Fleksy Is an Alternative Keyboard Even the Blind Can Use

iOS: Fleksy is an alternative keyboard with unprecedented predictive text skills. You can type a word completely wrong and it'll still figure out what you meant.

That's because Fleksy was designed with the blind in mind. The keyboard not only fixes your grievous typing errors, but speaks back the word to you so you know what it thinks you typed. The keyboard only consists of letters, however. To make a space you swipe right. To delete a word you swipe left. You can add punctuation by pressing and holding the keyboard to reveal a new row, or you can just make two spaces to create a period, then swipe down to change it to a question mark, exclamation point, or something else. While Fleksy takes a little getting used to at first, it's a very effective way to type because you can throw accuracy out the window pretty much entirely. The only thing it does require is that you know how to spell, otherwise it can't really figure out what you meant. If you're blind or just an awful mobile typer but have good spelling skills, this is the keyboard for you. Of course, it's an app an doesn't integrate full with the OS but you can use it to type out messages and copy/paste the text in elsewhere with all the extra time you'll save.

Fleksy (Free) | iTunes App Store

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/yPwnglZriJg/fleksy-is-an-alternative-keyboard-even-the-blind-can-use

touch nitrous oxide rihanna thug life tattoo arizona governor patrick witt leprosy tampa bay buccaneers

Baig review: Microsoft wants you to pay as you go for new Office

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130130/BUSINESS09/301300027/1003/RSS01

asteroid mining memorial day ivan rodriguez planetary resources mothers day gift ideas natalee holloway scotty mccreery

U.S. government warns of hack threat to network gear

(Reuters) - The Department of Homeland Security urged computer users on Tuesday to disable a common networking technology feature, after researchers warned that hackers could exploit flaws to gain access to tens of millions of vulnerable devices.

The U.S. government's Computer Emergency Readiness Team, on its website, advised consumers and businesses to disable a feature known as Universal Plug and Play or UPnP, and some other related features that make devices from computers to printers accessible over the open Internet.

UPnP, a communications protocol, is designed to let networks identify and communicate with equipment, reducing the amount of work it takes to set up networks. Dave Marcus, chief architect of advanced research and threat intelligence with Intel's McAfee unit, said hackers would have a "field day" once the vulnerability in network devices is exposed.

"Historically, these are amongst the last to be updated and protected properly which makes them a gold mine for potential abuse and exploitation," said Marcus, who advises government agencies and corporations on protections against sophisticated attacks.

Disabling UPnP once networks have already been set up, will have little impact on the operation of the devices.

The new security bugs were initially brought to the attention of the government by computer security company Rapid7, in Boston, which released a report on the problem on Tuesday. The company said it discovered between 40 million and 50 million devices that were vulnerable to attack due to three separate sets of problems that the firm's researchers have identified with the UPnP standard.

The flaws could allow hackers to access confidential files, steal passwords, take full control over PCs as well as remotely access devices such as webcams, printers and security systems, according to Rapid7.

Rapid7 has alerted electronics makers about the problem through the CERT Coordination Center, a group at the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute that helps researchers report vulnerabilities to affected companies.

"This is the most pervasive bug I've ever seen," said HD Moore, chief technology officer for Rapid7. He discussed the research with Reuters late on Monday.

CERT in turn has tried to contact the more than 200 companies whose products Rapid7 have identified as being vulnerable to attack, including Belkin, D-Link, Cisco Systems Inc's Linksys division and Netgear.

Linksys said it is aware of the problem. "We recommend Linksys customers visit our website to understand if their home router is affected, and learn how to disable UPnP through the user interface to avoid being impacted," Linksys said in a statement.

Belkin, D-Link and Netgear did not respond to requests for comment.

Chris Wysopal, chief technology officer of security software firm Veracode, said he believed that publication of Rapid7's findings would draw widespread attention to the still emerging area of UPnP security, prompting other security researchers to search for more bugs in UPnP.

"This definitely falls into the scary category," said Wysopal, who reviewed Rapid7's findings ahead of their publication. "There is going to be a lot more research on this. And the follow-on research could be a lot scarier."

Andres Andreu, chief architect at networking security company Bayshore Networks said they expect an increase in cybercrime as hackers begin to figure out ways to take advantage of the newly identified vulnerabilities.

"Simple targets such as home routers now become targets of greater interest," he said.

TAKING CONTROL

Moore said that there were bugs in most of the devices that Rapid7 tested and that device manufacturers will need to release software updates to remedy the problems.

He said that was unlikely to happen quickly.

In the meantime, he advised computer users to quickly use a free tool released by Rapid7 to identify vulnerable gear, then disable the UPnP functionality in that equipment.

Moore said hackers have not widely exploited the UPnP vulnerabilities to launch attacks, but both Moore and Wysopal expected they may start to do so after the findings are publicized.

Still, Moore said he decided to disclose the flaws in a bid to pressure equipment makers to fix the bugs and generally pay more attention to security.

People who own devices with UPnP enabled may not be aware of it because new routers, printers, media servers, Web cameras, storage drives and "smart" or Web-connected TVs are often shipped with that functionality turned on by default.

"You can't stay silent about something like this," he said. "These devices seem to have had the same level of core security for decades. Nobody seems to really care about them."

Veracode's Wysopal said that some hackers have likely already exploited the flaws to launch attacks, but in relatively small numbers, choosing victims one at a time.

"If they are going after executives and government officials, then they will probably look for their home networks and exploit this vulnerability," he said.

Rapid7 has released a tool to help identify those devices on its website at

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-researchers-warn-widespread-networking-gear-bugs-053410358--sector.html

Gabby Douglas John Orozco Garrett Reid shawn johnson Tony Sly Lauren Perdue tagged

Consumer Group: The Rich May Pay Less For Car Insurance Even If ...

Driving safely and avoiding accidents isn?t just common sense ? injuries hurt, car wrecks are bad ? but also a way to make sure drivers keep their auto insurance premiums down. But according to figures released by a consumer group recently, insurance companies are in the habit of charging higher premium to safe, low- or moderate-income drivers than to richer people who were at fault for an accident.

The review by the Consumer Federation of America?(via Bloomberg News) says that out of 60 cases it studied, the good drivers were hit with higher prices two-thirds of the time, because of factors like education and occupation. But shouldn?t how well you drive be a pretty important factor?

Yes, according to the CFA, which studied prices in 12 cities from State Farm, Allstate, Geico, Farmers and Progressive. How far one drives and how safe you are doing it?should be how the bar is set, or at least a major part of it.

Using two hypothetical characters the group compared premiums offered to two 30-year-old women. Both had driven for 10 years, lived on the same street in a middle-income Zip code and both wanted the minimum insurance required by whichever state the group was researching.

The imaginary woman who wasn?t married, rented a home, didn?t have coverage for 45 days but has never been in an accident or ticketed with a moving violation was compared to a married executive with a master?s degree who owns her home and has always had continuous insurance coverage. But she?d been in an accident (again, hypothetically) that was her fault and caused $800 in damage within the last three ?years.

The results were somewhat surprising, although there were differences across the five insurers. Farmers, GEICO and Progressive always gave a higher quote to the safer driver than the woman who?d caused an accident. Across all 12 cities in the study, State Farm offered the lowest or second lowest premiums.

?State insurance regulators should require auto insurers to explain why they believe factors such as education and income are better predictors of losses than are at-fault accidents,? said J. Robert Hunter, CFA?s director of insurance and former Texas insurance commissioner.

?Policymakers should ask why auto insurers are permitted to discriminate on the basis of nondriving-related factors such as occupation or education,? he added.

We?re of the same mind. Rewarding good drivers with higher premiums seems like a backwards way to do it. If they?re going to get charged more anyway, where?s the motivation to be a safe driver, beyond insuring your own personal safety?

Largest Auto Insurers Frequently Charge Higher Premiums To Safe Drivers Than Those Responsible For Accidents?[Consumer Federation of America]
Good Drivers With Low Incomes Punished by Insurers [Bloomberg]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2013/01/28/consumer-group-the-rich-may-pay-less-for-car-insurance-even-if-theyre-not-safe-drivers/

derbyshire the matrix oceans 11 ferris state hockey mary poppins john derbyshire kinkade

Stock futures point to gains after data and Caterpillar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a modestly higher open on Monday following strong data and results from Caterpillar, though gains were slight after a rally that took the S&P 500 above 1,500 for the first time in more than five years.

A strong start to the earnings season has boosted equities, with major averages rising for four straight weeks. The S&P has gained for eight straight days, its longest winning streak in eight years.

Caterpillar Inc rose 2.5 percent to $98 in premarket trading after the Dow component reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings that beat expectations, though revenue was slightly below forecasts. The heavy machinery maker also said it remained cautious on the economy despite recent improvements.

"You can't find more of a global bellwhether than Cat, and people are pleased with the number, which suggests there could be less concern about slowing growth in China after this," said Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst at John Thomas Financial in New York.

Thomson Reuters data through Friday showed that of the 147 S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings so far, 68 percent exceeded expectations. Since 1994, 62 percent of companies have topped expectations, while the average over the past four quarters stands at 65 percent.

Yahoo Inc reports after the closing bell, and could face heightened expectations following strong results at Google Inc last week.

S&P 500 futures rose 2 points and were about even with fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 22 points and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 2 points.

The S&P 500 closed at its highest since December 10, 2007, and the Dow ended at its highest since October 31, 2007. Over the past four weeks, the S&P has jumped 7.2 percent, suggesting markets may be vulnerable to a pullback if news disappoints.

Durable goods jumped 4.6 percent in December, a pace that far outstripped expectations for a rise of 1.8 percent.

"We continue to have a parade of better-than-expected economic reports. All-in-all it's a good picture. I think there's a good chance we've reached a point of recognition where people don't think the economy will crater," Kaufman said.

In addition to earnings, equities have also risen on an agreement in Washington to extend the government's borrowing power. On Monday, Fitch Ratings said that agreement removed the near-term risk to the country's 'AAA' rating.

Previously, the agency said the lack of an agreement would prompt a review of the sovereign rating.

In company news, Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc said a late-stage trial of its experimental kidney disease drug met the main study goal of reducing phosphate levels in blood, sending shares up 41 percent to $4.84 in premarket trading.

Bargain hunters may look to Apple Inc in the first session after the tech giant lost its coveted title as the largest U.S. company by market capitalization to Exxon Mobil Corp . On Friday, Apple's market cap fell to $413 billion, down roughly $250 billion from its September peak. Apple's fall is about equal to the entire value of Google Inc .

"Apple is pretty attractive right now, so you may see an opportunity here," said Chris Bertelsen, who helps oversee $1.5 billion as chief investment officer of Global Financial Private Capital in Sarasota, Florida. "Those who think the stock is dead have made a big mistake."

U.S. stocks rose on Friday, lifted by strong results from such companies as Procter & Gamble . The rise put the S&P 500 about 4.1 percent away from its all-time closing high of 1,565.15 on October 9, 2007.

(Editing by W Simon and Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-index-futures-signal-slight-gains-104646069--finance.html

obama dog doug hutchison larry brown thomas kinkade pat summit brewers matt cain

Newtown expands scope of planned children's museum

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) ? Months before she was killed in a gunman's rampage, Sandy Hook Elementary School Principal Dawn Hochsprung wrote a letter expressing her excitement over an effort to bring a children's museum to Newtown.

At the time, the proposal was fairly modest: a building of perhaps 20,000 square feet would provide art and science programs for area children.

Since last month's massacre, the plan has become more ambitious, with museums around the country collecting donations and organizers looking to renovate a 52,000-square-foot building to host the new learning center. A capital campaign that was to begin in the spring will start right away, with hopes of raising $10 million instead of the original $4 million.

"The need for the children's museum, which everyone thought was a great idea before, became almost a necessity," said Kristin Chiriatti, the museum's president. "People understood that the children will need a place to heal. We have so many children who are scared to go to school now and may have lifelong poor associations with learning."

It will still be a community museum, Chiriatti said, but it will also be a destination point for southwestern Connecticut.

The museum, first proposed in 2011, was to feature rotating exhibits on such topics as electricity, sound and outer space. Chiriatti called it "Everwonder," a play on the wonder the museum is meant to evoke and her question as to whether it would be possible to build, she said.

The group had been involved in hosting programs at the local library and envisioned a place for children to draw and conduct experiments.

Hochsprung wrote to Chiriatti in March that she supported the idea to engage students with hands-on, interactive experiences.

"In order for students to learn, they must be invested in what we are teaching," she wrote.

On Dec. 14, Hochsprung was among the victims of the rampage that killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook. The 20-year-old gunman killed his mother before driving to the school, opening fire and then committing suicide as police arrived.

The museum building will include some type of memorial to Hochsprung and the other victims, Chiriatti said.

"These children were our children's friends," she said. "We haven't decided how it will be done, except that it will be done in a cheerful way that celebrates childhood and education. Because that's what this is about: creating a cheerful place, filled with learning and enjoyment."

Architects and other professionals have agreed to volunteer for the project, which is tentatively planned for the campus of Fairfield Hills Hospital in Newtown.

And Chiriatti is getting help from other museums across the country.

Robert Dean, the executive director of a children's museum in Grand Rapids, Mich., got involved the day of the shooting, after a 9-year-old son of his museum's board president asked how they might help the kids in Newtown. He called a board meeting to brainstorm.

"We talked a letter-writing campaign and other things, but when we learned they were trying to build a children's museum, I just thought, 'Wouldn't it be great if they could have the same thing we have?'" he said.

A dollar from each admission fee collected at that museum and two others in Grand Rapids last Saturday will be donated to the Everwonder project.

Dean contacted the Association of Children's Museums, which launched a national effort. Museums are being asked to set aside one day this year and donate $1 from each admission that day to Everwonder. Chiriatti said she has already heard from four ? the Children's Museum of Brownsville, in Texas; the Seattle Children's Museum; the Tucson Children's Museum, in Arizona; and the Bucks County Children's Museum, in Pennsylvania.

She said they are hoping to raise all they need without seeking any money from an $8.5 million fund set up by the United Way to support the community after the massacre.

"They need to identify where that money is really needed, what is most important," she said. "If they need a counseling center, that should be where that money goes. It would be great to get some help, but we're certainly not going to be actively seeking that funding if it's needed somewhere else."

Chiriatti said they hope to have their museum opened by the end of 2015.

___

Online:

Everwonder Children's Museum: http://www.everwondermuseum.com/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newtown-expands-scope-planned-childrens-museum-075810443.html

new york philharmonic marines urinating on taliban critics choice awards super pac dre kirkpatrick mls superdraft school cancellations

Rdio Needs More Users, Hopes Going Free On Web & Desktop Will Help

The battle for international users continues to heat up for streaming music services. Just this morning, Deezer announced expansions into developing markets in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Brazil, and now Rdio follows with news of its own - it's going free. The company says it's rolling out free web access internationally to all territories where it operates, except for Germany and Brazil.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/R0JGL6izl_g/

luke scott tom benson royals nicole richie lyme disease symptoms esperanza spalding jessica sanchez

Report: Apple prepping a 128GB version of the fourth-gen iPad

Still waiting for a 128GB iPad? One could come sooner than you think. According to 9to5Mac, Cupertino is preparing to add a new SKU to its fourth-generation tablet line up, slotting next to the existing 16GB, 32GB and 64GB configurations as a premium model. A source at a well known US retailer shared the devices' SKU information with the outlet, marked up with internal Apple terminology that described both WiFi-only and cellular-capable slates in black and white facades. The devices' description column features a lone adjective, too: ultimate.

9to5Mac couldn't confirm that the description meant a 128GB model was inbound, but the assumption seems reasonable enough -- developers are finding references to 128GB iOS devices in iOS 6.1 beta code, and icons for the size were found in iTunes 11. Moreover, "good," "better" and "best" have all been used to describe different iPad configurations in the past -- ultimate seems like the next logical step. Strong evidence, to be sure, but we'll hedge our bets until we see something official. Read on to see the leaked SKU information for yourself.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

Comments

Source: 9to5Mac

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/vQGCX2Za8bA/

hoekstra best superbowl commercials 2012 best super bowl ads chrysler super bowl commercial madonna half time show fiat 500 abarth madonna halftime

Give Your Ideas Room to Grow - MOMeo Magazine

Posted by Carla Young on January 28, 2013 ? Leave a Comment?

For every ?Yes? you say to something, there is a corresponding ?No? to something else ? either because you don?t have the ability to say ?Yes? or because that something else never materializes.

This is why we fail to achieve what we most desire in our overscheduled and overcommitted lives. We are constantly committing to stuff we aren?t all that interested in, defacto pushing what we really want to the back.

If you really want to get to that ?sometime? project, you must make room for it. You need to give your ideas room to grow, not just in your mind, but in your calendar because if left to its own devices, your calendar will magically fill itself full of unnecessary and unwanted tasks.

How to Create Space for New Opportunities

Ditch the Unnecessary ? Make a list of everything you are committed to doing or end up doing by default and cross off everything that falls under the categories of unnecessary or unwanted. It?s time to let another mom take over the role of classroom volunteer or ask your family to step up to help with the household tasks.

Decide What You Want ? Put of making space for new opportunities is identifying what types of opportunities you would like to manifest in your life. Do you want to attract new clients or do you want to tackle that book project that has been sitting on your shelf for the last year? Set the intention.

Make a Plan ? Don?t wait for that new client to appear out of nowhere or for the editor to come knocking on your door ? MAKE IT HAPPEN! Create an action list that outlines the exact steps you need to take this week to step closer to that goal (and keep on mapping out steps as you go).

Stick to It ? Do not give yourself a break! If you commit to an action step by a certain date, consider it an unbreakable promise. So often we put ourselves at the very bottom of our list ? it?s time to make you a priority.

Find Accountability Partners ? Connect with likeminded people who will hold your feet to the fire and call you on your bullshit excuses when you fail to hit a milestone. Tell them upfront that you want (and need) tough love.

Celebrate Your Achievements ? Remember that momentum begets more momentum (hence the name of this column). Take time to celebrate your achievements, even if it?s just a quick happy dance in your office before you get back on task.

Happy Monday ? now go get ?em!

About Carla Young
Carla Young, MOMeoMagazine.com Publisher If there?s living proof that women can have it all ? and then some ? it?s Carla Young. Building her multiple businesses on a virtual work-at-home model, Carla is an inspiration to other mothers who want to start a lifestyle business. During her early days as a mom entrepreneur, Carla made every single mistake in the book (and a few new ones for good measure). Realizing that ?doing it all? was unhealthy and unsustainable, Carla started by getting organized to the extreme, developing support systems for both her work and family. After other mothers started asking how they too could enjoy her lifestyle, Carla launched MOMeoMagazine.com to support moms at work, at home and at play (because every mommy deserves a little me-time)!

Source: http://www.momeomagazine.com/give-your-ideas-room-to-grow-how-to-create-space-for-new-opportunities/

justified season 3 custer scott walker restaurant week type 2 diabetes occupy congress juan williams

French urgency, U.S. caution collide in Mali operation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - France's military intervention in Mali has revived trans-Atlantic tensions over security issues, this time involving a key counterterrorism battlefield, along with dismay from critics who see U.S. President Barack Obama as too reluctant to use military force.

According to interviews with officials from both sides, the French have privately complained about what they see as paltry and belated American military support for their troop deployment, aimed at stopping the advance of militants allied with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The Americans question whether French President Francois Hollande's armed intervention, which is entering its third week, was coupled with a thought-through exit strategy.

Hollande called Obama on Thursday, January 10, and in a brief conversation about Mali, told the U.S. leader that France was about to mount a major military operation in the north African country.

Hollande was in a hurry and called Obama to inform, not to consult, according to French and U.S. officials. France's ambassador to Mali had sent an urgent message to Paris, warning that if the strategic city of Mopti fell to armed Islamic militants, there would be nothing to stop them from capturing the capital, Bamako, and controlling the entire country.

France launched its military operation on January 11.

"Had we not intervened, the whole region would have become a new 'Sahelistan'," said a senior French official, referring to the Sahel region of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

But France's sense of urgency ran headlong into American concerns about whether Paris had a long-term plan for Mali, and about getting the U.S. military deeply involved in a new foreign conflict as Obama begins his second term in office, the officials said.

'MINIMAL' U.S. SUPPORT?

The United States has given what U.S. officials say is significant intelligence support to French forces in Mali, and has helped to airlift French troops and equipment into the country.

France wants more U.S. and European help to move its soldiers and materiel. More urgently, it wants U.S. aerial refueling capability for its planes, French officials said. That would help France conduct airstrikes to relieve pressure on French troops should they encounter trouble in northern Mali, they said.

A U.S. official said France's refueling request is under active consideration.

U.S. support has been "minimal" in practice, one U.S. official acknowledged on condition of anonymity. Washington, this official said, gave France a "hard time" when they asked for increased support, and the French will "remember us for that."

Obama, who took office when the United States was mired in two costly wars, has shown himself to be cautious - too cautious, mostly Republican critics say - about foreign military interventions. He limited the U.S. role in the campaign that helped oust Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and has resisted months of pressure for more muscular support for rebels fighting to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

There are disagreements within the White House and Congress about U.S. support for the Mali mission, said Republican Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

"This is not new ... We're seeing an ongoing debate about our participation level in Syria. We saw that same level of debate about our participation in Libya, and now we're having that exact same philosophical stalemate and debate on what we do with the French in Mali," Rogers said in an interview.

Obama and his aides "don't want their hand forced by French action," said Todd Moss, vice president of the Center for Global Development think tank and a former top official in the State Department's Africa bureau.

"There is very little, if any, political support in the U.S. for military action in a place like Mali," Moss said.

Obama spoke to Hollande by phone on Friday and "expressed his support for France's leadership of the international community's efforts to deny terrorists a safe haven in Mali," the White House said in a statement.

The White House said Hollande thanked Obama for the "significant support" provided by the United States.

LOOKING FOR AN EXIT STRATEGY

France has 2,500 soldiers in Mali, which it sent to block a southward advance on the Malian capital by Islamists occupying Mali's north. While French and Malian troops have appeared to make progress in recent days, the Islamists have proven to be better trained and equipped than France anticipated.

The U.N. Security Council last month authorized deployment of a 3,300-member African military force, known as AFISMA, to Mali. The full force was originally not expected to be ready until at least September. It now appears that the Africans will be contributing many more troops with a sharply accelerated deployment schedule, although there are questions about how well trained and equipped they are.

Even before Hollande acted, the United States had been reluctant for months about supporting international intervention in Mali, causing French-U.S. frictions at the United Nations.

Remembering that it took the Americans weeks to decide on their level of support for the aerial mission over Libya in 2011, France decided to act immediately when Islamist forces in Mali began moving south, the French officials said.

One French official described Obama's policy as almost "isolationist" - very reluctant to intervene, especially without a clear, easily sellable U.S. strategic interest at stake.

The Obama administration has said it will do whatever it can to ensure France is successful in disrupting the militants' progress.

Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said, "We continue to share the French goal of denying terrorists a safe haven in the region, and we support the French operation."

The United States, Vietor noted, is working to accelerate the deployment, training and equipping of the African force.

Privately, U.S. officials are more skeptical, suggesting that Paris has developed its plans on the fly, and has no clear exit strategy.

"I don't think it's a secret that the French military effort has evolved and developed over time, and as that's happened we've worked with them to get the clearest-possible picture of not just their short term planning but also how they view this operation looking in three months or three years," an Obama administration official said.

France has not specified how long its troops will stay in Mali, where they hope to split local Tuareg rebels away from AQIM militants and into talks with the Malian government.

"The longer we stay, the bigger the risks," the senior French official said.

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed and David Alexander, Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, David Lewis in Dakar, and Catherine Bremer in Paris; Writing by Warren Strobel; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-urgency-u-caution-collide-mali-operation-060813620.html

auld lang syne dick clark Happy new year fiscal cliff Pitbull Hannah Storm jenny mccarthy

Djokovic completes Australian Open hat trick

Serbia's Novak Djokovic kisses his trophy after defeating Britain's Andy Murray in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic kisses his trophy after defeating Britain's Andy Murray in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic tosses his racquet as he celebrates his win over Britain's Andy Murray in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Britain's Andy Murray rests after his loss to Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, is presented with the trophy by former Australian Open champion Andre Agassi after defeating Britain's Andy Murray, center, in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates his win over Britain's Andy Murray in the men's final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? No shirt ripping or bare-chested flexing this time.

Novak Djokovic completed his work before midnight, defeating Andy Murray in four sets for his third consecutive Australian Open title and fourth overall.

It was also the second time in three years Djokovic had beaten his longtime friend in this final. So the celebration was muted: a small victory shuffle, raised arms, a kiss for the trophy. No grand histrionics, although that's not to say the moment was lost on him.

"Winning it three in a row, it's incredible," Djokovic said after his 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 victory Sunday night. "It's very thrilling. I'm full of joy right now. It's going to give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season, that's for sure."

Nine other men had won consecutive Australian titles in the Open era, but none three straight years. One of them was Andre Agassi, who presented Djokovic with the trophy.

A year ago, Djokovic began his season with an epic 5-hour, 53-minute five-set win over Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, the longest Grand Slam final. He tore off his shirt to celebrate, the TV replays repeated constantly at this tournament.

He mimicked that celebration after coming back to beat Stanislas Wawrinka in five hours in a surprisingly tough fourth-round victory this time.

Since then, he's looked every bit the No. 1 player. He said he played "perfectly" in his 89-minute win over fourth-seeded David Ferrer in the semifinals Thursday night. Murray struggled to beat 17-time major winner Roger Federer in five sets in the semifinals Friday night, and still had the bad blisters on his feet to show for it in the final.

In a final that had the makings of a classic when two of the best returners in tennis were unable to get a break of serve in the first two sets that lasted 2:13, the difference may have hinged on something as light as a feather.

Preparing for a second serve at 2-2 in the second set tiebreaker, Murray was rocking back about to toss the ball when he stopped, paused and then walked onto the court and tried to grab a small white feather that was floating in his view. He went back to the baseline, bounced the ball another eight times and served too long.

After being called for a double-fault, Murray knocked the ball away in anger and flung his arm down. He didn't get close for the rest of the tiebreaker and was the first to drop serve in the match ? in the eighth game of the third set. Djokovic broke him twice in the fourth set, which by then had turned into an easy march to victory.

"It was strange," said Djokovic, adding that it swung the momentum his way. "It obviously did. ... He made a crucial double-fault."

Murray didn't blame his loss on the one distraction.

"I mean, I could have served. It just caught my eye before I served. I thought it was a good idea to move it," he said. "Maybe it wasn't because I obviously double-faulted.

"You know, at this level it can come down to just a few points here or there. My biggest chance was at the beginning of the second set ? didn't quite get it. When Novak had his chance at the end of the third, he got his."

Djokovic had five break-point chances in the opening set, including four after having Murray at 0-40 in the seventh game, but wasn't able to convert any of them.

Then he surrendered the tiebreaker with six unforced errors. Murray appeared to be the stronger of the two at the time. He'd beaten Djokovic in their last Grand Slam encounter, the U.S. Open final, and had the Serb so off balance at times in the first set that he slipped to the court and took skin off his knee.

Murray held serve to open the second set and had three break points at 0-40 in the second game, but Djokovic dug himself out of trouble and held.

"After that I felt just mentally a little bit lighter and more confident on the court than I've done in the first hour or so," Djokovic said. "I was serving better against him today in the first two sets than I've done in any of the match in the last two years."

Djokovic said he loves playing at Rod Laver Arena, where he won his first major title in 2008. He now has six Grand Slam titles altogether. Federer has won four of his 17 majors at Melbourne Park, and Agassi is the only other player to have won that many in Australia since 1968.

Djokovic was just finding his way at the top level when Agassi retired in 2006, but he had watched enough of the eight-time major winner to appreciate his impact.

"He's I think one of the players that changed the game ? not just the game itself, but also the way the people see it," Djokovic said. "So it was obviously a big pleasure and honor for me to receive the trophy from him."

Agassi was among the VIPs in the crowd, along with actor Kevin Spacey and Victoria Azarenka, who won the women's final in three sets against Li Na the previous night.

Murray broke the 76-year drought for British men at the majors when he won the U.S. Open last year and said he'll leave Melbourne slightly more upbeat than he has after defeats here in previous years.

"The last few months have been the best tennis of my life. I mean, I made Wimbledon final, won the Olympics, won the U.S. Open. You know, I was close here as well," he said. "No one's ever won a slam (immediately) after winning their first one. It's not the easiest thing to do. And I got extremely close.

"So, you know, I have to try and look at the positives of the last few months, and I think I'm going the right direction."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-27-Australian%20Open/id-61ac205c94114622880c0cf514933c8e

kenny chesney academy of country music awards brad paisley zac brown band aubrey born to run pranks

A matter of choice: 'Little Star' Baby shower

Back in July when I was still waddling around with my big baby bump my friend Sam threw a lovely Baby Shower for me. So when she announced that she was also expecting a baby my mind turned to making plans to return the compliment.

Sam found out she was having a little boy so I had my colour scheme sorted but I was trying to think of what else I could do to make it special. ?One day while changing Louka it came to me in a flash of inspiration....

Louka was wearing a star patterned babygrow and I happened to think that I'd have to keep that one for Sam as she loves anything and everything Starry. (well, and skulls but that's a much harder theme to work with!)

So our 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Baby shower was?conceived.....

With a fantastic whip round from the girls, we had a fantastic amount of presents for Sam and the baby. ?A?play mat?and arch as the main gift along with a whole host of 'baby essentials' - wipes, nappies, toiletries etc. ?I also created a 'Birth Day' Kit using an idea I'd seen on Pinterest, with little goodies just for Sam to take to hospital -?paracetamol, a notebook and pen, lip balm and face wipes among others

Mum and I spent an evening covering boxes and arranging all the goodies, Aaron made a poster with the meaning of the baby's name which we framed for the centre of the table. ?We decorated the room with blue tinsel, balloons and a home made banner reading 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'

I made a 'cake, sponge with fondant icing to match the theme and iced star shaped cookies for everyone to take home.

Knowing that many people do not enjoy lots of the 'typical' baby shower games as they often have a?tendency?to be naff I tried to find a line between doing nothing and being tacky. ?In the end we played 'Star Bingo', ? a fairly quick game using star phrases rather than numbers. (Wish upon a Star, Shooting Star, Star Bright and so on)

I also made a 'Name meaning Game' ?where you had to match the meanings to the list of names. ?I previously had looked up the meanings of all the names of the people who would be there and printed them out ready.

At Sam's request we also played the 'Guess the bump size game' that we played at mine. Each player takes a length of toilet paper they estimate to fit round the bump, closest wins. ?I wish I'd noted what mine had been but Sam was 8 sheets!

Everyone seemed to have a great night, it was lovely to meet up with the girls without all the children (there are quite a few between us all) and actually have a proper conversation. I loved all the planning and organising of the evening and Sam really enjoyed herself so it was more than worthwhile.

Source: http://emsyjo.blogspot.com/2013/01/little-star-baby-shower.html

meningitis bobby valentine bobby valentine nicki minaj miguel cabrera Karrueche Tran dodd frank

Russian parliament backs ban on "gay propaganda"

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's parliament backed a draft law on Friday banning "homosexual propaganda", in what critics see as an attempt to shore up support for President Vladimir Putin in the country's largely conservative society.

Only one deputy in the State Duma lower house voted against the bill, but passions spilled over outside the chamber, where 20 people were detained after scuffles between Russian Orthodox Christians and gay activists who staged a "kiss-in" protest.

"We live in Russia, not Sodom and Gomorrah," United Russia deputy Dmitry Sablin said before the 388-1 vote in the 450-seat chamber. "Russia is a thousands-years-old country founded on its own traditional values - the protection of which is dearer to me than even oil and gas."

Veteran human rights campaigner Lyudmila Alexeyeva described the draft law as "medieval" and said it was intended to appeal to conservative voters after months of protests that have sapped Putin's popularity.

"It (the Duma) is relying on the ignorance of people who think homosexuality is some sort of distortion," she said.

The legislation has served to deepen divisions in society since Putin returned to the presidency in May and began moves seen by the opposition as designed to crackdown on dissent and smother civil society.

During the process, Putin and his supporters have underlined what they see as conservative, traditional Russian values.

He has drawn closer to the Russian Orthodox Church during this time, hoping the support of one of the most influential institutions in Russia will consolidate his grip on power.

SCUFFLES OUTSIDE DUMA

In a sign of the passions caused by the bill, clashes broke out between supporters and opponents outside the Duma, a few hundred meters from the Kremlin in central Moscow.

Supporters, some of them holding Russian Orthodox icons and crosses, cheered and threw eggs as police hauled away gay activists, one of whom was splashed with green paint. Police said 20 people had been held.

The law must be passed in three readings by the lower house, approved by the upper house and then signed by Putin to go into force. It would ban the promotion of gay events across Russia and impose fines of up 500,000 roubles ($16,600) on organizers.

Supporters of the law welcome moves that would allow the banning of gay rights marches and complain about television and radio programs which they say show support for gay couples.

"The spread of gay propaganda among minors violates their rights," ruling United Russia party deputy, Elena Mizulina, who chairs the Duma's family issues committee. "Russian society is more conservative so the passing of this law is justified."

Putin's critics say the law is the latest in a series of legislative moves intended to stifle the opposition.

In a sign Kremlin-loyal lawmakers hope to eliminate all opposition in the house, two deputies who joined in street protests against Putin said on Friday that their Just Russia party threatened to kick them out if they continued to do so.

Public approval for Putin, who is now 60, stood in January at 62 percent, the lowest level since June 2000, an independent pollster said on Thursday.

PUTIN AND THE CHURCH

Putin, a former KGB spy who has criticized gays for failing to help reverse Russia's population decline, has increasingly looked for support among conservative constituencies and particularly the church to offset his falling support.

The Russian Orthodox Church, resurgent since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has spoken out against homosexuality. Putin drew closer to the clergy during the trial and sentencing this summer of three members of the Pussy Riot punk band over their protest in the country's main cathedral.

Anti-gay propaganda laws are already in place in Arkhangelsk, Novosibirsk and St Petersburg, Putin's home city, where it was used unsuccessfully to sue American singer Madonna for $10 million for promoting gay love during a concert last year.

Some deputies raised concerns the bill would be misused, asking how it would define homosexuality, and one said the house was meddling in issues beyond its scope.

"Do you seriously think that you can foster homosexuality via propaganda?" the only deputy who voted against the bill, United Russia's Sergei Kuzin, challenged its authors during the debate.

Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but much of the gay community remains underground and prejudice runs deep.

In Moscow, city authorities have repeatedly declined permission to stage gay parades and gay rights' allies have often ended in arrests and clashes with anti-gay activists.

(Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova and Alissa de Carbonnel; Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-parliament-backs-ban-gay-propaganda-154920419.html

dr dog ke$ha earl csco big bend national park leon russell meredith vieira

GOP senators will oppose Va electoral change (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/279536487?client_source=feed&format=rss

the alamo anencephaly tesla model x lou gehrig toby mac blue ivy carter photos purple squirrel

Kim Dotcom wants to encrypt half of the Internet to end government ...

Published: 25 January, 2013, 04:10

TAGS:
Obama, Protest, Politics, Law, Internet, Information Technology, USA, New Zealand, Anonymous, FBI, Court, Hacking

Photo by Andrew Blake

(167.7Mb) embed video

In an in-depth interview, Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom discusses the investigation against his now-defunct file-storage site, his possible extradition to the US, the future of Internet freedoms and his latest project Mega with RT?s Andrew Blake.

The United States government says that Dotcom, a German millionaire formerly known as Kim Schmitz, masterminded a vast criminal conspiracy by operating the file-storage site Megaupload. Dotcom, on the other hand, begs to differ. One year after the high-profile raid of his home and the shut-down and seizure of one of the most popular sites on the Web, Dotcom hosted a launch party for his latest endeavor, simply called Mega. On the anniversary of the end of Megaupload, Dotcom discusses the year since his arrest and what the future holds in regards to both his court case and the Internet alike. Speaking with RT?s Andrew Blake from his Coatesville, New Zealand mansion, Dotcom weighs in on the US justice system, the death of Aaron Swartz, the growing surveillance state, his own cooperation with the feds and much more.

'?Hollywood is a very important contributor to Obama'

RT: You?ve blamed President Obama and the Obama administration for colluding with movie companies in order to orchestrate this giant arrest here in New Zealand. Is this kind of give-and-take relationship between Washington and Hollywood all that you say it is? Or are you just the exception? Does this really exist?

Kim Dotcom: You have to look at the players behind this case, okay? The driving force, of course, is Chris Dodd, the chairman of the MPAA [Motion Picture Association of America]. And he was senator for a long time and he is ? according to [US Vice President] Joe Biden ? Joe Biden?s best friend. And the state attorney that is in charge of this case has been Joe Biden?s personal counsel, Neil MacBride, and [he] also worked as an anti-piracy manager for the BSA, the Business Software Association, which is basically like the MPAA but for software companies.

And also, the timing is very interesting, you know? Election time. The fundraisers in Hollywood set for February, March [and] April. There had to have some sort of Plan B, an alternative for SOPA [the Stop Online Piracy Act], because the president certainly was aware ? and his team at the White House was aware ? that if they don?t have anything to give at those fundraisers, to those guys in Hollywood who are eager to have more control over the Internet, they wouldn?t have probably raised too much. And Hollywood is a very important contributor to Obama?s campaign. Not just with money, but also with media support. They control a lot of media: celebrity endorsements and all that.

So I?m sure the election plays an important role. The relationships of the people that are in charge of this case play an important role and, of course, we have facts that we want to present at our extradition hearing that will show some more detail about this and that this is not just some conspiracy theory but that this actually happened.

'Operation Takedown'

RT: The US Justice Department wants to extradite you, a German citizen living in New Zealand operating a business in Hong Kong. They want to extradite you to the US. Is that even possible?

KD: That is a very interesting question because the extradition law, the extradition treaty in New Zealand, doesn?t really allow extradition for copyright. So what they did, they threw some extra charges on top and one of them is racketeering, where they basically say we are a mafia organization and we set up our Internet business to basically be an organized crime network that was set up and structured the way it was just to do criminal copyright infringement. And anyone who has every used Megaupload and has any idea about how that website worked knows immediately that it was total nonsense. But they needed to chop that on in order to have even a chance for extradition. But in our opinion, you see, all of that was secondary. The primary goal was to take down Megaupload and destroy it completely. That was their mission and that?s why the whole thing in Hong Kong, for example, they called it Operation Takedown. And I think everything that?s happening now, they are trying on the fly to doctor it around, and found a way to find a case. They probably came here and thought, ?We will find something; that these guys have done something wrong.? In the indictment, if you actually read that, it?s more like a press release. There?s nothing in there that has any merits.

RT: When the raid happened one year ago today, it got a lot of people talking both about the Internet and about this character, Kim Dotcom. But it was a lot of talking and not so much action, because here it is one year later and this case is still happening. Back up earlier this month, and we saw Aaron Swartz ? an online information activist ? pass away, and only in his mid-20s. And it got a lot of people talking, so much so that members of Congress have actually asked for changes to federal computer laws so that this doesn?t happen again. What is it actually going to take to get people to stop just talking and to actually start acting?

KD: Our case is going to be the one that will have much more attention down the road because it is a crucial case for Internet freedom. And I think more and more people realize that and the government is quite exposed here because they really went in with completely prosecutorial abuse and overreach and ignoring due process, ignoring our rights, spying on us, illegal search warrants, illegal restraining orders, illegal spying. The whole picture, when you look at it, shows that this was an urgent mission, done on a rush. ?Take them down, I want them to go.? And it was a political decision to do that. And the execution was extremely poor, and the case is extremely poor, because that is something they thought that they could worry about later. It was all about the takedown. ?Let?s send a strong message to Hollywood that we are on their side.?

RT:And now it?s been a year and nothing has progressed. At least for them. It seems like the case is falling apart day by day.

KD: Let me give you one example of how crazy this is. We have a judge here who said, ?Please show us your evidence about your racketeering allegations. Show us that these guys were setting up some sort of organized crime network,? because that?s what the extradition will focus on primarily. They are using the organized crime treaty to get us extradited. So the US appealed that and said, ?We don?t want to show you what we have.? And then they appealed to the high court and the high court then said, ?We want to see it.? And they just keep appealing it, all the way to the court of appeals and to the Supreme Court. And what does that tell you? If you don?t even want to show us your cards ? show us what you have! If you have such a strong case and are seriously interested about getting someone extradited, why waste all this time? Just show your hand. And they don?t have anything because we haven?t done anything wrong. We were law abiding. We were a good corporate citizen. And they knew that the time they came here to do this. They just wanted to take us down.

'I want to reestablish a balance between a person and the state'

RT :The new program, Mega, is fully encrypted, and you?re touting it as an encrypted program so that people will want to use it. Do you think this is even necessary, right now, that people need encryption on the Internet?

KD: I think it?s important for the Internet that there is more encryption. Because what I have learned since I got dragged into this case is a lot about privacy abuses, about the government spying on people. You know, the US government invests a lot of money in spy clouds: massive data centers with hundreds of thousands of hard drives storing data. And what they are storing is basically any communication that traverses through US networks. And what that means they are not spying on individuals based on a warrant anymore. They just spy on everybody, permanently, all the time. And what that means for you and for anybody is that if you are ever a target of any kind of investigation, or someone has a political agenda against you, or a prosecutor doesn?t like you, or the police wants to interpret something in a way to get you in trouble ? they can use all that data, go through it with a comb and find things even though we think we have nothing to hide and have done nothing wrong. They will find something that they can nail you with and that?s why it?s wrong to have these kinds of privacy abuses, and I decided to create a solution that overtime will encrypt more and more of the internet. So we start with files, we will then move to emails, and then move to Voice-Over-IP communication. And our API [Application Programming Interface] is available to any third-party developer to also create their own tools. And my goal is, within the next five years, I want to encrypt half of the Internet. Just reestablish a balance between a person ? an individual ? and the state. Because right now, we are living very close to this vision of George Orwell and I think it?s not the right way. It?s the wrong path that the government is on, thinking that they can spy on everybody.

RT: Long before Megaupload was ever taken down, the Justice Department was looking into Ninja Video and you actually cooperated with them. People want to know: how is Kim Dotcom, this guy who is incredibly against Washington and hates everything that they?ve done to him, how is this same guy also helping out the Justice Department?

KD: Let me explain to you how this worked, okay? I was a good corporate citizen. My company was abiding to the laws. If we get a search warrant or we get a request by the government to assist in an investigation, we will comply and we have always complied. And that is the right thing to do, because if someone uploads child pornography or someone uploads terrorist stuff or anything that is a serious crime, of course we are there to help. This is our obligation. And I am not for copyright infringement. People need to understand that. I?m against copyright infringement. But I?m also against copyright extremism. And I?m against a business model: the one from Hollywood that encourages piracy. Megaupload is not responsible for the piracy problem, you see? It?s the Hollywood studios that release a movie in the US, and then six months later in other parts of the world. And everyone knows that the movie is out there and fans of a particular actress want to have it right now, but they are not giving them any opportunity to get access to that content even though they are willing to pay. And they are looking for alternatives on the Internet, and then they find them. They are trying to make me responsible for their lack of ability to adapt to a new reality, which is the Internet, where everything happens now. It doesn?t happen three months later. Imagine you go to Wikipedia. You want to find something, research an article, and they tell you to come back in three months, ?We?ll give it to you then.? If you find another site where you can get it right now, that?s where you go, right? So it?s really their business model that is responsible for this issue. And if they don?t adopt, they will be left behind on this side of the road of history like many others who haven?t adopted in the past.

'I?m not Aaron Swartz. Aaron Swartz is my hero. He was selfless'

RT: What about your skeptics who point out this big playboy lifestyle and this giant, elaborate house and say ?He?s not worried about Internet freedoms, he?s just worried about protecting his profits??

KD: Let me be clear: I am a businessman, okay? I started Megaupload as a business to make money. I wanted to list the company. I am an entrepreneur, alright? I?m not Aaron Swartz. Aaron Swartz is my hero. He was selfless. He is completely the opposite of me, but I?m a businessman. I?m driven by the success of achieving something in the business world. That?s not a crime. There is nothing wrong with that. And if you create something that is popular and that people want to use, you automatically make money. And I?ve always been an innovator. I?ve always created products that people like. And that?s why I?m successful. I?m not successful because people have used Megaupload for copyright infringement. And what everyone needs to understand [is] there have been massive amounts of legitimate users on Megaupload. We don?t believe that 50 million users a day are all just transferring piracy. That?s wrong. A lot of people have used it to back up their data, to send a file quickly to a friend. Young artists have used it to get traction, to get downloads, to get known. There was a lot of legitimate use on Megaupload. It?s a dual-use technology, just like the Internet. You can go to any ISP right now, anyone who connects customers to the Internet. And if they are honest to you and you ask them the question ?How much of your traffic is peer-to-peer piracy?? anyone who will tell you less than 50 percent is lying to your face. This is a problem of the Internet and not Megaupload.

RT: If you weren?t doing Mega, or Megaupload, what would you be doing? Here?s this businessman who strives to accomplish success. What would you be doing?

KD: I would probably build spaceships and we would probably already be on Mars.

RT: What happens next, though? What are the chances of Mega being shut down. We already saw that radio stations were pulling ads.

KD: The content industry is still very emotional about us.We bought radio ads with one of the major networks here for eight radio stations. Very funny, very cool ads, promoting our service as a privacy service. And the labels called up the radio station, and one advertiser who is in the movie business called up the radio station, and demanded those adds to be taken down or else they will not buy ads from them anymore. And they were forced because they rely, of course, on that advertisement. My campaign was comparably small to the amount that they are sending. So they used their power to interfere in our right to have a media campaign, an ad campaign. And that just shows you that attitude. It?s against the law. They can?t do that. That?s interfering in our business and they have done that many times in the past. Calling payment processors, calling advertisers, telling them, ?I don?t want you to work with these guys.? That?s just wrong. If you have an issue with us, go hire a lawyer, sue us, take us to court and then see if you have anything that will give you a judgment against us. But instead, they use that power and their money to get new laws made for them, to lobby politicians, to get the White House to come here and destroy our lives. Destroy 220 jobs. Hardworking innocent people and they don?t give a damn about that. They had an agenda that is about more control over the Internet. And they made a strategic decision to say ?Who are we going to take out to send a strong message?? And I was the one.

\"If they come to attack us, it?s just going to backfire\"

RT: But what happens if Mega is shut down? You are only on day one right now. How long is it going to take before the government steps up again and what are you going to do if that happens? Are you prepared to just start all over again? It?s been one year and here you are, doing this over again, what happens when Uncle Sam puts his foot down and grinds you into the dirt again? Do you get back up?

KD: Here is the thing. This startup is probably the most scrutinized when it comes to legal advice. Every single aspect of it has been under the looking glass by our legal team. So we are confident that it?s fully compliant with the law, and if they come to attack us it?s just going to backfire. Exactly like the Megaupload case did. The shutdown of our site backfired already, massively. And it?s just going to get worse for them. If they think they can pursue this and get away with this, they are dead wrong. Because the society is not on their side. Everyone who uses the Internet knows what?s going on here. They don?t like what?s going on here. They saw it with SOPA and you will see it with our case. People will come together and fight this kind of aggression against innovation and Internet freedom.

\"We are all the little puppets that they think they can kick around\"

RT: After Megaupload was shut down by the FBI last year, hacktivist with the movement Anonymous retaliated, so to speak. In response, they went and took down the websites for the FBI, the Motion Picture Association of America, the Department of Justice, the Recording Industry Association of America. All of these organizations were shut down by Anonymous in response to what they did to you. These were people who you never met but were so moved by what happened that they had to stand up and do something. Did you ever thank them, and how did you take it? How did you respond to their reaction?

KD: It?s a kind of virtual protest, you know? I think it?s not a good idea to shut down websites. I?ve been a hacker myself. I understand why they are doing it and how they are doing it, but I think there are better ways to protest. Where you organize yourself in a group and do petitions and actually email congressmen, email your local politicians, let them know about what you don?t like. Organize your movement rather than attacking. I had a sense of understanding for them because everyone had stored so much data on Megaupload, and then all of a sudden a site like that disappears and billions of files are taken offline, the majority of them perfectly legitimate. You need to understand one thing: 50 percent of all files that were ever uploaded to Megaupload have not even been downloaded once. That clearly shows the non-infringing use. People just wanted to store their stuff on our site. And of course they were outraged when that disappeared and the government said, ?We don?t give a care and we don?t give a damn about you people. We don?t care that you have your personal documents there because we have our agenda and we are going to take over the Internet.? And you know the White House was supporting SOPA, and only when the masses came together ? and Aaron Swartz: he stopped SOPA. With his efforts, he stopped SOPA. And he became a target. A political target, okay? And that?s why all these things happened to him. There is no reasonable cause behind going after a young genius like that in the fashion they did. It?s political. Because the White House wanted SOPA. They promised it to Hollywood and they failed and they couldn?t go ahead because the White House was afraid if they keep pushing hard and they keep pushing it forward, that the people who oppose it are not going to vote for Obama in the reelection campaign. So it?s all a game to them really and we are all the little puppets that they think they can kick around. So we need to organize. There needs to be a movement that identifies these things and fights that. Not with shutting down websites but with real protests. Going out on the streets, writing to politicians and especially, most importantly, don?t vote for the guys that are against Internet freedom. Anyone who voted for SOPA, you should have a close look at that guy. Do I want to give him my vote next time around? Because that?s the only language politicians understand is your vote. And if you can bring all these votes together, somehow pooled for Internet freedom, you will see all these efforts disappear. Because at the end of the day, they represent the public. Politicians represent the public. And when they have enough pressure they can?t move forward. And SOPA was the best example for that.

"); $(".tail_text").show(500); return false; }

The United States government says that Dotcom, a German millionaire formerly known as Kim Schmitz, masterminded a vast criminal conspiracy by operating the file-storage site Megaupload. Dotcom, on the other hand, begs to differ. One year after the high-profile raid of his home and the shut-down and seizure of one of the most popular sites on the Web, Dotcom hosted a launch party for his latest endeavor, simply called Mega. On the anniversary of the end of Megaupload, Dotcom discusses the year since his arrest and what the future holds in regards to both his court case and the Internet alike. Speaking with RT?s Andrew Blake from his Coatesville, New Zealand mansion, Dotcom weighs in on the US justice system, the death of Aaron Swartz, the growing surveillance state, his own cooperation with the feds and much more.

'?Hollywood is a very important contributor to Obama'

RT: You?ve blamed President Obama and the Obama administration for colluding with movie companies in order to orchestrate this giant arrest here in New Zealand. Is this kind of give-and-take relationship between Washington and Hollywood all that you say it is? Or are you just the exception? Does this really exist?

Kim Dotcom: You have to look at the players behind this case, okay? The driving force, of course, is Chris Dodd, the chairman of the MPAA [Motion Picture Association of America]. And he was senator for a long time and he is ? according to [US Vice President] Joe Biden ? Joe Biden?s best friend. And the state attorney that is in charge of this case has been Joe Biden?s personal counsel, Neil MacBride, and [he] also worked as an anti-piracy manager for the BSA, the Business Software Association, which is basically like the MPAA but for software companies.

And also, the timing is very interesting, you know? Election time. The fundraisers in Hollywood set for February, March [and] April. There had to have some sort of Plan B, an alternative for SOPA [the Stop Online Piracy Act], because the president certainly was aware ? and his team at the White House was aware ? that if they don?t have anything to give at those fundraisers, to those guys in Hollywood who are eager to have more control over the Internet, they wouldn?t have probably raised too much. And Hollywood is a very important contributor to Obama?s campaign. Not just with money, but also with media support. They control a lot of media: celebrity endorsements and all that.

So I?m sure the election plays an important role. The relationships of the people that are in charge of this case play an important role and, of course, we have facts that we want to present at our extradition hearing that will show some more detail about this and that this is not just some conspiracy theory but that this actually happened.

'Operation Takedown'

RT: The US Justice Department wants to extradite you, a German citizen living in New Zealand operating a business in Hong Kong. They want to extradite you to the US. Is that even possible?

KD: That is a very interesting question because the extradition law, the extradition treaty in New Zealand, doesn?t really allow extradition for copyright. So what they did, they threw some extra charges on top and one of them is racketeering, where they basically say we are a mafia organization and we set up our Internet business to basically be an organized crime network that was set up and structured the way it was just to do criminal copyright infringement. And anyone who has every used Megaupload and has any idea about how that website worked knows immediately that it was total nonsense. But they needed to chop that on in order to have even a chance for extradition. But in our opinion, you see, all of that was secondary. The primary goal was to take down Megaupload and destroy it completely. That was their mission and that?s why the whole thing in Hong Kong, for example, they called it Operation Takedown. And I think everything that?s happening now, they are trying on the fly to doctor it around, and found a way to find a case. They probably came here and thought, ?We will find something; that these guys have done something wrong.? In the indictment, if you actually read that, it?s more like a press release. There?s nothing in there that has any merits.

RT: When the raid happened one year ago today, it got a lot of people talking both about the Internet and about this character, Kim Dotcom. But it was a lot of talking and not so much action, because here it is one year later and this case is still happening. Back up earlier this month, and we saw Aaron Swartz ? an online information activist ? pass away, and only in his mid-20s. And it got a lot of people talking, so much so that members of Congress have actually asked for changes to federal computer laws so that this doesn?t happen again. What is it actually going to take to get people to stop just talking and to actually start acting?

KD: Our case is going to be the one that will have much more attention down the road because it is a crucial case for Internet freedom. And I think more and more people realize that and the government is quite exposed here because they really went in with completely prosecutorial abuse and overreach and ignoring due process, ignoring our rights, spying on us, illegal search warrants, illegal restraining orders, illegal spying. The whole picture, when you look at it, shows that this was an urgent mission, done on a rush. ?Take them down, I want them to go.? And it was a political decision to do that. And the execution was extremely poor, and the case is extremely poor, because that is something they thought that they could worry about later. It was all about the takedown. ?Let?s send a strong message to Hollywood that we are on their side.?

RT:And now it?s been a year and nothing has progressed. At least for them. It seems like the case is falling apart day by day.

KD: Let me give you one example of how crazy this is. We have a judge here who said, ?Please show us your evidence about your racketeering allegations. Show us that these guys were setting up some sort of organized crime network,? because that?s what the extradition will focus on primarily. They are using the organized crime treaty to get us extradited. So the US appealed that and said, ?We don?t want to show you what we have.? And then they appealed to the high court and the high court then said, ?We want to see it.? And they just keep appealing it, all the way to the court of appeals and to the Supreme Court. And what does that tell you? If you don?t even want to show us your cards ? show us what you have! If you have such a strong case and are seriously interested about getting someone extradited, why waste all this time? Just show your hand. And they don?t have anything because we haven?t done anything wrong. We were law abiding. We were a good corporate citizen. And they knew that the time they came here to do this. They just wanted to take us down.

'I want to reestablish a balance between a person and the state'

RT :The new program, Mega, is fully encrypted, and you?re touting it as an encrypted program so that people will want to use it. Do you think this is even necessary, right now, that people need encryption on the Internet?

KD: I think it?s important for the Internet that there is more encryption. Because what I have learned since I got dragged into this case is a lot about privacy abuses, about the government spying on people. You know, the US government invests a lot of money in spy clouds: massive data centers with hundreds of thousands of hard drives storing data. And what they are storing is basically any communication that traverses through US networks. And what that means they are not spying on individuals based on a warrant anymore. They just spy on everybody, permanently, all the time. And what that means for you and for anybody is that if you are ever a target of any kind of investigation, or someone has a political agenda against you, or a prosecutor doesn?t like you, or the police wants to interpret something in a way to get you in trouble ? they can use all that data, go through it with a comb and find things even though we think we have nothing to hide and have done nothing wrong. They will find something that they can nail you with and that?s why it?s wrong to have these kinds of privacy abuses, and I decided to create a solution that overtime will encrypt more and more of the internet. So we start with files, we will then move to emails, and then move to Voice-Over-IP communication. And our API [Application Programming Interface] is available to any third-party developer to also create their own tools. And my goal is, within the next five years, I want to encrypt half of the Internet. Just reestablish a balance between a person ? an individual ? and the state. Because right now, we are living very close to this vision of George Orwell and I think it?s not the right way. It?s the wrong path that the government is on, thinking that they can spy on everybody.

RT: Long before Megaupload was ever taken down, the Justice Department was looking into Ninja Video and you actually cooperated with them. People want to know: how is Kim Dotcom, this guy who is incredibly against Washington and hates everything that they?ve done to him, how is this same guy also helping out the Justice Department?

KD: Let me explain to you how this worked, okay? I was a good corporate citizen. My company was abiding to the laws. If we get a search warrant or we get a request by the government to assist in an investigation, we will comply and we have always complied. And that is the right thing to do, because if someone uploads child pornography or someone uploads terrorist stuff or anything that is a serious crime, of course we are there to help. This is our obligation. And I am not for copyright infringement. People need to understand that. I?m against copyright infringement. But I?m also against copyright extremism. And I?m against a business model: the one from Hollywood that encourages piracy. Megaupload is not responsible for the piracy problem, you see? It?s the Hollywood studios that release a movie in the US, and then six months later in other parts of the world. And everyone knows that the movie is out there and fans of a particular actress want to have it right now, but they are not giving them any opportunity to get access to that content even though they are willing to pay. And they are looking for alternatives on the Internet, and then they find them. They are trying to make me responsible for their lack of ability to adapt to a new reality, which is the Internet, where everything happens now. It doesn?t happen three months later. Imagine you go to Wikipedia. You want to find something, research an article, and they tell you to come back in three months, ?We?ll give it to you then.? If you find another site where you can get it right now, that?s where you go, right? So it?s really their business model that is responsible for this issue. And if they don?t adopt, they will be left behind on this side of the road of history like many others who haven?t adopted in the past.

'I?m not Aaron Swartz. Aaron Swartz is my hero. He was selfless'

RT: What about your skeptics who point out this big playboy lifestyle and this giant, elaborate house and say ?He?s not worried about Internet freedoms, he?s just worried about protecting his profits??

KD: Let me be clear: I am a businessman, okay? I started Megaupload as a business to make money. I wanted to list the company. I am an entrepreneur, alright? I?m not Aaron Swartz. Aaron Swartz is my hero. He was selfless. He is completely the opposite of me, but I?m a businessman. I?m driven by the success of achieving something in the business world. That?s not a crime. There is nothing wrong with that. And if you create something that is popular and that people want to use, you automatically make money. And I?ve always been an innovator. I?ve always created products that people like. And that?s why I?m successful. I?m not successful because people have used Megaupload for copyright infringement. And what everyone needs to understand [is] there have been massive amounts of legitimate users on Megaupload. We don?t believe that 50 million users a day are all just transferring piracy. That?s wrong. A lot of people have used it to back up their data, to send a file quickly to a friend. Young artists have used it to get traction, to get downloads, to get known. There was a lot of legitimate use on Megaupload. It?s a dual-use technology, just like the Internet. You can go to any ISP right now, anyone who connects customers to the Internet. And if they are honest to you and you ask them the question ?How much of your traffic is peer-to-peer piracy?? anyone who will tell you less than 50 percent is lying to your face. This is a problem of the Internet and not Megaupload.

RT: If you weren?t doing Mega, or Megaupload, what would you be doing? Here?s this businessman who strives to accomplish success. What would you be doing?

KD: I would probably build spaceships and we would probably already be on Mars.

RT: What happens next, though? What are the chances of Mega being shut down. We already saw that radio stations were pulling ads.

KD: The content industry is still very emotional about us.We bought radio ads with one of the major networks here for eight radio stations. Very funny, very cool ads, promoting our service as a privacy service. And the labels called up the radio station, and one advertiser who is in the movie business called up the radio station, and demanded those adds to be taken down or else they will not buy ads from them anymore. And they were forced because they rely, of course, on that advertisement. My campaign was comparably small to the amount that they are sending. So they used their power to interfere in our right to have a media campaign, an ad campaign. And that just shows you that attitude. It?s against the law. They can?t do that. That?s interfering in our business and they have done that many times in the past. Calling payment processors, calling advertisers, telling them, ?I don?t want you to work with these guys.? That?s just wrong. If you have an issue with us, go hire a lawyer, sue us, take us to court and then see if you have anything that will give you a judgment against us. But instead, they use that power and their money to get new laws made for them, to lobby politicians, to get the White House to come here and destroy our lives. Destroy 220 jobs. Hardworking innocent people and they don?t give a damn about that. They had an agenda that is about more control over the Internet. And they made a strategic decision to say ?Who are we going to take out to send a strong message?? And I was the one.

"If they come to attack us, it?s just going to backfire"

RT: But what happens if Mega is shut down? You are only on day one right now. How long is it going to take before the government steps up again and what are you going to do if that happens? Are you prepared to just start all over again? It?s been one year and here you are, doing this over again, what happens when Uncle Sam puts his foot down and grinds you into the dirt again? Do you get back up?

KD: Here is the thing. This startup is probably the most scrutinized when it comes to legal advice. Every single aspect of it has been under the looking glass by our legal team. So we are confident that it?s fully compliant with the law, and if they come to attack us it?s just going to backfire. Exactly like the Megaupload case did. The shutdown of our site backfired already, massively. And it?s just going to get worse for them. If they think they can pursue this and get away with this, they are dead wrong. Because the society is not on their side. Everyone who uses the Internet knows what?s going on here. They don?t like what?s going on here. They saw it with SOPA and you will see it with our case. People will come together and fight this kind of aggression against innovation and Internet freedom.

"We are all the little puppets that they think they can kick around"

RT: After Megaupload was shut down by the FBI last year, hacktivist with the movement Anonymous retaliated, so to speak. In response, they went and took down the websites for the FBI, the Motion Picture Association of America, the Department of Justice, the Recording Industry Association of America. All of these organizations were shut down by Anonymous in response to what they did to you. These were people who you never met but were so moved by what happened that they had to stand up and do something. Did you ever thank them, and how did you take it? How did you respond to their reaction?

KD: It?s a kind of virtual protest, you know? I think it?s not a good idea to shut down websites. I?ve been a hacker myself. I understand why they are doing it and how they are doing it, but I think there are better ways to protest. Where you organize yourself in a group and do petitions and actually email congressmen, email your local politicians, let them know about what you don?t like. Organize your movement rather than attacking. I had a sense of understanding for them because everyone had stored so much data on Megaupload, and then all of a sudden a site like that disappears and billions of files are taken offline, the majority of them perfectly legitimate. You need to understand one thing: 50 percent of all files that were ever uploaded to Megaupload have not even been downloaded once. That clearly shows the non-infringing use. People just wanted to store their stuff on our site. And of course they were outraged when that disappeared and the government said, ?We don?t give a care and we don?t give a damn about you people. We don?t care that you have your personal documents there because we have our agenda and we are going to take over the Internet.? And you know the White House was supporting SOPA, and only when the masses came together ? and Aaron Swartz: he stopped SOPA. With his efforts, he stopped SOPA. And he became a target. A political target, okay? And that?s why all these things happened to him. There is no reasonable cause behind going after a young genius like that in the fashion they did. It?s political. Because the White House wanted SOPA. They promised it to Hollywood and they failed and they couldn?t go ahead because the White House was afraid if they keep pushing hard and they keep pushing it forward, that the people who oppose it are not going to vote for Obama in the reelection campaign. So it?s all a game to them really and we are all the little puppets that they think they can kick around. So we need to organize. There needs to be a movement that identifies these things and fights that. Not with shutting down websites but with real protests. Going out on the streets, writing to politicians and especially, most importantly, don?t vote for the guys that are against Internet freedom. Anyone who voted for SOPA, you should have a close look at that guy. Do I want to give him my vote next time around? Because that?s the only language politicians understand is your vote. And if you can bring all these votes together, somehow pooled for Internet freedom, you will see all these efforts disappear. Because at the end of the day, they represent the public. Politicians represent the public. And when they have enough pressure they can?t move forward. And SOPA was the best example for that.

Source: http://rt.com/usa/news/kim-dotcom-interview-mega-673/

hiroki kuroda kuroda gene hackman pineda john edwards heart condition mena suvari joyful noise