Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Over 11 Million Views on Eagle Cam


Cities all over the country have been setting up video surveillance of eagle nests and broadcasting those feeds online. The eagle cam has had over eleven million views since last December. 

Back in 2011 people were able to watch eagles hatching in Decorah, Iowa. Now, those same eagles have returned to their nest and are having children of their own. The first egg was laid back on Feb 17th and was expected to hatch around March 23rd or 24th with the rest of them hatching within about a two week period. It takes between twenty-four to forty-eight hours for a baby eagle to hatch, giving views ample time to watch each one hatch.

Meanwhile, in Richmond, Virginia, an eagle cam is currently watching two young baby eagles that can’t seem to stop fighting. On Monday, the larger of the babies opened a wound on the smaller one. The larger eagle seems to be particularly aggressive. Bryan Watts told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he’s never seen a baby eagle as aggressive as this one seems to be.

However, he said he’s much more concerned that they won’t be able to get enough food. The James River, where the nest is located, has been flooding since Sunday. The fast, muddy water often times makes it difficult for the eagles to find fish to eat. However, these chicks appear to be healthy for now.

What do you guys think of these eagle cams? Do you watch them? Would you like to see more cams set up elsewhere?Cities all over the country have been setting up video surveillance of eagle nests and broadcasting those feeds online. The eagle cam has had over eleven million views since last December. 

Back in 2011 people were able to watch eagles hatching in Decorah, Iowa. Now, those same eagles have returned to their nest and are having children of their own. The first egg was laid back on Feb 17th and was expected to hatch around March 23rd or 24th with the rest of them hatching within about a two week period. It takes between twenty-four to forty-eight hours for a baby eagle to hatch, giving views ample time to watch each one hatch.

Meanwhile, in Richmond, Virginia, an eagle cam is currently watching two young baby eagles that can’t seem to stop fighting. On Monday, the larger of the babies opened a wound on the smaller one. The larger eagle seems to be particularly aggressive. Bryan Watts told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he’s never seen a baby eagle as aggressive as this one seems to be.

However, he said he’s much more concerned that they won’t be able to get enough food. The James River, where the nest is located, has been flooding since Sunday. The fast, muddy water often times makes it difficult for the eagles to find fish to eat. However, these chicks appear to be healthy for now.

What do you guys think of these eagle cams? Do you watch them? Would you like to see more cams set up elsewhere?

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Media Outlets Go Into Frenzy Over Death of Trayvon Martin


When seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed by twenty eight-year-old George Zimmerman last week, the media went into a frenzy. Zimmerman claimed Martin attacked him, and in order to defend himself, he shot and killed the teen. Now news outlets have been having a field day trying to sway the public to their side of the issue.

Rather than simply reporting the fact, journalists from all over the country are trying to influence their readers with obvious bias. How else can you have one newspaper portray Martin as an innocent kid who was attack and killed when another reports that Martin attacked Zimmerman first?

Now “civil rights activists” are muddying up the investigation even more by trying to push the Justice Department to charge Zimmerman with a hate crime, when the only evidence they can provide is that he may or may not have muttered a racial slur while on the phone with 911. Now, the police are having an even more difficult time trying to uncover all of the facts in this cloudy case simply because people from all over the country think they know more about what went on and are trying to force their beliefs to become truths.

Now, instead of having a tragic incident that resulted in the death of a young man, whether right or wrong, we have a media frenzy. With the media spinning every new piece of information or update to fit their personal agendas, it’s impossible to know the truth of what happened that fateful night.

Friday, March 23, 2012

The Host Movie Trailer Revealed


Following in the wake of The Hunger Games, Open Road Films released the trailer for the upcoming film, The Host. The Host is based off a book of the same name written by bestselling author Stephenie Meyer.  The movie is still being filmed and is slated for a 2013 release.

While it doesn’t feature the vampires and werewolves Meyer’s bestselling series Twilight, it does a feature a similar love triangle with a fantasy twist. According to Wikipedia, “Alien beings from another planet have invaded the earth and have begun to take over the bodies and minds of humans. Melanie Stryder's body has been inhabited by one of the "souls" named Wanderer, but she refuses to fade away.

The movie will star Saoirse Ronan as Melanie Stryder, Max Irons as Jared Howe, and Jake Abel as Ian O’Shea. The film will be directed by Andrew Niccol. The film will be distributed by Open Roads Films and is currently expected to release in theaters on March 29, 2013, a little over a year from now. The film will follow only months after the final chapter of the Twilight film franchise - Breaking Dawn Part 2.

One can only wonder if The Host will see as much popularity at Meyer’s Twilight series did. Will it turn into a major success for the author, as the book did? Or will it turn out to be a major flop? What do you think? Do you have high expectation for The Host or do you expect it to be another poorly executed movie adaption? Let us know in the comments!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Erika Van Pelt Booted from American Idol

Some fans were shocked this week when Erika Van Pelt was booted off of American Idol. This news follows her decision to act on the advice of guest stylist, Tommy Hilfiger. So instead of her long blond hair, she debuted a short, black bob.

Many fans had expected contestant Heejun Han to be the one kicked off the reality singing show. Especially after he mocked Billy Joel’s song “My Life” in what some are calling a “campy joke.” This had visibly offended  judge Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.

Though she wasn’t one of the more popular singers on the show, despite her being a strong vocalist, it still shocked many to see her heading home. However, when the votes were tallied, she was one of the bottom three, along with Han and DeAndre Brackensick. Out of the three Brackensick received the most votes, getting declared safe first. He was followed in votes by Han, and lastly, followed by Pelt, resulting in Pelt getting sent home.

Also in this episode of American Idol, judge Steven Tyler received a surprise Happy Birthday. Joe Perry played “Happy Birthday” for Tyler on the guitar. Steven Tyler will turn 64 on Monday. Perry has criticized Tyler in the past for his decision to be a judge on American Idol, but perhaps this surprise performance means their relationship is on the mends.

What do you think about Erick Van Pelt being kicked off? Do you think Steven Tyler and Joe Perry have made amends? Leave a comment below and let us know your opinion on the matter!