Digital Civil Rights

Did you know your right to freedom of speach online is defended by an organization called Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF)?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows.

Even in the fledgling days of the Internet, EFF understood that protecting access to developing technology was central to advancing freedom for all. In the years that followed, EFF used our fiercely independent voice to clear the way for open source software, encryption, security research, file sharing tools, and a world of emerging technologies.

Today, EFF uses the unique expertise of leading technologists, activists, and attorneys in our efforts to defend free speech online, fight illegal surveillance, advocate for users and innovators, and support freedom-enhancing technologies.

Together, we forged a vast network of concerned members and partner organizations spanning the globe. EFF advises policymakers and educates the press and the public through comprehensive analysis, educational guides, activist workshops, and more. EFF empowers hundreds of thousands of individuals through our Action Center and has become a leading voice in online rights debates.

EFF is a donor-funded US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends on your support to continue fighting for users.

For more information on EFF and how you can get involved go to their website at EFF.ORG.

The Longest Day of the Year

Winter Solstice the longest day of the year is 24 hours and 30 seconds long and occurs on December 22, 2018.
Winter solstice is the astronomical phase where on a particular date, the day is the shortest, making the night the longest night of the year. This phenomenon occurs when one of the Earth’s poles tilts away maximum from the Sun.

This year the Winter Solstice will happen in Northern Hemisphere on Saturday, 22 December 2018 at 3:53 am.

Winter solstice takes place twice in a year, once in each hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere happens the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere happens the June solstice.

The solstice this year is special because the much anticipated December moon, also called Cold Moon will be visible during the night along with the Ursid meteor shower.

When does the solstice occur?

The solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. This makes each day 24 hours and 30 seconds long.

Meaning of winter solstice

The word solstice comes from Latin word, solstitium, which means ‘sun stands still’. This happens because the movement of the sun path stops briefly. The day and time of the solstice are different each year.

Winter solstice in India

In India, we don’t see a drastic difference in the lengths of the day and night. But some of the Nordic countries, the ones around the North Pole experience a noticeable difference in the length of day and night.

What is special about 

winter solstice 2018

?

1. December full moon

This time full moon will appear both on Friday and Saturday nights. December Moon is named so by the Native Americans. The Cold Moon marks the beginning of the coldest part of the year.

2. Ursid meteor shower

According to the American Meteor Society, the Ursids should be visible in the Mid-Northern Hemisphere.

3. Mercury/Jupiter conjunction

Before the sunrise on Friday, Mercury and Jupiter will appear as if they are about to collide in space (though they are millions of miles apart).

People come together at Stonehenge, a monument in Wiltshire, England to celebrate and the capture the moment. At this moment the sun is directly aligned with the famous stones, which makes it look like as if the Sun is balancing itself on the stones.

On similar lines, in India, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as one of the important festivals. The festival marks the beginning of the Sun’s journey towards the Northern Hemisphere. This brings longer days and the end of the winter.

Wreaths Across America

The Wreaths Across America convoy is on its way to Arlington National Cemetery with over 250,000 wreaths.

To follow the convoy click this link

https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/arlington-escort-information for a schedule of stops along the way with a range of events at each stop.

Over a quarter of a million wreaths are on their way to ANC. Ten trucks full of wreaths (out of a total of 68) will start the trip on Saturday, Dec. 8 and travel in a convoy of tractor trailers. For safety reasons, only ten trucks will complete the convoy tour — the other 58 will be waiting at Arlington National Cemetery.

If you live nearby, join the Connecting Vets team at Arlington National Cemetery for the wreath laying event on Dec. 15. And if you're not near ANC, you can get involved with a donation or by sponsoring a wreath!

The farm in Maine that makes the wreaths is the same one that started the tradition of placing wreaths for the holidays back in 1992. That year, the Worcester family placed 5,000 of their surplus wreaths on grave sites in Arlington National Cemetery. Last year, 1,500,000 wreaths were placed.

Source: https://connectingvets.radio.com/articles/announcing-connecting-vets-wreaths-across-america-convoy-tracker