Facebook Sells Info To Dictators To Help Spy On Population. [CORRUPTION]

International Tech Companies Helped Gaddafi Spy on Libyans

Muammar Gaddafi was a desperate man even before the civil war, and it shows more since the recent fall of Tripoli. The Wall Street Journal reports that Gaddafi had the Libyan people systematically spied upon online for years. And international tech companies helped.

Implicated in the report are tech companies from the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Africa, and all had a hand in Gaddafi’s obsession with security by providing phone tapping, internet filtering, and email monitoring technologies. Those companies include Boeing’s own Narus, which reportedly looked into adding their own internet filtering products to Libya’s established monitoring operation, and Amesys, a French security company that provided Libya with Deep Packet Inspection software back in 2009, and intercepted messages from Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, MSN Messenger, and AIM.

The messages were tracked all the way up to February of this year, shortly before the uprising and when Gaddafi shut down the internet entirely. It’s a shame the revolution did happen then. They could have kept on making their money. [WSJ]

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Rich Schultz

ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE

This is why Anonymous is going to take down Facebook on November 5th

also check this link

Hacker group vows to ‘kill Facebook’

Google Bought Motorola For Great Hardware Not Just Patents [BOOM!!][UPDATING]

PICTURE THE MOTOROLA ATRIX WITH WITH CHROME OS AS THE WEBTOP OS. THIS WILL BE THE FUTURE OF GOOGLE.

Ever since Google announced they’d be purchasing Motorola to protect the future of Android, they’d downplayed Motorola’s hardware business and focused on defending themselves against patent trolls. For this reason, many thought Google would eventually sell off Motorola after integrating their patents into their own portfolio in order to keep relationships with other OEMs healthy.

Well, according to Google’s Eric Schmidt, that’s not true. In fact, they said Motorola’s position as an OEM was a big factor in their decision, citing “amazing hardware” as reasons why they snapped Motorola up. This leads us to believe that they have plans – big or small – in the future regarding a device. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Here’s the full quote:
“We did it for more than just patents,” Schmidt said in a conversation with Salesforce.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff. “The Motorola team has some amazing products.”

And now we all start profusely salivating again at the thought of another high-end Motorola Android without MOTOBLUR. Napkins are on the counter.

ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE*

**************************************UPDATE**************************************

Motorola Mobility: More Than Patents

I am a huge Google fan and a huge fan of Android OS. While I admit that the iPhone changed the smartphone market (how could I not), I still think that iOS leaves a lot to be desired, and that Android is a far superior mobile OS for many reasons.

However, a lot of people have trouble seeing that because of what the tech world now callsfragmentation – the fact that Android is on so many different devices. This has proven to be a challenge for Google because you may get a subpar device running Android, which reflects poorly on the OS. It’s for this reason (mainly) that I’m excited about the recent deal for Google to purchase Motorola’s mobile arm, Motorola Mobility.

The big focus when the deal was announced was on patents: specifically, on how Google is improving its patent portfolio. This is understandable since Apple is waging a patent war against several companies, including Google. But I don’t think this was the main reason for the purchase.

See, Google until recently has been a software company, and a web-based one at that. Now they are building systems for mobile phones, tablets, TVs, and laptops. It would be very beneficial for them to start making their own consumer electronics. The Nexus One is a perfect example of this.

The Nexus Series

Google’s first solution to combating fragmentation and the stigma that Android devices are subpar was to contract an outside hardware maker – HTC – to make a phone running Android to exactly their specifications. That phone, and its predecessor, the Nexus S, were by most accounts great phones. And I’m really excited about the recently (and unofficially) announced Droid Prime, the next phone is Google’s Android phone series. This also seems like it’s going to be a great phone. But Google needs more than that.

You see, Google designing a phone and contracting it out isn’t the same as Google making a phone. With the purchase of Motorola Mobility, Google now has a company that makes consumer electronics. This gives Google a bit more control (not to mention profit) over the whole process.

And this isn’t just something they can do with phones. They can do the same thing with tablets for Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, TVs/TV boxes for Google TV, and maybe even laptops for Chromebooks. With Google making so many hardware dependent software systems now, it was imperative that Google make a purchase like this. Look at the iPhone: Software by Apple, hardware by Apple, and just about everything that has to do with the iPhone is controlled by Apple. Google now has that capability.

A Real Google Phone

Here’s my point: with Google purchasing Motorola Mobility, they can now make a true Google phone, a phone that Android was meant to run on, and where Google has final say on the software and the hardware. It will be Google’s equivalent to the iPhone, and I think it will be great.

While there are some great phones out there, aside from the Nexus One and S you’re not getting a true Android experience. You’re getting Android skinned, or Android with bloatware (I’m looking at you, HTC Sense). A Google phone won’t have any of that, and I think people will finally see what I’ve been saying for years: that Android is a great mobile OS, even better than iOS.

As for the Great Patent War of 2011, yes, Google added about 25,000 patents to its portfolio; but I truly believe that was a secondary (or tertiary) reason. Some patent experts even believe it was“an immense mistake. I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s clear that Google had other motivations.

When Google CEO Larry Page announced the purchase he stated,

Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers.

If this wasn’t clear enough, more recently Google Executive Chairman (and former CEO) Eric Schmidt said, “[We enjoy] having at least one area where we can do integrated hardware and software.” Hint hint.

Conclusion

Like I said earlier, I’m very excited for the marriage of Google and Motorola Mobility. I think it means that we will finally see a real Google Phone that will run Android as it was meant to be run: with great hardware and no bloatware. We’ll also get to see how Google handles selling consumer electronics. It will be a little tricky, but I think Google has learned a lot over the years since Android first hit the market, and I can’t wait to see how they apply what they’ve learned. Google’s mobile unit will be an even greater force to be reckoned with now.

 

The Post Office Operates At A $9.2 BILLION LOSS. Let It Go.

Who uses the post office anymore… This is a dead technology.  And it is draining the countries bank account. I say we cut it to the bare minimum.

ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE

The Post Office is going to die, so says the old pony express. They’re strapped for cash, probably defaulting on a $5.5 billion payment due this month and will shut down entirely this winter unless Congress stabilizes its finances. Sad. But we don’t really need it anymore.

It’s getting really rough for the boys in baby blue, according to the NY Times, the postmaster general, Patrick Donahoe, might get rid of Saturday mail delivery, lay off 120,000 workers and close up to 3,700 post offices—all in an effort to lessen the post office’s deficit, which will be $9.2 billion this fiscal year. Why? Well, labor costs too much and revenue is down.

The post office will handle an estimated 167 billion pieces of mail this year, that’s down 22% from 5 years ago. It’s expected to dip under 120 billion by 2020. Truthfully, I imagine it’ll drop even quicker than that. Everything that’s sent through snail mail can get done faster, cheaper and easier through e-mail. Sometimes, you don’t even need e-mail actually. I mean, what’s “important” that you get through the mail now?

Magazines, Bills, Invoices, Stuff that requires your signature? Birthday cards, maybe?

Tablet versions of a magazine, electronic bills, PayPal, apps like Sign It! and the fact that you’re getting older have replaced all those itty bitty pieces of USPS mail—44 cents a pop saved for us, revenue lost for them. Heck, the only thing I need a physical mailing address for these days is to get physical packages from Amazon, UPS and FedEx do just fine and do it with lower labor costs (53% of its expenses for UPS, 32% for FedEx compared with 80% with the USPS)—the private delivery services just run more efficiently as a business. Every other piece of mail from a love letter to catalogs to spam to a thank you note, just e-mail me. I’ve changed my mailing address every year for the past 5 years and probably will do it again next year. My e-mail? It’ll be the same.

I’m hopeful, of course, that the post office can find a way to survive, if only so people can keep their jobs. The USPS has long been home to generous benefits and good perks, but the old pony express is going to have to get creative to stay alive and I’m not so sure they can. [NY Times, Image Credit: mjay/Shutterstock]

Empire Of Dirt – “Let them fail” Why Failing Banks Should Fail. [CORRUPTION]

Jeff Sica discusses the FHFA lawsuit against the banks in their effort to recover 196 billion dollars and the catastrophic mistakes that were made.

On September 3, 2011 Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM), Citigroup (NYSE:C), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and 17 other banks were sued in federal court by the Federal Housing Finance Agency on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in an attempt to recover 196 Billion dollars. At the core of this massive lawsuit is the FHFA accusing said banks of misleading Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac about the soundness of the mortgages underlying the securities. In other words, THEY ARE ACCUSING THE BIGGEST BANKS IN THE COUNTRY OF LYING TO THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

THE CREDIBILITY OF THE FHFA
The FHFA, the regulator and conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, lost almost all credibility when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac imploded in 2008. They were largely responsible for causing one of the worst financial crisis’ in our nation’s history. Fannie and Freddie are still in receivership today and will be for years to come. The FHFA lost credibility because they “took the word” of banks who claimed that subprime mortgages were safe, supported by the fact that all the ratings agencies had given these securities the coveted AAA rating.

In another legal action against these same banks they have been accused of “paying off” the ratings agencies for these AAA ratings. How can a regulator who has the responsibility to protect consumers and investors be trusted when they have allowed themselves to be so misguided as to put our nation’s economic stability at such peril?

Why Has the FHFA decided to file this lawsuit years after their catastrophic mistake in 2008?
First, after giving failing financial institutions over 1 trillion dollars through programs like TARP in which the U.S. Government assumed responsibility for the bad debts and made them a liability of the tax payer, they have come to the realization that the economy hasn’t improved at all as a result. They are recognizing that “banks survived and the rest of the economy is still suffering”.

Secondly, it has become evident in recent months, due to the onset of THE EUROPEAN DEBT CRISIS, that the interdependence of U.S. and European banks is way beyond what they initially believed. A condition has evolved in which European banks have leveraged their portfolios off of bad debt from SOVREIGN ENTITIES and our banks in turn have leveraged our debt off of those same entities. The likely result will be a contagion which we do not have the wherewithal to contain. IN OTHER WORDS … THE FHFA AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS REALIZING THAT “TOO BIG TO FAIL” MAY HAVE TO EXTEND TO BANKS ALL OVER THE WORLD DUE TO THIS INTERDEPENDENCE.

This scenario of including “foreign banks” in the “TOO BIG TO FAIL” model is impossible because it would accelerate our already out of control deficit, initiate “AMERICAN AUSTERITY” with drastically higher taxes, unemployment and a plunging Gross Domestic Product. The end result will severely damage every aspect of the economy; especially the consumer, with consumer confidence being at a twenty year low. This decline would be catastrophic since the consumer is responsible for 70% of the Gross Domestic Product.

WHY HAS THE DISDAIN FOR BANKS ACCELERATED RECENTLY?
The “ORIGINAL SIN” was committed when banks like Citigroup (NYSE:C) hid their exposure to subprime mortgages on their balance sheets as SHORT TERM DEBT. After this contemptible act of deceit, they received billions of dollars of tax payer bailout money and the government took all their bad debt on its balance sheet creating a future liability when a percentage of this debt defaults. The banks blamed their problems on a bad economy and the fact that individuals couldn’t afford to pay their mortgages. The “lie” in this statement is that despite the economic downturn, it was banks using these loans to create leverage and issue new loans which created the catastrophe. Banks continue to blame consumers and have failed to take responsibility for their reckless behavior.

THE ULTIMATE LIE TO JUSTIFY THE HEALTH OF THE BANKING INDUSTRY – “HIGH CASH RESERVES”
Yes, in fact banks do have high levels of cash reserves. The truth is they have high cash reserves because the tax payers supplied it through government funded bailouts. These high cash reserves were “intended” to be used for making loans to qualified borrowers like small businesses. However, qualified small business have gone out of business because their bank loans have been pulled; statistics show that we have not seen any decrease in the number of small businesses going out of business since 2008. High cash reserves give the illusion of health when, in fact, banks are only concerned with “self preservation” and feeding themselves from their reserves.

WHAT DID THEY DO WITH OUR MONEY?
Banks used tax payer dollars given to them through government bailouts to sure up their balance sheets and have not contributed 1 penny to helping small businesses get on their feet and start hiring again. They have, however, contributed to our incredibly high unemployment rates since small businesses will not hire if they can’t borrow to grow.

“LET THEM FAIL” – WHY TOO BIG TO FAIL MUST END
It must end because it can no longer be contained within the borders of the United States. We have become a global economy with an interdependent banking system. The end result of our first “BANK BAILOUT” established“bigger” banking institutions. Another “bank bailout” would undoubtedly establish even bigger multinational financial institutions with an even greater future liability and “tax payer” liability with potential“Austerity” measures that could collapse economies on a global scale. As the International Monetary fund has recently discussed the use of a program which creates liquidity by “printing money” (like we did in our two failed“quantitative easing” programs (with a third on the way, although they won’t call it quantitative easing)) as a means to fund a “bank bailout” will unleash inflation like we have never seen in history. Inflation combined with low levels of growth resulting through “austerity measures” will create stagflation which is a far worse condition than “a double dip recession”.

THE END RESULT OF BANK FAILURES
If banks fail it will create severe consequences to the consumer and investors alike, as well as severely hinder an economic recovery. However, allowing banks to fail will end the policy of rewarding banks for acting in a reckless, irresponsible manner with the money they have been entrusted with. It will also end the future burden on the tax payer who should never be penalized for the “bad behavior” of others.

It will reestablish the concepts of capitalism which have made our economy great; namely –  free enterprise means that businesses succeed and
fail every day in a free market. In the seeds of failure are the seeds of success and many great industries have risen from failure. We can eagerly anticipate a new banking system to emerge in which fiscal responsibility, accountability and thrift once again become the cornerstones of the banking industry. It is only through a free market in which “INDIVIDUALS” can succeed or fail on their own merit that we will once again gain the economic freedom we desire.

ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE

Crazy Amusement Park Rides From Around The World [VIDEO]

Check out some of the craziest rides from around the world.

Cedar Point ^^

Crazy Ride At Taiwan Theme Park (below)

Just watch it. it’s the best ride ever in my whole entire life. haha. it felt like suicide. Thanks zhoff

We went to Star City, in Manila Philippines. It was really corny but it did have this scary looking ride. I tried it, it was quite fun. My wife did not like it.  Star City is full of really cheap knock off rides. It is so funny. Jason Dragon Jasondragon.com ecidragon Aug 19, 2007

Uploaded by DaddyNewt on Jan 18, 2011

Thomas Casey, inventor, demonstrates his amusement ride, an extreme ferris wheel called “Rings of Saturn. Uploaded by DaddyNewt on Jan 18, 2011

Crazy CN Tower Rider
Here are some videos of the new crazy tourist ride at the top of the CN Tower in Toronto. No matter how strong that harness is, I know I will be freaking out. And loving it. [Thanks Karl!]

Giant Salt Water Crocodile Caught [VIDEO]

This Giant Croc was captured in the Philippines and is going to be relocated into a new nature preserve and tourist attraction. But wow is it a giant animal.

ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE –> CROCODILE

This 21-foot, 2,375 pound megacroc destroyed four traps, one water buffalo, and possibly a fisherman before finally being captured in a specially-designed, reinforced, steel-wire trap. Trapped, not killed? And cue Jurassic Park theme music in 3… 2… 1…

Dang, Philippines, y’all got some big reptiles. This crocosaurus stands accused of killing one large water buffalo, and is the prime suspect in the case of a missing fisherman from back in July. Once it was finally trapped, it took approximately 100 men to drag it out of the water. It was then lifted by a crane into a truck and transferred to a temporary holding cell. He will eventually be the star of an eco-tourism park, which will hopefully bring some much-needed cash-flow to the impoverished area of Agusan, approximately 500 miles southeast of Manila. He is one of the largest crocodiles ever captured alive.

Oh, but here’s some good news. Wildlife official Ronnie Sumiller is leading the hunt for another croc which may be even bigger.

Backed by five village hunters he has trained, Sumiller has set 20 steel cable traps with an animal carcass as bait along the creek where the first crocodile was caught and in a nearby vast marshland.

Sumiller said he found no human remains when he induced the captured crocodile to vomit.

You induced a giant crocodile to vomit? How, by holding back its scales and sticking your finger down its throat? Or is that some sort of croco-emetic you’re pouring down that pipe into its mouth in the video? Regardless, the guy who has to pick through the croco-spew looking for human remains is underpaid no matter how much he makes. [AP via Business Insider]

Image/Video credit: AP Images

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ALSO SEEN HERE ON BBC NEWS.

The one-tonne crocodile caught in the Philippines

Continue reading the main story

A giant saltwater crocodile weighing more than a tonne has been captured in a remote southern Philippine village following a series of attacks on humans and animals, officials said.

Measuring 6.4m (21ft) and weighing 1,075kg (2,370lb), it is the biggest to be caught alive in the Philippines in recent years.

It may also be the biggest specimen ever captured, officials said.

Saltwater crocodiles can live for more than 100 years and grow to 23ft (7m).

Josefina de Leon, wildlife division chief of the environment ministry’s protected areas and wildlife bureau, said it was likely to be the biggest crocodile ever captured.

Continue reading the main story

Saltwater crocodiles

• Also known as the estuarine crocodile, it is the world’s largest living croc.
• It is capable of killing any animal or human that strays into its territory.
• Body length: usually 4.2m-4.8m (13.8ft-15.8ft), although specimens of over 7m (23ft) have been recorded.
• Weight: Male generally 408-520kg (900lb-1,140lb), but have been known to exceed 1,000kg (2,204lb).
• Life expectancy: They can live for more than 100 years.

“Based on existing records, the largest that had been captured previously was 5.48m (18ft) long,” she told AFP.

“This is the biggest animal that I’ve handled in 20 years of trapping.”

The hunt for the crocodile in the village of Bunawan began in mid-August and it took dozens of local men to secure its capture on Saturday.

But crocodile hunter Rollie Sumiller, who led the hunt, said this reptile may not be the killer they have been looking for after at least one attack on a human was reported in the area.

“We’re not really sure if this is the man-eater, because there have been other sightings of other crocodiles in the area,” he told AFP.

The captured croc will now become the main attraction at a planned nature park in the area.