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Monday, September 30, 2013

Orbital's Cygnus freighter reaches International Space Station

Orbital's Cygnus freighter reaches International Space Station



The new Cygnus freighter has arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) carrying about 700kg (1,500lb) of food and other supplies.

Astronauts on the platform reached out with a robotic arm and grabbed the vessel at 11:00 GMT.

Cygnus is on a demonstration mission to prove its technology.

It is one of two commercial ventures seeded by Nasa to pick up America’s ISS re-supply requirements following the retirement of the space shuttles.

The new vehicle, developed by the Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), made its approach using a mix of GPS, inertial navigation and lidar.

U.S. Doesn't Even Rank In Top 15 Of World's Freest Economies

U.S. Doesn't Even Rank In Top 15 Of World's Freest Economies


EPA Admits New Green Rule for Coal Plants Will Not Reduce Global Warming

EPA Admits New Green Rule for Coal Plants Will Not Reduce Global Warming


NSA: Analysts spied on love interests

NSA: Analysts spied on love interests

In the letter to Grassley, George Ellard, the NSA’s inspector general, said the agency currently has two open investigations and is reviewing a third for possible investigation.

The NSA has admitted that analysts have violated legal restrictions on thousands of occasions in recent years, but the agency says most of the violations are accidental.

Ten states where Obamacare wipes out health care plans

Ten states where Obamacare wipes out health care plans


Police pepper-sprayed Joplin father as daughter Brooke Russell lay dying because 'he shouted at EMT to help her'

Police pepper-sprayed Joplin father as daughter Brooke Russell lay dying because 'he shouted at EMT to help her'


Friday, September 27, 2013

TRACON (IBM PC)

Advertisement for TRACON for the IBM PC from the October 1988 issue of Computer Gaming World.


Curiosity Rover Makes Big Water Discovery in Mars Dirt, a 'Wow Moment'

Curiosity Rover Makes Big Water Discovery in Mars Dirt, a 'Wow Moment'

Future Mars explorers may be able to get all the water they need out of the red dirt beneath their boots, a new study suggests.

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has found that surface soil on the Red Planet contains about 2 percent water by weight. That means astronaut pioneers could extract roughly 2 pints (1 liter) of water out of every cubic foot (0.03 cubic meters) of Martian dirt they dig up, said study lead author Laurie Leshin, of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

“For me, that was a big ‘wow’ moment,” Leshin told SPACE.com. “I was really happy when we saw that there’s easily accessible water here in the dirt beneath your feet. And it’s probably true anywhere you go on Mars.”

Close the N.S.A.’s Back Doors

Close the N.S.A.’s Back Doors

The New York Times, The Guardian and ProPublica recently reported that the agency now has access to the codes that protect commerce and banking systems, trade secrets and medical records, and everyone’s e-mail and Internet chat messages, including virtual private networks. In some cases, the agency pressured companies to give it access; as The Guardian reported earlier this year, Microsoft provided access to Hotmail, Outlook.com, SkyDrive and Skype. According to some of the Snowden documents given to Der Spiegel, the N.S.A. also has access to the encryption protecting data on iPhones, Android and BlackBerry phones.

These back doors and special access routes are a terrible idea, another example of the intelligence community’s overreach. Companies and individuals are increasingly putting their most confidential data on cloud storage services, and need to rely on assurances their data will be secure. Knowing that encryption has been deliberately weakened will undermine confidence in these systems and interfere with commerce.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

MegaCon 2013: Frenchy and the Punk (2013-03-15)

Frenchy and the Punk (2013-03-15)


Apple II / TSR Advertisement

Advertisement for TSR games for the Apple II (Dungeon!, Dawn Patrol, Theseus and the Minotaur) from the February 1983 issue of Blip.

Dragon’s Eye, Atari 400/800

Dragon’s Eye, Atari 400/800


MCCAIN BASHES CRUZ: 'ALL OF US SHOULD RESPECT THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS'

MCCAIN BASHES CRUZ: 'ALL OF US SHOULD RESPECT THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS'

This sort of weak-kneed thinking has led to Republican surrender time and time again without exhausting all available procedural options. President Obama was indeed re-elected, and the Democrats do indeed control the Senate. But the notion that Obama’s re-election is proof of the popularity of Obamacare is a massive fallacy, as is the idea that Republicans must not use whatever leverage they have at their disposal to fight the law. President Bush was re-elected in 2004. That did not stop Democrats from stymying his attempts at social security privatization.

Internet Sales Tax Could Crush Small Businesses

Internet Sales Tax Could Crush Small Businesses

Internet commerce is the most dynamic and rapidly growing sector of the American economy. Not surprisingly, the Internet is also relatively free of taxes and regulations, although many in Washington are working to change that. For example, earlier this year the Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act, more accurately referred to as the national Internet sales tax act. This bill, which passed the Senate earlier this year, would require Internet businesses to collect sales tax for all 10,000 American jurisdictions that assess sales taxes. Internet business would thus be subject to audits from 46 states, six territories, and over 500 Native American tribal nations.

Proponents of the bill deny it will hurt small business because the bill only applies to Internet business that make over a million dollars in out-of-state revenue. However, many small Internet businesses with over a million dollars in out-of-state revenues operate on extremely thin profit margins, so even the slightest increase in expenses could put them out of businesses.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

MegaCon 2003: ADV Films

MegaCon 2003: ADV Films

Join ADV Marketing Director Ken Wiatrek for an exclusive look at the trailer for ADV's highly anticipated original video animation LADY DEATH, plus news and background on LADY DEATH and other premiere ADV Films titles, including NOIR, RahXephon, Saiyuki and much more.


Computist, December 1987

Computist, Issue #50, December 1987


Last Bronx (Sega Saturn)

Last Bronx


Jumpman

Jumpman


Star Wars Rogue Squadron II (Gamecube)

Star Wars Rogue Squadron II


Obamacare Bends the Cost Curve—Upward

Obamacare Bends the Cost Curve—Upward

Back in 2008, three eminent Harvard economists who were advising the Obama campaign—David Cutler, David Blumenthal, and Jeffrey Liebman—wrote a memo claiming that Senator Obama’s health-care plan could reduce national health spending by $200 billion a year. As Kevin Sack recounted in the New York Times, the authors of that memo then took that figure, “divided [it] by the country’s population, multiplied for a family of four, and rounded down slightly to a number that was easy to grasp: $2,500.”

Mr. Obama then took that number on the campaign trail, insisting that his health plan would “lower your premiums by up to $2,500 per family per year.”

Last week, the Obama administration’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a rather different prediction: that “the [Affordable Care Act] is projected to . . . increase cumulative spending by roughly $621 billion” from 2014 to 2022. To be clear, that’s spending on top of the normal health-care inflation that would have happened if Obamacare had not been passed. So much for “bending down the cost curve,” as the president often liked to say his law would do.

Empty F-16 jet tested by Boeing and US Air Force

Empty F-16 jet tested by Boeing and US Air Force


Kerry to sign UN arms treaty

Kerry to sign UN arms treaty

Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to sign an arms trade treaty opposed by the Senate and the gun lobby as early as Wednesday, and Republicans aren’t happy about it.

Kerry’s plan to sign the treaty on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week has sparked immediate criticism from GOP opponents.

“This treaty is already dead in the water in the Senate, and they know it,” said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services. “The Administration is wasting precious time trying to sign away our laws to the global community and unelected U.N. bureaucrats.”

Republicans Now Leading the Push to Tax the Internet

Republicans Now Leading the Push to Tax the Internet




Dead Drops | Un-cloud your files in cement! 'Dead Drops’ is an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space

Dead Drops | Un-cloud your files in cement! 'Dead Drops’ is an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

MegaCon 2003 (4)

MegaCon 2003 (4)

Walking around at MegaCon 2003 (Sunday)


Next Generation, Issue Number 20, August 1996

Next Generation,  Issue Number 20, August 1996


The Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla

The Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla


Virtua Fighter PC

Virtua Fighter PC


One man's ObamaCare nightmare

One man's ObamaCare nightmare

Andy and Amy Mangione of Louisville, Ky. and their two boys are just the kind of people who should be helped by ObamaCare. But they recently got a nasty surprise in the mail.

“When I saw the letter when I came home from work,” Andy said, describing the large red wording on the envelope from his insurance carrier, “(it said) ‘your action required, benefit changes, act now.’ Of course I opened it immediately.”

It had stunning news. Insurance for the Mangiones and their two boys,which they bought on the individual market, was going to almost triple in 2014 — from $333 a month to $965.

The insurance carrier made it clear the increase was in order to be compliant with the new health care law.

Monday, September 23, 2013

MegaCon 2003 (1)

MegaCon 2003 (1)

Walking around at MegaCon 2003.


PuzzlePanic (Commodore 64, Atari 400/800)

Advertisement for PuzzlePanic by Epyx for the Commodore 64 and Atari 400/800 from the May 1984 issue of Computer Fun.


Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman

 Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman


Ranma 1/2: Anything Goes Martial Arts

Ranma 1/2: Anything Goes Martial Arts



Midwinter II

Midwinter II


MARYLAND PARENT ARRESTED FOR CHALLENGING COMMON CORE

MARYLAND PARENT ARRESTED FOR CHALLENGING COMMON CORE

The meeting was a question-and-answer session organized by Superintendent Dallas Dance, but – as is becoming increasingly common – questions were submitted on paper and select questions were answered, rather than allowing parents to stand up and speak. This format allows for the censoring of questions, and indeed the questions answered by the meeting’s panel were, according to the person videotaping, “softball” questions.

“In a nutshell, it was an hour and a half long and the first hour was Dallas Dance, Lillian Lowery, a PTA leader, and a teacher from Cantonsville High School basically tell us how great this was going to be.” Multiple parents in the room had already shown frustration at the question selection when Small stood up and began to ask challenging questions. He spoke briefly before being escorted out by security and arrested. “He was just a dad trying to get some information about his children’s education and ended up in jail for not sitting down and shutting up,” the letter said.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: Nothing left to cut in budget — 'the cupboard is bare'

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: Nothing left to cut in budget — 'the cupboard is bare'


---

Just to summarize:

1. “The cupboard is bare. There’s no more cuts to make."

2. The budget is ~$4 trillion

3. The budget has doubled over the past 12 years.

I'm pretty sure one of these is false.

The NSA Review Panel Is An Even Bigger Joke Than We Previously Thought

The NSA Review Panel Is An Even Bigger Joke Than We Previously Thought

Now, ensconced inside the entity that it is supposed to vet, surrounded and apparently managed by those very organs, the panel is rapidly approaching punchline status.

The AP has more, almost comically. I quote to preserve the dryness of its writing:

"James Clapper, the intelligence director, exempted the panel from U.S. rules that require federal committees to conduct their business and their meetings in ways the public can observe. Its final report, when it’s issued, will be submitted for White House approval before the public can read it."

So, in short, Clapper, the head of the DNI, exempted the group that he is currently housing, that is supposed to be vetting his work, from rules requiring their work to be public. Transparency! And, whatever they come up with will of course have to be approved for publishing.

15 Gorgeous Photos Of The Old Cincinnati Library

15 Gorgeous Photos Of The Old Cincinnati Library


Obama accuses gun control opponents of fighting to allow 'dangerous people' to own guns

Obama accuses gun control opponents of fighting to allow 'dangerous people' to own guns


PARENT ‘MANHANDLED’, ARRESTED WHILE SPEAKING OUT AGAINST COMMON CORE AT PUBLIC FORUM

PARENT ‘MANHANDLED’, ARRESTED WHILE SPEAKING OUT AGAINST COMMON CORE AT PUBLIC FORUM

A parent in Towson, Md., was arrested Thursday night at a public forum after vocally expressing his concerns about the Baltimore County School District’s plan to use Common Core standards in its curriculum.

Robert Small, a concerned father, was forcefully removed from the meeting by a police officer after he interrupted Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance during the question-and-answer portion of the forum.

The meeting apparently didn’t allow parents to stand up and ask questions or comment. Parents and other attendants were instead asked to write their questions on a piece of paper and officials would read them.

Some City Residents Being Fined For Parking In Their Own Driveway

Some City Residents Being Fined For Parking In Their Own Driveway


Friday, September 20, 2013

MegaCon 2002: The Biggs and Carter Experience (2002-02-23)

MegaCon 2002: The Biggs and Carter Experience (2002-02-23)

From the program:

"Join Babylon 5 star Jason Carter in a unique experience you're not soon to forget. Jason Carter brings to you his wealth of experience in the acting field in an hour and a half acting workshop. The experience is geared to all levels of interest, from the serious beginner to someone who is just curious in what techniques and exercises actors use to prepare for various roles. The workshop is interactive and entertaining to all who attend!"

This event was always my favorite at MegaCon the years that it was there...


Game Fan, December 1992

Game Fan, Volume 1, Issue 2, December 1992


Video Games Magazine, November 1983

Video Games Magazine, Issue Number 11, November 1983


OBAMACARE FORCES ITS WAY INTO YOUR PRIVATE SEX LIFE

OBAMACARE FORCES ITS WAY INTO YOUR PRIVATE SEX LIFE

Under Obamacare, all doctors – from dermatologists, to podiatrists, to neurologists – will be asking very personal questions about your sex life. Questions like, “Are you sexually active?”, “With whom?” and “How many sexual partners do you have?”

...

In those records, the government has mandated that doctors include details pertaining to patients’ sex life.
Some doctors say the regulations could harm the patient-doctor relationship. Dr. Richard Amerling, a nephrologist and professor at Albert Einstein Medical College, said the requirements make your medical record “into an interrogation, and the data will not be confidential.”

Reality Check: Is Monsanto America’s Best Example of Crony Capitalism?

Reality Check: Is Monsanto America’s Best Example of Crony Capitalism?


John McCain: A National Embarrassment

John McCain: A National Embarrassment 

When he isn’t posing for photo-ops with radical Islamic kidnappers or eating dinner with the president as rising stars of his party stage a historic filibuster, Arizona Senator John McCain enjoys muddling international diplomacy and insulting world leaders in the process—or so it would seem.

Discontented that diplomacy has stymied US war drums over Syria, McCain penned an angry essay regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin for the online edition of the Russian newspaper Pravda. His tirade did not defend the much maligned foreign policy of the US, a subject which Putin addresses thoroughly in an open letter to the American people, which appeared in the New York Times, but instead focused his attack on the Russian head of state.

Linux creator admits NSA demanded backdoor

Linux creator admits NSA demanded backdoor


Two Florida cops shot an innocent, unarmed man in his own driveway.

Two Florida cops shot an innocent, unarmed man in his own driveway. And then their sheriff started talking

Sheriff David Morgan of Escambia County hastily took to the airwaves to explain that “the tragedy of this is the noncompliance to the directions of law enforcement officers,” and that Middleton was “both a suspect and a victim.” The two deputies were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Sheriff Morgan was quick to clarify for CNN that the officers followed the correct protocols. “Right now we are comfortable from a training perspective that our officers did follow standard protocols. I believe the standard we use and train to is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, which is a reasonable test.” Morgan went on to note that “[t]his is a common occurrence. We live in a very violent society.” Presumably the irony was unintentional.

A week later six Escambia County deputies climbed through the window of a private residence, without a warrant, dragging a sleeping couple out of their bed, shooting at their two dogs, one of which later died. The police were pursuing a suspect in an armed disturbance earlier in the evening on the couple’s street, found an upside-down bucket next to a window of their home, knocked on the door, and when nobody answered, they just entered through the window. According to a press release, “Upon encountering the people in the house, the dogs became aggressive. One dog bit at one of the deputy’s leg. He pushed the dog away, but it came at him again so he shot the dog in self-defense, at which time the second dog began to run towards him. For his personal safety, he shot the second dog.”

The couple, who are white, say they were asleep in bed. Then the cops threw them on the ground, handcuffed them and dragged them into the hallway, and then started shooting at the dogs. No arrests were made.

HOME DEPOT DROPS BIG OBAMACARE SURPRISE ON 20,000 EMPLOYEES

HOME DEPOT DROPS BIG OBAMACARE SURPRISE ON 20,000 EMPLOYEES

Home Depot Inc is shifting medical coverage for part-time workers to new public marketplace exchanges ahead of new benefits requirements under the U.S. Affordable Care Act, a spokesman said on Thursday.

The world’s largest home improvement retail chain announced its move shortly after a similar announcement from Trader Joe’s Co, a popular privately held grocery chain.

Home Depot’s change would affect roughly 20,000 part-time workers who previously had chosen the limited liability medical plan the company offered, spokesman Stephen Holmes said.

After December 31, companies can no longer offer those plans under the health law, also known as Obamacare.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

MegaCon 2001: The Biggs and Carter Experience (Part 6)

MegaCon 2001: The Biggs and Carter Experience (Part 6)

Join Babylon 5 stars Jason Carter and Richard Biggs in a unique experience you're not soon to forget. Jason Carter and Richard Biggs bring to you their wealth of experience in the acting field in an hour and a half acting workshop. The experience is geared to all levels of interest, from the serious beginner to someone who is just curious in what techniques and exercises actors use to prepare for various roles. The workshop is interactive and entertaining to all who attend!

Part 6


Amazing Computing's Tech for the Commodore Amiga, November 1992

Amazing Computing's Tech for the Commodore Amiga,  Volume 2, Issue 4, November 1992


Life Force (arcade)

Life Force (arcade)


Popeye

Popeye


Star Wars Arcade

Star Wars Arcade


Anatomy of Steampunk: The Fashion of Victorian Futurism

Anatomy of Steampunk: The Fashion of Victorian Futurism by Katherine Gleason


Tech Companies and Government May Soon Go to War Over Surveillance

Tech Companies and Government May Soon Go to War Over Surveillance

Currently, there’s no law stopping companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google from introducing such security changes or forcing them to build in backdoors. Why would Apple want its users migrating to cross-platform, anti-snooping messaging apps like Hemlis (by the founders of The Pirate Bay)? Especially when the company could push itself out of the surveillance business with its own technical tweaks before federal regulations force them to become key players in warrant execution.

In fact, advancements in the usability of cryptographic protocols have made anti-surveillance features relatively simple for technology companies to bake into their communications products. And public demand for greater security and privacy in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations may make it virtually obligatory for them to do so before new wiretapping laws can be introduced.

This heralds a looming standoff between technology companies and government … even though much of the focus until now has portrayed the two as being in the same camp.

Obama Acts Like He Doesn't Know He's an Executive-Power Extremist

Obama Acts Like He Doesn't Know He's an Executive-Power Extremist

Even as Obama implies that he is a circumspect steward of constitutional democracy, he asserts that even absent “a direct or imminent threat,” he has absolute power to wage war without congressional support, the Constitution and the opinions of the demos be damned. If the passage ended there it would be staggering in its internal tension. As Jack Goldsmith explained in detail, intervening in Syria without congressional sign-off would “push presidential war unilateralism beyond where it has gone before.” Asserting that power without using it is still an extreme position to take.

Obama goes a delusion farther. Ostensibly because he hasn’t yet intervened, even though he repeatedly and needlessly asserts his right to do so unilaterally, he casts himself as moving away from unilateralism and toward consulting Congress. The benefits are “especially true after a decade that put more and more war-making power in the hands of the president,” he notes, “while sidelining the people’s representatives from the critical decisions about when we use force.”

The grammar is priceless. Who “put more and more war-making power in the hands of the president”? In Obama’s telling, “a decade” put the executive power there.

The absence of a human subject in the sentence isn’t hard to figure out. For all President George W. Bush’s faults, he sought and received majority support for the Patriot Act, the September 2001 AUMF, the War in Afghanistan, and the War in Iraq. Obama’s expansion of the drone war and his illegal war-making in Libya didn’t turn out as bad as Iraq, so it’s hard to see him as a worse president, but Obama has done more than Bush to expand the war-making power of the White House. As for “sidelining the people’s representatives from the critical decisions about when we use force,” it’s Obama who went into Libya despite the fact that a House vote to approve U.S. involvement was brought to the floor and voted down.

Could Republican Senator Rand Paul Win the White House?

Could Republican Senator Rand Paul Win the White House?

The speech he’ll deliver here is replete with polished laugh lines about wasteful government spending on a “$325,000 robotic squirrel” to study animal behavior, zingers about Washington’s being run by people with “big hearts and small brains,” and red meat such as his refusal to give “one penny more for countries that are burning our flag.”

None of this is particularly new. But what has changed since Paul first shocked the political establishment by winning his Senate seat in 2010 is the air of expectancy around him—one that becomes palpable as the banjos stop, the crowd hushes, and a local official comes to the podium to introduce Paul as “our senator, considered by many to be the next president of the United States.”

The notion of President Rand Paul would once have been absurd. Three years ago, he was a Kentucky ophthalmologist mounting an outsider campaign for Senate, still very much in the shadow of his father. But the younger Paul rode a Tea Party wave to Washington, and quickly became the movement’s most intriguing and charismatic spokesperson—an ambassador for libertarian values who takes obvious relish in skewering critics, regardless of their political affiliation. While his father was content to remain a dissenting voice from the margins—or from one end of countless presidential-debate stages—Rand clearly wants to win. His stunningly swift rise in the GOP also amounts to one of the most fascinating tightrope walks in national politics. On the one side is his raucous Tea Party base. On the other is his courting of donors, establishment Republicans, and traditional Democratic constituencies.


Video: Walgreens to dump employee coverage for 160,000

Walgreens to dump employee coverage for 160,000


SCHOOL TEACHES STUDENTS IT’S CONSTITUTIONAL FOR COPS TO CONFISCATE GUNS

SCHOOL TEACHES STUDENTS IT’S CONSTITUTIONAL FOR COPS TO CONFISCATE GUNS

South Carolina parents were furious this week after seeing questions regarding the Constitution – in particular the Second Amendment – as taught in their daughter’s 8th grade history class. The daughter’s teacher had given the class a pop quiz regarding the Constitution. Question 10 asked, “Mr. Jones’ gun was confiscated at a police traffic stop, even though he had the proper permit and license of ownership of the gun. Is this Constitutional?” The student originally answered “no,” but the teacher told daughter to change her answer to “yes.”

This is not a unique event. Just this week, another report emerged in Texas of an Advanced Placement (AP) textbook presenting a modified version of the Second Amendment. The textbook’s wording indicated that only police and military were allowed to have guns with the wording “The people have the right to keep and bear arms in a state militia.”

Orbital's Cygnus space freighter embarks on maiden voyage

Orbital's Cygnus space freighter embarks on maiden voyage

The new Cygnus commercial cargo ship has launched on a demonstration voyage to the International Space Station.

Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), the robotic vessel lifted off atop an Antares rocket from the Wallops spaceport in Virginia, US.

Cygnus is one of two private systems seeded by Nasa to meet America’s ISS re-supply requirements following the retirement of the space shuttles.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Thunder Cross (arcade)

Thunder Cross (Arcade)


Chrono Cross (PS1)

Chrono Cross (PS1)


Obama waives ban on arming terrorists to allow aid to Syrian opposition

Obama waives ban on arming terrorists to allow aid to Syrian opposition

President Obama waived a provision of federal law designed to prevent the supply of arms to terrorist groups to clear the way for the U.S. to provide military assistance to "vetted" opposition groups fighting Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

Some elements of the Syrian opposition are associated with radical Islamic terrorist groups, including al Qaeda, which was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa., in 2001. Assad's regime is backed by Iran and Hezbollah.

The president, citing his authority under the Arms Export Control Act, announced today that he would "waive the prohibitions in sections 40 and 40A of the AECA related to such a transaction."

SENATE BILL ATTEMPTS TO MAKE THE "RIGHT" OF FREE PRESS A "PRIVILEGE"

SENATE BILL ATTEMPTS TO MAKE THE "RIGHT" OF FREE PRESS A "PRIVILEGE"

The Senate Judiciary committee has moved forward a bill that would offer "Shield Law" protections for journalists and prevent them from having to testify about their work. The bill, moved forward on Thursday after members of the committee took it upon themselves to define who is a journalist and who is not.

Senator Charles Schumer says that this bill "balances the need for national security with that of a free press." Though wouldn't that beg the question, if the press (media) is restricted (balanced with security), how could it be free?

Of course the real story here centers around Senator Dianne Feinstein who has for weeks insisted that the committee must create and limit a definition for the title of "reporter".

Brazilian president snubs Obama, cancels state visit over NSA spying

Brazilian president snubs Obama, cancels state visit over NSA spying

A last-minute plea from President Obama couldn't stop Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff from postponing an October state visit, after revelations that American intelligence spied on her presidential communications allegedly sent her into a rage.

Reuters reports that Obama spent 20 minutes on the phone with Rousseff Monday night, apparently trying to salvage the first state visit by the up-and-coming South American nation in nearly two decades.

White House press secretary Jay Carney tried to play down the cancellation on Tuesday, telling reporters that the decision was a mutual one. "The president agreed with President Rousseff that it is important to celebrate our broad relationship, and that relationship should not be overshadowed by a single issue," he said.

Senate panel brings federal law one step closer to kneecapping bloggers

Senate panel brings federal law one step closer to kneecapping bloggers

Advancing their quest for "common sense press control," the Senate Judiciary Committee voted yesterday to define who the government will consider to be an "Authorized Journalist," meaning if the measure becomes law, they will also be able to declare who is not. Voting 13-5 on "a compromise worked out by Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein and Dick Durbin in coordination with news organizations ... the overall bill will ... would codify many of the regulations proposed earlier this year by Attorney General Eric Holder," Fox News reported.

Poland Confiscates Half Of Private Pension Funds To "Cut" Sovereign Debt Load

Poland Confiscates Half Of Private Pension Funds To "Cut" Sovereign Debt Load

While the world was glued to the developments in the Mediterranean in the past week, Poland took a page straight out of Rahm Emanuel's playbook and in order to not let a crisis go to waste, announced quietly that it would transfer to the state - i.e., confiscate - the bulk of assets owned by the country's private pension funds (many of them owned by such foreign firms as PIMCO parent Allianz, AXA, Generali, ING and Aviva), without offering any compensation. In effect, the state just nationalized roughly half of the private sector pension fund assets, although it had a more politically correct name for it: pension overhaul.

Cop Caught on Camera Terrorizing Family in Bizarre Video

Cop Caught on Camera Terrorizing Family in Bizarre Video


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Robocop 2 (Game Boy)

Robocop 2 (Game Boy)


Feinstein calls for new gun control laws after shooting

Feinstein calls for new gun control laws after shooting


POLICE: "SHUT UP OR GET TICKETED" VERMONT TRAFFIC STOP LEADS TO FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS DISPUTE

POLICE: "SHUT UP OR GET TICKETED" VERMONT TRAFFIC STOP LEADS TO FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS DISPUTE

The ACLU believes that the officers violated MacIver's Fourth Amendment rights in pulling him over for no reason and his First Amendment rights when the officer told him to "shut up or get ticketed". Police initially argued that their video showed a violation, but then conceded later he was wrong and the man apparently committed no crime. Now the police are left to fight off MacIver and the ACLU.


CLINTON-ERA GUN LAW RESPONSIBLE FOR MASS CARNAGE AT US NAVAL YARD

CLINTON-ERA GUN LAW RESPONSIBLE FOR MASS CARNAGE AT US NAVAL YARD

In March 1993, the Army imposed regulations forbidding military personnel from carrying their personal firearms and making it almost impossible for commanders to issue firearms to soldiers in the U.S. for personal protection. For the most part, only military police regularly carry firearms on base, and their presence is stretched thin by high demand for MPs in war zones. Because of Mr. Clinton, terrorists would face more return fire if they attacked a Texas Wal-Mart than the gunman faced at Fort Hood, home of the heavily armed and feared 1st Cavalry Division. That's why a civilian policewoman from off base was the one whose marksmanship ended Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's rampage.

High School AP History Book Rewrites 2nd Amendment

High School AP History Book Rewrites 2nd Amendment


Monday, September 16, 2013

Magical Cat Adventure

Magical Cat Adventure


Robo Army (Neo Geo)

Robo Army (Neo Geo)


The Punisher (Game Boy)

The Punisher (Game Boy)


300 Baud connect to a dial up bbs...

300 Baud connect to a dial up bbs (Tornado,TECS) using a Commodore 64 + dataphon acoustic coupler


Mean Streets

Mean Streets


Two bystanders struck by NYPD cops opening fire on suspect near Times Square

Two bystanders struck by NYPD cops opening fire on suspect near Times Square


Billie Piper joins James Bond stars in Sam Mendes psychosexual horror series Penny Dreadful

Billie Piper joins James Bond stars in Sam Mendes psychosexual horror series Penny Dreadful


Georgia Healthcare Company to Lay Off Over 100 Because of Obamacare

Georgia Healthcare Company to Lay Off Over 100 Because of Obamacare