eBay

Pentagon ‘Loses Track’ Of Equipment From $750 Million Bomb-Spotting Program, Finds On eBay & Craigslist

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Pentagon loses track of equipment

– True Story – U.S. Military Lost Equipment from $750 Million Program, Some Ended up on eBay and Craigslist (Liberty Blitzkrieg, March 26, 2015):

The Pentagon lost track of sensitive equipment from a $750 million program to help U.S. soldiers spot roadside bombs — and some of it wound up for sale on eBay, Craigslist and other websites, according to a Navy intelligence document obtained by The Intercept.

The report went on to state that “more than 32,000 pieces of equipment were issued” under the program, and the items “are NOT for civilian use and are controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.” The devices went missing because the military units had poor control over equipment distributed to them, according to the intelligence brief.

JIEDDO has been heavily criticized over the years for expending large sums of money without attaining clear results. According to a 2012 report by the Government Accountability Office, JIEDDO had spent over $18 billion yet lacked an effective way to oversee its programs.

– From the Intercept article: Sensitive Military Gear Ended Up on eBay, Craigslist

Another day, another example of the inconceivable incompetence of the U.S. government.

Just yesterday, I published a post titled, Can’t Make This Up – U.S. Providing Aid in Fight Against ISIS in Iraq Alongside Iranian Troops. Here’s an excerpt in case you missed it:

Read morePentagon ‘Loses Track’ Of Equipment From $750 Million Bomb-Spotting Program, Finds On eBay & Craigslist

AAA+++, Great Ebay Synergies, Tremendous PayPal Shareholder Value; Over Three Thousand Layoffs

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pink slip

– AAA+++, Great Ebay Synergies, Tremendous PayPal Shareholder Value; Over Three Thousand Layoffs (ZeroHedge, Dec 10, 2014):

Throughout the summer, one of the biggest activist stories, therefore one naturally involving Carl Ichan, was whether eBay would spin off PayPal. And sure enough, following months of promises and vows by John Donohoe that the company would never split, on September 30, around the time the market started hitting one record high after another, the company announced it would do precisely the opposite and all those activist demands would be fulfilled (and that John Donohoe would be handsomely compensated for his lies, especially since he would have no role in the resulting company).

So when the press release hit, some were wondering just what do the following buzzwords mean:

  • Maximizes strategic focus and flexibility for eBay and PayPal to capitalize on respective growth opportunities in highly competitive, rapidly changing global commerce and payments markets
  • Preserves eBay and PayPal relationships through arm’s length operating agreements
  • Provides shareholders with more targeted investment opportunities; best path to sustainable shareholder value

Followed by even more confusing corporate buzz speak:

Read moreAAA+++, Great Ebay Synergies, Tremendous PayPal Shareholder Value; Over Three Thousand Layoffs

eBay Founder Pierre Omidyar Co-Funded Ukraine Revolution Groups With US Government, Documents Show

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– Pierre Omidyar co-funded Ukraine revolution groups with US government, documents show (PandoDaily, March 30, 2014):

Just hours after last weekend’s ouster of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, one of Pierre Omidyar’s newest hires at national security blog “The Intercept,” was already digging for the truth.

Marcy Wheeler, who is the new site’s “senior policy analyst,” speculated that the Ukraine revolution was likely a “coup” engineered by “deep” forces on behalf of “Pax Americana”:

“There’s quite a bit of evidence of coup-ness. Q is how many levels deep interference from both sides is.”

These are serious claims. So serious that I decided to investigate them. And what I found was shocking.

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Guns And Magazines Prices Surge At eBay, Guns Sold Out At Wal-Mart

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From Bloomberg:

With President Barack Obama endorsing sweeping gun restrictions in the wake of the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, prices for handgun magazines are surging on EBay (EBAY) and semi-automatic rifles are sold out at many Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) locations.

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Prices Tripling

On EBay Inc.’s auction website, shoppers have recently bid up gun magazines. The current bid for four Glock handgun magazines, ammunition for one of the guns used at Newtown, is $118.37 compared with $45 on the day before the shooting. The bid for seven Glock magazines hit $201 on Dec. 17 from $71.01 before the massacre.

Gun buyers have flooded other firearms retailers too. The Hyatt Gun Shop in Charlotte, North Carolina, racked up more than $1 million in sales yesterday for the best single-day performance since the store opened in 1959, according to Justin Anderson, director of online sales. At the top of shoppers’ lists was the Bushmaster AR-15, the model of rifle used at Newtown that sells for as much as $4,000 and had almost sold out, he said.

Revenue at one of the largest U.S. gun stores surpassed even the spike just after Obama was elected president in 2008, Anderson said in a telephone interview. Sales weren’t as robust when Obama was re-elected last month because the president hadn’t backed major new gun laws, he said.

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Twinkies Soar On Ebay … $8,000 For A Single Twinkie! … And Other Offers

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– Capitalism At Work: Twinkies Soar On Ebay (ZeroHedge, Nov 16, 2012):

The invisible hand at work once again as fat-fingered demand dominates union-stifled supply… $8,000 for a single Twinkie… and other offers… It seems, once again, that there are more than a few greater fools who still have no idea just how the bankruptcy process works… will Twinkies be rebranded Bimbettes?

and Via Mashable:

Here’s what’s currently up for sale and bid on eBay:

Read moreTwinkies Soar On Ebay … $8,000 For A Single Twinkie! … And Other Offers

US Military Blocks Websites To Help Japan Recovery Efforts

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Several websites, including YouTube, have been blocked from U.S. military computers in Japan to free bandwidth for recovery efforts.

Washington (CNN) — The U.S. military has blocked access to a range of popular commercial websites in order to free up bandwidth for use in Japan recovery efforts, according to an e-mail obtained by CNN and confirmed by a spokesman for U.S. Strategic Command.

The sites — including YouTube, ESPN, Amazon, eBay and MTV — were chosen not because of the content but because their popularity among users of military computers account for significant bandwidth, according to Strategic Command spokesman Rodney Ellison.

The block, instituted Monday, is intended “to make sure bandwidth was available in Japan for military operations” as the United States helps in the aftermath of last week’s deadly earthquake and tsunami, Ellison explained.

U.S. Pacific Command made the request to free up the bandwidth. The sites, 13 in all, are blocked across the Department of Defense’s .mil computer system.

“This is a response to a time of extreme demand for networks,” Ellison said.

Read moreUS Military Blocks Websites To Help Japan Recovery Efforts

IRS Agent Didn’t Report $41,842 in EBay Sales

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🙂

douglas-schulman
Douglas Schulman, commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, speaks during a news conference in Washington in this file photo. Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — An Internal Revenue Service agent was found liable for back taxes and penalties for not reporting income on nearly 2,000 transactions on EBay Inc., the online auction site, according to the U.S. Tax Court.

Andrea Fabiana Orellana failed to report $41,842 in income in 2004 and 2005 from sales of designer clothing, shoes and other items, according to a Tax Court summary opinion. Orellana is liable for $12,428 in unpaid taxes and $2,486 in penalties.

Orellana, who represented herself, sold items under several names, including “BlackTheRipper,” the court document said. She could not be reached for comment.

Read moreIRS Agent Didn’t Report $41,842 in EBay Sales

Bigfoot hoax body sold for 250,000 dollars on eBay

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Washington, October 18 (ANI): The hoax body of Bigfoot, which was found to be a Halloween costume made of rubber, has been sold for 250,000 dollars on eBay, an online auction website.

According to a report in Fox News, the hoax came into being after two Georgia residents, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, recently claimed that they had discovered the frozen corpse of a Bigfoot.

But, Tom Biscardi, owner of a Bigfoot exploration website, decided to get under the skin of things, and hired a self-described Sasquatch detective Steve Kulls to solve the mystery.

He sent Kulls to a secret location apparently Muncie, Indiana to check out the specimen.

But, what Kulls found at the location failed to impress him, and after elaborate analysis, he declared the body to be a fake.

Read moreBigfoot hoax body sold for 250,000 dollars on eBay

Senate Housing Bill Requires eBay, Amazon, Google, and All Credit Card Companies to Report Transactions to the Government

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Broad, invasive provision touches nearly every aspect of American commerce.

Washington, DC –  Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd’s 630-page Senate housing legislation is a sweeping provision that affects the privacy and operation of nearly all of America’s small businesses. The provision, which was added by the bill’s managers without debate this week, would require the nation’s payment systems to track, aggregate, and report information on nearly every electronic transaction to the federal government.

Call Congress and Tell Them to Oppose The eBay Reporting Provision in the Housing Bill: 1-866-928-3035

FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey commented: “This is a provision with astonishing reach, and it was slipped into the bill just this week. Not only does it affect nearly every credit card transaction in America, such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express, but the bill specifically targets payment systems like eBay’s PayPal, Amazon, and Google Checkout that are used by many small online businesses. The privacy implications for America’s small businesses are breathtaking.”

“Privacy groups like the Center for Democracy and Technology and small business organizations like the NFIB sharply criticized this idea when it first appeared earlier this year. What is the federal government’s purpose with this kind of detailed data? How will this database be secured, and who will have access? Many small proprietors use their Social Security number as their tax ID. How will their privacy be protected? What compliance costs will this impose on businesses? Why is Sen. Chris Dodd putting this provision in a housing bailout bill? The bill also includes the creation of a new national fingerprint registry for mortgage brokers.

“At a time when concerns about both identity theft and government spying are paramount, Congress wants to create a new honey pot of private data that includes Social Security numbers. This bill reduces privacy across America’s payment processing systems and treats every American small business or eBay power seller like a criminal on parole by requiring an unprecedented level of reporting to the federal government. This outrageous idea is another reason to delay the housing bailout legislation so that Senators and the public at large have time to examine its full implications.”

From the Senate Bill Summary:

Read moreSenate Housing Bill Requires eBay, Amazon, Google, and All Credit Card Companies to Report Transactions to the Government

U.S. Internet will shrink to 2 strong players

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – An Internet analyst for a major Wall Street firm argues in a new report that Google Inc and Amazon.com Inc will be long-term winners, while Yahoo and IAC InterActiveCorp fall by the wayside and eBay Inc becomes a merger target.

Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Jeffrey Lindsay argues in a 310-page report entitled “U.S. Internet: The End of the Beginning” to be published on Tuesday that Google and Amazon are best placed to withstand the current economic downturn.

“We expect two players to continue to perform strongly, Google and Amazon,” Lindsay writes. “Both Google and Amazon.com are still racking up annual growth rates in the 30-40 percent range, with only a relatively modest slowdown in sight.”

Lindsay reiterates his previous positions that Yahoo eventually will be sold to Microsoft Corp and that Barry Diller’s IAC e-commerce conglomerate will go ahead in August with its five-way split-up, as planned.

Read moreU.S. Internet will shrink to 2 strong players