Facebook’s growth into a digital advertising power is showing a flip side: The social network is more dependent than ever on the cyclical ad market, even as its rival Google finds new revenue streams in hardware and software. Facebook reported on Wednesday that 98 percent of its quarterly revenue came …
your ad hereJerry Garcia’s Guitar Truckin’ to Auction, Could Fetch $1M
Jerry Garcia’s custom-made guitar is truckin’ to auction in New York City. The Grateful Dead frontman’s guitar is called Wolf. Guernsey’s auction house says it’ll be offered May 31 at Brooklyn Bowl, a bowling alley, restaurant and venue for music shows. The proceeds will go to the Alabama-based …
your ad hereScientists Track Beetles in Effort to Stop a Plant Plague
Rob Dunn is trying to prevent squash heart attacks. Carried by the spotted cucumber beetle, a bacterial disease is giving squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and melons the botanical equivalent of clogged arteries. Wilting leaves are the first sign as the bacteria multiply in the plant’s circulatory system. The disease can nearly …
your ad here‘Star Wars’ Role Was Thrill for Dern
May the 4th be with you, Laura Dern, and darn all the mystery surrounding the character you’ll play as one of the latest additions to the Star Wars galaxy. The actress, in New York on Thursday to support a family health-focused global initiative, was tight-lipped about her role in Star …
your ad hereCafe Tacvba Embraces Freedom on Album Without Record Label
Cafe Tacvba is embracing its newfound independence with the release of its first album without a label in its nearly three-decade career. The Mexican rock band has always been committed to its creative freedom, jumping from folk to techno to ska, sometimes all in one song. “Jei Beibi,” out …
your ad here‘May the Fourth Be with You’: ‘Star Wars’ Fans Mark 40th Anniversary
Dozens of Star Wars fans dressed like Jedi knights, Galactic Empire storm troopers and other characters from the sci-fi series paraded through central Taipei on Thursday, part of a worldwide celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the film franchise. Costume parties, movie marathons and fun runs were among the …
your ad hereUN Climate Chief: Cities Best Armed to Fight Climate Change
Cities are places where action on climate change can have most impact because they are engines for innovation and also highly vulnerable to a warming planet, the head of the U.N. climate program said on Thursday. More than 140 countries have ratified the Paris agreement on climate change and they …
your ad hereShhh. Hear Rustle of Grass? Not So Much Now in US Parks
The call of the wild is getting harder to hear. Peaceful, natural sounds — bird songs, rushing rivers and rustling grass — are sometimes being drowned out by noise from people in many of America’s protected parks and wilderness areas, a new study finds. Scientists measured sound levels at 492 …
your ad hereIn the US’s Crosshairs, Assange Gets His Close-up in ‘Risk’
Laura Poitras announces early in her Julian Assange documentary Risk: “This is not the film I thought I was making.” “I thought I could ignore the contradictions,” the Oscar-winning Citizenfour filmmaker says in a voiceover. “I thought they were not part of the story. I was so wrong. They are …
your ad hereFacebook, Twitter, Google Sued Over San Bernardino Attack
Family members of San Bernardino terror attack victims sued Facebook, Google and Twitter, accusing the companies of providing platforms that help the Islamic State group spread propaganda, recruit followers and raise money. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles alleges that the companies aided and abetted terrorism, …
your ad hereNBA Opens Africa Academy in Push for International Recruits
The National Basketball Association opened its first training academy in Africa on Thursday in a push to expand its presence on the continent and prepare more African players to enter the league, its vice president for Africa said. The academy is in Senegal, where a sports development program in partnership …
your ad hereDaddy Yankee: Music Success Online Isn’t a Surprise
Daddy Yankee feels streaming his music online has finally revealed a hidden reality about Latin artists’ popularity. The reggaeton icon, who this week reached the No. 4 spot in Billboard’s Hot 100 with a new version of his and Luis Fonsi’s megahit “Despacito” featuring Justin Bieber, also saw it …
your ad hereTop 5 Songs for Week Ending May 6
We’re holding court with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending May 6, 2017. All we can say is “wow” – yet another big song debuts in the Top Five this week. In fact, we get two new tracks. Number …
your ad hereScientists Propose More Precise Way to Measure Greenhouse Gas Effects
Researchers from Harvard University, Princeton University and the Environmental Defense Fund proposed a new, more precise way to measure the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on Earth’s climate in an article published on Thursday in the academic journal Science. The proposal would create a two-digit measurement system the scientists likened …
your ad here‘Exercise Without Workout’ Pill Being Tested
Many people who are disabled or have a condition that limits their ability to exercise might someday benefit from an exercise pill. A compound is being studied that gives people the benefits of exercise without having to work out. The compound called GW1516, or simply GW, has been around …
your ad hereSpaceX to Launch Internet-providing Satellites
Elon Musk’s SpaceX says it will begin launching Internet-providing satellites in 2019. The move was announced Wednesday by SpaceX vice president of satellite and government affairs, Patricia Cooper, in testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. She said the company eventually plans to field 4,425 small satellites …
your ad hereNASA Video Reveals Cassini Ring Plunge
NASA has released stunning video taken by the Cassini space probe as it took the first of its “grand finale” dives between Saturn and its rings. The images were taken April 26 as Cassini made a southerly pass over Saturn. It captures the vortex on the planet’s north pole and …
your ad hereEU Accepts Amazon’s e-book Commitments
The European Union’s competition watchdog says it accepts commitments made by online giant Amazon to change part of its e-book contracts to avoid fines for anti-competitive behavior. Amazon has promised not to enforce any contract clause that might oblige other publishers to offer it similar terms and conditions as …
your ad hereEurozone Economy Growing at ‘Fastest Rate in 6 Years’
A closely watched survey indicates that economic growth across the 19-country eurozone struck a 6-year high in April. Financial information company IHS Markit says Thursday that its purchasing managers’ composite output index — a broad gauge of economic activity — rose to 56.8 in April from 56.4 the previous month. …
your ad hereHeadgear Approved for Use by World Basketball Body
Basketball’s international governing body has approved a new rule that will allow players to wear headgear that complies with their religious faith. The Switzerland-based body, known as FIBA, says the rule will take effect in games from on Oct. 1. Then, players can wear hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes after a …
your ad hereTrump Chooses Expert on Addiction to Lead Mental Health Agency
President Donald Trump’s pick to marshal the government’s response to the opioid epidemic and assist people with mental illness doesn’t quite fit the mold of some of his other nominees. Psychiatrist Elinore McCance-Katz isn’t an outsider bent on disrupting the system. Instead, she’s an academic expert on addiction …
your ad hereRingling’s Last Show Will Be Broadcast on Facebook Live
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus first wowed audiences in the 19th century. For the iconic American spectacle’s final act, it will broadcast the final performance on a 21st century medium: Facebook Live. The company told The Associated Press this week that the final circus show on the …
your ad hereScientists Track Beetles to Stop a Plant Plague
Modern agriculture is feeding more people more cheaply than ever, with large-scale farms that grow just one or a few crops. But there are risks in this way of feeding the world. A new book explores how large-scale agriculture invites large-scale attacks of pests and diseases. VOA’s Steve Baragona met …
your ad here‘Mr. Trash Wheel’ Gobbles up Garbage
An unusual machine working in Baltimore, with more than 20,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter, has just celebrated its third birthday. Imaginatively named “Mr. Trash Wheel,” this hybrid-powered contraption is responsible for preventing the city’s trash from reaching its inner harbor. VOA’s George Putic reports. …
your ad hereRacial Slurs Launch Major League Baseball Security Review
Major League Baseball is reviewing its security protocols in all 30 stadiums after Orioles outfielder Adam Jones complained of fans shouting racial slurs in Boston this week and other black players reacted by saying it’s a common reality. League officials are starting by figuring out how individual clubs handle fan …
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