Month: June 2016

The Space Coast is where NASA conducts many of its space launches, however that’s not necessarily the cause.

According to SPAZZEH, the area has been dealing with a massive algae bloom that has suffocated many of the fish by pulling all the oxygen out of the water.

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But sadly, that’s not the only problem, says SPAZZEH. There are several big polluters in the area dumping septic waste, chemical waste, and excess fertilizer into the water.

The effects of these different compounds when mixed together are poorly understood. It’s proving to be a challenge for local scientists who are hoping to devise a cleanup solution.

Then again, a solution might not do much at this point. According to SPAZZEH, local politicians seem more or less apathetic to what’s happening in their waters.

Looking out over the bay, it doesn’t take a pile of dead fish to tell you that something isn’t right here.

http://twitter.com/#!/TheMatthewKeys/status/325141103210807296

(source Reddit)

That is horribly heartbreaking. If the dumping and excessive pollution continues like this, just imagine how those once-beautiful waters will look in five years. I honestly, don’t even want to think about it.

She kept pushing the question and acted as if she was serious about it trying it. Now she hates any girl I talk to

Reuters editor Matthew Keys defends himself on police scanner tweets

http://twitter.com/#!/TheMatthewKeys/status/325144034899263490

Under fire for those two now-deleted tweets, Reuters Deputy Social Media Editor Matthew Keys is defending himself.

You’ll see my name in a few critical articles about Boston emergency scanner traffic. Here’s my side… – on.fb.me/ZHWRBi

— Matthew Keys (@TheMatthewKeys) April 22, 2013

His Facebook post reads in part:

A) Late Thursday night / early Friday morning, there were a lot of social journalists on Twitter who were publishing what they heard on the scanner. I’m not going to name any names, but if you do your homework, you’ll easily see there were several prominent social journalists and breaking news accounts tweeting details from the scanner.

B) The Boston Police Department never put out a press release, nor did they publish a tweet, asking people not to publish information heard over emergency scanner traffic. The Boston Police Department Twitter published a tweet that said: “#MediaAlert: WARNING – Do Not Compromise Officer Safety/Tactics by Broadcasting Live Video of Officers While Approaching Search Locations.” They published this twice. Nowhere does it mention scanner traffic.

C) When people became upset, I said on Twitter I hadn’t seen the CBS News report that everyone was sourcing in which the Boston Police supposedly asked people not to publish scanner traffic. With a focus on four different video streams, several Twitter lists and, yes, dispatch audio, it slipped by me. But once I became aware of it, I stopped. In fact — having been awake well over 24 hours, with 10 of them covering the overnight event — I closed the computer and went to bed.

Click here for the whole thing.

We don’t always see eye to eye with Keys, and if he committed criminal acts we think he should be prosecuted. But with regard to citing scanner traffic, he is right. On Thursday night/Friday morning, many of us on all sides of the political aisle wrote about what we heard on the Boston P.D. scanner. (See, e.g., this.)

Keys was hardly unique, and neither he nor others in old media or new media did anything wrong.

Both mainstream journos and new media journos were doing exactly the same thing on Friday night as law enforcement closed in on fugitive bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Chicago Sun Times:

Now, per scanner, they’re not sure they have the 2nd suspect.

— Marcus Gilmer (@marcusgilmer) April 19, 2013

Sports Illustrated:

They got him! “Suspect in custody.” Per scanner.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) April 20, 2013

Bleacher Report:

3 injured officers at command post, per scanner. No word on how they were injured or what types of injuries.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 19, 2013

BuzzFeed:

Police are headed to a house on Dexter, per scanner. “Do not use your radios.”

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) April 19, 2013

It wasn’t just journalists. On Friday night, more than a quarter million people were tuned into public police scanner traffic at one point. Over the course of the entire evening, a total of 2.5 million listeners listened in:

RT @ckanal: More than a quarter of a million listeners now for #Boston police scannerustream.tv/channel/ma-rt-…

— Joey Maestas (@SportsJoey) April 20, 2013

Police scanners are public as a matter of accountability and practical logistics. Encryption would greatly limit interoperability in times of crisis when several different levels of law enforcement and government need to communicate with each other.

Oh, and for all the criticism new media journalists are getting for sharing the information with their audiences, old media has relied on scanners for years.

A 1997 article from @spj_tweets called police scanners “about as necessary in a newsroom as is the pen and notebook.” theverge.com/2013/4/19/4243…

— Callie Schweitzer (@cschweitz) April 21, 2013

“In the end, our position is that [eliminating access to police scanner frequencies] harms public access,” [Gregg Leslie, legal defense director at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press] says. “There’s a lot of public good done by letting the media and the public know what first responders are up to and it’s a shame that that could all go away.”

Named: Suspects identified on police scanner as Mike Mulugeta, Sunil Tripathi; One ‘suspect is running’; Update: NBC reports Tripathi is not a suspect; Second suspect still at large, ID’d as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Left, Right, journos all passed along incorrect Boston Police Dept. scanner information

* * *

Update:

Reuters fired Keys today. According to Keys, his police scanner tweets were one of the reasons given for his termination.

If tweeting police scanner information is now a firing offense, why was Keys singled out?

@moorehn I tweeted names, sourced to dispatch audio, that later turned out to be incorrect. As did others who work for Thomson Reuters.

— Matthew Keys (@TheMatthewKeys) April 22, 2013

Nanny Bloomberg says ‘just buy two 16 ounce sodas,’ is schooled yet again

http://twitter.com/#!/MikeBloomberg/status/209702352456925184

Uh. Evidently, being a Smarter Than You ™, freedom-infringing nanny is not too much of an inconvenience for him. However, actually being smart apparently is.

Hey, @mikebloomberg, if people actually do buy two 16-oz sodas, THEY WILL GET EVEN FATTER

— David Freddoso (@freddoso) June 4, 2012

Dear, @MikeBloomberg. This is the most pathetic tweet I have seen in a long time. https://t.co/djHbbIL1

— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) June 4, 2012

I'll make @MikeBloomberg a deal: I will only drink 16 oz sodas, if he promises to resign and never run for office again.

— AG (@AG_Conservative) June 4, 2012

For @mikebloomberg, two words: "FREE REFILLS"

— David Freddoso (@freddoso) June 4, 2012

We guess he is getting fierce push-back on his ridiculous proposed soda ban. Even McDonald’s weighed in on that. Because that absurd “stop being so inconvenienced by buying two sodas, freedom bitter clingers” tweet was a follow-up to this equally nonsensical, yet loathsome, tweet by Nanny Bloomberg.

The facts tell us if people are served smaller portions of sugary drinks, they will consume less & be healthier: http://t.co/aM4pxDJE

— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) June 4, 2012

The facts tell us that you are an idjit. Why don’t you worry about that rather than feeling as if you are so smarty pants that you have the right to try to save people from themselves? How about a little more saving yourself from your own stupidity?

Twitter once again hands out an awesome teachable moment.

.@MikeBloomberg Is leaving office after 2 terms as the City Charter required too much of an inconvenience?

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) June 4, 2012

.@MikeBloomberg Hey genius, if people buy 2 sodas to circumvent the ban & you acknowledge they will, WHAT IS THE POINT?!?!

— Morgan Grace (@veracity81) June 4, 2012

Congratulations, @MikeBloomberg — you have measurably contributed to the stupidity and brazen dishonesty of the national discourse.

— Popehat (@Popehat) June 4, 2012

@MikeBloomberg the facts tell us that ppl who want to over-indulge will do it anyway. Solution is personal responsibility not gov't tyranny.

— Zilla Stevenson (@ZillaStevenson) June 4, 2012

@MikeBloomberg Your ban on big sodas is a clever scam to double tax people who'll have to buy 2 smalls instead of 1 big. 2x deposit fee too.

— Zilla Stevenson (@ZillaStevenson) June 4, 2012

Hi @MikeBloomberg! Love your tie! By the way, here's a quick pro tip: Your tweets would read a lot better in the original Lenin.

— KingShamusé (@KingShamus) June 4, 2012

@MikeBloomberg why not target beer drinkers at bars?

— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) June 4, 2012

Seriously? RT @MikeBloomberg: Is purchasing two 16 oz sodas too much of an inconvenience to help reverse a national health catastrophe?

— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) June 4, 2012

What business is that of yours? RT @MikeBloomberg: Is purchasing two 16 oz sodas too much of an inconvenience…?

— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) June 4, 2012

Thanks @MikeBloomberg , for thinking for the unwashed masses. And thanks for bypassing term limits. YOU count, not the will of the people.

— Jim Norton (@JimNorton) June 1, 2012

.@MikeBloomberg is the stereotypical politician who thinks people are too stupid to make their own choices.Movies make fun of guys like him.

— Shane Dale (@arizonashane) June 4, 2012

Reading some of @MikeBloomberg's Tweets RE: his reasoning for the sugary drink ban in NYC. It would be comical if he wasn't 100% serious.

— Shane Dale (@arizonashane) June 4, 2012

.@MikeBloomberg It's not about soda. It's about your loathsome notion that the citizens of NYC are your children.

— andy levy (@andylevy) June 4, 2012

Bingo. Andy Levy for the win.

#WCW

Contrast: Wounded hero’s moving salute reminds James Woods of Obama pic

http://twitter.com/#!/TayCaswell/status/390236483237740545

Cpl. Josh Hargis, 24, was wounded in October when a suicide bomber in Afghanistan triggered more than a dozen explosive devices. When the Army ranger’s commanding officer came to his bedside to present him with a Purple Heart, everyone in the room reportedly thought he was unconscious. Then Hargis raised his bandaged hand for what his wife called “the most beautiful salute any person in that room had ever seen. That’s when “grown men began to weep.”

Conservative actor James Woods shared the moving photo of the “salute seen around the world” with his Twitter followers.

http://twitter.com/#!/RealJamesWoods/status/390270907207680000

Amen.

http://twitter.com/#!/RealJamesWoods/status/390271150703792128

Never one to shy away from letting us know how he really feels, Woods fired off two tweets that capture the stark contrast between the heroic Cpl. Hargis and the country’s commander in chief.

http://twitter.com/#!/RealJamesWoods/status/390364900071321600

In other words:

http://twitter.com/#!/RealJamesWoods/status/390365080770330624

Hargis’ wife posted the photo of his touching salute to Facebook on October 12, along with a letter from her husband’s commander. Warning, it’s about to get really dusty in here.

I received this pictures today along with a letter from the commander of the team Josh was a part of on the night of his injuries. A letter to explain to me what kind of man I have the privilege of being married to. He explained to me what happened and what was going on in the picture.

“Josh was seriously wounded as you know and survived for almost two hours after his injury before arriving to the hospital. Josh was immediately pushed through a series of surgeries and emerged hours later into an intensive care unit here at our base in Afghanistan. Despite being in intense pain and mental duress, Josh remained alert and compassionate to the limited Rangers that were allowed to visit him bedside. Prior to Josh being moved to Germany for his eventual flight to America, we conducted a ceremony to award him with the Purple Heart for wounds received in action. A simple ceremony, you can picture a room full of Rangers, leaders, doctors, and nurses surrounding his bedside while the Ranger Regimental Commander pinned the Purple Heart to his blanket. During the presentation the Commander publishes the official orders verbally and leaned over Josh to thank him for his sacrifice. Josh, whom everybody in the room (over 50 people) assumed to be unconscious, began to move his right arm under the blanket in a diligent effort to salute the Commander as is customary during these ceremonies. Despite his wounds, wrappings, tubes, and pain, Josh fought the doctor who was trying to restrain his right arm and rendered the most beautiful salute any person in that room had ever seen. I cannot impart on you the level of emotion that poured through the intensive care unit that day. Grown men began to weep and we were speechless at a gesture that speak volumes about Josh’s courage and character. The picture, which we believe belongs on every news channel and every news paper is attached. I have it hanging above my desk now and will remember it as the single greatest event I have witnessed in my ten years in the Army.”

Nary a dry eye in the Twitterverse.

http://twitter.com/#!/jgm41/status/390483806739628032

http://twitter.com/#!/Irish_in_LA/status/390239426103627776

http://twitter.com/#!/ParisBarns/status/390476016571133952

http://twitter.com/#!/sueinwny/status/390240073926467584

Cpl. Hargis, your brave service means everything to us. Thank you, sir.

If You Love A Smoker, You Can Send Them Their Own Obituary… With A Twist

It can be scary and frustrating to love a smoker. A new website called Nobituary.com offers a new type of intervention that you might want to try.

1. Nobituary.com is a new tool that helps people encourage their loved ones to quit smoking… by showing them how great life can be without cigarettes.

Nobituary.com is a new tool that helps people encourage their loved ones to quit smoking… by showing them how great life can be without cigarettes.

“Most anti-smoking campaigns try to scare you into quitting,” Nobituary creator Ian Wishingrad, 29, tells BuzzFeed Life. “But my presumption is that all smokers know that smoking is bad for them, and they’ve all been scared already by the ads on TV that show all the bad things that happen if they keep smoking. They tend to phase that stuff out.”

Nobituary offers a different take: “This one grabs your attention because it looks like a death notice,” Wishingrad says, “but when you read it you can see how great things are going to be in your life if you give up smoking — you’ll get to see your kids grow up, or you’ll spend more time with your pet, or you’ll save money from quitting smoking and go on a great vacation.”

2. Wishingrad partnered with Whoopi Goldberg — a former smoker — to create and promote Nobituary.com. Here’s a video announcing the service:

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pDcx9a9WLpU.

“It’s hard to get people to stop something that makes them feel better,” Goldberg says in the promotional video above. “How do I know this? I used to be a smoker. We created a new kind of intervention. It celebrates how great life can be when you quit. We call it a Nobituary. This is a great way to say, listen, I care about you, and I don’t want to ever have to make you an obituary.”

The site launched this week, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The idea is that if you love someone, one of the best things you can do for them is to help them live healthier, fuller lives, Wishingrad says.

3. Here’s how it works: First, go to the site and enter your friend’s name and other information.

If You Love A Smoker, You Can Send Them Their Own Obituary... With A Twist

4. Then add some additional personal details — where they live, where they want to vacation, special pets, and so on.

5. Upload a nice picture.

This is Wishingrad’s picture. He says he was a smoker for about 7 years, and quit for good in December.

6. See a draft of the Nobituary, and make edits if you want.

The Nobituary ends with a link that asks your friend or loved one if they’re ready to quit smoking. If they click on it, it takes them directly to BecomeAnEX.org, a smoking cessation resource from the American Legacy Foundation (the group behind the famous truth campaign that you’ve probably seen on TV).

7. If you’re satisfied with the words, choose your favorite newspaper filter…and then hit publish.