Dafaxetentcy

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

personal finance manager

Intuit-owned Mint.com is beginning its international expansion today with the launch of its personal finance platform in Canada.

Canadians can access Mint at Mint.com/Canada. The main difference between the Canadian version of Mint.com is that it connects to both Canadian banking financial institutions and U.S. banks and credit unions. Canadian users will still be able to aggregate financial accounts and transaction information, categorize spending, access personal financial data and more. Mint.com’s mobile apps for iPhone and Android will also be available on the iTunes Canada app store and Android Market.

The main barrier to Mint.com’s international expansion is bringing non-U.S. financial institutions onto the platform. But once Intuit does this, I’m fairly certain Mint.com will be able to see a significant growth in the number of users outside the U.S. Currently, Mint.com has 4.5 million users and connects to 16,000 financial institutions.

As Aaron Patzer, vice president and general manager of Intuit Personal Finance and founder of Mint states, “Our Canadian launch is just the beginning of Mint.com’s global expansion.”

'Morning Glory' Has Us Looking Back at Our Favorite Working Girls

Ever since Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant's newsroom shenanigans in "His Girl Friday," Hollywood has been fascinated by the Working Girl—that chic, career-driven leading lady who kicks ass, takes names and looks fabulous in a pencil skirt. Driven by pure professionalism, the Working Girl excels at the office, intimidates her male coworkers, sacrifices her personal life to work extra hours and, of course, would never, ever get caught using an office Xerox to make illicit photocopies of her butt.

The latest star to take on a working woman role is Rachel McAdams, who we'll get to see play a hotshot morning show producer when her latest film, "Morning Glory" premieres this week. And today, we're taking a look at all the ladies who paved the way before her, with a list of our favorite working girls throughout cinematic history. Which of these actresses would we most want to share a cubicle with?

1. Anne Hathaway in "The Devil Wears Prada"

Poor Anne sacrifices everything—her love life, her self-esteem, and even her deep, abiding love of onion bagels—in the service of an evil editor who in no way is based on Anna Wintour, at a magazine which in no way resembles Vogue. Her only solace? A closet full of stolen samples from fashion photo shoots.

2. Julia Roberts in "Erin Brockovich"

Julia won an Oscar for her excellent portrayal of real-life go-getter Erin Brockovich, who took down an environmentally-poisonous corporation using nothing but hard work, keen investigation...and her boobs.

3. Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Secretary"

This might be what people mean when they talk about a "hostile work environment." Maggie plays a secretary to the sadistic-but-weirdly-sexy James Spader, who punishes her proofreading errors by spanking her. Not exactly our recipe for workplace romance, but hey, whatever tickles you.

4. Gwyneth Paltrow in "Iron Man"

Tony Stark might be Iron Man, but he'd be nothing without the cool intellect and devoted assistance of Gwyneth's Pepper Potts.

5. Scarlett Johansson in "Scoop"

It's a credit to Scarlett's acting skills that despite being one of the most gorgeous women on the whole damn planet, she still managed to make us buy her performance as an overeager journalism student who stumbles onto an aristocratic scandal. (The doofy glasses helped.)

6. Sanaa Lathan in "Something New"

Sanaa plays a busy lawyer with a classic Working Girl conundrum: pursuing a career at the expense of her love life. Good thing she's got Simon Baker to, er, landscape her yard, if you know what we mean.

7. Christina Applegate in "Anchorman"

Starring opposite Will Ferrell as a plucky newscaster, Christina's go-getter role can best be summed up as follows: "Mr. Harken, this city needs its news. And you are going to deprive them of that because I have breasts? EXQUISITE BREASTS?"

8. Katherine Heigl in "Knocked Up"

Katherine is a struggling entertainment reporter when she has a one-night stand with a slacker played by Seth Rogen. The good news: It turns out that carrying Seth Rogen's babyspawn is great for your career.

9. Melanie Griffith in "Working Girl"

Despite being an under-appreciated secretary with blond hair and a breathy voice, Melanie's Tess McGill is the ultimate driven career girl: a secret finance whiz who uses duplicity to get her foot in the door on Wall Street, pitch a major merger between two companies, and—of course—seduce Harrison Ford while she's at it.

10. Zooey Deschanel in "(500) Days of Summer"

It's never really clear just what Zooey's professional role is at the greeting-card company where she meets Joseph Gordon-Levitt... but if we had to guess, it's probably something like "Senior Manager of Epic, Soul-Rending Heartbreak."

Just for fun, Rosalind Russell and her snazzy outfit in His Girl Friday:

Source

Good job MTV, I actually like this list. Are they missing anyone? (besides obviously Peggy and Joan if this included TV).

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Cake Wrecks: BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS. Monday, December 6, 2010. Michael Jackson is DEAD!!!!! But he still somehow managed to release a new album this month called "Michael." Great. I'm a fully functioning human being that can't even remember to take out the ...

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Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Movie News, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical. Email This. -- Emma Stone debuted her Spider-Man look for the first time at Trevor Live in Hollywood over the weekend. Stone, who's usually in films as a ...

Watch: Jon Stewart Battles Fox News' War On Christmas | The New ...

Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Intuit-owned Mint.com is beginning its international expansion today with the launch of its personal finance platform in Canada.

As Aaron Patzer, vice president and general manager of Intuit Personal Finance and founder of Mint states, “Our Canadian launch is just the beginning of Mint.com’s global expansion.”

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING NEWS

Movie News Quick Hits: Emma Stone's 'Spider-Man' Look, Annie Nods ...

Watch: Jon Stewart Battles Fox News' War On Christmas | The New ...

Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Movie News Quick Hits: Emma Stone's 'Spider-Man' Look, Annie Nods ...

Watch: Jon Stewart Battles Fox News' War On Christmas | The New ...

Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Watch: Jon Stewart Battles Fox News' War On Christmas | The New ...

Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Intuit-owned Mint.com is beginning its international expansion today with the launch of its personal finance platform in Canada.

As Aaron Patzer, vice president and general manager of Intuit Personal Finance and founder of Mint states, “Our Canadian launch is just the beginning of Mint.com’s global expansion.”

Cake Wrecks: BREAKING NEWS

Movie News Quick Hits: Emma Stone's 'Spider-Man' Look, Annie Nods ...

Watch: Jon Stewart Battles Fox News' War On Christmas | The New ...

Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Cake Wrecks: BREAKING NEWS

Movie News Quick Hits: Emma Stone's 'Spider-Man' Look, Annie Nods ...

Watch: Jon Stewart Battles Fox News' War On Christmas | The New ...

Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Cake Wrecks: BREAKING NEWS

Movie News Quick Hits: Emma Stone's 'Spider-Man' Look, Annie Nods ...

Watch: Jon Stewart Battles Fox News' War On Christmas | The New ...

Jon Stewart slams Fox News' outrage at the Tulsa “Christmas Parade of Lights” changing its name to “Holiday Parade Of Lights.” And other goodness.

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Monday, December 6, 2010

foreclosure defense

Also, lastly, I hear today from the lawyers at JALA, the Jacksonville Legal Aid office whose excellent work I profiled in the piece, that their offices are going to be losing three attorneys in January due to a budgetary shortfall. This organization needs donations to survive (as do legal aid offices all around the country), and here’s why this matters; most of the people who are being foreclosed upon actually have ways to fight back if they can get legal representation. The problem is that offices like JALA have a finite number of attorneys, and so are forced to turn back people who come knocking asking for legal help. Each additional attorney, then, can keep dozens of people in their homes. I strongly suggest that anyone who has extra funds give if they can to local legal aid offices in their states, or even JALA in particular (their donation info can be found at www.jaxlegalaid.org), because this right now is crunch time and a little money can go a long way to helping stop the foreclosure bleeding. I myself am making a donation today.

I am torn between my sympathy for those who are about to lose their homes through foreclosure and the injury I see to the rule of rule and the economy itself in the way foreclosure proceedings are being challenged and processed. People are angry with the banks and for good reason, but it is important to distinguish the granting of mortgages from what was done with them once granted. The banks may have been complicit in approving bad loans, but the borrowers must accept some responsibility.

In all fairness, besides discovering that they could not meet the payments, defaults have occurred for a number of other reasons: the value of real estate has dropped; homeowners have lost their jobs or their income has been reduced; balloon payments could not be met; or other unanticipated circumstances have occurred. I watch with some misgivings the army of lawyers lining up to defend foreclosure proceedings, some by taking large fees or second mortgages on the very houses being foreclosed. (NY Times 11/62010 -Taking on a Second Mortgage to Pay the Foreclosure Lawyer)

The media is full of revelations about the robo-signing of documents supporting foreclosures, and the practice is subject to numerous investigations and hearings. I have watched the video-taped depositions of bank employees admitting to verifying defaults with absolutely no personal knowledge of the facts. Of course, sworn testimony before a court must be truthful, but we have to be careful in deciding what renders it untruthful. It would be virtually impossible in any bank (even in those in which the mortgage remained with the issuing bank) for one person to know how much was loaned and precisely when and how much was paid on account. In this day and age, all of that information comes via computer printouts -- not personal knowledge. So verifying that a mortgage is in default and the amount due is never based upon personal knowledge, but rather a search of the records and reliance on those records kept in the ordinary course of business.

Foreclosure proceedings are not criminal in nature, in which a defendant can sit back, do nothing, and require the government to prove its case. These are civil proceedings and the borrowers and hopefully their lawyers know whether or not the mortgage is in default. To oppose the foreclosure, when both the borrower and lawyer know the mortgage is in substantial default, to my mind borders on the unethical. If indeed there are valid defenses to foreclosure -- mortgages not in default, wrong property designated, etc. instances which I suspect are very rare, they should be pursued with diligence.

On the other hand, the holder of the mortgage must prove ownership, and that information is solely in the hands of the banks and their assignees. That is not information a borrower would have, and the borrower (defendant) has an absolute right to know that a suit for foreclosure is being conducted by the current holder of the mortgage. That is a defense made in good faith and worthy of pursuit. I have reservations about the good faith of challenging the existence of a default with full knowledge that it exists, but none about insisting on proof of current ownership and the right to foreclose.

Despite my sympathy for all those who may lose or have lost their homes, I am concerned with the stability of contracts, the rule of law, if they are abandoned at this fragile time in our economy. Any and all assistance possible, such as modifications, should be afforded borrowers so that they can remain in their homes, but failing that, our legal system and, in turn, our economy, cannot be jeopardized by excusing persons from performing under their written agreements when they know that they are in default. The person who buys a TV on time, but is aware that she or he is in default, should not be able to keep the TV and not make any further payments just because evidence of the debt and default comes from a computer rather than personal knowledge.

Even defending foreclosure proceedings for the purpose of delay might seem like a laudable and noble goal, but the reality is that by doing so we are not retaliating against those mean banks that got us into this, but the shareholders, some of whom are homeowners themselves, who invested in these gift-wrapped mortgage packages only to find when opened -- that they were worthless junk. Let us do everything we can to aid those in danger of losing their homes through foreclosure, but let us not sacrifice the rule of law and the sanctity of contracts in the process.

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Congo Siasa: News we missed last week

News I failed to blog on last week: The newly ordained cardinal of Kinshasa, Laurent Monsegwo, arrived in Kinshasa from Rome on Wednesday to huge acclaim. Monsengwo is usually considered to be opposed to Kabila, but rarely takes public ...

Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

Owner tried to "extort" Twitter. As Robin Wauters wrote today, Twitter has filed a UDRP against the owner of TwitterSearch.com. With so many domain names out there including "twitter" in them, why has the company singled out this one?

Lujiazui Breakfast: News & Views About China Stocks (Dec. 6 ...

Investors and traders in China's main financial district are talking about the following before the start of trade today: With expectations about inflation and monetary policy becoming clearer, investors are taking cues from overseas ...

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Congo Siasa: News we missed last week

Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

Lujiazui Breakfast: News & Views About China Stocks (Dec. 6 ...

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Congo Siasa: Noticias que nos perdimos weekNews último que no blog la semana pasada: El recién ordenado cardenal de Kinshasa, Laurent Monsegwo, llegó a Kinshasa desde Roma el miércoles con gran éxito enorme. Monsengwo es generalmente considerado como oposición a Kabila, pero rara vez se toma pública ...

Nombres de Dominio de alambre » Noticias » ¿Por qué Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ... Propietario intentado "extorsionar" Twitter. Como Robin Wauters escribió hoy, Twitter se ha presentado una Política Uniforme contra el propietario de TwitterSearch.com. Con los nombres de dominio para muchos por ahí como "twitter" en ellos, ¿por qué la empresa ha señalado esta?

Habitaciones Lujiazui: Noticias & puntos de vista sobre las existencias de China (06 de diciembre ... Inversores y comerciantes en el principal distrito financiero de China se trata de la siguiente antes del inicio del día de hoy el comercio: Con las expectativas sobre la inflación y la política monetaria cada vez más claro, los inversores están tomando las señales desde el extranjero ...

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Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

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Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

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Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

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Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

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Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

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Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

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Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

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Domain Name Wire » News » Why Twitter Singled Out TwitterSearch ...

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Making Money Ideas

Thanksgiving is almost here, and that means there's only a month of shopping left in the holiday season. However, while this can be a scary realization for many people, you don't have to worry — because we've got ideas for the geeks on your list (or anyone else you want to convert to a life of geekery) covered.

This year, we're giving you the next best thing to actually buying the gifts for you. Your friendly neighborhood Splash Page team has come up with a wide-ranging list of books, games, toys, music and various other things to buy for everyone on your list — from the hardcore fanboys and fangirls to someone who's still learning the difference between Green Lantern and Green Hornet.

In the end, we tried to avoid some of the most obvious comics-related gifts this year and give you a mash-up of our own wishlists and the items we're planning to buy for our own friends and family. Here's hoping you find it helpful when it comes time for you to start dropping your hard-earned money on manufactured holiday joy.

If you're buying gifts for someone new to comics or in need of a familiar name or title to catch their attention, how about "The Dark Tower" graphic novels (based on the popular Stephen King novels) or Dark Horse Comics' "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Serenity" comics (based on Joss Whedon's fan-favorite television series)? They all feature original stories that unfold within and expand the world each one is based upon. There's also IDW Publishing's critically praised "Parker" graphic novels based on the crime-noir novels of Donald Westlake (which also inspired such movies as "Point Blank" and "Payback"). "The Hunter" and "The Outfit" are available now, and they're as beautiful to look at as they are to read.

If you're shopping for someone who loves music almost as much as comics, why not pick up an album by nerd rockers Kirby Krackle? It's filled with ridiculously cool, addictively sing-able tunes about comics, gaming, love, and, well... everything else that being a geek is all about. My favorite track? An ode to Green Lantern titled "Ring Capacity." It's brilliant. Also worth checking out is "Zero Day," the latest album from nerdcore rapper extraordinaire MC Frontalot (named the "rapper laureate" of the massively successful "Penny Arcade" webcomic), as well as the awesomely indie soundtrack for this year's hit film "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World." Oh, and if you're looking to give someone a nostalgia-inducing trip down memory lane, snag them a copy of "The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection." It's a collection of popular and little-known jingles (who knew "The Atom" had a theme song?) featuring DC characters.

If you're shopping for young readers, pick up a copy of "Tiny Titans/Lil Archie." The books combine all-ages superhero fun with classic Archie characters and sensibility. You might also want to check out Boom Studios' "Muppet Show" comics and Archaia Studios' "Fraggle Rock" comics. Both of these series are just as good as the television shows they're based on, and to be honest, you'll probably enjoy the heck out of 'em, too.

For older readers, why not pick up a few novels written by and for comics fans. Matt Myklusch's "Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation" is a great novel that feels a lot like the "Harry Potter" series, except instead of magic and wizards, it deals with superheroes and supervillains. There's also "Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories About People Who Know How They Will Die," featuring a bunch of stories written (and occasionally illustrated) by some of the biggest names in the webcomics world, including "Dinosaur Comics" creator Ryan North and "Wondermark" creator David Malki.

Looking to help someone prep for next year's slate of comic book movies? Ryan Reynolds name-dropped "Green Lantern: Secret Origin" as one of the books that inspired the upcoming movie, so it can't hurt to revisit Geoff Johns' origin story. On the other side, Marvel's upcoming slate of movies all draw heavily from the publisher's line of "Ultimate" comics, so picking up the first volume of "The Ultimates" (the "Ultimate"-universe version of The Avengers) will get readers ready for what's to come in 2011 and beyond.

Buying for a comics fan with some gaming tendencies? You can't go wrong with "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions" for various systems, which gives players the opportunity to web-swing as several different incarnations of Spider-Man over the years. There's also the downloadable game based on "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" for the Playstation Network, and the all-ages friendly "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" for the Nintendo Wii. All three games are bunches of comics-inspired fun.

Beyond the normal DVD and Blu-Ray suggestions of "Iron Man 2," "Kick-Ass," "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" and other recent big-screen adaptations, you might want to consider some outside-the-box selections like "Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods," a documentary about one of the comics industry's most celebrated writers of the modern era. There's also "Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist," which puts the spotlight on one of the greatest creators ever to craft a comic. If documentaries aren't exactly what you're searching for, pick up a copy of "DC Showcase Collection." It's a collection of the excellent animated shorts DC and Warner Bros. have included on their larger animated features the last year or so, focusing on lesser-known characters. Every one of them is animated gold.

If you know someone who enjoys the latest television series based on comics like "The Walking Dead" or "Human Target," why not introduce them to the source material? Image Comics' "The Walking Dead Compendium, Volume 1" collects the first eight chapters of the comic in one hefty book. And though it doesn't quite match up with the comic, Vertigo's "Human Target: Chance Meetings" collects several great storylines from writer Peter Milligan's celebrated work on the series and offers a nice example of why the character is so popular.

On the toy front, we'd be fools not to point you in the direction of Hasbro's awesome Iron Man 2 helmet. It's made to fit just about any head, and is both ridiculously cool and surprisingly comfortable to wear on a regular basis (trust me on this). Of course, if you're buying for kids, you might as well complete the package and buy the Iron Man 2 3-in-1 Repulsor and Iron Man 2 Arc Light — just for the sake of completion. (Note: Star Wars fans, there's a Boba Fett version of the helmet, too.)

And finally, if you're looking for something that will look great on a bookshelf and is as much a status symbol as it is reading material, DC's "Absolute Planetary" hardcovers come with a hefty price tag but are well worth the price. If that's along the lines of what you're looking for, Image Comics' "Spawn Origins Collection" hardcover is another book that will not only be appreciated by whoever receives it, but will make you look that much cooler for picking it out.

And that's about it for the first-ever MTV Splash Page Gift Guide. Here's hoping it gives you some shopping suggestions for the geeks on your list (especially if you're one of them).

Happy shopping, and an early Happy Holidays from MTV Splash Page!

Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Twitter! You can also follow me, Splash Page editor Rick Marshall, on Twitter!

Tags gift guide 2010

Last week, Brave New Foundation's Robert Greenwald wrote about the damage done to U.S. interests around the world by for-profit security contractors like Blackwater / Xe:

Drunken shootouts and debauchery, meaningless death and mayhem... Thanks in part to the rapacious greed injected into war-fighting by the liberal use of for-profit armed "security" companies, a brutal, unaccountable and unreliable swagger is increasingly the face of the U.S. in conflict zones around the world... The use of private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan makes a few people very, very rich, but it's making the rest of us -- Americans and local civilians alike -- much less safe.

During this Congress, progressive congresspeople like U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, John Conyers, Maurice Hinchey, James Moran and David Price focused on this issue and came up with some pretty common-sense ideas about private security contracting:

We need more and better oversight, especially when contractors discharge their weapons, kill civilians or damage property.

We need to make sure the rules that apply to contractors in places like Iraq and Afghanistan will also apply in other zones of conflict like Yemen.

Oh, and Blackwater/Xe shouldn't be able to cheat the U.S. government out of tax money anymore through, shall we say, creative hiring practices.

These progressive legislators did good work this year and got these ideas included in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Unfortunately, these gains may be erased over the next several days in negotiations with the Senate over the final language of the bill. While the House version of the bill includes important accountability provisions for private contractors, these provisions will simply disappear if congressional negotiators fail to include them in the final version of the bill.

Lack of Oversight

One of the most infuriating threads of the story of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (and there are many) is the lack of accountability for out-of-control private contractors like Blackwater/Xe. Every time employees of one of these companies kills a civilian, gets in a drunken shootout or pays off insurgents for safe passage, we all become less safe due to increased anti-American sentiment and seeming validation of al Qaeda propaganda. When our government then fails to hold these cowboys and war profiteers accountable -- as it failed to hold accountable the ex-Blackwater employee who shot the bodyguard of the Iraqi vice president and the contractors who gunned down civilians in Nisour Square -- we send the message that these modern-day Praetorians can get away with anything, including murder.

That's why the House-passed version of the NDAA called for the Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to provide Congress a report on contractor oversight and on contractor involvement in civilian killings. Under these provisions, SIGAR must also recommend improvements to contractor oversight and guidelines on how the U.S. can avoid doing business with companies that have records of waste, fraud, abuse and dangerous behavior. These reports will help Congress and the administration get a handle on the contracting process and institute stronger accountability measures.

Mission Creep

News reports indicate the U.S. is moving material to Yemen to attack the al Qaeda presence there and is debating whether to help the Yemeni government establish forward operating bases and/or execute many more drone strikes in remote regions. Whatever the final shape of the ramped-up U.S. activity, it seems clear that it will be a military-centric approach, and that probably means more private contractors working in the area. But, many of the existing oversight requirements for private military contractors are region-specific, i.e. there are currently more stringent rules for those working in Iraq and Afghanistan than would be the case in Yemen (and that's already an unacceptably low bar).

Now, let me be clear: Ramping up military operations in Yemen is a bad idea, period. We've got quite enough on our plate without being backed into another decade-long counterinsurgency fiasco, thank you very much. But ramping up military operations in Yemen while failing to extend contractor oversight rules there is a really, really bad idea. But unless Congress retains the House-passed provisions of the NDAA, that's exactly what will happen. The House-passed version of the NDAA extends the stricter operating rules for contractors found in Afghanistan and Iraq to Yemen and other areas.

They Cheat on Their Taxes, Too

To add insult to injury, private security firms like Blackwater/Xe also exploit tax loopholes to further pad their profits. Even though it gets 90 percent of its profits from the U.S. government, Blackwater hires Americans as independent contractors rather than as direct employees, thus avoiding a substantial amount of taxes they'd otherwise owe. So not only are they besmirching the honor of the U.S. around the world with their crimes and other antics, but they actively try to cheat their largest customer -- us -- out of as much money as possible.

The House-passed version of the NDAA will close this loophole by requiring security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to hire U.S. citizen personnel as direct employees, rather than as independent contractors.

What You Can Do

With negotiators working to hammer out a final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, there's a chance that we can get strong accountability provisions from the House version into the law. Doing this will extend the more stringent accountability regime contractors operate under in Iraq and Afghanistan to any possible future actions in Yemen and other regions; require the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to report to Congress on how to improve contractor oversight, as well as contractor involvement in civilian deaths; and close the tax loophole Blackwater/Xe uses to cheat the U.S. taxpayer.

You can call your Member of Congress at 202.224.3121 to insist they sign the Schakowsky-Conyers-Hinchey-Moran-Price letter which tells Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon of the House Armed Services Committee to keep the strong security contractor accountability provisions included in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act. Tell them you want private contractors held accountable, and will hold them accountable for making it happen.

eric seiger do