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Dan alerts us to the news that the free muni-WiFi system used around the Coshocton’s County Courthouse in Northern Ohio was shut down over a complaint by the MPAA over a single unauthorized movie download. Amazingly, rather than admit that perhaps that was going a bit too far in punishing everyone in that town over a single individual’s usage, the MPAA couldn’t resist the opportunity to complain about the evils of movie piracy again. The MPAA doesn’t seem concerned at all about the collateral damage, and just thinks that it’s a good opportunity to push ahead with its misguided complaint against file sharing.

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Toyota produced two special edition Tundras for the 2009 SEMA show last week. The first was the “Tailgater” – a fancy tribute to country music duo Brooks and Dunn that doubles as a tricked-out mobile BBQ platform. The second was a call-back to the hot rod days of the 50’s, a regular cab short box Tundra with a flame job, moon hub caps, and a 50’s era Toyota logo.

Toyota's custom Tundras shown during the 2009 SEMA show.

While they’re both cool, neither truck demonstrated a new concept or an attempt to establish the Tundra as a great canvas to work from. Still, there were a couple of neat ideas, and you have to give Toyota for trying in a down market:

The Tailgater

The Brooks & Dunn Tailgater edition of the Tundra

This was the show-piece – the truck that Toyota really sunk some time, effort, and energy into. The stand-out features are the engraved silver door handles, the pull-out grill assembly attached to the tailgate, and the various hand-tooled leather elements in the interior.

The pull-out BBQ grill on the tailgater.

That's real silver engraving – very sharp.

What’s missing? Well how about the fact this truck has a 3″ lift with tires and wheels that are too big for such a small lift. What about the fact that this “show” truck doesn’t even have a TRD exhaust (that’s a stock pipe sticking out).

The Hot Rod

The retro call-back Hot Rod Tundra

Wood paneling in a truck bed? It's been done…many, many, many times before.

This truck almost seems like an after-thought. A flame job, some retro hub caps, and a wood-paneled bed are cool, but all these features can be found on a classic show truck at any good-sized car show. Frankly, what’s the point of tapping into a history that Toyota had absolutely no presence in?

No disrespect to the creators and artisans who built this truck , but the bottom line is ‘meh.’ This truck doesn’t even sport a TRD lowering kit, despite the fact hot-rodders were cutting springs and removing leafs to get lower back in the day.

The retro Toyota logo is cool, and the interior has some cool aspects…but if the words “slapped together” don’t apply to this interior, when do they apply?

Retro 50's Toyota logo.

The problem with SEMA trucks is that auto manufacturers have nearly unlimited resources…taking a stock truck and doing it up is always cool, but we expect a lot more from an auto manufacturer. Either demonstrate a new accessory concept or package that could make it into production, show a potential styling cue, or use all your resources to make something awesome. Last year, Toyota recycled the diesel dually concept they showed in 2007. This year, they made a couple of rather tame trucks. Next year, how about one of the following:

• Show us a working Tundra with a jury-rigged hybrid synergy drive in a goofy Prius color. THAT could get people talking.
• Show us a Tundra with a full complement of TRD performance accessories and a custom-designed ground effects kit that might just be available someday…either from Toyota or a friendly after-market company.
• Take a Tundra short box, chop the frame, and make some sort of toyish monster truck that doesn’t look even a little bit real.
• Show us a military version of the Tundra – see if the Army might participate somehow…they’re always looking for recruiting opportunities.
• Make a special edition production version of the Tundra that taps into a popular movie or video game, then announce at SEMA it will be available on a very limited basis nationwide (sort of like the special edition Scion xB concept crossed with the Terminator Tundra from back in the day). Even 100 of these trucks would be enough to get a lot of attention from the movie’s fan base.
• Attack Ford’s Raptor F150 and make a one-off TRD Tundra that one-up’s all of the Raptor’s features.
• Turn a stock Tundra into a half-size semi truck, complete with a set of half-size semi trailers in tow.

Whatever you do, do it right. No more “show trucks” with fewer accessories than your customers are installing on their own vehicles with their own limited resources.

Read user reviews of Tundra Accessories.

Today’s headlines indicate that all eyes yesterday were on the Senate, where former President Bill Clinton urged Democrats to take action on health overhaul legislation and Majority Leader Harry Reid says work on the measure could be done by Christmas.  

On Hill, Bipartisan Support Emerging For Commission To Control Health Costs
Kaiser Health News staff writer Eric Pianin reports on growing interest for a bipartisan entitlement commission. “The drive on Capitol Hill to create a bipartisan entitlement and tax reform commission to help ‘bend the cost curve’ of health spending and address mounting deficits picked up momentum yesterday, as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a handful of moderate Democrats and Republicans voiced support for the effort (11/11).

How The House Abortion Restrictions Would Work
Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports on the particulars of the abortion language in the House-passed health bill. The measure “bars insurers from selling policies that cover abortion to anyone who gets a federal subsidy. But it does allow insurers to offer optional abortion coverage that consumers could purchase with their own money. Based on some states’ experiences, it’s unlikely insurers would sell such coverage” (11/10).

Health Vote Shatters Abortion Ceasefire
The sudden spasm of intense debate over abortion on Capitol Hill this week threatens not only to stall the passage of health care legislation, but also to shatter the delicate ceasefire that has governed the abortion issue during the Obama era (Politico).

President Clinton Urges Senate Action On Healthcare
With Senate leaders navigating a tricky path to move healthcare legislation forward, Democrats on Tuesday received a blunt warning from the president who tried in vain to provide universal coverage 15 years ago — and who suffered the political consequences of failure (Los Angeles Times).

On Hill, Clinton Gives A Health-Care Pep Talk
Former president Bill Clinton urged Senate Democrats on Tuesday to resolve their differences with a health-care bill and pass an overhaul as soon as possible. Summoning the lessons of his own history with health-care reform, Clinton warned, “The worst thing to do is nothing” (The Washington Post).

Bill Clinton Presses Senators To Pass Health Bill
Former President Bill Clinton came to Capitol Hill Tuesday to underline for Democrats the political consequences of failing to pass a health overhaul, saying doing nothing was the worst outcome (The Wall Street Journal).

Reid Says Health Bill Will Be Done By Christmas
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said Tuesday that he expected to bring major health care legislation to the floor next week and to complete work on the bill before Christmas. But other Democratic leaders said it was unlikely that a bill could reach President Obama’s desk by year’s end (The New York Times).

GOP Tries To Recapture Town Hall Anger
Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander said Republicans are “quietly” planning some 50 in-person and telephone town hall gatherings over the next three weeks to drum up opposition to Democratic health care bills. Republicans believe this effort will pick up new urgency once Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) releases his long-awaited bill — possibly next week (Politico).

‘Opt-Out’ Proposal Puts State Leaders To The Test
In the two weeks since the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, embraced a proposal that would allow states to opt out of a new government health insurance plan, state leaders have begun debating whether to take part, and the question has emerged as a litmus test in some campaigns for governor (The New York Times).

Health Vote Pits Democrat Vs. Democrat
Democrats who thought a vote against the sweeping health care package would inoculate them from political attack are facing serious blowback from angry constituents and interest groups on the left—fierce opposition that could prove as consequential as anything Republicans could have thrown at them (Politico).

Are Democrats Nearing Civil War Over Healthcare Reform?
Three days after the House’s historic passage of comprehensive healthcare reform, Democrats are grappling with the downside of being a “big tent” party: Their coalition is diverse, and internal tensions rise to the boiling point when major legislation is on the line (The Christian Science Monitor).

Congress Has History Of Reversing Cuts
In 1997, Congress passed a budget law that mandated tough curbs on Medicare spending, setting up formulas to reduce doctor payments if broad spending targets were exceeded. But when the formula began taking a serious bite out of doctor reimbursements in 2002, Congress acted to reverse the cuts — a step it has repeated five times since then (The Wall Street Journal).

Falling Far Short Of Reform
Reduce the growth of health care costs. Bend the curve. Find the game changers. Reform the delivery system. Yawn. Health care reform has always had two main goals. The first — insuring the uninsured — carries grand overtones of social justice. The second — making the health care system more efficient — can seem abstract, technocratic and a bit nerdy (The New York Times).

Gay-Rights Groups See Gains In House Health Bill
Gay-civil-rights groups have sought certain changes in health care policy for years without success. Now they’ve got a chance because of several provisions included in the House health care bill passed Saturday (NPR).

The Influence Game: Bishops Shape Health Care Bill
Catholic bishops have emerged as a formidable force in the health care overhaul fight, using their clout with millions of Catholics and working behind the scenes in Congress to get strong abortion restrictions into the House bill (The Associated Press).

Maine Finds A Health Care Fix Elusive
When his car repair shop’s health insurance premiums doubled between 2000 and 2002, David White saw the problem as akin to a sputtering engine. So he got under the hood of the state’s health system and tried to fix it (The New York Times).

Mass. Keeps Eye On Bill’s Abortion Funding Ban
Massachusetts officials are closely monitoring an abortion funding ban in the sweeping health care legislation before Congress to make sure that it does not restrict women’s access to abortion coverage in the state. Abortion is a covered service for low-income Massachusetts women enrolled in subsidized insurance plans available since 2006 through the state’s landmark health care law (The Boston Globe).

Lawmakers Call For Emergency Sick-Leave Requirement
Against the backdrop of the H1N1 flu pandemic, congressional Democrats are pushing for emergency sick-leave legislation and using the crisis to garner support for a wider-ranging bill — both of which, they say, would help prevent a more rapid spread of the virus by mandating that employers provide workers with paid time off (Los Angeles Times).

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Prosper, a San Francisco-based operator of a peer-to-peer lending marketplace, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from QED Investors. QED managing partner Nigel Morris, co-founder of Capital One, will join the Prosper board of directors. Prosper previously raised around $40 million, from firms like Accel Partners, Benchmark Capital, Fidelity Ventures, DAG Ventures, Meritech Capital Partners and Omidyar Network.

PRESS RELEASE

Prosper, the largest peer-to-peer lending marketplace in the U.S. with over $180 million in loans and 870,000 members, today announced that Nigel W. Morris, Co-Founder of Capital One, has joined its Board of Directors and his venture capital firm, QED Investors, has invested in the company.

“The future of consumer and small business finance is changing rapidly, and Prosper is at the forefront of this transformation,” said Nigel Morris, Managing Partner of QED Investors. “By disintermediating banks, Prosper’s model allows consumers to directly benefit, both on the lending and borrowing sides. We are excited to be part of a company that will play a pivotal role in the future of lending.”

“To maximize and fast track our growth and revenue potential, we’re honing our strategy to holistically approach marketing and risk modeling,” said Chris Larsen, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Prosper. “Bringing in Nigel Morris and his team of operationally-oriented investors will immediately enhance our own team’s analytical capability. And just as Nigel and his team were able to deploy such a capability at Capital One to revolutionize the consumer lending industry, we expect our team at Prosper to revolutionize the P2P lending space.”

Nigel Morris co-founded Capital One in 1994, and during his ten-year tenure, Capital One’s customer base grew to an extraordinary 45 million, managed loans increased to more than $70 billion and the company emerged as one of the top seven issuers of MasterCard and Visa credit cards in the world.

Nigel Morris is currently the managing partner of QED Investors, a direct investment fund focused on high-growth companies that leverage the power of data strategies. In addition, he works in an advisory capacity with General Atlantic Partners, Columbia Capital, and Oliver Wyman. He also serves on the board of The Economist Group, London Business School, and Venture Philanthropy Partners.

About Prosper

Prosper is America’s largest peer-to-peer lending marketplace with over 870,000 and $184 million in loans. It pioneered peer-to-peer lending, which allows people to invest in each other in a way that is socially and financially rewarding. Prosper’s auction model provides an open and transparent way to get a personal loan or invest in loans on terms that are favorable to everyone involved in the transaction.

People and institutions list and bid on loans using Prosper’s online auction platform. Borrowers can list loan requests between $1,000 and $25,000 on Prosper and set the maximum rate they are willing to pay an investor for the loan, and tell their story. People and institutional investors register on Prosper as lenders, then set their minimum interest rates, and bid in increments of $25 to $25,000 on loan listings they select. In addition to criteria commonly used by institutional lenders, such as credit scores and histories, Prosper lenders can consider borrowers’ personal stories, endorsements from friends, and community affiliations.

Once the auction ends, Prosper takes the bids with the lowest rates and combines them to facilitate the funding of one simple loan to the borrower, and then issues what are called “Notes” to all the winning bidders. Prosper handles all on-going loan administration tasks including loan repayment and collections on behalf of the matched borrowers and investors. Prosper members are then able to trade Notes with other members on the Folio Investing Note Trader platform, provided by Foliofn Investments, Inc. Follow Prosper on twitter @prosperloans

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TAIPEI (Reuters) – Fubon Financial, parent of Taiwan’s No.2 insurer, and China’s State Development & Investment Corp will set up a 3 billion Chinese yuan ($440 million) private equity fund, the Commercial Times reported on Wednesday, citing a Fubon executive.

The private equity fund, aiming to tap industries in Fujian province, will be the first such fund to operate across the Taiwan strait, the paper said.

Fubon (2881.TW) will take a 30 percent stake in the fund, State Development & Investment Corp will hold 40 percent and an investment firm controlled by Fujian province will hold the remainder, the paper said, citing Fubon president Victor Kung.

Trade ties between Taiwan and China have warmed since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office last year. Both sides have agreed to sign a financial service pact soon, paving the way for banks to invest in each other’s economy.

(Reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by Ken Wills)

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SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea may have to offer steep discounts to sell key state assets such as bank stakes, to help cut a growing fiscal deficit, while pumping money into the economy to pull it safely out of a global downturn.

The alternative is more delays, but the desperation for funds may be enough to override government fears of criticism for selling state assets on the cheap.

“The government will be more flexible, shifting away from its previous stance that it won’t sell the stake below a certain price. That could mean a big discount,” said one fund manager at a domestic asset management firm, asking not to be named because he is not authorised to talk to the media.

He was referring specifically to Woori Finance Holdings (053000.KS), which could be among the first to be offered and which has been in government hands since it was bailed out during the Asian financial crisis a decade ago.

The government wants to sell an initial 7 percent in South Korea’s third-ranked bank, worth $800 million at current market prices.

It is also selecting an adviser for the sale of 49 percent in Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to South Korea, in a deal worth an estimated $2 billion.

The offerings come as South Korea seeks fresh revenue after record spending to stimulate the economy over the past year has sapped state coffers, and as it tries to create more jobs. The government expects the 2009 fiscal deficit to be 5.0 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

But scaled back lending by banks and concerns about a slowing global economic recovery may reduce appetite for state assets, and some bankers say that could well mean some delays.

Concern about selling strategic assets to foreign investors could also be a barrier in some cases.

“There seems to be resistance to sell part of such infrastructure assets to foreign capital, considering those companies are not in financial difficulty,” said Kim Sun-bin, a chief researcher at Samsung Economic Research Institute.

“That will be the hottest issue going forward.”

In a similar move, India’s government plans to list some profitable state firms as Asia’s third-largest economy seeks to fuel growth without further widening a large fiscal deficit.

For foreign strategic buyers eyeing South Korea, the absence of management rights for the assets will make them less attractive. National security concerns could be another stumbling block.

“I doubt if the sale process will be able to proceed, considering market liquidity conditions,” said one M&A banker at a top local brokerage, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

“Daewoo Engineering’s case indicates the current market situation, with companies not ready to initiate active investments,” he said.

The auction for a majority of Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co Ltd (047040.KS), in a deal estimated at $3 billion, has drawn just three foreign investors after the sole local bidder, private equity firm MBK Partners, dropped out.

Australia’s Macquarie (MQG.AX) is tipped as a possible foreign bidder for some government assets, given its track record in infrastructure deals. It declined to comment.

TIMING

President Lee Myung-bak, who won office almost two years ago, had made privatising state-run institutions a centrepiece of his pro-business policy agenda, though this was put on hold after his popularity sank in a row over U.S. beef imports.

Some analysts said the government may now be tempted to try selling stakes as South Korea looks set to be among the first economies to recover from the downturn and with the local stock market up 40 percent so far this year.

With more state assets in the pipeline, including KDB Financial Group, the parent of Korea Development Bank, and stakes in Industrial Bank of Korea (024110.KS), the government may have little option but to opt for current market prices rather than hold out for the possibility of more later.

“We plan to speed up the process now that market conditions have been improving,” said one finance ministry official overseeing the sale plans.

“Timing will depend on market conditions, but there is no change to the deadline,” he said, referring to a 2012 timeline by which the government hopes to sell stakes in 112 state assets and raise about 4.6 trillion won ($3.97 billion). [ID:nSEO27569] ($1=1154.1 Won)

By Kim Yeon-hee
(Additional reporting by Yoo Choonsik; Editing by Jonathan Thatcher, Ian Geoghegan and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

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LONDON (Reuters) – Publisher Reed Elsevier’s (REL.L) (ELSN.AS) said on Wednesday its Chief Executive Ian Smith had quit because he was the wrong man for the times.

Smith, an industry outsider who resigns after only eight months in the job, will be replaced by divisional chief Erik Engstrom.

A company spokesman said: “Ian and the board decided it wasn’t the right role for him in the current economic circumstances. Erik has proven sectoral experience. There is no disagreement on strategy.”

Reed said Smith’s resignation would take immediate effect and was by mutual agreement. Engstrom has been CEO of the company’s scientific-publishing division Elsevier for the last five years.

Reed also warned that 2010 operating margins would likely be modestly reduced, due to a weak revenue environment combined with increased investment, particularly in U.S. legal markets.

Shares in Reed Elsevier fell 3 percent in early trading, the leading decliners in a flat European media index .SXMP.

Chairman Anthony Habgood said in a statement: “Ian has had the difficult task of leading Reed Elsevier during unprecedentedly turbulent economic times. The boards and I would like to thank him for his contribution in this respect and wish him well for the future.”

Smith — who had previously held senior roles at Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), General Healthcare Group and housebuilder Taylor Toodrow (TW.L) — was not immediately reachable for comment.

Engstrom, 46, has been CEO of Elsevier since 2004. He previously worked at private equity firm General Atlantic Partners, book publisher Random House [BERT.UL] and Swedish paper-products firm SCA (SCAb.ST).

Under his leadership, Elsevier’s revenues and profits have grown every year, creating a business with turnover of 1.7 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) in 2008.

TURMOIL

Paul Richards, analyst at London brokerage Numis, said: “Reed is supposed to be a solid defensive stock, so to have this sort of management turmoil and the cautioning on 2010 trading — it’s pretty disappointing.”

UBS analyst Polo Tang wrote in a note: “The news will be negative for sentiment, although we believe investor opinion on Smith was divided.”

Smith had made a largely unpopular decision to issue new shares in July representing 9.9 percent of the company’s issued share capital to reduce its $8.4 billion net debt after failing to sell its trade-magazines unit RBI last year.

Reed Elsevier stock traded in London has underperformed the FTSE 100 index .FTSE by 20 percent this year.

Smith had made a strong case for accelerating investment, particularly in the U.S. legal market, where Reed has been losing market share to Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO)(TRI.N).

In the company’s last trading update in July, he said: “Despite the global recession, I believe that now is the right time to develop more aggressive market and product strategies to capture the market opportunities and increase competitive differentiation.”

Reed said on Wednesday first-half trends had continued as expected in the second half, with advertising and promotion markets and employee screening remaining difficult but likely to stabilise as comparatives get easier.

“The major professional markets, accounting for the majority of Reed Elsevier’s business, are proving more resilient than most but not immune from late cycle pressures given the subscription nature of much of the revenue,” it said.

By Georgina Prodhan and Kate Holton

(Editing by Joel Dimmock and Andrew Callus)

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LONDON (Reuters) – The private equity backers of Danish telecoms group TDC (TDC.CO) are meeting banks this month as they look to line up advisers to sell part of their $7.4 billion stake, people familiar with the matter said.

Buyout firms Blackstone (BX.N), KKR, Permira, Apax and Providence Equity Partners are meeting banks in November but might not pick a syndicate to run a share sale until next year, one of the sources said.

The buyout firms bought 88 percent of TDC in 2006 in what was then Europe’s largest leveraged buyout (LBO), eclipsed only by KKR’s 11.1 billion pound ($18.6 billion) deal for Alliance Boots the following year. The remaining 12 percent is listed on the Danish stock exchange.

The private equity firms declined to comment. TDC had no immediate comment.

Based on TDC’s share price, the company is worth about $8.4 billion.

($1=.5973 Pound) (Reporting by Simon Meads and Quentin Webb; additional reporting by Peter Levring in Copenhagen)

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TOKYO (Reuters) – Private equity firm TPG Capital could partner with American Airlines on a minority investment in Japan Airlines (9205.T) to prevent its defection to a rival airline group, the chief financial officer of American parent AMR Corp (AMR.N) said.

The emergence of TPG as a potential investor comes as the loss-making Japan Airlines seeks its fourth state bailout since 2001, saddled with $15 billion in debt, a massive pension deficit and dozens of unprofitable routes.

The Japanese government pledged on Tuesday to enlist a state bank to offer bridge loans to prevent the airline from running short of cash and said it may introduce legislation to cut a pension shortfall that hit $3.7 billion in March.

Even as it struggles to avoid bankruptcy, JAL is being wooed separately by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which are keen to gain access to JAL’s network in Asia and a stronger foothold in Japan. JAL is Asia’s largest carrier by revenues.

AMR’s Thomas Horton said TPG, which helped fund Continental Airlines emergence from bankruptcy in 1993 and backed a failed takeover attempt for Australia’s Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) in 2007, has agreed to potentially invest in JAL as part of any deal with American Airlines.

“As appropriate and if it were welcomed by Japan Airlines and the government of Japan, TPG could also be part of a comprehensive recovery plan,” Horton told reporters in Tokyo.

“They have been active in the airline space over the years.”

A spokesman for TPG in Tokyo declined to comment.

American partners JAL in the Oneworld alliance, which pools frequent flyer miles and feeds passengers between members, and is keen to block it from joining Delta in the rival SkyTeam group.

American has argued that JAL and Delta would have difficulty clearing regulatory hurdles if they sought antitrust immunity for closer business ties because the alliance would give SkyTeam control of 60 percent of air traffic between Japan and the U.S.

American, which has hired Rothschild [ROT.UL] as an adviser on the deal, also estimates that defecting to SkyTeam could drain JAL of about $500 million in revenues during a transition period of 18-24 months.

A Delta spokeswoman in Tokyo declined to comment.

SIDE SHOW

In addition to a capital investment, American has been talking with JAL on forming a joint venture to cooperate more closely on scheduling, pricing and marketing. American estimates this could bring another $100 million in annual revenue to JAL.

Such close cooperation requires an “open skies” agreement between Japan and the United States. The two governments are in negotiations and are aiming for a deal this year.

The posturing by American and Delta remains a side show in the context of the much larger hurdles facing JAL. Any investment from the U.S. carriers would likely be a fraction of the 300 billion yen in capital a government-appointed task force estimated it needs to stage a sustained recovery.

JAL applied last month for a bailout from the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan, a state-backed body that is expected to take until January to study its assets and decide whether it is worthy of an injection of public funds.

Japan’s recently elected government is under pressure to save JAL while contending with growing investor concern it faces a funding crunch to finance public debt expected to swell to 200 percent of GDP this year.

The government said on Tuesday the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) would extend loans to keep it in operations until the ETIC can decide on support, part of a rescue package to ease market jitters ahead of JAL’s first half earnings report on Nov. 13.

The Nikkei business daily reported JAL was likely to post an operating loss of more than 90 billion yen, hurt by a decline in passengers and per-customer sales.

The government will also consider legislation to forcibly cut pension payouts, aiming to get around current laws that allow retirees to easily block such a move. 

Shares of JAL, which have lost almost half their value this year, rose 4.8 percent after the government announced its support for the pension and bridge loan issues. The benchmark Nikkei Average .N225 ended flat.

The government did not announce the size of the bridge loan but two sources told Reuters on Wednesday the state-owned DBJ would offer a 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) line of credit, while private banks would put up 25 billion yen.

Loans from units of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (8306.T), Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T) and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T) will be used to buy aircraft and will be guaranteed by another state-owned bank, the sources said.

The sources also said JAL would announce its application for a debt restructuring scheme on Nov. 13 under which a third party would mediate between JAL and its creditors.

The scheme, called “Alternative Dispute Resolution”, would trigger a suspension of loan payments. This would reduce the amount of funds JAL needs to secure in the near term.

JAL CEO Haruka Nishimatsu is likely to resign to take responsibility for the airline’s woes, one source said.

A JAL spokesman said nothing has been decided on the size of the loans or whether it would apply for the ADR scheme. ($1=89.63 Yen)

By Nathan Layne and Nobuhiro Kubo

(Additional reporting by Taro Fuse in Tokyo and Mansi Dutta in Bangalore; Editing by Chris Gallagher and Lincoln Feast)

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The EHA, at a Stakeholder Consultation Meeting organised by DG Environment on Novemebr 10, on the review of the EU Seveso II Directive, asked the EU Commission more consideration of the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier in its environmental protection legislation. Current environmental legislation look at hydrogen only as an industrial gas and is not yet taken acoount the increasing use of hydorgen as a  clean energy carrier in transport and stationary energy systems. The EHA is closely following the review of the EU Integrated Pollution Prvention and Control Directive and the Seveso II Directive that applies to thousands of industrial establishments where dangeorus substances are present in quantities exceeding the treshold in the directive (for hydrogen 5 tons). more information on the Seveso II review process can be found at the Seveso II website. The EHA  reortt of the meeting is available for EHA members in the members section.

The Prime Minister marked the passing of the First World War generation during a special service at Westminster Abbey this morning.

Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah joined the Queen, heads of the Armed Forces and members of the public at the service on Remembrance Day.

The ceremony was held following the deaths earlier this year of the last three veterans of the First World War living in the UK.

During the ceremony the PM joined people around the country in observing the traditional two-minute silence.

In a statement, the PM said has was humbled to be present at Westminster Abbey as the bravery and sacrifice of the First World War generation was remembered.

“With their sad passing, we have now lost our living link with the Great War. But we must never forget what they did for each and every one of us. The courage and selflessness of those brave men who fought in that war will never be forgotten.

“It is our duty to teach our children and grandchildren of their heroism.

“And today of course our thoughts are also with all the men and women of our Armed Forces, serving with such distinction at home and overseas.”

Previous story: Remembrance Sunday

Reader Cameron Boykin alerts us to the news that a game modder appears to have filed a DMCA claim against Infinity Ward for its video of a certain part of Modern Warfare 2, claiming that the element in the game was influenced by a mod he had created. While this may seem amusing to the folks who are pissed off at Infinity Ward for various consumer-unfriendly positions, it still appears to be an abuse of the DMCA. It doesn’t sound like Infinity Ward flat out took this guy’s code or anything — and having similar gameplay elements is unlikely to be copyright infringement at all. While it may have just been a joke or a “protest” sort of move, filing a bogus DMCA takedown is bad news no matter how you look at it, and can get the filer into a lot of legal hot water pretty quickly.

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Some Japanese gadget freaks do have a penchant for weird earphones, that’s for sure, meaning these things actually seem to sell. I doubt that otherwise, Tokyo-based accessory maker Greenhouse would have updated the buta (piggy) earphones they gave us in June 2008. It’s not a technical update but the same earphones are available in purple and orange now (see the picture on the left).

You can still get the first series, available in black, white and pink, too (pictured below). The idea remains the same: Stick one half of a pig into your right ear and the other half into the left ear. You can still choose between ear pieces in 3 different sizes (small, medium and large).

Greenhouse plans to start selling the pig earphones in Japan next week for $15 each. I suggest you contact the Japan Trend Shop, Geek Stuff 4 U or Rinkya in case you live outside Japan and you’re interested in getting one.

We’re coming back, men!Looks like someone’s getting jealous of all the attention Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is getting. After a long bout of sile…

The Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox 360, PS3) launch preparations are “going very steadily,” this according to Square Enix president, Yoichi Wada. What’…

It’s very easy to win a Tekken art book from us!
$150 Spy pen is probably good enough for “Mission: Impossible”
And our costume contest winner is…
Mouse and keyboard vs. Console controller: Let’s bury the hatchet
First review of New Super Mario Bros. Wii gives the game a 9.2 (and guess from who that number’s from!)

This one’s a bit old, but I’m cleaning out some older posts I wanted to write up. Sent in by johnjac, apparently the University of Texas charges a local painter a fee for selling paintings of its main building, the Texas Tower. While the Freakonomics post delves into whether this should be a flat fee or a percentage, shouldn’t the actual question be why should the painter have to pay a fee at all?

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MALICIOUS CODE

Viruses
– A program that has the ability to ‘break away’ and to’copy ‘into the program / other systems
– Depending on other programs.
– Be active when ‘something’ that contains a virus run.
– Usually within one operating system, although there are different operating systems
– Infect: Memory and storage

Worms
– Does not depend to a program.
– Reproduce themselves by themselves mencopy from 1 computer to another computer.
– Using the network / Network.
– Did not attack the program.
– Does not change the program.
– Not corrupt the data.
– But dangerous.
– Utilize network resources.

Trojan Horse
– A fragment program that hide in the program and has a special function
– Often hidden in programs that attract users
– For example an interesting program, a new game.
– Usually used to tap one’s password.
– Trojan horse programs clever:
Not leave a trace presence
Can not be detected
Programmed to destroy himself before it was detected

Bombs
– Like the Trojan Horse
– Often combined with viruses, worms and programs that attack the system.
– Works by date, time or under certain conditions
– There are 2 kinds of bombs: time and logic
– Who work on a particular time is called time bomb (a bomb)
– Who worked on the incident / circumstances called logic bomb (logic bomb)

Back Doors
– A technique used by the programmer to enter into a system.
– Is a secret way to enter into a system.
– Its function is to provide to the programmer to enter into a system through the ‘back door’.
– Sometimes programmers let trap door in the program to monitor pengetasan a program or operation.

OTHER WILDLIFE
Bacteria
A program that does nothing but reproduce themselves
Usually beralokasi in memory, disk or other storage media.

Rabbits
Another name of the program that produced very quickly.

Crabs
Programs that attack / disrupt the data display on the screen.

CREEPERS
A program, such as worms, which menyerbar from other terminals to the network in the ARPANET (1970s) while displaying the message “I’m the Creeper, catch me if you can” to this program will be liquidated by “The Reaper”.

Salamis
A program that attacks the values of the money in the bank transaction files, especially the value of fractional
Value fractions (cents) from the interest taken and transferred to the account of another person

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