Posts

Posted on

OK John Oliver, I made my comment to the FCC on net neutrality. Happy now?

John Oliver on Net NeutralityI’ve made comments to the FCC about net neutrality in previous comment periods but not this one. Enter John Oliver, who made such a convincing argument about the need to take advantage of our bloody rights as US citizen to make a positive difference in this matter, that I felt shamed enough to submit another comment today.

If you too wish to be motivated to get off YouTube, Facebook or whatever you’re on for a while and use your computer for the God-given purpose it was clearly designed for (that is: the protection and furtherance of global democracy) then you too NEED to watch John Oliver’s segment on Last Week Tonight about Net Neutrality. Go on, I dare you to watch and come away uninspired. read more

Posted on

Random winter survival hacks

Winter bench

To get your car unstuck

Get an old carpet remnant – 6 foot long is best but 4 foot is OK too – by 18″ to 24″ wide. Roll it up and place inside a big garbage bag in your car. If your car gets stuck, forget about shoveling! Put the carpet upside down wedged under your tires. The tufts instantly freeze into the ice and stay there till the ice thaws or you rip the carpet off. Store the wet carpet piece in the garbage bag until you can take it out and dry it well. If it gets too dirty or smelly, get a new one. read more

Posted on

What does ‘State of Emergency’ mean in New Jersey?

State of Emergency-FreeholdWhat does ‘State of Emergency’ mean in New Jersey?

Gov. Chris Christie declared a State of Emergency in New Jersey Monday ahead of the snowstorm. According to the state Office of Emergency Management, the governor’s declaration “empowers the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) to act on behalf of the Governor to employ the resources and assets of State, local and private agencies to provide immediate assistance to localities.”

A common misconception about a state of emergency is that civilians are not allowed to travel on the roads during the declaration. According to the NJOEM, “the Governor’s declaration does not normally restrict citizen movements or activities. The State may limit access to affected areas due to concerns for public safety but will notify the public of these restrictions.” read more

Posted on

How to survive the Jan 2015 blizzard

blizzard is coming

Preparing for a storm doesn’t mean anything bad will happen, just that you’ll be comfortable if your lights or water go out, and you’ll know how to stay safe indoors. I hope you all stay safe and warm throughout … remember to check on elderly or infirm neighbors and if you have a safety tip or information resource, please share it with us. BTW they’re calling this storm Juno.

Here’s how you can prepare for and track the storm:

  1. Wunderground provides completely reliable weather updates.
  2. Here are some storm preparedness tips:
    • Gas up your cars, keep your cellphones and computers charged and have some cash on hand (credit cards don’t work when the power’s down).
    • Be prepared in case your lights or water get knocked out. A storm with this much snow (and ice too, probably) can down or damage power lines. A nice food protection tip is: put freezer baggies of water in your freezer and let them turn into ice. If power goes out, the ice will keep food cold and you will also have water to drink as it thaws. This and other good tips – plus an in-depth overview of what to expect during the storm – in the report by expert meteorologist Dennis Mersereau aka The Weather Dude.
    • Red Cross storm preparedness tips
    • FEMA preparedness tips
  3. The last New Jersey Transit pre-blizzard bus and rail trips will depart 8pm Monday night and will arrive by/at 10pm due to worsening weather conditions. Visit NJTransit’s updates and alerts page to sign up for alerts and get general information.
    • Rail: Service will remain shut down until Thursday morning January 29, depending on track/equipment and infrastructure conditions. The last train will make all local stops.
    • Bus and Light Rail: Service may resume Wednesday, January 28 depending on road and track conditions as well as snow-removal operation.
  4. How to handle power outages
  5. How to clear snow from fire hydrants (shared by the Bergenfield and Hillside NJ Fire Departments)
  6. A state of emergency was declared for New Jersey on Monday afternoon. There are misconceptions floating around about what this is, exactly, with some statements making it sound more like martial law than what it actually is. Follow the link to learn about it from the horse’s mouth.
  7. Contact info for county OEM offices throughout New Jersey
  8. New Jersey Department of Transportation issues alerts and advisories through 511nj.org.
  9. Warming shelters
    • Bergen County NJ
      • Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus
      • Law and Public Safety Institute, 281 Campgaw Road, Mahwah

Thanks to friend and Red Cross volunteer Han Broekman for sharing some of these tips.

Updated 03 Feb 15 read more

Posted on

French woman thinks Richard Gere is homeless & gives him leftover pizza

Richard Gere gets leftover pizza from French tourist
The Guardian reports on this truly funny story:

When a bunch of people emerged from subway tunnels and told this lady’s husband to stop filming his wife and surroundings with his little camera, the couple understood that something strange was going on. Two days later the French tourist learned what, when she spotted her photo in a newspaper! The homeless man to whom she had given her left-over pizza was actually actor Richard Gere, who was preparing for an upcoming movie role by walking around the streets of Manhattan in character as a homeless man, rummaging through garbage cans for scraps of food. read more

Posted on

Being caring is not noble, it’s essential.

Please, let’s never forget how important it is to care for people more vulnerable than ourselves. Recently I told about Narayanan Krishnan who walked away from a good job to devote his life to caring for India’s homeless (I love this story). And here’s another one, right here in the US!

Dr. Withers

Dr. Jim Withers started off dressing like a homeless man to gain the trust of homeless people living on the streets of Pittsburgh in order to give them free medical treatment. His guide was a formerly homeless man who told him, “Don’t dress like a doctor and don’t act like a jerk.” The pair once told clients the medicines in their backpacks were samples from pharmaceutical companies, but since he became a hero to the street community, Dr. Withers doesn’t need to pretend any more. read more

Posted on

Beware! ransomware locks up your computer or phone until you pay

Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 6.26.30 PMWAKV Radio Station in Plainwell, MI had its show archives and music wiped out by ransomware thieves. Fortunately, they had their music library backed up on another computer.

CNet writer Seth Rosenblatt explains in his report “Your computer and smartphone, held hostage: Cybercriminals are making their attacks personal, remotely locking your computers and smartphones until you pay a hefty ransom.”

The mother of a New York Times writer got ransomeware hacked and paid $200 to get access to her data back. As Alina Simone’s family learned, the criminals don’t want your data, they just want your money. And they’re getting plenty of it: read more

Posted on

Please Support Newark Grassroots Humanity Group Services!

Thanks for your interest in supporting the Newark Grassroots Humanity Group, an entirely community funded and staffed collaboration of individuals and non-profit organizations which provides humanitarian aid to Newark’s “neighbors with no address” (aka homeless people). The group’s principal mission is to provide a warm location, food and social service connections to

picture of grassroots warming station

How to Donate

Tax deductible financial donations for the Warming Station are being accepted by Partners in Acts (PACTS). You can make a donation: read more

Posted on

Boston Museum shows never run Life photos of black life in 1950s US

Time's photo from what it is like to be black collectionIn honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston is exhibiting a striking collection of Gordon Parks photographs that Life commissioned, but never ran. In its article What It Was Like to Be Black in 1950s America Slate writer Jordan G. Teicher tells us:

Gordon Parks hadn’t been to his hometown, Fort Scott, Kansas, in more than 20 years when he returned there in 1950 as a photojournalist on assignment for Life magazine. Growing up as the youngest of 15 children, Parks attended the Plaza School, an all-black grade school in the heavily segregated town. Now, as the first black man hired full-time by the magazine, Parks wanted to find and photograph all 11 of his classmates from grade school as a way of measuring the impact of school segregation. The photo essay he created, which was never published, is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in the exhibition, “Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott,” beginning Jan. 17. read more

Posted on

Banana trade is bananas, but you can go Fair Trade

First came the proposed merger of Fyffe and Chiquita brands last March, which fell through in October and now Brazil’s Cutrale and Safra have partnered to buy Chiquita and headquarter the company in Brazil, closing the company’s North Carolina Office. Fortune says, fruit is big business.

bananasGuardian authors Rebecca Smithers and Dominic Rushe write:

According to Banana Link, a not-for-profit organisation campaigning for a fair and sustainable banana trade, the big fruit companies are relocating to countries in search of cheaper labour and weaker social and environmental legislation. Many workers in countries such as West Africa, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador do not receive a living wage and face appalling working conditions including 10- to 12-hour working days and exposure to harmful chemicals. read more

Posted on

No free pass on criticizing Israel & saying it’s not about Jews

When people express a problem with Israel, they are not talking about the many Israeli Arab citizens of the country or the pretty large number of Chinese that now live there. They are talking about Jews. That is why criticism of Israel is criticism of Jews – because when people criticize Israel they are really criticizing Jews, then pretending that is not what they intended to do.

Posted on

Moderate Muslims speak out in #notinmyname video

I’m sometimes challenged for saying that neither violence nor hatred are natural characteristics of the Muslim religion and that Muslim leaders are responsible for the destruction associated with followers of Mohammed today. Recent events have motivated moderates in this community to voice positions against terrorism and take action for peace. I hope this movement grows and grows!

Huffington Post Brazil’s L Baltazar writes

O #JeSuisCharlie, que tomou as redes sociais como manifesto em prol da liberdade de expressão e contra o extremismo, originou um novo movimento que ganha espaço e recebe cada vez mais adesões: a campanha #NotInMyName. read more