UCF Trustees to have vote on Student Union

Posted on November 15, 2015 by theblacklink

The University of Central Floridas Student Union may be receiving a makeover in the upcoming years. University of Central Florida trustees are expected to vote on November 19th on whether or not the Student Unions food vendors should be consolidated and run by Aramark, a company that already runs UCFs meal- plan cafeterias ’63 South, and Knightros.

Most schools currently use single-food service operators like Aramark instead of several independent vendors. This makes the University of Central Florida the exception, because most of the vendors in the Student Union are either locally owned like Wackadoos- which is co- owned by Dean Monaco a 1993 UCF graduate and his former roomate Scott Kaylor, or the other restaurants are chains like Subway, which is run by 2007 UCF graduate Bryan Horgan.

The proposal for the consolidation of current food vendors into Aramark is supposed to be a lucrative deal for the University of Central Florida. The deal would give UCF an extra $14 million to expand the Student Union. The space currently seats 400, and the $14 million would build a new addition to the Union and would cause renovation to the existing space to add 750 more seats.

In the next few years several restaurant owners leases expire and they have said that their places will be phased  out as they will not renew. Because of their non-renewals, Aramark would decide which vendors would replace them. This would wipe out all local restaurant owners and would turn the Student Union into a generic food court.

Aramark currently runs two on campus cafeterias, ’63 South, and Knightros. Along with our meal plans, Aramark runs the Student Unions at several other colleges like Florida State, University of Florida, and South Florida.

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Movie Preview: ‘Norm of The North’ Could be Worst Movie Ever.

Posted on November 15, 2015 by emilylupfer

So that’s how it feels when your eyes bleed.

A recurring criticism of Hollywood is that many studios support pandering to audiences if that means their ticket sales might go up. Ticket sales have always been the bottom line in the industry. After all, show business is still a business. Unfortunately, studios often become so focused on dollar signs that they severely undervalue the artistry and originality it requires to create a quality film. This exact situation is evident with the trailer for Norm Of The North. Rarely does a trailer prove itself to be so awful, so stomach churning that it almost sours the audience’s taste for the film in precedes.

Norm of The North is about an anthropomorphic polar bear who travels to the big city to convince humans not to set their “carbon footprint” in the arctic. The premise isn’t offensive, in fact the obvious moral is a positive one. However, by the end of the trailer I felt an urge to buy a polar bear skin rug. The animation looks cheap and straight out of 2005. There didn’t seem to be a single original joke in the two minutes and five seconds of hell I was forced to endure. The jokes that were there were painfully low brow, and uninspired. At one point a herd of caribou are playing poker and the winner of a hand exclaims “Cari-Booyah!” If the trailer didn’t have the Lions Gate logo before it I may have assumed this was a satirical sketch by Funny or Die.

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case judge it and judge it hard. Don’t go see this awful picture that looks like it was made by a committee of out of touch suits; I know I won’t. Admittedly, it is possible that it could be good, but Norm of The North has one of the worst first impression I’ve seen in a long time.

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Paris Comes Together After Terrorist Attack and Plans Next Steps

Posted on November 15, 2015 by kevinluering

After the attack on Paris earlier this week French warplanes made a counter attack on Islamic state positions in Syria. This state took responsibility for killing more than 130 people in suicide bombing and shootings. This was a tragedy that was seen across the world. People instantly took to social media to send their prayers to Paris and many monuments around were lit up in the colors of their flag.

Currently there is a search for a Belgian man who is thought to have organized the attack with members of his family. There were also seven other Belgians involved in the attacks that were identified by the police. One man managed to escape their grasp, he is thought to be the one who organized the cars for the attack.A couple of the attakers have been identified from evidence that they left behind.

Pop-up memorials have started to appear at the four sites of the attacks. People have come by to lay flowers, say prayers and light candles to remember and honor those who were killed. There were reported at least 89 people died in that single incident on Friday night at Bataclan concert hall. Over 100 people have been identified including foriegners who were just out having a nice time on a Friday in one of the world’s most popular cities.

This is not the first attack that France has had this year earlier this year there was an attack at a super market killing 17 people. With both of these attacks France is united in the defense of freedom of speech, and they are showing their strength as a country by coming together.

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Diversification in the Media Industry..the Initiative

Posted on November 15, 2015 by lyle evan peterson

The United States of America, the self-proclaimed, “melting pot” of the world, is one of the most diverse countries in more ways than one. The country is a medley of cultures, sub-cultures, ethnicities, religious beliefs and appearances. It’s rare to go any single place, and find that everyone is of the same ethnicity. Yet, in a country compiled so nothing but a heterogeneous blend of people, one would believe that naturally, every aspect of the country would reflect the apparent variance.

For example, in the media industry, there has been a call to action by many for diversification. Recently Spike Lee, an African American director made a speech about doing so at the Governors Awards this past week. Lee is known for creating films, which dive in to the dark depths of racism, not solely amongst different races, but within the cultures themselves, also. He tries to relay messages thru his films, demonstrating what is wrong with cultures and sub cultures. He stated during his speech that there just isn’t enough diversity in his industry, “By the year 2043, white Americans are going to be a minority in this country. And all you people out there in the position of hiring, you better get smart. Because your workforce should reflect what this country looks like,” he said.

“It’s easier to be the president of the United States as a black person than to be the head of a studio,” Lee also added. Lee touched among the same topic as the president of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who announced a new diversity initiative that evening called A2020. Isaacs plans on getting more women of color to join the academy, that as of 2013, 93 percent white and 76 percent male.

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After 8 Years, An Old Curse Rescinds As The Patriots Knock Off The Giants To Stay Undefeated

Posted on November 15, 2015 by phyzorz

A curse was broken this weekend and it felt great to finally overcome the spell.  For eight years an ugly history has been following my presence.  The New England Patriots beat the New York Giants in epic fashion to win their 9th game of the season and stay undefeated.  But most importantly, it happened while I was at my sister’s house watching with my brother-in-law.

The beginning of this story goes all the way back to 2007.  The Patriots had their undefeated regular season and went to the Super Bowl with aspirations of having the first perfect season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.  My brother-in-law is a huge Patriots fan having grown up in Maine.  I attended the Super Bowl party for the game at their house and it was heartbreaking and tragic.  The Giants stunned the Patriots with a massive upset victory and destroyed their perfect record.  It was an awful loss, but I didn’t think that I had anything to do with it.  Fast forward to 2012, and the Patriots were once again in the Super Bowl facing the Giants.  Like before, I attended the viewing party at my sister’s house.  Unbelievably, the Giants upset the Patriots again in a controversial game.  Everyone was really upset.  It should have been quarterback Tom Brady’s fourth Super Bowl win.  What the heck was going on?  I began to dwell on this phenomenon and quickly came to the conclusion that watching the game at my sister’s house was cursing the team.  I lived with this remorse for 3 years.  It was so prevalent that I refused to go over there last year when the Patriots were in the Super Bowl again.  I was afraid it would jinx them and they would lose.

But this weekend, everything changed.  Week 10 of the NFL was in full swing and the Patriots were slated to take on the Giants in New York for a 4:25pm game.  Coincidentally, it was the week of my father’s birthday and my family was having a dinner hosted at my sister’s house on Sunday night.  When learning of these plans I quickly realized the dilemma.  It meant that I was going to have to watch the Patriots and Giants play for a third straight time at my sister’s house which was a known cursed location.  There was no way for me to get out of the dinner.  I eventually accepted the situation and attempted to embrace the challenge.

I arrived at my sister’s house just after the game had begun.  The Patriot’s had driven the ball down the field and scored an early touchdown to go up 7-0.  This happened while I was still in my car driving over there, technically the curse was not applied yet.  But when I arrived and began to watch with my family inside, things started to get rough for New England.

Drives began to stall and the Patriots defense started giving up huge flukey plays.  Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman had to leave the game with a foot injury and did not return.  It was a lackluster remaining first half for New England after my arrival at the dinner.  I began to grow weary that the curse was grasping hold of the night again.

The second half of the game began and things started off bad for New England.  The Giants got up to a 10 point lead and the Patriots were in a funk.  The absence of Julian Edelman was felt and the referees were certainly not helping either.  After a bad third quarter, the Patriots entered the fourth quarter trailing by 6 points.  Facing adversity, Tom Brady quickly went into action and threw a 76 yard touchdown to tight end Rob Gronkowski.  The score put New England up 24-23.  After halting the Giant offense again, Brady drove the offense into position to score again when an errant pass sailed behind receiver Brandon LaFell and was picked off by the Giants.  Time was beginning to run out and a feeling of uncertainty began to fill the air.  The Giants’s offense drove the ball down field and drained much of the remaining time off of the clock.  They got all the way down to the goal line and the Patriots defense clamped down and prevented the touchdown.  They settled for a field goal with 1:48 left to play.  The score put New York up by two and the Patriots had no timeouts left.

The Patriots received the ensuing kickoff and began their final drive of the game.  Things started poorly and they quickly found themselves in a fourth and ten situation.  Tom Brady was able to find Danny Amendola for the fourth down conversion and keep the chains moving.  It was a great play and gave life to the Patriots.  Then Brady was able to work the sidelines for a few completions and stop the clock from running.  At around mid field, the Patriots were running out of time and needed a clutch play to get into field goal range.  Brady was able to hit Danny Amendola for about a 12 yard gain and set New England up for a 54 yard field goal attempt with just a few seconds left on the clock.  Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski came into the game having hit all 20 of his field goal attempts on the season.  The field goal unit set up and snapped the ball to the holder.  Gostkowski got a clean kick on the ball and sailed it just inside the left upright for the game winning score.

It was an unbelievable moment.  The curse had been broken and many high fives ensued in celebration.  My brother-in-law and I were nearly out of breath with excitement and satisfaction.  The Patriots had beaten the Giants while I was at the forbidden location.  Order had finally been restored in the universe.

 

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Let’s Make Delicious Stress-Free Oven Fajitas At Home

Posted on November 15, 2015 by ashleyyy52

As a college student we tend to go the easy way out when it comes to food. We would rather go out to eat then go through all the trouble of actually having to cook. Today I’m going to give you a recipe that will change your attitude on cooking. Cooking can be fun when you actually have something delightful to cook. We’re going to spice things up by making stress-free oven fajitas! It’ll take about 40-45 minutes to cook and serves about 4. So this is the perfect meal for you and your roommates.

Seasonings:

  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • ½ tbsp. paprika
  • ½ tsp. onion powder
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • ⅛ cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp. salt

Fajitas:

  • 2 small onions
  • 3 medium bell peppers
  • 1 lb. chicken breast
  • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 lime
  • 8 (tortillas

Optional:

  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ bunch cilantro

Start off by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients for the fajita seasoning in a small bowl and set aside. Cut the onion and bell peppers into wide strips that you feel is confortable. Place them in a large casserole dish. Slice the chicken breast into very thin strips and add it to the casserole dish with the vegetables. After that Sprinkle the seasoning over the meat and vegetables. Drizzle the vegetable oil over everything and don’t be afraid to use your hands to toss the ingredients. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring once half way through. Squeeze the juice from half of the lime over top of the meat and vegetables after it comes out of the oven. Scoop a small amount of meat and vegetables into the center of each tortilla. Top with a few sprigs of cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and an extra squeeze of lime if desired. Now you have the perfect fajita that was made in the coziness of your own home.

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Blue Man Group in Orlando, Florida

Posted on November 15, 2015 by stephanie wooster

I took my boyfriend here as a surprise! If you don’t know what Blue Man is or what it’s all about…don’t worry I’ve got you covered.

Blue Man Group are 3 men painted in all blue that perform and entertain with painted drums haha. It’s pretty difficult to describe what it is (check out linked video) because it’s so unique and there’s nothing like it! It’s just insanely entertaining for everyone!!!!

So UCF secret, you can purchase them at SGA, which is in the Student Union by Ms. Fields. Tickets for UCF students are $30!!!!!! Crazy, I know but awesome (: I called a head of time and spoke to a rep at the show, to see if they could do something special for my boyfriend.

I went a few years ago and was actually chosen to go on stage, so I wanted to see if maybe they could do the same. Unfortunately, everything is done at random and anything goes at that show! What I managed to do, was have the whole audience sing happy birthday to my boyfriend before the show started haha. They put on the screen that it was his birthday and everyone sang to him, it was great! lol.

Before that, I bought extra tickets to be in the VIP lounge, which included 2 free drinks each and you get to take pictures with the guys! Once we finished our drinks we went into the show sat down and that’s when it appeared on the screen.

Tip: We sat in the center but seat selection really doesn’t matter when you go to the show because it’s so large you can see it from any angle and it’s perfect. If you’re sitting in the first 3 rows I believe, you get splattered with paint (so if you’re dressed nice… don’t do this lol). The show I would say last maybe an hour and a half but it flies by because it’s so fun to watch. I REALLLLLY recommend going if you’ve never been, it’s so fun.

The great thing about this show is it’s location… it’s right in CityWalk at Universal Studios, so this means FOOOOOOOD! They have tons of restaurants to choose from and we went to the Hardrock. I had the waiter get the entire restaurant to sing happy birthday again and bring him a special dessert, it was great! The service there is awesome and if it’s your birthday, they scream it at the top of their lungs and get everybody to join in! They even made my boyfriend stand up.

Blue Man is GREAT and they even have one in Vegas! The Orlando one is awesome and the location is even better so you can get dinner afterwards. I highly recommend this event. Dress pretty and take pictures because it’ll be a night to remember!

Enjoy!

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How to: Make Moist Chocolate Dump Cake in the Crockpot

Posted on November 15, 2015 by heather kingsbury

Cooks, today we will be making the transition from cooks to bakers using our handy dandy crockpot. This recipe is one of my favorite “I’ve had a bad day and need chocolate” recipes and turns out twice as good as cake does in the oven.

Ingredients:

1 (15 1/4 ounce) box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ triple chocolate fudge cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 (14 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping

1 cup chopped Heath bar

1 can spray whipped cream

Instructions:

  • Grease or spray crock of the slow cooker. Using a mixer, combine cake mix, water, oil, eggs, vanilla and 1/2 of the can of sweetened condensed milk. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, Pour into slow cooker.
  • Sprinkle top with milk chocolate chips. Cover slow cooker and set on HIGH. Cook for 2 to 3 hours. At 2 hours, start checking your cake to see if it’s done.
  •  While the cake is working, set aside some of the caramel sauce and Heath bar for garnish. In a bowl, combine remaining sweetened condensed milk and remaining caramel sauce and mix well.
  • When cake is done, remove crock from slow cooker. With a long skewer, pierce cake almost (but not quite) all the way to the bottom, all over the cake, making many holes. Pour caramel sauce over cake, then sprinkle with toffee bits, covering the top of the cake. Allow cake to cool completely and caramel sauce to sink in, then refrigerate cake for one hour.

I always prefer to eat this cake right out of crockpot, after letting it cool for a few minutes. Honestly, who doesn’t love a warm cake?!

Happy Dessert, Bakers!

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Stock Market Slumps; Oil & Global Growth in Focus

Posted on November 15, 2015 by jessicamonteagudo

Just when things started to get better, the U.S. stock market took another tumble. The stock market had just begun to regain ground after the worst few months since the global financial crisis when more bad data out of China and domestically sent stocks spiraling. China’s growth has slowed and large U.S. corporations have been posting less than stellar earnings. The global economy is definitely heading into a time of uncertainty.

Concerns sparked when oil shot about 8% lower on the week. But even bigger issues arose when some corporations posted their earnings. This weeks earnings were weak, revenues have been week the entire quarter and show no signs of improving. Some say this is just a blip on the road to recovery, others say this is a sign of huge cracks in the economy.

China is not getting any better either. Manufacturing data and their corporation revenues have been extremely weak. The country has also been manipulating their currency in an attempt to bolster their economy, but so far it has not worked and has hurt other countries more than it has helped China.

Rough times are certainly ahead. How we will emerge is still uncertain. The economy could derail just as easy it shoots higher.

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New England Patriots continue their undefeated streak after Giants match-up.

Posted on November 15, 2015 by jillianlubarsky

The New York Giants gave the New England Patriots one of the toughest tests of the 2015 season when they matched-up on Sunday evening. Although the Patriots have been a dominating team this season, coming into the game with a record of 8-0, the Giants put up quite the fight when the Patriots won by a mere field goal.

The Patriots win Sunday evening came after field goal kicker Stephen Gostkowski made a 54-yard field goal with 1 second remaining in the game. Although the field goal positioned New England for their 27-26 victory over New York, the match-up was a close game the entire evening. Along with Gostkowski’s great performance, Giants field goal kicker Josh Brown scored a franchise-record 27th field goal from 29 yards.

Although Brown’s 29 yard field goal put the Giants at a 26-24 will 2:00 left in the 4th quarter, Patriots QB Tom Brady drove New England 44 yards and converting a fourth-and-10 on the series. Brady’s drive put Gostkowski in position to score the winning filed goal that ended that game with a score of 27-26.

Patriots fans definitely felt the pressure of the Giants offense, as the high scoring game almost cost the Patriots their undefeated title of the season. With a 9-0 record, the Patriots continue to dominate the AFC East Standings. While the Giants are also the top ranking team of their devision, the NFC East, New York holds a record of 5-5. Many teams hope to bring the Patriots winning streak to an end within the last 7 weeks of the season, unfortunately the Giants will not be the team to do so.

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