Aircraft Makes Emergency Landing on NJ Turnpike – ABC News
February 1, 2010
Aircraft Makes Emergency Landing on NJ Turnpike – ABC News
Officials say a single-engine aircraft made an emergency landing on the New Jersey Turnpike during the morning rush, but no one is injured. Turnpike Authority spokesman Joe Orlando says the plane with two people aboard landed in the northbound lanes in Cherry Hill Monday morning, about five miles
Grammys 2010: Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Michael Jackson’s kids, Prince and Paris, rule awards – New York Daily News
Paris Jackson (L) and Prince Michael Jackson accept the Lifetime Achievement award for Michael Jackson onstage during the Grammys. WATCH VIDEO of Pink’s incredible Grammy performance below. Kravitz/FilmMagic.co Beyonce performs onstage during the 52nd Annual Awards held at Staples Center in L.A
Protecting Against ‘Lone Wolf’ at Super Bowl – FOX News
Jan. 31: A fan is searched before entering Miami’s Sun Life Stadium before the NFL Pro Bowl. MIAMI — The massive, multimillion-dollar security operations for the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics are being adjusted in light of recent breaches such as the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an airliner
music immersion
December 31, 2009
MoKo LoCo
Real time Internet/SL music jam
Komuso Tokugawa/Japan
http://music.sonicviz.com
MoShang Zhao/Taiwan
http://moshang.net/
License
Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
License at
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
Israeli army kills six Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank – Xinhua
December 26, 2009
Israeli army kills six Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank – Xinhua
 Xinhua |
Israeli army kills six Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank
Xinhua GAZA/NABLUS, West Bank, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) — Israeli forces killed six Palestinians, including three militants, in two attacks early Saturday in northern Gaza Strip and West Bank city of Nablus, witnesses and local sources said. In the first raid, … Israeli troops kills 6 Palestinians IDF kills Palestinians behind murder of settler Al-Aqsa Brigades: Israel opening gates of hell |
NATO: Taliban Commander Dies in Mosque Shootout – New York Times
 Reuters |
NATO: Taliban Commander Dies in Mosque Shootout
New York Times By AP KABUL (AP) — A heavily armed Taliban commander was killed Saturday during an pre-dawn shootout at a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, NATO said as it reported an American service member was killed in a separate attack. A joint Afghan-international … Taliban Commander Killed in Mosque Shootout US soldier killed in Afghanistan bomb attack: NATO Taliban issue video of captive US soldier |
Obama faces tough fight in Senate to deliver on climate pledges made overseas – Washington Post
 Brisbane Times |
Obama faces tough fight in Senate to deliver on climate pledges made overseas
Washington Post By brokering a climate deal in Copenhagen a week ago, President Obama has committed himself to a more daunting task: pushing for comprehensive climate legislation in the Senate next year. Although many senators, especially key … White House: President Obama Monitoring Failed Terror Attempt From Hawaii Obamas enjoy a quiet holiday, Hawaiian style Quiet Christmas Day for Obamas in Hawaii |
Identity politics v class politicsOne of New Zealand’s
December 22, 2009
Identity politics v class politics
One of New Zealand’s best political blogs, Liberation, is running a series examining the controversy of Goff’s ‘Nationhood’ speech, attempting to show how the speech and resulting controversy can best be understood within the conceptual framework of ‘identity politics versus class politics’. It argues that to understand what’s going on in the Labour Party, what Goff has recently pushed for, and indeed what’s happened to the Green Party, is not a case of social liberalism versus social conservatism; nor is it left versus right; but instead it’s liberalism versus leftism – or simply: identity politics versus class politics.
Keep an eye out for it.
R v Internet – or was it journos v lawyers, and where is the horse?
I was at the R v Internet seminar today. It appears journalists and internet people were outnumbered by legal people and public servants.
It was an interesting forum, with everyone recognising that the Internet makes name suppression of celebrities redundant, and can threaten an accused’s right to a fair trial. Some such as Victoria University Professor Tony Smith, considered that many problems were to do with the unregulated blogosphere. Steven Price, himself a blogger, as well as a university lecturer with legal and journalism credentials, was more realistic about what to do when suppression is breached. In short, the genie is out of the bottle, the horse has bolted, and there’s nothing you can do. However, judges should direct juries to enable fair trials by advising that information “out there” may not be reliable.
Deputy Law Commissioner Warren Young, in talking about the recent Law Commission report, Suppressing Names and Evidence [PDF] explained how the Commission wants to tighten laws around suppression, particularly those of celebrities. Young did not consider the ” horse had bolted”, and made an analogy between suppression and shoplifting. Namely the fact that while lots of people know the name of a certain celebrity does not mean that suppression should be done away with just as many people who shoplift does not mean that shoplifting should be decriminalised. Yet there’s a distinction: Many people consider that suppression – particularly of celebrities – should not be against the law, whereas most believe shoplifting should be illegal.
Judge David Harvey spoke in the afternoon and livened things up. He thinks the Internet can be regulated, and pointed to China as an example of regulation. But when asked about sites like Facebook and Twitter, he was out of his depth. He doesn’t appear to have heard of platforms such as ping.fm where you can simultaneously post an item to Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed, blogs and other social networking sites. Rather than ” the horse has bolted” he appears to think that the horse has briefly wandered out of the stable, and on a leash, but is unsure how long that leash is.
Canterbury University Associate Professor Ursula Cheer was very good on the legal side of suppression and contempt, but admittedly less clear on the tools of the Internet. She emphasised the truth that many legal people are not as clued up on social network programmes as they would like to or need to be, just as some bloggers and social networkers are ignorant of the law surrounding what they can and cannot publish. The former group don’t think the horse has bolted – the latter think the horse bolted some time back. Bernard Hickey brought up what I thought was a good suggestion in that the two groups get together informally and discuss some of the issues raised, believing that the legal people and the technically savvy people, including online journalists, were “talking past each other”. The question they should work towards agreement on is this: Where is the horse?
David Farrar also spoke. He was the only speaker who was not a journalist or a lawyer. He started off by discussing the prominent entertainer whose name was suppressed, and how he has seen the name on TradeMe, Yahoo Answers, and MSN NZ. I also found it on the front page of a certain Twitter search. As Farrar was talking about this suppression, and how angry he gets when people get away with breaching suppression on blogs, what did he do… he breached suppression to those with eagle eyes after telling everyone how he viewed the man’s Facebook site. Oops. He also raised good points regarding what is actually a breach – a link to another site, a hint, a pointer to another site that the name is accessed. Many in the legal fraternity believed that nearly everyone under the age of 30 know who this person is, not so many over that age. I spoke to two law students during the lunch break, both were internet savvy, both were interested in Internet issues to do with suppression and contempt – both under 30 and both had no idea who this entertainer was.
The entire forum was videoed and will be available. You should be able to find it by googling it sometime.
Wintery Heaven in Cu Mara
December 4, 2009
Wintery Heaven in Cu Mara
My home in these past few days has been the beautiful Cu Mara. I love the peaceful winter atmosphere here. The snow movement, colors, trees,…everything is absolutely charming. I ended up making a little machinima about the sim (see below) and I even edited some of the footage into my holiday card for this year.
If you’d like to spend a few moments in the ideal winter environment with your friends or by yourself, I highly recommend Cu Mara. There is also a hidden skating ring that you can get to by sitting on a snowman 
Have fun exploring!
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Vancouver 2010 medals unveiled
November 10, 2009
Vancouver 2010 medals unveiled
The heavy medals have been unveiled.
The designs are inspired by the ocean waves, drifting snow and mountainous landscape found in British Columbia and throughout Canada.
Each medal features aboriginal artwork and no two medals are alike.
The medals are circular in shape and, at between 500 to 576 grams, are the heaviest in Olympic and Paralympic history.
The medals are based on two large artworks of an orca whale and raven by Canadian designer Corrine Hunt.
For more on the medals, and a look back at the history of Olympic Winter Games medals, check out this CTVOlympics story.
This story from VANOC’s website shows the reverse sides as well as the Paralympic medals, and this VANOC video explains the concept, manufacturing and so on.
Sandhya2 Patel at The Crescent Moon Museum
Today marks the opening of Sandhya2 Patel’s exhibit at the Crescent Moon museum. Her artwork is a compilation of whimsical sculptures and figurines, some taken from stories or literary pieces such as Alice in Wonderland.
From the artist: “I was fascinated immediately by the possibility of building things in SL.
I started the fist day and have been building ever since.
I have created avatars, built houses, done landscaping , but the most fun
I have had is making statues and sculptures.”
Head over to the Crescent Museum now!
AP IMPACT: Framed for child porn — by a PC virus – Boston Globe
November 9, 2009
AP IMPACT: Framed for child porn — by a PC virus – Boston Globe
Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography. Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses — the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers. In this
Evans scores 23 points to help Kings top Warrirs – The Gaea Times
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rookie Tyreke Evans scored 18 of his 23 points in the second quarter and Sacramento beat Golden State 120-107 to win back-to-back games for the first time in nearly a year. Evans was coming off his best game of the year, scoring a career-high 32 points and getting seven
Kobe drops 28 on Hornets in Lakers’ fifth straight win – USA Today
Bryant scored all but two of his points before halftime, repeatedly capitalizing down low with ease against Devin Brown ’s (FSY) defense. Los Angeles opened a 27-point lead in the third quarter and coasted to a 6-1 start. Chris Paul (FSY) had 15 points and nine assists for the Hornets, who made
HBO’s ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ coming to basic cable’s TV Guide Network and TV Land – The Gaea Times
NEW YORK — TV Land and TV Guide Network say they are jointly acquiring basic cable rights to air “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the HBO comedy series produced by and starring “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” will come to TV Guide Network starting next February. TV
In the Nation – Philadelphia Inquirer
November 1, 2009
In the Nation – Philadelphia Inquirer
 New York Daily News |
In the Nation
Philadelphia Inquirer WASHINGTON – Barack and Michelle Obama yesterday doled out presidential m&ms and dried fruit mixes to more than 2000 trick-or-treaters, marking their Halloween at a White House event partly aimed at honoring military families. … Trick or Treat, President Obama? Halloween at the White House White House a special stop for treats |
Palestinian officials criticize US over Israeli settlements – Washington Post
 guardian.co.uk |
Palestinian officials criticize US over Israeli settlements
Washington Post JERUSALEM — Palestinian officials on Sunday criticized the United States for what one called "back-pedaling" on demands that Israel stop settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, saying that the Obama administration's … SCENARIOS-Abbas dilemmas as US backs Israel on talks Clinton lauds Israel's 'unprecedented' concessions US drops demand for Israeli settlement freeze |
Trio of fugitive Mafia brothers arrested – Times Online
 Times Online |
Trio of fugitive Mafia brothers arrested
Times Online The Italian authorities today hailed the arrest of three brothers who headed a Mafia clan in the Naples area as a "heavy blow" against organised crime. Pasquale Russo, 62, and Carmine Russo, 47, were arrested at a farmhouse at Sperone, 20 miles east of … Italy raid nets two mafia bosses Italian mafia chief arrested Italian police arrest suspected Camorra mafia boss |
Best of Us Curling Challenge?
October 28, 2009
The International Olympic Committee has launched a contest, The Best of Us Challenge, which offers the chance to win some branded IOC merchandise as well as a trip to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games or the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
Relax – these athletes aren’t leaning on their particular sport expertise… not at all, actually.
For example, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal wants to see if you can hold more tennis balls at one time than he can (he picked up and held 24 balls in 30 seconds). U.S. Alpine Skiier Lindsey Vonn wants to know, in a 30-second time limit, in how many different languages can you say “hello?” (She came up with nine)
Here’s our challenge to curling fans: how many of you will choose the option to “submit your own challenge” and bring a little bit of curling-oriented fun to this campaign?
Anyone who submits a video challenge to the IOC contest website with some kind of curling theme attached to it will win a free subscription to The Curling News, for yourself or a friend/family member.
And, of course, we’ll make you famous. Guaranteed.
Simply notify us of your IOC submission by emailing us at contest_at_thecurlingnews.com. Go for it!
Sue Bradford to resign from Parliament
Not long ago, Sue Bradford wrote this message on her Twitter account, breaking her own embargo.
Media conference 10am to announce I’m standing down from Parliament at end October – but am not resigning from Greens or political activism
Dave Clendon is the next on the list. He stood against John Key in Helensville but lives in Mt Albert- formerly held by Helen Clark.
Looks like the loss of the leadership to Metiria Turei really hurt. But, despite Bradford being one of the most effective backbenchers, in terms of getting legislation passed, this is the best thing that has happened to the Greens this year. Watch for a rise in the polls for the Greens.
Backbenchers was a lot of fun last nightI
October 28, 2009
Backbenchers was a lot of fun last night
I was at Backbenchers last night. I haven’t been for a while but decided to go, not even knowing who was on the panel. Parliament was out as members day finished early
It was one of the best ever- so many MPs. There were at least 25 MPs, mainly Labour, but every party was represented apart from Dunne and Anderton. Best comment of the night was when Hone Harawira – in the audience at the time a few metres away from me – was handed the microphone asking for his views on putting the H in Wanganui. His response:
Shane was just telling me that spelling Wanganui without an H is like Cunliffe without a T
David Cunliffe was just behind him. Shane Jones arrived just before the programme started. The pub was in hysterics. It’s an old joke, but I think that’s the first time that has been said in any media – let alone live on TV. Backbenchers is broadcast live by TVNZ7. Not sure what Cunliffe thinks of having his name spelled Cunliffte…
Anyway the place was packed, although it started thinning out after 10.30pm. The good thing about Backbenchers is no matter what political stripe you are, everyone gets on. I’m sure I saw Victoria University student president Jasmine Freemantle having a good chin wag with Sir Roger Douglas – their politics are poles apart.
