Category Archives: Technology

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Olympus misses deadline, Government raiding corporate offices & executives’ homes

After missing the December 14 deadline to turn over accounting books to government prosecutors, Olympus’s offices, and the homes of Olympus executives have been raided by government prosecutors and police.

Weeks ago Olympus executives made promise after promise saying they would meet the December 14 deadline for making their accounting books public.  Of course they did not keep that promise, not surprising when they ‘lost’ tens of billions of dollars since the late 1990s.

The losses are connected to an investment company that was based in the United States, and run by former Olympus officials.  Apparently it was an elaborate shell game, where investment losses were hidden under the guise of buying out other companies.

The latest reports out of Japan are saying that two Olympus executives have confessed to the crime; former Olympus vice president Hisashi Mori and former auditor Hideo Yamada.

 

 

International, Technology

Huge model Starfighter stolen from museum, owners fear it could be sold for scrap

In Netherlands, the aviation museum on Deelan air base had their huge model of an F-104 Starfighter stolen.

It’s made of aluminum and other metals, and the owners are fearful it will be sold for scrap.

Just how big is the model plane?  It’s bigger than a small Fiat car, and could weigh more than 1,000 pounds (reports vary from hundreds of kilos to 500 kilos)!

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3: Israel increases range of German made submarine, can carry cruise missiles armed with nuclear warhead

Israeli media reporting that one of Israel’s Dolphin class submarines has been upgraded to provide better range.

Israel claims to have spent U.S.$27 million on the project.

The Dolphin class submarine is made in Germany and can carry cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads.  German taxpayer money was actually used to help Israel buy the submarines!

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

NAZI-land: If you think SOPA is bad check out what is already happening in U.S. courts, it’s called ‘rogue website lawsuits’ and they can take all your money without you ever showing up in court! PayPal involved

“Wow!”-Venkat Balasubramani, internet tech lawyer

“…the court is ordering the full transfer not just of websites, but of any funds being sent to a website.”-Eric Goldman, associate professor of law at Santa Clara University

The proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, has a lot of web users concerned, but what about what’s already taking place in U.S. Federal and State courts?  It can be called ‘rogue website/domain lawsuits’ and does not involve any true due process for those accused.  They can seize your domain name/website and any funds they claim is associated with it!

In most cases only the attorney’s for the accuser show up in court: “Nobody has showed up in any of these cases to contest his motions in court.”-Eric Goldman, associate professor of law at Santa Clara University

Attorney Eric Goldman has been following the big three cases, involving Chanel, True Religion clothing and Philip Morris.  They all claim that thousands of websites/domains are ripping them off by offering “counterfeit” products or services.  The problem is that the courts are hearing the cases without any response from those accused.

Something else that Goldman noticed is that in cases brought by Chanel and Philip Morris, only one attorney is being used; Stephen Gaffigan from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

It appears True Religion is using a law firm called Greenberg Traurig.

In one Philip Morris case their only proof was a written statement from a private investigator saying he bought fake Philip Morris cigarettes off a such ‘n such website.

Many cases involve courts sealing documents, meaning the accused, or the public, can never see what’s in them: “For example; in the True Religion case, the entire action was sealed for a couple of weeks. Even without the seal, I don’t know how to find these ex parte rightsowner enforcement cases against foreign rogue websites other than laboriously reviewing every federal filing, having readers tip us off or serendipity.”-Eric Goldman, associate professor of law at Santa Clara University

The courts are ordering websites removed from Google and Yahoo, only to be ‘given’ to GoDaddy.  They also ordered Western Union to redirect customer payments to three individuals.  PayPal has also been forced to freeze at least 84 accounts.

These cases involve hundreds of websites/domains, and some of the cases specifically name Chinese individuals.  While they might have merit, the problem is that the courts have established the practice of rendering judgment without the accused having their day in court, or even allowing an appeal.

For more visit Eric Goldman’s Technology and Marketing Law Blog

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

What Econommic Recovery? SAAB officially bankrupt, will affect GM sales

SAAB is now officially bankrupt.  The company filed for bankruptcy after two Chinese companies changed their minds about buying the Swedish automaker.

There was talk that General Motors was concerned about the Chinese getting their hands on U.S. technologies, because GM supplied those parts to SAAB.

The demise of SAAB will now hurt GM’s parts sales.

Business/Economics, International, Technology

What Economic Recovery? Japan desperate for cash, will sell off famous bullet train, to India

The Japanese government is in need of some cash (no wonder since they’ve been making promises of financial aid to other countries).  But they’re so desperate that they’ll even sell off a famous bullet train.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has instructed his cabinet, and Japanese business leaders, to sell Japan’s infrastructure to India, including the Shinkansen bullet train system.

It’s not quite what it sounds like.  What Prime Minister Noda means is that Japan is going to sell the technologies behind their infrastructure to other countries, especially India.  Indian officials have expressed a desire to build a bullet train system similar to what Japan has.

Noda told Japanese officials that global competition is becoming intense and that the Japanese government must do all they can to promote the sale of Japanese infrastructure technologies to other countries.

 

International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3 & Government Incompetence: Stealth drone incident reveals diplomatic impotence of the United States

“We have asked for it back. We’ll see how the Iranians respond.”-Barack Obama, President of the United States

“I don’t expect that that will happen.”-Leon Panetta, U.S. Secretary of Defense

“We submitted a formal request for the return of our lost equipment as we would in any situation to any government around the world.”-Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

“There are people here who have been able to control this spy plane, who can surely analyze this plane’s system…In any case, now we have this spy plane.”-Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3: Canada pulls out of Kyoto environmental pact, blames U.S. & China. Durban Deal a failure? Japan may be forced to follow Canada’s lead.

“The Kyoto Protocol does not include the world’s two largest emitters, the United States and China, therefore it can not work!”-Peter Kent, Environment Minister of Canada

Canada is the first country to officially exit from the Kyoto environmental protocols.  This follows the end of the second round of ‘Kyoto’ (aka COP 17) talks in South Africa.

The COP 17 talks acknowledged that the goals set at Kyoto would most likely not be met, and they extended the deadline for those goals to 2018.  This latest round of talks is being referred to as the ‘Durban Deal’.

Edna Molewa, UN Water and Environmental Affairs Minister, called the Durban deal a “watershed” moment.  However, Canada is raining on that moment, and Japan has been warning of leaving the Kyoto Protocol as well.

“The Kyoto Protocol is not the right path.”-Masahiko Horie, envoy from Japan

Japan can no longer meet all the agreed upon goals because of the fact that 85% of their nuclear plants are shut down, or damaged.  Even before the loss of so many nuclear plants (for various reasons) Japan was still the number 5 polluter in the world!  Think what will happen as they switch back to electricity generated by coal and petroleum fueled power plants.

The following countries either refuse to take part, have quit, or are threatening to quit the Kyoto Protocol: Brazil, India, New Zealand, Russia, Japan, Canada, China (number 1 polluter) and the United States (number 2 polluter).

 

International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3 & United Police States of America: Farming Family in North Dakota first in the U.S. to be arrested after being hunted down by Predator UAV. It happened months ago. U.S. Congresswoman resigns, warns the U.S. is becoming NAZI-land

“…in many areas around the country, not only for federal operators, but also for state and local law enforcement and emergency responders in times of crisis.”-Michael C. Kostelnik, retired Air Force general who heads the office that supervises the use of UAVs

It has been revealed that police in North Dakota have been using Predator UAVs since June 2011.  Now three men, who are accused of threatening a sheriff’s life, have become the first U.S. arrest victims of the drone.

It’s already been reported that the FBI and Border Patrol are using drones, but now local police!  Law enforcement officials in North Dakota admit they use them at least twice per month.

The men, supposedly from the same family, that were arrested are suspected of stealing cows.  The Nelson County Sheriff says his life was threatened by the family when he went on their property looking for the cows.  The sheriff responded by calling in an army of police and a Predator drone based at Grand Forks air base (the UAV officially being used by the Border Patrol).

It’s now December 12, the event is just now being reported in the U.S. media. It took place at the end of June!  I wonder if the family has also been accused of being terrorists.  Sure seems like a lot of taxpayer money was spent to arrest suspected cattle rustlers.

The use of UAVs against U.S. citizens caused one member of Congress to resign back in February.  Jane Harman, of California, who sat on the House Homeland Security Intelligence subcommittee from 2007 until she resigned, said no one ever discussed using Predators to help local police.

She also gave a dire warning: “There is no question that this could become something that people will regret.”

Harman’s father is a survivor of the NAZI concentration camps in World War 2.  Harman should know from her father’s first hand accounts what NAZI-land looks like!

International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3: Iranian official says if another U.S. drone violates Iranian air space, then the War is On, bitch!

“Our question is that if this aircraft belonged to Iran and had violated U.S. territory, how many sessions would the international community and the UN Security Council have held and how many resolutions would they have issued against Iran?”-Esmail Kowsari, Deputy Chairman of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee

Kowsari pointed out the hypocrisy of the UN, in not denouncing the fact that the United States broke internatonal law when it sent the RQ-170 stealth UAV into Iranian air space.  Two unnamed U.S. officials say the recon drone was supposed to stay in Afghan air space while spying on Iran.

Kowasri added that if it happens again Iran “…will target every U.S. military base anywhere in the world.”