on your computer or on the CNN Apps for iPhone® and iPad®.
iPhone, iPad and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
Showing posts with label Lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lifestyle. Show all posts
U.S. to 'rain mice' on tree snakes
Labels: LifestyleiPhone, iPad and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.Lawmakers leave before deadline
Labels: Lifestyleon your computer or on the CNN Apps for iPhone® and iPad®.
iPhone, iPad and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.Why Apple may owe you $5
Labels: Lifestyle|
|
|
Kids playing TapFish, a virtual aquarium game, racked up hundreds in unexpected bills, parents claimed.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Apple settles lawsuit over in-game iTunes purchases by kids
- Parents claimed kids racked up huge bills for "freemium" games like "TapFish"
- Apple will offer credits or cash refunds for people who can show their bills
- Anyone can get $5 in iTunes credit, and parents with bigger claims can receive more
(CNN) -- Apple has settled a lawsuit filed by parents who say their kids downloaded free games from the mobile App Store and then proceeded to rack up hefty bills buying in-game extras.
Under the proposed settlement of a 2011 class-action lawsuit, Apple will offer a $5 iTunes gift card to any U.S. parent who claims that their child paid for extras without their knowledge. The company will offer larger credits, or cash refunds, for people who can show that their bills were larger than $5.
On Friday, the deal will go before a federal judge, who is expected to approve it.
The proposed settlement, first reported by legal-news site Law360 and tech blog GigaOM, does not state how much Apple will pay overall or how many users are affected. Apple will create a website for people interested in cashing in on the settlement and send an e-mail notification to roughly 23 million customers.
People who want more than $5 must show that a larger amount was racked up by their kids in any 45-day period. Those who can show more than $30 in purchases may choose a cash refund instead of an Apple credit. Purchases made until the date of the settlement would be eligible for refunds.
An Apple spokesman said the company would have no comment on the proposed settlement.
In the past few years, this "freemium" business model has become increasingly popular in mobile and social gaming. Zynga games like "FarmVille" led the way for games that are free to download and play but then require players to pay small fees for in-game upgrades or premium content.
Those fees can add up quickly. The lawsuit came after media reports of several cases in which kids' in-game purchases led to parental sticker shock.
Kevin Ofel, an editor at GigaOM, wrote that he got a 2010 iTunes bill for $375 after his kids spent money on the game "TapFish," a virtual aquarium that can be loosely described as "FarmVille" under water.
The lure of digital fish is apparently a strong one. A Florida father reported that his 7-year-old amassed a $613 bill playing the same game.
On its iTunes page, the latest version of the game, "TapFish 2," lists "top in-app purchases" ranging from 99 cents up to $19.99. The game is listed as appropriate for children 4 and older.
The settlement notes that Apple offers paid content on free games that are rated appropriate for children older than 4, 9 and 12 in its App Store.
In 2011, Apple revised its in-app purchasing policy, requiring users to re-enter their account password before paying for enhancements within games. The lawsuit was filed after that policy change, with plaintiffs arguing that it didn't go far enough since minors could still make purchases.
Could your child be a bully?
Labels: LifestyleBoys and girls use physical violence to exert their power, researchers say.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A sociologist describes bullying in schools as "social combat"
- Students are fighting to improve their social status through violence or rumors
- Bullies are often bullied themselves as they fight to the top, experts say
Editor's note: Don't miss the premiere of "The Bully Effect" on "AC360" at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, Feburary 28. And visit CNN.com Health on Wednesday, February 27, for our story on how technology has changed bullying.
(CNN) -- Eva was a bully. Tall for her age, she used her height to intimidate her peers. She made fun of those without designer clothes and got suspended several times for fighting.
She was also well-liked, outgoing, funny -- and a victim of bullying herself.
"When you're in junior high, you're just trying to figure out who you are," the 24-year-old Los Angeles resident remembers. She says she bullied others because she was, as were most kids, insecure.
As a parent, you probably have a picture in your head of the kid you'd vote Most Likely To Bully Others. He's burly, wears a letter (or leather) jacket and has been a senior longer than most students are in high school.
But experts say the bullies tormenting students nowadays aren't like the ones we see on the big screen. It's not just a small group of jocks, or the loner stoner pushing kids into lockers between periods. It can be almost anyone, at any time. And the most likely targets of bullies? The bullies themselves.
"AC360": Fighting for your bullied child
Sociologist Robert Faris calls it "social combat." He says the majority of bullying takes place in the middle of a school's social hierarchy, where students are jostling with each other for higher status.
Think of it like a giant game of king of the hill. Each kid is struggling to make it to the top, not afraid to step on others to get there. The closer you get to being king, the more vicious the competition gets between rivals.
"Bullying works," Faris says simply. "When kids pick on other kids, their status increases."
Faris teamed up with CNN's "AC360" in 2011 to study bullying at a high school in Long Island, New York. Researchers asked more than 700 students about their friendship circles and bullying behaviors. Faris has also completed similar studies in rural North Carolina -- where the demographics were different, but the results were the same.
Faris found 56% of students surveyed were involved in aggression, victimization or both at any given time. The main motive behind a student's bullying was to increase his or her popularity. The higher a student rose on the social ladder, the more likely they were to bully others -- and to be bullied themselves.
"There's always some tension in these friendship groups," Faris says. "Who's closer to whom and who's hanging out together, and I think that's what's driving a lot of these kids."
The same is true for middle-school students, according to UCLA psychology professor Jaana Juvonen, who's been studying bullying since the mid-1990s.
Juvonen and her team recently followed more than 1,800 students through seventh and eighth grade to determine how physical aggression and the spreading of rumors played a part in social prominence.
"What we've learned about bullying during the last decade or so is that it takes many forms," Juvonen says. "Some of these forms are extremely hard to detect. They're covert."
Bullying over food allergies
Administrators have cracked down on physical aggression in schools, enforcing zero tolerance policies for fighting between students. But Juvonen says that has led to subtler forms of bullying.
Rumors -- most often about a student's sexuality or insulting family members -- play a big role, according to Juvonen's research.
Faris recalls he got his "ass kicked" regularly as a child. Two brothers used hunt him down every day after school as he walked home from the bus stop.
But he says a daily beating was much less painful than the isolation he felt when his family moved across the country and he couldn't seem to fit in. "That was much harder to deal with than a bloody nose," he remembers.
In his later research, Faris found friends often exclude each other from gossip sessions or parties to put down a rival and boost their own status. Social media has also increased the prominence of this abstract form of bullying.
"The status competition is always there; there's no break from it," he says. "They go home and they get online and they see their friends doing things together and they're not invited, or worse, people are harassing them."
If the 2004 movie "Mean Girls" taught us anything, it's that girls are the queens of covert bullying; no one could make you feel as badly about the way you look as the popular clique. Juvonen's study, however, found boys and girls spread rumors to boost their social status -- and that both genders use physical aggression to assert power.
Eva knows this firsthand. She and her friends used to "jump" other girls, pulling their hair or punching them just because they talked to the wrong guy.
What really makes schools safer?
"I look back and shake my head," says Eva, who asked CNN not to use her last name because she's applying for medical school next year. But "when you're in elementary school and junior high, there's nothing else. We don't have responsibilities. We don't have skills. We buy candy and do homework."
"Part of the problem here is that kids are kind of stuck in a cage," Faris agrees. "They don't have formal roles and responsibilities. ... They have to work status out for themselves."
And if we put adults in a similar situation, he says, we'd see the same behavior.
For that reason, Faris advocates programs and activities that de-emphasize social status and re-emphasize the qualities of a good friend. He hopes that one day students will leave high school with a small group of close friends, rather than the 300 or 400 they know on Facebook.
Tips for parents
1. Be a good example -- kids often learn bullying behavior from their parents.
2. Teach your child what it means to be a good friend.
3. Make your home a safe haven for kids after school.
4. Use teachable moments on TV to show the power of bystanders.
5. Listen. Don't be in denial about incidents that are brought to your attention.
Juvonen says anti-bullying programs should focus on bystanders -- teaching kids that watching is just as bad as doing the bullying yourself. Studies in Canada have shown, she says, that if a child intervenes, the bullying incident stops within seconds.
Juvonen suggests parents use teachable moments on TV or in the news to show children right from wrong in a bullying situation. "They could be the ones pointing out to their kids that they have a lot of power as bystanders," she says.
Juvonen knows it's unreasonable to expect a child to be brave on his or her own; no one wants to become the next victim. So she suggests teaching kids about the weight of a group.
"Bullying involves this imbalance of power where the bully has the high status and is using this status," she says. "You can try to offset the power balance by telling kids to join one another as they try to intervene."
Parents also need to be aware of how easy it is for children to get sucked in to this social combat, Juvonen says. They can't be in denial about incidents that are brought to their attention.
"Anyone in that situation should be asking, 'What's going on?' 'What is it about these situations that brings about this kind of behavior?' " Parents should be having frequent conversations about what's happening at school, know who their children are hanging out with and keep an eye out for warning signs that something's not quite right, she says.
"The parent's role is really to be there as a buffer, be the one who listens."
Rejection, bullying are risk factors among shooters
Before she was a bully, Eva was a victim, she says. Older kids would call her names or hold her down to show they were stronger. She's the baby in the family, she says, and her parents didn't have time to pay attention to what was going on.
"(Bullying) comes from home, from family members," she says. "We hear our cousins and uncles talking crap about someone. We think it's funny. We think it's cool."
Eva never faced consequences for bullying, other than her suspensions. She believes that if someone had sat her down and told her that bullying was wrong, she would have listened. For years, she worried that one of her former victims would invite her on the "Maury Show" for a face-to-face showdown. She still feels badly about the pain she inflicted.
"I can't take it back," she says. "But if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't do what I did."
Did you ever bully anyone? Share your story in the comments below or on iReport.
MC Hammer arrested by 'chubby elvis'
Labels: LifestyleBy Elwyn Lopez and Phil Gast, CNN
updated 1:27 AM EST, Sun February 24, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Rapper argumentative, in vehicle with expired registration, police say
- MC Hammer arrested this week and released, police say
- Incident occurred at mall in Dublin, California
- Police have until his court date next month to decide on any charges
(CNN) -- Rapper MC Hammer launched a string of tweets Saturday with his side of the story two days after he was arrested in northern California for allegedly obstructing an officer.
Among his tweets, Hammer said, apparently referring to the arresting officer, that he was asked whether he was on parole or probation before the man tried to pull him out of his vehicle Thursday night.
Police in Dublin, east of Oakland, said Hammer was in a vehicle with expired registration and he was not the registered owner.
"After asking Hammer who the registered owner was he became very argumentative and refused to answer the officer's questions," police spokesman Herb Walters wrote Saturday evening in an e-mail to CNN.
Hammer -- a rap and dance icon in the late 1980s and 1990s -- was arrested on suspicion of resisting an officer and obstructing an officer in the performance of his duties, according to police spokesman Herb Walters.
The incident occurred at the Hacienda Crossings shopping center.
Hammer began his tweets Saturday with "chubby elvis looking dude was tapping on my car window, I rolled down the window and he said 'Are you on parole or probation?'"
"While I was handing him my ID he reached in my car and tried to pull me out the car but forgot he was on a steady donut diet," Hammer continued. "It was comical to me until he pulled out his guns, blew his whistle and yelled for help (MallCop) !!! But make no mistake he's dangerous."
Hammer, 50, was booked and released on bail from Santa Rita Jail, Walters said. A court date is next month, and police have until that time to decide on any charges.
No drugs or alcohol were suspected in the incident, police said.
In another tweet, Hammer, born Stanley Kirk Burrell, said, "only thing more dangerous than a scared man with a gun, is a scared man with an agenda, a gun and a badge."
"I will now answer his question, contrary to his personal beliefs, all people of color are not on parole or probation fat boy!!!," wrote Hammer, later adding he thought of his arrest as "a teachable moment" and an "eye opener."
Hammer, who had a hit single in 1990 with "U Can't Touch This," has been enjoying a resurgence in his career and took the stage with "Gangnam Style" Korean performer Psy during the American Music Awards last November.
Hammer performed "Too Legit to Quit," which was released more than 20 years ago.
CNN's Michael Martinez contributed to this report.
Pistorius' brother faces homicide charge
Labels: LifestyleBy Holly Yan and Nkepile Mabuse, CNN
updated 9:43 AM EST, Sun February 24, 2013
Carl Pistorius, brother of Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, is shown Friday at a bail hearing for the runner.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A Pistorius family attorney confirms that Carl Pistorius is charged with culpable homicide
- Prosecutors blame Carl Pistorius for the death of a motorcyclist in 2010
- His attorney says the motorcyclist crashed into Carl Pistorius' vehicle
- Carl Pistorius' trial was rescheduled so he could support his brother
Johannesburg (CNN) -- As Olympic icon Oscar Pistorius faces a murder trial for shooting his girlfriend, his older brother is also charged in the death of a woman.
Carl Pistorius is accused in the 2010 death of a female motorcyclist, Pistorius family attorney Kenny Oldwage said.
Culpable homicide refers to "unlawful negligent killing," South African police say.
Prosecutors say Carl Pistorius was driving recklessly in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, when he crashed with the motorcyclist in the daytime.
Oldwage disputes allegations that his client was driving recklessly and said the motorcyclist rode into Carl Pistorius' vehicle.
"Carl deeply regrets the accident. Blood tests conducted by the police at the time proved that he had not been under the influence of alcohol, confirming that it was a tragic road accident after the deceased collided with Carl's car," a statement from the Pistorius family said.
The motorcyclist died in a hospital a couple of days after the accident, Oldwage said.
Carl Pistorius was initially scheduled to go on trial Thursday -- during the middle of his brother's four-day bail hearing.
But Carl Pistorius asked the court to postpone his trial so he could support his brother, and the court agreed.
The trial has been rescheduled for the end of March. His case could be over before his brother's murder trial is scheduled to start in June.
Carl Pistorius was a fixture at his younger brother's bail hearing last week, handing Oscar tissues as the 26-year-old sobbed uncontrollably in court.
Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee sprinter known as the "Blade Runner," is charged with premeditated murder in the death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp. Prosecutors say the Olympian killed her after a heated argument in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day.
Pistorius says he thought Steenkamp, 29, was an intruder.
After a four-day, emotionally wrenching bail hearing, the track star was granted bail Friday.
As part of his conditions for release, Oscar Pistorius cannot return to his home, where the shooting happened; must surrender his passport; and can't go near an airport.
It's unknown whether Oscar Pistorius will be in court to support his brother during his trial.
CNN's Karen Smith and Josh Levs contributed to this report.
Part of complete coverage on
Oscar Pistorius
updated 3:37 PM EST, Tue February 19, 2013
He smashed barriers to compete for Olympic glory. Now police are investigating the fatal shooting of his girlfriend at his home.
updated 5:16 AM EST, Thu February 14, 2013
A 26-year-old man is taken into custody after a fatal shooting at the home of South African runner Oscar Pistorius. What happened?
updated 5:35 AM EST, Wed February 20, 2013
The first time I saw Oscar Pistorius run, I was captivated. But my 10-year-old son, an amputee since the first week of his life, calmly commented, "Mom, he's just a man!"
updated 8:10 AM EST, Thu February 21, 2013
On the same day that thousands of women stood up to participate in One Billion Rising, to stop violence against women and girls, this happens.
updated 8:51 PM EST, Sun February 17, 2013
CNN's Nkepile Mabuse reports on the shock over the Pistorius murder charge in a country no stranger to violent crime.
updated 11:49 PM EST, Sat February 16, 2013
Universal admiration for Pistorius' sports achievements turned to shock, and with only scant details known, the questions are swirling.
updated 5:24 AM EST, Mon February 18, 2013
Track star Usain Bolt tells CNN's Rachel Nichols about the shock of hearing news about Oscar Pistorius. 'I still can't process it,' he says.
updated 8:07 AM EST, Thu February 21, 2013
First Tiger, then Lance. Now Nike is being reminded again -- with Oscar Pistorius -- that pinning your reputation on stars is risky business.
updated 8:02 AM EST, Thu February 21, 2013
Reeva Steenkamp had been looking forward to Valentine's Day, tweeting "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow?"
updated 6:39 AM EST, Thu February 14, 2013
Video: Pretoria police spokeswoman gives an update on a fatal shooting at the home of South African runner Oscar Pistorius.
updated 9:38 PM EST, Tue February 19, 2013
Pistorius won gold for the first time at the 2004 Athens Paralympics in the men's 200m final and set a new world record.
updated 4:15 AM EDT, Sun August 5, 2012
Oscar Pistorius made an unprecedented Olympic debut last summer, finishing second in his 400-meter qualifying heat at London Olympics.
updated 1:12 PM EST, Tue December 4, 2012
Paralympian Oscar Pistorius talks to CNN's Piers Morgan about growing up with disability and becoming a star.
updated 11:01 AM EDT, Mon September 12, 2011
Sprinter Oscar Pistorius continues his run as he becomes the first Paralympian to compete at the World Championships.
Storm moves east, could drop 'staggering' amounts of rain
Labels: LifestyleSTORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The massive system sweeping the U.S. wraps up with a wet finale
- The far Northeast should see snow
- Slushy snow or rain should fall from Boston on down
(CNN) -- It will be a messy weekend in the Northeast and the Deep South as the massive weather system that walloped 20 states with a snowstorm rolls off toward the Atlantic Ocean.
A winter storm is expected to deposit up to 10 inches of snow in isolated pockets of western Massachusetts, and 6 inches to a foot in parts of southern Vermont and New Hampshire, and central Maine.
This is not the same storm that blanketed the Great Plains, said CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, although it is part of the same overall system that spans the country from north to south.
It will be much less intense, he said, and it should not affect the places hardest hit by the blizzard that plastered the Northeast two weeks ago, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of customers.
Boston will likely see a slushy mix of rain and snow that could lead to downed branches and power lines, Javaheri said.
Track severe weather
Rain will continue to soak the eastern United States from Washington, D.C., on down, especially Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
"Across the Southeast, some of the rainfall totals are going to be staggering," said CNN Meteorologist Karen McGinnis. Parts of the central Southeast should get 4 -- 6 inches of rainfall.
Some snow records
The outgoing system will have made its mark on virtually the entire country from the southwest corner of California to central Maine, leaving its deepest imprint on Kansas.
Wichita saw its second-highest storm snowfall total on record with 14.2 inches over two days, the National Weather Service said.
The town of Russell in the state's middle lay under a 22 inch layer of white by the time the storm roared by.
Missouri was not far behind, with accumulations of around a foot in some places.
The snow set a record at Kansas City International Airport, with 9 inches falling in a single day. The old record was 5.1 inches set in 2010.
Some businesses and universities shut down Thursday as state officials urged residents to stay off the roads.
The white blanket emptied the streets of Kansas City.
Silver lining
The snowstorm turned out to be a welcome one to many Kansans and many others throughout the Great Plains, who have been suffering a drought for a third straight year.
Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and a host of other farm-heavy states have seen crop losses as a result.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture expects those conditions to continue into April, but near-record levels of snowfall will ease the problem and could accelerate the drought's end.
"It snows so infrequently here. Now we've been in a really bad drought for several years; really, really hot summer and just no moisture. So we're thrilled to see snow or ice -- whatever moisture we can get," Wichita resident Kristen Woodburn said.
Ranchers embraced the storm, even though bitter cold snow can be deadly during calving season.
Frank Harper, a Kansas rancher from Sedgwick and the immediate past president of the Kansas Livestock Association, said the storm caused more work for him because he had to bring his calves inside to warm them up.
But he called the snowstorm a blessing for bringing good moisture to the winter wheat.
Olympian faces murder charge
Labels: LifestyleSTORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Magistrate cites "errors and concessions" from chief investigator during testimony
- Oscar Pistorius is accused of killing his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp
- Pistorius has pledged to stay in South Africa and fight the charges
- The sprinter is considered a national hero in South Africa
Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- A magistrate granted bail Friday to Oscar Pistorius, citing a number of problems with the police investigation into the death of the Olympic sprinter's girlfriend.
"I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail," said Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair, eliciting a celebratory cry of "Yes!" from the courtroom.
Nair said the former chief investigator in the case, Hilton Botha, had made "several errors and concessions" during his testimony.
Specifics of Pistorius' release have not yet been announced.
The decision comes at the end of a four-day bail hearing that has been remarkable for not only its length, but also its allegations of miscues by a lead police investigator who himself faces attempted murder charges.
Read more: What's life like in a South African prison?
Pistorius is accused of premeditated murder in the February 14 shooting death of Reeva Steenkamp, 29. Authorities and Pistorius' team agree that he killed Steenkamp, but Pistorius says he mistook her for an intruder.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the judge in final arguments before a packed Pretoria courtroom that Pistorius didn't deserve bail.
"He must realize that long-term imprisonment is almost guaranteed. He might think he'll be acquitted."
The prosecution had several notable missteps during the bail hearing, including the removal of the lead investigator, who had earlier acknowledged under questioning from defense attorney Barry Roux that police could have contaminated the crime scene and had failed to properly catalog evidence.
The South African Police Service pulled Botha, from the case Thursday after prosecutors reinstated seven counts of attempted murder charges against him. Botha is accused of opening fire on a minibus full of people while allegedly drunk in 2011.
Read more: Nike's bullet ad with Pistorius backfires
Prosecutors allege that Pistorius, 26, killed his girlfriend after a heated argument in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day.
The sprinter, however, says he thought an intruder was hiding in a toilet room inside the bathroom of his Pretoria home. He says he fired into the room in a fit of terror before realizing Steenkamp was inside.
In full: Pistorius' affidavit to court
Prosecution plea
Nair questioned Nel over the prosecution's assertion that Pistorius was a flight risk.
What kind of life would he lead if he were to flee? the judge asked.
A life of freedom, the prosecutor said.
Ducking and diving every day with those prosthesis? Nair asked.
A life not in prison, Nel said.
The prosecutor implored the judge to deny Pistorius' bail request, saying courts cannot favor the famous or the disabled.
"We all know that a lot of important people were granted bail and they stayed in the country," Nel told the magistrate. "But lots of very important people have escaped."
Nel pointed to the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who fled to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over sex assault allegations.
Assange's face was well-known, the prosecutor said, but "it didn't stop him fleeing arrest."
Roux said the track star needs regular medical treatment for his stumps and his prostheses require routine maintenance.
"Mr. Pistorius cannot go unnoticed through an airport due to his legs," he told the judge.
Pistorius, eyes red, appeared emotional and drained.
At one point, he sat with his eyes closed and shoulders shaking as tears rolled down his face. At other times, he stared straight ahead.
In arguments wrapping up during Thursday's session, the prosecutor said Pistorius' defense team has failed to explain why investigators found two cell phones and the gun believed to have been used in the shooting in front of the shower.
That goes to the prosecution claim that Steenkamp didn't merely get up to relieve herself in the middle of the night, but in fact had locked herself in the bathroom with her cell phone to protect herself from Pistorius.
Earlier in the hearing, Nel argued that evidence showed Pistorius intentionally targeted Steenkamp. Ballistic evidence showed he had to aim at the toilet to hit her, Nel said, and how the bullets traveled through the door suggested he was standing on his prosthetic legs, not his stumps as he claimed.
Pistorius said in his statement that when he shot through the door, he was feeling vulnerable to an intruder because he was not wearing his legs and had limited mobility.
Defense argument
During the bail hearing, being held in a dark, stuffy Pretoria courtroom, Roux hammered away at the credibility of Botha and the entire police investigation. He argued Thursday that the state's case had suffered a "monumental collapse."
He said police had missed a bullet where Steenkamp was shot and may have contaminated the crime scene by failing to wear protective foot covers.
Botha said investigators didn't wear the booties because they'd run out.
Under questioning from Roux, Botha said police didn't have evidence to specifically contradict Pistorius' story.
Then, Botha was gone.
Officials in the case learned Thursday of the charges against Botha, and the South African Police Service moved quickly to take him off the investigation.
While police Commissioner Riah Phiyega praised Botha's work on the case, she removed him in favor of the department's most senior detective.
Accusations against the investigator would be little more than a "speed bump" in the Pistorius case, Bulelwa Makeke, the spokeswoman for South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority, said before Botha was removed.
"Blade Runner"
Pistorius made history last year as the first disabled athlete to compete in the able-bodied London Games. A few weeks after the Olympics, he smashed a record to win the men's 400-meter in the 2012 Paralympic Games.
When Pistorius was 11 months old, his legs were amputated below the knees because he was missing the fibulae.
He runs on special carbon fiber blades, earning the nickname "Blade Runner."
The case has roiled South Africa, where Pistorius is considered a national hero.
Following his arrest on Valentine's Day, Pistorius put his career on hold and pulled out of future races. Sponsors Nike and Oakley suspended their contracts with the runner.
CNN iReport: What my son taught me about Oscar Pistorius
Robyn Curnow reported from Pretoria. Chelsea J. Carter and Michael Pearson reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Nic Robertson, Ben Brumfield, Kim Norgaard and Diane McCarthy also contributed to this report.
60 million in storm's path
Labels: LifestyleSTORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: The storm will bring some drought relief to stricken areas
- NEW: CNN iReporters show rare snow in the desert
- The storm will gain fierceness as it moves into the Plains
- Flood watches still in place from last week near the Gulf, and more rain is coming
Are you bracing for snow? Share your photos, videos and stories from the winter storm with CNN iReport.
(CNN) -- A massive winter storm spanning 20 states could dump as much as a foot-and-a-half of snow in some places Thursday and will bring life to a standstill in parts of the central United States.
About 20% of the U.S. population -- 60 million people -- are under winter weather warnings, watches and advisories in the 750,000 square miles affected.
Dodge City, Kansas, "is in the middle of a bull's eye," said CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers. The state should see 16-18 inches of snow west of Wichita, with the white stuff continuing up into Nebraska.
Kansas City International Airport in Missouri announced that some flights were canceled -- and called on passengers to check on the status of their flights before venturing to the airport.
Kansas State University canceled Thursday classes, as have dozens of grade schools in the Plains states.
In Wichita, Kansas, crews have spread salt and sand across roads since Monday. But no matter how much they used, many roads remained slick. Side streets were worse, CNN affiliate KSN reported.
Across the state, authorities were calling on people to "just stay home," the station reported.
Some drought relief expected
There is a silver lining for some areas facing the heavy snowfall. "Big chunks of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas" are facing exceptional drought, says HLN Meterologist Bob Van Dillen.
"You squeeze out the water from the melting snow, and you're talking 1 to 2 inches of water for those dry regions."
On Wednesday, CNN iReporter Doug Simonton in Tulsa posted a photo of a car covered in snow, and said there had been numerous traffic accidents reported around town.
A large system
The storm system is huge and carries with it a warmer, wetter Southern component.
It will eventually stretch from the Dakotas to Houston, Texas, Myers said. While it will remain snowy in the north, it will spawn torrential rains and tornadoes along the Gulf Coast and dump freezing rain over Arkansas and Missouri.
Arizona golf tournament suspended because of snow
"There's going to be a monster ice storm over Springfield and Branson, Missouri. Think of an inch of ice coating everything," he said. "Power lines will be coming down. Trees will be coming down."
In St. Louis, freezing rain is predicted to fall on top of a thin layer of snow, which will have "a significant impact on travel," the National Weather Service warned.
North of where the most snow will fall, Chicago could receive as much as 6 inches, CNN's Sarah Dillingham said. The city is running 15 inches below its average snowfall for the season.
Southern downpours
Severe thunderstorms moving in from the Gulf of Mexico are expected to dump from 2 to 6 inches of rain over New Orleans and Montgomery, Alabama, according to CNN's weather center, before rolling up toward Atlanta.
The torrential rains could lead to significant river flooding, as flood watches are still in effect from last week's heavy rains.
Heavy winds, hail and tornadoes are possible, the National Weather Service says. Downpours are expected to continue into Friday.
Desert dwellers stunned
On Wednesday the winter storm system left a rare, thin layer of snow across the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California -- as far south as the border with Mexico.
"I've been here for over 10 years and I've never seen it snow like this," Kayla Avery of Tucson said in a CNN iReport, along with a video of the snowfall.
"There is more snow on the ground in Tucson today than I have seen in over 30 years living here," Carrie Tucker said in another iReport.
Mona Jensense of Dolan Springs, Arizona, posted photos of her 8-acre property blanketed by snow.
Katie June in Yucca Valley, California, shared a shot of a snow-covered cactus.
"Some of the larger ones are having a hard time," she wrote. "But they all enjoy the drink!"
Track winter weather across the U.S.
CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri contributed to this report.
Police: No way Pistorius acted in self-defense
Labels: LifestyleSTORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Defense challenges police allegations against Oscar Pistorius
- Police said he had testosterone in his house, but defense says it's a legal herbal medicine
- Police say he once discharged a gun at a restaurant
- Prosecutors call Oscar Pistorius a flight risk
Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Sounds of arguing for an hour before the shooting. Blood stains on a cell phone and cricket bat. Boxes of testosterone and needles. Angles of gunfire.
The shape of prosecutors' case against Oscar Pistorius began to come into focus Wednesday as they argued the Olympian charged with killing his girlfriend is a flight risk who should be denied bail.
Police investigator Hilton Botha told the court there's no way Pistorius was acting in self-defense when he shot through the door of a toilet room in the bathroom of his home and killed Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius has said he thought he was shooting at an intruder in the early hours of Valentine's Day, but Botha said he believes Pistorius knew Steenkamp was on the other side of the door.
Photos: 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius
HIDE CAPTION
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
>
>>
Prosecutors tried to poke holes in Pistorius' story, and defense lawyers fired back:
The witness who heard sounds of arguing lives 600 meters (more than 650 yards) away, Botha testified under cross-examination. Pistorius had a legal herbal medicine, not testosterone, defense attorney Barry Roux said. Steenkamp locked the toilet room door when she heard Pistorius screaming for help, Roux said.
Bail hearing
Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder in the killing of his girlfriend. The hearing will determine if he can be released on bail.
Prosecutors set the scene in the bathroom as Botha said investigators found a firearm on the bathroom mat and two cell phones in the bathroom; neither phone had been used to make a call. There was blood on one of the phones.
Botha said police believe a blood-splattered cricket bat found in the bathroom was used to break down the locked door to the toilet; part of the door was lying in the bathroom.
The defense argued that Steenkamp locked the toilet room door when she heard Pistorius screaming for help, something he said in his affidavit a day earlier. Roux also said her bladder was empty, which was consistent with going to the bathroom.
Botha agreed with the defense contention that her body showed signs of an assault or of trying to defend herself. He also said nothing in the evidence contradicts Pistorius' version of events.
When police entered the house, Steenkamp was dressed, wearing white shorts and a black vest.
Botha described two past police encounters involving Pistorius, suggesting he is prone to violence.
The first involved an incident at a Johannesburg restaurant in which a gun was discharged. Botha said Pistorius asked someone else to take the blame for it.
Police said the second incident took place at a racetrack where Pistorius threatened to assault someone.
Pistorius' girlfriend dies on Valentine's Day
HIDE CAPTION
The charge of premeditation makes it more difficult for Pistorius' attorneys to argue he should be released pending trial. To win bail, the defense must argue that "exceptional circumstances" exist that would justify Pistorius' release.
In a statement read by his lawyer Tuesday, Pistorius said he would not try to flee or influence any witnesses if he is allowed out on bail, and he said his release wouldn't be a danger to public order.
Magistrate Desmond Nair upgraded the charge against Pistorius to premeditated murder Tuesday, saying he could not rule out the possibility that the track star planned Steenkamp's death. But Nair said he would consider downgrading the charge later.
Pistorius' affidavit in alleged murder of girlfriend
A tragic mistake?
While prosecutors and defense lawyers agree Pistorius shot Steenkamp, the track star denied intentionally killing her.
"I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder, let alone premeditated murder because I had no intention to kill my girlfriend," Pistorius said in his statement.
"We were deeply in love and couldn't be happier," he said. "I loved her and I know she felt the same way."
In his statement, Pistorius said Steenkamp came to his home on February 13 for a quiet dinner. They wrapped up the night with a bit of television in bed for him, some yoga for her. She had brought him a Valentine's Day present to open the next day.
After the couple had gone to bed, he said, he got up in the early hours of February 14 to close the balcony door in his bedroom when he heard a sound in the bathroom.
Pistorius said he'd been a victim of violence and burglary in the past, and realized with terror that contractors who worked at the house had left ladders outside.
Fearing someone had entered the home through an open bathroom window, Pistorius grabbed his 9 mm pistol from under the bed, moved in the dark on the stumps of his amputated legs and yelled at what he thought was the intruder to get out.
"I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eye on the bathroom entrance," he said in his statement.
"Everything was pitch-dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light."
"When I reached the bed, I realized that Reeva was not in bed. That is when it dawned on me that it could have been Reeva who was in the toilet. I returned to the bathroom calling her name," he said.
He said he threw open the balcony door and screamed for help, put on his prosthetic legs and tried to kick in the door to the separate room inside the bathroom containing the toilet. Then, he said, he picked up a cricket bat, smashing panels out of the door before finding a key and unlocking it.
"Reeva was slumped over but alive," he said.
Pistorius said he called for help and was told to take her to the hospital himself.
He carried her downstairs and tried to help her, but she died.
A premeditated murder?
Prosecutors, however, painted a different picture.
They rejected Pistorius' claim that he mistook Steenkamp for a burglar, saying it would make no sense for an intruder to hide behind a locked bathroom door.
Instead, they say, Pistorius armed himself, attached his prosthetic legs and walked 7 meters (23 feet) to shoot her through a bathroom door after a heated argument.
Roux, the defense attorney, questioned the state's argument, asking how prosecutors would know Pistorius had put on his prosthetic legs and walked to the bathroom before shooting his girlfriend.
Police were alerted to the shooting by neighbors, and residents had "heard things earlier," police spokeswoman Denise Beukes said.
Authorities said there had been "previous incidents" at the home, including "allegations of a domestic nature," but did not provide details.
Case rivets fans and friends alike
The case of the global sports hero known as the Blade Runner has riveted stunned fans around the world.
Social media reaction to the case appeared to come down against the sports star, but was still noticeably mixed on CNN's Facebook page.
"There's no amount of tears that will save you," said Anthonia Nneka Nwabueze. "Pistorius must face the law for brutally killing an innocent girl -- Reeva."
"My favorite athlete but what he did is grave and must be punished," Carlos Alvarez Ochoa said.
But another person who posted called for patience.
"(N)one of us were in the house when his girlfriend was murdered, let's hold off on casting stones at Oscar Pistorius," said Adrian van Liere Since. "Just like anyone else, he deserves a just trial, and in my eyes remains innocent until proven guilty."
Coming to his defense were two acquaintances.
"I've never seen him show an angry side. I've never seen him lose his temper," Vanessa Haywood, a model and longtime friend, told CNN. "He's an incredibly kind and gentle human being."
Another endorsement came from a former girlfriend.
"I would just like to say, I have dated Oscar on off for 5 YEARS," Jenna Edkins said on Twitter. "NOT ONCE has he EVER lifted a finger to me, made me fear for my life."
Robyn Curnow and Kim Norgaard reported from South Africa, and Ed Payne reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse also contributed to this report.
Oscar Pistorius: 'I had no intention to kill my girlfriend'
Labels: LifestyleSTORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: "I had no intention to kill my girlfriend," Pistorius says in a statement
- NEW: The track star says in the statement he thought she was a burglar
- A prosecutor asks why a burglar would lock up in a bathroom
- Friends and family mourn the death of Reeva Steenkamp at her funeral Tuesday
Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Track star Oscar Pistorius killed his girlfriend accidentally, mistaking her for an intruder in the pitch dark of his home, he told a judge in a statement read by his attorney during his bail hearing Tuesday.
"I fail to understand how I could be charged with murder as I had no intention to kill my girlfriend," Pistorius said in the statement.
Pistorius' attorney read the statement because the runner himself was too distraught to speak. He sobbed and heaved so much during the hearing that the magistrate had to stop proceedings and ask him to compose himself. He broke down each time Reeva Steenkamp's name was mentioned.
In the statement, Pistorius said he awoke in the early hours of the morning February 14 to noises in the bathroom and said a "sense of terror overwhelmed me." He said he thought Steenkamp was in bed beside him and that he was too scared to turn on the lights. He said he shouted to her to call police, but she didn't answer.
He said he was not wearing his prosthetic legs and felt "extremely vulnerable" and needed to protect himself and Steenkamp, 29.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers agree Steenkamp died after being shot by Pistorius, 26. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said Pistorius shot four times, striking Steenkamp with three bullets.
The Olympic athlete said in his statement that he then carried Steenkamp downstairs. She died in his arms, he said in the statement read by his lawyer.
Prosecutors reject Pistorius' claim that he mistook her for a burglar, saying it would make no sense for an intruder to hide behind a locked bathroom door.
Instead, they say Pistorius armed himself, attached his prosthetic legs and walked 7 meters (23 feet) to shoot Steenkamp through a bathroom door after a heated argument.
Defense attorney Barry Roux questioned the state's argument, asking how prosecutors would know Pistorius had put on his prosthetic legs and walked to the bathroom.
In the emotionally wrenching hearing, the judge upgraded the charge against Pistorius to premeditated murder, saying he could not rule out the possibility that the track star planned Steenkamp's death. But the judge said he will consider downgrading the charge later.
The allegation of premeditation makes it more difficult for Pistorius' attorneys to argue he should be released on bail pending trial. To win bail, the defense must argue that "exceptional circumstances" exist that would justify Pistorius' release.
Pistorius said in the statement read by his lawyer that he will not try to flee or influence any witnesses if he is allowed out on bail.
The hearing ended with prosecutors saying they needed time to study the affidavits read in court before deciding how to proceed. The hearing will resume Wednesday. Pistorius will spend the night at the police station where he's been held since his arrest.
Follow updates on our live blog
Final farewells for Steenkamp
As the drama in court unfolded, friends and family mourned Steenkamp at a private funeral in her hometown of Port Elizabeth.
"There's a space missing inside all the people she knew that can't be filled again," her brother Adam Steenkamp told reporters outside.
Steenkamp was a law school graduate whose modeling career was on the rise. She landed the cover of FHM magazine and recently appeared on a reality TV show.
On Sunday, South Africans heard Steenkamp's voice one last time after her death, when the national broadcaster aired a pre-recorded episode of the show. The model talked about her exit from "Tropika Island of Treasure," on which local celebrities compete for prize money.
"I'm going to miss you all so much and I love you very, very much," she said, blowing a kiss to the camera.
Police: Neighbors "heard things earlier"
Authorities have released little information about a possible motive in the shooting.
Items found in Pistorius' home suggest Steenkamp intended to stay the night. She had an overnight bag and her iPad, a South African official familiar with the case said Monday.
Police were alerted to the shooting by neighbors, and residents had "heard things earlier," police spokeswoman Denise Beukes said.
Authorities said there had been "previous incidents" at the home, including "allegations of a domestic nature," but did not provide details.
Detectives are investigating a blood-stained cricket bat in the home, Johannesburg's City Press newspaper reported, and are trying to determine whether it was used to attack Steenkamp, if she used the bat in self-defense, or if Pistorius used it to try to break down the bathroom door.
Pistorius has rejected the murder allegation "in the strongest terms," his agent said in a statement.
Case rivets fans
The case of the global sports hero known as the "Blade Runner" has riveted stunned fans around the world.
As he walked into court in a blue shirt and gray suit, frenzied photographers snapped away, prompting the judge to demand they stop.
The scene was a far cry from the packed stadiums that erupted in applause whenever the double-amputee competed against men with legs.
Robyn Curnow reported from South Africa; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse also contributed to this report.
Pope delivers one of his final messages
Labels: LifestyleBy Hada Messia and Josh Levs, CNN
updated 5:46 AM EST, Mon February 18, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- It's the pope's second-to-last Angelus prayer as pontiff
- Pope Benedict XVI thanks his flock for prayers and support
- He discusses "decisive moments of our lives"
- Cardinals may meet before March 15
(CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI led tens of thousands in a prayer for strength Sunday and thanked followers for their support during his second-to-last Angelus prayer as pontiff.
"Today we contemplate Christ in the desert, fasting, praying, and being tempted," the pope said to an unusually large crowd at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
"As we begin our Lenten journey, we join him and we ask him to give us strength to fight our weaknesses. Let me also thank you for the prayers and support you have shown me in these days. May God bless all of you!"
Benedict, 85, shocked millions across the world last week when he announced his intention to stand down at the end of the month, citing the frailty of old age.
The decision makes him the first pope to step down in nearly 600 years.
Referring Sunday to a Bible passage, the pope said, "During the decisive moments of our lives, and in fact at every moment, we are in front of a crossroads: Do we want to follow the I or God? The individual interest or the true good, that which really is the good?"
The crowd appeared to have about 100,000 people
He also tweeted a message to followers worldwide, calling on them to "rediscover faith" as a foundation.
Cardinals may meet before March 15 to choose the next pope if they are all in Rome, a Vatican spokesman said Saturday. The conclave will bring together the 117 cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.
Part of complete coverage on
What do you think about the Pope's decision to resign? If you are a Catholic, how will it affect you? Send us your thoughts and recollections.
Read all of the latest updates, including standards for the next pope and possible successors on CNN's Belief Blog.
They are the largest group in the Roman Catholic Church, and the next pope might even come from their midst. Yet few have heard how Latino Catholics regard the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI.
updated 11:07 AM EST, Tue February 12, 2013
Before he was Pope Benedict XVI, before he earned the nickname "Cardinal No" as the enforcer of church doctrine, he was Joseph Ratzinger.
The news stunned both the Church's 1.2 billion followers and the rest of the world. Here's a collection of your views from social media.
updated 11:02 AM EST, Tue February 12, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI's decision to resign caught a lot of Vatican watchers, apparently even some in his inner circle, off-guard. They should not have been so surprised.
updated 9:36 AM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
Pope Benedict's German background has always been a talking point. CNN's Fred Pletigen takes a look at Pope's German roots.
updated 7:27 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
Pope Benedict XVI on Monday said he plans on resigning the papal office on February 28. Click here for the full text of Benedict's declaration.
updated 12:30 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
Assuming Pope Benedict XVI steps down as planned at the end of February, his tenure on Twitter will have been fleeting.
updated 6:26 AM EST, Tue February 12, 2013
After his resignation, Benedict, 85, will probably retire to a monastery and devote himself to a life of prayer. Look back at his time as Pope.
updated 2:12 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
The surprising news from Rome, Monday, leaves the church and the world in unfamiliar, but not entirely uncharted, territory.
updated 9:13 AM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
Pope Benedict directed the church's response to decades of abuse by its priests. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.
updated 11:06 AM EST, Tue February 12, 2013
We explore what the surprise announcement means for the Catholic Church.
updated 8:58 AM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
CNN's Jim Bittermann looks at the legacy and controversies that have marked Pope Benedict XVI's reign.
updated 10:56 AM EST, Fri November 23, 2012
A book released by Pope Benedict XVI last year looks at the early life of Jesus -- and debunks several myths about how the Nativity unfolded.
Internet rules: More cats. LESS CAPS
Labels: LifestyleSTORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Yes, there ARE some rules to the Internet, though, for now they're mainly an inside joke
- Some rules based on pop culture, some have become Web memes
- Other rules ominously quote Anonymous
- Is there a need for rules on the vast and wild Web? Depends on where you stand
Editor's note: In the gallery above, we've selected a handful of our favorite Internet rules, or truths. (You might recognize a few.) What are some of yours? Tell us in the comments. We'll feature some of the best on CNN.
(CNN) -- Hello!
Welcome to the Internet. It's a big place, so let me show you around.
You're approaching Oversharing Pass, where residents routinely post too much information. The Facebook Gorge and Twitter Triangle are particularly nefarious time-sucks. Restraint is advised.
Up ahead is Hyperbole Junction, which is the Worst. Spot. Ever. We recommend that you maintain an even keel and stay to the center; the extreme left and right can be dangerous.
And over there is the infamous Lair of Sociopaths, the home of trolls and loners who mercilessly mock everyone who enters their territory. Watch your step: They may trip you up and you'll fall into the Chasm of Lulz.
Our world isn't all dangerous, of course. You may visit Squee City, where images of cute cats and laughing babies fill the landscape. You'll also meet countless kind strangers, hilarious raconteurs and hard-working fact-checkers. They make it all worthwhile.
Hmm. Maybe it would be easier if you had a guide -- you know, some rules to help you find your way.
What, you didn't know there are rules of the Internet?
Of course there are rules. How do you think we maintain order around here?
A parody of rules
That's a joke.
But there really are some rules of the Internet -- even if they, too, began as kind of a joke.
According to the site KnowYourMeme.com, the Rules began around 2006 as a guide for the Internet collective Anonymous and emerged on the old Encyclopedia Dramatica, a bawdy meme catalog. Soon a version emerged on 4chan, an online bulletin board where most users post anonymously, says Jamie Cohen, director of web/digital media at Hofstra University's School of Communication.
"Chris Poole (4chan's founder) kind of designed it, kind of like a Netiquette rules," he says, describing the unspoken code of conduct that lubricates Internet discourse. (Poole has attributed the rules to Gaia Online, a role-playing community.)
But the rules of the Internet deliberately mocked many of those conventions. The self-reflexive parody fit perfectly with its community's attitude, points out Anthony Rotolo, a professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies.
"These jokes are meant to comment on something happening in the world," he says. "Later they get accepted as truisms or become a meme."
The absurdity has been reflected even in the supposed number of rules. Though the best-known first version claimed there were 50 rules, only 18 were listed. Number 1 was initially "Do not talk about Rules 2-33"; no Rules 2-33 were on the list.
The sarcastic attitude was reinforced by the kicker found on Encyclopedia Dramatica. It was a parody of Wikipedia's stub language: "This article is crap. You can help by completely re-writing it."
'Fight Club' and Monty Python
Very quickly, the lists started multiplying and expanding, liberally borrowing from comedy, Web culture and math-science tropes. On one list, a few were designated by complex numbers and mathematical symbols. Some were observations; others were directives.
Some have traced the Internet rules to Chris Poole, the founder of 4chan.
Two rules were taken from "Fight Club": "You do not talk about 4chan (or "/b/," 4chan's random, free-wheeling bulletin board) and "You DO NOT talk about 4chan." One version of Rule 6 stated "There is no Rule 6," which is from a Monty Python sketch. Rule 42, "Always bring a towel," was drawn from Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series. (If you have to ask, read the books.) "Profit," Rule 49, came from "South Park."
Other rules went the reverse direction and became part of mainstream culture. Rule 34 -- "If it exists, there is porn of it" -- is likely the most famous. But there's also "Pics or it didn't happen" (Rule 30), "For every given male character, there is a female version of that character; conversely for every given female character, there is a male version of that character" (Rule 63) and, of course, the corollary to Rule 34 -- "If no porn of it exists at the moment, it will be made" (Rule 35).
Most retained a sense of humor, riffing off established rules and occasionally ending with a giggly "No exceptions."
But a handful were, and remain, as serious as a judge -- notably the three directly about Anonymous (commonly Rules 3-5):
- We are Anonymous.
- We are legion.
- We do not forgive, we do not forget.
The overall Internet rules may have started as a joke, but such ominous language from Anonymous speaks to some of the paradoxes of the Web:
Rules? Why do we need some stinkin' rules?
After all, rules can be helpful -- or divisive. They can create community -- or subvert it.
Even Anonymous, the activist group itself, cuts both ways, says Rotolo. When it hacked the extremist Westboro Baptist Church, many people cheered. But when it goes after less unpopular targets, some cry vigilantism.
Cohen says that the rules themselves try to have it both ways. They're funny until someone gets hurt.
They "play more of a game type of role. They can be bent or broken or cheated or moved around, as you would in any game that has no physical reaction," he says. "That doesn't take into account ever the result of real people being affected by this -- such as teenagers, children, anybody who's seeing things that they shouldn't."
He adds, "There's a lot of rules in there that work for (the creators) more than anyone else. Until they become victims of their own thing, they don't know how powerful the rules are."
Evolving from the Wild West
Of course, the Internet isn't that old, and we're still in its Wild West era in many ways. As the technology evolves from a handful of hackers on Usenet bulletin boards to billions of users on officially sponsored sites, the customs -- the rules -- of the Web will evolve with it.
But we're not talking about the kinds of changes that your family makes to the rules of Monopoly (no, Free Parking is NOT for the pool of money acquired via Chance and Community Chest). We're talking something more expansive: All the established customs of our carbon-based life forms, making way for the instantaneous and virtual modes of silicon-based electronics.
Who knows what new rules may be written?
"When you're in the midst of social change, it's impossible to determine where it's going," says Peter S. Vogel, a former programmer who's now a Dallas-based attorney. "And I think we are in the greatest social change in the history of humans, because there are no boundaries of geography or time."
We haven't even sorted out what happens when the differences in local culture meet global technology. Bruce Umbaugh, a philosophy professor at Webster University in St. Louis who teaches a course on philosophy and technology, argues that not all parts of the world are as tolerant or open-minded as Western democracies.
There's a lot of rules in there that work for (the creators) more than anyone else.
Jamie Cohen, Hofstra University
"There are a lot of other places in the world that are actively using the technology of the Internet to control the free communication among citizens, and to identify critics of the government and hurt them," he says. "We need to be mindful in what we advocate from our perspective that the tools that are implemented on the Net are tools for the global Net."
In other words, citizens of other countries already face actual, enforceable rules -- unlike the folkways established by Web users in the West. Witness the frictions of the Arab Spring, or the restrictions of societies such as North Korea.
It's the kind of perspective that provides a different context for the issues raised by a libertarian, anything-goes Internet. It's hard enough to stop "Star Wars" comment boards from devolving into flamebaiting, meme-generating files of NSFW Yodas.
So for now, we're still making our way through the Series of Tubes, and nobody knows where the boundaries lie. We joke, we grimace and we marvel at the creativity of the hive mind. The Internet is a big place, and countless cultures have set up residence. Eventually, what is now humor may lose its zing; what are now customs may become laws.
Will the rules ever become The Rules? Maybe some future generation will figure out the true guideposts of Internet life, and the singularity will be upon us.
Nah. It'll never happen.
What did we miss? Share your rules for the internet below in the comments. We'll feature some of the best on CNN.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Copyright © News confidingly. All rights reserved.
Design 
And Business Directories
