{ Copied & Pasted from Radio Free Earth News — ———jim w——— }
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Wednesday, 14 January, 2015 -( -7˚F / -22˚C dark & clear @ 5:15 am near Ithaca )- -( -20˚F / -29˚C & ‘freakin cold’ @ 6:20 am Closer to Halifax —jim w—)- — { Headlines compiled by douglas j otterson & jim wellington, with help from —jda— } { Some things change, some articles remain. Do you know where your survival kit is? —djo— }
{ Canada’s Conservative government is set to introduce expanded powers for surveillance agencies, likely for the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). – Speaking last week in Vancouver, Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated that the government is “looking at additional powers to make sure that our security agencies have the range of tools available,” apparently to address incidents like the shootings in Paris. However, judging by past policy patterns reaching the highest government levels, such new “powers” will likely be aimed at stifling and criminalizing voices of dissent, here are some reasons why. – Over recent years, the track record of Canada’s state surveillance agencies has been made clear through numerous access to information requests and public accounts, the record is that First Nations have been a prime target for government spying, whileenvironmentalist and social justice groups are also closely watched. – Throughout the Idle No More protests both CSIS and the RCMP, working in concert, monitored closely the community protests for treaty rights, actions that inspired manyIndigenous youth to vocalize publicly the apartheid realities facing First Nations people. – Conservative politicians refused to ever fully recognize the voices and demands of Indigenous people on the streets during Idle No More, like the Nishiyuu Walkers, instead turning shadowy government agents on the first peoples of these lands. By extension, all other major Canadian political parties, both the Liberals and the NDP, have failed to denounce clearly, the sustained spying by CSIS and the RCMP on First Nations communities. – Within the context of the “additional powers” that Harper is publicly indicating will be given to spy agencies in the coming period, the likely reality is that additional attention from CSIS will be focused on First Nations peoples protesting for human and land rights in Canada. – On CSEC, Canada’s digital surveillance agency, likely involved in the same type of mass data collection practiced by the National Security Agency (NSA) south of the border, something never publicly disputed by CSEC, the new “powers” that Harper is speaking about will also most likely involve CSEC, an organization with tight operational links to the NSA. – Details made public by American whistleblower Edward Snowden, indicate that Canada’s CSEC maintains a “close co-operative relationship” with the NSA, a working collaboration that involves CSEC offering “resources for advanced collection, processing and analysis.” To date the Canadian government and by extension CSEC, has never confirmed or denied any of these details, in state security terms we know very well what that means. – Today, in the wake of the shootings in Paris, the Conservative government in Ottawa is working to exploit the deaths and by extension the larger neo-colonial political crisis in France, to expand the role of state surveillance agencies, like CSIS and CSEC, that define contemporary neo-liberal authoritarianism, a political orientation that is firmly rooted and extends from the colonial era. – Instead of embarking on a real political discussion on the ways that contemporary western systems of power are central to creating the conditions for “terrorism,” Harper is simply expanding the surveillance practices of neo-colonialism and by extension justifying war. – Harper’s comments in Vancouver on the Paris shootings, intentionally exploit the violence with the aim of legitimizing Canada’s role in the bombing of Iraq. “And they have declared war on any country like ourselves that values freedom, openness and tolerance,” stated Harper, “and we may not like this and wish it would go away, but it is not going to go away and the reality is we are going to have to confront it.” – In real terms this is a call from Harper for prolonged Canadian participation in war, the sustained bombing of Iraq, a military campaign purportedly aiming to save the Iraqi people from the Islamic State (ISIS) group by bombing their cities and towns. – Bombing people to save them, that was an argument made by the U.S. government during the war in Vietnam and again with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, both interventions that clearly has lead to sustained violence and human suffering, remember the Mỹ Lai massacre. How are more western bombs going to liberate Iraq, or Syria, from ISIS? – Most certainly Canada’s moves to join the ‘war’ against ISIS will lead to significant profits for Canada’s ever growing military industrial complex, while simply leading to more death and destruction in Iraq. In reality the entire bombing campaign in Iraq is rooted in violent colonial logic, the very same framework that is fueling the type of violence seen this past week in Paris, the people carrying out the shootings in France spoke about the images of US torture at Abu Ghraib prison and also the Israeli military occupation of Palestine as reasons of the attacks. – Now clearly nothing justifies the killing of cartoonists, or civilians in a supermarket in Paris, but we can’t continue to ignore that western colonialism, past and present, is creating the context for such violent incidents to continue. In a cycle of violence, rooted in colonialism, those holding the monopoly of military power, the U.S., France and Canada, clearly have the greater ability and responsibility to stop the cycle and create real conditions for a just peace. – Instead of examining in truth the roots of the violence, Canada’s Conservative government is simply abusing the memories of all those who died in France, by using the shootings to justify the entrenchment of a surveillance state and to cheerlead neo-colonial military policies abroad. – Stefan Christoff is a writer, community organizer and musician living in Montreal who contributes to rabble.ca find Stefan @spirodon – Image: “Strength in the Face of Fighter Jets” by Nidal Elkhairy }
{ New Stuff Every Day: We don’t change the images with the twitter stuff every day, but there will almost always be something new there, usually at the top of each section. The red headlines under ‘read this:’ & ‘Not this:’ Will be new. The top 4 headlines in blue “Offbeat” will usually be new. The top ten headlines in maroon/brown under “Most Viewed” are almost always all new, with CBC repeating or rewording something every now and then. Some of the green healines under “Other” are new, the ones at the top of the list are the most new. The top 4 purple headlines under “Local / New Brunswick” are New, except when some of those top 4 are repeated over the weekend or a holiday. And several of the top olive green headlines under “First Nations” are new on most days. — thanks, —djo— }
{ +10,709 New tweets since 9 pm Monday – & It just might be National “Something or Other Day”, but nobody tells me these things – —djo— }
{ Headlines missing from below: —> Harper’s trying to look like a hero by claiming he is giving families a big tax break. Nope, he’s giving millionaires’ families a big tax break. ‘Normal people’ are carrying the richest ice-holes’ weight. Why do white cops shoot young black men? * Link * Interesting twist on New Brunswick’s moratorium on Fracking : At the top of the list of what would have to change before the new Premier of N.B. would allow fracking and pre-fracking ‘explorations’ would be “Social License” which, he explained, would mean that the citizens of New Brunswick would have to be in favor of that fracking. = “Hmmmm” – * UBER software raised prices during Australian Hostage Crisis to $140-$200 dollars per ride. Then apologized and offered repayments. — & Loads of people anonymously did nice things for people they never met & Media completely missed that. * —djo— }
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{ We’ve tried to move all the New stuff up top here. There may be important and interesting stuff below: Bears, Belugas and Cats may be more important than the corporate ‘bull chips’ in the news to many of our readers, but we tried to give the current newsy stuff priority. }
===Read This:
Lead Articles: Today’s Theme?: “Tell me something Positive!”
Government sources told CBC News that legislation to be tabled when Parliament resumes later this month will provide national security agencies with explicit authority to obtain and share information that is now subject to privacy limits. Want to know what ‘1984’ looks like? Open your eyes. ;
I wouldn’t doubt for one minute that the shooters who attacked Charlie Hebdo were brainwashed and activated by C.I.A. types. The dark ops guys recruit and train vulnerable youth anywhere in the world, then use them to tighten their control over ‘free’ nations like the U.S. & Canada. What can we do about this? Call down the angels. The real ones. The guys we all picture with halos and wings. “Help! – Amen” ;
BlackBerry, Samsung? Who needs them? ;
So the honeymooning couple are fighting for compensation for the unused portion of their ruined vacation? ;
===Not This:
Lead Articles: Today’s Theme?: “—Nothing up my sleeve—“/ slight of hand?
New Counterterrorism bill to override certain privacy limits: Chris Hall ;
Survivor of Paris hostage standoff haunted by man in ‘pool of blood’ ;
BlackBerry denies Samsung takeover report after shares surge ;
-Go Public- Vacation companies ‘pass the buck’ after honeymoon wrecked by hurricane ;
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Blasts from the recent past:
Politicians paying somebody to wipe out evidence of overspending? They do more than that, GOTO: CAFR1.Com ;
& – Wouldn’t it be nice if people started living by “Love they Neighbor as thyself”- ‘Could you believe it- no more war—‘ –
There’s a link directly above this section in the caption of a copied and pasted re-tweet defining a global economic flying ‘shitstorm’ – The ‘bad guys’ are plotting to manipulate an economic collapse in order to tighten their grip on everyone and take away what remaining freedoms you believe you still have. One encouraging forecast I heard: There are a lot more of ‘US’ than there are of ‘Them’ – ‘Them = Banksters’ and people will not take this. We might have a rough go for a while, but we will shut those Banksters down and change the way we view economic matters. Let’s hope that forecast was right and lets pray for all the help we need to get through this with ‘ease and grace’ [ —djo— ] ;
The Keystone pipeline. Um, (1) Big oil companies have ‘buried’ patents for processes that could make competitive technologies viable. (2) Nicola Tesla knew about and was working on methods to distribute electricity free to everybody and the rich and powerful ruined him financially because he was a threat to their monopolies. (3) There’s a book that might be available somewhere, “The Energy Non-Crisis” by Lindsey Williams, a Baptist Pastor who was privileged to insider information and learned that oil keeps replentishing itself, Oil Companies have raised their prices based on lies and are still making record profits. Farmers in Texas discovered new oil on their property, thought they would be rich, signed deals with big oil companies had their wells dug and were told that the oil companies were not going to use their oil, no matter how good it was and they couldn’t tell the world about this because, according to the terms of their contracts, the big oil companies could sue them for everything they were worth if they did. Big Oil is dirty business. Oil-Sands / Tar-Sands is dirty business. Send them buggers to the poor house, or banish them to a parallel dimension where their kind of policies have ruined whole planets and let them starve and freeze with what they’ve done staring them in their faces. ;
Re: Bill Cosby. We will not add to his ‘Trial by Media’ here. He performed in Ontario. He has not been charged by police. Perhaps allogations like those leveled against him should not be made public. I am a firm believer in “Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged” and Everyone should be ‘Presumed Innocent’ until God tells me they’re guilty. And I don’t think God will break silence for something like that. ;
On a day when the lead article should be the very unpopular Minister of Veterans Affairs being fired and replaced by a hand picked party line enforcer, The lead ‘story’ here was the Junior World Hockey championship? Jeeze! – ;
Housing costs everywhere in the world are controlled by greedy ice-holes. Until we fix that problem by removing those greedy ice-holes from the equation, be prepared to be hammered in the brain by silly propaganda designed to keep you off balance and in a state of anxiety about everything in your environment. Pray for Angelic Intervention. Bring Heaven to Earth. “Help! – Amen” ;
All kids need a place to play where they can act out their dreams and even mimic the grown up ice-holes they see every day. I’ll include University aged men and women in this. There should be someplace where almost-grown-up kids can be complete ice-holes for a laugh, as long as they don’t hurt anybody. Maybe universities need in-house computer bulletin boards where students can post all kinds of inflamatory b.s. and nobody outside their little group will ever see it. Faculty could probably use something like that, too. A Private Venting Board where you can call your dean a complete freakin’ waste of good dna and get away with it. We never would have heard about Lieutenant Dish if rabid political correctness was in force when M.A.S.H. first entered our collective, -clear throat- uh- ‘consciousness’ (?) – ;
The problem with big oil began with the fact that they’ve been lying to all of us all along. Oil is created by some natural process inside the earth and on distant planets and moons that never had dinosaurs. It is not ‘fossil fuel’. It constantly replentishes itself. There never was or will be an oil shortage. Prices you pay are inflated by lies. What we need here is cheap renewable energy, which the sun and planet provide for free. Put them lying cheating manipulating Oil Barons in the poor house. Or better yet, put them in Jail – ;
Trial by mass media does not make anyone guilty. There is due process. Celebrities should not be put on trial in the corporate media before they have been found guilty in a court of law. And think about this: How many people who have been convicted of really heinous crimes have been exonerated by dna evidence in the last few years. Our ‘Justice’ systems are imperfect and subject to corruption and mistakes made by honest people. You better hope you never have to bet your life on your country’s ‘Justice’ system. ;
Oilsands, Tarsands. The technology is out there to provide everybody on this planet with free energy. WE can and should make sure that everybody on this planet has a safe shelter and enough to eat. We can do that. We should have been doing that all along. There is no such thing as ‘Fossil Fuel’. But YES! Canada should leave its oilsands in the ground, where it belongs. ;
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If you really want to see all of today’s CBC headlines go to their website, listed as a link below this line:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/
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Updat
“Offbeat”
Pocket dials make up over half of 911 calls to OPP detachment { Accidental dialing made up more like 90% of the 911 calls to one detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police }
‘Ship glitter to your enemies’ makes a hard-to-clean mess for people you hate { * & If you believe you have a right to hate anybody you better ship twice as much to yourself. * —djo— }
Manitoba woman comes withone Jets goal of becoming a millionaire { }
Back to the Future lives on in Ontario man’s driveway { * Somebody spent 12 years researching and building an authentic replica of the time traveling Delorean with all the parts that were in the movies. * —djo— }
===Recently: >>—>
‘It didn’t even fight us’: Snowmobilers erscue moose buried in avalanche { * Animals are a lot smarter than most humans realize. * —djo— }
6 wild animals in unexpected places … and one very short cat { * Link * }
Waterloo photographer captures movement in mesmerizing LED snaps { }
Goats, elk happy to munch on your used Christmas trees { }
Couple forced to relocate wedding for Obama’s golf game { }
Son pays off parents’ mortgage for Christmas { * & The money used to ‘bail out’ the ‘Too big to fail’ Banksters could have paid off everybody’s Mortgages several years ago. The human race survived on this planet for seven and a half million years without banks trying to control us. “Banking Establishments are more dangerous than standing armies!” -Thomas Jefferson. Burn down the banks. Tar and feather anybody who voted for that bail-out. * —djo— }
Labrador hoisted to safety after falling 46 metres off cliff { The dog got spooked but survived, with ‘minor injuries but walked out to the trailhead’ after a climber rappelled to a narrow ledge with a rescue harness and both dog and climber were hoisted to safety by an 8-person crew from the Oregon Humane Society. This shouldn’t be ‘Offbeat’- This should be the kind of good news we need a lot more of. 🙂 —djo— }
Husky missing for more than 6 months reunited with owner { 🙂 }
Pen pals from P.E.I. and Tennessee meet after 40 years { }
Deer on ice rescued by B.C. conservation officers { }
Polar bears’ stinky feet may help attract mates: study { }
‘He’s just barking in your face’: Would-be police dog fired for poor performance { }
Man’s toilet explodes while city crew cleans sewers { }
Students develop app that rewards you for ignoring your phone in social situations { }
Swedish town seeks to prevent torching of giant Christmas straw goat { * It’s a tradition in the town of Gävle, every Christmas they build a 13 meter tall straw goat and about 50% of the time vandals burn it down. * Link to WebCam * At least in my browser, there was a ‘click here to translate this page’ thing visible for a couple seconds. Jim W has some distant relatives somewhere in Sweden – —djo— }
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“Most Viewed”
New counterterrorism bill to override certain privacy limits { * You, who voted the real terrorists into power in your own governments, now get to reap what you sewed. * —djo— }
3 ISIS recruits from Edmonton believed killed { }
Ashley Lynch terrorized after ‘swatting attack’ { * The B.C. woman believes she was targetted by malicious ‘pranksters’ after they hacked her private information from a twitter account of someone who had publicly criticized [the pranksters] and she had followed [the critic] Twitter. * —djo— }
GO bus crash on Highway 407 leaves 1 dead { }
Charlie Hebdo shooting: France arrests 54 as al-Qaeda in Yemen claims responsibility { * Black ops organizations created al-Qaeda. Mean people created the atmosphere in which vulnerable people were pushed into desperation and became recruited by ‘terrorist groups’. Politicians around the world are making out like bandits, grabbing power and taking away privacy and personal liberties. This will keep on happening and getting worse all the time until we do something about it. I don’t mean you should go out and buy a gun and shoot all politicians. We need a basic attitude change. Stop believing any information you get from the main stream media. We need governments that are not looking at us as their enemies. How do we fix this? Pray for guidance. * —djo— }
Vacation companies ‘pass the buck’ after honeymoon wrecked by hurricane { * Taking money and not delivering services or products paid for is fraud. Those companies would have to have insurance to cover this. Act of God or not. * —djo— }
Tom Mulcair shuffles senior staff ahead of election { }
Yelp accused of bullying businessmen into paying for better reviews { }
Olive Bailey, B.C. woman who helped crack Nazi codes in WWII { }
Ottawa Mosque concerned by sharp rise in young men converting to Islam { }
-9 photo slide show- Dawn Wall: Caldwell, Jorgenson’s historic Yosemite free climb { }
-Blog- ‘Ship glitter to your enemies’ creator begs the internet to stop ordering his revenge sparkles { }
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Other:
Credentials of man who recruited patients for experimental MS therapy questioned { }
Man overboard from cruise ship, Disney Magic to the rescue { }
2 cllimbers reach top of Yosemite’s challenging Dawn Wall { }
Dalhousie hands misogynistic Facebook posts to police for closer look { }
Finance minister vows to balance budget despite falling oil prices { }
Driver ‘hands free’ with phone wedged between ear and shoulder? Judge says yes { }
Top Secret Service officials dumped after security lapses { }
Dramatic increase in French Jews flocking to Israel amid anti-Semitic attacks { }
‘Crazy Indians Brotherhood’ dole kindness to Winnipeg’s homeless { * But they clawed back $1.1 Billion that should have gone to Veterans’ Health Care while systematically denying that health care to veterans in real need? This stuff has to stop * —djo— }
Why it’s impossible to storm-proof the power grid { * uh, would that be because the over-charging power companies don’t want to spend any part of their ‘profits’ to upgrade or use technology that Nicola Tesla developped almost a hundred years ago that could make power distribution free to everyone on this planet? * —djo— }
Cannabinoid e-cigarettes to be available in more countries in 2015 { }
Canada’s richest 100 CEO salaries have increased by 25% since 2008 { * That’s a crime. * —djo— }
=== And: Daily Stuff ===
-Must Watch- Jewish Paris shooting victims { }
-Must Watch- Canadians join ISIS { }
-Must Watch- Nazi code-breaker on the Imitation Game { }
-Editor’s Pick- Election could hinge on oil and the economy: Don Pittis { }
-Editor’s Pick- France’s elite counterterrorism forces prepare for the worst { }
-Editor’s Pick- Gory ISIS video urges massacre of non-Muslims, including Canadians { }
===== Older Stuff =====
-Photos- 10 unusual homes around the world { * Link * }
-Analysis- Neil Macdonald: Can America handle the truth about Saudi Arabia? { * Me: Can America handle the truth about itself? Can America handle the truth about September 11, 2001 or anything the C.I.A. has been involved in since its inception? How about the NSA? How about the ‘dark ops’ projects paid for by taxpayer dollars, how about the lies that taxes are the only income the U.S. Government has to work with? How about a dozen other examples of ‘the putrid underbelly of the american society’? * —djo— }
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“Local / New Brunswick”
New Brunswick oil patch workers feel pinch of low prices { }
Beef prices not likely to drop any time soon { }
Fatal Bathurst police shooting confounds local residents { }
Cynthia Irving was strangled to death, Saint John jury hears { }
===== Earlier : =====
New Brunswick hit with more power outages { }
FHS dress code protest penalties too harsh, parents say { * Too many things about public education are too harsh on the students and families, I say. —djo— }
New Brunswickers losing faith in electrical grid { }
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Shale gas poll finds New Brunswickers divided on issue { * How did they phrase the questions on that poll? “Would you sell your children’s and grandchildren’s future out so a couple ice-hole politicians can strike it rich?” <— That’s the real question. There is no such thing as ‘Safe Fracking’. They do not have the technology to ensure that their band-aid ‘fixes’ can keep poisons and flammable gasses from leaking into your drinking water when their patches rust, crack or otherwise fail in a couple years. This is not a joke, this is life and death. * —djo— }
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“First Nations”
-Opinion- Idle No More: Where is the movement 2 years later? { }
>>——> Most Recent Articles Below this line <——<<
Evan Munday stops tweeting images of missing, murdered women { }
Highway of Tears hitchhiking study stalled due to lack of funding { }
1 in 8 Edmontonians live below poverty line { }
Tsal’alh First Nation bans bottled water { }
Georgann Morriseau seeks federal Liberal nomination { }
Leona Aglukkaq announces $7M in funding for Nunavut fisheries { }
Oil production in Nunavut long way off, says NEB chair { }
Firefighters rescue puppyfrom house fire rubble on Sagkeeng First Nation { }
Ernie Louttit explores trust between police and First Nations { }
-Opinion- Sir John A. Macdonald’s birthday celebration cause for reflection, not celebration for First Nations { * Re: Sir John A. Macdonald’s Legacy: “It’s a legacy that includes policies ‘of starvation and coercion.’-” * —djo— }
Unreserved: Celebrations of life, legacies and sport { }
Warm homecoming for seniors stuck in snowbank overnight { }
Waubgeshig Rice on his debut novel, Legacy { }
– 8 photo slide show – Unreserved: Legacies, giving back and racial profiling { }
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{ “Fude 4 Thought” : }
{ “Why the worlds’s big energy firms are running scared from renewables” >>—> * Link * }
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>>—-> We Are All One Spirit <—-<<
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>>—-> We Are All One Spirit <—-<<
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— “Other Media” : —
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* Link * <—<< Link to John Trudell’s amazing speech from ‘Thanksgiving’ 2013 via First Voices Indigenous Radio
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{ This is from the ‘Tweet-Us-Sphere’ : }
{ “Stephen Lewis roars once more in takedown of the Harper government: Newspaper Article from the Toronto Star: * Link * }
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* Walter Burien’s Web site explains how governments all over the ‘free world’ are stealing from their citizens and ‘cooking their books’ : * link to CAFR1.com *
Links >>—-> The definitive ranking of ridiculous and misleading Conservative names for bills put before Canadian Parliament:
Note: ‘Http.com’ Hijacked the original links we put here for these two links.
Let Us Know if any other links have been effed with, thank you
>>——> J.Z.N McCauley’s NaNo Novel <——<<
{ -jda-‘s NaBloPoMo entry disappeared from the list. & Jim’s NaNoWriMo Novel has gone over 90,000 words as of November 19th. }
{ Don’t know how many new tweets since late last night. We crashed. Medium but poignant Traffic? in the ‘Tweet-us-sphere’ —djo— }
Recent earthquakes in Alberta linked to fracking: study { }
{ * Attention OathKeepers: When “Serve and Protect” becomes strict “Law Enforcement” with the civilian population seen as the enemy, Police become Terrorists. * Link to article in the Toronto Star * —djo— }
===== Steppenwolf’s “Monster” with interesting video clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EVE8leTG8Y God Bless Oathkeepers =====
* Link * <—<< Link to John Trudell’s amazing speech from ‘Thanksgiving’ 2013 via First Voices Indigenous Radio
{ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtzIKCqaZMQ * <——<< * Link * Moody Blues @ Home in 1995? from “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” I like many of the interesting details of Justin Hayward’s ‘Carriage House’ Home. —jim w— }
{ “America- Where are ya now? Don’t you care about your sons and daughters? Don’t ya know We need you now, We can’t fight alone against this monster-” -John Kay of Steppenwolf- & the Monster is the one who convinces the police that they need to arrest a harmless 90 year old man for feeding the homeless in Florida and scares honest police officers to the point where they’re killing unarmed/ harmless men and women. These Police Officers are Not the Enemy. Look Behind the Curtain. —djo— }
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{ “Anyone who would give up a little liberty for a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” —Benjamin Franklin }
{ “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies” —Thomas Jefferson }
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{ From a tweet: Huffington Post: “A Tribe Called Red’s Thanksgiving Track is Tougher to Swallow Than Turkey And Stuffing (Video)” * Link * —djo— }
===== From the “International Business Times” — “Anonymous Hackers Threaten Canadian Police, Alleging ‘Swatting’ Suspect Was Framed” — * Link * { * Consider the source * —djo— } =====
{ From @democracynow “We can reduce the prison population by 50% in the next 6-7 years if we just demand greater justice” * Link * the link might be more interesting than the above quote. —djo— }
Most recently, Mozilla and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced “Let’s Encrypt,” their collaboration with Cisco, Akamai, IdenTrust, and researchers at the University of Michigan in attempt to take the first big step towards a more universally secure Internet. One of the biggest weaknesses in the underlying architecture of the web as it exists currently is the highly bureaucratic and complex (not to mention costly) system required for websites to obtain and deploy the SSL/TSL certificates needed to protect your web surfing experience (these are the basic pieces of information that allow the little lock icon to work in your browser, signaling your session is private and secure). “Let’s Encrypt” will extend these digital certificates to all websites by starting an easy-to-use and free-of-charge certificate authority that issues them; this means that web encryption will not just be available to big players like banking services or email providers, but will set a much higher bar for Internet security across all websites, regardless of their ability to pay for a certificate or properly install it.
We are strong, adamant supporters of this initiative and are excitedly awaiting it’s unveiling in 2015 under a new nonprofit called the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).
In addition to this, Mozilla announced it’s own strategic privacy initiative in collaboration the Tor Project and CDT. We’ll be consulting “on privacy technology, open standards, and future product collaborations” with the open-source browser to help it more effectively and appropriately bring privacy features into its products. “We want to accelerate pragmatic and user-focused advances in privacy technology for the Web, giving users more control, awareness and protection in their Web experiences,” the company explained via its privacy blog. – We believe in the possibilities that privacy innovations could make possible, and are excited and honored to be a part of the process. – What do these changes mean for the short- and long- term future of the security of the Internet? – There will soon be no excuses for not baking encryption into web services, and in turn, consumer privacy and protection into the tools we use to navigate the digital highway.
- Servers in Canada linked to FinFisher spyware program
- NSA uses smartphone apps to track people, Snowden docs suggest
– “Our ultimate aim is for human rights defenders, journalists and civil society groups to be able to carry out their legitimate work without fear of surveillance, harassment, intimidation, arrest or torture,” Amnesty International said in an online posting introducing Detekt. – Whistleblower Edward Snowden exposed the extent of government surveillance on activists and citizens. Amnesty said it is concerned about a chill on human rights activists and journalists, especially those in repressive countries, because of such surveillance.
- ANALYSIS: Edward Snowden did us all a favour, it’s time to curb the snooping
- 15 tips for protecting your privacy online
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Microsoft fixes 19-year old Windows bug { * – Microsoft Corp issued patches on Tuesday to fix a bug in its Windows operating system that remained undiscovered for 19 years. – The bug, which is present in every version of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 onward, allows an attacker to remotely take over and control a computer.
– IBM Corp’s cybersecurity research team discovered the bug in May, describing it as a “significant vulnerability” in the operating system. – “The buggy code is at least 19 years old and has been remotely exploitable for the past 18 years,” IBM X-Force research team said in its blog on Tuesday. – *
*** The bugs were not “undiscovered”, Government Hackers spoke about this on Coast to Coast A.M. before the summer of 2002. Art Bell was the host. This program is not listed in the current Coast to Coast A.M. archives, at least I could not find it by searching ‘hackers’. 3 men who were quite ‘enthusiastic’ and talkative about their experience working for hackers for US Government agencies that ‘officially do not exist’ -one of them told us he has an ashtray with one of those officially non-existent agency’s official logo on it- told us that microsoft was fully aware of holes in their operating system but were not going to do anything about it because the government of the US liked it the way it was. They said it was simple for any hacker to get into your computer if you were ‘running windows’ -“Especially if you have printer sharing turned on.” && They also said they liked Apple Computers back then because it was possible to tell a Mac to do only one thing at a time, not like windows computers which could have all sorts of nonsense going on undetected in the background. – AND Another Coast to Coast A.M. guest, much more recently, related talking to a computer pioneer a long time ago, when dial ups were the latest thing, and when the computer guy finished showing him something, he would not leave the room without shutting off his computer, and disconnecting the phone line from his computer. When the C2C guest asked the computer guy what that was all about, the computer guy said that he, as in insider, knew that the US Government could already get into anyone’s computer that was connected to Delphi or GEnie or AOL, even if the computer had been turned off. — And, now that almost every computer in the world has WiFi capabilities- you can never fully disconnect yourself from the possibility that they can turn your computer on and gather any information you have, or were ever connected to- any time they want to do that- With the possible exception that you might be ‘safe’ if you live inside a Faraday cage, a hundred feet or more beneath the surface of this planet. Welcome to the future, it sucks. —jim w— }
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-Archived?:-
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This is from “Blacklock’s Reporter” * Link * :
Feds Run News Blacklist, Ban Employee Access To Website
– A federal agency banned public employees from accessing news stories at Blacklock’s Reporter via government internet servers, documents confirm. Confidential records show Shared Services Canada imposed the government-wide blackout on website access by hundreds of thousands of staff. Files on the blacklisting were obtained through Access To Information. – Shared Services Canada offered no explanation. A 218-page file detailing the ban is heavily censored and conceals email messages in which Shared Services staff discuss the action in messages headed, “Block Domain: Blacklocks.ca”. – “This is outrageous conduct,” said Blacklock’s publisher Holly Doan, who noted the newsroom first learned of the blacklisting from individual subscribers in federal departments who were unable to access news content. Shared Services Canada manages telecom services for 43 departments. – No reason is given for the blacklisting. Blacklock’s is an accredited member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery covering bills, regulations, Access to Information and federal courts. – “It’s astonishing to see Canada join the short list of countries that forbid public employees from accessing internet news sites,” Doan said. “This is not only Orwellian, it appears to breach the government’s own guidelines on workplace internet use.” – Cabinet’s official Policy On Acceptable Network & Device Use adopted in 2013 permits federal employees to “search for information online” and “share links to professional activities and events or interesting and relevant articles”. The Policy also details “unacceptable use” of government computers including access to “hate propaganda”; “pornography”; “obscenity”; and “illegal gambling”. – Doan said, “Surely Shared Services Canada can tell the difference between Blacklock’s and a jihadist website or crime syndicate”; “No rational agency would blacklist an accredited news site in the name of security or crime prevention”. Doan noted the Blacklock’s ban appeared to be revoked September 9, the same day the publication filed a formal request for records from Shared Services Canada. – ‘Way Ahead There, Boss Man’ – Documents indicate the government’s central internet provider blocks numerous domain sites. Shared Services Canada would not explain how many sites it has blacklisted, what their names are, or how many others are accredited news sites. “We do not comment on the specifics of methods used to protect the Government of Canada’s IT infrastructure,” said Marie-Helene Rouillard, a Shared Services spokesperson. – Access To Information records show the department’s IT security division blocked the website blacklocks.ca from last August 22, sending an email alert to numerous agencies including the Department of Industry, Correctional Service of Canada, tax department and others. “The email went to all contacts we have on record,” Dave Tough, a Shared Services security analyst, writes in one August 25 email; “Way ahead of you there, boss-man.” – Tough rated the alert of “high importance”, and indicated several IT staff monitored the news site. Blacklock’s was also cited in an August 27 Cyber Brief distributed to telecom staff across all government agencies; “Cyber Briefs are publications released by the Government of Canada with the goal of preventing widespread incidents,” the memo reads. All references to Blacklock’s were lengthy and censored. – Tough did not reply to repeated requests for an interview. “At no time did our newsroom pose a security threat to the nation,” said Publisher Doan. – Under cabinet’s Policy on workplace computer use, more than 200,000 federal employees are permitted to “watch online broadcasts of work-related content” and “keep up-to-date with news and current events”, according to Examples Of Acceptable Use. Other permitted activities include “subscribe to web feeds”; “check the weather forecast”; “confirm bus schedule information”; “read or contribute to online forums”; and “visit social networking sites to connect with family and friends”. – Forbidden computer activities include using workplace computers to “make public comments about government policies”; “engage in political activity”; or “breach the duty of loyalty requirement for public servants”. –
Apprenticeship ad’s claim of skilled trades shortfall open to question { * And the current sitting government of Canada has been accused of lying in these ads as well as using taxpayer dollars to fund the ads which are thinly veiled campaign ‘bull chips’ to try to keep themselves in power while they fleece the country- Steal 1.1 Billion dollars from Veterans’ healt care and give it back to try to brag about saving money while denying health care to Vets, discharging Vets months before they would be elligible for their pensions, closing down 9 regional offices where veterans used to be able to get help with their health claims- and then spending hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money on lying television ads about the economy? Gag me with a spoon? * —djo— }
-Special Report- Would you know what to do if someone told you they were raped? { * Link * } }
-Analysis- Gobal corruption a bigger scourge than terrorism: Brian Stewart { * Link to the CBC article. * *** And The whole idea behind our ‘modern’ system of ‘banking’ is probably the most corrupt ‘system’ in this world. *** —djo— }
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{ My friends in the U.S. tell me I’m lucky to be in Canada. They are usually correct. —jim w— }
{ 10:10 pm EST — We are Ready to Rock and Roll — & Thanks again for your help, Jim W, and “—jda—“ ———djo——— }