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Tracking your every move: California city implements online monitoring of citizen's social media accounts

Austin Lewis
Conservative Daily Post
Fri, 11 May 2018 03:06 UTC
Sacramento California online tracking citizens

The California city of West Sacramento decided to spy on its citizens, becoming the first American city to utilize social media to do so.
Plenty of people don't like the cities they live in. Perhaps the crime rate is too high, or the city has ridiculous laws about the right to keep and bear arms. Perhaps the traffic is just terrible, or the city is notably corrupt, or the city has a history of making silly purchases, like a rail car that can't run during the winter.

It's not uncommon to complain on social media about such a city. But now, West Sacramento is the first city in the nation to monitor social media accounts to see what residents are saying about the city. City officials claim that they're implementing the online tracking tool to 'listen more' to their citizens, and that it's 'good' for the citizenry. However, it seems like they're just doing whatever they want, and it's almost a surprise that the city alerted its citizens to the monitoring plot.

The city is using a system called Zencity, which is designed to crawl through social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and find out what residents are saying about their city.

It sorts through topics of conversation on the various social networking sites, and determines what is trending, and whether it is positive or negative.

Then it provides a snapshot of the content to city leaders.

Comment: Wouldn't it be simpler and far less expensive for the city to have an online platform for citizens to share information and their concerns? Only if one assumes that the stated reasons for establishing the tracking system are valid.

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Briefcase

The Russians call Mueller's bluff, file request to view secret grand jury info

Colin Kalmbacher
Law & Crime
Mon, 14 May 2018 15:39 UTC
Mueller bites his nails
© Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Attorneys for an alleged component of Russian trolling efforts during the 2016 presidential election are demanding that special counsel Robert Mueller be forced to reveal the grand jury instructions used in count one of the government's indictment against Concord Management and Consulting LLC.

The nine-page motion (plus supporting documents) filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia relies upon Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e)(3)(E)(ii) which provides:
The court may authorize disclosure -- at a time, in a manner, and subject to any other conditions that it directs -- of a grand-jury matter...at the request of a defendant who shows that a ground may exist to dismiss the indictment because of a matter that occurred before the grand jury.
The motion further specifies that Concord Management is requesting a private "inspection of the legal instructions provided to the grand jury regarding Count One of the Indictment...in order to determine whether the instructions provided could support a motion to dismiss Count One of the Indictment."
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Cross

US religious groups' global revenue larger than Apple and Microsoft combined

Phillip Schneider
Waking Times
Thu, 10 May 2018 15:35 UTC
cross
Since the founding of the country, religion of some type has always played an active role in the lives of a majority of Americans. Although religious faith is on a long-term downward trend while secularism is on the rise, about 70.6% of Americans still identified as Christian in 2014, while 5.9% had "Non-Christian faiths" such as Judaism or Islam, according to Pew Research Center. These numbers mean that over one in four Americans believe in some form of non-atheistic religion.

Much research has been done into the community impact of religion. Sometimes, religion is used as an excuse to engage in a number of terrible things such as violent extremism or child abuse. This is both historically as well as contemporarily true, however there is a great deal of good that religion is a catalyst for as well, such as volunteer work, greater civic engagement, and welfare. The authors of the study recognize this and understand that "while bad news makes news, both sides are important to understand clearly."

In a 2016 study entitled "The Socio-economic Contribution of Religion to American Society: An Empirical Analysis", Melissa and Brian Grim from Georgetown University and the Newseum Institute set out to determine the cost and contribution that religion has for American society.
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Newspaper

'Porn passes' at news vendors - govt risks embarrassing nation to avoid data leaks


RT
Tue, 15 May 2018 15:43 UTC
woman on computer
© RapidEye / Getty Images
Want to watch porn without handing over your driver's licence or passport? Your local newsagent may be your ultimate problem-solver when new laws designed to keep sex sites 'adults only' come in to play in 2018.

If government plans are introduced, grown-ups will have to hand over passport details or driver's licence information to view racy content. In the age of hacking data and leaked information, the thought of handing over sensitive details to watch sensitive content could make you uneasy. If that is the case, then high street newsagents will have the solution for you.
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Attention

South Carolina backs totalitarian identity politics measures, passes legislation making it illegal to criticize Israel

Ali Younes
Al Jazeera
Wed, 09 May 2018 14:09 UTC
Israel soldiers
© Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Civil rights activists are opposing the passage of a bill that equates criticism of Israeli policies with anti-Semitism in the US state of South Carolina.

The new bill would effectively deem any criticism of Israel in publicly funded schools and state colleges as "anti-Semitic".

Unable to pass it as a standalone law for the past two years over questions about its constitutionality, supporters of the measure used a legislative tactic known as a "rider" to insert it into the state's 2018-2019 budget. The measure will expire after one year.

Supporters of Israel see the controversial bill as a triumph, arguing that any criticism of Israel is inherently anti-Semitic and should be banned on college campuses.

Comment: And here we see the real fruits of identity politics. This new law puts Israel in a position where it can do no wrong.

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Info

London buses to carry 'praise Allah' adverts during Ramadan to encourage donations to Muslim charities

Jamie Bullen
Evening Standard
Mon, 09 May 2016 15:09 UTC
London bus Ramadan
© Islamic Relief
The adverts are designed to raise the plight of the victims in Syria
London buses will carry adverts praising Allah as part of a drive by Britain's biggest Muslim charity to help victims of the Syrian civil war during Ramadan.

Islamic Relief said it hoped the posters, which bear the words "Subhan Allah", meaning "Glory be to God" in Arabic, will portray Islam and international aid in a positive light.

The adverts will be carried in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester and Bradford later this month.

Charity leaders hope it will encourage generous donations during the religious festival, which is expected to begin on June 6.

Organizers added they hoped the campaign will help young Muslims to focus on humanitarian work.
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Russian Flag

Significant achievement: Putin leads column of trucks across new Crimean bridge to mark opening ceremony


RT
Tue, 15 May 2018 13:13 UTC
Crimean bridge
© most.life
A direct path connecting the Crimean Peninsula to the Krasnodar region on mainland Russia is a significant achievement.
A new 19km bridge connecting the mainland with the Crimean Peninsula has been officially opened, making Russia the host of Europe's longest bridge. President Vladimir Putin personally drove a truck across it to mark the occasion.

The opening of the bridge was all about the people, who created the massive construction in record time. A column of dozens of heavy-duty vehicles including hauler trucks, construction cranes and cement-mixers buzzed along, occasionally tooting their horns. Putin, who showed up for the ceremonial trip unusually dressed in casual style, drove one of the two Kamaz trucks in the front of the motorcade. His usual entourage was literally sidelined, keeping at a distance on the other half of the road.


Comment: It's probably no coincidence that this happens just as the US and Israel 'mark their territory' in the Middle East.

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Bad Guys

Smiles amid bloodbath: Twitter users points out the bad optics of US embassy opening during Gaza massacre


RT
Tue, 15 May 2018 15:00 UTC
US Jerusalem embassy opening Palestinian protests
© Ronen Zvulun (L) Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters (R)
Left: US and Israeli officials applaud during the opening of the new US embassy in Israel in Jerusalem, May 14, 2018. Palestinian demonstrators run for cover from Israeli fire and tear gas in the southern Gaza Strip, May 14, 2018.
As American officials smiled and clapped at the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, Palestinian protesters were gunned down by Israeli bullets at the Gaza border.

Twitter users were quick to point out the competing visuals and bad optics on a day when US officials were touting the opening of the new embassy as a "magnificent tribute to peace."

Many users pointed out the images of White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner and wife Ivanka Trump smiling and laughing at the opening of the embassy with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while protesters, among them children, were shot dead in Gaza.

Others pointed out the hypocrisy of top US and Israeli officials rubbing shoulders and talking about peace as bullets rained down on protesters a mere 50 miles away.
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Star of David

Apartheid regime: Life is completely segregated for Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem

Showkat Shafi
Al Jazeera
Sun, 13 May 2018 00:00 UTC
Jerusalem
© Twitter
Of all the places I wanted to visit, Palestine has always been at the top of the list. So when I got an opportunity to go there on a reporting assignment, I was very nervous.

I had heard horror stories about Israeli security checks and intense interviews, and as a result, I was anxious about the visa application process.

My travel agent, who had helped me obtain visas for Europe, Brazil and South Africa was clear; as a Kashmiri Muslim, my chances of getting an Israeli visa were slim.

Nevertheless, I travelled from Doha to New Delhi to apply.

After two days of waiting, I got a call asking me to attend an interview the next day at the Israeli embassy in New Delhi.

I was told not to carry any belongings with me. A friend accompanied me, and we stopped some 500 meters before the embassy. I gave him my phone, laptop bag, and wallet and kept 100 rupees with me.

The moment he left, a member of the security team ran towards me and told me to call him back.
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2 + 2 = 4

Conformity to identity politics or education: The student's dilemma

Avel Ivanov
Quillette
Tue, 15 May 2018 13:11 UTC
woman writing notes
Every year on university campuses across the country, students like me navigate a variety of disciplines in pursuit of numbers that will open the door to our career of choice. Whether we yearn for a high grade point average (GPA), a high grad school test score, or a high paying job, numbers are what matter to those of us who see university as an important gateway to future happiness and prosperity. However, in certain disciplines, it can be difficult to reconcile this aspect of the student experience with the freedom to pursue our studies in a spirit of open and disinterested inquiry. In the liberal arts programs in particular, activism and ambition can conflict so that students must choose between writing what they think and getting the grades they want and need.

Of course, this ought to be a false dilemma. That it exists at all raises troubling questions about academic liberty-a cornerstone of any educational institution-and what a university education is actually for. Although most schools continue to affirm free inquiry as central to their pedagogic mission, this honorable commitment is being eroded as the humanities and parts of the social sciences become increasingly insular and politicized within a wider climate of hyper-polarization.
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