Black Friday violence: Competitive shopping's troubling new edge

Some Black Friday shoppers have been cutting in line, grabbing carts, coming to blows, and wielding pepper spray.?What the Black Friday hunt for the perfect Christmas present says about the shopper within.

Aisle-bumping, line-cutting, and parking lot rudeness is to be expected on Black Friday, the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza. This year's event, however, saw more mayhem than usual as throngs of competitive shoppers tussled and growled over waffle irons and Xboxes, with altercations turning violent in at least seven states.

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As in years past, stories of "competitive shopping" gone bad abounded, but with a new edge.

In Los Angeles, a woman pepper-sprayed at least 20 fellow shoppers to save some money on an Xbox console, paying up and getting out before cops arrived. In Ohio and Michigan, women "came out swinging" over discounted bath towels. The results were at times serious, with several shootings reported and one confrontation ending with a grandfather lying bloodied and unconscious.

RECOMMENDED:?Top 6 weird Black Friday discounts

With economic growth still moribund and unemployment uncomfortably close to double digits, the growth in Black Friday mayhem hints at both desperation and hope on the part of corporations and consumers looking to bust out of the pseudo-recession and salvage Christmas. Stores pushing start times up to midnight for the first time helped to dial up the emotions and the stress, which inevitably find occasional outlets in shoving and screaming.

"People are putting in all this effort getting up early, cutting out coupons ... then they get there and they find out the goods are gone because they are out of stock or because there were not very many to begin," Sharron Lennon tells TheStreet.com website. "They are?going to be angry, and some of them might be the ones who engage in the consumer misbehavior."?

Cue YouTube. One short clip depicts a huddle of shoppers climbing over each other, tossing around boxes of a $2 waffle iron, with, as Reuters reports, "one woman seemingly unaware that her pants were sliding down her backside."

For some, such scenes prompt existential musings about the state of humanity.

"There is a point in our culture beyond which camp and kitsch no longer make the least ironic sense, where consumerism loses its last mooring to civilization, where even seemingly legitimate protest devolves into farce.?That point is Black Friday," writes Andrew Leonard in Salon.

But the focus on snippets of consumer deviance doesn't quite give the event a fair shake.

Only eight percent of people in an ebates.com poll said they cut in line, for example, and given that 158 million people said they were heading out on Black Friday ? compared to 138 million people last year ? the sheer crush of humanity has only grown as retailers like Wal-Mart and Kohl's extended the start hour to 12:01 Friday morning, quite a stretch from when 6 a.m. starting times were seen as outrageous.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/xnVFaoV44IM/Black-Friday-violence-Competitive-shopping-s-troubling-new-edge

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Ben Whishaw Is Bond's New Q

One character that has yet to pop up in the rebooted James Bond universe (first established in Casino Royale)?is ?Q,? MI6?s resident tinkerer who creates all the wonderful spy?gadgets?that Bond uses in his perennial quest to thwart evil and save the world.

Q?s four decades? worth of onscreen appearances have largely been monopolized by actor Desmond Llewelyn (who passed away in 1999), with the last onscreen iteration of the character having been inhabited by John Cleese in the 2002 Bond film, Die Another Day.?However, as with many aspects of the rebooted Bond, the character of Q is getting an injection of some new (read: young) blood in the upcoming Bond flick, Skyfall.

BBC News?recently reported that actor Ben Whishaw will be taking on the role of Q in Skyfall. If the name is not familiar to you, it?s probably because the actor has been featured in projects that are more popular across the pond than here in the states, namely TV series like Nathan Barley and Criminal Justice -?though he has also had parts in big-screen fare like I?m Not There, Brideshead Revisited, The International, and Julie Taymor?s adaptation of Shakespeare?s The Tempest. Still, as far as the majority of American audiences are concerned, Whishaw is largely a mystery.

Modern Bond movies have been bold in their updates to some of the franchise staples ? most notably changing Bond?s boss M from male to female (played wonderfully by Judi Dench). Those changes will continue in Skyfall, as Q will ? for the first time ? actually be younger than Bond (Whishaw is 31 while Daniel Craig is in his early forties). While it?s a miniscule alteration to some (like myself), those ?Bond purists? who always seem to be waiting in the woodwork will likely be upset that a change is once again being made to Ian Fleming?s sacred material.

The many faces of Q

Since I have little knowledge of Whishaw as an actor, or what the script for Skyfall?entails, it?s hard to say what the latest take on Q is going to be: will he be the dry-wit character we?re familiar with? Or will this younger Q be less confident than his previous counterparts? Does Whishaw have the timing and talent for sharp banter? Will the gadgets that Q invents be more grounded and fitting with this rebooted Bond that Craig plays? Or will we see a return to the more over-the-top futuristic technology we saw in Die Another Day??(Please, no more invisible cars, that?s all we ask!)

We?ll find out for sure when Skyfall?hits UK theaters on October 26th, 2012. It will open in the U.S. a few weeks later on November 9th.

Source: BBC News

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Will poo-powered lights get you in the mood?

Philips

Soft-glowing bioluminescent lights powered by methane gas harvested from the human waste stream could help set the mood in your living room.

By John Roach

Soft-glowing lights powered by energy harvested from human waste could soon set the mood everywhere from nightclubs to living rooms, according to an electronics company.

The lights, designed by Philips, are hand-blown glass cells filled with a culture of bioluminescent bacteria that are fed via silicon tubes connected to a source of methane gas harvested from food and body waste.?

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The system, called the Bio-Light,?is part of what Philips calls the Microbial Home, a project to recycle waste and reduce environmental impact.

The company notes that the bioluminescent lighting is too low-intensity for functional illumination, but says the system could light up the edge of the road at night or power signs pointing to the bathroom at movie theaters and nightclubs.

Another potential use offered by Philips is "new genres of atmospheric interior lighting with, for example, possible therapeutic and mood-enhancing effects."

Though it might take a little getting used to mood lighting powered by poop and wilted lettuce, the concept is another example of how to live more sustainably on a planet with finite resources.?

"Energy-saving light bulbs will only take us so far," Clive van Heerden, Senior Director of Design-led Innovation at Philips Design, notes on the company website.

"We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely, to rethink how homes consume energy, and how entire communities can pool resources."?

[Via Discovery News and Gizmag]

More on poop to power technology:

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John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.

Kids' play has moved to tablets and PCs. In this new age, toy makers and researchers alike are sorting out the benefits ? and detriments ? of playful educational interaction in virtual space.

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Source: http://futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/29/9094928-will-poo-powered-lights-get-you-in-the-mood

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Handsome Articles ? Discover New Low-cost Automotive Insurance ...

You probably have saved sufficient cash to purchase a new automotive, or have already spent your financial savings on the new automotive of your goals ? congratulations! There isn?t any thrill like cruising round city in your brand new automotive you labored so arduous for. However before you begin cruising, it?s important to think about getting insurance coverage in your new automotive ? ideally, low-cost insurance for your new car.

How can you get cheap insurance coverage to your new automobile when you?ve got by no means had an automobile insurance policy? Consider these three tips:

Take a look at the protection of your new car. Earlier than you purchase your new automobile, check out the security features. You probably have already purchased your new car and it doesn?t embody certain security options, add them. Cars with security options are seen as less dangerous to insure than cars with out security features; due to this fact, insurance companies give cheaper automotive insurance quotes to drivers who personal safe cars.

Ask about ?spinning off? of one other automotive insurance policy. When you?ve got ever been on one other driver?s car insurance coverage policy, reminiscent of your parents? automobile insurance coverage coverage, ask the insurance firm about ?spinning off? of that automobile insurance coverage coverage onto your own automotive insurance policy. You?ll have your personal automobile insurance policy, and you?ll most likely get a cheaper premium than you?d in the event you purchased a new automobile insurance coverage out right.

Add your self to another automotive insurance coverage policy. If you are married, or have mother and father who belief your driving habits, ask in case you could be added to their automotive insurance coverage policy. This may occasionally increase their premiums a bit, however you may pay the difference and the distinction might be less expensive than purchasing a very separate car insurance policy.

Keep in mind, all states require some type of automotive insurance coverage or monetary responsibility. Don?t threat enormous fines and a suspended driver?s license by neglecting to buy insurance in your new car.

If you need added information regarding how much does car insurance cost, drop by Orion Lamziahli?s Site right away.

Source: http://www.handsome-music.com/2011/11/discover-new-low-cost-automotive-insurance-coverage-12/

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GOP Latinos face questions of own immigrant past (Providence Journal)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Pakistan demands US vacate air base

Pakistan has blocked vital supply routes for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan and demanded Washington vacate a base used by American drones after coalition aircraft allegedly killed 24 Pakistani troops at two posts along a mountainous frontier that serves as a safe haven for militants. The incident Saturday was a major blow to American efforts to rebuild an already tattered alliance vital to winding down the 10-year-old Afghan war. Islamabad called the bloodshed in one of its tribal areas a "grave infringement" of the country's sovereignty, and it could make it even more difficult for the U.S. to enlist Pakistan's help in pushing Afghan insurgents to engage in peace talks. A NATO spokesman said it was likely that coalition airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, but an investigation was being conducted to determine the details. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest friendly fire incident by NATO against Pakistani troops since the Afghan war began a decade ago. The White House said senior U.S. civilian and military officials extended condolences to their Pakistani counterparts following the airstrike. The unidentified officials also expressed a desire to work with Pakistan to investigate the deaths. Video: US-Pakistani relations severely damaged (on this page) Supply 'contigencies'
Col. Gary Kolb, spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, said the aircraft were taking part in a strike that was a coordinated effort with ISAF, Pakistani military and the Pakistani border authorities, NBC News reported. He said they had responded to small arms fire, according to NBC News. Asked to confirm that it was retaliatory, he said yes. ISAF was still determining the exact circumstances. "This has the highest priority to ensure that we get all the facts straight," Kolb said, NBC News reported. A prolonged closure of Pakistan's two Afghan border crossings to NATO supplies could cause serious problems for the coalition. The U.S., which is the largest member of the NATO force in Afghanistan, ships more than 30 percent of its non-lethal supplies through Pakistan. The coalition has alternative routes through Central Asia into northern Afghanistan, but they are costlier and less efficient. Kolb noted that even if some of supply routes through Pakistan were closed, there were "contingencies built into the system" to deal with these types of disruptions. Pakistan temporarily closed one of its Afghan crossings to NATO supplies last year after U.S. helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers. Suspected militants took advantage of the impasse to launch attacks against stranded or rerouted trucks carrying NATO supplies. The government reopened the border after about 10 days when the U.S. apologized. NATO said at the time the relatively short closure did not significantly affect its ability to keep its troops supplied. But the reported casualties are much greater this time, and the relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. has severely deteriorated over the last year, especially following the covert American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town in May. Islamabad was outraged that it wasn't told about the operation beforehand. Losing air base for drones?
The government announced it closed its border crossings to NATO in a statement issued after an emergency meeting of the Cabinet's defense committee chaired by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. It also said that within 15 days the U.S. must vacate Shamsi Air Base, which is located in southwestern Baluchistan province. The U.S. uses the base to service drones that target al-Qaida and Taliban militants in Pakistan's tribal region when they cannot return to their bases inside Afghanistan because of weather conditions or mechanical difficulty, said U.S. and Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic matters. The government also plans to review all diplomatic, military and intelligence cooperation with the U.S. and other NATO forces, according to the statement issued after the defense committee meeting. Video: White House treads lightly around Pakistan situation (on this page) The White House said that senior U.S. civilian and military officials had expressed their condolences to their Pakistani counterparts. The White House statement said the officials expressed "our desire to work together to determine what took place, and our commitment to the U.S.-Pakistan partnership which advances our shared interests, including fighting terrorism in the region." The White House statement did not address Pakistan's decision to block supply routes for the war in Afghanistan or its demand that the U.S. vacate the drone base. 'Blatant and unacceptable'
The Pakistani army said Saturday that NATO helicopters and fighter jets carried out an "unprovoked" attack on two of its border posts in the Mohmand tribal area before dawn, killing 24 soldiers and wounding 13 others. The troops responded in self-defense "with all available weapons," an army statement said. Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani condemned the attack, calling it a "blatant and unacceptable act," according to the statement. A spokesman for NATO forces, Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, said Afghan and coalition troops were operating in the border area of eastern Afghanistan when "a tactical situation" prompted them to call in close air support. It is "highly likely" that the airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, he told BBC television. "My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan security forces who may have been killed or injured," Gen. John Allen, the top overall commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement. The border issue is a major source of tension between Islamabad and Washington, which is committed to withdrawing its combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Much of the violence in Afghanistan is carried out by insurgents who are based just across the border in Pakistan. Coalition forces are not allowed to cross the frontier to attack the militants. However, the militants sometimes fire artillery and rockets across the line, reportedly from locations close to Pakistani army posts. American officials have repeatedly accused Pakistani forces of supporting ? or turning a blind eye ? to militants using its territory for cross-border attacks. But militants based in Afghanistan have also been attacking Pakistan recently, prompting complaints from Islamabad. Mountaintop posts
The two posts that were attacked Saturday were located about 1,000 feet apart on a mountain top and were set up recently to stop Pakistani Taliban militants holed up in Afghanistan from crossing the border and staging attacks, said local government and security officials. There was no militant activity in the area when the alleged NATO attack occurred, local officials said. Some of the soldiers were standing guard, while others were asleep, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said map references of all of the force's border posts have been given to NATO several times. Video: Pakistan blaming NATO for soldiers' deaths (on this page) Pakistan's prime minister summoned U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter to protest the alleged NATO strike, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. It said the attack was a "grave infringement of Pakistan's sovereignty" and could have serious repercussions on Pakistan's cooperation with NATO. Munter said in a statement that he regretted any Pakistani deaths and promised to work closely with Islamabad to investigate the incident. The U.S., Pakistan, and Afghan militaries have long wrestled with the technical difficulties of patrolling a border that in many places is disputed or poorly marked. Saturday's incident took place a day after a meeting between NATO's Gen. Allen and Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Islamabad to discuss border operations. The meeting tackled "coordination, communication and procedures ... aimed at enhancing border control on both sides," according to a statement from the Pakistani side. The U.S. helicopter attack that killed two Pakistani soldiers on Sept. 30 of last year took place south of Mohmand in the Kurram tribal area. A joint U.S.-Pakistan investigation found that Pakistani soldiers fired at the two U.S. helicopters prior to the attack, a move the investigation team said was likely meant to notify the aircraft of their presence after they passed into Pakistani airspace several times. A U.S. airstrike in June 2008 reportedly killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops during a clash between militants and coalition forces in the tribal region.

NBC News' Atia Abawi in Kabul, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45442885/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

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The Crime-Lite System Can Spot a Culprit's Invisible Fingerprints [Monster Machines]

"Dusting for prints" has been a mainstay of forensic investigations since the late 1880's—employing a developer powder to add enough contrast for the fingerprint to show up in photographs. But what about latent prints or those on visually dense, multi-color surfaces? The Crime-lite ASV System can image them—with infrared lasers. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/6XcKRkOR67Y/the-crime+lite-system-can-spot-a-culprits-invisible-fingerprints

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