Nwaisser has an impressive streak that stretches all the way back to his senior year when he was studying psychology.

Find out about Nwaisser's streak and read more about the man known as "USC Psycho" in a profile I produced for Neon Tommy:

Trojan 'Psycho' Has Attendance Strea to Match Name

Shotgun Spratling

Roosevelt, on the other hand, was trying to improve to 5-1 behind their punishing rush attack on Teacher Appreciation Night.

However, I had no idea the epidemic was spread all the way down to the high school level until attending the battle between Crenshaw and Culver City -- two undefeated teams, each with Division I-caliber prospects.

While the play on the field was similar, it was like a completely different culture than a marquee game in the South where I am originally from.

Peter Robert Casey loves basketball. He also loves social networking.

So how could he turn down a front row seat at one of the world's greatest basketball arenas, free food, and insider access to a Big East basketball team, all while using the micro-blogging platform Twitter?

He couldn't.

Even though he lacks any formal journalistic training, Casey will join other New York media on press row this season at Madison Square Garden and Carnesecca Arena for St. John's Red Storm men's basketball home games.

Bringing his 50,000+ Twitter followers, Casey is believed to be the first primarily Twitter-based blogger (@Peter_R_Casey) to be credentialed for any major collegiate or professional sports team. What will Casey bring different to the press area?

"Three first names. We're a rarity in basketball," he joked. "Seriously, there's nothing that I do online or offline that someone else can't benchmark. At the same time, my passions for both basketball and social media are genuine and intense."

In a reclinable hospital chair with a needle stuck in the top of his hand and a variety of drugs flowing through his veins, Markazi was fighting against cancer for the second time in his short 25-year old life.

Though it would seem like a strange fit, Markazi wrote about the experience in one of his columns for Sports Illustrated's online publication. The 2006 article was an open letter to Boston Red Sox rookie pitcher Jon Lester, who had just been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the same type of cancer Markazi had battled twice.

Just like last year in September when the Trojans had a huge let down losing to Oregon State the week following winning a huge game over Ohio State, USC lost to Washington, an unranked, double-digit underdog after coming from behind to beat Ohio State last week.

Just like last year when the Beavers' combination of James and Jacquizz Rodgers destroyed USC's national championship hopes, Washington featured a brotherly duo at running back and receiver (Chris and Jordan Polk) that helped to demoralize national championship talk in Los Angeles.

But unlike last year, there was a completely different element of coverage.

This week in Los Angeles, it could have easily been defined as the public's response to the live feed of President Barack Obama's speech about public health care.

To put it bluntly, no one cared. And really, why would the general public?

Many of the same initial questions get asked when trying to decided which sites you want to date (i.e. get your news from) and when you are searching for an online dating service and eventually...members of the opposite sex (or the same, if that's your thing):

Who do I check out? Does it cost anything? Will I get any response?

As all of the incoming students of Annenberg's Graduate Journalism program this year were assigned to create Twitter profiles, if they did not already have one, I thought it would be helpful for all those involved to create a list of everyone's Twitter accounts, so that people can connect with others they are interested in Following.

I tried to find as many Twitterers as possible, but naturally I did not come across every single Annenberger that is using the social media micro blogging platform. So it would be greatly appreciated if people will email me (TheBlueWorkhorse@gmail.com or spratlin@usc.edu) people that need to be added to the list.

Also, if for some reason you do not want your name included in this directory, feel free to send me an email, and I will make sure to take you off the list.

Despite only a short trip downtown and a return trip on the DASH system later, one group of students talked to a number of interesting patrons of public transportation, including one immigrant who discussed his Chinatown experience.

"When I first came [to Los Angeles] from Mexico, [Chinatown] was the first place I lived," he said. "I really loved it there. The food was amazing."

What might have been more interesting would have been knowing why this Mexican immigrant chose to live in Chinatown, but alas, the brevity of bus trips can make it difficult to get the entire background of a story.

Sometimes, however, they can be long enough to find out a wealth of knowledge about a person and his or her life.

For example, Steven Thomas, a 53-year old evangelist, talked to a couple of students on the way to the jewelry district of Downtown, where he planned to look at some watches. Thomas's intriguing story started in Louisiana, where he was born, and weaved its way through Colorado, where he was stationed in the military and his 31-year old daughter still resides; Vietnam, where he served his country; and El Camino College and Crenshaw Christian Ministry, where he spent many nights during a 10-year span taking classes.

He told of the past, where Thomas said he wasted much time and opportunity, including getting fired from a job a mere 75 days short of his 20th anniversary with the company due to his use of crack cocaine. He also talked about the present, which Thomas finds himself savoring every day as he voraciously reads newspapers while doing research on the city of Los Angeles, including the overpopulation issues the city faces. And he spoke about the future where Thomas sees himself being a service to the community and the world, possibly hitting the evangelical scene in 2011.

While every rider may not be as open to expelling information forth, like Thomas, students were able to see that riding a bus can be a viable option to finding a story.

Ed Fuentes, a graphic artist and muralist who also is the Arts & Culture editor for blogdowntown, is a regular on the bus who finds it is great tool to use for finding and researching stories as well as the most convienient method of travel both timely and financially.

"One day I did the same errands/destinations by car, and it cost me $30 in parking...for five stops," he said.

Fuentes also added: "I think everyone has a story. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper. Often its a combination of things, where they are, what they do, and knowing the back story of environment."

Then again sometimes it doesn't even take talking to someone for a story to pop up.

"A few weeks ago, I was riding on the E DASH and saw a crowd over the 110 on 7th," Fuentes said. "'Movie extras?' I thought, until I saw they were watching a man threatening to jump from the Wilshire overpass."

Despite not seeing anything as dramatic as a suicide atttempt, the students did find stories on their bus trek and the subsequent exploring done on the streets. More importantly, they found a tool that can be used daily and that getting their hands a little dirty isn't always a bad thing.