Back to the weekly grind...
Greetings, Dot Calm Readers and
fellow Truth Crusaders!
I hope you had a restful weekend and are ready to tackle the week.
I don't have much to say to introduce this post except the usual...and that I had laid out todaze post in a beautiful cornucopia for y'all...except that Blogger decided to eat it...so please pardon the wonky formatting.
GRRRRR!!!!!
Anyway, let's get tuit...
Be sure to hug and kiss your loved ones today, and don't forget to read Dot Calm's shadow's favorite independent sources of news and information:
Daily Kos
AlterNet
Democracy Now!
Conservatives are Destroying our Future
Conservative Clown Car
Americans Against the Republican Party
Americans Against the Tea Party
Mrs. Betty Bowers
God, the Good Lord Above
...And, whatever you do,
VOTE BERNIE!!!!!
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ATTENTION, REPUBLICANS!
Obama is coming
for your guns and your Bibles
November 8, 2016.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOUSE
THAT DAY
for ANY REASON!
The rights you save may be your own!
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News for your edification
From Motherboard: Hospitals are getting socked with nasty ransomware at epidemic rates--watch yourself!
Cybercriminals have found a new, soft target for mass extortion
schemes. Since February, at least a dozen hospitals have been affected
by ransomware—malware that encrypts a victim's files until they pay a
hefty bounty. Some of the victims have had to resort to using
pen-and-paper and diverting emergency services to other hospitals while
they try to regain control of their systems.
Judging by interviews
with researchers working alongside the FBI on an active investigation
into a related case, as well as others who have found serious issues
with the security of hospitals and medical devices, the ransomware
problem facing the healthcare sector may be set to get worse.
“We
made a decision very quickly to shut down our systems,” Ann Nickels, a
spokesperson for MedStar Health, told Motherboard in a phone call.
MedStar is a non-profit network that runs 10 hospitals in the Baltimore
and Washington area and was attacked with malware earlier this week. As
of Wednesday, computers in at least four associated hospitals remained offline. Nickels refused to say whether the attack involved ransomware, but staff at MedStar facilitates have reportedly seen pop-ups on their computers demanding around $19,000 in bitcoin.
MedStar, it seems, is just the latest suspected victim of ransomware in a months-long campaign targeting the healthcare sector.
One of Medstar's hospitals. Image: Pdw22/Wikimedia
On February 5, the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles was hit and eventually coughed up just under $17,000 to hackers in order to decrypt its files. At least two facilities in Germany were targeted around the same time, and a handful of computers at the Ottawa Hospital were infected in March. The Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Kentucky was targeted shortly after.
“Methodist
Hospital is currently working in an Internal State of Emergency due to a
Computer Virus that has limited our use of electronic web based
services,” the hospital said in a statement at the time.
The damage to many of these hospitals has been debilitating. Doctors pushed high-risk surgeries to later dates, records had to be faxed or hand-delivered, and written notes then had to be entered back into computers once everything was up and running again.
Even
if certain systems weren’t infected with malware, some hospitals still
pulled the plug as a precaution, seriously affecting productivity.
“For
security reasons we turned off all computers immediately,” Dr. Andreas
Kremer, a spokesperson for Lukas Hospital in Neuss, Germany, told
Motherboard. “Working through our 700 computers is still ongoing,
meanwhile many work stations got completely new hardware and the old
devices were disposed [of] appropriately.”
Near the start of the
attack, the hospital had to cut down its emergency services for a few
days, “because providing emergency care needs a fast system and we could
not provide that,” Kremer continued.
When asked how many
computers MedStar uses, Nickels said, “We haven't even tried to provide
that number, but it's affected our entire system.”
“We detected an
intrusion in our servers, and immediately acted to shut down our
systems, and keep it from spreading elsewhere,” she continued. “Our
large system server. Not a single PC.”
Although
Nickels would not specify what kind of malware had infected MedStar's
system, the fact that it targeted a server suggests it could have been
Samsam, a new form of ransomware that is spreading like wildfire, and
not just in hospitals. Ransom notes reportedly found on MedStar computers also resemble those from Samsam.
Samsam’s
most interesting innovation is that it requires no human interaction
from the target in order to start cutting off files.
Typically
with ransomware, a victim’s machine might be infected by a malicious
email attachment or a malware-laden advert. But Samsam doesn't target
humans. It targets servers.
“Samsam is innovative, in that it
actually decided to target server vulnerabilities,” Craig Williams,
senior technical leader from research group Talos, which is part of
cybersecurity company Cisco, told Motherboard in a phone call. Talos has
been researching Samsam and is actively working with the FBI on a
criminal investigation into its use. Although Williams wouldn't name
specific hospitals, he said Talos had received numerous reports from the
healthcare industry about Samsam-related attacks.
The Samsam
ransomware is so worrying that the FBI has published a direct call to
the private sector, urgently asking for assistance in combating it.
In
February, the FBI's Cyber Division distributed an industry alert about
MSIL/Samas.A, other names used to label the Samsam ransomware. “In a new
scheme, cyber criminals attempt to infect whole networks with
ransomware and use persistent access to locate and delete network
backups,” it read, and gave the usual advice of creating offline backups of data so as to thwart the criminals' extortion attempts.
A month later, however, the FBI issued another alert, this time much more urgent.
“WE NEED YOUR HELP!” the document, obtained by Motherboard and originally reported by Reuters,
reads. “If you find any of these indicators on your networks, or have
related information, please contact FBI CYWATCH immediately.”
Screenshot of part of the FBI alert
Samsam works by first exploiting vulnerabilities in JBoss application servers by using an open source, publicly available penetration testing tool called JexBoss.
“They literally have copied the exploits out of [JexBoss],” Williams said. From here, the hackers can move through the network onto other machines and encrypt their files.
“These
attackers have done their reconnaissance,” Williams added. “They've
scanned the internet for this particular set of JBoss vulnerabilities,
and set up a set of servers they wanted to attack, relatively
simultaneously.” Williams said the Samsam attackers appear to be new to
the ransomware game, pointing to how their extortion price has steadily
increased over the months, indicating that the attackers are still
trying to figure out how much money they can squeeze from victims.
Williams added that the Samsam attackers have also targeted other
industries, such as gaming and construction, since December.
According
to him, Samsam has raked in around $115,000 as of earlier this month,
but has since seen a significant increase in successful extortions. On
Wednesday, Williams also said his team had found tens of thousands of
servers vulnerable to the issues the Samsam attackers were leveraging,
but it wasn't immediately clear if all the servers were exploitable.
Fortunately, at least when it comes to the Samsam ransomware, there is a very easy solution.
“Patch
your servers. Backup your data. Done,” Williams said. “This isn't one
of those situations where they need to educate every user.” Since the
malware doesn't rely on a human mistakenly downloading it, one gullible
click won’t cause an infection. That's only the case with Samsam
though—mitigating more traditionally delivered ransomware would still
need hospital staff to be vigilant.
It is not clear how many of the recent hospital cases can be directly linked to Samsam.
“For
the other types of ransomware targeting hospitals, I don't think
they're related,” Williams said. “I think it's a simple copycat thing.”
At least one of the attacks in Germany, for example, reportedly started from a malicious email attachment; Kremer from the Lukas Hospital told Motherboard their investigation was still ongoing.
Even
if the FBI and industry does start to get a grip on Samsam, the way
some medical networks are designed means the ransomware threat facing
hospitals may get even worse, and problems aren't likely to be addressed
any time soon.
Sergey Lozhkin, a senior researcher at Kaspersky
Lab said this is because “in lots of cases medical equipment is not
isolated from the local office network.” Last month, he detailed the results
of his penetration test of a Moscow hospital. Among other issues,
Lozhkin discovered a login portal for a CT scan machine on the open
internet, and once inside the hospital's local network, he found a
control panel for an MRI machine that was not password protected.
“If
somehow ransomware gets inside the hospital, it could spread through
the internal network” and manage to get onto medical devices, Lozhkin
said. After all, medical devices are often, at bottom, just computers,
with some running the same operating system as office desktops such as
Windows XP. Security of these devices has largely been an afterthought,
with efficiency naturally pegged as the highest priority.
Ultimately, there's only really one way to help ward off ransomware attacks: not paying the hackers.
“The
FBI does not condone payment of ransom, as payment of extortion monies
may encourage continued criminal activity, lead to other victimizations,
or be used to facilitate serious crimes,” an FBI official told
Motherboard.
“The problem is, as long as people continue to pay
that ransom, not only are they funding the development of future
versions of ransomware that are going to become even more insidious, but
they're also encouraging other malware authors to move towards
ransomware,” Williams said.
“Until users start backing up their hard drive, and not paying the ransom, this is only going to continue to be a problem.”
Pascale Mueller contributed reporting.
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Do you think my anti-science Tea Party Christian friend believes that the moon landing was a hoax? After all, God made the moon to be its own source of light, so there should be no shadows in any pictures taken on its surface. Besides, you'd smash into the firmament if you tried flying there! Or do you think my Tea Party Christian friend cherry-picks science like he cherry-picks his Bible?
The theory that the moon landings were hoaxed by the US government to assert their victory in the space race over Russia, is something which has grown in popularity over time. Recent polls indicate that approximately 20% of Americans believe that the U.S. has never landed on the moon. After the Apollo missions ended in the seventies, why haven’t we ever been back? Only during the term of Richard Nixon did humanity ever land on the moon, and after Watergate most people wouldn’t put it past Tricky Dick to fake them to put America in good standing in the Cold War. In this list I have presented some of the proposed evidence to suggest that the moon landings were hoaxes. I tried to include NASA’s explanations to each entry to provide an objective perspective.
10
The Waving Flag
9
Lack of Impact Crater
The claim goes as follows: had NASA really landed us on the moon, there would be a blast crater underneath the lunar module to mark its landing. On any video footage or photograph of the landings, no crater is visible, almost as though the module was simply placed there. The surface of the moon is covered in fine lunar dust, and even this doesn’t seem to have been displaced in photographic evidence. Much like the waving flag theory, however, the lack of an impact crater has a slew of potential explanations. NASA maintains that the module required significantly less thrust in the low-gravity conditions than it would have done on Earth. The surface of the moon itself is solid rock, so a blast crater probably wouldn’t be feasible anyway – in the same way that an aeroplane doesn’t leave a crater when it touches down on a concrete airstrip.8
Multiple Light Sources
On the moon there is only one strong light source: the Sun. So it’s fair to suggest that all shadows should run parallel to one another. But this was not the case during the moon landing: videos and photographs clearly show that shadows fall in different directions. Conspiracy theorists suggest that this must mean multiple light sources are present -suggesting that the landing photos were taken on a film set. NASA has attempted to blame uneven landscape on the strange shadows, with subtle bumps and hills on the moon’s surface causing the discrepancies. This explanation has been tossed out the window by some theorists; how could hills cause such large angular differences? In the image above the lunar module’s shadow clearly contradicts that of the rocks in the foreground at almost a 45 degree angle.
7
The Van Allen Radiation Belt
In order to reach the moon, astronauts had to pass through what is known as the Van Allen radiation belt. The belt is held in place by Earth’s magnetic field and stays perpetually in the same place. The Apollo missions to the moon marked the first ever attempts to transport living humans through the belt. Conspiracy theorists contend that the sheer levels of radiation would have cooked the astronauts en route to the moon, despite the layers of aluminum coating the interior and exterior of the spaceship. NASA have countered this argument by emphasizing the short amount of time it took the astronauts to traverse the belt – meaning they received only very small doses of radiation.6
The Unexplained Object
After photographs of the moon landings were released, theorists were quick to notice a mysterious object (shown above) in the reflection of an astronaut’s helmet from the Apollo 12 mission. The object appears to be hanging from a rope or wire and has no reason to be there at all, leading some to suggest it is an overhead spotlight typically found in film studios. The resemblance is questionable, given the poor quality of the photograph, but the mystery remains as to why something is being suspended in mid-air (or rather lack of air) on the moon. The lunar module in other photos appears to have no extension from it that matches the photo, so the object still remains totally unexplained. 5
Slow-Motion Walking and Hidden Cables
In order to support claims that the moon landings were shot in a studio, conspiracy theorists had to account for the apparent low-gravity conditions, which must have been mimicked by NASA. It has been suggested that if you take the moon landing footage and increase the speed of the film x2.5, the astronauts appear to be moving in Earth’s gravity. As for the astronaut’s impressive jump height, which would be impossible to perform in Earth’s gravity, hidden cables and wires have been suggested as giving the astronauts some extra height. In some screenshots outlines of alleged hidden cables can be seen (the photograph above supposedly shows a wire, though it is extremely vague).4
Lack of Stars
One compelling argument for the moon landing hoax is the total lack of stars in any of the photographic/video evidence. There are no clouds on the moon, so stars are perpetually visible and significantly brighter than what we see through the filter of Earth’s atmosphere. The argument here is that NASA would have found it impossible to map out the exact locations of all stars for the hoax without being rumbled, and therefore left them out – intentionally falling back on an excuse that the quality of the photographs washes them out (an excuse they did actually give). Some photographs are high-quality, however, and yet still no stars are shown. Certainly eerie, considering you can take pictures of stars from Earth in much lower quality and still see them.
3
The “C” Rock
One of the most famous photos from the moon landings shows a rock in the foreground, with what appears to be the letter “C” engraved into it. The letter appears to be almost perfectly symmetrical, meaning it is unlikely to be a natural occurrence. It has been suggested that the rock is simply a prop, with the “C” used as a marker by an alleged film crew. A set designer could have turned the rock the wrong way, accidentally exposing the marking to the camera. NASA has given conflicting excuses for the letter, on the one hand blaming a photographic developer for adding the letter as a practical joke, while on the other hand saying that it may simply have been a stray hair which got tangled up somewhere in the developing process.2
The Layered Cross-hairs
The cameras used by astronauts during the moon landings had a multitude of cross-hairs to aid with scaling and direction. These are imprinted over the top of all photographs. Some of the images, however, clearly show the cross-hairs behind objects in the scene, implying that photographs may have been edited or doctored after being taken. The photograph shown above is not an isolated occurrence. Many objects are shown to be in front of the cross-hairs, including the American flag in one picture and the lunar rover in another. Conspiracy theorists have suggested NASA printed the man-made objects over a legitimate photograph of the moon to hoax the landings – although if they really planned on doing this, then why they used cross-hairs in the first place is a mystery.1
The Duplicate Backdrop
The two photos from the
Apollo 15 mission shown above clearly have identical backdrops, despite being officially listed by NASA as having been taken miles apart. One photo even shows the lunar module. When all photographs were taken the module had already landed, so how can it possibly be there for one photo and disappear in another? Well, if you’re a hardcore conspiracy theorist, it may seem viable that NASA simply used the same backdrop when filming different scenes of their moon landing videos.
NASA has suggested that since the moon is much smaller than Earth, horizons can appear significantly closer to the human eye. Despite this, to say that the two hills visible in the photographs are miles apart is incontrovertibly false.
Bonus: The Stanley Kubrick Theory
This loose extension of the popular conspiracy theory states that acclaimed film director Stanley Kubrick was approached by the US government to hoax the first three moon landings. There are two main branches of this somewhat implausible theory: one group of believers maintain that Kubrick was approached after he released 2001: A Space Odyssey (released in 1968, one year before the first moon landing), after NASA came to appreciate the stunning realism of the film’s outer-space scenes at that time; another group contends that Kubrick was groomed by the government to film the moon landing long before this, and that 2001: A Space Odyssey was a staged practice run for him.
So what evidence might support such claims? Well: apparently, if you watch The Shining (another Kubrick picture), you can pick up on some alleged messages hidden by Kubrick to subtly inform the world of his part in the conspiracy. The most obvious is the child’s Apollo 11 shirt worn in only one scene. Another supposed gem is the line written on Jack Nicholson’s character’s typewriter: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, in which the word “all” can be interpreted as A11, or Apollo 11.
If you aren’t convinced yet, Kubrick made the mysterious hotel room in the film number 237. Guess how many miles it is from here to the moon: 238,000. So divide that by a thousand and minus one, and you’ve got one airtight theory right there.
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Petitions
During a campaign stop and fundraiser in New York yesterday, Hillary Clinton was asked by a young woman if she’d stop taking money from the fossil fuel industry. It was a simple question, one she could have easily answered with a "yes," or, perhaps because of the way she funds her campaign, responded with a "no."
Instead, she said she was "sick of the Sanders campaign lying" about the donations she receives.
Now, here’s the truth — the hard numbers don’t lie. And it’s something everyone should know as this video spreads online and is covered in the news: The fossil fuel industry has given more than $4.5 million to Hillary Clinton’s campaign and her top super PAC, including 11 lobbyists who have bundled more than $1 million to her put her in the White House.
Earlier in this campaign, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley signed a pledge to refuse money from fossil fuel interests. No Republican added their name, which isn’t surprising given that they don’t believe climate change is real. But neither did Hillary Clinton. It’s time for her to distance herself from the Republicans on this issue and add her name.
Ask Hillary Clinton to sign the pledge launched by Greenpeace USA and 20 other organizations asking all presidential candidates to reject fossil fuel contributions, because you cannot be expected to take an industry on while you’re taking their money.
Add your name »
When we talk about our responsibilities as humans beings, there is nothing more important than leaving this country and our entire planet in a way that is habitable to our children and grandchildren. Donald Trump may believe that climate change is a hoax being perpetrated by the Chinese, but for almost everyone else, the debate is over. The scientific community is unanimous on this issue.
And what the scientists are saying is that we must boldly transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency. Unfortunately one of the biggest obstacles to realizing that goal is a corrupt system of campaign finance that enriches the CEOs of fossil fuel companies at the expense of average Americans and our planet.
The easiest way to reject their influence is to refuse their money. And it would send a powerful message if the leading presidential candidates in the Democratic Party both stand up and say ENOUGH is ENOUGH, we are tired of fossil fuel companies regulating Congress with their campaign contributions and not the other way around.
Bernie has taken that pledge. It’s time for Hillary Clinton to join him.
Ask Hillary Clinton to sign the pledge launched by Greenpeace USA and 20 other organizations asking all presidential candidates to reject fossil fuel contributions, because you cannot be expected to take an industry on while you’re taking their money.
The United States must lead the world in fighting climate change. CEOs are making record profits, while climate change ravages our planet and our people. Refusing their money is the first step towards combatting their obscene influence.
In solidarity,
Jeff Weaver
Campaign Manager
Bernie 2016
Contribute
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Tell President Obama: Break Wall Street's grip on the Federal Trade Commission
Petition to President Obama:
"Your appointees to the Federal Trade Commission must be strong, independent voices with proven records who will protect consumer interests, defend our privacy, use antitrust laws to their fullest to get tough on too-big corporations, and demand tough penalties for companies that break the law."
Add your name:
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Debbie Wasserman Schultz NEEDS TO GO!!!!!
Payday lending is a lucrative business that preys on low-income families and families of color by providing loans with ridiculous interest rates — some as high as 400%. But, since its inception, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has worked to protect citizens by regulating the payday loan industry and other predatory financial industries.
However, members of Congress, including Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, are trying to gut the CFPB’s ability to regulate payday lenders once again! You read that right: the head of the Democratic Party is picking predatory lenders over low income families and families of color.
Tell Debbie Wasserman Schultz: stop working for payday lenders!
We anticipate tired attacks from Republicans each and every time the CFPB announces new programs or regulations to protect American consumers. They’ve fought the CFPB each step of the way — beginning with refusing to confirm Elizabeth Warren as the agency’s first director in 2010. Since then, Republicans have sided with Wall Street and predatory lenders to once again deregulate the very industries that brought us the financial collapse.
It is unacceptable, however, that the head of the Democratic Party continues to turn her back on American consumers. She’s voted several times to weaken regulations on predatory financial industries, and in the last election cycle alone she took at least $31,000 in campaign contributions from payday lenders. Adding insult to injury, the DNC Chair is working to pressure Democrats to co-sponsor the bill with her.
So far, more than 15,000 CPD Action members have signed the petition – stand with us, Elizabeth Warren, and the CFPB: tell Debbie Wasserman Schultz to stop aligning herself with payday lenders!
Our communities are still recovering from the financial crisis. In order to fully recover, we need agencies like the CFPB to protect American consumers from reckless Wall Street practices. It’s a shame Debbie Wasserman Schultz is siding with predatory lenders over low income families.
Sign the petition to the DNC Chair now.
In solidarity,
Maurice Weeks
Wall Street Accountability Coordinator
CPD Action is building a rising movement of people fighting for a future of opportunity, equality, and inclusion. We're working on campaigns that promote a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial and economic justice agenda and win victories to improve people’s lives. Together, we’ll build a progressive future we can all be proud of.
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Tell Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring to join the ExxonMobil investigation
Petition to Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring:
"Thank you for your commitment to fighting climate change. Please join the investigation into ExxonMobil's effort to mislead the public and investors about climate change."
Add your name:
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From Color of Change: Don't You Want UNLEADED Water?
We’re one step closer to preventing lead poisoning in public housing! Because of pressure from ColorOfChange members like you, and help from our partner organizations, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has submitted a proposed rule change to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to adopt the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) lead poisoning threshold.1
Thanks to your support, HUD has begun to make changes to their lead poisoning prevention policy for public housing, using proposals provided by researchers and experts on lead poisoning to raise the standard for not only inspection for lead hazards but also resources for families that live in public housing. Our voices can shift the discussion in government institutions and force them to take action on issues that directly impact Black communities.
HUD’s efforts are just the first step in ensuring that no family has to live in a home that contains lead. For that to happen, HUD needs to adopt regulatory changes that include lead risk assessments, new definitions of lead-dirt and lead-dust, and allowable moves for families currently living in tainted homes—not just the definition of elevated blood lead level. ColorOfChange and our partners are dedicated to seeing this campaign through to completion and ensuring that HUD makes comprehensive reform on their lead poisoning prevention and response policy.
The changes that HUD has made so far are evidence that our work, with your support, is deeply vital and timely. Black communities deserve to have their safety and healthy prioritized not only by HUD, but also by the state-level Public Housing Authorities which take direction from the federal government. There is more work to be done, both by pressuring HUD and by supporting legislative efforts to address the epidemic of lead poisoning in the United States. We'll be sending you more information on how you can help us take the next steps in this process soon.
Will you continue to stand with us to demand the right of Black families to safe homes and healthy lives?
Thanks and peace,
--Rashad, Arisha, Brandi, Bernard, and the rest of the team at ColorOfChange.
References:
1. "We Know How to Stop the Epidemic of Lead Poisoning. So Why Aren't We?" ThinkProgress, 03-24-2016. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6116?t=3&akid=5614.765771.ScGfNf
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ADD YOUR NAME: Demand Republicans end their attacks on Planned Parenthood
The attacks against Planned Parenthood keep coming -- even though a grand jury already cleared them of any wrongdoing!
But House Republicans refuse to end their witch hunt. Now, they’re issuing subpoenas to universities and research scientists!
ADD YOUR NAME: Tell Republicans to shut down their politically-motivated Planned Parenthood Committee.
NAME: Your Name Here!
Petition Signature: SIGN ON >>
Sign Your Name >>
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They roam the halls of Congress, collecting insider information to line their pockets.
These Wall Street operatives are known as “political intelligence consultants.”
We need to close legal loopholes that give Wall Street operatives access to congressional insider information and shady profits.
Demand that Congress support the Political Intelligence Transparency Act.
In 2012, activists like you helped pass the STOCK Act, which banned insider trading by members of Congress and their staffers.
The law required members of Congress disclose their stock activities to hold them accountable for using non-public political information that could unfairly benefit them.
But political consultants are still cashing in — and financial information they’ve picked up on Capitol Hill has created a political intelligence industry worth up to $400 million a year.
Stop Wall Street operatives from cashing in on intelligence they gather by sneaking around the halls of Congress.
Thanks for all you do,
Keira Thompson
Public Citizen’s Online Action Team
action@citizen.org
© 2016 Public Citizen • 1600 20th Street, NW / Washington, D.C. 20009
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Stand with Sen. Brown: Tell Congress to fight wage theft.
Petition to Congress:
"Support the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, which would increase penalties on businesses that steal from their employees and make it easier for workers to receive compensation."
Add your name:
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Google is sponsoring WHAT?!??
Google--a purported leader in social responsibility--is sponsoring Trump's Republican National Convention?! WTF.1
Trump, who's promised "riots" if he doesn't win the Republican nomination, has run one of the most racist, sexist, and violent presidential campaigns in modern history.2 Just last week, he defended his campaign manager who was ARRESTED for assaulting a female reporter, and Trump supporters groped and pepper-sprayed a 15-year-old girl at a rally.3
Google can't have it both ways. Either it's a socially responsible company, or it's a company that sponsors a Trump-led convention. After hundreds of thousands spoke out, Coca-Cola announced it is backing off its commitment to sponsor the Republican National Convention--and it's time for Google to follow suit and dump Trump.4 Will you sign the petition?
Tell Google CEO Sundar Pichai: "Reject Trump's sexism, racism, and xenophobia. Cancel your sponsorship of the Republican National Convention."
Sign the petition
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Boycott Rush Limbaugh just posted an update on the petition you signed, SIGN HERE: Tell 40 Limbaugh Sponsors, Clear Channel, & Cumulus - We Will Not Buy/Support Misogyny, Racism or Hate Speech.
Cumulus - Limbaugh/Hate Radio's 2nd home in BIG trouble thanks to 'The People'
Apr 04, 2016 — If they had just listened to the protesters... http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/2/1509538/-Radio-giant-Cumulus-2nd-home-to-Rush-Limbaugh-Hate-Media-now-in-BIG-trouble-thanks-to-The-People Read more
Want to change something?
Start a petition
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If God knows what lust is like,
then He isn't all good.
If God doesn't know what lust is like,
then He isn't all-knowing.
How can God possibly be all-knowing?
How would He know that there isn't
something He doesn't know?
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Democracy Now!
Stories
"Love Trumps Hate": Actress Rosario Dawson on Why She Supports Bernie Sanders for President
Both former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders campaigned in New York state Thursday ahead of the New York primary later this month. ... Read More →
Meet the Greenpeace Activist Who Confronted Hillary Clinton over Ties to Fossil Fuel Industry
With the Wisconsin primary just a day away, Democratic presidential challengers Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sparred over the weekend over whether fossil fuel lobbyists ... Read More →
Voter ID Nightmare: Up to 300,000 Wisconsin Voters Could Be Barred from Polls Thanks to Scott Walker
On Tuesday, voters head to the polls in Wisconsin for both the Democratic and Republican primaries as one of the country's toughest voting restrictions takes effect. ... Read More →
How Much Money Has Hillary Clinton's Campaign Taken from Fossil Fuel Companies?
According to a new report by Greenpeace, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the super PAC supporting her have received $138,400 from fossil fuel lobbyists and ... Read More →
Headlines →
#PanamaPapers: Historic Leak Exposes Global Network of Tax Havens
Sanders Could End Up Winning More NV Delegates than Clinton after Tumultuous Caucus Vote
Tensions Rise Between Sanders and Clinton over Fossil Fuel Financing
Donald Trump One of the Most Unpopular Political Figures in 30 Years
EU Begins Forcibly Deporting Refugees Back to Turkey
Gustavo Castro Soto, Witness to Berta Cáceres’ Murder, Finally Freed
Philippines: Police Kill 3 Farmers at Protest for Rice, Amid Drought
Syria: Airstrikes Kill 20 Amid Violations of Ceasefire
Fighting Breaks Out in Contested Region of Azerbaijan
Pentagon Drafting Up Strike Targets Inside Libya
Poland: Thousands Protest Against Abortion Ban
Nevada: More Than a Dozen Activists Arrested at Creech AF Base
Crow Nation War Chief Joseph Medicine Crow Dies at 102
Moreese Bickham, Freed Death Row Prisoner, Dies at 98
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God made Adam in His own image and likeness.
When Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil,
Adam realized that he was naked...
so he was ashamed.
Does this mean that God,
who modeled Adam after Him,
is ashamed of His Own naked body?
Is God's penis shameful and sinful?
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Daily Kos
Donald Trump, 'n***** lovers,' 'commies,' and Barack Obama
Cartoon: #Pray for [blank]
SC police officers conduct roadside cavity search and find nothing but hemorrhoids
Like the Daily Kos Recommended email? Chip in $1 to support the team that brings progressive news to your inbox every day.
Paul LePage locks self in room, refuses to swear in new state senator
Something to make you smile: Fox News is now at war with itself
Chicago man gunned down while live-streaming on Facebook (graphic video)
One man in Tennessee isn't waiting for his corrupted officials—he built his own broadband network
'For the people' Elizabeth Warren wows America with opinions on Bernie, Hillary & Trump
Gay man brutally attacked at a Miami Beach Burger King for kissing his boyfriend
Sign if you agree: We need a presidential candidate who will never stop fighting for Planned Parenthood: Hillary. sponsored
John Kasich may seem boring, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't terrify you
Republican Senate candidate goes on appalling culturally insensitive tirade about Vietnamese people
FBI investigates Novus Health Care founder for hospice homicides: 'Make this patient go bye-bye'
Cruz challenges federal prosecutions under law designed to curb violence against abortion clinics
New Missouri ordinance restricts man from having a vegetable garden because it isn't pretty
Stanford scientists find that fracking has 'clear impact' on drinking water in Wyoming
NPR: “Despite the math, Bernie Sanders has already won”
Elizabeth Warren just went straight savage on Donald Trump, and it’s everything we’ve ever wanted
Cartoon: The incredible Trump
CBS, NBC cut off Trump’s phone privileges. Make more do so.
A.J., do you agree voting should be easier? If so, stand with the Democratic Governors Association and call for moving Election Day to a weekend. sponsored
The second part of Trump's answer that got audible gasps from the audience
Fresno bar denies service to two black women. Surprise: They’re ACLU lawyers!
Yes, they DO hate him because he is black
Sign the petition: It's finally time to take on the NRA. Hillary has laid out smart, sensible steps to make our communities safer from gun violence—that is one of the reasons Gabby Giffords has endorsed her. sponsored
Donald Trump has plans to stop a contested Republican convention, and it’s ‘crazy’
Stop. Rachel Maddow is not “basically Fox News” and dozens of good Democrats are not corrupt shills
Salma Hayek has the best advice on the entire Donald Trump saga
Time for these two Democrats to go
Georgia man blows off leg shooting his lawnmower to make it go ‘boom’
Matt Bevin proves tea party right by totally breaking Kentucky’s great health care system
********************************************
How do Christians know
the Bible isn't a test
to see which humans
can reason well enough
to tell that it's all bullshit?
How do Christians know
the Bible isn't a test
to see which humans
refuse to worship a deity
that is clearly immoral?
How do Christians know
that God is so unreasonable?
How do Christians know
that they won't go to hell
and atheists won't go to heaven?
********************************************
AlterNet
6 Things You Need to Know About the Bombshell 'Panama Papers' Leak
Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
An anonymous whistleblower unloads massive trove of files exposing how world leaders and other elites hide money and evade taxes. READ MORE»
Watch: John Oliver Rips Trump's Idiocy About Nuclear Weapons
Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
A Trump presidency is rated among the world's greatest threats for reasons just like this. READ MORE»
Sanders Exposes More Inequality: Low-Income Americans Die Earlier and Lose Out on Social Security
Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
A new GAO study commissioned by Bernie Sanders uncovers more insidious inequality. READ MORE»
Here's What Happens When a U.S. Senator Calls for Israel to Be Held Accountable for Atrocities
By Sarah Lazare, AlterNet
Sen. Patrick Leahy wants Israel and Egypt investigated for brutal killings committed with American military aid. READ MORE»
Donald Trump Truthers: Theories Spread He’s Trying to Sabotage His Campaign After His Disastrous Week from Hell
By Sean Illing, Salon
"I believe Trump senses he is in over his head and doesn't really want the nomination," said one GOP strategist. READ MORE»
Proof of the Bernie Effect: Hillary Advocates for $15 Minimum Wage With Gov. Cuomo in New York
By Alexandra Rosenmann, AlterNet
New York Gov. Cuomo stands with Hillary but speaks Bernie's message. READ MORE»
'Love Trumps Hate': Actress Rosario Dawson on Why She Supports Bernie Sanders
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Dawson was among the more than 16,000 people gathered in St. Mary’s Park in the South Bronx for a Bernie Sanders rally. READ MORE»
Watch: Mexican Construction Worker Sends Perfect Message to Donald Trump Atop One of Trump's Buildings
By Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
Diego Reyna hopes his message of "love and unity," will reach Trump. READ MORE»
Chicago Teachers Launch One-Day Strike to Protest Funding Cuts, but It's Much Bigger Than Just a Contract Fight
By Aaron Cynic, Chicagoist
"We are dying the death of a thousand cuts," said Teachers Union president Karen Lewis. READ MORE»
Ironic: Broadway Mega-Hit 'Hamilton' Criticized Over 'Non-White' Casting Call
By Marlena Fitzpatrick García, AlterNet
Apparently not casting whites violates New York City human rights. READ MORE»
Interracial Couple Evicted from Miss. RV Park: ‘You Didn’t Tell Me You Was Married to No Black Man’
By David Edwards, Raw Story
The landlord admitted he evicted them over race. READ MORE»
5 Right-Wing Lunacies This Week: Things Get Even Weirder on Team Trump
Janet Allon, AlterNet
Palin gives gibberish speech; Pierson shouts about abortion; Stone out-creeps everyone. READ MORE»
What Does It Mean? Trump Is Winning Where White People Are Dying Early
Stanton Peele, AlterNet
The silent majority has become the ignored majority, and it is rearing its ugly head in its death throes. READ MORE»
How Twitter Reveals What Americans Think About Police
Kali Holloway, AlterNet
Those 140 characters are saying a lot about how people around the country really feel about the cops. READ MORE»
How Big Tobacco Preys on the Mentally Ill
By Sally Chew, The Influence
Cigarette companies are focusing on those who can least understand tobacco's dangers. READ MORE»
True, Bernie's Chances Are Very Slim; but His Strong Campaign Has Shown Hillary to Be a Less-Than-Stellar Candidate
By Andrew O'Hehir, Salon
What Bernie's revolution reveals about Hillary and her party could have lasting effects. READ MORE»
Trump Shows How Global Trade Has Devastated American Jobs; Immigration, Not So Much
By Marshall Auerback, AlterNet
We need to talk about globalization. READ MORE»
The Blatant Intrusion of Drug-Sniffing Dogs May Be Coming to an End
By Phillip Smith, AlterNet
After a landmark Supreme Court decision last year, judges' thinking on drug dog sniffs is starting to change. READ MORE»
Trump Trickster Roger Stone Plans ‘Days of Rage’ at Convention If GOP Tries to ‘Steal’ Candidate’s Nomination
By Tom Boggioni, Raw Story
Stone promised disruptions at the convention earlier in the week. READ MORE»
The Republicans Are Truly Right Wing Radicals: The GOP Has Finally Destroyed the Political Press' Most Destructive Narrative
By Eric Boehlert, Media Matters
For years, we've been told both sides are to blame for government dysfunction. Not after this primary. READ MORE»
How Israel's Media Propaganda Dominates the American Mind
By Robert Jensen, AlterNet
A new film exposes the sophisticated propaganda campaign that keeps both policymakers and the U.S. public on Israel's side. READ MORE»
Holy Hypocrites: The Prosperity Gospel and Why So Many Americans Think They're Blessed
By Joseph P. Laycock, The Conversation
Does the "Prosperity Gospel" rob us of the opportunity to come to terms with our suffering? READ MORE»
My Trans Identity Is Not a Fetish
By Charley Reid, The Establishment
“Identity is especially important to those who have to earn the right to express it.” READ MORE»
America, We Have a Problem: Homelessness Is Out of Control
By Cynthia McKinney, Black Agenda Report
Our cities are locked in a crisis that this presidential election season has ignored. READ MORE»
Here's How We Can Break Up the Banks and Avoid Another Economic Disaster
By David Shirreff, Melville House Publishing
We should think of the financial system as a utility, in the same way that we think of sewage systems and electricity distribution. READ MORE»
Amazing Video Ad From Candidate Who Tells the Truth About Drugs
By Influence Staff, The Influence
In Pennsylvania, a senate candidate considers a more humane (and effective) response to a drug crisis. READ MORE»
Attention Vegans: Your Salad Was Probably Grown With the Blood and Bones of Dead Animals
Ari LeVaux, AlterNet
If you want to eliminate animal products from your diet, stock-free farmers want your business. READ MORE»
An Eerie Early Warning of Trump's Authoritarianism
Paula Young Lee, AlterNet
How a 1960s high school experiment predicted the rise of the Donald and his army of followers. READ MORE»
Mississippi On Verge of passing Most Hateful Law LGBT Law, Which Could Also Force Women to Wear Make Up
Amanda Marcotte, Salon
Mississippi is on the verge of passing a bill to legalize discrimination against LGBT people and anyone who has non-marital sex—seriously. READ MORE»
Our Scary Political Future is Really Unknown, And It Isn't All Trump's Fault
By Tom Engelhardt, Tom Dispatch
Are we in a new American world? READ MORE»
Bernie Sanders May Be Leading Hillary Clinton with Black Voters in This Very Important State
By Sophia Tesfaye, Salon
According to at least one poll, Sanders leads Clinton among African-American voters in Wisconsin by 11 points. READ MORE»
A Shocking 63 Percent of Americans Support Torture—Do They Understand the Social Consequences?
By Richard Brouillette, AlterNet
A psychotherapist who trained mental health professionals in Iraq has a powerful warning about what torture does to a society. READ MORE»
Meet Rick Doblin, Psychedelic Pioneer Who Has Expanded the Boundaries of Medicine
By April M. Short, AlterNet
The founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies discusses three decades of psychedelic research. READ MORE»
Charter Schools Have a 'Discipline' Problem
By Jeremy Mohler, AlterNet
We should be deeply troubled by these statistics at any public school, charter or not. READ MORE»
Could Paul Ryan Be the Koch Brothers' Dream Candidate?
By Adele M. Stan, The American Prospect
They've got the machinery in place to run a presidential candidacy. All that's missing is the candidate. READ MORE»
5 Reasons 'Live Each Day Like It’s Your Last' Is the Worst Advice Ever
By Roman Kznaric, Yes! Magazine
Thanks, Steve Jobs, for reminding us that we shouldn’t squander our time. But we need to balance that with the responsibilities we have to other people and our future selves. READ MORE»
Why So Many Racists Don’t Think They’re Racist
By Robyn Pennacchia, The Frisky
Count Wendy Bell, Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV former anchor, among that group READ MORE»
Your Water Could Be Worse Than Flint’s: America's Shameful National Public Health Crisis
By Laura Orlando, In These Times
Dozens of major public water utilities get their water from rivers containing discharges from sewage treatment plants. READ MORE»
The History of Abortion Is a History of Punishing Women
Larry Schwartz, AlterNet
There were just as many abortions pre-Roe as there are today. The difference was women died. READ MORE»
Paul Ryan Just Now Realized He Was Ignorant About Poverty
Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet
Rana Foroohar’s new book, "Makers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business," gets to the stuff Ryan conveniently left out. READ MORE»
Want to Defeat Trump? It Will Take Both Compassion and Confrontation
Andrew Willis Garces, Open Democracy
Having empathy doesn’t mean backing away from confrontation. It’s possible to extend love to opponents while throwing yourself into the gears of hate. READ MORE»
Diane Ravitch: The Crisis in Education Is That the Super Wealthy Corporate Education System Wants to Destroy Public Schools
By Diane Ravitch, DianeRavitch.net
With privatization, the corporate education industry is threatening public schools. READ MORE»
The Media’s Biggest 2016 Failure Isn’t Donald Trump: It’s Ignoring the ‘Profound Crisis’ of Climate Change
By Jack Mirkinson, Salon
The clip of Hillary arguing with a protester is somehow the biggest climate story of 2016. The media must do better. READ MORE»
How the World’s View of the Palestine-Israel Conflict Is Changing Dramatically
By Rami G. Khouri, The Nation
More and more routinely Israel is now analyzed through the prism of South African apartheid practices. READ MORE»
The 10 States Most Hostile to Pot Smokers
By Phillip Smith, AlterNet
If you like pot and you live in these states, it may be time to move; and if you are anti-pot, these states are right for you. READ MORE»
Cupid Weeps—The 25 Worst OkCupid Messages Ever
By Anna Pulley, AlterNet
Now you'll see why OkCupid is sometimes really not OK. READ MORE»
Conservative Republicans Channel the Marx Brothers: 'We're Against Everything'
By Jim Hightower, AlterNet
Where does all the the Tea Party's grouchiness come from? READ MORE»
Atheists Tend to Be More Tolerant Than Christians
By Darren E. Sherkat, Religion Dispatches
On this tolerance scale, Christians who believe in God rank the lowest. READ MORE»
She Must Be Kidding: Megyn Kelly Declares That Fox Is Not a Right-Wing News Channel
By David Edwards, Raw Story
"I think that Fox News is fair and balanced," said the host. READ MORE»
********************************************
Proverbs 20:23 states,
"Divers weights are an abomination
unto the LORD;
and a false balance is not good."
Don't you know what this means?!??
GOD HATES SCUBA!!!!!
-- Dot Calm's shadow
********************************************
Moar Groovy Movies
I've posted articles from AlterNet and Daily Kos denouncing Susan Sarandon as "privileged," and I thought "Tsk, tsk, Susan--I thought you were alright"...but if you watch this video, you'll see that she makes a lot of sense on the Bernie vs Hillary issue. So many of us non-Republicans voted for Bernie but are ready for Hillary because we don't want the country to fall into the hands of a Trump or a Cruz--but Susan sees the "silver lining." Personally, I disagree with Susan--I don't see a Trump presidency as anything other than a disaster that could destroy America so quickly that our heads would be spinning. I personally think that a Trump or Cruz would cause more damage than America could handle right now. It's an experiment that I think is completely unethical to perform. That's why I will have to hold my nose and vote for Hillary, even though she is, at best, center right. But Susan is correct in pointing out that a lot of Bernie supporters are too principled to vote for Hillary because they understand her history and can't bring themselves to support her. She is right. I can't vote for her without feeling conflicted, and I don't understand how her supporters can seem so unconditional in their support for her. All I can say to my fellow Americans who feel conflicted, like me, is this: you would not be voting FOR Hillary--you would be voting AGAINST Trump or Cruz. We have to protect the Supreme Court, and we have to protect the disadvantaged to the best of our ability. That means not throwing the country to the wolves by NOT voting against the Republican nominee, whoever it turns out to be. It sucks perennially to have to vote for the lesser evil, but the greater evils this time around are YUUUUUUUUUUGE....
This video makes me weep. The poor young woman, scared for her soul to be thrown into an eternity of suffering, all because people want to control her with FEAR.... I hope she stepped confidently through the door of that open cage and strode boldly forth into a new life of enlightenment and wisdom.
The evolution of Jesus in the Bible
Laugh at Islam WHILE YOU CAN...
Here's the original video referenced above...I got cramps from laughing so hard!!
Dust that sings
Grappling ignorance...
Here are some videos from GrapplingIgnorance himself
And now for some funnies from DarkMatter2525
posted by Dot Calm @ 6:56 PM
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