Media Convergence Initiative

Surveillance Cameras to Combat Crime in Local Cities

Posted on January 12, 2014 by marissanclark

Many local Central Florida cities and towns such as Winter Springs will be installing cameras on local streets to work proactively to stop crimes that are happening in public. Cameras, like these have been used in finding the culprits to the Boston Marathon bombing earlier last year.

The cameras that had been installed in the Boston street corners successfully recorded images of the two males that dropped a backpack near the street corner of where the bomb was set off. The males were identified and correctly traced back to their exact location. They were then followed and brought into custody.

Winter Springs and other locals cities aren’t hoping these cameras will need to be used for these kinds of reason, but instead to fight local crime such as burglaries and small disturbances.

This will also save quite a bit of money from hiring on-duty police officers to walk along these roads at late times of the night. These camera being installed also include facial recognition software, much like the cameras that were used to find the culprits of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Residents of Winter Springs have mixed feelings about the cameras being used to protect their city. Some believe they will save quite a bit of money, for the exact same job being done. While others think the cameras are a breach of privacy.

My personal opinion on these cameras is proactive. If a citizen wants to do something in public that only he can see, he should do this in his/her own private residence. A public space is public and therefore should be able to be recorded. You don’t have to worry about what you are doing in the eye of these cameras as long as you aren’t doing anything illegal.

Posted in Politics, Science and Technology, World News | Comments Off

San Fransisco beats Carolina Panthers and heads toward NFC Championship against the Seattle Seahawks

Posted on January 12, 2014 by laurentm

On Sunday 10/12/2014, The San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers played against each other in the play offs to decide who was going to play the Seattle Sea Hawks for the NFC championship. Today’s game had some very exciting match ups. Both teams have “Run n’ Gun” Quarterbacks with Colin Kaepernick from the 49ers and Cam Newton from the Panthers. Both Quarterbacks are exciting to watch but what made this game extremely appealing is that both teams very good defenses. Also both teams have good receivers including the very athletic Steve Smith from the Panthers and Anquan Boldin from the 49ers. I was rooting for Cam Newton and the Panthers to defeat the 49ers and in the second quarter I believed they were going to do it when they were leading the score 10-6. However, hen the second half started, the 49ers defense became unstoppable and that the Carolina Panthers were just playing like a different team. The 49ers were able to score 10 more points through out the second half while the Carolina Panthers couldn’t register a single point. I just felt like it wasn’t meant to be for the panthers because not only were they not able to even come close to scoring, but the referees seem to be missing a lot of calls. over all it was a decent game but nothing out of the ordinary. Although the game was very physical, it seem to be lacking urgency from the players and it was pretty dull to watch. However this proves to be a very interesting match up for the NFC east title with the 49ers and the Sea hawks battling it out. With that being said I hope Seattle is able to win next weekend.

For original article please visit: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/san-francisco-upends-carolina-reach-another-nfc-championship-210356863–nfl.html

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The War on Sea World!!! Acclaimed Documentary Puts Marine Theme Park On The Wrong Side of Public Opinion

Posted on January 12, 2014 by jmandel

When you visit Sea World, you are amazed to see some of the most magnificent creatures up close and personal. However, the story behind closed doors is anything but magnificent. The marine theme park is now in an intense struggle to maintain its public image. Most of the credit can go to the acclaimed documentary Blackfish. The film by director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, chronicles the 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau at the hands of Tilikum, one of the whales in the park’s main show. The film has clearly put into question the methods Sea World has taken toward keeping whales in captivity and Sea World’s treatment of its trainers. The film displays things such as incidents occurring in shows involving trainers, the separation of an orca calf from her mother, and Tilikum’s early years as an abused youngling. Many interviews involving former sea world trainers and others who have been in contact with Tilikum were also present in the film.

Despite the negative attention, Sea World isn’t taking this sitting down. The park has taken shots at the film for being inaccurate, telling the story from one POV, and exploiting a tragedy that to this day still haunts Dawn’s friends and family. However, this still doesn’t deny the fact that the film has grabbed audience’s attention and turned the public against the Orlando attraction. Recently, several big name performers such as Martina McBride and Heart have canceled their scheduled gigs at Sea World amid the controversy. One things for sure, Sea World’s battle to maintain it’s good standing with the public is still raging. But as of right now, it’s a losing fight.

Posted in Entertainment, World News | Comments Off

“Do you follow Pope Francis on Twitter?”

Posted on January 11, 2014 by ljthom

Yes, you read the obscure title correctly. That is the questionable text message I received recently from my mother. Not a, “how are classes going?” or “where are you doing your laundry this weekend?” kind of text message that most college students would get from their mother, but rather a casual text of a mother asking her college student if they follow the Pope on a social networking site. No big deal.
After receiving this message, I logged in to my twitter account and did some researching about what a Pope during this day in age could be tweeting about in 140 characters or less. I then felt slightly guilty about not following him, so I clicked the little gray box and exhaled a sigh of relief.
My findings were quite interesting. Pope Francis currently has 3.5M followers and follows his other eight accounts in Arabic, French, Italian, and other languages. The 3.5M number is quite low compared to Katy Perry, the “I kissed a girl” singer and tweeter with the most followers at 49.4M. Pope Francis also is a little behind compared to the Dalai Lama’s 8.2M followers count.
Pope Francis tweets once a day, giving his followers a daily reminder about God’s blessings and sending prayer intentions for others. His tweets give us something spiritual to think about, rather than nonsense tweets we may be scrolling past, such as Beyonce’s new haircut.
My mother’s random text message made me realize that Pope Francis is also adapting to the technologies of today. Is this a good thing? So far, I believe it is a step in a positive direction for the Catholic Church. I have enjoyed re-tweeting his thoughts for my followers to read. But now I am questioning myself and thinking, could this potentially be a bad thing? Tell me your thoughts.

Posted in Entertainment, Politics | Comments Off

FIFA announces 2022 World Cup will be moved

Posted on January 10, 2014 by ballspach

Earlier this week, FIFA secretary Jerome Valcke announced in an interview on a French radio station that the 2022 World Cup to be hosted by the nation of Qatar will be played between the months of November and January. This statement by Valcke suggests a solution to the Qatari summers, with temperatures that would be unfitting for the tournament. In response to the announcement, FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce said that a decision has yet to be made by the executive committee of FIFA, whom are supposed to be meeting and making a final decision at the end of 2014, after discussing matters with all governing bodies and officials in the world of soccer.

Other figures have voiced their opinions on this matter since the 2010 announcement that Qatar was to host the tournament. UEFA President Michel Platini has been an advocate for keeping the tournament in the summertime, claiming a winter World Cup would interfere with club leagues and competitions. Qatari officials stand firm that they will be able to cool stadiums to temperatures suitable for players and fans. Hassan Al Thawadi, chief executive of the Qatar 2022 World Cup campaign, has pointed to previous tournaments held in the United States (1994), Mexico (1970, 1986) and Spain (1982) where temperatures were similar to what the projected weather would be during the Qatari summer. Thawadi stated, “Hasn’t the tournament passed off normally each time? And to again bring up this question of the temperature is to ignore the cooling technology that we’ll be installing in stadia and fan zones.”

Not only would a winter tournament be unfitting for soccer clubs around the world, but would be a risk for TV ratings. During a summer when most sports are in the off-season, TV ratings are normally high for the World Cup, whereas a winter schedule would cause conflict among program scheduling. In a winter where, especially in the United States, professional sports such as basketball are in their full swing, and football season is approaching the playoffs and the Super Bowl, an event viewed by more than 100 million people around the world.

Posted in Sports, World News | Comments Off

Reasons Why 2014 Is Going To Be an Amazing Year For Me

Posted on January 9, 2014 by bosimpson

In my older posts from last semester I had written about a lot of troubles that I was having internally, which is why I can’t think of a better first blog to have than this one.

Over the break while I went back home to Miami, I had a lot of time to focus on what it was that I had to do to make myself feel better. So I spent quality time with family and friends and I quit my job over here in Orlando so that I could be there for a while and not having any school, being able to chill out at home and go out and have a good time was perfect for me. It was exactly what I needed to recharge my body for this semester.

It was also perfect that I got to start the semester again on a New Year. I’ve always loved the new year because it gives people hope and everyone always wants to start off right in the new year so there’s just a overflow of positive energy and I think it’s an incredible feeling to feel like you’re making a difference in yourself for the better.

I’ve started eating healthier, I’ve been going to the gym, letting go of people that did not benefit me anymore, getting closer to people that are just as good or better than me so it can motivate me to do and be better. I’m loving my schedule for the semester, my birthday is next month. I’m going to be 20 years old and I’m actually really excited about that because I feel like I was born to be in my twenties and I feel so many great opportunities coming my way. I’ve made a bucket list of the things that I want to accomplish this year and traveling somewhere is one of those things. I’m just excited for all that there is and I can’t wait to grow bigger, better, and stronger as the months go by.

Posted in Entertainment, Environment, Health | Tagged health, me, new year, positive thinking, spring | 1 Comment

Surge in African Elephant Deaths Lead China to Crush Confiscated Ivory.

Posted on January 9, 2014 by jsjones

Although some may consider the use of ivory as a thing of the past, the illegal trade of the item still rages on in many parts of the globe.

As a result of the increasing numbers of African elephants being killed over their ivory tusks, Chinese officials have followed the actions of many other countries by holding a public event where nearly six tons of the illegal product was crushed.

The event, held last Monday in the city of Dongguan, was the focus of attention by many wildlife conservationists as public officials crushed the ivory products, most of which had been seized by Hong Kong’s customs.

Due to the fact that owning such a thing in China is viewed as a status symbol most favorable by the wealthy, the country has been at the forefront of the black-market ivory trade. Additionally, the economic growth of China’s middle class has recently led to a devastatingly large surge of African elephant deaths due to the increased demand of the tusks. Subsequently, the African Elephant Action Plan was enacted in order to protect and conserve the diminishing species. What makes the African elephant so much of a target is the fact that both males and females have tusks. Tusks can only be found on the male Asian elephant species and even then, only certain males are able to grow tusks.

Even though many view this as a great step towards the preservation of the species, critics are concerned with the fact that only a small percentage of China’s ivory stockpile has been crushed. In order to thoroughly end the illegal trading of ivory, many are calling on Chinese officials to take a greater stand and do away with every bit of ivory which has been confiscated through customs.

Posted in Environment, General, World News | Comments Off

Legalized Marijuana Means More Money for Colorado

Posted on January 8, 2014 by amanda decarlo

It is no secret that Coloarado has garnered a lot of press ever since they legalized marijuana for recreational use . For the residents of Colorado who are 21 or older, they can now purchase one ounce of marijuana. However, the consumers are not the only ones who are benefiting from the legalization of recreational marijuana.

According to an Article in the Huffingtonpost.com titled “Colorado Recreational Marijuana Sales Exceed $5 Million in First Week,” The business owners are reporting major sales of Marijuana that exceed $5 million dollars. The taxes on the marijuana are incredible. The increase in tax will support the state of Colorado drastically, altering yearly budgets, and possibly providing more public services.

Ideas about legalized marijuana may no longer be based in ethical or moral issues. There is now factual evidence that proves the financial benefits of marijuana, and this could be just the beginning of a paradigm shift throughout America. State governments and legislatures may start to understand the contributions of legalizing marijuana.

Even arguably the most influential sector of government, the federal government, could nationally legalize marijuana for recreational use. Plus, their would need to be some law that grants business owners who sell marijuana access to the the federal bank. This would benefit the business owners who although may be receiving large sums of money and great demand for their product, are not eligible to write any of their expenses off. If the business owners could have access to the federal bank, it would give the companies more financial capitol to continue to invest and grow. If they can continue to invest and grow, then there will be more jobs and opportunities in the future.

Posted in Economy, General | Comments Off

Should Congress Be Drug Tested Too?

Posted on December 3, 2013 by lyle evan peterson

In the recent years passed, drugs have been a prevalent topic; ranging from underage drug use, to violence that stems from drugs, to drugs in the workplace. Just this year the House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow states to require food stamp recipients to be drug tested via urine, to prove that they are not on drugs. Just last year, republicans were pushing for recipients of unemployment assistance to be drug tested also. With all of the drug testing imposed on recipients of any type of welfare, Americans began to think that if the people being governed must be drug tested, why can’t the individuals doing the governing be drug tested also.

Recent polls display that eighty-six percent of Republicans, seventy five percent of Independents and seventy-seven percent of Democrats said that they wasn’t Congress members to be drug tested. Alternatively, eighty seven percent of Republicans, sixty four percent of Independents and fifty percent of Democrats want the welfare recipients to be drug tested. The sensational headlines of politicians and their drug use has made Americans feel as if the Congress is no different, who is to say they aren’t indulging in recreational drug use just as someone on welfare may be. If a congress member is caught using drugs illegally, another poll shows that Americans will show no mercy to that member. Over half, sixty six percent to be exact expressed that if a member was caught with a small amount of cocaine in their possession they should be forced to resign; only fourteen percent believe that the member should be able to finish their term.

This poses a question of justice in our country, why is it just now that we have thought to drug test members of congress, after all they too are human. If we feel it necessary to drug test a Walmart employees who simply serves as a cashier, why would we not find it necessary to drug test someone who has the power to impose a law that could greatly affect our lives.

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NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars Win Second Consecutive Game on the Road against the Cleveland Browns

Posted on December 2, 2013 by shannonadams

The Jacksonville Jaguars traveled up to Cleveland to take on the Browns Sunday afternoon. This would be the Jaguars’ second consecutive game on the road, after defeating the Texans in Houston last week. The game started out even both teams even at 7 by the end of the first quarter. The Browns then took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. After a series of turnovers by the Browns’ Offense, the Jaguars went on a 14-0 scoring run to end the first half.

When the third quarter began, the Browns’ offense caught life again. They drove down the field to score a touchdown, making the score 21-20. Cleveland drove down the field once again on a big play later in the quarter, extending the lead to 28-20. The Jaguars then got a safety, followed by a field goal to make the score 28-25. Late in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars proceeded to go on a game-winning drive. The drive was capitalized by a twenty yard go-ahead touchdown pass from Chad Henne to Cecil Shorts. Shorts is a cleveland native and had his entire family in attendance at the game.

The Jaguars have now won three of their last four games. They are no longer in last place in the NFL rankings, a spot which now belongs to the Houston Texans at 2-10 on the season.