Congress Wants WiFi Owners To Keep Log Files For 2 Years...

Me thinks I can "protect" my own child from the internet and don't need nor want anymore spying by big brother on my child or myself!
Peace,
soul

by Mike Masnick - Similar ideas have been proposed before, but new bills have been proposed in both the House and the Senate that require anyone offering internet connectivity to retain log files for two years. There's no good reason for this, of course. It's been shown that such data retention laws actually make it more difficult to track down the information you need while being expensive. But, of course, the politicians are claiming this is "to protect the children." Of course. They even have come up with a silly acronym so that the title of the bill (Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth Act) spells out "Internet SAFETY Act." Of course, that's a load of crap, because this bill has little to do with protecting children, and won't do much, if anything to actually protect children.
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7 Online Things To Do To Help Obama Restore America

By Alex Iskold

We are living in troubled yet exciting times. Electing Barack Obama was only a first step to turning America around. Now the tough work, the heavy lifting, begins. Mr. Obama is ready, but he needs your help. Take the time to think about things you can do on the Internet to help The Change. It's patriotic, it is right, and it is a lot of fun.

1. Read About and Know the Issues

The least you can do is be aware. In this day and age, ignorance cannot be excused. All the information is out there, and whether you are Democrat or Republican or independent, the least you can do is find it. Maybe you prefer the Huffington Post or the New York Times or Fox News or CNN or independent local media; whatever your channel, spend at least 1 hour a week learning what is going on in America and around the world.

2. Join the Conversation

Obama is not a one-way president. If he was, he would never have assembled such a diverse, opinionated cabinet. Mr. Obama knows that our strength is in our diversity, and he wants to hear from you. We've been living in the age of the read/write web for the past 5+ years, and we have recently seen a decline in user participation. The time is now to re-engage, particularly around the conversation on how to turn this country around. You can directly help shape the future of America, one comment at a time. Find the blogs and online newspapers that you like and comment on the issues that matter.

3. Spread the News

The social explosion on the web created a wonderful way to disseminate news. Before, news was broadcast through centralized hubs; now, through Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, the news is spread by individuals. The implication is that your tweet matters. When you tweet news, it does not matter if it reaches thousands or dozens of people. What matters is that it reaches the people who want to hear the news from you. By spreading the news, you are leveraging our social fabric, helping the right information travel through the right channels.

4. Learn American History

To change the future, it is important to know the past. Even if you are well versed in American history, there is always more to learn. Learning history is both educational and patriotic. It is the subject that all of us should turn to in tough times. A good starting point is the Wikipedia page on American history, packed with links to historical figures and events. About.com features a whole subdomain dedicated to American history. You can find articles on subjects ranging from the Civil War to presidential elections to biographies. For more in-depth learning, head over to Kindle books on Amazon. Over four thousand books on American history come up.

5. Get Your Finances in Order

Let's face it, the latest financial crisis is partially our fault. Sure, Wall Street execs were greedy and went too far, but so did we. Many people were not disciplined and lived beyond their means. If you haven't yet, start using financial software such as Mint and Wesabe, and get your finances under control. Getting organized is the most important step to getting your finances in order. And like news dissemination, fixing the financial crisis is also done one person at a time.

6. Learn about Green Tech

The issues of global warming and green technologies are going to be at the forefront of Obama's presidency. Yes, the current economic crisis and the needless war in Iraq are the issues of the day, but global warming and green tech are the issues for decades to come. The first step you need to take in 2009 is to educate yourself. What is this all about? What is my energy consumption? What are "green homes"? Which products are green? What is the state of the solar energy industry? The web is full of green tech information; you just need to pick a source to start learning. And for a deeper look at the profound issues facing us, read Thomas Friedmans' Hot, Flat, and Crowded.

7. Engage Locally

There is one place where Obama needs your help more than anywhere else: your community. Federal government can't reach out to each corner of America, and frankly, that is not its job. This is why you can really make a difference by engaging in local politics, buying regional produce, taking your kids to a local history museum. Every township is online these days. You can connect through the Internet and engage in local issues. From spring to fall, you can shop at your local farmers' market, helping make things a little greener. Stepping up and doing just a little locally really goes a long way.

Conclusion

We are living in troubled yet exciting times. Electing Barack Obama was only a first step to turning America around. Now the tough work, the heavy lifting, begins. Mr. Obama is ready, but he needs your help. Take the time to think about things you can do on the Internet to help The Change. It's patriotic, it is right, and it is a lot of fun. Ready? Let's do this together!

See also: ReadWriteWeb Guide to Celebrating Inauguration Day

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Obama urged to get tough on cyber attacks

America is losing the cyber war, according to a report issued this week.
The US Department for Homeland Security has failed to protect vital information from foreign attacks, says the report. It suggests that a new "National Office for Cyberspace" might do a better job.
The US faced a wave of cyber attacks last year. The Department of Homeland Security itself was attacked, as were the Departments of Defense, State and Commerce. The unclassified email of the Secretary of Defense was hacked, and the Department of State lost terabytes of information.
That prompted a policy research body called the Center for Strategic and International Studies to assemble a group of cybersecurity experts to review current practices and draw up a list of recommendations for the next administration - as published in this week's report.
The group concludes that internet security measures are still inadequate. Years of under-investment in international relations have weakened America's standing in the world, and encouraged the country's opponents to increase cyber attacks, it says. Those attacks rank alongside terrorism and weapons of mass destruction as threats to the US and its allies.
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Palestine: Internet is Racist

“So, someone sets up a blog about things white people like one month ago, and already it is getting more hits than our blog, which is basically about what Arabs like. It just lists anti-white stereotypes such as their supposed affinity for natural medicine (which the Arabs invented), recycling, and coed sports,” writes Will from Kabobfest.

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Bush Calls for Propaganda Surge...

Posted by Evan Derkacz at 6:06 AM on February 9, 2007.

Tim Karr: Slashes PBS

This post comes from Tim Karr.

The latest twist of Bush's budgetary knife lays bare the White House's information priority: Fake news trumps real reporting.

George W. Bush is trying—yet again—to smother NPR, PBS and other public broadcasting while at the same forcing an escalation (sorry "surge') in funding for propaganda.

The president's proposed fiscal year 2008 budget for "U.S. international broadcasting" calls for an overall increase of 3.8% from the last year's recommendation.

All told the budget calls for $668.2 million for the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the federal agency that supervises all US government non-military propaganda.

Slash and Burn

At the same time Bush's budget proposes steep cuts to federal funds for public broadcasting by nearly 25%. According to the Association of Public Television Stations, the Bush budget would cut up to $145 million from the $460 million proposed FY 2008 budget for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.

The amount allocated to the BBG is a 3.8 percent increase from the agency's 2007 budget with monies specifically "targeted to the war on terror." These tax dollars would flow to government mouthpieces including the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Alhurra, Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

According to a BBG release: "The budget also fully funds initiatives … to critical Muslim audiences. These include the expansion of VOA television to Iran to a 12 hour stream, VOA Pashto radio programming to the Afghanistan/Pakistan border region, television programs to Afghanistan and Pakistan and Alhurra Europe, the 24/7 service to Arabic speakers in Europe."

Taxpayer money well spent?

Measure the overwhelming public support for funding of public broadcasting against their growing dissatisfaction with the war effort. According to a 2005 Roper poll, 82% of Americans believe that taxpayer funding given to PBS is "money well spent". A recent AP-Ipsos poll counts 62% of Americans who now think that going to war in Iraq was a mistake.

Bush proposed cuts to public broadcasting will have "Sesame Street" and other ad-free kids' shows are under the knife. So is the watchdog journalism, critical voices and diverse fare that PBS, NPR and other public media offer. The cuts continue the partisan war on journalism once led by the ex-chair of public broadcasting, Ken Tomlinson (remember him).

It's now up to Congress to set the budget right and restore funding to media that more accurately represents the public's priorities. You can help.

Source: AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Bush Calls for Propaganda Surge...

Technorati tags: pbs, news, media, Bush, propaganda, government

Today's Cartoon

Today's Cartoon: Plan B

© Cartoonist Group, 2006

These cartoons represent the opinions of their authors and not necessarily the official position of the Center for American Progress.

Source: Today's Cartoon

Technorati tags: cartoons, political humor, humor, satire, political cartoons

Gay Leaders Call For Hilton Apology After Slur-Filled Video

Gay Leaders Call For Hilton Apology After Slur-Filled Video

• The Huffington Post Raw Feed
• By The Huffington Post
• 2/5/2007 18:22 PM

Gay rights leaders in Los Angeles are calling on Paris Hilton to explain herself after making a series of anti-gay and racial slurs in a video that began circulating in cyberspace last week.

The video, which appears to have been taken by an amateur videographer at a private party, shows Hilton referring to someone using the derogatory 'f' word and describes herself and sister Nicky as "n**gas."

Source: Gay Leaders Call For Hilton Apology After Slur-Filled Video

Technorati tags: human rights, GLBT, LGBT, politics, news, activism

****updated - 'Snickers pulled the Web site'

UPDATE: Snickers pulled the Web site containing the homophobic ads and commentary. Still no word from Snickers about the entire affair.

Source: AMERICAblog: A blog for a great nation that deserves the truth

Technorati tags: human rights, Snickers Petition, Snickers, petition

"Tell Snickers To End Homophobic Advertisements Now!" Petition

Snickers has launched several advertisements that portray and encourage violence towards those who are gay and those who defy society’s rigid standards of behavior for men and women. In one advertisement a man is encouraged to do something manly after being kissed by another man. In return he beats the guy up. To learn more and see the other ads visit queertoday.com or snickers.com.
What we want:
- Admit wrongdonig and apologize to the LGBT Community
- Pull all advertisements, print, and media in relation to this campaign

Click here to sign the "Tell Snickers to End Homophobic Advertisements Now!" Petition

Source: Tell Snickers To End Homophobic Advertisements Now! Petition

Technorati tags: human rights, Snickers Petition, petition, opinion

"Teen charged with posting nude photos (of herself) on Internet"

As a parent of a teen I feel that it is my responsibilty to monitor my child on the internet. Personally, I feel that the parents should be arrested for neglecting their daughters activity on the internet.

Teen girl charged with posting nude photos on Internet

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A 15-year-old girl has been arrested for taking nude photographs of her self and posting them on the Internet, police said.

The girl, whose identity was withheld, was accused of sending out photographs of herself in various states of undress and performing a variety of sexual acts. She sent them to people she met in chat rooms on the Internet, police said.

Police seized her computer and found dozens of photographs stored on the hard drive. Authorities did not say how police learned about the girl.

She has been charged with sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography.

Source: USATODAY.com - Teen girl charged with posting nude photos on Internet

Technorati tags: internet, news, opinion