For some this year's resolution willbe met

Though Boise State and Texas Christian will have to settle for a Fiesta Bowl rubber match, dont throw a pity party for the Broncos and Horned Frogs just yet.While Boise State (13-0, Western Athletic Conference) and Texas Christian (12-0, Mountain West) have a bevy of valid reasons to be upset at their championship snubs, their participation in the Fiesta Bowl isnt a punishmentfar from it.Last year an undefeated Boise State team accepted an invitation to face TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl. They topped 50 points four times and only allowed two challengers to break the 20-point barrier. Their offensive onslaught included 40.7 points per game while their equally impressive defense allowed just 12.4 points per game.The rise of the Boise State football program has been one of the most amazing stories in college football this decade, whetting fans appetites for a Cinderella matchup in the Bowl Championship Series national title game. In 2000, Miami beat Florida State and both teams finished with one loss, but the Seminoles faced the Sooners in the title gamein Miami!Auburn was left out of the national championship game after an undefeated 2004 season.

In any case, it's here to stay, as it is contracted for the next several seasons.The BCS has helped teams from smaller schools play in high-profile bowl games for the biggest payouts available. With millions more dollars in play at the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State and TCU arent chopped liverthey're thick, juicy steaks.. Plastic Surgeons Kick-Off 2009 with Mission Trips to Developing CountriesARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ Parents of a childborn with cleft lip and palate often have one New Year's resolution, to makesure their child lives a normal life.For some, this year's resolution willbe met.Building on a tradition of volunteering and philanthropy, members ofthe American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) will usher in 2009 bydemonstrating, "it is better to give than to receive," by traveling overseason behalf of several charitable organizations to donate their reconstructivesurgical skills to children with facial deformities in developing countries. Canady, who specializes in cleft lipand palate repairs, said "Children with facial deformities often facediscrimination and ridicule in their communities.When surgeons donate theirsurgical talents to children and give physicians in developing countries thetools to continue helping people in their areas, they restore lives."To kick-off the New Year, plastic surgeons will participate in medical missiontrips from January - March in Central and South America (Guatemala, Columbia,and Nicaragua).These missions are made possible through a generous $1million grant from The Smile Train.The grant will help defray costs such asmedical supplies and transportation.Funds from the grant will supportadditional medical mission trips by ASPS Member Surgeons throughout 2009.

ASPS Member Surgeons participating in these medical missions will do so incoordination with one of the above organizations.ASPS Member ChristopherGordon, MD in Cincinnati, Ohio, will be a participant in the first medicalmission trip taking place January 17-24 with the Children of the Americas inGuatemala."I've volunteered for previous medical missions and there are several thingsthat are always consistent the medical facilities are primitive, it takes ateam of people to make them successful, and the spirit of the children andfamilies are incredible," said Dr Gordon. The spirit of giving back didn't begin with the upcoming 2009 mission trips. Over the last two years, ASPS Member Surgeons have donated their time andsurgical skills.In fact, 25 mission trips, 812 cleft surgeries, 635reconstructive procedures and 65 international physicians were trained lastyear alone through The Smile Train grants."I believe there is a calling inside these surgeons.They love theopportunity to get back to the core of what drove them to become plasticsurgeons in the first place," said DeLois Greenwood, Vice President of SmileTrain. "We are coming up on our tenth year and expect to help our 500,000thchild this year. Although our core mission is to train local doctors,sometimes there simply aren't local doctors to train. In these cases, we'reproud to be a part of the effort to get these skilled plastic surgeons onairplanes and overseas where they can make a difference in lives of childrenwho really have no place else to turn."Nearly 5.2 million reconstructive plastic surgery procedures were performed inthe United States in 2007, and of those, 28,000 were birth defectreconstructions, according to ASPS statistics.The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization ofboard-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 6,700physician members, the Society is recognized as a leading authority andinformation source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.