Monday, January 2, 2012

Hackers target emails of Gordon Brown - report

LONDON | Mon Jan 2, 2012 11:54am GMT

(Reuters) - Police have found evidence that private investigators working for newspapers hacked into the email account of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown while he was finance minister, The Independent newspaper reported on Monday.
Hundreds of other people may have also had their emails intercepted, perhaps as many as were caught up in the phone hacking scandal at News International's now defunct News of the World tabloid, the paper said.
Detectives were looking at evidence from about 20 computers seized from private investigators, the newspaper reported.
The team at London's Scotland Yard police headquarters were looking into the possibility that several newspaper titles commissioned private detectives to access computers, The Independent said, citing an unnamed source.
The Brown emails under scrutiny dated from the time he was finance minister before he became prime minister in 2007. Former Labour advisor and lobbyist Derek Draper was also targeted, The Independent said.
The Metropolitan police would not comment on the report.
"We are not prepared to give a running commentary on this investigation," a spokesman said.
News International, the British newspaper arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, also declined to comment.
The group closed the News of the World in July 2011 after evidence emerged that investigators working for the title hacked into the mobile phone voicemails of celebrities, politicians and even murder victims.
It is the only newspaper that has admitted phone hacking, although some journalists and celebrities have said the practice was widespread in the tabloid press.
News International's titles were not singled out in the Independent's report on email hacking.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

JennaElfman Jenna Elfman

"Just because you aren't aware of it (or choose not to see it), doesn't mean it ain't happening." -Me (About many things.)

kmurph Kristen Murphy

I just unlocked the Level 6 "Fresh Brew" badge on @foursquare! Huzzah! 4sq.com/vG03p3

UK album sales fell in 2011 but digital downloads rose

2 January 2012 Last updated at 07:18 ET

UK album sales fell in 2011 but digital downloads rose

Album sales declined in 2011 despite Adele selling 3.8 million copies of her album 21

Digital music sales continued to rise in the UK in 2011, but not by enough to prevent an overall decline in album sales, according to the BPI.

The music industry body said that 26.6 million digital albums were sold, a 24% rise on the previous year.
However, CD album sales fell by 13% to 86.2 million discs. Overall, 6% fewer albums were sold than in 2010.
The BPI blamed the decline on piracy and accused the government of taking too long to tackle the problem.
'Creative crunch' Digital downloads have recorded rapid growth over recent years. In 2007, only 6.2 million albums were bought as files over the internet according to The Official Charts Company.
The year 2011's tally was more than four times that amount. Fifteen albums sold more than 100,000 digital copies, with Adele's 21 proving the most popular.
However, shoppers still showed a preference for CDs, buying more than three times the number of albums on disc than downloads.
The BPI said that "physical ownership" still played an important role, but said "a backdrop of chronic piracy" posed risks to the music industry.
"While other countries take positive steps to protect their creative sector, our government is taking too long to act on piracy, while weakening copyright to the benefit of the US tech giants," said Geoff Taylor, the BPI's chief executive.
"The UK has already fallen behind Germany as a music market. Unless decisive action is taken in 2012, investment in music could fall again - a creative crunch that will destroy jobs."
Letters The government is pursuing a plan that would involve rights holders sending lists of internet addresses suspected of illegal downloads to internet service providers (ISPs).

2011 Official Artist Albums Chart

1. 21 - Adele
2. Christmas - Michael Buble
3. Doo-Wops & Hooligans - Bruno Mars
4. 19 - Adele
5. Mylo Xylo - Coldplay
6. Loud - Rihanna
7. Born This Way - Lady Gaga
8. Who You Are - Jessie J
9. + - Ed Sheeran
10. Talk That Talk - Rihanna

The ISPs would then send a letter to suspected account holders, saying that their account had been identified as being used to download copyright infringing material.

They would offer advice on how to prevent such illegal activity, but would not make demands for money or threaten disconnection.
By contrast, France has passed a law that allows pirates to be blocked from the net from one year after three infringements.
A spokesman for the UK Department for Culture Media and Sport said: "We will continue to work with industry on how they can better tackle online piracy but this is not an issue that ISPs or rights holders alone can deal with".
"All elements of the internet industry - payment companies, advertisers, search engines, ISPs and rights holders - need to play their part in tackling unlawful activity online."
Streaming While piracy may be partly to blame for the drop in album sales, the data also suggests changing buying habits.
Sales of singles rose for the fourth successive year to 177.9 million copies, versus 86.6 million in 2007.
Digital copies accounted for 98% of the sales. Each of the top 20 singles of the year sold more than 500,000 copies.
One industry watcher said this underlined the fact that shoppers had become more choosy.
"People now buy the individual songs they like rather than buying the whole album because they like a single," said Philip Buxton, an independent digital media consultant.
"So they might buy the single and then use services like Spotify and Lastfm to listen to the other tracks and are then much more selective about what they purchase.
"The implication for the record industry is that they need to embrace this new model rather than fight it."

Skynet, 1-2-12, pt 1&2 playlist from Computer World channel on Rhapsody

Right-click pic, select Open in New Tab, magnify pic.

1280 x 1024, or center scroll at 1024 x 768

disasterpastor Eric Bentsen

Reading the manual of the Sansa Clip + 4GB tells me I can't record radio. mp3support.sandisk.com/downloads/um/c…

The volume level from the headphone output is far too low, at least 30dB below consumer line level. I'm taking this mp3 player back for a refund, dammit.

Japanese worried about our hearing so much I can't hear the mp3 player through headphones above the noise from my refrigerator.

disasterpastor Eric Bentsen

Rhapsody Help - tinyurl.com/87aaseb

How do I renew content rights for downloaded tracks and Rhapsody Radio channels?

When you purchase a Rhapsody track, you are granted the content rights for that file indefinitely. However, when you download a Rhapsody track, you are "renting" the content rights for a period of 30 days.

In order to renew the content rights for downloaded tracks on your computer, sign in to your Rhapsody account at least once every 30 days.

To renew the content rights for Rhapsody Premier tracks and Rhapsody Radio channels you have transferred to your portable player or device, simply connect your portable device to your computer while Rhapsody is running (and your Rhapsody membership is current) at least once every 30 days.

The same is true of your Rhapsody channels. To keep your Rhapsody channels available and updated with fresh content, just sign in to your Rhapsody account at least once per month.

How do I transfer music from Rhapsody 4 to my supported device? http://tinyurl.com/7llpwrj

Gonna have to use my old mp3 player with the Line-In and record from the computer. I went to scratch my head and the audio cut out for a fraction of a second.

How do I cancel my Rhapsody membership or trial offer? http://tinyurl.com/87aaseb

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Group Sues Over Albany Redistricting, Saying ’12 Elections Are in Jeopardy

November 18, 2011

Group Sues Over Albany Redistricting, Saying ’12 Elections Are in Jeopardy

By THOMAS KAPLAN

As the State Legislature and the governor argue over how best to draw a new political map for New York State, a group of community leaders has filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to take control of the contentious redistricting process.
The lawsuit, which names Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders as defendants, asserts that the officials’ effort to redraw Assembly, Senate and Congressional district boundaries to reflect the most recent census “has stalled and threatens to throw the state’s 2012 elections into a quagmire absent court intervention.”
The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, follows similar legal challenges in more than a dozen states that are also in the midst of the often-bitter process of redrawing districts. In New York, it is the first major face-off in what seems likely to devolve into a chaotic legal battle, as well as a major fight in the legislative session that will begin in January.
A task force is working on drawing a set of political maps for consideration by the Legislature. But Mr. Cuomo has said he would veto those maps, because the panel is not independent. He has called on the Legislature to approve his plan for an independent commission; it has declined.
In an interview this week, the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, sketched out what he said could be a compromise — an eight-member bipartisan commission, with equal representation for each party, that would be appointed by the Legislature but made up entirely of people who are not lawmakers. The Democratic and Republican leaders in the Assembly and Senate would each appoint two members who would have equal funding, access to data and control of the map-making process.
“I think that goes a long way toward reform,” Mr. Silver said. “It wouldn’t be a political advantage to anybody. Majorities cannot just draw districts to the exclusion and the detriment of the minorities.”
Scott Reif, a spokesman for the Senate majority leader, Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, did not comment on Mr. Silver’s proposal, but he said: “Senate Republicans remain committed to a redistricting process that is bipartisan, open and fair. We look forward to continuing our discussions with the governor and others to enact a plan that is in the best interest of all New Yorkers.”
A stalemate between Mr. Cuomo and the Legislature would probably wind up in court, but the stakes for a legal battle are high and the timeline is short: The state primary elections next year could be as early as June, because of separate litigation over New York’s compliance with a federal law meant to ensure that residents serving in the military overseas have enough time to return ballots and be counted.
Among the six plaintiffs in the new redistricting lawsuit are a district leader in Brooklyn, a pastor in Westchester County and a lawyer from the Finger Lakes region who is mulling a State Senate bid. Their complaint described New York’s usual redistricting process as “an exercise in partisan self-dealing and incumbent protection.”
It also criticized the task force for not acting quickly enough to comply with a new law — the legality of which Republicans are disputing — specifying that for the purpose of drawing districts, prisoners should be counted in their hometowns, and not in the communities where the correctional facilities are located. Many prisoners are from downstate but are incarcerated upstate.
Richard Mancino, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, said that “the system here in New York is broken” and that lawmakers were intent on perpetuating the status quo “where the incumbents pick who their voters are going to be.” He said the possibility of primary elections as early as June made it prudent to mount a legal challenge now, instead of waiting until the legislative task force released a draft of district lines.
“If you wait for a flawed product to come out of the current system that will neither be independent nor nonpartisan nor apparently in compliance with the law,” Mr. Mancino said, “you’re going to be stuck with something that just won’t work.”
Mr. Mancino is a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, the New York City firm for which Mr. Cuomo’s father, former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, is of counsel. The law firm said he was not involved in the case.
Spokesmen for the current Governor Cuomo, Mr. Skelos and Mr. Silver declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Occupy SanFrancisco with KattOccupySF

disasterpastor Eric Bentsen

Recorded live on November 19, 2011 1:50 AM ET - *Autorecord* Occupy SanFrancisco with KattOccupySF- Live November ustream.tv/recorded/18611…

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Taxes to go up 14.5 percent in Cicero, NY

Taxes to go up 14.5 percent in Cicero

Published: 11/16 11:01 pm

Updated: 12:14 am

Cicero (WSYR-TV) -- The Cicero Town Board adopted a budget that includes a 14.5 percent tax increase Wednesday night, a move that’s bound to baffle and certainly anger people in the town of Cicero

The board was able to put together a budget, with a tax rate increase of just 2.75 percent, but when it came time to vote, three members shot it down – an effort that seemed to be led by Supervisor-elect Jim Corl. Board members Jessica Zambrano and Vernon Conway also voted no.

And the kicker: by voting no, the town, by law, is forced to default to the original proposal put forth by the supervisor, which includes the 14.5 percent tax increase.

Current Supervisor Judy Boyke said, "How the heck can you go ahead and do something like that? I can't believe it. I'm flabbergasted."

Ironically, Corl says he voted the budget down because he doesn't support a tax increase.

"Whether it's a two percent, a three percent, or five percent, it's still a tax increase and that's what I'm most concerned with and we can't afford tax increases and I think with proper planning we could have gotten to zero percent," said Corl.

Why not just vote yes and take the lesser of two evils? NewsChannel 9 asked Corl multiple times to explain his logic and got the same answer each time: “The direct message is we're not in favor of this budget because it does call for an increase."

Corl said the board should have started the process earlier; been more creative; come up with better solutions; and the burden falls on them.

Supervisor Boyke warned the board before the vote that if it failed, they would face a steeper tax hike.

"The people who voted no for this budget didn't even have an idea of what they were voting for because they have not paid attention to the budget right along," Boyke said.

"The people who voted no for this budget didn't even have an idea of what they were voting for because they have not paid attention to the budget right along," Corl said.

Former supervisor Joan Kesel said she's appalled and says the burden only falls on the taxpayer.

"I'm ashamed of them. I'm ashamed of every one of them that voted against the budget," Kesel said.

Property owners will pay about $44 more per $100,000 assessed value in 2012.

In 2012, the town will be working under the revised budget, which included that 2.75 percent tax rate increase.

As you know, New York imposed a two percent tax cap this year, which means everything the town collects over that two percent, will then be frozen by the state and can’t be touched by the town for another year. Sort of like a savings account, without any interest.

As for the budget itself, only $38,000 was cut from the police department after a plan to trim half a million dollars was met with opposition.

To help balance things out, about $400,000 was cut from the highway department that would have been used for road repairs and paving.