Clipmarks | TheCatWhisperer's clips

Facebook asked to pull Scrabulous game

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:57:52 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: Hrm, this just seems like a stupid way to go about it. Yes, it is a gross infringement of thier rights, however, it is one of the most popular games/apps on Facebook. I know lots of people who play it. My girlfriend decided to add scrabble to her xmas wishlist after playing it on facebook and being reminded of haw good a game it is.

She got the deluxe version of the game under the tree

As I see it, the idiots are missing out. They could make a deal witht he writers gaining the majority (if not all/nearly all) of any profits made from teh game, and use it to link to thier product, re brand it as official and make MONEY through internet sales of the real thing.

Morons. Everybody is shoot first, shoot again.. shoot a little more & when everyone is dead, ask a question or two..

Reminds me of the Alberta Preimier - Domain name issue...

Clip Source: www.cbc.ca

The makers of Scrabble have asked Facebook to remove a popular add-on to the social networking site that allows users to play an online version of the board game.

Lawyers for toy makers Hasbro and Mattel said the Scrabulous program infringes on their copyright for the word-based board game.

The program's popularity really took off when it was added as an application to Facebook in 2007. It now regularly attracts nearly 600,000 daily users and is listed as one of Facebook's 10 most popular applications.

"Mattel values its intellectual property and actively protects its brands and trademarks. As Mattel owns the rights to the Scrabble trademark outside the U.S. and Canada, we are currently reviewing our position regarding other countries."

In response to the news of the cease-and-desist letter, fans of the online game started a "Save Scrabulous" group on Facebook, which has attracted more than 5,000 members, most of whom joined after the BBC ran a story on the dispute.

Tags: scrabble, scrabulous, facebook, lawsuit, stupid, hasbro, mattel, shoot first, knee-jerk

Porn sting nets nine Canadians

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:59:56 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: I can't fucking belive this. You'd think that with all the stories going around the news of investigations into child pornography, people being arrested, and the fact that people should realize by now that THEY ARE NOT ANONYMOUS on the net, that these creeps would stop???

Ugh... and Canadians, again... I feel so ashamed of my country...

Wtf...

The Canadian Government & Cybertip.ca have been talking for a long time about setting up a "national firewall" that blocks sites outside canada that contain child porn. This is one of the few cases where I actually support censorship. I wish they'd just fucking complete it... maybe it would stop some people...

Clip Source: www.thechronicleherald.ca

OTTAWA — A child pornography investigation that began in Australia 18 months ago has followed a circuitous path around the world into the homes of nine arrested Canadians.

Canadian and international police agencies announced the arrests Tuesday, and said another 50 ongoing investigations continue in this country.

The charges relate to a horrific child porn website based in Ukraine that provided customized videos of sexual abuse to paying customers worldwide.

All nine of the Canadians arrested so far were men and at least one, arrested two weeks ago in Peel Region, just outside Toronto, was a former Scout leader.

Police have no evidence of Canadian child victims to date, although one suspect still at large is alleged to have communicated a desire to get his daughters involved.

"I would say that there will be more arrests," RCMP Supt. Earla-Kim McColl told a news conference in Ottawa.

Tags: child exploitation, investigation, canada, ring, ukraine, wtf

Fourth person charged in Toronto human trafficking ring

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:21:45 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: I have no symapthy for those who enslave or abuse otehr people, animals, etc. IMO, they should get teh highest sentances possible, in some cases when they severly abuse others (especially children and animals) they should be shot/executed. (yes, i'm pro capitol punishment)

Slavers are some of the worst, most vile peole you can find. I pisses me off to no end to hear this is happening here, in Canada.

Clip Source: www.canada.com

A Toronto woman is the latest to be charged in connection with an international human trafficking ring that came to light after a young woman stumbled into a Toronto police station last week claiming she was a sex slave.

She was one of six people who were arrested by Toronto police during simultaneous raids throughout the Greater Toronto Area late Friday, Toronto police Const. Isabelle Cotton said Monday.

Investigators believe the people arrested were ringleaders involved in bringing eastern European women to Canada on false promises of a modeling career then imprisoning them as sex slaves.

The woman arrived in Canada on fake passports after responding to an Internet advertisement.

Once in the country, they were forcibly confined and made to work as prostitutes. Police are not saying how many women may be involved.

There are no reliable statistics on how many victims are involved in human trafficking rings worldwide, but it's believed that it is a multi-billion dollar industry.

Tags: slavery, sex, prostitution, illegal immigration, toronto, canada

We fight for freedom - or “What if someone else did it to us?”

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:58:06 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: Its a saticial piece. It looks at what would happen if thetables were turned on the US. Not too hard to believe either. (ie: its not pure fanatasy).

Read the whole thing before you comment please...

Clip Source: darwinator.wordpress.com

It’s been eight years now. Eight long years. Sure, initially I was glad when China toppled the Bush regime and executed the “retarded tyrant” as I love to call him. It wasn’t that bad at the start, but as time wore on and I realized they weren’t leaving, it started to gnaw at me.

Bush declared martial law in June of 2008. This was after going nuclear on Iran and the chaos surrounding the oil shock that followed soon after. People had said he’d been planning the Iran move for a while, but the media kept pointing out how much of a threat Iran was so I guess we needed to act. He didn’t have any conventional forces or weaponry because we’d become over-extended in Iraq and Afghanistan so he went nuclear. What came next wasn’t clear for many years and is still disputed today. All I know for sure is that oil become scarce in a real hurry. China removed the Yuan/dollar peg, called in its massive store of US Treasury bonds and sent the greenback into freefall.

Tags: satire, politics, us, china, war, what-if?

The Music Industry’s Last Stand Will Be A Music Tax

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:31:32 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: The article (please read it all before you comment), basically states the idea of putting a $5-10 tax on all ISP Monthly bills. This tax would then allow you to download all the music, etc you want, DRM free without the fear of reprisals from the industry.

The writer of the article seems to think this is a bad idea, however, IMO its a great idea. I know that not everyone downloads content illegally, but at least here in Canada, we all pay taxes for things we don't use or rarely use. many Canadians never get really sick or visit doctors, etc, yet they still pay taxes. Many Canadians work all their lives and never worry about being un employed, but we still pay "Employment Insurance" taxes.

So maybe it would work here in Canada, and not in the US? Well, we will be better for it. Besides, what's $5 on a $80 cable & internet bill? Barely noticeable. (continued...)

Clip Source: www.techcrunch.com

It is becoming more and more difficult for the music industry to ignore the basic economics of the their industry: unenforceable property rights (you can’t sue everyone) and zero marginal production costs (file sharing is ridiculously easy). All the big labels have now given up on DRM. They haven’t yet given up on trying to charge for their music, but it’s becoming more and more clear that as long as there is a free alternative (file sharing), the price of music will have to fall towards free.

Overall the music industry will be smaller in terms of revenue. But the artists who are driven to create their art will continue to do so, and many will make a very good living from it.

Reznor called for it today, saying “I think if there was an ISP tax of some sort, we can say to the consumer, ‘All music is now available and able to be downloaded and put in your car and put in your iPod and put up your a– if you want and it’s $5 on your cable bill.’”

Tags: music, drm, piracy, free, tax, canada, us, makes good sense

CES: FyreTV Brings the Porn for Ten Bucks a Month

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:05:38 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: This isn't marked mature because it contains nothing (graphically) "mature"...

This is an interesting concept. Granted, porn on the net is "free" (youporn, torrents, google image search, etc), but the ability to access thier entire library using keyword/concept searching is rather unique. And in DVD quality too

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

In the old days, pornography was delivered as printed matter wrapped up in plain brown paper. Now it can come to you over the internet, via a set-top box with an innocuous-looking generic black chassis.

Amid the silicone and cellulite of the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, held in parallel with the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, I found FyreTV, which is like an ethernet-connected cable box... for porn.

I was skeptical. Why would anyone pay ten bucks a month and use dedicated hardware for something that's available for free over the internet? FyreTV made a good case for their product though, and it goes something like this.

The device is an innocuous looking little black box (it ships without the sticker visible in the picture).

"The only way someone would know what this is if they owned one themselves," said FyreTV founder and CEO Estefano Isaias.

Tags: porn, entertainment, adult, tv, subscription, hd, neat

US vs. Iran - Part II (Iran airs contrasting footage of US navy standoff)

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:16:50 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: I'm actually starting to lean towards Iran's version here... This actually does sound rather fishy.

Like my comment on yesterday's story, I just don't see how Iran would benefit froma confrontation with the US.

The "peace talks" IMO, will do no real good. So any mischief here would nierther add to the process or take away from them in the long run.

If anything it would hurt Iran, not help them.

Ie: it makes no sense that they would pull this kind of move. Plus the voice just sounds too "fake" to be what an Iranian wouls say... granted, I don't know that many Iranians

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Iranian state TV today aired a video showing its military's own version of a contested standoff with US naval ships in the Persian Gulf at the weekend

The grainy clip, lasting five minutes and 20 seconds without sound or narration, showed a man speaking into a handheld radio, with three US ships in the distance.

In the US version of the incident, a four-minute, 20-second video showed the Iranian boats appearing to ignore repeated warnings from US warships. One crew member on the bridge of the destroyer USS Hopper is heard addressing the Iranian's over the radio saying: "This is coalition warship. I am engaged in transit passage in accordance with international law. Intend no harm."

Iran's version of the encounter, however, included no such audio. It also did not appear to show the entire standoff, which Washington officials have said lasted about 20 minutes.

The incident, which ended without any shots fired, has heightened US Iranian tensions

Tags: iran, us, war, provokation, political maneuvering, i smell a rat

Woman wins lawsuit against drug dealer

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:00:41 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: Seems to me a bit like suing McD's because your fat. Here's an idea ..

You know.. teh drug is illigal for a reason. So instead of blaming your dealer, ans suing him because you were too fucking stupid to no do Meth, how about taking some responsibility...

Now, don't get me wrong, the dealer deserves to be punished because, well, he's a drug dealer. But not this way. Its just too stupid. This is the kindof flagerant lawsuite you expect to see in the US, not Canada...

Clip Source: www.theglobeandmail.com

A Saskatchewan woman has won a precedent-setting lawsuit against the drug dealer who sold her a near-fatal overdose of crystal meth.

Sandy Bergen, 23, accused her former kindergarten classmate, Clinton Davey, of selling her the drug in the town of Biggar, Sask., in 2004. In her statement of claim, she said Mr. Davey knew the drug was highly addictive and harmful, and sold it not only for profit, but to intentionally inflict physical and mental suffering.

She also named as a defendant the unknown John Doe who supplied Mr. Davey with his drugs. When Mr. Davey refused to reveal the name of his supplier during the pretrial discovery process - and faced the threat of a contempt-of-court charge - he consented to have his statement of defence struck, effectively admitting his liability and handing victory to Ms. Bergen.

Another hearing will be held to determine how much she will be awarded in damages.

When the case returns to court, she will be seeking damages in excess of $50,000

Tags: drugs, lawsuit, retarded

Iran Accuses U.S. of Faking Persian Gulf Video

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:41:25 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: Seems a littel stupid on both sides. i mean, If I were Iran, i would not send speed boats out to pester a warship in a battle group. that;s just fucking stupid. At teh same time, I can't imagine the US being soo desperate for conflict that they'd resort to such sillyness as faking a video like this.

If anything, I would guess it was a 3rd party in speed boats.. possibly Iranian, but not of the military/navy/etc. That's like blaming Afghanistan for Osama Bin laden. He wasn't a soldier. So its not exactly Afghanistan's fault.

Heck I could be wrong about it being a 3rd party... The president of Iran isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

PS: What really would Iran get out of a conflict with the US? nothing. they have too much to lose.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

TEHRAN — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard accused the United States on Wednesday of fabricating video showing armed Iranian speedboats confronting United States Navy warships in the Persian Gulf over the weekend, according to a report carried by the semi-official Fars news agency as well as state-run television.

“Images released by the U.S. Department of Defense about the navy vessels, the archive, and sounds on it are fabricated,” an unnamed Revolutionary Guard official said, according to Fars. The news agency has close links to the Revolutionary Guard. It was the first time Iran had commented on a video the Pentagon released Tuesday.

The unnamed Revolutionary Guard official asserted that the video had been released to coincide with Mr. Bush’s trip and “was in line with a project of the Western media to create fear.” The official said the sounds and the images on the video did not go together. “It is very clear that they are fake,” the official said.

Tags: war, us, iran, ships, close call, politiacl manuvering

Man who sexually assaulted his young daughter live on the net to be sentanced today

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:54:44 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: It really pisses me off that he's probably only going to get 5 years.

It's one thing to be a piece of shit child predator, its another thing to prey on your own fucking children.

Clip Source: www.thestar.com

ST. THOMAS, Ont. – A man who sexually abused his daughter live on the Internet for the amusement of a man who turned out to be an undercover police officer is to be sentenced today.

The 35-year-old St. Thomas, Ont., man, who can't be identified to protect his daughter, was convicted in October on seven criminal charges. He's one of 82 men arrested worldwide following a police operation dubbed Project Wickerman, which began with the arrest of an Edmonton man.

In what prosecutors said they believe to be the first case of its kind, the man was arrested last year, hours after he exposed his daughter to an undercover police officer during a chat room conversation.

The girl, when asked about the assault, said, "The policemen put handcuffs on Daddy so he wouldn't touch me," court was told. "I don't think I'll call him Daddy anymore," a psychologist quoted her as saying.

Crown lawyers are seeking a sentence of five years in prison in addition to the 14 months the man has already served.

Tags: law, child explotation, internet, death penalty please

China says U.S. must do more on climate change

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:46:16 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: I agree.

The US (and canada, much of Eurpe, etc) are responmsible for the majority of the pollution that is the central cause of climate change. Hence, tehy should take the lead in helping to combat the issue. Asking developing nations to step up to this degree is absurd. How are they supposed to bring themselves into the 1st world if they have to pay soo much more to bring thier economies up to scale? The US already has ample power generation and manufacturing to meet its needs, China, india and others ont he toerhhand still need to grow substatially in order to com eeven close to par with us.

So maybe we shouldbe helping to foot thier bill, knowing that by doing so we are helping the world overall.

We should also take the lead and lead by example. The money we put into research in development is a great way to make it cheaper and more affordable for devloping nations.

Clip Source: in.reuters.com

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is glad a climate change roadmap agreed last week in Bali has drawn the United States to the negotiating table, but the world's only superpower must do more to tackle global warming, a top official said on Thursday.

China says rich nations should bear much of the burden for tackling global warming in the short term because of their historic responsibility for causing the problem.

Developing nations want more help with technology and cash for adapting to a warmer world and Yu said the poorest countries, still struggling to feed their people, could not be expected to pay for expensive emissions-cutting technology.

"The United States is an important contributor of emissions both in total and on a per-capita basis. It has both advanced technology and ample funds," he told a briefing.

"So on the issue of tackling climate change, America should display a more positive, more constructive role."

Teenagers charged in "Mortal Kombat" tragedy

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:08:24 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: Read the rest of the article, the writer makes some very good points.

These kids were old enough to know better, any sane person can't place the blame on video games. the could have gotten the idea form any visual media. Movies, TV, etc.

There was alchahol involved. If thye had have been watching a Van-Damm mvowie before hand the same outcome would ahve likely been reached.

Stupid people make me mad. They just gave the anti-video game camp a hand of ACES in the media...

Here's an idea.. take resposibility for your own fucking actions.. What about the parents here.. obviously these "kids" should not have been left in cahrge of a 7 year old...

Clip Source: www.destructoid.com

Oh dear. When the game haters of the world hear about this one, there's going to be a field day to rival the Romans reveling over bloody crucifixions. Apparently on December 6th, 7 year old Zoe Garcia was being watched by her older sister Heather Trujillo, 16 and her boyfriend Lamar Roberts, 17. After some drinking, the two teens decided to act out the game Mortal Kombat and decided to get Zoe in on the action.

According to Heather, they were hitting and kicking Zoe while acting out the game and even dropped her on her side, breaking her wrist in the process. Roberts, who claimed to be a martial arts expert, says that Zoe asked him to stop hitting her but due to his state of intoxication he did not comply. He performed a back kick on the child, which she did not get up from. The teens tried to revive her several times and did not succeed. The cause of death was later named as "blunt force trauma" to her brain and central nervous system.

Tags: violence, videogames, media, aww crap

San Fransisco may put a tax on pop & sugary drinks

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:24:10 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: I've been a proponent of this for a LONG time.

I'm not talking about 100% fruit juices, I'm talking about "Cocktails" (drinks laden with high fructose corn syrup & other sugars placed in artificially sweetened drinks).

Pop is a key target IMO, it is heavily laces with sugar. Though I think all pop (non-diet or otherwise) should be taxed. The money raised from these taxes should go towards subsidizing 100% pure juices & blends (which still must contain 100% real juice, just not of one variety).

I also think tax should be places on all junk foods like chips, chocolates & candies, fast foods, and high-slat/fat processed foods. The money from those taxes should be used to subsidize the price of vegetables, pure dairy & meats (of the non-processed variety).

Too many families eat crap because they can't afford good food. I remember this all to well growing up. We lived off kraft dinner, mr. noodles, "fish sticks" and other processed foods because real food was too expensive.

Clip Source: www.iht.com

SAN FRANCISCO: In a move he says is necessary to trim the city's waistline, the decidedly slim mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, has proposed charging big stores a fee when they sell sugar-sweet soda.

The proposal, which was reported by The San Francisco Chronicle on Monday, would put an as yet-to-be-defined surcharge on all drinks with high-fructose corn syrup, which puts the sweet pop in most nondiet sodas and many other food products. The syrup also puts on the pounds, something city officials say strains the health care system.

Soft-drink makers, however, called the mayor's plan a "flawed strategy" that would have little effect on the city's figure.

Keane said that if Newsom really wanted to fight the fat, he would take on computer and video game companies, which Keane said lured children inside when they should "be outside burning calories."

Tags: health foods, taxes, obesity

Notorious Pedophile NOT CRIMINALLY INSANE, moved to maximum security jail from loony-bin

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:43:17 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: Okay.. the clipping capabilities/restrictions fail here.. I'll summarize to make it more clear.

This guys was in a mental institution for life without parole (ever, ever, ever). The crown prosecutor decided to go after him and prove to/convince a judge that the guy was not in fact criminally insane, and that he was just a very, very dangerous creep.

The judge agreed and threw him in a maximum security facility where he will rot until he dies or the world ends.

Clip Source: torontosun.com

In what is arguably a first in Canadian law, a supposedly "insane" pedophile already locked up indefinitely in a maximum-security mental institute was yesterday declared a dangerous offender, a judgment that will see Paul Delorme go from the Penetanguishene Mental Health Centre to a segregated cell at the Kingston Pen.

In fact, he'll be on his way there today.

In a submission filed this summer, Flanagan led off with the statement that Delorme "does not have a mental illness" -- the word "not" was underlined for emphasis -- and then followed up with the fact Delorme didn't raise the "not criminally responsible" issue at his most recent trial for assaulting a young girl in the washroom of a Brockville Tim Hortons.

Back in 1989, however, Delorme was found "not guilty by reason of insanity" for the knife-point sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in the women's washroom of an Ottawa community centre.

Tags: ncr, insane, sociopath, pedophile, jail, death penalty please

Parenting: Apparently it is not that hard

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:25:15 GMT

clipped by: TheCatWhisperer
clipper's remarks: Funny....

Clip Source: www.oomsa.com

Tags: funny, parenting