db.Database.GetNews C# (CSharp) Method

        public List<NewsItem> GetNews(Account acc)
        {
            MySqlCommand cmd = CreateQuery();
            cmd.CommandText = "SELECT icon, title, text, link, date FROM news ORDER BY date LIMIT 10;";
            var ret = new List<NewsItem>();
            using (MySqlDataReader rdr = cmd.ExecuteReader())
            {
                while (rdr.Read())
                    ret.Add(new NewsItem
                    {
                        Icon = rdr.GetString("icon"),
                        Title = rdr.GetString("title"),
                        TagLine = rdr.GetString("text"),
                        Link = rdr.GetString("link"),
                        Date = DateTimeToUnixTimestamp(rdr.GetDateTime("date")),
                    });
            }
            if (acc != null)
            {
                cmd.CommandText = @"SELECT charId, characters.charType, level, death.totalFame, time
            FROM characters, death
            WHERE dead = TRUE AND
            characters.accId=@accId AND death.accId=@accId
            AND characters.charId=death.chrId;";
                cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@accId", acc.AccountId);
                using (MySqlDataReader rdr = cmd.ExecuteReader())
                {
                    while (rdr.Read())
                        ret.Add(new NewsItem
                        {
                            Icon = "fame",
                            Title = string.Format("Your {0} died at level {1}",
                                XmlDatas.TypeToId[(short)rdr.GetInt32("charType")],
                                rdr.GetInt32("level")),
                            TagLine = string.Format("You earned {0} glorious Fame",
                                rdr.GetInt32("totalFame")),
                            Link = "fame:" + rdr.GetInt32("charId"),
                            Date = DateTimeToUnixTimestamp(rdr.GetDateTime("time")),
                        });
                }
            }
            ret.Sort((a, b) => -Comparer<int>.Default.Compare(a.Date, b.Date));
            return ret.Take(10).ToList();
        }

        public void HandleRequest(HttpListenerContext context)
        {
            NameValueCollection query;
            using (StreamReader rdr = new StreamReader(context.Request.InputStream))
                query = HttpUtility.ParseQueryString(rdr.ReadToEnd());

            using (var db1 = new Database())
            {

                chrs = new Chars()
                {
                    Characters = new List<Char>() { },
                    NextCharId = 2,
                    MaxNumChars = 1,
                    Account = db1.Verify(query["guid"], query["password"]),
                    Servers = new List<ServerItem>()
                    {
                        new ServerItem()
                        {
                            Name = "EUSouth",
                            Lat = 22.28,
                            Long = 114.16,
                            DNS = db.confreader.getservers(false).ToString(), //127.0.0.1, CHANGE THIS TO LET YOUR FRIENDS CONNECT
                            Usage = 0.2,
                            AdminOnly = false
                        }
                        //new ServerItem()
                        //{
                        //    Name = "Admin Realm",
                        //    Lat = 22.28,
                        //    Long = 114.16,
                        //    DNS = "127.0.0.1",
                        //    Usage = 0.2,
                        //    AdminOnly = true
                        //}
                    }
                };
                if (chrs.Account != null)
                {
                    db1.GetCharData(chrs.Account, chrs);
                    db1.LoadCharacters(chrs.Account, chrs);
                    chrs.News = db1.GetNews(chrs.Account);
                }
                else
                {
                    chrs.Account = Database.CreateGuestAccount(query["guid"]);
                    chrs.News = db1.GetNews(null);
                }

                MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream();
                XmlSerializer serializer = new XmlSerializer(chrs.GetType(), new XmlRootAttribute(chrs.GetType().Name) { Namespace = "" });

                XmlWriterSettings xws = new XmlWriterSettings();
                xws.OmitXmlDeclaration = true;
                xws.Encoding = Encoding.UTF8;
                XmlWriter xtw = XmlWriter.Create(context.Response.OutputStream, xws);
                serializer.Serialize(xtw, chrs, chrs.Namespaces);
            }
        }