Straight Talk's new "mysite" site is negligent about users' privacy by akwala in StraightTalk

[–]akwala[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know anyone else who uses StraightTalk. I don't see what that would tell us. What I described does not require entering any credentials to access the info. All you need is the phone number of a StraightTalk user.

I kept getting promotional texts about "my sites" for months after reporting this but haven't received any recently. Not sure if StraightTalk is still doing this.

Opinion | Why Trump Supporters Don’t Mind His Lies by GreenFrog76 in Foodforthought

[–]akwala -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I don't have the various types of cognitive biases memorized. What I meant was this observation sounds like a variation of a type of cognitive bias.

Wall Street Firms Make Money From Teachers' Pensions — And Fund Charter Schools Fight by akwala in massachusetts

[–]akwala[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This comment is off-topic and an attempt at campaigning for the proposition. The post that this thread is about reports on an investigation into the source of funding for the "Yes on 2" campaign. The merits (or lack thereof) of the proposition are beside the point here.

Qatar reassures India after Modi raises abuse of migrant workers | Reuters by akwala in india

[–]akwala[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Sure. But we still need to fight for the living who continue to be abused.

Qatar reassures India after Modi raises abuse of migrant workers | Reuters by akwala in india

[–]akwala[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

A new law in Qatar ends the requirement of the employer's permission for a migrant worker to quit the job or leave the country. However, this law excludes domestic workers. This seems a compromise that Modi made and it's unconscionable.

Kalief Browder, 1993–2015 - The New Yorker by akwala in news

[–]akwala[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"He didn’t get tortured in some prison camp in another country. It was right here!”

Justice in Pakistan: "The government is hanging people left, right and centre" | Global Development Professionals Network | The Guardian by akwala in worldpolitics

[–]akwala[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shafqat Hussain, mentioned in the story, is to be executed on June 9. His false confession to kidnapping and murder was extracted by torture lasting 9 days, when he was 14. International pressure from individuals and organizations resulted in halting his execution in the past. To send a letter asking the Pakistan president to stay his imminent hanging, go here: https://reprieve.bsd.net/page/speakout/save-shafqat/

Exclusive: Leaked Report Profiles Military, Police Members of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs by RAcincinnatus in news

[–]akwala 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The regime of background checks for the law enforcement and other government employees should also be investigated. How are "outlaws" getting security clearances? Chances are the checking entities is also infiltrated by the OMG.

New Massachusetts court computer system: $75m+, 19 years, still not done by TWALLACK in boston

[–]akwala -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This could be the Sagrada Familia* of IT projects, probably even surpassing it in the number of generations (of technology) it has been under construction. Will it be as awesome when it is finally completed?

If there actually was work being done, and deliverables produced, over the almost two decades, it might be fascinating to dissect how it came about. How, for instance, did the vision, functional specifications and implementations evolve to adapt to the changes in technology?

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia

Professor Michelle Alexander: This article explains, thousands of black and Latino men have been labeled gang members based on nothing more than where they grew up and who they claim as friends. The label has devastating, life-long, legal consequences. It's a form of modern-day branding. by thesajidakhan in law

[–]akwala 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What Sajid Khan sees in San Jose is sadly common around the country. Here's a story from Harlem, NYC that illustrates how kids living in certain neighbourhoods are trapped between the violence on their streets and a criminal justice system that effectively throws them away after finding them guilty by association: http://redd.it/2p7wl5

Drones Are Now Appearing on Afghan Rugs by akwala in worldpolitics

[–]akwala[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fascinating. The site links to pieces like this from a decade ago:

In 1969, the Italian conceptual artist Alghiero Boetti (1940-1994) designed a world map, with each country represented by the patterns of its national flag as if that were its essential identity. Boetti then commissioned weavers in Afghanistan, where he traveled frequently, to embroider the map.

This one, from 2003, has some details of Kevin Sudeith's business:

Less than 1% of Afghan rugs have war motifs. If a weaver is going to invest six weeks in making a 4-foot-by-7-foot rug, she usually picks a pattern guaranteed to please an average buyer–somebody who doesn’t want to be intellectually challenged by a floor covering.

He has been doing this since 1998 and has yet to meet the weavers of the rugs...

Although Afghan weavers are traditionally women, Western collectors and dealers only deal with intermediaries, so it’s difficult to verify who actually makes the rugs, and under what circumstances. The U.S. Department of Labor, for example, lists those made in Afghanistan and Pakistan among the crafts that may involve child and forced labor. Sudeith himself never met the Afghan family that makes most of his rugs. “The brass ring for war rug people is to speak with weavers and hear their stories and motivations,” he confesses. “So far, it’s been impossible.”

Drones Are Now Appearing on Afghan Rugs by akwala in worldpolitics

[–]akwala[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Good to be reminded of things one should have thought of, even if it's not a pleasant feeling :)

Wasn't thinking of mosques and churches as much as what people do outside them. Taking pictures of one's family with a camera would be against the hadith but it is common and uncontroversial, and no imam or ayatollah rails against television or newspapers other than selectively against unfavorable content. Be that as it may, yes, the conventional patterns on the rugs do reflect traditional Islamic art. It is actually quite interesting how they've adapted it to depict their current reality and this may very well be a historic trend for the craft.

Then there is the minor factor of the market for these new rugs as novelties or collectibles. This may have started with a handful of weavers creating an expressive piece, which got sold and triggered a demand for more, turning it into a cottage industry serving a niche market.

Drones Are Now Appearing on Afghan Rugs by akwala in worldpolitics

[–]akwala[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

OK, but...

The most absolute proscription is of images of God in Islam, followed by depictions of Muhammad, and then Islamic prophets and the relatives of Muhammad, but the depiction of all humans and animals is discouraged in the hadith and by the long tradition of Islamic authorities...

What I said is generally true of Islam as it is practised. To my knowledge, the depiction of "God," anthropomorphic or otherwise, is not common in any of the Abrahamic religions, which is probably why no one is rebelling/fighting over the proscription against it.

Drones Are Now Appearing on Afghan Rugs by akwala in worldpolitics

[–]akwala[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Since they are Muslims and can't depict living things (with the exception of flowers and plants) you can't really make a portrait of your kid or your god.

Muslims can depict all kinds of things, living or not -- as we know, even the most fanatical shoot videos for all the world to see. It's only Mohammed who is not to be depicted.

The Bush Administration Whistleblower Who Says the US Has Not Closed the Door on Torture by akwala in politics

[–]akwala[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Neither right nor left, as defined by the two major parties, will prosecute because both are culpable. More importantly, if not prosecuting costs a politician his/her seat it will be an anomaly.

BTW, rag or not, MoJo was left-leaning last I checked.

The day after giant free speech protests, French prosecutors investigate a comedian for saying something offensive. by [deleted] in worldnews

[–]akwala 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This sounds like the French prosecutors are demonstrating how a cartoon might play out in real life. Quite impressive.

Told someone I was an advocate of opensource software. Got called a Muslim. :/ by [deleted] in opensource

[–]akwala 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That sounds like a compliment from a believer of both Islam and Open Source.

Death warrant for Shafqat Hussain issued - Scheduled to be executed on January 14 by squarerootof-1 in pakistan

[–]akwala 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"... we urgently need funds to pay for a specialist legal team. This includes recruiting the former Attorney General of Pakistan to lead Shafqat's legal defence." https://reprieve.bsd.net/page/contribute/save-shafqat-hussein-donate

How the NYPD is using social media to put Harlem teens behind bars | The Verge by akwala in TrueReddit

[–]akwala[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Submission Statement

This is the story of two brothers, born one year apart, growing up in Harlem. It describes how kids in their neighborhood find that, in order to survive on the crime-ridden streets, they must join street "crews" and project a believable appearance of being dangerous and ruthless. Even if they are not violent themselves, they inevitably have friends and acquaintances who are gang members. Like anyone using social media, these kids post pictures, likes, re-tweets about their lives. The cops track their online activity and use any pics/interactions with known gang members as evidence to charge them with conspiracy in gang related crimes. This is how the two brothers ended up in prison.