April 30th
It is a beautiful sunny morning and we are supposed to get up into the 60s today. Fingers crossed.
Knitting continues on the Garter Stitch Coat. I’m getting to the end of the collar.
PS Publishing just released Dearest’s The City In These Pages as an ebook.
http://www.pspublishing.co.uk/the-city-in-these-pages-eshort-by-john-grant-955-p.asp
Have a wonderful day.
Recommended Reading/Viewing - *
Voting Rights Uprising: Activists in Three States Help GOP's Targets Get Voter ID
http://www.alternet.org/story/155142/voting_rights_uprising%3A_activists_in_three_states_help_gop%27s_targets_get_voter_id?akid=8677.308485.lQm9o6&rd=1&t=2
10 Constituent Groups Mitt Romney Would Screw Over
http://www.alternet.org/story/155146/10_constituent_groups_mitt_romney_would_screw_over?akid=8677.308485.lQm9o6&rd=1&t=21
Social Security, Healthcare, and the Fallacy of Consumer ‘Choice’
http://mikethemadbiologist.com/2012/04/29/social-security-healthcare-and-the-fallacy-of-consumer-choice/
ILO warns global employment situation is 'alarming'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17890575
Big Changes in Ocean Salinity Intensifying Water Cycle
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/04/warming-climate-driving-huge-salinity-and-water-cycle-changes-ocean
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/04/mad-cow-bse-milk
Private Prison Corporations Are Modern Day Slave Traders
http://www.alternet.org/story/155199/private_prison_corporations_are_modern_day_slave_traders?akid=8678.308485.ei7lch&rd=1&t=12
Mission Creep at the TSA: From Airport Groping to Bag Checks and Roadblocks
http://www.alternet.org/story/155201/mission_creep_at_the_tsa%3A_from_airport_groping_to_bag_checks_and_roadblocks?akid=8678.308485.ei7lch&rd=1&t=27
*
Fish farming in a high-rise world
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17861710
Experts call for basking shark awareness
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17846524
Peru investigates deaths of more than 500 pelicans
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17890174
Australia expected to list koalas as endangered species
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17869228
Goths descend on UK seaside town of Whitby
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17885655
'Brake gene' turned off in pancreatic cancer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17870315
The non-existent tags
weather, knitting, global warming, environment, politics, Repugs, scumbags, animals, particle physics, women’s right, people, voting rights, health
Change the world one loan at a time - visit http://www.Kiva.org to find out how
Tell Congress to kill the spying bill
http://act2.freepress.net/sign/cispa/?akid=3439.8914983.CSB8AV&rd=1&t=4
Speak out against Cispa.
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/cispa_passes/?referring_akid=a6011357.655732.0qveIX&source=auto-taf
and, another one:
http://www.democrats.com/stop-cispa
Action List - *petitions worthy of your signature*
What is Facebook thinking?
They've signed on in support of CISPA -- the new bill that would obliterate online privacy, give the military crazy new abilities to spy on the Internet, and potentially let ISPs block sites and cut off users accused of piracy.
The Center for Democracy and Technology says, "CISPA has a very broad, almost unlimited definition of the information that can be shared with government agencies and it supersedes all other privacy laws."
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
An ISP could even interpret this bill as allowing them to block accounts believed to be infringing, block access to websites like The Pirate Bay believed to carry infringing content, or take other measures provided they claimed it was motivated by cybersecurity concerns.
Internet users were able to push GoDaddy to withdraw its support of SOPA. Now it's time to make sure Facebook knows we're furious.
Please tell Facebook to withdraw its support for CISPA. Just click here:
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/cispa_facebook/?referring_akid=a5633197.655732.P4NEOz&source=auto-taf
They just won’t quit!
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States.
And CISPA would provide a victory for content owners who were shell-shocked by the unprecedented outpouring of activism in opposition to SOPA and Internet censorship.
The House of Representatives is planning to take up CISPA later this month. Click here to ask your lawmakers to oppose it.
http://act.demandprogress.org/act/cispa/?referring_akid=a5550025.655732.d09mLN&source=auto-e
SOPA was pushed as a remedy to the supposed economic threat of online piracy -- but economic fear-mongering didn't quite do the trick. So those concerned about copyright are engaging in sleight of hand, appending their legislation to a bill that most Americans will assume is about keeping them safe from bad guys.
This so-called cyber security bill aims to prevent theft of "government information" and "intellectual property" and could let ISPs block your access to websites -- or the whole Internet. Don't let them push this back-door SOPA. Click here to demand that your lawmakers oppose CISPA.
CISPA also encourages companies to share information about you with the government and other corporations. That data could then be used for just about anything -- from prosecuting crimes to ad placements. And perhaps worst of all, CISPA supercedes all other online privacy protections.
Please click here to urge your lawmakers to oppose CISPA when it comes up for a vote this month.
http://act.demandprogress.org/act/cispa/?referring_akid=a5550025.655732.d09mLN&source=auto-e
Another important petition
They still just don't get it. Chris Dodd -- the head of the Hollywood Lobby -- is bragging that he's working on a new insider deal to push through SOPA-like legislation. This comes just days after the White House released a new report urging Congress to crack down on piracy.
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/new_sopa/ ?akid=1303.655732.9VVMkM&rd=1&t=4
He had this exchange with the Hollywood Reporter this week:
THR: Are there conversations going on now?
Dodd: I'm confident that's the case, but I'm not going to go into more detail because obviously if I do, it becomes counterproductive.
THR: Did you feel personally blindsided by Obama over SOPA?
Dodd: I'm not going to revisit the events of last winter. I'll only say to you that I'm confident he's using his good relationships in both communities to do exactly what you and I have been talking about.
Hollywood and Obama should've learned by now:
No form of censorship will be acceptable to Internet users, and we're fed up with corrupt, back-room deals that are driven by the rich and well-connected. And any major Internet policy changes should be negotiated in the light of day, so the millions of people who'd be affected can have their say too.
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/new_sopa/ ?akid=1303.655732.9VVMkM&rd=1&t=4
Right now, the US Congress is sneaking in a new law that gives them big brother spy powers over the entire web -- and they're hoping the world won't notice.
Over 100 Members of Congress are backing a bill (CISPA) that would give private companies and the US government the right to spy on any of us at any time for as long as they want without a warrant. This is the third time the US Congress has tried to attack our Internet freedom. But we helped beat SOPA, and PIPA -- and now we can beat this new Big Brother law.
Our global outcry has played a leading role in protecting the Internet from governments eager to monitor and control what we do online. Let's stand together once again -- and beat this law for good. Sign the petition then forward to everyone who uses the Internet!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_cispa/?cl=1703349459&v=13514
Knitting continues on the Garter Stitch Coat. I’m getting to the end of the collar.
PS Publishing just released Dearest’s The City In These Pages as an ebook.
http://www.pspublishing.co.uk/the-city-in-these-pages-eshort-by-john-grant-955-p.asp
Have a wonderful day.
Recommended Reading/Viewing - *
Voting Rights Uprising: Activists in Three States Help GOP's Targets Get Voter ID
http://www.alternet.org/story/155142/voting_rights_uprising%3A_activists_in_three_states_help_gop%27s_targets_get_voter_id?akid=8677.308485.lQm9o6&rd=1&t=2
10 Constituent Groups Mitt Romney Would Screw Over
http://www.alternet.org/story/155146/10_constituent_groups_mitt_romney_would_screw_over?akid=8677.308485.lQm9o6&rd=1&t=21
Social Security, Healthcare, and the Fallacy of Consumer ‘Choice’
http://mikethemadbiologist.com/2012/04/29/social-security-healthcare-and-the-fallacy-of-consumer-choice/
ILO warns global employment situation is 'alarming'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17890575
Big Changes in Ocean Salinity Intensifying Water Cycle
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/04/warming-climate-driving-huge-salinity-and-water-cycle-changes-ocean
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/04/mad-cow-bse-milk
Private Prison Corporations Are Modern Day Slave Traders
http://www.alternet.org/story/155199/private_prison_corporations_are_modern_day_slave_traders?akid=8678.308485.ei7lch&rd=1&t=12
Mission Creep at the TSA: From Airport Groping to Bag Checks and Roadblocks
http://www.alternet.org/story/155201/mission_creep_at_the_tsa%3A_from_airport_groping_to_bag_checks_and_roadblocks?akid=8678.308485.ei7lch&rd=1&t=27
*
Fish farming in a high-rise world
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17861710
Experts call for basking shark awareness
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17846524
Peru investigates deaths of more than 500 pelicans
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17890174
Australia expected to list koalas as endangered species
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17869228
Goths descend on UK seaside town of Whitby
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17885655
'Brake gene' turned off in pancreatic cancer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17870315
The non-existent tags
weather, knitting, global warming, environment, politics, Repugs, scumbags, animals, particle physics, women’s right, people, voting rights, health
Change the world one loan at a time - visit http://www.Kiva.org to find out how
Tell Congress to kill the spying bill
http://act2.freepress.net/sign/cispa/?akid=3439.8914983.CSB8AV&rd=1&t=4
Speak out against Cispa.
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/cispa_passes/?referring_akid=a6011357.655732.0qveIX&source=auto-taf
and, another one:
http://www.democrats.com/stop-cispa
Action List - *petitions worthy of your signature*
What is Facebook thinking?
They've signed on in support of CISPA -- the new bill that would obliterate online privacy, give the military crazy new abilities to spy on the Internet, and potentially let ISPs block sites and cut off users accused of piracy.
The Center for Democracy and Technology says, "CISPA has a very broad, almost unlimited definition of the information that can be shared with government agencies and it supersedes all other privacy laws."
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
An ISP could even interpret this bill as allowing them to block accounts believed to be infringing, block access to websites like The Pirate Bay believed to carry infringing content, or take other measures provided they claimed it was motivated by cybersecurity concerns.
Internet users were able to push GoDaddy to withdraw its support of SOPA. Now it's time to make sure Facebook knows we're furious.
Please tell Facebook to withdraw its support for CISPA. Just click here:
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/cispa_facebook/?referring_akid=a5633197.655732.P4NEOz&source=auto-taf
They just won’t quit!
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, would obliterate any semblance of online privacy in the United States.
And CISPA would provide a victory for content owners who were shell-shocked by the unprecedented outpouring of activism in opposition to SOPA and Internet censorship.
The House of Representatives is planning to take up CISPA later this month. Click here to ask your lawmakers to oppose it.
http://act.demandprogress.org/act/cispa/?referring_akid=a5550025.655732.d09mLN&source=auto-e
SOPA was pushed as a remedy to the supposed economic threat of online piracy -- but economic fear-mongering didn't quite do the trick. So those concerned about copyright are engaging in sleight of hand, appending their legislation to a bill that most Americans will assume is about keeping them safe from bad guys.
This so-called cyber security bill aims to prevent theft of "government information" and "intellectual property" and could let ISPs block your access to websites -- or the whole Internet. Don't let them push this back-door SOPA. Click here to demand that your lawmakers oppose CISPA.
CISPA also encourages companies to share information about you with the government and other corporations. That data could then be used for just about anything -- from prosecuting crimes to ad placements. And perhaps worst of all, CISPA supercedes all other online privacy protections.
Please click here to urge your lawmakers to oppose CISPA when it comes up for a vote this month.
http://act.demandprogress.org/act/cispa/?referring_akid=a5550025.655732.d09mLN&source=auto-e
Another important petition
They still just don't get it. Chris Dodd -- the head of the Hollywood Lobby -- is bragging that he's working on a new insider deal to push through SOPA-like legislation. This comes just days after the White House released a new report urging Congress to crack down on piracy.
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/new_sopa/ ?akid=1303.655732.9VVMkM&rd=1&t=4
He had this exchange with the Hollywood Reporter this week:
THR: Are there conversations going on now?
Dodd: I'm confident that's the case, but I'm not going to go into more detail because obviously if I do, it becomes counterproductive.
THR: Did you feel personally blindsided by Obama over SOPA?
Dodd: I'm not going to revisit the events of last winter. I'll only say to you that I'm confident he's using his good relationships in both communities to do exactly what you and I have been talking about.
Hollywood and Obama should've learned by now:
No form of censorship will be acceptable to Internet users, and we're fed up with corrupt, back-room deals that are driven by the rich and well-connected. And any major Internet policy changes should be negotiated in the light of day, so the millions of people who'd be affected can have their say too.
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/new_sopa/ ?akid=1303.655732.9VVMkM&rd=1&t=4
Right now, the US Congress is sneaking in a new law that gives them big brother spy powers over the entire web -- and they're hoping the world won't notice.
Over 100 Members of Congress are backing a bill (CISPA) that would give private companies and the US government the right to spy on any of us at any time for as long as they want without a warrant. This is the third time the US Congress has tried to attack our Internet freedom. But we helped beat SOPA, and PIPA -- and now we can beat this new Big Brother law.
Our global outcry has played a leading role in protecting the Internet from governments eager to monitor and control what we do online. Let's stand together once again -- and beat this law for good. Sign the petition then forward to everyone who uses the Internet!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_cispa/?cl=1703349459&v=13514