A Stranger to Myself and Others

Local Regulations Keep You Unemployed

2011-07-29T11:41:00.001-07:00

Local politicos and their backroom "business partners" are creating phoney licensing scams to keep you out of work. Check out your local licensing regulations and see if any of them are based in reality. Fight for your right to work!Amplify’d from www.ncpa.orgProponents of such requirements justify these barriers by endlessly parroting the same worn-out phrase: public health and safety. Yet if

EFF Campaign Increases the Number of TOR Relays

2011-07-20T13:19:00.001-07:00

Amplify’d from www.eff.orgThere is an acute need for circumvention technologies in authoritarian regimes - and even activists in many would-be progressive societies may feel safer if they can avoid the electronic gaze of authorities. Our gratitude goes out to the hundreds of individuals who set up relays and donated bandwidth to help strengthen the network. They are true defenders of online

The Stimulus that Didn't

2011-07-18T11:35:00.001-07:00

It should also be noted that 'official' unemployment figures ignore the completely disenfranchised who do not 'qualify.'Amplify’d from www.ncpa.orgMyth 1: Stimulus spending can jump start the economy and fix unemployment.Since the enactment of the stimulus bill in February 2009, the unemployment rate has not approached pre-American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) levels, even though $382

The War on Food: are we Winning or Losing?

2011-07-08T11:20:00.001-07:00

Federal, State and Local governments continue to pour money and manpower into the War on Food, but who's winning?Here's a brief selection of examples from 2011 to 2008:"Government regulation ... requires costly procedures that drive small producers out of the market without necessarily improving the quality of food." http://drewt333.amplify.com/2010/12/21/get-a-taste-of-some-nutritious-freedom/“

Privitized Oppression

2011-06-30T14:29:00.001-07:00

You may think this is about Xe, or Blackwater, or top secret torture camps. It's not.Amplify’d from wikileaks.orgFor six months now, five major US financial institutions, VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, Western Union and the Bank of America have tried to economically strangle WikiLeaks as a result of political pressure from Washington. The attack has blocked over 90% of the non-profit organization’s

OECD Draft of Internet Policy-Making Principles Raises Questions with Civil Society Coalition

2011-06-28T14:16:00.001-07:00

Amplify’d from www.eff.orgEFF has joined with a coalition of more than 80 global civil society groups which have declined to endorse a set of Internet Policy Principles presented today in Paris by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). EFF and the other members of the OECD’s Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) were unwilling to accept the high

The Greek Bailout: Who Profits?

2011-06-27T15:29:00.001-07:00

Defaults and bailouts. The dominoes are falling.Amplify’d from esr.ibiblio.org Lost in the eye-glazing babble about maturity extensions, haircuts, and which acronymic organization is going to funnel the money into place is the real magnitude of the stakes here. It’s not just the Greeks’ opera-bouffé parody of the modern redistributionist state that is circling the structural-insolvency drain;

Know Your Rights: Protect Yourself from Illegal Searches

2011-06-27T11:26:00.001-07:00

Amplify’d from www.eff.orgThe Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects you from unreasonable government searches and seizures, and this protection extends to your computer and portable devices. In EFF's "Know Your Digital Rights" guide, we outline various common scenarios and explain when and how the police can search the data stored on your computer or portable electronic device -- or seize

Follower Widget - Final Word

2011-06-18T13:52:00.001-07:00

The popular Firefox plug-in, HTTPS Everywhere (https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere) caused the problem. I unchecked Google Services, problem solved.

Follower Widget Fail

2011-06-18T13:24:00.001-07:00

Seems to be a settings problem in Firefox. See http://buzz.nitecruzr.net/2011/06/continuing-to-paint-ourselves-into.htmlThe solutions there don't work for me, maybe they will help someone else.

U.S. Personal and Economic Freedom Index

2011-06-17T11:55:00.001-07:00

The Mercatus Institute ranks the American states on public policies that affect individual economic, social and personal freedoms.Amplify’d from mercatus.org Purpose of the Index This project develops an index of economic and personal freedom in the American states. Specifically, it examines state and local government intervention across a wide range of public policies

Blogger Fail

2011-06-15T22:15:00.001-07:00

I have removed the Follower gadget from my page because it no longer works. Other Blogger gadgets seem to be failing too. Even pictures are disappearing. Very disappointing.

This Week in Internet Censorship

2011-06-15T13:29:00.001-07:00

Top stories from EFFAmplify’d from www.eff.orgCanadian Filtering Tool Used in Middle EastCrackdowns on ‘Anonymous’Tunisian Activists Speak Out Against Porn BlockingRead more at www.eff.org See this Amp at http://bit.ly/jGTuzY

Protecting the Economic Elite

2011-06-10T11:14:00.001-07:00

Amplify’d from c4ss.orgWhen the state seems to “tighten the screws” on commercial power, limiting its range of motion for (supposedly) the consumer, the outcome is to reduce the field of competitors. Only the savviest, richest and most well-connected business players will be able to afford compliance with the state’s largely arbitrary rules, so only small businesses — those without K Street suits

Intellectual Property as Licensed Monopoly

2011-06-03T13:40:00.001-07:00

Is thought property? Without expression thought is a pretty solitary pastime.Amplify’d from c4ss.org“Intellectual property,” like tariffs and all other monopolies, is a barrier to the free movement of labor and capital into certain legally defined areas of production, which has the effect of maintaining artificially high prices that would not exist under free market competition. “Intellectual

The War on Drugs has Failed

2011-06-02T22:43:00.001-07:00

Fight drug related violence and drug abuse with the only weapon proven to be effective: education.Amplify’d from www.msnbc.msn.comA new report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy argues that the decades-old worldwide "war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world." The 24-page paper was released Thursday.The commission called for drug

Fight Internet Censorship, take the Tor Challenge

2011-06-01T12:00:00.001-07:00

Amplify’d from www.eff.orgActivists worldwide use Tor to protect their anonymity online and to circumvent Internet censorship. But they all rely on a limited number of user-provided "relays" to protect themselves and communicate with others. Internet users worldwide need your help to make the Tor network stronger and faster, so take the Tor Challenge today!Read more at www.eff.org See this Amp

Spinning the Political Compass

2011-05-25T15:20:00.001-07:00

A political indoctrination tool turns out to be inaccurate.Who knew.Amplify’d from c4ss.orgThe Political Compass, a popular online quiz, was supposedly designed to remedy the simple-mindedness of the left-right spectrum by replacing it with two axes: political and social libertarianism vs. authoritarianism, and economic Left vs. Right. Basically, everything nice you say about big business puts

Encrypted currencies and darknet economies

2011-05-20T11:09:00.001-07:00

Bitcoin ushers in the Diamond Age.Amplify’d from c4ss.orgJason Calacanis and his colleagues at LAUNCH describe it as “The Most Dangerous Project We’ve Ever Seen” (May 15, 2011). Not only is it “the most dangerous open-source project ever created,” but “possibly the most dangerous technological project since the Internet itself.” It “could topple governments, destabilize economies and create

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

2011-05-20T02:00:00.001-07:00

The CDC uses zombie madness to present emergency preparedness.Amplify’d from emergency.cdc.govThe rise of zombies in pop culture has given credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people to wonder “How do

Get a Warrant Before Searching Cell Phones

2011-05-19T14:34:00.001-07:00

Make those folks on CSI work a little harder, support SB 914.Amplify’d from www.eff.orgEFF is proud to support SB 914, a bill that requires the police to obtain a warrant before searching a recent arrestee’s cell phone.The bill is expected to be on the Senate floor soon. All Californians should ask their state lawmakers to support SB 914 and tell law enforcement that if they want access to the

Fight Internet Censorship

2011-05-16T13:20:00.001-07:00

Check out "Documenting Tools for Beating Internet Censorship" on the EFF blog.Amplify’d from www.eff.orgNetwork censorship and surveillance is a booming business. Censorship schemes continue to fragment the Internet and new censorship proposals are constantly introduced around the world, including in liberal democracies. (Lately governments have gotten fascinated by the idea of forcing ISPs to

Rationalizing and Reason: Unbelievable Beliefs

2011-05-09T11:35:00.001-07:00

Why does the mind challenge fact with fiction?Amplify’d from m.motherjones.comThe theory of motivated reasoning builds on a key insight of modern neuroscience (PDF): Reasoning is actually suffused with emotion (or what researchers often call "affect"). Not only are the two inseparable, but our positive or negative feelings about people, things, and ideas arise much more rapidly than our

Routine Maintenance: Tracking the Trackers

2011-05-09T08:27:00.001-07:00

Rotate your GPS tracking devices every 1000 miles for even wear.Amplify’d from www.wired.comHow to find it? Just get under your car and look around. If you see a black box, give it a yank. If it comes free, it’s probably not factory-installed. Even if you’re not sure what a normal car underside looks like, a surveillance device is going to look out of place. While you’re at it, check the car

Tyranny of the Mob

2011-04-28T08:56:00.001-07:00

Democracy: a Florida professor and a planeload of paranoiacs deciding what to have for lunch.Amplify’d from www.disinfo.comA Florida professor was arrested and removed from a plane Monday after his fellow passengers alerted crew members they thought he had a suspicious package in the overhead compartment.That “suspicious package” turned out to be keys, a bagel with cream cheese and a hat.Read

Links for 2010-07-21 [Digg]

2010-07-22T00:00:00-07:00

Photos and Public Security
Too many officials think taking photos is a crime. Here's why they're wrong.
Boeing space capsule could be operational by 2015
Boeing executives pulled back the curtain on their concept for a commercial human space capsule this week at the Farnsborough International Airshow, saying the CST-100 spacecraft could be ready for operational space station flights by 2015 if NASA awards contract money next year.

Links for 2010-07-20 [Digg]

2010-07-21T00:00:00-07:00

Darryl Cunningham Investigates: The Moon Hoax
"I think most moon-hoax theorists have let themselves become too influenced by the film 'Capricorn One'.I remember, as a child of 13, watching the grainy images with a sense of wonderment.Of course it happened. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just plain cranky."

Links for 2010-07-15 [Digg]

2010-07-16T00:00:00-07:00

DEA Raids California Collectives, Violating Federal Policy
After word spread of DEA raids on medical marijuana collectives in San Diego and Mendocino County last week, many are left wondering if federal agents deliberately violated the Obama administration’s instructions to not interfere with state medical marijuana laws.

Links for 2010-07-11 [Digg]

2010-07-12T00:00:00-07:00

Sir, Your Liver Is Ready: Behind the Scenes of Bioprinting
Say goodbye to donor lists and organ shortages. A biotech firm has created a printer that prints veins using a patients’ own cells. The device could potentially create whole organs in the future.

Links for 2010-06-29 [Digg]

2010-06-30T00:00:00-07:00

Choosing healthy foods now called a mental disorder
In its never-ending attempt to fabricate "mental disorders" out of every human activity, the psychiatric industry is now pushing the most ridiculous disease they've invented yet: Healthy eating disorder.

Links for 2010-06-25 [Digg]

2010-06-26T00:00:00-07:00

A brief review of the history of US immigration law
A law repugnant to the Constitution is void, the Constitution reserves powers not delegated to the United States to the states or to the people, and the Constitution delegates no power to the United States whatsoever to regulate immigration. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Bupkus. It ain't there.

Links for 2010-06-23 [Digg]

2010-06-24T00:00:00-07:00

Pork board squeals over imaginary unicorn meat
The National Pork Board said, Tuesday, June 22, 2010, it knows unicorns don't exist. The industry group said it was only protecting its trademark when it issued cease-and-desist warning to online retailer ThinkGeek for calling a fake unicorn meat product "the new white meat."
Free Sholom Rubashkin!
This week, Sholom Rubashkin, who was the CEO of what was once the largest kosher meat processing supplier in the world, will be sentenced to federal prison for “financial fraud.” Prosecutors will ask for essentially a life sentence, while a lot of other people, including a number of former U.S. attorneys general, are asking for leniency.