This is almost laughable.
National Emergency Alert System Set To Launch In NYC
Now, granted we all knew it was coming, but still... The implications of this are gargantuan.
1. Your phones will now be mandatorily equiped with FEMA endorsed microchips and software.
2. The messages will supersede all other phone traffic and have a unique signal and vibration...
Anyone see any problems with this???
3. This can already be done anyway! When I was in college, my university had an emergency system in place where they would send a text to everyone incase of an emergency... They certainly didn't need specialized chips and software to do this!!!
Apparently, now that the cats out of the bag that google and iphone were tracking users, the government just decided to put an end to the conspiracy and be up front with it! In the name of our 'safety', of course. And, i gotta hand it to them, it's a rather genius ploy. Now instead of being worried about a private company tracking us, the government can do it right out in the open, and better still, they can even install THEIR OWN CHIPS AND SOFTWARE to do it! And, like everything else, the majority of the sheeple out there who are still scared witless by the 'boogie men' terrorists are going to eat this up.
We are now just a few steps away from having literal telescreens installed in our homes that beam directly into our brains the latest government fables about who we’re bombing now, what level chocolate rations are this month, as well as Michelle Obama’s mandatory exercise program.
Oh wait....
Google's already working on that.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Animal Farm
Now this might come as an interesting change of pace, seeing that it's not necessarily news related, but if you give the movie a chance, I think you might see why I posted it.
If one's familiar with the work, it should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan of George Orwell's 1984. His other cultural masterpiece is, of course, Animal Farm. Now, I've always heard a lot about Animal Farm, but I was never terribly acquainted with it, and more or less only knew that it was a commentary on Communism, and particularly Stalin, during the period just before WWII. Like many of you, I wasn't around at that time, and though I know a little bit about what the history books say about Stalin and that era, I can't really say much about it besides that (and, though I'm not defending communism, or Stalin, we're all familiar with the age old adage "The winners of the war write the history books").
So, being admittedly naive about the original premise of the story, I approached it from a more modern perspective... And, low and behold, it was still a fantastic commentary, even if the context was a little different. If you have the time and are interested in familiarizing yourself with Orwell's other work, and a literary classic in and of its own right, then I'd recommend you watch the animated interpretation.
If I ever find myself with the luxury of having more time to read, it'll definitely be on my agenda.
Here's a plot synopsise from the actual novel, to fill in some of the gaps that the movie leaves, and to point of some of the strinking similarities between the book and what is going on today.
Old Major, the old boar on the Manor Farm, calls the animals on the farm for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and teaches the animals a revolutionary song, "Beasts of England".
When Major dies three days later, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command and turn his dream into a philosophy. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones from the farm, renaming it "Animal Farm".
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on the wall of a barn. The most important is the seventh, "All animals are equal." All the animals work, but the workhorse, Boxer, does more than others and adopts the maxim — "I will work harder."
Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful; and the farm runs smoothly. The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership and set aside special food items ostensibly for their personal health. Napoleon takes the pups from the farm dogs and trains them privately. When Mr. Jones tries retaking the farm, the animals defeat him at what they call the "Battle of the Cowshed." Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership. When Snowball announces his idea for a windmill, Napoleon opposes it. Snowball makes a speech in favour of the windmill, whereupon Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball away. In Snowball's absence, Napoleon declares himself leader and makes changes. Meetings will no longer be held and instead a committee of pigs will run the farm.
Using a young pig named Squealer as a mouthpiece, Napoleon announces that Snowball stole the idea for the windmill from him. The animals work harder with the promise of easier lives with the windmill. After a violent storm, the animals find the windmill annihilated. Napoleon and Squealer convince the animals that Snowball destroyed the windmill, although the scorn of the neighbouring farmers suggests the windmill's walls were too thin. Once Snowball becomes a scapegoat, Napoleon begins purging the farm, killing animals he accuses of consorting with Snowball. Meanwhile, Boxer takes up a second maxim: "Napoleon is always right."
Napoleon abuses his powers, making life harder for the animals; the pigs impose more control while reserving privileges for themselves. The pigs rewrite history, villainizing Snowball and glorifying Napoleon. Squealer justifies every statement Napoleon makes, even the pigs' alteration of the Seven Commandments of Animalism. "No animal shall sleep in beds" is changed to "No animal shall sleep in beds with sheets" when the pigs are discovered to have been sleeping in the old farmhouse. "No animal shall drink alcohol" is changed to "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess" when the pigs discover the farmer's whisky. "Beasts of England" is banned as inappropriate, as according to Napoleon the dream of Animal Farm has been realized. It is replaced by an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who appears to be adopting the lifestyle of a man. The animals, though cold, starving, and overworked, remain convinced through psychological conditioning that they are better off than they were when ruled by Mr. Jones. Squealer abuses the animals' poor memories and invents numbers to show their improvement.
Mr. Frederick, one of the neighbouring farmers, swindles Napoleon by buying old wood with forged money, and then attacks the farm, using blasting powder to blow up the restored windmill. Though the animals win the battle, they do so at great cost, as many, including Boxer, are wounded. Boxer continues working harder and harder, until he collapses while working on the windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take Boxer to the veterinarian, explaining that better care can be given there. Benjamin the donkey, who "could read as well as any pig",[5] notices that the van belongs to "Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler", and attempts to mount a rescue; but the animals' attempts are futile. Squealer reports that the van was purchased by the hospital and the writing from the previous owner had not been repainted. He recounts a tale of Boxer's death in the hands of the best medical care. Shortly after Boxer's death, it is revealed that the pigs have purchased more whisky.
Years pass, and the pigs learn to walk upright, carry whips, and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Napoleon holds a dinner party for the pigs and the humans of the area, who congratulate Napoleon on having the hardest-working animals in the country on the least feed. Napoleon announces an alliance with the humans, against the labouring classes of both "worlds". He abolishes practices and traditions related to the Revolution, and reverts the name of the farm to "Manor Farm".
The animals, overhearing the conversation, notice that the faces of the pigs have begun changing. During a poker match, an argument breaks out between Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington when they both play the Ace of Spades, and the animals realize that the faces of the pigs look like the faces of humans and no one can tell the difference between them.
If one's familiar with the work, it should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan of George Orwell's 1984. His other cultural masterpiece is, of course, Animal Farm. Now, I've always heard a lot about Animal Farm, but I was never terribly acquainted with it, and more or less only knew that it was a commentary on Communism, and particularly Stalin, during the period just before WWII. Like many of you, I wasn't around at that time, and though I know a little bit about what the history books say about Stalin and that era, I can't really say much about it besides that (and, though I'm not defending communism, or Stalin, we're all familiar with the age old adage "The winners of the war write the history books").
So, being admittedly naive about the original premise of the story, I approached it from a more modern perspective... And, low and behold, it was still a fantastic commentary, even if the context was a little different. If you have the time and are interested in familiarizing yourself with Orwell's other work, and a literary classic in and of its own right, then I'd recommend you watch the animated interpretation.
If I ever find myself with the luxury of having more time to read, it'll definitely be on my agenda.
Here's a plot synopsise from the actual novel, to fill in some of the gaps that the movie leaves, and to point of some of the strinking similarities between the book and what is going on today.
Old Major, the old boar on the Manor Farm, calls the animals on the farm for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and teaches the animals a revolutionary song, "Beasts of England".
When Major dies three days later, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command and turn his dream into a philosophy. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones from the farm, renaming it "Animal Farm".
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on the wall of a barn. The most important is the seventh, "All animals are equal." All the animals work, but the workhorse, Boxer, does more than others and adopts the maxim — "I will work harder."
Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful; and the farm runs smoothly. The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership and set aside special food items ostensibly for their personal health. Napoleon takes the pups from the farm dogs and trains them privately. When Mr. Jones tries retaking the farm, the animals defeat him at what they call the "Battle of the Cowshed." Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership. When Snowball announces his idea for a windmill, Napoleon opposes it. Snowball makes a speech in favour of the windmill, whereupon Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball away. In Snowball's absence, Napoleon declares himself leader and makes changes. Meetings will no longer be held and instead a committee of pigs will run the farm.
Using a young pig named Squealer as a mouthpiece, Napoleon announces that Snowball stole the idea for the windmill from him. The animals work harder with the promise of easier lives with the windmill. After a violent storm, the animals find the windmill annihilated. Napoleon and Squealer convince the animals that Snowball destroyed the windmill, although the scorn of the neighbouring farmers suggests the windmill's walls were too thin. Once Snowball becomes a scapegoat, Napoleon begins purging the farm, killing animals he accuses of consorting with Snowball. Meanwhile, Boxer takes up a second maxim: "Napoleon is always right."
Napoleon abuses his powers, making life harder for the animals; the pigs impose more control while reserving privileges for themselves. The pigs rewrite history, villainizing Snowball and glorifying Napoleon. Squealer justifies every statement Napoleon makes, even the pigs' alteration of the Seven Commandments of Animalism. "No animal shall sleep in beds" is changed to "No animal shall sleep in beds with sheets" when the pigs are discovered to have been sleeping in the old farmhouse. "No animal shall drink alcohol" is changed to "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess" when the pigs discover the farmer's whisky. "Beasts of England" is banned as inappropriate, as according to Napoleon the dream of Animal Farm has been realized. It is replaced by an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who appears to be adopting the lifestyle of a man. The animals, though cold, starving, and overworked, remain convinced through psychological conditioning that they are better off than they were when ruled by Mr. Jones. Squealer abuses the animals' poor memories and invents numbers to show their improvement.
Mr. Frederick, one of the neighbouring farmers, swindles Napoleon by buying old wood with forged money, and then attacks the farm, using blasting powder to blow up the restored windmill. Though the animals win the battle, they do so at great cost, as many, including Boxer, are wounded. Boxer continues working harder and harder, until he collapses while working on the windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take Boxer to the veterinarian, explaining that better care can be given there. Benjamin the donkey, who "could read as well as any pig",[5] notices that the van belongs to "Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler", and attempts to mount a rescue; but the animals' attempts are futile. Squealer reports that the van was purchased by the hospital and the writing from the previous owner had not been repainted. He recounts a tale of Boxer's death in the hands of the best medical care. Shortly after Boxer's death, it is revealed that the pigs have purchased more whisky.
Years pass, and the pigs learn to walk upright, carry whips, and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Napoleon holds a dinner party for the pigs and the humans of the area, who congratulate Napoleon on having the hardest-working animals in the country on the least feed. Napoleon announces an alliance with the humans, against the labouring classes of both "worlds". He abolishes practices and traditions related to the Revolution, and reverts the name of the farm to "Manor Farm".
The animals, overhearing the conversation, notice that the faces of the pigs have begun changing. During a poker match, an argument breaks out between Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington when they both play the Ace of Spades, and the animals realize that the faces of the pigs look like the faces of humans and no one can tell the difference between them.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Stop, Think, Connect
Doing some general procrastinating of work tasks today and ran across this video... thought that it was worth sharing.
Also, while the world is distracted with Osama, we've all but forgotten about the nuclear disaster just downwind from us. I've been following it when I can, but news is getting increasingly harder to find. Here's a little update.
And, as far as the police state goes, just one small update for today:
Obama Administration Fights to Allow Warrantless GPS Tracking
I believe the key word there is 'warrantless'.
And, incase you want a little update on Libya:
I think it's interesting to note that the French people have such disdain for their president and the war in general, while here in the states, the whole Osama thing worked like a charm to quell almost all of that dissent. Funny, I thought we were there for humanitarian reasons, not terrorists. But then again, most Americans probably don't even know -that- ...
But how couldn't they? What's more humanitarian than this?
I saw an article about this in my local newspaper today... granted, it was a very small, almost hidden little blip, but it was there, so I guess that counts for something. Now the question that comes to mind is why would 600 people want to flee Libya on a rickity little boat like that? Why on earth would they be so desperate to get out of there that they're willing to leave their entire lives behind and risk death just to get away? Don't they know that we're there to protect them, and to save them from an evil, tyrannical, militant empire hellbent on bloodshed and global domination of world resources?
Oh wait....
Oh well, American Idol's on tonight. I can rest easy knowing that we're making the world a safer place, one war at a time.
Also, while the world is distracted with Osama, we've all but forgotten about the nuclear disaster just downwind from us. I've been following it when I can, but news is getting increasingly harder to find. Here's a little update.
And, as far as the police state goes, just one small update for today:
Obama Administration Fights to Allow Warrantless GPS Tracking
I believe the key word there is 'warrantless'.
And, incase you want a little update on Libya:
I think it's interesting to note that the French people have such disdain for their president and the war in general, while here in the states, the whole Osama thing worked like a charm to quell almost all of that dissent. Funny, I thought we were there for humanitarian reasons, not terrorists. But then again, most Americans probably don't even know -that- ...
But how couldn't they? What's more humanitarian than this?
I saw an article about this in my local newspaper today... granted, it was a very small, almost hidden little blip, but it was there, so I guess that counts for something. Now the question that comes to mind is why would 600 people want to flee Libya on a rickity little boat like that? Why on earth would they be so desperate to get out of there that they're willing to leave their entire lives behind and risk death just to get away? Don't they know that we're there to protect them, and to save them from an evil, tyrannical, militant empire hellbent on bloodshed and global domination of world resources?
Oh wait....
Oh well, American Idol's on tonight. I can rest easy knowing that we're making the world a safer place, one war at a time.
Monday, May 9, 2011
For lols
I couldn't help but post this before slinking home for the day:
School district to give away iPod, laptop to children who participate in vaccination contest
School district to give away iPod, laptop to children who participate in vaccination contest
Incase you still care
Since they can do it far better than I can, with my current time commitments being what they are.
10 facts that prove the bin laden fable is a contrived hoax
Pretty much sums up everything that I've been bloggin about for the last week regarding our man Osama.
Unfortunately, I was out of town when all these 'videos' were released, so I haven't had the opportunity to look them over in great detail for myself just yet. However, when the story broke, I was watching a local news station, and even the fucking news anchor was commenting on how it didn't really seem to look like the real Osama.
Maybe they really are starting to overplay their hand?
Anyway, on a completely unrelated note, I saw this article on Yahoo news today:
America’s Middle Class Crisis: The Sobering Facts
Nothing groundbreaking, but still a fun little watch for something from yahoo.
10 facts that prove the bin laden fable is a contrived hoax
Pretty much sums up everything that I've been bloggin about for the last week regarding our man Osama.
Unfortunately, I was out of town when all these 'videos' were released, so I haven't had the opportunity to look them over in great detail for myself just yet. However, when the story broke, I was watching a local news station, and even the fucking news anchor was commenting on how it didn't really seem to look like the real Osama.
Maybe they really are starting to overplay their hand?
Anyway, on a completely unrelated note, I saw this article on Yahoo news today:
America’s Middle Class Crisis: The Sobering Facts
Nothing groundbreaking, but still a fun little watch for something from yahoo.
Breaking News: Several more countries ditching the dollar
So, Thursday I made a blog post that explained how Gaddafi wanted to create a new gold-backed currency for oil trade -- the Dinar. This would have obviously had some serious consequences for the US, which would have had ended our ability to print money to buy oil with and instead required us to purchase oil with gold (which we don't have that much of, all things considered). I then went on to explain (or rather, link to a video that explained) the petro-dollar system, and alluded to the fact that, once enough countries backed out of the petro-dollar system, we'd finally see the total collapse of the US currency.
Well, it appears that Japan, China, and South Korea have established their own bi-lateral trade agreements, similar to those that China and Russia established with each other just a short while ago.
Asian trio to study dollar alternative: report
Remember what I said about quietly backing away to get to the elevator?
But it's not just them... India and Iran want out too!
Oh, but wait, there's more!
China Proposes To Cut Two Thirds Of Its $3 Trillion In USD Holdings
0.0 !!!!
So much for quietly backing away... that more like an outright sprint! And in addition to this being, among other things, not a great show of faith in the US by the Chinese, this almost guarentees that we'll be seeing new waves of Quantitative Easing... With China selling, not buying, American debt, we have no choice but to print the money that we need directly (I.E. Quantitative Easing). This, of course, leads to the graph of the money supply looking like this:
Expect to see another 90 degree jump in just a few months.
Lets climb a little higher before we jump to our deaths, shall we?
Seriously people, this is -not- good news. The US economy is beyond fucked, and the dam that is holding it all together just got a few more leaks. As we continue to loose our footing as the global super power, I can only imagine what will happen. I don't know everything, but I have a hunch that America won't go down without a fight.
Well, it appears that Japan, China, and South Korea have established their own bi-lateral trade agreements, similar to those that China and Russia established with each other just a short while ago.
Asian trio to study dollar alternative: report
Remember what I said about quietly backing away to get to the elevator?
But it's not just them... India and Iran want out too!
Oh, but wait, there's more!
China Proposes To Cut Two Thirds Of Its $3 Trillion In USD Holdings
0.0 !!!!
So much for quietly backing away... that more like an outright sprint! And in addition to this being, among other things, not a great show of faith in the US by the Chinese, this almost guarentees that we'll be seeing new waves of Quantitative Easing... With China selling, not buying, American debt, we have no choice but to print the money that we need directly (I.E. Quantitative Easing). This, of course, leads to the graph of the money supply looking like this:
Expect to see another 90 degree jump in just a few months.
Lets climb a little higher before we jump to our deaths, shall we?
Seriously people, this is -not- good news. The US economy is beyond fucked, and the dam that is holding it all together just got a few more leaks. As we continue to loose our footing as the global super power, I can only imagine what will happen. I don't know everything, but I have a hunch that America won't go down without a fight.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
More lies
So lets sum up what we have so far, shall we?
The fierce firefight did not occur.
Osama bin Laden did not hide behind his wife, or even the woman.
Bin Laden was not armed.
It wasn’t bin Laden’s wife who was murdered by the Navy SEALs, but the wife of an aide.
It wasn’t bin Laden’s son, Khalid, who was murdered by the Navy SEALs, but son Hamza.
To quote an infowars article:
Every original story detail has been changed.
Carney blamed the changed story on “the fog of war.” But there was no firefight, so where did the “fog of war” come from?
The firefight story was instantly suspicious as not a single SEAL got a scratch, despite being up against al Qaeda, described by former Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld as “the most dangerous, best-trained, vicious killers on the face of the earth.”
Now, we find out that the photograph of Obama and his staff watching 'live' as Osama was 'killed' was also a fake.
To quote Hillary Clinton:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she has "no idea" what she was watching with President Obama and his national security staff when the photographer snapped a picture showing her with her hand on her mouth and a tense expression.... "I am somewhat sheepishly concerned that it was my preventing one of my early spring allergic coughs. So, it may have no great meaning whatsoever."
Yeah, that's right... Allergies.
As Paul Roberts points out:
The White House had to abandon the story that President Obama and his national security team watched tensely as events unfolded in real time, with the operation conveyed into the White House by cameras on the SEALs helmets. If Obama was watching the event as it happened, he would have noticed, one would hope, that there was no firefight and, thus, would not have told the public that bin Laden was killed in a firefight.... No explanation has been provided for why an unarmed bin Laden, in the absence of a firefight, was murdered by the SEALs with a shot to the head. For those who believe the government’s story that “we got bin Laden,” the operation can only appear as the most botched operation in history. What kind of incompetence does it require to senselessly and needlessly kill the most valuable intelligence asset on the planet?
Wait a second... about those SEAL cameras... yeah... That never happened either! Why? at 10:30 AM today, Leon Panetta, director of the CIA, revealed there was a 25 minute blackout during which the live feed from cameras mounted on the helmets of the US special forces was cut off. "Once those teams went into the compound I can tell you that there was a time period of almost 20 or 25 minutes where we really didn't know just exactly what was going on. And there were some very tense moments as we were waiting for information.
The fierce firefight did not occur.
Osama bin Laden did not hide behind his wife, or even the woman.
Bin Laden was not armed.
It wasn’t bin Laden’s wife who was murdered by the Navy SEALs, but the wife of an aide.
It wasn’t bin Laden’s son, Khalid, who was murdered by the Navy SEALs, but son Hamza.
To quote an infowars article:
Every original story detail has been changed.
Carney blamed the changed story on “the fog of war.” But there was no firefight, so where did the “fog of war” come from?
The firefight story was instantly suspicious as not a single SEAL got a scratch, despite being up against al Qaeda, described by former Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld as “the most dangerous, best-trained, vicious killers on the face of the earth.”
Now, we find out that the photograph of Obama and his staff watching 'live' as Osama was 'killed' was also a fake.
To quote Hillary Clinton:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she has "no idea" what she was watching with President Obama and his national security staff when the photographer snapped a picture showing her with her hand on her mouth and a tense expression.... "I am somewhat sheepishly concerned that it was my preventing one of my early spring allergic coughs. So, it may have no great meaning whatsoever."
Yeah, that's right... Allergies.
As Paul Roberts points out:
The White House had to abandon the story that President Obama and his national security team watched tensely as events unfolded in real time, with the operation conveyed into the White House by cameras on the SEALs helmets. If Obama was watching the event as it happened, he would have noticed, one would hope, that there was no firefight and, thus, would not have told the public that bin Laden was killed in a firefight.... No explanation has been provided for why an unarmed bin Laden, in the absence of a firefight, was murdered by the SEALs with a shot to the head. For those who believe the government’s story that “we got bin Laden,” the operation can only appear as the most botched operation in history. What kind of incompetence does it require to senselessly and needlessly kill the most valuable intelligence asset on the planet?
Wait a second... about those SEAL cameras... yeah... That never happened either! Why? at 10:30 AM today, Leon Panetta, director of the CIA, revealed there was a 25 minute blackout during which the live feed from cameras mounted on the helmets of the US special forces was cut off. "Once those teams went into the compound I can tell you that there was a time period of almost 20 or 25 minutes where we really didn't know just exactly what was going on. And there were some very tense moments as we were waiting for information.
We had some observation of the approach there, but we did not have direct flow of information as to the actual conduct of the operation itself as they were going through the compound."
Yup, another BLATANT FUCKING LIE. I swear, people... I don't know what's more sickening and absurd... The arrogance and sloppiness of these government lies, or the fact that the general masses eat them up like a fat kid eats up candy, never questioning a damn thing for a damn second.
The only thing that makes me even more angry are fucktards like this:
I can't help but wonder how someone so obviously dimwitted ends up having the fortune to have a gun, a 4-wheeler, and all that beautiful property to enjoy them on, while I still can't get out of my parents basement.
Oh well. Tune in tomorrow, for what I'm sure will be yet another dramatic twist in this incredulous story.
Yup, another BLATANT FUCKING LIE. I swear, people... I don't know what's more sickening and absurd... The arrogance and sloppiness of these government lies, or the fact that the general masses eat them up like a fat kid eats up candy, never questioning a damn thing for a damn second.
The only thing that makes me even more angry are fucktards like this:
I can't help but wonder how someone so obviously dimwitted ends up having the fortune to have a gun, a 4-wheeler, and all that beautiful property to enjoy them on, while I still can't get out of my parents basement.
Oh well. Tune in tomorrow, for what I'm sure will be yet another dramatic twist in this incredulous story.
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