Mainstream News

NSA surveillance: don’t underestimate the extraordinary power of metadata

"Four years ago a German Green party politician, Malte Spitz, sued to have Deutsche Telekom hand over six months of his phone data that he then made available to Zeit Online. The paper then did what any decent NSA operative would do, namely combine his phone's geolocation data with information relating to his life as a politician – Twitter feeds, blog entries and websites – to create an extraordinary animated reconstruction of a day in his life. It's this revelatory power that enables metadata to expose far more than what a target is talking about. In the old days, the medium was the message. Now it's the metadata." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA surveillance: don’t underestimate the extraordinary power of metadata

NSA surveillance: don’t underestimate the extraordinary power of metadata

"Four years ago a German Green party politician, Malte Spitz, sued to have Deutsche Telekom hand over six months of his phone data that he then made available to Zeit Online. The paper then did what any decent NSA operative would do, namely combine his phone's geolocation data with information relating to his life as a politician – Twitter feeds, blog entries and websites – to create an extraordinary animated reconstruction of a day in his life. It's this revelatory power that enables metadata to expose far more than what a target is talking about. In the old days, the medium was the message. Now it's the metadata." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA surveillance: don’t underestimate the extraordinary power of metadata

Germany and France Demand to Know Why They Were Being Spied On

"Members of the European Union are quite upset because their relationship with the U.S. is supposed cozier than the frosty relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Germany and France seem really miffed over this whole spying deal. They thought they were exempt from surveillance because they are allies at the end of the day. 'These facts, if confirmed, would be totally unacceptable,' Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius told Le Monde. 'We expect the U.S. authorities to stand up as soon as possible the legitimate concerns raised by the revelations of the press.' German politicians are also demanding an explanation from the U.S." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGermany and France Demand to Know Why They Were Being Spied On

Every Georgia driver who refuses to blow is strapped to a table, put in a headlock, blood forcibly taken

"In some Georgia counties, as well as all over the USA, drivers are getting their blood forcibly stolen from them. As shown in this video, every driver who refuses to give the police a blow, even for misdemeanor offenses, is strapped to a table, put into a headlock by a police officer, and their blood forcibly taken. 'We all are American citizens and you guys strapped me to a table like I'm in Guantanamo ****ing Bay!' said one victim of the vampiric policy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEvery Georgia driver who refuses to blow is strapped to a table, put in a headlock, blood forcibly taken

Hospital investors ‘sold’ on Obamacare

"Shares of U.S. hospital operators have been on a tear this year, on average posting triple the gains of the broader stock market, as investors tallied up the benefits of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform. They expect company earnings to strengthen as more Americans gain insurance coverage and hospitals lose less money treating the uninsured. The reform law has spurred consolidation among hospitals, and further merger activity could lift valuations. The biggest benefit from health reform is expected to be an influx of patients whose treatment will be paid for either through expanded Medicaid programs or from state-based exchanges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHospital investors ‘sold’ on Obamacare

Wave of dozens of player arrests continues to plague NFL

"Joe Lefeged is the 31st NFL player to be arrested since the Super Bowl, according to an extensive database of player arrests compiled by U-T San Diego. Two players, former Chicago Bears tight end Evan Rodriguez and former Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young, were arrested multiple times in that span. Twenty-eight of those players were on an NFL roster at the time of arrest, with three others, including Young, free agents. Since the last game of the 2012 season, these players have been charged with a variety of offenses, including public intoxication, assault, marijuana possession, illegal gun possession and drunken driving." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWave of dozens of player arrests continues to plague NFL

NFL Rejects Obama Administration: We Won’t Promote Obamacare

"NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy emailed the Washington Examiner's Philip Klein to say the NFL had no plans to help promote Obamacare: 'We have responded to the letters we received from members of Congress to inform them we currently have no plans to engage in this area and have had no substantive contact with the administration about PPACA’s implementation.' Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had said this week the Obama administration was looking to partner with professional sports leagues to market Obamacare exchanges this fall to sell the unpopular healthcare law to the public." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNFL Rejects Obama Administration: We Won’t Promote Obamacare

Federal food stamp recruiters operate on monthly quota system

"She curled her hair and painted her nails fluorescent pink. 'A happy, it’s-all-good look,' she said, checking her reflection in the rearview mirror. Then she drove along the Florida coast to sign people up for food stamps. It is Nerios’s job to enroll at least 150 seniors for food stamps each month. The job also has a second and more controversial purpose for cash-strapped Florida, where increasing food-stamp enrollment has become a means of economic growth, bringing almost $6 billion each year into the state. The money helps to sustain communities, grocery stores and food producers. It also adds to rising federal entitlement spending and the U.S. debt." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal food stamp recruiters operate on monthly quota system

Feds, truckers clash over new safety rules expected to increase shipping costs

"The federal safety administration counters that nearly 4,000 truck crashes a year is still too many. The new rules, it maintains, will prevent about 1,400 crashes and 560 injuries, and save 19 lives each year, according to its analysis. The rules also come with a cost to the trucking industry. More breaks and time off the road means it will take more drivers—and more trucks to move the same volume of goods. That cost impact won't be felt right away because shipping volumes tend to slacken in the summer months and pick up again in the fall. So don't be surprised if you end up paying a little more for shipping when you do your holiday shopping online this year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeds, truckers clash over new safety rules expected to increase shipping costs

Electronic Updatable License Plates Could Flash “STOLEN” Or “UNINSURED”

"A small company in South Carolina is attempting to introduce electronic license plate's for the state's cars and trucks. The plates are fairly simple: an electrophoretic display that can display certain bold words when necessary, like 'STOLEN' or 'UNINSURED.' The benefits of an electronic license plate are interesting. If a driver is doing something wrong, something other drivers should know about, the DMV can beam a sort of scarlet letter message to the license plate over an included wireless connection, like your smartphone has. But there are a few issues; for one, who knows how secure this system is?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingElectronic Updatable License Plates Could Flash “STOLEN” Or “UNINSURED”