Showing posts with label Business News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business News. Show all posts

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Obama's obsession with NSA spying costing US corporations contracts, profits, and jobs

Are we watching the sunset of the U.S. technology industry ?

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Citing Security Concerns Amid U.S. Spying Disclosures, German Government Ends Verizon Contract (The Wall Street Journal)

FOLLOWING REPORTS THAT the U.S. technology giant and National Security Agency partner Verizon was providing Internet services to the German Parliament, the German public exploded in outrage at the possibly of having their government's national security and privacy rights further violated by the U.S. government and by its technology partners. After NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden exposed the corrupt and unconstitutional spying programs of the United States, including by U.S. technology partners such as Verizon, the German government was forced to terminate its technology contract with Verizon.

It's not yet known the size of the financial loss to Verizon, or how many jobs will be lost as a result of the canceled German government technology contract. Many U.S. technology firms are having to privately grapple with the economic and political backlash to the on-going cooperation between U.S. technology firms and the U.S. spy agency.

"Microsoft Corp. General Counsel Brad Smith said last week the business troubles stemming from the Snowden leaks were "getting worse, not better." Cisco Systems Inc. Chief Executive John Chambers has said the disclosures have hurt sales in China. AT&T Inc. executives have said some of their international customers were being urged by overseas competitors to use non-American service providers." -- WSJ

Last winter, Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg called President Barack Obama to complain about the NSA spying programs. Mr. Zuckerberg's leaked his displeasure to the public as a growing movement of activists are exposing Facebook for its corrupt ''like'' advertising programs and for the creepy cyberstalking policies it carries out against its members, in addition to Facebook's role in being a core source for NSA surveillance activities.

Although the obstacles facing Facebook may be unique to its own troubled business premise, the reality is that many U.S. technology giants, including social media companies, are facing real political and economic blowback as a result of questions being raised by each of foreign governments and foreign businesses about the trustworthiness of U.S.-based sources for NSA spying and hacking, such as Verizon and Facebook. Not only are the NSA spying programs unconstitutional and are going to lead to serious costs to the U.S. legal system, as civil rights and civil liberties activists clog the system with their noble efforts to rightly restore basic Constitutional principles to the wayward American spying framework, but now the NSA spying programs are going to have a financial cost to the economy, too.

And all, on President Obama's watch.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Hunger Games : Wal-Mart Thanksgiving 2013 Fight for TV

Hunger Games : Poor People Fight To Save $10, Protest For Living Wages

"Videos of Black Friday chaos have also emerged online, with one showing shoppers at an unidentified Walmart getting violent over discount items, according to Mediate," reported The New York Post. (Cop shoots ‘thief’ as Black Friday violence erupts across country)

Police had to respond to a physical fight amongst customers over TV sets that had been put on sale for the Thanksgiving "war zone" at Wal-Mart. A Wal-Mart associate also tried to distract a customer, who was recording the altercation with his smart phone. (Wal-mart On PR Offensive As Thanksgiving Fights Go Public, With Protests Scheduled For Black Friday)

In another Wal-mart Thanksgiving incident involving a TV, a man had to be subdued by police with pepper-sprayed before he could be arrested after the shopper started an argument with a store manager in New Jersey. (Huge crowds turned out to get an early start on Black Friday shopping in New Jersey)

In still yet another incidence of Walmart shoppers becoming violent, again the sale of TV sets was the main reason for inciting the conflict depicted in this next video :

Coincidentally, the #walmartfights are breaking out during the holiday release week-end of the blockbuster sequel, Hunger Games : Catching Fire, a series of films based on a trilogy of books about poor people having to fight one another for survival. In an eerie similarity, the Thanksgiving and Black Friday fights are being uploaded to YouTube and being shared over social media, reminiscent of how the Hunger Games fights were televised. Is this a form of social conditioning ?

There are an endless number of videos showing up on YouTube, showing Wal-mart shoppers using threats of physical violence, shoving each other, and fighting over sale items. Here's another video, posted on the Web site of The Dallas Morning News, showing a shopper being injured as a result of a melée over DVD players. Police could only restore order temporarily. "All over a $38 Blu-ray player," The Dallas Morning New reported.

Meanwhile, The Huffington Post published an article entitled, "Wal-mart's Black Friday Going About As Badly As You'd Expect."

What kind of irresponsible and violent messages are Wal-mart sending, when shoppers go wild, when stores are described as "war zones," and fights break out ?

Is this the season for giving (black eyes, stabbings, gun shots, and other bodily injuries) over TV sets and toasters on sale ? (It's Black-eye Friday! Man stabbed in row over parking space and shopper shot for his new TV as violent bargain-hunters come to blows)

Protesting For Living Wages, Better Work Conditions

Let's pray for the safety and well-being of the Wal-mart employees, who are put in harm's way, under irresponsible, dangerous, and inhumane working conditions such as these. No wonder activists plan to stage Black Friday protests against the greedy big box retailing corporations.

photo 2013-11-29-Santa-Claus-Arrested-Wal-mart-Protest-Black-Friday_zps446446c5.jpg

About 150 protesters gathered outside a Wal-mart in Ontario to demand fair wages and better working conditions. (Protest at Wal-Mart in Ontario on Black Friday draws dozens of workers)

Here is the video of some of the activism outside of the Wal-mart in Ontario.

Other injury reports, trend in violence

At one Wal-mart, an ambulance had to respond with a stretcher to help the injured.

Violence at Wal-mart is part of a long, growing trend. On Thanksgiving Day in 2011, shoving, screams, and hustling over sale items also took place at a Wal-mart store in Brownsville, Texas, as documented in this video :

Remembering the Wal-mart worker killed in a stampede on Long Island on Black Friday 2008.

What does it say when Wal-mart needs to use police officers to provide security, in order for them to put items up for sale on Thanksgiving and Black Friday ?