SEO Black Hat: SEO Blog and Private Forum

One of my friends emailed this video to me:

http://storyofstuff.com/

I wrote back. “this clip was shit.”

He replied, “What specifically don’t you believe in it?”

I started writing a reply and realized that this would make a fine off topic blog post. So after you watch as much as you can stand, come back for a breakdown.

“You cannot run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely”

So? We don’t need to run it indefinitely. We only need to run it until technology evolves enough to solve any problems that arise. Our “linear system” will not run as it has for the foreseeable future. Every system in human history evolved, and so will ours.

“It’s the government’s job to take care of us.”

Sigh. It’s our government’s job to protect us (see the US Constitution).

It’s your job to take care of yourself. Am I the only one left that isn’t a Socialist?

“50% of our federal tax money is going to the military”

The total federal spending for 2008 was $2.9 trillion + $200 billion more for Iraq. The total spend on the military, the “war on terror” and Iraq was $826 billion.

826 billion out of 3.1 trillion is 26.6%. Estimated receipts for fiscal year 2008 were $2.66 trillion. So the percentage of tax receipts spent on “the military” was 31%. It’s way too much, but it’s not 50%.

“Of the top 100 economies in the world, 51 are corporations.”

There are only 180 countries in the world. That list includes places like Kiribati, Maldives, São Tomé, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Seychelles and Eritrea.

Above the Bhutans and Djiboutis of the world is Iceland, ranked 92 in the world with a GDP of $19.5 Billion.

GDP measures the result of production — the value of all goods and services produced in one year. GDP is calculated on a “value-added” basis. So for a corporation, that would be Profit. In 2006, according to fortune, only 8 companies made more than $19.5 Billion:

1 Exxon Mobil $39.5 Billion
2 Royal Dutch Shell $25.4 Billion
3 UAL $22.9 Billion
4 BP $22.0 Billion
5 Citigroup $21.5 Billion
6 Bank of America $21.1 Billion
7 General Electric $20.8 Billion
8 Gazprom $20.3 Billion

So in fact, of the top 100 economies in the world 92 are countries and 8 are corporations . . . and that’s only if you don’t include individual states (like California) as economies.

“In the past 3 decades, 1/3 of the planet’s Natural resource base has been consumed.”

So at our rate of growth, we will completely run out of ALL Natural resources in much less than the next 60 years (because our consumption will grow). mmmmKAY. If only there were a way to harness the energy of this Sky that’s Falling or the hot air from windbags like this.

“We have less than 4% of our original forests left.”

Hmm, that’s Interesting. Because according to the North American Forrest commission:

“About 33 percent of the United States (302 million hectares — 747 million acres) is forested. “

So I guess we had 825% of the US forested at some point.

“40% of the waterways have become undrinkable.”

In general, we don’t drink from “waterways”, we drink from reserves. When we need to drink from waterways, we set up Industrial water filters. So potentially, all of it is “drinkable” (whatever that means).

“We have 5% of the world’s Population, but we’re using 30% of the worlds Resources”

So we use 30% of the world’s water? we use 30% of the world’s Air? We use 30% of the world’s Soil . . . and then eat 30% of the world’s food?

No.

The US does consume 25% (not 30%) of the world’s energy - but so what? 2 billion people in the world don’t even have electricity!

“If everyone Consumed at the US’s rate, we would need 3-5 Planets”

No. We would just need to produce more.

“75% of Global fisheries are fished at or beyond capacity”

First: why should I care? 2nd: How can a fishery be fished beyond capacity? 3rd: If we really need more fisheries - then those “evil corporations” will make them.

“80% of the world’s original forests are gone.”

Nearly 4 billion hectares of forest cover the earth’s surface, roughly 30 percent of its total land area. So . . . if 80% is gone, that means that at one point 150% of the earth’s land surface had forrest. I see.

“According to these guys (referring to the rest of the supply chain), the people that live there don’t own [the Amazon forests] even if they’ve been living there for generations”

Actually, the deforestation is being done precisely by the people that live there. That’s the PROBLEM.

“There are over 100,000 synthetic Chemicals in use in commerce today”

Good! Just because something is synthetic, doesn’t make it bad. In fact, those synthetic chemicals are a big reason why our standard of living is higher today than at any point in human history.

“Only a Hand full have even been tested for harmful effects”

A hand full . . . that would be what? 5? 10? Lies!

“or tested for Synergistic Effects”

I see, so we just need to perform, what? about 2^100,000 or is it the factorial of 100,000 (2.8 X 10^456,573) tests for all the different permutations? That doesn’t even take into account that one would be exposed to various amounts of every given chemical.

To put that into perspective, 10^78 is the best guess for number of atoms in the universe. What she is advocating in terms of testing is an impossibility.

“You know what has the highest number of contaminants of any food? Human breast milk.”

Great, now you’re using your lies to scare ignorant mothers out of breast feeding. Even though every study ever done has shown that breast milk is the best thing an infant can eat. Great work asshole.

This is where I stopped watching because I’m sure no one really cares about the truth. That’s why that video has a page rank of 7 and has been viewed over 4 million times and this post probably won’t get any backlinks and certainly won’t make the front page of reddit.

If we continued watching we’d see more lies and distortions but I just couldn’t stomach it any longer.

Tagged: politics |

First, I’m going to quote 3 sources who are ideologically opposed to Obama - Including Fox News. Then I’m going to outline what’s wrong with Obama. Finally, I’ll give you solid reasons why you should vote the way I’m going to vote.

Sound Boring? It’s not. Read on . . .

First we have The Economist. A publication that is certainly right leaning on economic policies:

on the great issue of the campaign, the financial crisis, [McCain] has seemed all at sea, emitting panic and indecision. Mr McCain has never been particularly interested in economics, but, unlike Mr Obama, he has made little effort to catch up or to bring in good advisers (Doug Holtz-Eakin being the impressive exception).

The choice of Sarah Palin epitomised the sloppiness. It is not just that she is an unconvincing stand-in, nor even that she seems to have been chosen partly for her views on divisive social issues, notably abortion. Mr McCain made his most important appointment having met her just twice.

 

Next we have Fox New’s Neil Cavuto. I’ve liked him back from the days he was on CNBC and I was a stock broker (which was like 13 years ago!) - He’s a sharp guy who does solid interviews and analysis; Including this:

Then we have Reason Magazine, a Libertarian publication:

The truth is, unless you vote for a third-party candidate (which really isn’t a bad idea), you don’t have much of a choice this November. You can either endorse the idea of a massive, invasive, ever-encroaching federal government that’s used to promote center-left ideology, or you can endorse the idea of a massive, invasive, ever-encroaching federal government that’s used to promote center-right ideology.

Which brings me back to why the Republicans need to get throttled: A humiliated, decimated GOP that rejuvenates and rebuilds around the principles of limited government, free markets, and rugged individualism is really the only chance for voters to possibly get a real choice in federal elections down the road.

 

Now I agree whole heartedly with all of the above. McCain needs to lose. But the truth is, he’s going to lose anyway. In fact, he’s going to get throttled like he deserves. It’s gonna be a landslide.

The Obama presidency will help dispel the Myth that America is still a racist, intolerant society. I’ve been to 34 countries now, and with the exception of possibly Brazil, the US is on the whole the least racist of any of them; this election will help prove that to ourselves and the world. Obama’s charismatic, will help our image with the world, and he’s consistent.

The problem, of course, is that he’s consistently wrong:
He voted for expanding the Patriot Act / FISA.
He voted for the $700 Billion Bank Bailout.
He will expand the size and scope of government.
He supports the War on Drugs.
He supports the “War on Terror”.
He supports the status quo on the Federal Reserve.
He wants to use government to redistribute wealth away from the most productive people in our society (here comes a 60%+ top marginal tax rate!).
On almost every issue, if there’s a government “solution” (and I use that term lightly) Obama is in favor of it.

Still. McCain needs to lose. If it were close at all, I would favor voting for Obama if you lived in FL, OH, PA, CO, NH, or IN. There used to be a case for voting for Obama if you lived in one of the “Swing States”. But he’s already going to win a majority (if not all) of them anyway.

Now I say, no matter what state you live in, you should vote for a 3rd party candidate. It’s the first and only step down the long road of hopefully one day breaking the 2 party, no choice, stranglehold on American Politics. My choice would be the Libertarian candidate, Bob Barr, or writing in Ron Paul where possible. But I’d rather see a vote for any 3rd party candidate than for either of the two Major Party Candidates.

McCain’s gonna lose anyway. Vote the only way you can to make a difference this election. Vote for a 3rd party Candidate.

Tagged: Politics |

Ron Paul Made the front page of yahoo.com about an hour ago with this story under the title

“GOP’s Ron Paul has Unusual Appeal”

Then, 11 minutes later, the headline is changed to

“Ron Paul remains longshot for GOP nom”

Other than that, the 2 articles are identical.

But notice the incredible difference a headline can make. It looks like someone at Yahoo (or more likely at the AP) decided after the fact to push their own political agenda. The story went from the “Unusual Appeal of the favorite of those looking for a candidate outside the political mainstream” to a marginalized “Longshot”.

Isn’t the power of the written word Amazing? How, in the middle of the night (literally 2:11 am EST), a political hack can turn a positive story negative with just a few keystrokes.

Also note that this was NOT done to get more clicks or attract more visitors to the story. No one with half a brain could argue that “Ron Paul remains longshot for GOP nom” would get more clicks or reads than “GOP’s Ron Paul has Unusual Appeal.” This was 100% politically motivated.

I guarantee you that the word “Remains” in a headline does not sell newspapers. How is it news if something “remains”? Isn’t that the opposite of news? Isn’t it the antithesis of a magnetic headline?

The mystery is - Who made the change? Was it the Article’s Author, LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON Associated Press Writer, Yahoo, an editor at the Associated press . . . Smurfs? Who decided that the “Remains Longshot” title was the better way to paint this story than “Unusual Appeal”?

Tagged: politics |

My position on Conspiracy nuts is well documented. And, if you’ve been on the Internet at all the last 4 months, you’ve no doubt seen that in cyberspace, Ron Paul is by far the most popular 2008 presidential candidate.

A common smear tactic against Ron Paul is that he is a Truther: someone who believes that 9/11 was a conspiracy orchestrated by the government. Here is Ron Paul’s Position on Truthers and 9/11:

Ron Paul: I mean to go to this extreme of tryin to make a big deal of it I think is a very biased type of reporting and questioning.

Interviewer: Well if you look at it that way that would make sense. But it’s not . . . I’m telling you there is a broad perception . . .. and maybe

Ron Paul: I’ve never heard of it . . . I hear occationally that people will ask me about it. I read the Internet like crazy and I rarely see it.

Interviewer: Really? Because every story that comes out with you – and these videos of you talking to these kids are very big on all the file sharing . . .

Ron Paul: OK - but I don’t have to defend what they do and say. I have to only defend my position and I’ve just given you my position.

Interviewer: So your position (then we’ll get off this and onto something else) your position then would be that as far as you’re concerned the official story from 9/11 . .. and this is not about the government covering up their mistakes. . . this is about the suggestions from these people who you were talking to in this video that 9/11 was orchestrated by the government: You do not support that theory?

Ron Paul: Absolutely Not!

Interviewer: ok thank you I think that will clear up quite a bit. Let’s get on to something else here.

This is the first post in probably 8 months where I’ve actually included a Digg Button. I know there’s an active “bury Ron Paul stories” crowd, so this should be interesting.

Update: Yup, Buried.

Tagged: politics |

Two more great political videos, the first is Obama Girl vs Giuliani Girl:

“Giuliani Girl Just stop your fussin, at least Obama didn’t marry his cousin.” It’s complete with a lingerie pillow fight at the and. The girls are hot and the lyrics are pretty smart.

The 2nd is a spoof on the I got a crush on Obama Video with Taryn Southern singing Hilary, I think I want you.

“I know you’re not gay, but i’m hoping you’re bi” - that’s classic!

Here’s the deal, the political season is heating up. There’s tons of traffic to be had covering these issues and you may want to consider cashing in on it.

Tagged: politics |

Last week, Presidential Candidate Ron Paul visited Google for a Q&A. Here are the pics from Ron Paul visiting the Googleplex and a great video of a Q&A with and overflowing room of Google employees:

That video is certainly worth the 60 mins to see if you think Paul is someone who should be running the United States.

In preparation for Paul’s Visit, the interviewer received more questions from Google employees than for any other presidential candidate that has ever visited Google. Maybe that’s because Ron Paul is the only candidate with voting record that proves he wants to limit the size and scope of government, the only republican candidate that voted against the Iraq war from the beginning and against the US PATRIOT Act.

Also last week, Pronet advertising hit a foul ball with their post, “Ron Paul Supporters Need A Lesson In Social Media Marketing“: a completely off base article that suggests that all of Ron Pauls political support in web 2.0 is astroturffed. The irony of course is that the piece had more comments than almost any other pronet story. Whoops!

Oh yes, the support for and interest in Ron Paul is real . . . . and it’s spreading like wildfire.

“I want to be President not because I want to run your lives, I don’t wanna be President to run your economy, and I don’t wanna be President to run the world. I wanna be President to restore liberty. ” – Ron Paul

Tagged: Politics |

Presedential hopeful Bill Frist is real proud of himself. He was able to sneak in a bann on Internet Gambling on to a Port Security Bill about a half hour before that legislation was voted on.

Nice job Asshole. You just created an insentive that will help to fund terrorists. Cringley said it straight in his Friday column:

Any random group of 535 nerds is smarter than the 535 members of the U.S. Congress and able to circumvent ANY regulation if there is enough profit incentive to do so. Well the U.S. Congress has just created such an incentive where there was none before. And once these various payment schemes start appearing, what’s to say some of them can’t be equally used to finance terrorism? Of course they can be used for that purpose.

Thanks a lot Senator Frist.

Here’s a law that purports to end Internet gambling but will instead enable it, a law that is intended to make certain types of financial transactions harder to do but will ultimately make them easier, a law that says nothing about terrorism but will ultimately abet it, making us all less secure in the process.

There is, to my knowledge, no center for Al-Qaida hacking, nor is terrorism as an industry big enough to attract much third-party software development. But ally the interests of terrorists and Internet gamblers who all want to be paid, that’s a $20 billion incentive to corrupt the world financial system — an incentive that didn’t exist before last week.

 

With the profit motive now in place to create sophisticated underground payment processors - what do you think those vehicles will be used for? Funding terrorism.

This may have come up in discussions if the Senate had the opportunity to debate the bill on it’s own merits. Unfortunately, Bill Frist’s shady tactics did not allow for clean vote or debate on the issue. Are these the types of laws and legislative tactics we could expect more of from a Bill Frist Presidency?

“The government also will be able to ensure that website operators don’t provide links to gambling websites. -Bill Frist

 

Wonderful. That’s just what we need - the government telling us where we can and cannot link. How can this guy be from the same party that ran on a platform for smaller, less intrusive government to win the House in ‘94?

Although Internet gambling did not have a prominent place on either party’s radar screen just a few years ago, its explosive growth and potential for damaging families made it a very important issue to me and many others in Congress.-Bill Frist

 

That. . .or maybe it was the billions of dollars you crooks on both sides of the isle raised from brick and mortar casinos. As always, the truth comes out when you follow the money.

On Slashdot, Hackstaw of Spamgormet had this very insightful comment:

In the US, I have noticed a trend since the 60s and 70s to make more “normal” things illegal, and it makes the tension between the system and the government and the people very high. Abraham Lincoln said it best:

“Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.”

Which was then followed up by HS Thompson:

“In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.”

So much is illegal, but its not “that illegal”, and that is crap. In societies where sex, alcohol, and drugs don’t have these insane and intense laws and taboos against them, they do less of them than here. In societies where pornography and nudity are more tolerated, they have much less rape, child abuse, and teenage pregnancies than we do. In societies where drugs are legal, they do less of them than we do. And the legal consequences keep getting more severe here.

 

Who do you think has it right? Bill Frist or Abraham Lincoln?

Tagged: Politics |

Here’s a very good write up on the Pending Online Poker ban (worth the read) by WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla. Here are some excerpts:

As to the impacts on poker and sportsbetting, this new law is going to be DEVASTATING. Especially for poker. . .

C. Online betting sites will likely not be able to post banner ads and links to gaming sites, especially those based inside the US. “Aiding and abetting” laws could result in arrest and prosecution for those who provide links to US residents. Poker magazines, online betting forums, and even MadJacks could suffer. I remain uncertain as to how severe this impact will be, especially at MadJacks. But for the hundreds of poker sites/sports sties and blogs out there that are dependent upon online poker and sportsbook advertising, many will go out of business. Once again, this might not seem a big issue to everyone, but these are the pioneers who are bringing in new poker players and sports bettors and when they dry up, the market shrinks and everyone is adversely affected.

D. Many sites use what are called affiliates. Persons who are affiliates and live inside the US will now be subject to arrest and prosecution, particularly those who do not block financial transactions from the US.

 

That’s some scary stuff. Of course, some people think that criminalizing people who play and affiliates who promote online poker is “Awesome”. You must voice your opinion and Vote this November to counteract the ignorant who think this is “Awesome.”

(for you non Americans, Awesome means Great or Fantastic in the United States).

Tagged: Poker, Politics |

The recent passage of the effective ban on Online Poker was attached to a Port Security Bill (As if online poker has anything to do with port Security!).

While the Port Security Act which included the prohibition legislation was passed near unanimously in both the House and the Senate, the House did have a clean vote on the poker prohibition in July. This earlier vote from July on HR 4411 is a clean Vote on Poker Prohibition that tells us who voted to Make Online Poker Illegal in the United States. This vote was NOT attached to the Port Security Bill.

It’s October and the next elections are just around the corner. If you’re one of the 23 Million Americans that played Poker Online, send a message that it was not OK to Make online poker illegal. Make sure you are registered to vote, and Vote out the corrupt bastards that took away your personal liberty. We must establish a poker voting block.

The following is a list of members of the House of Representatives who either voted for an Internet Poker ban (Aye - Voted FOR an Internet Poker Ban) or against a ban on Internet Poker (Nay - Voted AGAINST the Internet Poker Ban).
Read the rest of this entry »

Tagged: Politics, Poker |

From the Poker Players Alliance:

The U.S. Senate is Seeking to Ban Online Poker
PPA Phone March on Capitol Hill Scheduled for Sept. 12

Dear PPA Member:

Your urgent action is needed! On September 12th the Poker Players Alliance with the support of leading poker blogs and forums, PocketFives.com, Wicked Chops Poker and others are organizing a “Phone March” on Capitol Hill. From 9:00 AM Eastern Time, until 5:30 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, September 12th, we are asking all PPA members and anyone interested in defending poker to call this toll free number, 800-289-1136 and be patched through to one of your two U.S. Senators in Washington D.C. When you call the 800 number you will hear a recording from fellow PPA member Greg “Fossilman” Raymer and then you will be prompted to enter your five digit zip code so you can be directed, free of charge, to your Senator’s office.

Note: The 800 number will only be active between 9:00 AM EST and 5:30 PM EST on Tuesday September 12.

Key points you should make:

* I am voter in your state.
* I strongly oppose any legislation that would prohibit online poker, and urge the Senator to vote against such legislation.
* Poker is a skill game enjoyed by 70 Million Americans.
* The Senator should seek to regulate online poker much like the government regulates other forms of gaming, like lotteries.
* Prohibitions don’t work. Any legislation that tries to ban online poker will only drive those players underground.
* Again, I urge the Senator to oppose any attempts to prohibit me from playing the great American game of poker on the Internet.

The threat to poker is real. Please forward this information to everyone you know who cares about poker and an American’s freedom to use the Internet. We need everyone possible to make their voice heard on September 12th!

Sincerely,

Michael Bolcerek
President
Poker Players Alliance

This is important, so please share with Reddit or Digg this story.

Tagged: Poker, Politics |