Russia in crackdown on popular file-sharing websites

Hal Hodson, technology reporter

The Russian government temporarily blocked two popular websites on Monday under a new law intended to protect children from harmful material online.

Russia's telecommunications and media regulator, Roskomnadzor, blocked two sites - RuTracker.org, a Russian file-sharing site much like The Pirate Bay; and Librusek, an electronic library similar to Wikipedia - according to The Wall Street Journal.

RuTracker wrote a blog post about its situation on Monday, calling the blacklisting "idiocy" and saying that Roskomnadzor rules were unclear. It claimed to have been blocked because it was hosting a file called the "Encyclopedia of Suicide", which it says was unpopular and was empty anyway.

The block, which has since been lifted, represents the kind of action that internet freedom advocates warn comes with the territory of internet blacklists overseen by centralised government control. When the law was passed in July, it was touted by the government as a tool for stamping out sites that host child pornography and material associated with drug abuse, racism and "antisocial behavior" (summarised here in a Russian legal journal).

The country's web community hasn't taken kindly to the law. Russia's biggest search engine, Yandex, and the Russian-language Wikipedia have both staged online protests.

File-sharing sites typically encounter problems because of their connection with sharing content that is protected by copyright. But Russia's stance on the protection of intellectual property has been poor historically, which makes the move all the more unexpected.

In a July article commenting on the new law, Russian news site The Runet wrote that Russian internet and communications companies like Mail.ru are making their own efforts to ensure that the internet is safe for children, establishing a voluntary internet policing league which is "achieving positive results".

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/25925535/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Conepercent0C20A120C110Crussia0Eblocks0Epopular0Ewebsites0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Brightcove Adds Native Plugin Architecture To Its App Cloud, Improving Cross-Platform, Hybrid App Development

Brightcove expanded beyond video content management and rolled out its platform for mobile app development about 18 months ago. It then released an update to the platform, which included a free version under an open source license, just a few months ago. Now, it’s updated the platform again, adding improved features for mobile app developers which wish to create hybrid mobile apps. Hybrid apps have gotten a bit of a bad name in the development community recently. While having some basis in HTML5 enables app makers to easily reuse common elements between device platforms without writing too much native code, the downside is that those hybrid apps tend to not perform very well when compared to native apps. The best example might be Facebook’s clunky old iOS apps, which were based on a hybrid infrastructure before scrapping the whole thing and going native. But talk to Brightcove CEO Jeremy Allaire, and you get the impression that the war between different mobile platforms is overblown, that developers don’t have to pick between building for either Android or iOS, or building native apps versus building those based on HTML5. That’s what App Cloud hopes to accomplish, at least. According to him, developers gain by being able to reuse code the front end while having platform-specific plugins to provide native code on the back end. The new App Cloud will have the same web-based WYSIWYG-type development tools, allowing publishers to quickly and efficiently roll out apps that work on iOS and Android with little duplicate development. Brightcove is hoping to speed up development and provide better performance and more flexibility to developers trying to reach Android and iOS devices by introducing a new plugin model for certain types of native app functions. That includes integration with technology from companies like Google and comScore, as well as integrated support for push notifications. All developers have to do to install a plugin is to copy a directory into their App Cloud project, and include a JavaScript file. The platform then adds that functionality into the application. Plugins that Brightcove has created for the tool include a native media uploader, a native audio player, an in-app email composer, as well as those that connect with third-party sources like Google Analytics. The company also has future plans for plugins like a native video player, DRM, and in-app purchasing. While Brightcove is best known for its video management

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Iyg7uFsmIHM/

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European Union freezes carbon tax for international airlines for a year

The European Union (EU) will freeze for a year its rule that all airlines must pay for their carbon emissions for flights into and out of EU airports, the EU executive said, following threats of international retaliation. This comes as a big relief for Indian carriers, as per an NDTV report. In fact, India and 22 other countries, including Russia, China and the US, had in February this year decided to retaliate with a series of measures, including imposition of heavy costs on European airlines and plane manufacturers.

However, flights within the EU will still have to pay for their carbon emissions. The year-long exemption will apply to flights linking EU airports to countries outside the bloc, a move welcomed by US and Asian officials.

Connie Hedegaard, Climate Commissioner said that she had agreed "to stop the clock" to create a positive atmosphere for international talks on an alternative global plan to tackle airline emissions. But let me be very clear: if this exercise does not deliver and I hope it does then, needless to say, we are back to where we are today with the EU ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme)."

"While I am pleased the EU has temporarily suspended its efforts to unilaterally impose a tax on our airlines flying over US and international airspace, the EU's announcement does not rule out future efforts to tax foreign carriers," said Senator John Thune, who led efforts in the US Senate to block the law.

"China always maintains that under the multilateral mechanism, such as the UNFCCC, ... international cooperation should be carried out to tackle climate change. We should oppose unilateral measures," Hong Lei, Spokesperson, Chinese Foreign Ministry."

EU member states must still formally endorse the Commission's proposed freeze. Hedegaard said she had told representatives of all 27 member states of the plan but could not say how long the EU approval process might take.

Some airline associations welcomed the announcement, but said the moratorium meant EU carriers operating flights within the bloc could be at a competitive disadvantage. Director General Andrew Herdman, Chairman, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) described the freeze as "long overdue" but said it might not go far enough. "The implied threat of an automatic snapback in a year's time means that the EU will still be seen by some as negotiating with a gun on the table," Herdman said in a statement.

Source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/european-union-freezes-carbon-tax-for-international-airlines-for-a-year-18390

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Who Is Paying The Largest Share Of Taxes? | iStockAnalyst.com

(By Mani) Individual tax collections are an essential component of the functioning of the federal government. Of all the revenues collected by the federal government, individual income taxes make up the largest share at 47 percent of total federal government revenues.

This election cycle has been dominated by discussions about tax reform. In particular, who is paying the largest share of taxes?

The most reliable source of tax collections data is the IRS's annual tax statistics data.

We look two metrics to gauge which income brackets pay more in income taxes using 2010 tax data. The first metric is the share of total income taxes paid by each income level. The second metric is the total taxes paid by each income level as a share of total adjusted income.

"While somewhat different than effective tax rates, this metric accounts for the large differences in number of taxpayers across income groups as well as the income earnings across these groups," Wells Fargo economist John Silvia wrote in a note to clients.

The first of these metrics is the percent of total income taxes paid. Those earning $200,000 or more a year pay 52.2 percent of all income taxes, but only earn 28.2 percent of the total adjusted income produced in the country.

On the other hand, those individuals making between $50,000 and $200,000 per year in adjusted gross income make 50 percent of the nation's total income, but only pay 41.1 percent of all the individual income taxes collected. The bottom income group ($0-$49,999) earns 22 percent of the nation's income and pays 6.6 percent of total income taxes.

Another way to look at the disparities in taxes paid across the income spectrum is to compare the aggregated total amount of taxes paid as a share of adjusted gross income by each income group.

"The greatest number of taxpayers is in the $50,000-$199,999 income bracket which in aggregate has paid 10 percent of their income in taxes," Silvia said.

In contrast, the top income bracket in aggregate paid around 22 percent of their adjusted gross income in taxes, while the lowest income bracket paid 3.6 percent of their income in taxes.

Moreover, the importance for tax policy cannot be understated, and it can dramatically affect consumer behavior through incentive effects.

"While increased taxes on any group has negative economic effects, the reality of the current federal fiscal situation dictates that a balanced approach of spending cuts in tandem with raising rates and expanding the base of taxpayers is needed," Silvia noted.

In other words, since we are all in this together, everyone must participate in funding federal government operations in some form, whether it includes a loss of some benefits at the lower end of the income spectrum, or middle and upper income individuals having to pay higher tax rates.

Source: http://www.istockanalyst.com/finance/story/6142878/who-is-paying-the-largest-share-of-taxes

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Obama warns GOP to lay off Rice attacks

President Barack Obama speaks at his first news conference since his reelection. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)President Barack Obama bluntly told John McCain and other Republicans to lay off their attacks against U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice over the Benghazi assault, telling lawmakers that if they go after her "then you have a problem with me." And Obama, speaking at his first post-election press conference, vowed that Republican opposition would not dissuade him from nominating Rice to replace departing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"I don't think there's any debate in this country that when you have four Americans killed that's a problem," he told reporters sternly in the East Room of the White House. "And we've go to get to the bottom of it, and there needs to be accountability, we've got to bring those who carried it out to justice --they won't get any debate from me on that."

"But when they go after the U.N. ambassador, apparently because they think she's an easy target, then they've got a problem with me," he warned.

McCain, Senator Lindsey Graham, and some other Republicans have signaled that they will oppose Rice's confirmation if Obama nominates her. Their numbers thus far seem far short of the 40 needed to block it, and some Republican Senators have signaled that she should get a fair hearing.

"Let me say specifically about Susan Rice: She has done exemplary work. She has represented the United States and our interests in the United Nations with skill, and professionalism, and toughness, and grace," Obama said.

"And should I choose, if I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity of the State Department, then I will nominate her," he vowed. "That's not a determination that I've made yet."

Rice and Democratic Senator John Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are seen as the front-runners in the race to succeed Clinton.

Conservatives have assailed Rice, who is close to Obama, ever since she made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows saying that American intelligence believed that the attack on the American compound in Benghazi, which claimed the lives of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and there other Americans, grew out of demonstrations against an Internet video that ridicules Islam.

"As that unfolded, it seems to have been hijacked, let us say, by some individual clusters of extremists who came with heavier weapons, weapons that, as you know, in the wake of the revolution in Libya are quite common and accessible. And it then evolved from there," she told ABC.

Republicans have seized on some of her other comments suggesting that the attack grew out of a "spontaneous, not premeditated" demonstration in response to the Internet video -- there was no demonstration. White House aides have said that Rice was speaking based on the best available intelligence at the time.

"She made an appearance at the request of the White House in which she gave her best understanding of the intelligence provided to her," Obama said Wednesday. "If Senator McCain and Senator Graham want to go after somebody, they should go after me."

"But for them to go after the U.N. ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous," he said.

"We're after an election now," he scolded. "I think it is important for us to find out exactly what happened in Benghazi, and I'm happy to cooperate in any ways that Congress wants. We have provided every bit of information that we have and we will continue to provide information and we've got a full-blown investigation. And all that information will be disgorged to Congress."

Graham, who represents South Carolina, hit back quickly.

"Mr. President, don't think for one minute I don't hold you ultimately responsible for Benghazi.? I think you failed as Commander in Chief before, during, and after the attack," he said in a statement released by his office.

"We owe it to the American people and the victims of this attack to have full, fair hearings and accountability be assigned where appropriate. Given what I know now, I have no intention of promoting anyone who is up to their eyeballs in the Benghazi debacle," Graham said.

Obama opened what was?his first press conference in months ? and first since the election that gave him a second term ? with a vow to work with both parties in Congress to tackle the so-called "fiscal cliff" and revive the economy. He also said he had "no evidence" that the scandal that led David Petraeus to resign in disgrace from his job as CIA director had led to breaches in classified national security material.

"Right now our economy is still recovering from a very deep and damaging crisis, so our top priority has to be jobs and growth," Obama said in opening remarks in the East Room of the White House.

"Both parties can work together" to address the fiscal challenges "in a balanced and responsible way," he said, before pushing Republicans to sign on to his call for raising taxes on the richest Americans.

In response to the first question, regarding Petraeus, Obama said he had "no evidence at this point from what I've seen" that there had been any national security breaches. And the president praised the retired general, saying "we are safer because of the work Dave Petraeus has done."

Asked later for his appraisal of the FBI's work in bringing to light the marital infidelity that Petraeus cited in his resignation message, and why he learned of the probe only earlier this month, Obama?said "I am withholding judgment" on that process but expressed "a lot of confidence generally in the FBI."

Turning to his tax battle with Republicans, Obama stuck by his vow to oppose any legislation that extends the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of Americans. The president, asked why he had agreed to extend them in the 2010 lame duck session of Congress, said that "was a one-time proposition" and that "we cannot afford" to do so again.

Obama said he would be willing to look at raising tax revenues by closing loopholes but said that "the math tends not to work" when it comes to making up that way for extending the tax rate reductions on income above $250,000. And he reiterated that he does not want a stopgap agreement with Congress.

"I want a big deal, I want a comprehensive deal," he said. "Fair-minded people can come to an agreement."

Obama, who won the Latino vote by a lopsided margin, also vowed to pursue comprehensive immigration reform in his second term.

"We need to seize the moment," he said, predicting that "we will have a?bill introduced and we begin the process in Congress very soon after my inauguration."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/live-video-watch-obama-first-press-conference-election-153317135--election.html

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Japan's Video Game Rankings, November 5-11

Animal Crossing: New Leaf debuts at #1 with 603,064 copies sold

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Japan's Game Ranking: November 5-11

Rank	System	Title	Maker	Release Date	Weekly Copies	Total Copies	4Gamer Reader Review
1	3DS	Tobidase D?butsu no Mori/Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Including Bundled Editions)	Nintendo	November 8	603,064	603,064
2	PS3	Shin Sangoku Musou 6 Empires (Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires)	KOEI Tecmo Games	November 8	70,102	70,102
3	X360	Halo 4 (Including Limited Editions and Bundled Editions)	Microsoft	November 8	39,312	39,312	60
4	PS3	Tales of Xillia 2 (Including Bundled Editions)	Bandai Namco Games	November 1	34,789	399,228	66
5	3DS	New Super Mario Bros. 2	Nintendo	July 28	23,224	1,343,554	90
6	3DS	Bravely Default	Square Enix	October 11	14,847	249,260	77
7	PS3	Silent Hill: Downpour	Konami	November 8	13,516	13,516
8	PSP	World Soccer Winning Eleven 2013	Konami	November 1	12,335	50,722
9	PS3	Okami HD	CAPCOM	November 1	11,013	79,657
10	PS3	Yakuza 1&2 HD Edition	Sega	November 1	10,073	68,211
11	PS3	World Soccer Winning Eleven 2013	Konami	October 4	9,508	348,494
12	3DS	Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode Yokubari Sengen!	Nintendo	September 27	8,599	166,416
13	3DS	T?s?ch?: Shij? Saiky? no Hunter-tachi kara Nigekire!	Bandai Namco Games	July 5	8,199	229,635
14	PS3	Resident Evil 6	CAPCOM	October 4	6,811	814,850	40
15	NDS	Pok?mon Black 2/White 2	Pok?mon	June 23	6,533	2,828,949	76
16	PS3	Dark Souls with Artorias of the Abyss Edition	From Software	October 25	5,754	85,919	80
17	3DS	Monster Hunter 3G (Including Bundled Edition)	CAPCOM	December 10	5,309	1,564,401	75
18	3DS	Nicola Kansh? Model ? Oshare Audition Platinum	Alchemist	November 8	5,295	5,295
19	3DS	Taiko no Tatsujin: Chibi Dragon to Fushigi na Orb	Bandai Namco Games	July 12	5,253	257,146
20	PSP	Idolm@ster Shiny Festa Honey Sound / Funky Note / Groovy Tune	Bandai Namco Games	October 25	5,101	138,669	90

Hardware Sales

System	Weekly Sales
3DSLL	134,652
3DS	52,425
PS3	18,043
PSP	12,076
Vita	4,021
Wii	2,921
Xbox 360	2,908
PS2	1,187
DSiLL	244
DSi	180

Source: Media Create via 4Gamer

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Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-11-14/japan-video-game-rankings-november-5-11

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Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog: When Biology Outpaces the Law

? Thomas Davis Testifies In Judge Perrin Trial | Main

November 13, 2012

When Biology Outpaces the Law

It is a known fact that reproductive technology has quickly outpaced the law and has created problems with determining who is the legal parent of a child, especially when it comes to posthumous conception. Artificial Insemination has made it possible that many individuals could be the legal parents of children created with the help of this technology. This has become a problem for estate planners because while the states have many laws that define "descendants" and "issues," it is still difficult to determine who would qualify for this status. Adoption, non-marital children, and children born to surrogates are also giving estate planners headaches, even though it is easy for technology to establish parenthood for these individuals.

Another issue that occurs is that the law on this matter is sometimes completely absent. Thankfully the state intestacy laws still exist, which can give estate planners a guide to plan around their state's respective inheritance laws. Thus, it is still important for an estate planning attorney to "specific what constitutes parentage, whether by adoption, within marriage or by artificial reproductive technology" within an estate plan. There are also several things that the estate planning attorney might want to consider when making an estate plan, such as:

• "who owns the reproductive matter after the donor?s death;
• whether the donor maintains control of reproductive matter by contract or whether it?s personal property that can be disposed of by will or trust;
• whether the donor of the reproductive matter contemplated or consented to posthumous use of that matter;
• whether there should be some distinction between posthumously born children who are the product of eggs that were fertilized before death, as opposed to those who were the product of eggs fertilized post-death;
• the marital status of the parents at the time of death;
• the period between the birth in comparison to the death and/or date of distribution;
• whether gifts to descendants should include adult adoptees or just minor children."

See David Shayne and Sarah S. Butters, The Kids Are Fine, but Who Are the Parents?, Nov. 6, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim?Hillhouse?(Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.

November 13, 2012 in Current Affairs, Estate Planning - Generally, Intestate Succession, Technology | Permalink

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