When you think of football games, what do you think of? Cheering in the stands until you lose your voice? Painting your face so purple that your professors can't tell whether you've been strangled or gone...

Would anyone notice if you went missing?The TCU chapter of Amnesty International held a weeklong event starting Sept. 4 to raise awareness for people who are imprisoned for their beliefs.

Dani Folks, vice president of Amnesty International, said the term coined for these prisoners are "prisoners of conscience."

"Amnesty International is the biggest civil rights organization in the world," Folks said.

Amy Gardner, the organization's secretary and treasurer, said people's rights are being abused every day.

New meaning can be given to the phrase 24/7/365 for a Kentucky-born playwright. In November 2002, Pulitzer Prize-winner and playwright Suzan-Lori Parks made a commitment to write one play a day for an entire year and called it "365 Days/365 Plays," said Harry Parker, chair of the TCU theater department.

The TCU Department of Theatre, starting Sept. 10, is joining hundreds of acting companies involved in what theater companies call the largest project in the history of American theater.

I spent most of my summer up in Missouri this year, and while there, I got the distinct pleasure of going frog gigging. That's what Texas will be doing Saturday, except without the boat and high-powered lights.See, something's changed with this team since Texas met Michigan in the Rose Bowl in the 2004-2005 season. The team doesn't lose big games anymore. Mack Brown has figured out how to get the best out of his team when it matters most.

California may have its Napa Valley Wine Country, Texas has GrapeFest.The largest wine festival in the Southwest, and named a Top 100 Event in North America for 2007 by the American Bus Association, GrapeFest will be held for its 21st consecutive year in Grapevine.

"Texas is the fifth largest wine producing state in the nation" Lewis said. "Texas is close to surpassing Oregon to be one of the prominent winery states in the US."

Fort Worth's Fall Gallery Night is here again. Artists will showcase their work at a variety of galleries, salons and coffee shops throughout Tarrant County. The pieces on display are as unique as the people that view them. The point of the night is to have fun and enjoy some good art, all of which can be easier if the gallery-goer remembers a few helpful tips. 10 Tips for Gallery Night

I was enjoying a beer and barbecuing on my deck last year when I first heard TCU would get its chance at Texas the following season. "We're going to get our (butts) handed to us," one friend said.

After taking a sip from my Bud Light, I had a different take on the game.

"It's about time," I said. "Everyone needs a good gut check every once in a while."

Fast forward the clock to Sept. 7.

The university's billboards that went up Saturday advertise a new slogan, "Ahead of the curve," and the marketing and communication department aimed for that mark when it designed the new admissions Web site.With a tentative launch date scheduled in two weeks, the site will feature an interactive look that is one of the first of its kind, said Elizabeth Perkins, director of admission marketing and communication, who said she started the project about two months ago.