Welcome to Tuesday, August 7 2012′s Clicks of the Day!
Clicks of the Day is a daily round up of news posted Sunday through Thursday with quantity and quality of content differing depending on how busy Linda’s day is.
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Edmonton/Alberta/Canada
- Local mom a finalist in Best Blogger contest
- Wife of man killed in west Edmonton crash shares shock, grief
- Police warn Edmontonians of online scam involving Justin Bieber tickets
- Heritage Festival reports record-high attendance
- Parents with sick kids can make EI claims: Harper
- FIFA considers action against Canada over referee comments
- Iran government offices logging off the Internet
- Swine flu, avian flu and… seal flu? Scientists give warning
- Poor sleeping habits hinder vaccinations
- Study links poor diet to lower IQ
- Amazon launches game studio and a Facebook social game
- Apple wants to buy Pinterest rival, The Fancy
- Twitter death rumour leads to spike in oil prices
- Inside Google’s New York City office: Why your workplace stinks
- Apple, Google bid millions on bankrupt Kodak’s patents: report
- Vietnamese bank issues fingerprint-enabled debit cards
- The New Yorker puts Instagram account in the hands of its photographers
- Digital Journalists landing more opportunities thanks to digital publishing and community experience
- Fracking poses risk to water systems, research suggests
- Hundreds of human bones found piled around skeleton in Aztec burial
- Retired Air Force colonel: 2 UFOs crashed at Roswell in ’47
- Mars rover Curiosity sends home first color photo
- Teachers may be helping the spread of invasive species, new survey suggests
- Fox, Marvel huddle as clock ticks on ‘Daredevil’
- NASA’s ‘mohawk guy’ hopes to inspire youth to pursue sciences
- Ellie May Challis and Oscar Pistorious ‘race’ in inspiring series of newly-discovered images
- Father’s letter disowning gay son goes viral online
- [Photos]: Athletes’ nail art at the 2012 London Olympics
- On spending, happiness and other parting thoughts
- Cat Olympics attract top feline athletes
- [Video]: Baby lion and baby tiger playing together
“The stay-at-home mother of two has a blog and a second website that earn her enough money so she doesn’t need your typical 9-5 job. But what’s really special about Landry is that come Wednesday, her blogging talents may end up making her $124,000 richer. Landry is in the final two of The BiLLe Lotto Best Blogger Canada contest. She finds out tomorrow whether or not she becomes the BiLLe’s new social media and blogging ambassador for a year. It’s a gig that includes a hefty $124,000 salary paid in monthly instalments and only requires her to work 20 hours per week, on her own schedule. Sounds like a pretty fantastic job.”
Oh I really hope she gets it!!!!
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“More than a day after a man in his 50s was struck and killed in a collision with a stolen vehicle in west Edmonton; his wife spoke to CTV News, and described the shock of her family’s sudden loss. “You think you’re going to spend the rest of your life with somebody,” Audrey Flynn said Tuesday, the day after her husband Lyle Rude, 52, died in a fatal crash on the west side.”
Such an unnecessary death. So sad.
“Edmonton police are issuing a warning to Justin Bieber fans about an online ticket scam ahead of the pop star’s highly anticipated concert set for October 15th at Rexall Place. Police say two fraudulent Bieber tickets were sold for $800 on Kijiji in Edmonton. Officers report it was a cash transaction and the buyer and seller met in person. Police say the scam is not unique to Edmonton, as there have been victims in other parts of Canada and abroad.”
Lol! Ohhhh dear. Sorry. But people shouldn’t be dropping that much for Justin Bieber tickets anyway.
“The day after the gates at Hawrelak Park closed for the last time for this year’s major cultural festival, organizers said early results are showing a massive spike in attendance… Organizers also said those hundreds of thousands of people bought more than three million food tickets.”
I hope to be part of the attendance numbers next year! (I also suggest Heritage Festival start on a Friday or be extended to Tuesday so people who work on the long weekend can attend, lol).
“Canadian parents caring for critically ill children will be eligible for a special Employment Insurance benefit under a proposed change announced Tuesday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Parents who have to take time off work to take care of a child suffering from a life-threatening illness or injury will be eligible for up to 35 weeks of the special benefit, Harper said at a news conference in Vancouver. The change is expected to affect approximately 6,000 families a year.”
Neato.
World
“FIFA is considering disciplinary action over blistering comments from the Canadian women’s soccer team about the refereeing of their semifinal loss to the United States at the London Olympics. FIFA says its disciplinary panel is “analyzing incidents that occurred after” Canada’s 4-3 defeat following extra time on Monday. Canadian forward Christine Sinclair, who scored all three goals, later said “the ref decided the result before the game started.”"
Absolutely ridiculous…
“Iran is planning to move the country’s key ministries away from the World Wide Web. Tehran states that the Internet is “untrustworthy” and the country is planning a domestic intranet. This action will be the first phase in a planned Iranian project, which would effectively replace the Internet with a domestic intranet.”
What the heck.
Health
“An emerging strain of influenza that’s killed seals off the New England coast may pose a future threat to humans and other wildlife, warns a new report.
The report, published on July 31 in the journal mBio, said the H3N8 virus caused a fatal outbreak of pneumonia in 162 New England harbour seals from September to December 2011. The researchers believe the virus may have evolved from a strain that is currently found in birds.”
Uh oh.
“A new study shows that poor sleeping habits prevent vaccines from working properly, or even at all, by slowing down the immune system’s ability to react to the vaccine.”
Sleep is important!!
“Young children fed a poor diet, such as candy and pop, may develop slightly lower IQs, a new study says.”
Hm. Who knew~
Technology/Social Media/Internet
“Amazon.com Inc. launched Amazon Game Studios, its first major foray into video game development, along with “Living Classics,” a social game for Facebook. The Seattle company announced the news Monday an email and on its website. “Amazon Game Studios is exactly what it sounds like: a new team at Amazon that’s focused on creating innovative, fun and well-crafted games,” the company said online. “Our first title, ‘Living Classics,’ is debuting on Facebook today.” Amazon did not give out much information about the new game studio, besides that it is hiring.”
Ooo!
“Apple is in talks to acquire The Fancy, a fast-growing social commerce site backed by cofounders of Twitter and Facebook, Business Insider has learned.
The objective: to secure a role for Apple in the growing e-commerce market, putting the 400 million-plus users with credit cards on file with Apple’s iTunes Store to work shopping—with Apple getting a cut of the action.”
I have never even heard of The Fancy, lol.
Business/Work/Economy/Media
“On Monday at 9:59 a.m. ET, a Twitter account claiming to represent Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev posted a tweet that eventually sparked a $1 price hike for crude-oil futures.”
The power. of. Twitter.
“As Google revamps its New York City headquarters, TIME takes a look at its quirky new digs, complete with office-lounge slides, subway-themed conference rooms and free food.”
Pretty sweet.
“Eastman Kodak, which is planning to auction 1,100 digital patents, received two bids from investor groups including Apple Inc and Google Inc of between $150 million and $250 million, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.”
Intriguing!
“Mekong Development has become the first bank in Vietnam to launch fingerprint authentication enabled debit cards. Fingerprints are captured by Mekong Development at the point of opening an account, and then can be used, instead of a pin, to access funds. Not only has Mekong’s account base tripled through the use of fingerprint technology since its launch in June, but the deposit balance per debit card account is two times higher than a regular account.”
Cool!
“Ever since Instagram began its meteoric rise into social media superstardom, companies have sought to use the photo sharing platform to promote their brands. The New Yorker magazine has spent the past six months using the service to broadcast images found in its issues. The photo sharing has been good, but not great, for the business: the @newyorkermag account only boasts about 2,500 followers. Seeing this, they’ve decided to try a new experiment: instead of having its public relations department handle photo sharing, they’re putting it directly in then hands of the photographers creating the images. Starting this month, the magazine is handing the account to its staff photographers, one at a time.”
Hmm, interesting!! :)
“With the rise of social media and communities such as Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram, news organizations and brands are facing increased pressure to find editorial talent who can work seamlessly in the fast-paced world of digital media. As content continues to go more digital, writers with experience in online publishing are finding job opportunities in an industry facing enormous change. Publishing communities are seeing a surge in growth because of their focused approach on breeding top talent and high-quality content.”
Cool. I love Digital Journal!
Environment/Space/Animals/Science
“A new scientific study of the risks associated with Hydraulic fracturing — or “fracking” — in the United States, found that current methods for wastewater disposal put drinking water at risk.”
Uh oh.
“Mexican archaeologists say they have found an unprecedented human burial in which the skeleton of a young woman is surrounded by piles of 1,789 human bones in Mexico City’s Templo Mayor. Researchers found the burial about five meters (15 feet) below the surface, next to the remains of what may have been a “sacred tree” at one edge of the plaza, the most sacred site of the Aztec capital. The National Institute of Anthropology and History said the find was the first of its kind, noting the Aztecs were not known to use mass sacrifice or the reburial of bones as the customary ways to accompany the interment of a member of the ruling class.”
Crazy.
“A retired US Air Force colonel who was in New Mexico at the time of the infamous 1947 Roswell incident claims that two unidentified flying objects crashed into the desert. Retired Lt. Col. Richard French, who had for many years denied the existence of any Roswell UFO, told the Huffington Post that “there were actually two crashes at Roswell.” “The first one was shot down by an experimental US airplane that was flying out of White Sands… and it shot what was effectively an electronic pulse-type weapon that disabled and took away all the controls of the UFO, and that’s why it crashed.” “When they hit it with that electromagnetic pulse– bingo!– there goes all their electronics and, consequently, the UFO was uncontrollable,” he added.”
Absolutely!! (I am a firm believer in extraterrestrial life and visitors from outside our planet).
“NASA’s newly landed Mars science rover Curiosity snapped the first color image of its surroundings while an orbiting sister probe photographed litter left behind during the rover’s daring do-or-die descent to the surface, scientists said Tuesday.”
Really makes you wonder what’s on Mars!! (And also, what makes the rovers ‘lose communication??’
“A new survey suggests a popular classroom solution for Canadian and American teachers may be causing problems for mother nature. The study from Oregon State University says a quarter of teachers who use live organisms as teaching tools release the species into the wild when the classroom unit is finished, but only 10 per cent of them do it through a planned release program. Principle investigator Sam Chan says teachers who don’t follow a planned release program may accidentally be helping the spread of invasive species.”
That’s interesting!
Entertainment
“The clock is ticking for 20th Century Fox to put its “Daredevil” reboot into production before character rights revert to Marvel — but Fox and Marvel brass are working out an arrangement that could allow the comicbook franchise to remain at Fox past its Oct. 10 deadline… But Fox also has something Marvel wants: According to sources close to the project, marvel wants the use of characters from the “Fantastic Four” universe in future Marvel pics, including the giant, world-devouring supervillain Galactus, rumored to play a key role in future Marvel pics, and his messenger the Silver Surfer, who makes a deal in the comicbooks to serve as Galactus’ messenger to save his home planet.”
Really interesting!
Weird News, Other News, Good News & Fluff
“The Internet’s newest viral star, dubbed NASA’s “mohawk guy,” says he hopes fans will draw inspiration from his work and not just his funky hairdo. NASA flight director Bobak Ferdowsi shot to otherworldly fame, literally overnight, after viewers of the historic Curiosity Mars landing noticed him and his colourful mohawk working in the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calif. Ferdowsi was part of NASA’s team, guiding and monitoring the rover’s every move until it successfully touched down on the Red Planet early Monday morning ET. Ferdowsi’s mohawk, which sports dyed red and blue stripes and gold stars, stood out in the sea of otherwise standard hairstyles. Viewers quickly took to the Internet and social media to share their appreciation for the “mohawk guy.” Ferdowsi told CTV News Channel on Tuesday that he’s still in shock from the attention.”
He IS a cutie!!!
“He’s a world record holding sprinter from South Africa. She’s a spunky 8-year-old from Essex, England. In an inspiring series of images that have recently gone viral, the two strangers, united only by a stubborn refusal to let double amputations stop them, race each other in a friendly bionic foot race.”
SOOO cute. So inspiring! :)
“This is what hate looks like.” That was a man’s introduction to a letter his father wrote when the dad learned his son was gay. “Don’t expect any further conversations with me. No communications at all,” the father wrote. Written five years ago, the letter has gone viral online, and has soared to one of the top spots on the community website reddit. It was originally posted on reddit by user RegBarc and it’s unclear who the user truly is and if his letter has been verified.”
Just awful.
Love it!!!
“Here are seven things I’ve learned to be true about money… Never ever believe what anyone tells you about what is going to happen in the market or economy. They’re all wrong, most of the time… Say no to your kids… Spend on what you love.”
Nice little write up.
“They’re fit, flexible and always land on their feet — perhaps cats have more in common with Olympic athletes than we thought. To web marketer Nicolas Longtin, the parallel was obvious. His Flickr photo set, Cat Olympics, shops feline faces onto athlete bodies in iconic Olympic imagery… Over the weekend, Longtin submitted his photos to popular blog Boing Boing’s Flickr pool. Since then, his fuzzy athletes have been viewed more than 16,000 times.”
Lol some are weird but overall, cute and funny.
Meow! So precious.
Thor (and/or Loki) Photo of the Day:
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Linda
