NASA has just released another image of the “Blue Marble.” This time, the Suomi NPP Earth-observing-satellite captured a composite image of the Eastern hemisphere. The original “Blue Marble” photo, which was released last month, has already been seen more than 3.1 million times making it one of the most viewed photo on Flickr.

Flickr writes:

“The western hemisphere Blue Marble 2012 image has rocketed up to over 3.1 milling views making it one of the all time most viewed images on the site after only one week.”

NASA’s Suomi NPP, named to honor the late Verner E. Suomi of the University of Wisconsin, is NASA’s next generation of earth-observing-satellites. It carries five instruments on board, the most important of which is the Visible / Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite or VIIRS.

NASA explains that the new “blue marble” photo is a composite of six separate orbits around the earth. The images were created by the VIIRS and compiled by NASA Goddard scientist Norman Kuring.

NASA explains the technique, saying:

“NASA scientists created the two new ‘Blue Marble’ images from data acquired by a new instrument that’s aboard the Earth-observing satellite Suomi NPP, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The Suomi NPP satellite is in a polar orbit around Earth at an altitude of 512 miles (about 824 kilometers), but the perspective of the new Eastern hemisphere ‘Blue Marble’ is from 7,918 miles (about 12,743 kilometers). NASA scientist Norman Kuring managed to ‘step back’ from Earth to get the big picture by combining data from six different orbits of the Suomi NPP satellite. Or putting it a different way, the satellite flew above this area of Earth six times over an eight hour time period. Norman took those six sets of data and combined them into one image.”

The western hemisphere blue marble photo, which now has more than 3.4 million views, was created with the same technique.

NASA’s ‘Blue Marble’ Photos Set Flickr Record is a post from: 5im

President Barack Obama unveiled a new $5 billion veterans jobs plan Friday that the administration says will put thousands of men and women who once wore their country’s uniform back to work.

The new so-called Veterans Jobs Corps initiative, first mentioned in the president’s State of the Union address the first week in February, involves partnerships with the Veterans Administration and the Interior Department and directing $1 billion that would put 20,000 veterans to work over the next five years rebuilding trails, roads and levees on public lands.

According to CNN, the plan is particularly geared to those veterans who served after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a group experiencing an unemployment rate of 13.1 percent, compared to 8.1 percent for non-veterans.

 “These are Americans that every business should be competing to attract,” the president said. said during a speech at an Arlington,Virginia firehouse. “They’ve already risked their lives defending America. They should have the opportunity to rebuild America.”

Additionally, Obama said his administration will preference awards of $166 million in grant money to communities that hire post-9/11 veterans for new law-enforcement positions. Simultaneously, $320 million in grant money will be preferenced to various fire departments that pledge to hire and train new veterans.

“Let’s get more cops on the beat, let’s get more rangers in the parks, let’s get more firefighters on call, and in the process, we’re going to put more veterans back to work,” Obama explained.

The money for those grants has already been appropriated by Congress as part of programs that are broadly targeted at retaining and hiring law enforcement personnel and firefighters. But the president is seeking an additional $4 billion in his upcoming budget to expand both programs with an eye toward awarding those communities who fill their ranks with veterans. Congress rejected a similar proposal last fall that was part of the president’s broader jobs initiative.

“Congress should take money we are no longer spending on war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest of it to nation build right here at home,” Obama said Friday.

Despite the positive buzz the proposed Veterans Jobs Corps initiative has created, the administration has not specified how it plans to pay for the program.

One administration official did, however, reveal that Obama hopes to work with Congress and use a leftover deficit-reduction provision from his American Jobs Act proposal to pay for the plan.

Watch the following clip on Obama’s proposed Veterans Jobs Corps plan and tell us your thoughts on the initiative in the comments section below:

via CNN

Veterans Jobs Corps Initiative: Obama Unveils $5B Plan to Put Vets Back to Work is a post from: 5im

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn captured her 50th World Cup victory on Saturday by winning the downhill on the demanding Kandahar course in frigid conditions.

The 27-year-old trailed early on and nearly wiped out at one point in the race but responded well to post a winning time of one minute 44.86 seconds in minus-13-degree weather at the German venue.

“I hit a bump and lost the inside edge of my ski and went onto my hip,” said Vonn. “From that point until the finish I skied well and was able to make up some time, but it was a tough race.”

Vonn is the third woman to win 50 World Cup races after Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Proell (62) and Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider (55). It was her 25th career downhill win, second to Moser-Proell’s 36.

“Every win is special, but 50 is a huge mark,” Vonn said following her performance. “I feel like today will be a day when I look back at my career and see what I have achieved.”

With her Kandahar victory, Vonn now leads the overall World Cup standings by 482 points and the downhill standings by 230 points. She is on course to reclaim the overall title from German rival Maria Hoefl-Riesch, who finished fourth.

“I have a lot more to do,” Vonn added. “I have a lot more years of skiing in me, but Alberto Tomba has 50 ski wins and he is one of the best skiers of all-time. I don’t see myself in that way, but to know that I have accomplished so much to this point is amazing.”

The super-G will close out the weekend racing at Garmisch Sunday and Vonn will again be the favorite in the race, hoping to clinch her 10th victory of the season on the same Kandahar 2 course.

Hear Lindsey Vonn talk about her 50th World Cup win in the clip below:

via ESPN

Lindsey Vonn Earns 50th World Cup Win [Video] is a post from: 5im

Mary Cashman, the 42-year-old wife of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, submitted divorce papers in Stamford, Conn., Superior Court yesterday, writing that her marriage to the 44-year-old GM “has broken down irretrievably.”

The filing comes just days after Louise Neathway (who also goes by the last name Meanwell), a 36-year-old British born single mother, was arrested for stalking Brian Cashman.

Photo of Louise Neathway (Meanwell) via Deadspin

According to the NY Post, Neathway – currently sitting in a jail cell on Rikers Island after failing to post bail – has been charged with grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, stalking, and aggravated harassment.

Among other things, Cashman’s lawyers say Neathway was “an unhinged con woman” out to extort him, bombarding him with text messages and calls during the past 10 months.She alleged tried to blackmail him into paying for an unspecified $15,000 medical treatment, threatening to contact the press and his family if he didn’t.

Cashman says he eventually caved, and gave her $6,000 in different bank accounts, before contacting police.

Mrs Cashman, who endured the humiliation of an affair her husband had back in 2009, has been living apart from him for nearly a year in the family’s $3.7 million mansion with her daughter and son, sources told the Post.

Per the divorce filing, she has requested permanent alimony, a split of their property and joint custody of their two children.

A spokesman for Brian Cashman declined a request from the Post to comment on the divorce filing.

via NY Post

Mary Cashman, Wife of Yankees GM, Files for Divorce Amid Stalking Scandal is a post from: 5im

It’s an utter mystery, what makes viral searches and meme-related activity like the cinnamon challenge ebb and spike in searches and posts and videos on the internet- but despite a mention on Tosh.0 a long-ass time ago, the cinnamon challenge seems to be having a big moment right now on the internet.

Perhaps the videos- which usually involve a person choking, spluttering or spitting cinnamon all over the place- have filled the void in which “Shit People Says” videos used to live. But it seems they’re popping up all over the place this week, and meme-tracking site KnowYourMeme indicates a massive spike in interest in the cinnamon challenge in recent days.

So of course, people are wondering about the possible effects of the cinnamon challenge- in which the subject attempts to swallow a tablespoon of cinnamon without incident in a set time period- on one’s health. Which, while it sounds innocuous also should make you remember what serious business Atomic Fireballs are. Mother Nature Network even made the front page of Fark (another indicator of a meme becoming increasingly viral) with a post contemplating whether ingesting a tablespoon of cinnamon could theoretically be deadly.

To say the cinnamon challenge could kill you seems a bit of a stretch- and the site’s contention that it’s a “matter of time” before some “unsuspecting teen” succumbs to acute cinnamon toxicity even further strains the bounds of credulity- but MNN does point to some facts about the science of excess cinnamon consumption:

In many cases, the coughing is so severe that the challengee has difficulty catching his breath. For anyone suffering from asthma or COPD, this can be very serious. And in fact, ground cinnamon can lead to a bronchial constriction — according to the University of Michigan Health System — and that can be life threatening… Cinnamon also contains as essential oil called cinnamal, which can act as an allergen in a fair amount of people. Those who are allergic to cinnamon can suffer from contact dermatitis — and according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, cinnamon can also cause a severe allergic reaction that can lead to anaphylactic shock.

Below is one example- have you yet attempted the cinnamon challenge?

Cinnamon Challenge Experiences a Viral Spike, But Is It Dangerous? is a post from: 5im

Traffic is already a little backed up in Indianapolis due to the thousands of football fans who are flocking to the city for Super Bowl XLVI, but last night thing’s were at a complete standstill thanks to 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The boxing champ, who just announced that he’d be fighting Miguel Cotto in his next fight on May 5, decided it would be a good idea to do some promotion in downtown Indianapolis. Mayweather, 50 Cent, and the rest of the entourage drove around in a decked out bus that was painted with Mayweather’s Twitter handle.

The bus would occasional stop so that 50 Cent and Mayweather could greet fans. When it did, traffic also stopped because the bus was so large that no one could get around.

A spectator told The Post Game:

“Every time it stopped, the traffic would immediately begin to back up because cars couldn’t get around. For the most part Mayweather stayed well inside, but a couple of times he leaned out and spoke with the fans. It didn’t take long for the cars to be backed up in every direction and there were times when the roads were packed in every direction and no one could move.”

Here’s a video of the promotional stunt.

Boxing fans were disappointed to hear that Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao wouldn’t be squaring off on May 5th so it looks like the WBC welterweight champion is doing everything he can to hype his fight with Cotto.

Do you think 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s bus trip through downtown Indianapolis was a good way to promote the fight?

50 Cent, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Cause Traffic Jam in Indianapolis [Video] is a post from: 5im

Those of us that live day in and day out with technology are use to moving from device to device and not even blinking an eye while we natter on about all the the different gadgets and techie type toys we have while being totally oblivious to those looks that could kill being directed in our direction.

Then there are those of us that love technology but for whatever reason can’t play along with the shiny new toy crowd and silently weep inside every time we someone flaunt some new gadget in our direction or brag about the next Apple lineup they are going to be standing in to get the next best thing to tech godliness in their grimy little mitts.

Nowhere else is this dichotomy more prevalent than in the workplace so the infographic nuts at Visual.ly decide to pull some info about this subversive workplace behavior together and create an infographic about it.

via TechnoBuffalo

Tech envy and who’s jealous of you [Infographic] is a post from: 5im

Android seems to be the operating system of choice when it comes to the US government and military. They’ve managed to create an operating system that is highly secure and is capable of sending highly classified data over cellular networks.

Previously, the government and military relied off of more antiquated phones. Being that technology continues to improve, devices get even smaller, and stronger materials such as Gorilla Glass are on the market, one can create a far more powerful and durable smartphone.

Via CNN:

“Some U.S. officials this year are expected to get smartphones capable of handling classified government documents over cellular networks, according to people involved in the project. The phones will run a modified version of Google’s Android software, which is being developed as part of an initiative that spans multiple federal agencies and government contractors, these people said.”

“The smartphones are first being deployed to U.S. soldiers, people familiar with the project said. Later, federal agencies are expected to get phones for sending and receiving government cables while away from their offices, sources said. Eventually, local governments and corporations could give workers phones with similar software.”

The Army has been testing touch screen devices for about two years now. Last year, they sent 40 phones to forces overseas. They plan to change that this year by shipping out 50 phones and 75 tablets overseas to troops just in March.

“Currently, the United States doesn’t allow government workers or soldiers to use smartphones for sending classified messages because the devices have not met security certifications.”

Do you think these Android phones and tablets are a good choice for the government?

Android Smartphones And Tablets Coming To US Government, Military is a post from: 5im

Actor Ben Gazzara died of pancreatic cancer at New York’s Bellevue Hospital Center Friday, the NY Times has reported. He was 81.

In its obituary, the Times describes Gazzara as “an intense actor whose long career included playing Brick in the original Cat on a Hot Tin Roofon Broadway, roles in influential films by John Cassavetes (Husbands, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and Opening Night) and work with several generations of top Hollywood directors.”

Gazzara’s other popular big-screen roles included porn-peddler Jackie Treehorn in the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski, and the nefarious Brad Wesley, a local business magnate and town ruffian who pushed Patrick Swayze to the limit in the cult classic, Roadhouse.

In the small screen world, Ben was remembered for playing a terminally ill man trying to get the most out of the last two years of his life on NBC’s 1965-68 “Run for Your Life”.

Besides acting, Gazzara also worked as an occasional television director. According to Wikipedia, his directorial credits include the Columbo episodes “A Friend in Deed” (1974) and “Troubled Waters” (1975).

Ben is survived by his third wife, the former Elke Stuckmann, and his daughter Elizabeth from a previous marriage, as well as Danja, his wife’s daughter, whom Gazzara adopted, the Times said.

Gazzara is also survived by a brother, Anthony.

RIP Ben Gazzara.

Ben Gazzara, The Big Lebowski Actor, Dies at 81 is a post from: 5im

Lance Armstrong never took steroids. Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation today after trying for nearly two-years to determine if the 7-time Tour de France winner used performance enhancing drugs.

Armstrong has been accused of using steroids often by former teammates, but the cyclists has strongly denied the rumors.  Armstrong attorney Mark Fabiani said in a statement today:

“This is great news. Lance is pleased that the United States Attorney made the right decision, and he is more determined than ever to devote his time and energy to Livestrong and to the causes that have defined his career.”

The Associated Press reports that the charges stem from an investigation into the Rock Racing cycling team which was owned by fashion entrepreneur Michael Ball and Lance Armstrong.

United States Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. announced today that the investigation was over. Birotte Jr. did not provide a reason. Birotte Jr. said:

“(We are) closing the investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance Armstrong.”

The NY Times reports that the federal government was investigation charges of defrauding of the government, drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy. Government officials were especially interested to find out of the Rock Cycle team used any funds from the United States Postal Service, one of its main sponsors, to buy PEDs.

Betsy Andreu, who has accused of Armstrong of using steroids, said that the decision to end the investigation was baffling. Andreu said:

“Our legal system failed us. This is what happens when you have a lot of money and you can buy attorneys who have people in high places in the Department of Justice.”

Do you think the government made the right decision to drop the case against Lance Armstrong?

Lance Armstrong Steroid Case Closed, Charges Dropped is a post from: 5im