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#OccupySesameStreet-

 As I'm sure you've watched or read by now, Mitt Romney plans to eliminate funding for PBS should he be elected. "I like PBS, I love Big Bird, I actually like you too, but I'm going to stop borrowing money from China to pay for things we don't need," he said at the recent presidential debate. Wait… what? PBS CEO, Paula Kerger responded to Romney's remarks with the following statement:

Fudging Numbers-

 The newly released job report claims that the unemployment rate is now at 7.8% and that about 873,000 previously unemployed people have found work. Is it a little strange for this news to pop up during election season? Perhaps. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis had this to say regarding the suspicions: "I'm insulted when I hear that because we have a very professional civil service. I have the highest regard for our professionals that do the calculations at the (Bureau of Labor Statistics). They are trained economists." Romney jumped in to point out the sizable loss of manufacturing jobs and lack of any real unemployment decrease. "If not for all the people who have simply dropped out of the labor force, the real unemployment rate would be closer to 11%," he said in a statement following the reports release. Another job report is set to be released 4 days before elections. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/05/jobs-report-unemployment-rate_n_1942067.html

Quick Hits:

Apple Sans Steve - 

 http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/10/the-ghost-of-jobs-apples-challenge-to-decide-what-would-steve-do/

 Snoop Dogg on Romney - 

 http://web.stagram.com/p/295013702162174941_1574083

Skyfall Clip - Vidya -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIA2F_lH4_E&feature=g-all-u007 

Image Source: http://www.tauntr.com/blog/occupy-sesame-street-gets-violent

Maps… How do they work?

 I wasn't going to mention iOS 6 because, well, it's iOS 6. But apparently the loss of Google Maps and the inaccuracies of Apple's own mapping system are a much bigger deal than I thought. So much so that Ireland Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, has personally made arrangements to inform Apple of these errors. “The Verge” wrote an article overviewing the issue and also point out “iMore” editor Rene Ritchie's observation -- iOS 6 was made more for the company instead of the customers.

LMFAO Disband-

There may not be as many parties rocking in the near future as Redfoo and Sky Blue are moving on to work on different projects. Redfoo has been coaching junior tennis player Ayaka Okuno in Las Vegas and wants to create a tennis clothing line. He's also been writing a song specifically for the New England Patriots. For now, Sky Blue will embark on solo career where he will continue making LMFAO inspired tracks. Well shucks.

Cruel Summer-

In the new G.O.O.D music compilation album Kanye West says "Mitt Romney don't pay no tax." Well, actually, he does. Or did. Anyway, Romney paid  $1.95 million on his 2011 taxes and, according his advisors, did not receive full deductions for his $4 million contribution to charity. But for someone who thinks $200,000 - $250,000 is the middle American income, giving the government a cool $2 million is probably chump change.

For more insight: 

iPhone 5 launch shenanigans-http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/21/iphone-5-launch-day-marketing/#s:iphone-5-police 

DMX vs. Google-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOiiHfxHnTk

Alan Shatter to Apple-http://www.thejournal.ie/alan-shatter-apple-maps-airport-dundrum-602115-Sep2012/

The Verge-http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/20/3363914/wrong-turn-apple-ios-6-maps-phone-5-buggy-complaints

iOS 6-http://www.imore.com/yes-ios-6-more-about-apple-new-user-features-thats-okay

LMFAO & Redfoo-http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/redfoo-calls-time-out-on-lmfao/story-e6frfn09-1226478504612

Romney's Middle Income Math-http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/09/14/romneys-middle-income-math/

Image Source: http://cultofmac.cultofmaccom.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/iOS6.jpg

Leopards and Lions and... Lions?

]The Verge has a very nice video overview of Apple's newly announced Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion. Many of the changes seem to be putting the iOS experience on your computer.

Notification Center: A new, blue icon will appear when new notifications have been received. Clicking the icon will open the center itself, which can pull notifications from "Calendar", "Messages" and even third-party developers.

Messages: iChat with a brand new look and better FaceTime integration.

Airplay Mirroring: View your computer screen on your Apple TV by clicking an AirPlay icon. Streaming music, watching video, etc. are all available options.

Game Kit: Multiplayer gaming between Mac, Iphone, iPad and iPod Touch will be available. With AirPlay you can use your TV to compete against a friend who’s on their iPad, while you use your computer.

Apple also has their own overview available.

Weed on a Plane

40lbs. of marijuana were found on a plane while flying through Barack Obama's airspace over Los Angeles. The president was flying from Los Angeles to a fund raiser in Corona Del Mar when a Cessna 182 aircraft began to fly closer to the White House helicopter, Marine One. The “Mary Jane” was found after the Cessna 182 was asked to land. One of the more interesting tidbits, whether the Cessna 182's pilot was high while flying, has yet to be revealed. How fun/scary would that be?

Be My Date?

Original Video

Video Response

My Take

Image Source: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01214/plane-cargo_1214188i.jpg

Hello everyone! I hope your year has been going well so far. Let’s jump right into it, shall we?

Chrome Phone

For you fancy kids rockin’ Google’s newly released Galaxy Nexus or another device running Android 4.0, Google has released a beta version of Google Chrome on the Android Market. In addition to incognito browsing, “Chrome for Android” allows users to sync whatever tabs they have open on their computer to sync with their device by signing in to a Google account. You can watch an introduction video HERE.

Elementary Molecules

A 10-year-old girl from Missouri, Clara Lazen, happened upon a new molecule while rearranging some atoms used to create nitroglycerin. Tetranitratoxycarbon (sound it out) is a combination of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon that does not exist in nature but can be created artificially. Her teacher, Kenneth Boehr, and a colleague realized that this was indeed a new molecule and one Professor Robert Zoellner wrote a paper on the subject, which was co-authored by Clara. In short, the atom can be used to either store energy or blow stuff up.

Like. Comment. Share.

Last week Facebook went public and many people received a nice chunk of change following the announcement including an artist, Dave Choe, who accepted stocks instead of money[/url] for painting Facebook’s Palo Alto location in 2005. ABC held an interview with Choe in which he discusses his newfound lack of privacy.

Dat Sh*t Cray

A Tumblr account run by a 17-year-old girl named Kate is chronicling her journey to becoming thinner. She’s currently 5’10” with a current weight of 127 and an ultimate goal of being 115 – something more in line for a woman around 4’10”. Another girl, Antonia, 16, also runs a “thinspo” blog.

“I like images that show skinny, happy girls,” she writes in an email to the Huffington Post. “They look so confident and we can see their bones through their skin. It's the most beautiful thing ever. I also like tips about food or how to ignore hunger.”’

Now there seems to be two types of “thinspo” blogs out there – those that post before and after pictures of seemingly healthy women and others that condone unhealthy dietary practices (pro-ana) to achieve a “dream body”. I don’t understand…

Vidya

 Robo With a Shotgun

Image Source: http://techzoomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/google-chrome.jpg

Rumor In Your Rumor

Remember when people first started talking about the new iPhone before the 4S was released? About a bigger screen, new design and latte mixing capabilities? Well, according to an anonymous source who spoke with Business Insider, a redesigned iPhone is still very real but was set aside a few months before the 4S announcement. The source said he spent some time with the prototype of the new phone which included a 4 inch screen, a processor not under the constraints of a "limiter" and an integrated home button that could not be pushed.

Big Break

 The Wall Street Journal did a short piece detailing the ways 3 individuals (two college grads and one high-school grad) went about getting into their current job positions. It's not super in-depth, but seems to reaffirm what I'm sure many of you've been hearing -- find an internship!

Occupy
A UC Berkeley graduate student named Alex Barnard spoke to The Daily Californian after one of his ribs broken by a police baton and being told that he had "no rights.” He was arrested along with 31 other protestors. The police where present to take down tents that the university did not allow.

One of the protestors, Celeste Langan, was actually an English professor (a grown-ass woman) who said that the police showed excessive force to an essentially non-violent gathering. "Rather than take my wrist or arm, the police grabbed me by my hair and yanked me forward to the ground, where I was told to lie on my stomach and was handcuffed. Since the tents posed no immediate threat to public safety, their haste and level of force was unwarranted."

And so, "Occupy" continues. You can catch a video of the event at the YouTubes.

It's not so funny or particularly awesome but members of Congress are apparently trading stocks with insider information. "Oh the market is about to crash? Guess it's time to sell..."

Image Source: autismgenome.org

Personality Test
The New York Times has taken it upon themselves to look at what type of creature you are - a zombie or a vampire. If you're unsure, it gives several traits of each type. For instance, it describes vampires as charismatic introverts who write bad poetry... about bad poetry. Zombies, on the other hand, are more clumsy, a little extroverted and a lot more awesome. Okay, I added that last part. The article also deems famous people and entities as one or the other (Twitter, New York and Oprah to name a few).  Which are you? Choose sides, but choose wisely.

Experimental Comedy
Next up, The Times reports that comedian Louis C.K. will soon be releasing his next special. It will include material from his upcoming shows in Manhattan and will be sold exclusively on his website for only $5. C.K. said that he'd rather give his material directly to the people who want it instead of going through a cable network or online service like Netflix.

"You can be a loser and watch this thing," he said. "You can be in prison."

Unfortunately, the first thing that comes to mind is piracy. If this is available for download there isn't really any way to stop it. However, Radiohead's "In Rainbows" went down a somewhat similar route and did pretty well for itself.

Worlds Collide
Remember those Mexican cartels I wrote about a few weeks ago? Check out the Stratfor Report, this anonymous Veracruz message, anonymous member Barrett Brown's thoughts and this exposure of drug cartel collaborators abandoned.

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
CNN.com has a story up with a list of reasons of why Mr. Rogers was the best neighbor of all time... OF ALL TIME!

Have a great week and check out these awesome watercolors!

Image Source: 944.com

Alright, keeping it short and sweet this week but there are a few things worth noting:

Internet Blacklist Bill: House Edition

A new version of the Internet Blacklist Bill was unveiled Oct. 26 which, if passed, would allow the Department of Justice to block users from accessing certain websites accused of copyright infringement.Techdirt.com is saying this could potentially end up being the "great firewall of America.” Music and video sharing sites  like YouTube would surely feel the effects of such a bill if it’s passed, and wouldn't have any say in a trial before removal. Ridiculous.

Don't Hack Me Bro

Not satisfied with The Weather Channel, Chinese hackers are suspected to have tampered with U.S. satellites in 2007 and 2008 for climate control and terrain observation. The satellites in question aren’t dangerous, but the chances of giant lasers beaming down from our own satellites are probably slim to none in the near future. But it's still fun to think about. Businessweek.com cites a report by the U.S. - China Economic and Security Review Commission saying that the hackers interfered with an Earth observation satellite twice; the first time for two minutes in June and the second for nine minutes in October.

Talk Dirty to Me

"The New York Times" is reporting that a dedicated television set released by Apple will be powered, in large part, by Siri. There aren't any firm dates yet but according to the article, we could potentially see an announcement in late 2012 followed by a release in 2013. Voice communication has always been an interesting feature to include with technology, but isn't always perfect and usually becomes more of a novelty than anything else. So while I like the idea of having a siri-powered television, I'd also keep a good ol’ remote  nearby.

Happy Halloween!

Image Source: www.truthhunters.co.uk

Earlier this week, the United States uncovered a plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Washington, D.C. At least one suspect has been taken into custody by the Department of Justice and the department also claims there were plots to blow up the Israeli and Saudi Arabian embassies in Washington. This has thus far been the closest Iran has come to carrying out an attack on the U.S. homeland.

Iran has been left alone for too long. It’s only a matter of time before it actually succeeds and attacks U.S. soil and citizens. This is not only a problem for the U.S., but Europe and Middle Eastern countries as well. These regions of the world cannot allow countries like Russia, China, Venezuela, North Korea and Syria to push them around, and they need to pressure the United Nations to do something about this rouge nation.

The Iranian president has claimed the Holocaust never happened and said he wishes to see our great ally, Israel, wiped off the face of the earth. Iran would also like to see the Saudis removed from power as well. Also take into consideration it’s nuclear aspirations and you have a mess.

It’s time the United States and Europe fix the problem they caused in Iran and for the people of the Middle East find the courage to get rid of these evil dictators who control them. Iran mistreats anyone who does not follow, or deviates away from, its strict Sharia Law. Stoning is still a common punishment in the country, they do not respect the voice of the people (especially women) and they hold unfair elections.

If we allow these so called leaders of Iran to continue to spout lies, threaten the U.S. and its allies and seek nuclear weapons, then we are looking at a major problem. Who knows what ties Iran has to terrorists groups such as al-Qaida, who would like nothing more than to set off a bomb in a major U.S. or European city? The time to act is now, and the U.S. should not be alone this time. If we do go to war with Iran, we better not just end up nation-building after a permanent government is put in place (as history does repeat itself).

You may or may not have seen the news lately, but in regard to drug cartel denouncers, sh*t is getting real in Mexico. The main forms of protest? Twitter, a news organization called Al Rojo Vivo, and a blog called Blog del Narco; all of which allow users to post or submit photos and videos of what's going on in their area.

The thing is, many people post information online anonymously, so it’s hard to believe that the individuals who were hung from a bridge in Nuevo Laredo were actually the intended, or rather, correct targets the drug organizations were seeking. There was a message left at the scene saying that other people “posting funny things on the internet” would receive a similar fate, but can these people actually be found?  When it comes down to it, do the deaths of potentially innocent individuals become the responsibility of those speaking out against the drug lords?

At this point, one person who spoke with CNN and is a user on the Al Rojo Vivo forums believes that the denouncements should continue. He contributes this to the difficulty in tracing a post back to a specific person. But does anonymity really matter when a person who may or may not have been the actual Twitter user is pulled from the street and killed? There are scores of internet trolls here in America. If you go to any website with a forum, public or private, you're bound to find a few. The difference is that here in America, trolling seems to be viewed as a fun pastime (perhaps even an art form with enough finesse).

I’m not saying that people should stop exposing violence publicly or speaking against these organizations. However, homicides aided by social media are not a new trend. Last year, three Colombian teens aged 16, 17 and 19 were killed after being put on a Facebook hit list.

But how quickly and fundamentally would society change if people were killed for things they have no control over, specifically, for the kid creating infective type in his mom's basement. It would be interesting, yet, perhaps scary, if people were held accountable for the things they did even on the internet.