The Red Monkey

Co-winners named after step show result causes controversy, sponsor cites scoring discrepancy

In this photo provided by Sprite, members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority of Indiana University, compete in the Sprite Step Off National Finals Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010, in Atlanta. Eighty teams from fraternities and sororities at forty universities participated in the competition which featured a grand prize of $100,000 in scholarships, triumphing in the largest prize pool ever of $1.5 million in scholarships. After days of controversy over Zeta Tau Alpha group’s win in a step competition, sponsor Coca-Cola said Thursday Feb. 25, 2010, the second-place team Alpha Kappa Alpha will share top honors. (AP Photo/Sprite, John Amis) (John Amis, AP / February 20, 2010)

Related

DIONNE WALKER, KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press Writers

February 25, 2010 | 5:30 p.m.

• 

  E-mail

• 

  Print

• Share
• 

  

  Text Size

ATLANTA (AP) %u2014 After days of controversy over a white group’s win in a step competition, sponsor Coca-Cola said Thursday the second-place team will share top honors.

Coca-Cola said in a statement that a review of the scoring from Saturday’s national contest revealed a “scoring discrepancy” that it declined to explain. This is the first year of the Sprite Step Off, but step contests are typically dominated by black sororities and fraternities.

Step is a historically black art form of rhythmic stepping and clapping. A YouTube video of the winning performance by a group of Zeta Tau Alphas from the University of Arkansas generated hundreds of comments, some of them inflammatory.

Coca-Cola said Thursday the Alpha Kappa Alpha team from Indiana University, whose members are black, would share first place and would also receive the same $100,000 in scholarships that the Zeta Tau Alphas won.

“Because the scoring discrepancy cannot be resolved and due to the extremely narrow margin between the first and second place winning sororities,” the company decided to declare co-winners, the company statement says.

The national offices of both sororities said they were proud of their members and declined to comment on the Internet controversy.

The Sprite Step Off was created to award scholarships, Coca-Cola said. The tournament began in September with a series of regional qualifying rounds around the country. Six sororities competed in the national final in Atlanta Saturday. Six fraternities also competed among themselves.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The Firebreather: The Pontiac Firebird That Could Have Been

Michigan-based Exodus Films unveiled the hero-ride for their upcoming sci-fi flick, Jinn. It’s “The Firebreather,” a stylized take on what a new Pontiac Firebird might’ve been. Look familiar? It should. Better news? They’re building 50 of them for public purchase.

The car was designed by the film’s writer and director and Art Center grad AJ Ahmad, who wanted to tie the developing Michigan film industry to the state’s history. The Firebreather will be the hero car in the movie, driven by the film’s star Ray Park (aka Darth Maul) who was on hand for the unveiling.

The car, built by Classic Design Concepts for the film, takes a new Camaro and gives it an all-new, and very handsomely-styled front end, an entirely new tail end with a new spoiler, new hood, some slick custom wheels, the Eibach Pro-Plus performance handling package a embroidered seats.

Here’s the best part %u2014 for Firebird fans who want something a little different, fifty numbered copies of The Firebreather are on sale as of right now with a starting price of $60,000.

(Editor’s Note: I first met Ajmal Ahmad, the film’s director, in high school in Metro Detroit. He’s one of the most brilliantly creative people I know %u2014 and he helped me to see that I wanted to do something more creative in my life than finance or politics. So I’m not at all surprised he’s doing something as cool as this. %u2014Ray)

So the animal has killed two other people and that was not a warning sign? Whales and other sea mammals should not be locked up and used for entertainment like this, they are too intelligent and too large for the conditions they put them in. The tanks are too small and the animals become violent pretty consistently.

Voter unhappiness with Congress has reached the highest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports as 71% now say the legislature is doing a poor job.

That%u2019s up ten points from the previous high of 61% reached a month ago.

Only 10% of voters say Congress is doing a good or excellent job.

Nearly half of Democratic voters (48%) now give Congress a poor rating, up 17 points since January. The vast majority of Republicans and voters not affiliated with either party also give Congress poor ratings.

Seventy percent (70%) of voters say Congress has not passed any legislation that would significantly improve life for Americans, up 10 points over the past month and the highest level of dissatisfaction measured in regular tracking in over three years. Only 15% say Congress has passed such legislation.

Forty percent (40%) of voters nationwide now say it is at least somewhat likely Congress will seriously address the most important issues facing the nation. That%u2019s down from 59% last March. Only 9% say it is Very Likely Congress will address these issues.

These numbers are consistent with the analysis provided in Scott Rasmussen%u2019s new book, In Search of Self-Governance. Scott notes that %u201CToday, Americans are united. United in the belief that our political system is broken, that politicians are corrupt, and that neither major political party has the answers.%u201D He adds, %u201CSome of us are ready to give up; some of us are ready to scream a little louder. But all of us believe we can do better.%u201D

The book has received positive reviews from across the political spectrum. In Search of Self-Governance is available from Rasmussen Reports and at Amazon.com.

Other recent polling also reflects voter disappointment in Congress. Earlier this month, 63% of voters said it would be better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were defeated this November. Just 27% of voters say their representative in Congress is the best possible person for the job.

Three out of four voters (75%) report being at least somewhat angry at the policies of the federal government. Part of the frustration is likely due to the belief of 60% of voters that neither Republican political leaders nor Democratic political leaders have a good understanding of what is needed today.

Still, voters believe Democrats are more likely than Republicans to have a plan for the future.

Regardless of which political side voters are on, just 21% believe that the federal government enjoys the consent of the governed.

As Congress continues to hash out the health care reform plan proposed by the president and Congressional Democrats, just 41% of voters favor the plan while 56% are opposed. Sixty-three percent (63%) of all voters say a better strategy to reform the health care system would be to pass smaller bills that address problems individually.

Just 9% of voters believe most members of Congress are genuinely interested in helping people, which ties the recent low in December. Eighty-one percent (81%) say most members of Congress are more interested in their own careers, a new multi-year high.

The plurality of voters (42%) continues to believe most members of Congress are corrupt, a result that has remained fairly consistent over the past several months. One in three U.S. voters (32%) does not see most congressmen as corrupt. Another 26% are undecided.

In 2010, Republican candidates have consistently held an advantage over Democrats in the Generic Congressional Ballot.

Rasmussen Reports has recently surveyed Senate races in http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/arkansas/election_2010_arkansas_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_e” target=”_self”>Arkansas, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/california/election_2010_california_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_sena” target=”_self”>California, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/colorado/election_2010_colorado_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_e” target=”_self”>Colorado, Florida, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/illinois/election_2010_illinois_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_e” target=”_self”>Illinois, Indiana, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/kentucky/election_2010_kentucky_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_e” target=”_self”>Kentucky, Louisiana, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/missouri/election_2010_missouri_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_e” target=”_self”>Missouri, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/nevada/election_2010_nevada_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elect” target=”_self”>Nevada, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/new_hampshire/election_2010_new_hampshire_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_201” target=”_self”>New Hampshire, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/north_dakota/election_2010_north_dakota_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_” target=”_self”>North Dakota, http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/florida/election_2010_florida_senate http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_ele” target=”_self”>Florida, Connecticut, Pennyslvania, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. Most show a troubling political environment for the Democratic candidates.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports http://www.rasmussenreports.com/daily_updates blocked::http://www.rasmussenreports.com/daily_updates blocked::http://www.rasmussenreports.com/daily_updates http://www.rasmussenreports..com/daily_updates” target=”_self”>daily e-mail update (it%u2019s free) or follow us on http://twitter.com/RasmussenPoll blocked::http://twitter.com/RasmussenPoll blocked::http://twitter.com/RasmussenPoll http://twitter.com/RasmussenPoll http://twitter.com/RasmussenPoll http://twitter.com/RasmussenPoll http://twitter.com/RasmussenPoll” target=”_self”>Twitter or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Asbury-Park-NJ/Rasmussen-Reports/86959124863?ref=nf blocked::http://www.facebook.com/pages/Asbury-Park-NJ/Rasmussen-Reports/86959124863?ref=nf blocked::http://www.facebook.com/pages/Asbury-Park-NJ/Rasmussen-Reports/86959″ target=”_self”>Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

See http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/colorado/toplines/toplines_election_2010_colorado_senate_february_2_2010” target=”_self”>survey questions and toplines. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/premium_content/election_2010_state_polls/colorado/crosstabs_election_2010_colorado_senate_february_2_2010” target=”_self”>Crosstabs are available to http://www.rasmussenreports.com/premium_service_description blocked::http://www.rasmussenreports.com/premium_service_description” target=”_self”>Premium Members only.

ShareThis

Two law firms, Beck & Lee

from Miami and The Weston Firm

in San Diego, have filed a class action lawsuit

in Los Angeles federal court alleging unfair business practices by local business review and rating website operator Yelp

.

The plaintiff in the suit, a veterinary hospital in Long Beach, CA, is said to have requested that Yelp remove a negative review from the website, which was allegedly refused by the San Francisco startup, after which its sales representatives repeatedly contacted the hospital demanding payments of roughly $300 per month in exchange for hiding or deleting the review.

Sounds familiar, you say?

You may be thinking of last year, when East Bay Express ran an explosive story, basically accusing Yelp of being in the %u2018Business of Extortion 2.0%u2032

, which covered similar ground. Shortly after reporter Kathleen Richards published the article, Yelp vehemently denied everything

and called her piece inaccurate

.

Now, the company will have to defend itself in court rather than on its company blog.

The lawsuit essentially alleges that the heavily funded

startup runs an %u201Cextortion scheme%u201D and has %u201Cunscrupulous sales practices%u201D in place to generate revenue, in which the company%u2019s employees call businesses demanding monthly payments in the guise of advertising contracts, in exchange for removing or modifying negative reviews.

The case, which is styled Cats and Dogs Animal Hospital Inc. v. Yelp Inc., was filed on February 23, 2010, and is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. We have an e-mail in with Yelp and are awaiting a response.

Update: a Yelp representative commented as follows:

Yelp provides a valuable service to millions of consumers and businesses, based on trusted content. This is evidenced by advertisers and non-advertisers, who each have negative and positive reviews. While we haven%u2019t seen the suit yet, anyone can file one, and since the allegations are false we will dispute them aggressively.%u201D

The class action lawsuit comes mere weeks after Yelp took a large investment from Elevation Partners, and months after we reported the company walked away from a $550 million Google acquisition deal.

(Image via Gawker

)

get widgetminimize

CrunchBase Information

Yelp

Website:	yelp.com
Location:	San Francisco, California, United States
Founded:	July 1, 2004
Funding:	$56M

Another company founded in 2004 by two former PayPal employees, Yelp is a local reviews website covering almost 40 states. Yelp also launched in the UK in January 2009. Users write and read reviews about%u2026 Learn More

Information provided by CrunchBase

VOTD: Darth Vader%u2019s Original Voice

Posted on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 by Peter Sciretta

As many of you already know, James Earl Jones

is the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars films, but he was not the actor in the suit during filming. A couple weeks ago a video circulated the web, showing actor David Prowse%u2019s original performance (sans Jones voice replacement). We have had it on the list of videos to be featured in VOTD (Video of the Day) but have been unable to fit it in until now. So if you haven%u2019t yet seen this footage, in the behind the scenes doc or the youtube clip that made the rounds two weeks back, check it out now, after the jump.

via: Collider

• Share this on del.icio.us
• Digg this!
• Share this on Reddit
• Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon
• Share this on Facebook
• Buzz up!
• Post this to MySpace
• Share this on Technorati

Comments 

Related Posts

• LucasFilm Tells Darth Vader that Return of the Jedi Hasn%u2019t Made a Profit!?
• Cool Stuff: Brandon Schaefer%u2019s Movie Posters
• Cool Stuff: Boba Fett Life-Size Bust
• Largest Lightsaber Fight EVER
• Cool Stuff: The Coolest New Movie Toys/Collectibles to Premiere at Toy Fair 2010
• Geek Deal: 25% Off Skywalker Ranch Wine

Tags

Sci-Fi, Sequels, Trivia, Video Of The Day, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Star-Wars

blog comments powered by Disqus

I have seen this before but I thought I would share it with everyone. David Prowse, the man behind one of the most iconic villains of my generation.

Report: States’ tax collections fall again

Report shows states still facing declining tax collections

Copyright � 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Naps Can Seriously Improve All-Day Learning Abilities

Taking a 90-minute nap the day of a test or presentation sounds like a ludicrous luxury. But a recent study on the brain’s ability to recall facts found that napping at noon could mean a lot more brain power at 6 p.m.

Photo by perpetualplum.

Presenting at this year’s meeting of the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS), University of California Berkeley researchers revealed the results of testing “39 healthy young adults” on recalling facts they had learned that same day.

At noon, all the participants were subjected to a rigorous learning task intended to tax the hippocampus, a region of the brain that helps store fact-based memories. Both groups performed at comparable levels.

At 2 p.m., the nap group took a 90-minute siesta while the no-nap group stayed awake. Later that day, at 6 p.m., participants performed a new round of learning exercises. Those who remained awake throughout the day became worse at learning. In contrast, those who napped did markedly better and actually improved in their capacity to learn.

It’s not the first time, or the second, that we’ve seen naps and memory functions tied together. But each study has its participants trying out slightly different tasks, and this study suggests that if you’re trying to cram in facts you need to recall later, a same-day nap before your last-minute cram might be more helpful than powering through your day with nervous energy.

It also suggests that the brain uses a sleep state between light sleep and deep REM phases to pull a kind of soft reset on the brain’s memory recall powers, so a fear that you can’t let yourself sleep “too deeply” in a nap seems unfounded.

Need help getting yourself to drop into that mind-wiping state? Try our favorite cheat sheet for napping. Thanks for the tip Annalee!

A midday nap markedly boosts the brain’s learning capacity [EurekAlert]

Send an email to Kevin Purdy, the author of this post, at kevin@lifehacker.com.

‘); jQuery.cookie(_cn, _cn_d, { path: ‘/’, expires: 365 } );

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Whitson Gordon 08:30 AM

Love the phrase “soft reset”. Kind of weird that that makes perfect sense to me, but it did. lol Reply

NorwoodIsMyHero 07:37 AM

For learning I’d agree. Especially since learning is often mind numbingly boring depending on topic. However, for productivity I’d think that even if I was more productive it’d be difficult to make up for the zero productivity that ends up taking up 20% of a work day. Reply

See 1 reply Hide 1 reply

saintvsop 07:07 AM

All day leaning requires something a bit stronger than a nap.

*cough* Reply

Kevin Purdy promoted this comment

See 2 replies Hide 2 replies

Earlier discussions | Other discussions | Show all discussions | Show featured discussions only | Expand all replies Collapse all replies
Start a new discussion

Post-Apocalyptic Strawberry Shortcake Leads 80s Toys’ Rebellion

Strawberry Shortcake and a mute WilyKit prepare their 80s-toy troops for the battle against Brainy Smurf, aka The Brain. Check out the brilliant story behind Tom Kyzivat’s twisted art, and see if you can name each “after the fall” toy.

800×600 | Full Size ‘); jQuery.cookie(_cn, _cn_d, { path: ‘/’, expires: 365 } );

1

2

3

4

5

Send an email to Meredith, the author of this post, at meredith@io9.com.