Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Updates 6/12/12

Hello everyone.



Here's a funny little story not connected to Occupy, but is a little heartwarming to me. There's a man named Matthew Inman who runs a comic website titled The Oatmeal, aptly found at theoatmeal.com. He draws all comics himself, and they are pretty lighthearted and hilarious. Last year, the website called FunnyJunk.com got into a bit of a spat with him, as FunnyJunk's users uploaded hundreds of Inman's comics while removing all credit to him. Since Inman's work is under copyright, he was a little annoyed, and mentioned it in a comic. Some of them were taken down, but Inman just let it go, not wanting to get involved in a legal debacle. Just a few days ago, the owner of FunnyJunk decided to have his attorney serve Inman with papers, saying that if Inman didn't pay FunnyJunk $20,000, FunnyJunk was going to sue him for false advertising and such. So basically, FunnyJunk is trying to sue an artist for complaining that they have stolen his work. 

Obviously Inman was a bit staggered by this. So he decided to do something funny about it. He is a comedian, after all. He drew a funny comic making fun of the FunnyJunk owner's mother attempting to have relations with a bear, and came up with a plan. He would raise the $20,000 in donations from fans, take a picture of the money, and then donate half of it to the World Wildlife Federation (to save the bears, which is a joke you need to read to fully understand,) and half to the American Cancer Society, because cancer sucks. In 64 minutes of starting the fundraiser, Inman hit the $20,000 mark. Apparently even FunnyJunk users are appalled at the website's lash out against Inman and The Oatmeal, and are donating as well. As of this morning, the fundraiser topped $100,000, and is still climbing.

This obviously hasn't ended the legal kerfuffle between the two, but it's highly unlikely that FunnyJunk will win the case. And two great charities are getting some help from a funny guy and his monster fan base. In the world of internet comedy, there's not much better than that. If you like, head over to theoatmeal.com and have yourself a little fun.

To read the comic I'm talking about, go here:

http://theoatmeal.com/blog/funnyjunk_letter

If you'd like to donate to the hilariousness or check out how much has been raised, go here:

http://www.indiegogo.com/bearlovegood



On to the Occupy news.



-- Occupy DC is officially removed. Originally, it was reported that drunk locals had torn down the rest of the tents, but an Occupier stepped out to say that it was actually their own who took the remaining structures down following a meeting on Sunday. Other protesters put up a few temporary structures to try and rescue the encampment, but it hasn't been used much since they were last raided. 




-- The last two members of Occupy the Farm will apparently not be charged, meaning that there will actually be no charges filed at all against any of the Gill Tract Occupiers.




-- Occupy Oakland is protesting against the shield ban by rallying outside the home of the councilperson that presented it.




-- Here's a fun one. Occupy Portland stepped up to bat against Portland City workers--literally. Here's a description of the promised ball game between them, and the suprise guest who ended up as umpire for the game.




-- Over 60,000 protesters came out in Russia to fight back against Putin's regime, pushing way beyond police estimates of 18,000. Read more here to find out what happened. 




Sorry I had to type that quickly. I just received several important emails from my university. I need to work on responses asap. 


***Solidarity*** (and thanks for your patience and love)

To contact me, please email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com, or leave me a comment. 
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Monday, June 11, 2012

Updates 6/11/12

Hello everyone.



Well, sadly, I had to quit my job last night. I didn't want to, because obviously I need the paycheck, but even my mother told me to quit. I was working for the largest corporate grocery chain in the US, and after a few days, they really proved what they cared about, and it definitely wasn't their employees. Even Walmart, as much as I despise them, will let an employee get a drink of water if they are thirsty, and has you take a break every two hours. Not this place. You weren't allowed to drink until you were on break, and only got one 15 minute break per 6 hour shift. For someone with health issues like me, dehydration can be a real problem. As I walked home from work on Sunday, I got a massive nosebleed, all due to dehydration. The job was stressful as it was, and since I was the newest employee, my hours were going to be cut from 12 a week to 6-8. A week. I got screeched at by two different managers wanting me to do two different things. They left me alone for 4 hours, refusing to let me use the restroom until an hour and a half after I asked. Then I found out that because of union dues and uniform fees, I wouldn't be receiving a paycheck for the next 3 weeks at least. I'm not too interested in working for free, unless I actually volunteer to do so for a cause. So I'm back to the drawing board when it comes to my finances. I just have to remind myself to keep going. I only have until August, when I go back to school and am a paid researcher. My biggest concern will be getting my medication, which I need refills on very soon. Wish me luck. 


On to the real news.




-- The Corporate Media is having a field day with Robert Pattinson (best known as the sparkly vampire from the popular tween movies in the Twilight series) and his opinions of actors who support Occupy. He believes they are a hypocritical bunch. If you are interested in what he said, you can click the link to read the rest of it. (No, I don't honestly hate the Twilight series, but I greatly dislike the movies. Blech.)




-- Over a dozen Occupiers and clergy members are set to start their trial today for breaking into a church owned lot back in December. Many of those facing charges opted to take a plea deal which allowed them to avoid jail. Those who refused are facing up to 90 days in jail. The church in the middle of the fiasco is Trinity Wall Street, which consistently stated that they agreed with OWS, yet refused to help, and called police repeatedly when Occupiers came knocking.




-- While this article doesn't seem to have much to do with Occupy, you can read between the lines and find more than you think. Walmart's Asset Protection crew (fitting name, I believe) has been accused of killing several people accused of shoplifting, mostly by ignoring when things go wrong. In my opinion, this truly shows profit over people, as they are willing to let an accused shoplifter die of a heart attack rather than lose some items from their stores. The author of this opinion piece, by the way, wrote the new book titled "Occupy Walmart."




-- Occupy Abai is getting ready to test Russia's newest anti-protest law, and in a big way. The June 12th is Russia Day, and Occupiers will be taking to the streets once more in a second March of Millions. Russia Day is meant to celebrate Russia's independence from the Soviet Union. Authorities have stated that they will not allow the crowd to grow past the 50,000 that showed up at the first March of Millions last month, but opposition leaders believe more than 100,000 may take to the streets. Reports are already surfacing that show Russian riot police are preparing with all kinds of "non-lethal" weapons, including an unusual machine gun that fires shuttlecocks with sniper accuracy and a hard hit that can knock people down, even if they have armor. (Wtf?!)





-- This link is actually a discussion concerning the new Law 78 signed in Canada, which curtails the rights to protest in the country. Once the law was signed, even more groups and unions came out in protest. Press TV talks to activist and journalist Anna Lekas Miller, to get her take on the law, and what the US should do next.




***Solidarity***

To contact me, please email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks. 
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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Updates 6/10/12

Hello everyone.



I decided I would take a different way home last night. I was walking and trying to find a shortcut, considering it takes me a half hour to walk about 2 blocks due to the awkward roads. Well, I found one...  Then I got screeched at by a raccoon, stalked by deer, and twisted my ankle running from a skunk. I think I'll only take that way in the daytime. 


Anyway.



-- The Canadian Grand Prix is this weekend in Montreal, and protesters were sure to have their voices heard during the festivities. Over 600 students took to the streets to protest. Fox News reports that protesters were throwing missiles and bottles at police, police cars were damaged, and that those celebrating were "trapped" by what they are calling a "riot." No injuries were reported, but 25-28 students were arrested during the march. Those attending the celebrations didn't seem to mind the protests. (Which brings to question--How were they "trapped" if that is truly the case?)




-- Protests against internet censorship in India are getting serious. Anonymous has been using DDoS attacks against websites belonging to the Indian government, including the Computer Emergency Response Team India site meant to deal with cyber security. Anonymous later commented that they can't even protect themselves, but they are somehow expected to protect others. The website was up again later that evening.




-- The NYPD is under fire (again), but this time it's for religious discrimination. Fishel Litzman is an Orthodox Jew who was weeks away from receiving his badge when he was kicked out of the police academy for not shaving his beard. Hasidic Jews believe that cutting their beards is forbidden by God. Litzman says that the department knew when he began the academy that he was an Orthodox Jew, but recently began having confrontations over the length of his beard. Litzman and his attorney are considering what steps to take next, and several leaders are urging the Police Commissioner to reconsider his stance on the matter. 




-- Occupiers in Providence have been banned from the local Providence Place Mall for a year, after they rallied inside with messages of higher taxes for the rich. Police handcuffed the demonstrators and removed them from the mall, only releasing them when they accepted the one year ban. Occupy Providence is not happy with the way police handled the incident, saying "Using handcuffs on peaceful protesters exercising their rights to free speech was clear intimidation and completely unnecessary."




-- The fight for women in Egypt is far from over. A march against sexual assault in Cairo turned dangerous for the female protesters as a mob of men descended on the group, groping the women while trying to get into their handbags and shove their hands down the women's clothing. The male supporters tried to fight back against the mob, but with so many involved, it quickly turned into a free-for-all melee. The protesters and supporters alike believe that the mob was orchestrated, but are unsure of who would have done so. There are more details in this article, but be forewarned, it may be upsetting to those who have experienced such trauma. (AKA trigger alert.)




***Solidarity*** 

To contact me, please email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks.
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Saturday, June 9, 2012

Updates 6/9/12

Hello everyone.



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.
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Friday, June 8, 2012

Updates 6/8/12

Hello everyone. 



Sometimes writing this blog can be tiring. I can go weeks without getting any feedback from anyone, so sometimes I wonder if I'm writing helpful information, or if people are actually reading anymore. I just keep reminding myself to keep it up. Maybe I'm helping someone.




-- Evicted families in Seville, Spain, have taken over an empty apartment complex to make it their home, regardless of the building having no power or water. In Spain, families have been evicted left and right from their homes, with as many as thirty in a block losing their homes. The apartment complex that has been Occupied was completed in 2010, but none of the apartments were ever rented out. The group is part of the Patio of Neighbors "La Utopia," and has much support from Spain's citizens. The story is short but inspiring to read.




-- A man who was not involved in Occupy protests found himself arrested after he snapped photos on his way to a party Wednesday night. Marc Moran was heading to a get-together at the InterContinental Hotel when he saw the rally marching down the street, and he pulled out his camera to take some photos. As police arrested them, he tried to tell them he was simply a casual observer, but he was detained for over 12 hours. When he was released, his camera was finally returned to him--minus the film, of course. Police say there is no record of them seizing the film.




-- Russian President Putin is determined to quell the protests against him. A bill is being rushed through legislature that would make protesting fines skyrocket to a year's salary--roughly $9,000. The new law, if passed, could also ban "large-scale public gatherings," as well as subjecting those who violate it to prison. (How terrifying for the protesters... I'll be keeping them in my thoughts.) Opposition leaders have tried to quell fears of the fines by assuring that they would assist in raising money to take care of them, as they already have for several protesters, including a schoolteacher who was found guilty of damaging the reputation of an education department official after she accused him of pressuring her and others to falsify votes.




-- Occupiers in Hong Kong have been asked to leave the premises of the Asian headquarters of HSBC Holdings Plc, but protesters say they aren't going. The activist group has been offering free classes, music and books to all who stop in, saying they believe that sharing is a positive thing, and not everything needs to be traded for money or goods. The lending giant HSBC says that they would prefer the protesters to leave voluntarily, but they are working with authorities to find ways to evict them should they choose not to leave. 




-- Out of the nine Occupy the Farm protesters who were arrested for trespassing on UC Berkeley property, only two will actually be facing charges. The rest were apparently arrested outside of the fence, and the prosecutors have said that "in the interest of justice" they will not be filing against them. However, several of the protesters are facing off with the UC Regents in civil court, as they are being sued to keep them off the property. 




-- In Denver, activists are staging a hunger strike until the DREAM Act is passed, which would allow children of illegal immigrants to attend college or join the military as a way to achieve legal citizenship. The two are hunkered down in the Colorado campaign office for President Obama in an effort to get it passed. President Obama's campaign has released a written statement saying that he wants the DREAM Act to pass, and that he would sign it, but it is stalled in Congress. Passing it would require that "Republicans stop standing in the way."





Finally, here are two story links you may find interesting. I certainly did.


-- "Police didn't warn protesters" is a common phrase now. But this judge actually agrees with it! He has given the green light for Occupy to go ahead with lawsuits in NYC.




-- If the FBI wants you to be their informant, you have the right to say "no," right? Apparently not if you want to live your life in peace. See what they've done to this man.




***Solidarity***

To contact me, please email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading. I really do appreciate it. 
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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Updates 6/7/12 -- News and a "book."

Hello everyone.



Yesterday was a hectic day. Work in the morning caused my fibromyalgia to flare up. I was in a lot of pain, and could barely even think. I was supposed to go grocery shopping after work, and decided instead to go straight home. I napped, which didn't help much, and ended up falling into bed early, but still not actually falling asleep until after midnight. 

Today we've got some news, but I think it's also time for me to reveal something about myself afterward. Enjoy, I guess? :)





-- An independent report concerning police response to UC Berkeley protests has been released. In it, reviewers say they were "disturbed" by the quickness of which police beat protesters with batons, saying that they should have learned from previous campus protests. The school has created a Protest Response Team to prepare for future events, and says they realize they were inadequately prepared for something they knew was likely. Criticism of the police response in the UC school system abounds.




-- Eight members of the Muslim community have filed a lawsuit against the NYPD as of yesterday, alleging that the NYPD's tactics are unconstitutional due to the use of race, religion, and national origin. It's the first lawsuit challenging the NYPD's surveillance techniques, in which they basically stalked entire communities of people, finding out where and when they ate, prayed, worked, and did mundane tasks, such as getting a haircut. The NYPD Commissioner says the surveillance is needed to prevent another 9/11 type attack.




-- Four Occupiers were arrested last night in Milwaukee, after they allegedly disobeyed police orders to stay on the sidewalk and moved into the street, partially blocking traffic for a time. Roughly 40 protesters were marching, flanked by about 30 police officers. The four arrested were charged with disorderly conduct. Later, when the Police Chief was briefing reporters about the arrests, protesters shouted him down, according to several news outlets.




-- Here's an opinion piece describing the events of the City Council meeting in which the ban of shields and such was proposed. It's written scathingly against Occupy, and has several quotes that show what some of the more fanatical people can be like. It's an interesting read, to be sure.






So, now I'm going to let you in on a little more about me. 


I'm a writer, if you couldn't tell by how I daily find and blog information. But something happened yesterday that left me in tears, for over an hour. 


Ray Bradbury died.


Ray Bradbury is, and always will be, my favorite author. He's inspired me to always think for myself. His writing encouraged me to keep writing, even if my Creative Writing instructors hated my style. His books encouraged me to dream, to realize, and to understand the people and things around me. He predicted so many things in our world today: the big screen TVs, the interactive media, ATMs, and tons of technology. But he also predicted other things. He predicted a world where thinking is a bad thing, and can even be criminal. He predicted that we would be governed by advertising and a misled media. He predicted that we would be afraid of our own government.


And he was right.


My writing is similar to his in some ways. I write fiction, sometimes horror, sometimes war. I think it's time that I show you a piece that I've written, even though I don't like where it is. My short story WarCrimes is on Amazon Kindle, but it's free to borrow, which I intentionally set up recently so that people could read it without paying a dime. I'm going to post the link to it, so if you like, you can read it. I would post the story here, but my contract with Amazon says that it can't be placed anywhere else. 

http://www.amazon.com/WarCrimes-ebook/dp/B00516HHQI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339079689&sr=1-1



There's the link. The story is ambiguous for multiple reasons. It could be set in the past... Or the future. It's up to you. The ending is cruel or kind. I don't know. I couldn't change it, even when I was threatened to lose a letter grade for my refusal to do so. (I had submitted it in one of my writing classes. People loved the story, hated the ending. Too bad.) 

I'm telling you about this story because I feel like it's becoming more and more relevant as we watch our freedoms disappear. If you read it, great. If you don't, I'm not offended or upset in any way. I love all my followers, readers, and friends. 


***Solidarity***

To contact me for any reason, please email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks for being here.
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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Updates 6/5/12

Hello everyone. 


We have quite a few links today. Some are news, some are opinion pieces. 




-- Have you been wanting more information about why the judge in Oakland is on the Oakland Police Department? This article by Colorlines gives a detailed background of what's been going on behind the curtain, and why this struggle has actually been going on for nine years.




-- Here's an opinion piece concerning the "success" or "failure" of Occupy, depending on how you see it. The author details why they believe the Occupy movement has not, and will not, disappear.




-- Occupy Chicago took to the streets in a large demonstration yesterday, protesting against police infiltration and entrapment, politically motivated arrests, and targeted repression. Some carried photos of people thought to be infiltrating local movements in order to incite violence. The city initially applied for a grant from the federal government for preparations of last month's summit, but have yet to receive any funding.




-- A judge in Seattle has dismissed over a dozen trespassing cases against Occupiers, stemming from their Occupation of an old Capitol building in December. The judge ruled that the activists could not have been trespassing, as the building had been abandoned and was slated to be demolished two weeks later. 




-- Coming soon to your town... Occupy money? Occupiers are working together to stamp bills with Occupy slogans and anti-corporate logos. Is this legal? Kinda. Read more here:




***Solidarity***

To contact me, please email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks.
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