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Some background ...

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
en.wikipedia.org

... The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB's jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, mortgage-servicing operations, foreclosure relief services, debt collectors, for-profit colleges, and other financial companies operating in the United States. ...


A data center opened next door. Then came the high-pitched whine.
www.politico.com

... Lindsay Shaw was happy when she found out a data center was going up 100 meters from her front door.

Unlike most of her neighbors, she preferred a supercomputing hub to a shopping mall, which might bring a crush of car traffic. She was even more pleased when she learned the data center would generate its own power -- rather than connecting to the grid and driving up her electric bills.

But then the data center turned on, along with the eight natural gas turbines powering it. Now her home is barraged by a high-pitch whine that she says has made her newly screened-in porch unusable.

"We don't want to be outside anymore," said Shaw, a cybersecurity professional living in Loudoun County, one of the densest data center hotbeds on Earth.

"A lot of people might see this as progress, like I did. But if it's impacting you then you see, Oh, that's what it means for a data center to be in your community.'" ...

[emphasis mine]

More from the article ...

... In a searing opinion in which he repeatedly cast doubt on the government's stated reasons for moving for the case's dismissal, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta conceded he had essentially no power to deny the DOJ's motion while reaffirming his belief that their prosecutions were justified.

"This is the last of the prosecutions seeking to hold accountable those responsible for the events of January 6. That book is now closed," Mehta said. "Today's epilogue diminishes the gravity of that day, denigrates the work of the prosecutors and law enforcement officers who secured these convictions, and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy -- the peaceful transfer of presidential power -- to buckle."

"The court cannot write a different ending," Mehta wrote, saying, "Reluctantly, the court grants the motion."

Mehta also noted that -- contrary to President Donald Trump's assertions that the DOJ's prosecutions of Jan. 6 defendants were an unlawful weaponization of government power -- the Justice Department made no such argument in seeking the dismissal of the Oath Keepers case.

"The government does not say that the charges were legally deficient or that the evidence presented is insufficient to sustain Defendants' convictions," Mehta said. "It confesses to no prosecutorial misconduct, nor does it assert any denial or compromise of a defendant's rights. And it does not identify any legal error that resulted in an unfair trial or a wrongful conviction (except perhaps as to the obstruction of an official proceeding counts)."

"Remarkably, then, the government does not maintain that dismissal is in the public interest to rectify a fundamental error or a grave injustice," the judge said. ...



Then there are OpEds like this ...

Is the Era of US Military Bases in the Middle East Over?
www.thenation.com

... Since the illegal war's first days, US bases have suffered extensive damage from Iranian retaliation. The losses include 18 US military deaths, dozens killed in host nations, and billions in infrastructure costs.

This damage and the limited military utility of US installations are forcing a much-needed reconsideration of the US military presence in the Middle East. A growing consensus finds that dramatic changes are needed.

The result will almost certainly be the end of the nearly half-century-long era when scores of US bases have occupied the Middle East. The sooner US leaders accept this reality and start moving the military out of the region, the safer our nation, our troops, and our world will be. ...


@#6 ... Can't have an Orwellian "1984" culture without Big Brother watching all, listening to all, frightening all. ...

Here in CT, there seems to be many concerned citizens showing up at town meetings to voice their disapproval of the Flock surveillance of their town.

To the point that is appears to now be a state-level concern ...

State lawmakers urge Connecticut towns, cities to pause installations of Flock Safety cameras
www.wtnh.com

... As the conversation around Flock Safety cameras start to stir in Connecticut, some state lawmakers are now looking to assess its usage amid concerns of data privacy.

A handful of towns and cities across the state are either reconsidering or moving forward with adopting contracts with the surveillance company.

"We passed a law about [the cameras] being on public property in certain parameters around that. Now they're on private property, there are drones," Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) said. "The issue is, they just continue to proliferate and they keep springing up like dandelions in the spring."
What are Flock cameras? How you can find them in Connecticut

Duff is joining Sen. James Maroney (D-Milford) to push for a pause on the cameras. They are urging towns and cities across the state to stop any new Flock cameras from being installed.

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection is also being asked to take a survey of how many cameras there are across the state, to assess how far the tech has spread.

Flock has previously stated it does not sell its data to third parties, and that data collected is owned and controlled by customers themselves.

"The debate of privacy and safety is an important one and at Flock we believe they can coexhist," Flock CEO Garrett Langley said.

Langley says he praises the push from Connecticut's lawmakers for safeguards, including recent legislation to limit data sharing only with neighboring states.

"We have codified that into the product," Langley said. "It's a technical limitation now, and so we applaud them for making that decision ... and large support efforts by the lawmakers to make it clear what is and what is not permissible in the state of Connecticut." ...



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