The Miami Heat Are Off To A Slow Start

Posted on November 11, 2013 by jperez110

The Miami Heat are off to a slow start this season, winning only 4 of their first 7 games. Some teams in the NBA would be more than happy to have a record of 4-3 through 7 games, but for the 2 time defending NBA champions it is a disappointment. Miami opened the season against the Chicago Bulls and made a solid statement. Miami’s defense against Derrick Rose and the Bulls was impeccable, and it looked like the sky was the limit for the team this year.

Miami’s next game was against the 76ers, who many thought were the worst team in the league by far. A rookie named Michael Carter-Williams was extremely close to recording a quadruple-double in his very first NBA game for the 76ers. The Miami Heat actually started the game being outscored 19-0. Miami clawed its way back in the game, but the 76ers won by a narrow margin.

After losing another game to the Brooklyn Nets, Miami had 3 straight wins against Washington, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Miami’s most previous game was against the Celtics on Saturday night. Miami was in control for most of the game, until the young Celtics team made a comeback. Boston was down by 2 points with only 0.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Jeff Green caught the ball in the far corner and somehow released a shot in under 0.6 seconds and scored a game winning 3 pointer.

Many people have said that Miami looks disinterested or lazy during the regular season, but that may just be because they know that the only thing that matters is winning in the playoffs. Time will tell whether or not Miami is prepared for a 3-peat.

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Richie Incongnito Interview and the Jonahthan Martin Controversy

Posted on November 10, 2013 by jmoore524

Over the past week the Miami Dolphins and offensive guard Richie Incognito have been embroiled in what’s been termed a “bullying” scandal by the national media.

It began with second year tackle Jonathan Martin leaving the team after a prank in which he sat down amongst his fellow offensive line teammates and upon his sitting down his teammates left the table, a prank that Jonathan Martin himself participated in only days earlier. Martin flipped out, slammed his tray on the table and left the team’s premises.

It was later unveiled that Incognito sent Martin a voicemail in which he called him a “half-ni**er” and said he wanted to “**** down your throat” and slap his mother. Incognito has written this off as locker room banter, and teammate Brian Hartline seemed to corroborate that story, saying Martin went around to other teammates the day after the voicemail was left and was laughing about it.

All of Incognito’s teaammates have rallied around him, saying that they were all razzed in similar fashions to those that Martin were. While his racial epithets are impossible to defend, reports have surfaced saying within the locker room, Incognito was considered a “honorary black guy” and used the N-word liberally among teammates and the word didn’t carry with it the sting which it obviously would in everyday society.

To further complicate the story, Martin sent several texts to Incognito after the story broke implying that he didn’t blame his fellow teammates saying, “Wassup man? The world’s gone crazy LOL I’m good tho congrats on the win” and “Yeah I’m good man. It’s insane bro but just know I don’t blame you guys at all it’s just the culture around football and the locker room got to me a little.”

This story is sure to develop further as more and more details come out, but for anyone to come out strongly on either side of the issue at this point would be foolish. This is obviously a multi-faceted story which, regardless of the racial overtones, needs to be considered in the context of the jock culture and not on the basis of what is regularly accepted in our everyday lives. It’s readily apparent that what we consider offensive, athletes in professional locker rooms do not consider to be nearly as offensive.

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5 jobs are in danger of becoming extinct- reporting is among them

Posted on November 10, 2013 by alexalima

According to an article on Yahoo Education by Andrea Duchon, reporting ranks number two among careers that are dwindling in numbers. For future reporters and anchors, the article is certainly disconcerting… but only for a moment.

From the second we decide to earn a broadcast journalism degree, there are three crucial things we need to succeed: passion, confidence, and very thick skin. As students, we know that the journey will not be an easy one, but isn’t that the best part? One of my professors and mentor at UCF, told me she wouldn’t trade her career as a reporter for 15 years, for anything in the world. There were tough times but never dull moments.

Every now and again I get an eye roll when someone asks me what my major is and I say “Broadcast Journalism, Radio-Television Track.” The reality remains that people do not understand the complexity of writing and reporting. Personally, when I watch television, I closely analyze the reporter’s mannerisms and articulation to get a sense of who they are and how well they do their jobs. If I analyze them, certainly the rest of the public does as well. Becoming a liked and respected public figure is no easy task. Not everyone can attract an audience for 30 minutes-1 hour in a news segment.

So, what does the article say is our biggest competition as aspiring reporters? The Internet! These days, journalists don’t get degrees. Instead they blog for free, and gain followers through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and other popular social media sites. The Internet offers exposure, an important part of the journalism field. However, there is invaluable information to be learned in school and important relationships to be formed with professors.

My time in college has taught me this:

  1. Get involved in student organizations
  2. Form relationships with your professors (I can’t stress enough how important this is)
  3. Intern as soon and as much as you can
  4. Volunteer! There are so many volunteer opportunities in Orlando. News and radio stations host events all the time. For those interested in fashion and entertainment, Orlando Fashion Week is a fantastic event to volunteer for. Organizations love free help.
  5. Most importantly: When you show dedication for what you do, others take notice.

http://education.yahoo.net/articles/near_extinct_careers.htm?kid=1O19I

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The Rubber Duck and Game of Chess Are the Newest Inductees in the U.S. Toy Hall of Fame

Posted on November 10, 2013 by brookeadams91

The rubber duck and the game of chess were named the two inductees of 2013 in the United States’ National Toy Hall of Fame last week.  The two inductees were named on Thursday.

According to MSN news, the rubber duck and the game of chess were selected from a group of 12 finalists. Among the finalists were bubbles, Clue, Fisher-Price Little People, Magic 8 Ball, My Little Pony, little green army men, Nerf Toys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pac-Man, and the scooter.

The rubber duck dates back to the late 1800s. They were originally invented for a different purpose though. The rubber ducks did not float, but instead they were used as chew toys for babies going through the teething stage. In the 1940s, they were developed into floating toys.

Today, rubber ducks are not only for kids. According to Patricia Hogan, the curator of toys and dolls at The Strong, a children’s and cultural history museum in Western New York where the National Toy Hall of Fame is located, the rubber ducks have been a fixture of pop culture for decades and recent variations of toy appeal to adults as well as toddlers.

Chess, which is one of the oldest games in the world, is based on chaturanga, an ancient Indian war game that uses pawns to represent different types of fighters. By 1475, chess started to evolve into an intellectual game in England.

The rubber duck and the game of chess are two of the other 51 other toys that have been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame since 1998. Last year, Star Wars figures and dominoes were chosen to be inducted. The toys are nominated by the American public.

As a child, I was a fan of rubber ducks and I even have one from when I was a little girl. As an adult, I have two from Bath & Body Works that I use to decorate my bathroom.

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2013 Spirit Splash Kicks Off Homecoming Football Game

Posted on November 8, 2013 by xchellz

Spirit Splash is UCF’s well known and most popular tradition. It takes place during homecoming week and is the only time of the year that students are allowed to go inside of the reflection pond on campus. UCF’s Spirit Splash was voted best campus tradition by the National Association for Campus Activities just recently so this year had to be spectacular.

As always at the beginning of Spirit Splash, students gather around the reflection pond and in the surrounding areas to witness what is going to happen. They stand in different lines to get their official Spirit Splash t-shirts which is extremely chaotic. This being because there are only 5000 that are handed out to the tens of thousands of students here. This years shirt had the clever saying “Duck Yeah!” on the front to play on words and the symbol of Spirit Splash. Then different people come on stage to speak to the crowd about different topics. This year, Daunte Culpepper even came to speak.

Every single year, people hope and pray to get a duck and only a few people seem to be lucky. Once the people charge into the water, it is already a big, wet mess. People splashing and having fun running through the water. Then, the ducks are thrown into the crowd. This is when the chaos begins. People get trampled and sometimes seriously hurt trying to get these special ducks. Regardless of the chaos, it is a very fun and interesting thing to experience when attending UCF and even after.

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Youngest Child to be Diagnosed with Lung Cancer Caused by Pollution.

Posted on November 8, 2013 by jsjones

It has now become widely recognized that pollution is having incredibly negative and disastrous effects on the environment and the people within them. Recently, China implemented new regulations due to the heavy amounts of smog that was present in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the surge in awareness on this topic has come too late for one little girl.

An eight year-old living in the heavily populated village of Huaxi in the Jiangsu Province of Eastern China has just become one of the youngest individuals to be diagnosed with lung cancer due to pollution. Just last month, the World Health Organization issued the warning that they had now identified pollution as a leading cause of cancer in humans. It was soon after this that Chinese officials adopted new rules which were applied so that there would be a considerable reduction in the amount of smog being produced in the heavily populated cities.

The shocking announcement of lung cancer being present in a child so young has shocked and saddened many scientists as it has never before been diagnosed in children as a direct result of pollution. The health issue that has been studied the most as having the strongest correlation to atmospheric pollutants has previously been cardiovascular disease.

Scientists are hoping that this unfortunate occurrence will bring even more awareness to the issue of pollutants and cause a greater focus on how carbon emissions can be reduced. Undoubtedly, in areas that are so heavily populated, this issue is paramount to the ability of humans to live free of health problems caused by pollution.

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Nation’s Best School Tradition: Spirit Splash

Posted on November 8, 2013 by elizabeth hannigan

Every university has traditions or superstitions that have been passed down from graduating class to graduating class since the opening of the school.  The University of Central Florida is no exception.

During Homecoming week, UCF celebrates with different events for each day of the week.  The events all culminate at the end of the week, when the football team plays, typically at home.  The day before the football game, which is usually on a Saturday, the school holds an annual tradition known as “Spirit Splash”.  Students congregate at the Reflecting Pond located in front of the library to be part of the schools’ tradition.  Throughout the year students walk past the reflecting pond and are denied the opportunity to swim in its crystal clear water.  Spirit Splash allows students to jump in, collect rubber ducks, and dance to the music the DJ plays.

The UCF student body have always enjoyed this annual tradition, and now the country does too.  This year UCF’s Spirit Splash was voted the nations Best Campus Tradition with a rewarded prize of $1,000 towards this years’ event.  Even though UCF is still considered a “young” school, we are winning every competition this year and making a name for ourselves, becoming quite a formidable college.  Our football team has gone up in conferences and has started the year with a 6-1 winning streak, and our annual traditions have beat out every other university to be crowned Nation’s Best Campus Tradition.  UCF is one of the nation’s physically largest universities, and now we have a reputation as large as our student body.

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Georgetown and Oregon Basketball Face Off in Korea

Posted on November 7, 2013 by marissanclark

This week, The University of Oregon and Georgetown University’s basketball teams will square off in South Korea. Oregon is currently ranked 19th in the country but without two of their top players due to suspension from the NCAA. Georgetown’s team is not currently ranked but are historically known to be huge upset contenders. The game is taking place in Army-Garrison Humphreys Base in South Korea. The game will be aired on ESPN at a local time of 10:00 am. This game will be the 2nd annual Armed Forces Classic. Oregon is the heavy favorite coming into the game with the pre-season ranking of 21 and the current ranking of 19. Being without the top two scorers will heavily hurt the team and leave their offense in shambles. The top two scorers for Oregon, Dominic Artis and Ben Carter will not make the trip to South Korea due to NCAA violations involving the sale of shoes given for this game. Nike had given both teams shoes that were customized for the game. It is still uncertain as to how long the suspensions will last. The uniforms made by Under Amour feature complete camouflaged jerseys due to an Army base.

My own opinion on the game is that it will be a huge experience not just for the players and coaches, but for the military personal on duty in South Korea. It shows these honored men that everyone back home has not forgotten about them and we want to make sure they will be back soon. Last year’s game was played on a Air Force carrier but due to weather this years will be forced in doors.

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Oregon vs. Stanford, A Big Game At a Big Time

Posted on November 7, 2013 by andreat

It is crunch time for most NCAA football teams in the nation.  For the teams that are on top, they have to continue to prove themselves week in and week out.  For the teams that are trying to make it to the top, they have to prove they are worthy.  Tonight is no different.

In about two hours a huge game will be taking place.  A game that  a lot of people have been waiting for, for almost 3 months.  What game is it?  Number two Oregon will be facing number six Stanford tonight at Stanford Stadium.  Stanford might have the upper hand and the momentum because they beat Oregon last season in a huge upset.  But Oregon is one of the scariest teams in the nation.  They have blinding speed, and a really good Quarterback.

This game will be a big one for Oregon QB Marcus Mariota.  He has yet to throw an interception on the season.  Will it happen tonight.  It is a huge game for him on a bunch of fronts.  The NFL will be watching tonight and Mariota has to prove that he will worth a top 5 selection in the upcoming draft.  A lot of people are unsure and a lot of people think he will be worth it.  But let’s get back to the game tonight.

It should be a great game,  hopefully one of the best games of the season.  Stanford has a very good team and it is highly likely that they take down the speedy Oregon football team.  They are physical enough to overcome the speed of Oregon.  But who knows at this point.  In my opinion Oregon wins this game.  But I could be very wrong.  I will choose Oregon 35-17.

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We Typically Don’t Appreciate Our Good Health

Posted on November 7, 2013 by bosimpson

We live everyday like any other. We never stop to think about how easy it is for us to breath, how easy it is for us to walk, or talk. The only time we realize how good we have it is when we’re sick. I think that’s part of the reason why we get sick, so that we can appreciate our health more when we’re healthy. I bring this up because I have been sick for the past 4 days, and in these past four days with the common cold I have realized that it is incredibly uncomfortable to not be able to breath and constantly have to blow your nose. My nose is irritated from blowing it so much, I haven’t been able to sleep for the past two days because of how clogged I get, my throat hurts when I swallow, and now know what it feels like to be that annoying girl that’s always sneezing and sniffing in class.

Life works in ironic ways because it would be this weekend that my body decides to shut down. A weekend that has so much going on; there’s a party tonight that one of my friends from back home is throwing in a house he rented for the weekend, a bunch of people from back home are going to be there getting wild, tomorrow is the UCF tradition, Spirit Splash and it’s been off and on cold outside so I definitely can’t partake in that if I still have this cold by tomorrow, then the next day It’s tailgating all day and UCF football game against Houston and to top it all off, I usually have Sundays off but I have to work this Sunday to make up some hours. There’s no way to try to look at this but through a positive light. This weekend was supposed to be amazing and I can’t just knock it all right now and say that it’s not going to be when there’s so many great things that are going to be going on.

People go to the gym all the time and for most people especially in college I believe go to the gym mainly to look good. Yeah, the health is a plus but the main reason and goal in why they go to the gym is to have a better physical body. Although, there’s nothing wrong with that, it proves my point with how people do not appreciate their health as much as other things. As soon as you get a really bad head ache, when you wake up with a fever, a cold, or maybe things that are way worse then a temporary virus such as HIV, or Leukemia; at that moment while you’re in discomfort and pain you begin to remember how nice to felt to not be in that position. You think of all the things you could have done to prevent yourself from feeling the way you do now, if you were able to prevent it. Next time you’re done with an exercise or wake up feeling great, remember to Thank whoever it is you believe in and embrace your health!

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