Cooper Griggs
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Winter storm causes havoc in US South
The client when I ask about the random quotation marks all over the source
Ukrainian uprising
Two months of clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police have resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov on Jan. 28, 2014. Photographers captured the standoff that included barricades, fires, and persistent demonstrations in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
See more photos in the Ukraine Protests gallery and # EuroMaydan #ЄвроМайдан group.
Photos from IgorPetrof, o_ned, Sasha Maksymenko, Jennifer C, and Orion Alexis.
'One Ring' Scam
when ur in a fight with ur best friend…
when ur in a fight with ur best friend…
U.S. Wants To Add $1.23 Billion To Bank Of America’s Tab For Countrywide Scam
(Meg)
The subject of the government’s lawsuit was a former Countrywide program dubbed the High Speed Swim Lane (better known as the “Hustle”), which removed many of the existing roadblocks and safety checks of the loan underwriting process in order to approve as many home loans as possible in a short period of time. The DOJ alleged that Countrywide’s motive for the Hustle was to issue these loans then quickly sell them off to Fannie and Freddie without disclosing that some of the mortgages weren’t worth their value in Monopoly money, let alone U.S. currency.
The original estimate of $864 million presented by the feds was an estimate of actual losses taken by Fannie and Freddie on these toxic loans. But then the judge in the case asked the DOJ to think about its penalty request not in terms of loss, but in terms of Countrywide’s ill-gotten gains.
Reuters reports that during the trial, the DOJ’s evidence showed the Countrywide only made a profit of $165.2 million from these loans, but the number presented in yesterday’s court filing bases the $2.1 billion number on the failed lender’s gross gains rather than the net.
The DOJ, which has not exactly been bullish about seeking maximum penalties from the nation’s largest banks and its executives, is asking the court for the higher amount “punish defendants for their culpability and bad faith, and to deter financial institutions and their executives who would engage in similar fraudulent mortgage schemes.”
Yesterday’s filing also seeks a $1.1 million penalty against former Countrywide exec Rebecca Mairone, accused of running the Hustle program for Countrywide. Hopefully she’ll be able to afford it, as she later moved on to work for JPMorgan Chase to run its foreclosure review department.
Bank of America continues to deny its liability in this matter, saying the Hustle was over and done with before it swooped in to save the collapsing Countrywide — a move that has already cost BofA at least $40 billion in penalties, settlements, loan adjustments, and legal fees. The bank has previously said it would consider appealing the jury’s finding.
Another Super Bowl, Another Bad Lip Reading of the NFL
How Google Broke Itself and Fixed Itself, Automatically
Cooper GriggsSo wait, are we to understand that the system (the collection of computers only) fixed itself?
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
NSA phone-records spying is totally, utterly illegal
215 allows FBI to get records relevant to an investigation. PCLOB: NSA program fails on "FBI", "records," "relevant" & "investigation."
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) January 23, 2014
As Julian Sanchez points out, the NSA's program of phone record collection is clearly, unequivocally, and totally illegal (and the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board agrees). The Patriot Act's section 215 allows the FBI to collect relevant records for a specific investigation.
The NSA isn't collecting records, it isn't the FBI, the data it collects isn't relevant, and there is no specific investigation. It's pretty amazing that there are still people (including Obama) insisting that the program is legal.
Believe it or not, he's not even being that glib here. Section 215 is pretty clear on all of those things. It's just for the FBI, and allows them to get records relevant to a specific investigation. Yet, the program is run by the NSA, which collects the data, instead of the FBI. It is not collecting "records" as intended by the law, and most of those records are irrelevant, and none of this is tied to any particular investigation. I'm reminded of the joke that the Holy Roman Empire wasn't actually holy, Roman or an empire.
When the law includes four basic conditions, and basically all four of them are not met, the program is beyond illegal. It's just a farce. It's kind of amazing that President Obama and other NSA defenders are still arguing that the program is perfectly fine.
Almost Everything About The Bulk Collection Of Phone Data Is Illegal [Michael Masnick/Techdirt]
Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Edward Snowden. Photo: Barton Gellman for Washington Post.
Two politicians in Norway nominated NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden for a Nobel Peace Prize. Brian Fung for the Washington Post:
In their nomination letter, Baard Vegar Solhjell and Snorre Valen, who hail from the Socialist Left party, said Snowden's revelations "contributed to a more stable and peaceful world order." Nominations — which are generally secret but sometimes announced by those submitting the paperwork — must be filed by Feb. 1. Snowden likely has dozens of competitors, so there's no guarantee he'll get anywhere. Still, it'd be ironic if Snowden and Obama each wound up winning the same honor just a handful of years apart.
Confused little girl meets her fathers twin for the first time
24 things you might not know about Fight Club
Self portrait. [the_luth]
Cooper GriggsNailed it.
Mientras tanto, en una gasolinera rusa…
Una solución simple, eficiente y ecológica ante un problema común y que trae a muchos de cabeza. Yo sólo añadiría el uso del vocablo copón después de mover el coche. Para añadir énfasis y sensación de triunfo ante la adversidad.
Visto en Like Cool
Ver más: coches, gasolina, rusiaSeguir @NoPuedoCreer - @QueLoVendan
rantingrandall: It’s synthetic… I hope.
Record Temperatures Freeze a Path to the Spectacular Lake Superior Ice Caves
Photo © Kelly Marquardt
Photo © Kelly Marquardt
Photo © Andy Rathbun
Photo © Andy Rathbun
Photo © Andy Rathbun
Photo © Andy Rathbun
Photo © Andy Rathbun
Photo © Andy Rathbun
Photo © Barbara Alwes
Photo © Kelly Marquardt
For the first time since 2009 Lake Superior has frozen thick enough to safely permit access to the ice caves at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin. An estimated 1,000 people are arriving daily to trek out to the islands for a glimpse of frozen caves which are covered in a cascade of icicles formed from water runoff and waves that splashed against the caves before the surface solidified. If the weather holds out, officials estimate the caves could remain open for another month. A huge thanks to Kelly Marquardt, Andy Rathbun and the Wisconsin Department of National Resources for sharing photos of the caves. (thnx, Amy!)
Update: Journalist Andy Rathbun who provided many of the photos above, now has his own article about the ice caves over on the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
#Euromaidan: Must-see photos and stories from the front lines
An amazing post on Livejournal from Ilya "Zyalt" Varlamov gives a glimpse of life behind the barricades at the #Euromaidan uprising in Kiev, Ukraine. Zyalt's photos and text convey the diversity of the rebel lines -- "from students to pensioners" -- and the ingenuity they display in everything from homebrewed catapaults to morale-boosting drumming ("When casual stone- and grenade-throwing takes place, the knock is monotonous, in order to set rhythm and keep the morale. When Berkut attacks, drumming becomes louder and everyone hears that – for some it is a signal to run away, for some, on the opposite – defend the barricades.") At the end, we see the moment when the smoke clears and the truce begins. This is nailbiting, engrossing, terrifying stuff.
Here's hoping that all our readers in Ukraine are safe, especially Daniel, who wrote our first post on #Euromaidan.
I would like to dispel the most common myths about Maidan.
1."They destroyed the whole city" Not true. All of the action you see in the pictures are happening on a small square near the entrance to a Dinamo stadium. This is a government sector, there is no intereference in peaceful life outside of this area. If you make an analogy with Moscow, imagine that the barricades are someone in the area of Ilinka or Varvarka, near the president's administration. Sure, it's the center, but regular Moscovites wouldn't notice. There is dark smoke and fire on all pictures: those are mostly burning tires. There is not tangible damage to the buildings. Unfortunately one store burned down last night near the barricades, resulted from a poorly thrown molotov cocktail. Even the statue of Lobanovsky, located in the epicenter of fighting has been covered with cloth to prevent damage. Overall, the protesters are very careful regarding property. They've take apart fences and benches, but no windows are broken, noone is vandalizing, and all looters are caught and beaten. So the picture is pretty apocalyptic, but things are not so bad.
2. "This is not a revolution, nothing horrible is happeneing"
Also not true. This is a real revolution. Decide for yourselves: it's been two months since the center of Kiev has been in the hands of the opposition. Several government buildings are seized. The work of many government offices is paralyzed. The opposition has created barricades, which the authorities have not be able to take. Despite the freezing temps, tens of thousands of people are on the streets for the last two months. The system of defense and supply chain are established. There is perfect order at the protestor HQ, people are fed, dressed, people are pooling money to gather supplies. The most important thing: the people in power are unable to restore order. The police has failed several times at try to storm the barricades. I'll make a separate post about this, but trust me, the only way to dismantle this is with heavy artillery, or drop in commandos. Every day the opposition is securing more territories. What is this if not a revolution?
3. "The entire Kiev is paralyzed, there is no peaceful life for the regular people."
Kiev is living its own life. All stores and cafes are working, people are going to work, study in universities, get married, divorce and even die their own death. Most of the Kiev populace are not inconvenienced. Imagine if Navalny took over the Red Square and set up his camp there. What would change for you, Moscovites? Nothing. So the only people who are inconvenienced are toruists. A few stores and cafes had to close down in the very center. Also, those living in the center have troubles with logistics. But the entire Kiev is not paralyzed.
Revolution in Kiev, Ukraine (via Hacker News)
New Ridiculously Imaginative Playgrounds from Monstrum Set the Monkey Bars High for Innovation
Danish design firm Monstrum (previously) continues to redefine the modern playscape, constructing numerous fantastical scenes for kids to climb on in locations around the world. Founded by Ole B. Nielsen and Christian Jensen, the award-winning firm has an extensive background in theatrical set design in theaters throughout Copenhagen that strongly influences their groundbreaking aesthetic. Each new playground becomes the backdrop for a dramatic scene, from towering robots to hoards of attacking insects. For their most recent creation in Moscow’s famous Gorky Park, Mostrum constructed a gargantuan octopus overtaking a huge oceanliner, complete with slides, cargo nets and climbing walls (shown above in subzero temperatures). See more recent work in their project portfolio.
Audi’s Super Bowl Ad Stars a Horrifying ‘Doberhuahua’ Hybrid
Audi has released “Doberhuahua,” its Super Bowl ad starring a Chihuahua-Doberman hybrid. Instead of being cute, the strange dog’s huge head and vicious nature make it rather horrifying.
For this year’s Big Game, Audi has conceived a never-before-seen creature to show the frightening consequences of bringing compromise into the world.
via Audi