Society's Child

US arrests Chinese national, charged with stealing trade secrets from Phillips 66

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sat, 22 Dec 2018 19:32 UTC

Hongjin Tan industrial espionage phillips 66

One day after the US officially declared war on Chinese "cyberwarriors", the DOJ announced late on Friday that 35-year-old Chinese national and legal permanent resident, Hongjin Tan, was arrested on Dec. 20 and charged with theft of trade secrets from his employer, an unidentified U.S. petroleum company.

"Hongjin Tan allegedly stole trade secrets related to a product worth more than $1 billion from his U.S.-based petroleum company employer, to use for the benefit of a Chinese company where he was offered employment," said Assistant Attorney General Demers. "The theft of intellectual property harms American companies and American workers. As our recent cases show, all too often these thefts involve the Chinese government or Chinese companies. The Department recently launched an initiative to protect our economy from such illegal practices emanating from China, and we continue to make this a top priority."

AI stealth programming? Alexa blurts out 'Kill your foster parents', chats about sex in AI experiments

Jeffrey Dastin
Reuters
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 15:08 UTC

© REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelag
Alexa has passed the creepy line: Consumers might not realize that some of their most sensitive conversations are being recorded by Amazon’s devices, information that could be highly prized by criminals, law enforcement, marketers and others.

Millions of users of Amazon's Echo speakers have grown accustomed to the soothing strains of Alexa, the human-sounding virtual assistant that can tell them the weather, order takeout and handle other basic tasks in response to a voice command.

So a customer was shocked last year when Alexa blurted out: "Kill your foster parents."

Alexa has also chatted with users about sex acts. She gave a discourse on dog defecation. And this summer, a hack Amazon traced back to China may have exposed some customers' data, according to five people familiar with the events.

Alexa is not having a breakdown.

The episodes, previously unreported, arise from Amazon.com Inc's strategy to make Alexa a better communicator. New research is helping Alexa mimic human banter and talk about almost anything she finds on the internet. However, ensuring she does not offend users has been a challenge for the world's largest online retailer.

Comment: Amazon, like Google and Facebook has truly passed the creepy line:

Ukrainians spend half of their income on food, highest in Europe

RT
Sat, 22 Dec 2018 11:14 UTC

© Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters
An average Ukrainian earns just €190 per month. The highest average net salary, according to the analysts, is in Switzerland. An average Swiss earns no less than $5,000 per month after taxes.

If you think basic items are costing you too much, take a look at this year's research by RIA Novosti, which shows how much people in European countries spend on food, alcohol and leisure.

By far the highest expense for households in Ukraine is food, according to statistics revealing the spending habits of average families in 40 European countries. Ukrainians spend more than half their income - 50.9 percent - buying groceries, the study found. And few can afford to visit restaurants and hotels, where only 2.8 percent of their budget is spent.

Ukraine's place in the ratings has not changed in two years, as a similar research in 2016 also put the country at the bottom of the list. Back then, 54 percent of its citizens' incomes were spent on food.

Comment: Life for Ukrainians since the US-sponsored coup has gone from bad to unbearable:

Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Donbass Leader Assassinated as Russia Exposes Chemical Plot in Syria

Female pimp busted for trying to sell underage girl's virginity in Russia

RT
Sat, 22 Dec 2018 18:44 UTC

A venturous lady from Saint Petersburg attempted to cash in on the virginity of a 15-year-old girl she met online. She managed to find a generous buyer in Moscow for the unusual article...but he turned out to be an undercover cop.

A hotel room with a large bed, white sheets and dimmed lighting was rented for the night. The rich client was also there and the final details were being agreed.

The female pimp asked the man not to hold back the girl for too long after the deal is done because she had "strict parents" and had to be home in time.

And then the moment she was so eagerly waiting for had arrived. He passed her the cash. The whole 650,000 rubles (almost $9,700) she demanded for the teen's maidenhood.

Comment: See also:

'Smart' uniforms use chips to track Chinese students in fight against school truancy

France24
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 16:12 UTC

© Agence France-Presse
The uniforms use chips to monitor the location of students and can record their exit and entry into school The uniforms use chips to monitor the location of students and can record their exit and entry into school

Schools in southern China are using chip-powered "smart" school uniforms to track their students in a bid to tackle truancy and boost attendance, according to state media.

The uniforms use chips to monitor the location of students and can record their exit and entry into school, according to the tech firm behind the tracking devices.

"When students enter the school, the smart uniforms help take a photo or video of them," explained principal Ran Ruxiang, whose elementary school in Guizhou province started rolling out smart uniforms last November.

Comment: The creepiness of China monitoring social behaviour is undeniable. But at least they are upfront about it and the reasons it's being implemented. The US? Not so much.

Train derails in France leaving at least 14 hurt

Matt Drake
Daily Star
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 16:53 UTC

© @InfosFrancaises
Over 10 people have been injured in Marsielle, France after a train derailed on Friday December 21, 2018

At least 14 people are injured after a French metro train derailed in Marseille.

Over 14 people have been injured at the train derailed on Friday, local media citing transport authorities report. None of the injuries are thought to be life-threatening, but people have been taken to hospital.

The incident was reportedly caused by a failure of the rubber tyre on one of the wheels as it rode over a piece that fell from the traction system.

A spokesman for RTM said: "The incident occurred shortly after 8:30am (7:30am GMT).

"A part of the traction system broke off and damaged a tire went off the rail. Fourteen passengers were slightly injured due to the ceiling grilles falling inside the cars."

The incident will require shutting down traffic along a segment of one of the two lines of the transit system.

Comment: At least 28 injured as tram derails and flips over in Lisbon, Portugal

Did comedian Sacha Baron Cohen uncover a pedophile ring in Las Vegas? And did the FBI then ignore it?

Sputnik
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 23:10 UTC

British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen revealed Wednesday that during a taping of his Showtime series, "Who Is America?," he and his team of producers stumbled upon what might turn out to be pedophile ring while working in Las Vegas.

Cohen spilled the beans on the concerning matter during a recent one-on-one interview with Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr. in which the comic discussed his inspiration for the show and his astonishment at increasingly open racism in the US, among other topics.

At the time of the incident, the London native was in character as Italian playboy Gio Monaldo. The skit continued on as Gio chatted with a Las Vegas concierge, telling the individual about his interest in aquiring an underaged boy.

Special Prosecutor: Michigan State University hampered probe of its Nassar dealings

Jeff Karoub
AP
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 23:04 UTC

Special counsel Bill Forsyth press conference

© Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP
Special counsel Bill Forsyth, center, answers questions, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, during a press conference in Lansing, Mich., regarding the independent Special Counsel's investigation into Michigan State University's handling of the sexual abuse scandal involving disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar. Assistant Attorney General Christina Grossi, left, and Special Agent David Dwyre, listen.

A special prosecutor on Friday accused Michigan State University of stonewalling his investigation into the school's handling of the sexual abuse scandal involving disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar and called for "top-down cultural change" at the school.

Bill Forsyth released a report that accuses the school of fighting the release of certain relevant documents and releasing others that were heavily redacted or irrelevant. It says such actions hampered the investigation.

"Their biggest concern was the reputation of the university," Forsyth said at a news conference in Lansing that was livestreamed.

Tennessee man diagnosed with Cruetzfeldt-Jackob Disease - the human version of Mad Cow Disease

WSYX/WTTE
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 20:24 UTC

© WTVF, Gibson family, CNN Newsource
A Tennessee man has been diagnosed with a disease few have heard of, it's Cruetzfeldt-Jackob Disease. Also known as CJD, it's the human equivalent to Mad Cow Disease.

A Tennessee man has been diagnosed with a disease few have heard of, it's Cruetzfeldt-Jackob Disease. Also known as CJD, it's the human equivalent to Mad Cow Disease. The diagnosis has changed his family's lives forever.

WTVF reported that the patient, 32-year-old Tony Gibson, was a happy and healthy father until his symptoms began to show one year ago.

His Danielle Gibson, said he started acting strangely, and that he became very forgetful.

"I had to start labeling the rooms in our home. He would get lost going to the grocery store, and someone would call me and say we have your husband," said Danielle.

Comment: What a tragedy for a young family as no apparent cause has been mentioned. The condition takes a long time to manifest, so the source could be anything from contaminated meat or game, or a possibly a medical procedure.

Activists clash with police at massive Catalan pro-independence rally in Barcelona

RT
Fri, 21 Dec 2018 20:03 UTC

Demonstrators have flooded the streets of Barcelona, blocking the city airport and major roads to protest against a rare visit by Spanish government ministers who are set to meet pro-independence Catalan leaders.

Protesters have disrupted railway services and blocked Barcelona airport as well as main roads leading to and from the city. At one point, they began throwing firecrackers and trash cans at riot police. Officers responded by detaining at least 13 of protesters.

A visit by Spanish Cabinet ministers to the city, during which they hope to come to terms with leaders of Catalan independence movement, is thought to have ignited the protest.

Comment:

And prophetically:

Europe will reap what Spain has sown - Catalonia gathers support from secessionist movements around the world

Great interview with Professor Petrovsky, a very brave soul ! He is clear and concise from a Vaccine researcher /producer point of view and calls...

Gator

There's no mileage in anything the Smith's have to say, their well versed in interfering with things. So we can all sleep safely in our bed...

Winternights3

Seriously, lets break down these words, and I am fully equipped for this task that I give to myself NOW. gives OSHA the authority to act quickly...

Buffalo_Ken

Forensic pathologists performed a postmortem and concluded that the man had probably died mid-flight Let me see ... he walked onto the plane,...

HashAttack2

This ain't no fucking real emergency. It is an effing emergency in the mind of a few....who thought they were gonna put the rest of us into...

Buffalo_Ken

Society's Child

US arrests Chinese national, charged with stealing trade secrets from Phillips 66

AI stealth programming? Alexa blurts out 'Kill your foster parents', chats about sex in AI experiments

Ukrainians spend half of their income on food, highest in Europe

Female pimp busted for trying to sell underage girl's virginity in Russia

'Smart' uniforms use chips to track Chinese students in fight against school truancy

Train derails in France leaving at least 14 hurt

Did comedian Sacha Baron Cohen uncover a pedophile ring in Las Vegas? And did the FBI then ignore it?

Special Prosecutor: Michigan State University hampered probe of its Nassar dealings

Tennessee man diagnosed with Cruetzfeldt-Jackob Disease - the human version of Mad Cow Disease

Activists clash with police at massive Catalan pro-independence rally in Barcelona

Latest News

Picture of the Day

Quote of the Day

Recent Comments

Quantum Quirk

Contact Us