Saturday, 1 December 2012

Man killed father in Wyoming bow-and-arrow attack

Casper Police Chief Chris Walsh answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, detailing Friday's killings at Casper College and Hawthorne Avenue. Walsh said Saturday that 25-year-old Christopher Krumm, of Vernon, Conn., first stabbed 42-year-old Heidi Arnold about two miles southwest of Casper College on Friday morning. Krumm then went to the college and shot his father, 56-year-old computer science instructor James Krumm, in the head with the bow-and-arrow in front of a group of students before stabbing himself with a large knife. Walsh says the younger Krumm smuggled the weapon into the classroom under a blanket. (AP Photo/The Casper Star-Tribune, Alan Rogers) MANDATORY CREDIT; TRIB.COM

Casper Police Chief Chris Walsh answers questions during a news conference, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, detailing Friday's killings at Casper College and Hawthorne Avenue. Walsh said Saturday that 25-year-old Christopher Krumm, of Vernon, Conn., first stabbed 42-year-old Heidi Arnold about two miles southwest of Casper College on Friday morning. Krumm then went to the college and shot his father, 56-year-old computer science instructor James Krumm, in the head with the bow-and-arrow in front of a group of students before stabbing himself with a large knife. Walsh says the younger Krumm smuggled the weapon into the classroom under a blanket. (AP Photo/The Casper Star-Tribune, Alan Rogers) MANDATORY CREDIT; TRIB.COM

Police investigate the scene of a homicide in front of a house on Hawthorne Ave. in Casper on Friday, Nov. 30, 2012, in Casper, Wyo. The body of the victim was visible by neighbors for several hours. A man wielding a sharp-edged weapon killed one person in this Casper neighborhood Friday before killing a male teacher and himself in front of students in a community college classroom, causing a campus-wide lockdown as authorities tried to piece together what happened. (AP Photo/Dan Cepeda, Casper Star-Tribune) MANDATORY CREDIT; TRIB.COM

Casper Police Chief Chris Walsh answers questions Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 in Casper, Wyo. during a press conference detailing Friday's killings at Casper College and Hawthorne Avenue. Walsh identified the victims as Jim Krumm, 56, and his girlfriend Heidi Arnold, 42, both of whom were professors at Casper College. The assailant was identified as Chris Krumm, 25, who was the son of Jim Krumm. Police say Chris Krumm stabbed Arnold to death outside her home on Hawthorne Avenue, then killed his father and himself inside a college classroom where students were present. (Alan Rogers, Star-Tribune) MANDATORY CREDIT; TRIB.COM

Casper police leave the Wold Physical Science Building while investigating a murder and suicide at Casper College, Friday Nov. 30, 2012, in Casper, Wyo. Two people were killed by a sharp object, according to Casper police. The attacker then killed himself. A man wielding a sharp-edged weapon killed one person in a Casper neighborhood Friday before killing a male teacher and himself in front of students in a community college classroom, causing a campus-wide lockdown as authorities tried to piece together what happened. (AP Photo/Dan Cepeda, Casper Star-Tribune) MANDATORY CREDIT; TRIB.COM

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead speaks with reporters Friday evening, Nov. 30, 2012 after meeting with Casper College President Walter Nolte and Casper Police Chief Chris Walsh at the college in Casper, Wyo. A man wielding a sharp-edged weapon killed one person in a Casper neighborhood Friday before killing a male teacher and himself in front of students in a community college classroom, causing a campus-wide lockdown as authorities tried to piece together what happened. (AP Photo/Casper Star-Tribune, Alan Rogers) MANDATORY CREDIT TRIB.COM

(AP) ? Police released more details Saturday of a grisly murder-suicide at a Wyoming community college, saying a man shot his father in the head with a bow and arrow in front of a computer science class not long after fatally stabbing his father's live-in girlfriend at their home a couple of miles away.

Computer science instructor James Krumm, 56, may have saved some of his students' lives Friday by giving them time to flee while trying to fend off his son, Christopher Krumm, 25, of Vernon, Conn., Casper Police Chief Chris Walsh said.

"I can tell you the courage that was demonstrated by Mr. Krumm was absolutely without equal," he said, adding that his actions could offer some measure of comfort to those affected by the killings.

Walsh said police still were trying to figure out what motivated Christopher Krumm to attack his father and girlfriend, 42-year-old Heidi Arnold, a math instructor at the college. Arnold was found stabbed to death in front of the home she shared with James Krumm.

After shooting his father with the arrow, Christopher Krumm stabbed himself, then fatally stabbed his father in the chest in a struggle in the classroom, Walsh said.

Police arrived to find James Krumm dead and Christopher Krumm barely living; the younger Krumm died soon after students fled in a panic. Authorities locked down the campus for two hours.

Police began getting reports about the attack on Arnold soon after they responded by the dozen to the campus attack.

Christopher Krumm had smuggled the compound bow ? a type much more powerful and effective for hunting than a simple, wooden bow ? onto campus beneath a blanket, Walsh said.

He said Christopher Krumm also had two knives with him, and the knife used was "very large."

"It's one of those situations you don't think is going to come home. It's not going to happen here," Walsh said.

Arnold died of multiple stab wounds. Her body was found in the gutter of her street, and evidence suggested much of the attack occurred outside the home, Walsh said.

Heather Meier, who lives across the street, said she came home from work Friday afternoon after picking up her 7-year-old daughter from school, and the two saw Arnold's body still lying in the street.

"As soon as we got home, we just shut the curtains," she said. "You know, tried to just watch some TV, have some snacks, mind our own business."

Meier, who has lived in the neighborhood for two years, said she met Arnold and James Krumm only once a few months ago and described the couple as very private.

"They were kind of different. Really quiet. Nothing really to say to anybody," she said Saturday. Outside her home, crime tape cordoned off Krumm and Arnold's faded blue and yellow home and part of the street.

Christopher Krumm, who had no significant history of encounters with police, had recently driven to Casper from Connecticut and had been staying at a local hotel.

Police were uncertain what went awry in Christopher Krumm's relationship with his father.

"It's difficult to say. I don't think it was very close," Walsh said.

Meanwhile in Vernon, Conn., police Sgt. Timothy O'Connor said officers executed a search warrant at Christopher Krumm's last known address Friday to help investigators in Casper. He didn't know what investigators were looking for or may have found at the residence.

"Whatever was recovered will be turned over to Wyoming because it is an active investigation," O'Connor said.

Christopher Krumm's previous addresses include one in the western Massachusetts city of Springfield and others in the Colorado cities of Golden, Fort Collins and Lakewood.

Casper, population 56,000, is about 250 miles northwest of Denver and Wyoming's second-largest city after the state capital, Cheyenne. Wyomingites refer to Casper as the "Oil City" because it is a hub of the state's oil industry.

Casper College is one of seven colleges in Wyoming's community college system. The campus was mostly quiet Saturday morning. Fathers and sons shot hoops in the school gym. A small group of drama students rehearsed a play in the school theater just across the street from the attack.

The building where the attack happened remained cordoned off by police tape that whipped in a brisk wind. A security guard let students back in, one at a time, to retrieve belongings they'd left behind.

Andra Charter, a 20-year-old sophomore, emerged with a coffee mug. She recalled hearing screams outside her biology class before getting word about what had happened.

"As we were walking out, there was a girl screaming, 'There's somebody stabbing Mr. Krumm!'" Charter said.

No students were hurt in the attack.

James Krumm was head of the college's computer science department. He was born north of London and also spent part of his childhood in Germany, according to the college website.

He held degrees from Casper College, a bachelor's degree and MBA from the University of Wyoming and a master's in computer science from Colorado State University.

Arnold held a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Oregon and a bachelor's degree in math from University of California Davis.

The college planned a candlelight vigil and memorial service Tuesday.

___

Associated Press writers Rodrique Ngowi in Boston and Thomas Peipert in Denver contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-12-01-Wyoming%20College%20Killing/id-9ee25ad1689342cea3edec10f1f69eab

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ARRL CEO interviewed by Urgent Communications Mag

In an Urgent Communications Magazine interview the ARRL's Dave Sumner K1ZZ attributed the increased popularity in Ham Radio in part to the do-it-yourself movement that is sweeping the country.

Glenn Bischoff of Urgent Communications magazine took the opportunity to interview the ARRL CEO Dave Sumner K1ZZ while he was visiting New York.

Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, is quoted as saying "The perception is that we're stuck in the Sixties," he said. "But the number of licenses continues to grow. In fact, this is the sixth straight year of growth."

He attributed the increased popularity in part to the do-it-yourself movement that is sweeping the country ? if you doubt this, then spend some time surfing your cable or satellite system's program guide. According to Sumner, DIY clubs are popping up from coast to coast.

Read the Urgent Communications K1ZZ story at
http://urgentcomm.com/blog/singing-praises-unsung-heroes

2010 Diana Eng KC2UHB joins ARRL Public Relations Committee
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2010/diana_eng_joins_arrl.htm

2011 The DIY Magic of Amateur Radio released
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/december2011/
the_diy_magic_of_amateur_radio_released.htm

Source: http://www.southgatearc.org/news/december2012/arrl_ceo_interviewed_by_urgent_communications_mag.htm

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Senators push Obama to propose clean gasoline rules

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of Democratic senators on Thursday will urge the Obama administration to propose rules to cut smog-forming emissions from gasoline, regulations opposed by many Republicans.

The lawmakers, led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, want the Environmental Protection Agency to propose rules that would slash the sulfur content in gasoline this year and to finalize them next year.

"Tier 3 will substantially reduce harmful pollutants that are responsible for health-related ailments such as heart attacks, premature death, asthma attacks and other chronic lung diseases," Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said in a letter obtained by Reuters that will be sent to President Barack Obama later on Thursday.

The rules, which had been expected to be proposed early in 2012, would require the sulfur content of gasoline to be cut to 10 parts per million, down from the current 30 ppm standard. Republican lawmakers have opposed the rules saying they would add costs to refiners and put jobs at risk.

The American Petroleum Institute, the main energy industry lobbying group, has said the rules could increase operating costs for refiners by up to 9 cents a gallon.

Ed Whitfield, a Republican from Kentucky in the House of Representatives, introduced a bill this year to stop the EPA from issuing the rules.

The EPA, however, has testified before Congress the price of cleaner gasoline would be closer to a penny a gallon, and even those costs would be greatly surpassed by savings in healthcare bills from reductions in lung-harming smog.

The senators quoted in the letter a study released in June by Navigant Consulting that said the rules could reduce health care costs by $5 billion or $6 billion a year by 2020 and double that by 2030.

Stephen Brown a vice president for government affairs at oil refiner Tesoro Corp, was blunt about his company's opinion about the impact of clean air rules on the economy.

"If more EPA regulations created jobs in America, then this administration would be looking at zero percent unemployment instead of the roughly 8 percent level we currently struggle with."

The senators said in the letter the rules would create over 30,000 new jobs over three years for installation and operation of equipment at the nation's oil refineries.

The letter signed by 13 senators include Dick Durbin, a close Obama ally from Illinois, Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Oregon's Jeff Merkley.

A health advocate hoped the pressure would push the clean gasoline rules forward.

"This letter should send a strong signal to EPA and the White House that this should be a high priority, not something stuck in the bowels of the bureaucracy," said Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch.

Before the election early this month, the Obama administration delayed several rules on emissions and oil and natural gas operations.

Now, the administration will likely roll out rules, many of which have been required by court orders, analysts say.

(Additional reporting by Erwin Seba in Houston; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and M.D. Golan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-push-obama-propose-clean-gasoline-rules-110726837.html

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Email Opened on Apple Devices Could Hack Your Router

As we get ready to flip the calendar to December, I?ve been getting and seeing a lot of 2013 predictions. I haven?t begun to glimpse at them yet ? I prefer to wait until we?re a little closer to the end of the year ? but I do wonder if (or how much) mention will be given to security threats to Apple devices. To me, 2012 seemed like the year of the Mac Attack, the year when Apple began appearing frequently in security stories, and not in a good way. So it is fitting that as the year begins to wind down, I see another security story that involves an iOS vulnerability. This one involves email opened on Apple devices and routers. According to InformationWeek:

Security researcher Bogdan Calin identified the cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability after noticing that by default, all Apple devices are set to load remote images -- meaning images that haven't been sent with the email. "A malicious user can send you an email with an embedded 1x1 pixel image with the background color of your email client, so it is not visible," he said in a blog post. "The email client will load this image from a remote server."

How does this involve the router? With the exploit, the attacker will have the ability to change the router?s DNS settings. The new setting is directed to a server controlled by the attacker. This can allow the attacker to ?listen? in all of the Internet traffic on the router or allow click-jacking scams.

And, not surprisingly, it is all made possible because of what has become the weakest link in security: the password. In explaining why this attack works at all, PC Magazine stated:

Many people don't change the default password because it doesn't occur to them that a malicious user can gain access to that interface, Calin said, noting that even those who do change it frequently select a weak password.

I thought it was strange that this was a problem that appears to affect only Apple devices, but Calin also explained that it could just as easily affect Google and Gmail. A typical phishing scheme will work, he said, and as InformationWeek pointed out:

Although Gmail doesn't load remote images by default -- users must click a button to do so -- if remote images from a sender are downloaded once, Gmail will automatically download them from the same sender in the future.

Luckily, the fix this time is fairly easy: Change the defaults. Don?t use the default password for your router. Don?t use the automatic loading of remote images. Or, basically, don?t depend on the passive security for any of your hardware.

Source: http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/data-security/email-opened-on-apple-devices-could-hack-your-router.html

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Greater email privacy won't hinder law enforcement

2 hrs.

A Senate bill to protect the privacy of electronic communications won't keep federal agents from combing through your inbox if they believe a crime has been committed, legal experts say. Federal and state authorities still will have a robust set of tools to track down lawbreakers even as these officials oppose changes supported by a broad coalition of technology companies and public interest groups.

The legislation, which the Senate Judiciary Committee was expected to consider Thursday, would update a 26-year-old law by requiring police to obtain a search warrant from a judge before accessing the content of all emails and other private information from Google, Yahoo and other Internet providers. Under the current law, the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, a warrant is needed only for emails less than 6 months old.

Supporters of the bill, sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., say the changes are necessary to overhaul a law that is outdated in an era of cloud computing, cheaper electronic storage, social networking and wireless phones. Such advances in technology have dramatically increased the amount of stored communications in ways no one anticipated a quarter of a century ago.

The Justice Department has resisted the changes. The associate deputy attorney general, James Baker, urged the committee last year to consider the adverse impact on criminal and national security investigations if a warrant were the only means for law enforcement officials to obtain emails and other digital files.

But setting the bar higher doesn't prevent law enforcement agencies from doing their jobs, according to current and former prosecutors, judges and attorneys who specialize in privacy issues. Federal law enforcement authorities in four Midwestern and Southern states have been working with the more demanding warrant requirement since 2010 after an appeals court ruled warrantless access to emails was unconstitutional. To get a warrant, a judge must have proof of probable cause that a crime is being committed.

"I don't see anything (in the Senate bill) that's going to seriously concern law enforcement in terms of our ability to request warrants and to get the contents of the material that we need," said Joseph Cassilly, the state's attorney in Harford County, Md., and a former president of the National District Attorneys Association. "Since you've already got to get warrants for the stuff that's less than 180 days, it's obviously not an insurmountable standard."

Nor does the legislation weaken other methods used by law enforcement for collecting electronic information. A subpoena signed by a federal prosecutor ? not a judge ? will continue to be sufficient for obtaining routing data from third-party Internet providers that can identify the sender of an email and the location where the message was sent.

Police also can use what is known as a "D order" to get the "to" and "from" addresses of an email, but not the contents. These orders must be issued by a judge, but the agency seeking one need only show there is reasonable suspicion of a crime ? a lower legal standard than probable cause.

In a Nov. 21 letter to Leahy, 30 former federal and state prosecutors and judges said the bill would provide "a much needed judicial check on when the government can access our private digital information." Concerns that the bill would keep law enforcement from acting quickly during emergencies are unfounded, they added, because the Senate bill does not change a provision in the existing law that compels third-party providers to give the government information in situations where lives are at risk or children are being exploited or abused.

Digital Due Process, a wide-ranging coalition that includes Google, Microsoft and Twitter, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, has mounted a public relations campaign supporting the Senate bill. The coalition says updating the law will clear the "murky legal landscape" for companies and consumers alike and provide the proper safeguards for the vast amounts of information stored in server farms.

There's money at stake, too. The global market for cloud computing via the Internet is estimated to be $240 billion by 2020. But the Business Software Alliance, a coalition member that represents Apple, Intel and Microsoft, said U.S. cloud providers are at a disadvantage unless online privacy and security laws are changed. If consumers aren't sure their information is being properly protected on the remote, networked computer servers that make up the cloud, they'll take their business elsewhere.

Use of the law has been interpreted inconsistently by the courts, further fuel for those pushing for an overhaul. In a 2010 decision, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled that an Ohio businessman's constitutional rights were violated when federal investigators obtained thousands of his emails without warrants. Now investigators in states covered by the 6th Circuit ? Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee ? must obtain warrants for all emails. But that's not the law in other federal circuits.

In the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers California, Washington, Oregon and six other Western states, judges ruled that a search warrant was required for both opened and unopened email, but only if left on a server for less than 180 days. The Justice Department has argued that a search warrant is required for unopened email left on a server for less than 180 days, but not for opened email less than 180 days old.

The decisions mean different rules apply depending where an investigation begins. How should emails be treated if a case starts in Pennsylvania and the messages are stored on a server in California, the hub for Google, Yahoo and other major Internet businesses?

"It's very confusing," said Hanni Fakhoury, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco. "Law enforcement will never admit this, but a uniform search warrant standard is easier for them."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/greater-email-privacy-wont-hinder-law-enforcement-1C7316741

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Top 25 Tech of 2012

25. Microsoft Surface

It took a while, but Microsoft blasted into the tablet market with Surface, which is not quite a tablet, nor is it a computer. In fact, it's a PC in tablet's clothing. While it's not perfect yet, we called it "the tablet for Windows fans." It won?t win over Apple iPad owners, but for all those who hate Apple, find Android confusing and underwhelming, and are ready to enter the world of touchscreen computing, this is the alternative you?ve been waiting for. Photo via Windows

Click here to view this gallery.

[More from Mashable: iPhone 5, iPad Mini and iPad 4 All Coming to China]

In a year punctuated by groundbreaking gadgetry, brand-new design and innovative technological achievement, how on earth do you go about picking the 25 best of 2012? For me, it was made easier by my weekly Top 10 Tech columns, pinpointing the innovations and products I thought were the most future-forward and world-changing.

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Tech This Week

[More from Mashable: 10 Ambitious iPhone Apps, Accessories for Your Workout]

Each one of the devices, designs and ideas in the gallery above showed me something that can change the world, something that's different from anything that came before, or a product that has taken past ideas and refined them to an extraordinary level. So after sifting through hundreds of possibilities, here are my picks for the top 25 tech of 2012.

Photo via iStockphoto, courtneyk

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/top-25-tech-2012-103042201.html

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Reality check! TV genre fans neurotic, extroverts

By Courtney Hazlett, TODAY

Ratings show us that Americans hunger for reality TV about as much as Honey Boo Boo?s family craves their infamous ketchup-and-butter-topped ?sketti.? But while we think we?ve come to know the people on the small screen in shows as varied as ?Teen Mom? and ?Deadliest Catch,? what do we know about the viewers who regularly tune in??

TODAY.com surveyed nearly 19,000 people and found those who watch reality TV consider themselves more extroverted, more neurotic, and say that they have lower self-esteem than folks who aren?t fans of the genre.

AP (2), Getty Images

Three big stars of reality TV who generate a fair share of viewer reaction are, from left, Honey Boo Boo, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, and Kim Kardashian.

Although both watchers and non-watchers of the genre report relatively high levels of self-esteem, the survey revealed that some viewers actively turn to reality shows to make them feel better about their own lives.

Feeling untidy because of those couple of dishes left in the sink? That?s nothing compared to what you?ll see on A&E?s ?Hoarders.?

"That?s clearly about schadenfreude?-- taking pleasure in the misfortune of others,? psychiatrist and frequent TODAY contributor Dr. Gail Saltz says. ?On the one hand, what?s wrong with feeling a little better about your house when you see someone on TV with a mess and 50 cats? On the other, it?s not a helpful defense mechanism when you have your own things going on that you should be attending to.?

Seventy percent of reality TV fans reported being extroverts compared to 59 percent of non-watchers. And 24 percent of those viewers considered themselves neurotic, compared to only 14 percent of non-watchers, the survey revealed.

?Extroverts are people who gain a lot of what they want from the outside world. Obviously watching someone else?s world is exactly that,? Saltz said. ?Neurotic people tend to be worried about how others will judge them. Then you have ?Here Comes Honey Boo Boo? -- here?s the family who?s the epitome of ?we don?t care.? That would be an enjoyable thing to watch for a person who?s walking around thinking ?I have to think about what people say.??

As one fan of the show wrote: ?It?s totally hysterical. I laugh the whole time. They have absolutely no embarrassment about anything they do and show you can be happy with very little. Sweet people.? Gross ... but sweet.?

Watching people pick through piles of garbage on ?Hoarders? may seem like a considerable decline in the evolution of the reality genre ? especially for those who grew up on the simple joy of ?Survivor.? But while competition shows certainly paved the way for unscripted programming, the TODAY survey was focused on shows like ?Real Housewives? and ?Teen Mom? -- a subset of programming where there?s no elimination along the way and no prize at the end.?

So what else did the survey tell us about the genre so many publicly snicker at, but privately watch?

  • ?Deadliest Catch??-- chronicling the high-seas adventures of crab fishermen -- is the most popular show among men, which might not come as a surprise. But the second-most popular among men? The ?Real Housewives? franchise.
  • ?Keeping Up With the Kardashians? and the ?Real Housewives? franchise were the two most popular shows among women.
  • Women are more likely than men to watch reality programming (49 percent of women versus 24 percent of men.)
  • Younger people were much more likely to watch: 19- 29-year-olds made up 70 percent of respondents.?

And sorry, Snooki, but shows like "Jersey Shore" support the concept that some reality TV leaves viewers are appalled but unable to look away. ?I like watching the train wreck,? was the common refrain.

But the allure of the train wreck only goes so far. For as pervasive as the programming seems to be, there are plenty of people not watching, and they?re not afraid to say exactly why.

?I think reality show(s) are the stupidest thing ever created for TV and a blight on society,? a non-viewer said in the survey. ?I believe [reality TV] is contributing to the dumbing down of our country and promotes bad and immoral behavior,? said another.

While there?s ample opportunity on some shows to watch pretty awful behavior, that doesn?t mean that it?s taking down civilization as a whole, one uncouth incident at a time.

Julie Klausner, who recaps ?Real Housewives of New Jersey? and ?Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? for New York magazine, said, ?I know a lot of smart people who watch ?Housewives? and ?Honey Boo Boo,? and we all have a very specific sense of status, which is, we know when it's not OK to laugh at somebody, and when it makes sense to root for them.?

Regardless of whether you think reality television can be painted with a single brush, either good or bad, the truth is millions of people continue to tune in. In 2011, ?Jersey Shore? was the most-watched cable series on television, averaging 9.3 million viewers per episode. Each new episode of ?Here Comes Honey Boo Boo? draws about a million viewers, and that number doesn?t count the number of people who watch (or re-watch) the reruns.

The laws of television programming -- if it rates, run it -- reign supreme. Until that kind of viewing trend changes, the genre probably isn?t going away.

But that doesn?t mean the makers of such programming are in a hurry to talk it up. Numerous reality TV producers and executives for the networks that run the shows were asked to comment about TODAY?s survey findings. Everyone declined.

We who watch might be as much to blame as the people who participate in the shows. David Frederick, professor of psychology at Chapman University and consultant on the TODAY survey, points out that ?we are likely hardwired to seek out information on how other people deal with conflicts, family, friends and mating.?

?Reality TV provides one source of information regarding what makes some people more susceptible to being manipulated, what makes them more prestigious, and how to survive in dangerous situations,? Frederick said. ?These shows appeal to?a very basic human need for information about social relationships.?

Decades ago, the social relationships before us -- on television at least -- might have come from the family sitcom, but the days of ?Leave it to Beaver? and even ?Friends? are long behind us. For now, for better or worse, that torch has been passed.

So for the Kardashians, the various real housewives, and you, too, ?Giuliana and Bill? -- you have our attention. Behave wisely.

Want to defend your reality-TV-watching habit, or take issue with the genre? Join the discussion on Facebook.

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/11/29/15459956-reality-check-for-reality-tv-fans-youre-more-neurotic?lite

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