firehose

Alfonso Elola


Alfonso Elola


Alfonso Elola


Alfonso Elola


Alfonso Elola


Alfonso Elola


Alfonso Elola


Alfonso Elola

Alfonso Elola

They work until 11 at night, lug 40-pound garment bags throughout the city and get scolded for not adhering tape to mood boards correctly. And yet being a Condé Nast intern remains one of the most coveted, sought-after unpaid jobs in town.

While canned beer has long outsold bottled beer, cans have traditionally been considered downmarket. But aluminum packaging rose in stature in the early aughts when it was embraced by a new class of US craft breweries. Even bigger brands have caught on, pushing innovative designs that would be impossible with bottles.

According to industry analysts, the new technologies are also changing perceptions of beer cans. Last year cans carried 53.2% of the US beer market, up from 48.3% in 2006, while the share for bottled beer dropped from 41.9% to 36.5% over the same period.

The can decline was over by the mid-aughts, and the versatile packaging has enjoyed an upward trend since 2006, according to information compiled by the Beer Institute.

The myth of cans giving a metallic taste to beer goes back to pre-1970s soldered cans, but consumers can’t actually taste the difference between most bottled and canned beers. Cans store beer just as well as bottles since the inside of each can is coated with a water-based polymer, preventing the beer from coming in contact with the aluminum.

Aluminum cans also provide a cheap, impact-resistant, recyclable packaging. They minimize the chance for breakage and offer complete protection against light, which can ”skunk” (or, impart a bitter aroma to) beer.

Lately, beverage makers have been rolling out more variations on the traditional “pull-top” can.

One beer maker, Sly Fox Brewery, dispensed with small-scale modifications to the tab, instead using a “360 lid” design, that removes the tab and top altogether, so drinkers can use each can like a glass.

Another, the Churchkey Can Company, got rid of the pull-top entirely and brought back the flat-topped cans that were standard before the advent of the pull-top in 1959. Consumers have to use a “churchkey” style can opener, as though it were condensed milk.

The Boston Beer Company, the largest US craft brewery and maker of Samuel Adams beer, had sworn off cans for years. This year, it has introduced the “Sam Can,” which features a wide mouth placing the opening closer to the nose and a flared lip that is supposed to deliver more beer aroma.

Other manufacturers have concentrated more on convenience and novelty. Bud Light’s vented can that uses the tab to poke a hole in the top for ease of pouring. The design was tested over the summer in the Louisville, Kentucky market and is scheduled for a national rollout this year.

But not all can innovations have to do with function, some are purely about form. Most notably Budweiser’s “bowtie can,” introduced this year was an attempt to set itself  apart using a unique design—the profile is meant only to echo Budweisers “bow-tie” logo—rather than a particularly functional one. Though, its slightly smaller dimensions do cut .7 oz or  8.5 calories from each can.

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Irish Independent

Berlusconi 'directed' bunga bunga sex parties, court says The Globe and Mail Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was the ringmaster of “bunga bunga” sex parties at his luxurious villa near Milan, giving the go-ahead for young women to perform pole dances and stripteases, according to a court document. Berlusconi, who ... Court releases salacious Bunga Bunga detailsMiamiHerald.com all 73 news articles »

When Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in Tacloban, in the Philippines, earlier this month, it whipped up 20-foot tsunami-like tidal surges so powerful that they killed most of the 3,900 people who died in the storm. The people of Tacloban “said ‘we were ready for the wind. We were not ready for the water,’” as presidential aide Rene Alemendras explained. “We tried our very best to warn everybody. But it was really just overwhelming, especially the storm surge.”

This might give you a better idea of why (the surge starts at 0:38):

Some of Haiyan’s destruction could have been prevented. But not with seawalls or dykes—with mangrove trees. Areas near Tacloban where mangrove forests hadn’t been illegally cut fared better, as a Philippines development consultant told Bloomberg. That’s because mangroves provide a natural buffer that slows down inland tidal surges, absorbing 70-90% of a normal wave’s impact. Here’s an animated version of how mangrove forests dampen a tsunami’s force:

The Philippines environment secretary, Ramon Paje, is now spearheading an effort to restore mangrove forests to 380 km (94,000 acres) of unprotected beach, focusing on Tacloban and other areas hard hit by Typhoon Haiyan.

Similar efforts are underway elsewhere in Asia, and have already spared damage to communities in Vietnam. Companies like Danone and Credit Agricole have invested around $4 million in mangrove reforestation on Sumatra, where a 2004 tsunami killed 170,000 people, reports Bloomberg. In exchange, they receive tradable carbon offset credits, since the curlicued aboveground roots of mangroves absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide.

There’s a lot of work to do. In the Philippines alone, coastal development and other factors have pared away four-fifths of the 500,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of mangrove forest that once lined the archipelago’s coasts.

One of the biggest threats to mangrove forests is shrimp aquaculture. In Thailand, where an estimated 8,000 people died in the 2004 tsunami, shrimp farming has led to the destruction of 65,000 hectares of mangroves (pdf, p.9), reports the Environmental Justice Foundation, a non-governmental organization.

A Walmart location in Canton, OH has placed a number of large bins in one of the back rooms of its store to collect donations for company employees who are having difficulty putting enough food on the table during the holidays.

A case that is "currently before the United States District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky":

On December 12, 2012, American Atheists and two co-plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky demanding that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stop giving preferential treatment to churches and religious organizations via the process of receiving non-profit tax-exempt status under the Internal Revue Code (IRC) procedures and definitions.IRS

Groups like American Atheists receive tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) but, because the organization is not classified as religious, it costs American Atheists and other secular non-profits significantly more money each year to maintain that status. In this lawsuit, American atheists and the other plaintiffs are demanding that all tax-exempt organizations, including those characterized as religious by the IRS, have the same requirements to achieve and maintain tax-exempt status.

Christians, before you moan and groan about the war on this and that, recall the words of your very own master: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.” And what does God want? Nothing that's under the sun.

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Donald Sutherland spoke one-on-one with SPINOFF about playing President Snow in the "Hunger Games" movies and his hopes for the franchise.

The Dance Your PhD Competition challenges grad students in STEM to explain the technical details in their projects not in laymans terms, but in interpretive dance. The grand prize is $1k, and a trip to a screening of their winning video at Stanford University. Here's Ambalika Khadria's winning entry in the field of Chemistry (a trick she developed to observe the behavior of proteins), but you can see the rest of the winners at io9.

penroseparticle:

professorxvx:

peak whiteness has been achieved.

are you fucking serious

I…

…need to go lay down until the world has new people in it.

paintedcowboy:

peashooter85:

Smith and Wesson revolver decorated by master engraver Gustave Young for the Columbian Exposition (Chicago World’s Fair) in 1893.

Estimated Value: $125,000 - $175,000

One reason men make more money than women is because they work so much overtime.

The gender gap in pay persists due to the fact that men are more likely than women to work 50 hours-plus a week, found a recent study (pdf) published by the American Sociological Review. The extra hours—known as “overwork”—result, on average, in an extra 6% in hourly wages across all occupations. This difference has exacerbated the gender pay gap by around 10%, the study claims.

In 2000, 19% of men worked 50 hours or more per week, compared to 7% of women. The researchers suggested that women are less likely both to enter a job that demands overworking and to stay in it. And despite moves toward equality, women still tend to be more responsible than men for housework and childcare—hours that hardly count on the job but make them plenty overworked, too.

Indicating a willingness to work longer hours is one of the most effective ways men can increase their salaries, a 2011 report found, but it had no effect on women’s income or corporate progression.

Overwork is considered necessary to move up the corporate ladder, and indeed, the study found overworkers are more prevalent in professional and managerial positions. Researchers attribute the higher wages to employers’ perception that overworkers have contributed more to a company’s bottom line, or the impression that they tend to work harder and more productively.

New York Daily News

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ABC News

Teen in bullying death case: I didn't do anything wrong Detroit Free Press ORLANDO, FLA. — One of two teens who had faced bullying charges related to the suicide of a classmate said today she did not do anything wrong. Katelyn Roman, 13, appeared on NBC's “Today” show one day after authorities in Polk County, Fla., said ... Fla. teen cleared of cyberbullying: I didn't do 'anything wrong'Today.com Teen cleared in bullying case maintains innocenceLincoln Journal Star all 327 news articles »

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TV's most famous Time Lord has been to different worlds and ages, but what do these journeys look like? Take a trip through our interactive map and see archive clips too.

In this exclusive, Jason Jones, Steve Buscemi, Matthew Broderick, and Michael Strahan congratulate Chicago on having edible pizza.

The city of San Francisco spent a good bit of money turning itself into Gotham for the now-famous Batkid, who captured national attention last Friday as the Leukemia stricken-boy whose one wish was to be a super hero. It was worth every penny.

There are certain things you won't be encouraged to do wearing one of these. Those are the things I did.

Butterscotch Pony fulfills every little girl's dream of owning a pony

Honer is an OS X application to draw a border around the focused window.

It’s useful for people who use tiling window managers and people who have accessibility requirements.

Thanks, Gles6249!

Roddy White should play on Thursday against the New Orleans Saints. We break down the fantasy implications.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White hasn't looked like himself all season, presumably because he has not been healthy all season. White has struggled all year, but he's been practicing and should be available for the Falcons when they take on the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football.

The question is whether or not he'll be effective. White injured his ankle in the preseason, and sustained a hamstring injury early on in the regular season. Despite this, he played through his injuries multiple times and was used primarily as a decoy. Before the team's bye week, he exceeded 30 yards only once, and didn't break 50 yards at all.

He missed three games -- snapping a streak of consecutive games played, a streak that he wanted to keep alive and may have been responsible for him playing through injury early in the season -- but has played in the team's last two. He had one reception for 20 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, and three receptions for 36 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week ago.

Fantasy Impact: White managed his first touchdown reception of the season against the Buccaneers on Sunday, but he also had a fumble. He's been wildly ineffective, with under 200 yards in seven games. He went from being one of the top receivers in the league to being an afterthought. The Saints have a strong pass defense. If you haven't cut him yet, White should ride your bench in Week 12.

More fantasy football news from SB Nation:

• Get live advice daily in the Fantasy War Room

• Today's fantasy football player updates

• Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire advice: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST

The NCAA has sued Electronic Arts and the Collegiate Licensing Company over its proposed settlement with student athletes from late September, Bloomberg reported. The $40 million settlement was in regards to the use of student athlete likeness, an ongoing legal dispute that stemmed back to May 2009. As a result of the string of lawsuits, EA canceled its college football game that was set to launch in 2014, which started with the NCAA's decision to not renew its licensing contract with the publisher in July.

Filed in a Georgia state court on November 4, the lawsuit from the NCAA alleges that EA did not agree to compensate the NCAA for losses related to legal claims from student athletes, and that the publisher did not have liability insurance to do so. EA's proposed $40 million settlement would negate the company's contractual obligations to idemnify the NCAA for any liability and attorney fees related to the lawsuits.

We have contacted both EA and the CLC for comment.

Update: A Collegiate Licensing Company representative told Joystiq that "CLC is caught in the middle of a dispute between NCAA and EA which should not involve us. CLC has valued relationships with both the NCAA and EA and while we hope they can soon resolve their dispute, we see no reason for CLC to be involved."

The NCAA has declined to comment on the story.

Update #2: EA has also declined to comment on the story.

NCAA sues EA over likeness settlement [Update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Nov 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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