College Football's New Playoff Format

College football has always been a big part of every Saturday in the Sheeley household for as long as I can remember. It has a type of excitement and predictableness about it that you can't find anywhere else. Whether actually at a game or just watching on tv nothing really seems to hold on to my attention quite like it. So this year when it was announced that for the first time the NCAA was going to implement a playoff system in which the top four teams at the end of the year would play until there is only one champion I got super excited. Up until this point in college football for a lot of the years I can remember there has always been a certain amount of debate going into the championship game, whether it was if a team deserved to play in it or if someone believed that a better team had gotten left out. This playoff system should shush a lot of those argument and criticism. Now of course I'm sure there will still be people arguing on whether or not the best four teams were involved in the playoff but for the most part this is the best solution I can see available. So far we are 12 weeks into the football season with only a few more games to be played by each team. Right now if I had to pick the four teams that I predict will end up playing in the playoff picture I would say Mississippi State, Florida State, TCU, and Arizona State. Arizona State is a bit of a sleeper but if they are able to knock off Oregon in the Pac 12 championship I think they have a great argument as for why they should make the playoff. As for my prediction on who will win the whole thing I would have to go with Mississippi State. They have an excellent quarterback who is big enough to truck people yet still has the footwork and can throw like a quarterback who sits in the pocket. As for whether or not my predictions will end up correct I have no idea but either way I am super excited for the outcome of these next few weeks. With the huge amount of talent we currently have in college football and the huge fan support this bowl season is sure to be one to remember. (403)

Chicago Gang's Have Big Influence on Today's Rap Music

When people think about rap music they often times think of very violent, provocative, inappropriate music. And one particular rap beef in Chicago is producing just this. Chicago has a history of a lot of gang violence and now that this gang violence is also coming out in popular songs a lot of people are listening. Rival gangs Black Disciples "BD" and Gangster Disciples "BDK" have recently took to the sound booth with their issues and these issues are often times spreading to the streets. When a Gangster Disciple leader that went by the rap name Lil Jojo decided to come out with a huge song named "BDK" which stands for Black Disciple Killer, the Black Disciples decided it was only a matter of time before Lil Jojo was going to be killed. So when Jojo decided to tweet his location a couple weeks later it was to no ones surprise that we was shot down hours later for being in the "wrong neighborhood". Lil Jay was the successor to Lil Jojo's movement and has been a target ever since. The Gangster Disciple rappers RondoNumberNine and Edai have both taken in songs for Lil Jay being shot over 21 times. Miraculously despite being shot 21 times Lil Jay is still alive and is on record as saying "I can't die." The main question that runs through my mind when I am constantly hearing about these murders and crimes in songs is why. Why are these people risking their lives just for the slim chance of fame? And why is one person saying one thing on a song worth taking someone's life? I guess it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me as to why so many lives have been lost in Chicago because of gang life and the music industry. Not only are these kid of things affecting the lives of people living and working in Chicago but all over the Midwest. As we see more and more shootings, robberies, and stabbings on the south east side of Cedar Rapids. Just a little over two weeks ago a gas station that I commonly fill my car up at just down the street from Kennedy was shot up by a young kid looking to get back at somebody. I can only wonder if these types of crimes are related to the music. (394) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/lil-jojo-dead-teen-chicag_n_1861326.html

Twitter

One question that I often ask my self is when will Twitter become a thing of the past? As more and more people join I can't help but feel like at some point it will become yet another Facebook or MySpace. Virtual words that gain rapid popularity and are around for a minute then quickly go extinct. I'm in no way trying to imply that Facebook is in any way "extinct" but if you just go around the halls of Kennedy and ask kids if they still use Facebook I would be willing to bet you that a majority of the kids here no longer either have a Facebook or actually log onto Facebook less than once a month. I think some of the reasons less and less kids are on Facebook is because of adults. As bad as it sounds a lot of kids got on Facebook as a way to be away from their parents and socialize with their friends without constant supervision. And as more and more parents caught on to this and started making Facebook's of their own more and more kids felt as though they were under constant supervision and scrutiny for the thing's they posted. I just wany to be clear that I am in no way condoning posting dumb things to social media and I'm fully aware of the repercussions of things that can happen. But as teens we have some type of desire to make our own decisions and say what is truly on our minds without dealing with our parents. What I am getting at is that I truly believe as more and more parents begin to join Twitter and look more and more into what their kids are posting less and less kids will use Twitter. My prediction is that at some point within the next years Twitter will be just like Facebook in that a majority of young people will no longer use it. The big question is what will the new social media frenzy be over? Will some new website or app become wildly popular just like Facebook and Twitter and what will this new site contain? If I were somehow able to come up with a new source for people to spend countless hours reading through people's ideas, thoughts, and goals I could make millions. I just really need one good idea that could spark a revolution. (400)

Annabelle Review

It is now that time of the year where every time I turn on the tv it feels like I am bombarded with commercials either bashing some political candidate or advertising a new horror movie coming out for Halloween. Oujia, Joni Ernst, Bruce Braley, and the Dorm are all names I have become more and more familiar with over the past couple weeks. One of these movies that many kids and adults alike are excited to go see is Annabelle. Last weekend a group of friends and I decided to go see how scary this Halloween thriller really is. If you haven't heard of or seen commercials for this movie here you go http://youtu.be/paFgQNPGlsg. I'm not going to lie upon entering the movie I had no fears and thought that some stupid movie about a doll that haunted people was going to frankly be a waste of 10 dollars and my time. But as the movie started I became increasingly drawn into the plot and story line as group of cereal killers who related themselves to Charles Manson tried murdering this family and ended up putting some curse on a doll. It seemed like just about every ten minutes I wanted to cover my eyes or look away as much as it pains me to admit. Just like every scary movie the main characters do some type of stupid mistake that leaves you scratching your head but I have pretty much come to expect that from Halloween movies. But as far as scary movies go I have seen more than my share of completely unrealistic drawn out dumb ones because of my younger brothers love for Syfy. This movie on the other hand was completely different the actors were on point and the doll seemed to take on an actually believable life of it's own as it terrorized this family. As to where this movie ranks on my all time favorites I wouldn't put in the top ten. Don't get me wrong if you are bored and in the mood for a good scare then this would be the movie for you. But one major problem I did have was that it felt really short. The movie says it's supposed to be 99 minutes but after 10 minutes of credits and 5 minutes to get started it really leaves you with a good hour and ten minute scare. If I had to rate it out of 5 stars I would probably give it a solid 3. (416)

The Cost Of Sports

Many people spend a lot of their free time watching sports and supporting their favorite teams. A lot of the time families take vacations and usually go to a baseball game or two while they're there. Other times families may buy tickets to watch their favorite football teams play live. Yes it would be a great experience and a very memorable time, but how much would all of that cost? Would people rather watch their favorite sports at home or live at the stadiums? I would personally rather stay home and watch the game than to go out to the stadium and watch my favorite team play. Lets say you're a Cubs fan, and you want to go to a home game at Wrigley field. That's a 5 or 6 hour drive, so you do the math on gas prices. I would expect that I would buy over priced food like an $8 hot dog and $6 bottle of water, and then multiply that cost by the entire family plus the cost of tickets and the cost of the hotel if you weren't planning on driving back right afterwards. That's hundreds of dollars spent just to watch a few minutes of actual baseball. Not to mention you'd be sitting outside in the summer heat sweating. The experience and overall atmosphere can be nice but the convenience and price of sporting events is too much money for the average family to afford several times per year. If I stayed at home with my family and watched the same game at a sports bar like Buffalo Wild Wings or something, I'd only be spending a fraction of the money and driving only 6 minutes instead of 6 hours. The food is probably about the same price but you get more food for your money. A fully meal versus a single item at the stadium. When it comes to sports and entertainment, it's probably better to only go to a football game or baseball game one or two times a year and save your money for something better like a bigger TV to watch future games on. (354)

Haunted Houses

Now that it's October, that means that Halloween is going to be here pretty soon. A lot of kids like going to haunted houses in October to get a thrill. I like going with my friends to Scream Acres, a haunted house with 3 parts to it. Sometimes the themes change but the first part usually has something to do with clowns. Last year it was a funhouse clown theme. The second haunted house that you go to is a slaughter house theme. It's in an old barn with a few levels of stairs and twists and turns. My favorite part is a tunnel you walk into with an illusion that makes it seem like you're spinning around. It's really cool and confusing because it seems like you really are spinning but you have to keep walking across the platform to make it out. The third part to Scream Acres is a haunted corn maze that leads you around the farm in the tall stalks of corn with lots of creepy people in costumes. At the end a guy with a chainsaw chases you out. A lot of bigger towns probably have a lot more haunted houses that are scarier and better themed but sometimes they can be a bit too much. I've heard of some haunted house in Chicago or somewhere like that where you are required to sign a waiver for your personal safety. This haunted house takes place in some abandoned building that has multiple floors. You pay a really expensive price but your money gets reimbursed as you make it to the higher levels. The levels get more intense as you go and they use real snakes and spiders and stuff. It sounds pretty cool. Other haunted houses you could go to aren't really haunted houses that people think of as your traditional haunted house. There are old places that nobody really hears about like the Villisca Axe Murder House. You can pay to stay in the same house that 7 children and 2 adults were murdered in over 100 years ago. This house is said to be haunted so it's available to rent out at night for paranormal investigations and things like that. October is a month for all things scary and thrilling and there are some great places to go so hopefully I can get out and go to some haunted houses this year. (400)

Ebola

Ebola is a popular topic being brought up in the news just about every single day. Ebola has recently hit the United States in Texas and could very easily spread across the entire country. A lot of mixed messages and facts have been put out there about Ebola. What is Ebola? Ebola is virus that is transmitted from animals to the human population. The death rate of Ebola is pretty high so if you get Ebola you might not ever recover. Of course early detection helps the patient get better before they have the full blown virus. At this point, there is no known or definite cure for Ebola. The most current outbreak of Ebola is happening in West Africa where this area of disease has had more cases and deaths from Ebola then all other outbreaks put together since it's start in 1976. Ebola is contracted through bodily fluids like blood and materials that have been contaminated with those fluids. You have to be experiencing the symptoms of Ebola to actually spread the virus. Some symptoms don't show for 2-21 days after exposure to the virus although the average is 8 to 10 days. The signs of Ebola are a high fever, muscle weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea. Ebola was officially confirmed to be in the United States earlier this week on Tuesday. A man traveling from West Africa to Texas showed signs of Ebola 5 days after he got to Texas. The CDC is now monitoring everybody he has had come in contact with that may develop Ebola. Since Ebola has been in the media so often lately, it's been getting a lot of negative attention. Some people who don't know that it's not exactly as easy to get as the common cold, are taking things to the extreme. Others are making jokes about Ebola and some still don't know if Ebola is a virus or a person... Hopefully Ebola can be stopped and prevented before it spreads across the country or other countries. I'm sure the CDC and hospitals are doing the best they can to treat and prevent patients. It's a serious issue but I feel like it's been overexposed to the media at this point, reporting on everything that happens with anybody involved in the case here in Texas. (383) Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/united-states-imported-case.html

Kanye West and His Ego

Kanye West's name is known internationally. Not only because his name has been out there for years now, but because of his talent and success. He knows he has talent, and he knows he's popular. And so does everyone else. His name is constantly being thrown around in the news and being brought up or referenced in the media. Naturally, he has a big ego. Fame has without a doubt added to his ego over time. If I were an international rap superstar, I would be too. I have a lot of respect for Kanye West and his work. It's just that his arrogance and egotistical attitude is really entertaining. If you don't know what I'm talking about when I say Kanye has a big ego, let me throw out a few examples of the things that come out of his mouth. When being asked about history, his response was "I feel like I'm too busy writing history to read it". He's also said "I still think I'm the greatest." And " "I am the number one human being in music. That means any person that's living or breathing is number two." (He said this on a talk show in 2007, even back then before the 'Yeezus' era he was saying this type of stuff) There's a link below to the top 20 most 'Jaw Dropping Quotes' from Kanye if you want to read the rest of them; this is where I got the above quote from. Remeber at the MTV VMA's when Kanye ran up on stage to crash Taylor Swift's music video award acceptance speech? That was really arrogant, needless t say. It was funny though so I'll give him that. Kanye also has a clothing line called A.P.C. Kanye. This line features a plain denim shirt priced at $265. A Kanye Beanie will cost you $120 and the most expensive thing I see on the very first page of his clothing is a "parka with fur" for $2,865. What about a plain white T? Yeah that's $90. For a plain t-shirt. Those prices pretty much validate and support all of his arrogant quotes. His clothes do actually sell. I have no idea who would pay that for clothes but he's making money and that's all that really matters. Kanye's ego has since been fabricated even more since his involvement with Kim Kardashian started. The entire family supports him and his behavior. Kanye does support or has some kind of involvement in 19 charities and organizations to date. I just thought I should mention something positive about where some of his fortune goes to. Kanye West is a great artist who writes a lot of great music. His persona is harsh at times but it's entertainment. It sells. It's what makes Kanye, well, Kanye. (468) Sources: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/kanye-wests-20-jaw-dropping-558376#3-number-one http://usonline.apc.fr/kanye

The Super Bowl

First comes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, then comes the Super Bowl. It happens every year. Two teams compete for the ultimate bragging rights of saying they won the Super Bowl. Each previous year gets one upped by the next. The media and nation go crazy every year. The media follows the game and players so closely it feels like they write new articles every hour about the big game. The nation and fans get crazy involved by throwing parties and buying apparel to support their favorite teams regardless of the fact that you don’t even like either team in the game, you just bandwagon in hopes that you win the bet you made with your friend about the winning team. Sometimes the Super Bowl isn’t even defined by football. It’s defined by Doritos commercials and Beyonce. Lets be honest here, you chances are you don’t actually watch the Super Bowl for the touchdowns and stats on how many total yards run in each play or how many turnovers the team makes. It’s about the Go Daddy and Taco Bell commercials. It’s about that cheeseburger dip that Dad makes. The Super Bowl is about getting together with all of your friends and having a good time. The reason why the Super Bowl has gotten so popular and entertaining is because it’s become such huge social event across the entire country. There’s something in it for everyone. Moms and usually like the commercials the best, Dads like the football and food. Teens probably like a little bit of everything (but mostly food and Beyonce to be honest). The halftime show has been a favorite among almost everybody because of the multiple performers all mashed together in one short period of time. A lot of performers, current and older, seem to make an appearance at halftime at some point. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Spice Girls, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Nelly, and Madonna just to name a few. Some years are better than others but I guess that really just depends on what kind of music you like best. The Super Bowl is only getting bigger and better and I am looking forward to this years game. I don’t have any predictions as far as which teams will make it since it’s super early in the season but whoever makes it there will have to earn it. “All earned. None given”, right? (409)