Edmonton/Alberta/Canada
- Fringe gets social media
“The Fringe gets it. They’re embracing social media. They want to be a part of the conversation and buzz happening off-site. Every social network might not work but at least they’re experimenting and believe it’s important to experiment. So while you’re attending the Fringe this year, know that there will also be a flurry of fun Fringe-activity happening online that enhances the Fringe experience. You should participate. Take part in the conversation! See you online!”
Social media has become an important part of all kinds of events! Buzzzzz. :) Love that the Fringe is on Pinterest!
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- Damage from July storms pegged at $100 million
“The weather story in Edmonton this summer has been a wet one. Flooded basements, hail-damaged cars and blackout-inducing thunderstorms have been a common trend. Now costs are beginning to trickle in. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), the storm that moved through the city on July 11 and 12, bringing with it rain, hail and high winds, is estimated to have cost more than $100 million.”
Eep.
- Police identify Edmonton’s most recent homicide victim
“Edmonton police have identified the victim and the cause of death in the city’s most recent homicide, a brazen shooting in the downtown area, in broad daylight… On Tuesday afternoon, Police identified the murder victim as Dale Maloney, 33. The Medical Examiner determined Maloney died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds.”
Poor guy.
- Striking workers at Revera Riverbend care facility to head back to work
“More than two months after about 80 workers took to the picket lines outside a Riverbend extended care facility, they will return to work. The province said Tuesday that the labour dispute between members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) and Revera Inc., the company that operates the Revera Retirement Living-Riverbend, has been referred to binding arbitration, and a Public Emergency Tribunal (PET). Because of the PET, the strike and lockout at the facility has ended – and workers are expected to return to work immediately.”
Hope the workers get a deal they’re happy with.
- No pipeline cash for B.C. from Alberta’s piece of the pie: Redford
“If the past month has been a cooling off period for B.C. and Alberta in the heated dispute over royalties from the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, relations may be turning downright icy. Alberta Premier Alison Redford was in Clark’s backyard Tuesday where she reiterated that she has not and will not be meeting with her B.C. counterpart to discuss any sharing of Alberta royalties from the proposed multibillion-dollar pipeline project. “She made her position very clear. Ours is very clear. Our position hasn’t changed,” Redford told reporters following a speech to the Canadian Bar Association.”
Awkward.
- Ford caught reading behind the wheel, police beg him to hire a driver
“Toronto police are pleading with Rob Ford to hire a driver after the mayor got in trouble behind the wheel again, this time for apparently reading while driving on the Gardiner Expressway. While Mr. Ford shrugged off the Tuesday morning incident as unavoidable for a “busy” chief magistrate, Toronto police used it as an excuse to join a chorus of friends and foes urging the mayor to employ an official driver.”
That is so bad!!
World
- Syrian PM who defected says Assad regime on verge of collapse
“The Syrian prime minister who defected said Tuesday that Bashar Assad’s regime was near collapse and urged other leaders to tip the scales and join the rebel side. The UN said an estimated 2.5 million Syrians have been injured, displaced or face problems securing food or other necessities, a sharp rise from about 1 million three months ago.”
Sigh.
- Iran says foreign help for quake area now welcome
“In a change of heart, Iran said Tuesday it now welcomes foreign aid for victims of the deadly twin earthquakes that hit the country’s northwest over the weekend. The remarks indicate authorities were still struggling to cope with the quakes’ aftermath. Critics charged they failed to react quickly enough to help the region along the borders with Azerbaijan and Armenia, where the 6.4 and 6.3 magnitude quakes Saturday killed 306 people and injured more than 3,000.”
We are at the mercy of Mother Nature – continually reminded.
- Saudi Arabia to build city exclusively for women
“Saudi Arabia, run by the world’s most repressive religious fundamentalist monarchs, has announced plans to construct a city exclusively for women.”
What…
- Obama calls Mars Curiosity rover team to congratulate them on successful landing
“Hailing NASA’s “mind-boggling” Mars landing of the Curiosity rover, President Barack Obama urged the scientists operating the craft on Monday to phone home immediately if they find any extra-terrestrials. “If in fact you do make contact with Martians, please let me know right away,” Obama told controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadenia, Calif. “I’ve got a lot of other things on my plate, but I suspect that that will go to the top of the list. Even if they’re just microbes, it will be pretty exciting.”"
Lol, hilarious!!
Health
- Cigarette use falls in US, as other tobacco smoking increases
“According to the CDC figures, cigarette use sales and consumption continues to decline, consumption of ‘pipe tobacco’ has steadily increased. While manufactured cigarette consumption has decreased by 2.5% between 2010 and 2011, pipe tobacco grew by almost five-fold between 2000 and 2011.”
Hmm.
- Couple’s therapy can help combat effects of PTSD: study
“A new study released Tuesday found that specialized couple’s therapy sessions may be one way to repair relationships devastated by the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from Toronto and Boston, looked at the effect couple’s therapy had on a relationship where one of the partners was suffering from PTSD.”
Talk it out~
- The downside of wearing skinny jeans
“Skinny jeans are like some hotels: no ballroom. “I have seen several cases of men who have twisted their testicles due to wearing jeans that are far too tight,” said Dr. Lyon. “Wearing tight-fitting clothing over a prolonged period of time can lead to urinary tract infections leading to over-activity of the bladder — a type of bladder weakness, as well as a low sperm count and fungal infections. “My advice would be to make sure you leave plenty of room around the groin area and that your pants and trousers feel comfortable so you’re not being restricted in any way. “Please don’t put style before health.””
Oh dear!
Technology/Social Media/Internet
- New Yelp site highlights your social connections
“Yelp has revamped its homepage to integrate more social elements into the user experience, the company announced on its blog today. Yelp is rolling out the new site over the next few weeks. The new interface means you will find it easier to access what your friends are yelping about. The new features includes a newsfeed of sorts that will show your friends’ activity on the site, including comments, check-ins, photos and tips. Users will also be able to comment on friends’ activity.”
I’ve never gotten into Yelp. Perhaps I should give it a second look.
- Twitter founders want to reinvent digital publishing – again
“Twitter founders Ev Williams and Biz Stone want to shake up the digital publishing world with their latest venture, Medium. The pair, who also worked together on Blogger, announced the new platform today… On the surface, Medium looks like a mashup between more traditional blogging services and user-curated collections. Users can choose to read, give feedback or write their own material. All posts are organized into collections, and these collections share the same theme and template. Readers who like a post can give it positive feedback, increasing the likelihood that others will see the post.”
Hmm!
- Your Klout score just changed, here’s why
“Your Klout score may have just changed, by a lot. Tuesday the company rolled out updated scores for all of its users and began pushing out an updated Klout interface that focuses not on your Klout score, but the individual posts that got you there.
“We went from about 100 variables that we were looking at to over 400,” Joe Fernandez, founder and CEO of Klout told Mashable. “We’re looking at a bunch of new stuff.” The service is looking at 12 billion data points per day across the seven social networks it looks at — 12 times more than it did previously. While things like your number of friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter still play a role in your overall score, Klout puts more weight on who those followers are and how you’re engaging with them.”
I was at 57 and now I’m at 61. (Just numbers, don’t have much meaning… but I always appreciate when people give me +K’s in stuff! ;)) I do like that they’ve categorized me as this though:
“You broadcast great content that spreads like wildfire. You are an essential information source in your industry. You have a large and diverse audience that values your content.”
Business/Work/Economy/Media
- Google summer intern devises new way to edit YouTube captions
“How did one Google intern spend his summer? Cooking up a new feature for YouTube users. In a “Diary of a Summer Intern” blog posted yesterday, Rio Akasaka described the feature for editing video captions. Instead of creating a brand new caption for your YouTube videos, you can now simply change the existing caption online. As an intern, Akasaka had help from a mentor, but he apparently played a leading role in designing the new feature. And as an associate product manager, he was responsible in large part for the project’s outcome. “My project required me to work with user experience designers to craft an intuitive workflow, coordinate efforts to ensure that engineering goes smoothly, and test the end features to make sure they work for users,” explained Akasaka, who worked in Google’s Tokyo offices. “To me, it felt like trying to be a concert conductor in a noisy field.”"
Good for him!!
- Groupon shares tank as analysts worry about daily deal fatigue
“Groupon’s stock is 27 per cent cheaper Tuesday, but that doesn’t make it a bargain. Its stock fell as analysts slashed targets and ratings on the online deals company after it reported its first-ever quarter-to-quarter decline in gross billings, a measure of how much money Groupon collects from customers. Groupon blamed the weak economy in Europe and unfavourable currency-exchange rates. But analysts pointed to a more troubling possibility: online deals fatigue.”
Online deals fatigue? I can see it!
- Postmedia sheds costs with shift to Hamilton
“Just a day after the Edmonton Journal said it would outsource the printing of the newspaper, The Gazette in Montreal said Tuesday that it would begin using centralized pages for its national and international coverage, and shrink to two sections. By the end of the month, all of its newspapers will use shared pages built in Hamilton for their non-local content in a bid to centralize story selection and editing – local editors currently select and edit the national and international stories that appear in their pages.”
Hm.
- Telus says Bell will control half the content on TV dial with Astral acquisition
“Bell would have too much control of English-language TV content and consumers would end up with higher prices if the telecom company is allowed to buy Astral Media, telecommunications competitor Telus (TSX:T) says. Bell could have a 49.5 per cent share of the English-language television audience with its purchase of Montreal-based Astral, along with its ownership in the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment TV assets, and its stake in joint venture assets such as Teletoon, Telus said Tuesday. “The bottom line is more concentration equals fewer choices and prices go up,” said Joe Natale, Telus’s chief commercial officer.”
Hmmm.
- Report: CNN looking at reality TV shows, stars amid ratings slump
“Will you start seeing reality television series and big name celebrities talking politics on CNN? The cable news network is looking to gain in the ratings once again after suffering its 20-year weekly low in primetime. The New York Post has learned that CNN executives are looking to give the No. 3 news network a slight revamp. It seems that they are generating ideas for reality TV series and stars from talent agencies and various producers, who have done work for Bravo, Discovery and History, during many conference calls.”
Intriguing.
- Mommy bloggers are gaining clout – and retailers are taking notice
“Mommy bloggers have become both the marketers and the marketplace. The almost 5,200 attendees of BlogHer12 were economically, socially and racially diverse. Half of them identify as parenting bloggers. They post about crafts, educational parenting, healthy eating, divorce, erotica, postpartum depression, raising kids with disabilities, being single moms by choice, gay moms, military moms. What they have in common is the desire to connect and talk about their lives in an online public sphere, and a membership in a demographic that politicians, celebrities and industries actively seek to woo. Elisa Camahort, co-founder of BlogHer, says today’s women dominate social media, influencing the purchasing, voting, health care and lifestyle choices of North American women.”
Mommy bloggers – they’re kind of a big deal! ;)
Environment/Space/Animals/Science
- 17ft Burmese python with 87 eggs found in Florida
“Officials at the Florida Museum of Natural History say they have recovered from the Everglades National Park a female Burmese python measuring 17 feet and 7 inches. The reptilian monster was found carrying 87 eggs in its body. According to a University of Florida News press release, scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History examined the internal anatomy of the 164.5-pound snake Friday. The animal was brought to the Museum from Everglades National Park as part of a long-term project with the U.S. Department of the Interior to investigate methods for controlling Florida’s invasive Burmese python population. A non-native animal species is said to be invasive if its population has a negative effect on native species or habitat and causes economic damage or threatens human health and safety.”
Interesting!
- Kangaroos escape German zoo after fox, wild boar digs hole under fence
“A kangaroo is on the lam in Germany after breaking out of a wildlife park, with a fox and a wild boar his suspected accomplices. Michael Hoffmann, assistant head of the Hochwildschutzpark Hunsrueck west of Frankfurt, said Monday the male kangaroo was one of three that escaped overnight Saturday with the inadvertent help of the menagerie that lives in the area woods.”
Meant to include this yesterday! Lol! So funny/weird.
- Pictures add to ‘truthiness’ of statements, new study finds
“A study by scientists in Canada and New Zealand has found that U.S. news satirist Stephen Colbert’s concept of “truthiness” — the idea that gut feelings frequently trump facts when people form their opinions — is a very real phenomenon, as demonstrated by experiments in which the mere placement of a “decorative” photograph alongside a false statement was often enough to persuade research subjects to believe it.”
Easily swayed, we are.
- Hotter weather could lead to parasite problems – at least for frogs
“Parasites, on the other hand, are happy to use your stomach itself as a food source and probably nest in your eyeballs. And with greater temperature shifts due to climate change, it’s possible that you’ll be more susceptible to parasitic invasion… It’s possible. But you should be most worried if you’re a frog. In other words: Climate change will almost certainly force organisms of all types to readjust how they interact in their ecosystems. Increased susceptibility to parasites is just one possible example, which one study of tropical frogs doesn’t exactly prove.”
:(
- Shark Week 2012: 5 days to help save our finned friends
“Though Shark Week has become somewhat sensationalized — replete with drinking games and hashtags such as #Chompdown — the Discovery Channel’s annual special also serves to bring one harsh reality out of the shadowy waters and onto dry land. Nearly one-third of shark species are at risk for extinction, and up to 73 million sharks are killed each year for their fins, Reuters reports. There are a number of ways that activists can step up during the Discovery Channel’s longest running programming event to make sure this fish sticks around for another 400 million years.”
Poor sharks. :(
Weird News, Other News, Good News & Fluff
- International Left-Handers Day: 10 percenters celebrate 20 years
“Why are some people born left-handed? Scientists are unsure of the reasoning, but left-handers around the world don’t seem to care and are rejoicing on the 20th annual International Left-Handers Day.
Forget the one percent. On Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, it’s all about the 10 percent. The 10 percent of left-handed people that is.”
Lol. Happy Left-handers day! (I’m right-handed).
- F-bomb landing in mainstream dictionary for first time
“It’s about freakin’ time. The term “F-bomb” surfaced in newspapers more than 20 years ago but will land Tuesday for the first time in the mainstream Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, along with sexting, flexitarian, obesogenic, energy drink and life coach. In all, the company picks about 100 additions for the 114-year-old dictionary’s annual update, gathering evidence of usage over several years in everything from media to the labels of beer bottles and boxes of frozen food.”
How hip of Merriam-Webster, lol.
- The physics of why cats always land on their feet
I actually watched all 6 minutes of this! (A feat, because I have video A.D.D., lol). Very interesting!!”
- Inside the rapidly growing world of cat fashion modeling
“Bookings of cat models for fashion editorials and ads has doubled over the past few years. And thanks to the recent rise fashion’s most famous cat, Choupette, the glamorization of cats probably won’t stop anytime soon.”
A little weird, lol.
- ‘Extinct’ sand cats born in Israel
“Four rare sand kittens have been born in a Tel Aviv zoo – after they were thought to be extinct in Israel. The first kittens of this breed to be born in Israel, the mother and father were brought in from Germany and Poland for the purpose of breeding.”
Sooooo precious!!!
- [Video]: Cat falls through ceiling during class
Lol oh man!
- [Video]: Jerk cat
“Teddy the cat is a jerk.”
LOL.
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