Community // Current

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1 day ago

The Last Phone Booths of Manhattan

Only four full-fledged outdoor phone booths exist in Manhattan today it seems. We're talking Superman Approved™ phone... more

iamdull
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Paddle Faster!

A KY woman gets the lead out for unsuspecting rafters, whom she warned should get out of the river before they reached the... more

Writeminded
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Demand Accountability from Current!

I urge everyone who is fed up with the inane editor's picks that are cluttering the front page to flag these stories and... more

numinant
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Fun, Not Guns

Churches in Nashville, TN organize a "gun drive" to encourage people to exchange their weapons for UniverSoul Circus... more

Writeminded
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The NYC Current Meetup...

...was AWESOME! Thank you Current and everyone who showed up to the first ever Current Community Meetup- it went really well... more

DeliaTheArtist
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The West Des Moines Project

This submission examines my home town's reaction to its high school production of The Laramie Project. About a Wyoming... more

aloots
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Open Source Movies & Animations, Remixable Films & the Mash-up Culture

The Open philosophy as applied to movies & animations deals with three related concepts: * open, collaborative projects... more

VictorGodot
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Community Q&A: Hey Current.com, where are you going? [current.com blog]

My last post on the blog, "How does featuring work?" inspired some really great questions from the community. So I... more

mario_a
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N. Korea threatens US; world anticipates missile

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea threatened Wednesday to wipe the United States off the map as Washington and its allies watched for signs the regime will launch a series of missiles in the coming days.
Off China's coast, a U.S. destroyer was tailing a North Korean ship suspected of transporting illicit weapons to Myanmar in what could be the first test of U.N. sanctions passed to punish the nation for an underground nuclear test last month.
The Kang Nam left the North Korean port of Nampo a week ago with the USS John S. McCain close behind. The ship, accused of transporting banned goods in the past, is believed bound for Myanmar, according to South Korean and U.S. officials.
The new U.N. Security Council resolution requires member states to seek permission to inspect suspicious cargo. North Korea has said it would consider interception a declaration of war and on Wednesday accused the U.S. of seeking to provoke another Korean War.
"If the U.S. imperialists start another war, the army and people of Korea will ... wipe out the aggressors on the globe once and for all," the official Korean Central News Agency said.
The warning came on the eve of the 59th anniversary of the start of the three-year Korean War, which ended in a truce in 1953, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula in state of war.
The U.S. has 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect against an outbreak of hostilities.
Tensions have been high since North Korea launched a long-range rocket in April and then conducted its second underground atomic test on May 25.
Reacting to U.N. condemnation of that test, North Korea walked away from nuclear disarmament talks and warned it would fire a long-range missile.
North Korea has banned ships from the waters off its east coast starting Thursday through July 10 for military exercises, Japan's Coast Guard said.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday that the North may fire a Scud missile with a range of up to 310 miles (500 kilometers) or a short-range ground-to-ship missile with a range of 100 miles (160 kilometers) during the no-sail period.
A senior South Korean government official said the no-sail ban is believed connected to North Korean plans to fire short- or mid-range missiles. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.
U.S. defense and counterproliferation officials in Washington said they also expected the North to launch short- to medium-range missiles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.
South Korea will expedite the introduction of high-tech unmanned aerial surveillance systems and "bunker-buster" bombs in response to North Korea's provocations, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, citing unidentified ruling party members.
Meanwhile, a flurry of diplomatic efforts were under way to try getting North Korea to return to disarmament talks.
Russia's top nuclear envoy, Alexei Borodavkin, said after meeting with his South Korean counterpart that Moscow is open to other formats for discussion since Pyongyang has pulled out of formal six-nation negotiations.
In Beijing, top U.S. and Chinese defense officials also discussed North Korea. U.S. Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy was heading next to Tokyo and Seoul for talks.
South Korea has proposed high-level "consultations" to discuss North Korea with the U.S., Russia, China and Japan.SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea threatened Wednesday to wipe the United States off the map as Washington and its allies... more

AlbeeYap
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3 responses

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16 days ago

How does featuring work? [current.com blog]

We've had several questions about how stories get picked for the homepage, so I thought it would be good to clear up any... more

mario_a
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22 responses

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17 days ago

Limitations Permitted - Manu Luksch

The phenomenon of public surveillance in Britain is one that is often debated in our news media, but how do we personally regard... more

youandiskills
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0 responses

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22 days ago

Community forests on the rise

The Sunny Brae forest above this fog-locked college town is a logger’s dream, but for the most part its 175 acres of... more

JanforGore
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3 responses

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1 month ago

The Hempire Strikes back - Can Hemp Change the World?

The Hempire Strikes back AMARU - a green ethical business based around hemp, with a truly sustainable vision for community... more

youandiskills
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6 responses

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1 month ago

Russia source says North Korea readying launches: report

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian Foreign Ministry source on Tuesday said there were signs that North Korea was preparing new missile... more

AlbeeYap
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0 responses

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1 month ago

Using Human Rights Law to Address Climate Change

Law students at the University of Washington organized a conference called Three Degrees: The Law of Climate Change and Human... more

Worldchanging
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1 response

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1 month ago

Community Kitchens

Collaborative solutions that will make our communities resilient in the 21st century don't need to wait for some version of... more

Worldchanging
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0 responses

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1 month ago

Bridging the Gap between Writers and Scientists!

So, you're a journalist, a news blogger or maybe a freelance writer, and you're trying to get an expert source for a story that you are working on. With an overload of information on the web, how can you make sure your sources are legitimate, especially in scientific areas?

"Briefly, the problem begins with the culture of science which [can] discourage communication by scientists to the news media and the lay public. Second, journalists frequently report on scientific information incorrectly, or they are quick to cite dubious sources without being knowledgeable of what the scientific issues are really about. Finally, because science is so complex, the public understanding of science and the research process is fairly low. Combined, we have a situation where science is largely misunderstood," says Bob Conrad, founder of Bridge2Science.

Bridge2Science is an organization who's mission is to connect journalists, bloggers and writers to real scientific sources- but are they experts?

"There’s something about emerging online media that seems to draw out of the woodwork folks who use the word expert rather loosely," Mr. Conrad explains. "Part of Bridge2Science is focusing on the people who fit the traditional, and perhaps even legal, definition of an expert."

Universities, scientific foundations and research institutions are a few examples of where Bob finds his sources. "Our focus is quality rather than quantity and making sure we have the world’s best institutions represented."

"The future of journalism is in doubt, somewhat tragically. It’s my view that the model of news reporting did not appropriately keep up with emerging technologies," says Bob. The face of journalism is changing rapidly today, with more and more focus on the internet and the looming death of print media. But there is an upside. "More and more individuals and small groups will continue to shape public discussions in ways that were not happening 30 years ago."

Where does Bridge2Science fit into the new face of journalism?

"Where Bridge2Science can help is we can provide a direct connection between anyone who is writing or doing a story about pretty much any topic you can think of – from nuclear physics and climate change to computers and high tech – and give them access to a genuine expert on that topic. In other words, we can provide easy, quick connections to people who have devoted years of study into their areas of specialization. We do not limit our requests for expert sources to just journalists because bloggers, freelance writers and ordinary folks can sometimes be the ones to break amazing and important stories."

Don't we know that for a fact here on Current.com? We are part of this new media, the next generation of journalists, bloggers and writers who are finding stories, doing our own research and encouraging activism in areas we are passionate about. I hope Bridge2Science can be a great resource for you! Find out more about Bridge2Science and see my entire interview with Bob Conrad at the link!So, you're a journalist, a news blogger or maybe a freelance writer, and you're trying to get an expert source for a... more