Rules were meant for George W Bush to invalidate
May 27, 2006
It’s getting hot in here….
May 26, 2006
I wish this Al Gore movie would come to this town 
An Inconvenient Truth
In the meantime… gas has reached $4 a gallon in some parts of the country http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0526/p03s03-ussc.html?s=itmthumb
I nervously watch the gas pumps around here. Although it's down to $2.65 a gallon here (which still isn't cheap), it won't take much to shoot back up to the near $3 it loomed at for months. http://www.illinoisgasprices.com
Silly AT&T…
May 26, 2006
A First Step in Internet Freedom
May 26, 2006
" A bipartisan majority on the House Judiciary Committee yesterday passed the "Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act" — a good bill that would use antitrust law to protect Network Neutrality. Special thanks to those of you who called the key members who cast the deciding votes." – freepress.net
Now is a time to write your representatives telling them to pass the network neutrality laws!
Big Telco Propaganda Masked as Grassroots campaign!
May 25, 2006
Don't be fooled!
DontRegulate.org and hands off the internet are advocating anti-net neutrality. They claim to be "nationwide coalition of Internet users." However, it appears to be just a ploy from the big telecommunication companies.
Dontregulate.org claims that YOU will have to pay for the internet instead of big companies like Google and Yahoo with net-neutrality laws. I find this to be highly deceiving. Google and Yahoo, etc already pay for the internet. They pay for servers and BANDWITH! Consumers then pay to access the internet. Net Neutrality won't make consumers pay more, it just makes big business pay more for services they already use. If they don't pay the extra charges, then SBC and the big telcos just slow down their services (or don't deliver them at all). This is totally unfair.
Bloggers and individuals will then be forced to pay for the amount of bandwidth they use for their person sites in addition to the fees and hosting charges they already pay (for bandwidth).
These "grassroot" campaigns against net neutrality make it seem like the government will be controling the internet, incorrect. It is just keeping big telephone companies from controling the internet. The government will not control anything, other than the amount of power the telephone companies have (which is plenty as it is). Don't be fooled. Advocate FOR net neutrality!
It comes down to this:
Big telco wants to get paid twice for their services. Net neutrality laws will stop them from forcing websites and other companies to pay more. This will prevent telecommunication companies from slowing down or limiting access for those who don't pay more. Net neutrality means freedom on the internet, without having to pay double (or more) for your content to get through.
Net neutrality laws are probably not enough. Big Telcos need breaking up, but this can be a start to controlling their power.
Sorry.
May 23, 2006
I'll post more entries soon.
I saw The DaVinci Code Friday. It was almost like the book. Pretty good. If you haven't heard of the Gnostic Gospels or other things like that, then you'll find it interesting.
In the meantime, check out http://www.nationstates.net/ and make a nation
You can even visit my nation: http://www.nationstates.net/chlamydia_rash
While you're out on the net, check out the band Chumbawamba at http://www.chumba.com/
Watch their video in the download section: "Homophobia"
I'll blog at ya later!
Some more NSA shite
May 18, 2006
Phone Companies Should be Scared…
May 17, 2006
Phone Companies Distance Themselves from NSA
Having to confess to being one of the companies that gave the NSA everyone's phone logs is a PR nightmare… but I don't think PR problems is all they should be worrying about.
They should have to deal with every angry customer. They owe it to every one of them whose records they just handed over. As customers, we should demand retribution and make these companies more responsible. They were too willing to give up personal data. I wouldn't mind free service for a while. I really wouldn't mind if some of these big telco companies could possibly split up.
Who you gonna call?
Trustbusters!
News of the Day
May 16, 2006
US releases 9/11 video of Pentagon jet crash
- you can see the videos here: http://www.judicialwatch.org/flight77.shtml
- You can't really make out much. I can't even see a plane.
Update on (somewhat) rich guy who's fighting the MPAA in court
Prosecution Lambastes Enron Defendants in Closing Arguments
Bush Calls for Border Troops, Guest Workers
Firefox continues to gain ground
Coming to my blog soon: I will be doing a better job organizing my posts by topic…
http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=239
This house produces as much energy as it consumes in a year and combines "renewable energy technologies with advanced energy-efficient construction."
Everything from solar power, to ground source heat pumps, to a tankless water heater. It's designed to be efficient and use natural resources to draw power.
If modern houses could use just some of the techniques used to make this house efficient, we'd be saving a ton of energy.
I can't say that I use too many energy saving techniques, but I do use flouresent light bulbs and don't really use all that much energy. My laptop only draws as much power as a regular light bulb. But, it's not like I can buy solar panels and a ground heat pump because I rent. However, it is something I'd consider for when I do have a house. Sometimes small things like good insulation and turning lights out when you aren't using them save lots of energy and money! With rising gas and energy prices, it pays to be a little more conservative (environmentally, not politically).
Support Global Warming Pollution Controls
May 15, 2006
That's one title that needs a catchier name.
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/060510c.asp
"Today the House Appropriations Committee approved a resolution already passed in the Senate that recognizes the problem of global warming and declares the U.S. needs mandatory limits to cut the pollution that causes it."
This is a good time to call your representative and tell them you support the environment.
Here's some points you can advise them on:
- Reduce pollution, especially greenhouse gases
- Encourage studies about global warming
- Research alternative energy sources
- Reduce America's dependence on oil
- Discourage oil drilling in Alaska
- Protect endangered species and their habitats
Here are some resources for information
Thanks!
Good-bye checks and balances- People OK with that!
May 12, 2006
Well, according to this article on Wired, it looks like the NSA won't let the Department of Justice have access to the clearance it needs to do some investigating.
Apparently this doesn't concern most citizens, because a recent poll shows that Americans support NSA's efforts.
It looks like the constitution has become optional now a days… and all America can do is shrug its shoulders! Meh.
It's time to stand up and tell them that this is unacceptable!
Do what you can- vote, petition, inform others!
A disturbing report on domestic spying :-o
May 12, 2006
(and we're not kidding, they ARE watching you)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060511-6813.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-12-hayden-support_x.htm
Every phone call you make is logged… and that's just the beginning.
I wish this were only conspiracy theory…
And you know what?
AT&T is just giving them the information they want
"AT&T Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. telephone companies began turning over records of their customers' phone calls shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said USA Today, citing anonymous sources it said had direct knowledge of the arrangement." -USA Today
(Your world. Delivered straight to the NSA.)
You probably already know that Fox news is a lapdog for the Bush administration, but is CNN just as unwilling to report a story when it may be critical of the US?
This report thinks so:
[Post 9-11 press coverage was quite factual.] But, alas, that was not to last. Researchers found that as the months went by, analysis and opinion gradually crept back in, and the proportion of fact fell from 75 percent of the news to 69 percent. "The level of factualness declined to levels lower than those seen in the middle of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal," says the report. The other trend that showed up was a distinct unwillingness to challenge or criticize U.S. policy or the Bush Administration. In September, 71 percent of news stories were classified as entirely or predominantly pro-U.S. That figure fell to 50 percent in December. It is here that the gulf between CNN and Fox News Channel turns out to be nonexistent. Much has been made in recent weeks of the unabashedly pro-American stance taken by Fox News with regard to the terrorist attacks and the war in Afghanistan. Sure enough, 78 percent of the relevant stories on "Special Report with Brit Hume" were all or mostly supportive of the White House’s actions. But wait: On CNN's "NewsNight with Aaron Brown," 77 percent of the relevant stories were entirely supportive of the Bush Administration. "Looking at the two signature evening newscasts of the two cable networks over nine days, there was no appreciable difference," says the study.
I don't think the media is getting to the hard hitting questions and doing its job as a governmental watch dog. The first amendment is supposed to protect the media and allow it to keep the government in check by reporting on it.
That is not happening now. Without this function, the government can go unchecked. This is dangerous. I think that we are already feeling its effects, but it's going to get worse.
Blogging and the internet can't keep the balance alone. YOU CAN HELP! How can we stop this? Show the media you want fair coverage. Read stories that are factual and critical of the government when it has done wrong (or could do better). The news agencies can tell what stories you read on the internet! Pass along stories that are intersting, not just fluff. Keep a blog or just tell others about what you've read. Also, comment on news pages that allow for comments. There's so much you can do, just let the media know what you want. They want ratings, reward them when they do good.
The constitution gives us this right. Let's use it, before the media completely abuse it.
Show me the money!
May 10, 2006
It looks like Exxon will surpass Microsoft as cash king.
This will make them the biggest company by stock-market value.
I guess that's not hard when you can charge anything you want for your product because people have to have it.
