Gingervitus

What you may know as a common cooking spice, "Ginger" became one of the most abused and overused redhead nicknames in world history. This happened in what seemed to be the ten hour period between the time the episode of South Park aired, and the time I had to be at school the next morning. To any and all of you who suffered the same fate I did for the two weeks after that show I feel bad for you. My very close friends and I are all HUGE South Park fans, and they went to town for a few months after the show. To this day its hard to go two days without getting hit with at least one or two "Ginger" jokes, sometimes a stranger even gets one in. The point is the South Park guys started what seemed to be a nickname pandemic that hit the world faster than you can say Google. In the episode Cartman (one of the main characters) gives an anti-ginger presentation in class. This sparks a movement in his school against redhead kids, shunning them. Cartmans friends decide to get revenge on him by dying his hair red and painting freckles on his face. After waking up in shock he visits the doctor who names his virus "gingervitus". Cartman takes things to another level and attempts to start a ginger movement and get rid of all non-ginger kids. Sure it's just a television show, and sure ginger is a harmless name, so it shouldn't be a problem right? To most of us gingers the name is not bad and has been almost adopted in some ways, but to the select few that don't find it funny it seems to have become a problem. ABC News has even done a segment on a red head boy who underwent some serious bullying just because his hair was red.



It became bad enough to get a response like this, but of course south park had an answer.


Ginger jokes have never really bother me, probably because my friends and i are always making fun of each other I'm just so used to it. It is something i still get even meeting random strangers here at Champlain you never know when a ginger jokes gonna be on the table. A word to my fellow gingers out there, learn to accept it because the name is sticking. Keep the breed alive!

(all images via google)

March MADNESS!

The month of march is known for one thing in the college sports community and that is March Madness and the kickoff the the NCAA tournament. Basketball seemingly dominates this month in nearly every media outlet that is sports related. Every season division 1 college basketball teams battle it out for a chance to see their names on the bracket. Making that bracket is only the first step for these young athletes.


2011 marked a big year for the NCAA because 68 teams is the most that has ever participated in the tournament. As well as an entire new conference being introduced to the bracket. This offers that one extra team a chance at going for their dreams and winning the tournament, but its no easy race to the top. One loss and you're out for good until next year unless you're a senior.

Come March its nearly impossible to turn on your TV to the news or ESPN, or anything similar and not hear about the tournament. I can't come home without hearing my roommate listening to at least two or three different games at a time. It is
(NCAA Tourney bracket- google images) currently the most watched sporting event in
America next to the Super Bowl itself. More people watch this championship than even the NBA Finals. Don't think they left the women out either. They too have their very own tournament with 68 teams.



If you're like me March Madness is one of the best, and for some more than others the most profitable time of the year. Brackets are one of the best ways to have some very fair betting between you and you're friends. If you're really competitive you can go up against the whole country online, and make a bunch of money simply by keeping up with your basketball statistics during the season. Careful though, the spirit of march madness seems to inspire a very significant amount of upsets each and every year.

(Duke Blue Devil-Google images)

You have until Thursday to finish you're brackets because the tournament starts then so get on it. If you're like me Kansas is taking the number one spot but as always Duke is first and foremost in my heart. Let's go Blue Devils!

In There Like Swimwear

This picture in itself speaks volumes about how vast Sports Illustrated Magazine has become, and how it attracts its readers. The magazine to most provides you with your everyday knowledge about sports, and carries a number of stories that you may not have the opportunity to hear on television such as ESPN, or through another source.
Sports Illustrated devotes the least amount of pages to advertisement as possible, which is a huge attraction for many readers who do not just want to flip through ads and want to get straight to the material. One of the media tools they utilize are beautiful people among others. The magazine is littered with celebrities and professional athletes faces on nearly every page that help attract readers by showing them faces of people they may see in their everyday media.
The magazine attacks the limbic brain as well as the neocortex. They provide you with hundreds of pictures of athletes and celebrities followed by articles typically related to the people you see in the picture.
(Photo:Brooklyn Decker- Cover Page via Google images)



The magazine itself has expanded to reach a much broader audience than just the typical guy who likes sports. They had an entire womens issue which unfortunately was canceled due to a lack of subscriptions, as well as the highly coveted Swimsuit Edition that has become about as famous as any other magazine to this day.

Many of the stories carry more detail than just a sporting event or on how an athlete is doing, and go into detail about the player or situations off the court or field, sometimes political even. The magazine always offers a riveting story about something or another. If you haven't yet go and try one out, you might enjoy the magazines layout and the stories they cover. (Image on left- Cover Page, Right- Troy Polamalu Steelers defensive back via Google images)

Commercial Comics

Commercials, your best friend and your worst enemy. When you see something funny its worth your time, but the minute another boring commercial flashes on the screen its another angry outburst or a remote getting hurled through the air. The Super Bowl, one of the most watched sporting events in the world and possibly the worlds biggest stage for major companies to display their new Super Bowl approved commercials. As you watch the game you cant help but wait for the next commercial break sometimes, just hoping another funny commercial will come on that you can laugh about even after the game.This past super bowl was number forty five, and to me it seems the commercials have been declining in quality over the last few years. (Image on right-Vince Lombardi Trophy via Google)

Throughout my youth i can recall countless super bowl commercials just like the one above that are made not only as a way to advertise your products, but to entertain the people who are watching your commercial. Humor seems to be the key here, and for good reason. Who doesn't want to watch something that makes them laugh. Commercials are usually something i cant stand but every time the super bowl comes around i get excited to see some funny ones, unfortunately there seems to have been a rapid decline in how funny they've been, having seemed to peak a few years ago. Its tough to find really funny commercials but I gotta give it to the food companies because they always seem to nail it. Another contender is always in the beer companies Budweiser is almost always coming out with something funny regardless of the time of year.

Paying to get your commercial on the air during an event as big as the Super Bowl will run you into the multi-million dollar range so when you get the chance you better make it count. Its a big chance to get a lot of good publicity for your company or a big chance to blow it like Tom Brady did against the Jets, (J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS!) and possibly lose some business to the companies with the successful ads.





all videos via youtube

Is this Wilt Chamberlain?

My name is Lochlan Dougherty, and I'm from Maywood, NJ. Over my winter vacation I watched Inception with a bunch of my friends which ended in us getting in a huge argument that seemed to just go in circles just like the movie. I like how easily information can be spread in today's modern mobile society, but I don't like the number of reality tv shows that are on tv now.In future I would like to work in the marketing division of a snowboard company.

The photo is from last season in Park City, Utah.