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04 Jan 2012 21:34

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World: Protesters in Syria mock Arab League monitors

  • Parody finds a place in Syria: In what would seem to be video taken from the Syrian city of Homs, one of the principle hotbeds of governmental violence against protesters and the general citizenry, a mocking performance of the Arab League’s recent monitors plays out. The final line, spoken by the rag-swaddled man representing the AL’s delegation: “There is nothing frightening in Homs.” This echoes the words of the delegation’s (highly criticized) leader, a Sudanese General named Mohammed al-Dabi, upon his visit to the devastated city. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 21:07

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Biz: Kodak may soon file for bankruptcy

  • The end of an era: According to sources reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Eastman Kodak company sits on the verge of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and is expected to file within the next couple weeks. Once a colossus in the world of film, advancements in digital technology inevitably hurt the company’s profits, straining an outdated business model; they’ve failed to turn a profit five of the last six years. Kodak employs about 19,000 people, and has heavy responsibilities to retirees — this is certainly not what the private sector job market needs right now. (Photo courtesy of alf sigaro) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 20:45

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Politics: Sen. John McCain endorses Mitt Romney for President

  • Not much of a shock, we admit. After all, it was last night that news broke that Senator John McCain, the GOP’s standard-bearer in the last presidential election, would be throwing his support behind Mitt Romney (who really hasn’t stopped campaigning for the top job since McCain beat him those years ago). You may recall that in 2008, McCain suffered somewhat for a strained and kind of awkward manner, and this video conjures those memories — he sounds like he’s really working hard to muster some enthusiasm in support of his old, bitter rival. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 20:37

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Tech: Scientists successfully invoke “temporal cloak” for a very short time

  • 50 trillionths of a second appeared to just “disappear” in a test source
  • » So, ever watch a TV show where the lead character breaks the fourth wall? Say, like “Malcolm in the Middle” or “Saved by the Bell”? They might even re-order things in time and space while talking to the audience. The other characters might be unaware of the gap in time created. Now imagine scientists doing that — with the help of lasers and special lenses called “time lenses.” The process, called “temporal cloaking,” is a bit more complex than that, and is a scientific novelty more than something the regular person can do something with at this point — but that doesn’t make it any less awesome-sounding. Hop over to the full article for a deeper explanation.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 20:05

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Biz: Yahoo tabs PayPal president Scott Thompson as new CEO

  • Yahoo picks the new boss: Scott Thompson, the president of eBay’s PayPal division, has been picked by Yahoo as its new CEO, replacing CFO Tim Morse who filled that role in an interim capacity. This marks the fourth CEO Yahoo has turned to in under five years; the company, once a giant in the world of search engines, has understandably suffered with the seemingly unstoppable ascendancy of Google over the past decade. Thompson faces a tall task — he’s being looked to, as chairman Roy Bostock said, “reignite innovation and drive growth” — this for a company that’s had a ton of trouble with both. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 16:08

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Biz: PayPal told dissatisfied buyer to destroy violin rather than return it

  • $2,500 violin destroyed, at PayPal’s behest source
  • » Bad policy, lazy practice? An eBay seller named Erica recently complained, in a letter to Regretsy, that her attempted sale of an antique violin ended with the violin smashed to pieces, apparently at the direct instruction of PayPal. The buyer had disputed the violin’s label, which Erica claims is common and matters little in the world of violins, and that it was “examined and authenticated” before being sold. That aside, PayPal declared the violin “counterfeit” and instructed the buyer to destroy it to receive his money back, which the buyer did. Meaning Erica came away with nothing: “…my main goal in writing to you is to prevent PayPal from ordering the destruction of violins and other antiquities that they know nothing about. It is beyond me why PayPal simply didn’t have the violin returned to me.”
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 15:09

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World: British researchers discover array of new sea life

  • Undersea majesty: Researchers have discovered a hitherto unknown group of sea creatures, living nearly 2,000 meters beneath the southern ocean near Antarctica. Displayed above are a new type of “yeti crab,” the stocky, white, thick-clawed little fellas, as well as a pale sort of octopus. Said researcher Alex Rogers, of Oxford University: “Hydrothermal vents are home to animals found nowhere else on the planet that get their energy not from the Sun but from breaking down chemicals, such as hydrogen sulphide. The first survey of these particular vents, in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, has revealed a hot, dark, ‘lost world’ in which whole communities of previously unknown marine organisms thrive.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 Jan 2012 14:21

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Culture: Pepsi Co.’s revolting legal defense in Mountain Dew case

  • Don’t do the Dew: An Illinois man is presently suing the Pepsi Company, claiming that as he was enjoying (as much as one is able) some Mountain Dew soda, he spat out a mouthful to reveal a dead mouse. In an effort to acquit themselves of this charge, Pepsi seems to be conceding a reality that strikes us, frankly, as a great deal grosser and more concerning than a mouse happening to get shuffled into the bottling process: they’re saying the mouse would have dissolved in the time it took for the soda to go from bottling to consumption. More specifically, they’re claiming it would have been reduced to a “jelly-like substance.” There are no words. (Photo courtesy of Repoort) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 10:51

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Politics: Obama: Forget Congress; Richard Cordray’s my consumer agency chief!

Obama named Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a recess appointment while Congress was out of town. Some feel Cordray’s stalled nomination was less about Congress’ dislike of Cordray but their hatred of Dodd-Frank. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2012 10:41

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Politics: Ron Paul says his Iowa Caucus success comes from youth vote focus

  • Republicans are going to be neglectful if they say: ‘Oh, you don’t need Independents, you don’t need the young people.’ That’s where the excitement is, and that’s where the changes are coming about.
  • Ron Paul • Speaking this morning on NBC’s Today Show in the wake of the Iowa Caucuses, which he placed third in — and despite the relatively tight race between Romney and Santorum, he was fairly close to the front of the pack. It was a solid enough result that he has no plans to quit the race. Paul’s strategy has long banked on the youth vote. “That’s how you would have to beat Obama, so I think that’s a very encouraging statistic,” he said. Paul will take a little break in Iowa, then head to New Hampshire. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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