US Government Backs Down in Email Privacy Case

Apr 17 10

BradCurrent Events No Comments

Facing opposition from Yahoo! and others, the US Government has backed down on trying to obtain emails without a warrant and showing probable cause.  It looks like the government did not want to risk having a ruling against them on the books which might set a legal precedent.  Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation.

9 More Great NW Indiana Blog Posts

Apr 12 10

BradCurrent Events , 2 Comments

Welcome to the April 12, 2010 edition of northwest indiana blog carnival.

General

ChrisHedges presents Help BlogNWI find Region blogs | BlogNWI posted at BlogNWI, saying, “Help BlogNWI.com find Northwest Indiana blogs that deserve some publicity. Check out my blog roll and leave a comment if you read or write a blog the features Northwest Indiana content or creators.”
ChrisHedges presents Give em something? posted at Dave Woodson, saying, “Dave Woodson writes that social media is an extension of you. Make sure to give people something that is worthwhile when they visit your site.  I (Chris Hedges) enjoyed this post, so I’m sharing it with everyone.”
ChrisHedges presents What is Your Favorite Ball Park? posted at Fan Brew, saying, “Another good Northwest Indiana read, Fan Brew mixes sports along with beer. And, since it’s time for baseball, what better than to share a post about one of America’s favorite past times.”

Law

ChrisHedges presents Supreme Ct. requires advice re immigration and guilty pleas posted at Christopher Hedges, saying, “The Supreme Court issued an opinion that requires attorneys to advise clients of possible immigration consequences of plea deals in criminal cases.”

Lifestyle

Daltonsbriefs presents Northwest Indiana Mortgages today posted at Northwest Indiana Mortgages – FHA and Conventional, saying, “The housing market is starting to surge, and along with that surge is a pretty sizable push upward in mortgage rates.”

Northwest Indiana

Kathy Sipple presents Affiliate Marketing: Crowdsourcing+ posted at Kathy Sipple: Social Media Tips for Business, saying, “I teach local businesses to use social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. I conduct workshops in Northwest Indiana and am also available for one on one consultations.”

Politics

Case Ernsting presents Cash for Clunkers – How has it effected the local areas? posted at FinditLocal411 Blog, saying, “Cash for Clunkers was a widely used program last year that had far reaching ramifications on areas across America. This post looks at how the program affected areas in Northwest Indiana.”

Tech

ChrisHedges presents Basic SEO Planning for a Photo Blog Post | The Region Wildlife and Topical Photography posted at The Region Wildlife and Topical Photography, saying, “Another great blog post from a Northwest Indiana photo blogger about planning SEO for a photo post. The information is useful for all bloggers and social media users.”
Greg DeVries (theindiegeek) presents Choices, choices? posted at Rule 32: Enjoy the little things in life., saying, “Blogger from Valparaiso, IN, blogging about music and tech.”
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of northwest indiana blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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Of Subprime Mortgages and the Collapse of the Financial System

Mar 18 10

BradCurrent Events, Politics No Comments

“There is a sucker born every minute.”

I want to point you to a great interview done by Terry Gross on her show Fresh Air:

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine chronicles the 2008 financial collapse through stories of the people who realized what was happening to the U.S. economy while it was happening — and then made vast fortunes by betting against the markets.

The interview of author Michael Lewis was riveting.  Normally my eyes glaze over when financial stuff is discussed for too long, but this interview explains how the whole subprime mortgage system worked, and how a few individuals saw Wall Street’s house of cards for what it was and made money by betting against the system they thought was corrupt.

You can listen to it online here.

The part that bothers me, is that we have done very little to reform the financial system that had gone bad.  And frankly, I don’t think the Wall Street types admit any culpability.  Nobody has gone to jail. There has been almost no reform. I can’t sit here and say the same thing won’t happen again.  That is scary and I don’t think anyone in Washington is listening.

Watch the Recession Spread on the US Map

Mar 16 10

BradCurrent Events No Comments

This is worth seeing. Hit the play button. The darker the color the higher the unemployment.

The Decline: The Geography of a Recession

It makes you understand why there was so much panic and rush for stimulus money a year ago.  Spooky.