by Hunter Patterson | Dec 20, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
It’s that time of the year again. You know, the end of it. And with the end of the year comes lists! On the front pages of CNN, ABC News, Yahoo! and other news sites there will soon be “The Best of 2011” or “The Biggest from 2011.” At Lumination Network, we opted for the latter. 2011 was a year of surprises. When the year began, we were all shocked by what happened to Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona. In March, Charlie Sheen ranted about “winning” and “Tiger Blood,” capturing the attention of the world…and ending his sitcom career prematurely. But 2011 was also a year of tragedy. On top of Senator Giffords being shot in her home state, one of the largest tsunamis in history hit Japan, which sent three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into meltdown, the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. In April, tornadoes ripped through the states just south of us.There were more than 170 twisters on one day, leading to a death toll of nearly 300. And 2011 was a year of love. In the biggest wedding of our lifetimes, William and Kate got hitched. Prince William, of course, tied the knot with his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, got married outside Westminster Abbey in London on April 29. Over 23 million Americans watched the wedding from their couches. Undoubtedly, though, the biggest story of the year was the death of Osama bin Laden. As most of you remember, bin Laden was killed during a firefight in Pakistan nearly a decade after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and set off patriotic celebrations...
by Stewart Williams | Dec 15, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
Students looking for something different to do can find tangible connections to history within a short drive of the Lipscomb campus. One such opportunity for hands-on learning is just 30 minutes away in Franklin, Tenn. Many of the historical sites in and around Franklin are related to the Battle of Franklin, which occurred within the present-day city limits on Nov. 30, 1864. This was one of the American Civil War’s most bloody conflicts, costing the lives of more than 9,500 men. The Carter House, where some of the most heated fighting took place, is a must for any history-seeker. Walking around the grounds of the brick house, you can touch Civil War cannons and see bullet holes from the battle in the sides of outbuildings. There also is a museum on site which brings the story of the battle home. Just outside the city is the Carnton Plantation. This family home served as a field hospital for Confederate wounded during and after the battle. The floors of the home are still heavily stained with blood from these soldiers. This is history on a very personal level. “What we specialize in here at the Franklin battlefield are tangible hands-on experiences,” said Rob Cross, associate historian for both the Carter House and the Carnton Plantation. These sites make history more than a list of facts to memorize. You can really get a sense of what the people involved in this story were going through. Not only are the sites themselves engaging, but the people involved in the preservation process are passionate about the project. Many of the people involved in the preservation effort, like Cross, have ancestors who fought...
by Stewart Williams | Dec 15, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
O.K., so I’m sitting there and here comes Keith Urban. And Eric Church … and, well, it’d be easy to lose count after spending the evening of Nov. 9 as a seat-filler at the 45th annual CMA Awards here in Nashville. Freshman Megan Anderson and I were two lucky Lipscomb students, among students from other schools, chosen to be seat-fillers because of our involvement in CMA EDU, a country music program that meets monthly on campus. Several hundred seat-fillers met outside Bridgestone Arena where their IDs were checked, and they were given wristbands and directions for the night. Of course, the purpose of seat-fillers is simple: to fill the seats. Those seats are empty when the stars go onstage to perform or to present awards, so our job was to keep the arena looking filled up for network cameras. A group of aisle-fillers wore pink wristbands, and the seat-fillers wore blue wristbands. Each group was assigned a general area to sit or stand throughout the show unless they were separately asked to go somewhere else. Megan and I sat in the back-upper section of the arena with a clear view of the main stage. About eight rows in front of us was a small stage, where several artists such as Church, Urban, Chris Young and Scotty McCreery performed throughout the night. As seat-fillers, we weren’t allowed to bring phones or cameras to the show to be as professional as possible. Going from watching the CMAs on TV to seeing it live on stage is amazing. Megan and I couldn’t believe our eyes. The biggest country award show I watch every year on TV,...
by Hunter Patterson | Dec 5, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
The BCS is garbage. I mean, really. College football is the only mainstream sport that does not have a playoff. It’s ludicrous. This year’s victim is the Cowboys of Oklahoma State. Coming into Sunday, everyone knew one thing: LSU would be playing in NOLA against one of two teams – Alabama or OK State. The computers picked Bama to be ahead the Pokes. That being said, the Crimson Tide of Alabama will play against the Bayou Bengals on Louisiana. Computers, you ask? Allow me to break it down for you. The teams that participate in the Bowl Championship Series games are chosen by computers. Those computers use a simple formula of (A+B+C) / 3 to get their “total.” In this case, ‘A’ is the team’s Harris Poll score, which is voted on by 115 members of the media. ‘B’ is the team’s score in the coaches’ poll. The Coaches’ Poll is compromised of 59 coaches that vote on the teams’ rankings. And finally ‘C’ is the computer rankings. The computer rankings are calculated by dropping the highest and the lowest ranking for each team and dividing the remaining total by 100. I’ve already seen this game. And even as an LSU fan, I did not enjoy it the first time – nor do I expect to enjoy it again. Alabama had the chance to beat LSU on their on field. Now, the computers have selected the same team to go down to the Superdome and play against the SEC Champion Tigers. LSU has three top ten BCS wins; the rest of the BCS top ten has just two. LSU...
by Emily Snell | Dec 5, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
I’ve known Pdub now for about nine years. We were pledge brothers and college roommates. We have remained close friends ever since. Paul truly is one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever known. He may be the only friend that I’ve never had a dispute with. Just always laid back and willing to do whatever to ensure those around him are enjoying themselves. Even on his wedding day seven weeks ago… we finished playing golf at Country Hills in Hendersonville, and his new father-in-law Luther, offered to take the groomsmen out for lunch. When he asked Pdub where he would like to eat, he looked at us and said, “It’s up to these guys.” Always wanting to make those around him happy and keep the spotlight off himself, even on his wedding day. He loved music. And it runs in his blood. Named after his grandfather Paul Warren, the great fiddler, as well as his father Johnny Warren who is another talented fiddle player, Pdub had a gift when it came to music. I have been playing guitar since middle school. Paul picked up the guitar around the time we started college. I showed him a few riffs, and within two years, he had blown past me and continued to improve. In fact, we played “Free Bird” for the 2005 Cowboy Show our senior year. Our preparation in large part consisted of Pdub sitting in our den, listening to the guitar solo and picking out the proper notes. Then he would show me how to play that segment. As he played up the neck, he...
![[Editorial] The fall of Herman Cain](http://luminationnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ap_herman_cain_scandal_kd_110211_wg-300x1681.jpg)
by Cory Woodroof | Dec 3, 2011 | News Slider, Opinion
I’m still not sure whether to be relieved or outraged at today’s announcement of Herman Cain’s ended run for the Republican nomination in next year’s Presidential election. At one time, Cain was on top of the world. He literally came out of nowhere during the closing days of summer and began to sweep the hearts of conservative voters. His charisma and bold plans (9-9-9 anyone?) helped boost him above other possible candidates. He was a down-to-earth individual that really struck a chord with Republicans. Cain even just about got to the point of running away with the nomination. But then, out of nowhere, a woman accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment during his days with the National Restaurants Association. If that wasn’t bad enough, three other women came forward, all with the same stories. It’s never a good thing if four women accuse you of sexual harassment. Cain went from being the shining light of the GOP race to being the controversy of the month. Naturally, Cain denied all the allegations. But then, another woman came forward. A woman from Atlanta, Ginger White, came forward, claiming to have had a thirteen year affair with Cain, also alleging the relationship had just ended months ago. Cain claims to have known White, but only on a friendly, charitable basis. White claims otherwise. Cain, already in hot water, couldn’t have had these claims come at a worse time. Cain lost supporters slowly through the month of November, but after this, things were not looking great for the Cain campaign. On Dec. 3, Herman Cain announced the suspension of his GOP campaign, citing...
