Top 10 Retro Games

Those stilted graphics. The funky sound effects. Unforgiving game play. How did you manage to sit through these games all those years ago?

While most retro games have slipped into the too-outdated-to-play-anymore pile, here are a bunch of oldies that are as much fun today as they were when they first came out.

10: Tetris (Various)

When Alexey Pajitnov first created this game in 1984, he couldn’t have known how Tetris would change the face of gaming forever.

This game needs no introduction. It has become so ingrained in our society that 27 years later, young children are familiar with the name and we still give it a whirl sometimes during the long train ride home.

9: Bubble Bobble (Arcade)

If you were a kid in the 80s, you would remember feeding arcade machines with your lunch money just to pop those damn bubbles.

Created by Taito, this classic has given birth to many spin-off thats follow its basic skeleton.

8: Tyrian (Various)

Tyrian is a shoot 'em up with a complex plot. You play the role of Trent Hawkings, this galaxy's ace solo fighter-pilot, whose luck forces him to save the galaxy, one time after another. Again and again, Trent must fight off MicroSol, a company with the evil intent of taking over the galaxy.

Through your struggles, you will find yourself again and again betrayed by friends and allies, your parents will be killed and you will have to return to points you've already been to (with variations on the levels) in order to remove further threats to the galaxy and to yourself, all for the ultimate goal of overthrowing MicroSol.

7: Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Master System/Game Gear)

If you asked a group of 10 people what is a hedgehog, about 6 of them will answer Sonic.

The blue lightning bolt took side-scrolling gaming to a whole new level. Running around collecting rings and jumping on robots never seemed so fun.

6: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

LttP set standards for adventure games that many still try to achieve today.

The Light and Dark worlds allowed for some interesting game play, where the player can only progress by accomplishing ‘mirror’ objectives in both worlds. On top of that, it has its fair share of tricky puzzles and epic boss battles, putting it on our list and in our hearts.

5: Crash Bandicoot (PS)

Crash Bandicoot was one of the first games every created for the PlayStation. It was the first time may of us were introduced to Crash. We fell in love with his quirkiness and loyalty to his girlfriend, Tawna, almost instantly.

Even though Crash has gone on to cart racing and the like, he will always be best remembered smashing crates and running from boulders.

4: Pacman (Arcade)

You know a game is good when 31 years later pirate programmers don’t change a thing about it.

Pacman is a landmark in video game history and succeeded in creating a completely new genre of video games. It has the highest brand awareness of any video game character. Its legend will forever be preserved in the Smithsonian, where it is one of only three video games on display.

3: Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation)

While FF7 was by no means the first role-playing game to hit the market, it was the first time many of us entered the world of Final Fantasy.

From the depth of character customization to the storyline to the game soundtrack, it gave birth to a cult movement.

Even today, fan boys routinely dress up as Cloud for comic conventions and full grown men shed a sad tear when remembering Aeris’ untimely death.

2: Street Fighter (Arcade)

SF was the first competitive fighting game and started the worldwide cry of ‘Hadoken!’.

While the idea of an international martial arts tournament whose characters consist of ninjas, kung-fu experts and professional killers seem strange, SF ensues hours and hours of button-mashing fun.

1: Super Mario Bros (NES)

Topping our list is the world’s most beloved Italian plumber. We have gone through years and years of helping him through the different worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Toadstool.

And I don’t think we’ll be getting sick of that anytime soon.

The face of Nintendo has popularized phrases like ‘power ups’ and ‘1-Up’ and even inspired modern remixes of chip music based on the game, sealing his place as #1 in our hearts.

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US Hit by Tornado

Shocked Americans struggled Thursday to grasp the magnitude of the worst US tornadoes in decades, which carved a trail of destruction across the south, claiming at least 295 lives.
Communities like Alabama Governor Robert Bentley's small hometown of Tuscaloosa were virtually wiped off the map and officials warned the body-count would rise as rescuers uncover more dead amid the debris.
Disbelief was written on faces across eight states crippled by the ferocious spring storms -- the deadliest tornado tragedy to strike the United States since 310 people were killed in 1974.


Scene: Deadly tornadoes rip apart life in southern US

Recalling the more recent horror of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, families picked through the remains of homes, businesses and schools, bearing witness to scenes of devastation more common in war zones or after earthquakes.
The toll reached 195 in Alabama and President Barack Obama said he would travel to the worst-hit state on Friday for a first-hand look at the unfolding human tragedy.
"The loss of life has been heartbreaking, especially in Alabama," Obama said at the White House, describing the disaster as "nothing short of catastrophic."
The storms "took mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors -- even entire communities," he said, vowing to rush federal assistance to those most in need.
States of emergency were declared from central Oklahoma to Georgia on the eastern seaboard and governors called out the National Guard -- including 2,000 troops in Alabama -- to help with the rescue and clean-up operations.
"We had a major catastrophic event here in Alabama with the outbreak of numerous long-track tornadoes," said Governor Bentley, who declared a major disaster for the state, where up to a million people were left without power.
Emergency responders searched through toppled trees, twisted billboards and ruined homes for signs of life, while thousands of survivors prepared to spend the night in makeshift shelters.
"There were direct hits on two towns, Hackleburg and Dadeville," National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist in Alabama, John De Block, told AFP.
Most of the homes in Hackleburg, population 1,500, were built on slab foundations and "the slabs have been swept clean in several locations," he said, adding that colleagues told him the town was "90 percent destroyed."
Focus: Tornadoes whipped up by wind, not climate
More than 160 tornadoes were reported on Wednesday alone and if more than 148 are confirmed that would set a new record for a 24-hour period, surpassing the so-called "Super Outbreak" in 1974.

In Tuscaloosa, population around 100,000, an AFP journalist witnessed entire blocks of the small town obliterated. In addition to 36 confirmed fatalities there were at least 600 people injured and dozens unaccounted for.
"Infrastructure has been absolutely devastated," Mayor Walter Maddox told CNN. "When you look at this path of destruction, likely five to seven miles (eight to 11 kilometers) long and half a mile to a mile wide, I don't know how anyone survived.
"There are parts of this city I don't recognize," he added.
It was also a dark day for Birmingham, Alabama's largest city with more than a million residents. Mayor William Bell spoke of "whole neighborhoods of housing, just completely gone. Churches, gone. Businesses, gone."
Incredulous Birmingham residents assessing the damage were counting their blessings at having survived, while others were distraught over the loss of their loved ones or homes.
"There were two-by-fours (wooden beams) falling out of the sky," convenience store manager Jack Welch said, adding "there were well over 30 homes destroyed" just behind his store.
The overall toll includes 34 deaths in Tennessee, 32 in Mississippi, 14 in Georgia, 12 in Arkansas, five in Virginia, two in Missouri, and one in Kentucky, according to state officials contacted by AFP.
Facts: Deadliest tornado days in US history
"Oh my God, our town is in pieces," said Tim Holt, a clerk at a local hotel in Ringgold, Georgia. "We saw the funnel cloud coming and I ran into the bathroom with my wife and daughter. It's an 80 percent loss in our town."
Several eastern states were still on tornado and severe thunderstorm alert Thursday, while another major storm system was forecast to bring heavy rain and high winds on Saturday.

Source: AFP News

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Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

Before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, many women notice vague symptoms, but dismiss them as something else, like menopause or PMS. If these symptoms persist, they cannot be ignored -- they need to be evaluated by a doctor.

Ovarian cancer is such a deadly form of cancer because it's a disease that can quietly develop and not give bold, immediately noticeable symptoms. Learn the symptoms of ovarian cancer today!
A few common ovarian cancer symptoms include:

Lower back pain:
The back pain occurs in the lower back and often feels like a dull ache. Some women describe it as feeling like labor pains.

Abdominal swelling and bloating:
Abdominal swelling and bloating is one of the more common symptoms of ovarian cancer. It is also a symptom that is most ignored. The bloating may be so bad that one can't button their pants, or even have to go up a size.

Pelvic pain:
Pelvic pain is pain or pressure felt anywhere in the abdomen below the navel. It may be intermittent or constant. Many women describe pelvic pain as a dull ache that may include sharp pains as well. Pelvic pain can be accompanied by other symptoms, like abnormal vaginal bleeding, lower back pain, and vaginal discharge. Being aware of other symptoms can be important clues in discovering the source of the pelvic pain.

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Guest List of the Royal Wedding

Clarence House has released a list of guests who are confirmed as attending the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. The list is not complete:

Members of the Royal Family
The Queen
The Duke of Edinburgh
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
Prince Harry
The Duke of York
Princess Beatrice of York
Princess Eugenie of York
The Earl and Countess of Wessex
The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence
Peter Phillips and his wife, Autumn
Zara Phillips and her fiance Mike Tindall
Viscount Linley and Viscountess Linley
Charles Armstrong-Jones
Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto
Samuel Chatto
Arthur Chatto
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
The Earl and Countess of Ulster
Lady Davina and Gary Lewis
Lady Rose and George Gilman
The Duke and Duchess of Kent
Earl and Countess of St Andrews
Lord Downpatrick
Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor
Lady Amelia Windsor
Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor
Lady Helen Taylor and Timothy Taylor
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor
Lady Gabriella Windsor
Princess Alexandra, Lady Ogilvy
Mr and Mrs James Ogilvy
Marina Ogilvy
Lady Saltoun
Members of Foreign Royal Families
The Prince and Princess of the Asturias
Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium
The Sultan of Brunei and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha
King Simeon II and Queen Margarita of Bulgaria
The Queen of Denmark
King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes
Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece and Prince Constantine of Greece
Sheikh Ahmad Hmoud Al-Sabah of Kuwait
Prince Seeiso Bereng Seeiso and Princess Mabereng Seeiso of Lesotho
The Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia
Prince Albert II of Monaco and Miss Charlene Wittstock
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
The Crown Prince and Princess of The Netherlands
The King and Queen of Norway
Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of Oman
The Emir of The State of Qatar and Sheika Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned
King Michael I of Romania and Crown Princess Margarita
Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Princess Fadwa bint Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman
The Queen of Spain
The King of Swaziland
The Crown Princess of Sweden and The Duke of Vastergotland
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
The King of Tonga
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia
The Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia
Dignitaries
The Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda
The Governor-General of Australia and His Excellency Mr Michael Bryce
The Governor-General of The Bahamas and Lady Foulkes
The Governor-General of Barbados
The Governor-General of Belize and Lady Young
The Governor-General of Canada and Mrs David Jonhnston
The Governor-General of Jamaica
The Governor-General of New Zealand and Lady Satyanand
The Governor-General of Papua New Guinea and Mrs Michael Ogio
The Governor-General of the Solomon Islands and Lady Kabui
The Governor-General of St Christopher and Nevis
The Governor-General of St Lucia
The Governor-General of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Lady Ballantyne
The Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard and Tim Matheison
The Prime Minister of The Bahamas Hubert Ingraham and Delores Miller
The Prime Minister of Barbados Freundel Stuart
The Prime Minster of New Zealand John Key and Bronagh Key
The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Lade Somare
The Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Stephenson King and Rosalia Nestor King
The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves and his wife
The Premier of Bermuda Paula Cox and Germain Nkeuleu
The Premier of The British Virgin Islands Ralph O'Neal and his wife
The Premier of the Cayman Islands McKeeva Bush and Kerry Bush
Sharon and Rodney Halford (Falkland Islands)
The Chief Minister of Gibraltar Peter Caruana and his wife
The Chief Minister of Montserrat Reuben Meade and the Reverend Doctor Joan Delsol Meade
John and Vilma Cranfield (St. Helena)
Members of government, Parliament and devolved administrations
Prime Minister David Cameron and Samantha Cameron
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Miriam Gonzalez Duantez
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague and Ffion Hague
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Frances Osborne
Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor Kenneth Clarke and Gill Clarke
Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities Theresa May and Philip May
Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt and his wife, Lucia
Labour leader Ed Miliband and Justine Thornton
Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow and Sally Bercow
The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales and the Lady Elis-Thomas
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament Alex Fergusson and his wife
The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly William Hay and his wife
The Lord Speaker Lady Hayman and Martin Hayman
First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and his wife, Lisa
First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson and Iris Robinson
First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and Moira Salmond
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Marina Wheeler
The Lord Mayor and The Lady Mayoress
Sir Gus and Lady O'Donnell
The Lord Mayor of Westminster and Count Paolo Filo della Torre
Mr and Mrs Simon Fraser
Representatives from the Church and other Faiths
The Most Reverend Gregorios, Archbishop of the Greek Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and his wife
Rabbi Anthony Bayfield
Anil Bhanot
The Archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal Archbishop Sean Brady
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, The Most Reverend David Chillingworth
The Right Reverend John Christie, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Malcolm Deboo President, Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe
The Rt Reverend Doctor Norman Hamilton
The Archbishop of Armagh, The Most Reverend Alan Edwin Harper
Monsignor Philip Kerr, The Convener, Action of Churches Together in Scotland
Commissioner Elizabeth Matear, Salvation Army
The Archbishop of Wales, The Most Reverend Doctor Barry Morgan
The Reverend Gareth Morgan Jones, President of the Free Church Council of Wales
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-Connor
The Archbishop of Westminster, The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols
Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh
Rabbi Alan Plancey
Imam Mohammad Raza
The Chief Rabbi (Lord Sacks)
The Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, Acting Head Monk, The London Buddhist Vihara
Maulana Syed Raza Shabbarm, Muhammadi Trust
Mr Natubhai Shah, President, the Jain Academy
Dr Indarjit Singh, Director, Network Sikh Organisations (UK)
Canon Christopher Tuckwell
The Reverend Martin Turner
The Archbishop of York John Sentamu and his wife
Senior Members of the Defence Services
Major General and Mrs William Cubitt, Major General Commanding Household Division and GOC London District
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen and Lady Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff
General Sir Nicholas and Lady Houghton
Air Vice-Marshal David and Mrs Murray, Defence Services Secretary
General Sir David and Lady Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff
Admiral Sir Mark and Lady Stanhope, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff
General Sir Peter and Lady Wall, Chief of the General Staff
Other guests
These are celebrities or people who have an official link to the couple. All have been invited with their spouses or partners if married or in a civil partnership.
David Allan, chairman of Mountain Rescue, England and Wales. Prince William has been patron of the organisation since 2007.
Major Tom Archer-Burton, Prince William and Prince Harry's Commanding Officer in the Household Cavalry. He also led the Burnaby Blue expedition to southern Africa - an African community project supported by Sentebale, in which Prince Harry was involved.
Charlie Mayhew, chief executive of the Conservation Charity, Tusk Trust.
Alison Moore-Gwyn, chief executive of Fields in Trust.
Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint.
Peter Cross, chief executive of the charity SkillForce, of which Prince William has been Patron since 2009.
Amanda Berry, chief executive of Bafta. Prince William has been president of Bafta since 2010.
Ann Chalmers, chief executive of the Child Bereavement Charity. Prince William has been Patron of the Charity since 2009.
Julia Samuel, chair of the Child Bereavement Charity and also a family friend of Prince William. Prince William has been Patron of the Charity since 2009.
Tessa Green, chairman of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Prince William became President of The Royal Marsden in May 2007 having undertaken two days of work experience there in 2005.
Simon Johnson, worked closely with Prince William as Chief Operating Officer of the FA's 2018 World Cup bid.
Sir Trevor Brooking, Football Association's Director of Football Development.
Sir Clive Woodward, former coach of the England Rugby Team and the British and Irish Lions.
Gareth Thomas, met the prince several times in his role as Vice Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Ian Thorpe, Australian Olympic swimmer who met the prince on a visit to Australia in 2010.
Barty Pleydell-Bouverie, led the Cycle of Life charity bike ride across Africa in 2008, which raised money for the Tusk Trust.
Rear Admiral Ian Corder, Rear Admiral of Submarines. Prince William was appointed Commodore-in-Chief of Submarines by The Queen in 2006.
Brigadier Ed Smyth-Osbourne, Prince William and Prince Harry's Commanding Officer in the Household Regiment and acted as their military mentor.
Major William Bartle-Jones, Prince William's Squadron Leader in the Household Cavalry Regiment based at Windsor.
Wing Commander Steven Bentley, Prince William's Search and Rescue Force Squadron Leader at RAF Valley, Anglesey.
Sergeant Keith Best, colleague of Prince William's at RAF Valley, in Anglesey, North Wales.
Squadron Leader Paul Bolton, colleague of Prince William's at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales.
Wing Commander Kevin Marsh, met Prince William through his service in the RAF.
Lance-Corporal Martyn Compton, from the Household Cavalry. He was injured in an ambush in Afghanistan in 2006.
Holly Dyer, sister to 2nd Lieutenant Joanna Dyer, who was killed by a bomb in Iraq in 2007. Joanna was a close friend of Prince William's at Sandhurst.
Susie Roberts, the widow of Major Alexis Roberts, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2007. Major Alexis Roberts was Prince William's Platoon Commander at Sandhurst.
Bryn and Emma Parry, founders of the charity Help for Heroes to assist wounded service men and women.
Edward Gould, Master of Marlborough College when Miss Middleton was a student.
Andrew Gailey, Vice-Provost of Eton College, who was Prince William's Housemaster.
Edward Dawson-Damer, ex-Irish Guards officer, who was Equerry to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in the 1980s.
Sam Stevenson, Prince William's New Zealand equerry during his visit to the country in July 2005.
Sir John Major, appointed a guardian to Prince William and Prince Harry with responsibility for legal and administrative matters when Diana died in 1997.
Rowan Atkinson, close friend of The Prince of Wales.
Tom Bradby, journalist known both Prince William and Miss Middleton for some time.
Ben Fogle, television presenter and adventurer and has met Prince William on a number of occasions.
Sir Elton John, performer who sang at Diana's funeral.
David and Victoria Beckham, have met the prince as President of the Football Association, on a number of occasions.
Guy Ritchie, friend of Prince William and Miss Middleton.
Joss Stone, singer.
Mario Testino, photographer who took Prince William and Miss Middleton's official portrait photographs to mark their engagement.
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, friend of The Prince of Wales and his family.
Sam Waley-Cohen, amateur jockey and a friend of Prince William and Miss Middleton.
Galen Weston, friend of the Prince of Wales and his family.

See also: Wedding Schedule

Watch the Royal Wedding Live at CNN

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The Royal Wedding Schedule

The following schedule of royal wedding events is in Eastern Standard Time.

3:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m. -- The morning of April 29 will start with an announcement from the Queen's office stating the titles that Prince William and Kate Middleton will take.

3:15 a.m. -- General wedding guests will start showing up at Westminster Abbey. These guests will enter the church through the Great North Door.

4:50 a.m. -- VIPs, such as Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Countries under the Commonwealth of England, Diplomatic Corps and distinguished guests, arrive at Westminster Abbey. They will enter the church through the West Door.


5:10 a.m. -- Prince William and best man, Prince Harry, depart Clarence House.

5:15 a.m. -- Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at Westminster Abbey.

Follow Prince William's Wedding Route to Westminster Abbey

5:20 a.m. -- Members of foreign royal families, including Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince Felipe and

Princess Letizia of Spain, arrive at the church.

5:20 a.m. -- Kate's mother Carole Middleton and brother James Middleton, depart the Goring Hotel.

5:27 a.m. -- Carole and James Middleton arrive at Westminster Abbey.

5:30 a.m. -- Members of the Royal Family begin arriving at the Abbey.

5:38 a.m. -- Father of the groom, Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, depart Clarence House.

5:40 a.m. -- Prince Andrew (uncle of the groom) and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie; Princess Anne (aunt of the groom), and her husband; Prince Edward (uncle of the groom) and his wife, arrive at Westminster Abbey and enter church through the West Door.


5:40 a.m. -- Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip depart Buckingham Palace.

5:40 a.m. -- Prince William and Prince Harry will move into St. Edmunds Chapel until moments before the royal wedding begins.

5:42 a.m. -- Prince Charles and Camilla arrive at the Abbey.

5:45 a.m. -- Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are the last guests to arrive at Westminster Abbey.

5:48 a.m. -- Kate's bridesmaids and William's pageboys depart the Goring Hotel.

5:51 a.m. -- Kate Middleton, accompanied by her father, will depart the Goring Hotel in a 1978 Rolls-Royce from the royal state car collection and make her way to Westminster Abbey.

5:55 a.m. -- Bridesmaids and pages arrive at the church.

5:58 a.m. -- The bride, Kate Middleton, who will be officially be known as Catherine, and her father Michael arrive at Westminster Abbey.

6 a.m. -- The ceremony begins. The service is set to last just over an hour and will include vows and a sermon delivered by the Bishop of London, private clergyman to the queen.

7:15 a.m. -- Prince William and the new Princess Catherine will depart Westminster Abbey, by carriage, and process to Buckingham Palace. The carriage carrying the bride and groom will be followed by 4 other carriages carrying their bridal party, parents and Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Leave a Message for Kate and William in the Royal Guestbookr

7:30 a.m. -- The Bride and Groom arrive at the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace.

7:40 a.m. -- Members of the royal family, foreign royal families, and other reception guests begin arriving at Buckingham Palace.

8:25 a.m. -- The married couple reappear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with the Queen and their families for 10 minutes.

8:30 a.m. -- The Royal Air Force, where Prince William serves as a search-and-rescue pilot, will perform a flyover.

See also: Prince William & Kate

Watch the Royal Wedding Live at CNN

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NY case Wi-Fi privacy dangers

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Lying on his family room floor with assault weapons trained on him, shouts of "pedophile!" and "pornographer!" stinging like his fresh cuts and bruises, the Buffalo homeowner didn't need long to figure out the reason for the early morning wake-up call from a swarm of federal agents.
That new wireless router. He'd gotten fed up trying to set a password. Someone must have used his Internet connection, he thought.
"We know who you are! You downloaded thousands of images at 11:30 last night," the man's lawyer, Barry Covert, recounted the agents saying. They referred to a screen name, "Doldrum."
"No, I didn't," he insisted. "Somebody else could have but I didn't do anything like that."
"You're a creep ... just admit it," they said.
Law enforcement officials say the case is a cautionary tale. Their advice: Password-protect your wireless router.
Plenty of others would agree. The Sarasota, Fla. man, for example, who got a similar visit from the FBI last year after someone on a boat docked in a marina outside his building used a potato chip can as an antenna to boost his wireless signal and download an astounding 10 million images of child porn, or the North Syracuse, N.Y., man who in December 2009 opened his door to police who'd been following an electronic trail of illegal videos and images. The man's neighbor pleaded guilty April 12.
For two hours that March morning in Buffalo, agents tapped away at the homeowner's desktop computer, eventually taking it with them, along with his and his wife's iPads and iPhones.
Within three days, investigators determined the homeowner had been telling the truth: If someone was downloading child pornography through his wireless signal, it wasn't him. About a week later, agents arrested a 25-year-old neighbor and charged him with distribution of child pornography. The case is pending in federal court.
It's unknown how often unsecured routers have brought legal trouble for subscribers. Besides the criminal investigations, the Internet is full of anecdotal accounts of people who've had to fight accusations of illegally downloading music or movies.
Whether you're guilty or not, "you look like the suspect," said Orin Kerr, a professor at George Washington University Law School, who said that's just one of many reasons to secure home routers.
Experts say the more savvy hackers can go beyond just connecting to the Internet on the host's dime and monitor Internet activity and steal passwords or other sensitive information.
A study released in February provides a sense of how often computer users rely on the generosity — or technological shortcomings — of their neighbors to gain Internet access.
The poll conducted for the Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry group that promotes wireless technology standards, found that among 1,054 Americans age 18 and older, 32 percent acknowledged trying to access a Wi-Fi network that wasn't theirs. An estimated 201 million households worldwide use Wi-Fi networks, according to the alliance.
The same study, conducted by Wakefield Research, found that 40 percent said they would be more likely to trust someone with their house key than with their Wi-Fi network password.
For some, though, leaving their wireless router open to outside use is a philosophical decision, a way of returning the favor for the times they've hopped on to someone else's network to check e-mail or download directions while away from home .
"I think it's convenient and polite to have an open Wi-Fi network," said Rebecca Jeschke, whose home signal is accessible to anyone within range.
"Public Wi-Fi is for the common good and I'm happy to participate in that — and lots of people are," said Jeschke, a spokeswoman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that takes on cyberspace civil liberties issues.
Experts say wireless routers come with encryption software, but setting it up means a trip to the manual.
The government's Computer Emergency Readiness Team recommends home users make their networks invisible to others by disabling the identifier broadcasting function that allows wireless access points to announce their presence. It also advises users to replace any default network names or passwords, since those are widely known, and to keep an eye on the manufacturer's website for security patches or updates.
People who keep an open wireless router won't necessarily know when someone else is piggybacking on the signal, which usually reaches 300-400 feet, though a slower connection may be a clue.
For the Buffalo homeowner, who didn't want to be identified, the tip-off wasn't nearly as subtle.
It was 6:20 a.m. March 7 when he and his wife were awakened by the sound of someone breaking down their rear door. He threw a robe on and walked to the top of the stairs, looking down to see seven armed people with jackets bearing the initials I-C-E, which he didn't immediately know stood for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"They are screaming at him, 'Get down! Get down on the ground!' He's saying, 'Who are you? Who are you?'" Covert said.
"One of the agents runs up and basically throws him down the stairs, and he's got the cuts and bruises to show for it," said Covert, who said the homeowner plans no lawsuit. When he was allowed to get up, agents escorted him and watched as he used the bathroom and dressed.
The homeowner later got an apology from U.S. Attorney William Hochul and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Lev Kubiak.
But this wasn't a case of officers rushing into the wrong house. Court filings show exactly what led them there and why.
On Feb. 11, an investigator with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees cybersecurity enforcement, signed in to a peer-to-peer file sharing program from his office. After connecting with someone by the name of "Doldrum," the agent browsed through his shared files for videos and images and found images and videos depicting children engaged in sexual acts.
The agent identified the IP address, or unique identification number, of the router, then got the service provider to identify the subscriber.
Investigators could have taken an extra step before going inside the house and used a laptop or other device outside the home to see whether there was an unsecured signal. That alone wouldn't have exonerated the homeowner, but it would have raised the possibility that someone else was responsible for the downloads.
After a search of his devices proved the homeowner's innocence, investigators went back to the peer-to-peer software and looked at logs that showed what other IP addresses Doldrum had connected from. Two were associated with the State University of New York at Buffalo and accessed using a secure token that UB said was assigned to a student living in an apartment adjacent to the homeowner. Agents arrested John Luchetti March 17. He has pleaded not guilty to distribution of child pornography.
Luchetti is not charged with using his neighbor's Wi-Fi without permission. Whether it was illegal is up for debate.
"The question," said Kerr, "is whether it's unauthorized access and so you have to say, 'Is an open wireless point implicitly authorizing users or not?'
"We don't know," Kerr said. "The law prohibits unauthorized access and it's just not clear what's authorized with an open unsecured wireless."
In Germany, the country's top criminal court ruled last year that Internet users must secure their wireless connections to prevent others from illegally downloading data. The court said Internet users could be fined up to $126 if a third party takes advantage of their unprotected line, though it stopped short of holding the users responsible for illegal content downloaded by the third party.
The ruling came after a musician sued an Internet user whose wireless connection was used to download a song, which was then offered on an online file sharing network. The user was on vacation when the song was downloaded

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