"Soul" arrives from Kia Motors

I drive a VW Beetle diesel and love it.

Especially the fuel economy. I've gotten up to 44 miles to the gallon of diesel.

My bright blue 2003 Beetle looks brand new. (Can't tell the difference between a 2009 Beetle and a 2003 Beetle.)

Entering the competition in the small car market, however, is a new animal called the "Soul"--built by Kia Motors.

Gets 31 mpg and reminds me a bit of another small car--the Mini Cooper (built in England.)

You can buy a brand new "Soul" for under $14K.

Click on the hotlink boldface headline above and enjoy the video and sound.

Maybe we all need a little "Soul" in our lives.

Susan Boyle rocks 'em at talent show in Britain

I'd heard a local (Charlotte) radio personality almost tear up couple days ago recalling the talent of one Susan Boyle from Great Britain.

Susan rocked them with her "I Dreamed A Dream" performance.

Turn up your sound and click on the boldface headline above to fully appreciate her.

Not a raving beauty but what a voice!

T-Mobile Dance

I had never heard of the T-Mobile Dance YouTube video before the other night. It's a commercial for T-Mobile but quite uplifting and entertaining!

Turn up your sound, click on the hotlink boldface headline above, and enjoy.

You might find yourself dancin!

Daddy Daughter Date Night sets a good example

If you've been reading my blog very long, you know that one of my favorite eating places is Chick-fil-A. (See, for example, my Dec. 31, 2008, blog post about why I love to eat there.)

The service is always A-1, as is the food.

Never mind that your discount coupon has expired.

Chick-fil-A always accepts it.

This company truly "gets it," offering quality food and quick, courteous, efficient (I'll please you no matter what it takes) service.

A few weeks ago (March 30th) the Chick-fil-A on Cherry Road in Rock Hill, S.C., featured a Daddy Daughter Date night. "Dads, bring your beautiful daughters to our place..." read the signs promoting this event.

The evening that it occurred, it just so happened I dropped in and snapped a few pictures. (No sitting room or standing room at the Chick-fil-A on Cherry Road for that special night, cause all the dads and their daughters packed the place.)

Winthrop student Deni Avant was there snapping photos, along with yours truly, and she informed me that another Winthrop student, Laney Whittle, had a big hand in making this special event happen. (Whittle, a sophomore integrated marketing communication major, is the marketing assistant to Lanae Bengtson at Chick-fil-A on Cherry Road.)

Whittle said that upwards of 50 fathers and their daughters showed up that evening, making the event, in her words, "a tremendous success."

And how could it have NOT been a success, what with every daughter getting a red rose, the tables set with fine linen, seating and table service inside the restaurant and valet parking when you drove in.

And of course dads and daughters feasted on those scrumptious chicken sandwiches.

Way to go, Chick-fil-A!

Saying farewell to our graduating seniors

April is always a sort of bittersweet month.

Bitter because some students that you've gotten close to over the years soon will be leaving. Sweet because the semester is almost over.

One of those I've gotten to know quite well is Heather McNair from Lexington, S.C.

Heather is graduating in December 2009. (I had thought she was leaving in May but she will be with us a few more months.) Nevertheless, we'll all miss her come December.

In the photo accompanying this blog post she and I pose after the annual awards banquet/dinner for the mass communication department.

Good luck, Heather!

Christy Mullins & LCT

Here we are at the conference at Clemson University. (Taking a break.)

Student newspaper wins awards

The Johnsonian, student newspaper at Winthrop University, did well in the recent S.C. Press Association Collegiate Division Awards competition. Our student paper won six awards--all of them presented at an all day conference yesterday at Clemson University.

In winning the awards, The Johnsonian went head to head with student newspapers such as The Daily Gamecock at the University of South Carolina and The Tiger at Clemson University. Editor-in-chief Christy Mullins and her staff competed with student newspapers published at colleges or universities in S.C. with more than 5,000 students enrollment. Congratulations to Mullins and her crew for winning the following:


1. Best Overall
Second Place
(for the entire Johnsonian staff)

2. Best News Story
Second Place
Nicole Smith

3. Editorial Writing
Second Place
Arthur Takahashi

4. Column
Second Place
Nicole Smith

5. Humorous Illustration or Cartoon
Second Place
Brandon Oxendine

6. Illustration or Informational Graphic
First Place
Brandon Oxendine

Nice going, Christy and staff!