Do you have a case of the Mondays? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Stave off work a little bit longer this morning by catching up on what you missed over the past two days.
Ah, the weekend, the best time for catching up on sleep – and life. We hope you were able to tune out the stresses of the week and clear your head. But worried about what you missed? Fear not, NewsFeed couldn’t keep our noses out of the news. And as is customary, we’re always willing to share.
The South’s Wicked Weather
The nastiest storms in two decades tore through the bottom half of our nation from Thursday to Sunday, leaving a horrific, six-state trail of destruction from Oklahoma to Virginia and killing at least 45 people. North Carolina was hardest hit by the twisters and torrential downpours, with 21 dead in the aftermath, many after entire trailer parks were upended. States of emergency are present in Virginia and N.C. as families pick up the pieces and commence clean-up. (via MSNBC, CNN)
Air Traffic Snoozer
Another air-traffic controller was found sleeping on the job Saturday, this time in Miami. It’s the fifth instance since March that the FAA has brought to light. The controller was responsible for high-altitude air traffic over much of Florida and a portion of the Atlantic and Caribbean Seas. This latest snoozing incident prompted U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to announce new rules Sunday. He’s requiring controllers to take an extra hour off between shifts, upping the break to nine hours. And managers will be required to be more present during late and early shifts. Maybe this is the wake-up call the industry needs. (via WSVN Miami, NBC Miami)
TEPCO Looks Long-Term
File this one under questionable good news. The Japanese power company released its plan for getting the Fukushima radiation leak under control – but it will take six to nine months. The two-stage plan aims to continue plugging the leakage in the next three months, with a “cold shutdown” following after, which would take the reactors out of commission and shroud them with special cloths to contain radiation. So, we now have a timetable of how long the crisis is going to last. Let the countdown (and the finger-pointing) begin. (via WSJ, BBC)
Monday Must-Read
“How Little Sleep Can You Get Away With?”
We swear this story was on our radar way before the dozing air-traffic controller. But perhaps they can heed some advice. As chatter continues about the sleepless elite and the people that can survive on a meager four hours, how many do we really need? And can we train ourselves to sleep less, or is it hardwired? Sometimes you just need to sleep, man, for however long your body tells you to – even if you look like one of the hilarious people in the story’s photo. (via New York Times)
In Case You Missed It on NewsFeed
The Indian census results are in, and the results are grim: only 914 girls are birthed for every 100 boys in the world’s second-largest nation. Indian families place more value on males, and female feticide has become increasingly common. Can the problem be curbed before the numbers drop any lower? How can they shift their perspectives to value females? (via NewsFeed)
Viral Video
It’s undeniable. This dude has the swagger, the confidence, the enthusiasm that we wish we could exude every minute of every day. He’s thoroughly enjoying himself. While he may not be appearing on DWTS anytime soon, we still admire the freshness of his moves.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/j-HHOiTZBH4&w=450]