goodfellowsmansfield.com

October

Apple collecting location data from iPhone, iPad

Posted by , No Comments

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad periodically send location information back to the company, according to new reports. The data is transmitted to a secure database that only it can access, Apple claims.

Bruce Sewell, an attorney for Apple, sent a letter to two US Representatives last year, discussing the company’s data collection techniques and policies. The thirteen-page letter states that location information is recorded and sent to Apple every twelve hours, but only if the user enables the device’s location settings.

Apple began building a location database of its own when it decided to stop using similar services offered by Google & SkyHook Wireless. Location data is used in social networking applications and call routing.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Democratic Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey said, “Apple needs to safeguard the personal location information of its users to ensure that an iPhone doesn’t become an iTrack.”

Such data collection is not unique to Apple. Google’s Android operating system uses similar technology to provide location-based services to its users. Google has said that it also uses the data collected to provide accurate traffic data through its “Maps” applications on both Apple and Android devices. However, the company declined to comment on the latest findings regarding its data collection.

Apple was also recently in the spotlight after it was discovered that the iPhone and iPad were retaining location data on the device itself. This information is collected in an unencrypted file and is not transmitted elsewhere. The data file reportedly contains a variety of information, including longitude and latitude, cell phone tower identification data, wireless hotspot identification, and timestamps.

This story has updates See Steve Jobs denies ‘location-gate’

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

Oil leaking container ship might cause environmental catastrophe

Posted by , No Comments

Sunday, January 21, 2007

In the United Kingdom, an anti-pollution operation is under way after the stricken ship MSC Napoli started to leak dangerous heavy fuel oil.

The heavy fuel oil that is leaking from the beached Italian ship is extremely dangerous for the environment. Fear of pollution increased after the ship was further damaged during storms last Thursday. MSC Napoli was beached by Devon coastguards after it suffered heavy structual damage in the gale force storms of Thursday, 18 January 2007, that wreaked havoc across Northern Europe. The ship, which contains 160 containers of hazardous chemical substances, is listing at 35 degrees.

The entire 26-man crew was rescued by navy helicopters Thursday after severe gales. Cracks were found on both sides of the ship, but the current oil leak was not expected.

Around 2,400 containers were carried by the 62,000 tonne ship, some of which contain potentially dangerous hazardous chemicals.

The Coastguards have reported that up to 200 of the containers carrying materials such as perfume and battery acid are loose from the ship and they are looking for missing containers. South African stainless steel producer Columbus Stainless confirmed on Friday that there was at least 1,000 tonnes of nickel on board MSC Napoli.

A hole in the ship flooded the engine room and there’s now fears that the ship will break up. Saturday MSC Napoli was towed to Portland when a ”structural failure” forced the salvage team to beach it. As the storms have continued MSC Napoli has been further damaged.

The authorities have warned people about the pollution, which already has reached the beaches at Devon, but many want to see it on their own. Police have closed Branscombe Beach as more than 20 containers have broken up scattering their contents along the beach.

Sky News reported Sunday that the costs of the accident might be very high as thousands of pounds worth of BMW motorbikes, car parts, empty oak barrels and perfume might get lost in flooding containers.

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

Pfizer and Microsoft team up against Viagra spam

Posted by , No Comments

Sunday, February 13, 2005

New York –”Buy cheap Viagra through us – no prescription required!” Anyone with an active email account will recognize lines like this one. According to some reports, unsolicited advertisements (spam) for Viagra and similar drugs account for one in four spam messages.

BACKGROUND

Spamming remains one of the biggest problems facing email users today. While users and systems administrators have improved their defenses against unsolicited email, many spammers now insert random words or characters into their letters in order to bypass filters. The Wikipedia article Stopping email abuse provides an overview of the various strategies employed by companies, Internet users and systems administrators to deal with the issue.

Ever since pharmaceutical giant Pfizer promised to cure erectile dysfunction once and for all with its blue pills containing the drug sildenafil citrate, spammers have tried to tap into male anxiety by offering prescription-free sales of unapproved “generic” Viagra and clones such as Cialis soft tabs. Legislation like the U.S. CAN-SPAM act has done little to stem the tide of email advertising the products.

Now Pfizer has entered a pledge with Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest software company, to address the problem. The joint effort will focus on lawsuits against spammers as well as the companies they advertise. “Pfizer is joining with Microsoft on these actions as part of our shared pledge to reduce the sale of these products and to fight the senders of unsolicited e-mail that overwhelms people’s inboxes,” said Jeff Kindler, executive vice president at Pfizer.

Microsoft has filed civil actions against spammers advertising the websites CanadianPharmacy and E-Pharmacy Direct. Pfizer has filed lawsuits against the two companies, and has taken actions against websites which use the word “Viagra” in their domain names. Sales of controlled drugs from Canadian pharmacies to the United States are illegal, but most drugs sold in Canada have nevertheless undergone testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This is not the case for many of the Viagra clones sold by Internet companies and manufactured in countries like China and India. While it was not clear that CanadianPharmacy was actually shipping drugs from Canada, Pfizer’s general counsel, Beth Levine, claimed that the company filled orders using a call center in Montreal, reported the Toronto Star.

For Microsoft’s part, they allege that the joint effort with Pfizer is part of their “multi-pronged attack on the barrage of spam.” As the creator of the popular email program Outlook, Microsoft has been criticized in the past for the product’s spam filtering process. Recently, Microsoft added anti-spam measures to its popular Exchange server. Exchange 2003 now includes support for accessing so-called real-time block lists, or RTBLs. An RTBL is a list of the IP addresses maintained by a third party; the addresses on the list are those of mailservers thought to have sent spam recently. Exchange 2003 can query the list for each message it receives.

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

Africa makes first draft version of UNCCC treaty, with harder goals

Posted by , No Comments

Monday, December 14, 2009

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, after four days of negotiations, Africa countries have made the first draft version of future possible treaty, to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol. Africa leaders demand 5% of GDP of developed world citizens to be given as a finance to developing countries for struggle with global warming. Along with this, developing countries expect rich countries to increase their emissions cuts goals.

Funding for developed countries was previously expected to be 130 billion US dollars. The new proposal is about 11 times larger, according to 2008 GDP estimates. In an interview in Copenhagen, China’s representative Su Wei commented, “The developed countries need to speed up the process and come forward with more ambitious targets by 2020.”

HAVE YOUR SAY
Can you give 5% of your income for developing countries to fight with climate change?
Add or view comments

Many nations offered emissions cuts pledges, which vary from 4% to 17% cuts by 2020, compared with 1990 levels. The Africa’s draft proposes a goal of 65% cut for every developed country. Though the new goals are harder, Anders Turesson, European Union representative at UNCCC, doubted in the ability of them to prevent 2-degree warming. In an interview in Copenhagen, he said, “We are concerned about the environmental integrity of these texts and we do not see how they will deliver the 2-degree target. Hopefully we will be able to step up our ambitions as we move forward in the negotiations.”

British Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband criticised the draft text for absence of a certain temperature raise threshold, said that the new texts “are shorter texts than we’ve had before, which we can negotiate around because the imperative here is to get on with it and get to an ambitious solution”.

Bloomberg news company interviewed several people from New York environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Its policy director David Doniger expects most difficulties to come at the end of the UNCCC, when Barack Obama and Wen Jiabao arrive at the summit: “It’s really come down to a set of difficult issues. It’s a lot easier for lower-level negotiators to come to an impasse and go home. It’s not easy for senior officials and definitely not easy for heads of government.” As international climate policy director of NRDC Jake Schmidt commented similarly, “It’s going to be a tense negotiation over emissions cuts for developed countries.”

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

An account of the Esperanza Fire from an animal rescuer

Posted by , No Comments

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

Saturday, December 2, 2006

As families fled their homes in the early morning hours on Thursday October 26, there was no warning. The Esperanza Fire southeast of Los Angeles and West of Palm Springs, California, had ballooned under the influence of Santa Ana winds to more than 19,000 acres as of the morning of October 27. No time to get the animals, no time for crates or even a leash. Sadly, owners left behind not only their horses, lamas, donkeys, chickens, rabbits, but also their dogs and cats.

Many of the families who did manage to evacuate their pets found themselves in the parking lot at the Fellowship in the Pass Church Red Cross Shelter where a MuttShack Animal Rescue team caught up with them.

Pam Anderson, Director of the emergency Red Cross shelter said that many people with animals had come and left.

The air was thick with smoke, and ash was raining down on the parking lot where dog owners, not able to take their dogs into the shelter were camping out in pup tents andin their cars.

Those who could afford it checked themselves into pet friendly hotels in nearby towns.

Some were prepared. Jane Garner, a small dog breeder was able to get all her animals out, and had set up her puppy runs alongside her RV in the parking lot. Others were not doing too well, having left home without as much as a leash.

The same scenario played out at the Red Cross shelter at Hemet High School. Animals were being boarded in vans, trailers and cars and small travel crates.

When MuttShack Animal Rescue arrived, a small fracas had sent several dogs off in different directions, running out of the school parking lot down busy streets necessitating an instant rescue response.

The Incident Command for the Esperanza Animals, Ramona Humane Society in San Jacinto welcomed MuttShack‘s offer to help at the shelters.

Ramona Humane Society had recently published a notice in their Newsletter about the newly passed “PETS Act”and warned owners not wait until a major disaster such as an earthquake or fireto prepare. “Be proactive to ensure that your pet will be taken care of.”

MuttShack and PetSmart Charities set up ad hoc facilities for the animals at both shelters.

The Red Cross shelter, run by Madison Burtchaell of the Orange County Red Cross was very accommodating about allowing a small emergency pet shelter adjacent to the School.

Barbara A. Fought of PetSmart Charities, an organization that works with animal welfare organizations and provide assistance in disasters, provided crates and emergency supplies.

MuttShack and Red Cross volunteers, Martin St. John, Tom Hamilton, and Steve Meissner helped assemble the crates to secure a safe environment for evacuated pets.

It was a great relief for evacuees who had camped out in the parking lot to finally leave their vehicles and relax at the shelter, setting up their cots to grab some sorely needed rest.

Firefighters and residents reported loss of wildlife and animals. The Esperanza fire burned 34 homes, consumed 40,000 acres and cost five Firefighters their lives before it was contained four days later on October 30. Firefighting operations cost nearly $10 million.

MuttShack Animal Rescue is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization active in disasters and dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and care of lost or discarded dogs, cats and other animals.

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

Two police officers injured in Pentagon shooting incident

Posted by , No Comments

Friday, March 5, 2010

An armed man opened fire at an entrance to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. on Thursday at 6.40 p.m (0140 UTC), injuring two police officers, before being shot and killed by them. According to the officers, the man calmly approached an entrance to the building near the Metro station, pulled a gun from his coat pocket and opened fire at them. No one else was injured in the incident. The attacker has been identified as 36 year old John Patrick Bedell of Hollister, California. He was armed with two nine millimeter semiautomatic weapons and several magazines of ammunition and acted alone.

Chief of the United States Pentagon Police Richard S. Keevill conducted a press conference two hours after the incident. He said that the wounds to the two officers were not life threatening as the bullets just grazed them. The suspect was critically injured as he was not wearing a bullet-proof vest. The two officers were taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment and were released few hours later. He praised Officers Jeffrey Amos and Marvin Carraway for acting “quickly and decisively to neutralize him as a threat” without hurting anyone else. Bedell died hours after being admitted in critical condition.

Keevill added, “About 6:40 tonight, a person came [to] the Pentagon … area … [and] appeared to be pretty calm. As the officers started to ask him for his pass … he drew a weapon from his pocket and started shooting. … He did not say anything.” Keevill confirmed that the shooter was a American citizen but denied knowledge of any motive behind the shooting. He said, “We have a theory, but it’s still a theory. It’s going to take time to develop that.”

Bedell’s car was driven from California and more ammunition was found there. Keevill said there is a surveillance video showing the suspect that “pretty much confirms what we’ve been saying, that he acted alone.” He has dismissed the possibility of Bedell being a terrorist.

An Internet posting has come forward where a user named JPatrickBedell argued that the 9/11 attacks and death (ruled a suicide by court of law) of Marine Col. James Sabow in Orange County in 1991 had been “cover-ups” and that he was determined to uncover the truth. In the same posting he protests strict US marijuana laws and has included links to a 2006 court case in Orange County where he was prosecuted for cultivating marijuana and resisting a police officer. Online Court records show the date of birth mentioned by the user JPatrickBedell matches that of the John Patrick Bedell.Bedell said in an online video, “The moral values of individuals and communities are increasingly attacked by a political system where deceit is routine and accepted and the only standard is power.”

	As the officers started to ask him for his pass … he drew a weapon from his pocket and started shooting. … He did not say anything

Pentagon entrances were locked shortly after the shooting, during the evening rush hour but all were reopened with the exception of the Pentagon Metro entrance which is adjacent to the main entrance of the Pentagon in Virginia, across the Potomac River. Transit officials decided to close the busy Pentagon subway station for Friday as a part of the investigations.The Pentagon police department, the Arlington County Police Department, U.S. Secret Service and the FBI are investigating the incident.

The Pentagon has total five entrances: Mall Terrace Entrance façade, the River Terrace Entrance façade, the Concourse Entrance (or Metro Station) façade, the South Parking Entrance façade, and the Heliport façade.

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

RadioShack CEO resigns

Posted by , No Comments

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

CEO of RadioShack Corp., David Edmondson resigned Friday after admitting to lying in the contents of his resume. Claiming to have two college degrees, a theology diploma called a ThG, and four years of education, Mr. Edmondson only attended two semesters at a college known now as Heartland Baptist Bible College (formerly known as Pacific Coast Baptist College). There are no records of any diplomas issued to Mr. Edmondson. These discrepancies caused Edmondson and the board to mutually agree to his resignation as president and CEO of RadioShack. Initially, RadioShack launched an internal investigation of Mr. Edmondson’s statements; however, this investigation has since been halted.

The company had recently suffered a drop of 62% of net income in its fourth-quarter, prompting restructuring plans and a closing of up to 10% of stores.

David Edmondson will receive a severance package valued at less than one million dollars in cash from RadioShack.

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

Philippines hit by Typhoon “Kiko” (Morakot), dozens killed

Posted by , No Comments

Saturday, August 8, 2009

A powerful typhoon has killed dozens of people, affected over 28,000 people in the Philippines, and caused the evacuation of 21,190 people from south east China.

The Philippines were hit by 175 kilometers per hour (kph) winds with gusts of up to 210 kph, as well as heavy rain which triggered flooding and landslides.

Ten Philippine villages have been inundated by four and five feet deep flooding. Thousands cling to tree tops and are stranded on roof tops awaiting rescue by helicopter. Over 12,000 have been evacuated and over 1,000 are homeless.

Landslides have trapped Korean and Canadian mountaineers whose guide could not be rescued. Landslides have closed highways and have caused traffic jams ten kilometers long. Three French tourists and their two Filipino guides have been killed due to landslides on Mount Pinatubo. Five miners remain missing after a landslide destroyed their living quarters.

Electricity is down in some areas of the Philippines resulting in a collapse in contact as radios and cellphones have not been re-charged.

Botolan town hit by a flash flood has been declared as in a state of calamity.

School classes have been cancelled in various locations across the Philippines, and many city roads are not traversable due to flood waters.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) has reported that over 28,629 people have been affected and of these 10% have been evacuated.

On August 8, the typhoon is diminishing but still recording 150 kph winds with gusts reaching 185 kph according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

A capsized fishing boat off the coast of the province of Hainan has initiated search and rescue efforts for nine missing fishermen. School classes have been suspended, boats called into port, and businesses closed in China’s Fujian Province. The provincial government used cell phone text messages to contact 8.4 million warning its residents of Morakot’s approach to mainland China.

Typhoons occur in the South China Sea every year between May and September.

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

Common Sense Advisory announces size of worldwide translation and localization market and ranking of top 20 language services companies

Posted by , No Comments

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Common Sense Advisory, Inc., an independent business globalization, internationalization, and localization and translation research and consulting firm, announces the release of its list of the top 20 language service providers (LSPs) and its estimate of the size of worldwide translation and software localization market. The list, which includes Lionbridge (LIOX) and L-3/Titan (LLL) is based on the firm’s Human Delivered Service Company (HDSC) Index, a sophisticated assessment model that evaluates the business fundamentals, market strength, and service offerings of companies that depend on people to produce most of their revenue. The ranking of translation companies reflects recent industry mergers and acquisitions including Lionbridge’s acquisition of Bowne Global Solutions, a unit of Bowne & Co, (BNE).

Common Sense Advisory also estimates the current worldwide translation and localization market at US$ 8.8 billion, reaching a total of US$ 12 billion in 2010. “This figure is particularly relevant at a time where the market seems to be entering a new wave of consolidation,” comments analyst Renato Beninatto.

Explains Common Sense Advisory founder and CEO, Donald A. DePalma, “Many language services companies want to get bigger. Our certification model lets us benchmark one company against comparable language services firms, against offshore providers providing a full range of engineering and localization offerings, and against the service firms that make up our own innovative HDSC Index. This information is valuable to any procurement department – not to mention to any LSP thinking about where it fits in the marketplace relative to its competitors.”

Ranking of Top 20 Translation Companies is now available for free download.

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

October

Dale Ogden, 2010 California gubernatorial candidate, talks with Wikinews

Posted by , No Comments

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Dale Ogden, a 2010 California gubernatorial candidate, talks with Wikinews reporter Mike Morales about his platform.

Ogden is a member of the United States’ Libertarian Party.

Filled Under: Uncategorized

No Comments

Categories