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Social network LinkedIn blocked in China

Social network LinkedIn blocked in internet crackdown in China
Networking site falls victim as government stifles online calls for a pro-democracy uprising in wake of Middle East upheaval

LinkedIn has become the latest major social network to fall victim to China's renewed crackdown on the internet, as the ruling Communist party stifles online calls for a pro-democracy uprising.
The networking site for business professionals – which has more than 1 million users in China – was blocked for the first time in the country on Thursday. Internet searches on the Chinese Twitter equivalent are also being heavily censored.
Authorities have tightened control of the internet in recent days in the wake of the political uprising sweeping the Middle East. Activists have described the situation as "one of the worst crackdowns on the mainland's activists in recent years".
Hani Durzy, a spokesman for LinkedIn, said on Friday: "We can confirm that access to LinkedIn is being blocked for some in China. This appears to be part of a broader effort in China going on right now, involving other sites as well."
LinkedIn has been allowed to grow largely unhindered in China, unlike more popular Western social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube which remain blocked.
China's tight grip on the internet is thought to involve one of the world's most sophisticated online censorship systems.
But the creator of "The Great Firewall", Dr Fang Binxing, recently admitted that it could be subverted by using technology called virtual private networks (VPNs). "So far, the GFW [Great Firewall] is lagging behind and still needs improvement," he told a Chinese newspaper.

Brit pensioner fights off 6 thugs with handbag

Six sledgehammer-wielding robbers, who were smashing their way into a jewellery store, got the shock of their lives when a Brit pensioner clobbered them with her handbag.
The unidentified brave woman in her 70s ran across the street when she saw them attempt a smash and grab raid on Michael Jones Jewellers in Northampton on Monday morning, reports the Daily Mail.
The attack captured on video by a passer-by clearly shows the woman bashing the stunned raiders with her large black handbag as they tried to escape on mopeds.
In the mobile phone footage, the fearless woman is seen attacking the robbers who towered over her, knocking them around the head and shoulders with her bag as they grabbed handfuls of watches and designer jewellery from the store's cabinet displays.
Startled, they dropped their haul on the ground and attempted to bid a hasty retreat as terrified staff inside the jewellers seized the opportunity to lower the store's security shutters.
But the brave woman continued her onslaught as the hapless gang attempted to get away on mopeds.
She clobbered one of the thieves on the back of the moped leading to the driver to crash to the ground.
Other shoppers witnessing the attack detained one of the robbers after wrestling him to the ground.
The rest of the mob managed to escape, but three were arrested shortly afterwards.
The four arrested men are aged 18, 22, 25 and 39. Police are now seeking a further two other people who are believed to have been involved and have appealed for witnesses.
"She was absolutely amazing. We were terrified but we looked out of the window to see her running down the road with her handbag in the air. She did not seem scared or ruffled at all," said Sarah-Jane Brown, who works at a salon next to the jewellery shop. (ANI)

Muse reveal plans for gig in space

Devon trio consider approaching Richard Branson about performing on a Virgin Galactic suborbital spaceship.

 

Space cadet ... Matt Bellamy of Muse dreams of soloing in suborbit. Photograph: Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Could Muse bring Starlight to the stars? The Devon trio have had "coherent conversations" about bringing their anthemic rock to suborbital spaceships, and hope to talk to Richard Branson about a collaboration with Virgin Galactic.

"Maybe I've seen The Jetsons too many times," frontman Matt Bellamy told the Sun. Muse have had several discussions "about playing in space", he said, "sometimes very coherent conversations and sometimes very late at night, but it's for real." While countless bands have had drunkenly imagined zero-gravity guitar solos, Muse are in the uncommon position of being increasingly successful at a time when the prospect of space travel is increasingly close. Virgin Galactic, Branson's model for tourist-friendly spaceflight, could launch later this year.

"I'm thinking of approaching Richard Branson to see if we could do it on his spacecraft," Bellamy said. "I do think it will be possible in the future and I'm sure it will happen in my lifetime. We'd love to be part of that." Although no one has ever crowd-surfed in a space shuttle, such a stunt would follow in the footsteps of Korn, who plotted a gig in an airplane, and Fall Out Boy, who aimed to perform in Antarctica. Only one of them was successful.

"We do have a lot of equipment, so I guess we'd have to use pods to carry our stuff and we'd scale back the shows a lot," Bellamy said. "I don't think the spacecraft is like a Tardis, where we could get everything in we usually have." A gig in a time machine? Now there's an idea ...

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2011

Jordan Rice

Australia floods: teenage victim died after asking rescuer to save brother first

Father of Jordan Rice tells Toowoomba Chronicle of teenager's sacrifice as floods kill at least 18 people in Queensland city

Jordan Rice died in the Queensland floods with his mother Donna. Photograph: Lucyrc Photography/Newspix

A 13-year-old victim of the devastating floods that swept through the Australian city of Toowoomba earlier this week died after asking his rescuer to save his little brother first.

Jordan Rice and his mother, Donna, were killed on Monday afternoon after being carried off by the floodwaters that had risen around their stranded car.

At least 10 people lost their lives in what police in the Queensland city described as an "inland instant tsunami". Another 18 are feared dead.

Details of the teenager's sacrifice emerged today after his father spoke to the local paper.

John Tyson told the Toowoomba Chronicle that Ms Rice and their sons, Jordan and Blake, were on their way back from a trip to buy school uniform when the waters rose up around their car as they drove through the city's central business district at around 2pm on Monday.

After the engine cut out, Rice, 43, managed to get through to the emergency services, who told the family to stay where they were.

But as the waters grew higher, the three had to climb on to the roof of the car.

"All these people were just standing around until an old scrawny guy grabbed a bit of rope, wrapped it around himself and jumped in," said Tyson.

"Jordan can't swim and is terrified of water. But when the man went to rescue him, he said, 'Save my brother first'."

Although the rescuer managed to save 10-year-old Blake, the rope broke when he tried to tie it around Rice and Jordan, and mother and son were swept downstream.

After holding on to a tree for a little while, the pair were carried off by the floodwaters.

Tyson began to cry as his spoke of the bravery his son had shown in his final moments.

"I can only imagine what was going on inside to give up his life to save his brother, even though he was petrified of water," he told the Chronicle. "He is our little hero."

The father described his partner and Jordan as "the unsung heroes of my life", adding: "She was my soulmate."

Tyson also thanked the man who had risked his own life to help his family and save Blake.

Golden-Voiced Homeless Man Captivates Internet

This clip speaks for itself -- literally. The Columbus Dispatchdiscovered a homeless man along Ohio's I-71 claiming to have "the God-given gift of voice," and what began as your everyday viral video has exploded into a life-changing experience for one man. Yesterday morning he was a panhandler; today he's the most in-demand voice personality in the world, thanks to offers from countless radio stations, voiceover gigs and even the Cleveland Cavaliers.

His name is Ted Williams, and he's an ex-radio announcer according to the note he scrawled on a piece of cardboard that he used to solicit change from drivers. And wow, does Williams ever deliver for a dollar. Williams tells the Dispatch about his struggles, but thankfully "alcohol and drugs and a few other things" haven't diminished Williams' velvety vocal cords, and he says he's two years clean now.

"I have a god given gift of voice. I'm an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times. Please! Any help will be greatfully appreciated. Thank you and God bless. Happy holidays," reads Williams' roadside sign for help.

[Video: Homeless man hailed as hero for good deed]

Like Williams, the radio industry has fallen on hard times in the past decade, but given the viral power of this video, Williams was quickly approached by more than a few morning show appearances. In fact,Reddit reported that Ted was tracked down by Columbus area radio show the Morning Zoo and appeared on this morning's program, and even found time for an interview with CBS' "The Early Show":

As evidenced by Williams' new haircut, what a difference a day makes. A mere 24 hours after the video went viral, Williams says he's already been offered a bunch of employment opportunities, including one that's a Ohio citizen's dream job. "The Cleveland Cavaliers just offered me a full-time job and a house," Williams revealed. The Cavs will reportedly have to compete against MTV, the NFL and likely countless more suitors for Williams' services.

While Williams' sudden and lucky twist of fate could bring any man to tears, he gets most choked up when discussing how an invitation to do the gamut of TV shows in New York has opened the door for him to visit his 92-year-old mother in Brooklyn for the first time in years. "One of my biggest prayers that I sent out was that she would live long enough to see me rebound," Williams said. "There's so many words. I've already been compared to Susan Boyle... I'm just so happy."

Drug King's Luxury Triplex Hidden In the Slums

Complexo do Alemão—one of the most dangerous and poorest slums in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A 731-acre sea of crumbling shacks in which pariahs survive and criminals thrive. That's where drug king Pezão had his secret luxury mansion.

The criminal's grand base was a triplex with swimming pool on the roof, bathrooms with jacuzzi, a professional kitchen packed with top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, and air conditioning and LCD televisions in every single room. The triplex also had a private disco club inside and, what is even worse, the drug lord was a fan of Justin Bieber.
Pezão destroyed walls in his residence to extract hidden drugs, money and diverse weaponry before running away from the government invasion. However, the police were able to confiscate six tons of drugs and large quantities of weapons.
His sumptuous triplex was found by police and military forces this Sunday at 11am local time, while cleaning the area of drug traffickers and criminal gangs in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Before these operations, favelas like Complexo do Alemão were completely ruled by these crime gangs. No police forces were even allowed inside.

You're winding me up*

(* wind up: dar corda a / irritar)

British constructor Perry Watkins'

British constructor Perry Watkins sits in his "Wind Up" mini car on a street in Essen, Germany.

The car is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's smallest car with a licence to drive on public streets.

Just 104cm high, 129cm long and only 66cm wide, the mini always finds a parking space. It can reach 60km/h and even has security belts.

The car will be shown at the motor show, starting on November 27, in Essen.

Minnesota Mom Hit With $1.5 Million Fine for Downloading 24 Songs

What's the value of a song? Jammie Thomas-Rasset has spent the last few years in court debating that question. The Minnesota mother of four is being penalized for illegally downloading and sharing 24 songs on the peer-to-peer file-sharing network Kazaa in 2006, but how much she owes the record labels has been in question. The jury in her third trial has just ruled that Thomas-Rasset should pay Capitol Records $1.5 million,CNET reports, which breaks down to $62,500 per song. It's a heavy penalty considering the 24 tunes would only cost approximately $24 on iTunes, which was Thomas-Rasset' argument, too. Thanks to Thomas-Rasset's colorful case, she has become the public face of the record industry's battle with illegal downloaders. In her first trial, in 2007, the jury demanded she pay $222,000 for violating the copyright on more than 1,700 songs by Green Day, Aerosmith and Richard Marx, to name a few. Thomas-Rasset maintained she wasn't the computer user who did the file sharing, and her legal team cited an error in jury instruction to secure a second trial in 2009 that ended with a much harsher result: an astronomical fine of $1.92 million. However, earlier this year a U.S. District Court judge found the $1.92 million penalty against Thomas-Rasset to be "monstrous and shocking" and "gross injustice" before lowering it to $54,000, or $2,250 a song. Thomas-Rasset and her legal team decided to appeal that decision, too. 

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the organization that represents the four major record labels, was pleased by the most recent decision, even if it has no intention to collect the $1.5 million from Thomas-Rasset. "Now with three jury decisions behind us along with a clear affirmation of Ms. Thomas-Rasset's willful liability, it is our hope that she finally accepts responsibility for her actions," the RIAA said in a statement. Earlier this year, the RIAA offered Thomas-Rasset the opportunity to end the legal battle for $25,000 and an admission of guilt; Thomas-Rasset declined.

Still, Thomas-Rasset and her legal team are already making plans to appeal, setting the stage for a fourth trial. "The fight continues," promised Thomas-Rasset's lawyer Kiwi Camara. Even if Thomas-Rasset were to win the next trial, the RIAA would likely appeal that decision to ensure that copyright infringement without penalization won't happen. This story has the potential to drag on well into the next decade -- when for $1.5 million, all of Thomas-Rasset's four kids could finish law school and take up the fight on her behalf.Burying a Midwestern mom in insurmountable debt isn't the best publicity move, so rather than argue the labels are entitled to the cash, the RIAA has sought to make this trial into a cautionary tale for anyone considering illegally downloading music -- a reminder that there are penalties. But as the constantly declining weekly Nielsen SoundScan sales figures demonstrate, nothing seems to have deterred music fans from stealing rather than purchasing songs and albums. And in a digital world now dominated by Bit Torrent and Rapidshare, a trial over a music-sharing dinosaur like Kazaa seems nothing but antiquated.

Tap Water vs Bottled Water (Video)

Which one do you prefer?

Paul the 'psychic' World Cup octopus dead

AFP/File – A football jersey of the Spanish national team is being held in front of the aquarium of the 'psychic' …


BERLIN (AFP) – Paul the octopus, who shot to fame during this year's football World Cup in South Africa for his flawless record in predicting game outcomes, has died, his aquarium in Germany said on Tuesday.
"Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, who achieved global renown during the recent World Cup, had passed away overnight," the aquarium said in a sombre statement.
"Paul amazed the world by correctly predicting the winners of all Germany's World Cup clashes, and then of the final," said Sea Life manager Stefan Porwoll.
"His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself ... We had all naturally grown very fond of him and he will be sorely missed," said Porwoll.
Paul beat the odds during the World Cup by correctly forecasting all eight games he was asked to predict, including Spain's 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the final.
For the prediction, two boxes were lowered into the salty soothsayer's tank, each containing a mussel and a flag of the two opposing teams.
Watched by a myriad of reporters, Paul would head to one box, wrench open the lid and gobble the tasty morsel, with the box he plumped for being deemed the likely winner.
Paul's body is now in cold storage while the aquarium decides "how best to mark his passing."
However, Paul's fans need not despair. The aquarium has already been grooming a successor, to be named Paul like his mentor.
"We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine," said Porwoll.
"While this may seem a curious thing to do for a sea creature, Paul achieved such popularity during his short life that it may be deemed the most appropriate course of action."

Spaceport completed (video)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11611915

"No kids for drug addicts", says US charity

Drug addict sterilised for cash - but can Barbara Harris save our babies?
By Jon Swaine

Joanne was addicted to Crystal Meth when she got pregnant. She tried to give it up, but failed, and gave birth to twins who tested positive for the drug. The babies are now much more likely to develop learning difficulties, intestinal problems and skeletal defects. They were taken away by social services.
Joanne was put in touch with Project Prevention. In a brutal transaction, the group offers drug-addicted men and women hundreds of pounds in cash in return for being sterilised. The charity, founded 13 years ago by Barbara Harris, a mother of 10 from North Carolina, has since paid about 3,500 people to surrender their fertility permanently or for the long term.

Mrs Harris and her husband, Smitty, started the group after fostering four children from a crack-addicted mother in Los Angeles. They claim that the last 20 women who chose to be sterilised under their scheme had been pregnant 121 times between them, and had 78 children in foster care. Their system raises fundamental questions about people’s right to have children.
Mrs Harris has said: “We don’t allow dogs to breed. We spay them. We neuter them. We try to keep them from having unwanted puppies, and yet these women are literally having litters of children.”

Her group is now offering its services in Britain, where each year more than 1,200 babies are born addicted to drugs.

A 38-year-old heroin addict, identified only as John, has become the group’s first British customer, receiving £200. John explains his decision simply and powerfully. “I won’t be able to support a kid - I can just about manage to support myself,” he said. “I should never be a father.”

However, Martin Barnes, the chief executive of DrugScope, describes their scheme as “exploitative, ethically dubious and morally questionable.”

'’Who would be targeted next,” asked Mr Barnes. “People who smoke, have mental health problems, or live in poverty?”

Yet Mrs Harris is unrepentant. “I’ll do anything I have to do to prevent babies from suffering,” Mrs Harris said. “I’ve been called everything. I’ve been spat on. My heart is with the children. I don’t believe that anybody has the right to force their addiction on another human being.”

Serbian Boy Wakes Up Speaking English

Serbian Boy, 11 Wakes Up Speaking English

OCT142010

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Some parents have a hard time understanding their kids, but for the parents of Dimitrije Mitrovic in Nis, Serbia, this problem has taken on an odd and inexplicable dimension. When he was only 3 years ols, little Dimitrie woke up speaking perfect English. No one knew where the little boy picked up his English. Although Dimitrie’s mother had some knowledge of English,she soon needed a translator to understand what her son was saying. Now at the age of 11, Dimitri’s family and friends no longer understand him.

There are many levels of language proficiency, and Dimitrie Mitrovic’s English is on a high level, in both written and spoken forms. The Croatian Times reports as follows on the mysterious abilities of Dimitri Mitrovic.

“By the time he was five, Dimitrije was reciting entire Harry Potter novels to his pals in English and now he rarely speaks his mother tongue unless he has to.

“I dream in English, speak it, and if stub my toe I’ll curse in English too,” he said.”

Experts fumble for a way to classify and understand Mitrovic’s interesting ability, describing it as “autistic” in nature. Despite such a diagnosis, Mitrovic’s mom, Dragana describes her son as a nice, normal kid who “just seems to think he’s English.”

Professors of English in Dimitrie’s home town of Nis are awed and perplexed by the little boy’s proficiency in English, noting that “We have talked to him for an hour in English and he speaks the language better than we do, like he was born speaking it.”

Read The Full Story: Serbian Boy,11 Wakes Up Speaking English – Indyposted 

20 miners free; Chile rescue past halfway mark

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile – The miners who spent 69 agonizing days deep under the Chilean earth were hoisted one by one to freedom Wednesday, their rescue moving with remarkable speed while their countrymen erupted in cheers and the world watched transfixed.

Beginning at midnight and sometimes as quickly as once every 30 minutes, the men climbed into a slender cage nearly a half-mile underground and made a smooth ascent into fresh air. By early afternoon, more than half the men — 20 of 33 — had been rescued.

In a meticulously planned operation, they were monitored by video on the way up for any sign of panic. They had oxygen masks, dark glasses to protect their eyes from unfamiliar daylight and sweaters for the jarring climate change, subterranean swelter to the chillier air above.

They emerged looking healthier than many had expected and even clean-shaven, and at least one, Mario Sepulveda, the second to taste freedom, bounded out and thrust a fist upward like a prizefighter.

"I think I had extraordinary luck. I was with God and with the devil. And I reached out for God," he said as he awaited the air force helicopter ride to a nearby hospital where all the miners were to spend 48 hours under medical observation.

The operation moved past the halfway point with the rescue of the 17th miner, a 56-year-old electrician named Omar Reygadas who helped organized life underground. His fourth great-grandchild was born a month after the men were sealed into the mine's lower reaches by an Aug. 5 collapse of 700,000 tons of rock.

As it traveled down and up, down and up, the rescue capsule was not rotating as much inside the 2,041-foot escape shaft as officials expected, allowing for faster trips, and officials said the operation could be complete by sunrise Thursday, if not sooner.

AP/Hugo Infante, Chilean government

No one in recorded history has survived as long trapped underground as the 33 men. For the first 17 days, no one even knew whether they were alive. In the weeks that followed, the world was captivated by their endurance and unity.

As trying as their time underground has been, the miners now face challenges so bewildering that no amount of coaching can fully prepare them. Rejoining a world intensely curious about their ordeal, they have been invited to presidential palaces, take all-expenses-paid vacations and appear on countless TV shows.

Book and movie deals are pending, along with job offers.

Sepulveda's performance exiting from the shaft appeared to confirm what many Chileans thought when they saw his engaging performances in videos sent up from below — that he could have a future as a TV personality.

But he tried to quash the idea as he spoke to viewers of Chile's state television channel while sitting with his wife and children shortly after his rescue.

"The only thing I'll ask of you is that you don't treat me as an artist or a journalist, but as a miner," he said. "I was born a miner and I'll die a miner."

America's Youngest Billionaires

Facebook catapults three 20-somethings onto the list.

The Facebook phenomenon strikes again, this time helping catapult two new 20-somethings into the ranks of America's richest for the first time and bringing down the average age of America's richest to 65.7. Only eight American billionaires are under the age of 40, and three of them co-founded Facebook.

The youngest? The world's youngest billionaire is now 26-year-old Dustin Moskovitz, who is eight days younger than his former Harvard roommate and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. The social-networking site's first chief technology officer, Moskovitz left in 2008 and started Asana, a software company that allows individuals and small companies to better collaborate.

The third Facebook co-founder among the ranks is 28-year-old Eduardo Saverin, who once owned a one-third stake in Facebook. When Zuckerberg and Moskovitz quit school to relocate to California, Saverin stayed behind to graduate. 

Technology, and in particular the Internet, has long been the best bet for getting rich at a young age. Bill Gates made his debut on the list in 1986 at age 30 with a net worth of $315 million. Michael Dell debuted at age 26; 19 years later, he is still among the list's 20 youngest. Indeed half of the 20 youngest America billionaires have made their fortunes in the tech industry, most via the Internet.

Outside the world of the Internet, young rich-list members have been able to cash in from a few other industries such as finance and sports.

Worth noting about this bunch is not simply how quickly they've made their money, but how they are choosing to spend it, not so much on luxury homes or expensive toys but on causes about which they are passionate. Google's Larry Page is buying up chunks of residential Palo Alto for a network of houses that use new types of fuel cells, geothermal energy and rainwater capture. EBay's Pierre Omidyar has donated to everything from a company that designs solar powered lanters to a political satire show in Kenya. Moskovitz gave $70,000 in support of Proposition 19, which is seeking to legalize marijuana in California in November. John Arnold has agreed to take the Giving Pledge, making the commitment to give the majority of his wealth to charity.

As for Zuckerberg, he still lives in a relatively modest rental home in Palo Alto, Calif. So what's he doing with his wealth? Not much so far, given that most of it is tied up in non-public shares of Facebook. Still, the 26-year-old announced on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in September that he is giving away $100 million to Newark's schools. The gift is the largest philanthropic act by a person his age in American history.

Portugal's boy genius (football)

Portugal's boy genius @ the Wall Street journal. Read it here.

Baby saved by a sandwich bag

By Richard Smith 28/09/2010

Docs find miracle fix in hospital canteen

Doctors saved a premature baby by popping her in a sandwich bag from the hospital canteen.

They reckoned the 6in plastic container was just the right size to keep tiny Lexi Lacey warm after she was born 14 weeks early, weighing just 14 ounces.

And their fresh approach did the trick - as she bounced back from the brink.

Medics had warned mum Chelsea Rowberry, 17, and dad Lee Lacey, 24, the tot had only a 10% chance of survival.

But the bag kept Lexi's temperature up after she was born in the middle of the night at Worcestershire Royal hospital.

She stayed inside it for several hours before being transferred to a specialist unit at a different hospital. Now, 11 weeks later, she is a healthy 5lbs 6oz and has been allowed home for the first time.

Grateful Chelsea, from Worcester, said yesterday: "It was really scary. The doctors told us they had never known a baby born as prematurely as Lexi to survive.

"She was so tiny the only thing they had small enough to keep her body temperature warm was a sandwich bag from the hospital canteen, it's incredible to think that saved her life. People look quite shocked when I tell them she's OK, they don't believe me when I tell them how premature she was."

Chelsea, who was studying a BTEC in parenting before having Lexi, added: "It's such a relief to have her home. She's a real battler and I'm so thankful for everything the doctors did."

Chelsea's mum Gillian, 48, said: "Without the bag Lexi probably wouldn't have survived, it's a miracle." Dad Lee, a kitchen cleaner, added: "It's been a roller coaster ride. We're so happy Lexi is OK."

Consultant paediatrician Dr Andrew Gallagher, said: "Sandwich bags are made of exactly the same material as those that are often used in hospital to control the temperature of premature babies."

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health-news/2010/09/28/baby-saved-by-a-sandwich-bag-115875-22592490/#ixzz10xBqOgfG