Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Campaign 2012:
Barak Obama defeating a man who expresses his resentment of 47% of Americans (when he thinks only rich people are listening) is a good thing. A GOP victory would have meant disastrous austerity for those who can least afford it: the poor, and those in danger of sliding out of the Middle Class into poverty. Obama has major faults, to be sure, and they deserve the full exposure & critique the best journalism can muster. Maybe the President can finally expose what nonsense the GOP definition of 'bi-partisanship' is (their way or none at all by way of obstruction)...
Privacy:
GeekWire: Xbox team’s ‘consumer detector’ would dis-Kinect freeloading TV viewers
"A newly surfaced patent filing from Microsoft’s Xbox Incubation team details one of the new innovations they’ve been thinking about. This one could be very popular among major movie and television studios. But it probably wouldn’t generate much excitement among Xbox users. The patent application, filed under the heading 'Content Distribution Regulation by Viewing User,' proposes to use cameras and sensors like those in the Xbox 360 Kinect controller to monitor, count and in some cases identify the people in a room watching television, movies and other content. The filing refers to the technology as a 'consumer detector.' In one scenario, the system would then charge for the television show or movie based on the number of viewers in the room. Or, if the number of viewers exceeds the limits laid out by a particular content license, the system would halt playback unless additional viewing rights were purchased. The system could also take into account the age of viewers, limiting playback of mature content to adults, for example. This patent application doesn’t explain how that would work, but a separate Microsoft patent application last year described a system for using sensors to estimate age based on the proportions of their body..."
Blaming The Whistleblower:
Glenn Greenwald: Tough Guy Leaking: Iran edition
"The primary fear-mongering agenda item for the National Security and Surveillance State industry is now cyberwarfare. The Washington cadre of former military officials who seek to personally profit by exploiting national security issues — represented by Adm. Michael McConnell and Gen. Michael Hayden — has been running around for several years shrilly warning that cyberwarfare is the greatest threat posed by Terrorists and other of America’s enemies (and, just coincidentally, they also argue that it’s urgent that the U.S. Government purchase wildly expensive cyber-security technology from their private-sector clients as well as seize greater control over the Internet to protect against the threat)... ...Administration defenders will undoubtedly insist that unleashing cyber warfare was all necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and impeding an Israeli attack — even though the U.S. Government acknowledges there is no evidence that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons; Iran has the absolute right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, and it is far from clear that this virus meaningfully impeded Iran’s nuclear program. But no matter: once a Manichean storyline is implanted (Evil Iran v. Virtuous America), all acts of aggression by the super-hero against the villain are inherently justified. Beyond the substance of this revelation, there is something quite notable going on here. This morning’s story by Sanger is but the latest in a long line of leaks about classified programs that have two attributes in common: (1) they come from senior Obama administration officials; and (2) they are designed to depict President Obama, in an Election Year, as a super-tough, hands-on, no-nonsense Warrior. Put another way, the administration that is pathologically fixated on secrecy and harshly punishing whistleblowers routinely leaks national security secrets when doing so can politically benefit the President..."
Disaster As Opportunity:
Naomi Klein: Superstorm Sandy—a People's Shock?
"Less than three days after Sandy made landfall on the East Coast of the United States, Iain Murray of the Competitive Enterprise Institute blamed New Yorkers’ resistance to big-box stores for the misery they were about to endure. Writing on Forbes.com, he explained that the city’s refusal to embrace Walmart will likely make the recovery much harder: 'Mom-and-pop stores simply can’t do what big stores can in these circumstances,' he wrote. And the preemptive scapegoating didn’t stop there. He also warned that if the pace of reconstruction turned out to be sluggish (as it so often is) then 'pro-union rules such as the Davis-Bacon Act' would be to blame, a reference to the statute that requires workers on public-works projects to be paid not the minimum wage, but the prevailing wage in the region. The same day, Frank Rapoport, a lawyer representing several billion-dollar construction and real estate contractors, jumped in to suggest that many of those public works projects shouldn’t be public at all. Instead, cash-strapped governments should turn to 'public private partnerships,' known as 'P3s.' That means roads, bridges and tunnels being rebuilt by private companies, which, for instance, could install tolls and keep the profits. Up until now, the only thing stopping them has been the law—specifically the absence of laws in New York State and New Jersey that enable these sorts of deals. But Rapoport is convinced that the combination of broke governments and needy people will provide just the catalyst needed to break the deadlock. 'There were some bridges that were washed out in New Jersey that need structural replacement, and it’s going to be very expensive,' he told The Nation. 'And so the government may well not have the money to build it the right way. And that’s when you turn to a P3.' Ray Lehmann, co-founder of the R Street Institute, a mouthpiece for the insurance lobby (formerly a division of the climate-denying Heartland Institute), had another public prize in his sights. In a Wall Street Journal article about Sandy, he was quoted arguing for the eventual 'full privatization' of the National Flood Insurance Program, the federal initiative that provides affordable protection from some natural disasters—and which private insurers see as unfair competition. But the prize for shameless disaster capitalism surely goes to right-wing economist Russell S. Sobel, writing in a New York Times online forum. Sobel suggested that, in hard-hit areas, FEMA should create 'free trade zones—in which all normal regulations, licensing and taxes [are] suspended.' This corporate free-for-all would, apparently, 'better provide the goods and services victims need,'..."
Barak Obama defeating a man who expresses his resentment of 47% of Americans (when he thinks only rich people are listening) is a good thing. A GOP victory would have meant disastrous austerity for those who can least afford it: the poor, and those in danger of sliding out of the Middle Class into poverty. Obama has major faults, to be sure, and they deserve the full exposure & critique the best journalism can muster. Maybe the President can finally expose what nonsense the GOP definition of 'bi-partisanship' is (their way or none at all by way of obstruction)...
Privacy:
GeekWire: Xbox team’s ‘consumer detector’ would dis-Kinect freeloading TV viewers
"A newly surfaced patent filing from Microsoft’s Xbox Incubation team details one of the new innovations they’ve been thinking about. This one could be very popular among major movie and television studios. But it probably wouldn’t generate much excitement among Xbox users. The patent application, filed under the heading 'Content Distribution Regulation by Viewing User,' proposes to use cameras and sensors like those in the Xbox 360 Kinect controller to monitor, count and in some cases identify the people in a room watching television, movies and other content. The filing refers to the technology as a 'consumer detector.' In one scenario, the system would then charge for the television show or movie based on the number of viewers in the room. Or, if the number of viewers exceeds the limits laid out by a particular content license, the system would halt playback unless additional viewing rights were purchased. The system could also take into account the age of viewers, limiting playback of mature content to adults, for example. This patent application doesn’t explain how that would work, but a separate Microsoft patent application last year described a system for using sensors to estimate age based on the proportions of their body..."
Blaming The Whistleblower:
Glenn Greenwald: Tough Guy Leaking: Iran edition
"The primary fear-mongering agenda item for the National Security and Surveillance State industry is now cyberwarfare. The Washington cadre of former military officials who seek to personally profit by exploiting national security issues — represented by Adm. Michael McConnell and Gen. Michael Hayden — has been running around for several years shrilly warning that cyberwarfare is the greatest threat posed by Terrorists and other of America’s enemies (and, just coincidentally, they also argue that it’s urgent that the U.S. Government purchase wildly expensive cyber-security technology from their private-sector clients as well as seize greater control over the Internet to protect against the threat)... ...Administration defenders will undoubtedly insist that unleashing cyber warfare was all necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and impeding an Israeli attack — even though the U.S. Government acknowledges there is no evidence that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons; Iran has the absolute right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, and it is far from clear that this virus meaningfully impeded Iran’s nuclear program. But no matter: once a Manichean storyline is implanted (Evil Iran v. Virtuous America), all acts of aggression by the super-hero against the villain are inherently justified. Beyond the substance of this revelation, there is something quite notable going on here. This morning’s story by Sanger is but the latest in a long line of leaks about classified programs that have two attributes in common: (1) they come from senior Obama administration officials; and (2) they are designed to depict President Obama, in an Election Year, as a super-tough, hands-on, no-nonsense Warrior. Put another way, the administration that is pathologically fixated on secrecy and harshly punishing whistleblowers routinely leaks national security secrets when doing so can politically benefit the President..."
Disaster As Opportunity:
Naomi Klein: Superstorm Sandy—a People's Shock?
"Less than three days after Sandy made landfall on the East Coast of the United States, Iain Murray of the Competitive Enterprise Institute blamed New Yorkers’ resistance to big-box stores for the misery they were about to endure. Writing on Forbes.com, he explained that the city’s refusal to embrace Walmart will likely make the recovery much harder: 'Mom-and-pop stores simply can’t do what big stores can in these circumstances,' he wrote. And the preemptive scapegoating didn’t stop there. He also warned that if the pace of reconstruction turned out to be sluggish (as it so often is) then 'pro-union rules such as the Davis-Bacon Act' would be to blame, a reference to the statute that requires workers on public-works projects to be paid not the minimum wage, but the prevailing wage in the region. The same day, Frank Rapoport, a lawyer representing several billion-dollar construction and real estate contractors, jumped in to suggest that many of those public works projects shouldn’t be public at all. Instead, cash-strapped governments should turn to 'public private partnerships,' known as 'P3s.' That means roads, bridges and tunnels being rebuilt by private companies, which, for instance, could install tolls and keep the profits. Up until now, the only thing stopping them has been the law—specifically the absence of laws in New York State and New Jersey that enable these sorts of deals. But Rapoport is convinced that the combination of broke governments and needy people will provide just the catalyst needed to break the deadlock. 'There were some bridges that were washed out in New Jersey that need structural replacement, and it’s going to be very expensive,' he told The Nation. 'And so the government may well not have the money to build it the right way. And that’s when you turn to a P3.' Ray Lehmann, co-founder of the R Street Institute, a mouthpiece for the insurance lobby (formerly a division of the climate-denying Heartland Institute), had another public prize in his sights. In a Wall Street Journal article about Sandy, he was quoted arguing for the eventual 'full privatization' of the National Flood Insurance Program, the federal initiative that provides affordable protection from some natural disasters—and which private insurers see as unfair competition. But the prize for shameless disaster capitalism surely goes to right-wing economist Russell S. Sobel, writing in a New York Times online forum. Sobel suggested that, in hard-hit areas, FEMA should create 'free trade zones—in which all normal regulations, licensing and taxes [are] suspended.' This corporate free-for-all would, apparently, 'better provide the goods and services victims need,'..."
Friday, November 02, 2012
2012 Campaign:
Greg Palast: UAW Files Charges Against Romney on His Auto Bail-out Profiteering
"The Presidential candidate has just learned that tomorrow afternoon he will be charged with violating the federal Ethics in Government law by improperly concealing his multi-million dollar windfall from the auto industry bail-out. At a press conference in Toledo, Bob King, President of the United Automobile Workers, will announce that his union and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) have filed a formal complaint with the US Office of Government Ethics in Washington stating that Gov. Romney improperly hid a profit of $15.3 million to $115.0 million in Ann Romney's so-called 'blind' trust. The union chief says, 'The American people have a right to know about Gov. Romney’s potential conflicts of interest, such as the profits his family made from the auto rescue,' 'It’s time for Gov. Romney to disclose or divest,'...
...The Romneys' gigantic windfall was hidden inside an offshore corporation inside a Limited Partnership inside a trust which both concealed the gain and reduces taxes on it. The Romneys' windfall was originally exposed in Nation Magazine, Mitt Romney's Bail-out Bonanza after a worldwide investigation by our crew at The Guardian, the Nation Institute and the Palast Investigative Fund..."
The Role Of Government:
Ed Kaine: Hurricane Relief... What Government is For!
"As over 50 million people affected by Hurricane Sandy struggle together we're reminded what America is all about. This storm is projected to cost between $10 Billion and $20 Billion... these are huge numbers but the high estimate works out to only about $65 a citizen. Joining together in tough times is what America is all about. We are stronger when we are united. It is not only what disaster relief is about... it's what government is about...
...Time and again we've heard from Republican's that we should 'starve the beast' to constrain government's ability to operate. Despite the rhetoric, both parties 'tax and spend'! The 3 most important question's about taxation are 1)Who are you taxing? 2) How much? and 3) For what? Democrats strive to have a progressive tax where people who are doing better pay a little more so that we can have a strong government that is able to respond to crises. Republican's work to decrease taxation on the wealthy while continuing and calling for increasing spending on the military. Governor Romney has advocated privatizing disaster relief and called aid to the states 'immoral', this is not a point of view you can see when you are under water..."
Greg Palast: UAW Files Charges Against Romney on His Auto Bail-out Profiteering
"The Presidential candidate has just learned that tomorrow afternoon he will be charged with violating the federal Ethics in Government law by improperly concealing his multi-million dollar windfall from the auto industry bail-out. At a press conference in Toledo, Bob King, President of the United Automobile Workers, will announce that his union and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) have filed a formal complaint with the US Office of Government Ethics in Washington stating that Gov. Romney improperly hid a profit of $15.3 million to $115.0 million in Ann Romney's so-called 'blind' trust. The union chief says, 'The American people have a right to know about Gov. Romney’s potential conflicts of interest, such as the profits his family made from the auto rescue,' 'It’s time for Gov. Romney to disclose or divest,'...
...The Romneys' gigantic windfall was hidden inside an offshore corporation inside a Limited Partnership inside a trust which both concealed the gain and reduces taxes on it. The Romneys' windfall was originally exposed in Nation Magazine, Mitt Romney's Bail-out Bonanza after a worldwide investigation by our crew at The Guardian, the Nation Institute and the Palast Investigative Fund..."
The Role Of Government:
Ed Kaine: Hurricane Relief... What Government is For!
"As over 50 million people affected by Hurricane Sandy struggle together we're reminded what America is all about. This storm is projected to cost between $10 Billion and $20 Billion... these are huge numbers but the high estimate works out to only about $65 a citizen. Joining together in tough times is what America is all about. We are stronger when we are united. It is not only what disaster relief is about... it's what government is about...
...Time and again we've heard from Republican's that we should 'starve the beast' to constrain government's ability to operate. Despite the rhetoric, both parties 'tax and spend'! The 3 most important question's about taxation are 1)Who are you taxing? 2) How much? and 3) For what? Democrats strive to have a progressive tax where people who are doing better pay a little more so that we can have a strong government that is able to respond to crises. Republican's work to decrease taxation on the wealthy while continuing and calling for increasing spending on the military. Governor Romney has advocated privatizing disaster relief and called aid to the states 'immoral', this is not a point of view you can see when you are under water..."
