The Irresistible Charm of Jones DesChamps

For this week’s edition of Jones’s flattering pickup lines, I have chosen a one liner that has never failed throughout my many years of experience. As everyone already knows, my charm can be seen from miles away, but I have to admit that this pickup line has helped in attracting many gorgeous girls. Whether you need to break the ice with a beautiful young lady, or you need to dive a little deeper into the personality of your already known crush, this line is perfect for any occasion. Yes, hitting on women can be quite nerve wracking, but if this attention-grabbing line is used correctly, it takes most of the tension out of the situation. 

Are you a parking ticket because you have fine written all over you? 

One of the many advantages of using this line is that it yields a lot of different responses from a lot of different women.  Depending on the woman, some girls respond strongly by dishing out a compliment back to you. On the contrary, some chicks become shell shocked by your immaculate swagger which allows for many other different avenues for asking for a date. It is impossible for me to tell you what it’s like for women to not be in love with me, but I can guarantee you that this line will bring you one step closer to being the woman magnet that we all desire to be.

The greatest CFB Team Ever

By: Sam Tristan

The 2019 LSU college football team stands out as one of the greatest of all time for several compelling reasons. Led by head coach Ed Orgeron and quarterback Joe Burrow, the Tigers achieved a remarkable 15-0 record, capping off their extraordinary season with a victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

One defining aspect of the 2019 LSU team was its prolific offense. Under the guidance of Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, the Tigers set numerous records, showcasing an explosive and dynamic style of play. Burrow himself threw for an astonishing 60 touchdown passes during the season, establishing a new single-season record. The team’s offense averaged an impressive 48.4 points per game, leaving opponents struggling to contain their high-powered attacks.

Moreover, the 2019 LSU team navigated a challenging schedule, defeating seven top-10 ranked opponents throughout the season, including decisive wins against powerhouse teams like Alabama and Clemson. The National Championship game against Clemson showcased the team’s resilience, as they overcame an early deficit to secure a convincing 42-25 victory.

The team’s success extended beyond individual performances to a cohesive and determined unit that demonstrated exceptional teamwork and camaraderie. The combination of an explosive offense, a tenacious defense, and a resilient mindset makes the 2019 LSU Tigers a formidable candidate for the title of the greatest college football team of all time. Their dominant and historic season left an indelible mark on the sport, solidifying their place in the annals of college football history.

Which is better, Moe’s or Chipotle?

By: Clark Kinney

Around 2-3 years ago, the Mexican chain, Chipotle opened a location in Sumter. Sumter already housed a similar Mexican-type restaurant in Moe’s Southwest Grill, so this raised a question and a big debate: Moe’s or Chipotle? 

I am going to tackle this debate from a little different angle than some people may expect if you don’t know me. You see, I am kinda a nutrition nerd and I know thar’s kinda weird but it’s true. I track how many grams of protein, carbs, and fats I eat, and I look to have more protein than carbs and fats in almost every meal and at these restaurants I can get pretty close to doing so. Let’s break this thing down. With Chipotle, I know exactly what I’m getting, I can look up on their website the complete nutrition of my exact order so I know what I’m putting in my body. With Moe’s it’s kinda a guessing game with nutrition because they don’t make it so easy for you to find their nutritional information; in fact, I’ve never found it, I’ve just used what other people have estimated which could be correct or not. Here are my normal orders for both:

Chipotle-bowl with white rice, no beans, double steak, one serving chicken, medium salsa, corn pico, and lettuce

Moe’s- bowl with southwest rice, double white meat chicken, one serving steak, queso, corn, raw onion, Moe’s sauce, and poblano crema (don’t knock it until you try it)

The prices of both vary greatly and this is always due to my extra, extra (triple) meat. At both places, the person making my bowl tells the person ringing me up what I ordered and they tell them something different every time, so the prices very greatly. Sometimes it’s $15 and sometimes it’s up to $30 and I don’t know which one is technically right, so I don’t argue and just pay for whatever they say. With that being said, price doesn’t really play a role in this debate; however, the taste does. At Chipotle, my order taste the same every time and it’s great. At Moe’s, my order is sometimes fire and makes me wanna slap Coach Rip (Editor’s note: assault) in the face, and other times, it’s not as good. I also just feel better after eating Chipotle because I know exactly what’s in it and what I ate. 

In my opinion, Chipotle is better than Moe’s due to its consistency and nutrition, but Moe’s is still very good. 

In Search of the Next Book

By: Adam Pelletier and Addison Thornton

In Stephen King’s “Everything’s Eventual” there are fourteen short stories throughout the book. The first of which includes “Autopsy Room Four” which tells about a middle aged man who goes through the autopsy room while still being alive. In a golfing accident, he goes into a bush to search for his lost ball, and gets bitten by a certain kind of snake that gives him full body paralysis. He wakes up in the autopsy room, unable to move any part of his body, dilate his eyes, or make barely any sounds. The doctors of course don’t recognize any signs of life in him, and proceed with the autopsy process, until they find something on his body.

When I read through this, I found myself wanting to keep reading it. The details of the story are well written, and I could clearly imagine what the situation would’ve been like if I was the one in that story. The references to music, movies, and other media are abundant but not overly done. I found it very unique that the story was written from a (supposed) deceased man’s perspective, as King is able to use that to add emotions of fear into the story as well. Overall, I would rate it around an eight or nine out of ten for his short stories, and one that will stand out to me for a while when it comes to reading.

Other books I would recommend:

  • The Gunslinger
  • The Dark Tower Series
  • If It Bleeds
  • Mr. Mercedes
  • Holly

Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J. A. Bear is a wonderful story about sisterhood and the story of Medusa from the perspective of her sisters, Semele and Euryale. It is a coming of age and a tragedy as it goes through the lives of the triplets from birth to death. Semele and Euryale are immoral but Medusa is mortal, which is strange from being born from Keto and Phorkys. They were beautiful nymphs with bright colorful eyes even though they were born from monsters. The three sisters stuck with each other for their entire lives and took on different roles as centuries passed by. Semele, who was the oldest, took on a protective role including over Medusa. Euryale, the middle sister, was rebellious and independent; she wanted to do stuff on her own and get exactly what he wanted in life. Medusa, the youngest sister, was optimistic, joyful, and curious; she had a constant interest in almost everything. However, the relationship between the sisters began to strain as they traveled to Athens and all had different interests. 

This book was beautiful to me as someone who is a sister. However, several moments were hard to believe and left me speechless. It was incredibly written and I loved to see the perspective of the two forgotten sisters in Greek mythology. You feel like you are growing up with them as you read and learn their personalities and interests change as they grow. It had new perspectives and ideas about the original myth that were implemented into the story which I found very interesting. Overall, I would rate this book an 8 out of 10 and definitely recommend this book to any fans of Medusa and Greek Mythology. 

Other books I would recommend: 

  • Stone Blind by Natalie Hayes 
  • Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
  • Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara 
  • Circe by Madeline Miller
  • The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood

For more reviews, visit Adam and Addison’s website at https://addisonthornton.wixsite.com/digital-media-book-b/post/baron-media-network-book-review-week-7

Why Rainbow Six Siege is a horribly great game

By: Joseph Bauman

Rainbow six siege is a first person shooter game where teams of five versus five fight for a selected number of rounds swapping between attacking and defense. Siege is seen as one of gaming’s most competitive games with the fact each round you only have one life. This makes players take the game very seriously especially in the ranked game mode. The game would be a great success if it wasn’t for the changes made to the game over time. Siege has changed how the ranked system works, basing it off of winning compared to skill which lets players get ranks they shouldn’t have, because of them being carried. The game’s hit registration also has significantly dropped with clear headshots counting as a body shot, resulting in you dying and the other player living with minimal damage. Siege also has its good side with the ability to play with friends on any platform like playstation, xbox, and pc. It also lets players have a sense of progression with the leveling system allowing you to earn in-game currency which allows you to buy new characters, each with a unique ability. Siege is a great game to play with friends for a limited time until the game seems like working a nine to five job just to play one match. Everyone should try siege at least once even if they never play it again.

Weekly Bible Verse

By: Logan Mims

A Place for You 

This week’s scripture deep dive comes from the book of John 14:1-3, “Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe in me. My father‘s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I’m going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am.” 

This bible verse is saying that if you believe in God and live your life to serve Christ then God has a place saved for you in heaven with him. God does not want you to spend your life worrying about if he has a place for you in heaven, but just believe and trust in him and you shall have eternal life in heaven with him. 

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the gift of eternal life and that we can always be with you no matter what the circumstance is. I pray that we can live through you every day and shine your light in all that we do. Amen.

What will the Bears do with the 1st Pick?

By Dylan Jones

As many NFL fans know, last year the Carolina Panthers traded DJ Moore, 2023 first round pick (9th), 2023 late second round pick (61st), 2024 first round pick, and a 2025 second round pick to the Chicago Bears for the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. The Panthers did this so they could get their quarterback for the future, Bryce Young. After a struggling rookie season for Young, the Panthers went 2-15 and were the worst team in all of the NFL. This means since the Bears have the Panther’s 2024 first round pick, they will have the first overall pick in the 2024 draft. This year’s draft has a very deep quarterback room including some names like Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (UNC), Jayden Daniels (LSU), Bo Nix (Oregon), and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington). With that being said, it leaves NFL fans clueless with what the Bears will do with the first overall pick.

The Bears have many different options on what they can do with this pick. One choice is to take the college superstar and proclaimed “generational” talent in Caleb Williams. This would force the Bears to part ways with their starting quarterback, Justin Fields. Fields started to prove himself as the season went on and showed why they should keep him around. If Chicago were to draft Williams and trade Fields, I think some teams to watch out for trying to acquire Fields would be the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, or New York Jets. The second choice would be to draft Marvin Harrison Jr, wide receiver from Ohio State. Marvin Harrison Jr. would step in immediately and be a very impactful player for Chicago. An offense with Marvin Harrison Jr. and DJ Moore would be very hard to stop. The third choice would be to trade the pick away for a superstar caliber player and some future picks. The Bears chose to do this last time they had the first overall pick, and they brought in superstar wide receiver, DJ Moore. The sky’s the limit of what some teams value this number one pick because of how good Caleb WIlliams is projected to be. I think this is the best choice because they can trade the pick and use it to build around Justin Fields and make them a potential wildcard team in the 2024 season. 

Top Nba games for February 5-11, 2024

By: Andrew Brown

Monday 5, 2024

Warriors vs Hornets 7:00pm

Who’s going to win: Lakers, With Lebron James on your team, how can you lose especially when you play the Charlotte Hornets. Playing against a young team, AD and Lebron should dominate because of how long they’ve played. For the Hornets, they’ve never been good. With the rookie Brandon Miller finding his rhythm this team has a better chance of winning. The Hornets need to make some big time trades for picks or players or they’ll just keep being one of the worst teams in the league. 

Clippers vs Hawks 7:30pm

Who’s going to win: Clippers, they have too many experienced players being one of the oldest teams in the league. After showcasing their talent against the top seed Celtics, this team could easily make it to the finals. The one question is can they stay healthy. Kawhi missed 30 games, PG missed 26, and Harden missed 24 last season. If they can stay healthy they could be taking the trophy home this year. For the Hawks, people forget how good this team can be. If you sleep on this team they will make you pay like they did to the 76ers and Thunder the last time they played. With Trae and Murray getting better each game and the rise of Johnson, once again is not a team to play around with. 

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Tuesday 6, 2024

Mavs vs Nets 7:30pm

Who’s going to win: Mavs, the Mavs have the best front court in the league with Luka and Kyrie. When one is not feeling it the other steps up. For the Nets this team is just trying to figure each other out. Most of the players have been traded to that team in the past year with their best player being Mikal Bridges scoring 22 ppg. To win they literally just have to stop Luka. Luka is surprisingly leading their team in scoring, rebounds, and assists with 35-9-10. He’s the key to the Mavs winning. 

Bucks vs Suns 10:00

Who’s going to win: Bucks, after hiring their new coach Doc Rivers expect them to be a better team on defense. Ranking number 24 -out of 30 teams- their defense is one of the worst in the NBA. The only reason they are second in the east is because of their offense. It’s almost impossible to guard with Giannis and Dame. You cannot let Giannis inside because he’ll kick it out to shooters or just score and you can’t let Dame shoot. For the Suns they have KD and Booker. Booker recently coming off a 62 point game he will be hard to stop along with KD. If the Bucks defense woes keep going then the Suns will have an easy day. 

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Wednesday 7, 2024

Warriors vs 76ers 7:30pm

Who’s going to win: 76ers, With Embiid they are unstoppable. Their whole offense is literally to give Embiid the ball, get out of the way, and be ready to shoot if he passes (he’ll probably won’t pass). With the Warriors having no center he can probably score 70 on this team. If the Warriors want to win they need to get back on track from 3. They won’t be able to score in the paint with Embiid roaming the paint. They need to focus on the 3 to win. 

Pelicans vs Clippers 10:00pm

Who’s going to win: Pelicans, this team is underrated with Zion, McCollum, and Ingram. If Zion stays in shape this team can make some runs. The Pelicans also have one of the best scoring benches in the league. With the Clippers’ big 3 it’ll be hard for the Pelicans to stop. This game will be close but I think the Pelicans will pull off the upset. 

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Thursday 8, 2024

Mavs vs Knicks 7:30pm

Who’s going to win: Knicks, The Knicks are on a 8 game winning streak with one of them being a blowout win against the reigning champs. They’ve been doing that without Randle. Ever since the OG trade this team has what it was looking for. For the Mavs their two stars have been out with injuries. They probably won’t even play this game. For the mavs they have a decent defense. The Knicks scored 122 on the Nuggets and held them to 84 points. If they want to win, they will have to step it up on the defensive side.

Nuggets vs Lakers 10:00pm

Who’s going to win: Lakers, with everyone watching this game I believe Lebron will have a big game and pull out the win. It also depends on if the Lakers will let Lebron or Davis play. If they don’t then the Nuggets should easily win. For the Nuggets Jokic will probably have a triple double but it won’t be enough for the win. 

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Friday 9, 2024

Rockets vs Raptors 7:30pm

Who’s going to win: Rockets, the rockets have turned it around from last season winning the same amount of games last season. With them hiring the new coach, getting Vanvleet, and brooks this team is trending in the right direction. Their Sophomores and rookies are also stepping up and knowing their roles. As for the Raptor this team will take a while to develop. After the trade this team is just figuring each other out and will soon be winning games. 

Hornets vs Bucks 8:00pm

Who’s going to win: Bucks, unless the bucks decide not to play the starters they should easily win. With the nasty duo of Lillard and Giannis it will be extremely difficult for the Hornets to win. Giannis wil roam the paint while Lillard will hit from deep. With the improvement of Brandon Miller (who just won the eastern conference rookie of the month) he can be just what they need. All the Hornets need is another star and a good bench with players who want to win. 

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Saturday 10, 2024

Bulls vs Magic 7:00pm

Who’s going to win: Magic, the magic will win this game simply because of the injuries on the Bulls. As I said in my last blog the Magic were on fire to start the season and now they’ve cooled down. The need to start their winning streak again and have momentum going into the all star break. For the Bull with the absence of LaVine White has had to step up. On track to winning the most improved player going from 9 ppg to 19. This team needs to restart and get a good pick in the draft so they can actually win. 

Suns vs Warriors 8:30pm

Who’s going to win: Suns, KD return’s back to the Bay to go against his old team. With KD, Booker, and Beal they shouldn’t have lost 20 games. They need to stay healthy if they want a chance at the finals. For the warriors at this point their only way of winning is Curry. They just need to trade everyone and start over with them building around curry. 

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Sunday 11, 2024

Celtics vs Heat 2:00pm

Who’s going to win: Celtics, The last time they played the Celtics destroyed them. No one on the Heat could score with the Celtics number one defense and if they did the Celtics would answer back with their number number one offense. If no injuries occur and they keep playing how they’re playing then they should be 2024 NBA champs. For the Heat who just acquired Rozier they have a lot of work to do to get this team to the finals. But who knows Butler could carry them to another finals appearance. 

Kings vs Thunder 3:00pm

Who’s going to win: Kings, the number 5 Kings going at number 2 Thunder. With Fox and Sabonis leading their team to the first playoff game in decades this team will win and show that they mean business. For the Thunder their young star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading them to a number 2 seed in the west. This team came out of the blue, last year they had a losing record with 40-42 in 10th place. Now they’re 31-13. This all round team is top 10 in both defensive and offensive ppg rankings. But it will not be enough for them to win.

My Favorite Things

By: McKenzie Gray Mills

This week on my top five favorite things are Owala water bottles. Not only am I a fan of this invention, but it seems to be very popular these days for many reasons. Starting off with its unique free sip spout and its push-button open lid with a convenient loop to carry it with that also doubles as a lock. It’s also leak proof, insulated (24 hours cold), and easy to clean. And it comes in a range of different colors and sizes to personalize it to your own liking. The free sip sizes include 19oz, 250z, 32oz, and 40oz. As well as free sips, Owala carries kid water bottles that make it easy for a child to drink without spilling. 

This useful water bottle comes handy on a variety of occasions. One being after long school days to go straight into excruciating practices like volleyball and track it is so convenient to have an everyday water bottle that is always cold and refreshing. Although this may seem  just like a regular water bottle it has become an essential part of my everyday life.

Younglife

By: Alexis Dawkins

Young Life

Just as many other people that I know, I attend Young Life as often as possible. This is a friendly, Christian environment that I feel most high schoolers should experience at least once. On Monday nights we have Club. At 7:37 we meet somewhere, Parks and Rec is the current meeting spot, and play games and have fun then have a lesson where the leader preaches The Gospel for a little bit. After this we usually go to Cookout for milkshakes and to hang out. This to me is a good way to start the week because Mondays can be hard but Young Life has a way of making my mood better. 

On Wednesdays, we have Campaigners at 7:30 at someone’s house. It’s usually at the leaders house, currently that is Caroline and Crawford Keown’s house. This is where we do pretty much everything we do on Monday nights but the games are less intense and the lesson is a little longer. I personally like Wednesdays better because it’s a more chill environment and everyone hangs out when everything is done and talks. 

In the summer, there is a week long camp that you can go to and that is a really fun experience. I personally have not been yet but I am going this summer and from what everyone has said, it’s a fun and exciting week. There is also a fall weekend and I also have not been there, but I have heard it’s fun too. If you ask me, Young Life is a fun and social thing to do and hang out with friends.