Good evening. This is Brian Garcia, and welcome to The SNoopy Network. Tonight, we bring you stories that span the globe, from surprising revelations about female chimpanzees to the grim toll of war in Gaza and the havoc caused by a powerful storm in Buenos Aires.

 In a groundbreaking study, researchers have discovered that female chimpanzees in an East African woodland undergo menopause, challenging established beliefs and raising intriguing questions about evolution. The study conducted in Uganda’s Ngogo community reveals that these chimpanzees not only experience a decline in fertility-related indicators after the age of 30 but also continue to live for decades post-reproduction. This unexpected finding has opened up new avenues for understanding the reproductive biology of nonhuman primates and emphasizes the shared genetic link between humans and chimpanzees.

Turning to the Middle East, more than 100 members of a Gaza clan have tragically lost their lives in the ongoing conflict. The war has taken a devastating toll on families, with this particular clan bearing a heavy burden. As the international community watches the situation in Gaza with growing concern, efforts for a ceasefire and diplomatic solutions intensify. Our hearts go out to those affected by this tragic loss, and we continue to monitor developments in the region.

Meanwhile, in South America, a powerful storm has wreaked havoc in Buenos Aires, claiming at least 13 lives. The storm brought heavy rain, strong winds, and flooding, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Emergency services are working tirelessly to assist those affected, and authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant. Our thoughts are with the people of Buenos Aires as they grapple with the aftermath of this devastating weather event.

Tonight, we’ve covered stories that remind us of the complexity of our world, from the surprising discoveries in the animal kingdom to the harsh realities faced by communities in conflict and the unpredictable forces of nature. As always, we’ll continue to bring you updates on these stories and more. Thank you for joining us on The Snoopy Network. Goodnight.

The article entitled ” The ICON OF ICON OF THE SEAS: LIONEL MESSI NAMED OFFICIAL ICON FOR ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S NEW VACATION”, Royal Caribbean International , stated Messi’s new role. This follows the recent announcement of Royal Caribbean and Inter Miami CF’s unprecedented partnership in which the cruise line is the Club’s Main Partner and Official Vacation Partner. United in the sense of leadership, passion and delivering unforgettable moments to fans and vacationers, Royal Caribbean and Inter Miami CF will also celebrate the arrival of Icon with the next phase of the partnership.

“I’m thrilled and honored to join the Royal Caribbean family to celebrate the arrival of the game-changing Icon of the Seas,” claimed Messi, Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of Icon.

Lionel Messi expressed excitement and honor in joining the Royal Caribbean family to celebrate the launch of the innovative Icon of the Seas. As the “Icon of Icon” for Royal Caribbean International, Messi highlighted the ship’s exceptional features designed for unforgettable family vacations. This announcement follows Royal Caribbean’s recent partnership with Inter Miami CF, where the cruise line became the Club’s Main Partner and Official Vacation Partner. Both Royal Caribbean and Inter Miami CF share a commitment to leadership, passion, and creating memorable experiences for fans and vacationers, with further details about the partnership’s next phase to be disclosed later.

When looking at an article under the PR website, I have noticed the attempt at image promotion and who’s writing these articles. Under this site, most of the articles are written and posted by the organizations themselves. In this case, the partnership with Royal Caribbean and Inter Miami is one that both parties benefit from in addition to throwing a name like Lionel Messi in the mix. Messi’s image looks good because he’s promoting a fun vacation experience while the cruise line gets a top influencer like Messi, who needs no introduction. These stories are similar to ones we read in class because they still follow the same structure and have leads.

Virtual Reality will soon take over the world as we know it.

In 2020, a relative of Morningside Student Brian Garcia, had  purchased a device called an Oculus. The Oculus is a virtual reality headset that is typically only used for gaming but also carries the standard VR presets. While Brian was using the Oculus, he found himself playing a first-person shooter with the use of two controllers in his hand while wearing the headset. While the experience was fun for Brian, one could notice his loss of real life balance and the visual fatigue he experienced after removing the headset. He had also claimed that he experienced slight motion sickness at the start but eventually got used to it. What is seen here are the effects that Virtual Reality can have on people without any real notice. Brian’s experience inside the virtual world was so deep that he lost his grasp of the real-life reality. With that, that leads us with the question of how powerful AI really is and how it is affecting our society as we know it. But what is the true meaning of Virtual Reality to begin with?

 Of course Chatgpt has been the most well known driving force at the moment but what is currently trending within our society is the machine learning previously referred to as  Virtual Reality. Right now there are many devices out there that one can choose to purchase at a heavy price but what is Virtual Reality? What does it mean? In 1987, Jaron Lanier coined the term “virtual reality” and played a significant role in advancing the emerging VR industry through his research and engineering contributions.

Early VR research and technology development in the United States were closely connected by a common theme—the involvement of the federal government, notably the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. These agencies funded projects at university-based research laboratories, cultivating a skilled workforce in areas like computer graphics, simulation, and networked environments. This collaboration fostered strong connections between academic, military, and commercial endeavors. Today, VR is the use of computer modeling and simulation that enables a person to interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) visual or other sensory environment. What this means is that a user can essentially use VR to escape the real world reality to go and do whatever they want. 

Wyatt Reitmeier, a student at Morningside, was asked for his opinion on the current VR trend and whether he thinks it is a good or bad thing to take advantage of. “Personally I have never used any VR devices but I have seen many videos and it looks very cool but I’d still never try it. I feel like if I try it, I might get addicted to it and it’ll mess me up”, Wyatt stated.

Addiction is something that is very common when it comes to technology but what we are looking at here in this case is much more dangerous than your average phone addiction. With VR, addiction can get so powerful to the point of real life neglect. One could be so tied up with a false world that they lose touch with reality and that can become a serious problem. Things like this can lead to losses of personality and relationships in the real world. Virtual reality can be useful and fun if used properly and responsibly but is it worth taking the chance? 

Morningside Baseball Player Luke Mar was asked for his opinion on the matter and was left up in the air. “I mean if you’re telling me that I can pay and watch an NBA game from home for a decent price through VR, then sign me up”, said Mar. VR has its quirks when it comes to opportunities. There are currently seats you can purchase at sports venues that allow the VR experience from whatever angle you choose to purchase. This is just some good that VR has to offer and if used properly, can be truly great.

Overall, Virtual Reality is something that has its ups and downs but is a generational opportunity for all. If used responsibly VR can take over the world and allow for much more fun experiences like never seen before but it will take some time to perfect. For as great as it is, it could also turn very dangerous for people that overuse it because of how powerful the experience is. The power is in our hands. 

Today our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those that were injured. Mall staff have indicated there is no credible evidence at this time that the explosion was anything other than an accident. During the investigation, a Mall Security Officer came out with his statement regarding the explosion that occurred. ” I had a glazer in my hand and the next thing you know the victims were dead. They were dead on sight and their bodies disintegrated. It was like when Thanos snapped his fingers”, stated the officer.

The explosion has caused major damage to stores at the mall such as Frisky Cream and the Movie Theatre with minor damage caused to Penny Dreadful. Danny, a Frisky Cream employee, has stated that he believes the incident was a terrorist attack as he heard screaming just before the explosion occurred.

The mall has stated that it will be closed at least into the weekend to secure the scene. Shoppers can look to shop online in the mean time as the situation clears.

Homer, the zoo’s oldest Polar bear, has passed away this morning inside the polar bear exhibit.

Homer was a Polar Bear who, according to zookeeper Sara N. Getty, was the zoo’s “very curious and playful Polar Bear” and had passed an hour after it’s feeding. The other two polar bears, Yukon and Mckenzie, have been taken away from the exhibit while the investigation is going on regarding the cause of Homer’s death.

Since 1895, Polar Bears have thrived at the zoo due to the unique and engaging exhibits. These exhibits have allowed the Polar Bears to engage in natural behaviors such as digging, hunting, and playing in their pool.

According to senior staff veterinarian Shanda Lear, “the results will not be available for several weeks”.

Within the next decade, it seems as though AI Technology will take over the world. Over the past couple years, AI Technologies have nearly doubled in usage and it raises the concern with how it will affect people. Of course Chatgpt has been the most well known driving force at the moment but another form of machine learning that gets used is Virtual Reality. Right now there are many devices out there that one can choose to purchase at a heavy price but what is Virtual Reality? What does it mean? In 1987, Jaron Lanier coined the term “virtual reality” and played a significant role in advancing the emerging VR industry through his research and engineering contributions. Early VR research and technology development in the United States were closely connected by a common theme—the involvement of the federal government, notably the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. These agencies funded projects at university-based research laboratories, cultivating a skilled workforce in areas like computer graphics, simulation, and networked environments. This collaboration fostered strong connections between academic, military, and commercial endeavors. Today, VR is the use of computer modeling and simulation that enables a person to interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) visual or other sensory environment. What this means is that a user can essentially use VR to escape the real world reality to go and do whatever they want. 

Anecdote: In 2020, a relative of Brian had  purchased a device called an Oculus. The Oculus is a virtual reality headset that is typically only used for gaming but also carries the standard VR presets. While Brian was using the Oculus, he found himself playing a first-person shooter with the use of two controllers in his hand while wearing the headset. While the experience was fun for Brian, one could notice his loss of real life balance and the visual fatigue he experience after removing the headset. He had also claimed that he experienced slight motion sickness at the start but eventually got used to it. 

The article entitled “Animal Ambassador: Bette Watters the Golden Retriever” is something that I would not consider news. News is something that is looked to as important or noteworthy and I believe that Bette the Golden Retriever as Animal Ambassador isn’t exactly news to us students.

The audience for this article would be students and families of Morningside as well as the animal loving community. I would say that the purpose of this article was to inform students that Bette is available for visit as some take great value in associating with fun-loving animals. I would also add that another purpose could be to give Morningside a more family friendly reputation.

Because Bette is a cute and fun dog, it gives Morningside a great look. Readers of this article will gain information regarding availability for visiting Bette in the Krone Center. I wouldn’t say that there is any true benefit to this story although I will say that it might put a smile on your face and give a warm feeling when seeing Bette. Morningside doesn’t exactly gain much from this article besides a smile. It is a fun and cute article intended towards students who value dogs like Bette and seek an opportunity to come meet Bette.

Today I got to try two different flavors of Necco Wafer candy. I honestly could not tell the difference in flavor but they were definitely chalky. They were thin circular bits that also gave a crunchy feel to them after biting down on them. I felt that no matter what color each one was, they tasted relatively the same and reminded me of this specific valentines day candy that I grew up enjoying. The aftertaste stained my mouth with Necco Wafer smell but it was worth the try.

My recent conversation occurred this morning following my normal routine. I usually tend to use the restroom, brush my teeth, put my contacts on, and get ready for the day. This morning was no different with the addition of a heavy conversation regarding something some sad news that our team found out yesterday.

This conversation occurred in the living room of our apartment and lasted about 15 minutes. I had this conversation with Luke, one of my roommates. Luke was still in his pajamas since he doesn’t have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and was planted on the couch while I was standing in the kitchen. The conversation was cut short since I had to go to class but was still meaningful.

During today’s ESPY Award ceremony, winner Staurt Scott gave a heartwarming speech highlighting the importance of not giving up. Stuart Scott is a sportscaster for ESPN who is well known for his unique style and catchphrases.

In his speech he touched upon his current ongoing fight with cancer and how hard it has been to fight. With that being said, Scott mentions that he isn’t in the fight alone and that others are fighting for him. Scott states that “you beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live”. This powerful quote is something that hit the audience hard as it is a very inspirational outlook on such a hard fight.

Scott also goes on to talk about his strong love for his kids and that he was standing up on that stage because of them. Scott states “But Taelor and Sydni, I love you guys more than I will ever be able to express. You two are my heartbeat. I am standing on this stage here tonight because of you”, giving the viewers a very emotional and powerful moment to experience. Scott concludes his speech by asking his youngest daughter to come up and give him a hug while also thanking ESPN and wishing the world a good rest of their lives.