How Cutting Wrestling From the Olympics May Impact NCAA Wrestling for the Best

Wrestling fans and sports fans alike were surprised on Tuesday when the IOC voted to cut wrestling from the 2020 Olympic program.? While this vote does not absolutely preclude wrestling from being part of the 2020 Olympic program, as the sport can now petition to be one of the last sports to be added to the program, wrestling faces a tough battle for Olympic inclusion.? What kind of impact does NCAA wrestling face as a result of the IOC?s decision?

The path NCAA wrestling has charted over the last 41 years?since the imposition of Title IX?has been well documented.? Title IX, passed in 1972 and affecting college athletic departments receiving federal funding since 1978,??prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of federal financial aid.?? Related to sports, this required NCAA programs that receive federal funding to provide equal athletic opportunities to men and women.? Many argue that the implementation of Title IX was the impetus for the disbandment of many NCAA wrestling programs nationwide.?

While there are arguably reasons outside of Title IX?including but not limited to:? budget cuts, fan participation and alumni support?why NCAA wrestling programs have been cut nationwide, the numbers are somewhat startling.? In 2011-12, wrestling was the men?s sport that?had the highest net number of teams that were dropped by NCAA institutions, with a net loss of four teams.? To put this number in perspective, the men?s sport with the next highest net loss in 2011-12 was bowling, which had a net loss of one team.

Since 1988-89?one?decade after colleges had to comply with Title IX?wrestling has had the greatest net loss of men?s sports teams, with a net loss of 108.? It?s important to note that wrestling is not the only sport suffering teams being cut, as in 2011-12, there were a total of 68 NCAA men?s teams and 46 women?s teams cut nationwide.? Since 1988-89, 2,816 men?s teams have been cut.? Throughout the years, though, wrestling?at the collegiate level has suffered a steady decline.? In 1981-82, there were 146 Division I wrestling teams, with 3,659 student-athletes participating in the sport.? By 2011-12, those numbers dropped to 77 Division I teams with 2,438 student-athletes.?

While these numbers and the IOC?s decision are arguably bad news for the sport of wrestling, neither factors into the sport being irreparably harmed at a collegiate level.? For starters, the all-time single session crowd record was set in 2012, when 18,919 people attended the 2012 Division I Wrestling Championship finals.? Last year?s tournament set a record for attendance, as 112,393 people in total?attended the six sessions held in St. Louis.? While St. Louis is located geographically close to several wrestling hotbeds, these numbers arguably show that wrestling can draw significantly large crowds.

Coaches and athletics directors also do not believe that the IOC?s decision will have a significantly adverse?impact on collegiate wrestling.? ?I can?t say that it necessarily is going to hurt college wrestling.? People don?t wrestle?at the collegiate level because they want to be an Olympian.? They wrestle because it?s a great sport that they?ve participated in since they were kids,? said Cornell University?s head wrestling coach, Rob Koll.? ?I don?t see a growth or reduction in college wrestling because?of this.? There is no athletics director who is building their program around Olympic participation in wrestling.? College wrestling is about education and leadership.?? Another top wrestling program, Stanford, iterated its commitment to its wrestling program in the wake of the IOC?s decision.? ?From Stanford?s viewpoint, we fully support wrestling and will continue to do so.? We are obviously?disappointed with the IOC?s decision, but are encouraged by the recent health of college wrestling.? There is very strong support in the community for college wrestling.? I don?t anticipate that will change,? said Stanford?s associate athletics director?of business strategy, Kevin Blue.???

Koll also stresses two other factors when explaining why the IOC?s decision will likely have a minimal impact on NCAA wrestling.? First, the type of wrestling engaged in during the Olympics, freestyle, is different than that wrestled at the collegiate level.? ?It?s almost two different sports, as far as I see it.? A lot of kids who wrestle collegiately don?t even wrestle freestyle,? Koll noted.? Additionally, Koll has little fear that?wrestling?s non-existence in the 2020 Olympic program will stimy?young people?s interest in the sport.? When asked how wrestling not being televised during the Olympics could hurt the sport?s growth, Koll said, ?I don?t think seeing the sport of wrestling on television two to three nights a year, once every four years, is that significant for the sport?s growth.?

From a global standpoint, there are concerns as to how the IOC?s decision affects third-world and developing nations.? As one of the world?s oldest sports, wrestling is also one of the most inexpensive sports to compete in as minimal equipment is required.? Given this, nations globally can compete on somewhat equal ground in the sport.? This factor is one which struck Koll the most.? ?People in every country can wrestle.? The last time I looked around, there weren?t a lot of great fencers in Ethiopia.? I don?t remember a lot of rhythmic dancers coming out of the Congo.? Wrestling? has universal appeal and is inexpensive.?? Koll summed his feelings up on this issue as follows, ?I think it?s a travesty.? What I think is sad, is you are taking the opportunity away from nations to represent their country.?

For a sport that has seen its up?s and down?s over the last half century, the IOC?s decision could be seen as a huge blow.? However, it could also be seen as the kick wrestling needed to revitalize the sport.? The IOC?s decision spurred immense conversation and debate as to the sport?s role in current sports culture.? This dialogue arguably would never have occurred had the IOC not taken its brash and unsupported decision.? Perhaps, then, being cut from the Olympic program was the push wrestling needed to keep its sport alive.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2013/02/14/how-cutting-wrestling-from-the-olympics-may-impact-ncaa-wrestling-for-the-best/

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Celebrate Healthy Relationships This Valentine's Day ? National ...

On the surface, the focus of Valentine?s Day seems to be teddy bears and gifts but the deeper meaning of the day lies in relationships ? the one you have with yourself and those you have with others. Today, take time to reflect on the different people in your life and your relationships with them. Are you being an active participant in all of your relationships? A good friend, parent or partner?

This Valentine?s Day, celebrate the healthy relationships in your life by realizing what makes them great and by thinking of ways you could make them even better. Here are some ideas for how to deepen the bonds you share with your loved ones.

For your friends:
Are your friendships two-sided, with each of you giving the other support? Take time today to make sure you?re being the best friend you can be. Be there for your buddies in a way that?s focused on them. Practice ?active listening?? by using clarifying phrases to make sure you know what they are saying. For example,?What I?m hearing you say is _______. Is that right??? Use eye contact during a conversation. Don?t assume anything, and don?t spend time planning what you?ll say next instead of listening to what they?re saying now.

For you:
There?s no better time to focus on self-care than this Valentine?s Day. Give yourself the gift of paying a little more attention to #1 today (yes, that?s you!). By working on having a strong, healthy relationship with yourself, you?ll be better equipped to thrive in healthy relationships with friends and loved ones.

If you are a survivor of an abusive relationship and today is a difficult time for you, make sure to focus on your well-being and try to steer clear of things that will remind you of an ex, like the place you always went to dinner together, or a song you both loved.? If you?re worried that you might be tempted to your ex, schedule activities with friends to keep you busy and have people you can call. Don?t forget that we?re available at The Hotline, toll free, and 24/7. Call us at 1-800-799-SAFE(7233).

For your community:
February is a great time to give back in some way to your community, because it?s National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. One of the best ways to get the word out is to talk to the schools in your community ? attend a PTA meeting and bring handouts for example. Download the teenDVmonth Toolkit which includes pledges, ?how to? guides, prep manuals and more.

For your children:
In fostering a healthy relationship with your children, communication and dialogue are key. Take today to talk about healthy dating with your children and the young people in your life. Explain to them that in a healthy relationship, both partners feel free to be themselves and set the boundaries they want. Partners should respect these boundaries and be supportive of each others differences. Stress the importance of communication ? and let it begin with this conversation between the two of you. If they want to text or talk on the phone to an advocate their own age, they can call the National Dating Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474 or text ?loveis? to 77054.

For your partner:
Healthy relationships are all about respecting and honoring boundaries, but when you?re in a close relationship with someone this might sometimes fall by the wayside. Today, make a special effort to honor your partner?s boundaries, big or small. Does it drive them crazy when you leave the dishes in the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher? Are they bothered when you show up late to places? Make that extra little effort to try respect their needs, even if it?s as simple as washing dishes and setting your watch back a few minutes. Honoring your partner?s boundaries now will prevent the little things from turning into bigger things later on ? it will be a gift for both of you!

What are some ways you plan on celebrating the relationships in your life?

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 14th, 2013 pm28 11:15 pm
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Source: http://www.thehotline.org/2013/02/celebrate-healthy-relationships-this-valentines-day/

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6 Things I Learned about Making Money with Local Lead ...

OK my last post was like a hemorrhoid (rather inflammatory), so I?ll tone this post down a bit..

If you are in performance marketing space and are sick of doing affiliate marketing, local lead generation is an awesome way to transition into.

Why?

Simple: most small businesses/retailers have ZERO idea how to do this.. nor do they care to really know because they?re too busy, well, running their business.

Imagine if you were a dentist or an optometrist looking for more sales leads, are they going to learn PPC, conversation optimization, landing pages/HTML/wordpress/javascript, etc??

Probably not.

A few caveats before I go into details:

1. I don?t claim to know everything about lead generation, but I do run a lead generation company specializing in solar leads. These solar leads are valued higher because of the nature of the cost of solar systems, so these might not apply to ALL types of local lead generation.
2. This is in TWO parts: first three ? me ?venting? then last 3, what I?ve learned.

1) If the companies you deal with can?t close the leads, they will blame your leads.

Fundamental truth about sales: I can deliver 1,000 HIGHLY qualified sales leads but if the sales guy receiving the leads is a turd salesman, ain?t NONE of them going to turn into a sale.

And of course, what do they do?

Turn right back around and point the finger in YOUR face. If they do, make sure you tell them:

Ok, let me explain.. this usually happens with small or new shops where they haven?t really figured out how to work the sales process yet.

Or what?s worse.. you give them more leads than they know how to deal with.

Essentially you are jamming their sales pipeline, so to speak.

Would companies be happy with that? You would think so.. but sometimes it can backfire.

2) Technically challenged ? Multi-ten-million dollar companies STILL use Email & Excel spreadsheets over CRM

It?s mind boggling to see companies doing $10m+ revenue a year are STILL using email / spreadsheet to track their sales leads instead of using some web based CRM.

Often times, I?ll ask if they want their leads posted via CRM.. and once a customer told me if I can call them with each and every lead.

Ugh.

3)?People bitch and complain, a LOT

Yes, local lead generation is a service business.

Highly scaleable and if you do it right, highly profitable.

BUT.. it?s STILL a service business.

And as with any service, expect your fair share of bitchin? and complainin? about what they receive, no matter how well you present it.

It?s amazing that your leads could double or triple their existing revenue yet they bitch and complain about the littlest things.

4) For ?higher? value leads, the best conversions come from PCs

(I know you tech geeks are drooling over that pic..)

If you?re not green inclined, home solar systems can petty much wipe out your electric bill forever (assuming your electric usage doesn?t go up).

So obviously, the cost of entry into solar can be quite high.. which means, the person looking for solar is going to be doing a lot of research.

When was the last time you did any kind of serious online research using your smart phone?

Nope, more likely they?re going to be using a PC or a tablet.

Meaning, your best chance of interrupting them and getting to sign up is going to be HIGHER on PCs/tablets.

5) Display/Social leads can sometimes actually be better than search leads

Do you know the AIDA steps in purchasing process? (If you don?t, here?s a primer on AIDA.)

Problem with getting leads who are in the decision process is that they?re often shopping around.

Which means, if they fill out your form, they?re probably filling out forms on other sites too to do their ?shopping around?.

Yes, these people are more likely to buy.. but at the same time, they?re more likely to have been pitched 3-5..even 10 times before they make their final purchase decision.

So if your client (i.e. the one receiving the lead) calls this person and has to compete with half a dozen other sales people, he/she is probably going to end up with lower ROI.

6) Rich get richer

OK, this one is going to be a subjective opinion and you may not agree, but oh well, too bad.. i?m writing this post. ;P

Here?s what I?m talking about.

My solar lead generation company, Solar One Media, gets TONS of inquiries from small to midsize solar installation companies, looking for solar leads.

Often times, they?ll have few lead qualification criteria ? such as electric bill usage and county/zip.

In another words, there are companies that specialize in various ?levels? of qualification.

Some are able to offer cheaper solar systems (from monthly payment perspective) and can accept lower electric bills.

Some have more sales people and more installers in the area, which mean they can accept more counties/zip codes.

So if two companies approach me, one asking for leads for entire Southern California and with $X/mo electric bill, ?vs. another company who can handle, say just Orange County and with $2x/mo electric bill, who am I going to send the leads to?

<think about that for a second>

The answer is? the FIRST company. Here?s why

1) People MOVE around ? For example, say I target people in Orange county, and ?Bob? happens to see my ad. Bob works in downtown Irvine but lives in LA (1 hr north of Irvine in a different county). So when he fills the form, the lead ISN?T for Orange county.

2) The one with $2X electric bill is going to be MORE likely to close than a person with $x electric bill. Why? Higher pain? thus more motivated to purchase.

In another words, i might have multiple buyers but I am going to reward the company who is going to make it easier for me to sell them my lead.

Donald Trump says ?think big?.. and this is a perfect example.

I?m NOT going to give the better qualified sales leads to small time buyers.. makes no sense.

Why am I going to give them better leads when they pay me less (overall)? I am going to ?reward the bigger guys because their ?net? is bigger, so to speak.

Am I wrong? ?Got an opinion about local lead generation to share?

Leave them in the comments.

?

---

1. Where My Hatred of SEO Comes From
2. Why You Should Embrace Negative Press
3. Using Delicious to Understand Your Users

Source: http://www.shoemoney.com/2013/02/13/6-things-i-learned-about-making-money-with-local-lead-generation

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Pelosi urges no President's Day recess (Washington Bureau)

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The Obama for President sign that caused one almighty stir

?Need I say more! This would lead to chaos,? a neighbor fretted in an e-mail about the precedent that would be set if the sign wasn?t removed. ?Our property values would be put at risk.?

Such HOA disputes are as suburban as cul-de-sacs and two-car garages, but few metastasize into legal battles that spend years in the courts, break legal ground and bankrupt the HOA.

Most damaging of all, though, was a move probably unprecedented in area neighborhood feuds: The common area that is the literal and metaphoric heart of Olde Belhaven was put up for sale last year to settle its debts. It appeared that ?the square,? as some called the neighborhood, would no longer have a square.

?It destroyed our community,? Maria Farran said.

The battle lines in Olde Belhaven were starkly drawn. On one side, the Farrans said they were standing up to an HOA run amok. On the other, HOA supporters saw a couple that inflicted financial ruin on the association ? and their neighbors ? to make a point.

Experts say such feuds are becoming more common with the tremendous growth of HOAs, which typically require residents to sign covenants governing architecture, landscaping and other matters when they move into an association neighborhood. The HOAs collect dues and often have the power to fine residents who don?t comply with the covenants.

There were 10,000 association-governed communities in the United States in 1970, and by 2012 the number had reached 324,000, according to the Community Association Institute. One in five Americans lives in a neighborhood governed by an association.

?Their growth means there are a lot of people in HOAs who haven?t necessarily bought into the lifestyle,? said Evan McKenzie, a University of Illinois professor who has written two books on HOAs. ?Some like the higher level of rulemaking, but others don?t like the fines and control. You have conflict when these groups come together.?

One community, two camps

Sam and Maria Farran, a wine broker and a government lawyer, moved to the 44-unit townhouse community in the Alexandria section of Fairfax in 1999. In many ways, it is a typical Northern Virginia neighborhood, with tidy houses and a mix of government employees, service members and professionals.

The townhouses line the three-quarter-acre square, which is the neighborhood?s central feature and the site of most community-wide events. Without the green plot, it might be difficult to call Belhaven a community.

The Farrans said the HOA had a reputation for hard-line stances. In one case, board member Don Hughes compared some residents? refusal to install window-pane dividers to the ?cat and mouse game Saddam Hussein played with the USA,? e-mails show. Ultimately, Hussein ?paid the price,? he said, concluding that the residents should comply.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fairfax-homeowners-group-humbled-by-court-battle-with-residents/2013/02/09/d46f9bec-6652-11e2-93e1-475791032daf_story.html

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English rose Anna Friel sizzles in animal print

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First lady among guests at Chicago teen's funeral

FILE - This undated file family photo provided by Damon Stewart shows 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton of Chicago who was was shot Jan. 29, 2013 while she talked with friends in a park about a mile from President Barack Obama?s Chicago home. First Lady Michelle Obama will join some of Illinois? most recognizable politicians and clergy to mourn the 15-year-old honor student whose death has drawn attention to staggering gun violence in the nation?s third-largest city. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Damon Stewart, File)

FILE - This undated file family photo provided by Damon Stewart shows 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton of Chicago who was was shot Jan. 29, 2013 while she talked with friends in a park about a mile from President Barack Obama?s Chicago home. First Lady Michelle Obama will join some of Illinois? most recognizable politicians and clergy to mourn the 15-year-old honor student whose death has drawn attention to staggering gun violence in the nation?s third-largest city. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Damon Stewart, File)

CHICAGO (AP) ? First lady Michelle Obama will join some of Illinois' most recognizable politicians and clergy Saturday to mourn a 15-year-old honor student whose death has drawn attention to staggering gun violence in the nation's third-largest city.

But Hadiya Pendleton's family says her Saturday funeral service won't be about politics, but about remembering a girl who loved to dance, once appeared in an anti-gang video and died just days after performing at one of President Barack Obama's inauguration events.

None of the dignitaries are slated to speak during the service. The teen's pastor and brother will talk, and the musical group Pendleton was a member of will perform.

"Everything is about Hadiya," said Shatira Wilks, one of Pendleton's cousins and a family spokeswoman.

Pendleton was shot and killed while she talked with friends after school at a park not far from the Obamas' Chicago home. Police have said the Jan. 29 shooting appears to be a case of mistaken identity involving gang members who believed the park was their territory. Police say Pendleton was an innocent victim. No charges have been filed.

Her death brought new attention to Chicago's homicide rate and the national debate over gun violence. Pendleton's murder came in a January that was the city's deadliest in a decade. In 2012, Chicago recorded 506 homicides.

Others expected to attend the service are Gov. Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett ? all of whom are from Chicago.

Quinn mentioned Pendleton's death in his State of the State address earlier this week as he called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

"There are no words in the English language . or any language . to relieve the pain of parents who lose a child," said Quinn, who said he spoke with Pendleton's family two days before his speech.

On Friday, mourners lined up outside a funeral home for Pendleton's wake. Some said they didn't know the young girl, but were moved to pay their respects out of a show of support.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-09-Chicago%20Violence-Funeral/id-e144a61c710940b9ae8279eb745271f1

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Union Co. ordinance requires pawn shops to take customer's photo

by WCNC.com

WCNC.com

Posted on February 10, 2013 at 5:48 PM

Updated today at 5:48 PM

UNION COUNTY, N.C. -- Some business owners in Union County are worried that new rules designed to protect victims of crime will drive customers away.
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A new ordinance requires that pawn shops, cash converter businesses, and scrap metal yards take a photo of every customer selling an item.
???
The idea is to make it easier for police to track stolen items, but some business owners feel it?s an invasion of privacy.

"The individual is being treated like a common criminal. Everybody that would pawn to me would have their picture taken just like somebody that has been convicted of a crime, going to the police station and having a mug shot done," said David Waugh who owns a pawn shop.
???
The county ordinance does not apply to businesses located within city limits, but commissioners are encouraging all cities, including Monroe, to adopt the ordinance.
?

Source: http://www.wcnc.com/news/New-Union-Co-ordinance-requires-pawn-shops--to-take-customers-photo-190609441.html

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&#39;Zero Dark Thirty&#39; writer Mark Boal says U.S. torture was &#39;dead wrong ...

Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

?Disruptive filmmaking.?

That?s a new term coined by Zero Dark Thirty screenwriter Mark Boal, who gave a speech this week about the criticism the Osama bin Laden takedown drama has endured from both sides of the political divide in America.

Conservatives complained long before the film was seen by anyone that it was a propaganda designed to highlight the anti-terror accomplishments of President Barack Obama, while some liberals were rankled by what they perceived to be an endorsement of torture interrogations (erroneously, as Michael Moore points out in this essay debunking those accusations.)

Director Kathryn Bigelow has already said numerous times that ?depiction is not endorsement,? and now Boal ? who is nominated in the Original Screenplay category at the Oscars, and won for penning 2009?s The Hurt Locker ? is speaking out about why he wanted Zero Dark Thirty to strike a nerve as a film, rather than as a piece of traditional reporting.

An excerpt from his remarks as keynote speaker at this year?s First Amendment Week at Loyola Marymount University:

For me, right now, the real power of filmmaking is found at the intersection of investigation and imagination. Where reporting and creativity combine to offer something new ? an ability to command attention and capture imagination that reaches further and pushes harder than traditional reporting or purely fictional storytelling on their own. ?

People talk about ?disruptive technology? ? innovations or developments that change the way the world works. Disruptive sounds like a bad thing, but disruptive technology isn?t good or bad; it?s what our society and our culture makes of it that matters. And from the wheel to the automobile, the signal fire to the iPhone, society has generally, if often slowly, found a way to bend disruptive innovation toward the greater good.

That?s really what we hoped to do with the disruptive filmmaking of Zero Dark Thirty. To use this relatively new blend of current events and creativity to make the news behind the news more accessible, more visceral, more real. We wanted to transform the firsthand accounts we gathered into a firsthand experience for viewers, and share this important, history-changing story in the most compelling way we knew how.

Unlike newspaper reports or books or paintings, movies have a special power to put audiences right there ? in the scene, in the center of the action, in interrogation cells, in the Pakistani hills. And by giving people a chance to virtually experience these events for themselves, we have a chance to do exactly what the First Amendment creates the space to do: to challenge people to be citizens, to understand and confront the issues of our day, in our hearts and in our minds.

He defended the film?s fusion of drama and journalism, saying:

Much has been made of the card at the beginning of the film that says, ?based on firsthand accounts of actual events.? To be honest, of all the controversy, that?s the one I get the least. That?s exactly what?Zero Dark Thirty?is ? a film that is?based?on firsthand accounts of actual events. I know ? I talked to the people who experienced those events. But the card didn?t say?Zero Dark Thirty?is an exact rendition (no pun intended) of actual events, and we certainly don?t pretend that it is. It?s not a videotaped transcription of a 6 volume Senate report ? that?s probably a good thing.

At the end of the day, merging film and news is a balancing act between fact-finding and storytelling. ?

Without the freedom of fiction, we couldn?t share this story with millions who deserve to understand it, question it, and debate it. Without the authority of fact, we wouldn?t have a story to share, issues to understand, questions to ask, or controversies to debate.

Now, as I?ve suggested, I believe any artist blending fact and fiction has a special responsibility to set expectations about that blend, to be open and honest about the mix, and stay true to the essential story being told.

As for the film?s depiction of torture, Boal made his feelings clear:

The United States tortured people as a matter of national policy, authorized by the White House, approved by the Department of Justice, and disclosed to the Congress. There was never a question of leaving these acts, as reprehensible as they are, out of the story of the hunt for bin Laden, or it wouldn?t be an honest story.

The brutality and inhumanity of rough interrogations are clear as day in the film. I don?t see how you can watch those scenes and not feel the suffering of the person being interrogated. At the same time, the scenes accurately depict the role that rough interrogations played in the hunt. Sometimes they produced bad information, sometimes they produced nothing, and sometimes they produced a useful scrap.

Torture is in the movie, because torture is part of the story. It is part of the history.

Was the torture effective? Was it necessary? Was it terrible? Was it wrong?

I have my view ? I think it was dead wrong. Some people I respect come to the opposite conclusion.??But in the end, you have to decide for yourself.

The film has earned about $78.6 million at the box office so far. It?s up for five Oscars on Feb. 24, including Best Picture (a nomination Boal shares with Bigelow) and Best Actress for Jessica Chastain.

Read more:
Special coverage: Oscars 2013
Oscars 2013: Get to Know the Nominees
Oscars 2013 Profiles: Best Picture

Source: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/02/07/zero-dark-thirty-writer-mark-boal-says-u-s-torture-was-dead-wrong/

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Local man publishes family history book | Coshocton Tribune ...

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Source: http://www.coshoctontribune.com/article/20130206/NEWS01/302060022/Local-man-publishes-family-history-book

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Feds sue S&P over mortgage-bond ratings

Staff reports , CNBC.com ? ? ? 1 day

The U.S. government is seeking more than $5 billion in a civil lawsuit against Standard & Poor's and parent The McGraw-Hill Companies over mortgage-bond ratings, Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference Tuesday, marking the first federal enforcement action against a credit rating agency over alleged illegal behavior tied to the recent financial crisis.

Holder said S&P misled investors, causing them to lose billions, and that its ratings were affected by "significant conflicts of interests." He said that while red flags were raised by analysts as early as 2003, S&P executives ignored questions about ratings.

In the filing Monday, the government said: "Considerations regarding fees, market share, profits, and relationships with issuers improperly influenced S&P's rating criteria and models."

Shares of McGraw-Hill plunged 13.8 percent on Monday after the company said it was expecting the lawsuit, marking their biggest one-day percentage decline since the 1987 stock market crash.

The news also caused shares of Moody's, whose Moody's Investors Service unit is S&P's main rival, to slide 10.7 percent.

It is unclear why regulators may now be focusing on S&P rather than Moody's or Fimalac SA's Fitch Ratings.

Read More: More Steps Needed to Save US Credit Rating: Moody's

S&P, Moody's and Fitch have long faced criticism from investors, politicians and regulators for assigning high ratings to thousands of subprime and other mortgage securities that quickly turned sour.

"This lawsuit is significant because it could augur future government action or, even worse for the agencies, more litigation by investors," said Jeffrey Manns, a law professor at George Washington University.

A civil case involves a lower burden of proof than a criminal case would, and could make it easier for investigators to uncover potential "smoking guns" through subpoenas, he added.

The New York Times reported that talks between the Justice Department and S&P broke down last week after the government sought a settlement of more than $1 billion.

S&P: lawsuit 'meritless'
S&P said the Justice Department lawsuit focuses on its ratings in 2007 of various U.S. collateralized debt obligations.

The rating agency had previously disclosed a probe by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission into its ratings for a $1.6 billion CDO known as Delphinus CDO 2007-1. It was not immediately clear whether that CDO is a focus of the case.

"The DOJ and some states have filed meritless civil lawsuits against S&P challenging some of our 2007 CDO ratings and the underlying RMBS models," S&P said in a statement Tueday. "Claims that we deliberately kept ratings high when we knew they should be lower are simply not true. We will vigorously defend S&P against these unwarranted claims."

In a variety of lawsuits brought by investors, S&P has maintained that its ratings constitute opinions protected by the free speech clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Justice Department spokeswoman Adora Andy and Moody's spokesman Michael Adler declined to comment. Fitch spokesman Daniel Noonan said: "We are unable to comment on the S&P matter as it does not involve us, other than to say we have no reason to believe Fitch is a target of any such action."

Several state attorneys general led by Connecticut's George Jepsen are expected to join the case, said the person familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Previous lawsuits from Connecticut and Illinois accused S&P of violating consumer fraud laws by stating its ratings were objective, even though it ignored increasing risks of the securities in order to cater to the investment banks that provided the firm with revenue.

A spokeswoman for Jepsen declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported the pending charges.

The attorney general in New York is continuing a separate probe of the rating firm, a person familiar with that inquiry said.

In Monday trading on the New York Stock Exchange, McGraw-Hill shares closed down $8.04 at $50.30, and Moody's shares dropped $5.90 to $49.45.

One potential winner in the news of the pending lawsuit is David Einhorn, who runs the $8 billion hedge fund Greenlight Capital. Einhorn told Reuters in 2010 that he began shorting McGraw-Hill and Moody's in 2007, and had no aversion maintaining those bearish positions in the years to come. Greenlight declined to comment on Monday.

Meltdown's 'key enablers'
The ratings agencies have long been scrutinized, in part because they are paid by issuers for ratings, a standard industry practice that has nonetheless raised concern about potential conflicts of interest.

In January 2011, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission called the agencies "essential cogs in the wheel of financial destruction" and "key enablers of the financial meltdown."

McGraw-Hill had acknowledged last July that the Justice Department and SEC were probing potential violations by S&P tied to its ratings of structured products, and that it was in talks to try to avert a lawsuit.

Last July, Mizuho Financial Group agreed to a $127.5 million settlement to resolve SEC allegations that a U.S. unit obtained false credit ratings for the Delphinus CDO.

The following month, a Manhattan federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, King County in Washington state, and other investors against S&P, Moody's and Morgan Stanley over losses in Cheyne, a structured investment vehicle.

Cheyne went bankrupt in August 2007. A trial is scheduled to begin on May 6, court records show.

In its statement, S&P said it "deeply regrets" how its CDO ratings failed to anticipate the fast-deteriorating mortgage market conditions, and that it has since spent $400 million to help bolster the quality of its ratings.

"The lawsuit itself may prove less significant than the message it sends," said Manns, the law professor. "Filing a high-profile lawsuit against S&P tells the rating industry at large that the government is serious about holding rating agencies responsible, and that they must be much more careful."

Information from Reuteres was included in this report.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/feds-sue-sp-over-mortgage-bond-ratings-1B8240197

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8 dead, 38 hurt as tour bus crashes in Calif.

Victims of a fatal bus crash reach out to comfort each other in the wake of the crash where at least eight people were killed and nearly two dozen injured when a bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles on its way back from Big Bear Lake on Highway 38 north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. Both sides of the highway remained closed two and a half hours after the crash and it was unclear when it would reopen. (AP Photo/The Sun, Rick Sforza) MANDATORY CREDIT

Victims of a fatal bus crash reach out to comfort each other in the wake of the crash where at least eight people were killed and nearly two dozen injured when a bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles on its way back from Big Bear Lake on Highway 38 north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. Both sides of the highway remained closed two and a half hours after the crash and it was unclear when it would reopen. (AP Photo/The Sun, Rick Sforza) MANDATORY CREDIT

This is a blank background for the AP mobile news app. Please position the vertical photo flush with the left side.

Emergency personnel assist victims at the scene of a bus crash near Forest Falls, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. A tour bus crashed with a pickup truck on a rural mountain highway in Southern California on Sunday night, killing multiple people and injuring dozens of others, a fire department spokesman said. The accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. near the town of Forest Falls, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Eric Sherwin said. (AP Photo/Riverside Press-Enterprise, Brian Rokos)

Emergency personnel assist victims at the scene of a bus crash near Forest Falls, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. A tour bus crashed with a pickup truck on a rural mountain highway in Southern California on Sunday night, killing multiple people and injuring dozens of others, a fire department spokesman said. The accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. near the town of Forest Falls, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Eric Sherwin said. (AP Photo/Riverside Press-Enterprise, Brian Rokos)

Authorities work the scene where at least eight people were killed and nearly two dozen were injured when a bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles on its way back from Big Bear Lake on Highway 38 north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. Both sides of the highway remained closed two and a half hours after the crash and it was unclear when it would reopen. (AP Photo/The Sun, Rick Sforza) MANDATORY CREDIT

YUCAIPA, Calif. (AP) ? At least eight people were killed and 38 injured Sunday when a bus carrying Mexican tourists careened out of control while traveling down a Southern California mountain road, struck a car, flipped and plowed into a pickup truck, authorities said.

The accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. and left State Route 38 littered with debris, the bus sideways across the two lanes and its front end crushed. Emergency crews worked to free passengers who were trapped in the bus, which was carrying a tour group from Tijuana.

The violence of the crash and severity of the injuries made for a chaotic scene, and authorities had a difficult time determining how many people were injured or killed. California Highway Patrol spokesman Mario Lopez said at least eight and perhaps 10 were killed, and 38 were transported to hospitals.

California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Michelle Profant said the scene was shocking.

"It's really a mess up there with body parts," she said.

The bus driver survived and told investigators the bus suffered brake problems as it headed down the mountain. It rear-ended a sedan and flipped, then struck a pickup truck pulling a trailer.

Lettering on the bus indicated that it was operated by Scapadas Magicas LLC, a company based in National City, Calif. Federal transportation records show that the company is licensed to carry passengers for interstate travel and that it had no crashes in the past two years.

A call to the company was not immediately returned.

Route 38 runs through the San Bernardino National Forest and leads to Big Bear, a popular area that's home to a ski resort and other recreational locations. The accident occurred as the bus was leaving the forest.

Patients were taken to several area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor ro life-threatening.

The California crash comes less than a day after a bus carrying 42 high school students and their chaperones slammed into an overpass in Boston. Massachusetts state police said 35 people were injured and that the driver had directed the bus onto a road with a height limit.

___

Associated Press writers Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles, and Amanda Kwan and Bob Seavey in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-04-US-Tour-Bus-Crash/id-4a31b7a15ccb4b60a3c2ccc84eade5df

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After Harvard visit, dozens injured in bus crash

In this photo released by the Boston Fire Department via Twitter, firemen work to remove injured passengers from a bus that hit an bridge as it traveled along Soldiers Field Road in the Allston neighborhood of Boston Saturday night, Feb. 2, 2013. Officials said the bus carryinyg 42 people was traveling from Harvard University home to Pennsylvania when it struck the overpass. (AP Photo/Boston Fire Department)

In this photo released by the Boston Fire Department via Twitter, firemen work to remove injured passengers from a bus that hit an bridge as it traveled along Soldiers Field Road in the Allston neighborhood of Boston Saturday night, Feb. 2, 2013. Officials said the bus carryinyg 42 people was traveling from Harvard University home to Pennsylvania when it struck the overpass. (AP Photo/Boston Fire Department)

In this photo released by the Boston Fire Department via Twitter, firemen work to remove injured passengers from a bus that hit an bridge as it traveled along Soldiers Field Road in the Allston neighborhood of Boston Saturday night, Feb. 2, 2013. Officials said the bus carryinyg 42 people was traveling from Harvard University home to Pennsylvania when it struck the overpass. (AP Photo/Boston Fire Department)

In this photo released by the Boston Fire Department via Twitter, firemen work to remove injured passengers from a bus that hit an bridge as it traveled along Soldiers Field Road in the Allston neighborhood of Boston Saturday night, Feb. 2, 2013. Officials said the bus carryinyg 42 people was traveling from Harvard University home to Pennsylvania when it struck the overpass. (AP Photo/Boston Fire Department)

In this photo released by the Boston Fire Department via Twitter, firemen work to remove injured passengers from a bus that hit an bridge as it traveled along Soldiers Field Road in the Allston neighborhood of Boston Saturday night, Feb. 2, 2013. Officials said the bus carryinyg 42 people was traveling from Harvard University home to Pennsylvania when it struck the overpass. (AP Photo/Boston Fire Department)

Emergency personnel remove passengers at the scene of a bus crash, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 in Boston. Authorities say a charter bus heading from Harvard University to Pennsylvania has struck a bridge in Boston, injuring 33 people. (AP Photo/The Boston Herald, Stuart Cahill) BOSTON GLOBE OUT; METRO BOSTON OUT; MAGS OUT; ONLINE OUT

BOSTON (AP) ? After a visit to Harvard University, dozens in a group of high school students and their adult chaperones were injured when their charter bus hit a bridge after police say the driver failed to heed low-clearance warning signs.

One person was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries and three with serious injuries, the Boston Emergency Medical Services said. Thirty-five people were injured, Massachusetts state police said.

The Calvary Coach bus was carrying 42 people and was heading back to the Philadelphia area when it struck an overpass on Soldier's Field Road in Boston, a major crosstown road, at around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Massachusetts State Police said. Some passengers were trapped for more than an hour as rescue crews worked to free them.

Authorities said the bus did not belong on the road, where a 10-foot height limit is in place and oversized vehicles are not authorized. State police said the driver "failed to heed signs" warning of the height limit and will likely be cited for an over-height violation. The investigation will determine if he faces more serious charges, state police said. The driver was not injured.

The driver, Samuel J. Jackson, looked down at his GPS and saw the bridge when he looked up but it was too late to avoid hitting it, Ray Talmedge, owner of the Philadelphia-based Calvary Coach Bus company, told WCAU-TV. No one answered the phone Sunday at a number listed for Jackson in Philadelphia.

Talmedge, who said he didn't know anything about the road restrictions, said Jackson also drives a school bus.

State police say they'll investigate how long Jackson was driving on Saturday.

The students were part of a Destined for a Dream Foundation group, Talmedge said. Officials with the Bristol, Pa.-based group, a nonprofit that helps underprivileged youth, refused to comment on the crash when reached by phone.

The group's Facebook page said the trip to Harvard was to "visit the campus, sit with the office of cultural advancement, followed by a tour of the campus ... followed by Harvard Square (shopping, eating, site seeing...etc...) This should be a fun time for all!"

None of those injured was identified, and state police said they did not know how many of the injured were adults and how many were juveniles.

The bus suffered significant damage in the crash. The front part of the roof was pushed in while the center section bowed downward. Photos posted on the Fire Department's website showed firefighters standing on the top of the bus using boards to extract people. The last victim was freed from the bus around 9 p.m., according to the department.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority sent buses to pick up other passengers and get them out of the frigid temperatures.

Soldiers Field Road curves along the Charles River and passes by Harvard and Boston University. It is a major roadway to the Massachusetts Turnpike. The road was reopened Sunday after crews removed the bus and repaired guardrails.

The accident caused only cosmetic damage to the bridge and road, state police said. Authorities could not lift the bus over the guardrail, which instead had to be removed.

The crash recalled a similar accident in Syracuse, N.Y., in 2010 when the driver of a double-decker Megabus missed his exit and was using a personal GPS to find the bus station. He passed 13 low-bridge warning signs, some with flashing yellow lights, before hitting an overpass. Four people were killed. The driver was acquitted of homicide charges.

In December, a driver who prosecutors said was nearly asleep at the wheel was acquitted of the most serious charges in a crash that killed 15 gamblers returning to New York City from a Connecticut casino in 2011.

Federal officials stepped up enforcement of bus safety regulations last year, closing more than two dozen operations that mostly ferry passengers in the busy East Coast transportation corridor. It was the largest single federal crackdown on the industry.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-03-Boston%20Bus%20Crash/id-ced97a0d5c1d44958d5ef8dfb1e95080

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THE ENGLISH COFFER I: 50 Incredibly Useful Links For Learning ...

Teaching a new language to non-native speakers may be one of the most challenging educational jobs out there, so ELL teachers can use all of the help they can get! Thankfully, many excellent resources for ELL and ESL exist online, from full-service websites to reference tools and communities, all designed to make the task of educating ELL students just a little bit easier and more effective.

We?ve scoured the Internet to share 50 of the best of these resources, and we hope you?ll find lots of valuable content and tools through these incredibly useful links for ELL educators. ?

Websites
Resource tools, printables, and other great stuff for ELL educators are all available on these sites.
1. UsingEnglish.com: On UsingEnglish.com, you?ll find an incredible collection of tools and resources for learning and teaching English as a second language, including a grammar glossary, printables, and teacher handouts.
2. EverythingESL: EverythingESL is an awesome place to find ESL teaching resources, from lesson plans to teaching tips and resources.
3. Color?n Colorado: Colorin Colorado is full of useful information, activities, and resources for ELL teachers, especially those at the Pre-K to third grade level. However, most activities can be adapted all the way up to high school, making this a diverse and useful website.

Articles & Advice
Check out resource lists, journal articles, and ideas for best practices in ELL on these links.
4. Preschool English Language Learners: This resource list from the state of Illinois has a variety of support resources for preschool English language educators, with scholarships, journals, books, and more.
5. Doing What Works: Visit Doing What Works to find best practices for teaching Literacy in English to kindergarten through fifth-grade learners.
6. What Works Clearinghouse: In the What Works Clearinghouse, you?ll find scholarly publications for effective outcomes in English language learning.

Organizations
Take advantage of the great opportunities and resources available from these organizations that benefit ELL teachers.
7. National Council of Teachers of English: This professional association for educators in English studies, literacy, and language arts offers plenty of benefits for bilingual teachers.
8. National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition: Find data, grants, even professional development resources for ELL educators from the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition.
9. TOEFL: As the official language test for education, TOEFL?s website is incredibly useful for sharing test-taking and studying information with students.
10. International Reading Association: This association of literacy professionals has excellent resources for literacy educators, including journal articles and an educator community.

Learning Resources
Enrich your students? learning by sharing these excellent English resources that they can check out in the classroom or on their own.
11. Culturally Authentic Pictorial Lexicon: Check out this lexicon that offers images demonstrating the true meaning of the word, making it easier for English language learners to understand.
12. ManyThings: On this website, you?ll find quizzes, word games, puzzles, and a random sentence generator to help students better grasp English as a second language.
13. bab.la: Bab.la is a really fun site for ELL learners, with reference tools like a dictionary and vocabulary, supplemented with quizzes, games, and a community forum.
14. ESL Basics: On this site, you?ll find free English videos for both students and teachers.
15. English Pronunciation: Okanagan College?s resource offers 13 different unit lessons for learning and teaching English pronunciation.
16. BBC Learning English: In this website from the BBC, students can find help with grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, with plenty of references to current events. Plus, you?ll find a special section for ELL teachers.
17. ESL Gold: ESL Gold is, no joke, golden, with seemingly endless learning resources for English. Students can practice pronunciation, find a book to study, and even talk to someone in English on this site. Plus, teachers can find a job, search for textbooks, discover games, and so much more.
18. Real English: Check out this free site for learning English, with loads of videos from real English speakers, plus quizzes and community support.
19. Repeat After Us: In this online library, students can get access to a huge collection of English texts and scripted recordings.
20. Google Translate: An awesome resource to use for simple translations, Google Translate can help your students see how its done and better understand translations between two or more languages.
21. ESL Cyber Listening Lab: Direct your students to this ESL cyber listening lab with study guides, quizzes, and even teacher features.
22. Vocabulix: This online tool is designed to help jumpstart students? vocabulary skills, with more than 90 vocabulary lessons, and the option to create lessons of your own.
23. Wordsteps: Wordsteps makes it easy for students to build their own vocabulary collection, and even access their vocabulary through a mobile device for English language learning on the go.

Teaching Resources
With these resources, you can find great ways to communicate more effectively, explore lessons, and be a great ELL teacher.
24. Utah Education Network English Language Learner Resources: Check out this list of great resources for ELL, with teaching ideas, forums, and even news and research.
25. One Stop English: Specially designed for English language teachers, One Stop English has a monthly topics series, news lessons, and even an app for on the go ELL teaching.
26. Casa Notes: This ingenious tool allows ELL teachers to effectively communicate with non-English speaking parents. You?ll be able to quickly make and customize notes that you can translate and send home to parents, effectively communicating information about field trips, conduct, homework, and more.
27. ESL Party Land: A great site for ELL teachers, ESL Party Land has lesson plans, strategies, worksheets, flashcards, quizzes, games, and even vocabulary resources to help you be a better ELL teacher.
28. Clip Art Collection: Check out this collection of royalty-free, language-neutral clip art designed to be used for foreign language instruction.
29. Activities for ESL Students: Thousands of teacher contributions can be found on this site full of quizzes, exercises, and tests for teaching English as a second language.
30. Szoter: Using this online annotation tool, ELL teachers can write directly on images to explain their meaning to students.
31. Oxford University Press Learning Resources Bank: A service of Oxford University Press, this learning resources bank for English language teaching has courses, titles, and interactive English reading tools.
32. English-Test.net: Encourage students to self-test with this website, offering free English tests, grammar exercises, and worksheets.
33. EduFind English Online Tests and Learning Games: Check out these test and games that offer a great way for students to test and improve their English language skills.

Reference
From reference books to a pronunciation guide, you and your students will get a lot of use out of these links. 34. Dictionary.com: This site isn?t just for looking up words, although it?s quite useful in that function. Dictionary.com also offers a word of the day, games, quotes, translation, and much more.
35. Thesaurus.com: Like Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com goes beyond simple reference, bringing inspiration and fun in the form of synonyms, fun word facts, and even search trends.
36. Common Errors in English Usage: Read Paul Brian?s Common Errors in English Usage on this website, and even get links to the book?s blog, calendar, and entry-a-day Facebook page.
37. Play & Learn English: Through the Early Childhood Education Network?s Play & Learn English resource, you can share letters, print, shapes, writing, and other relevant images for learning the English language.
38. Idiom Site: With the help of this site, English language learners can make sense of common idioms.
39. Fonetiks: Direct students to this incredibly useful pronunciation guide with instant sound and samples by native speakers.

Communities & Blogs
Get help and regular feedback for ELL education from these communities and blogs.
40. Learning the Language: On Education Week, Lesli Maxwell covers educational policy and social issues relating to English language learning in the US.
41. Dave?s ESL Cafe: Check out Dave Sperling?s ESL cafe, where ELL teachers and students alike can enjoy a great community of English learning, plus job resources and stuff for teachers.
42. Englishtown: Join this community of English learners from around the world to gain insight for your ELL students.
43. Larry Ferlazzo?s Websites of the Day: Want a regular dose of ELL resources? Check out Larry Ferlazzo?s blog that shares news, learning resources, and other great links for ELL teachers.
44. ESL Podcast: Follow this podcast to share English language learning opportunities with your students on a regular basis.
45. ESL Resource Center: The ESL Resource Center is ?where English and people connect,? offering live chat rooms and forums for English practice. There are even ideas for drama and role plays, teacher development, and story telling resources.
46. Teacher Talk: Several ELL teachers contribute to this blog, sharing teaching practices, materials, ideas, and guides.
47. Pain in the English: This fun blog is a great resource for explaining grey areas of the English language to your students.
48. TEFLtastic with Alex Case: Follow Alex Case?s blog to find news, views, and reviews for English language teaching.
49. The English Blog: Visit The English Blog to find resources, reviews, and much more for both learners and teachers of English.
50. Inspiration Lane: Inspiration Lane is designed to be an interactive reading activity to share with your entire ELL classroom with new learning content each day. This is a cross-post from content partners at onlinecollegecourses.com; featured image attribution flickr user leaflanguages

Source: http://englishcoffer-cse.blogspot.com/2013/02/50-incredibly-useful-links-for-learning.html

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Xbox hack brings heavily armed cops to frightened family's home

Helen A.S. Popkin ? ? ? 14 hrs.

Responding to a report about a hostage situation that included one dead, police officers descended on a home in Oviedo, Fla. late Wednesday night, guns drawn. Inside they found a terrified family of four, who had been asleep???and safe???at least until they heard the doorbell ring and saw the rifle barrel poke through the front door.

Seeing what appeared to be ?an arsenal,? the father of the unidentified?family told Orlando?s Channel 9?that he and his wife?assumed they?were victims of a home invasion. ?They have rifles, they have guns, and I said, 'Let's get out of the house,' so we ran down the hallway and got our two boys up."

The family?were not hostages, but they were victims, people who?mistakenly ended up?on the receiving end of a dangerous hoax called ?swatting.? The criminal prank ? the type of which is increasingly common ??all began because the address where the family lived was scraped from an out-of-date Xbox account.

Earlier that evening, police received a call from another Oviedo resident, a teen?reporting that his Xbox had been hacked.

Lt. Mike Beavers, the Oviedo police spokesman, told NBC News that prior to accessing the Xbox user's account, the hackers attempted to extort the teen for one of is map packs, a downloadable extension gamers can purchase to add functionality to popular multiplayer games.

"They?they were trying to get the young man to give them a copy of what he?had?purchased, and they said if he?didn't,?they were going to cause the police to come to his?house?by?calling?in?a?bomb?threat," Beavers said.?When the teen didn't comply, the Xbox player?s tormentors apparently?accessed his account where they found an address.

Shortly after the gamer reported his encounter with the hackers to the Oviedo?police, AT&T contacted the department, stating the company had received online messages from someone?claiming to be at an?unrelated?home. The messages said that??someone had been killed at that location and others were being held hostage,? according to the police report.?

Police?later?confirmed that this was the former?home?of?the?harassed?gamer.?The?hackers, having obtained the old address,?had?called?in?the?threat?as?retaliation,?sending?police?to?the?unsuspecting?? and totally?unaffiliated???family.?

Lt. Beavers told NBC News that this is the first time his department has encountered this sort of crime, which led to some very tense moments for both the police and the family. "We?were?told?someone?had?been?killed,?and?others?were?still?held?hostage,"?he?confirmed.?"This?really?puts?the?responders?on?high?alert.

Unfortunately, this dangerous hoax is not uncommon. In 2008, the FBI issued a warning about ?swatting,? which it describes as ?faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement???usually a SWAT team.?

?Needless to say, these calls are dangerous to first responders and to the victims,? the FBI?report reads. ?The callers often tell tales of hostages about to be executed or bombs about to go off. The community is placed in danger as responders rush to the scene, taking them away from real emergencies. And the officers are placed in danger as unsuspecting residents may try to defend themselves.?

"This sort of prank???and?I hesitate to call it a prank, because it?s very scary ??seems to?be a rising trend among malicious teenagers,"?Chester Wisniewski, senior security adviser?at Sophos, a security firm, told NBC News.

?The only thing new in this case is the Xbox,? said Wisniewski. "Most often, it?s people forging a caller ID phone number and calling emergency services." Then, for example, the 911 operator sends responders to the address connected to the forged caller ID. Accessing an Xbox account and then emailing a false crime report via AT&T just makes it seem more high tech.

Wisniewski warns that we digitally store plenty of vital information?such as street addresses that?can easily?be exploited for material gain or malicious intent. The danger, he?says, is not keeping all your online accounts as secure as possible.??People don?t realize that your Amazon account or Xbox account has a lot of information that can be used against you.?

However, perpetrators of hacks and hoaxes may be just as vulnerable to inadvertent information leak.

?When you?re talking about kids pranking kids, the attackers are not all that sophisticated,? said ?Wisniewski.?In the case of the Oviedo attack,?the Xbox user was able to furnish police with Twitter accounts and gamer tags?associated with his?victimizers.

According to Lt. Beavers, the Xbox victim in this case, "had?already done a little work of his own and provided the officers with information,?including?Twitter names, game?accounts?and?IP information."??Once?the?computer?behind the extortion and hoax are identified, it comes down to "putting the person behind that computer?and?actually proving he did it."

? via Gizmodo

Helen A.S. Popkin?goes?blah?blah?blah?about?the?Internet.?Tell?her?to?get?a?real?job?on?Twitter?and/or?Facebook.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/xbox-hack-brings-heavily-armed-cops-frightened-familys-home-1B8198403

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