For the first time this year, the Midwest received its first taste of the infamous storm systems that plague the area during the spring months. The storms hit around midnight this morning, wreaking havoc across the states of Kansas and Missouri and leaving at least one person dead and dozens injured. The tourist hub of Branson, Missouri was hit particularly hard, as an apparent tornado uprooted signs, scattered debris and tore roofs off of buildings in the city’s widely-popular downtown theater district.
Nature's Sunshine on Highway 76 in Branson, MO after the storm
Michelle Leroux, a spokeswoman for the Skaggs Regional Medical Centers in Branson, confirmed that the hospital treated 32 people in the hours after the storm, mostly for cuts and bruises. Jennifer Verhaalen, a resident at the Hillbilly Inn Motel in Branson, reported seeing a white funnel cloud as the storm moved in around 1 A.M, tearing the roofs off of several downtown hotels and strip malls.
Further north, one person was killed and 13 others injured after an apparent tornado hit a trailer park just south of Buffalo, Missouri. Brief tornado touchdowns were also reported in neighboring Kansas, and wall clouds were seen in Arkansas. The states of Oklahoma and Kentucky were also hit by the storms, suffering damage to homes and buildings.
Continue reading ‘Tornado Season Begins in Branson, MO’
Tragedy unfolded around 7:30 this morning in the small Ohio town of Chardon, as an armed gunman entered the city’s high school and began firing shots in the cafeteria. The suspect, believed to be a student at Chardon High School, is currently being held in police custody. Five people were injured, including at least four students, the names of whom have not yet been released. The suspect is currently in police custody.
Students evacuating Chardon High School after the shooting
Student Heather Ziska said she and other students began hearing popping noises in a nearby hallway shortly before the day’s classes were about to begin. Next, she said she saw a boy she recognized as a student enter the cafeteria with a gun and begin shooting. Students and teachers attempted to flee the school or find shelter in nearby buildings and classrooms. The suspect was chased from the school by a teacher before being apprehended by law enforcement officials.
An FBI SWAT team is currently on the scene at Chardon High, which remains on lockdown. The identity of the shooter has not yet been released, but students report that he posted a threatening message on Twitter before the shooting. “I think he said that he was going to bring a gun to school, and I think that everyone just blew it off like he was joking,” one said.
Continue reading ‘School Shooting in Ohio Injures Five’
After a highly-publicized domestic violence incident in 2009, music stars Rihanna and Chris Brown have now released two remixes together. Monday, Brown tweeted a remix of his song “Turn Up the Music” featuring vocals from his ex-girlfriend. Rihanna retweeted the post, and also tweeted a remix of her own song, “Birthday Cake,” that features Brown.
Rihanna (left) after being attacked by Brown (right)
Many were outraged at this year’s Grammy Awards, as Brown, a convicted felon serving five years of probation for his attacks on Rihanna, was not only asked to perform twice, but was even awarded the prestige of Best R&B Album. In her widely shared piece “I’m Not OK With Chris Brown Performing at the Grammys, and I’m Not Sure Why You Are,” writer Sasha Pasulka makes a moving argument against the music industry’s endorsement of such an individual:
Continue reading ‘Rihanna and Chris Brown Collaborate’
The infamous Heart Attack Grill is flooding headlines this morning after a customer suffered a heart attack while indulging in the restaurant’s signature 6,000-calorie Triple Bypass Burger.
The Heart Attack Grill, a Las Vegas restaurant featured on shows such as the Travel Channel’s “Extreme Pig Outs,” prides itself on serving food “so bad for you it’s shocking.” Quite ironically, the hospital-themed establishment features “nurses” (waitresses) who take “prescriptions” (orders) from the “patients” (customers).
A publicity photo for the Heart Attack Grill featuring their Quadruple Bypass Burger
Their menu contains four items: the Single, Double, Triple and Quadruple Bypass Burgers. “Patients” have the option of adding slices of “unadulterated” bacon, bacon that has not been drained of the grease from cooking fat. Each burger has, respectively, five, ten, fifteen and twenty slices of bacon, along with American cheese, red onion, tomato and special sauce. Their “Flatliner Fries” are deep fried in pure lard, and their “Butter-fat Shakes” are made from high-calorie butter fat cream.
Continue reading ‘Heart Attack Grill Stays True to Its Name’
Joe Paterno, who served as assistant and head coach for Penn State’s football team for 62 seasons, passed away yesterday, January 22, 2012, from complications with lung cancer. Many are mourning the death of this football “legend,” despite the fact that he was fired from his coaching position in November due to child sex allegations against his assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. Reports allege that Paterno knew Sandusky was sexually abusing children on school property, and did not report the matter to authorities. The alleged abuse started as far back as the 1990s, and at least seven people have now stepped forth to file charges against the assistant coach.
Joe Paterno (right) with assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in 1999
While I try to lead a relatively peaceful life mandating forgiveness, understanding and respect for human life, the world’s response to the death of Joe Paterno leaves me feeling betrayed, uneasy and, ultimately, very angry. As far as my personal life goes, my Facebook news feed was bombarded yesterday with “R.I.P. JoePa” statuses, thanking him for all he did for Penn State and for the sport of football at large. More importantly, every news article I read seems to idolize Paterno, focusing on his coaching accomplishments and only mentioning the scandal as if it was an unfortunate incident for which we should feel sorry for him. Most disturbing, perhaps, are the repeated claims that losing his position at Penn State perhaps hastened his death.
Continue reading ‘Joe Paterno Dies, Nation Mourns…?’
President Obama has received a considerable amount of criticism during his time in office, from conservatives, liberals and independents alike. Many liberals and independents claim to feel betrayed by the president, because he has not followed through with many of the idealistic promises made during his campaign (as if a president of any party could follow through with promises in the face of our rigidly divided Congress, Senate and House of Representatives). Conservatives, on the other hand, have had a vendetta against Obama from the get-go, maintaining that his particular (liberal, communist) plan of action would be—and is now—detrimental rather than beneficial to the country’s future.
Protesters hold signs quoting President Obama at a rally against the Keystone pipeline in Washington
Regardless, there are several very momentous things Obama has done for the United States of America, both in policy changes and by simply being a primary figurehead that isn’t a blubbering idiot, which critics from either side cannot ignore. He has (somewhat) effectively ended the Iraq War and extended health care to millions by signing the Health Care Reform bill. He has improved the quality of life of marginalized groups by repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, increasing funding for the Violence Against Women Act, expanding U.S. hate crime laws to include sexual orientation and appointing more openly gay officials than any president in the country’s history.
Continue reading ‘Obama Rejects Keystone XL, Stands Up Against Hasty Republicans’
January 18 could prove to be an unprecedented day in the history of the Internet. For the first time, several of the world’s most popular websites will “black out,” or go offline, in protest of the Stop Online Piracy and PROTECT IP Acts (SOPA and PIPA, respectively). These bills were designed primarily to stop foreign-based websites from violating U.S. copyrights online. However, glaring flaws leave room for fears of Internet censorship equivalent to that of North Korea and Cuba.
One of Wikipedia's proposed 'blackout pages' for Wednesday, Jan. 18
A number of high-profile websites have now officially released statements declaring that full blackouts will indeed happen tomorrow, Wednesday, January 18. The most notable of these is Wikipedia, whose English-language site will be shut down for a full 24 hours, from midnight EST on January 18 until midnight EST January 19. The English Wikipedia houses nearly 3,850,000 articles and receives roughly 25 million visitors a day from around the world. Tomorrow, however, Wikipedia’s largest Encyclopedia will be replaced by proposed “blackout pages,” detailing information about the proposed SOPA and PIPA acts.
Continue reading ‘Wikipedia, Reddit to ‘Black Out’ Wednesday in Protest of SOPA’
Thursday evening, comedian and political pundit Stephen Colbert made an announcement that could potentially be the best news the U.S. has heard in decades. Colbert, host of the Comedy Central satirical news show The Colbert Report, revealed on last night’s show that he is “forming an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for [his] possible candidacy for President of the United States of South Carolina!”
Stephen Colbert for President!
The announcement comes after a Public Policy Polling survey released on Tuesday found Colbert polling ahead of former Utah governor John Huntsman in Colbert’s home state of South Carolina. According to the survey, Colbert has five percent of the vote, while Huntsman only has four. Discussing the results on his Wednesday show, Colbert said, “This just got real.”
While many people often have trouble determining when Colbert should and should not be taken seriously, it would be a mistake to underestimate his intentions in this instance. In 2008, he attempted to enter the South Carolina Republican primaries to run for president, but could not afford the hefty fee. The Democrats of his state made a decision to block him, ending his campaign aspirations.
Continue reading ‘Stephen Colbert for President?’
Khloe Kardashian Odom has taken to Twitter in the oh-so classy and mature fashion characteristic of her and her socialite family to slam the two women who have made claims that she is not really a Kardashian. Jan Ashley and Ellen Kardashian, both ex-wives of father Robert Kardashian, spoke to Star magazine yesterday, alleging that Robert revealed to both of them that Khloe is not his daughter.
Who's your daddy?!
“Khloe is not his kid. He told me that after we got married. He just kind of looked at me and said (it) like it was a matter of fact,” Jan Ashley, Kardashian’s first wife after Kris Jenner, told the magazine.
“Robert did question the fact that Khloe was his,” Ellen Kardashian, Robert’s third wife, maintained.
Rather than confronting the issue in an adult fashion via a professional medium, however, Kim Kardashian’s little sister decided to angrily tweet her response to the women’s serious claims:
“The audacity you have to mention my father’s name like this! Should be ashamed of urself! I let a lot of things slide but this one is really low. YOU ARE DISGUSTING! (yes you know who YOU are),” she wrote.
Continue reading ‘Daddy Doubts for Khloe Kardashian’
As if the frigid, overcast weather didn’t already have me yearning for the long-awaited festival season, the infamous Southern California Coachella music festival has officially announced this summer’s lineup, igniting a buzz of excitement and anticipation amongst music lovers of all genres. Held at the beautiful Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has historically been one of the biggest events in music.
Coachella officially announced their full 2012 lineup yesterday
Like Lollapalooza, Wakarusa, Summercamp and others, Coachella boasts big name acts as well as independent musicians. This year, Coachella is garnering special attention, as two of the biggest acts in underground music will reunite to perform at the three-day event. For the first time, I (and many others, I’m sure) am legitimately considering a cross-country trip for the stinky, muddy, hippie-lovin’ debauchery that is a music festival.
Headlining the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival are alternative music legends Radiohead, along with the more recently popular Bon Iver and The Black Keys. Rappers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will appear together for a special duet performance (holy ****!), and singer-songwriter Feist and the one-man mash-up machine Girl Talk will also perform.
Continue reading ‘Refused, At the Drive-In to Reunite at Coachella 2012′
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