Flamingos in Siberia?

 Please follow this link and listen to or read this article. It is fascinating and hilarious. For a brief synopsis: there have been several documented encounters of Flamingos falling out of the sky near a river (always in November) in Siberia. The flamingos are frozen, near death, but in
this location by their own
volition. What is going on?
Go and find out for yourself. ( :

Fate of the Music Industry?

 Koleman Strumpf's argument is very intriguing. I think he hits a very important point in the article 'The Effect of File Sharing On Record Sales.' By relating the fall in sales of the music industry to the disco bust of the 80's, Strumpf does not make this an issue of illegal downloading, but the music industry falling its audience. Strumpf states that maybe the decline in record sales is because people are less interested in 'teen pop' just like people grew tired of Disco in the 80's. As we discussed in class, the files that are most frequently downloaded illegally are pop. Increasingly, people want to have pop singles for party/dance scenarios, but not for personal listening pleasure. Taste is moving more and more in the direction of alternative rock/pop and electronic. Yet, the music industry is not observing this trend. They continue to throw us Justin Biebers and Hannah Montanas. Maybe if they caught the trend and started to cater toward their audience's needs things would be different.

Dollar Coins?

According to the General Accountability Office, it is time for the United States to drop the dollar bill and move to the dollar coin. The shift is projected to save the US $5.5 billion in the space of 30 years. The first few years would be more expensive, but because the coin is more durable than the bill, the cost will stand the test of time and save significantly! Most Western currencies have already made this shift: the EU, British pound, Canada, etc. But the GOA is insistent that this transition is impossible unless we take away the Bill completely and force the transition to occur. This is the approach all successful Western currencies have taken.

'CHAINED'

Come get your 'CHAINED' button at Kaufmen (Thursday) 12-2 and the Cage (Friday) 12-2.

Breast Milk Ice Cream?

Yes, you read that title correctly. Breast Milk Ice Cream is officially a hit after its trial run at The Icecreamists shop in Covent Gardens, London. The flavor was called Baby Gaga and sold for around 14 pounds. The milk was purchased from around 14 mothers who had adds online. The milk underwent rigorous tests to ensure sanitary quality before being made into scrumptious ice cream. Would you try it?

Breach of Privacy!

Robert Collins was excited for his interview at the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The job prospect was a good one for him, and he was thrilled to have this opportunity. Little did he know that his interview would turn into a potential lawsuit.
While interviewing, the Department demanded Collins' Facebook login information. This measure was to insure that Collins did not have anything to hide.
Collins immediately felt uncomfortable and left. He has teamed up with the ACLU to make the Maryland Department of Public Safety realize this an enormous breach of privacy. They have suspended the interview process for 45 days in order to review the constitutionality of the interview question, and will give a final decision at the end of this period. Here is a video Collins made with the ACLU where he explains his case:

Egyptian Girl Named Facebook

It is official: Social Networking has achieved a new level of dominance. A twenty-year-old Egyptian man chose to name his daughter 'Facebook' to celebrate the website's role in the revolution on January 25th. We can laugh and joke about the seeming ridiculousness of this choice...but it is undeniable that 'Facebook' is much more than a social networking website for Egyptians...it is a platform for achieving political freedom.