Wednesday, September 22, 2021

What animals think of death

 Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.

Frederick Douglass



For weeks, the political temperature had been steadily rising over JobKeeper rorts, amid myriad revelations that millions in subsidies had gone to companies making record profits, forking out fancy bonuses and chunky dividends to their well-heeled shareholders. 

High-End Heist: Josh sells Pauline the dummy, JobKeeper heat rises


J’Adore Josh: not just Gucci and Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Burberry got JobKeeper too

The high fashion house which counts Cartier and Piaget among its brands, took JobKeeper, enjoyed a sterling rise in profits and gave local executives a pay rise while their Luxembourg parent, Richemont, helped itself to dividends



All World Languages in One Visualization


What animals think of death Aeon


A Wrong Number, Whoadies, and Whispers in the Night The Bitter Southerner


Fake UK passport, Albanian fraudster, dead German bikie: Australian drug ring’s network

  • by Michael Evans


A Sydney man who spent 399 days in hospital recovering from COVID-19 has urged the community to get vaccinated, saying the virus is real.

Man leaves Westmead Hospital after fighting COVID-19 for 399 daysWe


FBI Scandal Over Sexually Abused Gymnasts Rises to Criminal Level, Says Inspector General.


HMRC’s tax gap measure suggests that its claims to be making the tax system easier to use are not justified

As I noted earlier today HMRC published their tax gap data for 2020 this morning. I have been distracted all day by other demands, but
Read the full article…


Ninth Circuit Adopts Primary Purpose Test for Attorney-Client Privilege 

In In re Grand Jury, Nos. 21-55085 & 21-55145 (9th Cir. 9/13/21), CA 9 here, the Court held that the “because of” test imported from the work-product context did not apply to the attorney-client privilege and instead applied a predominant purpose test for dual-purpose communications.  The opinion is short (14 pages) and the summary offered by the Court is good, so I just copy and paste the summary here.



Appeals Arguments Over Whether Government Brought Evasion and Tax Conspiracy Charges Within Statute of Limitations With No Mention of WSLA 

Appeals Arguments Over Whether Government Brought Evasion and Tax Conspiracy Charges Within Statute of Limitations With No Mention of WSLA (9/19/21)

In United States v. Pursley (on appeal to CA 5, Dkt. No. 20-20454), Pursley was convicted of 1 count of conspiracy related to tax and three counts of tax evasion, two for Pursley’s taxes and one for the taxes of another.  See the judgment here.  Pursley was a lawyer in Houston who enabled tax evasion by a client by moving untaxed monies from foreign accounts into the U.S. without accounting to the IRS for the unpaid tax.  Pursley’s client ultimately joined the OVDP, thus avoiding his own criminal exposure.  As required under the OVDP, the client had to disclose the enabler of the tax evasion scheme.

At the conclusion of trial after the guilty verdicts were returned, the judge sentenced Pursley to 24 months incarceration, ordered restitution of $2.5 million and imposed standard conditions.  I think the restitution was for Pursley’s taxes rather than the client’s taxes, because the client’s taxes had been paid in the OVDP.  So just from the restitution of Pursley’s taxes for two years, one can infer that he made a lot of money for his conduct.  But that need not detain us here.

On the appeal, Pursley raises only statute of limitations issues.  The parties’ briefs on appeal are:  Pursley’s opening brief, here; United States’ answering brief, here; and Pursley’s reply brief here. Pursley’s arguments are: t ultimately joined the OVDP, thus avoiding his own criminal exposure.  As required under the OVDP, the client had to disclose the enabler of the tax evasion scheme.

At the conclusion of trial after the guilty verdicts were returned, the judge sentenced Pursley to 24 months incarceration, ordered restitution of $2.5 million and imposed standard conditions.  I think the restitution was for Pursley’s taxes rather than the client’s taxes, because the client’s taxes had been paid in the OVDP.  So just from the restitution of Pursley’s taxes for two years, one can infer that he made a lot of money for his conduct.  But that need not detain us here.

On the appeal, Pursley raises only statute of limitations issues.  The parties’ briefs on appeal are:  Pursley’s opening brief, here; United States’ answering brief, here; and Pursley’s reply brief here



Americans have little trust in online security: AP-NORC poll

AP:  “Most Americans don’t believe their personal information is secure online and aren’t satisfied with the federal government’s efforts to protect it, according to a poll. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MeriTalkshows that 64% of Americans say their social media activity is not very or not at all secure. About as many have the same security doubts about online information revealing their physical location. Half of Americans believe their private text conversations lack security. And they’re not just concerned. They want something done about it. Nearly three-quarters of Americans say they support establishing national standards for how companies can collect, process and share personal data. “What is surprising to me is that there is a great deal of support for more government action to protect data privacy,” said Jennifer Benz, deputy director of the AP-NORC Center. “And it’s bipartisan support.”…


Brilliant storage: Mytopia cabinet fortia+metal - 02 8667 7842



US Coast Guard spots Chinese warships off Alaska South China Morning Post


Exclusive: Wikipedia bans 7 mainland Chinese power users over ‘infiltration and exploitation’ in unprecedented clampdown Hong Kong Free Press


Luxury Mooncakes With Exotic Ingredients Are Selling Out Fast Bloomberg. Or, as we call them in the West, “fruitcakes” (heavy, inedible, passedfrom family to family over the years with the packaging intact).


Body composting a ‘green’ alternative to burial, cremation AP


What does the writing of Constitutions have to do with wars? Plenty, as this book proves Scroll


Iceland’s volcanic eruption the longest in half a century France 24