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dixiegrrrrl
dixiegrrrrl's Journal
dixiegrrrrl's Journal
April 10, 2013
An IRS 2009 Search Warrant Handbook obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union argues that "emails and other transmissions generally lose their reasonable expectation of privacy and thus their Fourth Amendment protection once they have been sent from an individual's computer." The handbook was prepared by the Office of Chief Counsel for the Criminal Tax Division and obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57578839-38/irs-claims-it-can-read-your-e-mail-without-a-warrant/
The Internal Revenue Service doesn't believe it needs a search warrant to read your e-mail
Of course WE saw that slippery slope during Bush warrantless spying...but it has really increased in the last 8 years.
Newly disclosed documents prepared by IRS lawyers says that Americans enjoy "generally no privacy" in their e-mail, Facebook chats, Twitter direct messages, and similar online communications -- meaning that they can be perused without obtaining a search warrant signed by a judge.
An IRS 2009 Search Warrant Handbook obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union argues that "emails and other transmissions generally lose their reasonable expectation of privacy and thus their Fourth Amendment protection once they have been sent from an individual's computer." The handbook was prepared by the Office of Chief Counsel for the Criminal Tax Division and obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57578839-38/irs-claims-it-can-read-your-e-mail-without-a-warrant/
April 10, 2013
Dispatches From Exxon’s Spill Zone: The Cover-up Continues
Mayflower, AR, April 9 – As spill estimates are being revised to over 300,000 gallons,
we have been hearing very disturbing reports about Exxon’s continued focus on PR damage control rather than actual damage control. At every turn they are attempting to obfuscate the truth even if it means endangering the health of workers, residents and the ecosystem.
We already reported how they power-washed bitumen into a nearby wetland and then paid local sheriffs to keep cameras away, hiding the problem at the expense of the local watershed and everyone who relies on it for drinking water, hunting and fishing.
During the day, workers and police are not wearing masks. We have spoken to several workers who had no idea that they were dealing with tar sands bitumen instead of crude oil. None were willing to talk further or go on the record.
At night, according to reports from several residents, workers wear full protective suits.
Something is wrong here. There are two possibilities, both alarming.
http://www.tarsandsblockade.org/exxonspill-dispatches-5/
April 10, 2013
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-09/banks-penalty-put-robosigning-behind-them-300-person
edited to add:
The Federal Reserve and the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency say a total $3.6 billion in cash will be distributed to
4.2 million borrowers
got it?.......... They just admitted there were 4.2 million borrowers who got screwed.
The Banks' "Penalty" To Put Robosigning Behind Them: $300 Per Person
Article comes with a nice pie chart...
WASHINGTON — Mortgage servicers tied to the independent foreclosure review settlement will begin sending the first wave of $1.2 billion in checks to troubled borrowers on Friday, federal regulators said.
Borrowers who receive a payment from the settlement can still take any other action against their mortgage servicer.
The servicers also cannot ask borrowers to waive any legal claims when accepting the payment.
Borrowers who receive a payment from the settlement can still take any other action against their mortgage servicer.
The servicers also cannot ask borrowers to waive any legal claims when accepting the payment.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-09/banks-penalty-put-robosigning-behind-them-300-person
edited to add:
The Federal Reserve and the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency say a total $3.6 billion in cash will be distributed to
4.2 million borrowers
got it?.......... They just admitted there were 4.2 million borrowers who got screwed.
April 10, 2013
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/GRA13102.pdf
Pssst...pass it on.
The bill needs to be introduced and given a number, still.
btw..did y'all see Bernie on Real Time last week? He was absolutely steaming mad ....
Look at Bernie Sanders' "little" bill to break up TBTF banks....30 lines long.
A BILL
To address the concept of ‘‘Too Big To Fail’’ with respect to certain financial entities.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Too Big to Fail, Too
5 Big to Exist Act’’.
6 SEC. 2. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON INSTITUTIONS THAT
7 ARE TOO BIG TO FAIL.
8 Notwithstanding any other provision of law. not later
9 than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
10 Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to Congress a list 2
GRA13102 S.L.C.
1 of all commercial banks, investment banks, hedge funds,
2 and insurance companies that the Secretary believes are
3 too big to fail, which shall include, but is not limited to,
4 any United States bank holding companies that have been
5 identified as systemically important banks by the Finan-
6 cial Stability Board (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Too
7 Big to Fail List’’).
8 SEC. 3. BREAKING-UP TOO BIG TO FAIL INSTITUTIONS.
9 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, begin-
10 ning 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
11 Secretary of the Treasury shall break up entities included
12 on the Too Big To Fail List, so that their failure would
13 no longer cause a catastrophic effect on the United States
14 or global economy without a taxpayer bailout.
15 SEC. 4. DEFINITION.
16 For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘Too Big to Fail’’
17 means any entity that has grown so large that its failure
18 would have a catastrophic effect on the stability of either
19 the financial system or the United States economy without
20 substantial Government assistance.
To address the concept of ‘‘Too Big To Fail’’ with respect to certain financial entities.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Too Big to Fail, Too
5 Big to Exist Act’’.
6 SEC. 2. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON INSTITUTIONS THAT
7 ARE TOO BIG TO FAIL.
8 Notwithstanding any other provision of law. not later
9 than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
10 Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to Congress a list 2
GRA13102 S.L.C.
1 of all commercial banks, investment banks, hedge funds,
2 and insurance companies that the Secretary believes are
3 too big to fail, which shall include, but is not limited to,
4 any United States bank holding companies that have been
5 identified as systemically important banks by the Finan-
6 cial Stability Board (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Too
7 Big to Fail List’’).
8 SEC. 3. BREAKING-UP TOO BIG TO FAIL INSTITUTIONS.
9 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, begin-
10 ning 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
11 Secretary of the Treasury shall break up entities included
12 on the Too Big To Fail List, so that their failure would
13 no longer cause a catastrophic effect on the United States
14 or global economy without a taxpayer bailout.
15 SEC. 4. DEFINITION.
16 For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘Too Big to Fail’’
17 means any entity that has grown so large that its failure
18 would have a catastrophic effect on the stability of either
19 the financial system or the United States economy without
20 substantial Government assistance.
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/GRA13102.pdf
Pssst...pass it on.
The bill needs to be introduced and given a number, still.
btw..did y'all see Bernie on Real Time last week? He was absolutely steaming mad ....
April 9, 2013
More news of various TEPCO problems also at link:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-update-for-april-5th/blog/44658/
Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for April 5th to April 8th, 2013
TEPCO is once again under fire this week, after two separate leaks were reported in underground tanks designed to hold radioactive water used to cool reactors. On April 5, TEPCO reported that 120 tons (almost 29,000 gallons or nearly 110,000 liters) of highly radioactive water had leaked from tank #2, which is approximately the size of several football fields and holds 13,000 tons of water. There are seven tanks at the facility.
Experts are now raising concerns that all seven underground tanks, which are all constructed similarly, may be at risk of leaking. Some have charged TEPCO with trying to save money by cutting corners and digging what are essentially storage pits, rather than building more expensive steel-reinforced tanks.
More news of various TEPCO problems also at link:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-update-for-april-5th/blog/44658/
April 9, 2013
It is the involvement of CCA -- the nation's largest private, for-profit prison corporation -- that causes this high school "drug sweep" to stand out as unusual; CCA is not, despite CGPD's evident opinion to the contrary, a law enforcement agency.
"To invite for-profit prison guards to conduct law enforcement actions in a high school is perhaps the most direct expression of the 'schools-to-prison pipeline' I've ever seen," said Caroline Isaacs, program director of the Tucson office of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker social justice organization that advocates for criminal justice reform.
http://shutthechamber.org/news/prwatch-private-prison-company-affiliated-us-chamber-conducts-drug-raids-public-schools
don't know about you, but not only would I take my kid out of that school, I would find a lawyer.
Private Prison Company Affiliated With US Chamber Conducts Drug Raids at Public Schools
An unsettling trend appears to be underway in Arizona: the use of private prison employees in law enforcement operations.
Vista Grande High School Principal Tim Hamilton ordered the school -- with a student population of 1,776 -- on "lock down," kicking off the first "drug sweep" in the school's four-year history. According to Hamilton, "lock down" is a state in which, "everybody is locked in the room they are in, and nobody leaves -- nobody leaves the school, nobody comes into the school."
While such "drug sweeps" have become a routine matter in many of the nation's schools, along with the use of metal detectors and zero-tolerance policies, one feature of this raid was unusual. According to Casa Grande Police Department (CGPD) Public Information Officer Thomas Anderson,
four "law enforcement agencies" took part in the operation: CGPD (which served as the lead agency and operation coordinator), the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Gila River Indian Community Police Department, and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).
It is the involvement of CCA -- the nation's largest private, for-profit prison corporation -- that causes this high school "drug sweep" to stand out as unusual; CCA is not, despite CGPD's evident opinion to the contrary, a law enforcement agency.
"To invite for-profit prison guards to conduct law enforcement actions in a high school is perhaps the most direct expression of the 'schools-to-prison pipeline' I've ever seen," said Caroline Isaacs, program director of the Tucson office of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker social justice organization that advocates for criminal justice reform.
http://shutthechamber.org/news/prwatch-private-prison-company-affiliated-us-chamber-conducts-drug-raids-public-schools
don't know about you, but not only would I take my kid out of that school, I would find a lawyer.
April 6, 2013
Before the bank closed, the employees were pressured to buy shares in the bank, with the implication their job depended on it.
So they borrowed money to buy the shares, and were pressured not to sell them as the economy got worse.
the laid off workers have all their pension money in the now defunct bank, too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22042727
Laiki Bank: The Cyprus bank staff hit worst of all
This is unbelievable....
Cypriot savers are furious with their banks, but staff at the now-defunct Laiki Bank have been affected worse than most. Many borrowed money to buy shares in the bank - now worthless - and fear losing both their jobs and their pensions.
Before the bank closed, the employees were pressured to buy shares in the bank, with the implication their job depended on it.
So they borrowed money to buy the shares, and were pressured not to sell them as the economy got worse.
"The director called us into a small conference room, and told us that it would not be… well, it would not look good on our resume if we sold those shares," she says.
Voskou later found that this same director sold his shares shortly after that conversation.
Now they still have to pay for the loans.
Voskou later found that this same director sold his shares shortly after that conversation.
Now they still have to pay for the loans.
the laid off workers have all their pension money in the now defunct bank, too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22042727
April 5, 2013
http://worldtruth.tv/scientist-that-discovered-gmo-health-hazards-immediately-fired-team-dismantled/
Scientist that Discovered GMO Health Hazards Immediately Fired, Team Dismantled
Though it barely received any media attention at the time, a renowned British biochemist who back in 1998 exposed the shocking truth about how genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) cause organ damage, reproductive failure, digestive dysfunction, impaired immunity, and cancer, among many other conditions, was immediately fired from his job, and the team of researchers who assisted him dismissed from their post within 24 hours from the time when the findings went public.
........ British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose office was discovered to have secretly contacted RRI just hours after Pusztai and his team announced the results of their study on television.
........ British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose office was discovered to have secretly contacted RRI just hours after Pusztai and his team announced the results of their study on television.
http://worldtruth.tv/scientist-that-discovered-gmo-health-hazards-immediately-fired-team-dismantled/
April 5, 2013
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/alvarez-and-marsal/mass-deletion-data-former-boc-execs-computers/20130405
"Mass deletion of data"’ on former Bank of Cyprus execs’ computers
Smoking gun but no fingerprints, apparently.
Alvarez and Marsal, the firm tasked with investigating why Bank of Cyprus and Laiki sought state assistance,
said the information provided by BoC was incomplete and data deleting software were found on the computers of two senior executives.
“Our computer forensic technologists have found that the computers of two employees, (former CEO) Mr. (Andreas) Eliades and (senior manager group treasury and private banking) Christakis Patsalides, have had wiping software loaded, which is not part of the standard software installations at the BoC,” A&M said.
“Mass deletion of data appears to have been undertaken on the Patsalides computer on October 18, 2012.”
The firm said some deletion had taken place after a data preservation notice was issued to BoC by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) on August 21, 2012.
said the information provided by BoC was incomplete and data deleting software were found on the computers of two senior executives.
“Our computer forensic technologists have found that the computers of two employees, (former CEO) Mr. (Andreas) Eliades and (senior manager group treasury and private banking) Christakis Patsalides, have had wiping software loaded, which is not part of the standard software installations at the BoC,” A&M said.
“Mass deletion of data appears to have been undertaken on the Patsalides computer on October 18, 2012.”
The firm said some deletion had taken place after a data preservation notice was issued to BoC by the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC) on August 21, 2012.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/alvarez-and-marsal/mass-deletion-data-former-boc-execs-computers/20130405
April 5, 2013
http://www.news.com.au/money/superannuation/raid-on-nest-eggs-to-hit-more-aussies/story-e6frfmdi-1226613624250
Austraila's Cyprus moment; breaks promise not to tax retirement funds.
It is not the tax nor the fund amounts that are important here,
it is the Cyprus like move to suddely impose a tax on people's savings after they were encouraged to create the promised tax free accounts.
HUNDREDS of millions of dollars in tax concessions promised to ordinary families have been dumped, under a near $1 billion government raid on superannuation.
Treasurer Wayne Swan was also accused by the Opposition of breaking a promise not to tax retirement payments after he announced yesterday superannuation earnings over $100,000 a year would be slugged at 15 per cent.
Treasurer Wayne Swan was also accused by the Opposition of breaking a promise not to tax retirement payments after he announced yesterday superannuation earnings over $100,000 a year would be slugged at 15 per cent.
http://www.news.com.au/money/superannuation/raid-on-nest-eggs-to-hit-more-aussies/story-e6frfmdi-1226613624250
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Washington state, for half my life
Home country: USA
Current location: SW Alabama. for the rest of my life
Member since: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 02:09 PM
Number of posts: 60,010
