NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Britney Spears and Paris Hilton open their stockings on Christmas Day, they shouldn't be surprised to find a lump of coal. A poll of American children released on Wednesday found that the two high-profile celebrities should top Santa's naughty list.
By contrast Disney star Hannah Montana, played by country singer Billy Ray Cyrus's daughter Miley, was overwhelming deemed the "nicest" celebrity among children aged 2 to 12 while actress Angelina Jolie was the choice for teenagers 13 to 17.
The online survey of 1,107 children was conducted by E-Poll Market Research, which specializes in celebrity and brand research, to gauge children's attitudes about nice, naughty, and the seasonal question of who makes Santa's list.
Spears, whose stint in rehabilitation, panty-less pictures, and custody battle for her children has won headlines globally, was awarded top "naughty" honors with younger and older children.
She was followed on the list by Paris Hilton who spent three weeks in jail this year on a driving violation.
The two women beat out Swiper the Fox from the television show Dora the Explorer, the Grinch from the book "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" and Darth Vader from Star Wars among children 2-12.
For teens, Spears and Hilton topped Lindsay Lohan, who spent 84 minutes behind bars this year for a drunken driving and cocaine-possession conviction, and Beyonce.
When asked what makes someone nice, children mentioned "cleaning up and doing chores," "sharing" and "being honest and polite" as ways to impress Santa.
On the flip side, they mentioned "not listening to parents," "being mean and bullying" and "being snobby" as behaviors exhibited by those headed for the naughty list.
joi, 29 noiembrie 2007
FBI: Millions of computers roped into criminal 'robot networks'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hackers have remotely controlled about 2.5 million computers of unsuspecting owners to commit crimes using computer robot networks called "botnets," the FBI said Thursday.The bureau in 2005 launched Operation Bot Roast to stop this emerging type of cyber attack, which the FBI estimates has resulted in $20 million in losses and theft, including one scheme that bilked a Midwest financial institution out of millions.
More than 1 million computers were infected with botnets when the FBI announced Bot Roast in June, and roughly 1.5 million more have been identified since then, the FBI said. Industry numbers suggest there are as many as 5 million infected computers.
According to an FBI news release, New Zealand authorities in tandem with the FBI this week searched the home of an individual -- identified only by the cyber name, "AKILL" -- whose "elite international botnet coding group" is suspected of infecting more than 1 million computers. AKILL is not in custody, the FBI said. Since the operation was announced, 13 search warrants have been served around the world, and eight individuals -- in Washington, Pennsylvania, Florida, California and Kentucky -- have been indicted or found guilty of crimes related to botnets. Such crimes include fraud, identity theft and denial-of-service attacks in which computer Web sites and other resources are made unavailable.
In one denial-of-service attack, Jason Michael Downey, 24, operated rizon.net, a system for chat rooms known as an Internet Relay Chat. Downey was sentenced to a year in prison for launching numerous denial-of-service attacks on other IRC networks and their operators.
More than 1 million computers were infected with botnets when the FBI announced Bot Roast in June, and roughly 1.5 million more have been identified since then, the FBI said. Industry numbers suggest there are as many as 5 million infected computers.
According to an FBI news release, New Zealand authorities in tandem with the FBI this week searched the home of an individual -- identified only by the cyber name, "AKILL" -- whose "elite international botnet coding group" is suspected of infecting more than 1 million computers. AKILL is not in custody, the FBI said. Since the operation was announced, 13 search warrants have been served around the world, and eight individuals -- in Washington, Pennsylvania, Florida, California and Kentucky -- have been indicted or found guilty of crimes related to botnets. Such crimes include fraud, identity theft and denial-of-service attacks in which computer Web sites and other resources are made unavailable.
In one denial-of-service attack, Jason Michael Downey, 24, operated rizon.net, a system for chat rooms known as an Internet Relay Chat. Downey was sentenced to a year in prison for launching numerous denial-of-service attacks on other IRC networks and their operators.
miercuri, 28 noiembrie 2007
Mourinho camp cool England talk
Jose Mourinho has not indicated his willingness to become the next England coach, sources close to the former Chelsea manager have told the BBC.
Newspaper reports on Wednesday claimed Mourinho had said he was prepared to talk to the Football Association.
But sources in Portugal have told the BBC that Mourinho has not made any public comment about the England job.
He would be a popular choice to replace Steve McClaren because of his record of success with Chelsea and Porto.
He won two Portuguese championships, the Uefa Cup and the Champions League with Porto before winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup with the big-spending Chelsea.
Mourinho, 44, has been tipped to stay in club management in Europe, having previously suggested that at international level he would only be interested in coaching his native Portugal. FA chief executive Brian Barwick has said that nationality "would not be an issue" when it came to appointing the next England coach.
England, who have dropped down to the second pot of seeds in qualification for the major tournaments, avoided Portugal in Sunday's draw for the World Cup.
Barwick will lead the FA's search for a new coach alongside the organisation's development director Sir Trevor Brooking.
Several potential candidates haved already ruled themselves out of contention for the position with Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill, West Ham's Alan Curbishley and Newcastle's Sam Allardyce all distancing themselves from speculation.
McClaren was sacked after failing to steer England to the finals of next year's European Championships.
Newspaper reports on Wednesday claimed Mourinho had said he was prepared to talk to the Football Association.
But sources in Portugal have told the BBC that Mourinho has not made any public comment about the England job.
He would be a popular choice to replace Steve McClaren because of his record of success with Chelsea and Porto.
He won two Portuguese championships, the Uefa Cup and the Champions League with Porto before winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup with the big-spending Chelsea.
Mourinho, 44, has been tipped to stay in club management in Europe, having previously suggested that at international level he would only be interested in coaching his native Portugal. FA chief executive Brian Barwick has said that nationality "would not be an issue" when it came to appointing the next England coach.
England, who have dropped down to the second pot of seeds in qualification for the major tournaments, avoided Portugal in Sunday's draw for the World Cup.
Barwick will lead the FA's search for a new coach alongside the organisation's development director Sir Trevor Brooking.
Several potential candidates haved already ruled themselves out of contention for the position with Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill, West Ham's Alan Curbishley and Newcastle's Sam Allardyce all distancing themselves from speculation.
McClaren was sacked after failing to steer England to the finals of next year's European Championships.
Dazzling delights go on display
Some of nature's most remarkable and unique treasures are set to dazzle the public when they go on display.
The Vault, a new gallery at London's Natural History Museum, will showcase a collection of gems, crystals, metals and meteorites from around the world.
Museum curator Alan Hart said the specimens were chosen for "their beauty, rarity and history".
They include a hefty gold nugget, a Martian meteorite and 296 coloured diamonds.
Mr Hart described the collection as "the creme de la creme" of the mineral world.
He said: "We designed this exclusive gallery so we could showcase the best of our collections and include in that some dazzling loans."
One of these loans includes the famous Aurora Collection, which consists of hundreds of exceptionally rare diamonds, ranging in colour from blood red to emerald green.
"Gems like these were not meant to be imprisoned in a dark underground safe for the momentary pleasure of a few eyes," said Alan Bronstein, the co-owner of the collection.
The Vault's team said the gallery would reveal some of the fascinating stories behind the treasures, from Heron-Allen's cursed amethyst to the Latrobe gold nugget, which was unearthed during Australia's "gold rush".
Mr Hart told the BBC News website: "Each specimen has a great narrative - whether it is a scientific narrative, cultural dimension or historical fact."
The team also said the array would give an insight into the science behind the specimens.
Displayed next to many of the glittering gems, including a vivid pink beryl from Madagascar, are the crystals or crystalline material from which they were cut.
This will give visitors a better idea of the Earth processes that yield such remarkable items. Mr Hart said: "We wanted to celebrate some of the rarest and unique gemstones, metals, meteorites and crystals as a natural substance.
"I think many people may have gemstones and they may not realise where the raw materials come from."
He added: "Many of these are like nature's artwork- they are just so spectacular."
The curator said it was impossible to place a value on the Vault's display. He explained: "Some of the items are so unique; they are literally priceless, especially in terms of their scientific value."
One such item is the Nakhla, a rare Martian meteorite which crashed to Earth in Egypt in 1911.
Mr Hart said: "By studying these meteorites we can find out about the origins of the Solar System and maybe even the origins of life itself."
The Vault, a new gallery at London's Natural History Museum, will showcase a collection of gems, crystals, metals and meteorites from around the world.
Museum curator Alan Hart said the specimens were chosen for "their beauty, rarity and history".
They include a hefty gold nugget, a Martian meteorite and 296 coloured diamonds.
Mr Hart described the collection as "the creme de la creme" of the mineral world.
He said: "We designed this exclusive gallery so we could showcase the best of our collections and include in that some dazzling loans."
One of these loans includes the famous Aurora Collection, which consists of hundreds of exceptionally rare diamonds, ranging in colour from blood red to emerald green.
"Gems like these were not meant to be imprisoned in a dark underground safe for the momentary pleasure of a few eyes," said Alan Bronstein, the co-owner of the collection.
The Vault's team said the gallery would reveal some of the fascinating stories behind the treasures, from Heron-Allen's cursed amethyst to the Latrobe gold nugget, which was unearthed during Australia's "gold rush".
Mr Hart told the BBC News website: "Each specimen has a great narrative - whether it is a scientific narrative, cultural dimension or historical fact."
The team also said the array would give an insight into the science behind the specimens.
Displayed next to many of the glittering gems, including a vivid pink beryl from Madagascar, are the crystals or crystalline material from which they were cut.
This will give visitors a better idea of the Earth processes that yield such remarkable items. Mr Hart said: "We wanted to celebrate some of the rarest and unique gemstones, metals, meteorites and crystals as a natural substance.
"I think many people may have gemstones and they may not realise where the raw materials come from."
He added: "Many of these are like nature's artwork- they are just so spectacular."
The curator said it was impossible to place a value on the Vault's display. He explained: "Some of the items are so unique; they are literally priceless, especially in terms of their scientific value."
One such item is the Nakhla, a rare Martian meteorite which crashed to Earth in Egypt in 1911.
Mr Hart said: "By studying these meteorites we can find out about the origins of the Solar System and maybe even the origins of life itself."
marți, 27 noiembrie 2007
Unpopulated, 1-house Texas town sells for $3.8M on eBay
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Someone in Italy placed the winning bid of $3.8 million on Friday for an unpopulated, one-house Texas town auctioned online.
No one lives permanently in the 13-acre town of Albert, about 60 miles north of San Antonio, but the tavern created from the frame of the old general store is open on weekends.
The town also includes a pavilion, an 85-year-old dance hall, a tractor shed, a three-bedroom house, plus peach and pecan orchards.
But before town owner Bobby Cave signs the deed over, he must ensure the eBay bid is legitimate. Cave said that unlike the usual items bought through eBay, there are no contractual obligations when it comes to real estate.
"There's just not any way to insist that a guy from Italy write me a check for three million," said Cave, 47, an Austin real estate agent.
The reserve price for the town was $2.5 million. Even if the deal doesn't go through, Cave said he has about five other prospective buyers genuinely interested in the town.
Bridgeville, in northern California, was the first town ever put on the eBay auction block. The 83 acres were twice sold on the site, in 2002 (that deal fell through) and again last year.
No one lives permanently in the 13-acre town of Albert, about 60 miles north of San Antonio, but the tavern created from the frame of the old general store is open on weekends.
The town also includes a pavilion, an 85-year-old dance hall, a tractor shed, a three-bedroom house, plus peach and pecan orchards.
But before town owner Bobby Cave signs the deed over, he must ensure the eBay bid is legitimate. Cave said that unlike the usual items bought through eBay, there are no contractual obligations when it comes to real estate.
"There's just not any way to insist that a guy from Italy write me a check for three million," said Cave, 47, an Austin real estate agent.
The reserve price for the town was $2.5 million. Even if the deal doesn't go through, Cave said he has about five other prospective buyers genuinely interested in the town.
Bridgeville, in northern California, was the first town ever put on the eBay auction block. The 83 acres were twice sold on the site, in 2002 (that deal fell through) and again last year.
ATVs not safe for children
Kids who ride ATVs have an alarming number of potentially disabling injuries, a study reports.
All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, weigh up to 600 pounds and can travel at speeds of 65 mph or more. The study adds to other evidence suggesting dangers faced by children who ride ATVs: The Consumer Product Safety Commission says 40,400 children were treated in U.S. emergency rooms in 2005 after ATV accidents.
"The public should know that ATVs are not safe," says researcher Chetan Shah of the Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, who presented his team's findings Monday at the annual meeting in Chicago of the Radiological Society of North America.
Shah and his colleagues studied 500 children and teens injured in ATV accidents and brought to the emergency room at Children's Hospital over eight years.
They found that the number of ATV injuries more than doubled from 1998 to 2006.
All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, weigh up to 600 pounds and can travel at speeds of 65 mph or more. The study adds to other evidence suggesting dangers faced by children who ride ATVs: The Consumer Product Safety Commission says 40,400 children were treated in U.S. emergency rooms in 2005 after ATV accidents.
"The public should know that ATVs are not safe," says researcher Chetan Shah of the Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, who presented his team's findings Monday at the annual meeting in Chicago of the Radiological Society of North America.
Shah and his colleagues studied 500 children and teens injured in ATV accidents and brought to the emergency room at Children's Hospital over eight years.
They found that the number of ATV injuries more than doubled from 1998 to 2006.
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