<![CDATA[Mark O'Cúlar · Storify]]>http://storify.com/itisonNodeJS RSS ModuleSat, 18 May 2013 10:31:15 GMT<![CDATA[THE PRESENT WE HAVE]]>

Here is a gift.... think about it. Vinay Gupta (The Hexayurt man / Bucky Gandhi Design Institute) had a train of thought on twitter in the small hours. This is a collection of such with some context. It is incomplete as Storify is bugging me.... see note on bottom..

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Wed, Jan 11 2012 22:23:29

Tumblr
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Mafia Now The Biggest 'Bank' In Italy Thanks To Euro CrisisMafia Now The Biggest 'Bank' In Italy Thanks To Euro Crisis
Extortionate lending a "national emergency" * Organised crime has annual turnover of 140 bln euros By James Mackenzie ROME, Jan 10 (Reute...
and how's the Forex game going?!  >>
Capital Account: Marc Chandler on the Outlook for the Dollar, Euro and Yen in 2012 · CapitalAccount
Myspacecdn
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/the-present-we-havehttp://storify.com/itison/the-present-we-haveThu, 12 Jan 2012 06:23:29 GMT<![CDATA[#spanishrevolution disrupts football celebrations..]]>

On Friday 27th May, protesters in Plaza de Catalunya were battered with truncheons and fired upon with rubber bullets and tear gas in an attempt to clear the square in advance in FC Barcelona's UEFA Champions League football win against Man Utd on Saturday.

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 01:32:06

The famous square in the middle of Barcelona was to be cleared apparently to make way for the celebrations of FC Barcelona fans should they win the UEFA final the following evening (which they did). Shocking scenes of the police brutality inflicted on people there made the way around the web on Friday lunchtime during the eviction of the square.  


However the protestors went back to the square after the police withdrew and presently remain in the square. After FC Barcelona's win against Manchester United crowd poured out onto streets and squares in Barcelona...

Here is the latest, in the small hours of Sunday May 28th, from Irishman in Catalunya Iosaf O As If in the comments on this Indymedia.ie article...


"3 cordons have been put around placa catalunya tonight. the traditional riot confrontation between more feisty barca football club fans normally happening around "las ramblas" the street which leads into the square. The cordons have ostensibly stopped bottles & hot potato chaps entering the square. Nonetheless three small groups have been seen entering the square in the last hour and then masking up. Described varyingly as shaved head boyos or more bluntly of the fascist aesthetic these fellows have caused some unease on the square."

READ ON FOR FURTHER DETAILS..

Barcelona Camp being evicted now so Barca Football club can celebrate - Indymedia IrelandBarcelona Camp being evicted now so Barca Football club can celebrate - Indymedia Ireland
Massive joint police operation with helicopter presence is clearing the camp in Barcelona at this moment under the order of the Catalan Interior Ministry so that Catalonia Square may be free for the traditional celebration of Barca football club who play in Wembley this weekend.
VincenzoRigogliuso_28-05-2011-19 · flickr.com
VincenzoRigogliuso_28-05-2011-01 · flickr.com
And now, Sport.

TVE reports from London and gets media jacked by protesters. Cue safe video
TVE CENSORSHIP || TVE CENSURA en Hyde Park (INDIGNADOS) · ecodelpueblo
Protesters, peacefully hold back football fans from the square..
samuel_rodriguez_plaza_catalunya_28M · acampadabcnfoto

Back to Friday...


I will let the rest speak for itself... in other words.. NO COMMENT

Spanish Revolution - Catalunya Plaza - Barcelona - 27 MAY 2011 · tokra93
Basque on Al Jazeera #SpanishRevolution · matassa5280
Barcelona Police Assaults Peaceful Demonstrators in Spanish Revolution · pitufito4757
ok, maybe just this comment..


This video shows the protestors taking back the square after the police violence...

3.000 'indignados' recuperan plaza Cataluña · europapress
Spanish Revolution: Acampada Valladolid (Eng/Spa subs) · sk92filmes
angel_garcia_27-05-2011_03 · flickr.com
and this..

Now this is what I call bad news..

Spanish police clash with protestors - RTÉ NewsSpanish police clash with protestors - RTÉ News
Spanish police fired rubber bullets and swung truncheons to disperse anti-crisis protestors in a Barcelona square as cleaning crews cleared their tent camp. Catalan police in anti-riot gear moved in after about 50 protestors sat down on the street to block a convoy of cleaning trucks leaving the Plaza de Cataluna square with remnants of the encampment.
Spanish police fire at peaceful protesters in Barcelona | Reflections on a Revolution ROAR
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/spanishrevolution-disrupts-football-celebrationshttp://storify.com/itison/spanishrevolution-disrupts-football-celebrationsSun, 29 May 2011 10:37:16 GMT<![CDATA[talk about a #spanishrevolution]]>

happening now, coming soon?

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 01:42:12

UPDATE: Thursday 19th May

follow the latest news from Spain by hashtag on twitter...  #spanishrevolution #democraciarealya #nonosmovemos


and follow @esrevolution_en


Protest in Dublin this Saturday..

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202503726457580
some great photographs via this link..

http://elenabuenavista.blogspot.com/2011/05/spanishrevolution-acampadasol.html

EnfoQues: #Spanishrevolution #acampadasol #nonosvamosEnfoQues: #Spanishrevolution #acampadasol #nonosvamos
160; &#160; &#160; A pesar de la intensa lluvia que durante la tercera noche de acampada cay&#243; sobre la Puerta del Sol, los &#225;nimos no flaquearon.



-----------

Tuesday 18th May 2011

_3212403320 · Fotografia Diagonal
Following on from Sunday's protest marches in Spain.. many people have not gone home and returned to their tv sets..
Inicio - ¡Democracia Real YA!Inicio - ¡Democracia Real YA!
Comunicado de prensa de "Democracia real YA" (17/05/2011) En más de 60 ciudades del Estado, ciudadanos de distintos sectores sociales han salido con fuerza y determinación bajo el lema de "Democracia real ¡YA! No somos mercancía en manos de políticos y banqueros".
Puerta del Sol, Madrid. May 17th 2011
Vista aérea de la concentración en Sol 17M · eloyente
Social r-evolution in Spain – #spanishrevolutionSocial r-evolution in Spain – #spanishrevolution
We are Pirates de Catalunya (PIRATA.CAT), the pirate party from Catalonia, Spain. As you may know, this last Sunday there were protests for a ‘true Democracy' in Spain, only a week before from our local (and some regionals) elections at May 22nd.
live cams from the activists here..
All cams : #cams34 live video streaming from spainAll cams : #cams34 live video streaming from spain
#SpanishRevolution - #Acampadasol Puerta del Sol, Madrid 17.05.11 · analuciard84

From the Pirates of Catalonia.. (Pirates de Catalunya)



"After Sunday’s protest, 50 people camped in a square in the heart of Madrid. Yesterday, Monday 12 other cities were added to the camping protest.


The peak hour was 11:00PM, when there were 2.000 people in Madrid and other 200 in Barcelona.


In Barcelona there were 80 people camping in Plaça Catalunya
(Barcelona’s central square) last night, and lots more are expected
today. We have organized people in different teams to make this work
smoothly.


----



There was up to 50 policemen and a cleaning team at the square, but
we could stop them pushing us away by showing our good faith,
self-organization and with lots of legal stuff to bypass the law:


we are not camping, we are sitting downwe are not an illegal protest. We are just in groups of 19, so, below 20 this is not an illegal concentration.we aren’t sleeping on the street, we just lay around…and so on.

There are 3 informal shifts to keep the place full of people (80-90% not sleeping the whole night)."


from http://pirata.cat

Partit PirataPartit Pirata
Partit Pirata - Pirates de Catalunya - - Description: Ens reunim cada Diumenge a les 16:00, t'apuntes? C/ Riereta, 5 (Barcelona) - | Facebook
pirata.cat
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/spanishrevolutionhttp://storify.com/itison/spanishrevolutionThu, 19 May 2011 21:00:14 GMT<![CDATA[Situation Room Photo Remix Meme]]>

A selection of some of the photoshopping going on about the already iconic photograph...

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 01:52:44


First off.. the original. This links to an article on Wired where it says..


"As federal government work, it's not copyrighted, so anyone is free to republish the work -- and many did."



Copyright Notice on the original photograph on the White House Flickr page..

"This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House. "

Situation room photo shows Flickr is grown up (Wired UK) · cdni.wired.co.uk

Another meme is born. Let's take a look at how people have remixed this. The first one is my favourites...


(note: some of the images below from Flickr are not linking to the original.. you can find them via the username)


tonyrocks.com
wired.com
wired.com
wired.com
wired.com
wired.com
situation room · rrosario745
wired.com
Vet man! De iconische Situation Room foto is nu ook in 3D! by ... · a1.img.mobypicture.com
flower_girl · Jan Verhoeven
Yfrog - photo - Uploaded by itison · yfrog.com
situation_room_osama · sledwreck
ObamaSitRoomBinLadenKill · grtglavinsghost
The Empire Situation Room · VecinoLorenzo
Peek into the Situation Room · The Rocketeer
Wookie situation room · jcolumbusb
Hot Styles & Sexy Fashion for Women @ The Frisky · cdn.thefrisky.com
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/situation-room-memeshttp://storify.com/itison/situation-room-memesMon, 09 May 2011 22:01:11 GMT<![CDATA[Obama vs Osama ]]>

Osama Bin Laden is no more. The big news today is all over the place and so I've brought some of it together here for you. This is a collection of a variety of points of view on the killing of Osama.

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 01:57:49

Yfrog - photo - Uploaded by itison · yfrog.com
President Obama Announces Osama Bin Laden Killed in Pakistan May 1, 2011 [Full Speech] · TheEvozi
This is a collection of different points of view and I will refrain from commenting on individual sources as it should be easy enough to navigate with an open mind.

The news of the killing of Osama raises a lot of questions and the debate (if there is to be one) is just getting started. It is worth baring in mind that Obama has been vindicated in his birth cert saga and already the derision jokes are in about whether Donald Trump will seek a death certificate for Osama.

Osama bin Laden corpse photo is fake | World news | guardian.co.ukOsama bin Laden corpse photo is fake | World news | guardian.co.uk
Image of bloodied man picked up by British newspapers has been circulating online for two years guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 May 2011 12.03 BST An image purporting to show Osama bin Laden's bloody corpse, right, is a composite of two separate images, left and centre. Photograph: twitpic An image apparently showing a dead Osama bin Laden broadcast on Pakistani television and picked up by British newspaper websites is a fake.The bloodied image of a man with matted hair and a blank, half-opened eye...
Government Contemplates Release of Osama Bin Laden PhotoGovernment Contemplates Release of Osama Bin Laden Photo
The White House says it has made no decision on whether to release photographic proof that Osama bin Laden is dead. John Brennan, President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser, says the administration will do everything it can to make sure no one can deny U.S. claims that the al-Qaida leader was killed during a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan. But Brennan says still to be determined is whether to release a photo of bin Laden's dead body. Brennan says one concern is whether doing s...
Newspaper front pages capture elation, relief that Osama bin Laden was captured, killed | Poynter.Newspaper front pages capture elation, relief that Osama bin Laden was captured, killed | Poynter.
Nearly 10 years after the September 11 attacks planned by Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader was captured and killed by American forces. The word first spread on Twitter, then on network and cable news. This morning, the news dominates major front pages. Below you can view those pages, with thanks to @ronterrell, who shared links to many on Twitter. For perspective, here is a gallery of front pages from September 11 and 11, 2001 and another on the first anniversary of the attacks. iPad ap...
Photo: Fox News does it again. Typo fail. #osama · aboynamedBumper
For Fox Sake
i.imgur.com
Benazir Bhutto: Bin Laden was Murdered · setfree69
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/obama-vs-osamahttp://storify.com/itison/obama-vs-osamaThu, 05 May 2011 23:19:25 GMT<![CDATA[Abbottbad tweeter "liveblogs Osama raid without knowing it"]]>

A helicopter fracas heard by Abbottbad resident Sohaib Athar and tweeted by him turns out to be the raid on Bin Laden..

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 01:58:23

It's just after midday on May 2nd 2011. The main news in the world today is that Osama Bin Laden has been killed by US Special Ops in Pakistan.

I've being following the news since it broke after 4am (local Irish time) and to say it is a frenzy is an understatement. Of course it is big news and I will wait until to dust settles to comment on all of that.

To start with here is the story of Abbottbad resident Sohaib Athar from his a selection of his Twitter timeline.

(I compiled this earlier and was about to publish, when I noticed Amira Al Hussaini had already "storified" this on Global Voices.. , so I lead in with her take after the latest tweets from Sohaib)  
Tweeting the Raid that Killed Osama Tweeting the Raid that Killed Osama
Pakistan: Live-Tweeting Osama bin Laden’s Death from Abbottabad · Global VoicesPakistan: Live-Tweeting Osama bin Laden’s Death from Abbottabad · Global Voices
Saudi terror mastermind Osama bin Laden's life was snuffed when a CIA-led team attacked a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. One Twitter user, Sohaib Athar, who tweets as @ReallyVirtual, reportedly tweeted the raid, and his reactions so far. Athar describes himself as “an IT consultant taking a break from the rat-race by hiding in the mountains with his laptops.” [View the story “Tweeting the Raid that Killed Osama ” on Storify] Saudi Arabia: King Promises Saudis More Money Bahrain: Letter fr...
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/abbottbabhttp://storify.com/itison/abbottbabMon, 02 May 2011 12:45:01 GMT<![CDATA[Dublin droned underfoot in war machine mainframe]]>

Kirk : "Is it a bird, is it a plane?" Scotty : "Nope, there no life in it Jim. But it kills on command."

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 02:13:52

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan Tells U.S. It Must Sharply Cut C.I.A. Activities · DTN News
drone |drōn|

verb [ intrans. ]
make a continuous low humming sound : in the far distance a machine droned.
• speak tediously in a dull monotonous tone : he reached for another beer while Jim droned on.
• [with adverbial of direction ] move with a continuous humming sound : traffic droned up and down the street.

noun
1 a low continuous humming sound : he nodded off to the drone of the car engine.
• informal a monotonous speech : only twenty minutes of the hour-long drone had passed.
• a continuous musical note, typically of low pitch.
• a musical instrument, or part of one, sounding such a continuous note, in particular (also drone pipe) a pipe in a bagpipe or (also drone string) a string in an instrument such as a hurdy-gurdy or a sitar.
2 a male bee in a colony of social bees, which does no work but can fertilize a queen.
• figurative a person who does no useful work and lives off others.
3 a remote-controlled pilotless aircraft or missile.
------
War Games : Drones
GB.AFG.11.0126 · balazsgardi
There's some noise in the media again about the death drones, as Pakistan are not all that happy about those drones from the USA. They want a go themselves at this war game.
Pakistan: The Fight Against The Taliban and The Drones · Global VoicesPakistan: The Fight Against The Taliban and The Drones · Global Voices
Imagine how it is to live in Pakistan knowing that you can have all kinds of misfortune in a day whether natural or man made. A place where a day without any suicide bombing or drone attack can make a news and every moment the citizens have to deal with emotions like shock, rage, discomfort and a deep sense of helplessness. In a recent morning, the first tweet that caught my eye, was one by a Pakistani columnist, Fasi Zaka: fasi_zaka: The last moments of a suicide bomber who didn’t die from ...
KP calls for halting to dronesKP calls for halting to drones
PESHAWAR - Terming the US drone attacks a violation of country’s sovereignty, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly by a unanimous resolution demanded of the Federal Government to call in American Ambassador to Pakistan and ask him for stoppage of spying planes’ strikes on Pakistani soil. The resolution presented by ANP parliamentary leader Bahsir Ahmad Bilour during the provincial assembly session on Monday, in which it was also demanded that drone technology should be handed over to
The Terminators: drone strikes prompt MoD to ponder ethics of killer robots | World news | The GuardianThe Terminators: drone strikes prompt MoD to ponder ethics of killer robots | World news | The Guardian
Analysis of unmanned aircraft in combat urges Britain to establish policy on 'acceptable machine behaviour'
Afghanistan: Drone attack 'kills two US soldiers' - Asia, World - The IndependentAfghanistan: Drone attack 'kills two US soldiers' - Asia, World - The Independent
An investigation is under way into reports that a US drone killed two American soldiers in Afghanistan. If confirmed, it would be a rare example of a
The Anatomy of Drones
What follows is a little over 40 minutes of video clips from different angles. I don't expect you to watch them all, but have a flick around, save some for later viewing, then read on for my thoughts.
37 ARRESTED AT DRONE WAR PROTEST AT HANCOCK FIELD NEAR SYRACUSE NY · SyracusePeaceCoucil
Drone Killer - 4 Kill Game Winning Predator Missile - Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) Online Multiplayer · IvoryDll
Stop Drone Strikes Outside of War Zones · bravenewfoundation
WikiLeaks on the Pakistani double game, Afghanistan, US death squads, drones + local civilian losses · ddchalmers
America's Favorite New Game: Drone Technology · TheAlyonaShow
Gaza war crimes investigation: Israeli drones · TheGuardian
The drone has made the business of war a sanitised affair. Those with drones on their side don't have to get their hands dirty. The comparison with computer games is an obvious one and if I go down the road of saying that there are connections with and pretexts for violence in the physical world, I am sure to be dismissed by sales agenda experts in the virtual field. It is however worth a thought, whatever way you look at it. Are computer games being used as training material for future armies of drone operators?   

Imagine if you were playing a game you didn't know was controlling something else. A war. A real war, preciously played by unwitting gamers (in reality, perhaps this is the case now and has also been before). Some would, no doubt, get a kick out of finding out it was real, but most would be horrified and sickened.

Stepping back into the real world... This happens. It is happening. Wars are waged in our names. Wars are waged in the name of nice words like good, freedom and peace. Wars are waged. They create jobs. Wars use religion and faith as divisive tactics to recruit extremists to keep the fires of hatred burning. Wars use economies to enslave us all and to do nothing about it. Wars are waged because we accept them, we participate in them, we consume the world and build empires out of greed.
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/war-is-just-a-game-he-dronedhttp://storify.com/itison/war-is-just-a-game-he-dronedSun, 01 May 2011 22:55:08 GMT<![CDATA[Pen Envy]]>

triple play. pen thieving whores and a rat.

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 02:14:29

President Czech steals pen how to steal a pen الرئيس يسرق قلم · ThisIsGazaVoice
Sarkozy et le stylo de Basescu · EmmanuelBrasov
pet rat stealing pen · cazzahow

additional thinks A1

http://multistory.itison.net
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/pen-stealershttp://storify.com/itison/pen-stealersSun, 24 Apr 2011 17:48:26 GMT<![CDATA[You Fill Up My Census]]>

The Lost Dáil Tapes. In the company of records. I could see Scotland last weekend from where I stood.

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 02:15:08

multistory belfast · it is on
The Lost Dáil Tapes (found)

Finally we get to see and hear what was said in the Dáil two weeks ago and also last week.

The person I was speaking to last Friday (8th April) about the technical errors with certain webcasts, yesterday replied to my follow up email which I sent after we spoke. I was looking for more technical info than a 'hardware fault' but I'm told in this response the same thing I was told on the phone last week.

"I spoke to HEAnet and they said that a hardware fault caused the break in the recording. They had to create new Webcast recordings for each day and that took 60 hours for one day. This is because broadcast quality recordings are huge files - 8 GB for 20 minutes! " - Principle Clerk. eDemocracy Unit, Houses of the Oireachtas Service.

Would somebody pressing STOP signify a 'hardware fault'?
I joked about this with the three different people I spoke to on the phone last week in the eDemocracy and Broadcast units of the Houses of the Oireachtas. It is worth noting that the archived videos are recorded offsite by HEAnet from the live streams while the separate Broadcast unit has no responsibility for webcasts. From my own extensive experience in broadcast and IT, I would say there is a major lack of joined up thinking here (and possibly a lack of joined up cables). It could of course just be a coincidence that the following two videos were unavailable until after Census Day, April 10th. But then again...

Have a look at both of these excerpts from Dáil debates from almost a week apart. Of course the transcripts have been previously available but given how this has progressed from written questions to actually talking, it is important to see for yourselves how this is handled in by the current government. You could say the last government were lucky in that they didn't have to deal with this one at all. There was no big deal made about CACI winning the contract for the 2002 Census in 2001 and the 2006 Census in 2005 because, nobody asked and nobody told. Sure, the general public wouldn't be interested in this type of thing anyway, let alone the bulk of politicians busy riding the Celtic Tiger, while journalists were busy rewriting cool, urging materialism and discrediting some of the many genuine, pre recession protests, such as Tara, Rossport and Shannon. But now on CACI's third Census season in Ireland, the penny finally drops and people find out. We were much slower than the Scots who discovered CACI was hired for census duties there in 2008. Summer 2009, the CSO award the third census related contract to CACI. (note: I am not using CACI UK Ltd, or CACI International Inc, or even CACI NV for that matter, in referring to the company who were given the contract. It doesn't matter, it is the same company and you will see why I am keen to not make the distinction at the tail of this story). A small amount of people here in Ireland find out about this in early March 2011. This is not to say that nobody but the CSO and CACI knew about it. It would seem that oblivion was on the menu again for politicos and hacks, busy with cross words when they should have been playing join-the-dots.

There are many moments of note in these two videos and I encourage analysis of these in the comments.
20110331 [Dáil] Adjournment Debate - Census of Population · itisonthetube
Dáil Éireann - 31/Mar/2011 Adjournment Debate - Census of PopulationDáil Éireann - 31/Mar/2011 Adjournment Debate - Census of Population
Dáil Éireann Debate    I wish to express the strongest concern about CACI (UK) Limited, the company administering the census under way in the State. A census gathers comprehensive sensitive and personal information about every citizen and we should ensure this information is secured by those carrying out the census and that it is in the hands of a body that has no questions marks over its integrity. CACI has serious question marks over its character and integrity on two fronts. First, the co...
20110406 [Dáil] Questions to An Taoiseach - Census · itisonthetube
Dáil Éireann - 06/Apr/2011 Ceisteanna — Questions - Census DataDáil Éireann - 06/Apr/2011 Ceisteanna — Questions - Census Data
Dáil Éireann Debate           asked the       if he will make a statement in relation to the company that has been contracted to conduct the national census currently underway and to confirm if this firm is a foreign based company (details supplied) and if his attention has been drawn to the allegations that have been made against this company in the United States that it was involved in torture and interrogation on behalf of the US military in Abu Ghraib prison and in other US run prisons i...
It's worth looking back at the Scottish Census story here. As it has been news for longer there (and bigger news) the government did come back to try to make some amends. Compare this with how it has been handled here. The media have deliberatly been silent on this and the attitude from the government has been dismissive and insulting.


On 23rd Aug 2008, The Herald in Scotland ran a story on CACI's involvement in the census and Scotland's Muslim community felt threatened by this. The following year in June 2009 (around the same time CACI win their 3rd census contract in Ireland) the paper reports the scale back concession to calm fears and Scottish National Party's Jim Mather says..

 "..we have set up a new contract structure for the census in 2011, designed to minimise the role of CACI (UK) and in particular to distance it from the personal data collected by the census. "We can go no further without breaching EU procurement rules and jeopardising the entire census."

However the issue of how data protection under the new contract
structure will be enforced is lacking details.
SNP face backlash for hiring firm accused of Iraq torture - Herald ScotlandSNP face backlash for hiring firm accused of Iraq torture - Herald Scotland
Muslims and anti-war groups issue warning as petition is launched against census firm By Neil Mackay THE SNP are being warned this weekend that they risk alienating Scotland's Muslim community and the entire anti-war movement because of the party's insistence on hiring a firm accused of torturing Iraqi prisoners at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad to carry out the nation's next census. The warning, from the most prominent Muslim leaders and organisations in the country as well as fr...
Controversial US firm's role in census cut back - Herald ScotlandControversial US firm's role in census cut back - Herald Scotland
SNP changes contract after concerns raised over CACI parent group, accused in torture case in USBy Helen McArdle THE SNP are scaling back the role of a company it commissioned to provide "back office" services in the 2011 census in an attempt to placate widespread criticism that the Scottish government is helping bankroll a firm whose US parent company is facing a lawsuit for its alleged involvement in torture at Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison. In a letter to Highlands MSP Dave Thomso...
SACC | SNP response on CACI and the Scottish censusSACC | SNP response on CACI and the Scottish census
First posted by Ken Waldron on the Media lens Message Board 24 August 2008 http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2432215.0.snp_face_backlash_for_hiring_firm_accused_of_iraq_torture.php Reply from SNP regarding my e-mail on CACI contract for Scottish Census: A spokeswoman for the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) said: "Our contract is with CACI (UK), a separate legal entity from its US parent company. CACI (UK) specialises in IT systems and is not involved in defe...
Here is a site worth having a look at from the UK..

http://www.nocensustakingpart.co.uk/
census homework · it is on
giant's causeway · it is on
Irish Questions

What are people doing about this?

I will get into this in more detail in the next story, the most important things here are the two videos from the Dáil above. I suggest that it is in the public interest to witness these debates and ask yourself if there is an attempt to brush this information under the rug?

It should be obvious, from the photographs I've posted here, what I did last weekend which ensures I don't have to fill up the census.... I played the away (up north) card. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, three days full of no internet. It was nice. A1 and myself had been meaning the visit the Giant's Causeway for ages. She had some time off work, so we went on an adventure.
rathlin ferry · it is on

On Wednesday, after our return I set about getting back on the story and in my inbox I found an email from a worried woman writing to me on the morning of the census. She felt isolated...

".....what can i say to these people who are collecting the forms about not filling it in and if i dont fill it in is there anything i can write on the envelope that will sound offical and maybe stop me from been fined for not filling it in.. Im unemployed and mortgaged to the hilt so am not in a position to pay any fines, but surly if im signing my name to something and have reservations about it then am I not within my lawful right to not fill it in. Do you know of any group of people who are going to stand together to fight this cencus so I dont feel so isolated by not filling it in, and do you have advice on what i should do?..."

I can't really offer any advice but given the nature of people's
objections on the principles of human rights, then I doubt there will be any prosecutions for not partaking in it. Many people will have already sidestepped it by not having received the census form. The CSO said they will look at it "on a case by case basis". 

I do think there is a larger solidarity problem here in Ireland when it comes to protests. Tribalism defeats us now more than ever, on many levels. I won't get into the whole nature of protest and the Irish psyche as I would need a whole documentary to cover it and incidentally that is what Tara Saga is largely about.     

I know people are afraid of the position they are being put into and
feel worse that it is something which is not widely known about. The threat of a €25,000 fine is enough to make most submit to the weapon of the pen and fill out the form.
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/you-fill-up-my-censushttp://storify.com/itison/you-fill-up-my-censusSat, 16 Apr 2011 21:08:17 GMT<![CDATA[Missing : The News in Ireland on CACI]]>

Last seen on a little fluffy cloud due west of Dublin.

Storified by Mark O'Cúlar · Thu, Oct 27 2011 02:19:10

The news has gone a.w.o.l. Yet again. On one hand I'm not surprised, on the other I'm really disappointed. My work over the past few years has been about developing an alternative media platform in reaction to the lack of coverage by the media here on many issues.
The Incredible Disappearing Newstalk story.

I have Google news alerts setup for the words "CACI, Census". Yesterday (Friday 7th April), in chimes a report from Newstalk.. The Top 5 at 5. When I visited the page, well....
itison.net
and it's gone...
Fridays Top 5 at 5! Our top stories for today… « Newstalk – Ireland's National Independent Talk Radio BroadcasterFridays Top 5 at 5! Our top stories for today… « Newstalk – Ireland's National Independent Talk Radio Broadcaster
Fridays Top 5 at 5! Our top stories for today… «
The Colin Hayes Show

On Tuesday last (April 5th) Colm Hayes talked about the census on his 2fm show. CACI were mentioned. I will leave it to someone who heard the show to describe it in the comments. It wasn't important enough to put in the "best bits of the show" which are podcasted. Cricket and holidays however, are.
itison.net
Oireachtas Web TV : Technical Errors.
Then there is the strange case of the technical error with the Dáil webcast on the Oireachtas website. On Thursday I was checking in for Wednesdays debates as I was compelled to see for myself what was transcribed.

On Friday, Thursday's webcast was there but missing in action was Wednesday's debates. I called the House of the Oireachtas about it and was told of this error which allegedly occurred on the HEAnet side of things. More on that in a future story.
Dáil Éireann - 06/Apr/2011 Oireachtas Reform Programme - Census DataDáil Éireann - 06/Apr/2011 Oireachtas Reform Programme - Census Data
Dáil Éireann - 06/Apr/2011 Oireachtas Reform Programme - Census Data
CSO interview Friday 8th April 2011 · videoist
Who Do You Think You Are?

(...are you talking to me?!)
Also on Tuesday, The Irish Independent included a supplement of the Census of 1901 and 1911, being that it is the centenary of the 1911 count. It an interesting snapshot of that time and worth a read. Needless to say there is no mention of you know who.

The headline of this put an apt thought in my head. Who do I think I am trying to bring news to the attention of the media? I'm just trying to create awareness about this, I believe it is in the public interest and people have the right to know about this. I hoped, some professionals in the media would have done their own investigations and ask tougher question of the CSO and politicians.
itison.net
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An Interview with the CSO

On Friday on decided to interview the CSO myself. I interviewed Gerard Bradley, he was very helpful in answering my questions and I want to thank him again for doing this. The duration is 13 minutes altogether and includes his call back to me at the end where he clarifies some things.

The next step is having a look for ourselves at the IT system. In the interview Gerard states they would likely allow this. I will contact the CSO again next week to make arrangements to do this. This is a good move from the CSO and one that has to be commended.

There is also an mp3 of this interview available on the previous story.
Which CACI?
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]]>http://storify.com/itison/missing-the-news-in-ireland-on-cacihttp://storify.com/itison/missing-the-news-in-ireland-on-caciSat, 09 Apr 2011 21:13:43 GMT