Elizabeth Sheld

Today, a judge ruled that the NSA surveillance program that collects millions of American’s phone calls is “lawful.” The case was brought by the ACLU: American Civil Liberties Union et al v. Clapper et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of

Edward Snowden delivered Channel 4’s “Alternative Christmas Message” today, urging the the end of mass surveillance.  The message was filmed from Russia, where he has temporary asylum. Below is the transcript: Hi, and Merry Christmas. I’m honored to have the

Viewers aren’t just opting for traditional television fare this Christmas, the Hallmark Channel is having a “banner ratings season” with it’s marathon of Christmas movies.  The movies are formulaic with starring actors people often ask “What ever happened to…?” Take

Edward Snowden will deliver the “Alternative Christmas Address” on Britain’s Channel 4.  In the past, the address was given by figures such as Ali G and Sharon Osborne.  The “Alternative Christmas Address” is the channel’s answer to the Queen’s message

Alan Turing is remembered for many things. He was a brilliant cryptographer, a genius logician/philosopher, and the father of the modern computer. He was also gay, and in 1952 Turing was convicted in Great Britain for the criminal offense of

According to a new Pew Research Poll, one in five adults without a child in the home, are expecting a visit from Santa. Eleven percent who do not celebrate Christmas are also expecting a visit from St.  Nick.  But even

The Duck Dynasty controversy doesn’t appear to be affecting the show’s merchandising.  Hanz Wilz of Ottumwa, Iowa and his company created the “Duck Dynasty Scented Candles” and reports their sales as a “huge success.” Wilz sells to large box stores

Documents and testimony show that healthcare.gov still has “serious security vulnerabilities” ABC News is reporting.   There have been “two high findings” of risk – the most serious level of concern – in testing over the past few weeks, the

When the news broke that Cecil Williams would not be able to keep his dog Orlando, funds were launched and donations poured in so Williams could keep his life saving pet. Williams, who is blind, fell onto the subway tracks

Cecil Williams who was saved by his dog earlier this week from an oncoming subway, will have to give up his dog.   Williams, who is blind, lost consciousness and fell onto Manhattan train tracks into an oncoming train. Orlando,

Yesterday’s meeting between Obama and America’s tech giants was co-opted by the President, who used the meeting to flack  for Obamacare.  The meeting was held with more than a dozen tech company honchos and the list of attendees is a roster of the

Mediate reported yesterday that Walmart is selling an Occupy Wall Street poster in their online store. The poster was available via the Walmart Marketplace where individuals can sell their products, once they get approval from the company. If you have a

Eight Democrats have proposed a bill that would take the death penalty off the table for a variety of serious federal crimes, including espionage, treason and assassinating federal politicians.  The Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act. (HR 3741) would “end the

Last week a group of Orthodox Jews prepared for “knock out” attacks in a class held in a synagogue basement.  Thirty people gathered to be trained in the art of krav maga, an Israeli martial art at the Young Israel

Senior government officials are saying that the extent of Edward Snowden’s intelligence leaks may never be known.  Snowden fled the US after removing classified documents from government computers, subsequently leaking documents showing an alarming level of domestic surveillance by the

Oregon has signed up a whopping 44 people for their Obamacare program, after spending more than $300M on their state-run exchange. According to a DHS report, Oregon had the fewest health insurance sign-ups in the nation.  That breaks down to $6,818,181