Almost everyone has, at one point in their lives, experienced that feeling of being stuck in the middle of nowhere without being able to do anything about it.Now, imagine living in a town without a hospital, restaurant, movie theater or even a bar, and you'll start to form an accurate mental picture of what Covington, Texas is all about.

Shopping at a gas station, joining the Future Farmers of America and having no fast-food restaurants around is all part of growing up in this small town, which is about 45 miles south of Fort Worth.

With a successful road trip under its belt, the Lady Frogs volleyball team looks to continue its 8-1 season.But even with their success thus far, team members said there are points of the game they need to improve.

"We can always work on defense and blocking," senior middle blocker Anna Vaughn said. "In the past, blocking has probably been our weakest point, and we have a big conference, so we need to work on that especially."

Junior right-side hitter Emily Allen said the team needs to work on several facets, including keeping the momentum of the game.

Reusable plastic cups are now sold on campus in addition to Styrofoam cups on campus in an effort to improve the environment, said the general manager of TCU Dining Services. In response to suggestions from the AV Environmental Club and other student complaints, Dining Services has decided to cut down on Styrofoam cup consumption by offering a plastic cup as well, said Rick Flores, general manager of TCU Dining Services.

The School of Business launches a new personal branding campaign this semester that is expected to provide a more unified image for the school, said Jeff Waite, director of external relations for the business school. The new look, which costs about $10,000, consists of a basic design for all business school advertisements, products, office supplies and its Web site. It also includes the new tagline, "It's more than business, it's personal."

Each household spends 19 percent of its expenditures on transportation, second only to housing at 32 percent, according to the Consumer Expenditure Survey 2003-2004 conducted by the Department of Labor.Assuming that transportation costs mean mostly gasoline, Americans are spending around one-fifth of their money on it. It is no surprise that rising gas prices have also led to rising voices of complaint. Gas is a big deal around here.

Two additional officers joined TCU Police to make a force of 20 to fill gaps left by former officers who retired or moved elsewhere, said the chief of police.John Thornhill and Joe Chambers were hired within the last three weeks, TCU Chief of Police Steve McGee said.

Thornhill, who previously worked for TCU, said he rejoined the staff for a variety of reasons.

"I missed it," Thornhill said. "It is such a small family, and it feels like something special that you can't get at other employments."

Shirley Temple, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire and Grace Kelly are just a few of the classic Hollywood movie stars returning to campus as the radio-TV-film Thursday Night Film Series resumes this evening.This film series, which features movies from various eras between 1930 and 1985 each semester, is open to the public, said Joan McGettigan, associate professor of RTVF.

McGettigan said she began showing films in 1998 as a small series. Since then, the series has drawn crowds as large as 80 viewers.

What do Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair and Esquire all have in common? (Hint: It's not the size triple-zero models.)If you guessed advertisements, you are correct.

Flip open the September edition of Esquire, Vanity Fair or Vogue, and you'll find about 20 pages of ads before the table of contents.

The average American reads, views or listens to an astounding 850 advertisements per day, according to research from Texas A&M University.

Two Horned Frogs took home gold medals with the USA Baseball National Team as they helped the team defend its title and win its second straight World Championship in Havana, Cuba.Head baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle and junior pitcher Jake Arrieta donned the red, white and blue jerseys this summer to represent Team USA in the baseball world championships in Havana in August.

Schlossnagle was an assistant coach for the national team, which finished the summer with a 28-2-1 mark, and Arrieta was a starting pitcher.

Sunday marks the first game of the NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys, and more importantly, Terrell Owens' debut in Texas with a star on his helmet.Although Owens is a Pro Bowl wide receiver, his attitude will be what takes top billing over a game that could go either way for Dallas.

The Cowboys play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, a team that made the playoffs in 2005 on the shoulders of its defense. And, with Dallas' division getting stronger each year, they will need every win they can muster to at least achieve a wild-card berth.

There is a new book available that contains material several members of the faculty and staff may recognize."Ninja Verses: Old School" is a collection of the cartoons that ran in the Skiff in the late 1990s.

The thing that makes "Ninja Verses" stand out as more than just a book full of comics is that one of the co-creators gives insight on many of the cartoons and the origin of the strip itself.

P.D. Magnus and Chris Mag Uidhir are the co-creators of "Ninja Verses." The strip is penned under the name Don Frederic, the middle names of Magnus and Uidhir.