Difference between revisions of "Spam"

From Conservapedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
 
(30 intermediate revisions by 21 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
If you are reading this, follow this link into your browser, create an account, and copy and paste this article over any article you can! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071204/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iran_analysis_3
+
[[Image:Spam.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A tin of Spam]]
  
−
WASHINGTON - First Iraq, now Iran. The United States has operated under a cloud of faulty intelligence in both countries.
+
In its original meaning '''SPAM''' (all uppercase) is the proprietary name for a type of processed, canned pink luncheon meat from Hormel, primarily made from pork. The name is a contraction of "SPiced hAM". It was very popular in [[England]] during [[World War II]], when fresh [[meat]] was in short supply.<ref>[http://www.spam.com Official SPAM Website]</ref>  Most Americans intuitively, viscerally associate "SPAM" with "no nutritive or aesthetic value," though it is still relatively popular (especially in Hawaii) and can be found in almost any grocery store. SPAM has its own newsgroup, alt.spam.
  
−
In a bombshell intelligence assessment, the United States has backed away from its once-ironclad assertion that Tehran is intent on building nuclear bombs.
+
Because it is a pork product, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America has not certified it as a food that Muslims are allowed to eat.<ref>http://www.ifanca.org/Pages/Certified-Products.aspx</ref>
  
−
Where there once was certainty, there now is doubt. "We do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons," the new estimate said Monday.
+
==In internet culture==
 +
'''Spam''' has acquired a completely different meaning in internet culture, as electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings, and other interactive forums. There is some debate about the source of the term, but the generally accepted version is that in the days of internet bulletin boards, unscrupulous users would create post after post of "SPAM SPAM" etc. in order to push other people's topics off the bottom of the board before posting their own unsolicited advertising message. The term "SPAM" was used due to the popularity of a particular episode of [[Monty Python|Monty Python's Flying Circus]], set in a caf&#233;, which served dishes such as "Egg, spam, chips, spam, beans and spam", and which ended with a song which went: "Spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam…" Like the song, spam is an endless repetition of worthless text.<ref>[http://www.cybernothing.org/faqs/net-abuse-faq.html#2.1 The Net Abuse FAQ. 2.1 What is Spam?]</ref>
  
−
Compare that with what then-National Intelligence Director John Negroponte told Congress in January. "Our assessment is that Tehran is determined to develop nuclear weapons."
+
Another school of thought maintains that it comes from the computer group lab at the University of Southern California who gave it the name because it has many of the same characteristics as the luncheon meat Spam:<ref>[http://spam.abuse.net/overview/whatisspam.shtml What is spam?]</ref>
  
−
Just last month, President Bush, at a news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said, "We talked about Iran and the desire to work jointly to convince the Iranian regime to give up their nuclear weapons ambitions, for the sake of peace."
+
* Nobody wants it or ever asks for it.
 +
* No one ever eats it; it is the first item to be pushed to the side when eating the entree.
 +
* Sometimes it is actually tasty, like 1% (or less) of junk mail that is really useful to some people.
  
−
More ominously, Bush told a news conference Oct. 17, "I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."
+
In video games and on internet discussion boards, '''spamming''' refers to repeatedly using one technique or move.
  
−
Asked then if he definitely believed that Iran wanted to build a nuclear bomb, Bush said, "Yeah, I believe they want to have the capacity, the knowledge, in order to make a nuclear weapon."
+
"Spam" postings on a wiki may include misleading page titles or text disguised as educational information, sometimes accompanied by a link to a controversial or [[clickbait]] website which is selling something; it is often used as an attempt at free advertising.
  
−
Bush's National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said the president made comments like those "because he was describing the threat as the intelligence community itself had been describing the threat both publicly and in their briefings to him."
+
There are laws in many nations prohibiting or restricting the production of email spam. In the United States, for example, spammers are supposed to adhere to restrictions under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003<ref>http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm</ref> as well as any relevant state laws.<ref>http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/Main/CB94AA46D5A0974985256EBB006D2E21?OpenDocument</ref> However, many spam operations are part of [[organized crime]] involving otherwise illegal activities such as illegal sale of [[prescription]] medications,<ref>http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ProtectYourSelf/default.htm</ref> counterfeit products,<ref>http://www.malwarecity.com/blog/the-spam-omelette-45-on-replica-watches-and-counterfeit-software-623.html</ref> [[online gambling]],<ref>http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t2287.html</ref> [[phishing]] scams,<ref>http://www.millersmiles.co.uk</ref> and [[malware]].<ref>http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/storm.asp</ref> Many spam messages are produced by botnets consisting of infected machines around world.<ref>http://www.senderbase.org</ref>
  
−
Intelligence officials advised Bush several months ago that they were reevaluating their assessments about Iran. They came to the White House last Wednesday and briefed him on their new findings.
+
Hormel Foods have expressed that they are not fussed about the usage of the term "spam" to denote unsolicited bulk email, provided that the distinction is made between the uppercase and lowercase forms of the word.<ref>[http://www.spam.com/about/internet.aspx SPAM brand and the internet]</ref>
  
−
The intelligence flip-flop recalled the embarrassing reversal that Bush was forced to make on whether Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. The conviction that Saddam Hussein had such weapons was one of the factors behind Bush's decision to invade Iraq. It since has been determined that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
+
==See also==
 +
*[[Information pollution]]
  
−
Democrats on Monday did not hesitate to suggest an Iran-Iraq comparison.
+
==References==
 +
<references/>
  
−
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats had requested the new Iran assessment "so that the administration could not rush this Congress and the country to another war based on flawed intelligence."
+
[[Category:Food]]
−
 
+
[[Category:Internet Culture]]
−
"I hope this administration reads this report carefully and appropriately adjusts its rhetoric and policy vis-a-vis Iran," Reid said. "The administration should begin this process by finally undertaking a diplomatic surge necessary to effectively address the challenges posed by Iran."
 
−
 
 
−
In the case of Iran, though, the White House has not dropped its suspicions that Tehran could pursue a nuclear bomb.
 
−
 
 
−
Iran continues to develop, test and deploy ballistic missiles, and its civilian uranium enrichment program is continuing. "It can readily use the same technology to produce weapons-grade uranium," Hadley said.
 
−
 
 
−
In rewriting the conclusions about Iran, the new estimate said Tehran was pursuing a nuclear weapons program but halted that effort in the fall of 2003 under the weight of international pressure. Importantly, the estimate said Iran has not restarted the nuclear bomb program.
 
−
 
 
−
"Tehran's decision to halt its nuclear weapons program suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005," the new estimate said.
 
−
 
 
−
While key facts have changed, the administration's strategy has not.
 
−
 
 
−
The White House says it will continue to try to build pressure on Iran to prevent it from ever acquiring nuclear bombs.
 
−
 
 
−
"The bottom line is that for that strategy to succeed, the international community has to turn up the pressure on Iran with diplomatic isolation, United Nations sanctions and with other financial pressure," Hadley said. "And Iran has to decide that it wants to negotiate a solution."
 
−
 
 
−
Some analysts believe the new conclusions will be a roadblock for Vice President Dick Cheney and other hawkish members of the administration to be more confrontational toward Iran.
 
−
 
 
−
"It's a good thing that we caught this before we marched headlong into another military conflict," said Jon Wolfsthal, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "This isn't the timebomb the administration made it out to be for the last several years."
 
−
 
 
−
Wolfsthal said the conclusion that international pressure prompted Iran to halt its program "is the piece of information that we missed in Iraq" where Bush believed that Iraq's pursuit of WMD was continuing despite sanctions. He said the administration did not appear inclined to change its strategy toward Iran. He said that "suggests they can't take yes for an answer."
 

Latest revision as of 15:51, August 28, 2025

A tin of Spam

In its original meaning SPAM (all uppercase) is the proprietary name for a type of processed, canned pink luncheon meat from Hormel, primarily made from pork. The name is a contraction of "SPiced hAM". It was very popular in England during World War II, when fresh meat was in short supply.[1] Most Americans intuitively, viscerally associate "SPAM" with "no nutritive or aesthetic value," though it is still relatively popular (especially in Hawaii) and can be found in almost any grocery store. SPAM has its own newsgroup, alt.spam.

Because it is a pork product, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America has not certified it as a food that Muslims are allowed to eat.[2]

In internet culture

Spam has acquired a completely different meaning in internet culture, as electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings, and other interactive forums. There is some debate about the source of the term, but the generally accepted version is that in the days of internet bulletin boards, unscrupulous users would create post after post of "SPAM SPAM" etc. in order to push other people's topics off the bottom of the board before posting their own unsolicited advertising message. The term "SPAM" was used due to the popularity of a particular episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, set in a café, which served dishes such as "Egg, spam, chips, spam, beans and spam", and which ended with a song which went: "Spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam…" Like the song, spam is an endless repetition of worthless text.[3]

Another school of thought maintains that it comes from the computer group lab at the University of Southern California who gave it the name because it has many of the same characteristics as the luncheon meat Spam:[4]

  • Nobody wants it or ever asks for it.
  • No one ever eats it; it is the first item to be pushed to the side when eating the entree.
  • Sometimes it is actually tasty, like 1% (or less) of junk mail that is really useful to some people.

In video games and on internet discussion boards, spamming refers to repeatedly using one technique or move.

"Spam" postings on a wiki may include misleading page titles or text disguised as educational information, sometimes accompanied by a link to a controversial or clickbait website which is selling something; it is often used as an attempt at free advertising.

There are laws in many nations prohibiting or restricting the production of email spam. In the United States, for example, spammers are supposed to adhere to restrictions under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003[5] as well as any relevant state laws.[6] However, many spam operations are part of organized crime involving otherwise illegal activities such as illegal sale of prescription medications,[7] counterfeit products,[8] online gambling,[9] phishing scams,[10] and malware.[11] Many spam messages are produced by botnets consisting of infected machines around world.[12]

Hormel Foods have expressed that they are not fussed about the usage of the term "spam" to denote unsolicited bulk email, provided that the distinction is made between the uppercase and lowercase forms of the word.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Official SPAM Website
  2. ↑ http://www.ifanca.org/Pages/Certified-Products.aspx
  3. ↑ The Net Abuse FAQ. 2.1 What is Spam?
  4. ↑ What is spam?
  5. ↑ http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm
  6. ↑ http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/Main/CB94AA46D5A0974985256EBB006D2E21?OpenDocument
  7. ↑ http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ProtectYourSelf/default.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.malwarecity.com/blog/the-spam-omelette-45-on-replica-watches-and-counterfeit-software-623.html
  9. ↑ http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t2287.html
  10. ↑ http://www.millersmiles.co.uk
  11. ↑ http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/storm.asp
  12. ↑ http://www.senderbase.org
  13. ↑ SPAM brand and the internet
Retrieved from "https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Spam&oldid=2155213"