BY Matt Marrone DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, March 19th 2009, 1:05 PM
Is Google evil?
In 2001, just a few years after Sergey Brin and Larry Page formed Google out of a garage, company brass adopted the phrase "Don't Be Evil" as a corporate motto and philosophy. And why not? Their search product revolutionized the Internet and their ad platform broke up the agency stranglehold to help empower the little guy.
Things got murky, though. Google began raising ethical concerns with various projects including mapping the entire planet, archiving classic works of literature and storing newspaper articles. With a project aimed at photographing every street in America and beyond, a feature that tracks the physical location of its users, an e-mail service that searches for keywords in written correspondence - and now with a new online service that records and transcribes voicemail - Google has raised eyebrows among privacy advocates.
Google has built a multi-billion dollar empire, with thousands of employees and a stock price envied around the world - but with great power comes great responsibility, and some fear the Mountain View, Calif.-based company could slowly be turning into a 21st century Big Brother.
Could Google, in fact, be evil?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Google Denies that White House 'Ditched' YouTube
DATE: 03-MAR-2009
By Chloe Albanesius
Google on Monday denied that the White House was dropping YouTube as its video provider of choice.
"One report stated that the White House had 'ditched' YouTube. That report is wrong," Steve Grove with YouTube news and politics wrote in a blog post. "The White House decision does not mean that the White House has stopped using YouTube. The White House continues to post videos to its YouTube channel, as do other agencies like the U.S. Department of Education and the State Department."
President Obama has posted several video messages to his transition Web site and whitehouse.gov via YouTube. Amidst privacy concerns over YouTube cookies, however, Obama's most recent weekly Saturday address used an embedded player on whitehouse.gov instead of the Google-owned video site.
Google has created a special embeddable video player that does not send a cookie until someone plays the video, Grove wrote.
"The White House also informs whitehouse.gov visitors about these cookies in its privacy policy," he said.
The news comes the same day that John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, provided an update on his office's 60-day cyber security review.
Among the goals of that review? To "safeguard the privacy rights and civil liberties of our citizens," Brennan said in a statement.
The government also wants to make sure its cyber-security efforts are coordinated between the executive branch, Congress, and the private sector, he said.
The review is set to be completed by April 2009, Brennan said. The team's recommendations will be presented to Obama, including an action plan to identify and prioritize further work related to cyber security.
By Chloe Albanesius
Google on Monday denied that the White House was dropping YouTube as its video provider of choice.
"One report stated that the White House had 'ditched' YouTube. That report is wrong," Steve Grove with YouTube news and politics wrote in a blog post. "The White House decision does not mean that the White House has stopped using YouTube. The White House continues to post videos to its YouTube channel, as do other agencies like the U.S. Department of Education and the State Department."
President Obama has posted several video messages to his transition Web site and whitehouse.gov via YouTube. Amidst privacy concerns over YouTube cookies, however, Obama's most recent weekly Saturday address used an embedded player on whitehouse.gov instead of the Google-owned video site.
Google has created a special embeddable video player that does not send a cookie until someone plays the video, Grove wrote.
"The White House also informs whitehouse.gov visitors about these cookies in its privacy policy," he said.
The news comes the same day that John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, provided an update on his office's 60-day cyber security review.
Among the goals of that review? To "safeguard the privacy rights and civil liberties of our citizens," Brennan said in a statement.
The government also wants to make sure its cyber-security efforts are coordinated between the executive branch, Congress, and the private sector, he said.
The review is set to be completed by April 2009, Brennan said. The team's recommendations will be presented to Obama, including an action plan to identify and prioritize further work related to cyber security.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
DTV call center has no problem handling calls
Play Video AP – What the stimulus bill may do for you
Slideshow:Economic Stimulus Plan
Security
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.
Slideshow:Economic Stimulus Plan
Security
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 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."
Friday, January 23, 2009
Digital TV conversion puts customers at risk of glitches, further cost
WASHINGTON — In less than a month, on Feb. 17, all full-power stations plan to shut off analog signals and air digital- only broadcasts. Viewers with older analog TV sets will need to hook up a converter box to receive over-the-air programs. Digital TV sets will automatically receive the new signals. Cable and satellite subscribers should not be affected by the switch.
But many consumers are finding that upgrading to a digital set or adding a converter box may not be enough to get a reliable digital signal. Some will also have to buy more-powerful antennas to install in living rooms or on roofs, adding expense and frustration for the nearly 14 million households who rely on over-the-air signals.
“People are very surprised when they realize they can’t get [the channels],” said Barry Goodstadt, an independent analyst who has been studying digital reception issues. He predicts that 70 percent of households with indoor “rabbit ears” antennas will have to upgrade to more powerful equipment.
Problems with television antennas and reception were the most common issues among residents of Wilmington, N. C., a city that switched to all-digital broadcasting in September as a test case for the Federal Communications Commission.
About 75 percent of consumers who called help lines reported that their converter boxes did not appear to be working, according to a team of student volunteers answering calls. More than half of the callers were advised to change the direction of their antenna and to have their converter boxes scan for channels.
New digital audiences will probably discover the “digital cliff,” the all-or-nothing quality of digital reception. The picture is excellent until the signal weakens or is interrupted, causing the picture to disappear completely.
Digital signals are supposed to travel farther over flat terrain, but they are susceptible to interference from hills, trees, buildings, bad weather or planes flying overhead.
Meanwhile, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N. Y., is pushing a bill to delay the transition to digital broadcasting until this summer.
Thousands of coupons to help owners of older analog sets buy digital converter boxes have expired, according to Schumer, leaving some households unprepared for the transition.
This would ultimately leave consumers scrambling to purchase newer sets or digital converter boxes with their own money after the switch to digital- only broadcasting.
The proposed bill, also pushed by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W. Va., would delay the transition until June 12, leaving enough time, in Schumer’s and Rockefeller’s opinion, to resolve problems with expired coupons and better prepare households for the transition.
Phillip Lucas of The Buffalo News Washington Bureau contributed to this report.
Friday, January 16, 2009
$650 million more sought for digital TV transition
(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:23am EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the House of Representatives proposed $650 million to continue the coupon program for the transition to digital television, according to a summary of the economic stimulus legislation released by Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
Congress mandated the February 17 switch to digital television, which will affect some 20 million consumers who do not already use the technology. Owners of older television sets receiving over-the-air signals must buy converter boxes, replace their TVs with digital models, or subscribe to satellite or digital cable service.
But the government has said it had run out of $40 discount coupons for consumers to help pay for converter boxes needed to keep their sets from going blank, leading to calls for delaying the analog switch-off and for more money in the economic stimulus package for the program.
(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:23am EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the House of Representatives proposed $650 million to continue the coupon program for the transition to digital television, according to a summary of the economic stimulus legislation released by Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
Congress mandated the February 17 switch to digital television, which will affect some 20 million consumers who do not already use the technology. Owners of older television sets receiving over-the-air signals must buy converter boxes, replace their TVs with digital models, or subscribe to satellite or digital cable service.
But the government has said it had run out of $40 discount coupons for consumers to help pay for converter boxes needed to keep their sets from going blank, leading to calls for delaying the analog switch-off and for more money in the economic stimulus package for the program.
(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Waiting list in place for digital TV converter box coupons
Waiting list in place for digital TV converter box coupons
New applicants put on hold until more funds are freed up
Jon Yates What's Your Problem?
January 7, 2009
The picture just got fuzzier for those of you who waited until the last minute to apply for the federal government's $40 TV converter box coupons.With demand skyrocketing, the agency that oversees the program has exhausted the coupons it has on hand, so new applicants are being placed on a waiting list.That means if you apply for a coupon today, it might not arrive before Feb. 17, when TV broadcasters are mandated to switch from analog to digital signals.Without a converter box, analog televisions that are not hooked up to cable or a satellite service will not be able to receive digital signals after the switch.
Todd Sedmak, a spokesman for the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said viewers who have not yet applied for the coupons need to consider alternatives."If you're someone who needs to make the switch and you haven't gotten your coupon yet, you can buy a converter box without a coupon," he said. "You can buy a new TV or subscribe to cable or satellite service."In October, the Problem Solver set up a coupon-sharing program called Converter Boxes For Everyone. Almost 1,000 readers requested coupons from the Problem Solver after having problems with the federal system. More than 800 readers donated coupons.Many of you explained that you cannot afford the boxes, which cost $40 to $80, without the coupons. The latest glitch is a reflection of how the federal program was set up. In creating the program, Congress placed a $1.34 billion cap on the amount the government could promise in coupons at any one time. The cap includes coupons that have been redeemed or have been issued but not yet turned in or expired.The coupons are coded to expire in 90 days. When an unused coupon expires, $40 is put back into the program's budget and a new coupon is issued to the next person on the waiting list.As of Monday, the waiting list was 103,000 coupons, Sedmak said. According to federal statistics, roughly 300,000 unused coupons expire each week, meaning an equal number of new coupons will be printed and distributed. Given those numbers, it is possible applicants will spend only a short time on the waiting list.But even before the waiting list, it took three to four weeks for applicants to receive coupons. With 41 days before the switch, any delay could push the turnaround time past Feb. 17.And a flood of fresh applications is expected as the switch date draws near. In December, the government received 7 million coupon requests; 4.5 million had been anticipated. So far, the government says it has sent coupons to 12.6 million households that rely on televisions with antennas. The Nielsen Co. said in January 2007 that 14.3 million households rely on over-the-air television.So if you need the coupons and you haven't applied, do so immediately.It wouldn't hurt to also prepare a backup plan.yourproblem@tribune.com
New applicants put on hold until more funds are freed up
Jon Yates What's Your Problem?
January 7, 2009
The picture just got fuzzier for those of you who waited until the last minute to apply for the federal government's $40 TV converter box coupons.With demand skyrocketing, the agency that oversees the program has exhausted the coupons it has on hand, so new applicants are being placed on a waiting list.That means if you apply for a coupon today, it might not arrive before Feb. 17, when TV broadcasters are mandated to switch from analog to digital signals.Without a converter box, analog televisions that are not hooked up to cable or a satellite service will not be able to receive digital signals after the switch.
Todd Sedmak, a spokesman for the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said viewers who have not yet applied for the coupons need to consider alternatives."If you're someone who needs to make the switch and you haven't gotten your coupon yet, you can buy a converter box without a coupon," he said. "You can buy a new TV or subscribe to cable or satellite service."In October, the Problem Solver set up a coupon-sharing program called Converter Boxes For Everyone. Almost 1,000 readers requested coupons from the Problem Solver after having problems with the federal system. More than 800 readers donated coupons.Many of you explained that you cannot afford the boxes, which cost $40 to $80, without the coupons. The latest glitch is a reflection of how the federal program was set up. In creating the program, Congress placed a $1.34 billion cap on the amount the government could promise in coupons at any one time. The cap includes coupons that have been redeemed or have been issued but not yet turned in or expired.The coupons are coded to expire in 90 days. When an unused coupon expires, $40 is put back into the program's budget and a new coupon is issued to the next person on the waiting list.As of Monday, the waiting list was 103,000 coupons, Sedmak said. According to federal statistics, roughly 300,000 unused coupons expire each week, meaning an equal number of new coupons will be printed and distributed. Given those numbers, it is possible applicants will spend only a short time on the waiting list.But even before the waiting list, it took three to four weeks for applicants to receive coupons. With 41 days before the switch, any delay could push the turnaround time past Feb. 17.And a flood of fresh applications is expected as the switch date draws near. In December, the government received 7 million coupon requests; 4.5 million had been anticipated. So far, the government says it has sent coupons to 12.6 million households that rely on televisions with antennas. The Nielsen Co. said in January 2007 that 14.3 million households rely on over-the-air television.So if you need the coupons and you haven't applied, do so immediately.It wouldn't hurt to also prepare a backup plan.yourproblem@tribune.com
Monday, December 29, 2008
Zimbabwe 'to prosecute 140 white farmers'
Zimbabwe Video: Tutu accuses S Africa over Mugabe
HARARE (AFP) – Zimbabwe will prosecute 140 white landowners on charges of failing to vacate their farms under the country's controversial 2000 land reform programme, state media reported Sunday.
"A total of 140 farmers are to be prosecuted for failing to vacate farms after being issued with eviction notices," The Sunday Mail said, citing a report presented at the ruling ZANU-PF party's national conference.
The government ordered the white owners to leave by September 30 to make way for resettlement by landless blacks, under often-violent land reforms that critics blame for causing chronic food shortages in this onetime regional breadbasket.
The report did not specify what charges the farmers would face but law experts said it could be trespassing for failing to comply with the government ultimatium.
The report to the just-finished conference said another 278 farms owned by 13 countries would be spared from government seizure and prosecution under a Bilateral Investment Protection Agreements (BIPAs).
This provision involves more than 522,000 hectares (1.3 million acres) owned by Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Mauritius, the Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States, it said.
The government also recommended that 341 white farmers be allowed to continue farming across the country, and is drafting documents to give them a 99-year security of tenure on their properties "as the land reform programme nears conclusion," the report said.
A further 97 white farmers will be allowed to continue running conservancies or private game parks in six provinces, it said.
This brings to 438 the number of white farmers allowed to retain their land out of 6,708 operating in Zimbabwe before the reforms were launched eight years ago, The Sunday Mail said.
A total 1,530 new black farmers have received land offer letters from the government as of September 30 and the figure is expected to rise 1,800 by the end of this week, it added.
Under President Robert Mugabe's programme, at least 4,000 properties formerly run by white farmers have been seized for redistribution to blacks, the majority of whom lacked the skills and means to farm.
The chatoic programme is held largely responsible for the country's economic crisis, which has saddled Zimbabwe with the world's highest inflation rate and left nearly half the population in need of aid.
Mugabe, however, blames the food crisis on successive droughts and Zimbabwe's economic woes on Western-backed sanctions slapped on him and his aides for allegedly rigging his re-election in 2002.
Scores of frustrated white farmers have left the country to resettle in other African states, notably Nigeria. Many others have sought legal recourse to try to prevent the loss of their farms.
Nigeria, a regional powerhouse, invited the farmers to set up shop in April 2005 in a project located in Shonga in central Kwara state, which three years later is shaping up as an economic success story.
HARARE (AFP) – Zimbabwe will prosecute 140 white landowners on charges of failing to vacate their farms under the country's controversial 2000 land reform programme, state media reported Sunday.
"A total of 140 farmers are to be prosecuted for failing to vacate farms after being issued with eviction notices," The Sunday Mail said, citing a report presented at the ruling ZANU-PF party's national conference.
The government ordered the white owners to leave by September 30 to make way for resettlement by landless blacks, under often-violent land reforms that critics blame for causing chronic food shortages in this onetime regional breadbasket.
The report did not specify what charges the farmers would face but law experts said it could be trespassing for failing to comply with the government ultimatium.
The report to the just-finished conference said another 278 farms owned by 13 countries would be spared from government seizure and prosecution under a Bilateral Investment Protection Agreements (BIPAs).
This provision involves more than 522,000 hectares (1.3 million acres) owned by Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Mauritius, the Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States, it said.
The government also recommended that 341 white farmers be allowed to continue farming across the country, and is drafting documents to give them a 99-year security of tenure on their properties "as the land reform programme nears conclusion," the report said.
A further 97 white farmers will be allowed to continue running conservancies or private game parks in six provinces, it said.
This brings to 438 the number of white farmers allowed to retain their land out of 6,708 operating in Zimbabwe before the reforms were launched eight years ago, The Sunday Mail said.
A total 1,530 new black farmers have received land offer letters from the government as of September 30 and the figure is expected to rise 1,800 by the end of this week, it added.
Under President Robert Mugabe's programme, at least 4,000 properties formerly run by white farmers have been seized for redistribution to blacks, the majority of whom lacked the skills and means to farm.
The chatoic programme is held largely responsible for the country's economic crisis, which has saddled Zimbabwe with the world's highest inflation rate and left nearly half the population in need of aid.
Mugabe, however, blames the food crisis on successive droughts and Zimbabwe's economic woes on Western-backed sanctions slapped on him and his aides for allegedly rigging his re-election in 2002.
Scores of frustrated white farmers have left the country to resettle in other African states, notably Nigeria. Many others have sought legal recourse to try to prevent the loss of their farms.
Nigeria, a regional powerhouse, invited the farmers to set up shop in April 2005 in a project located in Shonga in central Kwara state, which three years later is shaping up as an economic success story.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Voting starts in Ghanaian presidential run-off
by Susan Njanji Susan Njanji – 2 hrs 13 mins ago
AFP/File – Nana Akufo-Addo (right), presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party and John Attah Mills, …
ACCRA (AFP) – Ghanaians turned out Sunday to choose a successor to outgoing president John Kufuor in the second round of an election seen as a test of just how stable the west African nation is.
Nana Akufo-Addo of Kufuor's New Patriotic Party (NPP) is squaring off against John Atta-Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of ex-president Jerry Rawlings.
The vote was forced into a run-off after neither of the leading candidates won more than 50 percent of ballots cast in the first round on December 7. The elections are only the third since the country's return to democracy in 1992.
The first round of voting was hailed by observers as peaceful but tensions have risen in the past few days, with the NPP and NDC trading accusations of plots to rig the election.
At polling stations Sunday voters were unanimous that they wanted peace.
"Before the election people were talking about possible fighting and war. But we don't want war in Ghana, we don't want what happened in Ivory Coast to happen here," said Lydia Amponseah, a 28-year-old hairdresser with a baby at her breast.
Neighbouring Ivory Coast, once held up as an African success story, has been in the grip of a political crisis since a failed coup in 2002.
Okyere Darko, a retired military officer of 60, echoed a similar sentiment as he voted in Accra's Abokobi district:
"We've seen troubles before - we don't want a repeat of that," he told AFP, referring to the years before democracy when Ghana suffered a series of coups.
After the first round the NPP's Akufo-Addo led with 49.13 percent of valid ballots cast while the NDC's Atta-Mills trailed with 47.92 percent.
But the NDC is now the largest party in parliament after it swept 114 seats out of the 230, while the NPP took 107 seats, according to new figures from the electoral commission.
Seven seats went to smaller opposition parties and two seats are yet to be determined.
The NPP lost 19 seats, all to the NDC.
On the eve of the runoff the two parties accused each other of trying to rig or disrupt the voting.
The NDC said it had noted irregularities in early voting, while the NPP said opposition leaflets were trying to inflame tribal and ethnic tension.
Kufuor called for calm: "I am appealing to all Ghanaians... we should all keep cool, go and vote, as a peaceful exercise, as a legitimate exercise."
The polls are being closely watched as a litmus test of whether the country has truly consolidated its democracy.
Some 12.5 million people are eligible to cast ballots in the polls which close at 5 pm (1700 GMT).
Last week Guinea, Africa's second-oldest independent state, was rocked by a bloodless coup, moments after the death of a its longtime leader Lansana Conte.
Mauritania's first democratically-elected leader was ousted in a coup in August.
AFP/File – Nana Akufo-Addo (right), presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party and John Attah Mills, …
ACCRA (AFP) – Ghanaians turned out Sunday to choose a successor to outgoing president John Kufuor in the second round of an election seen as a test of just how stable the west African nation is.
Nana Akufo-Addo of Kufuor's New Patriotic Party (NPP) is squaring off against John Atta-Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of ex-president Jerry Rawlings.
The vote was forced into a run-off after neither of the leading candidates won more than 50 percent of ballots cast in the first round on December 7. The elections are only the third since the country's return to democracy in 1992.
The first round of voting was hailed by observers as peaceful but tensions have risen in the past few days, with the NPP and NDC trading accusations of plots to rig the election.
At polling stations Sunday voters were unanimous that they wanted peace.
"Before the election people were talking about possible fighting and war. But we don't want war in Ghana, we don't want what happened in Ivory Coast to happen here," said Lydia Amponseah, a 28-year-old hairdresser with a baby at her breast.
Neighbouring Ivory Coast, once held up as an African success story, has been in the grip of a political crisis since a failed coup in 2002.
Okyere Darko, a retired military officer of 60, echoed a similar sentiment as he voted in Accra's Abokobi district:
"We've seen troubles before - we don't want a repeat of that," he told AFP, referring to the years before democracy when Ghana suffered a series of coups.
After the first round the NPP's Akufo-Addo led with 49.13 percent of valid ballots cast while the NDC's Atta-Mills trailed with 47.92 percent.
But the NDC is now the largest party in parliament after it swept 114 seats out of the 230, while the NPP took 107 seats, according to new figures from the electoral commission.
Seven seats went to smaller opposition parties and two seats are yet to be determined.
The NPP lost 19 seats, all to the NDC.
On the eve of the runoff the two parties accused each other of trying to rig or disrupt the voting.
The NDC said it had noted irregularities in early voting, while the NPP said opposition leaflets were trying to inflame tribal and ethnic tension.
Kufuor called for calm: "I am appealing to all Ghanaians... we should all keep cool, go and vote, as a peaceful exercise, as a legitimate exercise."
The polls are being closely watched as a litmus test of whether the country has truly consolidated its democracy.
Some 12.5 million people are eligible to cast ballots in the polls which close at 5 pm (1700 GMT).
Last week Guinea, Africa's second-oldest independent state, was rocked by a bloodless coup, moments after the death of a its longtime leader Lansana Conte.
Mauritania's first democratically-elected leader was ousted in a coup in August.
Zimbabwe 'to prosecute 140 white farmers'
Monday, December 22, 2008
UN warns 5.5m Zimbabweans need food, collapse of health system
Yahoo News 12-22-08
HARARE (AFP) – About half of Zimbabwe's population needs food aid, UN experts said Monday, as a first consignment of supplies designed to help fight a cholera epidemic arrived in the troubled southern African nation.
As President Robert Mugabe faced fresh calls to step down from Western powers, the UN's warning highlighted yet another crisis facing Zimbabwe as it also battles a deadly cholera epidemic and runaway inflation.
And in a further bid to tighten the screw on Mugabe, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she planned to lobby Washington's allies to impose sanctions against the regime in Harare.
"An estimated 5.5 million people may need food assistance," said the UN's special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutterhe, in a joint statement from four senior UN officials.
There was "just not enough food" in the country of around 12 million which was once the bread basket of Africa, he added, calling on Zimbabwe's government and the international community for increased help.
In the same statement, the special rapporteur on health rights, Anand Grover said the country's medical services could not control the cholera outbreak, which has killed more than 1,120.
"Zimbabwe's health system has completely collapsed. It cannot control the cholera outbreak which is spreading throughout the country, with a daily increase in the death toll," he said.
As the UN experts sounded the alarm bells, the children's fund UNICEF was delivering its first consignment of aid -- intravenous fluids, drip equipment, essential drugs, midwifery and obstetric kits -- to boost government services in the fight against cholera.
"This is a strategic measure to address a desperate situation," said UNICEF acting representative in Zimbabwe, Roeland Monasch.
Once seen as a post-colonial role model, Zimbabwe's economy has been in a downward spiral since the turn of the decade when thousands of white-owned farms began being seized under a controversial land reform programme.
Food production has since plummetted and inflation has skyrocketed, hitting 231 percent when the last official data was released in August.
Zimbabwe has also been in political crisis since elections in March when the long-ruling ZANU-PF party lost control of parliament and Mugabe was pushed into second place by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in a poll for president.
Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, pulled out of a run-off after scores of his supporters were killed.
A power-sharing agreement signed by the two rivals in September was seen as an opportunity for the country to turn a corner but it has yet to be implemented amid disagreements over the control of key organs of state.
Under the terms of the power-sharing deal, Mugabe would remain president with Tsvangirai becoming prime minister.
But with Mugabe now declaring that Zimbabwe is "mine", both the United States and former colonial power Britain have the deal will be unacceptable as unless the 84-year-old Mugabe leaves office.
"Power-sharing isn't dead but Mugabe has become an absolute impossible obstacle to achieving it," said Britain's Africa minister Mark Malloch Brown.
"He's so distrusted by all sides that I think the Americans are absolutely right, he's going to have to step aside."
Malloch-Brown's comments came a day after the top US diplomat for Africa, Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer, said Washington would not restore aid to the cholera-wracked country unless Mugabe stood down.
In an interview with AFP, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would consult Washington's allies about imposing international asset freezes and other sanctions against the Mugabe regime which Washington has already put in place.
"I am going to consult with our allies, particularly with some of our African allies and with the British and we will see," Rice said.
"But I think it high time that the international community step up the sanctions on this regime."
Mugabe, who has ruled the southern African nation ever since independence in 1980, has made clear that he has no intention of standing down.
In a defiant weekend speech at ZANU-PF's annual conference, he vowed that he would "never, never surrender" and that "Zimbabwe is mine."
HARARE (AFP) – About half of Zimbabwe's population needs food aid, UN experts said Monday, as a first consignment of supplies designed to help fight a cholera epidemic arrived in the troubled southern African nation.
As President Robert Mugabe faced fresh calls to step down from Western powers, the UN's warning highlighted yet another crisis facing Zimbabwe as it also battles a deadly cholera epidemic and runaway inflation.
And in a further bid to tighten the screw on Mugabe, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she planned to lobby Washington's allies to impose sanctions against the regime in Harare.
"An estimated 5.5 million people may need food assistance," said the UN's special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutterhe, in a joint statement from four senior UN officials.
There was "just not enough food" in the country of around 12 million which was once the bread basket of Africa, he added, calling on Zimbabwe's government and the international community for increased help.
In the same statement, the special rapporteur on health rights, Anand Grover said the country's medical services could not control the cholera outbreak, which has killed more than 1,120.
"Zimbabwe's health system has completely collapsed. It cannot control the cholera outbreak which is spreading throughout the country, with a daily increase in the death toll," he said.
As the UN experts sounded the alarm bells, the children's fund UNICEF was delivering its first consignment of aid -- intravenous fluids, drip equipment, essential drugs, midwifery and obstetric kits -- to boost government services in the fight against cholera.
"This is a strategic measure to address a desperate situation," said UNICEF acting representative in Zimbabwe, Roeland Monasch.
Once seen as a post-colonial role model, Zimbabwe's economy has been in a downward spiral since the turn of the decade when thousands of white-owned farms began being seized under a controversial land reform programme.
Food production has since plummetted and inflation has skyrocketed, hitting 231 percent when the last official data was released in August.
Zimbabwe has also been in political crisis since elections in March when the long-ruling ZANU-PF party lost control of parliament and Mugabe was pushed into second place by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in a poll for president.
Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, pulled out of a run-off after scores of his supporters were killed.
A power-sharing agreement signed by the two rivals in September was seen as an opportunity for the country to turn a corner but it has yet to be implemented amid disagreements over the control of key organs of state.
Under the terms of the power-sharing deal, Mugabe would remain president with Tsvangirai becoming prime minister.
But with Mugabe now declaring that Zimbabwe is "mine", both the United States and former colonial power Britain have the deal will be unacceptable as unless the 84-year-old Mugabe leaves office.
"Power-sharing isn't dead but Mugabe has become an absolute impossible obstacle to achieving it," said Britain's Africa minister Mark Malloch Brown.
"He's so distrusted by all sides that I think the Americans are absolutely right, he's going to have to step aside."
Malloch-Brown's comments came a day after the top US diplomat for Africa, Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer, said Washington would not restore aid to the cholera-wracked country unless Mugabe stood down.
In an interview with AFP, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would consult Washington's allies about imposing international asset freezes and other sanctions against the Mugabe regime which Washington has already put in place.
"I am going to consult with our allies, particularly with some of our African allies and with the British and we will see," Rice said.
"But I think it high time that the international community step up the sanctions on this regime."
Mugabe, who has ruled the southern African nation ever since independence in 1980, has made clear that he has no intention of standing down.
In a defiant weekend speech at ZANU-PF's annual conference, he vowed that he would "never, never surrender" and that "Zimbabwe is mine."
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Chinese ship rescued from pirates in Gulf of Aden
By David Clarke – 2 hrs 36 mins ago
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A multilateral force rescued a Chinese ship from Somali pirates on Wednesday, in a sign foreign navies patrolling the shipping lane linking Europe to Asia are adopting tougher new tactics.
The Chinese boat Zhenhua 4 was one of four vessels seized by pirates on Tuesday, the same day the United Nations Security Council took a strong stand against the attacks and authorized countries to pursue the gunmen on land.
A Kenyan maritime group said the crew locked themselves in their cabins and radioed for help. A warship and two helicopters came and fired on the pirates, but did not kill them, it said.
Chinese state media said a "multilateral" force with helicopters hovered over the ship and successfully fought off the pirates.
Rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia this year has earned gunmen millions of dollars in ransom, hiked shipping insurance costs and caused international alarm.
The seizures have prompted some of the world's biggest shipping firms to switch routes from the Suez Canal and send cargo vessels around southern Africa instead -- which could push up the cost of commodities and manufactured goods.
Foreign navies have rushed to patrol shipping lanes off the Horn of Africa nation, but have had little impact so far on the pirates who mostly operate out of northern Somalia.
According to the Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance program, there have been 124 incidents of piracy off Somali this year and some 60 successful hijacks.
Nearly 400 people and 19 ships are being held along the coast, including a Saudi supertanker with 2 million barrels of oil and a Ukrainian cargo ship with 33 tanks.
VERY ROBUST APPROACH
Last week the European Union launched an anti-piracy operation with warships and aircraft from Britain, France, Greece and Spain, and pledged to take a "very robust" approach.
China is reported to be seriously considering sending naval ships to the region to escort vessels and Kenya said this week it would sink any pirates carrying out attacks in its waters.
Mwangura said on Wednesday the Chinese vessel, with 30 Chinese crew, and a yacht with two on board had been seized off Yemen a day earlier. A tugboat and a 100-meter (330-ft) cargo ship belonging to an Istanbul-based shipping company were also taken in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
Analysts say the problem must be tackled on land as well, but the weak Somalian government says it does not have the resources to tackle the buccaneers.
The country has been in virtual anarchy since the collapse of a dictatorship in 1991. Islamist insurgents control most of the south and feuding clan militias hold sway elsewhere.
The fractured Western-backed administration controls only the capital Mogadishu and the seat of parliament Baidoa, while pirates are mostly based in the northern Puntland region.
The resolution passed by the 15-nation Security Council on Tuesday said states "may undertake all necessary measures in Somalia, including in its airspace" to stop the pirates.
The Security Council called on countries to "take part actively" in the fight against piracy and Washington said the United Nations should deploy a peacekeeping force.
Authorities in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland welcomed the decision to take the battle onto land.
"We, Puntland authority, have agreed to support this resolution. And we want our security forces to work with the U.N. forces because we are the main victims of piracy," Abdulqadir Muse Yusuf, Puntland's assistant minister for fisheries, told Reuters.
Iran also called for tougher action on Tuesday, saying five of its oil tankers had been attacked this year and the cost of crude could rise if strategic sea lanes went unprotected.
Somalia's neighbor Kenya also began extensive air and sea patrols this week. "We are daring them to try any attacks on Kenyan waters and we will sink them," Chief of General Staff Jeremiah Kianga said on Monday.
(Additional reporting by Wangui Kanina in Nairobi, Celestyne Achieng in Mombasa, Abdiqani Hassan in Bosasso and Ian Ransom and Sally Huang in Beijing; editing by Andrew Roche)
Microsoft releasing emergency patch for perilous IE flaw
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A multilateral force rescued a Chinese ship from Somali pirates on Wednesday, in a sign foreign navies patrolling the shipping lane linking Europe to Asia are adopting tougher new tactics.
The Chinese boat Zhenhua 4 was one of four vessels seized by pirates on Tuesday, the same day the United Nations Security Council took a strong stand against the attacks and authorized countries to pursue the gunmen on land.
A Kenyan maritime group said the crew locked themselves in their cabins and radioed for help. A warship and two helicopters came and fired on the pirates, but did not kill them, it said.
Chinese state media said a "multilateral" force with helicopters hovered over the ship and successfully fought off the pirates.
Rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia this year has earned gunmen millions of dollars in ransom, hiked shipping insurance costs and caused international alarm.
The seizures have prompted some of the world's biggest shipping firms to switch routes from the Suez Canal and send cargo vessels around southern Africa instead -- which could push up the cost of commodities and manufactured goods.
Foreign navies have rushed to patrol shipping lanes off the Horn of Africa nation, but have had little impact so far on the pirates who mostly operate out of northern Somalia.
According to the Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance program, there have been 124 incidents of piracy off Somali this year and some 60 successful hijacks.
Nearly 400 people and 19 ships are being held along the coast, including a Saudi supertanker with 2 million barrels of oil and a Ukrainian cargo ship with 33 tanks.
VERY ROBUST APPROACH
Last week the European Union launched an anti-piracy operation with warships and aircraft from Britain, France, Greece and Spain, and pledged to take a "very robust" approach.
China is reported to be seriously considering sending naval ships to the region to escort vessels and Kenya said this week it would sink any pirates carrying out attacks in its waters.
Mwangura said on Wednesday the Chinese vessel, with 30 Chinese crew, and a yacht with two on board had been seized off Yemen a day earlier. A tugboat and a 100-meter (330-ft) cargo ship belonging to an Istanbul-based shipping company were also taken in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
Analysts say the problem must be tackled on land as well, but the weak Somalian government says it does not have the resources to tackle the buccaneers.
The country has been in virtual anarchy since the collapse of a dictatorship in 1991. Islamist insurgents control most of the south and feuding clan militias hold sway elsewhere.
The fractured Western-backed administration controls only the capital Mogadishu and the seat of parliament Baidoa, while pirates are mostly based in the northern Puntland region.
The resolution passed by the 15-nation Security Council on Tuesday said states "may undertake all necessary measures in Somalia, including in its airspace" to stop the pirates.
The Security Council called on countries to "take part actively" in the fight against piracy and Washington said the United Nations should deploy a peacekeeping force.
Authorities in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland welcomed the decision to take the battle onto land.
"We, Puntland authority, have agreed to support this resolution. And we want our security forces to work with the U.N. forces because we are the main victims of piracy," Abdulqadir Muse Yusuf, Puntland's assistant minister for fisheries, told Reuters.
Iran also called for tougher action on Tuesday, saying five of its oil tankers had been attacked this year and the cost of crude could rise if strategic sea lanes went unprotected.
Somalia's neighbor Kenya also began extensive air and sea patrols this week. "We are daring them to try any attacks on Kenyan waters and we will sink them," Chief of General Staff Jeremiah Kianga said on Monday.
(Additional reporting by Wangui Kanina in Nairobi, Celestyne Achieng in Mombasa, Abdiqani Hassan in Bosasso and Ian Ransom and Sally Huang in Beijing; editing by Andrew Roche)
Microsoft releasing emergency patch for perilous IE flaw
Monday, December 15, 2008
Iraqi shoe-throwing reporter becomes the talk of Iraq
By Waleed Ibrahim
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in a supreme insult has suddenly become the talk of Iraq, hailed by marchers as a national hero but blasted by the government as a barbarian.
The little-known Shi'ite reporter, said to have harbored anger against Bush for the thousands of Iraqis who died after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, had previously made headlines only once, when he was briefly kidnapped by unknown gunmen in 2007.
TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi remained in detention on Monday, accused by the Iraqi government of a "barbaric act." He would be sent for trial on charges of insulting the Iraqi state, said the prime minister's media advisor, Yasin Majeed.
His employer, independent al-Baghdadiya television, demanded his release and demonstrators rallied for him in Baghdad's Sadr City, in the southern Shi'ite stronghold of Basra and in the holy city of Najaf, where some threw shoes at a U.S. convoy.
"Thanks be to God, Muntazer's act fills Iraqi hearts with pride," his brother, Udai al-Zaidi, told Reuters Television.
"I'm sure many Iraqis want to do what Muntazer did. Muntazer used to say all the orphans whose fathers were killed are because of Bush."
Zaidi shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog," at Bush in a news conference he held with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a farewell visit to Baghdad on Sunday.
The journalist then flung one shoe at Bush, forcing him to duck, followed by another, which sailed over Bush's head and slammed into the wall behind him. Throwing shoes at someone is the worst possible insult in the Arab world.
Zaidi was dragged struggling and screaming from the room by security guards and could be heard shouting outside while the news conference continued after momentary mayhem.
'BARBARIC'
The government said Zaidi had carried out "a barbaric and ignominious act" that was not fitting of the media's role and demanded an apology from his television station.
Al-Baghdadiya television played endless patriotic music, with Zaidi's face plastered across the screen.
A newscaster solemnly read out a statement calling for his release, "in accordance with the democratic era and the freedom of expression that Iraqis were promised by U.S. authorities."
It said that any harsh measures taken against the reporter would be reminders of the "dictatorial era" that Washington said its forces invaded Iraq to end.
At a university in Baghdad, students appeared to abandon routine classes to talk about Zaidi and his shoe-throwing. Continued...
View article on single page
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in a supreme insult has suddenly become the talk of Iraq, hailed by marchers as a national hero but blasted by the government as a barbarian.
The little-known Shi'ite reporter, said to have harbored anger against Bush for the thousands of Iraqis who died after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, had previously made headlines only once, when he was briefly kidnapped by unknown gunmen in 2007.
TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi remained in detention on Monday, accused by the Iraqi government of a "barbaric act." He would be sent for trial on charges of insulting the Iraqi state, said the prime minister's media advisor, Yasin Majeed.
His employer, independent al-Baghdadiya television, demanded his release and demonstrators rallied for him in Baghdad's Sadr City, in the southern Shi'ite stronghold of Basra and in the holy city of Najaf, where some threw shoes at a U.S. convoy.
"Thanks be to God, Muntazer's act fills Iraqi hearts with pride," his brother, Udai al-Zaidi, told Reuters Television.
"I'm sure many Iraqis want to do what Muntazer did. Muntazer used to say all the orphans whose fathers were killed are because of Bush."
Zaidi shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog," at Bush in a news conference he held with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a farewell visit to Baghdad on Sunday.
The journalist then flung one shoe at Bush, forcing him to duck, followed by another, which sailed over Bush's head and slammed into the wall behind him. Throwing shoes at someone is the worst possible insult in the Arab world.
Zaidi was dragged struggling and screaming from the room by security guards and could be heard shouting outside while the news conference continued after momentary mayhem.
'BARBARIC'
The government said Zaidi had carried out "a barbaric and ignominious act" that was not fitting of the media's role and demanded an apology from his television station.
Al-Baghdadiya television played endless patriotic music, with Zaidi's face plastered across the screen.
A newscaster solemnly read out a statement calling for his release, "in accordance with the democratic era and the freedom of expression that Iraqis were promised by U.S. authorities."
It said that any harsh measures taken against the reporter would be reminders of the "dictatorial era" that Washington said its forces invaded Iraq to end.
At a university in Baghdad, students appeared to abandon routine classes to talk about Zaidi and his shoe-throwing. Continued...
View article on single page
Saturday, December 13, 2008
YouTube Videos Pull In Real Money
By BRIAN STELTER
Published: December 10, 2008
Making videos for YouTube — for three years a pastime for millions of Web surfers — is now a way to make a living.
Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times
Michael Buckley quit his day job in September. He says his online show is “silly,” but it helped pay off credit-card debt.
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One year after YouTube, the online video powerhouse, invited members to become “partners” and added advertising to their videos, the most successful users are earning six-figure incomes from the Web site. For some, like Michael Buckley, the self-taught host of a celebrity chat show, filming funny videos is now a full-time job.
Mr. Buckley quit his day job in September after his online profits had greatly surpassed his salary as an administrative assistant for a music promotion company. His thrice-a-week online show “is silly,” he said, but it has helped him escape his credit-card debt.
Mr. Buckley, 33, was the part-time host of a weekly show on a Connecticut public access channel in the summer of 2006 when his cousin started posting snippets of the show on YouTube. The comical rants about celebrities attracted online viewers, and before long Mr. Buckley was tailoring his segments, called “What the Buck?” for the Web. Mr. Buckley knew that the show was “only going to go so far on public access.”
“But on YouTube,” he said, “I’ve had 100 million views. It’s crazy.”
All he needed was a $2,000 Canon camera, a $6 piece of fabric for a backdrop and a pair of work lights from Home Depot. Mr. Buckley is an example of the Internet’s democratizing effect on publishing. Sites like YouTube allow anyone with a high-speed connection to find a fan following, simply by posting material and promoting it online.
Granted, building an audience online takes time. “I was spending 40 hours a week on YouTube for over a year before I made a dime,” Mr. Buckley said — but, at least in some cases, it is paying off.
Mr. Buckley is one of the original members of YouTube’s partner program, which now includes thousands of participants, from basement video makers to big media companies. YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, places advertisements within and around the partner videos and splits the revenues with the creators. “We wanted to turn these hobbies into businesses,” said Hunter Walk, a director of product management for the site, who called popular users like Mr. Buckley “unintentional media companies.”
YouTube declined to comment on how much money partners earned on average, partly because advertiser demand varies for different kinds of videos. But a spokesman, Aaron Zamost, said “hundreds of YouTube partners are making thousands of dollars a month.” At least a few are making a full-time living: Mr. Buckley said he was earning over $100,000 from YouTube advertisements.
The program is a partial solution to a nagging problem for YouTube. The site records 10 times the video views as any other video-sharing Web site in the United States, yet it has proven to be hard for Google to profit from, because a vast majority of the videos are posted by anonymous users who may or may not own the copyrights to the content they upload. While YouTube has halted much of the illegal video sharing on the site, it remains wary of placing advertisements against content without explicit permission from the owners. As a result, only about 3 percent of the videos on the site are supported by advertising.
But the company has high hopes for the partner program. Executives liken it to Google AdSense, the technology that revolutionized advertising and made it possible for publishers to place text advertisements next to their content.
“Some of these people are making videos in their spare time,” said Chad Hurley, a co-founder of YouTube. “We felt that if we were able to provide them a true revenue source, they’d be able to hone their skills and create better content.”
In a time of media industry layoffs, the revenue source — and the prospect of a one-person media company — may be especially appealing to users. But video producers like Lisa Donovan, who posts sketch comedy onto YouTube and attracted attention in the fall for parodies of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, do not make it sound easy. “For new users, it’s a lot of work,” Ms. Donovan said. “Everybody’s fighting to be seen online; you have to strategize and market yourself.”
Mr. Buckley, who majored in psychology in college and lives with his husband and four dogs in Connecticut, films his show from home. Each episode of “What the Buck?” is viewed an average of 200,000 times, and the more popular ones have reached up to three million people. He said that writing and recording five minutes’ worth of jokes about Britney Spears’s comeback tour and Miley Cyrus’s dancing abilities is not as easy as it looks. “I’ve really worked hard on honing my presentation and writing skills,” he said.
As his traffic and revenues grew, Mr. Buckley had “so many opportunities online that I couldn’t work anymore.” He quit his job at Live Nation, the music promoter, to focus full-time on the Web show.
There is a symmetry to Mr. Buckley’s story. Some so-called Internet celebrities view YouTube as a stepping stone to television. But Mr. Buckley started on TV and found fame on YouTube. Three months ago, he signed a development deal with HBO, an opportunity that many media aspirants dream about. Still, “I feel YouTube is my home,” he said. “I think the biggest mistake that any of us Internet personalities can make is establish ourselves on the Internet and then abandon it.”
Cory Williams, 27, a YouTube producer in California, agrees. Mr. Williams, known as smpfilms on YouTube, has been dreaming up online videos since 2005, and he said his big break came in September 2007 with a music video parody called “The Mean Kitty Song.” The video, which introduces Mr. Williams’ evil feline companion, has been viewed more than 15 million times. On a recent day, the video included an advertisement from Coca-Cola.
Mr. Williams, who counts about 180,000 subscribers to his videos, said he was earning $17,000 to $20,000 a month via YouTube. Half of the profits come from YouTube’s advertisements, and the other half come from sponsorships and product placements within his videos, a model that he has borrowed from traditional media.
On YouTube, it is evident that established media entities and the up-and-coming users are learning from each other. The amateur users are creating narrative arcs and once-a-week videos, enticing viewers to visit regularly. Some, like Mr. Williams, are also adding product-placement spots to their videos. Meanwhile, brand-name companies are embedding their videos on other sites, taking cues from users about online promotion. Mr. Walk calls it a subtle “cross-pollination” of ideas.
Some of the partners are major media companies; the ones with the most video views include Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, CBS and Warner Brothers. But individual users are now able to compete alongside them. Mr. Buckley, who did not even have high-speed Internet access two years ago, said his YouTube hobby had changed his financial life.
“I didn’t start it to make money,” he said, “but what a lovely surprise.”
Published: December 10, 2008
Making videos for YouTube — for three years a pastime for millions of Web surfers — is now a way to make a living.
Christopher Capozziello for The New York Times
Michael Buckley quit his day job in September. He says his online show is “silly,” but it helped pay off credit-card debt.
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One year after YouTube, the online video powerhouse, invited members to become “partners” and added advertising to their videos, the most successful users are earning six-figure incomes from the Web site. For some, like Michael Buckley, the self-taught host of a celebrity chat show, filming funny videos is now a full-time job.
Mr. Buckley quit his day job in September after his online profits had greatly surpassed his salary as an administrative assistant for a music promotion company. His thrice-a-week online show “is silly,” he said, but it has helped him escape his credit-card debt.
Mr. Buckley, 33, was the part-time host of a weekly show on a Connecticut public access channel in the summer of 2006 when his cousin started posting snippets of the show on YouTube. The comical rants about celebrities attracted online viewers, and before long Mr. Buckley was tailoring his segments, called “What the Buck?” for the Web. Mr. Buckley knew that the show was “only going to go so far on public access.”
“But on YouTube,” he said, “I’ve had 100 million views. It’s crazy.”
All he needed was a $2,000 Canon camera, a $6 piece of fabric for a backdrop and a pair of work lights from Home Depot. Mr. Buckley is an example of the Internet’s democratizing effect on publishing. Sites like YouTube allow anyone with a high-speed connection to find a fan following, simply by posting material and promoting it online.
Granted, building an audience online takes time. “I was spending 40 hours a week on YouTube for over a year before I made a dime,” Mr. Buckley said — but, at least in some cases, it is paying off.
Mr. Buckley is one of the original members of YouTube’s partner program, which now includes thousands of participants, from basement video makers to big media companies. YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, places advertisements within and around the partner videos and splits the revenues with the creators. “We wanted to turn these hobbies into businesses,” said Hunter Walk, a director of product management for the site, who called popular users like Mr. Buckley “unintentional media companies.”
YouTube declined to comment on how much money partners earned on average, partly because advertiser demand varies for different kinds of videos. But a spokesman, Aaron Zamost, said “hundreds of YouTube partners are making thousands of dollars a month.” At least a few are making a full-time living: Mr. Buckley said he was earning over $100,000 from YouTube advertisements.
The program is a partial solution to a nagging problem for YouTube. The site records 10 times the video views as any other video-sharing Web site in the United States, yet it has proven to be hard for Google to profit from, because a vast majority of the videos are posted by anonymous users who may or may not own the copyrights to the content they upload. While YouTube has halted much of the illegal video sharing on the site, it remains wary of placing advertisements against content without explicit permission from the owners. As a result, only about 3 percent of the videos on the site are supported by advertising.
But the company has high hopes for the partner program. Executives liken it to Google AdSense, the technology that revolutionized advertising and made it possible for publishers to place text advertisements next to their content.
“Some of these people are making videos in their spare time,” said Chad Hurley, a co-founder of YouTube. “We felt that if we were able to provide them a true revenue source, they’d be able to hone their skills and create better content.”
In a time of media industry layoffs, the revenue source — and the prospect of a one-person media company — may be especially appealing to users. But video producers like Lisa Donovan, who posts sketch comedy onto YouTube and attracted attention in the fall for parodies of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, do not make it sound easy. “For new users, it’s a lot of work,” Ms. Donovan said. “Everybody’s fighting to be seen online; you have to strategize and market yourself.”
Mr. Buckley, who majored in psychology in college and lives with his husband and four dogs in Connecticut, films his show from home. Each episode of “What the Buck?” is viewed an average of 200,000 times, and the more popular ones have reached up to three million people. He said that writing and recording five minutes’ worth of jokes about Britney Spears’s comeback tour and Miley Cyrus’s dancing abilities is not as easy as it looks. “I’ve really worked hard on honing my presentation and writing skills,” he said.
As his traffic and revenues grew, Mr. Buckley had “so many opportunities online that I couldn’t work anymore.” He quit his job at Live Nation, the music promoter, to focus full-time on the Web show.
There is a symmetry to Mr. Buckley’s story. Some so-called Internet celebrities view YouTube as a stepping stone to television. But Mr. Buckley started on TV and found fame on YouTube. Three months ago, he signed a development deal with HBO, an opportunity that many media aspirants dream about. Still, “I feel YouTube is my home,” he said. “I think the biggest mistake that any of us Internet personalities can make is establish ourselves on the Internet and then abandon it.”
Cory Williams, 27, a YouTube producer in California, agrees. Mr. Williams, known as smpfilms on YouTube, has been dreaming up online videos since 2005, and he said his big break came in September 2007 with a music video parody called “The Mean Kitty Song.” The video, which introduces Mr. Williams’ evil feline companion, has been viewed more than 15 million times. On a recent day, the video included an advertisement from Coca-Cola.
Mr. Williams, who counts about 180,000 subscribers to his videos, said he was earning $17,000 to $20,000 a month via YouTube. Half of the profits come from YouTube’s advertisements, and the other half come from sponsorships and product placements within his videos, a model that he has borrowed from traditional media.
On YouTube, it is evident that established media entities and the up-and-coming users are learning from each other. The amateur users are creating narrative arcs and once-a-week videos, enticing viewers to visit regularly. Some, like Mr. Williams, are also adding product-placement spots to their videos. Meanwhile, brand-name companies are embedding their videos on other sites, taking cues from users about online promotion. Mr. Walk calls it a subtle “cross-pollination” of ideas.
Some of the partners are major media companies; the ones with the most video views include Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, CBS and Warner Brothers. But individual users are now able to compete alongside them. Mr. Buckley, who did not even have high-speed Internet access two years ago, said his YouTube hobby had changed his financial life.
“I didn’t start it to make money,” he said, “but what a lovely surprise.”
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
FBI: Illinois Governor Sought To "Sell" Obama's Senate Seat
FBI: Illinois Governor Sought To "Sell" Obama's Senate Seat
Wanted President-Elect to "Put Something Together . . . Something Big"
By BRIAN ROSSDecember 9, 2008
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wanted President-elect Barack Obama "to put something together…something big" in exchange for going along with Obama's choice to fill his vacant US Senate seat, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed following the Governor's stunning arrest.
In this file photo, Ilinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) during a news...
In this file photo, Ilinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) during a news conference following their apperance before the Base Realignment and Closure commission during their hearings at Saint Louis University, St. Louis. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wanted President-elect Barack Obama "to put something together…something big" in exchange for going along with Obama's choice to fill his vacant US Senate seat, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed following the Governor's stunning arrest. (James A. Finley/AP Photo)
"I've got this thing and it's f***ing golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for f***in' nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And I can always use it. I can parachute me there," Blagojevich said in a phone call secretly recorded by the FBI on November 5, the day after the election, according to the affidavit.
Click here to read the full affidavit. The FBI says Blagojevich wanted an appointment to the Obama cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a well-paying job or huge campaign contributions as the price for naming Obama's successor.
Wanted President-Elect to "Put Something Together . . . Something Big"
By BRIAN ROSSDecember 9, 2008
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wanted President-elect Barack Obama "to put something together…something big" in exchange for going along with Obama's choice to fill his vacant US Senate seat, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed following the Governor's stunning arrest.
In this file photo, Ilinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) during a news...
In this file photo, Ilinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) during a news conference following their apperance before the Base Realignment and Closure commission during their hearings at Saint Louis University, St. Louis. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich wanted President-elect Barack Obama "to put something together…something big" in exchange for going along with Obama's choice to fill his vacant US Senate seat, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed following the Governor's stunning arrest. (James A. Finley/AP Photo)
"I've got this thing and it's f***ing golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for f***in' nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And I can always use it. I can parachute me there," Blagojevich said in a phone call secretly recorded by the FBI on November 5, the day after the election, according to the affidavit.
Click here to read the full affidavit. The FBI says Blagojevich wanted an appointment to the Obama cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a well-paying job or huge campaign contributions as the price for naming Obama's successor.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
How YouTube Broadcasts Your Taste in Videos
How YouTube Broadcasts Your Taste in Videos
By Saul Hansell
The slogan of YouTube is “Broadcast Yourself.” I’ve got to wonder if many YouTube users are broadcasting information about their tastes in video far more widely than they understand.
Google’s video site lets you subscribe to a “channel”—a collection of videos from one person or company—so you can get reminders about new clips from sources that interest you. When you do this, your user name and photo is usually listed on the page of the channel you are subscribing to. And there is no way for you to keep your subscription private.
That means that if you have some reason to want to follow videos from channels like Youth Suicide/Domestic Violence Health, ProstateCancerMD , Bankruptcy Attorneys or Best Resumes of New York, anyone in the world could find out.
YouTube never explains this when you sign up for an account or use the subscription feature. There are some other aspects of using YouTube’s site that also publish its users’ viewing choices without properly explaining what is happening.
Chris Dale, a YouTube spokesman said, “We’ve never had a complaint about this issue, but we’ll look into it.” Mr. Dale declined, however, to explain why the site is designed the way it is and whether this matter is an oversight or whether it believes that these viewing choices are facts that all its users would like to share.
Even if there haven’t been complaints, this matter shines the light on issues I think operators of all Internet companies need to consider as they rush to add various social features to their sites. (Indeed, today YouTube itself announced a new part of its site that mimic’s the Facebook newsfeed.)
If a site is going to take information about you and disseminate it to others, shouldn’t it be crystal clear what is happening? Moreover, for actions on a site that might be considered private, shouldn’t users have the choice about whether to make them public?
Video may even be a special case. After the video rental history of Robert Bork, a nominee for the Supreme Court, was published, Congress passed the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 banning the disclosure of video viewing records.
YouTube’s origin was a site to promote sharing of personal video. It was designed with many of the features popularized by social networks and sharing sites like Flickr.
Amid YouTube’s rapid growth, the site’s design has not kept up with how people actually use it. YouTube is now both a way for friends to trade videos with each other, but it is also a broad communication medium—a way for virtually any person or company, even the president elect, to distribute video on nearly any topic. My guess is that there are far more people who use YouTube as a video search engine and a form of casual entertainment than use it to communicate with others.
As I use YouTube, and I don’t think I’m alone, I use the subscription and favorites features not to share my tastes but simply as bookmarks to keep track of things I may want to look at again.
This can be seen in how YouTube creates a channel—essentially a profile page—for all users when they establish an account or sign in using their Google account. This page, which is open to anyone on the Internet, by default, lists the other channels you subscribe to, the videos you mark as favorites, and the playlists you have made. Users can remove these sections from their channels, using a rather complex page buried in the site’s options.
There is no requirement that you use your real name in your YouTube user ID or post any identifiable information on this page. But users may well leave clues to their identities on their profiles without knowing how they may be used.
The YouTube privacy policy is misleading because it implies that information is disclosed only after users take an explicit action to add features to their channel:
If you choose to add certain features to your channel page, then these features and your activity associated with these features will be displayed to other users.
Sure there are lots of people who want to broadcast themselves. But there are others who, like Chance the Gardner in “Being There” simply say “I like to watch.”
By Saul Hansell
The slogan of YouTube is “Broadcast Yourself.” I’ve got to wonder if many YouTube users are broadcasting information about their tastes in video far more widely than they understand.
Google’s video site lets you subscribe to a “channel”—a collection of videos from one person or company—so you can get reminders about new clips from sources that interest you. When you do this, your user name and photo is usually listed on the page of the channel you are subscribing to. And there is no way for you to keep your subscription private.
That means that if you have some reason to want to follow videos from channels like Youth Suicide/Domestic Violence Health, ProstateCancerMD , Bankruptcy Attorneys or Best Resumes of New York, anyone in the world could find out.
YouTube never explains this when you sign up for an account or use the subscription feature. There are some other aspects of using YouTube’s site that also publish its users’ viewing choices without properly explaining what is happening.
Chris Dale, a YouTube spokesman said, “We’ve never had a complaint about this issue, but we’ll look into it.” Mr. Dale declined, however, to explain why the site is designed the way it is and whether this matter is an oversight or whether it believes that these viewing choices are facts that all its users would like to share.
Even if there haven’t been complaints, this matter shines the light on issues I think operators of all Internet companies need to consider as they rush to add various social features to their sites. (Indeed, today YouTube itself announced a new part of its site that mimic’s the Facebook newsfeed.)
If a site is going to take information about you and disseminate it to others, shouldn’t it be crystal clear what is happening? Moreover, for actions on a site that might be considered private, shouldn’t users have the choice about whether to make them public?
Video may even be a special case. After the video rental history of Robert Bork, a nominee for the Supreme Court, was published, Congress passed the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 banning the disclosure of video viewing records.
YouTube’s origin was a site to promote sharing of personal video. It was designed with many of the features popularized by social networks and sharing sites like Flickr.
Amid YouTube’s rapid growth, the site’s design has not kept up with how people actually use it. YouTube is now both a way for friends to trade videos with each other, but it is also a broad communication medium—a way for virtually any person or company, even the president elect, to distribute video on nearly any topic. My guess is that there are far more people who use YouTube as a video search engine and a form of casual entertainment than use it to communicate with others.
As I use YouTube, and I don’t think I’m alone, I use the subscription and favorites features not to share my tastes but simply as bookmarks to keep track of things I may want to look at again.
This can be seen in how YouTube creates a channel—essentially a profile page—for all users when they establish an account or sign in using their Google account. This page, which is open to anyone on the Internet, by default, lists the other channels you subscribe to, the videos you mark as favorites, and the playlists you have made. Users can remove these sections from their channels, using a rather complex page buried in the site’s options.
There is no requirement that you use your real name in your YouTube user ID or post any identifiable information on this page. But users may well leave clues to their identities on their profiles without knowing how they may be used.
The YouTube privacy policy is misleading because it implies that information is disclosed only after users take an explicit action to add features to their channel:
If you choose to add certain features to your channel page, then these features and your activity associated with these features will be displayed to other users.
Sure there are lots of people who want to broadcast themselves. But there are others who, like Chance the Gardner in “Being There” simply say “I like to watch.”
Monday, December 01, 2008
TV Sales Becoming Litmus Test for U.S. Economy
By MATT RICHTEL
Published: November 28, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — In a volatile year that has turned many Americans into armchair economists, here’s an important indicator to watch this holiday shopping season: how many people are lugging home big, flat-screen televisions?
Shoppers comparing TVs on Friday at a Wal-Mart in Secaucus, N.J. Retailers use big discounts on televisions to lure consumers into stores.
The answer matters to more than just TV makers. Just as high-definition sets have become the hearth of the digital home, they are increasingly central to the fortunes of the consumer electronics industry and plenty of retailers.
And there’s reason for serious concern. While retailers are trying to use discounted TVs as a lure for shoppers, many would-be buyers continue to wait, and wait, for a magical price that is low enough to inspire a purchase. Others just have more pressing needs.
“The question is whether I buy a TV or something more important,” said David Lunsford, 62, who visited a Circuit City near here last week to shop for big-screen TVs. He would love to replace his aging rear-projection set, but he worried he needed to save money in case family members hit tough times.
“I’m a stable provider. They may turn to me,” said Mr. Lunsford, who works for the federal government.
Americans are expected to spend $28 billion this year on TVs, making them the largest segment of the $173 billion electronics industry. So far about half of American households have made the jump to flat-panel screens, which started out as status symbols but are on their way to becoming standard household appliances.
More people may choose to upgrade this year because of the national switchover to digital broadcast signals coming Feb. 17. The change, which will mostly affect people who watch over-the-air signals on older sets, has generated a good amount of consumer confusion — which could be good for sales of new sets.
TVs are also a gateway to a host of other products, like Blu-ray discs and their players, surround-sound audio systems, digital video recorders and cables.
All of these factors have led electronics stores like Circuit City and Best Buy and even less specialized chains like Sears, Wal-Mart and Office Depot, to put TVs front and center in their advertising recently, promoting them on the cover of Sunday circulars and on the home pages of Web sites. They are offering discounts — like 42-inch TVs for less than $700 and 32-inch sets for $450 — that come on top of recent steep price declines for the sets.
For the industry, the feeling is that if retailers cannot get TVs to move, the holiday season could be a bleak one indeed. In that sense, the TV market offers a glimpse of the broader tensions this year between wary consumers on the one hand and retailers and manufacturers desperate to spur sales on the other.
“The television becomes a litmus test of the robustness of the American economy,” said Richard Doherty, an electronics industry analyst with the research firm Envisioneering. In Mr. Doherty’s consumer surveys, the early word is mixed; many consumers want a new TV, but they think that if they wait to buy, retailers will drop prices further.
There were signs on Friday that more cuts might be necessary. At two malls outside Portland, Ore., the electronics stores were the only ones that were full of shoppers. But people seemed to be gravitating toward lower-priced items like video games instead of televisions.
Mr. Doherty’s firm tracked stores in New York and California
See -Harlem Blogospherehttp://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Published: November 28, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — In a volatile year that has turned many Americans into armchair economists, here’s an important indicator to watch this holiday shopping season: how many people are lugging home big, flat-screen televisions?
Shoppers comparing TVs on Friday at a Wal-Mart in Secaucus, N.J. Retailers use big discounts on televisions to lure consumers into stores.
The answer matters to more than just TV makers. Just as high-definition sets have become the hearth of the digital home, they are increasingly central to the fortunes of the consumer electronics industry and plenty of retailers.
And there’s reason for serious concern. While retailers are trying to use discounted TVs as a lure for shoppers, many would-be buyers continue to wait, and wait, for a magical price that is low enough to inspire a purchase. Others just have more pressing needs.
“The question is whether I buy a TV or something more important,” said David Lunsford, 62, who visited a Circuit City near here last week to shop for big-screen TVs. He would love to replace his aging rear-projection set, but he worried he needed to save money in case family members hit tough times.
“I’m a stable provider. They may turn to me,” said Mr. Lunsford, who works for the federal government.
Americans are expected to spend $28 billion this year on TVs, making them the largest segment of the $173 billion electronics industry. So far about half of American households have made the jump to flat-panel screens, which started out as status symbols but are on their way to becoming standard household appliances.
More people may choose to upgrade this year because of the national switchover to digital broadcast signals coming Feb. 17. The change, which will mostly affect people who watch over-the-air signals on older sets, has generated a good amount of consumer confusion — which could be good for sales of new sets.
TVs are also a gateway to a host of other products, like Blu-ray discs and their players, surround-sound audio systems, digital video recorders and cables.
All of these factors have led electronics stores like Circuit City and Best Buy and even less specialized chains like Sears, Wal-Mart and Office Depot, to put TVs front and center in their advertising recently, promoting them on the cover of Sunday circulars and on the home pages of Web sites. They are offering discounts — like 42-inch TVs for less than $700 and 32-inch sets for $450 — that come on top of recent steep price declines for the sets.
For the industry, the feeling is that if retailers cannot get TVs to move, the holiday season could be a bleak one indeed. In that sense, the TV market offers a glimpse of the broader tensions this year between wary consumers on the one hand and retailers and manufacturers desperate to spur sales on the other.
“The television becomes a litmus test of the robustness of the American economy,” said Richard Doherty, an electronics industry analyst with the research firm Envisioneering. In Mr. Doherty’s consumer surveys, the early word is mixed; many consumers want a new TV, but they think that if they wait to buy, retailers will drop prices further.
There were signs on Friday that more cuts might be necessary. At two malls outside Portland, Ore., the electronics stores were the only ones that were full of shoppers. But people seemed to be gravitating toward lower-priced items like video games instead of televisions.
Mr. Doherty’s firm tracked stores in New York and California
See -Harlem Blogospherehttp://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Pentagon launches its own version of YouTube for troops to contact families
Pentagon launches its own version of YouTube for troops to contact families
BY JANE H. FURSE DAILY NEWS WRITER
Sunday, November 16th 2008, 7:30 PM
It's YouTub Lite, heavy on the stars and stripes.
The Pentagon has launched a sanitized version of YouTube - TroopTube - that lets servicemembers give loved ones video shoutouts from the war zone.
The Pentagon went into the video sharing business last week after shutting down access to YouTube, MySpace and 10 other popular sites, a ban it initially blamed on crowded bandwidth.
Pentagon officials now concede the blocked sites were aimed mainly at preventing soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan from posting information that could help insurgents target Americans, according to Newsweek magazine.
TroopTube videos are vetted by military censors and scrubbed of any raunchy footage or content that might be "inappropriate for families," Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Les Melnyk told Newsweek.
Pentagon censors also review videos for any footage that might inadvertently help terrorists.
"If you have a video that shows the interior layout of your base [or] where the command post and the sleeping quarters are located, that could endanger the troops," Melnyk said.
The site already has 500 videos posted, including a tribute to the troops from Gen. David Petraeus
"You really are the newest greatest generation," he tells the military men and women. It's gotten 20,000 hits.
There's also "Wives Shout Out to the Third Brigade A-Troop 133 Cavalry;" "Scout Poops," an action clip of a military mom and her baby, and tributes made by everyone from the Chicago White Sox to the Oak Ridge Boys
Still, the war zone can't be completely whitewashed.
Viral material can make its way into cyberspace via cellphone video cameras, well out of range of Pentagon filters.
See---http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
BY JANE H. FURSE DAILY NEWS WRITER
Sunday, November 16th 2008, 7:30 PM
It's YouTub Lite, heavy on the stars and stripes.
The Pentagon has launched a sanitized version of YouTube - TroopTube - that lets servicemembers give loved ones video shoutouts from the war zone.
The Pentagon went into the video sharing business last week after shutting down access to YouTube, MySpace and 10 other popular sites, a ban it initially blamed on crowded bandwidth.
Pentagon officials now concede the blocked sites were aimed mainly at preventing soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan from posting information that could help insurgents target Americans, according to Newsweek magazine.
TroopTube videos are vetted by military censors and scrubbed of any raunchy footage or content that might be "inappropriate for families," Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Les Melnyk told Newsweek.
Pentagon censors also review videos for any footage that might inadvertently help terrorists.
"If you have a video that shows the interior layout of your base [or] where the command post and the sleeping quarters are located, that could endanger the troops," Melnyk said.
The site already has 500 videos posted, including a tribute to the troops from Gen. David Petraeus
"You really are the newest greatest generation," he tells the military men and women. It's gotten 20,000 hits.
There's also "Wives Shout Out to the Third Brigade A-Troop 133 Cavalry;" "Scout Poops," an action clip of a military mom and her baby, and tributes made by everyone from the Chicago White Sox to the Oak Ridge Boys
Still, the war zone can't be completely whitewashed.
Viral material can make its way into cyberspace via cellphone video cameras, well out of range of Pentagon filters.
See---http://harlemblogosphere.blogspot.com
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Support the troops with touch of buttons
Support the troops with touch of buttons
BY STEPHANIE GASKELL DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, November 11th 2008, 12:50 AM
If you can't make it to the annual Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan Tuesday, there's a new way to show your support for the troops.
Send them a text message.
CELEBS WHO SERVED IN THE MARINES
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has set up a new text-messaging system that allows users to simply type in the word "troops" and text it to 69866.
The names of the senders will be gathered and distributed to soldiers serving overseas as a sign of support.
"This is the ideal time to put our pro- or anti-war sentiments aside and rally around the troops," said IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. "Every American has an obligation to support the brave men and women who are serving."
The city is celebrating our nation's heroes with a ceremony at the Eternal Lights Monument in Madison Square Park at 10 a.m. and a massive parade up Fifth Ave. at 11:30 a.m.
The parade is getting a boost this year with the reopening of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
As the parade winds up Fifth Ave., hundreds of people will also march from the Intrepid at W. 46th St., and meet up with the parade to head north together.
President Bush is scheduled to visit the Intrepid, where he will be presented with the 2008 Intrepid Freedom Award.
IAVA is also launching a social networking site for veterans today, which is called www.CommunityofVeterans.org. It's billed as a Facebook or MySpace for veterans to connect with each other and find support.
"A critical part of a veteran's successful readjustment is connecting with other veterans," said Rieckhoff. "Veterans want to be linked up with other veterans who understand. This campaign does exactly that and reaches new veterans where they already are - online"
Today's parade is a celebration of the city's 315,000 veterans from all wars, but there's a new focus on the more than 1.7 million men and women who have served or are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Most Americans still connect veterans with Vietnam or World War II.
IAVA teamed up with the Ad Council and asked 1,000 Americans what they think of when they hear the word veteran - only 2% said Iraq, and no one said Afghanistan.
"Veterans Day is a terrific opportunity for all Americans to show support for our country's newest generation of heroes," Rieckhoff said.
davidradiotv2000@yahoo.com
BY STEPHANIE GASKELL DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, November 11th 2008, 12:50 AM
If you can't make it to the annual Veterans Day Parade in Manhattan Tuesday, there's a new way to show your support for the troops.
Send them a text message.
CELEBS WHO SERVED IN THE MARINES
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has set up a new text-messaging system that allows users to simply type in the word "troops" and text it to 69866.
The names of the senders will be gathered and distributed to soldiers serving overseas as a sign of support.
"This is the ideal time to put our pro- or anti-war sentiments aside and rally around the troops," said IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. "Every American has an obligation to support the brave men and women who are serving."
The city is celebrating our nation's heroes with a ceremony at the Eternal Lights Monument in Madison Square Park at 10 a.m. and a massive parade up Fifth Ave. at 11:30 a.m.
The parade is getting a boost this year with the reopening of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
As the parade winds up Fifth Ave., hundreds of people will also march from the Intrepid at W. 46th St., and meet up with the parade to head north together.
President Bush is scheduled to visit the Intrepid, where he will be presented with the 2008 Intrepid Freedom Award.
IAVA is also launching a social networking site for veterans today, which is called www.CommunityofVeterans.org. It's billed as a Facebook or MySpace for veterans to connect with each other and find support.
"A critical part of a veteran's successful readjustment is connecting with other veterans," said Rieckhoff. "Veterans want to be linked up with other veterans who understand. This campaign does exactly that and reaches new veterans where they already are - online"
Today's parade is a celebration of the city's 315,000 veterans from all wars, but there's a new focus on the more than 1.7 million men and women who have served or are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Most Americans still connect veterans with Vietnam or World War II.
IAVA teamed up with the Ad Council and asked 1,000 Americans what they think of when they hear the word veteran - only 2% said Iraq, and no one said Afghanistan.
"Veterans Day is a terrific opportunity for all Americans to show support for our country's newest generation of heroes," Rieckhoff said.
davidradiotv2000@yahoo.com
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