1. Fire in Bangladesh factory kills eight people
Only two weeks after the deadly collapse of a Bangladesh clothing factory, eight people are reported dead after another garment factory caught fire in Dhaka, the country’s capital. The fire happened less than a day after Bangladesh ordered 18 factories to be shut down due to questionable safety. Since the collapse of the first factory on April 24, the death count has risen dramatically from the original 87 reported to a total of more than 900, according to this morning’s report from the Associated Press. [BBC]
2. Dennis Rodman asks Kim Jong-un to release U.S. prisoner
Dennis Rodman reaffirmed his position as one of the U.S.’s most influential diplomats in North Korea on Tuesday, tweeting to Kim Jong-un to release recently sentenced U.S. citizen Pae Jun Ho, also known as Kenneth Bae.
“I’m calling on the Supreme Leader of North Korea, or as I call him ‘Kim’, to do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose,” tweeted Rodman.
Rodman, who got chummy with Kim Jong-un during a recent North Korean basketball exhibition sponsored by Vice Media, may be Bae’s best hope for release as relations between the governments of North Korea and the U.S. grow continually more fragile. [Guardian]
3. Disney drops bid to trademark Mexican religious holiday
The Walt Disney Company, which seems to be hell-bent on securing the entire world under its iron fist, has dropped a bid to trademark the term “Dia de los Muertos”, or “Day of the Dead”, a Mexican religious holiday dating back thousands of years. Disney wanted to trademark the term for an upcoming Pixar film, so that they could have exclusive domain to use it on (no joke) “fruit-based snack foods”, “Christmas-tree ornaments and decorations”, “decorative magnets”, “non-medicated toiletries” and “frozen meals consisting primarily of pasta or rice.” [Guardian]
4. Price of ‘Facebook Phone’ drops by 99.7%
The HTC First, known for its Facebook Home user interface, has dropped from $350.99 to just $0.99 with the same AT&T contract. Though the discount seems like a highly unusual move, Facebook representatives told Mashable yesterday that they “think this is a good move by AT&T,” citing absolutely nothing as the reason for their optimism. If you don’t want to spend the dollar because you already have an Android Phone, your model might be able to download Facebook Home for free anyway. [Mashable]
5. New app helps you decide which friends to bang
Bang With Friends, a new app for Apple and Android phones, is about to complicate a lot of friendship circles. First, the app asks users to go through their list of Facebook friends and pick who they’d be down to bang with.
Next, according to the Bang With Friends website, “Once we know you’re both down, we’ll send you both an email – when and where is up to you! Bang Safely ;)”
Though the app might seem a bit ridiculous, Facebook’s “relationship status” function has been a staple on their site since 2006, which means Bang With Friends might just have some legs. Oh, that and the fact it was downloaded so many times in the first three hours that it crashed both the Apple and Android app stores. [Death and Taxes]
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Mark Schram grew up on a ranch in southwestern Manitoba and now writes out of Winnipeg. If you would like to offer him a job or ask him about how to pull a calf, you can contact him at markcschram@gmail.com.