Walking down the streets of downtown Athens, a passerby sees big name restaurants like Ben and Jerry’s, Five Guys and locally owned businesses alike. But a sixth month old frozen yogurt store is what local teens and college students are craving. This… is… YOGURI. Founded just this past September by Vena Kim, the frozen yogurt shop is a breath of fresh (and sweet) air that is taking the town of Athens by storm.
About two years ago, Vena Kim decided that she wanted a piece of the Frozen Yogurt fad that was going around the country. She spent the next few years researching and looking at other frozen yogurt shops around the country to learn about the product and how to make it her own. According to YOGURI employee, Andrew Arnold, “Vena spent months working on the image of her store so that it would appeal to people your age.”Her hard work paid off. The shop has a modern feel that high school and college aged kids can relate to. To diversify her store, Vena also put in her own little twist. She used her Korean heritage to give the store a unique name with an Asian flavor to it. As an extra quirk, she slipped in mochi (little Korean rice balls with a sweet taste) as a topping option. Another extraordinary idea was to place a jar of Pop Rocks for sale at the counter. It’s become popular to use the Pop Rocks as a topping for the yogurt. All of the toppings displayed in the store look appealing and fresh, assuring the customer that they are getting a quality treat. The yogurt is made every morning by Vena and her sister and the fruit toppings are always fresh. While enjoying their frozen treat, customers can sit in the shop and read all of the nutrition facts about yogurt conveniently pasted on the wall.
People feel at peace in YOGURI due to the fact that the space is always clean, there is always a soft Beatles song playing in the background (hence the ever so creative title), and the employees are gracious people always willing to help a customer. Unlike a big chain store where employees are either rude or unresponsive, YOGURI has a specific policy that an employee should “adjust themselves to the customer.” Vena has high standards for her employees and chooses only the finest people. Employees give suggestions to newcomers and give off a warm feeling that adds to the already heartwarming atmosphere of the store. And because YOGURI is a locally owned business, people support Vena and the town by buying there, unlike a Ben and jerry’s where you are paying a big corporation.
But the best part is (drum roll please)…IT’S HEALTHY! Frozen Yogurt is a healthier alternative to sweets like ice cream but you wouldn’t be able to tell because of the great taste. Also, YOGURI is a healthier version of frozen yogurt than other big names such as TCBY. TCBY and others focus on making the yogurt like ice cream; where as YOGURI tries to make their yogurt unique and healthy by using fat free yogurt and milk. Vena wanted the youth of today to have a frozen treat that tasted delicious and was also healthier for them.
As of now, YOGURI offers 4 flavors of yogurt; original, dark chocolate, mango, and green tea. Customers have a choice of a number of toppings including strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, bananas, pineapple, Oreo crumbs, chocolate chips, pecans, granola crumbs and much more. There are plans to introduce two new flavors of yogurt in the next year. Since the huge success of YOGURI in Athens, Vena has plans to expand her shop to other locations. With YOGURI in full motion, it’s safe to say there will be yogurt fields forever.
Ben Calvo is a sophomore at Carrboro High in Chapel Hill, NC. Title idea taken from the Beatles Song “Strawberry Fields Forever”.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Cheerleaders and Cheerleading Deserve respect
By: Kaitlyn Shanks
M&M Tipsters
I have been born and raised in Houston, Texas. In many parts of Texas, cheerleading is a very popular sport. One of the reasons it is so popular is because many of the winning teams are from Texas! If you are in the right competitions, CHEERLEADING IS HARD! Cheerleaders have to be built with muscle and be extremely limber, if not they could easily sustain an injury. The tumbling that cheerleaders do is incredibly difficult; it requires accuracy, speed, strength, and flexibility. When gymnasts do the same sort of stunts they are said to be amazing athletes, so why do people treat cheerleaders differently?
I used to participate in cheerleading, but I stopped because it was so time consuming. All of my friends that participate in competitive cheerleading spend at least twenty hours of their week in practice; that does not include rehearsing at home. Does cheerleading still sound like it is not a sport? Have you ever been in a grueling completion where you have worked for weeks practicing dance moves, stunts, tumbling, and, of course, the cheers?
Many colleges give scholarships for cheerleading; now why would they do that if they did not think that cheerleading was an important sport? Now, with cheerleading evolving from being a little dance on the sidelines at football games to full out gymnastics routines in competitions all about their own sport, the respect given to cheerleading should also grow. They should get respect for their hard work and the effort they put into their sport. A good deal of respect would be given to any other athlete if they won a competition, but many people do not take cheerleading competitions seriously so they work hard, win, and get no respect. Is that fair?
Most cheerleaders are also given a bad reputation just because people are stereotypical. Cheerleaders are said to be stupid, ditzy, and generally not educated. This, however, is not the case. Just because you enjoy cheerleading and tumbling does not drop your IQ, in fact many school cheerleading teams require certain grades and conduct scores for you to be allowed on the team. My step-mother was the captain of the cheerleading team and was in the top 10 intellectuals in her class, she loved cheerleading but, like most cheerleaders, she knew that her grades were more important. She graduated high school in three years, got a full scholarship to college, graduated in three years, went to law school and graduated in two years. Sure, not all cheerleaders have their law degree when they are 21 years old, but most are not stupid. Cheerleaders and cheerleading deserve respect.
Kaitlyn is a 9th grader at Memorial High School in Houston, Texas.
M&M Tipsters
I have been born and raised in Houston, Texas. In many parts of Texas, cheerleading is a very popular sport. One of the reasons it is so popular is because many of the winning teams are from Texas! If you are in the right competitions, CHEERLEADING IS HARD! Cheerleaders have to be built with muscle and be extremely limber, if not they could easily sustain an injury. The tumbling that cheerleaders do is incredibly difficult; it requires accuracy, speed, strength, and flexibility. When gymnasts do the same sort of stunts they are said to be amazing athletes, so why do people treat cheerleaders differently?
I used to participate in cheerleading, but I stopped because it was so time consuming. All of my friends that participate in competitive cheerleading spend at least twenty hours of their week in practice; that does not include rehearsing at home. Does cheerleading still sound like it is not a sport? Have you ever been in a grueling completion where you have worked for weeks practicing dance moves, stunts, tumbling, and, of course, the cheers?
Many colleges give scholarships for cheerleading; now why would they do that if they did not think that cheerleading was an important sport? Now, with cheerleading evolving from being a little dance on the sidelines at football games to full out gymnastics routines in competitions all about their own sport, the respect given to cheerleading should also grow. They should get respect for their hard work and the effort they put into their sport. A good deal of respect would be given to any other athlete if they won a competition, but many people do not take cheerleading competitions seriously so they work hard, win, and get no respect. Is that fair?
Most cheerleaders are also given a bad reputation just because people are stereotypical. Cheerleaders are said to be stupid, ditzy, and generally not educated. This, however, is not the case. Just because you enjoy cheerleading and tumbling does not drop your IQ, in fact many school cheerleading teams require certain grades and conduct scores for you to be allowed on the team. My step-mother was the captain of the cheerleading team and was in the top 10 intellectuals in her class, she loved cheerleading but, like most cheerleaders, she knew that her grades were more important. She graduated high school in three years, got a full scholarship to college, graduated in three years, went to law school and graduated in two years. Sure, not all cheerleaders have their law degree when they are 21 years old, but most are not stupid. Cheerleaders and cheerleading deserve respect.
Kaitlyn is a 9th grader at Memorial High School in Houston, Texas.
Green Eyes
By Abby Hunt
M&M TIPster
With all the talk of global warming, Earth deterioration and such, millions of people across the world have come together in an effort to "go green." The old "reduce, reuse, recycle" saying has come b
ack in fashion, and people are striving to become more "Earth Friendly." Among these people are the faculty and students of the University of Georgia. While scavenging through Twitter for an interesting blog story, I stumbled upon the Twitter page UGA GoGreen and thought it would make a perfect Abby blog. Although the most recent post on this page was on April 26th, it's the thought that counts.
The campus has begun working on their three r's, and I actually noticed it before coming across the online testimony. In the vending machine room of TIP dorm (Myers Hall), there's a giant bottle that you can disperse your empty cans and plastic bottles. In Snelling Dining Hall, there are other receptacles for your newspapers, too. Recyclable receptacles can also be found in every other building and by all the bus stops. Since I have yet to truly explore the town of Athens, I can't really claim that the rest of the town is trying their hand at conserving, but I'd like to think that they are.
A lot of cities nowadays are instituting city-wide efforts to recycle. In my own town of Tupelo, MS, the city gave out green boxes for everyone to place their recyclables in, and they come around once or twice a week to receive them and take them off to somewhere where they can be put to another use. Many industries have moved away from their old, harmful ways and have become more Earth-friendly as well. For example, many companies that produce bottled products have begun using less plastic in their bottles. The fashion world is pressing hippie/ Earth-friendly clothing and reusable shopping bags made out of recycled material. Several cleaning product companies have begun to create their
supplies using less harmful chemicals, and those help you and the earth.
There are many ways that you as an individual can help the earth. One way is to conserve your water. The world may currently be 70% water, but who’s to say it will always be that way? Let’s do little things such as turning off the faucet while we brush our teeth, taking shorter showers, and using less water to water the lawn to help our future generations and their battles against droughts and such. Another way you can help is to save energy. If you’re going somewhere a mile down the road, brave the hot southern sun and walk or ride a bike instead of driving. Watch less TV, unplug your chargers when they’re not in use, use solar-powered products, turn the lights off when you leave a room. There are so many ways to save energy that we don’t even consider until someone else points it out to us. Also, reduce the amount of trash you produce. This can be done by simply reusing and recycling your stuff. Find products that are made using less waste, energy, and water, and that combines the three previous tips into one.
Going green isn’t just a fad; it won’t fade away like Miley Cyrus or Brittney Spears’s careers. It’s here to stay, whether you like it or not. The choice is up to you – help out your greats on down the line and become Earth-friendly or continue to be too lazy to do something about it. But I say go green with all your heart.
-abby=)
Abby Hunt is an upcoming sophomore at Tupelo High School in Tupelo, MS.
M&M TIPster
With all the talk of global warming, Earth deterioration and such, millions of people across the world have come together in an effort to "go green." The old "reduce, reuse, recycle" saying has come b
ack in fashion, and people are striving to become more "Earth Friendly." Among these people are the faculty and students of the University of Georgia. While scavenging through Twitter for an interesting blog story, I stumbled upon the Twitter page UGA GoGreen and thought it would make a perfect Abby blog. Although the most recent post on this page was on April 26th, it's the thought that counts.The campus has begun working on their three r's, and I actually noticed it before coming across the online testimony. In the vending machine room of TIP dorm (Myers Hall), there's a giant bottle that you can disperse your empty cans and plastic bottles. In Snelling Dining Hall, there are other receptacles for your newspapers, too. Recyclable receptacles can also be found in every other building and by all the bus stops. Since I have yet to truly explore the town of Athens, I can't really claim that the rest of the town is trying their hand at conserving, but I'd like to think that they are.
A lot of cities nowadays are instituting city-wide efforts to recycle. In my own town of Tupelo, MS, the city gave out green boxes for everyone to place their recyclables in, and they come around once or twice a week to receive them and take them off to somewhere where they can be put to another use. Many industries have moved away from their old, harmful ways and have become more Earth-friendly as well. For example, many companies that produce bottled products have begun using less plastic in their bottles. The fashion world is pressing hippie/ Earth-friendly clothing and reusable shopping bags made out of recycled material. Several cleaning product companies have begun to create their
supplies using less harmful chemicals, and those help you and the earth.There are many ways that you as an individual can help the earth. One way is to conserve your water. The world may currently be 70% water, but who’s to say it will always be that way? Let’s do little things such as turning off the faucet while we brush our teeth, taking shorter showers, and using less water to water the lawn to help our future generations and their battles against droughts and such. Another way you can help is to save energy. If you’re going somewhere a mile down the road, brave the hot southern sun and walk or ride a bike instead of driving. Watch less TV, unplug your chargers when they’re not in use, use solar-powered products, turn the lights off when you leave a room. There are so many ways to save energy that we don’t even consider until someone else points it out to us. Also, reduce the amount of trash you produce. This can be done by simply reusing and recycling your stuff. Find products that are made using less waste, energy, and water, and that combines the three previous tips into one.
Going green isn’t just a fad; it won’t fade away like Miley Cyrus or Brittney Spears’s careers. It’s here to stay, whether you like it or not. The choice is up to you – help out your greats on down the line and become Earth-friendly or continue to be too lazy to do something about it. But I say go green with all your heart.
-abby=)
Abby Hunt is an upcoming sophomore at Tupelo High School in Tupelo, MS.
Toy Story 3: Worth Seeing?
“I expected Toy Story 3 to be like the first two movies. But it was unlike any movie I’ve ever seen.”- Maddie Kim
“ I thought it was hilarious.”- Kaitlyn Shanks
“I can’t wait to see it.” –Abby Hunt
If you still haven’t seen the third Toy Story, then you better see it soon. Toy Story 3, directed by Lee Unrich, is a compelling, clever, funny, joyful, and thrilling new movie brought to you by Pixar. It features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, and Micheal Keaton. The first two movies have won a number of awards including the ASCAP Award, the Special Achievement Award, and one was nominated for an Oscars award.
Even following these two phenomenal movies Toy Story 3 has exceeded all expectations. It dominated the box office with its record-breaking $110.3 million debut. The movie made $41 million on its opening day alone. It was the largest opening for a June movie, the second largest for an animated movie (following “Shrek the Third”) and the third biggest weekend of the year (following Alice and Wonderland at $116.1 million and Iron Man 2 at $128.1 million.) Toy Story 3 also received a rare rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, a popular movie rating site.
In the movie, Andy is going off to college and before he leaves he has to decide if he should keep his childhood toys and store them in the attic or if he should donate them to other kids so they can love and treasure them as he did. When the toys accidentally get put in the “Donate” box without Andy’s knowledge they find themselves at a daycare center called Sunnyside. The toys expect to be in for a great day of finally getting played with after being neglected for several years but they soon find out that their assumptions were wrong. An evil bear, Lotso, tries to prevent them from getting out and back to Andy. Will they get out of Sunnyside? Will Andy miss his missing toys? Will Barbie marry Ken? These are the questions you will ask yourself in this emotionally satisfying, near-death adventure as the toys try to get back to the home they belong to. Toy Story 3 will have you on the edge of your seat in suspense as well as rolling on the floor in laughter. Pixar has once again accomplished the makings of a wonderful movie enjoyed by adults as well as kids with its captivating plot and relatable characters.
Brittney Vidal is a 9th grader at Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club, Texas
Summer Teen Editions
The previous aThEENs editions were produced by introductory news writing students in the Grady College of Journalism. Most of the reporters are college juniors.
This summer, aThEENs is being produced by teenagers from around the country who have convened in Athens for Duke TIP. Most of the reporters are high school freshmen.
The new stories posted here in June and July are from rising 8th through 10th graders taking part in the "Media and Message: Communicating in the Digital Age" course, held here at the University of Georgia.
The M&M TIPsters live on the UGA campus for three weeks so in essence they are temporary Athens residents.
The summer aThEENs produced by DukeTIPDawgs is truly by, for and about Athens area teens.
We hope you enjoy!
This summer, aThEENs is being produced by teenagers from around the country who have convened in Athens for Duke TIP. Most of the reporters are high school freshmen.
The new stories posted here in June and July are from rising 8th through 10th graders taking part in the "Media and Message: Communicating in the Digital Age" course, held here at the University of Georgia.
The M&M TIPsters live on the UGA campus for three weeks so in essence they are temporary Athens residents.
The summer aThEENs produced by DukeTIPDawgs is truly by, for and about Athens area teens.
We hope you enjoy!
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