Photo courtesy of 5thround.com.

For the Ultimate Fighting Championship fans that have followed the Jones-Evans saga, this moment was supposed to be what they had been waiting for. When two fighters have real animosity toward each other it usually makes for an exciting fight. With the Jones-Evans fight it was clear that the initial hostility these two men had for one another did not carry over far enough to make it to this fight.

The two men used to be teammates who trained at Mixed Martial Arts coach Greg Jackson’s gym in New Mexico together. They always said they would never fight each other if it came down to it. Since both men fight in the same weight division, it was impossible to think that they would never cross paths. Both are simply too talented.

Evans endured setbacks due to injuries, which allowed Jones the opportunity at the title. Jones took full advantage and won the light-heavyweight title from Mauricio Rua. With Jones as champ, it put Evans in an awkward spot during training.

Jackson’s loyalty had to stay with his champion Jones, which led Evans to break away and form a training camp of his own.

That particular moment in time was the best moment to try and get the fight scheduled.

Unfortunately for the UFC, they waited more than a year after that point to make the fight happen. Both men also faced two other opponents before they finally met each other.

It’s hard for someone to maintain the same level of disgust for someone after a year has passed. Not to mention the fact that both men had already blown off steam against two other opponents.

The focus that they both put on their other fights took away from their eventual showdown.

Both men fought a very careful fight. Neither wanted to make a big mistake and it resulted in a non-eventful five-round fight that came down to the judges’ decision.

Had both men fought four months after Evans left Jackson’s camp, the fight would have had much more action. With both fighters having beaten two opponents on their way to each other, they were able to earn back a certain level of respect from the other.

In the future the UFC should learn from this mistake and try to capitalize on an intense feud as soon as it begins. If they take too much time to make the fight happen, it will result in a less entertaining contest.

It’s hard to fault Jones or Evans for their strategies in this fight, but one would have to believe that things would’ve gone different if they had fought closer to the time that their friendship ended.

Photo courtesy of mmamania.com.

The fighters are former best friends who used to train together but were inevitably put in the spot they’re in. The problem was that they were both in the same weight class and that they are both extremely skilled in mixed-martial arts. It was naïve to think that the two would never cross paths inside the Octagon.

Evans has had his time as the champion of the light-heavyweight division. His quick ascension through some of the UFC’s toughest fighters quickly made Evans a title contender. Evans soon captured the title in December 2008, when he defeated then champion Forrest Griffin.

However, Evans’ time as champion was short-lived. In May 2009, Evans faced off against the number one contender Lyoto Machida. The fight ended with Machida capturing the light-heavyweight title via first round knockout, handing Evans the first loss of his career.

Evans has fought hard to get back into the title picture ever since the loss. Though he was next in line to fight for the title, Evans eventually took on another fight due to an injury that occurred to then champion Mauricio Rua.

While Evans fought hard to come back, Jones was fighting just as hard to build his legend. Like Evans, Jones experienced a quick rise to stardom in the UFC. His opponents weren’t slouches either. Jones took on very well-respected fighters in his division and dominated them all. His only loss came when he threw an illegal elbow to his opponent and was disqualified. Jones was undoubtedly winning before that point.

After the loss, Jones pulled off three consecutive victories to put himself in line for a title shot. Evans had suffered an injury during his training camp, which took him out of the title picture for over a year. Thus, Jones was granted a shot at Rua for the title.

Jones was as impressive as ever in the title fight. He was clearly the more comfortable fighter in the Octagon. Jones’ long arms and legs made it tough for his opponents to adjust to his reach advantage. Rua could not deal with the onslaught of Jones and eventually lost the title by TKO.

With the title now around his waist, Jones is determined to prove that he is better than his one time friend and training partner. Evans is out to prove that he is still a title worthy contender and capable of being the first guy to really challenge and beat Jones.

It makes for a really great fight and atmosphere when two fighters legitimately dislike each other and are fighting for the world title. Not only does the Evans vs. Jones fight have these two aspects, but it also has the rare angle in which these two fighters were genuine friends at one point.

Tim Tebow joins the New York Jets to play as quarterback along side Mark Sanchez. Photo courtesy of ketknbc.com.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan is also one for predictions. He predicted confidently last year that his Jets team would win the Super Bowl. His personality – though ego may be the better word to use – is strong in the eye of the public as was Namath’s. Though the media paid as much attention to Ryan’s prediction as they did to Namath’s, Ryan’s was nowhere close.

The Jets finished the 2011 season with an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs.

In his first two seasons as the Jets head coach, Ryan seemed to have his team and their fans believing in his system. After becoming the head coach in 2009, he helped lead the Jets to two consecutive AFC Championship games. The Jets fell short in both of those games and failed to reach the Super Bowl.

This past season was the most turbulent for the Jets during Ryan’s tenure. Along with the disappointment of missing the playoffs, rumors of locker room turmoil surfaced and the inconsistency of quarterback Mark Sanchez drew criticism from sports analysts and fans alike.

So what player do they trade for to ensure that this upcoming season goes smoother? Tim Tebow.

There may be no other player in the league that is as unpredictable on a weekly basis as Tebow. What was predictable about his game as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos was that he was rarely attempted over 20 passes per game. The unpredictable aspect was the significance those few completions had in the late stages of a game. Tebow always seemed to come up big in pressure situations.

Though he possesses plenty of intangibles that coaches love like the desire to win and being a natural leader, Tebow also brings with him a demand for his presence. This doesn’t come from Tebow himself, but rather from his legion of supporters. “Tebowmania” will invade the Big Apple, and with it will come a demand for playing time from his fans.

Ryan and the Jets staff have stated that they will have special packages in which they will use Tebow in their offense. The challenge they have is finding the right balance of playing time for Tebow. If his playing time is limited, Tebow and his fans will begin showing dissatisfaction with the Jets coaching staff. If he is brought in frequently, Sanchez may begin to question the team’s trust in his abilities as a leader.

Though Ryan and Tebow will have their fair share of the pressure this season, Sanchez will unarguably be the person most under the radar. If the Jets start the season as sluggishly as the Broncos did this past year, well, ask Kyle Orton what happens next.

Granted that Broncos fans have been very critical of their starting quarterbacks since John Elway retired, New York is by far a larger market area than Denver is, and the microscope will definitely be on the play of Sanchez.

What the Jets did by acquiring Tebow was draw even more attention to a dysfunctional team. The Giants Super Bowl victory has now taken a backseat to the Tebow trade. Perhaps ego played the biggest role in the Jets trading for Tebow. Ryan must full-heartedly believe that he can showcase Tebow’s skills in a way that will not only satisfy the fans and the team, but also in a way that will lead them to the Super Bowl.

Photo courtesy of umich.edu.

First of all, bias in the news can be expected because it was present through much of American newspaper history. During 19th century, media outlets were primarily in favor of either the Democrats or Whigs, according to information on the University of Wisconsin Center for Journalism Ethics website.

Today, news outlets are leaning partisan once again, which indicates that the news, much like the economy, is subject to trends. In a survey conducted by the George Washington University Institute for Politics before the last major election in 2007, 83 percent of likely voters said the media is biased in one direction or another. This number was up 19 percent from 2005.

Election years also contribute to perceived bias in news outlets. In 2008, only 8 percent of Americans believed that journalists did not favor either Barack Obama or John McCain, according to results from a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press survey. It seems inevitable that a similar trend will occur in the media during the 2012 elections.

Given that biased messages will be disseminated in print, radio and broadcast news, there are two logical approaches to responsible media consumption this campaign season.

First, consumers who prefer to read, watch or listen to news that aligns with their political views are completely free to do so. There is nothing wrong with reinforcing personal beliefs with media, so long as it is recognized that all sides may not be represented. In America, people are free to consume any type of media, but they should not lie to themselves by saying they know the whole story if they do not.

For consumers who truly do want to receive objective information, there is a way to get around the partisan press.

When survey research is conducted, the motto of “bigger is better” typically stands. In other words, the bigger a sample size is, the more accurate the survey results will be.

Along those same lines, when collecting information from the news media, more sources will generally reveal more accurate results. Instead of solely relying one news source, consumers can cross reference a variety of outlets to obtain different perspectives.

The key to gathering a successful sample of news information greatly relies on the consumer’s willingness to admit when bias in the news exists. In the end, when biased news is not recognized, an increasing number of people are misinformed.

To be fair, not all news outlets, journalists or stories purposefully engage in biased reporting. Many still attempt to minimize any blatant bias in news content. However, it is equally fair to say that pure objectivity is a myth because human beings make the decision of what stories run and what facts are included.

As the 2012 election season continues to impact media, consumers need to recognize that bias in the news exists. Consumers who dislike the trend of partisan news can adapt by gathering information from a variety of sources and attempting to negate the biases.

A commercial of an Asian woman aired during the 2012 Super Bowl. It was of political nature and borderline racist. Photo courtesy of csmonitor.com.

During the 2011 Super Bowl, Groupon aired a commercial that seemed to talk about troubles with Tibet. However, it turned into talking about good food that Tibetans make. Viewers complained that it made light of a serious situation.

The commercial referred to Tibet and the People’s Republic of China having several issues about their land as well as commercialism issues. 

An ad like this is unnecessary. There are better ways to get a message out and that should not be one of them. Including serious societal issues during a commercial promoting a company is something that should not be on television.

Abortion is an issue that should not be discussed in a Super Bowl commercial, but in 2010, this was the case.

Football and commercials shown during the game are meant to appeal to men. Various beer, cologne and commercials showing women all over men are shown. Showing a different variety of commercials such as abortion does not appeal to the original audience.

Long before there was “Tebow Time,” Tim Tebow’s mom had to make a decision about keeping her son.

Pam Tebow, mother of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, briefly explained how she kept her son rather than get an abortion.

Although this is a great story, being pro-life or pro-choice should not be discussed in a Super Bowl ad.

 Other serious topics, like abortion, shouldn’t be brought up during a game such as the Super Bowl. The commercial brought up discussion not relevant to the game. It also talked about something that much of the main audience is not particularly interested in. 

 People who watch the Super Bowl are not trying to worry about abortion issues or being for or against abortion. They’d much rather watch the game. To try to make an ad about being pro-choice is poor choice.

Michigan Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra made one of these poor choices by airing his political ad during this year’s Super Bowl. An Asian woman was riding a bike and talked about how Hoekstra’s opponent is spending Americans’ money, hurting our economy and giving away our jobs.

The commercial seemed very prejudice because the woman looked Chinese, spoke with an accent and spoke very poor English. It was very disrespectful and made it seem as though this is how all Asians are.

Political ads during the Super Bowl are also something many viewers do not want to have to deal with. Around election time, there’s not a channel you can turn to without seeing a political ad, but trying to win votes during the Super Bowl is not likely to work.

Advertisers should be careful of what they air during the Super Bowl. They should stick to their audience; they’ve had all year to avoid bad commercials like these.

Are you dreading V-day? Do you have no money to spend on the person you’re with? Do you have no desire to share a holiday with someone you don’t like or care about? Do you hate spending money on anyone but yourself but you’ve found yourself in a pseudo relationship?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you have a possibly unavoidable Valentine on your hands. Fear not, the following list, if used correctly, may get you out of this dreadful holiday.

If you can't say no, get out of Valentine's Day using trickery and deception. Photo courtesy of myhotcomments.com

1. Feign an illness. This is the oldest trick in the book and frankly, it’s a shame you couldn’t think of it on your own. Visit a site like Web MD to get the symptoms down pat. If he/she doubts you say “Google my symptoms if you don’t believe me. Geesh! And you think I want to be sick on the most important day of the year!?” Bonus points if you allow the person to bring you soup.

2. Stop showering today, start to grow an unkempt mustache and don’t change clothes. Use those unchanged clothes as a napkin. Believe it or not, this is achievable for both males and a larger-than-you-think population of females. This will start a chain reaction which will lead to your possibly unavoidable Valentine finding a reason to skip out on Valentine’s Day with you. Final step: play the victim after you’ve showered and found an attractive person after Valentine’s Day.

3. Cover for any love-sick schmuck at your work. There is always an opportunity for this. You can usually seek this person out because they’re the one in the break room saying “I didn’t get Valentine’s Day off! And I’m so upset.” You will earn brownie points with this person for future call-offs while simultaneously forcing another person to celebrate this holiday, which, if you enjoy upsetting others, will bring you comfort and joy. If you are not sick and twisted and it is possible, pass this list on to the love sick co-worker’s spouse/ partner.

4. Convulse. Yes, convulse. Get dressed up and ready to go on the big day. As you’re exiting the door began shaking rapidly. Roll your eyes back for added effect. IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you are NOT holding an infant or baby or both.

5. Renounce the celebration of all holidays as a personal moral code or a new self-based religion i.e. your name+ ism. Example: “Josephism.” You’ve seen the way and you’re not going back. Bonus points if you can convert anyone in the process. Possible selling point: “Really, being this unsupportive of my decision only draws me nearer to the way.” Be sure to change your mind before Christmas unless a lack of funds or an utter disinterest in your family prevents you from wanting to celebrate that possibly unavoidable holiday.

6. Claim that your mom/ dad has and always will be your Valentine. Driving a wedge between you and your parent is unattractive and most guys/girls would feel odd demanding you drop your parent. If you can’t stand your parents and have made that apparent to your possibly unavoidable Valentine, use grandma or grandpa. This endears you to your possibly unavoidable Valentine and allows you to look family-oriented. Possible selling point “It’s just, you never know how long these treasures are going to be around.” Bonus points if you produce an “Ahhh” from your possibly unavoidable Valentine.

7. Break up with your possibly unavoidable Valentine. Spontaneous and irrational fights are a good way to start. “I saw the mailman leaving here the other day.” This can be true for anyone AND seems like an accusation. Defenses will immediately go up by your possibly unavoidable Valentine. Then you counter with the inevitable “If you aren’t guilty, why are you being so defensive, huh?”

8. Convince your possibly unavoidable Valentine that this holiday was created by greeting card and flower companies to gain profit. Possible selling point, “I don’t need a holiday to prove my love to you, let’s celebrate our love another day away from the sickening commercialism that fuels this so-called holiday.” To avoid that day, keep this list handy.

9. Get caught slow dancing with the ridiculously large bear you were “planning” to give to your possibly unavoidable Valentine. When caught, say “I was practicing for you, baby.” For added creepiness, leave a window open on your computer that says “♥♥♥Us♥♥♥” with suggestive photos of you with the aforementioned slow dancing bear.

10. At a moment of utter desperation, flee town. Planes, trains and automobiles are all good modes of transportation. If you are low on cash, hitchhike.

Where there’s a will there’s a way. Good luck, all.

Photo courtesy of family.lifegoestrong.com.

Manning was criticized from the day he was drafted number one overall by the San Diego Chargers in 2004. He did not want to play with the Chargers, forcing them to trade him. Also living in the shadow of his older brother, future hall of famer and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, did not make his journey to success any easier. Manning has accomplished many things since his rookie season.

He not only captured a Super Bowl title faster than Peyton, but he also earned Super Bowl MVP faster when he won it in 2008. Eli now has done something that Peyton has never done: earn a second ring. On the way to Super Bowl XVLI, Manning broke the record for most road playoff wins for a quarterback with five wins. However, his Super Bowl opponent knows a lot about breaking records.

Brady has a myriad of passing, touchdown, NFL, team records, personal accomplishments and MVP trophies. None of those records would have been more important to his legacy than adding a fourth Super Bowl victory.

Including this year, Brady has played in five Super Bowls, a record he shares with former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway. He broke the record for most touchdowns thrown by a quarterback in a season with 50. Brady won both regular season and Super Bowl MVP twice, a record he also shares with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana, according to information from ESPN.com.

Manning may not hold as many records or have the same list of accomplishments as Brady, but he has beaten him in two Super Bowls now, something that no other team or quarterback has done against Brady and the Patriots.

The Giants and Manning have also done well recently against their Super Bowl opponent. The all-time series between the two teams dates back to 1970.The series is tied 5-5, but the Patriots haven’t been able to defeat the Giants since 2007, according to ESPN.com. Earlier this season, the Giants defeated the Patriots 24-20.

 Although Brady lost Sunday, the Patriots still have a promising team and Brady is in the prime of his career, so they are sure to have more to come. He has the rings to back his stats and looks to add more in the future. For now, Brady will have to be content with three rings.

For the quarterbacks in this year’s Super Bowl, more was at stake than the opportunity for fame and a ring. Manning tried to make a name for himself, while Brady looked to take the role of a quarterback to a new level.

Photo courtesy of phandroid.com.

Rather than making a case for which team is superior, this prediction is based on which quarterback will have the better game. In the end, Tom Brady will eclipse a great performance from Eli Manning by not only winning another Super Bowl but also by earning game MVP honors.

Some might worry about the play of Brady in the Patriots previous game in which they narrowly escaped defeat to the Baltimore Ravens. Though Brady completed 60 percent of his passes, he only threw for 239 yards, had two interceptions and zero touchdowns. Those stats only mustered Brady a quarterback rating of 57.5 percent.

Though his numbers were highly uncharacteristic, especially for a playoff game, don’t count on Brady having a back-to-back performance of this caliber.

The more you try to find ways to deny Brady’s greatness, the more you have to give it to him. If New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees hadn’t had the single best season an NFL quarterback has ever had, we could be saying the exact same thing about Brady.

There have only been four quarterbacks in NFL history to surpass the 5,000 yard mark. Both Brees and Brady passed for more yards than the previous record held by Dan Marino who passed for 5,084 yards in 1984.

Brees narrowly edged out Brady for the record, passing for 241 more total yards.

As for Manning, he ended up falling only 67 yards short of the 5,000 yard club himself. Many sports analysts have debated that Eli is not at the elite level of quarterback that his brother Peyton and Brady are. This year has been the toughest for his skeptics to argue against, not just for his stats, but also because he has lead his team to another Super Bowl showdown.

For as great of a quarterback that Peyton Manning is, he was only able to lead two of his Colts teams to the Super Bowl and only came away with one victory.

Eli has now matched his brother by leading two of his Giants teams to the title game, with the first one being a victory. Though Manning has become a great quarterback, the same fate awaits him as did Peyton in his second Super Bowl appearance.

Expect Manning to throw for two interceptions and two touchdowns in this game, and expect Brady to throw for three touchdowns and one interception.

The game will be high scoring so look for both quarterbacks to throw for over 300 yards. Brady reaching 400 yards would not be surprising.

While the game will be close, the battle of quarterbacks will be decisive. Not only will Brady pass for more yards, throw for more touchdowns and throw fewer interceptions, he will more importantly come away with a victory and his third Super Bowl MVP award, putting him in a tie with Joe Montana for the most all-time.

Photo courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com.

The director’s last film, “Shutter Island.” was a psychological thriller also based off of a novel. “Hugo” on the other hand is a film that families can enjoy together. Enjoyable is the perfect word to describe the experience of this film.

The story follows an orphaned boy living in Paris during the 1930s, but contains a more artistic subplot which outlines a love for the cinema industry.

Speaking from a purely aesthetic standpoint, “Hugo” is absolutely wonderful. The cinematography takes the audience through breath taking views of the cities featured in the film, and the set actually conveys a feeling that the film is in old Paris despite the refined quality. The movie actually looks like a Tim Burton film that was taken over by Scorsese’s unique style.

As far as casting, the film impresses with a nice list of names. Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jude Law are among the better known cast members, but the stars of the film are two relatively unknown child actors. Chloe Grace Moretz plays the female lead and Asa Butterfield plays the movie’s male lead.

Moretz and Butterfield, despite not being as experienced as the actors that Scorsese typically works with, did a very good job for the role they were cast in. The two acted in a more believable way for children to react rather than the ways many films try to depict younger children. 

What truly sets “Hugo” apart from other movies in its genre is how it utilizes 3D technology.

The film incorporates the 3D technology into the actual story. Like James Cameron’s “Avatar,” the 3D isn’t gimmicky, but shows the depth and intensity of the film and gives the audience a sense that they’re being pulled into Paris.

Overall “Hugo” is a pleasant film that families can enjoy together. It’s a fantasy adventure for kids that have an understanding of the magic that transforms a movie into a classic tale for the ages.

Joe Paterno, head football coach for Penn State, was fired from his postion mid-season, in November. This season was reportedly the last of his career. Photo courtesy of espn.go.com.

Paterno was fired in wake of the recent sexual abuse allegations involving his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who allegedly engaged in inappropriate conduct with three boys from the years 1994 to 1997. Sandusky met the boys separately through the Second Mile program, the name of his charity that helps troubled youths.

At the time of the abuse, the boys were 7 or 8, another was 10 and the third was 12 or 13. The now-adult men said Sandusky engaged in inappropriate conduct, from touching to outright sexual encounters, according to a grand jury report. Several incidents took place during the nights before home games when the team, staff and boys Sandusky had allegedly invited were staying at a hotel.

Sandusky retired in 1999, but on March 2, 2002, Mike McQueary, a graduate assistant, allegedly told Paterno he saw Sandusky in the locker room shower the night before with a young boy he estimated to be 10 years old, according to the report. The next day, Paterno told Athletic Director Tim Curley what he was told by his graduate assistant.

Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz decided to meet with McQueary, and after the meeting Curley had the impression the conduct amounted to innocent “horsing around,” he said. Sandusky’s locker-room keys were confiscated and he was told not to bring Second Mile participants to campus.

The incident was reported to Sandusky’s charity, but no law enforcement investigation was launched, according to the report.

Curley later told the charity, “the information had been internally reviewed and that there was no finding of wrongdoing.”

The entire scandal surrounding Paterno, not the university, is based on the alleged conversation between Paterno and McQueary, who is currently the wide receivers coach for Penn State. In recent days, McQueary has recently been in the news for adding slight modifications to what he allegedly said and did on that day in March 2002. The context of that conversation is still unknown to the public.

In light of all the facts that are now public, society has learned these horrible alleged actions have been going on since 1994, long before anyone at Penn State knew anything. Next, we have learned how Paterno was informed about the allegations and third, we learned that the grand jury report is up for interpretation. Such as, did McQueary tell them everything he saw?

Regardless of how people feel about the situation, whether they think the school handled it correctly or not, the treatment of Paterno by the university was disrespectful. He was not even granted the opportunity to plead his case to the Board of Directors, who instead listened to the media over the words of one of their own.

The public has been told by various media sources Mcqueary told Paterno he saw Sandusky performing anal sex on a young boy. This is the alleged statement of Mcqueary, according to the grand jury report. However, Paterno and Mcqueary have never testified in front of a grand jury.

Paterno, who has the most wins in Division I college history, a 62 year history at Penn State, over $20 million donated to the school and who has the university library named after him, only got a phone call that day to tell him he was relieved from his duties as head football coach.

He deserved the opportunity to retire at the end of the year like he had planned. To jump to conclusions and fire a coach who virtually built that university from the ground up is an injustice and should be treated as such. Paterno was the icon of Penn State, a legend even, and he was unfortunately not even granted due process.

If at the end of the day we find out he was told explicitly what happened and still decided to sweep it under the rug after due process, then yes, he should have been fired and even prosecuted. However, to move on this quickly and not even grant him the respect to find out if the allegations were true is unfair treatment to a living legend.