January is observed as national cervical cancer awareness month in order to bring attention to a disease that kills over 4,000 women annually in the United States. According to statistics on the National Cervical Cancer Coalition website (www.nccc-online.

Eighty-eight percent of college students text during class, according to Edudemic.com. No wonder some professors at South Carolina State University have permitted their use while in class. "Cell phones are a distraction to me, it's a distraction to the students and it's a distraction to the learning environment," said Political Science Professor Sherral Brown-Guinyard.

The Curse of Willie Lynch

  "His methods were very simple, but they were diabolical. Keep the slave physically strong but psychologically weak and dependent on the slave master. Keep the body, take the mind."   Many people will remember this quote from "The Great Debaters" when Denzel Washington introduced the infamous Willie Lynch to his debate team during the movie.

  Professor Joshua Mims is an instructor for the recently formed Communication Majors in the Department of English and Modern Languages, here at South Carolina State University. He teaches both basic and advanced video production for broadcasting and journalism majors.

  Angela Shaw-Thornburg is an English professor here at South Carolina State University. She also teaches Composition, American literature, and African American literature. Shaw-Thornburg also holds the position of Director of State's Quality Enhancement Program, which is a new element created by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for universities to improve students' progress in chosen areas.

Expansion: The Next Level

  On December 23, 2011, this Hollywood's Notebook will be the official beginning of Executive Producer/Director C. Wyleek Cummings and Mt. Zion FilmsWorks involvement with the revitalization of the Darlington County Cultural Realism Complex, Inc.

  A young slave living in Darlington, SC, was hung in 1865 in front of the county courthouse for expressing her freedom. An account of Amy Spain's life can be found in a Sept. 30, 1865 issue of Harper's Weekly, which was an American political magazine based in New York City.

     Imagine living your life waiting on test results that will forever alter the way you live the rest of your life. Can you even fathom wondering if today will be the day you make some innocent decision that has dire consequences that change your life? This is the everyday existence I live through as a borderline diabetic.

     Around 1:30 am Tuesday, Oct. 17, many people became amateur comedians while others were very disturbed. As we all know Twitter was on fire as it was being taken over by Twitter Topic, #AmberCole; with tweets saying things like, "Keep your head up.

  "This American system of ours, call it Americanism, call it capitalism, call it what you will, gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we only seize it with both hands and make the most of it." -Al Capone        When someone says the phrase "American Gangsters" what is the first thing that comes to your mind? For most people their first vision is of someone who is ruthless, violent, and dangerous.