Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Protecting Sports Fans from Prostitutes
you will be safe. good times good article From : Kurt Nimmo Infowars.com
Indy Super Bowl: National Security State Protects Sports Fans from Prostitutes
Infowars.com
January 30, 2012
In Indianapolis, local cops and the FBI have set-up a massive surveillance grid ahead of the Super Bowl, slated for February 5th. The heightened security – including a smartphone photo and video surveillance network, the installation of 150 new manhole covers, and the virtual lockdown of a 44-block area – is not in response to a possible attack by al-Qaeda, but will be used to detect “signs of pickpocketing, prostitution or other trouble.”
During past Super Bowls, the threat posed by prostitutes and pickpockets was so great the state was obliged to respond with militarized police.According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Super Bowl rates as a “national security event” (or NSSE) that may be a target for potential terrorism and “other criminal activity,” possibly of the sort mentioned above.
An NSSE designation allows the feds to have a field day. It puts the Secret Service in charge of event security, the FBI in charge of intelligence, counter terrorism, hostage rescue and investigation of incidents of terrorism or other criminal activities, and FEMA in charge of recovery management in the aftermath of terrorist or other major criminal incidents, natural disasters or other catastrophic events.
Indianapolis Chief of Homeland Security Gary Coons told Fox News that the NSSE rating puts the Super Bowl just below national security events involving the president and the Secret Service. Ratings are based on factors including international attention, media coverage, the number of people the event attracts and visits by celebrities and foreign dignitaries, Coons said.
The Super Bowl NSSE is an ideal opportunity for the national security state. It allows government control freaks to parade the latest security gizmos and acclimate the masses to the prospect of a police state – not for protection against miscreant cave dwellers, but perpetrators of victimless and petty crimes.
Friday, January 27, 2012
'Prime suspect' in Esme Barrera slaying found dead
austin has become a big city with big problems. this one is over. 
By Patrick George AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Police: 'Prime suspect' in Esme Barrera slaying found dead
Man who killed himself linked to several other assaults
AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT
James Loren Brown is 'prime suspect' in New Year's Day attacks, police say. 
By Patrick George AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 11:28 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
Published: 10:42 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
A man who committed suicide this month is the prime suspect in the slaying of 29-year-old Esme Barrera early New Year's Day, and has been linked through DNA evidence to another assault that morning and attacks on women jogging in South Austin last year, police said Thursday night.
The unsolved crimes had kept women across the city on edge and prompted warnings at the University of Texas campus.
James Loren Brown, 25, was found dead in his apartment in the 3000 block of Guadalupe Street on Jan. 12, blocks away from where three women were attacked early New Year's Day, said police Cmdr. Julie O'Brien.
One of those was Barrera, a special education assistant teacher who was killed after someone broke into her home in the 3100 block of King Street . Police have not said how Barrera was killed.
"Although I am not going to say definitively that the suspect is absolutely the murderer of Barrera, we are prepared to say he is a prime suspect," Chief Art Acevedo said at a news conference Thursday night. "Based on everything we've seen so far, we can sleep a little bit more comfortably tonight. We've got a predator that is no longer among us."
The first New Year's Day attack was reported about 2 a.m. when a woman said she was assaulted in the street at West 31st and King streets by a man who ran away when she started screaming.
Barrera was found slain in her home about 2:45 a.m. The third woman was attacked inside her home in the 300 block of East 31st Street about 5 a.m., police have said.
Police released a composite sketch of the suspect in the first attack, but officials could not say at the time that the three attacks were related.
O'Brien said that police were able to get DNA evidence from the third attack, which they were able to link to four other attacks on women last year. They included an assault in the 4300 block of South Congress Avenue on July 1, an assault and an attempted sexual assault of two joggers in South Austin on July 8, and an assault on Sept. 11 at Comal and Haskell streets in East Austin.
Details in the attacks were similar. In each case, O'Brien said, a man attempted to push or pull a woman to the ground.
All took place early in the morning.
Last year, a 33-year-old homeless man was arrested in connection with the July attacks on the South Austin joggers; officers cited the man's resemblance to a police sketch of the suspect. That man was cleared in August through DNA evidence.
Detectives got a break in the cases on Jan. 12 , when a roommate notified police that Brown had committed suicide, O'Brien said. She said she could not say exactly how he died, but that he had been dead at least a week.
O'Brien said that after noticing that Brown looked like a composite photo of the suspect in one of those attacks, detectives linked his DNA found on an item inside his home to DNA evidence found at the attacks in July and September, as well as evidence from the 31st Street attack.
She said police are working to officially determine if Brown was involved in the other attack on King Street and Barrera's slaying.
"He is a suspect, but we have a lot of investigative work to do," O'Brien said.
Detectives are interviewing victims in other unsolved attacks to see if they may be related, she said.
Brown is also now a suspect in several indecent exposure cases around 31st Street, O'Brien said.
He has not been linked to any other homicide cases, she said.
Officials said Thursday they had little information on Brown.
He did not leave a note when he killed himself, O'Brien said, and his motive for the attacks is unknown.
"I hope we can find that out as we find out more about him," O'Brien said. "He was very much a 'below the radar' kind of person."
Brown had been in the Austin area for about a year and a half after his discharge from the military, O'Brien said. She had no immediate details about where he served.
Brown worked at a business on Lady Bird Lake, but O'Brien declined to say which one.
A search of public records indicates he had no criminal record. He had previous addresses in Dallas and Rhode Island.
University of Texas students returned from the winter break to emails describing the attack and the suspect.
The slaying angered those who knew Barrera, as well as those who never met her.
An El Paso native, Barrera was an avid music fan and a fixture in Austin's rock scene. The special education assistant at Casis Elementary School was also a clerk at Waterloo Records and a counselor at Girls Rock Camp Austin. Tribute concerts were held in Austin, Brooklyn, N.Y., and other cities after her death, aimed at raising money to help pay for her funeral costs.
Police met with residents in the Hyde Park and Heritage neighborhoods on several occasions to reassure them about their efforts to solve Barrera's slaying.
At the same time, Austinites posted pictures of the composite sketch at bars, restaurants, clubs and sign posts across the city.
Acevedo speculated Thursday that the exposure may have contributed to Brown's suicide.
He praised the efforts of his officers and the residents who got involved with the case and sent in tips.
"I personally want to thank the people of Austin," Acevedo said. "We put pressure on this person with that community outpouring."
pgeorge@statesman.com; 445-3548
Updated: 11:28 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
Published: 10:42 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
A man who committed suicide this month is the prime suspect in the slaying of 29-year-old Esme Barrera early New Year's Day, and has been linked through DNA evidence to another assault that morning and attacks on women jogging in South Austin last year, police said Thursday night.
The unsolved crimes had kept women across the city on edge and prompted warnings at the University of Texas campus.
James Loren Brown, 25, was found dead in his apartment in the 3000 block of Guadalupe Street on Jan. 12, blocks away from where three women were attacked early New Year's Day, said police Cmdr. Julie O'Brien.
One of those was Barrera, a special education assistant teacher who was killed after someone broke into her home in the 3100 block of King Street . Police have not said how Barrera was killed.
"Although I am not going to say definitively that the suspect is absolutely the murderer of Barrera, we are prepared to say he is a prime suspect," Chief Art Acevedo said at a news conference Thursday night. "Based on everything we've seen so far, we can sleep a little bit more comfortably tonight. We've got a predator that is no longer among us."
The first New Year's Day attack was reported about 2 a.m. when a woman said she was assaulted in the street at West 31st and King streets by a man who ran away when she started screaming.
Barrera was found slain in her home about 2:45 a.m. The third woman was attacked inside her home in the 300 block of East 31st Street about 5 a.m., police have said.
Police released a composite sketch of the suspect in the first attack, but officials could not say at the time that the three attacks were related.
O'Brien said that police were able to get DNA evidence from the third attack, which they were able to link to four other attacks on women last year. They included an assault in the 4300 block of South Congress Avenue on July 1, an assault and an attempted sexual assault of two joggers in South Austin on July 8, and an assault on Sept. 11 at Comal and Haskell streets in East Austin.
Details in the attacks were similar. In each case, O'Brien said, a man attempted to push or pull a woman to the ground.
All took place early in the morning.
Last year, a 33-year-old homeless man was arrested in connection with the July attacks on the South Austin joggers; officers cited the man's resemblance to a police sketch of the suspect. That man was cleared in August through DNA evidence.
Detectives got a break in the cases on Jan. 12 , when a roommate notified police that Brown had committed suicide, O'Brien said. She said she could not say exactly how he died, but that he had been dead at least a week.
O'Brien said that after noticing that Brown looked like a composite photo of the suspect in one of those attacks, detectives linked his DNA found on an item inside his home to DNA evidence found at the attacks in July and September, as well as evidence from the 31st Street attack.
She said police are working to officially determine if Brown was involved in the other attack on King Street and Barrera's slaying.
"He is a suspect, but we have a lot of investigative work to do," O'Brien said.
Detectives are interviewing victims in other unsolved attacks to see if they may be related, she said.
Brown is also now a suspect in several indecent exposure cases around 31st Street, O'Brien said.
He has not been linked to any other homicide cases, she said.
Officials said Thursday they had little information on Brown.
He did not leave a note when he killed himself, O'Brien said, and his motive for the attacks is unknown.
"I hope we can find that out as we find out more about him," O'Brien said. "He was very much a 'below the radar' kind of person."
Brown had been in the Austin area for about a year and a half after his discharge from the military, O'Brien said. She had no immediate details about where he served.
Brown worked at a business on Lady Bird Lake, but O'Brien declined to say which one.
A search of public records indicates he had no criminal record. He had previous addresses in Dallas and Rhode Island.
University of Texas students returned from the winter break to emails describing the attack and the suspect.
The slaying angered those who knew Barrera, as well as those who never met her.
An El Paso native, Barrera was an avid music fan and a fixture in Austin's rock scene. The special education assistant at Casis Elementary School was also a clerk at Waterloo Records and a counselor at Girls Rock Camp Austin. Tribute concerts were held in Austin, Brooklyn, N.Y., and other cities after her death, aimed at raising money to help pay for her funeral costs.
Police met with residents in the Hyde Park and Heritage neighborhoods on several occasions to reassure them about their efforts to solve Barrera's slaying.
At the same time, Austinites posted pictures of the composite sketch at bars, restaurants, clubs and sign posts across the city.
Acevedo speculated Thursday that the exposure may have contributed to Brown's suicide.
He praised the efforts of his officers and the residents who got involved with the case and sent in tips.
"I personally want to thank the people of Austin," Acevedo said. "We put pressure on this person with that community outpouring."
pgeorge@statesman.com; 445-3548
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Obama Signs Global Internet Treaty Worse Than SOPA
Obama Signs Global Internet Treaty Worse Than SOPA
-
from: Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Months before the debate about Internet censorship raged as SOPA and PIPA dominated the concerns of web users, President Obama signed an international treaty that would allow companies in China or any other country in the world to demand ISPs remove web content in the US with no legal oversight whatsoever.
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement was signed by Obama on October 1 2011, yet is currently the subject of a White House petition demanding Senators be forced to ratify the treaty. The White House has circumvented the necessity to have the treaty confirmed by lawmakers by presenting it an as “executive agreement,” although legal scholars have highlighted the dubious nature of this characterization.
The hacktivist group Anonymous attacked and took offline the Federal Trade Commission’s website yesterday in protest against the treaty, which was also the subject of demonstrations across major cities in Poland, a country set to sign the agreement today.
Under the provisions of ACTA, copyright holders will be granted sweeping direct powers to demand ISPs remove material from the Internet on a whim. Whereas ISPs normally are only forced to remove content after a court order, all legal oversight will be abolished, a precedent that will apply globally, rendering the treaty worse in its potential scope for abuse than SOPA or PIPA.
A country known for its enforcement of harsh Internet censorship policies like China could demand under the treaty that an ISP in the United States remove content or terminate a website on its server altogether. As we have seen from the enforcement of similar copyright policies in the US, websites are sometimes targeted for no justifiable reason.
The groups pushing the treaty also want to empower copyright holders with the ability to demand that users who violate intellectual property rights (with no legal process) have their Internet connections terminated, a punishment that could only ever be properly enforced by the creation of an individual Internet ID card for every web user, a system that is already in the works.
“The same industry rightsholder groups that support the creation of ACTA have also called for mandatory network-level filtering by Internet Service Providers and for Internet Service Providers to terminate citizens’ Internet connection on repeat allegation of copyright infringement (the “Three Strikes” /Graduated Response) so there is reason to believe that ACTA will seek to increase intermediary liability and require these things of Internet Service Providers,” reports the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The treaty will also mandate that ISPs disclose personal user information to the copyright holder, while providing authorities across the globe with broader powers to search laptops and Internet-capable devices at border checkpoints.
In presenting ACTA as an “international agreement” rather than a treaty, the Obama administration managed to circumvent the legislative process and avoid having to get Senate approval, a method questioned by Senator Wyden.
“That said, even if Obama has declared ACTA an executive agreement (while those in Europe insist that it’s a binding treaty), there is a very real Constitutional question here: can it actually be an executive agreement?” asks TechDirt. “The law is clear that the only things that can be covered by executive agreements are things that involve items that are solely under the President’s mandate. That is, you can’t sign an executive agreement that impacts the things Congress has control over. But here’s the thing: intellectual property, in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, is an issue given to Congress, not the President. Thus, there’s a pretty strong argument that the president legally cannot sign any intellectual property agreements as an executive agreement and, instead, must submit them to the Senate.”.
26 European Union member states along with the EU itself are set to sign the treaty at a ceremony today in Tokyo. Other countries wishing to sign the agreement have until May 2013 to do so.
Critics are urging those concerned about Obama’s decision to sign the document with no legislative oversight to demand the Senate be forced to ratify the treaty.
*********************
OBAMA HAS HEATED ARGUMENT WITH ARIZONA GOV
OBAMA HAS HEATED ARGUMENT WITH AZ GOV
Wed Jan 25 2012 18:33:56 ET
from:
POOL REPORT
President Obama arrived in Phoenix at 3:15 pm local time, finding the chilly weather of Iowa giving way to sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60s.
He stepped off Air Force One at 3:28 pm and was greeted by Gov. Jan Brewer. She handed him a handwritten letter in an envelope and they spoke intensely for a few minutes. At one point, she pointed her finger at him.
Afterwards, your pooler spoke with the governor.
"He was a little disturbed about my book, Scorpions for Breakfast. I said to him that I have all the respect in the world for the office of the president. The book is what the book is. I asked him if he read the book. He said he read the excerpt. So."
Asked what aspect of the book disturbed him, Brewer said: "That he didn't feel that I had treated him cordially. I said I was sorry he felt that way but I didn't get my sentence finished. Anyway, we're glad he's here. I'll regroup."
On the letter, she said it was personal letter asking him to sit down with her to discuss the "Arizona comeback."
She said she "reiterated an invitation that I've extended to him before with regards to coming to arizona and going to the border with me." She said she would take him to lunch.
"We've had a remarkable comeback here and I want to share that with him."
She said the president brought up the book.
"I thought we probably would've talked about the things that were important to him and important to me, helping one another. Our country is upside down. Arizona was upside down. But we have turned it around. I know again that he loves this country and I love this country."
It was clear from the moment they greeted one another that this would not be a run-of-the-mill encounter between the president and a local official. At one point, she was pointing her finger at him and at another, they were talking at the same time, seemingly over each other.
He appeared to walk away from her while they were still talking, and she confirmed that by saying she didn't finish her sentence.
When Brewer spoke with your pooler, the AP and an NBC producer for several minutes afterwards, she appeared a bit flustered and taken aback by the conversation. Asked if she was, that's when Brewer said, "I'll regroup."
Developing...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Ron Paul end TSA money bomb
Slams “out-of-control police state”
from infowars.com
Ron Paul Announces ‘End the TSA’ Money Bomb
Steve Watson
Infowars.com
January 24, 2012
In an email to supporters Monday, Ron Paul wrote that the Senator “simply stood up for his right not to be the latest victim of the TSA’s disgusting full body pat-down.”
“The elderly. The disabled. Little kids. All victims of an out-of-control police state that, while doing nothing to make us safer, is working overtime to strip away our freedoms, our rights, and our basic dignity,” Paul added.
“As President, I pledge to do everything in my power to strengthen our national security by ending the theatrical sham that is the TSA,” the Congressman urged.
“Give whatever you are able right away to our End the TSA Money Bomb to help us keep the spotlight on this out-of-control organization and restore respect for freedom and common decency to the White House,” Paul urged his supporters.
The full text of Ron Paul’s email follows at the foot of this article. Readers can click through here to donate to the money bomb.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
-
The Congressman has had run ins with the TSA in the past himself. In a 2010 interview, the Congressman told Alex Jones that he is subjected to pat downs “all the time because I have metal in my knees… it is disgusting and I tell them so.”
Full text of Ron Paul’s message to supporters regarding the ‘End the TSA’ money bomb:
Earlier today, the internet was buzzing with the rallying cry “Free Rand Paul!”
And this image was at the top of the Drudge Report:
What happened to set off such a firestorm?
My son, Senator Rand Paul, simply stood up for his right not to be the latest victim of the TSA’s disgusting full body pat-down.
I’m writing today to ask for your help in fighting back against the out-of-control TSA, but first, let me tell you what happened.
After an “anomaly” turned up in his body scan as he was trying to board a flight in Nashville, Rand showed that he was clearly no threat and asked to go through the scanner a second time.
Instead of tolerating this common-sense idea, TSA officials demanded he undergo a full body pat-down.
Rand stood up for his rights and refused – and was then detained by the TSA and prevented from getting on his flight.
Though the TSA finally caved after Rand didn’t back down for two hours – and allowed him to go through the scanner again – Rand caught a later flight but missed his commitment to speak at the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
As soon as word got out that Rand was being detained, grassroots Americans responded in outrage over this latest abuse of power by the TSA.
Which leads me to a critical point.
Rand was able to speak up for liberty today thanks to the platform he has as a U.S. Senator.
I’m proud of my son’s stand, but just imagine those who receive this kind of treatment every day in our nation’s airports and can’t fight back?
The elderly. The disabled. Little kids.
All victims of an out-of-control police state that, while doing nothing to make us safer, is working overtime to strip away our freedoms, our rights, and our basic dignity.
Thanks to your support, I have a chance to stand up for all those who have been assaulted by the TSA and END these abuses once and for all.
As President, I pledge to do everything in my power to strengthen our national security by ending the theatrical sham that is the TSA.
I know it’s short notice, but we’ve put together a mini-Money Bomb to bring even more attention to this critical issue tonight and tomorrow.
Will you help me win this race and fight back for our civil liberties by making your most generous contribution right away?
You see, not one of my establishment opponents – and certainly not the incumbent, who stands idly by every day while this disgrace operates in our airports – will lift ONE FINGER to stop the TSA, stand up for our Constitution, and preserve passengers’ dignity.
I have led on this issue with my Plan to Restore America, which, along with cutting $1 trillion during the first year of my presidency, abolishes the TSA!
My Plan will take the responsibility for security from this reckless bureaucracy and return it to the private property owners who will do everything possible to keep their customers safe.
Whether it’s honoring our promises to our veterans, or securing our borders, or ending the policies that keep our troops under the thumb of the UN, not one of my opponents measure up to the standard we need when it comes to this nation’s defense.
Sure, they’ll talk a good game on the campaign trail, but every one of them ignores the simple truth that national security begins at home.
Let’s follow “Free Rand Paul” with another rallying cry – “End the TSA!”
And this election gives us a better chance than ever before to do just that.
Please, give whatever you are able right away to our End the TSA Money Bomb to help us keep the spotlight on this out-of-control organization and restore respect for freedom and common decency to the White House.
For Liberty,
Ron Paul
P.S. Earlier today, my son, Senator Rand Paul, was detained by the TSA in Nashville, prevented from making his flight, and missed his commitment to speak at the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
All because he refused to be the latest victim of the TSA’s disgusting full body pat-downs.
I’m proud of my son’s stand, but there are many more who receive this kind of treatment every day – and never have a chance to speak out.
My Plan to Restore America stands up for the rights and privacy of every traveler by abolishing the TSA.
Please, make your most generous contribution today to my End the TSA Money Bomb so I can have every possible resource to win this race, abolish the out-of-control TSA, and lead the fight to keep our nation safe – instead of allowing bureaucrats to continue sacrificing our security for this theatrical sham.
Literal on 2pause.com
The Calm Blue Sea "Literal" on 2pause.com
Independent Film Channel review. "most subversive music video you're likely to see this year."
the video premiered on I.F.C
http://www.2pause.com/#/item/550/literal
link to review:
http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/09/premiere-the-calm-blue-sea-literal.php?fb_ref=news
youtube link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQZOQ0cDQWA
Independent Film Channel review. "most subversive music video you're likely to see this year."
the video premiered on I.F.C
http://www.2pause.com/#/item/550/literal
link to review:
http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/09/premiere-the-calm-blue-sea-literal.php?fb_ref=news
youtube link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQZOQ0cDQWA
Monday, January 23, 2012
TSA detains Sen. Rand Paul in Nashville
from the daily caller:
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s press secretary Moira Bagley tweeted on Monday that Transportation Security Administration officials were detaining her boss in Nashville, Tenn.
“Just got a call from @senrandpaul,” Bagley tweeted at about 10 a.m. on Monday. “He’s currently being detained by TSA in Nashville.”
Bagley hasn’t immediately responded to The Daily Caller’s request for comment for more details.
Texas Congressman and current Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul – Sen. Rand Paul’s father – placed a post on Facebook about the news as well. “My son Rand is currently being detained by the TSA at the Nashville Airport,” Ron Paul posted. “I’ll share more details as the situation unfolds.”
Sen. Rand Paul’s Facebook page has a post about the incident too. “Senator Paul is being detained at the Nashville Airport by the TSA,” Sen. Rand Paul’s Facebook post reads. “We will update you as the situation develops.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/23/report-tsa-detains-sen-rand-paul-in-nashville/#ixzz1kIR4AHPn
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s press secretary Moira Bagley tweeted on Monday that Transportation Security Administration officials were detaining her boss in Nashville, Tenn.
“Just got a call from @senrandpaul,” Bagley tweeted at about 10 a.m. on Monday. “He’s currently being detained by TSA in Nashville.”
Bagley hasn’t immediately responded to The Daily Caller’s request for comment for more details.
Texas Congressman and current Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul – Sen. Rand Paul’s father – placed a post on Facebook about the news as well. “My son Rand is currently being detained by the TSA at the Nashville Airport,” Ron Paul posted. “I’ll share more details as the situation unfolds.”
Sen. Rand Paul’s Facebook page has a post about the incident too. “Senator Paul is being detained at the Nashville Airport by the TSA,” Sen. Rand Paul’s Facebook post reads. “We will update you as the situation develops.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/23/report-tsa-detains-sen-rand-paul-in-nashville/#ixzz1kIR4AHPn
Sunday, January 22, 2012
gray duck gallery
interesting show at gray duck gallery. http://www.grayduckgallery.com/
turn off your T.V. get out and get moving.
TRUE STORY
Paul Beck, Allen Brewer & Pat Snow
exhibition dates: january 13 - february 19, 2012
duckduck@grayduckgallery.com
512.826.5334
608 W. Monroe Street, Suite C, Austin, TX 78704 [Google Map]
(S.1st St. & Monroe)
Hours: wed, fri, sat 11-6pm
thurs 4-8pm & sun 12-5pm
paul beck
pat snow
allen brewer
turn off your T.V. get out and get moving.
TRUE STORY
Paul Beck, Allen Brewer & Pat Snow
exhibition dates: january 13 - february 19, 2012
duckduck@grayduckgallery.com
512.826.5334
608 W. Monroe Street, Suite C, Austin, TX 78704 [Google Map]
(S.1st St. & Monroe)
Hours: wed, fri, sat 11-6pm
thurs 4-8pm & sun 12-5pm
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Google Is Already Using SOPA-Like Censorship
from infowars.com
Google Is Already Using SOPA-Like Censorship
Web giant blacklists websites, follows government orders to remove material
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Despite Google’s much-heralded support for the anti-SOPA movement, the web giant is already enforcing SOPA-like policies of its own, blacklisting legitimate websites from its news aggregator and following government orders to remove material from its search results and You Tube.
As major Internet giants joined forces yesterday to protest legislation that would hand the U.S. government power to arbitrarily seize websites with no legal process under the pretext of copyright infringement, Google slapped a black censorship image over its logo and urged people to sign an anti-SOPA petition that has accrued over 5 million signees.
However, Google’s main issue with SOPA is seemingly not related to their concerns about Chinese-style web censorship becoming commonplace, but rather which entity gets to wield those powers – large transnational corporations or governments.
While Google criticizes SOPA publicly, it is already privately using SOPA-like powers to unfairly marginalize legitimate web content.
Google News is a content aggregator that allows users to search thousands of news sources for relevant stories. Although the aggregator includes a plethora of obscure, occasionally offensive, and barely-read websites, in November 2010 Google took the decision to de-list PrisonPlanet.com and Infowars.com from its indexed news sources.
Infowars.com alone is an internationally recognized news website that gets more traffic than MSNBC.com and innumerable other big mainstream news websites. Our articles are routinely featured on the Drudge Report, which itself is renowned as the primary agenda-setting news website in the United States, driving more traffic to individual stories than the likes of Facebook and Twitter combined.
Infowars owner Alex Jones is a nationally syndicated radio host whose broadcast appears on an ever-expanding list of big mainstream radio stations. Jones has been afforded feature profiles by the likes of Rolling Stone Magazine, who acknowledged his role as a pioneer in the media world.
Infowars.com is clearly a legitimate and important news website that features original content which routinely makes an impact and occasionally goes viral. And yet Google de-listed the website from its news aggregator on a whim with no explanation provided. Since Google and its owner Eric Schmidt are prominent financial contributors to the Obama campaign, we can only assume we were blacklisted for political reasons.
Whether you concur with our political stance or are rapidly against it, what can’t be argued is that we are a legitimate news outfit – but Google has arbitrarily banned us from appearing on their ‘news’ search results.
This is a clear example of how Google is already enforcing SOPA-like rules of its own choosing, without the need for any law to be passed by any legislative body.
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
In addition, while concerns rage about the state obtaining the power to shut down websites and remove web content with no recourse, Google is already following orders from the federal government in the majority of cases in removing videos from its You Tube platform, including takedowns on the grounds that the videos contain “government criticism”.
Google-owned You Tube has complied with thousands of requests worldwide to remove political protest videos that are clearly not in violation of any copyright or national security interests and do not constitute defamation.
The number of takedown orders received by Google from authorities based in the United States rose dramatically over the past year, with demands to remove information increasing by 70 per cent. Google complied in removing the material in 63% of the cases.
One such example was You Tube’s compliance with a request from the British government to censor footage of the British Constitution Group’s Lawful Rebellion protest, during which they attempted to civilly arrest Judge Michael Peake at Birkenhead county court.
Google has also targeted our own You Tube channel for termination on numerous occasions merely for posting legitimate news content, such as the Wikileaks Apache helicopter footage, which appears on hundreds of other You Tube channels.
Crucially, Google has for years censored its own search results subject to the mandates of different governments across the world. SOPA and PIPA are merely an effort to codify into US law what is already taking place in more authoritarian countries, with the willing participation of Google itself.
Many other web giants are also moving to censor the Internet, including VeriSign, who recently demanded the power to terminate websites deemed “abusive” with no legal oversight whatsoever.
Public wi-fi systems stationed in airports, train stations, libraries, schools, and workplaces also routinely censor political websites.
Who needs government to censor the Internet when large corporations are already doing it? Amidst all the anti-SOPA rage, we should not be so naive as to give the likes of Google a pass when considering the totality of threats posed to free speech on the world wide web.
We encourage people to at least be aware of alternatives to Google, search websites that will not enact SOPA-like censorship policies, such as StartPage.com. Watch a video below from November 2010 in which Alex Jones explains how Google is censoring the web – without the need for SOPA.
Google Is Already Using SOPA-Like Censorship
Web giant blacklists websites, follows government orders to remove material
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Despite Google’s much-heralded support for the anti-SOPA movement, the web giant is already enforcing SOPA-like policies of its own, blacklisting legitimate websites from its news aggregator and following government orders to remove material from its search results and You Tube.
As major Internet giants joined forces yesterday to protest legislation that would hand the U.S. government power to arbitrarily seize websites with no legal process under the pretext of copyright infringement, Google slapped a black censorship image over its logo and urged people to sign an anti-SOPA petition that has accrued over 5 million signees.
However, Google’s main issue with SOPA is seemingly not related to their concerns about Chinese-style web censorship becoming commonplace, but rather which entity gets to wield those powers – large transnational corporations or governments.
While Google criticizes SOPA publicly, it is already privately using SOPA-like powers to unfairly marginalize legitimate web content.
Google News is a content aggregator that allows users to search thousands of news sources for relevant stories. Although the aggregator includes a plethora of obscure, occasionally offensive, and barely-read websites, in November 2010 Google took the decision to de-list PrisonPlanet.com and Infowars.com from its indexed news sources.
Infowars.com alone is an internationally recognized news website that gets more traffic than MSNBC.com and innumerable other big mainstream news websites. Our articles are routinely featured on the Drudge Report, which itself is renowned as the primary agenda-setting news website in the United States, driving more traffic to individual stories than the likes of Facebook and Twitter combined.
Infowars owner Alex Jones is a nationally syndicated radio host whose broadcast appears on an ever-expanding list of big mainstream radio stations. Jones has been afforded feature profiles by the likes of Rolling Stone Magazine, who acknowledged his role as a pioneer in the media world.
Infowars.com is clearly a legitimate and important news website that features original content which routinely makes an impact and occasionally goes viral. And yet Google de-listed the website from its news aggregator on a whim with no explanation provided. Since Google and its owner Eric Schmidt are prominent financial contributors to the Obama campaign, we can only assume we were blacklisted for political reasons.
Whether you concur with our political stance or are rapidly against it, what can’t be argued is that we are a legitimate news outfit – but Google has arbitrarily banned us from appearing on their ‘news’ search results.
This is a clear example of how Google is already enforcing SOPA-like rules of its own choosing, without the need for any law to be passed by any legislative body.
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
In addition, while concerns rage about the state obtaining the power to shut down websites and remove web content with no recourse, Google is already following orders from the federal government in the majority of cases in removing videos from its You Tube platform, including takedowns on the grounds that the videos contain “government criticism”.
Google-owned You Tube has complied with thousands of requests worldwide to remove political protest videos that are clearly not in violation of any copyright or national security interests and do not constitute defamation.
The number of takedown orders received by Google from authorities based in the United States rose dramatically over the past year, with demands to remove information increasing by 70 per cent. Google complied in removing the material in 63% of the cases.
One such example was You Tube’s compliance with a request from the British government to censor footage of the British Constitution Group’s Lawful Rebellion protest, during which they attempted to civilly arrest Judge Michael Peake at Birkenhead county court.
Google has also targeted our own You Tube channel for termination on numerous occasions merely for posting legitimate news content, such as the Wikileaks Apache helicopter footage, which appears on hundreds of other You Tube channels.
Crucially, Google has for years censored its own search results subject to the mandates of different governments across the world. SOPA and PIPA are merely an effort to codify into US law what is already taking place in more authoritarian countries, with the willing participation of Google itself.
Many other web giants are also moving to censor the Internet, including VeriSign, who recently demanded the power to terminate websites deemed “abusive” with no legal oversight whatsoever.
Public wi-fi systems stationed in airports, train stations, libraries, schools, and workplaces also routinely censor political websites.
Who needs government to censor the Internet when large corporations are already doing it? Amidst all the anti-SOPA rage, we should not be so naive as to give the likes of Google a pass when considering the totality of threats posed to free speech on the world wide web.
We encourage people to at least be aware of alternatives to Google, search websites that will not enact SOPA-like censorship policies, such as StartPage.com. Watch a video below from November 2010 in which Alex Jones explains how Google is censoring the web – without the need for SOPA.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
pink drone from iran
this is funny
from the washington post blog
U.S. drone that crashed in Iran goes miniature
By Thomas Erdbrink
A photo released by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps purports to show the RQ-170 drone that was reported crash in December. (Sepahnews via Associated Press) TEHRAN — For the American government, the crash of the RQ-170 drone in Iran was an embarrassment. For the Iranian government, it was a propaganda victory.
And for at least one company, according to state radio, it could be a windfall.
An Iranian firm, seeking to capitalize on the frenzy that followed the crash of the drone — and American calls to have it returned — is now producing miniaturized toy versions of the craft. Most of the toys, which come in several colors and are made of Iranian plastic, have already been snapped up by Iranian government organizations, according to the group that manufactures them.
At least one model — a pink one — has been reserved for President Obama.
“He said he wanted it back, and we will send him one,” said Reza Kioumarsi, the head of cultural production at the Ayeh Art group.
Ayeh Art group designs “cultural products” — mugs with verses of the Koran printed on them, for instance, and small buttons picturing mosques. This month, the firm began producing a 1:80 scaled model of the RQ-170, the sophisticated drone that was being operated by the CIA when it crashed in eastern Iran. The firm is now making 2,000 of them a day.
“This is not made in China,” Kioumarsi stressed.
The toys come with a transparent plastic stand emblazoned with a quotation from Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic: “We will put America under our feet.”
The products made by Ayeh Art Group are not widely known in Tehran, but Kioumarsi said he was confident that the model drones would sell like hotcakes.
The Iranian government, meantime, has shown no indication that it will be returning the real RQ-170 to the United States. Last week, the Foreign Ministry demanded an apology first.
from the washington post blog
U.S. drone that crashed in Iran goes miniature
By Thomas Erdbrink
A photo released by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps purports to show the RQ-170 drone that was reported crash in December. (Sepahnews via Associated Press) TEHRAN — For the American government, the crash of the RQ-170 drone in Iran was an embarrassment. For the Iranian government, it was a propaganda victory.
And for at least one company, according to state radio, it could be a windfall.
An Iranian firm, seeking to capitalize on the frenzy that followed the crash of the drone — and American calls to have it returned — is now producing miniaturized toy versions of the craft. Most of the toys, which come in several colors and are made of Iranian plastic, have already been snapped up by Iranian government organizations, according to the group that manufactures them.
At least one model — a pink one — has been reserved for President Obama.
“He said he wanted it back, and we will send him one,” said Reza Kioumarsi, the head of cultural production at the Ayeh Art group.
Ayeh Art group designs “cultural products” — mugs with verses of the Koran printed on them, for instance, and small buttons picturing mosques. This month, the firm began producing a 1:80 scaled model of the RQ-170, the sophisticated drone that was being operated by the CIA when it crashed in eastern Iran. The firm is now making 2,000 of them a day.
“This is not made in China,” Kioumarsi stressed.
The toys come with a transparent plastic stand emblazoned with a quotation from Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic: “We will put America under our feet.”
The products made by Ayeh Art Group are not widely known in Tehran, but Kioumarsi said he was confident that the model drones would sell like hotcakes.
The Iranian government, meantime, has shown no indication that it will be returning the real RQ-170 to the United States. Last week, the Foreign Ministry demanded an apology first.
grayduck gallery
TRUE STORY 
Paul Beck, Allen Brewer & Pat Snow
opening reception: friday, january 13, 7-9pm
exhibition dates: january 13 - february 19, 2012
True Story explores the purity of perception, the accuracy of memory, and the truth of desires. This exhibition features paintings from Paul Beck and Allen Brewer and watercolor mixed media works from Pat Snow.
Paul Beck
Paul Beck currently lives in Austin, Texas. He wears many hats including visual artist, filmmaker and animator. As an animator, Beck worked on the feature films Scanner Darkly and Waking Life. He has also written, directed and animated music videos for David Byrne, The Black Eyed Peas and Radiohead. His visual art has been exhibited at AMOA’s 22 to Watch and New American Talent at Arthouse.
“I want my work to provoke thoughts first for me, and then for the viewer. I make images for me. That is the power I give myself as a human being. I truly appreciate the viewer’s response to the work. I consider art-making a true act of freedom.”
Allen Brewer
My recent leanings as an artist have been that of truth and purity of perception. This investigation of form, verity, and accuracy has made me more aware of infinitesimal structures that are crucial to thingness.
For the past few years I have been making drawings using typewriter carbon and found photography, transcribing exacting details from the photo (via carbon) onto a substrate. The result is a “ghost”, devoid of any human embellishment or direct mark making. This process has caused me to draw and paint “blindly”, or refusing to look at the substrate while I work. Instead, my focus pinpoints every detail and form that makes the subject the subject. By eliminating my own perception of the thing, I am getting closer to its truth.
Pat Snow
Pat Snow came to his art practice after studying and working alongside Robert Colescott and Reverend Howard Finster where he was introduced to the use of humor and narrative in his art. Snow has focused on drawing as a medium to express his concerns and desires. He uses the cliché and the vernacular of the storyteller to further his art practice by continuously rearranging the visuals and stories he encounters to critique and explore narrative. He gathers the raw materials for his art from the personal, popular media, bad jokes and art history. He then reconditions them through his own thoughts and feelings. He lets his narrative images flow, allowing one image to slip to another, creating possibilities and a rich, open-ended story. Pat Snow’s artistic approach questions how one remembers and constructs a personal history and eventually tests how reliable and trustworthy ones memories are.
Paul Beck, Allen Brewer & Pat Snow
opening reception: friday, january 13, 7-9pm
exhibition dates: january 13 - february 19, 2012
True Story explores the purity of perception, the accuracy of memory, and the truth of desires. This exhibition features paintings from Paul Beck and Allen Brewer and watercolor mixed media works from Pat Snow.
Paul Beck
Paul Beck currently lives in Austin, Texas. He wears many hats including visual artist, filmmaker and animator. As an animator, Beck worked on the feature films Scanner Darkly and Waking Life. He has also written, directed and animated music videos for David Byrne, The Black Eyed Peas and Radiohead. His visual art has been exhibited at AMOA’s 22 to Watch and New American Talent at Arthouse.
“I want my work to provoke thoughts first for me, and then for the viewer. I make images for me. That is the power I give myself as a human being. I truly appreciate the viewer’s response to the work. I consider art-making a true act of freedom.”
Allen Brewer
My recent leanings as an artist have been that of truth and purity of perception. This investigation of form, verity, and accuracy has made me more aware of infinitesimal structures that are crucial to thingness.
For the past few years I have been making drawings using typewriter carbon and found photography, transcribing exacting details from the photo (via carbon) onto a substrate. The result is a “ghost”, devoid of any human embellishment or direct mark making. This process has caused me to draw and paint “blindly”, or refusing to look at the substrate while I work. Instead, my focus pinpoints every detail and form that makes the subject the subject. By eliminating my own perception of the thing, I am getting closer to its truth.
Pat Snow
Pat Snow came to his art practice after studying and working alongside Robert Colescott and Reverend Howard Finster where he was introduced to the use of humor and narrative in his art. Snow has focused on drawing as a medium to express his concerns and desires. He uses the cliché and the vernacular of the storyteller to further his art practice by continuously rearranging the visuals and stories he encounters to critique and explore narrative. He gathers the raw materials for his art from the personal, popular media, bad jokes and art history. He then reconditions them through his own thoughts and feelings. He lets his narrative images flow, allowing one image to slip to another, creating possibilities and a rich, open-ended story. Pat Snow’s artistic approach questions how one remembers and constructs a personal history and eventually tests how reliable and trustworthy ones memories are.
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