False Sense Of Security

Activists file first lawsuit over “Ag Gag” industrial filming law

"RT has been following the story of Amy Meyer, who became the first person the state of Utah tried to prosecute under its new Ag Gag law. She was being pursued for filming a slaughterhouse from a public street. Her case garnered so much attention that it was dismissed, but the ag gag law is still on the books. A new lawsuit looks to change that. [Various parties] have come together to bring a constitutional challenge to the law. They argue that it pits journalists and whistleblowers against the state, encroaches on the public's right to know and hinders independent regulation of these industries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingActivists file first lawsuit over “Ag Gag” industrial filming law

A Black Box for Car Crashes

"Fourteen states have passed laws that say that, even though the data belongs to the vehicle’s owner, law enforcement officials and those involved in civil litigation can gain access to the black boxes with a court order. In these states, lawyers may subpoena the data for criminal investigations and civil lawsuits, making the information accessible to third parties, including law enforcement or insurance companies that could cancel a driver’s policy or raise a driver’s premium. Privacy advocates have expressed concern that the data collected will only grow to include a wider time frame and other elements like GPS and location-based services." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Black Box for Car Crashes

Austrian children’s home charged with ‘decades’ of physical and mental abuse

"Children were physically and mentally abused for decades at a former Austrian children’s home and city authorities knew about it but did nothing, a commission charged with investigating the allegations said Wednesday. The violence went beyond the severe education techniques of the time and clearly violated regulations on children’s homes which forbid beatings, Helige said, confirming that rapes also took place. Unusually, all files from the home were destroyed after its closure so the report relied heavily on interviews with some 220 people, including former staff and children from the Wilhelminenberg home." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAustrian children’s home charged with ‘decades’ of physical and mental abuse

Nursing home staff allegedly abused elderly Alzheimer’s patients

"Twenty-one current and former employees of a nursing home for Alzheimer’s patients in Georgia, including its owner, face a total of more than 70 criminal charges for allegedly abusing elderly patients, authorities said Tuesday. The abuses included employees restraining patients with bed sheets and subjecting them to 'inhumane and undignified conditions' at Alzheimer’s Care of Commerce, about 60 miles north of Atlanta, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. In 2012, a Congressional report showed that patients suffer abuse or neglect in one in three nursing homes in the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNursing home staff allegedly abused elderly Alzheimer’s patients

SEC’s Khuzami Uses Revolving Door to Make $5 Million

"Robert Khuzami, the former head of enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, is joining Kirkland & Ellis LLP, reports BusinessWeek. Mark Filip, a partner in charge of Kirkland’s government enforcement defense and internal investigations, said Khuzami will help immediately in securities enforcement defense, advising boards and companies and counseling financial institutions on securities regulations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSEC’s Khuzami Uses Revolving Door to Make $5 Million

Levi Chavez, ex-New Mexico police officer, acquitted of wife’s murder

"A jury acquitted Levi Chavez of murdering his wife and trying to make the hairdresser's death look like a suicide. Prosecutor Bryan McKay, who told jurors during closing arguments that Chavez used his department-issued gun to commit 'cold-blooded, calculated, planned-out murder,' declined to comment after the verdict. A wrongful death lawsuit from the family of Tera Chavez alleges the former officer killed his wife to keep her from disclosing an alleged staged theft of a truck for insurance money. Chavez acknowledged having a string of mistresses, searching a website on how to kill someone with martial arts moves, and ignoring his wife's calls for help." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLevi Chavez, ex-New Mexico police officer, acquitted of wife’s murder

Move over NSA, here comes the Obamacare Big Brother database

"The massive, centralized database will include information such as income and financial data, family size, citizenship and immigration status, incarceration status, social security numbers, and private health information. It will compile dossiers based on information obtained from the IRS, Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, the Social Security Administration, state Medicaid databases, and for some reason the Peace Corps. The hub will be used on a daily basis by so-called Navigators, but there are only sketchy guidelines on how they will be hired, trained and monitored." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMove over NSA, here comes the Obamacare Big Brother database

High frequency trader fined more than $3m by regulators

"Financial regulators in the UK and US have fined a high frequency trader and his firm more than $3m (£1.95m) for manipulating commodities markets. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fined Michael Coscia $903,176, while two US regulators levied the rest on him and his company, Panther Energy. Between 6 September 2011 and 18 October 2011, US-based Mr Coscia used algorithmic programs that he developed to create false orders for oil and gas on trading exchanges in the US and UK. A computer program placed and quickly cancelled trades to manipulate the price of commodities, an illegal process known as 'layering' and 'spoofing'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHigh frequency trader fined more than $3m by regulators

FEMA caught using old flood map data that cost homeowners untold extra insurance premiums

"From Maine to Oregon, local floodplain managers say FEMA’s recent flood maps - which dictate the premiums that 5.5 million Americans pay for flood insurance - have often been built using outdated, inaccurate data. Homeowners, in turn, have to bear the cost of fixing FEMA’s mistakes. It’s unclear exactly how many new maps FEMA has issued in recent years are at least partly based on older data. While FEMA’s website allows anybody to look-up flood maps for their areas, the agency’s maps don’t show the age of the underlying data. Congress has actually cut map funding by more than half since 2010, from $221 million down to $100 million this year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFEMA caught using old flood map data that cost homeowners untold extra insurance premiums

Federal Reserve rethinks 2003 move allowing banks to trade physical commodities

"The U.S. Federal Reserve is 'reviewing' a landmark 2003 decision that first allowed regulated banks to trade in physical commodity markets, it said on Friday, a move that may send new shockwaves through Wall Street. While it is well known that the Fed is considering whether or not to allow banks including Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan to continue owning trading assets like oil storage tanks or metals warehouses, Friday's one-sentence statement suggests that it is also reconsidering the full scope of banks' activities in physical markets, which help generate billions in profits." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Reserve rethinks 2003 move allowing banks to trade physical commodities