tagged w/ staff
-
Two teenagers from Toronto have posted a video of a Lego man they sent into the outer reaches of the Earth's atmosphere using a equipment they found on Craigslist.
Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, both 17, used a weather balloon ordered online and a makeshift Styrofoam spacecraft to send the plastic astronaut 15 miles into the stratosphere,
The pair managed to capture the entire journey into the blackness of space, including the descent, which lasted 97 minutes, using four cameras, at an entire cost of just £254.
Congratulations Canada!Two teenagers from Toronto have posted a video of a Lego man they sent into the outer... more
-
-
Countless employers are now facing the problem of dealing with twenty three working days without key employees come 2012. The deadline to volunteer for the Olympics is the 27th of October, 2010. The London 2012 Olympics Organising Committee (LOCOG) have stated that 70,000 voluntary positions need to be filled, but more than 100,000 people have already applied. The voluntary roles consist of general and specialised positions, from desk staff, events stewards and drivers. Volunteers must work for a minimum of 10 days for the Games, and 20 for the Paralympic Games. Training is also mandatory for all participants.
There are also a further 8000 positions to be filled for the role of “London Ambassadors”, which would involve helping the vastly overstated and questionable increase of tourists and visitors in 2012 find their way around the city.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/olympics-2012/50000-promised-olympic-jobs-becomes-70000-unpaid-mcvolunteers/Countless employers are now facing the problem of dealing with twenty three working... more
-
-
The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) has warned that the 2012 Olympic games would be harmful to Britain’s tourism industry. The ETOA has published research from cities who previously hosted the Olympic Games, which shows it has a “profoundly disruptive” effect on local tourism. They describe the official estimates for the number of visitors as “exaggerated”. The association warned: “Normal tourist businesses suffer during the Games period . . . The region around the Games can suffer more than the host city . . . The impression that everything will be overcrowded and overpriced blights a region . . . [and] these difficulties are exacerbated by exaggerated claims of the benefits derived from the Games.”
Meanwhile Boris Johnson is drumming up a further 8000 voluntary positions for the role of “London Ambassadors”, which would involve helping the vast increase of tourists and visitors in 2012 to find their way around the city. So no paid tourism jobs there.
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/spectacleblog/olympics-2012/etoa-claims-2012-games-bad-for-tourism/The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) has warned that the 2012 Olympic games... more
-
-
From reports it sounds like some MPs are unhappy with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which was formed after the expenses scandal.
The article talks about how MPs found it time consuming and "too bureaucratic". Though the article highlights the abuse volunteer staff received from some politicians, since a document of complaints were released.
The article also goes into details about an incident between Denis MacShane and a young volunteer, which ended in the volunteer in tears and MacShane apologising with a box of chocolates.
"In another recorded incident, trainers and all IPSA staff were referred to as "monkey" by one female MP.
One MP is said to have grabbed a trainer's name badge, while another reportedly declared: "I am going to murder someone today."-BBCFrom reports it sounds like some MPs are unhappy with the Independent Parliamentary... more
-
-
-
In addition to the high salary and job security, other aspects of the profession may appeal to you based on your personal characteristics and preferences – like the 10 listed below.
:http://www.bestcollegesonline.net/blog/2010/10-ways-to-know-you-were-born-to-be-an-accountant/In addition to the high salary and job security, other aspects of the profession may... more
-
-
Its the last day of the "We have too much stuff sale!" Hurry over to ScrewAttackStore.com before the prices go back to normal!
Details:
Too HOT for the Internet DVD only $15! (Save $5!)
Metal Gear Ben only $15! (Save $5!)
Talking Classics: Volume 1 DVD is on sale for $20! (Save $5!)
2010 SGC t-shirts are on sale for $10! (Save $5!)
2009 SGC t-shirts are on clearance for $6!
In addition, all orders placed during the sale will receive a FREE PIN!
http://www.ScrewAttackStore.com http://screwattack.com/videos/Last-Day-to-Save-MoneyIts the last day of the "We have too much stuff sale!" Hurry over to... more
-
-
-
For those dedicated to difficult work, there are many stepping stones in the road to success. These are very, very, very early examples of such things... and exactly what you never want to do.
Can't see the awesome video? Your computer sucks. But don't worry, you can watch it at: http://blip.tv/dashboard/uploadFor those dedicated to difficult work, there are many stepping stones in the road to... more
-
-
If you only could choose just one game, the original or the reboot, which one should you choose? Craig tells you based off the graphics, sound, gameplay, difficulty and price tag.If you only could choose just one game, the original or the reboot, which one should... more
-
-
As much as we like to goof on pro wrestling we all have a little Hulk Hogan in us...
Can't watch this awesome? Watch it on blip - http://blip.tv/file/3656607As much as we like to goof on pro wrestling we all have a little Hulk Hogan in us...... more
-
-
-
Consumers of U.S. corporate media were given the impression that the American invasion/disaster relief action was the primary foreign benefactor to Haiti’s hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims. Not so, not by a long shot. Cuba, Venezuela and the neighboring Dominican Republic were first on the scene with the most help, and have committed to building a comprehensive health care system for Haiti.
“The Cuban medical contingent was roughly three times the size of the American staff, although they treated 260.7 times more patients than U.S. medical personnel.”
http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/297-one-of-the-worlds-best-kept-secrets-cuban-medical-aid-to-haiti-main-stream-media-doesnt-see-itConsumers of U.S. corporate media were given the impression that the American... more
-
-
worrg
-
added this
-
1 year ago
- |
-
There is really only one way to stop the collateral murder by our military: stop the wars and bring our troops home.
April 7, 2010 |
“Let us not become the evil we deplore”, warned Cong. Barbara Lee when she cast the lone vote against going to war in Afghanistan in September 2001. Well, it’s time to look in the mirror—and it’s not a pretty picture.
Just contemplate these two incidents, one that took place in Iraq in 2007 and has now gone viral on the internet, the other that took place in Gardaz, Afghanistan in February 2010.
Baghdad: U.S. aerial shooters chuckle as they let loose a torrent of bullets, killing over a dozen people, including two Reuters staff. Then they unleash another round on an Iraqi who—passing by in his van—tries to help the wounded. When the American soldiers discover they have hit two children in the van, they can be heard snorting, “It's their fault for bringing their kids into a battle.”
No one—from those who pulled the triggers to those who gave the okay—has been punished for the murder of these innocents. That’s because this blatant disregard for human life falls within the rules of engagement. And the only reason the incident came to light is thanks to Reuters for its persistence and to Wikileaks for procuring the footage and putting on their site.
Gardez, Afghanistan: US Special Operations forces surround a home where a party is taking place for the birth of a grandson. Two men come out to see why they are being surrounded. They are shot dead. The US soldiers later report they found three women inside the house, gagged and murdered by their own relatives.
The Times of London later reports that the women were killed by the American soldiers. Not only that. To hide the murder, the soldiers dug bullets out of the women’s bodies and washed the wounds with alcohol to hide the evidence. One of the women was a pregnant mother of 10; another was a pregnant mother of six; the third was a teenage girl.
No one has been punished in this incident either. General McChrystal was briefed on the case in March but said nothing about it. The murders only came to light because the Times reporter Jerome Starkey visited the family and talked to Afghan investigators.
While McChrystal issued a new directive in July 2009 restricting activities likely to result in civilian casualties and urged troops to act with greater sensitivity to Afghan cultural and religious concerns, the killing of innocents continues. According to the UN, at least 98 Afghan civilians were killed in night raids in 2009.
The same is true at checkpoints. In a rare moment of honesty, while addressing a virtual townhall with troops in Afghanistan, General McChrystal admitted, "We really ask a lot of our young service people out on the checkpoints because there's danger, they're asked to make very rapid decisions in often very unclear situations. However, to my knowledge, in the nine-plus months I've been here, not a single case where we have engaged in an escalation of force incident and hurt someone has it turned out that the vehicle had a suicide bomb or weapons in it and, in many cases, had families in it…We've shot an amazing number of people and killed a number and, to my knowledge, none has proven to have been a real threat to the force."
Our killing of civilians has spread to Pakistan, where the most deadly attacks come from unmanned drones. A report by the New America Foundation speculates that U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan have killed somewhere around 700 to 1,000 people, one-third of them civilians.
As Americans on conscience, we can’t stand by and allow these killings to continue. Here are some actions we should we be calling for:
* stop the air wars, including the deadly drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan;
* stop the night raids that sow terror and abuse;
* hold the soldiers and higher ups accountable for their actions, including General McChrystal;
* pressure Congress to hold hearings on these atrocities;
* organize teach-ins that educate the public and help build the anti-war movement.
These are all critical actions to engage in. But there is really only one way to stop the collateral murder by our military: stop the wars and bring our troops home. The Obama administration is now asking Congress for another $33 billion of our tax dollars for war. Enough is enough. These are wars we can’t afford, we can’t win, and we can’t condone on moral grounds. Call your representatives—202-224-3121—and tell them “No more money for war.” It’s time we stop being and funding the evil we deplore.
Do not stay silent and complacent to collateral murder. Sign-on to CODEPINK's condemnation of the cover-ups and demand accountability for past and present war crimes.There is really only one way to stop the collateral murder by our military: stop the... more
-
-
Chad was checking out the new maps for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and when things aren't going his way, it's not pretty.Chad was checking out the new maps for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and when things... more
-
-
Today we cover all the best pranks from April fools day. Also, go watch the trailer for Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet! THIS is Hard News “On these high seas, no one can hear you scream.”
Sega announced today that one of their most beloved characters is returning from the deep. A post on the official Sega America Blog revealed that a sequel to Ecco: Water Wars is currently in the works. Confident of the title’s success, Sega is already bragging that the game is “so good, we didn’t even need a first one.”
Water Wars 2 sees the return of Ecco the Dolphin, who has mastered the art of time travel and weapons of mass destruction. Now the leader in a movement against humanity, the First Porpoise Shooter will see Ecco break free of his circus-like confines, steal human technology, and use it against them. Even against the elderly.
“You know, my mom told me that dolphins are like… like… some of the smartest creatures in the seas,” said Ecco fan x_X_x_SUPERMEGAECCOFAN1991_x_X_x on the SEGA forums. “Who says Dolphins can’t be smart enough to take human technology, improve it tenfold, and then use it against us in an epic fight for freedom? I know I can’t.”
Multiplayer action promises play with up to eighteen-and-a-half dolphin friends. Sega has remained quiet about gameplay modes, other than detailing that one will encourage you to shoot rockets at unsuspecting fishing vessels and cruise ships.
We have to admit that the drastic change in direction for the franchise has us a bit leery. However, this could be just what Ecco needs to vault himself back to stardom. We will be sure to share our impressions when given the opportunity for hands-on play.
The galaxy is filled with every sort of riffraff, refuse and space trash imaginable. For thousands of years the brave souls who answer to the name Sarlacc have made sure it doesn’t pile up. As deadly as they are misunderstood, these determined individuals are the ultimate authorities on final judgment in the galaxy. A new definition of pain is waiting for anyone who would dare cross one.
Contrary to popular belief, a Sarlacc is much more than an extreme omnivore – a misconception the cunning Sarlacc have been exploiting for thousands of years. Frequently, a Sarlacc will act as a mercenary-for-hire, contracting their services – and their tentacles – to underground groups needing extra muscle. Occasionally, one will pose as a trophy pet of an egotistical Hutt gangster, capitalizing on the perfect disguise as they zero in on their targets.
But the Sarlacc aren’t just opportunistic scavengers waiting for a free lunch; they are paragons of patience and planning, always waiting for the right moment to pounce on their quarry – even if it takes one thousand years. A Sarlacc has no trouble keeping their sights on a target that has long since forgotten them. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and no one serves this dish better than a Sarlacc.
Professional Courtesies
Most Sarlacc have learned more about the galaxy than most other professionals could hope to learn in ten human lifetimes. Not only has an average Sarlacc done everything under the double suns, many techniques that are synonymous with other professionals were innovated and perfected by a cunning, resourceful Sarlacc.
Every Smuggler knows that one dropped shipment could lose him respect – and a year’s worth of credits, but only the insane would search for contraband cleverly stashed in the belly of a Sarlacc. Imperial Agents breaking the will of interrogated prisoners rely heavily on techniques handed down to them by the Sarlacc – who are known to telepathically torture information out of their most reticent victims. Jedi Knights train for years to master The Way of the Sarlacc, Shii-Cho Lightsaber form as the foundation of their amazing combat prowess. Consulars of the Jedi Order spend long hours meditating on Sarlacc to develop the dissonant serenity that keeps them calm in the midst of chaos. Bounty Hunters – a Sarlacc delicacy – have perhaps benefitted most from developing contacts in the Sarlacc Underground; it is here that hunting and trapping are brought to new heights and Bounty Hunters learn to become great, or die. No team would have the skills it needs to survive its mission without the practice and invention of a dedicated Sarlacc.
And Finally The Best April Fools Jokes were All about Halo A new Video Was Release by Bungie Showing Off The new Game Mode We All been Waiting For Its Chess! And Man Its The Longest Running Multiplayer Game in The World By a Member Of The Bungie Team Chess is What They Did on April Fools They were Howerver Done By the Halo Movie. Tesing A Hollywood Movie Feturing Master Chef IGN.com Show Us The Trailer Feturing Some Teenage Actor and The War Between the Humans Master Chef Really Got Some Moves.
I Hope you Enjoy It THIS is Hard NewsToday we cover all the best pranks from April fools day. Also, go watch the trailer... more
-
-
-
Hello Current.com'ers!
We occasionally receive questions asking us how stories get picked for featuring on the homepage, or how one story made it to the homepage over another. So in an effort to clear things up, I thought I'd run through some of the sections of Current.com and layout some details regarding our featuring processes.
First, it’s important to note that staff is a part of the Current.com community — always has, and always will be. Contributions from our community help shape the content we program and feature, and there are sections of Current.com dedicated to showing the top community stories as submitted, voted on, and commented on by our community. But in addition to these community curated sections, there are also areas that are reserved specifically for staff to use to program featured content — both community submitted and editorialized by our online producer team.
Current Stories
This section is on the homepage, and it is refreshed occasionally with topical content submitted by the Current community.
We focus primarily on community contributions, and we try to make sure that the stories featured here are timely, contextually relevant, and that they are not duplicate posts. People who submit trending stories before anyone else on Current tend to wind up featured, and this has nothing to do with preferential treatment. When you notice that your post was not featured, check to see if it is too similar to a previously submitted story by doing a search on keywords and sorting by “newest.”
Homepage Channels
Each channel on the homepage has two sections:
Featured: this is noted by the “star” image and the stories in this section are picked by the online producer for the channel. They can be either community posts or a staff submission (usually a callout for webcams, comments, or a blog post pointing people to a new feature, tool, or other notable piece of original content). Each one of our online channels on the homepage has a corresponding online producer who acts as a host and moderator for that channel. They pick the story featured in this spot, and it corresponds with the first story featured on the channel homepage. The story picked for this spot can be a relatively new submission, or a popular trend. Community picks: this is noted by the “#1” and “#2” symbols, and the stories placed in these sections are the top two most popular stories as determined by the Current.com community on that channel. These are determined strictly based on popularity alone — a result of votes, views, comments, and shares on the submitted story.
Channel Homepages
The channel homepages have a featured section (we call it the playlist) and a popular ranking section.
Stories for the featured section are picked by the online producer, and the first story is the same story that is featured on the homepage in the channel featured section (see above).
The popular ranking section is all determined by community activity, and the top 2 stories are the ones “picked” to feature in the “community picks” section of the homepage channel module. Our online producers also write blog posts that get featured and highlighted on our site in various places.
To clear up one fundamental misunderstanding: we have some staff members whose sole job is to produce video content for airing on Current TV. These pieces range from shows like infoMania and SuperNews! to Current News recaps like the following video recap of the Neda story from Iran [WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES]. The way we represent these pieces of content on Current.com is via their staff profile, which we clearly mark with a green staff badge. This isn’t showing preference, it’s simply calling out when and where we contribute to the site. I hope this helps clarify things. Please understand, we realize that some of this can be confusing (and in turn frustrating), so we have been discussing some design changes that could help call these distinguishing sections out better in the future. In addition, I'll be working on a series of "meet the online producer" and "meet the online community team" posts to help get you guys better acquainted with some of the names and faces you see around the site.
If you have any feedback or suggestions, please post a comment below or feel free to submit them to our Current.com feedback threads on Get Satisfaction.Hello Current.com'ers!
We occasionally receive questions asking us how stories... more
-
-
Hundreds of computer geeks, most of them students putting themselves through college, crammed into three floors of an office building in an industrial section of Ukraine's capital Kiev, churning out code at a frenzied pace. They were creating some of the world's most pernicious, and profitable, computer viruses.
According to court documents, former employees and investigators, a receptionist greeted visitors at the door of the company, known as Innovative Marketing Ukraine. Communications cables lay jumbled on the floor and a small coffee maker sat on the desk of one worker. ... http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/free-stuff/286-inside-a-global-cybercrime-ringHundreds of computer geeks, most of them students putting themselves through college,... more
-
-
worrg
-
added this
-
1 year ago
- |
-
For as long as the political fight took over the past year, the abbreviated review process on the health care legislation currently pending on President Obama’s desk is unquestionably going to result in some surprises — as happens with any piece of mashed-up legislation — both for the congressmen who voted for it and for the American people.
One such surprise is found on page 158 of the legislation, which appears to create a carveout for senior staff members in the leadership offices and on congressional committees, essentially exempting those senior Democrat staffers who wrote the bill from being forced to purchase health care plans in the same way as other Americans.
A major story during the course of the health care debate was whether members of Congress would commit to placing themselves in the same health care exchanges as average citizens, or whether they would hang on to their government plans — that’s why leadership chose to add this portion to the bill, serving as a guarantee that members would participate in the same health plans as the people. Here’s the relevant text:
(D) MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN THE EXCHANGE-
(i) REQUIREMENT- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, after the effective date of this subtitle, the only health plans that the Federal Government may make available to Members of Congress and congressional staff with respect to their service as a Member of Congress or congressional staff shall be health plans that are–
(I) created under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act); or
(II) offered through an Exchange established under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act).
But as with a lot of legislative matters, the devil is in the details — or in this case, the definitions. As anyone who’s worked on Capitol Hill knows, the personal office staff for a member is governed by different rules than those who work on committees and in the leadership offices. It appears from the way this language is written that those staffers NOT in personal offices, such as those working and paid under the committee structure (such as those working for Chairman Henry Waxman) or those working on leadership staff (such as those working for Speaker Nancy Pelosi) would be exempt from these requirements (emphasis added).
(ii) DEFINITIONS- In this section:
(I) MEMBER OF CONGRESS- The term `Member of Congress’ means any member of the House of Representatives or the Senate.
(II) CONGRESSIONAL STAFF- The term `congressional staff’ means all full-time and part-time employees employed by the official office of a Member of Congress, whether in Washington, DC or outside of Washington, DC.
According to the Congressional Research Service, this definition of staff will only apply to those staffers employed within a member’s “personal office” — meaning that it will absolutely not apply to committee staff members, and may not apply to leadership staff.
This problem was acknowledged earlier in the process — last year, Senator Grassley tried to repair it, but he was rebuffed.
As Speaker Pelosi said a few weeks ago, it’s only after this legislation is passed that we’ll truly find out what’s in it.
Update: Grassley is renewing his push. Here’s a release from yesterday:
“It’s pretty unbelievable that the President and his closest advisors remain untouched by the reforms they pushed for the rest of the country. In other words, President Obama’s health care reform won’t apply to President Obama,” Grassley said. “Last December, the effort to apply any new law to administration political leaders was rejected by the Senate Majority Leader. But there’s no justification for the double standard, and I’ll continue to work to establish fairness.”
The Senate legislation passed last night by the House of Representatives includes an amendment Grassley sponsored and got adopted by the Finance Committee last fall to have members of Congress and their staffs get their health insurance through the same health insurance exchanges where health plans for the general public would be available. During the closed-door negotiations on the bill late last year, the Senate Majority Leader carved out Senate committee and leadership staff from this requirement.
Subsequently, Grassley and Senator Tom Coburn attempted to offer another amendment to restore the requirement during Senate debate on the health care bill, but the Senate Majority Leader would not let their amendment to fix this loophole even come up for a vote. In addition to Senate committee and leadership staff, the amendment Grassley and Coburn filed during the Senate debate would have made the President, the Vice President, top White House staff and cabinet members all get their health insurance through the newly created exchanges. It would not have applied to federal employees in the civil service.
Grassley said, “It’s only fair and logical that top administration officials, who fought so hard for passage of this overhaul of America’s health care system, experience it themselves. If it’s as good as promised, they’ll know it first-hand. If there are problems, they’ll be able to really understand them, as they should.”
We’ll see if this gains traction (h/t Daniel Foster at NRO).For as long as the political fight took over the past year, the abbreviated review... more
-
