6:14 PM
The government shutdown would mean furloughing about 800,000 federal employees nationwide--they will even have to turn in their BlackBerries. Unlike the shutdowns in the 90s, the federal workers will apparently not receive back pay when the shutdown is over. It also appears that members of the military will not be paid during the shutdown...military families living paycheck-to-paycheck could be seriously hurt by that. DC will be hit hard with trash collection suspended, libraries, DMV, and street sweeping among the services lost:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/reality-of-government-shutdown-becomes-clearer/2011/04/06/AFTSUZpC_blog.html
The Washington Post has a nice list of answers to the common questions that people have about what will happen during a government shutdown (note to Lori: the Post Office will still operate during a shutdown). For those who haven't submitted their taxes yet, the IRS will not process any tax returns mailed to them during the shutdown:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/government-shutdown-2011-will-i-get-paid-what-will-be-open-what-can-i-expect/2011/04/06/AFfMK2oC_blog.html
Radioactive water from Japan's damaged nuclear power plant stopped flowing into the Pacific Ocean today after they used a special material. They released 3 million gallons of radioactive water to avoid a bigger problem, but the other 60,000 tons of more highly radioactive water will be store in tanks that will be shipped to the damaged facilities by the end of this month:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/release-radioactive-water-ocean-stopped
As if the Japanese government did not have enough on its hands, now it has this dilemma: What to do with as many as 1,000 bodies near the leaking Fukushima nuclear plant that may be contaminated with radiation.
A solution will require decisive action and a high-degree of delicacy.
After losing family members to the tsunami and earthquake, most Japanese would normally go forward with a traditional cremation and place the remains with those of the victims' kin. But the bodies near the plant have been exposed to radiation, making them potentially dangerous to handle or move. And nearly a month after the disaster, decontaminating them so they can be transported is rapidly becoming impossible.
The victims' nails can be extracted for DNA testing for identification, however, nails also need to be decontaminated and this will take tremendous amount of work and time," it said.
Cremation believed to release karmic energy
Cremation is important to Japanese Buddhists because it is thought to release the karmic energy that continues on and leads to future rebirth. That belief, and Japan's severe shortage of land for graveyards, means that nearly all Japanese are cremated after death.
Perhaps even more critical is the idea of recovering the bones so that they can be placed in the family tomb, with kin.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42441638/ns/world_news-disaster_in_japan/
NASA study will image the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island to help scientists better understand processes occurring under the Earth's surface:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-105
The first images sent back from Mercury show shadowed craters and never-before-seen terrain:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/mercury-orbit-gallery/?pid=1155&pageid=55490
SpaceX plans to launch the world's most powerful rocket since man went to the moon. The commercial venture plans to lift twice the cargo into orbit than the space shuttle can, with the first launch in 2013:
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2011/04/Company-planning-biggest-rocket-since-man-on-moon/
Russia, the US, and other nations are going to discuss cooperating on a nuclear-powered spacecraft. NASA, Russia, China, France, Germany, and Japan may also be involved in the April 15 meeting:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/05/russia_nasa_nuclear_spacecraft/
Breakthrough treatment for cancer prevents the growth of new blood vessels in tumors, starving them of oxygen and nutrients to prevent them from growing:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-04/qub-sda040411.php
Symantec report found that there were 286 million malware variants in 2010 that conducted more than 3 billion malware attacks. Malware variants were up 93% from the previous year. Half of malicious sites were porn sites and social networking sites were a huge target and smartphones are a growing target. Hackers also are exploiting URL shortening services like bit.ly:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/internet-threat-landscape-offers-grim-picture
Japanese car company demonstrated an electric vehicle that can go over 200 miles between charges. They plan to mass produce a all-electric 4-seat sedan in 2013 that can get over 200 miles between charges even when the car is traveling at 60 mph the entire time:
http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/japans-sim-drive-claims-over-200-mile.html
Microsoft is teaming with Toyota to create an advanced digital information and communication system for Toyota cars:
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/06/technology/microsoft_toyota/index.htm
Virgin Ocean has a submarine that will go to the bottom of 5 oceans. They plan to set as many as 30 world records with each dive being the world's first solo dive to the bottom of the 5 deepest trenches in the world. Richard Branson says that they will create a larger submarine that can hold more people and offer trips to tourists for a significant fee:
http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/virgin-oceanic-has-submarine-to-go-to.html
Dish Network outbid South Korea wireless operator SK Telecom to win the bankruptcy auction for Blockbuster. Carl Icahn and a group of hedge funds led by Monarch Alternative Capital also bid. SK Telecom had reached deals with 3 of Blockbuster's movie studio/DVD partners to keep the chain going as a business. Dish said that they plan to use Blockbuster's retail locations to sell satellite TV services and they also wish to utilize Blockbuster's video-on-demand initiatives:
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/dish-network-acquires-bankrupt-blockbuster-3206m/2011-04-06
Larry Page is apparently looking to do a major reorganization at Google as he takes over as CEO, putting engineers instead of managers in charge:
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20110405/exlusive-larry-page-mulls-google-reorg/
30% to 40% of migrant workers didn't return to their factory jobs in Guangdong province's manufacturing heartland after the Lunar New Year holiday in February, called a turning point in Chinese manufacturing. China's fast growth has lifted incomes and provided more opportunities in the poorer inland provinces, which means that people don't have to leave their homes as much to go to the richer coastal cities. China's one-child policy is also having an effect--economic growth is creating more jobs than the population is creating new workers. Minimum wages were already raised 20% in March and they still cannot get enough manufacturing workers--many manufacturers are moving to inland China or to other Asian countries to get cheap labor. The rising wages in China has already resulted in a 10% increase in clothing prices in the US:
http://www.ecnmag.com/News/2011/04/Not-cheap-or-cheerful--south-China-s-new-paradigm/
Computerworld released their annual survey of IT professionals that provides the data on salary trends for specific titles and industries, broken down by regions of the country:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/it-jobs/the-2011-it-salary-survey-region-region-006
IT workers say that they would accept an average salary of $7800 less if they were allowed to work from home:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/it-jobs/it-workers-would-take-10-percent-pay-cut-telecommute-012
Pres. Obama's plan to raise #27.8 bil from wireless spectrum auctions may be significant hurt by AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/white-house-pushing-ahead-with-airwaves-auction-plan/2011/04/05/AFbMgxlC_story.html
Analysts say that Motorola is having problems due to poor sales of the Xoom tablet and Atrix smartphone. AT&T has *heavily* been advertising the Atrix, especially since Verizon has the iPhone and the Atrix is Motorola's first smartphone with a laptop dock...poor sales after all that advertising would be a bad sign for Motorola:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/analysts-contend-motorola-xoom-atrix-sales-sluggish/2011-04-06?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/reality-of-government-shutdown-becomes-clearer/2011/04/06/AFTSUZpC_blog.html
The Washington Post has a nice list of answers to the common questions that people have about what will happen during a government shutdown (note to Lori: the Post Office will still operate during a shutdown). For those who haven't submitted their taxes yet, the IRS will not process any tax returns mailed to them during the shutdown:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/government-shutdown-2011-will-i-get-paid-what-will-be-open-what-can-i-expect/2011/04/06/AFfMK2oC_blog.html
Radioactive water from Japan's damaged nuclear power plant stopped flowing into the Pacific Ocean today after they used a special material. They released 3 million gallons of radioactive water to avoid a bigger problem, but the other 60,000 tons of more highly radioactive water will be store in tanks that will be shipped to the damaged facilities by the end of this month:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/release-radioactive-water-ocean-stopped
As if the Japanese government did not have enough on its hands, now it has this dilemma: What to do with as many as 1,000 bodies near the leaking Fukushima nuclear plant that may be contaminated with radiation.
A solution will require decisive action and a high-degree of delicacy.
After losing family members to the tsunami and earthquake, most Japanese would normally go forward with a traditional cremation and place the remains with those of the victims' kin. But the bodies near the plant have been exposed to radiation, making them potentially dangerous to handle or move. And nearly a month after the disaster, decontaminating them so they can be transported is rapidly becoming impossible.
The victims' nails can be extracted for DNA testing for identification, however, nails also need to be decontaminated and this will take tremendous amount of work and time," it said.
Cremation believed to release karmic energy
Cremation is important to Japanese Buddhists because it is thought to release the karmic energy that continues on and leads to future rebirth. That belief, and Japan's severe shortage of land for graveyards, means that nearly all Japanese are cremated after death.
Perhaps even more critical is the idea of recovering the bones so that they can be placed in the family tomb, with kin.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42441638/ns/world_news-disaster_in_japan/
NASA study will image the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island to help scientists better understand processes occurring under the Earth's surface:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-105
The first images sent back from Mercury show shadowed craters and never-before-seen terrain:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/mercury-orbit-gallery/?pid=1155&pageid=55490
SpaceX plans to launch the world's most powerful rocket since man went to the moon. The commercial venture plans to lift twice the cargo into orbit than the space shuttle can, with the first launch in 2013:
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2011/04/Company-planning-biggest-rocket-since-man-on-moon/
Russia, the US, and other nations are going to discuss cooperating on a nuclear-powered spacecraft. NASA, Russia, China, France, Germany, and Japan may also be involved in the April 15 meeting:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/05/russia_nasa_nuclear_spacecraft/
Breakthrough treatment for cancer prevents the growth of new blood vessels in tumors, starving them of oxygen and nutrients to prevent them from growing:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-04/qub-sda040411.php
Symantec report found that there were 286 million malware variants in 2010 that conducted more than 3 billion malware attacks. Malware variants were up 93% from the previous year. Half of malicious sites were porn sites and social networking sites were a huge target and smartphones are a growing target. Hackers also are exploiting URL shortening services like bit.ly:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/internet-threat-landscape-offers-grim-picture
Japanese car company demonstrated an electric vehicle that can go over 200 miles between charges. They plan to mass produce a all-electric 4-seat sedan in 2013 that can get over 200 miles between charges even when the car is traveling at 60 mph the entire time:
http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/japans-sim-drive-claims-over-200-mile.html
Microsoft is teaming with Toyota to create an advanced digital information and communication system for Toyota cars:
http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/06/technology/microsoft_toyota/index.htm
Virgin Ocean has a submarine that will go to the bottom of 5 oceans. They plan to set as many as 30 world records with each dive being the world's first solo dive to the bottom of the 5 deepest trenches in the world. Richard Branson says that they will create a larger submarine that can hold more people and offer trips to tourists for a significant fee:
http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/04/virgin-oceanic-has-submarine-to-go-to.html
Dish Network outbid South Korea wireless operator SK Telecom to win the bankruptcy auction for Blockbuster. Carl Icahn and a group of hedge funds led by Monarch Alternative Capital also bid. SK Telecom had reached deals with 3 of Blockbuster's movie studio/DVD partners to keep the chain going as a business. Dish said that they plan to use Blockbuster's retail locations to sell satellite TV services and they also wish to utilize Blockbuster's video-on-demand initiatives:
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/dish-network-acquires-bankrupt-blockbuster-3206m/2011-04-06
Larry Page is apparently looking to do a major reorganization at Google as he takes over as CEO, putting engineers instead of managers in charge:
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20110405/exlusive-larry-page-mulls-google-reorg/
30% to 40% of migrant workers didn't return to their factory jobs in Guangdong province's manufacturing heartland after the Lunar New Year holiday in February, called a turning point in Chinese manufacturing. China's fast growth has lifted incomes and provided more opportunities in the poorer inland provinces, which means that people don't have to leave their homes as much to go to the richer coastal cities. China's one-child policy is also having an effect--economic growth is creating more jobs than the population is creating new workers. Minimum wages were already raised 20% in March and they still cannot get enough manufacturing workers--many manufacturers are moving to inland China or to other Asian countries to get cheap labor. The rising wages in China has already resulted in a 10% increase in clothing prices in the US:
http://www.ecnmag.com/News/2011/04/Not-cheap-or-cheerful--south-China-s-new-paradigm/
Computerworld released their annual survey of IT professionals that provides the data on salary trends for specific titles and industries, broken down by regions of the country:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/it-jobs/the-2011-it-salary-survey-region-region-006
IT workers say that they would accept an average salary of $7800 less if they were allowed to work from home:
http://www.infoworld.com/t/it-jobs/it-workers-would-take-10-percent-pay-cut-telecommute-012
Pres. Obama's plan to raise #27.8 bil from wireless spectrum auctions may be significant hurt by AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/white-house-pushing-ahead-with-airwaves-auction-plan/2011/04/05/AFbMgxlC_story.html
Analysts say that Motorola is having problems due to poor sales of the Xoom tablet and Atrix smartphone. AT&T has *heavily* been advertising the Atrix, especially since Verizon has the iPhone and the Atrix is Motorola's first smartphone with a laptop dock...poor sales after all that advertising would be a bad sign for Motorola:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/analysts-contend-motorola-xoom-atrix-sales-sluggish/2011-04-06?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal