Media Convergence Initiative

Police helicopter mysteriously crashes through the roof of a local pub in Glasgow

Posted on December 2, 2013 by holypointejoey

It was 8:20 pm when the helicopter took off from a Glasgow helicopter on a call out. The crew aboard the helicopter were involved in the search for a suspected trespasser on the railway lines one mile south of the crash site. The bar where the incident occurred was hosting an event with a capacity crowd of 120 within the audience. It was 10:25 pm when the helicopter crashed into the pub on it’s way back to base. It’s been confirmed that there were no emergency transmissions from the pilot prior to the tragic accident, so it is unclear exactly how the incident took place and the cause is yet to be determined. As it stands over thirty people were injured and nine victims have been announced dead following the strange event on that Friday night. All three pilots on board the helicopter died among six others who were in the bar. One eyewitness claimed that there wasn’t a fiery explosion. It just seemed like the helicopter “fell like a stone and the engine seemed to be spluttering” at the moment. The tragedy also came on the eve of Scotland’s national festivities of St. Andrew’s Day.

125 firefighters responded immediately to the scene, but it was the nearby citizens who made it there first. Witnesses weren’t running away, they were running towards to help any way they can. There was also many search and rescue firefighters in attendance to shore up the unstable parts of the building and to help excavate collapsed areas from the scene. A large area around the Glasgow city center was cornered off while the rescue operation was underway. People rescued from the scene were initially taken by the emergency services to a nearby hotel to be treated for their injuries.

Posted in General, World News | Comments Off

Speeding New York Train Derails, Killing Four, Injuring Many

Posted on December 2, 2013 by akilah.fields

At 7:22AM Sunday morning, a metro-north train in New York was derailed, killing four people and injuring 63, 11 of those critically. First responders arrived on scene near the Spuyten Duyvil train station in the Bronx within minutes. Rescuers attempted breaking into windows and using jacks and airbags to search under the wreckage for survivors. After all known passengers had been recovered from the wreckage, the cars were lifted and inspected for further analysis of what may have happened.

Experts retrieved the black engineering box, which contained information relevant to the crash in order to see how fast the train was going. It was to the surprise of Senator Charles Schumer, in addition to several members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that the train was travelling at a terrifying 82 miles per hour on a curve where the posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour. This detail is gripping enough, but it is also worth noting that the speed limit on the area of the tracks before the curve was 70mph, indicating that the train was already in violation of the speed limit before it reached the curve. Officials say that thorough tests indicated that there was nothing wrong with the tracks themselves.

At this point, an investigation is underway to determine if this was human error, mechanical error, or a mixture of both. The engineer of the train, twenty-year veteran William Rockefeller is currently in the process of being questioned. Experts are also awaiting results from drug and alcohol tests, and are inspecting Rockefeller’s cell phone to see if texting was a contributing factor, like it was for two other train crashes earlier this year. Rockefeller has been fully cooperating with the investigation and colleagues of his say he has an impeccable record as an engineer.

Posted in General, Science and Technology | Tagged Bronx, crash, Derail, Metro, New York, Spuyten Duyvil, Train | Comments Off

Steelers Coach Faces Potential Punishment Over Blocked Kickoff

Posted on December 2, 2013 by laurenmioduchoski

Thanksgiving brought together family, food and friends. It also brought together one of the biggest rivalry’s in the NFL: The Ravens versus The Steelers. The game brought plenty of testosterone on the field but what people are still talking about is not necessarily the players actions but the action of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

At the start of the third quarter Ravens kick returner, Jacoby Jones, was on his way to the end zone about to potentially score a touchdown when he was ‘blocked’ by Mike Tomlin who was standing on the sideline with one foot on the field.

Jacoby Jones was forced to cut inside to avoid Tomlin and that was when he was tackled by two Steelers.

Tomlin says his antics were not intentional but people are still skeptical whether or not he knew what he was doing. Potential punishment for him could include a fine and the loss of a draft pick, which famously happened to the Patriots back in 2007.

The smirk that Tomlin had, in my opinion, indicated that he knew exactly what he was doing. As a seasoned coach, he knows better than to be on the field during a play. However, a six figure fine does seem a little extreme (and this is coming from a Ravens fan).

The loss of a draft pick could be detrimental, as it would happen during the late rounds of the draft.

A review is still being made by the NFL and a decision should be made by Monday night. In my humble opinion, refs should have just awarded the Ravens a touchdown and all of this could be over with.

Posted in Sports | Comments Off

Red-Light Camera Appeals in Orlando

Posted on December 2, 2013 by ashley riordan

Red-light cameras, which generate millions in ticket revenue for Florida cities, have caught more than 45,000 drivers at intersections in the Orlando Area since July 1. Most drivers caught by red-light cameras are not dangerous but were cited tickets because they were a second too late going through the light or because they turned right on red without coming to a full and complete stop. The fine for committing such a crime is $158.

Fewer than 150 people have contested their tickets due to high appeal rates. While Orlando adds $50 for a red-light appeal, other cities charge more. Apopka and Maitland, for example, charge $250, which is the most allowed by law. Winners, of course, pay nothing.

Another reason many do not dispute the fine of $158 is because these violations are caught on camera. There have only been 5 cases where the judge has ruled in the driver’s favor. In one case, a man was following an ambulance carrying his wife. In another, a woman insisted she was not driving the car caught on camera. The judge ruled in her favor because the camera view could not disprove she was not in fact driving the vehicle.

Numerous groups are developing in protest of the new law they call “unconstitutional.” Many say the red-light law requires a person, in essence, to prove their innocence.

Posted in Economy, General, Politics | Comments Off

Fast and Furious Star Dies in Car Crash

Posted on December 2, 2013 by jlyzniak

Paul Walker, also known as Brian O’Connor to the fans of the Fast and Furious series, passed away on November 30, 2013 in a tragic car accident in Valencia, CA, just 30 minutes from Hollywood, CA. Walker was one of the most iconic figures in the Fast and Furious movies, playing a key role in keeping the franchise alive, working alongside other famous names such as Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Walker was also in many other notable films of the early 2000’s such as Flags of Our Fathers and Joy Ride.

Not only was he a famous Hollywood actor, but he was also a philanthropist, founding the organization called REACH OUT Worldwide. The organization was aimed at helping people who are affected by natural disasters. Most recently, ROWW has been focused on relief for the disasters in the Philippines, as well as tornado victims in Illinois. It is rumored that Walker was allowing people to pay a fee in order to drive his $450,000 2005 Porsche Carrera GT in order to raise money for this organization. Unfortunately, during one of these supposed test drives, Walker and the driver of the car crashed into a phone pole and lost their lives due to the crash.

Many of his family members and other famous entertainment icons around the world were caught by surprise due to this horrific accident, and memorials have been scheduled accordingly. Car enthusiasts around the world that have been influenced by his presence in the F&F movies have planned car shows and cruises (long-distance slow-paced driving on roads with little to no traffic stops) in order to commemorate his everlasting imprint onto the automotive culture worldwide.

Posted in Audio/Video, Entertainment, Environment, Health, Science and Technology, World News | Comments Off

European Scientists Develop Bug Robot

Posted on December 2, 2013 by mattimmerman

Researchers at Leiden University in The Netherlands have for some time been working on a small, bug-like robot. The robot is about two inches long and three fourths of an inch wide. It is made to look as close to a large cockroach as possible, and it is outfitted with six legs, two wings, and a tiny propeller. These features allow the robot to crawl on and stick to walls, and to fly very quickly. In order for the bot to take flight, it must crawl onto a relatively high place, such as a roof or even the ceiling of a large room. It then spreads its wings which are made to work much like those of a stealth bomber, serving as ailerons and elevators, and picks up velocity with the combined use of gravity and its propeller. Once the bot is moving fast enough, the propeller, which is mounted on the rear and usually hidden by the folded wings, is enough to speed the bot through all indoor and most outdoor conditions.

The above describes the Insecten Vlak (a temporary working name, which translates to “Insect Plane” in english) as it is meant to function. However, the bug plane is far from perfect in testing. So far, it only functions when operated remotely by a highly skilled engineer, though it is planned to be made semi-autonomous in the coming years. And while the wall walking is fairly consistent, the flight is far from it. In the seventy-eight test flights where anything resembling flight was achieved, as opposed to simply buzzing and falling, the bug plane has only been brought to a landing without significant damage four times. There doesn’t seem to be any clear purpose to the little bot other than trying to bring a really cool idea to life. And as far as robotics goes, sometimes that is all the purpose one needs.

Posted in Science and Technology, World News | Comments Off

Smoking Cigarettes Can Help Prevent Ulcerative Colotis

Posted on December 2, 2013 by rachelfoster89

There’s a new study that’s come out revealing a previously dangerous hobby as a preventive cure. The cigarette has been bashed in recent years for it’s copious amounts of toxic chemicals. They now are required to offer a surgeon generals warning which tells the consumer you are literally smoking poison. So in the present day when one ponders the health effects of cigarette smoke, the thoughts that come to mind are usually negative.

But, with a recent study on the disease Ulcerative Colitis, it has been discovered that not only do cigarettes ease the effects of this nasty disease, it has preventive effects. Smokers are already much less likely to develop ulcerative colitis, which was proven in a controlled case study. Furthermore, the case study revealed that patients with ulcerative colitis who smoked would go into remission more often and stay in remission longer.

Nicotine seems to be the reason why cigarettes have a positive effect on colitis patients. In a placebo-based experiment, it was found that nicotine alone was able to keep patients with colitis in remission much longer then without it. Of course, of nicotine remains to be the only product in cigarettes that soften the blow of colitis, then there is obviously more healthy ways to apply it then smoke. The study is still young and is just beginning to gain some recognition.

Seeing as ulcerative colitis is an unpreventable disease, the study has a lot of colitis patients researching the idea. Since colitis can only be prevented right now, it may be a short term fix for these patients to pick up a nasty habit.

Posted in General, Health | Comments Off

Will Amazon Drones Be Flying In The Sky Soon?

Posted on December 2, 2013 by johnmenard

Amazon is the leader in online revenue and on Sunday Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos created a media buzz when he was on CBS’s “60 Minutes” talking about drones that would deliver all the items that you purchased from Amazon’s website right to your door. Now this means you would be seeing millions of little aircraft hovering around in the sky with customer’s new Kindles and other products. Will this ever happen in the near future? Maybe but probably not in our lifetime but what could happen is the idea of a Kindle drone.

A Kindle drone could be the next best thing in any ones life. With the idea up un the air of having a little drone that would have a camera on it and the ability to connect with an Amazon Kindle at anytime would be pretty awesome. People are saying that you could use it for home security as well as a shopping aid. Say you walk into a Target store and you want to purchase a new watch from the jewelry section. The kindle drone could take a picture of the watch and search the Amazon database to see if it is offered for cheaper on the Amazon site, which would be saving you money instead of spending more on the watch at Target. Now this might not be a key tool to bring more customers to the website but it is an idea that would put a market leading company even further in front of its competitors. Only the future will show us what is next!

Posted in Science and Technology | Comments Off

Finals: The Worst Week for Students

Posted on December 2, 2013 by natalie.izquierdo

Every semester students spend all semester working at their classes, some more then others but none the less putting forth the effort to be one semester closer to graduation. At the end of every semester students are faced with the most stressful week to put their knowledge to the test, literally. Finals can make or break your grade for a class, and every teacher chooses how to do them differently. Some teachers choose to have cumulative exams, covering everything you have learned in the semester to be all on one exam, some choose just to put the information from the last test. Other teachers make the final 40% of final grade in the class and some understand that it should be the same grade as any other test.

None the less students still stress endlessly to do well on their final exams. Many students eat terribly and hardly sleep during this week. By spending so much time cramming and not doing things to keep their body functioning they end up feeling terrible and doing worse on the final then they should. How should students approach finals and how to do their best? Is there any one sure way to do well? I think for each person it varies. Some can sit down and study for an hour and do just fine, while others study the information for days and still can’t seem to do well. Should students even have to take finals if they have an A? Isn’t that proof enough that they worked hard regularly through out the term and know enough of the information? Are finals even a good indication of what we learned through the class? Maybe one day in the future schools will find a way to test student knowledge without causing students anxiety, stress and the many other feelings that go along with finals week.

Posted in Education, General | Comments Off

The BCS Standings Shake Up After a Crazy Weekend in College Football

Posted on December 2, 2013 by taylorkoziol

This may have been one weekend in college football to remember for the ages. Almost everything was on the line during the last week of the regular season, and to make things more intriguing it was rivalry week. The game of the week looked to be the Ohio State Michigan game at first. A physical battle between this bitter rivals came down to one play, a two point conversion. Michigan wanted to end any hopes of Ohio State playing for the title, but they couldn’t get the two point conversion with less than a minute to play and lost. Ohio State squeezed by, and things only got better for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State hasn’t lost this season, but their strength of schedule looked to keep them on the outs until the Iron Bowl miracle. One of the fiercest rivalries Alabama verse Auburn would determine which team plays for the SEC Championship game. Alabama had their chances to pull away, but a terrible special teams day kept Auburn in the game. With one second left, Alabama attempted to break the tie game with a field goal from 56 yards. It came up short, where an Auburn player caught it and took it back for a touchdown to win the game as time expired. This game game will go down in history as one of the greatest of all times.

Before this weekend, it looked to be a lock that it would be FSU versus Alabama playing for the national title, but with Bama’s loss Ohio State has taken the number two spot. Auburn is ranked third with Alabma dropping to fourth. The team that nobody is paying attention to is Missouri who sits at fifth and plays Auburn for the SEC title this weekend. If they win, Missouri would jump Auburn for sure and most likely jump Alabama in the standings.

Ohio State plays Michigan State for the Big Ten title. With a win, Ohio State would most likely play for the national title. Michigan State is a top ten team with a stern defense and is going to be Ohio State’s toughest test yet. A loss would give the winner of the Auburn Missouri game a spot for the national championship. The only thing to make this next week even crazier is if Florida State were to lose to Duke in the ACC title game. The only way Alabma could sneak in, is if both Ohio State and Florida State lost, which has yet to happen this season for either team. All these scenarios will be settled by next weekend and we will know who will play for the title.