Jun 12
2011

MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KKCO) – The phrase get your goat is taking on a whole new meaning here in the Grand Valley as a group of kids has been keeping local residents and authorities busy all week

Its a week Randy Spoon wont soon forget. Monday night, as he watched TV with his friends at their Fruita home, an unexpected visitor butted in.

All of a sudden we heard something, it sounded like knocking on the door, said Spoon. We peaked out the window. It was kind of late and it was raining outside. We thought it was a dog.

Instead, when they opened the door, they found a goat, likely looking for a way to get out of the rain.

Only in Fruita would a goat knock on a door in the middle of a subdivision, laughed Spoon.

But oddly enough, it wasnt the only place this week where Grand Valley residents had close encounters of the goat kind. The next day, Clifton Elementary was hosting its annual family BBQ when two female goats crashed the party.

They must have heard how great Clifton was as a school and that we were free food at the family BBQ, said Valerie Lambdin, a teacher at Clifton Elementary.

Staying true to her job title, Lambdin agreed to take care of the kids until the Mesa County Sheriffs could locate their owner.

No, I didnt expect to go to a BBQ and come home with two goats, laughed Lambdin.

The Mesa County Sheriffs Office says it sees incidents like these more frequently than you might think — albeit, most of them are in the more rural areas of the county.

Its just part of the case load, said Heather Benjamin, spokesperson for the Mesa County Sheriffs Office.

When it comes to livestock at large, officials say nine times out of ten, a damaged fence or gate is the culprit.

It can be a challenge for us if we cannot reunite the animal with its proper owner, said Benjamin. Thats why you should tag it somehow if you can, microchip it, and make sure fences are done well, that theyre solid, and you have locks — whatever you need to do to keep your animals in.

If you see livestock roaming somewhere they dont belong, you should call the Mesa County Sheriffs Office rather than Mesa County Animal Control. Under state law, animal control can only handle incidents that involve domestic animals like cats and dogs.

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Jun 12
2011

The episode underscores the need for more cyber security at both
individual and corporate levels.

After learning of an intrusion April 19, Sony suspended its
PlayStation Network, for gaming and movies; Qriocity, its on-demand
music service; and Sony Online Entertainment, its PC and Facebook
gaming division, a company spokesman said. The company emailed
customers that hackers had had access to personal data, such as
names, addresses and phone numbers. The three services reportedly
had an estimated 100 million registered accounts.

Investigators could not rule out whether credit card
information had been accessed, Kazuo Hirai, head of Sonys games
division, wrote May 4 in response to a congressional inquiry into
the cyber attack. As of that date, no major credit card companies
had reported fraudulent transactions directly related to the
attack, Hirai wrote.

Now Sony faces the unenviable task of trying to restore the
faith of the millions whose personal information and, in some
cases, credit card numbers were taken. It has been apologizing all
over itself about the breach and doing its best to bring the
networks back online, mostly because its most popular multiplayer
games cant operate without it.

In a May 14 video statement on the official PlayStation blog,
Hirai expressed my sincere regret for the inconvenience this
incident has caused you.

He acknowledged concerns about potential identity theft and
outlined Sonys response. We have greatly upgraded our data
security systems, he said, noting increased firewalls and levels
of encryption, among other things. What this means for you, our
customers, is greater protection.

Sony has offered to enroll all of its PlayStation and Qriocity
customers, for free, in an identity theft protection plan. It also
has offered them free games and other goodies to re-up for its
products and services.

Its a good idea to accept the free protection. However, anyone
who wants to re-enroll in the PlayStation Network will need to
download a product patch and pick a new password (obviously.)

If I were using any kind of online gaming service, I would:

– Never use a debit card. A compromised debit card offers
immediate access to your linked account. A thief can clean you out
before you even know what hit you. If you dont believe in credit
cards, whose companies often monitor shopping transactions, go buy
a refillable credit card at a convenience store. If that account is
ever stolen or compromised, only the amount on the card is
lost.

– Use a strong password that mixes numbers, letters and special
characters. Keep your password secure; dont write it down — at
least electronically — and dont make it easy to guess.

– Have a special account just for gaming, using a refillable
card or one with a very low credit limit. If it is compromised,
your exposure — and any losses — will be limited. Even if you are
careful, the company itself can be hacked, as was the case with
Sony, one of the worlds biggest brands.

Lastly, check your credit report once a year (free) at
annualcreditreport.com.

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Jun 12
2011

The Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins to snap an eight-game losing streak in the Twin Cities and give them their first win at Target Field in eight tries.

Before Friday night, the Rangers last win in Minnesota was August 29, 2009 at the Metrodome. The victory gave the Rangers a split in the first two games of the four-game road series.

The Rangers piled up seven runs in the second inning, their most productive inning of the season. They sent 11 batters to the plate and produced six hits while getting a little help from two Twins errors. Previously, the Rangers had scored six runs in an inning on four occasions.

One out after a leadoff walk to Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli singled to center field and the ball was bobbled by Twins center fielder Jason Repko. The error allowed Beltre to score and Napoli advanced to second base. Then, Yorvit Torrealba drove home Napoli with a single to left. Andres Blanco reached when shortstop Alexi Casilla misplayed a grounder. The error put runners on first and third for Elvis Andrus. who delivered a RBI single to center field.

Craig Gentry delivered a RBI single to center field. Repkos throw to home plate was in time, but the tag was not as Blanco slid in safely. After Josh Hamilton struck out, Michael Young, who was 4 for his last 40, delivered an opposite-field single to right field to drive in two runs. Beltre continued the inning with a RBI double to right field. All of this was done against LHP Brian Duensing who did not see the third inning.

In the fourth inning, Beltre collected his second RBI of the night with a single to center for an 8-1 Rangers lead. With one out in the sixth, Young added his third single of the night and drove in Gentry to make it 9-2.

Rangers starter CJ Wilson pitched seven innings. He allowed three runs (all earned), eight hits, walking three and striking out one. Those three runs were scattered over three innings, and two of the runs were driven in by the Nos. 8 and 9 batters in the Twins lineup. Wilson is 3-0 in his last four starts.

*Mike Napoli had a 0-for-13 stretch end with a second-inning single. He was 2-for-5.

*Yorvit Torrealba has a five-game hitting streak (10-for-19).

*Entering the game, Michael Young was 4-for-39 in nine June games. He was 3-for-5 with three singles and three RBIs.

*Nelson Cruz had a perfect throw from right field to third base to record a 9-5 double play as Beltre applied the tag on Michael Cuddyer, who had tried to tag up from second base on Delmon Youngs flyout in the third inning. Thats the fourth outfield assist for Cruz this season.

*Ron Washington opted for a lineup feature mostly righties against Duensing. Mitch Moreland, who has a nine-game hitting streak (.371, 13-for-35), was on the bench.

*Ian Kinsler is scheduled to rejoin the Rangers for Saturdays game. He has missed three games on paternity leave. Andres Blanco made his first start at second base this season in his place.

Follow Bryan Dolgin on Twitter.

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Trackback  •  Posted in Game  


Jun 12
2011

The company emailed customers that hackers had had access to personal data, such as names, addresses and phone numbers. The three services reportedly had an estimated 100 million registered accounts.

Investigators could not rule out whether credit card information had been accessed, Kazuo Hirai, head of Sonys games division, wrote May 4 in response to a congressional inquiry into the cyber attack. As of that date, no major credit card companies had reported fraudulent transactions directly related to the attack, Hirai wrote.

Now Sony faces the unenviable task of trying to restore the faith of the millions whose personal information and, in some cases, credit card numbers were taken.

It has been apologizing all over itself about the breach and doing its best to bring the networks back online, mostly because its most popular multiplayer games cant operate without it.

In a May 14 video statement on the official PlayStation blog, Hirai expressed my sincere regret for the inconvenience this incident has caused you.

He acknowledged concerns about potential identity theft and outlined Sonys response. We have greatly upgraded our data security systems, he said, noting increased firewalls and levels of encryption, among other things. What this means for you, our customers, is greater protection.

Sony has offered to enroll all of its PlayStation and Qriocity customers, for free, in an identity theft protection plan. It also has offered them free games and other goodies to re-up for its products and services.

Its a good idea to accept the free protection. However, anyone who wants to re-enroll in the PlayStation Network will need to download a product patch and pick a new password (obviously.)

If I were using any kind of online gaming service, I would:

Never use a debit card. A compromised debit card offers immediate access to your linked account. A thief can clean you out before you even know what hit you. If you dont believe in credit cards, whose companies often monitor shopping transactions, go buy a refillable credit card at a convenience store. If that account is ever stolen or compromised, only the amount on the card is lost.

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