Archive for October, 2008
« Previous EntriesU.K. Uses Anti-Terror Laws to Put Iceland’s Assets on Ice
Friday, October 31st, 2008The word “terrorism” is a politically charged term, to put it mildly. Declaring a “War on Terrorism” means, of course, deciding who is a “terrorist.” And, according to the British government, the latest terrorist in its sights is Iceland. Yes, Iceland. Just what has this intrepid nation of 320,000 done to upset the Brits? In [...]
Negotiate, Don’t Litigate
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008I’ve been involved in lawsuits (fortunately, not for more than a decade), and believe me, they’re no fun. To begin with, lawsuits are terrifically expensive. In the 1990s, I spent over US$100,000 in legal fees in a lawsuit I brought against a former business partner. A few years earlier, I spent nearly US$50,000 defending myself [...]
Your Cell Phone is a Sitting Duck for Data Theft
Monday, October 27th, 2008If you’re like me, you carry your cell phone everywhere. And, you may not give much thought to the information on it: phone numbers you’ve saved, photographs you’ve taken, records of calls made and received, along with text messages. Not to mention e-mails and browsing records for cell phones that connect to the Internet. If [...]
Attack of the $54 Million Pants
Friday, October 24th, 2008If you don’t recognize Roy L. Pearson’s name, you should. He’s the latest poster boy for frivolous lawsuits, and for good reason. And now, he’s back in court. In 2005, Pearson filed a US$67 million lawsuit against Jin Nam and Soo Chung. The Chungs operate a dry cleaning service, and Chung claims they lost his [...]
A Second Passport: Now, More Than Ever
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008Having a second passport and dual citizenship has numerous benefits. It can: Expand your travel and investment possibilities. Avoid attention attracting or potentially embarrassing entry stamps on your primary passport. Reduce your profile to terrorists. Give you the right to reside in other countries. Allow you to cross international borders if your primary passport is [...]
We Know Where You Are, Where You’ve Been, and Where You’re Going
Monday, October 20th, 2008First, it was radar guns. Next came red light cameras, which took a photo both of your face and your license plate numbers. And now, surveillance vendors are promoting an American “homeland security” system that would track you, wherever you drive. If you think this technology is a pipe dream, think again. It exists now, [...]
Everything You Do Online is Monitored—How to Protect Yourself
Friday, October 17th, 2008Back in 1993, a cartoon in the New Yorker magainze expressed a vision of the Internet as an essentially anonymous medium. The cartoon featured a dog peering at a video display terminal, and a caption that read, "On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog." (Click here to view the cartoon). But 15 years later, [...]
Offshore Trusts Instead of Pre-Nups?
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008Speaking from personal experience, the legal action that is the most expensive, the most emotionally difficult, and the most invasive of privacy, is a divorce. The problem is that your spouse probably knows far more about you than the average litigant—and thus is more likely to disclose or force the disclosure of embarrassing or even [...]
Google Censors “Drunken Emails”
Monday, October 13th, 2008We’ve all done it…sending out an e-mail message in the heat of the moment, without thinking clearly. Or, for those who imbibe alcohol, after a few too many. Now, the intrepid engineers at Google have invented a technology to prevent, ahem, “drunken e-mails.” Google’s "Mail Goggles" kicks in late at night on weekends on your [...]
How to Survive the Coming Economic Emergency [Part III]
Friday, October 10th, 2008In my last two blog entries, I described some of the powers the U.S. President has if he declares an “economic emergency.” I also described one scenario that could lead to foreign exchange controls or even outright confiscation of wealth: a death spiral in the value of the U.S. dollar. If you have property that [...]
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