2 Firefighters Killed in 9 Alarm Boston Fire

Two firefighters were killed fighting a nine alarm fire in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday afternoon.

Strong winds, with gusts over forty miles per hour, helped push and spread the flames through a four story rowhouse.

According to officials, a group of firefighters became trapped in the building's basement, leading to the deaths and other injuries.

A total of eighteen people, including firefighters and residents were hospitalized, because of the fire.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the blaze.

The firefighters were later identified as Edward Walsh and Michael Kennedy.

North Korea Fires 2 Ballistic Missiles

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles, on Wednesday.

They were aimed off to the east, into the Sea of Japan, and flew about four hundred miles, making it two thirds of the way to Japan.

The launches came as the US joined Japan and South Korea in talks to discuss how to defend against any North Korean hostility.

By launching the missiles, North Korea once again violated UN Security Council resolutions.

It also follows a series of rocket, artillery, and smaller missile launches over the last few weeks while the US and South Korea were conducting joint naval exercises.

No warnings were announced before any of the launches, however only this latest launch came near shipping lanes.

Nodong missiles, which were used Wednesday, are capable of carrying nuclear payloads.

Review: Shakira.

Shakira's latest album, which is self titled, was released on Friday, and is already headed to greatness.

Of course not too difficult a job when the three singles already released from it have already made it into her top ten most listened songs, on Spotify.

Can't Remember to Forget You, which features Rihanna, is already solidly in second with over the thirty-one million listen mark, on Spotify, which is nearly double the amount her previous hit Hips Don't Lie has.

Empire and Nunca Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte are both around the million mark, putting them eighth and ninth on her list.

Blake Shelton and Magic are also featured on a song each, and Loca por Ti brings in a second song in Spanish.

As usual her album has songs with great rhythms, beats, and heartfelt lyrics.

You won't regret giving this album a listen or a purchase, it's filled with songs you'll enjoy if you've ever liked Shakira's music.

Death Toll in Washington up to 14 With 176 Missing

Fourteen people are now confirmed dead in Oso, Washington, after Sunday's mudslide.

The slide, which crossed the Stillaguamish River as well as a road, buried forty-nine houses in twenty feet of mud.

One hundred and seventy-six more people are missing, though officials say some of those may be duplicates.

Members of the National Guard, arrived Tuesday morning, to help in search efforts.

The efforts have been majorly hampered by the quick sand like mud, which has made it dangerous for crews to enter the area.

Shooting at Naval Station Norfolk Leaves 2 Dead in Virginia

Two people were killed late Monday night during a shooting at Naval Station Norfolk, in Virginia.

According to authorities, a civilian attempted to board the USS Mahan, a destroyer docked at Pier 1.

When the shore patrol attempted to remove him, a struggle ensued, and the man ended up with one of the security member's guns.

The man then shot a sailor, killing him, and then was in turn shot and killed by other members of the shore patrol.

Officials placed the base on lockdown, after incident, however it was reopened by Tuesday morning.

At this time, the identities of the sailor and civilian have not been released, nor has any motive yet been uncovered.

Washington Death Toll Rises to 8, with 108 Missing

The death toll from Saturday's mudslide, in Oso, Washington, has risen to eight.

Authorities also raised the missing count from eighteen to one hundred and eight.

So far, only eight survivors have been rescued.

Mud up to twenty feet deep buried the area, which included fifty-five homes.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by thick, quick sand like mud.

Concerns about the possibility of the Stillaguamish River flooding are also on the minds of officials, as rescue efforts renewed on Monday.

32 Injured in Chicago Train Derailment

Thirty-two people were injured, early Monday morning, when a train derailed, in Chicago, Illinois.

The train struck a platform at O'Hare International Airport.

It's front car went off the tracks and landed on a nearby escalator.

 None of the injuries are life threatening.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the train to jump it's tracks, though excessive speed is considered a likely factor.

Authorities suspended train service, on that part of the line, for twenty-four hours, for the investigation to take place.

Mudslide Leaves 4 Dead, 18 Missing in Washington

A massive mudslide swallowed entire houses, Saturday morning, in Oso, Washington.

Four people have been confirmed dead, eight were injured, and eighteen are still missing.

Mud up to twenty feet deep swept in a sudden rush trapping many people.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by thick, quick sand like mud.

Concerns about the possibility of the Stillaguamish River flooding are also on the minds of officials.

Turkey Shoots Down Jet From Syria

Two Turkish F16s engaged two Syrian jets, on Sunday, after they allegedly entered Turkish airspace.

One of the Syrian jets was shot down, with it's pilot safely ejecting and parachuting down into Syria.

The Turkish government says that it repeatedly warned they Syrian jets that they were approaching Turkish airspace.

After they had entered Turkish airspace they were given one last warning, and then shots were fired once they had gone beyond a kilometer into Turkey.

Syria's government has yet to comment on the incident.

Review: Divergent

Divergent is set in a dystopian future in a ruined Chicago after an unknown war that left the land and people desolated. The exposition leading to the meat of the movie is short, sweet, and to the point letting the viewer to know exactly where and when the story is taking place. I really enjoyed the explanations of the different factions which made this viewer think of which one he would belong to.

Shailene Woodley, who played Beatris or Tris as she later named herself, played the part wonderfully. Woodley's actions, expressions, physicality, and action is true to the character she portrays. Theo James, who was cast as Four, plays both tough and tender simultaneously beautifully. You couldn’t ask for a better performance. In addition, Jai Courtney, who is Eric in the filmm had the most perfect features both physically and acting wise to portray his character. The rest of the cast really rounded out the movie to be smooth and working well.

I was happy to see the heroine in this movie, compared to the other dystopian Young Adult genre movie(s) Hunger Games, not actually minding hurting or killing people. Equally impressive were scenes where females fought males. That is not really seen a lot in movies so it was a nice change of pace. Having not read the books, I didn’t know how this first film was supposed to end. I was happy it ended the way it did though.

There were a few drawbacks. Namely the cliche montage training scenes. Also, I felt there could have been a few times where the movie could have ended which would have made the viewer to come back to see how the rest of the story ended. Another thing that I wondered about was the level of violence and blood in a PG-13 movie. So, be wary of taking your young children to see this.

Overall, there was a great cohesiveness with how the film was made. It really felt complete and left nothing to wonderment save for how the next two movies will progress.

DISCLAIMER: The reviewer is from Chicago, so it may have made the movie more enjoyable.