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Real Time Twitter Moods
It isn’t surprising to find happier tweets on weekends than on working days.
Researchers have been delving into people's moods expressed through Twitter and other social networks to detect positive and negative moods throughout days and seasons.
More than half a billion Twitter messages, from 84 countries were analysed by language detection software for positive and negative moods. Generally, most tweets are positive in the morning and climb in the evening.
Researcher’s claim that changes in the daylight do have an effect on people’s messages. Sleep is said to be an accurate cause of mood changes during the day.
Researchers claim that people are emotionally refreshed by sleep and this would explain why positive tweets appear in the morning.
DJ Danielle's Pop Montreal Diary (part 1)
Photo by Alex Menjivar
PopMontreal turned 10 years old this year, and they brought an extremely packed roster of both well-known and more obscure acts for their audiences. With big names like Arcade Fire and Chromeo taking the stage, it was fantastic to see lesser-known cult favourites like R. Stevie Moore and The Raincoats included on the bill. Wednesday night was the opening night of the festival, and was sure not to disappoint.
I began my adventure into the music-riddled Plateau, which was the centre for most of the acts, by heading down to Radio Canada to check out Duchess Says in a rare Montreal appearance on Bande a Part. Due either to my own confused brain or to the lack of organization on the Pop Montreal website, I missed out on the fact that you needed to RSVP the event, and wasn’t allowed in. It was a disappointing start to the festival, but I was determined to persevere. So I hopped on my trusty turquoise bike and headed all the way up to Il Motore to catch local CJLO faves Aim Low. Even though these guys regularly practice at the station, I admit I have not seem them live until now. Made up of CJLO volunteers, their set, though sadly under-attended, gave me major shivers up and down my spine. They mixed a blend of drone and shoegaze with gorgeous harmonies and mind-blowingly loud noise effects. The use of vocal filters was masterful, to say the least. Aim Low plays frequently in town, so if ever you get the opportunity, I would recommend them highly.
Next I sped down to O Patro Vys to see local up-and-comers Reversing Falls play for an enthusiastic fan base. Jesse Ash, Tyler Crawford, and Charlie Neufeld recently released a music video for their song “Doom Beach” and it was obvious to me that the audience was familiar with their work. Their stage banter was amusing to the guys standing beside me, who knew several obscure facts about the band. Reversing Falls played tracks off of their “Little Goodbye/Doom Beach” release, and one new track to be released on their new album. Their sound is 90’s inspired Sloan-like straight up rock, with the odd foray into jam land in the middles of their songs. They also play regularly around the city, so if you’re jonesing for some nostalgia, check these guys out.
-Danielle J hosts Runny Noise every Thursday from 10pm-12am
Wheelchair Accessibility in the Metro
People with limited mobility are speaking out against Montreal's public transit system. They are protesting how long it is taking for the metro to become wheelchair accessible.
The STM stated several years ago that they would be building elevators in 3 metro stations per year, but recently they have only been able to adde one new elevator annually.
Out of 67 metro stations, only 7 stations are wheelchair accessible, all of which are on the orange line.
Michael Labrecque is the chairman for the STM, he has stated that their budget for maintenance and repairs is $100 million per year. He informed the protestors that with that budget, it is impossible for them to build elevators any faster.
September 29, 2011
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Read by: Judy-Ann Mitchell
Stories by: Joel Balsam
Dominique Daoust, and
Cynthia Othieno
Man Arrested for Allegedly Planning Attack on Pentagon, White House
A man accused of trying to organize an attack against the Pentagon and the White House in Washington D.C. was arrested Wednesday in Boston.
26 year-old Rezwan Ferdaus allegedly planned to fly remote-controlled planes with bombs on them into the two buildings. He is also charged with trying to supply material to al-Qaeda and aiding attacks on U.S. military personnel.
U.S. Department of Justice authorities say an eight month undercover operation is what led them to the arrest.
They say Ferdaus supplied undercover FBI operatives with eight detonators for al-Qaeda to set off bombs in the Middle East. It is over the course of those eight months that Ferdaus also shared his plan to attack the Pentagon and the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
The agents supplied him with explosives, a remote-controlled plane and weapons. They then made the arrest after he put the supplies in a storage container.
Ferdaus could face up to 15 years in jail for supporting a foreign terrorist organization if convicted. He could additionally face up to 20 years for trying to destroy national defense premises.
Killer Cantaloupes
Cantaloupes infested with listeria have sparked the deadliest U.S. food-borne disease outbreak in over a decade. Thirteen people have died and seventy-two have fallen ill after eating cantaloupes from Jensen Farms.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said it was the first-ever outbreak of the pathogen in melons. The cantaloupes were distributed out of the Colorado-based farm to at least seventeen states and some were exported. Health authorities said the countries involved were notified but weren’t able to give information about where they were shipped.
The outbreak will likely expand further since a person can fall ill from listeria up to two months after consuming a contaminated product. The people most at risk are the elderly, those with weak immune systems, and pregnant women. Listeria infections typically cause fever and muscle aches.
The FDA has warned consumers not to eat Rocky Ford cantaloupe shipped from Jensen Farms and to throw away the recalled ones in a sealed container so that children and wildlife can’t access them.
Student Representation at Board of Governors Diminished
The Concordia University Board of Governors voted in favour of the By-Law changes proposed by the Ad Hoc Governance Review Committee and the amendments made by the joint Board/Senate committee during a meeting this morning. The final vote count was 27 in favour and seven opposed.
The most disputed and alarming amendment was the reduction of the Board from 40 to 25 members. In the reduced board, students will have their seat total reduced from five to three with only two voting members as well as one alternate non-voting member.
The representatives voiced their concern that the 42 523 Concordia students won’t be properly represented by so few seats on the Board. The Board is “trying to solve the problem of bad governance with more bad governance,” said Concordia Student Union President Lex Gill.
Also in the new By-Laws, the Faculty of Arts and Science will lose a member, while the pensioners will lose their only seat on the Board. In the end, Board members agreed to bite the bullet for the sake of compromise. As one member said, everybody loses, “but the winner is Concordia.”
When it came to the vote, Chairman of the Board Peter Kruyt motioned for a secret ballot despite the Governance Review Committee’s recommendation of transparent voting. When the student representatives voiced their objection, instead of a discussion on the matter, Kruyt motioned immediately for a vote. As soon as this happened, the student representatives left the meeting in protest.
“This was a foregone conclusion,” said Gill following the meeting. She continued to say that the student representatives were “bullied,” by Kruyt.
Undergraduate co-representative Cameron Monagle agrees. “We saw what happens when your proportion of votes is already as low as it is. And the answer is: you lose, representation goes down, and students lose ultimately.”
September 28, 2011
Read by Emily Brass
Produced by Michael Lemieux and Nikita Smith
Stories by Joel Balsam, Aisha Samu, Wallis Millar-Blanchaer, Lindsay Briscoe and Isabella Giancotta
Trial for Michael Jackson's Doctor Begins
Michael Jackson’s voice rang through a Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday.
Prosecutors used this recording to begin their case against Mr. Jackson’s Doctor Conrad Murray for involuntary manslaughter.
He is accused of being neglectful and inept in dealing with Mr. Jackson’s fragile condition.
Defense lawyers countered that Mr. Jackson caused his own death by taking additional drugs after Dr. Murray attempted to wean him off large doses of anesthetics.
Dr. Murray pleaded innocent and if proven guilty may lose his medical license and spend up to four years in prison.
CSU Says No to Faubourg Student Centre
The CSU gave a resounding 'NO' to plans for the faubourg.
The student union voted down a potential student centre at a special council meeting Tuesday night.
Concordia University may still pursue the plan.
Students have already contributed millions to a future student centre with nothing to show for it.
The CSU promised to fight for a fair deal on the student centre during last year's election.
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