... Is all the 2nd-smoke idiots nearby produce.
2018-07-31
Another media consolidation going on ... bet you this isn't good for anyone but a few.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_acquisition_of_21st_Century_Fox_by_Disney
"The Walt Disney Company started a bid to acquire 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion in stock in December 2017. Under the terms of the agreement, Disney would acquire the Twentieth Century Fox film and TV studios, Fox Networks Group (along with cable networks such as FX Networks), stakes in National Geographic Partners, Indian satellite TV group Star India, Hulu, UK-based satellite TV group Sky plc, and other key assets. 21st Century Fox will spin-off Fox News, the Fox Business Network, FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes, the Big Ten Network, the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, and MyNetworkTV into the "New Fox" company.[1]
Comcast (whose division NBCUniversal includes Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Parks & Resorts) counter-offered on June 13, 2018, with a $65 billion all cash proposal to acquire the Fox assets that Disney was set to purchase, touching off a major bidding war between the two companies.[2] A week later, Disney counterbid with a $71.3 billion offer.[3] Comcast officially ended its bidding war with Disney to acquire Fox on July 19, in order to focus on acquiring a controlling stake in Sky plc.[4] Disney and Fox shareholders approved Disney's purchase of Fox's entertainment assets on July 27. If approved by all international regulators, the acquisition is estimated to be completed in the first half of 2019.[5]"
"The Walt Disney Company started a bid to acquire 21st Century Fox for $52.4 billion in stock in December 2017. Under the terms of the agreement, Disney would acquire the Twentieth Century Fox film and TV studios, Fox Networks Group (along with cable networks such as FX Networks), stakes in National Geographic Partners, Indian satellite TV group Star India, Hulu, UK-based satellite TV group Sky plc, and other key assets. 21st Century Fox will spin-off Fox News, the Fox Business Network, FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes, the Big Ten Network, the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, and MyNetworkTV into the "New Fox" company.[1]
Comcast (whose division NBCUniversal includes Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Parks & Resorts) counter-offered on June 13, 2018, with a $65 billion all cash proposal to acquire the Fox assets that Disney was set to purchase, touching off a major bidding war between the two companies.[2] A week later, Disney counterbid with a $71.3 billion offer.[3] Comcast officially ended its bidding war with Disney to acquire Fox on July 19, in order to focus on acquiring a controlling stake in Sky plc.[4] Disney and Fox shareholders approved Disney's purchase of Fox's entertainment assets on July 27. If approved by all international regulators, the acquisition is estimated to be completed in the first half of 2019.[5]"
2018-07-27
What holds back the Democratic Party, really?
Here's a hint - it isn't progressive policies -
https://shadowproof.com/2018/07/25/clinton-democrats-embrace-losing-strategy-combat-sanders-style-socialism-midterms/
Clinton Democrats or followers of the Third Way still have the power, and that is part of what is holding back an agenda for working people. They stand in the way of a movement that believes the country should move away from destructive corporate politics, and until their obstruction is overcome, progress on economic, environmental, racial, and social justice will be exceptionally difficult to achieve.
https://shadowproof.com/2018/07/25/clinton-democrats-embrace-losing-strategy-combat-sanders-style-socialism-midterms/
2018-07-26
2018-07-24
Tired.
I'm up, but not awake.
I think CV jr is realizing that he's going to no longer be a baby once he turns one. So he's cranky and lashing out.
What's frustrating is it seems the only person with any kind of patience is me. Which in and of itself is nothing really to hold up as some shining virtue, as I seem calm only due to a lack of sleep.
I think CV jr is realizing that he's going to no longer be a baby once he turns one. So he's cranky and lashing out.
What's frustrating is it seems the only person with any kind of patience is me. Which in and of itself is nothing really to hold up as some shining virtue, as I seem calm only due to a lack of sleep.
2018-07-21
2018-07-20
It's a big fucking club, and you ain't in it.
Neither am I.
Which is good - you can see why.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFW_bO4L7C0&pbjreload=10
Which is good - you can see why.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFW_bO4L7C0&pbjreload=10
2018-07-19
The US invaded Russia?
Yes - 100 years ago.
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/07/18/when-the-u-s-invaded-russia/
Fucking amazing what people seem to forget or aren't aware of -
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/07/18/when-the-u-s-invaded-russia/
Fucking amazing what people seem to forget or aren't aware of -
In July 1918, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson had personally typed the “Aide Memoire” on American military action in Russia that was hand-delivered by the Secretary of War at the beginning of August to General William Graves, the designated commander of the U.S. troops en route to Siberia. Wilson’s document was curiously ambivalent and contradictory. It began by asserting that foreign interference in Russia’s internal affairs was “impermissible,” and eventually concluded that the dispatch of U.S. troops to Siberia was not to be considered a “military intervention.”
2018-07-18
Another idiot too full of themselves to park properly.
WA license plate ACX346
Evidently they feel one stall isn't good enough for them.
2018-07-17
Damn - I want this.
I bought the L12 awhile back, and it's pretty good for making demos.
But this ... this!
But this ... this!
How long will Assange survive?
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-war-on-assange-is-a-war-on-press-freedom/
More importantly, how long will Wikileaks survive?
More importantly, how long will Wikileaks survive?
The irony is that there was serious meddling in the presidential election, but it did not come from Russia. The Democratic Party, outdoing any of the dirty tricks employed by Richard Nixon, purged hundreds of thousands of primary voters from the rolls, denied those registered as independents the right to vote in primaries, used superdelegates to swing the vote to Hillary Clinton, hijacked the Democratic National Committee to serve the Clinton campaign, controlled the message of media outlets such as MSNBC and The New York Times, stole the Nevada caucus, spent hundreds of millions of dollars of “dark” corporate money on the Clinton campaign and fixed the primary debates. This meddling, which stole the nomination from Bernie Sanders, who probably could have defeated Trump, is unmentioned. The party hierarchy will do nothing to reform its corrupt nominating process.
WikiLeaks exposed much of this corruption when it published tens of thousands of messages hacked from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s email account. The messages brought to light the efforts by the Democratic Party leadership to thwart the nomination of Sanders, and they disclosed Clinton’s close ties with Wall Street, including her lucrative Wall Street speeches. They also raised serious questions about conflicts of interest with the Clinton Foundation and whether Clinton received advance information on primary-debate questions.
2018-07-15
2018-07-14
2018-07-12
2018-07-10
Well look who's bulldozing the Two-State Solution in the Middle East.
No surprise - Israel.
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/07/09/israel-bulldozes-khan-al-ahmar-and-buries-the-two-state-solution/
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/07/09/israel-bulldozes-khan-al-ahmar-and-buries-the-two-state-solution/
That would put the final piece in place for Israel to build a substantial bloc of new settler homes to sever the West Bank in two. Those same settlements would also seal off West Bank Palestinians from East Jerusalem, the expected capital of a future Palestinian state, making a mockery of any peace agreement.
2018-07-06
Respect for something Scamazon does?
No.
But I respect these employees for speaking out (h/t/ to FAIR):
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-employees-want-jeff-bezos-to-stop-selling-facial-recognition-software-to-law-enforcement/
Dear Jeff,
We are troubled by the recent report from the ACLU exposing our company's practice of selling AWS Rekognition, a powerful facial recognition technology, to police departments and government agencies. We don't have to wait to find out how these technologies will be used. We already know that in the midst of historic militarization of police, renewed targeting of Black activists, and the growth of a federal deportation force currently engaged in human rights abuses -- this will be another powerful tool for the surveillance state, and ultimately serve to harm the most marginalized. We are not alone in this view: over 40 civil rights organizations signed an open letter in opposition to the governmental use of facial recognition, while over 150,000 individuals signed another petition delivered by the ACLU.
We also know that Palantir runs on AWS. And we know that ICE relies on Palantir to power its detention and deportation programs. Along with much of the world we watched in horror recently as U.S. authorities tore children away from their parents. Since April 19, 2018 the Department of Homeland Security has sent nearly 2,000 children to mass detention centers. This treatment goes against U.N. Refugee Agency guidelines that say children have the right to remain united with their parents, and that asylum-seekers have a legal right to claim asylum. In the face of this immoral U.S. policy, and the U.S.'s increasingly inhumane treatment of refugees and immigrants beyond this specific policy, we are deeply concerned that Amazon is implicated, providing infrastructure and services that enable ICE and DHS.
Technology like ours is playing an increasingly critical role across many sectors of society. What is clear to us is that our development and sales practices have yet to acknowledge the obligation that comes with this. Focusing solely on shareholder value is a race to the bottom, and one that we will not participate in.
We refuse to build the platform that powers ICE, and we refuse to contribute to tools that violate human rights.
As ethically concerned Amazonians, we demand a choice in what we build, and a say in how it is used. We learn from history, and we understand how IBM's systems were employed in the 1940s to help Hitler. IBM did not take responsibility then, and by the time their role was understood, it was too late. We will not let that happen again. The time to act is now.
We call on you to:
Sincerely,
Amazonians
But I respect these employees for speaking out (h/t/ to FAIR):
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-employees-want-jeff-bezos-to-stop-selling-facial-recognition-software-to-law-enforcement/
Dear Jeff,
We are troubled by the recent report from the ACLU exposing our company's practice of selling AWS Rekognition, a powerful facial recognition technology, to police departments and government agencies. We don't have to wait to find out how these technologies will be used. We already know that in the midst of historic militarization of police, renewed targeting of Black activists, and the growth of a federal deportation force currently engaged in human rights abuses -- this will be another powerful tool for the surveillance state, and ultimately serve to harm the most marginalized. We are not alone in this view: over 40 civil rights organizations signed an open letter in opposition to the governmental use of facial recognition, while over 150,000 individuals signed another petition delivered by the ACLU.
We also know that Palantir runs on AWS. And we know that ICE relies on Palantir to power its detention and deportation programs. Along with much of the world we watched in horror recently as U.S. authorities tore children away from their parents. Since April 19, 2018 the Department of Homeland Security has sent nearly 2,000 children to mass detention centers. This treatment goes against U.N. Refugee Agency guidelines that say children have the right to remain united with their parents, and that asylum-seekers have a legal right to claim asylum. In the face of this immoral U.S. policy, and the U.S.'s increasingly inhumane treatment of refugees and immigrants beyond this specific policy, we are deeply concerned that Amazon is implicated, providing infrastructure and services that enable ICE and DHS.
Technology like ours is playing an increasingly critical role across many sectors of society. What is clear to us is that our development and sales practices have yet to acknowledge the obligation that comes with this. Focusing solely on shareholder value is a race to the bottom, and one that we will not participate in.
We refuse to build the platform that powers ICE, and we refuse to contribute to tools that violate human rights.
As ethically concerned Amazonians, we demand a choice in what we build, and a say in how it is used. We learn from history, and we understand how IBM's systems were employed in the 1940s to help Hitler. IBM did not take responsibility then, and by the time their role was understood, it was too late. We will not let that happen again. The time to act is now.
We call on you to:
- Stop selling facial recognition services to law enforcement
- Stop providing infrastructure to Palantir and any other Amazon partners who enable ICE.
- Implement strong transparency and accountability measures, that include enumerating which law enforcement agencies and companies supporting law enforcement agencies are using Amazon services, and how.
Sincerely,
Amazonians
2018-07-04
Something to ponder on 'Independence Day' some 242 years ago.
From here -https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
What, really? (h/t from this commenter on WSWS)
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
What, really? (h/t from this commenter on WSWS)
Quote of the day - 07-04-2018.
From Caitlin Johnstone.
Best quote on what the US is today -
"America is a corporatist oligarchy dressed in drag doing a bad impression of a bipartisan democracy."
Best quote on what the US is today -
"America is a corporatist oligarchy dressed in drag doing a bad impression of a bipartisan democracy."
2018-07-02
Some good news for a change.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_general_election,_2018#Results
The results of the INE's official quick count were announced around midnight Mexico City time. It reported a turnout of around 63%, with the following approximate results for the candidates: López Obrador, 53%; Anaya, 22%; Meade, 16%; and Rodríguez Calderón, 5%.[117]
Curious to know how the Senate and Chamber Of Duties results are.
President
Around 30 minutes after polls closed in the country's north-west, José Antonio Meade, speaking at a news conference from PRI headquarters, conceded defeat and wished Andrés Manuel López Obrador "every success".[112][113] Ricardo Anaya also conceded defeat within an hour of the polls closing,[114][115] and independent candidate Jaime Rodríguez Calderón recognized López Obrador's victory shortly afterward.[116]The results of the INE's official quick count were announced around midnight Mexico City time. It reported a turnout of around 63%, with the following approximate results for the candidates: López Obrador, 53%; Anaya, 22%; Meade, 16%; and Rodríguez Calderón, 5%.[117]
| Candidate | Party | Alliance | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrés Manuel López Obrador | National Regeneration Movement | Juntos Haremos Historia | 16,198,712 | 53.6 | |
| Ricardo Anaya | National Action Party | Por México al Frente | 6,837,603 | 22.6 | |
| José Antonio Meade | Institutional Revolutionary Party | Todos por México | 4,670,463 | 15.4 | |
| Jaime Rodríguez Calderón | Independent | None | 1,653,487 | 5.5 | |
| Margarita Zavala[a] | Independent | None | 40,397 | 0.1 | |
| Write-in votes | 34,637 | 0.1 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 766,265 | – | |||
| Total | 21,550,477 | 100 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 89,994,039 | 62.77 | |||
| Source: INE (37.96% counted) | |||||
| Popular Vote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| López Obrador | 53.48% | |||
| Anaya | 24.10% | |||
| Meade | 14.81% | |||
| Rodríguez Calderón | 6.00% | |||
| Zavala | 0.12% | |||
| Other | 0.10% | |||
| Invalid/blank | 2.28% | |||
Curious to know how the Senate and Chamber Of Duties results are.
2018-07-01
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