According to www.gametruckparty.com, Game Truck was originally founded in 2006 by Scott Novis. They are designed to bring the party to you. It is a truckload of entertainment that seats a maximum of 20 people at a time and is filled with games and consoles. There are 5 flat screen TV’s. It is the ultimate mobile arcade.

Lisa Hall is an associate at Game Truck in Greenville, SC, which has only been open for 5 months. She works for this new franchise.

“We are a mobile video game theatre. We do parties, we go to schools, and we cater,” says Hall.

According to www.gametruckparty.com, they offer multiple games from ratings of E to M, and use 3 main consoles: Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. This website also says that Game Truck is climate controlled and self-powered.

However, to manage any party or event, there comes a price. Parties on a smaller scale for 16-20 people cost $2.99 for 2 hours. For corporate parties, prices can go up to $200 for an hour.

Some months out of the year are busier than others. According to Hall, spring and fall are the busiest for the business, like October and November. However, summer and winter are usually slower for them.

But for a big event such as a truck with a lot of gaming equipment, there has to be some supervision.

Each truck has a game coach who sets up all the games and manages the time spent and keeps the kids constantly playing.

Back in 2001, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney came together to become the band known as The Black Keys. Since their humble beginnings doing covers of old blues songs, The Black Keys have made a name for themselves in the world of alternative music by producing an interesting sound, mixing the both the blues and that garage band sound and vibe. Imagine the late great Ray Charles doing a show with the band The Arctic Monkeys. It’s like that. The Black Keys have been able to most show this style in their newest album: El Camino.

I started listening to this album like any rational person: at the beginning. That first song gave me goose bumps. The first song on their new album is also their first single of their new album, “Lonely Boy.” The beginning of that song told me that they had knocked it out of the park. The next song to stand out was called “Little Black Submarines.” To be honest, the first half of the song left a lot to be desired. It was one of those old timey blues acoustic pieces that I’m usually not really a fan of. I was about to skip to the next song when I got the most pleasant surprise.  At around the half-way point, I almost jumped out of my chair. They did a pump fake with this one. It switches from acoustic to an amazing electric guitar piece! Other great songs include “Gold on the Ceiling” and “Hell of a Season.”

All in all, The Black Keys pulled it off again. They continue to bring to the table music that I not only enjoy, but that also gives me new experiences. While there are songs that are similar to their style, like Lonely Boy, also there are those precious gems that literally make you do a double take at your computer or iPod to make sure you’re still listening to the same song. All in all, I give this album an A-.

“The diversity week that we are in the process of developing is to spread awareness,” says Ambassador Leader David Kessinger.

There will be many different activities that show wide diversities of things during the diversity week. Student Ambassadors are planning a talent show, movie night, open mic, coffee house, and a diversity dance, which would be a  combination of charter high schools [Greenville Tech Charter high, Greer Middle College, and Brashier Middle College].

The Student Ambassadors have already started their work with the diversity of needs within the community by boxing food for Gods Pantry, boxing over 100 boxes and working in the soup kitchen. They have also kicked off a canned food drive at Brashier for God’s pantry. The Student Ambassadors are offering a free dress day to the grade level that brings in the most non-perishable foods.

“By bring differences together people will start to realize that there are needs to be met at all times,” says Student Ambassador Caity Tollman.

Students Ambassadors are still working on getting all of diversity week finalized, but will keep Brashier up to date on all of the upcoming events.

Yet, I’ve seen some interesting changes in the music industry lately. Adele seems to be competing with Lady Gaga for popularity. Artists such as Ellie Goulding and LIGHTS are steadily becoming more well-known. It’s common knowledge that bands with strong female vocalists such as Evanescence and Florence & The Machine are making huge comebacks. Could it be that talent now counts in the music industry?

My hopes for the music industry rose higher last fall when I was able to listen to Florence & The Machine’s new album, Ceremonials. I’d been a fan of the band for quite a while, but hadn’t really heard much more than their three biggest hits.

However, the new album still caught and held my attention. The first song, “Only If For A Night,” didn’t feel like a song that would start an album. But in this case, it worked. The song builds you up, captures your attention, and prepares you for the rest of the album. Its whimsical harmonies, trance-inducing beats, and dreamy vocals set the tone for the whole album.

Florence Welch’s powerhouse voice seems more natural throughout this album. While the band’s first album, Lungs, had more of an alternative rock edge to it, Ceremonials feels much more calm and laid-back. Instead of singing catchy little songs like “Kiss With A Fist” (I love that song, but come on, she’s done so much better), Welch belts out truly powerful songs such as “What The Water Gave Me” and “Heartlines” (two of my personal favorites). Songs such as these reminded me of “Cosmic Love”, one of my favorite songs from Florence & The Machine’s debut album.

Ceremonials has its fair share in both powerful ballads and slower, more laid-back melodies. However, three of the most powerful songs are at the beginning, which makes the rest of the album seem to drag. I’d recommend listening to this album on shuffle instead of listening to every single track in order. That way, you’ll more than likely get an even mix of songs.

All in all, Ceremonials is an excellent album; it’s truly a unique gem. Florence Welch’s raw talent shines brighter than ever. I predict even more success for this alternative rock goddess – but I also have a feeling that she’ll start a solo career eventually. With all of that talent, it would be more than easy for her to ditch her band in order to compete with artists such as Adele, Ellie Goulding, and the like. (But who says she should?)

Click here to check out Florence & The Machine’s website and their new album Ceremonials.

2011 has seen its ups and downs on many things, and movies has been one of them. Throughout the year there have been many great Block-Buster movies that have had fans returning to the theater several times over. However, there have also been movie disappointments.

For Junior Tim Wortman, one disappointment was a movie called The Tree of Life. The movie totaled $54,303,319. The movie is about 5 kids losing their innocence as they deal with certain situations. The movie stars  his favorite actor, Brad Pitt. “He was great, but the movie wasn’t,” said Wortman.

One thing Wortman didn’t like about the movie was that “there was too much symbolism. It made it confusing.”

Luckily, near the end of the year, the much anticipated Sherlock Holmes movie, which grossed 404,206,000, hit theaters and did not disappoint. This movie was a favorite of Junior Katie Tollman’s.

In this sequel, Sherlock Holmes and Watson are on a race against time to prevent Professor Moriarty from committing under the table dealings that may start a war between Germany and France.

“It was really well made. It was one of the better action movies, and it improved on the last one,” said Tollman.

Tollman stated that the plot line was a little hard to follow at times, but that it was still a great movie. “My favorite part was when he fake killed Watson’s dog. I recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries, action, or Sherlock Holmes.”

Principal Mike Sinclair Gives SCSPA "Superior" Award to BMCN Journalism Staff

With the end of the year, also comes the last update to the news website for the year (AKA this story).  Brashier’s newspaper staff was able to earn awards for our website this year. The biggest of the awards we earned is the South Carolina Scholastic Press Association’s award for “Superior” rank.  This means that professional journalists judged our online newspaper and gave it the highest rating available.  Principle Mike Sinclair presented the award to Megan Wolfe (2011-2012 editor) and Casey Moses.

Tape Man all Taped up for senior prank

It’s an age old tradtion all across America for the graduating class to pull a prank on their school during the last week of their highschool life. Senior pranks can range anywhere from writing on the sidewalk with chalk to gluing chairs to the ceiling. This year, the Seniors decided to take the infamous “Tape Man” and tape him to the flag pole just outside the front doors. Their original idea was to fork all of Brashier Middle Colleges’ lawns.  However, when they found out that there were cops patrolling the parking lot, they had to change their plans.

Sony’s PlayStation Network was hacked on April 20, 2011. The hacker responsible stole 77 million people’s personal information including access to credit cards. Due to this hacker, Sony decided to shut down their network until they could fix the problem.

Sony posted a blog that said, “We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network.”

Although the hacker responsible has not been found, many believe it was a person trying to steal credit card information, instead of creating a prank. For that reason, many have cancelled a link between Sony’s PlayStation Network and their credit cards.

However, three weeks after the hack, Sony is slowly bringing their PlayStation Network back up. They might also give each user a free month PlayStation Plus, which allows users to receive exclusive information and gaming experiences.

Sony’s executive deputy president Kazuo Hirai said, “I can’t thank you enough for your patience and support during this time.”

Freshman student Logan Byrd said, “I think they shouldn’t have been able to gain access to credit cards.”

These questions have divided people for centuries, and when we decide on an answer for ourselves, they often come from our very core. Beliefs are very important to everyone. They affect how we see the world, how we act, and who we get along with.

Senior Andrew Kemmis says “I have respect for other religions, and believe you have the right to believe in any kind of higher power.”

According to Peter Vincent, Morton Winsberg and Barney Warf in Southeastern Geographer, the vast majority of people in the Southeast are religious, with most of those being Southern Baptists and Catholics.

Junior Bryce Maxwell is very devoted to his beliefs: “I’ve been raised in [Christianity], which helped, but I also have personal feelings about it… something in my soul tells me that it’s right.”

Upbringing seems to have a lot to do with what religion you choose later in life. Junior Chris Smith, a Mormon, was also raised in a Mormon family.

Kemmis, an atheist, feels differently, as he was raised as a “very religious” person. “I became interested in science and the philosophy of skepticism and found that there’s very little proof out there.”

He doesn’t see it as a bad thing. “I believe [my beliefs] made me a better person, because since I don’t believe in an afterlife, this is the only life I have, so I should use it to help people, which I believe is the end goal.”

It seems that no matter who you ask, they always seem to say that their personal beliefs have enriched their lives. Smith says, “You name it, it has affected me. My religion has something called the Word of Wisdom, and it says no tea, alcohol or tobacco.”

Maxwell feels that his beliefs have affected him “in an extremely positive way.”

In the article Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability, Patrick Fagan uses numerous sources to support the idea that a religious lifestyle benefits relationships, lifespan, combating addiction, mental health, physical health, and education. However, he also sees an increase in sexual abuse, bullying and racism from religious people.

Maxwell doesn’t seem to think his religious lifestyle gives him an advantage: “I don’t feel like I’m any better than an atheist, a Hindu, or a Muslim.”

Smith also is open to other religions: “I respect them, but I probably wouldn’t join another religion. I just [get along with them]—there’s not a many people of my belief in this area.”

Kemmis respects others beliefs, but admits to questioning others’ beliefs, “for the purposes of debate.”

Religion extends to how we view the world as well. Mormons place a high value on family, and Smith says that the world as he sees it is degrading the value of families. “I just think it’ll get worse as people leave their religions.”

Kemmis thinks that not believing in God allows him to appreciate life more: “I think it makes it more beautiful. The natural world is majestic.” He then quotes Douglas Adams to help explain his beliefs: “Isn’t it enough to say that a garden is beautiful without having to believe there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”

One of the most divisive questions is whether organized religion is even a good thing for the world. Smith says “I think the more organized religion there is, the better the world is.”

One student has a particularly controversial answer and thus preferred to go unnamed. He says “I believe organized religion is very bad for the world… it promotes fundamentalism, fanaticism and murder.”

Maxwell, meanwhile, sees it as a mixed bag. “There are some religions where you have fighting, like the Palestinians and the Jews in the Middle East, or the Muslims and Christians in Africa. But I think religion in the world is a positive thing because you can reach more people with it.”

However, most students believe that belief is a complicated matter, and Maxwell echoes these sentiments. “The world is full of sin, and Jesus died for that, so… it’s a hard question, you know?”

Although you can't see it very well in this picture, this is some damage done to the walls in the girls restroom

There’s purple, blue, green, and white walls that sparks the vibe at Brashier. Throughout the year the colorful walls start to get black smudges all over it.

“The paint will probably be repainted every year,” says Principal Mike Sinclair.

Students don’t seem to notice what certain actions do to damage to walls. However, most of the damage comes from students leaning on them with their backpacks and the zipper rubs against the wall making a black mark. Marks also get onto the wall when people put their feet on them. In the classrooms the black smudges come from students rubbing their chairs on the walls.

“Students don’t realize they are making the marks get on the walls, I don’t think they are doing it on purpose,” says History Teacher Gene Kennedy.

Some students damage the walls on purpose. For example in the girl’s restroom someone has written “HEY” in big letters.

While sophomore Amanda Boehme says, ”I don’t  really care about the walls, I think it’s dumb for them to repaint the walls every year if the students are going to mess them up [again] next year.”

The walls at Brashier are not the cement walls that you would find at some other schools. They are made of sheet rock “which looks nicer,” says Sinclair, and when you put paint on sheet rock, it also chips off easier.

wall-in-girls-bathroom-may-192011

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