Reinke Faces Life

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/09/right-know-pacer-mess-and-how-clean-it

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 | BY VERA EIDELMAN AND AMUL KALIA
Right to Know: The PACER Mess And How to Clean It

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PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the government-run online system used by lawyers, the press, and the public to access public federal court records in the United States. The administrators of that system recently announced that a huge number of documents from five federal courts have been permanently removed from its database and are no longer publicly viewable. For one circuit court, only documents filed within the last 2.5 years are now available; for two other circuit courts, documents now go back only 4 years. 

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In response to the current PACER mess, several organizations, including the Free Law Project and Public.Resource.Org, have sent letters to the Chief Judge of each affected court, requesting the removed records so they can make them available once again to journalists, researchers, lawyers, and the general public.

These organizations are giving the courts the opportunity not only to make the records available online again but, even better, to make them available online for free. The courts have nothing to lose and much to gain by fulfilling this request: the records are already digitized, and simply need to be hosted somewhere. The Free Law Project and Public.Resource.Org are offering to do just that, and at absolutely no cost to the courts, litigants, academics, or the public. We urge the courts to take these organizations up on their offer.

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Argh!

So let me understand this, the documents that used to be freely available, were removed so that they could then be made available for a fee?

And this helps us how?

Gooferment in action!

Any wonder why I’m an EFF member and donor!

https://supporters.eff.org/donate

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Today, we announced that we’re changing our name from Google Apps for Business to Google Apps for Work.

Over the years, the size of our team, the breadth of our offerings and our commitment to business customers have all increased substantially. Organizations of all shapes and sizes, from one-person start-ups to corporations with over 200,000 people, are using Google for work. To reflect this change, we’ve renamed our products.

To be clear, only our name is changing. The product experience remains the same, as does our commitment to bringing you the best tools to run your business.

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R U shitting me?

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http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/09/05/uconn-coach-call-to-congratulate-little-league-star-broke-rule-ncaa-says/?intcmp=HPBucket

UConn coach’s call to congratulate Little League star broke rule, NCAA says
Published September 05, 2014
Associated Press

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STORRS, Conn. – The NCAA has determined that UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma committed a secondary rules violation when he made a phone call congratulating Little League pitching star Mo’ne Davis last month, the school announced Thursday.

Athletic Director Warde Manuel said the school accepts the decision but does not agree with it.

Auriemma told reporters Wednesday that he talked to the 13-year-old Philadelphia girl at Little League headquarters during the Little League World Series after a friend of his in the Philadelphia 76ers organization suggested it.

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Wow, talk about Pharisees.

I think this “rule” needs to be reexamined.

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Comedian Joan Rivers Dies at 81
Joan Rivers, a talk-show host, actress and red-carpet critic who rose to the top of comedy’s ranks while unapologetically skewering everyone and everything she passed along the way, died Thursday in New York following complications from a medical procedure. She was 81 years old.

Ms. Rivers rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s on the talk-show scene. After first appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1965, Ms. Rivers started a talk-show career that included stints on “The Tonight Show” and “The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers” on Fox in 1986. Ms. Rivers become a permanent fixture on TV after that, most famously as a critic of celebrity fashion.

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I liked her brand of humor.

# – # – # – # – #  2014-Sep-04 @ 16:11  

I believe “Heroes” is a word reserved for those who do something “heroic”.

• Run into a burning building to save a stranger’s little child. 
   
• Stand up for a minority at risk of your own safety like that black man protecting the innocent trucker during the Rodney King riots.
• Or the whistle blower who stands up for what’s right at risk of their personal career and paycheck. 

While some folks are “exemplars” of the behavior that we all want to exhibit, I rarely believe the word “heroes” is warranted.

And, I’d be very embarrassed if it ever was applied to me and I didn’t “earn it”.

Just my humble opinion for what it is worth.

I think there are many folks out there who are positive and negative examples.

But “heroes” are few and far between.

At the end of the day, “Doing” and “Accomplishing” is more important than “Acting” and inflated “Labels”.

And there is such a thing as “Stolen Valor”.

My next rants should be about “public servants” and “first responders” as misused terms.

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/james-foley-missing-u-s-journalist-feared-dead-in-isis-beheading-1.2741041

UPDATED

James Foley, missing U.S. journalist, feared dead in ISIS beheading
White House working to confirm authenticity of video

Thomson Reuters Posted: Aug 19, 2014 5:47 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 19, 2014 6:35 PM ET

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It was WELL established during the Cold War that the Russian KGB had a very simple response to anyone who “molested” their Ambassador, Consul, Embassy Staff, and some said even Russian Tourists.

They would seek out the miscreant and KILL them, their immediate family, and any other relatives that were handy.

Even if the “molestation” was accidental.

The joke at the time was that muggers would ask for their victim’s passports to prevent retribution.

And, while I am a little L libertarian, who is an anti-interventionist, BHO44 has to drop something on somebody to make a point!

Argh!

Bring all our girls and boy home NOW, and MYOB! Then this stuff won’t happen!

Argh squared!

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-06/russia-sanctions-accelerate-risk-to-dollar-dominance.html

Russia Sanctions Accelerate Risk to Dollar Dominance
By Rachel Evans Aug 6, 2014 11:51 AM ET

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While no one’s suggesting the dollar will lose its status as the main currency of business any time soon, its dominance is ebbing. The greenback’s share of global reserves has already shrunk to under 61 percent from more than 72 percent in 2001. The drumbeat has only gotten louder since the financial crisis in 2008, an event that began in the U.S. when subprime-mortgage loans soured, and the largest emerging-market nations including Russia have vowed to conduct more business in their currencies.

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The political powers that be don’t understand that this is reaching the tipping point. Once “we” lose “dollar dominance”, life will be much tougher. Think the Germans in the Wehrmar Republic. We know how that Republic fared. It’s all about a countries wealth and currency.

Argh!

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If you are feeling depressed, there is help out there. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255.

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Robin Williams
Requiescat In Pacem

He made me laugh so many times.

Stunning that a man could be so “funny” and yet so crazy. I’m praying for his soul and the family. Maybe someday, science will uncover a cure.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robin-williams-dies-suspected-suicide-724724

Williams’ publicist Mara Buxbaum told The Hollywood Reporter: “Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late. This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.”
His wife, Susan Schneider, said: “This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robin’s family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief. As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin’s death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.”

# – # – # – # – #  2014-Aug-11 @ 20:52

Wall Street Journal reports

Actor Robin Williams Dead, Authorities Say

Actor Robin Williams is believed to have died of suicide by asphyxiation, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said. He was found in his home in Tiburon, Calif., Monday and pronounced dead at 12:02 p.m. The Oscar-winning actor and comedian was known for “Dead Poets Society,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Mork & Mindy” and his stand-up career.

Mr. Williams was found dead in his home after a 911 call reported he was found unconscious and not breathing in his home. He was last seen alive at his home, where he lives with his wife, at 10 p.m. on Sunday, the sheriff’s department said.

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http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/ars-editor-learns-feds-have-his-old-ip-addresses-full-credit-card-numbers/#p3

Ars editor learns feds have his old IP addresses, full credit card numbersFOIA request turns up 9 years of records, including plaintext credit card numbers.
by Cyrus Farivar – July 19 2014, 8:00am EDT

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I was most surprised to see my credit card details—full card number and expiration date—published unredacted and in the clear. Fortunately, that credit card number has long expired, but I was nonetheless appalled to see it out there. American Airlines, which had created that particular PNR in 2005, did not immediately respond to my request for comment on how or why such detailed personal information would show up here. (In other instances, the majority of the number was X’d out.)

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We have no clue as to what the Gooferment is keeping on us.

Let alone why.

I think the “carry cost” (i.e., the dollar cost of the electrons in some data center somewhere) has arched the “trivial level”.

Not that if you were paying the bill would YOU think it was trivial, but to those folks, who say “not my money”, it’s trivial.

Argh!

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http://keywestlou.com/fireworks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fireworks

FIREWORKS!
Posted on July 5, 2014 by keywestlou

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Beware. Contraception is back on the table. More government intrusion. Not from Congress this time. From the Supreme Court.

The case involves Wheaton College. Wheaton College has a lawsuit pending before the Supreme Court. Wheaton does not want to provide insurance for contraception coverage. As with the Little Sisters of the Poor case, they do not want even to sign/self-certify that they are opting out in providing the coverage. They feel doing so makes them complicit in contraceptive activity.

Wheaton will not be heard for some time. Wheaton therefore asked the Court for an injunction allowing them to get off the hook, so to speak. Sign nothing till the Supreme court decides, not be required in any sense in even recognizing contraception. In a 6-3 decision thursday, the six males of the Supreme Court granted the injunction. The three female members dissented.

The gauntlet has been thrown big time!

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Sorry, Lew, but I think you have the issue wrong. 

Can someone — in a personal or corporate form — be FORCED to pay for something that they find “morally objectionable in part for all”?

Pro-lifers view the abortion / conception / mercy killing thru the same lens. Like the Nazi Death Camps.

As a pro-life pro-choice little L libertarian, I think Gooferment with its “monopoly” on force is the problem.

If pro-life OR pro-choice were “such a great idea”, then no force would be required.

Like carrying an umbrella in the rain so you stay dry. Just don’t ask me to pay for the umbrella.

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http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/07/03/manhattan-judge-sues-over-traffic-camera-ticket/

Manhattan Judge Sues Over Traffic Camera Ticket
July 3, 2014 8:46 PM

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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — A driver who just so happens to be a judge has filed a lawsuit against the City of New York for a traffic camera ticket he claimed was unjust.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Wright sued Wednesday in the same court. City attorneys said they would review the suit upon receiving it.

Wright said his family got a notice saying a camera caught his car being driven in a Manhattan bus lane last October.

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Sorry, but it’s all about revenue.

Where is the Police Officer who stops the car and writes the ticket?

Where are the witnesses?

Argh!

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http://nypost.com/2014/06/28/why-democrats-insist-on-lying-about-how-poor-they-are/

Why Democrats insist on lying about how ‘poor’ they are
By Kyle SmithJune 28, 2014 | 10:22am

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It’s all part of the increasingly delusional myth Democrats tell themselves that they are the tribunes of the middle class. In fact, their party is a strange two-headed beast — picture a Cerberus featuring the faces of Barbra Streisand and Lois Lerner.

The Dems are a coalition of ultra-rich cultural-elite donors on the one hand and government employees and their clients on the other. In 2012, President Obama carried those earning under $50,000 by a wide margin. But Romney easily bested him among those over that threshold.

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Yet even for Democrats, the Clintons got rich in an exotic way. They accumulated something like $100 million not by building a business or inventing something or even writing some hit songs. Their entire fortune came from political celebrity. (Their daughter has even accumulated $15 million by being the offspring of political celebrities. Or did you think NBC News paid her $600,000 a year because of her obvious broadcasting ability?)

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It’s all about power and control.

These folks aren’t “poor”. Nor are the interested in helping the poor. Maybe at one time, but Crony Capitalism is toxic.

And, the liberal media plays their “songs”.

“The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” –Margaret Thatcher

And, this is a symptom.

With a (French style) Revolution to come.

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http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/07/the-final-trip-home-of-pfc-aaron-toppen/100768/

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The Final Trip Home of Pfc. Aaron ToppenJul 2, 2014 | 17
On June 9, 2014, during a security operation in southern Afghanistan, a unit of U.S. and Afghan soldiers was hit by a friendly fire airstrike, killing five Americans and one Afghan. One of the Americans was 19-year-old Private First Class Aaron Toppen, of Mokena, Illinois. A series of memorials and transfers then began, to return his body home to the U.S. for burial — a sequence of events carried out some 2,200 times since the start of the war in Afghanistan. Once his remains arrived in Chicago, Getty Images photographer Scott Olson stayed with the family through the processions, visitations, services, and burial, documenting the final journey of one of the most recent soldiers to have died in Afghanistan. Pfc. Toppen, who had always wanted to join the Army, signed on last July, and had only arrived in Afghanistan this March. 

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Bring all the girls and boys home now!

Put them on “border duty”.

Ours!

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Suspect in Benghazi Attacks Pleads Not Guilty
Ahmed Abu Khatallah pleaded not guilty to U.S. allegations that he helped carry out the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that led to the deaths of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

At a hearing on Saturday afternoon, lawyers for the Justice Department said they intend to bring a superseding charge, which could result in Mr. Khatallah being eligible for the death penalty.

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Anyone else think this is “political theater”?

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http://online.wsj.com/articles/obama-proposes-500-million-to-aid-syrian-rebels-1403813486?mod=djemalertNEWS

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Obama Proposes $500 Million to Aid Syrian Rebels
Program to Train and Equip Moderate Opposition Would Expand U.S. Role in Civil War

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Argh!

Like “we” have a ½ BILLION to blow.

Give every taxpayer, (.5 * 10 ** 9 / 300 * 10 **6 = 500 / 300 * 10 ** 2 = 1.6 * 10 ** 2) 1600 $ back?

sigh!

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Yesterday, I went to a graduation ceremony.

No, not mine. Thankfully so. 

A Gooferment High Skrule graduated almost 300 children.

There were so many things I could talk about.

OBSERVATIONS

• The Gooferment bureaucrats speaking flowery phrases.
• The lack of the crowd to follow a few simple rules for the enjoyment of others.
• The Gooferment fire truck that broke those rules for certain individuals.
• The flag with the fringe.
• Numerous speakers extolling how “special” the graduates were. (Aren’t at least half below average?  “Well, that’s the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.”)
• The propaganda about how much the collective had accomplished in the last four years.
• The large number of Gooferment bureaucrats earning big bucks with similar sounding titles.
• The complete lack of acknowledgement to the Taxpayer who are all robbed to pay for this “education”.
• The Pledge and the National Anthem. With some silent protests.
• The pandering to a returning vet who’s cousin was graduating. And the dias encouraging the fire truck to break their own rules on decorum.
• The calling out the six youngsters who were going into the military. (I was filled with sadness at that!)
• The decorated mortar boards where members of the graduating collective tried to express their individuality.
• The young faces who are so naïve.
• The valedictorian taking a selfie. 
• The strange behavior of one politician when the mayor gave a speech. (He walked off the dais and faced away towards one of the bleachers. Maybe he was her security. But why that direction. Very strange.)

CONCLUSIONS

• The complete lack of candor by the adults to the children about the “facts of life”. They are faced with a terrible economy, a staggering national debt, and a political elite that are out of touch and out of control.
• The inability of people to control themselves. Behaviors I would expect at a football game. Attire that I wouldn’t allow at a garage sale. And, language by young women that even a sailor wouldn’t use in mixed company.
• The inability of Gooferment to do anything right was reinforced. Names were mispronounced. Songs were amateur. And, the band was out of tune. 
• The traffic in the area was messed up by the Gooferment scheduling two graduations of nearby high schools on the same night.

• AND finally, my recognition that I am old and crotchety. Sadly burdened with paradigms and memes that will not allow me to “go with the flow”. Probably because I see where “going with the flow” as brought us to.

Dona Nobis Pacem

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2014-Jun-10

Taxpayers Face Big Tab for Unusual Doctor Billings

More than 2,300 providers earned $500,000 or more from Medicare in 2012 from a single procedure or service, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.

A closer look at a few of the doctors who make most of their money from just a few procedures reveals that they are operating outside their areas of expertise or deviating from standard medical practice.

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What a surprise! A Gooferment program that is defrauded?

“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault in Casablanca

I’m shocked that there is corruption going on!

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6 June 2014  – D Day, WWII

http://youtu.be/eEIqdcHbc8I

Normandy Speech: Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary

President Reagan’s Address at the Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-day at Point-du-Hoc – 6/6/84.

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And I wonder what this cost the taxpayers?

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http://blog.newegg.com/patent-trolls-learn-mess-newegg/

When Will Patent Trolls Learn Not to Mess with Newegg?
By Ivan B. on May 22, 2014 in Newegg News
Lee Cheng wins again.

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Lee Cheng wins again.

It’s no secret that Newegg is adamantly against patent trolls and everything they stand for. Not only are we not shy in proclaiming this to the world, we even sell t-shirts that show our disgust for these “companies” that think it’s OK to extort legitimate businesses. You would think that patent trolls would take the hint, yet there are still those that want to mess with Newegg.

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“At Newegg, we’ve always believed paying off extortionists only encourages more extortion, and there had to be a negative consequence of suing Newegg without just cause. We insisted on seeking a return of our legal fees from Site Update Solutions.

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We care too much about our loyal customers to subject them to paying these trolls.

Don’t settle.

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Good for NewEgg.

Everyone should stop “settling”.

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