That's right ladies, the rumor is true. The heart throbbing, pant dropping sensation The Jonas Brothers has recently decided to call it quits after discussion about the bands direction led to the boys parting ways.
What will world come to now? At least they were smart about it and didn't turn into a few Justin Biebers. How would you have like the Bieber Brothers running around stage? No. NO. The brothers have made the decision to part ways for now, focusing more on themselves other than the band. Kevin and his wife have their own reality television show on E! which sounds like I haven't been missing much. Joe and Nick both have solo albums out and will continue to focus on their singing, and also continue to pursue more acting.
Giving that the decision is final, they have decided to stop their upcoming national tour. Civilly, the boys are still on good terms. Ending the group was made with a mature, and rational thinking. Knowing was half the battle, figure out when their time was up was.. well.. the other half.
Don't worry, they're still brothers.

The Unraveling of the Silk Road

An anonymous hidden online buyers and sellers market of drugs under the name of Silk Road was recently unraveled by feds. Silk Road has been operating on a hidden part of the web, called the deep web, for several years. The deep web is described as the hidden massive under water part of an iceberg that's unseen, the iceberg being the internet and the smaller above water tip being the only part we normally encounter. Silk Road had been for years, haven to buy and sell every drug imaginable in any quantity anonymously through the internet using a experimental, and fluctuating, online currency known as bit-coins. Anything from cannabis to prescription, exotic, designer, and experimental drugs were available in any quantity you wanted to buy or sell as long as you had the product to ship to the buyer discretely, or the cryptocurrency known as bit-coins to pay the seller for whatever you desired. The U.S. feds busted the Administrator and mastermind of the website, known as Dread Pirate Robers, real name being Ross William Ulbricht, on October 2nd in a branch of the San Fransisco library. Ross is facing charges of money laundering and narcotics trafficking conspiracy as well as computer hacking. It has also been revealed that Ross had ordered hits on at least two people throughout the sites two and a half year run. As it turns out, for two years the Federal authority's have been setting up buys on this drug market and tracing buyers and sellers. With the take down of the Silk Road, Federal authority's have already arrested several buyers and sellers and it has been revealed that several of the sites biggest sellers have been reporting to the feds for months now, sometimes ironically, snitching on each other. Now in the wake of the aftermath Federal authority's are seizing bit coins used throughout this illegal drug black market and conducting more busts. However it does not appear to be the end of anonymous online drug black markets as new ones have emerged and old ones that once competed with the Silk Road have grown in popularity. As of now, who knows what will come of it all. It is evident, however, that the flow of illegal drugs cannot be stopped.

The Future of Tattoos: UV Tattoos

Ultraviolet Tattoos

     This day and age, visible tattoos are undesirable in many professional or non-tattoo related work places and can very likely prevent someone from getting a certain job. There also usually comes a time when people reach an age where they no longer want people (like children or grandchildren) to know that they ever have a tattoo. Until recently, the only way to avoid these problems was to either get the tattoo in a spot that can (or at least should) always be covered by clothes, that or to just not get a tattoo at all!

      But now there is another alternative and that is the UV Tattoo! The idea is generally the same as a regular tattoo, except instead of colored ink being injected under your skin, you are injected with a phosphorus pigment that, you guessed it, glows when put under Ultraviolet or 'black light'. Also, since it is virtually invisible under just normal light, it eliminates the problem of having tattoos in places that might be seen by an employer or customers as well as the need to constantly be hiding it when you don't it                                                           to be seen. 

Alternative Uses

     Besides what was previously stated about not having to worry about hiding your tattoo, there are other functions that this UV ink can do for you. This being that you can enhance your regular tattoos by adding some glow to them for an extra effect! A few celebrities, including Lil' Wayne, have already gotten UV Tattoos but considering that some of them have already gotten regular tattoos, they most likely got them to look cooler at parties and concerts where black lighting is common. Adding UV Ink to tattooing also opens up a whole new world of possibilities for new designs and possibly new clientele.

Problems
There are some health risks involved when getting one of these tattoos, some are just like the ones for a regular tattoo, including the possibility for rash, irritation, hives or an allergic reaction. However, since this process is relatively new, there is not much known about its long term effect. Many fear that the phosphorus, being a carcinogen, could lead to skin cancer though there is no known cases thus far. For this reason and also the fact that the ink is smaller then normal tattoo ink, many tattoo artists do not feel comfortable doing these UV tattoos. This leads to the problem of finding someone to administer the UV tattoo. Of the hundreds of tattoo parlors in Minnesota, there are only two that openly advertise that they administer UV tattoos and in the entire US there are only 23 that do. As time passes however, Ii am confident that with its popularity increasing so too will its availability, plus the fact that there are many reports of people purchasing the ink themselves on the internet and bringing it to there local tattoo parlors and getting them done there shows that many tattoo artists are open to doing it. The final thing to bring up is the issue of money. UV ink cost more then regular tattoo ink and also since the process is a little bit more difficult because of the smaller ink size, you can expect a tattoo made from UV ink to cost around 40% more then a regular one.


REFERENCES
http://genyu.net/2012/12/11/shedding-light-on-uv-tattoos/
http://www.squidoo.com/uv-tattoos
  

Mr. President....

Now everybody knows America isn't in it's best shape. We currently have a President who's trying to fix our economy, healthcare, job problems. How serious should a President be taken whether you like him or not? The video I'm about to share shows the difference between how Obama shook hands with a white person compare to a black person. In my opinion, as President you should shake hands like a gentlemen no matter who it is. To me, he could be talking all slang and/or ghetto with black people and when he's around white folks he would have a sudden change to gentlemen like. Now watch this video and tell me what you think.

I love sports and pay every day attention to it. I have noticed our President have spent a lot of time attending sport games along with meeting with champions every year to celebrate their 1st place at the White House. With America falling down to the ground I believe our President should focus more on building it back up and putting America back on it's feet instead of trying to be the "cool" President everybody always wanted. With this video it shows me he has two sides like how he would treat an individual base on color or could be other things I haven't noticed. Everybody should be treated the "right" way especially coming from the man everybody should respect. I don't want our President to have two sides to him. Please do share you opinions.

Is Welfare Fair?

Did you know that welfare provides more than a minimum wage to non-working citizens of the United Staes? Why would someone work for less than they can get for free? I'm not saying everyone takes advantage of welfare but it really came to my attention when I, back at 22 years old, college student with three jobs, working harder than most to achieve goals, had to pay in 500 dollars in taxes in 2010. Now lets say I had a kid or two, this wouldn't be the case. I could get assistance to provide for my family. I'm not saying it is the kids fault, i just think there should be some kind of service done in exchange to receive these benefits. Community service and volunteering in trade for welfare benefits would be fair. More restrictions could also help our country get out of debt.

According to the Department of Commerce of the United States of America; 12,800,000 people are supported by welfare, 46,700,000 people use food stamps, and 5,600,00 of americans are on unemployment. That is a lot of money taxpayers pay, try to do the math. Most people who receive welfare get it for 2 to 5 years.

It absolutely blows my mind as to why some people argue that there shouldn't be drug testing to receive welfare. Yes, it cost money to drug test someone but wouldn't you feel better if your tax dollars weren't being used to support a drug habit? Legal or not, spending welfare money on marijuana is a waste of taxpayers' dollars. Alcohol, gambling and addiction to video gaming should also have a level of evaluation.

Technically under my current income and monthly house hold expenses, I qualify to receive food stamps and assistance from the state. That's crazy, I am one hundred percent capable of providing for myself. Maybe i should use the resource because I am paying for it anyway. In the end, is it financially smarter to not work, be lazy, and collect free money? Land of the free, right?

"Gold Leaf"

Remember the saying that money grows on trees. Yes, and it's probably becoming realistic. It's not money by the way, but instead GOLD! According to scientists from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), they have discovered trees with gold particles on the leaves using a x-ray imaging detector. The roots of this particular tree, called eucalyptus, extends from tens of meters into the ground, where water there contains gold. It grows with the tree to the branches and leaves, then eventually falls to the ground. Gold is not the only metal found in the leaves. Other presence of metals found in the leaves are zinc and copper. With the use of this x-ray technique for their findings, it opens up a cheaper way to find gold deposits instead of having to dig for it.


Gold traces in a Eucalyptus leaf


Samples of Gum leaf showing traces of manganese

Eucalyptus leaves showing traces of different minerals including gold

 

 

These eucalyptus trees are found in the Australian outback in Australia. Hopefully, people do not rush there to get some leaves. And it will not be worth it because it can take up to 500 of these trees, that are growing directly over the gold deposit, to make a gold wedding ring.

 

Adrian Peterson on the move? Should the Minnesota Vikings trade their best player?

There has been a lot of talk about Adrian Peterson being traded to another team. This is a result of the team going 1-5 as of thus far in the 2013 season. But what exactly could the Minnesota Vikings get for Peterson? Well according to Greg Garber on espn.com, the Vikings could trade Adrian Peterson to the New York Giants for two players and two 2014 draft picks. The two players being Justin Tuck (defensive end), and David Wilson (running back). The two draft picks being a second round and a fifth round pick. Now of course this is all just talk. None of this may ever happen. But just for fun, here's another one:

 In an article by Tom Downey on chatsports.com writes that Peterson could go to the Dallas Cowboys for, get this, two players, a second and third round pick, and THREE first round picks.

 Now, this seems to be a lot for a 28 year old running back who has four, or maybe five more really good seasons left. Then again, it IS Adrian Peterson we are talking about. He is debatably the best running back of our time, if not, all time. But, to restate, this is all just a rumor. The fact is that Adrian Peterson is the best player that the Minnesota Vikings have right now. There is no reason to trade away your best player, unless Tom Downey's prediction is true. However that isn't realistic in this day and age.

So to all you Vikings fans, you can all rest your little heads. Adrian Peterson isn't going anywhere anytime soon. However, if you have any ideas as to where Peterson should be traded and for what, leave it in the comments below.                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The Fall Classic

Well, it's that time of year yet again.  When the National League champs squares off against the American League Champs.  And as a baseball fan, you have to love this time of year!

The Boston Red Sox will face the St.Louis Cardinals, with game 1 set to take place on Wednesday night in Boston.  The Red Sox and the Cardinals finished the regular season with the same record at 97-65.  They both shared the best record in Major League Baseball this season. This is the first season since 1999 that the two teams in the World Series had the top overall records during the regular season.

 The Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series, while the St.Louis Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

With how good the two teams did during the season, this is the best World Series match up baseball fans could have asked for.  These two teams are truly the best teams in Major League Baseball, and it should be another great World Series upon us!  So, who do you think will win the Fall Classic this year? I'll take the Red Sox.

Halloween: Then And Now

Back in the 1950's or so, 'All Hallows Eve" also known as Halloween, was a day where people would dress up as witches, ghosts, and goblins. Sometimes just something really simple. It was a time to dress up as scary as you possibly could. And believe it or not, Halloween used to be a day for adults. Yes, adults. They would dress themselves up as scary as they could, and go out and act mischievous. While There was trick or treating, the most common costume was a scary one, one often homemade. Now I am not saying that all costumes from the 1950's were scary, but their intent was to dress up as something they are not, or something fun, or funny looking. Now, in the twenty first century, Halloween for teenage girls mostly, has turned into "who can have the most scandalous costume". It is almost like a competition now on who has the "hottest body" or who looks the best  in the most scandalous costume.Looking at these costumes, they are Disney Princess's, I think. Most of the costume is non existent that it is almost hard to tell what they really are totally.  Halloween has gone from dressing up for fun to dressing up for sexy. Which makes Halloween not as fun as we get older cause who wants to go to a party and see that super skinny tan girl hardly covered up? If given the choice on which time era I would like to spend Halloween in, I would say the 1950's, hands down.

Is Smart The New Sexy?

It seems as though men with slicked back hair, leather jackets, and big arms have always been considered the sexy ones, or even powerful superheroes with ridiculous strength and abilities.  Those guys are great and all, but what about the other men who are insanely intelligent while having a not-so-built build? What about the men who choose not to fight and instead outwit their enemy? These questions have surfaced in the past few decades, and society seems to think that the smart guys are just as good as the tough guys. In fact, smart appears to be the new sexy.

The 11th Doctor

The 11th Doctor, from BBC's wildly popular TV show called Doctor Who, is the epitome of smart and dorky. As seen in the picture, he sports a tweed jacket and a bow tie, neither of which are typically considered very attractive by themselves. However, the 11th Doctor is considered by most viewers to be attractive despite his dorky getup and skinny build. Most people claim that the reason for this lies in his brain. He is around a thousand years old and has the ability to travel through time and space, giving him a wide variety of knowledge on just about everything. He also refuses to use a gun in order to protect himself, whereas in just about every other action TV show, the main character uses guns without any problem. Despite the fact that the Doctor vows never to use guns, wears a tweed jacket and bow tie, and has a skinny build, he is wildly popular among viewers in the UK as well as in the US.

Tony Stark, Iron Man

Another prime example is Tony Stark from Marvel's Iron Man movies. He is considered to be one of the Avengers, which is a group of super heroes that defend Earth against alien attacks. All of the other heroes within the group have powers such as super strength, the ability to fly, or the ability to lose control and turn into a giant green rage monster. Tony, on the other hand, has his smarts and his suits. Without his suits he wouldn't be able to do anything particularly super. Without his suits he is simply a genius, and yet he is the most popular of all the heroes within the Avengers. He doesn't need Captain America's strength nor Thor's thunder to be considered the fan favorite. The only thing he needs is his smarts.

Future Technology

Technology is everywhere today. Many technology we use in our everyday life are laptops, desktops, phones, and even iPad. With technology moving forward every advancing on what we can do and the data we store; but where are we at today and were are we going in the future?

One new technology advances we are implementing our the Google Glasses

Google glasses are basic glasses with a small screen that acts like a computer! This screen can record, take photos, show time and weather and much more. This is a big leap to what to come next.

Another thing that will be used in the future are self driving cars! It drives it self on many roads and will reduce the amount of drunk divers on the road.

Here is just a quick video of what technology may look like in the future. 

T.V. Show Life Span

     Life revolves around television, whether it's for entertainment or keeping up with the news. But TV's main backbone is probably the shows that fill the airwaves, some good, some bad, and some even manage to survive over the decades. However sometimes I have a problem with shows that tend to have longer life spans, sometimes I feel they need to call it quits sooner rather than later. This may sound like an attack on TV shows, but believe me when I say that it is out of respect, allow me to explain.

   My earliest experience in really getting into a show was MASH, I was growing up I was very interested in WW2 and history of that era. When re-runs for MASH cam on my dad pointed them out to me and I fell in love with the show. It was the first show where I could understand the context, the scenario and actually enjoy/observe characters grow and change. MASH made social commentary, fun humor and sometimes, the darkest scenarios you could imagine. You never knew quite what was in store for you when the opening sequence began to roll, but you did know that you would love it. MASH lasted eleven seasons, spanning the years of 1972 - 1983. Over the course of that time several major characters left to go pursue other opportunities, leaving the writers to find someone to fill the empty pair of shoes left before them. People grow to love characters, so when you've grown up with and shared in the experiences alongside that character and he/she disappears, replaced by someone you've never heard of, that can lead to some backlash. This backlash can even turn shows into ruin, causing the fan base to dwindle and no longer support said show. But MASH Handled these changes with grace; other shows have made the mistake of simply trying to replace that character, but that never seems to do justice towards the show or missing actor. MASH replaced the characters but the ones it introduced were new in their own way and contrasted just as well with the original characters. These new characters had just as much depth as the departed, this is because they were their own person and not just a clone to fill the void. MASH is my favorite show of all time, it managed to rise in popularity without ever losing a step. But that doesn't really prove my point that shows need to know when to call it quits, to really cement that idea I'll turn to another show that I love but sadly, didn't age as well over the years. The Office.

   The Office ran from 2005 - 2013 spanning nine seasons. Originally starting out as a short season you could buy off itunes and turning into a powerhouse television show. The office was successful because it managed to blend humor and a sense of relatability, everyone on the show seemed to be someone you knew in real life, at least that was the way it started. When Steve Carell was finally ready to take his leave and exit with his beloved character Michael Scott many thought that The Office should call it quits too. The Office would go on for two more seasons, during which it's popularity began to drop off and the show became less of a relatable comedy and more of a bunch of wacky characters in an office space. Personally I still loved the show and supported it until the very end but I could see where the show dropped off. The finale was good and wrapped up the show, but I feel if it had been a couple seasons sooner it would of had a greater response and impact. A show is only as good as it's finale and if your show goes off the air and people are still praising it and wanting more, then you have done your job as a writer/producer of that show. What's the best modern example of this? Well just look to your local run of the mill chemistry teacher.

   Breaking Bad, praised as one of the greatest shows of all time. The show mixed comedy, suspense and crime in a way you couldn't have imagined, the creator Vince Gilligan now seen as a genius. This show was lucky, all of it's main cast was loyal up into the very end, never really having to deal with any major names suddenly departing. It managed to introduce new characters on a whim and lead to all fans going crazy for their new favorites (only to kill them off before you can say Mr. White). The plot always moved forward and created new twists and turns for the audience to become blissfully enveloped in. How long did the show last? It lasted from 2008 - 2013 covering five seasons. It just recently came to a close and it was in the highest demand it had ever been. "They must be crazy to end it hear!" Well I think Vince Gilligan picked the perfect spot to close the curtain. Everyone loved it, there was never any time to jump off the bandwagon. So what is my conclusion? A good TV show leaves you wanting more, you don't want to to be left with a sour taste in your mouth that causes you to forget all great memories of past episodes. So to all those in charge of creating and airing shows, it may be hard to throw in the towel, but sometimes when and how you do it can leave a show with an immortal legacy.

Final Shot Of MASH

Boston Strong

On Wednesday October 3rd, 2012, the Boston Red Sox finished the regular season with a record of 69 wins and 93 losses. They were in dead last place in the American League East. They opened the 2013 season with little hope as they were in a rebuilding year. The season would be anything but rebuilding. On April 15th during the Boston Marathon, two bombs went off. Three people died, and over two hundred and fifty were injured. Before the Boston Red Sox' game following the bombings David Ortiz gave a speech.
The rest of the season would be full of ups from a team aspect. The Red Sox finished the regular season with a record of 97-65. Tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the best record in the MLB. They then proceeded to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in the wild card round, and then Detroit 4-2 in the American League Championship Series. Only four more wins stand between the Red Sox and the World Series Title. They last won it in 2007 defeating the Colorado Rockies.

Go Sox!

Adrian Peterson our Purple Jesus


Adrian Lewis Peterson, the best running back of the current football era was born on March 21, 1985.  This texas born athlete came out of Oklahoma State in 2007 as 1st round 7th pick.  Adrian Peterson was the first running back drafted that year.  He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings and has been a Viking since.  His jersey number is 28.

Adrian Peterson have many nicknames which all suit him well.  "All Day", "A.D.", "A.P.", or "Purple Jesus" are his common nicknames.  Last year he nearly broke Eric Dickerson's all-time rushing yards in a single season (2105 yards).  He needed just 9 yards to break the record.


 Awards

2007 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

2012 AP NFL MVP

2012 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award

 NFL Records

Most yards rushing in a single game (296)

2nd all-time rushing yards in a single season (2,097)

Most rushing yards in any eight-game period (1,322)

Most 60+ yard TD runs in a career (12)

Most 200-yard rushing games for a rookie (2)

Most yards rushing in the first eight games (1,036)

Most 50+ yard runs in a single season (7)

Most games, 150 or more yards rushing, season (7) (tied with Earl Campbell, 1980)

Most rushing yards in a calendar month (861) in December 2012

First Flying Car??

 First Flying Car?? 

  

On October 17, 2013,  the first flying car was off the ground for the first time! This flying car was invented by Stefan Klein, a designer from Slovak Republic. He calls it an "Aeromobil". The Aeromobil Version 2.5 is a flying car protoftype which was being developed for the last 20 years. 

The Aeromobile has folding wings and a propeller in the tail. It also runs on regular car gasoline. It is driven like a normal car despite the looks. 

This flying car isn't the only flying car around. There is one in the US-based Terrafugia, which also has fold up wings. It wings folds up vertically. There is also a Dutch flying car designed called PAL-V. The ground vehicle is three wheeled tilting motorcycle that turns into a gyrocopter.

 

 

 

 

 

For this version, the wings are folded back with small back wheels to support the tails. The engine is in the front with a two-person seat. There seems to be two wheels. The large wheel for driving on the ground and the small wheel for flying.

 

 

FINALLY A FAMILY I CAN RELATE TO TODAY!

For years in the media I have yet to witness a bi-racial family on major network TV. With changes to society and acceptance of mixed race families. You really get to see apart of the true american family in today's society. And you wouldn't have seen this type of program back  years ago. It was inspiring to see a healthy family. The daughter is showing concern with her dad's heart health. She doesn't understand yet the true nature of her concern. But all in all this a great change whether it comes with controversy or not. 

"No-Poo" For You!

Alternative living focusing on being chemical free, both in food and lifestyle, are becoming increasingly popular. Despite the stereotype of the "dirty hippie", some folks who subscribe to the idea of being completely organic are finding unconventional ways to stay clean.

Think about your hair: the texture, the sheen, the cleanliness, the upkeep. It's one of the first things we notice about other people. There are billion dollar industries devoted to that stringy mess coming out of your skull. We always want it to be as perfect as the hair models in the shampoo commercials. But is the current system we have in place all that effective at helping us achieve our ideal level of luscious locks?

Some of us are getting fed up with spending an endless amount of money every year attempting to get hair so shiny it could make a blind man squint. Hair so thick we have to get it braided with all the horses at our local stable. But in the end it's just wasted dollars and broken dreams.

The beauty industry is in business because they are selling us products for problems that they create in the first place. Shampoo dries out our hair, so we buy conditioner. We then find that the conditioner makes our manes unmanagably greasy. Back to the shampoo! After we repeat this cycle day after day eventually we realize how much we've damaged our hair. Our poor tangled hair is feeling sad and abused.

There's a movement that's fighting against this heinous industry though. It's called "No-Poo". People have begun rejecting the idea of washing their hair. Not just everyday, but at all. Ever. No washing of the hair follicles. Shampoo shall never sully their tresses again!

Once you get past the initial hilarity of the name, the curiousity sets in. If you don't wash your hair, won't it get iredeemably dirty? Won't flies and dogs follow you in a cloud of fetid stank? After all, it's what we've been taught. Think about it for just a half second longer. Shampoo as we know it has only been around for a short amount of time. Humanity seemed to get by just fine.

Dirt is removed by shampoo, but also the oils that naturally make up our body chemistry. Once we strip ourselves of these precious oils, our hair gets dry and brittle. Our hair reacts by violently overproducing grease to make up for it's lost cargo. It's a vicious cycle we've created. We have become our hair's worst enemy.

So what happens if you just stop washing your hair? Oh, your hair is going to get dirty. Really, really dirty. It's going to be bad. But then something miraculous happens. It gets better. Once we allow our hair to do it's own thing once again, it becomes able to regulate the oil production. Grease is no longer a problem. Many people experience hair softer and shinier than when they were using average ol' shampoo and conditioner.

Before and After the no-poo method

Overall, this method seems to get really good results. Many folks in the blogging world swear by it. There's an endless amount of support and information for anyone willing to give it a try!

Some resources:

• This lady gives us some facts, and describes her journey going no-poo
• A Live Journal community for no-poo
• Lots of tips and simple instructions
• Reddit community

Halloween Brings Thrilling Television Shows

The third season of the hit show American Horror Story has arrived and this season is called Coven. This season was one of the largest premier of this shows history racking in 5.5 million viewers which is a 44% increase since last season. Having watched the season premier I can see why so many people cued in on this show. It is fantastic and it contains everything that you would want from a horror story show. Offering love, violence, mystery, and gore this gives everyone what they want and what makes this show fantastic. Another thing that makes this show unique is that it is a new story each season, and it doesn’t keep on the same story line. The first season was about a haunted house, second season was about an asylum, and this season is about witches! It keeps the same cast and just has those people playing different roles so this is what makes the season appealing to everyone. You don’t have to watch the seasons in order since there is no continued story line. If you have not stated this show yet it’s not too late to start only two episodes have aired. Wanting to catch this show tune in on FX on Wednesday at 9:00pm. I guarantee that this show will make you cringe and give you goose bumps, and be prepared to be sucked in by this stellar television show. 

Obsessed with Zombies

Today, we are so obsessed with zombies. But the question resolves around, why? Why are we so obsessed with them and what do they mean to us now?

Zombies originally originated from the Haitian Voodoo Culture. In the Haitian language, the word zombie comes from nzambi or zonbi, which means 'spirit of the dead'. It is said in folklore that there was a deadly

substance that came from the fou-fou or porcupine fish called tetrodoxin. A zombie is one who has annoyed the people in their life to the extent where those people can no longer take the presence of him or her, and with that, they turn them into a zombie with the help of a Bokor (a priest or priestess who studies both dark and light magic). For one to be turned into a zombie, their heart rate would come to a near stop, their breathing suppresses, and their body temperature declines rapidly. Believing that he or she was a dead corpse, they would bury his or her body. And then, they would resurrect the body, resulting in their physical character, their memory would be eliminated and they would become zombies.

In the end, zombies really do have no meaning on us or to us, but instead we just liked to twist our thoughts on them. Most of today's view of zombies are myths with very little truth. It was because of money that zombies became a motivation; facts were changed to please the people.

Swimming up Streams

                                    

You there, yes you! I can see it twinging on your lips already. You're ready to say, "man... it's bad enough that you're wasting away your life playing these games, but you actual watch other people play video games?!" To this I say, "You don't know me! You're not God!" But really, this is my least favorite sentence this side of the Mississippi; how is it any different from spending those hours of your day watching football, baseball or any other sport? Then something mindless is uttered like "These are professionals at the top of their field, facing others who have spent years of their lives training." At this point I'll just face-palm and walk away.
The differences between these two guys on the left are few and far between, one just loses every year to professional Korean teams, and the other just loses to everyone.

Streaming has become a huge industry, there are many, many people can make a complete living off of just playing video games and being entertaining to watch. It's not just about the individuals, however, it is the industry itself. October 4th, 1.4 million people tuned in to watch the world series of League of Legends between SK1 and Royals. In South Korea events of this nature are televised just as sports here in America. Again friends, the lines are blurring between the two below.

So, what some may call an unhealthy addiction, I simple call simply call...an extreme hobby. The next time you choose to pass judgement, take some time to consider, is it really all that strange or are our preconceived notions of socially acceptable behavior just skewed for the moment, and what you are really witnessing is the beginning of a revolution. I'm not trying to push for this to become a national sport televised every hour on the hour and added to the Olympics, all I say is, let he who is without sin cast the first stone and what not.
After all, lets be honest here, from the two not-biased-at-all videos below which is truly more entertaining?

That's FaceBook Ratchet

We all have friends that seem to have no awareness or filter for whatever they post or comment on Social Media sites, sometimes we are even guilty of it ourselves. But imagine if we were to carry that same demeanor in our daily lives, everything we do would be so "FaceBook ratchet". So why is there a difference between face-to-face and online mannerism? The biggest reason why face-to-face and online mannerisms differ is because the consequences of our online statement or actions aren't as apparent or direct as it would be if we were physically interacting.

      "The scandalous profile pic" This is an example of how people carry themselves differently from how they would normally. Expressing and carrying our image and appearance differently from how we would normally because of how online profiles allow less direct criticism and judgment. 

         Stigma There is a huge stigma that says online social media create problems for society because it causes people to not develop and exercise that crucial physical face-to-face interaction. It is very hard to believe that something which was created to make social interaction and networking easier and wider would have a negative effect on its self. The problem that a lot of people are incapable of being sociable already exists!! Online social media is a place where people express themselves without the pressure and guidelines of society. 

The World is Ending, Yet Again!

First it was thought that the world would end at the stroke of midnight from the change of a new millennium, then twelve years later it was thought catastrophe would commence on Earth. Now, the new date to be feared is August 26, 2032.

Ukrainian astronomers found that an asteroid might collide with Earth in a couple of decades. Space watchers from the observatory in the Crimean peninsula said they discovered an asteroid about 1,345 feet in diameter that is approaching Earth at a potentially dangerous trajectory. This asteroid’s force of hitting Earth is equivalent of setting off about 2.5 megatons of TNT, RIA Novosti reported. That is not a good outlook for a surviving human population. Although the odds of the asteroid hitting Earth are 1 in 63,000, there will be a chance that people will prepare for, yet, another ending of the world. 

As this date moves closer the craziness and panic might return to those who believe the world is meant to be destroyed and such. However, I think on that day, I will be in my living room watching an old movie I remember was the most feared “back in my day”, 2012.

Cheerleading, Sport or Not?

Everyone gives cheerleaders crap. Always going on about how its not a sport and its easy. A lot of reasons people think this is because they only have seen sideline cheerleaders. Sideline cheerleaders have lots of ristrictions, they cant do certain stunts: "building performances displaying a person's skill or dexterity. Stunting in cheerleading has been previously referred to as building pyramids. Stunts range from basic two-legged stunts to one-legged extended stunts and high flying basket tosses". Also, Tumbling (flips and such) are limited due to the surface of the track. The purpose of sideline cheerleading is to have school spirit.

Sideline Cheerleading

But then there is Competiton Cheerleading. No, this is not sidline teams competing to be louder. A Competive Cheerleading team is way different.  They have a lot more freedom when it comes to stunting and tumbling. A routine for highschool consists of: a cheer, dance, multiple stunts, standing and running tumbling and jumps. There are different divsions just like any sport and depend on: number of people, if your all girl or co-ed, and if you tumble or not. Many student/people dont even know they have a competitive team and never see them compete, therefore they dont realize the work put into it. Comp team seasons last about 10 months out of the year, thats tryouts-nationals. Yes, you read that right, Nationals. Competive teams work to make their routine solid until its time to go to regionals, this is your ticket to go to nationals. You have to be scored high enough and in a certain percentile by judges on your score sheet to recieve a bid, a bid is like an invite. No invite, no trip to disneyland for nationals in Orlando. Competiton teams travel. Most go to a camp during the summer, then regionals isnt always close because, national judges come to watch and score, then of course nationals.

 Bring it on is the sterotypical cheer movie, but to be honest they do have really good stunts and tumbling. Kind of acurate...but sterotypical. Happy, peppy, pretty, and bitches....not all cheerleaders are like that.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10200506532891800&set=vb.1412051285&type=3&theater

The link above is a video of my team from last year,  reining state grand champions for the past 3 years! Ranked 6th in nation for small co-ed varsity.

The general public needs to realize what us as competion cheerleaders realize...WE DONT WANT TO BE CONSIDERED A SPORT. That would cause more restrictions than we already have and then state and regionals and nationals would all be controlled by indivual states. We couldnt practice on weekends....and the whole thing would change and it wouldnt be the same anymore. Dont get me wrong cheerleading is not easy its actually rated top for most injuries... its difficult,  you train and get in the best shape of your life because trying is for losers,  and you never have enough talent to win on talent alone.

Pokémon!

October 12, 2013 was the official release date of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y! I was so damn excited to get my hands on my very own copy (I got Pokémon X of course)!

Xerneas (left), the new fairy type legendary Pokémon and Yveltal (right), the new dark and flying type legendary Pokémon.

I’ve been a fan of the Pokémon series since Ash first started his journey in the Kanto region with his beloved Pikachu. Although I’ve stopped watching the Pokémon series around its 3^rd season, I did not stop playing the game. I had played Pokémon Blue version, Pokémon Silver, Pokémon Sapphire, Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon White, Pokémon White 2, and now I am playing Pokémon X. There are some versions that I didn’t get to play because I didn’t have the luxury of getting them at the time but now that I am a grown adult and have a job, I can finally afford these games! Some people say that the Pokémon franchise are and should only be for kids but I disagree. 

The chart below shows the age demographics on the game's previous successor, Pokémon White and Pokémon Black. Unfortunately there are no statistics regarding the demographics of Pokémon

X and Pokémon Y since the game was only out for less than a week...bare with it.

Boys are in blue and girls are in pink. 1st - 3rd grader boys and men ages of 19-24 are almost equal and are greater compared to 4th-12th grader boys. Although the population of female players are smaller than the male player base, you can see that there are more women of the age of 19-24 that play Pokémon compared to girls younger than their age--which fascinates me. It's probably because most 19-24 year olds, either boy or girl, grew up with Pokémon in their early childhood. The Pokémon anime did came out in 1998 or roughly 15 years ago. You'd be surprised to see how many college students play Pokémon including myself.

              Professor Oak tends to forget about your gender...and his grandson's name.

Pokémon targeted their audience at a young age and those young folks who eventually grew up as adults stayed loyal to the series, both anime and video games. As the year goes by, Pokémon creates newer generation of Pokémons that the veteran fans cringe and hate (but then eventually love) while the new generation of children praise it and dance with joy. In the end Pokémon is still very successful as they follow a similar story structure and game concept but modernizing it for the newer generation of our children and giving veteran fans a refreshment of the series.

Despite being a grown person, Pokémon will forever be in my heart. It made my childhood and made a huge impact not only to my life nor to other people's lives but in our media as well. Pokémon is just as well known as Disney's Mickey Mouse. Speaking of mouses, did you know that Pikachu's Pokedex entry is an electric mouse pokémon? Coincidence? Who knows?