Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts

Friday, September 4, 2015

[VIDEO] Dem outreach to Black Lives Matter meets rejection

Democratic officials and presidential candidates are running into a hostile reception as they try to reach out to Black Lives Matter, a movement that has become a political minefield for the party. 
On the other side of the aisle, Republicans have largely shunned the group.South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said this week that "black lives do matter," but they've been "disgracefully jeopardized by the movement that has laid waste to Ferguson and Baltimore." 
By contrast, the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution last Friday implicitly endorsing the cause. 
"Therefore it be resolved that the DNC joins with Americans across the country in affirming 'Black lives matter' and the 'say her name' efforts to make visible the pain of our fellow and sister Americans as they condemn extrajudicial killings of unarmed African American men, women and children," the resolution reads, according to Buzzfeed.
However, the Black Lives Matter group released a statement on Facebook Sunday rejecting the Democrats’ advances.
The response was the latest example of a rocky relationship between the party and the movement, which started with the George Zimmerman verdict in 2013 and significantly expanded after the 2014 death of Michael Brown.
As the movement has built itself into an effective, albeit fringe, grassroots force -- comparable in some ways to Occupy Wall Street -- Democrats have sought to bring them on board, or at least make peace. 
But it has not been an easy ride.
Black Lives Matter activists stormed the stage in July while former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley was speaking at a Netroots Nation conference in Phoenix, Ariz. After O'Malley listened to them talk for several minutes, he agreed to calls from the audience to a civilian review board and said he would roll out a criminal reform package. Receiving applause, he then said “Black lives matter, white lives matter, all lives matter.” The crowd erupted in boos at O'Malley's statement and O’Malley later apologized for saying “all lives matter.”

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

[VIDEO] Donald Trump calls out Mark Zuckerberg on immigration

Donald Trump has a new target for his criticism of the nation's immigration policies - Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Trump said he wants to require employers to pay H-1B workers much more money, which he said would discourage companies from hiring them and boost job prospects for Americans. He also wants to have tech jobs offered to unemployed Americans before they can be filled by workers with H-1B visas.
"This will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program. Mark Zuckerberg's personal Senator, Marco Rubio, has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities," Trump wrote in his immigration plan. Rubio is also seeking the Republican nomination for president.
Zuckerberg started a public interest group called Fwd.us to push for immigration and lobbying reform along with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. Neither Facebook(FBTech30) nor Fwd.us had an immediate comment on Trump's criticism of Zuckerberg.
Trump says that there are plenty of graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math, known as STEM, to fill tech jobs. That means that employers don't need H-1B visas to fill jobs, and are using them instead to keep wages low.
Employers are supposed to pay a typical wage to anyone hired under a H-1B visa. But in reality, employees on these visas are typically paid 20 to 45% less than U.S. workers who they are are often replacing, said Ron Hira, a Howard University public policy professor who has studied the visa's pay scale.
"I don't think you should eliminate the H1-B program. The problem is it's being abused and it's a source of very cheap labor," said Hira.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Uber Valued at More Than $50 Billion

Uber’s fast rise to $50 billion reflects its aggressive global expansion into more than 300 cities and growing popularity ferrying millions of riders daily.ENLARGE
Uber’s fast rise to $50 billion reflects its aggressive global expansion into more than 300 cities and growing popularity ferrying millions of riders daily. PHOTO: ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG NEWS
Uber Technologies Inc. has completed a new round of funding that values the five-year-old ride-hailing company at close to $51 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, equaling Facebook Inc.’s record for a private, venture-backed startup.
Uber raised close to $1 billion in the round, one of the people said, bringing the San Francisco company’s total funding to more than $5 billion. Uber had briefed investors on a plan to raise between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in the round, The Wall Street Journal reported in May.

[VIDEO] It's back: FEC says regulating Internet, Google, Facebook under its 'purview'

After backing down amid concerns she wanted to regulate political speech, and even new sites like the Drudge Report, the chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission has renewed talk about targeting campaign and political activities on the internet.
Ann M. Ravel, discussing election regulation during a speech in New York, suggested it was time to produce "thoughtful policy" targeting internet political activity. She also expressed frustration that her last bid was met with "threatening misogynist responses to me."
She was speaking at a day-long conference hosted by the Brennan Center for Justice, the New York City Campaign Finance Board, and the Committee for Economic Development when she was asked about regulating the internet, Google and Facebook.
Ravel said that it would be under the "purview" of the FEC to oversee internet political activities such as fundraising and donations.
Her speech was just posted on YouTube.
Under current rules, the FEC regulates paid campaign ads on the internet just like they do on TV. However, videos or other social media posted for free are not regulated.
When the Democrats on the FEC first raised the possibility of regulations, opponents feared they were going to target conservative groups, activities and news sites. A proposal to delve into the issue died in a 3-3 vote.
Republican Commissioner Lee E. Goodman, the previous chairman,warned that regulations would silence voices on the internet and that sites with a political bent, even in the media, could face rules requiring them to disclose donors and finances.
But in answering the question this week, Ravel indicated she wants to pursue regulations. "It would be under the purview of the FEC to look at some of the issues that arise in new media and the impact of new media, in particular with respect to disclosure and ensuring that there is no corporate contributions, for example excessive contributions or contributions to a particular candidates for example," she said.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S ‘HACKED’ WEBSITE LOOKS LIKE PR STUNT

As outcry grows in response to a series of undercover videos revealing Planned Parenthood (PP) employees appearing to engage in selling organs and tissues from aborted babies for profit, the abortion provider claimed that “extremists” had hacked their website.

As Breitbart News reported, PP claimed that it had been hacked on Sunday evening.
The hacking followed several weeks of extremely negative press for PP in response to videos released by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP). So far, three videos have been released (See herehere, and here for Breitbart News’ coverage), and more are promised soon.
At least one other video is known to exist and has been provided to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where it is the subject of an investigation. Efforts to defund PP of taxpayer dollars — the group reportedly receives more than $500 million each year in federal funding — have been renewed in Congress.
PP initially responded by claiming that the videos were edited in a misleading way, but CMP had also posted hours of unedited raw video with each of their releases. The abortion provider also tried denying the content of the videos, claiming that the interpretations are unfair, but each subsequent video has ended up refuting the defenses PP offered for the one before it. Within the past few days, PP hired a high-powered public relations firm, SKDKnickerbocker, well-known for its work on behalf of liberal causes and close ties to the Obama administration. PP’s latest moves include having SKDK pressure media outlets not to cover the story and filing lawsuits to block future releases.
Unlike most other website hacking events that have made the news, PP’s website was not altered to display any message from the alleged hackers. Nor was it otherwise vandalized. The website that first reported the alleged hacking, The Daily Dot, noted that the hackers were unable to deface PP’s website or access its Twitter account, but that they claimed to have accessed emails and other databases.
Intriguingly, while PP’s website does not show any negative changes from the alleged hackers, it does display a message that many critics are challenging is a public relations stunt. Even if PP was legitimately targeted by hackers over the weekend, there are a number of indicators that at this point, their website issues have been deliberately triggered.
As of Wednesday evening, visitors to www.PlannedParenthood.org would find a nearly empty site with text stating that: “We apologize, but our website is not available because of an extremist attack. 200,000 people a day are now being blocked from information and care by this attack.” The message reflects one of the group’s favorite strategies: to shield the details of their abortion services behind claims that they are simply providing “women’s health” or “reproductive services.”
PP.org screenshot homepage
Screenshot of PlannedParenthood.org homepage on July 29, 2015.
Below the text, a link that says “LEARN MORE,” which directs to Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s Facebook page. That Facebook page implores the reader to “help PP fight back,” by — no surprise here — making a donation. The donation page says:
Planned Parenthood has been the target of hackers seeking to intimidate and silence us. Hundreds of thousands of patients who rely on plannedparenthood.org for health information and services have been denied access.
The attacks on Planned Parenthood are an attempt to cut people off from care, plain and simple. We can’t let that happen, and we won’t. Please chip in what you can to help make sure patients can get the care they need — and ensure that Planned Parenthood can’t be silenced.
ppaction.org donation screenshot
Screenshot from Planned Parenthood Action’s donation page (click to enlarge).
Several sharp-eyed Twitter users noted some key quirks in PP’s website that give credence to the theory that this is a PR stunt. As digital media consultant Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) observed, not only did PP maintain control of the homepage of their website so as to put up their sympathetic message, they also had the ability and the time to tweak the font and alignment.
Looking up the source code for the website (accessible by right-clicking the website and choosing “View page source“), PP’s programmers named the landing page “Campaigns,” and identified the page as “Site Down Tempalte,” presumably a misspelling of “template.”

Sunday, July 26, 2015

UAF chancellor restores Mississippi state flag to campus display

FAIRBANKS—The University of Alaska Fairbanks started the week by taking down the Mississippi state flag because of its inclusion of the Confederate battle flag emblem, but the flag went back up on Friday.
UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers explained in a post to his Facebook page that he "reluctantly" decided to replace the flag based on comments he's received since Monday.
"The tone and content of some of the responses I received this week have convinced me that it is in the best interest of UAF to return the Mississippi flag to the Circle of Flags, but I do so reluctantly," he wrote.
When asked about the content of the responses Rogers received, UAF spokeswoman Marmian Grimes pointed to social media, where Rogers' decision has been generally opposed.
"As evidenced by the discussions on social media, there are certainly strong opinions on this issue," she said via email. "He reviewed those, along with other verbal and written responses he received, and decided it was best for UAF to return the flag to the display."
The flag had been displayed along with every other state flag at the Cornerstone Plaza on UAF's lower campus.
The move came among intensifying national debate on the Confederate battle flag after it appeared in pictures of a gunman in a racially motivated massacre at a historically black church in South Carolina. Critics have said it still serves as a powerful symbol of slavery and racism.
Juneau earlier this month removed the Mississippi flag from a display along a prominent road.
On Friday, Rogers explained his original decision, saying he felt "it was inappropriate for a campus that values diversity to display a flag that many see as a symbol of racism."
Rogers said he hopes discussion about the flag continues in hopes that efforts in Mississippi to change the flag will be successful.
"I encourage members of the campus community to continue a reasoned dialogue on symbols and other manifestations of racism in our community and throughout the United States," he wrote. "I hope that similar discussions nationwide will help the Mississippi speaker be successful in his efforts to change their state flag."

Contact staff writer Matt Buxton at 459-7544. Follow him on Twitter: @FDNMpolitics.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

[OPINION] Guy Leaving ‘No Tip’ Cards Because Of Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Is An Idiot And Here’s Why

(Photo Credit: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)
(Photo Credit: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Ladies and gentleman, we finally have a hero among us willing to go toe to toe against the evil forces known as the “minimum wage”! There’s only one problem…
He doesn’t seem to understand how it works.
The “it” in this case is the $15 an hour minimum wage that went into effect earlier this year in Seattle, which isn’t unlike Chicago’s recent $13 minimum wage hike. To be clear, the fact that it went into effect does NOT mean all workers in Seattle now receive $15 bucks an hour. Similarly, all Chicago workers are not currently making $13 an hour. Before I get to that explanation, I want to first address the “idiot”…
(To be absolutely clear, this article is not against people who don’t like the minimum wage or tipping culture. This article is against idiots spreading falsehoods.)
According to WTKR, a bartender named Anthony Fetto in Seattle recently received a unique tip. Instead of giving Fetto cash, the customer left him an “informational” card dubbed “Why I don’t tip in Seattle.” The card gives its recipients a free “economy” lesson detailing the many ways the $15 minimum wage is bad.
Basically, the card is an excuse not to tip. It relies on the idea that waiters and bartenders are making a whopping $15 bucks an hour. But, of course, that idea is false.
“At least come up and tell me personally…” Fetto responded. “Don’t be very passive aggressive and just kind of leave this and walk away without saying anything.”
You can read the card’s wisdom for yourself below…
So why isn’t Fetto making the $15 bucks the “info card” claims?

Timeline Photos

Anyone who’s bothered reading Seattle’s new minimum wage law (and if you’re going to be leaving cards based on the law that make you sound like a self-righteous jerk, you should probably read it) would know that the law takes effect gradually. So yes, the law went into effect in April of this year, but the minimum wage isn’t actually $15 yet.
For employers with fewer than 500 employees, for example, the minimum wage is currently $10 bucks and won’t be $15 until 2021.
For employers that have employees that receive tips, things are a bit less straightforward. For tip-based jobs, employees receive a minimum compensation. A minimum compensation is based off a combination of hourly wages AND tips (and medical benefits, if applicable).
Yes, that is right, though waiters and waitresses will theoretically be paid $15 bucks an hour by 2019, that number is supposed to include tips..
These facts basically nullify our mystery man’s “tip card.” Listen, if you’re going to be a jerk, the least you can do is get your facts straight.
In Chicago, despite the $13 minimum wage law, the current minimum wage is $10. That will slowly go up until 2019, when it will become $13 bucks.
And even though the minimum wage in Chicago is currently $10, the minimum wage for tipped employees is actually $5.45. So please, don’t be a jerk by refusing to tip your waitress!
Want to study up on the many intricacies of these laws so you don’t look like an idiot? Read about Seattle’s here and Chicago’s here.
Mason Johnson is a Web Content Producer for CBS Chicago. You can find him on Twitter.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

U.S. Bishop Tobin on Gay Marriage: 'Blatant Rejection of God's Plan,' From the 'Father of Lies'

Pope Francis, who says homosexual marriage is an
"attempt to destory God's plan" and comes from "the
                                                                   father of lies," Satan.  (AP)

(CNSNews.com) -- In reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling today that homosexual marriage is a right, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, head of the Catholic diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, said "a thousand courts" may rule what they want but gay marriage "is morally wrong" and a "rejection of God's plan for the human family."
Quoting Pope Francis, Bishop Tobin further said that homosexual marriage comes from "the father of lies," Satan, "who seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God."
"A thousand courts may rule otherwise, but the very notion of 'same-sex marriage' is morally wrong and a blatant rejection of God’s plan for the human family," said Bishop Tobin in a June 26 post on Facebook
He continued, "As Pope Francis taught while serving as Archbishop in Argentina: 'Same-sex marriage is not simply a political struggle, but it is an attempt to destroy God’s plan. It is a move of the ‘father of lies’ who seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.'"
"Despite the current trends of our society, or perhaps because of them, the Church must redouble its commitment to proclaim and defend authentic concepts of marriage and family as we have received them from God," said Bishop Tobin.  "We will always do so, however, in a respectful, charitable and constructive manner."
In its 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court concluded that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry regardless of where they lived in the United States. The ruling was made by the five liberal justices on the Court: Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.  The four conservative justices dissented: Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and John Roberts. 
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin is the former auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh, Penn. Tobin was appointed to the Diocese of Providence in 2005 by then-Pope John Paul II. The Diocese of Providence was established in 1872 and currently serves an estimated 679, 000 Catholics in Rhode Island. 

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