Tennis block party open to students and neighborhood

by | Apr 8, 2011 | News Slider, Sports

Friends, family, food and tennis– the makings of a perfect Saturday afternoon on the Lipscomb campus. From 4-6 p.m. Saturday, April 9,  the Lipscomb Racquet Club will host its second annual Tennis Block Party at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center. The Lipscomb tennis program will host the free block party that is open to students and members of the community. Head coach Andrew Harris said the event will be open to all ages and levels of ability. “One of the great things about the sport of tennis is that, no matter the age, anyone can participate,” Harris said. “We will have clinics for kids from 4-7 years old all the way up through adults. Beginners, intermediates, and advanced players are welcome to come out.” There will be prizes and giveaways throughout the afternoon as well as free refreshments. Harris said after a positive turnout last year, he hopes to see another big group on Saturday. “Last year we had over 200 people from the community come enjoy the festivities, and we are looking forward to another big turnout this year as well to come and see the Lipscomb Racquet Club,” Harris said. The block party will follow Lipscomb’s men’s and women’s tennis teams’ matches against Atlantic Sun rival Belmont in the Battle of the Boulevard. Match play will begin at 10 a.m., and party participants are encouraged to come early and support the...

Oxford English Dictionary adds text-speak words to list of new words

by | Apr 8, 2011 | News Slider

OMG, did you guys hear about this? Some new words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary, my writing BFF, last week. Some of you may think this is NBD, but some people are saying otherwise. For instance, my BFF Jill may not agree. Without these “words” being added to the dictionary how will the next generation ever know about text-speak and other words added this year like doughnut hole and wassup? Try typing wassup into a Word document and you will still get a red line underneath it telling you that you are wrong. Now try OMG, NBD and BFF – you’re totally cool. BFF was actually added to last year’s edition of the Oxford Dictionary. Most of these new words are things that we type with thumbs, not things that we say with our tongues. A person usually does not run up to someone screaming, “OMG, I totally just saw Brad’s GF with another boy!” That is why these new words that stand for other words are causing a stir with the literary community. This isn’t the beginning either. To ‘google’ something is now a universally understood verb for several countries that are introducing Internet slang to their language. These new ‘words’ such as OMG and NBD are examples of text-speak, though. Linguists are worried, but only a little. Given the rise of iPhones and Android phones, only about 10% of words in text messages are abbreviated or shortened. That’s a lot less than you thought, isn’t it? Oxford has taken a stand to admitting these words. They’ve actually come out and said they are not words,...

Mobile food trucks take Nashville by storm

by | Apr 8, 2011 | News Slider

Buying a sandwich from someone selling food out of their truck seems pretty shady to some people. But the mobile food industry is sweeping over Nashville, and the idea seems to be sticking. As of last Saturday the city has 13 food trucks, carts and vendors serving a variety of foods in many different locations. Barbie Burgers, The Grilled Cheeserie and other mobile food trucks have adapted a concept similar to that of an ice cream truck, and they use social networks to communicate with their customers. Every time a truck moves to a new location people are notified by status updates on each company’s Twitter and/or Facebook, along with an estimated time the truck will remain there. So far, this unity between mobile food trucks and social media has proved increasingly successful. Eden Luquire, a sophomore psychology major from Weaverville, N.C., can attest to their success as a loyal customer. “I follow The Grilled Cheeserie on Twitter and make it a point to stop by when they are close,” Luquire said. “It’s a really interesting concept, and very accessible.” The Grilled Cheeserie began running a truck in the Green Hills area on April 1, which began what the Cheeserie successfully deemed National Grilled Cheese Month. According to their Twitter, day three of Grilled Cheese Month resulted in over 300 grilled cheeses sold in three hours. Although The Grilled Cheeserie’s main menu item is obvious, customers will also find other types of melts and sandwiches sold at the truck. In addition, their daily Twitter updates announce what kind of pudding they will be serving that day as well as any other...

Rock, hip-hop and blues around the clock at Beale Street and Bonnaroo

by | Apr 6, 2011 | News Slider

Students anticipate the arrival of summer for several reasons, the most obvious being that there’s no more school, at least for awhile. But number two on many lists is that it is the season for music festivals. The music scene in Tennessee is thriving these days, as country musicians are no longer the only attraction at concerts, bars and open mic nights. In fact, the Volunteer State hosts two of the most well-known and highly acclaimed festivals in the South: Beale Street Music Fest and Bonnaroo. Here’s a rundown: Sixty-plus acts. Four stages. Three days. The Beale Street Music Fest takes place from April 29 to May 1 in the scenic Tom Lee Park where Beale Street meets the Mississippi River. This Festival is part of Memphis In May, an annual affair highlighting a different country and its culture each year; Belgium is the focus for 2011. Other events include a barbecue cooking contest, the Sunset Symphony and educational programs. Top acts performing at Music Fest include Ke$ha, Jason Mraz, John Mellencamp, Stone Temple Pilots, MGMT, The Flaming Lips, Wilco, Cee Lo Green, Buckcherry, The Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, Cake, B.oB. and Ludacris. Tickets for the 2011 Beale Street Music Festival can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or by calling at 1-800-745-3000. A 3-day pass is $69 plus fees. If you’re a music lover and enjoy being (and sleeping) outdoors, Bonnaroo is the festival for you. The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a four-day, multi-stage camping festival held June 9-12 on a beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn.. Bonnaroo brings together some of the best artists in rock...