2014 NHL Playoff Preview and prediction on which teams will make it to the Stanley Cup Finals

Posted on April 14, 2014 by anthony loprinzi

The 2013-2014 NHL regular season has officially concluded and it’s time to start looking at the upcoming playoffs and see who has the best chance to make a run at the title. With 8 teams making the playoffs for each conference, giving a total of 16, it’s really anyone who could be hoisting the trophy in June. For the Eastern conference, the matchups are as follows: The top seeded Boston Bruins play the Detroit Red Wings, the Pittsburgh Penguins play the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Tampa Bay Lightning play the Montreal Canadiens, and Philadelphia Flyers play the New York Rangers. For the Western conference, the matchups are: The top seeded Anaheim Ducks play the Dallas Stars, The St. Louis Blues play the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks, the Colorado Avalanche play the Minnesota Wild, and the LA Kings play the San Jose Sharks.

For the Eastern conference as a whole, for the most part of the season, as really been viewed as a two team race for the best team in the conference between the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins, but I wouldn’t count out wild card team Tampa Bay Lightning to be able to hang with the other two. For the Western conference, the Blues have really taken control until the last week of the regular season, but gave up the first seed to the Ducks. I think each team in that conference has a real shot at winning it all.

In the end, I feel as though the Stanley Cup matchup will be the Boston Bruins vs. the LA Kings, with the Boston Bruins taking it in 6. Hopefully the playoffs are exciting and don’t forget to grow your playoff beards.

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Harvick Stamps Chase Position in Darlington

Posted on April 14, 2014 by dougcampbell06

Saturday Night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 gave the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season it’s first multiple-time winner, with Kevin Harvick taking his second victory of the still early season. However victory didn’t come easy to the Stewart-Haas Racing driver, as he had to retake the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. on a late restart even with a tire advantage. Harvick dominated most of the race, leading a race-high 283 of 374 laps, until a late caution for debris set up a final pit stop and series of restarts afterwards. Kurt Busch, a teammate to Harvick, found a top-10 run ended on the first green-white-checkered attempt after contact from Clint Bowyer sent the #41 Haas Automation Chevy of Busch hard into the inside wall on the backstretch. The second green-white-checkered saw Harvick retake the lead in turn three coming to the checkered flag after making a move to the outside of Earnhardt and never looked back after.

The rest of the top five varied wildly in the way their races took form. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a relatively quiet night, running in the top five for most of the event after charging through the field from a 15th-place start. His shot for the win fell short with Harvick’s four tire charge, as the #88 National Guard Chevy was on new right sides only and down on speed as a result. Jimmie Johnson had a night that started out badly, running as far back as 28th before crew chief Chad Knaus began making radical setup changes to fix the ill-handling #48 Lowes Chevy. Johnson then marched through the field to eventually take the lead on pit strategy on the second to last restart before losing it to Earnhardt and finishing third. Matt Kenseth had a night similar to Earnhardt, running in the top five a majority of the night with laps occasionally led before finishing fourth for his second top five of the year. Greg Biffle had an up-and-down race, running as low as 19th and as high as second before a late strategy call moved him up into the top five where he would eventually finish in fifth position.

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Four-Eyed Ancient Arachnids are Really Strange

Posted on April 14, 2014 by amanda decarlo

A group of scientists have discovered ancient arachnids, harvestmen, that are weirder than they thought. The creatures, also known as daddy long legs, were found in Eastern France. The spiders that were found have two sets of eyes instead of just one. One set is at the center of the head, and the other set is separated (one on each side of the head).

Scientists used the 305-million-year-old harvestman fossil to determine that the arachnids had two sets of eyes. The scientists used a technique involving X-rays to draw their conclusion. However, the twist is that these Arachnids are not spiders.  Russell Garwood who happens to be the paleontologist at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom says, “Although they have eight legs, harvestmen are not spiders. They are more closely related to another arachnid, the scorpion.”

Two species that are also arachnids can have two sets of eyes are spiders and scorpions. When scientists studied the embryos of modern day arachnids, the genes for two sets of eyes exist in their DNA. This may suggest that these Arachnids were predecessors of the modern day ones that live on every continent except for Antarctica. The findings are huge, but there is still a lot of work to be figured out.

Arachnids are interesting creatures. It would be interesting to discover the arachnids that precede the ancient harvestmen. Maybe the arachnids would have multiple sets of eyes. There is still so much to know, and so much to investigate when it comes to evolution.

 

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Killing of Black Bears Following Lake Mary Mauling Leaves Many Upset.

Posted on April 14, 2014 by jsjones

Following the mauling of Lake Mary resident Terri Frana last Saturday, many are calling for a change in the way wildlife are treated after such an event.

Many neighborhoods have been frequented as of late by black bears in their attempts at finding food left out in garbage cans. Unfortunately for some residents, these bears aren’t always friendly.

In response to Frana’s mauling by a black bear in her neighborhood, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission set out to eliminate the fear present in the community.

Sadly, many feel that the organization stepped out of bounds after wildlife officials shot one bear and euthanized four others in the hopes that the one that mauled Frana was one of them. Wildlife officials stated that once the bears show no signs of being scared of humans, they become a danger to the communities.

To some, all of this sounds incredibly hypothetical. Instead of unnecessarily putting down bears which could not have been involved in the incident, animal activists are asking that the black bears be relocated to areas that aren’t heavily populated.

Some possible ways those in neighborhoods bordering forests or areas known to be frequented by bears can help bypass similar situations from happening in the future, is to not leave food exposed outside, even if it’s under the cover of garbage bins. Since the bears are able to smell the food remnants, it would be best to keep bins in garages or similar enclosures until the morning the trash is scheduled to be picked up.

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Suspected Nazi looted art found in Germany.

Posted on April 14, 2014 by keegan.kennedy

During the 1930s, the nazis were gaining power in Germany. Their ideals would influence German society at the time in many ways, including in the art they deemed acceptable. Many people do not know that before Hitler became one of the most infamous villains in history, he was an artist. When he served in WW1, he would spend hours drawing and painting. After the war he was rejected by art schools, and never achieved success as an artist. Years later, when he rose to power he would have a say in the art world.

Art in the early 20th century went through a huge change. Artists experimented with new avant-garde styles that had never been seen before. Artists focused on things like color, harmony and line, instead of just technique. In Germany, expressionism had become popular. Many artists depicted their dissatisfaction with the state of the world through their art; Pain, and suffering were common themes. These new themes and styles heavily departed from classic ideals in art, which were the ideals Hitler valued. When he rose to power, he banned much of the art at the time which he considered “Degenerate”. The nazis would go on to confiscate thousands of works deemed “degenerate”, in addition to confiscating paintings from their jewish owners.

Today, artworks that were stolen by the nazis are still being returned to their rightful owners(or descendants). Recently a man in Germany had his art collection confiscated since some the works he owns are suspected of being nazi loot. Cornelius Gurrlit inherited over 1,000 works of art from his father who was a nazi era art dealer; many of the works are highly valuable, being done by famous artists like picasso and matisse. Only about 38 paintings are suspected of being nazi loot, and the man is cooperating with authorities.

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There Has Been A Sharp Incline in Violent Crimes Over the Past Few Weeks

Posted on April 14, 2014 by aspiringauthor

Recently there have been a number of violent crimes on the news. Granted, violent crimes have always been on the news, but they never seem to be shocking to viewers. However, in the past few weeks there have been at least two major shootings and a student went on a stabbing spree injuring several people in a Pennsylvania school. There seems to have been a sharp incline in violent crimes in the past few years, but very few people are unsure of what is causing the sudden bloodlust amongst people.

The first slew of shootings took place on April 2, 2014. It was caused by Ivan Lopez in Fort Hood military base by Killeen, Texas. The events began at around 4:00 PM on that fateful day. Several people found themselves being attacked by Lopez resulting in in sixteen injuries and four deaths, including the gunman. Prior to the shooting, Lopez was an Iraq war veteran who had been receiving psychiatric treatment for depression and anxiety following the deaths of both his mother and grandfather. Apparently he had taken a 24-hour leave of absence to attend his mother’s funeral, but this allegedly took five days to process, which enraged the shooter.

Shortly thereafter, the stabbing occurred at Franklin Regional High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The attacks were caused by student Alex Hribal who was allegedly bullied prior to the events. Fortunately, no one was killed, but the events left around twenty-two people injured and four are still in critical condition. The most recent of the crimes took place this past Sunday at a Jewish Community Center. Three individuals were shot and killed by a man in his 70’s who allegedly was a Ku Klux Klan leader. Several people have speculated that this was a hate crime since it took place the day before the Jewish holiday of Passover.

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The Dream Of Electricity Is Near For The Navajo Community

Posted on April 14, 2014 by marcelle.turner

The majority of Americans take much for granted. Numerous countries around the world lack the resources that are ever present in the United States.

As a society electricity is something that we take for granted. Little thought goes into flipping a switch to illuminate a room or pressing a button to turn the television on.

However, the luxury of electricity isn’t granted to everyone who lives in the United States. Navajo families who live in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah are without electricity.

According to Deenise Becenti, a spokeswoman for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, approximately 15,000 Navajo do not have electricity.

Families have inhibited these lands for generations so they oppose the idea of moving to modern suburbs or even closer to each other for easier access to electricity.

Navajo families have had to improvise in order to maintain a modern lifestyle. Some park their cars close to their homes so they can use the car battery to power television sets. Others use generators to charge cell phones and power appliances while others use solar power to generate light.

Recently, however, a $4.8 million project is in the works to bring electricity to 63 Navajo homes. More than 75 miles of power poles and electricity lines have been installed which should make the lives of the Navajo people less difficult.

“Everyone’s dream is a refrigerator and a new stove,” Laverne Etsitty, a resident in the LeChee area, said.

The little things most people take for granted are the dream of many people around the world and in the United States.

 

 

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Trendy New “Aerial Yoga” Could Have A Lot of Benefits!

Posted on April 14, 2014 by pascalk09

Nowadays there are many new fitness trends Crossfit, pole fitness, hot yoga, and now aerial yoga. Aerial yoga seems like it will make you feel like a Circus de Soleil acrobat.

This yoga is exactly what it sounds like, yoga in the air! Aeriel yoga is started out by hooking up safety clips to the roof, using a silk fabric it is tied into a special knot that allows people of different heights to use the same fabric. This fabric is formed into a “hammock” which is where people will then practice their aerial yoga.

Aerial yoga allows the user to move more freely than they would in normal yoga. This helps the decompression of joins, it can help sharpen focus because of the concentration needed to accurate execute the movements, and it can increase blood flow. Just like an other form of yoga it helps build muscle, increase flexibility, and you can look pretty cool doing it!

Now I have tried aerial yoga before and it looks a lot more relaxing than it actually is. The first time I tried this form of yoga I felt pretty intimidated. You are asked to remove any jewelry and to wear tight fitting clothing. My instructor was excellent and taught me my first “inversion” which as you can imagine it meant I got to go upside down. I placed the fabric at my hip bones and leaned over till I found myself inverted. However, no one told me how uncomfortable this would actually be! The fabric cuts into your side and the blood rushes to your head. I was told that this was something to get use to. It was a challenging class but doable. I had a month of free classes so I tried it at least 5 times. Hanging upside down eventually did get more comfortable!

I would personally recommend trying this new trend out and it seems as if it has a lot of benefits to go along with it!

 

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Are Internet Security Days Over Now That Heartbleed Bug is Out?

Posted on April 14, 2014 by alyssakelly

Turns out that for over two years now the Heartbleed bug has been able to get onto our secured encrypted webpages while we are accessing them.  The Heartbleed bug uses the feature computers use to show they are online with a secured webpage.  They mimic your connection with your information and can steal your usernames, password, account information and more.  This means that you could be giving it to a phony website or the hacker continues to transfer information from your accounts and leaving no trace of it.

Is this a new extreme for security breaches on the internet?  Or is this something we all could’ve seen coming.  Just recently Apple had a breach in their encrypted webpages for Apple users and came up with a “quick” fix.  Granted they didn’t reveal the issue until they had a cure.  It seems that as soon as one bug is fixed another one is made, much like the flu.

Growing up we are told that we are not safe on the internet, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to stop us though.  Our lives are practically ran by the internet with no worries.  Is it the norm now that at any moment our identity could be stolen?  There are so many threats out there that we just learn to live with it.

Some tips for helping yourself against the Heartbleed bug:

– Log out of all web sites.

-Change your passwords ASAP.

Web sites are working to fix the issue for their own sites.  You can only wait so long for someone else to fix a problem that may not actually be fixed.  It’s best to keep an eye out on your personal information and to protect yourself as much as you can.

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Reds Offense Struggling Early

Posted on April 14, 2014 by raymond

We are two weeks into the MLB season and the Cincinnati Reds offense has done virtually nothing.  Outside of maybe one or two games, scoring runs for this offense has been a struggle.  There is not one person to put the blame on, but there are a few people that stick out when talking about the offense.

The first player that has to come to mind is Billy Hamilton.  The speedster has struggled big time so far and at times doesn’t look like he belongs in the big leagues.  Coming into this season, he already had big shoes to fill in replacing on-base machine Shin Soo Choo.  It’s safe to say no rookie is under more pressure than Hamilton.  So far, he is batting .154 and has gotten on base 8 out of 41 times.  That’s definitely not good enough for a lead-off hitter, but it’s still early.  Also keep in mind he’s faced some of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball including the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.

Another player that hasn’t had a great start to the season is Zack Cozart.  Through the first 8 games, the shortstop only reached base once and has virtually been an automatic out for pitchers.  Cozart and the Reds were hoping for a breakout year offensively, but it hasn’t started the way either of them had hoped.  He hasn’t struck out much which is a good sign, but he must get on base more than he has already.

No matter what the numbers are now, we must remember that there are 150 games left.  It’s still very early and anything can happen.  There’s great potential with this Reds offense and only time will tell if they can live up to it.

 

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