- I’m not sure what this accomplishes, but anything that the tobacco industry has a problem with, I more than likely will support. So if Australia wants to become the first country in the world to require cigarette packages to be stripped of logos and designs, so be it. Again, I am not sure that mandating all cigarettes in the country will be sold in plain packs carrying graphic warnings against smoking is going to do a lot to stamp out smoking in the country, but I guess if it impacts even one person, then it was worth it. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's office announced the anti-smoking measure and explained that it will go into full effect by July 2012. "Now the big tobacco companies are going to go out there and whinge, whine, complain, consider every form of legal action known to man," Rudd told reporters. "That's par for course. We, the government, will not be intimidated by any big tobacco company trying to get in the road of doing the right thing." The kicker for big tobacco is that the legislation will be drafted to withstand legal challenges from tobacco companies. "We have firm advice that this action can be taken. Our legislation will be very carefully drafted," explained Health Minister Nicola Roxon. Predictably, cigarette companies have already come out against the law and declared their intentions to pursue all legal options to overturn it because they are worried the law will cut into their profits. "Introducing plain packaging just takes away the ability of a consumer to identify our brand from another brand and that's of value to us," Cathie Keogh, a spokeswoman for Imperial Tobacco Australia. TFB, you f’ing death merchants: Too Freaking Bad. You’ve killed far too many people in far too many countires with your cancer sticks and it is about time someone stuck it to you. While I may not be confident of this law’s ability to cut into tobacco sales, if it pisses off people like Cathie Keogh and her cohorts, then maybe it’s worthwhile after all…………
- Weighing in on the massive environmental debacle unfolding in the Gulf Coast is a dicey proposition. After all, I’m not a scientific expert and I can’t adequately critique the negligence or responsibility of those involved in the spill, so what angle do I attack this from? Well, I think I’ve found it. While there may be no stopping oil-laden water from reaching land along the Gulf Coast, I am intrigued by the methods that will be used to clean up the spill. No, I’m not referring to the heavy equipment that will be used to clear up oil-soaked sand on beaches in the eastern Gulf Coast, but rather how officials will handle cleanup of the grassy marshes in the Mississippi Delta. Stopping the flow of the oil is going to be a monumental task in and of itself, but once that is accomplished, scientists will spread fertilizer to boost several species of microscopic plants that degrade hydrocarbons such as oil. Not that I take any joy at all in a disaster like this, but you have to admit that it is pretty cool, the prospect of bringing in millions of these microbes, grown in laboratories, to do battle in areas of especially heavy oiling. Some of the crude will degrade on its own over the months ahead thanks to warm spring and summer weather, but large, dense concentrations of petroleum embedded deep in coastal marshes will be a much tougher task. Microbes are the only real hope for breaking them down quickly and how ironic would it be to have nature in its most basic form be there to clean up the giant mess that man has once again made in its quest to fuel its own excessive need for consumption? The microbes that would likely be used are not toxic and are native to the area, so there is no concern there. Ultimately, something needs to be done to salvage the Gulf Coast’s diverse ecosystem from what still has the potential to be a near-knockout punch. Man-made fixes like floating booms to block oil from coming in cannot protect the entire coast, so wildlife in the area are still in very real danger. Meanwhile, nearly 70 boats, including skimmers, tugs, barges and recovery vessels, are being mobilized to deploy booms and chemical dispersant to make the oil evaporate more readily. Floodgates along the Mississippi River are also being opened to help repel the onrush of oil, but the question now is whether all of these measures in concert will be enough to avert a total disaster…………
- Cheesy, tired horror movie franchises still work in theaters. The Nightmare on Elm Street remake starring classic 1980s horror villain Freddy Krueger proved as much by earning $32 million for the weekend, good enough to win the box office race by a wide margin. Starring Jackie Earle Haley as Krueger, the fright flick should enjoy all of one weekend at the top of the heap because Robert Downey Jr. is back in Iron Man 2 next weekend. Second place for the weekend went to How to Train Your Dragon, which grossed an estimated $10.8 million to up its gross to $192.3 million. Stunningly, a terrible comedy like Date Night fell only 27 percent, raking in additional $7.6 million on what I have to imagine is the name value of Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Up next on the list was The Back-Up Plan, which bombed out in its debut last weekend and stayed down this weekend, falling 41 percent for a $7.2 million tally to put the film’s two-week total at $22.9 million. The final spot in the top five went to newcomer Furry Vengeance, the PG-rated family film headed by box-office liability Brendan Fraser. It made a measly $6.5 million out of the gate and isn’t expected to have much shelf life or staying power. The rest of the top 10 consisted of: The Losers (No. 6 after falling 36 percent its second weekend in theaters and grossing $6 million), Clash of the Titans (No. 7 by earning an estimated $5.9 million, putting its total gross at $154 million), Kick-Ass (No. 8 with $4.4 million in its third weekend of release), the regrettable Death at a Funeral (No. 9 with $4 million) and Disney’s Oceans (No. 10 with $2.6 million - not bad for an enviro-themed documentary). Low-profile newcomers Please Give (an impressive $128,696 in five theaters for a strong per-screen average of $25,000) and horror flick Human Centipede (opening in as limited a fashion as possible, on one screen, and earning $12,400) did well, but they don’t exactly have the clout to compete with the big boys. Next weekend…..look for Iron Man 2 to crush the competition and set a few records along the way…………
- And Google’s quest for world domination rolls onward. Next up is the world of television, which Google plans to invade with the release of Android-based television software. According to those in the know, the release will be announced to developers at an event this month. In actuality, the software is much in step with the ongoing movement to open set-top boxes, TVs and other devices to more content from the Internet. At the huge consumer electronics show in Las Vegas back in January, it was readily apparent that Internet-capable television was the next big thing about to hit and Google being the aspiring world-dominator it is, of course the company wants in on the market. Already, the Android-based software is drawing attention from potential partners that include Sony Corp., Intel Corp. and Logitech International SA. All are expected to offer products that support the software, but none of the three have so far discussed (or even admitted to) the efforts publicly. For the inside scoop on the new software, developers need to find a way to be in attendance at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco May 19 and 20. Some details will be shared with the more than 3,000 developers expected to attend the event, but Google is expected to withhold many details until the product is closer to market-ready. The conference is typically a spot where Google showcases a range of technologies of interest to developers, so this is nothing new. This would seem to be a pretty blatant attempt by Google to spur a race to build applications for its TV platform. The so-called app-store approach has hit big in the smartphone market, so why not for TV? A key challenge for Google will be gaining acceptance of its software among hardware makers. Companies that manufacture TV sets will need to embrace the concept before developers invest in TV apps from Google. Sony and processor manufacturer Intel are reportedly working on a similar project along the same lines as Google, so perhaps the race has already started. One way or another, odds are that your next new television set will be connected to the Internet in a more profound and impactful way than ever before and it’s merely a question of what company will make it happen………..
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