The Montoya Minute: Week of January 13th
The Real ID Act is scary Af, Iran shot down a plane, Mayans were the first authors, the Clinton investigation found nothing, teleporting computer chips, and the US Navy banned TikTok?
This week I’d like for us to talk a look at the way things in the media are framed
There is what actually happened— and then there is the way we spin it. It is 1000% a rhetorical choice! We can understand it through Kenneth Burke’s Pentad, from his theory of Dramatism.
The Pentad is used to find the motivation behind the argument. Everything is an argument people! It’s usually applied to philosophy and literature but it works just as well when you read news articles. There are 5 points to analyze:
1. Act: What happened? What is going on? What are people saying and doing?
2. Scene: Where and when is the act happening? What is the background context? What happened right before and after the act?
3. Agent: Who or what is involved in performing or construing the action? Who are the actors?
4. Agency: By what means, methods, or tools did the agents act?
5. Purpose: What were the goals and motivations of the action? Why did the agents act in this way?
If you can pin point which of these 5 points the article leaves out or downplays and which ones they heavily emphasize you can see what the motivation is. And that motivation tells you where you need to be critical and what is really going on.
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Sh*t You Should Know
What No One Told You About The Real ID Act
My first Medium article!!!
On the surface it's a more secure ID, beneath the surface it's a government tracking device that threatens individual liberty and limited government. Turns out we missed the fine print, which is actually up for everyone to read on wikipedia.
The Real ID Act implements the following:
Title II of the act establishes new federal standards for state-issued driver's licenses and non-driver identification cards.
And all the stuff they didn't tell us about:
+Changing visa limits for temporary workers, nurses, and Australian citizens.
+Funding some reports and pilot projects related to border security.
+Introducing rules covering "delivery bonds" (similar to bail, but for aliens who have been released pending hearings).
+Updating and tightening laws on application for asylum and deportation of aliens for terrorism.
+Waiving laws that interfere with construction of physical barriers at the borders.
And more stuff it does
+Allows computers to note and record people's whereabouts each time they are identified.
Read the Full Article here. Please like and share this is my first Medium article!
Iran Says It Unintentionally Shot Down Ukrainian Airliner
“Iran’s military announced early Saturday that it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, blaming human error because of what it called the plane’s sharp, unexpected turn toward a sensitive military base…Iran initially maintained that mechanical issues had brought the Boeing airliner down, killing all 176 people aboard.”
Dude…
This Maya Guide to Astronomy Is Thought to Be the Oldest Book Written in the Americas
The Maya are the first book authors in the Americas. Boom.
Another earthquake hits Puerto Rico with 5.9 magnitude
Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced told reporters there is an estimated $110 million in damage caused by the quakes. Since December 28, about 500 earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or higher have hit Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from Hurricane Maria in 2017. Thousands of families have fled their homes, fearing the structures may collapse during an aftershock. They are sleeping in mattresses, tents and tarps set up in stadiums, fields and next to highways.
And now Trump is refusing to release full aid to the island. Everyday Puerto Ricans are helping each other. After Maria, Puerto Ricans know that they are all they have.
Here is a list of orgs you can donate to that are helping with disaster relief in Puerto Rico.
Justice Department Effectively Ends Clinton Investigation After Finding Nothing: Report
Attorney General John Huber allegedly reviewed documents and spoke with federal law enforcement officials in Arkansas who were handling an investigation into the Clinton Foundation. Though the inquiry has not formally ended and no official notice has been sent to the Justice Department or to Congress, Huber has effectively finished his assignment and found nothing worth pursuing, current and former officials told The Washington Post in a report published Thursday. HuffPost has not been able to independently confirm that the inquiry has ended.
It’s almost like they did it all to distract us and at prevent her from becoming the president. What a waste of time and money. But what else is new.
California’s new privacy law, explained
We have rights now people! AB 375 is supposed to protect our private info from being sold and used unethically. And there are 9 other states expected to pass similar laws.
The right of Californians to know what personal information is being collected about them. What this means: A business must tell you that it collects personal information about you either before or as that information is collected.
The right of Californians to know whether their personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom. What this means: A business must tell you the types (though not the names) of third parties it shares your personal information with, but it’s up to you to ask for this information. You also have the right to tell the business to delete your personal information and to not sell it (more on that later).
The right of Californians to say no to the sale of personal information. What this means: Businesses must give you ways to opt out of having your personal information sold to or shared with third parties like advertisers or data brokers, and they must honor your opt-out request. They must also put a link to their opt-out page on their homepage advising you of this right. (Via Recode)
For the full list click here
Google and Facebook say they don’t have to follow the rules because they say they don’t share consumer data with ad buyers.
The point is, that we have to exercise our rights not just leave them hanging. If you want control of your personal information now is the time to fight for it.
Taxi Drivers Strike At LAX, Demanding To Be Allowed Back To Terminals For Pickups
Think about the lack of legislative protection Taxi drivers have. Since Uber and Lyft came on the scene the whole conversation has revolved around laws to protect and accommodate the companies.
Since Uber and Lyft have taken over much of that transportation real estate, many taxi drivers depend on LAX for 60-70% of their income. Taxis account for about 4% of the vehicles that drive through the terminals any given month. Transportation Network Company (TNC) vehicles, as in Uber and Lyft, made up nearly a third of all LAX traffic, while private vehicles account for more than 50%.
So they really made this law for who exactly? Personal vehicles make up the bulk of the cars at LAX so why haven’t more innovative changes been made to reduce that traffic?
Food for thought: What about disabled people and elderly people who need to be dropped off at the terminal? This def and example of ageist and ableist legislation.
Is Cardi B Going Back to School to Become a Politician?
“I think I want to be a politician.” the rapper said in a series of tweets. “I really love Government even tho I don’t agree with Government.” She added, “I do feel like if I go back to school and focus up, I can be part of Congress. I deadass have sooo much ideas that make sense. I just need a couple of years of school, and I can shake the table.” We certainly know that would be true.
The politician we deserve lol. And what an amazing story that would be too though!
Podcast
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They examine how HBO’s series “Watchmen” and Bong Joon Ho’s film “Parasite” bring to light the hidden histories that shape our modern lives. It’s an interesting look at power structures as well as how it’s different levels make everyone complicit in parasitic capitalism.
I’m trying out the embedded but if it didn’t work you can listen here.
Tech Sh*t
Information teleported between two computer chips for the first time
Scientists at the University of Bristol and the Technical University of Denmark have achieved quantum teleportation between two computer chips for the first time. The team managed to send information from one chip to another instantly without them being physically or electronically connected, in a feat that opens the door for quantum computers and quantum internet.
This kind of teleportation is made possible by a phenomenon called quantum entanglement, where two particles become so entwined with each other that they can “communicate” over long distances. Changing the properties of one particle will cause the other to instantly change too, no matter how much space separates the two of them. In essence, information is being teleported between them.
No pos wow!
Trump Administration Rolls Back LED Light Bulb Standards
Trump’s Department of Energy thinks the cost of energy saving LED bulbs is “not economically justified.” But trillions of dollars on war are? So who benefits from what they are calling “unnecessary regulation?” The National Electrical Manufacturers Association, which is lobbying to rollback the stricter efficiency standards meant to come into play by 2020. We are under no obligation to purchase incandescent bulbs stay bout that LED life for the sake of the environment, please.
Here are the companies they represent. It’s a lot.
US Navy bans TikTok over security worries
TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, and US officials have expressed concern that China's companies are under the thumb of the country's government and could use their products for spying and other threatening activities.
Like yes, obviously. But think about all of the monitoring done by private companies and the US government on Americans and all over the world. We need to hold things in perspective. The US likes to point the finger at everyone else but we do the same shit. Errybody be spying on errybody.
Should we still be concerned tho? —YES.
Thanks for reading! See you next week or you can always find me on Instagram if you miss me terribly.