Yearly Archives: 2012

NDAA Lawsuit Brief Filed By Children Of Japanese-Americans Interned During World War II

"The children of Japanese-Americans whose internment during World War II was upheld by the infamous Supreme Court ruling Korematsu v. United States are stepping into a new legal battle over whether the military can indefinitely detain American citizens. Writing that their parents 'experienced first-hand the injustice resulting from a lack of searching judicial scrutiny,' the children of Fred Korematsu and other Japanese-Americans who were interned filed a brief on Monday in support of a lawsuit against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012." Continue reading →

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How LA Regulated A Burger Stand Out of Existence

"Located on the corner of Figueroa and 101st Street in South Central Los Angeles, Tam's Burgers has been a part of the neighborhood for almost thirty years. Nick Benetatos took over the restaurant in the late '80s after his father retired. Tam's has withstood multiple recessions and even the 1992 LA riots. The city's zoning board has now ordered him to comply with 22 separate conditions, such as hiring a full-time security guard, fencing in the entire property and installing a security camera that links directly to LAPD's electronic surveillance system. Benetatos says that the cost of compliance would put him out of business." Continue reading →

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The Military-Industrial Complex, Neocons and General Patraeus

"Frederick and Kimberly Kagan, a husband-and-wife team of hawkish military analysts, put their jobs at influential Washington think tanks on hold for almost a year to work for Gen. David H. Petraeus when he was the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. The pro-bono relationship, which is now being scrutinized by military lawyers, yielded valuable benefits. The Kagans’ proximity to Petraeus provided an incentive for defense contractors to contribute to Kim Kagan’s think tank. For Petraeus, embracing two respected national security analysts in GOP circles helped to shore up support for the war among Republican leaders on Capitol Hill." Continue reading →

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Hunger and homelessness rise dramatically in the U.S.

"The most striking increase in homelessness was among families, and shelters had to turn away about 17 per cent of people seeking a place to sleep due to lack of space. A lack of affordable housing was the most common reason for homelessness among families with children, followed by poverty, unemployment, eviction and domestic violence. Some 51 per cent of the people seeking food assistance were families, 37 per cent were employed, 17 per cent were elderly and nine per cent were homeless. Unemployment was nonetheless the leading cause of hunger, followed by poverty, low wages and high housing costs." Continue reading →

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U.S. House approves sweeping $633 billion defense spending bill

"The US House passed a $633 billion defense authorization bill that includes fresh sanctions against Iran and funds the war in Afghanistan. In addition to covering standard national security expenses, it also provides a 1.7-percent pay raise for the military, authorizes the Pentagon to pay for abortions in cases of rape and incest and lifts a ban on same-sex marriage ceremonies on military bases. The legislation, which passed 315-107, ended an indefinite restriction on the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the United States or other countries, instead extending the current restrictions by one year." Continue reading →

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The £240million private jet with a Turkish bath, boardroom and concert hall

"When you have £16billion in the bank, a Cessna is simply not an option. Instead, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud is about to take delivery of an Airbus A380, the world’s biggest private jet. The same model is used by Singapore Airlines and Emirates and can fly 800 passengers 8,000 miles before refuelling. But the Saudi prince doesn’t need 800 seats, so he will have them removed to make room for an opulent, marble-finished Turkish bath and a parking space for his Rolls-Royce. The Western-educated prince, 57, is known as the Warren Buffett of the Middle East because of his reputation as a shrewd investor. He also owns 7 per cent of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation." Continue reading →

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Bank of America supplied answers on ‘independent’ foreclosure review

"The Independent Foreclosure Review is the government’s main effort to compensate homeowners for harm they suffered at the hands of banks - and, as its name indicates, it’s supposed to be independent. But until recently, that was hardly the case with Bank of America. Supposedly independent, third-party reviewers would sit at a computer, analyzing each homeowner’s case. But the reviewers weren’t starting from a blank slate. Bank of America employees had already supplied the answers, which the reviewers would have to override if they did not agree." Continue reading →

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Banks Seek a Shield in Mortgage Rules

"The legal protection stems from the Dodd-Frank Act, the sweeping regulatory overhaul passed in 2010 to help repair the financial system. The legislation mandated that loans be affordable, but Congress conceded that banks might fear the legal consequences if the mortgages did not comply. So lawmakers created a type of home loan that would have legal protection, called a 'qualified mortgage.' In practice, the protection will make it harder for borrowers to sue their lenders in the case of foreclosure." Continue reading →

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HSBC to spend $700m vetting clients

"HSBC will spend $700m on a global 'know your customer' programme, as part of a 26-point plan agreed with US regulatorsto settle money laundering and sanctions breaches. The UK bank, which signed up to the A-Z programme of management changes covering both its US and global operations, reiterated apologies for its failure to prevent Mexican money launderers and countries subject to sanctions, including Iran, from using its network." Continue reading →

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