Who knew facebook could save you?
For Rodney Bradford, 19, updating his Facebook status with cryptic, insignificant details about his life saved him from years in the slammer. The Brooklyn teenager was exonerated from charges of armed robbery after it was found he updated his Facebook status one minute before the crime occurred.
Bradford was arrested and was subsequently held for 12 days on suspicion of robbing two people in the Farragut Houses, a Brooklyn public housing complex, where he lives on Oct 17.
Bradford and other witnesses attested that he was actually miles away at his father's apartment building in Harlem during the crime.
His defense attorney, Robert Reuland, pointed out to a Brooklyn assistant district attorney that Bradford wrote a message on Facebook asking his girlfriend where his pancakes were one minute before the robbery occurred. The Facebook message read: "ON THE PHONE WITH THIS FAT CHICK . . . . . WHERER MY I HOP"
The district attorney subpoenaed Facebook and the charges were then dropped once it was verified that the Facebook posting was made from a computer at the Harlem apartment complex at 71 West 118th Street in Manhattan, according to The New York Times.
Reuland, however, admitted to The Times that Bradford could have ostensibly had someone else log onto Facebook for him, but it seems unlikely, due to the fact that both his father and stepmother said he was in Harlem at the time.
Bradford was arrested and was subsequently held for 12 days on suspicion of robbing two people in the Farragut Houses, a Brooklyn public housing complex, where he lives on Oct 17.
Bradford and other witnesses attested that he was actually miles away at his father's apartment building in Harlem during the crime.
His defense attorney, Robert Reuland, pointed out to a Brooklyn assistant district attorney that Bradford wrote a message on Facebook asking his girlfriend where his pancakes were one minute before the robbery occurred. The Facebook message read: "ON THE PHONE WITH THIS FAT CHICK . . . . . WHERER MY I HOP"
The district attorney subpoenaed Facebook and the charges were then dropped once it was verified that the Facebook posting was made from a computer at the Harlem apartment complex at 71 West 118th Street in Manhattan, according to The New York Times.
Reuland, however, admitted to The Times that Bradford could have ostensibly had someone else log onto Facebook for him, but it seems unlikely, due to the fact that both his father and stepmother said he was in Harlem at the time.
Obama's Veterans Day: Honors Dead, Makes Surprise Visit To Graves
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visited Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, where they honored Veterans' Day and made a surprise visit to the area reserved for troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, walking among the grave sites and talking to mourners.
"To all of them -- to our veterans, to the fallen and to their families -- there is no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice," he said.
Obama pledged he would do right by all veterans and families, saying: "America will not let you down."
Video of Obama laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns:
Video of Obama's speech:
2012 Prophecies Sparking Real Fears, Suicide Warnings
It's almost the end of the world, according to purported Maya predictions, and the 2012 apocalypse business is booming.
Survival kits, documentaries, and nearly 200 books presenting the "real" 2012 story are all on offer. And you could probably surf the Web from now until Armaggedon—tentatively slated for December 21, 2012—and still see just a fraction of the Web sites and products devoted to the topic.
But amid all the hype—including a viral marketing campaign for 2012, the disaster movie opening Friday—some people are developing honest "end times" anxiety that has experts seriously concerned.
Allies Uncover Half-Million Pounds Of Bomb-Making Materials In Afghanistan..
German Goalkeeper Dies In Apparent Suicide..
Blackwater Said To Approve Iraqi Payoffs After Shootings..
Executing Gitmo Detainees Will Endanger America, Report Says..
Obama Narrows Afghan Strategy To 4 Possible Options..
Radical Imam Based In Yemen Becomes New Focus In Fort Hood Killings Investigation..
'Guru' Accused Of Torturing French Aristocrats..
Fat In Japan? You Could Be Breaking The Law..
Politico: Is China Headed Toward Collapse? ..
Your request is being processed...
2012 Prophecies Sparking Real Fears, Suicide Warnings
digg Huffpost - 2012 Prophecies Sparking Real Fears, Suicide Warnings
stumble reddit del.ico.us
First Posted: 11-10-09 11:12 AM Updated: 11-10-09 12:36 PM
What's Your Reaction? .Important
Fascinating
Typical
Scary
Outrageous
Amazing
Infuriating
Beautiful
Read More: 2012, 2012 Doomsday, 2012 Prophecies, Doomsday, World News
Show your support.
Digg this article.
Get Breaking News Alerts
never spam
Share
Commentsby Brian Handwerk for National Geographic News
It's almost the end of the world, according to purported Maya predictions, and the 2012 apocalypse business is booming.
Survival kits, documentaries, and nearly 200 books presenting the "real" 2012 story are all on offer. And you could probably surf the Web from now until Armaggedon—tentatively slated for December 21, 2012—and still see just a fraction of the Web sites and products devoted to the topic.
But amid all the hype—including a viral marketing campaign for 2012, the disaster movie opening Friday—some people are developing honest "end times" anxiety that has experts seriously concerned.
SEE PHOTOS: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked
NASA's Ask an Astrobiologist Web site, for example, has received thousands of questions regarding the 2012 doomsday predictions—some of them disturbing, according to David Morrison, a senior scientist with the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
"A lot of [the submitters] are people who are genuinely frightened," said Morrison, who thinks movie marketers, authors, and others out to make a buck are feeding some of the fears.
"I've had two teenagers who were considering killing themselves, because they didn't want to be around when the world ends," he said. "Two women in the last two weeks said they were contemplating killing their children and themselves so they wouldn't have to suffer through the end of the world."
2012 Movie Just Entertainment
Part of the worry, Morrison says, is being fanned by a suite of Web sites created by 2012 distributor Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The sites appear to represent scientific organizations, press releases, and 2012 whistle-blowers all intent on telling the "truth" about our upcoming doom.
Now all the 2012 marketing sites display clear disclaimers that the contents are "Part of the 2012 Movie Experience."
But those labels weren't there from day one, adding to the suggestion that the doomsday scenarios might have some truth behind them, Morrison said.
Sony Pictures spokesperson Steve Elzer argues that it's clear the film's marketing materials are tied to the promotion of the movie.
"When moviegoers see trailers or visit Web sites linked to our film," he said, "they know this is an entertainment experience, just as those who see materials created for Transformers understand robot aliens have not really landed or those who attend Twilight: New Moon know vampires are not actually among us."
2012: Is This the Way the World Will End?
In general, fear over the 2012 doomsday prediction is just another example of a scenario that has been repeated over the centuries, said University of Wisconsin historian Paul Boyer.
Baptist preacher William Miller, for example, convinced as many as a hundred thousand Americans in the early 1800s that the second coming of Jesus Christ would happen in 1843. It didn't, much to the Millerites' "great disappointment."
And Hal Lindsey's 1970s national bestseller The Late, Great Planet Earth suggested that the end could come in the 1980s. We're still here and so is Lindsey, who has since revised his theories.
"The crucial date always seems to be within a decade or so of the present, so that you have a sense of imminence, that it's going to happen soon," said Boyer, author of When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture.
A healthy distrust for authority fuels the fire.
Conspiracy theorists often believe that world governments and those "in power" know all about some impending disaster but are doing nothing to save the rest of us.
Now, thanks to the Internet, such theories can gain traction quickly and spread more widely than ever before.
Yet something must account for the enduring appeal of an upcoming Armageddon. Perhaps it's knowing the future when others don't, or being one of the select few to solve impenetrable mysteries, Boyer said.
"For a lot of people I think it's almost kind of a parlor game. But there are also people who take it very seriously," he said.
"What strikes me is the total lack of historic awareness that people who get caught up in these things seem to exhibit. The most elementary look at history shows such a series of these episodes that are then proven false.
"Yet despite that, there always seems to be a market."
Maya 2012: Truth Better Than Fiction
Anthony Aveni, a Maya expert and archaeoastronomer at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, has also seen the effects of 2012 hysteria firsthand.
"I got into an email dialogue with a high school student who was quite seriously concerned that the world was going to end," he said. "This person thought we were all going to die. That motivated me to write about it."
His book, The End of Time: The Maya Mystery of 2012, is one of several attempts by experts to dispel the myths of the Maya apocalypse and instead focus attention on the facts about the ancient culture.
"It's a teaching moment," Aveni said. "If we allow people to fear 2012 and miss a great opportunity to learn about the Maya and their amazing culture, then we're not doing our job."
Beat It! and Eat It!
One of the most popular Wierd Al's of the day is Eat it! which doesn' t make a whole lot of sense till you have watched beat it.Beat It is one of the most popular music videos of michael Jackson watch beat it here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8
Then watch the Wierd Al
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyfcOriVKBM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8
Then watch the Wierd Al
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyfcOriVKBM
Windows 7 sales 234% higher than Vista
We wouldn't expect Microsoft to say anything other than positive things about Windows 7, but it's another thing when an independent company comes out an confirms that Windows 7 really is off to a good start. But one has to wonder--are sales of Win7doing well because people can't wait to rid themselves of Vista? Or are sales of Win7 doing well because of Win7's own merits?
Whatever the case, Microsoft's newest operating system is off to a fantastic start, with sales of the system up 234% (during its first week on the market) compared to Vista during its first week. Regardless of your opinion on things, that's a large percentage, particularly during a time period where people are pinching pennies and are more likely than ever to remain on their current OS for the time being.
Whatever the case, Microsoft's newest operating system is off to a fantastic start, with sales of the system up 234% (during its first week on the market) compared to Vista during its first week. Regardless of your opinion on things, that's a large percentage, particularly during a time period where people are pinching pennies and are more likely than ever to remain on their current OS for the time being.
"Microsoft's program of early low-cost pre-sales, high visibility marketing, and aggressive deals helped make the Windows 7 software launch successful," said NPD vice president of analysis Stephen Baker. "In a slow environment for packaged software Windows 7 brought a large number of customers into the software aisles," he said.
Microsoft's Head of Windows Experience, Julie Larson-Green says the OS development train isn't just stopping here obviously. Larson-Green notes: "Emerging trends, such as gesture-controlled interfaces, like that found on Microsoft’s prototype Project Natal gaming system, are also of particular interest. “There are things we’re learning about that weren’t there at the start of Windows 7.” (credit: Telegraph.co.uk)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
counter
| website hit counters |
Computer Tutorials
