Kim Dotcom To Launch Encrypted Video Call Service, Safer Than Skype

Kim Dotcom is challenging Skype by planning to launch MegaChat, an encrypted video call and chat service, which will be both browser based and secure. 

The new Mega service is said to be coming “soon,” and will apparently be more secure than the Microsoft-owned Skype video chat service...  read more

WalMart Purchase of PlayStation 4 Contained Something Rather Different

A Denver man wanted to surprise his 13-year-old niece for Christmas and visited the Stapleton WalMart to purchase PlayStation 4, but what the box contained was something rather different. What was supposed to be an expensive PlayStation 4 console turned out to be two bags of rocks...   read more

The Interview: South Korean singer to sue Sony Pictures for illegal use of song

Everyone heard that North Korea is not impressed with the new comedy film The Interview, starring Seth Rogan and James Franco and released recently after much controversy.  However, it’s from South Korea that a court case is swiftly heading towards Sony Pictures.

 

Screengrab from movie trailer 

It seems Sony Pictures used Yoon Mi Rae’s song, “Pay Day” in the movie illegally.  Kpopstarz reports that while there had been initial discussions about using the song in The Interview, the company had never actually received official permission from South Korean rapper, Yoon or her label, Feel Ghood.  “Pay Day” comes from Yoon’s third studio album, dating back to 2007. 

Yoon and her husband Tiger JK are co-CEO’s of the production company and told the K-Pop Herald they only knew the track had been used in The Interview after the movie had been released.  Remember the scene where North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un is partying?  Part of Yoon’s song, where she raps “Yell louder, yell louder,” played while Kim drank heavily, smoked cigars and played pool with Franco’s character, accompanied by a bunch of lingerie-clad women.

 

Screengrab from movie trailer

The Interview hit the headlines recently when Sony Pictures suffered a cyber-attack, allegedly from North Korea, due to the content of the film.  Following this, Sony cancelled the Christmas release of the movie, but fans across the U.S.A. called for the release of the movie, citing freedom of speech, and Sony Pictures did eventually release the movie at around 320 theaters across the United States Thursday.  The film was also simultaneously released on the Internet, a first for any major studio to open online and in movie theaters at the same time.

The film also featured music from (and an interview with) from Eminem, as well as Katy Perry, Yuna Song and popular Chinese singer Jay Chou.  When viewing the soundtrack list on IMDb, it is interesting to note that when mentioning the song “Pay Day (May Day Remix)” it lists the song as being “Courtesy of Feel Ghood Music.”

It seems the controversy over The Interview is set to continue and if Hustler boss, Larry Flynt, keeps his promise to release a porn parody, things could finally, actually get quite funny.
 

Monkey doctoring: Primate recussitates electrocuted friend (Video)

It happened in the railway station in the northern Indian city of Kanpur Sunday.  A monkey was electrocuted while running across a high voltage power cable on the train tracks and lost consciousness. His friend saved his life.

In fact his friend showed remarkable intelligence by saving the monkey's life.  He first bit the stunned animal repeatedly and then dipped him in a pool of water on the tracks to resuscitate his him.  Looks like it worked, as while the monkey looks rather dazed, he was conscious and survived the experience.  Watch it all happen in the video below:

VIDEO: Cyclist dodges death in China under 14-wheel truck

A cyclist in the Chinese city of Ningbo dodged death when he was knocked off his bike by the huge truck, while making a right turn at the traffic lights. 

Caught on CCTV from several different angles, we see the man amazingly survive the experience, untouched by any of the 14 wheels.  He simply stands up, in shock, ready to continue his day.  Seems it was just not his day to go.

Sydney café siege: Swiss chocolatier Lindt 'devastated' by deaths

Management at the Swiss chocolate company, who own the Lindt café in Sydney, expressed horror over the day-long siege on Monday, which ended in the deaths of the hostage-taker and two of his hostages.  In a statement they said that the company is "devastated" by the outcome.

 

Lindt headquarters near Zurich - Photo: CC by-SA Sergio Calleja 

"We are devastated by the loss of their lives and that several others were wounded and had to experience such trauma," Lindt & Sprüngli (link in German language) said in a statement.

Man Haron Monis, the Iranian who took 17 people, including employees and customers, hostage in the café in Sydney's financial district, was granted asylum by Australia in 1996.  He was killed when police finally stormed the premises with stun grenades and a hail of bullets. The two deceased hostages were a 38-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man and four people were injured.

Ernst Tanner, the chairman and group CEO of Lindt & Sprüngli said in a media statement, "I'm shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible incident that has taken place in Sydney," adding,  "I cannot believe that such an act of violence happened."

Tanner went on to offer his condolences and offered support to the victims and their families, as well as any employees affected by the incident.

  
The Local quoted Tanner as saying, "In these difficult times, we all need to stand together in order to defend the values of freedom, peace and tolerance."

Stephen Loane, CEO Lindt Australia, said he was overwhelmed by the messages of support they had received and said they would be reopening as soon as possible.

"We believe it is right out of principle to stand up and get operational again as soon as possible wherever our staff are comfortable to do so."

"We will therefore reopen all office and manufacturing operations today as well as all our Melbourne Cafes and stores. We aim to reopen our Sydney Cafes as soon as staff feel ready. Thanks once again for your support and understanding."

GAP to represent Craig Watts - Chicken farmer and Perdue whistleblower (Video)

The Government Accountability Project (GAP), champion of whistleblowers against government and corporate corruption, announced Friday that they will be representing Craig Watts, a Perdue contract chicken farmer. 

Watts recently made public allegations involving questionable treatment and labeling practices as related to chickens on his farm. Risking his livelihood, Watts made the important disclosures, including video proof of the appalling conditions under which the chickens are kept.

Watts is the owner of C&A farms in Fairmont, North Carolina. He has been raising chickens for Perdue since 1992. However, he recently became appalled that Perdue were labeling the chickens as being “humanely raised” and “cage free.” The chickens are kept crammed in one huge warehouse, in their own filth, with no natural light, so the “cage free” allegation very loosely applies, but the birds are far from being “humanely raised.”

Watts invited members of the animal welfare group, Compassion in World Farming, to visit the farm and witness the truth of the conditions under which the chickens are kept. They made the video, included at the end of this article, releasing it this week.

GAP works closely with organizations such as the Food Integrity Campaign, and works to protect and empower honest workers like Watts, revealing the truth about animal welfare, threats to food safety, environmental health and worker rights.

For its part, the Food Integrity Campaign represents whistleblowers using a multi-faceted approach, offering free or reduced cost legal services. The group also advocates for stronger protection of whistleblowers as well as giving them a platform on which to share their concerns with the public, using the media, video and other communication methods. They also provide educational resources to advise the general public and encourage citizen involvement in securing food integrity.

The video can be seen below and may upset sensitive viewers. It shows that 30,000 chickens are kept together under one roof and that among those chickens it is normal for around 1,000 to die in each flock due to illness, genetic problems or other issues. The video goes on to explain that Watts has no control over the health or genetics of the chicks delivered to him by Perdue. Under the contract with Perdue, Watts is not even allowed to give the chickens sunshine or fresh air.



A mere 37 days after arrival at the farm, the chickens comprise a sea of panting birds, overheated in their crushed environment. Due to their genetics, the birds can barely stand, with the unnatural weight of their breasts, and with the leg problems caused by this. They spend most of their short lives lying in their own accumulated filth, piled on top of other chickens’ feces, which causes health problems, infections, leaves their breasts raw and bleeding and with almost no feathers.

There is nothing natural or in any way humane about the way these chickens barely exist in this environment. The layer of feces in their environment is, apparently, never cleaned out, even between flocks.

In a quote to the media, Amanda Hitt, Director of GAP’s Food Integrity Campaign said:

"This is about the public's right to know and whistleblowers' right to tell. The reality is that consumers simply could not stand the sight of what happens on industrial farms. It takes brave truth-tellers like Craig Watts to let the public know what's really going on behind the closed barn doors. He's risked a lot coming forward, and GAP's Food Integrity Campaign is committed to standing by him if Perdue retaliates."

Photos: Screen grabs from the Compassion in World Farming video

London police seek hypnotist thief (CCTV video)

Scotland Yard has released a video showing a man using a hypnosis technique to rob a north London shop owner. In the CCTV footage released by police, a man can be seen entering an off license in Highgate.  

He then approaches the owner and apparently tells him his wife is pregnant and that she needs some bottled water, in the process putting him into some kind of trance.

The man can then be seen touching first the stomach and then the shoulder of the shopkeeper, apparently mimicking a pregnant woman.  These actions appear to leave the shopkeeper in some kind of trance.

We can then see the man reaching inside the shopkeeper's pockets, removing some money, while the man "remained motionless and unable to resist the robbery taking place", according to the Met Police.

As the alleged thief leaves the store, the shopkeeper seems to snap out of the trance and starts walking after the suspect.

According to Detective Sergeant Dave Bullock of the Serious Acquisitive Crime Unit in Haringey, the victim was momentarily unaware of what was happening to him.  It seems the distraction techniques worked as the shop owner had an amount of money taken from his pocket.

While faces are blurred out in the video, police do ask anyone who might recognize the suspect, or have been a victim in a similar crime, to contact them.  They say the suspect is approximately 30-35 years old, is approximately 5ft 8ins tall and of slim build, has an Eastern European appearance with short black hair.  He was wearing dark jeans with a grey polo shirt and black bomber jacket with white writing on the back, just below the collar.

London 24 gave the following contact details for anyone with any information:

If you have any information about the theft contact the Met’s Incident Room on 0203 2763158 quoting reference CRIS 2820756/14, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

James Bond Nemesis in ‘Spectre’ to be Austrian Christoph Waltz

James Bond Nemesis in ‘Spectre’ to be Austrian Christoph Waltz

Details are surfacing this week about the next James Bond epic movie, Spectre,
with Austrian actor, Christoph Waltz, chosen to play the famous spy’s
evil nemesis, Oberhauser. Bond fans will be pleased to hear the film is
slated for release on November 6^th, 2015 and that Daniel Craig will once again play the part of 007, with Ralph Fiennes taking the role of “M” .. read on

Loyal Lab: Man's best friend saves his owner in Salzburg, Austria

Regional police in Salzburg, Austria received several calls that a dog was barking loudly and insistently in front of the Rainer Glasenbach military barracks in the city. 

On investigation, the motionless body of the Labrador Retriever's owner was discovered close by.

The dog's frantic barking probably saved the life of the 35-year-old Flachgauer man.  Had it not been for his valiant Labrador, things could have been much worse for him, lying exposed in the intense cold.

According to the paramedics, at first they were unable to get close to the man, as the dog was fiercely guarding his unconscious body.  However, when a police dog handler arrived on the scene, he was able to calm down the dog, allowing the medics to begin resuscitation techniques.

The man was alive, but unresponsive, so paramedics took him to the local hospital, where police say he is already recovering well. The man's identity was apparently easy to obtain, as the loyal dog led the police directly back to his master's home.

--

Photo of a Labrador retriever CC by-SA Liabilly Wildflower

Source: The Local 

Video Documentary: One-way ticket to Mars

Scheduled for 2023, the Mars One mission to Mars will be a one-way ticket for the first group of four men and women. 

RT has made a short documentary about Anastasia, from Moscow, who is on the short-list for this famous and dangerous trip.

The documentary tells the story about how Anastasia is hoping and longing to travel to Mars, despite the dangers, and discusses her family's concerns over this possibility.  Her father always dreamed of becoming a cosmonaut and supports his daughter.  Her mother, on the other hand, is worried sick and doesn't want Anastasia to go.

Anastasia herself  was one of 200,000 people who applied from all over the world.  The plan is for them to collect data, grow oxygen-producing vegetation and prepare Mars for human colonization.  She has always felt that she lacked a purpose in life and has just been waiting for her "real life" to begin.  When she heard of the project she felt this is what she has always been waiting for.

Ask the Experts: How best to Pack your Suitcase | Avanti Guide

Ask the Experts: How best to Pack your Suitcase | Avanti Guide ... read more

How to Enjoy a Stress Free Holiday | Avanti Guide

How to Enjoy a Stress Free Holiday | Avanti Guide ... read more

Video: Cutest lemurs in Brookfield Zoo chow down on Thanksgiving dinner

A whole bunch of ring-tailed lemurs in Brookfield Zoo got a treat this year with their own special Thanksgiving dinner.

 
The lemurs were given an early Thanksgiving dinner on November 26 at the Hamill Family Play Zoo.  Their "turkey" was formed from browse biscuits and was served along with a sweet potato pie with biscuit crust and popcorn, tasty green beans and a sugar-free grape jelly with dried cranberries, all washed down with sugar-free grape juice.  It looks like they had a great time!

World's Youngest Citizen Journalist Protests for Palestine (Video)

Wanting nothing more than a future for herself, her people and Palestine, eight-year-old Jana Tamimi has taken up a mobile phone to become what is possibly the youngest citizen journalist in the world.

Jana films the Israeli occupation forces in her village on the West Bank, joins in with protests against the occupation and wants to deliver a message to the world, using her videos which she uploads to YouTube.  She hopes in this way to gain international support for the Palestinian struggle.... watch video below and read more here

Caucasus Vacation: Three Countries at a Cultural Crossroads

Caucasus Vacation: Three Countries at a Cultural Crossroads ... read more

Video: Truck torn apart by two trains in Kazakhstan

A truck driver was unsuccessfully attempting to stop his vehicle on the icy road, just before a rail crossing.  The truck slid towards the crossing and was ripped apart by two trains, coming from opposite directions,  killing the truck driver.

The horrific accident was caught on a CCTV camera, between the "Kondratovka" and "Petropavlovsk" stations on the South Urals Railway.  Initially, the driver was able to avoid a major collision with the first cargo train.  However, it hooked on to his truck and dragged it for several meters, turning the truck around and causing a head on collision with a passenger train coming from the other direction.

Both trains were partially derailed, including four empty freight cars on the cargo train, and three cars of the passenger train.  The truck driver was the only casualty.

Video: Whole load of luxury cars go up in smoke in Moscow

This has really got to hurt. In a scene appropriately dubbed by RT as "carnage," a parking garage, containing a bunch of luxury cars went up in flames early this morning.  

The approximate worth of these beauties, which included Rolls Royces, Mercedes Benz and Bentleys, was $3.3 million and apparently they might all belong to the same person.

Extreme Travel: The More Adventurous Way to Vacation [Videos]

Extreme Travel: The More Adventurous Way to Vacation [Videos]

Texting does crazy things to your spine

According to a new study, looking down at a cell phone is equivalent to placing a 60 pound weight on your neck. With the prevalence and addiction to texting growing, will we end up reverting in evolution, as shown in the above image?

The Atlantic compares sixty pounds to the weight of four, adult-sized bowling balls or an eight-year-old child. The new calculation that has been published in Surgical Technology International, showed the amount of sheer force exerted on the head of an adult, looking down at his or her phone. 

According to Kenneth Hansraq, a back surgeon in New York, an average human head weighs around 10 to 12 pounds.  Tilting that head down to send a text, or check your Facebook or Twitter accounts, increases the gravitational pull on the cranium. He writes, "As the head tilts forward the forces seen by the neck surges to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees."

Apparently the average American spends around an hour on their smartphone each day, and that is probably the case pretty much all over the more technically advanced world.  Sometimes worse in some countries like Spain (see below). According to Hansraq, unless people train themselves to stare ahead at their iPhone screen, they could be continually stressing the spine.

"These stresses," Hansraj writes, "may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration, and possibly surgeries."

This sort of thing is not unheard of in Europe, albeit affecting the wrists, rather than the spine.  Back in July, a market research company, Ipsos MORI said that Spain was the leading tech-addicted country in Europe with the average Spaniard spending around eight hours per day on their iPhones.

The excessive use of texting in Spain actually led to the first case of what has been dubbed "WhatsAppitis."  According to the report,  a pregnant woman in Granada, Spain visited a hospital suffering from painful wrists after overusing the WhatsApp phone messaging service.

Inés M. Fernandez-Guerrero of the General University Hospital in Granada reported:  "A 34-year-old emergency medicine physician, 27 weeks pregnant, presented with bilateral wrist pain with sudden onset upon waking up one morning. She had no history of trauma and had not engaged in any excessive physical activity in the previous days."

Fernandez-Guerrero continued, "The patient ... responded to messages that had been sent to her on her smartphone via WhatsApp instant messaging service. She held her mobile phone, that weighed 130g, for at least 6h. During this time she made continuous movements with both thumbs to send messages," adding, "The diagnosis for the bilateral wrist pain was ‘WhatsAppitis.’ The treatment consisted of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and complete abstinence from using the phone to send messages."

So there we go.  Be warned.  Try to either cut down on your texting or maybe try to hold the phone up in front of your eyes while doing so.  You might look a bit funny, but it could be worth it in the end.
--
Top image compilation, apologies the Smithsonian and to Surgical Technology
Photo of bored dog with texting man, copyright Anne Sewell, The Media Waves

Small cargo plane crashes into home in Chicago suburb (Video)

The pilot was killed early on Tuesday morning, as the small cargo plane he was flying crashed into a home in the residential neighborhood near Midway Airport in Chicago. He was the only person on the plane when it crashed.

 

Photo: Screen grab from video below

According to WGN, just before 3 a.m. CT, the plane crashed into the roof of the house, entering the living room and heading into the basement. The house is located on S. Knox Avenue.  The two elderly residents of the house were uninjured and a neighbor assisted them to escape from the home. Reportedly there was no fire or explosion after the crash.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Fire Chief Michael Fox said, "They were in a bedroom next to the living room and the living room is gone," adding they were eight inches from the plane and, "They were very lucky."

The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the Aero Commander 500 plane was scheduled to go to Chicago Executive Airport, 18 miles northwest of Chicago.  However, the pilot apparently changed his destination to Ohio State University’s airport shortly prior to take-off.

Shortly after departure, the pilot called in that he was experiencing engine problems and asked if he could return the plane to Midway Airport, where he crashed approximately one-quarter mile from the runway.