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Net Neutrality Passes, Immediately Pisses Everyone Off

The Federal Communications Commission today approved rules discouraging internet access providers from charging websites for favorable treatment. That might sound like a good thing, but it's actually a terrible surrender to big business, or alternatively a communist plot.

The ACLU said "the FCC has failed to protect free speech" while a Republican FCC commissioner called the vote one of the "darkest days in recent FCC history" and an act of vigilantism. What actually happened is that the commission forbade internet service providers from blocking content; required them to disclose how they filter traffic, for example by slowing down BitTorrent connections; and forbade them from "unreasonable" discrimination against websites, for example by giving some sites more bandwidth. Wireless service providers are exempt from the discrimination ban, however.

So it's a messy compromise with various loopholes. In case you don't want to read the decision — or wait for the text to finally be made public, which for some reason hasn't happened yet — you can just read how the worst company in America, evil ISP Comcast, describes it: "A workable balance." Scary.

[Photo: R.Grothues/Shutterstock]

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Couple on Game Show Loses $800,000 for Answering Question Correctly

On the Fox game show Million Dollar Money Drop, a couple was asked which product was sold first in stores: Post-It Notes, the Macintosh, or the Walkman. They answered Post-It Notes, which is correct. They were told they were wrong.

Apparently Post-It Notes didn't go on sale nationally until 1980, but were market tested in four cities starting in 1977. So that means they beat the Walkman, which debuted in 1979. The question was not posed as "sold in stores nationally," it was simply "sold in stores." Now, while the couple's reasoning wasn't exactly sound while making their decision, they did sorta blunder into the right answer.

Will Fox correct their mistake? Probably not. But, the couple should at least know they were right, so that poor man doesn't feel guilty for the rest of his life.

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The Eagle Has Stranded

[Thousands of people are camped out in European airports like London's Heathrow because of the giant snowstorm that's crippling travel in the region. Image via Getty]

Send an email to Brian Moylan, the author of this post, at brian@gawker.com. Read more at gawker.com

 

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Dad allegedly shoots, gravely wounds son - UPI.com

URL:  http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/12/21/Dad-allegedly...

JOLIET, Ill., Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Illinois police expect to file charges against a man for allegedly shooting his 12-year-old son, who was hospitalized in grave condition, officials said.



Police Monday arrested Roderick D. Tademy, 36, of Joliet outside his apartment where the incident occurred and questioned him at the police station, the Joliet Herald-News reported.



"The 36-year-old mother told officers her husband had shot the boy," Police Chief Fred Hayes said.



The mother took the gun from Tademy and gave it to investigators, Hayes said.



The child suffered a gunshot wound to the head, the Herald-News said.



"This investigation is ongoing but it appears this shooting was intentional -- not accidental," Hayes said.



Two 6-year-old siblings also in the apartment during the incident and reported to be at the hospital with their mother will be given victim-sensitive interviews, Hayes said.



Police said they planned to search the home after obtaining a warrant.

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Teacher charged with sex with teen - UPI.com

URL:  http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/12/21/Teacher-charg...

BALTIMORE, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- A Baltimore elementary school teacher found in a parked car at midnight with a 15-year-old boy faces sex and assault charges, authorities say.



Mark Allen Hyzer, 25, has been placed on leave from his job at the Beechfield School, The Baltimore Sun reported. He was being held in the Harford County Jail, charged with third- and fourth-degree sex offenses, sexual abuse of a minor and second-degree assault.



Hyzer was arrested by police responding to a call late Saturday about a suspicious car in Bel Air in the Baltimore suburbs. Officers said Hyzer was in the driver's seat and the teenager in the passenger seat.



Both allegedly acknowledged to police they had been having sex.



"Their stories pretty much matched," said Sgt. David Betz, head of the county police child advocacy center.

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Motive unclear in Michigan woman's slaying

LIVONIA, Mich., Dec. 21 (UPI) -- A Michigan college instructor has been ordered to appear in court later this month on charges she shot her transgendered sibling's girlfriend to death.



Julie Ann Hopwood, 56, Charlotte, was arraigned over the weekend on a murder charges and ordered to return to a Romulus courtroom Dec. 28 for further proceedings.



Hopwood, who teaches respiratory therapy part time at Central Piedmont Community College, allegedly opened fire on Amy Chesbro outside Chesbro's office in Livonia.



Police have released few details on the slaying; however members of Hopwood's family said the defendant and her one-time sister had been at odds since the sibling had started living as a man several years ago, The Detroit News said..



The News said Tuesday that the former sister, PJ Redbird TwoRavens, was believed to be engaged to the 35-year-old Chesbro.



"As best I understood it, she didn't like when her younger sister changed sex," said TwoRavens' uncle, Frederick Leetch. "I think this is something that's been bothering her because she didn't have a sister anymore."



Livonia police told the News Leetch's theory was incorrect. Other members of the Hopwood family said they had no explanation for the shooting and were devastated by Chesbro's death.



Source

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Sheriff: Banker probably killed himself

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich., Dec. 21 (UPI) -- A Detroit-area bank executive whose body was found after he had been missing for a month almost certainly took his own life, investigators say.

David Widlak's family disputes the Macomb County sheriff's finding of suicide, The Detroit News reported. The family arranged for a private autopsy by the Oakland County medical examiner and has hired a law firm to investigate the death.

Widlak, 62, chief executive officer of Community Central Bank and a Grosse Pointe Farms resident, was last seen at the office in Mount Clemens on Sept. 19. Duck hunters found his body in a lake a month later and his handgun was recovered nearby.

A piece of paper in his hand was unreadable after being underwater for weeks, the News said.

Macomb County Sheriff Walter Hackel said the case is not closed. But he said there is a "strong indication" of suicide and no evidence of foul play.

Todd Flood, whose firm was retained by the Widlak family, disagrees.

"All indication from our experts show that it's a homicide," Flood said. "Crimes don't happen in the middle of Ford Field. They happen in dark, secluded spots, and this is where this crime happened."

The gunshot wound to Widlak's neck was found by Oakland County Medical Examiner L.J. Dragovic. He reported Widlak was shot "execution style" while his Macomb County colleague David Spitz said the wound was probably self-inflicted.

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Sleeping man shoots self on Ohio Turnpike

FREMONT, Ohio, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Napping on the Ohio Turnpike with a gun in his hand turned out to be a bad idea for one motorist, highway patrol officers said.

Mahmoud Ajaj, 30, of Dearborn, Mich., shot himself in the in the leg as he snoozed with a handgun he had in his hands for protection.

"He said it was for protection in case someone tried to rob them," Sgt. Gregory Blake told the Sandusky (Ohio) Register. "It appears like an accidental shooting."

The Register said Tuesday Ajaj was released from a Toledo hospital not long after the incident.

Ajaj told police he was driving on the Turnpike with his wife and two children early Monday when he decided he needed to pull over near Fremont and catch a few winks.

Related Stories Boy shot during vandalism pleads guilty Arrests made in So. Miss. players shooting Coach: Player can't speak after shooting Three Southern Miss. football players shot Read more at www.upi.com

 

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Officials: Federal fugitive might be in York

Daily Record/Sunday News

Skylar Rhoades (Submitted) York, PA - The York County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service are looking for a York man who recently escaped from a federal halfway house in Harrisburg, according to a news release. Skylar Rhoades, 26, is a 6-foot-tall black man who weighs 170 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. Lt. David Godfrey said that authorities believe Rhoades returned to York after his escape from the Capitol Pavilion halfway house. Rhoades' criminal record includes weapons and drug charges. He is currently facing simple assault and terroristic threat charges, filed Sept. 29 by East Pennsboro Township Police, Godfrey said. If you see Rhoades, do not approach him, Godfrey said. Instead should call York County Crime Stoppers at 755-TIPS or 800-722-0991 or the York County Sheriff's Office at 771-2496. To see more fugitives who are wanted by the county sheriff's department, go to ydr.com/wanted. Read more at www.ydr.com

 

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Newspaper Lawsuit Factory Sues Over ‘Death Ray’ Image

By David Kravets

Righthaven, the Las Vegas copyright troll formed this spring, has moved beyond lawsuits over newspaper articles and begun targeting websites for the unauthorized reposting of images. First up, more than a dozen infringement lawsuits concerning the so-called Vdara “death ray.” The Vdara “death ray” describes the south-facing tower at the Vdara Hotel along the Las Vegas Strip. Sunlight bounces from the tower and dramatically heats up the pool area during certain times of the day and year. The Las Vegas Review-Journal posted a graphic to accompany a September story about the death ray, which quoted a tourist whose hair allegedly was singed by the focused sun. The reposting of the graphic, first reported by the Las Vegas Sun, is now the subject of at least 14 infringement suits brought by Righthaven on behalf of the Review-Journal. Suing over images appears to be a new tack in Righthaven’s legal strategy. Righthaven’s business model is to acquire the copyright to content from newspaper companies, such as Stephens Media, whose flagship is the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and Media News Group, whose major daily is the San Jose Mercury News. The company then sues blogs and other websites that have posted or excerpted those articles. Until this month, it had focused exclusively on the article texts. The image-based lawsuits may be part of Righthaven’s efforts to curtail a “fair use” defense to its claims. Last month the company indicated it would no longer sue over brief excerpts of articles after a Nevada judge agreed with a real estate firm’s argument that posting a mere eight of 30 sentences from a Review-Journal story qualified as fair use. Fair use is a defense to copyright infringement, which otherwise carries fines of up to $150,000 per violation. The courts must consider the “effect and use upon the potential market” of the infringed work, the “purpose” of the infringing activity and, among other factors, the “amount” of the infringing work used. There is no bright-line rule as to what constitutes a fair use, and it can apply regardless of whether the infringed material is text or images. Image: Vdara “death ray” graphic as it appears in a Righthaven court filing. See Also: Righthaven Says It Will Stop Suing Over News Excerpts Newspaper Chain’s New Business Plan: Copyright Suits EFF Defends Former Prosecutor From Righthaven Copyright Suit Righthaven Expands Troll Operation With Newspaper Giant EFF Sues Newspaper Chain’s Copyright Troll The $105 Fix That Could Protect You From Copyright-Troll Lawsuits Read more at www.wired.com

 

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