UCF vs. USF Pulls out a Very Exciting Game

Posted on September 30, 2013 by johnmalala

This past weekend was a huge weekend for college football fans. The University of Central Florida is not always a part of the big game to watch, but that is exactly what it was referred to by ESPN for saturday’s game. The UCF Knights played the University of South Carolina Gamecocks at noon on September 28th.

USF is the 12th school in the nation and thus, brought a lot of competition and stress to UCF’s students, fans, and players. Because the game started at 12 pm, tailgating began around 8 am. Some students even camped out at memory mall overnight! Now that’s dedication. The game was completely sold out and the student section was filled by 10:30 am. In other words, this was probably the most significant game UCF has ever played at home.

The knights had a 10-0 lead the entire first half of the game. The fact that they had not let the other team even make a touchdown in two quarters was amazing in itself. However, coming back from the half, the gamecocks wanted redemption and came back completely, with a 28-10 lead mid way through the fourth quarter. It began to pour over the stadium almost in a way to symbolize the disappointment knights were feeling.

The last couple minutes were very exciting, as UCF came back hard. They weren’t giving up just yet! The game ended with a score of 25-28, with USF winning. I have to say that no matter what, I am proud of my knights. This game showed that we can keep up with the big teams and give them a run for their money. Win or lose, UCF Knights will always charge on.

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Peabody Ducks Take Their Final March

Posted on September 30, 2013 by nlabosco

The famous ducks at the Orlando Peabody Hotel located on International Drive took their final march this evening.  The reason for the end of the march is due to the fact that the hotel has been sold and will soon reopen as a Hyatt Regency.  It is an unfortunate event because this has been a tradition that has been carried out for about 27 years!  The march would happen twice every day and a significantly large group of people would gather to watch.  The ducks even get their own red carpet! The ducks used to live on the hotel rooftop and were beloved by nearly everyone.  After their so called retirement, the ducks will be transported to farms to continue the rest of their lives.

Being a resident in Orlando for 12 years, I have always wanted to see this event.  It is sad that the tradition will be ending and that I missed out on it.  The tradition of the duck walk actually began with three live decoy ducks in the hotel’s fountain.  The general manager apparently returned from a duck hunting trip with these decoys.  It attracted many hotel guests and visitors absolutely loved it!

After the sale closes on October 1st, the only Peabody hotel left will be located in Memphis, Tennessee.  I am actually shocked that that is the only Peabody location now.  The hotel always came off as one of the classier and more expensive hotels, so I guess I would have expected a few more locations and the “had been” chain to still be apparent and popular in today’s society.

 

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Breaking Bad Finale Viewership Numbers Reveal a Lot About the Future of Television

Posted on September 30, 2013 by ahittel

On Sunday, the Breaking Bad series finale drew viewership totals topping 10.3 million viewers.  This is an incredible jump from the ratings of the very first season 5 years ago, where episodes averaged approximately 1.2 million viewers each.  The reason from this astronomical jump in viewers from the first season to the last season is obvious: word-of-mouth.  Breaking Bad was hyped by many (correctly so), as one of, if not the best, television show of all time.  However, word-of-mouth can only go so far.  To reach an incredible number like 10.3 million, there needs to be an easy way for people to catch up on the show.  And that vehicle came in the form of Netflix.

Breaking Bad became available to stream online with Netflix after the conclusion of season 3.  Ever since then, people have been able to begin catching up on the show whenever they want from the comfort of their homes.  This case leads to an illuminating fact about the future of television: it doesn’t actually lie in television itself, but rather in internet streaming.  These days, technology has advanced to the point where streaming video on the internet is incredibly cheap and easy.  On top of this, with how technology pervades every aspect of our lives these days, people love to have the option to just sit down and watch however much of a television show they’re able to, whenever they want.  Netflix has introduced their own original series that are exclusive to the platform, such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, and has already garnered Emmy nominations for these television series.  The simple fact of the matter is that with the success of these originals, and the increasing popularity of Kickstarter to allow anyone to tackle their own project with enough funding, television is going to see an increasing shift away from shows actually being broadcast on television, and more towards internet content.  Television networks have too many factors–things such as barrier of entry, executives exerting influence, cable costs etc.–to allow it to be a viable option for too much longer.  Viewers are abandoning cable packages at an incredible rate these days, instead opting to use the internet to view their favorite shows (with services such as Amazon Instant Video).  All of these things certainly contribute to sites like Netflix and Amazon becoming the default medium for television content.  The revolution will, in fact, NOT be televised; it’ll be streamed over the internet, instead.

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People Pay Good Money for Other People to Scare Them

Posted on September 30, 2013 by mattimmerman

This past Friday Night I attended one of the most popular events of the season for UCF students: Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights.  The event lasts for the very last bit of September and all of October leading up to Halloween night.  While any sort of mask or costume is strictly forbidden for guests to wear, the park is full of Universal employees fully decked out in frightening costumes, masks, and makeup for one purpose alone: to scare paying customers.  A regular ticket for the evening runs around $50, and this ticket entitles one to unlimited entry to all of the haunted houses as well as the now park-wide scare zone.  However, the lines are often horrendous.  On a weekend in October, there is seldom a line for a haunted house that is less than an hour and the headlining houses (this year’s were The Evil Dead, Resident Evil, and The Walking Dead) usually have a two-hour wait.  However, in the mass entertainment industry, good things tend to come to those who are willing to pay a lot more money.  There is an express pass, running around $70, which allows customers to wait in a much shorter line once per house.

So why are so many people, myself included, willing to spend so much money just to have other people try their very best to scare them?  Fear is, after all, a negative emotion.  But it has a positive side that trails along with it — adrenaline.  When we are scared, but we’re aware of the fact that we aren’t in any danger, the we get to enjoy the rush of adrenaline that was intended by our bodies to aid us in escaping from a frightening situation.  And it appears that the rush is worth a fair amount of money to many people.

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Fast Food Drive-Thrus Are Not As Fast As They Used To Be

Posted on September 30, 2013 by brookeadams91

Fast food drive-thrus are not as quick as they used to be due to the more complex items featured on the menus. All this information was found in a drive-thru performance study that was released on Monday, September 30.

According to QSR magazine and Insula Research, the average speed at the fast food drive-thrus rose to a little over three minutes; eight seconds longer than last year’s results. The study was conducted using the information from six benchmark chains and one regional chain: Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Krystal, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Yum Brands’, and Taco John’s.

McDonald’s had its slowest average time ever recorded in the fifteen years that this study has been conducted. Out of all the fast food chains, Wendy’s had the quickest time. As for drive-thru time improvement, Burger King was the only fast food chain to have a quicker drive-thru time than it did last year.

According to Sam Oches, editor of QSR magazine, a magazine that covers quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, drive-thru speeds are becoming slower due to the more complex menu items. “Consumers are demanding more fresh, upscale menu items from fast-food restaurants and as these chains are answering that demand, the new menu items take a little more time to assemble,” said Oches.

Fast food chains are feeling the need to compete with healthier and more complex restaurants such as Chipotle and Panera Bread, which are also affordable as well. McDonald’s, for example, now has premium chicken wraps on its menu and Taco Bell has its featured Cantina menu.

Fast food drive-thru lines are also getting longer, contributing to the longer wait times. According to Oches, it’s hard to tell what these slower times mean for the fast food chains. Although customers may not like the wait, a good fast food drive-thru experience is what is the most important to customers.

I have noticed that drive-thru wait times are getting longer, especially at McDonald’s. This, however, doesn’t bother me because like Oches said, I’m much more concerned with my order being correct and getting good customer service versus getting my order in two minutes.

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Electronic Music Culture May Be New To Wall Street

Posted on September 30, 2013 by ashley riordan

SFX Entertainment, the company responsible for the biggest production of live events and content focused exclusively on electronic music, is petitioning for a place on Wall Street. SFX is famous for music festivals such as Electric Zoo and Tomorrowland, each attracting thousands of fans for days of straight music and dancing. Robert Sillerman, head of SFX, originally made his fortune by buying and selling radio stations before developing Live Nation in the 90’s. He established SFX in July 2011 helping to create an industry worth 4.5 billion dollars. The company is looking to expand the electronic dance movement by creating 16.7 million shares expected to be priced between $11 and $13 on October 8, 2013.

One reason for this investment is a large increase in fans over recent years. SFX shows drew 2.8 million fans in 2012, a 22% increase from 2011. These statistics are related to 52 festivals and 738 events. Specifically, Tomorrowland sold out of 180,000 tickets to the 2013 festival in Belgium in one second. In the U.S., 200,000 fans attempted to purchase Tomorrowland tickets, and only 2,000 succeeded. Total attendance at the five largest EMC festivals grew 41% annually from 2007-2012. This growth rate is compared to a 2% increase for the overall concert markets during the same period. Another reason to add SFX to Wall Street is the presence of electronic dance music in the most popular nightclubs. SFX manages a number of establishments in Miami such as LIV, at the Fontainebleau Miami beach Hotel; LIV Sun Life stadium, and STORY. As this movement generates fans and income at a rapid rate it becomes harder to ignore the impact electronic dance music is now having on our culture.

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The Poaching of Rhinos Leaves Conservationists Concerned.

Posted on September 30, 2013 by jsjones

Last Sunday commemorated the species of rhinoceros with World Rhino Day. Held each and every year on September 22, the day is dedicated to bringing awareness to an animal which has roamed the Earth for over 50 million years.

To celebrate, large crowds of activists and animal enthusiasts gathered in many countries across the globe to march and show their support for the rhino species. Unfortunately, this year’s World Rhino Day carried a rather somber message of the dwindling of rhinos due to increased amounts of poaching. Sadly, almost 700 rhinos were killed in South Africa this year alone. Due to the surge in demand for rhino horns in Asia, the continual slaughter of the species has left less than 25,000 rhinos alive in that area. The rhino horns are sold on the black market to various areas of Asia due to their high regard as a status symbol. Certain areas of Vietnam also value the use of rhino horns because of their belief that they carry medicinal purposes.

The large concern that is now being focused on the hunting of rhinoceros stems from the recent extinction of the West African black rhinoceros almost two years ago. Now, with only five species of rhino alive today and three of them critically endangered, conservationists are increasing their efforts to preserve these wondrous species. Particularly, much focus is being given to the Javan rhino, one of the three endangered species and shockingly, the world’s rarest mammal. With no more than 50 Javan rhinos in existence today, these Indonesian natives are proof of how serious the issue of poaching is and the importance of eradicating the act altogether.

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New Drug Krokodile Hits US Soil

Posted on September 30, 2013 by rachelfoster89

A dangerous, new drug has surfaced in Arizona by the name of krokodil (pronounced “crocodile”.) It is a cheaper stronger version of the popular drug heroin, but much more dangerous. The side effects begin with general euphoria, similar to heroin. But as the drug is ingested more, the gruesome side effects start to show their face. Rotting of the flesh, organ failure and gang green are the more serious effects of the drug. It is extremely addictive and dangerous and no one knows where it originated.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has been tracking it for years now and they have discovered it is very popular in Russia. The main appeal to this drug is its availability of ingredients. The drug can be made with paint thinner, codeine, iodine, hydrochloric acid, red phosphorus, gasoline, lighter fluid and other accessible ingredients. The DEA hasn’t confirmed whether the drug they have been tracking is the one that is causing all of the medical cases in Arizona, but the symptoms match up.

Interestingly enough, the drug was made commercially in Switzerland as a less addictive version of heroin. But it turned out that it was actually much more addictive and dangerous. The ailments caused by krokodil are irreversible and a user’s life expectancy is usually two to three years. There have only been a few reported medical cases in recent months but it is still frightening. A drug with higher addictive qualities then heroin is not something to be taken lightly. And if it’s as easy to make as experts are saying then there is more reason to pounce on this drug before it hits mainstream dealers.

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Manchester United’s Disappointing Start To The Season

Posted on September 30, 2013 by jperez110

The Barclays Premier League started in August, and Manchester United was amongst the favorites to win the league title this year. The defending champion Red Devils said goodbye to Sir Alex Ferguson, who had been the club’s manager since 1986. Ferguson led Manchester United to 13 championships in the premier league and 2 Champions League titles. Replacing Ferguson this year is David Moyes, who is a Scottish international and former Everton manager. Also coming over this year from Everton is Marouane Fellaini, who is a dynamic midfielder. After a month and a half of the premier league season, Manchester United is surprisingly not where they want to be.

Manchester United has played six games so far this season, and has only won twice. Their wins have come against Swansea and Crystal Palace, who are both regarded as bottom feeder teams. The Red Devils lost to Liverpool and Manchester City, and tied against Chelsea. The most shocking result came in their most recent game, where they lost 2-1 against West Bromwich. With a record of 2-1-3, the defending champions find themselves in the middle of the table searching for answers.

Last season Manchester United only lost 5 games all year. They are closing in on that number almost 2 months into the season. One of the most intriguing storylines this year for Manchester United was whether or not they would sell Wayne Rooney to Chelsea. Rooney is arguably their best player, and the transfer window closed before they could make a move. Rooney and Robin Van Persie have not flourished playing up front together, and only time will tell if the dynamic duo and the rest of the Red Devils can get back on track.

 

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Peyton Manning… The Greatest Quarterback to Ever Play?

Posted on September 30, 2013 by andreat

The 2013 NFL season is a month in, and one thing remains the same.  Peyton Manning is establishing himself as possibly the greatest quarterback of all time.  He doesn’t have the Super Bowls that Montana, Elway, or Aikman has (even though he does have one), but he could be the most naturally gifted QB that has ever stepped on the field.

If you just watch this guy play you can’t help but be impressed.  His passes are a thing of beauty.  He knows exactly where to go with the ball no matter what type of formation the defense is in.  He makes the entire team around him better.  There is nothing else he has to accomplish, but he keeps on impressing.  His game is literally poetry in motion.  Not only do I believe he is the greatest QB of all time, I think he could be in the ranks with Lebron James and Micheal Jordan as one of the greatest athletes of all time.  People are going to laugh at that statement, but you can’t deny that the guy is magic when a football is in his hand.  He has one Super Bowl victory, he is 3rd all time with over 60,000 yards passing.  Peyton Manning has 450 touchdowns and has lead his teams to a 158-70 overall record.  In fact only twice in his career has his teams been under .500.  That is extremely impressive.  And to top it off, he is having an absolutely fabulous 2013 season to start.

Through four games Peyton Manning has nearly 1,500 yards passing, and 16 touchdowns.  He is completely passes at over a 70% completion rate and is averaging nearly 10 yards a pass.  And the crazy thing is he has not one interception in close to 160 passing attempts.  He could almost sit for the rest of the season and still win the MVP award.  The only thing he needs this season is a Super Bowl and he will go down as the greatest quarterback to ever step on a football field.  I think he is even without another ring.  We shall see.

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