Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2016
Sunday, October 16, 2016
#petition: Protect Freedom of The Press: Drop Charges Against Journalists for Covering ND Pipeline Protests :: #NoDAPL
Drop Charges Against Journalists for Covering #NoDAPL Protests
– In North Dakota, journalists are being targeted and arrested for covering peaceful protests against a harmful pipeline. These arrests are a clear and blatant attempt to suppress the press from reporting on human rights violations committed by the state acting on behalf of oil and gas companies.
As Earth Guardians around the globe, we demand that North Dakota officials drop the charges against journalists and that President Obama ask the DOJ to investigate the unlawful arrests.
Even at 16 years old, I know the importance of the first amendment of the constitution, which protects the freedom of our press. It's an essential right in a free country and is something that sets us apart from countries around the world where reporters are locked up for reporting on human rights violations. But right now that's exactly what's happening:
Democracy Now's Amy Goodman was charged with criminal trespassing simply for filming an attack on Native American-led water protectors. Actress and activist Shailene Woodley along with many other peaceful protestors have been arrested as well. Most recently, documentarian Deia Schlosberg, the producer of Josh Fox's new climate change documentary has been arrested for filming a protest in North Dakota. She could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
We cannot let corporations and police violate the first amendment and intimidate our work towards a healthy and sustainable future. Please sign on to demand our constitutional right of freedom of the press is protected!
SIGN NOW: petition: Protect Freedom of The Press: Drop Charges Against Journalists for Covering ND Pipeline Protests
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Support The #OcNukeDaily and #OccupyNuclear - GoFundMe
Greetings! I have started a gofundme campaign for "OcNuke" / #OccupyNuclear.
Please consider helping out!
– My hope here is to recover a portion of my expenses for the purchase of a new laptop, recoup some of the monthly expenses for #OccupyNuclear, and to just have something to live on for a little while.
(see the gofundme page for more about my situation)
Following something of a sabbatical, and then a push for COP21 and my #BustTheMyth / "don't nuke the climate" campaign, my current plan is to revitalize #OccupyNuclear after the first of the year. My goal is to publicize and increase media exposure for, and, to inspire personal involvements in, world-wide anti-nuclear efforts, actions, news, networking and events. Please see occupynuclear.net.
:|: PEACE :|:
Saturday, November 28, 2015
The 25 Rules of Disinformation
From Twenty-Five Ways To Suppress Truth: The Rules of Disinformation (Includes The 8 Traits of A Disinformationalist) by H. Michael Sweeney. These 25 rules are everywhere in media, from political debates, to television shows, to comments on a blog.
1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don’t discuss it — especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it’s not reported, it didn’t happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.
2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the “How dare you!” gambit...
3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public can learn of the facts are through such “arguable rumors”. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a “wild rumor” which can have no basis in fact...
more!
... The 25 Rules of Disinformation
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Science, Meet Journalism. You Two Should Talk. by Louise Lief | Wilson Quarterly
When I began my term as a public policy scholar at the Wilson Center last year working on the project “Science and the Media,” I ran into a journalist colleague I hadn’t seen in years. When he heard what I was doing, he said in astonishment, “Science? How did you get interested in that?”
He wasn’t the only one to react that way. It’s a symptom of the relationship — or more precisely, the lack of a relationship — between scientists and the vast majority of journalists who do not cover science that such an interest is seen as unusual.
Not only journalists view science in this way. Many in the public do too. To the majority of Americans, science is a foreign country.
I don’t have a science background, and developed an interest in the sciences through a somewhat roundabout route. Years of taking groups of editors on fact-finding/study tours to Africa, Latin America, Asia and elsewhere introduced me to landscapes and creatures in the natural world of astonishing beauty and variety, and the fascinating professionals who often took insane risks to study them, seeking to understand how things worked and why.
So for my project I decided to concentrate on the general media — the 90 percent who almost never meet scientists or write about science, and to focus on the natural world. I wanted to see what the barriers were to engagement, and to explore how these two groups might begin a conversation, and maybe even work together in mutually beneficial ways.
In the process, I discovered how much these two communities have to offer each other, far beyond the subject matter.
MORE: Science, Meet Journalism. You Two Should Talk. by Louise Lief | Wilson Quarterly
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Exposed: Inside the NSA’s Largest and Most Expansive Secret Domestic Spy Center in Bluffdale, Utah
Democracy Now! - A new exposé in Wired Magazine reveals details about how the National Security Agency is quietly building the largest spy center in the country in Bluffdale, Utah, as part of a secret NSA surveillance program codenamed "Stellar Wind." We speak with investigative reporter James Bamford, who says the NSA has established listening posts throughout the nation to collect and sift through billions of email messages and phone calls, whether they originate within the country or overseas. The Utah spy center will contain near-bottomless databases to store all forms of communication collected by the agency. This includes the complete contents of private emails, cell phone calls and Google searches, as well as all sorts of personal data trails — parking receipts, travel itineraries, bookstore purchases and other digital "pocket litter." "The NSA has constantly denied that they’re doing things, and then it turns out they are doing these things," Bamford says in response to NSA Director General Keith Alexander’s denial yesterday that U.S. citizens’ phone calls and emails are being intercepted. "A few years ago, President Bush said before camera that the United States is not eavesdropping on anybody without a warrant, and then it turns out that we had this exposure to all the warrantless eavesdropping in the New York Times article. And so, you have this constant denial and parsing of words." [includes rush transcript]
Exposed: Inside the NSA’s Largest and Most Expansive Secret Domestic Spy Center in Bluffdale, Utah
The NSA Is Building the Country's Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say)
By James Bamford
Wired.com | March 15, 2012 | Categories: Crypto, Cybersecurity, Miscellaneous, NSA, Paranoia, privacy, Surveillance
Photo: Name Withheld; Digital Manipulation: Jesse Lenz
...new pioneers have quietly begun moving into the area, secretive outsiders who say little and keep to themselves. Like the pious polygamists, they are focused on deciphering cryptic messages that only they have the power to understand. Just off Beef Hollow Road, less than a mile from brethren headquarters, thousands of hard-hatted construction workers in sweat-soaked T-shirts are laying the groundwork for the newcomers’ own temple and archive, a massive complex so large that it necessitated expanding the town’s boundaries. Once built, it will be more than five times the size of the US Capitol.
Rather than Bibles, prophets, and worshippers, this temple will be filled with servers, computer intelligence experts, and armed guards. And instead of listening for words flowing down from heaven, these newcomers will be secretly capturing, storing, and analyzing vast quantities of words and images hurtling through the world’s telecommunications networks. In the little town of Bluffdale, Big Love and Big Brother have become uneasy neighbors....
more > The NSA Is Building the Country's Biggest Spy Center (Watch What You Say) | Threat Level | Wired.com
Threat Level - Privacy, Crime and Security Online | Wired.com
NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake Prevails Against Charges in Unprecedented Obama Admin Crackdown
We speak with Thomas Drake, who was targeted after challenging waste, mismanagement and possible constitutional violations at the National Security Agency, but the case against him later collapsed. Drake was one of several sources for a Baltimore Sun article about a $1.2 billion NSA experimental program called "Trailblazer" to sift through electronic communications for national security threats. "My first day on the job was 9/11. And it was shortly after 9/11 that I was exposed to the Pandora’s box of illegality and government wrongdoing on a very significant scale," Drake says. He alleged that the program was inefficient compared to a rival program called "ThinThread" and also violated Americans’ privacy rights. As a result, he faced 35 years in prison for charges under the Espionage Act, but was not ever actually accused of spying. Instead, he was accused of holding on to classified documents in his basement that he says he did not even know were classified.
In a major embarrassment for the Department of Justice, his case ended last year in a misdemeanor plea deal. Now the former top spokesman for the Justice Department, Matthew Miller, seems to be reversing his stance on the prosecution of Drake, saying the case may have been an "ill-considered choice for prosecution."
All of this comes amidst the Obama administration’s unprecedented attack on whisteblowers. "It’s a way to create terrible precedent to go after journalists and a backdoor way to create an Official Secrets Act, which we have managed to live without in this country for more than 200 years. And I think it’s being done on the backs of whistleblowers," says Drake’s attorney, Jesselyn Radack, a former ethics adviser to the Justice Department. She is currently the director of National Security & Human Rights at the Government Accountability Project, the nation’s leading whistleblower organization. Her new book is called "TRAITOR: The Whistleblower and the 'American Taliban.'" [includes rush transcript]
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Forget Trees, The New Lorax Speaks For The SUVs
cynical and hypocritical mockery insults Dr. Suess's true Lorax
by Beth BuczynskiFebruary 28, 2012
UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. |
One would be hard pressed to find a Dr. Seuss’ tale that I didn’t love as a child, from Go, Dog, Go all the way to the Butter Battle Book. But it was the Lorax, with his crystal clear message of environmental stewardship, that spoke to my heart, and forever changed the way I viewed the world and its natural resources.
But then my several-decades-older self started to see commercials for Universal Pictures’ Lorax movie, and my glee quickly turned to disgust.
It seems that as soon as Hollywood got a hold of the Lorax, he suddenly changed his worldview. Rather than recreate the fantastic-yet-somber tale of the Lorax’ fight to save the Truffula trees, Hollywood has made a mockery of his message. The movie’s trailer shows a dumbed-down cartoon, complete with slapstick comedy and a sappy love story, and none of the book’s original emphasis on caring for the planet.
And then, just when I couldn’t be any more disappointed, I saw this:
Yes, my friends, that’s an actual commercial in which the Lorax endorses the new Mazda CX-5 SUV as the only car with the “Truffula Seal of Approval.” And it gets worse. Other corporations have joined in the blasphemy, kidnapping the Lorax and using him to promote everything from diapers to pancakes.
Is nothing sacred? Is Hollywood no longer content to pollute our minds with the pandering plot lines we see everyday at the box office? Must they now destroy our favorite books and authors retroactively as well?
It is both cynical and hypocritical to use a beloved children’s story with a prescient environmental message to sell children and their parents more crap that they (and the planet) don’t need. The real Lorax would tell us all to stop our wanton consumption of the Earth’s resources before it’s too late. He would beg us to think of our children’s grandchildren, and the type of world our actions will force them to inherit. And most of all, he would never insult the wisdom and innocence of a child by sugar coating his plea with dumb songs, or confusing it with an SUV commercial.
“Who cares?” you might ask. “It’s just a movie.” A quick read of the original book provides the best and only answer to that question.
“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not."
Forget Trees, The New Lorax Speaks For The SUVs | Care2 Causes
Yes Men Fix World | Alberta Tar Sands is ... Mordor? | wikileaks, yes men & Bhopal
THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD is a screwball true story about two gonzo political activists who, posing as top executives of giant corporations, lie their way into big business conferences and pull off the world's most outrageous pranks.
This peer-to-peer special edition features never before seen footage of the Yes Men imitating the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and has been released under a free-to-share license.
The Yes Men Fix The World, P2P Edition FULL MOVIE (2009) (w/subtitles)
The Alberta Tar Sands is ... Mordor?
A fuzzy cell phone video of an Elijah Woods sighting in Alberta, Canada. A fake Alberta Film website touting the advantages of filming at the Tars Sands. A fake production company website, a gossip video blog, an angry press release by the Tolkien family, a fake video blog by Peter Jackson himself, director of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and now The Hobbit, and of course a Facebook campaign against Jackson, calling on him to stop filming in the Tar Sands: because it was too flattering to Mordor.
The only thing missing was a sighting of evil Lord Sauron.
This complex social media campaign, which had the blogosphere abuzz speculating as to when, how and why Jackson was shooting the Mordor scenes from The Hobbit in the Alberta Tar Sands, created an opportunity to further highlight the devastation caused by the Tar Sands. The Tar Sands, which NASA scientist and climate expert James Hansen has called Canada's "carbon bomb," is the country's single largest source of climate change enhancing greenhouse gas emissions. And at a time of worsening climate crisis, Canada is expanding operations at the massive industrial site.
The campaign was developed by a troupe of Toronto activists calling themselves Black Flood, along with the Yes Lab. The stated goal of the Canadian activists—"to stir up some hot and bubbly controversy on the Alberta tar sands"—worked like a charm.
Museum of Fake Websites | Yes Lab | Yes Lab
Feb. 27, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MASSIVE LEAK REVEALS CRIMINALITY, PARANOIA AMONG CORPORATE TITANS
Dow pays "strategic intelligence" firm to spy on Yes Men and grassroots activists. Takeaway: movement is on the right track!
WikiLeaks begins to publish today over five million e-mails obtained by Anonymous from "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The emails, which reveal everything from sinister spy tactics to an insider trading scheme with Goldman Sachs (see below), also include several discussions of the Yes Men and Bhopal activists. (Bhopal activists seek redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, India, that led to thousands of deaths, injuries in more than half a million people, and lasting environmental damage.)
Many of the Bhopal-related emails, addressed from Stratfor to Dow and Union Carbide public relations directors, reveal concern that, in the lead-up to the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, the Bhopal issue might be expanded into an effective systemic critique of corporate rule, and speculate at length about why this hasn't yet happened—providing a fascinating window onto what at least some corporate types fear most from activists.
"[Bhopal activists] have made a slight nod toward expanded activity, but never followed through on it—the idea of 'other Bhopals' that were the fault of Dow or others," mused Joseph de Feo, who is listed in one online source as a "Briefer" for Stratfor.
"Maybe the Yes Men were the pinnacle. They made an argument in their way on their terms—that this is a corporate problem and a part of the a [sic] larger whole," wrote Kathleen Morson, Stratfor's Director of Policy Analysis.
"With less than a month to go [until the 25th anniversary], you'd think that the major players—especially Amnesty—would have branched out from Bhopal to make a broader set of issues. I don't see any evidence of it," wrote Bart Mongoven, Stratfor's Vice President, in November 2004. "If they can't manage to use the 25th anniversary to broaden the issue, they probably won't be able to."
Mongoven even speculates on coordination between various activist campaigns that had nothing to do with each other. "The Chevron campaign [in Ecuador] is remarkably similar [to the Dow campaign] in its unrealistic demand. Is it a follow up or an admission that the first thrust failed? Am I missing a node of activity or a major campaign that is to come? Has the Dow campaign been more successful than I think?" It's almost as if Mongoven assumes the two campaigns were directed from the same central activist headquarters.
Just as Wall Street has at times let slip their fear of the Occupy Wall Street movement, these leaks seem to show that corporate power is most afraid of whatever reveals "the larger whole" and "broader issues," i.e. whatever brings systemic criminal behavior to light. "Systemic critique could lead to policy changes that would challenge corporate power and profits in a really major way," noted Joseph Huff-Hannon, recently-promoted Director of Policy Analysis for the Yes Lab...
> more
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Got Science? | climate deniers get my goat
Sean Hannity - FOX climate denier
Sean Hannity is failing science. When it comes to global warming, Sean doesn't play well with facts. Even worse, he's become a bad influence on his fellow students (and his viewers), replacing established scientific facts with his own talking points.
And he's not alone. Pundits and talking heads take to the airwaves virtually every day to promote bad science and distort the facts. They're not just failing science — they're failing their viewers, and it's up to the Union of Concerned Scientists and people like you to tell them that they aren't making the grade.
Take a look at Sean's failing grades below, and then send a note to his parent (company) and tell them to put Sean on time out until he's ready to get the science right.
SEND A LETTER TO FOX -
Dear Fox News,
Sean Hannity just can't get it right when it comes to global warming. Despite the worldwide consensus of climate scientists about the growing danger of human-created climate change, he continues to describe climate science as "a crock and a huge cover up."
Quite simply, Sean is failing science. By replacing established scientific facts with his own talking points, he is misleading your viewers and making it impossible for them to make informed judgements about climate change.
Tell Sean to stop talking about climate change until he can get his facts straight.
(link for Sean Hannity: Hannity with Sean Hannity - Fox News)
Dismal Science in Media
There is widespread consensus among climate scientists that the earth is warming and human activity is the main driver; However, a recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal gives voice to a handful of scientists, most without relevant expertise in climate science, who make misleading claims and dismiss global warming. |
To take just one example, the authors claim there has been a “lack of warming” for 10 years. Here’s what we know: 2011 was the 35th year in a row in which global temperatures were above the historical average and 2010 and 2005 were the warmest years on record. Over the past decade, record high temperatures outpaced record lows by more than two to one across the continental United States, a marked increase from previous decades.
So where should decision-makers and the public turn to understand what the vast majority of scientists with relevant expertise really think about climate change?
more > Dismal Science at the Wall Street Journal - The Equation
The Equation - a blog on independent science practical solutions (UCS)
see also > what next: climate deniers get my goat
A Letter to the Editor, Wall Street Journal, from a boatload of climate scientists - THANK YOU!
Do you consult your dentist about your heart condition? In science, as in any area, reputations are based on knowledge and expertise in a field and on published, peer-reviewed work. If you need surgery, you want a highly experienced expert in the field who has done a large number of the proposed operations...
...Research shows that more than 97% of scientists actively publishing in the field agree that climate change is real and human caused. It would be an act of recklessness for any political leader to disregard the weight of evidence and ignore the enormous risks that climate change clearly poses. In addition, there is very clear evidence that investing in the transition to a low-carbon economy will not only allow the world to avoid the worst risks of climate change, but could also drive decades of economic growth. Just what the doctor ordered.
more > what next: climate deniers get my goat
Union of Concerned Scientists
Independent Science, Practical Solutions
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. UCS combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices.
What began as a collaboration between students and faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1969 is now an alliance of more than 250,000 citizens and scientists. UCS members are people from all walks of life: parents and businesspeople, biologists and physicists, teachers and students. Our achievements over the decades show that thoughtful action based on the best available science can help safeguard our future and the future of our planet.
UCS: | Union of Concerned Scientists
UCS Action Center - current action items
• Urge Federal Agencies to Let Scientists Speak Out
While federal government scientists play a critical role in protecting our health, safety, and environment, many report that they are often discouraged from sharing their scientific research and analysis with the media and the public. In fact, a Union of Concerned Scientists investigation found that the media policies and practices of some federal agencies effectively censor scientists, impeding their ability to discuss their work with their peers and with interested journalists who convey research findings to the public.
Other federal agencies—like NASA—have changed their policies to allow their scientists far greater freedom in meeting their public service missions, demonstrating that it is possible for the government to do better. Federal scientists must feel free to speak out about research findings that impact our lives.
Please urge federal agency leaders to improve their agencies' media policies and let government scientists speak out.
Act Now »
• Urge Congress to support local farms and food.
Tell Congress: Support the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act!
Currently, billions of taxpayer dollars subsidize unhealthy, processed foods, while farmers who grow healthy foods work without support—but we can change that!
Leaders in Congress have introduced the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act to support local farmers and food markets. A recent UCS report found that expanding local food systems will boost local economies, create jobs, and encourage consumption of fruits and vegetables. As a bonus, these farmers are also more likely to embrace practices that protect our air, water, and soil.
With enough support, this bill could become part of the larger Food and Farm Bill, currently moving through Congress at a lightning pace. Write to your members of Congress and ask them to cosponsor the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act today!
Act Now »
• Urge Obama administration to reduce global warming emissions.
Urge President Obama to Protect Public Health by Reducing Global Warming Emissions
Unchecked global warming could threaten public health and increase health costs by exacerbating ground-level ozone—the primary component of smog. Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently crafting standards to curb global warming emissions from our nation’s dirtiest coal plants and oil refineries. These standards will help protect the public's health and our environment from the dangerous consequences of global warming.
However, the Obama administration is under enormous pressure from the coal and oil industries to release weak standards that will do little to nothing to protect our health and environment.
The Obama administration needs to hear from you that the oil and coal lobbyists don’t represent your interests and that you want our nation's environmental policies to be based on science—not on the disinformation of corporate lobbyists.
We know the vast majority of the public stands with us on this issue. But sometimes agreeing from the sidelines is not enough. This is a fight worth joining—a chance to step up and really make a difference.
Tell President Obama to protect the health of the American people by ensuring strong Clean Air Act standards that reduce global warming emissions.
Act Now »
• Urge Congress to Support Wind Power
Using more clean, renewable electricity from sources such as the sun and wind will increase our energy independence, save consumers money, and reduce our global warming emissions. One of the primary drivers of the growth in wind energy in the United States is the federal production tax credit (PTC), which gives developers tax incentives for generating energy from renewable sources.
Despite the PTC being one of the primary drivers of wind development, the federal government has allowed it to expire on three separate occasions since 1999. These lapses in the PTC led to a boom-bust cycle that drastically slowed the wind power industry for many months at a time.
The current PTC for wind power is set to expire at the end of 2012. The expiration of the PTC threatens one of the country's fastest growing clean energy industries and could put tens of thousands of Americans out of work.
Continued growth of wind energy through 2013 and beyond depends on passing the PTC well ahead of its expiration date.
Act Now »
Action Center | Union of Concerned Scientists
what next: climate deniers get my goat
Monday, January 30, 2012
SOPA Opera
Plot twists evolve storyline in the great debate of online censorship
BY NICOLAS GRIZZLE
In a story Hollywood wishes were its own, the tumultuous battle surrounding SOPA and PIPA last week resulted in an inspiring, albeit brief, victory for users of the internet and the voting public at large. But at the awards party, while everyone was high-fiving and chugging Champagne, someone broke in and stole the civil liberties online users thought had been saved. Now, in our half-drunk party haze, we try to assess what just happened—and where we go from here.
Quick Plot Synopsis
Act I: After months of growing concern online and increasingly worrisome newspaper articles, Wikipedia, Reddit and dozens of other websites go "dark" Jan. 18 in protest of the antipiracy legislation they fear could "shut down the internet." This leads to national media coverage putting pressure on Capitol Hill to postpone both bills.
Act II: Literally at the same time, the U.S. government shows how this legislation would work—or, perhaps, demonstrates its redundancy—by shutting down file-transfer site Megaupload, which it deemed "responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works." The Department of Justice announced the shutdown Jan. 19, and the next morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced he would postpone the vote on PIPA he was so desperately pushing for just one day prior.
Act III: This has yet to be fully written. Minutes after the Megaupload shutdown, hacker group Anonymous crashed sites of several organizations affiliated with the process, the FBI and the Department of Justice, as well as entertainment-industry groups like the MPAA and RIAA. But nobody knows what comes next. In a Lost-esque writing style, the script is given to the players with fresh ink. Maybe SOPA and PIPA will be amended to reflect public concern. Maybe they'll drop out of public eye and pass with little fanfare next month. Or maybe, with the shutdown of one of the world's largest copyright infringers, proponents and lobbyists will determine that legislation is unnecessary, garnering several upvotes and raking in karma points.
But on Capitol Hill, Mr. Smith does not always go to Washington...
more > SOPA Opera | Features | North Bay Bohemian
SOPA STRIKE - Largest online protest in history
"January 18th was unreal. Tech companies and users teamed up. Geeks took to the streets. Tens of millions of people who make the internet what it is joined together to defend their freedoms. The network defended itself. Whatever you call it, we changed the politics of interfering with the internet forever--there's no going back..."
Photo credit: @craigrcannon
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Barbie Arrested | GlobaLove Think Tank | Freaking News | Mattel does right thing
Barbie Arrested !!!
first she gets in trouble and dumped by Ken for destroying rain forests in Indonesia - now Barbie is in deep in Iran, called a 'Trojan horse' by government for peddling western influences like makeup and revealing clothes
Barbie's mugshot image by DocMinor of the Democrats for Barbie
Doll picture photoshop contest | FreakingNews.com
TEHRAN, Iran - Police have closed down dozens of toy shops for selling Barbie dolls in Iran, part of a decades-long crackdown against "manifestations of Western culture," the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported Friday.
Barbie dolls are sold wearing swimsuits and miniskirts in a society where women must wear headscarves in public, and men and women are not allowed to swim together.
An Iranian shopkeeper arranges a display of dolls at her shop in Tehran, Iran, on Friday. Police have closed down dozens of toy shops for selling Barbie dolls, part of a decades-long crackdown on signs of Western culture. VAHID SALEMI/Associated Press
A ban on the sale of the Barbies, designed to look like young Western women, was imposed in the mid-1990s. In its latest report, Mehr quoted an unidentified police official as saying authorities confiscated the dolls from Tehran stores in a "new phase" of the campaign.
Crusade targets 'Trojan horse' that government claims sneaks in western influences like makeup and revealing clothes...
Iran shuts down toy stores selling Barbie dolls | Tulsa World | Associated Press | 1/21/2012
In 2008, the Iranian judiciary warned against the "destructive" cultural and social consequences and "danger" of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys. Even so, Iranian markets have been full of them. One-third of Iran's population of 75 million is under 15. (read more)
GlobaLove Think Tank
I DREAM OF A STAR TREK WORLD. THIS THINK TANK WILL FOCUS ON CREATIVE ACTIONS DESIGNED TO INITIATE A GLOBAL PARADIGM SHIFT TOWARDS A WORLD WHERE RACISM, POVERTY AND WAR WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST.
Freaking News
Obama comes out against current SOPA and PIPA legislation, but stops short of killing it
In an election year, the President has to walk a fine line, but the bills are far from being dead. While the White House came out and said that it wouldn’t support the current drafts of the legislation, it did say that it would support revised drafts. Hollywood is not going to let this go and they are going to call out favors for political donations.
FreakingNews.com - News Photoshop Pictures Contests - home page
see also > what next: Wikipedia blackout protesting Piracy Act
trashing Indonesia's rainforests
Toying with forest destruction
Toying with forest destruction
from Greenpeace
How Mattel, Disney, Hasbro and Lego are all implicated in trashing Indonesia's rainforests, including areas that are home to some of the last tigers, orang-utans and elephants. There's more at greenpeace.org/toys
Barbie and Ken: The Breakup
Ken finds some hard truths about Barbie from Greenpeace on Vimeo.
Barbie and Ken: The Breakup | greenpeaceusa's Channel
On June 7th, following Ken's breakup with the iconic superstar, Barbie, Ken and 8 buddies staged a protest at Mattel headquarters in El Segundo, CA demanding that Mattel stop using packaging from materials produced by rainforest destroyers...
Greenpeace accuses Barbie of destroying Indonesia | Reuters
JAKARTA | Wed Jun 8, 2011 - Greenpeace said on Wednesday it had evidence that Barbie doll packaging comes from Indonesian rainforests, accusing toy manufacturers such as Mattel and Walt Disney Co of contributing to the country's rapid deforestation.
Barbie, It's Over
Barbie has a nasty deforestation habit - she is trashing rainforests in Indonesia, including areas that are home to some of the last tiger, orang-utans and elephants, just so she can wrap herself in pretty packaging.
You did it!
Mattel cuts ties with rainforest destruction.
Our campaign to get Mattel, the world’s biggest toy company, to stop doing business with Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has ended in a resounding victory. This is great news for Indonesian rainforests and the communities and wildlife that depend on them. But there’s more.
Mattel has not only instructed its suppliers to avoid wood and paper from companies involved in controversial forest destruction like APP, but also to increase the amount of recycled paper and wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in their packaging.
But our work isn't done. Here in the U.S., APP is pushing its “Paseo” brand tissue products onto store shelves across the country. To do so, they are counting on people in the dark about the dirty secret behind their tissue products. But you can help us change that.
Take action and tell major U.S. retailers like Walmart and Kmart: “don’t sell rainforest destruction – don’t sell Paseo tissue products!”
Tell Kmart: Don't Sell Rainforest Destruction
Our campaign to get US retailers to pull Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) consumer tissue products from its shelves is working.
Kroger -- the largest seller of APP products in the US -- recently put out a public statement saying it will stop sourcing from APP. This huge victory came after 50,000 activists like you contacted the company and told them to stop selling rainforest destruction in the form of throw-away tissue products.
But this isn’t over. There are still major retailers selling APP products in this country -- fueling deforestation in the Indonesia rainforest and threatening the land that the 400 remaining Sumatran tigers call home.
And of those, Kmart is one of the biggest offenders. That is why we are turning up the heat on the giant retailer and asking Kmart to follow Kroger’s lead.
Momentum is on our side. Now is the perfect time to keep the pressure up. That is why it is so important that you take a minute now to tell Kmart that there shouldn’t be any space for rainforest-destroying toilet paper on its store shelves.
Take action now by telling Kmart: “Don’t sell rainforest destruction – don’t sell Paseo tissue products!
Greenpeace
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Wikipedia blackout protesting Piracy Act
2012 Wikipedia blackout
The January 18 blackout page
(as proposed by User:Pretzels on January 16)
UPDATE: WIKIPEDIA IS BLACKED OUTImagine a World
Without Free Knowledge
For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia. Learn more.
Contact your representatives.
• default page: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• see SOPA and PIPA - Learn more - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2012 Wikipedia blackout
The 2012 English Wikipedia blackout is a proposed blackout of the English Wikipedia for 24 hours on 18 January 2012. In place of articles, the site would show only a message opposing the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA).
| TAKE ACTION The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a dangerous bill that would give the Department of Justice and big content unprecedented power to censor the Internet. There's a critical hearing this week about the bill, part of big content's effort to steamroll the bill through Congress, which means we have no time to lose. SOPA's supporters are desperate to get this bill through quickly by convincing Congress there's no real opposition to it. We know better, but we need to make our voices heard loud and clear. > Take Action | Electronic Frontier Foundation |
more > 2012 Wikipedia blackout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Press releases/English Wikipedia to go dark - Wikimedia Foundation
San Francisco -- January 16, 2012 -- On January 18, 2012, in an unprecedented decision, the Wikipedia community has chosen to blackout the English version of Wikipedia for 24 hours, in protest against proposed legislation in the United States — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and PROTECTIP (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate. If passed, this legislation will harm the free and open Internet and bring about new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States.
“Today Wikipedians from around the world have spoken about their opposition to this destructive legislation," said Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia. "This is an extraordinary action for our community to take - and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."
> more
English Wikipedia anti-SOPA blackout - Wikimedia Foundation
To: English Wikipedia Readers and Community
From: Sue Gardner, Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director
Date: January 16, 2012
Today, the Wikipedia community announced its decision to black out the English-language Wikipedia for 24 hours, worldwide, beginning at 05:00 UTC on Wednesday, January 18 (you can read the statement from the Wikimedia Foundation here). The blackout is a protest against proposed legislation in the United States — the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate — that, if passed, would seriously damage the free and open Internet, including Wikipedia.
This will be the first time the English Wikipedia has ever staged a public protest of this nature, and it’s a decision that wasn’t lightly made. Here’s how it’s been described by the three Wikipedia administrators who formally facilitated the community’s discussion. From the public statement, signed by User:NuclearWarfare, User:Risker and User:Billinghurst:
It is the opinion of the English Wikipedia community that both of these bills, if passed, would be devastating to the free and open web.
Over the course of the past 72 hours, over 1800 Wikipedians have joined together to discuss proposed actions that the community might wish to take against SOPA and PIPA. This is by far the largest level of participation in a community discussion ever seen on Wikipedia, which illustrates the level of concern that Wikipedians feel about this proposed legislation. The overwhelming majority of participants support community action to encourage greater public action in response to these two bills. Of the proposals considered by Wikipedians, those that would result in a “blackout” of the English Wikipedia, in concert with similar blackouts on other websites opposed to SOPA and PIPA, received the strongest support.
On careful review of this discussion, the closing administrators note the broad-based support for action from Wikipedians around the world, not just from within the United States. The primary objection to a global blackout came from those who preferred that the blackout be limited to readers from the United States, with the rest of the world seeing a simple banner notice instead. We also noted that roughly 55% of those supporting a blackout preferred that it be a global one, with many pointing to concerns about similar legislation in other nations.
In making this decision, Wikipedians will be criticized for seeming to abandon neutrality to take a political position. That’s a real, legitimate issue. We want people to trust Wikipedia, not worry that it is trying to propagandize them.
But although Wikipedia’s articles are neutral, its existence is not. As Wikimedia Foundation board member Kat Walsh wrote on one of our mailing lists recently,
We depend on a legal infrastructure that makes it possible for us to operate. And we depend on a legal infrastructure that also allows other sites to host user-contributed material, both information and expression. For the most part, Wikimedia projects are organizing and summarizing and collecting the world’s knowledge. We’re putting it in context, and showing people how to make to sense of it.
But that knowledge has to be published somewhere for anyone to find and use it. Where it can be censored without due process, it hurts the speaker, the public, and Wikimedia. Where you can only speak if you have sufficient resources to fight legal challenges, or if your views are pre-approved by someone who does, the same narrow set of ideas already popular will continue to be all anyone has meaningful access to.
The decision to shut down the English Wikipedia wasn’t made by me; it was made by editors, through a consensus decision-making process. But I support it.
Like Kat and the rest of the Wikimedia Foundation Board, I have increasingly begun to think of Wikipedia’s public voice, and the goodwill people have for Wikipedia, as a resource that wants to be used for the benefit of the public. Readers trust Wikipedia because they know that despite its faults, Wikipedia’s heart is in the right place. It’s not aiming to monetize their eyeballs or make them believe some particular thing, or sell them a product. Wikipedia has no hidden agenda: it just wants to be helpful.
That’s less true of other sites. Most are commercially motivated: their purpose is to make money. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a desire to make the world a better place — many do! — but it does mean that their positions and actions need to be understood in the context of conflicting interests.
My hope is that when Wikipedia shuts down on January 18, people will understand that we’re doing it for our readers. We support everyone’s right to freedom of thought and freedom of expression. We think everyone should have access to educational material on a wide range of subjects, even if they can’t pay for it. We believe in a free and open Internet where information can be shared without impediment. We believe that new proposed laws like SOPA and PIPA, and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States — don’t advance the interests of the general public. You can read a very good list of reasons to oppose SOPA and PIPA here, from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Why is this a global action, rather than US-only? And why now, if some American legislators appear to be in tactical retreat on SOPA?
The reality is that we don’t think SOPA is going away, and PIPA is still quite active. Moreover, SOPA and PIPA are just indicators of a much broader problem. All around the world, we're seeing the development of legislation intended to fight online piracy, and regulate the Internet in other ways, that hurt online freedoms. Our concern extends beyond SOPA and PIPA: they are just part of the problem. We want the Internet to remain free and open, everywhere, for everyone.
Make your voice heard!
On January 18, we hope you’ll agree with us, and will do what you can to make your own voice heard.
Sue Gardner,
Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation
Stop Online Piracy Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill, if made law, would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.[2] Presented to the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act.
> more
TAKE ACTION
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a dangerous bill that would give the Department of Justice and big content unprecedented power to censor the Internet. There's a critical hearing this week about the bill, part of big content's effort to steamroll the bill through Congress, which means we have no time to lose. SOPA's supporters are desperate to get this bill through quickly by convincing Congress there's no real opposition to it. We know better, but we need to make our voices heard loud and clear.
> Take Action | Electronic Frontier Foundation
see also
• what next: From Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales
"If everyone reading this donated $5, we would only have to fundraise for one day a year. But not everyone can or will donate. And that's fine. Each year just enough people decide to give.
"This year, please consider making a donation of $5, $20, $50 or whatever you can to protect and sustain Wikipedia."
Sunday, January 8, 2012
GlobaLove Think Tank: descent into madness
descent into madness
If you don't already know, there is a controversial bill President Obama signed into law on New Year's Eve. Provisions within the NDAA allow for the indefinite detention of American citizens on US soil, without access to a trial or attorney. It's a disgrace to the founding fathers, to our nation's rule of law, and to every soldier who has given his or her life to protect our way of life. Many, even liberal Democrats, are now calling for Obama's impeachment, and the recall of Congressional leaders who crammed this bill through.
Grand Central Terminal Arrests
Two protesters mic check about the loss of freedom brought about by the passage of the NDAA and both are promptly arrested and whisked out of public sight
GlobaLove Think Tank: descent into madness
The National Defense Authorization Act is a United States federal law that has been enacted for each of the past 49 years to specify the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense.
National Defense Authorization Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bill Text - 112th Congress (2011-2012) - THOMAS (Library of Congress): H.R.1540 -- National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Enrolled Bill [Final as Passed Both House and Senate] - ENR)
see also
what next: NDAA foundation for targeting dissenters, activism
Thursday, January 5, 2012
whats up: Nukespeak is a classic!
Nukespeak is the language of the nuclear mindset — the worldview or system of beliefs of nuclear developers and enthusiasts.
Nukespeak is a classic!
Award-winning investigative journalist Karl Grossman interviews Nukespeak co-author Rory O’Connor on Grossman’s nationally-aired TV program, Enviro-Close-Up. Grossman has been a journalist for more than 40 years, and is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York/College at Old Westbury. He is also the chief investigative reporter for WVVH-TV.
Grossman said he was happy to be talking about the 30th anniversary updated edition of Nukespeak: “Of the books written about nuclear technology through the years, Nukespeak is a classic. The new edition of Nukespeak has been updated — with four new chapters — and added to its title is: The Selling of Nuclear Technology from the Manhattan Project to Fukushima. It tells how nuclear promoters have been — and continue — using Orwellian language to try to hide the truth about the deadly dangers of nuclear technology.”
more > whats up: Nukespeak is a classic! | Karl Grossman
EnviroVideo presents Enviro Close-UP with Karl Grossman on blip.tv
A EnviroVideo produces environmental and social justice programs for television - including interview and news shows, specials, and documentaries. The underlying premise of EnviroVideo is that there are critical environmental issues at hand that can best be communicated to large numbers of people through the media most favored for news and information - television and the Internet. And if there is broad public awareness, pressing environmental matters can be dealt with and action taken to truly resolve them.
see also
whats up: China Syndrome | No cold shutdown possible at Fukushima
“I just checked in to see what condition my condition is in.”
One of the truly scary but perversely enjoyable characteristics of nuclear developers is their penchant for making it up as they go along – and then creating new Nukespeak words and concepts to describe what they’re up to as they do.
The latest example concerns the situation at Japan’s still-dangerous Fukushima Daiichi plant...
whats up: Unthinking the Thinkable | Nukespeak | Marginalized Media
whats up: Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945 | Downwinders | Nuclear Law
NO NUKES | RE-TOOL NOW
whats up: RC'S NUCLEAR BLOG
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Project Censored | Censored 2012
"The News That Didn’t Make the News"
Project Censored
The mission of Project Censored is to teach students and the public about the role of a free press in a free society – and to tell the News That Didn’t Make the News and Why
WHAT IS MODERN CENSORSHIP?
At Project Censored, we examine the coverage of news and information important to the maintenance of a healthy and functioning democracy. We define Modern Censorship as the subtle yet constant and sophisticated manipulation of reality in our mass media outlets. On a daily basis, censorship refers to the intentional non-inclusion of a news story – or piece of a news story – based on anything other than a desire to tell the truth. Such manipulation can take the form of political pressure (from government officials and powerful individuals), economic pressure (from advertisers and funders), and legal pressure (the threat of lawsuits from deep-pocket individuals, corporations, and institutions).
CENSORED 2012 –
In this volume, there are 500 pages of real news you can use, plus ample analysis that eradicates civil paralysis, and antidotes to our current Truth Emergency that will strengthen societal media literacy.
WHAT IS MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY?
In our view, the only valid justification for declining a news story is that in a medium limited by time and space, another news story was simply more important to the people of the community, whether local, national or international. While admittedly a subjective process, it is nonetheless, a process to be undertaken by the news people themselves (the investigative journalists and editors), NOT by the managers and CEOs of their “parent company.” No professional journalist or researcher should ever have to face the destruction of his or her career (or life) simply because they wanted to tell the truth. While no two people will always agree on what story is more important than another, a system where the working reporters and editors run the newsroom would at least provide a fertile environment for debate, dissent and critical thinking.
The growth of independent media and journalism in recent years shows that people throughout the world yearn to hold not only their leaders accountable, but their media sources as well. For that reason, the Project Censored research program continues, in its small way, to support and highlight those who tell the truth about the powerful (no matter the consequences) and are relentless in their quest to hold Big Media accountable for their decisions.
Between 700 and 1000 stories are submitted to Project Censored each year from journalists, scholars, librarians, and concerned citizens around the world.
With the help of more than 200 Sonoma State University faculty, students, and community members, Project Censored reviews the story submissions for coverage, content, reliability of sources and national significance. The university community selects 25 stories to submit to the Project Censored panel of judges who then rank them in order of importance. Current or previous national judges include: Noam Chomsky, Susan Faludi, George Gerbner, Sut Jhally, Frances Moore Lappe, Michael Parenti, Herbert I. Schiller, Barbara Seaman, Erna Smith, Mike Wallace and Howard Zinn. All 25 stories are featured in the yearbook, Censored: The News That Didn’t Make the News.
see > Top 25 Of 2012 ("Censored 2012: Stories of 2010-2011")
and STORE: Censored 2012
The Sourcebook for the Media Revolution, The Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2010-2011 by Mickey Huff and Project Censored.
In this volume, there are 500 pages of real news you can use, plus ample analysis that eradicates civil paralysis, and antidotes to our current Truth Emergency that will strengthen societal media literacy.
Project Censored is administered through the SSU Sociology Department with financial support from the SSU Instructionally Related Activity Fund, School of Social Science, Media Freedom Foundation Inc. and donations from thousands of supporters around the country.
see also > Top 25 Archive
Independent News Sources
Featured Articles
Censored Notebook
see also > what next: Human Costs of War & Violence — Censored News
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Exposing the One Percent: Freeport McMoRan Exploits Workers and the Environment | Project Censored
As the Occupy Movement emerges across the US and around the world, a prime example of greed and exploitation is occurring with very little coverage in the global corporate media. Members of the global top one percent are killing striking workers and using raw military power to protect their billions of dollors of annual profits. And the highest levels of US Government encourage and protect the exploiters...
more > Exposing the One Percent: Freeport McMoRan Exploits Workers and the Environment | Project Censored
by Peter Phillips and Kimberly Soeiro
Censored Notebook • Project Censored
ABOUT | Project Censored
ABOUT
The mission of Project Censored is to teach students and the public about the role of a free press in a free society – and to tell the News That Didn’t Make the News and Why
WHAT IS MODERN CENSORSHIP?
At Project Censored, we examine the coverage of news and information important to the maintenance of a healthy and functioning democracy. We define Modern Censorship as the subtle yet constant and sophisticated manipulation of reality in our mass media outlets. On a daily basis, censorship refers to the intentional non-inclusion of a news story – or piece of a news story – based on anything other than a desire to tell the truth. Such manipulation can take the form of political pressure (from government officials and powerful individuals), economic pressure (from advertisers and funders), and legal pressure (the threat of lawsuits from deep-pocket individuals, corporations, and institutions)
WHAT IS MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY?
In our view, the only valid justification for declining a news story is that in a medium limited by time and space, another news story was simply more important to the people of the community, whether local, national or international. While admittedly a subjective process, it is nonetheless, a process to be undertaken by the news people themselves (the investigative journalists and editors), NOT by the managers and CEOs of their “parent company.” No professional journalist or researcher should ever have to face the destruction of his or her career (or life) simply because they wanted to tell the truth. While no two people will always agree on what story is more important than another, a system where the working reporters and editors run the newsroom would at least provide a fertile environment for debate, dissent and critical thinking.
The growth of independent media and journalism in recent years shows that people throughout the world yearn to hold not only their leaders accountable, but their media sources as well. For that reason, the Project Censored research program continues, in its small way, to support and highlight those who tell the truth about the powerful (no matter the consequences) and are relentless in their quest to hold Big Media accountable for their decisions.
see also
The Daily Censored News Blog
Independent News Sources | Project Censored
Other Feeds, Project Censored's Independent News Feed
About The Media Freedom Foundation, Project Censored's Independent News Feed
The Media Freedom Foundation (MFF) is a nonprofit 501-C-3 corporation established in 2000 to support First Amendment organizations and investigative research.
The MFF raises funds for and works closely with Project Censored, and countless other investigative research and media related organizations.
Project Censored
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