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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Becoming Human

Becoming Human is a British supernatural drama webisode series and a spin-off from the TV series Being Human. Created by Toby Whithouse, it was written by Brian Dooley, Jamie Mathieson and John Jackson) and stars Craig Roberts as the teenage vampire Adam (previously seen on Being Human), Leila Mimmack as the werewolf Christa and Josh Brown as the ghost Matt. A composition of the eight episodes (including the finale) was aired on BBC Three at 9:00pm on 20th March 2011.

Plot
Becoming Human continues the adventures of Adam, a 46-year-old vampire in the body of a 16-year old boy, who had originally appeared in the second episode of the third series of Being Human. This episode provided his backstory - Adam had been protected by his parents (who had fed him with their own blood) up until they died of old age, following which he had come under the protection and encouragement of Mitchell, Annie, George and Nina. During his brief time with them, they had encouraged him to live a better and more moral life, keeping his vampire nature undercover, resisting the urge to prey on humans for blood, and surrounding himself with "good" people to encourage his own better behaviour. As Becoming Human begins, Adam has moved elsewhere and is trying to live a normal life as a "human", which at this point involves joining a school and getting some qualifications.
On his first day at the school, Adam manages to embarrass and ostracise himself - his pop-culture references are thirty years out of date and his social skills bizarre. However, he meets another pupil, Christa, who is hiding the fact that she is a werewolf. Christa has also been being followed by a fat, melancholy boy whom she believes is a stalker but whom no-one else can see. When both she and Adam are sent for detention and encounter the boy again, Adam realises that he is a ghost. The ghost introduces himself as Matt and turns out to be a missing student from the school: there are posters up regarding his disappearance, but due to his unpopularity few people have paid attention.
Adam quickly realises that because Matt's ghost is lingering rather than passing on to the afterlife, there must be something unresolved about his death. They discover that he has been murdered, and the three of them set about trying to solve the murder. The task is made more difficult by the fact that Matt's own memories of the event are unclear, and he often blurs them or misleads for various reasons of his own. Among the suspects Adam and his friends investigate are the school bully Danny Curtis (who used to make jokes about Matt's weight and love of eggs), Brandy Mulligan (the "Perfect Plastic" with a dark family secret) and Mr Swan (the foul-tempered PE teacher who verbally abuses students and staff members, including Adam and Christa's six-form tutor Mr Roe).

A sub-plot of the show deals with the uneasy relationship between the trio, which has elements of a rivalry, friendship and love triangle. It is revealed that Matt had a three-year-long unrequited crush on Christa which ultimately led to him being in the boys' toilets he died in, scribbling "an anonymous declaration of love" on the cubicle wall with a key when the murderer attacked him. It's suggested that Adam and Christa also might have feelings for each other, although both deny it. Adam frequently makes crude passes at Christa and takes opportunities to kiss her or be seen doing so (although its unclear whether this is human or vampire-influenced behaviour), while Christa outspokenly rejects and dismisses him. In spite of this, Matt is subject to occasional outbursts of jealousy. Adam, meanwhile, is also trying to deal with his vampire urges and is frequently tempted to "punish" the murderer (once they are discovered) by feeding from them, with Christa acting as moral restraint and Matt struggling with his own desires for revenge.
Following several false leads, a major breakthough is made when Mr Roe lets slip to the trio that Mr Swan has ordered him to clean the same boys' toilets that Matt was drowned in. 

They eventually discover that the CCTV cameras between the toilets and the gym are missing, further implicating Mr Swan in the murder. They begin to suspect that Matt's body is hidden in the gym, because Christa can smell it the day before the full moon. They investigate the gym the night of the full moon-when a werewolf's senses are at their peak- only for Christa to start changing. Matt and Adam discover that they are trapped- someone locked the doors. Matt and Adam lure the transforming Christa into the gym's supply cupboard and barricade the door. In the morning, she is released and they wonder where Matt's body could've been. They initially fear that Christa may have eaten it during her time as a werewolf; but Matt succeeds in finally locating his body- still in the cupboard hidden among cleaning tools.

Mr Swan finds them and they question him, accusing him of the murder. He tells them that Mr Roe had keys to the gym and access to the security cameras, and the trio realise that Roe was listening to their conversations the entire time during detention (while pretending to be listening to music on headphones) and had already fed them a false lead regarding Brandy Mulligan. At this point, Roe appears and knocks out Swan with a baseball bat. Matt uses a chalkboard to ask Roe why he committed the murder, and Adam grabs him by the throat as Roe tells them that he was tired of being pushed around by people, so he "pushed back". Someone had apparently keyed Roe's car, and he'd seen Matt running away from the scene (Matt was innocent, though- he was running from the girl's locker room, where'd he'd been caught peeping). Roe then followed Matt into the toilets and saw Matt carving a symbol of his love for Christa. Roe assumed that Matt was writing yet another insult towards him, so he drowned Matt in a fury.

Renegade Mali soldiers seize presidential palace


The soldiers staged a mutiny against the government's handling of a rebellion in the country's north, which has displaced thousands of people.


Dozens of troops stormed the offices of the state radio and television broadcaster in the capital Bamako, firing off rounds inside the building.


Programs went off air after around 10 minutes of automatic gunfire, but returned within a few hours.


Crowds of youths, some cheering and burning tyres, gathered nearby.


"We now know it is a coup d'etat that they are attempting," a defence ministry official said, asking not to be named.


Calls for calm poured in from abroad as the United Nations, France and United States expressed alarm at the events unfolding.


Sustained gunfire rang out at the palace late on Wednesday (local time) and one of the mutineers told AFP the situation was "largely to our advantage on the ground at the palace".


Elite paratroopers known as the Red Berets had taken up positions around government buildings late in the afternoon, but were called back to defend the presidency, where an advisor to president Amadou Toumani Toure said earlier that the head of state was holed up.


Meanwhile, an independent source said President Amadou Toumani Toure, earlier holed up in the palace as shots were traded outside between the renegade soldiers and loyal guards, had managed to leave the premises.


On Wednesday, an adviser to Toure told AFP that the president was holed up inside the palace, under protection of his elite paratroopers unit known as "Red Berets," who took up position outside government buildings.


Also on Wednesday, renegade soldiers seized the state broadcasting station. Anger had erupted among the soldiers who say they are fed up with a lack of resources and proper weapons as they battle Tuareg insurgents waging a two-month-old war in the north of the country.


The Tuareg rebellion is part of a decades-old bid for independence, and this offensive, the first since 2009, was boosted by the recent return of heavily armed men who fought in Libya for slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi.


France and the US expressed alarm at the unfolding events and urged a peaceful resolution.


"The situation is currently unclear and unfolding quickly," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, urging US citizens to stay indoors.

Video speed trap lurks in new iPad


You'll love the blistering data speeds on the new iPad models with 4G wireless. What you may not love is how fast you could exhaust your monthly data allotment, or the cost of using that data when the preferred method of connecting, Wi-Fi, is unavailable.


Less than 24 hours after purchasing the Verizon Wireless version of the iPad + 4G — and choosing a $30, 2GB monthly data plan from Verizon — I was shocked by the notification on my iPad's screen: "There is no data remaining on your current plan."
My remaining options for the month included changing to a $50 5GB data plan or an $80 10GB plan. (AT&T offers a 250MB plan for $14.99; 3GB for $30; and 5GB for $50.)




The iPad's new high-resolution screen and fast connection are specifically designed to spur greater use of online video -- a long-stated goal for phone companies as well as technology purveyors such as Apple and Google.


Telecom companies in particular are banking on mobile video to drum up demand for their new, fourth-generation networks and create new revenue streams as they adjust to the smartphone age.


That means something has to give: either consumers will have to get used to paying more or wireless carriers will come under pressure to change their pricing models.


Verizon declined to comment on its pricing strategy, but said customers can pick higher-use plans or they can go easier on their data allotments by shifting to WiFi networks when they are available.


Those alternatives don't always line up well with what consumers want.


Albert Park, a 24-year-old working at a start-up in Austin, Texas, tapped into the WiFi network at a local cafe on Sunday to watch some YouTube videos on his iPad. The network turned out to be too slow for an uninterrupted stream, so Mr Park switched to the high-speed mobile network operated by his service provider, AT&T.


For the next hour, Mr Park watched concert videos and other clips and browsed social-media sites. On Tuesday, five days after getting the new iPad, he found he was already two-thirds of the way through his monthly allotment of 3 gigabytes of wireless data.


"I'll probably avoid watching videos outside my home," Mr Park concluded.


Such decisions set up a quandary for wireless carriers, which are rolling out multibillion-dollar high-speed networks that use a technology called LTE. The technology promises to boost mobile download speeds by 10 times compared with third-generation networks, making it almost purpose-built for mobile video.


Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, has the nation's biggest LTE network, covering an area with more than 200 million people. AT&T's LTE network covers 74 million people. Both carriers' LTE networks are still growing, and Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA -- which don't currently carry the iPad -- also have plans to build LTE networks.

FCC paves the way for a Dish 4G LTE network


Rather than connecting directly to telco networks via 3G-enabled tablets, users are avoiding the heavy price tag of these tablets and falling back on Wi-Fi models that make use of ubiquitous coverage in their area. According to research firm IDC's "A/NZ Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker" report, Wi-Fi-only tablets outdid Wi-Fi/3G tablets in the fourth quarter of last year in terms of the number of shipments.


Telstra appears to be betting on this trend to continue in the 4G space, with its 4G wireless hotspot that will launch next Tuesday for consumers. The hotspot provides users with the means to bring their Wi-Fi-only devices to the LTE network.


It is one of the only ways that owners of the new iPad will be able to connect to the faster LTE network, since the iPad doesn't currently support LTE out of the box due to a difference in spectrum bands across the globe.


IDC's report further pointed to the lack of low-priced tablets in the market as a reason for why people are purchasing Wi-Fi-only models.


Even though all the wireless operators who bought spectrum in the 700 MHz auction are using spectrum from the same band, they each use different pieces of it. Rural carriers tend to hold licenses in the lower half of the block, and AT&T also owns some of this spectrum thanks to its bandwidth deal with Qualcomm.
There are all kinds of potential interference issues in this lower portion of the spectrum. But regional carriers want the FCC to make sure that the chipsets for their services are compatible with chipsets for AT&T's service. Otherwise, these smaller carriers say they won't have the volume necessary for handset makers to make devices for their networks. It also means that their customers wouldn't be able to roam onto AT&T's network unless their devices had additional radio technology included.
AT&T has argued in the past that the interference issues are too great and that devices cannot be forced to use the same exact radio technology that will operate across the entire lower portion of the 700 MHz band of spectrum.
So the FCC is looking into whether there's a solution that settles AT&T's interference concerns while also ensuring that smaller carriers can offer competitive handsets and roaming.
AT&T said in a statement after the vote that it "welcomes this proceeding to the extent that it offers an opportunity to find real solutions to the real interference and deployment challenges in the band." But the carrier still claims that a mandatory interoperability requirement would be a mistake.
"Such mandates would be an unprecedented regulatory intrusion into a carrier's right to manage network and device deployment in a manner best suited to serve its customers," Joan Marsh, a vice president of regulatory affairs at AT&T, said in a statement.
Finally, the FCC took up a notice of inquiry from the NTIA, which is proposing to reallocate spectrum at 1695-1710 MHz from government to commercial use. This proceeding will help the FCC determine how it can best use this spectrum.

Jason Akermanis attacks 'nasty man' Jim Stynes, saying he was treated like a 'demigod'


In an explosive radio interview with Mix 92.7 FM on Queensland's Sunshine Coast today, the former three-time Premiership-winning player said the public outpouring of sympathy and grief at the passing of Stynes, who lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday, was "overkill.''


Stynes has been lauded as an inspirational player on and off the field, recognised for his youth work with the Reach Foundation.


He is expected to be honoured at a State funeral in Melbourne on Tuesday, before his ashes are returned to his home town in Ireland.


But Akermanis is unlikely to be among mourners, after telling breakfast hosts Mark Darin and Caroline Hutchinson Stynes "was a nasty man in his day. He had a nice turn of phrase and he made sure you knew how he felt.


In an explosive radio interview with Mix 92.7 FM on Queensland's Sunshine Coast today, the former three-time premiership player said the public outpouring of sympathy and grief at the passing of Stynes, who lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday, was "overkill.''


Stynes has been lauded as an inspirational player on and off the field, recognised for his youth work with the Reach Foundation.


He will be honoured at a state funeral in Melbourne on Tuesday, before his ashes are returned to Ireland.


But Akermanis is unlikely to be among mourners after telling breakfast hosts Mark Darin and Caroline Hutchinson that Stynes "was a nasty man in his day. He had a nice turn of phrase and he made sure you knew how he felt".


"What amazes me is yes, he was a legend of the game and did a great job and wonderful things with kids, but you know there are a bunch of people who have done just as much who don't get any recognition. I just think it's a bit out of kilter.


"He got a state funeral - do all football players get a state funeral? There's something about it all that just made me feel uncomfortable. Jim's good but is he that good?''

Man jailed for brutal bashing death of hairdresser

 David Patrick Clifford, 30, was on parole and on bail when he killed Elsa Corp in a South Melbourne hotel room on February 1, 2010.


Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth told a packed public gallery in the Supreme Court that Clifford inflicted horrific injuries while subjecting Ms Corp to a “prolonged, vicious attack, going on for perhaps an hour or so”.


More than 50 members, friends and supporters of the Corp family were in court to hear Justice Hollingworth sentence Clifford to a maximum of 23 years with a non-parole period of 19 years.




Most cheered and clapped when the judge announced the maximum term, but Ms Corp’s parents, Andy and Gilly, said outside court later they thought the sentence was “not enough”.


Mr Corp, a former UK policeman, said he “felt sick in the guts to hear exactly what happened, and so disappointed that a human being could sink to that level”.


The pair had been on a blind date when the hairdresser was brutally beaten to death before the hotel room was set on fire.
Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said Clifford's horrific attack on Ms Corp was severe and extended.
"The noises heard by witnesses, the nature and extent of the horrific injuries inflicted upon Ms Corp and the state of disarray of the hotel room all indicate that it was a prolonged, vicious attack, going on for perhaps an hour or so," Justice Hollingworth said.
After the sentence was read out, about 40 of Ms Corp's family and friends clapped and smiled, with calls of "scum bag" and "dog" directed at Clifford.

Charred human remains found at Traralgon house


Human remains have been found in a historic home that burnt down in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley this morning.
The 150-year-old house in Hickox Street, Traralgon was completely destroyed by the blaze, a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
She said the Country Fire Authority had contacted police just before 4.30am to notify them that a body may be in the burning house.
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A CFA spokeswoman said it had taken firefighters about 10 minutes to control the blaze and initially firefighters believed the homestead was unoccupied.


Fire crews were called to the 150-year-old homestead, about 18km east of Morwell, about 2.15am to find it engulfed in flames.


The house was gutted by the fire, which investigators suspect was deliberately lit.


Investigators are attempting to identify the remains and are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000

Jason Akermanis attacks late Jim Stynes


In an explosive radio interview with Mix 92.7 FM on Queensland's Sunshine Coast today, the former three-time premiership player said the public outpouring of sympathy and grief at the passing of Stynes, who lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday, was "overkill.''


Stynes has been lauded as an inspirational player on and off the field, recognised for his youth work with the Reach Foundation.


He will be honoured at a state funeral in Melbourne on Tuesday, before his ashes are returned to Ireland.


Melbourne’s Brad Green tweeted "Aker, you are a tosser!!! Show respect", Carlton’s  Brock McLean said "Jason Akermanis... Show some respect. Regardless of how you feel, never speak ill of the dead.


Lowest of lows." Richmond legend Matthew Richardson said "I think Aker may have finally done his dash. #low"


Stunned by the reaction Akermanis told Melbourne’s Herald Sun that he had been taken out of context.


"People die all the time,” he said.


"I saw my mum die of cancer in the exact same way and she was as human as anybody else. Jimmy dying is sad, but give me a break. My mum was great lady too but she wasn't pure.


"Jim was a human being like anybody else full of good things and bad things.”


"I'm not bagging the guy, I'm just saying he was a human being.”


 Akermanis said he admired Stynes competitiveness as a player.


"When I knew him he was competitive and nasty and brutal. He wanted to win and would do anything to do it.