How to be Mad about March Madness
If “March Madness” leaves you feeling out of the loop never fear there are ways for even the least sports minded person to participate in the madness. There are three things that almost every college student I know cannot say no to that is money, food, and fun. All three are at your fingers when you take advantage of all “March Madness” has to offer.
Like most major sports tournaments “March Madness” offers numerous opportunities to throw away some cash in the chance that you may be that one lucky winner. One way to catch the “March Madness” is by filling out a bracket at the beginning of the tournament with your own personal favorite teams making it all the way. If you’re not into sports, never fear, you too can participate. One such gambler Jana Pinchuck picked her teams purely on the “color combinations of their uniforms.” My personal favorite is to base your picks on the food chain using the team’s mascots success rate in nature as your deciding factor. Regardless of how your bracket is doing you can still tune in and watch your friends go crazy over their own picks performance in the games. This system of gambling is based on a point system and as your picks progress through the tournament the points you earn for a win double. If your bracket has already been dominated by someone else’s superior picks you can always bet game by game, through point spreads or winner/ looser.
Once you’ve placed your bets you now need somewhere to go to watch your teams’ progress. Weekend games are great time to sit back with a couple of friends (preferably the one’s you placed the bets with) and watch the games unfold. Order some pizza & wings, kick off your sneakers, and crack open your beer. You can also hit up your local sports bars for a more enthusiastic crowd. So don’t get mad about your lack of knowledge in sports, grab a bracket, pick and choose, and enjoy the madness, you never know you might even end up learn a thing or two about basketball.
Media Photo Galleries
You know “that guy” at a concert who rather than bobbing his head to the music feels the need to bust out his own ill musical talent on the classic air guitar. That guy flamboyantly displays his flawless solo technique on his invisible Les Paul or BC Rich Warlock. This photo gallery like “those guys” is like passing by a car accident you can’t help but look and wonder what the hell is going on. SPIN magazine recently embraced this phenomenon by hosting their New York Regional Air Guitar Championships at New York’s Knitting Factory on March 2. These finalists are completely over the top, equip with spandex, and back to the floor solos.
One of my favorite parts about the Oscars, Grammies, Academy Awards, and MTV music awards is the Red Carpet and The NY Times does a great job capturing the fashion aspect of this parade. If you’ve seen one acceptance speech you’ve seen them all and unlike the show itself the Red Carpet to me is the most exciting and intriguing part about these gatherings. I mean sure it’s cool to find out who wins these prestigious awards but who needs to watch the whole show when you can catch the winners posted in the next days news. With the Oscars just passed I decided this photo gallery would be not only timely but also visually stimulating from Dolly Parton’s retched Pepto- Bismo pink get up to the March of The Penguins crew’s dates to the show.
Check out history in the making with The Rolling Stone’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006. The pictures from this live performance capture the nostalgia of rock legends of the past and their capacity to still pull off a great live show. This photo gallery is packed with an all-star line up ranging from Blondie to Lynyrd Skynyrd. This is a great way to quickly fill you in on who was admitted this year and who is still rocking out with or with out a tour in the near future.
Global Warming
I am taking a class on Major Environmental Issues this semester in order to fulfill a gen ed. I was hoping this class would help me make sense of the crazy winter we are having or more appropriately not having.
As of now I know how ozone is created and much to my surprise it is not the hole in the ozone that is the main contributor to this crazy heat wave we’re having in the middle of winter. In fact the ozone layer is recovering now a day and is expected to be back to its normal condition by 2050. This recovery is due to the international ban placed on the production of CFCs, an element used in cooling systems and aerosols.
I also have learned the difference between global warming and global change. Global warming is an increase globally averaged surface temperature. According to my professor, Robert G Keesee, the level of Carbon Dioxide in the air increases the risks of global warming. The majority of this Carbon Dioxide comes from burning coal and raw fuel. One of the largest fears of global warming is its ability to cause a global change. If this occurs the ecology and or social environment would change which would change the world as we know it.
Now don’t get me wrong, I wore flip flops when I walked my dog today and loved every second of it. I definitely don’t miss trudging through the tundra in order to get to class either. But I would miss blue skies and green grass if carbon dioxide continues to be emitted into the air.
ring in the cash cow scam
A month after the ball dropped in Time Square, festivities being held in Albany for the Chinese New Year have been brought to my attention. For fifteen days the local Chinese population will be ringing in the year of the dog. It is customary during this time to dress in red because in Chinese culture this color represents happiness and joy. The Chinese Community Center is holding a large performance in The Egg at The Empire State Plaza. According to the Times Union this show is sold out and apparently it has the largest attendance in the show’s history. So “Guey hay fat choy” or may you have wealth in the year to come.
Speaking of wealth or lack there of, some guy in Altamont is being accused of purchasing a cow with cash advances he got illegally on the internet. This is scam is being punned off as a cash cow scam. Personally, I feel bad for the cow. This guy scammed the cow, brought him back to his farm, the cow thought he had found a new home. Now the cow has to turn right back around and go back to the auctioner’s block. Poor cow will probably end up on someone in the Capital Region’s plate.
“First Job Contract” protests in France
French students all across France protested the new employment law recently passed in response to high unemployment and the disadvantaged youth of the suburbs. More than half of France’s universities were closed on Tuesday because of demonstrations.
Tens of thousands of youthful and liberal members of the French population stood up and protested this law being passed! With that said I can’t help but wonder what it would take for the American youth to rally together for anything other than Black Friday.
As a student in a University in the United States I can’t help but wonder why more students haven’t gotten involved in protesting various laws passed that affect us as students. This last fall there was a march to the capital to protest the reform that has been proposed for the TAP program offered to students in need of financial aid. This protest attracted at most 60 people. It has been said that our generation suffers from a plague of apathy and I can see truth in that. I tip my hat to French students and to their perseverance in their pursuit of using peaceful protest to push an agenda they find important.
