Good morning.

It’s been awhile since I have written about Sudan and the latest news has not been good.

To summarize, Sudan has been at war with itself for almost its entire post-colonial history, starting in 1956. This past May, a mostly peaceful process that would split north and south into separate countries was imperiled by fighting over a border region claimed by both.

The struggle played out against a backdrop of increased oil production and a politics dominated by distrust. Nearly all of its major ethnic and religious groups have fought one another, and there are dozens of armed groups across the country.

Sudan has been ruled since 1989 by Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who seized power in a bloodless coup backed by Islamists. He assumed the presidency in 1993. Bashir has been vilified in the West and blamed over the years for cozying up to Osama bin laden, abusing human rights and unleashing death squads in Darfur, the war-racked region of western Sudan that I have blogged about in the past. In 2010, Bashir was charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity.

The southern Sudanese have been fighting for independence for decades. In January, nearly 99 percent of the region’s voters approved a split from northern Sudan in an internationally backed referendum. The referendum marked the end to the nearly one-million-square-mile experiment called Sudan, which for many troubled decades served as a bridge between the Arab and African world. Southern Sudan will be named the Republic of South Sudan upon independence.

But it’s not there yet. The struggle for independence is still going on strong. There are still a number of delicate and potentially combustible issues that need to be resolved before Sudan can peacefully break in two. Conflicts remained over how the two sides would share the south’s sizable reserves of crude oil and what to do about the Abyei region. This is the border region I spoke of above – it straddles the north-south border and is claimed by both.

In May, the Sudanese Army invaded Abyei, alarming Western and United Nations diplomats who warned that it was a provocative act that risked all-out war with the southern Sudanese. The U.N. warned that the North was bringing thousands of nomadic Arab people into the area in what it said could be a prelude to ethnic cleansing.

And now with the latest news, it is once again a horrible situation for innocent civilians. Anonz and his men are out there doing their best. This is what you can do to help.

Here is an e-mail I received from Save Darfur:

We watched in horror last week as the Sudanese Army attacked the disputed border state of Abyei, forcing over 60,000 innocent civilians to flee.

Northern allied militias then looted and burned the villagers’ homes and businesses along with the offices of humanitarian organizations many rely on to survive. U.N. officials have already warned that the Sudanese government may be attempting to “ethnically cleanse” the area.

The violence directed from Khartoum has not only reignited the possibility of a civil war but has also created a new humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

There must be consequences for the violence orchestrated by the Sudanese Government – the international community must demonstrate that actions endangering peace will not be tolerated.

Tell U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice to call for an investigation into the violence in Abyei and hold the perpetrators responsible.

An investigation led by the United Nations is essential to determine who is responsible for the violence and widespread looting of humanitarian aid.

If the investigation finds evidence of war crimes or crimes against humanity, the U.N. Security Council must immediately refer those responsible to International Criminal Court. Alarmingly, the Sudanese Army is threatening even more large-scale military assaults in neighboring Blue Nile and South Kordofan State. These are clear violations of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and threaten the peaceful separation of South Sudan, scheduled for July 9th. The United Nations must respond to Khartoum’s provocations with meaningful penalties.

Demand justice for civilians now. Tell Ambassador Rice to lead the call for a U.N. investigation and additional sanctions against Sudan’s government.

Thank you for taking action today – we’ll keep you updated as this volatile situation progresses.

Sincerely,

Angela Deane
Save Darfur Coalition

And this from the Enough Project:

Dear Friend,

Recent reports from our Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) provide visual evidence that the Government of Sudan has committed war crimes in the disputed border region of Abyei. The totality of evidence from satellites and ground sources points to state-sponsored ethnic cleansing, and may represent crimes against humanity.

More than 60,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in terror, and are now suffering without access to food, water and shelter. It’s Darfur all over again.

Take action now by signing our letter to President Obama and adding your own message.

Sincerely,

John Bradshaw
Enough Project Executive Director

P.S. Read our SSP report, “Burned to the Ground: Evidence of Potential War Crimes and the Intentional Destruction of Abyei Town by the Government of Sudan” and check out this SSP press release with a statement from our friend George Clooney, who continues to shed light on violence in Sudan.

Readers: First, please take a moment to click over and write your letters. And if you can do more, I’m sure Anonz and the people of Sudan would appreciate it.

Peace & Love: “Live it, Give it”

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

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Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

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All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

“Just Noticing…”

So..what do I mean by that statement? This is just a response to what Anonymous(s) wrote the other day with respect to women and our rights.

Iowa Woman Jailed for Thinking about an Abortion

Sounds far-fetched, right?  Well it isn’t.  The anti-choice zealots aren’t content to limiting a woman’s access to safe and legal abortion, they’re now thought police:

Ms. Taylor became light-headed and fell down a flight of stairs in her home. Paramedics rushed to the scene and ultimately declared her healthy.However, since she was pregnant with her third child at the time, Taylor thought it would be best to be seen at the local ER to make sure her fetus was unharmed.That’s when things got really bad and really crazy. Alone, distraught, and frightened, Taylor confided in the nurse treating her that she hadn’t always been sure she’d wanted this baby, now that she was single and unemployed. She’d considered both adoption and abortion before ultimately deciding to keep the child. The nurse then summoned a doctor, who questioned her further about her thoughts on ending the pregnancy. Next thing Taylor knew,she was being arrested for attempted feticide. Apparently the nurse and doctor thought that Taylor threw herself down the stairs on purpose.

Yes, as if Ms. Taylor’s existing problems weren’t enough, the anti-choice zealots got her jailed for 2 days for thinking of having an abortion, even though she voluntarily went to the ER to assure the health of her fetus.  Funny how “pro-lifers” have never met a victim they don’t want to punish.  After three weeks, the District Attorney declined to prosecute, but not because of the obvious encroachment on a woman’s right to choose (similar laws for which this woman was held exist in 37 states), but because she was only in her second trimester, and not third when she fell.  No I’m not making this up, and unfortunately Ms. Taylor isn’t alone:

Last March, Florida resident Samantha Burton was in week 25 of her pregnancy when she paid a visit to her doctor. Burton was showing signs of potential miscarriage, so her physician ordered bed rest. Burton explained that, as a working mother of two toddlers, bed rest simply wasn’t a viable option and then proceeded to ask for a second medical opinion. Seems reasonable, right?Her doctor, however, was having none of that. Rather than refer Burton for the desired second opinion, he instead felt it necessary to contact state authorities, who then proceeded to force Burton to be admitted to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital against her will and undergo any procedure the doctor felt like prescribing. When Burton had the audacity to request a change in the hospital in which she was being treated, the court denied her request. Three days into her forced hospitalization, Burton miscarried.

Being forced to miscarry in a hospital bed for 3 days, to the anti-choice zealots it’s wonderful, who cares about the traumatic effect on the woman and her toddlers left at home?

In other news of anti-choice “victories”, last March a Pennsylvanian teenager who sought an abortion without parental consent, was denied because the judge found her incapable of making an informed decision, because she had bad grammar:

After questioning her for more than an hour, the judge decided that she couldn’t have the abortion, ruling she was not mature and capable of making an informed decision about the procedure. The decision surprised her lawyer, Randall McKinney of the Allegheny County Office of Conflict Counsel, because bypass petitions are rarely denied.In his March 24 opinion, Judge Ignelzi wrote that he found the teenager wasn’t mature because, among other reasons, she had used bad grammar and had not asked her parents for permission. He also was not persuaded that the teenager’s trip overseas several years earlier with her mother demonstrated maturity. His next step was ruling that the abortion was not in the teenager’s best interest.

Not surprisingly the Judge was endorsed by People Concerned for the Unborn Child and LifePAC of Southwestern Pennsylvania.  Somehow the Judge determined she was mature enough to be a mother to a child, but not enough to make her own decisions regarding her reproductive organs.  Leave it to “pro-lifers” to make the best choices for the rest of us…even if it means confining a woman to a hospital-bed against her will, jailing them for having thought of an abortion, or denying the choice to a teenager because of her grammar.

**********

Readers: I’m trying to “just notice”, and not “judge”, but this one is just begging to be judged. How can I not judge someone, when that someone is judging women just for thinking something…When women are now being arrested for their thoughts…for their judgements with respect to their own bodies?

What world are we living in when a woman can’t even think freely about her own body?

Thoughts? Bitches?  Rants? Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

I love reading about women who have done, and are doing great things in their lives for others. I search out these women so that I can highlight them, honor and give them the recognition they deserve. Sometimes the women I write about are doing wonderful things that motivate us to do something…to join them in their crusade. And other times, I write about women of the past, who need the support of future generations to carry on their passions when they are no longer able.

Today I write  about Albertina Sisulu. Sisulu passed away this last Thursday. She dedicated her life to the ANC (African National Congress), lamented what apartheid did to her family but inspired her children and lived to see them become leaders in a democratic South Africa.

Albertina Sisulu was a trained nurse, a veteran of the anti-apartheid, campaigning for the rights of women and children. She was a leader of the United Democratic Front, a key anti-apartheid coalition in the 1980s that brought together religious, labor and community development groups.

After reading and hearing about her, no doubt she deserves today’s title. My warm wishes and thoughts go out to those that mourn her loss.

South Africa mourns as ANC anti-apartheid icon Albertina Sisulu dies

Albertina Sisulu, one of the last contemporaries of Nelson Mandela, has been hailed as a colossus of the struggle and a mother to South Africa, after her death at 92. Sisulu and her late husband, African National Congress (ANC) leader Walter Sisulu, were key figures in the fight against white-minority rule, enduring decades of persecution by the apartheid regime. In South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, when Mandela became the country’s first black president, Sisulu won a seat in parliament, capping her lifetime in politics. President Jacob Zuma said Friday that “Mama Sisulu”, as she was affectionately known, had “reared, counselled, nursed and educated most of the leaders and founders of the democratic South Africa”. ”We must thank her most profoundly for the selfless service to all South Africans and humanity at large, for her generosity of spirit and for teaching the nation humility, respect for human dignity and compassion,” Zuma said in a statement. ”Mama Sisulu was one of the foremost mothers of the nation and the last of the colossuses of the struggle for the liberation of South Africa.”

Sisulu’s daughter Lindiwe, the country’s defence minister, arrived at her mother’s house in northern Johannesburg on Friday as a stream of top-ranking government and ANC leaders came to pay their respects. Many rememberd Sisulu as not only a struggle hero but a mother to Mandela’s children and others whose activist fathers were imprisoned or forced into exile. ”She gave me unconditional love, she called me her son, I called her my mom and she was my second mother,” said Dali Tambo, whose father, Oliver, was president of the ANC and spent more than three decades in exile.

Mandela’s family recalled how Sisulu cared for Mandela’s children when he and her husband were imprisoned together on Robben Island after being sentenced to life in jail on charges of plotting to overthrow the apartheid regime. ”It is a well-known fact that the Sisulus and the Mandelas share a strong bond that spanned generations,” the family said in a statement. ”It is these family ties that saw Mama Sisulu being the primary guardian and caregiver of (his first wife) Evelyn Mandela’s children during the long period of Nelson Mandela’s incarceration.”

Sisulu remained close to Mandela after her husband’s death in 2003. She was among the first people to visit the 92-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner when he fell ill with a respiratory infection in January and was hospitalised for two days. Mandela’s foundation said “South Africa has lost a treasure”. Born Nontsikelelo Thethiwe in Transkei on October 21, 1918, Sisulu married Walter in 1944, with Mandela as the best man. A nurse by profession, she joined the ANC women’s league in 1948 and helped organise the women’s movement against apartheid-era pass laws, segregated education and other discriminatory legislation. Her activism and her association with top ANC leaders saw her held in solitary confinement, sentenced to house arrest and banned from political activity, while her five children were also arrested and expelled from the country.

She was reunited with her husband — with whom she shared a relationship that The Star newspaper on Friday called “South Africa’s greatest love story” — in 1989. She served four years in parliament before retiring from politics in 1998. Many in South Africa fondly linked her career as a nurse to her role as a national matriarch. She was “a midwife of the South African liberation, a true mother of the nation,” The Star said in an editorial.

Posted by: Newstime Africa

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Readers: I love this.

“You strike a woman, you strike a rock.”

Sisulu was the leader in 1956 of a march on Pretoria by thousands of women of all races opposing the extension to women of pass laws — which restricted the movement of black South Africans. This above quote was the slogan of the 1956 March.

Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Every year Memorial Day comes around and I want to say something, but I feel such a loss of words. I peruse the net and read, and all I read about is loss, and the honoring of those that we have lost in the job of protecting our country, and others.

What is there to say? On the one hand, I want to say, “Thank you for putting your life on the line to ensure my safety. Thank you for risking your safety…your life so that others can live theirs.” And I mean it. I don’t like war…I wish that we didn’t engage in it. I wish we didn’t have to. But I also know there are cruel forces out there, everywhere, that need to be stopped and put down.

And on the other hand I ask the question, “Why is it that we as a world perpetuate this evil in the actions and decisions that we make?” When we decide that money is most important, and human life is expendable, war is inevitable. And until we value all human life no matter what race, or sex, more than we value power, control, and these coveted pieces of paper, we will continue to kill and be killed.

I look forward to the day when Memorial day will be a day of true celebration. A day where we will honor the brave men and women who died in past wars and celebrate that we no longer need war… a day where we celebrate that we have finally evolved into beings that honor, love, and respect each other equally no matter what race or sex.

A day when Memorial Day will be an international holiday, celebrated throughout the world, to remind us how many lives were sacrificed for a future that has finally come. We are joined together as citizens of the world, who accept our differences by showing love, honor and appreciation.

Am I a dreamer? Maybe. But I can’t give up HOPE that this vision I have is attainable.

Until then here’s a few ideas that you can do today to honor brave women and men:

Memorial Day 2011: How To Honor Soldiers

As many of us excitedly look forward to gathering with friends and family and enjoying the long weekend, it’s easy to lose sight of the significance of Memorial Day.

But for military families across the U.S., especially those of the estimated 5,885 American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last 10 years of war, it’s a day to remember and honor those who have given their lives for our country.

For anyone in need of a refresher, Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Civil War soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery to honor their sacrifices. In 1971, federal law changed the observance of the holiday to the last Monday in May and extended it to honor all who had died in American wars.

Today, many cities celebrate Memorial Day with parades, speeches and the decoration of graves. At Arlington National Cemetery, an American flag is placed on each grave, and it’s tradition for the president or vice president to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

As you make preparations for your weekend barbecues or camping trips, consider how you can do something for the soldiers who have done so much for our country — whether by honoring a fallen soldier, supporting a military family or brightening the day of one currently serving.

• Honor fallen soldiers on Memorial Day by observing the National Moment of Remembrance. The National Moment of Remembrance, endorsed by President Clinton in 2000, takes place every Memorial Day at 3:00 p.m. local time. At that time, all Americans are urged to observe a moment of silence or to listen to “Taps,” in tribute to those who died for our country.

Prompted by a group of school children who didn’t understand that the holiday had significance beyond being a day off from school, the moment of remembrance is intended to remind Americans of the true meaning of the holiday and “unite the nation in acknowledging the contributions made by the men and women who gave their lives for our country’s freedom.”

Readers: Want to know what else you can do to honor soldiers, click here. Enjoy your day whatever you do.

Bob: :) I liked this one.

Jackie: You and I are thinking the same thoughts.

George: Yes women do need men but not how you think. Women need men to care and to be there for them. Men create wars, and they fight their wars for themselves, and their needs. They certainly aren’t fighting their wars for women. Don’t you know that if it weren’t for men, we most likely would have no wars? I needn’t say anymore on this. I think Doug said it best. Read his comment.

Anonz: Good luck in accomplishing your mission in Darfur. May the Gods watch over and protect you and your men.

Peace & Love: “Live it, Give it”

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Is Your Cell Phone Violating Your Rights?

To say that cell phones are widely used in the U.S. is a gross understatement.

According to CTIA – The Wireless Association, an organization representing the interests of the wireless communications industry, cell phones were used by 96% of the U.S. and territorial population (including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands) in December 2010.

A recent Nielsen survey reported that almost one third of U.S. cell phone users are utilizing smartphones. While the growing adoption of smartphones is good news for phone manufacturers, the advanced computing capabilities and wireless connectivity of smartphones raise new concerns regarding privacy rights.

Smartphones provide users continuous mobile access to the Internet. As a result, smartphones contain a treasure trove of personal information, including banking information, travel plans and family photos. However, while use of advanced security software is commonplace on our computers, many of us are not safeguarding the personal information stored on and transmitted through our smartphones. While there is security software for smartphones including anti-virus and encryption software, it is not available for all models of cell phones and has not been widely adopted.

A recent study conducted by mobile security company AdaptiveMobile discloses that 2010 saw the highest number of Smartphone malware (short for malicious software) infections, up 33% from 2009. AdaptiveMobile expects to see an exponential increase in such attacks in the next year as the adoption of smartphones becomes more widespread. In a society well aware of computer viruses and identity theft, why are we not protecting our smartphones from such attacks?

It is not only hackers and cyber criminals who may be interested in the information stored on our cell phones. It was recently revealed to the public that Apple iPhones and Google Android smartphones are regularly tracking our locations and recording this information in a hidden file stored on our phones. Anyone able to access our phones can use the stored locational information to reconstruct our daily travels and routine. Access to such information could be of great interest to the police and the government or even an employer or suspicious spouse. Police use of such information may be of particular concern in light of the recent accusations that police officers in Michigan are using data extracting devices to secretly obtain information from cell phones during routine traffic stops.

In addition to being stored on our smartphones, this locational information is being transmitted back to Google and Apple. It is currently unclear what these companies are using this information for, although the companies have stated that this information is transmitted anonymously and that the tracking and ability to opt out by disabling location services is disclosed in the privacy policies agreed to by the users. Such policies, however, are often lengthy and confusing and it is common for users to agree to such privacy policies without actually reading them. Furthermore, a recent test conducted byThe Wall Street Journal revealed that locational data continued to be collected and stored on Apple’s iPhone even when the location services were turned off.

The news of smartphone tracking activity and data collection has raised a number of privacy concerns. These concerns have lead U.S. and foreign lawmakers to request further details from Apple and Google regarding these practices. In addition, representatives from both Apple and Google have been summoned to participate in a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law. The hearing is to be held in May and will be focused on mobile device privacy.

While many are concerned over the implications of such locational tracking on privacy rights, others note that tracking a person’s location through their cell phone is nothing new. Some smartphone users state that they are not concerned because they have nothing to hide and note that such tracking is required for many of the useful programs on their smartphones to function. Numerous smartphone apps, such as those that can recommend a nearby restaurant, locate the nearest Starbucks or allow a user to map out travel routes, require tracking the location of the smartphone user.

Amongst the continued confusion over what information is being tracked by our cell phones and the debate over whether this tracking is helpful or harmful, what remains clear is that many of us are largely uninformed when it comes to the information that is being stored on our cell phones.

In addition to failing to protect personal information stored on cellphones from access by others, many smartphone users are also unwittingly broadcasting their personal information to the world. Geotagging is the addition of geographical information to media such as photographs or video. If geotagging is enabled on your smartphone, uploading media to the Internet simultaneously uploads your location. By uploading geotagged images you may be sharing your home address, details of your daily routine or the fact that your house is empty while you are out of town. It is easy to see how this information can be used and misused for everything from targeted marketing to targeted crime.

Most troubling is that many users have no idea that geotagging is occurring on their phone. Many smartphones come with geotagging automatically enabled. As geotags are generally invisible unless specific software is downloaded to enable visualization of the tags, many users are completely unaware that they are sharing more than pictures and videos when they upload media files to the Internet.

Even with the emerging security and privacy concerns, our cell phone usage continues to grow. Cell phones have become an integral part of everyday life and for many of us, not having a cell phone would render us incompetent employees and social pariahs. As cell phone technology continues to evolve, our reliance on these devices continues to grow.

Will our growing cell phone dependence make us even more vulnerable to potential privacy violations or will it drive us to demand more transparency, protection and control when it comes to our cell phones?

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the San Diego Center for Ethics in Science and Technology will be hosting a free public forum on May 4 at 5:30 p.m. to further discuss cell phones and issues arising from our society’s increasing dependency on this technology.

Margaret Ng Thow Hing is an intellectual property attorney residing in Pacific Beach and writes as a member of the San Diego Center for Ethics in Science and Technology.

***********

Readers: This article is a few weeks old, and  the first hearing was on May 10th. From what I’ve read Apple and Google got grilled. I don’t have the most recent news, so I’m not sure where we’re at with this. And quite frankly this write is strictly posted for all of you smartphone users.

I have to say, I like my phone as antiquated as it is. It serves the purpose I use it for: to talk.  And I will use it until it no longer works. It is not a smartphone. I don’t have apps and I don’t want any. I spend enough time on my computer. The last thing I want to do is stare into my cell phone for hours on end. I simply use my phone for talking only, and for that simple fact I am grateful.

Say I am behind the times…Say I’m not hip. I don’t care. I have never been one to follow the pack.  In fact I can be quite the rebel when I am pushed by society to conform to what it wants me to do, feel, buy etc. When it comes to my life, I make my own decisions based on what is best for me, as long as my decisions don’t affect the livelihood of anyone else. And buying a smartphone certainly does. As we all know, and I have written about it many times, buying a new cell phone every time the latest one hits the stores does affect people…it does affect their livelihood. In fact it can be the difference between life and death for many people.

Be kind and be smart.

It’s Friday…start flapping your lips. Blog me.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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