We’re on day two of November, and despite daylight savings time, you may already be behind. That is, if you’re a writer. November is chock full of writing-themed challenges, most of which involve writing at breakneck speeds.
In response to NaNoWriMo, a group has declared November to be National Blog Posting Month as well. The challenge here? Post one time daily for the entire month of November. According to Twitter, the challenge is being met.
So, whether you’re interested in writing a novel or just getting your blog back in shape, you’ve got options. But, you better get cracking, the month is already 2 days old. So, here are some ideas to help get the creative juices flowing:
“Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, cooperation, and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking paying greater attention to the external world,” Forgas wrote.
You could go so many directions with this. First, it’s an interesting story to dissect based on the headline. The actual study offered some interesting details on the benefits of both positive and negative thinking, but then again, “Balancing positive and negative thinking boosts memory and creativity equally, study finds” is not a very compelling headline.
The 20 story tall ship, The Oasis of the Seas narrowly cleared the Great Belt Fixed Link while departing on it’s maiden voyage. This is really good news, and passengers should revel in this for a while. After all, the cruise is headed to Florida, which means it’s all downhill from here.
Go meta! Use November’s tribute to writing to pay tribute to another November dedication — sandwiches! November 3rd is the home of the oft-overlooked Sandwich Day. The good folks over at lemondrop have compiled a list of 16 sandwiches for their readers to vote on. A friend of mine has a published poem titled, “Ode to the Sandwich” which you can find in his book, The Date Fruit Elegies. Paying tribute to the art of food while making social commentary is possible, people!
In a total shocker, Ford has announced nearly $1 billion in profit during the 2nd quarter. The company is crediting cost cutting, but did cash for clunkers play a part?
On a sour note, President Obama has warned of more job losses looming in the future. I’m not sure about you, but now might be a good time to take advantage of November’s writing-centric themes. Just think, this could lead to selling your novel, or open the door to the next breakthrough blog that takes the Internet by storm.
We’re taking the challenge, and I’m going to get things rolling on my own personal blog as well. We’ll see how that goes.
We’re well into Tuesday, and the Current community has set their sights on a few choice stories. These recently submitted stories have quickly risen in popularity, so give them a read and feel free to join in on the discussion.
WARNING: THE PHOTO ACCOMPANYING THE LINK TO THE PUBLIC RECORD IS GRAPHIC. CLICK WITH CAUTION.
It’s no surprise that this story is picking up steam, considering the photo evidence accompanying it. Growing up in the wake of the Vietnam War, the real world use of Agent Orange seemed like the stuff of horror movies. The aftereffect of depleted uranium simultaneously reminds me of those days spent fearing Agent Orange, and trumps them in one fell swoop.
If this trend continues, I’m going to title this post the “shocking and revealing photos” edition of the top 5. Planet Green showcases the work of photographer Chris Jordan, who travelled to the Midway Islands to photograph decomposed bird bodies full of consumed plastic litter.
Jubal pulled this story from Univision.com, a group of orphaned children from the US were featured on the Cristina show. Cristina reports that based on ICE estimates roughly 5 million children born from illegal alien parents living in the US. Here is a link to the translated Univision story.
Our community always keeps us abreast of the latest in marijuana legislation (and more!). Gallup has released new data taken from a recent poll, which shows an unprecedented record number of supporters of the legalization and taxation of marijuana for recreational use in the US.
The poll clearly illustrates a generational and political divide on the issue, with 78 percent of self-described liberals saying they would like to see the drug legalized and 72 percent of self-described conservatives being opposed. Gallup also found that 50 percent of Americans under 50-years-old are in favor of legalization, but just 28 percent of seniors agree.
Perhaps the most important demographic to advocates of legalization are the moderate voters, among whom 51 percent now support ending prohibition.
Jose Saramago, who won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature, made the following statement yesterday:
“The Bible is a manual of bad morals (which) has a powerful influence on our culture and even our way of life. Without the Bible, we would be different, and probably better people”
Saramago made these remarks at a launch event for his new book, “Cain” — an ironic retelling of the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. The Roman Catholic Church has accused Saramago of pulling off a publicity stunt by criticizing a “cruel, jealous and unbearable God (who) exists only in our heads.” What do you think?
Nance was charged with possession with the intent to sell, and according to the AP report Agency director John Ledford calls it one of the largest mountain busts he can remember.
As you know, our community helps us find stories to feature on the Current.com homepage by submitting links, video clips, and voting/commenting on community submissions to increase popularity. We keep an eye on the discussions taking place on Current.com, and whenever one appears to be trending we feature it in Current Stories on the homepage.
Here’s a list of the top 5 discussions on Current.com right now, take a look.
The dollar is slumping, gold is on a steady rise, and Gulf states looking to replace the dollar as the currency for oil deals. Is an economic power shift on the horizon? [rawstory]
Zachary Christian is likely having a rough day, he’s facing 45 days of reform school for bringing his Cub Scout eating utensil to school. I’m not sure about you, but thinking back to my time as a six-year-old it was all my parents could do to keep me from bringing my cool new stuff to school. It didn’t matter that they could potentially get broken, the urge to show and tell was too great. I wonder what noted Eagle Scout, David Lynch, would have to say about this story? [boingboing]
And lastly, Current News online producer Andrew Fitzgerald posted this story on the Current News blog, and quite frankly I’m not surprised that it’s picked up steam.
“President Obama gave a speech at the dinner and promised (again) to end “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. It was an important night for Obama, who’s commitment to the gay rights movement has been in question lately.
So that was Saturday night and then Sunday there was the big march. And meanwhile online, people were pointing out that the speech Obama gave was more or less a recycled campaign speech.
And so not 24 hours after the speech came this from CNBC Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood who said the Obama Administration wasn’t worried about gay activists. He said:
“Barack Obama is doing well with 90% or more of Democrats so the White House views this opposition as really part of the Internet left fringe….For a sign of how seriously the White House does or doesn’t take this opposition, one adviser told me those bloggers need to take off the pajamas, get dressed, and realize that governing a closely divided country is complicated and difficult.”"
So what’s your take? Should approval rating factor in here? When is the right time to push forward on this issue? Weigh in here.[Current News Blog]
I’ve always been intrigued by stories about near-death “out of body” experiences. Thanks to the Journal of Palliative Medicine, there appears to be an explanation to the cause of these experiences.
“A study of seven terminally ill patients found identical surges in brain activity moments before death, providing what may be physiological evidence of “out of body” experiences reported by people who survive near-death ordeals.
Moments before death, the patients experienced a burst in brain wave activity, with the spikes occurring at the same time before death and at comparable intensity and duration.”
Fascinating news, but I wonder if the cause of death has any impact on whether or not these surges actually take place. Why do I ask? You don’t want to know. Let me know what you think here.
Speaking of death, thankfully the 3 US scientists sharing the Nobel Prize for medicine are doing so based on their work on aging and cancer. I once met someone who was more frightened of aging than disease. Which do you fear more? Here’s some info on the scientists:
“The prestigious award – and the 10m Swedish kronor (£818,000) prize money – is shared by Elizabeth Blackburn, 60, Carol Greider, 48, and Jack Szostak, 56. It is the first time the prize has honoured two women at once.”
“We’re building solar panels that you can drive on,” Brusaw says. “The fact that it’s generating power means it pays for itself over time, as opposed to asphalt.”
There are about 260,000 kilometers of roadway in the U.S. National Highway System alone, and thousands more in state highways, suburban thoroughfares and rural roads. Could all that asphalt be replaced with a solar technology that would also double as the nation’s power grid?
The key to making this work will be the glass: The solar road panel prototype is 1,024 modules—each containing a solar cell, a light-emitting diode and, someday, an ultracapacitor for storage—sandwiched between a layer of some yet-to-be developed glass and a layer of conducting material. “Nobody’s tried to drive on glass long-term,” Brusaw says.
Andrew is back in the top 5, yet again. This time, he’s clipped a story on clashes breaking out in Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians. Add to the conversation here.
It may be no surprise to some, but the price of gold has hit an all-time high of $1,043.77 per ounce. To give you some perspective, an ounce is roughly equal in weight to five US quarters. Adrian Ash of the UK gold brokerage Bullion Vault.com had this to say:
“Now a lot of investors are buying gold because they are concerned about the impact of higher inflation.”
Over on the Current News blog, Andrew posed the titular question in response to news that the White House asked the Tibetans to ‘postpone’ a meeting with the President. My take? I don’t know what you’re complaining about, Andrew. Obama’s decision to postpone his meeting with the Dalai Lama only opens the door for you to spend more time with his Holiness. What are you waiting for? Weigh in on this story here.
In a shocking change of pace, this legalization story is picking up some steam on Current.com, this time from a UK perspective (e.g. the source article comes to us from the BBC). These days California is either seen as a trailblazer (as this article points out, should we adopt a legalization plan to profit off the legal sale of the plant), or a ripe candidate for the title of “America’s first failed state.” Tell us what you think here.
F.D.I.C. Chairman Sheila Bair told the Institute of International Finance:
“I believe that the new regime should apply to all bank holding companies that are more than just shells and their affiliates regardless or not whether they are considered to be systemic risks.”
Bair’s comments are striking a chord with community members who are tired of the “rewarded failure” approach, but we want to hear your thoughts, too. Add to the conversation here.
Okay, I agree with all of the unjustified lawsuit claims on the basis that Woolworths and Apple couldn’t be further from each other. On an unrelated note, whenever I read word “Woolworths” I can’t help but think of John McConnell’s mispronunciation of the store’s name in the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou?, “And stay outta the Woolsworth!”
But, I have to say, if I were Woolworths I’d have to be loving this lawsuit. I mean, what better way to announce the five-and-dime’s return? Oh wait, this is an unaffiliated Australian supermarket named after the original Woolworths. Nevermind. WTF Apple? Let Apple know how off-base they are over here. jh6wcyrsf5
The first half of the day is coming to a close, but before you run off to grab lunch take a look at a few of the recently featured stories on Current.com.
The defections began when PG&E Chairman and CEO Peter Darbee sent a sharply worded two-page letter outlining why the privately owned utility, which provides gas and electricity to 15 million customers from Eureka to Bakersfield, is pulling out of the chamber, which represents 3 million large and small businesses across the country and has one of the most powerful lobbying operations in Washington.
Darbee, who has invited leading climate scientists to meet with PG&E’s board of directors in recent years, was particularly alarmed that the chamber recently requested a public “trial” to weigh the scientific evidence that global warming endangers human health.
“We find it dismaying that the Chamber neglects the indisputable fact that a decisive majority of experts have said the data on global warming are compelling and point to a threat that cannot be ignored,” Darbee wrote. “In our view, an intellectually honest argument over the best policy response to the challenges of climate change is one thing; disingenuous attempts to diminish or distort the reality of these challenges are quite another.”
The Washington Times has revealed that employee porn surfing is apparently out of control at the National Science Foundation. Here’s what you need to know:
6 out of 10 misconduct cases involve online pornography.
One Sr. Exec was found to have spent 331 days either viewing porn, or participating in XXX webchats with women via his computer.
The NSF received $6 billion in taxpayer funding in 2008.
Feel like chiming in about this? You can join the conversation on Current.com by clicking here.
A pretty nice list for today’s top 5 on current, so curl up to your lunch (or mid-afternoon snack if you’re on the East Coast), and give these stories a look. I’ve even included a bonus for those of you who make it all the way to #5.
Even with growing awareness around climate change, the US trails in awareness on a global scale. It looks like this may end up costing us:
“Nobody should dream of the possibility that numbers and targets for countries will be sealed in Copenhagen,” said Schellnhuber, one of the world’s foremost climate scientists. “If the US doesn’t move then nothing will happen.”
He added: “The US in a sense is climate illiterate. It is a deeper problem in the US, if you look at global polls about what the public knows about climate change. Even in Brazil and China, you have more people who know the problem, who think that deep cuts in emissions are needed.”
High in the hills of Kenya’s Mau forest, some 20,000 families are facing eviction from their farms – accused of contributing to an ecological disaster which has crippled the country.
The authorities are to start the process of removing them any day now. Farmers will be asked to surrender their title deeds for inspection.
If their documents are genuine, they have a chance of being resettled or compensated.
If not, they will simply be told to go.
“We are afraid. Not only me, but all of us here,” says Kipkorir Ngeno, a teacher and father of six, from a village known as “Sierra Leone”.
“They call us squatters – a very bad name. But this is my land. It is not illegal.”
Andrew Fitzgerald, online producer for Current News, posted on the blog about this disturbing story from Guinea about pro-democracy demonstrators who were killed in the streets by soldiers. He’s busy gathering more information on this story as it develops, and plans to have raw video footage up this afternoon.If you have anything to contribute, or just want to comment, please head over here.
Political signs seem to be frequently accompanied by misspellings and grammar mistakes. My theory is that people get so excited about expressing themselves that they overlook the simple gaffes made in their haste. Or, perhaps our illiteracy extends beyond mere climate change awareness.Read more here.
Facebook was the center of a stir yesterday when a user posted a poll asking other Facebook users, “Should Obama be killed?” The shocker is that 5% of the respondents actually said “yes” in response, before Facebook disabled the application used to create the poll. Now we are learning that the U.S. Secret Service is launching an investigation into the matter, in partnership with Facebook.Read more here.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the altered-for-the-trailer version of Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” is going to be included on the soundtrack. Thanks for pointing this out, richjm.
A user created the poll using a Facebook application on Sunday, and it was brought to wider attention earlier this morning. The optional responses pointed to the ongoing health care reform debate that is being widely discussed nationwide.
The site responded to the attention by disabling the application used to create the online poll. RAW STORY contacted Barry Schnitt, director of policy communications for Facebook, and he had this to say, “We’re following up [with] the developer to ensure the offending content has been removed and that they have better procedures in place going forward to monitor their user-generated content.”
We featured the original story on the Current.com homepage, and not surprisingly our community was pretty disgusted by the mere concept. Even more interesting is the results:
As of noon Monday, 90 percent of respondents had said “no.” Just over five percent said yes, 2.6 percent said maybe, and 1.9 percent said “if he cuts my health care.”
That even 5% of the respondents said “yes” is pretty surprising, and it prompted wayseeker to add:
“Could be another symptom of a cancer growing within our society perpetuated by the radical element of the conservative movement or it could be just a stupid childish prank. Let’s hope it’s the latter.”
* Special thanks to bansheewail for submitting this story to Current.com.
Medical marijuana has become big business in California and the drug is approved for a range of conditions and for “any other illness for which marijuana provides relief”. In these straitened financial times, booming sales and healthy tax revenues mean that full legalisation of cannabis may be just around the corner.Across California there are an estimated 2,100 dispensaries, co-operatives, wellness clinics and taxi delivery services in the sector known as “cannabusiness”. That is more than all the Starbucks, McDonald’s and 7-Eleven outlets in the state put together.
A citizens-science group is calling for children, adults, families, and educators to help native ladybugs.
During the past two decades as invasive look-alike ladybugs expanded their territories and pollution and habitat loss have crowded them out, species of Native ladybugs began vanishing and the invasive species began increasing. These include the multicolored Asian ladybug, checkerboard ladybug and the seven-spotted ladybug.
“This has happened very quickly and we don’t know how this shift happened, what impact it will have, and how we can prevent more native species from becoming so rare,” said John E. Losey, Cornell University entomologist.
Data can be truly eye-opening. Take a look at this visualization of McDonald’s locations across the United States, and take comfort (?) in knowing that the golden arches are always less than 145 miles away from wherever you are.
This map was created by Stephen Von Worley, who used location data on the 13,000 plus MickeyD’s locations along with some coding-fu to generate the above map. What we see is as expected, a network of the franchises largely following the freeway and highway system and increasing in density in proportion to the population density.
The Center for Community Change and the Reform Immigration FOR America
Campaign organized state-wide youth trainings in Colorado and Florida. This video takes an inside look at what happens at these trainings, it talks about what Comprehensive Immigration Reform is, and shows how the youth is organizing their communities to fight for C.I.R.
Personally, I’m a big fan of creative demonstrations. This sneak attack at an Oakland Whole Foods falls right into that category — complete with choreographed dancing and a backing band.
In case you’re not keeping up like some of us are, Whole Foods’ CEO, John Mackey, recently penned an op-ed in the WSJ in which he opined that, because he is able to provide private health insurance benefits for his (mostly young and w/o pre-existing conditions, like arthritis or CAD or osteoporosis) workforce, he is opposed to health-care reform that would make health-care a “right” in America.
He even (surprisingly) went so far as to call it “ObamaCare,” right in line with the nut-jobs who don’t want our government to mess with their MediCare.
