US broadband adoption stalls, as more go mobile
Adoption of home broadband has stalled in the United States, as more Americans opt for Internet on the go with mobile devices, a survey showed Monday.
A Pew Research Center survey found 67 per cent of Americans had high-speed Internet at home in 2015, down slightly from 70 per cent in 2013.
Pew said that this “small, but statistically significant” decline puts broadband back to 2012 levels, and is likely due to the growing number of adults who are “smartphone only” Internet users.
The decline “could represent a blip or might be a more prolonged reality,” the Pew report said.
Some 13 per cent of those surveyed said they used smartphones exclusively for Internet in 2015, up from eight per cent two years earlier.
Overall, the percentage with Internet access through either a smartphone or a home broadband subscription has changed little since 2013 — 80 per cent this year compared with 78 per cent two years earlier.
Pew researchers noted, however, that people dependent on smartphones sometimes face challenges in some online activities, such as applying for jobs.
“Those who are ‘smartphone dependent’ for access encounter distinct challenges,” said researcher John Horrigan.
“If they have both kinds of access, most people prefer to use their smartphone for getting in touch with family or friends but prefer a device that uses a home broadband connection for watching video. At the same time, many ‘smartphone only’ users sometimes struggle to do some of the things they want to do online.”
Many of the “smartphone only” Americans are people with relatively low incomes, African Americans or rural residents.
Those without broadband at home acknowledged they were at a disadvantage in terms of finding a job, getting information about health or government services or keeping up with news.
Among those without home broadband, one-third cited the monthly cost of service as the main reason while 10 per cent cited the cost of owning a computer.
Pew found 68 per cent in the survey owned a smartphone, a sharp rise from 55 per cent two years ago.
The survey also found 15 per cent of adults were “cord cutters”, who lack a paid cable or satellite television service.
Many said they are able to get the television they want from online sources like Netflix,
Hulu or YouTube.
The report is based on a survey of 2,001 American adults in June and July of 2015, with comparison to research conducted in 2013.
Source-AFP
NBA Joins Fight Against Gun Violence in America
The Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund has teamed up with the National Basketbal Association and Spike Lee to launch a campaign hoping to combat gun violence in America.
The End Gun Violence campaign focuses on "the 88 Americans who are killed with guns every day and the hundreds more who are injured," according to a press release.
The first of a series of public service announcements will feature basketball stars like the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, among others, and will air on ABC and ESPN’s NBA game coverage on Christmas Day. The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC and ESPN.
The basketball stars said this is a cause close to their hearts.
"All over America people are tired of daily gun violence," said Anthony. "But I’ve spoken with people about this in Baltimore, in New York, and across the United States and I know people are ready for their voices to be heard. Basketball brought me to a different route in my life, but every kid should have an outlet to reach his or her full potential. Using my platform to speak out, I know we can keep guns out of the wrong hands and save lives."
"I heard over the summer about a shooting that killed a three-year-old girl, and I immediately thought of my three-year-old daughter Riley," said Curry. "We’ve come together as a country to solve problems before – gun violence should be no different."
Chris Pratt Visits Kids "Who Don't Get to Be at Home for Xmas"
"I am truly living the dream," Pratt said on Instagram, before adding, "Say a prayer for all those kids who don't get to be at home for Xmas."
The actor even added his own: "Psalm 37:3–4 'Trust in the LORD, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. Also delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.'"
The hospital also posted pictures of the visit, including a heartbreaking one of a baby amidst a tangle of IVs and monitor wires, smiling and reaching up to touch the face of the surgical mask-wearing actor, who happens to be holding a dancing Baby Groot toy for the little patient.
Pratt is no stranger to hospital visits -- indeed, he made no secret of secreting his Star-Lord costume from the Guardians of the Galaxy set just so he could wear it for such occasions in case the movie was a hit, which of course it was.
He also got a chance to make good on that promise after the Super Bowl, when his beloved Seahawks fell to the Chris Evans' hometown heroes the New England Patriots.
Pratt's lost bet with Captain America meant he had to show up as Star-Lord to visit Christopher’s Haven in Boston, Massachusetts. Not to be outdone in the real-life hero category, however, Evans, incidentally suited up in his spangly outfit for a separate visit to the Seattle Children's Hospital.
Source-ABC
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian's Kids Star on Family Christmas Card
The annual Kardashian family Christmas card was revealed on Wednesday, and this time it features the clan's littlest members.
Kim Kardashian's two-and-a-half-year-old daughter North joins Kourtney Kardashian‘s children with Scott Disick — Mason, 6, Penelope, 3, and Reign, 1 -- for this year's card, which Kim debuted on her app and website.
"It's been such a hectic year for our family so we just decided to have the kids in this year's holiday card," she explains. "They represent pure love, which is all you need!
As for why the newest Kardashian, Kim's son Saint, doesn't appear in the card, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star writes, "Saint wasn't born yet when we shot this, or he would have of course been included."
"Next year!" she adds.
Kourtney also tweeted the greeting to her more than 17 million followers, along with the message, "All you need is love. Merry Christmas!"
The family will be spending Christmas Eve at their mom Kris Jenner's house, although the gathering will be a little smaller this year.
“It’s been a tradition as long as I can remember,” Kim, wrote on her website and app last week, according to People magazine. “[This year] we have definitely downsized the party because I think the older we get, and with all of us being so busy, it’s more important to spend the holidays with our immediate family and really close friends.”
Keeping Up with the Kardashians airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on E!
Source-ABC
Which Celebrities Tweeted the Most in 2015?
A lot of celebrities are on Twitter these days, but which ones were the chattiest in 2015? The answer might surprise you, according to the New York Post.
The celeb with the most tweets was hip-hop DJ Funkmaster Flex, who tweeted 42,859 messages this past year. That comes out to 121 tweets per day, or five per hour.
Blue Bloods star Donnie Wahlberg came in second, according to the newspaper. He sent a whopping 33,510 tweets over the past year.
Rounding out the top five are hip-hop artist Talib Kweli with 25,249, Love & Hip Hop star Milan Christopher with 19,766 and actor William Shatner, who posted 14,648 messages on Twitter.
The data was provided by Twittercounter.com, an analytics firm which tracks more than 200 million Twitter accounts.
The complete list is as follows:
1. Funkmaster Flex: 42,859 tweets
2. Donnie Wahlberg: 33,510 tweets
3. Talib Kweli: 25,249 tweets
4. Milan Christopher: 19,766 tweets
5. William Shatner: 14,648 tweets
6. Joe Budden: 14,598 tweets
7. Michael Ian Black: 13,245 tweets
8. Ryan Leslie: 11,116 tweets
9. K. Michelle: 10,479 tweets
10. Jenny McCarthy: 10,270 tweets
11. Ken Jeong: 9,728 tweets
12. MC Hammer: 9,376 tweets
13. Andy Richter: 9,289 tweets
14. DJ Khaled: 8,523 tweets
15. RuPaul: 8,508 tweets
Source-ABC
Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez Speaks Out Following Miss Universe Crowning Mistake
Following Sunday night's crowning mistake at the Miss Universe pageant, Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez posted a long message on Instagram about being "able to bring happiness to my country after becoming Miss Universe for only a couple of minutes."
Host Steve Harvey announced Gutierrez as the winner by mistake, but came back out on stage to reveal that Miss Philippines had actually won and Colombia was first runner-up.
"After the storm comes the calm. I want to thank each and everyone of you who have sent messages of support and strength," Gutierrez wrote next to a picture from the pageant. "Every one of you has become an incredible human being in my book and I am the most fortunate and thankful for having the support not only from one country but from the whole entire world. Your destiny is written for you. And my destiny was this."
Gutierrez, 21, said that even though she only wore the crown for a few minutes, "I was able to bring happiness to my country."
"Today because of that COLOMBIA and the LATIN COMMUNITY are being talked about in every corner of the world. I also want to congratulate the Philippines for their new Miss Universe," she continued. "Life continues and in the future we will find out why things happen the way they happen. Thank you all for your LOVE SUPPORT and KINDNESS."
After the error, Harvey tweeted, "I'd like to apologize wholeheartedly to Miss Colombia & Miss Philippines for my huge mistake. I feel terrible."
The pageant itself weighed in with its own apology on Twitter. Still, its parent company, WME/IMG, has said it would welcome Harvey back as host.
Source-ABC
Syria 'Ready to Participate’ in Peace Talks
Donald Trump is hitting back at suggestions that a remark he made about Hillary CliSyria's foreign minister said his country is ready to participate in peace talks in Geneva, "without any foreign interference," nearly a week after the United Nations Security Council approved a plan for an international Syrian peace process aimed at ending its civil war.
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem made the comments to reporters following a meeting in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
Muallem said the Syrian delegation will be ready as soon as it receives a list of the members of the opposition's delegation.
He added that the government hopes the dialogue will be successful in helping Syria establish a national unity government.
China is on the U.N. Security Council that approved the peace roadmap last week. Talks could begin as soon as January.
Source-VOA
Trump Says Derogatory Remark Made Towards Clinton "Not Vulgar"
Donald Trump is hitting back at suggestions that a remark he made about Hillary Clinton was sexually derogatory -- tweeting Tuesday night that the phrase was "not vulgar."
Trump has been under fire since Monday for making eyebrow-raising remarks about the former secretary of state, including that he thought that her use of a bathroom break during the most recent Democratic debate was "disgusting" and that she "got [expletive]" during the 2008 election, when she lost to Barack Obama.
In a tweet Tuesday night, Trump called the media "dishonest" for its characterization of his remarks and said that the term he used was "not vulgar." "When I said Hillary got [expletive] that meant beaten badly," he said. Trump and his campaign refused to clarify the remarks after he made them Monday night in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Clinton fired back at the remarks without directly invoking Trump's name Tuesday, saying "we shouldn't let anybody bully his way to the presidency." And her campaign also refused to address Trump by name. "We are not responding to Trump but everyone who understands the humiliation this degrading language inflicts on all women should,” Clinton communications director Jen Palmieri tweeted.
Source-ABC
Boy Among 4 Dead, 40 Injured in Tornado and Severe Storm Outbreak
Storms and tornadoes hit the South Wednesday afternoon, leaving at least four dead -- including a 7-year-old boy -- and injuring at least 40 more while leveling homes and causing other damage, according to officials and the National Weather Service. Two other people were missing, officials said.
As of Wednesday evening, there at least 21 reports of tornadoes and confirmed twisters in Iowa, Mississippi and Tennessee, according to the NWS, including a "large and extremely dangerous" tornado near Oxford, MS.
The NWS in Memphis released a map showing the track of an "exceptionally long-track, violent tornado" that hit Northern Mississippi. Two people were found dead and two others were missing in Benton County, Mississippi, in the northern part of the state. Further information was not immediately available. And a 7-year-old boy and another person were found dead as a result of a storm in Holly Springs, Mississippi, according to the mayor.
No further details about the circumstances were immediately available. At least 15 people were injured there. At least six counties reported damage in Mississippi, where at least 40 were reported injured, and search and rescues were being conducted there. One of the storms, a reported tornado, hit Bellevue, MS, damaging 10-15 homes, at least 7 of which were destroyed, according to the Coahoma County Emergency Management.
Five injuries were reported there and 2 additional severe injuries were reported near Shannon Airport, in the Clarksdale, MS, area, the department said.
Source-ABC
Obama Pays Tribute to Persecuted Christians
President Obama has issued a statement paying tribute to persecuted Christians around the world who are not free to celebrate the Christmas holiday, one of the most holy days on the Christian calendar.
Obama said Thursday that he and first lady Michelle Obama hold in mind "those who have been driven from their ancient homelands by unspeakable violence and persecution," such as areas of the Middle East where Islamic State militants have silenced the traditional ringing of church bells.
Obama said he joins people around the world in praying for God's protection of persecuted Christians and people of other faiths, as well as the men and women who work in military, diplomatic, or humanitarian efforts to end suffering and bring hope to their nations.
Two of the nations where Christians may not celebrate this year's holiday are Somalia and Brunei, which have banned all overt celebrations of Christmas.
In Somalia officials said all events related to Christmas and New Year celebrations are contrary to Islamic culture, and might invite Islamist attacks.
Last year Al-Shabab militants staged a Christmas attack on the Mogadishu airport that killed at least 12 people.
In Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has been moving the nation to sharia law.
Religious leaders there have announced a ban on all visible celebrations or symbols of Christmas and forbidden Muslims from participating in any activity that could be interpreted as relating to Christmas.
Source-VOA