U.S. Probes Treasuries Niche That Investors Claim Is Rigged by Big BanksU.S. officials investigating the $12.8 trillion market for U.S. Treasuries are zeroing in on a practice of trading the debt before it’s issued, said a person familiar with the matter — spotlighting trades that several recent lawsuits allege are part of big banks’ efforts to rig Treasury markets.
Condi Rice, ICANN, and millions paid to lobby the US govt for total internet controlSpecial report Just minutes after the board of internet overseer ICANN applauded the results of a review into its accountability – announced at a public meeting in Dublin – the mood soured.
Religion and the Meaning of Life: The Problem (Part 1)Are Religious Claims True?The main problem with any proposed religious answer to the question of the meaning of life is that, in general, religious beliefs are probably false. After all, there is no convincing evidence for the gods, an afterlife, or other supernatural phenomena that persuades most philosophers.
Harvard Law School Launches “Free the Law” Project with Ravel Law to Digitize US Case Law, Provide Free AccessCAMBRIDGE, MA–(Marketwired – October 29, 2015) – Harvard Law School today announced that, with the support of Ravel Law, a legal research and analytics platform, it is digitizing its entire collection of U.S. case law, one of the largest collections of legal materials in the world, and that it will…
Goldman Sachs among banks probed for ‘Treasury rigging’Goldman Sachs is having a rough week on the government-relations front. The Wall Street powerhouse acknowledged Tuesday it is under investigation for possible manipulation of the $13 trillion US Treasurys market, adding to a laundry list of federal and state probes.
‘Intrusive’ and ‘secretive’: ACLU obtains government docs on Stingray surveillanceThe ACLU has acquired the Justice Department’s guidelines on the use of Stingray technology, showing the surveillance tools are capable of tracking targets, recording and listening in on calls – even of innocent parties – and bugging.
The Rigging of the American MarketMuch of the national debate about widening inequality focuses on whether and how much to tax the rich and redistribute their income downward.But this debate ignores the upward redistributions going on every day, from the rest of us to the rich.
This is what happened when Iceland imprisoned bankers and let banks go bustIceland’s finance minister has announced a 39 per cent tax on investors looking to take their money overseas.The country has imposed the tax to prevent it hemorrhaging money as it loosens bank laws imposed six years ago, when Iceland made the shocking decision to let its banks go bust.
Iceland: We jail our bad bankers and you can tooParliament relaxed bank secrecy laws in Iceland to help the prosecutors investigate bank documents without court orders. “Why should we have a part of our society that is not being policed or without responsibility?” Hauksson said. “It is dangerous that someone is too big to investigate – it gives a sense there is a safe haven.”
Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of JusticeOn Page 5 of a credit card contract used by American Express, beneath an explainer on interest rates and late fees, past the details about annual membership, is a clause that most customers probably miss. If cardholders have a problem with their account, American Express explains, the company “may elect to resolve any claim by individual arbitration.”
Wu-wei – doing less and wanting moreA 2014 study by Heejung Park and colleagues, focusing on annual surveys of 12th-graders that have been conducted since the 1970s, showed a steady increase in expressions of materialism, as well as a corresponding decrease in professed concern for others, for the first decades of the surveys.
Iceland sentences 26 bankers to a combined 74 years in prisonIn a move that would make many capitalists’ head explode if it ever happened here, Iceland just sentenced their 26 th banker to prison for their part in the 2008 financial collapse.
Wikimedia vs. NSA lawsuit dismissed in US over lack of surveillance proofA lawsuit brought by Wikimedia against the NSA for spying did not see the light of day, as a US federal judge dismissed the case, stating there was no way to know whether the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, was actually under surveillance. US District Judge Richard D.
Whistleblowers silenced, intimidated: UN urges govts, intl organizations to protect leakersSources disclosing secret information that is “critical to public debate and accountability” are often silenced and intimidated, as governments and international organizations fail to protect them, a UN report says.
‘Jailhouse shakedown:’ ACLU sues Mississippi town that jails poor in debtor’s prisonA lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union accuses Biloxi, Mississippi of illegally arresting and jailing poor people without a hearing or representation by legal counsel. The three plaintiffs in the suit were arrested and jailed for failing to pay fines. ” It’s essentially a jailhouse shakedown.
‘Little Guantanamos’: Super-secret US prison units axe communications for inmatesAn investigative journalist is speaking out about the Bureau of Prisons’ use of Communication Management Units to house political and religious prisoners, primarily Muslims. Once inside, inmates have restricted rights to visits, phone calls, and letters. ” The people who are there …
Who Knew Kleptocracy Could Be This Fun!?Guest author Brent Russ is an electrical engineer who specializes in automation, process control, and energy efficiency. He is the Director of E.S.T.E.S., a non-profit enterprise dedicated to educating professionals regarding the implementation and integration of energy saving technologies.