A few days ago, I posted a link to my short story, which is available only through Amazon. Once again, I had a few people ask me why I don't monetize my blog to help me out with my struggling finances. I figure now is as good a time as any to explain again. I don't really like the fact that my book is only available through a corporation, especially one that doesn't exactly always treat employees well or pay taxes. I hear they are attempting to remedy some of the problems, so at least that's good. But regardless, I still won't monetize the blog.
The problem with monetizing isn't the ads. I know most of you would just ignore them, which would be fine. The problem would be that I couldn't control who advertised on my blog, and some pretty nasty ads have been cropping up lately on other sites. The last thing I want is to have a hypocritical blog, where you come to read the news for Occupy and find an endorsement for some shitty candidate or awful corporate giant looking to line their pockets. So, as usual, that's not going to happen. I appreciate the concern that many of you show for my health, well-being, and finances, but I don't think that's the way to go. I didn't start this blog to make money, and I'm certainly not going to move it in that direction.
On to the news.
-- Occupy LA protested outside the office of Senator Ron Calderon's office yesterday in Montebello, urging him to support a bill called the Homeowners' Bill of Rights. The legislature would give more rights and protections to homeowners who face issues like foreclosure and loan modifications. It would give homeowners more strengthened due process by allowing them to sue in cases of fraudulent foreclosure. Calderon has mixed views on the bill, wanting it to be both "strong" but "workable." Occupiers are worried that "workable" may turn into "weak."
-- The NYPD is lying again, but if they're willing to do so in court, what should we really expect? In an interview with the Queens Chronicle, NYPD spokesperson Paul Browne stated that the alleged arrests of multiple journalists is "a total myth." He said that Occupiers were forging press passes to get through police lines, so they don't count towards journalist arrest numbers. Browne says that only one real credentialed journalist was arrested, a number that sharply contradicts the Committee to Protect Journalists count of seven and even the Mayor's spokesperson, who puts the count at at least five.
-- Occupy Fresno is celebrating a victory this weekend as they dropped a lawsuit against the county due to a settlement. The group was suing over their Free Speech rights, and the settlement allows three overnight protests a year, as well as requires the county to pay court costs totaling over $37 thousand. One man is quoted as saying, "We defeated unconstitutional ordinances and succeeded in voiding 105 arrests that were never filed."
-- An Occupy Asheville member has been acquitted of all charges by a jury. Initially, Lisa Landis' case was heard by a judge, who declared her guilty of impeding traffic and sentenced her to one day of jail, which she had already served. Landis wasn't happy with the ruling, and appealed to have her case heard by a jury, who took less than 10 minutes to return with 'not guilty.' Landis claimed that she arrived after police had told protesters to move off the street. She saw that police had blocked traffic and assumed the march was police-escorted, and began to film as a citizen-journalist. She says police then targeted her. Apparently, jurors agreed.
-- Vladimir Putin has signed the protest bill into law. The new law increases fines up to 150 times their original amount and allows for up to a year in prison. Putin says the law is meant to protect Russians from "radicalism." He refuses to speak with his opposition at all, and says the law may be amended if necessary. Many people had hopes that the President wouldn't sign the bill, but others knew he would. They pointed to a statement from his spokesperson as proof of his intents. Protesters who hurt riot police "should have their livers smeared on the asphalt."
***Solidarity***
To contact me, please email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment