Tallahassee crash leaves three South Floridians dead

Posted on September 9, 2015 by msimon

Three young adults were killed over the long weekend in a T-bone crash in Tallahassee, Florida. Police identified the victims as Morgan Carr, 21 Vincenzo Libio, 22 and Kevin Boos, 21 all from South Florida.

They were all passengers in a white Chrysler PT cruiser which was being driven by a friend, Nikolas Bonilla, age 20. The car was struck broadside by a Challenger at 9:15 Sunday evening.

Boos was declared dead at the scene. Carr and Libio, graduates of Taravella High School in Coral Springs and also dating since middle school, passed away at the hospital, police reported.

The driver of the challenger was taken to the hospital for injuries but nothing major. Police are still continuing the investigation.

Lately I feel like I’ve been seeing so many reports on drunk driving accidents and texting while driving accidents and it’s really surreal. Looking down for one second to send a meaningless text can cause you or someone else their own life. Not to mention if you’ve had any type of alcoholic beverage it baffles me how people can be so stupid and careless as to get in their car.

I know this car accident story is different and completely not their fault, but still. It deeply saddens me to hear about three young adults losing their life so soon .

I hope everyone continues to drive carefully.

 

 

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U.S. Stock Market Goes For A Wild Ride

Posted on September 6, 2015 by jessicamonteagudo

The U.S. stock market has been riding quite a roller coaster the passed two weeks to say the least. Just last week the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) saw gyrations of over one-thousand points in a single day. These huge moves send what has been a massive bull-market over the last four years off of its highest levels by more than 10, even 15 percent in some major indexes. Investors expect this sort of volatility to remain as questions over the Federal Reserve’s impending interest rate hike and concerns of slowing growth in China linger.

Interest rates have been held at historically low averages over recent years by the Federal Reserve in an ongoing effort to boost the economy along with the recently ended quantitative easing. As the economy continues to show signs of a healthy rebound, investors know the increase in rates could happen at anytime. Recent hawkish comments by various treasury secretaries have led many investors to believe the rate hike could be coming as soon as this month.

The big concern is not just one issue, but what appears to be a perfect storm of many. With slowing growth in China, a strong US dollar, shaky financial stability in Europe and unexpectedly low GDP numbers for the US, everyone is asking if the United States is truly ready for the increase in interest rates. Many investors say no and believe the rate hike will only send the stock market crashing yet again. Even after all of the concern domestically and globally the Federal Reserve has offered little insight on whether or not they will go through with the rate hike and how soon.

Until the Federal Reserve makes their decision on interest rates, any hint of negative of negative news will rock the stock market. Movements of greater than 1.5% have been unusually common the passed few weeks, and such big movements are only likely to continue until positive news and some help from the Federal Reserve stabilizes the stock market. Until then, investors need to strap in and prepare for a wild ride.

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Manhunt for Sacramento City College Shooter at Least One Dead, Two Injured.

Posted on September 6, 2015 by khathaway

Deadly shooting in Sacramento City College situated in Sacramento California. On September 4, 2015 around twenty-five thousand students were reached out by the Sacramento City College via text message informing them of the situation the school was facing and forcing them to evacuate the campus immediately (the school campus was later placed on lock-down). The event took place around 4pm (west coast time) on one of the school’s parking lot, close to the school’s baseball field. The unfortunate on-campus shooting left one student dead and two students critically injured; however, these both individuals are expected too fully recover. The person responsible for the shooting is described with Pacific Islander traits and has short black hair; moreover, the motive for such a tragic event is completely unknown. The gunman is still on the loose and the hunt for him continues. The police are searching for the killer with dogs, helicopters, cop cars etc. Sacramento City College is outraged by this type of behavior and told sources that the person who committed this crime will not get away with it. The Police Department and the community around the school will not stop the search until the gunman is found and arrested for his crime. It is unfortunate that young individuals that go to college and are trying to get a degree to better their lives get killed like this. This is not the first time a shooting has happened at a college campus in the United States. Like many of you can recall, in 2007 Virginia Tech faced a massacre, thirty-two people were killed and seventeen were injured. College campuses must invest more on the safety of their students to stop the ending of their students lives.

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Giant blue whale trapped in fishing line off of California coast

Posted on September 6, 2015 by theblacklink

Early Friday evening, whale watchers spotted a blue whale entangled in fishing line off of the coast of Palos Verdes, California.

Officials from the United States Coast Guard and officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration responded to search for the whale and help untangle it, but the efforts to help untangle it Friday evening were unsuccessful and were put on hold until Saturday morning.

Blue whales are the largest animal species known to live, and can grow up to 100 feet in length and weigh up to 200 tons. The whale that was entangled on Friday afternoon was estimated to be about 80 feet long.

The whale is entangled in and trailing a long line estimated to be about 200 feet that is connected to a red-orange buoy that is believed to be from a crab pot.

On Friday evening when the whale was found by officials, the Pacific Ocean was too rough to try to approach the whale or trying to cut the line. One swish of the blue whales tale can kill you or knock your boat out of commission. So, the officials on Friday evening decided to attach a larger buoy to the line so the whale would be easier to spot in the ocean when searched for again on Saturday.

The plan was smart, except when officials went to look for the whale Saturday morning, no one could find the whale. Not by helicopter, plane, or boat. Officials believe that the whale went south, but there was still no sighting of it on Saturday, and it was suspended for the night.

Officials hope to find the whale soon because the fishing line it is entangled in is dangerous and could be cutting into the whales skin. “If the line runs across its mouth, it can keep the animal from from eating or cut deep into the mouth. If entangled on the fluke or dorsal or pectoral fins, it could eventually cause infection, cut or even sever the appendage. We still don’t have a clear picture of how or where it is entangled,” NOAA Public Affairs Officer Jim Milbury said.

 

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New ‘Star Wars’ Merchandise Launched on ‘Force Friday’ Creates Excitement For Fans

Posted on September 6, 2015 by ashleyyy52

A collection of new “Star Wars” merchandise debuted this past Friday, September 4, nicknamed “Force Friday”. It was encouraged by the Star Wars franchise to have retailers such as Amazon, Disney Stores and Parks, Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart to open their doors at midnight. There were many attention-grabbing items like the BB-8 app-enabled droid, an animatronic Darth Vader, the cross guard lightsaber, and many more.

At the Toys R Us in New York’s Times Square, It was predicted to have had hundreds of thousands of people waiting for hours to be first in line to collect the latest merchandise. Nostalgia must have been a big role to why people couldn’t wait to get their hands on the new merchandise. Many of the true “Star Wars” fans wanted to get their limited edition and limited production items. At the Disney stores there were limited production “Force Awakens” pins being given out to the early customers at Disney Stores, and the Force Friday messenger bags given out at the Disney parks. Numerous fans were devastated to find out that many of the new merchandise was easily sold out by the overwhelming outcome of fans coming to the launching.

The new merchandise line is tied to the latest movie “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”. It is anticipated to be one of the hottest box office movies this year. It is rumored that there will be a release of more toys to hit stores closer to the film’s release this December.

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UCF Affiliated Housing, Knights Circle, Outrages Residents Over Internet Speed

Posted on September 6, 2015 by jadeamurray

With less than a month into the semester, Knights Circle residents are already furious with the decisions made by executives to cut expenses prior to move-in day. Knights Circle recently downgraded their cable and internet from Bright House Networks to Airwave Networks, a well-known cheaper alternative to Bright House. According to their website, Knights Circle’s amenities include high speed internet, something residents claim they are not receiving.

Some students like Adam Cohen have gone as far as to start a petition on change.org, a website that allows anyone to start a movement and push decision makers to make a change. The petition is directed to Knights Circle property manager, Robert Myers; UCF Housing, and Airwave Networks. The letter that already has the support of 421 people includes staggering facts about the internet connection provided to the residents.

According to the petition, a resident can expect an internet upload and download speed of 1 megabits per second and a maximum of 3 megabits per second, a speed that is slower than 91% of the internet found in the United States. The internet provided by the UCF affiliated apartment complex is reported to be so slow that students are unable to watch lectures or even log on to Webscourses, a website where students submit assignments for almost all of their classes.

Students living in Knights Circle are urged to sign the petition in hopes that executives will make moves on the issue and accommodate the basic needs of a UCF student. The petition goes on to say that residents should also fill out a complaint form which can be found at any phase office.

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How WhatsApp has challenged the Mobile Messaging and App Industry

Posted on September 6, 2015 by tvguy321

WhatsApp, a messaging app created in 2009 has recently reached nine hundred million users.

The app that started as a basic messaging app, is now one of the most used messaging app, beating out Facebook messenger by two hundred million more active users, according to an article on cnet.com. The famous app was bought last year by Facebook for nineteen million dollars, when it had six hundred million users, and has been growing ever since.

Now, what is so amazing about WhatsApp and what sets it apart from other messaging apps, is that is has employed a voice calling feature, according to cnet.com. Users from all over the world are able to use this feature to send voice notes or even call, with unlimited minutes, for free. This non-exclusive app is available to users whether they are team IPhone or team Android.  The WhatsApp app is also great because it allows users to use emojis without having to add a separate installation, which has been an issue for other messaging apps.

Other features this app includes are similar to the standard messaging installation that comes with a new phone such as ; video/photo sharing and group messaging.

I know personally, WhatsApp is a way I am able to stay connected with family members all across the country and it makes is so much more convenient to communicate.

With free voice calling, free photo/video sharing and group messaging, what more could you want ?

In the future, I except WhatsApp to employ a video chat feature. Something that will really set them apart and continue to grow their active user count.

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After Tom Brady and NFL Deflategate is over, this case have created an effect that can jeopardize this sport!

Posted on September 6, 2015 by ivan9080

After months of delegation, scrutiny, and blame game the National Football league and Tom Brady scandal of deflate-gating footballs is over. No one really expected this matter to drag on for months- to a point that everyone was sick of talking about it. But no matter if you think Tom Brady had form of awareness or not , Judge Richard Berman reached a conclusion.

In the beginning, everyone believed Tom Brady had to know something about deflating balls in the AFC Championship game. After different misguided, misinformation and contrversial reports but media outlets, NFL, and Tom Brady people; the case went to Judge Berman. He wasn’t shy on wanting both parties to come to an agreement; which resulted in parties “leaking” and meeting multiple times to find a resolution. In the end both parties took a leap of faith; Ultimately, Brady was the winner. Judge Berman ruled, NFL overreached toward Brady suspension and  punishment that led for Brady suspension be nullified.

As the news became public so many other questions came with it. Will NFL appeal the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit? After another high-class case occurs, will the NFL use Ted Wells firm? Should the due process that NFL & NFLPA agreed on the CBA should be adjusted?

So many questions have resulted in this mess of disputes; from Ray Rice abuse case to Adrian Peterson discipline  to golden boy Tom Brady’s. Once a powerful, unstoppable sport organization that grossed billions of dollar of revenue to an organization that feels like it’s destroying itself. As the NFL regular season a week away, more questions still remains but as the noise of distractions dissolve fans can only wait how their favorite team record will be.

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National Suicide Prevention Month Begins Now!

Posted on September 6, 2015 by christophertart

In the month of September, we remember those we have lost to suicide and work harder than ever to address and destigmatize the issue. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is ranked as the tenth leading cause of death in the US, and it is more likely to become a hurdle for Americans who suffer from depression and/or anxiety. Dr. Mark Pollack, the president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, explains that “effectively diagnosing and treating both anxiety disorders and depression, especially when they co-occur, are critical pathways to intervening and reducing suicide crises.”

One in five Americans have felt the effects of suicide, and yet it is rarely talked about out in the open. Organizations such as “Take 5 to Save a Live” are working to inform the public of how we can join the fight to stop suicide. According to their campaign, the five steps are:

  1. Learning the warning signs to spot in someone who may be suicidal.
  2. Joining the movement by signing up to “Take 5” and sharing their message on social media.
  3. Spreading the word by telling five people about World Suicide Prevention Day.
  4. Offering support by learning what to do if you encounter a person in trouble.
  5. Reaching out if you or a friend needs help. Learn who you can talk to and where you can go.

The organization also provided the following warning signs linked with suicidal persons:

  • Disrupted sleep
  • Isolation
  • Loss of interest in activities
  • Extreme self-denial, lack of pleasure
  • Extreme self-hatred
  • Feelings of not belonging
  • Thinking of self as a burden to others
  • Sudden positive mood change
  • Suicidal talk

Do your part this month by “Taking 5” and spreading awareness for the prevention of suicide.

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Tim Tebow Released From Philadelphia Eagles

Posted on September 6, 2015 by bri yost

After a vigorous training camp and 4 preseason games, Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly made the decision to cut Tim Tebow from the now 52 man roster. With the trading of previous 3rd string quarterback Matt Barkley to the Arizona Cardinals, fans of Tebow were hopeful that the transaction meant a spot for Tebow on the team. Those hopes were short lived , however, and Tebow has been cut for the second time in his NFL career.

Is there still a chance Tim Tebow could be signed elsewhere? That is yet to be seen. At 28 years old the former Heisman trophy winner is young and has already shown he has the work ethic and resume to deserve another chance.

“He just needs to get more playing time. Get out there and get actual reps. Because he has done a ton on his own from an individual basis, but it is about taking that next step and playing (in) the game.” Kelly said.

Tebow’s response to being cut from the Eagles is exactly what we have come to expect from him.

It is still unknown if Tebow intends to pursue a quarterback position in the NFL. At 6’3″ 236 lbs Tebow is a force to be reckoned with and there is a possibility he has a shot at another position. Whether or not Tebow wants to pursue this is yet to be decided. Right now fans can only wait and hope.

One thing is for sure, the NFL has never seen such support for a player who hasn’t actually played a regular season game in 3 years.

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