Sunday, November 27, 2011

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

How to identify trolls on #agw, #1u, and #occupyphilly


In the #occupywallstreet campaign, and #climatechange struggle, we are plagued by provocateurs and agents of oil and the 1% which attack from the outside and from within. Here are some tips on how to identify them.
  • high tweet/follower ratio on twitter (amazingly useful metric)
  • super-radical terminology with confusing array of targets
  • insistence on moral absolutes, one must be for/against x
  • focus on divisions in the 99%
  • focus on any path (money, law, celebrities) except mass unity 
  • obsession with corporate media coverage
  • focus on conspiracy or implying explosive hidden truth
  • asserting belief required for understanding
  • asking for money (unless homeless, then give)
  • saying "I support your cause, but..." (if they really support, it's their cause)
  • always criticizing 99% leadership or persistently negative
  • ad hominem attacks, or scatology (to make new people give up in disgust)
  • generalized misanthropy - "all people are greedy," "all politicians are crooks"
  • claiming all the answers are in one document or candidate
  • blaming government for everything
  • never directing comments against the banks or oil industry
These characteristics apply to both internal and external trolls. Use common sense and trust your instincts. There are always honest people who are misled and temporarily fall for scams. Some are just people trying to sell something.  Just keep shining daylight on the subject and the trolls will scatter.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Society Hill Home Owners Occupy Bike Lanes All Weekend Long, City Does Nothing « Streets Dept

Society Hill Home Owners Occupy Bike Lanes All Weekend Long, City Does Nothing « Streets Dept: "Walking around Society Hill Saturday afternoon, I noticed what we’ve all noticed a million times, home owners blocking the Spruce and Pine street bike lanes with their cars. This happens EVERY Saturday and Sunday, and honestly I thought nothing of it, until I started noticing that NONE of the 15 or so illegally parked cars I saw had a ticket. This lead me to an interesting thought. If the city is kicking out Occupy Philly protesters from Dilworth Plaza, why isn’t the city, at the very least, ticketing people for blocking the roadway in Society Hill? Let’s think about it…"


'via Blog this'

Monday, November 7, 2011

Penn State Berks should run a shuttle bus to downtown Reading - bctv.org - News for Berks County and Reading, Pa: Opinion

Penn State Berks should run a shuttle bus to downtown Reading - bctv.org - News for Berks County and Reading, Pa: Opinion: "Berks could provide a shuttle service that would simply go between campus and BTC. It would be one bus, and one driver on an eight-hour shift. The smartest way to distribute these eight hours would be to split it into two, having four hours in the morning from 8 a.m.-noon, and then four hours in the afternoon from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. These hours could of course be adjusted based on what times would end up being the most beneficial.
This type of service would not only benefit students who take the bus, but students who get a ride and also some who drive themselves.
Anyone who lives moderately close to the BARTA hub could simply take the shuttle instead of driving themselves. For other students who drive, it could be beneficial in a situation where geographically they pass close to the vicinity of the bus hub; they park their car close to the hub and jump on the shuttle for the rest of the trip."

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Thursday, November 3, 2011

Gettysburg buses free - Evening Sun

Gettysburg buses free - Evening Sun: "Gettysburg will soon join only a handful of other U.S. towns to offer free public transportation.

The Freedom Transit bus system will be free to all riders beginning Nov. 11 to coincide with the Community Appreciation Day held at the Gettysburg Museum & Visitor Center."

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