Mali conflict: French troops retake Kidal airport without resistance

Kidal airport in northern Mali is now under the control of French forces, who are reportedly encountering no resistance in the town. Photograph: Romaric Hien/AFP/Getty

French forces have taken control of the airport in the Malian town of Kidal, the last remaining urban stronghold of Islamists in the north, as France's foreign minister vowed troops would depart from Mali "quickly".

Kidal, 1,500km from the capital Bamako and towards the Algerian border, would be the last of northern Mali's major towns to be retaken by French-led forces after they reached Gao and Timbuktu earlier this week in a campaign to drive out al-Qaida-linked Islamists.

The military operation in Kidal itself was "ongoing" on Wednesday, according to French armed forces spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard in Paris. The airport was secured on Tuesday night by French troops.

"They arrived late last night and they deployed in four planes and some helicopters," said Haminy Belco Maiga, president of the regional assembly of Kidal.

"Afterwards they took the airport and then entered the town, and there was no combat," said Maiga, who had been in touch with people in the town by satellite phone as all the normal telephone networks were down. "The French are patrolling the town and two helicopters are patrolling overhead." Kidal is the capital of the desert region of the same name, to which Islamist fighters are believed to have retreated during nearly three weeks of French airstrikes and an advance by hundreds of ground troops.

Tuareg rebels of the Mouvement National de Liberation de l'Azawad (MNLA), who want greater autonomy for the desert north, said this week that they had taken control of Kidal after Islamists abandoned the town.

The MNLA, which fought alongside the Islamists before being sidelined by them in mid-2012, was not immediately available for comment on the French deployment.

Earlier this week, after French and Malian troops secured Timbuktu, French president Fran?ois Hollande said: "We're winning this battle, and when I say 'we', I mean the Malian army, the Africans backed by the French."

France, which has 3,500 troops on the ground, as well as fighter planes and helicopters in the country, is cautious about declaring victory, knowing that Islamists who have retreated to desert hideouts could stage comebacks that would be difficult to contain for Mali's weak army. But France has insisted on the rapid implementation of a European training programme for the Malian army as well as the deployment of a joint African force which will eventually assume control of operations.

"Now it's up to African countries to take over," France's foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, told Le Parisien on Wednesday. "We decided to put the means in ? men and supplies ? to make the mission succeed and hit hard. But the French aspect was never expected to be maintained. We will leave quickly."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/30/mali-conflict-french-troops-retake-kidal-airport

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Former Mayor Chavez Takes D.C. Job

Martin Chavez

Former Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez has been hired by a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm.

Ibarra Strategy Group announced Tuesday that Chavez recently was hired to assist with ?business development and strategic advice.?

Chavez served as mayor of New Mexico?s largest city for three terms before being defeated by current Mayor Richard Berry in 2009. He was also a former state senator and Democratic nominee for New Mexico governor.

Last year, the Georgetown Law School graduate lost a bid to Michelle Lujan Grisham for the Democratic nomination for New Mexico?s 1st congressional district. Lujan Grisham won the nomination and captured the seat in the general election.

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Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/30/abqnewsseeker/former-mayor-chavez-takes-d-c-job.html

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Eating bright-colored fruits and vegetables may prevent or delay ALS

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

New research suggests that increased consumption of foods containing colorful carotenoids, particularly beta-carotene and lutein, may prevent or delay the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, published by Wiley in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, found that diets high in lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and vitamin C did not reduce ALS risk.

Carotenoids give fruits and vegetables their bright orange, red, or yellow colors, and are a source of dietary vitamin A. Prior studies report that oxidative stress plays a role in the development of ALS. Further studies have shown that individuals with high intake of antioxidants, such as vitamin E, have a reduced ALS risk. Because vitamin C or carotenoids are also antioxidants, researchers examined their relation to ALS risk.

According to the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) roughly 20,000 to 30,000 Americans have ALS?also known as Lou Gehrig's disease?and another 5,000 patients are diagnosed annually with the disease. ALS is a progressive neurological disease that attacks nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord, which control voluntary muscles. As the upper and lower motor neurons degenerate, the muscles they control gradually weaken and waste away, leading to paralysis.

"ALS is a devastating degenerative disease that generally develops between the ages of 40 and 70, and affects more men than women," said senior author Dr. Alberto Ascherio, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass. "Understanding the impact of food consumption on ALS development is important. Our study is one of the largest to date to examine the role of dietary antioxidants in preventing ALS."

Using data from five prospective groups: the National Institutes of Health (NIH)?AARP Diet and Health Study, the Cancer Prevention Study II-Nutrition Cohort, the Multiethnic Cohort, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and the Nurses' Health Study, researchers investigated more than one million participants for the present study. A total of 1093 ALS cases were identified after excluding subjects with unlikely food consumption.

The team found that a greater total carotenoid intake was linked to reduced risk of ALS. Individuals who consumed more carotenoids in their diets were more likely to exercise, have an advanced degree, have higher vitamin C consumption, and take vitamin C and E supplements. Furthermore, subjects with diets high in beta-carotene and lutein?found in dark green vegetables?had a lower risk ALS risk. Researchers did not find that lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and vitamin C reduced the risk of ALS. Long-term vitamin C supplement intake was also not associated with lower ALS risk.

Dr. Ascherio concludes, "Our findings suggest that consuming carotenoid-rich foods may help prevent or delay the onset of ALS. Further food-based analyses are needed to examine the impact of dietary nutrients on ALS."

###

"Intakes of Vitamin C and Carotenoids and Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis." Kathryn C Fitzgerald, Eilis J O'Reilly, Elinor Fondell, Guido J Falcone, Marjorie L McCullough, Yikyung Park, Laurence N Kolonel and Alberto Ascherio. Annals of Neurology; Published Online: January 29, 2013 (DOI:10.1002/ana.23820).

Wiley: http://www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Thanks to Wiley for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126515/Eating_bright_colored_fruits_and_vegetables_may_prevent_or_delay_ALS

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BlackBerry Z10 official: 4.2-inch 1,280 x 768 display, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus, LTE, BB 10 for $200

After months of rumors, speculation and official teases, RIM's BlackBerry's first full-touch BlackBerry 10 device -- the Z10 -- is finally official. Look familiar? It should. Thanks to an incessant stream of leaks, the handset you see in black and white above had become something of an open secret. But now we can confirm that candybar slab does indeed pack specs quite similar to that of the Dev Alpha unit that preceded it.

Bucking the bigger is better trend we've seen in the mobile industry as of late, the Z10 comes outfitted with a palm-friendly 4.2-inch 1,280 x 768 display -- amounting to a pixel density of 356 dpi -- and measures in at 5.13 (130mm) x 2.6 (66mm) x 0.37 (9.3mm) inches, making it significantly bulkier than, say, the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III. So, it's not the thinnest device we've seen as of late, but at 138 grams, the Z10 certainly won't be weighing down your hand. Beneath its mixture of aluminum and hard, textured plastic lies a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus buffered by 2GB RAM, a removable 1,800mAh battery, slots for microSD (up to 32GB supported) and micro SIM, as well as radios for Bluetooth 4.0, NFC (integrated into the backplate) and WiFi a/b/g/n.

Because no 2013-era smartphone launch could go without it, the Z10 will ship LTE-ready for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, with carrier-branded models across the top four US operators. Long time BlackBerry fans will be glad to note that the Z10 does, indeed, sport that familiar red notification LED, in addition to ports for micro-USB, micro-HDMI and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the imaging front, the handset packs a 2-megapixel front facer (720p video) and 8-megapixel rear shooter capable of 1080p recording -- both perfect for using Sclalado's TimeShift camera software. Of course, it nearly goes without saying that the Z10 is RIM's showcase entry point for its BB 10 OS. Verizon is the first to confirm that it'll charge $199.99 for the handset on a two-year deal when the hardware arrives in March, and has also called shotgun on the white version as exclusive to Big Red.

Gallery: BlackBerry Z10 press shots

You can read along at our liveblog!

Daniel Cooper contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, RIM

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/blackberry-z10-official/

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Guatemala court orders trial of former dictator, rejects appeals

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A Guatemalan court ordered 86-year-old former dictator Efrain Rios Montt on Monday to face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, throwing out 13 appeals presented by his defense.

A judge found sufficient proof linking Rios Montt, who ruled during a particularly bloody period of the country's 36-year civil war, to the killing of more than 1,700 indigenous people in a counterinsurgency operation in 1982 and 1983.

"It has been established that there is serious enough evidence to submit the parties involved to a public trial," judge Miguel Angel Galvez said, convening the defense and prosecutors to an initial hearing on Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Rios Montt, who ruled as commander-in-chief for 17 months, turned a blind eye as soldiers used rape, torture and arson against leftist insurgents and targeted indigenous people during a 'scorched earth' military offensive that killed at least 1,771 members of the Ixil tribe.

Rios Montt was ordered to trial in January 2012 for the same alleged crimes, but his defense team stalled the process with a series of appeals, arguing that he did not control battlefield operations and that genocide never happened in Guatemala.

The former ruler has been under house arrest for over a year and the right-wing party that he founded changed its name last week in an attempt to distance itself from its past.

The court also ordered Rios Montt's military intelligence chief Jose Mauricio Rodriguez to face trial on the same charges.

(Reporting by Mike McDonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guatemala-court-orders-trial-former-dictator-rejects-appeals-230423230.html

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Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T may get Windows Phone 7.8 on January 30th

There's been hints of a Windows Phone 7.8 update looming for the AT&T-spec Lumia 900, but little sign of a real timetable. As it turns out, owners hoping to move beyond 7.5 might be satisfied very quickly. Engadget has obtained an AT&T memo that claims the upgrade is rolling out on January 30th -- as in, tomorrow. We don't see any tweaks mentioned beyond what Microsoft itself said last year, although any update would most likely include Nokia-specific extras on top of the official package. We've reached out to AT&T, Microsoft and Nokia, and we'll let you know if they provide tangible details. Whatever their answers, we'll know the truth before long.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia, AT&T

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/29/nokia-lumia-900-on-att-may-get-windows-phone-7-8-on-january-30/

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NMMU committed to an equal, socially just society

THE issues raised by Bantwini Matika in his open letter regarding the state of sports and more specifically, rugby transformation at NMMU are challenging, but certainly worthy of further debate.

It is a great pity that the writer has not sought to meet with NMMU colleagues to discuss these issues, and I cannot see any plausible reason why he is "forced" to write an "open letter" as our doors have never been closed for discussion.

I would like to distinguish between matters of policy and principle about sports transformation, as opposed to specific allegations made against NMMU rugby administrators.

I clearly cannot speak on their behalf.

And, as his charges are quite serious and damaging, it is only fair that NMMU rugby has a right of reply. I have to say though, that calling someone racist, while in some cases justifiable, may in other instances, have the opposite effect of closing down the ground for making a balanced assessment of underlying and often unknown facts, and blocking a pathway to discovering areas of mutual agreement.

It also has the risk of tarnishing everyone with the same brush, even if unintended. At any rate, labelling cannot be a substitute for making a balanced assessment of the facts, motives and impact of strategies of rugby administrators to live up to the policy commitments of the university.

Matika's allegations will be taken up by the dean of students, Khaya Matiso, who has committed himself to ensuring transformation is consistently, firmly and fairly driven both on the field and in the administration of sports on our campuses. He will make a balanced assessment of its merits and work with our deputy vice-chancellor, Dr Sibongile Muthwa who has overall oversight of all student affairs.

I am glad Matika agrees that NMMU has made a clear and firm commitment to the constitutional ideals of fostering a more equal, socially just and fair society. This, as he rightly notes, is expressed in our Vision 2020, and since 2008, we have been hard at work attempting to drive these goals in student recruitment, living and learning, teaching and research, creating a vibrant student democracy, and taking the university into our various communities to work towards a more equal and socially-just society. None of this is easy, quick or without challenges, and there are still vast areas still requiring major transformation. But we certainly have not been sitting still. I invite Matika to meet with NMMU colleagues involved with rugby to explore positive ways of working towards true change.

Prof Derrick Swartz

Vice-Chancellor, NMMU

Both letters edited due to space constraints

Source: http://www.peherald.com/news/article/11822

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michaelbiehness: Creative Imagination | Self Improvement, Faith ...

Imagination ? HNBD (Photo credit: HNBD)

Creative imagination is more than just active imagination. To be able to actively imagine things, to see and hear things in one?s mind, is an important ability. It doesn?t have to involve much creativity, though, does it? Daydreaming, for example, is a process of imagination. It can consist of an elaborate fantasy world, but one full of all the things that many people think about.

Creative imagination, then, has to include the ability not just to imagine things, but to imagine original things. It is seeing things that others don?t see, and coming up with new ideas. So how do you cultivate this?

<b>Creative Imagination 101</b>

First, exercise your basic imagination. It can be as simple as thinking in pictures more, or listening to music in your mind. Play little ?movies? in your mind, until you can watch them on command. This is a simple process, but for those of us that can?t easily do it naturally, it can take a lot of practice. Fortunately, it is not an unpleasant activity.

The second part of developing your creative imagination is to get more creative in your thinking and imagining. Start by paying attention to your creativity. Our subconscious minds give us more of what we pay attention to. Ignore creative aspects of your life, and you?re telling your subconscious they are unimportant. On the other hand, if you note when you?re creative, your subconscious mind will start feeding you more creative ideas.

Different surroundings can also encourage your creativity. Want more creativity in your love life? Hike up a mountain with your partner. Do you write? Try sitting on a roof to write. Want new ideas for your business? Take a notebook to the park and sit by the duck pond. A change of environment can get your thinking out of it?s ruts.

You can play games that exercise your creative imagination. One such game uses a technique called ?concept combination.? Alone or with other players, you combine random concepts or things in new ways, to see who has the best idea. A thermometer and a billboard, for example, could generate an idea for a sign that checks the weather and adjusts the message accordingly (?Come in out of the heat for a cold beverage,? or ?Come in out of the rain and warm up with our gourmet coffee.?).

Don?t Wait For Creative Imagination

Creative inspiration certainly can strike at any time, but it strikes more often when there is work instead of waiting. So if you want to come up with creative inventions, start mentally redesigning everything you see. Imagine a better bicycle, a faster mail service, or a better chair. Continue this for three weeks, and it will become a habit.

Of course, creative imagination goes beyond solving specific problems or inventing things. Truly creative minds are always coming up with the questions too, not just the solutions. If you want to be more creative all the time, focus on three things:

1. Changing your perspective. A child might think that working just to not work (to retire) is silly. Thinking from that perspective might give you ideas for how to make money doing things you enjoy. Seeing the world as a bear sees it might give a painter imaginative new ideas. Looking at things from a customer?s perspective is a sure way to find creative improvements for a business. See everything from several perspectives.

2. Challenging your assumptions. What if restaurants didn?t have employees? Visitors pay a machine as they enter, feed themselves at a buffet, and everything is as automated as possible, so one owner-operator could run a large restaurant alone. Challenge all your assumptions for practice. Do you really have to pay rent? Do swimming pools need water? Can exercise be a bad thing?

3. Let your ideas run wild. Does a flying bed seem silly? It could lead to the concept of a helium mattress. When you get off it in the morning, it floats out of the way, up to the ceiling. Perfect for small apartments. Don?t stifle your creativity. Relax, and let ideas come. You can always discard them later.

For these techniques to be a habitual part of your thinking, use them regularly. Since it takes several weeks to develop a habit, remind yourself to use them each day. Jot a few of your favorite techniques on a card and carry it with you. Look it over throughout the day and apply the techniques to anything. Soon, you?ll have a more creative imagination.

Ch? Palk

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Born and named Che Linton Palk in Andover Hospital, Hampshire, one cold January morning 1976. Grew up in an amazing village just outside Andover called Hurstbourne Tarrant, and always still even now, though miles away, is my home. Then after 15 years we moved into Andover Town, which had massive changes not just to my social network but would lead me to reavaluate the secular world which consumed me. Not wishing to go into too much detail here,(for now), let's say I found faith. Spent many hours deciding what I believed about life's ultimate questions, Why am I here? Does life hold any purpose? Who am I? The whole God question! life was it Futile? My fialures fatal? My death final? After which I decided I needed to get out more and trance took hold of me. Been a DJ ever since. The music it matters!..

Source: http://chepalk.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/creative-imagination/

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Source: http://michaelbiehness.blogspot.com/2013/01/creative-imagination-self-improvement.html

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Assisted Living Vs. Home Health Care A Fight of Heart ...

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Source: http://www.pfizercambridge.com/assisted-living-vs-home-health-care-a-fight-of-heart/

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Honey Boo Boo's folks met for 'random hookup'

By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

Sunday night's "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" special, "You Don't Know Boo," gave viewers a chance to relieve some of the highlights (or for those who aren't fans, lowlights) of the series so far. Mixed in with the familiar scenes were some all-new gems -- for instance, the story of just how Mama June and Sugar Bear, aka Honey Boo Boo's parents, first met.

"Me and Sugar Bear met out of a chat room off the Internet," June revealed. "It was just supposed to be a random hookup thing, and here we go nine years later and a kid."

Sugar Bear described their first meeting as "love at first sight," but June didn't quite see it that way.

"Was it love at first sight? No," she assured. "Was it bed at first sight? Maybe."

OK then.

For those who want even more TMI from the family on TLC, their next special, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo: A Very Boo Christmas," will air Feb. 10 at 8 p.m.

Related content:

More in The Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/01/28/16739207-honey-boo-boos-parents-reveal-random-hookup-romance?lite

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Obama: Tough call on letting a son play football

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is a big football fan with two daughters, but if he had a son, he says he'd "have to think long and hard" before letting him play because of the physical toll the game takes.

"I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence," Obama tells The New Republic.

"In some cases, that may make it a little bit less exciting, but it will be a whole lot better for the players, and those of us who are fans maybe won't have to examine our consciences quite as much."

In an interview in the magazine's Feb. 11 issue, Obama said he worries more about college players than he does about those in the NFL.

"The NFL players have a union, they're grown men, they can make some of these decisions on their own, and most of them are well-compensated for the violence they do to their bodies," Obama said. "You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That's something that I'd like to see the NCAA think about."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-tough-call-letting-son-play-football-134811632--spt.html

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Bellingham creperie back in business after electrical fire | Retail Tip ...

Bayly Peterson, owner of AB Crepes, folds up a freshly made crepe during the end of lunch hour Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 23, 2013 in downtown Bellingham. AB Crepes reopened Jan. 5 after a fire shut the restaurant down in December. "The first day after the fire I was calm, but then I was really freaking out," said Peterson.

COLIN DILTZ ? THE BELLINGHAM HERALDBuy Photo

An electrical fire is bad news for any business, but Bellingham's AB Crepes appears to have bounced back.

The Railroad Avenue restaurant had to shut down for about a month when an electrical box in a back storage area exploded in the early morning hours of Dec. 6. After some repair work, the restaurant was able to reopen Jan. 5.

The explosion happened around 3:30 a.m., which was a strange time, said Bayly Peterson, who owns the restaurant with Adalberto Avelar. Peterson said the restaurant was closed at the time and not using much electricity; he would have expected this to happen during business hours, when more electricity is being used.

Now that they've been open a few weeks, Peterson said business is returning, particularly with Western Washington University back in session. College students represent a big part of the customer base.

Peterson and Avelar also attend Western full time. While it was a challenge balancing school and running a business when they first opened the restaurant back in April, Peterson said it's becoming more manageable as the owners and employees become more familiar with how AB Crepes best operates.

One aspect that's caught the attention of many customers is the Alphabet Challenge: Two people must eat 26 crepes (one for each letter of the alphabet) within an hour. As of last week 43 teams had accepted the challenge; all of them failed. Several have come close to winning the challenge - one team finished 24.5 crepes - so Peterson believes it's just a matter of time before a team polishes off the 26 by the deadline. Winners get the meal for free, a T-shirt and a photo on the wall of fame. The first team to accomplish the challenge gets their picture on the T-shirt and 50 percent off crepes for life.

Peterson offers this bit of advice for those who try the challenge: The crepes are hot, so spreading them around on the plate to cool them off helps.

"At around 20 minutes (into the challenge) people hit a wall," Peterson said. "It's a matter of being able to turn off your brain and just eating."

With AB Crepes back up and running, Peterson said they can now focus on ways to continue improving the restaurant experience. Currently the restaurant does its best business during the late-night hours and is slower during the day.

"We are growing (with customers outside of the student population) as we get more established," said Peterson.

The restaurant is open every day except Monday. For details, visit its Facebook page.

OTHER TIDBITS

? Dashi Noodle Bar opened last week at 1311 N. State St.

? The Love Zone at 4227 Meridian St. closed earlier this month. The company has stores in Seattle, Everett and Marysville.

? Gown & Glove Bridal Consignment at 1211 Cornwall Ave. is having a moving sale. Owner Stephanie Murillo said she's finalizing a lease for a new space but isn't quite ready to announce a new location. Customers can get updates on the store's Facebook page.

? Dolan Dynamic Landscape Maintenance recently opened for business. Devin and Rachel Dolan operate the company and both received the Horticulture and Lawn Care Technician national designation by the Professional Landcare Network. The company serves all of Whatcom County, offering a variety of landscape services. For details, visit dolandynamic.com.

? Lisa Press, owner of Wanna Get Fit, recently opened a new studio at 1201 Cornwall St., Suite 107, located near the intersection of Cornwall Avenue and East Chestnut Street. The studio, a space for only women, is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, with personalized classes throughout the week. An open house is planned for noon to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8. Classes are capped at six people, so everyone receives individualized attention, according to a company news release. For details, visit wannagetfit.net or call 360-920-2048.

Retail Tip Sheet runs each Sunday.

Reach Business Editor Dave Gallagher at 360-715-2269 or dave.gallagher@bellinghamherald.com. Read his business blog at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/business or follow him on Twitter at @bhamheraldbiz.

Source: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/01/26/2852548/bellingham-creperie-back-in-business.html

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Chicago woman loses fourth child to gun violence

At least five people were gunned down Saturday in Chicago, including a 34-year-old man whose mother had already lost her three other children to shootings.

Ronnie Chambers, who was his mother Shirley's youngest child, was shot in the head while sitting in a parked car on the city's West Side. A 21-year-old man who was also in the car was wounded, police said.

Shirley Chambers, whose two other sons and daughter were shot in separate attacks more than a decade ago, was left grieving again on Saturday, WLS-TV reported.

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"Right now, I'm totally lost because Ronnie was my only surviving son," Chambers said.

Shirley Chambers' first child, Carlos, was shot and killed by a high school classmate in 1995 after an argument. He was 18. Her daughter Latoya, then 15, and her other son Jerome were shot and killed within months of one another in 2000.

"What did I do wrong? I was there for them. We didn't have everything we wanted but we had what we needed," she asked Saturday.

Chambers said despite this latest tragic chapter in her life, she's not bitter or angry.

"They took my only child. I have nobody right now. That's my only baby," she said.

A few hours after Ronnie Chambers was killed, a gunman opened fire on three men near a South Side eatery, killing two of them and wounding the third, police said.

On Saturday afternoon, detectives were called to the scene of another shooting in which a man in his 30s and a teenager were shot to death. There had been no arrests.

Chicago's homicide count eclipsed 500 last year for the first time since 2008. Although grim, Chicago's homicide rate was nearly double that in the early 1990s ? averaging around 900 ? before violent crime began dropping in cities across America.

Last year's increase, though, stood in sharp contrast to New York City, where homicides fell 21 percent from 2011.

-- Reporting by The Associated Press

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/27/16725347-totally-lost-chicago-woman-loses-fourth-child-to-gun-violence?lite

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ordinary time: Radical hospitality

J. and I spent our morning today at a Safe Families training. I and a friend had helped to organize this training with the hope that people in our church and community would agree to be a Safe Family. While we can't actually be a Safe Family (it's a matter of number children in the home... DCFS regulations and all... it's all part of being 'outside acceptable parameters'), having now taken the regular training, we can take the further training and become a coach for active Safe Families. Plus, we can also open our home to any teenage mothers who are over 18 and need a place to go. It will be a new adventure.

But there was something in the training which I wanted to share with you. In the section dealing with Biblical hospitality (one of my favorite areas to read and think about, by the way), there were some interesting quotes. Here they are:

• "The Christian writer Tertullian (AD 200) wrote, 'It is our care of the helpless, our practice of loving-kindness that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents.'"
• "When the early church was fully alive in engaging culture and significantly impacting the 'least of these,' the practice of offering care to strangers (hospitality) became a distinguishing characteristic."
• "The practice of Christian hospitality was most vibrant during the first five centuries of the church. It provided credibility (word and deed) and distinguished the church from its surrounding environment."
• "Hospitality was one of the foundational ministries of the early church, vehicle for the spread of the Gospel. Christians were to regard hospitality to strangers as a fundamental expression of the Gospel."
• "Do not forget to entertain strangers [hospitality], for by doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2"

I find it interesting that is was the early church's extreme hospitality that set it apart from the surrounding culture. Extreme meaning that the early Christian's hospitality extended to those deemed as the least. Hospitality was highly regarded in the ancient world. I found this quote on an online parallel Bible site, "The Romans regarded any violation of the rites of hospitality as impiety. Cicero says: 'It seems to me eminently becoming that the homes of distinguished men should be open to distinguished guests, and that it is an honor to the Republic that foreigners should not lack this kind of liberality in our city" (De Off. ii.18).'" So it wasn't just the hospitality aspect which set the Christians apart, but their hospitality to the helpless to use Tertullian's term. That's what was different.

Extreme or radical hospitality. It doesn't have to be something we read about and vaguely wish could happen again. It should be something that never stopped. This is our chance to be like King Josiah in 2 Kings 23, where the law is rediscovered after having been lost and King Josiah restores the keeping of the law. We can restore the practice of radical hospitality that was common in the early church. If our homes are really God's homes, then we can be generous with them; we can open them to people in need and show them God's love. This is what people are hungry for. And then when people ask why you would do such a thing, it provides the perfect opportunity to explain that we are the recipients of Jesus' great love and are merely sharing that love with others. It's not that we are able to do such things ourselves, but that Jesus' love works through us.

A friend of mine posted on her facebook page not long ago, sharing how her church was ministering to her and her family during a particularly difficult period. There were acts of service and acts of love shown to them over and over. One of the comments written on her status was, "Boy, I wish I attended your church." How sad. How utterly sad that my friend's church seems like such an?anomaly?when for Christians this should not strike any believer as unusual, but business as usual.?

Do not accept this. But part of not accepting this is to do something about it yourself. Open your home. Open your home to a child who needs a safe place to stay. Open your home to an orphan who needs a family. Open your home to a single person who is lonely. Open your home to someone recovering from an illness. Open your home. It doesn't matter what kind of home you live in or how your home is decorated or how spotless it is. What really matters is the love and care and compassion to be found within its walls. Let's all work, each and everyone one us, to practice such extreme hospitality that it is the first thing that people think of when they hear the name Christian.?
__________________
Now, having made it this far, I'll reward you with a book giveaway! In our bags at the training was the book, Castaway Kid: one man's search for hope and home by R. B. Mitchell, published by Focus on the Family. It tells the story of man who spent his life in an American orphanage. We have an extra copy and here's how you can win it. Leave a comment telling about an experience of hospitality. I'll leave it open through January 30th and I'll announce the winner on the 31st.

Source: http://ordinary-time.blogspot.com/2013/01/radical-hospitality.html

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Stocks rise ahead of home sales report

NEW YORK (AP) ? Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street ahead of what is expected to be more upbeat data on housing from the government.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 26 points at 13,851 shortly after the opening bell Friday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index edged up five points to 1,500. It traded above 1,500 Thursday for the first time since December 2007.

Homebuilders are heading into 2013 with a head of steam. The Commerce Department is expected to report that new home sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 383,000 in December. Sales rose in November to 383,000, the fastest pace in more than 2 ? years.

Homebuilder stocks are rising in advance of the report.

Household goods makers Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark posted strong earnings.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-25-US-Wall-Street-Open/id-6412f9511fb443a1963df2f90d2c15fe

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How to kick butt at customer service

Build lifelong interpersonal skills in retail positions

First published in?jobpostings magazine
careers. education. ideas. all of it.

Image courtesy of JobPostings.ca

?I saved Christmas.?

And no, that ain?t an exaggeration. That?s a direct quote from Dean Cumming, a product placement coordinator with The Home Depot Canada. He isn?t talking about the time he foiled the Grinch?he?s referring to a time when, in a customer service role, he went above and beyond the call of duty.

?It was Christmas eve, and there was a wonderful elderly woman who needed a stove delivered immediately,? he says. ?But our regular delivery guys couldn?t get it to her that soon. So we had it delivered to the store, and myself and a manager installed it that day, so she could prepare Christmas dinner for her family.?

//
//

Heartwarming, right? But there?s a lesson to be learned here: awesome customer service can be a game-changer. Yet the basis of great customer service?the type that The Home Depot Canada says is their cornerstone?can be devastatingly simple. In fact, great customer service boils down to one action: Listening.

?It?s about developing solutions that you?d appreciate as a customer,? adds Amber Knight, a kitchen designer. ?They key is to listen to what people are asking you, and be honest?no one would expect you to know everything. Then, people start opening up to you. They treat you more like a friend than a staff member.?

And customer-service skills can take you way, way beyond the sales floor. Both Cumming and Knight, who?ve worked with the company for two and eight years respectively, now coordinate orders, handle office administration and take on public relations duties?in short, they?re working in managerial-esque positions. And that should tell you two things: First, at places like The Home Depot Canada, retail jobs can bloom into larger roles. Second, learning customer service skills can benefit you in the long-term.

How, you ask? Simply add? these four career-enhancing (and potentially Christmas-saving) skills to your r?sum?.

1. Professional skills.

Or, in other words, people skills. ?When someone?s spending $30,000, they want to feel like they?re not just handing money over to some juvenile person that doesn?t know what they?re doing,? says Knight.

So, along with being knowledgeable at her job, Knight says she learned world-class presentation and teamwork skills with The Home Depot Canada. ?I?ve always been personable, and being pleasant is important. But I?ve learned to conduct myself in a professional manner, and use the staff here, or our vendors, as resources. If I don?t know an answer, I can rely on them.?

?Building rapport is really important,? says Cumming. ?A lot of customers will come in here saying, ?I need a tool to somehow do this.? A big part of customer service is understanding what people want to accomplish?whether it?s installing a bathtub or building a deck?and then focusing an entire project. Take the time to know your customers, and work them through the entire process.?

2. Organizational skills

Working at The Home Depot Canada requires plenty of skills: you?ll have to learn about plenty of products. Answer questions from customers. Manage large-scale projects. In short, you?ll have your plate fulland you?ll learn to prioritize your tasks. Plus, prioritizing is a huge part of multi-tasking (a skill that just about every job asks for).

3. Communications skills.

At places like The Home Depot Canada, great service equals great communication, and that means being transparent with customers, co-workers, and bosses?a trait that?s beneficial, no matter your role in a company. ?If I don?t have an answer, I call and let customers know I?m working on it. A big thing is keeping those lines of communication open, so people don?t feel like they?re being ignored.?

4. Persuasiveness

Don?t underrate the power of persuasion. Sure, it?ll net you a sale, but your negotiation abilities will also help you while writing cover letters, interviewing for a job, or negotiating that pay raise. And, says Cumming, you can learn plenty about persuasion when dealing with tough customers?in fact, converting grumpy customers can be the most rewarding part about customer service positions.

?The most satisfying part about customer service is working with difficult customers,? he says. ?Working with people who are difficult, and having them return to you, is the greatest challenge?and a challenge is what you should strive for. Most customer service people won?t be able to deal with these people?but you?ll develop the strongest bonds with them.?

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ARB Team
Arbitrage Magazine
Business News with BITE.

Liked this article? Hated it? Comment below and share your opinions with other ARB readers!

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Source: http://www.arbitragemagazine.com/general/kick-butt-customer-service/

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North Korea threatens war with South over U.N. sanctions

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea threatened to attack rival South Korea if Seoul joined a new round of tightened U.N. sanctions, as Washington unveiled more of its own economic restrictions following Pyongyang's rocket launch last month.

In a third straight day of fiery rhetoric, the North directed its verbal onslaught at its neighbor on Friday, saying: "'Sanctions' mean a war and a declaration of war against us."

The reclusive North has this week declared a boycott of all dialogue aimed at ending its nuclear program and vowed to conduct more rocket and nuclear tests after the U.N. Security Council censured it for a December long-range missile launch.

"If the puppet group of traitors takes a direct part in the U.N. 'sanctions,' the DPRK will take strong physical counter-measures against it," the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said, referring to the South.

The committee is the North's front for dealings with the South. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned North Korea's December rocket launch on Tuesday and expanded existing U.N. sanctions.

On Thursday, the United States slapped economic sanctions on two North Korean bank officials and a Hong Kong trading company that it accused of supporting Pyongyang's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The company, Leader (Hong Kong) International Trading Ltd, was separately blacklisted by the United Nations on Wednesday.

Seoul has said it will look at whether there are any further sanctions that it can implement alongside the United States, but said the focus for now is to follow Security Council resolutions.

The resolution said the council "deplores the violations" by North Korea of its previous resolutions, which banned Pyongyang from conducting further ballistic missile and nuclear tests and from importing materials and technology for those programs. It does not impose new sanctions on Pyongyang.

The United States had wanted to punish North Korea for the rocket launch with a Security Council resolution that imposed entirely new sanctions against Pyongyang, but Beijing rejected that option. China agreed to U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang after North Korea's 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests.

NUCLEAR TEST WORRY

North Korea's rhetoric this week amounted to some of the angriest outbursts against the outside world coming under the leadership of Kim Jong-un, who took over after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in late 2011.

On Thursday, the North said it would carry out further rocket launches and a nuclear test, directing its ire at the United States, a country it called its "sworn enemy".

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the comments were worrying.

"We are very concerned with North Korea's continuing provocative behavior," he said at a Pentagon news conference.

"We are fully prepared ... to deal with any kind of provocation from the North Koreans. But I hope in the end that they determine that it is better to make a choice to become part of the international family."

North Korea is not believed to have the technology to deliver a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the continental United States, although its December launch showed it had the capacity to deliver a rocket that could travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles), potentially putting San Francisco in range, according to an intelligence assessment by South Korea.

South Korea and others who have been closely observing activities at the North's known nuclear test grounds believe Pyongyang is technically ready to go ahead with its third atomic test and awaiting the political decision of its leader.

The North's committee also declared on Friday that a landmark agreement it signed with the South in 1992 on eliminating nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula was invalid, repeating its long-standing accusation that Seoul was colluding with Washington.

The foreign ministry of China, the North's sole remaining major diplomatic and economic benefactor, repeated its call for calm on the Korean peninsula at its daily briefing on Friday.

"The current situation on the Korea peninsula is complicated and sensitive," spokesman Hong Lei said.

"We hope all relevant parties can see the big picture, maintain calm and restraint, further maintain contact and dialogue, and improve relations, while not taking actions to further complicate and escalate the situation," Hong said.

But unusually prickly comments in Chinese state media on Friday hinted at Beijing's exasperation.

"It seems that North Korea does not appreciate China's efforts," said the Global Times in an editorial, a sister publication of the official People's Daily.

"Just let North Korea be 'angry' ... China hopes for a stable peninsula, but it's not the end of the world if there's trouble there. This should be the baseline of China's position."

(Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; editing by Jeremy Laurence and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-threatens-war-south-over-u-n-084736253.html

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Weekend: Reds Here Today, Baby Boomer Comedy Saturday ...

Reds mascots with WRBI GM Ron Green

What?s going on this weekend?

We?ll start with the Reds Caravan.? Jay Bruce, GM Walt Jocketty and broadcaster Thom Brennaman will be at The Sherman House today at noon. You need a $15 ticket to get in, and a few are still available at the restaurant, but can then meet the Reds crew. We?ll also have a live broadcast featuring the Reds players and administration. The ticket includes a German lunch.

Saturday is the Baby Boomer Comedy show. It?s at the Gibson Theater, and features veteran comedians Kent Rader and Jan McInnis. They spin a funny twist on life?family jobs and more?sure to make you relate and laugh.

Doors open at 7 p.m. with beer and wine available and the show is at 8 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door, or you can call the RAA office at 933 0355.

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Post expires at 11:36am on Tuesday January 29th, 2013

Source: http://www.wrbiradio.com/weekend-reds-here-today-baby-boomer-comedy-saturday/

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Meet Sherlock the Homebuyer | The Niche Report

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There is a class of homebuyer that looks to the bones of a home before they allow themselves to be wowed by kitchen cabinets, granite countertops, hardwood floors, and big master suites. Call them junior inspectors or Sherlocks of the home market. You can spot them because there will be a flashlight poking out of a back pocket or a tape measure clipped to a belt. Hardcore Sherlocks hide an awl (sharp pointy tool) up their sleeve in order to probe for rot. Another clue: They?re too busy eyeing the condition of roof shingles, the levelness of the floors, and whether there are adequate eave and ridge vents, to chat much or to listen to what an agent has to say. At showings and open houses, they politely excuse themselves and head straight for the basement.

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Basements offer up many clues about the quality of a house. In them, you can determine a host of important things, including the presence of lead pipes or asbestos insulation, whether appliance flues are up to code, the age of the wiring, the adequacy of the electrical service, and whether you?ll be cohabiting with bugs and mice.

?

Look overhead to the basement ceiling (underside of the subfloor) and you can find the telltale signs of past (or current) plumbing leaks. Look to the slab and cracks or raised sections will tell you whether the contractor skimped when it was poured. Examine the furnace or boiler, and the water heater, to discover whether they hail from a less efficient era. Excess humidity will show up as mold or fungus growing on framing and a layer of rust on anything made of steel.

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The real moment of truth for a house, however, is when the Sherlock heads over to an exterior foundation wall and examines it for water stains, peeling paint, mold, and cracks. Nothing will make him walk away faster than signs of water or foundation settlement. These are issues that are often perceived as not being fixable, or if they are, as being cost-prohibitive to repair. If your house, or one you hope to list, has a basement problem, take action right away. Don?t wait until you?re in the middle of negotiations with a savvy buyer to fix a wet basement or a settled foundation.

?

Real estate agents say that a wet basement can force homeowners to drop their selling price from 10 to 15 percent. In most cases, that?s going to be a lot more than the cost of putting in a basement waterproofing system. A cracked and settled foundation will likely demand an even greater price reduction, assuming the house can be sold at all. Here is more information explaining why you should fix your foundation when selling a home.

?

?Fix it now and have the enjoyment of a dry basement [or a sound foundation] for all the time you live here,? says Larry Janesky, president of Basement Systems, Inc., ?instead of having to live with moisture and mold, ruined possessions, loss of storage space, bad smells, sloped floors and cracked walls.?

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Why spend thousands to fix your basement just before you go to sell to a Sherlock (or anyone else) for his family to enjoy the dry basement your family could have had?

?

This guest post is by Joe Provey, a home improvement and green living writer who has authored several books including Convert Your Home to Solar Energy.?

Short URL: http://www.thenichereport.com/?p=13325

Source: http://www.thenichereport.com/blog/meet-sherlock-the-homebuyer/

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Science Isn&#39;t Sure Yet If Gaming Addiction Is A Real Mental Disorder

Phil Owen

What is gaming addiction, exactly? There is an easy answer to that question, but there is also, naturally, much debate about whether or not it is even a thing.

Psychology can at times be an inexact science, and it seems as though there is always room for debate within that world. As of today, gaming addiction is not a condition for which your insurance company will reimburse mental health professionals who treat you for it, and that is because the very definition of addiction is still in the process of evolving to the point where problematic gaming can be included under its umbrella. And so in order to fully understand gaming addiction and the debate over its validity, we must start at the root of the term.

In the grand scheme of time, addiction has only relatively recently become a medical concept. Before doctors started saying that folks were "addicted" to opium less than two centuries ago, the word "addiction" meant something different. From that point, the scientists and doctors of the world took that word to mean a physical dependence on a substance.

Even more recently, we?the normal, non-scientist humans?have come to use "addicted" within the context of behaviors. We find a thing we like to do, and we partake in that thing more than other people do?perhaps to an emotionally unhealthy degree?and we call ourselves addicted to that activity. But that is not scientific.

In 2010, the American Psychiatric Association revealed the first draft of revisions to its new edition of the psychological bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Among those changes was a new category of disorders: "behavioral addictions." Within that category we would find a single disorder, gambling addiction.

Behavioral addictions are still a very contentious issue, and that the category was even included in a proposed draft is a big step toward acceptance.

This was the first sign that the idea that addiction could refer to something other than a physical dependence was beginning to be accepted within the scientific community. Of course, there was still much opposition to this proposal. Many psychiatrists and psychologists were afraid that making such a category would start us down a slippery slope, that it would open the door to too many normal activities being labeled disorders.

As such, there was no mention of the behavioral addiction category in the final draft summary of changes for the DSM-V in December 2012. I'm told that's because that category will not be in the published edition of the manual, but we will find out for sure when it is released in May of this year. That this idea may not be included is not a huge deal, given its small scope in this edition. It isn't as though pathological gambling won't still be in the book. But behavioral addictions are still a very contentious issue, and that the category was even included in a proposed draft is a big step toward acceptance. Even if it doesn't go in now, it will come up again in the next revision within a decade. Big changes to a standard like the DSM come slowly.

***

"Gaming addiction" will definitely not be in the new DSM, at least not as an official disorder. But some version of that idea will be contained within the Section 3 appendix, which is where the APA describes concepts that need further study before receiving an official disorder. There we will be able to find a nebulous idea called "Internet use gaming disorder." Right now, we do not know exactly what that means, but logic dictates it is a combination of Internet addiction and online gaming addiction.

Since behavioral addictions are not yet full accepted within the psychological community, we don't usually use the term "gaming addiction" in official chatter. Instead, we take a cue from what previous editions of the DSM called problem gambling and refer to it as "pathological gaming." You will have seen this term in my last article here on Kotaku. As we move forward with the new DSM, I expect use of that term will continue but be mixed with other terms like "gaming addiction" or "gaming disorder."

That "Internet use gaming disorder" will be in the DSM-V appendix is a big step for scientific development of the pathological gaming concept, as there aren't currently many published studies on the subject, and the APA is quite right to not give that problem a full classification at this time because of that. But now our psychological researchers will have a mandate to study this issue, and we should in the coming years have a better grasp on the idea.

As I have established above, there is no officially recognized definition for pathological gaming at this time, but in the existing studies the concept is only slightly variant. Thus far, researchers have usually taken the pathological gambling diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV and applied it to gaming. The study "Pathological Video Game Use Among Youths: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study" published in the journal Pediatrics explains this applications in detail:

Studies on the brain have shown that behavioral addictions cause the same changes in neural activity that substance addiction does.

"Pathological use of video games in empirical research is generally measured in the main elements of addictive behaviour, such as [R.I.F.] Brown's core facets of addiction: salience (the activity dominates the person's life, either cognitively or behaviourally), euphoria/relief (the activity provides a ?high' or relief of unpleasant feelings), tolerance (greater activity is needed to achieve the same ?high'), withdrawal symptoms (the experience of unpleasant physical effects or negative emotions when unable to engage in the activity), con?ict (the activity leads to con?ict with others, work, obligations, or the self) and relapse and reinstatement (the activity is continued despite attempts to abstain from it)."

Seeing as how research shows a not-insignificant number of gamers fit those criteria, I'd say that's compelling evidence that pathological gaming is an actual thing. But it's more than just that. Studies on the brain have shown that behavioral addictions cause the same changes in neural activity that substance addiction does, and treatments for substance dependence often work on these impulse-control problems. Yes, there are addiction centers that treat conditions like pathological gaming.

***

As with most psychological evaluations, it can be difficult to determine if a person is addicted to gaming without studying that person's life. And so, as with most psychological evaluations, we must depend on self-report to help us out. And when dealing with large numbers of people at once, as researchers do, we need surveys. Here is an example of one such survey, given in the study quoted earlier. It's geared toward school-aged children, so keep that in mind.

In the past year...

• Has your schoolwork suffered because you spent too much time playing computer- or video-games?
• Have you ever skipped your studies or co-curricular activities to play more computer- or video-games?
• Do you need to spend more and more time and/or money on VGs to feel the same amount of excitement?
• Have you played VGs to escape from problems, bad feelings, or stress?
• Are you thinking about computer- or video-games more and more?
• Have you stolen a VG from a store or a friend, or stolen money in order to buy a VG?
• Have you tried to play VGs less often or for shorter periods of time, but are unsuccessful?
• Have you become restless or irritable when trying to cut down or stop playing computer- or video games?
• Have you ever lied to family or friends about how much you play VGs?
• Have you ever needed to borrow money so you could get or play computer- or video-games?

In the above survey, participants respond with yes, no, or sometimes, with a yes equal to 1, a sometimes equal to .5 and a no equal to 0. If the subject's points add up to 5, they are considered to be pathological for the purposes of the study. This questionnaire is based on the DSM criteria for pathological gambling, naturally, and the 5-point requirement for classification is a DSM standard. This is fairly standard for research into gaming addiction thus far.

Of course, pathological gaming is still on the frontier in the world of psychology, so the questions above are a standard but not the standard. There is no standard, officially, on this topic, but we will have a little better view once we can see the Section 3 appendix entry on "Internet use gaming disorder" in the DSM-V in May.

In the meantime, there are plenty of psychological and psychiatric professionals out there who will tell you that gaming addiction is a very real problem for some gamers?with research ,including the study I reference earlier, indicating that as many as a eleventh of us could be dealing with it?and inclusion in the DSM-V appendix means more studies are coming. The next few years should be very enlightening on this topic.

Phil Owen is a freelance entertainment journalist whose work you might have seen at IGN, GameFront, Appolicious and many, many other places. You can follow him on Twitter at @philrowen.

Do Video Games Make Depression Worse?

Until recently, I had never considered the idea that my gaming habit, which could charitably be described as heavy, could be harmful to my mental health. More ?

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A Simple Change To a Star Wars Video Game Helped Me Fight Depression

I am a very flawed individual. I am physically flawed, sure, but mostly when I say I am flawed I am referring to my mental state. In the past 17 months, I have had frequent visits with both a psychiatrist and a therapist, and we have been taking aim at those flaws. More ?

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Source: http://kotaku.com/5978808/science-isnt-sure-yet-if-gaming-addiction-is-a-real-mental-disorder

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Akai launches MPC headphone series, we go hands on

Headphones, there's plenty to choose from these days that's for sure. But amongst the celebrity endorsed pairs, and the traditional brands there appears to be a gap in the market. Or, so thinks Akai -- the maker of the legendary MPC line of beat-machines -- as it's extending the brand to include three new sets of its own: the MPC Pro, MPC, and MPC Earbuds. Akai claims the new additions are designed for use with the kit of the same name, but looking at the design, we'd wager it's not shy of taking a slice of the more image-conscious / brand aware market either. The daddy of the bunch is the MPC pro (the lower of the two you see above. These come with 50mm drivers and an over-ear design, aimed at improving isolation. The MPC model (the other pair you see above) sport 40mm drivers and an on-ear design. Both the Pro, and regular MPC editions have a metallic red and silver finish, with foldable ear-cups. The baby of the bunch is the Earbuds edition, and these are designed for "active producers," or dare we say, sporty types too. The ear-hook design is reminiscent of other sports headphone buds to keep them in place. These, however, are Bluetooth enabled too. But, if you're worried about the latency while you're producing on the go, there's a connection for going traditionally 3.5mm-cabled too. Hear more past the break.

Gallery: Akai MPC headphones hands-on

When we first heard that Akai was venturing into the headphone market, we can't deny we were a little excited. The idea of something specific to the MPC hardware / music production, and potential for MPC-inspired design tickled us. In reality, it's hard not to think that it's more about extending the brand onto another line of products. The samples we saw on the floor were early prototypes, and not final models, so things may change, but the design and the three tiered approach suggests this is as much about market appeal as it is dedicated producer hardware. The metal finish looked well designed and reminded us of the Beats Pro line (a little too much perhaps). They fold in, which is always handy for easy storage, and there is also a mic for when using with your phone. Wearing them was comfortable enough, but with no audio to enjoy, we're unable to sample how they actually sound. So, if that turns out to be a strong point, we can happily take these as the serious producer headphones they claim to be, until then, though, we're reserving final judgement. Price and availability to follow.

Show full PR text

AKAI PROFESSIONAL ANNOUNCES MPC(R) HEADPHONES
­­
From concept to creation, Akai Professional now offers a fully immersive production experience with headphones and earbuds that match each new MPC in
design and quality.

Cumberland, R.I. (January 24, 2013) - Akai Professional, the name synonymous with music production, announces MPC Pro Headphones, MPC Headphones, and MPC Earbuds, premium personal audio devices each designed for professional music production with Akai Professional's newest line of MPCs. Akai Professional will exhibit the MPC Pro Headphones, MPC Headphones, and MPC Earbuds at Booth 6700 at the 2013 NAMM show, January 24-27 in Anaheim, California.

Akai Professional's new MPC headphones and earbuds are designed to match each new MPC in design, quality, and purpose. Each is designed to empower producers with the ability to hear their tracks and hone their craft with unmatched clarity and precision. In addition, MPC headphones and earbuds provide an exceptional experience for simply listening on the go to a personal music library.

MPC Pro Headphones feature powerful 50mm drivers and an over-the-ear design for premium isolation and comfort in the studio, while MPC Headphones come with precise 40mm drivers and an on-the-ear design ideal for portability and music production on the move. Both feature Akai Professional's unmatched expertise in tuning and frequency response, as well as fully adjustable headbands, pivoting ear cups, and gunmetal aluminum and steel construction for a solid, comfortable fit. Overstuffed leather cushioning on the headbands and ear cups provides a luxurious listening experience for even the most demanding studio sessions. An audio cable with 1/8-inch connector and 1/4-inch adapter is included for music production, and a communication cable with a built-in microphone is also included for use with mobile phones.

"Headphones are a huge part of the production process," said Dan Gill, Akai Professional Product Manager. "With the MPC headphones and earbuds, we're simply doing what we've always done-delivering the tools musicians need to get fully immersed in their craft."

Featuring lightweight soft-touch ear clips with aluminum trim and volume control, MPC Earbuds are flexible, powerful, and designed for the active producer. They're engineered to be multi-purpose with the ability to connect wirelessly via Bluetooth(R) to any compatible music player for casual cable-free listening, or to connect via the included professional audio cable for latency-free performance during music production. The built-in lithium-ion battery recharges easily via USB (cable included). MPC Earbuds deliver Akai Professional's superior tuning and frequency response for any track via precise 13mm drivers. Producers can go wired or wireless by connecting or disconnecting the included 1/8-inch cable from the Akai Professional medallion that is located on the cable between the earbuds. The medallion also includes a built-in mic for using MPC Earbuds with a mobile phone.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/24/akai-launches-mpc-headphone-series/

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

Published: 25 January, 2013, 04:10

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

Photo by Andrew Blake

(167.7Mb) embed video

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

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

'?Hollywood is a very important contributor to Obama'

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

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

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

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

'Operation Takedown'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'?Hollywood is a very important contributor to Obama'

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

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

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

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

'Operation Takedown'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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