Territorial cats terrorize dogs. Watch this funny video compilation posted on The Huffington Post.
Friday, December 6, 2013
WATCH ON DROPBOX : Bill de Blasio Bill Bratton Stop and Frisk Hypocrisy
Did Bill de Blasio put up his son Dante to lie to voters about ending the "stop-and-frisk era" ?
After Bill de Blasio barely won the Democratic primary with about 40 percent of the vote, top aide to Christine Quinn complained about a controversial TV advertisement broadcast by the de Blasio campaign, featuring his son, Dante.
"That ad killed us," the Quinn aide groused, anonymously, to The Daily Beast.
“He’s the only Democrat with the guts to really break from the Bloomberg years,” Dante promised in the TV commercial, adding, "And he is the only one who will end a stop-and-frisk era that unfairly targets people of color."
VIDEO LINK : https://www.dropbox.com/s/c7gqg06t9h2wb4n/Bill-de-Blasio-Stop-and-Frisk-Deception.m4v
Day 2 of "Tale of 2 De Blasios": Quinn camp says BdB supports Bill Bratton, called (by Detroit News) a pioneer of stop and frisk.
— Grace Rauh (@gracerauh) August 22, 2013The controversial de Blasio campaign ad featuring his son, Dante, was widely reported to be one factor that helped his campaign surge following the implosions of the Quinn and Anthony Weiner campaigns. But now that de Blasio has appointed Bill Bratton to become the next NYPD commish, critics question the promises made by de Blasio -- and his son -- that de Blasio would end the "stop-and-frisk era."
Bratton shot up to fame by driving down crime based on his "reliance on 'stop-and-frisk,' in which officers detain individuals they deem to be suspicious and search them for guns, and which has been linked to racial profiling by critics," reported KQED News.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Obama Administration Denying FOIA Request Violates Free Speech
See New Advisory : FOIA Appeal Update Regarding the DOJ's ''vindictive prosecution'' of Lt. Daniel Choi (7 Dec 2013)
Free Speech Implications of DOJ Denying FOIA Request on Lt. Daniel Choi
As of today, I've not yet received any written response from the Department of Justice to the request filed under the Freedom of Information Act. The request, dated April 30, 2013, requested information pertaining to the government's vindictive prosecution of "Don't Act, Don't Tell" repeal hero, Lt. Daniel Choi.
Speech critical of the government, for example, political speech, is a freedom provided as a protection in the First Amendment. The First Amendment also includes a right to peacefully assemble and a right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. These rights are protections enshrined in the Bill of Rights. These are guarantees made to us by the U.S. government.
The very idea of a republic implies rights conveyed to citizens to meet and consult one another, and to petition their government, if they so choose. How can citizens exercise their rights to free speech, to assemble, and to petition, when the government restricts, delays, or prevents the sharing of information necessary for our citizen activities ? Our guarantees to free speech are being diminished, shortened, and constricted by conditions created by denying Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
Separate from any rights under freedom of the press, afforded to me as a blogger, there originates my right to free speech as a citizen. How can one review, consult, and comment on the functions and actions of one's own government, if one is denied information ?
Refusing to honor FOIA requests prevents us from forming complete thoughts and speech, in this case, speech that may be critical of the government. Denying FOIA requests denies citizens their rights to freely and completely speak, to fully consult with other citizens, to peacefully and meaningfully assemble, and to petition the government, if necessary, for a redress of grievances. Thwarting information violates our rights, protections, and guarantees, in accordance with the design of our republic. This is what is at stake when the government refuses to honor requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act.
The implications of restricting information to the detriment of our right to free speech, are not limited to me or to the readers of this blog, but to every citizen.
WNYC Is Looking For Help To Crack a Case of Albany Corruption
The $3 Million Mystery Medical Care Center
Are you http://t.co/zTynyQx7MW looking for this ? http://t.co/t03yRz2HJj @WNYC @NorthShoreLIJ @lenoxhill @AndreaWNYC @jkeefe
— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) December 4, 2013The WNYC reporters John Keefe and Andrea Bernstein are asking for the public's help to identify a medical care center in New York City, which has received $3 million in taxpayer money, but, which, according to the Moreland Commission's report on corruption, has few, if any, patients.
One may recall that the urgent care center operated by North Shore-LIJ/Lenox Hill Hospital in Chelsea was supposed to have received taxpayer money. But according to YELP, that urgent care center appears to now be closed.
Could this be the mysterious facility that has received millions in taxpayer money in exchange for providing nonexistent medical care services to the community ?
Stay tuned.
North Shore LIJ Medical Group - CLOSED - Chelsea - Manhattan, NY
Intentionally Deceptive Advertising ?
North Shore LIJ/Lenox Hill fraudulently labeling urgent care center as a "hospital." Do you agree ? @nycHealthy pic.twitter.com/FRyvAMvh9D
— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) December 4, 2013Another urgent care center, which North Shore-LIJ/Lenox Hill Hospital plan to operate near the $1 billion Rudin luxury condominium complex, is now being labeled as a "hospital," even though it does not have the facilities, medical specializations, or certifications to treat heart attack patients, according to New York City EMS Chief Abdo Nahmod.
Donate Your Twitter Account to : Stop New York Medicaid Redesign Team
Donate Your Twitter Account to : Stop New York Medicaid Redesign Team
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Mark-Viverito Fires The Advance Group ; Has Scott Levenson Become Radioactive ?
- RELATED : Melissa Mark-Viverito Lobbyist Firm Never Quit, Continued Lobbying Despite Investigations (NYC : News & Analsyis)
- RELATED : Proposed NYS public matching dollars at risk of being gamed, just like with ''model'' NYC campaign finance system (NYC : News & Analsyis)
Efforts to distance Mark-Viverito from The Advance Group are seen to thwart the Campaign Finance Board and the Conflicts of Interest Board, says source
Proponents of campaign finance reform have faced difficulty in trying to restrict the corruptive influence of money in politics. Look at what is happening right here, right now.
Where are in-kind contributions from consultants/lobbyists for speaker's race ? @NYCCFB @MMViverito @ChrisBragg1 @TMannWSJ @BKcolin #Preet
— Informed Voting (@informedvoting) December 3, 2013Yesterday, the Campaign Finance Board (CFB) made public several disclosures of contributions and expenditures for the period including immediately following Election Day. However, those reports were immediately shown to be inaccurate, because at least one report does not capture the financial activities involving the Council speaker race. How can the Campaign Finance Board accept and produce reports of Council speaker candidate Melissa Mark-Viverito when the CFB knows full well that her reports are incomplete, disingenuous, and misrepresentative of the actual contributions to her political campaigning ?
After allegations of campaign finance controversies in this year's Council speaker race and anti-LGBT discrimination by prominent political consultant/lobbyist Scott Levenson, Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito informed Politicker reporter Ross Barkan that she has ceased receiving any political advice and lobbying services from Mr. Levenson and his firm, The Advance Group. But simply firing Mr. Levenson doesn't cure Ms. Mark-Viverito's misrepresentative CFB reporting.
Mr. Levenson's controversial provision of undeclared in-kind campaign contributions to Ms. Mark-Viverito's speakership campaign is coming under heavy scrutiny, now that the Campaign Finance Board is said to be investigating this shady arrangement.
But Mr. Levenson is not alone in providing undeclared contributions to several political candidates. Ealier this summer, it was reported that the political consultant/lobbyist Stanley Schlein has been providing free services to political candidates. Lobbyists can curry favor with politicians for themselves and for their clients when they provide "free services," and political candidates gain unfair advantages of receiving valuable consulting and lobbying services that are unavailable to other candidates, who do stupid things, like naively observe the caps on regulated campaign contributions. (What's a campaign debt between friends ? * The New York Times)
Nor is Mr. Levenson the sole lobbyist doing work on behalf of Ms. Mark-Viverito's speakership campaign, where there remains no transparency about lobbyist payments, campaign contributions, or applicable campaign finance, conflict of interest, and lobbyist regulations or restrictions. Ms. Mark-Viverito is or has also been represented by the consulting/lobbying firms of Pitta Bishop Del Giorno and the Mirram Group, according to Crains Insider. And since Ms. Mark-Viverito has reportedly fired Mr. Levenson, in his place she has retained two more political operatives : Jon Paul Lupo and Amelia Adams, again according to Crains Insider.
No improvements in disclosure or reporting in the age of Citizens United and run-away lobbyists : Show me the money !
How are all these consultants being paid, and where is the money coming from that is paying these consultants ?
Stanley Schlein works for free for Arroyos. How widespread are undeclared in-kinds? http://t.co/E3u9CwNkCh @NYCCFB @arroyowatch @RossBarkan
— Informed Voting (@informedvoting) December 3, 2013Meanwhile, the growing scandal and controversy engulfing the speakership race, which includes the Editorial Board of The New York Daily News openly calling for Ms. Mark-Viverito's disqualification over the questionable ethics and campaign finance violations, has thus far led to no deeper examination of the corruptive role of campaign consultants, who double as lobbyists, in our democracy.
At each step of the way, no good-government groups are willing to come forward to demand real reforms from all of these supposedly "progressive" politicians, nor is the media looking at the role of big business or special interest lobbyists in the campaigns of other Council speaker candidates, Mark Weprin and Daniel Garodnick. Democracy's been derailed, and the media's been found to be asleep at the switch as the speeding train of money in politics is about to take the dangerous curve in the tracks caused by Citizens United and out-of-control lobbyists. What happened to voters' rights to not be deceived by the corruptive influence of money in politics ?
Love this section of Moreland report on a lobbyist listing campaign contributions as "projected expense" to client pic.twitter.com/PtvdZeZlbp
— Adam Smith (@asmith83) December 3, 2013Still left unanswered is whether Mr. Levenson has become so radioactive that Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio will skip the NYCLASS fundraiser set for tomorrow.
The Need For Full Public Campaign Financing, Not The NYC Model http://t.co/rBcVncZju6 @greenpartynyc @HowieHawkins @JoeLeverone
— Informed Voting (@informedvoting) December 3, 2013When reform activists demand campaign finance reform and call for the corruptive influence of money in politics be ended, exactly who do reform activists believe will deliver these reforms, progressives or conservatives ? Realistically, it would be our allies on the left, who should deliver these reforms. Hence, when will liberal, progressive, or leftist politicians deliver these reforms ? Or do we put on blinders while the new progressive-in-name-only ("PINO") administration in-waiting exploits campaign finance loopholes in a power grab that differs none from what we would naturally expect that conservatives would orchestrate ?
Monday, December 2, 2013
The Anti-LGBT Attacks By Scott Levenson, Alec Baldwin
LGBT groups refused to accept anti-gay attacks from Alec Baldwin. How about from Scott Levenson ?
LGBT groups must come together to address the anti-LGBT campaign work of Scott Levenson. Levenson is a political campaign consultant and lobbyist, who was paid by the conservative City Action Coalition PAC to defeat several LGBT City Council candidates solely because of their identity. One of Levenson's attack ads, against gay Bronx Councilmember-elect Ritchie Torres, was featured in a post on The Village Voice.
Scott Levenson, Alec Baldwin - Report Back #constantcontact http://t.co/FVD14o2hge
— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) December 2, 2013The attack ad sent by Levenson criticized Torres for, among other things, living in affordable housing normally reserved for "homeless and mentally ill people," casting negative implications on Torres's character. This raises serious questions as to whether Levenson supports prejudice and discrimination.
Will LGBT Groups Protest Scott Levenson Over Anti-Gay Attack Super PAC ? http://t.co/bcAwIpwsZI @HRC @glaad @prideagenda
— LGBT Civil Rights (@lgbtcivilrights) November 26, 2013As we continue our work for equal civil rights laws and new cultural norms of equality and dignity, the discriminatory actions of Baldwin and Levenson will occur less and less. But only if we continue to speak up and demand that these forms of prejudices must end.
Pack your bags, Alec ! MSNBC fires Baldwin over anti-gay slurs http://t.co/frDuktYYNT via @nypost
— LGBT Civil Rights (@lgbtcivilrights) November 27, 2013Will notable LGBT advocacy groups, like HRC, GLAAD, and the Empire State Pride Agenda, as well as notable LGBT bloggers, denounce Levenson for the prejudice in his anti-LGBT campaign work ? Balwin was the anchor of a weekly cable news program, but Levenson is a political operative, shaping the outcome of elections in New York. Will LGBT advocates note Levenson's possibly larger detriment to LGBT equality ?
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Did Waves of Hospital Closings Impact Metro-North Derailment Passenger Emergency Trauma Treatment ?
From the Demand A Hospital list serve :
From: Demand A Hospital <demandahospital@gmail.com>
Subject: Corrected : Metro-North Derailment Injured Skip Nearer Level 1 Trauma Center
Date: 1 décembre 2013 20:19:14 UTC-05:00
To: Demand A Hospital <demandahospital@gmail.com>
Corrected :
Due to corrupt HTML code from the Newsday Web site, we are transmitting our prior e-mail in unformatted text. Plus, we clarified the subject line.
We apologize for the confusion.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Dear All :
Today was a sad day, following the tragic Metro-North train derailment in the Bronx.
For unexplained reasons, the Metro-North passengers injured today were dispersed amongst far-flung city hospitals, including Elmhurst Hospital Center, a Level I trauma center 13 miles away in Queens, even though St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital in Morningside Heights in Manhattan is less than 7 miles away.
Following the wave of hospital closings under the Berger Commission, the Medicaid Redesign Team, and Superstorm Sandy, the capacity of New York City hospitals to handle mass trauma events remains in question.
The following news report from Newsday indicates that some passengers have already been discharged after receiving emergency medical treatment, but many others remain hospitalized in critical condition. Because time is of the essence when treating trauma patients, it's not yet known why some passengers were transported over longer distances, unnecessarily extending the time until some passengers received trauma care.
As we mourn the passengers, who died today, and as we wish those injured a speedy recovery, let's hope that city and state health officials recommit to the need to maintain capacity in our city and state hospital system for emergencies and accidents, especially mass events like this derailment.
Tonight, our thoughts are with the Metro-North passengers and their friends and families. We owe it to each other to have a hospital system that maintains the necessary capacity and specialized medical staff to timely provide specialized Level I trauma care.
List of Level I Trauma Centers : http://www.health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/trauma2.htm
Newsday article link : http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/ntsb-on-scene-to-probe-fatal-metro-north-derailment-1.6521318
NTSB on scene to probe fatal Metro-North derailment
Originally published: December 1, 2013 8:32 AM
Updated: December 1, 2013 7:06 PM
By JENNIFER BARRIOS, EMILY NGO AND ALFONSO A. CASTILLO jennifer.barrios@newsday.com,emily.ngo@newsday.com,alfonso.castillo@newsday.com
Investigators are trying to determine what caused a Metro-North passenger train to jump off the rails on Sunday morning, killing four people, while on an area of track that New York's governor called "dangerous."
The National Transportation Safety Board began its investigation Sunday at the scene of the derailment, about 100 feet north of the Spuyten Duyvil station on the Hudson Line.
More than 100 passengers were on the train, and FDNY reported at least 67 victims, including four killed, 11 critically injured and six with serious injuries. Five NYPD officers on the train commuting to work were among the injured, sources said.
A source in law enforcement said the train operator told first responders that he had applied the brakes but that they did not work. However, authorities have not corroborated that as of yet.
However, Russ Quimby, a rail safety consultant and former member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said train brakes are usually designed with a failsafe and if they malfunction, the train is designed to come to a stop.
The law enforcement source also said speed may have been a factor.
The seven-car train derailed at about 7:20 a.m., according to MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan.
Three men and one woman were killed, the MTA said.
Crews will use a crane to lift up the overturned cars Sunday night to search "for any further fatalities" and to avoid further fuel spills, National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said during a briefing at the scene. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had said earlier he believed all passengers had been accounted for on Sunday.
Weener said a "multidisciplinary team" will meet Sunday night to form sub-teams to examine the point of derailment, the train signal system, mechanical equipment, data from event recorders, maintenance and personnel records and survival factors.
Weener said the team will document the condition of all the cars before turning the equipment back over to Metro-North. It also will interview the derailed train's personnel.
"Our mission is to understand not just what happened but why it happened, with the intent of preventing it from happening again," Weener said.
He said the NTSB already had downloaded information from the train's data recorder, which contains information about the train's operation at the time of the derailment.
Cuomo said track repairs will only begin after the NTSB finishes its investigation, which will take a week to 10 days.
"Tomorrow, I think it's fair to say, commuters should plan on a long commute," Cuomo said.
The derailed train, which was being pushed from the rear by a diesel locomotive, had been headed from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan when it tumbled from the tracks on a sharp curve near where the Hudson River meets the Harlem River.
"That's a dangerous area of the track, just by design," Cuomo told CNN on Sunday. "That's a difficult area of the track, but that doesn't explain the crash, either."
But he added later: "It can't just be the curve."
Trains are supposed to reduce their speed to 30 mph at that spot, according to the MTA. Before that point, trains can travel as fast as 70 mph.
Cuomo said people were ejected from the train because the front and rear doors opened.
As the trains slid along the ground on their sides, he said, the train cars "were picking up rocks and dirt, tree limbs, debris."
Late Sunday, emergency workers continued to work by floodlight among the cars, which still lay on their sides or listed dangerously along the river, as emergency boats floated in the water and emergency vehicles sat with lights flashing.
Bodies of the dead and the injured had been carried out on stretchers, and no passengers remained aboard late Sunday, but a ladder used to access the train was left leaning against the second car.
Dozens of uniformed police officers, firefighters and other first responders were still on the scene, some directing car traffic away from the area.
Maria Herbert was aboard the derailed train, working as an assistant trainman, said her husband, William Herbert, 53, of upstate Wallkill.
Herbert said his wife called him minutes after the event, injured and sounding like she couldn't breathe.
"Thank God she's alive," he said. "If that train went into the water, it would have been worse. I think God stopped the train."
Herbert, who said he worked in the maintenance department of the MTA for 25 years, said he and his wife had often discussed maintenance issues on the curve where the train derailed on Sunday.
"She had been fearful about that area," Herbert said. "That curve is very sharp and that rail wears away."
FDNY Chief of Department Edward Kilduff said that three of the four people who died were found by first responders outside the train, and one was inside. All of the fatalities were from cars that had flipped onto their sides. Most of those injured had suffered blunt trauma, Kilduff said.
Rescuers had to cut open cars and use air bags to lift them off one or two people who were trapped underneath, Kilduff said.
Kilduff said the terrain posed a challenge to rescuers, some of whom had to carry their equipment to the area. "The stability of the cars was also a serious challenge," he said.
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said the train's engineer was at a hospital in stable condition. "He's banged up, but conscious and alert," Kelly said at a news conference.
Media reports indicated the engineer was a 20-year veteran of the MTA and had made a statement to investigators.
Officials estimated more than 100 people were on the train -- much fewer than would have been riding during a workday.
If the train had been fully occupied, said FDNY Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano, it would have been a tremendous disaster.
MTA board member Charles Moerdler described the scene as "dreadful, awful, chaotic."
"There were rail cars scattered all over the place, plus an engine, and hundreds of rescue workers -- fire, police and voluntary ambulance -- working feverishly together with canines," said Moerdler, who noted that the train came off the tracks along a "treacherous curve" and in an area where leaves are known to fall on tracks, making for dangerous, slippery rail conditions.
Quimby, a rail safety consultant who worked for 22 years as an NTSB crash investigator, said the curvature of the rail, and the speed at which the train traveled, would be among several factors examined in the NTSB probe.
He said curved rail can be susceptible to derailments because the centrifugal force of a train when it comes through a turn can, over time, gradually cause rails to separate from each other.
The group would likely be headed by a doctor of psychology who would examine any factors that could have taken the engineer's attention away from his job, including fatigue that could have caused him to "nod off," mobile devices, or drugs or alcohol. The engineer would give blood and urine samples for toxicological testing, he said.
Quimby said a type of event recorder that is standard on most commuter trains would likely provide answers to how fast it was moving when it derailed, and whether brakes were applied. He said he has never seen an instance of brake failure causing a commuter train to derail, because brake systems are generally designed with failsafes. If the brakes malfunction, a train automatically will come to a stop, he said.
Anthony Botallico, general chairman of the Association of Commuter Rail Employees -- the union representing Metro-North engineers and conductors -- said several train crew members were injured, as well as "extremely upset and traumatized."
"It's just a terrible tragedy, man," Botallico said. "My thoughts and prayers are going out to the family members and everybody who was killed. It's something that we're all feeling really hard right now."
The injured were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center and Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, and Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, authorities said.
Spokesman Steve Clark at St. Barnabas said 10 people were admitted to the hospital to stay overnight. So far, two have been officially discharged from the hospital. One is a 14-year-old boy who was traveling with his father and the other is a man in his mid 20s. Clark said many of the people who are staying are not critically injured except for two: a 43-year-old man with a spinal cord injury and a 21-year-old woman with a leg fracture.
A woman named Maria Ojito stopped by the hospital and told reporters she was a family friend of the 43 year-old man who suffered spinal cord injuries. She said his name is Samuel Rivera, Sr. and he had a son, also named Samuel Rivera, who was the 14 year-old boy who was released earlier, both from Ossining, NY. She said the two were headed into the city but she is not sure for what and the father was undergoing surgery right now and had been for ten hours as of 6 p.m. She said the elder Rivera worked for MTA but not sure doing what but that he was not in duty.
She said the family is "devastated" by the news.
New York-Presbyterian received a total of 17 patients, 14 of which were received at the emergency department, according to a release. Of the 14, four were critical and 10 were noncritical, the release said.
Jacobi Medical Center received 13 patients, all in stable condition. Several have since been discharged, according to a statement released by the hospital.
Kelly was scheduled to visit the five injured officers in the hospital. At least one -- a female officer who suffered fractured ribs and other injuries -- was at St. Barnabas Hospital.
Officials said at news conferences they don't believe any of those passengers who were seriously injured will die.
Those looking to check on the status of family members were asked to call the city's 311 information line, while those outside of New York City could access the city's 311 system by calling 212-639-9675.
A family center staffed by Red Cross and officials from the MTA was set up at John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx.
Unlike air disasters, where authorities have complete passenger lists, there was no such list of who was on the Metro-North commuter train.
Politicians issued statements on the tragedy, including Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, who said he was in contact with Kelly and was monitoring the situation.
A representative for Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not respond to a request for his whereabouts.
The White House issued a statement on Sunday, saying President Barack Obama had been briefed about the derailment and that his thoughts and prayers were with the friends and families of the victims.
Cuomo said Amtrak service between New York and Albany was resumed later Sunday.
Trains were moving through the derailment area at restricted speed, but service on the Hudson Line was suspended in both directions between Tarrytown and Grand Central on Sunday.
The Spuyten Duyvil station is off Edsall Avenue near Johnson Avenue in the Bronx, about 11 miles from Grand Central Terminal. The Henry Hudson Parkway passes over the area.
The derailment is the third major event to occur on Metro-North tracks in 2013 -- a year that has MTA officials have acknowledged has included a higher than normal number of safety-related incidents for its commuter railroads. In May, a Metro-North train derailed in Bridgeport, Conn, injuring 76 people. Less than two weeks later, a Metro-North train killed a track worker in West Haven, Conn.
And in July, a freight train derailed near the same location as Sunday's event.
With Maria Alvarez, Alfonso A. Castillo, Anthony M. DeStefano, Kevin Deutsch, Rita Deutsch, Tania Lopez, Ivan Pereira, David M. Schwartz, Nicholas Spangler, Andrei Berman and The Associated Press
--
Tell Gov. Andrew Cuomo to stop closing our hospitals : 1 (518) 474-8390
You can also tweet your concerns to Gov. Cuomo at : @NYGovCuomo
Media Pushing Back Against Obama Censorship and Propagandizing White House Communications
Reporter Bob Franken Blasts Obama on MSNBC: ‘Most Hostile’ to Press ‘in U.S. History’
Earlier today on MSNBC, during a segment moderated by anchor T.J. Holmes, the seasoned journalist Bob Franken described the Obama administration's efforts to control the media as the "most hostile to the media that has been in United States history."
Reporter Bob Franken Blasts Obama on MSNBC: 'Most Hostile' to Press 'in U.S. History' http://t.co/Th9upBEVKd (VIDEO)
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) November 30, 2013This is not surprising.
Dana Milbank, from The Washington Post, spoke about a report published last week in which Mr. Milbank asserted that President Barack Obama is propagandizing White House communications.
Meanwhile, Amy Holmes said that the White House was trying to censor the media. She pointed out that Jay Carney had a media background, and now that he was the White House press secretary, he should know better about White House efforts to only get "happy talk" reported by the media.
Mr. Milbank pointed out that President Obama made promises of "new transparency." Instead, Mr. Milbank said that the Obama White House is now prosecuting reporters under the Espionage Act.
You can see the Obama administration's clamping down on the First Amendment in how it refuses to honor the Freedom of Information Act request filed in the case of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" hero Lt. Daniel Choi.
McClatchy won't publish photos issued by White House ; Obama reacts with another frown http://t.co/wnfR0hFYmX pic.twitter.com/YGV53erKn3
— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) November 30, 2013Read more : Reporter Bob Franken Blasts Obama on MSNBC: ‘Most Hostile’ to Press ‘in U.S. History’
Metro-North Train Derails At Spuyten Duyvil
All seven cars of a south-bound Metro-North Train derailed early Sunday morning at the Spuyten Duyvil Metro-North Railroad station. This station serves the residents of the Bronx, and the derailed train served the Hudson Line of Metro-North.
Four people are reported to have died as a result of the derailment, and dozens are reported to be injured, The New York Post is reporting, adding, "The train originated out of Poughkeepsie, departing at 5:54 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive into Grand Central Terminal at 7:43 a.m., officials said. The cars were being pushed south by a locomotive."
Front of first #metronorth train #derail car sitting in Hudson River #spuytenduyvil station #bronx pic.twitter.com/EmePtpfANR
— TimCassidy12 (@timcassidy12) December 1, 2013An even better image of just how close the #MetroNorth train came to the Harlem River. #derail pic.twitter.com/jpOMKPYR61
— Turner Cowles (@tgcowles) December 1, 2013Injuries have been reported. Reportedly, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is en route to the scene.
Mike Bloomberg hasn't appeared at scene of fatal derailment in Bronx. Of course, we don't know where he is on weekends. Bermuda?
— Gary Weiss (@gary_weiss) December 1, 2013Saturday, November 30, 2013
Who is Deborah Lee James ?
Deborah Lee James worked at SAIC during that company's $600 million theft from New York City taxpayers, and now she's President Barack Obama's pick for Secretary of the Air Force.
CityTime fraud flew under radar of President Obama's Air Force secretary pick Deborah Lee James http://t.co/PF87WZ12mT via @NYDailyNews
— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) November 30, 2013Who are the corporate officers at SAIC, who are going to process the $600 million refund to New York City taxpayers ?
(Originally Posted : Thursday 07 July 2011 9:48 p.m.)
Rihanna Nude Picture Pops Up On Twitter Again - NSFW
An old photo of a nude Rihanna showed up on Broadway star David Singletary's Twitter account today. Rihanna is seated on a man's crotch. The man is said to be Young Chris, a former Roc-A-Fella rapper. The man is laying on a boat, and they are within vision of several houses along a coastal waterway. Other ladies are depicted with Rihanna and the man.
Will @rihanna please explain this....Navy feel free to chime in. She was just called the voice of our generation 💅 pic.twitter.com/h3L0azCDBp
— David Singletary (@davidsingletary) November 30, 2013According to gossip troll Perez Hilton, the nude Rihanna photo originated from Young Chris's very own Instagram account. Meanwhile, this isn't the first set of nude photos to circulate of poor Rihanna.
The constant circulation of nude photos is the latest misfortune for the troubled singer. This week-end, Australian football (read : soccer) stars Campbell Brown and Steven May got into a fight over Rihanna's autograph, The New York Daily News. And then there's her history of being the victim of domestic violence.
The latest nude photo appears to show a youthful Rihanna, prior to all her tattooage ; nevertheless, Mr. Singletary asks Rihanna to explain herself. While this photo may have been taken as part of the singer's youthful indiscretions, Mr. Singletary seems a little indignant about Rihanna embracing des plaisirs impolis.
Friday, November 29, 2013
NSA Hacking Computer Networks To Spread Viruses, Malware
The NSA Probably Has Installed a Virus on Your Computer — and Everyone Else's
From : PolicyMic
The news: According to yet another National Security Agency (NSA) slide hidden among the treasure trove of documents leaked by Edward #Snowden, the NSA has infected upwards of 50,000 computer networks worldwide with malware in an attempt to riddle the internet with hidden access points accessibly by U.S. agents.
A presentation from 2012 examined by Dutch news outlet NRC explained the backdoor method in which the NSA collects information worldwide. It uses "Computer Network Exploitation" (CNE), or in other words, massive malware attacks, to secretly infiltrate tens of thousands of networks. According to the NRC, one such scheme was unmasked in Belgium in September. Foreign intelligence agents in the British intelligence service (GCHQ) were revealed to have gained access to telecom provider Belgacom by tricking its employees into visiting a fake Linkedin page.
"The American intelligence service -- NSA -- infected more than 50,000 computer networks worldwide with malicious software designed to steal sensitive information.
"Documents provided by former NSA employee Edward #Snowden and seen by this newspaper, prove this.
"(...) The NSA declined to comment and referred to the US Government. A government spokesperson states that any disclosure of classified material is harmful to our national security."
The background: The NSA's hacking missions are handled by a special division with over 1,000 hackers named the TAO (Tailored Access Operations). The Washington Post estimated based on secret budget reports that by 2008, the unit had successfully infiltrated over 20,000 networks. By mid-2012 that number had grown to 50,000 and presumably has continued to expand to this day.
According to the Post profile, the TAO is a "highly secret but incredibly important NSA program that collects intelligence about foreign targets by hacking into their computers, stealing data, and monitoring communications." It's also supposedly integral to the development of complex programs that could destroy or damage foreign computer systems following an order from the commander-in-chief.
These kind of cyber attacks don't just bring down computer systems — much like Jurassic Park, they can have catastrophic real-world effects by ordering hardware components and infrastructure controlled by the network to malfunction or operate against programming constraints. Stuxnet, a virus which infected Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, was designed to attack uranium enrichment centrifuges and cause serious damage to the equipment over time (even though it was capable of causing catastrophic damage at any one point).
The Post found that for all the supposed secrecy, some NSA employees were relatively cavalier on their Linkedin profiles:
"For instance, Brendan Conlon, whose page lists him as a former Deputy Chief of Integrated Cyber Operations for the NSA and former Chief of TAO in Hawaii, says that he led "a large group of joint service NSA civilians and contractors in executing Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) operations against target networks." Barbara Hunt, who is listed as a former Director of Capabilities at TAO in Fort Meade, similarly claims she was 'responsible for end-to-end development and capability delivery to build a versatile computer network exploitation effort.'
"Dean Schyvincht, who claims to currently be a TAO Senior Computer Network Operator in Texas, might reveal the most about the scope of TAO activities. He says the 14 personnel under his management have completed 'over 54,000 Global Network Exploitation (GNE) operations in support of national intelligence agency requirements.' Just imagine how productive the team in Fort Meade, rumored to have about 600 people, must be."
What does this all mean for you? Well, it means that NSA surveillance of the world-wide internet is even more sophisticated and widespread than the average observer might have concluded. For better or for worse, it looks like the NSA has infiltrated large numbers of telecom services, ISPs, financial institutions, and others worldwide that would allow it to gain access to large amounts of data for bulk collection.
The NSA isn't alone in hacking the world; in early 2013, security company Mandiant exposed a Chinese group called Advanced Persistent Threat 1 which they claimed had ben responsible for hundreds of attacks against Western targets and requiring a support staff of hundreds.
And some experts warn that mass NSA infiltration of other networks comes with a price. The Electronic Frontier Foundation writes that by secretly introducing vulnerabilities into the world's internet infrastructure, the NSA risks allowing anyone who discovers those vulnerabilities to obtain immense power to bypass the security restrictions which keep the internet safe and reliable."
Tom McKay
26 November 2013Image:
NSA Slide :
Driver1 : Worldwide SIGINT/Defense Cryptologic Platform - jpg
Hunger Games : Wal-Mart Thanksgiving 2013 Fight for TV
The hashtag #walmartfights is like watching a live feed of the hunger games. #maytheoddsbeeverinyourfavour
— Karen Mori (@s0medays_) November 29, 2013Hunger Games : Poor People Fight To Save $10, Protest For Living Wages
"Videos of Black Friday chaos have also emerged online, with one showing shoppers at an unidentified Walmart getting violent over discount items, according to Mediate," reported The New York Post. (Cop shoots ‘thief’ as Black Friday violence erupts across country)
Police had to respond to a physical fight amongst customers over TV sets that had been put on sale for the Thanksgiving "war zone" at Wal-Mart. A Wal-Mart associate also tried to distract a customer, who was recording the altercation with his smart phone. (Wal-mart On PR Offensive As Thanksgiving Fights Go Public, With Protests Scheduled For Black Friday)
In another Wal-mart Thanksgiving incident involving a TV, a man had to be subdued by police with pepper-sprayed before he could be arrested after the shopper started an argument with a store manager in New Jersey. (Huge crowds turned out to get an early start on Black Friday shopping in New Jersey)
In still yet another incidence of Walmart shoppers becoming violent, again the sale of TV sets was the main reason for inciting the conflict depicted in this next video :
Coincidentally, the #walmartfights are breaking out during the holiday release week-end of the blockbuster sequel, Hunger Games : Catching Fire, a series of films based on a trilogy of books about poor people having to fight one another for survival. In an eerie similarity, the Thanksgiving and Black Friday fights are being uploaded to YouTube and being shared over social media, reminiscent of how the Hunger Games fights were televised. Is this a form of social conditioning ?
There are an endless number of videos showing up on YouTube, showing Wal-mart shoppers using threats of physical violence, shoving each other, and fighting over sale items. Here's another video, posted on the Web site of The Dallas Morning News, showing a shopper being injured as a result of a melée over DVD players. Police could only restore order temporarily. "All over a $38 Blu-ray player," The Dallas Morning New reported.
Meanwhile, The Huffington Post published an article entitled, "Wal-mart's Black Friday Going About As Badly As You'd Expect."
What kind of irresponsible and violent messages are Wal-mart sending, when shoppers go wild, when stores are described as "war zones," and fights break out ?
Is this the season for giving (black eyes, stabbings, gun shots, and other bodily injuries) over TV sets and toasters on sale ? (It's Black-eye Friday! Man stabbed in row over parking space and shopper shot for his new TV as violent bargain-hunters come to blows)
Protesting For Living Wages, Better Work Conditions
Let's pray for the safety and well-being of the Wal-mart employees, who are put in harm's way, under irresponsible, dangerous, and inhumane working conditions such as these. No wonder activists plan to stage Black Friday protests against the greedy big box retailing corporations.
About 150 protesters gathered outside a Wal-mart in Ontario to demand fair wages and better working conditions. (Protest at Wal-Mart in Ontario on Black Friday draws dozens of workers)
Santa arrested at Ontario, California @Walmart? Black Friday, indeed. pic.twitter.com/yi4qdDmrRo
— Tony Pierce (@busblog) November 29, 2013Here is the video of some of the activism outside of the Wal-mart in Ontario.
Other injury reports, trend in violence
At one Wal-mart, an ambulance had to respond with a stretcher to help the injured.
oh my gosh, a stretcher #blackfriday RT @validmary_: Really? At walmart, smh. pic.twitter.com/M63yXFALDE
— Sapna Maheshwari (@sapnam) November 29, 2013Thanksgiving shoppers get stabbed, arrested: http://t.co/LgN9xkyUuK #WalmartFights
— CNNMoney.com (@CNNMoney) November 29, 2013Violence at Wal-mart is part of a long, growing trend. On Thanksgiving Day in 2011, shoving, screams, and hustling over sale items also took place at a Wal-mart store in Brownsville, Texas, as documented in this video :
Remembering the Wal-mart worker killed in a stampede on Long Island on Black Friday 2008.
What does it say when Wal-mart needs to use police officers to provide security, in order for them to put items up for sale on Thanksgiving and Black Friday ?
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Melissa Mark-Viverito, The Advance Group May Have Violated City Ethics Rules
- RELATED : Melissa Mark-Viverito Lobbyist Firm Never Quit, Continued Lobbying Despite Investigations (NYC : News & Analsyis)
- RELATED : Proposed NYS public matching dollars at risk of being gamed, just like with ''model'' NYC campaign finance system (NYC : News & Analsyis)
Will The Conflict of Interest Board Investigate Mark-Viverito's Acceptance Of Unpaid Assistance From The Advance Group ?
New York City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito may have violated city ethics rules by accepting unpaid assistance from the Advance Group, a lobbing firm, to further her candidacy for Council speaker, The New York Daily News reports (City Council Speaker candidate Melissa Mark-Viverito and her lobbying firm, The Advance Group, may have violated city ethics rules) .
"The Conflicts of Interest Board must investigate, and the Council must disqualify Mark-Viverito from consideration for so blatantly violating the rules. Elevating her to speaker would send the message that the Council is up for sale," wrote the Editorial Board of The New York Daily News. (No To Melissa Mark-Viverito)
But so far, nobody's asked whether The Parkside Group is working for free to provide any support to the pro-Big Business candidate, Mark Weprin, or whether Alison Hirsh, the 32BJ union lobbyist that was hired by Progressive Caucus of Councilmembers to promote Ms. Mark-Viverito, is being paid, or if Ms. Hirsh is working for free, too. Ms. Mark-Viverito is also receiving help from two other consultant-lobbyist firms, Bishop Pitta Del Giorno and the Mirram Group, Crains Insider reported. Indeed, Ms. Mark-Viverito opened a new campaign committee called "Viverito NY" on Election Day. Who is funding that campaign committee ? Who is receiving payments from that campaign committee ? (Friday wrap-up examines consultants in the speaker race, and more * Crains Insider)
Besides investigating possible violations of campaign finance law or conflicts of interest, this is a great time to update campaign finance laws.
The Need For Full Public Campaign Financing, Not NYC Model http://t.co/dIePuA8VOA @informedvoting
— Bold Progress NYC (@boldprogressnyc) November 27, 2013Given that the violations involving the provision of free campaign services to elected officials is being referred to the Conflicts of Interest Board instead of to the Campaign Finance Board shows that campaign finance laws are not keeping up with the times. To roll back some of the worst impacts that Citizens United is having on the selection of the Council Speaker and on the rest of our municipal elections, we can begin by updating campaign finance laws by : (i) reforming the do-nothing Campaign Finance Board ; (ii) pressuring progressives to enforce transparency ; (iii) improving Speakership electioneering reporting ; (iv) ending subcontractor loopholes ; and (v) ending the provision of free campaign services, including for the Speakership.
If making reforms is seen as not enough, others, like Howie Hawkins, have suggested a fully-public campaign system.
The Growing Influence Of Lobbyists In Determining The Council Speaker, Other Investigations Against Scott Levenson
The @nytimes Reports That Advance Group Is Under Investigation By @NYCCFB For Using PAC's Illegally In 2013 Election http://t.co/TK6cIWD3gl
— Informed Voting (@informedvoting) November 26, 2013New York City’s county bosses face challenges from lobbyists over the election of the Council Speaker. (Despite Denials, De Blasio Team Met With Weprin and Mark Viverito About Speakership * City & State)
The flood of money into politics from Citizens United is creating a "clash of the titans" between the County Political Bosses and Big Business, on one side, and Lobbyists and Special Interest Money, on the other. With campaign finance law failing to keep up with the changes in money in politics, the voters are being kept in the dark about the true way that the speaker is selected. (NYC Council Speaker Race Campaign Finance Controversies * YouTube)
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