Author: Admin

Thursday, April 14, 2005

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed 405 lawsuits against students at 18 colleges across the US. The RIAA says these students were illegally sharing songs and films over the Internet2. They claim that 3,900 songs were available on the network. The RIAA said that each person sued downloaded an average of 2,300 songs.

The MPAA has also filed several lawsuits, against students, but has declined to comment on the number of students sued. The MPAA claim that users of the Internet2 had swapped 99 terabytes of films per day. This is more then 15,000 full length films.

The Internet2 is a high speed network used by 207 US universities. It was designed to provide a high speed alternative for researchers and other educators to share information. The Internet2 allows for very high speed connections — a film can be downloaded in as little as 30 seconds, compared with approximately six hours over other high-speed connections, such as DSL.

Cary Sherman the president of the Recording Industry Association of America is quoted as saying that “Internet2 is increasingly becoming the network of choice for students looking to steal songs and other copyrighted works on a massive scale”.

Some have raised the issue of how the RIAA and MPAA gained access to the network, as it is a closed network environment for universities only. The Internet2 does not know how they gained access as they have not given them access or handed over any data. The RIAA will not say how it did the monitoring, but claims it was entirely legal.

A spokesperson for the Internet2 told the Los Angeles Times that copyright infringement is prohibited under its rules, though its chief executive, Doug Van Houweling, in a separate interview admitted that he is aware that there is a lot of file-sharing going on. He also stated that it is possible to filter traffic so as to block illegal activity; however, it would slow the network’s performance and they will not be doing it.

Monday, January 25, 2010

According to a Saudi Arabian foreign ministry spokesman, his country’s government is donating US$50 million worth of aid to Haiti to help the victims of the January 12 earthquake there, which killed at least 150,000 people and left hundreds of thousands without homes.

The donation, which is said by Agence France-Presse (AFP) to be the largest made by any Middle Eastern nation, will go through the United Nations fund for Haiti. Among other Middle Eastern countries sending help to Haiti are Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. Donations from world governments to the country worldwide total over $1 billion, according to an estimate by the Associated Press.

“The kingdom, by instruction of King Abdullah, is donating 50 million dollars […] to assist the Haitian people,” spokesman Osama Nugali told AFP.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, meanwhile, is encouraging Muslim countries to give money to Haiti.

Friday, October 17, 2014

At about 5.00 a.m. today local time (2100 yesterday UTC), police in Hong Kong moved to clear obstacles to traffic at the intersection of Argyle Street and Nathan Road in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. For weeks the normally busy crossroads has been occupied by pro-democracy protesters and closed to traffic.

Police in riot gear cordoned off the roads and alleyways that surround the intersection, before moving in with trucks equipped with mechanical grabs to clear the roads of makeshift barricades. Also removed were tents, personal belongings, bedding and any other material protesters couldn’t retrieve in time. Many of the protesters were asleep when the police action began.

The police said they were acting to reopen the roads to traffic, not to forcibly clear the site of protesters, however the protestors were also urged to peaceably leave the site.

The police action effectively dispersed the majority of the protesters from the site. Protesters were moved onto the sidewalk by the police; when they could no longer be accommodated on the sidewalk they spilled into the alleyways, and down Nathan Road towards Tsim Sha Tsui. Once they had crossed the police cordon they were not allowed to return to the intersection. A small number of protesters remained on the pavements surrounding the intersection.

Protesters interviewed by local television station TVB said they felt the police had misled them; some said they would join protesters on Hong Kong Island, while others said they wished to remain in Mong Kok to maintain the pressure on the government.

The Mong Kok site is one of the three main protest sites of the wider 2014 Hong Kong protests. Protesters have been demonstrating in a bid for the right by the public at large to have a role in the nomination of candidates to stand for the post of Chief Executive of the territory.

See the discussion page for instructions on adding schools to this list and for an alphabetically arranged listing of schools.Thursday, September 15, 2005

Enrollment dates for many schools have passed, and will be indicated next to the school’s entry under the by-state list. Update will take place in the next few days.Tuesday, September 6, 2005

Due to the damage by Hurricane Katrina and subsequent flooding, a number of colleges and universities in the New Orleans metropolitan area will not be able to hold classes for the fall 2005 semester. It is estimated that 75,000 to 100,000 students have been displaced. [1]. In response, institutions across the United States and Canada are offering late registration for displaced students so that their academic progress is not unduly delayed. Some are offering free or reduced admission to displaced students. At some universities, especially state universities, this offer is limited to residents of the area.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Dell Inc. announced on Tuesday that it will partner up with the Microsoft-Nortel Innovative communications alliance (ICA) team to sell Unified Communications and VoIP products.

The announcement on Tuesday the 16th of October 2007 includes Dell selling VoIP, data and wireless networking products from Nortel and the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and other unified communications products.

The partnership with both manufacturers should allow Dell to provide a pre-integrated solution.

In March 2007, competitors IBM and Cisco announced they would join in the competition for developing unified communications applications and the development of open technologies around the unified communications and collaboration (UC2) client platform an application programming interfaces (APIs) offered by IBM as a subset of Lotus Sametime.

“We want to make it simple for our customers to deploy unified communications so their end users can get access to all their messages in one place – whether its e-mail, phone or mobile device. This will pave the way for more business-ready productivity tools,” said vice president of solutions, Dell Product Group, Rick Becker.

• Customers have four options:
  • Core Office Communication Server 2007 – provides instant messaging and on-premise Microsoft Live Meeting.
  • Office Communication Server: Telephony – enables call routing tracking and management, VoIP gateway and public branch exchange (PBX) integration.
  • Audio and Video Conferencing – allows point-to-point conference, video conference and VoIP audio conference.
  • Exchange Unified Messaging – provides voicemail, e-mail and fax in Microsoft Outlook, and anywhere access of Microsoft Outlook Inbox and Calendar.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Stuart Ryan is running for the Communist Party in the Ontario provincial election in Ottawa Centre. Wikinews interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

China’s Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday that at least 53 people were killed in Shanghai during a deadly fire. The blaze, which occurred on Monday at 2:15 p.m. CST (0615 UTC), consumed a 28-story high-rise apartment building in the city’s Jing’an District.

The building was being renovated at the time of the fire, and was home to over 150 families. At least 100 victims have been admitted to area hospitals, although some later died. Most survivors were not seriously injured, but needed treatment for smoke inhalation. Firefighters were still looking for survivors and over 70 were still hospitalized on the morning after the fire.

The fire was the worst in recent Shanghai history and took over 100 fire engines more than four hours to contain. Strong winds blew heavy smoke into the air, hampering rescue efforts by helicopters. The smoke was seen by witnesses around 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) away from the high-rise. The fire was largely extinguished by 6:30 p.m. local time (1000 UTC), allowing fire and rescue officials to enter the building.

The apartment building, built in the late 1990s, was home to mainly retired teachers. Some residents climbed down the scaffolding to escape, while others called for help but were unable to flee the blaze. “I saw at least four or five people hanging onto the scaffolding which covers the building, screaming for help,” said Li Qubo, who was working near the high-rise.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but local residents said fire safety regulations were not strict, and workers often tossed used cigarettes into the building’s hallways. Qiu Jingshu, a 38-year-old worker who was outside the 18th floor when the fire struck, said he saw sparks from welding being done on an adjacent building fly over onto the high-rise. The sparks lit up foam on the scaffolding around the apartment, according to Qiu. “We had tried to put out the blaze, but the fire was so big and spread so quickly that we could barely escape ourselves,” he said. Crews were said to have been installing insulation at the time of the fire, and witnesses saw construction materials on fire before the building was overtaken by flames.

Two nearby buildings were evacuated, and their residents were temporarily sent to local hotels, and a school. Meng Jianzhu, China’s Minister of Public Security, said that an investigation would determine who was responsible for the fire, so they could be punished accordingly. Meng said that a team had been formed under China’s State Council to look into the disaster.

A similar incident occurred in Beijing early last year. In February 2009, the illegal use of fireworks caused a fire that gutted a 34-story building under construction at the time.

Shanghai has a population of about 20 million, housed mainly in high-rise apartments. Many buildings in the city are under construction or being renovated.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced yesterday that Simplicity Inc. is recalling nearly one million baby cribs after two infant deaths have been linked to a design failure.

Simplicity Inc. supplies cribs to large American big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart Inc., and several other giant retailers including Target Corp. and Big Lots Inc.

A dangerous gap can be created if the drop-side of the crib has been installed upside-down, and thus becomes detached. That space can cause infants to be suffocated.

Parents are being urged by the company to check their Simplicity cribs to make sure the drop-side was installed correctly and is not a safety hazard. The cribs being recalled have these model numbers: 4600, 4605, 4705, 5000, 8000, 8324, 8800, 8740, 8910, 8994, 8050, 8750, 8760 and 8996.

The affected cribs cost between US$100 and $300, and were sold between January of 1998 through May of 2007.

Two separate deaths have been reported because the drop-side was installed upside down. Fifty-five non-fatal entrapment cases have been reported. And, the CPSC is now investigating a third infant death involving a newer-style crib.

Simplicity Inc. says the faulty cribs were made in China. However, according to CPSC, the recall is about the design flaws that the U.S. manufacturers designed into the product, not a made-in-China problem.

Monday, December 12, 2005California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has denied clemency for gang founder Stanley “Tookie” Williams, a death row inmate in California convicted of four murders in the 1979.

Stanley Williams was the founder of a notorious Crips street gang. He was convicted in 1981 for the four murders — one of a murder of a convenience store clerk and of two Taiwanese-American motel owners and their daughter.

In recent years, Williams has claimed that he has been redeemed. He has become known for his anti-gang efforts, including the brokering of a truce between the major street gang, the Bloods, and the Crips which he founded. These efforts have earned him Nobel peace prize nominations. BBC News has reported Alice Huffman, President of The California National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, as saying “We believe this is a serious blow to our effort to fight gangs.”

However the violent nature of Williams crimes has also been raised. In denying clemency Californian governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said “Without apology and atonement for these senseless and brutal killings, there can be no redemption,”. Despite claims of redemption and renunciation of the gang lifestyle, Willams has not provided authorities with information on the gang he founded, and has maintained his innocence of the murders. According to the statement released by the governor, Williams’ stance was a factor in denial of clemency.

Williams will be executed by lethal injection at 12:01 AM local time (0801 UTC) on Tuesday.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

The United States announced the declassification of a portion of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, a major part of the US’s efforts to thwart cyber warfare, on Tuesday.

The announcement came at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco, and was given by Howard Schmidt, who is the current US cyber-security coordinator, having been assigned the position in December.

While only a portion of the document was revealed at the announcement, and much remains classified material, including all material related to plans by the government for offensive cyber-warfare, the program has twelve parts, and has three main strategies:

• To create a defensive mechanism against immediate threats, as well as those possible in the near future;
• To create a defensive mechanism against a wide variety of threats, both present and future;
• To initiate efforts to strengthen future cyber-security efforts.

The program includes funding for numerous security measures, including the government’s controversial Einstein program, which scans all incoming communications to government-operated websites. The plan also mentions increasing security for classified networks within the government, as well as developing a government-wide plan for counter-intelligence work, although the declassified portions gave little indication as to what that would involve.

The program was begun by President George Bush in 2008 as a National Security Presidential Directive, and has been entirely classified until now. At its inception, it was intended to serve as a program to unify cyber-security efforts within the government and to develop other security programs for use nationwide. No budget has been released for the program, although estimates place the cost at $40 billion until 2015.