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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Apr 3, 2015
April 3, 2015
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It is Good Friday on the Christian calendar. Christians solemnly commemorate the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, an event which would trigger the resurrection, the seminal event of the Christian theology. As is the case every year on Good Friday, volunteers honor the suffering of Christ by being nailed to wooden crosses in the Philippine village of San Pedro Cutud.
Meanwhile, in the Philippine provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, some Catholics undergo the devotional practice of flagellation through whipping or lashing to repent for their sins. That's despite the warnings from the church, which issed a statement saying the practice could result in developing tetanus because of cuts or wounds that are exposed to dust and other dirty elements.
In San Pedro Cutud, at least 10 people will be nailed to a cross in the three crucifixion sites. One of them is 54-year-old RUBEN ENAJE, who will be nailed for the 29th time --more than half his life-- even though he's said in the past years that he'd had enough. Ruben is known in the Philippines as "The Jesus" of Cutud. Also getting nailed today is 76-year-old BOB VELEZ of Barangay Sto. Niño, for the 36th straight year!
"This is not just for fun or for money," he said last year. "This is a spiritual vow as a way of thanking God for sparing my life when I fell from a three-story building several years back."What about Easter pet presents:
If you're giving your kids an Easter animal this year --like a baby bunny, chick or duck-- I hope you put a lot of thought into your purchase. Veterinarians say too many parents don't really think much about it and realize too late that the animal sticks around far longer than the chocolate and jelly beans. But after the novelty wears off, many people end up wanting to give their pets up, by leaving them out in the wild. In fact, rabbits are the third most abandoned animal behind cats and dogs. An average rabbit lives eight to 12 years.
The Internet:
Just because it's "free" doesn't mean there's no cost, especially those smartphone apps that you get without having to shell out for them because they run ads.
A new study by researchers at USC, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and Queen's University in Canada finds free, ad-supported apps use more energy than paid apps, mostly because of the need to constantly serve and update ads. Apps with ads use 16 percent more energy than apps without ads, on average, and in some cases use up to 33 percent more.
So ad-supported apps suck up smartphones' battery life, typically reduced from 2.5 hours to 2.1 hours, again on average, or as little as 1.7 hours in extreme cases. AND these apps use 79 percent more network data (or in some cases even twice that figure!) And these associated downloads are racking up data charges, incurring a cost of around 1.7 cents every time the app is activated.
The study also notes ad-supported apps are hard on the smartphone's Central Processing Unit, or CPU, using around 48 percent more of the CPU's processing capacity, including 22 percent more of its memory and 56 percent more of its processing time. So those awesome "free" apps also make your phone run slower. (Kaye)Trade Secrets:
Warning: note sexual content.
Want all the perks of gainful employment without having to do a bunch of lowly work? The Moonlite Bunny Ranch in beautiful Carson City, Nevada is looking for you! DENNIS HOF, who can be seen on "Cathouse" and runs the brothel, tells the National Enquirer that he's looking for a team of "testers" for "quality control" at his seven places of business. The legal pimp boasts that a few lucky folks will "get paid a full-time salary" to do the deed with beautiful girls, "then evaluate their job performance."
Mr. Hof sees this as a way to ensure the Bunny Ranch's continued success. (Lee)At the local Cop Shop:
A Texas state trooper is under fire for posing with SNOOP DOGG.
Trooper BILLY SPEARS was on security detail at the South by Southwest festival in Austin when he spotted the rap artist. Snoop himself posted the photo to his Instagram account with the heading "Me n my deputy dogg." State officials saw the post and issued Spears a citation, demanding that he attend counseling. The controversy over the picture stems from the fact that Snoop has a police record. Spears' attorney says the trooper didn't know about the criminal record. (Still) -
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