Fans Rejoice! The Baritone Songstress, Christine McVie, Rejoins Fleetwood Mac

Posted on March 31, 2014 by earl m

Over the past 16 years, seeing the “Soap Opera” escque and long time “#1 selling album” band Fleetwood Mac has been great, however, there has always been something missing. That something is the husky baritone voice of the founding singer and song-writer, Christine McVie, who performed some of the most memorable hits and the completed famous harmonious trio of the band.

Joining the band in the late 60s after Fleetwood Mac had a whirlwind of different guitarist and singers, McVie became the sole singer and writer. The two founding members, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, considered Christine important to the shaping of the band, especially when they picked there last and final round of band members, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. The trio of singers and songwriters, along with John McVie and Mick Fleetwood’s London Blues rhythm section and Lindsey Buckingham folk electric guitar, the band became a hit making machine with their first self-titled album, “Fleetwood Mac”.

Given the rank as the band with the top selling album of all time with “Rumours” (later knocked down by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”), they also became the band famous for emotional and relationship trite. The band was made up of 3 couples and during the process of their follow up album “Rumours”, the couples broke up. John and Christine McVie divorced and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s 8 year relationship ended tumultuously. “Rumours” was named by Mick Fleetwood after witnessing the emotional tension between his band mates and divorcing his own wife. Each song from the album, co-written by C. McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham, included songs about anger, regret, jealousy, and letting go. Its these songs that fans loved so much, especially “Songbird” by McVie, which for years was the closing number and peace offering to John McVie. I can go on for pages about which song was meant for who and what the songs meant when it came to infidelity and selfishness.

Its been 16 years sense anyone has heard McVie sing “Songbird” live. The band went on to release albums up until the mid 90’s, with McVie producing most of the hits. After their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the songwriters all getting separately inducted, McVie announced that she was leaving the band for good. She had convinced the members that she would never rejoin the band and that not even a year ago, Stevie Nicks said:

“Theres more of a chance of an asteroid hitting Earth” when it comes to Christine McVie ever returning to the band.

During Fleetwood Mac’s 2013 tour that traveled to England, McVie joined her former band mates on stage to perform “Don’t Stop,” which was a song written by her and sang harmoniously by all 3 singers. The crowd was roaring with pure classic rock awesomeness and many were overwhelmed by the surprise. It is this overwhelming feeling of joy and applause that lured Christine McVie back into the band. She told Rolling Stone:

“I had some deluded idea that I wanted to live the ‘country lady’ life, but I went through a divorce and I felt isolated in the country. I grew quite ill and depressed. Being back is really a time warp. The tour is going to be great fun. I feel like a pig in poo right now.”

With McVie back, the group will be able to perform songs like “Little Lies,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere” and many other songs they haven’t been able to play in nearly 20 years.

Writers Note:

I’m a crazy Fleetwood Mac fan and I’ve seen every tour of theirs sense 2004, which was the year of their first tour without Christine McVie. This year, almost on the same date that I saw them for the first time 10 years ago, I will be seeing them again and it will be their first tour with McVie. How ironic :). I must say, I never thought I would ever get to see this day come and to really experience the band as a whole. Also ironic is that my parents bought me that ticket 10 years ago for my 11th birthday and they will be doing the same this year for my 21st. Thanks Mom and Dad, you rock!

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/fleetwood-mac-announce-reunion-tour-dates-with-christine-mcvie-20140327#ixzz2xa3rgwSj

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Coffee and Some of It’s shocking Health Benefits

Posted on March 31, 2014 by rhurley

Many people have come to believe that coffee is an unhealthy habit that many people are dependent on. While being dependent on it may or may not be true, there are some surprisingly good benefits that may change a few skeptics minds.

It may help ward off depression.

Anyone who perks up after the first sip of morning coffee will tell you that it has mood-boosting effects. Now there’s proof: A study from the Harvard School of Public Health, published last month in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that people who regularly drink fully caffeinated coffee have a 20% lower risk of depression than non-coffee drinkers. The study, which followed a group for 10 years, found that as more coffee was consumed (up to six cups per day), the likelihood of depression decreased.

It may help promote a healthy weight.

Drinking an espresso or cappuccino after a meal is more than a relaxing habit. When you drink coffee after a meal, it causes your body to more slowly process the meal you just ate. Caffeine decreases the rate at which the stomach dumps its contents into the duodenum a part of the small intestine where digestion takes place and also increases metabolic rate. Keep in mind, though, that java isn’t a miracle brew: Downing it after dinner won’t make the pounds melt away; rather, sipping a cup post-meal could, in small part, helps promote a healthy weight.

It may boost fertility in men.

“Studies have shown that caffeine has a positive effect on sperm motility—the ability of sperm to move toward an egg and could increase your chances of getting pregnant,” says John Wilcox. In fact, a study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo found that sperm motility was markedly higher in coffee drinkers versus non coffee-drinkers. And it turns out that it doesn’t matter whether you drink one or ten cups a day: The only detectable difference was found between coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers.

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The teen couple of Davenport killed a Windermere cop,and then killed themselves

Posted on March 31, 2014 by jamerehill

Brandon Goode, 18, and Alexandria “Alex” Hollinghurst, 17, allegedly killed a cop then committed suicide together. Both from Davenport, the Windermere cop, Officer Robert German, called for support after witnessing the pair–who had been reported missing–walking around Saturday morning, according to CNN. When support finally came for German from the Polk county authorities, the pair were gone and Officer German was on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound. German was later pronounced dead, CNN found, in an Orlando hospital; the two teens bodies were found cold and lifeless, not far from were Officer German. German was a five-year veteran with the Windermere Police Department. CNN got a hold of the Windermere Police Chief, David Ogden, who said he had just returned to the force after “light duty status” from surgery for an injury he endured several months back. “All he wanted to do is be a cop,” the chief said. “Officer German was a good cop. He was one of the finest police officers that we had in this agency.” Investigators are still puzzled at what happened the days before the shooting and the day of.

Two days before the shooting, the teens ran away from there homes leaving behind notes for their families to read. Brandon Goode left his parents a hand written letter apologizing for all of his wrong doing and assuring them he’ll be happier this way and that he won’t be a disappointment anymore. “I love you with all my heart,” said the letters. Alex Hollinghurst’s letters were a little different, CNN finds; in her letters she spoke of her father and sister sentimentally, but for her mother, she left bitter words. “If I had stayed another minute I would have painted the walls and stained the carpets with my blood, so you could clean it up,” is just one line that describes the resentful relationship her and her mother had. Both parents immediately called the police and filed missing person’s reports on their kids after reading the note. But when they finally got a hold of them, it was too late: for the officer and for the teen couple.

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Things I Noticed While Waiting in Line for Eight Hours at Universal Knights 2014

Posted on March 31, 2014 by ljthom

Time passes when you’re waiting in line. Thank goodness I had my friends to chat with during the hour-long waits for almost every ride. I noticed quite a few things about my fellow UCF Knights, but I will just share a few.

• Make-out sessions: PDA was on full display last night. It is not appropriate at a theme park to be all on your significant other. Every time I turned my head I would see another couple making out or biting each other’s nose. Spare us and just stay home already.

• Similarities between the dynamics of friendships. There is always the one person that leads the group to the next ride. One person who everyone is laughing at. One person who holds everyone’s stuff because they don’t want to ride the ride. One person who is staring off into space because there are so many people around. So pretty much that was all me at some point last night.

• Attractive people in line and their friends: *cue Rihanna music* “Where have you been all my life?” Holy smokes, I must be in the wrong major. I haven’t seen you around campus before. Oops, I accidently just made eye contact with you. Oh crap, not again. WHY AREN’T YOU STANDING CLOSER TO ME IN LINE?

• Heads Up: I didn’t realize so many people liked that app for iPhone. This provided lots of entertainment for many groups of friends. Ellen DeGeneres really profited from UCF students last night.

• 3 types of rollercoaster riders:
1.I want to ride every ride! – not me.
2.I’ll only ride this one time. – not me.
3.HECK NO I’m not riding that… – me.

• Harry Potter World: I’ve never seen any of the movies nor read any of the books, but having a general feel for how they are made my experience better. ButterBeer is definitely a must have while traveling through the land. It’s also a must to ride the Forbidden Journey even though the line was crazy long.

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University of Central Florida Students Compete in “Shack-A-Thon” to Help Raise Money for Charity

Posted on March 31, 2014 by rboniniv

Once a year, a few UCF clubs get together and create some makeshift buildings, all in the name of raising money for charity. This event, called Shack-A-Thon, is in its sixth year since being brought to the UCF campus. It’s a place where different student organizations come out and build shacks, and the goal is just to attract students to come, vote on the best shack, and hopefully give us donations.

Each year, there are certain clubs in attendance. For 2014, there was the College Democrats, The UCF Quidditch Team called the “Nearly Headless Knights”, The Rock Climbing Club, Honors Congress, Phi Delta Theta, and the Intellectual Decisions for Environmental Awareness Solutions club. All of these different clubs took their own spin on the type of ‘shack’ that they decided to build.

According to their website, the Orlando division of Habitat for Humanity has already completed a housing development in the Orlando area called Staghorn Villas. All of the homes have undergone numerous expenses to make sure that they are all environmentally friendly, such as being energy and water efficient.

The now complete, 3.9 acre neighborhood will provide affordable homes for 58 local families,” The Habitat for Humanity website said. “The community features 10 buildings, each of which includes four to eight town homes surrounded by green spaces and play areas”.

The Honors Congress fashioned their shack to look like the famous banana stand from the hit show Arrested Development. In order to raise some extra money for Habitat for Humanity, they were selling bananas with a myriad of toppings available to put on them, such as Nutella and peanut butter.

 

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When Is It The Right Time To Make Life Altering Decisions?

Posted on March 31, 2014 by marcelle.turner

College students face hardship after hardship. If it’s not a paper due, a group, project, or finding a meal for less than $5 it’s a parent nagging about getting better grades or a friend begging to go out.

Although people have the preconceived notion that college is all about partying and finding one’s self, it is not always that simple. College is a time to grow from being a dependent child to becoming an independent adult.

For American’s it is a right of passage. Most people find their significant other in college as well as their friends for life. College goers start to mature and appreciate home and their family more all while discovering what they want to do with the rest of their lives.

As all the exciting events happen throughout a span of four to six years, college students must attain a degree (or two). That being the most challenging part of the college experience.

Society tells eighteen year olds that they must decided on what they want to do with the rest of their lives right out of high school. This is a huge decision to make while so young.

The path that is chosen determines the rest of their lives, causing stress, anxiety as well as rebellion and anger.

Is going to college at eighteen too young?

Is high school enough preparation for students before going to college?

The debate will continue for years to come. The answer is dependent on whether the individual is mature enough to handle being on his or her own.  One has to have a sense of whether or not they are ready to handle what lies ahead.

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Opening Day Brings New Hope For Baseball Cities

Posted on March 31, 2014 by marissanclark

With Spring Training over as of late last week, Opening Day for Major League Baseball will be coming up this entire week. Opening Day means many things for teams around the nation but the most important thing it means is a fresh start.

Today every team is tied. Every team is in first place today. Every team has hopes of a championship today. The Major League Baseball season has 162 games in the regular season. During this long stretch of games, literally anything can happen. All Star players that carry a team can get hurt and leave powerhouse teams injured as well. A fresh start can change any fan base, some cities like St. Louis and Boston are enormous baseball cities, but other towns like Miami and Tampa are not. With a fresh start to the season, a new beginning is given to the city that houses the team as well.

The playoffs are months away and all of these teams playing today have dreams and hopes to make it there. There has been plenty of large caliber trades from some teams in hopes of securing a World Series this year. The Rangers have acquired Prince fielder and the Tigers have received Ian Kinsler in exchange. Both players are an enormous help to their respected teams.

Baseball is argued as not being America’s Past Time or favorite sport. I couldn’t disagree with this more. Baseball gives the nation a sense of adventure with such a large and frightful season ahead of these teams. Baseball gives fans a huge sense of accomplishment or defeat in a losing team.

 

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Dandelions Make Surprise Appearances In Your Wine

Posted on March 31, 2014 by kmart239

I am originally from the northeast where pesky dandelions were bountiful, and somewhat annoying to the average gardener. Now living in Florida I do not see them as often except occasionally in unattended to landscape. Growing up I always found these bright yellow flowers somewhat charming but I know the majority of society just wants to keep them out of their yard. Well while everyone has been trying to get rid of them the tea industry has been harvesting them for the natural benefits they give our bodies; they are the new super herb.

Tea companies are using the dandelion root in their products and sales are skyrocketing.  The mildly sweet flavor is just an added bonus to the many benefits provided by the herb. Dandelions aid in digestion, improve liver function, lower blood pressure, and reduce inflammation. In addition some recent studies have shown that dandelions can actually slow growth in cancer cells as well as regulate blood sugar and insulin levels in people with diabetes. The whole flower is edible but tea companies generally stick to using just the root.

Not everyone enjoys tea though. So in steps the wine industry. The original dandelion wineries began in the Midwest but now you can find them all over the country. Unlike grapes, which do not grow easily everywhere, dandelions can grow almost anywhere. While tea uses just the root, wine utilizes just the flower. Dandelions provide a unique wine flavor, similar to a chardonnay. April begins tomorrow and prime dandelion-wine harvesting takes place in April and May so if you want to try it, now would be the best time.

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Hampton: The Most corrupt city of notorious Speed trap “too Florida, even for Florida”!!!

Posted on March 31, 2014 by chrisba1986

This Friday Cheers broke out as two Florida lawmakers abandoned their quest to strip Hampton of its cityhood, a notorious speed trap, known as Hampton Florida which gained even more infamy as a symbol of small-town corruption when the legislators threatened last month to yank its city charter. Who would of thought this small city of just 477 residents, 476 if you don’t count the former mayor, who’s sitting up the road in jail on a drug charge on top of it all could be capable of attaining 31 violations of local, state and federal codes, along with allegations of nepotism, double-dipping and personal use of city property. Just when you thought Florida was all sweet and not full of as much corruption like big cities such as, New York or Chicago, this may affect Florida negatively by not looking so attracting to tourist’s anymore by making it look less vacationy and appealing to relax in.

The trouble began innocently according Hampton’s newly appointed city attorney, John Cooper, first a Texaco station out on nearby U.S. 301 asked for police protection after a few bad traffic accidents and a couple of homicides. And so, Hampton agreed to annex a 1,200-foot stretch of highway. Only later did someone come up with the idea that there was plenty of easy money to be made from catching speeders and writing tickets, just like neighboring cities Waldo and Lawtey were doing. The only problem was, the police department constantly overspent its budget, and all that ticket revenue never seemed to benefit anybody outside of City Hall.  A Bradford County Sheriff, Gordon Smith,  said many of the officers weren’t trained properly, and the audit found that some of them drove uninsured vehicles. One officer, nicknamed “Rambo,” dressed in tactical gear and strapped an assault rifle across his chest, just to write tickets. Makes you wonder if these so called sheriff’s are really making our society a safer place or a scary place for people to live in fear of getting killed. This is just a prime example of how police officer’s abuse there power by treating civilian’s like money machines by punishing them to get money out of them.

In addition, to the code violations, the audit found plenty of other eye-popping irregularities which included a $132,000 credit account at the local BP station, for example, and $27,000 in credit card charges for items that “served no public purpose.” When lawmakers met with Hampton’s citizens last month, the two men were taken back by the passion of residents’ pleas to spare their city. Some said yanking the charter would be like victimizing them twice. The lawmakers listened, and threw down a challenge: If the city didn’t clean up its act soon, they vowed to move forward with a bill to dissolve the city’s charter. I think that Florida is already one of the city’s with the worst economy as it is and it is a shame that the people that are suppose to “protect us, the people” are out there using and abusing the citizens of this country in the sunny state of Florida to get money of of it’s own people and as a result bring us down more. In conclusion, justice will set us free is what we are suppose to stand for, but what happens when the ones that are working for the law and are suppose to be serving this country by enforcing the law are working against us at the same time by abusing their power. As a country so progessively improving to the point that we have a black president today, we have got to do better, enforcement on speeding on the highways are not a way to squeeze the little bit of money people work so hard just to get by, these sheriffs must be punished for causing so much harm on innocent people and bringing us down as a state and as a country economically, and emotionally overall.

 

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Rise Of The Winter Soldier!!!! 3rd Film for Marvel Phase 2 Prepares Fans For Coming Storm!!!

Posted on March 31, 2014 by jmandel

With the highly anticipated sequel to Marvel’s The Avengers fast approaching, Marvel Studios is prepping to get the world ready for the upcoming blockbuster. But before that, Marvel is in the process of completing it’s collection of films leading up to Avengers: Age of Ultron. With two films in the books already, one of the final two standalone films in this collection of movies that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe is ready for release. The latest adventure will see the return of Steve Rodgers aka Captain America, Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury, ad others in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier“. Set two years after Steve and the Avengers stopped Loki and his army from destroying New York, Captain Rodgers is now trying adjusting to life in a time where he isn’t familiar. He is working covert ops missions for S.H.I.E.L.D under the command of Nick Fury and is aided by his new partners Natasha aka Black Widow and Sam Wilson codenamed “The Falcon”.

Unfortunately for Steve, the methods and ideals that Director Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D have adopted seem to rub Rodgers the wrong way given he comes from a time where goals and moral judgment went hand in hand. Captain America must now combat forces beyond his control as well as face a mysterious and dark figure from his past.

With Marvel Phase 2 in the home stretch, fans are already sensing the coming storm that approaches and will arrive in summer 2015. However, The Winter Soldier is not the only film in phase two that is being released this year. Marvel is also releasing the equally anticipated adaption of one of Marvel’s beloved comic series Guardians of The Galaxy. As 2015 gets closer, anticipation builds for what looks to be another epic superhero extravaganza.

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