by Hunter Patterson | Jun 30, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
Rebounding off the wretched creation that was Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers 3: Dark Side of the Moon proves to be an giant upgrade. Sure, it is darker and more serious than the second film, but it is far more than buildings and robots exploding. Michael Bay fans should not worry, though. There is plenty of that, too. In the latest installment of “Michael Bay Blows Stuff Up,” Bay holds true to his messy incoherent script writing, but it’s still entertaining. It truly is a sight to see — a big, beautiful, shining symphony of chaos, especially in the final act, which involves the Decepticons (including Shockwave, who is as awesome as fans hoped he would be) completely leveling Chicago for what seems like an hour’s worth of screen time. Yeah, guys, I know that Megan Fox is not in the movie, however, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a more than worthy replacement. Not only is she a great fit for the role, she isn’t bad on the eyes, either. Also, don’t fret about her replacing Fox’s character in the actual role. Her character, Carly, is an entirely new addition to the film. It’s not as if the audience should think of her as Fox, because she isn’t. If there is even a small part of you wanting to see this movie, go see it. Going to see the films of this franchise, one knows what to expect. You don’t expect a Martin Scorcese or Spike Lee film. People go see these movies because they want action, special effects and robots that sound like dubstep songs. Filmed spectacularly in...
by Danielle Boyd | Jun 29, 2011 | News Slider
A New Day has dawned Tonight many people joined together for Lipscomb’s annual Summer Celebration uniting all in worship, prayer, discussion, fellowship, and rejoicing in the name of Jesus Christ. Randy Harris, a graduate from Harding University and former professor of Lipscomb continued the evening summer celebration leading the discussion on, “A New Day has dawned.” Randy Harris introduced the audience into the discussion with a joke: “Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice his 12 year-old son Isaac?” Answer, “If he had waited till he was a teenager it wouldn’t have been a sacrifice.” As one can imagine, Harris won over the audience with his slight humor, knowledge, and belief in Christ Alone. In addition, he challenged everyone in the audience to listen, contemplate, and become involved in the movement of kingdom living. From the start, the audience knew Harris had a unique way of inviting people to live in the life of Jesus Christ. “The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, of all the seeds it is the smallest one but when it finally develops it becomes this great tree,” said Harris. “The challenge is to become a part of God’s great work. “The Kingdom of God is right here…it is not always easy to see or measure, but it is up to us to find it.” Harris went on to challenge the audience with a deeper self-contemplation asking the question, “Would you be willing to let go of your own self-righteousness in order to live in the Kingdom of God?” Harris went on to say that it was not an easy question to...
by Hunter Patterson | Jun 29, 2011 | News Slider
After 10 years and over 70,000 people meandering around a farm in Manchester, Tenn., Bonnaroo still proves to one of the biggest and best music festivals around. Bonnaroo is more than just standing around for four days. It’s actually everything other than boring and blazing hot. Boasting headliners such as Eminem, Lil’ Wayne, The Black Keys and Grammy winners Arcade Fire, Bonnaroo is quickly becoming this generation’s Woodstock. The sites would not be unfamiliar to former Woodstock goers, either. Everything from festival-goers painted from head-to-toe toe to people giving themselves colorful nicknames, Bonnaroo had a little bit of something for everyone. The stereotypical festival atmosphere was around, too. You know, the whole not showering thing? It’s definitely true. Even for Junior communications major Shelby Marvel, not showering was the right way to go about it. “I thought it was awesome,” the Ashland City, Tenn. Native said. “By Sunday I was definitely ready for a shower, but I am glad I went all out.” By all out she means sleeping in a tent without an air mattress and not showering four days. “It’s so much fun you forget about how gross you are and how gross you feel.” It would be easy to say that Marvel was not the only one present that had not showered in a few days, either. Some surprising acts such as Ratatat, Portugal. The Man, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Big Boi wowed the tens of thousands of fans in Manchester, but for Marvel it was a handful of performances other than those that made her want to attend the festival again. “My favorite...
by despotmj | Jun 29, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
As June is coming to a close, many football fans are growing increasingly anxious to know when a new Collective Bargaining Agreement will be agreed on by the NFL Players Association and NFL owners. On March 11, at 11:59 p.m., the previous CBA expired, leaving fans to wonder if a new deal would be agreed on over the summer, or if a lengthy lockout would ensue. With the lockout nearly three months in place, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, but one must also ask if that could be an oncoming train. The most pointed issues which must be resolved in order for a new CBA to be reached include how to divide the nearly $10 billion in revenues the NFL generates every year, while determining how to split the revenue in future seasons, as revenue is expected to reach $20 billion per season before 2020. Other issues include putting a rookie wage-scale in place to combat rookie deals which have reached $50 million in guaranteed money, better benefits for retired players and increasing the NFL season from 16 to 18 games. The NFL and NFLPA have met multiple times over the last few months, but have been highly criticized for making little progress. In recent weeks, hope has emerged that progress is being made at more than an anemic pace and many believe a deal could be reached by the end of July. That is a crucial date for NFL teams due to the fact that if a deal is reached by then little or no training camp would be missed, allowing for...
by Lacy Pack | Jun 24, 2011 | News Slider
Are you breaking a sweat while walking from class to your car this summer? You’re not the only one, and Las Paletas is the perfect remedy to beating the heat. This Mexican popsicle shop located on 12th Ave. South has an extensive amount of flavors-all made with fresh, natural ingredients. They make fruit-only paletas, creamy paletas and “other paletas” like cucumber with hot peppers, hibiscus and avocado. From adults in business suits to mothers with small children, people of all ages come to Las Paletas. Sevier Park is conveniently located just across the street, too, which is an added bonus to the shop’s location. As a college student, I find Las Paletas to be an inexpensive, fun way to venture out of the usual flavor selections to more adventurous options like creamy avocado and chocolate with hot peppers. I don’t even like avocados, but I am hooked on the creamy, smooth avocado paleta. Las Paletas has already received national exposure from The Food Network, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, but Irma Paz-Bernstein, co-owner of the shop, is cautious of growing the business. “Success is very subjective,” says Paz-Bernstein. “To have kids prefer our paletas over ice-cream, we change kids’ tastes. We even had a marriage proposal here! We get to be part of people’s stories and that is a true success.” Las Paletas is open this summer from noon-8 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday. So, drop by Las Paletas, pick a Mexican caramel paleta and take a stroll through the park with that special someone. Many establishments around town sell...
by Hunter Patterson | Jun 24, 2011 | News Slider, Sports
Last month it was announced that Belmont would be the leaving the A-Sun and becoming 12th member of the Ohio Valley Conference. While it was announced on the 13th of May, Belmont will not officially join the OVC until July 1, 2012. Belmont president Robert Fisher was intentional in explaining that the move was a strategic one that was made for the student-athletes and the budget of the university. Belmont will have to pay $200,000 to leave the Atlantic Sun Conference, however, the school’s travel costs will drop immensely. “You don’t have to get on a plane to go anywhere,” Dr. Fisher said. “And the students won’t have to miss as many classes.” Missing classes is something that Belmont and Lipscomb have dealt with in the past because of the long travels the two schools make to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. This bodes even worse for Lipscomb now, since their travel partner will no longer be making the trips. Usually, Lipscomb and Belmont would share a plane when traveling to Florida to play teams like North Florida and Jacksonville. Now, Belmont’s longest road trip will be a six hour bus ride to Edwardsville, Ill. to play Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. All of Belmont’s current teams – other than men’s soccer – will be recognized by the OVC in 2012. And despite reports, Belmont does not plan to add football anytime soon. With the addition of the Bruins, the OVC now has five teams in Tennessee: Austin Peay State, the University of Tennessee at Martin, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State and now, Belmont. Think of it this way; TSU...
