SOCIETY

What is SOPA? 8 Things to Know About 2012 Bill And Sister Act PIPA

What is SOPA? 8 Things to Know About 2012 Bill and Sister Act PIPA

Yesterday, Internet titans like Wikipedia, Reddit and Boing Boing launched a coordinated blackout to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA). But what is the SOPA bill? How would it affect the way the Internet works now? Who supports and opposes the bill, and is it even likely to pass?

Costa Concordia: Capt. Francesco Schettino Tells Port ‘It’s Just a Blackout’

Costa Concordia
A new audiotape released Thursday, details the first contact between the Costa Concordia, the Italian cruise ship that ran aground by the Tuscan island of Giglio, and the port of Livorno, the Associated Press reported. On the tape, Capt. Francesco Schettino is heard telling the port that the Costa Concordia was only suffering from a blackout - 30 minutes after his ship hit a reef.

Iran To Return Spy Drone to Obama... As Fake Pink Plastic Toy

Iran To Return Downed Spy Drone to Obama... As Fake Pink Plastic Toy
Rather than sending back the RQ-170 Sentinel drone that crashed into Iran last year, Tehran-based Aaye Art Group says it plans to send President Obama miniature fake versions of the spycraft... and rumor has it the $4 toys are likely to be pink. Though the Iranian government is still insisting that the spy drone was over Iran when it crashed and that Iranian spies brought it down, the U.S. claims the aircraft was in Afghanistan, and suffered a technical malfunction.
More news
IBTimes Logo

Rockefeller imposter hearing weighs possible murder charge

A German man who once posed as a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family appeared in a suburban Los Angeles court on Wednesday in a hearing to determine if he should stand trial for murder in the brutal 1985 death of his landlord.
IBTimes Logo

SOPA Blackout: Wikipedia Traffic Increased During Protest

Wikipedia's blackout Wednesday in protest against the controversial SOPA and PIPA shocked and affected people who strive for free and open knowledge online. However, the blackout didn't affect the traffic to Wikipedia as the gawkers clicked the site so many times that the Web site saw an unexpected boost in traffic.
IBTimes Logo

End to California prison receiver in sight: judge

California's ability to provide health care to its prison inmates has improved so much since a receiver was appointed to oversee it that the state should prepare to resume some oversight, a District Court judge said on Tuesday.
Newton Mass. Teacher Made Child Porn, Stole Girls' Underwear

David Ettlinger: Newton Mass. Teacher Made Child Porn, Stole Girls' Underwear

The second grade teacher has been arrested on a battery of child pornography and indecent assault charges after federal agents found hundreds of pornographic images and videos, including one of a friend's daughter, and dozens of girls' underwear. The Newton school district is reeling from the recent revelations, but says there is no proof that Ettlinger abused any of his students.
IBTimes Logo

Do You Support the SOPA Blackout? [POLL]

Many popular websites, including Wikipedia, Reddit and Boing Boing, launched a coordinated blackout today to protest the House's Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate's Protect IP Act (PIPA). But what do you think of SOPA? How much have you been affected by the blackout protesting it, and will it make a difference? Let us know here.
IBTimes Logo

Bill Weir's Life Saving Story: Three Other Reporters Whose Assignments Have Saved Lives

Bill Weir, the co-anchor of ABC's Nightline, made a shocking discovery while working on a story about full body scans this week: he himself is at major risk of having a heart attack. Weir's on-air diagnosis is very rare, but he's not the only reporter whose assignment has turned intensely personal: three other reporters have all saved lives with their coverage, and for two of them, their reasons were intensely personal.
SOPA PIPA Blackout: Google Slows Down Web Crawler to Support Protest

SOPA PIPA Blackout: Google Slows Down Web Crawler GoogleBot to Support Protest

Webmaster trends analyst Pierre Far has announced that GoogleBot, the web crawler that sorts Google's traffic, will be significantly slowed down Wednesday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, giving some extra help to sites who've chosen to self-censor on Internet Blackout Day. Google is also providing SEO tips to sites like Wikipedia and Reddit in an effort to bolster their web traffic.
Costa Concordia

Cruise Ship Sinking: Search and Rescue Suspended as Ship Shifts

The search for the 23 people still missing after the wreck of the Costa Concordia has been suspended again on Wednesday as the ship began to shift. Rescue operations were called off earlier in the week for the same reason, when choppy seas threatened to move the Concordia from its rocky perch.
Seattle

Seattle Weather: Snowfall Starts, Flights Cancelled, Schools Closed

Snow starting falling on Seattle early on Wednesday morning, but despite the National Weather Service scaling back its snowfall predictions, a significant weather warning is still in place with schools,flights and Amtrak being cancelled ahead of time to prepare for snow accumulation.
Sarah Burke

Sarah Burke Still in Coma: Is Freestyle Skiing Too Dangerous?

The Canadian freeskier is still in a medically induced coma after her horrific crash last week, and doctors have been unwilling to disclose any new information on her prognosis. As Burke struggles, however, critics of freestyle skiing are wondering if the extreme sport, recently accepted into the winter Olympics, is too risky for its athletes.
A boat with rescue workers is seen near the Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the west coast of Italy, at Giglio island

Costa Concordia: List of Missing Passengers

Italian authorities released a list of 28 passengers still missing after the Costa Concordia cruise ship that capsized off the coast of Italy Friday, including a Minnesota couple named including a Minnesota couple named Barbara and Gerald Heil. .
SOPA, PIPA Blackout

What is SOPA? Possible Consequences that Could Ruin the Internet

As an act of protest against a pair of legislations - the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) - more than a dozen Web sites, including Wikipedia, Moveon.org, Craigslist, Reddit, Boing Boing and the Cheezburger network, have participated in a day-long blackout.
SOPA, PIPA Blackout

SOPA, PIPA Blackout: How to Use Wikipedia Jan. 18 Plus 6 Other Things to Know

Wikipedia initiated a blackout Wednesday, Jan. 18, in protest of the anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA. SOPA and PIPA are two Congressional bills meant to halt the illegal copying and sharing of movies and music on the Internet, among other aims. However, major Internet organizations -- such as Wikipedia, Reddit and Boing Boing -- claim the bills will hinder their operations.
RBI

RBI Seen Holding Rates Steady, CRR Cut Unlikely

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will not cut interest rates at its review on Tuesday, although it is nearly unanimously expected to do so by the end of June, a Reuters poll of 22 economists showed.

Pages

IBT Spotlight

We Help Businesses Find B2B Service Providers They Can Trust.