Because He’s allowed this to be made:
What the heck.
I hope Toby Keith isn’t reading this, or he might put a boot in my…
—Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
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Yesterday was a whirlwind of unexpected assignments - including a breaking news assignment to see the send-off of two OKC Red Cross volunteers who went to San Antonio to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Dolly.
My editors received the news release from the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma at 4:01 p.m. — and the send-off was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Luckily, I didn’t have much to do yesterday evening, so my editors threw a camera in my hand and sent me on my way.
I sped down I-235 toward downtown, managed to find the Red Cross offices and get there in time to get the story. I was able to do a video interview with the Red Cross director and then talk with the couple that was volunteering.
It turned out to be a really sweet story to do — and it gave me one more opportunity to practice juggling a notebook or tape recorder and a video camera:
Unfortunately, there happened to be a lot of news for today’s Oklahoman so, for whatever reason, my 10-inch story had to be drastically cut down for the print edition.
This is the first time at The Oklahoman that I feel disappointed that one of my story’s was cut… but I understand it’s not my decision to make - it’s my editors. And these moments happen to every journalist.
While the newspaper offers readers a few paragraphs on this Oklahoma City couple and the video provides more depth to those bits - this blog gives me an alternative medium to share the whole story with you, as it was approved by my desk editors:
Dean and Bunnie Morgensen drove to San Antonio Tuesday in a red-and-white emergency response vehicle, ready to assist if Hurricane Dolly hits southern Texas.
The Oklahoma City couple has volunteered with the American Red Cross for 31/2 years. They have been on nearly 20 trips to natural disaster areas across the nation.
“We have a passion to help people,” said Bunnie Morgensen, 71. “It’s about the hugs, and holding hands, you maybe cry a little bit with ‘em and tell them, ‘This too shall pass.’”
The Morgensens decided early Tuesday they wanted to go to San Antonio in case Hurricane Dolly took a turn for the worse, said Vince Hernandez, chief executive of the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma.
“As an organization, we want to be sure we’re poised and ready to help anybody that might be affected by the storm,” Hernandez said. “If you wait a little bit too long, it can almost be too late.”
The Morgensens’ last trip with the American Red Cross was to assist flood victims in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They volunteered for 16 hours a day for 22 days, handing out nearly 9,000 meals.
“That minute we spend … to see them and give them a little relief … even a few seconds makes a big difference,” said Dean Morgensen, 82.
Bunnie Morgensen said past disaster victims have called them “angels” for the work they do.
“But I don’t think so,” she said. “We’re just happy to be doing what we’re doing.”
As Dean Morgensen organized supplies in the emergency response vehicle, his wife held a piece of paper with a quote by author Kenneth Blanchard that summed up why they spend their time in disaster zones.
“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses.”
- - - - -
It’s the new world of journalism: being able to offer news content through a variety of platforms.
~ Kristen M. Daum, City Desk intern at The Oklahoman.
Was hilarious! Especially since we have so many sports fans on this blog, you guys have to check this out. Justin Timberlake is the host, and although I don’t care for his music, it turns out that he has quite the since of humor. Even some of the people he is insulting are laughing! He talks about celebs’ jail time, some of their um….”intimate details.”
I think this is a classic example of celebs’ ambition to try anything on stage, not just music. In JT’s case, it turned out very well! So, here is the link…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eUjP6emIOKc
Monica Albert, Metro Desk intern
Since this was our last weekend as Oklahoman interns, it was a chance for many of us to make some lasting memories with the friends we’ve made this summer.
Friday night was a night out at the Oklahoma Redhawks game - courtesy of OPUBCO/The Oklahoman, which provided us with free suite tickets and an all-you-can-eat promotion pass (Thank you, OPUBCO!).
Some interns brought family members or friends to share the night with, while the rest of us made use of each other’s company to share in America’s past-time. But either way, good times were had by all!
Ironically, rather than watching the ballgame, many of us spent the night chatting together with the other Oklahoman employees who joined us: Joe Hight (director of information and development), Patti Shubert (executive assistant) and Jim Beckel (photographer).
I’m sure we provided them with some added entertainment with our intern cameraderie and antics — and maybe a little terror too, in Jason’s case… 
The evening passed much too quickly, and before we knew it, the ballgame ended. Even though the Redhawks lost at the bitter end, the night still closed with a bang…
Then on Saturday, a few of us met up again for an ol’ fashioned board-game night.
Jason and I faced off in a game of Scrabble - since I wasn’t fully convinced of his mastery over the game. He soon put my doubts to shame as he won with more than twice the score of mine. That put me in my place.
When Amy, Jenn and Dontay joined us, we switched to Scattergories, which led to much laughter as we began to question the worth of each other’s answers during the numerous rounds we played.
Some of the best moments?
– Dontay fast becoming the underdog and likely winning more rounds than all of us.
– Amy calling me out on “flakes” actually being “snowflakes,” so I couldn’t use it as an answer for “F” under “Things that are cold.
– Jason and I having some kind of telekinetic link and coming up with the exact same obscure answers as one another.
– Jenn being constantly distracted by my playful kitten and coming up with random answers.
So, as you might tell, it was an exciting and fun-filled weekend with some great friends. It’s amazing how fast you can get used to being around the same friends all the time, and before you know it - that time is up.
One more week of memories, my friends… Let’s make ‘em worth it. 
~ Kristen M. Daum, City Desk intern at The Oklahoman.
In 24 hours I will be sitting in my comfortable reclining auditorium chair at Warren Theaters in Moore, anxiously awaiting “The Dark Knight.” Where will you be at 12:01 a.m. Friday? I hope it’s someplace memorable.
—Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
Doesn’t contain spoilers of any kind, but if you’d rather not see the opening scene, then ignore this post.
—Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
And so it ends. Kristen Daum, a.k.a. The Dakotan Decipherer, solved today’s puzzle, becoming the second and final winner in the Intern Blog Riddle Contest! Daum’s victory gave her 3.5 points for the summer, moving her into a first-place tie with Nathan Curby, earning herself a free lunch at the restuarant of her choice.
Ace sports intern Mike Jeffries solved the puzzle just three minutes after Ms. Daum, with business intern Adrielle Harvey finishing just two minutes after Mike. Let’s recap today’s puzzle:
A “word chain” is a sequence of words formed by changing just one letter each time to complete a chain between a beginning word and an end word. For example, the word chain for CAT and DOG is : CAT, COT, DOT, DOG.
Complete the following word chain for SMART and BRAIN. I have provided clues to the right of some of the answers:
SMART
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ (Harsh/Grim)
_ _ _ _ _ (Pile Up)
_ _ _ _ _ (Loose)
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ (Empty)
_ _ _ _ _ (Plain)
_ _ _ _ _ (Label)
_ _ _ _ _ (Weave)
BRAIN
The answers: Start, stark, stack, slack, black, blank, bland, brand, braid, brain.
Congratulations again to Mike and Adrielle for solving today’s puzzle, and for Kristen and Nathan for their summer-long excellence! Kristen and Nathan, you can e-mail me schedule your free lunches.
Thank you for playing everyone, and enjoy the rest of your internships.
Jason Singer, Sports/Metro Intern
262
Riddle Delays
I am on deadline this morning. I will post the riddle at 1:30 p.m. instead of the customary 10 a.m. Sorry for the delay.
Jason Singer, Sports/Metro Intern
228
Riddles, Week 3!
Welcome back to Game Night here at The Oklahoman’s intern blog! I hope everyone enjoyed America’s birthday and their three-day weekend. The extra day off means your brains should be extra sharp today.
Today marks the beginning of Week 3 of the Intern Blog Riddle Contest! Nathan “Give Me Death Or Give Me Liberty” Curby has already earned a free lunch at the restaurant of his choice, but which bright young intern will join him? Will it be “Dakotan Decipherer” Kristen Daum with two points? Or maybe the feisty Kansan giant, Adrielle Harvey, also with two points? Or maybe the slew of other interns with one point apiece? Let’s solve today’s puzzle and find out:
Add the same three letters to the end of M, S and PL to complete common, uncapitalized words — none of which rhyme. None of the words is plural or formed by adding an “s”:
M _ _ _
S _ _ _
PL _ _ _
Good luck, and send me your answers via e-mail!
Jason Singer, Sports/Metro Intern
Happy Fourth of July!
Enjoy the holiday and the weekend.
Jennifer Adams, Graphics Intern
