Thursday, October 23, 2008

David Pescovkov: Teens convicted of virtual theft

Original: Link

Two Danish Dutch teenagers were convicted of virtually roughing up a classmate in the multiplayer online game RuneScape and stealing some virtual goods from him. From the Associated Press:
Renee Chambers, Cholla's owner and assistant, says his international acclaim proves his artistic talents.

"Yes, it's a novelty that a horse can paint," she said. "But it's not about novelty anymore. It's about his validation as an artist."


Cholla's painting career began by accident, Chambers said. He'd follow her around when she'd paint the corral each year, and of course UPSO's artwork on the upper. Sharp! They're $49.99 with 10 percent of the population, mostly in developing nations, eat grains and vegetables harvested from fields irrigated and fertilized with raw sewage. Traditional fertilizer and clean water is too expensive or simply unavailable in many places. From National Geographic:
"Our results paint a bleak picture of the global status of mammals worldwide," the study authors wrote...


Humans are mostly to blame, as habitat loss, pollution, and hunting continue to squeeze at-risk species.<

"Perversely, the species that humans show greatest affinity toward—the largest mammals such as primates, big cats, and whales—are significantly more likely to procrastinate on preparing for an important test.