• An earlier version of this post said that Groupon dropped their sponsorship of “Celebrity Apprentice.” That’s half-true. The company will no longer allow their ads to show up on the Apprentice Web site. However, they never actively sponsored them, but instead showed up on the site thanks to Google and other ad networks. So, while ThinkProgress (30,000 followers), did throw the tweet to the company (35,000 followers), and Groupon did agree to it, it’s something of a misnomer. They agreed to “dump Trump” … if Trump happens to be in the same room as Groupon. But he isn’t right now. Still, there are examples of this technique being used against sponsors, including:

• left A 2009 YouTube clip put brand logos on Glenn Beck’s head as he said offensive things. The clip was so effective that Beck lost most of his advertisers.
• right Last week, Wonkette removed a story that mocked Trig Palin’s birthday after an online campaign went after the site’s advertisers; many dropped their ads. source

(via BrooklynMutt; photo originally by Gage Skidmore)

• Armadillos may be able to give humans leprosy. Emphasis on the “may,” but the evidence is extremely compelling. The Armadillo has long been known to be a leprosy carrier, but it wasn’t thought that cross-species infection was a concern until recently. Researchers found that a substantial amount of people with leprosy in the American deep south had been infected near their homes, and that other humans or armadillos were the only known sources in those areas. Further, some of the people afflicted had handled armadillos prior to the contraction. source

• A frightful video: The internet has been deluged with amateur footage of violent tornadoes in recent days. This one’s became pretty popular through Twitter, and has been making the rounds elsewhere since. It was posted by Clay Hasenfuss, who shot this video out the third story window of his apartment. Wow. Please stay safe, everyone. source

• The carnage in context: Obviously, it’s tough to quantify the costs in property damage, land damage, and the hideous trauma that has been thrust upon so many, and in the case of the trauma it’ll probably never be. That said, in terms of the most irreversible damage done, lives lost, we at least know this much — this was a big one by America’s standards. With the death-toll grimly ticking upwards as hours roll by, this will be at least the 7th largest loss of life by storm in American history, and that could easily change in the following days. Our thoughts are with them. (photo by Dusty Compton, from the Tuscaloosa News’ photo gallery) source

• Alabama Nuclear Plant safely shut down: In the midst of the destruction caused by tornadoes (which as we mentioned earlier, have a minimum confirmed death-toll of 214 people), here’s something, albeit remote, to make you maybe feel a smidge better about crisis preparedness; namely, the Browns Ferry Nuclear Facility in Huntsville, Alabama, was safely handled after a power failure. When the storms knocked out primary power, the plant’s batteries and diesel generators still worked, and the plant safely shut down. It may just be everything going according to plan, but in times like these, even that can be a comfort. source

• 13.3% of Chinese citizens are over 60, a 3% rise over the last decade, and a bad sign for the government — it’s hard to run a manufacturing economy with such an aged population
• 16.6% of Chinese citizens are under 14, outpacing the elderly in the strictest sense, but in reality a very worrisome sign for China’s long-term economic and societal health source

• » And the youth of China knows it, too: Said Zheng Aiwen, a 22-year-old student: “As soon as I saw the census results, I thought I have to hurry up and get married and have children, two if possible. I am quite worried about the economic pressure of caring for my parents and also about not being supported myself in my old age.” Despite this worrisome trend, the Chinese government won’t lift their one child per family policy, at least not yet — officials claim it has prevented about 400 million additional citizens, even as its biggest practical flaw (setting aside the deeply unpleasant moral breach most Westerners would view it as) seems to be coming home to roost.

• problem Painkiller addiction is a big problem in America. The CDC says in 2007, around 12,000 people died of opioid overdose. There’s an environmental cost as well; unused drugs are often flushed down the toilet into water systems.
• solution? Police departments and the DEA are trying to combat this with “National Take Back Day” this April 30th, wherein you can safely, cleanly unload unwanted prescription drugs at a number of sites, searchable here. source

• It’s like Oprah, the brand, is dying: Back in 2008, Oprah Winfrey opened up a store dedicated to all things Oprah. It had an online component and even a few airport kiosks around Chicagoland. That’s all going away, along with the show that berthed them, at the end of May. “We’re ceasing retail operations as we shift our focus to our core business of television production,” said spokesman Don Halcombe, who noted that the store was meant as a way for Oprah fans to “take home a piece of that experience.” Buy your Oprah crap soon, guys! source

• 69% quarterly profit increase for ExxonMobil source

• » And yet you’re paying $4 a gallon for gas: The world’s most iconic oil company scored $10.65 billion in profits for the quarter, which is at least in part due to the fact that oil is currently over $100 a barrel. While the company had other factors in play, other companies are getting same the oil-price bump: Shell, for example, had a 30 percent leap in profits. Maybe we’re crazy here or something, but … isn’t there a point where you hand these profits down to the consumer? You can afford it.

• Actually, I was zoomed out to try to get the whole tornado, and I still couldn’t catch it, the whole thing. I mean, we were probably maybe 200 to 300 yards away from it.
• University of Alabama employee Christopher England • Describing how he was able to get this video — you know the one, the one with the heavy breathing. England, speaking from one of the now-greatly-damaged areas he filmed, was in one of the strongest, safest buildings in the entire region — Coleman Coliseum, the campus’ men’s basketball complex — while filming the clip. England filmed for a minute and a half before things got too dangerous and he fleed for safety. Speaking of being near the destruction, he noted: “It’s kind of surreal to be down here now and kind of seeing it, because this is the first time I’ve seen it.”  source