Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist anti-Putin punk rock band, issued a new single on Friday as three of its members were sentenced to two years in jail for “hooliganism.” The song, entitled Putin Lights the Fires, was released by The Guardian. You can listen to the new song, along with a video montage of the band, below. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/08/17/pussy-riot-song/
Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson apologizes to Mike Brown’s family in a video statement. Image: Vimeo / Devin James Group Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson apologized to the family of Mike Brown in a video on Friday, about six weeks after a white officer under his command shot and killed the unarmed black teenager in the middle of a street in Ferguson, Missouri. “I want to say this to the Brown family: no one who has not experienced the loss of a child can understand what you’re feeling,” Jackson said in the video, in which he reads from a prepared statement. “I am truly sorry for the loss of your son.” Jackson also said he was sorry that it took officers a number of hours to remove Brown’s body from the street, but that “the time that it took involved very important work on the part of investigators who are trying to collect evidence and gain a true picture of what happened that day.” You can watch the full video, below. The killing of Brown, 18, on Aug. 9 incited a firestorm of protests in Ferguson and a national conversation about how black people are treated by police officers. Though demonstrations are not as common now as they were in August, another protest started on Sept. 23 after a memorial to Brown was destroyed. Police in Ferguson after the incident, which included officers from the St. Louis County department, were heavily criticized for responding to protesters with riot gear and military-style vehicles, something Jackson also addressed in his video. “I do want to say to any peaceful protester who did not feel that I did enough to protect their constitutional right to protest, I am sorry for that. The right of the people to peacefully assemble is what the police are here to protect.” The FBI is investigating the killing of Brown, who was shot six times after what police say was an altercation between the teenager and the police officer. Officer Darren Wilson, who killed Brown, has not spoken publicly about the incident, and is currently on paid administrative leave. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/09/25/ferguson-police-chief-apologizes/
Macklemore, Daft Punk and Lorde could all win big at the 56th annual Grammy Awards.Image: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images Entertainment; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment; ROBYN BECK/Getty Images On Sunday night, millions of viewers will watch the 56th Grammy Awards to see which superstars receive the biggest honors in music. While much of the night’s entertainment will come from commenting on red-carpet outfits, and wondering if any performance will make more buzz than Miley Cyrus’s VMA performance last year, the Grammys are ultimately about who wins. While there are 78 total Grammy awards, viewers generally agree that the big four are Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Throughout the week, we asked Mashable readers to vote in polls, and predict who they think will win Grammys for the four major categories. Based on the results, here are the artists you expect to win big on Sunday. Best New Artist Rap artists Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis boast seven total nominations each tonight, which suggests they’ll be strong contenders in the Best New Artist category. However, Ed Sheeran already has one Grammy nomination under his belt for his 2011 hit “A Team,” and James Blake and Kacey Musgraves have strong followings in the indie and country-music communities, respectively. While there’s a case to be made for each artist, your top pick to win Best New Artist was: Community Prediction: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (42%)Runner-up: Kendrick Lamar (26%) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are your Grammy pick for Best New Artist. Image: Ari Perilstein/Getty Images Entertainment Song of the Year While pop stars Pink and Katy Perry have received double-digit nominations over the years, this is the first time either of them is up for Song of the Year. Bruno Mars has previously received Song of the Year nominations for “F*ck You” (as a songwriter) and “Grenade,” but he has yet to take home an award. While these pop veterans have experience on their side, Lorde’s “Royals” is up for three Grammys tonight, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Same Love” will no doubt be a contender for its positive lyrical message and catchy hook. It’s a tough one to call, but your clear prediction for who will get the nod is: Community Prediction: “Royals” by Lorde (47%)Runner-up: “Same Love” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (19%) “Royals,” by Lorde, is your top Grammy choice for Song of the Year. Image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment Album of the Year Both Taylor Swift‘s Red and Daft Punk‘s Random Access Memories enjoyed multiple weeks as the number-one album on the Billboard Top 200, which makes them strong contenders for Album of the Year. However, Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ The Heist feature at least three hit songs nominated in other Grammy categories, and Sara Bareilles’ The Blessed Unrest stands a decent chance, largely due to the popularity of “Brave.” While all of these albums performed well throughout the year, your opinion […]
Hopefully, most of us will never have to experience the horror of a landslide. These things are some of the most underrated natural disasters of all time. Just imagine being on a hillside in a rainstorm. Everything is wet, but it all looks solid. But all of a sudden, the ground gives way and starts hurtling down the hill. If you’re not ready for them, these things can kill you. During one storm in Japan, people along Route 168 prepared themselves for impending doom by setting up barricades. Just imagine how much worse this could have been. (via Reddit) It’s a wonder of modern science that they were able to predict and anticipate this landslide. The rest of the world could learn a thing or two from Japan. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/japanese-landslide/
If you’ve ever wanted to see what Paris looks like from the back of a bird (and really, who hasn’t?) then this is clearly the video for you. It will give you a (literal) bird’s eye view of the city. Watch as Victor, a white tailed eagle, takes off from the summit of the Eiffel Tower. He then glides before plunging down at 110 mph (180 km/h) to the Trocadero, onto the hand of one of his handlers. The whole POV (point of view) footage was captured on a Sony Action Cam Mini attached to the eagle’s back. (Source: FREEDOM) Now I know what the Hobbits felt like at the end of The Lord of the Rings. Amazing! Read more: http://viralnova.com/paris-eagle-pov/
The United States Air Force Band wanted to bring some holiday cheer to visitors at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Starting with a single cellist, more and more musicians joined in on the festive flash mob, swelling to a total of 120 band members performing a four-minute arrangement of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring/Joy to the World.” Are you ready to get the chills? One can only imagine what it must have been like to witness this beautiful moment in person! Not only was that a great holiday surprise, it was also a breathtaking performance by an incredibly talented group of airmen and women. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/smithsonian-flash-mob/
For this adorable pooch named Pupper, there’s only one rule in his house — you don’t stop rubbing his belly until he tells you to stop. Apparently, though, his humans didn’t get the memo, because they like to test his patience every so often with hilarious results. See for yourself, and prepare to laugh. Just be warned: if you’re ever in Pupper’s house, you have to play by Pupper’s rules! As the Hulk says, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry!” Judging by this video, we’re betting Pupper would certainly say the same thing. (Though we bet he’d still be ridiculously cute!) Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/rub-my-belly/
Curiosity, NASA’s most advanced planetary rover, will land on Mars at 1:31 a.m. EDT on Aug. 6. And if you’re in New York City, you can watch it happen live in Times Square. NASA TV will broadcast the landing on the Toshiba Vision screen starting at 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 5 and ending at 4:00 a.m. the next morning. Programming will come directly from Mission Control at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “In the city that never sleeps, the historic Times Square will be the place for New Yorkers to participate in this historic landing,” said NASA Science Mission Directorate’s John Grunsfeld. “When you think of all the big news events in history, you think of Times Square, and I can think of no better venue to celebrate this news-making event on Mars.” In order to properly hear the broadcast, viewers will have to tune in to online radio station Third Rock Radio. If you’re not in the New York metro area, you’ll still be able to follow the event. The landing will be live streamed on the NASA homepage and on the TuneIn app. So, make sure your devices are fully charged and ready for noises that are literally out of this world. Image courtesy of Flickr, alanosaur “I am No Man” Doesn’t Cut It: The Story of Eowyn Why All Those Sexist Complaints About The New Ghostbusters Movie Are Garbage Study Says Binge-Watching Is For Lonely & Depressed People & Those Who Lack Self-Control The Pirate Bay Has Returned To the Land Of the Living After Two Months This article originally published at Geekosystem here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/08/01/nasa-curiosity-times-square/
Military protocol was no match for one little boy’s love for his mom during an emotional family reunion. Kathryn Waldvogel waited patiently in line for dismissal after serving nine months in Afghanistan with the National Guard’s 114th Transportation Company. Her 3-year-old son Cooper, however, couldn’t wait to be in her arms. As the soldiers waited for a formal dismissal before saying hello to their families, Cooper decided he’d had more than enough of waiting. He darted across the floor of the Inver Grove Heights Training Center auditorium and jumped into his mother’s arms. Breaking the rules was never this cute! (Source: CrazyGirL) This wasn’t the first time little Cooper and his family waited for a loved one’s arrival. His father, Adam Waldvogel, returned in December after serving with the National Guard’s 850th Horizontal Engineers in Afghanistan. The deployments for Kathryn and Adam overlapped, so the two were last together with their son over a year and a half ago. Now they’re both home and get to spend time with Cooper. Read more: http://viralnova.com/toddler-hugs-army-mom/
Just a reminder that platypuses are unbearably cute. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/feeding-and-playing-with-a-friendly-platypus/