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11 Nov 2011 11:17

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Tech: Listen, let’s make a pact to not tell magicians about this, okay?

  • We really can hide objects. … We can switch for a short moment and make it disappear.
  • Ali Aliev, a physicist at the University of Texas at Dallas, about his “invisibility cloak” technology • Right now, the “cloak” is only as big as a few threads. Those threads are made of carbon nanotubes which light bends around when heat is applied to the strands. Aliev said that the technology could “easily hide large objects, such as military tankers” eventually. Anyone else get a tremor of terror when they read that? See it in action at the source — it’s pretty freaking crazy. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Nov 2011 11:13

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World: The world’s youngest island: Born kinda like a wittle baby!

  • More island for your buck: Due to recent underwater volcano activity, another Canary Island has been added to the chain. Islanders are already trying to think up names for the new piece of land, built from magma that spewed over 65 feet high. On Saturday, the area was hit by a 4.3-magnitude earthquake, which is when the underwater volcano started erupting. What would you name the new island? Does it have to be a bird? Tweety Island would be too obvious, right? source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Nov 2011 10:51

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U.S.: Mother of alleged Jerry Sandusky victim speaks out about incident

  • In an exclusive television interview with ABC News, the mother of “Victim 1,” one of eight victims named in the indictment that led to Jerry Sandusky‘s arrest, spoke about how she learned about what was happening. The son started by asking his mother how to look up information on sex offenders. “[I] proceeded to ask him if there was something he needed to tell me, if there was something going on … it wasn’t ’til a month later when he indicated he was uncomfortable with leaving the school with him, and [Sandusky] pulling him out of classes at school,” she said. The mother, whose name was withheld, said that her son had difficulty bringing up the incidents, and even after he did, the full thrust of what Sandusky did wasn’t made clear until the recent indictment was released. “I had said, ‘You know, maybe we should have come to this conclusion earlier — you should have told me,'” the mother said she told her son. “He was like, ‘Well, I didn’t know what to do … you just can’t tell Jerry no.'” Unbelievable. (Edit: As noted in comments below, the Patriot-News had an interview with this mother, and a second one, in print a couple of days ago. ABC News does call their interview “exclusive,” but it’s likely an exclusive TELEVISION interview.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 23:25

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World: Who will protect the rhinoceros, much less harness its power?

  • Some rhinos aren’t long for this world: “A lack of political support and willpower for conservation efforts in many rhino habitats, international organized crime groups targeting rhinos and increasing illegal demand for rhino horns and commercial poaching are the main threats faced by rhinos,” said the International Union for Conservation of Nature in their latest update to their list of endangered species with the Western Black Rhino of Africa. It is possible for endangered species to bounce back but not without effort and rehabilitation programs. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 23:14

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U.S.: Pennsylvania governor “disappointed” in Penn State officials

  • We need to protect children. We need to act. I’ve seen many instances where people have power and assume they are above the law.
  • Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett • Discussing the Penn State situation, which led to the forced exits of legendary football coach Joe Paterno and school president Graham Spanier. He said he was “disappointed” by the school officials. “Their actions caused me not to have confidence in their ability to lead,” said Corbett, who (as the state’s Attorney General) launched the investigation into suspected child molester Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State program back in 2009. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 15:16

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Politics: Rick Perry tries to overcome debate gaffe by flaunting it

  • Making weakness a strength: That would seem to be the strategy Rick Perry is employing to try to weather his absolutely excruciating brain-lock at last night’s presidential debate (if you haven’t watched it yet, you really should). His tact from the moment he got off the stage (with reports from the spin room that he acknowledged he’d “stepped in it,” and a similar Tweet) seems to suggest his damage control plan is light humor at his own expense, to hope “oops” becomes a humanizing moment. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 14:58

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World: Greece finally has its new Prime Minister

  • Papademos walks into a tumult: After days of chaotic political wrangling and general panic over Greece’s debt crisis (as well as the euro zone writ large, as Italy teeters on a dire edge), a new Prime Minister has been selected to replace the outgoing George Papandreau. The new man in charge is Lucas Papademos, the former VP of the European Central Bank. “The course will not be easy. But the problems, I’m convinced, will be solved. They will be solved faster, with a smaller cost and in an efficient way, if there is unity, agreement and prudence,” he said. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 14:34

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Culture: New Colonel Sanders recipe book discovered

  • This is a new kind of book. There’s never been another written like it as far as I know. It’s the story of a man’s life and the story of the food he’s cooked and eaten, running right along with it. … To me, my recipes are priceless.
  • Harland “Colonel” Sanders • In the introduction to a hitherto unknown manuscript penned by the Kentucky Fried Chicken honcho himself, which is full of down-home advice and plenty of his own recipes through the years. Absent is his most famous one — the fried chicken recipe that the KFC corporation claims to keep locked away in a vault somewhere (this new original manuscript is now in there as well, reportedly) — which is why KFC intends to release this Sanders cookbook for free download on their website. Worth remembering in assessing the Sanders culinary legacy is that he wasn’t so enamored with KFC after he sold his U.S. operations in the 60s’; he was sued by the company in 1974 for calling their gravy “sludge” with a “wallpaper taste.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 14:20

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U.S.: Richard Nixon’s grand jury testiomny on Watergate released

  • Happy Richard Nixon day! At least that may reflect the feelings of some journalists, historians, or really anybody with a passion for perusing formerly secret documents. The release today comes thanks to requests made by Stanley Kutler, a Watergate-era historian. He says he’s excited to read the testimony, since before the grand jury Nixon had none of his advisers or handlers to help him along — “Nixon unplugged,” as Kutler puts it. Though it’s already been reported that the testimony yields no new bombshells or admissions by Nixon, we still think this is pretty cool. You can read the files (PDF) through the source link, or download them directly from the Government Printing Office website. (photo via Flickr’s Hunter-Desportes) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2011 11:19

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World: Wilson Ramos: Washington Nationals catcher kidnapped in Venezuela

  • The vehicle was found, but Ramos is still missing: In a harrowing incident sure to bring attention the the spate of armed kidnappings in Venezuela, four armed kidnappers took Wilson Ramos, who just finished his rookie season with the Washington Nationals, from his home in Santa Ines. The 24-year-old is one of hundreds of people captured in recent years — including 619 in 2009 alone. It’s gotten to the point where the wealthy in the country — including baseball players, who take part in winter leagues — pay for security detail. “Every Major League player has his own security, but we don’t know if at that time he had his security there,” notes Domingo Alvarez, vice president of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Our thoughts are with Ramos, his family, and his team. (photo by Keith Allison on Flickr) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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