Author: mlavens

The Rise of Digital

Posted on by mlavens in PR&CC: 1070

The internet is still pretty young, yet it seems like it has been around forever.  That’s because of the rise of digital communications and social media happened so quickly.

Digital communication is in our daily lives.  Cell phones aren’t just for talking anymore.  With texting, apps, skype and so much more, cell phones are basically the world in the palm of our hands.  The new rise of digital communication has caused humans to worry less about face to face interaction.  Instead, I can pick up my iPhone and send a quick text to my roommate letting her know that I picked up dinner.  Or I can send a funny reply to a tweet from my best friend living in Nashville.  Ten years ago, that wasn’t possible.

At that point, I had my first cell phone.  The best part about it…I could call my friends without having to use the house phone.  Now, people don’t even have landlines.  Instead they use cell phones, tablets, computers, and so much more to communication.

So what has this done to our society?  It’s turned us into a media sharing society.  It’s much easier to get information in this new digital age.  People are getting their news from Facebook or Twitter and sharing stories or products on blogs or Pinterest.  Just last night I was on Twitter and saw a tweet from The New York Times about Apple creating an internet radio source to compete with Pandora.

This was the first I had heard of anything like that.  I clicked on the link and read the article.  Following that, I retweeted it myself and within minutes, I had followers retweet it or reply to it.  And my guess would be, most of these followers, saw the post on Twitter before seeing it in the New York Times or other newspapers.

The rise of the digital era has changed the way people live in the past few years, and with the continued creation of social media websites and phone applications, the digital era will continue to change and so will our style of communication.

2012 NHL Free Agent Watch

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

Today is the third day for free agents in the NHL to make deals with the teams.  There are still two big players that everyone is waiting on: NJ Devils Captain, Zach Parise, and Nashville Predators Defenseman, Ryan Suter.

The twitter-verse has been blowing up the past few days about where these player will end up.  Parise made the decision to return home to Minnesota yesterday to further discuss his options with his family.  Many people feel that this means he may be moving back to Minnesota for good.  The Minnesota Wild are just one of many teams interested in signing with him.

What I find hard to believe is that Parise would want to leave the New Jersey Devils after this past year. The New Jersey Devils made it to the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and forced a Game Six on the Los Angeles Kings, who had not seen a Game Six until then.  Also, goaltender Marty Bourder, resigned with the New Jersey Devils for another two years.  It just seems to me, that with all the success he has had in Jersey, he’d feel stronger about staying there.

Of course, players change teams for all kinds of reasons.  As people have been saying, maybe he wants to be back home in Minnesota, so the Wild is a better fit for him.  There are so many ways this decision could go.

Does he want to come home to play in front of family and friends? Does he want to go to teams with strong franchise history and play with Sid and Geno, Toews and Hossa, Datsyuk and Zetterberg? Or does he want to return to the place he knows and is comfortable with in New Jersey?  Hopefully today we’ll have an answer.

Ryan Suter is also taking his time in making a decision.  The rumor mill has been flying around about him as well.  Since Jordin Tootoo signed with the Detroit Red Wings, people have said there is a strong possibility that Suter would too.  The Red Wings have a strong franchise and with a familiar face already here, he might be inclined to come to Hockeytown.

Sources also say the Suter is strongly considering the Minnisota Wild.  Could Parise and Suter become the new dream team with the Wild?

If you want to keep track of what is happening within the NHL, check out the free agent tracker.  And check back for more updates!

Wallenda Walks the Wire into History

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

Nik Wallenda Niagara FallsNIAGARA FALLS, NY – Passport in hand, Nik Wallenda makes history as he crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope wire.  Wallenda is the first person to walk on a tightrope 1,800 feet across the misty and windy roar of Niagara Falls. And to add to the difficulty, he did this in the dark.

Taking steady steps through the mist over the falls, he made his way across in roughly a half hour.  Wallenda had to face high winds, a wet wire, and a harness that he’s never walked with before.  During the walk, he prayed.  And as he reached the end, he bent down to one knee and thanked all the fans cheering on during his journey, and ended with a little dance along the wire.

When he arrived in Canadian, not only was he met by his family, he was also met by two custom agents.  When they ask him what the purpose of his trip to Canada was, he said, “to inspire people all over the world.”  He surely did that tonight with over 125,000 people watching on site, and millions more watching at home. It wasn’t until four minutes before he reached the Canadian side of the falls, that he could actually hear the crowd cheering him on.  With the noise of the falls, he couldn’t hear anything from those watching his amazing feat.

So what’s next for Nik Wallenda?  During a follow up interview with ABC, Wallenda stated he is planned on crossing the Grand Canyon.  This will be a mile long walk, which is almost three times as long as the walk he completed at Niagara Falls.  Wallenda says that it is in his blood to do this, and he always tells people “my great-grandfather passed on from generation to generation is to not give up.”  With inspiration like that, surely Nik Wallenda will continue to amaze the world with all his daredevil stunts.

*Note: This article is written by a private writer and not affiliated with any major news organizations.

Kings Capture Royal Reward: Lord Stanley’s Cup

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

2012 Stanley Cup Champions: LA KingsLOS ANGELES, CA – It’s been 45 since the formation of the Los Angeles Kings, and tonight they made history by winning their first Stanley Cup.  It took six games for the Kings to reach this milestone in the franchise’s history, but with a 6-1 final score against the New Jersey Devils, the Stanley Cup is calling Los Angeles it’s home for 2012.

The Kings have done a lot to get to this point.  They defeated the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, and Phoenix Coyotes, the 1-3 seeded teams in the Western Conference.  Vancouver also had the best record overall this year.  The Kings won each of those rounds in five games or less, with the Stanley Cup Final round being the first round that they played a sixth game.  They are also the first team to win the Stanley Cup in their home arena since 1998 when the Detroit Red Wings did it.  And on top of that, the first team to be up 3-0 in a series and win it in Game 6.  The Kings were making history all post season.

The Kings started out strong in the first period by scoring three goals during a five minute penalty for boarding by Devils player, Steve Bernier, who also received a game misconduct. As the second period started, the Kings added to their lead with a goal by Jeff Carter.  The Devils got on the board in the second period with 1:15 left in the period with a goal scored by Adam Henrique.

The Kings and Devils both played strong in the third period, and at 16:15 in the third period, Trevor Lewis scored an empty net goal.  New Jersey goalie, Marty Brodeur, returned to the net right after Kings’ fifth goal only to allow another making the final score, 6-1 in favor of the LA Kings.

This is truly a Cinderella story.  The Los Angeles Kings struggled to even gain a playoff position at the end of the 2011-2012 NHL season.  They ended up with the 8th-seeded position meaning they were paired again the number one team, the Vancouver Canucks.  Many expected the Kings to be out in the first round, based on the team they were facing.  They took America by surprise when they went up 3-0 against the Canucks, finishing the series in five games.

As the Kings entered the second round, they face the St. Louis Blues, who were one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year.  They were no match for the Los Angeles Kings though, as they were swept in four games.

That left only the Phoenix Coyotes in their way to the Stanley Cup Final.  Like a repeat from the first round, Kings won the first three games and ended the series in five.  For the first time in 11 years, they made it to the Stanley Cup Final, and this year they captured the cup.

All that was left was the New Jersey Devils.  They were up 3-0 again in this series and all looked well for them to win it in four or five games again, but the Devils put on the pressure and stayed alive for a couple of game.  LA’s win is huge because they broke so many records during the post season, and there is one more to add to it.  They are the first number 8-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup.  They fought long and hard to win the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and truly deserve the title.

*Note: This article is not affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings or the NHL.  It is written by a private writer.

The Triple Crown Will Have to Wait

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

I'll Have Another Horse RacingELMONT, NY – The Belmont Stakes takes place tomorrow, but Triple Crown Candidate, I’ll Have Another, will not be there.  The colt’s owner, Paul Reddam, announced during a press conference today that I’ll Have Another will be retired due to tendonitis in the horse’s left front leg.

With the retirement, the chance of someone winning the Triple Crown has been put to rest for yet another year.  “I’m afraid history is going to have to wait for another day,” Reddam stated during the press conference.  It has been 34 years since anyone has won the Triple Crown, and the three-year-old colt had the chance to make history.  It comes as a very big disappointment.

*Note: This article is not affiliated with the Belmont Stakes.  It has been published by a private writer.

Devils Stay Alive

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

NDJ vs. LAKLOS ANGELES, CA – With a 3-1 win at the Staples Center, the New Jersey Devils avoid being swept by the Los Angeles Kings in Game four of the Stanley Cup Final.

Both teams went scoreless in the first two periods of the game.  The tie was broken in the third period by Patrick Elias of the New Jersey Devils.  Sixty seconds later, the Kings answered the goal with a goal of thier own by Drew Doughty on the power play.  At 15:29 in the third period, the Devils took the lead again with a goal by rookie, Adam Henrique.  The Devils added to their lead with an empty net goal by Ilya Kovalchuk.

This win is huge for the New Jersey Devils who found themselves at risk of being swept by the Kings for the ultimate hockey trophy, the Stanley Cup.  New Jersey goaltender, Marty Brodeur said after the game that they were glad to win tonight because the Devils wanted to give their fans at least one more game in the home arena because the fans support them so much.

Does this mean the Devils have a chance at winning the Stanley Cup? Well, sure.  They’re not out yet.  They are three games away from winning.  But one must not overlook the Kings who have not lost a road game during the post-season this year.  We’ll just have to wait and find out.

Game 5 will be in New Jersey at 8pm Eastern Standard time.  The game with be broadcasted on NBC.

 *Note: This article is not affiliated with the NHL, the New Jersey Devils or the Los Angeles Kings.  It is written by a private writer.
 

Racing Returns to the Motor City

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

Detroit Grand Prix 2012 LogoBELLE ISLE, MI – After four years racing has returned to Detroit with the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.  The Grand Prix features a 2.1 mile track with 14 exciting turns, and plenty of grand stands for fans to cheer on their favorite drivers.  There is even the Meijer Fun Zone for families and kids to enjoy between races.

Today was Social Media Saturday sponsored by Channel 7 – WXYZ, Detroit.  I was lucky enough to be able to attend the event.  You can see my tweets and Facebook posts from throughout the day on each of my pages, but here is a recap:

The day started out with a trip behind the scenes of the Grand Prix, so I was able to see where all the cars were with all the teams hard at work on them.  I’ve never been to a race before, so being this close to the cars are the drivers was awesome!  While back there, Channel 7 arranged for Jim Jordan, a member of the Dempsey Racing team to talk with us.  And when I say Dempsey Racing, I mean Patrick Dempsey, as in Dr. McDreamy.

For those of you that don’t know, Patrick Dempsey is not only an actor, but he is also a race car driver and was in Detroit to race in the Grand Prix.  Dempsey actually got his start in racing from doing voiceovers in Mazda commercials.  He had always had a passion for racing, and Mazda gave him his start.  I learned a lot about Dempsey Racing as well as Patrick Dempsey himself from Jim Jordan.  You can get updates from Jordan and all the other members of the Dempsey Racing team by following them on Twitter, @GoDempseyRacing.

Dane MoxlowMeeting with Jordan was not the only meet and greet during the day.  I got to meet race car driver and Michigan native, Dane Moxlow.  I got to hear about his take on the Belle Isle Grand Prix course and how he uses social media to stay connected with fans.  He especially likes Twitter because it’s a way for fans to get real-time updates during race weekends.  Be sure to follow him on twitter, @DMoxlow.

One final stop before heading to the grand stands to watch the races was the Team Chevy tent.  There was an autograph session going on, snacks, and beautiful Chevy cars to check out.  After getting my autographs, I headed to the stands to watch the races!

I did not stay for the entire Grand Prix, but the races I did get to see were pretty exciting.  This was like nothing I had experienced before.  It’s great that the city of Detroit was able to bring the Grand Prix back this year, and I’m extremely grateful that I got to experience it.  And with the help of Channel 7, I got to experience it in style!

The Grand Prix continues tomorrow where you can attend the IZOD IndyCar Series race, the Pirelli World Challenge Series race #2, and the Firestone Indy Lights race.  Tickets are limited, but available, so be sure to grab them before they’re gone.  And even though Social Media Saturday is over, you can still tell everyone about the event.  Don’t forget to us the hashtag #detroitgp when tweeting your updates!

Note: This is not a publication associated with Channel 7 – WXYZ or the Chevrolet Grand Prix.  This was written as an opinion piece by a private writer.