Transaction Please

In the blink of an eye it seemed that Pau Gasol went from a Grizzlie to a Laker. Blink again and Shaq will be gone to Phoenix. What do these trades mean? For the Lakers it means Kobe's staying even though Bynum isn't playing. It also means they become an automatic title contender. For the Grizzlies the story is not so sweet. With Pau gone, this cleared space for a possible sell of the franchise. Sure they get Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and the rights to Pau Gasol's little brother, Marc Gasol. But these players are less than all stars and the trade looked to be one sided. Even now the Grizz continues to clear space. Memphis traded Stromile Swift for Nets Jason Collins (again one sided). Also, the Grizz just let Damon Stoudamire go with no exchange or trade.
The other huge transaction rumor is that the Diesel is leaving on a mid night plane to Arizona. In return, the Heat will gain Marcus Banks and thought to be forever in the Sun Shaun Marion. O’Neal will add a defensive presence to the non defensive Phoenix Suns. Wow is all that can be said at this point. Pau getting it done as a Laker, his brother Marc coming back to Memphis (or going to Oklahoma), and Shaq playing with Steve Nash in the regular season is all nothing short of amazing.

Shelter from the Storm

Last week, West Tennessee students were delighted to see snow which meant no school. On Tuesday February 5, 2008, students were again delighted of the weather, this time, 70 degree weather. This
Change in weather only means one thing, Tornado. When residents in Jackson, TN think of Tornado they think back to the disaster. There were destroyed churches, old buildings, homes, and schools. In fact, maybe if it weren’t for the infamous tornado, Liberty Tech may not have been needed.
Tuesday was almost like Déjà vu. In the 3rd period of classes, rumors about early dismissal escaped the news and spread throughout the classrooms of Liberty Tech. Many resorted to cell phones to find answers in text messages and phone calls from parents and other students. A Liberty Tech girls’ Basketball player received information about the highly anticipated district game versus Hardin County. With a win, Liberty Tech would gain the number one spot in their district. The Tornado Warnings caused the cancellation of the Liberty Tech/ Hardin Co. game.
At 1:00 all Jackson-Madison County schools were released and sent home under their own freedom. As students were boarding buses and their own vehicles, they saw sunny skies and slight sprinkling. As the day grew to night, raging storms grew as well. At the Union University
Campus a storm hit a part of its residency centers. Amazingly, their were no fatalities. The surrounding counties also were hit by storms. Hardin County found damage to Savanna Baptist Church and Savanna Christian Acad.
When light shined on West Tennessee, many more damages were found every building at Union University every building was damaged with an exception of the Sport facility. All of the damages would cost around $10 millions of dollars. Hardin County reported 3 fatalities.
To some, the “what if “moment was too much to ponder. Last night, Union University residents and others homeless from the storm were ported to Liberty Tech where they found shelter from the storm.