According to ComScore.com, while new social network users in North America seem to be leveling off, the global trend shows that sites such as Facebook and…well, mostly Facebook, are gaining new members in the parts of the world where I’m pretty thankful I wasn’t born.

From Information Week:

The number of new users in the Middle East and Africa has risen by 66%, while the number of new users in Europe rose 35%. In Latin America, the number of new users on social networking sites rose by 33%.

Facebook.com has held the top spot among social networking sites worldwide since April 2008. The site experienced 153% growth in the past year, due in part to its use of natural language interfaces, ComScore reported. Most of Facebook’s visitors (49 million) still come from North America, although Europe appears to be catching up, with 35 million users. Growth in North America stood at 38%, while European users grew by 303% and worldwide users quadrupled, according to ComScore.

Finally the rest of the world is catching up on wasting their time. YAY INTERNET!

Our homie and drummer for local awesome radical band Brighten Jimmy Richards announced via Myspace blog today that he is leaving Brighten to go to Africa and then to school right here in good ol’ Chico, as well as to focus on his badass design business, Junior Kickstart:

Hey everyone,

This is a rather depressing blog for me. Something that is not easy to write or deal with right now, but it is something I feel I have to do. I have decided to leave Brighten. Over the last year or so I felt God pulling at me about this. Leading me in another direction. I’m not leaving on any bad terms whatsoever. Alex and Justin have been great about this and weren’t taken by surprise. I’d been talking with them for months and months about this and finally decided.
It’s very hard. Being in a band is awesome. I love being able to meet and share with cool people like all of you all over the world. But it is mostly hard because Justin and Alex are my brothers. I’m going to miss hating ridiculous amounts of time in the van with them and dumb arguments, spitting on alex while playing, making funny videos, talking about life and things going on at home, and so many other things that go on when you spend 24 hours a day 7 days a week 9 months out of a year with people.
This isn’t a pity party. I am just sharing what’s happening in full rather than just peacing out on all of you. You guys (fans and friends) are a huge part of Brighten. I absolutely LOVE that part of it all. Getting to meet all of you is such an amazing thing for all of us in bands. I love talking to each of you.

So what am I doing now?

I am leaving for africa on July 21st. Two weeks. I’m very excited! After that, I will be going to school here in chico. I work full time designing merch for bands (www.juniorkickstart.net). I’m not exactly sure of what I want to do with my life yet, but I’ll figure it out soon enough.

Brighten’s new EP, Early Love, will be available really soon. I’m so proud of Justin and Alex and love what they are doing and everything they are about to do. I know you guys will be too.

If any of you would ever like to talk to me, please keep in touch!
My screen name is : eagersails

It’s been an amazing time,
Jimmy

I’ve heard some fun rumors as to who Jimmy’s replacement might be, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how shit pans out. In the mean time, if you’re a label and you haven’t signed Brighten yet, what the fuck are you waiting for? Teen girls everywhere will thank you with money. Promise.

If you’re not living in Sub-Saharan Africa, a man having sex with other men, or a sex worker you can now feel free to fuck about the country:

In the first official admission that the universal prevention strategy promoted by the major Aids organisations may have been misdirected, Kevin de Cock, the head of the WHO’s department of HIV/Aids said there will be no generalised epidemic of Aids in the heterosexual population outside Africa.

Dr De Cock, an epidemiologist who has spent much of his career leading the battle against the disease, said understanding of the threat posed by the virus had changed. Whereas once it was seen as a risk to populations everywhere, it was now recognised that, outside sub-Saharan Africa, it was confined to high-risk groups including men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and sex workers and their clients.

9/11 Conspiracy Theories ‘Ridiculous,’ Al Qaeda Says

“America’s Finest News Source” certainly lives up to its name. If you have more time to kill, you should check out their world atlas “Our Big Dumb World” if you haven’t already. It’s scathing satire on just about every country in the world. This week’s featured country is Kenya, which is described as a “natural breeding ground for the world’s top long-distance runners, who learn at a very early age the art of running as far away as they possibly can from Kenya.”

Luanda, Angola — The 27-year-long Angola civil war has been over for six years but the number of civilian victims continues to rise. Tens of thousands have been injured or maimed by landmine explosions, leaving the population shattered and ravaged by a war whose fallout has yet to meet its half-life.

In an effort to restore dignity and confidence to its civilian population, the de-mining commission of Angola is hosting a Miss Landmine Survivor Pageant, with eight women, one from each province, each maimed by a landmine, competing and simultaneously becoming the public faces for their own cause. Its intent is to boost the self-esteem of landmine survivors, and to show the beauty in strength and determination, and truly, the “beauty in all people.” The pageant will be held on April 2nd in Luanda, Angola.

Following the pageant, the First International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action will be held on April 4th. For further information on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, please right-click here.

Millions of un-detonated mines litter the southwestern African nation. While it costs roughly $5 to manufacture a landmine, it takes nearly $1,000 to safely dismantle one.

Voting for the Miss Landmine Survivor Pageant is to be held online. You can VOTE for who you would like to see win. Me, I’m voting for Miss Cubango. Right now she’s in 2nd place. Check out her stats:

Miss Cuando Cubango
Generosa Cassinda

Age: 30
City: Menongue
Mine accident: 1989
Kids: 2 (10,8)
Occupation: Street vendor
Dream job: Economist
Favourite color: White

Clothes: American Apparel, € 36
Jewellery: Myffdesign, € 15
Location: Fortaleza São Miguel, Luanda

Mine: NO-4 anti-personnel
Release: pressure
Explosive: 188 g TNT
Produced by: Israel

Daaaamn….

This blog is nice and heartfelt. Here’s where I fuck things up.

I’m sorry, I know that it’s wrong to reference things like amputee porn in a blog about such a moving, good-hearted and humanitarian event like the Miss Landmine Survivor Pageant. But really, there are few rewarding job opportunities for people missing their limbs, and life is tough as it is. I’m pretty sure that in America, you can’t even get a meatpacking job if you’ve lost your hand (unless you lost your hand at a prior meatpacking job, then I think they’ll “hook you up.” Ouch.). And let’s face it, these women are gorgeous and legless, and I am pretty sure there’s a market for that. Actually, I’ve seen the aisle at the ‘specialty video store,” I’m sure there’s a market for it. Oh please one-leggy lady, won’t you ampu-tease me.

Yes, I know you think I’m going to hell.

Bob Geldof, musician, actor and Live 8 event organizer, recently met with George W. Bush who has been meeting with rock stars who wear their hearts on their sleeves in an effort to make the world a better place.
In this article published in Time, Bob Geldof writes about their meeting about Africa, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the humanitarian mission that will train African peacekeepers.

I recommend you read his article. Geldof, as you can imagine, is an opponent of the Bush Administration’s War in Iraq. At the same time, Geldof is a strong proponent of African aid, something the Bush Administration is strong on as well (though that fact rarely gets headlines). This dichotomy comes into play in Geldof’s article in a really natural way, where he basically says Bush is a gracious host and good guy, it’s a shame that all the good things his administration does gets overshadowed by Iraq. But that whole Iraq thing…yikes, that’s a crime.