playing with fire while the city sleeps
I found myself thinking recently about all the hoopla surrounding the last summer round of wild fires (California, Greece, etc). And I remembered this old, old, but awesome hip-hop ditty.
Today, the author would be arrested for terrorism. :)
It's best to listen to the song late in the evening, but not too late - they say that if you play with fire you might wet your bed (2 clips, move back and forth by pressing the left or right arrows):
I'm not sure why I like it so much. I prefer to register the symbolism and not the actual act of arson. Fire is a symbol for creativity, for emancipation. Every artist feels the fire. Idiots set buildings or forests on fire. Pick & choose. Here are the full lyrics: stealin' down an alley on a cold dark night
i see a halo in the rain 'round a street light
i stop and look and listen to the sound
as the raindrops penetrate the silence all around
alone, i gaze into the glistening street
the distant thunder echoing my heartbeat
urging me on to a secret goal
away from the light from this lamp on a pole
so i turn
slip away into the rain
drifting like a spirit through the shadows in the lane
clutching the tools of my trade in my hand
an old box of matches and a gasoline can
darkness envelops the scene like a shroud
a veil of emptiness hangs from the clouds
filling up the cracks in this desolate place
cradled by the night in an icy embrace
i move through the town like a ghost in the rain
a dim reflection in a dark windowpane
blackness beckons from every side
creeping all around like an incoming tide
a broken window in an empty house
i slip inside and begin to douse
the whole place with the fuel that will feed the fire
and push back the night, taking me higher
on out of the darkness
in a deafening roar
the match in my hand is the key to the door
a simple turn of the wrist will suffice
to open a passage to paradise
i pause
think about the past in the gloom
the smell of gasoline permeates the room
everyone has a little secret he keeps
i light the fires while the city sleeps
the match makes a graceful arc to the floor
time stands still as I turn for the door
which explodes in a fireball and throws me to the street
i hit the ground running with the flames at my feet
reaching for the night which recoils from the fire
the raindrops hiss like a devilish choir
dying in the flames with a terrible sound
calling all the names of sleepers all around
but then in the arms of the night they lay
their dreams sprout wings and fly away
out of their houses in a gathering flock
swarming overhead as I hurry down the block
i make my escape with the greatest of ease
and safe in the darkness, i drop to my knees
a light in this window, my hand on the latch
i reach in my pocket and pull out a match
Hope you liked it :)Sources
"The City Sleeps", Welcome To My Dream, MC 900ft Jesus - lyrics
First 120 seconds or so (MP3)Corrections
none so far!
Fraud 101: Spam, spim, chain mail and other time-wasters
We recently learned that Canada's Competition Bureau (7) took the unusual step of warning the public about several hoaxes perpetrated on the Internet and not only (9). This is a good opportunity for this article, since after getting for the nth time a chain email from a friend, I had already decided it's about time I write this little ditty, in the hope that if I am to receive more junk / chain mail from friends, they will at least be more interesting / innovative.1. Chain letters
It's very tough to protect yourself from chain letters because the "enemy" is really a hapless friend. You cannot educate / lecture your friends, as that is the surest and simplest way to lose them. But when you've been using and abusing the Internet since the early 90's, like I did, you've seen the same chain letters several times, sometimes translated in the various languages you and your friends have in common.
It's hard to understand what and who invents these. Although we have a few theories, we will not indulge in this silly sport. Rather, we will try to explain why they are bad and how to deal with them.
Such chain emails are, fortunately, easy to spot. The tell-tale sign is usually a statement to the effect:
"for every email you send you (or I) will make $1000"
"if you don't forward this email Viracocha will kill ye"
Hoaxes are bad because they waste time and clutter our mailboxes. They are very frustrating especially when received for the 10th time. When a friend forwards you a hoax, the implicit message is "I could spend 1 minute verifying if this is a hoax, but I prefer to make you waste 1 minute for the 10th time today deleting my crap".2. Spam
This is something we all hate. Luckily, things are now far better than only a few years back. Statistical analysis - more specifically, Bayesian algorithm - helped improve spam filters dramatically. This works by analyzing what you (and possibly others) have marked as spam vs. what you consider to be legit. Each word gets a score based on how often ends up in the spam folders vs how many times occurs in the legit correspondence. Together with other words and clues it allows the program to guess whether any email message is good or not. If you are using Google Mail, you must have noticed the improvement. If you are using Outlook, chances are you are still fighting an organized military with a broom. That's because the filters Microsoft has included in Outlook are not based on "live" statistical analysis, but rather on what Microsoft decides is the top monthly spam. Luckily, you can easily correct this problem with SpamBayes (5). Still, GoogleMail is far better not only than Outlook, but even than any other service, so if you have a problem with Spam, get GoogleMail - it has free spam filters (hotmail was trying to charge for it earlier), free POP, free IMAP, all the storage you want, multiple labels, unlimited filters, etc. You can use it with Outlook easily, if you would rather not store your email off-site.
Google spam filters are so good that there are signs that the spammers are giving up (3).3. SpIM
SpIM is spam for instant messaging clients and is especially prevalent on Yahoo!'s network (at least that used to be my experience). How does it work? Well, you are happily feeding your Internet addiction, when every now and then a message from a "melita" or "larissa" or who knows what other name you've never heard of pops on your screen asking you to visit some porn website. You then have to close that window manually, which is a total PITA because it interrupts your work flow. To protect yourself, you could allow messages only from people already in your contact list, but that is not what you want to do. What if an old friend has just found you and tries to message you? What if your house is on fire and your spouse can only use someone else's IM account to let you know, but can't, because you won't allow it?
These are all good questions. The only solution that I know of that can intelligently allow legit messages while denying SPIM is a Trillian plugin. (Pidgin should have something like that too, but if it does, then I don't know about it.)
Trillian is, as you probably know, an instant messaging client that connects to all possible networks and allows you to access them from the same interface, grouping your contacts based on their relationship to you, rather than their network of choice. You no longer need to have Windows Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AIM and ICQ all running at the same time, taking memory and screen real estate away from you and slowing down your computer. Trillian basic is free; if you want to your plugins, you need the Pro version, which is $10 or $20, can't remember. To deal with SPIM, you need to install Trillian SPAM challenge (6). This plugin will then issue a challenge/response check to anyone trying to contact you; this eliminates robots and SpIM. Other plugins allow for a multitude of other features, including shipment checker, incoming messages forwarding to any email address or cell phone, etc.4. Malware or phishing websites
These are websites that have been infected with some kind of virus, trojan or spyware. This malware is hidden somewhere in the webpage code and it infects you as you load the webpage in your browser. Many times, legitimate, high-traffic websites might become infected unbeknown to their rightful owners. Google might sometimes alert you when that happens and they are known to remove such sites from their index(4). Perhaps the best way to protect yourself against such malicious websites is to use a secure browser, such as Opera (the most secure browser of all) or Firefox with the NoScript extension, with Java disabled. Secondly, be very careful with what information you are giving away. In 99% of the cases, there is no reason to give away your real name, your real address or your D.O.B. even though the website might insist on it.. Use your judgment, don't be an automaton.5. eBay, PayPal or other shopping sites
This chapter would most likely require a separate article all by itself. Suffices to say for now that the problem with PayPal as well as its parent corp, eBay, is the lack of or inadequacy of their buyer or even seller protection policies. Most credit cards offer some kind of protection, but with PayPal, you're toast. You are completely at the mercy of your vendor, who may or may not deliver your merchandise, and may or may not send you what you thought you were purchasing. Either way, you will probably end up on your own and you will have to swallow your losses. That is why, if you have an alternative (such as a credit card), avoid PayPal.
There are even certain fraudulent non-Internet activities you cannot really protect yourself from. One such case involves the fraudulent use of Interac. If when you pay with your bank card the vendor makes a backup copy of your number and password, then imprints them on a card and empties your bank account, you will find that your bank will seldom reimburse you for the loss. Similarly, if somebody breaks into a shopping website that has your credit card numbers, there is again very little you can do about it. If a payment processor is dishonest, again, there isn't much you can do either (1).
Credit cards used to provide some form of protection against fraudulent charges, with usually $50 or $0 deductible for fraud, but lately, some agreements have been updated to either remove or drastically reduce such protections. We will be writing more about this shortly.Sources
Corrections
none so far!
LB Pearson got his Nobel prize exactly 50 years ago
If you're anything like me, and you don't happen to know who The Right Hon. Lester Bowles, P.C., C.C., O.M., O.B.E., B.A., M.A., LL.D. is, you might think "So What?!?". I think he was one of the most important politicians Canada ever had and quite possibly the best.
He did more to take this country into modernity than any other P.M. (at least that I know of, which is not saying much) and he did it mostly while in a minority government. Because so many high-schools and even the airport where I first entered Canada bear his name, it is almost impossible to find a video clip with him, but here it is:
As you can tell, the best are not also telegenic... Here's what he accomplished (mostly in a minority government):
Sources:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_B._Pearson
CBC.ca writeup: http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top_ten/nominee/pearson-lester.html
CBC.ca archives: http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-73-1265/politics_economy/lester_b_pearson/Corrections
none so far!
10 Things for Human Rights Day
I just got an email from an acquaintance working for Amnesty.ca. Shine your own light on human rights by taking at least one action to mark December 10th, the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights "He has only done what a courageous journalist should do. That is why he has got the support and the sympathy from his colleagues all over the world who uphold justice … 5. Invite a friend to become a member of Amnesty International- Link to number five 10. Be a part of Amnesty International’s global writeathon –
I reproduce it below:
Today is
International Human Rights Day
- 10 things you can do
on December 10 -
It's a time to reflect.
It's a time to act.
1. Write a letter! You can choose from more than 20 urgent cases - some that allow you to write directly to a person wrongfully detained or a human rights defender at risk, and others that allow you to write to a person in a position of influence -
Link to number one
2.. Learn about the impact of letter-writing by watching and sharing Amnesty’s short, powerful videos on Write for Rights TV - Link to number two
3.Help get Chinese poet and journalist Shi Tao released. Sign the e-petition, and a have a chance to bring Alex Neve to your community for 
a day - Link to number three
I am proud to have such a son as Shi Tao" - Shi Tao's mother, Gao Qinsheng, addressing international journalists.
4.Tell a friend about Human Rights Day by sharing Maher Arar & Monia Mazigh's invitation to join Amnesty International's Writeathon - Link to number four
6. Sign Amnesty’s electronic appeal calling on a moratorium on taser use - Link to number six
7. Donate $10 - or whatever you can afford - to help Amnesty International build the world you want - Link to number seven
8. Spread the word about human rights day on Amnesty's open facebook group - Link to number eight
9. Give someone an Amnesty Gift of Freedom instead of a store-bought gift this holiday season - Link to number nine
get together with a few friends, work on your own or look on our map for one of the nearly 1,000 organized Write for Rights events from coast to coast in Canada - Link to number ten
"Amnesty's work is of enormous value to those suffering from political oppression. It is perhaps more important than you yourselves have ever realized"
- Wei Jinsheng, a released Chinese Prisoner of Conscience
Corrections
none so far!
US elections - the dream contenders
Why would ConsumedConsumer.org care about the US elections? Frankly, because we cannot afford not to. Most governments take their cues from US. If US talks freedoms, they talk freedom, and torture in secrecy. If US tortures, they kill even more and torture openly. If US encourages stealing and does not punish its high-level crooks, corruption spreads like wildfire in the world. If US endures a housing bubble, the rest of the world has no other choice. And the beat goes on...
Here are the most interesting pairings I would like to see in the upcoming presidential campaign.
1. The Most Likely Candidates: Giuliani vs Hillary. They are also the most annoying, but that seems to be a prerequisite lately. In this pairing, my personal favourite would be Hillary, as I dislike her, complete with that creepy laugh track, less than I dislike the President of 9/11. There is another Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart clip that is a great study of Giuliani's facade, but you have to be an American to be able to watch it (you can only access thedailyshow.com archives through a proxy with an American IP, otherwise they'll redirect you).
2. Possible, but unlikely candidates: Obama vs McCain. They are both down to earth and average, a bit naive, and as such, unlike the first two, they are likeable. Unless they get their act together, neither of them will get to run. I don't have my mind made up about who I'd like to win in such a race, it would be very tough. So far, Obama has been slightly better, since McCain gave a speech to the Christian right about how important it is to have a Christian president (rather silly, since all American presidents have been and probably always will be Christians).
3. The ideal pair: Kucinich vs Ron Paul. They are the most principled, the most honest, the least likely to compromise their ideals, the only ones to have voted consistently against the war in Iraq, the only ones to end it immediately upon nomination, and as such, the least likely to get to run for president. My all time favourite is clearly Ron Paul. Not only he's a Libertarian, like myself, but he's an all-around awesome, honest, amazing man. Read more about Ron Paul and you'll see why. If you haven't heard about them and don't know who they are, the following clips will likely give you an idea.
Kucinich & wife
Ron Paul Tea Party 07 (5:33)
Ron Paul Stop Dreaming (8:46)
Ron Paul Speaks the Truth (13:41)
Ron Paul @ Google (65min, but well worth it)
Finally, after so much pro Ron Paul stuff, here something apparently against him: Republicans and Democrats, Please Protect Us from Ron Paul! :)
OK, these clips were nice, but what if you really haven't followed the US race for president, don't know anything else and would like to get up to speed? Watch one of Jon Stewart's segments on "Clusterf@#k To The White House" (Clusterf@#k is a term used mostly in the military, meaning huge, messy, chaotic movement of a large group). I would normally link to YouTube, but the war that Viacom is waging upon everybody else means that you can no longer find clips from their properties on YouTube. The clip is available for download in two formats: Windows Media and QuickTime. The clips are provided courtesy of the Crooks and Liars blog, which seems to be the only place where you can still access TDS clips, irrespective where you are in the world. You see, Comedy Central's excellent collection of TDS clips is only accessible to Americans. If your IP belongs to another country, you'll be redirected elsewhere. Once again, thank the beloved Viacom and its decrepit CEO for this.
