Monday, September 30, 2013

Facebook Editing and the Risk of the Stitch Up

Facebook Stitch Up


I was hesitant to write this story when the concept first came to my attention as I did not want to give people any ideas. I was hopeful that Facebook would make adjustments to this without anyone have to blow the whistle, but it’s been live for a little while now and there are no changes in sight.


According to Urban Dictionary, a Stitch Up is “a set up, a trick. If someone stitches you up, then they’re playing you for a fool. It’s often used when framing someone for a crime.”


That’s the door that Facebook has left open for their users. If someone wants to be funny or even harmful, all they need to do is post something, get comments and likes, then edit the post to something completely different. In the example above, I asked an offbeat question and a friend gave an appropriately offbeat response. Thanks to the new Facebook post editing feature, I could really mess with him if I wanted to by simply editing the post to say something like this…



“Do you believe that the Apollo 11 mission actually took people to the moon?”



It’s harmless, of course, but what if I made it even more nefarious…



“Did the Holocaust really happen?”



I could take it a step further…



“Do you believe in God?”



In each of these cases, I’ve changed the question to make Arnold’s response seem strange at the least and offensive in the extreme examples. If I were to “stitch up” Arnold, it could cause problems. This is a flaw and Facebook really needs to fix it before something really bad happens.


* * *


Hat Tip to Arnold Tijerina. No, I will not stitch you up.







via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/facebook-editing-and-the-risk-of-the-stitch-up/

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Risks Rise in the Continued Retreat from the Arab Spring

Tunisia Protests


The unofficial start of the Arab Spring can be traced back to Tunisia an December 17th, 2010, when a street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest the actions of the government and their confiscation of his wares. It was an act that started a wave of protests that spread across the region and forced changes in government in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. It continues in several other countries, most notably in Syria where the rebel forces and the government are bringing the eyes of the world to the conflict.


While the majority of the world heralded the uprisings and government changes as positive, there were those who were fearful of the turmoil that would follow. It wasn’t just the fact that installing democratic principles is harder than most believe. It was the fear that the replacement governments would be aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, al Qaeda, and other organizations that hate Israel and western society in general. Those fears started becoming a reality as those backed by the Muslim Brotherhood started taking power.


Fast forward to today and the situation seems to be correcting itself. Egypt’s Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the military in July. Now, Tunisia’s Islamist Party government, fearing a revolt similar to the one in Egypt, has agreed to step down and allow a neutral government to mold the country’s future until a new government can be elected.


This may all seem like progress in a region that needs stability and a voice for the people, but there are big risks that are rising as a result. The aggressive nature of Islamic extremists will not look at these as defeats. They will more likely see these as further proof that trying to expand their reach through traditional methods was a futile attempt, a distraction from the real methodology that they should have been following all along. They did what they were supposed to do – win elections and establish a foothold to be able to operate in broad daylight more easily rather than in the shadows. They are now learning that it isn’t that easy. Many knew this would be the case from the start.


In essence, they tried to promote their agenda properly, but “small” acts such as the assassinations of political opponents worked against them. The lesson they learned is that “small” acts like those will not benefit them. They will not be able to destroy America and Israel this way. They will not be able to spread Islam to everyone and control the world by winning elections. They have to do what they’ve always done in the past. They have to resort to violence.


This is the mindset that is being created by their failures in Egypt and Tunisia. They are more dangerous now than they would have been had the Arab Spring never happened at all because they now feel like they have sat around for too long. Time has been lost and now it’s time for action.


Iran can be their proxy to the world of governments. The terrorist groups can be Iran’s proxy to violence without attachment. The unofficial coalition is all they need in order to rally support for attacks in the near future and if reports from Israel of an Iranian spy scoping out the US Embassy in Tel Aviv are true, then Benghazi was only the beginning of a new volley of attacks from groups that are now being backed into a corner.





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Pastor Ronald J. Harris Sr. Shot and Killed During Service

Woodrow Karey


Pray for the family and friends of Pastor Ronald J. Harris Sr. of Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center in Lake Charles. He was shot twice and killed in the middle of a service in front of 65 people. There is no known motive at this time. The man who shot him, Woodrow Karey, fled but later called the sheriff’s office and surrendered.



A Louisiana pastor was fatally shot as he preached to a crowd of more than 60 during a revival service and a suspect has been arrested, law enforcement officials said Saturday.


The shooting at about 8:20 p.m. Friday was at Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kim Myers said Saturday. Sixty-five people were inside at the time, including the victim’s wife, said Chief Deputy Stitch Guillory.


Deputies have no information on a motive or on whether the preacher and suspect knew each other, Myers said.



Read More: ABC News





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Following Brain Aneurysm, a Syrian-Born Muslim Takes a 20-Year Journey to Find Jesus Christ

Karim Shamsi-Basha


His journey started off with tragedy and turned into a miracle. Karim Shamsi-Basha was born in Syria and raised as a Muslim. After a massive brain aneurysm, he was trapped in a month-long coma. After emerging, the miraculous journey from Islam to find his way to believing in Jesus Christ is now being documented in his book.



Karim Shamsi-Basha was still a Muslim when a sudden brain aneurysm left him in a coma for almost a month in 1992. After the Syrian-born Shamshi-Basha made an amazing almost-complete recovery, his neurosurgeon, recognizing the rarity of what had occurred, told him that he had “seen very few people recover as you did. You have to find out why you survived.”


These would be the words that catalyze an almost 20 year journey that would eventually lead Shamsi-Basha to Jesus Christ.



Read More: Christian Post



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Ephesians 1:5 – Predestinated

Ephesians 1:5


Ephesians 1:5 (KJV)



“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will”



The unfortunate thing about the translation of this verse is that it can lead one to believe that those who are saved are already determined before birth. This can be slightly disheartening to some, as it would seem it doesn’t matter what our choices are in life, our destiny is set. Additionally, some may claim this verse to be a justification of Calvinism.


So, let’s make sure that this is what Paul is truly saying.


While “pre-destined” may imply that each of the children who are given to Christ are already chosen in advance, it’s the placement of the word that leaves us a little confused. However, in reality this verse is not speaking of the believers being predestined, but Yeshua Himself being predestined from the foundation of the world.


This is another version which takes it from the Greek-Hebrew to help give us a better understanding:



He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his sons — in keeping with his pleasure and purpose” ~ (CJB)



As we can clearly see it’s not the believers who are predestined, but rather the plan of redemption via Yeshua. As Peter states in 1 Peter 1:20, it is Yeshua who was foreordained. Therefore, the plan has been set from the beginning for us to be “adopted” by Christ for Himself.


This shows us the grace and mercy our Elohim has for both His Son and for His Son’s servants.


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via Judeo Christian Church http://judeochristianchurch.com/ephesians-15/

Yesterday Marked One Year Since Pastor Saeed Abedini was Jailed in Iran

Saeed Abedini


Iranian-born American citizen Pastor Saeed Abedini has been in an jail for one year now. His crime – helping to build the underground Christian home church movement in the Muslim country.


His daughter turned seven this month, marking the second birthday her father had missed. His son is now five. The pastor, who was on a secular mission to establish an orphanage for his homeland’s children, was pulled from a bus during his visit and sentenced to eight years for undermining the government in his previous trips to Iran.




As his wife is in New York to fight for his freedom, a letter American pastor Saeed Abedini recently managed to get out of his Iranian jail cell and to his seven-year-old daughter for her birthday has come to light.


He calls Rebekka his “little hero” and expresses heartbreak about not seeing her grow. Rebekka’s mom, Naghmeh, is unable to travel with their two young kids to Iran for fear she might also be arrested, but with the Iranian delegation in New York for the UN, she is pressing his case. This week, she traveled to New York and was able to hand-deliver a letter Monday to the delegation of Iran’s new president asking for her husband’s quick release.



Read more on Fox News.



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Now THAT’s a Bloody Mary Lunch

Having a bloody mary for lunch


When the drink is the center of attention in a meal, you know it’s going to be a good lunch.






via Uberly http://uberly.com/awesome/now-thats-a-bloody-mary-lunch/

Is this Ad Clever or Done in Bad Taste?

Clever Ad for a job search website.


Some would look at this and think that it’s a brilliant use of circumstance to make a point about their service. Others would say that it mocks the situations that people often find themselves in when they can’t find work. What do you think?






via Uberly http://uberly.com/marketing/is-this-ad-clever-or-done-in-bad-taste/

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Graffiti can be Art, Too

Graffiti can be art, too. The eyes - ultra-realistic.


The eyes. So realistic. Better than seeing gangs tagging their territory.






via Uberly http://uberly.com/beautiful/graffiti-can-be-art-too/

Would the Conservatives be so Bold about the Shutdown before the Digital Age?

Newt Gingrich


It looks as if the conservative side of the Republican party may be able to hold their ethical duties intact as we progress towards a government shutdown. It isn’t that today’s conservatives are necessarily more aggressive. It’s that they have the ability to rally the troops thanks to the digital technologies that are within our grasp according to this article by the New York Times.



Ask conservatives what went wrong for them the last time the government shut down, and many of them will bring up the cover of The Daily News of New York from Nov. 16, 1995.


Under the block-lettered headline “Cry Baby,” it showed a cartoon of Newt Gingrich, then speaker of the Republican-led House, in tears, clutching a bottle and wearing nothing but a cloth diaper.



Read More: The New York Times





The post Would the Conservatives be so Bold about the Shutdown before the Digital Age? appeared first on Conservative Haven.






via Conservative Haven http://conservativehaven.com/conservatives-bold-shutdown-digital-age/

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Eric, Arnold, Rob, and the rest of the world. I was wrong. Eric was correct. Dinner's on me next conference we're at together. Steaks to the winners!



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Cool clear bathtub



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The NSA reform bill will make matters worse

The majority of American’s do not want to be spied upon by the US (or any other) government. That much is clear. What the NSA and other agencies have done to continue and expand their powers for domestic spying are insulting at the least and possibly even dangerous. Most would agree with that as well. The NSA needs to have their powers curtailed by an act of Congress. Again, most would say this is true.


Hydra NSA


I, on the other hand, think it’s a terrible idea.


As an NSA reform bill makes its way through the halls of Capitol Hill on its way to making the NSA less powerful when it comes to spying on US citizens, most are heralding it as a major step towards stopping their nefarious activities. The reality is this: the bill in its current form will make matters worse.


Despite what the White House says, despite what many in Congress are saying publicly, the truth is that they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar and they now need to come up with a safer way to get the cookies. They will not stop. Many parts, both official and unofficial, of the government of the United States want the surveillance. They want the data. They fear a world in which they do not have access to the data. They will not give it up regardless of what Congress does.


Like a mythical hydra, the NSA and other organizations will not die when their heads are chopped off. They will grow stronger, bury their evidence deeper, and find ways to circumvent the laws that are being discussed. They will allocate the money needed to continue and improve their techniques through shell programs. They will get the power they need to get their data through the same channels that gave them the powers in the first place, only this time they will make sure that a contractor with a brain and a conscience will not be able to expose their actions to the world.


What we’re seeing happening in Washington right now is not a step towards fixing the problem. It’s a measure that will launch the next contingency. The contingency that will be launched will have another contingency, and that one will have another. They are too powerful, too embed, and too dependent and the data they collect to ever, ever let it go.


Rather than focus on trying to eliminate their powers, they should allow them to continue down this road with extremely aggressive oversight and transparency attached to it. This would not be a true solution by any means; no measure of oversight will be able to see deeply enough into the abyss to know exactly what is going on. However, it is better than forcing them into a situation that will make matters worse.


This is not a bill designed to end domestic surveillance of citizens. It will not hamper their efforts in any way. It may slow them down, but only for weeks. They’re ready for this. They’ve been ready for years. They knew that at some point their hand in the cookie jar would be discovered. It was inevitable.


All that this bill and the similar bills that have been proposed will do is push them further back into their hole, but it will not make them stop. Nothing will. This is no longer a country with citizens that can expect privacy. This is no longer a world that can sustain any sense of individual rights to make others mind their own business. Everyone is suspect. Everyone is a threat. The technology is too powerful and the fears from those in government are too great.


This bill amounts to little more than a public relations spin. The change cannot be made by Congress. For it to have any chance of success, the change must come from the people of this country. Unfortunately, we’re too busy watching Duck Empire to worry about taking action.






via Techi.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techirss/~3/zA1Nu9ULtNw/

Patrick Leahy versus the NSA

The man who tried to stand up to the Joker in The Dark Knight is now standing up to another bully. The difference is that this particular bully, the NSA, isn’t fictional and clearly much more dangerous than the Joker.



Sen. Patrick Leahy, the powerful chairman of the chamber’s Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday strongly endorsed a series of sweeping restrictions on U.S. surveillance programs — from ending the bulk collection of Americans’ phone call logs to creating new oversight mechanisms to keep the National Security Agency in check.


In a speech at Georgetown University Law Center, the Vermont Democrat said the government “has not made its case” that the ability to collect Americans’ phone records en masse under the PATRIOT Act is “an effective counterterrorism tool, especially in light of the intrusion on Americans’ privacy rights.”







via Techi.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techirss/~3/RX8Qv3n3coQ/

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Murderer Who Found Jesus in the Forgiveness of his Victim’s Family

Pages of the Bible


Forgiveness is a common topic covered in the Bible. Most Christians strive to forgive but it is hard for many, particularly those who experience great sadness through the evil acts of other people. One act of forgiveness from the family of a murdered man may have helped to save the murderer’s soul.


Harry Mitts Jr. will be executed today barring a pardon that is very unlikely to happen. He’s okay with that. In fact, he claims that he’s ready to see Jesus. If he truly has repented and accepted Yeshua into his life, then he can thank the Holy Spirit (of course) and an unexpected source that gave him a Bible shortly after he was sentenced to death: the family of one of his victims.


Mitts shot and killed 44-year-old Sgt. Dennis Glivar and John Bryant on August 14, 1994. Three months later, shortly after being sentenced to death, he received a Bible with his name inscribed in it. It was given to him through the jail chaplain as a gift from the mother and sister of Sgt. Glivar. Along with the Bible was a letter from the victim’s sister, Cheryl Janoviak, telling him that she and her mother forgave Mitts for what he had done.


“What my mom and I did was only a portion of what God desired to draw Mr. Mitts to the cross and the saving, redeeming, wonderful, cleansing grace that is available to all,” Janoviak said last week.


In the 19 years since murdering two men, Mitts says that he has found the Lord.


“I look forward to that date, should it happen,” he wrote. “I know it probably sounds strange, as most folks like to hang on to this life as long as possible, but my reason for desiring to be executed is simple. I’ll be in the presence of Jesus, and I will never sin against God again!”


Forgiveness is one of the greatest challenges that many Christians have to face. We can easily be filled with hatred towards people who wrong us, but to truly walk along the proper path, we must be willing to have forgiveness in our hearts and to be open about it. The two women know that nothing they do could bring their loved one back. In their sorrow, they found the strength to extend the word of God to one who many would hate under the circumstances. Their gift, the gift of the Word, was given with sincerity in their hearts and with love in the words that came with it.


“As Jesus forgave and still forgives, my mother and I also forgive you,” Janoviak wrote to Mitts in 1994. “Had you died on August 14, 1994, your eternal home would have been in hell. In God’s mercy, your life was spared, and He spared your life to allow you this time to choose where you want to spend eternity.”


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via Judeo Christian Church http://judeochristianchurch.com/murderer-found-jesus-forgiveness-victims-family/

Monday, September 23, 2013

Links used in Supreme Court opinions nearly half rotted away

There’s a “disease” on the internet that plagues any entity that relies on other sources and exists for long enough. It’s called link rot, and thankfully it’s not contagious. It happens over time when links on a website or within documents no longer work. Websites change. They get removed. They get archived. For whatever reason, they disappear. The Supreme Court opinions accumulated over the years are suffering link rot of their own with nearly half of them already dead.



Supreme Court opinions have come down with a bad case of link rot. According to a new study, 49 percent of the hyperlinks in Supreme Court decisions no longer work.


This can sometimes be amusing. A link in a 2011 Supreme Court opinion about violent video games by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. now leads to a mischievous error message.







via Techi.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techirss/~3/EkHzmzbsBrQ/

The Age of Contentment

This infographic from Online Colleges comes to us via Bremerton Used Cars and explores “Why 35 Is the Year of Contentment”. Click to enlarge.


Why 35 Is the Year of Contentment

Hat Tips: Greensboro Ford






via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/the-age-of-contentment/

Insightful fortune cookie



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Sunday, September 22, 2013

Has a Ride Ever Been This Epic?

Cadillac Eldorado motorhome is the only way to travel


The Cadillac Eldorado motorhome is the only way to travel. You only wish you had one, right? RIGHT?!?






via Uberly http://uberly.com/uber/has-a-ride-ever-been-this-epic/

The Freemasons and their Ties to Lucifer

Freemasons


For those on the inside, the organization of the freemasons is one that is fighting for a worthy cause. It’s not necessarily a good or bad cause that they’re fighting for from their perspective, though most within that realm start to understand better as they progress that it’s the forces of evil that they are serving. The basic concept that often compels people is they are misled to believe that what most consider to be evil is good and visa versa.


In his lecture titled, “The Antichrist, Freemasons, and the Third Temple: Satan’s Scheme to Be Worshiped on the Mountain of God,” Bible scholar Douglas Hamp sets the stage from the casting out of Lucifer from Eden all the way through to the end goal of the dark one. He portrays the freemason organization as a tool of Satan to eventually bring about the rise of the Antichrist. As one of those tools, they are set to bring about various events throughout history that will harm everyone from individuals to entire countries in an attempt to mislead them against the people of God.


It makes for an interesting watch. As the world is propelled by “unknown” forces towards lawlessness, the efforts of the freemasons under the hand of their puppeteer, Satan, can be clearly seen by those willing to look closely.




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LinkedIn responds to accusations

LinkedIn has been accused of hacking email accounts to harvest emails for marketing purposes. Blake Lawit, Senior Director of Litigation at LinkedIn, responds…



As you may have read recently, a class action lawsuit was filed against LinkedIn last week. The lawsuit alleges that we “break into” the email accounts of our members who choose to upload their email address books to LinkedIn. Quite simply, this is not true, and with so much misinformation out there, we wanted to clear up a few things for our members.







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Quadruple Rainbow



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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Grand Theft Auto V Torture Gameplay is an Idiotic Attempt at Social Commentary

Grand Theft Auto V Torture Scene


It’s taboo to discuss the use of torture in a positive light. The movie Zero Dark Thirty learned that at the Academy Awards after getting thoroughly snubbed across the board over the horrific (but unfortunately truthful) concept that torture played a major role in helping the US government find Osama bin Laden. The opposite side of the coin does not seem to be nearly as taboo.


The wildly popular game, Grand Theft Auto V, opened to a huge launch, selling over a billion dollars worth of the game in less than three days while only launching on two consoles. It depicts three main characters who travel a vast virtual landscape committing crimes, helping the FIB (their fictional version of the FBI), and generally terrorizing the city in order to earn money to buy tattoos, cool cars, and nice clothes. That’s the game in a nutshell.


Throughout, there are various attempts at social commentary. The one that’s getting the most attention is the use of terror as a portion of the game. Unlike Zero Dark Thirty, the torture isn’t seen in the past as an attempt to accurately depict the actions taken to find the world’s most wanted man. In the game, it’s all part of the fun. In the game, the player commits the torture.


That alone is appalling enough, but they take their social commentary a step further by torturing a man for fun. He’s willing to talk the entire time. He claims that he was willing to talk when they kidnapped him 6 days earlier. He answers their questions before the torture begins. It even appears that the torturing is hampering his ability to answer their questions. The social commentary – torture isn’t necessary to get information.


While we do not condone the use of torture, those who question its effectiveness are ignorant. The sadness of this evil is that it works. Does that classify it as a “necessary evil”? That’s definitely up for debate, but to make torturing someone in the middle of a game a requirement in order to proceed is not simply irresponsible. It’s counterproductive. They wanted to use a satirical demonstration of torture to get controversy (got it), make a political statement about the use of torture (poor execution but the point was made), and to “educate” players about the lack of necessity of torture. It’s in this last goal that they failed miserable.


This portion of the game can have one of two effects on players. In the best case scenario, they play through and either dismiss it as another violent portion of an extremely violent game or make their way through it begrudgingly. In the worst case scenario, it may touch on a sadistic nature within players that they might actually like.


In other words, the fact that the player’s character and the FIB puppetmaster seem to be doing the torturing because they enjoy it cannot lead to anything positive. If they wanted to make a social commentary, they should have written an article, made a video, or marched with Ed Asner in Washington. There is absolutely no good that can come from this. It wasn’t fun. It made most players uncomfortable.


For the players that were not made uncomfortable or actually enjoyed this gameplay, well, that’s another depth of psychosis that we’re not qualified to explore.


Here’s the video. Be warned – it is video game gruesome.






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