Sunday, February 28, 2016
19 Facts That Show Just How Massive Walmart Really Is
It’s hard to fathom how giant and pervasive the world’s biggest retailer is. The company’s workforce is almost the size of the Chinese army.
The Associated Press
1. Walmart brought in $476 billion for revenue in the year that ended Jan. 31, 2014, topping Exxon Mobil in the Fortune 500 for a second year. That’s more than the combined annual revenues of Apple, Target, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Macy’s, and Walt Disney Co.
2. Assuming Walmart stores operated 24 hours a day year-round, that would be $54.3 million in revenue per hour, or 6.2 million 10-packs of Wal-Mart’s Fruit of the Loom men’s socks an hour.
3. Its net profit, after paying preferred dividends, was around $16 billion last year. Gap made about that just in sales across its namesake, Old Navy, and Banana Republic chains worldwide.
4. Four of the 10 richest Americans are Walton family members. They’re worth more than $30 billion each, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
5. Jim, Rob and Alice Walton are the children of Walmart founder Sam Walton, while Christy Walton — the world’s richest woman — is the widow of their brother, who died in 2005. Their total net worth, in the ballpark of $140 billion, is roughly equivalent to the combined net worth of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, as per the same Bloomberg index.
6. As of 2012, six of the Waltons held more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans.
Left to right: Jim Walton, Alice Walton and Rob Walton Rick Wilking / Reuters
7. Walmart estimates it brings in about 18% of total U.S. food stamp outlays, according to the Wall Street Journal. That amounted to around $13 billion in sales last year; ironically, in some states, the company is said to have the most employees on food stamps.
8. Walmart says it drew almost 140 million shoppers a week to its U.S. stores last year. That’s equivalent to about 44% of the American population.
9. There are around 4,233 Walmart stores in the U.S., more than double the number of Targets, along with 635 Sam’s Clubs. To put that in perspective, recent company filings show there are about 379 Whole Foods, 420 Apple stores and 1,968 Best Buys, total.
10. There are actually even more Walmart International locations — 6,107 as of Jan. 31, with more than one-third in Mexico. But more than 90% of its international stores operate under names other than Walmart, such as Bodega Aurrera, Trust-Mart Hypermarket and Todo Dia.
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
11. Walmart, the nation’s largest private sector employer, ended the year with almost 1.4 million U.S. associates — more than the entire population of Rhode Island.
12. Globally, the retailer says it employs 2.2 million people. That’s more than America’s active military personnel (1.43 million) and close to the size of the Chinese army (2.29 million.)
13. Walmart’s stores cover 1.1 billion square feet, which exceeds the size of Manhattan (in the frightening scenario where Manhattan is blanketed in Walmart-owned stores).
14. Walmart is the biggest U.S. grocer. Groceries account for 56% of its $279 billion in U.S. sales.
15. Walmart hosted 14,000 employees and shareholders at its annual shareholder meeting last year, which is back today at the Bud Walton Arena at the University of Arkansas (the “Basketball Palace of Mid-America.”) It always features performances by A-list celebrities. Past guests include Tom Cruise, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Ben Stiller, Aerosmith and Miley Cyrus.
Kevork Djansezian / Reuters
16. Walmart’s CEO gets paid 1,034 times more than the average Walmart worker, a recent analysis from PayScale showed. (A spokesman called the calculation inflated.)
17. A blog exists just to track shootings at Walmart, which is one of the biggest U.S. gun retailers. According to the author, there were 81 occurrences last year, and 54 in 2012.
18. Walmart says it and the Walmart Foundation donated $1.3 billion in cash and in-kind contributions around the world last year, which makes it one of the most charitable companies in absolute terms. (But the Waltons have come under fire for donating less than 0.1% of their net worth to the Walton Family Foundation, and for exploiting various legal loopholes to avoid the estate tax.)
19. The Walmart stock held by the Walton heirs “is worth enough to fill a large backyard swimming pool with solid gold,” Bloomberg News reported in September.
Rick Wilking / Reuters
Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and Hugh Jackman at Walmart’s annual meeting
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by LCFPadmin2016
Community Post: 20 Things They’re Not Telling You About The Future Of War
1. Wars are fought over resources.
Already, wars all around the world are being fought over natural resources, even if the involved parties deny it. Past wars were intrinsically tied with the accumulation of natural resources. This will only continue in the future as natural resources become more and more limited due to usage and population growth within a company-controlled consumer world.
-Eli Langson
may be the new weapons of mass destruction.
Since hackers can control computers and have the ability to find out classified information about companies, it will only be a matter of time before hackers take things to a new level. They will be able to control nuclear weapons and military weaponry. Once this becomes the case, war can start simply through the stroke of a key on a keyboard. What would happen if the hackers hacked into power plants and shut down the grid? Hackers are battling every day to gain control of power plants and nuclear weaponry behind closed doors.
-Kona Schwenke
3. Cyber attacks have already begun… Who is responsible?
The United States and Israel are believed to have created Stuxnet, a computer worm that undetectably infiltrated and destroyed an Iranian nuclear facility. The US and Israel deny any involvement in this attack. If there is no proof, then how can Iran blame anyone? Cyberwar will lead to countries playing the “blame game.”
-Justin Utupo
4. It only takes one hacker to affect millions.
This guy still living in his parents’ basement could shut down an electrical grid.
Have you ever been aware of the power of one individual? Back in 1988, 10% of all machines connected to the Internet crashed and were overloaded with several copies of a “mysterious program.” The American government speculated that a Soviet cyber criminal was the perpetrator, however, it turns out that the perpetrator was a 23 year-old Cornell student. Even today we are threatened by single cyber criminals around the country. Smart hackers around the world can embarrass enemies, draw attention to pet causes, or cause mischief. Back in August, a lone American hacker was waging his own attack on the Syrian government. According to the Washington Post, “The shy, earnest, clean-cut, young professional of about 30 says he doesn’t have any specific ties to the Syrian conflict but was upset about the actions of the Syrian government and wanted to embarrass the Assad regime.” It doesn’t take an army to stir up international trouble!
-Jenny Fucillo
5. Your computer can and will be hacked at some point (it probably already has been).
In 2011, 90 percent of US businesses reported being hacked— and those are just the hacks being reported! Oftentimes, people are unaware of the fact that there is malware functioning on their computer, turning it into a “drone” in a part of a larger botnet. People everywhere are being hacked on a daily basis and if you haven’t yet, it’s only a matter of time. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself.
-Tayler Turner
6. Your money may be safer underneath your mattress.
Last year, over 56% of banks in the United States alone were targeted by a wide variety of hackers. So…who exactly can we trust with our money and other important personal information?
-Hope Rosenfeld
7. Hackers can use their cyber skills to hack hospital equipment, virtually putting your life in their hands.
In an episode of the Showtime hit series Homeland, a member of an Islamic terrorist organization hacks into the Vice President’s pacemaker, causing him to die instantly of a heart attack. (Watch the clip!) Read more about it here, here and here.
-Samantha Caesar
8. Printers: the new weapons of mass destruction.
Hackers have moved beyond simply affecting events in the ether and have found ways to physically alter the world. They can hack into everyday objects with any sort of internet connection: printers, copiers, even new cars and apartment buildings with wireless keys. They can set into motion programs that result in the physical destruction of these objects. Code could be introduced to a printer’s systems through its internet connection causing it to overheat and explode; a printer could remotely be turned into a bomb. Anything with an internet connection could be at risk.
-Shelby Niemann
9. Not only can your computer be hacked, but it can also be used as a weapon.
“Computer networks are essential for companies or government agencies to operate. ‘Essential’ is a word chosen with care, because it conveys the fact that we are dependent upon computer systems. Without them, nothing works. If they get erroneous data, systems may work, but they will do the wrong thing. Despite all the money spent on computer security systems it is still very possible to insert erroneous data into networks. It can mean that systems shut down, or damage themselves, or damage something else, or send things or people to the wrong places.” – Richard A. Clarke
What kind of “wrong things” can computers be hacked to do? Participate in DDoS attacks without your knowing, make pipelines burst and control power grids and electrical appliances, causing them to malfunction—and possibly catch on fire. (Check out The Switch for more info).
-Ninna Villavicencio
10. Our military would function just as well as amazon.com would without the internet.
That’s right…without the internet the military would be essentially useless. Communication would become impossible, leaving millions without direction. Would those in the military continue to do their jobs in this sort of chaos? It is probable that they would instead return home to protect their families or, at the very least, focus on saving themselves. Read more here and here. For more information on this subject, you can also check out Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What To Do About It by Richard A. Clarke.
-Christen McDonough
11. U.S. Cyber War Strength is Outclassed by North Korea, Iran, China, and Russia (to Name a Few).
Former presidential advisor Richard A. Clarke presents this graphic comparing the cyber strength of various nations in his book Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do about It, based on an arbitrary (though well-informed) point system. Higher total scores signify greater potential cyber strength.
The U.S. may arguably possess the world’s greatest offensive cyber capabilities (in terms of dedicated resources), but it lags behind in defense ratings. And in the digital world, defense is everything.
From communication to military operations to energy production, the United States is dependent on cyberspace and information systems for innumerable routine, daily functions—to a far-greater degree than many of the nations with which it competes. Additionally, ownership of the vast majority of U.S. critical infrastructure is held privately among many different firms, rather than being centrally state-owned. This makes standardized, effective defense of such systems more difficult.
The result is what’s known as the Cyber War Gap—the U.S. has both more of cyberspace to defend and a greater dependence on the smooth-functioning of processes within that cyberspace, than nations like North Korea and China. These nations can more easily disconnect from global information networks and continue operating in isolation (with minimal impact on the general populace), due in part because relatively smaller percentages of their populations are connected to the internet in the first place. Put simply, in the cyber realm, the U.S. is essentially on the same footing as, and perhaps even disadvantaged against, the smallest nations, so long as these nations have at least one networked computer.
More information can be found in this article by Colonel Jayson M. Spade, which both discusses the relationship between the U.S. and China with regard to each nation’s cyber security. It also emphasizes the need to focus on cyber defense, rather than cyber offense, in the creation of future national policy.
-Matt Uber
12. Over 44 countries have already armed their militaries for the cyber fight, yet only the UK has publicly acknowledged their offensive capabilities.
The cyber battlefront is marked by a different set of players, yet the United States is not considered the top dog. In 2004, some of the first players included China, India, and North Korea. Since then, dozens of countries have realized the need for their militaries to enlist hackers and computer specialists. As of 2013, nations such as Latvia, Jordan, and Malaysia were known to have cyber incorporated into their militaries.
-Catherine O’Donnell
13. Cyber gyms are being developed for hackers to hone their abilities.
Cyber gyms are being developed for groups of hackers to combat “fake” hack attacks. Hackers gather in rooms like the one seen above. Cyber gym developers aim to strengthen cyber security as a means of national defense.
-Olivia Kacsits
14. General Keith Alexander came to the hacker conference to try and recruit hackers.
As Director of the National Security Agency, Chief of the Central Security Service, and Commander of the United States Cyber Command, General Keith Alexander is responsible for the security and protection of our great nation. In an effort to ensure the stability and invulnerability of the free world and its cyberspace, General Keith Alexander attended the Hacker Convention in Las Vegas last year in search of young, intelligent hackers willing to provide their support and insight.
-Rebecca Twining
15. The new child soldiers will be hackers and they’re already being trained.
The North Korean government is actively recruiting the brightest children and enrolling them in the best IT universities to train them in cyber warfare and hacking.
-Erin Hattler
16. This 10-year old girl found security flaws in mobile game applications.
Cyfi’s findings have gotten the attention of the National Security Agency Director. With the possibility of such easy manipulation of personal electronic devices, she could theoretically have the same power as the CEO of Apple, Inc.
-Brandon Saia
become wars without borders.
“Cyberspace has no boundaries, which means that an attack can come from virtually anywhere. It takes only a computer and an Internet connection to obtain a passport to cyberspace. Individuals with sinister intentions can mask their electronic identity or steal one from an unsuspecting individual, either by collecting the information required to take on the purloined identity or by using a ‘bot’ to take over a computer that can be used to enable or perpetrate the attack.”
-Allison De Luna
18. People fight for ideas.
This is no longer the traditional type of war with armies battling on the frontline with weapons. There are not clear sides in cyberwarfare where we see the United States fighting against a specific country for a specific reason. Most of the time, it is difficult to determine where cyber attacks come from. Cyberwar is being fought based on ideologies and beliefs rather than fighting as a result of nuclear weapons, counter-attacks, or attempts to control a country. People (not necessarily countries) are fighting for and against ideas—terrorist ideologies and western ideals, for example. This is a war based on exposing secrets, destroying infrastructures, and weakening people’s defenses. Ideas cannot be destroyed easily.
An example of someone fighting for their ideologies in cyberspace is Edward Snowden, “the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations.” This man decided to expose the NSA and their efforts to violate Americans’ privacy. Snowden comments, “I’m willing to sacrifice all of that because I can’t in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they’re secretly building.” People are fighting for ideologies and their beliefs and stopping at nothing to get their points across.
-Gabrielle Pope-Davis
19. 90% of human history has been lived without war.
Warfare is not part of human nature. It’s an invention. Hunter-gatherers lived for thousands of years in egalitarian societies with no warfare, and less murder than hierarchical societies. With the creation of rank and social stratification, along with people beginning to have personal possessions, warfare was invented to take control over resources and to defend people’s land.
In egalitarian societies, everyone is different but equal. Everyone is valued for the skills they have. This lets people trade the things they are best at creating, whether this is a pot, a meal, or a song. Rather than continuing to foster a competitive, ranked society that emphasizes the differences between nations and between individuals, we should take inspiration from egalitarian societies and learn to value the unique skills that each individual can contribute to the world and come to see everyone as equals.
-Alexandra Nagy
20. The cavalry isn’t coming.
The internet allows you to be connected to anyone, anywhere, at any time. You have the power to change the world. You have the right to know about every war that is being waged —whether it be on the ground, or through fiber optic lines. Cyber attacks are happening and the face of war is changing. You have the right to demand peace. You are the cavalry.
We are the cavalry.
-Professor Nordstrom’s Anthropology of War and Peace class Fall 2013
University of Notre Dame
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via Community Post: 20 Things They’re Not Telling You About The Future Of War
by LCFPadmin2016
Do Guys Creep On Facebook As Much As Girls Do? Ask A Pro
Dear Head Pro,
Be honest, do guys facebook creep as much as chicks do?
Sincerely,
To the point
Dear To the Point,
First of all, I fucking hate Facebook and rarely go on. There’s no point, really, but I know plenty of (lesser) guys that use it like schoolgirls. I’m trying to think back to the earlier part of college, when Facebook still had some measure of exclusivity and before it became a place for high school acquaintances to flaunt their banality and weight gain. I guess if I saw a girl or briefly met someone, I might hop on facebook to see if she had any sweet spring break bikini pics. Come to think of it, I still do that.
I’m not totally sure what you mean by “creep.” I mean, isn’t that just using Facebook? Like, that’s what it’s for – checking up on other people, right? I remember going on a date with some girl I didn’t know well, and like any normal person I briefly checked her Facebook to, you know, get at least some idea of who this person was. When I mentioned something that I guess I could have only known by looking online, she freaked out. “Like, OMG, were you CREEPING on my Facebook?” Yes, sweetheart, I was creeping on the photos and information you made PUBLICLY AVAILABLE and over which you have full control. Go ahead and stick a sex offender sign in my yard and get it over with, why don’t you? We probably had sex anyway, but I bet I didn’t enjoy it much.
If by “creeping” you mean doing shit like going to your ex boyfriends profile, seeing who he was dating in 2008, looking at her profile, then looking at her current boyfriend’s profile, and then noticing he has a cousin you find attractive, and then going to the cousin’s profile so you can see the kinds of bars he hangs out at, then no, we don’t do that. It’s fucking weird. I actually had to ask a girl for that example, because I can’t fathom doing anything like that. The furthest we’ll go is maybe, maybe looking at who a recent ex is dating now, and then commenting to our bros about “how totally gay this dude looks.”
Stalker Kisses,
Head Pro
Hi Head Pro,
My boyfriend and I have always had amazing sex, like hands down the best I've ever had, but we started doing anal maybe a month or two ago. He really likes it–describes it as the best feeling ever. Is it going to make normal p-in-v sex less satisfying or fun for him knowing that there's a potentially better feeling out there?
Love,
Butthurt in Boston
Dear You Win the Signoff Contest,
Ok, to be honest, I don’t have a ton of deep (haha) experience with buttsecks. It’s never been my thing, never really wanted to try it outside other than for novelty purposes. It feels ok I guess (kind of grainy), but to me if I’m about to slide into a girl’s bootyhole, I’m going to look down and be like “well hey, what do you know, there’s a hole right there that’s tailor made for this, and it’s PRACTICALLY IN THE SAME PLACE.” I think that’s how most people are. Like, every couple’s tried it at some point out of some misplaced obligation to “spice things up,” but that’s about it. Most guys I know who do it more frequently describe it as great feeling, but different and definitely not a replacement. I tend to agree.
Unless your boyfriend has some kind of extreme anal fetish, he probably just kind of overstated his enjoyment of your b-hole. Like, if colons really felt that much better than vaginas, the human race would have died out long ago. He probably just enjoys the change of pace, and is really overzealous in his praise for fear that you might lose your enthusiasm for ass spelunking. Either that, or he really gets off on the domineering/degradation aspect, which is an entirely different issue. Regardless, I don’t think you need to worry about him abandoning regular sex. I know that sex is what I like best, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to jerk off sometimes.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that it takes two people to tango (and fuck), so if buttplowing isn’t what’s most pleasurable for you [and I don’t imagine how it could be, but that’s not my business (haha business)], It’s up to you to make sure he’s addressing your needs during the fair share of your trysts. If it’s just not doing it for you anymore, it’s your ass (literally), so act like it. If he’s so eager to blow someone’s o-ring, remind him that there are plenty of dudes out there who will gladly let him play the back nine.
Chocolate Kisses,
Head Pro
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by LCFPadmin2016
Napolitano: Congress ‘Got Stuck’ on Cybersecurity
United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano took a jab at Congress for failing to act on cybersecurity during a panel on the subject Monday at the 2012 Social Good Summit.
Congress has so far failed to pass cybersecurity legislation this year. Both chambers have their own versions of cyber bills, but they have yet to pass in the opposite chamber due to a partisan divide on the appropriate role of the government in cybersecurity.
“This has been a very interesting and troubling discussion in Congress,” she said. “It gets to the question which is ‘how does the government, which has overall security responsibly, interact with the private sector when an attack on private sector could have multiple rippling effects throughout the country?’ When you get into this debate, it’s a Washington, D.C. thing about government regulating the private sector.”
A bill supported by many Senate Democrats first called for government-set cybersecurity standards for private businesses deemed crucial to national security, such as power grids. Republicans balked at the idea, deeming it excessive government regulation of private business. The Senate bill was later rewritten to offer a compromise between the two camps, but that version also stalled.
Meanwhile, House Republicans passed their own cybersecurity bill, designed to encourage information-sharing between private businesses, under a veto threat from the White House. That bill hasn’t been passed by the Senate.
Napolitano’s position in this debate is somewhere in the middle: She doesn’t see absolute government regulation as the right answer for cybersecurity, but rather wants to build a cooperative cybersecurity relationship between businesses and the government with some government oversight of crucial industries.
“I think regulation in the traditional sense isn’t the right relationship,” she said. “It has to be one of mutually beneficial partnership and responsibility… if you’re doing the balance statement for a private company, security for others isn’t something you can reflect on your own balance sheet, but it is a responsibility. That’s what government has: responsibility is shared equally.”
She added that Barack Obama is weighing an executive order on cybersecurity — a possible move that privacy experts are watching closely, but a step Napolitano supports.
“Congress wasn’t able to act this year, it got stuck in the regulatory versus non-regulatory dichotomy,” said Napolitano. “The president is considering moving forward with an executive order that would help with this.”
When asked if private businesses would need to experience a cataclysmic cyberattack in order for them and politicians to make progress on cybersecurity, Napolitano said that it would spur progress, but added that’s not her preferable path.
“It’s only going to take one takedown for need for that partnership to become apparent,” she said. “An example from the non-cyber world: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is within the Department of Homeland Security. It became clear after Katrina and the response, or or lack thereof, that it was broken. What’s happened is that we’ve used that crisis to fix FEMA. FEMA is now very agile, astute and target-oriented. That crisis crystallized action.”
“I hope there’s an alternative,” she added. “The problem with [cybersecurity] is that if you have a crisis, first of all it could be multiple crises happening simultaneously, second is that it could have damaging rippling effects that puts life and limb at risk, third is that we don’t have all the protocols in place to deal with a truly massive problem.”
About Ericsson
Read more of Mashable’s coverage of the 2012 Social Good Summit:
Day One:
How the U.S. Chief Technology Officer Is Making Data Awesome
ITU Secretary-General: OK to Make Profit When Helping Developing Nations
Day Two:
Day Three:
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via Napolitano: Congress ‘Got Stuck’ on Cybersecurity
by LCFPadmin2016
10 Controversial Pictures
The official definition of a controversy is an issue that involves a prolonged public dispute or debate. Controversies usually concern a matter of opinion and can involve a wide variety of topics including world history, religion, philosophy, politics, economics, science, finances, age, gender, and race. In some areas of the world controversial issues are said to be disruptive to society and are not discussed in public. In other cultures, people feel it is their duty to examine all areas of a subject and discuss it in a civilized manner.
Since the invention of the camera, hundreds of controversial pictures have been taken. This article will examine 10 images that have raised concern in the media and caused debate across the internet. The list is not attempting to display the top ten controversial photographs in history, but will examine a collection of pictures that have not been featured in similar articles. In any case, I would like to hear your opinion on the most controversial images in history.
The 1948 Tucker sedan is an advanced automobile that was developed by Preston Tucker and produced in 1948. According to records, only 51 Tucker sedans were made before the business folded. The vehicle’s design was innovative for the 1940s and was built for safety. The Tucker was the first car to feature seat belts, safety glass windshields, and the Cyclops, which was a headlight system that shifted directions to increase visibility for night driving. In 1949, the Tucker Corporation was ridiculed by the American media and experienced a consumer backlash. The company was shut down amidst a scandal of controversial accusations around stock fraud. In 2011, a 1948 Tucker sedan was featured on the show It’s Worth What? and received an estimated value of $1,200,000.
Justin Cole is a man that runs Benchmark Classics in Middleton, Wisconsin. He claims to own the only unfinished prototype of a Tucker convertible. The authenticity of the vehicle has been questioned by classic car collectors from all over the world. Legend holds that the convertible was a secret, off-the-books prototype known as “Project Vera,” developed by Preston Tucker and named after his wife. However, Alex Tremulis, who designed the Tucker sedan, has claimed that the convertible was not a factory project, official or unofficial. Justin Cole refers to his convertible as Tucker #57 and says the factory number of 57 is stamped on the body panels.
In 2010, Justin Cole attempted to sell the Tucker convertible at the Russo and Steele auction in Scottsdale. The bidding reached a price of $1.4 million, but didn’t meet the reserve price. The car was also listed on ebay in 2010, where bidding approached $900,000, but once again didn’t meet the reserve. The vehicle is still listed for sale on Benchmark’s website and has a large gallery of photographs. The car holds a clear Tucker design and clean convertible conversion. The position of the Tucker Automobile Club of America is that the vehicle was converted after the company went out of business.
Girls’ Generation is a nine-member South Korean pop girl group formed in 2007. They are currently the top selling Korean girl band in the world. In the summer of 2009, the group took part in a controversial photo shoot with a military theme. One of the pictures from the shoot was selected for the band’s mini-album cover Sowoneul Malhaebwa (Genie). Soon after the album’s release, controversy erupted over the cover. In the picture, a plane can be seen which many people felt was a direct replica of Japan’s A6M Zero fighter plane, which was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. People also noticed that the military outfits, medals, and hats worn by the girls resemble that of the Third Reich.
In one example, the eagle emblem used on the girls’ hats greatly resembles the Nazi Party emblem. In response to the accusations, SM Entertainment stated: “We used military icons on the album cover, but it was interpreted and understood in a way we didn’t expect, so we are planning to delete it and put an icon of the South Korean supersonic jet T-50.” In the future, Girls’ Generation should be more careful about using images that were taken from Nazi and Kamikaze insignia. Regardless of the controversy, Sowoneul Malhaebwa (Genie) reached #1 less than 24 hours after it release.
Thomas Hoepker is a German born photographer and member of Magnum Photos. On September 11, 2001, Hoepker was in New York when the World Trade Center was attacked. Hoepker captured hundreds of photos of the destruction, but one stands out. The photograph shows a collection of Americans relaxing and enjoying a conversation while the Twin Towers burn in the background. Hoepker did not publish the image for five years because he was concerned with the message. In 2006, the picture caused controversy in the American media. The New York Times published an article claiming the picture showed America’s failure to learn from the tragic day, or to change and reform as a nation.
“The young people in Mr. Hoepker’s photo aren’t necessarily callous (insensitive). They’re just American.” This is a country that likes to move on, and fast. The people in the picture have responded to the media by saying that they were in “a profound state of shock and disbelief.” They have ridiculed Hoepker saying that he took the picture without permission and in a way that misrepresented their feelings. Whatever the case, the photo is established as one of the defining images of 9/11 and remains controversial in the eyes of many people.
At the end of World War II, the United States and Soviet Union captured a large collection of German secrets, including information on a German rocket program. The technology sparked the Space Race (1957-1975) between the United States and the Soviet Union. In each country, a select group of individuals were chosen as the first astronauts. In most cases, these people were kept secret from the public. A good example is the Russian born astronaut Grigori Nelyubov. Little is known about Nelyubov, but he was likely the third or fourth person to travel into space before his dismissal from the Soviet space program in April, 1963, for disorderly conduct. Following his dismissal, all information regarding Nelyubov’s life was stricken from the Soviet record.
Grigori Nelyubov’s image was removed from a collection of famous photographs, including the Sochi Six picture, which shows the top members of the original class of Soviet cosmonauts. This airbrushing has led to a large collection of conspiracy theories regarding lost cosmonauts and unreported space flight. In 1966, Nelyubov committed suicide. From 1961 to 1972, at least eight former Russian cosmonauts are known to have died. The Sochi Six picture was officially released in the 1970s and the deception was only discovered after Russian news managers lost track of which versions of the picture they had already published. The fakery has caused some to label the Soviet Union’s string of space triumphs over the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s as a series of falsifications. I have included the original Sochi Six photograph before Nelyubov was removed. He is the tallest man in the picture.
Chris Hondros was an American Pulitzer Prize-nominated war photographer. In 2005, he traveled to Iraq in order to cover the war. On January 18, 2005, Hondros was in Tal Afar when he witnessed a car that failed to stop at a U.S. checkpoint. U.S. Soldiers feared a suicide bomber and opened fire on the car killing both parents and injuring one of their five children. Hondros approached the scene and captured a picture of 5-year-old Samar Hassan splattered in her parent’s blood. After the photo was published, it quickly caused controversy and was spread across the world. Many feel the picture is the most iconic image of the Iraq War, similar to the naked Vietnamese girl screaming and running after a napalm attack. The Iraq War delivered few singular images, partly because it was too dangerous for photographers. The U.S. military also set strict rules for journalists.
In 2011, Samar Hassan looked at the picture for first time and was interviewed by the New York Times Middle East. About the incident she said that her family was in the car because her brother was sick and that they were returning from the hospital. In 2011, Samar was living on the outskirts of Mosul in a two-story house with four other families, mostly relatives. Chris Hondros was quoted about the once in a lifetime photograph: “Almost every soldier in Iraq has been involved in some sort of incident like that or another, I would say. Their attitude about it was grim, but it wasn’t the end of their world.” It was reported on April 20, 2011, that Chris Hondros and photojournalist Tim Hetherington were killed by a mortar attack in Misrata while covering the 2011 Libyan civil war.
Mary Ann Moorman was a witness to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. She is best known for her photograph that shows JFK a fraction of a second after being shot in the head. During the event, Moorman was standing directly across from the grassy knoll, about 15 feet (5 m) from the presidential limousine. Her photograph was taken approximately one sixth of a second after the bullet’s impact. The image has caused controversy. Some claim to have identified as many as four different figures on the grassy knoll. With the most well known figure being a uniformed police officer named the “badge man.” Others claim to see Gordon Arnold or a man in a construction hard hat. People also point to the light color observed over the wall (left side), which looks like photo doctoring.
The story of Gordon Arnold is an interesting one. In 1978, Gordon claimed that before the assassination he was twice approached by a business-suited CIA or Secret Service agent who demanded that he move from behind the picket fence of the Dealey Plaza grassy knoll. Arnold claimed that he moved just south of the picket fence and filmed the assassination with a movie camera. During the event, a bullet passed extremely close to his left ear and in response Gordon hit the ground. He was then approached by an armed officer dressed in a Dallas police uniform. The man kicked Arnold while on the ground and demanded the movie film. Another man was armed with a rifle and dressed in a Dallas police uniform. He was wearing yellow lens tinted “shooter’s glasses” and stood close by crying, shaking, and waving his rifle around.
The Moorman picture has been digitally enhanced for television documentaries. In the photo, blood and brain fragments can be seen exploding forward, which contradicts the theory that the shot came from the front. Moorman’s original photograph was never confiscated by the FBI and in 2008 she sold it on ebay for $175,000. On the contrary, a second picture taken by Mary Moorman that shows the sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository moments before the assassination was lost. The picture was confiscated by the FBI and never published. It probably shows Lee Harvey Oswald or anyone who may have been shooting at the President’s car. Another interesting photograph was taken by Phillip Willis (number 5) seconds before the fatal head shot. Willis said he took the picture after being startled by a gunshot, possibly the first shot. In Willis’ photograph, the grassy knoll can be seen and some have identified the “black dog man.”
On the morning of July 7, 2005, four Islamist home-grown terrorists exploded a series of bombs in quick succession aboard London Underground trains. In all, 52 people were killed in the attacks. The bombers (all deceased) were identified as Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Germaine Lindsay, and Hasib Hussain. The group was recorded by CCTV cameras entering Luton station on 7/7. On September 1, 2005, it was reported that al-Qaeda officially claimed responsibility for the attacks. However, an official inquiry by the British government indicated that the tape claiming responsibility had been edited after July 7, and that the bombers did not have direct assistance from al-Qaeda.
The lack of facts surrounding the case and its unusual timeline has led to a collection of conspiracy theories. Some newspaper editorials in Iran have blamed the bombing on British or American authorities seeking to further justify the War on Terror, and have claimed that the plan involved the harassment of Muslims in Europe. There have also been theories proposed about the attackers, including the suggestion that they were patsies. One of the theories is centered on a picture that was taken at Luton station. After researching the photo, a large collection of people have called it fake.
Some of the problems with the picture include a number of inconsistencies with the railing in the back of the image. The railing appears to be moved over the man’s arm and its crossbars do not line up. The person featured in the right side of the picture has no clear face and a skinny left leg. The entire picture is developed with extremely poor quality and three of the terrorist’s faces are unidentifiable. The photo is the only image taken of the four bombers together on 7/7. Controversially, no other CCTV images, either still or moving have ever been released. In an interesting twist, the photo is timed at four seconds before 7.22 am, which would have given the men only three minutes to walk up the stairs at Luton, buy their tickets, and move to the platform.
Andres Serrano is an American photographer who has become notorious for using feces, corpses, and bodily fluids in his work. Serrano was raised in a strict Roman Catholic family and is half Honduran, half Afro-Cuban. In 1987, he created a photograph titled Piss Christ. The image depicts a small plastic crucifix submerged in a glass of the artist’s urine. The photograph was part of a series of pictures that show classical statuettes submerged in various fluids, including milk, blood, and urine. Serrano received $15,000 for the picture, which was provided by the United States sponsored National Endowment for the Arts. In 1989, the image was displayed for the first time and the event caused a massive scandal. People became outraged over the picture and it was alleged that the U.S. government funding of Piss Christ violated separation of church and state.
Andres Serrano received death threats over the controversy and lost public grants. He responded by saying that the picture was not intended to denounce religion, but alludes to a perceived commercializing or cheapening of Christian icons in contemporary culture. Supporters of the picture have argued that it is an issue of freedom of speech. On the contrary, others feel it is their duty to destroy the image if displayed in a museum. In 1997, a retrospective of Serrano’s work was featured at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. During the show, two teenagers attacked Piss Christ with a hammer. On April 17, 2011, a print of Piss Christ was vandalized “beyond repair” by Christian protesters while on display in Avignon, France.
This entry is not a specific photograph, but rather the overall depiction of Muhammad. On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 editorial (political) cartoons that depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad in various situations. The headline of the cartoons read: “Muhammeds ansigt” (The face of Muhammad). The cartoons were drawn by 12 professional cartoonists in Denmark, most of who regularly worked for the newspaper. After the cartoons were published, Islamic protests erupted across the Muslim world with more than 100 reported deaths. The Danish embassy in Pakistan was bombed and embassies in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran were fire bombed. Muslims stormed European buildings and burned the Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, French, and German flags in Gaza City.
The newspaper announced that the cartoons were an attempt to contribute to the debate regarding criticism of Islam and self-censorship. Further examples of the drawings were reprinted in newspapers in more than 50 countries, which further deepened the controversy. Critics of the cartoons have described them as racist and hurtful to the Muslim faith. Supporters claim the cartoons illustrate an important issue of terrorism and are a legitimate exercise of free speech. Many people in the Western world feel that Muslims were not targeted in a way different from other religions, since unflattering cartoons about Jesus and Gautama Buddha are often published.
The entire issue was covered in two separate episodes of South Park, which is notorious for depictions of Jesus. Apparently, Comedy Central has been hesitant to allow images of Muhammad to be shown on the network since the riots and threats generated from the controversial cartoons. After Muhammad was heavily featured in the South Park episode 200, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone received death threats from the Revolution Muslim organization. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has described the Muhammad cartoon controversy as Denmark’s worst international crisis since World War II.
The full image will not be included, only a cropped version. Garry Gross was an American fashion photographer who specialized in dog portraiture. In 1975, he took a collection of pictures that would become the most controversial in history. The photographs show a ten-year-old Brooke Shields nude. She is standing and sitting in a bathtub, wearing makeup, and covered in oil. The pictures were taken with the consent of her mother, Teri Shields. At the time, Garry Gross was working on a project titled The Woman in the Child, in which he wanted to reveal the femininity of prepubescent girls by comparing them to adult women. The series was first published in the magazine Little Women, and then in Sugar and Spice, which is a Playboy Press publication.
In 1981, Brooke Shields attempted to prevent further use of the photographs, but a U.S. Court ruled that she was bound by the terms of the contract and more surprisingly that the images did not breach child pornography laws. In 1992, American artist Richard Prince, who is famous for his reproduction work, purchased the rights to the pictures. He recreated the picture and called it “Spiritual America.” In 1999, Prince’s version sold for $151,000. Three years ago the print was removed from the Tate Modern gallery in London, England. In response Gary Gross said: “The photo has been infamous from the day I took it as I intended it to be.” He was disappointed by the removal, but not surprised by the Tate’s decision. In 2002, a similar controversy erupted in London over a picture taken by Swiss artist Annelies Strba.
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via 10 Controversial Pictures
by LCFPadmin2016
Republican Politicans Court Gun Manufacturers From Gun Control States
3. Maine Governor Paul LePage in a WSJ Op-Ed
Beretta, Colt, Magpul and any others: In Maine you will find air, rail and seaports that can carry your exceptional products across the country and across the globe. You will find hardworking Mainers, and you will find a governor who is ready to provide incentives and guarantees that will make it attractive for you to set up shop in our state.
I will never sign anti-gun legislation that erodes the rights of Maine citizens, drives your business away or infringes on the U.S. Constitution or the State of Maine Constitution.
Come to where you are welcome and where you will be appreciated. Come to Maine. I’ll even throw in some lobster.
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via Republican Politicans Court Gun Manufacturers From Gun Control States
by LCFPadmin2016