We believe that the NSA mass data collection program is unconstitutional.
We're excited to see more attention given to diversity in holiday representation.
Congrats to the >chinese for their lunar landing! They join only us and the former Soviet Union in accomplishing a soft-landing on the moon. May humans continue to explore space in peaceful cooperation.
Shutdown plurality voting!
- Government shuts down, due to
- Ideological fundamentalism in Congress, due to
- Ideological fundamentalists voted into Congress by the American people, due to
- Dysfunctional, big money, two-party political system generating few election options, due to
- Widespread use of simplistic, poorly-representative, winner-takes-all, Plurality Voting system based on single-mark ballots, due to
- It being used when the country was founded and now being ingrained in our culture, due to
- Single-mark ballots being easy to tabulate by hand.
Yes, in 2013, after landing rovers on Mars, sequencing the human genome, and creating a machine than can beat humans on Jeopardy!, Americans still use a simplistic system based on single-mark ballots and plurality voting because historically they were easier to count by hand!
Fortunately the Constitution (and local and state law) can be changed. ;) That means it's actually on us. Do we want to move to more evolved, robust systems, such as Preferential Voting (ranked voting) or Proportional Representation (wherever possible), to create a more representative, satisfactory, efficient government? Or do we want to keep our 'merican gladiator system that produces ideological meatheads who'd rather fight on camera than solve problems?
More info:
- http://en.wikipe
Congress... You idiots.original
How could you let this happen. Are you asking for a popular uprising? We are a bit late for an American Spring, let's hope the Empire Falls so we can quickly rebuild a true Democracy.
Congress... You idiots.
We believe >iranians want to peacefully coexist with us, despite the rhetoric and actions of t...original
"To gain relief from sanctions aimed at Iran’s support of terrorism, its nuclear program, and its human rights violations, Iran would have to undertake enormous reforms across the board. The Iranian government would have to prove that it has not supported terrorism in the past six months; it would have to release unconditionally all political prisoners in the country, end its human rights violations, and establish an independent judiciary; and it would have to assure the world that its nuclear program is designed only to provide peaceful nuclear energy. These are not changes that anybody expects to see in the short term from the current Iranian government, if ever."
We believe >iranians want to peacefully coexist with us, despite the rhetoric and actions of their government in recent history. We only want the same, so we are cautiously optimistic about the recent developments. However, until we understand what has brought about this change, we will remain guarded and skeptical.
Apple announcements = big let down. Those of us who thought all the "leaks" of the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S were intentionally designed to throw us off the scent of a real announcement, were wrong. No new AppleTV. No fablet device. Instead, we're left with confusion in the cost-conscious market: iPhone 4S for free, or iPhone 5C for $99. Sigh.
We support those who use their time and talents for the public good. Code for America is an excellent example as they use technology to make governments more responsive. As an example, San Mateo County in California has one of the lowest rates of food-stamp participation in the country, due to a difficult application process. Changes in the process would require 18 agencies to overhaul their data-processing software. The participants want to create a program that would ask simple questions to applicants and use the answers to populate the complicated government form.
New or a rehash of the same old ? I'm hoping for something fresh and it just launched today. I will give it a week of steady watching, but some suspect it to be a more polished version of CNN...
Al Jazeera English had an bias - but it's always nice to see an outside America or more critical perspective. This show will be funded by money from outside the US, but made by those who reside in the US. I hope a beneficial combination for those who are able to subscribe to this channel.
They started off on a bad foot though, banning content basically from the other Al Jazeera networks around the world...
america.aljazeer
>egyptians, what's the history behind the distrust between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian military? And do you believe that a political military is compatible with a pluralistic democracy? The >americans hope you find a way to build toward a sustainable peace quickly.
There is no question that child abductions are tragic, and that Amber Alert phone notifications (part of the national Emergency Alerts System) are a great idea. But the implementation of this notification program is terrible! iPhone users were jolted awake several times last night by their phone's "Alarm" ringtone, which is designed to sound like a 1950s military base under threat of imminent attack. On iPhones, the Amber Alert system uses this specific ringtone at full volume, even when in Silent Mode or Do Not Disturb is activated. Unless a tsunami is about to wash Los Angeles into the ocean, common sense tells us that particular sound is not necessary or appropriate, especially since it can be triggered in the middle of the night while people are sleeping. It's an all-or-nothing design, where the only option one has is to opt-out entirely. Given the ringtone choice, it wouldn't be surprising if many people did opt out. The poor decision to use this particular ringtone is a lesson in the importance of getting the details right.
Regarding the Venice beach mow-down, we can't help but wonder why more effective vehicle barriers are not in place at the Boardwalk!
OK, feedback for Michael.
- Don't force these little boxes to scroll just to achieve consistent rows - it isn't worth the annoyance to the user
- Instead try something like isotope.js - http://isotope.m
Stand Your Ground laws make no basic sense! It's illogical, unfair, unjust to hold that a person has a right to start a fight with another and, if the fight turns starkly in favor of the other, to then kill that person. Such laws need to be repealed!
As much as we love Arrested Development, we just can't get that into the new stuff due to its...original
I heard that the reason that they had to film the episodes in such a disjointed way came down to scheduling conflicts with the actors. The show couldn't get all the actors together for the episodes, so they used body doubles. Either way, it didn't really work for me and I hope they don't do that the next season. Show is still funny though...
Hey >brazilians! What are the issues leading to your riots right now? What do you hope to change? Inquiring Americans want to know!
When the branches of government collaborate to set a few well-placed wrenches in its innermost wo...original
In this new era of ubiquitous surveillance, we're considering simplifying the Blocvox sign-up/login page by removing that pesky password requirement.
When the branches of government collaborate to set a few well-placed wrenches in its innermost works to break the mechanisms of public accountability, civil disobedience becomes a moral necessity. So, indeed, Edward Snowden /is/ a hero.
As much as we love Arrested Development, we just can't get that into the new stuff due to its... disjointed development. Digital delivery holds the promise of bringing small time, lower budget productions to large audiences, but those productions also tend to be edgier, riskier, and more adventurous. Combine that edginess with the wide-open possibilities of the on-demand digital frontier, and you risk a level of self-indulgence that would make Lindsay Fünke blush. It's a match made in Sudden Valley. In the case of A.D., they started down the zany path of "watch 'em in any order" only to abandon that at the last minute. That sounds like something the Bluth family might do, and while we applaud the show creators' efforts to feel their characters, we wished they didn't. That ever-tumbling plot-orientation of yesterday's A.D. was replaced with an explosion of disconnected mini-biopics. They each go in their own direction and leave us not with a burning desire to find out WHAT THE HELL WILL HAPPEN NEXT?! but with a burning desire to shrug and shake our heads. Netflix, next time you take on a gifted show, make sure you don't let your new media strangeness mess with their mojo.
Super major props from us in the blocvox-troopers to the good folks of the >soundcrowd for being the first new bloc of the re-launch!! *collective high-five!*
How to Get the Best Features of iOS 7 Right Now http://lifehackeoriginalr.com/how-to-get-the-best-featu.....
I kept getting an error message and the page would crash when the reference page tried to load here, and a bunch of wingdings were in the summary area. Using Chrome...
How to Get the Best Features of iOS 7 Right Now
http://lifehacke
This breach of trust can't be overstated. The American government itself is guilty of moral treason. Game theory tells us we can't expect any entity to act but in their rational self-interest, but I am incensed all the same. One must only assume, therefore, that this exposure will not diminish surveillance, but drive it further beyond the sight and reach of the public. I do have faith however that Americans (and not just corporations) will use their freedom to protect their freedom, and strive to invent private means of communication that remain beyond the sight and reach of Big Brother.
A new front page... Lookin' Good!
The new web page attachment feature allows us to show a summary of a webpage along with the vox, ...original
We love this new feature! It will heighten the political discourse and accountability throughout the land for decades to come! (This is an example of a "Reply" post, which encourages and supports long-lasting topical discussions between groups--all driven by democratic processes.)
The new web page attachment feature allows us to show a summary of a webpage along with the vox, whenever we include a URL in the vox. The current implementation is rough, but it works. To attach a web page summary, simply include a URL in your vox... as you're typing, the site should detect the URL, and if it is able to create a summary, it will display the summary details next to the vox text box, where you can write comments about the referenced webpage. For example: No parliament means no representation. Looks like Egypt may be headed for a dictatorship.
There's a new Photo upload feature, for those times when words won't suffice. Speaking of which, check out the trendy logo!
Progress toward justice: George Zimmerman charged with second-degree murder!
Is it in the works to have a profile type section where one can see all their own "voxes?" Similar to how twitter has it. Just curious... might be a nice idea to see a compilation of all the voxes you wrote.
Students Protest Debt as Student Loan Debt Collectors Make a Billion http://www.commo
We support Governor Brown's proposal to increase sales tax and raise levies on upper incomes to help raise money for schools and balance the state budget. * sales tax = 1/4 cent per dollar for four years * levies = graduated surcharge on incomes over $250,000 for seven years We will vote in favor if it makes it to the November ballot.
The Stream: Is the US ready for a three-party system? http://www.youtu
Where is history anymore. Is what matters most the things that are happening now? Shall the past not inform our current opinions any more? Education really seems to now really be indoctrination, or selective learning influenced by the local community. Can it be any other way, when we have the world of information at our finger tips now? Is knowledge democratized currently? If so, why haven't we expressed our collective power of democracy. Each one representing themselves, instead of voting their responsibility away.
We can't wait for the new episodes of Arrested Development!
Up All Night started out a little shaky but has gotten much stronger - Applegate and Arnett are a great duo!
Kudos to NPR! Last month they released updated journalistic guidelines that state "if the balance of evidence in a matter of controversy weighs heavily on one side, we acknowledge it in our reports." It does not serve the public good for the media simply to be enslaved as an amplifier for voices of manipulation. Any kindergartner is capable of repeating someone else's words. And it's time journalists stopped fearing the worst, most hypocritical offender and manipulator of media markets: Fox News Channel. One giant leap for journalist kind... one small step for American political awareness.
We support the position of Steve Lopez, LA Times columnist, re California's race to the bottom for quality public education.
Over the past decade state funding for schools has declined by 42% and the effects have been devastating.
The remedies are not simple but as Steve puts it:
You cannot fix any of this in a state more inclined to build prisons than schools, despite projections of a huge shortage of college-educated workers by 2025.
You can’t fix it when you’re the only major oil-producing state with no excise tax, and you refuse to correct the huge property tax advantage Proposition 13 extended to corporations.
You can’t fix it without modest concessions from public employees, including teachers, on pensions and benefits.
And you certainly can’t fix it with three competing and unimaginative tax-increase proposals — one by Gov. Jerry Brown — that would restore some school funding, but are likely to do each other in come November.
http://www.latim
We are noticing the improvements to the site. Once "reply" and "comment (12)" are unlocked, all hell is going to break loose. In a good way.
"U.S. soldier in Afghanistan goes on a shooting rampage." If anything is surprising about this, it's that it took so long to happen. We have a culture that glorifies violence, and praises aggression as the American way to solve problems. Our educational system is completely devoid of tolerance and diversity instruction, has failed to equip students with adequate job skills, and completely down-plays the greatest of American traits, a overriding respect for the content of one's character. And then we fill the frontlines of our military, literally the faces of our nation to those countries who are at greatest ideological odds with us, with the most extreme personifications of these problems. We weren't surprised 10 years ago, and we're not surprised today. It's time we re-learned what it means to be American.
Was disappointed to see that the ipad 3 is just a slight upgrade to the previous ipad 2. It looks exactly the same and it's not even lighter... *sigh* oh Steve would you approve?
Best new comedy shows: - New Girl - Happy Endings - Suburgatory - StevieTV Oldies but goodies - Modern Family - Parks and Rec - The Office - 30 Rock What are your top shows?
Excited for the new Ipad 3!
Is Bill Maher right? Are we liberals living in a bubble too?
http://gawker.co
Where can I find that scorpion jacket?
Voting a post up or down is one of the key components of blocvox yet most posts have only one or two votes. It’s a test environmentalists; let’s test it. Vote up or down but vote.
Yesterday President Obama lambasted Republican presidential candidates for their vague, amorphous criticisms of weakness in his handling of Iran. While it's reckless, premature, and dangerous for these candidates to imply the need for war, they force the President into a sticky situation. While we support his desire for a diplomatic resolution, we do feel the President must take care to balance his political desire to point out the flaws in the Republicans' rehetoric, with the nation's strategic need to be extremely assertive with Iran. Specifically, he must craft his statements about Republicans not to signal to Iran that military force is completely out of the question. Otherwise, he can embolden Iran and ironically bring us closer to war.
More: http://www.nytim
We're not as excited about tomorrow's rumored iPad 3 announcement by Apple as we are about the AppleTV! 24/7 Siri! (If only they could make her sound like the computer from Star Trek The Next Generation!)
Ecstatic about the self-destruction playing out in the >republican-party today!