Anonymous releases (almost) everything they know about Rehtaeh Parsons

Reblogged from canada.com:

The loose collective of online activists known as Anonymous have released a list of statements they believe are facts in the case of Rehtaeh Parsons.

While the group has said they know the names of those responsible, they are not releasing the names right now.

"We have done our best to keep those names from being released," the group said in the statement below.

Read more… 945 more words

Anonymous---- I love them!!! Felicia

The Knowledge Martyr~ Aaron Swartz

~RIP Aaron Swartz~
May you reach binary heaven.

 

“Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world’s entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations.”

~~~Aaron Swartz
Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto (2008)

Frank Kingdom once said that “questions are the creative acts of intelligence.” His words are so powerful. Tonight I was going to post about something else, but when I signed on to the internet, I learned about a tragedy. I am saddened to learn that one of the greatest pioneers of the open movement has paid the ultimate price in his quest for knowledge.

Aaron Swartz the founder of Demand Progress, paid with his life on Friday. The 26 year old was just a baby in the world of technology. He was facing federal charges, close to 40 years in prison, and at least a million dollars in fines for his part in a political movement demanding the freedom of information. In the words of Herodotus,”this is the bitterest pain among men, to have much knowledge but no power.”

The young genius is said to have killed himself, but I can’t help but wonder if that’s true. If information and knowledge is power, how much can you demand before the powers that be make sure you disappear? I used the digital library JSTOR (Journal Storage) just yesterday to write my last post Seduce the Moon. Swartz has hacked that library and some close to him say he was depressed about the decisions he made.

As a hero, Swartz authored the Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto. He didn’t sign the manifesto because he did not believe in the ownership of information. Swartz called it “outrageous” and “unacceptable” that scientific articles are provided “to those at elite universities in the First World, but not to children in the Global South.” If you have never read or do not know of this manifesto, I would encourage you to read it.

The dark haired champion said “we need to take information, wherever it is stored, make our copies and share them with the world. We need to take stuff that’s out of copyright and add it to the archive. We need to buy secret databases and put them on the Web. We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file sharing networks. We need to fight for Guerilla Open Access.”

He has been called a political martyr, a hacktivist, a web genius, a felon, a committed liberator of information, a hero, a distinguished hacker, a pioneer, and an open access guerrilla. Swartz was all of those things~ though I think he was indeed a felon with good intentions. He was more brave than I. May he rest in peace among the 1z and 0z. May his soul reach binary heaven where knowledge is freely available.

Coincidental Tourist: Jelly Beans and Politics

Marilyn Monroe at Universal Studios_8.6.2012

I loved the strange coincidence that I just happened to be in California during the 50th Anniversary of the death of Mz. Marilyn Monroe. Mass amounts of people went to be near her grave side this Sunday. She was laid to rest in Los Angeles on August 5, 1962. A large memorial wreath was also placed on her star in Hollywood.

On the way to Universal Studios, I got the chance to see the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In 1960, the Democratic National Convention was held in LA. This is where Senator John F. Kennedy was nominated for the presidency. This is also where he delivered his acceptance speech.

Today while at Universal Studios, I again happened to run into the modern day Monroe and snapped a shot. While I was in City Walk, I saw a sculpture of Mz. Monroe. There stood an elaborate piece devoted to the diva which was created using 254,093 Jelly Belly beans. The edible sculpture was priced at $25,409.30! “.30???” Really?? What the? Where did the cents come from?! Now that’s an expensive treat! Haha!

These were all probably just coincidences, but I was more than happy to encounter each one… Today I wondered what Marilyn wrote as a final entry in her mysterious diary? The world may never know?

Jelly Belly Bean Marilyn at Universal City Walk_8.6.2012

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A Birthday, Baseball and Heels

Marilyn Monroe Plays Baseball

Today is Marilyn Monroe’s Birthday. She was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, and died on August 5, 1962 in Los Angeles, California. There was not even a week separating the birthdays of she and her beloved Mr. President. Maybe tonight they will have a drink together in which ever realm accepted them…. Her last public appearance was at Dodger Stadium on June 1, 1962.

Happy Birthday Mz. Monroe—

Happy 95th Mr. President with Love Mz. Monroe

*****Happy 95th Mr. President with Love Mz. Monroe*****
Digital composite by Felicia Lujan. Composite includes: two
historic photographs (Mr. President and Mz. Monroe); and
three contemporary images (smoke, a cupcake, and a candle).

May 29, 2012, would have
been President John F. Kennedy’s
95th birthday. The United States Military held an
official wreath laying ceremony in his honor at
Arlington National Cemetery. A wreath was
placed at his graveside near the JFK Eternal Flame
(I love that it’s “eternal” ). The Eternal Flame
is the permanent presidential memorial.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
on November 22, 1963. The National Archives
and Records Administration has also released
commemorative footage of Mr. President, which
is available through a Creative Commons license
and is now in the public domain. The film is titled
John F. Kennedy: 1,000 Days.
It is an archival documentary from the United States
Information Agency, which celebrates
JFK’s time in office from 1961-1963.

Marilyn, Mr. President and a Gossip Rag

***Cover of the Globe, Vol.59, No.22, May 28,2012*** Marilyn Monroe’s Love Child with JFK

Wow… Did I really just buy a gossip rag?? I can’t believe it? What a mess- there should be a law against archivists purchasing these things! Hahaha Well what can I say? I couldn’t resist the power of the rag as I checked out in the grocery store tonight. There is just something about Marilyn… I giggled, and maybe even turned red when I gave it to the cashier. So did she. I told her why I was interested, and she fed me stories about her childhood. She said she was captivated by the images and conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Monroe as a little girl. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have childhood memories of an assassin taking out President Kennedy, and the possible murder of a starlet.

Though I did pick up a publication filled with gossip, I did see that the cover noted a new book. I figured it was the one recently put out by Jackie’s former personal Secret Service Agent, smoking pal, and possible lover. It is not that book. This one is a “blockbuster new book” titled Marilyn at Rainbow’s End: Sex, Lies, Murder, and the Great Cover-up. The book “rips the lid off Monroe’s most shocking secrets on the eve of the 50th anniversary of her mysterious death.” The gossip rag claims the book documents the existence of a “love child,” Marilyn’s “heartbreaking abortion,” her “showdown with Jackie Kennedy,” her connection to “Cuban dictator Fidel Castro,” and her “electric touch” with lesbian movie queens.

I would need to track down the book before I could assign any scholarly credibility to it. While those potential topics are interesting, what really topped my list on attention grabbers was a possible diary. It may be that Monroe kept “a red diary, in which she recorded all affairs.” This book is said to have been sought after by the Kennedy family because if it had been discovered, “the Kennedys would have been ruined.” First, I will need to find this new book. I also wonder if the Monroe diary is real? Is it red and soft? How big is it? Where would the diary be? What was Marilyn’s penmanship like? Did she prefer black or blue pens? Would her secrets actually be inked? Hum… If anything, the rag sure got my cogz spinnin’!

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