kpete

kpete's Journal

June 27, 2012

This alone, should be enough to to demolish the entire foundation of economic conservatism

This alone, in cartoon form, should be enough to to demolish the entire foundation of economic conservatism:

That more Democrats don't cite this more often is proof of the capture of our electoral system by corporate interests.

1) Corporate profit margins just hit an all-time high. Companies are making more per dollar of
sales than they ever have before. (And some people are still saying that companies are suffering
from "too much regulation" and "too many taxes." Maybe little companies are, but big ones
certainly aren't).

2) Fewer Americans are working than at any time in the past three decades. One reason
corporations are so profitable is that they don't employ as many Americans as they used to.

3) Wages as a percent of the economy are at an all-time low. This is both cause and effect. One reason companies are so profitable is that they're paying employees less than they ever have as a share of GDP. And that, in turn, is one reason the economy is so weak: Those "wages" are other companies' revenue.

http://www.businessinsider.com/corporate-profits-just-hit-an-all-time-high-wages-just-hit-an-all-time-low-2012-6

June 27, 2012

Democratic Presidents Are Better for the Economy

In “The President as Economist: Scoring Economic Performance From Harry Truman to Barack Obama,” I compare the 12 presidents since World War II using 17 economic indicators, including growth in gross domestic product, rate of unemployment, inflation, population below the poverty line, increase in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, savings and investment rates, exports and trade balances, federal budget growth, and debt and federal taxes as a share of GDP.

As you can see, Presidents Harry S Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson rank first through third. Presidents George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush make up the bottom three. President Ronald Reagan is No. 8, just one slot above President Obama.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-25/democratic-presidents-are-better-for-the-economy.html

June 27, 2012

Civilian Drones Vulnerable to Hackers, Can Be Hijacked, Used as Missiles

Civilian Drones Vulnerable to Hackers, Can Be Hijacked, Used as Missiles

Darlene Storm | Computerworld

While having coffee and trying to clear the sleep cobwebs from my brain, I saw a headline that reminded me of Black Ops 2 casting Anonymous as cyber-terrorists hacking drones for targeted killings. Fox News claimed, “Drones vulnerable to terrorist hijacking.” Surely this was satire, a spoof? After reading about and watching a video titled “Drones Can be Hijacked and Used as Missiles,” I discovered the spoof part was right, but it was GPS spoofing by researchers that proved malicious hackers or terrorists could take control of civilian drones.

The University of Texas at Austin’s Radionavigation Laboratory demonstrated hacking a civilian drone, forcing it to change course by sending fake GPS signals, and then, “as if some phantom has given the drone a self-destruct order, it hurtles toward the ground.” At the last second, the drone was spared but Professor Todd Humphreys and his team were pleased. They had successfully proved “a gaping hole in the government’s plan to open US airspace to thousands of drones. They could be turned into weapons.” Humphreys told Fox News, “Spoofing a GPS receiver on a UAV is just another way of hijacking a plane.”

GPS jamming had been the “main problem,” but now with the “right equipment, anyone can take control of a GPS-guided drone and make it do anything they want it to,” Fox reported.

While jammers can cause problems by muddling GPS signals, spoofers are a giant leap forward in technology; they can actually manipulate navigation computers with false information that looks real. With his device — what Humphreys calls the most advanced spoofer ever built (at a cost of just $1,000) — he infiltrates the GPS system of the drone with a signal more powerful than the one coming down from the satellites orbiting high above the earth.

MORE:
http://droneswatch.org/2012/06/26/civilian-drones-vulnerable-to-hackers-can-be-hijacked-used-as-missiles/

June 27, 2012

Enjoy - Get Your Popcorn! RedState explains Mitt Romney's problems

TUE JUN 26, 2012 AT 02:33 PM PDT
Get Your Popcorn! RedState explains Mitt Romney's problems
byMinistryOfTruth

Over at the conservative bizarro DailyKos website, I stumbled upon a post titled Good advice for Mitt Romney by Mickey Kaus. This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen:

To wit: show the American people that Mitt Romney’s just… a human being, like everybody else. Not that Romney should pretend to anything that he’s not. As Mickey put it:

Note that this does not require that Romney show he’s a man of the people, down with NASCAR etc. No pork rinds are required. In fact, trying desperately to appear non-upperclass is likely to reinforce Romney’s more fundamental problem. A simulacrum can eat pork rinds, if you program it properly.
http://www.redstate.com/...
http://dailycaller.com/2012/06/22/what-romney-needs-to-do/

MORE lol:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/26/1103264/-Get-Your-Popcorn-RedState-explains-Mitt-Romney-s-problems

June 27, 2012

Dear GOP:

June 27, 2012

Biden: "So Give Romney Credit..."

http://teamobama.tumblr.com/

June 27, 2012

When Is Enough, Enough America? - Comic That Explains Just How Screwed America Is...

TUE JUN 26, 2012 AT 01:44 PM PDT
The One Comic That Explains Just How Screwed America Is
byOccupy Posters

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/26/1103368/-The-One-Comic-That-Explains-Just-How-Screwed-America-Is

June 27, 2012

Poll: Mitt Romney less popular than George Bush (and Barack Obama)

Poll: Mitt Romney less popular than George Bush (and Barack Obama)
By John Aravosis on 6/26/2012 08:06:00 PM

A new MSNBC/WSJ poll http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Sections/A_Politics/_Today_Stories_Teases/120626-JUNE-NBC-WSJ.pdf
shows only 9% of people have a "very positive" feeling about Mitt Romney. Less than George Bush, and far less than Barack Obama.

MITT ROMNEY
Very Positive: 9%
Somewhat Positive: 24%
(Combined positive: 33%)

Neutral: 22%

Somewhat Negative: 17%
Very Negative: 22%
(Combined Negative: 39%)

Don't Know Name/Not Sure: 6%

GEORGE BUSH
Very Positive: 13%
Somewhat Positive: 23%
(Combined positive: 36%)

Neutral: 18%

Somewhat Negative: 19%
Very Negative: 26%
(Combined Negative: 45%)

Don't Know Name/Not Sure: 1%

BARACK OBAMA
Very Positive: 29%
Somewhat Positive: 19%
(Combined positive: 48%)

Neutral:14%

Somewhat Negative: 11%
Very Negative: 27%
(Combined negative: 38%)

Don't Know Name/Not Sure: -%

http://www.americablog.com/2012/06/poll-mitt-romney-less-popular-than.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Americablog+%28AMERICAblog%29

June 26, 2012

SCOTUS Signals To GOP: Don’t Bother Suing Obama On Immigration

SCOTUS Signals To GOP: Don’t Bother Suing Obama On Immigration
Victory! Department of Justice will not defend Defense of Marriage Act UPDATED: Now Boehner says "focus on jobs"?
Paragraph Four of the Department of Justice Memo says it all:

After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President’s determination.

This is a huge victory. FINALLY.

UPDATE: House Speaker John Boehner, in an absolute fit of political amnesia, released a statement.

While Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, the President will have to explain why he thinks now is the appropriate time to stir up a controversial issue that sharply divides the nation.

Because abortion, slavery, and lay-offs are not controversial? So be it.

MORE plus links:
http://crooksandliars.com/bluegal/breaking-victory-department-justice-will-n
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/supreme-court-republicans-lawsuit-obama-immigration-dream-anthony-kennedy-arizona-boehner.php?ref=fpb

June 26, 2012

"CAPITALISM" (warning, art)

“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”-Banksy

Mark Hermitte - Capitalism

http://marchermitte.itsartmag.com/gallery/marchermitte/

Profile Information

Member since: Fri Sep 17, 2004, 03:59 PM
Number of posts: 71,986

« Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... 46 Next »