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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Forwarded from Eugen’s list:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Laura Poitras was featured on the cover of the NYT Magazine, which article I sent to this list. Now she has an NYT byline, which is as respectable as you can get.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>N.S.A. Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/us/nsa-examines-social-networks-of-us-citizens.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/us/nsa-examines-social-networks-of-us-citizens.html</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>By JAMES RISEN and LAURA POITRAS<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>WASHINGTON--Since 2010, the National Security Agency has been exploiting its huge collections of data to create sophisticated graphs of some Americans' social connections that can identify their associates, their locations at certain times, their traveling companions and other personal information, according to newly disclosed documents and interviews with officials…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Well, today is the day in which the dysfunctional family we know as the US government tries to come to some agreement to halt a shutdown. The game theory we have learned from watching this slow motion train wreck was worth the tuition by itself. The majority party which holds one house of congress and the presidency, is arguing that a shutdown is the fault of the minority party, since the minority party knows if it doesn’t do exactly as the majority party demands, it does not have the votes to pass any modification of the majority party’s plans. Since the minority party knows it doesn’t have the votes, even if its own party is in perfect unison, then any attempt at negotiating is pointless and merely constitutes a costly delay, which results in a government shutdown. Therefore any attempt at negotiation makes the shutdown the fault of the minority party. This attitude effectively destroys any notions of balance of power. Followed to its logical conclusion, whichever major party holds at least two of the three seats of power has absolute dictatorial authority.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Slight complication: the minority party holds the lower house (the representatives) which determines the national budget. They are not ready to admit their existence is a mere formality. Conclusion: a government shutdown is inevitable.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>If the government shutdown proceeds tomorrow, we need volunteers to spy on themselves. In order to keep vital government services during the shutdown, I implore each of you, especially you dangerous types, to collect data on yourselves and send it to some central location for submission to the US government once it gets back on track, assuming it does. If you are doing anything fishy with your taxes, please audit yourselves, until the time sufficient government resources are again available, but this last one is probably covered. We definitely need volunteers to spy on themselves and each other however. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>I will start setting the example by noting the contents of this post. Recognizing that I wrote it, I will become suspicious of myself as possibly being some kind of snarky subversive. If l watch me will you watch you? If so, can we report each other to ourselves in this forum?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>