Blog Post #4: The BIG Podcast with Shaq

For my podcast assignment this week, I listened to "The Big Podcast with Shaq" with NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal and Atlanta sports radio host John Kincaide.

On this podcast (Episode #12), Shaq and Kincade talk to comedian Mike Epps and play a new Internet game called "Google Feud". In addition, Shaq challenged Kincade to sing different T.V. theme songs in a game called "Kincade-eoke" and Shaq prank called a funeral home.

To start off the podcast, the two (plus producer Rob Jenners) talked Shaq's business trip to China and the people's love for Shaq in their country. The Chinese admire Shaq so much that they have a large statue of him.

Next, Shaq and Kincade got serious and talked about Shaq not being a very big sports fan when he was playing in the NBA. Despite his love for basketball, baseball and football as a kid, Shaq actually wanted to be a professional dancer. He knew that NFL wide receiver Lynn Swann did ballet to improve his footwork, so he took ballet classes for a few years as a child.

In the next segment, Kincade questioned Shaq over his loss to his 15-year-old son, Shareef, in a one-on-one garage basketball game. Shaq explained that Shareef "got hot" from behind the three-point line and when it was game point, Shaq tried to "get cute" and step back for a three-point of his own. He missed, Shareef got the rebound and he won the game on the next possession.

In all seriousness, Shaq explained that his son's basketball skills are more like his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant. He said that when he was growing up, he would only let him watch film of Bryant, LeBron James, Tracy McGrady and "Penny" Hardaway.

Shaq and Kincade then talked about this CRAZY story in Germany about a 92-year-old woman (I highly suggest reading this): http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/german-woman-92-declared-dead-doctor-wakes-morgue-article-1.2308276

The next part was probably the best part of the podcast. In a previous podcast, Shaq prank called a Chinese restaurant and ordered items such as the "Jackie Chan Soup." As a follow-up to that, Shaq proceeded to prank call a funeral home (start at 20:08 ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmvaWV45Vwg

Shaq and Kincade then played the new hottest game on the internet called "Google Feud." The object of the game is to guess the suggestions of a phrase that one would type into Google. For instance, if you typed in "Burger", Shaq or Kincade have to guess the words or phrases that follow the word according to Google's suggestions. In the end, Shaq pulled out the victory over Kincade. However, Shaq did admit to using his phone during the game, claiming "It was open book test, but it doesn't matter since I still won."

Up next, Shaq and Kincade talked about pickup lines guys often use on girls. They had an intern go out on the streets of Atlanta and asked people to share their best pickup lines. Here are some of the best:

"Did it hurt... when you fell from heaven?" –Shaq's go-to pickup line (100-0 when using it)

"Are those space pants, because that ass is out of this world."

"Are you magician, because whenever I look at you everyone else disappers."

"Do you have a map, because I'm getting lost in your eyes."

Shaq claimed he can pick up any girl using any pickup line in the world.

Next, Shaq and Kincade talked to comedian Mike Epps. Shaq and Epps talked about their relationship and how they first met. The best part of the interview was Shaq and Epp's having a "Yo Mama" joke-off. Some of the best include:

"Yo mama's hair so bald it look like stitches." -Shaq

"Yo mama so bald I could polish her head and take her bowling." -Shaq

"Yo mama so fat she put on a Nike shirt and it said Nickelodeon." -Epps

"Yo mama so dumb she bought tickets to XBOX Live." -Shaq

(Other jokes were "borderline" to use one of Shaq's terms)

Next, Shaq challenged Kincade to a game of "Kincade-eoke", where Kincade has to sing television theme songs to famous sitcoms word for word. Kincade impressively won Shaq's challenge to close out another fantastic episode of "The BIG Podcast with Shaq."

Overall, I highly recommend listening to this podcast. What Shaq and Kincade do very well is that they take time to get serious and talk about major issues going on in the world of sports and news. However, they do like to have a good time, as evidenced by all of the games they played and the very laid-back interview with Mike Epps.

Some of my other favorite episodes include Episode #7 with Kim Kardashian, Joel McHale and Jeff Ross and Episode 11 with Justin Bieber and George Lopez. Again, I highly recommend listening to this podcast, even if you're not a sports fan.

Blog Post #3: Journalism Ethics for Bloggers

While journalism ethics are defined by professionalism, separation of news and opinion and the verification of reports and new sources, bloggers often fail to follow these rules.

Instead, what works in the world of blogging and social media is immediacy, anonymity and sharing of the news, often without giving credit to the original news source. In the world of journalism, this kind of writing and reporting would never pass.

Old school journalism ethics are more respected at publications such as the The New York Post and The Atlantic. So how do bloggers and social media users use ethics to ensure that their writing is authoritative? Here is what they should do:

1. Be accurate

In the world of Google and countless other research tools, inaccuracy is inexcusable. Make sure all statements in a blog post are accurate and the information can be verified or linked to. Before you hit publish, verify all facts stated and link to the original sources of information quoted.

2. Provide context 

Don't oversimplify your blog post. To keep things more simple for your readers, provide links or resources within the post so that they can educate themselves further about the topic at hand.

3. Keep posts up to date

When you provide a source of information that readers know is kept up to date with the latest developments in a specific field, it immediately becomes authoritative and the go-to source for information on that topic.

4. Have a clear understanding of anonymity

When quoting from anonymous sources, it's difficult to distinguish whether certain information is true or false. It's common for journalists to use pseudonyms to protect victims of violent crimes. In the online world, the issue of anonymity is still a hot topic among journalists and writers alike. As a publisher, one needs to decide if your blog is going to allow anonymous sources of information or not. If one does decide to allow them, take into account that these sources are very hard to verify, so it's wise to have rules and safeguards in place to avoid any legal issues.

Blog Post #2: What I've Learned in College is...

I have been in college for almost one month, and if I have learned anything so far, it's that being a freshman in college is rough. It has not been hard because I am from New Jersey, or that any of my classes are challenging, but there is no guiding hand to give me advice like in high school. College freshmen usually have to learn things the hard way, which sucks, but these first couple weeks of college have been quite an adventure. Here are two things that I have learned so far:

#1: No one cares about what you did in high school.

No one cares if you were president of your senior class, the editor-in-chief of your school newspaper, or the star player of your football team. One of the best things about college is that you get another chance to be someone completely different than you were in high school. It's nice not to worry about fitting in, and instead, focus on yourself and the person you want to become.

#2: Studying and going to class is actually important.

It's not that I didn't know studying and going to class was important coming into college. In high school, I could easily get by with studying for a few minutes right before class and totally ace any test or quiz. In other words, I never really learned what are considered good study habits. But in less than a month, I have learned that planning ahead and studying the material from every class will be very beneficial in the long run.

So yes, being a college freshman is rough, but this is what college is all about. This is where we all actually grow up and start maturing into adults. Although I miss New Jersey and all of my family and friends back home, college will only get better as time goes on. College is what you make from it, so I will learn from my mistakes and move on. I know that these will be some of the best years of my life.

2015 NFL Preview: NFC East Preview

NFC EAST

1. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)

No team in the NFL has changed as radically has the Eagles have under head coach Chip Kelly. During the offseason, he got rid of some talented players such as LeSean McCoy and replaced them with talent he thinks better fits his scheme.

So McCoy and quarterback Nick Foles are gone, but former University of Oklahoma stars DeMarco Murray and Sam Bradford are in. Foles for Bradford is a risky move since Bradford as only played in seven games in the past two seasons due to injury. On top of that, Kelly took a chance on Tim Tebow, who had not played a regular season game since 2012. But wait, there's more: Kelly also released both of last season's starting guards, Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans. It's obvious the Eagles are going to look a lot different in 2015 than they did in 2014, but it remains to be seen if that will be a positive change.

Most Important Player: LB Brandon Graham

Graham has had to overcome a lot of obstacles in his five years in the league. He came out strong in his rookie season, only to tear his ACL near the end of 2010. The rehab cut into the first six games of his second season and he was only active for three of the last seven games. From that point on, Graham has been active for all 48 regular season contests, but he's only only started seven of games. At long last, Graham's last big obstacle, Trent Cole, is no longer with the Eagles after he left for the Indianapolis Colts via free agency this spring. A legitimate argument can be made that Graham has been as productive over the last three seasons as Cole. During that timespan, Cole has put up 17.5 sacks compared to Graham's 14 sacks as a backup. Philadelphia resigned Graham to a four-year contract this offseason, which means he is now the unquestioned starter at outside linebacker. Barring any injuries, there is no question that Graham is primed for a breakout season.

2. New York Giants (10-6)

My New York Giants are a boom or bust team. In other words, they win the Super Bowl or miss the playoffs entirely. Head coach Tom Coughlin is a strange situation after the team has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons. It's almost as if the Giants won't be able to completely turn the page until he decides to retire.

The Giants were active this offseason, drafting offensive tackle Ereck Flowers and Landon Collins at positions of need. They also signed running back Shane Vereen, who fits perfectly with what the Giants want to do on offense. Plus, they still have Eli Manning and one of the best duos of receivers in the NFL (when healthy) in Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz. On defense, Steve Spagnuolo is back with the Giants as the defensive coordinator, but he will have his work cut out for him this season with all of the questions on that side of the ball.

Most Important Player: DE Damontre Moore

Moore and his teammate Jason Pierre-Paul are both 6'5" and have 34 1/4 inch arms. Pierre-Paul has the edge in speed, but Moore has the better vertical leap and is better at blocking passes. Basically, both of them have similar physical statures. With Pierre-Paul's future up in the air, Moore has to step up and produce if the Giants want to have a decent pass rush this season. The third-year defensive end put 5.5 sacks as a backup last season, but don't be surprised if he comes close to double-digit sacks with more opportunities.

3. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)

Few teams took as big a step as the Dallas Cowboys last season. To most fans, head coach Jason Garrett was lucky to even be the head coach after three consecutive 8-8 seasons. Many expected owner Jerry Jones to blow everything up and start over, but Garrett and the Cowboys turned it all around in 2014. Running back DeMarco Murray lead the league in rushing with 1,845 yards, and Dallas took the NFC East crown and marched right into the playoffs.

The Cowboys needed to have a productive offseason to continue their goal of getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995. Although they were able to hang onto star wide receiver Dez Bryant, they lost Murray, who signed with the rival Philadelphia Eagles via free agency. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were only able to replace him with Darren McFadden, so that is one big question mark on offense. On the bright side, rookies Byron Jones, Randy Gregory and La'el Collins not only have first-round talent, but all three have the chance to make an impact right away.

Most Important Player: DT Tyrone Crawford

Crawford started 2014 as a defensive end, but he was not bringing consistent pressure off the edge. As a result, he was moved to defensive tackle in coordinator Rob Marinelli's 3-4 scheme. Not only did Crawford impress, but he dominated inside. He was great against the run and with his power and incredible motor, he was able to generate pressure as a pass rusher. Now with a full offseason of practice at the position, the sky is the limit this year for Crawford. If he doesn't double his sack production from last season (three sacks in 2014), something went wrong.

4. Washington Redskins (1-15)

Washington tried to make strides towards stability this offseason, bringing in general manager Scot McCloughlan and drafting wisely in the first round. Sure, it would have been nice to have a highly-touted defensive lineman in Leonard Williams, but Washington desperately needed offensive linemen to protect the quarterback and Brandon Scherff was the best available.

The team also picked up Robert Griffin III's fifth-year contract option for 2016, but now Kirk Cousins is set to start the season after rumblings that head coach Jay Gruden is ready to move on from RGIII for good. The pressure is now on Cousins to produce and if he doesn't, expect another subpar season and even more off-the-field drama in Washington.

Most Important Player: TE Jordan Reed

When healthy, Reed is a handful for opposing defenses. He can line up next to the quarterback, on the end of the line as a tight end, out wide and inside in the slot. That alone will give defenses headaches, not to mention his skillset at 6'2", 243 pounds. The problem with Reed is that he has not been able to stay healthy. He is coming off knee surgery that he got out of the way early in the offseason. That may actually be a good thing because it will allow him to play the entire season without having to worry about re-injuring it. Even taking into account his recent hamstring injuries, Reed should be ready to go for Week 1. His numbers, especially touchdown receptions, should increase this season as he gets closer to realizing his full potential. With fellow tight ends Niles Paul and Logan Paulson out for the season due to injury, Washington will rely on Reed like never before.