Bear Grylls a.k.a Macgyver-'Man vs. Wild' star gets new series

Bear Grylls; motivational speaker, adventurer, humanitarian, ultimate survivor. He's a mans man. To some he could be considered an all around bad-ass; not quite Chuck Norris, but damn close.

Grylls' series 'Man vs. Wild,' which aires on Discovery Channel, has pitted him against some of the harshest elements known to man. The show's main intention is to teach its viewers how to survive if they ever find themselves in an unfathomable situation. But seeing as how I don't plan on being in air-dropped in the Siberian tundra anytime soon, I think I speak for most of the shows fans when I say that we watch this guy push himself for sport. That's how it works. Sure we all love the Discovery Channel, but only a handful of us would ever actually go to these locations just to get a few breath taking shots, lets just be real.

Grylls has risked his life in various scenarios in nature, but his new show, 'Worst Case Scenario,' places Grylls in situations that seem a little more feasible: escaping apartment fires, making it out of shark attacks, what to do if you've been involved in a serious car wreck, etc.

Sure, there've been other shows with the same premise, but this is Bear Grylls! He drank his own pee on national television! If hollywood was talking about rebooting the Indiana Jones franchise, he gets top bidding. Given his extreme survival tactics from 'Man vs. Wild,' I'm excited to see what this series will have him do. I wonder if he'll give tips on the best way to deal with the savage wrath of a p.m.s.-ing girlfriend?

'Worst Case Scenario' premieres this spring on the Discovery Channel.

Critical Writing

Historically, stories were passed down orally. As time and technology progressed, people found it more effective to express themselves through writing. Writing has existed since, well, the era of the caveman. Cave drawings and carvings depict the most basic means of communication. Writing is important because it requires engagement of the audience to actively participate in reading, as well as allows the author to express themselves and better organize their thoughts.

Since its induction, writing has since evolved. With the use of technology and a faster paced society, sentences, as well as words have become shorter. The use of phrases and acronyms have better allowed to communicate effectively to save time, but it is important to remember that though the modern world is fast paced, that we should effectively communicate by ensuring that we get our point across. To do this a writer must understand that certain topics have different impacts on various audiences.

The 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Compition and why it sucked beans

Ok, let me first start by saying that these are all professional athletes. Each of these men have proven themselves in one facet or another to qualify them to play in the National Basketball Association. They are of an elite breed on a world stage few seldom see, and with that said, WHAT THE ^&#% WAS THAT!?!? WHAT THE HELL NBA?!? I MEAN REALLY? WHAT THE &*#%!?!?

If you didn't see the Sprite 2010 NBA Slam Dunk contest, well, I don't blame you, because you didn't miss much. But just to tickle your fancy and give you another reason to hate on the NBA I'll shoot you the list of the participants and you can judge for yourself:

-Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats)

-Nate Robinson (New York Knicks)

-Shannon Brown (L.A. Lakers)

-DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)

Now, after you read this list, what's one of the first questions in your head after you take a glance at a name, here I'll help, "who?". You

should know Nate Robinson, however, he's the league reigning three-time champion, he beat Dwight Howard! I don't care who you are, if you've ever seen Sports Center you know whoDwight Howard is. Hell, I bet your mam

a knows who Dwight Howard is. But the point is this, Nate Robinson proved himself worthy by literally facing a giant. The other three, well, I'm sorry, just couldn't match up.

I asked a few people about the contest that took place last Sunday and the main response I received was that this contest lacked flair. There wasn't enough style or anticipation behind the dunks. It was only a

matter of time the world gave two licks about Nate Robinson. "Ok, we get it, you're short and you can dunk, NEXT". The gimmick kind of wore off a little this year...like really.

Nate's competition didn't help the situation either. Gerald Wallace has been in the league nearly a decade. Is he a major house hold name, no. Is he a pretty damn good role player for his team, yes. Is he deserving for consideration in the dunk contest, gonna go with a no. The past few years it seems like Wallace has been hit with a bad case of "Damn-I-got-hurt-againitus

". If he wasn't racking up double-doubles he was racking up ice treys for his hamstrings, knees, or ankles.

Shannon Brown, he's been playing in the NBA for three years. Went to Michigan State, averages about 8 pts. per game, but has been getting around 40 minuets of playing-time the past few games. If you take a look at some of his old You Tube stuff from college, you'll see the dude has ups, but we know it takes more than a prestigious vertical to win over a dunk contest crowd.

The final contestant, DeMar DeRozan, is a rookie...playing for the Toronto Raptors...a rookie in the dunk contest...nice. I mean, he probably had the best dunk of the night, but he's still no Vince Carter. Sorry guy.

Let's skip through the b.s., Wallace and Brown got the ax without blinking. Their performance could be described as mundane at best. In the end a groin injured Nate Robinson beat out the high-flying rookie in DeRozan to take home the crown for the third straight year.

Really NBA? Really? If you didn't know, LeBron James, the

guy who seems to be Conan on the floor was said to be in the contest, but decided to back out at the last minuet, and this was what we had left to watch. Gone are the days that prominent players took a little time out for the fans and performed for them. Julius Erving, Domineque Wilkins, Vince Carter (who could forget that), Kobe Bryant (rookie), and Dwight Howard; all mar-key players, but all did the dunk contest. The event is losing its luster, and if the league isn't careful about locking in better dunkers or bigger names, NBA All-Star weekend will turn into the NFL Pro Bowl, and no one watches the Pro Bowl, and you know it!

Get your sh!t together Stern! Damn!

Stimulus Package: Basic Economics

Here's a run down of President's Obama's stimulus package, try and keep up...

According to Stock Trading To Go.com there are four main targets:

1. Infrastructure (roads, schools) 39%

2.State relief (medicaid) 13%

3.Struggling citizens (unemployment in states) 12%

4.Tax cuts( individuals and businesses) 36%

The plan is to essentially bail out these four areas by pumping billions ( roughly $825) into the economy to get things going again. The catch? According to economists, its passing means that the country is doomed to an enormous amount of debt in the future. Think of the stimulus package as creatine. It's use is to help boost your protein to make you bigger, and/or stronger, but it sucks ass the water out of you, leaving you dehydrated if not taken properly.

It's seen as a method to "stop the bleeding" so too speak, with the unemployment rate at 10.6 percent, the stimulus package is used as a short-term tool that will in hopes give off long term relief.

You can't give everyone a super bonus, but those who have will spend ( i.e. supply and demand) which will create a demand which will in turn to lead to more jobs, and so on and so forth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byLZ3J9wRLI

Pi Rho's 23rd Birthday Celebration

The Pi Rho chapter of Phi Beta Sigma celebrated its 23rd anniversary last weekend at its first annual birthday-banquet. The event, coordinated by the chapter's collegiate members, featured alumni speakers Bro. Bruce Holbrook, Bro. Tony Knight, and Bro. Adrian Cunningham, along with the chapter's newly appointed advisor Bro. Moncello Stewart, and former Phi Beta Sigma national graphics coordinator Romondo Stewart. The highlight of the evening; however, was a speech given by Pi Rho charter line member Joel Jackson.

The message to the new brothers into the fraternity, as well as the approaching graduates was to hold Phi Beta Sigma in their hearts, and to use its lessons to empower them as successful men in society. Bro. Cunningham focused on being financial successfully, while Bro. Knight spoke on being successful in the community, and how a real man is "of the community".

The brothers celebrated in fellowship and told stories of their experiences as sigma men. Current chapter president Lamont Kelly reminisced on days of hardship that forced the brothers to come together to save the Pi Rho name sake. He along with the newest brothers from the pledge class of fall 2009 promised the next celebration to be even greater. A night of food, memories, smiles, and tears, the event could be summed up in a quote from Bro. Adgebite, "Pi Rho is more than a name, it's a lifestyle".

'Dr. Horrible' isn't really all that bad...

Neil Patrick Harris, better known as N.P.H by comedic fanboys alike, starred in Josh Whedon's 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog', a musical whose story revolves around a would-be evil villain hell bent on global domination through his inventions.

Through the length of the film, you find out that Dr. Horrible isn't that bad of a guy. For an aspiring super-villain, Dr. Horrible seems as ordinary as they come... he just happens to know how to build freeze rays. He documents his accomplishments and failures; mostly failures, via web-cam, and posts them on an unknown blog site.

One could watch Patrick's character and pity him. Though he would love to have the world fall to its knees and bow to him as its master, there's is only one other thing that would make his life complete; Penny (Felicia Day), his philanthropist laundry mat fantasy. The nerd-like Dr. Horrible acts socially awkward around her until his nemesis, the 'oh so' arrogant Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), puts penny in his super-sights...of love!

The love triangle escalates to a climax once identities are revealed and things get a lil' ugly between Horrible and Hammer. The songs were pretty damn good for an hour long musical, and the story goes in a direction that many would think would go towards the end.

I can honestly say I enjoyed this film. I mean it's N.P.H, if you don't love him then f*ck you guy! What was most appealing about this film was Harris' role as the evil scientist Dr. Horrible. Though the movie was a straight shot comedy, it touched on a few nodes of emotion, especially when it came to "rescuing" Penny from the clutches of Captain Hammer, who if you ever see the movie, is a real deautch-bag of a hero. Maybe he just reminds of any stand out jock who played in any film made since 1985.

The nerd in you roots for the Dr. Horrible, and based on the personalities of the characters, seems like an anti-hero more than anything else. Think Peter Parker, but instead of amazing spider powers, this guy shoots people with death rays. I mean, Penny was a red head, not the most attractive, but still kind of cute in that "save me, save me" kind of way. In all, 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' is definitely worth the watch. Between N.P.H hitting high notes while clutching a freeze ray, and the not so steamy love scenes, it's a pretty good way to pass an hour. I highly recommend it, and if you're under the influence, well then it'll only be that much better!

A Gamer's Nation: Video games and their effect on popular culture..

Video games: we buy them, we play them, we love them, but what is the social background to them that makes them such a staple to the modern world?

In America, we turn a profit based on the manipulation of emotion. The gamer market has also adapted to this strategy to the tenth-power. Developers conduct research to understand just how the mind of a gamer works, all to appease their audience. If they do well eno

ugh, well it means big bucks.

In recent years, technology has evolved to accommodate the requests of the players. The face of the market is changing. Gaming company Nintendo has b

een on the winning side of this age of growth. The company sought a resurgence, and with home counsel giants like Microsoft's 'Xbox' and Sony's 'Playstation' platforms, Ninten

do wanted to focus on the crowds that others tended to ignore.

Enter the Nintendo 'Wii'. The Wii was a platform all its own. The concept,

make gaming more interactive. Nintendo revamped gaming from the gr

ound up in several ways. The first was it's controller. The traditional two-handed control

ler was converted to a wrist-strapped remote, with hand-held capabilities. Nintendo listened to all the talk of how video games made people lazy, thus, Wii Fit,

an interactive aerobic wor

kout game equipped with a 'wii-fit board,' was created.

While Nintendo celebrated it's success catering toward to young children and adults 30+, Microsoft and Sony still waged war with traditional epic gaming, which brings me to my next point. Video games have been successful over the years due to the focus of story plots, character development, and visual/audio graphics. The further this combination was pushed the more profit was turned. Games have gone so far ahead in their attempts to tell a good story that now, many of them resemble feature films that break the box office, hell, a few games have made the leap themselves! Consider video games as another way to tell a story. Historically, we as human beings have been passing down stories orally for thousands

of years. Well, give them picture, and make them interactive and wa-lah, video games.

Modern games have taken reference from historical events. The mega-hit 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2', which according to the L.A. Times as of last month has

sold over $1 billion in total sales, focuses on American Marines in conflict with Russia. Coinci

dence? Well if you do your research boys and girls you'd note that the U.S. and Russia aren't necessarily the best of chums right now. The story involves Russia trying to invade the small country of Georgia, and them buying a war-ship

valued at over $750 million from France...it's kind of complicated, but the point is, historical reference is taken and implemented into video game story lines t

o provide a surreal experience for gamers, and then taking it even further by allowing on-line play, connecting millions of players across the globe! Why enlist when you can log-on, right?

From catering to the sports crazies with franchises like 'Madden' and 'NBA2K', to traditional titles like 'Mario', or mega-blockbuster games like the newly release adaptation of 'Dante's Inferno', today's gaming market proves there's something for everybody. The life style you want or the adventure your mind seeks to escape everyday life is only a disk away.

H.O.P.E for the Future?

Since its inception in 1993, Georgia's HOPE Scholarship fund has provided nearly 3.5 billion of dollars of aid to exceptional students. Through the years, the overall distribution of scholarship money has risen exponentially. In the 1993-1994 school year, 42,797 recipients throughout the state received $21.4 million to pay for University expenses. In the '98-'99 school year 141,105 students were awarded $189.0 million. Just last year (2008-2009), 212,940 students were awarded $486.8 million. Do you see where I'm going with this?

Where does this money come from? Well, in a nut-shell, the Georgia Lottery writes the checks. See, you buy your tic

kets; you lose, more than likely, and the money spent gets pooled with everyone else's in a separate stash for the HOPE scholarship fund.

Easy money you say? If you ask me, not really. Students coming out of high school are required to graduate with a 3.0 grade point average for college preparatory and a 3.2 grade point average for other degree types. Students must then maintain a 3.0 or above g.p.a in college to keep the scholarship.

But like all good things there's always a catch. in this case it comes in the form of dollar amounts. The scholarship is designed for students not to slack and maintain an above average grade point average to get money, but the transition from high school to college in terms of difficulty is leaps and bounds. I personally know plenty of students w

ho started their college careers with the HOPE scholarship, who're now working to pay their way through or relying on federal loans to provide the means to pay for school.

With the state suffering from financial woes as of late, how will this effect the overall distribution of scholarship money? There were state legislative talks in 2005 for raising the requirements to qualify after Georgia ranked 50th in average SAT scores...ouch...Fortunately enough, the tightening of the belt didn't happen and lives were spa

red (lol).

Last May, Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a bill that passed as law allowing students of military parents an easier transitions into the state's university system. Pretty much they have clearance to begin school before nearly any paper work gets processed...fair to those struggling to make ends meet with HOPE, what about those with out it? A second bill passed gives military dependents the same rights as life long Georgia residents when it comes to receiving the HOPE scholarship.

Come Together: The Era of Social Networking

They've taken over the media. They've put us back in contact with lost relatives. They're the phenomenon that has revolutionized communication as we know it. From MySpace to Twitter, social networking sites have essentially re-invented the internet.

Question is, who reigns supreme? It used to be that Tom and his MySpace friends dominated the web. Millions of users created profile pages designed to reflect themselves and meet new people, as well as stay in touch, but over the last three to four years, Tom and his "friends" have taken the back seat to the two heavy-weights Facebook and Twitter.

With Facebook came simplicity. What started out as a networking site exclusive to college students has now become a hub home to millions of users, young and old. According to the company's statistics Facebook currently has 350 million users. Users update photos, links, and statuses 'round the clock. 55 million status updates are posted each day.

Where Facebook grew with different applications in a simplistic design, Twitter slowly emerged from seemingly no where. Twitter was a site built based one one question, "What are you doing?" Users "tweet" their statuses and messages to others in 140 characters or less, and as of right now, making it the most popular social networking site on the web right now.

Of course, with popularity comes corporate exploitation. Media companies like CNN and Fox News have their own Facebook and Twitter pages, only their pages highlight up to date news topics and opinion polls. i guess their thing was to go where the people are, and since Facebook and Twitter share over a 100 million users between them, why not start there?

I personally am against Twitter. Why? Well it just rubs me the wrong way. I guess I just don't want to be a sheep and follow the crowd from point to point. Like many others, I too made the transition from MySpace to Facebook; just going where everyone was. Once i realized the dangers of putting your information on the internet; however, I became hesitant of my involvement on social networking sites. Now I primarily use my Facebook account to store my song lyrics, and my status updates to promote my music group BFO ( official single 'Gone' available for download on iTunes for only $.99) and sometimes share my feelings after a crappy day.

So the only question is, where do they go from here? What application is missing from the equation that will spring off the next big thing in social networking? It's been argued by many that in a year or two MySpace will finally pull the plug and die off, Facebook will take its place, Twitter will rule as king until the next site blooms and shoves its face in a locker somewhere with the rest of them. Until then, expect a lot more tweets and status updates of some of the most mundane topics, photos that will either remove us from the job pool or get us fired, and smack talk back and forth about the latest in politics, movies and almost anything else you can think of.