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31 May 2011 21:52

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Music: Yay awesome! Coachella expands into a multi-week endeavor

  • 2 weekends of hot, sweaty people dancing to tunes in the desert source
  • » The lineups stay the same, though: The Coachella fest, which has earned itself many imitators since it started in 1999 (including a retooled Lollapalooza!), will offer music fans options for the next festival go-around. They pretty much need to: This year’s event sold out in six days, despite the fact that over 90,000 people bought tickets. The bands will sign on for two weekends, not just one, so don’t worry about missing anyone.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 21:19

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U.S.: Company involved in deadly bus crash barred from operating

  • Inside this bus, which crashed in Virginia this morning, were dozens of people — 58 to be exact. Four of those people were killed. Most of the others suffered severe injuries and had to go to local hospitals. This is despite the fact that Sky Express, which operates throughout the Southeast and mostly takes people to New York City, had been cited for numerous safety violations in the past — particularly driver fatigue, which was part of the reason for this morning’s crash. (Vehicle maintenance issues were also an issue.) Now the regulatory body that follows bus companies like Sky Express, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has issued an out-of-service order barring SkyExpress from interstate travel. Bus services like these can be sketchy — but some of them are quite good. It’s good to know that one of the bad ones is off the road until they can get their act together. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 19:09

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Politics: Blagojevich defense: Prosecution is “making faces” (no really)

  • We just ask that they stop making faces while he’s testifying.
  • Lauren Kaeseberg, defense attorney for Rod Blagojevich • Complaining to the presiding Judge James Zagel that the prosecution team was making faces and having animated discussions during the testimony of ex-Governor Blagojevich. The defense’s argument would seem to be that the prosecution, who directly face the jury, might be swaying opinions with their reactions. Prosecuting attorney Reid Schar said he’d be mindful of it, but that he didn’t believe they had been making any unusual faces during the testimony — Judge Zagel, similarly, agreed to “watch the government very carefully,” but said he didn’t notice anything. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 17:23

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World: Smokers of the world, quit! Today is “World No Tobacco Day”

  • Never a bad time: The new, concerning report on cell phone use isn’t the only place you’ll hear the word “carcinogenic” being used today; May 31st is World No Tobacco Day, a cause that could probably benefit from a slightly less clunky title. The World Health Organization estimates that some 6 million people die each year from tobacco-related illness. Anti-smoking measures within the U.S. have blossomed over the last decade, with smoking bans in public places, restaurants, and bars becoming more and more prevalent across the states — check here for a list of smoking bans applicable in your area. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 16:54

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U.S.: Wisconsin board approves recalls against GOP, but not Dems

  • six Wisconsin GOP Senators will face recall elections, following Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board (GAB) approving the signatures collected by Democratic activists
  • three Wisconsin Democratic Senators may or may not face recall elections, as the same GAB stated that they’re not ready to approve the signatures collected by GOP activists source
  • » So, what’s going on here? Basically, the GAB’s decision means they believe the signatures collected by Democrats, in the aftermath of Gov. Scott Walker’s nationally spotlighted union-busting effort, are legitimate. The Republican signatures, however, “have raised numerous factual and legal issues which need to be investigated and analyzed,” the board says. This is likely to ignite a firestorm of accusations about political bias, favoritism and so forth — the Democrats likely see this as a major boon, as they’ve argued fraud on the GOP’s petitions. We’re inclined to sit tight and see how this plays out, but today’s events, suffice to say, don’t favor the Wisconsin GOP.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 16:33

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World: Egyptian general says female protesters got “virginity checks”

  • “Not like your daughter or mine”: An Egyptian general, speaking on condition of anonymity, has alleged a heinous violation of the women of Egypt, though he doesn’t see it that way. The general admitted that during protests on March 9th, the military performed “virginity checks” on women. The reason? “We didn’t want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren’t virgins in the first place. None of them were.” It goes without saying that this rationale is nonsensical, disgusting, and beneath the contempt of a modern civil society. General Mamdouh Shaheen has denied these charges. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 15:46

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Tech: Slimdown: Intel puts laptops on diets to compete with Apple

  • Intel has plans to release a computer to compete with the Macbook Air and the iPad. The new computer — called an Ultrabook — would be extremely thin and have tablet-like features. It’d also be less than $1,000. The Ultrabook is a lot like the Macbook Air, so it’ll be interesting to see how well it can compete. It’s interesting to note that Intel hasn’t been so lucky with things like this in the past, though. A few years ago they tried something similar called an Ultra-Low Voltage notebook and it failed to catch on. But if Mac can do it, why can’t they? source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 May 2011 14:30

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Tech: Expectations for jetpacks soar to new heights

  • Jetpacks won’t be a thing of the future for much longer. Some people at the Martin Aircraft Company have been working on a jetpack that could be yours for the low, low price of $100,000. In this video, they’re working out a very important problem in the design – what happens if the engine fails 5,000 feet above the ground? Now there’s a parachute that can save you. From the looks of things, we’ll be living like the Jetsons in no time at all and traffic jams will be a thing of the past. Or you’ll run into your neighbor a lot more — and it might hurt a lot. One of the two. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 13:55

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Tech: Yeah, that’s scary: WHO calls cell phones “carcinogenic hazard”

  • The World Health Organization has a new study out that says cell phones are possibly carcinogenic to humans — they’re in the same class as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. They based their findings on a number of peer-reviewed studies on cell-phone safety. Long-term effects from cell phone radiation remain unknown, but research suggests that cell phone radiation is non-ionizing — similar to a very low-powered microwave. “What microwave radiation does in most simplistic terms is similar to what happens to food in microwaves, essentially cooking the brain,” notes Dr. Keith Black, who leads the neurology department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He notes that beyond brain cancer, this could also cause memory problems because we hold cell phones close to the memory temporal lobes. Looks like it’s time to break out the earbuds. (photo via ElvertBarnes‘ Flickr page) source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 May 2011 11:21

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World: Ratko Mladic loses extradition fight, visits his daughter’s grave

  • During the Bosnian War, Mladic’s daughter committed suicide. The former general, who faces war crimes charges for his role in the war, got the chance to visit Ana today. Mladic lost his fight against extradition to The Hague — which his lawyer fought, claiming that Mladic wasn’t in good enough health for travel and is too frail to stand trial. Once the judge signs the extradition order, expected today, he’ll be headed on a plane to face tribunal. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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