Hello everybody, and welcome to my first full blog since moving from the coldness of Fairbanks, Alaska to the warmth of Atlanta, Georgia (though for the last month or so, Winston-Salem, North Carolina has been my "home") in late September. 

And we begin first up with the aftermath of the devastation caused by Typhoon Hayian in the Philippines. With its 147-mph winds and a massive 20-foot storm surge to rival Hurricane Katrina, the city of Tacloban became one instant landfill with the official death toll at 942, though authorities placed the estimates at 10,000 or even more as communication and transportation were cut in many areas.

9.7 million people in 47 provinces throughout the islands were affected by the typhoon, with around 800,000 evacuated in advance. Philippine soldiers were already distributing food and water, with the U.S. military stepping in with food, water, generators, and Marines. But that isn't enough, and more international help is on the way.

Here, the help -- especially in California, home to 1/3 of the Filipino-American population -- has never been greater. In Van Nuys, a 5K run raised $7,000 for the effort, while a Los Angeles area church held a rummage sale that took in $400. Filipino Americans are the largest group of Asian Americans in 10 western states including Alaska, and you know they are utterly concerned about their families they have either escaped the typhoon's wrath or not. Let's hope and pray that the rumors about those 10,000 dead from the storm won't be true.

Now, onto a much lighter note: I am new to Atlanta, which has always been regarded as of the best sports towns in America. But right now, it is a worse time as the Falcons are now 2-7 and the Hawks' NBA season is off to a sluggish start.

And then you have what was once dubbed "America's Team", the Braves. They have come so close last month from making the NLCS, but the Dodgers (which would be beat by St. Louis, which would be beat by the Red Sox in the World Series) stopped them in their tracks. Since moving the franchise from Milwaukee in 1966, they have always played in Fulton County; in a few years, it'll be Cobb County as the new home of the Braves.

The team announced Monday that they will be moving to a new 42,000-seat stadium just 10 miles from downtown Atlanta with a $672 million price tag. News of this came with immediate mixed reaction, as the new location would be right in the heart of the team's fan base (i.e., where a majority of game tickets are sold) with a median household income of $61,000 and an 8.6% poverty level. The neighborhood surrounding their existing stadium, Turner Field, has a $23,000 income and a 40% poverty level.

Turner Field, named after the team's former owner Ted Turner, was formerly Olympic Stadium for the 1996 Olympics; after the games, the venue was converted for baseball and Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was imploded to make way for parking space. But perhaps the main reason for the move is because the Braves' 20-year lease expires in 2016, while the Falcons will be moving into their new stadium the next year (replacing the Georgia Dome).

By the way, Turner himself had this to say about the impending move: "It is my understanding that the Atlanta Braves announced their plan to move from Turner Field to a new stadium in Cobb County. When Time Warner merged with AOL in 2001, the Atlanta Braves were part of the merger package, and later acquired by Liberty Media Corporation. I am no longer part of the company and have not been involved in the decision making since 2001. I just hope the Braves will be happy in their new location and continue their winning ways." 

Now whenever a team moves to a newer, sleeker venue replacing their old, very antiquated one, it has always been met with Richter scale cheers and jeers: Cheers because of growing metro populations, and jeers fearing tainted legacies. Los Angeles is one prime example, as the Lakers and NHL Kings moved from the Forum in Inglewood and the Clippers from the L.A. Sports Arena all to the Staples Center downtown. But some thought that three teams in one roof sounded crazy, as the Forum has remained in continuous use while the Sports Arena is rarely used at all anymore.

But wait a minute here...doesn't L.A., New York, and Chicago each have two baseball teams? Atlanta could offer big money if they have to to move a lowly team there like, say, the Rays from Tampa Bay or the A's from Oakland. Yeah, that'll keep Turner Field busy beyond 2017.

So, is the move worth it? I guess so, as Atlanta continues to grow by leaps and bounds. And as their newest resident, I'm sure it won't be long before the Braves become America's Team once again.

And last but not least...a few days into my new life in Atlanta came this news I broke to you, and one that set the entire social media ablaze: Sarah Michelle Gellar has finally joined Twitter. Well, in the weeks since, a few more of our favorites have followed her lead: Sharon Stone, Katie Holmes, Lucy Liu, and just recently, Cameron Diaz, who quickly reached her first 100,000 followers in a matter of three hours (Sarah took an entire month to get to 100,000)!

But all of those five have a very long way to go to top Katy Perry, who has recently surpassed Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga with over 47 million followers, thus becoming the most followed person in all of Twitter.

In light of both Twitter going public on the New York Stock Exchange last week, as well as her hit show "The Crazy Ones" still pulling in the ratings, it appears Sarah Michelle may have kickstarted a new Twitter revolution...well, as far as actors and actresses are concerned.

As I've said on this blog back in 2009, a number of celebrities were slowly flocking to Twitter to get the record straight, debunk any rumors, and of course, opened their private worlds to the public. At the heart of that first revolution were Ashton Kutcher and his then-wife Demi Moore; at one point, Ashton snapped a pic of Demi undressing to all his (now) 15 million followers.

To make a long story short, the re-revolution has been Twitter-ified; all you have to do is...follow the leader! So long and stay strong.