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13 Jun 2011 13:31

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Music: Clarence Clemons hospitalized after massive stroke

  • The beloved saxophonist of the E Street Band has had two brain surgeries since the stroke, and initially suffered paralysis on his left side, but he’s able to move his left hand now and his condition is still improving. Over the past few years, Clemons hasn’t had the best health — he’s had surgery on his hips, knees and back. Despite that, he has yet to miss a concert because he’s so passionate about making people happy. Recently, Clemons guested on Lady Gaga’s new album “Born this Way.” Here’s hoping he gets better and gets back to what so many people love him for — making music. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jun 2011 11:21

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Biz: Apple Store worker really wants unions for some reason

  • what Cory Moll, a part-time Apple Store employee in San Francisco, has come forward with his plan to push for unions for the company’s 30,000 retail employees at 325 retail stores worldwide. Moll started a Web site for his campaign, which, from our vantage point, is currently down (we linked a cached version).
  • why Moll says that the big problems on his end are wages and benefits. He says he makes $14 an hour in a city where the minimum wage is nearly $10 an hour. “Right now what I hope to gain is to get people to start talking about it and get comfortable with it,” he says. Do you guys think he’ll win? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jun 2011 10:49

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World: That “A Gay Girl in Damascus” hoax enrages Syrian activists

  • I say shame on you!!! There are bloggers in Syria who are trying as hard as they can to report news and stories from the country. We have to deal with more difficulties than you can imagine. What you have done has harmed many, put us all in danger, and made us fearful about (pursuing) our…activism. Your apology is not accepted, since I have myself started to investigate Amina’s arrest. I could have put myself in a grave danger inquiring about a fictitious figure.
  • GayMiddleEast Damascus blogger Sami Hamwi (who works under a pseudonym) • Expressing rage over the finding that the blogger behind “A Gay Girl in Damascus” was actually a middle-aged dude from the States. Tom MacMaster says that he used the pseudonym to focus the attention not on the person writing the blog, but on the information itself. Good to see that one worked out for you. Now you’ve instilled doubt into every true story that’s out there. Nobody would’ve been upset had you admitted you were just a middle-aged white guy who felt the political situation in Syria was worth keeping an eye on. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jun 2011 10:47

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World: Syria retakes Jisr al-Shoughour, leading to huge influx of refugees

More than 5,000 Syrians are reportedly in this tent camp in Boynuyogun, Turkey after fleeing the northern town. Tens of thousands more apparently are trying to flee the country. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jun 2011 20:31

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Culture: Bill Gates explains his philosophy on philanthropy

  • The motto of the foundation is that every life has equal value. There are more people dying of malaria than any specific cancer. When you die of malaria aged three it’s different from being in your seventies, when you might die of a heart attack or you might die of cancer. And the world is putting massive amounts into cancer, so my wealth would have had a meaningless impact on that.
  • Bill Gates • Discussing his philanthropy organization, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and why it chooses to focus on malaria over cancer. Gates, the world’s second-richest man, doesn’t give a lot of interviews, but when he does, he makes them count. In this Daily Mail piece, he avoids focusing too much on his past and more on what he’s doing now — working to ensure his money gets used in ways that can positively affect people’s lives. His 85-year-old dad even helps. And he doesn’t do it from a distance, either: “It is important to see places. When you go into a ward with kids who have cholera, it’s horrific. They are losing their vital fluids and their brains are shutting down. As a father, as a human, it’s just horrific.” Gates’ work as a philanthropist could one day overshadow his work with Microsoft. It’s that important. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jun 2011 11:53

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U.S.: Woman optimistic for better life after face transplant

  • Charla hated to have her picture taken. Any family gathering, she’d disappear. She doesn’t want to be the center of attention ever, you know. That’s why she wants this. She’s so happy about getting a face, so people won’t say, ‘Look at that lady with the veil.’
  • Charla Nash’s sister-in-law, Kate • Describing the hope that Charla has for her new face. The woman, 57, was mauled by a neighbor’s pet chimpanzee two years ago. She lost most of her face, including her eyes, along with her hands. She received a full face and hand transplant last month, and while the hands didn’t take, her face did, and she’s optimistic about being able to eat normal food again, as well as go out in public without concern over her appearance. “It will certainly help her tremendously to feel human again,” said Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, who led the surgical team behind the third face transplant in U.S. history. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jun 2011 11:33

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U.S.: In honor of this Gabrielle Giffords photo, today is good news day

  • Yeah, we know there are updates to the Anthony Weiner story. Also, the IMF got hacked pretty badly. Syrian rebels are still struggling for democracy. And Tracy Morgan is a homophobic idiot. But those stories will be here tomorrow. Just look into this woman’s eyes. She dealt with the worst non-natural-disaster news story of the year — a senseless tragedy that could have been prevented if Arizona had stricter mental health laws — and she’s able to smile that wide. She has a long way to go, but with a smile like that, you get a feeling it’s all going to be OK. So with that euphoric feeling in mind, we’re going to focus on covering optimistic stories today. If Bin Laden dies again, we’ll have to switch back, sadly, but there’s just something about not fighting this moment we need to grasp onto. We hope you understand, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

11 Jun 2011 18:36

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World: International Monetary Fund hacked; extent of attack unknown

  • We had an incident. We’re investigating it and the fund is completely functional.
  • IMF spokesman David Hawley • Revealing that the International Monetary Fund had in fact been hacked. The fund is important — it holds sensitive financial data for roughly 187 member nations, so of course it’s at least of some concern. And the software used to attack the IMF was reportedly unique. “This isn’t malware you’ve seen before,” notes Tom Kellermann, a cybersecurity analyst who had to deal with similar stuff during his time with the World Bank. That said, even if it was in fact a serious attack, it probably won’t be the worst situation the IMF has had to deal with in the past month. We’re sure this one takes the cake. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jun 2011 13:50

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World: U.S. embassy bombing suspect Fazul Abdullah Mohammed killed

  • There was reportedly a $5 million bounty on his head. Mohammed, the main suspect in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings which killed more than 220 and injured over 5,000, was reportedly killed in Somalia on Wednesday. “We have received that communication from authorities in Somalia. We have been told that there were two terrorists who were killed in Somalia on Wednesday last week,” said Kenyan Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed the death, saying it was a “just end for a terrorist who brought so much death and pain to so many innocents.” The 38-year-old was reportedly in charge of al-Qaeda’s operations for the entirety of East Africa, so this was kind of a big one. Actually, you know what? This year has been full of huge losses for al-Qaeda. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jun 2011 11:21

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Politics: Weinergate: Story somehow centers upon teenage Delaware girl

  • They were made aware of an alleged contact between Congressman Anthony Weiner and an area teen. The teen has been interviewed and disclosed no information regarding any criminal activity.
  • New Castle County Officer Tracey Duffy • Describing what happened when the New Castle police department interviewed a teenager who talked to Anthony Weiner via Twitter. While the consensus — from the teen, her family, the police department and  Weiner himself — seems to be that the conversation was innocuous, the fear is that he actually said something really creepy to a teen, in a Mark Foley sense. But, in case you needed proof that this is a media circus, we’d like to pull this sentence from the story: “A shirtless man approached reporters standing outside the family’s house and began threatening them with an ax. New Castle County police took the man into custody.” Good God, really? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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