Cats, Tweets

Tweets about #cats -Kentucky -wildcats

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An Ode to Cats, Joyce Carol Oates

Watch The New Yorker Festival | An Ode to Cats, by Joyce Carol Oates | The New Yorker Video | CNE:

The writer Joyce Carol Oates unveils her post-modernist ode to cats.

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Video Game Developers Love Cats

Feline good: why video game developers love cats | Technology | theguardian.com: " . . . Like game code, cats are never yours, never quite in your control. Cats are computer programs with fur. They are systems to be observed. “I think there’s something to be learned about what is ‘interesting’ from watching animals in general, and the cat just happens to be a captive study case,” says Ed Key, developer of procedurally generated exploration game, Proteus. “If you’re playing by waving around a toy or a bit of paper or whatever, you have to put some real effort into making it “lifelike” and interesting or the cat gets bored because it’s predictable. I also enjoy watching him sometimes assume that a toy is going to appear around a certain corner and ignoring it until it does what he was expecting. I’ve never seen him watching things in Proteus, but I feel like the principles apply to its design.” James Woodward, co-founder of Milkcap Studios concurs. “Cats are simply fascinating animals,” he says. “You can waste hours of your day watching them play – they do the most ridiculous things. I think people who like cats have a big respect for their independent nature; if it does not like you, then it’ll not get near – you have to earn their trust.”..."


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Freedom of Speech, Internet, Power of Section 230

Freedom of Speech on the Internet: The Power of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act | Patton Boggs LLP - JDSupra:




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Cat Cool, Feline Design

Even the New York Times "gets it" -- Interested in a sleek pod bed? A high concept scratching pole? Kate Benjamin writes about, and lives, feline design --

Cool for Cats - NYTimes.com:  " . . . Ms. Benjamin quit her day job as the marketing director of Boon, a company that sells modern baby products, and opened a design studio where she and her employees could create cat toys and accessories to sell on her website. And last year, she re-branded her Moderncat blog as Hauspanther, an “online magazine for design-conscious cat people.” Next on the horizon is a consulting business built around the concept of “catification”: tailoring your living space to the needs of your cat without sacrificing aesthetics.“The idea is to influence the mass cat-product industry to step up their game,” said Ms. Benjamin, who has teamed up with Jackson Galaxy, the cat behaviorist from the television show “My Cat From Hell,” for this effort. “We just want to be the go-to source for anyone who wants to live stylishly with cats....” (read more at link above)

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Cat Best at Stock Picking

Investments: Orlando is the cat's whiskers of stock picking | Money | The Observer: "The Observer's panel of stock-picking professionals has been undone in our 2012 investment challenge by a ginger feline called Orlando who spent time paw-ing over the FT.The Observer portfolio challenge pitted professionals Justin Urquhart Stewart of wealth managers Seven Investment Management, Paul Kavanagh of stockbrokers Killick & Co, and Schroders fund manager Andy Brough against students from John Warner School in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire – and Orlando ... A spokeswoman for Orlando said he was not available to give an interview because of a claws in his contract."


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Cats, Investing, Irrationality, Trend-following

Investing: Irrationality, trend-following, and cats | The Economist: " . . . . What can we learn from this? As a first approximation, you should avoid trying to time the market. Unless you are a hedge fund superstar, you are probably buying high and selling low, just like everyone else. You would be better off letting a cat manage your money. As a second approximation, you may want to try to test out an investment strategy based on discount rates. *We are not actually endorsing this strategy. Please do not blame us if it fails to work out for you.* Finally, the paper presents us with an interesting puzzle: why do discount rates do a good job of predicting asset returns despite their complete disconnect from investor expectations? One possibility raised by the authors is that companies respond to over-eager investors by issuing more shares, but this is not fleshed out. It seems like an interesting area for further research."


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KitTea, Cat Cafe, Gourmet Tea and a Furry Feline Welcome

A Furry Feline Welcome From A Cat Cafe : NPR: KitTea, a gourmet tea house in San Francisco, where patrons mingle with "resident" cats. The felines will come from rescue shelters and be up for adoption... Courtney Hatt, the co-founder of KitTea, on starting a cat cafe:

COURTNEY HATT: "So I was in a cafe and just lots of people around, but nobody was really interacting with each other, and that's when I came across the story about cat cafes in Japan and I thought, wow, that's kind of the cafe I want to be in right now versus where I am at the moment. I just thought this is something not only, like, interactive where people are not just interacting with the cats, but they're interacting with each other 'cause they have something in common. Sort of like when you go to a dog park, the people at the dog park talk to each other; where there's not really anything like that for people who have cats, and a lot of people in the city own cats. So that's when I decided to build this cafe startup where I could save cats and also create a space that's very Zen and relaxing for people with stressful jobs or who don't have access to our animal friends...."

KitTea: kitteasf.com


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Edward Snowden, Action Figure, Rector of Glasgow University

Snowden now an action figure and rector of Glasgow University 
National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden received accolades around the world. He was elected the rector of Scotland's prestigious Glasgow University, a mostly symbolic position he will hold for three years. Another new title for the former government contractor is a member of the board of directors for the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Among a plethora of awards he has been nominated for, he received the Sam Adams Associates Integrity Award in 2012, and was also nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. And, as RT's Anastasia Churkina reports above, the 30-year-old also has a new action figure modeled after him.


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Jesse Eisenberg, Cats Superior Over Dogs (video)

Jesse Eisenberg, Cats Superior Over Dogs (video)--at this year’s New Yorker Festival, a group of writers and editors gathered to debate which furry creature is superior—cats or dogs.

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John Oliver, Net Neutrality (video)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): Net Neutrality - YouTube:

Cable companies are trying to create an unequal playing field for internet speeds, but they're doing it so boringly that most news outlets aren't covering it. John Oliver explains the controversy. Published on Jun 1, 2014

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Catz using Lumia 930

Catz using Lumia 930 -

Filmed using a Lumia 930 (http://nokia.com/lumia930), we present Mia Mullarkey’s winning entry for the #SMWCreative Contest, in partnership with Microsoft. Mia’s prize includes a trip to Social Media Week in Los Angeles, where she will showcase her video, and give everyone a little paws for thought. (published 9/22/2014)

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Magna Carta for the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee

We Need a Magna Carta for the Internet | Tim Berners-Lee: "....The web we will have in 25 years time is by no means clear, but is completely up to us to decide what we want to make that web, make that world. That is why I am asking web users around the world to define a global Magna Carta for the Internet. That's why I am asking countries everywhere to follow Brazil's example and develop positive laws that protect and expand the rights of users to an open, free and universal web." (read more at link above)


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Tax the Internet? Lawmakers Struggle Over Web Tax

Lawmakers Struggle Over Web Tax - WSJ.com: "....The tax reprieve, however, is set to expire on Nov. 1, and so far, lawmakers have taken few concrete steps to re-enact it as they debate whether to combine it with a separate, more controversial bill. That measure would allow states to collect sales tax from out-of-state online merchants...." (read more at link above)


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Treating Dogs Like Humans Is Costing Billions (video)

Treating Dogs Like Humans Is Costing Billions: Video - Bloomberg:
(Allow video to load after clicking play or go to link above)
Underwater treadmills, acupuncture, and sonograms are just a few examples of the specialty care pets are getting at the Crown Veterinary Specialists center in Lebanon, New Jersey. Bloomberg's Olivia Sterns talks to the vets about their equipment and discusses the business opportunities with Juan Ramón Alaix, the chief executive officer of Zoetis, the market leader in animal health. (Source: Bloomberg)

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Bailey Boat Cat Sailing, Adventures of a Feline Afloat

My sailing buddy--

We’re happily sailing! – Bailey Boat Cat: "Ciao from very near Ponza! I’m so happy today! Yesterday the humans were really busy around the boat and they kept talking about the early bird catching the worm…I thought we might be off to go digging somewhere today! It turns out it’s one of those strange human expressions and actually we just got up really early to sail to Ponza! What a lovely surprise!...." (read more at the link above)


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Glenn Greenwald, 12 Dogs + 1 Guest Dog

Inside Glenn Greenwald’s Mountaintop Home Office - NYTimes.com: ".....“It’s funny,” he said. “I’m working with a Silicon Valley technologist who became the 100th-richest person in the world through his understanding of programming, but half the time we can’t communicate on the telephone because my Internet isn’t working or my phone is out. It’s an irony, but it’s also a kind of balance for me.” That balance includes more than a dozen dogs — Sheila, Sylvestre, Mabel, I lost track of the names. I pointed out that he is nearing cat-lady status, engulfed by his need to rescue. No, he said, “we have a limit, so I am not like a cat lady.”

The limit, he said, is 12.

I counted 13 dogs.

“One of them is a guest dog and will be leaving soon.”

Yeah, sure...."

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Brave and Fluffy Cats Who Served in World War I

These Are the Brave and Fluffy Cats Who Served in World War I: "...the U.S. Naval Institute explains:

"It is likely that the ancient Egyptians were the first seafarers to realize the true value of having cats as shipmates. In addition to offering sailors much needed companionship on long voyages, cats provided protection by ridding ships of vermin. Without the presence of cats, a crew might find their ship overrun with rats and mice that would eat into the provisions, chew through ropes and spread disease. The more superstitious sailors believed that cats protected them by bringing good luck. It was also common for crews to adopt cats from the foreign lands they visited to serve as souvenirs as well as reminders of their pets at home...."

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China, Online Censorship, Tank Man photo

The Diminishing Returns of Tricking China’s Online Censors | MIT Technology Review: "... Censorship has forced Chinese activists to use increasingly obscure language on social media, isolating themselves from those they hope to reach.... Obviously, censorship and the subsequent ignorance it breeds hinders the effectiveness of these anticensorship tricks. For instance, the enforced silence of state media and China’s education system no doubt leaves many young people unaware of what happened on June 4, 1989. In a recent informal survey of 100 college students, only 15 recognized the Tank Man photo. Without a shared base of knowledge, what use are memes like the big yellow duck for reaching the masses?... (read more at link above)

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Microsoft Lawyer Slams Secret Surveillance Court, FISA

Microsoft’s Top Lawyer Slams Secret Surveillance Court - Digits - WSJ: "The U.S.’s secret surveillance court is unaccountable to the public and not “inclined to promote justice,” Microsoft’s top lawyer said Tuesday. General counsel Brad Smith said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which reviews applications and appeals involving U.S. government data-collection efforts in the name of national security, acts unlike most other courts because “only one side gets to tell its story.” The surveillance court also effectively creates law “that the American public is not permitted to read,” Smith said Wednesday in a speech at the Brookings Institution. The 35-year-old court was cast into the spotlight following revelations about National Security Agency’s (NSA) data-collection programs. The court’s decisions and most documents submitted to the court are secret, which Smith said made it tough for those opposing the government’s data demands to have a fair hearing. “This is not an approach inclined to promote justice,” Smith said, as he showed an image of what he implied was a government document before the surveillance court, with all text blacked out...." (read more at link above)


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What Do Animals See in a Mirror?

What Do Animals See in a Mirror? - Issue 13: Symmetry - Nautilus: "... Gallup, now in his 70s, mainly stays away from advocacy work but he likes to philosophize about what exactly mirror self-recognition shows, and why that capability might have evolved. Clearly, it has little to do with mirrors since aside from the occasional still pond, our distant ancestors would never have encountered their reflections. He’s come to the conclusion that a pass of the mirror test indicates a profound level of consciousness that includes animals’ ability to contemplate their own thoughts and experiences as well as to imagine what others could be thinking and experiencing. This ability is called “theory of mind.”...." (read more at link above)

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Why Human Love Watching Animals

Why humans evolved to love watching animals – David Barash – Aeon: "....The popularity of pets, animal films, TV shows, and books suggests that interaction with animals derives from a deeply rooted human need. Recent findings that companion animals contribute positively to many people’s physical and emotional health do not in themselves explain why animals exert such effects; rather, they suggest that animals (at least, some species) have long been associated with human well-being. The same goes for the simple pleasures so many of us derive from observing and interacting with animals. ‘Pleasure’ is not something that natural selection doles out without a reason – and we would expect that reason to be intimately connected with maximising fitness. When it comes to evolution, pleasure is deployed as bait as much as for immediate reward. The question then is simply this: what do people get from their animal-watching? And can evolution help explain this powerful yearning to observe other creatures?...." (read more at link above)

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Bistro, cat facial recognition technology (video)

Bistro: The Smartest Cat Feeder. Ever. - 

Published on Jul 9, 2014

The world's smartest feeder that can track appetite and weight change for each one of your cats with innovative cat facial recognition technology.


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Unbound - A Tribute to Aaron Swartz - video

Unbound: A Tribute to Aaron Swartz - YouTube:
Unbound: A Tribute to Aaron Swartz - exhibit at Thoughtworks NYC

"One year after his death, we pay homage to Aaron by launching an art exhibit: http://bit.ly/1j3w5C3. The exhibit is an artistic sociopolitical commentary that analyzes some of the issues Aaron tackled through his activism. "Unbound: A Tribute to Aaron Swartz" brings together artists and activist whom, much like Aaron, work tirelessly to challenge the status quo, disrupting unjust systems, giving voice to the voiceless and building movements for justice and equity. Aaron used technology as a tool. Artists use their art. Let us bring this exhibit everywhere!"

http://artforaaronswartz.launchrock.com/
http://thoughtworksnyc.com

VIDEO: Speakers--
Jared Hatch, Connector
Eliana Godoy, Exhibit Curator
Michael D'Antuono, Artist
Clara Rodriguez, Artist Advocate

Camera/edit: Joly MacFie
Title music: Francois Grillot
CC-BY-SA 2014 Internet Society New York Chapter
http://isoc-ny.org

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The Internet's Own Boy, The Story of Aaron Swartz

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz: "Available Same Day as Theaters. Aaron Swartz's online presence and influence was groundbreaking. From helping develop internet protocol RSS to his work as a co-founder of Reddit, the programming prodigy helped shape the digital landscape we all use today. Chronicling his pioneering efforts crusading for open access and free speech and the resulting legal nightmare and tragedy that ensued, “The Internet’s Own Boy” is a dynamic and moving portrait of a brilliant tech millionaire who renounced the values of Silicon Valley startup culture and used technology to tirelessly fight for social justice, no matter what the cost."

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Mayday PAC, Lawrence Lessig (video)

Mayday PAC Launch from lessig on Vimeo.
Lawrence Lessig describes the purpose of the Mayday PAC, launched May 1, 2014. You can view and pledge at http://MayOne.US.

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30 Diverse Organizations Support Internet Tax Moratorium

The group includes: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Hispanic Leadership Fund, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., the Latino Coalition, National Association of Neighborhoods, Women Impacting Public Policy, League of United Latin American Citizens, National Black Chamber of Commerce, Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, National Hispanic Council on Aging, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc. (source infra)

Ban Internet Taxation, Says Diverse Group to Hill | Politic365: "A bi-partisan group of multicultural stakeholders united in asking congressional leadership to permanently extend the moratorium on Internet taxation by passing the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act (H.R. 3086) and the Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act (S.1431). In a letter addressed to Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Senator Ron Wyden, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Ranking Member of the House Communications & Technology Subcommittee, and Senator John Thune, Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the group petitioned Congress to pass the twin bills prior to the August recess to avoid any uncertainty that may arise around Internet taxation should the current ban expire on November 1, 2014...."

Wide Support for Internet Access Tax Moratorium: "The Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 was designed to promote the growth of the Internet by placing a moratorium on state and local taxation of Internet access and the creation of discriminatory taxes on emails and other data. The moratorium is set to expire in 2014, but two proposals being considered in Congress, the Senate’s Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act and its companion bill in the House, the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, would permanently extend the ban on Internet access taxes. Neither of the bills being considered or the moratorium exempts Internet sales from general state sales taxes. Making the Internet access tax moratorium permanent is a necessary step in promoting wider access to the Internet while keeping the cost down and eliminating discriminatory taxes. As the Internet has become one of the driving forces behind economic growth across the United States, ensuring affordable access for businesses and consumers is crucial. An online petition sponsored by MyWireless.org calling on Congress to permanently ban taxes on Internet access has drawn over 44,000 signatures...."

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Stephen Colbert, the NSA, Edward Snowden

"As for the NSA, he said that the agency showed that if you gave an organization unlimited budgets and no oversight the results were always fantastic. The NSA had built up an incredibly powerful and sophisticated organization that could be completely pwned by a 29-year old with a thumb drive."(source: The Register)

Watch Stephen Colbert lambast the NSA and Snowden at security conference | The Verge: "Stephen Colbert delivered his somewhat controversial keynote speech at the annual RSA security conference Friday, and took the opportunity to lambast the NSA, Edward Snowden, and Mt. Gox, and launch his own "Cloud Fog" security service. "We can trust the NSA," explains Colbert, "because without a doubt it is history's most powerful, pervasive, sophisticated surveillance agency ever to be totally pwned by a 29-year-old with a thumb drive." The full keynote isn't yet available at RSA's website, but YouTube is full of excerpts uploaded by attendees."

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Edward Snowden says NSA Spies More on Americans Than Russians

Edward Snowden: NSA Spies More on Americans Than Russians - NationalJournal.com: "..."U.S. government policy directed by the NSA ... is now making a choice, a binary choice, between security of our communications and the vulnerability of our communications," Snowden said, suggesting the government was biased toward the latter activity. The former NSA contractor was awarded the Ridenhour Award for Truth-Telling along with Laura Poitras, one of his chief confidants. The 30-year-old fugitive remains in Russia, where he fled and earned temporary asylum following his disclosures of classified information about the NSA's bulk data-collection practices. Poitras also beamed into the ceremony from Berlin. The documentary filmmaker is believed to be one of only two people—along with journalist Glenn Greenwald—to possess the entire cache of Snowden files. The two collectively lambasted both the Senate and House Intelligence committees for what they said was a failure of sufficient oversight of the intelligence community. Snowden also said he believed the Judiciary committees were more likely to enact substantive surveillance reform, and noted his support of the USA Freedom Act, a bill that would end much of the government's bulk collection of phone "metadata." Snowden, who has also been nominated this year for the Nobel Peace Prize, was a natural choice for the Ridenhour award, which has honored in recent years journalist and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas and Thomas Drake, a former NSA official who also exposed secrets kept by the spy agency...."

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Russian Law to Restrict Online Freedom

Russia: Veto Law to Restrict Online Freedom | Human Rights Watch: "Russia should not impose unjustified regulations on freedom of expression and privacy on the Internet, Human Rights Watch said today. A restrictive new law requires Russian bloggers with significant followings to register with the authorities and comply with the same regulations as media outlets. On April 22, 2014, Russia’s State Duma adopted amendments to counter-terrorism legislation, including a new law on “Internet users called bloggers.” The law requires bloggers with more than 3,000 daily visitors online to register withRoskomnadzor, the state body for media oversight. Once registered, bloggers will have the same legal constraints and responsibilities as mass media outlets, including verifying information for accuracy, indicating the minimal age for users, protecting information pertaining to people’s privacy, and being subject to restrictions on propaganda in support of electoral candidates. Bloggers could also be held responsible for any comments posted by third parties on their website or social media page. “This law demands that bloggers abide by the same restrictions as mass media without giving them the same protections and privileges,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This is another milestone in Russia’s relentless crackdown on free expression.”..."

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Former Comcast, Verizon Attorneys Run FCC, Want to Kill the Internet

This one is on Obama --

Former Comcast and Verizon Attorneys Now Manage the FCC and Are About to Kill the Internet | VICE United States: "Many have expressed shock that the Obama administration would walk back one of its biggest promises. On the campaign trail, Barack Obama said that he is a strong supporter of net neutrality. During a question and answer forum in Iowa, Obama explained, “What you’ve been seeing is some lobbying that says that the servers and the various portals through which you’re getting information over the Internet should be able to be gatekeepers and to charge different rates to different Web sites … And that I think destroys one of the best things about the Internet—which is that there is this incredible equality there.”"

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How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity

Book review: ‘How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity: A Guide to Financial Freedom,’ by Patricia Carlin - Books - The Boston Globe: "It is difficult to overestimate a cat. As so many of us know, the domestic feline can be a cozy and loving pet. To author Patricia Carlin, she or he is also a surefire source of wealth and fame, at least for those willing to follow the step-by-step instructions in her new, highly informative “How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity: A Guide to Financial Freedom.” In the hands of Carlin, who also wrote the equally practical “How to Tell If Your Boyfriend Is the Anti-Christ (and If He Is, Should You Break Up With Him?),” the income potential is inherent in the species. In fact, any Whiskers or Fluffy will do, as long as you can identify your kitty’s basic type. Is your cat lazy? Market him as “a feline Lebowski” who is “living the dream.” Is she a daredevil? Make the most of your “adrenaline junkie,” she writes. “A tiny crash helmet may help (or just be adorable).” This comprehensive guide is lavishly illustrated by Dustin Fenstermacher’s useful (and quite adorable) photography...."

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My Cat Saved My Son from vicious Dog Attack (video)

My Cat Saved My Son: - My Cat Saved My Son video above
My cat defends my son during a vicious dog attack and runs the dog off before he can do additional damage. Thankfully, my son is fine!

Question: Why did the mom run away? 

Answer: After checking his wounds she made sure the dog did not return for a second attempt. The owners were there also and she was bit by the dog as she tried to pin him in his yard. The owners did get control of the dog and secured him in which she immediately returned to attending to our son. I did not include that video because it was not so much about the dog but about the cats actions. - Published on May 14, 2014


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Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft defy authorities, notify users of secret data demands

Apple, Facebook, others defy authorities, increasingly notify users of secret data demands after Snowden revelations - The Washington Post: "Fueling the shift is the industry’s eagerness to distance itself from the government after last year’s disclosures about National Security Agency surveillance of online services. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google all are updating their policies to expand routine notification of users about government data seizures, unless specifically gagged by a judge or other legal authority, officials at all four companies said. Yahoo announced similar changes in July."

Thank you Edward Snowden.

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Cats, SXSW 2014, Lessons Learned

10 things we learned from SXSW 2014 | Culture | The Observer: "... One key lesson: if someone brings Grumpy Cat into the room, half your audience will be lost trying to take her picture. That was the jostling scene in a session devoted to "the economics of internet cat videos" with an array of startling facts. The Internet Cat Video festival outsold Depeche Mode by 3,000 tickets at last year's Minnesota State Fair; a philosophical cat called Henri Le Chat Noir's YouTube channel earns $10 in advertising for every 1,000 views; and the Grumpy Cat book has spent 10 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list this year. All this is based on a keen online fanbase for cats. "There's an evolution of the crazy cat lady," said Animal Planet's Grace Suriel. "From all walks of life, people have cat dresses, cat tattoos … it's a whole new breed of cat person.""

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June 5th, 2014, Reset the Net (video)

June 5th, 2014: Reset the Net - YouTube video above - Don't ask for your privacy, take it back.

On June 5th, we will Reset the Net: http://resetthenet.org

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Snowden, Soghoian, Wizner, SXSW 2014 video

Snowden, Soghoian and Wizner at SXSW = 10 March 2014 - YouTube:
Edward Snowden at the SXSW speaking with Christopher Soghoian and Ben Wizner - Mar 10, 2014 - (no echo) - transcript: http://blog.inside.com/blog/2014/3/10...

also amazing - the 7 proxy trick: http://www.dailydot.com/technology/sn...

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Cat trainer for cats you can not handle (video)

This cat trainer deals with the cats you can't handle.

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Laser Сat video, A giant cat that projects art at the ADC Festival of Art + Craft in Advertising and Design at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach

Laser Cat is back from Hungry Castle on Vimeo.

www.lasercatmiami.com

Laser Сat - A giant cat that projects art at the ADC Festival of Art + Craft in Advertising and Design at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach. Pew pew

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Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak says Edward Snowden Is A Hero

Apple Co-Founder: Snowden Is A ‘Hero’ « CBS DC: "Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is full of praise for NSA leaker Edward Snowden. He tells the Times of India that Snowden is a “hero” for divulging information about the top secret government surveillance program.

“I believe that Snowden believed, like I do, that the U.S. has a right to freedom. He had the guts to and courage to sacrifice his life for a principle,” he said. Wozniak was at the CeBit conference in Germany."

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Why I'm burning my last bridge with Obama (video)

Why I'm burning my last bridge with Obama - YouTube: "Why I'm burning my last bridge with Obama"

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Iris scan database for the FBI?

Iris scan database for the FBI?: ". . . not to be outdone, biometrics are also on the Department of Homeland Security’s agenda. The DHS is building a program called Future Attribute Screening Technology that it hopes will "detect cues indicative of mal-intent" based on factors including ethnicity, gender, breathing, and heart rate."

OMG! False positives! OMG!

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Watch Grumpy Cat, Adoring SXSW Fans [VIDEO]

Watch Grumpy Cat Hate Adoring SXSW Fans [VIDEO]:

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Putin says Russian Ukraine intervention legitimate unlike US in Iraq

Look who's calling who illegitimate --

Russian intervention in Ukraine legitimate unlike US war in Iraq: Vladimir Putin: ".... slamming the Western chorus of illegitimacy, Putin questioned the lawfulness of American military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Putin reasoned that the Russian act was legitimate as Moscow was acting on the behest of Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych, who had asked for help. Putin further said that the forces in Crimea were not Russian soldiers but the local “pro-Russian self defence forces”. "Our actions are often described by the West as not legitimate, but look at US operations .... Our actions are legitimate from the point of view of international law, because Ukraine's legitimate president asked us for help," Putin added. Putin also said that Russia was not considering to invade Crimea and only the people of Crimea had the right to decide their future. "There will be no war. We are not going to go to war with the Ukrainian people," said Putin...."

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Lions, The New Endangered Species? (video)

GoPro: Lions - The New Endangered Species?
Published on Nov 20, 2013
The fifth of the HERO3+ Adventure Series.
The GoPro production crew journeys to Africa to explore the danger and beauty of Kevin Richardson's passions for lions and their future.
Shot 100% on the HD HERO3+® camera from http://GoPro.com.
For more information on Lion Conservation, please visit: http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za/index....

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Burglars Who Took On the FBI

Government misconduct, often can only be fought by utilizing "unorthodox" methods --

Burglars Who Took On F.B.I. Abandon Shadows - NYTimes.com: " ... on a night nearly 43 years ago, while Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier bludgeoned each other over 15 rounds in a televised title bout viewed by millions around the world, burglars took a lock pick and a crowbar and broke into a Federal Bureau of Investigation office in a suburb of Philadelphia, making off with nearly every document inside. They were never caught, and the stolen documents that they mailed anonymously to newspaper reporters were the first trickle of what would become a flood of revelations about extensive spying and dirty-tricks operations by the F.B.I. against dissident groups..."

Thank God for the courage and patriotism of those who broke into the FBI office in 1971, and others like them--including Edward Snowden!

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NSA Almost Killed the Internet

Read the whole article at the link below (excerpt follows):

How the NSA Almost Killed the Internet | Threat Level | Wired.com: " . . . even if the spy programs are viewed as justified, and whether they are tempered or not, we’re still left with the most sickening aspect of the Snowden revelations: The vast troves of information gathered from our digital activities will forever be seen as potential fodder for government intelligence agencies. A lot of people became inured to worries about Little Brother—private companies—knowing what we bought, where we were, what we were saying, and what we were searching for. Now it turns out that Big Brother can access that data too. It could not have been otherwise. The wealth of data we share on our computers, phones, and tablets is irresistible to a government determined to prevent the next disaster, even if the effort stretches laws beyond the comprehension of those who voted for them. And even if it turns the US into the number one adversary of American tech companies and their privacy-seeking customers. “I was naive,” says Ray Ozzie, who as the inventor of Lotus Notes was an early industry advocate of strong encryption. “I always felt that the US was a little more pure. Our processes of getting information were upfront. There were requests, and they were narrow. But then came the awakening,” he says. “We’re just like everybody else.”"

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CAT SIGNAL! Tuesday is the @DayWeFightBack

CAT SIGNAL! Tomorrow is the @DayWeFightBack -- IDL will swing into fill support: http://t.co/VtTfSKefeI
— WWW Defense League (@Defense_League) February 11, 2014

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The Day We Fight Back Against Mass Surveillance

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - Fight back: join or plan an event.

This Tuesday, February 11th, thousands of websites are protesting online as part of the The Day We Fight Back against mass surveillance. But they're also going to be protesting on the streets.

Events are planned in cities worldwide, including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Copenhagen, Stockholm and more.

Find an event near you: comprehensive list of events Join up and take part.
Or plan one now: If there are no events in your city, now is the time to organize one. Check out guide to hosting an event, and plan one locally.

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One of those days!

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Aaron Swartz, The Day We Fight Back

https://thedaywefightback.org/: "A broad coalition of activist groups, companies, and online platforms will hold a worldwide day of activism in opposition to the NSA's mass spying regime on February 11th. Dubbed "The Day We Fight Back", the day of activism was announced on the eve of the anniversary of the tragic passing of activist and technologist Aaron Swartz. The protest is both in his honor and in celebration of the victory over the Stop Online Piracy Act two years ago this month, which he helped spur...." (read more at link above)

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Downton Abbey, Where's the Cats?

John Hodgman: “‘Downton Abbey’ with Cats” : The New Yorker: ".... And, just as in any story about your cats, I realized that the subtext is: Cats are hilarious and I am dying, I am dying, I am dying. Which is not something you should really whisper to yourself in front of your cats while watching “Downton Abbey.” It tends to spook them. And then they get mange. Final story: I was watching the season première of “Downton Abbey” with my cats, and as the opening credits rolled we just shook our heads. My cats and I agree: we don’t need to see that dog’s ass anymore."

LOL!

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Rand Paul: Obama tells us "if you like your privacy, you can keep your privacy" (video)

Sen. Paul Responds to President Obama's NSA Speech- January 17, 2014 video above - Jan 17, 2014
Sen. Rand Paul joins Wolf Blitzer of CNN with reaction to President Obama's plan to 'reform' the NSA. Rand Paul says Obama said (more or less): "if you like your privacy, you can keep your privacy" 

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Edward Snowden, The Real Deal, video

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here's the Meet the Press interview with ACLU's @benwizner on Edward Snowden, decisively clearing up some DC myths http://t.co/SrxVKCtMbU
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 30, 2013

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US has major Internet image problem

US faces major Internet image problem, former gov't official says - New America Foundation, Rebecca MacKinnon, Andrew McLaughlin, regulation, U.S. National Security Agency, U.S. Department of State, internet, legislation, digg, privacy, Phil Verveer, security, Human Rights First, Global Voices Online, U.S. Federal Communications Commission, government - Computerworld: "NSA surveillance allegations have led to countries questioning the country's commitment to Internet freedom, a former Obama official says - Many U.S. policy makers don't recognize the level of distrust created by recent revelations about U.S. National Security Agency surveillance, and that lack of trust will drive other countries away from U.S. technology firms, said Andrew McLaughlin, former White House deputy CTO...."

And to think, the world's most powerful nation threw it all away (internet freedom, its reputation, its influence, its respect and standing in the global community) just to satisfy the cretins at NSA and the security-industrial complex! I guess Osama bin Laden won after all.

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