Arrests after wild boars released

28 April 2014 Last updated at 13:09 Farmer Greg Davies said 42 wild boars were still unaccounted for Six people have been arrested after wild boars were released during a burglary at a farm in Bridgend county.

More than 40 of the animals could be roaming the area after they were released from their pen following a break-in at Llangynwyd, near Maesteg, at 12:30 BST on Sunday.

Farmer Greg Davies holds a dangerous animals licence and had fencing to prevent escapes, said police.

Anyone who sees the boars is advised not to approach them, but to call 101.

The break-in at the farm took place at 12:30 BST on Sunday Wild boars are usually nocturnal and can travel up to 30 miles a day searching for food

South Wales Police said although the animals are not an immediate threat to the public, they may charge anyone who tries to approach them as they will be disorientated and are not used to being out of their pens.

Wild boars are usually nocturnal and can travel up to 30 miles a day searching for food in the early morning or late afternoon and evening.

Inspector Paul Thomas said: "These animals are recognised as posing a potential threat. People should take as much care as possible.

"We are investigating the criminal damage and the release of dangerous wild animals, which can carry a sentence in prison."

Farmer Greg Davies said the wild boars escaped after their fences were cut

Mr Davies said he had recaptured some of the animals but there were still 42 unaccounted for.

"We had a break-in at the farm building where we keep all the materials and all the machinery," he told BBC Wales.

"During that break-in, the people that came in actually cut the fences to get access to the building via the animal pens. Thus doing so, they released about 80 wild boar adults and young out into the wild.

"We managed to collect approximately 40 or 45 of them on Sunday morning and one or two have wandered back.

Scott Passmore, co-founder of the UK Wild Boar Association, explains what you should do if you meet a wild boar

"When we did a full head count last night, we narrowed it down to 23 adult wild boar still unaccounted for and 19 young ones that have just vanished as well."

Naturalist and broadcaster Iolo Williams, the patron of the Wild Boar Trust said he has tracked wild boar in the Forest of Dean.

"They're fantastic animals, fascinating things. It's important I think that we remember they are a native animal. The Welsh princes used to hunt them so they're part of our heritage really," Mr Williams told BBC Radio Wales.

He said people in and around Maesteg have nothing to worry about with the released boars on the loose.

Continue reading the main story They were hunted to extinction in the wild in Britain in the 1600sThey made a comeback when they escaped from farms where they were bred for meatAn adult boar weighs three times the average weight of a manThey have four continually growing tusks which are used for fightingWallowing in mud and water protects them from sunburn and biting insectsSource: BBC Wildlife"They have a bad reputation and I don't understand why," said Mr Williams. "They are very secretive, they are very shy and probably the first thing they'll do is they'll head for woodland cover.

"There's quite a bit of woodland up above and at the back of Maesteg there - forestry plantation and I'm pretty sure that's where people will find most of them."

He added: "They're fascinating animals and an important part of the woodland ecology as well. They turf up the woodland floor which helps new plants and flowers grow, which helps insects which helps birds."

Asked whether the wild boar can be a problem if they turn up in a garden, Mr Williams added: "All you have to do is just open the door and off they go immediately. They do not want that contact with people."

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VIDEO: 'Miracle' child found after two days

A three-year old who disappeared from her home in northern Australia has been found close to the family home almost two days later.

Chloe Campbell was reported missing by her parents early on Thursday morning in the town of Childers, 185 miles north of Brisbane.

Phil Mercer reports from Perth.

View the original article here

After school activities and burnout

For millions of parents around the world, the day does not end with the school bell. There are still pictures to be painted, songs to be sung and games to be played. This all adds up to keeping children happy, safe and out of trouble. But, parents have to steer away from going overboard.

After school is not baby-sitting:

After school activities thrive only if it is backed by sufficient parental involvement. What would a soccer match be without parents cheering their little heroes from the sidelines?.

Research and choose:

Instead of convenience being the decisive factor, find out things that will interest your child. Once you select a program, get the fine print and find out what you have to contribute.

Free time:

Many children attend piano classes, followed by ballet and squeeze in some time for play dates in between just before they rush home in time for bed. This rigor is too much for a child. So, go slow.

When to quit:

Often, parents enroll their child in an activity to discover that he may not be the prodigy they thought he would be. This is the time to let go. Your child may not become the next wonder-kid. But, let him cultivate an interest that he enjoys. Remember, happiness and fulfillment are all that matter.

Benefits of a good after school program

Children grow up in a society that demands expertise in everything. You

really cannot sit back and decide that learning from textbooks is enough

for the overall development of your child. It's the age of specialization

and your child cannot afford to miss out on this window of opportunity.

So, scour your locality for the most advantageous programs and enroll them

for the ones you think are the best.

After school programs are basically designed to develop a talent or a

skill that is ignored by regular schools. These programs could be

educational or recreational in nature. Whatever type they are, they

basically aim to keep the child active and interested.

The most important advantage of a good after school program is that it

widens your child's area of interests. He or she is introduced to new

things, sometimes interesting, sometimes challenging. Mastering a new art

form or a new skill increases the child's self-esteem. It also allows you

to introduce your child to new career options. A child attending a music

class may decide that she likes it so much that she wants to make a career

out of it in the long run.

Socialization is another great advantage of after school programs.

Children get to meet others who share their interests and make new

friendships. An acting class or a soccer class can be lots of fun. Many of

these programs coach children for performances or matches. Performing on

stage or playing a match can be a great experience for a young child.

After school programs keep your teenager busy. He or she thus has some

amount of protection from destructive habits like drugs and alcohol.

Surveys indicate that children who are kept busy through diverse absorbing

activities are less prone to abuse, depression and burnout. Significant

increase in achievement and attendance and a reduction in drop out rates

are other advantages of a good after school programs.

Most after school programs have children interacting with one or more

adult. This allows them to benefit from positive relationships with

adults. Children often find it difficult to confide in parents and

teachers, but may open up with other adults.

Many children are put into recreational after school programs so that they

reduce weight and remain healthy. A newly emerging trend shows that about

15% children below the age of 16 are obese. Parents who cannot put their

children on a strict diet resort to sports and games to burn fat. With

cases of child diabetes on the increase, this has become a prime focus of

many after school programs.

A good after school program has many benefits. It keeps the child

entertained as well as busy, and thus prevents children from becoming

addicted to TVs and PCs. By giving them ways to burn up their excess energy

and explore their creativity, after school programs help to shape the

overall personality of the child.

After school safety - tips and reminders

When parents send their children for after school programs, they take it

for granted that the child is safe. But since the number of children

participating in these activities has increased, it is necessary to look

into safety issues.

Children are vulnerable when they are outside the classes. While going or

returning, they should know the safest route to take. Many kids hang out

with their friends just after these classes. Find out 'danger zones' from

your neighbors and make the children aware of these.

The child has to know how to handle emergencies. It is better to discuss

various scenarios with your child. Tell her what she should do in case the

class is suddenly cancelled. Show her the first-aid kit at home and make

sure she knows whom to call in an emergency. Post any important contact

information in a place that is easily accessible to the child. If the

child will be alone at home, discuss a few unexpected things with her.

Tell her to use the safety chain ALWAYS.

Relay on your neighbors and friends when needed. Let your child know who

can be contacted at times of emergency. Ask your child to check in by

phone. Above all, always tell the child to be in a group. Visiting toilets

all alone or going home via isolated streets must be avoided.

How to find after school activities

Start off by making enquiries. Nothing can beat the power of information.

Approach the school authorities first. Find out if they are offering any

after school activities. Get a list of the various classes that are

available in your school. In case the school does not provide any

extracurricular activities for the child, approach your neighbors. Collect

information about any after school programs, the quality of the courses

taught and the timings etc. Also, check out some of the community

resources. These may include places of worship, community centers,

Museums, libraries, the YMCA, The Boys and Girls Club etc.

After you have colleted all the necessary information, discuss the various

options with your child. Find out what his interests are. The best way to

find out what is most suitable is to ask your child. When little children

are too small, you cannot completely rely on their feedback. In this case,

monitor the development of the child on a regular basis. If the child

shows excessive resistance to an activity, it may be necessary to look for

other options. Always consider your family's schedule when planning the

extracurricular activities. If it is difficult for you to chauffeur your

child, you may want to employ tutors at home or conduct some activity at

After school programs and discipline

How important is discipline when it comes to after school programs? Since

most of the activities are recreational, does a program have to adhere to

strict rules? Discipline is just as important here as it is in

activities that pertain to the school. The child is sent to a program

because you want him to learn more. Discipline in one form or the other is

necessary to facilitate learning.

Every program should begin by laying down the rules. The supervisor or

teacher should explain each rule and can thus prevent future mishaps.

Misbehavior should be addressed as and when it occurs. Deal with the

problem in such a manner that it causes the least disruption. It is unwise

to turn a blind eye to misbehavior because it catches on like fire, and

soon you will have a bunch of unruly children on your hands. Besides,

however much they resist it, children like to operate within the safety

net of strict guidelines and rules.

When a child misbehaves, it is mostly due to a craving for attention. A

supervisor should observe the children and find out what the child wants.

Talk to the child so that you can understand what he or she wants.

Appropriate disciplinary measures should be taken if there are no apparent

reasons for bad behavior.

Effective after school activities

When there are so many activities on offer, and each one looks as good as

the next, how do you gauge the worth and effectiveness of these

activities? Sure, you want an activity that junior enjoys. But, we really

cannot afford to waste time on pleasure for pleasure's sake, do we? There

needs to be a grain of gold somewhere in there. Given below is a list of

characteristics that any good after school activity must possess.

Clarity in objectives and goals is the first important thing. What does

the course offer? How does it propose to achieve the results? How many

kids make up a batch? Ask questions. After all, when you are dishing out

the dough, you really need to understand what you are getting in return.

A good after school activity will provide lots of opportunities for the

young to increase their level of understanding of complex concepts. This

is true of recreational activities too. Learning to pitch a ball, or dance

to a tune - regardless of the activity involved, the child should be

encouraged to grapple with and conquer new concepts. This not only keeps

boredom at bay by challenging the child, but also builds up his

self-confidence. Development of academic, personal and social skills is

one of the prime aims of an after school activity. As the skills develop,

the child's self-esteem also increases.

After school activities are all about boosting a child's sense of

competence. Good and effective after school activities promotes the

resilience of youth and encourages them to grow stronger, be it mentally,

emotionally or physically.

Safety is one of the first requirements of an after school activity. The

staff should be qualified, adequate and alert. Never put your child in a

program where safety is a matter of accident instead of a matter of

priority. The staff should be friendly and should have a positive

relationship with the child. Therefore, the program should have

professional and trained staff that loves to interact with children. The

program should maintain a cooperative and supportive attitude and a

structured environment. Participation and collaboration as opposed to

competition and antagonism must be encouraged.

Some programs involve the children in planning activities and making

decisions. Adults often forget to get the opinion of their children. By

giving the children an opportunity to voice their opinion, programs become

fun activities that children are motivated to participate in. Young people

thrive when they are listened to, respected and allowed to contribute

their mite.

Routine evaluations are an important part of after school programs. If the

child does not benefit from a class, don't waste time being

over-optimistic. Try something new.

You are now ready to look for the perfect after school activity for your

child. But don't let us forget that having fun is also an important part

of growing up. The child deserves a few hours of pure delight. Remember,

all work and no play, ……

Potentials of after school programs

With children becoming the primary focus of society, ways and means to

ensure their safety and development are being researched. The Government

too has pooled in to make a success of such programs. Here are some of the

reasons why after school programs have become so popular:

1) Preventing Juvenile Delinquency, crime and violent victimization:

About 10% of juvenile crimes happen between 3 P.M. - 4 P.M. Children need

to be kept safe and out of trouble at such times

2) Preventing alcohol, drug and tobacco use.

Risk-taking behavior that seeks to establish superiority in a clan is

mostly seen in 'latchkey' children. Children in their pre-teens, if they

have a meaningful relationship with a mentor, are less likely to indulge

in these kinds of destructive behavior

3) Decreases appetite for Television:

An average child watches about 23 hours of TV per week. When enrolled for

some activity, the child utilizes his mental and physical skills to meet

challenges.

4) Improving academic achievements

5) Improving school attendance:

More confidence in self and increased interest in school leads to greater

attendance in school. A program that helps children with their homework

also gives the child a much-needed feeling of self-achievement.

6) Improved behavior and inter-personal skills

Children who attend after school activities handle conflict better and

cooperate more with authority figures.

7) Closer family and community ties.

Tennessee woman Gaile Owens freed from prison after 26 years on death row

Gaile Owens was sentenced to die for hiring a stranger to kill her husband in 1985, but her sentence was commuted to life in prison last year. Photograph: Mark Humphrey/AP

A woman who spent 26 years on death row and came within two months of being executed has been freed from a Tennessee prison.

Gaile Owens, 58, of Memphis, was released on Friday and greeted by a small group of supporters outside Tennessee's Prison for Women.

She was sentenced to die for hiring a stranger to kill her husband in 1985, but her death sentence was commuted to life in prison last year, and she won parole last week.

Supporters had urged her release, claiming she was a battered wife who didn't use that defencee because she didn't want her young sons to know about the physical and sexual abuse.

The first thing she did on leaving the prison was to hug one of those sons, Stephen Owens, who is now grown and has children of his own.

Owens issued a written statement and then immediately left the prison.

"I'm looking forward to leading a quiet, private but productive life," the statement said. She said she wanted to get to know her son and the grandchildren born while she was in prison.

Her son said he was looking forward to spending the rest of the day with his mother.

Owens' sentence was commuted to life in prison in July 2010 by former governor Phil Bredesen. He acknowledged the abuse claims of her supporters, but gave a different reason for his decision to spare her life. Bredesen said prosecutors had agreed not to seek the death penalty if Owens pleaded guilty, but then put her on trial when her co-defendant wouldn't accept the plea bargain.

At the time she was imprisoned, a life sentence meant serving 30 years and she was eligible to be released now because of good conduct.

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Raids after university visa probe

6 October 2011 Last updated at 18:59 The pressure is mounting on the people in charge of the University of Wales after five universities said they wanted the title scrapped

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) says it has raided premises as part of an operation launched in response to a BBC Wales investigation into a student visa scam.

It was revealed overseas students were being made offers to cheat their way to University of Wales (UoW) degrees and UK graduate work visas.

A UKBA spokesperson said it could not comment further until the information gathered had been processed.

The University of Wales said earlier it wanted to repair its "tarnished brand".

Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan said she supported the UKBA's decision to look into the "worrying allegations relating to the University of Wales and colleges and students abusing the visa system".

"The UK government has a robust process for dealing with such allegations, if proven," she added.

Five universities said they were "appalled" after the scam was exposed and said the University of Wales no longer had the right to use the name.

But the institution's vice-chancellor Prof Medwin Hughes said he wanted to repair the name and not ditch it.

Welsh Conservative education spokesperson Angela Burns is calling for former UoW vice-chancellor Prof Marc Clement, now president, to accept "complete responsibility for what happened on his watch".

Continue reading the main story

There are actually two investigations under way at the moment following our revelations.

One is the UK Border Agency investigation which has now resulted in the raid of premises.

The second is an investigation being carried out by CID at Scotland Yard, specifically in Hounslow, London.

Detectives are looking into an issue which was actually referred to them by the University of Wales. They called Scotland Yard after we went to them with our evidence.

They're looking at one of the partner colleges of the University of Wales in Hounslow where three members of staff were suspended and one of them resigned. All of them deny any wrongdoing.

But the UK Border Agency is the one that may have the most repercussions because it's looking at the totality of what we exposed in our investigation.

"And I think he needs to be accountable for that. He needs to explain to us and to the staff and students at the Uni of Wales what went on. The buck stops with him," she said.

"If he is proven to be negligent he should absolutely go.

"We need to hear what he has to say and, depending on what he says, [it] will become very clear what his position should be and how tenable that is."

UoW vice-chancellor Prof Medwin Hughes said he was committed to cleaning up the institution's "tarnished" brand.

'Quality and standards'

"The University of Wales is going through transformational change," he said.

"The transformed university will be built upon strong governance and will have an uncompromising regard to quality and standards.

"Wales needs strong brands."

The vice-chancellors of Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Bangor, Glamorgan and Swansea universities - which are not members of the UoW - have put pressure on the UoW, saying they will not accept it in its current form.

They added that its activities were damaging the reputation of higher education in Wales as a whole, while Bangor University's vice-chancellor Prof John Hughes revealed his institution had lost business over the UoW's "toxic brand".

Colleges worldwide

Senior Plaid Cymru politician Dafydd Elis-Thomas, who is president of Bangor University, has written to Education Minister Leighton Andrews, calling for the abolition of the University of Wales title as soon as possible.

The revelations came after the university, an institution since 1893, announced it would stop validating courses at all other institutions in the UK and abroad.

It means what is currently the second largest university in the UK, with 70,000 students on its courses in 130 colleges worldwide, will become one of the smallest in Wales from next September.

It will now have just two small universities in south west Wales - Swansea Metropolitan University and Trinity Saint David.

Week In Week Out: Cash For Qualifications was broadcast on BBC One Wales on Wednesday 5 October at 20:30 BST. It can be viewed on the BBC iPlayer.

Soca offline after LulzSec 'hit'

20 June 2011 Last updated at 20:32 The Soca website was taken offline by an apparent denial of service attack The UK Serious Organised Crime agency has taken its website offline after it appeared to be a victim of an attack by hacking group Lulz Security.

Soca said it had taken its website offline to limit the impact attack on clients hosted by its service provider.

Soca.gov.uk had been unavailable for much of Monday afternoon, with an intermittent service restored later.

Lulz Security has said it was behind the denial of service attack which had taken the website offline.

Earlier on Monday, as the agency launched an investigation, LulzSec tweeted: "Tango down - in the name of #AntiSec".

The group has hit a number of high-profile websites in recent weeks, including the CIA and US Senate.  http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=dvd+with+media+on+it&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Soca appeared to be the victim of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, where large numbers of computers, under malicious control, overload their target with web requests.

In a statement given to BBC News, a Soca spokesman said: "Soca has chosen to take its website offline to limit the impact of DDoS attack on other clients hosted by our service provider.

"The Soca website is a source of information for the general public which is hosted by an external provider. It is not linked to our operational material or the data we hold."

Embarrassment

Earlier on Monday, a LulzSec Twitter posting seemed to confirm the nature of the attack.

"DDoS is of course our least powerful and most abundant ammunition. Government hacking is taking place right now behind the scenes," it said.

The latest attack will come as an embarrassment for Soca, which is tasked with investigating cybercrime.

"It is not going to please the boys in blue one bit," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos.

Continue reading the main story May 7: US X Factor contestant databaseMay 10: Fox.com user passwordsMay 15: Database listing locations of UK cash machinesMay 23: Sonymusic Japan websiteMay 30: US broadcaster PBS. Staff logon informationJune 2: Sonypictures.com user informationJune 3: Infragard website (FBI affiliated organisation)June 3: Nintendo.comJune 10: Pron.com pornographic websiteJune 13: Senate.gov - website of US SenateJune 13: Bethesda software website. User informationJune 14: EVE Online, League of Legends, The Escapist and othersMr Cluley added that it was wrong to confuse DDoS with the kind of hacking that can lead to confidential information being stolen.

However, he warned that LulzSec was capable of both types of attack.

"They have in the past broken into websites and stolen e-mail addresses and passwords, so there is a lot of harm can be done."

Big Lulz

When Lulz Security first appeared in May, the group portrayed itself as a light-hearted organisation, bent on creating online fun and Lulz (laughs).

Soon after, details of its hacking exploits began to emerge.

The first involved stealing and publishing a database of US X-Factor contestants, including their e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

It followed up with a mixture of website denial of service attacks and intrusions where data was taken and made available on the internet.

On June 19, LulzSec declared that it would begin targeting government systems, calling the campaign Antisec.

"Top priority is to steal and leak any classified government information, including e-mail spools and documentation. Prime targets are banks and other high-ranking establishments," said a post on the group's website.

The reason for LulzSec's greater focus on government is unclear, although it appears to have recently ended a feud with the more politically-motivated group Anonymous.

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Judge Calls Recess After Scolding Attorneys in Casey Anthony Murder Trial

Judge Calls Recess After Scolding Attorneys in Casey Anthony Murder TrialPublished June 20, 2011

| Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The judge in the murder trial of a Casey Anthony scolded prosecutors and defense attorneys Monday, warning them they may face punishment when the trial concludes, then he abruptly halted proceedings for the day to give both sides more time to sort out issues with witnesses.

One of the major disputes involves a defense witness who took the stand over the weekend, but neither prosecutors nor the judge knew what he was going to say. With the jury outside of the courtroom still waiting to hear testimony on Day 23 of the trial, Judge Belvin Perry said he was tired of the infighting.

"There has been gamesmanship on both sides," Perry said. "... Obviously there is a friction between attorneys. That's something I guess the Florida bar will deal with. And at the conclusion of this trial, the court will deal with violations that may have occurred."

Anthony, 25, is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter during the summer of 2008. She has pleaded not guilty. The defense says the girl drowned in her grandparents' swimming pool while the state says she was suffocated by duct tape being placed over her nose and mouth. If convicted, Anthony could get the death penalty.http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=dvd+with+media+on+it&_sacat=See-All-Categories

The judge highlighted the discord between attorneys when he asked prosecutor Jeff Ashton and defense attorney Jose Baez to look at the clock in the courtroom and tell him what time it was. Ashton said "9:25" and Baez "9:26."

"That shows the two of you won't agree on anything or ever interpret things the same way," Perry said.

The defense was about to call forensic anthropologist William Rodriguez to the witness stand Monday when the prosecution asked the judge for more time to go over a deposition he gave this past weekend.

Rodriguez was supposed to testify Saturday, but he was interrupted after prosecutors said he started talking about information that was not previously disclosed to the state. Perry wound up granting the state time to depose him and admonished lead defense attorney Jose Baez for violating a January court order that made it mandatory for expert witnesses to submit preliminary reports on their testimony.

Ashton said Monday the next expert Baez planned to call submitted only a summary report without any clear opinions. Ashton also said he planned to officially file for sanctions against Baez.

Baez argued that Ashton decided not to utilize the option to depose the new witness this past weekend and was also engaging in legal maneuvering.

"We did not intentionally look at this court's order and say we were going to disobey it," Baez said. Ashton "had a responsibility, omitted it ... and should not be allowed to come forth at the 11th hour."

Click here for complete coverage on the Casey Anthony murder trial from MyFoxOrlando.com

TIMELINE: Casey Anthony murder trial 

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Sheep rescued after two weeks stranded on cliff

3 May 2011 Last updated at 17:10 The rescue operation lasted eight hours and involved 23 volunteers Six sheep stranded for a fortnight on a cliff face in the Trossachs have been brought to safety following an eight-hour rescue operation.

Twenty-three volunteers from four charities were involved in efforts to bring the animals off the steep ridge at Dunglass near Strathblane.

The operation was mounted after a local farmer alerted the Scottish SPCA and Trossachs Search and Rescue.

Specialised vehicles, equipment and were ropes used.

Land Rovers provided by Lothian 4x4 Response were used as 'anchors' to tie ropes to then members of Trossachs Search and Rescue and the High Access Rescue Team were lowered down to the sheep.

Four of the animals were guided uphill while two were placed in sacks and lowered to the ground.

'Technically challenging'

Scottish SPCA inspectors were on hand and supervised the operation to ensure the safety of the animals.

The operation was hampered by the recent dry conditions which meant that large spikes normally hammered into the soil during similar rescues could not be used as the earth was too crumbly.

Stuart Ballantyne of Trossachs Search and Rescue said: "Alisdair Bain is a very responsible farmer and called us in as soon as he realised the sheep were not going to escape from the cliff.

"He and his staff ensured they had sufficient feeding thrown to them on a daily basis until we could get the necessary resources together to mount this technically-challenging operation.

"This was a real partnership operation and we are all delighted that we rescued all six sheep and all are seem to be healthy and unharmed by their ordeal."

Sony sued, could bleed billions after breach

Sony

UPDATED: 10 p.m. PST

Gamers and government officials are irate over Sony's admission that a massive security breach gave hackers access to large amounts of personal data from the company's PlayStation Network and, surprise(!), one gamer has already filed a lawsuit.

Meanwhile, analysts estimate the hammered game company could lose billions of dollars from the debacle.

On Tuesday afternoon, Sony of America's director of communications said that "an illegal intrusion" in their system has caused a "compromise of personal information." And while Sony officials don't believe credit card information was taken, they say that hackers may have taken names, addresses, email addresses, birthdates and passwords among other things.

On Wednesday Kristopher Johns of Alabama filed a suit in U.S. District Court accusing Sony of "negligence in data security" and of not taking "reasonable care to protect, encrypt, and secure the private and sensitive data of its users" as well as for taking too long to notify him and other customers that their data had been pilfered.

Johns and his attorneys are seeking class action status for the case as well as monetary compensation and free credit card monitoring for everyone affected.

"Sony's breach of its customers' trust is staggering," J.R. Parker, co-counsel in the case, told IGN. "Sony promised its customers that their information would be kept private. One would think that a large multinational corporation like Sony has strong protective measures in place to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of personal information, including credit card information. Apparently, Sony doesn't."

There are some 77 million user accounts with the PlayStation Network and Qriocity service, which allows gamers to play games online together as well as purchase and play movies and music.

As we previously reported, the PlayStation Network abruptly went offline last Wednesday, April 20. On Tuesday gamers grew increasingly irate as news of the data theft spread, wondering why it had taken Sony six days to reveal that personal information had been taken. Sony responded Tuesday evening by issuing a follow-up statement insisting that they did not know that personal data had been taken until Monday.

Answering customer questions
On Wednesday evening, Patrick Seybold, Director of Corporate Communications for Sony of America, attempted to calm customer fears by posting a series of answers to frequently asked questions.

"We are currently working with law enforcement on this matter as well as a recognized technology security firm to conduct a complete investigation," he wrote. "This malicious attack against our system and against our customers is a criminal act and we are proceeding aggressively to find those responsible."

He explained that, though Sony can’t rule out the possibility that credit card data was taken, it is unlikely because that data had been encrypted. He added that there was no risk that the three-digit credit card security codes from customer cards were taken because Sony never collected that information.

The personal data that was illegally accessed, on the other hand, "was not encrypted, but was, of course, behind a very sophisticated security system that was breached in a malicious attack" Seybold explained.

He added that Sony is currently working on a new system software update that will require all users to change their password once PlayStation Network is restored. And he said Sony is in the midst of initiating several measures "that will significantly enhance all aspects of PlayStation Network’s security and your personal data, including moving our network infrastructure and data center to a new, more secure location."

International outrage
Still, government officials from several countries are bringing the hammer down on Sony.

via Reddit

While many people are angry about the PlayStation Network data breach, some folks are having a bit of fun at Sony's expense. Here's a new look at Sony's "It Only Does Everything" motto for the PlayStation 3.

In the UK, the Information Commissioner Office — a government agency that seeks to uphold information rights and data privacy — says it's looking into whether or not Sony has done enough to protect sensitive user information, and if it alerted the public to the breach in a timely manner.

"The Information Commissioner's Office takes data protection breaches extremely seriously," the organization told Eurogamer Wednesday. "Any business or organization that is processing personal information in the UK must ensure they comply with the law, including the need to keep data secure. We are contacting Sony and will be making further enquiries to establish the precise nature of the incident before deciding what action, if any, needs to be taken by this office."

Meanwhile, according to several Australian newspapers, the Australian Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, has said he will be opening an investigation into the breach. And in the U.S., outraged Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent a letter to Sony of America CEO Jack Tretton demanding answers about the company’s failure to notify millions of customers about the data breach in a timely manner.

But in Japan where Sony is based, one of the highest ranking government officials — Chief Cabinet Secretary Yuko Edano — issued a more diplomatic statement directed at Sony.

"Private businesses must safeguard the personal information they have with the maximum care possible," he said, according to game site Kotaku.

Financial fallout
Meanwhile, estimates are rolling in about how much this debacle is going to cost Sony.

As VentureBeat reports, estimates are ranging anywhere from $20 million in lost revenues for a couple of weeks of down time to $24 billion for the total costs of dealing with the loss of personal customer data.

Michael Pachter, a video game analyst for Wedbush Morgan, told VentureBeat he estimates that Sony makes about $500 million in annual revenue from PSN which comes out to about $10 million per week. Sony has estimated it will take another week to get the network up and running on top of the week it's been down — hence the low-end $20 million guess.

On the other end of the spectrum, Forbes has cited a study from security think tank Ponemon Institute that estimates it costs $318 per compromised record for a data breach. With 77 million PlayStation Network user accounts that adds up to the $24 billion estimate.

On a Frequently Asked Questions page created by Sony, the company has admitted that some gamers are already asking for compensation. Its response: "While we are still assessing the impact of this incident, we recognize that this may have had financial impact on our loyal customers. We are currently reviewing options and will update you when the service is restored."

Meanwhile, as Kotaku reports, Hulu is offering compensation to some of its Hulu Plus subscribers who rely on the PlayStation Network to access their TV and Movie content. Reads a letter sent to some subscribers:

Unfortunately, due to the outage on PlayStation Network, Hulu Plus subscribers cannot currently access the application on the PS3. We understand this is frustrating, and we are looking forward to Sony restoring access to the application as soon as possible. In the meantime, we'd like to offer you a 1-week credit toward your Hulu Plus subscription.

Despite the enormity of this mess, some folks can't help but have a little fun at the expense of Sony.

As you can see, the National Nerd Relief Fund is hoping to raise money to help get the PlayStation Network back up and running as soon as possible ... for the sake of Sony fanboys everywhere.

For related news, please see:

Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things right here on Twitter.

Death Row Neo-Nazi executed by lethal injection... after final meal of spaghetti and chocolate cake

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:38 PM on 17th February 2011

Frank Spisak, 59, killed with injection of sodium thiopentalRead in German from Book of Revelations as his last words'Speak English, you fool!' said victim's brother as Spisak read
Transvestite murdered three men in 1982

The longest-serving prisoner on death row, a Nazi who murdered three people,  recited seven verses from the Bible in German before his execution today.

Frank Spisak, 59, was killed by lethal injection at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville shortly after 10 a.m., after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal yesterday afternoon.

After the rejection he was served a last dinner of his choosing - spaghetti, salad, chocolate cake and coffee.

Murderer: Frank Spisak, who grew a Hitler moustache for his trial in 1983, was executed today after 27 years on death row

He declined breakfast this morning, having only coffee, before attending a Catholic mass at 7 a.m..

Shortly after 10 a.m. he was taken in for his execution.

Spisak read the first seven Bible verses from chapter 21 of the book of Revelations from a handwritten yellow paper held over his head by a prison official, speaking in a halting voice and sometimes having trouble reading the verses. 

The verses begin with the narrator saying he saw a new heaven and a new earth.

'I can't read it, it's too blurry, I can't read it,' he said at one point.

A warden adjusted his view and he continued.

'Heil Herr,' he appeared to say when he was finished. It was unclear what he meant, as the phrase is not used in German.

His struggles with the German drew snickers from witnesses, who included the daughter of one victim, two brothers of another and John Hardaway, a surviving shooting victim.

'Speak English, you fool,' said Jeffrey Duke, the brother of slaying victim Brian Warford.

After prison warden Donald Morgan signaled to start the sodium thiopental at about 10:22 a.m., Spisak's stomach rose and fell a few times, and after a minute he made several audible snoring sounds.

He swallowed a few times and grew still about 10:25 a.m., his lips starting to turn blue about two minutes later.

Facility: Police officers patrol the outer perimeter of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, where Spisak was executed

'Oh God,' Eric Barnes, another of Warford's brothers, said as Spisak died.

Barnes held photographs toward Spisak of Warford as a baby and a teen, and held a crucifix as Spisak read the Bible verses.

Spisak glanced at Warford's brothers as he was strapped to the gurney, then looked away.

Warford's mother, Cora Warford, said in a statement afterward that 'justice has been served.'

Spisak conducted a shooting spree over several months in 1982, which he said had evolved from 'hunting parties' that targeted blacks.

He murdered two men and a teenager at Cleveland State University, shot one man seven times - remarkably, he survived - and attempted to shoot a white woman.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

* King James version.

Spisak's first victim was the Reverend Horace Rickerson, 57, who was killed on February 1, 1982, in a campus bathroom where he had rebuffed Spisak's sexual advances.

Four months later, John Hardaway was shot seven times as he waited for a train by a man he later identified as Spisak. He survived and was planning to witness today's execution.

On August 9, 1982, Spisak shot at Coletta Dartt, a white university employee, as she left a toilet. Spisak missed and she survived by pushing him and running away.

Spisak's second murder victim was Timothy Sheehan, 50, who worked in Cleveland State's maintenance department. He was shot to death on August 27, 1982, because Spisak believed he might have witnessed Rickerson's murder.

Brian Warford, a 17-year-old student taking classes at Cleveland State to earn his high school degree, was Spisak's last victim when he was killed a few days later. He was shot in the head on August 30, 1982.

Rickerson, Warford and Hardaway were all black. Spisak told investigators he went on 'hunting parties' to shoot black people.

He was caught in early September 1982 after he was caught firing a gun out of his apartment window.

Spisak blamed his actions on his hatred of gays, blacks and Jews.

During his 1983 trial, Spisak grew a Hitler-style mustache, carried a copy of Hitler's book 'Mein Kampf' during the proceedings and gave a Nazi salute to the jury.

He appealed against his execution on the grounds of mental illness, with lawyers arguing he suffered from a severe bipolar disorder that wasn't diagnosed until years after he was convicted.

His condition was exacerbated by confusion about his sexual identity. Spisak identified himself as a woman and refered to himself in correspondence as Frances Spisak, a name his lawyers also used.

Death chamber: The witness room at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility where some of Spisak's surviving victims planned to see him die

Cora Warford, mother of Spisak's last victim Brian, said she's made an exception to her opposition to capital punishment in this case, calling Spisak's final attempt to avoid execution by pleading mental illness the final straw.

'Justice has to be done, that's all,' said Mrs Warford, 75.

'He didn't care about the lives he took, and now it's time for him to go to rest.'

'Everybody loved Brian. He was just a good kid.'

Spisak was described by Carlo LoParo, spokesman for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, as 'calm and reserved' as he arrived at his place of execution.

Nazi transvestite: The most recent picture of Frank Spisak, aka, Frances

Spisak met with his daughter at the the weekend, and spent time with his lawyers and spiritual advisers yesterday afternoon.

For his last meal dinner on Wednesday night Spisak selected spaghetti with tomato sauce but no meat, salad, chocolate cake and coffee with cream and sugar.

Last month, Spisak's attorneys asked the Ohio Parole Board to spare his life, on mental health grounds. Spisak was housed in a prison unit reserved for death row inmates being treated for mental illnesses.

The lawyers argued the diagnosis could have led jurors to consider a different sentence in his original trial.

'To go forward with this execution would represent a departure from the strong societal consensus that the death penalty should be reserved for the worst of the worst, and that we arguably demean ourselves when we impose it on the severely mentally ill,'  his attorneys, Alan Rossman and Michael Benza, told the parole board.

Both the parole board and Governor John Kasich, making his first decision on a condemned killer's request for mercy, rejected Spisak's plea.

'Spisak killed three people, tried to kill at least one other, and shot at a fifth in his admitted plan to kill as many African-Americans as possible and start a race war in Cleveland,' the board said in its January 21 ruling.

'His victims were innocent, unsuspecting strangers.'

Spisak's death will also mark the last time the State of Ohio uses the scarce drug sodium thiopental to administer the death penalty, with the state giving it up in favour of a more readily available substitute.

View the original article here

O.C.'s Death Row: Murder after $1 robbery

For an introduction to the Orange County's death row series, a slideshow of all the inmates on death row and the history of capital punishment in California, click here.

The Orange County Register is publishing summaries of the 58 killers sentenced to death by Orange County judges, two per day during weekdays, from the oldest case to the newest. Here are Nos. 17 and 18:

Shaun Kareem Burney, left unknown date, right June 2007, shot and killed Joseph Andrew Kondrath, 23, of Anaheim during a carjacking June 10, 1992. Prosecutors argued that Burney, then 19, accosted Kondrath on an Anaheim street before dawn, placed a .357-caliber Magnum against his victim's skull, robbed him of $1 and forced him into the trunk of a stolen car. Burney later opened the trunk lid and fired two shots into Kondrath's head while the victim begged, 'Don't hurt me."CA DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS; TEXT BY LARRY WELBORN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER,

1994

Shaun Kareem Burney shot and killed Joseph Andrew Kondrath, 23, of Anaheim during a carjacking June 10, 1992. Prosecutors argued that Burney, then 19, accosted Kondrath on an Anaheim street before dawn, placed a .357-caliber Magnum against his victim's skull, robbed him of $1 and forced him into the trunk of a stolen car. Burney later opened the trunk lid and fired two shots into Kondrath's head while the victim begged, "Don't hurt me."

1995

Ignacio Tafoya shot and killed Gerald Lee Skillman, 35, of Westminster and Steven Francis Rita, 29, of Boston during a home invasion robbery in May 1993. Timothy T. Wynglarz, Tafoya's co-defendant, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Witnesses testified that the two conspirators pushed their way into the house, where Tafoya knocked the two victims to the floor and shot each two times execution-style. Tafoya's case has been affirmed by the California Supreme Court.

Contact the writer: lwelborn@ocregister.com

Shaun Kareem Burney, left unknown date, right June 2007, shot and killed Joseph Andrew Kondrath, 23, of Anaheim during a carjacking June 10, 1992. Prosecutors argued that Burney, then 19, accosted Kondrath on an Anaheim street before dawn, placed a .357-caliber Magnum against his victim's skull, robbed him of $1 and forced him into the trunk of a stolen car. Burney later opened the trunk lid and fired two shots into Kondrath's head while the victim begged, 'Don't hurt me."CA DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS; TEXT BY LARRY WELBORN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER,

For an introduction to the Orange County's death row series, a slideshow of all the inmates on death row and the history of capital punishment in California, click here.

The Orange County Register is publishing summaries of the 58 killers sentenced to death by Orange County judges, two per day during weekdays, from the oldest case to the newest. Here are Nos. 17 and 18:

1994

For an introduction to the Orange County's death row series, a slideshow of all the inmates on death row and the history of capital punishment in California, click here.

The Orange County Register is publishing summaries of the 58 killers sentenced to death by Orange County judges, two per day during weekdays, from the oldest case to the newest. Here are Nos. 17 and 18:

1994

View the original article here

O.C. death row: Murder after $1 robbery

For an introduction to the Orange County's death row series, a slideshow of all the inmates on death row and the history of capital punishment in California, click here.

The Orange County Register is publishing summaries of the 58 killers sentenced to death by Orange County judges, two per day during weekdays, from the oldest case to the newest. Here are Nos. 17 and 18:

Shaun Kareem Burney, left unknown date, right June 2007, shot and killed Joseph Andrew Kondrath, 23, of Anaheim during a carjacking June 10, 1992. Prosecutors argued that Burney, then 19, accosted Kondrath on an Anaheim street before dawn, placed a .357-caliber Magnum against his victim's skull, robbed him of $1 and forced him into the trunk of a stolen car. Burney later opened the trunk lid and fired two shots into Kondrath's head while the victim begged, 'Don't hurt me."CA DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS; TEXT BY LARRY WELBORN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER,

1994

Shaun Kareem Burney shot and killed Joseph Andrew Kondrath, 23, of Anaheim during a carjacking June 10, 1992. Prosecutors argued that Burney, then 19, accosted Kondrath on an Anaheim street before dawn, placed a .357-caliber Magnum against his victim's skull, robbed him of $1 and forced him into the trunk of a stolen car. Burney later opened the trunk lid and fired two shots into Kondrath's head while the victim begged, "Don't hurt me."

1995

Ignacio Tafoya shot and killed Gerald Lee Skillman, 35, of Westminster and Steven Francis Rita, 29, of Boston during a home invasion robbery in May 1993. Timothy T. Wynglarz, Tafoya's co-defendant, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Witnesses testified that the two conspirators pushed their way into the house, where Tafoya knocked the two victims to the floor and shot each two times execution-style. Tafoya's case has been affirmed by the California Supreme Court.

Contact the writer: lwelborn@ocregister.com

Shaun Kareem Burney, left unknown date, right June 2007, shot and killed Joseph Andrew Kondrath, 23, of Anaheim during a carjacking June 10, 1992. Prosecutors argued that Burney, then 19, accosted Kondrath on an Anaheim street before dawn, placed a .357-caliber Magnum against his victim's skull, robbed him of $1 and forced him into the trunk of a stolen car. Burney later opened the trunk lid and fired two shots into Kondrath's head while the victim begged, 'Don't hurt me."CA DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS; TEXT BY LARRY WELBORN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER,

For an introduction to the Orange County's death row series, a slideshow of all the inmates on death row and the history of capital punishment in California, click here.

The Orange County Register is publishing summaries of the 58 killers sentenced to death by Orange County judges, two per day during weekdays, from the oldest case to the newest. Here are Nos. 17 and 18:

1994

For an introduction to the Orange County's death row series, a slideshow of all the inmates on death row and the history of capital punishment in California, click here.

The Orange County Register is publishing summaries of the 58 killers sentenced to death by Orange County judges, two per day during weekdays, from the oldest case to the newest. Here are Nos. 17 and 18:

1994

View the original article here

The World after Wikileaks

16 December 2010 Last updated at 11:46 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has caused outcry from governments around the world Things will be different after Wikileaks, but not in ways we might expect, says regular commentator Bill Thompson.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange may not be Time Magazine Person of the Year for 2010 - that distinction has gone to Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg - but he has certainly managed to dominate the global conversation over the past few weeks.

The reverberations of Wikileaks publication of so many confidential and secret documents will be felt for many years, and he has attracted a large band of supporters, but the support for Assange is as much about his personal situation as it is an expression of support for what Wikileaks does or proposes to do.

To properly understand the philosophy that underlies his activity or his long-term goals, people should read Aaron Bady's compelling analysis of Assange's politics, as published on the zunguzungu blog.

Bady uses a close reading of an essay by Assange on State and Terrorist Conspiracies to argue that Assange sees modern governance as a conspiracy by those with power that goes against the interests and desires of the governed, and that Wikileaks exists in order to undermine the ability of governments to communicate secretly and diminish the power of authoritarian states.

Doing this, he believes, will force openness and lead to more progressive forms of government - or at least, less repressive ones.

It will also, inevitably, lead to a response from the institutions targeted, and in the last few weeks we have seen what happens when a state feels threatened.

Although it is not pleasant neither is it surprising: governments, like other complex systems, will act to preserve themselves and seek to damage or neutralise opposition, and nothing the US or other governments have done so far is exceptional.

Net conflict

In a statement dictated to his mother from his jail cell Assange said "we now know that Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and others are instruments of US foreign policy", referring to the way in which these large companies had decided not to provide service to Wikileaks.

But nobody who has observed the growth of the internet could have been surprised by this.

Tim Wu and Jack Goldsmith wrote about this back in 2006 in their excellent book Who Rules the Internet, where they pointed out that government will always go after gatekeepers and choke points in their attempts to regulate online activity.

In that same year, Visa and Mastercard refused to pass funds to the Russian music download site allofmp3.com, even though the site was legal within Russia, but that attracted little attention because it was about cheap music and not freedom of expression.

Now we face a different sort of conflict, and it appears to be one that will shape the political landscape for years to come.

In the finale of the film Ghostbusters the eponymous heroes are obliged to challenge the god Gozer, but before he appears they are told that they must "choose the form of your destructor".

Gozer, they realise, will materialise in whatever monstrous form they imagine, and Venkman tells the others not to visualise anything. Unfortunately, it is too late - Ray has already thought of "the gentlest thing he could, something that would never hurt me" - at which point a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man appears and proceeds to wreak havoc on New York.

Something similar lies behind the emergence of Wikileaks. Over the past two decades we have built the internet and the web and completed a process of digitisation that has turned most of the world's operational data into electronic form, from bank records to love letters to diplomatic cables.

Status quo

We have called forth the network age, and yet carried on in our daily lives as if nothing has really changed.

As a result we made this moment inevitable, even if it was impossible to predict the form our "destructor" would take.

Will Wikileaks usher in a new era of control, wonders Bill Thompson

Now it has materialised as a stateless, shapeless "international new media non-profit organisation that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous news sources and news leaks", as Wikipedia describes it.

That organisation is threatened from outside by some of the most powerful states in the world, whose capacity for action is enormous. It is also challenged from the inside, as internal mails and documents, made available online on the Cryptome site reveal.

But what really matters is that the disruptive power of the internet has been conclusively demonstrated, and the old order has been provoked to respond.

This is democracy's Napster moment, the point at which the forms of governance that have evolved over 200 years of industrial society prove wanting in the face of the network, just as the business models of the recording industry were swept away by the ease with which the internet could transmit perfect digital copies of compressed music files.

Napster was neutered by court action in the US, but its failure inspired peer-to-peer services that were far harder to control. The sharing of music is now unstoppable, and Wikileaks and the organisations that come after it will ensure that the same is now true of secrets.

Of course we should never underestimate the power of the state to reinvent itself, just as modern capitalism and constitutional monarchy seem able to do.

Wikileaks has exposed the inadequacies in the way governments control their internal flow of information, and organisations dedicated to transparency and disclosure will observe the tactics used to shut it down and adapt accordingly. But the state can learn too, and has the resources to implement what it learns.

I fear that Wikileaks is as likely to usher in an era of more effective control as it is to sweep away the authoritarian regimes that Julian Assange opposes.

He may look to a day when the conspiratorial power of the state is diminished, but I think we are more likely to see new forms of government emerge that exploit the capabilities of the network age to ensure their power is undiminished.

Bill Thompson is an independent journalist and regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Digital Planet. He is currently working with the BBC on its archive project.

View the original article here

Man dies after takeaway assault

1 January 2011 Last updated at 16:40 A 24-year-old man has died after suffering a serious head injury in an assault outside a takeaway in Somerset.

Police were called to the incident, in Cheddar, at about 0200 GMT on New Year's Day.

The man was taken by police helicopter to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol where he later died.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the attack and remains in police custody. Police appealed for witnesses.

Det Insp Guy Turner said: "We know there were people in the area at this time following New Year's celebrations.

"It is imperative we speak to these people as they may have information that could be vital to this investigation."

View the original article here