Archive for the 'Outsourced' Category
‘Between 60 and 80 percent of people’s time on the Internet at work has nothing to do with work.’
February 6th, 2013Not for long: Year after year, the software that runs computers and an array of other machines and devices becomes more sophisticated and powerful and capable of doing more efficiently tasks that humans have always done. Via: Kansas State University: Businesses must deal with weary-eyed office workers who are sitting behind computer screens and watching […]
Tina Turner ‘To Become Swiss, Give up U.S. Passport’
January 27th, 2013Via: AFP: US pop legend Tina Turner, who has been living in Switzerland since 1995, will soon receive Swiss citizenship and will give up her US passport, Swiss media reported Friday. “I’m very happy in Switzerland and I feel at home here. … I cannot imagine a better place to live,” Turner told German language […]
U.S. May Give $32 Million to Train African Troops in Mali
January 26th, 2013Via: AP: The Obama administration is seeking an additional $32 million to train African troops to fight Islamic extremists in Mali.
Security Audit Finds Developer Outsourced His Job to China
January 16th, 2013Via: The Register: A security audit of a US critical infrastructure company last year revealed that its star developer had outsourced his own job to a Chinese subcontractor and was spending all his work time playing around on the internet. The firm’s telecommunications supplier Verizon was called in after the company set up a basic […]
Vietnam Admits Deploying Shill Bloggers to Support Government
January 14th, 2013Via: BBC: Vietnamese propaganda officials have admitted deploying people to engage in online discussions and post comments supporting the Communist Party’s policies. The party has also confirmed that it operates a network of nearly 1,000 “public opinion shapers”. They are assigned with the task of spreading the party line. The tactic is similar to China’s […]
Facebook Paid £2.9 Million Tax on £840 Million Profits Made Outside U.S.
December 29th, 2012Via: Guardian: Facebook has become the latest multinational to come under the spotlight for its tax affairs after figures revealed it paid just £2.9m in tax on profits of more than more than £800m. Filings for Facebook Ireland, through which all of the social network’s profits outside the US are channelled, show it paid the […]
U.S. Providing Syrian Rebels with Training on ‘How to Secure Chemical Weapons’
December 12th, 2012Via: CNN: The United States and some European allies are using defense contractors to train Syrian rebels on how to secure chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria, a senior U.S. official and several senior diplomats told CNN Sunday. The training, which is taking place in Jordan and Turkey, involves how to monitor and secure stockpiles and […]
U.S. Special Operations Unit Based at Blackwater Mercenary Camp in Afghanistan
December 6th, 2012Via: Wired: U.S. Special Operations Forces have a brand new home in Afghanistan. It’s owned and operated by the security company formerly known as Blackwater, thanks to a no-bid deal worth $22 million. You might think that Blackwater, now called Academi, was banished into some bureaucratic exile after its operatives in Afghanistan stole guns from […]
‘U.S. Ready to Offer Mercenaries $10 Billion for a Drug-War Air Force’
December 5th, 2012Kill the competition. Steal their drugs. Profit. Via: Wired: Unsure how your private security firm makes money as the U.S. war in Afghanistan winds down? One option: Go into the drug trade — more specifically, the lucrative business of fighting narcotics. The State Department needs a business partner to keep its fleet of drug-hunting helicopters […]
The Insourcing Boom
December 5th, 2012Consider clicking through to read this one all the way through. I’ve excerpted some nuggets below, but it’s worth reading the whole thing. This piece touches on a number of complex, interrelated issues. Parse it however you want, scoff at the Orwellian language that’s used to describe the crushing of labor unions, do the calculations […]
