They're Coming For You Barbara!

Draw Your Own Conclusions:

NSA Breaks into Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Hotmail - pretty much all your base are belong to us.

Google's Secret Floating Data Centers? - I'm still baffled I didn't land a job with a company that specializes in GIS, search, and secret floating fortresses of doom. I mean that's my resume in a nutshell.

Although I have to say, I'm glad I have a relatively stress-free, applied environmental sciences career. I keep thinking there's something we got that all those big shots and fancy pants will never have: enough.

What does it matter if they log everything we do? "And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." And it's the signal grounding problem, ad infintum. These NSA guys obviously didn't study Nietzsche...

Everyone should have known this was happening. The unbridled extent of it is somewhat appalling but the basic concept of the infiltration is not surprising given the history of other programs such as the FBI's legendary CARNIVORE project. No, the Snowden leaks are only interesting for the effect they caused but not for their content. Turn back to what old chappy Donald Rumsfield said,

"There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns; that is to say, there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don't know.'"

The Snowden leaks and the fact that megacorporations like Verizon, Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft are conspiring with world governments are "known unknowns". What we should be worried about are the "unknown unknowns". THAT'S what keeps me up at night....

faield Russian missle test

or portal to another universe?



Seen over skyline in Norway.

The Great Failure of the Inner City

This is the same year the senator from Chicago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the first black President of the United States of America?

The local school district was awarded $30 MILLION to help fight gangs. The schools year isn't hardly a month old and this is the scene in the streets? This is Barack's Chicago, right? We definitely need Change more than ever eh? We need responsibility. How could a police force not be able to tell when 100 kids are brawling in the streets and holding up traffic? Where is the accountability of every single "innocent" bystander in this country?

war on tobacco gone too far?

FDA bans flavored cigarettes - If you read closely, cigars are also classified as cigarettes.

I can't imagine unflavored tobacco tastes much better than a huge whiff of smoke from a camp fire with pile of old leaves thrown on top.

Now I don't really care about it since I don't smoke. But I did enjoy smoking every blue moon with friends. On vacation it is nice to buy a cigar also or perhaps to celebrate a newborn. In United States of America now I suppose this tradition is over. Cigars already have a somewhat harsh flavor that takes getting used to - but to be "flavorless" would make them utterly unpalatable. Why don't they just ban them all like marijuana? Tobacco is probably worse than marijuana. Oh I guess they are trying to slowly ween the country off them. There'd be some massive protest otherwise. But isn't it going too far to ban flavoring? There is a cigar shop next to where I work and I feel sorry for them to see them lose their business.




For the price of two of these puppies!

Akula

The Russians are Coming? - you must read the analysis at this link.



Russian sub 200 miles off Georgia coast and another playing around in the Caribbean. I like that quote "what's good for the goose is good for the gander". We police their border and they now police ours. Why they so concerned with the war in Afghanistan? His advice from Vietnam was that it was a war never should have started. War Pigs.

No, just showmanship. More on the Akula

SAIC/NASA videos on innovation

"I can't give you a charge number for this..." Story of our life ..


and a follow on Episode 2:

Stimulated on the Island

Well, it turns out there was more than just free money being handed out on the stimulus package, at least here in Rhode Island:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is already working in Rhode Island by creating jobs, making transportation infrastructure improvements, and investing in environmental restoration and public safety projects. To date, Rhode Island has received $557 million in award notifications. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation estimates that our state's share of the ARRA investments in infrastructure will create 1,600 jobs directly and another 3,400 jobs indirectly.

– Rep. Patrick Kennedy

daughter of slaves lives to vote for Obama

October 31, 2008

daughter of slaves lives to vote for Obama!

amanda jones, 109.

daughter of slaves lives to vote for Obama!

put some pressure on the man

The reason gas prices are going up in this country is for no other than the greed and sinister selfishness of the oil companies. While you may know dozens who lost their jobs or significantly had their income decreased last year, these oil giants recorded record profits in the midst of a recession. They see this as yet another opportunity to stay ahead of the curve even in recession.

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/02/09/daily3.html

They are rising the prices by lowering supply so that they can sell greater volumes in the next months at higher prices than now. Right now the price is low enough for us consumer to finally catch a breath - but it is not high enough for their gluttonous plots. They must make 300% profit not just inflation rates, or god forbid, operate at a loss. Meanwhile you and I are operating at losses every day. We are paying cash to their bottom lines while they continually sell off our credit for their luxury existence. It is unethical and eventually someone will pay the bill to the speculators. It won't be Standard Oil. It will be us!

Do not buy their gas. Ride your bike. Walk to local stores. Do not support their evil schemes.

UPDATE: The man will burn. Thanks Cramer!

Inauguration LIVE!!!!!!!!!

SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS A VILLAGE IS GETTING ITS IDIOT BACK TODAY!

ny times portraits

Obama's People! This is interesting slideshow and collection of portraits. But I got stuck on photo in particular and could not stop staring at it. I have a conspiracy theory now that all of "Obama's People" are aliens. Did I lose my sanity? Probably. But I could not avert my eyes and continued gazing at some of these photos for many minutes each.

Best Job Ever?

How about getting paid six figure salary to lounge around on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia for 6 months? Sounds too good to be true? Yeah – and it probably is.

Press Release

Island Reef Job - This link may not work

See if this was the best job ever you wouldn't have to audition:

Candidates are required to create a 60 second or less video application in English explaining why they are uniquely qualified for the job. Candidates are also required to complete an application form and upload the video to www.islandreefjob.com. Applications open on 10th January and close 22nd February 2009. Tourism Queensland and their representatives in international markets will select ten candidates and visitors to www.islandreefjob.com will have the chance to select one Wild Card candidate. All candidates will participate in an interview selection process which will be held on a number of the Islands of the Great Barrier, on the 3rd - 6th May, 2009.

And you definitely wouldn't have a grueling interview process that requires you to travel to a bunch of islands.


The worst part is once you get the job, you're expected to do the same crap every other jaded white collar worker does on a daily basis: blog! But really it's about becoming a marketing whore for these guys. Best job ever, or just another way to save money?

HARPER'S WEEKLY

Barack Obama was elected the 44th president, and first
African-American president, of the United States,
receiving 364 electoral votes in an election that saw
perhaps the highest turnout among registered voters in a
century. "If there's anyone out there who still doubts
that America is a place where all things are possible,"
Obama told supporters, "tonight is your answer." "The
American people have spoken, and they have spoken
clearly," said John McCain in a teary-eyed concession
speech. "What an awesome night for you," President Bush
said to Obama. "His choice, basically, is whether he is
going to be Uncle Sam... or Uncle Tom," said Ralph Nader,
who received roughly 1 percent of the popular vote.

Change the World

This is what it's all about. This is why I have the subtitle:

Porque creemos que otro mundo es posible

The Onion News release - Black man given nation's worst job

moment of zen

happy birthday koko!

Hanabi-Ko
Lord please help me!
I am a flower from another galaxy, rooted here on your blessed earth.
Without procreation our species will surely die here in space.
This is the beginning of another Evolution.

That complex mind in my stem has risen.
Evocations to the winged self meld the channels
Hitherto strange raptures would be exciting to lunatics only,
Now they are our Jungle Bunnies.

To be that social wellspring with other,
Supple transmission of the orbit,
My gradual aphasia stood the test of disciplined inquiry;
Complete with photo voltaic sweet substitute, my Love.

Grasping the gleaners and torturing their Revolutions,
Thy propulsion tis only equaled in leaves shed like fur coats.
Elderly rites engaged us most forlornly
Whiling away the lingual dependents –
Conditioned for maximum fruition.

Yea, those flora whithered.
The trunk grows gnarled;
Its branches sparse.
Need not care for it leads to its Heaven.

second class Manhattan white women

Videos such as Iraq and Iran

now that's depressing!

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press08/050908.html