side and be silly. I never fail to have a good time every October 31st, or October 30th this year!

A Professor's Love for Music Makes Life Fully Lived

“Music is so much a part of my life, it feels like eating or sleeping,” Professor Bergstrom has said about music enriching her life. Music was able to reach her when she was very young and has continued to enhance her life well into adulthood. Bergstrom has been teaching at Anoka Ramsey Community College for eight years, making classical music relevant for students to discover and appreciate.

When asked what the first musical moment which first affected her life, Bergstrom had a very unique memory. “My mother used to have my sister and I ‘sing’ conversations instead of speak them. It was playful, memorable, creative, and it made me think of music as being something improvisatory, free, and very powerful in communicating,” she said.

Her mother was able to inspire her musically while working with church music. The two of them have very similar personalities and are able to share ideas, resources, and help each other out in various jobs. Bergstrom even performs at her church whenever she goes home to visit her family.

She decided that singing was her passion in high school and also focused on instruments such as the piano and the flute. She began playing piano as soon as she could maneuver her walker over to the piano. From there she began piano lessons in first grade, but quit as soon as she could due to a major disliking of the actual lessons. She started studying voice once she was in high school and was able to understand where she wanted to go in her life. “I chose singing over piano or flute because of the connection it has with text, emotion, and communication,” she said about deciding to become a voice major in college.

Bergstrom attended Augsburg College in Minneapolis, going for a Bachelors Degree in Music, with a Voice Major. Also she had a minor in Organ and Flute performance. She went onto the University of Minnesota Twin Cities to accomplish her Masters Degree in Music and Choral conducting.

It was not until she graduated from Augsburg that she decided to pursue a job in the teaching field. “As I came to absolutely love directing church choir rehearsals and not just teaching them the notes and rhythms of the piece, but actually talking about the composer and why that person wrote this type of music or what was happening in the world when the piece was written,” Bergstrom said. “I got so much energy and joy and fulfillment out of that role, I decided to pursue conducting and teaching, rather than performing as the primary focus of my career.”

Bergstrom has been selected as an “Emerging Conductor,” and was honored to conduct the Minnesota Chorale, which is the choir that sings with the Minnesota Orchestra. One of her composition has also won the Cincinnati Children’s Choir Composition, which was performed last March. She has been composing since college after taking lessons there and in graduate school. Bergstrom mostly likes to compose for competitions not to win them, although she says it is an added bonus, but they serve her well as a deadline so she will have more discipline to work hard on them.

Bergstrom says the best part of her job is taking witness to music in the life of her students. “Watching or reading about a student’s reaction to the first time hearing Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings or seeing and hearing the thrill of a choir performing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus with a professional orchestra, nothing is better than that!”

H1N1 Closes Some Schools in Metro

The H1N1 flu virus outbreaks are being reported at several Twin City schools. Some schools are closing and others are are altering their instructions for absent students. The numbers of schools reported with an outbreak reach a number of 288 last week.