The Celebration of Veganism with World Vegan Day 2013.

Posted on November 4, 2013 by jsjones

Many animal rights activits and animal lovers alike, had a special holiday to celebrate this past Friday in the form of World Vegan Day. Not only was November 1st given to commemorate this wondrous lifestyle choice; the entire month is dedicated to it as well.

Due to the philosophy that animals should be able to live in conjunction with humans, many have chosen to eliminate the consumption and use of animal products in their daily lives. Whether it is meats or animal by-products, which are often present in many household items, vegans abstain from such things in order to promote the ethical treatment of animals.

World Vegan Day has been celebrated annually since its inception in 1994, when Louise Wallis (former president of The Vegan Society) established the day in honor of the society’s 50th anniversary. The organization was the first group created in support of veganism, and its original founder, Donald Watson, was actually the one who created the term “vegan.”

Now, the special day is honored by festivals all over the world and the celebratory events will be continuing on until the end of the month. For those who aren’t vegan but would like to partake in promoting the lifestyle, try taking a vegan pledge for a specified amount of time. Whether it is for a week or for the entire month of November, try challenging yourself so that you may aid in advancing the important cause of animal rights. Not only will such a lifestyle choice support the ethical treatment of animals, it will also contribute to environmental sustainability. Happy vegan eating!

Posted in Environment, General, World News | Comments Off on The Celebration of Veganism with World Vegan Day 2013.

$1.35 billion worth of Nazi-seized art discovered

Posted on November 4, 2013 by bsnider92

Over 1,500 pieces of artwork were discovered recently in a Munich apartment owned by a son of a WWII era art dealer.  Among the collection were pieces from Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

A spokesman from the Conference on Jewish Material Against Germany claims that these pieces were among the many thousands that were looted by the Nazis during WWII.  The Nazis, under Hitler’s reign, were known for acquiring fine art from many private Jewish collectors as well as public museums.  Most of these pieces have not been recovered… possibly until now.

A man named Hildebrand Gurlitt once acquired the fine art pieces that were discovered in his son’s Munich flat.  Gurlitt was commissioned by infamous Nazi, Joseph Goebbels to find what he called “degenerate art” and sell it to make money for Germany during Hitler’s reign.  “Degenerate art” was anything that the Nazis considered “un-German.”  These are the pieces that have been found.  They have been valued at an estimate of $1.35 billion.

The Jewish group demands that these pieces be returned to their original owners, or at least their families.

Although many pieces were just recently found, there are still many that were taken by the Nazis seventy years ago that are still unaccounted for.

I find it amazing how seventy years past this war and the vicious oppression of the Jewish culture that new evidence is still coming to light about all that happened in that time.  Although there is clearly nothing that can be done to make up for the violence that the Jews endured, it is nice to read that some of their culture has been restored, even all these years later.

Posted in General, World News | Comments Off on $1.35 billion worth of Nazi-seized art discovered

When Freedom of Expression Offends

Posted on November 4, 2013 by jlhemingway

Living in America, we are indoctrinated, from birth, to live and breathe by the code that makes us American. This freedom we are all guaranteed. The freedom to express ourselves without limit. However, in the communication world, we are exposed to many limits that are actually put into place. For one, the Supreme Court may defend their right to censor an act due to the wide-ranging umbrella listed under Time, Place and Manner Restrictions. What this means is that the Supreme Court can limit expression for these three reasons and these three reasons only. Why does this matter? Well, it matters because it shows that we are essentially free to express ourselves no matter the content. Yes, there is the omnipotent FCC that controls what material we see or hear on the airwaves, however, other than this medium, restrictions are few and far between.

It’s very cool for me to realize that the Supreme Court has often defended very distasteful acts in order to preserve this freedom guaranteed in our country’s constitution. When an act or phrase is offensive to some, it may be the view of another. To me, this is an essential detail because if we were censored solely on the idea of offensive behavior, we would be held to the fire based on the morality of a few. At least with such a pragmatic judgement force in place, we can feel free to say how we truly feel no matter who we offend. As long as we do it in the right Place at the right Time in a Manner that allows for expression.

Posted in General | Comments Off on When Freedom of Expression Offends

Electric Daisy Festival Hits Orlando this Weekend!

Posted on November 4, 2013 by stephaniemmuniz

This weekend Orlando will welcome all electronic dance music fans to Electric Daisy Carnival. This two day festival will take place just outside of Orlando’s Orange Bowl. Music goers will dance all day and night to one hundred DJ’s playing live. Festival attendees will have the option of experiencing multiple state of the art lighting technologies, new sound systems, and larger than life Amphitheatre stages. What would Electric Daisy Carnival be without attractions, various characters, and obstacles as well? EDC strives to bring their attendees with a musical experience like no other. These two jam packed days will expose the EDM community to some of the biggest DJ’s around the world such as Kaskade and Excision.

Just as any musical festival, EDC provides music lovers with the option of viewing up to one hundred DJ’s within a two day span. There will be three stages that festival-goers can bounce back and forth to see their favorite DJ’s in a new light. Strobe lights, color changers, fireworks, and lasers all accompany the experience. Blaring music and vibrations will surround the music goers to hear their favorite tunes. Guest will also be greeted at the door by characters and famous figurines and will be able to be photographed with them. There will also be a number of restaurants and events that guest will be able to participate in throughout the entire two days. Many festival-goers travel from all parts of Florida as well as the states to attend this musical experience. Electric Daisy Festival takes place once a year in Orlando, as well as New York and Las Vegas.

Posted in Entertainment | Comments Off on Electric Daisy Festival Hits Orlando this Weekend!

Florida is considering new electronic system for court orders

Posted on November 4, 2013 by bhecker

After the escape of two convicted murderers from a prison in Orlando about a month ago, and the looming threat of more escapes, Florida’s justice system is forced to consider a new way of transmitting court orders. Although most Department of Corrections officials admit that they always knew that paper court orders had their downfalls, Florida lawmakers are now aware of the problem and want to take action.

Not only are lawmakers looking to implement an electronic system for court orders, but they also are talking about making it a policy for both the courts and the Department of Corrections to be aware of orders. This way, both parties will know what is going on and hopefully criminals won’t be able to slip through the cracks.

For example, one Corrections official said that they will now ask judges to affirm that court orders are indeed valid before releasing any inmates. The state is also beginning to have hearings to discuss what exactly happened and brainstorm new ways to ensure that such a mistake does not occur again.

The situation worries some Department of Corrections officials, since the false court order documents in this most recent incident looked very professional and authentic. This is alarming, since the Department of Corrections had encountered false court order documentation before, and were able to easily realize that they were fake. The case of the two escaped Orlando killers shows that there is a real danger now, since obviously their fake documents were good enough to work. Hopefully the new electronic system will prevent such breaches in the future.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Florida is considering new electronic system for court orders

The MLS Playoffs Are Heating Up

Posted on November 4, 2013 by jperez110

The Major League Soccer playoffs are in full swing, and this weekend we saw a variety of high intensity games. The first leg of the conference semi finals are complete, leading up to the second leg later on this week. The first game of the weekend was Sporting Kansas City against New England Revolution. Kansas City has been one of the best teams in the league for the past couple of seasons, but they faced a tough test on the road against the Revolution. The Revs only had possession for 40 percent of the game and only had 3 shots on goal, but they ended up winning the game 2-1.

The second game of the weekend was the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers. For the Timbers, it was their very first playoff game in franchise history. Facing their arch rivals, the Timbers won 2-1, with goals from Ryan Johnson and Darlington Nagbe.

The third game of the weekend was a thriller between the Houston Dynamo and the New York Red Bulls. New York had a 2-0 lead going into halftime with goals from Tim Cahill and Eric Alexander. The turning point in the game was when Red Bulls defender Jamison Olave received a straight red card for his vicious tackle in the 65th minute. The Red Bulls had to play the remainder of the game with 10 men, and the game finished as a tie after Omar Cummings scored a goal in stoppage time for the Dynamo.

Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake played Sunday night, and the back to back champions LA Galaxy did not disappoint. A long shot from Sean Franklin in the 47th minute was the only goal of the game, as LA beat Salt Lake 1-0. Later this week, these teams will match up again for a chance to play in the conference finals.

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on The MLS Playoffs Are Heating Up

The new generation of iPad is here. How does it stand up to the old one?

Posted on November 4, 2013 by johnmenard

Apple released their newest iPad last week and it isn’t you typical iPad. The iPad Air is totally different from the past generations of iPads. New thinner design which makes it weigh less than the older versions, 1 pound compared to 1.5 pounds, and it now is equipped with Apple’s ground breaking Retina Display. The iPad its self looks a lot sleeker than older generations.

Other than the slimmer design and new Retina Display the iPad Air is equipped with Apple’s fastest processer, the A7. The A7 chip is also found in the iPhone 5s which has had great success. The A7 makes the iPad Air one of the fastest tablets currently on the market. The iPad Air also is equipped with the new iOS 7, which works in hand with the A7 chip to offer flawless computing. The iPad Air has the longest lasting battery among the tablets currently offered on the market. The upgraded batter will allow users to use the iPad Air non-stop for 13.7 hours.  Apple gave the iPad Air a 1.2 mega-pixel front facing camera for Facetime and the rear-facing camera is a 5 mega-pixel camera.

The price for an iPad Air starts at $499 for the 16gb version and goes up from there. Overall I am quite impressed with the new improvements. I own a MacBook Air and I love it and I also own a 1st generation iPad which is severely outdated so I might be an owner of an iPad air in the near future!

Posted in Science and Technology | Comments Off on The new generation of iPad is here. How does it stand up to the old one?

The BCS National Championship May Come Down to Strength of Schedule

Posted on November 4, 2013 by taylorkoziol

The battle to make the BCS National Championship game is getting intense heading into the the last part of the season. Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon are the leading candidates to be playing for the title. The problem is only two teams can play in that game. Each team still has four regular season games left to play and their conference title, which leaves plenty of room for one team to lose.

Alabama, the two time defending champions, still have to play rivals LSU and Auburn. They also have to play in the SEC title game, which will most likely be ranked opponent most likely Missouri or South Carolina. With that being said, Alabama is still the favorite to make it to the championship. Their experience, toughest, and skill give them the edge over Oregon and FSU in the polls. If Bama were to stumble, it could still be possible for them to make it to the National Championship game over another undefeated team in Ohio State.

Florida State has proven their status, but they have the weakest schedule remaining. If all three teams were to win out, FSU would most likely be looking on from the outside. That is because the race for the second spot is very close and if Oregon wins out they would have beaten a top five team in Stanford and possibly a ranked opponent in the PAC 12 title game. FSU has an easy schedule compared to the other two teams. They do have to play rivals Florida, which could be a tough match up. The Seminoles look to play their other rivals Miami in the ACC title game again.

Things will look a little bit more clear after this weekends big games between LSU and Alabama and Oregon and Stanford. These two games will indicate the rest of the season. If Stanford beats Oregon, they could jump into contention. It has been a top heavy season in college football so far, but there is still plenty of football left to play. The possibility of upsets could change the outcome of any hopes and dreams of becoming national champions.

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on The BCS National Championship May Come Down to Strength of Schedule

NBA Team Orlando Magic upset the Brooklyn Nets to a score of 107-86

Posted on November 4, 2013 by ash6128ucf

During Sunday Night game at the Amway Center the Orlando Magic beat the Brooklyn Nets by 21 points.

Early in the fourth quarter, Orlando Magic Victor Oladipo tapped the ball away from Brooklyn Nets star Deron Williams and scooped the ball off the floor. Oladipo began to dribble the ball down the court and did a jump spin 360 degrees dunk.

For the Magic coaches and executives, other images throughout the game indicated a new and improved confidence from the team. Throughout the game Magic players ignored earful trash talking from Kevin Garnet and played as a team. Maurice Harkless played his heart out against the Brooklyn Nets bench and made a pair of three pointers. Andrew Nicholson fighting through a box-out from Nets center Brook Lopez and grabbing rebounds. This season the Magic did not allow the Nets to intimidate them at all.

Last season, the Nets controlled the tempo of the court and the Magic lost all four matchups against Nets by 19.8 points. The Orlando Magic learned from their past mistakes from last year matchup with the Nets and was ready to play their hearts out.

Orlando Magic player Vucevic   said “That was last year and we don’t really want to think about what happened last year.”

Vucevic had 19 points, 12 rebounds and did not make it easy for Brook Lopez to get easy looks.

The victory from the Orlando Magic flawed the regular season coaching debut of Jason Kidd who missed the first two games because he was on suspension for his drunken drive over the summer.

Will the Orlando Magic continue to play this aggressive against other NBA teams? Only time will tell.

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on NBA Team Orlando Magic upset the Brooklyn Nets to a score of 107-86

Junk DNA is the New Mystery of the Genome

Posted on November 4, 2013 by rachelfoster89

There has been research on the human genome since we were able to view DNA polymerization. We’ve discovered genetic markers for diseases, heritable traits and even intelligence. It is common knowledge to most that we are what our genetic code tells use we are. Essentially, we’re a computer programed millions and millions of genetic codes. These codes are directions and recipes for protein creation and function. But there is a small fact that many people do not know about out genetic sequence.

Thirty five percent of our genetic makeup consists of genes called transposons that copy themselves and implant onto several sequences of our genome. One might ask what these transposons are for. The answer is nothing. They are what geneticists consider “junk DNA.”

These self copying genes coy themselves and implant their code into the middle of other sequences, making it extremely difficult to read the genetic material that is functional. Even more interesting is the idea that these transposons act similar to a parasite or virus and live through generations. Like a virus they hide themselves in the genetic code and sit there like a box of old junk. Not only do they very efficiently copy themselves, but also they regenerate in the offspring of their hosts.

The shocking point of this article is that our genome is thirty five percent parasitic. One third of our “human manual” is not useful whatsoever and has a selfish tendency to constantly copy itself and live on through generations and generations of prosperity.

Posted in General, Science and Technology | Comments Off on Junk DNA is the New Mystery of the Genome