Watchdog GreatFire.org, which we’ve previously spoke of, has reported that Microsoft Outlook users in China were attacked over the weekend, something that has notably followed the nation’s blocking of Gmail. It was reportedly a man-in-the-middle-attack that targeted those using IMAP and SMTP to get their email in a client, and though there are no official reasons for why it happened … Continue reading
The Supreme Court’s misguided 5-4 Citizens United v. FEC ruling authorized corporations to spend limitless amounts of money influencing elections. In the majority opinion written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Court claimed “The appearance of influence or access will not cause the electorate to lose faith in this democracy.”
They were wrong. With Congress ending last year with a public approval rating of 14%, the electorate isn’t just losing faith in this democracy — it’s totally gone. Every year since the Citizens United ruling, special interest groups and corporations have been one-upping their own electoral spending from the previous year with TV ads and media buys. All this spending recently slammed us with a nearly $4 billion midterm last November.
But the Citizens United ruling also detonated a massive movement built on people power to get big money out of politics. 89% of Americans agree that there is too much corporate money in politics and we’re doing something about it.
Over 140 organizations and millions of activists have banded together to counteract the Supreme Court’s nefarious slash-and-burn of campaign finance restrictions, implemented to safeguard our democratic process from becoming a plutocracy where the wealthy few call all the shots.
In the last five years, 16 states and over 600 cities and towns passed measures calling on Congress to support an amendment to overturn Citizens United. And in September 2014, the U.S. Senate voted for an amendment proposal to reverse Citizens United – only 12 votes shy of the requisite three-fourths majority.
The anti-corruption group, Represent.us – allying with both liberal and conservative groups – worked hard to successfully pass the Anti-Corruption Act in Tallahassee, Florida. This year they are taking the model bill to more cities and states.
Over 30,000 people are legally rubber-stamping messages like “Not to be used for bribing politicians” and “Stamp money out of politics” onto their currency with the grassroots campaign, Stamp Stampede. They are turning money into media by creating millions of mini-billboards and creating a mass visual demonstration of support. I call it a petition on steroids. It’s a simple action that anybody, anywhere can do anytime.
As this month marks the fifth anniversary of the Citizens United ruling, hundreds of folks are walking for days in the freezing New Hampshire winter to protest corruption in politics with the New Hampshire Rebellion group. Over 50 events all around the country are being held to educate the public on the toxic outcomes of the Citizens United case.
We the People have made sweeping gains in the last 5 years to take back a government of, for and by the people. And we’re just getting started. As our politicians increasingly rely on big money, we are relying on the growing force of people-power to keep democracy alive.
It looks like Google is going to throw a ten-figure sum into Elon Musk’s space internet dream. Both The Information and The Wall Street Journal report that the search giant is finalizing a $1 billion investment in SpaceX’s recently revealed effort to offer global internet service through small satellites. It’s a crazy idea that just might work.
I like to listen to this at many different times in my life because it makes me feel fly. Next time you’re in an airport, try popping “Lifestyle” in your headphones and pop on your sunglasses as you walk to the baggage claim. Everyone around you is going to feel a lot less cool by comparison. [Spotify, iTunes, Amazon]
Back in December 2014, Microsoft’s Xbox Live gaming service was hacked with the hacking team Lizard Squad claiming responsibility for it, which is why we can’t blame gamers for feeling that tinge of paranoia whenever the service is interrupted as it could either be a glitch, a hack, or maybe maintenance.
Well if you have been trying to access Xbox Live and you can’t, don’t worry you’re not alone. According to the Xbox Live Status page, it shows that there is limited connectivity going on at the moment. This has affected the purchase and content, as well as social and gaming aspects of Xbox Live.
Thankfully it looks like Microsoft is aware of the problem and have left messages on the status informing gamers that they are aware of it and are working to resolve it. No word on when these services are expected to go back to full functionality, but in the meantime if you’re having problems accessing these features, you know why.
It is unclear as to what the problem could be. It could simply be a connectivity issue, it could be a server crash or bug that is causing the limited connection, but hopefully it is nothing serious. Either way we will keep you guys updated on its status, so check back with us later for more updates.
Xbox Live Experiencing Limited Connectivity , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
T-Mobile in the past few years have managed to stir up quite a lot of buzz in the carrier and telecommunications industry. This is thanks to the carrier’s “uncarrier” strategy which basically offers customers crazy deals and offers which often come across as too good to be true. This has worked out for T-Mobile as they have seen an uptick in new subscribers, but how sustainable is it?
In an interview with Re/code, Deutsche Telekom’s CEO Tim Hoettges recently revealed that this strategy might not necessarily be very sustainable for the long-term. Hoettges revealed that in order to keep up with T-Mobile USA’s uncarrier strategy, they would have to invest $4-5 billion every year.
He was quoted as saying, “The question is always the economics in the long term … and earning appropriate money. You have to earn your money back at one point in time.” That being said, Hoettges does appreciate the maverick approach that John Legere has taken with the company, although it’s probably a management style that would never be accepted in Germany.
“His management style will never be adaptable to Germany. I like people being disruptive… I like people who are brave. He is very much fitting to our DNA, how we want to be, even if he is very American in his approach.” Hoettges also revealed that he likes the idea of merging with Sprint and hopes that the political environment will change in the future that would allow such a merger to take place.
T-Mobile’s Uncarrier Strategy Is Hard To Sustain , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Considering that Google owns Android, it isn’t surprising that the updates made to Google’s apps tend to arrive for the Android platform first before making their way to iOS. For example last year in November, Google updated their Google Calendar app for Android devices. Now for iOS users who were a little jealous, fret not because it looks like the new standalone iOS version is close to being released.
The folks at TheNextWeb have recently managed to get their hands on what appears to be screenshots of the upcoming update to the app. The updated version of Google Calendar for iOS is expected to be somewhat similar to the Android version. This means that iOS users can look forward to photo features as well as the ability to add map information directly to your calendar.
It is unclear as to when we might be able to expect the app to be released or what its full list of features are, but presumably based on what we can see, photos and map info will be at least two of the features that will be making it into the app. In any case hopefully we will hear back from Google regarding its release, so in case the default iOS calendar isn’t doing a good enough job of managing your schedule and events, then the Google Calendar app for iOS could be worth keeping an eye out for.
Google Calendar For iOS Screenshots Leaked , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Each year, Microsoft surveys Internet users around the world. Each year, we get a pretty good sampling of what drives us as we grind through life, and an even better idea of what our concerns are on a large scale. Sourced from several digitally developed nations like South Africa, Brazil, China, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, Japan and the US, 12,002 … Continue reading
TLC is coming back for a fifth and final album, which will be funded partly through Kickstarter, and the group celebrated by bringing their signature off-the-wall energy to HuffPost Live on Monday. In the middle of talking with host Caitlyn Becker about the upcoming music and their late bandmate Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas did something they rarely do: argue.
It seems T-Boz and Chilli disagree over the question of which of them loves TLC more. As Chili made the case for why she loves the group most, T-Boz attempted to make her point by poking Chilli, then imitating her behind her back. The exchange is a perfect depiction of the phrase “fighting like sisters,” and it’s definitely worth a watch.
See TLC’s debate in the video above, and click here for their full HuffPost Live conversation.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day held special significance for many this year, as people across the country came out to volunteer, march and celebrate the civil rights leader’s legacy on the first MLK Day since the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York.
Activist groups called for the celebrations and demonstrations this year to be tied to recent efforts to draw attention to racial inequality and police brutality. Leaders from groups like Black Lives Matter and Ferguson Action helped organize events for the holiday through a campaign called #ReclaimMLK. Several other hashtags were associated with MLK Day events as well, including #DayOfAction, #WWMLKD, #PledgeOfResistance and #BeLikeKing.
With its #ReclaimMLK events, Ferguson Action, a grassroots civil rights organization birthed out of the heightened racial tension in Ferguson following Brown’s death, encouraged activists to resurface the “radical, principled and uncompromising” nonviolent protest tactics King used during the civil rights movement.
“Martin Luther King Jr’s life’s work was the elevation, honoring, and defense of Black Lives. His tools included non-violent civil disobedience and direct action,” reads a statement on FergusonAction.org. “From here on, MLK weekend will be known as a time of national resistance to injustice.”
People around the nation took that sentiment to heart:
On early Monday morning, protesters in California gathered outside the home of newly elected Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who spent her first day in office with Oakland police.
Protesters chanted “Wake up Libby!” “No sleeping on the job!” and “You chose to prioritize blue, but today you will hear black,” according to SFGate.com.
In a statement emailed to The Huffington Post, Schaaf wrote: “We live in the best and most diverse city in the greatest nation on earth with the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. As Oakland’s Mayor I am committed to connecting our police and our communities to ensure public safety and the protection of our ideals.”
And on Sunday night, about 150 people marched through the streets in the Bay Area to protest against racial injustice as part MLK weekend activities.
The cast of the Oscar-nominated film “Selma” also took to the streets Sunday evening to hold their own demonstration in Selma, Alabama, in tribute to King. The film’s director, Ava Duvernay, and Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo and Common led a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Meanwhile, across the nation in New York City, hundreds gathered in Harlem and marched downtown as they chanted “No justice, no peace” and held signs saying “Black Lives Matter.”
In Philadelphia, thousands of people gathered to march through Center City, calling for police and criminal justice reform.
“[T]his year, King’s legacy is being thought of in the context of the #BlackLivesMatter movement which has spread like wildfire throughout the United States and around the world. Ignited by the killings of Islan Nettles, Mike Brown, Rekia Boyd, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Renisha McBride, Aiyana Jones, Jordan Davis and too many more by police and vigilantes, Dr. King’s legacy and his work take on a different meaning in today’s world,” #BlackLivesMatter co-founders Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors-Brignac wrote in a blog post for HuffPost.
Here are more photos from protests that occurred over the MLK holiday and weekend, aimed at continuing the leader’s fight for racial justice:
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