OCCUPY WALL STREET

[persiphone]

hijack alert. so this is not related but i found this tidbit of information to be utterly fascinating and shityourpants scary so i thought i'd share it here because....well.....i find the timing of things to be very....enlightening. so here it is. check your phones! the link to the vid shows in detail how to see if your android/smartphone is carrying this app/rooting thingy/whatchamacallit

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T17XQI_AYNo&feature=player_embedded"]Carrier IQ Part #2 - YouTube[/nomedia]


Your Smartphone Is Spying on You
By Adam Clark Estes | The Atlantic Wire – 5 hrs ago


An Android developer recently discovered a clandestine application called Carrier IQ built into most smartphones that doesn't just track your location; it secretly records your keystrokes, and there's nothing you can do about it. Is it time to put on a tinfoil hat? That depends on how you feel about privacy.

The reason for this invasive Android app seems reasonable enough at face value. Even though it's on most Android, BlackBerry and Nokia devices, most users would never know that Carrier IQ is running in the background, and that's sort of the point. Described on the company's website as software to gain "unprecedented insight into their customers' mobile experience," Carrier IQ is ostensibly supposed to help mobile carriers and device manufacturers gather data in order to improve their products.

Tons of applications do this, and you're probably used to those boxes that pops up on your screen and ask if you want to help the company by sending your data back to them. If you're concerned about your privacy, you just tap no and go about your merry computing way. As security-conscious Android developer Trevor Eckhart realized, however, Carrier IQ does not give you this option, and unless you were code-savvy and looking for it, you'd never know it was there. And based on how aggressive the company has been in trying to keep Eckhart quiet about his discovery, it seems like Carrier IQ doesn't want you to know it's there either.


Eckhart first raised a red flag about Carrier IQ about two weeks ago when he started investigating reports that a software update on the HTC EVO 3D included "user behavior logging" code. The code had worried some geek bloggers when it showed up a couple months ago, but HTC and Sprint insisted that it wasn't much different than normal error-logging software and certainly didn't gather granular data like "contents of messages, photos, videos, etc." Eckhart wrote an exhaustive blog post about his startling findings -- CarrierIQ collected lots data, including keystrokes, and there way for the user to opt out "without advanced knowledge" -- and CarrierIQ flipped out. The company sent Eckhart a cease-and-desist letter demanding that he keep his mouth shut and threatening legal action. But after the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) took a look at the case and determined that Eckhart was working within his First Amendment rights, it backed off but still denied that they recorded keystrokes.


This week, Eckhart fired back with a 17-minute long video showing in painstaking detail how much data CarrierIQ collects, effectively undercutting the company's denial. It was even logging contents of text messages! Wired posted the video on Tuesday night and cemented its status "as one of nine reasons to wear a tinfoil hat." The magazine explains how CarrierIQ even undercuts other companies' security measures:
The video shows the software logging Eckhart’s online search of “hello world.” That’s despite Eckhart using the HTTPS version of Google which is supposed to hide searches from those who would want to spy by intercepting the traffic between a user and Google. … It’s not even clear what privacy policy covers this. Is it Carrier IQ’s, your carrier’s or your phone manufacturer’s? And, perhaps, most important, is sending your communications to Carrier IQ a violation of the federal government’s ban on wiretapping?

Oh, we're definitely in tinfoil hat territory now. CarrierIQ and the carriers have yet to respond to the latest claims -- we're doing our best to chase them down -- but if past smartphone tracking scandals are any precedent, they could end up answering to Congress.


Like many things in life, there are a couple of different ways to think about smartphone tracking. One way approaches privacy from a forward-thinking, technology-trusting and, heck, even progressive perspective. GPS-equipped smartphones are incredibly powerful tools that enables mankind to do all kinds of amazing things, thanks to the perpetual stream of data from the Internet. However, that stream runs both ways, and sometimes, the folks that build and maintain the network sometimes need to monitor your data in order to improve the technology. Who wouldn't want better service?


This brings us to the second approach. Tracking is creepy. In an Orwellian kind of way, it makes people nervous -- especially Americans -- that the government or the corporations or the system is closing in on them and stealing their freedom. Of course, not everybody feels so strongly about privacy, but as long as you can opt out, it's fine. Last week, Sen. Charles Schumer spoke out about a program at some malls in Virginia and Southern California that were anonymously tracking shoppers' movements by tracking their cell phone signals, and the only way to opt was by not going to the mall. Schumer did not approve. "Personal cell phones are just that -- personal," the New York senator said in a statement. "If retailers want to tap into your phone to see what your shopping patterns are, they can ask you for your permission to do so."
The CarrierIQ software is not dissimilar to the shopper tracking program. In fact, it's arguably worse since it follows you everywhere. In the age of social media, everybody is becoming increasingly aware of and often angry about the amount of private data companies are scooping up with or without their consent. This week, the Federal Trade Commission and Facebook came to an agreement that the social network must make all of their new programs opt-in so as not to break the law by violating users' privacy. Even Mark Zuckerberg admitted in a sincere-sounding blog post that his company had "made a bunch of mistakes" on the privacy front in the past. He went on to detail how "offering people control over the information they share online" was a top priority. This is Mark "Privacy is Over" Zuckerberg we're talking about here. With Facebook reportedly building its own mobile phone platform, wouldn't it be super ironic if people started defecting from the Android army and switching to the Facebook phone in the name of privacy?

Your move, Google.

/hijack

[SoNotHer]

The Koch brothers don't just want to take away your right to vote. They want to trick you into believing they are voting rights supporters.

The same oil billionaires who bankroll the Tea Party are now channeling their vast fortune to limit the right to vote in 38 states and counting. The NAACP has sounded the alarm against their attacks, launching Stand4Freedom.org to expose them and mobilizing a rally outside their New York headquarters on December 10th.

Now here's the amazing part: The Koch brothers have responded with a bizarre online advertising campaign. Now, when you search for the NAACP on Google, they've paid to have ads pop up directing people to a "Stand for Liberty" web page -- a page that's a blatant take-off of Stand4Freedom.org and actually brags about the Koch's so-called commitment to civil liberties.

Do they think we're stupid? That's not just inaccurate -- it's offensive.

The NAACP has always risen to protect our nation's most vulnerable populations when their rights have been threatened, and we will continue to do so with your help. We need you to take action today, to ensure that millions are not disenfranchised next year.

Sign the Stand For Freedom pledge to raise awareness for voting rights in your community:

http://action.naacp.org/sign-the-pledge

Regardless of what they want you to believe, the facts are clear. The Koch brothers have a long history of fighting civil rights. For years they have bankrolled extreme right-wing and anti-government think tanks and fought affirmative action and other civil rights initiatives. Recently the PAC that they founded led the political effort to re-segregate North Carolina schools, and now they have launched their biggest initiative yet: to roll back voting rights in advance of the 2012 election.

Photo ID as a prerequisite to voting, proof of citizenship before casting a ballot, radically restrictive rules on registering new voters, dramatic cuts to early voting and Sunday voting -- these are just a few of the tactics that the Koch Brothers are using to make it harder for you to vote.

If the Koch brothers have their way, millions of students, the elderly and working families of all colors will fall victim to arcane voter suppression laws that this country hasn't seen in one hundred years.

Throughout our history, Cynthia, the NAACP has taken on powerful enemies and won. With your help, we'll beat back these attacks on our most fundamental rights. Sign the Stand For Freedom pledge today:

http://action.naacp.org/sign-the-pledge

Join us in the fight, and together we can protect the right to vote for millions of Americans for years to come.

Stefanie

Stefanie Brown
National Field Director and Director of Youth and College Division
NAACP

[Toughy]

Now here's the amazing part: The Koch brothers have responded with a bizarre online advertising campaign. Now, when you search for the NAACP on Google, they've paid to have ads pop up directing people to a "Stand for Liberty" web page -- a page that's a blatant take-off of Stand4Freedom.org and actually brags about the Koch's so-called commitment to civil liberties.

Just for fun I did the google thing on this. I did not get any ads directing me to a Stand for Liberty web page. I got the NAACP page. The only 'Stand for Liberty' page I could find on google was a group in Texas and nothing on that website about voters....

......shrug....

[atomiczombie]

How Republicans are being taught to talk about Occupy Wall Street

By Chris Moody

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Republican Governors Association met this week in Florida to give GOP state executives a chance to rejuvenate, strategize and team-build. But during a plenary session on Wednesday, one question kept coming up: How can Republicans do a better job of talking about Occupy Wall Street?

"I'm so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I'm frightened to death," said Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist and one of the nation's foremost experts on crafting the perfect political message. "They're having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism."

Luntz offered tips on how Republicans could discuss the grievances of the Occupiers, and help the governors better handle all these new questions from constituents about "income inequality" and "paying your fair share."
Yahoo News sat in on the session, and counted 10 do's and don'ts from Luntz covering how Republicans should fight back by changing the way they discuss the movement.

1. Don't say 'capitalism.'

"I'm trying to get that word removed and we're replacing it with either 'economic freedom' or 'free market,' " Luntz said. "The public . . . still prefers capitalism to socialism, but they think capitalism is immoral. And if we're seen as defenders of quote, Wall Street, end quote, we've got a problem."

2. Don't say that the government 'taxes the rich.' Instead, tell them that the government 'takes from the rich.'

"If you talk about raising taxes on the rich," the public responds favorably, Luntz cautioned. But "if you talk about government taking the money from hardworking Americans, the public says no. Taxing, the public will say yes."

3. Republicans should forget about winning the battle over the 'middle class.' Call them 'hardworking taxpayers.'

"They cannot win if the fight is on hardworking taxpayers. We can say we defend the 'middle class' and the public will say, I'm not sure about that. But defending 'hardworking taxpayers' and Republicans have the advantage."
4. Don't talk about 'jobs.' Talk about 'careers.'

"Everyone in this room talks about 'jobs,'" Luntz said. "Watch this."
He then asked everyone to raise their hand if they want a "job." Few hands went up. Then he asked who wants a "career." Almost every hand was raised.

"So why are we talking about jobs?"

5. Don't say 'government spending.' Call it 'waste.'

"It's not about 'government spending.' It's about 'waste.' That's what makes people angry."

6. Don't ever say you're willing to 'compromise.'

"If you talk about 'compromise,' they'll say you're selling out. Your side doesn't want you to 'compromise.' What you use in that to replace it with is 'cooperation.' It means the same thing. But cooperation means you stick to your principles but still get the job done. Compromise says that you're selling out those principles."

7. The three most important words you can say to an Occupier: 'I get it.'
"First off, here are three words for you all: 'I get it.' . . . 'I get that you're angry. I get that you've seen inequality. I get that you want to fix the system."

Then, he instructed, offer Republican solutions to the problem.

8. Out: 'Entrepreneur.' In: 'Job creator.'

Use the phrases "small business owners" and "job creators" instead of "entrepreneurs" and "innovators."

9. Don't ever ask anyone to 'sacrifice.'

"There isn't an American today in November of 2011 who doesn't think they've already sacrificed. If you tell them you want them to 'sacrifice,' they're going to be be pretty angry at you. You talk about how 'we're all in this together.' We either succeed together or we fail together."

10. Always blame Washington.

Tell them, "You shouldn't be occupying Wall Street, you should be occupying Washington. You should occupy the White House because it's the policies over the past few years that have created this problem."

BONUS:

Don't say 'bonus!'

Luntz advised that if they give their employees an income boost during the holiday season, they should never refer to it as a "bonus."
"If you give out a bonus at a time of financial hardship, you're going to make people angry. It's 'pay for performance.'"

LINK: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/r...133707949.html

This is not surprising. Occupy is starting to effect the national conversation about politics. This is a great sign when the conservatives are feeling the heat!

[ruffryder]

(Newser) – When the protesters of Occupy LA vacated their encampment, they left behind 30 tons of debris. Sanitation workers have already removed 25 tons of garbage, clothes, and random belongings—all of which went to a landfill, the Los Angeles Times reports. Protesters, who lived in the tent city for two months, left behind not just trashed protest signs and food, but everything from mattresses to electric razors to bicycles to a treehouse—and, of course, dozens of tents.

According to the AP, the site doesn't smell so great, either—specifically, it reeks of "urine and unwashed bodies." The grass is ruined, trees are damaged, there's graffiti on the walls of City Hall and on statues, and there are rumors of a lice or flea infestation. The site is "so contaminated, it doesn't even make sense to sort [the left-behind belongings] out," says a sanitation superintendent. There were rows of portable toilets, but protesters still urinated in bottles that must now be disposed of. Says a city refuse collection supervisor, "I've never seen anything like this."

[SoNotHer]

I wrote about a student with health issues and no health insurance a couple weeks ago. Though the Now she's about to get evicted with two small kids in two. She's going to school to try to be a nurse. She's being evicted for $200 - $150 of that is the court filing fees for the eviction. I am scrambling to find her pro bono help and money or assistance somewhere.

And then I get a call today from an old friend who is no without a job or a permanent place to stay for her and her daughter. I invite her to live with me several hundred miles away, but because of a custody issue, she can't leave her area. And so in one I have poured over the internet looking for resources for two mothers with young children who, though several states away from each other, are in the position of now having to look for money and a place to live.

This is how we do it here, right?

[persiphone]

Originally Posted by SoNotHer

I wrote about a student with health issues and no health insurance a couple weeks ago. Though the Now she's about to get evicted with two small kids in two. She's going to school to try to be a nurse. She's being evicted for $200 - $150 of that is the court filing fees for the eviction. I am scrambling to find her pro bono help and money or assistance somewhere.

And then I get a call today from an old friend who is no without a job or a permanent place to stay for her and her daughter. I invite her to live with me several hundred miles away, but because of a custody issue, she can't leave her area. And so in one I have poured over the internet looking for resources for two mothers with young children who, though several states away from each other, are in the position of now having to look for money and a place to live.

This is how we do it here, right?

the unfortunate thing is that because unprecedented numbers need help right now, the lines these women will have to wait in will be pretty long. as far as the custody issue, she can make a plea of financial hardship to the judge (i believe without an attorney) to get permission to leave the state. (i think don't quote me...still worth looking up).

as far as the eviction goes....in my state there was a program called ARCHES that asissts with the expense of getting a new place to live and with temporary rent. when i found myself out of a place to live recently due to a disaster to my apt building, i applied. of course, i didn't qualify because i don't have any evictions in my history. go figure. however, there are social programs that help those that have.

usually, social services or human services will have compiled lists of all the resources and agencies that can be made available to your friends. that's the upside. the downside is that the processes will take time and in some cases weeks to get an answer of yes we will help or no we can't help. i know the red cross gave us some assistance but again we suffered a disaster so i dunno if they can or will help. prolly not. it's worth a phone call?

edited to add.....what pisses me off is if i had the money i'd just send it to you. it's so frustrating.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by SoNotHer

I wrote about a student with health issues and no health insurance a couple weeks ago. Though the Now she's about to get evicted with two small kids in two. She's going to school to try to be a nurse. She's being evicted for $200 - $150 of that is the court filing fees for the eviction. I am scrambling to find her pro bono help and money or assistance somewhere.

And then I get a call today from an old friend who is no without a job or a permanent place to stay for her and her daughter. I invite her to live with me several hundred miles away, but because of a custody issue, she can't leave her area. And so in one I have poured over the internet looking for resources for two mothers with young children who, though several states away from each other, are in the position of now having to look for money and a place to live.

This is how we do it here, right?

"The face of hunger is changing"- as "they" say." In the past month, 2 more friends of mine have now been laid off. Another is just waiting for the notice to come shortly.

I watched a program last week on this "new face" of hunger- the increased numbers of middle-class people now applying for food stamps that have been laid off but are hanging on with minimum wage jobs. They have small children and until the last 4 years have been employed and attained some of their dreams. Now?

Sometimes I think that it is still going to have to get worse before the numbers of Occupy demonstrators to grow to the level that will scare those in Washington. Is that what it will take? Today, the democratic payroll deduction bill as well as the GOP's failed in Congress. Deadlocked ideological bullshit bickering as usual. It is going to be a very long campaign season with billions of dollars spent on it. Billions on freaking election campaigns!

We have got to get private $ out of politics. OCCUPY Campaign Funding!

[atomiczombie]

Originally Posted by ruffryder

(Newser) – When the protesters of Occupy LA vacated their encampment, they left behind 30 tons of debris. Sanitation workers have already removed 25 tons of garbage, clothes, and random belongings—all of which went to a landfill, the Los Angeles Times reports. Protesters, who lived in the tent city for two months, left behind not just trashed protest signs and food, but everything from mattresses to electric razors to bicycles to a treehouse—and, of course, dozens of tents.

According to the AP, the site doesn't smell so great, either—specifically, it reeks of "urine and unwashed bodies." The grass is ruined, trees are damaged, there's graffiti on the walls of City Hall and on statues, and there are rumors of a lice or flea infestation. The site is "so contaminated, it doesn't even make sense to sort [the left-behind belongings] out," says a sanitation superintendent. There were rows of portable toilets, but protesters still urinated in bottles that must now be disposed of. Says a city refuse collection supervisor, "I've never seen anything like this."

[persiphone]

Originally Posted by atomiczombie

hahahahahhahaaaa