thecrimeshop

2020-05-21

Beer Networking App Being Used to Track Military and CIA

Untappd – Offers More Than Just Networking

Cristal M Clark

Does everyone remember when news broke about the fitness app Strava, when it was revealed to be tracking and exposing U.S. military bases worldwide? Well another app seems to be doing pretty much the same thing. Untapped it would seem has been tracking check-ins at some rather interesting places – the Pentagon, Germany, and Greenland, it was also found to be tracking US Military, CIA including at a top secret CIA facility.

Untappd has 8 million users, including those in armed forces and intelligence agencies worldwide, the biggest following from the US and Europe. The app is used by beer drinkers to discover new bars, breweries, and beers. Users can rate beers, unlock badges, get directions to local events, and most importantly share that information with others.

Researchers with the group Bellingcat also discovered shared photos that included shots of government ID cards, documents, and military hardware which could be used to reconstruct the travel and work habits of military and intelligence personnel, including precise location capabilities.

The downside of any app that tracks you, be it fitness or beer users more often than not share too much information, and then the apps share too much about said users.

Researcher Foeke Postma was able to show how one individual utilizing the app shared a photo of a beer that Foeke Postma was able to use and geolocate it to a specific building at Camp Peary, pinpointing the exact location it was taken. Foeke also tracked the individual to Camp Peary, Virginia. Nicknamed “The Farm,” Camp Peary is a CIA facility used for field training and allegedly as a hub in the transport of suspected terrorists in case you were wondering.

Check-in’s seemed to fascinate the researchers because if this data fell into the wrong hands, because an intelligence agency could, you know, locate bars frequented by service members near military bases, or secret CIA facilities, maybe find out what the most popular beer there and then…of course, send spies to ingratiate as fellow beer lovers with those personnel, ordering their favorite beer and of course hopefully getting someone to spill secrets.

I’ve said this before though apps like this one and any other including social media serve as a collection point for intelligence agencies and hackers who are seeking valuable information. Social networks collect more information than users are often aware of, and that data can be used by third parties as well as compromised.

We do like our apps that track our fitness, where we post something from, our beer likes and dislikes and those apps do tend to overshare our information in unimaginable ways sometimes.

Cristal M Clark

2020-05-20

Economic Recovery Could Take Years

Reopening-America-Crimeshop

MIA – Rapid Rebound for the Economy

Cristal M Clark

Regardless of what many think, reopening states is not going to provide the economic recovery many had hoped for and that is for a number of small reasons that once all added together point to some darker times ahead.

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Consumers are reluctant to spend, many businesses are still unable to open, of those that are, they are learning rather painfully that they will not be able to employ the workforce they once had and of those that can, many of those employees will be working from home, some companies are choosing to shut down entire offices and move everyone to a work from home environment which hit’s a rental market no one has been talking about. Many bars are going to be forced to remain closed simply because they are unable to accommodate social distancing rules, of those that do open, they will lose the profit they need due to the rules and limits on overall capacity post Covid-19 will allow, the same goes for restaurants. And event’s, venues and sports well I think everyone is getting the picture on those.

The New York Times used the online research platform SurveyMonkey and found that roughly 60% of the participants said they expected the next 5 years to be characterized by “periods of widespread unemployment or depression.”

A survey from the University of Michigan last week found that consumers’ assessment of current economic conditions had improved modestly in early May, but that their view of the future was just as grim as those surveyed by the New York Times and if you look carefully you are seeing the same from across several media outlets and universities.

As far as consumer confidence goes, that speaks volumes. Even in the financial industry we are seeing news and reports that lean towards the same sentiments. While we can get money in, we are finding it difficult to turn it around and get it back out on the streets. One of the contributing factors is that right now even lenders are skittish about lending to anyone who is not employed or going back to work for the same employer and borrowers have money right now, they are reluctant to spend what they have and they do not need a loan.

In testimony before a Senate committee on Tuesday, Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, both warned that further job losses were likely and they both can’t seem to agree on policies that will foster growth and repair our damaged economy.

And to make matters even worse, economists, who once expected a swift, “V-shaped” recovery, now say unemployment is likely to remain elevated for years.

So while many clamor to reopen states and businesses they didn’t really win anything because this is going to be rolling along for quite a number of years. As construction continues, those footing the bill for said construction are going to be left holding a bag of absolute garbage they will be unable to lease, rent or sell for years to come. Commercial Real Estate is going to get hit hard and with little recourse available these guys stand to lose virtually everything.

It’s time to address the issues of wages not being in line with the cost of living because until that situation becomes resolved we are not going to get ahead of this mess, then we need to look to bring jobs back to America and to stop giving tax breaks to large corporations who move jobs overseas or who simply get a big tax break for employing so many workers in America and take a hard fucking look at what those workers are paid in comparison to those that own or who are on a board of said companies. Why the fuck we would give Amazon, WalMart and many others the tax breaks we do is beyond me, they don’t pay people shit. As for bailouts to any corporation or company, yes they must be held accountable to misusing any said bailout so as to line the pockets of executives and board members.

The point is that working American’s are sick of the abuse of corporations, the banking industry, the airline industry with each bail out they receive. It benefits no workers but does benefit the board and the executives. That is disgusting.

Every single little guy is taking a proverbial beating financially right now, it’s time the big players did their part and shared in that financial hit.

Most importantly, regardless of Trump’s pushing and promises, the economy is not coming back anytime soon.

Cristal M Clark

2020-05-19

As Bars and Restaurants Reopen Owners Face New Realizations

New Realities Paint Grim Picture for Many

Cristal M Clark

As bars and restaurants start to reopen owners are facing new challenges due to social distancing rules, many owners are worried that the rules could force them to close permanently.

Because of the rules across the country many bars and restaurants are being forced to service less than 50% or less of the capacity they can serve which also means they do not need as many employees. In fact the rules go beyond this industry as offices have reopened many employees learned rather quickly that what they assumed was a temporary lay-off is now a permanent one due the size of the offices employers are simply unable to bring back the staff they once had and many will choose to bring back the lower paid staff over the seasoned and qualified staff that they had due to loss of funds through the statewide shutdowns.

For the bar and restaurant industry, they cannot make a profit because of the social distancing rules for one reason, restaurants and bars need volume and traffic to make them work.

The math that holds this industry together is pretty simple. Margins were already razor thin, which then forced eateries and bars to pack in customers every night, especially on the weekends, in order to stay open. In the toughest markets, that means multiple waves of guests, and tables that are pushed together as closely as possible. Social Distancing rules do not accommodate that. What’s more is that consumers are still not confident enough to really want to frequent the eateries and bars as often as they once might have.

That equals no profits.

If you have seating for 200 in some states you will only be able to accommodate 25% of that, and that’s if you can accommodate that 25% while also socially distancing your customers. To make matters worse for small bars and venues it will be even more difficult to manage and accommodate the rules and still stay afloat while serving less than half of what they had been.

All of this points to many of the bars, restaurants and venues we’ve been used to seeing and going to, are now going to be a thing of the past. Here in Denver it seems that every week we learn of more choosing to close for good because they simply will not be able to make it past the shut down when they are unable to fully reopen like that once did. Bars who are used to packing people in, sometimes shoulder to shoulder are going to feel the hit even worse.

All of this illustrates an even more grim future for the entertainment and live event industry, who are most likely going to be the last thing to be brought back. That industry is taking an even bigger hit than originally anticipated and those gig workers are finding themselves out of the opportunity to make and earn a living. Many are now hoping that fans will pay for virtual shows and albums but again, with consumer spending at an all time low, it is unlikely these smaller time artists will see the numbers they so greatly need from fans.

As we all look for some sense of normalcy and I hope many of you find it, we need to keep those that are still being held in limbo in mind and offer our empathy and support as much as possible.

Cristal M Clark

2020-05-14

Donald Trump and His Team Dealt Crucial Blows Today

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Time Magazine’s New Cover to Dr. Rick Bright’s Testimony

Cristal M Clark

Today was not a good day for US President Donald Trump and his Coronavirus Response team, they were dealt multiple blows today, Dr. Rick Bright’s testimony to Congress with regards to this administration’s response to coronavirus to Time Magazine’s scathing new cover with regards to Trump’s order to open the United States Back up.

Time’s cover story, titled “There Are Sensible Ways to Reopen a Country. Then There’s America’s Approach.”

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The story more or less rips Trump and his administration’s fumbled and foolish response to the public health crisis along with the administration’s blatant and total disregard for the health, safety and welfare of this nation’s citizens.

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It also explains how the U.S. “risks making matters worse” as dozens of states prepare to ease lockdown restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the contagion.

And to back up Time Magazine’s editorial – ousted top Health and Human Services official Dr. Rick Bright, who testified today before Congress that the Trump administration’s timeline for a coronavirus vaccine is likely too optimistic, unrealistic and that there’s “no plan” to mass produce and distribute one.

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Dr. Bright did not just stop at that either. He had quite a bit to say today. Dr. Bright informed Congress that he had warned the administration about shortages of personal protective equipment and that he faulted President Donald Trump and senior officials for having minimized the outbreak early on – which had deadly consequences.

He warned against opening up too quickly and without any real plan, each state, city and municipality is running wild and doing things differently. He expressed deep concern over the United States not having a unified plan so as to reopen states and worried that will have even more deadly consequences.

But Dr. Bright’s concerns were previously met with complete incompetence and blatant ignorance.

“I believe Americans need to be told the truth, we did not forewarn people. We did not train people. We did not educate them on social distancing and wearing a mask as we should have in January and February. All those forewarnings, all those educational opportunities, for the American public could have had an impact in further slowing this outbreak and saving more lives.”

Dr. Bright testified that he raised red flags about the lack of N95 masks in the national stockpile in January which helped lead to a shortage in protective equipment for health care workers. As a result, he said, “lives were endangered, and I believe lives were lost.”

“Not only that, we were forced to procure the supplies from other countries without the right quality standards, so even our doctors and nurses in the hospitals today are wearing N95-marked masks from other countries that are not providing the sufficient protection that a U.S.-standard N95 mask would provide them.”

Dr. Bright warned lawmakers that even if one could be ready, there’s no strategy for mass production.

“If you can imagine the scenario this fall or winter, maybe even early next spring, when the vaccine becomes available, there’s no one company that can produce enough for our country or for the world. It’s going to be limited supplies, we need to have a strategy and plan in place now to make sure that we can not only fill that vaccine, make it, distribute it, but administer it in a fair and equitable plan.”

“We do not have that yet, and it is a significant concern,” he said.

He also warned that the administration needs to develop a comprehensive, well-implemented national response plan heading into the fall. Without one, he said, the coronavirus outbreak could combine with the seasonal flu later this year to create “the darkest winter in modern history.”

In closing Dr. Bright had this to say: “Our window of opportunity is closing if we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities.”

Dr. Bright is not wrong, at every turn Trump and his administration have failed, have provided misleading information, tout theory as scientific fact and have shown a blatant disregard to the lives of the people of this nation. Trump and his administration will go against the orders of his health experts and then sit around and pretend shit is not falling apart when it is. Dr. Bright hit the nail on the head in his closing argument to Congress today, what’s more in watching the hearing very few in Congress seemed to be on Donald Trump and his administration’s side.

I actually watched the testimony in its entirety in shock. Our US President is putting lives in danger and does not give a shit at all. He did not when Coronavirus started and he hasn’t changed his mind at all. On social media citizens are voicing deep concerns over Trump and his administration’s handling of the Virus as well as concern over Governors and Mayors who are utilizing so called experts that don’t really know shit about day to day life like the rest of us.

As this week comes to a close I would imagine Trump and his administration will be rife with snide, rude and insulting remarks about Dr. Bright and Time Magazine, because they know everything each said, is the absolute truth and nothing but that.

Cristal M Clark

2020-05-13

You Survived Covid-19 – Why Are You Still Not Well?

bioweapons-crimeshop

Virus Survivors Suffering Debilitating Health Issues

Cristal M Clark

Coronavirus is changing the way the world lives, works, shops and attends schools, events and church, which is starting to anger many. Some even tout that they survived the virus so what? Right, so what? Well, new research suggests that those who have survived are showing signs of just how badly the virus ravaged their organs without the individual realizing it. Doctors have been saying how shocked they are to see a patient with oxygen levels so low the patient shouldn’t be talking, standing or sitting but is. Now we are learning just how badly the virus attacks us.

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The coronavirus is now known to attack several organs in the body beyond the respiratory system, causing damage from the eyeballs to the toes, the digestive system, the kidneys, the liver and in some cases nerves. Our immune systems tend to go into overdrive just to fight off the infection, compounding the damage done.

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To make matters worse, we are also finding that some children who survived the virus are showing signs of another entirely different infection after the fact that is suspected to be tied directly to the Coronavirus. Health officials are racing to understand it and find ways of preventing it.

The virus is now being dubbed an organ killer. Patients who have survived are showing signs of decreased lung, kidney and liver function, continued fatigue and continued pain months after having had the virus.

According to one study, survivors of severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS, suffered lung infections, higher cholesterol levels and were falling sick more frequently than others for as long as 12 years after the epidemic and research has just now begun for the Covid-19 survivors.

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These issues could play a much larger role in determining how we address social distancing rules, reopen eateries, schools, events and the like because public health officials say there’s a possibility the virus may become a seasonal affliction.

The other crucial and more important thing this all highlights is that if you have been infected, you may not be immune to the virus and are more likely to become considered someone who has a compromised immune system as the virus hits in second and third waves.

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That information in and of itself should give the president the chills and cause him to pause in his rush to reopen everything, he needs to do this the smart way not in a way that will result in more death and misery. I get that we need to get things rolling but perhaps it is time for the president to invite others to the table, people who will provide sustainable, long term solutions to help get the country back up and running because right now, all he and those he is listening to are hearing are the sounds of bills passing hands and greed.

Some of us have been part of meetings on smaller scales and are coming up with sustainable long terms plans because we are looking at the science. It’s time that US President Donald Trump, start working towards a plan B.

Cristal M Clark

2020-05-12

Coronavirus Contact Tracing Apps Are Coming

Swiss army tests proximity tracing app, Lausanne, Switzerland - 24 Apr 2020

Turning the World Into a Surveillance State

Cristal M Clark

That’s right, contact tracing apps are coming, in fact if you have watched any news programs recently you might have noticed that state and local governments are able to provide and see mobile device data showing where we are complying with lockdown orders or not.

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I bet a lot of folks missed that one, when I mentioned it online earlier today quite a few heads spun. Believe it or not it is still not an infringement on anyone’s rights. If you obtain the virus those that you potentially infected have rights as well, and one of those rights would be the right to know they have been in contact with someone who was infected with Covid-19.

It amazes me how words like communism, communist state, infringements and constitutional rights are being tossed around like any of that matters to the individuals spewing those words. What about the other half of the population who would prefer not to catch the virus, they have the same rights as those that are anti everything. Maybe instead of having tantrums over shutdowns and masks these individuals can help come up with solutions because the pain we all felt as our economy bottomed out should be enough to tell all of you that the reason it happened is because our economy was not built in a way so as to sustain any actual life.

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Now, as the contact tracing apps start rolling out, we will start hearing part of the population accuse the system of making this a surveillance country and insist rights are being taken away, the US is in violation of the constitution. The truth is, only health organizations will have access to the data provided by the apps so that individuals can be warned of contact with an infected person.

Like it or not, these apps are going to roll out and my gut tells me that Android and IOS will roll out an update carrying said apps. You are not going to have a choice and judging by some of the outrageous behaviors I am seeing from anyone not wanting to comply with safety measures currently, that will be a smart decision.

And that will change the way of the entire world because those apps are going to be rolling out worldwide. We have to be able to trace this virus down, we must have the capability to inform anyone who might have been in contact with someone who had the virus because we must protect the vulnerable who would otherwise die should they get the virus.

The ugly truth is, a vaccine may never stop the virus just like the flu that shows up every year, those that were infected may become infected again and some can carry the virus well past it’s initial life expectancy. The reason we need all of this is because if you think this virus is bad, just wait for the next one to hit. You can’t stop that and we must be ready for the next one by implementing safety measures that are designed to protect.

Cristal M Clark

2020-05-11

Colorado Cafe Shut Down For Defying State Safer at Home Order

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Graphic. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario “Charo” Gutierrez)

Castle Rock – Colorado

Cristal M Clark

The owner of C&C Coffee and Kitchen in Castle Rock, Colorado decided to defy the State’s safer at home orders and opened it’s dining room to the masses Sunday. Now a day later the eatery has been shut down by the Tri-County Health Department and Governor Jared Polis ordered the suspension of the restaurant’s license.

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The eatery was flooded with happy diners who were mask free with the exception of one individual. Images and video flooded social media yesterday of the opened eatery. The owner, April Arellano, told local papers she did not expect it to be as busy as it was but was thankful for those that came out. “I’m so happy so many people came out to support the Constitution and stand up for what is right. We did our time. We did our two weeks. We did more than two weeks … and we were failing. We had to do something.” So you put yourself before the safety of your customers? Nice.

And now she has been forced to close and her license yanked.

People flooded social media either in support of her or not and that is where things are getting ugly. Some slammed her “So much selfish stupidity. If it was just themselves they were endangering I wouldn’t care, but we’re all connected. It’s a pandemic and people are dying,” one individual wrote on member station Colorado Public Radio’s Facebook post about the reopening.

Others praised her.

And it truly depends on which side someone is on with regards to the US shutting down virtually everything. Some view it as the government taking away constitutional rights, while others view it as simply being asked to do our part to stop the spread of the virus. And many of those that oppose such shutdowns often try to throw the Constitution into the conversation, I have rights, we have rights, it is my right, we are being oppressed, our rights are being infringed upon.

I am so sick of seeing this argument, no one lost any right, no one’s rights are being infringed upon. People in the United States are so pathetically selfish that they simply do not care for anything or anyone other than themselves. It is ridiculous.

These are the same arguments you hear about mask wearing. The argument is beyond so fucking stupid every time I hear it that I want to vomit. I’ve heard those that argue all of this by telling everyone, if you are afraid of getting sick, stay home. My response is usually, Fuck You. Those individuals are infringing on the rights of others. They are, not the government, every single individual who refuses to wear a mask, to remain closed until it’s deemed safe to reopen, open at a lesser capacity and so on, infringe on everyone else’s rights. This is far from government overreach, it’s purely a level of American ineptitude that has never been seen before. These people call anyone willing to comply with shutdown orders or mask wearing: sheep. To a careful observer the only sheep are those that are allowing themselves to become part of the problem, the protesting the refusal to remain closed, the refusal to wear masks, those individuals are in fact the sheep. They follow the masses of distorted, misinformation brought about by nothing more than conspiracy theory and selfishness.

But that is not how they see it right? They only think of themselves, me, me, me, like petulant children having a tantrum. They want people to become infected just to prove a point but what they lack is education. Not everyone wants to become infected, some have elderly family members or a family member who has a compromised immune system who do not want to see a loved one become infected. It is not the right of the masses to infringe upon the rights of another individual who simply wants to live and avoid getting the virus. That is the part these selfish – simple minded people don’t get.

Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., the health department’s executive director: “It is disheartening that this restaurant has chosen to move ahead of the public orders and not even consider implementing best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

That is the other thing, the eatery did not implement or even attempt to implement best practices, social distancing, ppe. Nothing, they did nothing.

So the owner, April Arellano of C&C Coffee and Kitchen proved one fatal point and that is that she does not give a shit about anyone’s health or safety, all she cared about was money.

That is pure selfish, greed.

Cristal M Clark

2020-05-10

Coronavirus Heroin Anyone?

traffic safety

Bronx – New York

Cristal M Clark

I was wondering when we would start marketing campaigns geared towards the pandemic. Covid-19 Micro-Brew, the Rona Burger, Coronavirus Fries, you get the picture. I did not expect something like Heroin to be labeled as “Coronavirus.”

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I am guessing that the NYPD was just as surprised to see it as well. Turns out some quick thinking drug dealers got their marketing game on and started selling heroin in glassine packets stamped with the word “Coronavirus” next to a biohazard symbol.

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I have to hand it to them for the creativity here. I mean they beat some of the world’s leading ad agencies to the punch line on this one.

The NYPD stumbled upon a Bronx heroin/fentanyl packaging mill where they were shocked to learn, produced more than $1 million worth of individual dose envelopes stamped “Coronavirus,” “24 Black Mamba,” “Hiroshima,” “Isis,” “Antrax” and “95.”

Damn these guys are killing it with the clever marketing.

According to York DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan

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“We arrested six drug traffickers who aptly branded their product ‘coronavirus. Traffickers market their drugs like businesses, branding their product with stamps to attract users, like ’24 Black Mamba’; or use an ‘Antrax’ stamp to designate origins and reference enforcer gangs of the Sinaloa Cartel.”

It is important to note that brand of heroin, and the “24 Black Mamba” heroin have been associated with multiple fatal overdoses in New Jersey but the source of the heroin has not been discovered yet.

Since New York has faced some really strict lockdown measures it wasn’t too difficult for cops to figure out what was up after they witnessed a drug hand-off near the George Washington Bridge Thursday night, after they found the branded drugs in a Bronx apartment.

At the end of the day, The raid resulted in the seizure of $25,000 cash, 120,000 packets of heroin or fentanyl, drug-packaging equipment and ink pads used to stamp the glassine packets.

Cristal M Clark