McDonald's All American Game

Thanks to McDonald’s this week will be a very special one to the twenty four student athletes that got invited to take part in their All American game. McDonald’s has been holding this event since 1978, and they have had everybody from Magic Johnson to Lebron James wear the McDonald’s jersey. This week will be the equivalent of All Star Weekend to these high school seniors. McDonald’s runs a very well organized event every year. Each year the setting for the game changes, but no matter where the game is they make sure they put on a great event for the athletes and the community. In addition to the actual game McDonald’s also has a slam dunk contest, and a three point competition.  They also take the student athletes out to a Ronald McDonald House to visit kids who are less fortunate. From what I have heard and seen the visits to the Ronald McDonald Houses have a big impact on everyone. The athletes get to see that even though they are very young they are already being looked up to as role models, and the kids love seeing and getting a chance to talk to future NBA players. The game this year is in Chicago and the festivities started yesterday with the slam dunk contest. The game is on Wednesday at 10 p.m.  if you get a chance tune in. It should be a great game all the top high school talent will be in there.

Written by: Barry Allen

New Translation of the Roman Missal

Starting November 27 of this year English speaking Roman Catholics will be using a new translation of the Roman Missal. The Roman Missal is the book that contains the texts, prayers and rubrics used for Mass and other liturgical rites in the vernacular. It is also known as the Sacramentary and is supplemented by The Lectionary which has the readings used at Mass. The purpose of the recently approved translations is for a more faithful rendering of the original Latin texts.

The Ordinary Form of Mass was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970 five years after the close of the Second Vatican Council. This was a dramatic change to the Extraordinary Form of Mass which had very strict rubrics.

The Ordinary Form of Mass is governed by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM). This Mass permits the priest to face the congregation and stand behind the altar if it is freestanding. In this liturgy the ceremony is simplified by the reduced genuflections and options for brief readings and psalms.
The Internation Commision on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) is also assisting in the transition from the Missale Romanum 2002 to 2011. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has many resources available on the upcoming Missal including samples of the new text. There are some groups and even a petition against the new Missal. Let us move forward and anticipate the much needed changes.

-tbtcom1213

Working For Fast-Food is the Worst!!

Growing up I've always heard people say that working in fast food is one of the most underpaid and overworked jobs in the service industry. I never really belived or thought of it till i had no other choice than to apply to one. Like any other person, many people complain about how hard and boring their jobs are and how they wish they can just quite. Trust me, untill you work in the fast food industry, you don't know what hard work is. I had just been let go from a form employer, Party City, because it was seasonal, so i needed to find a new job asap. I applyed to retail stores, banks, and a few restauraunts. I got the call from Wendys around my house and i was excited because i finally got a call back and started right away. My 1st day there was hell, i was cashier and the machine was like some foreign object from space. I would be getting voids, punching in the wrong orders, but after a good week or two I kind of got the hang of it. The customers there explode if you get 1 little thing wrong, thats what stressed me out the most. I was 18 when i started and I've been workeding there for about 6months. Ive been applying to many different places but nothing. But i feel that in the end of the week the pay is sweet, and sooner or later I am going to find a better job for me.

Road to recovery.

It's true what they say "People can't remember when you did something good but let you do something bad and they'll never forget it." Chris brown has his domestic violence past of beating on his ex girlfriend Rihanna. While that happened two years ago and he has started over with an amazing new album people can't let go of the past. Everyone deserves a second chance. During an interview on Good morning America (A television show) the past situation kept being brought up. I honestly thought he handled the situation great, he told her TWICE that he was not there to speak on it and still she insisted. So ignorant.

To watch the interview click this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNWyk7iS-T0

Celebrity Priest on administrative leave amidst Accusations

Just when you think scandal in the Catholic Clerical realm was history, think again. An unnamed woman has accused Reverend Father John Corapi of drug and sexual exploits. This unidentified person was a former employee and had sent her affidavit to several American prelates. Following the publicity of these allegations The Religious Superior of Father Corapi's religious order Rev. Gerald Sheehan has suspended his priestly faculties pending the outcome of the investigation. A fund raising conference has been canceled due to the fact that he cannot appear.


Father Corapi has declared these allegations made against him are false and asks for the prayers of the faithful. Father John Corapi was born in 1947 in New York. He had military experience and attended Pace University. While he was financial advisor to Tropicana he also fell into drugs until he changed his ways. Corapi entered the seminary thereafter and was ordained in 1991 by the late Pope John Paul II. Father Corapi is known for his powerful orthodox preaching and dynamic testimony which has brought many into the Catholic fold. His previous sermons, conferences and talks have been broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) where he has a show and has worked until this recent and unfortunate development.

It is quite unfortunate today that a person's reputation and character can be easily defamed by anonymous accusations which may or may not be true. This is due to the fact that the prelates must publicly wash their hands like Pontius Pilate. It has been known that clerical perpetrators of sexual child abuse have been moved from parish to parish by their bishop in order to avoid prosecution of the civil law. We live in a society where the defendant is innocent until proven guilty but the defendant in questioned is treated as though he was guilty. Hopefully justice will prevail for the defendant and his accuser who remains at large.

-tbtcom1213

Fear Of God Mixtape Review

One half of the Virginia based rap duo “The Clipse” has recently released a single project.  Fear Of God is the name of Pusha T’s newest musical venture.  This is the first collection of music we will hear from him without his brother and band mate Malice. Even though I never doubted Pusha T’s ability to make his own music I can understand why people were skeptical about this mixtape, but people all that skepticism throw it out the window. Once the intro plays and you hear the voice of Tony Montana you know you’re in for something epic. This mixtape has features from some of the biggest artist and producers in the game. Artist like Rick Ross and 50 Cent pair up with Pusha T to make great music, and let’s not just give all the credit to the rappers, producers Kanye West and Pharrell Williams also took part in making this mixtape the great thing that it is.  Songs like “Open Your Eyes”, “Can I Live”, “Raid”, “Alone In Vegas”, and “I Still Wana” are tracks that will not disappoint any fan of rap. As for Pusha T fans you are also in for a treat because every verse Pusha T raps is classic Pusha T material. Makes me feel like I’m listening to old “Clipse” albums and that is truly a joy.

Written by: Barry Allen

March Madness

It's that time of the year again, when everyone is filling out their NCAA tournament brackets. Arguments will sprout all around the country about who’s going to upset who, or who’s going to be this year’s Cinderella story. This year’s NCAA tournament will be an interesting one. In the last couple of years there have been a few standout teams in college basketball. These teams were standouts that everybody knew were going to make it deep into March, but this year it’s a little different. The number one spot in the country has been awarded to many different teams and none of them were able to handle the pressure of being number one. Practically every team began to lose once they got into the number one spot. This goes to show us there are no outstanding teams this year in the NCAA, there’s just a bunch of good teams. That might sound like I am saying the NCAA tournament is not going to be any good this year, but with that statement I am actually saying the opposite. With no outstanding team this year the tournament will be a hard fought tournament by good teams. There will be upsets left and right because no one is really head and shoulders above the rest. Each team will have to bring energy and desire every night to advance to the next round, and we the audience will get to sit back and enjoy the show.




Written by: Barry Allen

With Disaster Comes Great Ignorance

With a death toll nearing 6,000 and over 10,000 more people unaccounted for, Japan is facing it's biggest crisis since World War II. Entire villages have been wiped out, homes have been destroyed, non stop after shocks have occurred, and families have literally been torn apart. Additionally, Japan is also dealing with a potential nuclear reactor disaster that threatens their existence every passing day. The title of this post derived from a comment I made on Twitter about the ignorance that was displayed following the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last Friday, March 11th. 

One would think that following such tragedy, people would somehow be empathetic and compassionate. However,  I believe it was foolish of me to expect of that of people. Shortly after the disaster occurred, Pearl Harbor started trending on Twitter. Surely this couldn't be right. Surely people wouldn't actually be linking recent human suffering to an event that took place nearly seventy years ago? Well, I'll have you know that's exactly what was happening.

I skimmed some of the comments made about Japan and it's relation to Pearl Harbor and trust me when I say that my blood began to boil. "Remember Pearl Harbor Japan? Karma's a bitch.", "I can't forgive Japan for Pearl Harbor LMAO", "No sympathy from me lol. Do you guys remember Pearl Harbor?" I continued reading these types comments on the verge of tears. How could people be so oblivious? So ridiculous? 

I would imagine this lot, and anyone that thinks like this, were the bunch that had an incredibly hard time in third grade history class. Do YOU remember that in retaliation to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. dropped not one but two nuclear bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Damn near obliterating both cities and it's people, by the way. At least Japan's attack was more so a military attack whereas the U.S. annihilated innocent civilians that had nothing to do with the war. Furthermore, Japan had the messy job of dealing with those who developed leukemia as a result of the bombing. Didn't know that bit did you?  I would say that makes the U.S. and Japan pretty damn squared at this point.

You can't forgive Japan for Pearl Harbor? What are you? In your twenties? Your parents weren't even around for World War II so please stop with your shenanigans. 

Mind you, I'm not saying the Japanese were right for their actions all those years ago. However, I'm astounded that people believe that U.S. doesn't have any blood on their hands in regards to the matter. And what's worse is that some people do realize that the U.S. did in fact retaliate and yet still believe that Japan deserves so much more than what they already got!

Furthermore, how can you blame the current Japanese generation for actions taken by a completely different generation almost seventy years ago? Not to mention, the U.S. and Japan have been allied since the 1960's so leave it alone! Japan was one of the countries that provided aid when Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S., so why shouldn't our nation assist them in their time of need? 

I know many Japanese people who think favorably of American people. I should hope that their opinions wouldn't change due to a certain groups blaring ignorance and lack of sympathy. There is a story behind everything. So how about picking up a book or even doing a quick Google search before making such asinine statements, huh?

- Madam Tartuffe

Natural and Nuclear turmoil in Japan

Last week an earthquake occured in the Sendai region of Japan. This in turn spawned a devastating tsunami which was reported to have gone at most six miles inland leaving behind it a path of destruction and thousands of people unaccounted for. The tsunami also triggered waves that reached other nations in the Pacific ocean up to the West Coast of California. Many were given ample warning to evacuate from these affected areas. The waves surged along the docks of Santa Cruz with heights up to eight feet. Five people in the area were swept away but foruntalety were resuced.

Thousands of lives were saved in Japan due to many measures taken by the government. Since Japan is close to prominent faultlines they design several structures to withstand earthquakes and hold annual earthquake drills. In this earthquake witnesses reported seeing the buildings sway back and forth but not collapse as expected. The first confirmed victim in Sendai was a Canadian priest whose car was hit by the fatal tsunami waves. The local diocesan bishop pledges that the Church in Japan will respond.

Many concerns arise from this natural disaster. The survival of the victims and the nuculear threat. After the earthquake the Fukushima Dai-ichi three nuclear power plants were at risk of meltdown. Those in the vicinity of the area were evacuated and checked for radiation. Those who had radiation would be decontaminated and others would be offered iodine pills as an extra precaution. Residents still in the area have been told to seal themselves indoors until the radiation levels decrease.

The economy in Japan has plummeted. Japan is the third largest economic power globally and is known for it's technological advances. Production at car plants have halted until fiuther notice. Thailand is inspecting Japanese imports  for radiation. Economic Interdependence between these nations as well as other countires like the United States and Philippines is going to struggle.

We can help the situation by donating our time and money as our means allow. Send donations to the Red Cross and other legitimate organizations invloved in the recovery process. Beware of scams and donate any goods you can. Other than that, we can simply offer a prayer.

-tbtcom1213

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Pokémon: Black and White Game Review

Review of the Pokémon: Black and White Game

Let’s Review Pokémon: Black and White; by the way, I played the white version. Why the white version? Well, the only difference between the two are the types of monsters the player has to catch in each version and of course, an excuse to bother your parents or significant other to get you both versions to get a 100% completion! With that said, let’s talk a little about the Pokémon game franchise.

BACKGROUND:
The Original Pokémon: Red and Blue Series, was originally out for the Game Boy (that’s the black and white Game Boy, no color) in 1996. All of this is revolving around a main character, named by the player, and his dream of being some sort of master of these critters. This old game kicks off with the main character leaving his home town on a journey to collect badges to prove his worth, thus bringing him closer to being a Pokémon master. Okay, so long story short the main goal is to catch all 150 critters, beat all eight gym leaders and elite four. By the way good luck doing that because Nintendo made it impossible to catch all 150 of the monsters with a single cartridge; that could be because they made two different versions, blue and red, putting half the monsters in one and half in the other, so unless you had a friend with the other version or two Game Boys, you couldn’t possibly finish the game. BUT! Times are a changing, let us see what’s new in the newly released versions Black and White. So about 15 Pokémon games later, they come out with black and white. Things have certainly changed and by changed I mean kind of not changed at all, and by not changed at all; I mean wow it’s really involved with itself. You start off as a kid, either boy or girl, leaving home to catch all the critters in the game and beat this seasons bad guy ,team plasma ,collect all eight gym badges, beat the elite four, then move on to the champion of all the lands. That was a mouthful!! It may sound like every other game, but this one is a lot more elaborate. You even meet the antagonist very early and discuss all his beliefs. Compared to red and blue, this game seems never-ending because to accomplish all the aforementioned tasks, you’re looking at over 100 hours of game play!!

WHATS NEW:
Boatloads of stuff has been added! I would say about over a 100 new monsters to catch, racking up the Pokémon total well over 600. They have anew Gimmick mechanic to this version called the Dream World, where you can connect to a website made by Nintendo to unlock additional content and/or specific monsters with abilities you wouldn’t normally find without it. The running mechanic has been improved such that when holding the B button, you can run faster than the other versions which seems like a small thing, but if you have played the other versions or even the originals this is a very welcomed addition! New Moves and abilities have been added to these little monsters repertoire, so if you were hoping to depend on old tactics from previous generations you might as well throw out every strategy you’ve learned until the midgame because you won’t be encountering much from that playbook. The Market where you would purchase your healing items, pokéballs and other assorted items has moved into the Pokécenter and is now the one stop shop for all your healing needs. Graphics have improved but I wouldn’t necessarily give them a gold star for this because all games nowadays have nice graphics, but I will give them the gold star for what they did with the graphics by making the world your exploring, a feel genuinely big so when you enter a city you actually feel like you could get lost. Triple battles have been introduced into the world now which I personally feel is a bit much; But hey its different and at least they are trying to squeeze out every bit of different they can muster for this new iteration of the franchise!

FIRST IMPRESSION:
I’ve played these games before and maybe it’s just me but this game never grabbed me like the previous release soul silver and heart gold. I was very put off to this game till the mid part of it. For one thing the new monsters you can catch ehh they’re not the prettiest things. I mean some of these sprites are just not to my personal taste and all I could think about is importing all the older characters to use, not the over powered, but just the ones I preferred because I felt the Pokémon made before this one just overall look better. But after a while I found a few that looked better than others, but personal preference, blah whatever! Also, this game is super involved in its own story. I mean having a story is fine but having too much story is not for me. I couldn’t even take one step out of tone without having my ear talked off and mashing the A button for what feels like five minutes. Constantly swapping out weaker monsters for stronger ones and banishing the weaker monsters to the cold abyss known as the pc to never be looked at again, leaves me in wanting to see a release of a version of this game where the main character has a surprise ending of being evil capturing monsters and removing them from their habitats just to have a complete collection just for the sake of having one. Speaking of the bad guys, the way the bad characters act are so comical, I could only imagine them as people with curly mustaches twisting them while laughing, like snidely whiplash. The whole team plasma as a whole, yes I get that your ironic in how you promote this whole freedom to Pokémon, but then later it shows as being cruel to them. I think eventually the player gets it and I would have preferred better developed bad guys, just saying!

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Would I recommend this game? If you’re are a parent and want to keep the kids down for the next month or so then sure! As you’re at it, I recommend buying both versions! Even if you’ve played a Pokémon game before, I suggest you rent it first or borrow a friend’s because this game took me a while to get accustomed to; the game has a very strong middle and end. This could be because the previous games seemed so similar to each other, so your expectation seems the same, but you will be shocked! It throws tons and tons of content at you. They even go to extreme lengths to change the battle system, so you can be able to learn new strategies and find all the new type combination of monsters to build your perfect team of monster! By the way, there’s a Pokémon that looks like an ice-cream cone, it’s too adorable!! :)

Written by D.R.
Edited by C.P.

Religious tolerance in America and abroad

One of the foundations of America is religious tolerance. The first pilgirms from England a few centuries ago sought refuge from religious persecution. Today America is also a hotbed of religious intolerance. Many misconceptions and ambiguous incantations have yet to be cleared up. Those who adhere to the Muslim religion are persecuted for terrorism ever since September 11. Stereotypes of other faith systems include "cheap Jews", "pedophile Catholic Priests", "prejudiced Protestants", et cetera. Fortunately the first ammendment protecting freedom of religion and speech has stood against these rude remarks on the few who ruin it for the many. 

Representative Congressman Peter King has been known to have an anti-Muslim bias claiming that many extremists exist in local mosques. The fear of the Islamic religion is known as Islamophobia. Those who exhibit this fear believe America will be taken over with Shariah law and many structures with minarets will be built. Last year there was some controversy about an Islamic Community Center being established two blocks from Ground Zero in Manhattan. The local Media hasn't followed up since then but is now focusing on the revolutions in Egypt and Libya. Do we need to be afraid of the Islamic religion and those who devoutly practice it? Not at all, for how can you base a religion on the actions of only 19 hijackers? The Islamic religion has contributed many positive elements to society such as medicine, math, arts, caligraphy et cetera. In this case ignorance is definitely not bliss. In every faith system exist good people and bad people.

As a practicing Roman Catholic I have encountered the devout and deliquents of the church. By no means am I perfect but I strive to do that which is called good. Let us be kind to one another without compromising our beliefs. Let us be professional and unitive in working towards a better society in which all have a chance to express and say what needs to be said. The key to getting along is grounded knowledge which lessens our culpability of persecution. Remember why the first pilgrims came to this land of opportunity and let us carry on their work.

-tbtcom1213

Record Labels Putting Handcuffs On Artist

After reading an article on Complex.com about Lupe Fiasco and his third studio album called “Lasers”, I find it sad how record companies handle business with their artist. In my opinion Lupe Fiasco is one of the most talented rappers of this day and age, and he has trouble getting a record company to make an album for him but people like Soulja Boy go platinum. It just does not make sense to me. Lupe and Atlantic Records have been having issues since 2009 about his album. I have never seen an artist and his fans do as much as Lupe and his fans did to make it possible that his album get a release date of March 8^th 2011, which is today. They had protests and petitions made up and Lupe even discussed the issues at hand while on stage and in interviews. According to the article Lupe was forced to do certain radio friendly or commercial songs. By forced I mean he was told if he does not make certain songs that the label wanted they would pull the plug on his album. These acts by the record company is what makes Lupe “Love and hate this album.” “I don’t like the process behind Lasers. The music is dope but I just don’t like the process.” That is a direct quote from Lupe when he was asked why he hated the album. Whatever happened to the days when artists were able to get out their creativity however they wanted? It’s ironic how an artist who made a song called “Dumb It Down” which emphasizes how he will not stop being lyrical just so that more people can understand him, has been told to be less lyrical and has been put in a box by his record label. I remember listening to Lupe’s first two albums and just admiring his word play and his subject matter, hopefully one day he will be able to return back to his roots and put out the music he envisions in his mind.

Written by: Barry Allen

The Descent into Lent

Christians worldwide will begin Lent by solemnly observing Ash Wednesday. Before this holy day many people around the world most natably in the Americas have been celebrating Carnival which is a festival that precedes Lent and runs from the middle of January to Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday"). On Mardi Gras countless beads are worn and all people have a free pass on endlessly gorging on foods abundant with fat. These fats will be given up until Easter Sunday. On Ash Wednesday Catholics are marked with ashes which are acquired  by burning palm branches from the previous year's celebration of Palm Sunday. The ashes are blessed using holy water and are also fumigated with incense. The ashes are applied by the priest using his thumb to form a cross on the recipient's forehead. On this day Catholics are obligated to fast and abstain from meat this day and all Fridays of Lent. Fasting in this situation is defined as taking only one full meal and supplenting the full meal with two smaller meals which should not together equate to the amount of the full meal. In Rome Pope Benedict XVI will start a penitential procession from the Basilica of Saint Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina which is the stational church of Ash Wednesday. At Santa Sabina he will celebrate Mass and bless ashes with which he will sprinkle over the tonsure of high ranking prelates present. In Europe the ashes are sprinkled lightly over one's tonsure rather than the forehead. Lent for Catholics is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Catholics are encouraged to give up favorite commodities, increase personal devotion and penance as well as emphasize on helping the poor in accordance to the Gospel. Catholics and non Catholics alike are invited to recieve ashes on their forhead because ahses are a sacramental and not a sacrament like Communion. Statistically speaking, Ash Wednesday is the day the most people show up for Church besides Christmas and Easter. On this day almost everyone wants to be seen as a penitential Catholic. In the Eastern Christian tradition Lent begins on a Monday. On that day they abstain from meat, eggs and dairy. Ashes are not distributed in the Eastern Christian churches with the exception of the Maronite Rite.

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-tbtcom1213

LASERS -- Lupe Fiascos Album Fiasco.

With three tracks released before hand, speculation of final album as a rapper, retirement, and even leaving his label. Atlantic Records has finally released Lupe Fiascos' junior album entitled "Lasers". Which according to Lupes' blog, was suppose to be released January of 2010 and titled L.U.P.End, being his final album as a rapper. The first single, "Shining Down" featured Matthew Santos and was released July 2009. A second single called "I'm beaming" was released in August 2009. Nine months later, and still no Lupe Fiasco album. Mid September he tweeted that the album was ready to be released, but Atlantic Records did not want to go forward with it because of the context of the album and anticipated low album sales. Finally after speeches, protest by fans at the New York City Atlantic Records office, and over 28,000 names on petitions, Atlantic records tweeted on October 7th, 2010 that the album would be entitled Lasers, and would be released March 8th, 2011. The first official single off the new Lasers album is called "The Show Goes On" produced by Kane Beats and has already been certified gold in the U.S for selling over 500,000 copies (Goes to show Atlantic was wrong and proves how faithful Fiasco fans really are). February 8th, 2011, Fiasco released another single off the Lasers album entitled "Words I never said" featuring singer/songwriter Skylar Grey.

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Letting Go" (featuring Sarah Green)	King David	4:26
2.	"Words I Never Said" (featuring Skylar Grey)	Alex da Kid	4:16
3.	"Till I Get There"	Needlz	3:23
4.	"I Don't Wanna Care Right Now" (featuring MDMA)	The Audibles	4:15
5.	"Out of My Head" (featuring Trey Songz)	Miykal Snoddy	3:24
6.	"The Show Goes On"	Kane Beatz	3:56
7.	"Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)" (featuring MDMA)	King David	4:01
8.	"Coming Up" (featuring MDMA)	King David	3:58
9.	"State Run Radio" (featuring Matt Mahaffey)	King David	3:57
10.	"Break the Chain" (featuring Eric Turner and Sway)	Ishi	4:21
11.	"All Black Everything"	The Buchanans	3:40
12.	"Never Forget You" (featuring John Legend)	Jerry Duplessis, Syience, Arden Altino	4:04

Last week, Lupe released the official track list, on his website ( LupeFiasco.com) of the album including features and producers.

Be sure to listen out for the album Lasers which officially drops March 8th, 2011 (midnight on iTunes.) Fiasco is always known for bringing vibrant beats and witty smart lyrics to his music, with far from simple metaphors and grounded subjects.

    _ Geraldine Leibot.

Dont be a Slave to clothing...

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

Optimus Prime, Transformers

Don't you think that applies to clothing to? Who says you can't wear a tie with your sweat suit? Whos says you can't wear overalls to bed? Well the style "guru's" of course they think they know what everybody on the planet should be wearing. I think not.

What happened to expression? What happened to indivisuality? Has conformity become such a huge part of our world that you would wear something tight, strechy and uncomfortable just so other people think you look cute? Is this what we have become? A bunch of snooby, tag obssessed bimbo's who don't care about where or who made that $300 bag you just had to have?

Come on people! There is so much going on in this world than fashion and lables...If 50% of Americans cared about the trash heap that he world is becoming rahter than what new fashions are coming out of Milan, then the world could start to repair the damage that we as people have done to it.

Stop worring about the superficial and start caring about the realistic.

Duke's 6th Man

Kyrie Irving the number one point guard in the high school class of 2010 is in a position where nobody expected him to be for the number four ranked Duke Bluedevils.  Kyrie is currently out indefinitely. Now, this is not because of a lack of talent or because of a bad attitude unfortunately he’s sitting out because of a toe injury.  On December 4th while playing in his hometown of New Jersey Kyrie suffered an injury while attempting to drive into the lane against the Butler defense. At the moment the injury didn’t look severe. It looked more like a crap, but it turned out to be a serious injury which has not let Kyrie comeback on the court. Kyrie’s college career so far has been short; only eight games to be exact, but even with just 8 games under his belt the world saw his unbelievable talent. While healthy he was averaging 17.4 points per game, 5.1 assist, and 3.8 rebounds. We can also include his 53% field goal percentage and his 45% three point percentage. Just by reading those five stats you and I can both tell Kyrie has what it takes to be an NBA player. Most kids at nineteen can get hurt like Kyrie did, and they will be depressed and begin a downward spiral. It can affect their school work and change their attitude towards their team, but not Kyrie. Since getting hurt he has still been the same great kid. He is now in rehab trying to get his toe back to one hundred percent, and he attends every game and is like another coach on the bench. He talks to his teammates to try and help them see what they can do better and he is also the teams “number one cheerleader”. That is an exact quote from Kyrie himself.  A 6^th man for a basketball team is usually the first guy off the bench but Duke’s 6^th man stays on the bench, but bring the same amount of energy a regular 6^th man would.

 Here’s a link to see Kyrie in rehab. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3vnFgzvJzo

Written by: Barry Allen

McSorley's Old Ale House

One of America's favorite pasttimes is having an occasional drink or two at a bar. The establishment of pubs go way back to the time of our country's founding. An example is McSorley's Old Ale House located in the heart of the East Village. This Irish tavern opened its doors in 1854 and has welcomed many guests famous and infamous including two of our nation's presidents Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Rooselvelt. This bar has many past times including old newspapers and Vinyl records plastered on the walls. They are open from 1PM to 1AM nearly every day. The bar is truly one of a kind. The beer they offer is either light or dark and the bartenders bring many foamfilled jugs by the arm full. Complimentary Saltine crackers with cheese, onions and spicy sauce are offered to patrons old and new. When you enter the floor is covered with sawdust. On the chandelier to your right hangs old dusty wishbones hung there by soldiers who never returned from The First World War. Also below to your right on the floor are Houdini's handcuffs chained to a metal bar perpendicular to the barstools. You seat yourself wherever there is room and by then there will be many frothy glasses awaiting your consumption. An interesting fact about the bar is that women were not allowed as patrons until 1970. When you need to answer nature's call the men's room on the left is labeled "Toilet". To the right of that is the women's restroom. In addition to your beers you can also order the food listed on the nostalgic chalkboard menu. I had been here twice this past summer with a few friends from church after Mass and the experience is quite unique. Though I'm not old enough to drink alcoholic beverages this bar puts a top on drinking in New York City!

-tbtcom1213

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/19/realestate/streetscapes-the-bridge-cafe-on-the-trail-of-new-york-s-oldest-surviving-bar.html

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mcsorleys-old-ale-house-new-york

Tips For Learning A New Language

Hey language learners out there! Is that textbook just not cutting it anymore? Do you want to speak with actual fluency and not speak like a the dreaded "Textbook Robot"? Are you feeling bored learning the language of your choosing? I know the stress of working towards fluency in a language other than your own can be challenging but fear not, I have some useful tips for you!

Tip 1: Do What You Like To Do!

This is pretty simple. What do you enjoy doing? Do you like watching television? Listening to music? Reading? Well, learning a language is ten times more effective if you learn outside of a textbook. So why not learn doing something you like? You can always pick up new vocabulary and phrases this way.

Tip 2: Read Children's Books

Okay...this may sound crazy, and rather juvenile, but it works! By doing this you really get a feel of the language without the text being too difficult. Besides, children books can be fun and great to use if you work with children.

Tip 3: Have A Dictionary Handy

We are in the age of the smart phone! Use it to your advantage. There are bound to apps that can assist in your language learning. If your phone happens to be an relic, do it the old school way and get buy a dictionary! Again, this gets you closer and closer to being fluent.

Tip 4: Language Exchange

Regardless of the language you are learning, having a speaking partner can be of great help. This way you can work on your conversational skills, pick of new skills, potentially meet new people, and have someone there to correct you if you make a mistake. Some of you are probably thinking, "Mistakes?! I don't want to make a mistake! Totally embarrassing!" But let's be real for a second. You probably make mistakes in your native language! Nothing to be embarrassed about. How else will you learn?

Tip 5: Learn Vocabulary According to How They Are Grouped

What does this mean? Well, you should never ever learn random words grouped together when you are studying vocabulary. Learn vocabulary according to their relation to one another. For example, you can learn medical terminology, political terms, colors, days, numbers, counters and etc.  You are more likely to remember the vocabulary this way.

Have fun!

- Madam Tartuffe