2013 archive
Update from the Foreclosure-Based Economy 0
Your responsible fiscals at work.
His death came more than two years after Wells Fargo mistakenly mixed up his Hermosa Beach address with that of a neighbor in the same condo complex. The bank’s typo led Wells Fargo to demand that Delassus pay $13,361.90 — two years of late property taxes the bank said it had paid on his behalf in order to keep his Wells Fargo mortgage afloat.
That typo was just the beginning of the ordeal.
Once they had their teeth in him, they refused to let go.
Via C&L.
Rent-To-Pwn 0
So that Aaron’s place near me, the one that’s closed, was a rent-to-own electronics store.
Looks more like a rent-to-pwn:
But the lawsuits allege the software was turned on to spy on paying customers — regardless of their rental status — and that more than 180,000 pieces of ill-gotten customer information are being stored on Aaron’s computers.
The captured information, according to the suits, include passwords to emails, social media websites and financial institutions; medical records; and Social Security numbers. They also claim pictures of children, partially clothed individuals and couples in intimate moments were also taken.
The suits seek to get Aaron’s to pay for any adjustments consumers have to pay for repairing credit problems brought on by the alleged activities — including new credit and bank cards — and monetary and punitive damages and attorneys fees. No specific settlement target has been set.
The suits also maintain that customers were never told about the software.
Corporate says that their hands are clean, they had nothing to do with this, it was those dastardly independent franchises, they weren’t even there, they were somewhere entirely other, “look over there.”
Indeed.
If you or someone you know is an Aaron’s customer, do follow the link.
Austerity, Because Austerity 0
It’s certainly working out nicely in Europe. Der Spiegel reports (emphasis added):
Yves Daccord, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said on a visit to New Delhi on Monday that the scope of food distribution had not been at its current level since the end of World War II.
More at the link.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society”
(Was This National Politeness Weekend or What?)
0
Be polite to those with whom you live.
Bring this scourge to an end.
Mandating that every roommate pack heat seems to be indicated.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Resolve differences with your significant other politely.
(snip)
None of the handguns was registered to Mr. Mazzocco, who county police said was barred from owning guns.
Police also found a fourth gun — a loaded AR-15 assault-style rifle — inside Mr. Mazzocco’s truck in the parking lot, Lt. Schurman said.
The DRM Chair 0
Wait for it . . . .
I heard about this on On the Media, where you can also hear the strange history of happiness on a birthday.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Always be polite to your friends.
I grew up shooting.
Really, now.
Guns may go off by stupid, but they don’t go off by accident. Accidents are not allowed.
If you want teh stupid, gunnuttery is teh stupid.
Droning On 0
Even though summer is on the way, give up those plans to sunbathe nekkid behind your eight-foot privacy fence in your backyard.
(Note to self: Add to to-do list, “Order tri-copter.”)
Update from the Foreclosure-Based Economy 0
Oh, my.
The company, Ohio-based Safeguard Properties, acknowledged the mistake that occurred in broad daylight in December, but has yet to tell Mike and Janine Moors what happened to about $150,000 in possessions including family heirlooms and keepsakes.
(snip)
The Williamson County Sheriff’s office, where the couple filed a report, agreed that while the situation wasn’t right, it wasn’t a crime. A detective told them it happens all the time.
Canada, Life on the Streets 0
El Reg reports on Canadian resistance to the Google Street View Borg.
Everybody Must Get Fracked 2
The Baltimore Sun takes a long and relatively balanced look at fracking’s effects on the fracked.
A nugget:
Water from their kitchen tap fizzes like seltzer water, and she can ignite a foot-long flame by holding a match to the faucet when it’s on. The state says her water is safe to drink despite the methane, Vargson said, but she’s not reassured. Her dog and cat steer clear of it.
It’s pumping construction and other money into local economies–for now–and pollution into daily life.
Short-term boom, long-term poison.
Related:
Read about life on a fracking site.
Doing the Math 0
Lies Republicans tell themselves are many. Brent Larkin dissects one of the latest:
(snip)
“Why did 100,000-plus more African Americans in Ohio vote for President Obama than turned out four years ago?” wrote Stevens. “It’s not irrelevant that Obamacare is most popular with African Americans.”
Until now, there’s been little or no public rebuttal of the Republican theory about Ohio, which many seem to accept as gospel.
What makes that so surprising is that the theory is demonstrably false. Worse yet, it’s not even close to being true.
Anything beats admitting voters recognized that their candidates were cartoons and their ideas ideas are harmful to the citizenry and inimical to the polity.
Follow the link for the arithmetic.
Citizens Benighted 0
Synergy, explained by Robyn Blumner.
2) Politicians have to spend an inordinate amount of time angling for campaign dollars, and when donors and lobbyists hand over big checks, big favors are expected in return.
3) These issues are related.
Minority Report–Not Just a Bad Movie 1
It’s a growing reality.
After a gee-whiz description of the technology, the Observer’s Evgeny Morozov begins to talk of some of the hazards. A nugget:
Read it. It will make to consider going off the grid.