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Hackers Steal Thousands of Wyndham Credit Card Numbers PC World - Wed Feb 18, 5:30 PM ET
Hackers broke into a computer at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts last July and stole tens of thousands of customer credit card numbers, the hotel chain warns
NEW YORK – The federal call center set up to help viewers through the shutdown of analog broadcast TV signals at many stations this week has been able to easily deal with the volume of calls so far, the Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday.
More than 28,000 people called 1-888-CALL-FCC on Tuesday for help getting their TV sets working, the commission said.
The call center was originally expected to handle 100,000 calls per day around Tuesday, when all U.S. full-power stations were supposed to give up on analog. The deadline was pushed to June 12, but 421 stations, a quarter of the total, elected to stay with the Feb. 17 date. Most big-city stations are holding off until June.
Since many of the 421 stations didn't shut down analog signals until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, more calls are expected on Wednesday. By 11 a.m. Wednesday, the volume was up 5 percent from the day before, the FCC said.
Many of the calls were from customers who didn't know they had to force their converter boxes or digital TV sets to "rescan" the airwaves to find stations that changed their channel assignments when dropping analog, the FCC said.
The abandonment of analog TV signals only affects sets that use antennas. Cable and satellite services are unaffected.
TV stations operated their own call centers or took calls from viewers on a less formal basis. None reported a storm of angry viewers. The National Association of Broadcasters said the DTV call center in Virginia, where two markets went digital, had only 150 calls on Tuesday.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Burning smell fails to tip off driver who drags man 20 miles underneath van
BY Mike Jaccarino And Jonathan Lemire DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Updated Wednesday, February 11th 2009, 8:56 PM
A pedestrian hit by an SUV on a Queens street got stuck under a passing van that dragged him for an incredible 20 miles to Brooklyn, police said.
The gruesome journey began Wednesday on 108th St. in Corona - and did not end until the van driver finally noticed the man's mangled corpse in Brighton Beach nearly an hour later, police said.
"You can't imagine the shock I felt when I climbed out of the van and saw the body," said the van's driver, Manuel Gaspar Latune Sanchez.
"I was in shock," said Sanchez, a freelance deliveryman. "My nerves. ... I couldn't look anymore."
Sanchez had even stopped twice along the way, thinking he smelled something burning.
He did not make the terrible discovery until a passerby flagged him down on Brighton 10th Terrace - nearly 20 miles from the accident scene.
The man had been impaled on a metal skid plate on the underside of the van, and the back of his body had worn off during the long ride, police said.
It is not known if the man was alive when he was swept under the van, although he is believed to have been dead for most of the trip.
Investigators said the victim - whose body was too destroyed to identify immediately - was not in the crosswalk when he tried to cross 108th St. near 51st Ave. just after 6:10a.m.
The driver of an approaching Ford Expedition attempted to swerve, but the SUV slammed into the pedestrian, knocking him to the ground and then running over him with a rear wheel, police said.
Driver Gustavo Acosta pulled over and called 911.
When cops arrived moments later, they could not find the victim, who was already stuck under Sanchez's van.
Sanchez, who had been two cars behind the SUV, later told detectives he thought drivers were swerving to avoid a pothole.
The van's metal skid plate tore into the pedestrian, who was lying faceup in the street, and lodged in his sternum, hooking the victim to the van's chassis, police said.
A security video confirmed Sanchez pulled over a few minutes later and walked around the van.
Because the dead man - who cops said was about 5-feet-4 - could not easily be spotted from the road, Sanchez drove off again.
"I didn't feel it, and I didn't hear anything," said Sanchez, who had been listening to the radio. "I didn't know what happened."
Still oblivious, Sanchez got on the Long Island Expressway a few blocks away and then drove south on the Van Wyck Expressway and west on the Belt Parkway before exiting in Brighton Beach.
He stopped again at Brighton Sixth St., but again found nothing.
"I'm just so nervous and very sad," Sanchez said. "I'm very sorry for the family of the man."
Both men involved in the accident have clean driving records, and neither was charged, detectives said.
The dead man was not carrying identification, but cops found a broken iPhone a business card and a Western Union receipt in his pockets, sources said. A blue jacket was found along the route.
jlemire@nydailynews.com
Updated Wednesday, February 11th 2009, 8:56 PM
A pedestrian hit by an SUV on a Queens street got stuck under a passing van that dragged him for an incredible 20 miles to Brooklyn, police said.
The gruesome journey began Wednesday on 108th St. in Corona - and did not end until the van driver finally noticed the man's mangled corpse in Brighton Beach nearly an hour later, police said.
"You can't imagine the shock I felt when I climbed out of the van and saw the body," said the van's driver, Manuel Gaspar Latune Sanchez.
"I was in shock," said Sanchez, a freelance deliveryman. "My nerves. ... I couldn't look anymore."
Sanchez had even stopped twice along the way, thinking he smelled something burning.
He did not make the terrible discovery until a passerby flagged him down on Brighton 10th Terrace - nearly 20 miles from the accident scene.
The man had been impaled on a metal skid plate on the underside of the van, and the back of his body had worn off during the long ride, police said.
It is not known if the man was alive when he was swept under the van, although he is believed to have been dead for most of the trip.
Investigators said the victim - whose body was too destroyed to identify immediately - was not in the crosswalk when he tried to cross 108th St. near 51st Ave. just after 6:10a.m.
The driver of an approaching Ford Expedition attempted to swerve, but the SUV slammed into the pedestrian, knocking him to the ground and then running over him with a rear wheel, police said.
Driver Gustavo Acosta pulled over and called 911.
When cops arrived moments later, they could not find the victim, who was already stuck under Sanchez's van.
Sanchez, who had been two cars behind the SUV, later told detectives he thought drivers were swerving to avoid a pothole.
The van's metal skid plate tore into the pedestrian, who was lying faceup in the street, and lodged in his sternum, hooking the victim to the van's chassis, police said.
A security video confirmed Sanchez pulled over a few minutes later and walked around the van.
Because the dead man - who cops said was about 5-feet-4 - could not easily be spotted from the road, Sanchez drove off again.
"I didn't feel it, and I didn't hear anything," said Sanchez, who had been listening to the radio. "I didn't know what happened."
Still oblivious, Sanchez got on the Long Island Expressway a few blocks away and then drove south on the Van Wyck Expressway and west on the Belt Parkway before exiting in Brighton Beach.
He stopped again at Brighton Sixth St., but again found nothing.
"I'm just so nervous and very sad," Sanchez said. "I'm very sorry for the family of the man."
Both men involved in the accident have clean driving records, and neither was charged, detectives said.
The dead man was not carrying identification, but cops found a broken iPhone a business card and a Western Union receipt in his pockets, sources said. A blue jacket was found along the route.
jlemire@nydailynews.com
Thursday, February 05, 2009
House Votes to Delay Switch to Digital TV
House Votes to Delay Switch to Digital TV
By Brian Stelter
Television owners appear to have four more months to upgrade their old sets before they will no longer receive analog signals.
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to extend the transition to digital television by four months, ending a debate about whether to allow consumers more time to make the switch. Broadcasters were scheduled to cease analog broadcasts on Feb. 17, as part of a long-awaited move to digital broadcasting that will make the analog spectrum available for other applications, including for use by wireless companies and public safety agencies. The new deadline is expected to be June 12.
The Senate passed similar legislation last week, and President Obama has signaled that he will sign the bill. In a statement Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said that “the passage of this bipartisan legislation means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion.”
Most television owners, including those with cable or satellite connections, will not be affected by the signal change. But viewers with old antennas will lose service unless converter boxes are installed to translate the digital signals.
Last month The Nielsen Company estimated that 6.5 million households are completely unprepared for the switch, meaning that no televisions in those homes are equipped to receive digital signals.
Jan. 29: Digital TV Beckons, but Many Miss the Call
Mr. Obama had raised concerns about the impending switch during the presidential transition process last month. His transition team called financing for the switch inadequate and called on Congress to consider a delay.
On Wednesday, Ms. Brundage said the White House would “continue to work with Congress to improve the information and assistance available to American consumers in advance of June 12, especially those in the most vulnerable communities.” The stimulus package before Congress may include up to $650 million in financing for coupons to ease the transition.
“Wednesday’s vote came one week after House Republicans blocked the bill when it was in a special fast-track vote that required two-thirds support to pass,” The Associated Press reports. “This time, the bill passed the House under a regular floor vote, which only requires a simple majority.” The House voted 264 to 158.
Michael J. Copps, the acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said that the additional four months of transition time would afford “urgently-needed time for a more phased transition.”
In a separate statement, fellow commissioner Robert M. McDowell said the government should stay on message, saying: “If you need a converter box, get it today and hook it up today and start enjoying the benefits of digital television today.” Information on the transition is available at DTV.gov.
By Brian Stelter
Television owners appear to have four more months to upgrade their old sets before they will no longer receive analog signals.
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to extend the transition to digital television by four months, ending a debate about whether to allow consumers more time to make the switch. Broadcasters were scheduled to cease analog broadcasts on Feb. 17, as part of a long-awaited move to digital broadcasting that will make the analog spectrum available for other applications, including for use by wireless companies and public safety agencies. The new deadline is expected to be June 12.
The Senate passed similar legislation last week, and President Obama has signaled that he will sign the bill. In a statement Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage said that “the passage of this bipartisan legislation means that millions of Americans will have the time they need to prepare for the conversion.”
Most television owners, including those with cable or satellite connections, will not be affected by the signal change. But viewers with old antennas will lose service unless converter boxes are installed to translate the digital signals.
Last month The Nielsen Company estimated that 6.5 million households are completely unprepared for the switch, meaning that no televisions in those homes are equipped to receive digital signals.
Jan. 29: Digital TV Beckons, but Many Miss the Call
Mr. Obama had raised concerns about the impending switch during the presidential transition process last month. His transition team called financing for the switch inadequate and called on Congress to consider a delay.
On Wednesday, Ms. Brundage said the White House would “continue to work with Congress to improve the information and assistance available to American consumers in advance of June 12, especially those in the most vulnerable communities.” The stimulus package before Congress may include up to $650 million in financing for coupons to ease the transition.
“Wednesday’s vote came one week after House Republicans blocked the bill when it was in a special fast-track vote that required two-thirds support to pass,” The Associated Press reports. “This time, the bill passed the House under a regular floor vote, which only requires a simple majority.” The House voted 264 to 158.
Michael J. Copps, the acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said that the additional four months of transition time would afford “urgently-needed time for a more phased transition.”
In a separate statement, fellow commissioner Robert M. McDowell said the government should stay on message, saying: “If you need a converter box, get it today and hook it up today and start enjoying the benefits of digital television today.” Information on the transition is available at DTV.gov.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Seniors: Don't cut B25 (life)line
BY ERIN DURKIN DAILY NEWS WRITER
Wednesday, February 4th 2009, 2:10 AM
Plans to ax a key bus line in East New York would leave thousands of elderly residents stranded - and scrambling for a way to get to doctors' appointments, shopping, church or the bank.
The B25, which runs from downtown Brooklyn to Broadway Junction, is one of six borough bus lines set to be eliminated unless the MTA gets a massive infusion of funds from the state.
Elderly riders rely on the bus to get downtown because there's no escalator leading to the A train at the Broadway Junction subway station.
"I'm old and arthritic," said Edith Stanley, 77, who takes the B25 to church every Sunday and to go shopping downtown. "I can't go up or down those steps with these legs. Leave the buses alone. We really need them."
Chris Banks, executive director of East New York United Concerned Citizens, estimated 2,000 to 3,000 seniors in Brownsville and East New York depend on the B25.
"We don't want the MTA to balance the budget on the backs of the less fortunate or the elderly," he said.
The MTA is urging the state legislature to approve a plan to raise $2.5 billion a year through a payroll tax and tolls on the East River and Harlem River bridges.
"We don't want to have to implement the service cutbacks," said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan. "We are asking anyone who uses transit to contact their state legislators."
The agency faces a $1.2 billion budget gap this year. But Barbara Fisher, 72, who can't climb stairs because of upper respiratory problems, urged the authority to find savings elsewhere.
"I need that bus to get to the hospital, get my medicine and get some decent food," said Fisher. "I think it's very unfair that they're cutting that line."
Councilman Charles Barron (D-East New York, Brownsville) plans to lead a march along the route of the B25 on Feb. 21 to protest the cut.
"This cannot happen," Barron said. "Our seniors will have to take the B15 to the 46 to the 48 just to get downtown. That's absurd."
That prospect was daunting for Delores McCowan, 74, who takes the B25 downtown to get to doctor's appointments and to go shopping.
"I really don't know what I would do" if the route was eliminated, she said, adding, "I would be stuck in the house alot."
Wednesday, February 4th 2009, 2:10 AM
Plans to ax a key bus line in East New York would leave thousands of elderly residents stranded - and scrambling for a way to get to doctors' appointments, shopping, church or the bank.
The B25, which runs from downtown Brooklyn to Broadway Junction, is one of six borough bus lines set to be eliminated unless the MTA gets a massive infusion of funds from the state.
Elderly riders rely on the bus to get downtown because there's no escalator leading to the A train at the Broadway Junction subway station.
"I'm old and arthritic," said Edith Stanley, 77, who takes the B25 to church every Sunday and to go shopping downtown. "I can't go up or down those steps with these legs. Leave the buses alone. We really need them."
Chris Banks, executive director of East New York United Concerned Citizens, estimated 2,000 to 3,000 seniors in Brownsville and East New York depend on the B25.
"We don't want the MTA to balance the budget on the backs of the less fortunate or the elderly," he said.
The MTA is urging the state legislature to approve a plan to raise $2.5 billion a year through a payroll tax and tolls on the East River and Harlem River bridges.
"We don't want to have to implement the service cutbacks," said MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan. "We are asking anyone who uses transit to contact their state legislators."
The agency faces a $1.2 billion budget gap this year. But Barbara Fisher, 72, who can't climb stairs because of upper respiratory problems, urged the authority to find savings elsewhere.
"I need that bus to get to the hospital, get my medicine and get some decent food," said Fisher. "I think it's very unfair that they're cutting that line."
Councilman Charles Barron (D-East New York, Brownsville) plans to lead a march along the route of the B25 on Feb. 21 to protest the cut.
"This cannot happen," Barron said. "Our seniors will have to take the B15 to the 46 to the 48 just to get downtown. That's absurd."
That prospect was daunting for Delores McCowan, 74, who takes the B25 downtown to get to doctor's appointments and to go shopping.
"I really don't know what I would do" if the route was eliminated, she said, adding, "I would be stuck in the house alot."
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