Do Big Hits Mean Big Trouble?

By Brian Roach

For years, the National Football League and National Hockey League have popularized and glamorized "big hits" in professional sports. Now, after five years of research, and some startling discoveries regarding the frequency and long-term effects of concussions, the NFL and NHL -- as well as the governing bodies at all levels of sport -- are starting to re-consider their policies on such punishing blows.

"The game has changed -- players play at a higher speed and faster pace than they've ever played before," Scott Bertoli, Interim Athletic Director and head coach of the Princeton Day School varsity boys ice hockey team, said. "[Athletes' bodies] are evolving as 'off-the-field' conditioning becomes more intense. As athletes get bigger, stronger and faster, hits and collisions get bigger -- these factors lead to more injuries and concussions...it's clear that we need to protect these athletes at every level, in every way possible," the former East Coast Hockey League All-Star added.



(Scott Bertoli, whose number 19 was retired by the Trenton Titans (ECHL) in 2009, now serves as the Interim Athletic Director and head coach of the varsity boys ice hockey team at Princeton Day School. Photo courtesy of ECHL Online.)

Among the leaders in research designed to educate and protect those involved in athletics (and the military) are the Sports Legacy Institute -- founded in 2007 "to advance the study, treatment and prevention of the effects of brain trauma in athletes and other at risk groups" -- and the Boston University School of Medicine's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy -- founded as a collaborative venture between the Sports Legacy Institute and the Boston University School of Medicine in 2008.



(Together with the Sports Legacy Institute, the Boston University School of Medicine helped create the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy in 2008. Photo courtesy of the Sports Legacy Institute.)

Although both the Boston University School of Medicine and the Sports Legacy Institute declined to comment on the state of their current concussion studies, a review of the Sports Legacy Institute's most recent Form 990 (filed with the IRS in 2008) revealed that the non-profit spent $25,316 that year to help fund the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy and secure the post-mortem donation of 107 brain, hosted a "coaches concussion clinic" in an attempt to educate 120 New Hampshire Pop Warner coaches on the diagnosis and management of concussions, and spent $29,724 to "raise awareness of the dangers of concussion[s]" (through pieces featured on CNN, ESPN, the New York Times and the Boston Globe).

A catalyst for the flurry of research being done at institutions across the nation appears to be an article by Dr. Bennet Omalu in the July 2005 issue of Neurosurgery, Dr. Steven DeKosky reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Omalu's article, "Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in a National Football League Player," represented the first autopsy report of a professional football player with distinct symptoms of cognitive and neurological decline (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).

According to the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy's website, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is caused by repetitive blows (or trauma) to the brain. Early symptoms of CTE -- which causes impaired function, and eventual death, of brain cells -- include memory impairment, emotional instability, erratic behavior, depression and problems with impulse control. In some cases, the website said, "CTE may eventually progress to full-blown dementia."



(In Neurosurgery, volume 57, Dr. Bennet Omalu's autopsy of a retired professional football player definitively revealed the degenerative effects of "repeated mild traumatic brain injury" (i.e., concussions). Photo courtesy of Neurosurgery).

In the wake of Dr. Omalu's breakthrough article, numerous studies dealing with the effects of brain trauma in sport have been published in medical journals -- including Dr. DeKosky's "Traumatic Brain Injury -- Football, Warfare, and Long-Term Effects", and Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz's Journal of the American Medical Association article "Cumulative Effects Associated with Recurrent Concussion in Collegiate Football Players." In his article, Dr. Guskiewicz asserts that, "approximately 300,000 sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States." His review of the data also revealed that players with a history of concussions are more likely to suffer repeated instances of concussions (possibly in the same season -- 6.5 percent of the sample studied suffered two or more concussions in the same season).

Such findings have left the governing bodies at all levels of sport, and the manufacturers of protective sporting equipment, searching for solutions to this growing neurological crisis.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, made up of 433 "accredited public, private and parochial high schools in the state," implemented a formal policy mandating that coaches remove any players suspected of suffering a head injury or concussion. Coaches are to closely observe the player over the next "several hours," and cannot allow the athlete to return to action until he or she has been evaluated (and cleared to play) by a medical professional.



(The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association has put regulations in place to protect athletes affected by head injuries and concussions. Photo courtesy of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.)

Policies in collegiate and professional sports -- where teams often have athletic trainer(s) on staff -- are not so cut-and-dried, Luke Hensel, head athletic trainer for the Princeton Day School, said. And, while some head coaches may rush their "star players" back into action before their head injuries have sufficiently healed, Princeton University head football coach Bob Surace said that his priority has been -- and will continue to be -- the long-term well being of his players.

"It is so important to protect the player's safety," Surace, who also served as an assistant with the Cincinnati Bengals for eight years, said. "Sometimes, these players try to be 'macho' -- it's important to make sure that the right decisions are being made regarding their health. I will never sacrifice a player's health -- I will do anything to make this game [football] safer...If studies show that there are better ways to [treat players], then we will do what needs to be done to make things better."



(Bob Surace, who spent eight years as an assistant in the NFL before coming to Princeton University last year, said that he agrees with NFL legislation aimed at reducing helmet-to-helmet collisions. Photo courtesy of PressOfAtlanticCity.com).

Helmet companies, like Easton-Bell Sports, Inc. (parent company of Riddell, Inc.), are also trying to stay ahead of the game by patenting new technologies to protect players against concussions (a review of Easton-Bell Sports, Inc.'s latest 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission reveals that the company experienced a 14% growth in sales of football equipment).



(According to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Riddell Revolution helmet significantly reduces the incidence of concussions -- wearers were 31 percent less likely to suffer a concussion (when compared to wearers of "traditional" football helmets). Photo courtesy of Riddell.com.)

Helmet manufacturers and medical experts agree, however, that even the most technologically advanced helmet will not prevent concussions and head injuries 100 percent of the time.

"I think that [helmet companies] really are trying to make a difference with new designs...but, no helmet can ever guarantee that it will prevent brain traumas," Hensel said in an e-mail. "Helmets certainly protect [you] from soft tissue and skull damage, but a concussion occurs when [the] brain strikes the insides of [the skull], which can be caused by whiplash, or other types of indirect contact -- things that a helmet cannot protect against," he added, noting that new helmet designs will only be helpful if professional (and non-professional) athletes are willing to adopt them.

While Hensel acknowledged that helmet technology and clinical research have continued to move forward, he's also noticed a startlingly negative trend that he would like to see reversed as soon as possible.

According to Hensel, many doctors who review athletes' post-injury CT scans (CT scans visualize the brain, checking for blockages and other severe problems in the blood vessels) and find no abnormalities suggest that these athletes rest and return to action when they feel most ready. But, Hensel noted, CT scans do not tell the whole story. In order to effectively diagnose, and treat, concussions in the long-term, doctors must also learn to utilize such resources as baseline testing results (baseline tests compare current -- often post-concussive -- brain functioning to the individual's "normal" brain functioning).

Research and regulations aside, Hensel admitted, injury is -- and always has been -- a part of every sport.

"Every sport carries an inherent risk of some level of injury," Hensel said in an e-mail. "And, while we try to make them as safe as possible, if you make [things] too safe, you're taking away from the game itself. Some people in my profession, or in the medical community, might call me crazy, but I think that you need to realize that if you [over-regulate], athletes and fans are not going to find it fun anymore...I think that prevention is certainly key, but we can also have a positive effect by managing injuries better when they occur, so that athletes make full recoveries before returning to play."



(Luke Hensel, head athletic trainer at Princeton Day School, treats approximately 20-50 concussions per year. Here, he discusses his experience with concussions, treatment of head injuries and what lies ahead for the treatment and prevention of concussions. Video courtesy of Brian Roach.)

Stephen Kurkjian: "A Legend in the Newsroom"

BOSTON -- Stephen Kurkjian – a former member of the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight Investigative Team” – has been a part of three Pulitzer Prize winning projects, has been awarded more than 20 regional and national journalism awards, and is, in the words of current Spotlight Team member Matt Carroll, “a legend in the newsroom.”

(Photo courtesy of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator: Stephen Kurkjian, one of three original members of theBoston Globe’s “Spotlight Investigative Team,” worked as a reporter and editor at the Globe for more than 35 years).

“He [Kurkjian] has been at the top of this game for the past three or four decades,” Carroll, who worked with Kurkjian for more than a year on a 2003 Pulitzer Prize winning series on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, said. “Steve is one of the best reporters I’ve ever worked with – he is so good at digging, he’s tenacious…and he, like any good reporter, is excellent at ‘sniffing’ out stories.”

(Photo courtesy of TIME Magazine online: Kurkjian’s work with the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight Investigative Team on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church earned him his third Pulitzer in 2003.Kurkjian was also awarded Pulitzers in 1972 – for exposing corruption in Somerville – and 1980 – for his investigative work on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.)

And, although the Armenian Mirror-Spectator reports that he accepted a buyout from the Boston Globe in 2007, Kurkjian remains active – serving as a reporter for the Dorchester Reporter, researching a picture from the 1915 Armenian genocide, and investigating the 1990 art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston’s Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood.

(Photo courtesy of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: On March 18, 1990, 13 pieces of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, including these two Rembrandts: A Lady and Gentleman in Black and The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. The perpetrators have not yet been identified. Kurkjian – who, after an estimated 200 personal interviews, said he has a “pretty good” idea of who is responsible for the heist – hopes to publish a book on the crime once he has compiled definitive evidence.)

The theft, which Kurkjian said has been described as the “greatest art heist in world history,” occurred during the early morning hours of March 18, 1990. Thieves – disguised as police officers – subdued the guard on duty, Kurkjian said, before stealing 13 works of art valued at nearly $300 million. Twenty years later, Kurkjian added, the government has not located a single painting.

The FBI’s failure to locate the paintings – or the perpetrators – however, will not deter Kurkjian from opening up an investigation of his own. In fact, according to Carroll, such stories are right up this award-winning journalist’s alley.

“[Steve] is an extremely…empathetic and trustworthy person – he can sit with pretty much anyone and get [them] to talk,” Carroll said of his former colleague. “And, he is a terrific researcher/reporter – he will dig and dig and dig until he finds out just what is going on.”

It is this ability to see “the story” and “piece things together” that has rocketed Kurkjian to a position of local and national prominence. In a talk conducted by John Ellement at Boston University’s College of Communication, Kurkjian cautioned that no one (including himself) could out-report every other news outlet every time. What they can do, however, is “out-smart” and “out-work” other reporters by looking for stories everywhere, looking at stories from a different angle, and tapping every available resource for information.

And, even though the game has changed since his 1969 Boston Globe article on the Woodstock music festival, the principles of good reporting have remained the same – preparation, curiosity, an ability to write clearly and concisely, and a willingness to ask questions.

“The skill set you learn here, in class, is practical – it will be put to use when you leave the classroom and deal with the outside world,” Kurkjian told the class of aspiring BU reporters, noting that while the future may seem unclear, journalism is certainly not dead – people will always be on the lookout for factual information reported clearly, truthfully, and concisely.

Born in Dorchester, MA – what he described as a “lower middle class-working neighborhood” – Kurkjian attended Boston Public Schools as a youngster before enrolling at Boston University in 1962. After he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1966, Kurkjian began work in the newspaper business (he also attended law school at the request of his mother. Kurkjian graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 1970, and is a non-practicing member of the Massachusetts Bar Association).

(Photo courtesy of Boston University: Kurkjian attended Boston University as an undergraduate. He also graduated with his Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1970.)

Kurkjian began his work with the Boston Globe in 1968, and during his tenure with the paper has served as reporter and editor for the “Spotlight Investigative Team,” Bureau Chief for the paper’s Washington Bureau, and senior assistant metropolitan editor.

For more than 35 years, Kurkjian tirelessly investigated and reported story after story for the Globe. Now, after three years of “retirement” from one of the giants in the Boston newspaper business, Kurkjian continues investigating, reporting, and writing (once a week in the Boston Public Library’s Bates Hall Public Reading Room – “the second-best room in Boston [behind the Globe’s newsroom],” Kurkjian said). It is because of this hard work and talent, Carroll and Ellement said, that he remains one of the best reporters in the journalistic world.

“[Steve] is inspirational…tenacious, and, he’s a phenomenal resource,” Carroll said. “He’s had a hand in probably every major scandal in this state [for quite some time]…and, again, he’s won three Pulitzers – there may be only two or three other people who can say that.”

“I am not full of myself,” Kurkjian told BU students. “But, I am full of being a journalist…I’d like to think my DNA is in the Globe’s newsroom.”

(Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library: Kurkjian still visits the Bates Public Reading Room in the Boston Public Library’s main Copley branch once a week to do his writing.)

Steve Kurkjian: "A Legend in the Newsroom"

BOSTON -- Stephen Kurkjian – a former member of the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight Investigative Team” – has been a part of three Pulitzer Prize winning projects, has been awarded more than 20 regional and national journalism awards, and is, in the words of current Spotlight Team member Matt Carroll, “a legend in the newsroom.”

(Photo courtesy of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator: Stephen Kurkjian, one of three original members of theBoston Globe’s “Spotlight Investigative Team,” worked as a reporter and editor at the Globe for more than 35 years).

“He [Kurkjian] has been at the top of this game for the past three or four decades,” Carroll, who worked with Kurkjian for more than a year on a 2003 Pulitzer Prize winning series on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, said. “Steve is one of the best reporters I’ve ever worked with – he is so good at digging, he’s tenacious…and he, like any good reporter, is excellent at ‘sniffing’ out stories.”

(Photo courtesy of TIME Magazine online: Kurkjian’s work with the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight Investigative Team on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church earned him his third Pulitzer in 2003.Kurkjian was also awarded Pulitzers in 1972 – for exposing corruption in Somerville – and 1980 – for his investigative work on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.)

And, although the Armenian Mirror-Spectator reports that he accepted a buyout from the Boston Globe in 2007, Kurkjian remains active – serving as a reporter for the Dorchester Reporter, researching a picture from the 1915 Armenian genocide, and investigating the 1990 art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston’s Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood.

(Photo courtesy of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: On March 18, 1990, 13 pieces of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, including these two Rembrandts: A Lady and Gentleman in Black and The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. The perpetrators have not yet been identified. Kurkjian – who, after an estimated 200 personal interviews, said he has a “pretty good” idea of who is responsible for the heist – hopes to publish a book on the crime once he has compiled definitive evidence.)

The theft, which Kurkjian said has been described as the “greatest art heist in world history,” occurred during the early morning hours of March 18, 1990. Thieves – disguised as police officers – subdued the guard on duty, Kurkjian said, before stealing 13 works of art valued at nearly $300 million. Twenty years later, Kurkjian added, the government has not located a single painting.

The FBI’s failure to locate the paintings – or the perpetrators – however, will not deter Kurkjian from opening up an investigation of his own. In fact, according to Carroll, such stories are right up this award-winning journalist’s alley.

“[Steve] is an extremely…empathetic and trustworthy person – he can sit with pretty much anyone and get [them] to talk,” Carroll said of his former colleague. “And, he is a terrific researcher/reporter – he will dig and dig and dig until he finds out just what is going on.”

It is this ability to see “the story” and “piece things together” that has rocketed Kurkjian to a position of local and national prominence. In a talk conducted by John Ellement at Boston University’s College of Communication, Kurkjian cautioned that no one (including himself) could out-report every other news outlet every time. What they can do, however, is “out-smart” and “out-work” other reporters by looking for stories everywhere, looking at stories from a different angle, and tapping every available resource for information.

And, even though the game has changed since his 1969 Boston Globe article on the Woodstock music festival, the principles of good reporting have remained the same – preparation, curiosity, an ability to write clearly and concisely, and a willingness to ask questions.

“The skill set you learn here, in class, is practical – it will be put to use when you leave the classroom and deal with the outside world,” Kurkjian told the class of aspiring BU reporters, noting that while the future may seem unclear, journalism is certainly not dead – people will always be on the lookout for factual information reported clearly, truthfully, and concisely.

Born in Dorchester, MA – what he described as a “lower middle class-working neighborhood” – Kurkjian attended Boston Public Schools as a youngster before enrolling at Boston University in 1962. After he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1966, Kurkjian began work in the newspaper business (he also attended law school at the request of his mother. Kurkjian graduated from Suffolk University Law School in 1970, and is a non-practicing member of the Massachusetts Bar Association).

(Photo courtesy of Boston University: Kurkjian attended Boston University as an undergraduate. He also graduated with his Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School in 1970.)

Kurkjian began his work with the Boston Globe in 1968, and during his tenure with the paper has served as reporter and editor for the “Spotlight Investigative Team,” Bureau Chief for the paper’s Washington Bureau, and senior assistant metropolitan editor.

For more than 35 years, Kurkjian tirelessly investigated and reported story after story for the Globe. Now, after three years of “retirement” from one of the giants in the Boston newspaper business, Kurkjian continues investigating, reporting, and writing (once a week in the Boston Public Library’s Bates Hall Public Reading Room – “the second-best room in Boston [behind the Globe’s newsroom],” Kurkjian said).It is because of this hard work and talent, Carroll and Ellement said, that he remains one of the best reporters in the journalistic world.

“[Steve] is inspirational…tenacious, and, he’s a phenomenal resource,” Carroll said. “He’s had a hand in probably every major scandal in this state [for quite some time]…and, again, he’s won three Pulitzers – there may be only two or three other people who can say that.”

“I am not full of myself,” Kurkjian told BU students. “But, I am full of being a journalist…I’d like to think my DNA is in the Globe’s newsroom.”

- Brian Roach

First Impressions

So, here I am, after a couple of days blogging, and I have to say -- this stuff is pretty fun. I love to write and it's nice to deviate from the strict formats of academic papers and hard news writing. As much FUN as this has been, I have learned to have a newfound respect for those bloggers who maintain "exceptional" blogs on a daily basis (although I'm not sure that I'm ready to call them journalists, quite yet).

Finding newsworthy, relevant stories to write about and analyze (in a manner that hasn't already been done and re-done about a thousand times) is no small task. And after a day of writing, classes and work, it can be hard to motivate yourself to do even MORE work. I can only imagine that it's even tougher when you know that you have hundreds -- possibly even thousands -- of people waiting on your post. That's a lot of pressure (as far as I know, only some friends and family are waiting on my blog -- not too much pressure there).

Which brings me to my next issue: how the hell do people get their blogs so widely recognized? I used Facebook, the telephone and word of mouth to spread word about my new blog, but that still only reaches people that I KNOW. I would like to know how other blogs are nationally, or internationally, recognized. I suppose they've just been at this longer than...4 days.

But, back to the fun part. I really like messing around with the posts, adding pictures, making words links and adding polls and such to my page. I do wish that I understood this site better so that I could make my page more "customized," but I guess that all just comes with experience/fiddling around.

I really hope that I can keep myself motivated to continue posting (although I doubt it will be on a daily basis), because there's a strange sense of satisfaction in posting something that you've written on the Internet. Even if it is only read by a few people.

Bye for now.

-Brian

Before You Jump all over Obama...

I think that you should watch this video.

Now, personally, I do not think that Barack Obama should have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet, I still find it worrisome to see and hear masses of American citizens attack the integrity of the President. I hope that this video can help to put things into perspective, even if it affects just a few of you.

President Obama is not the first recipient of the award whose tentative "plan of action" has not yet been initiated (or even successful), as Ms. Maddow dutifully points out. And, contrary to the views of the angered citizenry of the United States (and abroad), I do not think that President Obama's acceptance of the Peace Prize takes away from the integrity of the award (I have heard allegations that the award/nomination process has become a popularity contest with international recognition and a $1.4 million purse as compensation). I also disagree with Rush Limbaugh's view that the United States -- and its president -- have become an international laughing stock.

Professor Bachrach, a Media Law and Ethics professor here at BU, offered some interesting insight into the situation, suggesting that perhaps Obama should have respectfully declined the award and suggested another, more qualified, leader. Not only would the President become the first recipient in the history of the award to decline, but would also appear as a selfless leader in the eyes of the international community. It appears to be a win-win scenario for all parties involved.

But Obama did not decline, and the debate rages on. While I personally do not find there to be substance to the argument that Obama won the famed award simply because "he's not George W. Bush," I do not think that his actions -- or even his plan -- have warranted the honor of being nominated. At least not in his first term in office. And, apparently he doesn't think so either.

Let's put things into perspective people: the President of the United States won a prestigious award -- he did not nominate himself and is not purporting himself to be a qualified candidate. Maybe we can try to be a little less resentful and a little more prideful.

Until next time.

-Brian

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

Baseball's October-fest Ends Early for Red Sox Faithful, but Did it Ever Get Started?

With a couple of swings of the bat, the Los Angeles Angles dashed the Red Sox's hopes for another deep playoff run. Leading 6-4 entering the top of the 9th, Boston reliever Jonathan Papelbon surrendered a single that plated two Angels base runners.

But as the season draws to a close, I can't help but wonder: where did the Boston playoff fever go this year?

Make no mistake about it -- as a lifetime Yankees fan, watching the Red Sox lose today put a smile on my face, especially as the Yankees go for a first-round sweep later on tonight. But, as an avid sports fan, I do miss the vibrant playoff atmosphere -- the dirty looks I get walking down Comm Ave with a Yankees hat on, the plethora of Red Sox Jerseys and "Yankees Suck" shirts and the screaming, semi-intoxicated fans near Fenway. All of that makes Boston one of America's truly great baseball towns.

But, I feel like baseball's second season never got kick-started in Beantown. While there were a fair share of Sox faithful sporting their Beckett, Pedroia and Ellsbury jerseys on the T, it just didn't seem like Octobers past. Maybe it's because Boston fell into a 0-2 hole in Los Angeles, maybe it's because Red Sox fans aren't used to losing in October or maybe Boston has just taken the playoffs for granted.

This year should be a wake-up call for all you members of the "Red Sox nation". Take it from someone who has seen first-round elimination after first-round elimination for the past few years: the playoffs are something to be treasured. October is THE month for baseball fans, the "make or break" period, if you will. Only eight teams get the privilege to play after the end of the regular season. I know the adage typically reads: "Act like you've been there before," but I don't think that should apply to a team's fanbase -- sometimes you've got to act like your team hasn't been there before and won't get there again...

So Boston, when the Red Sox make the playoffs next year (and they will, they're way too talented not to), kindly treat every game like you did in '04 or '07 when you guys won it all. Even this Yankee fan can appreciate Boston's baseball atmosphere.

Until tomorrow,

-Brian

(Photo courtesy of ESPN)

Thoughts of a New Blogger...

As a student of the College of Communication, it's somewhat surprising that I've never given the "blogosphere" a sustained effort. I thought about blogging once, but wrote only sporadically. So, here I am, writing a "new blogger's journal" for Boston University's new lifestyle magazine, The Buzz -- an assignment that requires me to write in this thing more than three times over the course of six to eight months.

Don't get me wrong, I like blogs. As a sports journalism major, I enjoy reading blogs written by students, experts and columnists. However, I'm still not convinced that all blogging is hard journalism, and it peeves me when some bloggers label themselves citizen journalists. Bloggers don't answer to any editors, most don't go through formal training and most don't gather news themselves. What they write sure can be a good read, though.

While blogging may not always constitute "real" journalism, I do think that the "blogosphere" is a good arena for citizens and journalists to comment on a wide variety of things -- from fashion to Barack Obama's Nobel Prize. Hey, it might even be nice to break free from the structured writing style of my News Writing and Reporting class as I write about things in the greater Boston area that affect college students. Who knows? Maybe I'll even become a bonafide blogger myself...

That's all for now.

-Brian